Great Zhou Empire: Kill Zhao Kuangyin at the beginning

Chapter 64: Outsmarting Nanping (Special thanks to book friend Bai Xi Zimudi Xiaoyao 520 for his monthly ticket!)

Wanhu Jingsheng, who was a Zhongwu Jinshi in the same class as Hu Yanzan, said:

"Commander Huyan, Nanping is a small place. Ever since the current Nanping King Gao Jichong and his great-grandfather Gao Jixing were appointed as Jingnan Jiedu Envoys by Zhu Wen, they have become vassals to all surrounding countries.

Now, under your majesty's wise rule, our country, the Great Zhou Dynasty, is becoming increasingly prosperous, and this time, your majesty has sent Commander Huyan to command the first army of our great Zhou Dynasty's prestigious "Longxiang Army" to go on an expedition via Nanping. How dare he, Gao Jichong, disobey? "

Another member of the Wanhu family, Kou Yunzhong, who is also a martial arts scholar in the same discipline, laughed and said:

"Nanping controls most of Jingzhou and is the main transportation route between the north and the south. The Gao family often robs envoys and business travelers from other countries passing by. If no one is responsible for questioning, the Gao family will embezzle the property as their own; if envoys are sent to question, the Gao family will immediately apologize. He returned the property and was called "Gao Laizi" by the southern countries. It was not a crime to crusade against him. It was useless to scold him. He would still rob him next time, which made people laugh and cry.

Our "Long Xiang Army" shocked the world with the "Battle of Yangzhou" three years ago. Who doesn't know that our "Long Xiang Army" is an invincible army built by His Majesty himself?

According to the general's opinion, Gao Jichong will not only agree to our army's request to use the road, but will also go out of the city to meet our army! "

Hu Yanzan nodded and said:
"It must be so.

Before leaving for the expedition, Your Majesty told me a confidential matter, and ordered us to take advantage of Nanping this time and take it into our territory in one fell swoop. "

The generals discussed for a while and determined several emergency combat plans.

The eunuch Xiao Liuzi, who was sitting next to Hu Yanzhan's throne, said nothing. The old man was holding a bowl of tea, sipping it carefully, throwing fresh red dates into his mouth from time to time, and chewing it.

This made the generals who were discussing in the camp feel frightened.

After the discussion was completed, Hu Yanzan bowed respectfully to Xiao Liuzi and said:

"Eunuch He, look at the battle plan finalized by General Mo and others, do you still want to get it?"

Xiao Liuzi waved his hand and said sharply:

"General Huyan, Your Majesty has said that it is up to your commander-in-chief to decide how to fight, and you will be responsible for your victory or defeat afterwards. You will be rewarded when you deserve it, you will be punished when you deserve it, and you will be killed when you need to kill. Everything will be determined by the army determined by Your Majesty. regulation.

How to fight, we, the eunuchs who supervise the army, cannot interfere.

This supervisor is only responsible for all matters related to military discipline. "

It was Huyan Zan's first time to lead an army on an expedition. After hearing Xiao Liuzi's words, he felt relieved and nervous at the same time.

What is reassuring is the system of eunuchs supervising the army sent by Emperor Chai Zongxun to the Longxiang Army. The eunuchs were not allowed to intervene in the battle, and the generals had full authority to command the army. This would avoid the situation in the Tang Dynasty, when the eunuchs who supervised the army did not know the slightest bit about military affairs, but had to command the battles and deceive the army and generals. countless.

What is tense is naturally that the military regulations of the "Longxiang Army" and "Longxiang Guard" set by Emperor Chai Zongxun are very strict, and all promotions, promotions, rewards and punishments are based on military merit.

After lunch, the army continued to set off. Near noon on June 8th the next day, it had reached twenty miles outside Jiangling City, the capital of Nanping.

Huyan Zan sent an order to the entire army to prepare food and prepare the soldiers to enter Jiangling City after they were full. The soldiers came to report that Jingnan Jiedushi Gao Jichong had personally led his men out of the city to meet the Zhou army.

Hu Yanzan immediately ordered the entire army to be on alert, and asked the soldiers to rush over with Gao Ji to meet him.

About two-quarters of an hour later, Gao Jichong, together with several eunuchs and hundreds of civil servants carrying burdens full of wine and meat, were escorted over by the sergeants under the leadership of the messengers.

Hu Yanzan took a look at Gao Jichong, the "King of Nanping", and saw that he was a young man of about twenty-one or two years old, with a rather kind look on his face.

Gao Jichong approached Hu Yanzhan who was standing in front of the commander's tent, held his salute very respectfully, and said:
"Gao Jichong, the governor of Jingnan, met General Huyan of the Great Zhou Dynasty!

