Han Shizu

Chapter 489
"I don't know Mr. Chen, why are you looking for me?" Zhao Kuangyin asked after introducing Chen Sixang into the account.

Upon hearing the question, Chen Sixang replied: "Emissary Zhao came to the east and tried his best to defeat the Huai bandits. Yao Feng retreated temporarily, and the mountain and sun were not lost, so as to ease the situation of our army. I don't know what plan is the envoy Zhao going forward?"

"Mr. Chen is a veteran general. His military experience is far ahead of his juniors. I don't know Mr. Chen. What advice can I give?" Zhao Kuangyin asked with his posture still low.

Looking at Zhao Kuangyin, Chen Sirang's thinking was conservative: "Guo Jinglue ordered me to guard Shanyang and block the Huai River pass, so as not to be taken advantage of by the Tang army's navy. After the current battle, the soldiers suffered heavy casualties, and food and equipment also needed to be replenished. Based on our See, Mo Ruo is guarding Shanyang, watching the situation of the battle between His Majesty and Guo Jinglue over there, waiting for the opportunity to change, looking for a plan!"

"Chen Gong's policy is mature and prudent, and he is seeking the country's words!" Zhao Kuangyin said.

Chen Sirang was relaxed, and said calmly: "I am old and have lost my vigor. It is not like you young people who show your sharpness. Zhao Shijun fought twice a day and night, ran back and forth for nearly a hundred miles, and dared to kill two thousand soldiers. , attacking ten times as many enemies at night, I'm afraid they have other ideas!"

"Don't hide it from Mr. Chen." Zhao Kuangyin got up and took out a map, pointing on it: "After Yao Feng is defeated, he must either garrison in Baoying to reorganize his army, or retreat directly to Gaoyou. attack!"

Chen Sirang was still a little surprised, and said: "Although Yao Feng was defeated by him, the army that retreated with him, plus the navy army, and gathered some defeated soldiers, roughly estimated to be nearly [-]. Even if you and I join forces, we can The number of those who use it is at most four thousand, if you want to take the initiative to fight against it, I'm afraid it will not be easy!"

"Although the enemy army is numerous, they have lost their ambition. A fearless army is nothing to be afraid of!" Zhao Kuangyin waved his hand and said with pride: "Since our army entered the Huaihe River, we have won consecutive battles. Master Tang fears me like a tiger! Although our army is few, we have a large army The momentum of victory can be broken. Furthermore, from yesterday's battle, we know that Yao Feng is not a good general."

As he spoke, Zhao Kuangyin's tone was tinged with contempt: "According to the situation last night, if I command the Tang army, I will choose to fight hard. If the dry village is destroyed, even if the navy is used as a pawn, it can turn the tide. But Yao Feng, They even chose to gather the soldiers and retreat, so although their losses were reduced, the overall situation was lost. From this we can see that Yao Feng is definitely not our army's opponent!"

"Mr. Zhao, your ambition is commendable!" Chen Sixang stroked his beard and praised.

However, he didn't express his opinion. He heard that Zhao Kuangyin wanted to use his Yizhou soldiers.Zhao Kuangyin is young and aggressive, and he is old, but for him, there is really no need to take risks.After all, Tang Jun is not a piece of paper, it will be broken as soon as he pokes it. If it is successful, it will be fine. If there is a slight mistake, which will make Shanyang lose and affect the overall situation, then his reputation will be ruined throughout his life, and he may even be questioned.

Zhao Kuangyin is quick-witted, able to sense Chen Sirang's attitude, and more or less guess his state of mind and concerns.With a normal face, he traced the canal on the map south, and said in his mouth: "In order to cope with the attack of our Han army, it is roughly estimated that nearly 300,000 soldiers and civilians have been mobilized before and after the puppet Tang Dynasty, and the number of troops lost is no less than [-]. Now the main force of the academy's aid is in the On the western front, His Majesty will lead an army to deal with it. On Huangfuhui’s side, Guo Shijun is also fighting. On the canal line, except for Yao Feng’s army, it is already empty, and Yao Feng is newly defeated. As long as we can find an opportunity to defeat him again, we can go southward.”

Following Zhao Kuangyin's index finger, Chen Sixang said in surprise, "You want to attack Yangzhou!"

"What does Mr. Chen think?" Zhao Kuangyin looked at Chen Sirang with radiance in his eyes, "Yangzhou is the eastern capital of the puppet Tang Dynasty, and it is also the place where Huainan Dingkou and wealth gather. Zheng, we will surely be at the top of the list of military achievements!"

This time, Chen Sirang's expression became more restrained, he even stood up, thought about it for a while, and said, "How sure are you?"

But Zhao Kuangyin shook his head: "I can't guarantee this. I have already sent people to the south to investigate the situation. There will be news within two days. But before that, His Majesty notified the Huainan army and the puppet Tang army. The land of Yang and Tai must be empty. I can only say that once Yao Feng is defeated again, the odds of winning Yangzhou are very high!"

"There is still Guo Tingwei's army from Sizhou behind. If the nail in Xuyi is not removed, how can we go south with confidence! Otherwise, even if Yangzhou can be captured, there will be losses in the rear, and it will be difficult to defend against the puppet Tang's counterattack!" After thinking for a while, Chen Sirang He raised his finger and said: "In the past two days, we will go to Shanyang to organize the army first, and wait for the battle situation on Guo Shijun's side! I know that you have a brave strategy, but you have to take responsibility for it, so you have to act cautiously!"

