There were five fierce generals under Bai Wang's command, known as the Five Tiger Generals among the rebels. In this northern expedition, except for Huang Zhengtang, who was based in De'an, the remaining four people followed him north along the river to attack the city and seize territory. At this time, Wang Tizhong had surrendered to the imperial court, and Yuan
Sanzhong and Wang Yi'en were extremely embarrassed by Wu Sangui and Ma Ke in Tongling, while the other one was Cheng Niandong who led three thousand troops to sit in Anqing.
Cheng Niandong was the youngest and most insidious among the Five Tiger Generals. This was one of the main reasons why Bai Wang was assured to let him stay in Anqing. Although he was only left with 3,000 troops, he was used to the extreme.
Before leaving, Bai Wang analyzed the current situation and listened to him. He believed that the tens of thousands of officers and soldiers coming from the north on the other side of Wuhu would most likely not attack Anqing. After all, Nanjing was more important. They crossed the river to intercept the rebels attacking Nanjing.
Therefore, Bai Wang is going to take command on the east coast front line to buy time to consolidate Anqing. Of course, unexpected surprises cannot be ruled out, such as moving further towards Nanjing or even destroying the city.
But Bai Wang also told him that Nanjing is very important to the officers and soldiers, and Anqing is dispensable, but for them Anqing is an extremely important base area, and they must manage it well and defend it well. Although the officers and soldiers from the north are unlikely to attack directly
However, we do not rule out the possibility of sending troops to contain them, so we must remain vigilant at all times to prevent the officers and soldiers from entering Anqing.
Cheng Niandongshen thought that he would immediately start making arrangements after Bai Wang left. The first step was to An Nei. He called the wealthy gentry and some officials in the city to hold a mobilization meeting and asked them to help appease the people in the city. The rebels must be united. Only by working with the rebels can we
In the future... Anyway, all kinds of brainwashing, this is also their usual method. After cleaning the common people in the control area, they can be unified to the outside world. Who will use this method later?
This trick is very common, mainly because when he was attacking Anqing, Bai Wang did not massacre or loot after entering the city. Even after some wealthy gentry took the initiative to hand over the protection fee, they did not torture again. After all, he had planned to build this place.
The city has a new base area.
Cheng Niandong then sent dozens of spies, large and small, to various places in the north of Anqing City. The mountains and rivers in the north of Anqing City were almost covered with his outposts, both bright and dark. Although it cannot be said that any disturbance could not be hidden from him, only large groups of troops entering the city would definitely be discovered.
At the same time, Cheng Niandong recruited young men in the city for military training as a reserve in case of insufficient troops. It can be said that while running Anqing, this young man had already sharpened his sword and waited for the arrival of Gao Jie and the others.
Spying out a large number of spies finally paid off. Gao Jie and his three soldiers were detected by rebel spies near Baidang Lake (today's north of Songyang County) and sent to Anqing Mansion. Cheng Niandong was shocked when he first heard about it, but
Then he was confused again. Nearly ten thousand officers and soldiers were all cavalry. What kind of trouble was going on?
Because cavalry has no use here at all!
The previous information given by Wang Tizhong was that there were tens of thousands of officers and soldiers on the other side of Wuhu. Now nearly ten thousand soldiers came. It seemed that Bai Wang's conclusion was good. The main force of officers and soldiers still had to cross the river to the east bank to intercept the rebels and prevent them from heading north to Nanjing. And these nearly ten thousand soldiers and horses
In order to contain the rebels, they came to attack Anqing. But these officers and soldiers from the north were so stupid. They thought this was the prairie in the north. They were all cavalry. Cheng Niandong thought it was ridiculous, but he still attacked the officers and soldiers.
He responded with all his energy and was determined to severely inflict heavy damage on these officers and soldiers.
So Cheng Niandong personally led 2,000 elite soldiers and 2,000 cannon fodder out of the city to set up an ambush.
Besides, Gao Jie and the other three were hiding day and night in the rain all the way to Anqing, intending to attack the city without warning and block it in the city. When Li Yan and Huang Degong's army behind them slashed, they could cut them off as they wanted.
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At first, the three of them had great confidence in this plan. After all, Chang Yu made such a big noise on the other side to attract the attention and strength of the rebels. In addition, it has been raining recently. The Anqing rebels may have become careless.
However, when they entered Dayou Township (today's Songyang County), they felt that things were not that simple. The scouts sent from the front had already encountered several groups of thieves' probing horses and even had a fight. In this way, both sides knew each other.
coming!
