Han Shizu

Chapter 491
On the 22nd of the first month of the fifth year of Qianyou in the Northern Han Dynasty, he went south to meet the reinforcements on the South Tang West Road. After annihilating the two divisions of Xu Wenzhen and Chen Jun, Emperor Liu Chengyou of the Han Dynasty led his division back to Shouchun Camp.Under the leadership of Xiang Xun, the generals of the Han army who stayed behind paid homage to Fushui Fuliang.

"The last general waits, welcome Your Majesty, return to camp after victory!" In front of Fuliang, Xiang Xundan saluted.

"Excuse me, everyone!" Liu Chengyou sat high on the royal horse, with a calm face and no arrogance. The results of leading his troops to welcome the reinforcements from the Southern Tang Dynasty did not seem to cause much disturbance in his heart.

A large number of boats, under the escort of the navy, came from the south and north of Feishui. Each ship had a very deep draft and almost exhausted its load.For the annihilation of the Chen and Xu armies, the Han army's gains can be described as generous.

In addition to killing and wounding 20,000 people before and after, and taking more than 150 prisoners, they transported grain, ordnance, pack horses and other supplies northward with his army.Even though more than 20% were consumed and damaged due to the war, and the rest were seized, Liu Chengyou still had to mobilize a full [-] ships before they were loaded.According to a rough estimate, if we save some money, the proceeds of this seizure can be used by more than [-] soldiers and civilians of the Northern Han Dynasty who conquered Huaihe River for at least one month.

Therefore, Liu Chengyou almost gave the captive Chen Jue the official post of "Huainan Food and Equipment Envoy" in order to help him transfer his luck.Of course, this was just Liu Chengyou's only bad taste, he didn't intentionally humiliate Chen Jue, but released him with a handwritten letter, asking him to be a messenger and return to Jinling to Li Jing.

With the return of the victorious division and the emperor's return to camp, violent cheers of "long live" erupted from several Han army strongholds.

The most affected by the cheers of the Han army, of course, was the besieged Shouchun Tang army. Hearing their shouts, the soldiers and civilians in the city were all shocked.Because after the cry of long live, there were bursts of announcements of "reinforcement destroyed".

It is learned that the main generals of the Shouchun garrison, He Jingzhu, Zhang Quanyue, Xu Xiang and others, all came to Beichengtou.On the ground outside the city that had been plowed flat by the Han army, there were a large number of captured Tang army flags, armored battles, and uniforms, clearly proving something.

"He Gong, the reinforcements are really wiped out?" Zhang Quanyue looked horrified, and looked at He Jingzhu: "The Han Emperor didn't lead many troops to the south! How many days has it been?"

He Jingzhu's figure was numb, and the wound on his left hand was far from healed. Fortunately, it was early spring and the weather was not so hot. At this time, he was trembling a little, and there was a faint morbidity in his old face.In fact, not only Shouchun City is on the verge of collapse, but He Jingzhu, as the chief general, is almost exhausted.It is really not easy for this veteran who is over [-] years old to be in the army and besiege the city for a long time.

When Liu Chengyou went south to face Chen and Xu's two armies, He Jingzhu, who was firmly guarding the city and waiting to move, did not sit and watch.Instead, he led the army to attack decisively. He wanted to take advantage of the shortage of Han troops outside the city to launch a wave of counterattacks against the Han army. , to give the Southern Tang court more time to prepare.

His goal was also very clear. He didn't want to cause much damage to the Han army, but pointed directly at the logistics camp in the northeast of the Han army. This was clear to him early on.For this reason, He Jingzhu played a scheming game first, using Zhang Quanyue to lead the army to attack the Han army's West Village, and Xu Xiang to lead the army to attack the North Village, to attract attention, and then he selected the most elite five thousand troops in Shouchun City to prepare for the fire. The thing, straight to the northeast camp.

He Jingzhu's operation still caused a lot of trouble for the Han army. After all, the weakening of the elite troops, for the Han army's more adventurous besieged city, it is inevitable that there will be omissions in defense. Generally comprehensive.

If the Tang army really succeeds and destroys the food and grass camp, then the Han army in Shouchun, not to mention collapsed directly, but the siege of the city is bound to be broken, and they can only choose to retreat and rest.After all, when marching and fighting, food supplies are the lifeblood.

It's a pity that He Jingzhu's opponent is Xiang Xun. He was ordered to guard the village, and he feels that he has a heavy responsibility, and he also knows the importance of the camp.When He Jingzhu showed his fangs, he decisively increased his troops, strengthened his protection, and personally sat down.For this reason, he did not hesitate to mobilize troops from other camps.

He Jingzhu wanted to attack the Han army seven inches, and Xiang Xun knew the severity, and he had a very clear understanding in his mind that even if the other four villages were destroyed, as long as the food was still there, they would be able to recover sooner or later.Furthermore, the Tang army has not yet broken the strength of the Hanzhai.

Under Xiang Xun's calm command and dispatch, He Jingzhu's calculation finally came to nothing, and Sun Li, Li Chongjin, Wang Yansheng, Gao Huaide and other generals fought together, and the Tang army was defeated and returned to the city.

In a confrontation, the Han army suffered nearly [-] casualties, while the Tang army who left the city suffered more than half of the casualties. In terms of field battles, the Tang army was far from the Han army's opponent.But after this battle, Shouchun's defenders were debilitated again, and they no longer had the power to take the initiative to attack.

