The autumn in Tokyo is deepening, but the coastal area of Jiaozhou in the south is still hot.
The Taiping River is very wide at the mouth of the river, and the river water and the sea water are mixed together. It is hard to tell which is the sea water or the river water. It was not until the sailors on the ship took a rope and picked up a gourd to taste it that they shouted: "The water has become lighter."
Immediately, a young and handsome general rebuked: "It is forbidden to drink unboiled water under military order."
I'm just trying it. The sailor grumbled a little, not really taking it seriously. Everyone else was also making a lot of noise, not taking it seriously.
The young general was Yu Liang. He immediately felt that the soldiers had no respect for him and looked unhappy. However, the military order issued by the Central Army only prohibited it, but did not specify the punishment for violation. Yu Liang was not in a position to get angry, otherwise everyone would think he was making a fuss.
So Yu Liang frowned and shouted: "When I followed Cao Gong to conquer Southern Han, many people did not die on the battlefield, but died of dysentery and malaria." He shouted sternly, "Laugh now, don't howl later."
The noise around him stopped for a while, and Yu Liang was very satisfied with the situation. He took the opportunity to issue orders. After landing, each captain took his men to the distribution center to receive wormwood, mugwort, realgar, and patchouli. Follow the military order.
At this time, General Zhang Jiankui stepped onto the plank and echoed: "Deputy Commander Yu said it very well. Even if it is a small matter, everyone should follow the rules. It is not difficult. We have a lot of things to worry about, such as how to build the military camp and how to deploy scouts. If the soldiers do not obey orders, how can we get things done with so many people?" The soldiers were efficient. Just do what the superiors tell you to do.
General Zhang, General Feng, please come up and talk, a clerk called out apologetically from the watchtower.
Zhang Jiankui nodded in agreement, and then told Yu Liangdao to remind the people on the ship that Artemisia annua should not be boiled, but should be soaked in cold boiled water.
Yu Liang apologized and said: Yes, sir.
Zhang Jiankui climbed up the ship's tower and saw Feng Jiye and Zheng Xianchun standing there looking at the land. Zhang Jiankui went forward to greet each other, without even looking at the surroundings. Once he reached a high point, his vision suddenly widened, and the white sails on the sea became more and more spectacular. Although Feng Jiye's troops, the vanguard of Xu's army, had only 3,000 people in total, the Jiaolong Army had dispatched a number of large and small ships to transport troops and supplies. In addition to seagoing ships, there were also flat-bottomed sand boats, which were suitable for shallow coastal landings and inland river navigation.
But from the current situation, there will be no fighting during the landing.
The magnificent fleet made the land even quieter. Xu Jun seemed like an uninvited guest, totally out of place in the desolate place.
Zheng Xianchun, the chief secretary, said: I have asked the guides in Jiaozhou and they are sure that this is the estuary of Taiping River. There is a tributary called Baiteng River in the north of this river, which is where Wu Quan's troops in Jiaozhou defeated the Southern Han army.
Zhang Jiankui said: That’s right. Cao Gong’s intention is that we should gain a foothold at this river mouth and defeat the invading enemy.
Feng Jiye said: "I have heard that the navy of the Southern Han army often enters Jiaozhou from Halong Bay, and the people of Jiaozhou also have a heavy defense in Halong Bay. If we take this route, it will save a lot of trouble to go ashore."
Zheng Xianchun said: General Feng is absolutely right. The Guangnan navy has always either gone through the Bach Dang River in Xialong Bay or the Red River. Few people take this route.
A large fleet of ships was slowly approaching the land on the sea. Zhang Jiankui took out a map from his arms and unfolded it, looking up and down at times.
He pointed ahead and said, "There is a lake in the northeast. The fleet can go into the lake mouth to avoid the wind and the rapids. The military camp is stationed on the north bank and a fort is built on the spot. After landing, I will be responsible for building the military camp and the subsequent fortification. General Feng will be responsible for deployment and scouts to prevent the Jiaozhou army from attacking us."
Zhang Jiankui reminded him a little worriedly: "South of the lake is a large forest. General Feng, please look, it is the lush forest in the east. We must send scouts into the forest to take a look; there must also be sand boats patrolling the lake and the river day and night."
Feng Jiye smiled and said: General Zhang, you are worrying too much. I earned this title through battles, not by wearing skirts or clothes.
After hearing this, Zheng Xianchun also laughed a few times.
Feng Jiye's smile was gone, a little moody, he turned and said coldly: "General Zhang, what can we do to build the fort? There are so many people, we have to prepare for war and work at the same time."
Zhang Jiankui said: Daxu is strong and Jiaozhou is weak, Ding Buling dare not easily go to war with Daxu. Our initial defense is mainly based on scouts, and the soldiers will first build fortifications. He pondered and said, stand your ground first, if you can negotiate the terms of the transaction with the locals, you may be able to get some manpower.
Feng Jiye said: Commander Ding wants to send a large army to attack, which will save the trouble.
Why? Zhang Jiankui asked puzzledly.
Feng Jiye said: There must be many prisoners doing hard labor.
The three of them looked at each other.
After discussing for a while, they summoned all the commanders and deputy commanders to the flagship to deploy and arrange the responsibilities of each department.
