On the morning of 16 August, there was a light rain, but then it cleared up and there was a burst of sun around noon. As a result, the roads were much drier, and the march of the Han army was quickened.

According to the scout's report, Zhu Gaoxu estimated that the army would be able to reach the Lijiang River ferry in the east of Yangshuo County this evening.

It was cloudy in the sky, there was wind on the ground, and the sun was shining through the clouds from time to time.

Another messenger came ahead, and Zhu Gaoxu and a group of men and horses left the main road and stopped at the side of the army. Zhu Gaoxu stretched out his right hand, straightened the letter that was swinging in the wind, and buried his head in reading.

He was still weak, but the fever had subsided the morning before. Because he didn't rest well at all, his main discomfort now is a little pain in his head, slow thinking, and pain in his throat when swallowing. It is estimated that the tonsils are inflamed, and within a few days, these symptoms may be unfavorable.

In his letter, Zhao Ping reported that two boat bridges had been erected this afternoon in the narrow part of the Li River in the east of Yangshuo County. Thousands of enemy fronts also arrived, camped miles away from a village; The enemy's main battalion was more than 10 miles away in the southwest.

Zhu Gaoxu's throat was uncomfortable, and he didn't want to talk much, so after reading the letter, he handed the report to Wang Bin beside him. He only said one sentence to the generals around him: "Wu Gao wants to fight me in a decisive battle!" ”

He didn't explain, just casually said his judgment.

In the past few days, the armies of both sides have taken two different paths; The official army is located on the west bank of the Li River, the county seat of Yangshuo is on the west bank, and the Han Wangjun is on the east bank. Therefore, if the Han army wanted to march into Yangshuo County, it had to cross the Li River.

But capturing Yangshuo County was not Zhu Gaoxu's goal. He asked Zhao Ping to erect the pontoon bridge first, just to give Wu Gao some good reasons, so that Wu Gao could believe that the target of the Han Wangjun was the county seat; And Zhu Gaoxu's real attempt to march in the rain in the past few days was to make the enemy army fatigue.

Therefore, the two boat bridges erected by Zhao Ping will not necessarily be used by the Han Wangjun.

And now the enemy vanguard has arrived near the bridge of the boat, but it is only watching from a few miles away, and there is no sign of attack! If the enemy army did not want the Han army to cross the river, it was completely possible to launch a skirmish at this time and try to burn the pontoon bridge.

Wu Gao did not order that. Of course, he didn't want the Han army to cross the river from there, right? Therefore, Wu Gao's intention is most likely to face off with the Han Wangjun on the west bank of the Li River to determine the winner!

Wang Bin's voice said: "If Wu Gao doesn't want to fight with us, I'm afraid he will send someone to burn the boat bridge." ”

Zhu Gaoxu listened, glanced at Wang Bin with approving eyes, and nodded slightly. But whether he was willing to cater to Wu Gao's invitation to fight, Zhu Gaoxu did not immediately express his position.

When the army followed the drying road and reached the camp being built by the vanguard army and the baggage battalion, the hour was probably between Shen and You, and there was still some time before dark.

Zhu Gaoxu simply instructed Wang Bin to send an order to everyone to camp and take out the gunpowder in the barrel to dry. Naturally, the gunpowder of the battalions did not rain, but it may have been a little humid after a few days of rain, so it is better to dry it......

The military camp was set up on the bank of the Li River, which flowed roughly from east to west, and the Han army was on the north bank. In the flat areas near the county seat, on the banks of the Li River, the villages are more densely populated; The Chinese army and the barracks of tens of thousands of people were all set up in the same village.

When Zhu Gaoxu walked to a chic blue-tiled mansion where he was located, he summoned the generals to discuss the war.

Almost all the generals agree to fight with Wu Gao! The soldiers are always on the march, and they are facing the pressure of the enemy, which is not easy; If you do it happily, although there is bloodshed and sacrifice, the time will not last so long.

However, a senior general believed: "Chen Zhenbu is escorting military supplies such as grain and herbs, and is heading north along the Li River." If we can delay the battle for two days, we will receive more than 10,000 reinforcements. ”

Several people immediately seconded this proposal, and some people even proposed: "Yesterday, the prince said that General Ping's 8,000 cavalry is the first to arrive, if we can wait for General Ping's cavalry reinforcements, our troops will be more sufficient." ”

Zhu Gaoxu finally spoke: "Is Wu Gao willing to wait?" ”

The generals immediately looked at each other. After a while, Zhu Gaoxu buried his head in reading the map, and the generals in the room began to discuss.

…… The map on the table turned out to have been drawn by someone else. But now, I'm afraid only Zhu Gaoxu himself can understand it, he has added a lot of symbols to it, and it looks like it has become colorful and messy.

From Yangshuo County to Guilin Fucheng, there is only about 150 miles left. But Wu Gao still wants to start a war in Yangshuo County, and there must be a reason.

Zhu Gaoxu speculated that Wu Gaojun might be demoralized and in a poor situation; I want to win a victory with superior forces, and then walk this one hundred and fifty miles with relative ease, reducing the loss of scattered and stragged troops.

Zhu Gaoxu had previously said to the generals under his command that if he knew that he could not win a battle, if he had a choice, the best choice would be not to fight.

