Great Han Empire

Chapter 931 Troubled Times Heroic Chapter Wins Central Plains
"How long we can hold on in Luoyang depends on many factors and cannot be predicted, but if we only look at the amount of grain stockpiled..." The judge stretched out two fingers, "25 people can hold on for two years. question."

Yuan Shao's expression was ugly.

Feng Ji snorted, "With the strength of Luoyang City, no army in the world can conquer it today. Unless Li Hong leads an army of 50 to attack day and night, he has no chance at all, but Li Hong does not have an army of 50. You can only attack Luoyang with an army of 20 at most."

"You think too simply." The judge shook his hand and said slowly, "If you want to defend Luoyang, the army alone is not enough."

"After the autumn harvest in October last year, Luoyang began to hoard a large amount of grain, but because Yingchuan was occupied by the Northern Xinjiang Army and Yangdi City fell, we could only transport grain northward from Luyang, Guangcheng Pass, Yique Pass, and Dagu Pass. This seriously restricts the speed of stockpiling grain. In addition, since we are going to open up the West Road battlefield, part of the grain in Jingzhou will be supplied to the Western Expeditionary Army. Once the Luoyang War starts this spring, the Northern Xinjiang Army will take the lead in attacking Luyang, and the Yingchuan and Nanyang battlefields will As the battle continues, Liu Biao and Yuan Tan have to prepare food and grass for this, which has greatly reduced the food that the two states can provide to Luoyang. Therefore, if we want to hoard food for two years, we must ensure that the army can hold Lu before June Yang and Gyeonggi Eight Passes, otherwise, we would not be able to receive the greatest assistance from Jing and Yu prefectures, that is to say, the 25 people in the city would not be able to hold on for two years."

"The reason why there are only 25 people left in the city is mainly due to the lack of food and grass. Our food and grass are limited. The more people consume, the faster the time of defeat will be. Therefore, from now on, immediately order, in addition to the 20 people recruited Except for the civilian husbands, other personnel have been evacuated quickly, and strive to have all the people within the eight gates of Gyeonggi evacuate to Jingzhou before March."

"Currently there are still [-] troops in Luoyang, including the new recruits just before the end of the year. After the Northern Xinjiang Army conquered the eight passes, we have at most [-] troops retreating to Luoyang. Judging from the stock of ordnance in Luoyang's arsenal, the existing ordnance especially The Long Arrow is only enough to consume an army of [-] troops for half a year, so we must do everything possible to raise armaments. What we need most at the moment are the Long Arrow, Dawnwood, Rolling Stones, Kerosene, Juma, Luzhai, Firewood, Zhuanguan Bridge, Suspended Spleen, Lida, spiked wooden stakes and other weapons for defending the city, but due to the huge quantity required, we have not been allowed to recruit from Jingzhou and Yuzhou in time, so..."

The judge showed pain on his face, and said weakly: "After the people evacuated, they ordered 20 civilians to demolish all the houses within Luoyang Baguan. After demolishing these houses, we can get what we need to defend the city. Iron, wood, firewood, stone, everything is available in sufficient quantity, and it saves a lot of time."

"Strong walls and clear fields?" Yuan Wei asked in surprise.

"Everything that could be demolished was demolished, including the bridges. Those that couldn't be demolished were set on fire, and all the areas outside Luoyang City and within a hundred miles of the Eight Passes were turned into ruins." The judge said helplessly, " If we can defend Luoyang and defeat the Northern Army, we can rebuild it in the future, but if we fail, we must completely destroy it, and we must not let it become a defensive rear for the Northern Army to take advantage of the victory and attack us south. In fact , everyone knows in their hearts that after the Northern Xinjiang Army breaks into the Eight Passes, no matter whether Luoyang City can be conquered or not, all the places outside Luoyang City will be turned into ruins, which is the unavoidable tragic fate of Luoyang."

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"Isn't it too early to decide to fortify the wall and clear the wilderness now?" Xun Chen stood up impatiently just after the judge had finished speaking, "Although the Northern Xinjiang Army occupied Guanzhong last year, Han Sui died. Chaos, those Qiang people have been recharging their energy for more than ten years, how could they miss such a good opportunity? The western border is in chaos, Guanzhong is in danger, and the northern border army is bound to withdraw." Xun Chen cupped his hands and said to Yuan Shao, "My lord, we It seems that it is better to defend Luoyang City. Luoyang City is extremely strong, and it is more than enough to defend for a year or so. In addition, Liu Bei who opened up the battlefield on the West Road, Liu Biao in Jingzhou, Liu Bei in Yuzhou, and Cao Cao in the Jianghuai area may also help. North The Xinjiang army has too many opponents. When Li Hong concentrates all the forces in Hebei to storm Luoyang, the others will not let go of the opportunity to counterattack in vain, so..." Xun Chen turned to look at the stern-looking judge and said, "I think Brother Zhengnan is too pessimistic, there is still room for recovery in the current situation."

