On the 19th, the Zhejiang and Fujian armies abandoned Ouhai and crossed the Yongjia River to retreat north to strengthen the city defense of Yongjia. Huaidong Military General Zhang Jiheng led his troops to regain Ouhai. On the 22nd, the obstacles in the lower reaches of the Yongjia River were cleared, and nearly 100 people were camped in Jinghaihai.
A warship entered the Yongjia River waterway.
Yongjia City is located in the valley of the lower reaches of the Nanxi River. There are high mountains on both sides, especially the North Yandang Mountain between Yongjia and Yueqing. Thousands of mountains overlap, peaks compete for supremacy, overhanging peaks block the sun, roads are cut off, and large numbers of soldiers
It is absolutely difficult for horses to pass through. The Zhejiang and Fujian troops rely on Yongjia City and Shangtang and other cities to defend. As long as the cities such as Xianju and Linhai in the north are not lost, there is no risk of their retreat being cut off.
When the world speculated that the Huaidong Army would first regain Hengyang, Pingyang, Cangnan and other counties south of Ouhai and advance towards northern Fujian, the Jinghaihai Camp used two days to set up two camps at the mouth of the Nanxi River where it merges into the Yongjia River.
A large number of soldiers and horses crossed the Ouhai River on the south bank of the Yongjia River and advanced along the north bank of the Yongjia River from Wushanjian.
Judging from the terrain, Yongjia City is not afraid of cutting off its back roads, but it is built in the valley of the lower reaches of the Nanxi River. Entering from the river branch, along both sides of the Nanxi River, it is more than 20 miles deep and 45 to 78 miles wide.
The shallow and wide river valleys and plains are enough for the Huaidong Army to launch large forces and advance from the front.
She Feihu defeated Ye Su's troops and recaptured Yongjia City, brutally massacred the soldiers and civilians in the city, and the surrounding people fled Yongjia City; except for a few rural soldiers, generals, and a few who followed She Feihu who were taken into the city as hostages.
In addition to the local forces at home, the Yongjia garrison had only more than 8,000 men by late March, plus the troops who had withdrawn from Ouhai and other cities and the troops who came from Xianju, Dongyang and other places. There were not many civilians who could threaten them.
Come to help defend the city.
In the direction of the Huaidong Army, in addition to the adjustment and expansion of the New Zhejiang Southern Army to the 20th Battalion and the Chongcheng Infantry Battalion maintaining the 15th Battalion's elite strength in Yueqing, in late March, Lin Fu transferred Chen Kuili from Mingzhou and Yizhou.
Mao Tengyuan and Han Caizhi's troops transferred Gengquanshan troops from Chongzhou and landed in Yueqing by sea. Together with the main force of the Second Water Battalion of Jinghai and part of the First Water Battalion, the Huaidong Army assembled nearly 1,000 troops on both sides of the Yongjia River Estuary.
40,000 people, and more than 10,000 civilians were recruited from local areas.
In addition to the garrison troops in Wenqiao, Wuhe, Yueqing, Ouhai and other places and the water camp controlling the outer sea and Yongjia River waterway, the troops and horses that entered Yongjia County along both sides of the Nanxi River on March 25 included Tang Fuguan and Chen Dingbang.
, the main force of the New Zhejiang Southern Army led by Zuo Guangying was Chen Kuili, the main force of the marching army in eastern Zhejiang was led by Mao Tengyuan, Zhang Jiheng, and the Chongcheng Infantry Battalion led by Liu Zhenzhi had more than 24,000 soldiers and more than 10,000 civilians.
Even though it was impossible to cross the high mountains and cut off Yongjia City's retreat, Lin Fu still authorized Zhou Tong to launch an siege from the south of Yongjia City on March 28.
Yongjia City is located in the valley on the west bank of the Nanxi River. On the east bank is Shangtangzhai, and the terrain is even more steep. Yongjia City and Shangtangzhai are connected by a trestle, and the bottom of the trestle is naturally blocked by sunken ships, hidden piles and various obstacles.
In tit-for-tat, the Huaidong Army entered Yongjia County, built two forts directly facing Yongjia City and Shangtang Village, and launched strong attacks on Yongjia and Shangtang Village in turn.
