Southeast of Xiangyang City, on the vast land, a group of soldiers and horses hurried forward.
This is a scout team of about fifty people, one person and one horse, everyone carries a sword and a bow, and an arrow pot is placed diagonally on the right side of the saddle. In the drizzle and breeze, the hooves of galloping horses trampled and rolled in the muddy water, bringing up pieces of turbid water droplets. At the front of the team, Zhang Zhong, the general commanding officer, was constantly observing the distance with his eyes while riding his horse at full speed. Beside him, there were several young people who kept the same movements, one of them was Lin Nan.
More than 300 people dispatched from Xiangyang City were divided into six teams and dispersed in various directions in order to discover the rebels as soon as possible. The order was issued so quickly that there was almost no time for anyone to react, but Feiling Guards Qianhu Qiubiao, Lin Nan, Yu Yong, Liu Wencai and others who were in the army still held a brief consultation. After a while, Qiu Biao made a decisive decision and adopted Lin Nan's suggestion. All the Feiling Guards in Xiangyang City, who could ride horses, blended into the scout team and left Xiangyang City.
According to Qiu Biao's original idea, he wanted to take advantage of the war in Xiangyang City to gain fame. Who would have thought that the timing was wrong in the end, and the target deduced in advance was wrong. Not only did the supreme commander Luo Tian die, but also the culprit Meng was killed. Tu's greatest contribution did not fall into the hands of Fei Lingwei, but Song Cheng took advantage of it. At this point, although Qiu Biao had made great efforts in defending the city, he was just doing things under another identity, and his merits were far from enough.
Seeing that the city was about to be destroyed, Qiu Biao's heart for fame and fame also became weak. People are going to die, so what's the use of fame and wealth? However, at this time, after the heavy rain, to everyone's surprise, the rebels retreated strangely. This made many members of Feilingwei, who always like to use their brains, think about it, and Qiu Biao was naturally no exception. According to his idea, no one doesn't like to eat fat meat. Since Li Xian, Dongyang Guards, and Prince Huai's soldiers gave up on Xiangyang City, there must be some reason why they had to give up!
It¡¯s just that I still don¡¯t know what caused the turning point in the battle of Xiangyang City and the reason why Li Xian had to withdraw his troops at the critical moment! The only thing that is certain is that the other party must be in big trouble! Let them have to withdraw! Must withdraw!
And the other party¡¯s troubles can, in turn, become one¡¯s own advantages. For Qiu Biao, advantages and troubles are always things that will always accompany him on the road to promotion. So after a brief weighing, Qiu Biao, who had just been freed from the threat of death, once again ran towards a new goal with persistence. And taking this opportunity, Lin Nan also accomplished his goal.
After passing through patches of grassland, passing through mud pits and depressions, and walking for twenty miles from Xiangyang City to the southeast, there was still no sign of the rebels. Just as everyone was wondering and resting, suddenly the scouts who had been sent out in front of them galloped back, and the two of them were guarding the knight in the center. Behind the knight's horse, you could vaguely see a man who was tied up tightly. Soldiers covered in mud.
After a while, after a short interrogation and verification, the Xiangzhou guard soldier who was captured by mistake brought shocking news, which not only answered the questions that had been swirling in everyone's minds, but also made Zhang Zhong and Lin Nan Everyone has a rough judgment on the current situation in the southeast.
A battle in Xiangyang City lasted for more than two days. On the imperial side, whether it was the Luocheng Guards and Jeju Guards in the north, the Huchuan Guards and Nanling Guards in the south, or even the remaining naval forces from the Jiangnan Navy Camp ¡Throughout the whole time, not a single army reinforcement arrived. Even at the most critical moment, even if one of the commander-in-chief was killed, there was still no news or trace of the reinforcements. At that time, many people, including Lin Nan, believed that the imperial court had completely abandoned Xiangyang City.
And today, the news brought by the scout sentry in the front who was responsible for guarding and spying in the rear proved that it was what everyone thought: the imperial court, from beginning to end, did not send even a single reinforcement to Xiangyang City! The imperial court had indeed given up on Xiangyang City from the very beginning!
In an instant, everyone¡¯s hearts froze. Although the war in Xiangyang City has passed, and although Xiangyang City did not fall in the end, all those who participated in the defense battle of Xiangyang still had a hint of gloom in their hearts when they heard the news. Even though Zhang Zhong, the general commander, understood the court's tactics after some thought, he still felt uncomfortable as the abandoned party.
As early as three days ago, ten thousand sailors from the naval camp in the north of the Yangtze River crossed the Yangtze River. Under the leadership and cooperation of the remaining soldiers from the naval camp in the south of the Yangtze River, they easily recaptured the beachhead. At the same time, troops and horses from the Luocheng Guard and the Jeju Guard from behind were also constantly reinforced. The commander of the troops and horses of the two guards was not a general, but the current general.The emperor¡¯s son, the sixth prince Mingzhong!
After a bloody battle in Xiangyang City, some Anling left guards, Anling right guards and Xiangzhou guards were ordered to move to the front. It was not because they were unaware of the tight situation at the rear. However, at this time, given the situation they were in, it was also a dilemma.
If you don¡¯t return reinforcements, you may watch Xiangyang City being occupied by the Wu-Huai Allied Forces! After occupying Xiangyang City, the rebels who had recovered their breath and surrounded the three thousand Dongyang Guard rebels in front of them may once again eat up the remaining imperial troops in front!
