Under the night, the Shihe River looked like a black ribbon, lying across the low hills on the eastern outskirts of Xinyang City. Ning Zechen led the Fengli Battalion's first town division to station on the east bank of the Shihe River, sandwiched between the Shihe River and Xinyang City.
Xinyang City is much darker, and the campfires on the east bank of the Shihe River are as dense as the stars in the sky. According to the plan, tomorrow we will formally break out of camp along the Shihe River to attack the upper reaches of the northern foot of Huaishan Mountain. The camp on the east bank will make final preparations before the march tonight.
Naturally much busier.
Slightly upstream of the ferry is the Shuihe Water Village, where 3,000 Huaidong Navy troops and hundreds of large and small warships are stationed.
Meng Zhixiang stood on the ferry, looking at the camp on the other side, looking at Meng Jin who was wearing a crimson official robe beside him, and asked worriedly: "Dong Yuan's military order was countersigned by Liu Tingzhou, they are going to move the troops around Xinyang
Take them all out and push them to the northern foot of Huaishan Mountain. Will Ning Zechen regard it like this, and will Chongguo Guild treat it like this in the future?"
"Dong Yuan is too smart," Meng Jin waved his sleeves, as if to vent his resentment, and said angrily, "How can a man like him be willing to die in front of a beautiful woman?"
Meng Zhixiang and Meng Jin were nephews and uncles of the same clan in terms of seniority. He was only seven or eight years younger than Meng Jin and had not had many interactions with the clan. However, when Xinyang was damaged by the bandits, he fought side by side with Meng Jin.
The stakes are at stake, and we have developed a deep friendship over the years, becoming both teachers and friends with Meng Jin.
Meng Zhixiang sighed:
The situation is obvious. Huaidong will win another victory over Jingxiang and annihilate the main Yanhu forces on the western front who have been lured into Jingxiang. This will completely reverse the confrontation between the north and the south. Where Huaixi will go is something Dong Yuan must consider.
main issue.
Before the war, the Yanhu cavalry and the newly attached Han army had a total strength of more than 500,000. After the She family and Luo Xiancheng were attached, the total strength reached more than 700,000. Compared with before, the forces in Jiangning, Huaidong
Together with Chizhou, Jinghu, Xiangtan, Huaixi, and the Cao family who had retreated to the two Sichuan provinces, the total military strength was about 600,000, which put them at a disadvantage, so they had to unite closely to fight the Jingxiang Battle.
As soon as Huaidong's ambush in Chaishan is released, the balance of victory and defeat in Jingxiang will be completely locked. The total number of troops on the Yanhu Western Front is as high as 400,000, at least half of them will be buried among the hills and forests of Jingxiang - this is still
The best outcome for Bei Yan is that Bei Yan's total number of troops will be reduced sharply to more than half a million.
Even though the strength of the north and the south is about the same, after Huaidong regains Jingxiang, it will be able to completely stabilize the defense line along the Huaihe River. In addition, the Huaidong water camp is invincible across the East China Sea, and can defeat Shandong, Yanji, and the two in the north.
The coastal areas of Liaoning pose a serious threat, and the overall situation will be dominated by the south.
Among the forces in the Southern Dynasties, even if the Jinghu Army defends Jingzhou, the damage will not be light. The Cao family will have to lick their wounds in Liangchuan for a while. The Chizhou Army has long lost the foundation for self-reliance. On the surface, Huaixi can still have
There are hundreds of thousands of soldiers, but there are many internal problems, and the elites of Huaidong's direct line will reach an astonishing number of 300,000, or even exceed it, and further control Jingxiang, Nanyang and other places...
When the time comes, Dong Yuan is willing to live a wealthy life and hand over the power in his hands. Even if Chong Guogong wants to protect his reputation and win people's hearts, he can't do anything to Dong Yuan, who has only made big mistakes in his life and has no power in his hands.
What kind of murderous act did you do?
As long as Dong Yuan handed over his power and made a wealthy prince, he would not be stingy in worshiping the prince.
It's a pity that Dong Yuan is unwilling to give in.
"What can Dong Yuan do if he doesn't give in?" Meng Zhixiang sighed again and said, "The situation between the north and the south has been decided. What other tricks can he come up with?"
"This is Dong Yuan's cleverness," Meng Jin said sadly. "Luo Xiancheng had 50,000 soldiers and horses on the northern front, scattered in various defense villages at the northern foot of Huaishan Mountain. They couldn't assemble them at all in a short time. Luo Xiancheng
There were only 20,000 reinforcements in Lishan that could assist Suizhou. At this time, Cao Shuai led 40,000 troops to attack Suizhou, and Luo Xiancheng only had 20,000 troops to assist Suizhou City. Luo Xiancheng did not support Suizhou, and Cao Shuai captured Suizhou City.
