The fleet left Anqing Wharf, the Yangtze River water pushed the boats, and the sailors paddled hard. Every time they paddled, a splash of water was stirred up in the rolling river, which reflected the bright autumn sunshine and fell back into the rolling water of the Yangtze River.

Going downstream, the boatmen paid more attention to sailing the boats. The sails were hoisted, and driven by the wind and the current, the boats carried a large number of Qing troops towards their destination, Jiangning.

If someone could fly very high, they could probably see the fleet split into two groups. The first group of boats was not very big, and there were many people rowing. They were moving at a much faster speed than the second group.

The number of ships in the second wave was several times that of the first, and the ships were generally much larger. Many ships even had two masts, with Chinese-style hard sails hoisted on both masts, but they still did not run very fast.

In the cabin of the largest ship of the second wave, a number of red-topped officials were discussing the upcoming war.

"General, we should advance along the Qinhuai River, and once we reach the city, we will climb up and fight."

"General, we should march to Jurong first and threaten Jiangning and Zhenjiang. We will mobilize the enemy troops to leave the city. At that time, the government troops will fight with the enemy troops in the field, or attack Zhenjiang and Yangzhou together with the navy, or lead the enemy troops away and attack Jiangning by surprise. All these are under the control of the government troops."

"General, the enemy's firearms are very powerful. I'm afraid we will miscalculate in a field battle."

"Humph! Since the enemy's firearms are so powerful, do we have a chance of success if we launch a surprise attack along the Qinhuai River?"

It was obvious that the Qing army was divided into two groups. One group advocated attacking Jiangning City, while the other group advocated stationing troops in Jurong and attacking Jiangning from there.

The leader of the army this time was the newly appointed Jiangning General Fu Cha Fu Qing, who was the son of Li Rongbao. This Li Rongbao was neither surnamed Li nor Han Chinese, but a genuine old Manchu. Li Rongbao's daughter married Hongli, the son of the current Qing Emperor Hong Zhou, and was a loyal member of Yongzheng's side.

Fu Qing was in his thirties, very young. Listening to the dispute between the two factions, he was really unsure. The Jiangning Eight Banners Army escaped from Jiangning City in disgrace, some stayed in Anqing to guard, and a large group of troops and their families arrived in the three towns of Wuhan.

The Hangzhou general who initiated the escape was dismissed and imprisoned by Hong Zhou, and the Jiangning general was dismissed because he was "coerced" and served in the front of the army. Fu Qing was originally a governor in Tibet, and was transferred here to serve as a general of the Jiangning Eight Banners.

The emperor's grace was great, and it showed that the emperor valued it. Fu Qing had also done his best to mobilize the craftsmen of the three towns of Wuhan to convert tens of thousands of muskets of the army into flintlock rifles according to the drawings given by the emperor Hong Zhou. He received great praise from Hong Zhou.

In addition to training troops, Fu Qing spent the past year studying how to fight against Huo Chong's bandit army. Time flies, and Fu Qing still hasn't found a sure-fire way to win the battle.

Especially since the two sides' arguments were actually two methods that Fu Qing had found when he was preparing seriously, Fu Qing felt even more annoyed when he heard them arguing. Since each method was considered by Fu Qing, if it failed, I'm afraid someone would put the blame on Fu Qing.

The two sides argued for a while, but in the end they could not come to any conclusion. They stopped arguing when their mouths were dry and their tongues were dry.

An official who had been silent stood up and asked, "General, the government troops have mobilized more than 100,000 troops this time, and they are going by water. Why don't we set up the Jiangnan Camp and the Jiangbei Camp outside Jiangning City? We can also place a group of troops in Jurong and wait for the government troops from Jiangxi to arrive, and then we can attack together."

Fu Qing snorted but said nothing. This official was new, and he probably looked at the map and started making up a story.

