Han Shizu

Chapter 1011 The situation of gradually suffocating

Compared with the vigorous and rapid progress of Cao Liu's army in the middle and upper reaches, the battle in the lower reaches has fallen into a period of stability.After winning the war of words at Jingkou, under the order of Li Gu, the Han army tentatively launched a cross-river attack on Jingkou, but was repelled by Lin Renzhao, and fell into silence since then.

The warship galloped on the river, attacking from time to time, shouting slogans, and mobilizing troops, but there was no real big action, just like thunder and rain.During this process, Jiangnan's defense line seemed to be temporarily stabilized. The Han army could not attack the river for a while, Jinling's safety was temporarily guaranteed, and the voice of asking for Lin Renzhao's crimes in the court was also quieted down. However, as a general Lin Renzhao's mood became increasingly heavy.

Mountains and rains were about to come, and there was always a gust of wind, and the separation of a river could not stop the advance of the Han army. With the Han army refraining from attacking, Lin Renzhao felt more and more dangerous.And where does the danger come from?There is no need to think about it, Ezhou, Jiangzhou, Chizhou, Taiping, Changzhou, and the Yangtze River defense line in the south of the Yangtze River are full of loopholes.

In Changzhou, facing the attack of tens of thousands of Han army and Wuyue allied forces, although they are still holding on, it is expected to be difficult. The governor Zheng Yanhua is a loyal and brave general. He also participated in the bloody battle with the Han army in the Huainan War, but how long can he hold on , is still unknown.

Once Changzhou falls, the safety of Runzhou will be unquestionable. Under the situation of internal and external difficulties, and two sides attacking, even if Bai Wu is resurrected to lead the army, it will be difficult to solve the crisis.There were only [-] defenders in Changzhou, and less than [-] in World War I. After learning that Guo Tingwei led an army to attack, Lin Renzhao was always worried about his situation.

He once went to Jinling and suggested to Li Yu to send troops from Jinling to strengthen Changzhou's defense. After all, [-] young men were newly recruited. Even if they can't fight, doing physical work and helping to defend the city can still play a role.

However, Lin Renzhao's suggestion was rejected for the simple reason that the safety of Jinling should be guaranteed first.Obviously, the Jinling court also lacked confidence in defending the Yangtze River defense line, because of the news from the upper reaches.It can be said that no matter which route made a breakthrough in the pacification of Jiangnan by several armies, it would affect the overall situation.

Therefore, the Jinling court began to consider that if the defense of the river was lost and the Han army successfully crossed the river, they had to have enough troops to hold on. In terms of the strength of the city, it had to belong to Jinling.At that time, relying on Jinling City, they may still be able to hold on, delay the war, and maybe win some opportunities. After all, there are many examples in history of holding on to an isolated city and turning the corner from desperation.

After being rejected, it can be said that Lin Renzhao was furious, indignant, and scolded the weak master and mediocre officials.In desperation, Lin Renzhao could only divide [-] troops from the defenders in Runzhou to go to Changzhou to reinforce Zheng Yanhua.

Before this, it was not that Lin Renzhao hadn't thought about leading Runzhou's elite to sneak to Changzhou, cooperate with Zheng Yanhua, attack both inside and outside, and launch an assault on the coalition forces.As a coalition army, there are bound to be loopholes in command. The Han army crossing the border, the Wuyue army may not have the same heart with it, it may be an opportunity.

If the coalition forces in Changzhou can be defeated, the impact on the entire battle situation will be immeasurable, and it can be said that it is a trouble to the elbow and armpit.In addition, Changzhou is adjacent to Runzhou, and the distance is not far, which is convenient for marching and returning to the division.

However, the risk of this matter is also great. If there is any accident, such as not being able to defeat the Han army in Changzhou quickly, or failing altogether, and the main force of the Han army in Guazhou taking advantage of the situation to cross the river to attack, the whole battle situation may be at stake. If it is completely corrupted, the Jiangnan court may be beyond redemption.

Lin Renzhao has the guts and courage to gamble, but there are not many people who are willing to follow him to risk their lives.After all, for the generals of the Southern Army in Runzhou, they already felt tremendous pressure on defense, let alone attacking proactively.

Therefore, Lin Renzhao's proposal failed to gain support.The army in Runzhou included nearly [-] forbidden troops from Jinling and local troops mobilized from other prefectures and counties, in addition to the Zhenhai Navy that had been stationed for a long time. Although Lin Renzhao was the commander in chief, he was still subject to considerable restrictions.

It's also ironic to say that when facing the crisis of extinction, those who really fight for it on the frontline battlefield are not those ministers, ministers, high-ranking officials and nobles who have been treated favorably by the Li family, but those generals who have never been taken seriously.Lin Renzhao was one, and Zheng Yanhua was also one. Both were surrendered generals from Fujian.

