Lord of the House

On the twelfth day of the first month, thousands of miles of ice in the west of Liaoning were frozen, and thousands of miles of snow drifted. Zhang Ximin lifted the curtain of the car, squinted at the heavy snow outside the car, and asked the handlebar in front of him, "Where is this?"

"There is Ningjin Fort in front, and in more than 140 miles, we will arrive at Songshan City..." The handlebar style replied.

"Can I get to Songshan City before night tomorrow?" Zhang Ximin asked.

"This weather..." The handlebar style showed an embarrassed look.

Zhang Ximin stuck his head out of the carriage, looked back, and saw that more than 500 riders were walking on horseback, which was very hard. In the carriage at the back sat Yang Wenchang, the bureau chief of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, who was Hao Zongcheng's henchman in the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Zhang Ximin was transferred from the Hanlin Academy to the Ministry of War as a member of the Ministry of War. When he went to Western Liaoning, he once again urged Li Zhuo to condolences to Liaoyang's military and labor force. This is the tenth time since Li Zhuo left Yuguan. The second letter has been issued.

Yang Wenchang was half asleep and half awake when he felt that the carriage had stopped. He lifted the curtain and saw Zhang Ximin stick his head out to look here. After being in the car for a long time, I also felt stiff in my hands and feet, so I jumped out of the carriage and said to Zhang Ximin, "Master Zhang, let's get down and move your legs and feet. It's hard to ride in the car all day..."

"Master Yang, do you think Li Shuai will send troops this time?" Zhang Ximin got out of the car, stretched out his hands, and asked calmly.

"The decree brought by Master Zhang, made him Duke of Yan, and his son Xixiang will be rewarded with 40,000 taels of silver, 800 silver plaques, and 500,000 taels of reward," Yang Wenchang asked with raised eyebrows, "He What else does Li Zhuo want, it can't be greed to have him a chair in Juyan Palace!"

Yang Wenchang's words were extremely sinister, and Zhang Ximin couldn't understand it, and said, "I am also worried and asked, if Li Zhuo is not moved, what should I do? He is handsome. The so-called will be outside..." To be honest, he didn't know what was written in the secret edict carried by Yang Wenchang.

"It's his turn!" Yang Wenchang said with a disdainful smile, "Generals of Ji Town, how many are not promoted by Master Hao? I really want to tear my face, let's see how Master Hao will deal with him?"

Zhang Ximin smiled and didn't say anything else. He called the cavalry captain to him and said, "I want my brothers to work hard for another day, come to Songshan tomorrow before dark, and each one will be rewarded with 10 taels of silver to drink!"

Hearing that there was money to be taken, more than 500 exhausted cavalrymen immediately cheered up a little.

****************

On the twelfth day of the first lunar month, the Hehuai land was also covered by heavy snow.

The Bingjian road is slippery, but the post road from Siyang north to Suyu is fairly smooth. Zhang Gou and Li Wei escorted more than 1,400 carts of mules and horses, braved the wind and snow, carrying tens of thousands of stones of rice grain and other supplies, and rushed to Chenjiagou, 30 miles north of Siyang City Wall, and handed them over to the early morning. Just here waiting for the red jacket army to receive it.

The leader of the red jacket army waiting in Chenjiagou was Li Liang, a close associate of Ma Lantou. He led 2,000 troops to Chenjiagou to pick up and transport food. He knew Zhang Gou well and stood there to greet each other. Li Liang's subordinate, Li Yu'er, couldn't hold back his temper. He pulled out a deboning knife from his waist and made a slit in the grain bag, and the bright japonica rice flowed out like a waterline.

Seeing the rice flowing out of the mouth, falling onto the car, and falling into the snow, Li Liang's hands trembled, and he bent over to pick up the white rice that fell into the snow, for fear that a grain of rice would be missed - this is really white. The fresh rice, in my hand, seems to be able to smell the tempting aroma of the rice. I stretched out my tongue and licked it. The more I chewed the raw rice, the more fragrant it became.

Including Li Liang, most of the generals of the Red Jacket Army did not believe that Huaidong would be so kind and would give them food for free. Even though Li Liang brought people to pick up the food this time, the 2,000 troops he led were the most elite soldiers under Ma Lantou's army. They had eaten with open stomach two days before they came, just to be prepared for what Huaidong would do. intrigue.

Even when he was chatting with Zhang Gou, Li Liang placed one hand on the saber on his waist vigilantly. At this time, he watched Huaidong's transporter exit Chenjiagou, carrying thousands of carts, tens of thousands of bags of rice grain and salt. When the supplies stopped in the desert on the east side of Chenjiagou, Li Liang's mood was up and down: No matter what kind of thoughts Huaidong has, these are life-saving food!

