Chapter 798: Public Grievance

Latest website: "The Yan King Army is about to launch an attack on Jinling."

At Niu Tou Tan, Zhao Xu, Chang Wei, and other generals were planning the river crossing.

Luse stood by the river, using a telescope to observe the Yan King's steamships and sailing warships.

Clearly, the only thing missing from the conditions for the Yan King Army to cross the river was a fleet.

Now that the fleet had arrived, it could provide protection for the Yan King Army as they crossed, and they would have no more concerns.

"It is truly shocking that in such a barbaric place, one could actually see steamships," Luse thought to himself.

After arriving in Wu, he had not discovered any traces of industry here.

Yet, across the river, the Yan King on the opposite side was actually able to manufacture steamships, which naturally made him feel very strange.

Originally, he still had some doubts, but having seen the steamships with his own eyes, he could no longer question it.

At the same time, his mood could not help but grow heavy.

Coming to Wu this time, he did not know if it was a blessing or a curse.

However, since he had taken Wu's silver, he would lead the Mercenaries to fight to the end.

Furthermore, his goal was not just for victory.

As long as he could drag out the Yan King's southward pace, win time for reinforcements for Britain, and exhaust the Yan King's strength, his goal would be achieved.

"Prepare for a death battle!" He raised his voice; these words were spoken to Xie Duan, Han Zheng, and Wang Zi'an behind him.

The three were shocked by the arrival of the steamships; hearing this, they looked at each other.

Xie Duan said, "Brother Han, Brother Wang, this time we have no way to retreat; we can only fight a decisive battle to the death with the Yan King. I hope your two families can cooperate sincerely with our Xie Family and fight to the death without retreating."

Pausing, he emphasized his tone, "If Jinling is lost, Su City and Song City will also be impossible to hold. This unique grain-producing land of the Great Song will fall into the hands of the Yan King, and by then, whether it is the Xie Family army or the armies of your two families, there will be no grain to eat."

Han Zheng and Wang Zi'an nodded solemnly.

They naturally knew the importance of Jinling.

During this period, they had been relying on the Ningzhou portion of Jiangnan to survive until now.

"Brother Xie, please rest assured; no matter what the order is, our two families will execute it to the end," Han Zheng said.

Xie An nodded, revealing a smile.

Niu Tou Tan is only forty li away from Jinling City.

This beach is flat, making it the most convenient place for the enemy to cross the river and deploy their army.

Therefore, Luse established the Niu Tou Tan position in front of the trench fortifications.

After the opponent crosses Niu Tou Tan, they must travel another twenty li east to reach the trench fortifications.

As for the Niu Tou Tan position, there are over three hundred forts here.

The 150,000 soldiers guarding the trench fortifications on the west side of Jinling City would first participate in the battle here; if the war situation were unfavorable, they would retreat to the trench fortifications.

Among these soldiers, 20,000 are Mercenaries, there to stop the Yan King Army from moving south.

With Luse commanding on the front lines, they could not help but have a bit of confidence.

Perhaps this time they could really defeat the Yan King Army.

Now, they were in dire need of a victory to boost morale.

The four men inspected Niu Tou Tan once more, then checked the trench fortifications.

At the same time, Xie An dispatched Cavalry to other cities along the river, ordering them to increase their vigilance.

Preparing to welcome this great battle.

……

The border of Jiangzhou and Zhezhou.

As the Battle of Jinling was on the verge of breaking out, Liang Kai, the Imperial Prince, the Imperial Concubines, and the ministers were advancing toward Changcheng.

Because the mountain roads were treacherous and difficult to march on, and Liang Kai, the Imperial Prince, and the concubines could not endure the hardships of the road.

They decided to take the waterway, ordering the commoners to pull the fleet, which stretched for dozens of li, upstream along both banks of the Heng Jiang.

The end of the Heng Jiang is Chang Hu near Changcheng.

Chang Hu is very vast, connecting to Jiujiang in the north, with a tributary winding east to reach Lincheng, finally merging into the sea.

"General Luse has gone to Jinling City; I hope he can win the first battle." On the largest warship of the fleet, Crown Prince Liang Feng and Liang Kai sat at a table on the deck.

Pouring a cup of tea for his father, Liang Feng spoke.

