After discussing the matter of being promoted to the throne, everyone felt that it would be better to handle it after entering Chang'an City. It would seem a little rushed to hold such a ceremony before entering Chang'an City. The current Fang Jie doesn't urgently need such a name, and it seems more legitimate to be called king after he arrives in Chang'an City.
After the rest in Yihe Town, the moment the team set off to head north, the decisive battle with Gao Kaitai had actually been announced.
Gao Kaitai would never agree to Fang Jie's request. He has tasted all kinds of high places and seen all kinds of high places. If he suddenly comes down from a high place and becomes an ordinary person, how can he accept it. What's more, it's not like he doesn't have any chips in his hand.
The bottom line that Gao Kaitai accepted in his heart was to return to the northwest.
However, Fang Jiexian did not give him Northwest.
The generals of the Black Banner Army had discussed before entering the army that the best strategy was to force Gao Kaitai back to the northwest, reserve troops to attack Chang'an, and fight Gao Kaitai later. But the battle situation is changing so rapidly, the best before is no longer the best.
Fang Xie's plan before entering the army was to force Gao Kaitai's team to the northwest, because Fang Xie always had a premonition that the man named Quoke Taimeng would take advantage of the chaos in the Central Plains and come over to stir up trouble. If Gao Kaitai is forced to the northwest, then if Mengge really raises troops to invade in the future, Gao Kaitai will be Mengge's first roadblock.
But now the situation has changed.
Wang Yiqu is dead, and Gao Wang's coalition army once seemed unbreakable, but now it can't help a gust of wind. If you don't take the opportunity to take him down at this time, once Gao Kaitai returns to the northwest, give him time to recover, and if you fight him again at that time, the lost troops will be multiplied by now.
Let's talk about logistics and supplies. Everyone in the Northwest knows how exhausted and cold they are now. Entering the northwest, the problem of food and grass cannot be solved locally. Don't forget that although Wang Yiqu is dead, Wang Yiqu's navy is still there. It is not so easy to transport grain to the northwest when conquering the northwest.
Fang Jie had already made two-handed preparations at the beginning. If Gao Kaitai was not easy to fight, he would be forced to go to the northwest, and he would be dealt with later. If Gao Kaitai's side goes well, Chen Dingnan's team has already driven to the northwest, and Gao Kaitai can be surrounded by then.
"Qin He."
Standing in front of the sand table, Fang Jie pointed to a river: "This is the first obstacle in front of us. Although the Qin River cannot be compared with the Yangtze River, the river is more than a mile wide. After a while, it will rain again." Get more, so you can cross Qinhe quickly."
Dugu Wenxiu nodded and added: "What's more, the confluence of the Qin River and the Yangtze River is too far away. If the navy goes around and comes back, it won't take two months to reach it. So this time, we don't have to go to cross the river. The navy assists. The navy must follow the original plan. Duan Zheng's troops must follow the Yi River to the north and be ready to meet Chen Dingnan's team to cross the river. Zheng Qiu's troops must follow the Yong'an Canal to the north. Daotai City and us confluence."
Xiahou Baichuan frowned, looked at the sand table thoughtfully and said, "If I were Gao Kaitai, I would deploy heavy troops in Qinhe. This is the first natural moat that enters Gyeonggi-do. If we break through it easily, it will be the Qianli Plain , Gao Kaitai has no confidence to win the field battle on the plain."
"Also beware..."
Yan Zeng is a newcomer to the Black Banner Army, and it was time to express himself, so he immediately said what came to his mind. He pointed to the upper reaches and said, "This is Lingmen Pass, where the Qin River has the narrowest flow. I understand With Gao Kaitai's temperament, he has no scruples in order to win. The most worrying thing is that he sends troops to block the river near the Lingmen Pass, and when the army crosses the river, he suddenly digs it open... "
"So, the spiritual gate must be closed first."
After he finished speaking, he replied that he stood in his place.
Fang Jie nodded: "The terrain of Lingmen Pass is very dangerous, it will not be easy to fight."
