The Shengtang court's river defense line shook violently without warning almost overnight.
The first to react were Ma Hongjie's troops. On the tenth day after the secret naval combat meeting was held in Luzhou, the Suzaku Corps located upstream suddenly began emergency mobilization. All 160,000 soldiers and horses left the camp and assembled towards the river bank.
The first flag is deployed in the direction of Jingzhou, the second flag is deployed in the direction of Jiangling, the third flag is deployed in the direction of Shishou, and the fourth flag and the commander's battalion serve as strategic reserves and enter the second-line starting position, ready to coordinate the actions of the three flags at any time.
Not long after, the Azure Dragon Legion that was right next to them also moved.
Thirty thousand soldiers and horses rushed directly to the Ezhou Waterway upstream, 30,000 soldiers and horses arrived at the Anqing Waterway near the downstream, and the main force of 60,000 troops aimed at Chaisang County on the other side. Hundreds of merchant ships and civilian ships were urgently recruited by the Qinglong Army and gathered in Piers everywhere.
Almost at the same time, the Zhenjiang Army stationed in the lower reaches of the river also entered a state of combat readiness.
The Second Agni Army, the Fifth Army of the Great Stone, the Sixth Army of the Furious Waves, the Eighth Army of the Cold Wave, and the Ninth Army of the Kuangsha Army lined up along the cities along the river bank. Two hundred and seventy thousand soldiers advanced to attack positions one after another, ready to go.
The three main legions of the Holy Tang Dynasty were deployed across the entire front. The unprecedented scale of 550,000 troops was only one step away from landing across the river!
The river shook! The world is shocked!
Whether it was the imperial capital in the far northwest or Hangzhou in the southeast, they were all shocked and surprised by this huge formation filled with war clouds and murderous intent.
Li Bing summoned Dong Tianxing twice in a row and repeatedly asked the Ministry of War, what happened on the front line? Why did several main army groups suddenly take action?
The most exaggerated thing is that Murong Snowman is still in the imperial capital, how come his troops have also entered a state of full mobilization?
The old director had not received a battle report from Li Jiangyao first, so he was also confused. He was worried that the rebels had done something unusual, so he stimulated the main army on the front line, so he sent several messengers in succession and ran to death. The horse's speed went straight to the river to understand the situation of the defense line.
The imperial capital was in panic, and Jiangnan was almost going crazy.
The news that the three major armies of the imperial court were coming out was immediately sent to Xuancheng and Hangzhou. Bao Yuchun left his job and boarded his warship, preparing to fight; Lao Jianhua and Li Zhang also hurriedly reported to Ye Rongcheng Xie Bao and others sent an order to quickly gather war preparations to prevent the imperial court from launching a general attack.
At this time, Ye Rongcheng only had 20,000 to 30,000 troops in his hands, and they were all concentrated in the downstream city. Facing the direction of the Suzaku Army and the Green Dragon Army, he had almost no troops to defend. He was suddenly so anxious that he could only send 50,000 Xie Bao's cavalry to the upstream area to implement mobile defense. At the same time, Ye Rongcheng wrote back to Lao Jianhua asking for help, asking the other party to immediately mobilize military forces from various states and increase troops to Xuancheng.
Suddenly, the Jiangnan rebels were in panic.
Compared with the nervousness and panic of others, Bao Xinyan seemed the calmest. He reminded his uncle that although the imperial troops were fierce and noisy, the original most fatal shortcomings had not been fundamentally solved at this time.
To put it bluntly, although there were many people in the imperial court, there were only a few ships and they were unable to fully control the river.
Therefore, the gathering of 550,000 troops looks very scary, but in fact it is blocked by the wide river and cannot get through at all.
Bao Yuchun felt that what his nephew said made sense, and he quickly made a judgment: even if the imperial court launched an attack at this time, the only real threats would be the Suzaku Corps near the Yiling Fleet and the town's own large navy. Xinjiang army.
The Blue Dragon Legion in the middle position was basically just a bluff due to the lack of fleet protection.
Unless they dared to cross the river on civilian ships and merchant ships in the absence of their general, regardless of any reinforcements or baggage, or even their retreat, there would be no way they could participate in this offensive operation.
In this way, the rebel navy's response will be simple.
Bao Yuchun ordered the fleet stationed in Yueyang to start moving westward on alert, ready to raid the river-crossing fleet of the Yiling Navy and the Suzaku Corps at any time. He and his nephew Bao Xinyan turned around and went downstream, gathering people from Jinling, Jingkou, Jiangyin and other places, with a total of more than 1,240 ships and battleships, to resist the Zhenjiang Army.
The first step of the Battle of Dajiang planned by Nie Xianzang and others: to lure the enemy to the east, has been successfully realized.
Whether Bao Yuchun underestimated the strength of the enemy or the rebels had reached their limit in a short period of time and were unable to gather more combat power, in short, the number of ships heading downstream to participate in the battle this time was less than Nie Xianzang had previously expected. As a result, , which is certainly more beneficial to the Kunpeng Tenth Army in Zhenjiang.
