After breaking out from Lingxian, Cai Mao fled in a hurry to Hengshan Township with only 20 or 30 remaining ships to meet Kuai Qi. Hengshan Township was too close to Lingxian, so Cai Mao did not dare to stay any longer. The next day
He left in a hurry early in the morning.
After several days of non-stop running, Cai Mao and his party finally escaped back to Linxiang.
Linxiang, located downstream of Lingxian County, was also affected by floods, and the people could not help complaining. Linxiang had just ended the war, and now it was plagued by floods. It seemed that all the bad luck in the world had happened to them.
Lamenting the misfortune will not help. The top priority now is to harvest the flooded crops as soon as possible. To this end, Linxiang people, regardless of age or age, went out with their whole families. For a time, there were busy figures everywhere on both sides of the Xiang River.
The appearance of Cai Mao's fleet immediately attracted the attention of the people of Linxiang. The scarred hulls and the desolate soldiers gave the people of Linxiang a vague sense of familiarity. Looking back at their memories, this was not the same as the defeat of the Jingzhou Navy last year.
What did he look like when he returned? Could it be that the Jingzhou Army was defeated by Liu Jun again this time?
At this time, no matter how hard the Linxiang people broke their heads, they would not have thought that the Jingzhou army had been completely wiped out. At most, they would have thought that the Jingzhou navy had suffered a minor defeat or setback, and they could not help but feel a little gloating about their misfortune.
When Liu Biao sent troops southward, in order to win the hearts of the people in Jingnan, he repeatedly told Kuai Yue, Cai Mao and other generals to be strict with their troops and not to harm the people in Jingnan at will. Kuai Yue, Cai Mao and others tried their best to restrain their soldiers, but they must be completely
It is simply unrealistic to put an end to it.
Moreover, since ancient times, when raising troops to conquer an enemy country, they have always relied on providing food to the enemy to support the war, and the Jingzhou army is no exception.
Facing the Jingzhou Army's plundering and plundering, the people of Linxiang neither dared to get angry nor speak out, and could only bear it silently. Therefore, they were happy to see any misfortune of the Jingzhou Army.
The fleet slowly sailed into the Beijin camp. As soon as Cai Maofu landed, he immediately sent people to Linxiang and invited Han Xuan, the governor of Changsha, to come to discuss the matter.
Han Xuan was a native of Nanyang County, and he had previously served as the governor of Jingzhou. At the beginning of this year, after the Jingzhou army captured Linxiang, Liu Biao immediately appointed Han Xuan as the governor of Changsha and took over Linxiang.
When Han Xuan heard the news, he felt a little uneasy. Why did Cai Mao suddenly return to Linxiang? You must know that he is the commander-in-chief of the Jingzhou Navy and cannot leave the frontline battlefield easily.
Han Xuan rushed to the Beijin official office worriedly, and it turned out that his worries were right.
When Cai Mao personally said that the Jingzhou army was first invaded by floods and then attacked by Liu Jing's army and was almost wiped out, Han Xuan stared at Cai Mao blankly and felt a cold air rushing from his tailbone to the back of his head.
He has only been in charge of Linxiang for more than four months. Is he about to lose his position as governor before he can take over?
It's no wonder that Han Xuan is so pessimistic in his heart. Linxiang is still relatively stable on the surface. However, this has little to do with him. It's just because the Jingzhou Army currently has an absolute advantage, and Changsha's heroes and wise men have to stay in hibernation temporarily.
For example, Han Xuansu knew the name of the former Changsha Gongcao Huanjie. After he took office, he visited many places and wanted to ask him to help him. Unfortunately, after several months of searching, he could not even be seen. Huanjie was obviously avoiding him on purpose.
If the advantage of the Jingzhou Army can be maintained, Han Xuan's position as governor will be as stable as Mount Tai. But now that the Jingzhou Army is almost completely destroyed, once the news spreads, those Jingzhou heroes and wise men who have been hiding in the dark will definitely be ready to stir up trouble.
