My life is like walking on thin ice

Chapter 107 The King of Liang is also a vassal
"Lead the troops eastward and leave Han Valley. The general must be careful!"

"On the way out of Hangu, across the river, across Luoyang, and on the way to Aocang in Xingyang, there is a high possibility that there will be troops and horses from Wu and Chu traitors, and they may even be ambushed!"

"The general must prepare for the camp step by step and advance slowly!"

After all the officials and nobles in the palace had retired, Emperor Qi took Zhou Yafu, Dou Ying, and Chao Cuo back to the apse.

As soon as he sat down, the first words Emperor Qi spoke made Zhou Yafu and Dou Ying tense up!
Even Chao Cuo, who was following at the end, couldn't help but change his expression when he heard that Emperor Qi said, "There may be an ambush outside Hangu Pass."

As the most majestic pass in the world, Hangu Pass enjoys the reputation that one man can guard the pass and ten thousand men cannot open it. In addition to the pass itself being located at the entrance of the mountain stream, which can only accommodate dozens of people walking side by side at most, there is also a way to make the attacker The key point to look forward to and sigh with excitement.

——Only thirty or fifty steps outside the pass is the big river, which serves as the 'moat' of Hangu Pass!
Coming from the east, crossing the river and looking up is Hangu Pass!
At a distance of thirty to fifty steps, let alone a crossbow, spears, spears and even stones thrown with bare hands are already within the shooting range.

In turn, the army in Guanzhong left Hangu in the east, crossed the river, passed through Hedong County where Luoyang was located, and reached the junction of Hedong County and Liang State before arriving at Xingyang Aocang.

In other words: the road from Hanguguan to Luoyang Arsenal and Xingyang Aocang is still west of Suiyang, the capital of Liang...

"Has the frontline of the Wu Chu bandit army already passed Suiyang, the capital of Liang?"

Was it because he was a soldier or because Zhou Yafu reacted faster and quickly extracted the key points from Emperor Qi's explanation.

When Dou Ying leads his troops out of the border, he may be harassed or even ambushed west of Suiyang!

Does this mean that the scope of control of the Wu and Chu rebels has crossed Suiyang, the capital of Liang, and spread to Aocang, Xingyang, and even Luoyang?
This question is very critical.

Especially for Zhou Yafu, this issue almost determines Zhou Yafu's entire counterinsurgency thinking.

Thinking of this, Zhou Yafu subconsciously turned his head and glanced at Dou Ying and Chao Cuo - mainly Chao Cuo.

Considering that no matter what Chao Cuo said, he was still the internal history of the head of the nine ministers of the dynasty, the promoter of the "Cutting the Vassal Policy", and the initiator of the Wu-Chu Rebellion, so he didn't think much about it and said it directly. My own opinion.

"I have told Your Majesty before that I am not going to fight the Wu and Chu rebels head-on during this expedition to quell the chaos. Instead, I want to wait for the opportunity to cut off their food routes."

"——This plan is based on the premise that the Wu-Chu bandit army cannot obtain food and grass from other places and can only transport food from Chu or even Wu. Once the food route is cut off, it will collapse instantly."

"If the rebel army has passed Suiyang and even threatened Aocang in Xingyang, and it is possible to obtain food and grass from Aocang, I am afraid that I will have to change my thinking in order to fight quickly..."

After hearing what Emperor Qi just said, Zhou Yafu's reaction was actually more intense than that of General Dou Ying, who "may have been ambushed."

As for the reason, as Zhou Yafu said just now: Zhou Yafu does not intend to go head-to-head with Liu Bi's main force of the rebels in this battle.

Not only don’t want to, but also can’t.

——The number of troops recruited by the court so far to counter the rebellion is about 400,000.

This has faintly exceeded Guanzhong's reasonable mobilization potential, and may have slightly affected next year's spring plowing.

Another expedition may seriously affect next year's spring plowing, and may even directly transform Guanzhong from a "granary of the world" that exports grain to a food-scarce area that needs to import grain from Bashu, Hanzhong, and even Guandong next year.

As for the 400,000 troops currently recruited by the court, General Dou Ying, who is tasked with garrisoning Aocang in Xingyang and providing backup for King Liang, will take away 200,000!
Zhou Yafu also had to divide the remaining two hundred thousand with Li Ji, Luan Bu, and Young Master Liu Fei in half;

Zhou Yafu led 100,000 troops to support the main battlefield in Suiyang;
Li Ji, Luan Bu, and Gongzi Fei led an army of 100,000 to go to Zhao to deal with Zhao Wang Liu Sui, ensure the stability of the border wall, and see if they could interfere with Qi.

