Compared with the righteous indignation of the generals, Li Jiangyao and Xu Youchang both seemed very calm. Fighting a war has always been a matter of eliminating the strengths of one and the other, you advance and I retreat, victory or defeat is a common thing in soldiers, and there is no reason why you can only win and not lose.

Although they also feel sad and sad for those brothers who died in ambush, what is more important is to discover the pattern from the changes in the battlefield situation as soon as possible and see the reality of the enemy.

Ye Rongcheng launched two surprise attacks across the river in a row and successfully succeeded, indicating that the rebels are consciously reversing the previous situation of passive defense and hoping to regain the initiative on the battlefield.

At the same time, the strong cooperation of the traitors between the DPRK and China has also brought great interference and damage to the frontline war.

Just imagine, if it weren't for the eastern state capital being made too fierce by the thieves, if it weren't for Chang Tao's Xuanwu Army suddenly being transferred north, Ye Rongcheng would not have been able to break through the river defense so easily, and he might not even dare to try to provoke.

With the subtle changes in the situation on the battlefield, the rebels will definitely become more and more arrogant in the future, and the entire Dajiang defense line may face continuous sneak attacks from the other side.

After careful analysis, both Li Jiangyao and Xu Youchang agreed that in the next period of time, the rebels were very likely to adopt a strategy of advancing by land and water: Bao Yuchun and Bao Xinyan's uncle and nephew would concentrate on attacking the imperial navy or the 10th army of Zhenjiang, while Ye Rongcheng and Xie Bao would repeat their old tricks and cross the river to attack the defense line of the Suzaku Army and the Qinglong Army.

Although it is difficult to fundamentally reverse the strength and weakness of the two sides in such a tactic, as long as one or two more successes will be made, the progress of the entire southern expedition to counter-insurgency will be greatly slowed down, and the southern rebels will be able to get more respite.

It didn't take long for Shen Lie, who was secretly presiding over the overall situation in the imperial capital, to also send them new news.

Because of the new changes that took place on the Dajiang defense line, the imperial court began to consider the issue of setting up a counterinsurgency presidential headquarters again. The courtiers generally believed that the main reason why the originally stable front-line system had loopholes and was repeatedly broken by the rebels was that the various legions did not belong to each other, fought separately, and lacked unified coordinated command. In a situation like the Xuanwu Legion that was suddenly transferred, if there was a commander on the front line, it would definitely be able to arrange for other legions to fill in in time to assist in the defense, so as not to give the enemy a chance to take advantage of it.

However, the idea is true, but it is easier said than done. Who to make the coach is once again a sensitive and dangerous consideration in the court.

Wei Zixuan secretly gathered a large number of party henchmen and jointly recommended Yin Chengyi, hoping that the emperor Li Bing would appoint him as the generalissimo of counterinsurgency, and then supplemented by the inspection and dispatch of military affairs of the Southern Expedition to make Gong Chengze supervise the army from the side, so as to solve the problem of front-line command in one fell swoop.

Li Bing is still hesitant about this proposal and has not yet agreed to it explicitly. Shen Lie speculated that Li Bing was mainly worried about Yin Chengyi's ability and that he would not be able to take on the important task of commander-in-chief. However, if there is a situation like Taizhou on the front line, the emperor will inevitably go to the hospital for a sudden illness, and I am afraid that he will agree to let Yin Chengyi go to the front line.

At that time, although Yin Chengyi will not be able to control the Zhenjiang Army, he will definitely be able to influence the Qinglong Army, the Vermilion Bird Army and the Imperial Court Sailors and cause more trouble.

Shen Lie told Li Jiangyao that he would use the strength of Li Xiuming, the King of Hejian County, the Duke of Jingguo, and the Duke of Fuguo to delay Li Bing's unwise decision as much as possible, but the most critical issue had to be resolved at the front.

To put it bluntly, it is to smash the rebels' plot and prevent them from cooperating with the traitors in the court.

