The Wuling Army captured Yuanling and controlled almost the entire area in the middle reaches of the Yuanjiang River.
The straight-line distance from Yuanling City to the north is about 140 miles, all the way to Yunpan Ridge, which is the boundary of Yuanling County. If you take the Yuanjiang waterway, it will take about 220 miles of twists and turns.
Yunpan Ridge is also the most important remnant of the northern foothills of the Wuling Mountains, and goes further north into Wuling County. Wuling County has many shallow hills and low ridges, with heights ranging from about ten feet to thirty to fifty feet, and the terrain is far lower than that of Yunpan Mountain.
The two sides of the Yuanjiang River to the south of the ridge are dangerous.
Although Tanzhou had built a stronghold in Yunpanling and stationed armored soldiers, Ma Rong himself did not expect that even five thousand soldiers and horses could not stay in Yuanling for a month. The construction of the walled city on Yunpanling was slow.
Ma Rong led his remnant troops to retreat north. Although the walled city in Yunpanling occupied dangerous ground, it was quite weak.
The valley to the south of Yunpanling is convenient for the Wuling Army to enter and launch an offensive.
In order to avoid unnecessary losses, Ma Rong destroyed the city wall when he passed through Yunpanling and brought more than 200 defenders back to Wuling City, using Wuling City as the last barrier to block the Wuling army from entering the Dongting Lake Plain.
Tian Cheng led his troops into Yunpanling in mid-March and rebuilt Yunpanling Village as a stronghold for the Wuling Army's northward advance.
At this moment, the area under the jurisdiction of the Wuling Army was still isolated from Jingzhou in the north and Ezhou in the northeast by the Hunan Army ruled by Ma. However, there was no need to travel arduously over the mountains. The scouts dressed up in disguise and sent messages to and from each other were much more efficient than
It used to be much more convenient.
Jiang Huo rushed to Yunpanling in person at the end of March and met with Zheng Hui, Zhang Ping, Han Qian and others who were gathering troops in Yunpanling to attack Wuling in the north. Jiang Huo came with Jiang Huo and two Han Qian.
The people Qian didn't expect were Han Chengmeng, Han Daoming's eldest son, and Qiao Weiyan, Han Daoming's eldest son-in-law.
The third prince personally sent Ezhou soldiers and horses, fought several battles with the Tanzhou army at the northern foot of Mufu Mountain, and arrived at Yueyang City in early March. However, the King of Xiang, Ma Yin, assembled an infantry battalion of 30,000 naval troops to go to Yueyang in person to supervise the battle.
Yueyang, as the prefecture of Yuezhou, borders the Yangtze River to the north and Dongting to the west.
The navy of the Louchuan Army fought several battles with the Tanzhou Water Camp in the waters at the mouth of Dongting Lake, with both sides winning and losing, but they did not dare to rush into the Dongting Lake with complicated water conditions, so they set out to Jianghuo to see Zheng Hui.
At the time of Qian, Yang Yuanpu did not dare to besiege Yueyang easily, and the main troops were stationed at Laojun Village, dozens of miles east of Yueyang City.
When Hongzhou attacked Hengzhou via Yuanzhou, the imperial court appointed Yang Zhitang, the son of the eldest brother of Emperor Tianyou, the prince of Yuzhang and the governor of Hongzhou, as the commander. However, the troops in Hongzhou were mainly local state battalions, and Yang Zhitang personally led only 3,000 elite imperial troops.
Since then, he has fought several battles with Luo Jia, the governor of Hengzhou, but he has lost more than he has won.
At this time, Yang Zhitang could only hold Yuanzhou and prevent the rebels from attacking the west bank of Poyang Lake.
General Zhang Wei was entangled by the Shu army in Jingzhou, and it was difficult to divide his troops to cross the river to attack Jiang'an and other cities in the north of Langzhou.
For now, the Wuling Army's attack on the rebels was most successful from the southwest, forcing the rebels to deploy 5,000 new troops from other directions to defend the city in the lower reaches of the Yuanjiang River.
"It's been almost two years since we parted ways in Jinling. Mr. Jiang has grown a lot of white hair again. It's so hard!" Han Qian, Zheng Hui, and Zhang Ping accompanied Jiang Huo to the main peak of Yunpan Ridge, looking at Wuling in the north.
Jiang Huo said with emotion that the mountains and rivers within the county were shabby.
"They are all working for His Majesty. How can it be hard work?" Jiang Huo cupped his hands and said with a smile, "Besides, the hard work is far less than that of Mr. Han and Mr. Zheng..."
"I'm working for His Majesty, so I don't feel like it's hard work." Han Qian laughed.
"Currently, His Highness is leading his troops to reach Yueyang City, but the Marquis of Zhenyuan, Marquis of Xinchang, Master Shen, and Master Chen do not think there is a chance of capturing Yueyang City in a short time. And after the Liang Army in the north drove the Jin Army out of Hedong, they are
They gathered non-stop in Caizhou. It was difficult for the imperial court to support the expenses of three battlefields at the same time. His Highness ordered Jiang Huo to come over and ask Mr. Zheng and Mr. Han for advice. Is it possible for the Wuling Army to gain another victory on both sides of the Yuanjiang River? "Jiang
He was told the purpose of his trip.
