With the Second Shuiying warship as the main force, supplemented by requisitioned merchant ships, nearly a hundred sea-going ships carrying tens of thousands of soldiers departed from Nantai Island in batches, and returned north to eastern Zhejiang like arrows off their strings...
The Second Water Camp warship escorted the troop transport carrying the main force of the Chongcheng Army of the Infantry Division Left Army. After arriving in the waters of Changguo Island, the troops divided into two groups:
The troop transport ship was escorted by warships belonging to the East Zhejiang Camp Army, passed through the Laotangshan Port Strait, turned into the Qianjiang Waterway, and sailed to Xiaoshan to dock. The main force of the Chongcheng Army landed in Xiaoshan to serve. The main force of the Second Water Battalion continued
Go north and enter the Yangtze River waterway from the northern sea area of Shengsi Island to wait.
Although Lin Fu took the Lin Zhengjun ahead of him, his speed was not that fast. He landed at Peikou Port at night on the 12th, and then rode horses overnight to Xiaoshan to join Fu Qinghe.
At dawn, the ground was covered with white frost and my hoofs were covered in frost. I didn't notice the cold weather in eastern Fujian. When I traveled north to eastern Zhejiang, I suddenly realized that it was already winter. I didn't feel it when I was riding a horse.
When the wind blows, my heart feels chilly, and I subconsciously close my chest to block the wind.
"Are there enough cold clothes here in Xiaoshan?" Lin Fu asked Fu Qinghe and Liang Wenzhan who came up to them.
"It was not clear in advance that the army would definitely gather in Xiaoshan. The military commander prepared supplies in Chongzhou and Xiaoshan at the same time. The cold clothes stored in Xiaoshan were for the Chongcheng army, but there was still a shortage of 5,000 pieces. I have asked Sun Wenyao to come from Xiaozhou, Kuaiji, Shanyin and other counties.
I bought used clothes at a high price and should be able to make up for them tomorrow..." Liang Wenzhan said.
When the Chongcheng army went south, they did not prepare cold clothes. Lin Fu was worried about whether Xiaoshan had enough cold clothes. If it was like last year, it was still a cold day, and the thinly-clad generals would not be able to carry the whole army in the barren mountains.
winter.
Lin Fu nodded slightly. Fu Qinghe and Liang Wenzhan were in charge of the affairs in eastern Zhejiang. There was nothing to worry about. In the current situation, there was no way to buy used clothes from the private sector. He said: "Let's go to the city first. After riding a horse all night, my legs and feet
We are in the border area. We originally prepared a carriage for Zong Ting and Song Gong, but it capsized on the way, so we came here on horseback. We suffered a lot, so we prepared some wine to strengthen our muscles..."
Only elite generals who have been trained for a long time can travel hundreds of miles a day and ride on horseback all night without getting tired. Lin Fu has been personally supervising the battle these days, and he feels tired after riding a horse all night. Gao Zongting and Song Fu, if not
Someone was holding me up, but I couldn't stand still - the situation was so urgent, and I couldn't rest at this time.
Song Jia was wearing a magenta cloak and came to pay homage to Lin Fu and others - Lin Fu went to Fujian to supervise the war. Song Jia was unwell at the time and could not endure the bumpy journey, so she stayed in Mingzhou to recuperate. By this time, her appearance was restored.
Song Jia followed Fu Qinghe and Liang Wenzhao to the city to greet them, but they came in a carriage. Now they were going into the city. Seeing that Gao Zongting and his father had been riding hard all night, they gave the carriage to them. She rode alongside Lin Fu and enjoyed the ride.
The joy of getting together after farewell.
After entering the city, they washed up and had hot soup and rice, but without rest, everyone gathered in the hall again to discuss matters around the brazier.
"Shewenzhuang made up his mind to lure the Huinan Army into the trap. There were ambushes at Feihuang'an and Yuyan. These two villages were behind Huangtian Village, and the walls of the villages were already thin, not to mention that they were given to the Huinan Army in advance.
After being captured by force, Deng Yu was able to hold on to Feihuang'an for six days, which is considered good," Fu Qinghe said. "Luo Wenhu surrendered the enemy and Yu Bijiang was captured. There is no news about Deng Yu yet. He probably led the remaining troops to escape.
In the deep valley..."
"If Deng Yu refuses to surrender, it is good news that he can finally contain some Zhejiang and Fujian troops on the back road..." Lin Fu said. Deng Yu refused to surrender. Maybe he had his own considerations: for example, his wife, children, and children are all in Huizhou City.
