Chapter 31 3. Avoid the strong and attack the weak, the battle of Zhenjiang

The family members of the soldiers came to Yingtian from Hezhou. Everyone was delighted and marveled at Yingtian's style and the prosperity of Jiangnan.When everyone was happy, only Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't sleep at night, and his mind was heavy. On this day, when everyone was discussing matters, Zhu Yuanzhang was quite worried about the previous situation, thinking that it was not good for him. Li Shanchang said: "Although Zhang Shicheng and Xu Shouhui are strong, Jiangzuo and Zheyou were merged by various counties, and Yuan soldiers were stationed on all sides. It seems that Yingtian is at a disadvantage, but things always have two sides. The disadvantage is often an advantage. "

Xu Da and Tang He almost laughed out loud. From the generals' point of view, civil servants were mostly talkative, unable to go to the battlefield, and could turn their disadvantages into advantages. Hearing this, Feng Guoyong was quite inspired: "Being in the midst of powerful enemies is actually a kind of self-protection. Zhang Shicheng is in the east, King Xiaoming is in the north, and Xu Shouhui is in the west. Although Zhang Shicheng and Xu Shouhui are enemies, but in this way However, the current situation has cut off the main force of Yuan soldiers from attacking Yingtian, and together with King Xiao Ming, they have become Yingtian's three major guards."

Zhu Yuanzhang's face stretched slightly: "That's right, we just want to make good use of this advantage, see this disadvantage clearly, and develop from a small place." In the past few days, Zhu Yuanzhang stood in front of the map, looking east, west, south, and north. He carefully analyzed the military situation at this time and the mood of each sphere of influence. Zhenjiang fell into the hands of Zhang Shicheng, and Zhang Shicheng's forces could directly attack Yingtian, while Ningguo to the south needed to be taken back, otherwise Ningguo would be annexed by Xu Shouhui, and it would be very dangerous for Ningguo to be watched by the enemy from behind.To strengthen Yingtian and protect Yingtian, these are two strongholds that must be captured.

Even Feng Guoyong had to admire Zhu Yuanzhang's military talent and his keen observation skills. After several discussions, Zhu Yuanzhang adopted Feng Guoyong's suggestion to take the downstream Zhenjiang first.Taking Zhenjiang was Zhu Yuanzhang's first land conquest battle not long after he settled in Yingtian, and Zhenjiang was so important, so before sending troops, Zhu Yuanzhang thought that this battle could only be won but not defeated, otherwise it might cause Zhang Shicheng to attack and annoy This neighborhood is no fun. Here comes the problem again. Although Zhu Yuanzhang believes that his soldiers have experienced many battles and are brave and mighty, it is not difficult to conquer the city, but the families of the soldiers have just settled down in Yingtian from Hezhou. Warm.At this moment, he can only send his brother out of the mountain, and this person is Xu Da.

Zhu Yuanzhang said to Xu Da: "In the current situation, only you are the most suitable to lead troops to attack Zhenjiang. You are a veteran and have prestige in the army. If you are willing to part with your family, others have nothing to say." Xu Da said: "To be honest, the morale of the soldiers is really hard to boost when troops are dispatched at this time." Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said: "Hehe, we have a plan to make them all observe military discipline before dispatching troops. Then you have to play a bitter trick. I don't know if you like it or not?"

Xu Da was puzzled and said: "What kind of tricks can I play, as long as I can rectify the army and calm people's hearts, if there is anything you don't like, just tell me quickly, and don't be fooled." Zhu Yuanzhang was so and so, and explained to Xu Da. When it was time to send troops, the soldiers packed up their weapons and horses, reluctantly said goodbye to their wives, but the commander Xu Da gave the order to set off.The soldiers were in a hurry when they suddenly heard that Xu Da had made a big mistake and was being tried in Yingtian Mansion and might be sentenced to death, so they rushed to see.

When Zhu Yuanzhang saw that Xu Da had just been tied up, many soldiers gathered to watch, and he thought to himself: "A good show is about to be staged!" It turned out that Xu Da hid a very ordinary jade pendant and planned to give it to his wife as a souvenir when he was counting the supplies in the city when he attacked Jiqing. But Xu Da's wife and Ma Xiuying talked about this matter in gossip, and showed Ma Xiuying the jade pendant, which was not a valuable item, and Mrs. Xu Da was just feeling Xu Da's affection for her.But when Ma Xiuying heard this, she felt a little upset.Zhu Yuanzhang has become a generalissimo, and he has kept nothing for himself, even the most ordinary objects. At the same time, Ma Xiuying has more eyes. Some time ago, Zhu Yuanzhang got a woman who is as beautiful as a flower and knows some martial arts. Guo Ninglian, she is worried about Zhu Yuanzhang. After giving everything to Guo Ninglian, she complained to Zhu Yuanzhang, which led to the public case of Xu Da's private possession of items.And this seemingly true inside story was fabricated by Zhu Yuanzhang and Mrs. Ma, which sounds quite confusing.

