After coming out of Jiugong Mountain, it is still about fifty miles away from Fushui. Although there are no vast mountains, it does not mean that the plains are coming. It is still a rolling and hilly area with dense forests and numerous small rivers. It is not until it is about ten miles close to Fushui that the terrain is completely flat.

In other words, if the Sui and Tang armies wanted to set up a decisive battle on the battlefield, they could only be carried out along the river. This was the conclusion that Zhang Xuan made after inspecting Fushui for two days. In fact, if the battlefield was moved to the north, it would be fine, but Zhang Xuan did not want the Tang army to cross Fushui.

The Sui army on the north bank of Fushui has been deployed, and 80,000 Sui army is deployed at seventeen key points of crossing the river. Of course, there will be scouts in other sections of the river to prevent the Tang army from breaking into pieces and crossing the river.

Fushui is a medium-sized and small tributary. It originates from the majestic Jiugong Mountains and is composed of countless rivers. It flows through Mianyang County and Jiangxia County, and finally flows into the Yangtze River. It is only more than 350 miles long. The riverbed of the upper and middle reaches is slightly narrower, and the narrowest part is less than 30 feet. However, in the spring flood, the river water is very turbulent. When it reaches the lower reaches, the river water begins to slow down, and the riverbed becomes wider. On average, it is more than 80 feet wide. Even the bow and crossbow can't shoot the other side, but you can shoot it with a yellow crossbow.

In addition to deploying 80,000 troops on the north shore, the Sui army also deployed more than 200 winding boats in the river. This ship was fast and had strong impact, and was a powerful weapon to deal with rafts crossing the river. This time, the Sui army was well prepared and wanted to completely block the Tang army south of Fushui.

At this time, Luo Shixin rushed over with more than a dozen subordinates. He immediately clasped his fists and reported: "Report to the Grand Marshal, the scouts have heard that the Tang army has stood up and is coming towards Fushui. It is on the eastern front and is expected to reach the south bank of Fushui in the afternoon."

Zhang Xuan sneered and said, "I only rested for half a day and a night before setting off. Could it be that Tang Jun's physical strength has recovered so quickly?"

Fang Xuanling said: "This shows that the food problem of the Tang army is already very serious, and we can't wait for the army's physical strength to completely recover. If Weichen is not wrong, the Tang army will act tonight, log wood and mount the straits, and start forcing the flood water to force it to the morning of tomorrow."

Zhang Xuan nodded and said to Luo Shixin: "Strictly monitor the Tang army's every move and deploy crossbow soldiers at the same time. Once the Tang army has movement, the army can attack immediately without waiting for my order."

"Abide by the orders!"

Luo Shixin bowed and turned his horse's head away. Zhang Xuan said to Fang Xuanling lightly: "Does the military advisor think Li Shenfu will send troops?"

Fang Xuanling shook his head, "This person is too selfish and will not do anything even if he sends troops. General Luo's cavalry is enough to deal with it. Your Highness doesn't have to take him to heart."

"With that being said, we still have to think carefully, at least we can't have loopholes."

"Your Highness can send more scouts to the north to monitor Li Shenfu's army, especially guard against Li Shenfu's sneak attack on our fleet."

The Sui army's fleet loaded with grain and military funds was moored at the mouth of the Fushui River. If Li Shenfu's army succeeded in attacking the fleet, the Sui army would also face food problems.

Zhang Xuan nodded, "The military advisor's reminder is very timely."

As Fang Xuanling expected, the five thousand Tang army pioneers, led by General Shi Huaiyi, arrived at the south bank of Fushui in the afternoon. They began to build a camp on the south bank of Fushui. Two hours later, Li Xiaogong led an army of 80,000 to the south bank of Fushui.

Due to the tight food, Li Xiaogong could no longer wait for the army to fully recover and set out again. His idea also made sense. Anyway, the Sui army was stationed on the north bank of Fushui, so it was also a way of rest for them to station troops on the south bank.

But not all the news was frustrating. Li Xiaogong still received two encouraging news. One was that the two sides of Fushui were covered with alfalfa, which was an excellent forage. It was the flowering period, and the two sides of Fushui were colorful and extremely charming. This solved the forage problem of more than 1,000 war horses in the entire army, and let Li Xiaogong breathe a sigh of relief. The horse material crisis came first than the army. If the forage was not found, more than 1,000 war horses would become the food for the army again.

Another news also made Li Xiaogong full of expectations. The two personal soldiers who went to Wuchang County brought back Li Shenfu's promise and would send troops to rescue the Eastern Expedition Army. The 50,000 stone of emergency food aid has already been on the road.

This news made Li Xiao congratulations overwhelmed and completely wiped out Li Xiaogong's previous resentment towards Li Shenfu. If Li Shenfu could really lead an army of 40,000 southward, it would form a force of attacking the Sui army from north to south.

