Three hundred and ninetieth chapters crossing the river is imminent
Chapter 391: Crossing the river is about to happen
Just after the first ten days of April, Qingfeng's 400,000-strong allied force entered Dahu Road from different directions. Xue Sha and Dugu Yuming led 70,000 infantry and cavalry, with the full assistance of Zhang Yuewan's 40,000 Huaishui Navy, and Wu's troops on Jiangnan Road
Suddenly landed in the Yuzhou area, and then moved westward at full speed along the Xijiang River. Originally, the Xijiang defense line also had the 50,000-ton navy patrol of Kato Taka and Ogame Saburo from Tobo. However, in order to put pressure on the Hetao in the direction of Yuzhou Road, Kato Taka's navy
They had already headed to the Dahe defense line, but the Huai River navy took advantage of the opportunity and marched westward, destroying all the ships of Jinhua Mitsukoshi on the Xijiang River. Dugu and Xuesha did not stop, and easily defeated Gonghai near Wangzhou.
Afterwards, the more than 50,000 Mitsukoshi coalition troops led by Tao went straight to the vicinity of Luzhou.
Before Cheng Xianqing and the Jinhua Sanyue Allied Forces came to their senses, the 50,000 soldiers of Qinchuan and the Suzaku Corps, led by Li Xiaomo and Liu Nanshang, suddenly crossed the Binzhou River section of the Huaishui River, landed in Xingzhou, and headed south.
The retreat routes of the Jinhua Mitsukoshi of the four southern Yunnan tribes in Hongzhou were cut off. The Hetao army led by Dayou and Xuesha Dugu joined forces in Luzhou and outflanked the retreat routes of all enemy forces on the Dahu Road.
As for the Japanese soldiers in the Shouzhou direction and the 50,000-strong naval force of Sichuan Hyakushinda, they have been on full alert these days. Who knows that after two or three days of alert, the Qingfeng Allied Forces have not been seen even once. The Fourteenth Guards and Sichuan
Bai Xintian was puzzled and carefully dispatched patrol soldiers. Only then did he discover that more than 100,000 soldiers in the Hetao had gathered in Shunfengjin, Pingzhou. Under the full escort of Aibin and Li Fengcheng's navy, they were rushing to cross the river.
Guard Fourteen was shocked, but Zhang Cangxiong personally led 50,000 soldiers of the Yellow Turban Army to guard at the junction of Pingzhou and Shouzhou. Guard Fourteen tentatively attacked and found that they could not break through the opponent's defense line, so they had no choice but to
He retreated to Shouzhou City to avoid falling into Qingfeng's plan to divert the tiger away from the mountain.
"Father-in-law, all the Huai River navy has been mobilized. If all the Yellow Turban Legions are crossing the river, then the defensive force of the Huai River area will be too weak. The Holy Sect of Paradise is not a weakling, and they may be detected by them if they are not careful.
"Let's do this, half of the Yellow Turban Army will be left to defend the Huai River, and the remaining half will cross the river with our Hetao army." Following the wind, Haotian thought about it and said to Zhang Cangxiong.
Zhang Cangxiong is not an idiot. He naturally understands Haotian's worries. Among the imperial vassals, Huai River has always been the weakest link. And since the Holy Sect of Paradise started the rebellion, Huai River has been at the forefront of the war, and its strength has been eliminated.
greatly weakened.
Although the Huai River has been accumulated for hundreds of years, the accumulation of the Huai River is different from that of Qinchuan and Yizhou. It is mainly in the form of property and food. However, with the fall of Raozhou and Shouzhou, as well as several consecutive military expansions, the foundation of the Huai River has been consumed.
Seventy-seven or eighty-eight. The only thing worthy of praise in Huaishui now is their accumulated wealth and mountains of food. If the entire Yellow Turban Army goes south this time, the garrison strength of Huaishui will drop to an unprecedented one hundred thousand.
