After learning from Mu Qian that Liu Cui had led the navy to Zigui City, Sima Chuzhi ordered the city gates to be closed. Soldiers patrolled the city walls day and night, and sent naval scout ships to the upper reaches to find out the news.
Soon, Sima Chuzhi received an urgent report from Yang Anxuan, saying that Liu Yu had moved to Jiangling and might launch an attack on Yidao City in the near future, asking him to hold on to the city and wait for reinforcements.
In the afternoon of that year, the Song army led by Liu Kangzu appeared outside the south gate of Yidao City, kicking off the Battle of Yidao. Liu Kangzu camped five miles south of Yidao City and was not in a hurry to launch an attack. Liu Yu ordered him to stand by.
When Zi returned to the city, Liu Cui received a military order, and Liu Yu ordered him to lead the navy to march eastward, first to relieve the siege of Yiling, and then to attack Yidao City.
In Yiling City, Fan Zhan attacked the city for more than half a month, but was unable to break it. Shen Linzi led his troops to attack Zhijiang City, but Zhang Feng was blocked. Yang Anxuan ordered Fan Zhan to return to Zhijiang for reinforcements, and the siege of Yiling was temporarily lifted.
Shen Linzhi learned that the Yong army that had attacked Yiling was about to return, with 6,000 light cavalry and 6,000 infantry. Knowing that it would be difficult to resist, he simply led his army south to join Liu Yu's army, and the siege of Zhijiang was resolved.
After Lu Gui received 3,000 reinforcements, he raised 10,000 troops and headed for Ji Nancheng again. Two days later, Yang Anxuan personally arrived with 6,000 troops. Lu Gui set up camp in the east and Yang Anxuan set up a stronghold in the north.
In Ji Nancheng, Liu Zhong and his generals looked at the Yong Army's stronghold in the distance. He had recently received a reward from Liu Yu. He stood proudly at the top of the city, pointed at Yong's army and laughed loudly: "When a man meets the Lord of the Ming Dynasty and clings to the wind and clouds, he should be repaid by being wrapped in horse leather. There is no regret in dying."
Yang Anxuan took Lu Gui, Yu Fei and others to visit the city. Lu Gui quietly reported the failure of his flood plan.
Looking at the majestic city in front of him, Yang Anxuan said confidently: "Back then, Sun Wu and Bai Qi were able to defeat this city, and I believe they can also defeat Jinan City. The general trend is with me, so don't worry, we will wait until the siege equipment is ready before attacking the city." Not too late."
After Liu Cui relieved the siege of Yiling, he led 300 warships down the river and approached Yidao City.
There were more than a thousand Yong navy troops outside Yidao City. The warships were captured from the Song army in Yidao City. Nearly half of them were lost in the battle at Jiangling, and the morale of the navy was low. The Yidaocheng Navy has twenty-seven stern ships and more than a hundred other ships such as scuttling ships, first boarding ships, and surging ships.
Sima Chuzhi selected officers who were proficient in water-based skills from the army and incorporated them into the navy. He recruited talented people in Yidao City, recruited several groups of Ba Shanshui thieves, and acquired more than 50 new ships and more than 300 sailors. The navy's troops expanded. The number increased to 2,000 men and more than 180 warships.
Knowing that Liu Cui was coming, Sima Chuzhi deeply felt that the water stronghold was a weak point, so he ordered the reinforcement of the water stronghold. He reinforced the wooden fence of the water stronghold with iron cables, built a fence wall along the water stronghold, and planted an archery tower every twenty steps. , like a city wall in the water.
The soldiers were ordered to guard it with bows, while other soldiers defended it with long weapons such as spears, spears, and hooks. Five gates were opened in the water fortress to facilitate the entry and exit of ships.
They also built a high ramming platform on the shore, set up catapults and Wanjun divine crossbows on it, sent soldiers to guard it, and sent two thousand soldiers and horses from the city to set up land camps next to the water stronghold to respond.
On May 9th, Song army ships appeared on the river, and Yong army ships came out of the stronghold to fight. There were more and more Song ships on the river, and the Yong army ships retreated to the water stronghold. The ships of the Song army approached the water stronghold, and arrows were shot out overwhelmingly from the stronghold.
Liu Daoji, as the vanguard, commanded the building ship to rush toward Muzha with more than ten stern ships, trying to use the weight of the ship's hull to drive away the Yong army's water stronghold.
The wooden fence was later reinforced with several iron cables. Although the ship destroyed the wooden fence, it was unable to break into the stronghold. Instead, the Yong army on the fence used hooks to capture two stern boats.
Zhou Xiang, the newly surrendered pirate leader, was appointed as a military prince by Sima Chuzhi. He wanted to be promoted through meritorious service. He jumped from the fence wall onto the stern of the ship, wielded his steel knife like a tiger, and chopped down several Song soldiers one after another.
Seeing his bravery, the men who surrendered with him jumped on the ship one after another. Yong's army also jumped on another stern ship that was blocked, and the two sides fought fiercely on the ship.
