Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 590: Officers and soldiers are divided into three levels
In the big tent,
The three of them looked solemnly as they looked at the charcoal in the center of the tent, which was burning red. The flames were rising and making a "cracking" sound, which was particularly harsh.

Several people were silent, thinking about what Deputy General Chai Ding said. The troops occupied Chenzhou. Although they followed them, they neither made a surprise attack from behind nor set up an ambush on the road. Instead, they withdrew back. , what do you want.

Qin Yunjiang was even more confused. He knew that there were soldiers and horses following General Gu, and he was shocked. Could it be that there were rebels who had already detoured to Luoye Valley to set up an ambush? At that time, the exhausted soldiers would definitely be annihilated. If you think about it, you can't stay here for a long time.

"General Gu, Vice General Chai, I feel that since those people have withdrawn, this matter will be discussed later. The most urgent thing is for us to find a place to live. Because we are leaving in a hurry, I only brought half a month's worth of dry food." , the army cannot hold out for long, the general is here in a hurry, and the army is not rich in food and grass, but if it is not possible, we will take a detour."

Qin Yunjiang was still a little scared, but when he arrived at the mouth of the valley in the north of Fallen Leaf Valley, he was in the southern hinterland of the Central Plains. He could go anywhere. Since Chenzhou was occupied, he would take a detour back to the county or go to other cities to rest. right way.

Chai Ding lowered his head and thought for a while. The army only had enough food and grass for half a month. With so many people dead, it could only last the army for twenty days at most. The treasury of the cities south of Beijing had already reached the bottom. Only the county and city had supplies. Don’t withdraw,
"General, what General Qin said is true. We cannot stay here for a long time. The thieves from the Taiping Sect must have returned to attack Lin Yue Mansion. Let's take advantage of this moment to withdraw our troops and return the same way. It won't take long."

Only Gu Ping sat in the main seat, frowning.

Thinking back on how many things have gone smoothly since I sent out troops from the county, but there is something strange everywhere. Sometimes it is too smooth to be beautiful. It feels like someone is pushing everything behind me.
The duty of General Jingnan is to suppress the civil unrest in the south of Jingnan and to guard the safety of Linshan County. When the civil unrest first broke out, Lord Yu, the chief envoy of Jingnan, stopped him from sending troops because Linshan County and the city were unstable. Civil unrest has become widespread, but he is eager to send troops to rescue him. He should have been away while waiting for reinforcements from the court in the county. This series of actions proves that the chief envoy has other thoughts.

Thinking of the fall of Chenzhou City and the group of enemy troops with unknown origins, could it be that Master Yu had some rebellious intentions? Thinking of this, Gu Ping's calm heart was filled with turmoil.

If Mr. Yu had any objections, let alone Linshan County and the entire area south of Beijing, there would probably be no place for the imperial court to settle down. The most important thing now is where to go.
"You two, you are not thinking about the safety of Lin Yue Mansion now, but you are thinking about the people who are still alive. The other party knew that we would come a long time ago, so they set up an ambush in Luoye Valley. If Yunjiang hadn't arrived in time, this battle would have been tragic. Sheng, what I'm worried about is behind the scenes, whether the county and the city are still there."

"Yes, General."

"Yes, General, if you leave Jingnan without authorization, the court will definitely think too much."

Qin Yunjiang's eyes widened suddenly and he looked at General Gu in disbelief. Could it be that Linshan County cannot be defended or cannot be defended. In that case, where is the way out for him and others? Once the northern prefecture is lost, it is impossible to go to the east and south. We can only go west and take a long detour to get to Wuzhou. I don't know if the food and grass can support it there.

"What, general, what do you mean? Could it be that Linshan County cannot be defended."

Qin Yunjiang stared at the map and checked carefully. There was no official road to the northwest. He had to go north and take a detour from the south of Chenzhou City. The road General Gu took when he came was too rugged, and there were too many detours, which was a waste of food and grass. The road is also difficult, but it is also the only way.
"General, I feel that what Vice General Chai said is appropriate. Since there are no three places to go, we can only go to Wuzhou and go north to Anyang. I want to think of reporting to the court whether to go to Daliang City or rest in Anyang. However, the journey is long and we still need to take the official road. Passing by Chenzhou City, there is just one thing: if nothing happens in Linshan County, we will definitely not be able to leave."

Chai Ding suddenly came back to his senses. If Linshan County was not what the general said, there would be nowhere to go on the northwest road.

Gu Ping sighed and expressed his guess. He vaguely felt that he was panicking when he went back, as if it was a warning. Therefore, he retreated north and could not go back the same way. He had to have a foolproof strategy.
Chai Ding saw the heavy look on General Gu's face and knew that the matter was serious, so he no longer insisted on fighting back.

