Facts have proved that Bao Yuchun's decision was very wise.
Not long after the rebels abandoned Nanzhao and left Duck Lake via Baihe River, the vanguard troops of the Zhenjiang First Army and the Suzaku Army arrived here one after another, almost completely surrounding Bao Yuchun and the others.
At the same time, the two main forces of the Shengtang Western Army and the Southern Army finally successfully joined forces in Nanzhao County.
Dong Tianxing, the Minister of War, personally sat in the Nanzhao County Government, invited the top generals of the two armies to hold a meeting, and officially announced to the world: the counterattack against Xuanjia's rebellion is about to begin!
Li Jiangyao and Ma Hongjie were old acquaintances. When they were practicing martial arts in the imperial capital, he and Xu Youchang were martial arts students, and Ma Hongjie was the instructor, and he was also a senior instructor.
"Infantry Drill Code", "Military Order Outline" and "Jingguo Gong's Art of War" were all taught by Ma Hongjie to them.
Therefore, there is a true master-disciple relationship between the three of them.
Li Jiangyao and Xu Youchang have not changed their innocence, and they do not feel superior or forgetful because of their current achievements and status. They still followed the rules in the martial arts hall and bowed respectfully to their former teachers.
Seeing that the students back then have achieved such remarkable achievements, Ma Hongjie was filled with emotion. He first accepted their worship generously, and then, as the commander-in-chief of the Suzaku Army, he earnestly exchanged military salutes with Li Jiangyao and the others.
"Li Daduhu, General Xu, and the soldiers of Zhenjiang fought bloody battles and wiped out the Turks. They are the honor and role models of our soldiers of the Holy Tang Dynasty. Please accept our high tribute!"
Following Ma Hongjie's words, all the generals of the Suzaku Army responded in unison:
"The soldiers who control the border are brave and invincible!"
Li Jiangyao smiled and nodded, and said at the same time: "Commander Ma, your troops flew to capture Wuguan and defended Luoyi. They also deterred the enemy and strengthened our army. They are an example for our Xinjiang Army!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the generals of the Zhenjiang Army responded loudly: "Salute to the Suzaku Legion!"
Ma Hongjie laughed loudly, pulled Li Jiangyao to sit down, waved his hands and said: "Don't brag. On the battlefield, there is no falsehood. Compared with the Zhenjiang Army, we are really ashamed. Come on, everyone, sit down chat!"
Dong Tianxing also smiled and said: "Commander Ma is so humble. Whether it is the Western Army or the Southern Army fighting the Turks, they have all contributed and shed blood for the country. They are worthy of the name of the soldiers of the Holy Tang Dynasty."
Xu Youchang agreed: "Yes, although we are not in the same place, our hearts are always tightly tied together. Without the Xinjiang Army, the problems in the Central Plains would be very difficult to solve; without the soldiers of the Southern Army, it would be impossible for us in the west. A smooth fight. Only when we unite as one can we finally defeat the powerful enemy."
Ma Hongjie sighed with emotion, said "Yes" twice in succession, and then said: "Friend, you have been wronged. I am your teacher, and your grandfather was also my teacher. The Xu family is full of people Zhonglie, you are the only one left now, alas..."
Xu Youchang's eyes were slightly red, and he nodded and said: "My grandfather, as well as the family, their sacrifices were not in vain. Commander Ma, brothers, the Shengtang Dynasty has been in chaos for so long, who has not died in any family? How many people have there been? The common people have escaped the tragic disaster of losing their wives and children and destroying their families? As soldiers, we can only be worthy of them if we continue to fight and eliminate all internal and external enemies as soon as possible."
Dong Tianxing slapped his thigh and responded loudly: "General Xu is right! We are gathered together today to unite as one and join hands to suppress the rebellion! Get rid of all those scourges quickly. The people are really suffering."
Ma Hongjie nodded slightly and turned to look at Li Jiangyao: "Defender, what do you think of the upcoming battle?"
Li Jiangyao listened to the other party's question and suddenly remembered that when he was a student, Ma Hongjie had also asked this question in the martial arts hall, and he couldn't help but secretly find it interesting. He smiled faintly and responded: "North of the Yangtze River, Bao Yuchun will definitely not be able to be saved. The key issue now is whether to allow him to successfully withdraw to the south of the Yangtze River."
Ma Hongjie thought: "We have similar ideas. The 300,000 soldiers of the Zhenjiang Army left Tongguan, plus the 160,000 soldiers of our Suzaku Army and the local armed forces, the total force is close to 500,000, and all of them are from the Gang. A veteran who has had a life-and-death battle with the Turks. No matter how fierce Bao Yuchun is, he can't withstand it. I'm worried that with his experience and strategy, he will soon abandon the Jiangbei area, fully withdraw to the south, and then rely on the advantage of the navy to Defend by the river."
"Therefore, our strategic goal is to try to keep Bao Yuchun's main force in Jiangbei and gather them together to annihilate them." Xu Youchang continued: "Before coming here, the Imperial Guard specially discussed with us that we can start from three aspects. .”
"Oh? I'd like to hear the details." Ma Hongjie and other generals were quite curious.
