Chapter 245 The Battle of Unifying Jingxiang Begins
On October 20, the 13th year of Jian'an, when the clapper rang at the third quarter of the eclipse, the white mist on Yunmengze Lake in the distance became much thinner.
The weather in early winter was very cold, and the sun was obscured by clouds. Although it didn't rain, the air was full of moisture.
This kind of humidity combined with the cold north wind will make people feel wet all over the body, and even though there is no water in the corners of their clothes, it seems like they can squeeze out water.
There is a saying in later generations that winter in the north relies on heating, and in the south you rely on a healthy body. Humidity and coldness are magical damage, and the white mist is as ice-like and bone-piercing cold, which can take away many, many people every winter.
Tian Mai was sitting on the city tower in Zuotang County. He was very strong and powerful because he was born in a powerful family in Runan. He followed Yuan Shao in his early years and served as Yuan Shao's captain. After the Battle of Guandu, he was forced to flee to the south with his family.
defected to Liu Biao.
The powerful men in the late Han Dynasty were just richer than ordinary people, and their political status was not very high. Especially after changing the family, they had to start from the grassroots and share the joys and sorrows with the soldiers in order to win the love of the soldiers.
So at this moment, more than a dozen soldiers gathered around him to warm themselves up by the fire. Everyone was shivering with cold, and they wanted to stretch their hands and feet into the brazier. Even if they were burned by the fire, they would not feel anything.
In the era when there were no cotton-padded clothes, the dignitaries could wear "down jackets" stuffed with animal feathers sewn from silk to keep out the cold. The soldiers at the bottom could only wear clothes made of wheat straw and reed catkins. In the cold and humid conditions in the south, it was difficult to tell whether they wore them or not.
There is no difference.
"Sigh, this is such a bad weather."
Tian Mai spat rudely on the ground next to him. As a Runan native, he was used to the comfortable climate of Henan in the Central Plains, which was neither dry nor humid. No matter how long he stayed in the south, he felt very unaccustomed.
An officer on the side rubbed his hands and said: "Every winter, we in Jingnan suffer the most. No matter how many clothes we wear, it is not enough. When it gets cold, it can freeze to death."
"The climate in the north is not bad, but over there you can barely survive if you wear a few more clothes, but here it's really useless to wear more clothes. Besides, we don't have many clothes. Since the beginning of the year, General Liu supported
After the eldest prince had a falling out with Xiangyang, new clothes have not been issued for almost a year."
"Then what can be done? In the past, food, grass and ordnance were sent from Xiangyang. Now, although there is no shortage of food and grass, there is a huge shortage of ordnance. In the cold winter, the end of the year is coming, and the weather will be even colder by then. If it is like early
Over the years, I have seen Qingcao Lake freeze."
"Okay, just say a few words."
Tian Mai interrupted the complaints of several officers. Although this kind of complaint is very common in the army, saying it too much will always affect morale.
"Coming, coming."
At this moment, the soldiers who had been taking turns watching at the top of the city immediately shouted.
Tian Mai quickly got up and ran over. When he came to the female wall and looked out, he saw hundreds of ships approaching on the Yunmengze Lake, one mile northeast of Zuotang County.
"Blow the whistle!"
He immediately issued the order.
"Beep beep beep!"
The sharp whistle seemed to wake up the whole city.
Because it was too cold on the top of the city, except for Tian Mai and a group of soldiers who were standing guard, the rest of the people were warming themselves in the city tower, under the city gate, and in the houses next to the city.
Unless you have to grit your teeth and run for two miles in this crazy weather, you really can't live without a fire basin.
But as soon as the whistle blew, the north gate of Zuotang County woke up from the death-like silence. Countless soldiers emerged from the towers, gates, and houses, and rushed to the top of the city at the urging of the officers.
The ships outside the city were floating on the lake, and the big ships did not dock. The first ones to come were hundreds of small boats, carrying a large number of soldiers to the shore. Then the soldiers methodically began to find support points on the shore and tied the ships one by one.
