We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

Chapter 865: Navy Enters the River

Hearing He Conglong's question, Li Che smiled slightly and said, "I have ordered Li Sheng's First Fleet and Zhang Neng's Fourth Fleet to enter the Yellow River from the sea outlet."

"They are now on standby in the river channel and can move south along the canal and enter the Huaihe River system at any time."

We also have to thank Emperor Yang of the previous dynasty. There were already many canals before the Yellow River and the Huai River. Emperor Yang dug a large section when his dragon boat sailed south of the Yangtze River.

When Emperor Qing ascended the throne, he only needed to connect the canal dug by Emperor Yang with the small canal of the previous dynasty to directly flow from the Yellow River into the Huai River.

Of course, the Huaihe River also has its own estuary, but it is too far away.

There will be more "taking the Huai River into the sea" incidents in the future.

That is, the Yellow River flooded and occupied the Huai River's channel into the sea, causing disorder in the originally formed Huai River water system.

The Yellow River, carrying more than one trillion tons of sediment, completely destroyed the entire Huaihe River system.

Eventually, the Huaihe River will no longer be a smooth waterway, and the Hongze Lake area in the lower part of the Huaihe River will connect the various small lakes to form Hongze Lake.

But that’s a matter for the future, at least it hasn’t happened yet.

But it is estimated that it will happen soon. The Yellow River has become more and more unruly in recent years. After Li Che ascends the throne, he will probably make controlling the Yellow River his top priority.

Hearing that the navy was about to arrive, everyone looked happy.

"Great!" Wang Sanchun slapped his thigh. "This way, we're not just walking on two legs, but advancing on both land and water!"

Chen Pingzhi's eyes gleamed: "With naval warships transporting troops and food, we can also directly bombard the enemy positions on the south bank with naval guns. This will at least reduce half of the danger of the Huai River."

For a moment, the atmosphere in the hall was lively.

The navy is undoubtedly the most elite force in the Fengtian Army.

Most of the generals present had worked with them before and knew how comfortable it was to fight in coastal and riverine areas with the support of a fleet with powerful firepower.

Li Che raised his hand and pressed it lightly, asking everyone to calm down.

He walked back to the map and focused his fingers on several key nodes in the middle reaches of the Huai River.

"We already have the advantage of the waterway, but the main attack direction still needs to be discussed." Li Che glanced at the generals, "The rebels are now heavily defending the south bank of the Huai River, and their focus is nothing more than a few points."

"Guangzhou (now Huangchuan) to the west is far away and not a major route, so it can be put aside for now."

"Our main targets should be Shouzhou (present-day Shou County), Sizhou (Xuyi area, partially submerged in Hongze Lake), and Haozhou (present-day Fengyang). We should choose one of these three locations as the main attack direction and open a gap."

Although there are many cities in the Huainan area, there are only a few important towns, all of which are strategic points along the river banks.

Upon hearing this, the generals immediately started arguing about these three goals.

Some people advocated attacking Sizhou, believing that it was closest to the sea and would be most convenient for land and sea coordination.

Some suggested to focus on attacking Haozhou, believing that this was Zhai Yan's hometown and that taking it was of great significance and would allow them to directly penetrate the core of the enemy's defense line.

There were also those who supported the attack on Shouzhou, believing that Shouzhou was a strategically important place and that once it was captured, the middle reaches of the Huai River could be controlled.

Li Che listened carefully to everyone's speech, and did not agree with any of them. Instead, he weighed the pros and cons in his mind.

After the discussion died down, he did not make a decision immediately, but turned his gaze to Zhu Chun.

Zhu Chun remained silent, his eyes fixed on the map, as if recalling something.

"Old Duke," Li Che asked respectfully, "You followed the late emperor on his campaigns. I would like to ask you for advice."

Zhu Chun immediately said seriously, "Your Majesty, please speak."

Li Che asked, "How did the army under the late emperor cross the Huai River and break through the southern army's defenses?"

Seeing the emperor asking questions, Zhu Chun stroked his beard and pondered for a moment, a glimmer of reminiscence flashed in his cloudy old eyes.

"Your Majesty, when the late emperor deployed his troops, he chose Shouzhou."

Zhu Chun stepped forward and traced the map with his finger. "Your Majesty, please see. Shouzhou is a city of great importance. It controls the confluence of the Huai River, the Ru River, and the Ying River. It is a true transportation hub north and south of the Huai River."

