Pan Zhang's complaint was just out of habit. In fact, he knew very well that Xu Shu was not idle at all. On the contrary, he was very busy now.
Although Han Xian, Yang Feng, and Pei Yuanshao were responsible for the organization and coordination of the retreating team; Pan Zhang and Ma Zhong were responsible for defending against pursuer raids; and Guan Hai, Li Le, and others were present for daily defense, he did not need to worry too much about the matters involved in the retreat.
The problem is far more than that
At the same time as the battle of Anyi, both Yuncheng and Yishi left some defenders to contain them. These troops were the most loyal warriors, and of course they could not be abandoned at will. We can determine the enemy's situation from the limited intelligence and make a judgment on when the troops to evacuate.
It is Xu Shu’s job to make arrangements to support him.
In addition, assessing the situation in Hanoi, controlling the team's marching speed accordingly, and coordinating both sides are also one of the things Xu Shu needs to consider.
Just after the Battle of Anyi, he received a message from the rear. It only contained a few words written in code. It had only one meaning, that is, Qingzhou's main army had already marched to the border of Hanoi and would fully support Hedong.
war situation
Based on this information, Xu Shu repeatedly analyzed and made careful judgments, but he knew very well that the final situation was not in his own hands. To a large extent, he could only leave it to fate.
Xu Shu is very aware of this, and Zhou Yi also has a very clear judgment on this, so the situation he faces at the moment may not be very terrible, but the pressure he bears is much greater than that of Xu Shuke
This is not the first time he has been in danger. When he followed Wang Yu to Luoyang, it was much more dangerous than now. Although he is in an enemy situation, he has many helpers around him. If Wang Yu orders him, he can even
A mutiny broke out in Hanoi!
However, this is the first time that he is responsible for hundreds of thousands of lives, so pressure is inevitable.
If everything goes as usual and relies on the xinxing methods he has experienced in following Wang Yu for the past two years, Zhou Yi will only be under pressure at most and not too nervous. However, the current situation has obviously exceeded Xu Shu's expectations and has gone in an unknown direction.
"Boss Zhou, in another hour, Mengjin City will close its gates!"
"So urgent? Is that guy Ye Qing crazy?" Zhou Yi was shocked
There are now his people inside and outside the city. There are many people in Hanoi who want to surrender to Qingzhou. If he didn't want to ensure reliability, he could bring a large army to enter the country openly. There are a thousand main forces participating in the plan, and they are all very loyal.
A group of ten people were monitoring each other and scattered inside and outside Mengjin City, waiting for his order to mobilize to seize the city.
After the city is successfully captured, more people will join in, acting as sailors to control the ships in the port, and go to the east of the river to meet the Baibo army that breaks through.
Because there were many helpers, Xu Shu confidently and boldly asked Zhou Yi to implement the plan, but the plan could not match the changes. Nowadays, there are undercurrents surging in Hanoi. I don’t know how many forces are involved overtly or covertly. Mengjin’s locking up the city is one of its effects.
Zhou Yi felt that he couldn't cope with it.
"There is intelligence that Yu Du from Montenegro is coming with an army of 10,000 people. If nothing happens, he should arrive at Mengjin within three days! Mengjin closed the city just to support Yu Du."
Zhou Yi was immediately shocked when he heard this information, and the subordinates around him were also in an uproar.
"Let's just do it in advance. The guards at several city gates are willing to do it anyway."
"Maybe not. Those people were just outsiders. There was no problem before. But now the news has spread and the situation has changed. It's hard to say what they will choose."
"In this case, let's just ignore Mengjin City for now. The Lord's army, which is trying its best to seize the port and ships, is in Chaoge and can come to meet it at any time, right?"
"How is that possible? The lord leads troops to respond, which is the last resort. How can it be used easily? Nowadays, various forces gather in Sili Prefecture. Once the army moves, it may cause a chain reaction. If the war cannot be calmed down quickly, it may cause a chain reaction.
It will ruin the lord’s plan! Since we are here, we’d better try not to cause any trouble to the lord.”
"Yes, the Luoyang side has completely withdrawn its troops from the west of Hangu Pass. The army is coming from the east and seems to have the intention of reinforcing Hanoi. It is because General Ziyi's navy is worried about the Luoyang side that they dare not lightly enter Mengjin. The plan must succeed.
Even if it costs our lives, we must fight this battle well!"
"It's easy to say, but now rumors are flying all over the sky and all forces are moving. Zhang Yang can order the city to be closed today, but who knows if he is not waiting in Huai County? If our side captures the city, his army will be there the next day
Come on, we can’t hold this city even if we take it.”
"If we don't seize the city, we will definitely not be able to do it. There are too many people to take care of. Let alone one time, we may not be able to transport them all ten or eight times. Without a stronghold, how can we ensure the safety of those who arrive early?"
"Stop arguing. This is not a military camp, but the enemy's territory. Don't take Zhang Yang too seriously! Yu Du is coming with his army. The time is just right. It's useless to argue. It's better to listen to Boss Zhou.