Locked on the shore.
There is no way for a large ship like a building to dock. The water on the shore is relatively shallow. If it runs aground, the ship will be useless, so it can only float on the lake, leaving hundreds of soldiers to watch and prevent the ship from being blown away.
Just run, and there is no need to chain them together.
After about half an hour, an unknown number of soldiers had gathered densely in the north of Zuotang City. There were constant sounds of whistles and drums, and a large number of siege equipment and baggage were constantly being transported from the ships to the shore.
The fleet in the distance continued to operate, but among the crowd, some people came out of the crowd and headed towards the city.
When Tian Mai was less than eighty steps away, he recognized that it was his brother-in-law Wang Jie. Wang Jie was wearing a general's armor and there were not many people following him. He was very relieved about his brother-in-law and walked to the city.
"No arrows allowed!"
Tian Gaimai gave the order, and soon all the archers on the city stopped.
Wang Jie walked to the bottom of the city. The city was actually not high, only about two and a half feet, almost five meters. The distance between the two sides was about twenty meters.
He looked at the city, narrowed his eyes and shouted: "Sister-in-law!"
"Here you are."
Tian Mai responded lazily.
He and Wang Jie actually had a very good relationship. At that time, they were not called brother-in-law, but brother-in-law or brother-in-law, brother-in-law. The two of them were relatives, but now they are each their own masters, and there is nothing they can do about it.
"When our uncle and son-in-law meet, isn't it too awkward to talk on the top of the city? Why don't you come down and walk around with me?"
Wang Jie said.
Tian Mai responded: "Okay."
After saying that, he turned around and went down to the city. The guards next to him wanted to follow, but were stopped by Tian Mai, so he went out alone.
When Wang Jie saw him coming down, he also asked his personal guards to stand aside and went up to meet him.
"Where's my sister?"
The first thing you say when you meet is to ask about your loved ones.
Tian Mai shrugged and said, "I'm in Linxiang, taking care of your two nephews."
The two of them walked side by side along the base of the city wall.
"It's okay for daily life."
Wang Jie asked.
"good."
"How have you been lately?"
"That's it."
"The Lieutenant asked me to play Tang Dynasty, what do you think?"
"What can be done?"
Tian Mai said helplessly: "There's going to be a war above, and there's nothing we can do."
Wang Jie said solemnly: "Why don't you surrender? Now the Taiwei has more than 100,000 troops, the eldest prince has only 30,000 troops in Jiangxia, and General Liu has only 20,000 troops in Jingnan. How can he match them?"
This is the current situation after Liu Bei "left".
The troops controlled by Cai Mao and Zhang Yun included the Nanyang garrison, the Xiangyang garrison and the Yangtze River Navy, totaling 112,000, which was almost twice that of Liu Qi and Liu Pan.
Therefore, at least on the surface, the huge gap in military strength between the two sides will give people the feeling that Cai Mao is bound to win.
However, Tian Mai shook his head and said: "Brother, you know me. General Liu saved my life. Besides, you don't really think that the Taiwei will win, do you?"
"Isn't it?"
Wang Jie frowned.
Tian Mai said in a deep voice: "Brother, don't forget, that man has been standing behind the eldest prince. With his ability, have you ever seen him lose a battle?"
That one?
Shen Chen?
Wang Jie hesitated for a moment.
The name of Jingzhou God of War is still worthy of awe.
More importantly, he has never been defeated.
With Cai Mao's ability, can he defeat the undefeated God of War?
For a while, Wang Jie also began to waver.
But it was only for a moment. After a while, he patted Tian Mai on the shoulder and said: "I will attack the city tomorrow, so you can do it yourself."
"OK."
Tian Mai waved his hand.
The two people passed each other and said goodbye to each other.
It’s not like we have different paths and don’t work together, it’s just that we can’t help ourselves.
If Wang Jie's family was not in Nanyang, why wouldn't he want to lead his troops to surrender?
After the uncle and son-in-law separated, Wang Jie went back to camp.
