Chen Xiyan is going to see Dong Yuan, and Chen Mingzhe cannot hide in Mingzhou. He is the censor of the school in northern Zhejiang after all; Chen Enze is going to the north bank to see Dong Yuan on behalf of Huaidong, and they will go with him all the way.
We braved the water and the wind, and took a boat to Haining County on the north coast. It was already dusk on the 25th. Dong Yuan was deploying troops and horses from the eastern front to march westward. The official road from Haining to the west was provided with support for the westward march on the night of the 25th.
The soldiers were crowded. Even if Chen Mingzhe hired carriages and drivers, and Haining County officials were sent to accompany them, they could not allow the reinforcements to withdraw from the official road to make way for them.
Chen Enze and his entourage rode horses through the wild fields that night. Chen Mingzhe could only accompany Chen Xiyan to spend the night in Haining City. Chen Xiyan's body could not withstand riding horses in the wild fields, and he did not set off for Hangzhou until the next morning.
The news coming back from Fuyang is not optimistic. Although Dong Yuan could mobilize as many as 40,000 troops in northern Zhejiang, most of them were newly recruited soldiers. There were only more than 10,000 combat elites based on the original Weiyang Army. Linshui County
After being captured, the tug-of-war in Fuyang was brutal. The Northern Zhejiang Army suffered heavy casualties. When reinforcements were transferred from the eastern front, especially the newly recruited soldiers, many people fled along the way when they heard that the fighting was so brutal.
Chen Mingzhe accompanied Chen Xiyan in a car heading west. On the trees on both sides of the official road were hung the bodies of many escaped soldiers who had been captured and executed on the spot. Along the way, there were probably hundreds of them - this shows that Fuyang's
The cruelty of war.
Although Dong Yuan became famous for defending Xianxia more than ten years ago, Chen Mingzhe's heart was still hanging in his throat as to whether he could defend Fuyang at this time.
The carriage entered Yuhang County in the afternoon, and Chen Mingzhe learned that his second uncle Chen Huawen had led a portion of the Haiyu Army to Deqing County. However, after arriving in Deqing, Chen Huawen had no intention of leading his troops south again.
Chen Mingzhe and Chen Xiyan parted ways in Yuhang County. Chen Xiyan continued to go west to Fuyang to meet Dong Yuan according to the original plan, while Chen Mingzhe turned north from Yuhang to Deqing to meet his second uncle Chen Huawen. It was about night before Chen Mingzhe rushed there.
When I arrived in Deqing County, I met my second uncle Chen Huawen in the Deqing County Yamen, which was temporarily requisitioned as a camp.
Dozens of pairs of red candles, as thick as a baby's arm, were inserted in the official hall. They burned loudly and had a strong smell of balsam.
Despite being exhausted from running around in recent days, Chen Mingzhe rushed to the official hall without even bothering to pack his official robes.
In terms of official rank, Chen Huawen is a seventh-grade civil servant. He is wearing a lake-blue official robe, with half of the official robe showing off the armor underneath. He has a thin face, a beard as short as a steel needle, and his eyes are bright and lively.
A somewhat Confucian general, he was standing in front of Nanmu Gongan with Deqing magistrate Huang Shiqing and other Deqing officials, discussing something over the map.
"Mingzhe, why are you in Bei'an?" Chen Huawen saw Chen Mingzhe walking in, "I thought you and Chen Ge were in Mingzhou Mansion."
Huang Shiqing and other Deqing officials all saluted Chen Mingzhe. Chen Mingzhe bowed in reply and briefly told his second uncle Chen Huawen about the itinerary: "I crossed the river with my teacher in the early morning yesterday and stayed in Haining all night. After I arrived in Yuhang, I knew that my second uncle was coming.
After arriving in Deqing, my mentor went to Fuyang to see Mr. Dong and asked me to turn around and ask my second uncle: Why did the Haiyu Army stop at Deqing and stop going south?"
Chen Huawen's face darkened a little, and he couldn't say anything in front of Huang Shiqing, the magistrate of Deqing County. He laughed, bypassing Chen Mingzhe's question, and asked: "How did the Huaidong Army fight in Mingzhou Prefecture?"
Along the way, there was news about Fuyang's emergency. Chen Mingzhe was inevitably agitated. When his second uncle changed the subject and asked about the war situation in Mingzhou Prefecture, he felt a little uncomfortable, but he also thought that there might be some things that were difficult to talk about in front of outsiders.
Said: "Facing the attack of more than 30,000 elite water infantry troops of the Huaidong Army, the She family had almost no defense in Mingzhou Prefecture. When we came over, nearly 20,000 Huaidong Army soldiers landed in Mingzhou Prefecture and controlled the Yongjiang River.
