When Zhou Huai'an's main formation arrived at the foot of Jiangling City, what he saw was already a scene of people and horses, fighting and shaking the sky, and staggered flags; With the continuous convergence of people and horses into the battlefield, it is like adding more strange colors to this huge flesh and blood vortex that countless people are fighting hard for.

"Finally caught up."

Zhou Huai'an, who was riding on Pi Phi Shrimp III, also sighed secretly; Before they arrived at the battlefield, the enemy collapsed or fled first, but there was no chance to judge the battle and face the enemy's command.

It was only after entering the territory of Jingzhou that the farther north went, and the more I walked north, I realized how tragic the battle was and how heavy the damage was on this road. It can be said that the ground is full of devastation and ruins, and there are few places that are intact.

After all, the opponent is not the local self-reliant forces in the three states of Xiangxi; Nor is it the remnant of a local regiment that rises up in response to the time, and even has incomplete equipment and soldiers; It is even better in terms of the destruction efficiency and methods of burning, killing and looting. Even the newly erected siding signal tower was torn down by tearing down the foundation.

What makes people talk about it is that there are not many human bones in the cantonment granges that have been smashed and burned to the ground, and most of the remains are left by livestock; There were no hastily left supplies and equipment. It looks more like the result of Kiyono Fortification.

It's just that when he used it as a high platform to watch the battle and the Taiping Zhongjun Daxu were quickly erected; The situation of the battle under the city seems to be a little unfavorable for the rebel army, especially the Taiping army under the banner of "Chai" near the city gate, which is oppressed by the counterattack of the official army.

And on the other side of the battlefield, it is also in a state of anxiety and stalemate. The officers and soldiers who were camping on the shore were staggered with swords and guns, and they went one after another to block the impact and containment of the Taiping Assault Cavalry from many directions, but they were never able to break through and divide them, and form a partial breakthrough.

The Shandong (South) and Eastern (Dao) Army is worthy of being one of the few old feudal towns in the imperial court. In terms of the way of battle formation and the experience of dealing with the enemy, it was far superior to most of the southern armies fought by the Taiping army.

Even in the defensive position that is about to retreat, it can be like a surge hidden under the flat waves, and from time to time it is easy to attack the clenching Taiping army battle formation, and launch wave after wave of counterattacks in the sky.

In these flexible engagements, some of the momentum of the Taiping army that was too sudden would be quickly sandwiched in by them and smoothed or cut off; In the midst of the sudden increase in losses and casualties, we had to hastily retreat and regroup in order to continue the battle.

However, Zhou Huai'an didn't particularly care about or mind this; Because the power that can be used under his command after this battle has also snowballed with the defeat or defeat of various enemies.

As long as the stalemate under the city can be maintained, as the troops who continue to gather on the edge of the battlefield and wait for the arrival of the troops engaged in the battle, the upper hand and advantage will eventually be transferred to the Taiping army. What's more, he still has several hole cards that are killer cards that don't come in handy.

Now, the only thing he has to consider is how to do his best to keep as many old powerhouses and new forces as possible from this old powerhouse and new force to which the imperial court belongs; I thought that the future plan was reduced obstacles.

"Sound the horn, gather the horse team that went out first, and then let the sailors enter the battlefield at the same time. The waterway cooperated to attack the left flank of its riverside defense. ”

Zhou Huai'an watched the battle and waited for a while before deciding to arrive.

"This camp has transferred three battalions to strengthen the frontal battlefield under the city; Then the two cavalry battalions of the Strange Soldier (Reserve) Brigade were transferred to the north side of Longshan in a roundabout way to harass and contain the officers and troops who had not yet been fully invested. ”

"The rear formation is both heavy and the mule and horse brigade is stationed under the southern wall of Gangneung City; The rest of the men and horses followed my Chinese army and advanced three arrows in front of the enemy to the north. ”

At the same time, the vehicles and boats that went up the river with the current, and the several sections of boats they towed, appeared unevenly near Jiangxinzhou in the northwest of Gangneung. Fighting from the water also broke out quickly.

