Late Tang Dynasty Floating Life

Chapter 577 Deployment
Chaos arose in Mengzhou city.

More than 3000 soldiers were in a state of panic. Sometimes they said that the Xia bandits were going to besiege Beicheng, another time they said that the Xia bandits had retreated, and then someone jumped out and said that the Xia bandits were going to massacre all the soldiers and civilians in the city. Rumors spread and everyone panicked.

In the evening, the gate of the city was forcibly opened, and some people rushed out of the city in a chaotic manner, rushing towards Zhonglu City, most of them were the family members of the generals in the city.

The sergeants watched silently from the side without stopping.

Su Junqing returned to Mengzhou with a group of people.I thought he would have to drop a hanging basket from the city to meet him. He has a nephew in the state as a general, so there is no problem going out of the city and entering the city.But—the city gate was actually open, and there were constant quarrels in the city, which surprised him very much.

Later, the five hundred Bian troops stationed in Beicheng couldn't stand it anymore, and went to the streets to maintain order, and then closed the city gate.

But just after a while, the people who had left the city before came back, crying loudly outside the south city, shouting to open the door.

Zhongyu City refused to let them pass, and the Bianjun navy cut off the pontoon bridge passage on the pretext that there might be spies mixed in.

Su Junqing came to Jiebin's mansion with a face full of black lines.It seems that the battle a few days ago really destroyed the morale of the soldiers and civilians in Mengzhou. What are you doing now?If someone attacked at this time, everything would be over.

Xie Bin was drinking in the courtyard, when he saw Su Junqing coming, he invited him to join him.

"General Xie, you are still in the mood to drink, but you and I are in danger?" Su Junqing said bitterly, then sat down, picked up the jug, poured himself a bowl, and drank it all in one gulp.

"What did Shao Shude say again?" Xie Bin sighed, frowning.

After so many years of hard work, in the end it was just a dream, and everything seemed to be gone.

"Shu De has something to say, if he doesn't open the city and surrender early in the morning, he will send troops to attack the city. After the city is broken, not a single blade of grass will be left."

Xie Bin was startled when he heard the words, put down the wine bowl he picked up, and said, "Shao—the king of Lingwu County has always been generous, and he has never done anything to massacre a city, isn't it?"

In fact, not only Shao Shude, but all high-end warlords have never done this.

Xie Bin thought about it, Zhu Quanzhong didn't seem to have slaughtered the city yet, neither did Li Keyong, nor did Yang Xingmi.Luo Hongxin?Wang Rong?Teacher Wang?Shi Pu?Li Kan?Zhu Mei?It seems that there are none.

Those who tortured the people were mainly Huang Chao and Qin Zongquan's tribe, and Li Hanzhi was also one of them.

Compared with the end of the Han Dynasty, the discipline of the army leaders of the feudal towns did not seem to be worse.There is looting, and there is also adultery, but mass murder is not enough to vent anger or enjoyment.

Shao Shude's threat to massacre the city was mostly just to scare people casually.

But - still very nervous!
"General Xie, what time is it now? The king of Lingwu County has dozens of prefectures and is extremely powerful. What he said to do is not completely up to his own will?" Su Junqing said anxiously: "It is to slaughter Mengzhou , so what? Is there anyone else who can avenge us?"

"The reputation of Mengzhou will be ruined if Mengzhou is slaughtered. The states will resist desperately. How dare he?" Xie Bin said hesitantly.

The current situation in the world does not mean that if you are strong, I must surrender to you.Massacres, the disadvantages far outweigh the advantages, will only make people disgusted.

The king of Dongping County attacked Shi Pu, and he fought so hard, and he did not see him order the massacre of Xuzhou people.Li Keyong fought fiercely with Meng Fangli for several years, his military discipline was so bad, but it was just looting, he besieged Xingzhou for so long, and in the end he didn't even kill anyone from the Meng family.

It's not that I don't want to, it's that I don't dare.