As well as the mouth of the Cao'e River and the southwest corner of Changguo Island, the She family's garrison in Mingzhou Prefecture was separated. Seeing Lin Fu's intentions, he was not in a hurry to attack Mingzhou Prefecture, and instead dispersed his troops to attack the outer walls...
…”
"It seems that the Huaidong Army will soon regain Mingzhou Prefecture," Chen Huawen said. "Mingzhe came all the way to Deqing. He must have had a tiring journey, so he should go and have a rest first! How to deploy Deqing's defense, and you, a Zhejiang man,
The censor of Beijing is making up his mind!"
Chen Mingzhe was slightly startled. He had no real power in the Zhejiang Envoy Department in Northern Zhejiang, but speaking of it, he was the highest official in Deqing City in the Northern Zhejiang Envoy Department. Theoretically, he had the right to control
Deqing officials, he even had the authority to take over the defense of Deqing without further instructions from Dong Yuan.
Chen Mingzhe had no intention of fighting for power at this time, but Chen Huawen had already mentioned this, so he could only humbly bow out. An attendant took him to the backyard to wash up and rest. After a while, Chen Huawen
Leave the Deqing officials aside and come here alone.
"I know you complained about me stopping in Deqing," Chen Huawen sat down opposite Chen Mingzhe, resting his arms on the table and said, "I want to ask you, even if I bring the 5,000 Haiyu troops to Fuyang
, Fuyang will definitely be able to be taken back?"
"Fuyang has not been lost yet, and the north gate of Fuyang City is still under Master Dong's control," Chen Mingzhe said.
Chen Huawen shook his head and said: "If the Huaidong Army is not in a hurry to attack the city and seize the stronghold after landing in eastern Zhejiang, and Lin Fu directly leads the water and land troops to attack Xiaoshan, threatening She Feixiong's retreat in Fuyang, I will
Without hesitation, he led his troops directly to Fuyang to support or assist Dong Yuan in counterattacking Linshui... However, Lin Fu's intention for this battle was to be in Mingzhou Prefecture. In three days, the Huaidong Army should stand firm in Mingzhou Prefecture.
Heel, but the Huaidong Army never entered Kuaiji Prefecture to fight. The She family should also complete preparations in Kuaiji Prefecture to intercept the Huaidong Army's westward advance and affect the Fuyang War! If I lead my troops south at this time, even if I am cruel, I will lose this little foundation.
If you go in, you won't be able to do much good."
"..." Chen Mingzhe fell silent.
Why didn't Lin Fu directly lead his troops to attack Xiaoshan by land and water at the beginning, threatening She Feixiong's military route in Fuyang?
The reason is simple. The East Zhejiang Navy has blocked the shallow and narrow Qianjiang waterway in the Xiaoshan section. The Huaidong Navy cannot get up. The water channels upstream are still under the control of the East Zhejiang Navy. Shefei Xiong can divert water from the west line.
There were 50,000 elite troops going to Fuyang to join the battle. The Huaidong Army had 20,000 soldiers to defeat them, and the chance of victory was slim.
Once the attack is blocked, and the She family's troops in eastern Zhejiang adjust their deployment and gather the dispersed defenders to guard the key cities, Huaidong will definitely steal the chicken but lose the rice.
No wonder Lin Fu wanted to pursue the strategy of driving away wolves and devouring tigers - if it had been anyone else, he would have taken the Mingzhou capital first - She Feixiong and Dong Yuan had a bloody battle in Fuyang. In fact, it was forced by the situation, and no one dared to take a step back.
, if you take a step back, it is likely to be a thundering hell, and there will be no recovery.
Although Dong Yuan has 40,000 soldiers and horses, 70% to 80% of them are newly recruited soldiers, and they are far behind in terms of military strength. Even inside and outside Fuyang City, Luxury Feixiong has more terrain advantages - Dong Yuan is one of the few in the world.
It is true that he is a famous general, but She Fei Xiong is not a vegetarian either. The two of them were enemies on the battlefield in East Fujian. They fought for nearly ten years and knew each other well.
Once She Feixiong is determined to fight Dong Yuan in Fuyang City, no clever strategies will be used. Once Dong Yuan has all the elites in his hands, he will never be able to escape defeat.
"If Fuyang cannot be defended, the situation in northern Zhejiang will be ugly. Even if the She family cannot defend Mingzhou Prefecture, they can still use troops from Fuyang, Linshui, and pass Qianqiu Pass to attack Huizhou Prefecture, or threaten Jiangning through Dusong Pass."
Chen Mingzhe lowered his voice and said, "My mentor is afraid that he will not be able to suppress Huaidong's ambition..."
Qianqiu Pass is the passage through Fuyu Mountain into Huizhou Prefecture, and Dusong Pass is the passage through Fuyu Mountain into Ningguo and Jiangning Prefecture.
