When Emperor Liu was worried about gains and losses in Xijing, as edicts full of affirmation and support were sent to the front line one after another, the Northern Expedition officially entered a new stage, a more intense stage.
Although the Western Liaoning Corridor is long and narrow, thanks to the opening up of the former army general Ma Renyu, after more than half a month, the main force of the Eastern Route Army of 230,000 troops has successfully reached the gates of Jinzhou City.
When the troops came to the city, they still maintained their previous style, resting and preparing, but they were more powerful and sharp than before, sharpening their swords and heading towards the city gate, intending to remove the first major obstacle to the advancement of Liaodong.
Although Jinzhou City is tall and strong, it is difficult to withstand the attack of the Han lion, and Zhao Kuangyin is absolutely confident of breaking it.
But before the official attack on Jinzhou City was launched, the Liaohai Sea to the east was already in turmoil, with furious winds and roaring waves. He has an old heart, pursues titles, and strives to improve his position. Therefore, Guo Tingwei also showed a vigorous and resolute style in the execution of the army.
After receiving the order to go to camp, Guo Tingwei returned to the naval camp in Wuqing Port overnight. Early the next morning, without any delay, he ordered to pull anchor and set sail, sailing through the waves, heading straight to Liaodong.
The navy of the Han Dynasty was divided into river divisions and the navy, with a standing force of more than 70,000 people. This was naturally incomparable with the scale of the hundreds of thousands of internal and external horse and infantry troops, but maintaining a navy of such a size was not easy.
With the long-term construction of the navy, the main elite soldiers and generals have also been placed in the navy, and a number of naval families have been born.
Among them, the Guo family has the greatest influence. It has been nearly eighteen years since they surrendered to the Han Dynasty and took charge of the construction of the navy. In the past eighteen years, Guo Tingwei's greatest achievement was to develop the two main naval forces of Mizhou and Laizhou based on the original Jingjiang Army, with a standing force of 30,000.
However, after so many years, the two most powerful navies of the Han Dynasty have not made much achievements. The most recent big move was the Pingnan campaign, but that was just a formality. When Qian Hongchu, the then king of Wuyue and Yue, took the initiative to surrender, he led the navy to go south on a military trip.
Although he participated in the attack on Jiangnan, Li Yu was too useless and surrendered without strong resistance. This also made Pingnan's achievements not so dazzling, and it was even less impressive when compared to a partial division like them. Attention.
However, this is not completely fruitless, at least it has the effect of training troops. More importantly, Guo Tingwei knew very well that from the beginning of its establishment, the largest and most important target of the navy on the East China Sea was the Liao Kingdom in the north, that is, Liaodong.
Over the years, Emperor Liu called Guo Tingwei to talk to him repeatedly, without any concealment, and repeatedly emphasized this matter. In the process of the development and growth of the East China Sea Navy, Guo Tingwei always adhered to this idea.
During the first Northern Expedition, the floating sea attack on the Liao Dynasty failed, but it was just a small test. Emperor Liu did not blame him, but Guo Tingwei was looking forward to the next time.
However, as time passed and as he reached his fifties, a sense of urgency began to grow in Guo Tingwei's heart. He was afraid that he would not be able to wait for the day he was looking forward to. After all, after 17 or 18 years of preparation, how can I be willing to be abandoned because of my age?
On the other hand, within the navy, Guo Tingwei is not without challenges, such as Zhang Yanqing, another general in the navy. As a surrendered minister of the Southern Tang Dynasty, Zhang Yanqing's reputation was not as loud as Guo Tingwei's, but his talents were not inferior to Guo Tingwei's. He was a talented man who was able to govern both civil and military affairs, and was able to govern and command troops.
The difference between the two is that during the Han Dynasty's southern expedition, Guo Tingwei led his troops to resist the enemy, fought with Chai Rong, and caused a lot of trouble to the Han army. In the end, Emperor Liu personally surrendered, which made him famous.
In contrast, Zhang Yanqing defended Haizhou on his own and did not fight with the Han army until the Han and Tang Dynasties negotiated peace before surrendering. However, after surrendering to the Han Dynasty, Zhang Yanqing's official career went smoothly. He first gained the attention of Duke Pu of Yan Kingdom and was appointed as the governor of Chuzhou. Later, he transferred from the army to politics and commanded the Yangtze River Navy.
