The Suzaku Army quickly reached a consensus and marched south to Gaodu County. At this time, Zhu Yong's main army occupied the Yongding Acropolis in the upper reaches of the west; the Yuezhou Prefecture's army advanced from the west and forced Lizhou.
As the day drags on Lizhou, Shimen will definitely not be able to hold it, because the main force of the Suzaku Army is in Cili. Now no one is willing to defend these three counties. Although the mountainous area to the north can temporarily avoid the sharp edge of the army, but to the north is Shi
The state guards and other places had neither a foundation nor a way out; both the civilian and military generals agreed to advance southward, and the Miao envoys sent people twice to discuss the alliance. Everyone believed that they could rely on the Miao people to fight against the official army.
The main resistance they have to face on the way south is not the Gaodu County garrison, but the more than 2,000 people stationed at Longtou Temple on its west side. This unit alone has more people than Zhang Ning, but in comparison, everyone
He is more willing to deal with the people in Longtou Temple than to directly fight Zhu Yong.
Zhang Ning considered that the soldiers and horses of Longtou Temple might receive Zhu Yong's order later and march eastward to Gaodu County. If they could not solve this city for a while, but were harassed and delayed by it, the situation would be very unfavorable; they could not attack it at the beginning.
The incident of descending to the Yongding Acropolis was vivid in his mind, so he decided to take the eleven mortars that had been manufactured with the army.
A team of people rushed to demolish the houses around the Ordnance Bureau's workshop in the west of the city, and then set fire to the Ordnance Bureau. The smoke rising in the west of the city was like a fire. At the same time, all the files and tools that could not be taken away were burned.
A mortar weighs about 400 kilograms, which is very light compared with long-barreled cannons, but transportation is still not easy. It has to be pulled by a horse-drawn carriage, so the baggage artillery can only take the post road. In the countryside of Huguang
There are small roads extending in all directions, but there are only one or two roads that can be used by the army. Moreover, various troops are gathering from all over the city, and the queues pass through the main road in the city with great fanfare; as well as the fire at the Ordnance Bureau. There is no way to cover up the movement of the Suzaku Army.
, as soon as within a day or two, Zhu Yong may know their movements from the detective report.
Zhang Ning asked his entourage to pack up his things, change his clothes, and go out from the county office to meet with the generals in the army and the ministry. He was also accompanied by Wang Yuliang Yan and other civil servants. The remaining local officials were displeased with their own surrender to the "rebels"
In fact, he still had luck and was unwilling to follow, and Zhang Ning did not force it.
Several civil servants and Zhang Ning all put on the same pastoral gray clothes, with tops and trousers, and soap boots on their feet. Perhaps Wang Yu and others, who maintained their status as civil servants, were not willing to dress similarly to the warriors, but since Zhang Ning dressed up like this,
They followed suit. In fact, this style of loose clothes and trousers made it easier to ride a horse. The Miao envoy and his party, a total of more than ten people, followed the Chinese army. Zhang Ning did not shy away from these people in "fancy clothes", and everyone knew they were Miao at a glance.
It's not a bad thing to feel like you have allies instead of fighting alone.
All the troops, more than 1,200 people, were assembled on the cross street. Without any delay, they immediately marched to the south of the city by beating drums. The army was divided into three armies: the front, middle and rear. The front army was mainly composed of scouts, and the middle army was composed of infantry.
The main force of the army, and the rear army were baggage artillery and escorts. Many people in the city were watching along the road, and some people stretched their heads out of the windows of the house to look at the situation on the street. This was a good thing, as the Suzaku Army repeatedly issued orders to strictly prohibit it.
They are a nuisance to the people. As they have been stationed in Cili County for a long time, their image has always improved. At least the people are no longer afraid of them.
The people were looking at the procession on the street, and Zhang Ning, who was riding a horse, was also looking around. Suddenly, he felt that the houses and streets in this place were very familiar. Unknowingly, he had been in Cili County for two months. But
No matter how familiar the place is, in the end it is just a passerby.
The journey begins again.
The marching route chose the most conventional and simple road, taking the main road close to the tributary of the Yuan River, and then taking the main road along the river. Although there is no shortage of water in the south, it is not a bad thing to take the marching route close to the water source of the river. Going south along the tributary of the Yuan River,
Gaodu is not far away, this road is less than a hundred miles.