And in the mist of the smoke and fire of the battle on the water, there is still a fleet of boats towed by water wheels, towing flatbed tugboats full of soldiers around the edge of the battlefield; Turning into the Jingjiang River basin, slowly driving upstream.

In the turbulent river, arrows and rains flew, and many sails and flags were intertwined with the steaming firelight.

"Rush over and bump into it with all my might."

Wang Chongba, the general of the Taiping Navy and the deputy of the Fifth Army, also stood on his boat and yelled loudly.

"Deputy to the military, our ship is in the reverse current, and the wind is not enough. I'm afraid I can't hit the enemy ship. ”

Captain Changshui, who was in charge of operating the ship and had just extinguished several fires that flew into the boat, was covered in sweat and had a gray face, and also responded eagerly.

"Even if you can't hit it, you can lean over to pick it up;"

Wang Chongba drank without hesitation.

"Please also think twice about the deputy of the army, don't make mistakes easily, we are the flag head ship of the naval army."

Captain Changshui continued to persuade with hesitation,

"Take care of your ghost, we are warships, and most of the ships on the other side are just transport boats, and the weapons and firearms on this ship are all decorations."

Wang Chongba interrupted him with great firmness.

"Even if this ship is broken, it can be replaced with a new one; But if the missing fighter plane allowed these officers and soldiers to get rid of it, there was no chance to redeem it. Give me the helm and hit it with all my might, and I must intercept the escape of the official ship. ”

"Raise the banner of the assault, and let all the ships of more than five hundred materials follow my ship."

As Wang Chongba's ship sounded with the dull sound of horns and red battle flags, the huge river ship captured from Dantu was controlled by the efforts of the sails to deviate, or in the creaking of the hull and the uproar of the waves, it deflected the iron-clad bow of the ship;

Under the deviation of the rolling momentum of the river waves, facing the fire arrows that were densely shot from the opposite shore and the ship, in the baffles and shields and in the rain showers, the momentum accelerated little by little, and the indomitable determination rushed forward, and it was embedded like a wedge forcibly knocked open, and those hedgehogs gathered on the shore to fight in formation.

I saw the surging splashes and the dull sound of successive collisions, the largest naval flaghead ship, relying on its size, to overturn and overturn many narrow grasshopper boats and door boats that were blocking the road; He also rushed out to block it, and Meng Chong, who was full of archers and armor soldiers, ran over the center and crushed and sank in two.

In the end, it crushed and broke a large fighting ship that the officers and soldiers had begun to go offshore, and after several rows of oars, slapsticks, and posts on the whole side, it was unable to stop shaking its head and tail at a close position. But this is just the beginning of a new battle;

With the flag head ship of the Taiping Navy, it was also squeezed by the left and right official ships and could not move for a while; The soldiers on the official ship seemed to be greatly stimulated and encouraged; Almost all of them shouted loudly and jumped away from and over the sides and decks of the ship, like a heap of ants, all of them gathered towards this isolated island.

And under the cover of the left and right licenses, Wang Chongba, who was still unstoppable and was shot in the shoulder, couldn't help but smile. Immediately, in the smoky boat, more than a dozen bright fires suddenly sounded; In an instant, the sound of thunder echoed, overpowering the voices of these gathered officers, soldiers, and boat divisions.

In the midst of the humming sound left by the tremor, a dull trumpet and a thunderous golden drum sounded. Then I saw more Taiping naval warships, scrambling to tear through the curtain of arrows and fireworks shrouded in the river, and also swayed across the river one after another, breaking in the trend;

Although only half of the ships achieved their goal, the remaining ships staggered their positions due to the wrong angle or lack of strength in the middle of the way, drifted away or washed ashore to run aground.

But it still suddenly penetrates and divides most of these things that have not yet been turned and stretched horizontally, and under the inertia, they are squeezed and impacted in a cluster, and there is no longer much room to stretch;

Then, the flames and fireworks that erupted from these Taiping Navy warships, as well as the tragic shouts and roars, were like red and black flowers blooming one after another, and they were all shrouded in each other, where these officers, soldiers, and boat divisions were most dense.

