The two cities of Hanyang and Jiangxia are separated by a river, towering tall and solid on the river bank. It was supposed to be a fierce battle, but it ended in a dramatic way. Deep ditches, high fortresses, and defensive facilities were all useless. It's about to fall. I think Liu Renfan, who came to Jiuquan, would be angry when he heard about it.
Above the river, Han warships were patrolling back and forth. Above the two cities, the battle flags of the Han were flying. There was no sign of a fierce battle. The battle was progressing so smoothly that it even gave people an illusory feeling.
The surrendered Hubei army had their weapons and armor confiscated, moved out of the city, and concentrated in the original Han camp. Everyone was very honest, and they were not afraid that the Han army would kill or capture prisoners. After all, this was the imperial army, the King of Justice's division.
After arranging the garrison of the two cities to ensure safety, Cao Bin and Liu Guangyi also went out of the city to inspect the prisoner camps and reassure them.
"How's it going? How is the surrender of the troops?" Cao Bin asked a young general who came out to greet him after entering the camp.
The general responsible for the resettlement of the surrendered troops was named Gao Qiong. He had experienced the war in the late Jin Dynasty and was a ferocious scoundrel. He once turned into a robber. After Liu Chengyou came to power, he issued an order to arrest and arrest thieves. Within half a year, most of the thieves in the world disappeared. Gao Qiong also Taking advantage of the opportunity, he became a good man and joined Zhao Hui, the then Duke of Shaanxi, and served under his command.
He once participated in the counter-rebellion in Hezhong, but he had no merit and was not famous because of his young age. Later, Emperor Liu gradually reduced the vassal vassal and began to deprive the local governors of their power. Among them was the restoration of county captains in all counties in the world. The measures were taken to return the power of thieves and lawsuits to the county magistrate, and to return the power of governance invaded by the town generals to the county magistrate. Taking advantage of that trend, Gao Qiong was recommended by Zhao Hui as the county magistrate of Wuxi. Gao Qiong was only eighteen years old at the time. .
Wu'an is surrounded by mountains and rivers, and the terrain is complex, which provides a lot of convenience to bandits. The security situation has never been good. When Gao Qiong took office, he relied on his early experience, bravery and extraordinary means to quickly defeat the enemy. We eliminated thieves and bandits in the surrounding areas and restored public order and security.
Later, a large-scale Shu rebellion broke out in Guanzhong, causing great turmoil. Gao Qiong also led the county soldiers and township warriors to maintain public security and stability. Later, the bandit leader Wang Shun led his army across the Wei River and entered the nunnery. He wanted to cross the border and escape into the Qinling Mountains to escape. Gao Qiong made a keen judgment and led his men to set up an ambush at the necessary place, annihilated all the remaining bandits, beheaded Wang Shun, and Gao Qiong went up to Tianting.
After that, Gao Qiong's official career became much smoother. He was transferred from Guangxian County to Ankang Commander, and later moved to Dengzhou Governor. Before the Southern Expedition, he was appointed as the patrol inspector of Anfu and Fuzhou, and accompanied the army on expeditions.
Because he had heard of Gao Qiong's reputation and admired his calmness and ability in military management, Cao Bin also had a good impression of this general who was several years younger than him.
Gao Qiong introduced the two men into the camp and introduced the situation succinctly: "The Southern Army had too many people, but they were still honest, and with the cooperation of several officers from the Xiongwu Army, they all obeyed the arrangements. The camp was generally expanded, but there was a lack of tents, and there were Firewood, charcoal and other things to keep out the cold! I’ve been hungry for a long time, so prepare to arrange food!”
Nodding with satisfaction, Cao Bin said: "Although I am demoting the soldiers and moving them outside the city, I am afraid that there is some resentment in my heart. If they don't even have anything to eat, I'm afraid there will inevitably be chaos. Let's provide food first and give the order. For the time being, our army’s ration will be 70%!”
"Yes!" Gao Qiong responded.
Cao Bin then ordered: "As for the tents, let them squeeze in for the time being, and they can also keep warm. For other things to keep out the cold, part of them will be allocated from the army, and the rest will be arranged for him to cut down the wood for salary!"
After hearing what he said, Liu Guangyi was quite emotional and said: "Our food, grass and baggage transportation are not sufficient yet, the siege equipment is not complete, and the defenders have surrendered. How can we report such a battle to the Jianghuai camp and the imperial court?"
