After hearing Han Qian talk about his plan to attack the east and west, Zheng Hui patted his thigh and praised: "It is really a blessing for Chu to have Mr. Han and the defense envoy to serve. Zheng is also lucky to be in the same palace as Mr. Han!"
"Master Zheng, you are exaggerating!" Han Qian said humbly, "I am used to taking advantage of opportunities, but taking the wrong approach and using it occasionally is not the right path after all."
Zheng Hui shook his head and smiled. He knew that Shen Yang, General Lou Chuan, Zhenyuan Marquis Yang Jian and others, and even His Majesty were dissatisfied with Han Qian for inciting the third prince to defend Xichuan City during the Jingxiang War.
Although this topic should not be discussed in depth, Zheng Hui did not think that Han Qian had done anything wrong.
As the defender of Xichuan who was absolutely unable to escape at that time, Zheng Hui knew better than anyone else the dangers that the Dengxi area experienced at that time. He knew in his heart that if Han Qian had not encouraged the third prince to seize control of Dengxi's defense and the subsequent Through a series of strange plots, Jingxiang has probably fallen into the hands of Liang Jun. Even if Tanzhou does not declare independence by then, there will never be any move to reduce the vassalage of Tanzhou today.
Zheng Hui looked at Han Qian. He was not tall and handsome, but he had a calm demeanor that was difficult for ordinary people to associate with his actual age.
Zheng Hui is only thirty-seven years old this year. He is already the governor of Chenzhou and the deputy defense envoy of the Wuling Army. He can definitely be said to be the young man of the Chu Dynasty. However, he is younger than Han Qian who is only 21 years old. It will be much bigger.
In fact, even though he is a generation younger than Zheng Hui, Zheng Xingxuan, who was trained as a rising star of the Zheng family, is about the same age as Lin Haizheng, and is already twenty-four or five years old at this time.
As a military attache at the level of battalion commander, he can already be said to be the backbone of the Chu army. He can definitely be said to be young and promising. However, in front of the calm and composed Han Qian, he really can't show off his enthusiasm. .
Zheng Xingxuan secretly pondered what Han Qian had just said.
Although he used to be arrogant and felt that Han Qian was lucky enough to win during the Jingxiang War by taking a sideways approach and playing tricks, but after he joined the Prince's Mansion, he had a clearer understanding of the ins and outs of the Prince's Mansion, and Entering Xuzhou this time, he had to admit that Han Qian did have something special that others could not. It was no wonder that His Highness relied on him so much.
This was something he couldn't envy.
Han Qian's strategy of seizing the east and attacking the west was just a general direction. Feng Liao, Zheng Xingxuan, Yuan Guowei and Zheng Hui were surrounded by other counselors who were counselors for military affairs, so they could make further details.
Not to mention Yang Zaili and Xiang Jianlong, the chiefs of the four surnames. Han Qian successively organized 1,600 soldiers of the four surnames into the Wuling Army. There must be quite a few generals among them, and even a few grassroots military attachés. He was looking forward to Han Qian in his heart. The father and son were frustrated and hoped that the Wuling Army could defeat Chenzhou.
What Zheng Hui and the others have to do is to secretly loosen some restrictions in a targeted manner. Through these generals who have not yet surrendered to the Wuling Army, and through the restless elements among the four surnames, the Wuling Army was severely frustrated in the battle at Nanpo Village. It was tragic, and the news spread that Zheng Hui, Han Qian and others were afraid of washing the enemy and deliberately adjusted the direction of their attack.
Afterwards, elites familiar with water properties were selected from the infantry camp to strengthen the water camp, resume warship construction at the Wufengshan shipyard, continuously send scouts to Xupu, move the water camp station from Wufengshan to Wukou Village, and continuously send warships into the water camp. Attack the stream between Chenyang and Xupu.
Han Qian spent more time with Shui Ying with his guards.
As long as there is a chance, the various forces in Chenzhou are not willing to become the puppets of Tanzhou. Therefore, on the premise of refusing the entry of Tanzhou soldiers and horses, on the one hand, they continue to recruit Fanmin Jianyong, and on the other hand, they adjust Chenyang and Qinzhou.
Urama's defense deployment.
Xupu is located at the northwest foot of Xuefeng Mountain. The largest valley basin in the upper reaches of Yuanshui River is located in Xupu County. The soil is fertile, the climate is suitable, and the products are abundant. There are more than 13,000 local residents in Chenzhou, almost half of them.