, Luo Xiancheng's aid to Suizhou will only make Cao Cao more full. Therefore, the Suizhou army soldiers and horses at the northern foot of Huaishan Mountain are no longer a threat. Even if Dong Yuan stood still, it would be much better than if he pressed all his troops to the north of Huaishan Mountain.
Lu Yao is good, this is clearly to provide convenience for Chen Zhihu to directly pass through Zhengyang and enter the Nanyang Basin..."
Meng Zhixiang asked: "What good can Dong Yuan do by doing this, other than to make Duke Chong make up his mind to deal with him after the war? Furthermore, Huang Zuyu and Zhou Bin have already established themselves in Fancheng. Even if Chen Zhihu can pass directly through Zhengyang territory,
When Queshan went to aid Fan City, it would take at least four or five days for his main force of infantry and cavalry to reach the outskirts of Fan City. Chen Zhihu headed north in a hurry, and he had no siege weapons, so how could he recapture Fan City?"
"Chen Zhihu is smarter. He should understand that the situation is over and will not directly go to help Fancheng..." Meng Jin said.
"If Chen Zhihu doesn't go to Fancheng, where will he go?" Meng Zhixiang asked.
"This is what makes Dong Yuan so powerful and so hateful," Meng Jin said through gritted teeth. "If Dong Yuan cooperates with Ning Zechen and ignores Luo Xiancheng, who is bound to be in chaos, and immediately sends his troops north to join Xiao Kui'an, he will die.
If Tu An, Chen Zhihu, and Chong Guogong lead the main force of the Huaidong Army on the southern front and Cao Ziang leads Chaishan troops and horses, it is very likely that all the Yanhu troops on the western front that have entered Jingxiang will be wiped out..."
Meng Zhixiang sighed with emotion.
She Luo surrendered, bringing the total troops of Yan and Hu to more than 700,000, and the number of troops on the western front to 400,000. If Yan and Hu's troops on the western front entering Jingxiang could be wiped out, at least 300,000 of Yan and Hu's troops could be wiped out.
Horses, including at least nearly 100,000 cavalry from the direct line of Yan and Hu, at that time only a few northern front troops such as Chen Zhihu and Tu An could evacuate to Hezhong Prefecture in time.
This battle could have severely damaged Yanhu and reduced Yanhu's total military strength to less than 400,000.
By then, the strength of the Huaidong family would be enough to launch the Northern Expedition to the Central Plains.
No wonder Dong Yuan had the extreme reaction of "the cunning rabbit dies and the lackey is cooked".
"... Yanhu's garrison in Guanzhong at this time is less than 20,000, and a considerable number of them are concentrated on the western front to defend the Cao family from returning their carbines," Meng Jin continued, "In other words, once Yanhu enters the western front of Jingxiang,
If all the soldiers and horses are wiped out, it will be a matter of course for Chong Guogong to lead his army to seize the opportunity to capture Wuguan and regain Guanzhong..."
"Dong Yuan let Chen Zhihu go to Wuguan?" Meng Zhixiang suddenly understood.
Meng Jin nodded and said: "That should be the intention. After Chong Guogong regained Jingxiang and Nanyang, but because Nanyang was five or six hundred miles away from Hezhong Prefecture, the plains in western Henan were always under threat from the Yanhu cavalry on the east line.
Under this situation, even if Chen Zhihu did not retreat to Hezhong Prefecture, Duke Chongguo had no choice but to immediately send troops to regain Hezhong Prefecture. Guanzhong was different. Taking Wuguan was the Shangzhou Prefecture, with two wings protected by the Qinling Mountains and Funiu Mountains, and then Weinan.
Pingyuan, Chang'an Prefecture, and Yanhu's cavalry on the eastern front simply had no intention of supporting Guanzhong in a short period of time. Dong Yuan's move not only caused Duke Chong to lose the opportunity to annihilate all the enemy troops in Jingxiang and take advantage of the situation to regain Guanzhong, Chen Zhihu first
If we advance further to occupy Wuguan, we will strengthen the defenders from Wuguan to Baiyangguan and Danjiangkou, and guard the last escape route for the enemy troops in Jingxiang. This is where Dong Yuan will be blamed even if he dies -
He wants to let Ye Ji Luorong on the west bank of the Han River escape! He is not trying to support the bandits and respect themselves, he is trying to support the enemies and their enemies!"
Meng Jin has been in Xinyang these years, watching Xinyang before the invasion of rogue bandits and wars. The city was in ruins, people's livelihood was in decline, and hundreds of thousands of people died. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians in Nanyang were massacred by Ye Jiluorong. Dong Yuan was here
Shi actually wanted to let Ye Ji Luorong escape in order to protect his position in Huaixi. How could Meng Jin not hate him?
Meng Zhixiang's back also felt chills, and he thought to himself: Dong Yuan is so vicious!
