Autumn of the 17th year of Chongzhen

Chapter 518
The natural moat of the Yangtze River has always been an important reliance for the Southern Dynasty to defend against the Northern Army, but now it is reversed.

After listening to Li Guoying's words, Wang Zuntan felt a little more at ease. When he looked at the Ming army camps and banners covering the mountains and plains across the river, he was not as flustered as before.

For a moment, he thought of the battle between fat and water, but in his mind, he became Xie An who planned the strategy, while Wang Yan and his men on the opposite side were Fu Jian who was doomed to failure.

This story coincides with the current situation, which makes Wang Zuntan feel very involved, but Wang Yan's 8 horses are much weaker than Fu Jian's courage to throw the whip to stop the flow.

The reason why the Yangtze River is called a natural moat is indeed because it is difficult to cross. There are not enough ships, and it is basically difficult to cross the river under the defense of the enemy soldiers.

Send two to 3000 people at a time, and wait for the boat to make a round trip. The people who were sent ashore in front of them are probably killed or rushed to the water to feed the fish.

Wang Zuntan took a deep breath, and then let out a long breath. It seems that as long as Wang Yan is blocked on the south bank, this battle will be easy to fight.

The Yangtze River is not a small river or a small river. Especially in Sichuan and Shu, the flow of the Yangtze River is much faster than that of the middle and lower reaches. In addition, there are enemy soldiers harassing, so don't even think about building a pontoon bridge.

Wang Yan wants to cross the river, the first is to collect ships, and the second is to attack several ferries, and he has already prepared heavy troops at the ferries. Whether he attacks Dadukou or Huangjiatuo, it will not take a day and a half. Warships will take ten and a half months.

During this period of time, Prince Su, who got the news, was able to lead the main force of the Qing army to defeat the Ming army in the circuitous Huizhou. By then, even if Wang Yan crossed the river, it would be too late!
"Pass down the order, let the scouts patrol along the river, pay attention to the situation on the other side, and report it immediately if you find something abnormal!"

The Middle Route Army has been stationed in Ba County for several days, and the battle reports about the East Route Army and the West Route Army have been sent to Wang Yan one after another. Ding Kuichu detoured to the state according to the plan, which surprised Wang Yan, and Wan County had already fallen into the At the hands of Wu Sangui, the Eastern Route Army did not cross the Yangtze River, which was somewhat beyond his expectations.

Judging from the current news, the main force of the Qing army is divided into two groups, one in the Chengdu area and one in the Wanxian area of ​​Kuizhou, while the West Route Army will occupy Hezhou and separate the two Qing troops.

Where is Hezhou?He is in the north of Chongqing Mansion, at the confluence of the Qu River, Jialing River, and Fu River. The Southern Song Dynasty built the Diaoyu City here to compete with the Mongolian and Yuan Dynasties, because this place is the Chengdu Plain and the main road to Chongqing.

After Ding Kuichu occupied the city, the two Qing armies fell into a situation where they could not support each other. According to the original plan, the Ming army could attack Wu Sangui in Wan County along the north bank of the Yangtze River as long as the Central Route Army could break through the Yangtze River. Annihilate Wu Sangui, and Chengdu Haoge will be alone, and the Ming army will completely control the initiative in Sichuan and Shu.

It's just that at this time the West Route Army has already marched towards Hezhou, and the Central Route Army has been stationed in Ba County for a few days, but they still haven't found a way to cross the Yangtze River.Even if the Ming army intends to storm the ferry, there are not enough ships.

In the lobby of the Baxian government office, the main generals and advisers of the Central Route Army gathered together.

"According to the plan, we should have crossed the Yangtze River by now, and we will go east into Kuizhou to cooperate with Gao Yigong to annihilate the Qing soldiers near Wanxian County first, but the Yangtze River is lying in front of us, and the army is at a loss. What do you think? Come and listen." Sitting in the hall, Wang Yan looked at the crowd and asked for advice.

"The West Route Army occupied Luzhou and crossed the river to make a detour to Hezhou. There should be many ships staying in Luzhou. Our army sitting here will not help the matter. It is better to send people to Luzhou to collect ferry boats." Yuan Zongdi got up and said.

