Late Tang Dynasty Floating Life

Chapter 671 Difficult Decision

Dozens of riders flitted past Luoyang, looking in surprise at the banners flying high in the north of the city.

It was in ruins, only partially cleared over the years.Useable materials were selected to build residences, warehouses, post stations, stables and other facilities, and the rest were left to fall into disrepair. Many buildings that were originally repaired and usable gradually collapsed.

There was a faint cry of killing in the ruins, and Hu Zhen knew even with his eyes closed that it was Xia Bandits attacking Cangcheng.

"Go, enter the city!" Hu Zhen rushed to the well-repaired upper east gate with his own soldiers, and sent someone to call for the door.

"Ma Ten General, open the door quickly, Shuai Hu is back, open the door!" The guards shouted loudly, and there seemed to be a figure flashing past the top of the city, but soon there was no movement again.

Hu Zhenxin's head flicked across the shadows, and his face fell: "Keep calling."

"Is Inspector Duan here? Inspector Duan and General Ma Shi, open the door quickly, Shuai Hu is back!"

"I'm General Hu Shuai, Zheng Si of Huazhou. I once drank wine with General Ma Shi and escorted food and grass to Xin'an. It was last month. I'm not pretending to be a thief. Open the door!"

"Are you going to turn against me? You have forgotten Hu Shuai's great kindness? A wolf-hearted thing!"

The soldiers shouted until their throats were filled with smoke, and Ma Sixun finally appeared on the wall.

He raised his head to look at it, and then said loudly: "The thieves are near Luoyang, and they dare not open the door at night. The military law is there, and they dare not violate it."

After all, he ran away and never came out again.

Hu Zhen's face was uncertain under the moonlight.Xia Bandit seems to have noticed the movement here, and has already sent a small group of Rangers over.

Hu Zhen had been chased by Xia thief cavalry for a whole day before, and after losing half of his men, he escaped in the dark and returned to Luoyang after a long detour.He didn't want to be captured by some small person for his great achievements. After greeting him, he led his troops eastward and disappeared into the night.

Ma Sixun appeared from the top of the city again.The battle in Cangcheng became more and more fierce, and it seemed that the critical moment had come. He was extremely anxious, and was not interested in thinking about Hu Zhen's opinion of him, so he went downstairs directly and asked Duan Ning about the details of the envoy's summer camp.

Hu Zhendong ran for nearly ten miles, and then ordered everyone to dismount, eat some water, and recover their energy.It wasn't until after dawn that he continued eastward, and then bumped into Kou Yanqing's department of the Changzhi Army who was repeatedly entangled with Xia Jun's rangers.

"Shuai Hu?" Kou Yanqing stared at Hu Zhen, who had a dusty face and had lost his helmet and uncut hair, and immediately understood everything.

Seven thousand troops, for nothing.

"There are changes in Luoyang, Ma Sixun and Duan Ning are unreliable, and I'm afraid they have different opinions." Hu Zhen said succinctly.

Kou Yanqing was also a little surprised when he heard it at first, but then he thought it was normal when he thought of Hu Zhenbei's attack on Bai Simaban and his defeat.In the current situation, it is normal to have some thoughts. Ma Sixun is not from Bianzhou, but from Haozhou, so he can have fart loyalty.

Thinking of this, Kou Yanqing felt a little emotional.I don't know how it happened, the king of Liang has especially trusted newcomers and descendants in recent years, and he has been neglected and suppressed by veterans.

But then again, if the King of Liang didn't do this, these Bian Song local generals would have no chance to take the lead.Liang Wang is using these newcomers and guest generals to hedge against the influence of the old man Yuancong, ensuring that he alone has the highest prestige in the entire Bianzhou, and no one can threaten his status.

Alas, I don't want to think about this anymore, let's think about how to clean up the mess in front of me.

"What does Shuai Hu intend to do?" Kou Yanqing asked bluntly.

