Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

Losing control of Dongting Lake, the Chu army in Lujiao Village had to go south by land if they wanted to retreat.

But forty miles to the south, the Miluo River lies ahead.

As the Ming army approached, the Chu army did not dare to withdraw directly.

Because the victorious Ming navy could sail to the mouth of the Miluo River calmly. Then separate small ships to find out the traces of the Chu army along the way, harass them when they are crossing the river, contact and cooperate with the army to launch a half-crossing attack.

"We can't evacuate directly to the south, but we have to evacuate," Zhou Lun said.

Among the generals of the Chu army, Gao Ling was killed in the battle, Yang Yao was seriously injured and captured, and Lei Lei was still confused after the defeat.

Now, only Zhong Yi and Zhou Lun can make the decision.

Zhong Yi had been looking forward and backward, but at this critical moment of life and death, he actually became responsible: "Retreat to the east first, there are many small rivers over there. As long as our army retreats in an orderly manner, we can cross the border at any time to attack the pursuing enemy. The thieves know that there are many small rivers over there. Don’t dare to catch up at full speed.”

Zhou Lun pointed to the map and said: "There is a water village at the mouth of the Guiyi River. The friendly forces there can meet the main force. You can send a speedboat to Pingjiang County and ask them to collect all the ships and choose a secret place for the main force to cross the river at night."

"Just withdraw to the mouth of the Guiyi River and stop leaving," Zhong Yi said. "With Pingjiang County as a support in the east, we can evacuate the county at any time, and there will no longer be a shortage of military rations. If His Majesty brings reinforcements, we can also station troops back to the Yi River. Village, waiting for an opportunity to rescue Lujiao Village."

The Luo River flows from the northeast to the southwest, and the Milu River flows directly to the west in Pingjiang County. When the two rivers merge, they become the Miluo River.

The place where they converged was the Guiyi River Estuary, which was also where the urban area of ​​Miluo was located in later generations.

Zhong Yi and Zhou Lun quickly determined the battle plan: Zhong Yi led the main force to retreat in a roundabout way, while Zhou Lun led 5,000 troops to defend Lujiao Village and cut off the rear.

The fundamental reason for the main force's retreat was that they didn't know when Prime Minister Zhong would lead his troops to rescue them.

Even if they come, reinforcements may be blocked in the Miluo River.

There are too many troops here in Lujiao Village, and the food road will soon be cut off. If it takes a month or two, there will be a shortage of food. At that time, the only way to make a living is by fishing and collecting river mussels.

The withdrawal of the main force to the Guiyi River Estuary can not only relieve the pressure on military supplies, but also protect the food road from Pingjiang County. As long as the river mouth is defended, the Ming army can be prevented from going south, and it can receive reinforcements from Zhong Xiang and provide a bridgehead for the Chu army to counterattack.

The elite Chu army had strong execution ability and acted immediately after finalizing the plan.

When Zhong Yi led the main force to withdraw, he did not bring much baggage and traveled lightly along the river.

Zhou Lun left 2,000 men to garrison the fortress and led his own troops to intercept the Ming army. He also asked Red to lead the remaining naval forces and hide in the military port between the two "antlers" to form a three-dimensional amphibious defense system with twin castles and warships.

The water network in the south is dense, which is no joke.

It is only twenty miles from Bai Qi and Wang Yuan's garrison to Lujiao Village, but they have to cross five unknown small rivers (Xinqiang River has not yet been formed in the Song Dynasty, and scattered into multiple small rivers flowing into Dongting Lake).

Every time they crossed a river, Bai Qi and Wang Yuan were cautious. They first sent reconnaissance troops across the river to check, then sent elite troops to rush across the river to gain a foothold, and then sent large forces to cross the river in several places.

There is no other way. I am afraid that the new army will be ambushed. Once they encounter a mid-crossing attack, they will be finished.

They also have elite veterans, but only 6,000 of them, all direct descendants brought by Bai Qi from Shu.

Among them, Bai Qi's personal soldiers numbered three thousand, and the remaining three thousand were Lin Chong's troops.

