The legend of the king of crossing

Chapter 223 Three Battle Reports

On the same day, I received three battle reports from Luzhou, of which the first and second battle reports were transferred through the Privy Council, and the third was sent to me through the Longya intelligence system.

The first battle report is the latest military report on Huainan West Road. It was played by Xia Gui. I opened the report and saw that the report was written from right to left according to the standard memorial format. Xia Guiqi, the envoy of the system, presented to His Majesty the Privy Council and the Ministry of War: After the bloody battle of all the soldiers on Huainan West Road, Anhua was recovered a few days ago, and after Anfei Shuangzhen, Shuangduiji in the north of Anhua was taken back. Retreat to the north of Anfeng Army in Shouchun Prefecture (now Huoqiu County, Anhui Province).

In the Song Dynasty, the army, the prefecture, and the mansion belonged to the same platform, and the geographical jurisdiction of the army was generally smaller than that of the usual state or mansion. Anfeng Army did not refer to the army, but the name of an area under the jurisdiction of Shouchun Mansion.

The Anfeng army was once occupied by the Kingdom of Jin. After the fall of the Kingdom of Jin, the Song Dynasty took it back in the 12th year of Shaoxing (AD 1142), and it belonged to Shouchun Mansion on Huainan West Road. At present, the actual border between Song and Mongolia is Anfeng With the army as the boundary, Mongolia retreated to the north of the Anfeng Army, which can be regarded as retreating to its territory.

"Okay, Xia Gui finally lived up to my expectations," I couldn't help talking to myself after reading the battle report in the Imperial Study Room.

The second battle report is Xia Gui's comprehensive report on the battle of Luzhou. It is the summary of the battle by the soldiers of Huainan West Road.

I took a sip of tea and looked up slowly.

Xia Gui was ordered by the emperor to lead [-] forbidden troops to Huainan West Road. Due to the sudden incident, you led [-] cavalry troops to set off first. The next day, General Wang Sheng led the infantry and then went to Luzhou. According to the plan, your cavalry The army went through Dangtu, and then went northward. When crossing the river, you received an urgent report from the Privy Council that you found the Mongolian cavalry army between Anqing, Luzhou. You discussed with your subordinates. Li also deceived me that there were very few cavalry troops in the dynasty, so I waited for an opportunity to find a gap in our defense, so I changed my direction to the north and went west, and went straight between the two places. Fearing that the Mongols would take the opportunity to attack the unmanned Luzhou City, they personally led [-] guards to go northward to Luzhou again, leaving Xia Qing to command the remaining troops to continue. You traveled day and night, bypassing several groups of Mongolian troops on the way, and finally arrived at the goal.

Luzhou City was heavily guarded, and did not lose its position because of the death of the main general. After Gui entered the city, he saw Miao Zaicheng, the general who defended the city, and listened to his report on the battle and the death of four generals including Fan Sheng. Although he was young, he was quick in thinking and rich in experience. After the death of General Fan Sheng, he recommended himself as the chief general to take on the important task of Luzhou city defense, and repelled a strong attack by Mongolian Ashu. Judging from the military appearance of Luzhou soldiers, This Miao Zaicheng is a person who can be used. Then, under the leadership of Miao Zaicheng, Gui inspected the Luzhou city defense. Both the defense and the morale of the soldiers are remarkable. You are relieved that Miao Zaicheng is a general. Great use, if Luzhou City is not lost, this person should be the first.

Two days later, Xia Qing's team had also arrived in Luzhou, and the Mongolian cavalry troops between the two places had returned north one after another, as if they knew in advance that we would send out reinforcements. Under the leadership, he also rushed to Luzhou. After discussing with the generals, Gui decided to take back the two towns of Anhua and Anfei first.

The generals under the tent actively asked for orders, and after careful consideration, they finally handed over this task to two young generals, Han Zhen, the deputy commander of the horse army, and Shi Yuqi, the commander of the infantry battalion. Five hundred former Luzhou garrison troops attacked the two towns respectively. To be on the safe side, Gui also arranged Miao Zaicheng and Xia Qing, who had rich combat experience, to serve as the supervisors of the two teams.