Compared with Guo Tingwei, Zhang Yanqing also had one more real achievement, that is, he followed Zhao Kuangyin up the river into Sichuan and pacified Sichuan and Shu, and made military exploits.
Of course, what really threatened Guo Tingwei was the Nanhai Navy that was established in the south after reunification. The person in charge was Zhang Yanqing.
Although the Nanhai Navy has only been established for a short period of time, it has made a lot of noise and achieved many achievements in recent years. It is real to regain Liuqiu.
As the maritime trade in the South prospered, the status and role of the Navy in the South China Sea became increasingly prominent. In recent years, many achievements in the suppression of pirates were reported every year. Although it was not big, it always made its voice heard in the court. The standing strength of the Nanhai Navy has also expanded to 20,000 people today.
In comparison, the Donghai Navy, which had been formed for a long time, seemed a bit quiet. In the northern sea, the Han Navy had long dominated the situation. And compared to the bustling Maritime Silk Road in the south, Korea and Japan had frequent exchanges in the north.
Under such circumstances, it is naturally difficult to achieve results. After all, we have to obey the imperial court's overall strategy. At that time, when the relationship between Han Dynasty and Goryeo became delicate, he couldn't wait to send a division to teach the Goryeo people a lesson. Such a positive attitude was probably due to the development of the South China Sea Navy.
However, although the waiting was difficult, it finally made him wait. As soon as the Northern Expedition started, Guo Tingwei knew that the opportunity he had been waiting for had come, the opportunity to rectify the name of himself and the East China Sea Navy in one fell swoop.
Therefore, as early as the end of February, when Emperor Liu received an urgent order to prepare for the Northern Expedition, Guo Tingwei, who was overjoyed, made various preparations urgently and methodically, and strictly followed the order.
In fact, as early as mid-March, the Donghai Navy led by Guo Tingwei had completely entered a state of war. At the same time, in order to enrich the reserve force, retired naval soldiers in the past have also been urgently recruited, and several major shipyards are also urgently recruiting warships, transport and other sea-going vessels.
Therefore, despite the fact that there were only 30,000 naval forces deployed in the Northern Expedition in advance, the reserve force was abundant. Surprisingly, at the last moment, the imperial court could even mobilize the Nanhai Navy to participate in the war. You know, when the Northern Expedition was in progress, Zhang Yanqing had already led the army in the north and was temporarily stationed at the mouth of the Yangtze River.
It can be said that Guo Tingwei can put down most of his burden and carry out cross-sea operations, completely releasing the offensive power of the Han Navy.
Mobilizing troops simultaneously with the camp, Guo Tingwei's actions were also particularly sharp. Without any hesitation, the army went straight to Liao Suzhou Port. The Han navy was already familiar with the Liaohai area and its routes were mature. Therefore, while maintaining surveillance on the enemy, there was no delay in the operation.
In comparison, the navy in the Liao Kingdom seemed at a loss. Facing the menacing Han navy, even if they were prepared to deal with it, they were helpless.
The order from Yelu Xiezhen of Liaoyang was to let them defend Suzhou and consume the Han army. In Yelu Xiezhen's view, if the Han army attacked across the sea, even if they had the advantage, they could use military ports and cities to resist, as long as they were not allowed to Once you gain a foothold, you will be able to move with ease.
Moreover, even though his troops were in a weak position, Yelu Xiezhen still gritted his teeth and sent 10,000 troops southward for support. In his plan, even if the navy could not resist, and the Han army could land on land, it would still have to be delayed, delayed, and consumed through fighting on land...
However, Yelv Xiezhen didn't understand what sea control meant, let alone the Han navy's ability to deploy large forces across the sea.
With the "cooperation" of Yelu Xiezhen, Guo Tingwei led the army northward, and the journey was uneventful without any obstruction. When they arrived at Suzhou Port, facing the shrinking military port, the Liao army, which was clinging to a defensive posture, laughed directly.
In his eyes, the Liao State's adoption of such tactics was tantamount to abolishing its martial arts. If the Liao army could go to sea to fight, even if it could not withstand it, it would probably cause some losses to the Han army.
However, he is trapped in a cage. How can Guo Tingwei be polite about this?
