Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

The economic envoys are responsible for civil affairs, while the pacification envoys are responsible for fighting wars.

The two can be placed separately, but they are often combined, that is, to appease the envoy. The Economic Strategy Department and the Pacification Department are further divided, each responsible for civil affairs and military affairs, and jointly responsible to the Economic Strategy and Peace Envoy.

If a place is particularly chaotic, send another messenger.

It can be placed alone or stacked, such as to appease and recruit envoys through a strategy. This position is often held by military officials, who can act expeditiously in the event of war and have great autonomy in deploying troops.

In the southern region, there is no need for frequent large-scale mobilization of troops, money and food, so various positions are often placed separately and concurrently.

For example, Cai Yi, who was lying flat, was originally the magistrate of Guizhou, concurrently served as the transport judge of Guangxi, and also served as the pacifier of Guangxi.

Another example is the man who provoked the rebellion of the barbarians in Luzhou. He was the magistrate of Luzhou and concurrently served as the pacifier of Luzhou.

If there is a war, the person with the highest authority is often the commander-in-chief. For example, the Lunan pacification envoy was unable to deal with the barbarians. Zhao Yu, who was the transfer envoy on Zizhou Road, quickly summoned the troops to unified command.

Higher-level positions also include the general command of finance, troops, horses, money and food, similar to the governors of several provinces in the Ming Dynasty.

This thing emerged during the Jingkang period and became normalized during the Anti-Jin War.

Due to the poor situation in the southwest, Zhao Yu was appointed as the general commander of the southwest military, horse, money and food affairs, and all the forces in the southwest were under his unified command. It can be understood as the Governor of the Southwest Region.

However, Zhao Yu does not have the power to open a mansion!

When evaluating a general commander of troops, horses, money and food, or an economic and political envoy to see if he can run a government alone, you will know how much power he actually has.

Zhao Yu first learned about Huang Gai's defense arrangements. The total military strength here was close to 40,000.

There are 15,000 defenders in Zitong City.

A fortress was set up on the hilltop in the northwest of the city (across the Zijiang River) with 5,000 troops stationed there to prevent the rebels from crossing the river and bypassing them. You can also go down the mountain to harass the rebel flanks when the rebels are attacking the city, and cooperate with the Zitong defenders to attack from both sides at critical moments.

A fortress is set up on the hilltop in the northeast of the city, with 8,000 troops stationed there. It is a forward position for officers and soldiers, which can prevent the rebels from attacking the city with all their strength, and can also cooperate with friendly forces to attack from several sides.

A fortress was set up on the hilltop in the east of the city, with 6,000 troops stationed there, to prevent the rebels from going around to the open area east of Zitong City. Once the rebels take this route, they will be attacked from three sides.

Zhao Yu had to admit that Huang Gai's arrangement was very appropriate and all aspects were considered.

"The thieves have been silent?" Zhao Yu asked.

Huang Gai said: "I only sent some scouts to inquire about the military situation, but there was no other movement from the red bandits. They have been stationed in Qiqu Mountain for more than 20 days. It's just right that he didn't move, so I have time to train the local soldiers."

Ju Ming, like Li Bao, is purging the troops.

He had reorganized once in Lizhou and received the surrendered troops at Jianmen Pass. The size of the army reached 48,000 people (including 20,000 civilians).

Seeing that Zitong County was not easy to fight, he cut down trees to build siege equipment and used his time to reorganize.

The most capable elites were named "Chang Jie Army", with a strength of 3,000, and were led by Deng Chun.

Ju Ming's pro-army force also expanded to 3,000 people and was named the "Successful Army", led by Li Jinyi.

Another five armies were organized, named Xiaoguo, Longxiang, Huyi, Langben and Yingyang, with a total strength of 15,000.

The rest were all eliminated as auxiliary soldiers and civilians, that is, there were only 21,000 combat soldiers.

Well, the firearms unit is a separate unit and is organized into a separate firearms battalion. Counting the auxiliaries, there are only a few hundred people.

After reorganization, military discipline was reaffirmed and discipline was strengthened through drills.