The Qinhuai River is located in the west of Jiangning City, and it leads to a gate of Jiangning City. Because it is a waterway, it is easy to mobilize troops. Even if the surprise attack fails, the Qinhuai River can be used as a barrier when attacking from here. This is why there is a saying of surprise attack from the Qinhuai River.

As for Jurong, Jiangning City is south of the Yangtze River, Qinhuai River is west of Jiangning City, and Jurong is southeast of Jiangning City.

The location here is good, and it is rich in grain. There is also a road leading directly to Zhenjiang. It is a place that can threaten Jiangning and Zhenjiang at the same time. After occupying Jurong, there will probably be more means to use.

However, Fu Qing was still unwilling to do so. Because there was no natural barrier between Jurong and Jiangning or Zhenjiang, if he was stationed in Jurong, he would also face the threat of the bandit army. Fu Qing did not have complete confidence.

Just then, a new official interrupted, and Fu Qing directed his attack directly at the official. With a cold snort, Fu Qing stood up and pointed at the map, "If we build a Jiangbei camp, it will be able to cross the Yangtze River and respond to each other. However, if the enemy army attacks from Yangzhou, how will you respond?"

The official was stunned, and after looking at the map for a while, he asked hesitantly: "Why would the enemy army divide its forces?"

Fu Qing shouted, "You also know that we can't split our troops! Then setting up the Jiangbei camp is just to let the government troops split their troops!"

The official's face turned red and he was speechless due to embarrassment.

Fu Qing ignored the official and made a decision. "The vanguard has been ordered to raid along the Qinhuai River. If we can capture the city, that would be the best. If not, we will prepare to go to Jurong."

At this time, the Qing army's vanguard was cutting through the waves and rushing towards Jiangning City. The boatmen shouted slogans and paddled desperately. The boatmen's slogans were not the same old "hehehaha", but had lyrics.

For example, this time, the Qing army's vanguard also knew that speed was of the essence and that they had to catch the enemy off guard. So the boat captain's call was, "The Eight Banners Master has spoken. Everyone row the boat hard. If you reach Jiangning in five days, your wages will be paid immediately. If you reach Jiangning in four days, your wages will be increased by 30%. If everyone works hard and reaches Jiangning in three days, everyone will receive double wages and return home happily!"

The boatmen didn't need any beautiful singing or nice tunes. After shouting this simple and clear call several times, everyone was obviously holding back their energy. Double wages were very important, especially at this moment.

Although the boatmen did not know the saying "the food and clothing of millions of canal workers depend on the boat", the canal transportation was interrupted after the war broke out, and everyone's life immediately became bad.

The millions of canal workers certainly depended on canal transport for their livelihood, but they did not rely solely on canal transport for their livelihood. They spent half a year on canal transport, and only traveled one way on canal transport. On the return trip, they bought some goods from the north and transported them to the south.

After returning to the south, everyone had to make a living by transporting goods on the Yangtze River. They did not just sit at home and eat all the food.

After the traitor Huo Chong seized Jiangning City, the trade in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River was interrupted. At least the millions of canal workers who were unwilling to make a living in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River controlled by the Chinese court had a harder time. Double wages were really too important to everyone!

The boatmen worked hard and the speed of the boats increased greatly. The fleet sailed during the day and did not rest at night. All the boats lit up their lights. The most experienced sailors were in the front. Each boat stared at the lights at the stern of the boat in front of it and moved forward in a line. They also stopped and started.

Although the ship's speed was slower than during the day, at least it was still moving forward.

The saying goes, "It's not the slowness that's worrying, it's the standing still." When sailing at night, even if you only travel thirty miles in the five hours after dark, it's still a real thirty miles.

Two days added up to sixty miles, three days added up to ninety miles. During the day, the speed of the boat increased greatly, and the sailing distance exceeded one hundred and fifty miles.

The waterway from Anqing to Jiangning was only 550 miles, and in the early morning, the fleet arrived near Jiangning within three full days.

