No, gentlemen also guard against

Chapter 354 The beginning of the chaos
A piece of hot knowledge is,
Jiangnan Road is about two thousand miles away from the two capitals in the pass.

Jiangzhou and Hongzhou are located in the center of Jiangnan Road in Guangliao.

According to the calculation of eight hundred miles express, it means traveling eight hundred miles in one day.

It would take at least half a month for an urgent military message to be transmitted back to the sacred capital Luoyang along the fastest canal and official road.

That’s not counting unexpected delays along the way.

At present, the Great Zhou Dynasty still adopts the ten realms of the world divided by Taizong in the early Qian Dynasty.

Above counties and states, there is no specific administrative unit within a region, and each state operates independently.

The so-called supervisory envoys and Jiedushi envoys are not permanent in other areas except at the border.

In other words, these official positions currently exist, but they have not yet formed the powerful real power that integrated the military, civilian, and financial affairs into one body in Ouyang Rong's previous life.

In short, administrative units at the provincial level are of no use for the time being.

The Zhou dynasty's situation of centralized power and bloated localities had both good and bad consequences.

The advantage is that a land is divided into states and counties, each under their own supervision, making it less likely to cause chaos and ensuring stability in the rear.

The downside is that when something goes wrong, the response is slow and no one takes a stand.

Therefore, before the news of the Northern Return garrison causing trouble in Hongzhou has reached the capital of the gods and the court has not reacted,

The message is conveyed back and forth within a window period of nearly ten days.

Only the chief officials of Jiangzhou Hall and Hongzhou Hall responded.

The current situation is such chaos and panic.

In the main hall, Jiangzhou officials gathered, and the atmosphere was silent.

Faced with the gazes of Ouyang Rong, Hu Fu and others.

Wang Lengran frowned and couldn't help but glance at Ouyang Rong's calm and calm expression.

His face looked gloomy for a while,

After a while, he reluctantly nodded:
"Eunuch Hu, please be patient. I will go and discuss this matter with General Zhechong."

Wang Lengran hurriedly left the main hall.

Go and summon the generals of Zhe Chong Mansion.

No matter what, at this critical moment, Ouyang Rong and Wang Lengran have the same interests.

Hongzhou and Jiangzhou are horns with each other, and their lips are cold and their teeth are dead.

As the chief and adjutants of Jiangzhou, the two of them would be of no benefit to either party if something went wrong in Jiangzhou.

At the entrance of the main hall, Ouyang Rong withdrew his gaze. Only then did he have the energy to observe Khufu, whom he had not seen for a long time.

I saw this emperor's personal envoy. His soap robe was messy, probably because he was rushing on the road. He looked haggard and had deep dark circles under his eyes.

His palm was still tightly grasped on the handle of the short knife at his waist, as if he was a stress reaction left behind when he escaped from the water that night.

Also.

Anyone who experiences such a sudden turn of events and a narrow escape from death will be shocked and have their heartstrings tightened.

But Ouyang Rong still remembered the mature and steady appearance of this young eunuch with a beard when he received Khufu at Xunyang Ferry.

Comparing the two, there is quite a contrast.

Ouyang Rong pursed his lips.

The emperor's personal envoys are also ordinary people.

Even the imperial envoys from Luoyang, the capital of the gods, bear the majesty of the emperor and carry their own noble rank.

It is nothing more than a clay Bodhisattva coated with a layer of gold. It cannot protect itself when crossing the river.

Ouyang Rong suddenly thought about whether Cai Qin and other garrison soldiers thought the same thing that night when the uprising scared Khufu away.

In a sense, this is a kind of disenchantment that suppresses the imperial authority.

It gives rise to a feeling of happy revenge that only noble ministers and dignitaries in the city of God can achieve.

The princes and generals are quite kind.

I wonder which man in the past and present could withstand such earth-shaking passion and pleasure.

Perhaps this is also the reason why most mutinies that broke the stable order in the past and present ended violently. They could not stop and could only go to the dark side.

When the front is restrained, the force is pressed harder. The back breaks the old order and breaks free. The sky is high and the sea is wide.

