In the ninth year of Chongguan, Donghu broke through the pass and invaded Yanji. King Qin of the Zhejiang soldiers surrendered the enemy in Shandong, and then besieged Yangxin City where Lin Fu was defending. (_PA&书&Bar) In the Battle of Yangxin, the Zhejiang soldiers who surrendered were defeated.
Throwing away their helmets and armor, about 6,000 Zhejiang soldiers were captured.
When the troops from Zhejiang were surrendered, Lin Fu killed the generals and accepted them. About 6,000 surrendered soldiers moved to Jinhai after the war, and Hu Jinxiong was among them. When guarding Jinhai, Hu Jinxiong joined the camp, made many military exploits, and followed the army southward.
At that time, he had accumulated merit and was promoted to deputy sentry general.
The Huaidong Army has done a lot for the people over the years, and Hu Jinxiong, who was born in a lower class, has a particularly profound experience. After the Yongjia Battle, Hu Jinxiong had the opportunity to take up a local military position, and he could be regarded as honoring his ancestors.
However, like many generals from Zhejiang, he believed that the world had not yet reached Jingping, and the armor was not enough to defend him. Hu Jinxiong insisted on returning to the Chongcheng army where the war was most frequent, and fought with the army in the field. Now he has accumulated merits and been promoted to brigade commander.
Chen Zhi and Su Pinxiao led the main force to continue to advance westward along the Yangtze River. They wanted to capture Huating, the most important pass in the western border of Hengfeng County, before the main force of the Zhejiang and Fujian troops withdrew. Only in this way could the main force of the Zhejiang and Fujian troops be sealed in Huaiyu Mountain.
To the south, in the narrow area north of Xinjiang River.
Although there were three to five hundred remnant soldiers who abandoned Shangrao City and fled west, Hu Jinxiong did not divide his troops to pursue them. The top priority was to take over Shangrao's city defense. The main force of the Zhejiang and Fujian troops retreating westward was likely to violently counterattack later.
Hu Jinxiong led his troops into the city and first met with spies Yang Biao and others who had been sent by the Military Intelligence Department to sneak into the Shangrao private camp with Minzhuang.
Hu Jinxiong entrusted the security of the city to Yang Biao and others. He sent 3,000 soldiers to the top of the city to defend. Chen Zhi also left a dozen bed crossbows and scorpion crossbows for him, and they were also moved to the top of the city to strengthen the defense.
.
In the afternoon, about three hours after Chen Zhi led the main force of the surprise attack and left Shangrao City, two more Jiyun-class warships came from the upper reaches, and flags were raised on the high masts, requesting to dock and disembark in Shangrao.
Hu Jinxiong felt strange. As a brigade commander-level general, he knew clearly that apart from the raiding fleets led by Chen Zhi and Su Pinxiao, there were only three Jiyun-class warships left in Guanxiling.
The Zhejiang and Fujian armies will no longer have complete naval combat capabilities in the Xinjiang, Shanxi and other river systems. If it were not to escort important figures, the Guanxiling camp would not use two Jiyun-class warships to escort them, and then there would be messengers first
When they came ashore, Gao Zongting rushed over from the Guanxiling camp.
Hu Jinxiong and Yang Biao went out of the city to greet them, but they saw Gao Zongting leading more than 300 soldiers ashore, and even ordered two warships to return - almost all the newly built warships in Guanxiling had been taken away by Chen Zhi, and now the main camp is in Shanxi.
There is also a shortage of warships in the upper stream.
"Master Gao is here in person. Does the camp want to adjust the previously planned battle plan?" Hu Jinxiong asked doubtfully.
“It’s not an adjustment,” Gao Zongting said. “When the camp initially drew up its battle plan, it was still unable to accurately determine the size of the Zhejiang and Fujian troops near Shangrao, so it didn’t insist that the assault troops must capture Shangrao City. However, in
After General Chen Zhi led you to set off, the scouts who sneaked into the opposite bank of Shangrao to conduct reconnaissance returned to Guanxiling after Riyu. Only then did the camp know accurately the distribution of the main force of the rebels on the eastern front along the Xinjiang River, and it is speculated that Shangrao should be empty of troops!"
"Indeed, we received the secret message from Shangrao just before we left Shanxi," Hu Jinxiong said. "Fortunately, Colonel Yang and his friends were in the city to provide support. They persuaded the civilians to riot, frightened the guards away, and called me
Once we take advantage, we can capture Shangrao City without spending a single soldier."
"..." Gao Zongting nodded. On his way to Shangrao, he encountered the letter ship sent by Chen Zhi. Knowing the details here, he nodded to Yang Biao. He was extremely satisfied with Yang Biao's work in Shangrao.
