Bao Yuchun's face was as dark as water. He looked at the messy Jingkou camp and couldn't say a word for a long time.
He is now a little confused, where should he sit? Is it the Jingxiang area upstream, or the Chaisang area? Is it Xuanzhou downstream, or Jingkou, which is closer to Hangzhou?
These idiots under his command were very good at fighting in Kuohai. How come they are so easily dealt with by Li Jiangyao that they have almost no power to fight back?
Bao Yuchun sighed softly and asked: "The intelligence said that the other side of Jingkou is not the defense zone of the Xuanwu Army? Why was it attacked by the Zhenjiang Army twice in a row? Is this matter clear?"
Ye Rongcheng, the general of the Xuanjia Army sent by Lao Jianhua to assist in the battle, responded: "Master Lao has understood clearly. Li Jiangyao borrowed a place from Chang Tao to secretly place his newly formed navy troops, so he repeatedly invaded Jingkou. At present, they have all returned to the Chuzhou defense line, including the 10th Navy Corps."
Bao Yuchun cursed in a low voice and snorted dissatisfied: "Lao Jianhua always told me before that military information comes first and military information comes first. After a long time of making trouble, all his military information was an afterthought!"
Ye Rongcheng smiled and said: "Shuai Bao, there is nothing we can do about it. Li Jiangyao has always been as cunning as a fox, haven't the Turks suffered a lot of hidden losses?"
"Turks? I can't control the Turks!" Bao Yuchun said angrily: "In a few months, my navy company's ships with light armor suffered heavy losses! How can we fight this battle?"
Ye Rongcheng did not dare to offend this Shengtang general who was as famous as Xie Guang, so he could only say with a smile: "Before the end of the world, His Royal Highness King Jin and Master Lao specifically asked Commander Bao to be calm and calm. He was suppressed by the Xinjiang Army. The damaged and stolen warships will be replenished by Jiangnan Shipyard soon, and the soldiers are even easier to recruit. The 20,000 new troops will arrive by the end of the month."
Bao Yuchun sighed and said helplessly: "Rongcheng, I am not complaining to you, this job is really impossible to do! 20,000 troops, what a waste? In the battle of Phoenix Mountain, I lost 60,000 elite light armors, They are all veterans who have fought with me in Kuohai for many years. How do you make up for this? When I mentioned Kuohai, I was even more angry! Lao Jianhua had clearly promised me before that when the Japanese landed in the eastern state capital, they would not encounter any enemies. There was fierce resistance, but what happened in reality? Sugata Sanyou was almost killed by the Zhenjiang Army in Donghai County! Now the two Japanese leaders are chasing me and scolding me all day long, I’m so fed up!"
Ye Rongcheng smiled bitterly and shook his head, and said comfortingly: "Commander Bao, please calm down. I will listen to Mr. Lao and say that he is currently making secret plans to completely eliminate Li Jiangyao."
"What to do?" Bao Yuchun looked at Ye Rongcheng with squinting eyes: "Are you still planning to use that useless wasp?"
Ye Rongcheng looked around and lowered his voice: "Not only the wasp, but also the power of the harem."
Hearing this, Bao Yuchun couldn't help but be puzzled: "Harem? Li Bing's harem?"
Ye Rongcheng nodded silently.
"I heard that Li Bing only has two imperial concubines?" Bao Yuchun said: "One is Ma Hongjie's niece, and the other is Murong Xue's sister. Can they still be Lao Jianhua's people?"
"About this issue, the general is not very clear." Ye Rongcheng said with a smile: "However, I believe Bao Shuai also knows Master Lao's methods. Since he has begun to deploy a killing plan against Li Jiangyao, I believe that this Zhenjiang The military commander is in trouble."
Bao Yuchun shook his head and said in a deep voice: "Conspiracies and tricks may not work. In the final analysis, a general with hundreds of thousands of troops cannot be easily touched by an emperor. Li Chengwu couldn't do it at the beginning, and now Li Bing can do it even more Not even."
Ye Rongcheng smiled faintly: "Then let's wait and see."
-
The haze of the Imperial Navy's defeat was finally dispelled by the good news of the victory at Jingkou.
The west side lost two to three hundred warships, while the east side killed more than a hundred enemy ships. The accounts at both ends are balanced. Take a closer look:
Not bad, a slight loss.
Of course, this so-called slight loss is calculated from the perspective of Shengtang. If you look at it from the perspective of the emperor and the court, the result should be that the Xinjiang Army made a lot of money, while you lost money and almost lost your pants.
Li Bing was so angry that he smashed the tea cup and scolded the Ministry of War and the Governor's Mansion bloody.
However, anger is still anger, and the problem still needs to be solved. Eight hundred warships under Bao Yuchun are currently approaching Yiling. What should the imperial fleet hiding there do?
Should we continue to retreat to the west and escape into the Three Gorges? Or should he be stubborn and fight to the death with the rebels?
Faced with this question raised by the emperor, both Dong Tianxing and Yin Chengyi chose to remain silent.
It’s not that I don’t know how to answer, it’s that I don’t dare to answer.
The new naval commander was killed in battle, who dares to talk nonsense again? If the idea goes wrong and the entire fleet that the imperial court has accumulated for more than two years is annihilated, who can bear the responsibility of losing an army and humiliating the country?
Seeing that the two military chiefs remained silent, Li Bing felt helpless. He had just become furious, which indeed frightened Dong Tianxing and Yin Chengyi, making these two adults feel uneasy and did not dare to speak easily again.
