I Xiaoxiong

Chapter 226 Bait

The arrival of the Yangzhou grain transport fleet set off a bloody storm in Jiangling City.

More than a dozen generals and schools in the Jingzhou Army were disposed of, as well as two important staff members of the Governor's Mansion, including Wang Hejin, the governor's cousin, Cangbao Chief Bookkeeper.

In the city, there are also a few wealthy families whose business involves the trading of grain and crude medicine, all of which have their homes ransacked in the name of gangsters.

Subsequently, Wang Hechen, the governor of Jingzhou, led more than [-] people from the navy and army to Yidu, and Fan Hong, the governor, and Li He, the governor and Tongzhi, stayed behind.

Hundreds of warships sailed on the river, and a tall building ship in the fleet was flying the five-character banner of "Jingzhou Duduwang". It was Wang Hechen's ship.

In the cabin, Wang Hechen, who had just passed his thirties, was well-groomed, with a handsome face, neat beard and hair, wearing a red round-neck robe and a soft-winged cape. His eyes were looking at the map, dazed, but he didn't know he was looking at the map. Still thinking.

Surrounding the map were Han Zhixing, the governor's governor, and Wang Xun, the nephew of the Yabing commander.

"Uncle, are you still thinking about Jiangling?"

Seeing that Wang Hechen had been silent for a long time, Wang Xun was in a daze, so he asked tentatively.

After hearing this, Wang Hechen came back to his senses, sighed and said: "If the matter of Jiangling is investigated deeply, the crime is not small. Even if it is not investigated deeply, one who is not under strict control will not be able to escape. Fortunately, Her Royal Highness Princess Chengyang is here. Timely, otherwise we will go out of Jiangling. If there is an accident in the city, it will be a fire in the backyard, and we will miss the state affairs. We are ashamed of your majesty. Our royal family has been favored by the state many times. I am the grandson of Xuanzong, the nephew of Renzong, Wuzong and your majesty You are also kind and righteous to our Wang family, if something like this happens, you are ashamed of your ancestors."

Wang Xun said: "Don't worry, Uncle. This time we send troops to Yidu, just to make a contribution. As long as our Jingzhou navy defeats the rebel navy and allows the army to cross the river, most of the battle in Yidu will be won."

There are more than [-] Jingzhou troops, plus the elite Shenwu, Longjie, and Huyi armies, a total of [-] troops.And they are all elite.And Wang Hechen was the governor of Jingzhou, the highest ranking general in the army, so he naturally obeyed his orders.

Wang Hechen nodded and said: "This time is a great opportunity, as long as Yidu is taken back, there will be an explanation, and if the common man Cheng Jun can be captured, it will be a great achievement."

Chief Shi Han Zhixing said: "I'm afraid that the defenders of Yidu will retreat without a fight. They will not confront the officers and soldiers at all, but will go south and east to attack Qianzhong Road, and our army will move slowly and catch up."

After Wang Hechen heard about it, he looked at Wang Xun and said, "What does Wu Lang think?"

Wang Xun has been familiar with the art of war since he was a child, and has been in the army with Wang Hechen for several years.

So much so that Wang Hechen felt that his nephew must be a famous general. Although his bravery was not as good as those of Fu Sanlang and Qiu Yuan, he had a strategy in mind and would surely become a great weapon over time.

Wang Xun thought about it for a while, but just shook his head: "Back to uncle, the military equipment of the southwestern states is slack, and the states do not have strong troops. On the contrary, the army chasing them is the elite of the imperial court. The Red Lotus Army knows this. It is right to fight against the imperial court now." It is not the right time for them. Han Changshi is right. The Red Lotus Army will not fight against the official army in Yidu. Block the imperial army, so that the supply line of the imperial army will be stretched, and a small group of enemy troops can attack the official army's grain road. The tens of thousands of army troops consume a huge amount of food and grass every day. If there is a problem with the grain road, they will inevitably become the enemy. So, but as long as Yidu is restored, uncle will have an explanation."

Wang Hechen frowned immediately after hearing this. The more he knew about soldiers, the more he could understand that what his nephew Wang Xun said was not groundless, but a plan that the rebels were likely to adopt.

But it is impossible not to chase.

