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Chapter 369 Success or Failure (Second Change)

The ice and snow in Youzhou melted.

The spring wheat buried in the ground last year has sprouted green on the ground, and the people are busy watering the fields to solidify the moisture. Fortunately, there is frequent heavy snowfall in Youzhou this winter, so the moisture is not heavy. That sentence, the old farmers in the field said that most of this year in Youzhou will be a good year.

As long as the weather in Hebei is favorable, the people can live a life, but they are most afraid of drought and flooding of the Yellow River.
In this agriculture-based era, whether there is a good harvest or not has become the hope for the people to live for a year.Between Hebei and Guanzhong, there is a big disadvantage in the struggle for world hegemony, that is, Hebei is in the lower reaches of the Yellow River, while Guanzhong is in the upper reaches.

You must know that although Hebei is vast and the world is easy to cultivate, the flooding and diversion of the Yellow River mostly occurred in the lower reaches. The flood of the Yellow River in the seven years of Daye ended in more than 30 counties in Shandong and Henan, and countless people drowned. The lack of harvest, coupled with the defeat of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty in the conquest of Liaodong in the same year, and the loss of millions of troops, directly led to the uprising of Wang Bo, Gao Shida and others in Hebei and Shandong.

Therefore, if the yellow dragon cannot be tamed, the common people will suffer from disasters every year, so how can we talk about competing for hegemony with Guanzhong.

But for the uncontrollable climate, all we can do now is to do our best. For Youzhou's surging population, the reclamation of new fields has become crucial.In order to encourage the refugees to reclaim new fields, Wei Zheng ordered Zhuojun Dajiangfang to make [-] iron plows and buy [-] new cattle from the grassland for reclaiming new fields.

The refugees have a safe place to live, so they will not disturb the place.

And in the grass market in the north of Ji County, Hu merchants led stallions from the grassland to Ji County.

Spring is warm and flowers are blooming. This is the time for horses to breed. There are famous horses and good horses on the grassland, especially Li Chongjiu, who defeated and humiliated the king's tribe last year and seized thousands of Ujumqin horses.

Therefore, for the Han people, the Ujimqin horse, which is good at running and has excellent endurance, is very popular.The horse dealers of the Han people always lead mares with good coat and color to the grasslands to find suitable stallions.

In the discussion hall, after fierce bargaining between Hu Han and the horse merchants, the two sides reached a deal. If they disagree, they can also go to Wei Zheng's newly established municipal office for arbitration.

In the martial arts arena.

A new batch of soldiers joined the Fubing.These soldiers were all selected from among the village soldiers.

To be selected as a military soldier, one needs to be assessed for bows, horses, swords and spears. If you have an elder, you can be selected. If you can read and write, you don't even need to be assessed, and you can be directly selected into the army.

In the battle with Li Tang in Guanzhong last year, the Youzhou army also realized the strength of the Tang army, and the whole army realized that if they want to fight against such a powerful enemy in the future, they need to practice hard.

Different from the past, among the government soldiers, there is a new branch called engineers.

When it was first set up, all the generals thought that the so-called engineering soldiers were just like the auxiliary soldiers before, doing things like digging trenches and building bridges.

But in fact it's not just that. When they attacked Jinyang last year, they broke through the city tower, and the eight-point cannon, which showed great power, was officially incorporated into the army's standard weapons, and the engineers specially operated the eight-point cannon.

In addition, there is a bed crossbow with a strength of twelve stones, which is also controlled by engineers.

Li Chongjiu was inspecting the engineers practicing the six-point cannon and the twelve-stone bed crossbow.

Li Zuojiang, who was in charge of making weapons, and Zhou Zuojiang stood aside.Li Zuojiang reported to Li Chongjiu: "We use eight wheels to pull this newly made six-pointed gun, and two oxen or four pack horses can support it. In this way, this trebuchet can travel with the army and enter the battle at any time."

Xue Wanshu questioned and asked: "It is good that the six-point cannon can be towed, but it must travel on flat ground. Once our army crosses mountains and mountains, how can the six-point cannon accompany the army?"