, if he surrenders, Xie Chaozhong will naturally pour all the sewage on his head. Whether the Yuling Pass is broken or not, Xie Chaozhong will have enough time to take his wife, children and relatives to Jiangning for questioning; it is also possible that Deng Yu simply did not
If you are not optimistic about the She family, you may not think that Xie Chaozhong can't even defend Yuling Pass. No matter how difficult the situation is, he can get through it by gritting his teeth. Once he surrenders, he will eventually be defeated and die along with the She family - but no matter what,
Deng Yu was able to fight to the death without surrender, and he was one of the few loyal generals since the founding of the Dai Viet Dynasty.
"When the back road to Huangtian Village was cut off, the Huinan Army was carrying heavy supplies. Most of the food and fodder were in Huangtian Village. The Huinan Army was in Feihuang'an. Yuyan held on until the end. I am afraid that the food was almost exhausted. Even if there were remnants who fled into the deep valley.
, and their combat effectiveness will be greatly reduced due to lack of food," Gao Zongting said. "From Yuling Pass to the north bank of the Qianjiang River, along both sides of the Daqing River, there are high mountains and ridges. Only a few mountain barbarians and Shanyue natives live there, and the She family
Since the Daqingxi River Valley was to be used as a trap, the deep valleys on both sides would naturally be cleared in advance. This meant that even if Deng Yu led the remnants of his troops, they would not be able to find enough supplies in the deep valleys. The remnants of the Huinan Army did not go eastward, which would be even greater.
It may go all the way to the west..."
"Zongting said that Deng Yu would cross Mount Yi to find Yue Lengqiu?" Lin Fu asked.
"It is indeed possible," Song Fu said. "The Huinan Army was crippled, and Deng Yu was unwilling to surrender to East Fujian. He was also afraid that Xie Chaozhong would put the responsibility for the defeat on him. Apart from seeking refuge with Yue Lengqiu, he
He has no other options..."
"Huaidong also welcomes him!" Lin Fu said, spreading his hands.
Everyone laughed, and Fu Qinghe said: "Yue Lengqiu is not an ordinary person to have such a status. He single-handedly promoted Deng Yu. There is no reason for Deng Yu to come to Huaidong instead of joining Yue Lengqiu."
"Although the Huinan Army was disabled, it also consumed a considerable part of the strength of the Zhejiang and Fujian Army. Xie Chaozhong was completely a pustule. After the fall of Feihuang'an, he had half a day to escape back to Yuling Pass, but he failed to notice it in advance.
, and also attacked Huangtian Village with all their strength, catching Shewenzhuang's general Zheng Mingjing by surprise in front of Huangtian Village, and fled in defeat. Zheng Mingjing chased Xie Chaozhong and fought hard, chasing him all the way to Yuling Pass.
Taking advantage of the chaos, he captured Yuling Pass. Deng Yu had defended Yuling Pass for several years without breaking it, but it was destroyed by Xie Chaozhong in less than half a day. The imperial camp at Yuling Pass was completely defeated by his own troops.
Chaos, trampling on each other, heavy casualties, and countless surrenders. Huizhou surrendered immediately, and the grain, fodder, and ordnance Jiangning had reserved in Huizhou for the expedition to western Zhejiang also fell into the hands of the Zhejiang and Fujian troops..." Fu Qinghe continued to introduce the current Jiangning
critical situation faced.
Lin Fu pressed his hands heavily on the long desk and remained silent.
"The situation is really as dangerous as it seems!" Song Fu said with emotion.
The Huaidong Army was in eastern Fujian, the Hanghu Army was in Tonglu, and even the Huinan Army was in the Daqingxi Valley, all of which greatly depleted the strength of the Zhejiang and Fujian Army.
Since the beginning of autumn, one after another, the Zhejiang and Fujian armies have lost at least 20,000 elite troops. Of course, the heavier loss is the She family's ability to obtain supplies.
The grain fields in Jiangxi are mainly concentrated along the Poyang Lake.
There are nearly 10 million acres of grain fields in the plains along Poyang Lake, but the She family currently only occupies Yuzhang in the southeast of Poyang Lake. Hukou, Jiangzhou and other places in the north of Poyang Lake are still under Yue Lengqiu's control.
, making the entire Poyang Lake coastal plain a buffer zone for war, and naturally no money or food would be provided to the She family.
The She family wanted to move to Jiangxi and establish itself, and they would not even directly plunder the place at this time.
