Xiahou Ninghan and Xu Youchang had the same idea. Li Jiangyao was injured in an attack, and Lian Ji died unfortunately, which had already touched her bottom line. The treacherous officials in the court were in power, and the emperor was very suspicious of the Xinjiang Army. It was impossible to seek justice for her husband and adopted sister by normal means.
Since the other party acted first, don't blame the Zhenjiang Army for being unkind.
Xiahou Ninghan suggested to Yuduoluo that it was best not to talk to Li Jiangyao about this matter for the time being. The war was imminent, and he needed to think about many things. His injuries had not yet healed. If he continued to worry about this matter, it would be an added annoyance.
Yuduoluo originally wanted to vent his anger for Dadu Protector, and of course he didn't care about the Zhenguo Palace. Seeing that his wife and Xu Shuai both meant this, he nodded in agreement and went back to let the Imperial City branch continue to investigate the case and prepare for the attack. Cheng Xi's counterattack.
At this time, the Dajiang battlefield had been silent for a month. The North and the South were each gathering strength and constantly looking for each other's weaknesses.
Of course, strictly speaking, complete silence cannot truly be achieved. Although large-scale battles have not yet broken out, sporadic conflicts do occur from time to time.
In Yiling, Jingxiang, including the Jinling waterway downstream, the imperial navy and the rebel fleet often fought back and forth, with as few as three or four warships, as many as dozens of large ships, attacking each other and ignoring each other. Give way.
Bao Yuchun and Li Jiangyao thought the same. Control of the river was a key link in the decisive victory between the north and the south, so they were always vigilant and did not dare to relax for a moment.
After Li Jiangyao left Yiling Water Village, Bao Xinyan tried to launch an attack on the imperial navy, but Yang Li successfully repelled it with the main force of the Four Banners and the assistance of Wang Wenlie, Guan Sansheng and others. The enemy committed a crime and did not let the other party succeed.
Bao Xinyan saw that the morale of the imperial fleet was high and well-prepared. He knew that it would be difficult for him to continue to consume the power of the Yiling navy as before, and the time and conditions for a decisive battle were not ripe. Therefore, he gave up the harassment strategy and turned to consolidating the Linzigang base. Block waterways as much as possible.
At the same time, the Japanese banditry on the eastern coast became more and more serious.
Although Dong Tianxing went to the front line to coordinate and supervise the war, Japanese bandit leaders such as Sugata Sanshou and Kojima Takayoshi, with the support of Bao Yuchun, successively increased their troops to land and won several victories against the imperial army. Not only the Qilu Peninsula, but also Donghai County, Langya County and other places also fell into their hands.
A large number of local people dragged their families and families to flee to the west. War was raging along the coast and people were in dire straits.
With no choice, the Ministry of War had no choice but to petition Li Bing, hoping to mobilize some of the main legions to participate in the battle and completely quell the Japanese invasion.
Li Bing weighed it again and again, and solicited the opinions of the Governor's Mansion and various legions, and finally decided that the Xuanwu Legion closest to the defense area would be responsible for this matter. Xuanwu General Chang Tao gathered 60,000 soldiers and horses under his command and marched north to assist the local soldiers in attacking the Japanese bandits.
However, at this time, the Japanese pirates had basically established a firm foothold. Not only do they have strong troops, with a total number of close to 100,000, but they also occupy many cities and fortresses in the eastern region. They have complete defenses and ample supplies of food and grass. In addition, the Ronin warriors themselves are fierce and good at fighting. Therefore, even if they face the main force of the Shengtang Army, , and did not fall behind at all.
Relying on the geographical advantage, Sugata Yamazuo and others even repelled the Xuanwu Army's attacks several times in a row and won the battle in a down-to-earth manner.
If the rear is unstable, it will naturally affect the front.
On the one hand, the imperial court's supply lines were disrupted by banditry, making it difficult to collect grain taxes from the eastern region and transport it to the river front; on the other hand, because the Japanese bandits were getting more and more violent, there were strong signs of continuing to invade the west. , the imperial capital considered allowing the Xuanwu Legion to continue to increase troops and rush for reinforcements, which would continue to weaken the frontline forces and slow down the progress of the rebels in the southern expedition.
Under such circumstances, Li Jiangyao ignored his injuries and studied the map for several days, and finally decided to launch a large-scale battle in the near future to break the current boring situation, reverse the unfavorable situation, and regain the initiative on the battlefield. .
In his words: They want to lead Lao Jianhua and Bao Yuchun by the nose, and not give the southern rebels a chance to accumulate strength!
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It's almost early winter, and the wind is blowing. Gusts of northwest wind blew up on the river, and the chill became stronger day by day.
Kunpeng's 10th Army's Shuizhai Camp in Wuwei Town, Chao County is currently a scene of enthusiastic preparations for war.
Not long ago, they received an order from the headquarters to prepare for an attack on Jiuzi, an important town on the south coast.
Jiuzi belongs to Xuanzhou and is directly under the jurisdiction of Xuancheng. It is the command center of the Jiangnan rebels. Five hundred main warships under Bao Yuchun are gathered here to guard the waterway defense line in front of the Zhenjiang Army. The position is extremely important.
Li Jiangyao decided to attack here, and his ambition was not small. He obviously planned to severely damage Bao Yuchun's core combat strength and greatly weaken the morale of the rebels.
