At the end of April, Zhao Li led the left army of 5,000 men and horses to break through Yancheng in Chuzhou, and the advance entered the territory of Yangzhou.

Immediately afterwards, Zeng Yuanyu led 10,000 horses of the Right Route Army in early May to capture Huaiyin and Xuyi, which were important towns in the west of Chuzhou.

At this time, in the rainy season of Jianghuai, the heavy rain for several days made the flat land into a river, and the rain was painted.

Although Gao Biao gathered troops and horses in Gaoyou, he was also trapped by the rain for a while, and could not immediately send troops south along the ditch to attack Li Jing in Anyi City.

The heavy rain for several days caused the two armies of Qin and Huai to confront each other in their respective cities on the border of Chuyang and Yangzhou for a while.

The heavy rain not only stopped Gao Jing's pace to the north, but also blocked Li Jing's footsteps to the south. In this continuous rainy season, the city of Anyi is flooded, and many low-lying areas in the city have become a flooded country. Li Jing's military camp had to retreat into the higher urban areas of the city, and most of the soldiers had to squat on the roofs, and could only take turns to take shelter from the rain in a small number of unflooded houses.

For several days, the Qin army was unable to cook raw, and all they ate was dry food and canned food. Fortunately, the Qin army also had naval warships, which could transport canned dry food supplies from the rear.

Gongsun Lan wore long calfskin boots and a poncho, and sat on the sailor's yacht until he entered Anyi City, which was half of the city water, and went to find Li Jing in the water.

Li Jing was sitting on the city gate tower in the north of Anyi City, eating the fish that the chef had just prepared. The thin sashimi is the most convenient food at this time, and it tastes very good without fire, and it is cut lightly and lightly dipped in sauce.

"It is said that spring rain is as expensive as oil, but I can't stand this rain if it rains too much." When Jing Xiang saw Gongsun Lan, he smiled at her and said, "General Gongsun has worked hard. ”

Li Jing looked at her. The eyes are full of care.

"Your Highness. Has this rain ruined your plans? ”

Li Jing swallowed the sashimi into his stomach. He took another glass of rice wine and drank it all, with a slight smile on his face. "No, this rain came in time, not only did it not destroy my plan, but it also helped me a lot."

"Oh?"

Jing Xiang explained for Li Jing on the side: "This time, we can break through Gao Yu and capture the important towns of Shanyang and Xuyi in Huaidong, which is already unexpected. Now, we have captured the entire territory of Chuzhou. However, we did not have enough troops this time to immediately start a decisive battle with Gao Biao, defeat Gao Biao in one fell swoop, and annex Huainan. What we need now is to accept it when we see it, not to fight a decisive battle with Gao Yu, but to take the opportunity of defeating Gao Yu's army to seize more important land on the empty Huaidong front-line territory. ”

"After King Qin broke through Shanyang, he immediately went south to Anyi, not actually to find Gao Biao for a decisive battle, but just to attract Gao Biao's attention. Forced Gao Yu to lead his troops to meet the battle. In this way, the two generals Zhao Li and Zeng Yuanyu were able to sweep Huaidong. The most critical. It still allowed General Zeng Yuanyu to take the important town of Xuyi. Originally, we planned to stay in Anyi City for only a few days, and when Gao Yu gathered his troops and horses to kill us, we immediately retreated. Who would have thought that this rain was so heavy, but it would be difficult for Gao Biao to send troops, so we would accompany Gao Biao here more by the way. ”

Gongsun Lan frowned: "His Royal Highness personally led 20,000 troops, but he used himself as bait to attract Gao Yu to gather the main force to attack, which is also too risky." ”

"If the Chinese army is not under my command, and there are only 20,000 soldiers and horses, how can Gao Biao believe that I am going south to attack Yangzhou?" Li Jing replied, "What's more, if there is a different general to lead the troops, I'm afraid that I won't be able to immediately attract Gao Yu to come with all his strength like me." ”

"The rain has really helped us a lot." Gongsun Lan took off the poncho, handed it to the guards, and walked to Li Jing and sat down.

