Late Tang Dynasty Floating Life

Chapter 526
In October of the fourth year of Dashun, Wang Yu, the envoy of the Dingyuan Army, led the army out of Wuguan and walked on the land of Dengzhou.

Regardless of the fact that Wuguan is just to the west of Dengzhou, they are there just by lifting their feet. In fact, they first went north from Junzhou, went to Shangzhou to get a package of goods, and then went east.

Shangzhou, after all, is their theoretical residence and base camp.

Leaving Shangzhou is also a last resort, and food is everywhere, not shabby.Food transportation costs money, so it's better to lift your feet and walk by yourself.

In the past, the five prefectures of Zhaoyi and the two prefectures of Zelu and Luzhou "all lived in mountainous areas, the land was poor and the people were barren, and there was no accumulated grain." The Zhaoyi Jiedu envoy took the army to Xingzhou every three days to get food. It was not because of the cost of food transportation. high.

It is estimated that Dingyuan's army stayed in Junzhou all year round, much longer than Shangzhou, because Junzhou is located in an important waterway.

But as far as the sergeants are concerned, neither state likes it because they don't have their families.

It's been a long time since I've been out, so it's time to go home and have a hammer fight!
"After this battle, you can go back and rest."

"When you go to Neixiang, there are wine and meat."

"Li Shuai from Jinzhou transported [-] bolts of silk, and everyone has a share."

Some cavalry rode horses galloping on both sides of the marching column, constantly talking back and forth, and their voices became hoarse.

The sergeants listened and their morale recovered.

"A bunch of bastards, they have to hear the rewards of wine and meat to be excited." Wang Yu stood by the roadside and scolded with a smile.

He stood in a good position, on a high place, overlooking the entire post road.

The road was full of cars and horses, and the sky was full of smoke and dust.The business travelers were pushed aside, not daring to make eye contact with these warriors.

Behind Wu Fu there is a large group of masters, about 2 people, recruited by Cheng Rui, the governor of Shangzhou, serving as servants in the army.

After entering Dengzhou, the masters of Shangzhou could not go back, and had to continue with the army for a period of time until the [-] masters conscripted by Dengzhou were in place.

Shao Shude's military order has been spread to Shannan.

Wang Yu still remembered the day when he rushed to Biyang County, Tangzhou to discuss the matter.Pei Yuan, an important member of the Shuofang shogunate, read out the letter in front of Tang Deng Sui Jiezongben, Zhaoxin Army Jie Zhezongben, Zhaoxin Army Jiedu Li Yanling, Zhongyi Army Jiedu Zhao Kuangning, and Wuguan Defense Envoy Wang Yu.

Zhe Zongben took orders on the spot and set up the Tangzhou camp on the spot, and he himself was the commander of the capital.

Zhe Zongben understood Shao Shude's intentions, "the momentum must be large", so he decided to send troops in three ways.

Weisheng's 2-strong army attacked Ruzhou in the middle.

Dingyuan Army 8000 people are on the west road, also attacking Ruzhou.

Zhao Kuanglin, the governor of Suizhou, led 3000 people to go north to Shen and Cai to form the East Route Army.

As for Zhao Kuangning's troops of the Loyalty Army, after several months of besieging the city, they finally captured Fuzhou City. The army suffered heavy casualties, so we let them go this time.

Of course they also work.

Du Hong, the envoy of the Wuchang Army, used to be Yinfu Quanzhong, but now everyone knows that he is Zhu Quanzhong's running dog.When Zhao Kuangning attacked Fuzhou, he restrained Du Hong's troops, and it was not a loss to exchange one son for another.

The three-way army consisted of more than [-] men on foot and cavalry. Although their combat effectiveness was uneven, their momentum was definitely on the rise.

"Rush to Neixiang County tonight." Wang Yu went down the hillside and rode his horse forward.

Neixiang (now the county) is a county under Dengzhou. It is about 350 miles away from Wuguan. poetry.

Fifty miles along the Tuan River in the southeast of Neixiang, you can reach Lintuan County. The army will stop here, waiting for the master to gather, and then go north to the city.

