"Hello!" Zhu Jin stopped the horse and ordered him to take a nap.
As if they had received an amnesty, the soldiers dismounted one after another and took some food and water.
It is a luxury to ride on horseback. Even the prairie people with many war horses will pay close attention to the evil habit of riding on horseback if not necessary. However, Zhu Jin's troops still rode on horseback, which shows how urgent the military situation is.
Fortunately, I hurried and hurried slowly, and finally I was not far from my destination.
This place is already in the territory of Peixian County, located east of Surabaya. Next to it is Weishan, where there is the Tomb of Weizi.
Xia general Ge Congzhou led more than 10,000 people from Yanzhou to the south and settled in the north of Pei County, directly threatening the northern gate of Xuzhou.
Zhu Zhen and Wu Zangjueming led more than 20,000 troops out of Songzhou and marched eastward along Paoshui (now along the river) and fell into Feng County.
The bandit commander Li Tangbin led more than 20,000 people from Haizhou to the west and entered Sizhou.
In Suzhou, the bandit general Dai Siyuan led nearly 10,000 troops to besiege Donghe City, trying to pull out the nail in Huaibei.
There were more than 60,000 infantry and thousands of cavalry in total, pressing forward fiercely.
Guan Xia's army's military strategy should be one strike, one block, one defense and three moves.
After the main force captured Peixian County, they moved south along the Surabaya River, arrived at Xuzhou City, and began to attack the city.
Li Tangbin led his elite troops to cut off the rear and block the Xuzhou defenders' retreat route and the reinforcements' northward passage.
Dai Siyuan's troops were purely defensive and restrained, preventing the Haozhou soldiers from advancing northward into the hinterland of Henan.
This battle can actually be fought, and there is definitely a chance of winning, which is not small.
"Commander, there is news from Xiapi that Li Tangbin failed to attack the city and retreated after running out of food." Hu Gui came over and reported.
Hu Gui and Zhu Jin ran south together, with Zhang's soldiers and Yan Zi riding two thousand horses.
"Xiapi is not that easy to fight." Zhu Jin laughed loudly when he heard this and said: "The city has been repaired for many years and is impregnable. Although Qin Shiqiu is not a good general, he uses his troops prudently. How can Li Tangbin break it?"
"Commander, the intention of Li Tangbin's attack has been completely exposed, which is to cut off the Xuzhou defenders' retreat." Hu Gui said: "Now the King of Wu has stationed his troops on Huaishang, and the battalions are moving northward. Can they encircle and annihilate Li Tangbin's troops?"
"It is indeed possible to defeat the Xia soldiers with more troops and fewer troops, but what if Li Tangbin doesn't fight?" Zhu Jin shook his head and said, "Li Tangbin is ignorant because he is not familiar with the southerners' fighting methods."
At this point, Zhu Jin also sighed and said: "If I hadn't gone to Huainan and Jiangnan, I wouldn't have known the southerners' tactics. In fact, even conquering Xiapi would not be of much use. It would not be able to cut off Xuzhou's grain road and retreat route.
On the contrary, it will make you fall into a tight siege. How can a few people in Yihai and Haicai afford Li Tangbin's army for a long time? It's a joke."
Yi, Haiben is a state affiliated with the Taining Army. Doesn't Zhu Jin still know what the situation is like there? It would be good to have 200,000 people in the two states and nine counties. It may be able to support a large army in a short period of time.
It will definitely not work if it grows too long.
In war, the importance of logistics cannot be overemphasized.
From the Central Plains to the south to attack Xuzhou, the best route is to march along the Surabaya River. Any route that deviates from this river will have to pay a high logistical cost that far exceeds that of the opponent.
If Xuzhou is captured and Huainan is continued, the best way is still to go to Surabaya, and then camp at Qingkou, stock up on food, grass, equipment, and look for an opportunity to cross the river south.
But Li Tangbin missed one point, he could not control Surabaya.
"Don't think too much. After resting, continue north and arrive at Peixian County tonight." Zhu Jin ordered.
Zhang Chao, the defender of Peixian County, was the nephew of Zhang Tingfan, the governor of the Guanghua Army, and had thousands of troops. Peixian County had experienced many wars, and the city was well-equipped, so it was not easy to fight. The Xia army suddenly attacked and strengthened the city, and the old soldiers of the division were exhausted.
