At the end of June, the forward troops of the Jingzhou Army arrived at the intersection of the three rivers of Xiang, Lei and Cheng in the north of Lingxian County, facing Lingxian County across the river.
The discipline of the Jingzhou army was lax, and many of the soldiers broke away from the ranks, taking off their armor and armor, lying on the ground, or taking a rest near the river, and unscrupulously provoked Liu Jing's soldiers on the other side of the river.
At this time, Liu Jing and his generals stood on the north wall of Lingxian County, looking down at the Jingzhou Army on the other side of the river, looking calm and calm.
On his head, he wears an armor-style spliced pocket, which is enough to cover his head, cheeks, and neck. His body is covered with a continuous fish-scale robe. His body and limbs are all protected by armor. Only his hands and feet are exposed.
, it can be said that he is armed to the teeth.
Cai Sheng was wearing fine armor and his weapons were majestic. He stood one step behind Liu Jing and saw the Jingzhou army showing its ugly appearance. He said with a deep expression: "Liu Jun, why not take advantage of the new arrival of the Northern army and cross the river to attack them when their position is not stable.
The Northern Army relies on its own strength and must think that we dare not attack."
"No." Liu Yao immediately objected, "Kuai Yidu is a man of deep resourcefulness and good at strategizing. This may be a flaw he intentionally exposed, but in fact he has set an ambush to lure us into his trap. What's more, now
The enemy is strong and we are weak. If we attack rashly, victory will not be enough to win. If we lose, the soldiers will be frightened. I hope the Ming Dynasty will think twice."
Liu Jing thought for a while and realized that the battle between the two sides would not end in an instant. It was destined to be a long and arduous battle. In this way, every ounce of power in his hands was very precious, and there was really no need to take risks.
Liu Jing said slowly: "Wen Lang's worries are not unreasonable. It is not advisable to act rashly now, lest we give the enemy an opportunity to take advantage of us. The defense of Ling County is impregnable and unbreakable. We should hold on to Ling County and remain unchanged in the face of any changes."
Just when Liu Jing and others were talking about the enemy, the enemy was also talking about them.
In a dense jungle a few miles north of the Jingzhou Army's forward camp, Liu Pan and Huang Zhong led more than 4,000 infantry and cavalrymen and lurked quietly inside. Their purpose was self-explanatory.
Liu Pan sat leaning against a tree with a bamboo basket in his pocket, and put his weapons aside. While chewing on the hard and rough rice cake, he asked Huang Zhong, "Han Sheng, do you think Liu Zhongda will take the bait?"
The majestic Huang Zhong said in a deep voice: "I don't know much about Liu Zhongda. Judging from the battle with Military Advisor Cai last year, he dared to leave Ling County and go more than a hundred miles north to set up an ambush. He must be a man who dares to take risks."
, maybe you’ll take the bait.”
Liu Pan swallowed the glutinous rice cake in two gulps, patted the residue of the glutinous rice cake in his hand, and said: "It would be best for Liu Zhongda to lead his army in person. As long as he is dealt with, not to mention Lingxian, Lingling, and Guiyang counties, we can also spread the message
It depends.”
Huang Zhong shook his head and said: "Liu Zhongda is famous for his talents and virtues in Jingchu. Although he has a strategy, he is not a man who is brave enough to fight on the edge. If the two armies are fighting at close range, he will probably not come in person."
Liu Pan also knew that his idea was a bit wishful thinking, and said: "If Liu Zhongda can't come, Chu Ziping can do it. He escaped death last time in Linxiang. This time I will kill him with the sword."
Chu Fang was a filial, courageous and loyal man. Even if he was an enemy, Huang Zhong could not help but respect him in his heart. He said: "Chu Ziping is a righteous man. It is a pity that he is deeply involved with Zhang Changsha and Liu Zhongda and cannot surrender to the general."
Liu Pan glanced at Huang Zhong, shook his head and said, "Unless Liu Zhongda gathers a crowd and surrenders, it will be impossible for Chu Ziping to obey."
