On the afternoon of August 12, the northwest wind was still blowing in the mountains of Pingyuefu, and the sun appeared and disappeared in the clouds.
A large area of Wu Gao's troops in the hilly area to the west are slowly retreating.
The two armies have entered a confrontation since yesterday, but only a small-scale fierce battle occurred on the vanguard of the Han Wang Army; and now the main force of the enemy has begun to retreat again.
Several generals around Zhu Gaoxu immediately rushed to pursue the enemy!
But Zhu Gaoxu shook his head without hesitation and said: The situation this time is completely different from the previous situation of pursuing Xue Lujun.The terrain here is unstable, which is not conducive to the rapid advancement of the army; Wu Gao did not gather the main force of the army together.Moreover, the enemy has not failed and its morale and combat power has not been damaged. If we are eager to pursue, we will definitely be counterattacked by the main force of the enemy.
The number of troops of Wu Gao's army far exceeded that of Zhu Gaoxu's troops; the Han Wang army would lose the geographical advantage when they went down the mountain, and the chances of winning the battle were not high.
As for the enemy's orderly and slowly retreat, if Zhu Gaoxu pursued some of his troops, it would be useless.
When Wu Gao counterattacked, he was very likely to rely on his superior forces to conduct roundabout encirclement; by then, the Han Wang Army had to rescue the vanguard, and the scale of the battle would continue to expand and eventually evolve into a decisive battle!
Zhu Gaoxu could not control everything about the nearly 60,000 army, and he could only observe the general situation.
But so far, he has not seen any advantage; the entire battle also lacks a cause for his confidence.
Just like when the Chengdu City was captured, Wan Quan, the escort general of the Shu Palace, was the inducement to Zhu Gaoxu to feel confident; he at least saw the possibility of victory...
In the sight, the enemy was slowly moving away, and the Han Wang Army troops remained unmoved, so everyone gradually relaxed a little.
The military generals around were talking, and the buzzing sounds were becoming more and more obvious.
The brim of the iron hat on Zhu Gaoxu's head was pressed down to block the dazzling sunlight coming out of the clouds.He sat on the horse's back and said nothing, looking thoughtful.
What he thought of first was the floating bridge that was being built on the Lechuan water.
In half a day, Zhu Gaoxu could not find an effective way.
Because the prefect sent someone to apologize, it was obviously not enough to surrender, otherwise why didn't there even be a seal?
The prefect Chen was just worried that the official army would withdraw, so he wanted to leave a way out.
Even though the prefect Chen Yongsheng surrendered to the Han Wang army, Wu Gao still had a way to cross the Lechuan River.
The river was too narrow, and the water surface of the ferry was even narrower, which was really not a barrier that could block the army. Crossing the river was nothing more than a matter of time...
The Lechuan Water Ferry in the north of Pinglefu City is composed of several very narrow water surfaces.As long as there are enough boats and boards, the bridge is built very quickly.
Zhu Gaoxu guessed that if Chen Yongsheng did not dare to disobey military orders under the surveillance of the official army, the floating bridge could be set up within today.Wu Gaojun was likely to cross the Lechuan River across the west overnight.
If he wanted to take the opportunity to attack Wu Gao, the Han Wang army could only attack at night.Large-scale night attacks are undoubtedly quite risky, let alone dealing with people like Wu Gao.
Based on Zhu Gaoxu's experience of fighting with Wu Gao many times, I feel that this person sometimes misses the opportunity, but never has any major negligence or omissions.
Now that the two armies are close, Wu Gao will definitely try his best to guard against it.
For a moment, Zhu Gaoxu felt like he was unable to get down, like gnawing a walnut.
However, it is because his troops are too small, otherwise he could take advantage of the situation to pursue and decide the victory and defeat on the hilly land in the west.
Zhu Gaoxu suddenly spoke: You have to soak it in water before you can get a way to get it in.
The generals stopped talking and looked at him in confusion.
Zhu Gaoxu reviewed his left and right and said: We must find a way to weaken Wu Gao's army first before we can defeat it.He paused for a moment, and finally made up his mind to order the troops to camp on the mountain.Everyone has a break today to help you accumulate energy!
Because Zhu Gaoxu personally led his troops to fight and had almost never been defeated, the military order was rarely questioned.All the generals agreed.
