In the autumn of that year, the Battle of Jiangxia officially began.
The navy from the east of the Yangtze River started from Chaisang, followed the Yangtze River to the west, and went straight to Xiakou, the seat of Jiangxia County.
Xiakou is located east of the Han River and north of the Yangtze River, at the intersection of the two river systems. With this place, the Jiangdong navy can enter the Han River north to threaten Xiangyang, and advance along the west of the Yangtze River to Jiangling and Jingzhou, the two most important cities.
Will be exposed to Jiangdong's military front.
Huang Zu, the governor of Jiangxia, had 30,000 naval troops and 1,000 warships under his command. His military strength was originally the strongest in Jingzhou, and he had resisted Sun's revenge attacks several times before.
However, Huang Zu also knew very well that although the number of his navy was greater than that of the enemy, its combat effectiveness was inferior to Jiangdong's army, and he did not have a general who could stand alone.
Huang Zu was clearly aware of the disadvantages of his own army, so he did not care about the gains and losses of one city or one area with the enemy. He took the initiative to shrink the defense line and concentrated the main force near Xiakou. With his back to the strong city of Xiakou, he waited for work to resist Jiangdong's army.
Invasion.
Therefore, the 20,000 Jiangdong naval forces commanded by Zhou Yu marched all the way into Pozhu, capturing several cities along the river one after another, and their troops were approaching Xiakou.
With 30,000 naval troops and a thousand warships, Huang Zu, who fought against the city, relied on the Jingzhou Army's consistent ability to attack the weak and defend the strong, and stubbornly blocked Zhou Yu's powerful offensive.
After a month of fierce fighting and more than ten battles, Jiangdong's army still failed to break through Huang Zu's defense line.
In the previous revenge battles, when Sun Quan could not attack for a long time, he mostly chose to plunder Dingkou and then withdraw his army back to Jiangdong.
But this time, Sun Quan chose to persist.
At Zhou Yu's request, Sun Quan ordered Cheng Pu to lead 5,000 naval troops to reinforce Jiangxia's front line.
As Jiangdong's army increased its troops, the pressure on Huang Zu increased dramatically, and his advantage gradually began to shift toward Jiangdong.
During the fierce battle in Jiangxia, Yan Liang, who was in Xinye, was closely watching the changes in the battle situation.
The Si Wen Cao intelligence agency in charge of Xu You constantly sent the latest updates on the battle in Jiangxia to Xinye. The more brutal the battle in Jiangxia, the happier Yan Liang would naturally be.
According to the original plan, Liu Biao was supposed to mobilize troops from Xiangyang and go south to Jiangxia for reinforcements, but Zhou Yu's strategy of taking advantage of the situation made Liu Biao suspicious of Yan Liang again.
More than a month has passed. The war in Jiangxia has become increasingly difficult, but Liu Biao has never sent a single soldier from Xiangyang to go south.
Yan Liang gradually felt a little worried.
If this waste continues, once Sun Quan is given the first step to conquer Xiakou, the situation will evolve into Sun Quan taking Jingzhou alone instead of him and the Sun family carving up Jingzhou.
However, Jia Xu and other counselors thought hard day and night, but could not come up with a solution to trick Liu Biao into believing that he had no evil intentions and move his troops south so that he could take advantage of the loophole.
After all, Jia Xu is also made of flesh and blood, not a god.
boom!
In the lobby, Yan Liang hit the table with his iron fist so hard that the candlelight on the table shook.
"Liu Biao, this old guy, is he a fool? Could it be that he would rather be killed by the Sun family than let me have two bites of meat?"
Yan Liang was very unhappy. He was very annoyed by Liu Biao's inaction, but he was also a little helpless.
The counselors on the left and right, such as Jia Xu and Xu You, all looked a little ashamed, as if they were blaming themselves for not being able to share Yan Liang's worries.
After scolding Liu Biao a few times, Yan Liang's sword-shaped eyebrows gradually condensed into a thin line, and murderous intent and determination quickly gathered in his blade-like eyes.
All the civil and military officials on the left and right felt the change in Yan Liang's mood, and the awe-inspiring power made everyone hold their breath.
After a long silence, Yan Liang suddenly stood up, holding his sword in his hand, his iron tower-like body filled with a strong sense of killing.
"We can't wait any longer. Sun Quan's naval force is the best in the world. If he fails to attack Xiakou, I'm afraid I won't be able to eat even a scrap. I'm determined to send troops to attack Xiangyang immediately."
The general's silent mood suddenly surged as high as fire.
"Kill the Han River and capture Xiangyang."
"Teach that old guy Liu Biao a lesson and kill his entire family."
…
The generals were shouting excitedly, but the counselors were very calm.
"host……"
Xu You opened his mouth to persuade, but swallowed the words when they reached his lips.
When Xiangyang has sufficient troops, it is not a foolproof strategy to forcefully launch an attack without a superior naval force.
But Xu You also knew that the situation in Jingzhou had developed to the current point. Even if he was not sure of victory, he had to take action, otherwise he could only sit back and watch Jingzhou fall into the hands of the Sun family.
In the lobby, there was enthusiasm and excitement, and there was not a single voice of opposition.
The plan was decided, and Yan Liang issued the war mobilization order that day.
Of the 30,000 soldiers and horses under his command, except for the 5,000 soldiers of Wenpin's command who stayed behind in Wancheng and the 2,000 soldiers who stayed in Xinye, the remaining 20,000 troops all set off and quickly gathered in the direction of Fancheng.
Due to the advance planning, the armies were assembled very quickly. In only two days, 20,000 troops entered Fancheng.
Yan Liang broke through the disguise, and in Xiangyang, Liu Biao naturally got the information quickly.
