After the fleet passed Huaiyin, its speed suddenly slowed down.
On both sides of Hangou, there is a desolate scene.
Just like Xiapi, Linhuai, and Donghai in Huaibei, Huailing and Guangling in Huainan were also repeatedly devastated by wars, so that the captive population was either resettled in Guangling or Hailing, or simply sent to the south of the Yangtze River to find land to open up wasteland.
Xuzhou has experienced this, but I don’t know how many years it will take to recover.
While the fleet was sailing, there were people gathering firewood on the shore. When they saw the passing army, they fled in a hurry and hid in the reeds.
This behavior shows that the people are afraid of soldiers coming and going. Not only Shao Bing will arrest them, Wu Bing's military discipline is also not good, or even worse, especially Zu Ti's troops, in order to raise money, they even robbed merchants. What happened?
All can be done.
"Alas." Seeing this situation, Zu Ti coughed heavily, his eyes full of confusion.
What exactly are you doing in this life?
At first, barbarians were ravaging the Central Plains, and Sima Yue had no master, so he was unwilling to take refuge. He couldn't hold on any longer, so he took a group of people who were also devastated by the war and couldn't survive and went south through the Cao Canal to escape the disaster.
Work under King Langya.
To be honest, I regret it a bit, because the situation in the north is getting better a little bit. But there is no way. Three of the six brothers from the ancestral family stayed in the north and three went south. This was an inevitable behavior of the nobles to avoid risks and preserve the family property.
What he regretted was why he went south.
There is no doubt that Shao Xun is capable. Among other things, he is brave and good at fighting and is proficient in the art of war.
The Battle of Luoyang, advancing hundreds of miles.
The battle of Gaoping was pursued thousands of miles away.
Ping Gou Xi, detoured to Hebei and rushed to attack.
Attacking Hanoi, they suddenly crossed the river during a thunderstorm night.
One by one, one by one, people are amazed and impressed by their courage.
Zu Ti actually admired him very much, although Liu Kun despised him.
But fate plays tricks on people, and to this day, it is just like that. There is no resentment that the Northland was occupied by barbarians, only regret that they did not participate in this process.
The great generals who have left their names in the history are Wang Queer, Hou Feihu, Jin Zheng, Li Zhong and other generals. They defeated the Xiongnu, defeated the Xianbei, subdued the miscellaneous barbarians, swept across thousands of miles from east to west, and their military exploits were brilliant and enviable.
As for his ancestor, his health deteriorated after arriving in the south, and his mood became even more depressed and melancholy. It was extremely difficult to raise food, grass, equipment, and soldiers for the war.
To this day, he still fights miserably in Xiapi with a person like Yu Liang who has no strategy. In the end, he could only gain the upper hand by relying on the superiority of the boat division.
He could fully imagine that this time, Yu Liang and Li Chong would probably regain Xiapi again. This battle would be in vain, and the people would still suffer this kind of suffering.
God is playing tricks on you!
"Brother." Zu Yue was shocked when he saw Zu Ti getting up from the cabin. He hurriedly helped him inside and scolded him: "Brother is sick, so he should take a good rest."
Zu Ti didn't struggle and lay back obediently.
His body was indeed running out of gas and he could no longer hold on, but at this time, he became more melancholy.
"If I had listened to Lu Gong's words back then..." Zu Ti sighed.
Zu Yue was also speechless, but there was nothing he could do. This is what aristocratic families do.
It was decided long ago that the eldest, second and third sons would stay in Youzhou, while the fourth, fifth and sixth sons would go south to build Ye.
Among the three brothers, one is deceased, and the other two are working under the king of Liang. Generally speaking, the ancestor's strategy is successful, but when it comes to individuals, it is always a bit unpleasant.
"Brother, there is actually still a chance..." Zu Yue looked around and whispered.
Zu Ti shook his head and said: "You should have a beginning and an end when doing things for people."
"Brother!" Zu Yue said anxiously: "The prince of Langya has passed away, and people in the country are in panic. In this situation, can it be possible to stop Shao's million-strong army?"
Sima Shao, the eldest son of King Langya, fell ill due to a sudden illness a few months ago.
For King Langya, this was a tragic incident where a white-haired man gave away a black-haired man.
But that was for King Langya, and for the generals of the Jianye shogunate, it was more important to quickly choose a successor, because some people had already suggested selecting other clans to succeed the shogunate.
For now, the Tu tribe in Jiangdong proposes to make the king's second son, Sima Sui, the heir apparent.
They don't want to usher in big changes, because they only want to separate themselves, and have no idea of ​​replacing or even unifying the world through the Northern Expedition.
Things are basically settled.
It was precisely because of this incident that Zu Ti withdrew his troops in a hurry, but he himself also fell ill. Especially after hearing that Shao Xun had conquered Chang'an and wiped out all the Tu Gezi, he felt relieved and could no longer hold it any longer.
Therefore, for him, nothing matters now. He has no extra life to support him in realizing his ambition.
The ancestral covenant is different.
He is also ambitious, has a stronger desire for fame and wealth, and wants to do something great. But he sees no hope in Jianye because there are too many people above him.
Now my brother is seriously ill and is about to die, so he is even more anxious.
Seeing that Zu Ti was silent at this moment, he said again: "Brother, it's better to go to him——"
Zu Ti shook his head gently.
"Brother!" Zu Yue was so angry that his face turned red. He just heard him say: "Brother, you think about the people in Jianye, and others think about you? Director Wang only knows how to dance with long sleeves, but after dancing for so many years, he only thinks of his brother.