Zhu Gaoxu's eyes turned to Zhao Ping and said: The troops under Deputy General Zhao are on the north slope; from then on, the army will march northward, and your troops will be the vanguard.You take the forward and the baggage team down from the mountain to the north and then west, and there is a narrow water area of Lechuan Water; you can build a boat bridge there, and be sure to set it up before the fifth day of tomorrow morning!
Zhao Ping clasped his fists and said: The last general will get the order!
Zhu Gaoxu thought for a while, then looked back and said: The governments in various parts of Guangxi had been ordered by the pseudo-emperor; Wu Gao's military supplies must mainly rely on various prefectures and counties.In the morning, the prefect Chen from Pingle City sent someone to reveal the news of preparing military rations for Wu Gao, so I guessed that the enemy might be short of food.
Going north is Yangshuo County. Wu Gao should have wanted to go to Yangshuo County first, so that he can not only get some military supplies, but also rely on the pass to fight back the pursuers.
So we must make an initiative to arrive in Yangshuo County first!
Wu Gao knew that as long as we occupied the county town first, we could cut off the enemy's mid-way supply, occupy the favorable terrain, and use the city to harass and attack the Wu Gao's army's rear wings.
Our army's current location is slightly closer to Yangshuo County; if Wu Gao discovered our marching target, he could only accelerate the marching.In addition, they are very likely to cross the river at night tonight, and the enemy soldiers are exhausted all night long. If they forcefully march, their physical strength and morale will be greatly weakened.
After hearing this, everyone worshiped.
Originally, Zhu Gaoxu judged that Wu Gao wanted to go to He County first and take advantage of the time difference between Sheng Yong's troops and get rid of the dilemma of being attacked.Zhu Gaoxu formulated a set of strategies to deal with this.
However, the battlefield is changing at any time.
Today, Wu Gao decisively and quickly gave up the first battle, and temporarily changed his route and wanted to turn back to the direction of Guilin Mansion.
Zhu Gaoxu could not predict these situations in advance, at least it was difficult to determine.
At this time, Zhu Gaoxu could only change his plan.
His new strategy is a bit hasty.Throughout the afternoon, when the soldiers of each battalion began to repair, he was still improving the deployment one after another.
Zhu Gaoxu first wrote two letters and sent someone to the Chen Zhen's army camp west of Pingyue Prefecture.
One letter was handed over to Sheng Yong's military newspaper to inform the specific military information ahead.
One letter was an order to Chen Zhen, asking more than 10,000 Chen Zhen’s troops to arrive in Pingyue Mansion and immediately enter the prefecture city, and forced the submission to the prefect Chen Yongsheng and others, whose will had been shaken.
Then he ordered the right chief of the Chief Secretary and the Chief Secretary, who was also the governor of the imperial court, to select an envoy who was not afraid of death from the soldiers of the Northern Division and go to Pingle Mansion again.
The envoy would make the request of the Han Wang Army: order Chen Yongsheng to delay the delivery of the three thousand stones of rice to the enemy.
Zhu Gaoxu originally wanted to ask for the three thousand stones of military rations, but considering the difficulty of implementation, he decided to make a temporary compromise.
After all, if Chen Yongsheng only delays time, it is much simpler. He can find a hundred reasons why he cannot transport it on schedule; but if Chen Yongsheng gives military rations to the Han Wangjun, it would be equivalent to surrendering immediately.
...The sky gradually dimmed, and except for the soldiers who took turns on duty, many soldiers went to bed early.
Everyone marched for many days, and most of them were very tired. People fetched water and made meals in several small ponds on the mountain, and lie down in the straw shed or tent to sleep after eating.
Zhu Gaoxu's central army headquarters was located on the north slope.
There is a small mountain village here, composed of only a few yards, all of which are from the same clan; the strong man, the young lady and his wife all ran away, leaving only the elderly, weak, women and children.
The personal soldiers requisitioned most of the houses and left a yard for all the remaining people to live temporarily.
Zhu Gaoxu sat in a tile house and was busy until now.From time to time, scouts came in to talk. When there was no reception, he looked at the map and thought about things.
As a prince, Zhu Gaoxu was less physically fatigued than the soldiers in the army; he marching and riding horses saves effort, and he mostly stays in private houses.
The houses on the way are mostly dilapidated, but they are more comfortable than living in a tent.
But he must be the one who has to worry the most.
At this moment, the voice outside the door said: Prince, Deputy General Zhao is asking for a meeting.
Come in and speak.Zhu Gaoxu said.
