The dam at Taowu Pass began to close in late March. At first, it only barely cut off the river to store water. Later, the dam was continuously raised, and now the dam that cuts off the river is more than five feet high from the base. The entire dam
The embankment is nearly six miles long and connects with the slopes of Taowu Pass on both sides. It intercepts the water from the streams and rivers at the northeast foot of Wuyi Mountain and the southwest foot of Guanxiling to the south of the dam.
This year's plum rainy season in southeastern Jiangxi seems to be later than in previous years. The front section of Guanxiling only received two rains in the past 20 days from late March to early April. However, as the main tributary of the upper reaches of the Xinjiang River, Shanxi flows from Guanxiling
Xiling, the northeastern foothills of Wuyi Mountain, has many mountain streams, forests and springs. By early April, a lake about ten miles in circumference had been formed south of Taohua Pass.
Lin Fu stood on the ridge on the west side of Taohua Pass, looking at the newly built hanging lake in just over twenty days, and asked Ge Siyu beside him: "If the Zhejiang and Fujian troops withdraw without a fight, can this dam be built?"
Reinforcement for civilian use?" Pointing to the terrain around Xuanhu Lake, he explained to the people around him, "Shanxi River comes out of Wuyi, and the flow is short and fast, but when it comes out of the mountains and forests, the terrain along the river is low, so it is difficult to guide the water to the slopes on both sides.
, so there are not many paddy fields in this valley. If we can retain this dam, raise the lake water, and set up diversion canals from the left and right sides, we can irrigate several times more paddy fields..."
Ge Siyu shook his head and smiled bitterly, and said: "I'm afraid it won't work. In order to easily break the embankment, the two piles on the lower side of the main dam are under great stress. Even if they are not destroyed by manpower, they will be broken by water erosion over time - even if
If the Zhejiang and Fujian troops retreat without a fight, this dam will have to be demolished before the heavy rain season comes in July."
"What a pity!" Gao Zongting felt very sorry to see that the dam could not stay.
Fu Qinghe smiled and said: "It's not a pity. If the dam is not dug and the hanging lake is not connected to the downstream river, how can the newly built warships enter the Xinjiang River to fight?"
Under the setting sun, the newly created hanging lake was rippling, and a large area of submerged woods was exposed near the shore. There was a large open space on the east bank, which was strictly isolated for soldiers from the civilian camp to the south. The only way to stand on the ridge here was
Only when you go up can you see the whole picture over there.
Through the forest tips, you can see the keels of dozens of small and medium-sized ships standing under the tall gantry, and hundreds of craftsmen are nervously nailing the ship planks. A little lower, dozens of newly built ships
The warship was parked in an open space quite far away from the lake shore. The soldiers guarding the shipyard were actually transferred from Qujiang and were incorporated into Su Pinxiao's unit of Jinghai No. 3 Water Camp after the Jiangning War.
Between the shipyard and the lake shore, a ditch-like ship channel has been dug. Perhaps the warship can be towed to the lakeside through the ship channel without waiting for the lake water to rise to the position of the shipyard.
The mouth of Poyang Lake in Jiangzhou is the main outlet of the Jiangxi water system. It is under tight blockade by the Zhejiang and Fujian Navy. Lin Fu cannot rely on Yue Lengqiu to fight against the Zhejiang and Fujian Navy. The Huaidong Navy wants to enter Jiangxi
It is easy to dispatch naval officers and craftsmen to the rivers within the territory, but warships have to be built in Jiangxi.
Fortunately, it is not difficult to transport all the shipbuilding materials from Chongzhou Shipyard to Quzhou by water. After arriving at Fenglin Port, they will be disembarked, transported through Guanxiling by mule and horse cart, and assembled in the newly opened shipyard in the upper reaches of Shanxi River——
This is also the only way for Huaidong's elite water battalion to bypass the blockade of Poyang Lake mouth and enter Jiangxi to fight.
According to the current situation, it is impossible for Shefei Xiong to wait until there is enough water in the lake before making a decision. As the time advanced to early April, the Zhejiang and Fujian troops were pinched in the eastern section, and the garrison in Litang had already begun to move west.
Withdraw, Shefei Xiong may abandon the Hengshan defense line in the near future and completely retreat to the west of Shangrao.
The day before yesterday, Lin Fu ordered Zhou Tong to take charge of Liu Zhenzhi, Chen Zhi and other troops on the western front, and launch an offensive against the Zhejiang and Fujian troops at the pass at Jiankou and Litang. He must peel off a layer of skin before the Zhejiang and Fujian troops withdraw.
Come, but it is not easy to intercept and severely damage the main force of the Zhejiang and Fujian troops on the Shangrao defense line!
