Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 653 run running run
Boom!

It suddenly started raining heavily outside the window.

Yangzhou is a land of fish and rice, and it rains a lot, and once it rains it never stops.

The rain came suddenly, accompanied by loud thunder, crackling on the ground, making people feel upset.

In the study of the Yangzhou government office, Fang Chongyong was opening and reading letters one by one, most of which were sent from Bianzhou.

One of the letters was about Liu Yan talking about the difficulty of collecting taxes. This year was the first year of the implementation of the two-tax system, and many large households resisted taxes and found ways to pay less taxes.

Liu Yan said he is already dealing with these matters and some tough measures may be needed.

In fact, reform means cutting the flesh of vested interests, so how can there be no pain in promoting reform?
But, eventually, dishonest people will be made to behave themselves with an iron fist.

Fang Chongyong wrote a reply letter to Liu Yan, asking him to collect taxes freely. Anyway, Shanyuan Villa was still very empty, so it would be a good idea to arrest more people for labor reform.

"The traitor Fang Qing actually ran away!"

Seeing the battle report sent by Liu Zhan, Fang Chongyong couldn't help but sigh.

The rebel Fang Qing sent troops to Qiupu on the south bank of the Yangtze River. After being beaten for rashly sending troops across the river, he retreated to Qiupu.

Fang Chongyong originally thought that Fang Qing's troops would come to Jiangdong to meet up with Yuan Chao, and then attack the city together.

But Liu Xian now sent someone to deliver a letter here, saying that Fang Qing did not run east, but ran west to Poyang Lake!

Now, Fang Chongyong really had no way to surround and suppress this person.

Because the force could not be deployed, food and fodder could not be supplied in place, and they were completely in the dark about the people's situation there.

After all, Bianzhou is just a separatist regime and does not have the strength to fight freely within the borders of the Tang Dynasty.

"I'm afraid Fang Qing's disaster will spread to Xiangxiang. Let Yan Zhenqing take care of it."

Fang Chongyong murmured to himself.

Boom!

Outside, a flash of lightning streaked across the night sky. Yangzhou City was like an isolated island standing on the coast. Except for here, the world was full of water.

Zhang Guangsheng pushed open the study door and walked into the study with Yuan Zai. Both of them were wet from the rain and looked a little embarrassed.

"It's so late, is there something wrong at the front line?"

Fang Zhongyong put down the letter in his hand and asked doubtfully.

"General, the bandit troops east of Taihu Lake have begun to withdraw. Scouts have reported that the bandit troops near Suzhou have begun to retreat to the vicinity of Hangzhou.

But the bandit troops in Changzhou have not moved yet.

I think this may be because the brothers Yuan Chao and Yuan Ying had a disagreement on the war situation.

It could also be that the rebel army wants to shrink its front line."

Yuan Zai handed Fang Chongyong a thin bamboo tube with the sealing wax still on it.

He opened it and found a rough map inside. The scouts had marked the cities where no enemy troops were found.

To put it simply, the rebel troops had mostly left the area north of Hangzhou and east of Taihu Lake.

But the bandit troops east of Taihu Lake are still there.

"General, while the bandits in Huzhou haven't escaped yet, we need to change our plan and land in Hangzhou to attack the bandits in Huzhou from both sides.

If it’s too late, I’m afraid the bandits in Huzhou will also flee!”

Yuan Zai said with a long sigh.

What does it mean?

To put it simply, it is currently impossible to complete the strategic encirclement of most of the enemy forces.

So they had to settle for the second best option, which was to first eliminate the bandit army in Huzhou and then lift the siege of Hangzhou.

As for the rebel troops besieging Hangzhou, they will definitely retreat to Yuezhou, Mingzhou, Taizhou and other places.

Originally, they could have had a nice meal of dumplings and wiped out Yuan Chao's bandits in one fell swoop. But now they could only have half a meal of dumplings, and had to leave half of the bandits to be wiped out slowly.

After the rebel army retreated to the prefectures and counties west of Hangzhou, it became difficult to encircle and suppress them, and they could only recover the lost territory bit by bit.

"I understand. Then I will follow your plan. Tomorrow, let He Changqi land at Yanguan, north of Hangzhou Bay, to first lift the siege of Hangzhou, and then cooperate with Wang Nandai to encircle and annihilate the bandit army in Huzhou."

Fang Chongyong did not act pretentiously and made a prompt decision to close the net early.

"General, after you take back Hangzhou, you can keep a general and set up a new governor of western Zhejiang. Let him lead the troops to slowly clear Yuezhou, Mingzhou, Taizhou, Wenzhou and other places. Then you can return to Bianzhou."

Yuan Zai saluted to Fang Zhongyong with his hands crossed and said.

"It is not a problem to encircle and annihilate the Huzhou bandit army, but it is a pity that we are defeated even though we won this time."

Fang Chongyong shook his head helplessly. What else could he say? Should he blame Yuan Chao for not being able to withstand a fight?
"The baojia system you proposed will be implemented in the south of Hangzhou. In the north of Hangzhou, after the bandits are eliminated, the control can be opened up."