In the past, if you go to the city, you have to take Luyang Pass and Sanya Road. This road is not easy. Chu State once built the Great Wall of Chu, which shows that the terrain is dangerous.

However, in Zhe Zongben's eyes, probably both the Dingyuan Army and the Suizhou Army belonged to partial divisions, and only his Weisheng Army was the main force.

Wang Yu could vaguely understand this truth, but he only had one comment on it: the old man is arrogant!

On October [-]th, Dingyuan's army arrived in Lintuan County, and masters and craftsmen conscripted from Rang, Neixiang, and Lintuan counties also arrived one after another.

On the 1000th, [-] cavalry troops escorted food and grass to the north.

On the [-]th, Wang Yuqin swore an oath at Lintuan Station, and the main force of the West Route Army went north!
……

What is surprising is that when Nanyang Sanlu sent troops, the first to fight was not the Zhezong headquarters with the most powerful troops, nor the awesome Wang Yubu, but Zhao Kuanglin's Suizhou soldiers who were small and transparent.

Suizhou originally had an outside town army, but the battle of Xiaojiangkou was almost ruined, and now it is dominated by state and county soldiers.

Zhao Kuanglin really took pains to rebuild Suizhou's military power.Not only strictly governed the army, but also called back a group of old Cai soldiers who were about 40 years old and had already returned home to enjoy the blessings, and promised them a lot of rewards, letting them serve as backbones at all levels, and take another journey.

Three thousand prefecture and county soldiers, probably mixed with a lot of temporarily recruited countrymen, marched eastward without fanfare, and raided and seized Pingjingguan, which was sparsely populated.

Pingjingguan, on the Dakui Mountain, is named Pingjing because the mountain is a pass and Haohuang is not camped.There are large and small stone gates in the north of the pass, and the mountains are opened as the road, and the way to come.There is a spring in Guanbei that flows into Shenzhou (now Xinyang), that is, Shishui (now Shihe), and you can walk ninety miles along this river to Yiyang County, where Shenzhou is located.

After capturing Pingjingguan, they immediately let in a thousand armored cavalry who were cooperating with their leopard cavalry.

After passing the Tongbai Mountains, the terrain gradually became flat. Although it is still in the hilly area, it is not considered a terrain that is conducive to cavalry, but if you choose the battlefield carefully, it will always be useful.

"General Wang, what is the strategy for this trip north?" Zhao Kuanglin asked while resting by the river.

"What strategy is it, do you still need me to teach you?" Wang Chong glanced at him and said, "Go and arrest people! Could it be that you still want to attack the city?"

"You—" Zhao Kuanglin took a deep breath and calmed down.

The generals of the Xia army are all very rebellious.Wang Chong doesn't look like he can't speak normally, but why is his nostrils upturned here?
"Du Hong and Zhao Kuangning fought in Fuzhou for a long time, and all the main forces of Wuchang Town were concentrated in Eyue. Ranshen and Guangzhou were the prefectures of Huaixi Town in the early years. Cai people were the main people, and most of them were close to Quanzhong. Du Hong I'm afraid it won't make a big move." Zhao Kuanglin decided not to be as knowledgeable as Wang Chong, and soon forgot his unhappiness just now, and talked freely: "Most of the main force in Shenzhou is still there. Invincible, only outsmarted."

"This is pretty decent." Wang Chong lazily leaned against a tree, and said, "Just now Zhao Shijun asked me about the strategy, and I still said the same thing, arrest people!"

"Arrest... arrest people?" Zhao Kuanglin seemed to have realized something, but he wanted to confirm it again.

"Go catch the people of Shenzhou! Lost your old business? How did Qin Zongquan play back then?" Wang Chong said helplessly.

Every time Qin Zongquan went to a place, he engulfed Ding Zhuang into the army, killed the old and the weak to feed himself, and grew stronger like a snowball. 10,000+ brave Cai people's desperadoes pressed past, even Zhu Quanzhong was afraid and had to ask Er Zhu for help.

