Yin Chengyi finally listened to Chang Tao's suggestion. After all, he didn't want to be beaten all the way to Jiangnan by Japanese bandits again.
After resting in Rizhao for seven or eight days, the fleet sailed out of the port again, followed the route mentioned by Chang Tao, sailed south for a distance, then turned into a tributary of the Huaihe River and headed for Hongze Lake.
At this time, the legions on the front line had received news that Governor Yin Chengyi had led the new fleet south and was preparing to unified command all naval forces to compete with Bao Yuchun for control of the river.
Regarding this matter, no matter it was Yang Li of Yiling, Ma Hongjie, or Murong Xue, they couldn't help but shake their heads.
Emperor Li Bing didn't know Yin Chengyi's true abilities, but the generals fighting at the front knew. The Grand Governor who rose to power by speculation and luck was only at the level of a captain at best. Letting him command the naval battle would be another disaster for Shengtang.
Xu Youchang also had similar worries, so he approached Li Jiangyao to discuss how to deal with the huge changes in front of him.
"Jiang Yao, you don't really think that Yin Chengyi has the ability to defeat Bao Yuchun, do you?" Xu You frowned, "It's not that I'm being discouraged. When old Bao was the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Yin Chengyi was still a small boy in the East Palace. Captain Dian has never led troops, never fought in a war, and has never been in contact with a naval fleet. Let alone compete with Bao Yuchun, he can't even defeat Japanese pirates, it's a joke!"
Li Jiangyao was busy with something in his hands and responded: "I read Chang Tao's letter. It is really unreasonable that more than 600 main warships were beaten by hundreds of broken ships and were unable to fight back. .”
Xu Youchang rolled his eyes and snorted: "It's not just unjustifiable? It's simply an insult to military authority! This alone is enough to remove him from his post."
Li Jiangyao put down what he was holding, turned around and said with a smile: "Then what can you do? The emperor likes such loyal ministers, and he is not afraid of losing the battle."
"Aren't you worried at all?" Xu Youchang asked doubtfully: "Yin Chengyi's rank is the highest on the front line, and he is ordered to command all naval fleets, including our Kunpeng Army. We really want him to harm the Tenth Army. soldiers?"
Li Jiangyao saw that Xu Youchang was a little anxious, so he also put away his smile: "Do you have any plans?"
Xu Youchang nodded: "Indeed. I have already thought about it. When Yin Chengyi arrives in Yangzhou, you don't want to come forward and I will deal with him! I formed the Kunpeng Tenth Army. I have the final say. He can complain to whomever he wants. , I won’t listen to his blind orders!”
Li Jiangyao looked at his good brother, waited for a while and asked, "Is it over?"
"It's over!" Xu Youchang responded carelessly: "He is a stupid pig, why should I obey his orders?"
Li Jiangyao shook his head gently: "I'm afraid this won't work..."
Xu Youchang raised his hand and interrupted him: "Jiang Yao, I know you disagree, and I know what you want to say. At this time, it is not a matter of national justice, but a matter of life and death for the entire army! One general is incompetent, The three armies are exhausted. No matter what you say, I will not let the Kunpeng fleet obey Yin Chengyi's command unless you remove me from my post!"
At this point, Xu Youchang added: "No! Even if you remove me from my post, the Tenth Army will never bow to Yin Chengyi and let him do what he wants."
Li Jiangyao hugged his shoulders and said with a smile: "Friend, you have disappointed me a little. After thinking about it, you just want to disobey Yin Chengyi's command? Is this the pattern of the audacious Xu Shuai?"
Xu Youchang was about to retort, but he suddenly felt an unusual meaning from Li Jiangyao's words, and looked at Li Jiangyao in surprise and joy: "You...what do you mean?"
"What you are thinking about is not to obey Yin Chengyi's blind command, but what I am thinking about is not to let this governor command at all." Li Jiangyao smiled faintly: "In my opinion, Mr. Yin is just a transport officer. His only His mission is to send us warships."
Xu You stood up suddenly: "You mean, rob the ship?!"
"Look at what you said, what do you mean by robbing? It's just borrowing at most." Li Jiangyao said with a bad smile: "We are all members of the imperial court, and we are all here to fight against the rebels. The things that belong to the imperial court are not our own. thing?"
Xu Youchang reacted and couldn't help laughing: "Jiang Yao, Jiang Yao, I really admire you, you are more ruthless than me! Aren't you afraid that the emperor will cause trouble for you by doing this?"
Li Jiangyao smiled and said: "The emperor has noticed that I am unhappy. It has not been a day or two, and it is not less than this. Besides, if you disobey Yin Chengyi's command, aren't you also disobeying the order? In the end, this account will remain the same. It’s better to blame it on me. Instead of being unhappy like this, it’s better to do something more decisive. In short, we can’t just watch Yin Chengyi kill the soldiers, but give the rebels an opportunity!"
"Okay! I'll listen to you!" Xu Youchang slapped his thigh and said excitedly: "What are you going to do? Do you want to kill Yin Chengyi?"
A cold light flashed in Li Jiangyao's eyes: "I think Yin Chengyi has lived to the end. This person has always been in collusion with Wei Zixuan and has done a lot of bad things. Even if he is not Lao Jianhua's internal agent, he has been making trouble in the court for a long time, which is tantamount to helping the emperor. Before. Yin Chengyi has been hiding in the imperial capital, and I didn’t want to cause trouble to avoid affecting the counter-rebellion process, so I didn’t touch him. But now that this guy is self-righteous and wants to go to the front line of Dajiang to cause trouble, then don’t blame me for being rude!"
