Youzhou, also known as Fanyang County,

At the coastal junction of Wuqing County and Xianghe County, at the intersection of the north-south canals, the Sanhui Haikou at the intersection of the north-south canal, the Zhiyi Village and Haijin Port, which developed from the Yanbu wharf and the storage and transshipment place, are still shrouded in the silence of the morning light.

It used to be the busy Fuhua town where the Yanyan Courtyard and the water and land transfer envoys of the entire Hebei North Road were located, but with the chaos of the world during the Yiwei period, the war disasters and disasters continued to be fought in all directions, and the transportation and trade routes were cut off one after another;

It gradually became depressed and withered, and only the most basic functions of the Haikou military fortress remained. Even the original purpose of the relevant river and sea boats, with the destruction of the fleet that landed in Liaodong, there is now very little left.

As a result, as the silence lasts, even the most common gulls in the city have become scarce, and the movements and calls of the birds flying in the air are so weak.

Zhang Shun, the head of the water hammer team known as Baitiao in the waves, also followed the surge of the current, first in the most labor-saving way of half-sinking and half-floating, swimming between the waves that gently lapped the shore;

It's just that at this moment, he is no longer dressed as an ordinary red spirit, but is wearing a black glued sharkskin water jacket, like a vigorous cruising dolphin or a leaping black fish. Between two or three quarters of an hourglass, they reached the shore and stood firm;

Behind him were more similar figures surging and cruising like a school of fish, with a stinging or short knife in their mouths, and waterproof leather bags and thin rope chains wrapped around their waists, which were their only weapons and equipment.

Then they disappeared almost in the blink of an eye, under the cover of the waves and the wind, between the seaweed and barnacles, the old mottled trestles and rafters.

Soon after, the reflection of the tiny lenses on the shore began to reflect in a sequence and rhythm into the flotilla of ships adrift on the sea.

On the coast off the coast of Youzhou, on the deck of the spacious sea ship, the sailors wearing leather light armor are already lined up neatly.

Liu Qi, the naval commander and general of Laizhou Shuiying Town, was also using a large long-barreled mirror to look at the port shrouded in morning light and mist.

Then, he gave the order to attack, and there were flags that were passed between the masts of the ships.

meanwhile

Zhang Shun, who had already gone ashore, took out a blow pipe from the waterproof leather bag, and spit slightly, and a medicine arrow made of arrow poison wood was inserted into the neck of a tower sentry, causing his whole body to stiffen and fall down like a stake.

In other places, some of the soldiers behind the seawalls and trestles have been stabbed through the lobes and hearts in the back with water-splitting thorns, or their necks have been wiped with short serrated daggers......

The patrols and sentry posts, which were lazily hiding in the shade of the building, were quickly cleared, and there was not even much sound or movement.

As for the helpers and coolies that should have been on the wharf, the merchants and shops that shouted and shouted in the port market have long since ceased to exist. Therefore, it also saves these attackers from the sea a lot of trouble.

It was only when it was cleaned up on the ships of all sizes that there was a slight accident and noise; The few fish that slipped through the net in the cabin finally made the rest of the ship alarmed and alerted, and retreated into the cabin to continue to resist stubbornly.

However, this was not able to change and delay for long the next development.

As the rusty gates and iron grates between the river and the sea are slowly lifted up, the turbidity of the turbidity at the junction of salt water and fresh water is opened.

More sampans and paddles from the sea, loaded with clusters of soldiers sitting upright with guns, seemed to be leaves gathering together.

Although Zhigu Village and Haijin Port have been deserted, this is still an important hub and node, at least for the Shannai faction military town forces led by Fanyang Town.

If they want to mobilize enough people to make a big move south, they will have to use the surface transshipment capacity along the canal to solve and meet the huge pressure on logistics.

However, occupying this place is only the first step.

Two days later, the Youzhou side where Fanyang Town is located only got the news of the specific loss, but they had no time to estimate the gains and losses in this corner, because there were more important emergencies that attracted their attention.

Wenkou Cang, Dading Cang, Baodi Cang, and Jiaping Cang, which are distributed along the Sangganshui, were attacked and burned down one after another.

The nearest defenders of Xin'an Army, Mozhou, Langzhou, Jizhou and other places, the first reaction was how could this be possible, these warehouses were built hundreds of years ago in the era of Tang Taizong through Goguryeo, and have been used in large and medium-sized storage communities;

The exterior walls are made of semi-buried structures and one-color masonry that make full use of the space, and the almost small fortresses are more or less surrounded by hundreds of defenders and patrolmen.

It's just that when the cavalry from all walks of life arrived, the ruins and ruins all over the ground and the fire, which was already unquenchable in the smoke and flames, were so real things that happened in front of us.