With only one hundred thousand troops, and the one hundred thousand defenders of Suiyang City are at odds with each other, it is already a dangerous situation to fight against Liu Bi's main force of more than 400,000 rebels.

It would be unwise to have a head-on collision again.

The main strategy of cutting off the enemy's food routes to demoralize his troops, and then cautiously dealing with possible "all-or-nothing" attempts by the rebels, and waiting for their natural collapse, was Zhou Yafu's main strategy that he had discussed with Emperor Qi a long time ago.

Under this premise, if something goes wrong in Xingyang Aocang, allowing the rebels to feed on Aocang and no longer need to transport grain and grass from the rear, then Zhou Yafu's plan will have to be overthrown and restarted.

Emperor Qi obviously also understood this. When he saw Zhou Yafu looking like he was facing a formidable enemy, he took a deep breath, forced out a stiff smile, and shook his head at Zhou Yafu with a smile.

"It's not that bad yet."

"Xingyang Aocang is still guarded by 50,000 soldiers from Hedong County. Even if there are 100,000 rebels attacking, it will still take several months to capture it."

"——I have also issued an order to Aocang: If something cannot be done, all the grain in Aocang can be burned, and Wu Chu must not be allowed to rebel and obtain grains of rice or millet from Aocang!"

"Lieutenant, don't worry that your plan will be disrupted because of problems in Ao Cang."

After hearing this, Zhou Yafu felt a little relieved, but he also became a little confused for no reason.

Aocang is the most important place in the world. There are 50,000 soldiers from Hedong County stationed there, and Dou Ying is about to lead an army of 200,000 people to garrison there, so it is naturally impregnable.

Since Emperor Qi just told Dou Ying to be cautious and cautious when leaving Han Valley, it also shows that the 50,000 troops guarding Aocang are enough to withstand the rebels for a long time.

Well, the problem is coming.

Even Emperor Qi of Aocang's 50,000 Hedong County soldiers said that they could "prepare for thieves for a month or two." So why did Emperor Qi of the 200,000 Guanzhong army led by Dou Ying tell Dou Ying: "We must prepare for every step of the way and be careful of ambushes?" ?
How could the rebels, who couldn't even defeat the 50,000 defenders of Aocang, especially the county soldiers, pose a threat to Dou Ying's 200,000 troops?

Before Zhou Yafu could figure this out, Emperor Qi continued to explain to General Dou Ying.

"——In this battle, I have several entrustments to the general."

"One: Kill them on the Xingyang-Aocang line, and stop all rebels who try to bypass Suiyang and set foot in Hedong outside Hedong County!"

"We must not let the rebels threaten Xingyang Aocang and Luoyang Arsenal - especially we must not let the rebels send even one soldier to Hangu Pass!"

Emperor Qi spoke solemnly, and Dou Ying suddenly straightened up and bowed his hands.

Xingyang Aocang and Luoyang Arsenal are important towns that can greatly boost the morale of the rebels and bring great practical benefits to the rebels;
As for Hangu Pass, it is the eastern gateway of Guanzhong.

The appearance of rebels outside Hangu Pass, even just three or five people, or even just one person, is enough to show that the entire Guandong east of Hangu Pass has escaped the control of the Chang'an court.

Dou Ying obviously knew what this meant.

"Second: If necessary, divide up to 50,000 troops and enter Suiyang from the west city gate to support King Liang."

"——Right now, Suiyang is facing the main force of 400,000 Wu and Chu rebels. They are already outnumbered and can barely hold on to the city."

"If troops from the Huainan and Qi factions join the battlefield - even if it's just one country, the pressure on Suiyang will suddenly increase."

“But remember: up to fifty thousand!”

"After dividing 50,000 troops to support Suiyang, the general must tightly hold on to the remaining 100,000 troops - not even a single soldier of these 100,000 troops can move from the Xingyang-Aocang line!"

"Even if I issue an edict, the general will never obey it!"

The tone was full of solemnity, even slightly ferocious, which only made Dou Ying feel frightened.

His face was gloomy and uncertain for a long time, but he finally handed over his hands silently, but he didn't dare to say the words: Minister, I will obey your Majesty's edict...

"Third."

"Just in case - I mean just in case;"

"If the city of Suiyang is destroyed, Xingyang, where the general is located, will become the last lifeline of our Han family."

"At that time, no matter what measures are taken, the general must stick to Xingyang and wait for reinforcements from the court."

"——When it really comes to that point, I will be like Liu Bi and send out all the available soldiers in Guanzhong to rush to support under the starry night."

"But before reinforcements arrive, General, we must defend Xingyang..."

At the end of the sentence, Emperor Qi stood up from the couch with great solemnity and bowed to Dou Ying, as if entrusting the safety of the country and the country to Dou Ying's hands.

