sjar Chapter 394: The three armies were exhausted.
Chapter 394: The three armies were exhausted.
Zhuge Feng comforted Ma Botao:
"General Ma, people will die in war, so don't be too sad. In this battle, we saved thousands of civilians and killed thousands of enemy soldiers. It's not a loss."
Ma Botao wiped away his tears and said, "One incompetent general can kill the whole army. It was my failure to prepare properly that caused my brothers to suffer. If we had a plan, understood Xiahou Chang's fighting style, and made preparations in advance, they would not have died."
Xue Changfeng was stunned and frowned, "General Ma, are you blaming me for not telling you in advance?"
Ma Botao angrily said, "You were originally a subordinate of Xiahou Chang. If you knew he would do something like this, shouldn't you have taken precautions in advance?"
"There is no fixed position for soldiers, and there is no fixed shape for water. When fighting on the battlefield, we must adapt to the situation. How can there be a perfect plan? General Ma, you are clearly looking for trouble!"
The two of them started arguing with each other.
"shut up!"
Zhuge Feng shouted, glaring, "When facing the enemy, the most taboo is internal strife among the generals. General Xue, General Ma, you are trusted and trusted by the King of Hanzhong, so you must not act on impulse or harbor hostility. Otherwise, Jingxiang will be in danger!"
Jingxiang is indeed very dangerous at this moment.
After all, Xiahou Chang has an army of 200,000 here, and they may send reinforcements at any time.
Xue Changfeng was ten years older than Ma Botao. Thinking of Ye Kun's tolerance and trust in him, he finally sighed and took the initiative to admit his mistake: "I didn't think about it beforehand. The responsibility is mine. When the King of Hanzhong comes back, I will apologize to him."
Ma Botao also apologized, clasping his fists and saying, "I am young, and I am saddened by the death of my brothers. I was impulsive at the moment. I hope General Xue will not be offended."
Zhuge Feng smiled and said, "Both generals have made great contributions. If they work together, they will surely defeat Xiahou Chang and achieve unprecedented success!"
Xue Changfeng nodded, clasped his fists with Ma Botao and made peace. He then convened a pre-battle meeting to discuss the next deployment.
Just now, two or three thousand Luoyang people have been taken in.
Zhuge Feng asked everyone to rinse their eyes with clean water to relieve the pain caused by the pepper water, and asked them to settle in the rear.
Some young and middle-aged people hated Xiahou Chang and took the initiative to say: "We are willing to submit to the King of Hanzhong, stay here, and help you soldiers resist Xiahou Chang's bandits!"
Zhuge Feng smiled and said, "It's a good thing that people are willing to support us. Fellow villagers, those who are willing to stay can stay and help carry military equipment, light fires and cook."
A battle involving 20,000 troops requires a lot of logistical support.
It would be great if young and middle-aged people were willing to stay and help.
At this time, Ye Kun had been sending troops for ten days. He was invincible along the way, advancing into the hinterland of Jiangdong, conquering Chaisang, and marching to the west bank of Poyang Lake.
Most of the Jiangdong gentry along the way had a tacit understanding with each other.
He avoided fighting Ye Kun, surrendered verbally, and even sent food and supplies outside the city.
There were also some wealthy gentry and generals who negotiated terms directly with Ye Kun!
Ye Kun was eager to advance, intending to win a quick victory, and basically agreed to all the conditions of the Jiangdong gentry.
With the enemy at the gates, the wealthy gentry in Jiangdong did not dare to make a random offer. They only wanted to protect their own territory, status, wealthy life, and the interests of their descendants.
As long as we conquer Jiangdong and replicate the experience of Yizhou, productivity will increase rapidly, and it will not be difficult to meet the material needs of the gentry.
There were also some city defenders who were loyal to Xiao Dequan and fought to the death.
Ye Kun was not polite at all. He directly used cannons and incendiary bombs to select a corner of the city and launch a saturation attack. At the same time, he used psychological warfare to instigate the people in the city to rebel.
As long as one corner of the city was breached, Ye Kun would send out the brave warriors to attack and capture the city at the risk of their lives.
Most of the cities in Jiangdong have been infiltrated by the Mohist disciples developed by Gongsun Erniang, who worked together from inside and outside to provide a great help to Ye Kun!
Chaisang was already the heartland of Xiao Dequan's regime, with a garrison of 20,000 troops, including both naval and land forces.
The navy was directly defeated by Huangfu Lin. The defending army was unable to hold on alone and was attacked by Ye Kun for two days and two nights. Finally, the whole city surrendered.
