Although Li Yi's warships were good, his three thousand navy had never experienced actual combat and were unlikely to be a match for Jiangdong's navy.
If those patrol boats on the Xiang River were used as bait, he might have trouble letting the trapped troops take the water route, so he finally decided to take the land route from Linxiang. However, the food, grass and baggage were still placed on the boats, and they were always more than ten miles away from the land troops. , wait until they set up camp for a rest at night and then meet at the shore.
The trapped troops marched lightly along the east bank of the Xiang River. This not only increased the marching speed, but also allowed the soldiers to maintain their physical strength to cope with encounters.
"Military advisor, marching by land is very hard. You haven't recovered yet. Why don't you take a boat with General Li and take the waterway? Anyway, we can meet up every night." Lan Tian suggested to Fazheng.
Fazheng nodded, "Then let the general worry about it, but when it comes to the actual battle, it's better for me to be a staff officer in front of the formation."
"I don't have to worry about it. To deal with the Jiangdong Rats this time, we can't do without the military advisor's advice."
Seeing Lan Tian and Fazheng talking and laughing, Zhang Fei looked at Pang De with confusion on his face, "Ling Ming, why didn't Ziyu arrange it for you? Are you really angry?"
"Uh...I don't know..." Pound replied awkwardly.
Zhang Fei looked at Pang De's expression of hatred for steel, and trotted to Lan Tian.
"Ziyu, where are we?"
"You have been tired of traveling and traveling these past few days. You must rest in Linxiang for a day. After you have rested, you can rejoin the brigade. The reconnaissance battalion will keep in touch with you at any time." Lan Tian explained.
"I'm not tired." Zhang Fei scratched his head and continued to fight.
Lan Tian shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Although you are not tired, the war horses need to rest."
"Aren't Chu Sima and the others also cavalry..."
Before Zhang Fei could finish his words, he was ruthlessly interrupted by Lan Tian: "The scouts each have two horses. You can rest here, Yide. Anyway, the cavalry can catch up very quickly..."
"I really don't need to rest, so I'd better let Ling Mingdu chase on his own. I want to go with your large force first. I happen to have some questions about the reconnaissance camp to ask you for advice."
Zhang Fei had a smile on his face. He planned to follow Pound behind him, as he might miss the battle, so he had to keep in line with Lan Tian at all times. This idea was not hidden from the others, but his expression made it impossible for Lan Tian to make a decision.
"Ling Ming, then you should stay in Linxiang to rest and recuperate. If you need anything, ask Military Advisor Xu. After resting and recuperating, go directly to Baling to meet up." Lan Tian told Pang De.
"Wei." Pound cupped his fists and saluted.
Linxiang and Baling were more than 300 miles apart, and a normal infantry march would take six or seven days. However, because the individual soldiers of the trapped army were of high quality, and they were moving lightly without heavy loads, they were able to keep marching more than 60 miles a day.
After the trapped army walked for two days, Pound led the cavalry to catch up with the large army.
Because he had not encountered Jiang Dongbing in the past two days, Zhang Fei, who followed Lan Tian first, felt a little uncomfortable.
Infantry, cavalry, and naval forces advanced together, advancing northward at a speed of sixty miles a day.
When Lantian's army crossed the Mi River and docked in the northwest of Luo County to rest, Chu Qing's reconnaissance camp finally got news.
Thirty miles away due north, there is a force of five thousand soldiers and horses, and they are rushing towards Luo County with flags flying.
Zhang Fei was lying on the ground bored with a dog's tail grass in his mouth, looking at the misty clouds in the sky and getting distracted. When he heard that an enemy appeared, he stood up like a carp.
"Five thousand people? Ziyu, we can't live up to the food that Lu Xun brought us."
"Should we wait until the French military advisor arrives before asking?" Gao Shun suggested.
Fazheng is currently still on Li Yi's warship and will not join the army until it is almost dark.
Lan Tian shook his head and said, "Yide is right. You can't let go of the delicious food in front of you. The fighter plane is fleeting. If you wait until the military advisor comes to ask for advice, it may be too late."