Liu Daoji saw that he could not rush into the water stronghold, and the two stern ships were held tightly by Yong's army. He was afraid that they would not be able to rescue them. If he hesitated again, more ships might be dragged by hooks, so he immediately ordered the ships to retreat. The two ships The ship was captured by Yong's army.
After Liu Cui inquired about the situation of the battle, he guessed that Yong's army had hidden iron ropes behind the water fence, so he ordered his boats to load flammable materials and rush to the water fence from upstream, and set fire to the fence. The building boat fired arrows at the wooden fence fifty steps away to stop Yong. The army puts out fires.
Wait for the fire to burn the wooden fence
Thick smoke was everywhere, and the order was given to push the wood prepared in advance into the water. These pieces of wood were about ten feet long, thick in diameter, and sharpened at the front. They hit the wooden fence with the rolling river current, and indeed tore open the fence wall of Yongjun's water village, pulling on the iron chain, and tearing open a hole of more than ten feet.
Liu Daoji was overjoyed and rushed towards the gap with the two tower ships as the front, preparing to break through the water stronghold in one fell swoop. Unexpectedly, when they rushed to the fence wall, the ship was violently shaken, and it actually hit the bottom and was difficult to enter.
Yong Jun used catapults and Wanjun divine crossbows to attack the stranded building ships. The two building ships were hit by many stones. They fled back in embarrassment with several crossbow arrows on the side of the ship. More than ten small boats were sunk by stones. .
When Liu Cui learned that the building boat was on the bottom, he felt strange. It was clear that the water was several feet deep at the gap in the water village. The building boat should be able to sail through easily. From Liu Daoji's description, it didn't look like an iron cone. He didn't know what kind of ambush Yong Jun had set up under the water.
That night, Liu Cui ordered his soldiers who were proficient in water properties to sneak to the beaching place. Only then did they know that Sima Chu had ordered people to use bamboo cages to load stones and pile them behind the wooden fence. The bamboo cages are stacked up, only five feet away from the water. No wonder the building boat cannot move.
Knowing the reason would be easy to handle. Liu Cui ordered his soldiers to dive into the water with their swords in hand, and cut the bamboo cage with their swords. The broken stones scattered and quickly sank to the bottom of the water under the wash of the water.
The next day, Liu Cui personally led the navy to go out, and the wooden fence was erected again. Liu Cui also set fire to the ship and burned the fence, then used huge logs to pull and knock apart the brittle wooden fence and the iron cables, and then led the ship directly into the village.
The Yong army thought that the Song division did not have a long memory, so they fired stones and crossbow arrows at the building ship, preparing to destroy it when the building ship stopped. Unexpectedly, the obstacle in the water had been removed, and Captain Lou drove straight in, shocking the defending Yong army. The intruding building boats shot at Yong Jun from a high position, and Yong Jun in the village fled to escape.
There was not much space in the water stronghold, so it was difficult for the warships to move around. Liu Cui took advantage of the towering ships and ran rampant in the stronghold. This time it was the Song Navy's turn to knock over the Yong warships and crush them.
Sima Chuzhi stood at the top of the city and watched the battle. He saw the Song army's ships rushing into the stronghold. He knew that the stronghold was difficult to protect, so he personally led his troops out of the city to respond, rescued the soldiers in the stronghold and returned to the shore.
Liu Cui originally wanted to take advantage of the victory to land and pursue him, but Sima Chu ordered the archers to line up along the river bank and stand ready; stones were thrown from the ramming platform like rain, and crossbows rang incessantly.
Unable to land ashore in a hurry, Liu Cui simply ordered the Yong Army's water stronghold to be burned down, and led the navy to pursue the Yong Army's escape ship on the river.
Most of the ships of the Yong Army Navy were destroyed, and the remaining ships were docked on the shore, not daring to go out to fight. Sima Chuzhi ordered the remaining ships to retreat into the Yi River, and under the leadership of Zhou Xiang, they temporarily stationed at his original Bashan Water Village.
The camp outside the north gate was not abandoned. Sima Chuzhi used the rammed platform as a stronghold, stationed two thousand soldiers and horses outside the city, and set up wooden fences all over the river bank to prevent Song ships from landing.
The water stronghold has been lost, the connection with Jiangbei has been cut off, and Yidaocheng has become an isolated city.
However, Sima Chuzhi was not panicked. He knew that the lord was fighting Liu Yu in Jiangling. As long as Jiangling City was captured by the lord, the siege of Yidao would be solved immediately.
The city of Yidao City is strong, and the grain stored in the city is enough for half a year. There are more than 10,000 troops stationed in the city. If the Song army does not number 50,000, Sima Chuzhi is confident that he can hold on. When Liu Bei was defeated here and returned, all he had to do was follow his lord's orders to defend Yidao City and nail it to the south bank of the Yangtze River, which would be a great achievement.
After Liu Cui broke through the Yidao water stronghold, he went down the river to Liu Yuying stronghold to pay homage to his lord. Liu Yu learned that the Yidao navy had been defeated and the road on the river was clear, so he immediately ordered the soldiers and horses on the north bank to cross the river by boat.
