After leading the army to retreat for more than twenty miles, the reconnaissance cavalry led them to a village and stopped. It was getting dark.
There were more than 300 households in the village, and they were frightened when they saw the army coming. Feng Gai ordered that the villagers should not be alarmed, and the army rested outside the village.
The old man in the village brought drinks and tremblingly came to invite Feng Gai to live in the village. He had already vacated the best house in the village.
Feng Gaiwen comforted him with a few words, saying that he would not harm the villagers, and moved into a house in the village with his generals and guards.
After checking the number of people, more than 1,200 war horses were lost, nearly 4,000 soldiers were injured or killed, and all the baggage and food were lost.
The army had no tents, so they could only light bonfires to keep out the cold. Feng Gai asked the old man to help raise food, and declared that he would pay double the amount when the baggage arrived tomorrow. This place is only thirty miles away from Dangyang City, so the baggage should be transported overnight.
After arranging the fortification and other matters, Feng Gai drank a bowl of corn porridge, closed his eyes and rested for a while. After all, Feng Gai, who was over fifty years old, felt deeply exhausted and forced himself to patrol the camp outside the village.
There is limited corn in the village, so all pigs, sheep, chickens and ducks are slaughtered regardless of their size. Each person is given a bowl of gruel and a piece of meat to barely wrap their belly.
In order to prevent Yongzhou soldiers and horses from sneaking attacks, Feng Gai lay down with his clothes on and woke up several times throughout the night. At the beginning of the Yin period, the supplies from Yangcheng arrived, and Feng Gai got up to make arrangements. When he returned to his residence at the Yin period, he found that his head was dizzy and his body was heavy, so he lay down on the couch and fell asleep.
The personal guard realized something was wrong and hurriedly called the military doctor. After checking his pulse, the military doctor thought he had caught wind and cold and should pay attention to rest. After Feng Gai drank the medicine, he forced himself to stay sick and ordered to withdraw to Dangyang City.
The compilation of counties is a scene of joy. After sweeping the battlefield, they found 218 war horses. Feng also plundered more than 5,000 stones of unburned corn from the camp, a large amount of dried meat, salted fish and other supplies, as well as tents, weapons, leather armor, etc. things.
The next day, the reconnaissance cavalry reported that Feng's army was continuing to retreat in the direction of Dangyang. After Yang Anxuan and Meng Longfu discussed it, they decided to leave a thousand men to garrison Bianxian County, while the others rode to Fengxian County to attack Huangfu's navy.
Fuxian County is due east of Bianxian County, only eighty miles away. It only takes one and a half hours to get there by light horse. Yang Anxuan led his army and was about to set off. He rested for half an hour at noon and rushed to the edge of the Han River (1) before noon.
On the way here, Yang Anxuan had received a report from the reconnaissance cavalry. Two days ago, the navy led by Huangfu Fu had a fierce battle with the navy led by Liu Zhong in Nanbali, Nuo County. The Yongzhou navy was weak and no match. It lost more than ten warships. Then withdrew to the north.
At night, three thousand soldiers and horses led by Yang Anyuan and Yin Ji arrived. Yin Ji crossed the river overnight and set up defenses with Yang Anyuan on the earthen platforms on both sides of the Han River.
These earthen platforms were originally the beacon fire garrison towers of the Western Jin Dynasty and were destroyed during the Feishui War. In order to prevent Feng Gai from attacking Xiangyang from the waterway, Yang Anxuan ordered people to re-level and ram it.
Yang Anyuan and Yin Ji placed powerful crossbows on the tamping platform, waiting for Huan Xuan's navy to pass by and fire from both sides towards the middle.
The first lasing was done by the Wanjun Divine Crossbow. The thick crossbow arrow easily tore the five-foot-long midship ship apart. The river rushed in through the crack. In an instant, the ship sank and the soldiers on board fell into the water.
Several battleships sank, blocking the waterway and making it difficult for Huanxuan Navy to move forward.
Most of the rammed platforms were built on dangerous cliffs. The Yongzhou sergeants shot down the Huanxuan navy with arrows from a high position. Huangfu Fu had no choice but to order the ships to dock and send troops to land to kill the Yongzhou army.
Yang Anyuan and Yin Ji did not fight with them. When Huanxuan Navy arrived at the shore, they drew their crossbows and fled north. Huanxuan Navy was so disturbed that it took them two days to travel more than ten miles to reach Fuxian County (2).
Fuxian County is located to the east of the Han River and was built along the river. Huangfu Fu decided to take Fuxian County as the base, and Yang Anyuan was the first to garrison 1,500 troops here.
At the end of the Chen Dynasty, Huangfu Fu led his troops to land to attack Fuxian County. Liu Zhong heard the news and led his navy southward. Yin Ji also led his troops to board the ships to support Fuxian County. The two sides fought fiercely on the river and on land. Huangfu Fu had the upper hand, and at that time Liu Zhong led the navy to retreat.