After all, the Meng family is also the envoy of Zhaoyi Jiedu. If you slaughtered the Meng family, who would dare to surrender in the future?These days no one is much better than anyone else, the worst thing is to fight you to death.

"Just don't slaughter Mengzhou, General Xie, do you think this city can be defended?" Su Junqing changed the words.

"If Zhongli City and Nancheng send troops to reinforce and transport materials to repair the city walls, they can defend."

"If we've wiped out everyone, what are we?" Su Junqing asked.

This question hits the nail on the head.

Warlords have no soldiers, and you are not even a fart.When the Xia army besieged Beicheng, they were the first to bear the brunt of the Mengzhou soldiers. The Bian people must be happy to see them finish their battle.

"Oh." Jie Bin sighed again, and asked, "Then what do you think should be done?"

"General Xie, may I ask where Zhang Shuai is?" Su Junqing found out Zhang Quanyi's absence as soon as he entered the city, but he still wanted to confirm.

"Go to Nancheng to meet Zhu Yougong."

"Could it be that Zhu Yougong succeeded Pang Shigu to lead the army?"

"It's far away." Xie Bin said: "Pang Shigu commanded an army of [-]. Zhu Yougong is impossible. He is only responsible for the defense of Mengjin, and there are other generals in other sections."

"With so many generals, there must be a commander, right?"

"It can only be that one." Xie Bin didn't say the name, but Su Junqing had already guessed it.

"Hey, it's going too far." Su Junqing hurriedly brought the topic back, and said in a low voice: "General Xie, I know that Zhang Shuai is kind to you, but in the current situation, we have to consider our wealth and life. I have a letter here. You'll know it when you see it."

After all, he handed over a tightly sealed letter.

Although Xie Bin didn't know much about Chinese characters, after taking it and taking it apart, he read it carefully and understood the general meaning.

Astonishingly, it was Li Tangbin, the envoy of Xia Jun Heluo Jinglue, who wrote him a letter. In addition to recounting the old friendship, the letter also persuaded him to surrender, and allowed him to serve as a town general in Lingbao and still rule the old department-this is obviously not what Li Tangbin can do. It was Shao Shude's permission that made the decision.

Su Junqing stretched his head to the side to see.He thought that Xie Bin was not very literate and wanted to ask him for help, but after reading it, he carefully put it away and hid it in his arms, greatly disappointed.

"General Xie, how are you?" Su Junqing asked expectantly.

Xie Bin didn't hide it, and said directly: "The king of Lingwu County allowed me to go to the Baoyi Army as a foreign town general."

This - this is not bad!
Su Junqing was a bit sour, that's all he was good at as a martial artist, he had soldiers at hand, and he spoke with a straight waist.There are more than 3000 infantry troops and [-] cavalry troops in Mengzhou City, and now they all obey the orders of Xie Bin alone. Shao Shude started with this capital.

"The king of Lingwu County has always kept his promise." Su Junqing calmed down, smiled, and said, "Wang Yao in Hezhong recommended him as the military governor. Li Fan of Shanzhou is still the military governor of the Baoyi Army. Apart from other things, this reputation alone makes people speechless and very convincing. Now that General Xie has obtained the promise, the position of general of Lingbao Town will be secured."

Xie Bin's face was a little bit happy. Indeed, Shao Shude was very trustworthy, which was quite different from Zhu Quanzhong.

He and Su Junqing were not Zhu Quanzhong's subordinates, and there was no betrayal of Zhu Quanzhong.Even their lord, Zhang Quanyi, was not Zhu Quanzhong's subordinate, and belonged to the nature of relying on him. Strictly speaking, he was similar to Wang Yao, Li Fan, Wang Bian, Zhuge Zhongfang and the like.

Perhaps due to personality reasons, such as being very tolerant, Zhang Quanyi looks very much like Zhu Quanzhong's subordinates, but he is fundamentally different from people like Hu Zhen, at least he is in control of officials, the army, money and food.In theory, if you want to send money and food to Bianzhou, you can send it, and if you don’t want to send it, you don’t.

