The main camp arranged a tent for Han Qian near the third prince's main tent. It was a low wooden house built with logging and covered with rainproof cloth and thatch on the top. The conditions were quite simple, and there was nothing that could be done about it.
It was already April, and it was a bit stuffy when the curtains were lowered in the tent without windows.
Entering the hot summer, the continuous rain and the miasma that are prone to occur due to humidity and heat have always been taboos for the use of troops.
Everyone hopes that there will be heavy rains north of Nanyang to slow down the gathering of Liang's army to the south. However, they are also worried that there is mud outside Yueyang City, so the war will have to be postponed, and they must be careful to guard against the possibility of a big attack in the camp. A massive outbreak of miasma.
However, when Han Qian went into the camp, he saw that all the weeds and trees had been cleared away. In addition to drainage ditches, seepage wells were dug at the four corners of the camp to trap dirt. Lime was used on a large scale to repel mosquitoes. There was a slope behind the camp, even at great expense. Zhou Zhang dug wide trenches to prevent a large amount of muddy water from rushing down during heavy rains. At that time, he could use Haogou to lead to the river beach several miles away. It can be seen that Shen Yang was strict in running the camp. Even if he was a little conservative in the use of troops, it was reassuring. The handsome man.
Han Qian walked into the tent and saw Xi Ying taking off her leather armor and putting on a skirt. Her face was pretty and pretty, but there were two more beautiful beauties in the tent, which was an eyesore.
Needless to say, it was the third prince who arranged for him to serve him.
Although the tent was simple, the floor was covered with wooden boards, and the table and couch were exquisite. Xi Rong was already sitting leisurely in front of the table, making tea and drinking herself. When she saw Han Qian coming, she did not have the consciousness to serve him, and greeted him: " The tea sent by the Third Prince is very refreshing, come and try it."
Han Qian sat down and drank tea with Xi Rong for a while, and then Shen Yang came to visit.
At this moment, Xi Yin put away her lazy posture and knelt down to serve tea.
"Zhi Gao wanted to unite his troops to join you. Jiang Huo went to Yuanling to ask you and Zheng Hui about this matter. You came all the way. I guess Jiang Huo also told you our opinions?" Shen Yang came in and came. He went straight to the point and said, "You hope that His Highness will succeed to the throne, and you probably don't want any further setbacks, right?"
"Sir, have you made up your mind now?" Han Qian asked Shen Yang with a smile.
"It is the great fortune of Chu and the country that there will be no setbacks," Shen Yang said.
Shen Yang had always been unwilling to get involved in the fight for the rightful son. The main reason was that the third prince was too young at the time and had been raised in seclusion in the palace since he was a child. At that time, he believed that replacing the prince with the third prince would only bring more trouble to Dachu. Big turmoil.
The prince is unworthy, but there is a grandson to look forward to.
At that time, he was more inclined to the court's efforts, which should be to reduce and limit the Xu family's authority.
The subsequent development of the situation was completely beyond his expectation, and he was not a stubborn person who did not know how to assess the situation.
The Prince's Palace really had its foundation after the Jingxiang War. This time, Tanzhou could be successfully cut off from the vassal, and the fight for heirs became more likely. The replacement of the prince by the third prince would be more beneficial to Dachu, so he naturally tried his best to support it.
It is precisely because of this that Shen Yang does not advocate taking risks.
The Dragon Bird Army has finally managed to gather 20,000 elite soldiers in the past few years. This will be the basis for the Crown Prince and King Xin to surrender.
Han Qian pursed his lips. Shen Yang had a talent for dealing with the world, but he was not good at using strategy. This may have something to do with his character. It also determined that he was unlikely to notice anything unusual in Jinling City.
If Emperor Tianyou suddenly burps in Jinling and they fail to capture Tanzhou, then it will be a disaster.
But no one could say this to him.