"You said that the grain has already been on the road. Which line do they take to transport it to us? How many big trucks are there to transport it?" Li Xiaogong asked with concern again.

The leader's personal soldier shook his head, "The prince said he could not collect so many big trucks, and he would send the cargo ship to us by water."

"waterway!"

These two words made Li Xiaogong feel cold, and the ecstasy that had just risen in his heart disappeared without a trace.

The generals behind also looked at each other and made a verbal promise to transport water and drive southward. They all felt that it was unreliable. Li Xiaogong gradually calmed down, and he began to doubt Li Shenfu's sincerity. If he was really willing to drive southward, why didn't he stop the Sui army from landing in Jiangxia County before?

"Hmph! Who can't say good-false people? I withdrew my troops halfway and said they were ambushed by the Sui army. Who knows the truth or false?" Huang Junhan's extremely dissatisfied voice came from behind.

Li Xiaogong sighed in his heart. He didn't want to scold Huang Junhan anymore. Why didn't he think so himself?

At this time, Lu Zushang whispered: "Your Highness, you can't count on the army in Wuchang, we must break through ourselves."

Li Xiaogong nodded, and the guide told them that Fushui had a bridge near the county town. If it had been demolished by the Sui army, he could only build a raft across the river. The scouts had not discovered the so-called wooden bridge so far, which had obviously been demolished by the Sui army.

Li Xiaogong immediately said to Lu Zushang: "General Lu can lead 20,000 troops into the forest to log wood. We are going to build a floating bridge with rafts."

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Before the military camp was built, the Tang army started to work tirelessly, and the south bank of Fushui showed a scene of rushing towards the sky.

This is also because the food is in the hands of every soldier. Each soldier knows his own destiny and it is impossible to retreat. Thousands of fleeing soldiers are probably fed wild animals in the deep mountains. Going east is the Yangtze River, and going west is also the vast mountains. They can only cross the river to the north, which is as rich as water. As long as they cross the river to the north bank, there will always be one for them to break through.

As night fell, the south bank of Fushui was filled with torches, shining the two sides of the camp on the shore as daylight. Tens of thousands of soldiers worked together to tie rafts, and the atmosphere was booming. In the hearts of all the soldiers, it seemed that as long as they tied up the rafts, they could cross the river north, completely ignoring the Sui army on the other side.

But the north bank was the opposite. The night was covered with darkness on the shore. The 30,000 Sui army crossbowmen were waiting in full force, distributed on the river bank several miles long. Each soldier laid a blanket under him, curled up and slept with armor, and the crossbow was placed beside him. As soon as the bell rang, they would immediately enter the battle.

The 200 500-stone winding boats also retreated three miles eastward, and were ready to squat and pounce, ready to attack the Tang army crossing the river at any time. The night was particularly dark and the atmosphere of war was particularly tense. Li Xiaogong stood alone by the river and stared at the other side. He knew very well that the Sui army was waiting for it, but the arrows were already on the string. In any case, it would be inevitable that the battle to cross the river tomorrow would be inevitable.

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Just as the Battle of Fushui was about to break out, a fleet of 80 cargo ships was quietly descending along the river on the river about a hundred miles south of Wuchang County.

This fleet was under the banner of private business, but in fact they were Tang army cargo fleets starting from Wuchang, carrying 30,000 stones of grain on the ship, which was the life-saving food that Li Shenfu supported to Li Xiaogong's army in order to explain to the court.

Although Li Shenfu did not want to send troops to support Li Xiaogong, he was not stingy with food support. He also hoped that the grain team could successfully arrive on the south bank of Fushui and send life-saving food to Li Xiaogong's trapped army.

The fleet was escorted by 800 soldiers and tried to move south along the shore, hiking at night. Although it was not discovered by the Sui army's wardrobe, it also walked very slowly. After only two days, it took more than a hundred miles, and they had to walk at least two hundred miles to reach the mouth of the Fushui River.

“Slow down immediately!”

The Lang General on the first ship noticed something abnormal on the river surface in front and immediately ordered the ship to stop. The first ship stopped, and the ships behind also stopped one after another.

"General, it's a bit bad. It seems to be a Sui army warship."

The ship boss also discovered the situation ahead. It turned out that three warships of 2,000 stone blocked their way.

"General, what should we do?" asked the boss of the ship in horror.

"Come on your head and run away immediately, hurry!"

General Tang Junlang finally realized that they had been discovered. The Sui army warships had intercepted them. He shouted in a stack of voices, "Let the ships behind turn around."

But it was too late, and the Sui army warships appeared in front, back, left and right, with dozens of ships surrounding their fleet.

General Tang Junlang's legs became weak and he sat on the deck. After they finished, they still did not escape the interception of the Sui army.
Chapter completed!