Two hundred and thirty second chapter mud feet deep
Taihe is located in the northwest of Ruyin under the jurisdiction of Yingzhou, west of Mengcheng in Bozhou County, and east of Shenqiu in Yingzhou County. It was originally an unknown small town on the left bank (north bank) of Yingzhou River. At this time, it has been completely turned into a military camp, and there is also a military camp outside the city. The tents are continuous for dozens of miles.
War horses roared and flags stood everywhere.
Zhong Changqing was sitting on the saddle, looking at the dark brown land where the remaining snow had faded, with clusters of new green emerging from it. He heard the sound of a whip being whipped. He turned around and saw a group of about a hundred people carrying logs. Head to the riverside construction site not far away.
Taihe City is small, and most of the reinforcements are camped outside Taihe City along the Ying River. However, considering the sharpness of the Jingxiang Navy, the newly appointed forward commander of the Zhennan Zong Palace, Wanfu Zhang Handu, decided to camp in the southeast of Taihe City. , built a long wall close to the Ying River to better block the Ying River, prevent the soldiers and horses of Beijing and Xiang from going upstream, and land near Taihe, and also better protect their camps.
The men who were forced to carry the logs were all forcibly recruited from nearby areas.
Perhaps he had been squeezed to the extreme. A man carrying logs fell to the ground at his feet. The supervisor showed no sympathy at all. He pounced on him like a wolf and a tiger, whipped him hard with a whip, and whipped out the man's skinny body. A series of bloody whip marks.
The supervisor didn't stop because he was dying because he was about to die. Instead, he whipped out dozens of whips. His hands were a little tired. He raised his foot and viciously kicked the man in front of his face, knocking him down into the mud pit. He didn't care whether he was alive or dead. He cursed and urged other people to work hard.
Zhong Changqing withdrew his eyes indifferently, turned his head and looked further into the distance.
Mengcheng, Shenqiu, Chengfu and other cities adjacent to Taihe are also the gathering places for reinforcements going south. At this time, the reinforcements gathered and the remaining troops withdrawn from the walls along the Yingshui River totaled 160,000 troops, including more cavalry. It accounts for more than half.
At this time, the ice and snow melt, spring warms, flowers bloom, and the melted snow fertilizes the soil. Coupled with several continuous spring rains, the earth becomes muddy under the trampling of horse hooves.
Although fighting in the Hehuai area at this time, the cavalry that is not afraid of the mud is more advantageous, but what is the use?
The time for full mobilization of the Zhennan Zong Palace and Ping Yanzong Palace was a whole month later than that of the Southern Dynasty. At the same time, the areas where full mobilization was carried out were too far away from the war zone.
At this time, Yue Hailou led 60,000 cavalrymen from the west of Beijing and other places and were isolated on the right bank (south bank) of Yingshui River. On the left bank of Yingshui River, the Sikong Prefecture of the Southern Dynasties, in addition to Ruyin City and Yingshang-Lugou, was also stationed in Zhangzigou. Build a huge and strong camp.
The selected vanguard army replenished and rested on the spot in Ruyin. In the half month after the Yingshui River thawed, the Sikong Mansion of the Southern Dynasties continued to mobilize troops and horses from various places to station on the right bank of the Yingshui River.
Currently, the Sikong Mansion in the Southern Dynasty is mainly composed of three camps: Zhangzigou, Ruyin and Lugou. The number of elite troops stationed there has exceeded 120,000. The goal is to prevent their reinforcements from advancing along the lower reaches of Yingshui River.
In addition, the mighty Yingshui River after spring, as well as the warships of the Beijing and Xiang naval divisions that set up water camps in Zhangzigou and Ruyin respectively, are all natural barriers that prevent reinforcements from crossing Yingshui and entering the right bank (south bank). .
In addition to the more than 20,000 elite troops stationed in Raozhuang and other places close to the right bank (south bank) of Yingshui River to further consolidate the blockade of the lower reaches of Yingshui River, the Sikong Prefecture of the Southern Dynasties assembled nearly 150,000 to 60,000 troops in the outskirts of Jiaopi and Huaichuan. Centaur.
The 60,000 cavalrymen in the west of Beijing have been completely surrounded, and even if they can gather more reinforcements in Taihe, Shenqiu, Mengcheng, Chengfu and other places, they will not have enough food and weapons in a short time, and the cavalry will be disadvantageous. Attacking the city and seizing the stronghold would not pose much of a threat to the Southern soldiers' stronghold along the Ying River.