Inside the boat cabin, a group of Imperial Concubines were looking toward the banks, pointing and gesturing at the commoners who were walking with difficulty along the riverbank with their upper bodies bare.

Occasionally, a commoner would lose their strength and fall into the river, which instead triggered a burst of laughter.

From Lincheng to this border of Jiangzhou, throughout the journey, they did not know how many commoners had been buried in the Heng Jiang, and they had become accustomed to it.

"General Luse has fought in a hundred battles. Just in Jinling there are 400,000 troops, plus the 200,000 troops supported by our Wu; he will certainly be able to block the Yan King's troops," Liang Kai said this as if he were comforting himself.

Hearing the giggling of the concubines, his gaze turned to the riverbank, and he also noticed the commoners falling into the water.

Seeing this scene, there was no Bolan in his eyes.

While withdrawing from Lincheng, he also ordered the Lincheng commoners to move west with him.

Firstly, he did not want these commoners to be used by the Yan King and become the Yan King's assistance.

Secondly, if the troops suffered losses, he could still draft able-bodied men from the commoners to fill the ranks.

The third reason was that the huge fleet needed these commoners to tow it.

After all, they were moving upstream along the river, unlike steamships that could travel freely.

Since ancient times, any warship relying on sails going upstream could only rely on trackers.

These commoners were the trackers.

And the long fleet not only carried the Imperial Concubines, ministers, and nobles, but also the wealth that his Liang Family had accumulated for nearly two hundred years.

Compared to these, what did the deaths of some commoners matter?

To him, if the Liang Family and the Rich Clans of Jiangnan were all dead, what use would there be in leaving these commoners behind?

Furthermore, due to the thousands of years of the powerful clan system, in their eyes, the commoners were no different from cattle and sheep.

"Father is right, we will certainly win," Liang Feng echoed, as if also trying to comfort himself.

At this moment, Liang Kai thought of something and said, "How is the migration situation in the other coastal cities?"

"Reporting to Father, everything is proceeding normally. Following General Luse's orders, the coastal officials have even burned down the houses of the coastal commoners, determined not to leave anything behind," Liang Feng laughed.

With Yan Wang moving south, this battle was a life-or-death struggle; as long as they could win, they would disregard everything else.

Moreover, because this war was extremely critical, Liang Kai also decided to heavily employ members of the Liang Family.

He took on the title of Zhenguo Great General, responsible for the migration of the coastal commoners.

"Hmm, very good," Liang Kai praised, laughing aloud.

It would be impossible for Yan Wang to bewitch the commoners as he did in Qi and have them provide him with grain and fodder.

Another ten days passed, and the fleet entered Chang Hu, finally arriving at Changcheng.

……

At the same time, in Baima Xian.

As more and more Troop Transport Ships arrived in Jiujiang along the Canal, war clouds gathered over Jinling City.

These days, Zhao Xu and Chang Wei were waiting for the Troop Transport Ships while studying with the generals how to take Jinling City with the minimum cost.

During this period, the eyes and ears of the Four Courts active in Jiangnan continuously sent intelligence from Jiangnan.

The officials of Wu were coercing the commoners to migrate toward inland cities.

Liang Kai and his party were advancing toward Changcheng; during the migration, many commoners died, and public resentment began to rise.

"The Smoothbore Cannons on these six Sailing Warships have all been replaced with Rifled Cannons, and their firepower is fierce. Tomorrow morning, under their cover, we will launch an attack on Niu Tou Tan. According to the reconnaissance from the Hot Air Balloon Troop, the first battle of the southern campaign will be against Mercenaries. You must display our might for this Prince, and let the Westerners understand that we can still beat them until they cry for their fathers and mothers." No matter what Liang Kai was stirring up, he ultimately could not escape Jiangnan.

Therefore, Zhao Xu could not be bothered to pay attention.

He had never counted on defeating the powerful clans by relying on coastal raids.

Ultimately, he still had to rely on the main army moving south.

Now, all preparations for war were complete, and the war was about to begin.

The next morning, the river breeze carried a hint of chill.

The gun port shutters on the Sailing Warships were propped open, and one Artillery piece after another extended out, aimed at Niu Tou Tan.