Zhang Fang didn't come for the time being, so he gave Luoyang some extra time to prepare.
Grain harvesting, drying, and storage began on a large scale everywhere.
Those who have to farm will always work hard to survive no matter how difficult it is.
Mi Huang has recently been building relationships with Man Fen and Miao Yuan.
This is what he is good at.
As the commander-in-chief, I hope the two of them can obey orders at critical moments and not fight independently.
Man Fen was lukewarm towards Mi Huang, but he did not deny him face.
Miao Yuan was an old general from the Sima Yi era. He once followed Shangguan Si. He was greedy and cruel, but he was still aware of current affairs and was enthusiastic about Mi Huang's win over.
Most of these two soldiers were new recruits, and their training time was only three or four months. A few days ago, they went out to the city for group exercises. Mi Huang followed them to watch, but after returning, he became a little silent.
Under Shao Xun's influence, he now has some discernment and can see what is a strong soldier and what is a weak soldier.
These two men have five thousand soldiers and horses. In terms of combat effectiveness, they may not be as good as the royal army.
He was very saddened by the fact that he had no soldiers to fight against in Luoyang.
Shao Xun is paying close attention to the training of new recruits.
The Royal Army has basically been replenished, and many broken troops with military experience have arrived. After a month of training, they have become roughly familiar with the battalion.
Shao Xun just hoped that the enemy troops would come slower and slower, so as to give him more time to train his troops.
But sometimes, the more you worry about something, the easier it will come...
In early August of the first year of Yong'an (304), on the vast plain south of Yecheng, the fierce battle was coming to an end.
As soon as the 15,000 soldiers from Hebei Province engaged in battle, they were beaten to a pulp.
Most people surrendered on the spot.
We are all from Hebei, why should we fight to the death? There is no need.
Some even surrendered their troops and defected before the battle, joining the Yecheng camp and heading south.
They didn't move quickly, as if they wanted to let the news ferment.
At the same time, the Xianbei cavalry accelerated southward.
They did not rush towards the Wang Division's central army.
Twenty to thirty thousand Imperial Guards were not something they could handle, especially when the light and heavy cavalry were fully equipped, and even armored cavalry were available. To rush forward rashly would be to seek death.
They specialize in picking weak soldiers to attack.
Southwest of Anyang, Liu Qi galloped away in embarrassment, not daring to look back.
His brother Liu Anzhi waved his big halberd, knocked down several arrows, and protected Liu Qi closely.
While running for their lives, the two of them almost cried without tears.
The Liu family in Jie County was a powerful family in Hedong, with many tribes and cattle and sheep, but the country's quality was not high.
Liu Qi's grandfather Liu Gui once served as Shangshu Lang (sixth rank) and jointly formulated new laws with Jia Chong.
His father, Liu Jingyou, only served as a minor official.
When it comes to their generation, they simply work as Wubao commanders at home, waiting for the opportunity to become officials.
When Emperor Sikong Feng launched his Northern Expedition, the Liu family did not respond much. Only Liu Qi and his brother Liu Anzhi took the song eastward to take a chance.
Liu Qi was purely interested in fame, while Liu Anzhi was married to the daughter of the Pei family. The two of them traveled together, bringing a total of 3,000 troops with them. After joining Wang's army by the Yellow River, they plundered along the way.
Happily, he was suddenly attacked by Master Ye.
After being plundered, everyone had no intention of fighting, so they retreated all the way, even scattering friendly troops who didn't know where they came from.
When the friendly troops saw this, they ran faster than them, causing Liu Qi and Liu Anzhi to curse.
However, scolding is better than scolding, and it is more important to escape.
The two of them fled south in a hurry, not daring to look back, and they didn't even want to play the part anymore.
Whoever wants to fight this fight, we won't serve you anymore, go home!
In the northeast of Dangyin, a temporarily recruited peasant army was marching. As a result, the further north it went, the more defeated troops it encountered.
The defeated troops who fled in a panic were simply a "rumor-mongering machine."
After a while, someone said that the entire army was wiped out and Sikong was captured and killed.
After a while, some people said that the Luoyang Chinese Army turned against Sima Ying before the battle and surrendered.
Some people even say that the emperor was wounded by an arrow and issued an edict to abdicate.
The rumors became more and more outrageous, causing the peasants and soldiers to panic and collapse on the spot.
In the northwest of Dangyin, the county soldiers from Chenliu stationed themselves where they were after hearing the news of the retreat of the troops.
During this period, Xianbei cavalry surged southward, but they ignored them and walked away.
In the evening, after a heated debate, the entire army broke camp and turned around and left.
This is the battlefield of the Northern Expedition.
The mob had no intention of fighting and, stimulated by the rumors, they fled one after another.
And their behavior of escaping greatly affected the Luoyang Central Army...
In the early morning of the seventh day of August, Shi Chao took advantage of the heavy fog to lead the main force of Ye Division into Bo Zhongjun.
The Chinese soldiers were panic-stricken, but in the end they were of good quality. After a day of fierce fighting, there was no winner.