The captain was uneasy. Although it was three full days, if it was calculated by daytime, it would be four days. When he saw the Qing army leader, he tried to force a smile, but because he was too tired, his facial muscles twitched a few times, and it seemed to be ineffective. The captain simply asked directly: "Sir, we have to calculate the boat fare according to the time of day."

After hearing this, the leader of the Qing army sneered, "Humph, I didn't expect you to do it. I never lie to anyone. You transport me to the Qinhuai River. As long as you see Jiangning City, I will give you double the amount."

Although the captain was happy, he did not dare to believe it completely. The Qing army leader also saw it, so he called his men over and said, "Give them double the boat fare!"

After saying that, the Qing army commander turned around and shouted, "You are very good. I want you to escort us to the city wall. If you run away halfway, you will be killed!"

The captain of the ship said he was submissive, but in his heart he looked down on the Qing army commander. Although he was an officer, he seemed to think that sailing at night was just a common thing. If the sailors had not been hungry for so long and had no money, who would be willing to risk their lives if they had a little money?

However, in the eyes of outsiders, such as the Qing army commander, the sailors seemed to be afraid of death.

If the money had not been obtained, the captain would have really wanted to have a word with the Qing army commander.

Qinhuai River was called Longzangpu in ancient times. It was called Huaishui in the Han Dynasty and changed to Qinhuai after the Tang Dynasty. It has two sources, the northern source, Jurong River, originates from the southern foot of Baohua Mountain in Jurong City, and the southern source, Lishui River, originates from Donglu Mountain in Lishui District, Nanjing City. The two rivers merge into the main stream of Qinhuai River in Fangshandai Northwest Village, Jiangning District, Nanjing City.

The main stream bypasses Fangshan and flows northwest to the outer city gate Shangfang Gate, then flows into Nanjing from Dongshuiguan, runs across the main city of Nanjing from east to west, and flows out from Xishuiguan in the south and into the Yangtze River. Since most of the Qinhuai River is within the territory of Nanjing, it is the largest regional river in Nanjing.

Since the Qinhuai River flows out from the water gate west of Jiangning City, it was considered by the Qing army to be the west of Jiangning City.

The Qing army gave the wages to the captain. Knowing the situation at this time, the captain quickly sent a flag to the heads of the ships and quickly entered the Qinhuai River and headed towards Jiangning City. At the same time, he sent a small boat to take the wages away from the big ship.

The government officials were already unreliable, and the soldiers were even more unreliable. It was completely unreliable to leave the money on the ship.

The fleet sailed north along the Qinhuai River. Not long after sailing, they saw a large reed marsh ahead. The Qing army commander called the captain and said, "Stop here."

The captain was a little surprised when he heard this. This was different from what he had said before. But he was not stupid. The closer to the city wall, the more dangerous it was. It was not a bad idea to stop the ship at this time. He immediately ordered the fleet to dock. The Qing army also received the order and disembarked.

The reed marsh was huge, but the Qing army was not afraid. As if they were familiar with it, they entered the reed marsh one after another and soon disappeared. The captain quickly ordered all the ships in the fleet to turn around, the rear team became the front team, and sail out of the not-so-wide Qinhuai River as soon as possible.

The Qing army did not go far. Someone reported the fleet's movements to the Qing army leader every once in a while. When he learned that the fleet had already sailed up the river, the adjutant asked in confusion: "Deputy commander, why don't you let them sail towards the city?"

"They are all very cunning. If we let them drive towards the city, they will know that we want them to lure the enemy troops out." The deputy commander said coldly.

"So……"

"Don't worry. The enemy troops must have known where this fleet is. They won't let them leave easily. As long as the enemy troops come out to chase us, the farther they chase us, the better it will be for us!"

After hearing what the deputy commander said, the officers of the Eight Banners suddenly realized what was going on, and some of them followed the deputy commander in sneering.