He felt that this would be a protracted battle. Although there were not many soldiers in Jingnan, there would definitely not be many defenders in Tang Dynasty, but he knew his brother-in-law, and he might not be able to survive if he did not fight this battle.
The sky is getting dark.
Just after Wang Jie's army set up camp outside the city, the gate to Zuotangnan was quietly opened, and a messenger came on flying horse to deliver the instructions given by above.
"retreat?"
Tian Mai looked at the contents of the letter. Although he couldn't believe it, his face showed an indescribable joy.
At least this order is definitely good news for him.
There is no need to fight Wang Jie.
Secondly, and most importantly, the probability of losing this battle is too high.
There were only 1,200 soldiers defending the city, but more than 5,000 soldiers attacking the city. It was really difficult to defend.
"The general has orders to evacuate to Yaoshan immediately."
said the messenger.
"I see."
Tian Mai nodded, raised his head and glanced at the night, and said, "Then withdraw our troops tonight."
"If we withdraw our troops tonight, what will happen to the food and equipment in the city?"
One of his subordinates, Sima, asked.
"No more."
Tian Mai waved his hand: "Complete the order as soon as possible."
"only!"
Sima went to convey the order.
Soon the city began to move quietly, taking advantage of the darkness and heading south towards Hanshou.
The same thing happened in Hanshou and Linyuan.
Two days later.
In the direction of Linyuan, Cai Mao's general Han Hu led eight thousand people from Xiaoling southward and headed straight for Liyang.
Liyang was the area around Li County and Shimen County in Changde City, Hunan Province in later generations. At that time, there was no county established, so it was called Liyang Township. It was not until the fourth year of Taikang in the Western Jin Dynasty that Liyang County was established.
All the way south from here is Hanshou County. The location of Hanshou County in the Han Dynasty is different from that of later generations. It is located on the north bank of Yuanshui River and northeast of Changde.
But when Han Hu traveled all the way south from Liyang to Hanshou, what greeted him was not an enemy, but a wide-open city gate.
The entire city was abandoned, and the materials in the city were distributed to the people, who all fled to the mountains and forests. Hanshou County seemed to have turned into an empty city overnight.
"strangeness."
Han Hu was puzzled.
But now that the enemy has withdrawn, it doesn't seem to be a bad thing for them.
In addition to Wang Jie and Han Hu, Cai Mao also sent two other generals, Sun Yi and Zhou Bo, to lead a fleet of 10,000 people to Nan'an.
This place is Huarong County in later generations, not Huarong County in the Han Dynasty. It is located east of Zuotang County and southeast of Xiaoling County. It was a large sandbank exposed by Yunmengze Lake at that time.
In this way, by October 24th, Cai Mao's army had encroached step by step, taking over a large area to the west of Dongting Lake, and began to move closer to Yiyang, Luoxian, Linxiang and other Changsha counties in the southeast.
On October 25, the 13th year of Jian'an, Cai Mao finally sent Han Xi to lead 10,000 people to Qingcao Lake, also known as Dongting Lake, heading towards Luo County.
On the 26th, he himself led an army of 20,000 to attack Zikou.
Zikou is the port where Zishui flows into Dongting Lake. However, due to the larger water area in the Han Dynasty, the entire northeastern direction of Yiyang City belonged to the Dongting Lake area, so the specific location was actually at the intersection of Zishui and Yuanshui, probably in later generations.
Guoluping Town in the northeastern part of Ziyang District, Yiyang City, Hunan Province.
In this way, all Cai Mao's layout plans are very clear. His tactical layout is still very good. He did not choose to go directly to Luoxian County with tens of thousands of people to fight against Liu Pan who blocked the Xiangjiang River. Instead, he chose to take a roundabout way and take the enemy directly.
Yiyang and Linxiang.
To put it simply, we will first take a detour to steal your hometown, and then attack from the north to the south. From your hometown, go north, and cooperate with the fleet on Dongting Lake to attack Liu Pan stationed in Luo County. Even if Liu Pan cannot be eliminated, at least he can cut off his food and grass.
