cite Han

Chapter 261

At the end of June, the vanguard of the Jingzhou Army arrived in the north of Lingxian County, where the Xiang, Lei, and Cheng rivers meet, facing Lingxian across the river.

The Jingzhou Army's military discipline was lax, and most of the soldiers left the ranks, or took off their helmets and armor, or lay on the ground, or took a rest by the river, brazenly provoking Liu Jing's soldiers on the other side of the river.

At this time, Liu Jing and the generals stood on the north wall of Lingxian County, looking down at the Jingzhou Army on the other side of the river, with a calm and calm expression.

On his head he wears a armor-style splicing pocket, which is enough to cover his head, cheeks, and neck. On his body, he wears a chain-like fish-scale robe armor. His body and limbs are protected by the armor. Only his hands and feet are exposed on the whole body. , It can be said that it is armed to the teeth.

Cai Sheng was covered with fine armor, and his appearance was imposing. Standing one step behind Liu Jing, he saw the Jingzhou army's ugly face, and said with a deep expression: "Liu Jun, why don't you take advantage of the new arrival of the Northern Army, and when the ground is not stable, cross the river and attack them. The Northern Army thinks they are strong, so they must think that we dare not attack."

"No." Liu Yu immediately objected, "Kuai Yidu is a man of deep wisdom and good at strategy. Maybe this is his intentional flaw, but he has actually set up an ambush to lure us into the net. What's more, now The enemy is strong and we are weak, attack rashly, victory will not be enough to win, defeat will shock the soldiers, I hope the Ming court think twice."

Liu Jing thought for a while, the battle between the two sides will not end in a short while, it is destined to be a long and arduous battle.In this way, every ounce of strength in my hands is very precious, and there is really no need to take risks.

Liu Jing said slowly: "Wen Lang's worries are not unreasonable. It is not appropriate to act rashly now, so as not to give the enemy an opportunity to take advantage of it. The defense of Ling County is solid and indestructible. We should guard Ling County and respond to all changes with the same."

When Liu Jing and others were talking about the enemy, the enemy was talking about them.

In a dense jungle a few miles north of the Jingzhou Army's Qianfeng Camp, Liu Pan and Huang Zhong led more than [-] cavalry and quietly hid in it, their intentions being self-evident.

Liu Pan leaned against a tree and sat on a skip, with his pocket and weapons aside, and while gnawing on the hard and rough embarrassment, he asked Huang Zhong, "Han Sheng, do you think Liu Zhongda will take the bait?"

The majestic Huang Zhong said in a deep voice: "I don't know much about Liu Zhongda. Judging from the battle with Junshi Cai last year, he dared to leave Ling County and set up an ambush a hundred miles north. He is a person who dared to take risks. Might be hooked."

Liu Pan swallowed the embarrassing rice in two or three mouthfuls, patted the residue of the embarrassing rice in his hand, and said: "It is best for Liu Zhongda to lead the army in person. As long as he is dealt with, not to mention Ling County, Lingling and Guiyang counties can also pass the call." Depends."

Huang Zhong shook his head and said, "Liu Zhongda is famous for his talents and virtues in Jingchu. Although he has a strategy, he is not a man who is ready to fight. Like this kind of close combat between the two armies, he probably won't come in person."

Liu Pan also knew that his thoughts were a little wishful thinking, and said: "If Liu Zhongda doesn't come, Chu Ziping is fine. Last time he escaped in Linxiang, this time I will kill him with the sword."

Chu Fang was filial, brave and loyal, even if he was an enemy, Huang Zhong couldn't help but respect him in his heart, and said: "Chu Ziping is a righteous man, but it is a pity that he is deeply involved with Zhang Changsha and Liu Zhongda, so he cannot submit to the general."

Liu Pan glanced at Huang Zhong, shook his head and said, "Unless Liu Zhongda surrenders with a crowd, Chu Ziping will never obey."

Huang Zhong sighed: "It would be a pity if he died in Jingnan."

Liu Pan was silent. He and Huang Zhong were in different positions, so they naturally looked at the problem differently. He was Liu Biao's nephew and one of the rulers of Jingzhou. No matter how rare Chu Fang was as an enemy, he would not There will be a trace of mercy in my heart, and I will kill it quickly.

Time passed bit by bit, from morning to noon in the blink of an eye, Liu Pan and Huang Zhong waited for two hours, but there was no "movement" ahead. There is no doubt that their plan fell through, and Liu Jing did not take the bait.

Liu Pan had no choice but to lead his army to rendezvous with the front. At this time, the soldiers of the front were building a fort on the north bank of Leishui.

Although he knew that Liu Jingjun's surprise attack was unlikely, Liu Pan asked Huang Zhong to lead a troop of soldiers and horses to be on standby at any time in order to be prepared.

Until the evening, Liu Jing's army in Ling County remained silent, but Liu Jing's water army took some action during the period, and dozens of large and small ships cruised between the Hunan and Lei Rivers.

Fortunately, the Jingzhou army's camp was still some distance away from Leishui, and Liu Jingshui's army had no intention of going ashore to fight, so it only played the role of harassment and deterrence, and did not cause much trouble to the Jingzhou army.

The next day, tens of thousands of Jingzhou water infantry arrived in a mighty way. The navy ships and ships were connected by boats and boats, and the sails were like clouds, covering the sky and covering the sky. The army was like a giant steel dragon, with banners covering the sun and spears forming forests. I don't feel daunting.

Kuai Yue sat safely in the car. He knew yesterday that his plan had failed. Although he was a little disappointed, that was all. If Liu Jing was so easy to deal with, Liu Biao and him would not have a big headache. .

When Kuai Yue arrived at the camp by the Leishui River, he did not start his actions immediately. Instead, he decided to rest the whole army for two days. The army traveled hundreds of miles, and after more than ten days, it was always necessary to give the soldiers a chance to breathe.

The soldiers rested at ease, but Kuai Yue didn't want to sit in the camp. He was escorted by Liu Pan, Huang Zhong and the cavalry to inspect the terrain.

Before dispatching troops, Kuai Yue had almost turned over Jingnan's topographic map, and Ling County was naturally the key point. However, no matter how detailed the map was, there were still some areas that were not as good as it was, so he still had to conduct a field investigation.

The new town of Ling County leans against Chengshui River in the north and Xiangshui River in the west. It is an irregular rectangle with a sharp top and a wide bottom, straight like a sharp sword.

Because Chengshui and Xiangshui are the natural city moats of Ling County, neither the north nor the east of Ling County can be attacked, while the west of Ling County is a lake, which is called "West Lake" because it is in the west of the city.In other words, the terrain on the west side is narrow, and it is difficult to deploy heavy troops. Only the south side of Ling County has open terrain and can be fully deployed.

There are two ways to get to the south of Ling County. The easiest way is undoubtedly to land on the Xiangshui River, but there is a prerequisite for this, that is, Liu Jingshui's army cannot do harm.

This means that the Jingzhou army must defeat Liu Jingshui's army in a short period of time, even with Cai Mao's arrogance, he dare not boast so much.

The second road is to cross Chengshui in the north of Ling County, and then go around to the south of Ling County. Although the process is a bit troublesome and there is a danger of being attacked by Liu Jingjun halfway across, but compared to the first road, Much easier.

Kuai Yue himself prefers the second way. Of course, he will not act rashly. He is going to see the situation of the navy first.Otherwise, in case Cai Mao is defeated by Liu Jingshui's army, he and his army will be like turtles in the urn.

(End of this chapter)