"Your Majesty, General Xu would like to transfer the right wing of the national army to cross the river and go north to reinforce the Qingkou camp." In Linhuai City, a messenger brought the latest news.
There are 5,000 Fengguo army troops stationed in Qingkou, plus tens of thousands of Huainan natives. The fort has been built for a long time, so it is relatively strong. Logically speaking, more troops and horses can be stationed, but in addition to the main force of the navy stationed there,
Except for that period of time, most of the time there are not many troops.
The reason is also very simple. Qingkou is where the Surabaya River and the Huaihe River meet. The terrain is low-lying, humid, and muddy. There are reed swamps one after another, small swamps, and small puddles dotted here and there. If you can still endure these and put in the effort to transform them,
Being flooded so easily can be fatal.
When the main force of the navy was there, there was no problem. The enemy did not have the ability to build a dam upstream to block the water. Now that the main force of the navy is gone, everything is hard to say.
Of course, there is another reason that I have to mention. As a general, you need to know the weather. The plum rain season is not far away. It will rain every three days, and sometimes it will rain heavily. Surabaya and Huaihe Rivers have surged, and many places have to clear their mouths.
It was submerged and turned into a water town. At that time, there was no way to garrison troops.
"No." Yang Xingmi simply refused, then added: "Qingkou camp still has more than twenty ships, which is enough for defense. If it doesn't work, dig a few weirs and engage the two armies.
The place has turned into a yellow mud pond. The northerners are not used to water, and their strength will be greatly reduced in the yellow mud pond, so they will inevitably withdraw their troops."
"As ordered." After the civil servant drafted the military order and used the seal, the messenger bowed and left.
Gao Xu gently stroked his beard and stared at the map.
Qingkou Camp is located on the north bank of the Huai River, with low-lying terrain, swamps, and dense reeds. The camp is located at a relatively dry high place, but this height is also relative, and the overall terrain is still lower than the two sides of the Huai River.
No matter from any angle, this place is not suitable as a military center. But its location is really good. Surabaya enters the Huaihe River here, with waterways extending in all directions and low transshipment costs. It is a very suitable water distribution center.
The Xia people's intention to destroy this center is very obvious, so now they can only defend it.
After a while, another messenger came.
"There was civil strife in Peixian County. The town envoy Zhang Chao killed his deputy Zhou Zunzhi and surrendered with the city." This news caused a collective silence in the government office.
Zhang Chao was the nephew of Zhang Tingfan, the governor of the Provoking Army, and Zhou Zunzhi was from Suzhou, so he was considered a member of the Huai Army.
Zhou Zunzhi also had troops, that is, he recruited 3,000 soldiers in Suzhou and had a lot of combat experience. He was killed. It is conceivable that the fate of these soldiers was not very good either. They were either killed or held hostage.
surrender.
Among the counties in Xuzhou, Feng County was captured by Zhu Zhen, Teng County surrendered directly, Pei County was also lost now, and the outer barrier in the north of Xuzhou was completely lost. It can be imagined that the tens of thousands of troops led by Ge Congzhou and Zhu Zhen are surging southward.
Head straight to Xiaoxian and Pengcheng.
There are no more soldiers to support him! Yang Xingmi’s brows furrowed into the character “Sichuan”, obviously very distressed.
Logically speaking, Xuzhou's troops are sufficient to defend the city, but if you don't show any signs and let them fight alone, will their will be so strong? How long can they defend it?
The civil unrest in Peixian County has sounded the alarm, how can we not take it as a lesson?
"Your Majesty, Xuzhou has just distributed rewards, so the morale should still be maintained." Seeing his lord in trouble, Gao Xu secretly sighed and said with relief: "General Zhou has thousands of people stationed in Xiapi. Although they are not elite and brave men,
But it is also a big support at critical moments. Xuzhou can still maintain its position, so don’t worry.”
"There are conditions for the Xuzhou defenders to persist..." Yang Xingmi smiled bitterly and sat down.
Now, he has to face up to his mistakes.
Anyone who starts from scratch is not an accident, and must have an extraordinary side. Yang Xingmi was obsessed with it for a while and could not listen to opinions. Now facing the increasingly severe war situation, he had to pay attention to it.
This is how war is, and the situation of the war can change fundamentally without a large-scale confrontation between the two sides. Now it seems that being transferred by the Xia people was a mistake.
The Bashan Army has been marching north for six days, and the other armies have been marching north for five days. Up to now, Shao Shude has no intention of fighting with him. He is so elusive that you don't even know where he is now.
Hongxian City was defended by more than 3,000 Japanese infantry, but Yang Xingmi was undecided about whether to besiege the city. Once the formation was set up and full force was used, it would not be that simple to retreat.
Gao Xu thought for a while and was about to speak when another messenger came and reported: "Qian Liu sent Gu Quanwu to send 30,000 soldiers out of Huzhou to Taihu Lake."
This is to attack Su and Changzhou.
Run, Chang and Su were the earliest developed places in the south of the Yangtze River, and Runzhou was the seat of Zhexi Town. Qian Liu wrested the title of Jiedushi of Western Zhejiang from Zhou Bao, but lost Run and Su.
, Chang, how can you give up?
There have been several battles before, with fewer wins and more losses. This time, when the main force of the Huai army marches north, why not take the opportunity to cause trouble?
When Gu Quanwu's army comes, the first ones to bear the brunt are Suzhou Yang Shihou and Changzhou Taimeng. Runzhou An Renyi and Xuanzhou Tianqi may also be affected.
"Send an order to An Renyi and Tian Yan, and the soldiers and horses from the four states will gather together to -" At this point, Yang Xingmi pondered for a long time.