"This rain has really helped us a lot, and I don't think Gao Biao can imagine that the rain in Jianghuai has not only not become an obstacle to our southward movement, but has become our helper." Li Jing also admitted with a smile that he was lucky, crossing the Huai on a rainy night, blocking the ditch and flooding Shanyang, and now the heavy rain has prevented Gao Yu from leaving Gaoyou to go north to Anyi. "Everyone is equal in the face of opportunities, but we seized them, and a victory is a victory. Do you have good news to bring? ”

Gongsun Lan Shifang naturally took the wine glass handed by Li Jing and drank it all in one gulp, driving away the wet and heavy cold on his body. "I bring a few pieces of news, both good and bad. Does Your Highness intend to hear good news or bad news first? ”

Li Jing chuckled, "The news is meaningless whether it is good or bad, it only needs to be comprehensive." ”

Gongsun Lan also smiled, "Then let's talk about the good news first, the good news is that the Right Route Army led by General Zeng Yuanyu lived up to His Royal Highness's expectations, and after breaking through Xuyi, it did not stay." Instead, with the cooperation of the naval division, he continued to attack Haozhou in the west, first breaking Zhaoyi, and then taking a boat to attack Zhongli, the city of Haozhou. The exact news that I have just received is that General Zeng has captured Zhonglicheng, an important town in Huaixi, and is currently taking advantage of the victory to send troops to sweep all counties in Haozhou, and will be able to completely capture Haozhou in a few days. ”

The heavy rain for several days was not suitable for large-scale operations, and Gao Yu's tens of thousands of troops could only stay in Gaoyou. But for Haozhou, which is empty at the moment, although Zeng Yuanyu only has 10,000 soldiers and horses, it is enough to sweep Haozhou. In particular, there is the cooperation of the sailor. The battles of Huaiyin and Shanyang just now almost wiped out the Huai army's strength on the front line of the Huai River. Chu and Hao are extremely empty. Zeng Yuanyu's 10,000 horses, coupled with the cooperation of the sailors, attacked Haozhou as easily as Gao Jie's attack on Haozhou last time.

This is indeed a great news, first take Chuzhou, then go down to Haozhou, and even capture the three towns of Shanyang, Xuyi, and Zhongli, which are important towns on the south bank of the Huai River. Even if he retreats now, Gao Biao won't want to recapture Chu and Hao for a while.

Gao Biao sent troops this time, and at first captured Shipu's Haozhou, but now he lost Haozhou to Li Jing in a blink of an eye, and instead took a Chuzhou, which can really be said to have lost his wife and lost his troops.

"And what about the bad news?" Li Jing asked.

Gongsun Lan saw that Li Jing was not very excited when he heard the news of the capture of Haozhou, so he knew that Li Jing must have planned to take Haozhou in advance.

"The bad news is that Haozhou has been taken, but Shouzhou has no chance to take it. According to the information inquired by the Military Intelligence Bureau, Gao Jie has secretly communicated with Huang Chao many times, and we analyze Gao Biao to estimate that he has secretly joined forces with Huang Chao. ”

"This is not unusual, it is a combination of vertical and horizontal, and interests dictate it." Li Jing was not surprised at all when he heard that Gao Yu would secretly unite with Huang Chao. Huang Chao, Gao Biao and Li Jing, now the three parties are gathered in the Central Plains Huainan, Li Jingqiang. Then Gao Yu will naturally join forces with Huang Chao. But this union. It's not just that stable. It's like Sun and Liu uniting to fight against Cao.

Gongsun Lan said again: "The three generals under the command of Huang Chao, Ge Congzhou, Huo Cun, and Zhang Guiba, are currently suddenly sending troops to Xuzhou, and the news that they have just received, Shi Pu has directly surrendered to Huang Chao when he sees that the situation is not good. Huang Chaogang ordered Shi Pu to be the general of the hussars and the secretary of the military department, and he was an official in the court. The reform army was changed to the Wuning army, and Huo Cun was awarded the Wuning army festival envoy and the history of Xuzhou assassination, and then the southern part of Xuzhou was cut into Suzhou. Take Zhang Guiba as the history of Suzhou Thorn. ”

"The Qi army has already captured Xu and Su Erzhou?" Jing Xiang was surprised. Previously, Li Jing and Gao Biao both sent people to recruit Shi Pu, but this guy wavered. Li Jing and Gao Yu threw Shi Pu aside and fought first. But now, Li Jing had just defeated Gao Biao and was about to collect the loot from Xuzhou, who would have thought that Huang Chao would swallow this piece of meat first.

"Isn't Pu very tough at this time, why is he so unbearable?"

