Since Qitai, the state of Hebei failed to seize the short-lived opportunity of the coup d'état in Jiangdong and the civil strife, and sat back and watched General Shen go south to quickly quell the rebellion, and then established Xingtai in Luoyang, so that the situation in the south was stable again.

In the following years, both the north and the south entered a relatively stable period of recuperation and adjustment, and Luoyang Xingtai did not make a big move to the north except for digesting Henan and accumulating strength to raise matters for the western expedition to Guanzhong.

As for the state of Qian, Shi Hu's energy was mainly placed in the north, maintained by high-pressure and fierce rule internally, and externally it was either restrained or conquered by the border fields, striving to create a stable rear.

Under such circumstances, the lower reaches of the Yellow River have maintained a certain level of calm, except for some small-scale mutual disturbances.

At present, in the lower reaches of the Yellow River, the forces of the Huang State have basically been driven out of the south bank of the Yellow River, and because the Jin army built such a military town as Fangtou in Hebei, pointing directly to the heart of the Huang Kingdom, several attempts to restore Yecheng have ended in failure due to the stubborn obstruction of Fangtou Xie Ai. Therefore, on the whole, the Jin army was already in a strategic advantageous position in the lower reaches of the Yellow River.

In addition to the Maqiu Division, which has been entangled with Xie Ai in the north of Fangtou, there is also the Pingyuan Gongshi Xuan in the downstream position.

Shi Xuannai is the second son of Shi Hu, the king of Great Zhao, and he is also the oldest among Shi Hu's sons, except for Shi Di, the crown prince who stayed in Xiangguo.

In addition to the feudal plains, Shi Hu in the removal of the old minister Kui'an, but also named him Shang Shuling, and returned to Hebei in the early years to fight for the unification of the Qingzhou army led by all the award, the southern war should be commissioned, the southern counties such as Qinghe, Guangzong, Pingyuan, Leling and even the Bohai Sea and other places of the military and civilians are under its control, across a Yellow River and sit in Taishan County in the south Shen Mu confrontation and mutual attack. The authority is even higher than that of the so-called prince Shi Di of Xiangguo, and he is deeply loved by Shi Hu.

The two major forces of the north and the south, a new round of collision took place here.

It is an important military fortress built by the Jin army on the south bank of the Yellow River, and its place is located in the most important ferry port in the lower reaches of the Yellow River.

From the chasm to the east, the Yellow River is the frontline of the confrontation between the north and the south, of which Fangtou is the bridgehead in the middle section, and its location is not only the inner moat of Luosiyu, but also the important ferry ports such as Fuliyang. The state of Qian has returned several times in Fangtou, and if he can't pull out this thorn in his heart, he won't dare to make any large-scale moves in this section of the Yellow River.

From the offensive aspect, the location of the foil is not as important as the fangtou, but from the defensive point of view, it is a complete danger. Its place Chong Qingyan, located near the confluence of Jishui and the Yellow River, is connected to Juyeze, once it is invaded, it can be directly inserted into the heart of Henan!

It can even be said that once this place is in the hands of the Karma Kingdom, the strategic significance it exerts can be almost equivalent to the threat posed by the Fang Tou to the Karma Kingdom.

In the early years, when the Huainan Governor's Mansion marched north and fought the Central Plains War with Yecheng Shikan, Shikan sent an elite army to cross the river from the Xuan, preparing to make a desperate counterattack, but the result was a failure and defeat on the slippery platform.

Later, Wang Shi also built more in Zhuqiao, built a large town near Jindu, and at the same time widened the river, and set up this place as an important stop for Wang Shi's naval army.

But this place is not without defects, that is, the terrain is too low, every time there is abundant rain, the river water surges, it is inevitable that there will be the hidden danger of the Yellow River backing up, so it is not a suitable place to camp around it, so that the city is not around the lack of military guards, faintly there is a situation of being isolated.

Of course, in ordinary times, this problem is not too big, whether it is the upstream slip platform on the two wings, or the downstream Jibei, can help each other, and there is Taishan County in the rear, which is an absolute important town between the Qingyan, and the enemy needs to be faced is only the infestation on the river in the north.

And this section of the Yellow River is wide, and the water surface is where the Wang Division's naval army is located, and the army wants to break through from the river, which is simply a dream!

However, any military arrangement was not set in stone, and at the end of July, an order came from Xingtai instructing the naval forces downstream to swim upstream, and to assemble in the east of the river to strengthen the defense of the middle reaches. Lu Yong did not dare to slack off after winning his life, especially to arrive in Hedong before the end of the flood season, so he immediately led his troops to set off.

In addition to Lu Yong, who is responsible for connecting the strongholds and fortresses along the river, there is also a sea escort in the north of Qingzhou, with a scale of about 20,000 people, commanded by Xu Mao. After Lu Yong was transferred, the vacancy left behind naturally needed to be filled by Xu Mao's department.

However, because of the limited distance, there will inevitably be a short window period for the transmission of military information. And this window period is also the most accident-prone moment.