Fang Zhongyong waved his hand tiredly. Many times, the plan is very good, but in the process of implementation, accidents often occur.

Plans can't keep up with changes.

Fang Chongyong was actually quite disgusted with the idea of ​​collective responsibility for the baojia system. After all, it restricted economic vitality and created social terror for no reason.

But unfortunately, the bandits fled south. The fundamentals of chaos are here.

The remnants of the bandits cannot be eliminated in a few days or even months. The adoption of semi-militarized management of the newly recovered areas is also a last resort.

"I will go and pass on the order."

Yuan Zai bowed his head and saluted to Chong Yong, who immediately wrote a personal letter to He Changqi, asking him to give it to Che Guangqian after he arrived in Hangzhou.

After Yuan Zai left with the letter, Fang Chongyong came to the map hanging on the wall and checked the strategic locations and troop deployments marked on the map.

Yuezhou and Mingzhou to the south of Hangzhou, from a topographical point of view, are in the same plate as Hangzhou. In other words, it is likely that the recovery of this area will be completed in the near future.

The bandit army under Yuan Chao's command would definitely not engage in a head-on confrontation with the government troops here.

In the process of fleeing, the number of the bandit army would certainly decrease greatly. Then they were gradually forced back to Taizhou, Wenzhou and other places by the government troops. There are many mountains and the terrain is also very complicated.

At the same time, the quality of the bandit army is likely to be greatly improved. These people will flee to the mountainous areas south of Zhejiang or even Fujian, where they will occupy the mountains and fight with the government for a long time.

The number of troops needed to wipe them out would certainly not be that large, but the time required would certainly be greatly extended, and it might even take more than ten years to accomplish.

"What a pity. Man proposes, God disposes."

Fang Chongyong sighed.

In the future, we can only use more political tactics and conciliatory policies to deal with these so-called "rebel forces".

Based on historical experience, such rebels who retreat into the mountains will eventually degenerate into bandits and no longer pose a deadly threat to the regime.

But as time goes by, the vitality of these bandits will become extremely strong.

Often, the dynasties they belonged to had already been sent away, but these people were still alive and well in the mountains and forests and had not been completely wiped out by the government troops.

There are precedents for similar situations in history. For example, the Yellow Turban Rebellion was put down in one or two years, but its aftermath was still there more than ten years later.

Fang Chongyong suddenly realized that maintaining peace and long-term stability in a country might really be a difficult thing.

How many years will it take to unify the world and create a new era?

For the first time, he began to worry that he might not be able to unify the world in his old age.

It is difficult to have a standard answer to the question of how to walk fast while walking steadily.

……

Out of concern for the war situation, the rebel leader Yuan Chao ordered the rebels besieging Suzhou to quickly withdraw to the outskirts of Hangzhou.

Don't worry about the baggage and money, just return them and be done with it.

At the same time, he also sent people to Huzhou to ask his brother Yuan Ying to stop attacking Changzhou and withdraw to consolidate the defense line of Huzhou. Yuan Ying's side was full of "direct troops" and they obeyed the military order. But the rebels in Suzhou were completely furious when they heard that they were asked to withdraw to the outskirts of Hangzhou.

Some people obeyed the order and left; some were reluctant to part with the looted property and just dragged their carts along; some simply ignored Yuan Chao's orders and became local tyrants in the nearby city.

There were also some people who realized that Yuan Chao's situation was not good, so they chose to go north to Changzhou and directly join the government army.

The rebels besieging Suzhou were still organized on the surface before receiving orders from Yuan Chao. Although they were in a lazy state, they still obeyed orders.

However, after they received the retreat order from Yuan Chao, they lost their entire organization almost in an instant!
These rebel armies were no longer a main force that gathered together, obeyed orders, and acted in unison. Instead, they became scattered teams of only a few hundred or even dozens of people, gathered together by the bonds of fellow townsmen, relatives, and friends.

Different teams have different ideas and act on their own, not listening to the commands of other officers at all.

Seeing teams arriving in Hangzhou one after another and hearing about the chaos in Suzhou, Yuan Chao immediately realized: Things are getting serious!
His order was originally just to let the troops besieging Suzhou retreat to Hangzhou for rest and recuperation.

By the way, with our absolutely superior military force, we can completely capture the city of Hangzhou to eliminate any worries!

But Yuan Chao seemed to have forgotten one thing: these rebels were farmers who worked in the fields not long ago, not the so-called "good family children" who had participated in military training since childhood.

These people did not have much experience in combat, and many of them had never even served as soldiers in the militia.

The quality of these "rebel" officers is also worrying.

When the offensive was in full swing, these people knew that if they didn't work hard they would die, and the only way to survive was to keep fighting.

But now Yuan Chao asked them to retreat, which was a hint that the government troops were about to counterattack! They could no longer fight!
The burning of the granary in Huating County further fuelled this problem.

"Marshal Yuan, some troops from Suzhou are unwilling to obey orders. They have bypassed us and headed towards Kuaiji."

Just as Yuan Chao was cursing in his heart, the deputy general came in and saluted him with a fist.