Huang Zhong sighed: "It would be a pity if he died in Jingnan."
Liu Pan was silent. He and Huang Zhong were in different positions, so they naturally looked at the problem differently. He was Liu Biao's nephew and one of the rulers of Jingzhou. No matter how talented Chu Fang was as his enemy, he would not
If you have a trace of compassion, you will kill him quickly.
Time passed bit by bit, and in the blink of an eye, the time turned from morning to afternoon. Liu Pan and Huang Zhong waited for two hours, but there was still no "movement" ahead. There was no doubt that their plan failed, and Liu Jing did not take the bait.
Liu Pan had no choice but to lead his army to rendezvous with the front. At this time, the soldiers of the front were building a fort on the north bank of the Lei River.
Although he knew that the chance of Liu Jingjun coming for a sneak attack was low, in order to be prepared, Liu Pan still asked Huang Zhong to lead a group of troops and horses. The men would not disarm and the horses would not unsaddle, and they would be on standby at any time.
Until evening, there was still no movement from Liu Jingshui's army in Lingxian City. However, Liu Jingshui's army took action during this period. Dozens of large and small ships cruised between the Xiang and Lei rivers. Fortunately, the Jingzhou army's camp was still some distance away from Leishui, and Liu Jingshui's
The Jingzhou army had no intention of going ashore. It only served to harass and intimidate the Jingzhou army and did not cause much trouble to the Jingzhou army.
The next day, tens of thousands of Jingzhou water infantry arrived in a mighty manner. The navy ships were connected with each other, and their sails and sails were like clouds, covering the sky and the earth. The army was like a giant steel dragon, with its flags covering the sun and its spears and halberds forming a forest.
I don't think it's scary.
Kuai Yue sat safely in the car. He knew yesterday that his plan had failed. Although he felt a little disappointed, that was all. If Liu Jing was so easy to deal with, Liu Biao and him would not have a big headache.
.
When Kuai Yue arrived at the camp by the Leishui River, he did not take action immediately. Instead, he decided to rest for two days. The army traveled hundreds of miles and lasted more than ten days to give the soldiers a chance to breathe.
The soldiers rested peacefully, but Kuai Yue was unwilling to sit in the camp. Under the protection of Liu Pan, Huang Zhong and the cavalry, he went around to inspect the terrain.
Before sending troops, Kuai Yue had already almost destroyed the topographic map of Jingnan, and Lingxian County was naturally the focus. However, no matter how detailed the map was, there would still be some shortcomings, so he still had to conduct an on-the-spot investigation in person.
The new city of Lingxian County is adjacent to Chengshui in the north and Xiangshui in the west. It is an irregular rectangle with a sharp top and a wide bottom, as straight as a sharp sword.
Due to its water bearing, the Xiangshui River is the natural moat of Lingxian County. The north and east sides of Lingxian County cannot be attacked, while the west of Lingxian County is a lake. Because it is in the west of the city, it is called "West Lake". That is to say
, the terrain on the west side is narrow, and it is difficult to deploy heavy troops. Only on the south side of Lingxian County, the terrain is open, and we can use our full strength.
There are two ways to reach the south of Lingxian County. The easiest way is undoubtedly to disembark from the Xiang River, but this has a prerequisite, that is, Liu Jingshui's army cannot cause harm.
This meant that the Jingzhou Army had to defeat Liu Jingshui's Army in a short period of time. Even Cai Mao's pride would not dare to boast like this.
The second route was to cross Chengshui in the north of Lingxian County and then go around to the south of Lingxian County. Although the process was a bit troublesome and there was a risk of being attacked by Liu Jingjun halfway across the river.
Kuai Yue preferred the second path. Of course, he would not take rash action. He planned to see the situation of the navy first. Otherwise, if Cai Mao was defeated by Liu Jingshui's army, he and his army would become a turtle in the urn.