But Hu Zhen didn't have this power. After Huazhou's money and food were collected and taxed, all the money and food, except the part that stayed in the state, were sent to Bianzhou.The same is true of Weibei, Binning, Jingyuan and other towns on Shao Shude's side. His army envoys set up warehouses in various places. The local governors or governors have no right to intervene in these stocks of money and food.

Since he is not a subordinate, there is not much psychological burden to betray.The only obstacle is Zhang Quanyi's attitude. He still refuses to say the word "surrender", maybe he still wants to take control of the military.He has experienced cannibalism and is very sensitive to military power.

"General Xie, have you ever made up your mind?" Su Junqing was a little anxious. The more things dragged on, the more likely there would be variables. If you continue to hesitate, if the Bian Army brigade enters the city, will you let them in or not?
"Zhang Shuai is still in Nancheng..." Xie Bin still had the last sliver of worry, he didn't want to cheat his old boss and his in-laws.

"General Xie, why don't you attack and kill the [-] people in the barracks first, and then blockade the whole city, strictly prohibiting entry and exit, so as not to let the news leak out. After Zhang Shuai returns, it will be too late to regret it." Su Junqing suggested.

"Bian people are good at fighting, I'm afraid it's not easy to kill."

"How about I ask the shogunate to send wine and meat to the army, and when the Bian people relax their vigilance, the general will lead the troops to attack and kill, and it will be a big deal."

Xie Bin glanced at Su Junqing again.This hairy awl has always impressed him these days, so ruthless!
Since the hardships, the Jiedu envoys of various towns have taken advantage of the opportunity of giving banquets and laboring troops, and killed countless arrogant soldiers.Su Junqing's trick is also a routine operation.

Xie Bin nodded silently.

……

Xie Bin and Su Junqing are plotting a bloody conspiracy, while Shao Shude meets Han Quanhui who sneaked in from Chang'an in Heqing County.

"Greetings to King Xia." Han Quanhui knelt down on the ground and said obsequiously.

"What does Han Gongjian mean?" Shao Shude asked, his heart moved.

"Back to the king, Xia and Bian fought, the water transport was cut off, the situation in Chang'an was unstable, and there were many soldiers clamoring. The sage called Yanying to ask questions, and Cui Zhaowei proposed to Jinjue for the kings of Lingwu and Dongping, and to seal the two kings of Xia and Liang. Wei Zhaodu seconded the proposal." Han Quanhui said: "Most of the envoys have already left Chang'an, and they will go to Anyi and Bianzhou."

Chen Cheng and Zhao Guangfeng looked at each other.

The title of king to Shao Shude and Zhu Quanzhong was actually mentioned last time when Wei Zhao came to Jiedou.In the past, Shao Shude didn't want this false name, but last time he didn't object. Firstly, the world already had Dong Chang, the king of Yue.

"Your Majesty pity me for my hard work in guarding the feudal domain, why is it such a generous reward." Shao Shude said with a look of embarrassment: "A sage is at the top, and there are no sages left behind. Cui Zhaowei is in charge of Nanya, and has made a lot of achievements. Wei Zhaodu is in charge of the three divisions, and he is loyal in discussing affairs. There is the style of Wenzhen. The sage has such a talented person to help him, so why worry about the hopelessness of Zhongxing?"

Han Quanhui laughed dryly along with him.

"Who is an angel?" Shao Shude asked.

"Heir Xue Wang Li Zhirou."

"Oh? It's the clan?" Shao Shude was a little surprised.

But it's really nothing.The imperial clan of the Guo Dynasty, after the fifth suit (there is no emperor in the fifth suit), they can take the exam and be an official. There are not a few clans who are officials. After all, the blood relationship is far away. No one thinks that they are still the royal family—— er, It seems that there is still a problem. When Wen Zong called the daughter of Li Xiaoben of the clan to serve in the bedroom, the minister sprayed it, "The emperor is the daughter of Xiaoben at sunrise", and he dared not play with this clan girl anymore.