Huangfufu stood outside the west gate of Fuxian County and saw the ladder being pushed down by the defenders at the top of the city. The soldiers on the ladder fell like dumplings. The two siege vehicles at the city gate fell to the ground and were crushed by the huge rocks and logs at the top of the city. smashed. I really didn't expect that Yang Anxuan would develop a great army within only half a year of taking control of Yongzhou.
In April, Yang Anxuan released Sima Diao Chang back to the capital. Diao Chang, who returned to the capital, reported to Huan Xuan that Yongzhou had less than 10,000 soldiers and horses, lacked food and grass, and was unable to recruit troops at all.
Huanxuan paid no attention to Yongzhou and focused on quelling the rebellion of Sun En and Lu Xun. He then went on to attack the Beifu rebels. It was not until September that he ordered Feng Gai to leave.
The process of receiving troops, horses, and military supplies along the way was delayed for more than a month, giving Yongzhou enough time to prepare for war.
When he engaged the Yongzhou Navy, Huangfu Fu recognized that this navy was the escaped Yuzhou Navy. He had fought against him on the Yangtze River. The commander-in-chief Liu Zhong was an evil character and actually fled to Yongzhou.
Diao Chang missed the master's important event, Huangfu Fu cursed in his heart, if the army set off in June, how could it be so difficult.
Fortunately, there were not many Yongzhou naval forces, and there were only a thousand or so defenders at the head of the city of Zuxian. Huangfu Fu believed that he could defeat the Yongzhou navy and capture Zuxian in just three or two days.
Not only did Fu Hong send troops from Liangzhou, but the Qin people also sent troops from Shangluo to attack Nanxiang County. Yang Anxuan was surrounded by enemies on all sides, and his demise was only a matter of time. qδ
The general Feng Gai sent him information, and Yang Anxuan personally led the army south to stop him. This showed that the waterway's troops were insufficient, which was good news for him. If he could seize Xiangyang first and reward him for his merits afterwards, he might also become the governor of a state.
Thinking of this, Huangfu Fu was looking forward to it but not angry. Why Fu Hong was named the governor of Liangzhou was not because he was a descendant of Fu Jian. Origin.
The northwest wind blew the flags fiercely, and Huangfu Fu gave a stern order: "Don't let the defenders on the city rest. Feng Xiong, you take a thousand people and continue up."
The reconnaissance cavalry dispatched has found Liu Zhong, and Liu Zhong sent people to greet him. After walking more than twenty miles to the north, I saw the naval fleet docked on the shore.
Liu Zhong stood on the bank to greet him. When he saw Yang Anxuan jumped off his horse, he hurried forward and saluted: "I have seen Governor Yang. The war is urgent and I cannot welcome him in person. I hope the Governor will forgive me."
Yang Anxuan smiled and said, "Brother Liu, you and I are old friends, so there is no need to be polite."
There was a pavilion overlooking the river on the shore, and everyone sat in the pavilion. Yang Anxuan asked about the situation of the battle.
"Huangfu Fu is a brave general, and he is extremely fierce in marching and fighting. Yu and he fought several times but were unable to defeat him. He damaged more than ten ships and killed more than a hundred brothers." Liu Zhong clenched his fist and pounded it on the stone table. Hatefully.
Yang Anxuan comforted him: "Brother Liu, with a small number of enemies and a large number of enemies, it is not easy to hold back Huangfu Fu's army. There is no need to blame yourself."
"The governor came in a hurry, but defeated Feng Gai's army?" Liu Zhong asked tentatively.
Yang Anxuan nodded with a smile and briefly recounted the defeat of Feng Gai. Liu Zhong clapped his hands excitedly and said with a smile: "Feng Gai retreated to Dangyang. The biggest threat has been removed. There is a governor in charge, so Huangfu can't do anything."
"Water warfare is different from land warfare. I just listen to Brother Liu's arrangements." Yang Anxuan said with a smile.
Liu Zhong secretly breathed a sigh of relief and felt relieved. He asked Lai Lai to bring the map and spread it on the stone table. He pointed and introduced: "Huangfu Fu set up camp five miles south of Fuxian County. The ships were anchored in the river and half of the men and horses were encamped. On land, the defense is extremely tight. Yu led his troops to sneak attack last night, but returned without success."
"Have you ever thought about fire attack?" Yang Anxuan asked. Since he led the army, he has defeated the enemy with fire several times, and the story of Red Cliff has been deeply rooted in his heart, so when he saw the water battle, Yang Anxuan thought of fire attack.
Liu Zhong shook his head and said: "The river where Huangfu chose to camp was wide, and the more than 300 ships he commanded were spread out over a wide area, making it difficult for arson ships to approach. Even if one or two ships were set alight, the rest of the ships would be able to avoid it quickly. not so useful."
"In your opinion, how should we defeat the enemy?"
Meng Longfu said: "My lord has led three thousand light cavalry to come to our aid. Their strength is equivalent to that of Huangfu Fu's troops. We can defeat the enemy head-on."
Yang Anxuan said seriously: "Even if one less soldier is killed or injured, the plan is still a success."
Meng Longfu clasped his fists and said respectfully: "Longfu is taught."
