Han Zuo Gaomen

Chapter 1294
Since Kaitai, the Jie Kingdom in Hebei failed to seize the short-term opportunity of the Jiangdong coup and civil strife, and watched General Shen go south to quickly quell the rebellion. Later, he established a platform in Luoyang, making the situation in the southern country stable again.

In the next few years, both the north and the south entered a relatively stable period of recuperation and adjustment. Apart from digesting the Henan land and accumulating strength to prepare for the westward expedition to Guanzhong, Luoyang Xingtai did not make any major moves to commit crimes against the north.

As for the Jie Kingdom, Shihu's energy is mainly placed in the north, maintained internally by high-handed and brutal rule, and externally restrained, or conquered the barbarians in the border areas, striving to create a stable rear.

Under such circumstances, apart from some small-scale mutual intrusions, the lower reaches of the Yellow River still maintained a certain degree of calm.

In the current lower reaches of the Yellow River, the forces of Jie State have basically been driven out of the south bank of the Yellow River, and because the Jin army built Fangtou, an important military town in Hebei, pointing directly at the heart of Jie State, several attempts to rebuild Yecheng were all due to Fangtou. Tou Xie Ai's stubborn obstruction ended in failure.Therefore, on the whole, the Jin army is already in a strategically advantageous position in the lower reaches of the Yellow River.

The troops arranged by the Jie Kingdom in this area, in addition to the Maqiu tribe who have been entangled with Xie Ai in the north of Fangtou, and the Pingyuan Gongshixuan in the downstream position.

Shi Xuan is the next son of the Great Zhao Heavenly King Shi Huxi, and besides the crown prince Shi Sui who stayed behind in Xiangguo, he is also the oldest and most healthy among Shihu's sons.

In addition to Fengguo Pingyuan, after getting rid of the old minister Kui'an, Shi Hu named him Shangshuling, and awarded all the Qingzhou army he led when he returned to Hebei to fight for the national unification in his early years. In other words, counties and counties in southern Hebei such as Qinghe, Guangzong, Pingyuan, Leling and even Bohai all belonged to the army and civilians, and they confronted and attacked Shen Mu, a southerner in Taishan County across the Yellow River.His authority was even higher than that of Xiangguo's so-called prison prince, Shi Sui, and he was deeply loved by Shihu.

A new round of collision between the two major forces, the North and the South, took place here.

Fufen is an important military fortress built by the Jin army on the south bank of the Yellow River.

From the chasm to the east, the Yellow River is the front line of the confrontation between the north and the south. Among them, Fangtou is the bridgehead in the middle.Jie Guo failed at Fangtou several times, but he couldn't get rid of this thorn in his heart, so he didn't dare to make any large-scale actions in this section of the Yellow River.

The location of the stone is not as important as the Fangtou from an offensive point of view, but from a defensive point of view, it is a very dangerous place.Its land is Chongqingyan, which is located near the confluence of Jishui River and Yellow River, and is connected to Juyeze. Once invaded, it can be directly inserted into the heart of Henan Province!
It can even be said that once this place is in the hands of Jie State, the strategic significance it will play can be almost equivalent to the threat Fangtou poses to Jie State.

In the early years, when the Huainan Governor's Mansion went northward and fought the Central Plains War with Shikan of Yecheng, Shikan sent an elite army to cross the river from Hufen, preparing to fight back in a desperate struggle, but failed in the end.

After that, Wang Shi also made more constructions in Fufen, building a large town near Jindu, and at the same time widening the river, making it an important stop for Wang Shi's navy.

However, this place is not without flaws, that is, the terrain is too low. Whenever there is abundant rain and the river surges, it is inevitable that there will be hidden dangers of the Yellow River's backflow. Therefore, it is not a suitable place to garrison around it. The surrounding area of ​​the city lacks the military guards, and there is a faint feeling of being isolated.

Of course, in normal seasons, this problem is not too big. Whether it is the upstream sliding platform or the downstream Jibei, the two wings of the dragon can support each other, and there is Taishan County, the absolute important town between Qing and Yan, in the rear. The only enemy that needs to be faced is the intrusion on the river to the north.

And this section of the Yellow River has a wide water surface, and it is where Wang Shi's water army is heavily garrisoned. It is a dream for the Jie army to break through from the river!
However, any military arrangement is not static. At the end of July, an order came from Xingtai, instructing the downstream navy to swim upstream and to gather in the east of the river to strengthen the defense of the middle reaches.After Lu Yong got his order, he didn't dare to neglect, especially because he wanted to arrive at Hedong before the end of the flood season, so he immediately led his troops to set off.

Wang Shi's water army is mainly deployed along the Yellow River. In addition to Lu Yong, who is in charge of linking the strongholds and fortresses along the river, there is also a sea escorting water army in the north of Qingzhou, with a scale of about 2 people, led by Xu Mao.After Lu Yong was transferred away, the vacancy left behind naturally needed to be filled by Xu Maobu.

However, the transmission of military information, due to the limited distance, will inevitably leave a short window period.And this window period is also the most accident-prone moment.