Li Zuojiang had already prepared, and said immediately: "If you send troops to merge the state and cross the Taihang Mountains, it is of course useless, but if you attack the land of Hebei where there is a flat river, this six-point cannon can be used."

Li Chongjiu nodded, and said: "Very good, but since the order to shoot [-] more crossbows, there are still twelve stone bed crossbows, which are still too heavy. I would rather be lighter. I also want to be able to march with the army, and I can enter the battle at any time to fight against the enemy." For field battles. I need twenty more bed crossbows. In the future, our army will use troops in Hebei."

"Promise." Li Zuojiang was overjoyed when he heard that Li Chongjiu agreed to his improvement plan for the trebuchet.

When Li Chongjiu was about to continue inspecting the new army, a fast horse came in from the gate of the school ground.

Wang Gui, who joined the army in the new recording room, came to Li Chongjiu and dismounted from his horse and said: "Shanggu Gong, Hebei Jibao, Wei Gong Li Mi led 20 Wagang troops to march, and after leaving Wang Bodang to garrison Jinyong City, he led his own elite soldiers. Wan went to Yanshi, and Wang Shichong also led 2 horses to Yanshi to fight."

Li Chongjiu stopped suddenly when he heard Wang Gui's words.

Xue Wan said: "This battle can determine the gains and losses of the Eastern Capital. Presumably Wang Shichong has been repeatedly defeated by the Wagang Army, so he should not be the opponent."
Li Chongjiu listened to Xue Wanshu's blunt words, and even the onlookers thought so, so the Wagang Army from top to bottom thought they would win.

Wang Gui said: "It's not necessarily true, it's just that the Wagang Army fought against Yu Wenhua and their vitality has not yet recovered, so a sudden decisive battle may not be the best policy. But if Wei Gong's plan is correct, with the strength of the current Wagang Army, it is no problem to defeat Wang Shichong. "

Wang Gui spoke more cautiously, but he also believed that Li Mi would beat Wang Shichong.

Li Chongjiu said: "Prepare the horses, I want to go back to the governor's mansion immediately, and ask Lu Chengqing to prepare food and fodder for the three thousand cavalry immediately."

Xue Wanshu and Wang Gui looked at each other, wondering why Li Chongjiu made such a sudden plan.

After returning to the Governor's Mansion, Wen Yanbo was talking with Wei Zheng and Wei Zheng. It turned out that after Wei Zheng heard that Li Mi sent troops to fight Wang Shichong, he also came from the Governor's Mansion to the Governor's Mansion to see how Li Chongjiu would handle the matter.

Wen Yanbo and Wei Zheng bowed to Li Chongjiu together.

But Li Chongjiu waved his hand and said: "There is no time to salute, I will lead [-] cavalry from Youzhou to the south to Liyang tonight!"

"Li Yang?"

Wen Yanbo, Wei Zheng, and Xue Wanshu behind Li Chongjiu, and Wang Gui were all shocked. Liyang was the headquarters of the Wagang Army, and Liyang warehouse was also the granary of Hebei. What did Li Chongjiu suddenly go to Liyang for?

Li Chongjiu sighed and said, "Duke Wei will definitely lose this battle!"

"Mr. Shanggu, why do you say that?" Wen Yanbo and Wei Zheng were puzzled.

Li Chongjiu remained silent. This is the difficulty of knowing the general trend of history. Indeed, when no one in the world thought that Li Mi would not lose, Li Mi finally lost.

After defeating Zhang Xutuo and establishing his prestige, Li Mi led the Wagang Army to successive battles and victories, captured the Luokou warehouse, and helped the people with food, which won the hearts of the people.But when he killed Zhai Rang, Li Mi couldn't bear to kill him, but Shan Xiongxin, Xu Shiji, and Bing Yuanzhen refused to trust them.

Therefore, although the three of them are very close to Li Mi on the surface, they are actually betrayed.

