Bright Spring

Zhu Gaoxu turned his head to look at Wang Yu and said, "Commander Wang sent scouts and took the local officials with him to Rong County to find out the terrain, route, and water source. You should make more friends with the local natives and persuade them to be your guides." ; Remember to bring some cloth and silverware from the Chinese army, the natives like silverware."

Wang Yu clasped his fists and said, "The last general has orders!"

Zhu Gaoxu waved his hand and said: "Some troops in the Chinese army have already left their camps and set off, everyone should prepare as well. The march will continue as usual."

Everyone said goodbye.Hou Haidao: "The next official will write the letter immediately, and send it to the prince for review after writing."

Zhu Gaoxu nodded his head, looked at the map on the table without raising his head, and said, "Hou Changshi stays here, I still have a few words to say to you."

Everyone walked out of the tile-roofed house one after another, only Hou Hai stood in front of the square table with his hands folded.

Zhu Gaoxu said: "In your letter to Sheng Yong, you stated that you can't determine which road Wu Gao will take at this time. It depends on Wu Gao and when he finds out about our itinerary. This king will pass through the road stronghold established by Ping An. Immediately, the South Route Army reported the enemy's situation."

Hou Hai bent down and bowed.

Zhu Gaoxu went on to say: "From Libo County to Liuzhou Prefecture is the main official road. Since Wu Gao has learned that our division is going south, there must be spy scouts near the official road. But the native villages in the mountainous areas are easily overlooked by him.

If Wu Gaojun had discovered the route of our division as soon as he left Liuzhou Prefecture, he probably would not have gone north again, and he might have diverted to the direction of He County (Hezhou City) in Pingle Prefecture.Conversely, if Wu Gao found out too late, he would be trapped between the mountains on both sides of the Li River, unable to advance or retreat; then he would most likely turn around and return to the army's Liuzhou Mansion first.

In the letter, Sheng Yong was asked to plan a route based on the military situation.And they can adapt to the situation, according to Sheng Yongping's consideration, let them have full authority to make decisions about the military affairs of the South Route Army. "

Hou Haidao: "Your officer obeys!"

Zhu Gaoxu turned his head and said to the guard: "Take away the map and things, and we will set off later."

The personal guard said: "Yes, my lord."

Zhu Gaoxu still continued to sit beside the square table, looking thoughtful, dazed.

Many clan dignitaries in the court criticized him, saying Gaoxu was cunning.But he himself didn't take it seriously, he never tires of cheating, if he fought honestly, it would be no wonder he could catch Wu Gao!

In the diverse terrain of the South, both armies were dominated by infantry.Because the traffic at this time mainly relies on feet, the efficiency of information transmission and marching is very low. If one side is unwilling to fight, it will be difficult for a big battle to happen.

Even now, Zhu Gaoxu still has doubts about whether he can catch Wu Gaojun.There are hundreds of thousands of people on both sides, and the various things that happen are really beyond the control of one person.

However, Zhu Gaoxu hoped that even if Wu Gao could not be wiped out by using troops this time, he must be forced in the direction of the Guangdong chief envoy.

Otherwise, the main force of Zhang’s auxiliary army will increase by another [-] troops, and Zhu Gaoxu’s confidence in the Huguang battle will drop a lot... Both sides are dominated by the main army of the guards of the Ming Dynasty. From equipment training to combat capabilities, the gap is not very big; if the number There is too much difference. In such a big battle, the outcome cannot be determined by tricks.

And just as Zhang Fu thought, Zhu Gaoxu also hoped that the big battle in Huguang would happen.

The two think about the problem from different angles.Zhang Fu wants to rely on water transportation to gather a large army and occupy a geographical advantage; Zhu Gaoxu wants to solve the various crises facing the Han Palace once and for all.But they all come to the same goal by different routes, and they want to use a large-scale decisive battle with the main force to solve the problem as soon as possible!

Colleagues who fought together in the "Battle of Jingnan" and "Battle of Conquering the Southern Kingdom" have similar experiences, and sometimes their ideas really influence each other. ..

Chapter 467

On the morning of July 29, the first year of Hongxi, the sky was clear and the ground was wet.

The surface of the Liujiang River to the east of Liuzhou Fucheng is shrouded in a layer of mist.The milky white mist floats slowly and gracefully in the breeze, with a gentleness of its own.

But on the several pontoon bridges on the river, the soldiers wearing wide-brimmed iron hats marching in line are full of masculinity.The noise of human voices is often accompanied by shouts of obscene language, and the vulgar language has completely destroyed the atmosphere of the beautiful scenery.

Geng Hao silently rode on the horse, standing beside the father-in-law Wu Gao.

At this time, a donkey cart loaded with cannons and wooden barrels couldn't move forward beside the pontoon bridge. The man driving the cart "cracked" and whipped the donkey. Unexpectedly, the donkey was very stubborn and did not move.Wu Gao got off his horse, walked over to push the donkey cart, turned his head and said to the generals, "Give me a hand!"

Although Geng Hao was extremely reluctant, the old man went up in person, so he hurried over to push the cart.

"Who built the bridge?" Wu Gao asked looking back to the left and right.

No one answered, and one of the generals said: "Master Hou, after these people pass by, I will ask someone to nail a few wooden boards beside the bridge so that the cars can move."

"Do it immediately!" Wu Gao ordered.

