Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 395: One Black Horse Leads a Hundred Riders
When Liu Huai arrived at Wuhu City, more than 3,000 soldiers had already crossed the Yangtze River and arrived at Yuxi Town to participate in the battle.

The Jin army in Yuxi Town was also the regular army of the Wurui Army. However, faced with such a huge gap in numbers, they still found it difficult to make any waves.

But this battle was a river crossing battle after all, and there was no special training for beach landing in that era, so organizational confusion was inevitable.

However, in order to open a gap in the city defense, Xin Qiji took the lead and charged out. Although the effect was remarkable, he was inevitably separated from the army, so that he did not establish a front-line command system at the beginning.

Of course, to put it bluntly, even if Xin Qiji established a front-line command center, it would be of no use.

Because he lacked prestige within the Jingnan Army, the other generals could not obey him unconditionally at all times.

This doesn't mean that people like Zhang Xiaoyi will openly disobey orders, but rather that they will pretend that the war is chaotic and they can't hear military orders and act on their own.

I was fighting just now and didn't hear the call to gather the troops. Now that I heard it, I rushed back. You can't kill me for such a trivial matter, right?
To put it bluntly, we all came from the hard battles. Why should you, Xin Qiji, a guest general, be superior to others? Is it just because the commander-in-chief favors you?

After Liu Huai arrived in Wuhu City, he took a quick look at the chaotic situation at the inner ferry and immediately realized that the situation in Yuxi Town would be ten times more chaotic. He then jumped off his horse and shouted to He Boqiu, who was commanding from a watchtower at the inner ferry, "Captain He, I want you to cross the river immediately!"

He Boqiu also knew the situation was urgent and nodded immediately. "General, one hundred Flying Tiger soldiers have already brought their horses aboard. Zhang Baiyu and Zhang Silang are waiting for you on shore. I'll have the boats ahead clear the channel!"

After a pause, He Boqiu said again: "Lord General, be careful!"

Liu Huai nodded, left his exhausted warhorse where it lay, and then headed towards the Jingnan flag representing the commander-in-chief of the Jingnan Army.

Over there, there was a Flying Tiger flag standing side by side with the White Fish Flag. Zhang Baiyu was anxiously waiting under the flag. When he saw Liu Huai arrive, he was overjoyed: "General."

Liu Huai, holding the Liquan Spear, simply nodded and said, "Silang, time is urgent. Get on the boat now, hoist both the Jingnan Banner and the Flying Tiger Banner, and let's cross the river!"

Zhang Baiyu became even more excited. He responded loudly and ordered his soldiers to carry the flag aboard.

At this time, the deck of this huge Shun steamer was already crowded with armored cavalry leading their war horses. When they saw Liu Huai walking up to the wheelhouse, they began to whisper to each other. When they saw the three large flags being hoisted on the wheelhouse, they became even more excited.

"The General has crossed the river!"

"The general is crossing the river!"

Zhang Baiyu stood in front of the armored cavalry, raised his right hand and shouted loudly.

"The General has crossed the river!"

At first it was just a noisy shouting, but after a moment, all the armored cavalry on the boat started shouting agitatedly at the same time, drowning out all the noise during the crossing.

The soldiers who were waiting for the boat to cross the river looked up at once, and when they saw that the huge ship flying the Jingnan flag had indeed sailed out of the water gate, they quickly quieted down.

It seemed as if Liu Huai's crossing of the river was a significant signal, causing the previous dispute and small-scale chaos to disappear.

Xu Zongyan was also on the watchtower, watching this scene, his eyes and mouth corners twitching almost at the same time.

A few months ago, he dared to scold Liu Huai for being presumptuous. Now, not only did he not dare, he even felt that he had been a bit audacious and reckless a few months ago. Could war really transform a person to such an extent?
"Xu Dapan, do you want to cross the river?" After several more steamships sailed out, He Boqiu asked calmly with his hands clasped.

Xu Zongyan was technically an official of the Song Dynasty. Although Chuzhou had been lost, his position as the prefect of Chuzhou had never been revoked. He lingered in the Jingnan army, providing logistical support for the enemy forces led by Zhang Xiaoyi. He was also vaguely He Boqiu's deputy. It was understandable that he was unwilling to cross the river and fight at this time.

However, Xu Zongyan shook his head and said through gritted teeth: "Even if I die, I will die in Jiangbei."

Faced with such bold words, He Boqiu simply nodded and pointed to a point above the inner crossing: "The enemy troops have all crossed the river. Deputy Commander Li Xiu is the last one to cross. You can go and follow him."

Xu Zongyan bowed and left.

He Boqiu looked back, then turned back to look at Nei Du.

Indeed, if I die, I would rather die in the north. What does it matter if I die in the south?
On the other side, Xin Qiji had already withdrawn from the battle and raised his own flag outside the town to gather troops.

The fighting was still going on in Yuxi Town, but it was just a matter of clearing out the remaining enemy forces. The commanders of each army were gathering their troops and forming battle lines.

According to the pre-arranged plan, the entire army should now move north along the Yuxi River, and a part of Yang Qin's ships should also be separated. Both sides should advance by land and sea to capture Dongguan in one fell swoop.

However, today's battle was indeed hasty, and a Jin army water fort inexplicably appeared in the middle of Yuxi, so the entire plan seemed to have to be changed.

In addition, some Jin army envoys headed northeast in the direction where the Wu Rui army left. It is unknown whether reinforcements will arrive, or even the entire Wu Rui army may return.

After all, it is a military adventure, how can there be a perfect plan?
Although Xin Qiji had great ideas and the ability to adapt to circumstances and command on the battlefield, he was simply unable to have the final say.

Just as he was hesitating whether to give the death order, Liu Huai arrived at Yuxikou and raised the banner of the Jingnan Rebellion.

It should be said that the effect was significant. At least the military commanders of each army quickly sent military envoys to request transfer orders.

Liu Huai was also very decisive. He ordered that all cavalry, except the Flying Tiger Army, be under the command of Xin Qiji, and ordered them to move quickly north along Yuxi River, first cooperate with Yang Qin to attack the water fort, and then continue north to raid Dongguan.

We must prevent the Jin army from reacting in time!
The rest of the infantry formed a line and followed Xin Qiji in a rapid march northward. They were not to worry about anything they encountered and had to march all the way to the East Gate before they could rest.

All the swordsmen of the Flying Tiger Army and Lei Ben's troops stayed behind, put on their armor and waited on the spot to block the possible arrival of reinforcements from the Jin Kingdom.

The military envoys responded loudly and left, but a moment later, the 4,000-strong Jingnan army was launched into action.

Not to mention what the other armies thought, Xin Qiji, as the temporary vanguard, saw the cavalry from various armies constantly converging towards him, and the slight frustration that had accumulated before was swept away.

Even though the ship's carrying capacity was limited and only more than 800 cavalrymen had been transported by this time, it was enough for Xin Qiji.

After bowing to Liu Huai, Xin Qiji personally pulled out the large Qingsi banner that stood beside him, mounted his horse, and waved it: "Everyone! Follow me to achieve great things! Let's achieve fame and honor immediately!"

After saying that, Xin Qiji took the lead again and attacked upstream along the Yuxi River.

(End of this chapter)