, and said to Hu Jinxiong, "The camp speculates that Shangrao will play an important role in the next war and can defend the enemy. We are afraid that General Chen Zhen is good at fighting fierce battles and has no intention of defending. Your Excellency specially asked me to chase him and have a look."
Then he took out a letter of order from his sleeve and said, "This is your order. Your troops are temporarily at my disposal."
Hu Jinxiong read the warrant and said: "Please give instructions, Master Gao!"
Gao Zongting was the official secretary of the Privy Council, and he was also in charge of the Right Division of the Military Intelligence Department. It can be said that the status of the privy envoys in the Privy Council was far higher than that of Hu Jinxiong and other generals. However, Lin Fu implemented the separation of civil and military affairs in the Privy Council, and Gao Zongting did not hold the general position.
The leader also asked Lin Fu to give temporary orders.
Gao Zongting didn't have time to take a sip of tea, so he went directly to the city with Hu Jinxiong, Yang Biao and other generals. As they walked, he said: "How long will it take for General Chen Zhi to march westward? Will there be news back? What's going on with Wang Hui's troops of the Zhejiang and Fujian Army in Qingxi?"
"
"It has been three hours since Chen Zhijun led his troops to march westward. They have crossed Qingxi and continued to march westward. There is no letter to send back the ship yet," Hu Jinxiong said. "The enemies of Qingxi were convinced a moment earlier. Not long after they broke camp, they were heading towards Qingxi forever.
The village has shrunk, and there is no sign of large-scale troop dispatches yet..."
Qingxi is a riverside port thirty miles west of Shangrao City. Last night Wang Hui led his troops to camp there with about 6,000 soldiers and horses.
Wang Hui was originally the guard general of Kuaiji. When the troops from the two Zhejiang counties were defeated, Wang Hui led his troops to sacrifice the city and reduce the extravagance.
If it were anyone else, if they knew that Huaidong soldiers and horses were attacking from the waterway, they might be able to rush back by land to capture Shangrao, but Wang Hui did not have the courage and led his troops back to defend Qingxi, which was a normal move...
After listening to Hu Jinxiong's report on the situation in Shangrao, Gao Zongting said: "General Chen Zhi led his troops to spare Wang Hui's troops in Qingxi, and traveled westward along the Yangtze River without wasting any time. No matter how late it was, he could arrive at Hengfeng Huating at the same time as Deng Yu, the veteran general from eastern Fujian.
This also means that the main force of the rebel troops on the eastern front will be intercepted in the narrow area east of Huating and west of Shangrao..."
"Really defeating them this time?" Hu Jinxiong, Yang Biao and other generals looked happy. How could they not be excited to be able to annihilate 30,000 soldiers and horses of the Zhejiang and Fujian Army at once?
"It's not that simple," Gao Zongting said with a smile. "First of all, we must defend Shangrao. We must immediately organize the civilians in the city so that they can be dispatched to the city at any time to assist in defense. In addition, we must select trustworthy people who are familiar with the place and immediately send them to the city."
The Zhejiang and Fujian armies were defeated. The Huaidong Army had taken control of the Xinjiang River, and the news that the main force was about to move westward was sent back to the local area. They were asked to notify the villages on both sides of the Xinjiang River in the northern foothills of Wuyi Mountain and the western foothills of Huaiyu Mountain that all villages must be closed from now on.
Strictly guard. If you cannot build a stronghold to protect yourself, you must abandon the stronghold and destroy the food supplies to escape into the mountains. You do not need the villages and strongholds to be able to kill the enemy, but you must not support the enemy with food and fodder, otherwise you will be punished as supporting the enemy after the war!
If there are excess weapons and food in the city, you can ask them to take them away to increase the defense strength of the villages and fortresses."
Shangrao is the center of gravity of the entire upper reaches of the Xinjiang River Valley, and is also the center of gravity for the Zhejiang and Fujian Army's eastern defense operations.
The materials transferred by the She family from the hinterland of Jiangxi were transferred from Shangrao to Hengshan, Changshan and other peripheral defense fortresses. In addition to the strong city, Shangrao City also accumulated a large amount of grain and ordnance supplies. It was originally planned to be used by She Feixiong to lead his troops.
It is consumed by withdrawing and defending the city.
Once Chen Zhi leads the main force of the Chongcheng Army's First Town Division to successfully land at Huating and seals the opening for the main force of the Zhejiang and Fujian Army's eastern front to escape westward, the Zhejiang and Fujian Army will not only break out with all their strength, but also have a great possibility.
That is to recapture Shangrao City and wait for reinforcements.
