Zhou Pu wanted to encircle the area and call for reinforcements, but the enemy's reinforcements came very quickly. Almost not long after the battle in Fangjiawa, they broke out of the camp from the Yao family.
All the way along the shallow water of Shahe River, all the way to the west foot of Longya Mountain on the east bank of Shahe River, all the way from the east foot of Hengzi Ridge on the west bank of Shahe River - nearly 10,000 people in these three groups came straight to Fangjiawa. The sun was still hanging diagonally in the east
When it reaches the top of Hengziling Mountain, the front reaches the outskirts of Fangjiawa.
Zhou Pu also knew at this time that the important person trapped in Fangjiawa was Zheng Mingjing, the left-wing general of the Zhejiang and Fujian Army, but he had no idea what to do and it was too late to fight.
After Zhao Bao and others came up, Zhou Pu only had a total of more than 1,500 cavalry in hand, and there were still more than a hundred wounded people who had to be protected and retreated. They continued fighting after marching all night, and the horses were also greatly damaged. Tang Fuguan's troops were far away from here.
There are still more than eighty miles to go, and I won't be able to catch up in a while.
The enemy had three lines of reinforcements, each with twice the strength of the cavalry camp. The middle line moved forward in a conical formation, and imitated Huaidong in deploying dozens of flying contradiction vehicles in front of the infantry formation;
Pointing, but it is to protect the two wings in the middle.
"Damn it, I'm not slow to learn from Huaidong," Zhou Pu spat, wanting to smash a hole in the frozen ground with one mouthful, and said to the people around him, "There is no way to fight for the time being, Zhao Bao, you lead the people in
Guard this hilltop. If you have nothing to do, send some people to practice running uphill. Don't let them settle down. If they settle down, we will not be able to settle down. I will lead the people to retreat south first, hit the top, and refresh themselves.
…”
"Then let's fight?" Chen Daozi asked. He was Sun Zhuang's general, but he asked Zhou Pu to come over and asked. It was a good fight, but it was not enough.
, he was afraid that if they retreated to the south, the enemy troops would flee to Liyang City. The next attack on Liyang City was also a matter of infantry camp. It was not the turn of cavalry camp to attack the city. How could he be willing to do so?
Zhou Pu rubbed his hands and said, "If you want to fight, you have to wait until Tang Fuguan comes over!" If he had twice as many troops, he would still dare to try to cut the enemy's reinforcements to attack. At this time, the disparity in strength was too great. If he attacked
If the formation cannot be penetrated, the casualties will be controlled.
No matter how itchy his heart was, he had to endure it. Zhou Pu angrily drove away the other generals who wanted to fight, and ordered the cavalry camp to shrink back and let the enemy reinforcements enter Fangjiawa. Zheng Mingjing could catch this big fish later.
Zhou Pu led his troops to temporarily retreat southward and found a valley mouth that was sheltered from the wind for temporary rest. Zhao Bao led two cavalry sentries to the south side of Fangjiawa.
**********
Zheng Mingjing was chewing rice balls that were hardened by the cold. He had no time to mourn for the generals who died on the battlefield today. He stood under the canopy of pines and cypresses on the top of the mountain, frowning and looking south:
Although he narrowly escaped, the current situation is not optimistic.
The battle had just begun, but the Huaidong Cavalry Battalion had decimated 1,400 to 500 people, most of whom were elites from Fujian. More than half of the main force on the left wing was forced to move forward to Fangjiawa, which was unsafe to defend.
It is easy to get in, but difficult to get out. If you are not careful, it is very likely that the main force of the Huaidong Army will stick here to fight.
At that time, let alone the center, if the right wing delays for another three to five days, I am afraid that the main force of the left wing will be the first to be carried into the hands of the Huaidong Army.
Although the Huaidong cavalry camp shrinks to the south, it is not far away. On a low ridge on the south side of Fangjiawa, only six or seven hundred steps away, there are more than two hundred cavalrymen nailed there like nails, staring at it.
Follow every move here.
How can Zheng Mingjing not worry about the situation in front of him?
Whoever has cavalry can control the battlefield.
The only cavalry on the left wing of the Zhejiang and Fujian Army was also exhausted in the pre-noon encounter. Zheng Mingjing could only watch the Huaidong cavalry sentry easily cover the entire battlefield. They wanted to know the situation from the south to Guangde.
If we can send people to go deep into Xiling first, and then go through the mountainous area in the middle of Xiling to the north of Guangde County for infiltration reconnaissance, the delay will not be even a little bit.