The monarch and his ministers were silent for a moment, and then Li Bing asked another question:
Why was the Zhenjiang Army able to defeat the rebel navy? Where is the difference?
Regarding this question, Yin Chengyi remained silent, but Dong Tianxing became interested and said loudly: "Your Majesty, Li Daduhu is an unparalleled general in our Holy Tang Dynasty. He is proficient in land warfare and water warfare. In addition, there are many talents in the Zhenjiang Army. The soldiers were brave, so they were able to defeat the enemy one after another, leaving Bao Yuchun in vain."
Hearing what he said, Yin Chengyi snorted coldly: "Master Dong, you seem to have forgotten your position, right? You are the Minister of the Ministry of War, not the Chief of the Zhenjiang Army. You flatter me regardless of the occasion."
"Lord Yin, what do you mean by this?" Dong Tianxing said angrily: "Li Daduhu did meritorious service in fighting the Zhenjiang Army. When the imperial navy suffered a setback, he severely damaged Bao Yuchun's Jingkou Fleet. Could it be that the official said that Is there anything wrong?"
Yin Chengyi glanced at him: "You said you forgot your position, and you still refuse to accept it? Does Li Jiangyao's Phoenix Legion have a naval establishment in your military department? Where did his warships come from? And his navy? Where did it come from? How did you disobey the imperial court's clear instructions and send troops to fight in Donghai County without authorization? "
This series of questions immediately left Lao Dong speechless.
According to the rules, the Zhenjiang Army is a court army, and Li Jiangyao, as General Yunhui, does not have the right to form a naval warfare force privately. In the past, this would have been enough to be convicted of a serious crime of rebellion with ulterior motives and recruiting troops without authorization.
But then again, the Zhenjiang Army has never been approved by the court since its establishment, let alone received money from the court. Why did Li Jiangyao need to look at the court's face when recruiting troops?
Dong Tianxing shook his head helplessly, turned to Li Bing and said: "Your Majesty, it is not the old minister who speaks for the Zhenjiang Army. Although they have acted improperly, they are excusable. Let's not talk about the distance, let's talk about the imperial court moving back to the imperial capital. After that. The food and salary of each legion is provided by the national treasury. Only the Xinjiang Army, most of them use their own pockets to purchase food and grass from the private sector to maintain operations. Hundreds of thousands of Western Xinjiang children came all the way to the Central Plains, To put down the rebellion for Shengtang, and even spend his own money to build a navy to fight against Bao Yuchun's Kuohai Fleet, isn't this not loyal enough?"
Hearing this, Li Bing couldn't help but feel a little moved. He nodded slightly and said: "Dong Aiqing, you are right. It is indeed not easy for Li Jiangyao and the Zhenjiang Army. Yin Qing, don't worry about the naval affairs anymore. In any case, the Zhenjiang Army has made a contribution by attacking the enemy navy and driving away the Japanese pirates who harmed the people. Always focusing on the details will chill the hearts of the frontline soldiers."
Yin Chengyi hurriedly handed over his hand: "Your Majesty, I don't have to have trouble with Li Jiangyao, but once this happens, I don't know how many people will follow Xie Guang's example in the future and cause great trouble to Shengtang. Your Majesty, the law cannot be neglected."
Hearing him mention Xie Guang, Li Bing's heart suddenly tightened, and then he waved his hand impatiently: "Okay, okay, let's go too far, let's talk about the matter at hand first. What should the Navy do? ?”
As soon as this topic came up, Yin Chengyi suddenly became mute again and lowered his head in embarrassment.
Dong Tianxing rolled his eyes and followed what he just said: "Well... I have an idea, I don't know if it's appropriate or not."
"Oh? If you have any countermeasures, it's okay to speak up." Li Bing asked curiously.
"Your Majesty, I suggest that you ask Li Jiangyao for help." Dong Tianxing tried to say: "Appoint him as the naval commander and rush to Yiling to command the imperial fleet."
Li Bing and Yin Chengyi were both stunned when they heard this, but neither spoke.
Seeing this, Dong Tianxing had no choice but to continue: "Li Daduhu is a rare handsome man. Since he can win a big victory like that at Jingkou, he can also turn the tide and save the imperial navy that is in danger. Let him go, and at least we can save our navy. Keep your old job to avoid being wasted on the river, what do you think?"
Li Bing glanced at Yin Chengyi, who was hesitant to speak, and hesitated: "If he goes to Yiling, what will happen to the Xinjiang Army?"
"You can let Xu Youchang take over the command temporarily," Dong Tianxing replied: "In fact, they have already had this division of labor internally. Xie Tanzhi is in charge of the Zhenjiang Military Mansion; Xu Youchang is in charge of the outside, and is responsible for commanding operations. As for Li Dadu, protector , according to his own words, mainly just to watch the fun."
Li Bing thought about it seriously and planned to ask Yin Chengyi for his opinion, but when the words came to his lips, he held back. Although Dong Tianxing's proposal has potential risks, it is still a way to save the imperial navy. It is much better than Commander Yin Chengyi, who can't do this or that, and solve all problems in the end.
"I think I can give it a try, but..." Li Bing looked at Dong Tianxing: "Can Li Jiangyao be willing? What if he has any concerns and refuses to take up the post? What should we do?"
Dong Tianxing said confidently: "Absolutely not. Your Majesty, Li Jiangyao fought alone in Western Xinjiang, guarding thousands of miles of borders for Shengtang. He is a courageous and responsible person. When the country is in trouble, he will definitely stand up!"
