cite Han

Chapter 200

For the past few days, Liu Zhu and Wang Qiang have been so busy that they hardly have time to catch their breath. Liu Jing's soldiers from Linxiang and family members of his husband involved thousands of people, and more than half of them will be moved to Ling County to appease them. With the hearts of the soldiers under his command, it is conceivable that the tasks of the two are heavy.

During this period, the defeated soldiers on the front line fled back to Linxiang one after another. Liu Zhu and Wang Qiang realized that Liu Biao's army might come at any time, so they accelerated their speed again and moved the population day and night.

When the two sent off the last group of people, Liu Zong led more than [-] soldiers and more than [-] ships and retreated safely to Linxiang.

Liu Zongben was a leading hero in Changsha, with a high reputation, and this time he led the people out of danger again, which greatly appealed to the soldiers.If he returns to Linxiang, Zhang Xian will go out of the city to welcome him and entrust him with important tasks, regardless of his achievements or his prestige among the soldiers.

Facing the power at his fingertips, Liu Zong inevitably had some hesitation in his heart, but he finally decided not to return to Linxiang, but to go south to Ling County to join his clan brother Liu Jing.

On that day, he parted ways with the army, led [-] parts, and more than [-] voluntary followers, and left in dozens of ships.

When Zhang Xian went out of the city to meet him, but he didn't see Liu Zong, but only saw his letter, his spirit that had been slightly lifted was immediately hit head-on.

The most embarrassing person is none other than Liu Pan who came with Zhang Xian. He and Huan Jie suggested to Zhang Xian earlier that Cai Sheng's other troops were one of them.

However, after the transfer order was issued, Cai Sheng did not respond for a long time. For this reason, Liu Pan wrote a letter to Liu Xiu, hoping that he could persuade Cai Sheng to take care of the overall situation, but unfortunately, nothing happened.

However, in today's situation, Cai Sheng's behavior is not an exception. There are not a few people who want to stay out of the matter when the disaster is imminent.

After Cai Sheng, another incident happened on Liu Zong's side. The two of them had an "accident" at the same time. This was by no means an accident, as if there was an invisible hand controlling everything.

"Zhongda..." Liu Pan easily guessed the mastermind behind the scenes, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart, "What exactly do you want to do?"

As soon as the news of the defeat on the front line came back, Liu Jing's confidant Liu Zhu came to visit and sent Liu Jing's autographed letter.

The letter contained a lot of content, from the general trend of the world to the situation in Jingzhou, and finally persuaded him to leave Linxiang with a sentence from the "Book of Changes" and go south to avoid disaster: "A gentleman will do it when he sees it, and he will not wait until the end of the day." It means: Once a gentleman finds a bad sign, he must take decisive action.Changsha is at stake now, if you don't leave now, when will you wait?

Liu Pan looked at this eloquent letter with thousands of words, how could he not feel Liu Jing's good intentions, but he had no intention of leaving Linxiang.

A man can do something and not do something, Zhang Xian has always treated him kindly, and he is on a par with Huan Jie, if he abandons Zhang Xian in a critical moment, what face will he have in the world in the future?

Although Liu Pan himself chose to stay and vowed to live and die with Changsha, he entrusted his family to Liu Jing. Except for his old father Liu Yong, who was old and bedridden and unable to travel far, and his wife and concubines, other family members, including his sister and nephew Kou Feng was taken away by Liu Zhu.

Naturally, Liu Pan couldn't stay out of the matter at this time, he had to say something, he bowed deeply, and said to Zhang Xian: "I am ashamed, Liu Bosi would do such a ridiculous thing, it is really a breach of the trust of the lord, I will write a book and persuade him to return."

"Forget it, let him go." Zhang Xian shook his head slowly.His current mood can be described as extremely complicated. He should have hated Liu Zong for abandoning him.However, when Liu Zong was defeated, he gathered the defeated troops all the way, successfully broke through the obstruction of Wu Ju in Luo County, and brought back a total of [-] soldiers for him. Great reduction, only regret.

The current situation in Changsha can be described as dangerous. It is the time for employing people. People with outstanding talents like Liu Zong can't be his help. Zhang Xian feels very regretful.

Liu Pan calmly said: "That's right, Liu Bosi must have been scared out of his nerve by the Northern Army when he fled in such a haste. Even if he is forced to call him back, it will not be of much help. The Fujun can only choose a firm-minded Only warriors who are not afraid of life and death can defend Changsha."

Zhang Xian glanced at Liu Pan, shook his head secretly, then stopped being entangled with Liu Zong, visited the soldiers in person, comforted them well, and set up a banquet to reward the soldiers, and did not leave until sunset.

In the next few days, there were still broken soldiers who fled back from time to time, but all of them together were only worth two thousand. From this, we can see how much credit Liu Zong brought back three thousand soldiers to Changsha and Zhang Xian.