Maybe there will be a chance.
This thief, Shao Shude, has taken Yanzhou away from me! My son Yongzhen has most likely been killed by poisonous hands, how can I let go of this hatred lightly?
There is no doubt that Zhu Jin's enthusiasm is quite high.
******
Pei County has indeed already fought against each other.
Zhou Ben, the general of the Huai army, stood on a building ship and looked at the entire battlefield. Between the sparse trees, the Xia army roared out and the momentum was overwhelming.
Among the boatmen, powerful crossbows were fired one after another. The sergeants also rushed to the deck, picking up their bows and arrows, and raining down arrows.
Under the strike of arrows and lightning, Xia soldiers fell down in patches like dead grass blown by the strong wind, and the whole field was soaked with blood.
Finally, Ming Jin on the opposite side withdrew his troops. They didn't even get within 70 steps of the fleet before they left the corpses on the ground and retreated hastily.
"Praising the Holy Army is nothing more than that." Zhou Ben shook his head and laughed.
If they only have this ability, they will not be able to defeat Xuzhou.
"Dutou, why not send troops to pursue us?" the general suggested.
"You're stupid!" Zhou Ben scolded with a smile: "Anyway, food, military supplies, and reinforcements have been delivered. Our mission has been completed. How can we fight with the Xia people? Withdraw our troops!"
"Withdraw..." The general was a little confused.
"Go back to Xiapi and park." Zhou Ben said without any doubt.
Xiapi was the state of Pi in the Spring and Autumn Period. Han Xin was the king of Chu, and his capital was Xiapi. The city was located in Yi, the meeting point of the Si River. The city was surrounded by water and had been an important place for military strategists since ancient times. Therefore, the city was built in three layers and was very dangerous. Due to the terrain,
There is a relatively large lake near Xiapi, which can accommodate boatmen.
Xiapi City has thick walls and is surrounded by water. It is difficult to attack from the front. However, due to the special terrain, it is also easy for people to divert water into the city. Everything has advantages and disadvantages, and you cannot take advantage of everything.
"Dutou, what should we do in Xuzhou?" the general asked.
"Xuzhou has more than 10,000 soldiers and horses, and there are so many mountains around it. If you can't defend it, just die." Zhou Ben sneered: "Zhang Tingfan has been running Xuzhou for many years, and Li Tao is also a good general and has elite soldiers.
Why worry about them?"
At this time, even the most obtuse person could hear the sourness in Zhou Ben's words.
Why should Zhang Tingfan be the military envoy? Bianzhou just surrendered, so how could he have the nerve to serve as the military governor until now? The King of Wu was indeed decisive in killing in the past, but when he encountered Zhang Tingfan, a thorn in his side who had soldiers in his hands,
I'm timid again, I really shouldn't be.
"Go back." Zhou Ben turned around and got into the cabin, saying: "It has not yet entered the flood season. The water is not deep enough, the river is not wide enough, and the boat division cannot go ashore to resist the enemy. It is useless to stay. It is better to go back and join the main force of King Wu. Anyway, I
I am only responsible for transporting military supplies and food, and I have no obligation to fight for Zhang Tingfan."
The general agreed upon hearing this and immediately ordered the withdrawal of troops.
While soaking in the water, Zhu Zhen also climbed onto a high platform and looked carefully.
In fact, Surabaya is quite wide. Although it is not naturally dangerous, the enemy has boatmen galloping on the river, so it is indeed difficult to fight.
Supporting the Holy Army is his capital, it would be a pity to lose it.
But if you can't cut off the enemy's water transportation channels, attacking Pei County and even Xuzhou is just empty talk. The thieves are emboldened, but using a fortified city to drain your own morale, constantly transporting the wounded, bringing in reinforcements and materials to repair the city wall, what are you going to achieve?
when?
"The Huai people boat master is too annoying!" Zhu Zhen sighed and started thinking about how to defeat this enemy's trick.
"Send an order to set up camp on the spot." Zhu Zhen ordered: "Send another person to fly to inform the Tibetan envoys, Deputy Envoy Ge, and Li Dutou. The Huai people's boat divisions are rampant and arrogant. Our troops are not used to water warfare and have few troops.
