Chapter 1023 Choice
"Hu-" A horse team stopped and took a rest.
The sergeants skillfully loosened the girth of the horse, held the reins, and jogged around to collect the sweat.
Peng Si'an replaced a group of spare horses and took more than ten people to find a small dirt bag and survey the terrain.
What comes into view is a huge lake, the water is mighty and stretches for an unknown amount of time.
There were dozens of ships moored on the lake. They seemed to have discovered the cavalry coming from the north, so they sent several small boats to the shore to take a closer look.
Peng Si'an ignored them, but called the guide and asked: "What is the name of this lake?"
"Yang Yuan." The guide replied.
"Where to?"
"Chengde, Hefei."
"That's right." Peng Si'an said, then frowned a little, took out the map and verified it carefully.
Nanfeishui (Shishui) flows from the northwest of Hefei and is divided into two branches.
One stream flows to the southeast and flows into Chaohu Lake.
The other branch flows to the northwest, also known as "Zhijin".
Zhijin merges into a low-lying area in the north of Hefei County, named "Yangyuan", also known as "Yanghu".
There is a river to the north of Yangyuan, named "Yanjianshui". This water meanders northward and flows into Feishui (Bei Feishui). Then it flows from the west of Chengde County to Shouchun and Huai River.
This is the river channel that Cao Cao widened and dredged for his southern expedition. After Jin defeated Wu, it was dredged again, and now it is very impressive.
At the end of the Jin Dynasty, Du Xiaowei was appointed in Shouchun, specializing in transporting grain. He made use of this river - later known as the "Chaofei Canal", also known as the "Chaohuai Canal", which is the main canal connecting the Yangtze River and the Huaihe River. Yangyuan, Zhijin, and Yanjianshui have basically been developed into farmland in later generations.
When marching or fighting, the most important thing is to avoid getting lost.
Peng Si'an had no idea about the geography of Huainan and relied entirely on maps and guides.
But the map is not very accurate because it is not updated in time.
A flood may change the course of a river or cause a county to relocate, leaving you at a loss as to what to do.
In addition, you may be mistaken about the mountains or rivers drawn on the map and take a sidetrack, so you still have to rely on local guides.
He led a thousand men and horses, half of them were Lu Shuihu, Feng Yi and Di Qiang. Under the leadership of his guide, he took a detour south and traveled for three days.
I don’t want to say how difficult it was in the middle.
What you see are either rivers or ponds, or silt swamps covered with aquatic plants and reeds. The relatively solid and dry roads were filled in and compacted little by little during the Wei and Jin dynasties. It was really not easy.
What made him most desperate was that most of the small rivers he encountered on the way didn't even have names and were not on the map. However, they were real obstacles to the march, especially for the cavalry.
In the past, many people in the army joked that they brought armored cavalry with them when they went on an expedition. Maybe the war was over and they didn't find a chance to go to war, because the conditions for use were relatively harsh.
When we get to Huainan, there is no need to bring armored cavalry, because even the conditions for the use of cavalry are very harsh.
There are pools of water everywhere, rivers crisscrossing the land, soft soil, and rain and humidity. This ghost place would have to be developed by hundreds of thousands of immigrants for hundreds of years, and most of the creeks and swamps would be filled in and turned into farmland and cities before it would be suitable for cavalry. Zongheng - simply put, the environment needs to be transformed.
"What should I do?" Xu Chu Yiyu rode up, pointed at the Jin navy that was commotion on the lake, and asked: "We have been discovered, do we still want to go to Hefei?"
"Now that the military order is issued, you have to go even if you die." Peng Si'an sighed.
The military discipline in Daliang is so strict, what can be done?
General Zhang obviously has considerable thoughts about Hefei.
He can understand. By capturing this city, the Shishui River can be controlled and the Jin army can be blocked in Chaohu Lake. The water system north of Hefei can be used safely and boldly to become a transportation channel for our own soldiers and supplies.
This is an important thoroughfare.
General Zhang really wanted to annihilate the main force of the Jin army in Chengde, and then take advantage of the situation to take Hefei, and even peek at Chaohu and Ruxuwu (Dongguan).
