In troubled times, the army is its own life.

Although Wu Shengzhao sighed in front of Wu Zheng to gain sympathy, Wu Shengzhao only bent his knees to the strong.

If Wu Zheng fails this time and his army is damaged, then his strength will not be enough to suppress himself. Why do he have to follow him?

Isn't you allowed to make another request to Shaoxing Prefecture and wait for a price?

But the question is what if Wu Zheng really wins?

How do I explain to you then? Could it be that I led my army to watch a battle from beginning to end outside the east gate?

When the Ming army's cannon exploded, Wu Shengzhao had the urge to attack.

But when it was discovered that the Ming army did not successfully break the city, Wu Shengzhao's impulse disappeared quickly.

What you need to do is to add icing on the cake and provide timely help.

Wu Shengzhao decided to continue watching the battle.

In Suzhou City, the Qing army did have reinforcements arrived.

But reinforcements were not enough to stimulate the morale of the defenders.

The people who follow are the main reasons for the high morale of the defenders.

The person who came here was a famous traitor, who was the Grand Secretary of Military Affairs of the Southern Governor General, then.

This guy was originally from Beijing.

Because of Shunzhi's valuation, he was appointed as the crown prince Taibao, the Minister of War and the Right Censor of the Censorate, and entered the inner court to assist in military affairs, and was appointed as the Grand Secretary of the Secretariat, becoming the first Han prime minister of the Qing Dynasty.

But last year, Dorgon's "headshaving order" aroused strong resistance from the Han people in Jiangnan. Dorgon could only send Hong Chengchou to replace Duoduo to put out the fire in Jiangnan, and appointed him as the Grand Secretary of Military Affairs of the Southern Governor General, and granted him a bargain. However, the matter of "ban secrets" must be implemented with General Beilek Dehun, Pingnan.

Now Luke Dehun has gone to the battlefield in Jiangxi, and Hangzhou Prefecture was restored by the Ming army, and the Ming army followed the trend and carried out the Northern Expedition.

This made Hong Chengchou feel a little unable to sit still in Yingtian Prefecture. If Suzhou is lost, Yingtian Prefecture will be surrounded by the Ming army and become an isolated city in Jiangnan, and then it will be impossible to explain it to the Qing court.

So, after careful consideration, Hong Chengchou personally led 10,000 Eight Banners Army of the Inlaid Yellow Banners to support Suzhou.

In Hong Chengchou's view, this may be a small wave under the general trend. Although it is dazzling, it flashes like a meteor.

In his opinion, the Ming Dynasty had already perished, and it was only futile to resist tenaciously.

If that's the case, why not follow the trend?

Hong Chengchou decided to smash the little ant in person, so as to nail another iron nail for his position in the court.

....

On the second day, the battle was still fierce.

The south gate that was repaired overnight was unable to withstand the Ming army's artillery fire and was instantly shattered.

But the Qing army's artillery fire on the city wall also abused the Ming army.

The cavalry were still attacking the south gate, while the infantry were still on the verge of death.

At this moment, human life is just a number.

Even if he was the pillar of the family during his lifetime, he might be a son, husband, and father.

Wu Zheng was no longer moved, and the battles of all sizes had already made him nervous.

His only thought now is why he hasn't launched an attack on the east side? Wu Shengzhao, don't let my expectations of you down.

Another day passed.

The city wall is still in the hands of the Qing army.

Even with the support of artillery, the Ming army's combat losses were still greater than those of the Qing army.

After two days of attack, the Ming army suffered 3,000 casualties.

This is almost 20% of the total number of soldiers participating in the war.

Such a war of attrition is cruel, and it is just that no one can stand it.

But it was that afternoon that Wu Zheng finally knew why the defenders in the city resisted so fiercely.

When siege, defenders kept falling off the city walls.

A few of them were lucky enough to fall into the pile of corpses under the city wall and survived by chance, and became prisoners of the Ming army.

From their mouths, Wu Zheng finally knew that Hong Chengchou had arrived in Suzhou City.

That night, Wu Zheng did not summon all the generals, but just stayed alone in the tent and sat down.

"Sir, I found Wu Shengzhao's tribe and camped dozens of miles west of Zhenyi Town."

"Is there any trend of advance?"

"No. According to local villagers, Wu Shengzhao's troops have been staying for two days."

After hearing this, Wu Zheng was angry, but he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

One of them has decreased and the other has increased. If Wu Shengzhao's troops surrender to the enemy, the enemy's strength will increase greatly. Now it can be at least confirmed that Wu Shengzhao's troops have not surrendered to the enemy yet. This is the biggest good news.

Wu Zheng thought for a while and said, "Send a message to Wu Shengzhao for me and tell him that there is Hong Chengchou in Suzhou City."

"yes."

Wu Zheng didn't know if this could make Wu Shengzhao attack the city, but Wu Zheng wanted to give it a try, and at the same time told Wu Shengzhao that if someone like Hong Chengchou was there in the Qing court, there would be no day for him to be Wu Shengzhao to make a comeback.

I can't drag it down any longer. If I drag it down any longer, I will face more and more Qing troops.

Moreover, news has been heard from Shaoxing Prefecture that Taizhou Prefecture has fallen, the Qing army has marched towards Wenzhou Prefecture, and at the same time, a vanguard has approached Shaoxing.

I know that I don’t have much time left. Although Shaoxing Prefecture has 15,000 troops, I’m afraid I can’t resist the troops that Duoduo and Luke Dehun met.

We must attack Suzhou City as soon as possible to intimidate Yingtian Prefecture and rescue the enemy before we can surround Wei and save Zhao.

Wu Zheng began to summon the camp of dead soldiers.

....

In Suzhou City, the government office in Dongcheng has been requisitioned as a headquarters by Hong Chengchou.

Facing dozens of civil and military officials, Hong Chengchou, with a thin face, said in a deep voice: "For two days of defense, our army relied on the strength of the city wall, and was attacked by the enemy several times. Today, they almost lost. Do you want me to die together in Suzhou City?"

Since surrendering to the Qing court, Hong Chengchou never thought that the Ming Dynasty would win.

Instead of letting the people in the world suffer from this war, it is better to let the Qing court unify the world. The so-called long-term pain is worse than short-term pain.

"I don't dare!" the officials responded with their heads down.

A civil servant said: "Sir, since the master personally led his army to help, the morale of the military and civilians in the city is high. The following officials should send a side army out of the city to harass the Ming army outside the city, so that the enemy's troops can be disrupted."

A military officer came out and said: "Reported to the Grand Secretary, the Ming army conquered Hangzhou and Jiaxing prefectures, and then forced to surrender to Songjiang prefecture. The morale is strong. If you leave the city and fight with it, the result may not be as good as you wish."

The civil servant turned around and asked, "General Dong is ambition to others and destroy his own prestige. Does General Dong think that if the Grand Secretary personally came to Suzhou City to supervise the war, the morale of the military and civilians in the city is not as good as that of the enemy outside the city?"

The military officer said angrily: "The last general will discuss the matter. What does this have to do with the Grand Secretary visiting the city in person?"

Another military officer echoed: "The last general thought that General Dong was very serious. Going out of the city to fight in a field requires a time limit. What we can think of, the head commander of the enemy outside the city can also think of, if he encounters an ambush, it may not be worth the loss. Please think twice."

Hong Chengchou said coldly with a stern face: "No need to leave the city. I want to see how the enemy will attack the city tomorrow. Everyone, let me explain the deployment of the Japanese city defense and how to deal with the enemy."
Chapter completed!