Wu Gao is willing to fight this time, he must think he can win! Just like the confrontation in the east of Pingle Mansion, Wu Gao's initial intention was to set up a field battle, but later Zhu Gaochu chose to defend the high ground to take advantage; This time, the disparity in strength between the two sides has not changed, Wu Gao's army is tired, but it is expected that the Han Wang's army is about the same...... This is the reason why Wu Gao is willing to go to war.

If he waited for Chen Zhen's troops to arrive, or even the arrival of a large force of cavalry in Ping'an, would Wu Gao still choose to wait and then start a big battle? It is estimated that the confrontation and abandonment of Pingle Mansion will be repeated again!

Zhu Gaoxu thought for a while, raised his head and said, "Opportunities are often accompanied by risks!" ”

The discussion of the generals stopped one after another, and they all looked sideways.

Zhu Gaoxu's voice was not loud, and he said solemnly: "At this moment, our morale is far better than Wu Gao!" I think we can fight tomorrow. ”

It was a battle of more than 50,000 men against nearly 100,000 men. Therefore, for a while, the generals did not have agitated emotions, and everyone was quiet for a while, and then someone hugged his fists and said: "The last general is ordered by the prince!" ”

Then many people took the prostration.

Chen Zhen's reinforcements dozens of miles away, as well as the Ping'an reinforcements that were expected to arrive in a few days, were the reasons for Zhu Gaoxu's determination. Although reinforcements did not arrive, as long as the battle did not collapse within a day or two, the strength of the Han army could be strengthened one after another.

At this moment, a shout of "report" came from outside the door.

After a while, a dusty sergeant was let in and gave Chen Zhen's things.

Zhu Gaoxu opened the cloth bag and read the two letters inside, he was a little confused at first, but after a while, he went straight to the last page and saw the payment of Wu Gao, the Marquis of Jiangyin, and immediately understood.

This is the letter that Wu Gao wrote to Chen Yongsheng before, promising to ensure the safety of Pingle Mansion City. After the prefect Chen Yongsheng surrendered, these letters were obtained by Chen Zhen.

Zhu Gaoxu stretched out his hand and rubbed it on his forehead for a while, suddenly slapped the table, handed the letter to Hou Hai, a civil official beside him, and said, "Find a brother from Beisi and send Wu Gao's letter to the Beisi stronghold in Guilin Mansion." Tell the traitors over there to use these things to persuade the officials of Guilin Mansion to surrender. ”

Hou Hai arched his hand and said, "The lower official obeys the order." ”

Zhu Gaoxu stood up and said, "This king will go to the south bank to take a look at the terrain and return to the camp before dark." ”

The generals were in an uproar and persuaded one after another, "There are enemy activities on the south bank of the Li River, and the prince can send scouts to investigate ......."

"I've made up my mind." Zhu Gaoxu said directly.

This outnumbered battle is inherently risky! Zhu Gaoxu was willing to let the army take risks, so he was also willing to risk his own safety. Moreover, this was a temporary decision of his, and it was not very likely that he would be besieged by the enemy.

Zhu Gaoxu led dozens of cavalry soldiers, led by Wang Bin. The group rode out of the barracks.

They came to the pontoon bridge on the Li River, and Zhao Ping, a tall and well-dressed general, came to greet them. Zhao Ping pleaded: "The last general then transferred the forward army to cross the river and respond to the prince on the south bank. ”

Zhu Gaoxu shook his head and refused, and said: "Erect a pontoon bridge overnight, as many as possible; and built fortifications on the south bank to defend against enemy cavalry raids. In the early morning of tomorrow, the forward will go first, and the whole army will cross the river! ”

Zhao Ping bowed and said: "The last general will be ordered!" ”

Dozens of riders passed over a short pontoon bridge on the north shore and then crossed the almost empty Jiangxin Island. Or because the Li River floods the island, which has no houses but a dilapidated straw hut. Then they crossed a pontoon bridge that was not too long, and reached the south bank of the Li River.

On the south bank, there were cavalry activities of the Han army. Just as Zhao Pingyu reported the military situation, the enemy army did not press in the direction of Zhouqiao.

…… After crossing the bridge, there is a large area of flat land to the west, with a radius of about several miles. This flat land seems to be like a triangle, surrounded by the Li River on three sides, making it like a peninsula. There were many houses in the middle of the flatland, probably a village; It is surrounded by vegetable fields, groves and rice paddies.

The battlefield may be here, this plain. It is surrounded by water to the north and mountains to the south. It seems that the two sides only need to put the army away, confront the east and west, and then fight each other! It's like an arena.

But war is not a competition.

Zhu Gaoxu soon discovered that the focus was not on the flat land, but on the mountainous area to the south.

A mountain peak in the south crisscrosses east and west, and the abrupt peak is probably Guangxi's unique limestone, which looks so hard and steep that it is impossible to climb to the top. But between the peaks there are several valleys, dominated by barren grasses and shrubs, which can be marched.

Zhu Gaoxu rode his horse through a valley and found a limestone peak further south and in the distance. These peaks are arranged in such a neat manner that they resemble two mountain ranges, with straight valleys running from east to west.

Looking to the southeast, as long as you go out from the valley to the east, there is a large flat land.

Zhu Gaoxu quickly came to a clear judgment: this long straight valley between the two mountain ranges, at the necessary moment, this road was almost the only way for the Han army to retreat; Otherwise, the army could only retreat up the Li River.