As a result, a very strange situation occurred. The armies of the two sides faced each other for more than 20 days, and they actually held their own camps to train before the battle. They all feel that their troops are poorly trained, and they all feel that their troops are difficult to command and cannot be immediately drawn out for high-intensity battles.

There is also a partial army, with Lin Chong as the main general and Bai Qi as the deputy general, and there are only 5,000 people including civilians.

They went south along the Jialing River, capturing Cangxi, Langzhong, Nanfang, Xinzheng, Xinsjing, Xishui, Fengguo, Xiangru... mostly small counties in the mountains, and many counties became market towns in later generations.

The officers and soldiers retreated all the way and gathered in Nanchong to hold on. The remaining defeated generals and newly recruited rural soldiers totaled 8,000 troops.

Lin Chong and Bai Qi accepted surrender along the way and expanded their army to ten thousand (including civilians). It's not that they can't add more troops, but that they don't have enough food and grass. The areas they conquer are too poor, and they can't get much by asking rich households to donate food.

Stuck under Nanchong City, somewhat unable to move.

"How about a strong attack?" Lin Chong asked.

Bai Qi came here to gain experience. He experienced many battles along the way. Although the intensity was not very high, he finally saw blood and learned how to march, camp, and arrange troops.

Bai Qi said: "Our army does not have elite troops. They are all composed of surrendered troops. Once the strong attack fails, I am afraid that the morale of the army will be immediately dispersed."

Lin Chong said: "We have been winning battles, and the officers and soldiers have been losing battles. Our army's morale is high, but the enemy's morale is low. You can try to attack by force."

"I'm afraid it's not enough to attack the city in the field," Bai Qi said, "Let's build the flat artillery first, and then continue to shoot surrender letters and messages into the city."

Letters of persuasion and proclamations were sent out one after another. The defenders had gained experience, and the soldiers automatically collected them and burned them.

There are several civil and military officials in Nanchong City.

Chen Rujia, the governor of Guozhou, was the leader, Xue Yuanjian, the governor of Langzhou, was the deputy, and several Xiang army commanders were the generals.

A clipper ship arrived, and the messenger rushed into the city.

Chen Rujia read the military report, handed it to Xue Yuanjian and said: "The thieves from Hezhou have gone north to Xinming (Wusheng)."

Xue Yuanjian frowned and said, "How did we fight there? The dangerous fortress of Hezhou couldn't be defended. Why didn't the soldiers and horses on Kuizhou Road cut off the thieves' retreat?"

"How do I know?" Chen Rujia said angrily.

He really wanted to say, how can you not defend the great city of Langzhong? You actually let the thieves and bandits come to my place!

Li Bao's army has already reached Xinming. If he captures Xinming County and then Hanchu County, he can join forces with Lin Chong and Bai Qi to encircle Nanchong.

Xue Yuanjian said: "We must ask Kuizhou Road to send troops quickly!"

…

In fact, Kuizhou Road has already sent troops.

The transport judge Zhang Shen was the commander-in-chief and led 10,000 land and water troops to attack Quzhou from the mouth of Jiajiang River in Dazhou. Taking this city will cut off Li Bao's retreat.

At first, Zhang Shen was cautious, but soon discovered that there were no thieves to defend here!

After leading his troops into the city, Zhang Shen felt like he was in a dream. Was he able to regain the lost ground so easily?

"President Zhang, the rebels have been cut off from their retreat, and Hezhou and Guang'an are difficult to attack," Kuizhou Road Commander Guard Shouxin said excitedly, "But if we march north to Bazhou, we will be able to easily recover the counties in Bazhou, and we can also Threatening Hanzhong, the den of thieves!"

Zhang Shen knew what the general was thinking. Li Bao's main force was in the southwest, and Wei Shouxin did not dare to confront him head-on. Going north to Bazhou, the rebels are empty. Not only is there no danger, but they can also regain the lost ground and prepare to cross Micang Mountain to attack Hanzhong!

Regardless of whether they can cross Micang Mountain or not, the officers and soldiers on their team are the most outstanding troops in Sichuan.