As Chai Ding spoke, he took the map and spread it on the desk in front of Gu Ping, then pointed to the east.
"General, General Qin, please look at you two. To the east, the closest city to us is Weizhou, but this city has been lost for a long time. The general guesses that not only Chenzhou but also Linzhou in the east may also fall into the In the hands of thieves,
To the north is Chenzhou, where the group of people are watching. The only way out now is to the west. "

"Okay, in that case, let's bury the pot and make rice, rest for a while, and move north overnight,"

Protector Du, who was still confused, was stunned for a moment after hearing this. Qin Yunjiang actually left. How could it be possible? His subordinates supervised the battle and sent people to attack the city. Many people died, although they were some refugees.
I wanted to explain, but seeing Master Chu’s gloomy face, he paused and defended,
"Back to Master Chu, I really don't know whether Qin Yunjiang has left or not. In the morning, I sent people to supervise the battle and asked the refugees to attack the city like yesterday. They fought all morning and many people died. No, It looked like he ran away."

With the final word, Gu Ping's words made Chai Ding and Qin Yunjiang look at each other. They both felt it made sense, nodded and said with fists in their hands,
"Listen to the general,"

"If I have nothing to worry about in Kebao County, but we are still trapped here and cannot advance or retreat, the people in the county cannot believe it, and I even wonder if those officials have any objections. Going south, too It's just a coincidence, but I always feel like someone is behind it. If we retreat to the county town, if the city falls, we will die in that field without a burial place."

Seeing that Protector Du was still quibbling, not only Zuo Ling, but also the hot-tempered Wei Siyuan couldn't help but laugh and said,

Chai Ding drew a circle with his hand on the map, then pointed to the northwest and landed on Nanyang County. The two generals looked again and again in the northwest. The nearest place was Wuzhou, and to the south was the fiefdom of King Zheng. Nanyang, a little further to the north, is the important town of Anyang, which may be a retreat.
Gu Ping's eyes narrowed. He must not go to Nanyang. Although Wuzhou is far away, it is also the closest. The important town of Anyang is connected to the official road junction and can directly lead to Daliang City in the hinterland of the Central Plains. However, Wuzhou does not know if there is any available food and grass to support the army.
"Yunjiang, what do you think?"

Outside Lin Yue Mansion City,
In Du Shaoqing's camp, in the handsome tent,
Chu Yiyue sat on the main seat with a gloomy face, and his sharp eyes swept across the tent, making Yishui's protector and flag owner lower their heads.
"A good situation has turned out to be like this. Not only did Qin Yunjiang let go, but he also got a bite of his flesh from that boy Gu Ping. Du Shaoqing, did you really not notice that the government troops in Fucheng were withdrawing?"

Gu Ping listened to the two people's words and thought about it in his mind.
"That's right. Then we will take the official route and return to Chenzhou City. Let the scouts first explore the situation of Linshan County. If it is still in the hands of the imperial court, we will go back. If it is in danger, then we will storm Chenzhou City and then go to support the county. If the county falls first and there is no chance to recapture it, then go west."

"Since the general is concerned about the people in the county, he should think of a safe way out. If he can't go back to the northern county, there are only two places left, the west and the east."

"Guardian Du is indeed as stable as a mountain. When we were fighting a bloody battle with Jingnan General Gu Ping in Luoye Valley, Qin Yunjiang led his troops from behind and almost had to confess. If Leader Chu hadn't arrived in time with his troops, would he have been able to see me? Just talk about Zuo Ling, and there is one more thing, Gu Ping seems to have discussed it with Qin Yunjiang, and he attacked one after another, which is incredible."

"you!"

Du Shaoqing's face turned red, and he suppressed his anger. What does it mean to be as stable as a mountain? It's not that you are useless. You can't even hold a camp. He just wanted to fight back, but was stopped by Master Chu.
"Okay, let's not talk about this in advance. Protector Du, the leader of the army must take Lin Yue's Mansion in an hour and spend the night in the city. As for Gu Ping and Qin Yunjiang's troops, there are still more than 30,000 in total. It may not be wrong to leave. It's a good thing, but you have to be careful all the time. The imperial court is really not simple." Chu Yiyue didn't care about temporary gains and losses. Instead, he knew that the imperial court was really powerful. How they conveyed the message and how they coordinated so seamlessly must be wrong. It should be The imperial court should not underestimate the way people from the Imperial City Division send messages to each other, and will definitely be on guard against this trick in the future.

Seeing that Master Chu did not criticize him, Du Shaoqing, the right protector, felt at ease. As long as he captured the city, the matter would be over. He did not stay in the tent and accepted the order with a fist in his arms.

"Yes, Master Chu, my subordinates will take the order."

Then he led the two flag masters out of the big tent, gathered the troops out of the camp, and went straight to Linyue Fucheng.

In the big tent,
Zuo Ling and Wei Siyuan felt depressed, sitting there a little unhappy, with ugly faces. He was just a small Jingnan general. He lost so many brothers in the first battle. If it were the world-famous frontier army, and the capital What about the imperial army and the capital camp, not to mention the number one army in the world, the "Ghost Faced Cavalry" under Marquis Luo Yun.

