On June 20th of the first year of Tianyou, the Feixiong, Yinqiang, and Yinan armies crossed the river from Liyangjin and arrived at the north bank.
At the same time, the various ministries that returned to their bases for rest also received transfer orders.
General Tu crossed the river from the Taiyang Floating Bridge, then headed eastward, out of Zhiguan, and has now arrived at Xiuwu.
Wuwei's army crossed the river from Suanzaojin, passed through Ji County, and reached Wei County.
The right wing of Tianxiong's army has been stationed in Gongcheng.
At the same time, the summer harvest in the three towns of Heyang, Xuanwu, and Dongdu was completed, and hundreds of thousands of people were drafted into service to transport supplies.
The finished equipment and the newly harvested millet and wheat were either transported by water or by land, and were transported to the front line one after another.
For a time, both sides of the river were crowded with people and military flags were being hunted. Almost all production activities came to a standstill, and everyone focused on serving the war.
For the people of Henan, the last time such a large-scale military operation took place was during the tug-of-war between Xia and Liang.
"It's been a long time since we mobilized an army of hundreds of thousands. This feeling is really fascinating." Shao Shude stood at the head of Liyang County, looking at the troops marching eastward above the boundless wilderness, with deep emotion.
Obviously, he couldn't see all the troops. It was impossible for more than 100,000 troops to march along a post road, but the movements of each unit were imprinted in his mind, very clearly.
The Jinglue Army is currently mainly stationed in Xiangzhou, dealing with pressure from the north and east.
After receiving the news of the arrival of reinforcements, all the remaining troops also moved northward, planning to cross the Fu River and attack Cizhou.
The right wing of the Xiaojie Army was stationed in various cities in Weizhou to defend it.
Shao Shude was right to swap the left and right flanks of the Xiaojie Army. The warriors guarding the city in Hezhong had little friendship with the Wei soldiers, so it was difficult to instigate rebellion, which ensured the safety of Weizhou.
"Your Highness, Sikong Ting, Yang Li is here." Li Yixian reported.
"Let them come over." Shao Shude sat back on the tiger-skin chair and said.
"Wait, let Yang Li come over first." Shao Shude thought for a while and then ordered.
"As ordered." Li Yixian hurried away.
After Luo Shaowei succeeded to the throne, the elders of the previous generation Wei Bo gradually faded away, and newcomers such as Sikong Ting and Yang Li began to take over and take control of power - of course, only civil servants, and military leaders could not move yet. He did not have this ability.
Sikong Ting had some unclear relationship with Xia Jun, but he did not give in completely. He wanted to please both sides, and Shao Shude knew this very well.
Yang Li is a typical official from Wei Bo's point of view. His family has been married to a warrior and has been rooted for several generations. He may try to please you in a small way and flatter you, but everything he does is for the benefit of the family.
"See King Xia." Yang Li hurriedly climbed to the top of Liyang City and bowed in salute.
Shao Shude sat firmly in the top chair.
The straight warriors with silver saddles lined up around him, their eyes all focused on Yang Li, making him feel even more stressed.
"Master Yang is quite a talented person." Shao Shude smiled and said, "What's the matter with you?"
"Can your Highness withdraw the troops?" Yang Li looked at Shao Shude with burning eyes and asked.
"Isn't your army at its peak? Why? Seeing that Yang Xingmi was defeated, are you afraid?" Shao Shude asked.
"Shuai Luo has no choice but to do so." Yang Li complained bitterly: "Wei Bo has a hundred thousand elite soldiers, and the situation is fierce. Everyone claims to take revenge. The general trend is like this, and Shuai Luo cannot disobey it."
Shao Shude laughed after hearing this.
The four states of Wei, Bo, Chan, and Bei still have a population of more than two million. According to Shao Shude's standard for raising troops, they can indeed support 100,000 yamen soldiers. Moreover, Wei Bo is richer and can support 150,000, but Shao Shude feels that with Luo Shaowei
The financial situation is mostly difficult and can support 80,000 soldiers.
