Lao Jing still attended the banquet, but he did not stay too long. While the guests were dancing and cheering, he said goodbye to General Shi Yanghu and left the banquet first. Returning to the Chariot and Cavalry General's Mansion, Lao Jing was ready to live. With everything we were waiting for, we set off southward that day, hoping to get to Yangzhou as soon as possible.
There had just been a heavy rain in Yangzhou recently. Now the sky is clear and the sun is shining in the sky, but the road is still muddy.
After the Wei army retreated from Juchao, heavy troops had gathered near Xiaoyaojin, and there had been a battle before.
Wang Feixiao and others were walking along the wet muddy road from Hefei New City to Xiaoyaojin in the southeast. He was still in the period of mourning, and wore his hemp mourning clothes outside his armor, and his helmet was also wrapped in white cloth, but he still insisted on guarding Huainan.
Last time Wang Feixiao suffered a huge defeat in Dongguan and was not punished; but if something went wrong again this time, even he would be embarrassed to defend himself.
After everyone left Hefei New City, they walked south along a river.
The river on the right side of the road is actually an abandoned artificial river. It is usually shallow and narrow, almost dry, and will completely dry up before Hefei New City. But now that the water has risen, only ????????? The river is wide and the water is turbid. It has become a navigable river.
Because of the rising water, this river channel is also connected to the upper reaches of Feishui. Boats coming from Shishui in the south can sail directly into Feishui!
It didn't take long for the group of people to be blocked by the river in front of them. Fortunately, there was a pontoon bridge on the river, so the people went straight across on horseback.
The river blocking the road flows into Shishui from the northeast. But this river that looks like a tributary is actually the upper reaches of Shishui; and the way Wang Feixiao and others came from is just a man-made canal that has been abandoned for many years.
The current intersection is like an upside-down word "Bu". But if in other seasons, the artificial river channels dry up due to no water source, only the upper reaches of Shishui blocking the road will be left (the upside-down word "Bu") side), its source is Flail Mountain in the northeast of here.
Wang Feixiao continued to walk south. Soon he looked to the left and saw the ruins beside Shishui.
Between the weeds, there are almost only piles of collapsed rammed earth. Who would have thought that that place was the former Hefei Old City if they were not familiar with this place?
At this time, the Wei army had various camps, and the military camp was near the ruins of the old city.
Soon the "erhu" in the military camp came out with his generals to welcome them, namely Hu Zhi, the governor of Qingxu, and Hu Zun, the governor of Xuzhou. Both of them had the surname Hu, but they were not the same family.
Among them, Hu Zhi is quite old. He and Jiang Ji were from the same era, and his career path as an official was also the same as Jiang Ji's. However, because he has been with Qingxu for a long time, as the deep support force of the Eastern Front, he is actually not related to the garrison. The relationship between the Wang family in Yangzhou has always been good.
After the ceremony, Hu Zhi said: "We only need to stop for two days. Now the weather is clear. When the ground dries out, the water thieves will definitely continue to attack!"
Hu Zun, the governor of Xuzhou, asked calmly: "The bandit army is coming fiercely. Can we hold on in Xiaoyaojin?"
Wang Feixiao said without comment: "This place is very important."
The generals agreed one after another, and then avoided talking about the topic.
Wang Feixiao led everyone towards the military camp and couldn't help but look back at the ruins in the distance again.
In the past, the old city of Xiaoyaojin was demolished and moved to the current new city for construction. This matter was controversial in the court at that time! However, those who were in favor of moving to the new city later convinced the emperor.
When it comes to the importance of location, Xiaoyaojin is obviously more critical. However, there is a problem here. Because it is on the bank of Shishui River and is navigable with Chaohu Lake and Ruxu River all year round, it is easy for the Wu army to launch attacks from waterways. Compared with
Danger.
As for Hefei New City, it is usually not navigable. Only during the short period of high water, when the artificial canal has water, can it be navigable. If Wu Jun could not seize the right time, he could only disembark from Shishui and walk for twenty or so.
The new city can only be reached by land. Therefore, the new city is easier to defend.
However, the situation has changed now. The development of ordnance has made it more difficult to defend the city. If the rebel army is allowed to reach Hefei New City and then relies on the new city wall to block the rebel army, it will be very dangerous.
Now the water thieves really have a large trebuchet! They attacked the Wei army's camp two days ago, and the Wu army has moved the trebuchet to the front line.
Wang Feixiao didn't even need to look at the map. He could see the situation just by looking upstream at Shishui.
Once the Wei army withdraws from Xiaoyaojin and cedes the river confluence to the enemy; the enemy will follow the river canal and approach Hefei City while rowing boats.
Move upstream from the Shi River and outflank the new city's flanks from the Flail Mountain side, from the front and back!
By then, the Wei army will be surrounded, and the food roads and reinforcements in the new city will be threatened. If you continue to place the army near the new city, it is of course very unwise. But if you want to rely on the walls and defenders of the new city,
In a battle to defend the city, and since the Wu army has large trebuchets, can it still be defended?
Soochow attacked Hefei City so many times but failed to capture it. What would happen if it were left in Wang Feixiao's hands? Wang Feixiao simply didn't want to think about it!
Sure enough, it was just a sunny day, and the Wu army began to launch repeated attacks on the Xiaoyaojin front line. Looking at the situation, Zhuge Ke would not give up until he took Xiaoyaojin!
Of course, Wang Feixiao could not retreat. He would lose Hefei if he retreated! So he was willing to risk arrows and go to the front to supervise the battle in person.