Thanks to Liu Zong, the soldiers in Zhang Xian's hands were able to break through [-] people and recover slightly.In addition to the urgent recruitment of more than [-] people in Linxiang, and the fact that Linxiang, the most fortified city in southern Jingnan, Zhang Xian has the confidence to contend against Liu Biao's army.

At this time, the Jingzhou army, which had been resting in Baqiu for a whole day and digested the fruits of victory, set off again under the leadership of Kuai Yue and Cai Mao, marching by land and water, and marched to the south in a mighty manner.

Wu Ju, the magistrate of Luo County, received the news that the Jingzhou army was going south, and sent troops out of the city ten miles to meet them.

"I, Wu Ju, pay my respects to Kuai Zhangling and Cai Nan County. The two kings are the crown princes of Jingzhou. Although I live in the south, I have been famous for a long time. I am very lucky to see you today." Wu Ju rushed to Kuai Yue and Cai Mao to pay respects, with a very respectful attitude.

Compared with Kuai Yue, who is majestic and handsome, Cai Mao is much inferior in stature and appearance. He is nearly [-] years old, with handsome features, especially his eyes, which are aggressive and give people a sense of domineering.

"Captain Wu, you're welcome." Kuai Yue replied indifferently.Wu Ju was not only the magistrate of Luo County, but also the captain of northern Changsha. These two positions were one of civil and military affairs. Kuai Yue called Wu Ju the captain, obviously considering him as a warrior.

Kuai Yue hated Wu Ju who was a disloyal official and villain, but as the commander-in-chief of the whole army, he must not take his own likes and dislikes as the criterion.Wu Ju is extremely crucial to the pacification of Changsha, and he will appoint him no matter how contemptuous he is.Of course, don't expect any good looks from him.

"Wu Duwei, please." Cai Mao said with a loud smile as he had no ill feeling toward Wu Ju.He is proud of his human nature, no matter what Wu Ju said, he is the number one hero in Changsha, and hearing his compliments, he is very grateful.

"Liu Mu is the lord of Jingzhou. In Jingzhou, the government, big or small, belongs to Liu Mu. Zhang Xian has been in Jingnan for a long time. He thought he had a little prestige, so he rebelled and rebelled. You can be called a traitor! Captain Wu was able to reverse the situation in time and help counteract the enemy. When the day comes, Liu Mu will never forget Captain Wu's contribution."

Seeing that Kuai Yue didn't like him very much, Wu Ju couldn't help feeling cold, and he didn't know where he offended him. Fortunately, Cai Mao was not like Kuai Yue.He hurriedly replied: "Don't dare. Even if you are not here, Changsha will not be able to stop Jingzhou's army."

Cai Mao stroked his mustache and laughed loudly: "There is some truth in this statement. The Changsha army is quite courageous. They dare not fight me at all. They only dare to hide in the Baqiu camp. Otherwise, there is no need to wait until Wuling Send troops, and I can completely defeat the Changsha army in one battle."

Wu Ju made up his mind to hug Cai Mao's thigh, so he kept complimenting him.

Kuai Yue frowned, and finally couldn't help asking Wu Ju: "Wu Duwei, in the battle of Baqiu, we tried our best, but there are still many soldiers from Changsha who escaped by chance. Luo County is defeated." I don’t know how many rout soldiers captured by Lieutenant Wu in Luo County, the place where soldiers must pass when returning to the south?”

When this matter was mentioned, Wu Ju couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed in his heart. He forced a smile and replied, "There are about two thousand people." He didn't dare to tell the truth, but the actual number was only more than one thousand and five hundred people.Undoubtedly, Liu Zong was to be blamed for this matter. If it wasn't for him, how could Wu Ju have only gained this little?

However, more than 8000 soldiers were still too few in the eyes of Kuai Yue and Cai Mao. According to their subsequent statistics, there were about [-] Changsha soldiers who escaped from Baqiu. How did they catch such a few people?

Wu Ju had to give the two of them a reasonable explanation, otherwise he would be regarded as an incompetent person, and immediately said with a wry smile: "I don't want to hide it from you, I don't know who it is. It is said that the rebellion caused people to make trouble in the midst of the rout. As we all know, there is no other way but to use force to defend the subordinates, so we only captured more than [-] people."

Kuai Yue asked again: "Wu Duwei must be familiar with the situation in Changsha through his career and inside and out. Do you know how many people are left in Zhang Xian's hands?"

Wu Ju obviously thought about this issue, and replied in a deep voice: "There should be ten thousand people."

Kuai Yue and Cai Mao couldn't help but glanced at each other, they both complained in secret, if Zhang Xian really had ten thousand people in his hands, their plan to capture the fortified city of Linxiang in a short time would be tantamount to a dream.

However, the mentality of the two quickly calmed down again. They never thought that they would be able to wipe out Jing Nan and solve Zhang Xian in one fell swoop.