"In this case, it is useless for me to retreat. The dogs won't listen to Luo Shaowei's words, so they have to fight if they should." He stopped smiling and said expressionlessly.
Yang Li was furious after hearing this. Shao Thief spoke in an arrogant manner, and he turned out to be a vulgar warrior. However, he calmed down and said, "I heard that the Emperor has arrived in Luoyang, and everyone in Weizhou knows His Highness's wishes. If you stop fighting here, I am willing to serve you."
A large sum of money will definitely satisfy His Highness. In addition, when Your Highness is doing something important, it may not be enough to have courtiers come to you. Commander Luo is willing to go to court as a foreign vassal to persuade him to join us, and he will always be a minister of the new court."
"I have said these words last time, why don't you give up?" Shao Shude said: "After I found the country, will Luo Shaowei be willing to join the court? Will the Wei soldiers be willing to go far to the north of Qi and the Western Regions to conquer the Khitan? Uighurs?"
Yang Li was silent. The fundamental contradiction could not be reconciled, and the final peace efforts had failed. There was nothing more to say.
"Luo Shaowei is not a good guy either." Shao Shude sneered and said: "Chengde, Cangjing, and Hedong have sent troops to help, but he himself wants to retreat. Is this a personnel matter? Go ahead and ask Sikong Ting to come over.
.”
Yang Li took a deep breath, bowed and stepped back. After a while, Sikong Ting was led over by the sergeant.
"Although the two armies are fighting and Bu Zhan is here, I am very disappointed that you are so slack on the tasks I assigned you, Sikong Sima." Shao Shude looked at Sikong Ting with a half-smile but not a smile.
Sikong Ting repeatedly accused him.
"Yang Li talked a lot of nonsense just now, and I was annoyed by it. They are all warriors, so fights are fought. Mother-in-law, mother-in-law, ramble on." Shao Shude said: "I guess what you are going to say is similar to him, and it is not very interesting.
.”
Sikong Ting smiled bitterly.
"Sikong Sima, last year our army went on an expedition to Songmo and gained a lot. Among them were the gifts given to Khitan during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong, and I was very moved after seeing them. After I bring peace to Hebei, I will definitely leave Linyu Pass and go to Huangshui to watch the fish.
." Shao Shude said again: "You have a great talent, but you have been living in a small place like Weizhou all your life. Isn't it just a waste of time?"
Sikong Ting's expression changed and he sighed.
"How many troops does Luo Shaowei have?" Shao Shude asked casually.
After a moment of silence, Sikong Ting said: "Fifty thousand is more than 50,000, but 60,000 is not enough."
"Why so few?"
"Last year, Commander Luo borrowed a lot of money in the east of the city in order to pay the reward, and he did not dare to raise more troops."
"Where should we branch out?" Shao Shude asked again.
"The main force is in Chan, Wei, and there are very few in Bozhou." Sikong Ting also risked his life and said everything he knew.
Shao Shude raised the corners of his mouth slightly and said: "There is the Boling Cui family's house in Jishan Square. It is very large. It has been renovated and is kept for you."
"Thank you for the reward, Your Highness." Sikong Ting's face was not very good, and he looked worried.
At first he was Luo Shuai's man, but then he gradually became a stranger, and now - well, he felt a little guilty on his conscience.
******
In Huang County, Weizhou, the soldiers were running around endlessly.
"When will the reward be distributed?"
"It's been a month. Where's the reward?"
"We made good promises before the war, but where's the money?"
Faced with the noise of the sergeants, Wang Yuanwu, the commander of the Six Heroes Army, was also a little afraid.
He has been familiar with military books since he was a child, practiced martial arts diligently, dared to fight and fought hard, and had good strategies. He was a very good general. But when he faced the sergeant who wanted to reward him, he felt really scared.