That's all, he can do whatever he wants, just go south for a while.
"Dong dong..." The continuous sound of drums sounded on the surface of Yangyuan Lake.
Several large ships came over, and the Jin navy stood on both sides of the ship, holding rifles, swords, shields, and spears, shouting loudly, looking menacing.
"Ha!" He sneered, immediately ordered two hundred people, put on spare horses, and prepared for battle.
The rest continued to rest.
After resting, they continued to raid south without any discussion.
******
On the sixth day of June, a massive siege ended.
The people from all walks of life retreated noisily.
Huanfu attacked from the camp outside the city, and Zuyue opened the city gate and fought out together. They drove the Jin army to the river bank before withdrawing.
When the city gate was closed and everything settled, Shan Xia, Lu Wan and others were speechless.
The night attack last night was unsuccessful.
Today we attacked during the day and lost troops and generals.
The most uncomfortable thing is that the defenders have no intention of holding on, and the strong attack seems unlikely to be effective.
Shanya stands on a high platform and overlooks the panoramic view. The generals of each battalion actually began to dig trenches and build fences, and strengthen the water and land camps. This was because they were worried that the ancestors' soldiers would come out of the city to kill them, so they dug deep trenches and raised fortresses, thinking that they would defend their plan to the death.
At this time, even if you don't know how to fight, you still understand that a frontal breakthrough is absolutely impossible.
"Grand Governor..." An old voice sounded from beside him.
Shan Ya came back to his senses and said, "If Zhong Xian has something to say, please speak directly."
The person who spoke was Xu Zhongxian, the lieutenant of the Lieutenant of the Jiangbei Governor (Shan Ya Supervisor of the Military Affairs of Yangzhou Jiangbei), who was the elder brother of Xu Chao.
I saw him cupping his hands and saying: "Do you still want to fight, the Governor?"
"What does Zhong Xian mean?" Shan Ya asked.
"If we fight, we still have three months to go. We should retreat to Hefei by mid-August at the latest." Deputy Xu said.
"Why do you say that?" Shan Xia asked.
"The governor is from the north and doesn't know about this." Deputy Xu said eloquently: "Huainan has rainy summers and the water surges, so there are many places where boats can go, and even large ships can go straight to Shouchun. But after September , the rain is gradually subsided, the river is gradually drying up, and there are fewer places for boats to sail. The old man is worried that the Yanjian water is not good for sailing, and it will block the return of the army, so the general must pay attention. "
To put it simply, it is the section where Shishui flows north to Zhijin River, Yangyuan River, and Yanjianshui River (this section is actually included in the "Feishui River", although it is a tributary) and merges into the main flow of Feishui River. If in late summer and autumn There is less rain at the beginning, which may affect shipping. This was not uncommon during the Wei and Jin Dynasties.
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It’s the rainy season now and the rivers are swollen, so that’s fine, but what about in a few more months?
"If there is no fight, it is better to retreat slowly." Deputy Xu did not wait for Shanya's reply, and said: "If you are really unwilling to do so, you can repair the city in the area west of Feishui River and southeast of Shaipei. With the vast mist of Shaipei as your back, you can think of Hefei Beiping. From now on, just stick to Hefei. If Dongguan is safe, then Jiangnan will be strong."
"Shut up!" Shan Ya reprimanded subconsciously.
Deputy Xu smiled lightly and didn't mind.
Shanya was very helpless.
Seeing that they could not defeat Chengde, these Jiangdong wealthy families wanted to retreat?
If we can retreat to Shouchun today, we can retreat to Hefei tomorrow, and we can retreat to Dongguan later, until all the fortifications in the north of the Yangtze River are lost along the way, and we purely use the Yangtze River as a screen. When that time comes, death will not be far away.
Although he has never heard of the concept of "buffer zone", the principle is clear.
Jiangbei's stronghold exists, so you have room to make mistakes, because it is impossible for people not to make mistakes all the time.
It doesn't matter if you make a mistake, just correct it and come back.
There were repeated battles with the enemy in Jiangbei. Even if the fighting was very embarrassing, Jiangnan was safe.
