Late Tang Dynasty Floating Life

Chapter 627 Confrontation
The people in Luoshan and Zhongshan counties have been requisitioned and marched to the banks of the Huai River to cut down trees to erect fences and build pontoon bridges.

They have to bring their own dry food and pickles to do this heavy physical work.

But Shen and Guang changed hands, the people were poor, and there was not enough food, and everyone was so hungry that their stomachs growled.Some people passed out while doing it, and they didn't know whether they were alive or dead.

There was no other way but to distribute some of the food "borrowed" from the people of Caizhou, and let these people have enough to eat first.

This year's battle in the south, so far, all the ministries on the battlefield have performed well, but logistics is indeed a big problem.

This is the fault of Zhe, Zhao and others who neglected local construction, but maybe they didn't have the energy to do construction, because Liang people didn't give them a chance.

Zhao Kuangning and Zhe Zongben on the western front launched a counterattack.

Zhao attacked Sanya Town, was repelled, and almost failed to hold Luyang Pass.

Zhe Zongben played well, with a small gain, and held Ding Hui firmly, but after Ding made up his mind to fight back, he was repulsed again.

All kinds of news were continuously transmitted to the west bank of Pishui through the station system, and after being commented by Chen Cheng, they were handed over to Shao Shude.

Marshal Shao is quite satisfied with his performance on the Western Front. Being able to hold off the enemy is a victory.Ding Hui has been in Ruzhou for so long, he must have been full of irritability, Zhe Zongben is old and strong, with rich experience, you attack with all your strength, he will defend impeccably; you pretend to retreat to lure him deep, his eyes are sharp Vicious, I know whether you are really retreating or falsely retreating; if you really want to leave, he rushed forward.

Moreover, after more than two years of fighting, the Weisheng army is really growing.

From the so-called rabble that was a mixture of Zhejia army and Xiangyang soldiers, they fought step by step. After going through the fire of war, the 2 people in the army are becoming more and more sophisticated.Another two years of battlefield training, it is estimated that it will be a strong team.

Compared with Ruzhou and Huaishui battlefields, Shao Shude is most concerned about the northern front now.It's a pity that Qi Bizhang went deep into the enemy's territory, and it was difficult to spread the news to the outside world.

But no matter what, the war has to continue. I hope that Qi Bizhang can fully mobilize the troops of the Liang people, disrupt their deployment, and give himself a surprise.

On the east bank of the Pishui River, Liang people roaming in twos and threes have appeared. Zheng Yong, as if he was facing a big enemy, took strict precautions to prevent Liang people from smuggling.

Zhu Jing, governor of Shouzhou, came to Pishui Daying to meet Shao Shude.

"Zhu Dalang has figured it out?" In front of the small temple surrounded by green shade, Shao Shude set up a table under the old tree, sipping Huoshan yellow buds leisurely.

The weather this year is a bit strange. It is already a beautiful spring season in March, but the howling cold wind blows from the north again, which makes people a little caught off guard.

This is an anomaly that occurs when the new and old climate cycles alternate, and Shao Shude knows it well.

"King Xia is a true hero, and I am willing to be the king's forerunner." Zhu Jing bent down very low, not daring to look directly at Shao Shude.

"Sit down." Shao Shude gently pointed to the chair opposite, and asked curiously: "I heard that Zhu Dalang was traveling in Huoshan, and he was indifferent to fame and fortune. Why did you come to see me again?"

Shao Shude asked this question bluntly, another way of saying is "Why is it arrogant before and then respectful"?
But with his status and status, he is qualified to put on such a show, and Zhu Jing can only answer honestly: "I have a dead friend I met in the past. I just came back from Bianzhou and relayed some of the situation in Bianzhou."

"Dead friend" can be understood as a buddy, a lifelong friendship.For example, Chai Zaiyong, a native of Caizhou, became dead friends with a small school in Sun Ru's army. This person was accused of rebellion, and Sun Ruyong arrested Chai Zayong. Turn your ears back. If you punish him publicly, why should you ask?"

"Let's listen to it." Shao Shude said calmly.

