Pirate Song

Sure enough, as Zhao Fang had expected, the Kingdom of Jin was still determined to destroy the Song Dynasty even at this moment. Jin Xuanzong had just passed the New Year, and regardless of the crisis in Shandong and Hebei, he ordered his servant San Anzhen to lead the army to attack the Song Dynasty again.

And just last year, during the 13th year of Jiading, the situation in the Kingdom of Jin deteriorated further. The Mongolian army aggressively invaded the Jin territory in the south, and their iron hoofs almost covered all places in Hebei and Shandong. Jin Xuanzong also understood the sinister intentions of Shuhu Gaoqi, and ordered He killed Shuhu Gao Qi, but he did not change his mind about the strategy of attacking Song Dynasty.

According to him and some ministers of the Jin Kingdom, there is no hope in the north of the Jin Kingdom. If the Jin Kingdom is to survive, the only way is to win the Southern Song Dynasty as soon as possible, and then expand the territory to the south to increase the defense depth of the Jin Kingdom. Natural danger to deal with the iron hooves of the Mongolian army.

So Jin Xuanzong Wan Yanxun waited until the situation in the north eased a little, and immediately sent his servant San Anzhen to attack the Song Dynasty in the south. In desperation, San Anzhen had to lead his flower hat army out of Xizhou (now Xixian County, Henan Province) Going south, they defeated a part of the Song army at Jingjushan Temple in one fell swoop in February, and soon sent troops to attack the Huangtu Pass under the control of the Song army, knocking on the gate of going south again, and the soldiers pointed directly at Huangzhou, Qizhou two places.

The news spread to Ezhou immediately, and caused panic among the people in Ezhou again, because Huangzhou is on the north bank of the Yangtze River, facing Ezhou across the river, only separated by water, this time Pu San Anzhen led the army and did not come from the Zaoyang area. Marching into Xiangyang, they diverted to Huangzhou. Once Huangzhou fell, it would mean that the important gate on the Yangtze River would be knocked open by the Jin army, which was almost like inserting a knife in the defense line along the river.

At this time, most of the Song army was concentrated in Xiangyang, Zaoyang, Tangzhou, and Dengzhou. The troops in Huangzhou and Qizhou were insufficient, and Ezhou was basically empty except for the navy for the time being. People were panicked for a while. , a little at a loss.

After all, Zhao Fang can be regarded as Lao Jiang who has been through battles for a long time, and he is much more stable than ordinary people. After thinking about it, he immediately ordered the Xiangyang army to rush to the direction of Huangzhou. The Jin army's flanks posed a threat, and at the same time ordered the garrison navy to strengthen defenses along the river. Even if Huangzhou lost, the Jin army could not let the Jin army cross the river and attack Ezhou.

In addition, in order to strengthen the defense of Ezhou, Zhao Fang once again ordered the townships in the counties and counties along Jingxi Road to go to Ezhou to help.

At the end of February, Zhao Fang's order was issued to Daye County and placed in front of Gao Huaiyuan. In addition, the person who sent the order sent Gao Huaiyuan a message from Zhao Fang, because Zhao Fang knew that among the counties along West Jing Road, the township The one with the strongest fighting power should be Daye County where Gao Huaiyuan is located, so Gao Huaiyuan was asked in the message to recruit as much as possible from the villages in Daye County to rush to Ezhou to assist the Ezhou garrison troops in defense.

Gao Huaiyuan was also a little caught off guard by the rapidly changing situation, because various affairs had just begun in his new year, and the bow and arrow clubs in each township had just ended the busy spring season and were waiting for full-scale training. For such an urgent matter, it is not easy to recruit Xiangyong to go to the expedition.

For Liu Zhixian, this matter made him even more at a loss. He was a complete layman in this kind of military affairs, and mainly relied on Gao Huaiyuan to take care of this kind of affairs for him, so he hurried to discuss this matter with Gao Huaiyuan.

"Lieutenant Gaoxian, in your opinion, how many townspeople can be recruited by this county to go to Ezhou to help? Will the Jin army attack the Yangtze River this time? If all the townspeople in this county are brave enough, once the Jin army crosses the river, this county will What else do you hold?" Liu Zhixian asked impatiently when he saw Gao Huaiyuan.