"This will inevitably cause a large number of casualties, hundreds of miles of uninhabited people, and millions of people will be scattered." Zhao Kuanglin is also Lao Cai's thief, but he is now ashore, and he doesn't want to do such outrageous things anymore.

What's more, he may not be able to beat Xiangyong, this is the thing that makes him feel ashamed the most.

"It's not this kind of arrest. Isn't there a shortage of people in Suizhou to farm land? It's a big deal to catch some Shenzhou people and go back. Don't worry about arresting them. If Shenbing comes, we will fight with them. If you win, you will fight. If you can't win, you will run away." No one should know about the news of Leopard Cavalry coming, so I will hide first." Wang Chong said: "Shen and Guangzhou, like their commander-in-chief Du Hong, are willing to be Zhu Quanzhong's lackeys. They learn a lesson."

Zhao Kuanglin suddenly realized.

This is a very popular fishing tactic in the Xia army, right?A major requirement of this tactic is that the ambush troops must have strong mobility, preferably mounted infantry.If not, cavalry is fine too.

"Is it possible to take the opportunity to seize Shenzhou?" Zhao Kuanglin asked suddenly.

Shenzhou travels 37 miles northward to Huaishui River, and the boundary of Caizhou is on the other side of the river.After crossing the river, take Zhenyang County (today's Zhengyang North), and within 270 miles, you can reach Ruyang County, Caizhou Lisuo.

Since the eradication of Qin Zongquan, Caizhou has ushered in a rare peace, and the people are recuperating and living and working in peace and contentment.Zhu Quanzhong's ability to govern the local area is also good, and the taxation is very light. The local government has slowed down over the years.Although the population is still not dense enough, the momentum of recovery is very obvious.

Come to him at this time, what will happen to Zhu Quanzhong?

"Take one step at a time. We have few soldiers, so don't be careless." When it comes to fighting, Wang Chong's attitude suddenly changed, and he said: "If we can really win Shenzhou, then I have to suggest Zheshuai to change the main attack direction. Wang Chong When you encounter Luyang Pass and Sanya Road, Zheshuai takes Fangcheng Pass and Wanye Corridor. Both roads are difficult and dangerous. The Tongbai Mountains we crossed are also very dangerous, but as long as we capture Shenzhou, we can compete with Bian How anxious is he to confront the thief across the Huai River?"

Indeed, the temptation is not small, but the consequences are also very serious. It is possible that they will be besieged by the main force of the Bian army, but isn't this the purpose of sending troops this time?
There are not so many annoying mountains in Caizhou.

Wang Chong traveled all the way, and saw the mountains of Henan Prefecture, the mountains of Jinshang and the four prefectures, and the Tongbai Mountain Range. There are endless mountains everywhere, and there are dangerous passes everywhere. I almost vomited.

I just don't know if Caizhou is suitable for assault with armored cavalry.I heard that the river over there is criss-cross and the soil is soft, which is only suitable for light cavalry.

Of course, maybe Wang Chong was too worried.

Caizhou was indeed a rotten mud pond in later generations, with many water systems and swamps, but at this time the Yellow River had not been collapsed by the Northern Song Dynasty, and the river had not flooded the Huaihe River Basin. Although it is true that the water network is densely covered, it is really not a rotten mud pond.

The situation faced by the leopard cavalry is much stronger than that of the Iron Pagoda in the Kingdom of Jin. When they entered the Huai Cai area, they discovered that it was really a tiankeng, a muddy pond worse than Jiangnan.

"To arrest people, our master doesn't have any, so we can get some food." Wang Chong made up his mind and ordered, "I have so many horses, and I have a big appetite. First collect food and arrest people, hurry up."

"Of order." Zhao Kuanglin replied.

After thinking about it, something seems wrong.

I am the governor of Suizhou, and I am the leader of this journey.The leopard riders are all guests who help punches, how did it happen?
But he was too lazy to care.

Of the 3000 men and horses, 500 stayed at Pingjingguan, and [-] camped and stayed behind.Zhao Kuanglin led two thousand infantry and went northward along the Lishui River excitedly.

(End of this chapter)