Late Tang Dynasty Floating Life

Chapter 695 Here comes this trick again!

Dengfeng and Gaocheng are counties under Henan Prefecture, and Yangdi is under Xuzhou. The total distance between the three is [-] miles, and they are lined up along the Yingshui River.

The former two actually have no population.It was originally located in a mountainous area with few people. Huang Chao and Qin Zongquan suffered disasters twice and suffered huge losses.During this period, some people from other places came to seek refuge, and Zhang Quanyi gathered them all in the Yiluo Basin.

That is to say, apart from Huang and Qin, Zhang Quanyi was also an important factor that caused the sharp population decline in places other than Luoyang and Luoshui Basin.It's just that Lao Zhang forced the people to farm in the past, and what Qin Zongquan did was much more terrifying.

There are slightly more people in Yangzhai, but they also suffered huge losses in the previous wars. Most of the people ran to the state city, and very few came back.

On the fourth day of April, the army suddenly appeared outside Yangdi County and Yangdi Town.The gate of the county seat was closed tightly, and Qi Bizhang ordered a strong attack.

Tens of thousands of soldiers got off their horses and built simple ladders after logging. As a result, the soldiers climbed to the top of the city before the drum was beaten, killed the pitifully small defenders, and occupied the county.

The situation in the county disappointed the soldiers of the Xia army.

There were really not many people, there were about three hundred scattered households, men, women and children, all with frightened and uneasy eyes.

There is no need for looting anymore, and there is no oil or water to be scraped.The sergeants broke down the door of the only grain store in the county town, and opened the granary of the county treasury. They only got more than [-] dendrobium of millet and wheat in total, half of which were shipped from other places at a high price and were ready to be sent to the boarding house. sealed.

After collecting dozens of horses and mules, the whole army spent the night in the city.On the second day, lead the horse and walk first.In the afternoon, the scouts came to report that there were Liang Jun cavalry chasing from behind, so everyone got on their horses and ran away.

Ma Duo is so capricious.The average load on each horse is not as big as yours, and they have the ability to chase me.

On the evening of the sixth day of April, the whole army arrived at the outskirts of Changshe County in Xuzhou, ninety miles southeast of Yangdi.

Xuzhou was named Yingchuan in the Northern Dynasties.

In the third year of Datong in the Western Wei Dynasty, He Ruotong, the governor of Yingzhou in the Eastern Wei Dynasty, came to surrender according to Yingchuan.Yu Wengui rescued him from Luoyang with two thousand soldiers on foot, followed by Yangdi.A war broke out between the two sides here, and the Eastern Wei Dynasty was defeated.

Qi Bizhang didn't know much about these old things about Chen Zhima and rotten millet, but he also humbly asked his army staff for advice, and learned that Yingchuan County had been a prosperous and densely populated place in all dynasties, and he had a new appreciation for this place. know.

In short, let go of the robbing, these [-] people and more than [-] horses don't have to worry about not being able to survive.

"There are Xuchang and Changge in the north of Changshe, and Linying and Yancheng in the southeast. They are all densely populated places. If the general goes to send donations, he will get a lot of money." The staff suggested.

"Is Changshe rich?" Qi Bizhang asked.

"Naturally rich."

"Then why bother to look far away?" Qi Bizhang asked with a smile.

"There may be bandit soldiers stationed in Changshe." The staff expressed their concerns.

Xuzhou is the reason for Chen Xu Jiedushi, with the military name Zhongwu.Since the mid-Tang Dynasty, it has been the front line against the Cai thieves in Huaixi.If you think about it, you will know that the one who can fight back and forth with Cai thief, so that the court relies heavily on it, can it be the underdog?
Discuss the three towns in Hebei, Ping Huaixi Rebel Town, Ping Zhaoyi Liu Zhen, Ping Xuzhou Yindaodu, Ping Qiupu Uprising, Pangxun Rebellion, Ping Li Guochang and his son, and even Ping Huangchao and Qin Zongquan. Which time did the Zhongwu Army not dispatch?Almost the royal thugs of the imperial court.

It is understandable for the staff to worry about the strength of the Zhongwu Army, but Qi Bizhang obviously has a different view.

