Cheng Zongchu listened to the messenger's report in silence, and suddenly felt a little sad.
He is almost fifty this year, and the ambitions of his youth are gone forever. Facing less than 20,000 rebels, he actually feels that his hands are tied. Even the reconquest of Pingliang County in Weizhou relied on cleverness instead of destroying the ancients.
Crushingly defeating the enemy.
Jingyuan was poor and the military was insufficient. Although the sergeants fought hard and fought to the death, they could not get enough rewards for a long time, so their morale could not be high at all. The reason why they were willing to send troops this time was because they wanted to regain their hometown. After all, many sergeants' homes were in the original area.
Zhou, Wuzhou, if it were any other matter, it would be really difficult to get these people to move.
I also promised the King of Lingwu County to march into Huizhou. How will I explain it to the soldiers then?
If this incident only troubled him, then the strength of the army that set in motion frightened him. With more than 20,000 troops, he originally thought that only some of them could fight, and the rest were temporary Tibetan soldiers.
Now it seems that this is not the case at all. The Tibetan volunteer army has gone north to Yanzhou, and the remaining troops should be the main force.
In fact, Cheng Zongchu didn't think that the skills of the sergeants of the Dingnan Army were much better than those of the Jingyuan Army he had painstakingly trained. In terms of battlefield formations and changes, personal skills, and the ability to endure hard battles, his nine thousand Jingyuan Army was not at all.
The difference. The difference between the two sides was morale. On the Jingyuan Army's side, Cheng Zongchu could see that the sergeants were holding back their strength in the battle.
Whether you have tried your best and whether you have fought to the death can be seen by the veterans.
"The national affairs are very difficult." Cheng Zongchu sighed.
"Why is Shizhong Cheng sighing? More than 10,000 troops marched north. They just defeated more than 3,000 people from the Bagou tribe. They pulled out the Tibetan style and escaped after hearing the wind. It was so smooth. With such a smooth ride, Yuanzhou will be recovered." Zhe Zongben was riding on his horse.
smiled.
"What Marshal Zhe said is very reasonable, why are you sighing? We will regain the lost ground today." Cheng Zongchu smiled and said.
The Zhe family and the Shao family are related by marriage. If the situation in the northwest of Beijing is like this, what can I say? This time I returned the Shao family's favor and helped him regain Huizhou, so he withdrew his troops and went home to protect the country and the people. All external affairs will no longer exist.
Ask more questions unless the emperor has an edict.
The cavalry troops of more than 10,000 infantrymen in Jingyuan and Binning towns were faster, and it only took ten days to arrive more than ten miles south of Yuanzhou. They still spent time digging grass valleys. After all, the Tibetan troops gathered near Yuanzhou, and the tribes
They were all old and weak, but the Jingyuan army and the Xinning army took advantage of it.
Because of this, when they arrived near Yuanzhou, the army drove a large herd of cattle and sheep, and the military supplies were greatly replenished.
The Dingnan Army arrived at the east of Yuanzhou City three days earlier than them, and sent out cavalry to fight with the Tubo people, beheading hundreds of people. However, no matter how many battle results were achieved, they were gone because there was no hiding, Mingzhu, and Bai Sanbu had already
Fleeing to the west, the Bagou tribe was defeated by the Jingyuan Army and the Xingning Army in the south. Now in Yuanzhou City, only the most powerful Yeli tribe and their younger brother Shui Lingbu are left. The adult male Ding Liu
Thousands of people guarded Yuanzhou City in panic.
However, Yuanzhou City had been deliberately destroyed by them before, and the distress army arrived too quickly and had no time to repair it. It was really difficult to defend it at this time.
The Dingnan Army sent a cavalry deputy general named Li Shaorong to contact them. This man was still mumbling when he got closer.
After Cheng Zongchu listened carefully, he laughed and said: "General Li does not understand the habits of the Tubo people. When this generation uses troops, the army is the people and the people are the army. Every time an army goes out, a wealthy family will be sent, and they will all be slaves. They usually work here and there to farm and herd."