"Once we capture Shouzhou, our army can utilize the two tributaries of the Ru River and the Ying River to continuously transport food, weapons, and even troops to the Huai River front. Our logistical supply lines will be unimpeded."

He glanced at the generals and continued his analysis, "On the other hand, if we capture Sizhou or Haozhou, while we can use them to cross the river, the subsequent advance will still have to face the crisscrossing network of rivers and the enemy's layers of defense relying on the tributaries, so progress will inevitably be slow."

"Occupying Shouzhou is like strangling the throat of Huaixi. It not only protects our flanks, but also directly threatens Haozhou downstream and the defense line further east."

"This will force the enemy to split up, allowing our army to divide and surround each city, then defeat them one by one and create opportunities for battle!"

Zhu Chun's analysis, citing classics and combining them with the terrain and water conditions, clearly analyzed the strategic situation.

The generals nodded repeatedly after hearing this, and those who had previously advocated attacking other places also showed expressions of conviction.

Sure enough, ginger is still spicy.

The old Duke's words immediately made the complicated war situation clear.

A gleam of admiration flashed in Li Che's eyes. There was no need to doubt Emperor Qing's strategic thinking. His offensive direction back then could be regarded as the standard answer.

Li Che stopped hesitating and slapped the map, making a decision:

"Alright! Let's follow the old Duke's advice and focus our main attack on Shouzhou!"

He then looked at Yue Yun and ordered, "Zilong, immediately dispatch additional elite scouts to conduct a detailed reconnaissance of the Huai River's hydrology, width, and current speed upstream and downstream of Shouzhou, as well as the enemy's deployment."

"You must find me several narrow river locations suitable for building pontoon bridges as quickly as possible."

Yue Yun took a step forward and said seriously, "Yes!"

Li Che looked at Chen Gui again and said, "Have the auxiliary troops prepare. Once we find a suitable location, prepare the materials for the pontoon bridge immediately."

"Yes."

Li Che turned to look at the others: "The rest of the troops, reorganize the troops, check the weapons, and be ready to march at any time!"

"Here!"

The generals responded loudly and their fighting spirit was high.

. . . . . .

Meanwhile, the canal meanders to the east.

The huge fleet consisting of the Fengtian Army's First Fleet and the Fourth Fleet, flying the Fengtian battle flag, rode on the waves as it sailed south along the canal.

The slender clipper ships caused a huge sensation as soon as they appeared along the canal.

It was the busy farming season on both sides of the canal.

On the ridges of fields, beside villages, and on river banks, people were either enjoying the cool air in the shade of trees or washing clothes by the river.

When the first clipper ship, with its towering mast and white sails like giant bird wings, slowly emerged from the bend of the river, all the people were stunned.

A naked child who was fishing by the river pointed at the river surface and opened his mouth wide. He was so scared that he dropped the fish in his hand.

"Mother! Mother! Look, that...what kind of monster is that?!"

The women washing clothes by the river looked up when they heard the sound, their mallets frozen in mid-air, their eyes full of fear.

They had never seen such a ship before. It had no layers of buildings, no wide and flat hull, only a bow as sharp as a knife, as if it could split the water surface.

The huge canvas fluttered in the wind, making a rustling sound.

"Oh my God... Why does this boat look like this? It's so tall and so thin! I'm afraid it's going to capsize?" An old farmer, holding a hoe, squinting his dim eyes, muttered to himself.

In his opinion, this tall and thin ship was not as stable as the square-headed grain and sand ship.

"Could they be soldiers sent by the Dragon King?"

Some superstitious old people began to kneel down and kowtow, muttering something, praying for the Dragon King's blessing.

After all, such a strange-shaped fleet was far beyond their understanding and could easily be attributed to the power of gods and monsters.

The fleet did not stop, but maintained a neat formation, cruising south along the canal one after another.

The huge sail shadow passed over the farmlands, villages and woods on both sides, casting a moving shadow, like a fast-moving cloud.

Some brave young people clung to the shore, staring wide-eyed, trying to see the details of these strange ships.

"Look! The bow is as sharp as a knife!"

"Look at those sails! How can they hold so many? And they can all turn!"

"This speed is much faster than the previous ship, and the draft is not deep!"

"The Feng character flag... looks like it's a Fengtian Army ship!"

The people were talking about it, their voices filled with surprise.

The huge Fengtian Army fleet sailed southward under the gazes of the people on both sides of the strait who were filled with fear, curiosity and awe.