In the cabin, Zeng Jinghai unfolded a map of Guangzhou. He said to Kang Bao: "In my humble position, I have been paying attention to Yuchi Hu's movements. I found that he also attached great importance to the navy. He sent his brother-in-law Huang Jixiang to lead two thousand troops to Panyu and took control of it.
There were more than 100 warships in Panyu Port, and they sent General Wang Jian with hundreds of soldiers to Bao'an County, obviously also wanting to control the nearly 100 warships in Bao'an."
Kang Bao thought for a moment and asked: "How many troops does Yuchihu have now?"
"About sixteen thousand people."
Li Yang frowned, "Will there be so many people? There should be about eleven thousand people!"
Zeng Jinghai shook his head, "Young master, you don't know. After occupying Nanhai, Yuchi Hu converted all 5,000 militia soldiers into regular soldiers, bringing his strength to 16,000. It is said that he also wants to recruit a group of barbarian soldiers in the northern part of Lingnan."
, their family has a close relationship with the Yi people, and maybe the Yi people’s leaders will support them.”
At this time, Sima Yang Huihe, who was accompanying the army, whispered: "General Kang, I have a plan to defeat the enemy!"
He pointed at the map and whispered a few words, and everyone nodded. It was a clever plan to take advantage of the asymmetry of information and catch the enemy by surprise.
.........
The fleet headed for Xinhui in a mighty manner, and 30,000 troops landed in Xinhui County. After resting for a day, Zeng Jinghai led 2,000 soldiers to fight overland towards Panyu County. Kang Bao also personally led 30,000 troops, and under the leadership of the guide
Go down and take a circuitous route towards Panyu County.
It is the late spring and early summer in the north, and the Guangzhou area is also very hot. However, the Han people have been farming in this area for a long time. Apart from the hot climate, it is basically no different from the south bank of the Yangtze River. There are endless rice fields everywhere, and the rice has grown in the paddy fields.
It is lush and green, and farmers driving buffaloes can be seen passing by the field ridges everywhere. There are also waterwheels standing beside the river. There are many rivers and the land is fertile. It is a completely vibrant water town scene.
This made Kang Bao very emotional. He rode on his horse and said to everyone: "Everyone said that Lingnan is full of miasma and is a barbaric land. Now it seems that this is not the case at all. I think it is no different from Jiangnan except that it is hotter!"
"
The guide smiled and said: "There are also barbaric places, mainly in the mountainous areas in the northwest. There are vast mountains and the territory of the Miao Yi. After the Meiguan Road in Dayuling is opened, it will not be a problem to go to Ganzhou by land. There is a constant stream of caravans.
Especially when the Anshi Rebellion broke out, many northern farmers moved along Meiguan Road, maybe hundreds of thousands! My grandfather moved here from Huaibei, bringing a big family with him, and he started a family and started a business here, slowly taking root."
Kang Bao asked with great interest: "How does this place compare with your hometown?"
The guide scratched his head and said: "I have never been to my hometown in Huaibei, so I can't say for sure, but the banks of the lower reaches of the Xijiang River here are fertile plains. It is said that Zhao Tuo of the Qin Dynasty led an army of 400,000 to the south, overcame thorns and thorns, developed large areas of land, and laid down good
The foundation of Guangzhou's agriculture has always been very good. Before the Anshi Rebellion, Nanhai County was a first-class and prosperous city. Its business was no less than that of Yangzhou. There were more than 200,000 Dashi and Persian merchants living in Guangzhou alone. Although it is not as good as before.
, but there will still be many merchants from Southeast Asian countries coming, including many Dashi and Persian merchants.”
"Are there many large ships in Guangzhou now?"
"How should I put it? There are many private large-scale ships, and there are companies that specialize in renting out large-scale ships. The Persians and the Great Eaters all ride on our ships, and the ships that go to Southeast Asia are also ours."
"What about the government ships?" Kang Bao asked again.
"There are also government ships, but I heard they have been frozen. Many merchants want to buy them, but King Zhao won't sell them. If the general is interested, you can go to the east of Panyu and have a look. They are all over there."
There is a relatively spacious official road from Xinhui to Nanhai County, and the march takes three days. Zeng Jinghai led two thousand troops to arrive at Panyu County first.
Panyu County is a seaport county, close to the dock. The origins of the residents here are complex. Almost half of the people are from overseas. There are large cannibals, merchants from Persia and Southeast Asian countries. They have lived in Guangzhou for many years and have married wives and children here.
, become a member of Datang.
Panyu County has a small population and is mainly a warehouse. There are thousands of large and small warehouses in the county. Many foreigners have become businessmen, selling spices, gems, precious wood, blankets, tinware, medicinal materials and other materials shipped from overseas.
To the Central Plains, silk, porcelain and various exquisite daily necessities were shipped overseas for sale.
This is how the Maritime Silk Road was supported by thousands of Hu merchants.