"Yes." Zhu Jing sat down calmly.

Now that he has made up his mind to seek refuge, he no longer hesitates.The assassin given by King Xia, followed by, at worst, he will be rewarded with death.

"The dead friend came to Huoshan in the starry night. It was said that the people of Xia were fierce. Thousands of horsemen crossed the south of the river and went down the county. Quanzhong has hundreds of thousands of victorious soldiers, why can't even a few thousand cavalry soldiers be controlled? Let's ask again, it is said that the Xia people are heavily armed, and Quanzhong's troops are not enough for use. The state has no soldiers to use. I think about it carefully, Quanzhong will be exhausted if he continues like this, and he will be defeated sooner or later, so he came here to vote."

"Lingchang, Baima..." Shao Shude's mind had automatically reflected the map.

Judging by the direction of the activity, it was heading for Zhu Xuan's territory.It should be to widen the distance, fully mobilize the various departments of Liang Jun, and then look for opportunities.

It's a bit like Li Cunxu's surprise attack on Liang!
Before 923, although Li Cunxu defeated the Houliang army several times, he was still unable to win a decisive victory.

In 923, Zhu Youzhen, the last emperor of the Liang Dynasty, sent general Duan Ning and others to attack from four directions. The soldiers pointed directly at Jinyang, with the idea of ​​destroying Hedong.Li Cunxu knew that if he continued to spend it, he would probably end badly, so he bid farewell to his wife and took a risky gamble.So he started the idea of ​​bypassing the empty Yunzhou and raiding Bianzhou, and succeeded in one fell swoop.

Shao Shude did not dare to imagine that Qi Bizhang could capture Bianzhou.

Zhu Quanzhong was not Zhu Youzhen, and he did not kill veterans at this time. The Xuanwu Group had not yet started to decline, but it should be possible to gallop across the hinterland of Henan, attack Zhu Quanzhong's prestige, and find opportunities to eliminate the enemy's vital forces.

Moreover, it seems that the first "war result" has been achieved: Zhu Jing accidentally learned that the Feilong army had broken into Huazhou, and Liang Jun was at a loss, so he came down decisively.

"Zhu Shijun is a smart man." Shao Shude ordered the soldiers to serve him tea, and said kindly: "As you can see, if the Liang people go south this time, if there is no victory, the next time they go south, I don't know when it will be." .Liang Jiang’s Shu Cong sits in Shouzhou, gathers troops and horses, and marches westward day and night, what does Zhu Shijun plan to do?”

"There are thousands of soldiers in the subordinates. They are familiar with every plant and tree in Shouzhou, and they have unique skills. They hide in the mountains, rivers and forests, and they will teach Liang people to complain." Lu. If I don’t make great contributions to King Xia, I will not have the face to accept the post of governor.”

Shao Shude couldn't help but glance at him more.

This is a straightforward person, much better than many people who want money and officials but have no integrity.

Zhu Jing was born in a local tyrant, a young knight-errant in the village, and was disliked by many people, but now it seems that he has a bit of chivalry, which can be used.

"Thousands of people are still too few." Shao Shude said: "I will take two thousand bolts of silk back in a while, and recruit strong men, at least two to three thousand people. There is no need to fight head-on, just harass and exhaust the enemy from the flanks."

"Of order." Zhu Jing stood up and responded.

Day by day, Liang Jun gathered more and more.

It is not easy for Rangers to go to the east bank of Pishui River anymore. Every time they go there, they are close to death and hunted by others.Later, they simply detoured there, and with the assistance of Zhu Jing, they scouted the enemy's situation.

Everyone judged that maybe the war is not far away.

The battle broke out earlier than the Pishui River on the north bank of the Huai River.

After all, it was going south from the hinterland of Bian Song Dynasty, and Pang Shigu's army came faster.

In fact, they had already arrived in Caizhou. After learning that Xia Jun had left early, the journey had lost most of its meaning.

On the tenth day of March, more than [-] cavalry from Tingzidu and Zhuosheng Army were sent back to the north, and Pang Shigu had only [-] troops left on hand, almost all of them were infantry, and hundreds of cavalry were killed. The combat power was further weakened.

