It's also winter, and compared to the north, the climate in Shaozhou is obviously a bit better, and it's not yet the frost period, which is good news for the southern expedition. There are five continuous ridges and hundreds of thousands of mountains, which is a big challenge for the soldiers who conquered the Han army.
Of course, thanks to the imperial court's adequate preparations and thousands of years of development, the troops marching into Lingnan are no longer about pioneering wasteland, but about recovering and forging ahead to unify the empire and establish immortal achievements. With positive aspirations and heroic slogans, tens of thousands of soldiers came over the mountains, and their morale remained high.
However, there are still difficulties in advancing troops, one is logistics, and the other is obstruction. In terms of baggage transportation, regardless of relying on Hunan, if it were not for the continuous accumulation of support from the imperial court for many years, there would still be great pressure to support the war of annihilation. Coupled with the inconvenience of the roads, it would be even more troublesome. Fortunately, Lu Huaizhong was in charge of the transportation of the army and was a capable general. , so that Pan Mei has no worries.
As for Guanzhi, it refers to Shaozhou. The prefecture of Shaozhou is named Qujiang County, which is famous for its meandering river. It is the gateway to Lingnan and the north gate of Guangzhou. Breaking through from now on is the most time-saving and road-saving way. During the conflict between Han and Guangdong caused by Liu Yu's proclaimed emperor, Cao Bin once led his army to attack Shaozhou, but was blocked at the gate of Qujiang City, and finally had no choice but to transfer to Lianzhou.
At that time, the failure to capture Shaozhou was due to the fact that the army was exhausted after the early battles, the troops were insufficient, and most importantly, the defenders had some skills. Now, it was Pan Mei who led the army back and arrived at Shaozhou, but they were still blocked by the enemy city.
Pan Mei still divided the 50,000 soldiers and horses sent by the imperial court into two groups to attack southern Guangdong. Cui Yanjin led the troops from eastern Sichuan. Starting from Guizhou, he moved to Lue Zhao, He, Liu, Xiang and other western Guangnan provinces. In the area, Pan Mei led the main force to attack Shaozhou, aiming directly at Prince Xing's Mansion.
Marching troops in two directions was also a way to take care of Cui Yanjin's emotions. After all, Cui Yanjin was superior to Pan Mei in terms of merit, qualifications and previous military positions. As a result, Pan Mei was the leader of the Pingyue army. Anyone would have some thoughts. of.
Pan Mei noticed this, and although she didn't particularly care, she still decided that you would attack Guangxi and I would attack Guangdong, a two-pronged approach, moving forward on both sides to avoid conflicts. As for the fact that the enemy is in the east, it is also a privilege of being a coach.
However, after the troops launched their troops, they were forced to attack Qujiang City for more than half a month, unable to advance even an inch. It was inevitable that some changes would occur in the morale of the army. Cui Yanjin, on the other hand, has captured two states in a row in the west and is making good progress. Although Pan Mei was stable, she could not help but feel some anxiety in her heart.
Qujiang City was built between the water and the Han military camp was five miles away from the city and stood near the water. Being in the camp was a bit difficult for the fourth prince Liu Fang. In the past few years, he had followed Emperor Liu on several patrols and hunting trips. He had also seen the strength of Yanshan Mountain, the vastness of Taihang Mountain, the majesty of Songshan Mountain, and the steepness of Huashan Mountain. But he only had one feeling about Nanling, that there were so many mountains. He looked up and down and saw mountains everywhere.
Growing up, Liu Fang had spent a lot of time in the military camp. This time in Pingnan, he came to the army with a sense of expectation and curiosity. Although it had only been more than ten days since he arrived in front of the army, during this time, his imagination was completely shattered. The two armies were facing each other, and there was no fighting. All he did every day was to accompany Pan Mei on patrols.
It is said that since the village was launched, not even a tentative attack has been launched towards Qujiang City. Tens of thousands of people are restrained by strict military laws and stay together day after day in a depressing atmosphere. It seems to be the normal state of war. Although he accompanied the Northern Expedition, Liu Fang had never really experienced a battle formation. This was probably Liu Fang's new understanding of marching and fighting.
It is absolutely impossible for Pan Mei to say welcome to the fourth prince arranged by the emperor. This is a trouble. The most important thing is that the battle formation has no eyes. If something goes wrong with Liu Fang, no matter how great his achievements are, it will be difficult to offset it. sin.
Therefore, Pan Mei originally planned to leave Liu Fang behind, and planned to praise the fourth prince in the subsequent report and share some of the credit, so that everyone would be better off. However, although Liu Fang was young, he could not be fooled by this. He directly brought up Emperor Liu and pointed out the highlights, serving as a guard with Pan Shuai before the army.
Faced with your young and ambitious fourth prince, Pan Mei had no choice but to keep him by her side and serve as a bodyguard. She originally thought that it would cause some headaches for her, but Liu Fang's performance was also somewhat unexpected. Although he was eager to try and really experience the battle, he stayed at his position as a guard and did not act arbitrarily or cause any trouble. Moreover, he even adopted a pseudonym, Liu Si.