Not counting She Feixiong's soldiers and horses on the south bank, in the valley on the north bank of the Xinjiang River west of Shangrao and east of Hengfeng, there are almost 30,000 Zhejiang and Fujian army generals, and another 30,000 to 40,000 accompanying soldiers and civilians——
If the main force of the Zhejiang and Fujian armies is annihilated, even if the Shefei Xiong on the south bank is asked to flee south, the overall situation in Jiangxi will be settled.
If the main force of the Zhejiang and Fujian armies on the eastern front could neither break through Huating and break out to the west, nor recapture Shangrao City and wait for reinforcements, there is another possibility, which is to disperse and break out from the mountains at the western foot of Huaiyu Mountain to the north to Fuliang.
The entire upper reaches of the Xinjiang River Valley is sandwiched between the western foothills of Huaiyu Mountain and the northern foothills of Wuyishan Mountain. The heights of the mountains on both sides range from three to four hundred feet to seven to eight hundred feet.
The mountains are high and the forests are deep, making it difficult for large groups of soldiers and horses to pass through, but there are also many forest roads and wild trails crisscrossing them, which can easily be used by small groups of soldiers and horses to escape. The most dangerous section of the western foothills of Huaiyu Mountain between Shangrao and Fuliang is right next to
To the north of Shangrao, the mountains run east to west and are about thirty to fifty miles deep. Although it is steep, it will be much easier as long as you can climb over these thirty to fifty miles of deep mountains and old forests and enter the territory of Fuliang.
The villages now scattered deep in the western Luling Mountains of Huaiyu Mountain are precisely the key points for the Zhejiang and Fujian armies to disperse and retreat northward. Gao Zongting rushed over. In addition to being personally responsible for the defense of Shangrao City, he also wanted to build a tighter network.
It's hard to miss even a small fish or shrimp.
Most of the civilian men recruited by the Zhejiang and Fujian armies were local farmers.
In almost every village between the North and South Mountains, more than half of the young people were forcibly recruited. In addition to enduring heavy labor every day, their food was less than 30% of that of ordinary soldiers, and countless people died of hunger and disease. These
This made them hate the She family deeply. Even though they were powerfully suppressed by the Zhejiang and Fujian troops, secretly instigated by Yang Biao to participate in the riot, and supported the Huaidong army to attack Shangrao, there were also many civilians.
Yang Biao was ordered to summon all these civilians, give them money, food, and weapons, and ask them to take the weapons and return to the depths of Huaiyu Mountain in groups. He asked them to return to the village to organize more people to close the village gate to prevent it.
To defend to the death, in order to completely seal off the North and South Ridge Mountains and prevent the Zhejiang and Fujian troops from dispersing and fleeing - the civilians all responded actively.
Yang Biao had been sneaking into Shangrao for about half a year. He was a local in Shangrao and was most familiar with the local situation. Gao Zongting came over and ordered Yang Biao to temporarily take over the post of Shangrao County Lieutenant, specializing in Shangrao's public security, private affairs and other affairs.
Organized by Yang Biao, before dusk, more than 5,000 people and more than 80 teams with a small amount of ordnance returned to the mountains at the western foot of Huaiyu Mountain. At this time, She Feixiong led his troops to pass by the south bank.
Under the setting sun, watching the She Fei Xiong troops on the south bank launch a long and forced march on the rugged road along the river, Gao Zongting stood at the top of the city thoughtfully. He then took a pen and wrote a letter and handed it to Hu Jinxiong.
, said: "Send a fast boat to deliver this letter to the Shangguan Xiling Camp!"
Deng Yu only learned about the Huaidong Army's attack by water just after noon. At that time, he was leading his troops to stop in Hengfeng County, about thirty miles away from Huating, west of Hengfeng.
The Huaidong Army dug a lake in the upper reaches of Shanxi River to release water, and two major flood peaks were formed in the Xinjiang River. From Hengfeng to the west, Huaiyu Mountain in the north and Wuyi Mountain in the south pressed in, making this section of the Xinjiang Waterway particularly flooded.
narrow.
When the flood peak passed through, it was extremely turbulent in Hengfeng. A river embankment in the west of Hengfeng County failed to withstand the impact and was washed away by the flood. Almost three or four miles of the official road along the river on the north bank was washed away by the flood.
Deng Yu and his troops could have gone faster, but at this time they had to pause and force the civilians who were retreating west with the army overnight to repair the post road. It was almost before noon that the three or four miles west of Hengfeng City were washed away by the flood.
The ruined post road was repaired.
When Deng Yu learned that the Huaidong Army was attacking by water, he was also shocked.