"..." Zheng Hui and Zhang Ping both looked at Han Qian, knowing that His Highness had actually sent Jiang Huo to ask Han Qian for advice. After all, Han Qian had the most trust from His Highness at this time.
Han Qian pondered and did not rush to answer Jiang Huo's question.
From Yunpan Ridge to the north, there is the low hilly area at the northern foot of Wuling Mountain. No matter how stupid Ma Yuanheng and Ma Rong were, they would not be able to keep thousands of soldiers and horses in Wuling City and let them use the cyclone cannon.
Attack the city with the Scorpion Cannon.
Once the Wuling Army fights in the low mountains and shallow hills, their strength will be at a disadvantage. Even if they can win one or two battles in the end, their elite troops will inevitably be wiped out.
After all, Xuzhou’s population is still too small.
Xuzhou has a population of 170,000, and there are less than 40,000 men between the ages of 18 and 40.
Although the vast majority of civilians have benefited from the new land tax policy, the centuries-old tradition of villagers being controlled by the clan cannot be reversed in a short time by Han Qian's benefits.
The people even harbor deep hatred.
Changing customs takes a long time, and short-term force deterrence can only temporarily cover up conflicts.
In a short period of time, it has become very difficult for the Wuling Army to continue recruiting new soldiers.
Among the current composition of the Wuling Army, the early criminal soldiers, boat guards, Zuosi generals and their descendants are the most reliable, followed by the brave men recruited from the migratory refugees. However, even if they are recruited from the Feng family's slaves
Counting the soldiers recruited from the army, the total number was only 2,400 to 500.
In addition to these 24,500 people, there are some foreigners recruited, including Xuzhou Fan people, Fan Yong from the old county in central Guizhou, and the current semi-independent Chenzhou Fan camp. In fact, their thoughts are not the same.
Stable, far from reaching the point of returning to one's heart.
Once there are heavy casualties at this time, the Wuling Army's combat effectiveness will drop sharply.
As the 2,450 people whom Han Qian trusted the most were severely damaged, he had to worry about whether Xiying would incite Fan Yong in Fanying and other battalions of the Wuling Army to counterattack.
After all, the time they have been operating in Xuzhou is too short, and their foundation is too shallow.
Only by winning continuously can they intimidate other surnames to be used by the imperial court. If they suffer a serious setback, the situation will immediately become precarious, and the seemingly good start of the entire southwest direction will be completely overturned.
Is it possible that with a shake of his tiger body, he can stop old foxes like Xiying, Yang Zaili, and Xiang Jianlong from being mere wallflowers, and that the conflict between locals and foreigners that has lasted for hundreds of years in Chenxu and Xuzhou will no longer exist?
There are too few truly reliable people.
Han Qian had previously agreed to hand over the command of the Wuling Army to Zheng Hui. Another consideration was that Zheng Hui could mobilize a group of Zheng's children to make up for the shortage of middle and low-level military attachés in the Wuling Army.
No matter what kind of ambition he has, he must first destroy the Ma family and his son.
Otherwise, the reduction of the vassal state will be frustrated, and the court will have to admit the fact that the Ma family and his son are separatists in Xianghu. Can a small place like Xuzhou withstand the counterattack of tens of thousands of elites in Tanzhou?
Of course, simply sending the Wuling Army out of Yunpanling to confront the rebels head-on would definitely not work. However, the battlefield continued to be stalemate, and it was delayed until the Liang Army freed up its hands again to attack the Nanyang Basin from the direction of Caizhou, and the entire western front of Da Chu was
will become in danger.
"The water conditions in Dongting Lake are complicated. It is absolutely impossible for the main force of the Lou Chuan Army to rashly enter Dongting Lake and play hide-and-seek with the Tanzhou Navy. But has His Highness ever considered following the example of the Battle of Xichuan and using the naval warships of the Lou Chuan Army to destroy a group of people?"
Send some elite troops to us?" Han Qian asked Jiang Huodao.
"This strategy is feasible." Zheng Hui knew the situation of the Wuling Army better than anyone else, and immediately expressed his support for Han Qian's opinion.
The water conditions of Dongting Lake are complex. It is actually a group of lakes composed of a series of lakes. Interconnected streams and rivers intermittent with grassy beaches. The water channels are deep and shallow, and the beaches are steep and gentle. No matter how powerful the scouts of the Staff Division are, the investigation of the water conditions of Dongting Lake
, which is also far inferior to the Tanzhou Navy.
The Louchuan Army rushed into Dongting Lake to annihilate the Tanzhou Navy. It was definitely a situation where they would lose more than they won.
However, the main channel from the Yangtze River to Dongting Lake and then to the Yuan River is clear.
Even Yang Qin walked back and forth on this main channel more than ten times.
The Louchuan Army warship carried an elite force and entered the Yuanjiang River from the main channel. The Tanzhou Navy was dispatched to intercept it, but they fought decisively on the main channel. If the Tanzhou Navy avoided fighting, they could send an elite force into the clouds.