Yongjia County was once invaded by pirates and fell into decline. The Yongjia Prefecture was once forced to move to Ouhai. When Yongjia City was invaded by She Feihu and his troops in March last year, the degree of damage became even more serious.
After that, most of the resources of the Governor's Office in Southern Zhejiang were allocated to Dongyang County to build a defense line in front of the Huaidong Army stationed at Luoheshan Defense Village. It was not until the situation in Southern Zhejiang became critical, and Qin Zitan, on behalf of She Feihu, came to Yongjia to supervise the battle that manpower was allocated.
Strengthen the defenses of Yongjia and Shangtang.
After Qin Zitan returned to southern Zhejiang, some deficiencies in the city defense of Yongjia and Shangtang were effectively strengthened. However, after all, the city was low and could not be fully covered with bricks and wood. Yongjia was far from being called an impregnable city.
The only people we can rely on are the more than 8,000 Yongjia defenders, nine out of ten of whom are soldiers from the Fujian Province who are loyal to the She family.
The Yongjia siege officially started on March 28th and lasted until April 18th. During the 20th day, the Huaidong Army continued to organize sieges and sneak attacks, and the Yongjia defenders organized counterattacks out of the city.
, sneak attacks, and no fewer than a hundred battles, large and small, took place. Everyone tried their best, but they were unable to capture the city or repel the enemy, and the war fell into a cruel tug-of-war.
The bloodstains at the top of the city were dazzling black and purple. Both the enemy and us did not know how much blood had been shed on the city. The gaps in the brick road on the city had already overflowed. Broken arrows, broken halberds and fallen pieces of armor were all picked up and re-melted into weapons.
Arrows, broken arrow shafts, and spear shafts are everywhere. There are broken crenels and traces of fire burns everywhere - compared with the decay of the city head, those who rested against the back and sides of the crenellated walls are injured.
The disabled soldiers are even more shocking...
In the distance, the cloud platform built by the Huaidong Army for the siege of the city was one foot higher than the string towers in the city. Placed on the platform, large and small catapult crossbows could be fired without being pulled by humans or animals.
Crossbows and crossbows were a serious problem for the defenders.
Although the flying stone bullets are not very accurate, as long as they are hit, they will lose half of their lives. The sound of flying through the air from the crossbows and arrows as big as guns is even more audible.
Shivering.
Under the cloud platform, the soldiers of the Huaidong Army were arrayed in order, as solid as a rock.
In order to limit the Yuntai giant crossbow's suppression of the city, Qin Zitan and Wen Tingrui organized many generals to go out of the city to counterattack, fought fiercely with the Huaidong Army under the city, set fire to many Yuntais at a heavy cost, and destroyed the Huaidong Army's stone-throwing
There are dozens of crossbows and bed crossbows.
Lin Fu, who stood behind Zhou Tong and personally went to the camp outside Yongjia to supervise the battle, had the intention of fighting a war of attrition in Yongjia. In terms of troop deployment, Lin Fu used Zhang Jiheng and Liu Zhenzhi's two elite Chongcheng infantry battalions to hold the position.
, to prevent the Yongjia defenders from counterattacking out of the city, they used the relatively weak New Zhejiang Southern Army and the Eastern Zhejiang Camping Army to take turns to capture the city head, and they were well prepared in terms of siege equipment.
In today's world, almost all casting workpieces are made of clay molds. Huaidong has adopted petal steel molds as a model for casting some important workpieces. The cost of making a set of steel molds is naturally extremely high, but a set of steel molds can cast tens of thousands of workpieces.
Thousands of workpieces can be produced without being damaged, and the cost spread evenly on each workpiece is so low that traditional craftsmen using clay molds cannot imagine it.
There are various craftsmen in the military industry camps, and various workpieces and components can be prepared in large quantities in advance at a relatively low cost and according to the standard parts production model. Materials including mane, linen, silk, glue, etc. are also stored in large quantities before the war.
New sandalwood, new oak and other wood were harvested nearby to make cannon tips. During the war, the Huaidong Army was able to build dozens of nest carts, bed crossbows, trebuchet crossbows and other ordnance every day to supplement the damage during the war.