After spring, floods in the lower reaches of Yingshui River were very serious during the long rainy and flood season.
, are not conducive to large-scale legions conducting decisive battles.
They had to wait until the autumn when the flood receded before they could organize their troops to counterattack Zhangzigou, Ruyin and other fortresses.
The question is, can Yue Hailou last seven or eight months in Jiaopi?
A large group of cavalry came slowly from a distance, but it was the pioneer cavalry in front of the Zhennan throne. They came to the general Handu, dismounted and showed their flags, indicating that they would be jointly responsible for the suburban pavilion to Taihe with the guards arranged by Handu. The city's vigilance ensured that King Zhennan's personal safety would not be threatened by the slightest accident.
Zhong Changqing and others waited for the arrival of King Zhennan with increasingly solemn expressions.
The people working nearby were also driven back to the camp at this time.
The civilian husband who had been kicked down by the supervisor before and fell into the mud pit beside the official road may have finally regained his breath and struggled to get up from the mud pit.
"what happened?"
The guard cavalry general saw this scene and asked sternly.
"Just a pariah."
Handu was a veteran of the battlefield and did not want to explain too much. He took the long bow and sharp arrows from the guards around him, shot the civilian husband on the spot, and signaled the guards to drag the body away directly.
The car of Zhennan King Ulullie soon arrived outside Taihe City.
Handu led the generals to greet him. He saw Ululu Lie sitting on the chariot and looking over with sharp eyes. Generals such as Mo Lihu, Zhong Changqing, Kuoti and others fell to their knees on the ground and apologized:
"The general is incompetent, your highness, please ask me for punishment!"
I don’t know whether the place where General Handu came out of the city to greet him was deliberately arranged in a muddy field, or whether he deliberately arranged for people to trample the open space in front of the suburban pavilion until it was muddy. Mo Lihu, Zhong Changqing, Kuo Ti and other generals were almost the same. He just knelt down in the mud pit, still mixed with the blood of the civilian husband who had been shot by Handu just now.
After Handu, Shanxue and other generals presented their gifts to the King of Zhennan, Ulullie, they all held their hands and looked indifferently at Molihu and others who were kneeling in the mud pit.
Yue Hailou, Meng Jie, Jiang Zhaode, Gao Xiangzhong and other generals were surrounded in Jiaopi. As the general of the Jingxi Town garrison, he commanded the Jingxi Town garrison. Mo Lihu, who actually served as the supervisor, was naturally the leader of the Jingxi Town garrison. As the commander-in-chief of the Han army, Zhong Changqing was among the top three or five people in the west of Beijing.
When the battle ended like this, Mo Lihu and Zhong Changqing could not shirk their responsibilities even if they had various reasons.
However, it was Shan Xue who led the reinforcements, and the casualties among his troops were so heavy, that he had merit but no fault.
Wu Lulie sighed deeply in his heart. The situation was so bad and passive. He wanted to comfort Mo Lihu, but Zhong Changqing and the others couldn't say a few words. They just signaled the driver with cold eyes to continue driving to Taihe City.
No one came to pull him. When King Zhennan's chariot entered the gate of Taihe City, Mo Lihu, Zhong Changqing, Kuo Ti and others got up from the mud pit in embarrassment, mounted their horses and chased them into Taihe City.
"How much hope does Yue Hailou have that it can hold on until the end of the autumn?"
Entering the cabin arranged by Han Du, the king of Zhennan, Ulullie, dismissed the rest of the crowd. He was not in a hurry to see the envoy sent by King Ping Yanzong. He sat on the tiger fur behind the long desk with a gloomy face, staring at Han.
Du, Mo Lihu, Zhong Changqing and other generals asked.
Mo Lihu and Zhong Changqing subconsciously wanted to avoid the sharp eyes of Zhennan King.
The loyalty of the Han army in the west of Beijing to Chihu and the will to fight were beyond the reach of Sun Yanzhou and Hu Dangzhou. They also had extremely rich combat experience, a very high proportion of veteran soldiers, and good armor.
