Under the current circumstances, the best situation Liu Qi can achieve is to defend Yangzhou and Zhenjiang, control the Guazhou crossing route, block the Ming army in Huainan, prevent the Ming army from breaking through the Yangtze River defense line, and then buy time for the subsequent counterattack .
As long as the Ming army is not allowed to break through the Yangtze River defense line, as long as the Ming army can be blocked in the north of the Yangtze River, the Song court will be able to react and have time to deploy troops and generals to reverse the situation.
He felt that if Song Ting was still thinking about not paying the annual coins and thinking about reducing some of the burden on himself, he would not waste the time window he had fought so hard for, and would quickly dispatch troops and generals to strengthen the defense of Jiangnan and let the Ming army know Retreat from difficulty.
In this way, his hard fight would not be in vain.
So Liu Qi decided to strengthen the defense of Yangzhou. At the same time, he ordered his general Wu Chao to lead the Guazhou Navy to guard Guazhou Crossing, and sent a force to garrison Guazhou Town to prevent the Ming army from attacking Guazhou Town from land and threatening Guazhou Crossing. Zhou Navy.
After everything was arranged, he gave the order to Wang Gang, intending to let Wang Gang fight and retreat, lead the troops heading north to gradually withdraw to Yangzhou, concentrate the main force on Yangzhou to fortify, and fight with the Yangtze River behind him.
This may be able to block the Ming army's advance and realize his strategic plan to turn the tide.
Then he did not give up his efforts to win reinforcements, and sent envoys south one after another to seek support from the court and the royal power, hoping that they would get the reinforcements to Zhenjiang Prefecture as soon as possible, and then cross the river to Yangzhou to assist him in the defense.
But just when he was setting up his tactical defense, on March 30, he suddenly received a message from Wang Gang asking for help——
The main force of the Ming army launched an attack on Lujin Town. Tens of thousands of troops surrounded him. The outer defenses were quickly broken through by the Ming army. He had almost no power to fight back. He had been trapped in a tight siege and was compressed into the small area of Lujin Town. The battle is hard and there is no escape.
Liu Qi was also asked to send troops to support immediately, otherwise the more than 10,000 troops stationed in Lujin Town heading north would be in danger of being annihilated.
He emphasized that the Ming army's combat effectiveness was very strong, whether in field battles or in sieges. It easily destroyed the fortifications they set up on the periphery, and the Song army could not resist it.
Moreover, the Ming army not only had numerous and powerful cavalry, but also had very sophisticated firearms, far superior to those of the Song Dynasty. Liu Qi was also asked to take precautions and ask reinforcements to be careful of the Ming army's cavalry and firearms.
After hearing the news, Liu Qi was shocked. He immediately realized that the Ming army was going to completely eat up part of his army, weaken his troops, and prevent him from concentrating all his efforts on defending Yangzhou. It would also severely damage his military morale and make him The morale of the troops under his command was shaken and they did not dare to fight with all their strength.
The first battle between the two sides was of absolute importance to the army and the entire battle, and it must not be defeated just like that.
So he immediately sent a message to his troops to meet him to arrange rescue matters.
After a while, his nephew Liu Si and his generals Li Heng, Wei You, Wang Fang and others were ordered to come, and Liu Qi began to discuss with them how to support Wang Gang.
They discussed the strength and momentum of the Ming army for a while, and decided to send 10,000 troops north to support Wang Gang and try to bring Wang Gang's troops back.
However, general Li Heng raised his concerns about this combat plan.
"The Ming army surrounded Lujin Town and attacked General Wang. I am afraid that they not only wanted to eliminate General Wang's troops, but also wanted to attract our army to support them, so that they could start a field battle with our army.
General Wang explained that the army is good at field warfare, and there are many cavalry in the army. If our army fights with it in the field, it may not be able to gain the upper hand, and the rescue operation will be very difficult. General, please think again. Our army does not have many available troops, and the imperial court's reinforcements are delayed. Not yet. "
It was not that Liu Qi had never thought about Li Heng's worries.
"I am also very aware of your worries. I also know that there are many crises. The Ming army is difficult to deal with and is good at field warfare. But Wang Gang has ten thousand people. Can I just give up? If I give up Wang Gang, what will happen to the army? How do you view me?
I gave up on the general in the army before the battle even started, and watched his destruction before my eyes. How would those in the army who were originally dissatisfied with me think of me? The morale of the troops will be shaken, the people's hearts will be dispersed, and the battle will not be fought.
By then, the Ming army has not come to Yangzhou, and the Yangzhou army will collapse and disperse. I can't stop it, and you can't stop it. The defense of Jiangbei will be over. Moreover, watching the generals being destroyed without rescuing them is not what a general can do. things. "
Although Liu Qi was worried about the situation of the battle, worried that the army would not be able to win, and worried that the army he sent would be in vain, he still could not let Wang Gang's army be wiped out.