Looking at Master Chu on the throne, Zuo Ling suppressed the uneasiness in his heart. He had seen the cavalry under Marquis Luo Yun at close range in Jiangnan. They were not comparable to the Forbidden Army. Everyone was wearing heavy armor and had protective gear. Face, evil spirit is pressing, so people in the south of the Yangtze River naturally spread the word "Ghost Face Rider", and the children stopped crying when they heard the sound.

"Master Chu, although we lost a lot of people in today's battle, we didn't gain anything. I didn't expect that a Jingnan general would be so difficult to deal with. But in the end, my subordinates discovered that the government troops almost collapsed at the first touch and had no intention of fighting. , on the contrary, the soldiers under the command of General Gu Ping of Jingnan, and the soldiers at the forefront of Qin Yunjiang, fought bravely and were truly elite, so the soldiers of the imperial court can be divided into three levels."

"Oh, it's divided into three grades. Then tell me how to divide it into three grades."

Chu Yiyue became interested. He saw that Zuo Ling, the brother-in-law of the leader, had no lofty opinion. The soldiers and horses of the imperial court were actually awarded the third class by you.
The surrounding flag masters and many hall masters also looked over curiously. In their eyes, they were all officers and soldiers of the imperial court. Killing officials for rebellion and killing them with one knife were all the same.

"Back to the leader, Zuo Ling came from the south of the Yangtze River. All he saw and heard along the way were the city's government troops. They had no fighting power. They could only be said to be lackeys who oppressed the people. These soldiers can only be regarded as third-class soldiers. On the neck, they can all kneel down and call you ancestor.”

Zuo Ling's eyes were filled with contempt. What he looked down on most was the lackeys of the court who could not fight these battles and could only bully the people.

As soon as these words came out, many people in the tent couldn't help but nodded. Thinking about it carefully, it was true. Wei Siyuan tilted his head and smiled,
"Lao Zuo, what you said is right. When those government soldiers saw us, they shouted that they were either ancestors or uncles. They are just like useless people, and they praised him, haha."

"Haha."

There was a roar of joy in the tent,
Chu Yiyue sat there, listening to the laughter of the generals in the tent, and gradually smiled. What he said was true.

"If you don't mention the third class, then tell me what the second class is."

Zuo Ling put away his disdainful look and had a cautious look in his eyes.
"Returning to the leader, my subordinates believe that the troops of General Gu Ping of Jingnan, the old camp led by people like Qin Yunjiang, and even the soldiers of the vassal kings and the Jiedushi envoys in Guan Nei can be said to be second-class. These This is the confidence they rely on to save their lives. They must have great fighting power. The battle in Fallen Leaf Valley is just a peek. If nothing else, the morale of the government army cannot be compared."

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a lot of discussion in the tent. Wei Siyuan was obviously unconvinced.
"Lao Zuo, what you said is true. We suffered a loss in Fallen Leaf Valley, but if there was a real fight, those troops would be like that. If Qin Yunjiang hadn't made a surprise attack, they would have surrounded the Jingnan general."

The words were said lightly, but Chu Yiyue suppressed his contempt. Although what Zuo Ling said was an exaggeration, it was not necessarily far off. The men and horses in the old camp under the general were still quite capable, not to mention other things. Gu Ping's men were well prepared for their advance and retreat, and they were obviously not ordinary elites.

"Quiet, continue to listen to Zuo Ling, what about the first-class soldiers of the imperial court?"

The tent also fell silent following the words of Master Chu.

They all looked at Guardian Zuo who was standing in the center of the tent. Zuo Ling bowed to Master Chu again, with a heavy face, and replied,
"Returning to the leader, the so-called first-class refers to the frontier army, the capital camp, and the imperial army who were ranked during the competition in the capital. Didn't you hear that Marquis Luo Yun and his party from Jiangnan were killed by the elite 'Ghost Faced Riders' who made everyone in Jiangnan tremble with fear? Known as the "No. 1 Army in the World", they even killed the Jurchens outside the Pass and fled in embarrassment. It was said that the border troops of the nine provinces in the northern counties blocked the hundreds of thousands of troops of the East Hu Jieti Marquis. How tragic and heroic. In addition, the great military There used to be four vassal kings of the opposite sex who were actually killed, such as the Gong family who had an army of 400,000 in the northwest."

The voice just fell,

There was still silence in the tent. Even the loud-voiced guardians kept silent. Was it too much?

"Haha, well said, well said, Zuo Ling, what you said is absolutely right, but you missed a point. Marquis Luoyun outside the Pass, despite his loyal appearance, outside the Pass, his troops should be no better than those of Xi There are few people in the palace, and the church has already reported carefully. There are more than 50,000 troops stationed in Pingyao City. You said that Marquis Luo Yun did not deploy troops in Pingyang City to guard against the Jurchens, or in Pingyun City to guard against the Donghu people, but he was alone in Pingyao. There are so many people left in the city, why? Huh?!"

"He has ambitions in Guan Nei."

Zuo Ling and Wei Siyuan suddenly replied at the same time.

:"Hahaha"

(End of this chapter)