Suizhou is located at the heart of water and land transportation. The river flows into the city through the water gate on the south side of the city wall, so that the invading army will not be in danger of being cut off from water sources. However, this also provides an excellent and convenient target for the left army's attack.
Zuo Liangyu followed his old method of attacking Zaoyang by land and water, and attacked Shuimen again. The specific commanders of the battle were his son Zuo Menggeng and Zuo Zhen General Jin Shenghuan. They took the leading force of the marching army and supplemented a large number of civilian ships with them. , the navy of merchant ships stormed the South Water Gate of Suizhou.
He Jin was very worried about the situation in Shuimen. Unfortunately, most of the generals who broke into the army were from the north. There were many people from Shaanxi and many from Henan, but there were very few southerners who were familiar with water. In this case, he could only let people from Huguang and Qizhou Liu Xiyao rushed to organize the defense of Nanshuimen.
Liu Xiyao, the ruler of the world, was a very shrewd and capable figure among the five commanders of Gezuo. His qualifications were not as good as those of He Yilong, He Jin, and Ma Shouying, but he was far superior to Lin Niancheng, and the actual battle organization was in Gezuo. Among the five camps, he is even more outstanding.
He immediately led more than a thousand soldiers from the camp to Shuimen. It turned out that most of the invaders defending Shuimen were surrendered troops from the Shenzhuang Army and had rarely been on the battlefield. Most of the soldiers were fighting for the first time. But Liu Xiyao He had rich combat experience, and the soldiers he brought to run the camp were also familiar with water properties and were firm and steady, quickly stabilizing the morale of the defenders.
On the Zuo Army side, although Zuo Mengeng was a fool, Jin Shenghuan was born in Dongjiang and was a rare general in Zuo Town. In fact, the first attack organized by Jin Shenghuan was not violent. The Zuo Army ships went with the wind and instantly destroyed the Zuo Army. Clean up any debris blocking waterways.
Liu Xiyao ordered the soldiers in charge of the camp to calm down and not to attack rashly. When he saw the left army's ships approaching, he asked the soldiers to fire cannons and cannons and shoot arrows at the same time. Some soldiers also prepared long hooks to catch some fish that slipped through the net, and then Shot to pieces with a cannon.
Jin Shenghuan only made a tentative attack. When he saw that the situation was unfavorable, he ordered the fleet to retreat first. Seeing the situation on the battlefield that was not hooked, he retreated. But Zuo Menggeng wanted to try again, so he sent another A group of small boats were filled with archers and firecrackers, who fired frequently at the city, making it impossible for the camp soldiers equipped with long hooks to get close.
Liu Xiyao had other preparations. With the assistance of Suizhou Mu Chen Kexin, he mobilized many people to help carry wood, big rocks and other messy things, and then put these things into the center of the waterway near Shuimen. Zuo Mengeng and others Although the boat was very fast and its small size made it difficult to be hit by the artillery defending the city, it could not quickly flush away or clear away the debris blocking the waterway, so it had to retreat.
But it is easy to attack, but it is very difficult to retreat temporarily. Zuo Menggeng's battlefield planning ability is far less flexible than Jin Shenghuan. Many ships pushed each other and even collided with each other. The defenders took the opportunity to fire, and several small boats were bombed by cannonballs. It shattered. There were several booms, and several meters-high water splashes rose up on the water.
The boats of the Zuo Army were all shaken and swayed from side to side. Many soldiers, sailors and boatmen were unable to stand and fell from the boats into the river. Most of the soldiers who were in charge of the camp were from Huguang. They were worthy of being warriors who were familiar with the water. , resisting the fierce arrow fire of Jin Shenghuan's officers and soldiers, they all took off their armor, wearing only small clothes and holding short blades, bravely jumped into the water, captured and killed nearly a hundred Zuo soldiers who fell into the water, including One of them is Zuo Mengeng's Chinese Army General.
When the bare-armed camp soldiers raised the head of the left army general wearing an iron helmet and shook it to the shore in public, all the rebel soldiers near Nanshui Gate shouted wildly:
"Victory over the enemy! Victory over the enemy!"
Zuo Mengeng was so angry that his teeth itched, but he had no choice but to avoid the defenders' fierce arrow fire and shelling while leading the remaining boats back. He was so angry that he took it upon himself to move the boats along the river.
Village ruins, cottages, and private houses were all demolished and burned down, and the sky was lit with flames along both sides of the river.
The defenders of Nanshui Gate were all aggrieved, but Liu Xiyao believed that the troops were insufficient and opposed the sharp swordsmen and axemen coming out of the city to counterattack. Everyone could only watch the left army show off its power and was unable to drive them away.
A veteran of the camp who had just arrived in Suizhou spat on the battlements of Shuimen, stamped his foot hard, and cursed:
"Damn it, I kill people too. When I'm hungry, I grab food and set fires. But the people in the villages along the river have already gone to the city to take refuge. There are no people or food in the village. They set fire to their houses and garrison themselves at night.