"And if we come back for reinforcements, the three thousand Dongyang Iron Guards who have been hanging at a distance from the front will become a group of tigers and wolves in the rear, and they may eat this group of soldiers and horses returning for reinforcements at any time!" At that time, I am afraid that most of the army and horses composed of Anling left guard, Anling right guard and Xiangzhou guard will be destroyed before they can help Xiangyang! There is a high possibility that the return of aid will fail and you will suffer the consequences instead!
In the midst of a dilemma and hesitation, Huang Xin received an order. This order was not issued by the Commander-in-Chief of Hannan Capital, but a special secret order. For some reason, it was stamped with the title of Former Military Governor's Office. Seal! As soon as this order came, Huang Xin felt at ease. While standing still and dealing with the three thousand Dongyang Guard rebels in front of him, he secretly sent out a large number of scouts to the northwest to investigate the movements behind them.
At the same time, some soldiers of the Huchuan Guard and the Nanling Guard, who had long received an order from the Hannan Capital Commandery Department and rushed to send reinforcements to Xiangyang, were intercepted halfway. A higher-level order was issued to prevent the reinforcements of Huchuan Guard and Nanling Guard! The person who conveyed the order and took over the command of the army was the current emperor, the Ninth Prince Ming Yong!
Abandon Xiangyang City and march eastward!
Commanding more than 15,000 Liangjiang Navy camp soldiers, plus the Luocheng Guards and Jeju Guards, a total of more than 20,000 troops, Mingzhong did not immediately cross Shuanghu Ridge to reinforce Xiangyang City. After a little tidying up the army, they raised their whips and galloped their horses and killed directly towards Huaixi!
Abandon Xiangyang City and march southward!
Mingzhong¡¯s intention is obvious: If you hit yours, I¡¯ll hit mine! Attack it and rescue it to relieve the siege of Xiangyang! Even if the other party remains indifferent, Xiangyang still falls into the enemy's hands. For the imperial court, it is just a loss of a city. However, if the imperial court captures King Huai's lair and then captures King Wu's Jiangdu, then the entire southeastern rebellion will be destroyed. Finish! In exchange for the victory of the entire battle in exchange for one city and one pond, this deal is already quite a bargain!
In short, no matter how you calculate it, marching southward is an excellent move, and it will be far more effective than directly reinforcing Xiangyang!
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West Line.
Within two days of the bloody battle in Xiangyang City, the Huchuan Guard and the Nanling Guard arrived early at Liulin Town and the Juma River line because they had traveled dozens of miles less, and merged with the Anling Left Guard and the Anling Right Guard. The soldiers and horses of the Wei and Xiangzhou Guards immediately launched an attack on the three thousand Dongyang Guards rebels! Almost at the same time, the city of Xiangyang was awash in blood, and the line between Liulin Town and Juma River was also littered with corpses! The battle lasted for most of the day. Although they were powerful and fearless, the Dongyang rebels, who had a huge numerical disadvantage and no geographical advantage, finally could not withstand the pressure and began to slowly retreat. As the front lines of the two armies continued to move forward, one day later, the location of the confrontation between the two sides had moved to the Sanchakou area.
His Highness Ninth Prince Ming Yong was directing the battle in the front while consciously sending scouts to the rear for continuous reconnaissance. On the one hand, it prevents the Huai army in the southeast from making all-out efforts to reinforce Xiangyang City again, or even abandoning Huaixi and using Xiangyang City as a foundation to spread the war to the Jiangnan area in the west. On the other hand, they are also checking the progress of the war in Xiangyang City at any time and observing the movements of the Huai army. Mingyong's purpose is not to drive the three thousand Dongyang Guard rebels back to their home base in Dongjiang. Fighting is necessary, but the ultimate target is the Huaiwang rebels who are still behind and fighting endlessly under Xiangyang City!
After the bloody battle in Xiangyang lasted for two days, heavy rain poured down, and the fighting at the top of the city was forced to stop. And that night, despite the heavy rain, an order came to the rebel camp attacking the city, accompanied by shocking news. Afterwards, King Huai's few remaining Huai troops immediately led their troops back. However, the shortcomings of the different affiliations of the two sides were exposed at this time. Even though King Huai nominally rebelled against the imperial court with King Wu, the soldiers under his command were not under Li Xian's jurisdiction after all. Although Li Xian was so angry that he almost burst his lungs, he could do nothing about it. He had no choice but to lead a remnant of less than a hundred soldiers and evacuate in a hurry
However, they did not expect that Ming Yong, who had already judged the progress of the situation in advance, had sneaked behind the rebels with the Huchuan Guard and Nanling Guard. The Huai army and Li Xian's troops had just withdrawn ten miles from Xiangyang City when they suffered a sudden head-on attack! Affected by the adverse storm and the suddenness of Ming Yong's surprise attack, these rebels completely gave up resistance and fled in a panic! The sudden heavy rain and strong winds also disrupted Ming Yong's advance battle plan.Although they took the opportunity to eliminate part of the rebels, the remaining main force of the Huai army and Li Xian also escaped without a trace under the cover of wind and rain.
With the worries behind them resolved, the Huchuan Guard and Nanling Guard turned around again and joined forces with the Anling Left Guard, Anling Right Guard and Xiangzhou Guard to confront the Dongyang Guard rebels in front of Sanchakou.