"Zuoying reported that a soldier is infected with wind and cold. Go and check how many soldiers there are in the whole army, and send an order to gather together for treatment. Then inform Lu Huaizhong that there must be no shortage of medicinal materials!" In the commander's tent, someone who had studied the military situation for a long time Pan Mei raised her head and noticed a shorter figure standing in front of the commander's tent. She ordered the officer in the military record room: "Also, call Liu Si in!"
"yes!"
Shangguan Zheng did not dare to neglect Pan Mei's order and left in a hurry. Soon, Liu Fang entered the room, saluted Pan Mei and his party, and said with great enthusiasm: "Greetings to the Commander-in-Chief, what are the Commander-in-Chief's orders?"
"It's cold outside the tent, let's have a sip of hot soup!" Pan Mei looked at the heroic fourth prince, secretly praising him in her heart and saying with concern.
Unexpectedly, when Liu Fang heard this, he frowned and said firmly: "We are both guards, and we are still waiting outside the tent. If the commander summons me alone for this matter, please forgive me for not obeying my order!"
Seeing this, Pan Mei said: "Do we have to let the guards outside the tent come inside to drink the soup?"
"The commander-in-chief has orders, and I dare not disobey them!" Liu Fang replied.
Pan Mei smiled, pointed at the bowl of ginger soup on the handsome desk, and said, "My military order is for you to drink this ginger soup!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Fang was stunned for a moment, and then said in a serious voice: "Yes!"
After saying that, he stepped forward, picked up the still warm ginger soup, and drank it all in one gulp. Then he looked at Pan Mei, waiting for his next order. Pan Mei looked at Liu Fang's performance and secretly sighed in her heart, this must be the royal horse.
Standing up and waving to him, after a period of contact, Pan Mei lost some of the unfamiliar awe towards Liu Fang that she had towards the prince at first, and said very naturally: "Come on, let's check the city defense of Qujiang! "
"Yes!" Liu Fang's voice subconsciously became louder.
The group of people rode their horses south. Although most of the Shaozhou area is covered with mountains, the town is located on the plains where two rivers meet, so it was a smooth journey. Pan Meishi had already known the defense of Qujiang City and the surrounding terrain. She said it was a survey, and she just went out for a horse race to change her mood and see if there were any changes in the enemy's situation.
"Your Highness is also very eager to fight now, right?" After warming up, Pan Meiwen followed beside him alone, like Liu Fang breaking free from the cage.
To be honest, when I was in the palace before, I felt that the confinement was very strict and there were too many rules, so I couldn't feel comfortable. However, after actually staying in the army for a while, I realized what restraint is. Of course, Pan Mei also governed the army harshly. Although there was no battle yet, during this period, many officers and soldiers were executed by Pan Mei using military law.
Upon hearing the question, Liu Fang first replied, "My name is Liu Si", and then said: "Who in the whole army does not have this intention, and wants to kill the enemy and break the city to perform meritorious deeds! I just don't know why they always endured without using a single soldier. Not a single shot?"
Looking towards the south, Pan Meihu's eyes reflected the outline of Qujiang City in the distance. She pointed with her hand and said confidently: "Although Shaozhou is the gateway to Lingnan, its city is not necessarily solid and its defense is strong. .
Although Lu Guangtu, the governor, was popular, gathered warriors, and won the hearts of the people, he was still a scholar and had no ability to command troops. The enemy general Zhi Tingxiao was quite capable, but unfortunately there were not many troops in the city.
I can safely say that with the strength of our Han army, we will be able to defeat this city within three days if we attack with force! "
Listening to Pan Mei's description, Liu Fang felt a sense of passion in his heart and couldn't help but ask: "Then why not attack?"
"Casualties!" Pan Mei said two words: "Although most of the people in Guangdong are weak, they still have a hundred thousand people. If we attack Shaozhou, the casualties will be too high in the first battle. When we reach Panyu, we will probably be exhausted." At that time. Furthermore, the Lingnan area is quite vast, inhabited by Han and barbarians, and the folk customs are complex. In the future, sufficient force will be needed to suppress and defend, and it is even more necessary to conserve strength."
"But after all, casualties are inevitable in battle!" After hearing this, Liu Fang immediately said: "Do you want to win, Commander-in-Chief?"
"Exactly!" Pan Mei nodded, looked at Liu Fang, and asked curiously: "Your Highness, do you think there is any way to defeat Qujiang while reducing the casualties of the soldiers?"
Liu Fang thought about it seriously, frowned and replied: "To be honest, Du Shuai, I have read a lot of military books on weekdays. However, when facing the enemy, I don't know how to use it..."
Liu Fang didn't show any nonsense, which made Pan Mei think more highly of him. Just as he was about to say a few words of comfort, Liu Fang continued: "The enemy is stubbornly defending. If they can be lured out of the city, they will be able to break it in the field! But how can they come out?"
Pan Mei was slightly surprised, with a smile on her face. After noticing it, Liu Fang immediately handed over his hand: "I think Du Shuai has a plan in mind, please teach me!"
Turning the horse's head and preparing to return to camp, Pan Mei said calmly: "I have been stationed in Hunan for seven years, and the most profound thing I feel is the same thing, patience! If you wait a little longer, the fighter plane will appear!"
