On the occasion of rebirth Zhou Sui

Chapter 589
What Zhang Xutuo said was in line with Xiao Jue's intention. If we want to resist the Yan army going south, we must make use of the Han River.

Although Cui Che had established the navy for several years, the strength of the Dayan navy was still far behind that of the Sui Dynasty.

This contrast is also reflected between the Jingxiang Navy and the Nanyang Navy.

Following Zhang Xutuo's suggestion, Xiao Jue set up a defensive line on the south side of the Han River to prevent Cui Che from crossing the river, and waited for reinforcements from Jingnan to go north.

Zhang Xutuo led the navy to garrison Yuliangzhou east of Xiangyang City.

Xiangyang City is adjacent to the Han River in the north, and the water from the Han River is used as a moat on the remaining three sides. Yuliangzhou is located twenty miles east of Xiangyang City and is a sandbar at the intersection of the Han River and the Feishui River.

In the later Song-Mongolia War, Mongolia occupied Yuliangzhou, where they trained 5000 naval troops and built [-] warships.

Zhang Xutuo guards Yuliangzhou, and Xiangyang guards the horns.

If Cui Che recklessly crosses the river and besieges Xiangyang City, Zhang Xutuo will lead the navy out of Yuliangzhou, block the Han River, cut off Cui Che's supplies, and kill the Yan army crossing south.

If Cui Che attacks Yuliangzhou, Zhang Xutuo will not be afraid.

Yuliangzhou is located in the middle of the Han River and is surrounded by water. If you want to attack Yuliang, there must be a water battle.

Zhang Xutuo believed that in a land battle, the Xiangyang defenders were no match for the Yan army, but when it came to water battles, he was full of confidence.

At the same time, Cui Che did not stay in Lushan County. Accompanied by Cheng Yaojin, he led the land and sea army south along the Huishui River.

The Nishui River is also known as the Mother River of Nanyang. It is the river with the largest water volume in the Nanyang Basin. It spans more than [-] miles. The Nanyang Navy of the Yan Dynasty lived here all year round.

After Cui Che learned that Zhang Xutuo personally led the Xiangyang Navy to guard Yuliangzhou, he immediately ordered the Nanyang Navy to stop at the mouth of the Feishui River, set up a stronghold on the north bank, and confront the Xiangyang Navy on Yuliangzhou.

And he led the infantry and cavalry into Anyang County (now Fancheng District, Xiangyang, Hubei Province).

Anyang County, known as Fancheng in ancient times, is located to the north of the Han River and faces Xiangyang City across the river.

Compared with the wide river surfaces on both sides, the river channel between Anyang County and Xiangyang is obviously much narrower.

Climbing the tower, Cui Che could easily see the towering city wall of Xiangyang on the other side of the Han River.

Xiangfan has been a battleground for military strategists since ancient times. Guan Yu flooded seven armies here, forcing Cao Cao of Xu Du to move his capital to Yecheng to avoid his advantage.

Being in this ancient battlefield, Cui Che leaned on the railing and looked out into the distance, secretly sighing at the famous figures throughout the ages.

In order to capture Xiangyang, he had tried his best before the war to induce Yang Guang to make a wrong arrangement, dispatched the main force to Huainan, and was powerless to interfere in the Jingxiang battle.

But the time cannot be too long. If it is like Mongolia in the late Southern Song Dynasty, which besieged Xiangyang for six years, not to mention that the main force of the Sui Dynasty is located in Huainan, even if it is deceived by him and goes to Europe, it can still rush back to support Xiangyang.

After leaving Anyang Tower, Cui Che returned to the camp outside the city and raised his tent to gather his generals.

Cheng Yaojin, Xu Shiji, Qu Tutong, Yu Juluo, Dou Jiande, Liu Heita and other generals were listed under the tent, while Wei Wang Cui Youzhi sat silently beside his grandfather and listened.

After arranging the warning for the land and water villages, Cui Che asked everyone:

"Zhang Xutuo is entrenched in Yuliang Continent and is at odds with Xiangyang. If he wants to capture Xiangyang, he must first defeat the enemy in Yuliang Continent. Do you have any countermeasures?"