The wind stirs the rain.
In the future, Linxiang will be like a volcano that may erupt at any time. If Han Xuan sits on it, he will definitely die without a burial place.
Seeing Han Xuan's frightened face, Kuai Qi said in a hoarse voice: "Han Changsha, our army's defeat was caused by natural disasters, not by battle. Although the current situation is not favorable for us, it is far from a critical situation.
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Kuai Qi was originally a young scholar with outstanding appearance and elegant temperament. Due to traveling long distances and worrying about his uncle Kuai Yue, he now became haggard and his demeanor was greatly reduced.
Seeing that Han Xuan calmed down a little, Kuai Qi asked: "Han Changsha, I wonder how many available troops there are in Linxiang City now?"
Han Xuan replied: "Two camps, two thousand people."
Kuai Qi nodded slightly and said: "Commander Cai and I still have three thousand capable warriors. With the strength in our hands, it is not difficult to defend Linxiang. Although Liu Zhongda won this battle, his water infantry did not exceed ten thousand men. He could
The number of troops used to attack Linxiang will be even smaller. As long as we hold on for ten months, reinforcements will surely arrive. By then we will attack Liu Zhongda from both inside and outside."
Han Xuan showed a wry smile. Things could not be as simple as Kuai Qi said. Liu Jing's reputation in Linxiang was not inferior to Zhang Xian's. If he came with the promise of a great victory, he might be in trouble in Linxiang City once he showed up.
The war broke out all over the place. Amid internal and external troubles, if they could hold on for ten or eight days, let alone ten months, they would be considered very lucky.
Han Xuan was not optimistic about Kuai Qi's plan in his heart, thinking that it was a road destined to failure, but he had no choice. He was the governor of Changsha and had the responsibility of guarding the land, so he had no choice but to go on.
Even if Cai Mao and Kuai Qi ran away, he could not retreat even half a step, otherwise even if he survived, his future would be ruined and he would be blamed. For Han Xuan, this was far more terrifying than death.
Han Xuan quickly reached an agreement with Kuai Qi on guarding Linxiang, while Cai Mao seemed a bit taciturn. Except for explaining to Han Xuan how the Jingzhou army was destroyed when he arrived, he rarely spoke at all.
Kuai Qi turned to Cai Mao and asked, "Commander Cai, are you coming to Linxiang with me?"
Cai Hao shook his head without thinking, "If I leave, there will be no one to lead the navy."
This is of course his excuse. Currently, the Jingzhou navy only has twenty or thirty ships in total. There is no need for him to personally command it. His brothers Cai He, Cai Xun and others are all capable of the task.
In the final analysis, Cai Mao still did not want to enter Linxiang. He believed that once he entered the city, he would be like a fish swimming in a cauldron, and his life and death would be in the hands of others. If he stayed in Beijin Yingwu and saw that the situation was not good, he could escape by boat at any time.
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Both Kuai Qi and Han Xuan saw Cai Mao's smile, but the latter had a legitimate reason, and it was not easy for the two of them to accuse him. Then the three discussed for a long time, and finally Kuai Qi led his troops and followed Han Xuan
Return to Linxiang.
Cai Mao and Kuai Qi returned to Linxiang at noon, and in the evening of that day, hundreds of warships suddenly appeared on the Xiang River south of Linxiang, with their sails and cannons forming a forest and covering the river.
The people in Linxiang who were busy with farm work and had not yet returned home couldn't help but look around curiously. At first they thought it was the fleet of the Jingzhou Army, until someone recognized that the flag hanging on the tall and mountainous battleship was "Lingling Prefect Liu".
"Prefect Lingling...Liu..."
"Liu Jun is the governor of Lingling..."
When the people of Linxiang recognized that the huge fleet in front of them was Liu Jing's navy, you can imagine the sensation it caused.