stubborn thief

Chapter 173 The Great Retreat
Ma Maoguan's men broke through the Jinsuo Pass, took out his family and fled all the way north.

He made a lot of small calculations, robbed Liu Chengzong, the official banker, and made the matter too big. He didn't dare to stay in Yan'an with Shiziying.

So after taking the silver taels, he said that he was going to Qingyang Mansion.

Liu Chengzong was also worried about food, and he was happy to see others separate from him. Anyway, Ma Maoguan had thousands of family members, and the Lion Camp couldn't afford it.

Unexpectedly, Ma Maoguan was forced to come back after only one day of leaving for Qingyang.

"General Liu, Li, Li Laochai didn't bring down Heshui, Guyuan will send He Huchen to attack."

"He Huchen, is He Huchen here too?"

Liu Chengzong had just arrived in Yanchuan to pick up his fortune-telling boys, when he heard the news suddenly, he thought about He Huchen's name, feeling that the smell was not right.

The taste of northern Shaanxi is wrong.

Liu Chengzong knew about He Huchen. When he and his elder brother first joined the army, the commander-in-chief of Yansui Town was still Yang Zhaoji who pacified the White Lotus Sect in Shandong, and He Huchen was the deputy commander-in-chief of Yansui Town.

He left the army last year. He Huchen was promoted to the general officer of Ningxia because of his meritorious service in chasing down Zhou Dawang, a deserter who raised troops in Wudu.

This is a Ningxia general who is very familiar with Yan'an Mansion and Yansui Town.

There are two main official roads in Yan'an Prefecture, one is from Heshui County in Qingyang Prefecture to the east to Zhiluo Town of Qizhou; the other is from Yanchuan to the north through Suide Prefecture to Yulin City.

Now Li Laozhen is besieging Heshui County in the west, and upon receiving the news that He Huchen is about to conquer, Li Laozhen will retreat to the east, and He Huchen will lead his troops into Yan'an Mansion.

Du Wenhuan in the north stationed troops in Suide Prefecture.

There are only two official roads in Yan'an Mansion.

Liu Chengzong is very familiar with this situation, it is almost exactly the same as last year, nothing more than Li Bei was replaced by Du Wenhuan, the commander-in-chief; the guerrilla general Wu Weifan was replaced by He Huchen, the commander-in-chief of Ningxia.

"This is fucking!"

Cao Yao was spinning around anxiously, scratching his head and said, "I still want to go back to Black Dragon Mountain to stay for a few days, if I don't come sooner or later, I will come now!"

"Come back, come back quickly, tonight." Liu Chengzong called Fan Sanlang to lead the horse, and said to Cao Yao: "Let's go back right away, let my brother and I retreat quietly from Zhuantianmao and Xingzi River to Shiziwan in Yunyan River. "

Cao Yao was stunned: "What do you mean, you think Yan'an Fucheng is not safe?"

"I don't know, but the government is not a fool. There must be someone capable of knowing that there is a problem with Yan'an Fucheng."

Liu Chengzong shook his head. It has been a year since Yan'an Fucheng was out of the imperial court's control. A few days ago when Zhang Yundeng left the Yunyin team, he felt that the government already knew about the problem with Yan'an Fucheng.

No matter what Zhang Yundeng's guess is, he absolutely believes that Yan'an Fucheng is inseparable from Liu Shizi.

Of course, Liu Chengzong never dreamed that Zhang Yundeng thought that the magistrate Zhang Nian was supporting the bandits.

Fan Sanlang brought the red flag, Liu Chengzong and Cao Yao immediately rushed to Fucheng, met with their father and Mr. Yang that night, stated the information they had learned so far, and asked them to quietly move to Shiziwan under the leadership of their family members.

To be honest, the two of them were a bit reluctant, but they also knew that once the officers and soldiers became suspicious, they would not be able to defend Yan'an Mansion.