Weak, please tell me the next step."
"Yes." The messenger immediately got on his horse and ran off into the distance.
After giving this order, Zhu Zhen felt a little regretful.
There are many interpretations of why the mastermind Gao Shao was transferred away. It might be that the King of Xia was dissatisfied with him, or it might just be a routine personnel transfer. But before Gao Shao left, he held a banquet to practice it. Gao Shao sighed and urged himself not to
Stop thinking about things, otherwise you may accomplish nothing.
Zhu Zhen stood quietly on the hill for a long time, sighed and said: "Come here, select a battalion of elite soldiers to rest and recuperate. Today at midnight, we will attack the enemy city at night."
******
Shao Shude had already arrived in Bianzhou, and Chen Cheng, deputy envoy of the Xuanwu Army, personally came out of the city to greet him. After some pleasantries, the two entered the military mansion.
"Your Majesty, Yang Xingmi dominates Xuzhou and refuses to retreat. He is just placing his hope on Li Keyong." Chen Cheng pointed to the map on the wall and said: "The one he relies on is that the Sishui and Bianshui rivers converge in Xuzhou. There are boatmen to help and foreign aid.
It will not be cut off. With constant foreign aid, it will be difficult for the city to be breached."
Shao Shude nodded in agreement.
In siege warfare, you must take the initiative. If you have the initiative, you can either dig trenches and encircle them, trapping the enemy to death; or encircle three towers to shake the will of the defenders; or encircle a point to bring reinforcements, and eliminate the enemy's effective strength. There are many choices.
.
But if there is no initiative and the enemy is still allowed to contact the outside world and transport soldiers and supplies into the city, it will basically be impossible to defeat it, just like the Yuan army attacked Xiangyang.
"Your Majesty once said something right, I will fight mine if I fight you." Chen Cheng said: "Yang Xingmi may not fight me in a decisive battle under Xuzhou City. He has been using the army for many years, and he should know how to use his strengths and avoid weaknesses. He is determined by his predictions.
Station the troops down to Pi to observe the scenery and then decide where to go."
"Why did Chen Changshi say this?" Shao Shude asked.
"Your Majesty, since ancient times when the southerners were going north to Xuzhou, Xiapi was an important town that could not be bypassed." Chen Cheng said: "In the fifth year of Yixi of the Jin Dynasty (409), Liu Yu set out from Jiankang, led his navy to go north, crossed the Huai River, and entered the Surabaya River.
, arrived at Xiapi and stationed temporarily. At that time, there were many masts outside Xiapi City, and there were more than a thousand ships. The supplies from Jiangnan and Huainan were all stationed here, which was Liu Yu's general grain station. Afterwards, he led his infantry to the north.
In order to prevent the Southern Yan cavalry from attacking, they built a city every thirty miles and used chariots to cover the two wings, and finally destroyed the Guanggu Murong clan. Compared with the Zhou division, the northerners were no match for the southerners, and with the Bizhou army, the southerners were no match for the northerners.
Human opponent. The essence of this battle is to make the most of your strengths and avoid your weaknesses."
Shao Shude thought for a moment.
This Battle of Xuzhou is not the historical Battle of Qingkou between Zhu Quanzhong and Yang Xingmi, but more like the route taken by Liu Yu in the Northern Expedition.
Chen Cheng was right, Xiapi was the key point. Li Tangbin was indeed experienced and saw the key point at a glance.
It is best to occupy Xiapi. The advantage of occupying it is that it can be used as a basis to prevent the Huai people from hoarding grain, soldiers, and equipment here. Diversion of water to irrigate the city is not very useful. If you turn Xiapi into a yellow mud pond, you will also
If you can't capture it, the naval commanders can easily cut off your attack or retreat routes and only end up killing you.
If you want to win this battle, you must adhere to the military principle of exploiting strengths and avoiding weaknesses.
What are the advantages of our army? What are the disadvantages? What are the advantages of the enemy's army? What are the disadvantages? Once you have figured out this issue, you can make a fuss around these, and you will not go wrong in the general direction.
"I will go south to Suzhou tomorrow." Shao Shude made a decision.
In addition, he also issued an order to barge to Mapu to collect ships and transport supplies to Haizhou.