Arrive. In Raozhou, east of the Huai River, there is Hiraji's 100,000-strong army, Shouzhou also has the 100,000-strong Eastern Japanese army of the 14th Konoe, and the 50,000-strong navy of Shinada Kawamo. To the south of the river, near Hongzhou
There are also more than 200,000 soldiers of the Holy Sect of Bliss. If the other party intends to plot the Huai River, even if the Huai River is defended by the Eastern Legion, it will not be able to block the opponent's attack.
"In this case, I will lead 50,000 soldiers to cross the river with you, my virtuous son-in-law. To save the crisis, you will stay in Huai River for the time being. I now appoint you as the acting deputy commander of the Yellow Turban Army. The remaining five
Ten thousand soldiers, you have to take care of yourself." Zhang Cangxiong finally nodded and said: "You take these 50,000 soldiers to Pennsylvania. If we encounter any difficulties on the way south, it will be more convenient for you."
Zhang Jiwei looked at his uncle with some confusion, but finally said nothing.
His position in the Zhang family is somewhat embarrassing. Although he is a rising star after Zhang Yuewan, he has always been cautious due to the complicated relationship in the family. Over the years, he has been the deputy general of his father, deputy commander of the Navy, Zhang Cangzong, helping
His father made suggestions. He originally thought that his life would be spent like this, and he was mentally prepared to spend it like this. However, no one expected that the situation would change so quickly, and he would go from being a small lieutenant general to another.
He suddenly became the deputy commander of the powerful Yellow Turban Army in Huai River.
Zhang Cangxiong looked at Zhang Jiwei's expression with satisfaction, patted his shoulder and said with a smile: "Jiwei, do your best, the Huai River will still be yours in the end."
Haotian stood aside with a smile. He had no idea that just because of his well-intentioned words, half of the Huaihe River was saved. And Zhang Cangxiong also did not expect that his casual arrangement would have such a significant impact.
effect.
After Cheng Xianqing learned the news that Haotian forcibly crossed the river at Shunfengjin in Pingzhou, he was also shocked and stunned. The Hongzhou offensive and defensive battle has now reached the most critical juncture. In these days, the Ji Le soldiers and the Jinhua Mitsukoshi allied forces are fighting every day.
They were able to attack Hongzhou's city wall once or twice, but were driven down each time by Ouyang Jingzhong's desperate counterattack.
According to Zhu Zhao's estimate, there are only 40,000 regular troops left in Hongzhou City at most, and the rest are mostly young and middle-aged men from Hongzhou who joined the army temporarily. Not only have these people not received formal military training, but the armor and equipment in the city are
It is not enough. As long as we work harder, it is not difficult to capture Hongzhou. However, another three days have passed in a hurry, and Hongzhou is still standing as solid as a rock in front of the Bliss army. Across the distance of hundreds of battles, Zhu
Zhao could even see the unmoved white-haired figure on the Hongzhou City Tower, looking forward to the glory but not angry and proud.
"Mingshuai, you lead your army and must block the Hetao army on the south bank of Shunfengjin." Cheng Xianqing pointed at Minghui and said with difficulty.
Minghui didn't say anything this time, but just walked out silently. In the soft sunshine, Minghui's figure actually looked a little dark and lonely.
Yan Lege sat down in Minghui's empty seat with his eyes closed to rest. The news of the Qingfeng coalition's three-sided attack hit them no less than what Ouyang Jingzhong felt when His Majesty colluded with Jinhua Mitsukoshi and the four southern Yunnan tribes to attack Dahu Road.
.In just a few days, the situation reversed again.
The partial divisions of Hetao Xuesha and Dugu have arrived near Luzhou. Fortunately, Luzhou is close to southern Yunnan. The traffic is more inconvenient than the areas east of Jiangnan Road and Dahu Road, so the marching speed of the partial divisions of Hetao is not very fast. Zhang Yuewan's navy
Wandering on the Xijiang River, from time to time they would enter the territory of Mitsukoshi on the south bank of the Xijiang River. It could be said that there was no grass growing in the place they passed. Fortunately, the Qinchuan Suzaku Allied Forces coming down from the direction of Pennsylvania were defeated by the four tribes in southern Yunnan and the five tribes of Luopingjiang in Jinhua.