From Shangrao to the west, the Xinjiang River flows along the road. It merges with the lower reaches of the Ganjiang River and then merges into Poyang Lake. The Zhejiang and Fujian armies have navy cooperation in the hinterland of Jiangxi, which can easily enter and exit the two sides of the Xinjiang River; while the Huaidong Army enters Jiangxi
After that, if there were only infantry, the battle would be greatly restricted - this was also the main reason why Lin Fu did not hesitate to spend a lot of manpower and material resources to separate and transport shipbuilding materials to the upper reaches of Shanxi River to build new warships.
At this time, several riders came from the direction of the front base in the north. They were the post riders sent by Ao Canghai from the front line to report the news.
"Your Majesty, please report from the inside of Jiahe Defense Fortress that the defenders are showing signs of evacuating!"
"I understand," Lin Fu waved his hand to the Yiqi to retreat and asked Gao Zongting, "Is it possible for She Fei Xiong to take a bite out of him before he withdraws his troops?"
"It's hard to say!" Gao Zongting said,
She Feixiong was also a man who was good at using troops. Even if he withdrew his troops, he would do everything possible to create suspicion. He sent troops out of Jiajiang to defend the fortress and counterattack several times, and he was very determined, causing the Huaidong Army to suffer a lot of casualties, so he was unable to do so without
Knowing exactly when the Zhejiang and Fujian troops were withdrawing, Lin Fu ordered Ao Canghai not to rush forward with all his troops.
The way of using troops is "to use the right combination to win by surprise." The Zhejiang and Fujian Army has been completely at a disadvantage in the frontal confrontation, but it does not mean that the Zhejiang and Fujian Army cannot come up with surprising strategies. The Zhejiang and Fujian Army also has the advantage of deploying troops from the inside, from the pincer
It is not impossible for the soldiers and horses withdrawn from Litang to fill in the Hengshan-Jiahe defense blockade and launch a fierce counterattack against Huaidong's front base camp under Guanxi Ridge.
The Huaidong scouts wanted to cross the high mountains and reach the north bank of the Xinjiang River to detect the mobilization of the Zhejiang and Fujian troops on the inside. It was quite difficult and easy to be deceived. Therefore, the news from the inside line lurking in the Jiahe defense fortified Lin Fu.
Gao Zongting and others only used it as a reference.
Fu Qinghe said: "There are still 20,000 troops stationed by the Zhejiang and Fujian armies at the Jiahe fortification. At least half of the troops must be confirmed to have withdrawn before Ao Canghai can be asked to press forward. What's more, after the Jiahe fortification,
, we cannot figure out clearly the deployment of the Zhejiang and Fujian troops from Hengshan to Shangrao, and we must be careful that She Fei Xiong has the means to counterattack."
Indeed, in the confrontation that lasted for nearly half a year, the Zhejiang and Fujian troops in Shangrao did not suffer a serious setback. Including the garrison in the Wuyuan direction, She Feixiong could mobilize as many as 60,000 troops on the eastern front, among whom were eight-year-olds.
Fujian's soldiers accounted for about 70%.
Even if She Feixiong leads his troops to withdraw to the west, the Huaidong Army must be careful to have the strength to bite back if they want to pursue it.
Lin Fu touched his chin, his eyes wandering. After a long time, he made up his mind and said: "Chen Zhi led his troops to withdraw from the front of Litang, and immediately marched westward to the west foot of Guanxiling to stand by. The original defense line was taken over by Sun Wenyao; Ge
Si Hu immediately led his troops to the dam and was ready to dig the embankment at any time!"
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From the fact that the Huaidong Army was building a dam to intercept the lake in the upper reaches of Shanxi River, She Feixiong knew that it would be difficult to hold on to the upper reaches of the Xinjiang River east of Shangrao. However, the Huaidong Army was approaching the city and wanted to withdraw the soldiers and horses from the defense line unscathed.
, is no easy task.
Withdrawing troops from Jiankou and Litang, they were all deployed south of Hengshan and on the south bank of the Xinjiang River. They were prepared to fill in the Jiahe defense block at any time and counterattack the Huaidong Army entering the western foot of Guanxiling. This was the only way to arrange it, even with lies first
Only by deceiving the middle- and lower-level generals can we call for the left-behind jaws. The soldiers and horses in Litang's rear will not be abandoned and will not feel the frustration of abandonment, thereby preventing early collapse of morale!
At the same time, the soldiers and horses that had been withdrawn from Qiankou and Litang were deployed in Hengshan, so that the Huaidong Army did not dare to use all their forces to attack the Jiahe defense blockade.
But on the Jiahe Fortress side, troops must be withdrawn quickly, and the plan mentioned by Deng Yu is not feasible.
When Zheng Mingjing was on the east bank of Gucheng Lake, in order to cover the withdrawal of the main force of troops, he selected dead soldiers from among the generals and cut them off. Brothers joined the army, and brothers went away. Fathers and sons joined the army, and fathers left their sons behind. This method was not suitable for this situation.
side.