The main force of the Huaidong Army's attacking troops spared She Feixiong's troops and horses from behind without attacking, spared Wang Hui's troops in Qingxi without attacking, and spared the troops and horses of Changshan and Litang between Qingxi and Hengxi.
If he did not fight and continued to advance along Jiangxi, his intention was self-evident - Deng Yu knew that the Huaidong Army had great ambitions, and wanted to occupy Huating first and lock the main force of the Zhejiang and Fujian Army on the east line in the Xinjiang River Valley east of Huating.
be surrounded and annihilated within.
The terrain to the north of Xinjiang River and to the south of the western foot of Huaiyu Mountain is relatively open and easy, and the valley on the north bank is about ten to twenty or thirty miles wide. In these open terrains, Deng Yu could gather more than 30,000 troops on the eastern front when he assembled the main force on the eastern front.
He was not afraid of a surprise attack by the Huaidong Army, with more than 10,000 people standing in front of the road.
However, after passing Hengfeng City, the Yumailing Mountains at the western foot of Huaiyu Mountain seem to be crossing over, approaching the river bank to the south, hence the name of Hengfeng County.
This change in terrain makes the terrain along the north and south rivers become rugged and steep after the Xinjiang River passes Hengfeng, forming an obvious bottleneck terrain.
Huating is located at the west end of the Hengfeng bottleneck, on the north bank of the Xinjiang River. The western boundary of Hengfeng is the most steep, but after crossing the Huating, the terrain suddenly becomes easier. To the west of the Huating, there is also the Huating River flowing from the western foot of Huaiyu Mountain and into the Xinjiang River.
Huating River is within the territory of Guixi County. If you go north along the Huating River Valley Road, you can enter Fuliang Leping County...
Huating is not only a land pass, but also because the mountains on both sides of Huating press toward the Xinjiang River, making both sides of the Huating River steep and the river extremely narrow.
The distance between the north and south cliffs of the Huating section of the Xinjiang River is only 300 steps. The Huating Gorge is actually the pass of the Xinjiang Waterway.
Once the Huaidong Army is asked to land at Huating, the riprap crossbows set up on the cliffs can block the entire Huating Gorge entrance. In this way, the Huaidong Army can block the entire Xinjiang waterway with a small number of elite naval forces.
stand up.
Although the Zhejiang and Fujian naval forces in Shangrao were unexpectedly destroyed, and the Huaidong Army unexpectedly built nearly a hundred warships in the upper reaches of Shanxi River, the Zhejiang and Fujian naval forces in Jiangzhou and Yuzhang still had a total of 20,000 warships.
A naval force of more than 5,000 men.
Although it would take about ten days and a half for the Jiangzhou navy to cross Poyang Lake to come to the rescue, the main force of the Zhejiang and Fujian armies on the eastern front was besieged in the upper reaches of the Xinjiang River.
Aid is not a problem.
The most frightening thing is that the Jiangzhou navy comes to help, but they cannot attack through the Huating Gorge from the lower reaches and enter the upper reaches of the Xinjiang River to support them, so the breakthrough will become elusive.
Not only the Huaidong Army knew the importance of Huating, but many generals of the Zhejiang and Fujian armies, including Deng Yu, also understood the importance of Huating - the success or failure of Huating was related to whether the entire Eastern Front troops could escape the overthrow.
The fate of disaster.
When Deng Yu learned that the Huaidong Army was attacking from the waterway, regardless of whether he had more than 12,000 soldiers and horses withdrawn from Changshan, he broke camp and headed towards Huating...
Deng Yu went ahead for two days, but the Huaidong warship came down from Shanxi and traveled very fast down the river.
Although the attack on Shangrao was delayed for two hours, Chen Zhi and Su Pinxiao still led their troops to the Huating River section before dusk. At this time, about ten thousand soldiers and horses of Deng Yu's army of the Zhejiang and Fujian Army were attacking on the north bank.
The word long snake spread out and marched quickly, and the leading soldiers and horses had already reached the foot of the western foot of Huating Mountain.
"How to fight?" Su Pinxiao asked Chen Zhi.
Su Pinxiao and Chen Zhi both commanded the army, but Su Pinxiao was the naval general. This attack would have to involve the Chongcheng Army landing ashore, so Lin Fu appointed Chen Zhi as the commander.
"General Su, you lead the Shuiying warships to continue forward into the Huating River and prevent the enemy soldiers from crossing the ridge to form a formation on the west bank of the Huating River. I will land behind their tail and fight through to the west bank of the Huating River.
We will meet you, General Su, on the west bank of Huating River. If the fight goes well, we might be able to send troops to the south bank to capture the Sheda Bear as well!" Chen Zhi said.