The tall and thin Zhao Ping walked in and saluted. He said: According to the prince's military order, the last general vanguard army has arrived at the Lechuan River in the afternoon. Tonight, the boats transferred to the upstream will be able to build the boat bridge. It will be repaired before the fifth update tomorrow.
Zhu Gaoxu nodded. Wu Gao also managed to repair the bridge where we crossed the river yesterday. It is estimated that the enemy will really cross the river tonight.I was also about to send someone to deliver a letter to General Zhao. Since you are here, I will have one more thing to tell you.
After saying that, he waved his hand and Zhao Ping walked to the front of the table.
Zhu Gaoxu pointed to a picture and said: Judging from the location where the river crosses, Wu Gao's army will not go the same way as our army.
Look here, Yangshuo County is on the west bank of the Li River, while both enemy and our army are on the east bank of the Li River; so I judged that after the Wu Gao army crossed the Lechuan River, they would cross the Li River and then go straight to Yangshuo County along the official road.
Our army is walking on the north road, closer to the distance.There is a ferry more than ten miles east of Yangshuo County. General Zhao's vanguard came first and sent people to build a boat bridge here; so that Wu Gao could believe that we would cross the Li River and take Yangshuo County.This can give Wu Gao a sense of oppression and force him to speed up the marching!
Zhao Ping clasped his fists and said: The last general will get the order!
At this moment, there was a sudden slamming sound, and Zhu Gaoxu looked up and saw that the wooden door at the door was blown to the wall by a strong wind.
The strong cool breeze hit him, and he felt a little cold on his body.
This morning, locals reported that the weather has changed in the past two days and it may rain and cool down. General Zhao's men should also prepare to keep the cold under the cold.Zhu Gaoxu casually reminded him.
Zhao Ping responded, clasped his fists and said: "I will say goodbye until I'm going to rush back to the camp."
Zhu Gaoxu thought that Zhao Ping had become a forward this time and would not meet for at least several days.He stood up from the chair, personally took Zhao Ping out, and ordered the guards to send him some hats.
Sure enough, cold raindrops gradually floated in the world, and the water droplets flashed faintly in the night in the light, and the world also rustled... The sound sounded.
Zhu Gaoxu watched Zhao Ping's figure disappear from the raindrops, and still stood there thinking for a while.
A large area of Wu Gao's troops in the hilly area to the west are slowly retreating.
The two armies have entered a confrontation since yesterday, but only a small-scale fierce battle occurred on the vanguard of the Han Wang Army; and now the main force of the enemy has begun to retreat again.
Several generals around Zhu Gaoxu immediately rushed to pursue the enemy!
But Zhu Gaoxu shook his head without hesitation and said: The situation this time is completely different from the previous situation of pursuing Xue Lujun.The terrain here is unstable, which is not conducive to the rapid advancement of the army; Wu Gao did not gather the main force of the army together.Moreover, the enemy has not failed and its morale and combat power has not been damaged. If we are eager to pursue, we will definitely be counterattacked by the main force of the enemy.
The number of troops of Wu Gao's army far exceeded that of Zhu Gaoxu's troops; the Han Wang army would lose the geographical advantage when they went down the mountain, and the chances of winning the battle were not high.
As for the enemy's orderly and slowly retreat, if Zhu Gaoxu pursued some of his troops, it would be useless.
When Wu Gao counterattacked, he was very likely to rely on his superior forces to conduct roundabout encirclement; by then, the Han Wang Army had to rescue the vanguard, and the scale of the battle would continue to expand and eventually evolve into a decisive battle!
Zhu Gaoxu could not control everything about the nearly 60,000 army, and he could only observe the general situation.
But so far, he has not seen any advantage; the entire battle also lacks a cause for his confidence.
Just like when the Chengdu City was captured, Wan Quan, the escort general of the Shu Palace, was the inducement to Zhu Gaoxu to feel confident; he at least saw the possibility of victory...
In the sight, the enemy was slowly moving away, and the Han Wang Army troops remained unmoved, so everyone gradually relaxed a little.
The military generals around were talking, and the buzzing sounds were becoming more and more obvious.
The brim of the iron hat on Zhu Gaoxu's head was pressed down to block the dazzling sunlight coming out of the clouds.He sat on the horse's back and said nothing, looking thoughtful.
What he thought of first was the floating bridge that was being built on the Lechuan water.
In half a day, Zhu Gaoxu could not find an effective way.
