In the original history, Zheng Chenggong also relied on the Yangtze River to carry out a long-distance raid, that is, the Battle of Nanjing. In that successful and failed battle, Zheng Chenggong took advantage of the strategic maneuverability of sea ships to start from Xiamen, directly into the Yangtze River, and all the way to the city of Nanjing, almost changing the color of the entire southeast. It's a pity that after Zheng Chenggong's sea ship entered the Yangtze River, it was inconvenient to maneuver and difficult to navigate, and it took more than a month to walk from Zhenjiang to Nanjing. In addition, he fell for the Qing army's delaying tactics, and suffered a big defeat.

However, Zheng Sen's action on the Yangtze River this time was completely different from the historical Battle of Nanjing. He was now marching on friendly land, where he could be effectively supplied, and the river vessels he used, which were smaller in size and shallower in draft, were more suitable for use on the Yangtze River.

In order to boost morale, Zheng Sen announced that he would march on foot with the infantry.

Because of the Yangtze River waterway and the convenience of supply, the model army marched at a speed of 100 miles a day, which was almost inconceivably fast by the standards of this era. Even in later generations, this speed is quite outstanding, and it has reached the level of the American Civil War in later generations. Of course, Zheng Sen also knew that this was not to say that his army had reached the level of the armies of the great powers of the late nineteenth century in terms of its ability to march. If there is no waterway, then even if it is considered that the grain can be prepared locally in advance, but other materials, such as artillery, such as soldiers' ammunition and armor, need to be transported by land, and the model army will definitely not be able to go fast. In fact, before there was a well-developed railway system, long-distance military operations would be carried out by waterway as much as possible. When the Japanese locust army invaded China in later generations, it chose to march along the Yangtze River upstream, and the main reason was that it could use the water transportation of the Yangtze River to ensure the supply of the army. It was not because of Chang Gong's foresight that he forced Japan's offensive line from north to south to east to west. In fact, the capacity of the Yangtze River waterway far exceeded that of China's backward railway system during the Anti-Japanese War, so when the Japanese army attacked from east to west, the logistics and supply support had always been good. On the contrary, in 44, when the Japanese army launched the "Operation No. 1" in order to open up the mainland communication line, because China did not have a large north-south river to use, the Japanese encountered a series of supply difficulties, and the front-line combat troops often had to go hungry.

Relying on the water transportation of the Yangtze River, it took only 20 days for the vanguard of the Model Army to arrive in Hukou County, Jiangxi.

Hukou County is called Hukou because Poyang Lake flows into the Yangtze River here. Just to the east of the estuary, a hill about two or three hundred meters high is erected. Although this mountain is not high, it is a famous scenic spot, and it is the Shizhong Mountain mentioned by Su Shi in the "Shizhong Mountain".

The hill is now surrounded by model soldiers in cloth armor who guard every path up the mountain, and it is clear that important people are now on the mountain.

"Brother Zuo, look, this is the entrance to the Peach Blossom Cave. However, now the water level is still high, and the entrance to the cave is flooded, but no one can enter. Otherwise, we can go in and have a look. Speaking of which, Mr. Dongpo ridiculed Li Bo for using an axe to torture and seek truth, but he did not know that the reason for the name of this Shizhong Mountain was not in the sound, but because it was hollow in the mountain, like a bell covering the ground, and it was named because of its shape. Hehe, Mr. Dongpo opposes 'judging whether things exist without seeing and hearing', but he himself has also not studied them thoroughly. On the edge of a cliff near the water, Zheng Sen pointed to the river below and said to Zuo Mengeng.

"Shizi, this place is too close to the cliff, let's step back a bit." Zuo Mengeng didn't answer, but said so. Zheng Sen noticed that Zuo Mengeng's eyes didn't look down at all, his legs seemed to tremble a little, obviously, following Zheng Sen to "climb the dangerous nest of the falcon and look down on the secret palace of Feng Yi" made him feel very stressed. Zheng Sen nodded and said, "In this case, let's go and sit in the pavilion over there." ”

A few people left the cliff and went up the mountain road, and in a short time they reached the pavilion. This pavilion is located in the middle of the mountain, facing the mouth of Poyang Lake, and as far as the eye can see, you can see that there is a clear dividing line between the clear water at the mouth of the lake and the relatively turbid river. There is also a couplet hanging on both sides of the pavilion, which is: "The rivers and lakes are two colors, and the stone bell waves hit the millennium." ”

Inside the pavilion there is a stone table surrounded by several stone benches. There are also some seasonal fruits on the stone table. Zheng Sen and Zuo Mengeng walked in and sat down at the stone table.

"Shizi, you and I are also old friends, and now our army is in critical condition, and our army is grateful. It's just that the army of the prince has reached the mouth of the lake, but why is it so slow to advance? As soon as he sat down, Zuo Mengeng asked hurriedly.

"Our army has come all the way, and the art of war says, a hundred miles of profit, will be a general. How can you go into battle if you don't fix it well? Besides, our army has limited ships, and the transportation of grain and straw is already very tight, and the armor and artillery are far behind. Besides, Wuchang City is strong, and there is a natural danger of the Yangtze River, and there is no decent naval army for thieves. Wuchang's grain reserves are also sufficient, and Ling Zun is a famous general at home, so in a short period of time, there should be no major problems in Wuchang. Brother Zuo doesn't have to worry so much. Zheng Sen said with a smile.

"Don't hide it from the world, there is not much food in Wuchang City." Zuo Mengeng glanced at Zheng Sen and knew that he would say how much food his family had received from him, so he hurriedly added, "Recently, there has been a famine in Huguang, and my father couldn't bear to see the Li people displaced, so he used military rations to relieve the people, so now, food is indeed very difficult." ”

Of course, rescuing the people is nonsense, as far as Zuo Liangyu's consistent style is concerned, if he does not slaughter the people, he is already merciful and abnormal, and it is naturally completely nonsense to help the people. However, Zheng Sen also knew that Zuo Liangyu's lack of military food could also be true. Because according to the news that Zheng Sen obtained, in the market of Huguang, there are often grain of unknown origin that are sold at high prices, and even Li Zicheng has purchased military rations from Huguang.