Above the Huai River, there are masts like a forest and military flags flying.
On April 17, the fleet left Qingkou and Huaiyin and headed westward one after another.
On the 20th, the vanguard arrived in Xuyi.
On the north bank of the Huai River, the rangers kept coming and going, staring at this huge fleet and constantly sending messages back.
Xuyi and Huaiyin are the key points of defense in the lower reaches of the Huaihe River. They have been battlegrounds for military strategists from the north and the south since ancient times.
Qingkou is near Huaiyin. Go upstream and follow the wind. If you sail at night, it will take two or three days. If you don't sail at night, three or four days will be enough.
At this time, the Yellow River had not diverted the Huai River into the sea. The Huai River was wide and deep, which was where the boat masters came into play.
Viewed from the shore, the huge fleet stretches as far as the eye can see, extending directly to the distant horizon.
When the northerners saw this, they were just as amazed as the southerners when they saw the large-scale cavalry group.
Compared with this, Zhu Quanzhong's Yellow River Navy was extremely ashamed.
Shao Shude was resting by the Bian River, washing and feeding his horses.
Far and near, large and small tents are scattered everywhere. They are so arrogant that they don't even build a camp. When they camp at night, they just dig a trench and put up a tent. In fact, there are no conditions for building a camp, because each camp is
I didn't bring any tools with me.
"So, Yang Xingmi came in person?" Shao Shude asked, throwing the horse to Li Yixian.
"Yes, General Yang sent people to capture two Huai Army rangers and tortured them out." The messenger replied.
"Yang Xingmi probably also knows that I'm here." Shao Shude said, "This is because he wants to take advantage of me."
You can capture the opponent's rangers, and of course the opponent can capture your rangers. I don't know the specific combat deployment, but I can still ask about the general situation.
There are a total of 20 to 30 thousand people on Shao Shude's journey. They are currently scattered in various places. The furthest group has even reached the Surabaya area, peeking at Suqian on the other side of the river - Suqian, whose real name is Su Yu, originally belonged to Sizhou, Baoyingyuan
It was renamed in 1998 and placed under the jurisdiction of Xuzhou.
They did not cross the river blindly. The Surabaya River is not the Bian River, and it is not that easy for a pure cavalry force to cross. Even if the navy does not intercept it, it will be troublesome to get back after crossing the river, and supplies may not be available.
, the horse’s appetite is really too big.
However, the arrival of this cavalry unit still made the Huai army extremely nervous. They sent out patrols and rangers to patrol the coast alternately. If they found someone logging, they would immediately report back - logging was obviously a prelude to building a pontoon bridge.
The Japanese troops were used as infantry and were divided into two areas: Tunhong County and Xucheng. They were desperately searching for grain and hay in the countryside. The people of Sizhou were miserable, but they were unable to resist.
Of course, plundering alone is definitely not enough. There are only four counties in Sizhou and there are about 100,000 people. It is impossible to supply such a huge cavalry group. The bulk of the grain and grass must be transported through the Bian River - fighting is really inseparable from rivers.
The bigger the scale, the more logistical it is, and the harder it is to stay away from the logistics center.
"Send an order to Dai Siyuan, and you can slowly gather your troops. If the rebel army arrives, you can abandon Xucheng and retreat north." Shao Shude ordered.
Xie Tong rolled his eyes and already thought of the true meaning. King Xia was afraid that he wanted to lure the enemy deeper and let the Huai army go north as much as possible. In addition, it was also problematic to praise the Japanese army's combat effectiveness. With the same strength, Huai might not be able to win.
Army, let alone many soldiers.
"Your Highness, if the Huai army goes north along the Bian River, they may not be able to intercept its food route." Xie Tong said, looking at the quietly flowing Bian River.
"Yeah. But let's test the quality of the Huai army first. If there is no chance to take advantage of it, I will go on my own." Shao Shude said.
"The Huai people may directly attack Hongxian and Suzhou and cut off our army's food routes." Xie Tong said again.
"He can't stop it." Shao Shude said: "If the boat division enters Bianshui River and reaches Suzhou, I will mobilize a large army to help. There may be a good opportunity to annihilate the enemy, so don't worry."
