Lord of the House

Only then did Chu Zheng confirm that Cheng Weiyuan chased after him, firstly to recount his old friend's feelings, and secondly to persuade him to defect to Huaidong.

Chu Zheng was originally worried that Zhang Jinxian and Cheng Weiyuan would be affected by the suspicion of the Gu family's father and son. Because of the care of the two of them over the years, he abandoned Huaidong and did not go. He first went back to his hometown in Jiangxi to observe the situation for a while, but Cheng Weiyuan came after him. On the contrary, he repeatedly persuaded him to go to Huaidong.

Chu Zheng looked down at the candlestick on the table, Cheng Weiyuan said under the lamp: "It is a foregone conclusion to guard Yangxin; if Yangxin is unfortunate enough to become the main attack direction of Hugou's southward invasion, there are three ways to rely on reinforcements, and all the way is to the west. The Liang family, all the way is Dengzhou Town, which is controlled by Liu Yefei, and all the way is Huaidong..."

Among the three-way reinforcements that may be used in the future, the Liang family and Liu Yefei are untrustworthy, and Cheng Weiyuan pinned his hopes on Huaidong.

"Qingzhou and Huaidong have a bad relationship. I have a few pounds and a few taels. It's not that Lord Cheng doesn't know. What can I get by going to Huaidong?" Chu Zheng said with a wry smile.

"Lin Huaidong and Gu Qingzhou Weng's son-in-law have a bad relationship, mixed with selfishness and righteousness, and it is difficult for others to judge right and wrong," Cheng Weiyuan said, "but if Qingzhou is in danger in the future, please ask Huaidong to help, it is justice, selfishness does not harm; It’s better to talk about this matter personally than to cut off the news now.”

Zhang Jinxian and Cheng Weiyuan rejected Gu's father and son so much, but still thought of Qingzhou so much. Chu Zheng said with emotion: "Master Cheng and Master Zhang are so considerate of Qingzhou, Chu Zheng did not dare to say no," Russia said again, "It's just that Huaidong is currently Tens of thousands of soldiers and horses entered eastern Zhejiang to contain the Shejia rebels on the eastern front to reduce the pressure on Jiangning. Although Huaidong had won Yongjia before, the main force of the Shejia in eastern Zhejiang and western Zhejiang remained intact. Suffering heavy damage, if Qingzhou is in danger, he is afraid that Huaidong will not be able to draw troops from eastern Zhejiang. Even if he helps, he is afraid that he will be powerless. In addition to this, what is more worrying is that Gu Qingzhou believes that Yanhu will be dragged to the winter ice. After the closure, it is possible to invade the south again. But looking at the recent gathering of Hugou in Cangnan and the density of a large number of scouts sneaking and harassing, before the autumn and winter, if Hugou forced to cross the Zhulong River, he would be caught off guard. Even if Huaidong wanted to help, it was too late..."

"Do your best to obey the destiny," Cheng Weiyuan felt that the current situation was difficult. He and Zhang Jinxian rejected him again. With a deep sense of frustration in his heart, he cheered up and said, "You can't just sit back and watch, right?"

Chu Zheng and Cheng Weiyuan talked at night in the single courtyard of Hengtai Yipu, and they parted ways until dawn. Cheng Weiyuan returned to Guangrao in the north, and Chu Zheng, surrounded by his entourage, changed his original itinerary, taking the road from Linzi and Qingzhou to go down the Jiaolai River.

At the beginning of the year, Hu Bing swept the territory and caused great damage to the Jiaolai River, with dozens of embankments bursting and filling up.

The drought in Shandong was severe after the spring. Up to now, there have been no serious floods and waterlogging due to the destruction of the Jiaolai River. It is a fluke, but almost all the resources in Qingzhou were allocated to the northern line to build the Yangxin-Zhulong River fortress. Do not take action to repair the Jiaolai River.

After the spring, the fields in Qingzhou have been greatly affected, and disasters have already occurred. However, looking at the unrecognizable appearance of the Jiaolai River, it has entered the rainy season. And the roads are flooded beyond recognition.