At a small river only more than ten meters wide, Zhou Lun, who was responsible for cutting off the rear, met tens of thousands of Ming troops.

When Zhong Yi withdrew, he left behind many flags, which were now used by Zhou Lun and planted in the woods along the river to disguise an ambush.

Wang Yuan observed with a telescope for a while and said: "The enemy's main force may have escaped. We have gathered troops very quickly. Now is not the time to harvest rice. It is impossible for the Chu army to mobilize enough food and grass to Lujiao Village."

"What if the main force of the Chu army has not left?" Lin Chong asked.

Bai Qi said with a smile: "Then besiege but not attack, set up a camp to fight with them, and then let the navy cut off the Miluo River and the Xiangjiang River. Our army is just short of food and grass, but Zhong Xiang is besieged on all sides. We will spend an extra month here. , friendly forces from Jiangxi and Guangxi will be able to capture a few more counties. Not to mention, there will be rebels from all ethnic groups to attack in groups."

While the three of them were talking, the reconnaissance troops had already spread out, and several river crossing points needed to be determined.

In the middle of the afternoon, the main force of the Ming army was divided into five places to cross the river.

Zhou Lun's soldiers were too few and he did not dare to stop them easily. He only fired arrows to harass them, and then quickly retreated to the direction of Lujiao Village.

He could only do this. If the main force of the Ming army chased southeast, Zhong Yi would have to find a way to get rid of it.

However, the Ming army did not pursue the main force of the Chu army, but cautiously moved closer to Lujiao Village.

Bai Qi, Wang Yuan, and Lin Chong had no choice. More than 80% of their possessions belonged to the New Army. If there were another 10,000 elites, they would have divided their troops and killed them directly at Guiyi Jiangkou.

In the evening of that day, the Ming army completed the siege of Lujiao Village.

Lujiao Village can be said to resemble deer antlers, or it can be said to resemble crab claws.

There are twin castles built at both ends of the pliers, and in the middle of the pliers are the water village and the water army. There is also a small river that flows into the middle of the pliers and merges into Dongting Lake. There are also two tributaries that separate the entire pliers.

The terrain is extremely complex!

This is the Lujiao Kiln, one of the six major pottery capitals of the Tang and Song Dynasties. It was also the base where Yue Fei stationed troops when he conquered Yang Yao. In the Ming Dynasty, it was also here that an inspection department was set up to control Dongting Lake.

If this place can be captured, even if Zhong Xiang cannot be killed this year, it will be equivalent to putting Zhong Xiang in a cage.

Bai Qi and Wang Yuan camped separately, with their camps located in the northeast and east of Lujiao Village.

Bai Qi's camp was close to Dongting Lake, and the military rations were transported directly from Dongting Lake, so he could cooperate with the navy during battle.

The Ming Dynasty navy was divided into two, and one half was used to block the Xiangjiang River and Miluo River.

On that day, no troops were sent to attack the stronghold, but iron cannons were used to bombard the fortress.

After a full day of shelling, Yingxuan once again sent people to persuade them to surrender.

Zhou Lun said to the messenger who persuaded him to surrender: "Let the dog thief named Ying come here in person. He is the Holy Duke who was canonized by the master back then. I am only a Holy Marquis until now. If you want to persuade the surrender, the Holy Duke will talk to the Holy Marquis face to face!"

The messenger went back and reported truthfully.

Yingxuan immediately set off in a small boat. Neither Pang Dingzi nor Qiu Shanshui bothered to persuade him. They didn't like Yingxuan very much, so they were killed by the Chu army this time.

When Red came in and saw that Yingxuan really dared to come alone, he turned around and asked, "Do you want to kill him?"

Zhou Lun sneered and said: "Give him some face. After all, he is a holy prince, and you and I are just holy princes."

"Bah, you bastard Holy Duke who surrendered to the enemy!" Redjin spat towards the city.

Yingxuan sailed into the water village and was immediately surrounded.

He did not resist and allowed himself to be bound by the Chu army, and was then taken to see Zhou Lun and Lei Jin.