The fall of East Fujian not only meant the loss of their hometown, but also meant the loss of the most important supply area for the Zhejiang and Fujian armies. In the past half year, the She family moved a large number of people from the coast of East Fujian to the upper reaches of the Min River.
The population was resettled to Jian'an Prefecture, or even continued westward along Shanguan to be resettled in Jiangxi. Such a large-scale migration would consume a lot of resources of the She family, which meant that even if the She family opened the gap in Huizhou, they would not have enough resources.
There has been a long-term war outside Jiangning.
Things were looking good at the moment, as Xie Chaozhong "gifted" all the grain and grass supplies that Huizhou had hoarded to the She family.
In order to send troops from Yuling Pass to attack western Zhejiang, a 60,000-horse recruiting army for western Zhejiang was organized. In order to raise war preparation materials for the western Zhejiang recruiting army to go to war, the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Internal Affairs Bureau were eager to put their bottoms and trousers together.
It was pawned, and Emperor Yongxing also cut the expenses of the inner court and came up with 100,000 taels of silver. At this time, the She family was also benefited, and it became the material basis to support the She family's long-term war outside Jiangning. It's really amazing.
I can't laugh or cry.
"Huizhou fell on the 8th, and Zheng Mingjing led the outposts to conquer Jixi and Ningguo on the 10th. The soldiers and horses entered the outskirts of Jiangning. At this time, the She family's large number of soldiers and horses in western Zhejiang were rapidly heading north through the Daqingxi River Valley, passing through Yu
Lingguan entered Huizhou and went north to Ningguo to gather..." Fu Qinghe continued.
"What was Meng Yishan's reaction? Has anyone been sent to contact Meng Yishan in the past two days?" Lin Fu asked.
"It was previously suggested that Meng Yishan withdraw his troops from Tonglu and move to the vicinity of Dusongguan. Meng Yishan had many concerns and did not agree," Fu Qinghe said. "But after Feihuang'an fell, Meng Yishan should have received the news earlier than us. He did not dare to do it again.
They stormed Tonglu and only sent people to inform them. On November 8, the Hanghu Army retreated to the south bank of the Qianjiang River and went north along the Luzhu River to Linshui. However, the She family was faster, and they were defeated on the 10th.
Capture Ning State. Meng Yishan did not dare to attack west from Dusong Pass to capture Ning State, but chose to pass through Linshui and Anji continued northward. Probably he wanted to enter Jiangning first and compete for King Qin's first contribution! Jiangning's edict has also reached Xiaoshan, sir.
Do you want to watch it?" Liang Wenzhan said.
"It's okay not to read it," Lin Fu shook his head. He really had no interest in Jiang Ning's edict at this time, and said, "Meng Yishan was afraid at first, and now he is greedy. He is afraid that he will suffer first!"
"Aren't greed and fear inherent weaknesses in human beings?" Gao Zongting said.
"It would be better if Emperor Yongxing agreed to allow the Hanghu Army to enter Jiangning City..." Liang Wenzhan said.
Song Fu shook his head and said: "If the imperial army is full and there are still 40,000 troops in Jiangning, who will easily let a foreign army enter Jiangning City? Chen Xiyan may be willing, but let Meng Yishan lead his troops into Jiangning. Yu Xinyuan, Wang Xueshan,
Is there any way for Wang Tian and others to survive? The Hangzhou and Hu troops arrived early, and they were probably sent to the south of Jiangning to stop the Zhejiang and Fujian troops from advancing northward. If Meng Yishan is a smart man, he will not be able to move until he reaches Jingyi (today's Yixing) at most.
It’s better to stay in Huzhou!”
"Perhaps Meng Yishan will not advance so rashly. Apart from the navy and the soldiers and horses left behind in Hangzhou and Lake, there should only be more than 10,000 soldiers and horses following him north to aid Jiangning..." Liang Wenzhan said.
Fu Qinghe shook his head. He did not agree with Liang Wenzhan's judgment and explained to Lin Fu and others: "In order to attack Tonglu, the Hanghu Army suffered heavy casualties, and it was only one step away from defeating Tonglu. News of the fall of Feihuang'an spread.
Come on, I asked Sun Wenyao to go to Tonglu to meet Meng Yishan on my behalf. I hoped that he would bite the bullet and take down Tonglu first. At that time, the Hanghu Army and Navy could control the Qianjiang waterway outside Tonglu, and there were still conditions for attacking Tonglu, but Meng Yishan didn't.
At that time, we had already begun to withdraw our troops. In the final analysis, we were still a bit greedy..."