The colleagues of several other county yamen also stared at Gao Huaiyuan with wide eyes. They were all a little anxious now, for fear that once the Jin soldiers crossed the river and captured Ezhou, Daye County would bear the brunt of becoming the Jin army. The target of the attack, so it is very contradictory at the moment. I don’t know whether to send a large number of village braves to Ezhou to help. From a selfish point of view, they hope to deploy fewer village warriors. Once the Jin army crosses the river, Daye The county can still rely on something, at least some township braves are left to defend the county.

Gao Huaiyuan somewhat despised their thoughts, but he didn't show anything on his face. After thinking about it for a while, he raised his head and replied loudly: "My lords, don't worry too much. From the following point of view, Jin Jun basically There is no possibility of crossing the south of the Yangtze River! Although the first Jin army was led by the famous generals of the Jin Kingdom, it is true, but the Jin army is not strong, and they lack naval ships, and they are not good at water warfare. Even if they take down Huangzhou and Qizhou Waiting for the ground, I can only look at the water and sigh!

What's more, the strength of the Song army in Jiangbei is not weak. The number of Jin soldiers this time is limited. Even if they capture Huangzhou, they dare not cross the river rashly. If there is no retreat, the Jin army may be in danger of being wiped out.

Therefore, San Anzhen, the general of the Jin army, will not do such a stupid thing. What's more, the city of Ezhou is strong, and the mountains are easy to defend and difficult to attack. Even if the Jin army can cross the river, there are no artillery vehicles to attack the city. Don't worry too much about this!

As for the matter of recruiting the township to go to Ezhou to help, I think it will not have much impact on the county. Now that the spring rush is basically over and the agricultural slack season is about to enter, and this trip to Ezhou to help is far less dangerous than the previous trip to Xiangyang Gao, maybe it's just a period of defense in the Ezhou area. Once the Jin soldiers retreat, they will come back!

But to take a step back, once the Jin army crosses the river, Ezhou is currently understrength. Once the Jin army seizes Ezhou, it will mean that the hinterland of the south of the Yangtze River will be opened. Sir, please think about it, there will be eggs under the nest?If even the troops stationed in Ezhou can't stop the Jin army, can this county stop the Jin soldiers from going south by relying on these township bravery?

Therefore, this time we should be ordered by Mr. Zhao, and send as many brave men as possible to Ezhou to help. Only when there is no loss in Ezhou, can we ensure that there is no loss in Daye County!I don't know what do you guys think? "

After listening to Gao Huaiyuan's analysis, Liu Zhixian and the others breathed a sigh of relief. They usually only care about local affairs, and for a long time, the Song and Jin Dynasties played lively in Jiangbei, but the Jiangnan area They were not affected, so they didn't pay much attention to the war, and it was impossible for them to predict the development trend of the war situation like Gao Huaiyuan. Now, after hearing Gao Huaiyuan's words, they all felt that his analysis was sound, so they were relieved many.

Liu Zhixian felt that Gao Huaiyuan was right. Now Ezhou is short of soldiers and horses, and Daye County is also the closest to Ezhou. If he refuses to cooperate with Zheng Xiangyong to help Ezhou, I am afraid that Zhao Fang will hand over a piece of impeachment to Beijing, and his The magistrate's seat is probably the end, so when he thought of this, he no longer hesitated, so he immediately nodded and said:

"What Gao Xianwei said is very true. This matter should be handled according to what Gao Xianwei said. Everyone go down immediately, go to the village and transfer Xiangyong to gather outside the county seat, and hand it over to Gao Xianwei to lead, within three days. , Three days later, we will go to Ezhou City! This is the time when the national crisis is at the forefront. As officials of the Song Dynasty, how can we care about small profits and ignore the overall situation? I hope you will work together to overcome the national crisis!..."

After Gao Huaiyuan listened to Liu Zhixian's impassioned speech, he felt scornful in his heart. When Liu Zhixian heard that the Jin army would not go south, he immediately changed his face, which is really disgusting!