"Aren't Ouyang Changshi worried about something happening in Hongzhou?"

Walking out of the main hall together, Hu Fu couldn't help but ask when he saw Ouyang Rong's face next to him.

"There's no point in worrying or rushing."

Ouyang Rong shook his head: "There are many things that worry me. I can't be anxious all the time. I won't even eat."

Khufu was silent for a while, rubbed his face, and nodded: "That makes sense."

"correct."

As if remembering something, Khufu touched his waist knife and said calmly:

"Thank you, Ouyang Changshi, for the gift of the knife that day."

Ouyang Rong raised his eyebrows slightly, hearing something unintelligible.

He looked around, then took Khufu to a deserted place on the other side of the corridor, and asked, "What happened that night?"

Khufu sighed and told in detail what happened when he woke up that night and was rescued by Su Qian.

"Although Lieutenant Su doesn't talk much, he is very thoughtful. If he hadn't kept an open mind, the Za family would not be able to see Ouyang Changshi today."

Khufu hissed.

Ouyang Rong listened quietly.

Suddenly asked: "My father-in-law came back at night with only a waist knife. Where are the official documents, seals and other items? And where are the entourage."

Khufu's face was stern, "This... is because the miscellaneous family is useless and escaped too hastily, making Ouyang Changshi laugh..."

"It's not a joke, it's just a worry...forget it, that's the end of the matter, let's talk about something else."

Ouyang Rong shook his head and asked:

"Eunuch Hu, does he still remember Cai Qin's changes in attitude? Are there any slightly unusual actions?"

Khufu frowned and thought for a while, then said with regret:

“It’s all the fault of those local petty officials, who are short-sighted and ignore the overall situation… Starting from Raozhou, strict troops have been set up to guard the checkpoints along the way.

"It was also from that time that Cai Qin and the others were shocked, and the situation worsened."

"Wait, where did you say?" Ouyang Rong interrupted and asked, "Raozhou?"

Khufu nodded: "Yes, Raozhou."

Ouyang Rong was silent.

Khufu looked at Ouyang Rong's squinting expression and asked, "Is there any difference in this state?"

Ouyang Rong asked back: "When Mr. Hu passed through Raozhou, did he see the newly appointed Sima of Raozhou?"

"Sima Raozhou?" Khufu frowned and said:

"That day when the Zajia family went to the Raozhou Hall to ask for an explanation, there were many people. The Zajia family only remembered the Raozhou Zhao Changshi, but the little Sima didn't pay attention.

"Ouyang Changshi asked why. Does it mean that there is something wrong with this person?"

Ouyang Rong pursed his lips and said nothing about Li Zhengyan.

There are no outsiders here. The tall Khufu sat on the stone bench in the corridor quite decadently and sighed:
"By the way, there is also something wrong with the captain surnamed Du. Ever since he came..."

"Your surname is Du?" "That's right."

"What is this person like?"

Khufu spoke carefully. After Ouyang Rong listened, he closed his eyes and sighed: "What's the accent of this person?"

"Speak in the official dialect of Chang'an." He had been in the Luoyang court for a long time, had contact with all the elites of the empire, and was accustomed to the official dialect of Chang'an.

Ouyang Rong said softly: "Most of the soldiers in Beigui garrison are locals from Hongzhou and Jiangzhou. They speak the Wuyue dialect with a gentle tone."

Khufu hesitated: "But the Za family looked at the south, and there were not many people who spoke the official sound, so I didn't care at that time."

"But even if you say the official sound of Chang'an, it will be more or less mixed. Think about it, this Captain Du is like this."

Ouyang Rong stood with long sleeves, lowered his eyes and asked:

"Does Captain Du have a particularly standard Chang'an official accent?"

Khufu was stunned for a moment, vaguely remembering the dull voice of the young man in the felt hat in his mind...

His face suddenly became shocked.

Looking at Khufu's expression, Ouyang Rong already knew the answer.

The atmosphere in the two-person room in the corridor fell into silence.

That night.

