Imperial capital, Taiji Palace.

After Li Bing dispersed the dynasty, he specially left several important ministers behind to discuss the recent development of the war on the front line.

"Murong Xue's recital is very clear," Li Bing said calmly: "According to various intelligence sources, he has reason to suspect that the rebels are secretly assembling in order to raid the Jichun defense line, and then destroy Luo Tian's baggage camp, so that the more than 200,000 soldiers of the two legions of Qinglong and Suzaku will have no food to survive the winter. Ladies and gentlemen, what do you think? ”

Yin Chengyi said loudly: "Now that we have guessed the enemy's intentions, we only need to mobilize our troops and take precautions carefully." ”

Li Bing shook his head: "Of course I know this truth. It's just that Murong Xue's heart seems to be bigger, and he wants to take this opportunity to severely damage the invading enemy, so he sent a request for assistance to Yiling, hoping that the navy can send a fleet to the downstream to cooperate with the Blue Dragon Legion. ”

Li Maoxun, the king of Hejian County, frowned and said: "From Yiling to Jichun, there are many rebels' waterhouse wharves along the way, can Yang Li go over?" ”

"Don't worry about this," Ruan Yuying, the squire of the military department, said: "A while ago, the imperial navy just defeated Bao Xinyan's fleet, and the enemy has now withdrawn to the area of Yueyang, where there happens to be a tributary river that can lead from the big river to the Han River, and then reach Jichun through Wuchang County. Hanshui is in the north of the Yangtze River, which is controlled by our army and is safe and convenient. ”

Hearing this, Li Maoxun nodded and didn't say anything more.

Yin Chengyi said: "Your Majesty, there are pros and cons in transferring the Yiling fleet to participate in the war, and it should be carefully considered. Although Murong Xue's idea was good, if the rebels had other schemes, the navy would easily dispatch, and I was afraid that they would suffer losses. ”

Li Bing nodded: "I have the same worries, so I want to hear your opinions." ”

"The old minister thinks this plan is feasible." Mi Pei, the general of the town army, said like a bell: "Let Murong Xue and Ma Hongjie join forces, plus the Yiling fleet, and work together by land and water to defeat the invading rebels in one fell swoop." If this battle can be successful, it will be enough to ensure that the enemy will not dare to move again within half a year! can also take revenge on Taizhou by the way. ”

As soon as he expressed his position, several military generals also nodded their heads in favor of allowing the navy to participate. In this way, it can not only reduce the pressure on the land defense line, but also carry the prestige of the previous victory to once again strike at the momentum of the enemy's naval division and strive for greater initiative.

Li Bing thought for a while, looked at Wei Zixuan and asked, "Wei Qing, why haven't you spoken today?" ”

When Wei Zixuan heard this, he hurriedly surrendered his hand: "Return to Your Majesty." The ministers were far less accurate than the generals in the war, so they didn't dare to make random ideas. ”

"What about Yin Aiqing? You're a general, tell me about it. Li Bing let go of Wei Zixuan and turned to Yin Chengyi on the other side.

Yin Chengyi had been reminded by Wei Zixuan in advance: The current battle situation is unclear, and it is better to hide the ugliness, so as not to make a mistake and affect the plan of worshipping the commander and taking charge of the army in the future.

So, he coughed lightly and responded: "The minister is still the opinion before, it is better to be still than to be still, it is good to be able to defend the river defense, and there is no need to be too greedy." ”

This opinion is relatively conservative and there is nothing wrong with it, so Li Bing did not react much. He pondered for a moment and looked at Mi Pei: "Will the enemy engage in some conspiracy?" ”

Mi Peilang said: "Actually, I'm not afraid of tricks. Your Majesty, you think, our army has already sensed that the other side is about to move, so whether it is the army or the navy, it is bound to increase its precautions. As long as the two sides cooperate closely and do not easily cross the river to attack, there should be no mistakes. ”

Wei Zixuan was hoping that someone would insist on this opinion, so he hurriedly said: "The old general seems to have some truth in what he said. Although I am not good at military affairs, all the generals are experts, and perhaps they have the opportunity to reap greater results as Murong Xue imagined. ”

He brushed himself off, but once again emphasized that this was Murong Xue's idea, in order to plant the mistake of greedy merit on the military, especially Murong Xue, after the navy army was cleaned up by Bao Yuchun's uncle and nephew.

Li Bing saw that the ministers of civil and military affairs agreed with the idea of the Blue Dragon Legion, so he also recognized seven or eight points in his heart. He bowed his head slightly, and ordered: "Since this is the case, then let the Yiling Water Division participate in the battle, act as soon as possible, and don't be robbed by the rebels." ”

Hearing this, Ruan Yu responded: "The minister will immediately inform Governor Yang when he goes back." In fact, they mean the same thing, and they are ready to go at any time. ”

The court officially set the tone, and Yiling immediately took action. Seven hundred warships, loaded with soldiers and equipment, drove out of the water village and headed downstream.

Almost at the same time, scout intelligence was sent to Bao Yuchun's camp: the imperial fleet had set off!

As soon as the news came, the rebels were immediately mobilized. The mixed army of 60,000 infantry and cavalry deliberately advanced slowly in the direction of the riverbank, giving the opposite Murong Xue Ma Hongjie the illusion that he was about to launch a surprise attack, while the naval fleet was gathering back and forth on the river, while secretly separating the real ambush warship, running far upstream, and then turning around and heading back towards Cehu.