"Do you believe Li Hong's words?" Chen Lin pointed at Xun Chen and said in surprise, "Li Hong is a leopard who eats his head, and his words are absolutely unbelievable. We have stayed in Chenliu for several months, and we have heard that Li Hong intends to Move the capital, and set the capital in Chang'an like Dong Zhuo. Do you know what it means to set the capital in Chang'an? It means the overthrow of the country. Li Hong has made up his mind that he will not only destroy Luoyang, but also destroy our Dahan society." Chen Lin He waved his hands angrily and shouted, "Brother Zhengnan is very sober. He has a very good personal relationship with Li Hong. He knows Li Hong's personality and understands Li Hong's intentions very clearly. Let's stop dreaming and cheer up Let's fight Li Hongjue to the death. There is only a chance to survive."

Xun Chen still wanted to defend himself, but Xin Ping, who was sitting next to him, tugged at his sleeve, motioning him to stop talking.

There was silence in the room.Yuan Shao sat behind the desk, bowed his head in thought.

"Since Zhengnan thinks that the Northern Xinjiang Army will be able to enter the Eight Passes immediately and come to Luoyang, how much can the 20 civilians do?" Feng Ji suddenly reached out and knocked on the table, "We are going to attack the twelve gates of Luoyang. Casting the urn outside, digging moats, building Fengyuan (wooden fence or low wall of rammed earth), laying horse-repelling belts, and manufacturing defense equipment. In this case, they also had to demolish the surrounding For the houses in Baili, let them transport the dismantled wood, bricks and stones back to Luoyang." Feng Ji squinted his eyes and looked at the judge whose face changed slightly, and said in a cold voice, "May I ask Zhengnan, is 20 people enough? Do we have enough time?"

"What do you mean?" The judge had a premonition of what Feng Ji was going to say, and suddenly became nervous, "The people must evacuate immediately, and there is no time."

"Can't retreat..." Feng Ji turned his head to look at the thoughtful Yuan Shao, and said loudly, "If the northern border army launches an attack after the beginning of spring, they will be able to break through the eight passes and enter Luoyang in July or August at the latest. In such a short period of time, it is very difficult for us to complete Luoyang's defensive deployment."

"The construction of the Wengcheng, the moat, and Fengyuan began as early as September last year, and the defensive equipment such as Juma, Luzhai, Zhujian, and Zhuanguan Bridge are currently being laid outside the city. It can basically be completed within a month. Although it takes time to demolish the houses, we burned them all too late. There are a lot of houses in Luoyang City. If there are not enough equipment and materials, we can demolish them for use nearby." Yuan Shao cupped his hands again and again, "My lord, we are short of food and grass. The fewer people left, the better. The best policy is to let the people evacuate as soon as possible."

"We don't have enough food and grass, so is the food and grass of the Northern Xinjiang Army very sufficient?" Feng Ji said slowly, twisting his short beard with his hands, "Leave the common people and let them build city defenses and demolish houses until the Northern Xinjiang Army comes in. Except for the 20 civilians left in the city, all the others will be thrown to the Northern Army. If the Northern Army kills them, the 20 civilians in the city will become an invincible army because of hatred. If the Northern Army If they are taken in, they must be fed, which will consume a large amount of food for the Northern Xinjiang Army. How many people are there in the Eight Passes? Five or 60 people? Li Hong saw innocent people crying outside the city Common people, what choice will he make?" Feng Ji smiled triumphantly, "What I admire the most about Li Hong is that he took in millions of refugees during the most difficult time, and kept them alive. Not now. Except, he will definitely take in these people and let them survive. How much food can the Northern Frontier Army have? How long can the wealth of Hebei be sustained by Li Hong leading the army every year?"

Feng Ji waved his hand in the air, and continued complacently: "This method will not only allow us to strengthen the walls and clear the fields and strengthen the city defenses before the Northern Xinjiang Army conquers the eight passes, but also allow the Northern Xinjiang Army to carry a heavy burden. We get the time we need with ease."

"This is simply drinking doves to quench thirst and bring about self-destruction." The judge said angrily, "Leaving these people behind and forcing them to demolish their houses will arouse their anger. When the Northern Xinjiang army came to Luoyang, they Losing the Northern Border Army will make the 20 civilians who stay in the city hate us. Once things get out of control and the 20 civilians in the city turn against us, we will be overthrown overnight. This is absolutely unfeasible."

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The officials in Luoyang argued fiercely, and Shen Pei, Xun Chen, and Xin Ping firmly opposed it, but Yuan Shao did not accept their opinions, but accepted Feng Ji's suggestion.

