Late Tang Dynasty Floating Life

Chapter 1311
In the big camp in the west of Zhenzhou City, a tense handover is going on.

Li Bai, the commander of the Daozhou army in the pass, took a large number of soldiers and horses from the north city to the west city to take over the defense.

Ding Hui, the envoy of the Youguo Army, had just received an order to join the Fu Cun and Examination Department of the Tielin Army and head west to Jingxing.

Dinghui is a "cultural person", so of course he knows what this order means.

Jingxing is really one of the throats in the east of the river.

In the 18th year of Qin Shihuang's attack on Zhao, Wang Jian went to Jingxing.

In the 37th year, Shihuang collapsed on the sand dunes, and arrived in Jiuyuan from Jingxing without mourning.

Han Xin attacked Zhao and went down to Jingxing.

During the Anshi Rebellion, the troops of Hedong and Hebei also entered and exited this channel repeatedly.

Such an important throat that "cars can't have square rails, and rides can't form a row" (Li Zuoche's language) allows people to come in and out at will, it really shouldn't be.Therefore, during the Qianyuan period of Emperor Suzong of Tang Dynasty, he set up the Chengtian Army in Jingxing (now in the southwest of Niangziguan), which can be regarded as blocking this throat.

If you want to enter Hedong from Jingxing, you must pass the Chengtian Army.So here comes the question, will Jin Bing let you pass?

"Military envoy, since the sage has an order, there should be no hindrance to pass the customs. Now that Hedong is like this, most of the defenders have no fighting spirit, and it is not uncommon for them to surrender after half-pushing and half-pushing." Deputy envoy Kong Qing came over and said.

"You're right," Ding Hui said.

There are 1 people under his command, and he really doesn't want to start another war.It would be great if it could be resolved peacefully.

Capital, no one will be too much.

"The support envoy is here!" More than ten riders galloped from a distance, and the leader was Fu Cunshen who had just been appointed as the support envoy of Jingxing Chengtian Army.

"General Ding!"

"General Fu!"

The two greeted each other.

"Have you guys finished gathering?" Fu Cunshen asked with his horsewhip pointing at the soldiers of the Youguo Army who had already lined up in the wilderness.

"Youguo's army is here." Ding Hui replied.

"Then ask General Ding to select the elite as the vanguard, and travel day and night to the Chengtian Army." Fu Cunshen ordered.

"Kong Qing!" Ding Hui shouted without hesitation.

"The end is here."

"You lead two thousand elite soldiers and clear the way first."

"As ordered!"

Kong Qing was an old subordinate of Ding Hui and a veteran in the battlefield. Hearing this, he immediately called up two thousand soldiers, headed westward under the banner, and went straight to Jingxing County.

"General Fu, Tie Lin Army..." Ding Hui hesitated.

"The sage has ordered that the Tielin army will also go west." Fu Cunshen nodded and explained: "Actually, it is not a fight. Li Chengyue, the general of the Chengtian army, has long intended to surrender. Our soldiers arrived , then Kaesong please surrender.”

"Are the defenders willing to surrender?" Ding Hui asked.

Whether a city surrenders or not in these years does not necessarily mean what the defenders say, and it is only useful if the chief soldiers agree.

"The soldiers of the Chengtian Army are half Yan people, and they are willing to surrender."

"In this way, great things will be done!" Ding Hui said with a smile.

After laughing, he looked back at the tall Zhenzhou City, took a sip, and said, "This Bird City, I've been screwed to death. I'll take care of Wang Rong after finishing Hedong."

"It is expected that the Zhenzhou thieves were also discouraged and disappointed at that time, and they had no intention of fighting, but they were defeated in one blow." Fu Cunshen said.

Between Zhenzhou and Taiyuan, there is a distance of four to five hundred miles. After passing the Chengtian Army, there is no Xiongguan pass, and you can easily drive to the city of Jinyang—if you ignore Hedong County along the way.

In fact, Fu Cunjian was also very curious.When their [-] to [-] troops drove past, what would the reaction of the soldiers and civilians in Hedong be?

Take the initiative to attack?Watch from the sidelines?Or stick to the city?

No one can answer, everything has to be seen as we go.

******
At the head of the city of Zhenzhou, Wang Rong supported the parapet wall and stared at the Xia army's camp in the west of the city.