This is a question that is not easy to answer, and Hu Zhen pondered for a long time before he said: "In the past, the king ordered me to suppress Luo, and I didn't ask anyone else. I only reminded me about one thing again and again. The danger of Xiaohan is to prevent western thieves."

Kou Yanqing nodded slowly, and said: "Once Luoyang is lost, Xiaohan's danger will be over."

"I don't dare to disappoint King Liang's great kindness. The current situation can be cheered up..." At this point, Hu Zhen paused, as if he realized that the Changzhi Army was under the direct line of King Liang, and it was under his command in name, but in fact it acted on its own. Then he said in a deliberative tone: "If I want to go back to Luoyang, I will first force Ma Sixun and Duan Ning to submit, defeat the Xia bandits Cai Songyang's department, and then go north to fight the Xia bandits. Whether it is success or failure, it's all in one fell swoop."

Again?Kou Yanqing raised his eyebrows, but did not answer.

"General Kou?" Hu Zhen looked at him.

Kou Yanqing looked away from Hu Zhen's gaze and sighed.He knew that Hu Zhen was in trouble.

Luoyang was lost, and he must not be able to explain to King Liang, so he thought of fighting to see if he could save the situation.

"Hu Shuai should know that the Xia bandits are attacking from two directions. On the Luokou side, the messenger I sent has not returned yet. I am afraid that it is too bad." Kou Yanqing said: "If Gong County and Luokou are lost, the Xia bandits will retreat. Worry-free, I will definitely send troops up the Luoshui River, pass through Yanshi and Shiqiaodian, and go straight to Luoyang. I also know that the Xia bandits have gone south from Baisi Maban and entered the north of Luoyang. Maybe in two days, Shiqiaodian, Luoyang There will also be Xia bandits in the old city, and the three armies will come together, our army will win one, and two, but can we fight all three?"

In fact, Kou Yanqing was admired by Zhu Quanzhong, not without reason, at least he judged that Xia Jun's advance might be indistinguishable.

The Longrun Department of the Yumen Army will set off tomorrow with nearly [-] pacers, and travel southwest along the Luoshui River. The vanguard will arrive in Yanshi within two days, and the brigade will arrive within three days.

At this time, thousands of troops led by Yang Sheng, the deputy envoy of the Tiande Army, were camping seven or eight miles north of Shiqiaodian.Before sunset tomorrow, we will definitely be able to reach the ancient city of Luoyang.

As for Cai Songyang's troops, they were fighting fiercely with the bandits in the ruins in the north of Luoyang City.

The three arrows were fired together. Although Kou Yanqing didn't see it, he already judged it almost. It's just that he didn't know the exact time and location of Xia Jun's dispatch.

"There are not many bandits in the north of Luoyang." Hu Zhen couldn't help persuading: "A few days ago, I sent an order to Zhu Youning to lead the army to the east. It eats it, and then it is much calmer."

Kou Yanqing looked at Hu Zhen steadfastly. Yuan Cong was a veteran at his age. It was really not easy to beg him in such a humble tone, but——

"Does Hu Shuai know how many soldiers and horses Xia Bandits have come?" Kou Yanqing asked back.

"From the current point of view, only the designation of the Tiande Army has appeared, and there should be one or two armies besieging the southern city of Heyang." Hu Zhen said.

"Our department has captured a few bandit soldiers, and we learned through interrogation that there are no fewer than [-] bandits." Kou Yanqing said.

Hu Zhen was silent.He is also a veteran, and it should be known that this number is reliable, maybe more.Otherwise, it would be impossible to arrange such a big scene.

"Hu Shuai, why bother?" Kou Yanqing sighed and said, "So what if Luoyang is really lost?"