Back then, Huaidong was merciful to them and didn't kill them all. This is something that many people are well aware of; at this moment, most of the hostility left in Li Liang's heart has been resolved... No matter how many good things you say, there are many benefits. , did not give life-saving food really!

"The rice bag, do you want Huaidong to take it back?" Li Liang swallowed the chewed raw rice as a delicacy, and opened his mouth to ask Zhang Gou that's the first sentence, "I came from Huaiyang, except for those who died of starvation along the way. , there are countless people who freeze to death..."

The rice bags are woven from twine and can be taken apart to make clothes. Rice is the first priority, but in the cold weather, it is also a big problem to have no clothes to wear.

"If I don't take it back, I'll give it to you; I'll also give you the 1,400 mule and horse carts," Zhang Gou said. "The rice that was allocated to you this time is all pounded, and the next time it's millet. There will be deductions, but you have to organize your own people to pound the rice..." The number of people to pound 40,000 stone rice a month is terrifying, and Su Yu has no shortage of people, so there is absolutely no need to help them do everything properly. "Next time, I will send back the seeds and farm tools. You go back and tell the red jacket girl and Ma Shuai that the conditions you promised should be implemented as soon as possible - the safety of Mr. Li and his entourage in Suining and Suyu. , I also want you to send someone to protect me..."

After the handover, Zhang Gou led the convoy back to Siyang Fortress, while Li Wei and his entourage stayed behind.

In addition to supervising the local order not to be damaged, Li Wei and his entourage also supervise the delivery of three-quarters of each batch of rice to the villages and villages. To help the hungry, congee farms will be set up on the basis of villages and fortresses, so as to prevent the rice grains from being transported to the city by Liu Miaozhen and Malantou for storage.

The personnel responsible for the relief and resettlement affairs in the villages and villages are basically the officials selected by Li Wei when he was in charge of Suining. The entourage who accompanied Li Wei northward were basically from Suining, Suyu and Huaiyang counties, and were familiar with the place. In this way, it can be ensured that while the red jacket army is advancing eastward, not only will the local forces not be impacted, but it can also be strengthened in matters such as helping the hungry. The resettlement of the hungry people on the basis of each township fortress can also reduce the dependence of the hungry people on the Red Jacket Army.

Suining, Suyu, and Huaiyang have less land and more people, water conservancy is in disrepair, and fields are deserted, but as long as they go to reclamation and sowing, even if the three counties can only produce more than ten to two hundred thousand shi of rice a year. , will also greatly reduce the relief pressure on Huaidong.

****************

Above the Huai River, the colder the sky and the clearer the water, the boat sailed on the water and headed for Huaikou.

Song Jia sat with Lin Bie in the cabin, and also felt uncomfortably cold, with cold hands and feet. She just covered her legs and feet with a thin quilt and sat on the soft couch to watch Lin Bie study the map there.

After successfully completing the first handover of rice and grain, the next thing will be easier. Lin Fu also returned to Chongzhou by boat to make some preparations for the upcoming big change.

Chen Zhihu's deployment was mainly on the western front, and in the severe cold weather, he would not rashly attack Huaiyang, and the situation in Huaisi would not change much in two or three months.

Two or three months later, the weather warmed up and all things were born. In addition to the rice grains provided by Huaidong, there were also more edible wild animals, wild vegetables, fish and shrimp in the rivers, valleys and mountains. Hundreds of thousands of hungry people in Huaisi, How much can restore some vitality. As for the Red Jacket Army, there is sufficient supply of rice and grain, and it should be able to return to its peak in three to five months. Even if the Yanbei line of defense had completely collapsed this time, it would be three or five months later that Donglu's forward sentries could penetrate into Huaisi.

The key is that it is still unpredictable, what choice the Liang family will make in the face of the influx of hundreds of thousands of captives...

The map is laid on the case, and the three towns of Datong, Xuanfu and Jibei constitute the Yanbei line of defense.

The main force of the Jizhen army had advanced to the front of western Liaoning. After the collapse of the Jinzhong army, in the next two or three years, it was the area where the cavalry focused on raiding. The local forces were broken and there was almost no decent resistance. To the east of the Taihang Mountains, although there are 80,000 to 90,000 soldiers and horses in the Jingying, their combat power is really worrying. Although the Jin navy has the strength to fight, its number is too small. At most, it can expand its troops to 10,000 before the war. It is only reluctant to defend Jinhai, Hejian, Cangzhou and other cities.