The night is as cool as water, drink ice and drink in the inner room.

Ouyang Rong, who couldn't sleep, got out of bed and covered the bare-backed Ye Weilai with a quilt. He stood up and spread out a map in front of his desk.

Ouyang Rong took out another set of keys from Dragon City and a felt hat left behind by a "passer-up in Xunyang".

The key and felt hat were pressed on the map with complex markings. The densely packed small characters on the map seemed to have been annotated by the owner.

Under the lamp, Ouyang Rong leaned back in his chair, rubbed his face and said to himself:
"Is the picture just a Hongzhou..."

The next day, Ouyang Rong came to Jiangzhou lobby and immediately learned a piece of news.

Wang Lengran had discussed with the generals overnight and decided to send troops for reinforcements.

There are only 500 active soldiers in a Zhechong Mansion, about five regiments.

This time, Captain Yang Xin, the captain of the army, led 900 troops from Jiangzhou to help Hongzhou.

Only 600 people were left stationed in Jiangzhou.

Nine hundred elite soldiers skilled in riding bows and arrows left the military camp in the north of Xunyang City in a mighty manner.

Ouyang Rong, Wang Lengran, Hu Fu and others watched them leave with various thoughts...

the following month.

In addition to the belated arrival of the imperial court, which was expected to order all states in Jiangnan Province to work together to exterminate the rebels, detailed news about Hongzhou also came one after another.

At first, Zhu Lingxu, the governor of Hongzhou, discussed with the generals to attack Cai Qin after receiving Cai Qin's petition.
Then he ordered Luan Xingjun, the Zhechong captain of the Fourth Zhechong Prefecture in Hongzhou, to serve as general and lead 3000 troops to attack Cai Qin.

At the same time, Jiang and Fu, the two states closest to Hongzhou, were ordered to send troops to invite an attack.

Because under the persuasion of Ouyang Rong and Hu Fu, the soldiers of Jiangzhou Zhechong Prefecture led by Yang Xin set out early and happened to meet up with Luan Xingjun's large army, with a combined force of four thousand.

Compared with Jiangzhou, Fuzhou's reinforcements responded slowly and are still on the way.

Four thousand officers and soldiers faced off against [-] garrison soldiers. The main theme was "I have the advantage", and their morale was greatly boosted.

Luan Xingjun's army did not have time to wait for Fuzhou reinforcements and arrived at Qianshan first.
However, Cai Qin made a dummy formation in the mountains and quietly headed towards Fuli on the border of Hongzhou and Fuzhou.

It was dark night, and Luan Xingjun's army was aware of it, but fearing an ambush, they withdrew their troops to the south of the city and waited until dawn before pursuing them.

At this time, Cai Qin's army had reached Fuli and was fighting on the Fushui River with 500 reinforcements from Fuzhou officers and soldiers. The Fuzhou officers and soldiers collapsed at the first touch and fled in the face of the wind. Cai Qin went straight to Fuzhou.

There were no more soldiers in Fuzhou city, and the officials fled one after another.

After Cai Qin's army entered Fuzhou City, he distributed wealth and rice and recruited strong men. In one day, thousands of people gathered from all directions.

Cai Qin then divided his troops to defend the city, claiming that his troops and horses were staying behind.

The next day, Luan Xingjun arrived with his army and garrisoned outside the city. Cai Qin used rockets to shoot down the huts outside the city. The fire spread to the army tents. Cai Qin's army came out of the city and suddenly attacked, killing nearly 300 officers and soldiers before returning to the city. .

At night, the people in the city helped to defend the city, and the women held drums and played watch. Cai Qin gathered [-] large ships in the city, filled them with supplies, and sailed down the river.

It was not until dawn that the officers and soldiers knew that Cai Qin had left, and they chased him in a panic. They didn't even eat breakfast. Everyone was hungry when they chased him.

At this time, Cai Qin's army ships were seen lined up under the embankment. Several groups of soldiers on the shore noticed the arrival of the officers and soldiers and hid on the embankment slope one after another.

