Sima Chuzhi captured Yidao City, and Jiangling was in danger.
In Jiankang City, Liu Yu received an urgent military report and was worried. He wanted to rest for a few years and accumulate strength to fight again, but Yang Anxuan did not give him time. The rhythm of the attack is controlled by Yang Anxuan. He is exhausted and unable to breathe, and will eventually be exhausted.
Jiangling is an important town on the Yangtze River. It is located on an important land and water transportation route. Jiangling can reach Xiangyang in the north. If you occupy Xiangyang, you can reach Luoyang in the east, Chang'an in the west, and the gateway to Liang Yining in the west. At the same time, the land in the Jianghan Plain is fertile, and the products are sufficient to support several states such as Jing, Xiang, Jiang, and Henan.
On the other hand, if Jiangling is captured by Yong's army and the Yangtze River channel is cut off, not only will they lose the base area to attack Xiangyang in the north, but the Ningyi area will become a desperate situation. Yong's army can follow the river to threaten Xiang, Jiang, Henan and other places downstream. At that time, Huanxuan raised his army from Jiangling and finally occupied Jiankang City.
Liu Yu was secretly anxious, as spring plowing was about to begin. He originally planned to send his troops to farm in the land of Sanwu, but the Yong army attacked Jiangling and had to send reinforcements. Fighting a war not only relies on soldiers, but also recruits laborers. This year there is not enough young people in the fields, which will directly affect the grain output.
The arrow is on the string and must be fired. After making some arrangements, Liu Yu went to Jingkou. After returning from Pengcheng, the Beifu army accompanying Liu Yu rested in the areas of Jingkou, Guangling, and Kuaiji, and recruited a new group of soldiers for training. In ten days, the 20,000-strong army was assembled and ready to go.
Liu Yu decided to personally lead his army to rescue Jiangling and wait for an opportunity to seize Xiangyang City. Liu Yu felt that his family's economic strength was not as good as Yang Anxuan's and he could not afford a war of attrition. The long-term pain was not as good as the short-term pain, so he simply took advantage of the fact that the gap between the two sides was not big to fight first. Even if he lost, he might lose some time.
He is very confident in his subordinate Liu Yu. This great army with Beifu Army as its team will never lose to Yong Army. As long as it is commanded properly, the army still has a chance to seize Xiangyang City. Once Xiangyang is lost, Yang Anxuan's rule will inevitably fall apart. At that time, he can easily seize the Siyan land and finally unify the world.
Although the army was assembled, Liu Yu did not rush to send troops. Although Yidao City is currently lost, Xiao Muzhi has dealt with it properly, and the Yong army is still unable to capture Jiangling in a short period of time.
The troops and horses have not moved yet, but the food and grass go first. Now that the treasury is empty, it will take some time for Xu Xianzhi, Zhao Lunzhi and others to go and raise food and military supplies. After Liu Mu's death, logistical support tasks such as mobilizing grain and fodder and replenishing baggage fell to Xu Xianzhi.
You don't know how expensive firewood and rice are. In the past, Liu Muzhi was lighthearted, but when it was Xu Xianzhi, Zhao Lunzhi and others' turn, they felt physically and mentally exhausted. They tried their best to collect but still fell short of what the army needed.
Liu Yu held successive military meetings in Jingkou to discuss ways to deal with Yong's army.
Jiangling and Xiangyang were only more than 400 miles apart. Yang Anxuan was able to mobilize soldiers and horses from Chang'an and Luoyang from Xiangyang to go south. However, Jiankang was more than 2,000 miles away from Jiangling and could only be reached by water, making it difficult to transport grain and grass supplies. Read the book
Yang Anxuan was preparing to attack Jiangling with all his strength. The 20,000 reinforcements from Jiangling and Jingkou alone were obviously not enough. Liu Yu decided to mobilize the power of several states in Jiangling, Hunan, and Henan to deal with it.
First of all, Liu Yu wrote to Wang Zhongde, who was stationed in Xiakou, asking him to order Yu Qiujin and Lu Zhongyuan to set up more military strongholds in Zhunkou. While strengthening defenses, he also made plans to attack Quling and Anlu to contain Anlu City. Shen Qingzhi.
Speaking of Jiangxia County, Liu Yu was furious. In order to get Yang Anxuan to agree to withdraw his troops, he gave up Jiangxia County and sent Sima Maoying, the princess of Haiyan County, to Xiangyang to marry Yang Anxuan's son Yang Min.
Unexpectedly, in less than half a year, Zhu Lingshi attacked Peixian County and tore up the truce agreement between the two sides. If Emperor An had not died, the war in Pengcheng would have continued.