"Yes, it is said that Li Zhirou is about to serve as Zong Zhengqing and will be highly valued." Han Quanhui replied.

"En." Shao Shude nodded, and asked again: "The Han Gongjian came all the way, so it's not just a tip-off, right? What else?"

"The Ximen palace supervisor also sent servants to persuade Xia and Bian to stop their troops and reopen the water transport. The court's financial plan is difficult and it is really unsustainable." Han Quanhui said with a bitter face: "The rewards of the Shence Army have been cut too much. They will make trouble at any time. I recently heard that Shi Zan and Li Kuangwei bewitched the soldiers, and there were many changes. Ximen Palace Supervisor persuaded them to no avail, so they sent servants to the King's army."

Shao Shude smiled.It was you who decided to accept Li Kuangwei into the court, do you regret it now?

"The war is almost over. I have not detained the ships of the Shanzhou, Heyang, and Heyin Transshipment Institutes. I will write a letter later and let the two prefectures of Shanxi and Guozhou handle it as appropriate. As for Zhu Quanzhong, I can't control it anymore." Shao Shude said.

"With your Majesty's words, there is no need to worry about water transportation." Han Quanhui said happily.

Powerful eunuchs are also afraid of big guns. This is the characteristic of the times, so there is no way.

After getting the promise from Shao Shude, Han Quanhui left contentedly.

Chen Cheng and Zhao Guangfeng went forward to congratulate together, Shao Shude waved his hands and said, "The battle is still important, Fu Cunshen has led the army to cross Qinshui, right?"

"The river we crossed yesterday, the Pioneer Unit has arrived in Xiuwu County, and there is no one there." Chen Cheng replied.

"The Bian thieves have retreated, but they haven't completely retreated. How should our army deploy in the next stage?" Shao Shude walked to the map and looked at it.

Gao Renhou's army has arrived near Mengzhou, and now they are waiting for news from Zhang Quanyi.The vanguard cavalry went out and arrived in Wen County, but there was also no one there.

Now it seems that the Bian army is indeed mainly defending the stronghold.Did you learn from Yuwen Zhou back then?I'm not Gao Huan. I lost [-] soldiers and horses for a Jade City. It's crazy.

He also knows the mentality of the Bian army, in order to declare its presence, and to leave a bridgehead for future counterattacks, to meet the army crossing the river, so as not to be attacked by half-crossing.

Zhu Quanzhong is still planning to counterattack, Shao Shude smiled, it will make you change your mind.

"Marshal, the location of Huaizhou is extremely important. It is only [-] miles away from Taihangxing in the north, and it is close to Qinshui. It can also reach Jiyuan and Zhiguan in the west. We need to garrison troops."

"Wuzhi County also needs troops."

"If Mengzhou is captured, heavy troops will be needed."

"The rest of the cities, towns, and gates don't need to be heavily defended."

Chen Cheng pointed out several places in one breath.

"You are guarding against both Zhu Quanzhong and Li Keyong." Shao Shude laughed.

"Heyang is located at an important point, so that's the only way to go." Chen Cheng replied: "During the difficult times, Heyang has been the gateway to the Eastern Capital and shielded the periphery of Guanzhong. Lu's role."

This place in Heyang is really magical.

The original name was "Jiedushi of the Three Cities of Heyang".In the second year of Jianzhong, "Shangshu of the Ministry of War and Lu Sigong, who stayed behind in Dongdu, served as the envoys of Zhengru, Shaanxi, Heyang, Sancheng, and Dongji Observation."

In May, "with Li Peng, the deputy envoy of Huaizheng and Heyang Jiedu, as the envoy of Huaizhou Jiedu in the three cities of Heyang, the five counties of Dongji were still divided into Yan."