The Bian River is not as wide as the Si River, let alone the Huai River. When the boatmen came in, they were crowded and it was difficult to turn around, which was very inconvenient. If Yang Xingmi lingered here for a long time, and when the armies from all directions in the direction of Xuzhou moved south, he might have to
A piece of meat fell down.
In this battle, everything depends on Yang Xingmi's decision. The Xia army has the initiative, and the Huai army actually has some initiative. It's the way it should be.
******
On the Sishui River in the southeast of Peixian County, flames shot into the sky and the sound of killing filled the fields.
It was the third quarter of the Yin hour, and the night was thick. More than thirty transport ships coming from the direction of Xiapi were loaded with arrows, wound medicine and other various supplies, and were stationed on the river.
In fact, they had long been targeted by Ge Congzhou, the recruiting envoy from the north of Xuzhou, but they never found an opportunity.
But the Huai army is also human, and they can be lax and careless. No, if they are not careful, the thousands of soldiers of the Longxiang army who attacked at night will seize the opportunity and launch many small boats from the upper reaches.
He bought a lot of firewood and kerosene, ignited them and floated down the river, directly towards the Huai army fleet.
Using fire ships to deal with marines is a classic operation, but in fact the success rate is not high.
In the past, Shi Siming wanted to burn down the pontoon bridges in the three cities of Heyang, so he used this trick. However, Li Guangbi had already prepared and asked the sergeants to hold long guns and bamboo shoots to stop the fire ship. It burned and sank in a short time without causing any damage.
What a threat.
This is still dealing with fixed targets.
It will only be more difficult to deal with moving targets like ships. If the enemy is slightly prepared, it will be difficult to succeed.
However, isn't the Huai Army unprepared...
This was the first time Long Xiang's army conducted a fire ship raid. They were relatively unskilled and had some problems with advance calculations. Many ships sank midway, which made people blush. However, many ships successfully floated over, and the Huai people were in a hurry.
Yelling and yelling to put out the fire.
At this moment, another dark shadow came to the shore. They were all carefully selected archers in the army. They were tall and long arms. At this time, under the command of the officer, they picked up their bows and arrows, and launched them at the Huai Army transport ship.
And go.
In peacetime, this is actually not a threat. In wartime, ships are generally fireproofed, so they are not so easy to ignite. Even if the fire breaks out, it will not be too much, and someone will naturally go to put it out, without spending too much effort. Moreover,
There are also crossbows on the ship with a longer range. When they see where the enemy troops are gathering on the shore, they can launch them directly and keep them from escaping in confusion.
However, isn't the Huai Army unprepared...
Moreover, they are not serious sailors. Most of them are civilian ships that were temporarily requisitioned during the war and have been slightly modified. To put it bluntly, they are the water version of "Tutuan Countrymen".
So things got serious.
The fire ship ignited the Huai Army's transport ships, first one, then two, then three...
At the dock on the shore, the fighting between the two sides also became fierce.
Longxiang's army selected those who dared to die and rushed straight to the wall of the Huai army. After attacking for only half an hour, they killed more than three hundred Xuzhou soldiers. In the excitement of killing, they burned the dock to the ground, and the flames shone brightly.
It lit up the entire river.
The Huai people on the transport ship were in chaos.
The sailors ignored the general's orders, jumped into the river, and disappeared.
The officers also sighed, gave up, and jumped into the river to escape.
The ship continued to burn, and under the raging fire, the head of Pei County City could be clearly seen.
Zhang Chao, the envoy who suppressed the troops and horses, saw this and pursed his lips without saying a word.
The soldiers followed behind him, dumbfounded.
More than thirty transport ships were burned to the ground, which was a considerable loss. But for Peixian, it was not fatal because Zhou Ben had already sent food, weapons, and even three thousand reinforcements before.
But there is no doubt that the blow to morale is not small.
Zhang Chao touched the old wound on his shoulder with a solemn expression. This was the wound he sustained when he went out to chase Xia General Yan Bao last time, and it has not healed yet. That time, he lost two thousand soldiers, but they were all capable of fighting.
Elite.