Although he still didn't agree, but from Chen Sirang's words, he could hear a hint of emotion.But on Zhao Kuangyin's side, it was inevitable to be disappointed. After all, good opportunities are rare, and soldiers are expensive, so he didn't say anything more, and expressed his understanding.

It's just that I feel a little emotional in my heart, thank you if he has the soldiers in his hand, as long as there are one thousand more, he dares to go south with determination.

"Let's report the battle situation here to Mr. Guo first, so you can rest assured." Zhao Kuangyin said.

When the two "conspired together for a major event", soldiers came to report, and the Tang army and water army attacked on the canal.Both Chen and Zhao were surprised, they thought it was Yao Feng who led the army to kill the carbine, but they were even more surprised when they learned that the enemy army came from the Huai River in the north.

Hurrying back to the city, we climbed to the head of the west city together and looked northwest. We could clearly see that on the canal, there was a navy with the banner of the Tang army coming southward. The scale was not large, only fifty or sixty warships.

"It's Sizhou Tang Jun!"

"It must be Guo Tingwei's army!"

Zhao Kuangyin and Chen Sixang spoke in unison.

"How could Tang Jun from Sizhou come here!" Chen Sirang looked at Zhao Kuangyin with more surprise than fear in his tone.

Zhao Kuangyin frowned deeply, took a deep breath, and said: "Guo Shijun and I marched on both sides. Outside Xuyi City, there are Xuzhou Jiedu Wuxingde and Duliangshan more than 10,000 troops to prevent and control the defenders. But the Tang Army Navy is still ordered Well, obviously there is something wrong with Xuyi City!"

"Fortunately, Zhao Shijun responded in time, and Yao Feng retreated in fear of the battle. Otherwise, if such a Tang army comes from the upper reaches to help in the battle, Shanyang will be lost!" Chen Sixang breathed a sigh of relief, looking scared.

Looking at the solemn Zhao Kuangyin, he said, "Mr. Zhao, the plan to go south can be put on hold for now!"

Zhao Kuangyin quickly adjusted his mentality, and said with a wry smile: "There is something wrong in Sizhou, how can I take risks regardless of the overall situation! Let's report to Mr. Guo and see the situation in Sizhou!"

The Tang army on the canal naturally came from Sizhou, and the guard Guo Tingwei personally led [-] soldiers.It was Guo Tingwei who took advantage of Guo Rong and Zhao Kuangyin to lead the army to act, and faced the Xuzhou army who went south to break the city, he adopted a decisive attack strategy and raided the Han army.

In the north of Xuyi City, the leader of the Han army will be Xuzhou Jiedu Wu Xingde, plus the army commanded by the imperial edict, there are 7000 people under the city of Xuyi, guarding and containing Guo Tingwei, and there are two thousand Longqi troops in Duliangshan. Thousands of guards of the Lord.From this arrangement, it can be seen that Guo Rong attaches more importance to Guo Tingwei than Huangfuhui and Yao Feng who came to help.

Even so, something went wrong.Wu Xingde, the chief general of the Han army, was only an ordinary military academy in the Jin army a few years ago, with no more than five hundred soldiers. He made his fortune and jumped to Jiezhen, Dazhou, because he seized the opportunity to welcome the Northern Han Dynasty.

However, his ability to command the army and make decisions on the fly is still debatable, even inferior to his deputy envoy Cheng Deqin.However, when the Han army came from the north, it was basically undefeated. The Han army inevitably had arrogance, and Xuzhou's soldiers and horses were not as capable as those in Suzhou. Therefore, when facing the surprise attack led by Guo Tingwei himself, he was completely caught off guard and was defeated in World War I. More than half of the soldiers were lost, and even Wu Xingde almost died in the battle.

After defeating the Xuzhou army, Guo Tingwei used his generals to guard the city and monitored the Han army in the capital Liangshan. Afterwards, he personally led the boat division and went down the Huai River east into the canal, intending to support Yao Feng and help him break through Shanyang.It can be seen that Guo Tingwei is a warrior with vision, and his goal is to open up the Huai River.

However, coming here on a whim, there is no sound of killing in Shanyang.
Standing on the side, looking into the distance, traces of war can be seen everywhere, but Shanyang City still stands on the edge of the canal, with the Han flag flying, and there is no Tang army around.
"My lord, the reinforcements seem to have withdrawn. Could it be that they were defeated by the Han army?" The commander of the navy subconsciously looked at the general who led them to a great victory over the Han.

Letting out a heavy breath, he couldn't help but feel a little depressed, with a hint of depression in his tone, Guo Tingwei said: "It's hard to get down from the mountain, pass my order, go back to Xuyi!"

The boat master turned around and went back against the current. Guo Tingwei knew that his efforts were in vain again.On Xuyi's side, there will still be a fierce battle. No matter what happens to the reinforcements, at least on Sizhou's side, there is less room for him to move.

After the Tang army's navy retreated northward, Chen Sirang and Guo Tingwei were also temporarily relieved on Shanyang's side.And that night, Zhao Kuangyin received Guo Rong's war report and a military order.

(End of this chapter)