"Excessive greed will make people forget fear and danger, and they will not be able to see clearly where the traps are. Meng Yishan is rushing north to compete for King Qin's first contribution," Lin Fu was not very optimistic about the prospects of the Hanghu Army, saying, "In addition,
, Chen Xiyan also had a great influence on the Hanghu Army. Chen Xiyan, who was in Jiangning, was probably eager for Meng Yishan to lead the Hanghu Army to approach Jiangning for mutual aid. Even if the Hanghu Army suffered a big loss, it would not be a surprise. "
"We can't make the trip. Going north from Ningguo to Jiangning, it's only three hundred miles away," Gao Zongting said. "I'm afraid the front troops of the She family have already assembled in Ningguo!"
There are spacious post roads in the plains, covering a distance of 300 miles. It only takes three days for the infantry to march in a hurry, while the Huaidong warships set out from Chongzhou and sailed up the Yangtze River in the opposite direction, and it would take five days to reach Jiangning. If they took the land route,
Starting from Xiaoshan, crossing the Qianjiang River, and borrowing roads from Hangzhou and Huzhou, it would take nearly 600 miles, and at the earliest it would be three days behind the Zhejiang and Fujian troops.
Under the current situation, if the Huaidong Army rushes northward, the Zhejiang and Fujian Army will probably give up attacking Jiangning first and fight the exhausted Huaidong Army in the southeast of Jiangning!
The 40,000 imperial camp troops are purely for decoration and will not arouse fear in the Zhejiang and Fujian armies at all. The front troops of the Zhejiang and Fujian armies can gather 25,000 to 30,000 elite soldiers. From Zhejiang and Jiangxi, they can draw more
Thirty thousand elite troops marched northward, and their speed was not even much slower than that of the Huaidong Army.
At present, there are only 20,000 elite infantrymen of the Chongcheng Army in Xiaoshan. They have not yet recovered from the war in Eastern Fujian, and they are still short of cold clothes.
If the Chongcheng Army rushes 600 miles to the outskirts of Jiangning and encounters the main force of the Zhejiang and Fujian Army, which has entered Jiangning earlier and has a maximum strength of 60,000, what will be the result can be imagined with just one finger.
Right now, we are counting on Jiangning's 40,000 Imperial Army troops to be able to defend Jiangning City after surviving the initial panic.
As for Huaidong's attitude towards Jiang Ning, it was decided before the war and he just ignored it for now.
The She family seized the food and fodder of the former Zhejiang Western Recruiting Army from Huizhou, so there was no problem of attacking quickly; if the 40,000 imperial army could not hold Jiangning City for a month or two, even if it fell, they would not be able to blame Huai
East.
Huaidong still has to attack Huaidong first.
It is a pity that the Hanghu army did not bite the bullet and defeat Tonglu first. If Huaidong borrowed the road from Tonglu and went directly up the Qianjiang River to attack Chun'an, it would be able to drag most of the She family's troops in western Zhejiang and dare not go north.
Best policy.
Lin Fu asked Fu Qinghe: "The troops and horses of the She family in Dongyang County should be almost exhausted, right?"
"There are still five thousand defenders," Fu Qinghe said, "but according to the intelligence collected, half of them are newly recruited soldiers. The number of dead soldiers who are truly loyal to the She family should be less than half..."
"Oh, Shewenzhuang put a bait just for us to eat it, but he still can't make us eat it comfortably. After all, this bait is used by him to buy time!" Gao Zongting said.
"Leave it to Zhang Gou to take charge of the attack on Dongyang County. Chen Kuili's troops from the eastern Zhejiang camp will also be transferred up to fully assist in the siege. After seeing the blood, they can be used to defend Dongyang with confidence in the future. Ao Canghai will lead his troops down first."
Lin Fu said, "We can't fight in central Zhejiang anyway. It doesn't make much sense for the main force of the Changshan Army to stay outside Dongyang. It's better to come down first and make preparations..."
There is a feasible valley road from Tonglu to Lanxi County in Quzhou. After Huaidong captures Dongyang County, it has to go deep into the valley plains of central Zhejiang, or even attack Shangluo and Xinzhou. Tonglu must be captured first, so that there is no need to worry about catching turtles in the urn.
The She family deployed few elite troops in Dongyang County, but the troops in Tonglu were relatively sufficient. The She family wanted to prevent the entire northward march from being blocked by Huaidong, and the other was to prevent Huaidong from going deep into central Zhejiang.
; Otherwise, the troops and horses of the She family going north can probably turn back the carbines and abandon Jiangning first, and the large group of troops will first enter the valley in central Zhejiang from Tonglu to copy the Huaidong Army's retreat.
