In the shadow of the Huai River, across the Bagong Mountain to the north of the Fei River, is where Shouchun, the important town in Huainan, is located. It's winter, and everything in Huainan is already desolate and cold. At a glance, there are already many ruined scenes. However, Shouchun is still a majestic city in the south, standing on the shore of the Huaihe River.
The importance of Shouzhou needs no elaboration. Thousands of years of war history and the Jianghuai dispute fully demonstrate its status. Because of this, for three generations, the separatist forces that occupied Jianghuai changed from Yang Wu to the Puppet Tang Dynasty, but they did not relax at all in Shouzhou.
At this time, there was an army of Zuo Shenwei in Shouchun City, which was the elite of the Imperial Guards of the Southern Tang Dynasty. Together with the state army and the township army, the Tang army in Shouzhou was over 10,000. This was already after the losses. The strength of the defenders was also the reason why General He Jingzhu was able to defend the city.
However, at this moment, just outside the fortified city, the Han army had already arranged its troops, set up camp, and was calmly reinforcing the wall.
At this time, at the head of the northern city of Shouchun, a veteran with gray temples was standing with a sword, looking at the Han army camp two or three miles away. This veteran was short in stature, just over five feet tall. The parapet almost reached his chin, and his appearance was extremely ugly, almost invisible.
However, this ugly old man was the most calm and collected person in the city when the Han army came to the city, and he was also the backbone of the more than 10,000 Tang troops in Shouchun.
He Jingzhu, originally a famous general in Huainan, was a boy in his early years. In his prime, he followed Li Min, the first lord of the Southern Tang Dynasty, and was the founding hero of the Southern Tang Dynasty. Although he was in decline, he had a strong personality, was dignified, was good at leading troops, and was famous. He once served as a senior commander of the Jinling Forbidden Army and guarded the local area. He was the mainstay of the Southern Tang Army. Of course, it is undeniable that because of his appearance, his official career was indeed bumpy. He was already in his sixtieth year before he reached the position of a big town.
"He Gong, the Han army's camp is becoming more and more complete and strong. It is better to let the last general lead the army out of the city and charge for a while to destroy the base of the camp. Otherwise, when they gain a foothold under the city and our army is trapped in the city, we will be completely trapped. Passive!" Next to He Jingzhu, there were several Shouzhou generals, among whom Xu Xiang, the commander of Zuo Shenwei, held back his mouth and asked.
Hearing this, He Jingzhu directly raised his head and said: "We have already tested the combat effectiveness of the Han army before, sending troops to attack, which only increased casualties and weakened our defense strength. Now the enemy's troops are in full strength, so we should not take it lightly. We should wait for reinforcements from the court. Bar!"
Hearing what He Jingzhu said, Xu Xiang fell silent and couldn't help but sigh.
Just three days ago, Si Chao, the commander of the Yingzhou Regiment of the Northern Han Dynasty, suddenly led two thousand troops southward and built a pontoon bridge on the Huai River in the Zhengyang section southwest of Shouchun, which immediately attracted the attention of the Shouchun defenders.
When the Tang army attacked to resist, the Han army moved from Suzhou. Li Chongjin, commanded by the Guardian Army, led a surprise attack on Caicheng. Xiacai is the northernmost city in Shouzhou, north of the Huai River, consolidating the Xiacai Ferry.
As for He Jingzhu, he had already prepared and divided his troops to rescue. At this time, the main force of the Han army, which had been hiding in the south for a long time, moved and crossed from the shoal at the junction of Shouzhou and Haozhou. Continuous attacks from the west to the east caught the Tang army by surprise. Although He Jingzhu deployed some shallow troops on the south bank of the Huaihe River, the soldiers underneath were somewhat negligent and were defeated in one blow.