Gao Xu looked at him and suggested: "It's okay to use An Renyi as the envoy, and Tian Yan as his deputy."
"Okay, let's do it like this." Yang Xingmi made a decision.
Among the four of An, Tian, Tai, and Yang, Yang Shihou should be the most capable, but he is an outsider and has limited trust, so he cannot be entrusted with big responsibilities. Tian Fan is also very capable, but he is too ambitious and cannot be given this opportunity. An Renyi
In fact, his ambitions are not small, and Yang Xingmi is well aware of this. However, Tai Meng's ability and prestige are insufficient. After much deliberation, he can only let An Renyi take charge and provide unified command.
In addition to these states, there were also some states and counties in Jiangnan that were sealed off to their subordinates.
Shengzhou was captured by Yang Shihou, but Yang Xingmi did not give it to him, but kept it in his own hands. Now it is managed by civilian officials. However, it is said that during the Northern Expedition, whoever makes great contributions will be rewarded with Shengzhou.
The prosperous land of Xuanzhou is in the hands of Tian Fan.
The governor of Shezhou was Tao Ya.
Both of them are Yang Xingmi's elder Yuancong, but Tao Ya is loyal, honest and more submissive, while Tian Fan is more prickly.
Yang Xingmi gave away large-scale rewards to the territory in the south of the Yangtze River, but it does not mean that he likes to do it. There is really no way. If you have made meritorious service in the war, you will be rewarded, and the wealth cannot satisfy the appetite of the warriors. They prefer the territory, unless the customs
After the situation has been reversed, the warriors will be satisfied with their wealth and wealth, but we don’t know how long it will take for that day to come. Perhaps it will only be possible with the founding of the country.
Fortunately, there are currently no obvious signs of rebellion from the Caotou Kings in these places, and there is no shortage of taxes and soldiers. The Huai Army system can just make do with it, and the internal conflicts are far from reaching the stage of breaking out. And when he waits for him
When the power of the yamen built by one hand becomes stronger and stronger, you can slowly start to reduce the vassal vassal.
Of course, that was the original plan. From the current point of view, unless he defeated the Xia army in Xusi, he could only continue to stay together with his old brothers.
Three pieces of bad news came one after another in the morning. Even though Yang Xingmi had a good temper, it was a bit too much for him. He slapped the table heavily and said angrily: "You don't know how to change the tea when it's cold?"
The soldier obeyed and immediately went to make tea.
"Your Majesty..." Gao Xu also sat down and hesitated.
"I know what you are going to say." Yang Xingmi stood up impatiently and said, "But since we set out, we have lost troops and generals one after another, so it would be unseemly to retreat. Besides, Xuzhou has not been lost yet, how can we retreat?"
Gao Xu had no intention to persuade Yang Xingmi to retreat directly. Although he wanted to do so, he also knew that the success rate of such persuasion was very low. He had another way of talking.
"Your Majesty, our army has been marching north for many days, and the Xia thieves have avoided fighting. It is not an option to continue struggling." Gao Xu said: "It is better to march eastward with the whole army, cooperate with generals Xu and Zhou, and besiege Li Tangbin's tribe."
Yang Xingmi was also annoyed by the fact that he could not catch the main force of the Xia army, and immediately asked: "What is the siege method?"
"Let General Xu hold on to the fortress first. The thieves will not be able to capture it in a short time. After his morale has been exhausted, our army will build a dam upstream to block the water, and then flood Qingkou. Qingkou is low-lying, and no one will be killed for a while.
, but it can cause chaos to the bandit army. When the thieves fled northward in a chaotic manner, away from the flood, my fresh force launched a pursuit."
Good guy, this is flooding yourself and the enemy together, it's pretty cruel. With the current water level of the Huaihe River, when it pours down, no one will die. Moreover, the defenders have camps, which are difficult to be washed away by the flood, and they are still relatively high.
Where there is a place, it is even more impossible to die. On the other hand, the Xia army is indeed likely to be washed away by the flood, and at least the organizational structure will be destroyed. But without the organizational structure, it will be scattered troops, vulnerable to a blow. The main force of the Huai army will be chased by the organic system.
If we kill them, we can kill Li Tangbin's more than 20,000 people.
"Send people in advance to patrol the lower reaches and walk through them all to see where it is suitable to build a dam to hold back the water." Yang Xingmi ordered.
Immediately, a clerk drafted an order and handed it over.
Yang Xingmi looked at it and said, "Send it and execute it immediately."
Gao Xu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, the first step was successful.
"However, in my opinion, the possibility of success in this matter is still too small." Yang Xingmi's mood improved a little, and he was not so anxious. He sat back on the bed and said: "Building a dam to block water is not just a matter of time."
It will take half a day, but the movement is too loud, and it will be easy to be discovered. Do you have a better water attack plan?"
"Your Majesty, the northerners are good at horses, and the southerners are good at boats. If you want to defeat Shao Thief, you really can only make a fuss on the water." Gao Xu said: "Not long after, the plum rainy season will come, heavy rains will pour, and the river will surge. Summer Thief
The cavalry will be useless. If your Majesty doesn't mind, just open the Huai River embankment and let the flood wash away all the soldiers and horses that Shao is proud of. Then our army can take the boat to the north and pursue them calmly."
"No!" Yang Xingmi said subconsciously: "If the embankment is opened, the people of Sizhou will be eaten by fish and turtles. How can I bear it?"
"Your Majesty has a kind heart, but I made a mistake." Gao Xu accused him repeatedly.
Yang Xingmi's face looked a little unnatural, uncertain, and he remained silent for a long time.