"I heard that Zhu Quanzhong conquered various towns and mobilized the elite of the Zhongwu Army to join the Xuanwu Army. The Zhao family could not stop it." Qi Bizhang said, "Master Yang is a general of the Zhongwu Army, and Zhu Quanzhong also sent him there. He brought thousands of people in Ru and Cai have been fighting for many years, but they haven't seen much power, obviously the loyal military personnel are withering, and all the elite soldiers and strong generals have entered Xuanwu."

"Xuzhou's Zhao family has transported goods and goods to Bianzhou for many years, and every year they also choose to send Chen Xu Haoerlang to Bianzhou to join the army. Chen Xu Town, with a population of 60 million, has only raised more than [-] government troops. Is this normal?" Qi Bizhang continued: "Only more than ten thousand horsemen, and half of them were taken away by Yang Shihou, how much strength does Zhao Jue have?"

The staff was a little surprised and asked: "The military envoy wants to attack Xuzhou and wipe out the loyal army?"

Qi Bizhang laughed, and said: "Don't fight! If I want to wipe out the bandit army, when I reach Gaocheng County, I will loot everywhere and intercept the retreat of Zhang Guihou and his gang. Wouldn't it be beautiful? But Zhang Guihou can't count What kind of big fish is not worth enough to break Xia's army, and the [-] members of Ruzhou Dinghui should be stared at. The wise man will not do anything because of the small loss."

The staff seemed to understand.

"In Changshe County, collect food donations, collect mules and horses." Qi Bizhang said, "If the loyal army comes to fight, we will look for opportunities to fight if we can, and leave if we can't. Why should we be afraid?"

To be honest, only a small part of the more than [-] dendrobium, millet and wheat obtained in Yangzhai County was taken away, and the rest were all burned.It is reasonable to recruit more mules and horses. Every extra mule can bring dozens of catties of grain and beans, which is very important for them who continue to move and fight.

"After collecting grain and grass, let's cross the Yingshui to the west and attack Yingqiao Town." Qi Bizhang looked at Xuzhou City, which stood high on the horizon in the distance, and said.

……

The Tielin army moved very quickly, handing over the city defense almost immediately, and then moved southward in a big way, heading towards Luoyang.

The Guiding Army was a little slower than them, and followed them southward the next day.

Mengzhou and Henan provinces no longer allowed anyone to approach. Merchants, scholars, and even officials on official business at the court all took detours, either taking the gold merchants to Xiangyang, or taking the Huaizhou-Weibo route.The purpose is to prevent anyone from spying on the movement of the main force of the Xia army and ensure the smooth implementation of the Ruzhou campaign.

Li Renjun, the envoy of the Heyuan Army, was appointed as the commander of the Huaizhou camp capital, leading the three armies of Heyuan, Baoyi, and Yumen, as well as the guards and guards, totaling more than 2 people.The iron cavalry army has arrived in Jinjiang, and will soon arrive in Heyang, and will also be incorporated into the Huaizhou camp combat sequence.

With these [-] to [-] soldiers, plus Meng and Huaizhou county soldiers and Tutuan villagers, under the current situation, it is enough to defend Heyang—to a certain extent, although Luo Hongxin has both ends , Sitting on the fence and watching, did not help Zhu Quanzhong take the chestnut out of the fire, but it did contain a large number of Xia troops, and achieved part of the goal.

After resting in the river for more than two months, the Tiande Army, which has just made up new recruits, is stepping up training.Cai Songyang may receive an order to go east at any time and join the Huaizhou camp to increase the strength of this direction.

The Chishui Army belonging to the Luoyang camp continued to fight with Pang Shigu in the Yingzigu area.Thousands of yamen soldiers, plus more than 1 Tutuan peasants, almost filled the camps, waiting for the bandit army to attack in large numbers.

Against such a background, the Battle of Ruzhou unfolded almost silently.There were many more surprises than when the plan was made before the war, but Xia Jun has long been used to it, and it is rare for them to be able to execute the plan perfectly without losing shape.

"This rain is really heavy!" Shao Shude, who was going south, was not in a nervous or excited mood. He even had time to think about the progress of Heyang's water conservancy project.

