The news was sent back to the capital in a hurry for eight hundred miles, and it was a secret report. Only the relatives and nobles in the Qing Dynasty knew about it, in order to avoid unnecessary panic. However, this kind of major event like a collapsed sky may not be kept secret for now in the Qing Dynasty.

"I think that at this time, I will be calm and quiet. Lord Nala can defend as long as he can, and delay as long as he can. The court did not expect him to block the offensive of Zhejiang bandits in Huaibei. It was nothing more than using time to reduce the spirit of Zhejiang bandits."

Using time and space to exchange for a more favorable situation in the decisive battle of the new army was a strategy established by Liu Cheng and Shunzhi when he was founded in the first place. Over the years, the old-style army has long proved that it is not an opponent of the Ming army in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Only the new army, the semi-feudal and semi-modern monster trained by the European army power, Sweden, can have the possibility of winning. Coupled with the flat horse in the north and the cavalry controlled by the Qing court that had an absolute advantage in numbers, the way to win is to attack the other with one's own strengths and the shortcomings.

This truth is not forgotten by all the relatives and nobles present, but Suksaha's urgent secret report is presented here, and the pessimism about the future battle situation infected everyone present like an infectious disease, and even Liu Cheng was no exception, because the Qing army in Huaibei may really not be able to delay as Suksaha said.

……………………

On the second day of the 13th year of Yongli, Chen Wen personally led the young guard division to Yangzhou. After a little repair, the army set off for the advance base in Huai'an.

Yangzhou and Huaian are more than 300 miles apart, but the canal connects the two places, and there is never a shortage of ships and boatmen on the canal. The army boarded the ship from Nanjing and entered the canal in Yangzhou and turned to the trainmen to pull the fibers, but it would not delay too much trip. However, this army was still on the way to Huaian, and several divisions that had arrived had crossed the Huai River as the pioneers of the army.

The Yellow River was not redirected since the Song Dynasty and the Huai River, until the 19th century in the late Qing Dynasty. Today, the lower reaches of the Huai River are wide and the amount of silt and sand are large. Coupled with the Qing government's operations in recent years, it was not conducive to the rapid breakthrough of the army. However, even the fortifications of the strongest fortifications still require a firm defender to defend. Suksaha was determined to die for the Qing court, but few of the green camp generals and local officials below were united with him.

Qinghe County, northwest of Huai'an Prefecture City, is already north of the Huai River. The Jinhua Division of the Ming Army of Jiangsu and Zhejiang are crossing this place and advancing towards Xuzhou along the canal.

Outside Qinghe County, there was no north gate in this city, and the army was walking around the city. Yin Yue, the commander of the Jinhua Division, stood on horseback and watched the army head north. Beside him, in addition to guards and staff, there were also local green camp generals and local officials in Qinghe County, standing on the side with flattery.

"The king's army is mighty and the sinners have been looking forward to it for a long time. Now that I can be lucky enough to see the king's army in the north to attack the Central Plains, I will be willing to die immediately."

"The magistrate doesn't have to say that he will die. You and others take the initiative to resist the Tartars' life. They are all meritorious ministers. When I report to the Superintendent, I will be rewarded."

"Thank you, Prince." After this statement was made, the magistrate saw that Yin Yue was a little unhappy and quickly changed his words: "No, thank you, Prince, and Prince."

The head of the Green Camp officers in this county is a general who moved from Shanxi. Seeing that the senior generals of the Ming army in Jiangsu and Zhejiang were still easy to speak, he quickly bowed and asked: "Your Highness, Prince, we have been waiting for the great reputation of Your Highness, and we are willing to pay our respects to you..."

"Your Highness the Superintendent is busy with all his time. When will you see you? Wait for the arrangements of the Military Staff Office."

Yin Yue interrupted General Qinghe's inquiry, and the latter, the magistrate and others were not dissatisfied with him. He quickly agreed and said that everything was waiting for Chen Wen's arrangements, and he was absolutely right.

"According to the order of His Highness the Superintendent, you and other civil servants will wait for the south to go south to the civil servant training class for training; anyway, your army will be reorganized, and the personnel will be arranged to be trained at the Zhejiang New Army Martial Arts School. All of them will be placed after the training. Are you clear?"

"Clearly, clearly, General Bai told us before that we are all guilty. If you can get such a favorable attitude from the Superintendent, you will do your best to serve His Highness the Superintendent."

The civil and military officials nodded and finally passed this level. In the following days, they would set off south and wait for resettlement in Nanjing. As for their official positions, the civil servants of the Northern Expedition Army and the local garrison officers accompanied by the Northern Expedition Army. The civil servants took the lead in printing letters, and the local garrison soldiers led some troops to supervise these green camps to maintain order in the newly occupied areas.