More than an hour later, the generals led their troops to land on the sand boats. There was no Jiaozhou soldier, and Xu's army encountered no resistance. The north bank was flat, with large rice fields and vegetable fields, small rivers and water bodies everywhere, and some farmhouses dotted in between. A piece of land for the camp had been vacated, and some soldiers were burning rice crops. The ridges of the fields were also dug down, and ditches were dug to drain water. Zhang Jiankui received a report that he had bought the farmers' farmhouses and fields with money and goods.
The south bank of the lake was covered with forests. It was difficult to observe and search the forests there, but a large amount of wood could be used to build military camps and collect firewood. The river bank suddenly became noisy and lively. The arrival of many soldiers and their supplies made it seem like a big market.
At this time, Zhang Jiankui found a house on fire in the field, with smoke rising to the sky, and immediately summoned the scouts to question the general. The general said: Brothers, follow the rules to patrol the nearby houses, just to see who is inside. The family closed the door and did not answer, so the scout kicked the door open and went in. Unexpectedly, a man rushed over with a sickle and shouted. The scout was anxious and killed the man with a musket. The matter was reported to Commander Huang, who ordered us to kill everyone and burn the house to prevent the family from shouting everywhere.
Zhang Jiankui frowned after hearing this, but Zheng Xianchun, the military supervisor, advised: "The court has no envoys to Ding Buling, and it is inevitable that such bad things will happen when so many of us suddenly come to Jiaozhou. If we discipline the soldiers too strictly, it will not be a good thing."
As soon as the military supervisor spoke, Zhang Jiankui said: Report, there is a market ten miles away, there are a lot of people there, you should send troops carefully and report to the central army first.
The general said hurriedly: "I have received your order."
A few days later, a military camp surrounded by wooden stakes was built around the main camp, with numerous tents scattered inside. Xu Jun's camp rose from the ground. Outside the main camp, there was a memorial archway named Taipingzhai, with simple wooden arrow towers and sentry towers. There was no army attacking the area, and the situation was still calm. There were only a few casualties between scouts and local officials and civilians.
At this time, the Jiaozhou government finally sent an envoy to meet him.
The vanguard generals of the Xu army, Feng Jiye, deputy general Zhang Jiankui, military supervisor Zheng Xianchun, met the envoy in the central army tent. But the man was wearing a long robe and a futou. If it weren't for his different facial features and dark skin, everyone would have thought he was a scholar from the Xu State.
The envoy was dark and thin, probably because of the hot climate in Jiaozhou. The same scholar's robe looked a little strange on him, his posture and movements were sloppy and he didn't even wear his hat properly.
Lai said in Chinese with an accent that was difficult to understand, "I came from Fudai Township on the orders of the governor of this prefecture. The governor wanted to ask the people of Xu why they occupied my land and killed my officials and civilians."
Zhang Jiankui glanced sideways, and Zheng Xianchun said: Jiaozhou has been part of China since ancient times, and has been Jiaozhi County since the Qin Dynasty. Now the Emperor of Daxu is the common ruler of the world, and Jiaozhou should be one of the states of Daxu. The whole world belongs to the king, and the emperor's army is stationed here by imperial decree, so how can you say that you are occupying your land? If the local rebels dare to harass the official army, the court will order the officials to punish them according to the law, so how can you say that you are killing the officials and civilians
The envoy was anxious and angry when he heard this: Da Co Viet had an emperor who was ordained by heaven and had a legitimate reason. He had pacified the chaotic world with his own troops and was supported by the government, the army and the people. What did this have to do with the State of Xu
Zheng Xianchun took a breath and spoke immediately. A state under the rule of the imperial court rebelled and established itself as a king. This is called being appointed by heaven. It is ridiculous. If you want to negotiate, it is not the local prefectures and counties that should send people to negotiate. Please report to the capital of Luocheng Jiaozhou and ask Ding Buling to send people to negotiate. If you want to be legitimate, you can only be granted a title by the Emperor of Daxu.
The envoy was completely angry:
Good Zheng Xianchun said, see you off
The messenger turned around and saw the soldiers coming over. He was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly said: "The envoy of this prefecture has a message. Please restrain the soldiers of the Xu army. Killing innocent people indiscriminately will not benefit you."
As soon as the Jiaozhou officials left, the Central Army tent immediately discussed Ding Buling's reaction. Zheng Xianchun thought that Ding Buling would send someone to talk first. Many chieftains were willing to accept the title of local emperor by the Central Plains dynasty. However, Zhang Jiankui suggested strengthening the guard. He thought that there might be a risk of war based on Ding Buling's many combat experiences.
So the central army ordered all troops to be on alert, thinking that being cautious is always a good thing.
It was impossible to build the fortress in a short time, so Zhang Jiankui planned a defense strategy in advance. He relied on a small river in the north as the front line of defense, lined up the main infantry on the river bank, and set up land artillery arrays. At this time, the large and small warships of the Jiaolong Army had not left yet, and the naval guns on the river and lake provided fire support on both wings, which could repel a large number of invading enemies.
This plan is just in case.
Unexpectedly, within ten days, Zhang Jiankui's painstaking efforts paid off. The sand boats on the Taiping River returned with a report that a large number of Jiaozhou troops were sailing downstream and heading straight for the military camp.
The rumbling of drums and the powerful trumpets shook the heavens and the earth, and the soldiers of the Xu army, armed with sharp weapons, gathered in teams everywhere. Most of the vanguards were imperial guards, with a small number of guards. Above the soldiers and horses, the smoke of war finally rose in this brand new military camp.