Li Jiangyao looked at Xu Youchang and Dong Tianxing, and said with a calm smile: "The so-called three aspects refer to military, equipment and politics. From a military perspective, don't push Bao Yuchun too hard first, making him feel that he is in danger. , and then came up with the idea of running away. Once he really escapes, not only will the subsequent battle be difficult to fight, but the war will also spread to the south, causing more people to suffer. "
Dong Tianxing nodded slightly, and continued Li Jiangyao's words: "In terms of equipment, the Imperial Guard made suggestions to the court to quickly build a powerful naval fleet, try to narrow the gap with the rebels, and regain control of the waterways. Old man He has been serving as the Ordnance Department of the Ministry of War and is relatively familiar with the situation. So far, General Murong Xue has supervised the construction of more than two hundred fifth-floor battleships. Although the number is only one-tenth of the opponent's, it is much better than before. "
Ma Hongjie and others nodded repeatedly, and Li Jiangyao continued: "Political aspects require certain means to instigate differences between Lao Jianhua and Bao Yuchun, especially to make Lao Jianhua think that abandoning the Jiangbei area is a Serious mistake, holding on to death is the only option."
"Then how to do it?" A general of the Suzaku Legion asked curiously.
Li Jiangyao smiled and patiently explained to everyone: "Lao Jianhua was born in Beiya Nilinsi in his early days. He can be regarded as a political veteran and an intelligence chief. However, he is not good at leading troops to fight, so it is inevitable that he will have a close relationship with Bao. The differences in Yuchun’s understanding of combat may even arise from political considerations. As long as this can be made good use of, we can make them obey.”
Ma Hongjie was slightly stunned when he heard this, and then thought to himself: Since Li Jiangyao pointed out that Lao Jianhua is an expert in intelligence, why is he not worried at all that among the generals here, some of them will be bribed by Lao Jianhua to instigate rebellion? The Zhenjiang Army and others have always been in the ghost desert of Western Xinjiang. Lao Jianhua's hand may not be able to reach that long, but these generals under my command, even I dare not guarantee.
In front of everyone, if you tell the enemy's strategy so straightforwardly, aren't you afraid that Lao Jianhua will know it in advance?
Li Jiangyao seemed to have noticed Ma Hongjie's doubts, and suddenly smiled slyly, winked, and continued: "There are our people among Bao Yuchun's subordinates; there are also our people around Lao Jianhua. In politics, The interference operation has already begun."
Ma Hongjie nodded knowingly: "In that case, that's great. In fact, we are not very good at equipment and politics. We can only put more effort into fighting. The Protector-General just said that we should try to hold Bao Yuchun back, no. Is there any specific action strategy to prevent him from escaping?"
"My suggestion is..." Li Jiangyao said with a smile: "Starting from today, stay on hold for the time being to confuse the enemy."
Xu Youchang added: "The Ninth Army of Zhenjiang, which had previously attacked the rear of the rebels, has also received orders from the Great Protector and is continuing to advance south. The purpose is to completely cut off Bao Yuchun's retreat and prevent him from escaping. Once the intervening troops are in place, it won’t be too late for us to launch a massive attack!”
Ma Hongjie thought about it seriously and responded: "Well, anyway, we have the initiative on the battlefield, and the rhythm of attack and defense can be changed relatively more calmly. According to your suggestion, we will temporarily stop and rest in Nanzhao County and wait and see. Change."
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After the joint military meeting, the Zhenjiang Army and the Suzaku Army followed the decision of the Provisional Headquarters and no longer rushed south to attack the rebel town of Nanyang City.
Soldiers and horses from all walks of life took off their armor and saddles and began to rest and recuperate.
This situation immediately aroused Bao Yuchun's doubts and alertness.
Having experienced many battles, he was a little confused for a moment as to what Li Jiangyao and Ma Hongjie were doing.
However, it didn't take long for his question to be answered.
And the person who sent him the answer was Lao Jianhua.
"Shuai Bao, take a look. This is the secret report sent back by my spy." Lao Jianhua rushed to Nanyang covered with travel, and as soon as he sat down, he handed a letter into Bao Yuchun's hands.
Bao Yuchun unfolded the letter and read it carefully twice, and couldn't help but said in surprise: "Li Jiangyao is so cunning. He wants to use these means to keep the main force of our army in Jiangbei?"
Lao Jianhua sneered and said: "Yes, the calculation is very smart. It's a pity that I have eyes and ears all over the world. Even if he is full of tricks, he will not escape my grasp in the end. Commander Bao, what do you think?"
Bao Yuchun hesitated for a moment and said in deep thought: "To be honest, Bao did consider the option of voluntarily withdrawing to Jiangnan, but... but this is just one of many options. Although the imperial troops are pressing down on the situation and are fierce, we may not necessarily There’s no way we can win.”
"Now that we have this top-secret news, are you still hesitant?" Lao Jianhua stroked his beard and hummed: "The little fox wants to use me to interfere with Commander Bao's plan to retreat to the south of the river. It's really a wishful thinking."
Bao Yuchun nodded, then shook his head: "You can't say that. Withdrawal has advantages, but it also has disadvantages. If you lose the Jiangbei state capitals in a blink of an eye, wouldn't it mean that all the previous battles were in vain?"
Lao Jianhua frowned: "You mean, you still want to hold on?"