The best outcome is of course to defeat Liu Pan and regain the entire Jingnan. The worst outcome is for Liu Pan to defect to Jiangxia by boat, and then they will be able to successfully attack Jiangxia with land and water troops.
It has to be said that as a non-intellectual person, Cai Mao's intelligence must be worrying, but as the general in Jingzhou second only to Huang Zu, he is still capable of leading troops in battles, especially water battles, which can make even Zhou Yu fear later. It can be seen that
At least it is above the second-rate level, and the tactical layout has a nose and an eye.
It's a pity that Shen Chen and Zhuge Liang had already deduced his tactics before the war. They had already guessed that they would definitely attack from the northwest, so they made arrangements in advance.
At the end of October, before Cai Mao arrived at Zikou, he sent an order to Han Hu and Wang Jie, asking them to attack Yiyang immediately.
His three armies planned to meet up in Yiyang and jointly attack Linxiang, also known as Changsha.
It rained lightly that day.
"General, this Meishan Mountain is huge. When Taihou Meiyi was occupied by Zhao Tuo, he had to move to Yiyang. This place is Meishan. To the north and east are the vast Green Grass Lake, and to the west and south are endless lakes.
Mountains, Meishan and Wuling Mountains were called Kunlun Mountains by the Chu people in ancient times, and the roads are indeed not easy to travel."
Among the high mountains and ridges, along the south bank of the Yuanshui River, Han Hu was standing on a hill overlooking the distance. The local guide beside him was introducing the road: "But the road we are going to take is quite easy.
The rammed earth road between Linyuan and Yiyang is also far away from Huhe River. Even if it rained in the past two days, the road may be a little muddy. As long as you cross the Yaoshan Mountain in front, the road will be easier to walk."
Han Hu looked in the direction pointed by the guide.
The army has been walking for two days. This place is actually Hanshou County in later generations, located south of Yuanshui River. This Meishan Mountain is the Xuefeng Mountains in Yiyang City in later generations.
The road they took was also quite interesting. It was probably the Changde to Yiyang section of the later G5513 Changzhang Expressway. Since Yuanjiang City in the northeast was still blowing bubbles at the bottom of the lake during the Han Dynasty, this route was considered an easier road at that time.
The characteristic of this road is that there are hills on both the north and south sides. The south side belongs to the Xuefengshan Mountains, with high mountains and lofty mountains. The towering mountains in the distance seem to reach into the sky. Looking up, it makes people feel how small the world is.
The north was hilly in later generations, but in the Han Dynasty it was not a hilly area, but a lake in Dongting Lake. Mountains and islands lined the lake, and countless small islands like Jiangxinzhou could be seen, densely packed. After hundreds of years, when the water receded,
It turned into hills and hills.
Because they were walking close to the foot of the mountain, the mountains to their right were covered with overgrown woods and overflowing lakes and swamps. The road was basically at the bottom of a hilly valley, but because the terrain was higher than the lake next to it, it didn't spread up.
It was raining lightly, the mist was hazy, and the ground was full of slippery mud. As soon as you stepped in, there would be a footprint. The soldiers could only try their best to pick up and walk, jumping up and down on the road one by one, and some accidentally fell.
We were covered in mud, and some of our shoes got wet, and they quickly lost consciousness due to the cold, while others simply broke and walked directly in the middle of the road, where the muddy water flowed through them.
At least the guide said it was easy to walk. Compared with the smooth rammed earth road in the north, it cannot be said that it is thousands of miles away. That is also the difference between clouds and mud.
At this time, Han Hu actually regretted that he had stayed in Linyuan for a few days. He had obviously sent people to investigate the road, so why not just send people to chop some dry firewood to pave the road? But now that he was trapped in this field, it was nothing.
It's easy to tell, just ask the guide: "Which mountain is the medicine mountain?"
The guide pointed to the end of the road. He didn't know how many miles away it was to a mountaintop shrouded in hazy white mist.