But once the two sides confront each other across the river, there is no room for mistakes. If someone accidentally breaks through the Jiang defense, morale will be lost, and Jianye will fall soon.
Mr. Xu is over seventy years old. Having grown up in Soochow, he may be used to the fact that there is no Shouchun and Hefei, and he can only rely on Chaohu and Dongguan as the barriers to the north of the Yangtze River.
He may have thought that Cao Cao's best soldiers from hundreds of battles could not cross Chaohu and were blocked at the front line of Hefei. The Sima clan was also defeated miserably at Dongguan and lost tens of thousands of troops. It is not bad to rely on this line of defense, not to mention that Hefei is still in hand. Yes, it is actually safer than Soochow.
But Shanya didn't dare to think so.
Soochow had the right time, but the Eastern Jin Dynasty had the right time? It's too late.
Every city in Huainan is very precious, and every inch of land should be fought for. If Jiangdong is safe, how can we give up so easily?
At this time, another Zhonglang, Gu Zhong, spoke up and said: "Captain, what Zhongxian said is not unreasonable. Today there are many naval divisions and few land divisions. The soldiers are not good enough and their morale is not high. It is difficult to conquer and achieve victory. It is better to go back." .Hefei There are two cities, the old and the new. The old city faces the river and lake in the south, making it easy to travel. The west city has strange dangers to rely on. If the two cities stand side by side and are well defended, then the foundation of Jiangdong will be solid. Why fight with life and death in Chengde and Shouchun? "
When Shan Ya heard this, he frowned even more, almost making the same argument as Deputy Xu!
But the Xu family is a wealthy family in Jurong, not to mention the Gu family. Their opinions must be listened to, otherwise the soldiers will not be able to raise money, food, and food.
But Shan Ya was still a little unwilling, so he looked at Lu Wan.
"The Governor is waiting for news from the North Road?" Lu Wan asked.
Shan Ya was struck by what he said and nodded silently.
"Grand Governor, after fighting to this day, the ancestral soldiers are still indestructible, what about Shao's soldiers?" Lu Wan said: "If the navy can cut off the Huai River and leave Shao's soldiers alone, they may be able to watch a little, but if they are unable, they will not be as good as The people of Chengde were moved away and retreated to Hefei. It is a long-term plan. If the general wants to wait, he can, but he should not attack the city anymore. It is better to strengthen the fortress. Even if the ancestors leave the city and even Shao soldiers go south, they will greet them with deep trenches and high fortresses, supplemented by navy ships. Retreat the enemy.”
Shan Xia pondered for a long time this time.
Everyone stopped urging and just waited quietly.
"I have made up my mind!" Shanya stopped and said, "Fortify the forts and water forts as a defensive strategy. Send people to various places and move the people to Hefei. You will follow this order."
"As ordered." All the generals responded in unison.
Shanya is waiting for news from the north, but what's going on in the north?
On the sixth and seventh days of the lunar month, the Jin navy was working hard to remove the wooden piles on the river north of Feikou and clear the channel.
That night, Yang Bao sent naval officers to the pontoon bridge and launched fire boats down the river, but to no avail.
Han Huang's and Tong Jian's armies were defeated by the Proton Army and Zuo Feilong Guardsmen. More than half of them were lost on both sides. The remaining two thousand soldiers were defeated and fled with the support of the navy.
On the ninth day of the lunar month, the Jin army no longer tried to send troops ashore, but continued to clear the waterway.
Their intention was obvious: to completely cut off communication between the north and the south, so that the Liang army crossing the river would become a turtle in the urn, and the army would be defeated after running out of food.
The news naturally spread to Zhang Shuo's army quickly. By this time, he had arrived near Chengde and encountered the Jin army's land and sea soldiers deployed on the perimeter.
Like Shan Ya, he also faced a choice.
If the main force of the Shanya tribe cannot be defeated quickly and the pontoon bridge to the north is destroyed by the Jin army, then we must carefully calculate how long the accumulated food and grass will be enough.
So he wrote a detailed letter stating his thoughts and sent it to the messenger immediately to where the emperor was staying.
(End of chapter)