The two prefectures of Ying and Mo, which had blocked the Longcheng army's southward advance for several months, were thus captured in a dramatic manner by the Longcheng army personally led by Prince Chen Huai'an.
When Pang Xianchu and Fan Wuji, following the orders of Prince Jin, led their Dragon City Iron Pagoda and Xuanjia Army to Yingzhou City, a hundred miles away, all that remained for the Dragon City army was an empty city.
Zhao Kui, the deputy general of the Tiger Warriors New Army, and his 20,000 fleeing soldiers, retreated into Yingzhou City. Knowing that he might never return to Yingzhou in this life, Zhao Kui allowed his fleeing soldiers to loot all the gold, silver and valuables of the people in the city.
Then, following the route taken by General Wu Sanjia southward, they headed straight for Jinan Prefecture.
A few days later.
Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin led an army of 350,000 from Longcheng and marched into Yingzhou City.
At this point, all sixteen prefectures of Youyun were brought under the control of the King of Jin.
At this time, less than eight months had passed since Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin raised an army in Longcheng to quell the rebellion.
On this day, Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin, dressed in a magnificent robe, ascended the city wall of Yingzhou City, surrounded by a group of generals from Longcheng.
Standing atop the city gate tower, one can see a vast expanse of crisscrossing rivers and lakes.
At this moment, Liu Ziyu, a former general of the Tiger Warriors of the Great Xin Dynasty and the garrison commander of Wuzhou City, one of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, took the initiative to introduce him to Chen Huai'an:
"Your Highness, the city of Yingzhou is named after Yinghai (the sea), and is also known as Hejian, which means 'between the nine rivers'."
"If this bandit general Wu Sanjia relies on his superior forces to defend Yingzhou, our Longcheng army probably won't have any way to take down Yingzhou in a short time."
As he spoke, Liu Ziyu smiled and continued, "It's a pity that Wu Sanjia played such a good hand terribly, handing over Yingzhou City to Your Highness with ease."
"In this way, Your Highness will not only have the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun under your control, but will also have an outlet to the Bohai Sea!"
"This humble general dares to suggest to Your Highness that the Longcheng army should temporarily halt its southern campaign and instead rely on the abundant river systems within and outside Yingzhou's territory, as well as the coast of the Bohai Sea."
"Build warships, train naval soldiers, and once the navy is fully combat-ready, launch a southward campaign, cross the Yangtze River in one fell swoop, and march on the imperial city of Nanjing!"
After speaking, Liu Ziyu knelt before Chen Huai'an and said again, "If Your Highness does not despise me, this humble general is willing to take on the task of training the navy for the Longcheng army."
"Within a year, I will train Your Highness a valiant and skilled navy to serve as the vanguard for the Longcheng army's southward crossing of the Yangtze River!"
Chen Huai'an looked at Liu Ziyu, the deputy general of the Longcheng Southern Expeditionary Army, who was kneeling beside him and offering suggestions, but did not give him a reply immediately.
How could Chen Huai'an not see through Liu Ziyu's thoughts?
Deputy General Liu Ziyu was not only one of the earliest generals of the Daxin Dynasty to join the Longcheng army, but also the adopted son of Prince Wuning Liu Xinwu and the adopted brother of Princess Shujun Liu Shujun.
If Liu Shujun is later made empress of the new dynasty, Liu Ziyu will become the new dynasty's "brother-in-law".
However, this "brother-in-law of the emperor" did not achieve any notable military exploits during the half-year period after joining the Prince of Jin's camp.
In the Longcheng army, which had a strict system of promotion based on military merit, he could only be appointed as the deputy general of the Longcheng Southern Expeditionary Army, becoming the deputy commander Chang Yuchun's assistant.
Clearly, Liu Ziyu, who aspired to become the emperor's brother-in-law of the new dynasty, was not satisfied with his position as deputy general of the southern expeditionary army in Longcheng.
Or rather, Liu Ziyu, representing the former generals of the Daxin Dynasty, currently lacks sufficient influence within the Longcheng army to satisfy the demands of the interest groups behind him.