When He Jingzhu heard this, he still remained calm. He personally led 5,000 soldiers, 100 warships, and more than 3,000 navy troops, divided into two groups, and quickly marched to intercept them. His actions were not unpleasant. When they arrived at the place where the Han division crossed the river, more than 2,000 Han troops were fully equipped and successfully crossed the river. On the north bank, densely packed, there were more Han troops waiting. Under the command of He Jingzhu, the Tang army quickly entered the battle, and the two sides came face to face. A fierce confrontation.
Fortunately, the main force of the Han Navy's Jingjiang Army was also here to cover the army's crossing of the river. Nearly 150 warships and more than 5,000 naval troops fought against the Southern Tang army for the first time since the formation of the army. The result was no surprise, even if Xiang Xun gave his best command, took the lead, fought from the side, defeated the weak with numbers, and with the help of the archers on the shore, and with the help of fierce fire oil, he was able to fight to a close match with the Tang navy. It took more than an hour. There was a fierce battle, with both sides losing hundreds of soldiers.
The loss was not small, but the task of covering the army's crossing was completed, and the Tang Navy's navy did not affect the army's crossing. On the shore, He Jingzhu's five thousand soldiers persisted in the face of Murong Yanzhao personally leading the Xiaodi Army to fight. Seeing that the Shouzhou Navy was unable to break through the Han Division and had no choice but to retreat with increasing casualties.
However, during the retreat, the Han army's commander-in-chief Wang Jun made a killing move. Thousands of Hujie cavalry guards who had long crossed the Huaihe River from the ford, led by commanders Guo Chongwei and Shi Yanchao, made a surprise attack, allowing the Tang army to deeply appreciate the power of the northern cavalry.
After the war started, many soldiers from the military school in Fengchen Camp were sent by Liu Chengyou to serve as officers in the Southern Expedition Army. Shi Yanchao was in the Hujie Army, and Wang Yansheng was in the Guardian Army.
However, because the infantry of the Han army crossing the river, under the command of Murong Yanzhao, did not pursue it, the Tang army, which was not alert, collapsed at the first touch and fled in all directions under the surprise attack of the Han cavalry. The veteran general He Jingzhu tried his best to gather the defeated army. He retreated for more than 20 miles and was driven out of Feishui. In the end, only two thousand defeated soldiers were gathered back to Shouchun City. The Tang army that attacked was captured and killed more than two thousand people, and many others escaped. Hundreds of people froze to death and drowned in Feishui.
After truly experiencing the combat power of the Han army, He Jingzhu knew that he was no match for the Han army in the field, so while appeasing the soldiers, all the Tang armies in the state gathered in the city, recruiting young men and increasing supplies of food and grass. Very simply, be prepared to defend the city.
As for the Han army, Wang Jun's original plan was to attract the Tang army, annihilate them in one battle, and then calmly cross the river. Although they failed to achieve full success in one battle, the effect was still very satisfactory. The Tang army retreated and the whole army was divided into two groups. They rode on foot all the way to cover the land and shore, and were escorted by the navy to the Huai River all the way through the water, heading straight to Shouchun.
The troops arrived at the city very smoothly, and immediately sent auxiliary soldiers and soldiers to set up camp on the huge trees prepared early.
At this time, Xu Xiang, the commander of the Tang Zuo Divine Guard, gathered two thousand elites and went out of the city to make a surprise attack. He wanted to take advantage of the Han army's first arrival and attack the camp before it was solidified. But there are too many generals and commanders in the Han army who have rich combat experience from top to bottom. How could they be unprepared? A small ambush, attacking Shouzhou's elite troops and losing more than half of them.
"After being defeated by the Han army in succession, the morale of the soldiers and civilians in the city dropped sharply. Is it possible to defend so passively?" Xu Xiang couldn't help but said, somewhat reluctantly.
He Jingzhu frowned and turned his head to stare at him: "For the general, I fight when the opportunity arises. Now is not a good opportunity. It is stupid to attack rashly!"
Being scolded like this, Xu Xiang looked displeased and said angrily: "Isn't it because Mr. He lost two games that he was afraid of the Han army?"