Jiaolai River is not only the lifeline of the waterway running through the Shandong Peninsula, but also the most important land road hub between the two mountain systems of Yishan and Kunyu Mountain in Shandong Peninsula.

If Yang Xin was in danger, not three or five thousand soldiers and horses would be able to get out of the siege, and it was not an easy matter for three to five thousand troops to cross the border to help.

When the Jiaolai River is unobstructed, the main force of the Huaidong Army can land from Jimo, advance along the Jiaolai River by water and land, and enter Linzi Prefecture at the fastest speed. At this time, the Jiaolai River was destroyed, and Gu's father and son had no intention of repairing the Jiaolai River as soon as possible. It was no longer realistic for the Huaidong Army to go north from Jimo Denggan to help Linzi Prefecture.

Aside from this, Chu Zheng was most worried about the lack of time.

Years later, Yan Hu drove a large number of people to build avenues from Hejian and other cities to Cangzhou and Cangnan, and a large number of materials and troops were also gathering in Cangnan.

On the one hand, Yanhu's troops are gathering in Cangnan, which is the need to strengthen the defense of offshore areas, to guard against the possible attacks by the Huaidong and Dengzhou naval divisions from the sea; on the other hand, Yanhu is likely to rely on Cangnan. , crossed the Zhulong River and launched a strong attack on Yangxin.

Cangnan is only more than 100 miles away from Yangxin. Although it is the same as the lower Yellow River area, the rivers and rivers are vertical and horizontal, which is not conducive to large groups of cavalry moving in summer and autumn, but Yanhu has assembled a large number of craftsmen in Cangnan to build bridges. The strength of the troops was dominated by the Xinfu Han army, and the degree of influence by Heze was much smaller than that of the cavalry.

From Chu Zheng's point of view, the troops assembled by Yan Hu in Cangnan could cross the Zhulong River and attack at any time. The Zhulong River is in the north of Yangxin. Although it accommodates a part of the Yellow River, it is only two or three hundred feet wide.

It was under this circumstance that Chu Zheng repeatedly clashed with the Gu family and his son, and eventually he was deprived of his general position and expelled from Qingzhou.

Chu Zheng went south without stopping, and arrived in Shanyang County with five squires on the 24th.

People in Huaidong couldn't hope to dig into Qingzhou. Chu Zheng had a deep relationship with Huaidong. When he came to vote, Cao Ziang personally came forward to receive him. Ning Zechen was also in Shanyang, and he also came to tell the story.

When they met, they received Cao Zi'ang's journey in Shanyang City. He just sat down and drank two sips of tea. He didn't have much time to reminisce about the old feelings. Chu Zheng couldn't wait to tell Yang Xin's current critical situation.

Cao Ziang smiled bitterly and said, "Brother Chu Xian may not know, but on your way to Huaidong, Chen Zhihu led his troops eastward from Qinyang, crossed the Wei River from Raoyang, and crossed the Pingyuan Mansion, traveling three hundred miles in three days. Capture Leling on the 21st..."

"Ah!" Chu Zheng was stunned on the spot, speechless for a long time.

Although Gu's father and son insisted that the Yan and Hu troops would not go south in large numbers after the winter, they were not without vigilance in gathering the Yan and Hu troops in the north. They always strengthened the many crossings on the south bank of the Zhulong River to prevent Hu soldiers from crossing the river. Who would have thought that Chen Zhihu would lead his troops to suddenly cross the Weihe River from the west line, interspersed non-stop through the Pingyuan Mansion where Liang Chengchong led a heavy army to garrison, and from an unexpected direction, surprise attack on Leling, the Yaozhai Village in the northwest of Yangxin?

Leling is less than 70 miles away from Yangxin City. It is the most important ferry in the upper reaches of the Zhulong River, and it is also the starting point of the west line of the Yangxin-Zhulong River fortress to be built by the Gu family. Chen Zhihu seized Leling, of course, to prepare for the main force of Yanhu soldiers and horses assembled in Cangnan to cross the Zhulong River in the south.

I'm really worried about what's coming, and it's so sudden, as if a violent storm is suddenly coming, making people be caught off guard and helpless.

