Han Shizu

Chapter 702 General Tang's Empty Talk
In the southwest of Ezhou, north of Puqi, where the Junshui flows into the mouth of the Dajiang River, there is Chibi Mountain, where Duke Cao was defeated.Because of its terrain, it is still an important military site and a key point, especially after the Han army moved south and mobilized troops in Jinghu, it added a bit of tension.

In the fifth year of Qianyou, Wuping Jiedu envoy Feng Zhao attacked the Tang Dynasty, but was defeated by Wuchang Jiedu envoy Liu Renshan.After the war, Liu Renshan set up a stronghold in Chibi to prepare for the invasion of the upstream enemy.At the beginning, some people questioned why they should be so serious about Jinghu, but now, they realized that Liu Renshan was still guarding against the strong men in the north.

A boat came up the river, with several boats guarding it, until it reached the water village on the south bank of Chibi, and anchored ashore.One old and one strong, two generals dressed in Tang Army costumes appeared under the guards. Looking at them in armor, their status is not low, obviously they are senior generals of the Southern Tang Dynasty.

The veteran general is Liu Renshan, the envoy of the Wuchang Festival, and the middle-aged general is Lin Renxun, the backbone general of the Tang army.General Tang, who was in charge of the defense, hurried up to pay homage, and wanted to lure the two into the camp to rest, but Liu Renshan refused, and directly ordered the two to inspect the defense.

Of course, Liu Renshan knew the defense of Chibi Village well. After all, he arranged it all by himself, and he often patrolled it.This inspection was mainly for Lin Renxun.

It took less than half an hour to walk around, and the two stood on a high wall, facing the river, watching the runoff and expressing emotion.Pointing to the Red Cliff fortress, Lin Renxi expressed admiration: "The fortress here is well-fortified and well-arranged without any omissions. Mr. Liu is worthy of being the pillar of the Tang Dynasty!"

"I'm old! Now I've become a vassal! The imperial court still has to rely on young and strong men like you!" Liu Renshan waved his hand and said to Lin Renxuan: "The name of General Lin has long been known to me. I heard. In the Huainan War, the Han army was invincible. Our army was defeated in a row, and all the soldiers and horses suffered heavy losses. Only you, the general, have the ability to resist the Han army. You are the only one who can defeat the Han army. Thousands of generals, only you. what!"

Lin Renxie has both courage and strategy, a resolute personality and a high vision, but he also admires Liu Renshan very much.Hearing his praise, he immediately expressed humility, and even showed a bit of a wry smile: "I really dare not take this great reputation. I lost fourteen prefectures in World War I. Thinking about my insignificant performance, I feel even more ashamed. The loss in Huainan is due to me. The shame of Nanbing is hard to wash away!"

"Be brave after knowing your shame! There are not many people who are ashamed like the general!" Liu Renshan sighed.

The two talked nonsense about business, and couldn't help falling into silence.Under the summer sun, with the river wind blowing head-on, it was very refreshing. Lin Renxi couldn't help pointing to the southwest: "How is the battle at Sanjiangkou? Has the Han army made any progress?"

During this period of time, Liu Renshan kept an eye on the battle situation in the south, worked out espionage, and traveled up and down the river without stopping for a single day.And Lin Renxiu took the initiative to come to Chibi to inspect this time, obviously he was also concerned about the war between Han and Chu.

Hearing this, Liu Renshan couldn't help but turn his gaze to the southwest. His calm gaze seemed to be able to see through the clouds and sky, and he saw the battle situation at Sanjiangkou, and said: "The [-] land and water armies of Han and Chu fought hard at Sanjiangkou for half a month. More than enough. However, the current situation is that Zhou Xingfeng is the main attack, and the Han army is the main defense. From the rivers and lakes to the city, the two sides are fighting fiercely.

However, judging from the movements of the Chu army, Zhou Xingfeng could not last long.If there is no external force, its defeat is imminent! "

"The Gao clan was cowardly and incompetent. He dedicated all his land to the Han army and made it easy for him to go south. Zhou Xingfeng is also considered a powerful party. He dared to show his chariots and boats and confront the enemy Han army. It's a pity that he has no strength to continue!"

It is said that the commander of the Han army has personally led his troops to the south, and the soldiers are pointing directly at Wuling. If there is no accident, Zhou Xingfeng's failure will only happen in a few days! "

Listening to Liu Renshan's narration, Lin Renxi's expression was solemn, and he said: "Sit back and watch his defeat, Liu Gong is unwilling!"

Hearing this, Liu Renshan showed a little anger on his face, and said: "Chibi is only a hundred and twenty miles away from Baling, which can be said to be very close! The enemy is fighting at home, but he can only shrink his head like a turtle."

As he said that, Liu Renshan showed bitterness, and turned his head to look at Lin Renxuan: "The general can be regarded as a man of outstanding knowledge. Jinghu and Jinghu are each other's lips and teeth. Once Jingnan is lost, Hunan is hard to protect. They are also dependent on each other. When the Han army completely captures Jinghu Lake and occupies the belly of the world, the day of going down the river to the east will not be far away! This is a matter in front of me. I will report to the imperial court and want to send troops to help, but Jinling has many worries. If it is not accepted, what can I do?"