Of course, what Lin Renzhao was most worried about was Dangtu in Xuanzhou. Although it was an important place for Jiang defense, it was also a suitable place for crossing the river.However, since the start of the war, all important places have been in full swing, only the Dangtu area has been quiet, which is very abnormal, especially when the Han navy has basically controlled the Yangtze River waterway.

He reported his concerns to Jinling, hoping to strengthen Dangtu's military defense and defense, but it was also not accepted. The veteran Zhu Gong was stationed there personally.Lin Renzhao's suggestions were all targeted, and they were not adopted. It seems that the chief minister of Jinling is extremely ignorant. However, if you think about it carefully, if you follow Lin Renzhao's suggestion and build defenses everywhere and strengthen your troops, Jiangnan will not have enough strength at all. .

Nearly 20 troops have been armed in the southeast of only half of the wall. It is already militaristic, and the stalls can neither be spread nor cleaned up. Under such circumstances, the Jinling court made selective arrangements, which is worth understanding. .

All in all, under the imperial court's attack, Jiangnan Kingdom is already in a mess.

When the situation of the southern army was getting worse, the Han army couldn't hold back anymore. The generals of the armies were eager to fight and asked Li Gu to attack several times, but they were all suppressed.Li Gu is also well versed in the method of motivating generals, like enclosing a group of hungry tigers, only to be released one day from the cage.

Guazhou, Jianghuai Xingyuan, Li Gu huddled on the couch, as the weather became colder and colder, he almost endured pain every day, that is to say, Guazhou is a big town, and the environment can be called good, otherwise, it would be true during the march , I am afraid that the pain suffered by the body will be doubled.

There is a heater in the room, which can relieve the pain, but it cannot cure the root cause. However, from Li Gu's face, there is no pain, only peace.It's just that some physical reactions cannot be resisted purely by tenacious will.

There was a sound of footsteps outside, and when they reached the door, they obviously slowed down. Under the guidance of the guards, they walked in slowly. It was Shi Shouxin, who was deployed by the deputy capital, and Zhao Yanjin, the superintendent of soldiers and horses.

"Meet the Generalissimo!" The two saluted.

"Shouxin, Boheng is here, sit down!" Li Gu was studying the map, and when he saw the two, he showed a kind smile on his face, and said, "Thank you two for coming together, what's the matter?"

"Mr. Li, it's already winter, and the troops haven't moved yet. It will be ten days since Zhang Baoyi arrived in Liyang, and he is waiting for your order to cross the river. The soldiers don't want to spend the whole winter in this battle." In terms of war, when is the opportunity to fight, do we really have to wait until General Guo breaks through Changzhou?" Zhao Yanjin has a good relationship with Li Gu, and he speaks directly when he has something to say.

"The longer it gets to this point, the less impatient you should be, the more you should be patient!" Li Gu said, looking at the two of them, he asked, "Do you think we can cross the river?"

"Li Gong, the fighter plane you've been waiting for has arrived!" Shi Shouxin took out two military newspapers from his pocket. He has been assisting Li Gu in handling military affairs, and he has a lot of power.

"It's all good news!" Li Gu smiled.

Shi Shouxin said: "The letter is from Cao Bin. He and Liu Guangyi have captured Ezhou and are preparing to march to Jiangzhou!"

"So fast!" Li Gu was also slightly surprised.

Shi Shouxin also sighed: "Ezhou is in civil turmoil. The commander Huangfu Jixun lost the morale of the army and was killed. The remaining defenders all surrendered. The second general Cao Liu was able to take over Ezhou without much effort."

"If the news spreads, I'm afraid the general can't sit still anymore!" Li Gu said, "The other thing is that there is a result from Zhang Yanqing's side?"

"Exactly!" Shi Shouxin nodded: "Jinling's navy has been defeated again. On the Yangtze River, Jiangnan has completely lost the strength to fight our navy! General Zhang Yongde can do it. On the other side of Dangtu, Caishiji Although it is a defensive fortress, the defenders are not strong, and although Zhu Gong, who is in charge of the defense, is an old official, he is a literati after all, so he can cross the river by force!"

Hearing what he said, Li Gu didn't express his opinion for a while, but took two military newspapers, read them carefully, then raised his hand, and said straightforwardly: "Then let Zhang Bao do it, and let Zhang Yanqing lead five thousand sailors to the west. Advance, cooperate with them in the battle, after occupying Dangtu, advance directly to Jinling!"

"Yes!"

Hearing this, Zhao Yanjin couldn't help laughing and said: "If the march goes well, maybe before November, the army will be able to enter Jinling!"

(End of this chapter)