The tug-of-war lasted for twenty days. Although a large amount of ordnance was damaged every day by the counterattacks of the Yongjia defenders, by April 21st, in the south of Yongjia City, a cloud built with a chariot as a skeleton was
The platform reaches the level of one two hundred steps apart, and the striking surface covers the entire south wall of Yongjia City. Surrounded by the platform, there are retaining walls, fence walls, trenches and other enclosures.
Before the generals of the Huaidong Army could climb to the top of the city either from Yuan Road or using ladders attached to the wall or walking on the cloud bridge, the defenders could only hide under the low, double-layered hardwood tents to avoid arrows and stones, and could not enter the city first.
, so that the opportunity for active defense is lost, and the advantage of defending the city is greatly reduced.
Perhaps it was during the brutal confrontation with the East Fujian Army led by Li Zhuo that the Eighth Fujian soldiers honed their super-tough willpower, which allowed the Eighth Fujian soldiers to endure repeated attacks for nearly twenty days, but their willpower remained as strong as ever.
The rock has not wavered at all, but the accumulated casualties are shocking.
More than half of the eight thousand defenders suffered casualties, and perhaps the Huaidong Army suffered more casualties. However, Qin Zitan, Wen Tingrui and other Yongjia defenders knew clearly that if such cruel attrition continued, their situation would be very serious.
unfavorable.
The Yanhu cavalry can threaten the northern line of Huaidong, threaten the Huaisi area, and force the main force of Huaidong to move north. It will take at least half a year until winter comes and the rivers in the Hehuai area freeze. This is just
Speculation.
In half a year, there will be almost no threat to the Huaibei Northeast Line. Huaidong has the conditions and foundation to fight a protracted war outside Yongjia City. The Huaidong Army also has this idea and has been continuously strengthening both sides of the Nanxi River.
To this day, the Huaidong Military Camp opposite Yongjia City is as strong as a walled city.
If he wanted to grit his teeth and continue such a cruel war of attrition to defend the Yongjia Army, Qin Zitan estimated that he would have to mobilize 10,000 elite troops from the Western Front. In fact, as long as the Yongjia garrison strength increased, it would be able to restrict Huaidong.
After all, the total number of soldiers and horses that the Huaidong Army can mobilize is limited.
Lin Fushe was able to capture Yongjia City with 10,000 casualties - 10,000 casualties was what the Huaidong Army could withstand on the southern front. It would not significantly reduce the Huaidong Army's combat effectiveness and fighting will, but it would increase the casualties.
When you reach 20,000 people, the situation will be completely different.
Once the strength of the Yongjia garrison is greatly increased, Lin Fu will eventually have no choice but to change the active battle to seize the city into a long-term, close-range military confrontation.
Qin Zitan, Wen Tinggrui, She Feihu in Dongyang County, She Feixiong in Wuyuan, and people from the Zhejiang and Fujian Governor's Office as far away as Jin'an all had to weigh the pros and cons of a brutal military confrontation in Yongjia City.
If Qin Zitan and Wen Tingrui can defend Yongjia City, the Taizhou garrison will not need to abandon Huipu on the coast, and the two counties of Wenling - otherwise they cannot defend alone - will retreat to the deep cities such as Linhai and Xianju. In this way, the Zhejiang and Fujian armies will have a certain
With strategic depth, the situation with the Huaidong Army was in a stalemate until a turnaround occurred on the northern front.
But if the Yongjia garrison strength is increased to 15,000 or even higher, can the material preparation be sustained for half a year or even longer?
There is no need to think about meat. The soldiers eat two liters of rice per day. Fifteen thousand soldiers need ten thousand shi of food every month. The food reserves in Yongjia City can only last two months. After two months, they will need every month.
Only 10,000 tons of rice grains shipped from Dongyang County or even Quzhou to the west would be sufficient for consumption.
Unlike taking the sea route, a ship can carry thousands of stones, thousands of stones or even tens of thousands of stones of rice and grain. The Zhejiang and Fujian armies lost control of the waterway. From Dongyang County to Yongjia City, it was a winding, narrow and dangerous mountain road of more than 400 miles.
