Han Guang was dressed in military uniform and wearing leather shoes. Under him was a white horse with a strong body, slender limbs and flowing mane.
"Huainanzi" says: "Generals dare not ride white horses, and dead men dare not lift candles at night." This means that you should not be too eye-catching, otherwise you will easily become the target of public criticism.
However, it cannot be generalized. The healthy Hu Yi people in the north often ride white horses to show their bravery.
This custom later gradually became popular among the Han people. For example, the famous White Horse Gongsun Zan not only often rode a white horse, but also gathered thousands of strong riders under his command, many of whom rode white horses. He was known as the "White Horse Yicon", and all the barbarians in the north were
Afraid of its power, they told each other, "Avoid the white horse."
Zhang Sheng, a bandit commander from the Black Mountains in Hongnong and Hedong, was called "Zhang Baiqi" because he was brave and strong and often rode a white horse. However, few people knew his real name.
Han Guang went out to the surrounding areas and was exposed to Hu Feng. He was brave enough to lead the army (Yang) and also liked to ride a white horse. Now his mount was a gift from Liu Jing.
Since Liu Jing rescued Tieguan in August last year, after three months of careful nursing, his body has generally returned to normal. When Liu Jing was about to employ people, he was awarded 600 infantry, plus the original 100
More than eighty old men formed a battalion.
It has always been a taboo thing for people from the north and the south to camp together. When Cai Sheng was appointed as the Sima of another department, Liu Jing deliberately recruited some northern refugees. Later, his brother Liu Xiu said that it was "difficult for people from the north and the south to coexist".
dissuade.
However, Han Guang was not bothered by this at all. The soldiers assigned to him by Liu Jing were all defeated soldiers. With his skills and bravery, and a group of cronies around him, it was easy to subdue these soldiers.
Han Guang crossed half of Ling County, arrived in front of the county temple, and jumped off his horse with great skill.
The guard wearing a black hat and short clothes looked a little nervous and carefully took the reins. Han Guang was eight feet tall and had a majestic appearance. He was also a native of Liangzhou who was demonized by the world. How could the guard not harbor suspicions in his heart?
fear?
Han Guang had a loose character and did not care about petty behavior. After handing the horse over to the gatekeeper, he stepped into the county temple and walked around the shackles. He saw Cai Sheng, Ma Zhou and Wang Qiang chatting together.
The three men not only held heavy troops, but also started to follow Liu Jing as early as the market in Linxiang. They were the latter's absolute confidants. Han Guang did not dare to neglect and met the three men first.
Among the three, Han Guang and Ma Zhou knew each other the earliest, followed by Cai Sheng, and finally Wang Qiang. This is also the order of the relationship between the two parties.
Cai Sheng and Ma Zhou, like him, were both knights, with a cheerful personality and a strong emphasis on love and justice, which matched Han Guang's ideals. As for Wang Qiang, Han Guang believed that his character was too sinister and full of scheming, and he rejected this kind of person from the bottom of his heart.
.
Cai Sheng, Ma Zhou, and Wang Qiang immediately stopped talking and greeted Han Guang. The latter had served as General Jianwu and had outstanding bravery and extraordinary knowledge. All three of them respected him.
Cai Sheng said with a smile: "Brother Han has only set up the camp for two months, but he has already trained the soldiers in the camp to use their arms and fingers, and they must obey. We can only feel ashamed of ourselves for such a thing."
Han Guang shook his head and said: "Most of the soldiers Liu Jun gave me are Changsha soldiers, not to mention the tribes who have followed me for many years. I have been in the army for ten years, so I can carry out orders and prohibitions."
Cai Sheng said with envy: "What I envy the most is that Liu Jun awarded Brother Han fifty war horses."
Although Liu Jing had nearly 10,000 people under his command, he only had 400 horses, most of which were short Nanzhong ponies. There were only 130 or 40 horses that could be used for riding and fighting.
Among them, Liu Zong had more than 30 horses, Ma Zhou had more than 10 horses, and the generals were divided into another 20 horses, leaving 50 horses. Cai Sheng had been coveting them for who knows how long, but finally Liu Jing gave them all to Han Guang.
Although Cai Sheng was a little regretful, he had no objections. As far as riding skills were concerned, even if the Jingnan people practiced hard for ten years, they might not be as good as the Liangzhou people. Only by handing over the war horses to the Liangzhou people who were good at riding and shooting could the people of Jingnan be better.
Make the most of it.
Han Guang smiled and said nothing, this was the wisest choice at the moment.
The four of them walked and chatted until they came to sit down at the side of the main hall of the county temple. By this time, Liu Zong, Liu Xiu, Liu Liang and others had already arrived in advance.
After they arrived, everyone was almost there.
Liu Jing wore a high black lacquer crown and a black robe, with his hands folded in his sleeves. He sat solemnly in the main seat, with his back straight and his eyes bright.
As the saying goes, "If you have a hairless mouth, you will not be able to do things well." This sentence obviously does not apply to Liu Jing, who became Bailihou at the age of nineteen. However, beard was one of the signs of a virtuous man in the Han Dynasty, so starting from the weak crown last year,
Liu Jing deliberately grew a short mustache, that is, a beard on his upper lip, which made him look more mature.
Liu Zong and Cai Sheng sat on the left and right of Liu Jing respectively. Behind Liu Zong, his younger brother Liu Cheng, his close confidants Chen Jin, Huang Wu, Liu Xiu and Liu Liang sat next to Liu Zong.
On Cai Sheng's side, Ma Zhou, Wang Qiang, and Han Guang were sitting in order.