Song Le is capable, there is no doubt about it.Shao Shude also gave him a lot of support. For example, this time he did not recruit Heyang masters on a large scale, but recruited as much as possible from Shaanxi, Dongdu, Hezhong and Tongzhou. A total of more than [-] people have arrived in Heyang. In the area of ​​Luoyang and Luoyang, they mainly transfer materials and manufacture equipment, and they also go to battle when necessary, such as siege and so on.

The water conservancy project in Heyang has been under construction for almost two years. It is mainly repaired and restored. It is not badly completed. I hope it can withstand the heavy rain today.

Last winter was surprisingly cold, and this spring had a lot of rain. The changes in the weather are really strange.It is estimated that after this period of drastic change, which may last for more than ten or twenty years, cold and drought will become the mainstream until it gradually returns to normal.

After arriving in Luoyang, Shao Shude stayed briefly for two days to listen to the report on the battle situation of the Luoyang camp.

"Currently, there are more than 2000 troops assembled outside Taigu Pass. In addition to the 7000 soldiers from the Ma Sixun Department of Henan Fuzhou, there are also [-] Tutuan villagers from Henan and Luoyang counties, and [-] soldiers from the Shunyi Army. Thousands of men and women from Tutuan villages in Yongning, Shouan, Fuchang and other counties were sent over to attack Taigu Pass in turn." Li Tangbin reported in a serious manner: "All the ministries suffered heavy casualties, especially Xiangyong. Liang Bandits Strong will, tenacious defense, never retreating in a deadly battle, so far no progress has been made."

"Taigu Pass has also been fought for some time, Li Dutou, tell me, how many bandits have been wiped out?" Shao Shude asked.

As for the casualties on his own side, Shao Shude didn't ask, he knew Li Tangbin's routine very well, he was a ruthless man who sent cannon fodder to pile up people's lives without even batting an eyelid.When the Qianghu were transferred from Helong and Guanbei, how did they fight on the Xiaohangu Road?Is the land so easy to get?This is in exchange for blood.

If he was not mistaken, Li Tangbin must have driven a large number of Luoyang Tutuan soldiers to attack the city, regardless of the cost.In his eyes, these brave folks in Luoyang were originally Liang people, and it took only three or two months to become Xia people, so death is not a pity.

"The city has been attacking the city continuously for several days, and more than [-] bandit soldiers have been beheaded." Li Tangbin replied.

"Did you see these four hundred heads?" Shao Shude asked.

Li Tangbin was a little nervous, and immediately replied: "This is all observations during previous siege battles, level [-], just a little more."

Shao Shude nodded, as he recognized the data, and asked again: "Pei Tong told me that there are more than [-] bandit soldiers in Guancheng. How long will it take to take it like this?"

Li Tangbin was a cautious person, he really didn't dare to make a promise on this matter.At the same time, he also had some doubts. In his plan, the attack on Taigu Pass was just a feint attack. Could it be that the king must attack it?
"Continue to attack fiercely, increase strength, and don't be afraid of casualties." Shao Shude said.

This kind of Guancheng, like Heyang Nancheng, is defended by geographical advantages, not city walls.Even if there is no Guancheng, you are just as difficult to fight, you can only bite hard.For example, in Shibao City back then, even if the Tubo people did not build the city walls, you also paid a lot of human life to fill it up. Of course, Taiguguan is definitely not as extreme as Shibao City.

"When will you join the Jinglue and Dingyuan Second Army?" Shao Shude asked again.

"Going back to the king, the time is not yet ripe, and the thieves have not been mobilized yet." Li Tangbin raised his head, looked into Shao Shude's eyes, and said with a serious face.

"Okay, I'll listen to you." Shao Shude smiled and said, "You are the commander of the battalion, and you make the decision."

Li Tangbin heaved a sigh of relief.

The commander-in-chief brought more than [-] people from the Tielin Army over here, just as a reserve team, but don't mess around.

"Lu Siye!" Shao Shude suddenly shouted.

"Your Majesty." Lu Siye stepped forward immediately.

"Prepare a letter to Duke Zheling of Tangzhou for me." Shao Shude said, "We must have the help of the Weisheng Army in this battle."

(End of this chapter)