On the vast Yangtze River, you can see endless blue waves.
On the wide river, large ships were moving forward at full speed.
On the deck of the flagship, a middle-aged man with an imposing appearance and extraordinary elegance stood holding on to the railing of the battleship.
This person is Li Jing.
He looked at the river ahead, with a touch of worry on his face. As the commander of the army and the general manager of this battle, he shouldered a heavy responsibility.
However, Wang Can is not simple.
Li Jing is very aware of Wang Can's strength. Whether it is martial arts or intelligence, he is top-notch.
Such people are difficult to deal with.
In particular, wise men like Li Xiaogong died in Wang Can's hands, which shows Wang Can's strength.
Therefore, Li Jing did not dare to despise him in the slightest.
He started from Xiangyang and moved forward at full speed. Except for stopping to rest when replenishing water and food, he kept on going the rest of the time.
When the water conditions are good, we may even travel overnight.
The closer he got to Chengdu, the more worried Li Jing became.
He was worried that Liu Bang would not be able to hold on and cause Chengdu to fall, because once Chengdu fell into Wang Can's hands, the situation would be extremely complicated.
"Tap! Tread!"
A burst of rapid footsteps came from not far away.
The person who came was Cheng Yaojin, one of Li Shimin's elite generals. He was extremely strong, with a tiger's jaw and a tiger's beard, and a tiger's back and waist. With a smile on his face, he said: "General manager, the soldiers have just sent news, we can't go back again at most."
In an hour, you can reach Nandukou Pier in Chengdu. After traveling on the boat for such a long time, people are almost stiff."
Li Jing said in a deep voice: "When we go to Chengdu this time, there will be a lot of fighting. This Wang Can is not a simple thing, Lao Cheng, there will be times when you fight."
Cheng Yaojin chuckled and said, "I was hoping that both Li Xiaogong and Li Yuanba would die in Shu. At that time, I was waiting for His Majesty's order to go north and prepare to attack Shu. Unfortunately, His Majesty suppressed his hatred and did not send troops.
Now, we can meet Wang Can for a while. I want to see how powerful Wang Can is."
Li Jing said: "Never underestimate Wang Can."
"Of course not."
A flash of light flashed across Cheng Yaojin's eyes, and he said in a deep voice: "A person who can instigate Han Xin, Peng Yue, and Zang Tu in a short period of time; a person who can seize Ba County and Guanghan County with very little strength and approach them."
I will never take people from Chengdu lightly. Although I will not look down on him, I still want to fight Wang Can."
"Okay, you have to have this ambition."
Li Jing's eyes showed a hint of approval.
What he was most worried about was that his generals had lost their fighting spirit, but now it seemed that the deaths of Li Xiaogong and Li Yuanba had made the entire country extremely hostile to Wang Can.
This is a good thing.
"Report!"
At this time, a general ran over quickly.
The man who came was wearing a white robe, with a lean figure and bulging temples. He was also a tiger general. But he had the temperament of a Confucian general, and he was a man of both civil and military skills.
This person's name is Su Dingfang.
In the history of Su Dingfang, he once submitted to Dou Jiande, Liu Heitai, and finally Li Tang. However, during Li Shimin's reign, Su Dingfang failed to be reused. Although he was capable, he was not Li Shimin's direct confidant.
After all, Li Xiaogong, Changsun Wuji, Li Jing, Du Ruhui, Fang Xuanling and others are the people Li Shimin values most.
Su Dingfang has no background and is too far behind.
By the time of Li Zhi, Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, most of Li Shimin's former confidants had died, and the military generals were gradually lacking. Su Ding just had the opportunity to emerge. He was reused by Li Zhi, conquered the Western Turks, pacified Congling, defeated Baekje, and defeated
It can be said that Goguryeo has made unparalleled achievements. It is precisely because of this that he was appointed as General Zuowuwei and was granted the title of Duke of Xing.
Li Tang founded the country, and Su Dingfang was reborn.
It's just that Su Dingfang is still a young general in the army for the time being, and he is not yet capable of taking command of one side.
When Li Jing saw Su Dingfang, a flash of approval flashed in his eyes.
He admired Su Dingfang's ability very much.
This is a talented person.
Therefore, when Li Jing went to war, he took Su Dingfang with him so that he could give Su Dingfang a chance to make meritorious deeds.
Li Jing said: "Dingfang, what can I do?"
Su Dingfang replied: "General Manager, many of the soldiers on the flagship have weak legs and weak bodies. The soldiers on the other battleships are also more or less in some condition. Although the soldiers in our army will not get seasick, they will not get seasick along the way.
Come on, I’ve been on the boat all this time, so I feel a little tired.”
"I'm afraid that when we get ashore, we will lack combat effectiveness."
"The last general learned that Wang Can was attacking Chengdu. I'm afraid Chengdu cannot be defended. After all, Liu Bang is too weak, especially without Han Xin, and generals like Peng Yue are in charge."
"Once Liu Bang cannot hold on, the best possibility is to withdraw in our direction and try to join us."
"But our soldiers are not effective enough."