Ten thousand soldiers relied on the geographical advantage to block Wanhua County in the central part of Xingzhou. Although the strength of the two sides was similar, the combat effectiveness and military discipline of the other side were obviously stronger than those of the Southern Yunnan Allied Forces. At most, Luo Pingjiang, Sha Xing and others could only defeat the other side here.
Block for two days. As for the direction of the downwind ferry, if Minghui can block the Loop's army, that would naturally be a good thing. However, is the Loop really that easy to block?
To be honest, the Bliss Holy Cult now seems to have a habitual fear of the Hetao army. Just like the Eastern Japanese soldiers' fear of the Scarlet Cavalry, the Bliss soldiers now lose a third of their confidence when they mention the Hetao.
.
"Actually, we don't have to worry so much now. In terms of military strength, we are far stronger than the Qingfeng coalition, and we still have a lot of strategic materials. Even if we fight with all our strength, we still have a great advantage." Bing Heng was fighting for everyone on the side.
Said angrily.
Feng Mo also followed up and said: "That is, Qingfeng's troops entering Dahu Road now are less than 300,000. On our side, the Jinhua Mitsukoshi coalition forces exceed 300,000, plus 100,000 coalition forces of the four southern Yunnan tribes.
, why should we be afraid of them?”
"Don't talk nonsense if you don't understand!" Yan Lege said with a gloomy face. He didn't want to speak, but when he heard Feng Mo's words, he couldn't help but speak loudly.
Feng Mo's expression suddenly changed, and Cheng Xianqing's and Bing Heng's expressions were also not good-looking.
Yan Lege was always straightforward and would not care about this at all. He said with a look of disdain: "The four tribes in southern Yunnan have an army of 100,000, but their armies are simply tribal private soldiers without formal military training. If they are in the mountains and forests,
, it’s okay to say that they may still be able to compete with the regular army of the same strength. But in a head-on fight on the battlefield, it’s not that I look down on them. With the same strength, they are enough to wipe out them all.”
"As for Jinhua Mitsukoshi, although their combat effectiveness is stronger than the private soldiers of the four tribes in southern Yunnan, there is still a big gap compared with the soldiers in Hetao. At first, Dugu Yuming only had 10,000 soldiers.
The tens of thousands of soldiers were killed and they lost their helmets and armor. And Xue Sha also relied on ten thousand soldiers to force Park Zhicheng to be blocked at the Amniotic Water Cliff."
Feng Mo said unconvinced: "Has Commander Yan forgotten the existence of our 300,000-strong army? Besides, Pu Zhicheng has ruled Xijiang for more than ten years. He has a great reputation and has no false soldiers. With such a superior force, he can crush a bloody massacre."
And Dugu Yuming’s lone army.”
Yan Lege sneered: "Master Feng, please remember that we had an army of 320,000 when we went out, but after such a long siege, our strength has dropped to 250,000.
, the number that can really be dragged onto the battlefield is only about 200,000. Secondly, Ouyang Jingzhong in Hongzhou City is not an idiot. When he went to the battlefield, we were all still children, and his battlefield experience was no worse than anyone else. These things
Master Feng must have witnessed the battle in the sky. In the end, Cassimbas has been famous all over the world for decades, but did he really defeat Hetao?"
"Zhu Zhao, what do you think?" Cheng Xianqing stopped the two of them and said to Zhu Zhao. Whenever there is a military deployment, Cheng Xianqing will politely ask Zhu Zhao for advice. He has never doubted Zhu Zhao's ability.
Of course, the main reason is because Zhu Zhao will always stand firmly on his side.
Zhu Zhao's face was uncertain: "If we want to fight, then we must do these two things. First, the commander-in-chief can block the Hetao army from the river. The combat power of Hetao has always been strong. We have been attacking the city for so many days.
