Chapter 860 Support
While the Huainan boat division was wreaking havoc along the vortex, Wu Jing and his main force stopped at the mouth of the vortex.
The mouth of the vortex is the entrance where the vortex water enters the Huaihe River. It has been a strategic location for war since ancient times.
Originally, Wu Jing planned to lead his main force deeper into the vortex, but Zhu Ran, another lieutenant general in the fleet, advised Wu Jing to stay at the mouth of the vortex temporarily.
The reason is that the vortex is narrow and cannot allow large ships to enter. Once the main fleet pours in, it may capsize.
Not only that, Zhu Ran also persuaded Wu Jing to set up a dock wall at the mouth of the vortex.
When Zhu Ran said this, the Huainan generals next to him laughed at Zhu Ran's useless efforts.
Because the reason is very simple. When the Huainan soldiers come ashore, they attack the thieves, and when they retreat, they enter the ship. Why do they need to use a dock wall? It's not like fighting a protracted war with the enemy on land.
But Zhu Ran just replied lightly:
"What the armies said is absolutely true, but if we have weak weapons and weak weapons, we will never be victorious. If we encounter a delay and the enemy's infantry and cavalry come over us, our army will be in a hurry and have no time to enter the water. Can we still board the ship at that time?"
One sentence will leave everyone speechless.
Zhu Ran did not look at these Huainan generals and said directly to Wu Jing:
"Master Fu, you have been entrusted by Ming Gong and are responsible for the situation in Huaixi. You must not be impatient. The Taishan army is like a tiger and a wolf. It has troops thousands of miles away, roaring and rushing, and it is impossible to guard against it. If our army cannot set up at the mouth of the vortex first, Once something changes, the army will be in danger.”
Although Zhu Ran's words were meant to be admonishing, there was a hint of disdain for Wu Jing in his words, and he sounded like he was teaching him how to use soldiers.
But Wu Jing didn't take it seriously. Instead, he laughed and agreed to Zhu Ran's suggestion, and immediately ordered people from Pei to set up military forts on both sides of the vortex.
When the military stronghold was completed, Wu Jing personally ordered the school captains He Qi and Gao Rui to lead thousands of elite troops to station in the two strongholds.
At the same time, Wu Jing himself also left the fleet at the mouth of the vortex, and only sent Zhong Lixu, the captain of the tower ship, to take a small boat to the upper reaches of the vortex.
The reason why Wu Jing listened to Zhu Ran's words was not only that his advice was indeed mature and sound, but more importantly, Zhu Ran's identity and power.
Zhu Ran was Zhu Jun and Zhu Shuai's personal general. He was already well-known in Jiangdong. He and Sun Jian were both generals in the same account.
Later, Zhu Ran and other Zhu Junyi escorted Queen He and the others all the way south, and they joined Sun Jian's shogunate.
When Sun Jian left Shouchun, he left 5,000 elite troops for Wu Jing. The leader of the army was Zhu Ran.
Wu Jing knew very well that after learning that the 5,000 new troops he had organized and trained could not fight, the only thing he could rely on for this Northern Expedition was the 5,000 elite troops in Zhu Ran's hands.
It was precisely because of this that Zhu Ran dared to speak to Wu Jing like this, and why Wu Jing obeyed like this.
However, although Wu Jing felt a little uncomfortable, he was still satisfied overall.
Just like now, if he had led the navy deep into the upper reaches of the vortex, how could he have had such a cocktail party today, and how could he have met so many handsome figures from the Central Plains.
It turned out that after learning that Wu Jing's fleet was staying at the mouth of the vortex, the remaining aristocratic and noble families from Ru and Pei counties all went south and gathered at the mouth of the vortex to surrender to Zhu Ran.
Of course, Wu Jing also understood that these people were pretending to vote for him, and they just wanted to use his fleet to move their clans to the south.
But Wu Jing didn't care about this. Instead, he organized a high-standard cocktail party for these people. On the west bank of Wuokou, with willows hanging down and patches of green hills and greenery, it was a good time for spring outings.
At this moment, in a stone pavilion, handsome disciples from Ru and Pei and Wu Jing's shogunate officials gathered together to revel in the wind and magnificent spring scenery.
Suddenly, a knowledgeable person in the crowd burst into tears and sighed:
“The scenery in my hometown is magnificent, but I don’t know when I will see it again.”
Everyone present felt sad about what he said.
Yes, these people are all people who want to leave their hometowns. Their county offices, fields, and ancestral halls are all here. But now they have to abandon everything and go south in a hurry. How can we not make people cry.
But just as this man was grieving, another man stood up and said to him with emotion:
"Now that the mountains and rivers are broken, what's the point of crying? Now we should work together to conquer the Central Plains, otherwise, we will end up as prisoners of Chu."
The person who burst into tears before was Xu Shao, a famous figure in Runan. The Yuedan Commentary he held back then could be said to be the banquet of the best critic in the world, which shows how famous he is.