"Once the two sides start a war, the army is likely to be in an unfavorable situation. So I thought, we have to prepare in advance to avoid being caught off guard after landing."
Su Dingfang's eyes flashed and he looked very determined.
He trusts his own judgment.
After listening to Su Dingfang's analysis, Li Jing also stroked his beard and fell into deep thought.
Cheng Yaojin laughed and said: "Boss Su, your analysis is good. I, Old Cheng, am optimistic about you."
Although Cheng Yaojin was a rough man, he was not vulgar, he was bold and careful.
He knew what Li Jing was like.
This is a person who does not form cliques, do not form parties for personal gain, and does not engage in selfish pursuits, because Li Jing does not need these things. Under such a premise, people who can be favored by Li Jing are definitely strong enough.
So he was quite kind to Su Dingfang.
This is Cheng Yaojin's way of being a person. It is always better to make friends in advance.
Su Dingfang said modestly: "The Duke of the country is so complimentary."
Cheng Yaojin laughed, but did not say anything more, quietly waiting for Li Jing's decision. This time he rushed to help the big man, Li Jing was the general manager, and all actions must be obeyed by Li Jing.
After a while, Li Jing looked at Su Dingfang and asked, "Dingfang, what do you think we should do?"
Su Dingfang said: "Reporting to the general manager, the general thinks that once we arrive at the ferry terminal, we will camp nearby to rest and then arrange for people to find out the news. If Liu Bang holds Chengdu and is still resisting Wang Can, we will rest for a while and then return again
Let’s move on.”
"If Liu Bang loses Chengdu, when he escapes, he will first escape towards the ferry. If we station and rest in secret, it will be conducive to the rescue and our whereabouts will not be exposed."
"Maybe we can even fight a counterattack."
"The enemy is in the light and we are in the dark. This is the best opportunity to defeat Wang Can."
Su Dingfang said: "The general's vulgar opinion, please correct it with the chief manager."
Li Jing had a faint smile on his face and said: "Yes, yes. Your considerations coincide with those of my general manager. We are a tired army. If we join the war immediately, we may be defeated by the fierce tiger-like Shu army.
Defeat and take a short break to look for opportunities."
Su Dingfang said: "The general manager is wise!"
Li Jing waved his hand and ordered: "You are responsible for appeasing the soldiers, so that the soldiers cannot be lazy or have their morale plummeted. You must cheer them up and prepare for the next war."
"You will finally understand!"
Su Dingfang nodded.
He is also a veteran in the army and knows what to do.
After Su Dingfang left, Cheng Yaojin said: "General Manager, if we really help Liu Bang defeat Wang Can, should we transfer our troops and attack Liu Bang in turn? This is a rare opportunity. We are all in anyway.
If Yizhou is conquered in one go, it will be much easier to attack Wang Can in the future."
"No need!"
Li Jing shook his head and said: "On the one hand, this involves the emperor's credibility; on the other hand, Liu Bang is in Yizhou, and he can do more. We can capture Bajun, which is enough."
Cheng Yaojin said: "Credit? In my opinion, this is just lip service and has no practical value."
Li Jing chuckled and said: "Old Cheng, this is because you are superficial. Indeed, there is no friendship or credibility between countries, only real interests."
"But now, it's a time of great strife."
"The emperor is facing not only Liu Bang, but also Wang Can and other countries."
"The Emperor needs to establish credibility."
"If you turn your back on Yizhou just for the sake of this place, no one will be willing to cooperate with the emperor after the news spreads all over the world. If the emperor is the only one left in the world, Wang Can and Liu Bang have defeated Wang Can, and they can annex it.
Liu Bang."
"But not yet!"
Li Jing said in a deep voice: "Now, do you understand?"
"Understood!"
Cheng Yaojin smiled. After listening to Li Jing's words, he understood clearly.
The warships were still moving fast. An hour later, all the warships from the Tang Dynasty all docked and anchored on the shore.
Li Jing first dispatched a team of sentinel detectives to quickly disperse to all directions to gather information in order to find out the situation and avoid being ambushed after landing.
The army quickly disembarked.
After all the soldiers landed, Li Jing's army marched quickly and found a secluded place to camp nearby. The soldiers rested, while Li Jing arranged for sentries to go in the direction of Chengdu to find out the news.
Around midnight in the afternoon, another sentry returned in a hurry.
The sentry looked urgent. He came to Li Jing and reported: "General manager, Chengdu has fallen. According to what we have found out, Liu Bang has withdrawn from Nancheng and is coming to our direction. At most, there will be half a dozen more soldiers."
In an hour, we will arrive at our location."
"Really defeated!"
Li Jing frowned and muttered to himself.
He had already anticipated such a situation, so after receiving the news reported by the sentinel, he quickly called Su Dingfang, told Su Dingfang the arrangements he had already planned, and asked Su Dingfang to make arrangements immediately.
The army around Li Jing moved quickly.
The army set off and began to go in the direction from which Liu Bang retreated, preparing to rush to Liu Bang's aid. (To be continued)