The soldiers are already exhausted. With the same strength, we may not be able to block the opponent's attack. Moreover, Zhang Cangxiong's Yellow Turban Legion also crossed the river with Haotian. The Yellow Turban Legion is very familiar with the climate and environment of the Jiangnan area. Here, the combat effectiveness
I'm afraid it won't be worse than the Hetao army. If we get entangled with the Hetao army and Ouyang Jingzhong suddenly breaks out from Hongzhou City, it will be difficult for us to resist."
"Secondly, the Jinhua Mitsukoshi Allied Forces and the private soldiers of the four southern Yunnan tribes can open up the passage to the south of Yunnan. Only in this way can the Qingfeng Allied Forces be wary and the Jinhua Mitsukoshi can go into battle with us without any worries.
.”
"Hongzhou?" Cheng Xianqing asked, still thinking about it.
Zhu Zhao sighed in his heart, but said: "Your Majesty, it is impossible to capture Hongzhou under such circumstances. After the defenders in the city learned the news of the arrival of reinforcements, their morale will definitely be boosted. Moreover,
Ouyang Jingzhong is not the kind of person who attacks rashly. It is too difficult to get him to fall into the trap. Therefore, we must give up Hongzhou now."
Cheng Xianqing hesitated for a moment. Intuitively, he knew that now was not the time to capture Hongzhou. The main task now was to block the army from crossing the river in Hetao. As long as Haotian could not cross the river, Dugu would be killed without any advantageous cooperation.
It is difficult for Yuming's partial army and Li Xiaomo and Liu Nanshang's army to cause too much trouble. Once Pu Zhicheng has settled these two isolated armies, he will have plenty of time to capture Hongzhou.
But this day's experience at the gate of Hongzhou City has become a great shame for him. Besides, if Ouyang Jingzhong is given time to breathe, who knows how much he will pay when he attacks Hongzhou again in the future?
Cheng Xianqing's eyes flashed; "Is there any other way?"
"Retreat. While the Qingfeng coalition forces have not yet reacted, we retreat immediately, either from Jiangnan Road or by finding a gap on Dahu Road and quickly use the boats in our hands to cross the river north and return to Yangzhou Road. Anyway, we have been plundering these days.
Our wealth and materials can support our consumption for a long time, so there is no need to waste our vitality here. As for the Great Lakes Road, let Jinhua Mitsukoshi carry it."
Cheng Xianqing's expression changed again, and in the end he didn't say anything. He just waved his hand to ask Zhu Zhao and others to leave. He really wasn't willing to give in until the last moment.
Zhu Zhao walked out silently, with Yan Lege following closely behind him. Although the two had very different opinions, brothers were brothers after all. To him, Zhu Zhao was his eldest brother at all times.
"Fourth, let the soldiers below prepare quietly and be ready to retreat at any time. In addition, you should go and see our merchant ships in person. Well, the number of those merchant ships is not enough. With so many of us, it will take at least one day for all of us to cross the river.
It seems that we need to get some from other places throughout the whole day." Zhu Zhao walked a long distance and then said.
Yan Lege was startled and took two steps quickly. Zhu Zhao said side by side: "Brother, why? Also, if you give the order privately, aren't you afraid that His Majesty will have other ideas?"
Zhu Zhao smiled bitterly: "I'm afraid, but I have to be alive first. I always have a very bad feeling. I'm afraid our brotherhood will be in trouble this time."
Yan Lege was startled: "Brother, although our current situation is not optimistic, our situation is not so bad. Besides, Jinhua Mitsukoshi and us are still grasshoppers on the same rope. They will never
Watch from the sidelines."
Zhu Zhao said earnestly: "Fourth, An Yongchang's identity is not a secret to you and me. Although he is still deeply favored by Emperor Zhongxing, judging from recent events, Qingfeng is not unfavorable to him.
I doubt that the Liu family, the Zhang family of Huaishui, and the Li family of Qinchuan were able to unite without any gaps under such circumstances. I am worried that the Song family will also get involved."
"Is An Yongchang still on Yizhou Road?" Yan Lege couldn't sit still for a while.
"The Song family has always been cunning, and typically harms others without benefiting oneself. Moreover, the gains from their battle with the Li family are far less than their efforts, and now that we are so strong, it is difficult for them to have other ideas."