Once the Jiahe Defense Fortress is destroyed by a large-scale selection of dead soldiers, its intention to withdraw troops will definitely be accurately seen by the Huaidong Army. At that time, the Huaidong Army will unscrupulously press the main force on the city, making the soldiers behind the block want to
Evacuation will become extremely difficult.
The soldiers from the Eight Fujian soldiers were lost again and again. At this time, the total number was less than 60,000. How could She Feixiong be willing to abandon more than 10,000 soldiers from the Eight Fujian soldiers here?
If you don't choose dead soldiers, once the troops here start to withdraw, the middle and lower-level generals will understand that they have to completely abandon the line of defense. They understand that the generals who want to stay at the end of the withdrawal will be told how to face the surging Huaidong Army.
Coming offensive?
The final withdrawal plan discussed by She Feixiong and the generals was to withdraw the troops and horses stationed at Jiahe in two batches, no more than twelve hours apart. The first batch was led by Deng Yu and Wang Hui, and the troops stationed at Hengshan were withdrawn at the same time.
The soldiers and horses walked westward along the south bank of the Xinjiang River at the same time.
The second batch of soldiers and horses left behind to guard the Jiahe fortress can only hold on for one more day. Once the elite forwards of the Huaidong Army are wedged into the city, it will be difficult to withdraw. After holding on for one day, they will retreat northward at night.
.Leave a sufficient number of ferries on the bank of the Xinjiang River in the north of Hengshan for the second batch of troops retreating north to cross the Xinjiang and use the Xinjiang waterway to escape the Huaidong Army's pursuit.
At the same time, the garrison in Jiankou and Litang also withdrew westward along the north bank of the Xinjiang River to join She Feixiong in Shangrao City. She Feixiong led his troops to defend Shangrao City so that generals such as Deng Yu, Wang Hui, Shi Hejin, etc.
Continue to lead the troops to retreat to the lower reaches of the Xinjiang River and strengthen defenses in Hengfeng, Guixi, Yujiang and other places. We must use the long and rugged inner line along the Xinjiang River to delay the Huaidong Army's entry into Jiangxi and delay the situation in the North.
In times of drastic change, it is possible for the She family to find a turning point.
After several days of defense adjustments, Deng Yu and Wang Hui's troops, who had been defending the two wings and the south city in the early stage and suffered heavy casualties, were all transferred to defend the north city in the name of rest and reorganization. She Feixiong led more than 10,000 elite troops from his headquarters to fill in
The two wings of the Jiahe defense fort took over the Huaidong Army's offensive mainly from the two wings, and stayed behind to cover the retreat of the main force.
On April 15th and 16th, it rained continuously for two consecutive days.
The rain was not heavy enough to stop the Huaidong Army's offensive, but the rainy weather severely restricted the use of crossbows and war weapons with twisted strings.
At the same time, although the rainy weather made it difficult to withdraw troops, it also made it difficult for the Huaidong Army to pursue.
After the Shanxi stream was cut off, ships could not enter, so they had to retreat from the Jiahe defense blockade to the south bank of the Xinjiang River. However, this section of the road was only more than twenty miles. For an elite troop to withdraw, it would take more than twenty miles.
The rain cement road does not constitute an obstacle to retreat.
Furthermore, during the retreat of the Zhejiang and Fujian armies, there were still many fortresses where they could temporarily take shelter and rest. As long as their morale did not collapse, the situation would not be worse than when the troops were chasing troops in Huaidong.
At nightfall on April 16, Deng Yu, who had retreated to the north of the fortress to rest, and Wang Hui's troops, about 12,000 people, gathered on the school ground. She Fei Xiong, wearing black armor, stood on the martial arts stage, vibrating.
He said in a voice: "The imperial court went against the grain, and the Huaidong Army helped the tyranny. They ignored the elders on both sides of the Shanxi River Valley and brazenly built a dam and a hanging lake in the upper reaches to flood the mountains. When a soldier fights, you have to rely on your brains. The Huaidong Army is so ruthless that we can't understand it."
What should we do when the river is in danger upstream? Should we bite the bullet and defend it? No, this is definitely not a hero. A real hero is capable of bending and stretching. If you suffer a loss today, you will get it back tomorrow. Just be afraid and suffer today.
Damn, I will lose my courage from now on. I am a bastard, a piece of shit that is thrown into a stinking pit and no one cares about it. You must know that the withdrawal of troops today is not to surrender, but to withdraw to the banks of the Xinjiang River and move deep into the river.
There are hundreds of miles of Xinjiang River Valley, which has become the cemetery where the Huaidong Army was buried! Therefore, please take a step first and go to Hengfeng, Guixi, and Yujiang to prepare. Just like a hunter, no matter how brave you are, you should not follow the wild beasts
It's a hand-to-hand fight, and we have to set up traps to kill you. You go first and set up traps. I'll stay to lure the Huaidong Army into your trap! Okay?"