There are five fierce generals under Bai Wang's command who are known as the Five Tiger Generals among the rebels. In this northern expedition, except for Huang Zhengtang, who was based in De'an, the remaining four people followed him north along the river to attack the city and seize territory. At this time, Wang Tizhong had surrendered to the imperial court, and Yuan Sanzhong and Wang Yi'en were extremely embarrassed by Wu Sangui and Ma Ke in Tongling, while the other was Cheng Niandong who led three thousand troops to sit in Anqing.
Cheng Niandong is the youngest and most insidious among the Five Tiger Generals. This is one of the main reasons why Bai Wang was assured to let him stay in Anqing. Although he only left three thousand troops, he was used to the extreme.
Before leaving, Bai Wang analyzed the current situation and listened to him. He believed that the tens of thousands of officers and soldiers coming from the north on the other side of Wuhu would most likely not attack Anqing. After all, Nanjing was more important. They crossed the river to intercept the rebels attacking Nanjing. Therefore, Bai Wang is going to take command on the east coast front line to buy time to consolidate Anqing. Of course, unexpected surprises cannot be ruled out, such as taking a step further towards Nanjing or even destroying the city.
But Bai Wang also told him that Nanjing is very important to the officers and soldiers, and Anqing is dispensable, but for them Anqing is an extremely important base area. To manage it well, they must defend it well. Although it is unlikely that the officers and soldiers from the north will attack directly. However, we do not rule out the possibility of sending troops to contain them, so we must remain vigilant at all times to prevent the officers and soldiers from entering Anqing.
Cheng Niandongshen thought that he would immediately start making arrangements after Bai Wang left. The first step was to convene An Nei, a wealthy gentry and some officials in the city, to hold a mobilization meeting, asking them to help appease the people in the city. The rebels must be united, and only by working together with the rebels can they In the future... Anyway, all kinds of brainwashing, this is also their usual method. After cleaning the common people in the control area, they can be unified to the outside world. Who will use this method later?
This trick is very common, mainly because when he was attacking Anqing, Bai Wang did not massacre or loot after entering the city. Even after some wealthy gentry took the initiative to hand over the protection fee, they did not torture again. After all, he had planned to build this place. The city has a new base area.
Then Cheng Niandong sent dozens of spies, large and small, to various places in the north of the city. The mountains and rivers in the north of Anqing were almost covered with his outposts. Although it cannot be said that any disturbance could not be hidden from him, only a large group of troops entering the city would definitely be discovered.
At the same time, Cheng Niandong recruited young men in the city for military training as a reserve in case of insufficient troops. It can be said that while running Anqing, this young man had already sharpened his sword and waited for the arrival of Gao Jie and the others.
Spying out a large number of spies finally paid off. Gao Jie and his three soldiers were detected by rebel spies near Baidang Lake (today's north of Songyang County) and sent to Anqing Mansion. Cheng Niandong was shocked when he first heard about it, but Then he was confused again. Nearly ten thousand officers and soldiers were all cavalry. What kind of trouble was going on?
Because the cavalry is useless here!
The previous information given by Wang Tizhong was that there were tens of thousands of officers and soldiers on the other side of Wuhu. Now nearly ten thousand soldiers came. It seemed that Bai Wang's conclusion was good. The main force of officers and soldiers still had to cross the river to the east bank to intercept the rebels and prevent them from heading north to Nanjing. And these nearly ten thousand soldiers and horses In order to contain the rebels, they came to attack Anqing. It's just that these officers and soldiers from the north were so stupid. They thought this was the prairie in the north. They were all cavalry. Cheng Niandong thought it was ridiculous, but he still attacked the officers and soldiers. He responded with all his energy and was determined to severely injure these officers and soldiers.
So Cheng Niandong personally led 2,000 elite soldiers and 2,000 cannon fodder out of the city to set up an ambush.
Besides, Gao Jie and the other three were hiding day and night in the rain all the way to Anqing, intending to attack the city without warning and block it in the city. When Li Yan and Huang Degong's army behind them slashed, they could cut them off as they wanted. .
At first, the three of them had great confidence in this plan. After all, Chang Yu made such a big noise on the other side to attract the attention and strength of the rebel army. In addition, it has been raining recently. The Anqing rebel army may have become careless. However, when they entered Dayou Township (today's Songyang County), they felt that things were not that simple. The scouts sent from the front had already encountered several groups of thieves' probing horses and even had a fight. In this way, both sides knew each other. coming!