On May 12, Liu Yu's army crossed the river and set up camp in the east of Yidao City. Liu Yu and Shen Linzi's troops totaled 13,000 troops. There were Liu Kangzu's 5,000 troops at the south gate. Sima Chuzhi decided to abandon the north city. In the camp, two thousand soldiers were recruited into the city and guarded against the city.
On the north bank of the river, Zhang Feng saw Liu Yu's army besieging Yidao City, but there were no warships to help him. Liu Yu's navy was patrolling back and forth on the river. It was impossible to cross the river smoothly just by relying on the dozens of fishing boats he collected.
There were not many warships built in Dianjiang Shipyard, and Tan Daoji in Jiangyang City still had part of the navy. It was impossible for Zhu Chaoshi to send a fleet to reinforce Yidao City. What's more, it's a long way from Dianjiang to Yidao. During this period, we have to pass through the cities of Yufu, Zigui, Yiling, etc. The water in the distance cannot quench our thirst nearby.
Zhang Feng sent a messenger to report to Yang Anxuan in Ji Nancheng urgently, asking the lord to make a decision. Yang Anxuan also felt helpless. The shortest waterway between the Hanjiang River and the Yangtze River was to reach the Yangtze River through the Yangkou River.
The only way to support Yi Dao is to capture Jiangling City.
If you want to capture Jiangling, you must first capture Jinan. On May 16, Yang Anxuan led his army to attack the city from the north and east.
The terrain of Jinan City is low, so Yang Anxuan ordered the catapult to be pushed to the city wall one hundred and fifty steps away. The catapult rained stones on Jinan City.
At first, a cowhide curtain was hung at the top of the city to block the flying stones. An hour after the stones were thrown, the cowhide curtain at the top of the city was completely destroyed. Many stones flew over the city wall and flew into the city, smashing the roofs of the houses and breaking the walls. .
The people in the city either went to the base of the wall or went into the city to avoid the rain of stones, and they were miserable.
Yang Anxuan was not in a hurry to attack the city, but instead threw stones for half an hour every day, and then let the soldiers attack with bravado. He also raised suspicious soldiers in the west city, lit torches at night, and made noises to feint attacks.
After five days, the defenders and people in the city were exhausted. Liu Zhong stayed under the city wall. When he heard the noise of Yong's army, he would go to the city at any time to boost morale.
In this attack on Jiangling, Yang Anxuan brought 30,000 kilograms of gunpowder. When attacking Yao Qin, it was able to collapse the Pass. I believe that Ji Nancheng will also fall under the power of gunpowder.
It was also noisy at night, but the defenders at the top of the city seemed a little lazy under Liu Zhong's urging. Although there were many torches of the Yong army under the city, one person held two torches, and the sides of the carriage were also filled with torches. It was clearly a bluff. .
Liu Zhong didn't understand Yang Anxuan's intention, but he knew that Yang Anxuan would not do it without aim, and there must be some intention in doing so.
However, whether it was a tactic of exhausting his troops or trying to induce him to fight, Liu Zhong decided to remain unchanged in response to all changes. As long as he could not hold on, there was nothing Yang Anxuan could do to me.
After another three nights, the defenders at the head of the city had become accustomed to Yong's night attacks. They arrived at Yinmo every day, sometimes in the north, sometimes in the east, and occasionally in the west city. Liu Zhong did not dare to be careless at all. Even in Dongcheng where Yong's army had never appeared, the soldiers were placed on strict alert.
The defenders at the top of the city were tired of running around, but they didn't know that the Yong army had dug eight large holes three feet deep and five feet high on the north wall of Jinan City these days, no more than two feet apart from each other.
On May 25, under the cover of darkness, Yong's army secretly stuffed the gunpowder sealed in cans into the hole while making noises to attract the attention of the defenders on the city.
In order to increase the explosive power of gunpowder, the Ordnance Department, under Yang Anxuan's prompting, strictly followed the ratio of saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal and discarded other debris.
In order to achieve the maximum explosive power, granulating black powder was put on the agenda. Yang Anxuan asked him to collect urine, stir saltpeter and other substances to dry, and then grind them into small particles. In this way, the granulation of gunpowder was completed.
The craftsmen tested this smelly gunpowder and were surprised to find that the power of the explosion was twice as powerful as before, enough to crack mountains and crack rocks.
The mode of loading gunpowder in bamboo tubes under the Pass was abandoned by Yang Anxuan. It should be noted that the better the sealing effect of black powder, the stronger the shell, the stronger the power of the explosion.
Yang Anxuan specially ordered pottery craftsmen to produce a batch of pots with large bellies and small mouths, which were used to fill gunpowder. The openings were sealed with oil paper, leaving only the leads.
At the beginning of the month, Yu Fei came over to report that the gunpowder was loaded. At this time, the sky began to turn white, and Yang Anxuan glanced at the dark Ji Nancheng.
Jinan City is built of rammed earth. Under the explosion of eight thousand kilograms of gunpowder, can this majestic city remain intact? The emergence of gunpowder has changed the way of siege in the past, and a new era will come with a loud bang.