Just after a peaceful year, the war in Jiangling broke out again. It seemed that Yang Anxuan did not intend to let himself live in peace. Liu Yu smiled proudly, I have been fighting for half my life, and everything I have now depends on the swords and guns on the battlefield. How can I be afraid of Yang Anxuan? I will fight if he wants. How can I be timid about him?
By guarding Jiukou and Xiakou, Wang Zhongde could dispatch 500 warships and 8,000 soldiers to Yangkou first. Liu Yu estimated that the Yong army was going to attack Jiangling and would definitely send troops to contain Jingling. Jingling has 18,000 troops and horses, so it is not difficult to defend the city.
However, the Yangkou stronghold was destroyed by the Yong army navy. The Yong army could drive straight from Yangkou along Yangshui to Gong'an, threatening the south of Jiangling and blocking Xiangzhou's reinforcements. Jingling would never allow it.
lose.
Thinking of the navy, Liu Yu's mood became more and more heavy. The destruction of Changyu's navy was a huge blow to him.
Afterwards, Liu Yu interrogated Zhang Yu, who was imprisoned in Tingweizhong. According to Zhang Yu, Yong's naval ships were not large in size, but they were fast, could advance and retreat freely on the sea, were very stable, and were far stronger than their own ships. During naval battles, they were often directly destroyed by ships. own ships.
He defeated Lu Xun and Xu Daofu and obtained nearly 2,000 warships from the People's Army, which was far superior in number to Yong's navy. Moreover, he had many shipbuilding yards in Sanwu. He originally thought that the navy would be far superior to Yong's navy. However, judging from the past battles, Shui lost more than he won, which was obviously because he was technically lagging behind and his numerical advantage was gone.
Thinking of the folk legend that Yang Anxuan was given a strange book by an immortal, the book was full of strange and wonderful ideas, from Yang Jiali to the art of forging iron, to gunpowder and new warships. Liu Yu felt powerless in his heart. He really wanted to imitate Zhou Yu and sighed, "That's it." Where prosperity comes from, why does it lead to mystery?"
Glancing at the heavy-faced assistants on his left and right, Liu Yu knew that he must not show his dismay in front of them. When people's hearts were lost, the team also dispersed.
Liu Yuzhen said: "It is spring, the time of farming, and Yang Anxuan is raising troops at this time, which is against the weather. Yu knows Jiangling well, and even captured Jiangling City from Liu Yi and Sima Xiu, knowing the geographical advantages. Yong's army raised an army without justice. We are coming to attack the king's army, but we have lost the peace and harmony. The right time and place, the right people and the right people are all mine, so I will win this battle."
"Ji You, the second order is written to Zhang Shao, the governor of Xiangzhou, instructing him to immediately send five thousand county soldiers from Linxiang (today's Changsha City) to support Jiang'an City, and at the same time conscript and transport grain, grass, and baggage to Jiang'an for hoarding."
Among the three Zhang Shao brothers, the eldest, Chang Yu, was the governor of Kuaiji and the general of Pingbei. He was imprisoned in Tingwei Prison due to his defeat in the naval battle. The second brother, Zhang Shao, summoned scribes to visit Liyang when Liu Yi was in power. Zhang Shao refused to go and said that Liu Yu was the order of the world. Jie, Liu Muzhi heard about it and recommended it to Liu Yu, who won Liu Yu's trust and was appointed as the governor of Xiangzhou; the third son, Zhang Yi, was Sima Dewen's doctor when he was king of Langya, and is now the servant of Ye.
Zhang Yu was defeated. Zhang Shao took the initiative to write to Liu Yu, asking to resign, and begging the Duke of Song to spare his brother Zhang Yu's life. Liu Yu received the letter and comforted him with gentle words, and imprisoned Chang Yu in Tingwei Prison without any treatment. He treated Liu Shao Still trust.
Jiang'an is the southern gate of Jingzhou. When Sima Chu occupied Yidao City, it was entirely possible that he could attack Jiang'an via land via Xiaoting (different from today's location. Some experts have verified that Xiaoting's location is south of the Yangtze River, at the eastern foot of Ma'an Mountain on the south bank of the Qingjiang River).
If Jiang'an is lost, Jiangling will be surrounded on three sides. Not only will reinforcements from Xiangzhou be unable to reach, but the Yangtze River waterway to Jiangling will also be blocked.
In order to prevent Jingzhou from becoming too powerful, Liu Yu cut off ten counties and reestablished Xiangzhou, with Zhang Shao as the governor. After Zhang Shao took office, he ordered the construction of long walls and dikes. Within a few years, thousands of hectares of fertile land were obtained, and the grain accumulation exceeded 2 million shi.