Not to mention that Liu Chengzu's elite troops followed Yang Yanchang to Qin Wang, even if they didn't go, the Liu family's two battalions would not be able to deal with the two chief soldiers in the well-connected Yan'an city.

That night, from Xingzihe to Zhuantianmao, the whole place was migrating, and important people were taken out of their homes and moved along the mountain road to Shiziwan in Laoshan.

The money and food were transported to the east by Liu Chengzong on the road because the mountain roads could not be transported by carts.

There were still some money and food that were not easy to carry, so they simply mobilized the Yan'an Guards.

On the other side of Xingzi River, Ren Quan'er from Saimenqianhu was pulled into Saimenqianhusuo.

For those near Fucheng, let Shi Wanzhong, Chen Ruji, and Lu Bin pull them into Yan'an Guard.

The Nanguan siege city of Yan'an Guard dug a hole overnight and buried the [-]-jin iron red cannon in the ground.

Master Liu sent people to various villages to convey the news that this year's summer grain can be delayed as much as possible.

An unprecedented retreat.

But they are not worried about whether they will come back in the future, this is not something that can be decided by worry.

It's up to the winner to decide.

If they win or the officers and troops withdraw, the Yan'an Mansion will return to its former state, and the Yan'an Guard and Saimen Thousand Households will still obey the Liu family.

If they lose or the official army is permanently stationed in Yan'an Mansion, then everyone is naturally a member of the official government, and they can do whatever the court asks them to do.

There was an undercurrent throughout the night. As the saying goes, the Prophet of the Plumbing Duck in the Spring River was the first to notice that things had changed. It was Zhang Nian, the prefect of Yan'an.

On the second day, Zhang Nian went out to work from the prefect's mansion behind the government office as usual, and found that his cronies all had dark circles under their eyes, and one was stuffed and the other was haggard.

Then in the next two full days, Zhang Nian heard the most mentioned thing from others, which was to ask him when the salary owed by the court would be paid.

Very strange.

What Zhang Nian has always been proud of is that the officials in Fucheng are all made of iron.

Arrears in salary arrears is not a problem at all. Last winter, Fucheng collected 70 taels of tax, and he withheld 50 taels of salary as salary and distributed it to everyone. He only paid less than a quarter of the salary, and the officials were very excited.

What happened this year?
Zhang Nian felt that everyone seemed to be a little slack.

Later he heard that the grain store in the city was closed.

It's just that when he received the news, he didn't know what it meant.

"General, Mr. Li sent someone here."

In the Yanchuan camp, Han Shipan came to report, and Ma Maoguan came with Li Laozhen's subordinates.

The little leader of the thieves looked exhausted. After entering the camp to rest for a while, he still couldn't stop panting heavily. He stepped forward and bowed down and said, "General Liu, the villain is Zhan Shanhu under Li Laojie's subordinates. The water retreated, and the leader sent me to ask for help. I know that the general's men are elite, and I hope to meet them in Zhiluo Town."

"Accept?"

Liu Chengzong looked back at the map, and it was only [-] miles away from Heshui County to Zhiluo Town, through Ziwu Ridge.

From Yanchuan to Zhiluo Town, it is more than [-] li.

Seeing him pondering, he drilled the mountain and said: "The leader is willing to give three thousand shi of grain and grain, and I ask the general to send troops."

Three thousand stones of grain and grain is not a small amount, but Liu Chengzong still shook his head. He pointed to the map and said, "My soldiers are setting off now and galloping for two hundred miles can only reach Yichuan. You will reach Zhiluo after two hundred miles." town."

In the past, Lion Camp didn't respond, but was as tired as a dead dog, stretching its neck and waiting for He Huchen to kill him.

Zhuan Shanhu quickly shook his head and said: "It's not the general. He Huchen is not in a hurry to chase. Our food team is in front and the soldiers are behind. He just hangs at a distance. We will arrive at Zhiluo Town in five days."