In Yingtian Mansion, sat Ma Xiuying, Guo Ninglian, Xu Da's wife, and the bound Xu Da, Li Shanchang, Tang He and others, and watched many soldiers waiting to set off. Zhu Yuanzhang sat on the seat of the Generalissimo, with a serious and painful expression, and said in deep pain: "Xu Da, Xu Da, you are our brother, how can you make such a mistake? You know that we have made three chapters when we first entered the city. Now Don't blame the elder brother for not protecting you. Deal with it according to military law! Otherwise, it will be difficult to face many soldiers." Mrs. Xu Da immediately sobbed: "I beg the marshal to spare his life, the little girl is willing to die for Xu Da, it's all because of me."

Zhu Yuanzhang ignored him, and Mrs. Ma stepped forward and said, "It's just a small jade pendant, and it's not a valuable item. Does it need military law?" Zhu Yuanzhang immediately said angrily: "You ladies, all retreat, what is military law? Military law is to be strictly enforced to show discipline. Although the jade pendant is small, the matter is big. We have repeatedly emphasized that we should not hide things privately, and return what the people have to the people. , we are not robbers, we are fighting for the people and protecting the people. What are the things of the people, robbers!"

Zhu Yuanzhang turned around immediately, as if he couldn't bear to look at Xu Da, and shouted: "Pull it down, military law!" Everyone was stunned, and the soldiers didn't dare to touch Xu Da. Xu Da looked at everyone with a desperate expression, as if he was really about to say goodbye forever.Mrs. Xu Da was stunned and fainted. Li Shanchang and Tang He stood up at this time, persuading and pleading again and again, so that Zhu Yuanzhang was relieved and asked Xu Da to atone for his sin with meritorious deeds, and let Xu Da loose his ties.In front of everyone, Xu Da made a promise that if the city is not captured, it will not return.And Zhu Yuanzhang also took the opportunity to say to the soldiers present: "This dispatch of troops is of great importance. If you want to save General Xu's life, you have to wait and attack the city with all your strength. Siege is a small matter, but occupying a city is a big matter. You must not wait." Loot property without authorization, do not burn houses and kill people, and once you violate military orders, you must not take credit for your crimes.”

After experiencing such twists and turns, the soldiers led by Xu Da fought the enemy bravely with strict military discipline. The Zhenjiang Yuan guard decided to see that the rebels were attacking so violently, so he led his troops to resist, but he was no match for Xu Da's 10,000 elite soldiers, and Zhenjiang died in battle.When Xu Da broke through Zhenjiang, he strictly enforced military discipline and repeatedly emphasized not to disturb the people. The soldiers were required to do so every time they went to a city, and Xu Da almost died before they left. They all obeyed the military orders and treated the people kindly.Zhenjiang, which has just experienced the war, seems to have never been in a war. The people are quiet and live as usual. It turns out that Xu Da has posted notices around the city, comforting the military discipline of the soldiers and civilians, asking the people not to panic, saying that they are here to protect the people.The people in Zhenjiang have long heard that when Zhu Yuanzhang's army entered Yingtian, they did not kill or injure the people, and did not rob or rob the people of their supplies. As for the small towns near Zhenjiang, they were relieved to hear that Zhenjiang was captured by Zhu Yuanzhang's army and treated the people so kindly.After Xu Da captured Zhenjiang, he divided his troops and occupied nearby counties such as Jintan and Danyang. The people in these counties took the initiative to greet Xu Da when he attacked. Go to death. Zhu Yuanzhang felt that Zhenjiang was so close to Yingtian, and when he settled in Zhenjiang, he paved the way for guarding Yingtian and went to Zhenjiang to Anmin in person.After arriving in Zhenjiang, Zhu Yuanzhang first paid homage to the Confucius Temple to show that he respected Confucianism, loved the people, and practiced benevolence and righteousness. At the same time, he summoned soldiers and civilians in Zhenjiang to declare his thoughts of loving and protecting the people. He also used Confucian scholars in Zhenjiang to persuade the local people to support the soldiers. , Diligent farming, economic development.Zhu Yuanzhang's personal trip to Zhenjiang not only stabilized the morale of the army, but more importantly, stabilized the hearts of the people. After the capture of Zhenjiang, Zhu Yuanzhang took the same approach, first let Deng Yu capture Guangde Road, seized Yingtian's back door, then sent generals to conquer Changxing and Changzhou, and personally led troops to capture Ningguo, and successively occupied Jiangyin and Changshu. , Chizhou, Huizhou and other places, the strategic strongholds around Yingtian were all captured. Zhu Yuanzhang took advantage of the strategy of avoiding the strong and attacking the weak, and captured Zhenjiang first. Seeing that the powerful enemies around him did not take him seriously, he took advantage of the fact that the Yuan army was dealing with King Xiao Ming in the north, Xu Shouhui had internal disputes, and Zhang Shicheng's mentality of relying on his wealth and only caring about defense and not seeking development , occupying the small strongholds around Yingtian one by one.In the minds of those powerful enemies, this is all a small fight, and it is precisely by taking advantage of the gaps that Zhu Yuanzhang has laid down natural fortresses to protect Yingtian one after another, forming a very favorable strategic position: Jiangyin and Taihu Lake in the east A defensive line was formed in Changxing, which blocked Zhang Shicheng's westward offensive route, while Ningguo and Huizhou occupied a favorable position for Zhu Yuanzhang's plan to plot eastern Zhejiang, and formed a situation in the west connecting with Xu Shouhui, which was conducive to using defense as an offensive .Zhu Yuanzhang established his foothold in the south of the Yangtze River and began to attack his powerful neighbors.