"In order to prevent our army from fighting for it, the rebels drove all the villagers outside Yueyang City into the city. If the Marquis of Liyang goes to Shu to negotiate peace, it will be beneficial to us. Yueyang City thinks that it can rely on the lake and river to negotiate with Tanlang Communication, there is no need to worry about the grain road being cut off, but Zhenyuan Marquis does not know the water conditions of Dongting Lake at this time, and does not realize that he will not be able to figure out the water conditions of Dongting Lake for the next three to five months, and hundreds of thousands of people will be trapped in Yueyang City by then. Here, when the winter comes, the grain will be exhausted, and by then it may be possible to get it without spending a single soldier, but sir, are you really willing to see the city of Yueyang starved to death and the mountains filled with corpses?" Han Qian stared at Shen Yang and asked .
Han Qian's words can be said to be heart-breaking. Shen Yang prides himself on loving the people like his own son, and it is difficult to deal with it in silence.
In fact, what Han Qian said is the most orthodox and safest method of warfare, and if Yueyang City is really trapped with corpses all over the city, Tanzhou, Langzhou, Shaozhou, and Hengzhou will no longer be able to resist. .
On the battlefield, human lives are like nothing, but Shen Yang can hardly face such a tragic result.
"Wuling City is strong and small and cannot accommodate many soldiers. However, Ma Rong suffered a heavy loss from us when he defended Yuanling City and was able to mobilize 10,000 elite troops to Yunpanling. The rebels will be forced by the situation to fight us in the field and win. If Wuling City is captured again, soldiers and horses are everywhere, and they can go straight into the heart of the rebel territory. At this time, even if the Ma family still wants to fight to the end, how many people from the Tanzhou wealthy family can accompany them to death?" Han Qian said, "Although this strategy It is dangerous, but once they succeed, the rebels may only have to sacrifice their lives at this moment, and Tanzhou can fall without a fight. Sir, there is no need to see the corpses of the rebels everywhere, and there is no need to worry about Liang and Shu. The trend of the country!”
Shen Yang was silent for a long time and said: "The Marquis of Zhenyuan may not agree with the use of risk."
Yang Jian is the commander-in-chief of the Lou Fleet. He must firmly oppose it. Ten thousand elites cannot swim across Dongting Lake and enter the Yuan River.
"Then please sir, please accompany me to see Marquis Zhenyuan." Han Qian stood up and said.
"Okay, it's already dark today, I will go with you to see Yang Jian tomorrow." Shen Yang nodded and agreed.
The garrison of the Louchuan Army Navy is located in a lake sunken to the south between the Xishan Camp and Yunxiyi. The narrow mouth of the lake is built with logs as a wall, leaving a seven or eight-foot-wide gate for water supply. Division warships enter and exit.
More than a hundred warships, large and small, were moored on Shuiying Lake, and there were thousands of tents on the shore near the lake, where water division generals took turns to land ashore to rest.
Han Qian and Shen Yang rushed to the Shuiying station to visit Yang Jian, and also watched the training of naval officers.
At this time, Yang Jian led the Lou fleet to the expedition, with five Wuya Lou ships.
The Wuyalou Ship was the largest warship in the world. Even with its square bow and flat bottom, its draft was nearly ten feet deep. Its most notable feature was that it had a five-story cabin, and above the fifth deck, there was also a The Hope Pavilion is used for observing the enemy's situation and commanding.
The Wuyalou ship is a paddle boat without sails and masts. It has two layers of sixty large oars, which are used to drive the ship to fight close to the enemy. It has crenellations and is thirteen to fourteen feet long. The hull is four to five feet above the water. It looks like a giant thing parked on the lake.
Yang Jian took Han Qian and Shen Yang aboard a Wuyalou ship to look at the lake and river, and asked calmly: "Master Shen, Han Sima came here just to see the Wuyalou ship, right?" "
"Divide our troops to Chenzhou, take advantage of the turbulent flow of the Yuan River, and attack Wuling from above. What does Yang Hou think of this?" Shen Yang asked.
Yang Jian glared at Han Qian in surprise. Unexpectedly, Shen Yang, who had never advocated taking risks, would be persuaded to change his mind just one day after Han Qian arrived at Yuedong Camp?
"The waves in Dongting Lake are rough, and enemy ships are coming from all directions. It's too risky." Regardless of whether Shen Yang was persuaded by Han Qian or not, as a general of the clan, Yang Jian did not need to bend his power and express his objections directly. .