Only by asking Ye Ji Luorong to preserve a certain amount of strength, join forces with Chen Zhihu to withdraw to Guanzhong, occupy Wuguan and attack Nanyang and Jingxiang, can Lin Fu have no choice but to free up his hands and feet to deal with Huaixi.
This is completely to give up all principles and bottom lines in order to preserve one's own desire for power: Is Dong Yuan today the same Dong Yuan who was the little official who guarded Xianxia back then?
Only then did Meng Zhixiang understand that people really can change. What a heroic figure Dong Yuan was back then, but today Dong Yuan has become a traitor who threatens the world for his own selfishness.
"I wonder why Liu Tingzhou countersigned the military order. Is it possible that he was not aware of Dong Yuan's intention at all?" Meng Zhixiang was puzzled. Although he did not think so thoroughly, when Dong Yuan's military order came down, he
Still, I immediately saw a lot of doubts.
"Which one is more important in Liu Tingzhou's heart, the king or the people?" Meng Jin asked, "The ancient sages have said that for the sake of the country, how can we cherish the people? Although Liu Tingzhou said he was honest and upright, after all, he is not on the same page as us."
Meng Zhixiang sighed and didn't know what to say.
Rather than expelling the barbarians and regaining the Central Plains, what was more important to Liu Tingzhou was to prevent Duke Chong from deposing the emperor and establishing himself on his own. Therefore, he completely chose to wear the same pants as Dong Yuan at this time.
Meng Jin laughed angrily and said: "Dong Yuan heard the news and gathered troops to go south to attack Luo Xiancheng. He asked Xiao Kui'an to lead some troops to hold Chen Zhihu down. Afterwards, we can't say that he was at fault - compared to trying to bite Chen Zhihu, the generals in Huaixi also
He is more willing to fight Luo Xiancheng, a paper tiger. If Chong Guogong blames Huaixi for this matter in the future, except for Xiao Kui'an, who is full of grievances and has nothing to say, the other generals in Huaixi will unite with Dong Yuan.
Even Xiao Kui'an was around, and Liu Tingzhou would come to appease him. In addition, Dong Yuan would press his troops to attack Luo Xiancheng at this time. He would not really fight, but would drag Luo Xiancheng's soldiers and horses to death at the northern foot of Huaishan Mountain - think about it.
, Luo Xiancheng sees that the situation is over, should he surrender to Huaidong or Huaixi? Dong Yuan, he is so smart, he has taken all the advantages!"
Meng Zhixiang became worried: at this time, he thought that the situation in Huaidong was determined. After winning the victory over Jingxiang, the time would be ripe to depose the emperor and establish himself on his own. He did not expect that Dong Yuan's disruption would make the situation so complicated.
If Luo Xiancheng's 50,000 troops on the northern front surrendered to Dong Yuan, and Ye Ji Luo Rong escaped to Guanzhong with the support of Chen Zhihu, the overall situation in the world would still be unclear.
Dong Yuan was not fighting for territory, but for Luo Xiancheng's 50,000 surrendered troops on the northern front - Dong Yuan really could have said that all the agencies were exhausted!
Meng Zhixiang said: "Chongguo Gong was prepared for Dong Yuan in advance. Why didn't he just issue a warrant and force Dong Yuan to fight Chen Zhihu? At least after the war, he might use this matter to weaken Huaixi..."
"It's useless. Dong Yuan is determined to support the enemy's self-respect. As a recruiter, he has the power to decide military affairs. How can the Privy Council's military order restrain him?" Meng Jin shook his head and said, "Besides, after the war,
Didn’t the Empress Dowager, Emperor Yongxing and other people risk their lives to protect Dong Yuan?”
Meng Zhixiang nodded, those people in Jiangning don't care about the massacre of tens of thousands of innocent soldiers and civilians in Nanyang, nor do they care about how damaged the Central Plains is. In order to preserve their precarious throne, what can't they do?
"Then Duke Chong Guo was not prepared at all for this?" Meng Zhixiang asked.
"I don't know, maybe there is. If there is a plan, it should be in Ning Zechen's hands. We will know everything when we go to see Ning Zechen," Meng Zhen said, thought for a while, and then sighed, "Ning Zechen
The total number of water infantry here is only 16,000 or 7,000. Including us, there are only 24,000 or 5,000. Even if I go to Zhengyang to intercept Chen Zhihu, I will not be able to make it in time... Even if Chong Guogong is on guard against Dong Yuan,
We can only reduce Dong Yuan's harm as much as possible, without completely reducing the bad influence that Dong Yuan and Liu Tingzhou will bring. Sigh..." Meng Jin sighed with pain and hatred, and patted Meng Zhixiang with emotion.
raised his shoulder and said, "In short, we did not make the wrong choice."
Meng Zhixiang nodded. If they had not decided to surrender to Duke Chong, this time they would have been escorted by Dong Yuan to attack Luo Xiancheng at the northern foot of Huaishan Mountain. They would also be the target of Duke Chong's purge in the future——