In the Fushui camp, although there were still some Wang Shishui troops who hadn't set off, waiting for the rear team to arrive and handover, but compared to the huge camp size, it still seemed empty.

This place is not only a stop and rest point for the Wang Shishui army, but also a center for the gathering of goods.In addition to the wharf camps, there are also a large number of warehouses in the water camp, extending all the way to Fufen City, which is more than ten miles away from the river bank.Lu Yongshui army marched westward, and by the way, also transported a batch of goods into Luoyang.

The guard general named Gao Zhong, after handing over the new batch of goods, saw those cargo ships slowly leaving the pier and heading west, showing a bit of exaggerated reluctance in his expression: "Thick reserves I don't know how long it will take to kill these rebellious thieves once they are evacuated!"

"General Lie Nian wants to kill Hu, why don't you invite Zhan to accompany you to the west?"

When the lieutenant next to him heard this, he couldn't help laughing and teasing him.

Hearing this, Gao Zhong blushed a little, pointed at a few people and reprimanded them angrily: "You idiots, do you think I don't have the guts to kill thieves with swords? In the coming year, the general will plan to attack here Let’s see if you can beat this old man by rushing to kill the enemy!”

After hearing the words, several people laughed again, still complimenting Gao Zhongbao in that mocking tone.

However, they also understand that the main significance of this place is to keep out the enemy and at the same time serve as a supply place for the king's division in transit. Even if they use it downstream in the coming year, it is unlikely that this place will be selected as a large base for attacking.

Because it is the soldiers of the king's division who stayed here, compared with other divisions of the king's division, they are not so brave and aggressive.This Gao Zhong was already fifty years old, and he had never heard of any majestic deeds in previous years. To be able to guard this place, most of the time he came to this position through polishing his qualifications.

Similar commanders and generals are not lacking in the king's division. After all, in addition to rushing and attacking, the king's division also needs to have the role of being prudent and coordinating personnel.People like Fangtou Xie Junhou, who are all-round in civil and military affairs, are only a minority even in a world full of heroes.

Gao Zhong retreated to the second line, but he was still in a relatively important position in the second line, far better than those old comrades in the rear who were called the generals of the military mansion and the food chiefs of the village. He was quite satisfied with this .

After all, he also knows how deep his talents are. Earlier, he was young and strong and could not show off his peers. Now that he is getting older and weaker, he has no hope of making more achievements on the battlefield. It is also indispensable to be able to defend this place well. He worked hard and shared the benefits.

Hearing the insincere praise from the generals, Gao Zhong scolded a few more words with a straight face, raised his palm with a broken finger and said angrily: "I was so bold in the old days, and I was even more fortunate in the past to protect the general from returning home along the river. Killing the robbers in the capital, these old things, do you still want to tell you all?"

The generals have long been tired of hearing this kind of words, because several people laughed even louder after hearing these words, and some even said: "How brave is the general, how stupid are the bandits along the way? Dare to block the way to stop the general..."

Hearing this, Gao Zhong blushed even more. He stamped his feet and roared angrily: "Is there no business in the camp? You stay here one by one, talking lazily, delaying serious business, be careful of your own heads!"

When it came to business, everyone didn't dare to be lazy anymore, they dispersed, or took inventory of military supplies, or led troops to patrol the coast.

After everyone dispersed, Gao Zhong lowered his head and caressed the scar of the severed finger, the shame on his face gradually faded, and then a bit of nostalgia appeared, he looked at the backs of several people and said with a guilty conscience: "How stupid is this? Lao Tzu is the real shrewd..."

While talking to himself, he ordered the soldiers to seal up the warehouse that had been evacuated, and wait for the autumn grain to enter the warehouse before opening it.And he didn't stop there, just patrolled the bank, then let people put the board down the river, and went straight to several small islands in the river.After he landed on Hezhou, he called the commander and asked, "Is there any news from the fort on the north bank?"

The captain presented all the collected information. These information are some simple characters that ordinary people don't understand. Through these characters, the time, place and some simple event contents can be conveyed.

The north and the south frequently harass each other in this area, and occasionally use some wrong information to mislead each other. With this kind of encryption processing, it can greatly avoid voice misinformation.Moreover, it is difficult for the scouts on these fronts to ensure that everyone is literate. It is more practical to use these characters instead.

Gao Zhongfan looked at the information, frowning, with a somewhat serious expression.It’s not that there’s something wrong with it. In fact, the contents of the scout’s messages are almost the same every day, but right now, it’s a weak and sensitive period for the defense department. Anything unusual is enough to make him vigilant and nervous. endlessly.

"One more call at night."

Gao Zhong gave another order, and then he left Hezhou and returned to the camp on the south bank.At this time, the sky was getting dark, but Gao Zhong didn't take a rest, and he was cruising along the river, personally arranging the sentry for night patrol.

"In a few days, it will be fine in a few days..."

Gao Zhong thought to himself, he didn't complain about being tired, and being able to get through this period of weakness safely was the greatest compliment for him.