Liu Renshan has been in Ezhou for many years, and he is much more sensitive to the surrounding situation. When the Han army went south, he went to Jinling several times, analyzed the situation, and detailed the pros and cons. Every time the Communist Party resisted the Northern Han Dynasty.However, he never received clear instructions, but only agreed that Liu Ren would distribute a portion of Ezhou grain and fodder and sell it to Zhou Xingfeng for support.

Later, when the envoys of the Han Dynasty arrived in Jinling, they issued a sternly worded imperial edict, asking Liu Renshan to guard Ezhou firmly. Without an order, he was not allowed to use any soldiers under his command.This made Liu Renshan, who was full of fighting spirit, full of depression and indignation.

This time, Lin Renxi came from the west with the position of inspector of Ezhou, and he was ordered to supervise the Wuchang Army. He was afraid that Liu Renshan would be impulsive and participate in the battle between Han and Chu, dragging the Southern Tang Dynasty into the war. Disaster and oneself.

Liu Renshan was also clear about Lin Renxie's reason for coming, and he did not avoid his feelings at all, and he also meant to tell him.

Sure enough, Lin Renxi also showed a wry smile, and said: "I have heard about Liu Gong's performance, and I agree with your analysis and the development of the future situation. The Northern Han Dynasty intends to rule the world. A person of insight is something everyone knows. No matter how Quan Quan is, the day when the Han army marches eastward and southward is unavoidable.

However, since His Majesty descended from Jinling, none of them wanted to fight, for fear of offending the Northern Han and causing the Han army to attack us.Even if the general dares to fight, so what, can he still disregard the order of the court and self-arm?

Even if they kill first and play later, with the military strength of Wuchang and without the support of the imperial court, if they rashly participate in the battle of Jinghu, I'm afraid it's their own disaster! "

It can be seen that from the heart of Lin Renxi, he also supports sending troops.It's just that the choice of national strategy cannot be controlled by them alone.

As Lin Renxue said, Liu Rensong used to kill first and then played, and then he suppressed his thoughts.However, he was also full of worries and finally gave up.It wasn't that he led troops into the war, the whole Southern Tang was involved in the war.

That way, not to mention going against the will of the court, with the pissing nature of the Jinling court, it might be possible to use Liu Renshan's head to flatter Tokyo and calm the anger.

"This time the Northern Han Dynasty pacified Jinghu Lake. Our court should have united with it and resisted it. It is not impossible. The Northern Han Dynasty only experienced the Qin-Feng War last year, and suffered disasters year after year. The loss was huge, and the army and the people were exhausted. This year Still not giving up, and moving to Jinghu, even with its national strength, it is difficult to support a protracted war!"

Liu Renshan continued: "As long as the three parties join forces, cooperate with each other, and rely on the great river, it will be enough to defeat the Northern Han's attempt to annex Jinghu. If there is peace now, peace can be maintained for three or two years, but disasters in the future will inevitably be avoided.

The Northern Han Dynasty has taken all the land in the north of the river. If Jinghu is captured again, its power will become stronger and our dynasty will be in danger.
Instead of waiting for the lonely and impoverished situation, Mo Ruo fights hard, as long as the Northern Han Dynasty's offensive on Jinghu Lake is blocked, the safety of the upper reaches can still be preserved."

Liu Renshan spoke freely and eloquently, Lin Renxuan listened carefully, even a little in a daze, and finally heard a sigh full of complicated emotions: "It's a pity that Jinghu rarely has the talent of Zhuge, who goes to Jinling in the east, and is an alliance. .In my court, there is no one who can be Lu Su!"

After regaining his senses, Lin Renxi said with emotion: "My dynasty is not Soochow, the Gao family is like Liu Cong, but Zhou Xingfeng is not Liu Bei. Not to mention anything else, the contradiction between Tang and Chu is enough to form an alliance hindrance."

Hearing this, Liu Renshan couldn't help but feel dispirited, and sighed: "more than 700 years ago, Zhou Yu defeated Cao Bing here. Later generations think about it, admiring it, and yearning for it. Now, I am stationed here, but I can only sit here." Watch success or failure!"

"After the Huainan War, the national strength was severely damaged. Han Xiang and the others carried out strict reforms. It took three years before they recovered. However, as far as our dynasty is concerned, it is still not enough to mobilize troops. The army is still uneven, and the combat power is uneven. ——" Lin Renxiu said, subconsciously stopped talking, stopped talking, and turned into a deep sigh.

Now the Jinling court is not peaceful, and it seems to have returned to the chaos in the middle of Baoda period.Li Jing is still enjoying himself in the palace, and the party struggle shows signs of revival. The reformers headed by Han Xizai have already started to be backlashed by the southern aristocrats, bureaucrats, and landlord groups, and a group of people led by Zhong Mo have stirred up the situation.And Li Hongji, who was established as the crown prince, also began to reveal the jealousy in his temperament after he came to power, which was not liked by Li Jing.
Under such circumstances, it is difficult for capable people like Liu Renshan and Lin Renxi to make a difference.

"Mr. Liu, can you send one or two to accompany me!" Relatively silent, a little depressed, Lin Renji said suddenly.

"What do you want to do?" Liu Renshan was curious.

Raising his hand and pointing to the southwest, Lin Renxi regained some of his spirit, and said solemnly: "I want to go up the river to see the battle in Yuezhou nearby, and then explore the reality of the Han army!"

(End of this chapter)