In the camp, although there are still some Wang Shishui troops who have not set off, waiting for the rear team to arrive and hand over, it still seems empty compared to the huge scale of the camp.

This place is not only a stop and rest point for the Wang Shishui army, but also a center for the assembly of goods and goods. In addition to the wharf camp, there are also a large number of warehouses in the water camp, which extend to the city of Zhuan, which is more than ten miles away from the river bank. Lu Yong's navy marched westward, and by the way, a batch of capital freight was also transported into Luoyang.

After handing over the new batch of goods, he saw those cargo ships slowly leaving the dock and heading west, revealing a little exaggerated reluctance: "Thick storage for several years, once empty, these chaotic thieves, I don't know when they will be killed!" ”

"General Lienian killed Hu, why don't you ask for war to go west with the prince?"

When the adjutant general next to him heard this, he couldn't help but laugh and ridicule.

When Gao Zhong heard this, his face turned slightly embarrassed, and he pointed at a few people and reprimanded angrily: "You stupid people, I don't have the courage to raise a knife to kill thieves? When the general plans to attack this realm next year, I want to see if you can beat the old man when you run to kill the enemy! ”

After hearing this, several people laughed again, still complimenting Gao Zhongbaodao in that ridiculous tone.

However, they also understood that the main significance of this place was to be outside the enemy, and at the same time as a supply ground for the Transit King's Division, even if it was used in the lower reaches of the next year, it was unlikely that this place would be selected as a large base for launching an attack.

Because they are the kings and soldiers who stayed in this realm, compared with the other kings, they are not so brave and aggressive. This Gao Zhong is already in his fifties, and he has not heard of any majestic deeds in the past year, and he can be guarded here, and Tai Ban still polishes his qualifications to get this position.

There is no shortage of similar commanders and generals in the Wang Division, after all, in addition to rushing to kill the town and attack, the Wang Division also needs to have a cautious and coordinated role in the existence of people and goods. A civil and military all-powerful figure like Fangtou Xie Junhou, even in the Yingliu Xingtai, after all, is only a few.

Gao Zhong retreated to the second line, but he still held a more important position in the second line, far better than those old comrades in the rear who were called military generals and grain chiefs in the rear, and he was still quite satisfied with this.

After all, he also knows that his talent is a little deep, and he was still strong and couldn't show off his peers in the early years, but now that he is getting older and weaker, he doesn't expect to make more contributions on the battlefield.

Hearing the insincere praise of the generals, Gao Zhong scolded a few more words with a straight face, raised the palm of his hand with a broken finger and said angrily: "Lao Tzu was bold in the old years, and in previous years, he was more fortunate to escort the general to return home along the river in the south and kill the robbers in the Beijing Mansion. ”

The generals were tired of hearing this kind of words, because a few people couldn't help but laugh more when they heard this, and some people even said: "How heroic the general is, and how stupid the thieves are that they dare to block the road to intercept the general......

When Gao Zhong heard this, his face couldn't help but blush, and he suddenly roared angrily: "Isn't there no business in the camp? You stay here one by one, lazy talking, delaying serious business, watch out for each other's heads! ”

When it came to business, everyone did not dare to be lazy anymore, and dispersed, or took stock of military supplies, or led troops to patrol the coast.

When everyone dispersed, Gao Zhong lowered his head and stroked the scar of the severed finger, the shame on his face gradually faded, and then a little remembrance appeared, looking at the backs of several people, and he said with a weak heart: "How stupid is it?" Lao Tzu is the real shrewd ......"

In his own words, he ordered the soldiers to seal off the empty warehouse, and leave it for the autumn grain to be put into the warehouse and reopened. And he did not stop, but after a round on the shore, he let the board go down to the river, and went straight to a few small islands in the river. After boarding the river island, he called the commander of the army and asked, "Is there any news from the fort on the north bank?" ”

The commander presents all the information he has gathered, which is a few abbreviated characters that ordinary people do not know, and through these characters, the time, place, and some simple events can be conveyed.

The north and the south frequently interfere with each other in this area, and occasionally mislead each other with some wrong information. Moreover, it is difficult to ensure that everyone is literate among the scouts on these fronts, so it is more practical to replace them with these characters.

Gao Zhong looked at the information, his brows furrowed, and his expression was a little serious. It's not that he sees anything wrong, in fact, the content of the scout's interrogations is similar every day, but it is a weak and sensitive period for the defense of the Fortification, and any unusual thing is enough to make him vigilant and nervous.

"One more interrogation in the middle of the night."

Gao Zhong gave another order, and then left Hezhou and returned to the camp on the south bank. At this time, the sky was getting dark, but Gao Zhong did not rest, and patrolled along the river, personally arranging the sentry to patrol at night.

"A few more days, a few days......"

Gao Zhong thought silently in his heart, he did not have any complaints due to fatigue, and being able to get through this period of weakness safely was the greatest praise for him.