The navy originally stationed more than 6000 people here, but more than 5000 people have left, and more than [-] people stayed behind. Including the original defenders in the city and camp, there are nearly [-] people in total.But Fufen is not just a single stronghold. In addition to the Jinfang Ferry and the city behind it, there are also warehouses and the like. Once scattered in these places, the overall defense is still a little weak.

It will take more than ten days for Xu Mao's navy from Qingzhou to arrive, but Taishan County is fast. General Xin Bin is leading [-] soldiers to come here day and night, and they should be able to arrive in two or three days.In addition, Cao Na of Jiyin has led his troops to reach between Jishuikou and Juyeze.

Gao Zhong thought about the scheduling matters between Qing and Yan in the past few days, and personally directed the external ships to tow away from the pier and sail into the dai. When the gate was settled, it was already late at night.

"General, do you want to go back to the city?"

Hearing the soldiers beside him asking for instructions, Gao Zhong raised his hand, waved it, and said, "We'll stay overnight in the camp tonight."

If there is an enemy attack, it is obvious that the Fufen City with a solid wall as a support is easier to defend.However, due to the low-lying terrain around the Jinjin, if the city is too close to the mouth of the Jin, it will be easily flooded.

In the early years, the reason why Fufu City was built was because there was such a stronghold nearby. Even if the enemy army conquered Fufujin, they would not dare to drive straight in, otherwise they would be cut off by the defenders of Fufu City, and the kings in the back road would be cut off. The teacher strives for a reaction buffer time.

In the past few days, Gao Zhong did not guard the city, but mainly concentrated his troops at the Jinkou Wharf. It was really insufficient to defend, and relatively speaking, the ferry was more important than the city. In addition to warships, there were also Many military resources and equipment are concentrated here waiting for transshipment.

If Fufenjin was captured by the enemy, even if he defended Fufen city, it would be meaningless.Moreover, reinforcements from all walks of life are on the way, so there is no need for him to gain buffer time. If he sticks to the siege, it may create a favorable situation for the enemy army to encircle and attack reinforcements and break down separately.

After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the night wind was already extremely cold, but Gao Zhong was sleepless, and was still sitting in the tent by A in the middle of the night, waiting for news from Hezhou.

From this point of view, he is really not suitable to be a front-line army general. He is more than cautious and lacks courage. Once he notices some hidden dangers, he will be so terrified that he can't sleep or eat.But this kind of cautious character is also the most suitable for being arranged in a situation like this, at least not to be caught off guard by the enemy because of underestimation and negligence.

The night was quiet, only the rhythmic and boring sounds of the copper leak and the big clock in the tent, and even a few soldiers were sleeping soundly with their arms and staffs in their hands, but Gao Zhong suddenly stood up from the mat, his armor and saber The sound of collisions awakened the soldiers, subconsciously clenched their knives and guns and looked around, then heard Gao Zhong's voice said in a low voice: "A quarter of an hour has passed..."

Hearing this, the soldiers couldn't help complaining, they thought that they were the easiest to get tired in the middle of the night, what's the matter if they were a quarter of an hour late, it's been like this for the past few days, they couldn't bear it anymore.But before he had time to say anything, he saw that Gao Zhong had rushed out of the camp, so he hurriedly raised his steps to meet him.

Gao Zhong stood at a high place in the camp, raised his eyes to look at the dark night in the north, frowned and muttered: "It's not good... quickly send the order, the third camp in the north is ordered to get up and sleep!"

Soon, the sound of commotion resounded in the camp. Not long after, a few sleepy-eyed commanders walked quickly. Although they were not in good spirits, they were all dressed in armor.This is also an important military order in the military camp. Once the night market order is issued and the clothes and armor are scattered, they will rush out of the camp.

"General, what's the situation?"

Several soldiers all asked nervously, and then Gao Zhong said in a deep voice: "It's almost half an hour late, Hezhou...send a boat to investigate first."

The soldiers originally thought they had discovered the definite enemy's situation, but when they heard that it was just so, some people couldn't help muttering a few words, but Gao Zhong paused and said: "Shut up! I'd rather you be terrified day and night than die and sleep! Reinforcements from all walks of life are about to arrive, and when you sleep day and night, don't you think you won't have time to recuperate..."

At this point, his voice stopped abruptly, because he saw a flash of fire on the river in the middle of the night, and his heart froze. Before he had time to think about it, he stopped and shouted: "Raise the fire, gather, and prepare to meet the enemy!"

After the military order was issued, the sound of flags, drums and trumpets in the camp suddenly rang loudly, and the bonfire along the river suddenly shot up into the sky. The middle of the river pushed forward, and the horror picture originally hidden under the night was also outlined!

On the broad river, warships like ferocious beasts were half submerged in the river water. Covered by the sound of water and wind, they were quietly approaching the mouth of Fufenjin. The ships at the forefront were even about to enter a Inside!The coverage area of ​​the fire is still too narrow, and the situation further behind is still shrouded in darkness. I don't know how many enemy ships are approaching.

(End of this chapter)