Bao Yuchun hesitated and said: "This is not a question of whether to stick to it or not, but a comprehensive consideration of the pros and cons. I originally planned to use the terrain of Nanyang with the western mountains on the left and the Baihe waterway on the right to go around with the imperial court and try to keep those things. The city land has been obtained. You know, being able to occupy important towns in the north of the Yangtze River is very beneficial to blocking the river, but if those places are lost, the situation will be very different."
He paused and sighed: "With Li Jiangyao's level, it's impossible for him not to understand this truth."
"Of course Li Jiangyao understands." Lao Jianhua said solemnly: "But didn't he also tell his subordinates? Jiangbei will be recovered by them sooner or later, and Li Jiangyao's goal is to keep you and the main force on the north bank forever. If we don’t retreat south as soon as possible at this time, doesn’t it mean we have fallen into his trap?”
Bao Yuchun scratched his head in distress: "But I always feel that something is not right."
Lao Jianhua smiled and said: "Shuai Bao, maybe you really are overthinking. Before seeing this information, I also believed that Jiangbei should not be given up easily. At least we have to fight with the imperial troops. . However, since Li Jiangyao has already planned to devour my main army, why should we do what he wants? Let’s lead the troops away quickly before they surround us. "
These words made Bao Yuchun, who was already hesitant, even more upset. He pondered for a moment, shook his head and said, "Oh, what a loser! We just fought, and we lost Lu, Luanchuan, Ruzhou and Nanzhao will have to give up Nanyang next, and even include Xuzhou, Guangzhou, Jingzhou, and Suizhou. Without these barriers, Xiangcheng will probably be difficult to preserve. Alas, what kind of battle is this?!"
Lao Jianhua comforted him and said: "You should think on the bright side. If we hadn't discovered Li Jiangyao's plot in advance, we would have foolishly defended the cities. Not to mention whether we could hold on, in the end, if the opponent was really trapped in Jiangbei, that would be troublesome."
Bao Yuchun looked at Lao Jianhua helplessly and said depressedly: "Okay, then let's listen to Brother Lao's opinion. We will withdraw our troops and re-defend the river defense line!"
-
"Three adults, good news!"
Xu Youchang walked quickly into the room and said excitedly: "According to reports from various scouts, the rebels have indeed begun to retreat in full force!"
Dong Tianxing was overjoyed when he heard this: "Dadu Hu's calculations are really right!"
Li Jiangyao was not in a hurry to be happy, and asked Xu Youchang: "Is the news reliable? Is the other party cheating?"
"Probably not." Xu Youchang sat down at the table and said with a smile: "After the rebels in several major cities left their defense areas one after another, they did not go to any mountainous areas. Instead, they took the main road and headed straight to the river in the south. Go. In this case, our scouts can fully monitor, and there is no possibility of the other party committing fraud."
Ma Hongjie couldn't help but said in surprise: "This is too outrageous! Bao Yuchun has been famous all his life, but he was really scared away by Jiang Yao's few words."
Li Jiangyao smiled lightly: "Actually, this is normal. If he refuses to be obedient and escapes overnight, then I really don't plan to let him go."
Dong Tianxing praised: "Most of the guards were sure that there was Lao Jianhua's spy in our army, so they deliberately said in the previous meeting that they would try to drag the rebels to death in Jiangbei, and they also specifically regarded Lao Jianhua's interference as a An important method that immediately disrupted the opponent's mentality. We recovered four state capitals and more than a dozen cities in the blink of an eye without spending a single soldier. It is simply a miracle."
"The most important thing is not just to regain the lost territory." Xu Youchang said with a smile: "When we regain control of the cities in Jiangbei, and then tell the outside world the real story behind it, we will have to make Lao Jianhua and Bao Yuchun angry to death. At the same time, they There will definitely be dissatisfaction between the two people, and it will be difficult to cooperate as before."
Ma Hongjie nodded: "That's true. To be honest, if we open up a battle with Bao Yuchun, not to mention whether we can really keep him, even if we want to capture the cities occupied by the rebels, we will be able to capture them one by one. There will definitely be a heavy price to pay. What about now? Scaring away Lao Bao and the two to three hundred thousand rebels without any effort will cause a huge rift in his heart and further confuse him. It can be said that it accomplishes multiple things with one stone.”
Li Jiangyao nodded slightly: "One more thing. Commander, take this opportunity to deal with the spies hiding within the Suzaku Legion as soon as possible. How did Lao Jianhua learn about the content of our meeting? I have asked the Zhenjiang Army Intelligence Department to I'll check it out, I believe we'll have the results soon."
"Hmph, it's really time to clean up the house!" Ma Hongjie said angrily: "If we don't find the traitor, we can't compete with Bao Yuchun. In my opinion, Murong Xue and Gong Chengze suffered a big loss at the hands of the opponent. Thanks to those spies."
Li Jiangyao nodded in agreement, then turned to look at Dong Tianxing: "Old Dong, I suggest that the entire army immediately launch an operation to seize the cities in Jiangbei. Nanyang, Xiangcheng, Jingzhou, and Suizhou are under the responsibility of the Zhenjiang Army; Xuzhou , Guangzhou, and Caizhou, Ma Da will take charge of them. Within fifteen days, we will regain all the important towns on the north bank of the river and establish a strong defense line!"
He paused for a moment and continued: "After that, we left some troops and horses to guard against Bao Yuchun's comeback. The main force suddenly moved eastward and penetrated directly into the side and rear of King Huaiyang, facing Murong Xue's Qinglong Army. Attack from a pincer attack and completely solve the problem of the Huaiyang rebels."
