In addition to the twelve new warships of the Xuzhou Shuiying, the more than 40 sailing warships of the Lou Ship Army were only modified with water boards. The overall speed of the fleet crossing the Dongting Lake area slowed down by a full
It took two days and one night to reach the mouth of the Yuan River where it flows into Dongting Lake.
Entering the rainy season, the upper reaches of the Yuanshui River are also very abundant during this period, and the water surface in the estuary area is also very vast, submerging the river beaches on both sides, and the water surface is almost ten miles open.
To the north of Yunpan Ridge, there are low mountains and shallow hills, which do not block the wind.
Since the main force of Tanzhou's navy did not pursue the enemy, Tanzhou's water camp within the Yuanjiang River was simply not strong enough to resist the Chu army's advance to the southwest.
Ma Rong was in Hanshou City, Langzhou Prefecture, watching more than 50 sailing warships sailing across the river several miles away, but there was no main warship from the water camp to pursue them. He felt his chest pounding and burst into tears:
“Tanzhou’s foundation is ruined!”
Ma Rong had previously felt that his sword was on the wrong side, and that Han Qian, who helped Yang Yuanpu defeat Liang Jun in Xichuan, was not a concern. However, the battle of Yuanling City made him truly realize that the Wuling Army, which had only been founded for less than two years, could set up its military formations in a dignified manner.
The siege was so impeccable and dense that he couldn't breathe. If he didn't want his entire army to be destroyed, he could only flee back to Wuling in panic.
Ji Zhongqi had a good idea. Even if more than 10,000 Longque Army elites were sent into the Huxi Plain, Tanzhou could send more troops to fight in the field. But even defending the city was so difficult, what chance of winning in the field battle was there?
Moreover, the military resources prepared by Xuzhou were much more abundant than previously expected. However, most of Ma Rong's petitions were not taken seriously. Ma Rong also knew that many people around the king thought that he was responsible for the defeat of Yuanling.
make excuse.
Wen Ruilin took a boat across the Dongting Lake from Hukou, then rode a horse all the way from Junshan, and entered Longshou City first to meet Ma Rong. Wen Ruilin looked at the river several miles away and wished he could bring the crown prince Ma Xun and the country's lord Ma
Yindu pulled them forward, pointed at the scene in front of them, and told them to open their eyes and take a closer look: "Look, look, you fools, can't you just listen to my opinion for once?"
Wen Ruilin couldn't get rid of the bad breath in his chest, but he also knew that now was not the time to lose his temper, so he said to Ma Rong: "At this time, I also ask Lord Sima to lead his troops to Wuling City immediately - as I expected, the Chu army will probably do it.
The strategy is to besiege the city and fight for reinforcements, but no matter what, we still have to ask Lord Sima to defend Wuling City, otherwise Tanzhou will be difficult to protect!"
Even if it is predicted that the Chu army will surround the Wuling army and send reinforcements, Wuling City must still be defended.
There are only two fortified cities, Hanshou and Wuling, along the lower reaches of the Yuanjiang River. If the Chu army captures Wuling City, they can enter the hinterland of Langzhou to the north, advance to the south bank of the Yangtze River, open up communication with Jingxiang, and attack Tanzhou to the southeast.
The whole situation is really about to completely collapse.
Ma Rong immediately ordered all the few horse troops in Hanshou City, and he and Wen Ruilin took the land route on the north bank of the Yangtze River, chasing the Chu fleet. They overtook them in the middle of the night and entered Wuling City in advance to deploy defenses.
In the morning light, the Chu fleet was rippling on the river, from northeast to southwest, passing through the river channel in front of Wuling City.
When the river was squeezed by hills and mountains on both sides and reached Yuyue Gorge, which was less than a mile wide, the Chu fleet stopped moving forward and docked on the river beach south of Yuyue Gorge.
The Chu army, like tigers and wolves, jumped out of the warships in the morning fog and rushed onto the river beach.