Including Yu Zheng standing behind him and Serenity sitting next to him, there were a total of thirteen people in the room. This was the core of Liu Jing's power. Only Liu Zhu, who was stationed in Hengshan Township, did not attend because he had heavy responsibilities on his shoulders.
Liu Jing's eyes swept across Liu Zong, Liu Cheng, Liu Xiu, and Liu Liang, and he couldn't help but be filled with emotion for a moment. At present, the generals under his command, the Longqiu Liu clan, can be said to occupy half of the country. From this, it is not difficult to see that there is something behind it.
A strong family can be of great help.
Liu Jing slowly spoke: "In the past few days, Wenxiu has been sending back news that Cai Mao intends to lead the Jingzhou Navy southward to attack Ling County, Lingling and Guiyang counties."
Everyone in the hall was not surprised. They had heard about this incident before.
Liu Jing continued: "After Wenxiu's repeated inquiries, we can basically confirm that the news is true, and the time is in February. In other words, Cai Mao will send troops as soon as half a month."
Cai Mao's Jingzhou navy had hundreds of ships, ships, and battleships, and tens of thousands of soldiers. Looking at the whole world, there is almost no navy more powerful than it.
As the commander of Liu Jing's navy, Liu Zong faced such a powerful enemy and the pressure on him was understandable. Even if his own side had weapons such as poles, it would be difficult to claim victory.
Seeing Liu Jing's gaze, Liu Zong said: "Our warships have expanded several times, and now there are thirty-two ships, forty-five fighting ships, more than a hundred large and small boats, and nearly five thousand soldiers.
."
Although the navy under Liu Jing developed rapidly, its foundation was ultimately too shallow. Not to mention compared to Cai Mao's Jingzhou navy, even Zhang Xian's Changsha navy was inferior.
What's more, Liu Jing's navy only had eight battleships and dozens of large and small barges in the past. It only took less than half a year to develop to its current scale. The combat effectiveness can be imagined.
In fact, it was very difficult for Liu Zong to knead it into a whole in such a short period of time. Liu Jing could not ask for more.
Liu Zong added: "Among our navy, more than half of the original Changsha navy's warships are, and the rest are newcomers who lack experience in water warfare. If we want to rely on them to fight against the Jingzhou navy, even if we have sharp weapons, we still have little chance of winning.
"
Liu Dingding nodded. Of course he would not force his navy, which is strong on the outside but capable on the inside, to go head-to-head with the Jingzhou navy with sophisticated ships and equipment. This is the stupidest approach and has no chance of winning.
Liu Jing said: "Jingzhou's navy is very powerful, and it is no match for the navy alone."
Liu Zong suggested: "In my opinion, we can back up Ling County and set up defenses along the Xiang River. Then we can join the water infantry army to fight against the Jingzhou navy."
Liu Xiu nodded and said: "Bo Si, this is a very good idea. First use infantry to weaken his edge, and then wait until he is tired from fighting for a long time, and then attack his weakness with naval troops. We will be able to defeat the enemy in one battle."
Zheng Zheng couldn't help but frown and said: "If the Jingzhou navy is allowed to march straight in and the troops are approaching the city, I am afraid it will cause chaos in the county."
Liu Zong had a look of hesitation on his face, and just as he was about to retort, Liu Jing spoke first: "Bomu's concerns are not unreasonable. Moreover, our strength is not as good as the opponent's. If we choose to wait for the enemy, we can only fight the opponent head-on." , even if we are able to repel the enemy in the end, we will suffer great losses."
Liu Zong's face brightened slightly. Liu Jing must have had other plans when he said this. He then asked, "I wonder what plan you have, Zhongda."
Liu Jing asked Yu Zheng to hang a map of Changsha County's topography and cities several feet long and wide on the wall. The scale of this map is about one inch divided by ten miles. It clearly lists all the mountains, rivers, cities, and villages in Changsha County.
The river skeleton, flow direction, curvature, etc., as well as the location, outline, scope of the mountains, the location, scale, and shape of the city are all very accurate. It is a map drawn after careful measurement and calculation.
In today's era, a map that is so accurate is by no means an overnight achievement, but the result of generations of cartographers succeeding each other for hundreds of years during the Han Dynasty.
Liu Jing stood on the side of the map, pointed at the winding Xiangshui River between Lingxian County and Hengshan Township, and said to the people gathered around him: "A Changsha folk song goes: 'The sails turn with the Xiangxiang River, and look at the nine sides of the river.' Everyone." We have all walked through the Xiangshui River in Hengshan Mountain, so we must still have fresh memories of its twists and turns, right?"
Everyone nodded subconsciously and reacted quickly, already knowing Liu Jing's plan.
Liu Jing tapped an "m" shaped water area on the map with his hand and said bluntly: "I intend to set up an ambush here. The Jingzhou navy has hundreds of warships. Although I haven't seen them with my own eyes, I can guess the warships." The river is covered with water, connected end to end, and the cannons are like clouds. There are so many naval vessels in Jingzhou, and if they pass here, they will be cut into pieces by the terrain."
Liu Jing turned to Liu Zong and said: "At that time, brother Cong will lead the naval force to block the front army and attack it, so that we can have the advantage of attacking the smaller force with more people. We also have sharp weapons with poles, so we can catch the big ship by surprise and attack it." Can defeat the opponent."
Liu Zong's eyes suddenly lit up. There was no doubt about the strength of the Jingzhou Navy. He was not even sure about it, but if it was just the front army, that would be a different matter.
Liu Jing then moved his fingers upward and continued: "We are now in the dry season of the Xiang River. The water section is only a hundred feet wide. Therefore, I will personally lead the infantry to set up ambushes on both sides of the Xiang River and attack with arrows and stones." Its military."