Take advantage of it
It's just a sword. How can Bian Yi be so virtuous? How can he be ranked above his elder brother? In the past, Wang Dun was even more mediocre in talent, but he was able to command a strong army in Jingzhou. In this world, after all, it depends on family status. We are waiting for the Yan people
Jianye is the one who gets angry."
Zu Ti closed his eyes and did not want to say anything after all.
"Alas!" Zu Yue sighed again, filled with anger that could not be vented.
"After I die—" Zu Ti suddenly made a voice on the couch.
Zu Yue was startled.
"You can lead the army well." Zu Ti said, "If there is a chance in the future, take my coffin back to Fan Yang and bury it in the orchard where you and I used to play when we were young."
Zu Yue's eye circles immediately turned red, and he stood there in a daze, not knowing what to say.
****
It was getting late, and Wang Dao, Wang Yue, Wang Tian and his son were sitting in the courtyard drinking tea.
Director Wang's face was calm, neither sad nor happy.
Wang Yue's face was pale and he looked weak.
Wang Tian seemed to have just finished bathing, and his hair was disheveled in front of his father and brother, but he acted as if nothing had happened and did not feel rude at all.
"Da Lang, can you still hold on?" After drinking a few sips of tea, Director Wang looked at his eldest son Wang Yue and asked with some pity.
"After the death of the prince, all the plans came to nothing." Wang Yue sighed and said: "I think back then, my son and the prince had a close friendship and they were their confidants. I don't know how many people I offended because of this. But who could have imagined it?
Life is unpredictable, alas.”
Director Wang also sighed.
He had a good relationship with Wang Rui of Langya, and his eldest son Wang Yue and Wang Changyu had a good relationship with his eldest son Sima Shao.
He knew that there were too many flashes of swords and shadows, too many overt and covert struggles.
The effort that the eldest son spent on this was unimaginable to outsiders, and this also caused his already weak body and bones to deteriorate even more. However, at the age of twenty-something, there was actually a faint silver thread on his head.
He had never complained to him before, so he just revealed a little bit today because he was shaken.
As for the reason for the turbulent mood, it is actually very simple. The news of Shao Xun's attack on Chang'an spread to Jianye.
Director Wang still remembered the changes in the expressions of everyone in the shogunate at that time.
The scholars who arrived early were dejected, those who arrived late looked gloomy and uncertain, and the Tu people from Jiangdong were extremely anxious.
As for King Langya, he has not yet come out of the pain of losing his son, and is more at a loss.
In the end, it was his Wang Dao who came out to comfort everyone, mentioning that the northerners were not acclimated to the climate when they went south, and at least 50,000 of the 100,000 troops died of illness. The battle still had to be fought, and everyone's morale improved.
But my family knows their own affairs.
If Shao's soldiers went south, it is certain that many people would die of illness. But can the epidemic alone completely prevent the northern soldiers from going south? The answer is obvious.
"Father." Wang Yue said suddenly: "In a few days, we have to pay a visit to the Wuzhong clan. Most of them are unwilling to surrender. As long as they support it, Jiangdong will not be so easily broken."
Director Wang nodded slightly.
Wang Tian listened for a long time and suddenly laughed and said: "Every time the northern troops go south, there are always people who want to surrender. It was like this when Cao Mengde was like this, and it was like this when Shao Xun was like this. It's really ridiculous."
"Shut up!" Director Wang couldn't help scolding.
I don't know why, but every time I see this son I get very angry.
Sometimes it is clear that he did nothing wrong or said anything wrong, but Director Wang just gets angry. The reason may be related to his usual careless appearance.
He was arrogant, frivolous and fond of martial arts, which made many people laugh at him and made him lose a lot of face.
Compared with Erlang, the eldest son has a docile and calm temperament, is filial to his parents, treats others politely, and speaks cautiously. When he is sent to the late prince's side, he can deal with hidden arrows from all directions, and does his job calmly without making any mistakes.
What's the difference between the two?
After scolding his second son, Director Wang looked at his eldest son and said, "Dalang, besides contacting the Jiangnan Tu people, do you have any other suggestions?"
Wang Yue shook his head and said: "Jiangnan is unable to make progress, so it can only try its best to protect itself. The only current plan is to work together, use the Jianghuai River as a barrier, use the Navy as a gantry, and secure Huaiyin, Shouchun, Xiangyang and other places to wait.
The time of day."
"Shao Xun's victory over Chang'an was a time of great success. However, the Huns were suddenly defeated and Tuoba was still unconvinced. I expect there will be recurrences in these two places. If he mobilizes all his troops and goes south, he will be worried about a fire in his backyard.
Such as when Ma Chao and Han Sui raised troops in Guanzhong."
"On the other hand, if he rushes to usurp the throne, he will lose the hearts of the people and there may be a rebellion in the country. Once the southern expedition fails, more people will rise up and rebel. Even if it is finally pacified, the country's strength will be greatly weakened and people's hearts will be turbulent. In the short term,
It is difficult for him to march south again. He is already thirty-nine years old. In another ten years, he will be full of twilight, his lofty ideals will be wiped out, and his thoughts will no longer be about staying in the world, but how to pass the throne to his son."
"Murong's soldiers in Liaodong are fierce and capable, and they are like King Mu. Perhaps they can send envoys to the north to make good contact and contain them."
Wang Yue said a lot in one breath, but the core idea was only one, and that was to wait.
First stabilize your own position, and then wait for Shao Thief to make mistakes, or simply wear him down until he loses his ambition.
After all, for a person who is almost forty years old, once the dynasty changes, the top priority will definitely not be to unify the world, but how to pass on the throne smoothly and safely.
In short, the fifty-year-old Shao Thief is very different from the forty-year-old, let alone the sixty-year-old - if he can live to that age.
It is possible to succeed by "waiting for the enemy to defeat you".
Chapter completed!