People live in the Xupu River Valley Basin.
Xupu is high on all sides and low in the middle. The largest water system in the territory, the Datan River, flows from the northwest of Heiqi Mountain to the Yuanshui River. The mouth of the Datan River is the water and land intersection from the Yuanjiang River into the Xupu Valley Plain. The Datan River was built there.
Zhai is also an important commercial port town along the Yuanshui River, together with Chenyang, Qianyang and Wukou.
Datanzhai was originally stationed by Xishetao, the fourth son of Xiying, who led four to five hundred troops. In mid-November, the surnames in Chenzhou continued to recruit brave men who were good at fighting from their subordinate households, and the garrison of Datanzhai was
The number increased to fourteen to five hundred, and Xiying himself finally went to Xupu to take charge. He made his seventh son Xishehu, his ninth son Xiashou Jimingyan, and his third son Xiashou Yanshou.
Chenyang City.
At this time, Zheng Hui led his troops to bypass Jiming Village, pass directly along the south side of Chenshui and pass through the hills at the northeastern foot of Longya Mountain, and attack Chenyang City. After attacking for two days, they abandoned the cyclone cannon and other heavy weapons.
, and hurriedly fled back to Laolongtou from the wild trail at the northeastern foot of Longya Mountain.
As Han Qian expected, Xishehu, who was eager for military exploits, saw more than 2,000 Wuling troops scattered and fled south. How could he have the patience to stay at Jiming Village?
Xi Shehu led 2,000 troops out of Jiming Village and was lured into a mountain col in the northeast corner of Laolong Gorge by Zheng Hui. He was first secretly deployed on the Meizi Slope of the side ridge and fired into a chaotic formation with sixty bed crossbows.
At the beginning, Xishehu did not realize that Laoya'ao was a field site carefully chosen by the Wuling Army. While urging his generals to rush towards the main force of the Wuling Army who was trying to escape from the south entrance of Laoya'ao, he personally led his troops to attack the Fuzinu position in Meizipo.
But he didn't expect that he himself would be resisted by Zheng Xing's 300 soldiers. Zheng Hui, Tian Cheng, and Gao Shao, while guarding the south exit of Lao Ya'ao, organized their troops and horses to go around Lao Ya'ao from a ramp outside Lao Ya'ao.
The entrance on the north side of the pass trapped more than 2,000 soldiers in the low valley of Laoyao.
At this time, more than thirty heavy armored cavalry, which had rarely appeared on the Chenxu battlefield since ancient times, also entered the battlefield.
Driven by the soldiers, the tall war horses were covered with fine steel armor, ignoring the arrows fired by the soldiers, ruthlessly attacking the gradually scattered formations of the soldiers, cruelly and efficiently reaping the lives of the soldiers.
After Xishehu was eager to win glory and recklessly sent troops from Jiming Village, Xisheyan, the third son of Xiying, the defender of Chenyang City, was worried that Xishehu was too reckless and would be unable to defeat the Wuling Army in front of Laolong Gorge.
The main force also led eight hundred troops out of Chenyang City to pursue them.
Of course, Xisheyan did not expect to fall into the trap at the time. He was more thinking that Xishehu could entangle the main force of the Wuling Army and lead his troops to fight a battle of annihilation. He thought that after this battle, Xisheyan would
Can become the hero of the two states of Chen and Xu.
As a result, Zheng Hui and Han Qian were even less likely to be merciful, and they had no time to force the more than 2,000 soldiers trapped at the bottom of the Laoyao Valley to surrender. At this time, dozens of newly built wheeled Scorpion cannons were put into the battlefield.
Meizipo was condescending and kept throwing ignited fire oil cans at the areas where the enemy soldiers were most densely concentrated. He used the fastest, most effective and cruelest way to annihilate the more than 2,000 soldiers sent from Jiming Village in the shortest possible time.
.
Xishehu has the courage to be invincible, but this time in order to facilitate the pursuit of the main force of the Wuling Army, he did not wear heavy armor that would affect his movement when he left Jiming Village. He wore an extra leather armor before the battle, but it was unable to stop the fine steel arrow clusters.
He kept shooting, with dozens of arrows in his body, and finally collapsed in front of Meizi Slope. Before his death, he also chopped down the two outermost crossbows.