But other people didn't see it that way, and immediately stood up and said yes, and then Liu Zhixian assigned tasks, almost using all the people in the county government, and sent them to the villages to start recruiting Xiangyong, while Gao Huaiyuan was in charge of Gaojiazhuang and other three townships. Xiangyong, after speaking, they went down and started to prepare.

This time the troop dispatch is different from the previous ones. The number of township bravery is much larger than before. Each township has a quota of 100 people, mainly bow and arrow clubs. The progress is also very fast.

Gao Huaiyuan made a trip to Gaojiazhuang by himself, and from Gaojiazhuang, he dispatched fifty township braves, and Crouching Tiger Village naturally dispatched fifty villains to fill the Gaojiazhuang township warriors. The villagers of the three townships were taken outside the county seat.

Due to the large number of soldiers this time, in order not to cause confusion, Gao Huaiyuan set up an officer corps with people from Crouching Tiger Village as the backbone, and each of the thirteen townships sent a person who had served in the army as the capital. The head of the bow and arrow clubs in each township is the deputy capital head, and the deputy head is the team leader, so that it is convenient for him to make unified dispatches.

Moreover, this time he filled Guo Liang and other archers who had served with him in the front of the army into the township army, each serving as the flag bearer and other positions. This time, Gao Huaiyuan, the vice-captain of the Archers team, was also taken with him to Ezhou.

Under the strict order of the county government, when the three-day period expired, the township members of each township finally arrived outside the county seat on time. Each township was a capital and stationed in the school field outside the county seat. The heads of the bow and arrow clubs in each township discussed matters, dispatched the heads he had arranged in advance to lead teams in each township, and gathered the brave men of the townships to announce military discipline.

This time Daye County can be said to be the best among the bravery of the township, and after a year of training, although they are still ordinary people, they are no longer as messy as before. Looks good, there is no mess.

The troops from the Thirteen Capitals were divided into three battalions by Gao Huaiyuan. Each of the two battalions had soldiers from the Five Capitals, and each was organized into five hundred township soldiers. As his personal soldiers and messengers, and also an assault force in his hands, the combat effectiveness is considered to be the most powerful. The remaining Liangdu troops were used by Gao Huaiyuan as a supply camp, which was specially responsible for the transportation of grain, fodder and arrows by mules, horses and vehicles. Supplies.

Regarding Gao Huaiyuan's arrangement, people from all villages did not dare to have any opinions, and after Gao Huaiyuan's integration, the village soldiers who were like a mess of sand were pinched together overnight and became a rather Seeing the scale of the army, even Liu Zhixian nodded vigorously, thinking that Gao Huaiyuan is really a material for a general, and it is a bit of a shame not to be a soldier in the army. But they didn't dare to put forward any opinions, and honestly followed the people stationed in their township soldiers to get busy.

In the early morning of the fourth day, after a burst of horns sounded outside the city, teams of township men set off in a row and set foot on the road to Ezhou, and the weapons of the township soldiers were also prepared in advance. There are [-] spearmen in Ding, [-] sword and shield players, and [-] archers, forming a relatively complete cooperation.

It's a pity that the township warriors lack armor and other protective equipment. If they can be equipped with armor, the combat effectiveness of these more than 1000 people should not be underestimated.

Gao Huaiyuan, who had experience in leading troops, was no longer a fledgling boy a few years ago. He drove the township army on the march without any effort, and strictly ordered the leaders to control their subordinates. It was neat and orderly, but it also attracted the attention of many passers-by.

Gao Huaiyuan himself led the team to walk in front of the team. His yellow puma was still under his crotch. He was wearing a Zhajia brought back from the army, a leaf helmet on his head, and a moon knife in his hand. He looked majestic and majestic. All secretly applauded.

Although they went to Ezhou to help this time, the township soldiers were still a little nervous. Many people were uneasy. They didn't know what would happen after they arrived in Ezhou. On the way, they kept cheering them up and instilled in them a lot of ideas of obeying military discipline. Gradually, under the encouragement of their group, the villagers who went out for the first time gradually felt at ease.

The road from Daye County to Ezhou is only about [-] miles away. Under the supervision of Gao Huanyuan, Xiangyong was asked to march quickly to Ezhou City without any rest on the way. The trouble of stationing, and the delay in setting up and dismantling camps in the province.