Therefore, Liu Ziyu offered advice and suggestions to Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin at this time, and volunteered to train the naval army.
Once the navy is fully trained, the credit for the Longcheng army crossing the Yangtze River and capturing the imperial city of Nanjing will go to Liu Ziyu and the military group behind him.
Furthermore, the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun were originally the base of the military group led by Liu Ziyu.
The Longcheng army, having resolved the northern war, indeed needed such a naval force to prepare for crossing the Yangtze River to the south.
Chen Huai'an had long considered the matter of forming the Longcheng Naval Force.
Their purpose was not merely to cross the Yangtze River to the south and take Nanjing.
In Chen Huai'an's plan, the responsibility and mission of the Longcheng naval force are arduous and far-reaching.
The short-term goal, naturally, is to cross the Yangtze River to the south and capture Nanjing.
Mid-term goal: Expedition against Goguryeo and annihilation of the four islands of Japanese invaders;
The long-term goal, of course, is to seize the opportunity before the Age of Exploration arrives and expand the territory of the Han people around the world.
Therefore, Chen Huai'an had already made up his mind about who would be the commander of the Longcheng naval force.
As a chosen one of the worlds possessing the "Born to be an Emperor" system, Chen Huai'an has no shortage of loyal generals with outstanding military command abilities.
Originally, Chen Huai'an intended for Zheng He, the eunuch who had led seven voyages to the Western Ocean, to be the admiral of the Longcheng naval fleet.
Unfortunately, this eunuch Zheng He was not a military general!
Therefore, Chen Huai'an settled for second best and decided to appoint Qi Jiguang, a Ming Dynasty general who fought against Japanese pirates, as the naval commander!
Therefore, when Vice Admiral Liu Ziyu volunteered to become the Admiral of the Dragon City Navy, Chen Huai'an naturally could not agree to it.
However, as the person in charge, Chen Huai'an could not dampen the enthusiasm of his subordinates, and he had to know how to weigh the interests of all parties.
He looked at Liu Ziyu kneeling before him and said with a smile, "Deputy General Liu, please rise!"
"Vice General Liu's proposal to establish the Dragon City Navy is exactly what I've been looking for, however—"
At this point, Chen Huai'an paused briefly, then changed the subject and continued, "If we were to send Vice Admiral Liu to train the naval soldiers, it would be a waste of his talents!"
Upon hearing what Prince Jin said, a hint of melancholy flashed across the eyes of Deputy General Liu Ziyu.
But what His Highness Prince Jin said next rekindled his hope.
Then, Chen Huai'an shouted sternly, "All soldiers of Longcheng, listen to my command!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
brush!
All the military officers of Longcheng stood up straight, awaiting His Highness Prince Jin's command.
Chen Huai'an said, "Vice Commander Chang Yuchun, I hereby order you to lead the 150,000-strong Longcheng army to continue the southern expedition, following the southward retreat direction of Wu Sanjia and the Tiger Legion's new army, and directly attack Jinan Prefecture. There must be no mistakes!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
Chang Yuchun immediately clasped his hands in a fist salute to indicate that he accepted the order.
Chen Huai'an then said, "Deputy General Liu Ziyu, I hereby order you to lead 150,000 troops from Longcheng to take Kaifeng Prefecture directly. There must be no mistake!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
Liu Ziyu was extremely excited and immediately accepted the order.
He was finally able to stand alone in command. Although he was still the deputy general of the Longcheng Southern Expeditionary Army, once Kaifeng was captured, his status in the Longcheng army would surely rise with his military achievements.
Chen Huai'an concluded, "Regarding the training of the Longcheng naval force, I will personally oversee operations in Yingzhou City, awaiting the convergence of the two southern expeditionary armies."
"I will personally lead the Dragon City naval force, together with you all, to cross the Yangtze River and march straight to Nanjing!"
"The Dragon City army is mighty!"
"Long live the Prince of Jin! Long live the Prince of Jin! Long live the Prince of Jin!"
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