When the territory was the largest, the five prefectures of Linghuai, Zheng, Ru, Shan, and Wei, plus the five counties of Heyang, Heqing, Jiyuan, Wen, and Wangwu, were also called Huaiwei Jiedushi.

In the third year of Huichang, Liu Zhen, the envoy of Zhaoyi Jiedu, merged the five counties of Dongji, which provided goods to the Heyang army, and established Mengzhou.At this time, these five counties have also changed, that is, these five counties will be Heyang, Wen, Jiyuan, Sishui, and Heyin.At this time, the Jiedushi of Heyang had jurisdiction over the three prefectures of Meng, Huai, and Ze.

From a legal point of view, Zezhou is actually the jurisdiction of Heyang Jiedushi.

However, when Emperor Wuzong challenged Zhaoyi and Liu Zhen, Zezhou was never breached by the army, and finally surrendered. Zezhou has been under the control of Zhaoyi soldiers for 50 years.Even in the official documents of the imperial court, when the Zhaoyi Jiedu envoy was appointed, it was written "out of Zhenzelu". It was assigned to Zhaoyi Town.

Meng and Huai prefectures, despite their small size, have great potential.

When Huaizhou was in its heyday, the five counties had a population of more than 60 people. Mengzhou’s potential was slightly lower, but it was still the same. There was no pressure to support [-] people in these ten counties, and it could even be more. After all, most of them are plains. , and rich in water resources.The Yellow River has always been very face-saving. It was not until the Northern Song Dynasty that the Yellow River flooded and destroyed Zhongyu City and Heyang Pass on the sandbar in the middle of the river.

"Can Heyang lead Weizhou again?" Shao Shude asked suddenly, thinking about it.

Weizhou governs five counties of Ji, Wei, Gongcheng, Xinxiang, and Liyang. There are also nearly 30 people and a lot of wealth. It is just next door. Marshal Shao is itching.

"Marshal, let's talk about Huai and Mengzhou first." Chen Cheng smiled wryly.

"But I'm short of people." Shao Shude said: "The [-] Hexi tribes who are fighting outside Xiashi Fortress can be transferred to Heyang to resettle them, and the [-] households in Fafeng and Shenghe's Dangxiang are still too few. On the other side of the Qingtang Dynasty, Zhe Siyu, a cavalry army, reported that there were many complaints from the Fan people, and there seemed to be a change. They wanted to ask the Zhen Guojun, the Xinquan Army and the other tribes, but they could not be dispatched for the time being. There are only [-] households, not enough. !"

"How many people does the commander-in-chief plan to have?"

"If there are [-] households, I will cross the river every day to beat Zhu Quanzhong." Shao Shude joked.

Chen Cheng and Zhao Guangfeng also laughed.

The commander often said that Zhu Quanzhong is the most similar to him in the world today, and has the most potential to win the world, because they both started from scratch, and the army was built by themselves, with outstanding prestige.

"Marshal, let's settle the [-] households first." Chen Cheng persuaded.

"That's right." Shao Shude nodded, and said, "Ten thousand households in Hexi, I have ordered five thousand riders to leave Shuozhou and go to Shengzhou to 'escort' them. Let them be placed in Jiyuan County. Ten thousand households in Hexi Common people, resettled to Hanoi County."

In fact, the people are not without it.

After some games, Suzhou Inspector Shilong sent 5000 Yumen troops eastward, passing Hexi, Shuofang, and Weibei to Heyang to defend.

Shao Shude once said that if you lure Bing over here first, you will naturally think about bringing his family over later, but you don't know if Long will rebel because of this. This needs repeated trials and a long-term plan.

"Wuzhi County, let the Tiande Army defend it first. In two days, I will take the Tielin Army to Hanoi, Huaizhou. Lingxia and the Tibetans ride eight thousand paces. Wait for the news first. I want to see what Zhang Quanyi is doing. If everything goes well, we will enter Heyang North City."

"As ordered."

(End of this chapter)