"Chen Zhihu's raid on Leling will also disturb Pingyuan Liang Chengchong's line of sight. There won't be many soldiers and horses. Can Gu Qingzhou drive back the soldiers to retake Leling?" Chu Zheng asked.

"Indeed, as you expected, when Chen Zhihu crossed the Wei River from Raoyangdian, there were more than 10,000 cavalry, and they divided their troops in the north of Pingyuan City. One attacked Leling with light armor and light armor; No more than 3,000 people. But whether Yangxin has organized a counter-offensive, and whether the counter-offensive has succeeded, there is no news yet." Ning Zechen introduced the situation to Chu Zheng.

Yangxin and Huaidong are too far apart, and there is a site controlled by the Liang family in the middle. It is far less convenient for the Huaidong sentry to deliver news.

Huaidong had always been worried that Yanhu would take advantage of the laxness of Qingzhou and the Liang family in the summer and autumn to use troops against Shandong. Although he did not know the specific tactics that Yanhu might use, he was psychologically prepared for the news that came last night.

As for whether the Gu family can counterattack to retake Leling and drive Chen Zhihu away, Cao Zi'ang, Ning Zechen and others are not optimistic.

Although Chen Zhihu's surrender to Yanhu is not ashamed of the world, he has to admit that he is one of the few generals in the world who can fight fierce battles; the Qingzhou Army has recently been expanded on a large scale. At this time, the father and son are eager to control the military power and reject dissidents, and the possibility of retaking Leling in a hurry is really slim.

Of course, if the Liang family reacts in time and can decisively deploy troops from nearby, join forces with Qingzhou, and retake Leling, there is still a glimmer of hope - so at this time, it is impossible to judge the direction of the situation in Yangxin, everything depends on the Gu family and the Liang family. Is the response fast enough and the determination firm enough?

Once Chen Zhihu gets a firm foothold in Leling, and Yanhu's troops gather in Yannan to cross the Zhulong River, it is hard to say whether the Liang family would dare to move the main force eastward. The tens of thousands of civilians, soldiers and horses around the letter will be irreversible, and the situation will be very dangerous...

Chu Zheng thought of Cheng Weiyuan's entrustment when he was leaving. He didn't expect that as soon as he arrived in Huaidong, bad news came. He was anxious when he heard a thunder in Qingtian. , Huaidong is thousands of miles away, is beyond the reach of the whip.

He opened his eyes and looked at Cao Zi'ang and Ning Zechen, he was a sturdy man, his eyes were red, and he was so anxious that he was about to burst into tears.

In the current turbulent times, there are people who are struggling to survive, and there are also loyal people. If it was not for the Gu family and his son to exclude him, even if he knew that Yangxin's situation was in critical condition, Chu Zheng would never abandon Yangxin. Watching Yang Xin slowly slide toward the end of the world, how could he not hate, be anxious, or feel pain in his heart?

"The military situation was only reported to Shanyang yesterday. I have sent someone to inform Jiangning and Chongzhou at the same time, but now I can only wait patiently to see how the situation in Yangxin will develop next?" Cao Zi'ang said.

"Where is Lin Zhizhi at this moment?" Chu Zheng asked.

"Your Excellency and Gao Zongting are still in Mingzhou," Cao Zi'ang said. "If you want to go to Mingzhou, I will send someone to **** you there."

"I think I'll leave tonight," Chu Zheng said, "Lord Cao will arrange the ship..."

"By boat? At this time, the storm in the East China Sea is very strong, and it is too dangerous to travel by boat. Besides, it is windy to the south, so it is not faster than a horse," Ning Zechen advised. Three or four hundred miles; cross the river from Chongzhou to Yudong, take the road from the north of Zhejiang, cross the Qianjiang to Mingzhou…”

Regardless of whether Chu Zheng came here to rescue Qingzhou or not, Chu Zheng was an important general from the East Fujian Army. People from the East Fujian Army like Gao Zongting, Chen Dingbang, Geng Quanshan, Tang Fuguan, Yang Zichen and others all served in Huaidong. , Ning Zechen will not neglect Chu Zheng, not to mention that when he was in Yangxin, he still had the friendship to fight side by side. My QT room is open! More vulgar official QT room number [9167] Click to enter