"The subordinates are willing to go."
Yan Zeng clasped his fists immediately and said.
Fang Jie hummed: "That's fine, you are more familiar with the terrain of Lingmen Pass than others, take your troops, and I will ask Andrew to send some people over from the artillery battalion. After taking down Lingmen Pass, send People patrol the river, and Gao Kaitai's people must not let Gao Kaitai's people block the river upstream. Therefore, it is difficult to win the Lingmen Pass, and it is even more difficult to hold the Lingmen Pass."
"Li Tai."
Fang Jie called out, and the general Li Tai immediately stood up and clasped his fists: "My lord, please tell me."
"Take your troops to support Yan Zeng. Gao Kaitai will fight desperately on the Qin River, but Yan Zeng's troops are a little insufficient. Leave it to him to guard the Lingmen Pass. The waterway from Lingmen Pass to the place where the army crosses the river is thirty to fifty miles away. , you come to inspect."
"Here!"
Li Tai clasped his fists in response and stepped back.
"Xiahou."
Fang Jie glanced at Xiahou Baichuan: "In the first battle of Qinhe, you are the vanguard general. The brigade is watching you from behind, don't let me down. The danger of this battle is that there is no naval assistance. Andrew's artillery battalion can help Yours is also limited, after all, the range of the artillery is not far from the opposite bank."
"My lord, don't worry!"
Xiahou Baichuan patted his chest: "This subordinate will show Gao Kaitai how the soldiers of the Black Banner Army fight!"
…
…
The Qinhe River and the Yangtze River are separated by a Jiangbei Road, running parallel to the east, and there is no intersection at all. During the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Great Sui Dynasty, the construction of the Yongan Canal began, running directly from the Yangtze River to Taicheng, Gyeonggi-do. However, when the Yong'an Canal was built, in order to ensure the shortest distance in the project, the route was quite remote.
Zheng Qiu's navy had to go northward through the Yong'an Canal, which was far away from Fang Jie's brigade. If the navy enters the Qinhe River from Yong'an Canal, it will take at least two months with Shangjie's team. There is a section of waterway in the upper reaches of the Qin River that is very narrow and treacherous, and even large naval ships may not be able to pass it.
When Xiahou Baichuan's vanguard army reached the south bank of the Qin River, the Gao family's army on the opposite side had already set up their formation.
"Please check Chen Xiaoru's Xiaoqi school nearby."
Xiahou Baichuan turned back and told his soldiers: "Gao Kaitai's men built a stockade directly opposite us so quickly and waited. There must be scouts following us all the way. They have already determined the place where we cross the river. People from the Xiaoqi School Tracking and tracking are all masters, and they are easier to use than the scouts in our army."
"Here."
His subordinate soldiers agreed, then turned around and went out to do things.
Xiahou Baichuan raised his clairvoyance and looked opposite, his brows furrowed deeper and deeper.
"Look at the banner, the person guarding Qinhe is surnamed Zheng."
He put his clairvoyance down and thought for a while who were the generals surnamed Zheng in Gao Kaitai's army.
"It's Zheng Ziyu."
It was Chen Xiaoru who spoke.
The soldiers sent out just now ran into Chen Xiaoru before they had gone far.
"You don't have to worry about the enemy's scouting. I'll send someone to scan it later."
Chen Xiaoru stood next to Xiahou Baichuan: "Recently, a helper came by my side. He has skills, great lightness kung fu, and great skills. The most important thing is that he just came here and prepared to perform. I will hand over this job to him soon. It gets the job done, and it sure does cleanly."
Xiahou Baichuan had seen wine, sex and wealth before, and he wanted to laugh whenever the appearance of that fat man appeared in his mind.
"That guy seems to be scheming, don't be snatched from your job as the commander of the Xiaoqi School."
He smiled.
