"You just said, what is the name of the leader of the Zhenjiang Navy Navy?"
"Back to Commander Bao, his name is Nie Xianzang. He was once a first-class martial arts student in the Navy Department of the Imperial Capital Yanwu Hall."
Bao Yuchun frowned: "First-class martial arts? Why have I never heard of this person?"
"Nie Xianzang graduated from the Yanwu Hall in 821 of the Holy Tang Dynasty. Because the Turks invaded at that time, he did not join the navy as usual, but returned to his hometown to farm. Recently, he was invited by Li Jiangyao to take command. "
Hearing this, Bao Yuchun suddenly showed a look of disdain: "No wonder, he graduated in 821, and he is still a baby. Li Jiangyao really has no one to use, and he actually found someone who has never led a soldier or fought before. People who have been through battles.”
The deputy general on the side also smiled and said: "Let me tell you, the previous scouts came back and said that the Zhenjiang Navy hiding in Hongze Lake did a good job on the surface, but the discipline was lax and they only had courage but no rules. It seems like this , it makes sense.”
Bao Yuchun nodded silently, thought for a moment, and said in a deep voice: "It seems that this Nie Xianzang does lack the necessary experience. The reason why we were able to succeed with one blow last time was entirely because we were unprepared. And the Battle of Guazhou Ferry , it’s probably because Xue Meng underestimated the enemy and was careless, and was caught off guard by the opponent’s random charge.”
A naval captain on the other side was still a little confused: "What about the so-called new warships? According to Xue Meng's subordinates, they did see a strange-looking new warship that night, as fast as a galloping horse..."
The deputy general interrupted: "It's probably because those guys were dazzled at night and day, or they were deliberately making up excuses to shirk responsibility for the defeat. The scouts went to several groups, but they didn't see the kind of warship they were talking about. .”
When Bao Yuchun heard what he said, he couldn't help but believe it. The Zhenjiang Army swept across the Ghost Desert of Western Xinjiang and defeated the Turkic cavalry. He believed that they had invented any new infantry combat weapons or siege weapons; but if they could design a new type of warship out of thin air, Bao Yuchun would have a hard time accept.
Even he, the number one water warfare general in the Holy Tang Dynasty, has never made any water weapons in so many years. Why do those bumpkins and landlubbers in the Suppressing Xinjiang Army do it?
Could it be that there is a sea in the western border?
Bao Yuchun smiled coldly: "In that case, don't worry about him yet. There are only about two hundred broken boats, which can't make any big waves. As long as the sneak attack tactics can no longer be effective, the navy of the Zhenjiang Army will not be able to do anything. Think about it. First try to defeat the imperial naval forces in the Jingxiang area, and then go back and clean up the Xinjiang Army to avenge Xue Meng and the others."
The deputy general agreed: "Commander is wise! The imperial navy is the primary target. According to reliable information, they have assembled more than 1,300 warships and occupy the advantage of the upper reaches. Their strength cannot be underestimated, and they will be delayed for a long time. It will become a serious problem."
Bao Yuchun nodded slightly, turned to Captain Han Lin and said: "I will leave it to you to take charge here. I will give you 300 new ships to block all the mouths of the Canal River, Guazhou Ferry, Mangdao River and Yinjiang River. Get up and be prepared for another sneak attack by the Zhenjiang Army. Also, let Yao Mingjie follow you and make meritorious deeds!"
Han Lin cupped his hands and responded: "I obey! Please rest assured, Commander Bao, your humble position will never allow the Zhenjiang Army to succeed again!"
Bao Yuchun waved his hand: "Pass the military order, all naval forces will gather upstream at Chaisang from now on. I will start a decisive battle with the main force of the imperial court and eliminate their water power in one fell swoop!"
-
The news that the rebel fleet was advancing westward soon reached Li Jiangyao's ears.
He knew that the strategy of deceiving Bao Yuchun had worked. At the same time, the court's navy was about to face a severe test.
Bao Yuchun mobilized 2,500 ships of various sizes this time. The overall combat power was twice that of the imperial fleet, and he himself was a well-deserved star in naval warfare. Therefore, for the imperial capital, this battle was Very dangerous.
However, even though he knew that the court had little chance of winning, Li Jiangyao had no better way. In a head-to-head battle like this, unless you choose to run away, you can only make up your mind to fight to the death.
Water warfare is also different from land warfare. Open plains and steep mountains, as long as you want to preserve your strength, there is always a way to escape from the battlefield and avoid the enemy's edge. But when the fleet is in a river, the room for maneuver is almost zero.
You can only run along the waterway, and the enemy will chase you along the waterway. Unless you decide to abandon the ship and go ashore, it will be impossible to escape.
In this case, even if they knew they were outmatched, the imperial navy could only bite the bullet and fight.
Alas, I hope God bless me and prevent the imperial court from losing too miserably.
Li Jiangyao prayed silently in his heart, and at the same time unfolded the map to study: Should the Tenth Army be allowed to hold back Bao Yuchun? Can you be of some help?
To be honest, he really doesn't want to let the fledgling naval force fight a tough battle now. Expensive battleships are really sinking one ship and losing one, which can directly consume all the capital.
However, he couldn't just watch the friendly forces being destroyed while he stood by and watched.
For a moment, Li Jiangyao was entangled.
However, his entanglement did not last long, because a new enemy situation suddenly appeared.
An urgent report came from the Ministry of War: A large-scale Japanese invasion has occurred in the eastern states!
