"How is Zhao Kuangyin's progress?" Liu Chengyou's eyes moved eastward, landing on the eastern Sichuan area.
Just like the strategic plan, this time the attack on Shu was divided into two routes: the north and the east. The north route was the main route and the east route was the supplement. Compared with the Shu army in the north, which has a large concentration of troops, soldiers, food and equipment, and convenient support, the Shu army in eastern Sichuan is much weaker. However, the journey from the east is much longer and more dangerous. What can be said to be convenient is the Yangtze River waterway. The transportation of troops, grain, and equipment is indeed much more convenient, but it also requires crossing the danger of the Three Gorges.
As for the commander of the East Route Army, Liu Chengyou chose Zhao Kuangyin, the Marquis of Yu in front of the palace, supplemented by the Forbidden Army generals Liu Guangyi, Zhang Yongde, Dang Jin and Jingbei Prefecture soldiers, plus the Jiangling Navy.
When the emperor asked, Chai Rong said: "The east-route march will take place later. According to the latest military report, Zhao Kuangyin sent troops from Zigui on the 18th, leading an army of 20,000 land and sea troops out of Badong County and heading west to Kuizhou. There is no new progress at the moment, but since the achievements have been made in the north, good news on the east road should be in the near future!"
"Tell your ministers about the situation of the Shu army in eastern Sichuan!" Liu Chengyou ordered.
Li Chuyun answered the conversation and introduced: "According to the investigation, the Shu Kingdom has not many troops stationed in the eastern Sichuan area. The total number is less than 40,000. The battle formation has been sparse for a long time and the combat effectiveness is low. In recent years, the Shu territory has been unstable and scattered in various places to suppress the defense. At first, , with only more than 10,000 men stationed in Kuizhou, after our dynasty captured Jinghu Lake, we added ten battalions. Counting the soldiers in villages and towns, the number was less than 20,000.
Kuizhou is the gateway to eastern Sichuan, spanning both sides of the Wu Gorge. If you want to advance westward, you must conquer Kuizhou. The Shu army deployed defenses mainly around Wushan and Fengjie, with Wushan as the main center and relying on the dangerous points of Wu Gorge. They built Songmu, Sanhui, Wushan and other villages along the coast to divide their troops and defend them.
The governor of Kuizhou in Shu was Pang Fucheng, an old general of Meng Zhixiang. He had military strategies and had been in Fengjie for a long time, but he was over sixty years old. Looking at the Shu army, they are all veteran generals, with an old man in his sixties guarding the house. It can be seen that there is no one in Shu!
Therefore, I believe that there should be worries on the east road! "
"There is no one in Shu. It's just that since Meng Chang took charge of Sichuan and Shu, he has eliminated arrogant generals, eliminated old ministers, promoted culture and education, but vigorously suppressed military ministers. It is difficult to promote young talents in the army, and it is difficult for strong men to stretch. They can only hope that these old and old generals can guard Guan Baotu!" Zhao Pu found an opportunity to express his opinion.
"Pang Fucheng has no reputation. Even if he has military strategies, he can hardly be Zhao Kuangyin's enemy!" Murong Yanzhao commented: "That's why, marching from the east, there is only one battle, which is the battle of Kuizhou. If Kuizhou goes down, Then the army on the east route will be able to march straight in, destroying everything. The prefectures and counties in the hinterland of eastern Sichuan will be invincible, and they can send a message to decide. And go straight to Chengdu along the water route. If a breakthrough is made on the east route, even if the north route is blocked, Meng and Shu will not be able to escape the destruction. Game!"
"As the ministers said, I can sit firmly in Tokyo and wait for the good news?" Liu Chengyou smiled lightly.
"Your Majesty has been planning for many years and is fully prepared. He knows himself and his enemy. It is the general trend of the king to decide Shu. How can he not win?" Fan Zhi responded.
"How did Chengdu react?" Liu Chengyou asked.
"The mountains are high and the roads are far away, and the traffic is jammed. No news has spread north yet, but it is expected to be in a hurry and difficult to determine!" Zhao Pu said.
After pondering for a while, Liu Chengyou said to Chai Rong: "Today we are launching a large army to attack Shu. The imperial court will focus on the southwest, but the other frontiers must not relax. We must be vigilant in front of the garrison troops and horses to avoid laxity!"
"yes!"
...
In Kuizhou, more than forty miles east of Wushan County, on the slightly compact Yangtze River waterway, a huge fleet of ships is moored, stretching for more than ten miles, surging on the river like a dragon.
On the main ship, the flags of "Han" and "Zhao" were flying high in the wind. This was the army commanded by Zhao Kuangyin to attack Shu from the east. In this march, in addition to 200 various types of naval warships, the Han army recruited more than 700 large and small ships to transport troops, food, and ordnance. In the three states of Jingnan, the fishermen and sailors who were good at handling boats, They were all drafted into the army.
It was late July, and the autumn wind was stirring the waves. There were green mountains on both sides of the river, and mountains and mountains, shadows and shadows, fallen leaves drifting, and the river flowed eastward. Five miles away from the brigade, a fierce water battle was underway.
Zhao Kuangyin led his army from Zigui and marched steadily. After more than two days, they invaded Kuizhou. Upon hearing the arrival of the Han division, the Kuizhou navy was ordered to attack. Zhao Kuangyin immediately sent Jiangling Navy Commander Zhang Yanqing to lead two thousand naval forces to advance and attack, starting the first battle of the westward march.