At present, the scouts cannot be sent out, and the view is blocked by the ridge head to the south. I don't know whether the main force of the Huaidong cavalry is resting after shrinking south, or whether it is preparing for the next wave of offensive, so they dare not relax at all. General
Even if they stay where they are, those with swords and shields are always on guard against enemy attacks. If they cannot stop and rest, they will be very tired. Not to mention the cavalry who are nailed to the Nantou Ridge from time to time, running around the mountains and climbing slopes.
It makes it even more difficult to have peace here.
Zheng Mingjing knew that the Huaidong cavalry was being harassed here, but he had no way to stop it.
The characteristic of the cavalry is that they move as fast as the wind and don't pay much attention to arrays and formations. As long as the terrain is open and there are no mountains or deep rivers to block them, they can advance or retreat at any time on horseback.
Surrounding the unmaneuverable infantry formation, the cavalry moved forward and shot down the flanks with crossbows, and could launch a fierce offensive at any time.
If the infantry wants to advance against the cavalry, it must have a strict and dense formation. However, if it is so, it will not be fast, and naturally it will not be able to catch up with the cavalry. If the infantry formation is slightly chaotic, the flanks will become a weak point for the cavalry to launch a storm-like attack.
at.
As long as he holds his position and is not attacked while marching, Zheng Mingjing is not afraid that the less than two thousand Huaidong Cavalry Battalion in front of him can bite them. What worries him is that the Huaidong Army will arrive later, with a total of nearly six
Wan's main infantry force.
Because Zhou Pu led the cavalry to arrive too quickly and suddenly, Zheng Mingjing suspected that the main force of the Huaidong Army's infantry camp was approaching. However, the south of Fangjiawa was blocked by the Huaidong Rangers. Zheng Mingjing suspected that the main force of the Huaidong Army was in the south of Xiling.
The march situation at Lu was in complete darkness.
How can we fight this battle?
It is too late to evacuate Fangjiawa today. It will get dark early in the day after winter. It will be completely dark in a little while if the sun shines for another hour. There are enemy cavalry peeping from behind. There is no time to evacuate to Yaojiawa in such a short time.
When setting up camp, if it gets dark halfway through and there is no time to set up camp, it will be even more dangerous at night.
Zheng Mingjing knew that the Huaidong Army was good at night fighting.
Zheng Mingjing frowned and fell into deep thought.
******************
At the southern foot of the Xiling Mountains, the post horses carrying messages from Huaidong were galloping.
Zhou Pu's light troops advanced and crossed Guangde. At Hetang and Fangjiawa, they engaged with the Zhejiang and Fujian left-wing peripheral troops, wiping out more than a thousand enemies and forcing his main force of more than 10,000 people to move forward to Fangjiawa. The news came shortly after nightfall.
Return to Meixikou.
The main force of the Chongcheng Army led by Zhou Tong, Chen Zhi and other generals had just camped out from Haixidu and had not yet left Anji County. The army kept marching, and Lin Fu summoned the generals to a pond south of the post road.
A large tent was temporarily built around the area, and several horse lanterns were set up to illuminate it. The map was spread on a simple long table. Lin Fu held a charcoal pen in one hand and an oil lamp in the other, illuminating the map.
In addition to the generals, Chen Huawen, Chen Huazhang and Su Pinxiao, who was temporarily appointed to Lin Fu as the deputy commander of the Third Water Battalion and in charge of the original department, were also invited to attend the military meeting.
This was the first time Su Pinxiao saw such a detailed map, which clearly and accurately depicted the counties south of Jiangning and important terrains such as Xiling, Maoshan, Shahe, and Rouge River.
Yaojiachong is nearly 20 miles south of Liyang City, and Fangjiawa is another 20 miles south of Yaojiachong. The surrounding area is mainly flat land, and the mountains are also low mountains and low ridges ranging from tens of feet to tens of feet, which can be regarded as the West Ridge of Taihu Lake.
The remaining veins. This terrain is conducive to the Huaidong Army to deploy its superior troops and horses to fight, and the battle can be won quickly.
If the main force of the Zhejiang and Fujian armies can be dragged into the battle at Fangjiawa, it will undoubtedly be the most ideal result.
"According to what Zhou Baozi said, the enemy army in Fangjiawa should not have time to withdraw tonight. Then Tang Fuguan only needs to rush to join Zhou Baozi before sunrise tomorrow to drag the enemy army in Fangjiawa.
Wait for the main force on our side to calmly rush over and fight!" Zhou Tong said, "Even if the enemy forces are desperate to survive and sacrifice part of their troops to cover the main force to rush towards Yao's house and withdraw in the direction of Liyang City, it will not affect our previous plan to advance.
After consuming part of the enemy's left wing troops, the situation will only become more favorable to us!"