Three days later, a fleet flying the flag of the Yiling Navy entered the flow of Cehu from the Great River, and after the Qinglong Army sentry along the coast discovered them, they hurriedly verified their identity through the flag. In accordance with the rules, the other party sent back a signal in time, saying that he was a court warship under Yang Li, and was ordered to come to reinforcements and assemble at Cehu Lake to stand by.

The Qinglong soldiers knew that the navy was coming to participate in the battle, and seeing that the other party had a clear banner, and he was calm and generous, he did not have the slightest suspicion, and watched the fleet disappear into the lake.

-

"Commander Qiqi, our navy is here."

Hearing that his subordinates had reported that the navy had arrived, Murong Xue, who was studying the map of the defense line, immediately turned around and asked excitedly, "When is it?" Where have they been? ”

His subordinates hurriedly replied: "This afternoon, the arrow tower of the Cehu River sent back a report saying that Yang Dudu's vanguard fleet has arrived there and has entered Cehu to stand by. ”

"How many troops?" Murong Xue asked.

"About four or five hundred ships," replied his men, "they told the sentries that there was a fleet behind them, and that it would be two or three days late." It seems that this time the main force of the navy army has come over and wants to beat the rebels fiercely. ”

Murong Xue couldn't help but sneer, and secretly said in her heart: Bullshit! Yang Li didn't come here at all according to Jiang Yao's order, the fleet hiding in Cehu Lake must be Bao Yuchun's people!

However, this matter was a top-secret plan, and he couldn't reveal it to his subordinates, so he said lightly: "Okay, I know." You go and inform the arrow tower over there, and keep an eye on the river for me. In addition, an elite scout will be sent to the lake to investigate. Remember, don't let Yang Li's people find out. ”

Keep an eye on the river and scout friendly forces? When his subordinates heard Murong Xue's order, they couldn't help but be slightly stunned. But he didn't dare to ask more, so he hurriedly agreed and ran to make arrangements.

Murong Xue turned to look at the map again, and muttered: "The stage is in Jichun, but the real drama is upstream." ”

-

In the upstream drama that Murong Xue said, the protagonist is naturally Yang Li's army.

After the seven hundred main warships sailed out of Yiling, they didn't seem to be in a hurry. Under the watchful eye of the rebel scouts, the battleship always maintained a slow and leisurely pace, all the way to the east.

However, when the entire fleet was about to arrive at the mouth of the Fuzhang River, they suddenly uncharacteristically, without warning, suddenly increased their speed, directly crossed the mouth of the river, and rushed downstream!

The rebel scouts in charge of surveillance were taken aback.

The order they had received was that the imperial navy division would turn into the Fuzhang River and bypass the Han River to reach Wuchang, and along the banks of the Fuzhang River and the Han River, there were still many rebel scouts, waiting to keep track and reconnoiter all the way.

But the actual situation now is that Yang Li and the others did not take the road of the Fuzhang River at all, but planned to advance directly downstream along the river.

This means that they will face the rebel towns in front of them!

The scouts finally reacted at this time, this huge fleet may have been heading for those important towns from the beginning, and their real goal was to storm the rebel sailors everywhere!

The situation suddenly took a turn for the worse, startling the rebel scouts, and they desperately rushed downstream, striving to notify the friendly forces in time before the imperial fleet launched an attack, and inform the commander Bao Yuchun!

It's a pity that the scouts hurried and hurried, and after all, they were still a step too late. Or, even if they weren't too late, the rebel sailors all over the river would have no time to react.

Yang Li commanded the fleet and took the lead in launching a fierce attack on Jiangling, destroying and sinking 47 enemy ships on the spot, burning one water village and two military forts outside the city;

Immediately afterwards, the imperial court sailors did not stop, attacked Shishou again, successfully destroyed 25 rebel warships, captured 16 ships, and burned the opponent's grain and grass camp;

After succeeding, the army continued to advance, and on the way, it happened to run into the fourth flagship of the rebel army that had rushed to reinforce Shishou, and the two sides immediately broke out in the river. The rebels were weak, prepared in a hurry, and were at a disadvantage against the current, and after losing 36 ships in a row, they could only turn around in a panic and flee downstream in confusion.

Yang Li immediately ordered the pursuit. The battleship that covered the sky and the sun went down the river to cover and kill, and rushed behind the rebels, and directly broke into the Minghezhou Water Village. Twenty-one rebel warships were sunk, and eighty-four transport ships of various types were burned.

The morale of the entire imperial fleet was like a rainbow, and they didn't even bother to clean up the battlefield, so they left Minghezhou directly and continued to attack and advance.

Further afield, it is another strategic place of Bao Yuchun, the home port of Bao Xinyan's fleet, Yueyang!

Here, Yang Li and the others finally encountered real resistance.

Under the leadership of Bao Xinyan's deputy, Zhu Hailin, the 210 building ships and fighting ships that were responsible for staying in Yueyang, crossed the river and were ready for battle.

They were the main force under Bao Yuchun's command, and they had plenty of time to prepare, so they were no longer like the rebels who had been beaten before and were on the verge of collapse.

On the contrary, the Broad Sea Army, which was in a desperate situation, also burst out with amazing combat effectiveness. Although the number of ships was less than half of the imperial army, Zhu Hailin still commanded his men to charge.

In the two-hour fierce battle on the water, both sides lost nearly 100 ships each, and there was no winner or loser.

Yang Li originally planned to concentrate his forces again, disperse the rebel army in one go, and end the battle completely. But at this time, the scout suddenly reported that a large number of enemy reinforcements had been found in the downstream direction and were hurrying towards Yueyang.

He pondered for a moment, and finally ordered the troops to retreat: the advantage was enough, and it was a wise choice to take it when it was good.