cite Han

Chapter 339 Battle

From the moment Liu Jing led his army to Quanling, he had firmly grasped the initiative on the battlefield. The reason was simple. Compared with Zhang Jin, he had an overwhelming advantage on the water.

Whether Zhang Jin took the initiative to attack Liu Jingshui's barracks on the north bank of the Xiangshui River, or chose to withdraw his troops, he could not escape the attack of Liu Jingshui's army.

Although Zhang Jin is a literati and has no military knowledge, he is not an idiot. How could he not know that he has fallen into a disadvantageous situation.If you want to blame, you can only blame him for greatly underestimating Liu Jing's strength, so that it is hard to get off the tiger now, and he is at a loss.

In contrast, Liu Jing seemed much calmer. Given that the soldiers under his command were tired all the way, he was not in a hurry to go to war. Instead, he ordered the soldiers to stay in the camp, eat all day long, and recharge their batteries. He took Zhuge Liang, Xu Shu The others went out to inspect the terrain and scout the enemy's situation.

For several days in a row, Liu Jing already knew himself and the enemy, and he had a plan in mind. The soldiers also regained their energy and were eager to fight. Seeing that the time was ripe, Liu Jing immediately called all the generals to discuss.

Prior to this, Liu Jing had made a general charter with Zhuge Liang, Xu Shu, Lai Gong and others. After symbolically consulting the opinions of the generals, Liu Jing directly ordered that more than a thousand soldiers be left to guard the camp. 5000 men from the Water Superintendent were on standby between Hunan and Shenzhen as backup, and Liu Jing himself would go out with 3000 men on foot and cavalry.

The generals went as ordered. In the evening of the same day, General Liu Jingjun had dinner, went to bed at sunrise (17-19 o'clock), and woke up at the beginning of cock crowing (1 o'clock).At this time, the food had already been prepared. After the soldiers had a full meal, they put on armor and held weapons. Under the command of their respective generals and Qu commanders, they marched out of the camp in an orderly manner, and crossed the Xiangshui River with the help of boats and pontoon bridges.

Although Liu Jingjun had the title of lying drum, the actions of tens of thousands of people would inevitably cause a lot of commotion. Sure enough, it didn't take long for the scouts of the Jiaozhou Army to notice Liu Jingjun's actions.

Zhang Jin was awakened from his dream, and he was displeased at first, but when he heard the news that Liu Jing sent troops, he immediately woke up, and without thinking about it, he ordered people to beat the drums and prepare for the battle.

Liu Jing's entire army passed through the Xiangshui River and landed on the south bank at Pingdanzhong (4 o'clock), but it is now autumn and winter, and the sky is not yet clear.Liu Jing ordered the soldiers to rest for a while, and then swung his army southward, reaching outside Quanling Guo.

The north gate of Quanling was opened wide, and Cai Sheng and Xi Zhen led more than a thousand people to join Liu Jing's army. Liu Ba and Jiang Wan also went out of the city to meet Liu Jing.

Liu Jing held the hands of Liu Ba and Jiang Wan, looked up and down, and found that their eyes were dark circles, and their hair was haggard, much thinner than when they met last time, so he couldn't help sighing: "Zi Chu, Gong Yan, you have worked so hard." You guys..."

Liu Ba shook his head slowly and said: "Mencius has a saying: 'The king regards his ministers as brothers and feet, and the ministers regard him as his heart." Your Majesty's trust."

Jiang Wan said calmly: "I was originally a small official in Lingling, who was valued by the Ming government. I have been promoted and trusted. I am grateful in my heart. I have nothing to repay, but I can only promise the country with my body."

Liu Jing said with a smile: "Zichu and Gongyan are both talented people in Jingchu. With you two, I am willing to emulate Zongzi and Chengxuan."

During the reign of Emperor Huan, when Zongzi and Chengxuan served as the prefects of Runan and Nanyang, they appointed Fan Pang and Cen Zang to manage the administration and entrusted them with the affairs of a county. Therefore, the folk song said: "Fan Mengbo, the prefect of Runan, and Huanuo, the chief of Nanyang Zongzi; The prefect Cen Gong is filial, and Hongnong is successful, but sits and screams."