Before the passage at the east foot of Fuyu Mountain was opened, Qianqiu Pass and Dusong Pass were regarded as inside lines. Although there were defenders in the two passes, there were only three to five hundred sword archers who chased bandits and captured the thieves - She Fei Xiong was in Fang Zhenhe
With the cooperation of the enemy, Linshui was captured in a surprise attack, and the troops from Fangjiabu were divided into three groups to capture Qianqiu Pass, Dusong Pass and Anji County. Only the surprise troops who attacked Anji were repulsed, and Qianqiu Pass and Dusong Pass were defeated.
The flying bear took it away.
Once Fuyang falls, not only northern Zhejiang, Huizhou Prefecture, and Jiangning Prefecture will be in an ugly situation - Jiangning will only be looking to Huaidong for everything.
"Mr. Chen Ge is devoted to the imperial court, and he can learn from the sun and the moon. I admire him very much. However," at this point, Chen Huawen sighed slightly, "the time and the situation are such that suppressing Huaidong is Jiangning and the imperial court."
There is no need for the Chen family to stake their life-saving decisions on matters that are considered by the office..."
Although the Haiyu Army has 20,000 soldiers, what really determines the status of the Chen family in the Haiyu Army is the 5,000 infantry led by Chen Huawen at this time. Once these 5,000 infantry are all gone, Su Pinxiao will have no influence on the Haiyu Army.
The influence will exceed that of the Chen family.
The more troubled the times, the more we have to rely on our military power to speak for ourselves.
If Dong Yuan fails to defend Fuyang this time, will Meng Yishan still act based on his face in the future?
Speaking of which, Dong Yuan's failure to defend Fuyang was a good opportunity for the Chen family, Dong Yuan, and Meng Yishan to fight against each other in northern Zhejiang.
Thinking of this, Chen Mingzhe raised his head and glanced at his second uncle's face under the lamp, thinking: Is this the plan that his second uncle can't express in his heart?
It is said that those who understand current affairs are heroes. As for suppressing Huaidong, in the past two or three years, Yue Lengqiu, Zhang Xie, Zhang Xitong and others have been trying their best to suppress Huaidong. What is the result? Thinking of this, Chen Mingzhe
They were all a little discouraged, knowing that their second uncle's decision was not wrong.
Seeing Chen Mingzhe's silence as if to convince himself, Chen Huawen said: "You don't need to go to Fuyang anymore, just stay in Deqing and help Deqing's defense as the censor of northern Zhejiang..."
"As long as my second uncle is here," Chen Mingzhe said, unable to bear leaving Chen Xiyan alone in Fuyang, "I still want to go to Fuyang..."
Chen Mingzhe traveled south from Deqing that night, detouring from Hangzhou to Fuyang. After passing Hangcheng, the sky became brighter and it was already the early morning of the 27th. Along the road were wounded and disabled soldiers who had been evacuated from Fuyang.
On the road, he pulled a primary school student with a broken leg away on crutches. Chen Mingzhe had an idea of the cruelty of the Fuyang war.
Dong Yuan took command of Shangyanwu, blocking the retreat route of the defenders at the north gate of Fuyang City, and continuously mobilized reinforcements. No one was allowed to withdraw unless their legs and limbs were broken. Almost all the troops and horses transferred to Fuyang before the 26th were
They were all disabled.
Dong Yuan was ruthless in running the army, and indeed he had extraordinary abilities. When he led the county officials to defend Xianxia County, he also managed to repel the powerful soldiers of the She family. If it had been someone else who had guarded Fuyang, they would have been beaten like this long ago.
The whole army collapsed, but he was still able to grit his teeth and hold on.
Compared with Huaidong, Dong Yuan may just lack some luck.
Chen Mingzhe thought to himself: Even if Fuyang was barely recaptured, Dong Yuan's troops and horses would still be intact after the war, probably not more than one-third.
However, for Dong Yuan, as long as he can hold Fuyang, even if he spends all his troops, Meng Yishan cannot challenge his authority in northern Zhejiang. As long as Dong Yuan can control the resources of northern Zhejiang, as long as Yue Lengqiu and Prince Ning's Mansion
If you can still trust him, then you can recruit troops again.
But, can Fuyang be defended?
Chen Mingzhe worked hard and rushed to Shangyanwu, reported the news, passed through the guard post, and walked to Dong Yuan's side courtyard. As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, he heard Chen Xiyan advising Dong Yuan: "Retreat.
We must leave some foundation to defend Hangzhou..."
Chen Mingzhe was surprised: when Yuhang left, his mentor was determined to defend Fuyang. After just over a day, his mentor instead advised Dong Yuan to withdraw from Fuyang. How cruel was this battle?