Yang Anxuan looked at Qian Lei standing beside him and asked with a smile: "I heard you gave birth to a daughter. Congratulations. You brought your family to Xiangyang."
After not seeing each other for several years, Qian Lei grew a short beard on his lips, making him appear more composed. Hearing Yang Anxuan's question, Qian Lei cupped his hands and replied, "Thank you very much, Governor, for your care. I plan to move my family here after the Chinese New Year."
Yang Anxuan said: "If anyone in the village is willing to come, you might as well bring one of them
Come together. There is a lot of farmland in Yongzhou, and each land can be granted fifty acres, with a tax of one per fifteen. If you cultivate wasteland, you will not need to pay taxes for two years. You may wish to talk to the villagers when you pick up your family. "
The gentry in the Eastern Jin Dynasty seriously annexed land. Although the court had a system of 50 acres of land granted to men, the actual land allocated was less than 30 acres, and most of it was barren land. As for the tax of 50 men, there were also miscellaneous labor. , almost reaching the level of five taxes and one tax.
After the autumn grain was put into the warehouse, Yang Anxuan announced that starting from next year, he would implement benevolent policies to reduce the burden on the people. Therefore, the people of Yongzhou hoped that Governor Yang could control Yongzhou forever.
Qian Lei smiled and said, "If this is the case, I'm afraid most of the country people will come to Yongzhou."
Yang Anxuan said: "You might as well bring more ships. All industries in Yongzhou are waiting for prosperity, but they are short of people. The more the better."
Chen Yu took a step forward and reported, "My lord, I was practicing naval training in Yanling. I once trained men to launch boats and build ships. In the past two days, I fought with Chaoting Navy. I saw two large ships among them. They had flags and bugles. The drum should be where the order is issued. If it can be scuttled, the navy in the court will definitely be in chaos."
Yang Anxuan's mind suddenly moved, and he remembered two advanced technologies in the history of shipbuilding, watertight compartments and vehicle and ship technology. Both of these technologies were invented in the Tang Dynasty and could be manufactured under current conditions. Yang Anxuan became excited. With these two technologies, the Yongzhou navy would be able to traverse the rivers and seas and be invincible in water battles.
Seeing the joy on Yang Anxuan's face, Chen Yu thought that his words had moved him, and continued: "The weapons sent by the Lord's order are extremely sharp, and the servants asked them to make hundreds of chisels. The son, who is good at carrying water, went into the water to train in building ships, which was very effective. "
When Yu Fei defected to the army, Chen Yu defected to Yang Quanqi. Although they were both members of the Yang family, there was inevitably a layer of separation between them. Later, Yang Quanqi was defeated and Chen Yu returned to Yang Anxuan's command.
Chen Yu himself was good at water, and he was also looked after by Yu Fei. When Yanling was preparing to build the navy, Chen Yu was appointed as the deputy governor of the navy and a guerrilla general. Yu Fei was aloof by nature and didn't care much about military affairs, while Chen Yu had great power.
Liu Zhong led the Yuzhou Navy to defect to Xiangyang, with hundreds of warships and thousands of troops, surpassing the Yanling Navy in terms of closeness and scale.
Sure enough, not long after, Governor Yang merged the Yanling Navy into the Yongzhou Navy and put it under the command of Liu Zhong. Brother Yu was transferred from the Navy. Although he was appointed deputy governor, his commander was changed, and there was also a deputy governor, Qian. Lei, his ability is not inferior to his own.
As Governor Yang's power increases, his officials have more and more room for promotion, but more and more people are joining him. If he cannot take advantage of the situation, he will be marginalized.
Huang Fu was entrusted with an important task by Yang Anxuan, which made Chen Yu feel more and more crisis-ridden. Huang Fu was just an ordinary minion back then, but now the power is hidden above him. If he cannot seize the opportunity, he will be left far behind in the future.
This time when he went to battle with Liu Zhong, Chen Yu was thinking hard about how to defeat the enemy. When he saw Yang Anxuan asking questions, he hurriedly told him what he had thought of.
"Cut a boat?" Yang Anxuan was not used to water and was not very clear about the tactics of drilling into the water to dig out the bottom of a boat. He looked at Liu Zhong and others.
When Yu Fei was in Yanling, he saw Chen Yu's training in scuttling boats, and he smiled and said, "When I was in Yanling, I saw Chen Yu taking people into the water to scuttle boats. It's feasible."
Qian Lei also said: "Yes, I estimate that the planks of the building are only two inches thick. If the chisel is sharp, it should be able to penetrate the bottom of the ship."
Yang Anxuan said: "In that case, tomorrow Chen Yu and Qian Lei will each lead a team of people to look for opportunities to sink the building and the ship."
Chen Yu was very happy to see that his strategy was adopted, but unfortunately Qian Lei took away the credit.
As night fell, Huangfu returned to the camp, and Yang Anxuan asked Liu Zhong to cross the river with three thousand Qingqi during the night and hide in a village five miles north of Fuxian County. He sent someone to secretly inform Yang Anyuan that a land and water attack would be launched simultaneously at noon tomorrow. .