Nie Xianzang and Luo Yuan received this important task and did not dare to neglect at all. They immediately mobilized the entire army to prepare for the attack on Jiuzi. The officers and soldiers of the Tenth Army took action upon hearing the order. While repairing the warships and replenishing supplies, they began to carry out various combat drills based on the terrain of the Jiuzi Waterway.
The wind is blowing from the northwest, and Wuwei is located upstream of Jiuzi. The time and place are very favorable to the Tenth Army. Therefore, all the Kunpeng soldiers are high in morale and motivated, and they all hope to make great achievements in this battle.
However, all their actions fell into the eyes of the enemy. Wuwei Water Village is right by the river, and there is no secret about the coming and going of soldiers. Kunpeng's Tenth Army was obviously going to fight a big battle, which immediately attracted the nervous attention of the rebels on the opposite side.
Bao Yuchun had originally returned to Hangzhou to meet Jin Wang Li Zhang and discuss the follow-up recruitment with Lao Jianhua. However, when he heard that the entire Zhenjiang Navy in Wuwei was suddenly mobilized, he immediately guessed that Li Jiangyao had returned to Luzhou. , probably because he wanted to cause trouble, so he set off in a hurry and returned to Xuancheng day and night.
As soon as he arrived at the place, Bao Yuchun immediately called a meeting with his subordinates to analyze the movements and intentions of the Zhenjiang Army.
The rebel navy generals were all experienced experts, and they all speculated that Li Jiangyao's target was probably Jiuzi, sixty miles downstream of Wuwei.
Not only are there more than 500 of our own main battleships there, but they are also located at the core of the entire middle section of the river. Once Jiuzi is lost, not only will the number of troops be lost, but the strategic key points of the waterway will also be controlled by the Huizhen Xinjiang Army, and the upstream and downstream will be occupied. The opponent completely blocked it in two.
Even the Xuancheng headquarters will face a direct attack by 300,000 Xinjiang troops.
Bao Yuchun nodded slightly when he heard this, and then asked in a deep voice: "Is the Zhenjiang Army really so confident? Are you sure of eating the main force of my navy army?"
A general pondered: "The combat power of the Zhenjiang Army's sailors is not weak, and the new flywheel warships also have many unique features. In addition, according to scout investigation, the total number of the opponent's warships is around 600, which is indeed comparable to ours." Power."
Another person responded: "The other party has the upper hand and the situation is more favorable. Coupled with the previous consecutive wins, it is not surprising to have such confidence."
Although the other generals did not speak, they all nodded in agreement.
Bao Yuchun turned around and looked at the river situation map hanging on the wooden frame. After pondering for a moment, he murmured: "Li Jiangyao has always been cunning and cunning. He rarely fights straight and stupid battles. This time he has it again." What’s the conspiracy?”
When all the subordinates heard this, they couldn't help but look at each other. Some people suddenly felt that what the coach said did make sense. It would be unreasonable for Li Jiangyao, who is "brave as a tiger and cunning as a tiger", not to use some tricks in battle.
However, more people still think that Bao Yuchun thinks too much.
Considering the location of Wuwei Water Village, the best target for attack is none other than the Jiuzi Fleet. If we abandon this place, the Zhenjiang Army can only attack upstream, which will be against the wind and current, and it will also have to be prepared for the Jiuzi fleet to cut off its retreat from behind at any time. This is simply asking for a dead end.
Bao Yuchun didn't know the pros and cons of this situation, but he didn't dare to underestimate his opponent Li Jiangyao at all, let alone make a judgment easily. He firmly believed that the Zhenjiang Navy was going to take Jiuzi directly.
"Let's explore and report again!" After thinking for a long time, Bao Yuchun frowned and said: "Don't rush to determine the enemy's attack target. Everything should be based on accurate military information. From today on, all flags and formations will be on full alert and ready to go at any time. Be prepared for combat."
Everyone accepted the order in unison, and then returned to the troops to explain their tasks. Bao Yuchun stood alone in front of the map, deep in thought.
-
"Jiang Yao, you look much better these days." Xu Youchang walked into the room quickly, rubbed his hands and breathed, and said with a smile: "Your body is really strong. I heard from the guard that last night it was... I haven't slept all night, and I'm still so energetic right now. Could it be that I secretly took some supplements?"
Li Jiangyao rolled his eyes at him and snorted angrily: "Yes, I gnawed the ginseng from Changbai Mountain as a radish. Not to mention I didn't sleep all night, I didn't feel sleepy even if I didn't sleep for three nights."
Xu Youchang let out a silly laugh, stretched out his hand to light the fire by the stove, turned around and asked, "Are you planning a water war? This is the only major event that can keep you up at night, right?"
"Bao Yuchun is an old fox, I'm afraid it's hard to fool him." Li Jiangyao nodded, gave Xu Youchang a bowl of hot tea, and continued: "He has returned to Xuancheng now, have you heard?"
Xu Youchang smiled and said: "I knew it earlier. Not only him, but also 6,000 Xuanjia elites arrived with him, presumably to prevent us from crossing the river for a surprise attack. Hey Jiang Yao, what do you think Lao Bao is thinking?"
Li Jiangyao stretched out, relaxed the muscles in his shoulders and neck, and sighed: "I wish I could know what Lao Bao is thinking. It's a pity that we are not half-immortals who can pinch and calculate. Calculation is all based on guesswork.”
"I don't think so." Xu Youchang sat down next to him: "We are worried, and Bao Yuchun is even more worried. You can't guess his thoughts, and he can't guess yours. I'm afraid that until now, Lao Bao hasn't figured it out. What exactly is Kunpeng’s Tenth Army going to do?”