Let’s make a decision”
The place where everyone is located is in a restaurant in the center of the city. Looking out from the seating area on the second floor, you can see the advantages of the county government here. On the one hand, you can monitor the movements of the defenders, and on the other hand, you can also
It is convenient to receive news from all directions, and if necessary, elite troops can be gathered to launch a surprise attack on the county government office, a key location that may become the enemy's command center.
The advance arrangements were impeccable, but the problem was that the threat did not come from the Mengjin defenders themselves, but from Yu Du's tens of thousands of troops!
His subordinates were very confident in him, but Zhou Yi could only smile bitterly to himself. He missed following Wang Yu and Xu Shu so much. At that time, he didn't need to make decisions, he only had to carry out orders, unlike now.
In this way, the decisions to be made will all involve the lives of tens of millions of people?
It’s so stressful!
The pressure was high, and the mission had to continue. He was not idle when everyone was arguing. At this time, everyone looked over, and he took advantage of the situation and brought out the half-baked plan he had just calculated in his mind.
"Yu Du was an accident. No one expected that he suddenly left Zhang Yan and took refuge with Zhang Yang. This is probably the influence of our army's massive westward march, but it is too late to say anything now. It is difficult to eliminate his interference. We can summon
Although there are many people, at least 3,000 people are needed to sail westward. The number that can be left to defend the city is less than 2,000. If we also consider that the generals guarding the gate may be shaken and the casualties that may occur during the capture of the city, this battle is really not optimistic."
First, he explained the situation, and after getting everyone's approval, he took advantage of the situation and said, "I think we can make a splash in the east and attack in the west."
"Founding in the east and attacking in the west?"
"Yes! The reason why we want to capture Mengjin City is just because of the convenient location here. There are ferries, cities, and a large number of ships. However, as long as we successfully capture the ships, Mengjin City is not the only choice. This
There are many places suitable for large numbers of ships to dock in this area, such as..."
"Heyang?" Everyone's eyes lit up at the same time
When Wang Kuang raised troops to serve the king, he and Han Hao were stationed in Heyang and Mengjin because the ferry conditions at these two places were the best.
"This plan is a great idea. If we set up a connection point in Heyang, the distance to Hedong will be closer. At least hundreds of miles of waterway can be saved. This way, the round trip will be faster. Boss Zhou, you said you want to attack the east and the west. What about Mengjin?
…”
Zhou Yi nodded: "The defenses of Heyang City should not be very tight. After seizing the ship, just go upstream and seize the city by force. This task will be left to..."
His eyes swept over everyone's faces one by one, and finally fell on the newly appointed navy captain Chen Han: "After captain Chen takes command of the city, he only needs to leave a few people to garrison, and then mobilize the people in the city to help defend.
That is to say, the lord is quite prestigious in Hanoi, and the people of Heyang will live up to the lord."
"Then Captain Zhou..." Chen Han was hesitant. He had been in the naval force since he joined the Qingzhou Army. He didn't know much about Qingzhou's style. Zhou Yi's plan was not complicated. He already understood what it meant to attack in the east and attack in the west. This
In the plan, the most dangerous one is undoubtedly Shengdong's, but from the looks of it, Captain Zhou seems to be taking risks on his own
The general would rather fight for his own life than sacrifice his men? This is quite different from Chen Han's usual understanding.
Zhou Yi said categorically: "I will take the remaining people to seize Mengjin City, and then contain the Poison Code Guard here. If I can't defend, I will fight and retreat. In short, I will not let him let go of attacking Heyang City. As long as I hold on until
If you carry people back, the plan will be successful!"
There are still many omissions in his plan, especially the fact that he did not contact Hedong in time and the plan was carried out in advance. Will there be any accidents such as the ship arriving and people not arriving?
Zhou Yi didn't say it, and no one else mentioned it. At this point, he can only trust his lord and General Xu. On his side, as long as he does everything he can, it will be enough.
The plan has been decided and everyone starts to take action
Some people went to gather the scattered subordinates; some people went to give the four gate guards an ultimatum; some people led the scouts towards the direction of Yu Du's army to see if they could cause some trouble for the opponent and slow down their progress.
Before everyone left, they would bid farewell to Zhou Yi with clasped fists. The atmosphere was very generous and jiliè. Zhou Yi also clasped his fists in response one by one. I don’t know if it was because of the infection of the atmosphere, or the feeling of risking everything when the matter was about to happen, which has always been in my heart.
The hovering pressure and tension disappeared.
By the time he went out, Zhou Yi had completely restored his usual calmness and composure, and even had time to observe the surrounding environment.
As the largest ferry in Sili Prefecture, connecting Luoyang and Hanoi, Mengjin was quite prosperous in peacetime. Although it has become somewhat depressed due to the war, some of the old prosperity has been retained.
Zhou Yi is originally from Hanoi, and the place he chose to stay is the most popular place in Mengjin City. Even in the current tense situation, people are still coming and going, and the seats are full of guests.
Of course, Zhou Yi would not pay too much attention to this. He observed the surrounding environment. It was just a matter of habit. As long as he was sure that there was no danger around him, it was enough. Seeing that nothing was happening around him, he turned around and was about to go out. As soon as he raised his feet, but before he took a step, his
However, he paused for a moment, then turned his head with interest and looked at a corner of the restaurant lobby (To be continued...)