The terrain of Wu Gorge was actually not conducive to large-scale naval maneuvers, so the confrontation between the two sides quickly evolved into a close-quarters battle. Between the cliffs and the bank, the sound of killing echoed on the river. More than two hundred warships from both sides were intertwined, and thousands of sailors were engaged in a bloody battle. It lasted for nearly two hours before retreating.
The Shu army had more men and ships, and there was a stalemate for a while at the beginning of the battle. However, as time went by, they began to be suppressed and beaten by the Han army. The Jiangling Navy was based on the original Jingnan Navy. It eliminated and reorganized, replenished healthy soldiers, and conducted long-term training. Most of the sergeants had experienced actual water warfare.
In comparison, the navy of the Shu Army, just like its land division, had little battle experience, neglected training, and did not collapse quickly upon contact, all because of the confinement of the Wu Gorge.
On the Han army's side, Zhang Yanqing lived up to Chai Rong's recommendation. He had outstanding naval warfare command skills and personally took command from the front. The Han troops under his command constantly boarded the ship's side to drive away the Shu army. The Han army rushed into the boat, found an opening, attacked and killed in a small area, and fought quickly. In two hours, they had captured more than 20 Shu ships and killed thousands of Shu soldiers.
Arrows flew across the sky, swords clashed, blood soaked the clear river red, and several burning ships, emitting black smoke and flashing fire, gradually sank...
He was in his prime, standing under the general's flag with a serious expression, guarded by several shield soldiers, staring at the battle ahead. What was under his feet was a captured Shu army ship. There were several flag soldiers beside him, ready to listen to orders and wave flags to command.
"The defeat of the Shu army has been determined!" His stern eyes surveyed the fighting situation in front, and a trace of joy flashed across his serious face, and he loudly said: "Send the order, the front team will continue to strengthen the attack and completely defeat the Shu army. The squadron will Provide cover and support, and the rear team will clear out and capture the prisoners!"
"Yes!" The command flag beside him waved rapidly and repeatedly.
"Although it is difficult to form a formation here, it is not conducive to encirclement and annihilation. If the Shu army wants to evacuate, it is not that easy! Congratulations, general, this battle must be a complete victory!" Beside Zhang Yanqing, a navy commander said with a smile.
Seeing that the victory was determined, Zhang Yanqing relaxed a little and said easily: "There are less than four thousand naval forces in Kuizhou. This time, they are all here, just in time to annihilate them in one fell swoop. With no navy to rely on, our army can calmly blockade both sides of the strait." , eradicate the military strongholds along the coast! Send people to show victory to the commander-in-chief of Zhao!"
"yes!"
Standing on the flagship of the Han army, the center of the Han army heard the sound of fighting coming from the front. Zhao Kuangyin's face looked calm and calm, not moving at all. A pair of tiger eyes were revealed, revealing a complacent mood.
After the Huainan War, Zhao Kuangyin had not led the army on the battlefield for more than five years. During these years, he had been serving in Tokyo as a senior general of the Dianqian Division. Although he inspected border affairs on behalf of Tian twice and was deeply trusted by the emperor, his career also fell into a stable period.
For Zhao Kuangyin, he was naturally dissatisfied, and if he wanted to break the shackles, he could only achieve military exploits on the battlefield, just like during the conquest of Huaihe, he gained fame through successive military exploits.
Although Zhao Kuangyin had the experience of leading an army alone and fighting independently back then, this time, as the commander-in-chief of an army, it was the first time he took charge of matters.
From the moment he was ordered to go south to unify the army, Zhao Kuangyin made up his mind to establish meritorious deeds and leave his own mark in the process of the Han's unification of the world. Even now, Zhao Kuangyin is only in his early thirties, but for him, he always feels that "time has not waited for us".
The fighting was going on in front, but Zhao Kuangyin's attention seemed not to be on top. Instead, he was observing both sides of the river gorge and sighed slightly: "The closer you get to Wu Gorge, the more dangerous the terrain becomes!"
"In the seven hundred miles from the Three Gorges, there are mountains on both sides, with no gaps. The mountains are stacked with mountains, and the sky and the sun are hidden. Since midnight, there is no bright moon..."
As an old brother who worked hard with Zhao Kuangyin in Huainan, Dang Jin was following him at this time, listening to his murmurings, and couldn't help but curiously asked: "What are Du Shuai thinking about? Are you making a fuss?"
Seeing his careless look, Zhao Kuangyin couldn't help but feel happy, and said: "I have advised you on weekdays to read more and become more sensible. What I read is taken from Li Daoyuan's "Shui Jing·Jiang Shui Zhu", which refers to the Three Gorges The geography and water situation, as it says, with stacked mountains covering the sky and sun, are actually an obstacle to my advance. Not far ahead is the Wuxia Mountain, which is the first and most important obstacle we need to overcome. !”
After hearing what he said, Dang Jin nodded subconsciously and said, "No matter what obstacles he has, the army is here, just crush it!"
"Brother Dang is still brave and courageous!" Zhao Kuangyin smiled and admired Dang Jin's spirit.
"Over the years, I have been in the army, except for training, and doing rotations. It has been too boring. This time, the commander-in-chief takes me with him, and I will definitely kill the enemy and make achievements in return!" Dang Jin said.
Hearing what he said, Zhao Kuangyin felt happy in his heart, but he still shook his head: "What you said is wrong! Killing the enemy and making meritorious deeds are for the great man, for His Majesty, not for me!"
Seeing his lesson, Dang Jin chuckled: "Yes!"
"The killing sound ahead has weakened!" Dang Jin reminded with his forward finger.
Listening carefully, sure enough, the originally noisy shouts of killing were almost inaudible. Zhao Kuangyin said calmly: "It seems that Zhang Yanqing has made a contribution!"