In the past, the road over there was not easy to walk. But there was nothing we could do. If we took other roads, we would have to go over Wuling Mountain and Meishan Mountain and take Yixi River. There are all small roads in there, and some places are so narrow that we can only
One person passed through, and these places were used by the local Wuling and Meishan barbarians. If we Han people went there, we would inevitably have to fight, but we couldn't leave."
The Yixi Road mentioned by the guide actually refers to going south from Changde, over Xuefeng Mountain, and into Majitang Town, which later became Taojiang County, Yiyang City. The origin of Majitang Town is said to be related to Guan Yu, and it is connected to Dongting Lake in the north.
, to the east is Yiyang City, which has been an important transportation route from western Hunan to eastern Hunan since the Qin and Han Dynasties.
It's just that this place was occupied by barbarians in the Han Dynasty, and the roads were difficult and dangerous. Even if the army could get through, it would be time-consuming and laborious, and it was far less easy than taking the official road.
Han Hu nodded slightly, turned his horse's head and descended the hill, following the troops as they meandered forward.
After walking for more than ten miles, we finally reached the foot of Yaoshan Mountain. Yaoshan Mountain is majestic and tall, and the north of the mountain is submerged by Dongting Lake. As the guide said, if you want to get over, you have to climb the foot of the mountain.
The mountains were densely forested and the cliffs were steep. They climbed up and down diagonally. After two or three quarters of an hour, the soldiers were exhausted and out of breath and miserable.
"General, take a rest."
The deputy general complained to Han Hu: "The weather is already wet and cold. The soldiers set off from Linyuan in the wind and rain. Today we have been walking for a long time and no one has rested. Now we have to climb the mountain. I am afraid that the soldiers and horses will be exhausted."
Han Hu frowned, but quickly relaxed and said, "Well, let's take a rest."
After receiving the order, the soldiers were overjoyed and ran to rest on the lawns on both sides of the road. Now they didn't care about the slippery ground and found a rock or just lay down under the trees. Everyone was exhausted.
This kind of march usually carries dry food. Those who eat eat and those who drink water drink water. Because the weather is wet and cold, the soldiers are almost in groups, huddled together to keep warm.
It was just that they were extremely tired just now, and their bodies were covered with sweat. After taking a sudden break, and without keeping warm, many people were soon shivering from the cold.
Han Hu didn't notice the state of the soldiers. He still turned his horse's head and looked at Qingcao Lake in the distance from a high place.
After waiting for half an hour, he gave the order to continue marching again.
The soldiers began to climb the foothills again. After walking for more than an hour, they finally began to descend the mountain. The road down the mountain was indeed much wider. Without the foothills, they could see a plain in the distance, except for the vast forests and lakes.
, you can even see some rural pavilions and village gatherings.
"General, this mountain of medicine was collected by the local villagers. Everyone collects medicine in the mountain. The place we climbed is not even halfway up the mountain, but just at the foot of the mountain. The mountain must be thousands of feet high. Once we get over it, the road will be smooth.
"
The guide introduced Han Hu flatteringly.
Han Hu ignored him, but looked into the distance of Qingcao Lake. At this time, the early morning fog had long since dispersed, and he could see dozens of kilometers away from the top of the mountain. Although his eyesight was not that good, he could still see vaguely.
Arrive, on the green grass lake more than ten miles away, countless ships are sailing south.
That is Cai Mao's main fleet. According to the agreement, Han Hu and Wang Jie must meet them at Zikou before dawn today, and then attack Yiyang non-stop. And the Yaoshan Mountain here is less than fifteen miles away from Yiyang. Think about it.
You should arrive within the agreed time.
Thinking of this, Han Hu issued an order and shouted: "Send the order, hurry up, you must reach Zikou before dark!"
"only!"
The lieutenant general delivers the order.
Soon the army of 8,000 people descended the mountain one after another.
In the dense forest on the right side of the mountain.
At this moment, countless arrows were already placed on the bowstring, aiming at the Han Hu army who had been sleeping in the open for two days!