Eastern Jin Dynasty: My powerful father

Chapter 132 The Death of Ran Wei

Xie Daoyun knew what Huan Xi was planning.

No matter what Zhou Chu's daughter looks like, whether she is beautiful or ugly, as long as she doesn't die young, she is the perfect candidate for Aman's wife.

Even if Zhou Chu's daughter was three to five years older than Aman, Huan Xi would actively promote the marriage.

After all, being born in such a family, marriage itself must be considered from the perspective of interests, not Aman's own preferences.

If he really meets a woman who can make him attracted, she can be his side wife.

Zhou Fu has served as the governor of Yizhou for many years, and will also guard Shu for a long time in the future.

Although most of the governors of various counties were Huan Wen's cronies, so many years were enough for Zhou Fu to accumulate prestige in Shu.

Huan Xi felt that after transferring Zhou Chu to his subordinates, he must form a closer relationship with the Zhou family and completely tie Zhou Fu's family to the Huan family's ship.

And Aman's position as the head wife is enough to make Zhou Fu's heart move.

As long as Yizhou is stabilized, the transfer of power to the Huan family will not cause too much fluctuation in the future.

Of course, Huan Xi could not make his own decision on this matter. He had to write a letter to discuss it with Huan Wen, but Huan Wen would definitely agree to the matter.

The carriage was still driving, and Xie Daoyun suddenly asked:

"I still remember when I was young, I would not marry a husband who was not a concubine. I wonder why?"

Huan Xi knew that this was a proposition. If he hesitated, no matter what he said, it would be wrong. He held Xie Daoyun's hand and said without thinking:

"Love doesn't know where it starts, but it grows deeper. This is what I said when I went to Xie's Mansion to welcome you.

"The Xie family of Chen County is a high-ranking family, but our Huan family is also a prince.

"If I wanted to marry the Xie family, I should ask to marry Xie Shang's daughter instead of Ling Jiang. After all, the governor of Yuzhou is not my father-in-law, but my father-in-law's cousin.

"Ling Jiang and I were childhood sweethearts, why should Ling Jiang be suspicious?"

Hearing this, Xie Daoyun felt a warm feeling in her heart. Just as she was about to explain, she was kissed by Huan Xi.

The couple had been separated for several months. If Aman's presence hadn't interfered, Huan Xi would not have been able to wait to return home.

On the other carriage, Li Yuan hugged Luo Niang and refused to let go.

Although they hadn't seen each other for several months, perhaps it was the special connection between mother and daughter that Luo Niang didn't cry in her arms and was extremely well-behaved.

Huan Xi picked up his wife and children, stayed in Hanzhong for a few more days, and finally set off in late spring to Tianshui with his entire family.

At this time, the spring plowing in the northern region was coming to an end. As promised, King Murong Junyi of Yan was making final preparations for Murong Ke's southern expedition, recruiting a total of 140,000 soldiers.

It is impossible for such large-scale war preparations to be hidden from Ran Min's eyes and ears, and Qian Yan's mobilization of more than 100,000 soldiers would not be to pacify the other separatist forces in Jizhou, but could only be directed at himself.

In Yecheng, Ran Min thought hard for a long time and decided to go north first to inspect the terrain and prepare to defend the enemy outside the country's gate.

This move is helpless. The area around Yecheng has suffered from wars all year round, and production has been severely damaged. If we continue to fight around Yecheng, the newly planted spring seedlings will be destroyed by the war.

Shihu exploited the entire north and left Yecheng with a strong family fortune, but it could not withstand their squandering.

Although Ran Min captured Xiangguo, the situation in Xiangguo County was not much better than that of Yecheng.

Now Yecheng has long been out of food, and the soldiers and civilians in the city are killing horses to satisfy their hunger.

Ran Min once fought against the state of Xiang, often sending out 100,000 troops on foot and cavalry. At its peak, he had an army of 300,000.

But now, the Murong clan is about to go south, and it is a critical moment of life and death. Others prepare for the war by recruiting grain and grass from various places, but Ran Min can only lead 10,000 elite infantry to plunder grain from Changshan, Zhongshan and other places.