Since the secret is not good, then stop pretending and go straight to the city! The three of them made a decision after a brief discussion. Thinking that the main force of the rebel army had been lured to the Anqing Mansion on the other side by Chang Yu, there should not be many soldiers and horses left behind, so with the three
It shouldn't be difficult for a force of nearly 10,000 people to march to the city in an open and honest manner.
The day before yesterday, the three-man army arrived at Sturgeon Town. It is actually a large fishing village, but it is also a three-way intersection. This fishing village is adjacent to the Yangtze River in the east and Shitang Lake in the west. There are two roads from here to Anqing, one is the Yangtze River and Shitang Lake.
There is a long and narrow road in the middle of the lake, because there are river beaches and lake beaches on both sides that are overgrown and muddy. The other one is to walk a few miles west from Sturgeon Town and then take the mountain road next to Dalong Mountain and Shitang Lake. It is bumpy and thorny.
There are rocks everywhere and it is definitely difficult to walk.
But no matter which road they take, there will be no advantage for the cavalry and it will even become a drag. Gao Jie and the other two discussed for a while by the river and finally chose to take the road by the river. The reason is very simple. Since the rebel army has already
After discovering it, there is no need to sneak around so far to take the mountain road. Moreover, the mountain road is a great constraint for the cavalry. Just marching is already inconvenient, and if there is a war, it will add fuel to the fire.
Gao Jie, Liu Zeqing, and Liu Liangzuo, these three are all well-known figures in the Ming Dynasty. They are all warlords who hold military power. In terms of strength, Liu Zeqing is the strongest. After all, he is a master with a big business and a strong foundation who dares to resist the decree. Secondly,
It's Liu Liangzuo. This guy doesn't look very impressive, but he's actually the kind of slick guy who makes a fortune in silence. On the other hand, although Gao Jie is brave, he has little strategy.
He is the weakest among the people, but he is also the one who dares to fight a tough battle. At this time, the three of them take him as the leader, and he is the only one who follows.
Why did the weakest one become the talker?
The reason is still very simple. The battle is not about fighting against family wealth, but also about whose backing is bigger. Liu Liangzuo hasn't officially boarded Chang Yu's boat yet. Liu Ze has boarded the boat, but he can't compare with Gao Jie.
The relationship between brothers.
So Gao Jie said, I have the final say, and the remaining two will not fight for him. Besides, they also know that although the speaker is majestic, he will have to resist thunder if there is a flaw.
After deciding to take the east route, Gao Jie ordered the entire army to enter combat mode. Because it was only fifty or sixty miles away from Anqing, a battle was possible, and because the road was too narrow and muddy, the cavalry might not be able to cope with the battle. Gao Jie also asked Liu Zeqing.
More than a thousand people abandoned their troops to serve as the vanguard of the infantry, with Liu Liangzuo in the middle and behind him. This arrangement made Er Liu secretly curse Gao Jie for being too treacherous and selfish. Liu Zeqing was especially unhappy. You two have been fighting in this area for many years and are familiar with the geography.
The thief's tactics are not to take the lead, but let me, a foreign monk, recite sutras first. Isn't this bullying?
Although he was angry in his heart, Liu Zeqing also knew that this was not the time to argue. Don't rebel against him before the fight started. Besides, he had agreed to obey Gao Jie's arrangements and command before. In addition, he also wanted to make meritorious deeds, so he buried himself at this time.
Silent in my heart.
But is it really selfish for Gao Jie to put him first?
Of course not, at least not entirely!
He was just helping Chang Yu do things.
Since he is destined to die, of course he must use it on the edge of the sword.
It was cool to march on a cloudy day, but the river embankment was long and narrow to the east. The river beach was lined with rocks and it was difficult for people and horses to move. To the west, the lake was so sparkling that you couldn’t see it at a glance. The lake was overgrown with weeds and overrun with mosquitoes. The narrowest part could only accommodate three people.
The horses were riding together and the river embankment was muddy due to continuous rain. After walking for more than half an hour, we could only cover less than five miles. However, this muddy road sandwiched between rivers and lakes was more than twenty miles long. It was getting dark as we watched.
If it is blocked here, it will be very bad.
As for why it was bad, everyone knew it, but no one wanted to be the crow's mouth and say those unlucky words.
However, some things will come when they are supposed to come, and they won’t come because you don’t say it. Just when Gao Jie was about to go to the front to urge people to speed up, the detective horse reported: Thousands of thieves were found ten miles ahead.