Fan Pang and Cen Yan are not ordinary people, they are listed in the "Eight Talents", they are well-known party members and celebrities all over the world, and the only survivor of the "Eight Talents" is Jingzhou Mu Liubiao.Liu Jing compared Liu Ba and Jiang Wan to Fan Pang and Cen Yan, which is already a very high evaluation.

Lai Gong said from the side: "Liu Zichu is talented and talented, he is also a national scholar; although I have never met Jiang Gongyan, I have heard of his talent. With them two helping you manage Lingling, Zhongda can indeed sleep peacefully."

Lai Gong was not only a well-known scholar in Jingchu, but also an elder in the county. Liu Ba and Jiang Wan did not dare to neglect, so they hurriedly greeted Lai Gong.Liu Jing took the opportunity to introduce Zhuge Liang and Xu Shu to the two.

Although Liu Ba has been in Jingnan for a long time, he is famous in Chu because of his repeated rejection of Liu Biao's enlistment, even dismissing the promotion of Maocai.

You must know that once you become a talented person, the lowest level of external release is the magistrate of Qianshi County who is in charge of thousands of households. Since this dynasty, there are only a handful of people who should not be talented, and all of them are high-ranking scholars at home.

Because of this, Liu Ba's reputation has risen all the way. Jingzhou scholars and people all know his name, Zhuge Liang and Xu Shu are no exception.

Jiang Wan's reputation was limited to Lingling and was unknown to outsiders.

Liu Jing looked at the four of them with great interest. Historically, they all fell into Liu Bei's tent. Except for Xu Shu who left halfway, the other three became the ministers of the Shu Han in the future.

"Boom...boom...boom..."

A thunderous battle drum sounded from the south, and everyone's conversation was interrupted by this.

Liu Jing couldn't help laughing, and said to the left and right: "Is Zhang Jin demonstrating against me?"

Liu Ba said: "Jiaozhi is thousands of miles away from Quanling. Zhang Jin only spent two or three months on the road. Today, Quanling City has been trapped for more than a month. The soldiers have been exhausted and complained. Can fight." Liu Ba's grandfather, Liu Yao, once served as the prefect of Cangwu County in Jiaozhou, so he is familiar with Jiaozhou's geography.

Liu Ba continued: "As the saying goes, 'When the wind is weak, you can't fluff; when the crossbow is at the end, your strength can't enter Lu Jin.' What Zhang Jin did was just a bluff. With the bravery of the governor, he used his troops like a god, and led the river. If the troops of Hunan and Xiang attack the weak and weary enemy, if they follow the swift wind and set fire to it, the battle will be settled."

"Good." Liu Jing clapped his hands and laughed.

Jiang Wan had always been interested in the army, so he invited him to join the army. Liu Ba was just the opposite. His father, General Liu Xiang, the prefect of Jiangxia, died in the attack, and he hated the military very much. Worrying endlessly, I don't want to "ask for trouble".

Liu Jing didn't force him, so he ordered Liu Ba to stay at Quanling, with more than a thousand cavalry as the vanguard, each battalion formed a column, advancing one by one, and filed south.

At this time, the sky was getting brighter, but it was still difficult to see far away. The Jiaozhou Army camp was brightly lit, like a bright moon in the night sky, guiding Liu Jingjun forward.

Zhang Jin did not choose to stick to the camp. They went deep into the enemy's territory for thousands of miles. Their strength was not superior, and they lacked water troops.Therefore, Zhang Jin made a desperate move, leaving only a thousand people in the camp, more than half of them were seriously injured, and the rest, including the slightly injured, totaled 4000 people.

Standing on the watchtower, Zhang Jin looked at Liu Jingjun, who was pressing forward like a mountain topped by the blackness, and felt sweat on his forehead.

Based on the number of Liu Jingjun's boats, he speculated that the opponent's strength should be higher than his own, but he didn't know how much more, and now the mystery has finally been revealed...

(End of this chapter)