Cheng Yaojin and others looked at each other in silence. They were all northerners and were good at riding and foot fighting, but they were not familiar with water fighting.

Cui Che also knew that it was really difficult for everyone to come up with an idea in a hurry at this time. He waved his hand and said:
"Forget it, even if Yang Guang has reacted, it is impossible to transfer the Xiaoguo Army from Huainan in a few months.

"Your Majesty, please go back and have a rest while your boat and carriage are tired. We will consider the long-term strategy to defeat the enemy."

The generals retired one after another, and even Cui Youzhi was taken back to his sleeping tent. Cui Che was alone in the commander's tent, staring at the map of Jingxiang, his brows furrowed.That night, the lights in the handsome tent were brightly lit and stayed on all night.

Early the next morning, in the Yan army's camp, the soldiers beat drums and gathered together. Everyone rushed to Cui Che's handsome tent, only to see his eyes were bloodshot.

The generals gathered together, and Cui Che couldn't wait to announce:
"I have thought of a way to defeat the enemy!"

Xiyang County is located to the west of Xiangyang County, on the south bank of the Han River, and is governed by Wudang. The famous Wudang Mountain is located in Xiyang County.

After receiving the letter asking for help from Xiao Jue, the governor of Xiangyang, the governor of Xiyang took it very seriously.

Yu Gonglai said that if Xiangyang fell, Xiyang County would be alone and it would be difficult to hold on.

Personally speaking, Xiao Jue had a close relationship with Yang Guang, and they were also relatives. If he ignored his request for help, he would be prosecuted by the court later, regardless of victory or defeat.

The prefect of Xiyang immediately ordered the county general to lead [-] infantry and [-] naval troops, totaling [-] soldiers, to advance by land and water to support Xiangyang.

But he never expected that when Xiyang's reinforcements arrived in Xiangyang, there was also a partial division on the north bank of the Han River going up the river, traveling day and night.

Under the night, as the leader of this partial division, Cheng Yaojin's dark face showed no joy or anger.

He said to Xu Shiji who was traveling with him:
"Vice General Xu, I, Old Cheng, am a rough man with a straight heart and can't keep his words to himself.

"You are His Majesty's most trusted adviser, and now you are appointed to serve as my deputy general. Naturally, His Majesty asked you to advise me.

"But since we have divided our priorities, we have to say the ugly things first, and I, Cheng Yaojin, have to make the decision."

Xu Shiji shook his head and smiled bitterly:

"It is a taboo in the army to send orders to many places. How could Xu not understand that Governor Cheng was overly worried?"

Cheng Yaojin smiled brightly. He patted Xu Shiji on the shoulder who was riding beside him and explained:

"I, Lao Cheng, followed His Majesty in raising troops in Youzhou and made outstanding achievements. I was not only a follower of Jianyi, but also His Majesty's son-in-law.

“I wouldn’t worry if someone else were the deputy general.

"But Lieutenant General Xu is different. You have outstanding intelligence and are good at both civil and military affairs. In time, you will surely rank among our generals.

"It's human nature for a great talent like you not to be willing to be someone else's lieutenant."

Obviously he was worried that Xu Shiji would fight for power with him, but his words made Xu Shiji feel so comfortable that he couldn't be unhappy at all.

Xu Shiji couldn't help but joked:

"If Governor Cheng is an honest and rough man, then the world will be full of idiots."

When Cheng Yaojin heard this, he laughed so hard on his horse that he leaned forward and back.

The two men led an army of [-] cavalry, including [-] single-horse cavalry and [-] infantry.

During this southern expedition, Cui Che left [-] soldiers to guard the capital, and was ready to support Xuzhou at any time in case the Sui army saw Cui Che's main force attacking Jingxiang and went north from the Huaihe River.

However, Xuzhou has [-] elite cavalry sent by Cui Che, plus local soldiers and horses, and Liu Fang and Li Jing are on duty. Cui Che is not worried about chaos on the eastern front.

Among the 20 soldiers, the remaining 13 followed Cui Che southward. Currently, there are still [-] infantry and cavalry left in Anyang County.

(End of this chapter)