Since it's so dark, let's stop pretending and go straight to the city! The three of them made a decision after a brief discussion. Considering that the main force of the rebel army had been lured to the Anqing Mansion on the other side by Chang Yu, there should not be many soldiers and horses left behind. With a force of three people and nearly 10,000 people, it should not be difficult to fight their way to the city in an open and honest manner.
The day before yesterday, the three-man army arrived at Sturgeon Town. It is actually a large fishing village, but it is also a three-way intersection. This fishing village is adjacent to the Yangtze River in the east and Shitang Lake in the west. There are two roads from here to Anqing, one is the Yangtze River and Shitang Lake. There is a long and narrow road in the middle of the lake, because there are river beaches and lake beaches on both sides that are overgrown and muddy. The other one is to walk a few miles west from Sturgeon Town and then take a mountain road close to Dalong Mountain and Shitang Lake. It is bumpy and thorny. There are rocks all over and it is definitely difficult to walk.
But no matter which road they took, there would be no advantage for the cavalry and it would even become a drag. Gao Jie and the three of them discussed it for a while by the river, and finally chose to take the road by the river. The reason is very simple. Since the rebel army has already After discovering it, there is no need to sneak around so far to take the mountain road, and the mountain road is a great constraint for the cavalry. Just marching is already inconvenient, and if there is a war, it will add fuel to the fire.
Gao Jie, Liu Zeqing, and Liu Liangzuo, these three are all well-known figures in the Ming Dynasty. They are all warlords who hold military power. In terms of strength, Liu Zeqing is the strongest. After all, he is a leader with a big business and a strong foundation who dares to resist the decree. Secondly, It's Liu Liangzuo. This guy doesn't look very impressive, but he's actually the kind of slick guy who makes a fortune in silence. On the other hand, although Gao Jie is brave, he has little strategy. He is the weakest among the people, but he is also the one who dares to fight a tough battle. At this time, the three of them take him as the leader, and he is the only one who follows.
Why did the weakest one become the talker?
The reason is still very simple. The comparison of fighting power is not the comparison of family wealth. The other is whose backing is bigger. Liu Liangzuo has not officially boarded Chang Yu's boat at this time. Liu Zeli has boarded the boat, but he can't compare with Gao Jie. Put brotherly relationship.
So Gao Jie said, I have the final say, and the other two will not fight for him. What's more, the two of them also knew that although the speaker was powerful, he would have to resist thunder if something went wrong.
After deciding to take the east route, Gao Jie ordered the entire army to enter combat mode. Because it was only fifty or sixty miles away from Anqing, a battle was possible, and because the road was too narrow and muddy, the cavalry might not be able to cope with the battle. Gao Jie asked Liu Zeqing to More than a thousand people abandoned their troops to serve as the vanguard of the infantry, with Liu Liangzuo in the middle and behind him. This arrangement made Er Liu secretly curse Gao Jie for being too treacherous and selfish. Liu Zeqing was especially unhappy. You two have been fighting in this area for many years and are familiar with the geography. The thief's tactics are not to take the lead, but let me, a foreign monk, recite sutras first. Isn't this bullying?
Although he was angry in his heart, Liu Zeqing also knew that this was not the time to argue. Don't rebel against him before the fight started. Besides, he had agreed to obey Gao Jie's arrangements and command before. In addition, he also wanted to make meritorious deeds, so he buried himself at this time. Silent in my heart.
But is Gao Jie really selfish when he puts him first?
Of course not, at least not entirely!
He was just helping Chang Yu do things.
Since he is a man who must die, of course he must use it on the edge of the sword.
It was cool to march on a cloudy day, but the river embankment was long and narrow to the east, with rolling river water on it. The river beach was lined with rocks, making it difficult for people and horses to move. To the west, the lake was so sparkling that you couldn’t see it at a glance. The lake was overgrown with weeds and overrun with mosquitoes. The narrowest part only accommodated three The horses were riding together and the river embankment was muddy due to continuous rain. After walking for more than half an hour, we could only cover less than five miles. However, this muddy road sandwiched between rivers and lakes was more than twenty miles long. It was getting dark as we watched. It would be very bad if it were blocked here.
As for why it was bad, everyone knew it, but no one wanted to be the crow's mouth and say those unlucky words.
However, some things will come when they are supposed to come, and they won't come because you don't say it. Just when Gao Jie was about to go to the front to urge people to speed up, Tan Ma urgently reported: Thousands of thieves were found ten miles ahead. On the way!
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