Panling, joining forces with the Wuling Army, will completely change the situation on the Dongting Lake battlefield, and the rebels will be exhausted!
The rebels did not dare to fight in the north of Wuling Mountain. It would be much easier for them to attack Wuling City than the main force to attack Yueyang City.
Not only Wuling City, but also Langzhou Prefecture City has long been regarded by the Ma family as an inner line that is difficult to face the enemy. The level of city construction is comparable to that of Yuanling City, and the city is still small.
The changes in the battlefield situation will have an even greater impact on the morale of the rebels, which is even more difficult to estimate.
"General Li has this intention, but you adults think this strategy is very risky. At the same time, you don't know how long the Wuling Army's food and grass can last?" Jiang Huo asked.
Li Zhigao was a man who dared to use troops boldly, but people like Shen Yang, Marquis of Xinchang Yang Pu, Marquis of Zhenyuan Yang Jian and other people who could really decide the battle strategy might not dare to do so.
In addition, food and grass are always the first issue that needs to be considered. After all, it is impossible to make breakthrough progress immediately by sending troops and horses in. You need to consider the consequences of further stalemate in the war.
"If Zhigao can lead 10,000 elites here, there will be no problem in supplying grain, fodder and military supplies until the end of June. By the end of June, Xuzhou will be able to recruit a new batch of summer grain." Han Qian said.
Jiang Huo asked again: "Besides this, does Mr. Han have any other suggestions?"
Jiang Huo came here this time just to ask for advice on behalf of the third prince, and there was no room for him to express his opinions.
The attitudes of Han Qian and Zheng Hui were very clear. He would tell the truth truthfully when he went back. The final decision would have to be made by the third prince, Shen Yang, Li Pu, Yang Jian and others.
"Send an envoy to Shu to persuade the Lord of Shu to respect himself!" Han Qian pondered for a while and said, "After the envoy enters Shu, he must make the Lord of Shu understand that our battle to cut down the feudal vassals and quell the rebellion will really be delayed until the Liang army attacks again.
In Nanyang, failure was doomed, but the first place Liang Jun wanted to capture was Shu, not Jingxiang of Chu!"
"Master Han is really very smart, which coincides with His Majesty!" Jiang Huo laughed and said, "Marquis Liyang is in His Majesty's army at this time. He just wants to confirm the situation of Wuling Army.
I will choose a day to send Chu!"
"Mr. Yang is here too?" Han Qian knew that Emperor Tianyou's vision was definitely not bad. It was not surprising that he had thought of Chu Zhice before him, but he thought that Yang En was lazy by nature and would only take care of himself in the right school building. Unexpectedly, Emperor Tianyou persuaded him to come out again.
"This is a matter of great concern to the country and the country of Chu, and Marquis Yang has no shirk in his duties. Besides, Marquis Yang had many friends when he was young, and he was benevolent to Wang Jian, the Lord of Shu. There is no one else in the court who is more suitable to be an envoy to Shu than him." Jiang Huo He knew more about the clan's history than anyone else, and at this time, he also explained clearly the advantages of Yang En's envoy to Chu.
Han Qian nodded. If Yang Enzhen can persuade the Shu army to withdraw from Yiling, even if the Liang army completes its assembly in Caizhou before the end of May, Dachu will have 15,000 elite troops led by Zhang Wei on the western front who can be flexible. If the situation on the Dongting Lake side continues to be stalemate, there is no need to worry too much.
Jiang Huo also talked about the opinions of Shen Yang, Yang Jian, Li Pu and others on the follow-up battle plan. They all advocated letting Yang En envoy Chu first. As long as the Shu army could be persuaded to agree to withdraw, there was no need to take the risk of sending troops to Dongting Lake and surrender. Go to the southwest to join forces with the Wuling Army.
After the Shu army withdrew, Zhang Wei's troops in Jingzhou were able to take care of both the northern and southern fronts, so that the Liang army did not dare to attack Deng Xiang's defense line in the south and Du Chongtao built a new defense line in Fangcheng. By this time, the war was dragging on. It will only be more detrimental to Tanzhou and the rebels.
After all, the military potential Da Chu can still extract is far beyond what the five states controlled by the rebels can compare with.
Han Qian pondered for a long time, and finally bit the bullet and said to Zheng Hui: "Master Zheng, it seems that I have to take a trip to Yueyang to see His Highness!"
The military strategy of Shen Yang, Yang Jian, Li Pu and others was too stable, but at this time they could not confirm that Shu Lord Wang Jian would be persuaded to withdraw his troops, let alone Liang Jun's determination. If Liang Jun launched two attacks on Nanyang Basin again, In such a large-scale war a year ago, if we still want to fight steadily, we may fall into a dilemma...
The use of troops is always a combination of surprise and right. If you always take risks and use surprise troops, you will be pecked blind one day. But if you always think of using troops safely, you may miss a rare advantageous opportunity.
If Jiang Huo was just allowed to deliver the message, the third prince might be more inclined to their side. However, Shen Yang, Yang Jian, Li Pu and others strongly opposed it, hoping that the seventeen-year-old third prince could stick to his own opinion and fight hard. The objections of these three people are unrealistic.
Han Qian felt that he needed to go there in person.