Within a few days, Lao Jing suddenly arrived at Xiaoyaojin.
After meeting, Lao Jing asked for a chance to talk. The Lao family has been with the Wang family for several generations, and now Lao Jing works as a servant in the Chariot and Cavalry General's Mansion, and is a trusted person. Usually there are important things, and the Wang family
That's why he sent Lao Jing to travel such a long distance himself.
The two of them entered the tent, and then Wang Feixiao realized that Lao Jing was not sent by his elder brother Wang Gongyuan, but by General Qin Zhongming.
Lao Jing took out a roll of exquisite paper and offered it with both hands: "Please take a look at it."
When Wang Feixiao opened it and took a look, his face suddenly showed surprise and surprise: "General, you want me to abandon the defense of Hefei New City?"
Lao Jing cupped his hands and said: "The military order is like this, but whether it is used or not depends on the prince."
He paused for a moment and continued: "The general asked his servants to tell him a few words. It is still up to the prince to decide how to fight and whether to defend, but it does not need to be limited to the gains and losses of one city or one place. When the prince needs to withdraw from Hefei,
Then you can take out this military order and show it to the public."
Only then did Wang Feixiao come back to his senses and said with some excitement: "That's it."
He couldn't help but reread the contents of the military order carefully, and then observed the handwriting, seal, and the seal of General Shi Yanghu on it. Gradually, he felt that the breath in his heart seemed to be suddenly enlightened!
Wang Feixiao restrained his complicated emotions and sighed: "Zhong Ming wants to take the responsibility for losing Hefei on himself first!"
Lao Jing said in a deep voice: "When I was in Luoyang, General Chariot and General Qiaoqi also thought so. The general wanted to maintain the prestige of the Wang family. Because during the Battle of Dongguan, the monarch failed, and now if he is criticized again , I’m just afraid that my reputation will be ruined.”
Wang Feixiao took a few steps and blurted out: "Zhong Ming is a decent and reliable person!"
Lao Jing said: "That's what I think. The branches and leaves of the Qin family are not lush enough. The Wang family is the general's in-laws and his important support. Besides, the general has always been a fair man. When we raised troops in Yangzhou, the Wang family sent troops to win Luoyang." After assuming the auxiliary power, the Wang family will at least have a share."
Wang Feixiao muttered: "Friendship is also very important. When Zhong Ming was in Yangzhou, we got along so well. Those days of laughter are really nostalgic! After so many things in the past few years, it is still the best as before. "
He recalled and sighed for a while. After he came to his senses, he gently patted the roll of military orders with his palm.
Unexpectedly, Qin Zhongming, who was far away in Luoyang, could actually see in time the dilemma that Wang Feixiao was in in the south of Huaihe River. This time it was really no wonder that Wang Feixiao and Wu State were in the east. The troops were almost in full force; and the trebuchet that Ma Jun built a few years ago finally backfired on his own people.
But with this military order, Wang Feixiao's ideas suddenly opened up!
He unfolded the topographic map of Yangzhou and looked at it for a while. The situation on the battlefield would not change for a while just because of a military order. But Wang Feixiao's state of mind was completely different. Compared with the previous hesitation, he was almost in a state of confusion at this time. Instantly I gained confidence again.
Wang Feixiao immediately asked Lao Jing to arrange people outside the account and invite generals such as Hu Zhi and Hu Zun to discuss the matter. Although Zhong Ming gave the message and asked Wang Feixiao to come up with military orders at the appropriate time, Wang Feixiao wanted to reassure the generals fighting in Xiaoyaojin in advance. .
However, there was also Fu Gu, the governor of Yuzhou, who was not able to meet him for a while because he was still far away. Fu Gu came from Anfeng County and heard that the Wu army was attacking. He first arrived at Liu'an City in Lujiang County, and then continued to march. He was responsible for carrying out military operations. Defense of the west bank of the water.
After a while, Hu Zhi and several other generals arrived. Everyone immediately noticed Wang Feixiao's calm expression. Hu Zhi couldn't help but ask: "Have the Chinese reinforcements set off?"
Wang Feixiao said in astonishment: "How can it be so fast?"
After saying this, he conveyed the general's military orders to the generals and explained that they should only be used as a last resort.
After all, this battle will still have to be fought with the strength of the troops on the eastern front, but this military order can indeed solve the worries of the generals! Now everyone does not have to worry about what to do with Hefei City if Xiaoyaojin cannot be defended.
Before this, no general was willing to propose abandoning the defense of Hefei. Although Hefei was a small city, its reputation at this time was comparable to that of Xiangyang, and it was also a strategic location in the eyes of the world. Just like no one was willing to bear the responsibility of losing Xiangyang. responsibilities are the same.
The generals were discussing one after another, and the dull atmosphere in the tent quickly disappeared.
Wang Feixiao thought that someone had to take the responsibility for Hefei. Considering Qin Liang's situation, he added: "As long as Xiaoyaojin can be defended, the rebel warships will not be able to go to Lianyao Mountain, and Hefei is not that dangerous for the time being. We should try our best. If you guard Xiaoyaojin, you can follow the rules."
[Currently used, it is the most complete and best-used app for listening to books. It integrates 4 major speech synthesis engines and over 100 sounds. It is also a source-changing artifact that supports offline reading. Source-changing app]
Because there was a way out, the voices of several generals became more confident: "I am willing to listen to the orders of the warlord!"