"Xu Xiang, do you dare to insult me?" He Jingzhu glared, his ugly face condensing, and combined with his aura, it became even more terrifying. Xu Xiang immediately became honest. He was not sure whether the short and ugly old man would stab him to death with a sword.
Withdrawing his contemptuous eyes, he slowly looked north, where the Fei River was flowing and the Han army's fortress was imposing. Thinking about the situation in the city, a deep worry loomed in his eyes.
"Second order, the garrison from each gate must guard the city strictly. No attack is allowed. Anyone who dares to violate the law will be punished according to military law. Military staff, continue to prepare the defense equipment, rolling stones, wood, gold soup and kerosene. Also, prepare more large shields. , bamboo rafts, sand, and the fierce fire oil of the Han army are too cruel!" He Jingzhu took a deep breath and ordered sternly.
"As you command!"
"I hope the reinforcements from the imperial court will arrive as soon as possible!"
...
Compared with the tension and depression in Shouchun City, the atmosphere in the Han army camp was equally solemn, but thanks to the relaxed atmosphere. After wading through the water, they won both battles and neither lost nor lost in the water battle. This was a good start for the southern expedition.
At this time, Wang Jun commanded the Huainan front camp, with five thousand cavalry troops from Xiaodi, Husheng, Fengguo, and Hujie, plus regiment training troops from Su and Yingzhou. The Han army had nearly 40,000 troops stationed below the city. There were 30,000 infantry and cavalry, and together with the labor service, it was directly called 100,000.
In the Han camp, horses neighed and animals roared, making it very lively. The uncle of the state, Gao Huaide, was accompanying the army on the expedition with the military title of Yuhou, the capital of Xiaodi Army, and was accompanying Sun Li, the commander of the capital, to inspect the camp.
Even after many years, Sun Li still has the same style as before, with rude behavior and tough style. He gave two whips to a sentry who was shrinking due to the cold weather, and cursed: "If you dare to be lazy again, I will chop you down."
He cursed fiercely, but ordered people to go to the rear camp and get another basin of charcoal for the soldiers in the sentry pavilion to keep warm.
"Winter has arrived, and the weather will only get colder and colder, but we have to fight hard..." Sun Li muttered. He had always been like this, and he didn't say anything.
Gao Huaide came from a noble family, with a high starting point and wide knowledge. He never considered Sun Li, a general with a humble background, as a comrade. However, after holding various military positions in the army, I also met many rough guys like Sun Li, and from these people I also learned many alternative methods of leading troops by analogy.
Hearing the words at this time, Gao Huaide said: "Although winter is cold, it is not unbearable for our soldiers in the north. If it is summer and the south is hot and humiliating, it will be unbearable."
"According to what you say, we have to capture all of Huainan before midsummer next year?" Sun Li said.
"If the war is delayed until next summer, the hot and humid climate will be really unfavorable for fighting!" Gao Huaide said.
Sun Li nodded, waved his hands randomly and said, "I'm talking to Uncle Gao Guo, we have just reached Shouchun, and it's still too early for winter to end. Why do we mention tomorrow's midsummer!"
Twitching the corner of his mouth, Gao Huaide smiled: "The general is right, breaking Shouchun is the most important thing right now..."
In the central military tent, a total of sixteen guards wearing bright light armor stood on guard. These people were all Wang Jun's personal soldiers. Wang Dushuai was very impressive, especially after winning the first battle. He coerced the generals in the Southern Expedition.
Inside the tent, there was a stove warming the fire, carpets spread horizontally, and on the couch, Wang Junzheng, dressed in brocade robes, was playing chess with Murong Yanzhao. The back is straight, not stroking the long beard, the eyes are confident and clear, and there is a faint smile at the corner of the mouth, showing the demeanor of a Confucian general.
To use a simpler word to describe Wang Jun at this time, that is, pretending to be 13.