Later, when I saw the individual survivors with blistered faces burned by the smoke and fire, I realized that these Huaidong soldiers who were attacking along the river had no intention of seizing or storming these warehouses at all.

The soldiers guarding the barn could not raise their heads at all, and then approached and bombarded the doors and entrances with small cannons, and finally used flying fire thunder with fierce fire oil to project directly into the barn and set it on fire.

Therefore, the soldiers who retreated during the period were either fainted and burned to death and burned in it, or in the process of breaking out in a panic, they were calmly killed on the spot by the enemy from the river with the firearms they had arranged; In the end, except for a very few deserters who saw the opportunity and were quick to escape, almost no one was able to get out of it in the name of reporting the news.

Although most of these warehouse communities are vacant, there are still some grains, grasses, materials and armor stored in them, but they are the family funds that have been easily accumulated in Pinglu Road over the years.

You know, after repeated development and cultivation in the past dynasties, there are still many fertile fields reclaimed for a long time in the north and south of Yanshan, and in recent years, because there is no consumption of the Andong camp army, and the delivery to Luodu has been cut off in disguise, so it has relied on the regeneration of the strength and cultivation of the tight belt, which has accumulated some surpluses.

Therefore, once these warehouses are lost, I am afraid that the whole town of Fanyang, including the prefectures in the mountains, will have another year of famine that is difficult and restrained.

On the fourth day, under the encirclement and interception of Fanyang's soldiers and horses along the river, the attack route of the Huaidong Army was finally stopped in Gu'an, and after several engagements, it began to retreat in an orderly manner towards the direction of Haikou.

"Did it thunder......"

With a reinforcement from Yingzhou, Li Xiyao, who was riding a horse in the wilderness, suddenly paused and listened carefully to the movement in the wind.

In the distance, the silvery-white waterline turned into a relatively slow runoff after bursting the levees, and with little noise, it rushed through the wilderness with countless floating debris and debris, and flooded some grassy fields and decaying villages, leaving behind puddles and mud of all sizes.

Liu Qi looked at the canal embankment that lacked a big mouth with some satisfaction, and praised the fellow engineering regiment soldiers very much.

In the carefully selected area with the largest drop, after the embankment is hollowed out and blown open, the impact of the overflowing river on the local area is secondary; The key is that after this discharge opening is opened, there is no longer enough water level and volume of water in the original river channel to pass through the buoyancy of the boats.

This also means that this waterway hub will no longer be useful, at least for the year. Unless the other party has the ability to construct a project similar to Huaidong and the corresponding manpower organization efficiency, the period of use of this restoration may be delayed for a longer time.

"A certain general will personally lead the team to the ...... to detect the enemy"

Li Xiyao had already turned his mind and said to the deputy who led the team

"You are optimistic that this formation will continue to move forward, and you will support me at any time......"

Although the water situation that Li Xiyao saw with his own eyes was already gentle, and he could only slightly drown the horse's hooves, it also made his mood more and more depressed and bad.

At least he and his men would not be able to launch the assault and offensive that cavalry is good at in the mud on the ground.

It was only when Li Xiyao and his entourage bypassed the huge circle and confirmed the approximate scope of the flooding area; Only then did they return to their original place, but they saw only large messy footprints and horseshoe prints, as well as some traces of battle and chase, but did not hear the slightest trace of the men and horses of the headquarters;

His heart couldn't help sinking, but he looked in the direction of Youzhou with some despair.

With the opportunity of the internal competition between Youzhou and Yingzhou, it was easy for him to find this opportunity to make a comeback, but he was defeated when he came out of the battle, and he was afraid that the final responsibility would still fall on him.

Now the situation in Pinglu Dao is actually in the hands of the big and small generals headed by the four towns, and a general like him, whose power has declined, can easily become the target of others' calculations and annexation.

He had lost his original ministry and garrison, but he didn't want to completely lose what little strength he had left.

"Lord, can you continue to ......?"

One of the pro-soldiers said in a tight voice

"Don't go back, let's go south......"

Li Xiyao paused, as if he had made a lot of determination, before he said slowly.

"Let's go...... Jizhou ......"

For the sake of the unfinished plan, he could only accept the conditions of Zhang Bangchang's private visit, and take these close relatives and guards in front of him to go directly to Hebei Xingtai in Jizhou.

At least this openly self-reliant pseudo-metropolitan governor is extremely ruthless in his rule, and he also engages in human trafficking, but at least he can ensure that the corresponding people under his command can have enough food and clothing, and the daily control is also quite effective.

Therefore, after the situation improved slightly, they couldn't wait to start prying up and occupy the corners of the towns of Pinglu Dao in the Yandi Sheng.