And the identity of the person who got up was not bad. He was a famous scholar from Pei State, Long Kang Huanbin. He has been as famous as Cai Yong since he was a child. At first, he was promoted to be a filial and honest person, and he paid homage to Shang Shulang. After that, he wrote books and established works, which has become a famous figure.
Of course, he is more famous for the fact that the future Great Sima Huan Wenhuan was his descendant.
I just don’t know if Huan Wen will be born smoothly in the future.
Even though Huan Bin was already old at this time, his words were said with such force that all the handsome disciples in the pavilion were filled with admiration.
But Wu Jing, who was sitting at the top, was not thinking about these two celebrities.
Although these people can bring a lot of prestige to Jiangdong, they are just window dressing and are not worth Wu Jing's troubles.
Among these people, there was one person who really caught Wu Jing's attention. This person was sitting on a mat not far from him, pouring himself a drink.
The person's dress was also very unusual. Everyone present was wearing loose clothes and belts, but this person was dressed as a warrior and wore a large hakama.
This man saw his host Wu Jing looking at him with a calm expression, and he raised his wine cup and waved a toast.
Wu Jing remained calm and looked at another focal figure in the crowd.
This group of nobles and aristocratic families is actually headed by two people, one of whom is Xu Shao, who is a good commentator, and the other is the person Wu Jing is looking at now.
I saw that this man was of medium height, with smooth eyebrows and bright eyes, and a long beard. He had a graceful, calm and sophisticated air.
He is about forty years old, but he has black hair, a childlike face, and neat speech. He is not at all like a man of his age and in this circle with a mouth full of cavities. It is obvious that this man is a man who can maintain good health.
The people present were all from noble families. Although the country was about to be destroyed and the family was about to be destroyed, they still talked a lot about Confucian classics. There was even a faint tendency to quarrel because of their different family backgrounds.
Wu Jing was a little bored by this time. Although he was considered a hero in Jiangdong, he was really not good at Confucian classics. Hearing them talk about this made his whole head dizzy.
Now seeing that they were tending to quarrel, he hurriedly said with a smile:
"Today is full of distinguished guests, young and old, gathered together. It is really a grand event. It is a pity that the mountains and rivers are broken now, and we are in need of force. Otherwise, I would like to be like you, swimming in the mountains and rivers and enjoying myself!"
Speaking without caring about the subtle expressions on everyone's faces, Wu Jing raised his wine glass and shouted:
"For Da Hancai!"
After saying that, drink it all in one gulp.
Then, those people in the Wu Jing shogunate also followed the same example, shouting for a glass of wine. Although many of them were literati and staff, compared with the children of the ministers and ministers, they also looked heroic and straightforward.
After Wu Jing overcame these people, he finally set his sights on the maverick and asked:
"Liu Jun, are you from the lineage of King Pei?"
This so-called Liu Jun, whose full name is Liu Fu, comes from Xiang County of Pei State, not far from Wukou.
This person came to Wu Jing to take the clan with him to escape to Huainan by boat.
But after Wu Jing met this person and learned about his identity and story, he became a stranger to him. At this time, after hearing Wu Jing's question, Liu Fu stood up respectfully and said to Wu Jing:
"Jun Huifu, although my surname is Liu, I dare not join the lineage of King Pei."
But Wu Jing waved his hand and smiled with the people around him:
"They are all surnamed Liu, and they are in Pei County. Even if they are not from the line of King Pei, they must be descendants of the great ancestor."
Everyone present could see that Wu Jing was a little drunk, so they didn't take these words seriously.
But Hu Zong, one of the staff, understood Wu Jing's meaning.
Among the core power levels of Qing, Xu, and Yangzhou, there has always been an idea, that is, according to Zhou Yu's previous plan, to welcome a new emperor and protect each other in the southeast.
But we have different attitudes towards who to welcome.
Among them, the Xuzhou side wanted to welcome Liu Ye as the emperor. Liu Ye was from Yangzhou and had outstanding abilities. Logically, Sun Jian should be satisfied.
But this is not the case. Liu Ye was supported by Chen Deng, so once Sun Jian accepts this result, it means he will be out.
Therefore, Sun Jian has always wanted to welcome a descendant of the Liu clan, and he also found some, but he was not very satisfied.
And Cao Cao over there also had his own ideas. Back then, they wanted to support Liu Yan as emperor, but the old man didn't take the responsibility and just ran away.
Now Cao Cao has also found a new candidate, a native of Qingzhou, Liu Yao from King Xiao of Qi's branch.
But Liu Yao is actually a distant clan, and Cao Cao still wants to welcome him, which shows that he is not willing to make wedding clothes for Chen Deng.
However, Cao Cao's approach inspired Wu Jing. He felt that he could also find a distant relative, but this person was not Liu Fu, but his son.