He got back on his horse, led the accompanying soldiers, and rode across the river from the pontoon bridge in front of him.Geng Hao was behind, let go of the hilt inlaid with suet jade, silently took out a handkerchief, and repeatedly wiped the dirt on the palm of his hand with the complex smell.

His father-in-law, Wu Gao, as Lord Marquis, commander of a hundred thousand troops, was always wandering around in the army doing such trivial things, Geng Hao felt uncomfortable.But he relied on his father-in-law, so naturally he dared not speak out.

... After the group crossed the Liujiang River, they raced along the flat road in the northeast direction.After a while, I finally saw the banner of the Chinese Army on the west bank of the Luoqing River.

The west bank of the Luoqing River was crowded with people and noisy.In addition to countless soldiers with wide-brimmed hats, there are also a large number of civilian men in short clothes.There are many boats on the bank of the river, and the soldiers and civilians are loading the supplies and grass onto the boats.The loaded boats left the river one after another and drifted to the center of the river.

Wu Gao knew that the army of the rebel army was marching towards Liuzhou Mansion, and he was not in favor of taking this road at first.

But all the generals persuaded him that it is too easy to walk on the Luoqing River these days!Although it is the end of July, Guangxi is still warm and humid, with southerly winds blowing, and the cold northwest wind in autumn and winter has not yet arrived.

The boats took their luggage and raised their sails, and followed the south wind to Guilin. The march was very easy.Once you arrive in Guilin, you can use the Li River to go north.There is convenient water transportation, unless it is absolutely necessary, there is no reason to give up!

Wu Gao knew that some people in the army criticized him for being timid. After repeatedly questioning the scout sergeant, he finally made a compromise and ordered the whole army to go northward along the Luoqing River.

Some regular soldiers from Guangxi, Guangdong, and Fujian can neither read nor speak official language, and Wu Gao can’t even understand a word of the dialect; he also has to maintain a good relationship with generals in Guangxi and other places, so that the generals can properly control the military households under their command. Zhengjun.

A group of generals came to the central army on horseback, and Wu Gao immediately called the soldiers of the scout battalion to come and question them.

The Ministry will call over a dozen scouts who have returned in the past two days.The sergeant who spoke first was from Guangxi, and he did.There are almost no soldiers in ordinary county towns, and it is okay to deal with bandits by relying on the temporary convening of strong servants. It is strange to be able to defend against the regular army led by the vassal king.Wu Gao guessed that the magistrates should have not defended the city, and they must have surrendered.

Wu Gao even predicted that after he led the main force of the army to leave Liuzhou Mansion, once the rebels sent troops to Liuzhou Mansion City, Chengwu would surrender without a fight!

He was not interested in paying attention to these local cities, and neither the princes of the court nor Zhang Fu, the commander of the Ping-Han army, asked Wu Gao to guard Guangxi.

Wu Gao rode on the horse, watching the magnificent scene between heaven and earth.On the river in the distance, gray sails are like clouds, dotted among the green mountains and green waters; the road is like a dragon, and the army's queue can't see the end.Drums and footsteps sounded in various ways, as if echoing from the west mountain.

Wu Gao looked at the large swath of green mountains and forests in the west, blocking the entire western sky.He stared for a long time, then looked around and asked, "What's behind that forest? Has any scout visited?"

A Guangxi general replied in official dialect with a strange accent: "The mountains and forests in the west are endless, reaching Guilin Mansion, and there are almost no people inhabited. If the soldiers want to go into the mountains to explore, I am afraid it will be difficult to get out; they have to detour at the southern foot of Yangshan Mountain, and then go north to Rong County. just work.

There is only one county in our large area in the northwest, which is Rong County; the people living in hundreds of miles are all natives of various tribes, and there are also young seedlings.It is easier to walk in the south of Rong County, but once you leave Rong County, you will be surrounded by mountains and forests.As far as the general knew, no one went to that place except for the private salt dealers who wanted to avoid inspections and risked their lives! "

"I have heard people talk about it before..." Wu Gao said.

The Guangxi general said again: "The local officers and soldiers occasionally go into the mountains to suppress the rebellion and arrest the bandits. It is a last resort. There are so many rebels and they are from other places. If they go into the mountains, they will probably get lost!"

Wu Gao nodded slightly in response.But somehow, he always had an ominous premonition in his heart!

Perhaps it was because the two armies were too close and it was easier to contact, so Wu Gao habitually felt nervous.The mountains and forests on both sides of the Luoqing River made him feel a faint chest tightness.

This ominous dullness at first was merely an unsubstantiated feeling.But on the evening of the next day, the second day of August, Wu Gao received an urgent report, which made him even more nervous!

The report of the scout generals of the rear army wrote that a large number of rebels, about 1 people, crossed the Liujiang River, and suddenly turned around and marched north!

Wu Gao's face changed immediately after reading it, and he immediately thought in his mind that Rong County is to the north of Liucheng County.Around Rong County, there is no city in a radius of a hundred miles, which is exactly the mountain road that the generals said "only exiles and salt dealers go".

What is the purpose of the large group of rebels going to Rong County?The number of people crossing the river is relatively easy to see, there are only more than 1 people; where is the main force of the rebel army? !

Dare to say that three or four days ago, the scouts found so many news about the main movement of the rebel army, were they all fake news? !

Wu Gao hurriedly summoned the generals to discuss the matter, and first asked the general of the scout battalion: "On the morning of July 29, I ordered you to send scouts to carefully investigate the strength of the rebel army. Is it done?"