As long as Yidu is recovered, both the marshal Xingyuan and the court of Shangjing will demand to take advantage of the momentum to pursue it, which is what it should mean.
"Forget it, let's talk about taking back Yidu first. How about a foreign rebel army defending Yidu?"

As expected, the rebels did not let Wang Xun's words fail. When Wang Hechen arrived in Yidu, it was almost an empty city.

The treasury in the city was emptied by the rebels, and the people in the city were also taken away by the rebels.

In desperation, Wang Hechen did not pursue immediately, but wrote to Cheng Jintang and Marshal Xingyuan to ask how to advance next time.

In the other direction, Cheng Jintang personally led more than [-] troops from the Fourth Army, chasing tens of thousands of Fang Qiu and Fang Jiao's troops.

Among them, Fang Qiu led the army to capture Xingshan, Zigui, and Badong successively, and went straight to Yong'an in Kuizhou, while Fang Jiao led the army behind the palace to block Cheng Jintang's pursuit.

In the end, relying on the terrain of Xingshan, he successfully blocked Cheng Jintang for ten days.

The geomorphological division of Xingshan belongs to the Qinling-Daba Mountains system. The mountain range extends from east to west. The overall terrain is high in the east, west and north, low in the south, and gradually rises from south to north.The mountains in the northeast overlap, and there are many mountain platforms, which gradually decrease to the south. The mountains in the northwest are high and steep, with deep valleys and turbulent water flow.

With such a terrain, the court's army could not be deployed, and the rebels used the terrain to retreat steadily, consuming the officers and troops.

On the other hand, because of the complex terrain, the officers and soldiers did not dare to take it lightly. The troops were divided into multiple groups and marched side by side in various valleys, echoing each other.

Finally, he led his army to attack Xingshan City.

The Red Lotus Army in Xingshan occupied the county seat and Jilongshan, echoing each other. If the officers and soldiers wanted to break through the city, they had to attack Jilongshan first.

Two thousand officers and soldiers, wearing light armor, wanted to launch a fierce attack on Jilong Mountain under the cover of crossbowmen.

The Red Lotus Army continued to throw rolling logs and stones downward against the rain of arrows down the mountain. Many officers and soldiers died under the logs and stones, or their heads were bloody, or their tendons were broken.

Seeing this, Su Duan, the envoy of the Shence Army, personally put on armor and held a knife, and commanded the army to attack the mountain.At the end of the battle, they took the lead with their personal guards, and finally, after paying more than a thousand casualties, they captured Jilong Mountain where [-] rebels were stationed.

After the fall of Jilong Mountain, Xingshan became a de facto isolated city. There were only a thousand defenders in the city, but it took five days for the officers and soldiers to break through Xingshan.

After Cheng Jintang "recovered" Xingshan and ordered to reward the meritorious soldiers, he took all the generals into the city together, and then held discussions in the city.

The Tianwu Army was the first to enter the city, and the envoy Zhou Tieguan first asked, "The governor, there are more than a hundred prisoners, all of whom have suffered some injuries."

"The thieves are stubborn, how can there be any prisoners?"

"Yes, the general understands that in this battle, the red lotus bandits will fight tenaciously, and thousands of people will be killed."

Zhou Tieguan said categorically.

"What are Fang Qiu and Fang Jiao doing?"

Although Xingshan was taken back by the imperial court, the main force of Fang Qiu and Fang Jiao had already gone to Guizhou and Badong. Annihilating a thousand defenders in the city and recovering a county was actually enough to report victory to the marshal.

But Cheng Jintang's face sank, because he knew that such a level of victory could not even be called a victory.

First of all, due to terrain factors, the officers and soldiers paid more in casualties than they captured in the process of capturing Xingshan.It was still the Red Lotus Army.Can this also be called a victory?
"Back to the governor, after Fang Qiu led his army to take Badong, he went straight to Yong'an. It was before we attacked Xingshan. There is no news of Yong'an's fall. Yong'an is the state government of Kuizhou, and there is the governor's mansion. It shouldn't be too late. It would be so easy to be captured by Honglian."

Some words from the staff made Cheng Jintang fall into deep thought.

Fang Jiao and Fang Qiu led an army of tens of thousands, but it was wishful thinking for these troops to capture Yong'an.

But what was he putting on a pose for?

Could it be that it is a slap in the face?
(End of this chapter)