Li Jing was also a little surprised that he was actually picked by Huang Chao. "This can't be said that Shi Pu is soft, he was unwilling to belong to either Qin and Huai before. It's just that we want to take advantage of the wrestling with Gao Biao and the three families of Huang Chao, and we are in it. I want to protect myself. But now, since Gao Biao's army was defeated, this balance was broken, and Xuzhou naturally found it difficult to survive. ”

"But even so, Shi Pu should also see that our Qin army is strong, why did he surrender to the grass thief in Huangchao."

Li Jing was also uncomfortable in his heart, if Pu was to join the city at this time, Li Jing would not treat Shi Pu badly. But now Shi Pu didn't vote for him, but went to vote for Huangchao, which made Li Jing very angry.

"What else is there to say?" Li Jing's face changed slightly. Huang Chao suddenly seized Xuzhou and Suzhou, which was not a good thing for Li Jing. In the south, Gao Biao gathered a large army, and in the north, Huang Chao captured Xu and Su, and Li Jing did not have many troops in Jianghuai now, and there was a risk of being caught by Huang Chao and Gao Biao.

The people who led the troops on Huang Chao's side were not idle people, Yingzhou Thorn Shi Ge Congzhou, Haozhou Thorn Shi Zhang Guihou, Suzhou Thorn Shi Zhang Guiba, and Xuzhou Thorn Shi Huo Cun, these are all generals under Huang Chao.

Originally, Li Jing wanted to take this opportunity to snatch Shouzhou over, but now it seems that there is no chance.

"The Zhendong Army in eastern Zhejiang made Liu Hanhong form an alliance with Gao Biao, and recently sent troops to Hangzhou, western Zhejiang, and Zhou Bao has hurriedly led his troops back to fight."

Li Jing snorted coldly, no wonder Gao Yu dared to go north to Gaoyou with the troops of Yangzhou, it turned out that he had already said that Liu Hanhong would send troops to Zhou Bao to solve the enemy in the backyard. I have to say that Gao Biao is indeed not in vain, and his mind is still very powerful in the bloody sea over the years. Although the front line suffered a big defeat, in the blink of an eye, Liu Hanhong of southern Zhejiang and eastern Zhejiang dealt with Zhou Bao, and Huangchao of northern alliance dealt with Li Jing, and the originally precarious situation in Huainan immediately improved a lot.

"Your Highness, it seems that Jianghuai can't stay for a long time, we have to immediately collect our troops and return to Sizhou, and it is important to snatch Xusu Erzhou back first." Jing Xiang proposed that the strategic point of Xusu Erzhou was very important to the Qin army's strategic plan in Shandong and Henan, and it was impossible to give such an important place to Huangchao.

Before Li Jing could answer, he heard an urgent shout: "King! He turned his head, and the fifth man came from the rain in a wet body, and Li Jing got up and brought him a glass of warm rice wine.

The fifth concubine looked a little embarrassed, and he gasped and reported to Li Jing, "King, urgent military situation!" The Military Intelligence Bureau had just received an urgent report that the Son of Heaven of Chang'an had secretly set off for Xichuan Chengdu with Tian Lingzi. In addition, Hebei Emergency reported that Liu Yue was suddenly assassinated in Youzhou the night before yesterday! ”

"The emperor has been lucky? Is this serious? Li Jing hurriedly asked. Although Huang Chao has been attacking Tongguan, because Tongguan is guarded by Cui Anqian and others, and Li Jing's soldiers and horses have also arrived in Henan, Huang Chao has not attacked Tongguan in the west with the whole army as in history, but defended Luoyang and called the emperor to build the country. The situation in Chang'an has not reached the point where it is undefendable, why did Li Yi suddenly run away at this time.

"The Son of Heaven and Tian Lingzi left suddenly with 50,000 Shence troops, and did not inform the officials of the people of Chang'an in advance, only a small number of ministers got the news and left together, many royal families and officials were left in Chang'an, until the third day The news spread throughout Chang'an, and now the whole Chang'an is in chaos, and the people of Chang'an think that Tongguan has been lost, and countless officials, soldiers and people have begun to flee west."

Compared with the Son of Heaven Xixing, the news of Lu Longjiedu's assassination of Liu Yue is not so shocking.

Li Jing put his hands behind his back, his eyebrows were heavy, his heart fluctuated, and his thoughts were confused.

After a long time, Li Jing spoke: "Immediately pass the order and return north tomorrow." (To be continued......)