Liu Qi was extremely troubled by the Ming army's upright conspiracy, but no matter what, as the commander-in-chief and veteran general, he could not let Wang Gang's entire army be wiped out and do nothing.
So he ordered his nephew Liu Bang and his general Wei You to lead 10,000 troops to Lujin Town to relieve the siege, rescue Wang Gang, and bring back as many troops as possible. He would command the remaining troops to continue to run Yangzhou, recruit strong men, and reinforce it. city defense.
He told Liu Bang and Wei You to be absolutely careful with the Ming army's cavalry and firearms, and to pay special attention to the Ming army's cavalry. They must form formations to deal with the cavalry, and they must not let down their vigilance and the cavalry would find an opportunity.
If support is needed at that time, people must be sent back to Yangzhou immediately, and he will personally lead troops to respond.
Liu Si and Wei You took the order and quickly led their troops to attack.
After they left, Liu Qi continued to arrange Yangzhou's defense, heightening the city walls, placing defensive weapons, and placing obstacles and traps outside the city.
No matter whether reinforcements will arrive or not, he will never give up this war. He will fight the Ming army in Huainan to the end.
On the other side, in Lujin Town, Zhou Zhi climbed up a hill and looked at Lujin Town surrounded by people from a distance, with the corner of his mouth slightly raised.
"Liu Qi is still old and moves slowly. As long as I can occupy a city in Huainan, I will not be able to rush to Gaoyou so smoothly. What is the point of sending troops to station here now? It is better to shrink the troops and defend Yangzhou and Guayou. Zhoudu, with its back to the Yangtze River, can still cause me some trouble."
Zhou Zhi's secretary, Zhou Zhixue, followed him and looked at the battle situation in Lujin Town from a distance. He said with a smile: "Originally, we acted suddenly and didn't let them know. It will be really scary when he reacts. By the way, you are planning to lure the snake out of its hole. Or do you simply want to gather these Song troops and annihilate them?"
"Have it both!"
Zhou Zhi smiled and said: "Of course it's best if you can lure snakes out of their holes. I also want to try how good the so-called famous generals of the Southern Dynasties are at fighting. How far can a field warrior fight with our Ming army? And of course it's best if you can destroy the enemy in the field. In short, It’s better than attacking a city, which takes a lot of time and requires a lot of casualties.”
"That's true, but Liu Qi is a famous general after all. He won't let us succeed so easily, right?"
"How dare he not save an army of ten thousand people? If he doesn't, even if he wins this battle, no one will trust him anymore, and no one will follow him."
Zhou Zhi shook his head and said: "Liu Qi is old and cares more about his reputation and prestige. If someone damages his reputation and prestige, he will feel more uncomfortable than if he is dead. How many people are watching the famous generals."
"You know this aspect quite well."
Zhou Zhixue teased Zhou Zhi.
Zhou Zhi chuckled and said: "In marching and fighting, it is nothing more than calculating the enemy. How to calculate the enemy and how to calculate the enemy well depends on each person's ability. I can calculate him, and he can calculate me. It all depends on the two of us. No one can calculate more than the other."
"What do you think?"
"Looking at it now, I am the more calculating one."
"Hahahahahaha!"
Zhou Zhixue laughed heartily.
That's right. Looking at the moment, it is indeed the Ming army that has the upper hand.
The Ming army destroyed all the Song Army's military defense facilities outside Lujin Town through a sudden cavalry action. Then the infantry pressed forward and compressed the Song Army's tens of thousands of troops into the small Lujin Town. Thunder cannons and ordinary rocks blasted over the ground.
The violent explosion sent smoke and dust flying from the Lujin Town. The Song soldiers were blown to pieces and their stumps were scattered in pieces, with blood splattering everywhere. It was unknown how miserable they were.
There is no reliable city wall in this small town. It is not even ten feet tall. It is purely for show. It is just a trivial matter for the Ming army who are used to seeing tall city walls.
But to reduce casualties, of course we must reduce casualties. Wouldn't it be wonderful to bombard the Song army with long-range attack weapons first, and then wait until the Song army was almost bombarded, then cut leeks?
The art of war is also the art of reducing one's own casualties and increasing the enemy's casualties.
The enhanced version of the Thor Cannon was continuously thrown into the town of Lujin, and rumbling explosions came one after another. The Song army in the town scurried around, desperately looking for bunkers to avoid the explosions, but there were too few bunkers and too many soldiers and horses. Soon, Lujin The town was like a hell, full of mutilated limbs and broken arms, and the ground was covered with bloody corpses.
The cruelty of war is clearly visible.
But no one can complain, and no one should complain. As a soldier, when you go to the battlefield, you should be prepared to die, and no one can escape from it.
This world has never been gentle, nor correct, nor reasonable, with murderous intent everywhere.