The barbarians in Dan and Xishui areas in Xiangzhou were in rebellion. Zhang Shao lured them with food, killed the barbarian leaders, moved the barbarian villages to Hengyang and Changsha counties to farm, and recruited more than 6,000 soldiers from them.
Under Zhang Shao's governance, Xiangzhou had sufficient soldiers and supplies. Based on this, Liu Yu had enough confidence to fight against Yang Anxuan.
Immediately afterwards, Liu Yu issued the third order, "Send letter to Daoji and ask him to launch an attack on Jiangzhou at the right time; order Shizhi (Liu Zhong) to lead the navy back to Yufucheng, hoard troops in Yiling, and wait for an opportunity to recapture Yi Daocheng, reinforce Jiangling."
Yiling is located upstream of Yidaocheng and is the seat of Yidu County. Two hundred miles down the river is Yidaocheng. When Liu Bei attacked Wu due to the death of Guan Yu, the so-called Seven Hundred Miles Alliance Camp (actually more than fifty camps with about 50,000 people) was stationed on the south bank of the Yangtze River from Yiling to Yidao. It was burned down by Lu Xun, causing the Shu Han National strength was greatly damaged.
Sima Chu's troops marched out of Zhijiang, captured Yidao, and set up camp on the north bank of Yidao to block the Yangtze River waterway in the Yidao section. However, the upper reaches of Yiling, Zigui, and Yufucheng are still in the hands of the Song army. It can be said that the Yong army led by Sima Chuzhi is in a tight siege. The best way is to rely on the city and wait for reinforcements.
The arrangements in the west, as well as Pengcheng and Dongguan in the north, were all thought to be strictly defensive and to prevent the Yong army from taking advantage of the opportunity to attack.
Then Liu Yu ordered the recruitment of a group of fierce generals such as Shen Linzi (General Fuguo), Liu Kangzu (General Yangwei, son of the former Jiangxia Prefect Liu Qianzhi), Zhu Mu (General Longxiang), Xiao Bin (General Yingyang), etc. to go to Xia first. King Zhongde of Kou served in the army; he also ordered Tan Shao, who was guarding Xiapi, to lead five thousand soldiers and horses.
Go to Jiankang and then join the Jingkou army to go to Jiangling.
After the death of Liu Mu, Xie Hui felt that the stone that was weighing on his head was removed. He felt relaxed and at home. Even when discussing military affairs, he kept saying eloquent words, "My lord is a man of extraordinary talent, broad-minded and far-sighted, with a high and mighty style. If the Rong flag points, An Xuan's son will be captured without hesitation."
Xie Huimei's eyebrows flew into his temples, his eyes were like bright stars; he had a high crown, wide sleeves, and gorgeous clothes. He talked eloquently in front of Liu Yu and was deeply loved by him. When Xie Hun was still alive, he took Xie Hui to visit Liu Yu. Liu Yu exclaimed: "I suddenly had two beautiful people."
Hearing Xie Hui's dedication, Liu Yu's heavy heart became much brighter and he said: "This time we fight Jiangling again, we must defeat Yang Anxuan in one go, take advantage of the victory to capture Xiangyang, and establish Central and South China. All the princes will encourage him."
Fu Liang, the lieutenant, said: "The Military Intelligence Department has reported that Yang Anxuan has collected all the troops of Yao and Qin in Northern Yongzhou, and has nearly 50,000 light cavalry. We should beware of Yang Anxuan's troops moving south from Chang'an."
Linhuai prefect and Ningshuo general Yang Muzhi (referred from Pengcheng Neishi) said: "My lord, why don't you send people to Wei to ask the Wei army to attack Hedong County. Qin sent envoys to invite the vassal, so lord, you might as well join the King of Qin to beg for Chipan." As the general of Anxi, he was ordered to lead the army to attack Qinzhou and contain the Yong army."
Liu Yu had already had this intention, but he couldn't say it directly. Yang Muzhi's proposal was exactly what he wanted. Liu Yudao said: "He Lang, the young minister of Honglu Temple, went to Wei State several times and fulfilled his mission. He was promoted to the Song Dynasty Duke's office and joined the army. He was awarded the title of Prince of Yiyang County and was given a settlement of 400 households. He Lang was ordered to go on another mission. Pingcheng, if we can persuade Wei to send troops, we will reward you with military achievements afterwards."
Envy flashed in the eyes of Xie Hui and Fu Liang. Although they were Liu Yu's close associates and held important positions, they were still awarded titles. Of course, if they could assist Duke Song in ascending the throne and proclaiming himself emperor, the two of them estimated that they would be able to get the title of county Duke.
The horn of war sounded, and both sides were stepping up their deployment of troops. A fierce battle to determine the fate of Yong and Song Dynasty was about to come.