"In the final analysis, the biggest headache right now is Yue Lengqiu's reaction," Gao Zongting said. "Jiangning should have issued an edict to Jiangzhou and Shouzhou. We can block the Huaixi soldiers and horses from crossing the river. If Yue Lengqiu cannot bear it,
I went back to Jiangning first, but we didn’t catch up, so this problem is also very difficult!”
"For Yue Lengqiu, it is more likely that he will only leave a small number of troops in Jiangzhou, and he will personally lead the army into the outskirts of Jiangning to observe the situation," Song Fu said, "Yue Lengqiu should have better patience than Meng Yishan.
But it would be difficult to ask him to stand still in Jiangzhou..."
Everything in Jiangzhou depends on Jiangning's supply. Yue Lengqiu cannot imitate Lin Fu and regard Emperor Yongxing's decree as shit and not even take a look at it. If Jiangning is not compromised and Yue Lengqiu does not move, he will be held accountable afterwards.
; If Jiangning falls, Jiangzhou will also be cut off from supplies and will be in trouble. In Jiangzhou, it is difficult for Yue Lengqiu to sit as motionless as in Huaidong. If Yue Lengqiu is lured out, Jiangzhou will be in danger.
Compared with Jiangning, the She family's first goal should be Jiangzhou. Only by winning Jiangzhou can the situation in Jiangxi be complete, and only then can the entire Poyang Lake Plain be completely occupied, and only then can the She family have a place to recuperate and restore their vitality.
Considering the overall situation, Yue Lengqiu should stay in Jiangzhou. It is a pity that Emperor Yongxing would not consider the overall situation and ask Yue Lengqiu to stay in Jiangzhou instead of saving Jiangning. Compared with the risks of staying in Jiangzhou, Yue Lengqiu's rate
The benefits of aiding Jiangning with troops may be too great, and they may even replace Chen Xiyan as the chief assistant and take control of Jiangning's garrison.
Compared with this, Jiangzhou's gains and losses must not be that important in Yue Lengqiu's eyes.
However, Huaidong had the means to stop Dong Yuan's Huaixi troops from crossing the river, but they had no confidence in stopping Yue Lengqiu's Jiangzhou troops from advancing eastward.
"Well, even if the She family temporarily occupies Jiangzhou, even if Jiangning is lost, the situation is not too bad to be handled," Lin Fu said, "Send someone to Hangzhou tomorrow and tell them clearly that Huaidong's soldiers and horses
We need to borrow the road from Hangzhou, and the Han Caizhi Division of the Zhejiang-Fujian Camp will be incorporated into the Changshan Army from now on. It has been a long time since we had a good fight in an open place."
Although Lin Fu had just come to Xiaoshan to supervise the battle, he knew the deployment of troops in eastern Zhejiang very well.
"If the She family captures Jiangning, will we march west from Huzhou, forcibly cut off the communication between Huizhou and Jiangning, and force the She family to come out to fight?" Gao Zongting asked.
"Of course," Lin Fu said, "Is Jiangning so easy for the She family to take advantage of?"
Even considering that the Changshan Army will suffer casualties when attacking Dongyang County, the number of Huaidong infantry assembled in Xiaoshan will eventually reach 50,000; on the Yangtze River, the Hailing Army that was temporarily reorganized in the middle of the year and those who are about to join Ge Cunxin
The main force of the second water battalion he led was nearly 30,000 soldiers and horses.
Even if the She family transferred all their main forces to the vicinity of Jiangning, Lin Fu was still determined to go there and fight a big battle.
Song Fu smiled slightly. In theory, if the She family takes Jiangning and Jiangzhou, it can connect the thousands of miles of Jiangning, Huizhou and Jiangzhou to the west, but the She family will need time to digest it.
It will take time for She Feixiong to attack Jiangzhou. Coming from Jiangzhou, Hukou, Chizhou, and Yicheng are all big cities on the south bank of the Yangtze River. They have to capture them one by one before Jiangzhou can be considered connected with Jiangning, which will take a lot of time.
Yue Lengqiu led the main force of Jiangzhou to the east, and could mobilize 50,000 to 60,000 troops and horses. With Yue Lengqiu's scheming, even if he gave up Jiangzhou, he would still leave a way out for himself between Chizhou and Yicheng.
In the meantime, as long as Huaidong can cut in between Huizhou and Jiangning and cut off the single line of communication between Huizhou and Jiangning, even if the She family takes over Jiangning City, they will still be restless in Jiangning City.