Li Jiangyao thought twice and wrote a letter to Murong Xue, Ma Hongjie, and Yang Li, reminding them to be careful not to launch another surprise attack by the rebels across the river. In particular, the joint defense areas of the various army corps should strengthen the deployment of troops and carry out key alerts.

The three of them have nothing to do with him, and they believe in Daduhu's military ability and judgment against the enemy. Therefore, the Blue Dragon Legion, the Vermilion Bird Legion, and the Yiling Water Army soon sent letters of reply, and began to move troops to improve the garrison patrol situation in the junction between them.

And Taizhou, which had suffered heavy losses twice before, had also been sent by Xu Youchang to take over the defense of the Eighth Army at this time.

The entire defense line of the Great River is constantly raising vigilance and strengthening vigilance.

However, Li Jiangyao knew very well in his heart that these measures were not enough. He also secretly ordered the Jiangnan Branch of the Intelligence Department to go all out to collect the enemy's military information, especially the information related to Bao Yuchun, Ye Rongcheng, and Bao Xinyan.

Not long after, Yuan Bin, who had just been promoted to patrol Sima, intercepted an important piece of information in Hangzhou. He got the approval of Yudra, disguised himself to smuggle across the river, and rushed all the way to Luzhou to report to Dadu Hu and Xu Shuai in person.

As soon as Li Jiangyao saw Yuan Bin, he couldn't help but smile kindly: "Brother Xiao Yuan, let's meet again, it's been six or seven years, right?" Do you remember? ”

Hearing this, Yuan Bin hurriedly arched his hand and said: "I will never forget my humble position." Back then, my mother and sister were killed by Loulan bandits, and I was going to fight with them, but they were captured alive and tied to a pillar to drink wine. It just so happened that Dadu Hu and the lord of Nanhua County led troops to pass by and eliminated the Loulan people, not only avenging my family, but also saving the life of the lowly position. The kindness of Dadu Protector, Yuan Bin will never forget. ”

Li Jiangyao nodded and introduced to Xu Youchang: "This brother is not easy. His father, Yuan Huanzhong, is also a veteran of our Zhenjiang Protectorate, who followed Deputy Zhang to protect the Turks and died in Crescent Bay. His family was brutalized by the rebels, and he joined the Zhenjiang Army at the age of fifteen, first serving in Horia's Third Army, fighting bravely and making several great achievements, and later transferred to the Intelligence Division. When Brother Shen was in Jiangnan before, Yuan Bin was in charge of taking care of him, and the task was completed very well. ”

"Oh, that's him." Xu Youchang smiled: "The young man that Brother Shen mentioned to us several times. Yuan Bin, you are very good, give the face of the chief of the Dadu Huhe Zhenjiang Army. ”

Being able to get Xu Shuai's appreciation, Yuan Bin was excited, and hurriedly said humbly: "It's not enough to do humble duties, it's Lord Shen who has praised it." ”

What Xu Youchang admires most in his life is the brave and loyal hot-blooded man, he got up and pulled Yuan Bin to sit down, and personally poured a cup of hot tea and sent it to the other party: "Not only Lord Shen, but also General Murong Xue and Master Dong of the Military Department have also mentioned you to me, saying that you are calm and witty, quite responsible, and a good seedling." ”

Yuan Bin's cheeks were red, and he didn't know what to say.