"Hanging far behind?"

Zhuanshanhu explained: "Ziwuling mountain road is narrow, he can't spread out his soldiers and horses, so he just hangs behind. In Zhiluo Town, we will have no strength."

"How many people does He Huchen have?"

Zhuan Shanhu said: "There are more than a thousand horse soldiers."

Liu Chengzong didn't believe it.

It is not surprising that the commander-in-chief led thousands of horses out of battle, and it is also very reasonable.

But it is unreasonable to lead thousands of riders into Yan'an.

Coming to Yan'an Mansion is to deal with him, Liu Shizi, and to deal with Liu Shizi, only a thousand horses are used, which is wrong.

Unless Yang He was in a hurry and He Huchen only led Qianqi out first, then it would be easy to understand why he slowed down while chasing Li Laozhen.

Most likely he was gathering troops.

Or maybe He Huchen didn't come for him?
It was possible, but Liu Chengzong couldn't believe it.

For four days, they marched in a large group, even if they took the official road to Zhiluo Town, they would still be quite tired.

Liu Chengzong knew about Li Laozhen's military strength. Ma Maoguan told him that when Li Laozhen went to Heshui County, there were about [-] people.

"Where are you going?"

Seeing that he still didn't agree, Zhanshanhu was a little discouraged, sighed before raising his head again and said: "Yichuan Panshan, we have a camp there, if we really lose, we will retreat to Hukou and enter Shanxi."

Liu Chengzong's eyes lit up, and at this moment he really made up his mind to help Li Laojie.

If Li Laoyu's plan was to find a place to defend, then he wouldn't help.

But knowing to leave a way out for himself, Liu Chengzong felt that Li Laozhen's brains were not bad, at least he would not hold back.

Although... it is not so appropriate to talk about Shanxi at this time.

Houjin in the Gyeonggi area has completely withdrawn, Qin Wangjun is coming back soon, and Shanxi is the first to bear the brunt.

"Go back and tell Li Laojie that the Lion Camp will help you, but you may not be able to arrive at Zhiluo Town on time. Run wherever you want."

Liu Chengzong looked at Zhuan Shanhu: "Can it be done?"

Zhuan Shanhu was overjoyed when he heard the words, and wanted to prostrate and kowtow again with a smile on his face, but was stopped by Liu Chengzong, Zhuan Shanhu hurriedly said: "The villain must bring the general's words to the leader!"

When Zhuan Shanhu went back to deliver the letter, the seven sentry chiefs gathered in the tent of the Chinese army. Some were willing to help, some were unwilling to help, and some were indifferent and only focused on the war. Everyone chattered.

Liu Chengzong sighed: "This is a good opportunity. Right now, the two armies are about to join forces in Yansui, and all the anti-kings in northern Shaanxi are in Shanxi. They are the barrier to resist the return of King Qin's army."

"That's the only people left in northern Shaanxi. We won't help Li Laozheng. When he loses, the Lion Camp will deal with the two armies by itself. Who will help us then?"

Cao Yao nodded in agreement, but then he sighed and said, "Zhiluo Town is too far away. I think the battlefield should be in Yanchuan. Let's go two hundred miles and let He Huchen go four hundred miles."

"That's what I thought too, but the situation forced me to take care of Li Laoyu. There is a large plateau in Yunzhou, which is sandwiched between Ziwuling and Huanglong Mountain, and that is the most dangerous for him."

As Liu Chengzong spoke, he explained: "Once He Huchen's army spreads out, even if there are only a thousand cavalry, Li Laozhen can't stop it."

"Order all the sentries to prepare, Zhong Hu, your middle sentry will stay in Yanchuan."

Zhong Hu just got up, he was taken aback when he heard the words, then sat down again and asked: "General, why did you stay in Yanchuan?"

"Let's wait for work, and prevent Du Wenhuan from going south. Yanchuan is one road to the north, but there are several roads to the south. Your people are careful to watch the north. Once the Suide army goes south, immediately send someone to report to Yichuan."