This will be a gap in the battle, relatively calm.Otherwise, Wang Rong wouldn't be in the mood to go to the city to boost morale--boost a chicken!

"Where are the Xia people going?" Wang Rong looked at it for a long time and asked, puzzled.

"If you go west, you must go to Jingxing County and Tianchang Town." Judge Zhou Shi said with certainty.

"Tianchang Town..." Wang Rong said bitterly.

That was his sad place.

Tianchang Town was rebuilt by him, in order to stop the Jin army coming down from Jingxing.At the end of the Tang Dynasty, when the Jin army besieged Tianchang Town, he led an army of [-] to rescue him. As a result, Li Keyong was defeated at Chiriling, losing troops and generals.

Back then, Li Keyong was all-powerful and unstoppable.He had just annexed all of Zhaoyi Town, and then set his sights on Chengde Town, and joined forces with Wang Chucun of the Yiwu Army to attack. If Li Kuangwei from Youzhou hadn't come to help, Li Keyong might have been allowed to enter the city of Bozhen Prefecture.

But it has only been ten years, the situation is changing, and the world is impermanent.Li Kuangwei didn't know where he died in the wilderness, and Li Keyong couldn't afford it, leaving him struggling to deal with it, unable to even surrender.

"After Tianchang Town, sixty miles to Niangziguan Ancient City, and ten miles to Chengtian Army City, the Xia people are going to the east of the river." Zhou Shi shook his head and said: "They are so sure, they must have arranged everything , handsome..."

"I can see it." Wang Rong said silently.

He even wondered if Li Keyong was dead, and the power in Hedong fell apart.Li Chengyue, general of Chengtian Army Town, was in a hurry to take refuge in the new lord, and led Xia soldiers into Hedong to seize Jinyang.

After thinking about it, Shao Shude didn't need to make it so complicated.Li Cunxu, the son of King Jin, was in Beiping, and Shao Shude treated him very well as his daughter-in-law.The Xia and Jin families have always hooked up, and they don't know how many contacts they have in private.

The Xia people are going west at this time, could it be that they have already grasped some news?
Wang Rong was in no mood to read any more, and led Zhou Shi down the wall.

The city was dead.The warriors leaned against the base of the city wall, all silent, their faces numb.

Wang Rong acted as if he hadn't seen them, and went all the way back to the mansion.

"Can you persuade the army again?" Wang Rong asked irritably: "What's the point of fighting against the Xia people like this? It's all about burning jade and stone together. Although our army has suffered terribly after attacking the city for several days, the casualties of the Xia people are far away." Worse than me. If they are allowed to make a real fire, once the city is destroyed, something unbearable may happen, why bother?"

Zhou Shi didn't speak.It wasn't that he disapproved of Wang Rong's words, but that he didn't dare.

To persuade those nervous and even neurotic warriors?Zhou Shi is not so courageous.What if he was slaughtered?It's not like this never happened.

"Marshal, this matter is very difficult." Zhou Shi evaded.

Wang Rong's face turned cold.

Of course he knew what Zhou Shi was worried about, but in the current situation, he really had no one to use.If he really waited until the day the city was broken before surrendering, there would be no good end for him.

"Alas!" Wang Rong slammed the table heavily, and said, "If Li Keyong passes away, there will be no one in the Northland who can join hands with me, so what can I do?"

Zhou Shi couldn't bear to see it, and comforted him: "Commander, as the saying goes, there is no unparalleled road. If you think about it carefully, there is actually a way. The Xia people are still attacking the city, and the soldiers resisted very hard. In a few months, people willing to surrender will start to appear, and then there may be a turning point."

"I will accept your good words." Wang Rong said weakly.

******
Shao Shude did not leave immediately.

He first went to Lu Huaizhong's camp and ordered the next stage of strategic planning, that is, to suspend the storm regardless of casualties and focus on siege instead.Secondly, after the two armies of Tielin and Youguo were withdrawn, the strength of the besieging army was greatly reduced, and the combat effectiveness was also weakened. It is necessary to guard against the Zhao people going out of the city to attack.

In the end, he gave Lu Huaizhong a reassurance: don't be impatient, when I clean up Hedong, Zhenzhou is easy to break.

On March [-]th, he took his silver saddle all the way to the north and arrived at the south entrance of Feihu Xing, where he waited for the left wing of the Tianxiong army who rushed quickly.