Because the prefect sent someone to apologize, it was obviously not enough to surrender, otherwise why didn't there even be a seal?
The prefect Chen was just worried that the official army would withdraw, so he wanted to leave a way out.
Even though the prefect Chen Yongsheng surrendered to the Han Wang army, Wu Gao still had a way to cross the Lechuan River.
The river was too narrow, and the water surface of the ferry was even narrower, which was really not a barrier that could block the army. Crossing the river was nothing more than a matter of time...
The Lechuan Water Ferry in the north of Pinglefu City is composed of several very narrow water surfaces.As long as there are enough boats and boards, the bridge is built very quickly.
Zhu Gaoxu guessed that if Chen Yongsheng did not dare to disobey military orders under the surveillance of the official army, the floating bridge could be set up within today.Wu Gaojun was likely to cross the Lechuan River across the west overnight.
If he wanted to take the opportunity to attack Wu Gao, the Han Wang army could only attack at night.Large-scale night attacks are undoubtedly quite risky, let alone dealing with people like Wu Gao.
Based on Zhu Gaoxu's experience of fighting with Wu Gao many times, I feel that this person sometimes misses the opportunity, but never has any major negligence or omissions.
Now that the two armies are close, Wu Gao will definitely try his best to guard against it.
For a moment, Zhu Gaoxu felt like he was unable to get down, like gnawing a walnut.
However, it is because his troops are too small, otherwise he could take advantage of the situation to pursue and decide the victory and defeat on the hilly land in the west.
Zhu Gaoxu suddenly spoke: You have to soak it in water before you can get a way to get it in.
The generals stopped talking and looked at him in confusion.
Zhu Gaoxu reviewed his left and right and said: We must find a way to weaken Wu Gao's army first before we can defeat it.He paused for a moment, and finally made up his mind to order the troops to camp on the mountain.Everyone has a break today to help you accumulate energy!
Because Zhu Gaoxu personally led his troops to fight and had almost never been defeated, the military order was rarely questioned.All the generals agreed.
Zhu Gaoxu's eyes turned to Zhao Ping and said: The troops under Deputy General Zhao are on the north slope; from then on, the army will march northward, and your troops will be the vanguard.You take the forward and the baggage team down from the mountain to the north and then west, and there is a narrow water area of Lechuan Water; you can build a boat bridge there, and be sure to set it up before the fifth day of tomorrow morning!
Zhao Ping clasped his fists and said: The last general will get the order!
Zhu Gaoxu thought for a while, then looked back and said: The governments in various parts of Guangxi had been ordered by the pseudo-emperor; Wu Gao's military supplies must mainly rely on various prefectures and counties.In the morning, the prefect Chen from Pingle City sent someone to reveal the news of preparing military rations for Wu Gao, so I guessed that the enemy might be short of food.
Going north is Yangshuo County. Wu Gao should have wanted to go to Yangshuo County first, so that he can not only get some military supplies, but also rely on the pass to fight back the pursuers.
So we must make an initiative to arrive in Yangshuo County first!
Wu Gao knew that as long as we occupied the county town first, we could cut off the enemy's mid-way supply, occupy the favorable terrain, and use the city to harass and attack the Wu Gao's army's rear wings.
Our army's current location is slightly closer to Yangshuo County; if Wu Gao discovered our marching target, he could only accelerate the marching.In addition, they are very likely to cross the river at night tonight, and the enemy soldiers are exhausted all night long. If they forcefully march, their physical strength and morale will be greatly weakened.
After hearing this, everyone worshiped.
Originally, Zhu Gaoxu judged that Wu Gao wanted to go to He County first and take advantage of the time difference between Sheng Yong's troops and get rid of the dilemma of being attacked.Zhu Gaoxu formulated a set of strategies to deal with this.
However, the battlefield is changing at any time.
Today, Wu Gao decisively and quickly gave up the first battle, and temporarily changed his route and wanted to turn back to the direction of Guilin Mansion.
Zhu Gaoxu could not predict these situations in advance, at least it was difficult to determine.
At this time, Zhu Gaoxu could only change his plan.
His new strategy is a bit hasty.Throughout the afternoon, when the soldiers of each battalion began to repair, he was still improving the deployment one after another.
Zhu Gaoxu first wrote two letters and sent someone to the Chen Zhen's army camp west of Pingyue Prefecture.
One letter was handed over to Sheng Yong's military newspaper to inform the specific military information ahead.