That night, more and more friendly troops retreated southward, and the morale of the Chinese army became even lower.
Shi Chao took the opportunity to launch a night attack with all his troops, regardless of casualties.
The former Forbidden Army soldiers who surrendered to Yecheng fought a bloody battle with the Forbidden Army loyal to the imperial court. Both sides were littered with corpses and suffered heavy casualties.
By the afternoon of the second day of the battle, the Luoyang Chinese Army finally could no longer hold on and the entire army retreated.
Emperor Sima Zhong was hit by several arrows and fell into the grass.
Sima Yue escaped in embarrassment under the protection of his entourage, with only a few hundred riders beside him.
Seeing that the Xianbei cavalry was outflanking them to the south, Sima Yue was frightened and worried about being intercepted, so he fled east towards Yanzhou.
The vigorous Northern Expedition ended in failure.
****
When the news reached Luoyang, it was already mid-August.
Military Chief Cao Fu immediately held a meeting.
"Everyone must have heard about the defeat of the army. Once a hundred thousand troops were dispersed, I don't know how many people can come back. Alas." Although Cao Fu was sighing, there was no trace of sadness on his face, as if he had been there for a long time.
Just accept the result.
Others have different expressions.
Someone panicked.
Some people beat their chests and stamped their feet.
Some people were silent.
Others exchanged glances with each other, wondering what they were thinking.
"Military Secretary, where is Sikong?" Mi Huang, an honest man, is still very dedicated. Besides, as the governor, he has heavy responsibilities, so he has to understand the specific situation in detail.
"I don't know very well either." Cao Fu shook his head.
Does that mean we don’t know whether we are alive or dead? Shao Xun and Mi Huang looked at each other, both a little surprised.
Sikong is the coach in name only. With such a high status, how could there be no news? Even if he is dead, his body can be identified by others.
Sima Ying will also focus on searching for Sikong's whereabouts. How can he not know whether he is alive or dead?
"Did Sikong return to the East China Sea?" someone asked subconsciously.
"Absurd!" Cao Fu scolded with a straight face.
Others find it ridiculous too. How is that possible?
Even if the Northern Expedition fails, as long as they return to Luoyang, there may not be a chance to regroup.
Sima Ying had threats from three directions: east, west, and north. It was impossible for him to send the main force south to Luoyang. As long as he gathered some of his defeated troops, he could defend the city after returning and wait for the opportunity to change.
The autumn harvest has just been completed, and new grains have been put into storage. There is no danger of a shortage of military rations in a short period of time. Unless Sikong is frightened, there is no way he will not come back.
The man lowered his head after being scolded. Maybe he himself felt that what he said was too outrageous. How could he be so irresponsible as a master? Impossible, absolutely impossible!
Cao Fu flicked his sleeves and walked around the hall, obviously thinking about countermeasures.
Shao Xun quietly pushed Mi Huang.
Mi Huang understood, cleared his throat, and said: "Military Secretary, no matter where Sikong is, the top priority is to get Luoyang's defense in order."
Cao Fu stopped, nodded after a moment, and said: "What Zihui said is true. Luoyang is the Luoyang of the imperial court, it is the Luoyang of Sikong, not the Luoyang of the rebellious minister Sima Ying. I don't understand the formation of troops."
, Zihui has to worry more."
"As the governor, I should do my duty." Mi Huang said.
"Do you have enough food and equipment?" Cao Fu asked.
"There is still some shortage."
"I'll find someone to make it up to you. What else do you need?"
Mi Huang glanced at Shao Xun.
Shao Xun did not hesitate and said immediately: "I think that if there are broken troops rushing to Luoyang City, they will not be allowed to enter the city. They must be broken up and carefully screened before they can enter the city."
"But are you worried about rogue soldiers making money?"
"Exactly."
"What you said makes sense, what else can you add?"
"The defenders of Luoyang are quite inadequate. At this time of crisis, I thought that we should not be limited by the number of troops and tie ourselves up. We should open up the treasury and recruit warriors into the camp to strengthen our military strength."
Cao Fu hesitated for a moment after hearing this, but finally nodded and said, "Yes."
Shao Xun lowered his head and stopped talking.
His purpose has been achieved.
The Royal Army only has 3,000 troops. Logically speaking, it cannot be overstaffed, or it cannot be overstaffed too much.
But when is it now? The backbone of the army, Sima Yue, is not sure whether he is alive or dead. People in Luoyang are in panic. If they are not safe, rebels will appear. If you are still stuck in the old rules and cling to dogma, you will be a fool.
Soldiers, the more the better.
If you don't recruit, others may pull you in and attack you. The choice is obvious.
After Cao Fu walked around, he sat back, the wrinkles on his old face bunched up.
Where has Sikong gone? Should we send out people to look for him? If he doesn't show up, Luoyang will be left without an owner...
There is no emperor, no prince, no king, no powerful ministers, and no officials. Who can suppress the situation?
It's very tricky.
Sikong——Isn’t he really running back to the East China Sea?
Chapter completed!