Chapter 1009: Soldiers are approaching the south of the Yangtze River (1)
Dugu Guqiu once again came to the Liu Mansion. After the last military and political affairs meeting, Dugu Guqiu visited the Liu Mansion on the same day, and Liu Shangdong promised to borrow two hundred 5,000-stone ships.
One sea ship can transport about 300 soldiers, and two hundred sea ships can transport 60,000 troops. Originally, it should be enough, but after repeated consideration, King Guo Song of Jin decided to deploy a cavalry force in the south of the Yangtze River. This required
Transport another 10,000 war horses.
Du Lingqiu was a little worried. Can the Liu family's ships transport war horses?
In the distinguished guest hall, Liu Shangdong and the guests and hosts of Du Guqiu Equinox were seated. Mr. Liu didn't care much about family affairs. If the regent hadn't been here last time, he wouldn't have shown up.
"What do you think, proprietor, of this matter? Can you arrange to transport the war horses?" Dugu Lingqiu asked.
Liu Shangdong looked troubled and said for a long time: "This is not a problem of ships. If the imperial court wants to borrow ships, all the Liu family's four hundred ships can be lent to the imperial court, but... transporting war horses, hey! The risk is too great
.”
"How big is the risk?" Du Lingqiu asked.
"To be honest, the Prime Minister said that three years ago, we transported a group of donkeys to Silla, about a thousand of them. They set off from Gangyang Port. After arriving in Silla, more than 800 of them died, and the remaining more than a hundred donkeys later died.
They died one after another. Since this incident, the Liu family fleet has never carried livestock to sea again."
"Could it be an accident that time? For example, the donkeys themselves were sick, which led to collective death."
Liu Shangdong shook his head, "Animals are not as adaptable as humans. They generally cannot withstand the bumps of the waves. They will definitely not be able to travel by sea unless..."
"Unless what?" Dugu Lingqiu heard the room left in the other party's words and asked quickly.
Liu Shangdong smiled and said: "Unless we use the Yangtze River water transport, a 5,000-stone ocean ship can transport a hundred war horses with twenty grooms. We can use the Yangtze River shipping, but there are too many wolves along the way, river thieves are infested, and there are many checkpoints.
, a dozen picket ships can intercept the entire fleet, and the risk is no less than going to sea."
"If we are transporting war horses, do the ships need to be modified?" Du Lingqiu continued to ask for details.
“It’s a very simple transformation and it only takes a few days.”
Du Guqiu stood up and said: "I will go back and discuss with His Highness the King of Jin. I will come up with a plan for water transportation along the Yangtze River as soon as possible. I also hope that the Liu family will renovate the ships as soon as possible. Let's do it simultaneously!"
.........
Du Guqiu rushed back to the Daming Palace and reported the negotiations with the Liu family to Jin Wang Guo Song.
Guo Song pondered for a moment and then said decisively: "Then take the Yangtze River water transport. There is a navy in Runzhou, and we can use that navy to escort us."
Du Guqiu hesitated and said: "Wei Chen feels that since the Liu family's fleet can use the Yangtze River, then we can actually transport the army by using the Yangtze River."
Guo Song shook his head, "I have considered this issue mainly because of the lack of time. It will take at least more than a month to transfer ships from Mingzhou to Jiangxia and then transport troops from Jiangxia. But will Liu Shining allow us to concentrate on transporting troops?
?Absolutely not. As soon as he discovers our intention, he will immediately launch a blitzkrieg and attack Jiangnan. He will not take it to heart at all about observing filial piety for three months."
Only then did Du Guqiu understand the intention of King Jin, "His Highness took the sea route to get something unexpected?"
"Xiang Guo is absolutely right!"
Guo Song smiled slightly and said: "The key to using troops is to be unexpected. We captured Jingxiang. Of course Liu Shining saw it. Han Huang left Jingxiang and came to Chang'an to report on his duties. He will also receive information. So judging from common sense, we send troops
In the south of the Yangtze River, we should also start from Jiangxia and take the Yangtze River waterway. I believe Liu Shining will also judge this. This is our main purpose of capturing Jingxiang.
It happened that Zhu Si's army counterattacked Jingxiang at this time. Liu Shining would think that we had no time to send troops for the time being. He had no pressure to send troops. Of course, he had to hold a big funeral for his father to win over the morale of the army. Therefore, when he was not vigilant, we used the fastest speed
By transporting troops by sea and suddenly reaching the south of the Yangtze River, Liu Shining's dream of two Zhejiang provinces should have been shattered."
Du Guqiu was deeply impressed. They said that King Jin was good at seizing opportunities and winning unexpectedly. Only now did he understand King Jin's foresight. No wonder he could win every battle.
"Your Highness is brilliant!" Du Lingqiu gave a thumbs up.
...........
One hundred and twenty 5,000-stone ships cut through the waves and sailed on the sea. After leaving the Hekou port, the fleet went all the way south and sailed along the ocean line. There were some wind and waves. Seven days later, the fleet gradually arrived at the mouth of the Yangtze River.
