Lin Renzhao rushed out of Jiangning Prefecture overnight and rode south alone to the old land of Min. To the west was the Zhou army's activity area, and to the east was the territory of Wuyue. The situation in Nanjing was really like an ambush from all sides.
The next morning, as soon as he reached the east bank of Danyang Lake, he encountered Zhou scouts. After chasing for half an hour, he encountered Zhou cavalry again, and his horse was shot dead and the man was captured.
Lin Renzhao was soon identified by the Zhou army generals because of the tattoo on his back. So he was tied up and taken to the Zhou army camp at Caishi Ferry.
After a lot of trouble, it was dark when they arrived. The young general of the Zhou army next to him said in a northern accent: "You keep an eye on him, I'll go in and report." A soldier laughed and said: "This guy is tied up like a dumpling. He is in a big camp. It may not be easy for him to escape."
Lin Renzhao did not struggle at all. He was already disheartened. If he had known this would happen, why would he have wasted his energy to escape from Nanjing? He would die anyway. Dying in the Southern Tang prison would save him from being humiliated by his enemies. He was already a defeated general under Guo Shao. It was not enough to be defeated on the battlefield. He also wanted Guo Shao to know that he was fleeing for fear of punishment and then come to his doorstep to die.
In addition to feeling extremely ashamed, he was also a little curious about what that person looked like. Although they were enemies, Lin Renzhao did lose with a certain degree of acceptance. At least he did not lose to someone he looked down upon. The commander of the Zhou army used his troops flexibly and seized each opportunity very accurately.
Lin Renzhao waited outside the door for a long time, but the young general who had gone in to report still hadn't come out. Just then, a young man with a bun and no hat came out. He seemed to be in a hurry, and he was dressed as if he had just come out of his bedroom. He didn't even wear boots, but a pair of clogs.
I am Guo Shao, the young man said directly.
Lin Renzhao was stunned for a moment. He really didn't expect the Zhou army commander to look like this, and so young. He didn't feel humiliated. Maybe it was impolite for people to dress untidy when meeting guests, but at this moment, it reminded him of the story of Duke Zhou vomiting the food he had eaten.
Before he could think of what to say, Guo Shao said again: This man is not Lin Renzhao, he is an imposter. I saw him in the Huainan Campaign.
Lin Renzhao was misunderstood and was about to explain himself, but then he thought about the point of wasting time and thought about when he had fought with Guo Shao in the Huainan Campaign.
He didn't say a word as he was taken into the camp.
"Hurry up and untie General Lin," Guo Shao said anxiously as he entered the hall. "I've heard of General Lin's name for a long time. Today I see that he really has the spirit of a hero."
Lin Renzhao asked: "Why did General Guo say I was an imposter?"
Guo Shao said: Although we are in the Zhou army camp, there are many people outside and many gossips. I have heard that General Lin is a sincere man who values friendship and loyalty, and he values his family very much. If the news that you were captured by the Zhou army gets out too quickly, it may be bad for your family.
Lin Renzhao stared at Guo Shao. For a moment, he was really moved. Thinking of the various dangers he had encountered in Jinling, he felt different now.
Lin Renzhao was a strong, sturdy man, very rough, and he did not have many tricks, but rough men also have feelings. He immediately answered the question irrelevantly: I am a defeated general under General Guo, and now I am captured. You can kill me or chop me up as you like, but I will not surrender. There is no point in saying more.
Guo Shao just smiled at him without saying anything. The silence for a moment made Lin Renzhao feel as if he had been seen through. Guo Shao had left a deep impression on him after just a short while of meeting him. He looked at Guo Shao. At first glance, he looked very ordinary, with a skin color that was a little dark from the sun; but if you pay a little attention, you will find that he is very neat and well-proportioned. His face is tanned to a bronze color but his face is smooth. He is wearing a gray robe, but it is very smooth and clean. There are more details that Lin Renzhao did not notice, just based on a feeling.
Lin Renzhao thought to himself that Guo Shao's eyes were as ambitious as a hunter's, and his goal in fighting was very clear, so he could carry out the established tactics unwaveringly; he was also a very meticulous person, so he could grasp the timing very accurately and his steps were very clear.
I care about my family, General Guo also knows this, Lin Renzhao asked with a little curiosity.
Guo Shao said: Southern Tang is a big country with thousands of generals, but there are not many who are really worth our efforts. I already know the details of General Lin, and the military headquarters of the Great Zhou Dynasty still has your files on file.
I'm a little surprised, Lin Renzhao frowned and pondered. At this moment, he felt very strange. After being captured, he felt no humiliation at all, but occasionally felt very proud. Not many people can understand fame and fortune, but fame comes before profit. When a stranger, especially a person in a high position, suddenly looks at you differently and shows respect, it is really hard to be unhappy.