In this way, Chen Wen can avoid the situation where Zheng Chenggong retained the civil and military officials in the recapture of the region during the Northern Expedition and turned against each other. This is due to strength and a lesson. Although Zheng Chenggong had more than 100,000 troops back then, most of them were auxiliary soldiers. The soldiers had to face the threat of the Qing army in Jiangnan, Jiangbei, and especially tried to pose a large enough threat to Nanjing, so this is why. Since Chen Wen had enough strength and had such experience, there was no need to make such mistakes again.

Anyway, the civil and military officials followed the officers to Huai'an, while Qinghe County was already under control of the local garrisons. In front of the county yamen in Qinghe County, the new Qinghe magistrate Yang Xiaolei stood in front of the gate of the county yamen. With a wave of his hand, the yamen runners carried heavy boxes in front of him. When the boxes were opened, the silver light flashed immediately caused a burst of exclamation.

"The king's army fought in the northern expedition and recruited civil servants, and only worked in our government, and the wages were paid every day. If anyone dared to deduct wages, including my official, the military law would never show mercy."

When the army recruited civilians, they had always rarely paid enough wages, and many of them didn't even give enough food. Almost the army advanced all the way, and the corpses of civilians spread all the way. Chen Wen had saved many years and attacked the gentry in Jiangnan. His family was rich, so the army went north naturally paid wages according to the customs.

During this Northern Expedition, the northern military recruits were only responsible for moving and transporting materials in the province, assisting in the construction of fortresses, and the army had its own professional auxiliary troops to train. These military recruits were trained by the local governor's office and had a certain degree of combat ability, not as good as ordinary civilians.

With this guarantee, especially the normal payment of wages on the first day, the enthusiasm of the civilians and men increased greatly. It was a good thing to get a job and support their families during this chaotic war. China has never lacked hardworking and smart people. When a few days later, when the young guard Chen Wen arrived in this city, the city was full of ordinary people who came to sell various agricultural products. The civilians also worked hard on docks, warehouses, military camps, forts, official roads and canals.

The Young Guard Division arrived all the way, sitting on the boat, pulled by the trainer to head north on the canal. Sitting on the boat, he spent most of his time standing in the cabin. Ding Junjie and his soldiers, like other teams, could only get on the deck for a few time to breathe the fresh air.

Arriving in Qingshui County, the Young Guards Division disembarked, and the next journey was to start walking forward. The transportation capacity of the canal had to pour more into the materials. After all, it was a cannon that fired a thousand taels of gold. At such a large war, it was difficult to count the materials, money and food.

After getting off the boat, they walked towards the camp west of the city in teams. On the dock, the civilians recruited by the Ming army and the government had long occupied it, but as long as they left the boundary of military control, they would be the territory of the local people.

Cradles of vegetables, baskets of eggs, and rough handicraft products such as purses, wood carvings, etc. There are also many. There are also several monks and Taoists selling the peace talismans that have been opened, and they insist that as long as they carry their peace talismans, they will definitely be protected by Buddha or Laojun. The arrows and bullets of the Tartars must be circled, which is so evil.

The military judges and military supervisors on patrol ignored this, but if there were any entanglements of soldiers and any trustless mother could be protected by Maitreya Buddha, the military judge directly arrested them and threw them into prison, and would not even give the first half of the explanation.

"Brother Ding, you are very knowledgeable. Why do military judges, regardless of monks and Taoists, want to arrest the old mother who believes in, and those who believe in Maitreya Buddha? What do they do?"

After spending a long time together, everyone in the team also has a certain understanding of others. Ding Junjie was a "school master" in the Boy Scout Academy in his early years. He worked outside on weekdays and had more experiences than ordinary people.

At this moment, when Pao Ze asked, Ding Junjie answered: "This is actually very simple. I heard that there are many people who believe in the Na Luo Sect along the canal, especially among the boatmen. I don't know what this Luo Sect is, but I have heard that the Luo Sect believes in Wusheng Lao Mother, and Bai Lian also believes in Wusheng Lao Mother and Maitreya Buddha. It is said that even the fragrance-smelling seems to have a close relationship with this Luo Sect, so the court has always regarded it as a cult."

"I see."

The Luo Sect may not have heard of it, but the White Lotus Sect and the Winter Sect had rebelled. The government was very strict with their investigation, and even the small people had heard of it. They even heard of the Ming army in Jiangsu and Zhejiang recruited soldiers, but they did not want any religious believers.

"What's more, they dare to lead the soldiers in the army so blatantly into the religion. If these guys rebel in the future, will the soldiers who believe in religion listen to them or their superiors?"