Recover the lost territory, take the thieves' den directly, and report the victory in a beautifully written document.

Zhang Shen shook his head: "The key to Sichuan lies in the battle in central Shu. No matter how many states and counties we recover, if we allow the bandits to advance westward, it will not help the war situation. Listen to my order and attack Guang'an with the entire army!"

Wei Shouxin obeyed the order, but actually he was resentful.

If Bazhou is empty, we won't fight. If we don't want to win the military glory of Bazhou, we have to go to Guang'an to confront the bandits head-on. Isn't this a fool?

Wei Shouxin bowed and retreated, called his generals and announced the order to attack Guang'an.

The commanders of various states were in a state of panic. You said something to me, blaming Zhang Shen for not knowing military matters and for being a turban who could only read rotten books.

But the civilian commander gave orders, and the generals had to listen.

A few soldiers were left to garrison Quzhou, and the main force went straight to Guang'an.

There were actually not many bandits in Guang'an. Seeing the officers and soldiers fleeing in the face of the wind, Zhang Shen led the Kuizhou Road soldiers and horses to regain the lost territory again.

The whole army is excited and has high morale.

Zhang Shen, however, got more and more headaches as he fought. He knew what the bandits wanted to do.

Li Bao completely gave up his retreat. He did not want Guang'an, Quzhou, or Bazhou. He allowed officers and soldiers to occupy it at will, and even exposed Hanzhong to the front of the army. His real purpose is to open up the main road and connect several rebel armies into one!

Facing the empty official warehouse, Zhang Shen knew that a tough battle was waiting for him.

He led the land and sea troops to Hezhou in a furious battle, and was met with a head-on attack by the rebel navy.

Qi Gongkui, Pang Dingzi, Qiu Shanshui, and Li Jiang are all thieves' patrol inspectors and salt lords. There was also Xu Mengde, the son of a salt merchant, who led his family's salt transport fleet as thieves.

When he was an official in the army, Qi Gongkui was terribly cowardly. After becoming a thief, his combat effectiveness doubled.

This guy led the old troops, took the lead in charging the ship, braved arrows and boarded the ship. He had two arrow wounds on his body and was shot again as he approached the ship's side. However, he fought his way onto the ship with his wounds and cut down several officers and soldiers one after another, frightening the enemy in front of him and retreating.

Qi Gongkui's navy charged bravely and directly cut the navy in two.

Xu Mengde, the son of a salt merchant, cooperated with the salt lord Pang Dingzi to attack the left wing of the officers and soldiers, and quickly formed a partial encirclement with Qi Gongkui.

Two salt lords, Qiu Shanshui and Li Jiang, suddenly rushed out from the tributaries, cutting off the officers and soldiers' retreat route.

The officers and soldiers' navy was defeated, and the grain-carrying ships ran away early, but several of them were intercepted by the rebel navy.

Zhang Shen led the land troops to retreat and did not stop until they reached Guang'an.

He really couldn't figure out how the bandits who came over from Micang Mountain could conjure up such an elite naval force out of thin air?

It's simple. Whether they are patrolmen, salt lords, or salt merchants, Li Bao treats them all equally. Without deducting food or military honors, the rebels continued to win battles, and even these new recruits became more energetic.

They are all fighting for their own future, so of course they can risk their lives!

In particular, Li Bao reorganized in Hechuan, unified military orders, improved the command system, and improved the discipline of the entire army. These miscellaneous troops became more regular.

The navy was wiped out and several ships of food were robbed. Zhang Shen no longer had the strength to attack Hechuan.

Coupled with the failure of his generals, Zhang Shen became disheartened and simply followed the generals' wishes and went north to regain the lost territory.

Except for the part guarding Chongqing, all the soldiers and horses on Kuizhou Road were not involved in the battle in central Shu. They went all the way north, fought consecutive battles, and frantically recaptured the empty city. Judging from the military newspapers, it can be said that the results were brilliant.

But this kind of avoidance of battle can make coach Zhao Yu angry to death!