Li Jiangyao bowed slightly when he heard this, turned his head to Yudra, and said: "Good seedlings must be cultivated, this is the wealth of our Zhenjiang army." ”

Yudra replied with a smile: "The words of the majority of the protectors, I remember the humble duty. Yuan Bin is indeed a rare talent, and this time I specially called him here, also to let him personally report the situation to Dadu Hu and Xu Shuai, so as to have the opportunity to get your guidance. ”

Li Jiangyao nodded approvingly: "Okay, Yuan Bin, hurry up and talk about things." ”

Yuan Bin stood up again and said uprightly: "Report to Dadu Hu, Xu Shuai, and Lord Changshi, the Hangzhou battalion of the Jiangnan Branch intercepted a piece of military information ten days ago, and the rebels may have important actions in the near future. ”

After that, he took out an oil paper roll from his sleeve, presented it to Li Jiangyao with both hands, and continued to introduce: "The enemy is planning a battle, codenamed Xuanniao, involving the Bao Xinyan Department of the Navy Army, the Ye Rongcheng Department of the Army, and the Xie Bao Department, with a total strength of up to 100,000 people, and the target of the operation is on the line from Ezhou to Chaisang. ”

Li Jiangyao took a general look at the contents recorded in the oil paper, then handed it to Xu Youchang to look at, and said: "From Ezhou to Chaisang, the waterway is more than three hundred miles long, and Xishui County, Jichun County and Luotian County on the north bank are at the junction of the Qinglong Legion and the Vermilion Bird Legion. However, this attack range is still a bit large, and it is difficult to judge the true intentions of the enemy. ”

Xu Youchang nodded in agreement: "Yes, the three-hundred-mile defense line is the weakest junction between the two army corps, and it is easy to chisel through any point." And once it breaks through here, it can outflank Murong Xue's flank to the east, and cut off and destroy Ma Hongjie's supply line to the west, which is extremely destructive. ”

Li Jiangyao continued: "More importantly, the topography of this waterway is very complicated, and it is close to Chaisang, another important naval town in Bao Yuchun. If their real purpose was not to raid the north shore, but to lure the Yiling Water Division to come for reinforcements, then it would be easy to catch Yang Li off guard. ”

Yudra pondered for a moment and asked, "Yuan Bin, how did you get the information?" Have you tried to verify and scrutinize? ”

"Back to Lord Changshi, the authenticity of the information has been verified." Yuan Bin replied seriously: "Our brothers lurking in the Jin Palace, risking their lives to steal the news, and we confirmed the existence of this operation through the inside line of the rebel Governor's Mansion. It's just that Xuanniao was conspired face-to-face by Lao Jianhua and Bao Yuchun, and the detailed strategy is only clear to a few generals with troops, and we are still trying our best to investigate. ”

Hearing this, Xu Youchang and Yudra couldn't help frowning. Lao Jianhua and Bao Yuchun are all scheming people, who can say for sure whether this half-concealed plan is true or false?

In case the other party is suspicious and intends to let the intelligence department receive the news, then the situation will be very complicated.

Li Jiangyao pondered for a moment, and suddenly his mind moved, and he asked: "You say, will the enemy let the spies in the court and the central government cooperate at the same time, just like the previous time?" ”

Xu Youchang was stunned: "What do you mean...... Wasp? ”

"Yes, that's him." Li Jiangyao responded: "The thieves made trouble, urgently adjusted Chang Tao, and asked the stupid Gong Chengze to temporarily fill in Taizhou, in fact, they were all secretly helping Ye Rongcheng. If Operation Xuanniao is about to be implemented, will Lao Jianhua use the wasp to make trouble for the frontline legion again? ”

"If you want me to say, definitely!" Xu Youchang said firmly: "The Blue Dragon Legion and the Vermilion Bird Legion are not paper paste after all. After fighting for so many years, Murong Xue and Ma Hongjie have a lot of strong teams under their hands, if they really want to let go of their hands and feet to fight, Ye Rongcheng will definitely win. ”

Yudra agreed: "The Wasp's covert cooperation can disrupt the combat deployment of the various legions on the front line to a large extent, and at the same time leak important information about the army, it is impossible for Lao Jianhua not to use it. ”

Li Jiangyao smiled: "That's good." Let's keep an eye on the movements of the rebels in Jiangnan on the one hand, and the movements of Wei Zixuan and others on the other, and at the same time compare and analyze, I believe that we will soon be able to clarify their true intentions. ”