One letter was an order to Chen Zhen, asking more than 10,000 Chen Zhen’s troops to arrive in Pingyue Mansion and immediately enter the prefecture city, and forced the submission to the prefect Chen Yongsheng and others, whose will had been shaken.
Then he ordered the right chief of the Chief Secretary and the Chief Secretary, who was also the governor of the imperial court, to select an envoy who was not afraid of death from the soldiers of the Northern Division and go to Pingle Mansion again.
The envoy would make the request of the Han Wang Army: order Chen Yongsheng to delay the delivery of the three thousand stones of rice to the enemy.
Zhu Gaoxu originally wanted to ask for the three thousand stones of military rations, but considering the difficulty of implementation, he decided to make a temporary compromise.
After all, if Chen Yongsheng only delays time, it is much simpler. He can find a hundred reasons why he cannot transport it on schedule; but if Chen Yongsheng gives military rations to the Han Wangjun, it would be equivalent to surrendering immediately.
...The sky gradually dimmed, and except for the soldiers who took turns on duty, many soldiers went to bed early.
Everyone marched for many days, and most of them were very tired. People fetched water and made meals in several small ponds on the mountain, and lie down in the straw shed or tent to sleep after eating.
Zhu Gaoxu's central army headquarters was located on the north slope.
There is a small mountain village here, composed of only a few yards, all of which are from the same clan; the strong man, the young lady and his wife all ran away, leaving only the elderly, weak, women and children.
The personal soldiers requisitioned most of the houses and left a yard for all the remaining people to live temporarily.
Zhu Gaoxu sat in a tile house and was busy until now.From time to time, scouts came in to talk. When there was no reception, he looked at the map and thought about things.
As a prince, Zhu Gaoxu was less physically fatigued than the soldiers in the army; he marching and riding horses saves effort, and he mostly stays in private houses.
The houses on the way are mostly dilapidated, but they are more comfortable than living in a tent.
But he must be the one who has to worry the most.
At this moment, the voice outside the door said: Prince, Deputy General Zhao is asking for a meeting.
Come in and speak.Zhu Gaoxu said.
The tall and thin Zhao Ping walked in and saluted. He said: According to the prince's military order, the last general vanguard army has arrived at the Lechuan River in the afternoon. Tonight, the boats transferred to the upstream will be able to build the boat bridge. It will be repaired before the fifth update tomorrow.
Zhu Gaoxu nodded. Wu Gao also managed to repair the bridge where we crossed the river yesterday. It is estimated that the enemy will really cross the river tonight.I was also about to send someone to deliver a letter to General Zhao. Since you are here, I will have one more thing to tell you.
After saying that, he waved his hand and Zhao Ping walked to the front of the table.
Zhu Gaoxu pointed to a picture and said: Judging from the location where the river crosses, Wu Gao's army will not go the same way as our army.
Look here, Yangshuo County is on the west bank of the Li River, while both enemy and our army are on the east bank of the Li River; so I judged that after the Wu Gao army crossed the Lechuan River, they would cross the Li River and then go straight to Yangshuo County along the official road.
Our army is walking on the north road, closer to the distance.There is a ferry more than ten miles east of Yangshuo County. General Zhao's vanguard came first and sent people to build a boat bridge here; so that Wu Gao could believe that we would cross the Li River and take Yangshuo County.This can give Wu Gao a sense of oppression and force him to speed up the marching!
Zhao Ping clasped his fists and said: The last general will get the order!
At this moment, there was a sudden slamming sound, and Zhu Gaoxu looked up and saw that the wooden door at the door was blown to the wall by a strong wind.
The strong cool breeze hit him, and he felt a little cold on his body.
This morning, locals reported that the weather has changed in the past two days and it may rain and cool down. General Zhao's men should also prepare to keep the cold under the cold.Zhu Gaoxu casually reminded him.
Zhao Ping responded, clasped his fists and said: "I will say goodbye until I'm going to rush back to the camp."
Zhu Gaoxu thought that Zhao Ping had become a forward this time and would not meet for at least several days.He stood up from the chair, personally took Zhao Ping out, and ordered the guards to send him some hats.
Sure enough, cold raindrops gradually floated in the world, and the water droplets flashed faintly in the night in the light, and the world also rustled... The sound sounded.
Zhu Gaoxu watched Zhao Ping's figure disappear from the raindrops, and still stood there thinking for a while.
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