The Tubo people are a nation that both herds and cultivates. When the army goes out for an expedition, the chiefs of each tribe must bring their own people and servants with them to go out with the commander. Every expedition is actually a migration of the whole people. Once a place is conquered, the servants go to farm the land.
Herding. If defeated, either run away. If you can't run away, surrender on the spot. This is how the large number of Tubo and Dangxiang tribes in Jingyuan, Yingning, and Fengxiang towns came.
Of course there are exceptions. There are some nomadic tribes in Tubo proper. After occupying Yuanzhou during the mid-Tang Dynasty, they graze in Yuanzhou every winter and spring, and then go back to Qinghai to graze in summer and autumn. It is not troublesome at all.
"Do the Tubo people have no home?" Li Shaorong cursed.
"Home?" Cheng Zongchu smiled bitterly and said: "Wherever you hit, that's home. If you can't hit it, throw away your belongings and slaves, find a new home, and conquer new slaves. Anyway, there are plenty of pastures, and there are also many weak tribes.
."
"No wonder those Tibetans ran away so fast. They didn't need tents, cattle, sheep, or food." Li Shaorong suddenly realized.
"That's a fake Tubo, but a real party. But they probably won't get anything good. It would be better if they go to Wuzhou, but at most they will be driven away. If they go to Huizhou, they will probably be intercepted and annexed by the Langqu tribe."
"Well, I don't care whether they are Tubo or Party members. I only came here for one thing. The commander-in-chief wants the Jingyuan Army to attack Yuanzhou." Li Shaorong said.
"Yes." Cheng Zongchu nodded and said: "The king of Lingwu County captured and killed more than 5,000 people in Baiquan, and now he beheaded hundreds of people in Yuanzhou. It has been a great help. I can't thank you enough for helping me here."
.To attack Yuanzhou, the Jingyuan army has no choice but to do so."
Zhe Zongben looked on without saying a word. In fact, Xing Ningjun was also a guest who came to help his son-in-law. Of course, he mainly helped his son-in-law, and it was just a matter of helping Cheng Zongchu. He didn't fight much along the way, but instead robbed him.
There were a lot of cattle, sheep, and skins, and everyone was quite satisfied.
On February 20th of the second year of Guangqi, the three towns combined more than 30,000 troops and surrounded Yuanzhou City on three sides. Cheng Zongchu, the commander-in-chief of the Jingyuan Festival, recruited some vassal tribes and forced them to come out. With 4,000 men, he began to attack Yuanzhou City.
The storming of the city.
Yuanzhou City has been destroyed many times in history. Every time the Tubo army occupied it, the city walls were demolished. After capturing Yuanzhou in the first year of Guangming Dynasty, a lot of damage was done to it, so that now it is difficult to defend the city. It can be said that it is a cocoon.
The Tibetan tribes recruited by the Jingyuan Army were mainly Dangxiang people. They were poorly equipped and had low morale, but under the pressure of tens of thousands of troops, they could only bite the bullet and attack the city.
One party is a pure-bred party, and the other is a Tubo party. The two sides go back and forth, fighting to the death, and it is extremely cruel.
After only one day of attacking, Jingyuan Dangxiang could no longer hold on and wanted to withdraw. Cheng Zongchu directly ordered a suppression and beheaded more than two hundred people. After gathering the remaining troops, he ordered them to attack the city all night without rest.
Shao Shude turned a blind eye to this. Although Cheng Zongchu was a loyal minister, he was naturally not a soft-hearted person who could be a commander-in-chief.
But don’t forget, Marshal Cheng is also a martial artist, and there are no good warriors!
During the day of the 21st, Dangxiang continued to attack the city. In the evening, there were many dead and wounded, and it was impossible to attack the city. Cheng Zongchu replaced the captured Bagou tribe with 1,500 men, ordered them to continue the attack, and promised to attack twice
and forgive his sins.
As a result, the attack lasted until midnight, and more than 600 Bagou troops were killed or wounded. Finally, they received the order to retreat.