Liu Biao was thankful that he had not been deceived by Yan Liang's play. He was both happy and annoyed at the same time. He immediately ordered Cai Mao to lead the Xiangyang navy to be ready to block Yan Liang's crossing the river at any time.
It was dusk, and Yan Liang entered the Fancheng Water Village under the protection of the Tiger Guard Camp.
As you can see along the road, the entire water stronghold is built with big boats outside as a city wall and small boats inside. There are waterways passing through inside. Twenty-four water gates are lined up along the river in an orderly manner. The entire water stronghold is built so deep that it shows the ingenuity of the navy.
Based on this alone, Yan Liang was deeply impressed by Gan Ning's navy capabilities.
Entering the Chinese army's tent, all the generals have gathered.
Yan Liang glanced around at the generals, and his eyes rested on Gan Ning, "Xingba, I have decided to start the war tomorrow, and your navy will be the vanguard. Do you have any suggestions?"
"Although the navy in Jingzhou is large, Cai Mao is a mediocre man. The general is not afraid of fighting him in a water battle, but he is only afraid that he will be as timid as a mouse and will not be able to hold on."
Gan Ning is indeed a good general with both wisdom and courage, and he can see the interests and dangers at a glance.
In fact, what Gan Ning said was exactly what Yan Liang had been worried about before.
With Gan Ning's ability in water warfare, Yan Liang believed that Cai Mao would be able to win despite his large naval force. On the contrary, what Yan Liang feared most was that Cai Mao was entrenched in the water stronghold on the south bank and could not retreat.
If Cai Mao insists on not fighting, Gan Ning will not be able to annihilate his navy in a water battle.
If his navy is not annihilated, Yan Liang will not be able to safely transport soldiers and grain to the south bank. In that case, Cai Mao's navy can constantly harass the water transportation between the north and the south, and may even cut off the grain road. Under such circumstances, even if he can
Transporting a large number of troops to the south bank will not form a favorable attack on Xiangyang.
Gan Ning's naval force and warships were few, and he did not have the ability to forcefully break through the enemy's water camp.
Therefore, if Yan Liang wants to successfully capture Xiangyang, he must first annihilate Cai Mao's navy and completely seize the control of the Han River.
Faced with Gan Ning's worries, Yan Liang said calmly: "Tomorrow's battle, all you have to do is kill Xingba. As for whether Cai Mao will use his entire army to fight, I will have other countermeasures."
Yan Liang's calmness and calmness impressed all the generals in the tent, and their fighting spirit became even higher.
Gan Ning suddenly raised his hand and said with emotion: "Don't worry, my lord, I will fight to the death to repay my lord for knowing me!"
Yan Liang was very pleased, burst into flames, and laughed loudly: "Tomorrow I will be in charge of Shuiying, and I will sit with all the other generals to watch you achieve great success and fame."
Gan Ning's face was filled with murderous intent and soaring anger.
The plan for the day was decided, and the soldiers had a good night's dinner. At dawn the next day, Gan Ning led the navy out of the water camp.
Two hundred warships sailed out of the water gate in an orderly manner. Apart from the sound of oars hitting the current one after another, and the sound of trumpets when the sailors exerted their strength, no other noise could be heard.
These sailors of the Yan family all know that a war that may be beyond their imagination is about to begin, but their moods are extremely calm, not nervous at all, as if everything that is about to begin is just a pre-planned exercise
generally.
"It took less than half a year to train such a well-disciplined naval force. Xingba's ability to run the army is truly extraordinary."
Standing on a high place on the shore, Yan Liang watched the navy soldiers go into battle, secretly admiring him in his heart.
As he watched, two hundred warships and five thousand naval officers and soldiers all sailed out of the water camp, formed an attack formation on the river, and slowly sailed towards the Xiangyang water camp on the opposite side.
Almost at the same time, there was movement in the enemy water camp on the opposite side. Faint black spots were moving one by one, and finally gathered into a dense black cloud, facing Gan Ning's fleet looking north.
That was Cai Mao's navy. This mediocre general who had been repeatedly defeated by Yan Liang came to fight with courage this time.
A sneer flashed across Yan Liang's lips, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
The wind came from the north, and the wind direction was slightly favorable to the Ganning navy.
The sky is getting darker and darker, the rising sun is blocked by the clouds, and there is a vast gray space between the sky and the water.
The fleets of both sides are at war with each other, and the battle is just around the corner.
At this time, Yan Liang, who was standing and watching the battle, suddenly felt a touch of coldness on his face.
He subconsciously raised his head and saw more and more water drops falling on his face. It turned out to be raining.
It seems that today is not only a water battle, but also a battle in the rain.
The rain fell harder and harder, and soon it fell like broken beads from the dark sky. Yan Liang's cloak soon became wet.
Seeing this, Zhou Cang hurriedly ordered his subordinates to get oilcloth.
"Lord, it's raining. Be careful of being damaged by the rain."
Zhou Cang's soldiers came forward and covered Yan Liang with oilcloth.
Yan Liang frowned, pulled off the oilcloth on his body, and threw it in the wind.
The officers and men on the left and right were all respectful.
Yan Liang wiped the rain off his face and said sternly: "The soldiers are fighting in the rain, how can I take shelter from the rain alone!"
With these words, the soldiers suddenly disappeared, and all the young faces were instantly filled with emotion.
The officers and soldiers of the three armies were all infected by Yan Liang, and they all threw away their protective clothing.
Although tens of thousands of soldiers were drenched by the rain, they were all enthusiastic in their hearts, bursting with generosity and pride. They stared solemnly at the soldiers marching forward bravely on the river, and with this move, they silently helped them in the battle.