Yes, Liu Fu's son is less than ten years old now, but it is this age that is his advantage.
Why? Because Wu Jing has figured out one person's thoughts, she is the Queen Mother He.
In fact, in the final analysis, it does not matter who is welcomed. What is important is that the Queen Mother He should be the banner of the Han Dynasty.
You say people are thinking about Han, but who are they thinking about? There is still a specific person.
As the palace of the last ruler of the Han Dynasty, Queen Mother He represented the golden age of the Han Dynasty, which was emotionally acceptable to the Han ministers and elders.
But here comes the problem. Whether Liu Ye or Liu Yao are established in the southeast, it is actually not in the interests of Queen Mother He.
Because the reason why the Queen Mother He can be the Queen Mother must be her son, not even her grandson, because the Han Dynasty does not have the Queen Mother to govern.
But Liu Ye and Liu Yao were both adults and had their own biological mothers, so they would not recognize Queen Mother He as their clan mother under any circumstances.
Now this problem has been solved by Wu Jing.
Since we just want a son, wouldn't it be enough to let Liu Fu's son be the son of Queen Mother He? As for whether Liu Fu agrees or not? Is it his turn to be willing or not?
His clan members were all in the camp right now. If Liu Fu dared to say no, Wu Jing would dare to sink their entire clan into the river.
Anyway, Wu Jing doesn’t need you Liu Fu. If you don’t want your son to be the emperor, then some people will.
Drunkness came to his mind, and Wu Jing felt more and more that his idea was a good one.
But just when he was feeling dizzy, a dozen soldiers rushed outside, and the leader ran directly to Wu Jing and whispered something in his ear.
Wu Jing was in a daze and couldn't hear clearly the first time. But after the soldier said it again, Wu Jing stood up.
He didn't care to greet these children of Ru and Peihao clan, and hurriedly ran towards the wall of the village on the west bank of Guoshui.
Wu Jing left with the people from the shogunate. Some of the rough-and-tumble wealthy children had not yet reacted. On the contrary, without Wu Jing here, they became more arrogant in their words.
One of them suddenly asked Xu Shao in front:
"Mr. Xu, you are very friendly, what do you think of our Wu Jiujiang?"
Xu Shao also drank too much and said with a dizzy smile:
"Our prefect is decisive in killing and has the destiny to become a prince or prime minister. It's just a pity that he is good everywhere, but he just has a beak."
As soon as this statement came out, everyone who understood it laughed.
It turns out that the people in the Central Plains have always looked down on the people in Yangzhou, thinking that their speech is just like the chirping of birds, which is completely incomprehensible.
At this moment, with this joke as the background, the princes and celebrities felt a lot better.
After all, no matter how hard the situation was, no matter how hard the situation was, it was still hard to accept that they, the well-dressed children, should be placed below the son of a melon farmer.
The ridicule at this moment calmed down the anger in his heart.
But everyone was smiling and laughing, but they couldn't laugh at all at first, just because thick smoke started to burn at some point on the plains in the north.
Anyone who knows the way will immediately understand that this is Fengyan in the army.
As a result, everyone present stopped laughing and ran towards the camp on the north bank of the swirling water on their wooden clogs.
At this moment, besides the Taishan Army, who else can appear in the hinterland of Runan?
Taishan Army is coming to kill!
……
Wu Jing was the first to rush back to the camp. As soon as he arrived at the camp, he angrily cursed Zhu Ran:
"What's going on? Taishan's army was already nearby and you just found out?"
Zhu Ran was also very shy and explained to Wu Jing:
"Those Taishan troops are too fast. The latest military report was sent from the lower city. The disciples who came ashore before encountered this wave of enemy troops and suffered heavy losses before sending the information back. But I just received it here. As soon as we got the information, the enemy troops were already nearby.”
At this time, Wu Jing had also regained his composure, and he realized that the group of Taishan troops who came to kill must be cavalry.
So he immediately ordered:
"Zhong Lixu, who was on the north side of the shilling, pulled all the troops on the shore back to the ship, and then went south back to the vortex to join our army."
Then he turned to Zhu Ran and said:
"Have people transport the elite troops from the east coast over and keep them on the ship as a reserve to support this side at any time."
Zhu Ran glanced at Wu Jing unexpectedly and said subconsciously:
"Aren't we going back to the ship?"
But Wu Jing cursed:
"Retreat, why did Naigong run away without even seeing the enemy's shadow? Will he lead troops in the future? Cheer up, let's see, why do those Taishan troops dare to penetrate deep into our side? ”
The general's words boosted morale, and the morale of the entire army naturally did not drop much lower.
They were originally elite soldiers trained by Sun Jian, and they were rushing to fight the Taishan Army from the very beginning. Now that those Taishan troops have finally arrived, they want to see if those people are worthy of becoming their opponents.
Just like that, smoke and dust rose everywhere in the northwest, and the war was about to break out.