Yuzhou, Liyang.
In this strategic location known today as Hezhou and Hexian, it was the capital of Yuzhou during the Jin Dynasty. It is located at the water and land hub between the Jianghuai River and the Huaihe River. It holds the Yangtze River on the left, Zhaoguan on the right, and the mining industry of Jiankang area on the opposite side. Opposite the Shidu Pass, on this section of the river, the Yangtze River also flows from south to north, until the Jiangpu area in the north, then turns eastward and goes straight into the sea. In the past dynasties, it attacked Jiankang from north to south, or took Jiangdong directly from the direction of Jingzhou. , all pass through this section of the river, and Liyang has also become an important town in the north of the Yangtze River. Like Guangling on the other side, it has become the north bank gate to Jiankang.
The densely packed warships are now crossing the river. From a distance, they are boundless. The banner of Tianshi Dao is fluttering everywhere on the river for hundreds of miles, and their faces are smeared with various oil paints. The disciples with talismans on their bodies were full of murderous intent and sang loudly. They waved the swords in their hands, and the sunlight reflected on the sword blades shot straight into the clouds. Even the head of Jiankang City, dozens of miles away, could feel it. To the murderous aura coming from the west.
On the river outside Liyang Port, a huge eight-footed ship is the Dongwu, the flagship of the new Tianshi Dao Navy. It is parked in the middle of the river. A few miles away, there is a stone crossing there, on the tidal flats of the river. , covered with sharp wooden stakes. From a distance, the Xinting Fortress stands proudly about three miles away from the river. The battle flag of the Jin army is flying on the top of the city. However, compared with the Tianshi Dao army, its momentum is still much worse. Especially the war roars of the sergeants were completely suppressed by the Tianshi Dao army all over the river. From a distance, it looked like an empty city covered only with banners.
On the Dongwu, under a command flag with the word "Lu" in it, on the command platform at the top of the fourth deck, almost flush with the head of Xinting City a few miles away, Lu Xun and Xu Daofu stood side by side. Lu Xun's face was full of contentment. He looked at Liyang City on the other side and said with a smile: "It seems that the people of Jin have been scared out of their wits. Even Meng Huaiyu, who has always been known for his bravery and resourcefulness, refused to fight without a fight." They fled and left an empty city for us. Unfortunately, all the arsenals and granaries in the city were burned down before they withdrew. Hmph, it seems they are not planning to come back."
Xu Daofu's face was filled with worry, and he shook his head: "Meng Huaiyu was not so frightened that he fled without a fight. He must have received a military order from Liu Yu to withdraw. In fact, we have After defeating Liu Yi, almost all the Jin troops along the way took the initiative to abandon their defenses. Whether it was Xunyang or Liyang, such important towns were won without fighting. Second brother, you have always been very happy, but I am no matter what , I can’t be happy either.”
Lu Xun's face changed slightly, and he turned to sneer: "Why, now that Liu Yu is back, you, the God of War, are afraid? You usually say that I am afraid of Liu Yu, but this time, I think you are more Afraid of him."
The muscles on Xu Daofu's face twitched slightly, and he said in a deep voice: "Second brother, do you think we have been fighting Liu Yu for decades, and now we still have to say whether we are afraid of him? I am just a soldier, just a general, I Considering only military matters, Liu Yu returned to Jiankang, which revived the morale of the Jin army that was about to collapse. And the defenders in various places along the way, under his order, voluntarily abandoned their defenses and shrank back to Jiankang, for the The only thing is to concentrate our forces and fight us, not to run away like the last time we attacked Jiangzhou."
Lu Xun said coldly: "So what? Liu Yu is not the Jade Emperor or the Tathagata Buddha. He is just a person. He has brought back at most dozens of personal guards and subordinates. His army is still far away in Nanyan , what’s so scary?”
Xu Daofu sighed: "The one who came back with Liu Yu is also the determination, fighting spirit and fighting spirit of the Jin army. As long as he is here, the people in the city will have confidence. Jiankang City plus Jingkou and Guangling on the side are enough." There are tens of thousands of soldiers and horses, and Jiankang City is the capital of the Jin Kingdom. It has gone through many wars and has become stronger and stronger. As long as we have a commander like Liu Yu, it will not be easy for us to conquer it!"
Having said this, Xu Daofu looked behind him at the Liyang area where the smoke was still blowing, and said: "Although Liu Yu hasn't fought with us yet, he has already made his move first. Liyang is an empty city, and The prefectures and counties along the way did not leave us even a grain of food, and all the Jin people fled. Our army came all the way from Yuzhang, but did not receive any supplies. Now it is nearly 200,000 The army is completely supported by its previous reserves. The food and grass can only be used for four months. If Jiankang is still unable to be captured under the strong force of the city, I am afraid that the morale of the army will be unstable and the food and grass will be insufficient. It will be difficult to withdraw the troops by then. Got it!"
Lu Xun curled his lips in disdain: "If we want to attack Jiankang, it's your junior brother Xu who doesn't take Jingzhou. Now that we're outside Jiankang City, it's your junior brother Xu who is easily talking about this difficulty and the lack of food. What do you want?" Sample?"
Xu Daofu gritted his teeth and hit the ship's railing with his fist as big as a sandbag, causing the handsome platform to shake slightly. He said in a deep voice: "At this point, no matter whether Liu Yu comes back or not, we can't do it again. We are stalling for time. There is only an isolated city in Guangling in Jiangbei. Even if it is captured, there will not be much improvement in logistics. Second brother, your order to camp in Jiangbei, divide the troops to plunder, and capture the six counties in Jiangbei must not be carried out. Our order The only chance of victory is to attack Jiankang and win it as quickly as possible!"
Lu Xun looked expressionless, looking at the river bank in the distance, and said: "Attack Jiankang? You said it lightly. Look at the river bank in Xinting area. They are all high embankments, and the embankments are covered with spikes. , there may be an ambush behind, how can it be so easy to land? The river bank in the north of the Yangtze River is undefended, and here in Jiankang in the south of the Yangtze River, even the Qinhuai River mouth has a water fortress and wooden stakes set up. Our plan to break in from the river cannot If it’s realized, how can we get ashore?”
Xu Daofu said in a deep voice: "This requires us to show determination and speed. Although there are dams and Xinting fortresses here in Xinting, after all, this is the widest river bank. The Jin army must guard Jiankang, and the strength of the troops It is not enough. There are at most several thousand troops in the fortress, and the ambush on the river bank will not exceed 2,000. As long as we work hard and show the courage to go back, we order all the warships to attack the river bank in turn, and all the disciples will land desperately. The attack is to cost the lives of ten or twenty thousand people here. As long as we capture the banks of the Xinting River, Jiankang City will be ours."
The muscles on Lu Xun's face twitched slightly, and he sneered: "There is no return, no return. Junior Brother Xu's momentum is quite strong, but you seem to have forgotten one thing. Even if it is as you said, We landed ashore by force, but there is still Xinting Fortress in front of us. We have no siege equipment, how many people are you prepared to die to capture this city?"
