An army of 600,000 people is naturally a number to deter the enemy. Zhao State actually dispatched only 120,000 cavalry and navy troops in total. Coupled with the establishment of grain ships and grain silos along the way, the number of logisticians was greatly reduced. The total strength is around 300,000.
This number is less for the war of extermination of the country. But for the extremely fragile Eastern Jin political situation, it is still an unshakable figure.
How dare Wang Dun be negligent? Immediately transfer troops to the north to defend the enemy on the front line of Huai Shui. His response was not slow, but it was extremely difficult to prepare the food and manpower needed to mobilize the army. Before the front line was properly arranged, Zhao Jun's battleship sailed past the Huai River, and the Shouchun defenders surrendered to the city!
"Offer the city? After my army of more than 100,000 people, the thief slave actually offered the city?!" Wang Dun was furious when he heard the bad news just after leading the troops out of Jianye.
"Prime Minister. When Shouchun falls, Huainan is in danger! It's better to stick to the Yangtze River and use the navy to resist the enemy!" The subordinates immediately advised.
Although the State of Zhao sent thousands of ships this time, the Beiren were not good at water warfare. Able to cross the Huai River, but the defenders surrendered to the enemy. If a defensive line is set up in the Yangtze River, the enemy may not be able to invade the Jiangdong. Didn't Soochow also use the navy to retreat to the North Dixiong division several times
This is the best way at the moment. As a famous general, how could Wang Dun not know? So he gritted his teeth, he suppressed the soldiers and horses, and no longer marched north, but stationed troops in the mouth. Ruxukou was the fortress that Soochow Wu rejected Cao Wei. The two mountains faced each other, and the situation was critical. I don't know how many fortifications were built. Even though Cao's army was powerful, he had to return without success.
In addition, Jingkou on the east side of Jianye also laid down ships. There is Hangou here, which can enter the river from the Huai River. Even if there are years of wars, rivers and canals are blocked, it may not be able to pass a large ship, and you must be prepared. After defending the two estuaries, they strangled the throat of the Yangtze River. Wuchang is still in their own hands, and it is impossible for the Zhao State navy to go down the river from Jingzhou. Could it be that they can swim across the Yangtze River by sampan
Tens of thousands of navy troops moved in unison, stationed on the river. The state of Jin is fiercely armed, ready to fight. However, the Zhao army, who had penetrated deep into the enemy's territory, did not attack immediately, but steadily and steadily swallowed the Huainan and Lujiang counties in Jiangbei. Start building fortifications.
"The construction of the dry latrines in the new camp is too slow! People can't push it again, and it can't be delayed." Jiang Da did not stay in the tent, but kept patrolling the camp every step of the way.
This time when the army is heading south, the emphasis is not only on food and water, but also on epidemic prevention! There are many miasmas in the south, and the flood in the east of the Yangtze River has just passed, so there may be plagues. Therefore, the Taiyuan Hospital alone dispatched more than 500 people, and Jiang Da personally took charge of the Central Army. With such a big national doctor on the side, who would dare not obey the command? Even military latrines must be built in accordance with regulations.
However, this was the case, Jiang Da was still tense all day. Two to three hundred thousand people, ah, to catch up with the small mouth of a big city. With so many people coming to the South, there will be big problems just because they are not acclimatized to the soil and water. You have to worry about eating and drinking, and you have to be prepared for epidemics. No matter how many doctors there are, it is quite difficult.
"The water that is poured into the water bladder must be boiled. If there is vomiting and diarrhea, isolate it immediately." The Imperial Hospital has a microscope, and Jiang Da has seen worms in the water with his own eyes many times. Although he believed, the "sumer mustard seeds" that the Buddhists said were not necessarily all false.
Even spending more firewood to boil water is better than getting sick.
"Jiang Daring, another group of refugees has entered Shu County..." someone reported.
"These beetles killed by a thousand swords!" Jiang Da cursed bitterly, "Send five more people over, be careful to prevent diseases, and don't give birth to hidden dangers."
With such a big flood, the entire Jin Kingdom has no one to intervene. Therefore, when the army came, in addition to recovering the lost land, it also had to settle the refugees. As a result, the business is more complicated. Fortunately, both officials and doctors are used to doing these things. If you can stabilize a point in the rear, you must be more stable.
Hundreds of thousands of troops are busy in Jiangbei. The guards on the other side were a little impatient.
"What exactly does Zhao Jun want to do?"