Seeing Emperor Qi acting like this, Dou Ying hurriedly stepped forward and stopped Emperor Qi from "bowing down";

After a moment, he slowly knelt down with a stern expression, looking at Emperor Qi with determination in his eyes.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty."

"If the city of Suiyang is really broken and the Wu Chu bandit army points its finger at Xingyang, I will punch, kick, bite, and headbutt it with my teeth!"

"But if I still have a breath, I will never let the Wu Chu bandit army stand on the top of Xingyang City!"

Dou Ying solemnly swore an oath, but Emperor Qi stared deeply into the depths of Dou Ying's eyes for a long time before he nodded solemnly.

After a moment, he pretended to be indifferent and grinned.

"These are just the worst outcomes. General, there is no need to be too stressed."

"If the situation is really so bad, I won't have to wait until then to go all out with force to kill all the men in Guanzhong."

"——In my opinion, the general will probably not encounter large groups of rebels in Xingyang."

"Just to be on the safe side, I entrusted you to the general in advance."

Emperor Qi's soothing words did not ease the heaviness in Dou Ying's heart at all. He only grinned symbolically, then stood up and stepped aside full of thoughts.

Seeing this, Emperor Qiye said nothing more. He just took a deep breath, put his hands behind his hands and thought for a moment, then slowly turned around and looked at Zhou Yafu on the other side.

This time, Emperor Qi handed over his hand very quickly, leaving no chance for Zhou Yafu to step forward and stop him.

"The safety of the ancestral temple and the country must be entrusted to the Taiwei!"

Compared with the roundabout way of giving instructions and entrustments to Dou Ying, Emperor Qi went straight to the point when dealing with Zhou Yafu.

Before Zhou Yafu could react, he sighed sadly and said with self-pity: "Wu Chu has 400,000 rebels, but what I can give to the Taiwei is only 100,000 troops."

"But the 100,000 troops are not just for the Taiwei to use to annihilate Wu Chu."

"——After the battle in Suiyang, the Taiwei will still have to use this 100,000 troops to invade Guandong!"

"Wu, Chu, Qi, Zhao, Huainan."

"Wherever there is an army, or where there are rebels and rebels making trouble, the Taiwei will lead these 100,000 troops."

"I have given very little to the Taiwei, but I expect a lot..."

Emperor Qi's shameful words only made Zhou Yafu speechless for a while.

After a moment, Fang slowly knelt down in front of the emperor with a moved expression, just like Dou Ying did just now.

"Your Majesty does not regard his ministers as despicable, but entrusts them with the importance of the ancestral temple and the country. It is truly a kindness as heavy as a mountain."

"If I still cannot repay Your Majesty's trust after receiving such trust from Your Majesty, how can I have the dignity to live in this world?"

"——An army of 100,000 is not as powerful as Wu Chu's 400,000 rebels, but it is all that your Majesty can give me."

"If you still cannot fulfill His Majesty's expectations, wouldn't I have failed Your Majesty and let the people of the world give all their high expectations to an unworthy Captain Zhou Yafu?"

Speaking of this, Zhou Yafu couldn't help but burst into tears. He lowered his head with sadness and took out a piece of folded silk cloth from his arms.

As Emperor Qi lowered his head and looked down, he knelt down and opened the quick silk cloth layer by layer.

Finally, Geng held the piece of silk cloth in both hands and raised it to Emperor Qi.

When Tian Ziqi's eyes moved from the ink-stained silk cloth to Zhou Yafu, Zhou Yafu's face, still stained with tears, was full of determination.

"My lord, I would like to issue a military order!"

"If the main force of the Wu and Chu bandits cannot be quelled within three months, we will regain our strength in the Han Dynasty!"

"The former Lieutenant General Chariot and Cavalry, now the Grand Lieutenant Jianghou Chen Zhou Yafu!!"

"——Come and see me!!!"

The tearful cry of "Raise your head to see me" only made Dou Ying on the side blush, and quickly lowered his head, wiping away tears filled with melancholy.

But under Zhou Yafu's hot gaze, Emperor Qi let out a long sigh.

He turned away and wiped away the tears on his face without leaving a trace, then turned around with a smile and helped Zhou Yafu up from the ground with a gentle look.

"Don't mention military orders or anything else."

——Anyway, if Zhou Yafu were defeated, Emperor Qi would not have the chance to see the day when Zhou Yafu "comes to see him with his head raised."

"I also have something to say about the Taiwei."

While he was talking, Zhou Yafu had already been pulled up from the ground by Emperor Qi, and he held his arm affectionately and walked to Dou Ying.

Then they saw Emperor Qi looking at Dou Ying with a smile and nodding slightly;

Then he turned his head and said to Zhou Yafu: "The general's 200,000 soldiers and horses must be on guard at every step after leaving Hangu Pass and be vigilant at all times."