There’s no place to sleep! These people are really crazy, a bunch of wild dogs and jackals!”
Liu Xiyao had a cold face. He was not from northern Shaanxi, but he was a highly prestigious member of the Qin People's Army. This prestige was all based on his good fighting skills and calmness.
Although he was nicknamed "The King of Rulers", his military skills and military management style were extremely cold and ruthless. Liu Xiyao lowered his eyebrows, with a frightening cold light in his eyes, and rebuked:
"The Nanshui Gate is related to the gains and losses of the entire city of Suizhou. The gains and losses of Suizhou are also related to the overall victory or defeat. There is no room for loss. The armies are not allowed to move without permission. The left bandits are numerous and powerful, and they are covered by the navy. We rush out of the city to counterattack.
, I am trapped in a desperate situation. Once my troops and horses make mistakes, problems will arise here at Nanshui Gate. How will I explain to Lao He!"
The soldiers all understood that Liu Xiyao's words had some truth to them. However, after the Zuo Army failed to attack the city for the first time, they detached a large number of troops and began to set fire and massacre in the fields of Suizhou. Although before the war, Bai Wang and Chen Kexin had already captured most of the
The people were sheltered in the city, but there were still many villagers in remote areas who had no time to evacuate. At this time, they were brutally massacred by leftist thieves.
He Jin and Bai Wang were worried, but Zuo Liangyu was even more worried.
The invading army had a fortified city to rely on and a large amount of food stored in the city. However, since the Zuo army sent out troops, although they destroyed a city and looted many villages, their rations did not increase but decreased. The food and meat standards of the soldiers were declining day by day.
, and it has been a cold spring in Suizhou recently, and the spring rain has continued, and there is a lack of food and clothing. How can the left army carry out a big battle?
Looting cannot replace a stable logistical supply, not to mention that the Zuo Army is now deep into enemy territory. Bai Wang is clearing the country and resettling refugees, which does not leave Zuo Liangyu with many targets for robbery outside the city.
The first attack on the city failed, and instead the invading army killed many officers and soldiers, which also dealt a certain blow to the morale of the Zuo army. Zuo Liangyu also knew that if time was delayed and he went deep into the enemy's territory, something would definitely happen. Don't
Talking about what happens next, the first attack on the city cannot be said to be unfavorable. It is just that we failed to succeed and deserters actually appeared.
In anger, he sent the Chinese army to kill more than 20 fleeing soldiers in succession, and lined up their heads in front of the camp door for public display. The strong smell of blood that hit his face made the veteran soldiers
The generals of the left army in the formation suddenly frowned, and two or three people covered their noses with their sleeves.
Zuo Liangyu is not a decisive warrior, but a cunning fox. He endures his anger and tries his best to control his emotions. At this moment, he is more keenly aware than anyone under his command of the unfavorable situation his army is in and what may happen soon.
crisis.
He knew that the biggest advantage of the Zuo Army was the navy, and that the winner of the siege was also at Nanshuimen, so he said to Jin Shenghuan with a serious face:
"Huchen, if there are 200,000 soldiers, women and children in Pingthief Town, it all depends on you whether they can have food to eat. Please also take my ship to attack the city. We really can't wait in a hurry, and we really don't have the money to wait.
Go down."
Jin Shenghuan has been with Zuo Liangyu for many years and knows his character very well. Such a man who cherishes his life unexpectedly went out of his way today and threw his own ship at the bottom of the box into the battlefield. This really shows that the Zuo Army has reached the edge of the cliff.
Jin Shenghuan was shocked by the efficiency of Bai Wang and Chen Kexin in fortifying the wall and clearing the country. He did not expect that the left army would not be able to grab any food after they dispersed and looted. If this continues, if there is no big progress in the siege, once the army runs out of food, things will happen.
That's bad.
He knew the urgency of the matter, so he glanced at Zuo Mengeng, and then said to Zuo Liangyu in a very calm tone:
"Young master has just attacked the city and is in danger. He is very frightened. It is best to take a rest first. The general can leave all the siege battles to me."
Jin Shenghuan's words obviously looked down upon Zuo Mengeng's ability. However, the navy had just attacked the city. Zuo Menggen's attack was too hasty and his retreat was unorganized. He let Liu Xiyao chop off many heads in vain, and he really had nothing to say. Zuo Shao
Shuai's face flushed red, he was angry in his heart, and he was about to argue a few words, but he didn't expect that Zuo Liangyu had already agreed.
"All naval warships were handed over to the tiger ministers. Except for Li Guoying who stayed at the main camp, all the other generals went out to attack the enemy. The defenders could not take a breather, nor could they mobilize any troops to reinforce Shuimen."
"We are bound to win this battle. Even if we break all our teeth and smash them all, we will still have to swallow up Suizhou City alive!"