"Don't obey? If they don't obey, they won't even have food and fodder. What will they eat?"

Yuan Chao asked with a confused look on his face.

Military rations are an important "weapon" to threaten and force the rebels to obey. How can the rebel army in Suzhou maintain themselves if they cannot get food and fodder?
Yuan Chao didn't think this problem through.

"General, Jiangnan is a prosperous place, and the people still have plenty of food and fodder."

The deputy general said with an embarrassed look on his face.

Soldiers pass by like combs, bandits pass by like rakes. Although the word "righteous" is in their name, it is better not to mention their moral character.

Why say it out loud and embarrass yourself?

The deputy general chose to keep silent.

"Go and have a look."

Yuan Chao's face was gloomy, he grabbed his sword and left the tent. When he arrived outside the camp, he saw rebel soldiers wearing cloth robes and red cloth bands on their heads, pushing flatbed carts in twos and threes, bypassing Yuan Chao's camp and heading south.

That is the direction of Kuaiji.

"Marshal Yuan, do you want to capture these people?"

The deputy general asked in a low voice.

These scattered soldiers were only a part of the rebel army. Although the proportion was not low, many teams did return to the main camp. Those people did not choose to leave Yuan Chao's organization.

"Even if we catch someone, what's the point if their heart isn't here?"

Yuan Chao couldn't help but let out a long sigh and waved to his deputy general, signaling him not to act rashly.

Those who wanted to come back had already returned to the camp, so there was no need for Yuan Chao to say anything.

If we try to stop those who don't want to come back now, it will only cause conflict.

The deputy general was speechless. The human heart is a strange thing.

When everyone is united, they become as unshakable as the mountains and the sea.

When everyone has their own ulterior motives, it is like a gust of cold wind, and you cannot tell whether the person around you is a human or a ghost.

Yuan Chao may have some ability, but he obviously does not have the personal charm to unite people at critical moments.

Just as Yuan Chao was secretly thinking about countermeasures, a horseman came galloping from the north of the camp, raising a lot of dust.

The scout rushed to the camp gate and saw Yuan Chao there. He quickly ran over and saluted, saying, "General, something terrible has happened. There are government ships approaching the Yanguan side. The fleet is so large that I'm afraid there are quite a few people! Please make preparations early!"

coming!

Yuan Chao's heart tightened, he knew that the government troops would launch a strategic counterattack.

In fact, he ordered the troops besieging Suzhou to retreat to Hangzhou to prevent this. His order was not wrong, but he obviously overestimated the quality of the "rebel army".

Neither the officers nor the soldiers in this army can control it as they please.

"Beat the drums, form the battle line!"

Yuan Chao shouted.

"Marshal Yuan, the morale of the army is low now. I'm afraid..."

The deputy general looked embarrassed. His suggestion was to run to Kuaiji, where they could set up defenses and then fight and retreat.

But in this situation, he didn't know how to express this advice.

"Bring me my armor!"

Yuan Chao shouted loudly!
"Order!"

The personal soldiers hurried back to the tent, fetched armor, and put it on Yuan Chao.

Marshal Yuan has been aroused by the recent series of defeats!
Why are you running away? A real man will face the sword head-on!
"Pass the order down and form up outside the camp gate!"

Yuan Chao continued to pass on orders.

dong dong dong dong!
There were loud drum beats in the camp.

However, Yuan Chao was so excited that he seemed to have forgotten something important.

The rebels in Yuhang did not know that the government troops had already arrived at Yanguan. So similarly, when the battle came later, the troops there would not reinforce them.

The same is true in Xiling.

Thinking of this, the deputy general quickly reminded: "Marshal Yuan, the troops in Yuhang and Xiling don't know that the government troops are coming. Even if we notify them now, it is still unclear whether they can put out the fire."

Ok?
Yuan Chao's mind calmed down.

Yes, although the rebel army had 50,000 troops near Hangzhou, their forces were scattered in three places.

This was arranged due to concerns about miscommunication.

In fact, a rebel force of more than 10,000 people would be difficult to command.

Yuan Chao didn't dare to count on those two teams to come for reinforcement.

Fight or run?
Yuan Chao couldn't help but wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.

"General, why not run away? You still have 500 elite cavalrymen, which is enough to escape to Kuaiji."

The deputy general suggested quietly.

Yuan Chao was hesitant for a moment. The drum to assemble the troops had been beaten. Did he think military law was bullshit?
Seeing that Yuan Chao was unwilling to leave, the deputy general took off his armor without saying anything and asked his personal soldiers to put it on him. He clasped his fists to Yuan Chao and said, "General, let's retreat to Kuaiji first! If we don't leave now, it will be too late!"

The rebel army was in disarray, and many people did not recognize Yuan Chao. Everyone judged whether Yuan Chao was there by his recognizable red armor.

The armor is there, the man is there. When Yuan Chao took off his armor and was dressed in cloth, no one knew who he was when he walked out of the camp.

"Take care of yourself too!"

Yuan Chao saluted to the deputy general, mounted his horse and rode away.

(End of this chapter)