Due to the lack of food in Yecheng, Ran Min basically had no cavalry.

Murong Ke had returned to Jixian at this time.

He heard the news and learned that Ran Min had few soldiers, so he decided that the opportunity was not to be missed.

Murong Ke hurriedly found Murong Jun and asked to send troops in advance.

At this time, of the 140,000 infantry and cavalry that had been recruited, only 50,000 cavalry were gathered around Jixian.

"Brother Wang, it is a God-given opportunity for Ran Min to march north alone. I heard that troops are valuable and quick. Please allow me to send troops south quickly!"

Murong Jun also led the army in battles all year round. Of course he knew that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so he immediately agreed and said seriously:

"If we can defeat Ran Min and bring peace to Hebei, it will be easy.

"By taking all of Hebei, we can achieve imperial status. The rise and fall of the Murong family is all entrusted to Xuan Gong."

Murong Ke looked solemn and said:

"My brother will never live up to Brother Wang's expectations!"

On the same day, Murong Ke was sent out of Jicheng by King Murong Jun of Yan. After bidding farewell to his brother, he led 50,000 cavalry southward.

At this time, Murong Jun's other brother Murong Chui was leading his troops to attack Hou Zhao Jiujiang and did not participate in this battle.

Compared to his fourth brother Murong Ke, Murong Jun had no favorable impression of his fifth brother Murong Chui.

Murong Chui's real name was Murong Ba. He lost a tooth due to falling from a horse when he was young.

After Murong Jun succeeded to the throne of King Yan, he made fun of Murong Ba and changed his name to Murong (quē). Later, because the word violated the prophecy theory, he omitted half of it and became Murong Chui today.

According to Murong Jun's original intention, of course he was not willing to reuse Murong Chui. He had disliked this fifth brother since he was a child.

But helplessly, his favorite fourth brother admired Murong Chui very much. At the age of thirteen, Murong Chui followed his fourth brother Murong Ke to attack Xianbei Yuwenbu and made military exploits.

Murong Ke was very aware of Murong Chui's talents and often recommended him to his second brother Murong Jun. Murong Junnian could only entrust him with important tasks since talents were rare.

Previously, after the fall of Later Zhao, General Duan Qin of Later Zhao Liyi gathered more than 10,000 Jiehu soldiers to occupy Yimu (today's Pingyuan County, Shandong) and called himself Emperor Zhao.

Murong Chui was ordered to lead the expedition, but he has not returned yet.

When Murong Ke and Xiang Guo Feng Yi led 50,000 cavalry southward at starry night, the Wei army only had 10,000, which were basically infantry. Although the Yan army had 50,000, they were all cavalry. This was destined to be a head-on confrontation between cavalry and infantry. .

When Ran Wei heard the news, General Dong Run and Chariot General Zhang Wen suggested to Ran Min:

"Now that we have outnumbered enemies and Xianbei's momentum is at its peak, it is best to avoid his sharp edge and wait until his officers are arrogant and lazy, then send out troops to fight with them."

Unexpectedly, after having learned so many bloody lessons, someone would take the initiative to offer advice to Ran Min.

Ran Min was furious:

"I was planning to take the opportunity to pacify Youzhou and kill Murong Jun. Now that I meet Murong Ke, I have to avoid him. How will others view me?"

Ran Min did not kill anyone this time. After all, he usually did such things after losing a battle.

Seeing that Ran Min was determined to fight with Murong Ke, everyone did not dare to persuade him.

When Ran Wei Situ Liu Mao and Te Jin Lang Kai walked out of the commander's tent, Liu Mao sighed:

"The king will definitely not come back after he leaves. Why should we sit and wait for death, waiting to be humiliated by the Xianbei people." Lang Kai had long been determined to die, and he said seriously:

"I would like to die with Situ."

Both committed suicide in despair in the camp.

The ancients said that there are many generous and tragic people in Yan and Zhao, who are honest and will not be deceived.