At this time, He Jingzhu felt the gentle breeze of early spring for the first time, and it was so bleak and cold physically and mentally.I can feel the suspicion and fear of the generals around me.

Without directly answering Zhang Quanyue's question, He Jingzhu just said very calmly: "Get ready, the final battle is coming, and the time to be loyal to the country has come."

After saying that, he turned around and walked slowly, step by step, down the city wall.He Jingzhu obviously knew very well in his heart that Shouchun City could not be defended. Given the current situation in the city, it was impossible to hold on until the next wave of reinforcements arrived. Furthermore, whether the Southern Tang court could organize another support army was up to He Jingzhu himself. Neither have confidence.

Even, he didn't talk to his subordinate generals about defending the city.He is old and not insane, and it is debatable how many of the military envoys and academies at the bottom agree with him, and He Jingzhu himself doesn't care.But no matter what,

As far as he is concerned, he is mentally prepared to face everything, and he is nothing more than dying for his country.Surrendering, He Jingzhu didn't have that idea in his mind at all, it's not that he was so stupid and loyal to the Southern Tang Dynasty, at least before the Northern Han Dynasty invaded the South, the Southern Tang court didn't treat him very preferentially.However, after going through the troubled times and already in his sixtieth year, he has his own persistence, burying the bones in the green hills and wrapping the corpse in horse leather, which is also a good ending.

Seeing He Jingzhu's desolate and determined back, several generals looked at each other, but they were speechless, each with their own thoughts, and dispersed separately.

Xu Xiang, the commander of the left guard army, returned to the camp in the North City Chamber with a heavy heart, frowning deeply.There was a sound of footsteps, and looking up, it was the commander of the next battalion of the Divine Guard, and his heart was twisted.

"General, since the reinforcements are dead, Shouchun has no one to rely on. The Han army's general attack is imminent, and the hearts of the people in the city are fluctuating right now, and it is impossible to defend it. Do we really want to be buried with this city?" Get excited.

Xu Xiang focused and asked him, "What do you think I should do?"

Upon hearing this, the junior officer approached Xu Xiang a little closer, and said: "With the strength and attack power of the Han army, once a general attack is launched, the city will be destroyed in no time. Since the Northern Han Dynasty and the Southern Expedition, the imperial court has employed poor people and made no clear decisions. , the emperor only sat on the dragon bed, and controlled the soldiers, so that our army was defeated in a row. In this situation, the Huainan states will not be able to defend, and even the country will not be guaranteed.

In the opinion of my subordinates, it is better to sacrifice the city to seek refuge and save my life.After several fights, my guard force is less than [-]. It is unknown if I can dedicate it to Emperor Han and seek official positions and honors! "

"You want me to betray the king and the country!" Xu Xiang said angrily, casting his sharp eyes on Xiaoxiao.

"Everyone is pointing at, which king, which country?" Seeing this, the small school also let go: "Xu was originally a subject of the king of Wu. He replaced the king with a minister and usurped him. He pretended to be Li Tang. Stealing Jianghuai, In fact, it is nothing more than a separatist prince. If we talk about Zhengshuo, we must belong to the strong Han in the Central Plains! We have seen the strength of the Han army this time, and it is by no means comparable to the Southern Tang Dynasty. When we surrender, we are also submitting to the dynasty. Orthodoxy, how about betrayal?"

If Liu Chengyou knew that an uneducated little commander in the Tang army had such knowledge and eloquence, perhaps his love for talents would be born.

Hearing what he said, Xu Xiang's eyes flickered, and he said: "You and I, and even the soldiers of the Divine Guard Army, are all from Jiangdong. If you defect before the battle and harm your family, what should you do?"

Noticing Xu Xiang's eyes, the little school knew that the commander of Xu Du was already tempted, and said: "Master Tang has always shown benevolence and virtue to others, so how can he use three thousand soldiers to do things that implicate others."

"Furthermore!" As he said, there was a hint of cruelty in the eyes of the little school: "If the Tang master is involved in the family, then we can go to the family with more peace of mind, and the Emperor Han can also feel at ease. A man, why not have a wife, as long as the name Lu Jiashen. At that time, the Northern Han Dynasty will destroy the Tang Dynasty, and we will counterattack accordingly, destroy Jinling, avenge our family, and comfort them under the nine springs!"

Xu Xiang couldn't help but look at this piece that he had followed for many years, and never realized that there was such a "magnificence", which made him feel chills.

However, when I think about it carefully, I really can't help but feel moved.Xu Xiang is only in his thirties now, and he is in his prime, he doesn't want to live and die with Shouchun, so he just confesses here.As for the betrayal of the Southern Tang Dynasty, there really will not be any psychological pressure. The justice of the monarch and his subjects has been the long-standing situation in this era, and there will be no moral condemnation.At most, Rujiaxiao would feel a little guilty if he was harmed because of this.

"Hey, it really puts me in a dilemma!" After thinking for a moment, Xu Xiang couldn't help but sigh with emotion, and then suddenly turned his head to look at the trilogy: "Would you like to contact the Han camp on my behalf, expressing my surrender?"

The small principal responded directly: "This subordinate is willing to go!"

"Tonight, I will arrange for you to descend from the city through the north gate. The lives of the guardsmen are entrusted to you!"

　Thanks for the rewards from the book friends "The big one was banned for the small one", "LastButOne", "Shuanghuaya".

　　
　
(End of this chapter)