After two days and two nights, more than 2,000 people were killed or injured by the Jingyuan party members. The Yeli tribe and Shui Ling Bu tribe in the city were exhausted, and the few defensive tools in the city were completely exhausted.
Seeing that the time was ripe, Cheng Zongchu selected a thousand elite soldiers from the Jingyuan Army, took advantage of the moment when people were most tired in the middle of the night, to launch a surprise attack on the city, and actually broke through in one fell swoop, which amazed Shao Shude.
This Marshal Cheng has rich experience.
The ensuing battle was lackluster. The Jingyuan army poured in troops continuously, seized the city gate, and then allowed the army to enter.
The Tibetan party had to abandon Yuanzhou and break out at night.
"Commander Shao, your army still needs to send out cavalry to pursue them, so these thieves must be left behind." The Jingyuan army only had a thousand cavalry, which was somewhat insufficient, so Cheng Zongchu still begged Shao Shude.
"Even if Cheng Shuai doesn't speak, I will still send cavalry to pursue him." Shao Shude said: "The cleaner the bandits, the better, so as not to go to Huizhou or Wuzhou again to help the tiger."
Cheng Zongchu breathed a sigh of relief, and then asked: "Does Commander Shao want to invade Wuzhou?"
"Of course." Shao Shude replied: "I will accompany Cheng Shuai to regain Wuzhou, then march west to Huizhou, and defeat the Langqu tribe in one go."
"Does Shao Shuai have any strategy for the crusade against Huizhou?"
Shao Shude pondered for a moment, then said: "It's okay to tell Commander Cheng. More than ten days ago, I sent a messenger to rush back to Xiazhou and Lingzhou. With my order, I will mobilize the Wuwei Army to march west to Lingzhou and arrange the distant army."
Head south to Huizhou. Calculating the time, we should be dispatched by now."
"Shao Shuai has a good command of troops." Cheng Zongchu sighed: "When the army marches westward, most of the troops from the Langqu tribe will gather to fight. If there is a stalemate, and they learn that the old nest in Huizhou is lost, Ding's army will be in chaos. Even if it is not in chaos, it will be attacked from both sides.
, it is also difficult to last. It is possible to regain Huizhou this time."
Going south from the Dingyuan Army City, because we marched along the inner line, we could advance quickly with light troops, and we could reach Wulan County and Wulan Pass in the early 20th, which was easy to defeat. After March, the Yellow River water transport again
It can be effective. When tens of thousands of troops are pressed against it, the transportation of materials is convenient, and there is no need to recruit many masters. This battle will be really easy.
Of course, Shao Shude has thought further. He has even considered that if he attacks Lanzhou in the future, it seems that ships can also be deployed to transport grain, equipment and even troops, and the cost will be greatly reduced. The premise is that Lingzhou builds enough transport ships from Guanzhong.
The role of the five hundred families of shipbuilding craftsmen who returned home is here.
When Xixia conquered Helong, due to technical or knowledge reasons, they were not able to fully utilize the value of the Yellow River water transportation. However, they are different. As a person from the 21st century, it is almost instinctive to fully utilize the advantages of water transportation.
Shipping in the upper reaches of the Yellow River has been around since the Western Han Dynasty, and is mainly concentrated in the lower reaches of the Huangshui River, Jincheng (Lanzhou), and the Hetao Plain area. "The ice melts under the Caoxia", "In the spring, the soldiers of the province follow the river, and arrive at the Huangcao Valley."
"Linqiang meets Qiang captives", that is, after the spring thaw, canals are used to transport grain and grass along the Yellow River and Huangshui River to transport supplies to the army that conquers the Qiang people.
Before the Anshi Rebellion in the Guo Dynasty, there was a large number of immigrants to the Hexi and Longyou areas, and a lot of land was cultivated, making it a relatively prosperous place in the Tang Dynasty. For many years, watercrafts have been used to transport grain and grass to the Shuofang Jiedushi area in the middle reaches to supply military supplies.
You would be really stupid if you didn't take advantage of this.
A Yellow River is worth hundreds of thousands of masters!