Yuan Shao sent people to inform Luoyang's rich and powerful, asking them to leave Luoyang immediately.At the same time, all government offices were urgently ordered to post notices, saying that the emperor had issued a decree to temporarily recruit corvees and give them generous rewards.Considering that forcibly demolishing houses would anger the common people, Feng Ji, Yuan Zhong, Wang Xiu and others carefully designed a scam, saying that anyone who demolished houses to help the court resist the rebels would get double rewards.In the future, when the Northern Xinjiang Army was defeated, the imperial court not only paid them to help them rebuild their homes, but also gave them a certain amount of land as compensation.Of course, anyone who resists the decree and fails to obey it will be severely punished for treason.

Yuan Shao originally thought that this method was not very good and would cause accidents easily, but Feng Ji's words made him put this worry to the back of his mind.Feng Ji said, if Luoyang is lost, what else can adults gain?Can you still win the support of the people?The people are like cattle and sheep, as long as you let them have enough food and clothing, they will follow you and beg for alms, forgetting any hatred.They are like two-legged animals, if they can't do it, they can be beaten or killed. I guarantee that they will bow their heads and listen to them, and they don't even dare to hum.

Things have come to this point, and everything must be centered on sticking to Luoyang, and it is hard for the judges and others to say anything, so they can only take one step at a time.

In order to delay the time when the northern army attacked Luoyang, Yuan Shao asked Shenpei and others to bring his reply to visit Li Hong again and discuss in more detail.Yuan Shao said that before Luoyang's city defenses were deployed, the peace talks would have to be dragged on, the longer the better.

The examiner smiled wryly, "Li Hong is not an idiot. He will definitely give us a deadline this time. It is estimated that he will order an attack before and after the spring plowing. In order to ensure that we can hold Luoyang, I want to ask the adults one of the most important questions. "

Yuan Shao listened intently.

"Who will guard Luoyang?" The judge asked solemnly.

Yuan Shao was stunned.

"Of course it won't be an adult." Feng Ji said impatiently.

The judge was taken aback.Yuan Wei, Xun Chen and the others looked at each other in dismay, panicked.If Yuan Shao leaves Luoyang, how long can Luoyang hold on?

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First month, Yizhou, Berkshire.

Liu Bei and Liu Pan led the army to travel long distances for more than a month, and joined Zhao Wei and Pang Yi in Jiangzhou (now Chongqing).

The support of Zhao Wei and Pang Yi from the people of Bashu in the past two years has not only supported them, but also increased their strength.The counties of Bajun, Qianwei, Yizhou, and Zang (zang, ke) in the southeast of Yizhou are all under his control, and the army has expanded to more than 3 people, which Liu Bei and Liu Pan did not expect in advance.The two were secretly surprised, and their confidence in capturing Yizhou was hit hard.Kuai Liang didn't care about this.There are nearly a million people in Berkshire. If Zhao Wei is capable, his army will be more than 3 people?This shows that Yizhou people respect the emperor of the Han Dynasty very much, and they are extremely awed by the officials sent by the court. Liu Zhang still controls considerable power in his hands.

Zhao Wei and Pang Yi did not expect Liu Biao to send such a huge army.They were very excited at first, but when they saw Liu Bei, the chariot general, and the emperor's imperial decree, they immediately felt that things were different from what they expected, and they were completely different.After the failure of the Central Plains War, Yuan Shao, Liu Biao, Liu Bei, Cao Cao and others were greatly weakened and struggling, but Liu Bei, who had lost Xuzhou, appeared in Yizhou with an army at this moment. His purpose is self-evident.

Liu Bei read out the edict of the Son of Heaven, Zhao Wei was worshiped as the governor of Yizhou, Pang Yi was worshiped as the general who sought captives and the prefect of Bajun, and Liu Zhang naturally rebelled.

Zhao Wei and Pang Yi accepted the imperial decree with smiles on their faces, but their hearts were filled with anger and fear.

Liu Bei is a general of chariots and cavalry. He led his army to the west to fight against rebels for high-sounding reasons.Liu Pan is the general of Zhenxi, and Kuai Liang is the doctor of Guanglu. Both of them have great officials, but they are both controlled by Liu Bei.By analogy, Zhao Wei and Pang Yi, whose official positions are obviously shorter, will of course be restrained by Liu Bei.In other words, after the Western Expeditionary Army defeated Liu Zhang, if Liu Beilai stayed in Bashu and did not leave, he would have the final say in Yizhou.The two of my brothers have done nothing in the past few years, and they have been busy for Liu Bei.