In the late Ming Dynasty, when peasant uprisings occurred in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, most of the soldiers of the Ming army in Jiangsu and Zhejiang were southerners, and they had heard of these folk religions, but they rarely believed them. Especially in the army's attitude towards these folk religions, they avoided them even more.

"I heard that there are those who are waiting to force others to join the church."

Li Youzhi whispered, and the few around him were shocked when they heard this. Then Su Jingzhi in front of Ding Junjie spitted out.

"My grandmother and my mother are all Buddhists, but no one has ever forced them to believe. They sincerely believe that as long as they do good deeds and accumulate virtues, the Buddha and the Bodhisattva will bless goodness, which are all guides people to be kind. If they still have to force others to join the church and rebel at any time, then it is not a cult, and what is it? The court should arrest and behead all the guys who deceive the people and make profits."

"Who said no?"

The marching line was just a whisper. Ding Junjie listened to the discussions of the robes and looked at the people around him. Almost all the local people selling agricultural and sideline products on the road were ragged and barely covered their bodies. Many of them were even to pieces so that they exposed their flesh.

Such a situation is rare in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, especially in his home in Jinhuafu. The people's production enthusiasm is now high in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. There is a shortage of manpower everywhere in farmland, workshops, and cities. As long as you are willing to work hard, you dare not say that you have a wealth and affluence, you will still have enough food.

After getting off the ship, there were people selling goods around, and there were even people selling their heads. There were countless people who put up signs to sell their heads. When they arrived at the east gate, Ding Junjie was seeing an officer saying something in front of a man selling his daughter. Only when they were close enough could they hear it clearly.

"Look, you are also a man with strength. You have the time to sell your children here, but you can't see the yamen recruiting civilians?"

"This military master, it's not that the villain didn't see it or hear it, but the yamen can really pay wages, and in the end it's not a waste of work."

"If you give me or not, you won't ask those who have done their work by yourself. Besides, we are the kings of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. We are not like the previous imperial courts and the Tartars. We have always been innocent. If you want to believe it, believe it; if you don't want to believe it, just pretend that you didn't say it."

After saying that, the officer sneered and shook his head away. But the man looked at the officer's back, then looked back at his daughter's little face full of unwillingness, gritted his teeth, pulled the grass marker on his daughter's head, and then strode towards the pier to the west.

"Your Highness the Superintendent of the State of the State said in the Boy Scout Academy that if you have enough warehouses, you will know etiquette, and if you have enough food and clothing, you will know honor and disgrace. If the administration is not good, corruption is everywhere, and the people are squeezed out and cannot eat, how can you talk about the four words "ritual, righteous, honest and shame"

Looking at the Huaibei area, I recall my hometown in Zhejiang. Most of the people there can eat, eat a lot, and sell their children and daughters. If it were not for special circumstances, they would basically be despised. Even the Jiaofangsi is full of female relatives who are criminals and captured, and few people push their children there.

"If you don't have your Highness, you will die on Siming Mountain back then; if you don't have your Highness, you will be just a pariah who has no food and clothing these years. The system established by Your Highness, you will be a system that protects the welfare of military households, so the enthusiasm of the children of military households is also the highest - in addition to their desire for military merits and land, there may not be no desire to repay kindness. Once you know the etiquette, righteousness, integrity and shame, you will be more able to understand the defense of the barbarians and the Xia. This is the power of civilization."

Thinking of this, Ding Junjie suddenly had greater confidence in these new recruits who had not been on the battlefield. In fact, Chen Wen was not without this confidence, and this was even one of the reasons for the establishment of the Young Guard Division.

Of course, at this moment, Chen Wen did not have the insight of this new recruit. His mind was on the Northern Expedition. Not to mention anything else, but the main force of this army, the war soldiers and local garrisons that accompanied him had no less than 120,000. Although the actions of each army were under the control of the Staff Office of the Army, Chen Wen still had to stare at the sand table, listen to the rewards of each unit, look at the front line, and the reports from the rear, so that the overall situation could be controlled.

"Your Highness, Jinhua Division and Jiangdu Division have crossed Suqian and are advancing towards Pizhou. The Pizhou garrison has already lost to our troops. If nothing unexpected happens, the army can reach the city of Xuzhou within four to six days."

"Well, tell Yin Yue and Huang Jincheng that you should not underestimate the enemy and pay attention to the Tatar cavalry."

"Abide by the orders of humble duties."

"Report to the Superintendent, the fleet of Yang Kai, the troops of Fubo Marquis have landed on Yingyou Mountain."

"Where are Master Dalan and Master Danyang now?"

"When you return to the regent, the news just passed back, they have crossed the new dam and are moving towards Haizhou."

"Very good, tell Yang Kai that after collecting Haizhou, continue to march towards Shandong."
Chapter completed!