In fact, Pang Shigu suggested that Caizhou focus on defense and transfer most of its troops back to guard some key bridges and necessary roads to intercept the flying dragon army of the Xia army that was running around.But after some correspondence, Zhu Quanzhong ordered him to go south to "attack the Xia thieves".

As for the attack method, he didn't interfere too much, allowing him to "do it cheaply".

On March 4th, after Caizhou recruited some Tutuan peasants on the spot, Pang Shigu and Yang Shihou combined [-] troops and went south. They arrived outside Baigou City in a few days, set up camp and built a stronghold to build a siege instrument.

That night, Yang Shihou led thousands of people to leave the camp quietly, and rushed towards Tangzhou without any torches.

On March [-]th, Niu Li personally rushed to Baigou City to boost the morale of the defenders.

These 3000 people are all Hengshandu warriors. They have fought for many years, are skilled in combat skills, and are not afraid of death.If Liang people come to attack the city, they will definitely make them look good.

On March 2th, Shi Shucong rushed to Yingkou Daying. According to scouts, more than [-] Liang people had gathered here.And the first battle between Liang and Xia finally broke out.

……

The location where the two sides fought was surprising.

Zhe Zhe from ancient times crossed Yingshui westward with two thousand cavalrymen who were exhausted, entered Yingshang County, and suddenly encountered a Liang army on the march.

It was almost an encounter, and both sides discovered their opponents at the same time.

There are more than [-] soldiers in the Liang army, mainly infantry, driving around in large carts and small carts.

When the officer gave the order to fight, the soldiers immediately lined up to meet the enemy.

The auxiliary soldiers quickly gathered the baggage vehicles together to form a vehicle barrier to intercept the cavalry soldiers of the Xia army who were rushing straight over.

The powerful step bows shoot behind the car barriers, wantonly oppressing the shooting range will never be as good as their soft riding bows.

Zhe Conggu led the cavalry away from the front, walking in circles at a leisurely pace.

Liang Jun's soldiers lined up in front, and they didn't look like they were just pretending to be numbers. They all looked resolute, and they seemed to be used to being surrounded by cavalry for a long time.

That's right, they have fought against Zhu Xuan and Zhu Jin all the year round, and they may have fought against Qin Zongquan and Li Keyong before. These four brothers have a lot of cavalry, and they have a lot of experience in refusing to ride.

The Liang Jun auxiliary soldiers in the rear formation are still adjusting the inner circle of the car barrier, and small car formations with intervals of seven or eight steps are taking shape. This is to provide a chance for the infantry in the formation to occupy the enemy.

It is especially important to maintain sufficient physical strength when riding in the open field.

Car barriers and crossbows are their big weapons to stop the cavalry from attacking, and they are also the only guarantee for them to reach the next resting place.

"It's like a tortoise shell." Zhe Conggu rode up a gentle slope, looked at Liang Jun's infantry who were retreating into the chariot formation in batches, and cursed.

At the same time, a doubt arose in his heart: Why did he meet Liang Bing here?

In fact, if you think about it carefully, the reason is not difficult to guess: Shi Shucong appeared in Yingkou Daying Camp, constantly sending scouts to investigate the depth of the Pishui, looking for places to ford, creating a feeling that I wanted to break through the Pishui defense line. Feel.

But actually?Where did these 5000 people come from?Where do you want to go?
Could it be that they went back to Huoqiu County?The sneak attack cut off the retreat of the [-] troops on the west bank of Pishui River?

Thinking of this, he immediately found a few cronies and ordered them to cross the south of the river immediately to report to Shao Shude.

As for the Liang army in front of him, he planned to follow up again.If the enemy army is really not in a panic, relying on carts and advancing against the harassment of cavalry, there is no way but to delay as much as possible.Anyway, these thieves were discovered, and more than half of their plan had failed.

The southeast wind blew the military flags fluttering.

On the west bank of the Yingshui River, more than [-] people from both sides of Liang and Xia stared at each other cautiously, just like the current situation of the entire battlefield.

(End of this chapter)