Therefore, Yong from Daye Township finally arrived outside the city of Ezhou in the middle of the night, and a group of people and horses stopped their way far away. A large number of torches were lined up across the road, and a fast horse galloped towards them. Come.

"Stop coming, tell us your identities!" A Song army officer shouted loudly, pointing at them with a big gun in his armor.

"Don't misunderstand! We are Daye Township Yong, and we are specially ordered to come to Ezhou to help defend the city! My official is Daye County Captain Gao Huaiyuan!" Gao Huaiyuan also raised his horse to meet him, and replied loudly.

After listening to Gao Huaiyuan's words, the atmosphere relaxed. General Song, who was blocking the way, put away his big gun, walked in and looked at Gao Huaiyuan by the light of the torch. After confirming that there was nothing wrong with them, he got off his horse. Said: "The little one is in the military business, I have offended you, I hope the adults will forgive me a lot! Can you let the little one check the adults' orders?"

Gao Huaiyuan also saw clearly that this person was a low-ranking officer in the Song Army. Compared with him, his own status was much higher than his. He was in a state of tension, so he didn't make it difficult for him. He reached out and handed the ultimatum to the Song general immediately.

After the man finished reading it, he confirmed that it was correct and quickly apologized again, and handed the certificate back to Gao Huaiyuan, and then asked cautiously, "I wonder how many brave men your lord has brought to help this time?"

"300 people! I don't know if the garrison camp has already arranged a camp for us?" Gao Huaiyuan replied loudly.

This number really surprised the patrolling Song Army. They didn't expect that Daye County would dispatch more than 1000 township soldiers to help Ezhou, and they dared not neglect, so the officer quickly replied: " Don't worry, my lord, the camp of the garrison army has already received the order of Master Zhao, and has prepared camps for the townspeople from all over the country, please come with the children!"

After a lot of tossing, the exhausted villagers finally settled down, but the sky had gradually turned gray. Check in.

But this time, because of the seriousness of the situation, Zhao Fang actually took care of the defense in person in the garrison camp while sick. When he woke up early in the morning, he heard that a Xiangyong had arrived in Ezhou. After asking, he learned that it was from Daye County. So he immediately sent people to look for Gao Huaiyuan, and happened to meet Gao Huaiyuan who was enthroned at the signing office outside the tent, so he recruited Gao Huaiyuan into Zhao Fang's big tent.

"Boy, you really didn't disappoint the old man, you were the first one to rush over here, but I wonder how many Xiangyong you brought to Ezhou this time? Can the Xiangyong be able to fight?" Zhao Fang, dressed as a civil servant, sat in the tent After the handsome case in the middle, he saw Gao Huaiyuan and asked with a smile on his face.

"Please refer to Ambassador Zhao. This time, I have brought [-] township braves from Daye County for your lord's dispatch. Most of these township braves have undergone a certain degree of training, but they are not yet elite. They will be used as the main force. It’s not possible, but as an auxiliary army to help defend Ezhou, the lower officials think that as long as the dispatch is good, there should be no problem! Please show me!” Gao Huaiyuan was not modest, and roughly told the truth about the situation of the Xiangyong he led Zhao Fang.

Zhao Fang nodded slightly: "Boy, it's very good that you can not be arrogant or impatient. Now it's time to employ people here. You came in a timely manner. I won't hide it from you. After the troops were dispatched, the troops marched forward, and the fronts of the soldiers pointed directly at the two prefectures of Huang and Qi, and they wanted to break through the natural moat of the Yangtze River in one fell swoop, which can be said to be menacing! But Ezhou is now very empty, with only less than [-] soldiers and horses. The soldiers and horses in the two states are even more insufficient, and the situation is quite bad!

Although the armies around Xiangyang have already begun to march towards Huangzhou, they are far from being able to quench their thirst. Especially when the Jin army sent troops, they sent troops to attack Tang and Dengzhou at the same time. The army is pinned down in the area of ​​Tang and Deng, unable to come to help Huangzhou, so the situation is quite urgent!

Since you came in such a timely manner, the old man wants to send you across the river to Huangzhou in the north of the Yangtze River to assist Huangzhou in defending against the enemy. I wonder if you have the guts, kid? "