Chen Xiaoru stretched his waist, and took a deep breath of the slightly fishy moist air by the river: "It's so easy to be snatched away, I still have this confidence... let's talk about your opponent, this Zheng Ziyu But one of Gao Kaitai's most important generals has been with Gao Kaitai for no less than fifteen years. He was accepted when Gao Kaitai was just an individual general, and he has been taking him with him for so many years."
"This person usually doesn't show his face. It was only known in the battle in the northwest... Gao Kaitai sent him to block Luo Yao's way at the beginning, and the left front guard was beaten by him from the back. After that, Gao Kaitai entered the Gyeonggi Province , this Zheng Ziyu is the vanguard general, and he fought all the way to the outside of Chang'an city, but Gao Kaitai personally commanded a battle, and his vanguard army fought like a broken bamboo to the outside of Chang'an."
"It's an opponent."
Xiahou Baichuan's eyes lit up: "It's fun to fight like this."
"Don't take it lightly."
Chen Xiaoru reminded: "Before looking at the enemy, you should see your own position clearly. You just reminded me not to be snatched away by that fat man who took over the Xiao riding school. Why can't you see your own situation? The newcomer Yan Zeng, isn't he the same as that fat man, holding back his strength to perform well. He took the initiative to invite Zhan to Lingmen Pass. On the surface, it seemed that he didn't want to compete with you for the first victory in the battle of crossing the Qin River. Don’t you want to fight a beautiful battle for the lord to see? Lingmen Pass is not easy to fight, and it is not easy at all compared to crossing the Qin River. I don’t believe that Gao Kaitai will not send heavy troops to guard such an important place as Lingmen Pass.”
"I know."
Xiahou Baichuan took a deep breath: "It's true that we old people who follow the lord have the deepest relationship with the lord. But these new guys, every one of them is capable. Damn, if I don't take Qin He fought well in this battle, and he really won’t be compared.”
"You know it yourself."
Chen Xiaoru smiled: "I can't favor anything in this position, what kind of support will I give you the same as Yan Zeng's support. If I delay the matter of the lord, I have a hundred heads and it's not enough to chop off."
"Ha ha."
Xia Hou laughed loudly: "If I rely on other people to win against that surnamed Yan, wouldn't it be shameful?"
"But... you have good news."
Chen Xiaoru smiled mysteriously: "About your opponent Zheng Ziyu on the other side of the river, I will exchange it for a pot of old wine, otherwise I won't tell you."
"You still fucking say that you won't use power for personal gain?!"
…
…
north bank of qinhe river
Zheng Ziyu put down his clairvoyance, his face was rather dignified.
"The vanguard general of the Black Banner Army is Xiahou Baichuan. I have heard of this name a long time ago. He is a difficult opponent. He was the one who broke the Liyin City that Yan Zeng was guarding. I also understand Yan Zeng's ability."
Zheng Ziyu sighed slightly: "My lord gave me 60,000 troops to defend Qinhe. If this battle is not fought well, our situation will be difficult to deal with."
The general under him opened his mouth, as if he was hesitant to speak.
"If you have something to say directly, what I hate the most is when others speak hesitantly."
Zheng Ziyu gave him a blank look and said.
General Zhang Genbao looked around, then leaned closer to Zheng Ziyu and said in a low voice: "General, my subordinates are not worried about the Black Banner Army on the other side. After all, it is the soldiers who come to cover up the water and the earth. We have never been afraid of this kind of confrontation." Who. What the subordinates are worried about...is why the lord didn't choose someone else to guard Qinhe, but why is it you, the general? Everyone knows that the first battle of the Black Banner Army's attack on Gyeonggi-do must have been very fierce. This is not a good job errand."
"What do you mean?"
Zheng Ziyu frowned and asked.
"General, have you heard that there are many letters from my lord, all of which were interpreted by the Black Banner Army? It is said that they were all interpreted by the generals in our army..."
"I never wrote it!"
Zheng Ziyu's expression changed.
"The subordinates know!"
Zhang Genbao stomped his feet anxiously: "The general will definitely not do such a thing... But, who can guarantee that the letters Fang Jie sent to the lord are all true?"