Soon after, on the shore, Liu Jurong, who calmly commanded one after another group of officers and troops, and blocked another wave of offensive of the Taiping Army, also changed color slightly in the terrible and urgent voice of his subordinates who fled.

"On the festival, the firearms of the thief army are powerful, the Xiangcheng boat division on the river has been defeated, and many thief troops are gradually landing on the shore."

"The five battalions of Fengshandu, Feiyundu and Fengjie on the right flank will not be able to resist. Please also dispatch and rescue on the festival. ”

"If you can't block these thieves in time, I'm afraid that the back road and the baggage of our army along the river will be difficult to maintain."

"Where are the soldiers and horses in the ya, "

Liu Jurong immediately shouted.

"Marked in."

Liu Jurong's eldest son, Liu Fen, the envoy of the soldiers and horses, answered in front of the horse.

"With you leading the three capitals, rush to the right to intercept the thief. I will order the Golden State Regiment to ride for you again, and you must stabilize your position. ”

The left, middle and right Shenrui Sandu are the elite troops he created single-handedly, and everyone is good at using the method of shooting with a piece of arrow; Gather up in formation, shoot fast and far. Wang Ying, the thief leader of the rebellion in western Zhejiang, was shot by him with an arrow and became famous all over the world.

The Jinzhou regimental cavalry is the only cavalry unit among the seven states regiment training horses in Shannan; It is also one of the strange soldiers (reserves) that he has always held in his hands and never put into battle. Soon after Liu Fen received the order to enter the battle, the clamor of the thief army that attacked the shore on the right side gradually subsided as if it had been suppressed and contained.

Even the smoke and haze from the burning of the ships on the river became much thinner; However, under Liu Jurong's immobile face at the moment, his mind became heavier and heavier. The war has reached this point, and he has missed the best opportunity to be a teacher, and it is no longer that he can retreat if he wants to.

Even he could vaguely see with his naked eyes that more and more thief banners appeared outside Jiangling City, and the power he could use was becoming more and more exhausted. If he can't defeat the sharp weapons of the thief army who are desperately pursuing, I am afraid that the return of his army will not be stable;

Needless to say, the rest; The fact that these thieves and sailors are constantly harassing along the river is a big problem. Not to mention the possibility that they would turn around and make a detour back to the rear of the Shannan army to intercept and block them. After all, Jingmen City, which is the main water and land of the estuary, has not been able to take it now.

The envoy who came on behalf of the imperial court was only recently appointed as the envoy of the southern camp, and he was also the pioneer of the world's soldiers and horses to open the way for the army to supply food and materials, inspect the school, and seal the Marquis of Pengcheng County. I can't wait to lead troops to the king of Guannei and beg for thieves immediately.

Therefore, this also made him suffer more and more from gains and losses. If he loses these people here, it will be all for nothing. Therefore, at this moment, he is already facing the dilemma of choice.

At this time, there was a change in the battle array that was fighting in the distance, and I heard that among the Taiping thieves who had been fighting for a long time but not only fought endlessly, there were waves of cheers and shouts one after another, and then gradually became uniformly connected, and only two words were left shouting back and forth like a landslide tide.

"Leader..."

"Leader..."

"Leader..."

Liu Jurong couldn't help but be shocked in his heart, it turned out to be the head of the Taiping thieves who went to the southeast Kouluo, and now he had led the army to the battlefield; This also means that the other four groups of men and horses who are attacking as a division have lost one after another.

It is no wonder that the thief army in the city, which was originally a little weak, suddenly became unafraid of casualties and clenched their grip. However, he became extremely determined and resolute again, and commanded the left and right generals who were panicked and discolored.

"Let the left and right Yongwu battalions and Shangzhou unite their children, and let go of the middle road and retreat half a mile from here. The tooth soldiers and the five of the Yanai are all on standby. ”