Mo Lihu and Zhong Changqing also believed that there would be no problem if the Han army in the west of Beijing held the Jiaopi-Quanhe camp until new reinforcements entered Yingzhou and assembled. Facts also proved that their judgment was correct.
However, in the past month or so, the Sikong Mansion of the Southern Dynasty did not organize troops to attack Jiaopi.
A complete blockade was formed around Jiaopi relying on the lower reaches of Yingshui River and the floodplain area on the west side, which basically blocked their possibility of breaking the siege of Jiaopi in the short term.
There is no problem for the Han army in the west of Beijing to hold on for a month or two in Jiaopi, but if they are trapped in a tight siege for more than three months, four months or even half a year, can their will not waver?
With the military capabilities of the generals of the Southern Dynasty Sikong Mansion, as long as the will of the defenders is seriously shaken, it will be the time of the final general attack; and before that, the Southern Dynasty Sikong Mansion will definitely organize a large number of siege weapons to attack the Jiaopi-Quanhe Camp.
Protracted bombardment.
King Zhennan nodded slightly, understanding what they meant, and turned his attention to Handu.
Muchi died of illness not long after returning to Mobei a few years ago. Currently, Molihu is one of the main generals of the Yan family in the army; and the number of direct line veterans of the marshal level that King Zhennan relies on are also increasing.
The fewer there are, Handu is definitely one who can keep pace with Muchi.
Otherwise, King Zhennan would not have allowed Handu to go south to preside over the battle in such a bad situation.
After Handu was silent for a while, he said: "We must admit that the situation in Hehuai has completely deteriorated, and there is no possibility of recovery in a short time. According to the veteran's plan, Your Highness?????????
??????When considering abandoning Heluo and Jingxi, the Prince of Pingyanzong should also consider shrinking to the north of the Yellow River. And the two palaces must move quickly. If Jiaopi falls within two or three months, this autumn will
It is not a matter of us organizing a large army to attack Yingshui, but that the Southern Dynasty will organize hundreds of thousands of troops to go northward and drink from the Yellow River."
Mo Lihu and Zhong Changqing knew that what Handu said was a mature and prudent statement, and it was indeed a clear judgment and suggestion based on a deep understanding of the current bad situation.
After Jingxiang took control of the Southern Dynasty court in the name of Sikong Mansion, although they had just experienced the Second Huainan Battle and the escape from Beijing, their military mobilization capabilities were still beyond their imagination.
And their mobilization was delayed for a whole month. They did not realize that the Huaichuan defenders had been annihilated long ago. This was not only one aspect, but also the lack of rest and recuperation. Large-scale, ultra-long-distance gathering and mobilization of soldiers and horses made all soldiers
The Governor's Office in Madu is miserable and cannot speed up the process.
At present, in terms of military mobilization capabilities alone, even if Yue Hailou is unfortunately annihilated in Jiaopi, the two governments may only be at a slight disadvantage in Hehuai, and it is not even particularly obvious.
The problem is that the situation has been reversed. They cannot simply break off their arms and survive. As time goes by, the gap will only widen further. Perhaps the final outcome will be the same as when Yue Hailou did not break out of Jiaopi and withdraw to the west immediately.
, eventually sinking deep into the mud, and the overall situation collapsed...
"The Southern Dynasty has transferred a large number of siege equipment to the south of Jiaopi. Optimistically, Yue Shuai may be able to hold on until the end of the autumn, but if we have to prepare for the worst, it may not even take two or three months."
Kuo Ti frowned and said, "How could the two governments evacuate all five to six million civilians from Hehuai and Huaihe in such a short period of time? Are they all going to be left to the Southern Dynasties?"
The Hehuai area, including Jingbei North Road, Jingdong East Road and Jingdong East Road, had a population of 20 million during the Tianxuan Period. Currently, it is roughly estimated that there should be another five to six million.
The world's population is always the most important resource for war.
Xu Huai controlled Beijing and Xiangzhou, with a population of 4 million, and at the most extreme, he could mobilize 300,000 horses.
Even if the two governments decide to withdraw from the Hehuai River and open up enough strategic depth with the Southern Dynasty so that their cavalry troops can exert a greater strategic advantage, if Yue Hailou's troops are unfortunate enough to fail within two or three months.
After being annihilated, they would not have time to evacuate so many people.
Han Du indifferently gave himself a chop on the neck, saying that he could just kill those who couldn't be taken away...