Of course, he couldn't bring nothing with him when he went to Hedong.That's not courage, but stupidity.Even if Li Keyong has no malice towards him, can you guarantee that all Jin people are not malicious?

In fact, as early as the night of the [-]th, he had sent many orders through five hundred miles of express delivery.

After finishing their rest, the Heiji army crossed the river to Cixi, and tried to go north to Shizhou to test the attitude of the Jin people.

The Golden Sword Army also finished its rest, left the Dengzhou garrison, traveled day and night, rushed to Heyang on horseback, and joined the Economic Strategy Army to go north.

The Jinglue army sent people to Tianjingguan to recruit Shi Jiantang, the general of the town.

The commander of the camp in Rouzhou led Liang Hanyong to lead the Feilong Army and some Fan soldiers to the south, stationed in the southern border of Yunzhou, and should not act rashly.

The last order was to the right wing of the Tianxiong Army who stayed behind in the Beiping Mansion: If anyone makes a noise and causes trouble, he will be killed immediately, without any mercy.

On the [-]th, Shao Shude waited for more than [-] vanguard troops of the Tianxiong Army who came panting.Anxious in his heart, he decided not to wait any longer, and immediately entered Feihu Xing and went north to Weizhou.

The Xingdao is empty, with neither business travelers nor passers-by. It is deserted and the grass is luxuriant.

The army walked among them, but saw the high mountains on the left and right standing between the roads, the black stones were like iron, and the walls stood like knives - so it is called the iron wall.

The roads are narrow and cramped, and in some places there is not even a blade of grass, and the roads are full of sandy moraines, winding and rugged for tens of miles.Shao Shude hurried on his way, but he walked for two full days before finally arriving at Feihukou at the northern end of Feihuxing Road.

Going out of this Xing Road, it is not far from Weizhou.

On the night of the [-]th, the army stayed outside Weizhou City.

"Your Majesty, General Jincheng has withdrawn the defenses as ordered, allowing Li Keyong to enter and exit." Chen Cheng was beating his old waist while sorting out the military newspaper, only to hear him say: "Ke Yong's schedule is very fast, it is said that he has already left Yanmen Pass yesterday. .”

Shao Shude stood in the backyard of the state office, looked up at the bright moonlight, remained silent, and didn't know what he was thinking.

Seeing this, Chen Cheng sighed slightly.

"Actually——" Shao Shude said suddenly, "I really see Li Ke as a brother. It's just that in the world of great strife, there is no room for hesitation or tenderness. I once thought that if Li Ke was captured, I will personally untie him and make amends, drink together, and share wealth."

Speaking of this, Shao Shude smiled to himself, and said: "I also know that Brother Yi's temperament does not allow him to bow to anyone. He would rather die than surrender to me."

After finishing speaking, I added in my heart: He is about to die now, and before he dies, he probably won't bow his head to me, otherwise he wouldn't be Li Keyong.

"After more than 20 years of fighting, old friends, enemies, and passers-by have left one by one." Shao Shude said with emotion: "Sometimes I feel strange and boring."

Chen Cheng looked at Shao Shude standing in the courtyard covered in moonlight, and he seemed to sense a sense of loneliness and loneliness.

The Son of Heaven is originally a loner.

The only ones who are a bit popular are the founding kings of the past dynasties.They often start in recklessness, disdain for rules and restraints, and no one dares to restrain them.

The founding kings were straightforward, unlike the successful ones who wrapped themselves in layers of power and sacred cloaks. They laughed and cursed, eclectic.

When you are in a good mood, you can hang shoulders with the warriors, sit on the ground, drink and eat meat together.

When he is unhappy, he can even write obscenities and curse people in the memorial.

But the Son of Heaven is the Son of Heaven after all, and he is destined to be far away from people and very close to God.

The emperor who is lonely, old, and frail is even more terrifying. If he is still the authoritative founder of the country, his destructive power will be astonishing.

Fortunately, the sage is not the master of guessing, otherwise the civil and military officials may not have a good life.

Chen Cheng calmed down and said, "Your Majesty, do you want to see King Jin for the last time?"

"Brother Yi may not give me this chance." Shao Shude shook his head, and returned to the bedroom to rest.

(End of this chapter)