The three of them were all old friends, and even though they had all kinds of resentment in their hearts, they didn't say anything bad to each other when they actually met.

The main thing is that Yingxuan is really here, and he doesn't even want his life, so what's the point of scolding him?

Zhou Lun said: "There is no need to persuade us to surrender. There is still some wine in the village. Let's get drunk today."

Yingxuan smiled and said: "Okay."

The three of them started drinking and chatting while drinking.

Zhou Lun's words were thorny and he asked: "Do you have a king over there?"

Yingxuan told the truth: "There is no title. Because of his merits in building warships and training navy, he was awarded the rank of fifth-grade guerrilla general."

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Lei Jin slapped the table and laughed exaggeratedly. He pointed at Yingxuan and said: "The good-hearted Holy Duke of Chu did not do it, but went to be that thief-like fifth-grade miscellaneous general. Just by looking at your rank, I know that the thief is heartless and unjust." "

"I don't want to be an enemy of my old brother," Yingxuan pointed at Dongting Lake. "Otherwise, I would at least be the deputy general of the Dongting Lake Navy of the Ming Dynasty. If I were greedy for wealth and power, I would not raise my head to persuade you to surrender today. If you two listen If you don't want this, just kill me after this drink is over."

Zhou Lun actually persuaded him to surrender: "In five days at most, I will come with a large army to help you. If Brother Ying repentes, I will plead with you to let you command our Great Chu Navy again."

Yingxuan shook his head: "Da Chu is almost gone. All the southern states are rebelling, and a large army from Jiangxi is coming to kill, and Lujiao Village is also under siege. Even if Mr. Zhong wins a great victory here and saves Lujiao Village, there will be no other What should I do about the place?”

Redjin remained silent, picked up the cup and took a sip of wine.

Yingxuan added: "Emperor Zhao and Song were captured by the Ming Dynasty but were not executed. Now he is an official of the Ming Dynasty. If Mr. Zhong had surrendered earlier and I went to the prince to persuade him, it should be OK. Save the lives of the whole family.”

Zhou Lun sneered: "None of us will surrender, let alone the master. It's nothing more than death."

Yingxuan said: "Are you dragging Brother Qin Duo to die with you? Are you dragging the people of Jingnan to die with you? All the officers and soldiers in the army have parents, wives and children. What will happen if their families are dead? If the enemy is evenly matched, Chu should fight to the end. But now that the Ming Dynasty has conquered the world, there is only this corner of Jingnan left to conquer, and Chu's stubborn resistance will only increase casualties."

Why don't Zhou Lun and Leide Jin understand this truth?

But they could not let go of the word "loyalty" and would rather die than betray their Lord and surrender to the enemy.

Yingxuan continued: "The officers of the Antler Army were all potters in the past. Antler pottery is famous all over the world, and they don't have to worry about food and clothing. Once the world is calm, they can live a stable life without having to fight with swords and guns. You two keep your loyalty. , but let these many potters be buried with them?"

"Poof!"

Zhou Lun drank a glass of wine and slammed the glass on the table: "Someone is here, drag this guy to jail!"

If he kept talking, Zhou Lun felt that he was about to fall.

When Yingxuan was dragged out of the room, he shouted one last time: "If you don't surrender, Huang Zuo will surrender."

Huang Zuo is Wang Zuo in "The Complete Biography of Yue Fei". He was the first Yang Yao general to join Yue Fei. This man's stance was not as firm as Zhou Lun's.

Today, Huang Zuo leads his army to be stationed in Chongxiao Town on the west bank of Dongting Lake, whose strategic significance is very close to Lujiao Town on the east bank.

Once Chongxiao Town is lost, the Ming army can directly attack Dingzhou, the hometown of Prime Minister Zhong.

Lei Jin's expression changed, and he murmured: "Should I send someone to break out and report the news, so that I can prevent Huang Zuo from defecting to the enemy?"

Zhou Lun did not dare to do this, and worried: "What if it is a divorce plan? If there is a slight mistake, Huang Zuo has no intention of rebelling, and he will be forced to rebel."