He commanded the navy. Without his consent, if the Longque Army wanted to swim into the Yuan River, he would have nothing to say.
"The navy of the Louchuan Army is no weaker than the Tanzhou Navy. They don't fight in the lake and go straight into the Yuanjiang River from the main channel. If the Tanzhou Navy dares to fight, they will lose more than they win. Why should Lord Yang be afraid? ?" Han Qian asked.
"Navy warships, mainly oars, suddenly found it difficult to sail long distances..." Yang Jian had practical difficulties that he considered, so he took the Wuyalou ship at their feet as an example. With sixty large oars, the oarsmen could sail in a short time Increasing the speed of the ship will make it faster than a fast sailing ship, but it will not last long.
Maybe the highest boat speed can only be maintained for half an hour, and the rowers will be exhausted, and then they can only move forward slowly at a lower speed.
Going south from the mouth of Yueyang Lake, entering the Yuanjiang River from Yuankou, and upstream to Yunpanling, it is a 500-mile waterway. On average, the boat speed is actually much slower than that of a fast sailing ship.
At this time, even if the Tanzhou navy keeps sending warships to harass, the losses of the entire fleet that breaks through the blockade will be difficult to control.
"Xuzhou has built twelve warships. If necessary, they can break through the blockade of Tanzhou navy at any time and rush to the Yuedong camp to meet up. At that time, Yang Hou will be asked to gather the warships to transport troops and horses into the Yuanjiang River." Han Qian said.
Han Qian naturally considered the problem that the main warships of the Lou Chuan Army were not conducive to fast voyages. His plan was for the Lou Chuan Army to gather together war sailing vessels that were helpful for long voyages, and twelve more war sailing vessels from the Xuzhou Water Camp would come to join them and jointly transport a ship. Wan Jingrui entered Yuanjiang.
For long distances, war sailing ships used their sails to take advantage of the wind. When sprinting for short distances, they relied on the oarsmen to operate large oars to drive the ship forward at a faster speed to engage enemy ships.
Therefore, Han Qian has always been dismissive of warships like the Wuyalou Ship, which look spectacular but are actually too restricted in use in water battles and cost a lot of money.
Yang Jian pondered and remained silent.
Han Qian stared at Yang Jian and saw that he had two short mustaches on his lips. He was obviously smart and capable, and he was indeed the most outstanding naval general in Da Chu.
Yang Mi proclaimed himself emperor in Jinling, and the Yang family was the clan. Among the clan's descendants were Yang En, Yang Zhitang and other generals, but among the people most trusted by Yang Mi at present, Yang Jian, who commanded the Lou Chuanjun, must be one of them.
Yang Jian is only forty-five years old this year. When he was in the prime of life, he always followed Yang Mi, the God-blessed Emperor, and had little social contact with the prince, Anning Palace and King Xin. In the eyes of many people, no matter who the future new emperor is, , Yang Jian is indispensable for his status as a loyal minister.
Seeing that Yang Jian was silent, Han Qian asked: "There is a sentence that Han Qian should not ask?"
"Han Sima, please speak frankly." Yang Jian said.
"Your Highness destroyed the rebels, how likely is it that Marquis Yang thinks His Majesty will replace the Crown Prince with His Highness?" Han Qian directly asked this most sensitive question. Of course, he did not expect Yang Jian to answer directly. He asked and answered his own questions. He said, "Mr. Yang is regarded by His Majesty as the mainstay of the clan. If Mr. Yang does not actively perform meritorious deeds when discussing Tanzhou's rebellion, your Majesty may think that Mr. Yang has other plans in mind!"
"What you are saying is heartbreaking!" Yang Jian suddenly opened his eyes wide and stared at Han Qian angrily. How could a person like him be willing to accept such a threat from Han Qian?
"Perhaps Han Qian's words were heartbreaking, but Han Qian once said the same thing to Feng Wenlan. Feng Wenlan's reaction at that time was no different from that of Mr. Yang!" Han Qian laughed and said with a smile,
He was completely unafraid of Yang Jian's anger.
Han Qian spoke conservatively and reservedly in front of the third prince, but whether he was cajoling, deceiving, threatening or inducement, he had to get Yang Jian to agree to send troops!