Huangfu Lin came to ask for instructions and inquire about the next arrangements.
Ye Kun looked at the situation and said:
"Xiahou Chang is making a desperate move, with 200,000 troops attacking Jingxiang. The situation is critical. We are in Jiangdong, so we should fight quickly and decisively. So I want you to personally lead the main force of the navy, attack Wuhu County directly, cut off Xiao Dequan's retreat, and trap him at Ruxukou!
Jiang Laowu stayed behind to eliminate Xiao Dequan's remaining navy in Poyang Lake. If the enemy did not surrender, he would burn down their water stronghold.
I will march eastward by land, capture Chizhou, and search the mountains and seas in the heart of Yangzhou!"
Huangfu Lin took the order and led his troops away.
Ye Kun rested for two days and dealt with military affairs in various places. He also ordered Wang Meng of Hanzhong to lead troops to rush to the support of Jingxiang area, mainly using light cavalry harassment to tie down Xiahou Chang's troops.
He ordered He Zhongshu to lead his troops out of Wuzhangyuan to put pressure on Chang'an.
He also urgently dispatched General Wu Xuan from the south to reinforce the troops and send them to Tianmen City for mobile support.
The scale of this battle exceeded Ye Kun's expectations.
It can be said that half of China is at war.
In Jiangdong, Yu Guinong stayed behind to urge the transportation of food and grass. When he saw Ye Kun's army coming, he immediately announced his surrender.
He also led the local gentry and garrison generals in Lujiang and Wancheng areas to act as guides for Huangfu Lin. He also provided a large amount of food and fodder, and offered ships to transport the food!
With the help of Yu Guinong, Huangfu Lin was able to advance straight into the city. In three days, he reached Wuhu, blocked the Jiangbei waterway, and blocked Xiao Dequan's 100,000-strong army at Ruxukou!
Yu Guinong betrayed his master for fame and fortune, and secretly sent people to meet Ye Kun, acting as Ye Kun's adviser and vanguard, leading Ye Kun to attack various passes.
Ye Kun was overjoyed and wrote a letter to Yu Guinong, acknowledging that he was the greatest hero of this event. He also made it clear that he would appoint him as the governor of Lujiang County, in charge of one county and eight counties, a hereditary title!
In the Dading Kingdom, Lujiang County was one of the six ancient counties in Jiangdong, and was as famous as Yangzhou and Jinling.
The management scope roughly covers the current Anqing area in southern Anhui.
This is north of the Yangtze River, with convenient transportation, pleasant climate, and abundant fish and rice. It is so nice to be a local emperor.
Upon learning that Yu Guinong had surrendered, Yan Ju, who followed Xiao Dequan, took the opportunity to lead Xingfu, quietly withdrew, and defected to Huangfu Lin.
Xiao Dequan was so angry that he vomited three liters of blood and almost drew his sword to commit suicide.
His adviser suggested: "My lord, the situation is hopeless now. We have no chance of turning the tide. It is better to surrender to Ye Kun temporarily and preserve our strength in order to rise again in the future."
Xiao Dequan was furious: "If I surrender to Ye Kun, wouldn't that be suicide? There is no room for two tigers in one mountain, how can he tolerate me?"
The counselor whispered: "Gongsun Zhang of Yizhou is not dead either."
"Bullshit, Gongsun Zhang is not dead, but he is under house arrest by Ye Kun. Isn't it worse than death?"
Xiao Dequan gritted his teeth and said, "Write a letter to Hefei. I would rather surrender to Xiahou Chang than to Ye Kun!"
At this time, Xiahou Chang was still fighting in Nanyang.
If Xiahou Chang won, Xiao Dequan could take the opportunity to counterattack and regain the territory of Jiangdong.
Now Jiangdong, Yangzhou and Jinling can temporarily resist Ye Kun's army. The vast area of the southern mountainous area also belongs to Jiangdong, and it will be difficult for Ye Kun to deal with it in a year!
So Xiao Dequan still has a glimmer of hope at this time.
as predicted.
Ye Kun moved eastward along the south of the Yangtze River, but his speed was greatly reduced due to the obstruction of the mountains.
It is becoming increasingly difficult to supply food and grass, and the resistance we encounter is becoming increasingly fierce!
It took Ye Kun fifteen days to fight from Poyang Lake to the west bank of Taihu Lake!
The weather was hot at that time, and the soldiers were not used to the climate and many of them fell ill and had fever.
Ye Kun himself seemed to have caught a cold. He was sweating profusely, had a high fever, and was fighting while sick.