Guo Shao said: I did not advise General Lin to surrender immediately. Why don't we get to know each other first
Lin Renzhao said: What's the point of getting to know a defeated general
Guo Shao smiled but said nothing. From the first time Lin Renzhao emphasized the defeated general, he had already seen that this man was a person who cared a lot about face. Perhaps the more someone claimed to be an upright man, the more he cared about face.
Lin Renzhao was indeed a capable person. He was not only brave in battle, but also had considerable knowledge and keen judgment in the understanding of war tactics. He was stubborn and wanted to go to Dangtu City, and he had a good vision in tactics. Of course, if he was not capable, Guo Shao would never lower himself to waste time on him.
But Lin Renzhao might be even harder to control than Shi Yanchao. If he disobeyed military orders one day, Guo Shao would not be surprised. Li Yu could not use a very difficult warrior, so using him was counterproductive.
In any case, he has weaknesses, but he also has real abilities. Guo Shao is not interested in people like Huangfu Jixun who have no abilities. Moreover, if a capable person without weaknesses is reused, it will also be very stressful.
It was getting late, so General Lin rested here. Guo Shao said, and ordered his subordinates not to treat him badly. Guo Shao kept talking about General Lin, and his respect was evident. Lin Renzhao would certainly not be treated rudely, nor would he be dragged into a small dark room and beaten without any reason like he was in Nanjing.
At this time, several generals including Li Chuyun and Shi Yanchao heard the noise and came over. Guo Shao originally wanted to sleep, but now he had to sit and talk with them for a while.
Shi Yanchao seemed to think highly of Lin Renzhao as well. He sat down and said: That guy is quite capable. He can stop me in the chaotic battlefield and even run away. He is skilled and cunning, hehe.
Guo Shao smiled and said: There are not many people that General Shi respects.
After hearing this, Li Chuyun and others looked at each other and smiled bitterly with a hint of irony.
Shi Yanchao snorted at the person next to him, turned his head and looked at Guo Shao: The King of Southern Tang in Jiangning Prefecture is unable to control the situation, and the internal strife is fierce. Why don't we go straight to Jiangning City
Guo Shao looked at Li Chuyun with a questioning look on his face.
Li Chuyun pondered for a long time: I am afraid there are still risks. Deputy Shi said that the Southern Tang Kingdom was in chaos, but until now their strength has not been broken, but the situation is not good; and the problem of our Great Zhou army is that Tokyo and the north have tied up a lot of troops, and we cannot use our full strength, resulting in insufficient elite troops for the battle against the Southern Tang.
Jiangning Prefecture has a large number of troops, and the surrounding Runzhou and Jingkou River are still under the heavy control of the Southern Tang Army; the strength of the large area of Southern Tang territory in the southwest also threatens us from both sides. So I think it is not the time to attack the city yet, and we can't be impatient.
Guo Shao nodded and said directly: I think the next target should be the Southern Tang Army Navy in Jingkou.
He reviewed several generals and said: Our greatest achievement so far is to occupy Caishi and open up the natural barrier of the Yangtze River; and the Southern Tang army destroyed in the occupied territory is not very strong. To stabilize Caishi and then make progress, we still need to take Caishi as the foundation.
The generals nodded their heads. Seeing this, Guo Shao continued: "The large number of Southern Tang navy troops in Hukou have always threatened Caishi. They may attack Li Chuyun's navy from both sides together with the navy troops in Jingkou. We must not underestimate the combat power of the Southern Tang navy. Once we lose the navy troops in Caishi, we will lose control of the river, and our retreat and food supply will be blocked. Control of the river is of great importance."
But the enemy troops at Jingkou were also in danger of being attacked from both sides. The offensive and defensive situation depended on who took the initiative and seized the opportunity, so I thought the next step should be to deploy a naval battle to siege Jingkou as soon as possible.
Li Chuyun said: The Great Zhou army can also approach Jiangning Prefecture on the shore, pretending to attack the enemy's capital. When the army is at the gates of the city, the Southern Tang army may mobilize heavy troops to defend it, as a tactic to make a feint to the east and attack in the west.
Guo Shao agreed and issued several preliminary military orders that night. He ordered Wang Pu to move the central army headquarters to Caishi, and ordered Luo Yanhuan to lead the right wing of the Longjie Army stationed in Chizhou to move north, and the Zhou army's battle line to the northeast to alleviate the shortage of troops.
Then he sent people to the Wuyue Kingdom, asking Cao Bin to urge the Wuyue Kingdom to send troops to attack in the direction of Runzhou and Zhenjiang to cooperate with the Zhou army in the battle.
I've been attending training in Beijing recently and have just settled down. I feel embarrassed to update. I promise to resume the basics of updating twice a day after I return home at the beginning of next month.
By the way, Xifeng will take some time to organize the photos and experiences along the way and post them in the top post of the q log. Interested book friends can take a look. My q... .821352753... is set to no verification required, allowing everyone to add friends.