Zhang Xian is no ordinary person. You must know that the three counties of Changsha, Lingling, and Guiyang under his control had a population of more than 250 million at their peak.The population of Nanjun, Jiangxia, Wuling, Zhangling and Nanyang counties actually controlled by Liu Biao was less than that of Jingnan.

Of course, the war is not just about population. Liu Biao has a great reputation and stronger control over his subordinates. He has countless talents under his command, and there is also a powerful army with better weapons and armor...

Generally speaking, Liu Biao has an advantage over Zhang Xian, but it is by no means an overwhelming advantage.It was just because of Baqiu's great victory that Kuai Yue and Cai Mao had the idea that they might be able to calm down Jingnan quickly.However, the reality is by no means that simple.

The Jingzhou army rested overnight in Luo County, and continued southward the next day. Wu Ju led two thousand troops to accompany him.

Wu Ju joined in, but Wulingman left. They accepted the seal and reward from Jingzhou Mu Liubiao before agreeing to send troops to Changsha. After defeating Baqiu, their mission was completed, and they naturally had to return home.

Cai Mao loved Wuling Man's bravery and combat skills, and wanted to lure him and others to stay in the army with huge profits, but was flatly rejected by Wuling Man's elite men.

They are barbarians, but they are not fools. Zhang Xian's reputation is widely heard even though they live in the rivers and valleys of Wuling County.

If Liu Biao, as the Lord of Jingzhou, had not sent envoys to threaten and lure them, they might not have been willing to take this troubled water.

Kuai Yue let the Wuling barbarians leave without paying much attention to them. These Wuling barbarians walked as if they were walking on flat ground. Fighting in valleys is their strength, and fighting in city sieges is their weakness. They will basically be of little help when they besiege Linxiang. .

Moreover, if Wuling is in the army for a long time, it will inevitably cause displeasure among the soldiers of the Han army. Generally speaking, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages.

The Jingzhou army continued to go south, and the navy was the vanguard. The boats were covered with cowhide, and the boats were shaped like shuttles;Hundreds of warships are stacked one on top of the other, densely packed, crowding the entire river, and the viewers are all shocked.

The Jingzhou infantry army, totaling more than [-] people, marched along the east bank of the Xiangjiang River. The entire team stretched for more than ten miles, with spears like forests, and flags flying. It was hard to see the head and tail.

Jingzhou's army advanced by land and water, and reached the city of Linxiang.

It was the water armies of both sides that took the lead in the battle.The Jingzhou navy under the command of Cai Mao has hundreds of boats, warships, and fighting ships, and more than [-] soldiers.

And Changsha's navy had been severely damaged because it was in Baqiu before, and now there are only dozens of warships and fighting ships left.

There was a huge difference in strength between the two sides. Less than an hour after the start of the war, the Changsha navy was defeated by Cai Mao's Jingzhou navy. The remaining ships did not even dare to return to the Changsha barracks, so they raised their sails and fled south.

The failure of the water battle was expected by Zhang Xian, but what he was really worried about was not the Jingzhou navy, but the constant arrival of the Jingzhou infantry army.

Originally, he wanted to take advantage of the fact that the opponent had just arrived and his foothold was not stable, so he could send a group of elite troops out of the city to assault the front of the opponent, but when he saw the Jingzhou army's majestic appearance, he couldn't help feeling cold, and immediately stopped thinking.And he was pessimistic about the future of Linxiang.

But he quickly regained his strength. Not only did he have an army of more than [-] in his hands, but he also had the full support of [-] residents of Linxiang.

Just as the army of Jingzhou approached the city, Liu Zhu and Wang Qiang started the last task Liu Jing entrusted to them: to move out dozens of shipyards and thousands of people in the south of Linxiang.It was inconvenient to do this before, and it can only be implemented at this time, when the army is in turmoil.

The so-called "ships in the south and horses in the north", shipbuilders are very valuable talents in the south of the Yangtze River, no matter how powerful they are, they are needed to build ships for them, and no one will easily hurt the shipbuilders.

The boatman is safe and secure, and his ancestors have lived here for generations, so he is naturally very resistant to relocation.The situation was critical at this time, and Liu Zhu and Wang Qiang had to resort to some brutal methods.

At the beginning, Wang Qiang suggested that some of the most die-hard shipwrights should be sent to Jiang to kill chickens and monkeys.

However, Liu Zhu considered that Liu Jingsu valued his reputation, so doing so would be tantamount to tarnishing his reputation, and he just ordered the soldiers to threaten them with swords and spears and drive them away with sticks.

During this period, Liu Zhu and Wang Qiang saw the Changsha navy fleeing southward in a hurry, and also saw the Jingzhou navy chasing after them.

Fortunately, the two of them were cautious and did not leave any large ships beside them, only some small boats, otherwise they would be attacked by the Jingzhou navy.

(End of this chapter)