Zhao Jun could make plans in Jiangbei and attack Huainan counties, but he couldn't. Hundreds of thousands of troops chewed, not a small amount. Originally, the Jin state was short of food, but now the flood has just passed, and the displaced people are everywhere. I don't know how many people's revolts against the grain levy have occurred. If they stay for a year and a half, I am afraid that they will be dragged down without the Zhao army attacking.
But apart from perseverance, what else is there to do? Huainan's fight is simply not going to blow the dust, Zhao Jun actually still has time to buy people's hearts. In this case, crossing the river, I am afraid there will be no return.
It was only at this moment that Wang Dun deeply regretted that he had demoted too many generals who could fight. If Tao Kan and Liu Kun were there, they wouldn't be afraid that the generals would defect.
No, you can't be distracted by the enemy. Wang Dun calmed down and sent scouts to investigate the enemy. In order to capture the two counties, the Zhao army has now been divided into two groups. This doesn't look like it was unintentional. If the enemy forces are divided, it is even less easy to be fooled.
It took more than two months in this way, and it was almost winter. Jin Jun, who was restless, finally ushered in the latest military report.
"Jingkou was attacked?" Wang Dun stood up abruptly, "Are enemy ships heading south from Hangou?"
Is it a building ship or a fighting ship? Is Hangou passable? Why didn't the Jingkou Navy stop it? Thoughts lingered in his mind, but the scout's answer shattered all the guesses.
"Back to Prime Minister, the enemy ships, the enemy ships came from the sea! A total of 20 large ships! Break through our defense line, a thousand small ships will go straight down the Hangou, and they will reach the capital in a few days..."
"What?" Wang Dun's eyes darkened and he almost fell back to his seat.
It is true that from the mouth of the Yangtze River, it is possible to drive a boat straight into Jianye, but where did Zhao Jun come from so many large sea ships? What's more, there are many sandbars in the estuary. If you are not familiar with the terrain, running aground is a common occurrence. How did they get along so smoothly? Why didn't anyone report in advance
"Prime Minister, do you want to send troops to support?!" a general asked.
Jingkou is less than a day away from Jianye. If Zhao Jun invaded, it would be unimaginable!
"No... Send a fleet to support!" After finally stabilizing his body, Wang Dun quickly ordered.
It seems that the enemy navy is heading south from Xuzhou. Where will the cavalry go? Need to say more? Even if they were in chaos for a while, the Zhao army might not be able to break into Jianye. After all, the Jiangdong Navy has more ships and more soldiers, which is enough to block the enemy!
But not on foot! If the Victorious Army, which had fought for ten years and annihilated the Xianbei and the Xiongnu in one fell swoop, crossed the river, then it would be the time when the Jin state would be wiped out!
"Take out all the medicines in the library! I want that thief army who pretends to be a ghost to have a taste of the power of 'Tianlei'!" Wang Dun pressed down on the table and shouted angrily.
"Put another round of the crossbow." Standing on the bow of the boat, Lu Kai carried his arms and stood upright.
Since the estuary broke into the Yangtze River, the Beihai Navy has practiced many times. The charts obtained from pirates and merchant ships are even more numerous. It is precisely because of this that they can drive straight in and assist the navy boats to break through the blockade. However, this credit is far from enough.
Four or five warships began to turn their crossbows under the guidance of the flag. Above the iron spear, the fire is raging. Whether it is the penetrating power of the spear and the crossbow, or the cotton wool wrapped around it, it can greatly frustrate the enemy ship. It is not impossible to lay down two more building ships.
Although the role of the navy was only to lure the enemy, with so many large ships and hundreds of small boats assisting in the battle, the Jin State navy, which might not be able to kill, was powerless to parry. If they can break through the enemy's blockade and approach Jian Ye, then the navy's credit will be great.
With the whistling, the crossbow arrows dragged long fire feathers and rushed towards the distant enemy ship!
Wang Dun was not mistaken. After the navy launched the attack, Zhao Jun, who had been entrenched in the mouth for a long time, also moved. And it is water and land to launch a general attack.
There are many soldiers and horses in this team, and there are ships coming from Chaohu Lake. However, Wang Dun was not afraid. At that time, the strong fortress that tens of thousands of Cao troops could not break through, were you still afraid of the Zhao army who split up
For a time, thunderous drums sounded on both sides of the river bank!
"Commander, there is gunpowder on the enemy boat!"
If you want to attack Shuxukou, you must first fight with water. Yang Hui, the commander of the navy, naturally led the troops first. When vehicles and ships are thrown into the battlefield, they must be carefully arranged. The Beihai Marine had already opened fire, and he naturally couldn't be left behind.
