Are the soldiers at the front disobeying orders?
Upon hearing these words, Li Ming's face darkened, and his brows furrowed.
A moment later, Li Ming flew into a rage and roared, "Any soldier who dares to disobey the order will be killed! Slaughter them without mercy!"
At this moment, Li Ming, who was anxious and restless, was extremely angry.
Hearing Li Ming's words, Song Xianze sighed helplessly.
kill?
Will killing solve the problem?
Song Xianze smiled bitterly to himself.
However, he knew that given the current dire situation, Li Ming probably couldn't see the bigger picture anymore.
The court discussion ended without result.
No one had a good solution to the situation in the vicinity of Jiangning City.
As time went on, the encirclement formed by the various units of the Shenwu Army, Shence Army, and Lingnan Army on the periphery became smaller and smaller.
The troops originally under Yuan Weiwen and Zhao Shuisheng, who were the local garrison commanders of Guiling, were renamed the Lingnan Army.
Gu Shisan's troops were renamed Guiling Army.
In mid-August, Liu Zheng, commander of the Shenwu Army, Zhou Liang, commander of the Shence Army, Yuan Weiwen, commander of the Lingnan Army, and Zhao Shuisheng, deputy commander, met in the Chuzhou area.
Inside the main tent, a group of high-ranking generals were gathered.
"Commander Liu, it's been a long time!"
Upon seeing Liu Zheng, Yuan Weiwen immediately stepped forward, bowed, and said...
Previously, Yuan Weiwen was Liu Zheng's subordinate. The two had worked together for many years and were old acquaintances.
"Old Yuan, it's been a long time!"
Liu Zheng smiled and nodded, saying, "Your Lingnan Army is developing quite rapidly. I heard it now has fifty or sixty thousand men!"
"Yes, Commander Liu!"
Yuan Weiwen nodded and said, “The people in Lingnan and Guiling are much poorer than those in the north. After hearing that our army was coming, people from all over flocked to join the army. Fortunately, Gu Shisan and Zhao Shuisheng did a very good job in the early stages. Therefore, after I went to Guiling and Lingnan, I was able to reap the benefits.”
"No, no, no,"
Zhao Shuisheng waved his hand with a smile and said, "Commander Yuan is too modest! Since Commander Yuan came, our development speed has accelerated, all thanks to Commander Yuan!"
"Alright, stop flattering me!"
Liu Zheng said with a smile, "This time, our three armies have met for only one purpose: to take over Jiangning City!"
"Some time ago, Lao Wang and his men pacified the southwest, leaving only Li Ming's remnants in the entire Da Gan Kingdom. Naturally, we need to speed things up as well!"
"Currently, Li Ming's remnants are holed up in a small area around Jiangning City, surrounded by our main forces of the Shenwu Army, Shence Army, and Lingnan Army, totaling nearly 200,000 men. We have a sure victory in this battle!"
"However, as for how to fight this battle, how to fight it, and where to start, we still need to discuss it carefully!"
As he spoke, Liu Zheng looked up at Zhou Liang, Yuan Weiwen, and Zhao Shuisheng, and said, "I suggest that we focus on winning hearts and minds, and use attacking the city as a secondary strategy! We should pursue both approaches simultaneously and strive to take Jiangning City as soon as possible!"
"Commander Liu's insight is brilliant!"
Zhou Liang nodded and echoed, "Right now, Li Ming's troops are like caged beasts, and the generals in various regions are well aware of this. They naturally know what the consequences of stubborn resistance will be. Therefore, our main strategy should be to win hearts and minds, which will surely persuade a large portion of Li Ming's remaining troops to surrender. At that time, it will also relieve some of the pressure on us, allowing us to take Jiangning City sooner!"
"Uh-huh!"
Yuan Weiwen nodded and said, "Then let's do it this way."
"I've already discussed it with the Jiangnan Newspaper Office."
Liu Zheng said, "The Jiangnan newspaper office is responsible for helping us print the surrender documents and mobilizing some of our undercover agents in Jiangning City to help us spread the news."
"And we,"
Liu Zheng continued, "He is responsible for distributing most of the surrender documents to the remaining Li Ming troops outside Jiangning City."
"Furthermore, all military units must continue their advance!"
"good!"
Everyone quickly responded.
After the Chuzhou Conference concluded, the Shenwu Army, Shence Army, and Lingnan Army units began to take action according to the established plan.
On August 20, the Fourth Division of the Divine Martial Army distributed surrender-persuasion documents in Yangzhou City.
Subsequently, more than 10,000 men from the Fourth Division marched in a grand procession toward Yangzhou.
After the army arrived, the entire city of Yangzhou was in a state of panic.
Although there were 20,000 to 30,000 garrison troops inside Yangzhou, these people knew that the army of Prince Xin outside the city was only a part of it.
When the dark muzzles of cannons were aimed at Yangzhou City, Zhou Shixian, the garrison commander of Yangzhou, was filled with panic.
He held a document urging him to surrender in his hand, his heart trembling slightly.
General Zhou,
A lieutenant approached and said softly, "The city's defenses are complete..."
The lieutenant hesitated for a moment, then said, "General Zhou, the soldiers in all units are somewhat panicked, I'm afraid the situation..."
The lieutenant did not finish speaking.
However, Zhou Shixian naturally understood what he meant.
Some of them, in particular, had fought against Li Xin's troops on the front lines at Yuguan. They were well aware of the fighting capabilities of Li Xin's forces.
Now, they have become trapped beasts.
There's probably only one way out.
Thinking of this, Zhou Shixian clenched the surrender document in his hand.
His gaze was deep, and he remained silent for a long time.
Seeing Zhou Shixian's expression, the deputy general wisely remained silent. He knew that Zhou Shixian was pondering how to deal with the current situation, and seeing the surrender document in his hand, the deputy general also knew that Zhou Shixian had this plan in mind.
As for how to weigh the pros and cons, that's up to Zhou Shixian to decide.
Not long after, Zhou Shixian made his choice.
He opened his eyes and said in a deep voice, "This general cannot gamble with the lives of all the soldiers and civilians of the city! The situation is already decided, and there is no point in resisting! This general has decided to open the gates and surrender!"
"General Zhou is wise!"
The lieutenant offered a word of praise.
Immediately, the order to surrender was spread throughout the entire city of Yangzhou.
Upon receiving this news, the soldiers surrounding Yangzhou City breathed a sigh of relief.
Finally, I no longer have to live in fear and worry about my life!
After laying down their weapons, Yangzhou surrendered immediately.
The troops of the Fourth Division of the Divine Martial Army were somewhat surprised to see Yangzhou City raising a white flag and announcing its surrender.
Unexpectedly, the psychological warfare tactic worked so quickly?
Never mind!
The commander of the Fourth Division smiled and announced loudly, "Take over Yangzhou City!"
Immediately, the Shenwu Army marched towards Yangzhou City.
Yangzhou City was an important town north of the Yangtze River and a vital defensive barrier to the north of Jiangning City.
The surrender of Yangzhou without a fight was like a boulder falling onto a calm lake, instantly causing a huge uproar throughout Jiangnan and among Li Ming's remaining forces.
Upon receiving this news, the remaining forces of Li Ming in various regions were all pondering the matter, muttering amongst themselves, and considering their own fate...
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