It was noon when Zeng Jinghai arrived in Panyu County. He ordered the soldiers to rest in an open space twenty miles away from the county seat. It was still early and it was estimated that the 30,000 imperial troops had not arrived yet. He wanted to create an opportunity for Kang Bao's imperial army.
.
Until nightfall, a soldier came and said: "General, General Kang asked me to inform you that they are already in position!"
Zeng Jinghai nodded and ordered: "The time has come, all brothers, get up and get ready to go!"
Two thousand soldiers got up, packed their gear and set off. When they were still five or six miles away from the county seat, they were discovered by patrol soldiers from Panyu County. They rushed back to the county seat to report to the commander-in-chief Huang Jixiang.
Huang Jixiang was shocked. Most of his two thousand soldiers had gone out to test the ship. There were only five or six hundred defenders in the city. Zeng Jinghai actually seized this opportunity to kill.
Before Zeng Jinghai's troops came to kill him, Huang Jixiang hurriedly ordered his men to rush to Nanhai County to ask for help.
Zeng Jinghai did not carry siege weapons, nor did he come to attack the city. He led his army to the dock and occupied Jinan Bay.
Jinan Bay is a bay where ships gather. There are hundreds of large and small warships in it. Some small patrol ships have been sailed out by soldiers to test the ships. Basically, dozens of warships with a thousand stones or more are there.
Because they had not been used for many years, no soldiers dared to use them for a trial voyage until the shipwrights thoroughly inspected them for damage.
The news quickly spread to the county town. Huang Jixiang's mood was quite complicated. It turned out that Zeng Jinghai came to seize the warship. He made a fuss about it and thought he was coming to attack the county town. In fact, think about it, the other party did not bring any siege weapons.
What did they use to attack the city?
However, Huang Jixiang also discovered that this was also an opportunity. If the reinforcements could arrive in time, they might be able to wipe out Zeng Jinghai's army.
Panyu County is less than twenty miles away from Nanhai County. It is actually the harbor city of Nanhai County. If the population is large enough and Nanhai City is expanded, the two counties can be connected into one.
Yuchihu received Huang Jixiang's request for help. He was overjoyed by the news. Yuchihu was also preparing to lead his army to Xinhui County to exterminate Zeng Jinghai's tribe, but he did not expect that Huang Jixiang came to his doorstep himself.
Yuchihu immediately ordered his brother Yuchiqing to lead five thousand soldiers to Panyu.
"Be sure to bring Zeng Jinghai's head back to me."
In the dark of night, the Nanhai City Gate opened, and Yu Chiqing led five thousand soldiers to rush out of the city and attack Panyu County, twenty miles away.
In the past few days, Yu Chiqing had been holding back his anger. He felt that his brother had too many concerns. This family could not be touched, and that wealthy family could not be killed. He originally wanted to attack several wealthy families after occupying Nanhai County, especially those maritime merchants.
If a man is as rich as a country, if he copies several of them, the brothers can make a small fortune.
Yu Chiqing valued soldiers more. This time they occupied Nanhai County. The soldiers who followed them south gained nothing and complained. Yu Chiqing was also overwhelmed with debts. This anger was held in his heart and made him secretly determined. No matter what his elder brother said, this
This time, we must rob more than a dozen maritime merchants in Panyu County, especially those Persian merchants and food merchants. Aren't they just a group of fat and strong sheep?
"Speed up the speed. After killing Zeng Jinghai, let's grab his mother's vote and add some extra money to everyone!"
No one is rich without external wealth. Under Yu Chiqing's encouragement, the soldiers were all full of expectations, gearing up and speeding up the march.
After traveling twenty miles, which was more than half an hour, they were soon only five miles away from Panyu County, and the shadow of Panyu County could be seen faintly in the distance.
It was the first watch at this time. A crescent moon loomed in the clouds, and the earth became dim and bright. They passed through a wilderness. Suddenly, a bang sounded, 'Bang! Bang! Bang!' Suddenly thousands of arrows came together in the darkness.
The five thousand soldiers were caught off guard, and screams suddenly broke out. Soldiers were shot down by crossbow arrows one after another. The soldiers of the Lingnan Army mainly wore leather armor, which could not withstand the powerful penetrating power of the crossbow arrows. The first round of arrows had
More than two thousand people were hit by arrows.
Yu Chiqing was the only general on horseback and was also the target of the soldiers' shooting. He was hit by hundreds of arrows and shot like a hedgehog. He died on the spot.
"There's an ambush! There's an ambush!"
The soldiers shouted in horror, and then the second round of arrows was fired, and half of the remaining soldiers were shot down. After two rounds of crossbow arrows, only a thousand or so of the five thousand soldiers were left without being hit by arrows. Kang Bao shouted.
Under the order, 30,000 troops rushed out together and surrounded the remaining soldiers. Not even a fly could fly out.