Xu Youchang nodded slightly: "You are right. The Governor's Mansion under the leadership of Yin Chengyi is the combat decision-making body of the Holy Tang Army, and its destructive power is too great. Since he has come to our door, we must not miss this good opportunity."
-
"Report to the Governor, the mouth of the canal is ahead!"
Yin Chengyi stood on the flagship platform, holding the railings with both hands, looking at the swaying river in the distance, feeling high-spirited and indescribably happy for a moment.
He turned to Gong Chengze who was standing beside him and smiled: "Brother, after leaving the river mouth, walking less than twenty miles to the west is Yangzhou Port. You have been here to inspect military affairs before, do you have any fun places for me to go? Would you recommend it?"
It was a good thing that he didn't mention inspecting military affairs. Once he mentioned this, Gong Chengze couldn't help but get angry.
The last time I was ordered to inspect, I happened to encounter Ye Rongcheng's sneak attack on Yangzhou and Taizhou. He was inexplicably pulled to cover the vacancy of the Xuanwu Army and resisted the rebel attack, almost losing his life here. A fun place to go? A good place to die, will you, Yin Chengyi, go?
Although he thought so, Gong Chengze didn't dare to show it, and he quickly flattered him: "Brother Yin is happy. However, my last visit was unlucky and I was attacked by rebels, so I didn't have time to find a fun place."
"It doesn't matter." Yin Chengyi smiled and waved his hand: "When we get to the place, it's not too late for us to explore slowly. Yangzhou should be the jurisdiction of the Zhenjiang Army, right? Have you notified Li Jiangyao and Chief Xu Youzhang to come and greet you?"
Gong Chengze was stunned when he heard this, and immediately responded: "Brother Yin doesn't know. The Zhenjiang Army is indeed responsible for the defense of Yangzhou, but Li Jiangyao has always been in charge in Luzhou, so I'm afraid he won't be able to come in person."
Yin Chengyi snorted displeasedly: "Tell me, how arrogant this Xinjiang army is. They simply don't take the emperor and the court seriously. Isn't it just that they have made some achievements on their own? Without them, the Turks would still be here. Can’t drive them away? Can’t the rebels be destroyed? I don’t believe it!”
Gong Chengze nodded repeatedly: "Brother Yin is right. Not only Li Jiangyao, but also Murong Xue. Because he was the first to follow the emperor and had the ability to follow the dragon, he looked down upon everyone."
"He is the earliest one!" Yin Cheng said angrily: "Can Murong Xue be earlier than me? When I served the emperor, he was still dawdling in the martial arts hall. Dear brother, I have heard about your grievances. Last time I served You are ordered to inspect military affairs, and Murong Xue is the one who won’t give you the most face. Don’t worry, this matter is all my responsibility, brother. I have to deal with him severely this time!”
Gong Chengze was secretly happy when he heard this, and quickly flattered Yin Chengyi a few more times, making Yin Chengyi happy and further solidifying his plan to suppress General Qinglong.
The two talked and laughed as the warship left the canal and sailed into the river.
As Yin Chengyi said, the mouth of the canal is not far from Yangzhou Pier. The fleet sailed upstream and arrived smoothly in the evening. By this time, the port had been cleared, and the captain of the local garrison was leading his men to wait in line on the dock.
The flagship and a small number of warships were docked, while the rest of the main force stayed in groups on the river outside the harbor. Yin Chengyi walked down the trestle with his head held high. The captain of the Zhenjiang Army stepped forward to salute, informed Yin Chengyi, Gong Chengze and others of his name and position, and expressed his welcome to the arrival of the imperial fleet.
When Yin Chengyi saw that the Zhenjiang Army sent to greet him was only a captain, not even a deputy general or a general, he was immediately dissatisfied. After complaining for a few times with a gun and a stick, he immediately mounted his horse and entered the city. .
However, the captain of the Zhenjiang Army stopped Yin Chengyi and reminded him that across the Yangzhou Port was the rebel's Jingkou stronghold, where a large number of broad-sea fleets had been stationed for a long time. If the Commander-in-Chief leaves his naval force and settles in Yangzhou City, which is more than 20 miles away, he may not have time to respond if something happens on the river.
Gong Chengze listened and nodded repeatedly. Although he covets glory and wealth, at least he is a soldier. He has also suppressed bandits and fought poisonous soldiers, so he does not take combat seriously. Therefore, he also advised Yin Chengyi that the fleet had just arrived here, so why not stay on the ship temporarily and wait for a few days to stabilize before going to the city to rest.
"I want to live with you. I'm tired of staying on the ship!" Yin Chengyi said displeasedly: "What's so scary about the rebels on the other side? Unless Bao Yuchun comes in person, they won't be able to eat my 600 warships!"
Seeing that the other party insisted on going to the city to rest, Gong Chengze couldn't help but feel helpless. He thought about it and said to the captain of the Zhenjiang Army: "It is indeed a hard journey for the Commander-in-Chief Yin. Otherwise, you can accompany the Commander-in-Chief to Yangzhou City. Stay here and treat me well, don't neglect me, I will embarrass you, General Li, General Xu. I will stay here for the time being so that I can take care of the fleet."