After entering the Yangtze River Estuary, the wind and waves disappeared and the water surface began to become gentle. There was a gentle breeze on the river and the sun was warm. The soldiers walked out of the cabin one after another and came to the deck to feel the sunshine.
At the bow of the first large ship, Li Bing held his hand on the side of the ship and looked into the distance. He was tortured badly this time. He was more seasick than ordinary soldiers. He was vomiting all the way. Fortunately, he was strong enough to hold on.
"General, the medicine is ready, go and have a drink!" a soldier advised from the side.
Li Bing waved his hand, "That stuff has no effect on seasickness at all. You go ahead and drink it! I won't drink it."
At this time, a hearty laughter came from the side, "General, today's medicine is not to cure seasickness, but to restore physical strength. All our crew members must drink it. The effect will be seen in one day. Otherwise, no matter how good the body is, it will take three or four days to recover."
"
The person speaking was the leader of this fleet, named Liu Wu, who was Liu Shangdong’s nephew. He was about thirty years old. He boarded the ship at the age of eighteen and led the fleet to travel north and south for more than ten years. He has rich experience and a cheerful personality.
He had a great conversation with the Jin army officers on the way, and he helped Li Bing a lot along the way. If he hadn't used Nanyang mint to help Li Bing treat his seasickness, Li Bing would have had to go ashore halfway.
Li Bing nodded, "I'll drink the medicine later. Let's bask in the sun first. It's very warm and comfortable."
"Yes! Sunbathing is also helpful for restoring physical strength."
Li Bing asked again: "Where are we now?"
Liu Wu smiled and said: "The big island we passed this morning is called Hu Douzhou. Seeing it means we have entered the mouth of the Yangtze River. Then General, look to the south!"
Liu Wu pointed to a long shore to the south and said: "That's the boundary of Suzhou and the waterfront of Changshu County. Ships with a thousand stone over there can dock, but our five-thousand-stone ship cannot, so we must go to Runzhou."
"When can we arrive in Runzhou?"
Liu Wu calculated the time and said: "About tomorrow morning, general, drink two large bowls of medicine and have a good sleep. Your strength will be restored when you get off the ship tomorrow."
"Can other brothers drink the medicine?"
"We have them all, don't worry! We have enough medicinal materials. We have boiled several large barrels for each ship, so we are full!"
After saying that, everyone laughed together. Finally we were almost at the destination, and everyone felt extremely happy.
.........
Early the next morning, the fleet was finally arriving at Runzhou Port. It was still more than ten miles away from the port. Two thousand-stone warships were seen approaching. The alarm bell immediately sounded on the big ship, 'Dang! Dang! Dang! Dang!
'
The urgent alarm bell caused the soldiers to walk out of the cabin one after another. Li Bing also hurried to the deck, drank the medicine, and slept soundly all night. When he woke up in the morning, he was indeed full of energy and his physical strength was fully restored.
He quickly came to the bow and looked at the two warships in the distance. At this time, Liu Wu shouted: "Don't be nervous, everyone, they are Runzhou's warships!"
Li Bing asked in confusion: "Why do you know it is the Runzhou fleet?"
Liu Wu smiled and said: "First, there are no thousand-stone warships in Yangzhou. Second, the dragon flag of the Tang Dynasty is hung on it. It is not far from Runzhou, so it can only be them."
Not long after, two warships clamped the leading ship on the left and right, and a general asked loudly: "Excuse me, are you coming from Chang'an?"
Han Huang had already sent an eagle message to Runzhou in advance. The Runzhou navy knew of their arrival. Li Bing clasped his fists and said: "Li Bing, the hussar general under the command of the King of Jin, has led his troops to support Jiangnan on the order of the King of Jin!"
The general on the warship was overjoyed and hurriedly clasped his fists in return and said: "I'm the general of Runzhou, Wu Shuangxi. Welcome General Li and the brothers!"
The two warships immediately turned around and led the fleet towards Runzhou Port...
The fleet finally arrived at Runzhou Port, and large ships began to dock. Groups of soldiers got off the ships and quickly gathered on the shore. After two days of recuperation, their physical strength was almost restored.
The governor of Runzhou was Han Gao, the second son of Han Huang. He brought a group of officials to the dock to greet the imperial army.
Han Gao has received a letter from his father a few days ago. His father has made it clear that he will stay in Chang'an to spend his later years. The regent has agreed that Han Gao will serve as the observer of the two Zhejiang Provinces, and the army will be sent by the court to protect the safety of Jiangnan. This
Han Gao's hanging heart finally dropped.
Han Gao knew that this was the settlement agreement between the two Zhejiang provinces reached between his father and the regent Guo Song. His father was not a vassal in the first place, but he did not recognize the imperial court controlled by the eunuchs.
In addition, my father is old and misses his hometown of Chang'an, so this agreement was reached with the interests of both parties in mind, and it can be regarded as a happy ending.
As long as the imperial troops were stationed on the two Zhejiang roads, they would no longer worry about Liu Shining's threat.
At this time, Lang Jiang Wu Shuangxi led a general wearing a silver helmet to come. This should be the commander-in-chief. Han Gao felt warm and hurriedly greeted him.