Although Han Zhen and Shi Yuqi were both on the battlefield for the first time, they showed a rare talent for war. You think that their performance is far better than Xia Qing who fought for the first time. The Mongolian defenders in the two towns seem not determined to defend to the death. After fighting for about half a day, the two towns were taken back by our soldiers one after another. According to the captured Mongolian wounded soldiers, the two towns were guarded by Mongolian and Han soldiers, and the Mongolian cavalry had already left the two towns.

Immediately, Gui dispatched multiple routes to the north, and the news they got was consistent. The Mongols had withdrawn to the north, and only Shuangduiji still had more than 1000 Mongolian Han troops. According to reports, the Mongolian army has withdrawn northward to its territory.

You informed the Shouchun garrison to take strict precautions. At the same time, according to His Majesty's instructions, the Huainan West Road War Zone was established. After discussing with Miao Zaicheng and other original garrison generals, you broke up the Forbidden Army and the original Luzhou garrison and reorganized. The details are as follows The appendix is ​​proof.

I casually flipped through the appendix without looking at it carefully. It was full of the army's establishment and the roster of commanders at each level, army, battalion, and capital. I continued to read the second part of Xiagui's battle report.

This is a comprehensive summary of the Battle of Luzhou, and it is a collective work after discussions between Xia Gui and the generals.

First, the imperial army dispatched troops quickly, which disrupted the rhythm of Mongolian Ashu. Although in hindsight, Ashu did not intend to invade our dynasty in the south, but his purpose of tentative attack was not achieved.

Second, it is very necessary to re-establish the Huainan West Road theater. If we can cooperate closely with the Huainan East Road theater, the defensive pressure on our northeast will be relieved a lot. Moreover, the victory in the Battle of Luzhou has also improved the strength of our troops. confidence and courage.

Thirdly, the Battle of Luzhou reminded all major areas in time that the Mongols would go south at any time, and at any time, any area should not be taken lightly.

Fourth, the Battle of Luzhou exposed many problems of our frontier army, such as the slow response of the intelligence system, insufficient response to the fast maneuvering methods of the Mongolian cavalry, and also reflected the weak actual combat experience of our imperial army.

"This Xia Gui, I wrote so much at once, I guess I sacrificed a lot of brain cells," I smiled to myself.

I opened the third battle report again, which was a letter sealed with the special mark of Dragon's Teeth.

Your Majesty, Xia Guiqi, your Majesty, the minister's plan for Huainan West Road is as follows. The Anfeng Army at the border between our dynasty and Mongolia has no danger to defend, and it is very easy to be broken by Mongolia. If Yangjia Town can succeed, relying on the danger of Yangjia Town, it can build a solid line of defense with Shouchun City, and at the same time prevent Shouchun from being trapped in an isolated city. In recent years, our army has focused on defense. I have never initiated an attack before. If I launch a surprise attack, there may be a [-]% chance of success. Tomorrow, I will go to the Anfeng Army to learn about the terrain of Yangjia Town, and then proceed after I find out.

"Xiaoqi, the map of Luzhou,"

Yangjia Town is about a hundred miles north of Anfeng Army. It is located at the confluence of Huaihe River, Yinghe River and Pihe River. It is located on the south bank of Huaihe River. In a dangerous place, I looked at the map carefully, Yangjia Town, how did such an important strategic place fall into the hands of the Mongols, this is undoubtedly a sharp knife stuck in my heart.

Yangjia Town, which was renamed Zhengyangguan in the Ming Dynasty, is a water transportation hub in the middle reaches of the Huaihe River. There is a saying that "72 waters lead to Zhengyang".

"Yangjia Town must be taken, so that I can give full play to my strengths as a navy," I whispered.

"Officials, what?" Xiao Qi was puzzled at the side.