I hope the general will accept a small gift for his labor. "

Hu Yanzan returned the greeting and said:

"Envoy Gao Jiedu is so polite. Envoy Gao Jiedu pays tribute to our imperial court very diligently every year, and His Majesty once praised you!
Please come into the account and tell me. "

Hu Yanzan extended his hand to invite Gao Ji to rush into the commander's tent, and at the same time winked at Wanhu Jingsheng who was standing aside.

Jing Sheng understood, and immediately retreated, strode to the left camp of the army, ordered the sergeants of his army of ten thousand people, left the camp from the south gate of the camp, and rushed towards Jiangling City.

It took more than an hour to arrive at a place one mile outside the east gate of Jiangling City, but there were only four or five thousand people at the head of the huge Jiangling City.

Jing Sheng said to the generals beside him:

"According to the information sent back by the "Longxiang Guards" accompanying the army, the population of Nanping is only 700,000, and the soldiers are only 30,000. They are also guarded in various places, and the capital of Jiangling has less than 5,000 defenders.

It is extremely easy for our "Long Xiang Army" to defeat him! "

All the generals claimed so.

Jing Sheng continued: "First send the sergeants to the city gate to recruit them. If they don't comply, our army will capture Jiangling immediately!"

A messenger from Baihu immediately rode out from the military formation and headed towards the east gate of Jiangling City.

At this time, the Nanping garrison at the head of the city had also discovered the "Dragon Xiang Army" of the Great Zhou Dynasty a mile below the city. Seeing the Zhou army in full glory and with flags fluttering, their faces changed.

Gao Congming, the military supervisor of the Nanping Army and Gao Jichong’s cousin, said anxiously:

"Looking at the flag of the Zhou army, it turned out to be the "Long Xiang Army" of the personal army of Emperor Guo Zongxun of the Great Zhou Dynasty!
Didn’t the prince say that Zhou only came to Nanping to attack the Wu Qing army? Looking at this posture, he is actually coming to Nanping, what should I do? ! "

The Nanping separatist regime lasted for more than 4 years for four generations of the Gao family. He never proclaimed himself emperor. He always accepted the post of Jingnan Jiedushi entrusted by the great powers in the Central Plains. "King of Nanping" was only a title among Nanping officials and people.

At the top of the city, the Nanping generals were panicking when the Zhou army sent orders to hundreds of households who had already galloped to a distance of about 200 meters from the city wall. He looked at Gao Congming and others at the top of the city and shouted:
"My Majesty the Emperor of Zhou Dynasty, the troops of the "Dragon Xiang Army" have arrived!
If Gaoping returns and surrenders quickly, then all of you who have surrendered from Gao Jichong will not lose the reward of being a marquis or a knight!
If you resist, our "Long Xiang Army" will kill your defenders until no one is left alive! "

When Gao Congming heard this, he hesitated.

Seeing this, Jing Sheng, a mile away, immediately waved his hand and ordered hundreds of pro-army soldiers to rush forward dozens of meters, open the "God's Arm Bow", nock an arrow and shoot towards the Jiangling city wall.

Hundreds of specially made arrows came out from the bow and shot away in a volley. In an instant, they flew to the Jiangling city wall. With a rapid "porphyrin" sound, they were all buried in the stone bricks of the city wall, reaching a depth of about a foot.

Since the "Weapons Research and Development Institute" invented new smelting technology, it has naturally been used in the production of "God's Arm Bow". The God's Arm Bow arrows are sharper and stronger, and their armor-piercing power is stronger.

Seeing the power of the "God's Arm Bow", Gao Congming and other Nanping defenders on top of the city were horrified. They knew that if the 10,000-strong Zhou Dynasty's "Long Xiang Army" attacked the city, within half an hour, none of the thousands of people on our side would be able to attack. Can survive.

Gao Congming hurriedly sent a message to hundreds of households under the city wall:

"Don't attack the city! I'll surrender right now!"

Gao Congming quickly walked down the city tower with dozens of soldiers and ordered his sergeants to open the city gate.

Wanhu Jingsheng immediately led his army to the city gate.

As soon as Gao Congming saw Jing Sheng approaching with his army, he immediately knelt down and said:
"General, please do not massacre our Gaoping soldiers and civilians! We are willing to surrender to the Great Zhou Dynasty!"

While Jing Sheng assigned his officers to lead the troops to disarm the Nanping Army, he looked at Gao Congming and said:
"Don't be alarmed, Inspector Gao! As long as the Nanping soldiers and civilians do not resist our Zhou army, our army will not kill anyone indiscriminately! This is the military regulation set by His Majesty.

Gao Jiedushi, Gao Dujian and others went to Bianjing to meet the Holy Spirit, and they were all rewarded by His Majesty! "

(End of this chapter)