However, the deputy commander shouted, "We serve the court, and we are willing to sacrifice our lives to attack Jiangning. You must fight to the death and must not be afraid of death. Most of us are from Jiangning, and this city is not that easy to capture. You must fight to the death!"

Everyone in the fleet was paddling hard. However, the water volume of the Qinhuai River was not comparable to that of the Yangtze River. After so long, everyone was much less energetic than before. Although they tried their best, they could not increase their speed.

Just as the front of the rear team had just passed the Qinhuai River estuary and entered the Yangtze River, they saw a chimney on a ship on the Yangtze River spewing thick smoke. There was a large wheel on each side of the hull, which kept spinning, splashing water ten feet high, and actually rushed against the Yangtze River.

Some people in the fleet had heard that the bandits had such a strange ship, but most of them had never seen it before. But before the fleet could react, this monster-like ship spewing smoke had already blocked the front of the fleet.

Then there were several gunshots from the boat, and huge columns of water erupted on the water.

Everyone in the fleet made their living on the water, and when they saw this situation, they knew that if their ship was hit by a cannon, it would sink immediately. Everyone was so scared that their faces turned pale.

There were two other ships spewing smoke coming from behind. On the ship in front that had already blocked the channel, a group of people shouted loudly in Jiangning dialect: "Listen, people on the other side, we don't want to hurt anyone's life. I just want to ask you, are you government troops or the Cao Gang!"

The Cao Gang members of the fleet understood what was said, but they didn't know what the other party meant. While they were hesitating, they heard the other side shouting a Cao Gang dialect. Although the dialect was completely different from everyday speech, the content was exactly the same as the previous one.

Not only that, the incision also revealed the family background of the person, who turned out to be a well-known figure in the Cao Gang in Jiangning, Jiangxi, and Hubei.

Now everyone in the Cao Gang breathed a sigh of relief, at least they dared to talk to the people on the other side. After everyone shouted for a while, they finally understood what was going on.

It turned out that these people from the Cao Gang had defected to the Chinese imperial court. The Chinese imperial court stopped everyone and just wanted to ask the people from the Cao Gang how many Qing troops they had transported and where those Qing troops were now .

As for the sailors of the Cao Gang, the Chinese court said that they had no intention of making things difficult for them. This group of people made money by transporting officers and soldiers, and they also relied on the mountains and rivers to make ends meet. The Cao Gang who defected to the Chinese court told these Cao Gang brothers that if they wanted to transport people, they might as well send someone to the place where the Cao Gang usually stopped to meet and meet with their Cao Gang brothers to have a thorough discussion.

Another thing is to never join the government army. Although everyone is easy to talk to on the ship, once the brothers in the Cao Gang defect to the Qing army and fight for the Qing army, they are no longer brothers, but enemies who fight each other.

Brothers, you have to be loyal to each other. Enemies, it's a life-and-death struggle, you have to kill each other.

After that, the fleet of the Chinese court gave way. The brothers of the Cao Gang who were transporting the Qing army could not believe that such a good thing could happen. They rowed desperately like fish that had escaped the net.

When the boats entered the Yangtze River, they first rowed to the north bank of the Yangtze River to escape from the dangerous situation. Then they began to go upstream, trying to escape from the strange boats of the Huaxia Army.

After a lot of trouble, the fleet finally escaped from the dangerous situation. However, the leader of the fleet stopped his ship, looked at his brothers who had escaped from danger safely, and then looked at the shadowy Chinese military ships in the distance. The leader ordered: "Turn around, let's go back and meet those brothers!"

"Boss? What did you say?" The second in command was frightened.

"They've let us go, don't we want to meet them?" the captain asked unhappily.

The leader of the Cao Bang's fleet decided to meet with the Cao Bang brothers who had defected to the Hua Xia Dynasty, and arrived at the Qing army under the city of Jiangning to prepare for a battle.

Fu Cha Fu Qing, who led the battle, ordered the Qing army to land and take a detour to Jurong first.