Once Li Mi was defeated, the three of them had to rebel first. Later, Li Mi founded the Wagang Army based on the prestige of winning streak, but because of the shattering of the myth of his invincibility, it was finally destroyed.

Li Chongjiu shook his head, and said to Wei Zheng and the others: "No matter what, I'm going to Liyang. Don't persuade me, just prepare."

That night, Li Chongjiu and Wang Mahan led [-] cavalry from Zhuojun to Liyang.

Departing from Zhuojun, Li Chongjiu led his cavalry to go south through Shanggu County Qingqi. After leaving Shanggu County, various forces were intertwined.

Li Chongjiu's [-] cavalry were cautious all the way, and the army was moving fast. Li Chongjiu came suddenly. Neither Li Tang nor Dou Jiande expected what Li Chongjiu's intention was when he sent such a large group of Youzhou cavalry across the border.

After the states and counties learned about it, they wanted to send troops to intercept it, but they were a little bit late.

When they arrived in Wu'an County, they entered the territory of the Wagang Army, but the situation did not get better.Li Chongjiu couldn't even enter a Wagang Army city to rest.

The situation here is chaotic and complicated.

Back then, Wang Deren, the bandit commander of Lin Lushan in Wei County, sent his troops to kill Fang Yanzao, who went to and from Li Mi and Li Chongjiu.At that time, Li Mi was furious when he heard the news and sent Xu Shiji to conquer him. Wang Deren couldn't resist Xu Shiji, so he surrendered to Li Yuan. Li Yuan gave him the governor of Yanzhou.

Li Yuan also appointed Lu Min, the governor of Xiangzhou, to intervene in Li Mi's territory. Later, Yuan Zicai, the Tongshou of Wu'an, also defected to Li Yuan from Li Mi's account, and Li Yuan also took him in.

In Wu'an County, in addition to the horse thieves and thieves, Yu Wenhua and the Xiaoguo army returning from the north also occupied Wei County and Qucheng, and there were constant battles between the Xiaoguo army and local forces in the territory.Li Chongjiu met the Xiaoguo army on the road to force the conscripts, and was hit on the head of his own cavalry. As a result, the Xiaoguo army was defeated by Wang Mahan.

Seeing this scene, Li Chongjiu couldn't help sighing, Li Mi took the five counties of Hebei for nothing, and it was a waste of his own advice to him.

In the territory of the Wagang Army, people's hearts are not attached, and grass bandits are rampant. Li Mi just confers local officials, rebels, or rebels, and confers official positions, but he doesn't think about how to digest and recruit them.Not only did they fail to manage the place with care, they even failed to effectively manage and restrain the local forces.

The military rations piled up like mountains in the Luokou warehouse and Liyang warehouse actually harmed the Wagang army. Li Mi had a steady supply of military rations, so he didn't want to run the prefectures and counties.On the contrary, the Wagang Army had rations, but no source of money. The soldiers were not rewarded for their meritorious service, but they were not compensated for their deaths. The evaluation in the history books said that the soldiers blamed Li Mi a lot.

Now Yu Wenhua and Wu'an County, one of Li Mi's original five counties in Hebei, were occupied. Instead of destroying the veteran Yu Wenhua and the remnant soldiers first, Li Mi led his army to Dongdu to fight Wang Shichong.

When Li Mi fought with Yu Wenhuaji and almost lost both sides, Wang Shichong led the remnants of Luoyang to recuperate and recover.Now Li Mi takes his exhausted army to a decisive battle with Wang Shichong...

The more Li Chongjiu looked at it, the more disappointed he became. It really is easy to win the world immediately, but it is difficult to rule the world under the horse, but the Wagang Army is all grass bandits, so they don't know how to govern the country.But Li Mi only wanted to conquer the Eastern Capital as soon as possible in his heart, so that he could command the world, but he neglected the governance of the region.

In this way, as long as Li Mi is defeated in Yanshi, the power of the entire Wagang Army will undoubtedly collapse.

Li Chongjiu rode on the road, and couldn't help but doubt whether his purpose of going to Liyang this time was correct.

(End of this chapter)