Ran Min did not take the deaths of the two men seriously. He led 10,000 infantry to garrison in Anxi (today's east of Dingzhou, Hebei), while Murong Ke garrisoned in Zhongshan (today's Dingzhou, Hebei), which was only a stone's throw away from Anxi. .

The two were in a temporary stalemate, and Murong Jun was heading south after the rest of the cavalry gathered, preparing to join Murong Ke and trap Ran Min to death in Anxi.

When Ran Min heard the news, he became frightened and finally decided to withdraw his troops south and lead the Yan army to Weichang County (now Xingyi, southeast of Dingzhou, Hebei Province).

There are many jungles in Wei Chang, and the terrain is conducive to infantry, but not conducive to cavalry combat.

Although Ran Min's move was intended to maximize his strengths and avoid weaknesses, he was probably also trying to get some good luck. After all, his country's name was Wei, so there was a reason why he chose to fight in Wei Chang.

Just like Huan Xi's nickname is Chufeng, he would never go to a place like Luofengpo. How unlucky.

Murong Ke learned that Ran Min was retreating south and quickly led his troops to pursue him. After all, Ran Min did not reach his planned battlefield of Wei Xing County.

Instead, he was intercepted by Murong Ke at Liantai (now Wujidong, Hebei Province) on the south bank of Sushui River.

Fortunately, there is also a jungle here. Relying on the jungle, 10,000 Wei army infantry and 50,000 Yan army cavalry fought ten consecutive battles in Liantai. The Wei army won ten times and the Yan army lost ten times.

Although Ran Min didn't know how to govern a country, he had trained a truly strong army through years of fighting against the forces of the Xiang Kingdom.

Faced with a commander like Murong Ke, the Wei army was able to win ten battles and ten victorious battles with less food and exhausted soldiers.

Of course, Ran Min had such elite soldiers at the cost of beating the southern part of Jizhou into pieces and withered.

After losing ten games in a row, if it were Ran Min's previous opponent, he would either escape or ask for surrender.

But after Murong Ke withdrew his troops and returned to the camp, his expression remained as usual, and he was even able to re-energize the morale of his troops. This was not a simple matter, and it would be difficult to do if he could not gain the respect of the soldiers.

Returning to the handsome tent, Yan Jiang Gao Kai suggested:

"Ran Min is brave but not wise. He has won ten games in a row now. He must be arrogant. Our army can fake defeat and lure him to the plains for a decisive battle."

Murong Ke nodded slightly. In fact, using the jungle as the battlefield did limit the performance of the cavalry.

But if you want to defeat Ran Min, just luring him out of the jungle is not enough. Fortunately, Murong Ke already has a strategy to defeat the enemy.

The next day, the two sides fought again. Just like yesterday, the Yan army was defeated again. Ran Min had won eleven games in a row. He had already despised Murong Ke in his heart, but he was actually led out of the jungle and to the plains by the defeated Yan army.

Murong Ke had been waiting for a long time. He concluded that Ran Min had few soldiers and would charge directly at the center of the army in order to kill the general and seize the flag.

Murong Ke then divided the Yan army into three parts and led the main force as the central army. Among them, five thousand lances and horses were connected with iron chains to form a square array and lined up in front of the central army.

They divided the left and right wings again, waiting for the battle to get tense, waiting for an opportunity to encircle them from the side and strangle the Wei army's infantry.

Soon, as Murong Ke expected, Ran Min took the lead and led the Wei army straight into the Yan army's central formation.

The central army of the Yan army was also launching an attack. Ran Min took the lead, holding a two-edged spear on the left and a hooked halberd on the right. He faced the wind and attacked, showing his majesty. His bravery was even better than Huan Xi's first brave general Deng Xia.

Just when Ran Min could see Murong Ke's Chinese flag, Murong Ke connected the war horses with iron chains, which also had an effect. Although the existence of these chain horses made it impossible for the lances and cavalry to fight flexibly, it also prevented and delayed the attack. Ran Min's breakthrough speed.