Unexpectedly, as soon as the battle was fought, the enemy troops drove Mengchong, Chima and other small boats into the water formation. As long as it hits the ship, it will detonate immediately, making a deafening roar.
A few years ago, I am afraid that some people thought it was a lightning strike, which messed up the morale of the army. But now the navy is up and down, who doesn't know how to use gunpowder? His Majesty said many years ago that gunpowder could not be monopolized by Da Zhao. Only when the whole army is familiar with the medicinal properties can they not be shocked by the surprise attack. Looking at it now, sure enough.
Yang Hui smiled coldly: "Banmen get an axe! Let them see what a real thunderbolt looks like!"
The huge car and boat began to oar, and the three were lined up side by side. The ballista on the deck was loaded and released at the same time. For a time, the projectiles fell like rain, smashing towards the Jin army's ships. I just listened to the continuous loud noises, the smoke filled with gunpowder, and the screams were endless. Ordinary Jin soldiers, where have you seen such means? I was already scared out of my mind. Those who knew the purpose of gunpowder could not resist such terrifying attacks. Seeing that the navy formation began to disperse.
"The enemy formation is in chaos, let's add fuel to the fire again!" Yang Hui flashed Ruiguang in his eyes and ordered loudly.
The boat, which was loaded with fierce kerosene, immediately jumped out of the formation and rushed towards the enemy formation.
"It was really lively." Standing on the shore, Sun Jiao let out a snort and put down the telescopic mirror in his hand, "It seems that Governor Yang is going well, even using thunderbolts. We can't lose to this group of water. turtle!"
Land and water combined soldiers must despise each other. On the one hand, the landlubber is called, and on the other hand, it will be called a few more times. However, at this moment, Sun Jiao's subordinates still care about this. All eyes flashed, and they rushed towards the gun mounts on the shore.
The navy's ballista is just a simplified version of the thunderbolt, how can they be so powerful? Squeaky, every gun mount was full, Sun Jiao smiled and said, "Let's fire the gun. Don't hurt your allies."
This also makes sense. In a melee on the water, if the aim is not accurate, it is really possible to pierce your own ship with one shot. However, the gunners, how could they be those trash who can't even hold their heads? As if he hadn't heard the second half of the sentence, the general swung down the flag in his hand.
How spacious is the river channel in such a dangerous place as Ruxukou? A distance of two or three miles is really not a problem for the Thunderbolt Cannon of the Shenji Army.
The heavy iron pellets flew into the air with the throwing force, passed over the ships of their own, and smashed into the enemy's water formation. When the gun went down, the sawdust collapsed, and the huge waves raged into the sky. The already chaotic water surface became more and more unbearable.
A battle was fought from morning to night, and the only remaining navy of the Jin army was almost wiped out. Wang Dun's face was ashen, and he clenched his fists: "Let's adjust the Jingzhou Navy..."
"Prime Minister, if the Jingzhou navy also comes to help, I'm afraid Wuchang will not be able to protect it..." Someone couldn't help but said,
"How many boats can they have? Send me troops! There are also cavalry along the coast, all of them will be transferred, and strictly guard the beards!"
The Lei Fang he bought from the Taoist at a huge price was so unbearable in front of the enemy. Now that Jingkou is at stake, we must not lose our mouth any longer! We must stop Zhao Jun in Jiangbei!
Just like a magnet, more and more Jiangdong soldiers and horses converged towards the scorpion. However, on the north bank where no one cared, a large army avoided the two river mouths and advanced towards another goal.
"Is this Cai Shiji?" Riding on the horse, Yi Yan narrowed his eyes and looked at the scene ahead.
I saw the cliffs Qianxun in the distance, and the river was rushing. Under the shade of greenery, there are still shadows of the ancient temple. The meandering dragon of the Yangtze River is slightly constricted here, and as long as you raise your eyes, you can see the other side.
This is also the fortress of the Eastern Wu Dynasty. Zhou Yu also stationed troops here to resist the enemy with the combined army of land and water. However, at this moment, there were already very few defenders on the other side. The troops and the fleet were attracted by the battlefields of the two river mouths, and a white field appeared.
If you can cross the Caishiji in one fell swoop, taking Jianye is like searching for something. However, all of Zhao's boat divisions were thrown into the battlefield, so where did the ships come from to transport troops? There are tens of thousands of riders, how can we cross the Yangtze River
Facing the surging river, Yi Yan just smiled slightly, and then ordered: "Order the army to build a bridge."
How can a bridge be built over the river? Unexpectedly, with the order, more than a dozen huge bamboo rafts broke through the boiling water and rushed towards Jiang Xin!