"Wonderful!" Dong Tianxing said excitedly: "Looking at it from the outside, people think that the Zhenjiang Army came for Lao Jianhua and Bao Yuchun, but in fact, most of the guards came before they left the border. He decided on a strategy to sweep across the entire north of the river. While preserving his strength as much as possible, he first forced back the Xuanjia Army and Navy, then rushed thousands of miles to fight in the Huaihe River area and directly captured the rebel king Li Kuang. Once the two forces were mastered, In Huaihe and Jingxiang, we not only gain geographical advantages, but also have the foundation to build a naval fleet. Given time, it will be difficult for Lao Jianhua to make a difference."
Ma Hongjie sighed with sincerity: "Li Daduhu, I finally know why Ashina Zhijin was defeated in your hands. The best strategy is to use a cunning plan to defeat the enemy without fighting. This time , even Lao Jianhua and Li Kuang will be in trouble!"
-
Things turned out just as Xu Youchang expected. Bao Yuchun and Lao Jianhua, who quickly retreated to the south bank of the river, finally came to their senses.
They were surprised to find that the Zhenjiang Army seemed to have done nothing and had obtained the vast land from the southern part of the Central Plains to the north bank of the river in vain.
And those places were conquered by the Xuanjia Army and the navy in more than half a year, with swords and guns.
Just because the other party said he wanted to keep him, he gave it away easily?
The more Bao Yuchun thought about it, the angrier he became. He planned to go to Lao Jianhua to argue with him, but unexpectedly, Lao Jianhua guessed that Lao Bao was coming to complain about him, so he slipped back to Hangzhou in advance.
Before leaving, he left a special message for Bao Yuchun: The prince is about to announce his succession to the throne and avenge his father, so I must rush back immediately to take care of it. Please ask the Governor to lead the army, be more vigilant, blockade the Yangtze River, and prevent Li Bing's minions from invading the south.
Bao Yuchun was so angry that his mouth was filled with smoke.
This damn Lao Jianhua! After eating so much that he had nothing to do, Baba came over and made a mess for me. Then he patted his butt and walked away, leaving a pile of mess for me to clean up.
Now, Li Jiangyao's Zhenjiang Second Army has rushed to Xiangcheng, and the Ninth Army has appeared in the Jingzhou area, harassing and destroying everywhere. The Fifth Army, the Sixth Army and the Eighth Army were divided into three groups and gradually harvested the cities in the north.
If you try to counterattack at this time, you will be directly hammered to death by the opponent.
His only option was to stick to Pingjiang.
As a famous general of Shengtang, Bao Yuchun certainly did not gain his fame in vain. After analyzing the current battle situation, he judged that Li Jiangyao forced himself to retreat to the south bank of the river for two purposes: either to seize the riverside city on the north bank and use it as a base to build a naval army; or to target his fellow soldiers. In the Lianghuai area to the north of the river and to the east, there is the unlucky King Huaiyang.
If it is the former, the Zhenjiang Army and the Zhuque Army will naturally invest heavily in fortifications along the river, build strong fortifications in several big cities, and wait for opportunities to invade south; but if he has other plans and prepares to flank Li Kuang, then Xiangcheng will soon be The troops on the front line in Jingzhou will inevitably become empty.
Bao Yuchun sneered and said to himself: "Li Jiangyao, Li Jiangyao, do you want to play tricks on me? Your master is still here. You? You're a little too young!"
He handed down three orders: first, send a large number of scouts across the river to investigate and find out the next movements of the Zhenjiang Army, especially the location of the transportation and gathering of grain and grass supplies, so as to judge Li Jiangyao's true intentions; second, send 60,000 Xuanmen under his command to Army A deployed defenses in Yichang, Jingzhou, and Yueyang to prevent the Zhenjiang Army from crossing the river.
At the same time, he asked the naval fleet and 80,000 soldiers on board to be on alert, ready to march eastward along the river, land in the Ezhou area, and ambush the Zhenjiang Army that might attack the King of Huaiyang.
Less than half a month later, the frontline reconnaissance sent back news that the Zhenjiang Army was indeed abnormal!
After successively occupying cities in the Central Plains and Jiangbei, the Suzaku Legion guarded the cities without moving, and the logistics supply line remained as usual. However, Li Jiangyao's Zhenjiang troops are different. On the surface, each army is stationed at its position, but in fact, the Zhenjiang First Army, the Sixth Army, and the Ninth Army have left their garrison and are secretly mobilizing to the east.
After receiving the news, Bao Yuchun slapped the table, becoming more certain that his guess was correct: Li Jiangyao had previously spread suspicion and deceived him into retreating to the south of the Yangtze River. In fact, it was to free up space for him to advance eastward, so that the Zhenjiang Army could directly attack the enemy. Insert the flank of King Huaiyang and eliminate the rebel forces in the north in one fell swoop.
When there were no more opponents north of the river, the imperial court could calmly deploy troops and generals to fight to the death with Jiangnan.
Now that the opponent's strategic intentions were clear, Bao Yuchun no longer hesitated and immediately notified the navy to set off and use warships to transport troops to the lower reaches of the river, so as to give the eastward Zhenjiang Army an unexpected surprise.
[Author's note: We have worked hard this month, voting, commenting and giving rewards, especially the generous reward from good book friend "Jiangmen Yunyun". I am really, really grateful for everyone's support of Zhenjiang Army. Let’s work hard together in August! 】