Xia Gui's battle report aroused heated discussions during the next day's court meeting. Although Mongol Ashu had doubts about retreating voluntarily, he did retreat after all. All the ministers heaved a long sigh of relief after hearing it. He also changed from the dull voice of the past few days: "Your Majesty, I beg for merit for the soldiers in front,"

"Well, Zhun Zuo, the Privy Council, and the Ministry of War, discuss the reward results as soon as possible, and report to me for review. For young generals such as Han Zhen and Shi Yuqi who are going out for the first time, they should be key awards to encourage their courage."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Jia Sidao continued to ask, "What should we do with the four generals including Fan Sheng who died in battle?"

Jia Sidao saw that I was a little confused and continued: "Your Majesty, the Privy Council followed His Majesty's will and ordered the generals to take the defense of the city as the top priority before General Xia Gui arrived. Although there were orders to send troops to rescue the affected people, as the chief general But there is a risky move, so please make a decision, Your Majesty, "

I don't know what faction they belong to in controlling Fan Sheng and others in Luzhou. The Luzhou defenders have never been valued by the Privy Council. Since Jia Sidao said so, it is obviously not one of the factions. Judging from Fan Sheng's behavior, From different perspectives, different results will be obtained. If you think the city is the first, then Fan Sheng, the general of Luzhou, should not lead the troops out of the city in person. Under a strong attack, the city may not be safe. If the people are put first, then Fan Sheng's actions are understandable.

"Dear dear friends, I believe that at any time, the lives of the people in our dynasty are the most important. The two generals Fan Sheng and Zhang Lin are not afraid of the bravery of the Mongolian cavalry. In order to save the people outside the city, they fought more with less, and even sacrificed I have decided to reward Fan Sheng and other four generals, except himself, and one of the four is the son of Jinyong, Deputy Lieutenant, "

Jia Sidao was taken aback for a moment and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, I obey the order."

I went on to say: "My dear friends, today I am able to call everyone here quietly for a court meeting, because there are countless heroic frontier soldiers in my court. They fought bloody battles on the front line to ensure safety. This kind of peace It was bought with the blood of heroes like General Fan Sheng and General Zhang Lin. Dear friends, cherish today’s safe life. It’s hard-won, although you are also doing your best for the rejuvenation of our dynasty in your respective positions. , but in comparison, they are more worthy of respect. I don’t want you all to carry guns and kill the enemy, but you must always remember that today’s peaceful days are forged by the blood and even lives of the soldiers in front.”

I took advantage of the topic and said: "In the past, the officialdom of my court was extremely corrupt, and many high-ranking officials in the court also joined forces with them. Such behavior chilled the hearts of the soldiers in the front, the hearts of the people all over the world, and made me feel even more chilled. I said that in the past, I I won't pursue it any further, but on the [-]st of next month, when the "Code of Conduct for Officials" is officially implemented, I will no longer tolerate any bad behavior in the officialdom. Ancestors, "

Speaking of this, I couldn't help but feel a little excited, stood up from the dragon chair and said: "Dear dear friends, I said that I will aspire to ZTE in my dynasty. Of course, ZTE cannot be done by me alone. We need the assistance of a large number of like-minded people. As I said before, everyone has the right to choose. Dear dear friends, before the end of this month, you should make a decision to stay or stay. The road to ZTE is full of difficulties, but this is the only one. The right road, since I have chosen this road, I will go on without hesitation, no matter whether the front is full of thorns or mountains of swords and fires, I will never turn back. Similarly, once you choose this road, you must strictly follow my path. It has only been a few days since I asked to do it. Everyone think carefully. The late emperor said that I will be the Emperor of Taiping for ten years. Ten years is long and short. Have you ever lived in peace? Many of my words are repetitive, and I have even said some words many times with painstaking efforts. The reason for this is because I think a few of you will take my words as Going to challenge the law and challenge my patience, I will say it again, starting next month, if anyone violates the laws of our court and the rules of officials, I will not forgive them lightly,"