After getting the news, Li Jiangyao immediately became alert: What a coincidence? It must be Lao Jianhua and Bao Yuchun who are causing trouble!
Since he could come up with the idea of sending navy troops to outflank the enemy's rear, how could those two old foxes, as cunning as they were, ignore such a powerful move?
Bao Yuchun led his troops to fight bandits on the vast sea all year round. He often dealt with Japanese bandits. Maybe he actually became sworn sworn lords with several rogue leaders and became his own private soldiers. At this time, the Japanese bandits suddenly landed in Shengtang and harassed the various state capitals in the rear. This was obviously extremely beneficial to the Jiangnan rebels. If you say that they have nothing to do with Lao Jianhua and Bao Yuchun, you won't believe it!
Li Jiangyao immediately wrote a letter, preparing to petition the imperial court for a war and send troops north to attack the invading bandits head-on.
However, before his letter was written, the Ministry of War sent another notice: The newly formed Eastern Prefecture Army, which had been promoted by the Governor's Office, would be responsible for resisting Japanese pirates. The military is the most important thing.
Eastern soldiers? Li Jiangyao was stunned. Wasn't that the new recruit he had just recruited? Let a group of ordinary people who have never been on the battlefield fight against Japanese pirates? are you crazy?
He quickly rewrote the letter and sent a Pegasus to report it directly to the imperial capital.
He disagreed with the Dudu Mansion's bullshit idea, and bluntly stated the pros and cons of it, begging the Ministry of War to consider it carefully, and the emperor to consider it carefully!
But it is a pity that Li Jiangyao's memorial was intercepted by Shangshu Zuopu She Wei Zixuan before he even entered the palace.
"The eastern state capital has recruited 100,000 soldiers. If they are left unused, is it a waste of food and salary from the national treasury?"
The Prime Minister Zuo spoke righteously and sternly.
"The frontline legions have too much to worry about when the rebels are harassing them, so how can they allocate energy to suppress the bandits? There are only thousands of rogues. The army is not like an army, and the bandits are not like bandits. It is enough to send government soldiers to deal with them!"
The governor's words were reasonable and well-founded.
In this way, the imperial court ordered the legions for the third time to stay in their defense areas and not to leave without permission, lest the southern rebels take the opportunity to counterattack and delay the event.
To put it simply, you all just keep an eye on the south and resist the Japanese pirates, so you don’t have to worry about it.
Of course, the only ones who can be obedient are the Qinglong Army, the Suzaku Army, and the Xuanwu Army. As for the Zhenjiang Army, they never know what it means to be obedient.
Li Jiangyao took the court's order and smiled at Xu Youchang: "The imperial capital still needs to be given face. It is indeed unjustifiable for us to send troops out of the defense zone openly."
Xu Youchang smiled and nodded: "But the problem is that one of our troops has already left the defense area and went north, and the court doesn't know about it."
Li Jiangyao showed a helpless expression: "Oh, look, how could this happen by such a coincidence?"
Xu Youchang understood and responded: "Speaking of which, I really have to inform them quickly that there is a Japanese bandit trouble nearby. If they get into trouble, they can't be beaten in vain."
These two guys sang in harmony, and they were talking about Nie Xianzeng's Kunpeng Tenth Army.
Two hundred and fifty large-scale battleships and 14,000 powerful naval officers are now at Luoma Lake, no more than 200 miles away from Donghai County and Langya County, which were attacked by Japanese pirates!
To fight or not to fight, is it a problem for Li Jiangyao and Xu Youchang?
The messenger flew straight to Luoma Lake. Luo Yuan, the deputy general of Kunpeng's 10th Army, immediately jumped up and shouted excitedly. No wonder, he himself is from Donghai County, his hometown was bloodbathed by Japanese bandits, how can he not be anxious?
Nie Xianzang carefully read the military order of the Protector-General, raised his sword eyebrows, and shouted: "Greeting brothers, go kill the thieves!"
After investigation by the scout troops, Nie Xianzang divided the Tenth Army into three groups. Luo Yuan led one group and went straight to Donghai County along the Shuhe River. Wang Wenlie led one group to go straight to Langya County along the Xinyi River. He himself led the main force, marched by land, and was responsible for coordinating the two armies.
In other words, whenever the main force of Japanese bandits was encountered somewhere, or the battle was not going well, Nie Xianzang would immediately lead his troops to reinforce them.
The tasks were properly assigned, and the three groups of soldiers and horses moved at the same time, leaving Luoma Lake where they were hiding, and heading east.
By this time, the Japanese bandits had been wreaking havoc in the eastern coastal area for more than half a month. Wherever they went, they burned, killed, looted, and committed all kinds of evil. They are different from the Turkic army, and they are also different from the horse bandits in the ghost desert. The Japanese bandits are cruel in nature and have almost no humanity at all. They will do whatever is perverted and love whatever is shameless. They are just like animals. .
During this period, the new soldiers recruited by the eastern state capital, led by Captain Zhe Chong, also had several battles with Japanese bandits. But as Wei Zixuan expected, the government soldiers, who lacked battlefield experience and were severely undertrained, were no match for the ronin.
The Shengtang motley army, which had been defeated in consecutive battles, had no choice but to give up protecting the towns and villages and retreated to the two counties of Donghai and Langya, struggling to hold on.
The Japanese bandits became more and more arrogant, gathering tens of thousands of troops in a short period of time and stormed these two important towns respectively, vowing to kill all the men in the city and abduct all the women.