As soon as Xi Shehu died, the remaining soldiers completely collapsed and fled across the mountains and plains to avoid being pursued.
At this time, Zheng Hui, Tian Cheng, Gao Shao, Lin Haizheng and others reorganized their formation, led the main force of the Wuling Army out of Laoyao, and faced Qixing Slope two miles away to fight against the ignorant people who were chasing after them from Chenyang City.
Washing Rock and the 800th Army...
Before dark, the Wuling Army went to Laoyao, Meizi Slope, Qixing Slope and other places on the northeastern foothills of Longya Mountain to annihilate the 3,000 soldiers who were lured out of the walled city.
When the sky was full of stars and the moon illuminated the mountains and fields at night like water, Zheng Hui led his troops non-stop in the morning light and advanced to the foot of Chenyang City again.
At this time, there were less than 300 defenders left in Chenyang City, and they did not even have time to dismantle the dozen cyclone cannons that Zheng Hui had abandoned outside the city and transport them into the city.
The defenders piled up firewood and set it on fire in an attempt to burn down the cyclone cannon, but the Wuling Army came very quickly. The defenders rushed to close the city and defend it. The Wuling Army put out the firewood pile and replaced the slings of dozens of cyclone cannons.
They were all still usable, and they kept collecting nearby stone tablets and stone mills to launch a new offensive against Chenyang City, which had only three hundred defenders left.
Xiying's ninth son, Xishetao, was in Jimingzhai, with less than 200 troops left to defend him.
On November 19, Zheng Hui captured Chenyang City.
At this time, Jiming Village became an isolated village surrounded by Wuling troops. Xi Shetao led 200 soldiers to abandon the village and took three awning boats to escape from Chenshui into the Yuanjiang River. He wanted to go from the Yuanjiang River to Yuanling or
The Taitan Village in Xupu fled.
However, at this time, Yang Qin had led three warships from Wukou Village to Qianyang City to join the main force of the Wuling Army. At the mouth of the Chenshui River entering the Yuanjiang River, they directly rammed the awning boat transporting the 200 defenders of Jiming Village to escape.
Turns out, most of the two hundred soldiers drowned at the bottom of the river.
The sun has not yet set on November 19th.
Han Qian stood in front of the Jiangtan Pier on the east side of Chenyang City, watching the sunset fall on the clear Yuanshui River, and three war sailing ships slowly approaching.
The cast iron horn is like a poisonous snake lurking under the water, looming in the clear river water.
Yang Qin stood at the bow of the ship, and before disembarking to see Han Qian, he ordered the soldiers standing on the side of the ship to use hook-mounted guns to drag a corpse dragged over the back of the ship.
That was the body of the ninth son of Xiying who had been hit by dozens of arrows after falling into the water.
Yang Qin would not bother to salvage the corpses of other soldiers who were drowned in the river. Xi Shetao, as the ninth son of Xi Ying, was special, but he would avoid being eaten by fish and shrimps.
It had been less than half an hour since Xi Shetao fell into the water and was killed. His face had not yet been damaged by the river water, and his ferocious face could even be clearly seen from his temporary struggle.
Xi Xunqiao and the descendants of the Chenzhou Xi family have the same origin for hundreds of years. Seeing this scene, he felt uncomfortable, but he was even more shocked. Under the strong pressure of the Han family and his son, Chenzhou had successfully unified the Chenzhou surname forces.
The Xi clan is actually so vulnerable.
The elite Fan soldiers in Chenyang County are not nearly as large as the main force of the Wuling Army. They also have Chenyang City and Jimingzhai two strong cities to defend them. Hundreds of Fan households and the troops lurking from Tanzhou are also using their full strength.
Supporting them to resist the Wuling Army's northward advance, in such a short period of time, not only the main force suffered heavy losses, but also the entire Chenyang County was lost?
Xi Xunqiao finally decided to make suggestions for Zheng Hui and Han Qian. Naturally, he hoped that the Wuling Army would win, but he never expected that the Chenzhou Army would be defeated so miserably.
He expected Xiying and his son to make a new choice after feeling the strong pressure from the Wuling Army. They would give up the illusion of separatist control of Chenzhou and instead fall into the arms of the imperial court. They would work with the Wuling Army to suppress Tanzhou and support the imperial court in attacking Tanzhou.
The reduction of vassalage.
Who would have thought that the elite soldiers organized by the Chenzhou Xi clan in Chenyang County would be so vulnerable!