The Xia people's Longxiang, Gongchen, and Pengsheng armies, together with a large group of Yanzhou natives, continued to attack the city. Now there are only more than 3,000 people left in the city, and their morale is low.
Alas, it seems that the Huai people's naval forces are not reliable either.
Zhang Chao silently descended from the tower. If contact with the outside world was cut off, he did not want to defend. He would either break out of the siege or...
Why work for Yang Xingmi?
******
The southeast wind blew stronger and stronger, and the long dragon-like army meandered in order.
Xuzhou camp commander Li Tangbin has just received the order.
"Everyone, the main force of the Huai Army is advancing westward to seek a decisive battle with the king." Li Tangbin announced.
The expressions of Qian Shouxu, the deputy envoy of the Yi Cong Army, Wang Jingxuan, the Marquis of Duyu, Liu Zhijun, the military envoy of the Longhu Army, Hua Wenqi, the deputy envoy, and others did not change.
The king of Xia has many cavalry troops. If he can't defeat them, why can't he escape? He is basically in an invincible position.
"Your Majesty has an order. Now that we have left on a secret mission, we should look for opportunities to harass Xu and Si to shake the thieves' morale." Li Tangbin said, "The whole army turns around and goes south!"
Li Tangbin had been fighting for many years and had his own prestige. The order was quickly conveyed to all the ministries. Soon, the Yicong, Long and Tiger armies changed their marching direction and headed towards Qingkou.
Li Tangbin also laid out the overall situation of the battlefield in his mind.
The main force of the Huai Army was originally stationed in Xiapi and Qingkou, which is right. Surabaya is the lifeline of Xuzhou and must be protected. And Xuzhou is a fortified city with large troops stationed in it. It is also surrounded by mountains and rivers and is east of Luoyang.
It is a rare large city in the Central Plains with dangerous mountains and rivers.
This should be Yang Xingmi's original idea to rely on the strong city of Xuzhou to kill the strength and morale of the Xia army, and then invest the main force of the Huai army, which is waiting for work. If the towns in Hedong and Hebei in the north launch another attack, they may win a big victory.
You will suddenly become enlightened.
Li Tangbin himself could understand Yang Xingmi's little thoughts. He didn't think that King Xia, who had been using the army for twenty years, couldn't understand it.
To put it bluntly, Yang Xingmi had no confidence.
We have no confidence in the fighting power of the Huai Army, and we have no confidence in the strength of Huainan. Therefore, we dare not take the initiative to invite a battle as soon as we go up. More than 100,000 troops from both sides lined up in the field to decide the outcome.
He wanted to wait until the Xia army's combat effectiveness and morale were severely weakened before committing his elite troops, which would give him greater certainty.
The strategy is not wrong, and Li Tangbin also appreciates it. But marching and fighting are inherently battles of wits and courage, suppressing and counter-suppressing each other. They want to put the enemy in a bad state and weaken their combat effectiveness, while they themselves are in a strong state to maintain their combat effectiveness and morale.
.
Yang Xingmi's intention was too obvious, and now that he was mobilized by King Xia, his flaws had been revealed.
However, Li Tangbin still didn't understand something.
The Sizhou side is actually not particularly dangerous. Yang Xingmi shouldn't have made such a large-scale march westward so early, looking like he was seeking a decisive battle. Why is this?
From a military point of view, this was not appropriate. Li Tangbin didn't know what he thought.
But no matter what he did, Li Tangbin decided to follow his own pace.
Ziqing Town, where he served as the Jiedu Envoy, organized more than ten sea-going ships and was preparing to transport a large amount of grain and grass ashore to be stationed in Haizhou.
I heard from Silla sailors that the wind direction was wrong at this time, which was not conducive to sailing. Fortunately, there was a southward current near the coast, so we could slowly drift over.
The problem of food and grass was solved, and Li Tangbin had no worries. Yi Cong, the Dragon and Tiger Army were active again. This time they were originally going to attack Suqian, but after receiving the news, he decided to go and clear the country, which was more deadly.
After the army set off, the cavalry troops went out in all directions, even crossing the Surabaya River to the west, trying their best to drive away the enemy's cavalry and block the battlefield.
The later it is discovered by the enemy, the better.