The navy originally stationed more than 8,000 people here, but more than 6,000 people have left, and more than 2,000 people remain, plus the original defenders in the city and camp, there are nearly 5,000 people in total. However, it is not just a single stronghold, in addition to the Jinfang ferry and the castle behind it, there are also warehouses and the like, once scattered in these places, the overall defense is still a little weak.

Qingzhou Xu Mao's navy will take more than ten days to arrive, but Taishan County is fast, and General Xin Bin is leading 5,000 soldiers to come here day and night, and it should be possible to arrive in two or three days. In addition, Cao Na of Jiyin has already arrived between Jishuikou and Juyeze.

Gao Zhong was thinking about the scheduling between the young men in the past few days, and personally commanded the external ships to pull them out of the dock and sail into the dai, and when the gate was settled, it was already late at night.

"General, do you want to go back to the city?"

Hearing the instructions of the soldiers beside him, Gao Zhong raised his hand and waved it, and said, "I will stay in the camp tonight." ”

If there is an enemy attacking, it is obvious that it is easier to defend the fortified city with its strong walls to rely on. However, due to the low-lying terrain around Jin, if the castle is too close to the mouth of Jin, it can easily be flooded.

In the early years, the construction of the city was because there was such a stronghold nearby, even if the enemy army conquered the city, they did not dare to drive straight into it in a big way, otherwise they would be cut off by the defenders of the city, and give the royal divisions of the rear road a time to react.

In the past few days, Gao Zhong did not guard the city, but concentrated his troops mainly at the Jinkou wharf, which was really insufficient to defend it, and relatively speaking, the ferry port was more important than the city, in addition to the warships, there were many military materials and weapons concentrated here waiting for transfer.

If the city is captured by the enemy, even if he holds the city, it will not be of much significance. Moreover, at present, all kinds of reinforcements are on the way, and there is no need for him to fight for buffer time, if he stubbornly defends the fortification, it may create a favorable situation for the enemy army to encircle the point and send reinforcements and break them separately.

After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the night wind was already extremely cold, but Gao Zhong was not sleepy, and he was still sitting in the tent at night, waiting for news from Hezhou.

From this point of view, he is really not suitable to be a front-line commander of the army, he is more cautious and less courageous, and once he perceives the existence of some hidden dangers, he will be so frightened that he can't sleep well. However, this kind of cautious character is also the most suitable for arrangement in a situation like the Silk, at least it will not be caught off guard by the enemy due to the negligence of the enemy.

The night was quiet, only the rhythmic and boring sound of the copper leak and the big bell in the tent, and even a few pro-soldiers were holding their canes and hanging their heads to sleep, but Gao Zhong stood up from the seat suddenly, and the collision of armor and sabers suddenly woke up the pro-soldiers, and subconsciously clenched the swords and guns and looked left and right, and heard Gao Zhong say in a low tone: "It's been a quarter of an hour......

Hearing this, the soldiers couldn't help but complain, and their hearts were already the easiest to get tired at night, and what was there to worry about if they were a quarter of an hour late, and they would all be unable to stay up these days. But before he could say anything, he saw that Gao Zhong had already rushed out of the camp, so he hurriedly followed him.

Gao Zhong stood on the top of the camp, raised his eyes to look at the night of the black hole in the north, frowned and muttered, "It's not good...... Quickly pass the order, and the North Third Camp will be ordered to stay in the first place! ”

Soon, the commotion sounded in the camp, and before long several sleepy-eyed commanders came on foot, not in good spirits, but they were all dressed in their armor. This is also an important military order in the barracks, once the night gathering order is issued, the clothes and armor are scattered and they will rush out of the camp tent, and it is possible to behead the capital at the lightest!

"General, what's the situation?"

Several soldiers asked nervously, and then they heard Gao Zhong say in a deep voice: "It's nearly half an hour late, where is Hezhou...... Let's send a ship to investigate. ”

The commanders originally thought that they had discovered a definite enemy situation, but when they heard that it was just like this, some people couldn't help but mutter, but they heard Gao Zhong pause and say: "Silence! I'd rather you be terrified day and night than be spared from sleep! Reinforcements from all walks of life are about to arrive, and you will not have time to recuperate when you sleep day and night......"

At this point, his voice stopped abruptly, because when he saw a sudden flash of fire on the river in the night, his heart suddenly sank, and he had no time to think about it again, so he suddenly shouted: "Raise fire, assemble, and prepare to meet the enemy!" ”

At the same time, several fire boats rushed straight into the river from the position of the camp fence like arrows off the string, and as the line of fire advanced to the middle of the river, the terrifying picture that was originally hidden under the night was also outlined!

On the wide river, the beast-like warship is half-submerged in the river, and under the cover of the sound of the water and the wind, it is quietly approaching the mouth of Jinjin, and the ship in the front is even about to sail within a mile! The area covered by the fire was still too narrow, and the situation further back was still shrouded in night, and I don't know how many enemy ships were approaching.