Luoyang is a basin surrounded in all directions by mountain ranges such as East-West Erxiao Mountain, Xiong'er Mountain, Song Mountain, and Mang Mountain.As far as its eastward passage is concerned, there is only one that extends to Dagu Mountain, the remnant of Songshan Mountain near the river bank.Dagu Mountain is a little gentler near the river bank. The ancients opened up mountain passes along the river and set up passes, namely Chenggao Pass, Sishui Pass, Hulao Pass and the current Xuanmen Pass of the Guo Dynasty.

The terrain of the revolving door pass is dangerous, easy to defend but difficult to attack.Emperor Xiaowen of the Wei Dynasty set up the Dongzhonglang General's Mansion in Luo, the town - Heyang Beicheng as the Beizhonglang General's Mansion.During the Daye period of the Sui Dynasty, there were Hulao Duwei's Mansion and the Guan Mansion juxtaposed, which shows that it is valued.

Pang Shigu is not stupid, of course there will be heavy troops left behind in this place.Because of its terrain, it is difficult to attack from any direction. Therefore, if you want to go east from Luoyang and follow the Yellow River into Zhengzhou with flat terrain, you must take the Xuanmen Pass.

"What do you mean?" Hu Zhen asked with a change of expression.

"Liang Wang Zhen Bian, not Zhen Luo." Kou Yanqing reminded.

The meaning is clear.As far as Bianzhou is concerned, the ruins of Luoyang are meaningless, and the basin is pitifully small, with little agricultural value. So what is the importance of Heluo to Bianzhou?Of course it's the terrain!

The Shao bandits attacked from west to east, and they had already reached Xin'an, but they had not yet left the vast mountain.So what if the Yiluo Basin was handed over to him?There are continuous mountains to the east of Luoyang. After climbing over these mountains, you can see the terrain of Yimapingchuan.

Hu Zhen quickly understood what Kou Yanqing meant, that is, if it really didn't work out, he could give up the flat basin and keep these passes.There are high mountains on both sides of these fortresses, and there is a narrow valley road in the middle, which is often a mountain road, and some have nine bends and eighteen bends. The terrain alone can make the Xia thief want to die, why bother to die in Luoyang?
But Hu Zhen shook his head: "If you lose your teacher and leave like this, it won't make sense."

Kou Yanqing was also silent.

When it comes to this aspect, he is not sure.What if King Liang was furious?Even if he is Liang Wang's favorite general, he is also commanding the direct line of the Changzhi army, can he bear the wrath of thunder?
"General Kou, I still have to go back to Luoyang." Hu Zhen said, "If there is any disharmony, you can lead your troops to retreat, and just say that I ordered it, it doesn't matter."

Kou Yanqing was a little moved when he heard the words, and sighed: "Forget it, let's go with Hu Shuai."

Hu Zhen was overjoyed and said: "Don't worry, it's really not possible, you can still go through the three passes in Luonan."

To the south of the Luoyang Basin, there are three passes. From west to east, they are Yique, Taigu, and Shenyuan.

Among them, Yique Pass, located [-] miles south of Luoyang City, is the most important.But this is the best way to go, and it is quite "dangerous". At present, there are [-] long straight troops guarding it.

Yique Pass is very dangerous, but after passing this pass, you can enter the flat Yishui River Valley, where the land is fertile and the water and grass are lush. Turning southeast, you can go straight to Ruzhou.

Taiguguan is located in a valley fifty miles southeast of Luoyang. It is a valley road with "steep banks on both sides and rugged mountain paths". The road out of the valley can reach Yingyang County.

Shenyuanguan is located 55 miles southeast of Yanshi. The mountain road is dangerous and narrow, and there are twelve twists and turns, which will be returned, so it gets its name.You can go to Dengfeng County when you go out of the mountain.

The two passes of Taigu and Zhuyuan are each guarded by five hundred soldiers of the Youguo Army.

In fact, there are very few defenders in these three passes. Naturally, the reason is that they are located in the hinterland. It is enough for some people to guard them symbolically. There is really no need to waste troops.