The river surface before and after Yuyue Gorge is four or five miles wide. Only this small section of the river is narrowed by the hills and mountains on both sides to only four or five hundred paces. On the one hand, the river becomes extremely turbulent when it passes through here, making it difficult to fight against the current. On the other hand,
Camps were built on the hills and mountains on both sides of the river, and cyclone cannons were set up to block the river.
The Chu army landed on the river beach south of Yuyue Gorge, and then controlled the hills and mountains on both sides of Yuyue Gorge. They could then use Yuyue Gorge as a base camp to attack Wuling City, which was only ten miles away. On the one hand, it was extremely convenient to transfer supplies and troops.
, on the other hand, there is no need to worry about Tanzhou Shuiying being able to attack from the lower reaches.
Ma Rong gathered 2,000 cavalry infantry troops on the shallow hills on the north bank of Yuyue Gorge. When he saw the Chu army rushing ashore, he immediately divided the hundreds of cavalry troops into several groups and took turns to attack the fragile positions established by the Chu army on the river beach, hoping to give the Chu army a chance.
Showing force will make the subsequent confrontation less difficult.
Li Zhigao, as the deputy commander of the Dragon Bird Army and the main general of the westward march, stood on a double-decker galley with Han Qian and Yuhou Fan Xiang, the capital of the Louzhou Ship Army.
The movements of several oar warships were on the one hand keeping an eye on the river beach where the generals had landed.
At this time, it was raining lightly in the sky. No one knew whether the rain would get heavier, but they knew for sure that there were only more than 5,000 rebels near Wuling City at this time. Even if they went out to the river beach to snipe them ashore,
Nothing more than that.
And if the delay continues, we don't know how many troops the rebels can mobilize from other places.
If you want to besiege Wuling City, you must be quick to use the hilly terrain around Wuling City to snipe the rebel reinforcements coming from other directions.
If we disembark at Yunpanling to reorganize the army, and then march from Yunpanling to Wuling City by land, we will be delayed for at least a day and a night.
However, one day and one night can at least increase the number of defenders in Wuling City to more than 10,000, and then it will be much more difficult to besiege them.
Li Zhigao ordered several square-bottomed flat-bottomed boats to fold their sails and rush directly to the river beaches on both sides of the landing position. Seventy or eighty crossbows were concentrated on the bow and top deck to limit the direction of the rebels' attack on the river beach position.
Frontally, hundreds of chariots were then pushed onto the river beach, with large crossbows mounted on top of the chariots, and armored soldiers holding shields were placed behind the chariots to gradually expand the scope of the river beach position in front of the enemy.
The generals on both sides continued to draw their bows and strings, their arrows were as dense as locusts, and their horses screamed. In the earth-shattering fighting, they screamed and screamed, mixed with the last miserable howls of their lives, and the dull sound of the collision of halberds and shields.
Countless swords and arrows broke through the armor, pierced, and cut into the fragile flesh. Puffs of blood flew up, and more flowed into the muddy river beach along the arms, waist, and breastplates, turning the turbid river water.
The flow is red.
The battle lasted for an hour. Before noon, 4,000 generals from the Fanying led by Zheng Hui, Tiancheng, Lin Haizheng and Xiying came from the south. Ma Rong could only bring more than 200 generals who died in the battle.
Corpses, withdrew troops back to Wuling City, and watched helplessly as more and more Chu troops ascended the hills on the north bank of Yuyue Gorge...
Du Yiming led the medical team ashore, set up a medical camp directly on the messy river beach battlefield, and gathered the temporarily bandaged wounded soldiers for further debridement and suturing of the wounds.
Once a wound becomes infected and suppurative, the world's best wound medicine may have some healing effect, but timely debridement can effectively prevent infection, almost ensuring that more than 70% of injured people can be effectively healed.
Otherwise, the Wuling Army has experienced two fierce battles in half a year with casualty rates exceeding 30%. It is difficult to say how strong the will to fight can be maintained at this time.