Further south is the Liang family: Liang Chengyi is in Hezhongfu, blocking the opening of the captives heading south from Jinnan; Liang Xi is in Jinan and Pingyuan, blocking the opening from southern Ji. The Qingzhou Army, including Yangxin, and the Dengzhou Navy, had limited strength, but they were all on the east side.

As far as the current situation is concerned, it is mainly the choice of the Liang family that determines the next step in the hinterland of the Central Plains.

"The Liang family has a wishful thinking," Song Jia rested her elbows on the small table on the couch, holding her charming face in her hands, looked at Lin Bie from a few steps away, and said, "He thought that even if the Jibei Army was destroyed, it would still be able to survive. Let the Donghu people hurt a little bit, including Datong and Xuanfu. In the entire north, the Liang family is the only one left in the court to rely on - Liang Xi's heart is to rely on the emperor to make the princes abacus; and obviously Ye Ji Er's calculations are more sophisticated. Unless Li Zhuo can withdraw the main force of Ji Town from western Liaoning half a month earlier, leaving more than 10,000 elites to guard Songshan City, if it is delayed until this time, even if the coach is not changed, the situation in the north will be a near-death situation!"

"..." Lin Fu turned to look at Song Jia and motioned her to continue.

"When I first came down to Songshan City, even though it was dangerous, the army of Jizhen was still sharp when they attacked Liaoyang, and maybe there was a chance of winning one or two percent. Therefore, at that time, the troops of the Donghu people in Datong did not dare to have it. What's the change, there should actually be a few elite horses scattered along the front line of Yanshan, in preparation for Liaoyang's emergency——" Song Jia reached over, took out the terrain, spread it on her knees, and gestured on the map with her slender jade fingers, "Now dragging After a month, the Donghu people should mobilize more troops in Liaoyang, and the Jizhen army in Songshan is also lost, and the hope of attacking Liaoyang is even more slim. If I am the king of captives, I should use the elite of Datong's troops and horses at this time. If you pull it out, you can get 30,000 or 40,000 elite cavalry. Borrowing from Jinzhong, cross the Taihang Mountains and then enter Yannan - even if the court still uses Li Zhuo to command troops in western Liaoning, how much better will the situation in the north be?"

Lin Bie frowned and thought, Song Jia continued: "Once the Donghu people enter Yannan with more than 30,000 elite troops~www.readwn.com~ Liang's family is more likely to wait and see, the imperial court cannot move the capital south in a hurry, only Then order the King Qin, the army and horses of the world. However, the only ones who can be mobilized are the limited soldiers and horses such as Chen Zhihu's department and the Changhuai Army - the south will follow at this time..."

Lin Fu sighed in his heart, knowing that Song Jia's analysis was correct.

Among the soldiers and horses that the imperial court could control in the south, there were not many that could be called elites.

Dong Yuan was good at governing the army, but in the past two or three years, the resources he could control were very limited. With 50,000 soldiers and horses, he could be called an elite force of less than 20,000, and about one-third of them were given to Meng Yishan to rest in Weiyang. Ning's old naval department.

The 10,000 soldiers of Chen Zhihu's headquarters can be called elite, and it is also the most elite combat power that the court can master at this time.

Yue Lengqiu had some ability to manage the army. When he served as the governor of Jianghuai and led the Changhuai Army, the Changhuai Army received a lot of resources and survived several hard battles with the refugee army. At this time, there were 30,000 people. Soldiers have the power to fight.

Although Chen Zhihu's department and Changhuai Army have been stranded between Jianghuai for a long time and are far from the southern line, when the southern line is tight, they will be able to quickly go south to provide support, seal any gap that the luxury family has worked so hard to open, and carry out tug-of-war. fight.

Neither Luo Xiancheng nor Liu Miaozhen had the ability to drag Chen Zhihu's department and the Changhuai Army on the Jianghuai battlefield and could not escape.

Luo Xiancheng led his troops south to muddy the water, which was only the first step needed by the luxury family. Once the captive cavalry in the direction of Datong inserts into Yannan again, the imperial court orders the king of soldiers and horses, and it is the time for the She family to launch a general offensive. At that time, can the southern line hold up?

Perhaps when the north was in crisis, Yue Lengqiu gritted his teeth and prevented the Changhuai army from going north to King Qin. Of course, this was a very risky decision for Yue Lengqiu, and it was impossible to judge at this time. My QT room is open! More vulgar official QT room number [9167] Click to enter