Dai Zhifan shook his head, "Luzhou is far away from Baxian County, it is not easy to come and go, and there are not too many boats. The West Route Army was able to cross the river smoothly because there were no Qing troops to stop us. However, there are Qing troops guarding them. If there are not enough ferry boats, the river cannot be crossed. The general thought that it would be better for the army to go west and drive directly to Luzhou to cross the river."

The opinions of these two people almost represented the thoughts of everyone in the hall, so after the two of them finished speaking, the rest of the people were silent.Seeing this, Chen Bangyan said in a serious tone: "Going to Luzhou to collect ferry boats and crossing the river from Baxian County, firstly, it takes time, and secondly, it does not ensure that the ferryboats are enough for the army to cross the river. It is not appropriate for the army to go directly to Luzhou. The first detour The road is too far, and secondly, if we move, the Qing soldiers on the other side can also move. There is one point in these two strategies, that is, no one can guarantee success, and the feasibility is not even [-]%."

"Now that the West Route Army has marched towards the Hezhou court, if we take too long and the army fails to cross the river in time, the previous plan may not be implemented." Wang Shixiu worried.

Wang Yan nodded after listening to the discussion. He knew very well that after Ding Kuichu occupied Hezhou, he would definitely become the target of Hauge's onslaught. Sell ​​Ding Kuichu.

This may not only wipe out the entire West Route Army, but may even collapse the entire line.

For a long time, Wang Yan has been relied on by all Ming armies, and he is worthy of trust. Ding Kuichu is rarely so powerful, and he cannot let the West Route Army down.

At this time, General Yuan and Dai heard Chen Bangyan's words, and quickly asked: "The two strategies are not feasible, what can you do, sir?"

Although Chen Bangyan only pointed out the problem, he had no countermeasures. If the Yangtze River was so easy to cross, it would not be possible for the Southern Dynasties to resist the northern soldiers.

Seeing this, Liu Fangliang clasped his fists and said, "My lord, these two strategies are flawed at present, but the general thinks that before there is no better way, whether it is transferring ships from Luzhou or marching the army westward to Luzhou, we must do it first." It is a decision. There is no room for loss in the fighter, any choice is better than waiting, otherwise once the situation in Hezhou deteriorates, there will be no way to recover!"

It can be said that Liu Fangliang clearly stated his interests and made Wang Yan look up to him.That's right, soldiers are very fast. If the army has been so exhausted in Ba County, it will not only be detrimental to the morale of the army, but also may miss important opportunities, which will ruin the good situation that the Ming army achieved at the beginning.

Wang Yan heard this, squinted his eyes and thought for a moment. Dai Zhifan suggested that the army should go to Luzhou, but he seemed to have overlooked one point. When the army moved, the Qing troops on the other side would also move. This did not save much time, but instead widened the distance from Wanxian.

Looking at it this way, it is more beneficial to transfer ships from Luzhou.Wang Yan thinks so far.Then he ordered: "Wang Shixiu listens to the order, you take [-] cavalry and go to Luzhou to get the boat quickly! The army is stationed here, and then think about other strategies!"

"No~" Wang Shixiu got up immediately, and the armor and sword collided with each other, making a loud clatter.After he saluted, he turned and left the lobby.

At this moment in the hall, Jiang Tianyi got up and clasped his fists and said, "Master, in the battle of Huang Tiandang, Han Shizhong trapped Wanyan Zongbi in the south of the Yangtze River. Zongbi had no hope of breaking through, so he paid a lot of money to ask the people for a solution, and finally defeated Han Shizhong and successfully broke through. Now that our army is struggling here, why not try to ask the people for a strategy to cross the river, the local gentry and common people are more familiar with the Yangtze River than us outsiders!"

(Thanks to Yuedong Woxin, who came to give me a reward with a smile, thanks to Xiao Xiaoan, abcde4869, Jinyiwei Tongzhi, the monthly pass of True Love Qingcheng)
(End of this chapter)