Originally, Zhang Ning's territory was only the Cili, Shimen, and Lizhou areas, but now he has given up on it. A few dozen miles south is the "enemy territory". Looking around, there are cities controlled by the government and the army, and to the east is the Changde Prefecture, etc.
There are several important towns, including Gaodu County in the south and Yongding Acropolis in the northwest. This situation naturally made Zhang Ning and others feel very insecure. A swarm of people and horses were like rootless pods in a pond. Fortunately, they were all safe during the march.
Taiping did not encounter any harassment or resistance; the people from the government's Checkpoint Inspection Department had already run away after hearing the news, and these people were unable to fight against the army.
The total distance from Cili County to the border of Gaodu was more than one hundred miles, but the Suzaku Army still walked for three or four days. The main reason was that the artillery baggage affected the speed. Although it was taking the main road, the heavy carriages would still encounter various people halfway along the way.
All kinds of troubles.
On the morning of the first day of March, looking south from the road, the city tower of Gaodu County was already faintly visible in the light mist. This city was built on the north bank of Yuanshui River, and like many cities, it is surrounded by mountains and rivers. The Chinese Army sent
The people selected a location and quickly ordered the construction of a simple camp, mainly using trenches and wooden piles as defenses. The Chinese army camp was set up first to facilitate the officials and generals to discuss matters. Outside the tent, it was busy and noisy like a construction site. Zhang Ning was used to this.
Situation. The general of the scout team quickly discovered the situation ahead and reported it to his account.
Sure enough, the more than 2,000 officers and soldiers of Longtou Temple have redeployed their defenses, because the number of defenders in Gaodu County has increased significantly. Soldiers and horses have been stationed at the Yuan River crossings, and signs of official and military activities have been found on the south bank. Suddenly there are more troops near Gaodu County.
The officers and soldiers could only have come from Longtou Temple. Their reaction speed was not surprising, because it only took a day for the messenger to go back and forth from Gaodu County to Yongdingwei on horseback; and Zhang Ning's men had already left with great fanfare on the road.
It's been three or four days.
The Baihu officials and their deputies of the scout brigade reported various situations in detail, and the officials and generals in the account were summarizing the information and making judgments. At this time, the military "advisor" Zhou Mengxiong who was following along the way expressed his opinion responsibly: "We will understand the general situation later.
However, Zhu Yong's arrangement or the chief military officer of Gaodu County had two plans: one was to rely on the city on the north bank to hold on to the fortifications, and the other was to deploy troops on the south bank to defend the river and prevent our army from crossing the river. Its purpose is also easy to guess.
They want to prevent us from crossing the river to head towards Longtou Temple and Chenzhou Prefecture. Maybe Zhu Yong has noticed that we have formed an alliance with the Miao people."
Then Wei Bin also spoke: "We must try to break through the river defenses as soon as possible and cross the Yuanshui River. Otherwise, Zhu Yong's army will advance from the north. We will have no danger to defend here, and we will be blocked on the way out. I'm afraid it won't be good."
At this time, Zhang Ning said: "If we don't capture the city first, we will be attacked on the flanks and rear by soldiers and horses in the city when we cross the river. Therefore, the combat method should be to capture Gaodu first, control the north bank of Yuan River, and then try to cross the river to defeat the river defense army. Everyone
What do you think?" He still spoke quickly and calmly, without any pretense.
The generals discussed for a while, and most of them agreed to try to capture Gaodu first, because the army had artillery, and according to Ma Dapeng of the Ordnance Bureau, its shortcomings had been corrected and it was ready for use.
The short discussion ended quickly, and everyone agreed that after setting up camp, they would take a short rest before launching an attack on Gaodu County that day.
By noon, the wooden piles of the arc-shaped trench around the camp had been constructed, and the soldiers of each department were also busy setting up tents. Just like usual training, this kind of routine work is no different from training. Everything is in order. The troops are setting fire.
Making meals, lunch was a little too early, because they were busy logging, digging, and building camps in the morning, so most of them only ate some dry food; now everyone has a hot meal and a rest, just to build up their strength.
Zhang Ning rode around the camp and inspected the camp. He was quite satisfied with the state of the army. At least it was organized and disciplined. What made this group of troops the characteristic of the army was not holding weapons and uniform banners. He felt that order was
The essential.