Hu Zhen and Kou Yanqing made up their minds, and they were not in a hurry at the moment, they rested until the next morning before setting off from camp.

Seven thousand troops drove large carts and small carts to Luoyang, twelve or thirteen miles away.

……

It was already the seventh day of the first lunar month, and there were fine snowflakes in the sky.

Cai Songyang walked into Cangcheng stepping on the stumped limbs and arms all over the ground.

It is said that there are one thousand defenders, but in fact there are only eight hundred, half of them are state and county soldiers, and half are Tutuan villagers.

The battle lasted until midnight, with nearly a thousand casualties and more than three hundred thieves killed.Later, after being persuaded by the surrendering soldiers and promising not to kill them, some husbands from Tutuan Township went out of the city to surrender, but those state soldiers resisted until dawn, and finally the entire army was wiped out.

Cai Songyang didn't know what they had to resist, who would reward them?Who will honor their exploits?
Perhaps at this time the world is full of such diehards.

"Death is not a pity!" He gave an order, and the dozens of people who surrendered in the end all had their heads splattered with blood on the spot.

Calculating the strength of the troops at hand, there are more than 400 surrendered soldiers, 200 peasants from the Heyang Tutuan, and 100 from the Tiande Army.

In fact, there is not much food in Cangcheng, only [-] to [-] hu.It is enough for Heluo's Liang Jun to consume more than a month.

There should still be food in Luoyang City, and most of Xin'an, Shazha and other places also have food in stock.If it is not enough—this is for sure—then we can only collect food locally in nearby counties. This should be the general composition of Liang Jun's logistics system in Luoyang.

After fighting all night, the soldiers were very tired.After resting until noon, everyone had dinner, and the snowstorm became stronger and stronger. Cai Songyang walked out of the camp and looked around, but he saw that the whole land was white.

"Ma Sixun and Duan Ning's generation are truly abominable!" Cai Songyang, who was dressed in iron armor by the cold wind, felt chills rushing all over his body, and at the same time, his anger also surged upwards.

You guys at both ends of the head rat, I want you to look good after I enter the city!

Two messengers galloped over from the north one after the other.When he got close, he got off his horse, stepped forward quickly, handed a document to Cai Songyang, and explained: "General Fu's order."

Cai Songyang took a look at it, sneered, and said, "Fu Cun judged me to blame."

The messenger lowered his head, as if the wind and snow were too strong, he saw nothing and heard nothing.

"It's a good idea to keep Zhu Youning and Kou Yanqing, but what about the soldiers?" Cai Songyang was still complaining: "You should hurry up and take down Heyang South City, and go south for reinforcements!"

Fu Cunshen actually conveyed Gao Renhou's order, that is, to keep as many Liang troops as possible and not let them escape.

But this requires enough troops, where are the soldiers?
Kou Yanqing's department has almost arrived in the eastern suburbs of Luoyang, and Zhu Youning's department has arrived [-] miles west of Ganshuiyi—by the way, Duan Ning privately revealed the news that Zhu Youning led his troops here. Cai Songyang seems to be so.

For the Xia army, the Yumen army was still on its way to Yanshi, while Yang Sheng's troops arrived at Shiqiaodian, and then headed west to the area of ​​the old city of Luoyang.

These two departments add up to only more than 6000 combat-capable troops, and the other few thousand native peasants are really useless at critical moments.

Cai, Yang, and Long actually have no advantage in terms of military strength.It may be that there are more than a thousand horses than others, and battlefield reconnaissance and cover are more advantageous.

We can only wait for the Tianxiong Army to go south. If these ten thousand infantry join the battlefield, our confidence will be greatly increased.

Oh, by the way, we must not forget the [-] cavalry of the German Army.In fact, under the leadership of Wang Chong, the deputy envoy of the Feixiong Army and the commander of the Leopard Cavalry, they have already entered the vicinity of Yique Pass.

(End of this chapter)