Ran Min killed three hundred Xianbei spearmen in a row, but he still could not reach Murong Ke's horse.

Finally, the left and right wings of the Yan army surrounded him. Ran Min fought his way out of the encirclement and fled eastward for more than 20 miles. The red horse Zhu Long on his hip died of exhaustion. Ran Min was captured by the pursuers who came later.

In this battle, the Yan army beheaded more than 7,000 people, killed Ran Wei servants and shot Liu Qun, and captured Ran Min and Wei ministers Dong Min, Zhang Wen and others alive.

The Yan army also suffered heavy casualties. The five thousand lances and cavalry that formed the chain horse were almost all killed or injured.

Yan general Gao Kai, who had offered advice to Murong Ke to lure the enemy last night, was also seriously injured and died in the battle.

Of Ran Wei's 10,000 soldiers, 7,000 were killed in the end. Such a battle fatality rate is enough to prove that it was not a fluke that they had defeated the Yan army ten times in a row against 50,000 cavalry.

These 10,000 elite infantrymen are the current ceiling of infantry combat power.

Of course, for Ran Wei, the biggest bad news was that Emperor Ran Min was captured alive.

No one thinks that without Ran Min, Ran Wei can still fight against Qian Yan.

When Ran Min was escorted in front of Murong Ke, he still maintained his dignity and did not beg for mercy from the enemy.

Murong Ke did not take the opportunity to humiliate Ran Min. He sent someone to send Ran Min to Jicheng and handed him over to King Murong Jun of Yan. Murong Ke led his troops to Changshan and stopped there.

In the battle with Ran Min, the Yan army lost not only 5,000 spearmen, but also casualties from the previous ten defeats. It was a heavy loss and it was temporarily unable to fight again.

Of course, now that Ran Min is captured alive, everything is worth it.

Murong Jun learned that the front line had a great victory, so he stopped going south and returned to Jicheng.

He also believed that now that Ran Min was captured, the overall situation was settled, and there was no need to waste troops, horses, food and fodder to march southward with all the strength of the country, so he sent Murong Ping to lead ten thousand cavalry to besiege Yecheng.

Murong Ke stayed in Changshan to rest.

When Ran Min was sent to Jicheng, Murong Jun couldn't wait to bring him here. With a victor's attitude, he accused:

"You are just a servant, but you still dare to claim to be an emperor!"

Ran Min was not afraid of death, he said without fear:

"The world is in chaos, and you Yidi beasts can claim the title of emperor, but I am a hero from Middle-earth, why can't I claim the title of emperor!"

Murong Jun was furious when he heard this and ordered Ran Min to be whipped three hundred times to vent his anger.

During this period, Ran Min was whipped until he fainted, and then cold water was poured on him to wake him up. The execution continued, but Ran Min gritted his teeth and never asked Murong Jun for mercy.

After three hundred lashes, Murong Jun ordered his people to take Ran Min to Longcheng, the land of Longxing of the Murong clan, and imprison him. Of course, he did not want to spare Ran Min's life, but wanted to wait until Yecheng was captured before detaining Ran Min. To kill, Ran Min must die after Ran Wei's country is overthrown.

As for being escorted to Longcheng, they were naturally afraid that Ran Min would escape.

Murong Jun already knew what happened in the Liantai battle. No one knew the talent of his fourth brother Murong Ke better than Murong Jun.

But Ran Min was able to push Murong Ke into such a situation, and he could only subdue Ran Min with the help of many soldiers. How could Murong Jun not be afraid of Ran Min in his heart.

At this time, the news of Ran Min's capture had spread throughout Hebei, and everyone was in an uproar.

Unexpectedly, Ran Min suffered two defeats since his rise.

In a battle of Xiangguo, the three-party coalition forces of Qian Yan, Yao Xiang, and Xiangguo defeated 100,000 infantry and cavalry and only escaped with their lives.

In a battle between Lian and Taiwan, Qian Yan became a prisoner.

　Tomorrow there will still be 10,000 words, and the first chapter will be before one o’clock in the afternoon.

　　

　

(End of this chapter)