Generals Zheng Hui, Zhang Ping, Tian Cheng, Lin Haizheng, Xi Ying and others came over to join Han Qian, Li Zhigao, Zhou Shu, Zhou Pang, Fan Xiang and others.
When Han Qian and others were camped in Yuedong, the three princes, along with the Marquis of Xinchang, Lipu, the Marquis of Zhenyuan, Yang Jian and Shen Yang, decided to divide their troops on the Yuanjiang River. They clearly organized a camp for Xiangxi and unified the command of the Chu army gathered in the middle and lower reaches of the Yuanjiang River.
Han Daoxun did not go to the front line to command the battle in person. Zheng Hui, as the county prince's counselor to join the military, the deputy defense envoy of Wuling Army, and the governor of Chenzhou, has been commanding the battle on both sides of the Yuanjiang River. Naturally, he is the natural choice for the general manager of the camp. Li Zhigao and Zhou Tan
, Zhou Shu, Fan Xiang, Xiying and others are deputy generals, while Tian Cheng, Gao Shao, Lin Haizheng, Yang Qin, Xi Chang, Feng Xuan, Feng Zhang and others have a lower status.
As the commander of the camp, Han Qian continued to be responsible for logistics and baggage.
Zhang Ping and Li Chong, who came with the army, served as camp supervisors and enlisted the troops to join the military.
While at the Yuedong Camp, the Third Prince and everyone also preliminarily discussed the next battle plan in the direction of Yuanjiang, namely Zhou Shu and Zhou Zang respectively occupied the passes to the north and east of Wuling City to intercept the reinforcements coming from these two directions.
, Fan Xiang, together with Yang Qin's troops in the Xuzhou Water Camp, were responsible for intercepting the naval reinforcements traveling upstream along the Yuan River. Li Zhigao, together with the Fanying and the Tornado Artillery Battalion affiliated with the Troop Battalion, launched a strong attack on Wuling City.
The soldiers of the three battalions of Tian Cheng, Gao Shao, and Lin Haizheng, as well as the elite guards battalion commanded by Zheng Xingxuan, are temporarily staying at the camp on the north bank of Yuyue Gorge as reserve soldiers. If necessary, reinforcements from all directions can be sent there at any time.
"It's so fast. Your Excellencies brought the troops here, and you didn't even have to rest for a few days to prepare the troops?" Gao Shao asked in surprise.
Their progress in this direction is still very smooth, but every time they organize a new offensive, they need one to two months of preparation. Now they have just met on the north bank of Yuyue Gorge, and they will complete the preparations for the attack on Wuling City the day after tomorrow at the latest.
, and at that time, the camps on the north bank of Yuyue Gorge might not be able to be built properly.
Han Qian was sitting on the other side of Li Zhigao. Only a few people knew the specific battle plan at present, and he needed to give further instructions to the battalion commander below. He said: "There is not so much free time. Even if Marquis Liyang's mission to Shu goes smoothly, the Shu army will
The withdrawal of troops from Yiling will not be possible until June at the earliest, but Liang Jun's assembly in Caizhou will not stop. Once the rainy season is over, Liang Jun has only been attacking and constructing from Caizhou for two years, and there is no way to talk about it.
There are many solid Nanyang Fangcheng defense lines. It is difficult to say that the 30,000 defenders in Dengzhou, Junzhou, and Xiangzhou are as stable as Mount Tai. The imperial court will inevitably send troops and horses from various places to reinforce Deng Xiang. When the time comes, the war in Tanzhou will
If there is still a stalemate, then it is really a dilemma. The Yuanjiang camp has been assembled at this time, so it must play its role immediately, and there will be no time for the new troops to adapt and adjust. The faster we act,
The more decisive and ferocious you are, the greater the shock to the forces in Xiangtan will be, and the fewer reinforcements will dare to rush over in the end..."