These 400-mile mountain road is located between Yandang Mountain, Kuocang Mountain and other mountains. There is no need to worry about the Huaidong Army being able to invade with a large force, but it is difficult to prevent the Huaidong Army from infiltrating and destroying a small group of elite scouts - the Huaidong Army is at a later date.
In the Luohe Mountain and Tiantai Mountain areas in the north, small groups of elite scouts conduct infiltration operations very frequently, causing headaches for the Zhejiang and Fujian armies. Even if small groups of elite scouts do not directly attack the grain transport troops, as long as they continue to destroy the mountain roads, they will greatly increase their power.
The difficulty of transporting supplies from Dongyang County to Yongjia.
The more than 400 miles of steep mountain roads cannot be driven by vehicles, and there are also sabotage and harassment by a small group of elite scouts from the Huaidong Army. Whether it is horses, camels or organized labor, the transport speed cannot be fast. A round trip takes at least a month.
time.
To employ people, at least 15,000 porters must be organized. Taking into account the porters' consumption along the way, Dongyang County must supply 20,000 kilo of rice per month.
South of the Qianjiang River, apart from Kuaiji and Mingzhou, which have a large amount of fertile farmland, the grain-producing areas in southern Zhejiang are mainly distributed in two places. One is the valley downstream of the Yongjia River, Jiaojiang River, Feiyun River and other rivers, and the offshore area.
One of the plains is the valley in central Zhejiang with Dongyang County as its eastern end. It was also called the Jinqu Basin in later generations.
As the Huaidong Army relied on Yueqing City and aggressively entered the coast of southern Zhejiang, the Zhejiang-Fujian Army naturally lost control of the offshore seas, river valleys and plains. The grain-producing areas in southern Zhejiang that could still be firmly controlled were mainly concentrated in the valley plains of central Zhejiang.
The Guyuan area in eastern Zhejiang, dominated by Quzhou Prefecture, has as many as 4 million acres of registered farmland, but it is mainly dry farmland, and the yield is far less than that of mature paddy fields. Therefore, when Quzhou Prefecture was at its peak, there were only more than 50,000 households in Dingkou.
It is far inferior to Mingzhou Prefecture, which had 200,000 households at its peak.
In order to organize the Dongyang Defense Line, She Feihu has been squeezing the Quzhou Prefecture as much as possible; can the Quzhou Prefecture still be able to withstand the deployment of 20,000 liters of rice and 15,000 civilians per month?
Once Quzhou cannot withstand such heavy oppression and triggers a civil uprising, the entire eastern front of the Zhejiang and Fujian Army will first cause internal collapse.
In addition to the supply of rice and other supplies, Yongjia City is also lacking in medicine for wounds.
The fierce fighting that lasted for twenty days caused the defenders to accumulate nearly 4,000 casualties.
Casualties, casualties, wounded and dead.
In a siege battle, instead of fighting each other, fighting with swords and guns, there are more bows, crossbows, arrows, stones, and throwing. In a short period of time, there are always far more people injured than killed, and there are more arrow injuries than swords and spears.
hurt.
Bumps and bumps do not count as injuries. They must at least temporarily lose combat effectiveness and be unable to continue fighting before they are counted in the total casualties. There are nearly 4,000 casualties. In addition to the more than 1,000 people who have died in battle and are seriously injured, there are nearly three
Thousands of wounded people have exhausted all the medicine reserves in Yongjia City.
Without treatment, at least half of the three thousand wounded would not survive. If treated, a large amount of wound medicine would have to be transferred from Dongyang County. Dongyang County can barely supply enough wound medicine for the time being, but Yongjia City’s military
What should we do if the stalemate lasts for half a year or even longer?
The soldiers of the Eighth Fujian War may not be afraid of death, but a large number of wounded soldiers gather in the city and cannot receive effective treatment. They endure great pain and wait to die. Only then will the morale and will of the generals face a truly cruel test.
test.
In addition to the superficial battles of swords and guns, with blood and flesh flying everywhere, the deeper and true contest lies here.
Qin Zitan believed that Lin Fu's intention was to force the city to Yongjia and engage in a war of attrition: to bring down this side.