The victory came too easily and the progress was too smooth, which obviously made Liu Guangyi a little uncomfortable. In fact, judging from the results, the Han army spent only a small part of their energy on attacking the city.
After hearing what he said, Cao Bin calmly said: "Just report it truthfully!"
"What is the general's next plan?" Liu Guangyi said.
"What do you think?" Cao Bin asked.
Liu Guangyi said directly: "Conquering Ezhou will not cost much. The grain, grass and ordnance stored in Ezhou are enough to ease our supply. The morale of the soldiers is high and their fighting spirit is still strong. We should take advantage of the victory to move eastward, advance by land and water, attack Jiangzhou, and control the lake."
mouth!"
"I think so too!" Cao Bin nodded: "We are making rapid progress here, which is also conducive to the unfolding of the war downstream."
"What happens after we capture Jiangzhou?" Cao Bin asked again.
There was something unusual in his tone. Liu Guangyi thought for a moment, and then with a smile on his face, he said: "There are heavy troops gathering downstream, and there is no problem in capturing Jinling. Instead of continuing to advance eastward, it will affect Li's strategy."
, it is better to go south to attack Hongzhou and capture the land of Jiangxi!"
"Just do it!" Cao Bin showed a rare smile. In fact, for the soldiers in Pingnan, they have discovered that this credit seems to be somewhat insufficient. If it is divided, it is also somewhat insufficient, because the battle was fought too hard.
Relaxed.
"These nearly 50,000 surrendered troops need to be properly arranged!" Liu Guangyi reminded.
With Cao Bin's caution, he was naturally concerned about this issue. He pondered for a while and said: "These 50,000 troops are actually a mixed bag of good and bad. Many of them were forcibly recruited, or they were just for food and clothing. Those who are old and weak,
Eliminate all of them and temporarily stay in Jiangxia, under the management of dedicated personnel. Arrangements will be made after the war. The remaining ones will be incorporated into the army and fight with the army!"
Obviously, lowering soldiers like this is perfect for use in battles. They are under surveillance at all times for easy control, and can also reduce their own losses. It is a method of dealing with relatively small hidden dangers.
"If we want to implement it smoothly, we have to rely on the cooperation of those generals who have been demoted!" Cao Bin said.
Hearing this, Gao Qiong said: "From the perspective of the last general, these surrendered generals are very active. If they are given the opportunity to serve the imperial court, they will definitely jump at it!"
Cao Bin still recognized Gao Qiong's knowledge and judgment, and immediately said: "In that case, let's go, let's meet Zhu Yuhou again, and don't let him think that we are deliberately neglecting him!"
During the "attack" on Ezhou, in addition to tens of thousands of surrendered troops, there were also a lot of seizures. The grain stored in the warehouse alone contained more than 200,000 shi, all of which were packed and sent to the Han army. We can meet each other. This time Pingnan,
Perhaps it was the one with the highest economic rate of return among the imperial court's previous battles.
On September 27, the 15th year of Qianyou's reign, the Hubei army surrendered, and the Han army entered the city without a single blow. On that day, Cao Bin personally wrote a battle report and submitted it to the Jianghuai camp, and outlined the next march plan.
After resting in Ezhou for two days, Cao Liu once again led the land and sea army to march eastward. This time, the Han army, including the surrendered troops and the levied civilians, totaled 80,000 land and water armies.
This time the advance was equally overwhelming. First, they captured Fuchikou without any effort, and then headed straight for Jiangzhou City. They drove the surrendering troops to attack for a day, and then the city was broken and the troops surrendered.
Until the reinforcements from Nanchang arrived, the two sides launched another water battle at Hukou, using a total of 20,000 water troops and nearly 400 ships. This was also the most intense battle. The Southern army used fire attacks, but the wind direction suddenly changed.
He set himself on fire and was defeated, so he fled to Pengli Water Village in embarrassment.
By October 10th in winter, Cao and Liu's army had taken control of Jiangzhou, and their troops were heading straight towards Nanchang, which basically cut off the connection between Jinling and Nanchang. The hope of the Jiangnan rulers to move the capital to Nanchang was completely shattered, and it seemed that there was a better place than Jinling.
, and even more dangerous.
Several armies marched to the south, but it was Cao Bin's army that made the fastest progress and was the most glorious. It seemed a bit unexpected.