The left wing of the Zhejiang and Fujian Army is not so easy to take down. It will definitely take a lot of time to annihilate it. Then Gao Zongting and others may not be able to hold on in the imperial city for so long...if not for the left wing of the Zhejiang and Fujian Army to have more than half of its troops.
Moving forward to Fangjiawa, Lin Fu would not consider fighting outside Liyang.
Zhou Tong's opinion was consistent with the previous plan. If there is a chance for a quick victory, then fight a battle. If there is no chance for a quick victory, then the opportunity cannot be delayed in Liyang. The primary goal must be to march to the outskirts of Jiangning as quickly as possible.
Recapturing Jiangning City before it was destroyed by the She family would involve the hearts and minds of Jiangning's entire population, and its significance to Huaidong would be far more important than the annihilation of the 20,000 left-wing elites of the She family.
"What do you think, Duke Song?" Lin Fu asked Song Fu.
"I'm wondering," Song Fu said, "whether the enemy's left wing might not retreat to Liyang, but concentrate its forces and retreat westward before my main force arrives..."
"Will the She family let Jiang Ning go so easily?" Lin Fu was slightly startled. The latest news report from Jiang Ning also came from Jiang Ning at noon on the 26th. At least on the 26th, the She family still treated Jiang Ning with the same attitude.
It seems that they are bound to win, and the people in Huaidong also judge that the She family and the generals of the Zhejiang and Fujian armies will find it difficult to resist Jiangning's temptation.
"Indeed, if Shewenzhuang can resolutely resist the temptation, he should quickly shrink southward after capturing Liyang," Song Fu said, "But the situation cannot be controlled by him. If he can know one day in advance that Emperor Yongxing abandons Jiangning and flees,
, give him one more day to think about it, he may be able to make this decision, but the Zhejiang and Fujian Army's middle road and the right-wing troops are on their way to Jiangning, so the situation is not up to him to make a decision. In the middle road and the right-wing army marched to Jiangning
In the situation in front of the city, it is too late for Shewenzhuang to shrink to the south, but whether he will make all-out efforts to defend Jiangning City is a matter of 50 to 50. Zongting did not say it clearly in the letter, but he wants us to pay attention.
The enemy's left wing movements are also worried that Shewenzhuang may not be able to get enough and jump out!"
"Let me go. As long as Zhou Baozi and Lieutenant Tang can hold off the enemy until noon tomorrow, there will be enough time!" Chen Zhi said, licking his lips that were chapped in the winter.
As long as the more than 10,000 Zhejiang and Fujian troops on the left wing who have moved forward to Fangjiawa are wiped out, the Huaidong Army can still firmly grasp the initiative on the entire battlefield.
Even if the right wing and center troops of the Zhejiang and Fujian Army were allowed to escape, the Huaidong Army would have to spend a lot of time to recover some interest from its left wing troops.
The unfavorable situation at the moment is that if the enemy's left wing really wants to withdraw westward, the troops gathered at Fangjiawa will be much larger than the combined forces of Tang Fuguan and Zhou Pu. The main force of the Chongcheng Army, nearly 20,000 troops, will rush to Fangjiawa to join the battle.
, it has to be after nightfall tomorrow.
Tang Fuguan was able to march continuously for 140 miles the night before, because he was sure that he would not engage with large groups of enemy soldiers the night before, so he could run as fast as he could.
Marching urgently on the first night and limiting the distance traveled on the second night to within eighty miles was to ensure that after entering the outskirts of Liyang, the generals would still have the physical strength to fight with the enemy's left wing troops at any time.
Theoretically, Chen Zhi and his troops can arrive at Fangjiawa before noon tomorrow. However, if they arrive at Fangjiawa before noon tomorrow, their generals will be weak and exhausted. Without a certain amount of time to rest, how can they have the energy to participate in the battle?
Lin Fu thought for a moment and made a decision: "Immediately send an order to Zhou Pu. First, reconnoiter the defense situation of Gucheng and Xuanzhou. The main force of the cavalry camp should also be moved to the west of Fangjiawa to prepare for the enemy. Tang Fuguan also needs to double the amount of troops to advance.
Be careful, be careful that the enemy's left wing troops and horses gather at Fangjiawa..."
Tang Fuguan led his troops in a hurry and would be exhausted when they reached Fangjiawa. If the enemy's left wing troops and horses gathered at Fangjiawa, they would have a huge advantage in strength in a short period of time. Then Zhou Pu's cavalry would
The battalion will no longer be able to provide sufficient cover for Tang Fuguan's troops, and it is very likely that the enemy's left wing will first defeat the leading troops of the Huaidong Army and then withdraw westward.
At this time, Lin Fu not only did not rush to let Chen Zhen lead his troops to march over, but also asked Zhou Pu and Tang Fuguan to slow down their pace.