Luan Xingjun thought that Cai Qin was cowering in the face of the battle, so he led his troops to attack.

Unexpectedly, Cai Qin's army fought out from the boat and from the embankment. They attacked from both sides and fought from noon to evening. The officers and soldiers were defeated.

Luan Xingjun led his troops to retreat and fell into Heze.

Cai Qin's army caught up, and Luan Xingjun, Yang Xin and other generals died in the chaos. About 1000 soldiers died, and the rest surrendered to Cai Qin's army.

Cai Qin inquired about the surrendered soldiers and learned that Hongzhou was empty, so he immediately led his troops north to Fushui and attacked Hongzhou through the mountains...

News of a series of defeats of Luan Xingjun's army in Hongzhou came quickly. Xunyang City, which was an important water transportation route in the south of the Yangtze River and prosperous with merchants, completely shattered the original scene of peace and prosperity.

It was different from the shock, trembling, and sweating of Wang Lengran, Khufu, and others.

After Ouyang Rong read the battle report, besides frowning, his first reaction was surprise.

This kind of movement of troops with arms and fingers is a strategy that a previously unknown border guard could have?

But when I think of the "Captain Du" described by Khufu, there is also the figure of a certain Raozhou Sima looming behind him.

Ouyang Rong pursed his lips and fell silent.

"It's not just organization, but also thinking. This kind of clear and concise thinking... there are experts."

He frowned in confusion.

Sure enough, a few days later, another piece of bad news came back:
When Zhu Lingxu, the governor of Hongzhou, learned that Luan Xingjun had been defeated, he hurriedly asked for help from neighboring states. He closed the city gates and selected strong men to guard the city. But the whole city was panicked and had no resolve.

In mid-July, Cai Qin's army of 7000 men arrived at Hongzhou City, and the sound of killing was loud.

Thanks to the fact that the soldiers were born in Hongzhou.

Cai Qinjun gave kind words and comfort to the residents outside the city without disturbing them. He received support and help from the people of Hongzhou, and the city of Hongzhou was crumbling.

Seeing that there were no more reinforcements, Zhu Lingxu, the governor of Hongzhou, surrendered and dedicated the city.

Cai Qin's army entered the city, but Qiu did not commit any crimes.

At the same time, he treated Zhu Lingxu, a man who knew current affairs, who had not harmed the 1000 or [-] garrison families at all, with hospitality.

Turning around, Yuan Gongsi, the coach who insisted on the postponement, Shi Shiqi, the chief of Zhechong, and others were all caught, cut open, and executed in the street. The people applauded.

Cai Qin's reputation was so great that more than ten thousand people in Hongzhou City were willing to follow him.

In the summer of the second year of Tianyou, a group of garrison troops returning from the north, which initially numbered only 500 people, used their actions to tell Her Majesty the Queen, who was far away in the Luoyang court, and everyone in the world, one thing:
They should be recruited, not surrendered.

News of the fall of Hongzhou spread back to Jiangzhou City.

A very straightforward and hard logic is placed in front of everyone.

Among the 500 and 1000 garrison troops returning from the north, [-] and [-] Hongzhou garrison troops have returned home, but what about the remaining [-] Jiangzhou garrison troops?

Cai Qinjun's next goal is almost obvious.

The governor of Jiangzhou, Wang Lengran, panicked and summoned the officials in the main hall of Jiangzhou. Following the advice of the chief historian Ouyang Rong and the envoy Hu Fu, they collected supplies on a large scale and defended Xunyang City while waiting for reinforcements from neighboring states.

Throughout the end of July, Hongzhou was very quiet. I don't know if they were making preparations or waiting for something.

But everyone knows that a big chaos is brewing in Hongzhou.

Just when the storm in Hongzhou is about to sweep across Jiangnan Road.

A piece of news came from the western border of Lingnan Road thousands of miles away, adding fuel to the fire again:
On July 25, Shi Lan Changhao, the governor of Guizhou, was sentenced to death by the emperor's personal envoy "Khufu" who rushed to Guizhou for conspiracy to rebel.

(End of this chapter)