The morning mist has dispersed, the sun is in the east sky as expected, and the spring sunshine shines warmly on people. Although Zhang Ning is still under great pressure, the bright outdoor scenery makes him a little happy for a moment. But he always feels
There seemed to be something missing in the military camp... He thought about it for a while, and finally remembered that the flag had not been hung yet. At least a flagpole would have to be erected in front of the Chinese army tent to look decent.
Zhang Ning was about to ask someone to raise the Suzaku flag in front of the tent, but suddenly he had a sudden idea, why not do a simple flag-raising ceremony? Various rituals are not just idle things to do, they should have a certain effect, not to mention there were many pretentious ones in ancient times.
Etiquette, even in modern times, has maintained many rituals.
The siege was imminent, and it was a good time to try to boost morale. Zhang Ning immediately decided to do this. He turned his head and glanced at the dozen or so guardsmen on duty in front of the Chinese army's tent. These people were the ones returning to Jiangxi.
The people brought by Youde practiced formation under Wei Bin for a period of time, and now they are the Central Guards of the Suzaku Army. The name of the team is Wang Xian. He is tall and tall, with a long and flat face, and his cheeks are like knives.
It's somewhat mighty.
He immediately called Wang Xian and others over and asked, "How is your formation doing?" After receiving a positive answer, Zhang Ning ordered them to make some preparations first, and then take charge of the flag-raising ceremony.
The original flagpole needs to be slightly modified. A wooden pulley is installed at the top. The square flag is tied with a rope first. It is mostly a simple operation. Then the messengers go to each post to deliver the order: At the beginning of this day, the military flag will be raised.
You are not allowed to play when the flag is raised, you must stand solemnly.
After everyone had lunch, a dozen guards under Wang Xian had changed into clean and tidy military uniforms. Several musicians set up gongs, drums, zithers, and flutes on the side. A team of twelve people from the firearms team also lined up to load the lead bullets.
There is no need to pretend, just put the gunpowder and listen for the sound. With some improvised arrangements, the whole scene looks pretty decent.
Just like in battle, the flag bearer of the firearms team laid the small triangular flag flat, and the team just pulled out their sabers and raised them. Then a team of soldiers slowly raised their muskets and pointed them at the sky. Then "bang bang..." there was a burst of gunfire, and the military camp
The attention of everyone inside was attracted. Even the Miao envoy Bai Fengjiao and others walked out of the tent and looked at the scene here from a distance.
The musicians played the leather drums, and the guards divided into two lines to protect the king's Suzaku flag, and marched neatly from one end of the military camp to the central military tent. When they reached the flagpole, the musicians stopped playing the drums.
, it was quiet for a while, and Wang Xian silently tied the Suzaku flag under the watchful eyes of everyone.
An old man among the musicians nodded to his son and apprentices beside him. His son put the transverse flute in front of his mouth, and a melodious flute sounded. As the flag bearer, Wang Xian also raised his hand, and the fluttering flute sounded.
The Suzaku flag with a black background and a yellow background rippled in the air like the sound of a flute.
The slightly sad sound of the piano started with a slow rhythm. The music composed by Yao Ji was very contagious. For a moment, everyone present had serious expressions. "Salute!" Wang Xian shouted, and more than a dozen of the guards
The famous soldiers raised their left arms together and looked at the slowly rising Suzaku flag. Other nearby soldiers were also moved, and many spontaneously performed special etiquette toward the flag.
It was originally just a small matter for the Chinese army to hoist the command flag, but suddenly it seemed to be given some meaning.
I don’t know whether it was because the music was too touching, or because human beings are too fragile, but this scene really moved many people. Zhang Ning had mixed emotions and felt sour. Unconsciously, tears flashed in his eyes. He hurriedly held back the emotion.
, pretending to be expressionless. However, this detail was discovered by Bai Fengjiao, the Miao Commander who was paying attention to him, and she looked over in surprise.
The Suzaku flag was raised to the top, but the music was out of sync, and it took a while to finish. Zhang Ning walked under the flagpole, looked back at the troops and said loudly: "I believe there is something in the world that makes us brothers under this flag.
We are one body. When several times the enemy forces want to kill us, when the entire court regards us as sinners, we can only fight for our glory and survival with our firm belief in justice and the baptism of iron and blood.