"Ah, yes, yes, Ziyu, hurry up and send troops." Zhang Fei was in very good spirits.
Lan Tian frowned and analyzed: "These soldiers and horses have gone south for more than a hundred miles. It seems that Lu Xun can't sit still. However, the reconnaissance battalion knows the whereabouts. We can have the cavalry detour on both wings. Boping can then attack the enemy head-on with the trapped troops. Maybe there will be a chance to defeat them all. Annihilating the enemy forces will give Lu Xun a powerful boost."
"General, just give the order." Pang De also gathered around.
Lan Tian looked at the sun going west, frowned and said: "It should be dark in less than two hours. Lu Xun's troops should be stationed in the wild tonight. The dusk is when the other army is slacking off. We can't do anything about it." Well, we still have to fight at night, Bo Ping, Ling Ming."
"The general is here." Gao Shun and Pang De replied in unison.
"Boping, prepare your team immediately, we will set off immediately."
"Wei." Gao Shun clasped his fists and turned to leave.
After ordering the troops trapped in the formation, Lan Tian said to Pound in a serious voice: "Ling Ming, you have been training cavalry for a long time, and it's time to show your face to the world."
"No one from Jiangdong knows how to fight in Xiliang. The general will definitely show his strength." Pang De looked very confident.
Lan Tian specifically asked Zhang Fei for his opinion: "Yide, should you and Bo Ping attack from the front, or should you and Ling Ming go out flanking?"
Zhang Fei held his chin and thought for a while: "My dozens of followers are all cavalry. Naturally, they should follow Ling Ming to flank them. It is convenient to come and go freely."
Lan Tian nodded and said: "This battle is about surprise. Yi De must remember not to act without authorization. I will order Ling Ming to divide your thousand cavalry. After we attract the opponent's attention first, you can attack from the left and right wings at the same time."
"Ziyu is so interesting. I'm afraid of Lu Xun's child if I fight for you." Zhang Fei patted Lan Tian on the shoulder.
After Lantian issued the combat order, the soldiers and horses of each battalion immediately began to move. Among them, Chu Qing's reconnaissance battalion was the busiest. They not only had to keep track of the enemy's movements at any time, but also played the important role of connecting with the departments and conveying orders.
At dusk, the Jiangdong troops were preparing to camp and rest, preparing to attack Luo County tomorrow morning to test Xu Shu's troop deployment in Changsha.
The infantry that Lu Xun brought to Dongting were all Shanyue who had been recruited in Poyang. They were skilled in bows and horses and had superb martial arts skills, which made them very suitable for fighting in the mountains. The leader of these 5,000 people was Wu Qi, and his deputy was the son of the late general Huang Gai. Yellow handle.
Sun Quan allotted Lu Xun only 10,000 naval troops. Lu Xun was worried that it would be difficult to defend because of the weak force, so after occupying the Dongting water entrance in a surprise attack, he built a camp on the shore near Baling to connect the water stronghold and the dry stronghold. And his 20,000 mountain soldiers are his support.
Lu Xun completed the construction of the water and land camp, and originally planned to advance south to occupy Changsha, but he encountered Xu Shu's scout army.
Xu Shu was very famous in Jingzhou. Lu Xun was surprised to learn that he suddenly appeared in Changsha. Lu Xun mistakenly thought that the plan to attack Jingzhou was exposed, so the troops stationed in Dongting Dazhai did not move at all. He was waiting for Xu Shu's next move. Unexpectedly, Xu Shu was simply After testing, they acquiesced to Lu Xun's presence in Dongting Lake.
At this time, soldiers and horses from all walks of life in Jiangdong were blooming at the same time. Lu Xun's Dongting Lake route seemed too conservative, which Wu Qi, Huang Bing and others could not understand. They not only actively requested a war, but also took out Sun Quan's order and suggested that Lu Xun attack Changsha.
Lu Xun saw that the soldiers were all willing to fight, so he pushed Wu Qi and Huang Bing south to attack Luo County. In addition to testing Xu Shu's bottom line, Lu Xun also wanted to set up an early warning stronghold in the south.