"The Taiwei command only has an army of 100,000 people, and he also shoulders the heavy responsibility of the ancestral temple and the country."

"——Don't leave Hangu eastward."

"Go south through Wuguan and then take a detour."

As soon as these words came out, Zhou Yafu was stunned and lowered his head in surprise.

No wonder His Majesty, your Majesty, is unwilling to accept my military order!
After detouring to Wuguan and arriving in Suiyang, less than half of the three-month period has passed!
Zhou Yafu hadn't realized Emperor Qi's intention, but Dou Ying on the side was the first to react.

By the way, I also understood why Emperor Qi had told him to 'take precautions step by step' after leading his army eastward out of Hangu Pass.

"Your Majesty, your Majesty means that neither our troops nor the Taiwei troops need to rush to Suiyang to support King Liang?"

I am afraid that only Dou Ying dared to say this - dared to ask it in front of Emperor Qi.

After Dou Ying's words, Zhou Yafu finally came to his senses.

All the precautionary measures and careful ambush were just words used to block Empress Dowager Dou of the East Palace.

What Emperor Qi really wants is for Chang'an's reinforcements to move slower, and a little slower, as slowly as possible;
It is best to wait until the Liang King is about to die in Suiyang, and the reinforcements from Dou Ying and Zhou Yafu are belatedly arriving...

Realizing this, Zhou Yafu also looked at Emperor Qi with burning eyes, as if he was considering whether he should also ask clearly.

Seeing that his intention was revealed by Dou Ying, Emperor Qi looked around - there were only Dou Ying, Zhou Yafu and Chao Cuo.

He simply stopped trying to hide it and just said meaningfully: "Military and national affairs must not be careless."

"Whether the rebels will invade or set up ambushes, I can't say for sure, but I can't say that they won't."

"Generals and lieutenants are all responsible for the safety of the ancestral temple and the country. It never hurts to be cautious..."

With that said, Emperor Qi glanced sideways at Chao Cuo, then turned around with a smile and sat back on the imperial couch.

He first looked up at Dou Ying and said, "The general has 200,000 troops, so he can move a little faster."

“But after arriving in Xingyang, don’t forget to spend more time in Aocang.”

"——Guanzhong soldiers and horses and Hedong County soldiers still need some time to be in the same camp."

"There is no need to be so anxious about supporting Suiyang - no matter what Prince Liang does, he can always hold on for a month or two."

The words were vague, but the meaning was clear: even if troops were to be divided to support Suiyang, it would be at least two months later.

Then he turned his head and looked at Zhou Yafu: "Lieutenant, there is no need to rush this way."

"With a small number of troops, and attracting the attention of the world, Liu Bi will definitely be regarded as a thorn in his side and a thorn in his flesh."

"——For the safety of King Liang, the Queen Mother may be concerned about the situation, and may even force me to issue an edict and urge the Taiwei to support Suiyang."

"Therefore, I can verbally promise Zhou Taiwei: I will be away, and your orders will not be accepted..."

After saying these words, Emperor Qi naturally picked up the tea bowl, pretended to lower his head to sip the tea, and quietly observed the changes in the expressions on the faces of Dou Ying and Zhou Yafu.

From what Tianzi Qi saw: Zhou Yafu seemed to be stunned by what Tianzi Qi said. After struggling for a moment, he nodded reluctantly.

——Zhou Yafu had no intention of supporting Suiyang in the first place. Instead, he planned to take advantage of the main force of the Wu Chu rebels in Suiyang to cut off other people's food routes.

Now that we have the special permission from Emperor Qi, we are naturally happy to do so.

Compared with Zhou Yafu's "refreshment", Dou Ying struggled for a while.

But in the end, he still raised his hands with a complicated expression and bowed silently.

——Liang Wang Liu Wu is indeed Dou Ying’s elder: the heartthrob of Empress Dowager Dou of the East Palace.

But as a Han minister, Dou Ying also knew that the chaos between Wu and Chu originated from the emperor's intention to cut down the feudal vassal.

Wu Chu is a vassal state, Qi Zhao is a vassal state;
The Yan Dynasty was a vassal state, and Huainan was a vassal state;
Liang Wang Liu Wu was also a vassal...

"There's nothing else. Lieutenant and General, just go and get ready."

"The army will be leaving tomorrow. Let's take advantage of this last day to talk to my wife at home."

As soon as these words came out, Zhou Yafu and Dou Ying bowed their hands and left.

And Emperor Qi's eyes finally met Chao Cuo's dim and unclear eyes...

"Teacher, are you alright?"

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　First update today

　　
　
(End of this chapter)