The more they thought about it, the angrier they became, and they scolded Liu Biao.At the beginning, Liu Biao wrote clearly in the letter that Liu Pan and Kuai Liang led the army to help, neither Liu Bei nor the imperial edict was mentioned. Who would have thought that Liu Biao was a liar.Of course, if Liu Biao didn't lie to them, how could the Western Expeditionary Army pass Jiangguan and enter Berkshire smoothly?

Zhao Wei and Pang Yi found Kuai Liang and asked him what his intentions were.If Liu Biao and Liu Bei intend to join forces to occupy Bashu, everyone will break up.Kuai Liang smiled calmly, who would benefit from tearing up his face?When we start a fight, Liu Zhang's army will come to kill you immediately, and you are dead.We helped Liu Zhang defeat you, Liu Zhang will be very grateful, and we also have the opportunity to go north to Shu County and enter Chengdu.Zhao Wei was furious. After all, you still want to occupy Yizhou.Kuai Liang shook his head disdainfully, we don't even want Yizhou if you give it to us.What are we doing in Yizhou?Can staying in Yizhou defeat Li Hongping and rule the world?Can you go north to conquer and revive the country?How can a big man survive with shameless courtiers like you.

Zhao Wei and Pang Yi were startled and angry. After thinking for a long time, they still couldn't figure out the real purpose of Liu Bei's army entering Yizhou, but what Kuai Liang said was right.Now that the Northern Army has not entered Luoyang, Liu Bei's army should be fighting in Yuzhou. He has no reason to go to Yizhou, unless the Northern Army has killed the Yangtze River, he has no way to escape, and can only go to Yizhou no shit place.In addition, Kuai Liang's threat made them helpless.The Western Expeditionary Army has a large number of people, especially Liu Bei's army. They are all fierce soldiers who have just been withdrawn from the battlefield in the Central Plains. When they fight, they are purely looking for death.From the looks of it, it's not enough if you don't admit it today.

Zhao Wei discussed with Pang Yi.They have only one choice, there is no other way, but they must ask things clearly before admitting failure.Kuai Liang then explained the situation in the Central Plains. The purpose of the Western Expeditionary Army is to help you stabilize Yizhou first, and then Yizhou will provide the army with food and grass to help the army enter Hanzhong and attack Guanzhong from Hanzhong.The two suddenly realized, but they were still very vigilant.If the Western Expeditionary Army can't conquer Guanzhong for a long time, wouldn't Yizhou be dragged down alive?After taking Chengdu, no matter what, we must find a way to send this army out.

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After the army rested for two days, Liu Bei immediately called Liu Pan and other generals of the Western Expedition Army and Yizhou officials such as Zhao Wei and Pang Yi to discuss how to go north to attack Chengdu.

Zhao Wei stood in front of the map and talked with great confidence.

There are three directions to Chengdu from Jiangzhou.One is to go north along the Fujiang River to Fucheng (now Mianyang), and then to the north of Chengdu. This road is generally called "Neishui". Among them, Fucheng and Dianjiang (now Hechuan) are the most important passes on the way.The second is to trace the Yangtze River and Minjiang River from Jiangzhou to the south of Chengdu. This road is generally called "Waishui". Nan'an (now Leshan) on the road is the most important city.The third is to enter the Tuojiang River from the west of Jiangzhou, and then go straight to Chengdu from the Tuojiang River to the north. This road is generally called "Zhongshui". Han'an (now Neijiang) is the most important city on the way.

When General Cen Peng attacked Gongsun Shu, he divided his troops into two groups in Jiangzhou (now Chongqing).Along the way, general Zang Gong led the army to go through the inner water and kill to the north of Chengdu.Along the way, he personally led the army into the outer waters and directly killed the southern part of Chengdu, forming a pincer attack from the north to the south.

"The lower official suggested that the army should be divided into two, one going to the inner waters and the other to the outer waters. The army on the inner waters was the main attack, and quietly killed the northern part of Chengdu, while the army on the outer waters was the auxiliary attack, attracting Liu Zhang's main force to the north of Chengdu. South of Chengdu." Zhao Wei pointed to the map and said, "The inner and outer waters have been the main passages between Jiangzhou and Chengdu since ancient times, and the inner water, the Fujiang River, is particularly important. Fucheng and Dianjiang are two important passes on the Fujiang River. It is divided into upper and lower reaches. Fucheng is located in the north of Chengdu. Taking Fucheng is equivalent to taking the risk of Chengdu. Dianjiang is where the three rivers converge, and the terrain is extremely dangerous. Generally speaking, to protect Chengdu, you only need to defend Fucheng up and down Guard the Dian River, control the entire Fu River, and Chengdu will have no worries.”

Zhao Wei looked at Liu Bei and said with a slight smile, "I wonder if my lord should go to the inner water or the outer water?"

"I'm going to the inner water." Liu Bei said without hesitation, "The army will leave tomorrow. See you in Chengdu."

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(End of this chapter)