Zhong Hu nodded to express his understanding, and asked, "Then should I block them?"

"It's up to you to judge for yourself. If you can stop it, just block it for the purpose of letting them put on armor; if you can't stop it, it's okay, then retreat south, but you must remember to arrange some suspicious soldiers to go east to Shanxi."

This is what Liu Chengzong learned after fighting Li Bei.

He didn't realize that at the time, but Fu Renxi's false report made Li Bei think that he was in Shanxi, making him appear to have worries.

But now with experience, this environment can be artificially created.

But whether the enemy can be fooled, and what the effect of being fooled is not something he can control.

Speaking of this, Liu Chengzong raised his hand suddenly and said, "Remember to tell Fu Renxi not to let him transport gunpowder west."

Ever since Fu Renxi knew that he had sold gunpowder to Liu Chengzong, he had literally started his own business, trying to find ways to collect gunpowder.

First, he sold all the gunpowder stocks in Yongheguan to him, and then bought gunpowder from the nearby military garrisons, and also tried to buy it from the nearby nitrate production fields, so as to make the Yongheguan defenders fat and fat.

It's just that Liu Chengzong felt that even though he was eating well, it might run counter to Fu Renxi's own purpose. His people are living a good life now, but when it comes time to fight, they may not have a strong will to fight.

Of course, if it was to help the Lion Camp to beat other people's black guns, then the Yonghe Guan defenders might be quite capable of fighting.

Perhaps even Fu Renxi himself didn't realize that their fundamental interests had changed.

Leaving Zhong Hu guarding the back road, Liu Chengzong sent someone to inform Gao Yingxiang in Shanxi, and went west to Qinwang Zhuangzi to inform Zhang Tianlin, inviting him to meet in Fuzhou.

Zhang Tianlin's troops are still capable of fighting, and Liu Chengzong is willing to join forces with Zhang Tianlin.

As for whether Zhang Tianlin is willing to participate in the war, that is another matter.

Immediately, he led six posts and more than [-] war auxiliary soldiers to deploy along the official road, and the sub-posts passed through Yanchang County and marched into Yichuan.

On the way, he kept estimating how many troops He Huchen would have and where the battle would be more advantageous.

If He Huchen's troops are less than [-], there is likely to be sufficient supplies, especially after arriving in Fuzhou, where the bandits are slightly weaker.

You can choose to drag them into Yan'an Mansion. Unless He Huchen's troops plunder, they will never get supplies in Yan'an Mansion City, and even if they plunder, they will not get much supplies.

But the disadvantage of Yan'an Fucheng area is that Yanhe can accommodate thousands of people everywhere; and it may be double-teamed by Du Wenhuan in the north.

And continuing to drag into Yichuan, the long mountain road in the middle of Huanglong Mountain, can further delay and exhaust He Huchen's troops.

And more garrisons are needed along the way.

In the evening of the next day, they arrived at Yunyan Town, and approached Yichuan County on the third day. Liu Chengzong began to carefully explore the terrain and search for areas suitable for use as a battlefield.

At the same time, Yang Yao, who was dispatched as an outpost, led the army to gallop westward, passing through Huanglong Mountain, and inspecting the situation on the other side of the mountain pass.

On the fourth day, the large troops stayed at the east exit of Huanglong Mountain to build a camp for repairs.

Soon, the outpost Yang Yao sent someone back to report that Li Laozhen's food transport team had arrived in Fuzhou with vehicles, and the number of officers and troops hanging behind He Huchen had become more than [-], and this number was still increasing. Increase.

Liu Chengzong was right in thinking that He Huchen was indeed gathering his troops, so he moved forward at an extremely slow speed.

"Send an order to the outpost to ask Postmaster Yang to block the enemy for a while, and then retreat into Huanglong Mountain. The battlefield is here."

　good evening!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)