Next, it depends on how the two sides compete for strategic positions.
At present, the five Zhenjiang armies are only dispersedly deployed on the river defense line and have not been completely gathered. Therefore, Bao Yuchun and others cannot make an accurate judgment on where Li Jiangyao will choose to cross the river.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Nie Xianzang commanded the Kunpeng fleet to take the lead in attacking the two Jiangxin Islands on the Jingkou channel.
In one day and one night, the leading troops of the Tenth Army successfully stormed the island and successfully captured the fortress archery tower on the island. They continued to increase troops to Jiangxin Island and quickly reinforced various defenses.
At the same time, the army troops also began to gradually move to the Yangzhou area opposite Jingkou, assuming a posture of attacking here.
Seeing this situation, Bao Yuchun's uncle and nephew no longer hesitated and immediately ordered the fleet to set sail and move towards Jingkou, a strategic location on the river.
And more than 1,100 warships of the Kunpeng Tenth Army in Zhenjiang were all lined up on the north shore, relying on the cover of the east and west islands, waiting for the arrival of the enemy's main force.
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"Jiang Yao, do you think you are sure of victory in this battle?"
Xu Youchang stood on a high observation deck, looking at the dark clouds, depressing and gloomy sky and river in the distance, and couldn't help but ask.
The breeze blew across the river, blowing on his face, which was wet and cool. While experiencing this wonderful and comfortable feeling, Li Jiangyao asked him, "What about you? What do you think?"
"I...well, to be honest, I'm a little unreliable." Xu Youchang said in a deep voice: "Although I am suggesting to you to launch a battle for control of the river, before the battle, it is about to see the naval force start a decisive battle with the enemy. , It’s simply more nervous than going to the battlefield myself.”
"Are you still nervous about going to the battlefield?" Li Jiangyao couldn't help laughing and said, "Is Xu Shuai kidding me?"
"It would be a lie to say I'm not nervous, but it really can't compare to this moment." Xu You sighed, "I'm very worried about Nie Xianzang and the others."
Li Jiangyao nodded slightly when he heard the words, turned around and said, "Is it because Lao Bao is too powerful? Or is it because you personally established the Kunpeng Tenth Army, so you are a little concerned about it and you are in chaos?"
"It's both." Xu Youchang's expression was a little serious: "Our navy started from scratch, from small to large, and accumulated bit by bit until today. It's not easy to have some wealth. Now it's all-in. Go, if...if something goes wrong, then all the previous efforts will be in vain, tell me, can I not be nervous?"
Li Jiangyao reached out and patted Xu Youchang's shoulder, and said: "Brother, I can understand your mood. Kunpeng gradually grew up and reached this day, just like your child. However, they are different from other children. He is a navy soldier, a field you are not very good at, so even if you want to help him and protect him, you feel powerless. Just like all old fathers, in the end they can only watch their children grow up and be alone. Going to fight against the wind and waves makes me feel extremely worried."
Xu Youchang smiled bitterly and nodded: "Your metaphor is quite appropriate. If I were any other army, I would not be as worried as I am now. Because I know their strength and weakness, and I also understand what they will face. Even if I am anxious, I can personally go into battle and lead them out of the predicament and strive for victory. But for Kunpeng, I can only stand here and watch them face powerful enemies alone and fight to the death, without being able to help at all. superior."
Li Jiangyao cast his gaze on the rough river: "So, from a certain point of view, it is not that you have no confidence in the Tenth Army, but that you have no confidence in yourself. In other words, for everything that is unknown and all the unknowns, I feel a deep fear. My friend, as a general, you should first be calm. You must believe in Nie Xianzeng and the others, and believe in our Kunpeng soldiers. Our army will win this battle!"
Hearing this, Xu Youchang nodded as if he had some understanding.
He was convinced from the bottom of his heart by Li Jiangyao's words.
Over the years, this good brother of mine has faced countless challenges and dangers, but his innocent heart has never wavered. Even if he is surrounded by wolves, even if he is surrounded by thorns, even if he is misunderstood by others, even if he is stigmatized, Li Jiangyao will always move forward bravely with a firm confidence.
Sometimes, strong enemies are not scary, death is not scary, and the unknown is not scary either. What is scary is losing the determination to fight and the belief in victory.
There is no one who never fails in this world, but you can have a heart that never gives up.
Xu Youchang also raised his hand and patted Li Jiangyao's shoulder. Although he didn't say anything, it was all said without saying anything.
The two brothers stood on the observation deck, silently watching the warships covering the river, with their heavy sail shadows blocking the sky and the sun. Countless sailors were busy coming and going, making final preparations for the upcoming war.
According to scout reports, Bao Yuchun's main fleet has left Jinling and will be able to reach here soon. The enemy's warships in the Jiangyin area are also rushing upriver and can arrive at Jingkou to join the battle at any time.
Kunpeng's Tenth Army's first real battle since its founding was imminent.
Is it victory? Is it defeat? Life or death?
This coming-of-age ceremony for the Zhenjiang Fleet will give the final answer.