"Commander Luo has raised money and silk and will deliver it soon." Wang Yuanwu said loudly: "Each person has two coins and a piece of silk. The officers from the military and horse envoys on down will each be given horses and camels. You are worried.
What's wrong? This fight is not all about the reward. The Shao thieves want to take away the family heirloom like you, so even if there is no reward, they should still fight hard."
"Do you have any money?"
"We have already fought hard. The summer thief was beaten like a dog by us. Let's pay him quickly."
"Send money once and fight for your life once!"
The sergeants were still clamoring.
"If the money does not come within five days, I will commit suicide to thank you." Wang Yuanwu said loudly: "Why doubt it?"
Seeing what the military envoy said, everyone was a little relieved.
"After paying the reward, if you still gather to make noise and attack the government office, I will not be lenient." Wang Yuanwu said: "The scouts have come to report that the Xia thieves have reinforcements and rushed to Weizhou. A war is about to break out, so we can't mess around anymore.
"
"The king will say so, I believe it."
"After the money is distributed, you should obey your orders. Whoever dares to make noise again will be punished or killed. We will have nothing to say."
"Hurry up. After taking the money, Dutou will give the order to attack. Before the Xia thief has a firm foothold, kill him first."
Everyone was chattering and talking non-stop. Wang Yuanwu secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said: "After the reinforcements from various tribes come up, we will fight with the Xia thieves. Shao thieves have broken up our vassal house, and they have a vicious heart. If they can break up the defense today,
Tomorrow we will break up Bobei. The six states are separated, and we can only let him squeeze us. After Xiangwei gets it back, he will attack Meng Huai and steal his vote."
When the six heroes heard this, they burst into laughter and their morale was high.
Yin Xingfang, the deputy military envoy, quietly walked up to Wang Yuanwu, tugged on his sleeves, and whispered: "Li Keyong has arrived in Xingzhou and killed more than 20 people from the military academy."
"Huh?" Wang Yuanwu was surprised and asked, "Why is it so tricky?"
"Rumors are spreading in the army, which affects morale. It has to be like this." Yin Xingfang said.
After that, he briefly explained the ins and outs.
Wang Yuanwu understood immediately. In fact, he also knew about it, but he just didn't think of it for a moment.
This is indeed Li Keyong's style. When he is easy to talk, he is deeply loved by the warriors, but when he is angry, he will not recognize his relatives and will kill at will. He is extremely cruel.
"If Ke Yong comes, there is still something to be done..." Wang Yuanwu said casually, then remembered something again and asked: "Zhao Bing, has Cang Bing set out?"
"We should have already set off." Yin Xingfang said.
"If there is a big war, we don't need them. I'm worried that these people will do bad things." Wang Yuanwu said.
Chengde soldiers are of course capable of fighting, but it depends on whether these men are willing to fight hard. Now they are here to help with the orders of Jiedushi Wang Rong, not to guard the town.
People from Zhao were assisting in boxing. I dare not accept this "blessing". In the battle of Lu County in the past, tens of thousands of Xia and Jin armies fought in formation, but it was these turtles who ran away before the battle and killed everyone.
"It is better to let them guard the Yellow River ferry and replace the left and right Shanhe troops. If a war breaks out with the Xia thieves, there will be one more strong force available." Yin Xingfang suggested.
"That's fine." Wang Yuanwu thought for a moment and then agreed.
The Six Heroes and the Shanhe Second Army, with more than 20,000 infantry and cavalry, are considered to be the more capable main force among Weibo's soldiers. They are stationed along the Yongji Canal to block the best route of advance. If the Xia thieves come in large numbers, they will
Fight with them here to hold back the main force of the rebel army and create opportunities for Li Keyong.
The problem now is that we only know that the Xia bandits have come for reinforcements, but we don't know how many. If the Shao bandits bring back all the troops who attacked Yang Xingmi in the south, then this battle will be really difficult. I don't know, but we still have to defend.
There is no way out anyway. No matter what happens in the future, we have to do it now.