The sergeants took off their armor, took off their bowstrings, and put their rifles and rifles on the donkey cart. They looked relaxed and extremely happy.
Although this expedition failed to achieve full success, a lot of property was captured, and the soldiers were very happy.
Territory and power are things that the generals consider, what do they have to do with me?
Pengcheng is not easy to attack, and the Xuzhou soldiers are very fierce. How many people will die?
It is better to be like now, to surround without attacking, to grab some goods and food, and to go back, so that the life of the family can be more relaxed.
There was a scream from the roadside, and the soldiers looked horrified.
The leader of the team is dead, but the people below him are still alive, so they should be executed according to military law.
Referring to others, the soldiers passing by looked at their former comrades with sympathy.
It's better to just fight to the death on the battlefield!
Or, find an opportunity to run far away! There are countless defeated troops hidden in the mountains and jungles of Henan. Go and join them!
A horseman came running quickly. When he reached a roadside tavern, the knight reined in his horse and jumped off his horse lightly.
"Father, why are there so many idle people here?" Xie Yanzhang handed the whip to the soldier and asked.
"They are all businessmen who are here for profit." A middle-aged general sitting on a chair said, "You can't move."
Xie Yanzhang understood. Without any background, you dare to do the business of a big-headed soldier?
"After class, are you going to Hedong?" Xie Yanzhang asked.
"Who can guess accurately what the commander-in-chief is thinking? Only Jing Sima knows it very well." Ge Congyi smiled and said: "I think that if we can conquer Hedong, the commander-in-chief will definitely be willing, but if there is no chance, he will
We won't fight hard. Huainan, Wuning Army, Taining Army, Tianping Army, Wei Bo, there are a lot of territories waiting to be captured, why bother fighting to the death with Li Ke? It's not time yet."
To be fair, although Li Keyong has problems of one kind or another, among all the vassal commanders in the world, he has relatively deep control over the troops.
In other vassal towns, the combat effectiveness is still good when protecting the old base, but to go out to fight, there is either a court order or an increase in rewards, otherwise it is very difficult. And even if they are dispatched, the combat effectiveness and morale are very average, and Sergeant Gein responds passively.
.
There are only two self-made vassal commanders in the north who can really control the army, namely Shao Shude and Zhu Quanzhong.
This is not surprising.
How can an inherited army compare with an army raised with one hand?
Li Keyong has been working hard to digest the original local forces in Hedong for the past seven years. He has capital. On behalf of the Northern Wuren Group, he directly led an army of 50,000 when he took office. He later dismissed half of the Tibetan people, but he still had capital.
Other vassal commanders, how should I put it, have varying degrees of control over the yamen army, and cannot exert their true combat effectiveness.
"This time, four towns have joined forces to challenge Li Keyong, and the chance is still very good. The new monarch will probably not stand in the way when he ascends the throne. The Youzhou army left Yuzhou, united with the Datong army, went south to attack Xin, and Cheng De's army attacked Xing.
Zhou, our army is attacking Ze, Lu, even if Li Keyong has three heads and six arms, he can't withstand it." Xie Yanzhang was a little excited.
Hedong is Xuanwu's life-or-death enemy within easy reach. If it can be defeated, the three towns in Hebei, Tianping and Taining, Wuning and Huainan, Shannan East Road, and Shaanxi, Guohe and Zhongzhong will be much easier to defeat.
Most of them will be able to sweep away the snow on their own and be easily defeated one by one. Youzhou Li Kuangwei has some strength and ambition and can command the big soldiers below, but there is no need to worry too much.
These old vassal towns were very sluggish. Even though the military governor was changed, the people below them remained the same, and there was no sense of vigor and vitality like that of the Xuanwu Army.
"I'm afraid four towns are not enough." Ge Congzhou looked at the excited adopted son. He was young after all. He thought too simply.
"Suppose you were the commander of Chengde Festival, what would you do now?" Ge Congzhou asked, deciding to impart some "jianghu experience" to his adopted son.
"I have sent troops to attack Xingzhou. Based on these three states, Li Ya'er threatens to control Hebei. He will definitely seize them and then quickly." Xie Yanzhang replied.
Ge Congzhou shook his head.
This volunteer has a good military strategy, and he is also a good person. He is not arrogant or domineering, and he does not discriminate against scholars. He is even more polite. However, he is not very good at dealing with people, and his grasp of people's hearts is often insufficient. He needs to be taught well.
Fan.
"If Li Keyong is defeated and the east of the river is occupied by the Bian army, what do you think?" Ge Congzhou asked.
Xie Yanzhang tried his best to put himself in Wang Rong's position. After a while, he said: "We were attacked on both sides. The Bian army left Hedong all the way, defeated Wei Bo and then went north. The situation is embarrassing."
Only then did Ge Congzhou smile.
"Hedong is certainly an enemy to the towns in Hebei, but it is also a barrier. In troubled times, warriors seek advantages and avoid disadvantages, and their calculations are clear. What is the benefit of letting the Bian army destroy Hedong?" Ge Congzhou said: "If
If Li Keyong were not in full swing now and had made it clear that he wanted to conquer Hebei, they would never have thought of jointly attacking Hedong. To put it bluntly, even if the four towns really sent troops together, when Li Keyong's defeat appeared,
, Wang Rong and others will also take the initiative to retreat, or even switch sides and join forces with Li Keyong to attack us."
Xie Yanzhang suddenly realized that this was the truly profound art of war. The face-to-face things on the battlefield paleed in comparison to this art of war.
"Then this time it's going to be in vain?" Xie Yanzhang was a little bit unable to accept this fact.
Chengde, Youzhou, Datong, and Xuanwu can theoretically field an army of 400,000, but this is a real army of 400,000. They do not include the civilians and strong men, and they are not bragging. How can they not destroy Hedong?
The human heart is so deceitful and changeable, and the interests involved are so complicated, it’s really a headache.
"The commander-in-chief still doesn't look away, and wants to take a chance on that rare opportunity." Ge Congzhou sighed: "But that's right, let's get some benefits. It would be good to weaken the strength of Hedong. If we can occupy Ze,
Lu Erzhou has a commanding position over Jinyang. Is that the right word? My father has very little education. You hang out with a bunch of Confucian scholars all day long, so you should be more knowledgeable than me."
"That's right." Xie Yanzhang smiled.
"My son has forgotten one person." Ge Congzhou said again.
"Shao Shude!" Xie Yanzhang blurted out.
"It is this person." Ge Congzhou said: "A few months ago, he led an army of 200,000 people, marched eastward from Zhenwu Army, entered Yunzhou, and forced Li Keyong to retreat. If this person is willing to send troops from Shuozhou, go deep into Lanzhou
, Shi, and then turn our troops eastward, heading straight for Taiyuan Prefecture. Youzhou and Datong will attack Daizhou again. Our army will go north to capture Ze, Lu, and then we can destroy Li Keyong. Li Keyong only has a few people, and he must guard against it.
Xingzhou still needs to defend Xin, Dai, Ze, and Lu, but it cannot handle them. But he may not be willing to do so. Lan and Shizhou have rugged terrain, numerous fortresses, supplies are not easy to come by, and they are in remote and remote areas, so there is nothing to gain.
It will have no effect at all. On the contrary, it will allow us to seize Taiyuan Mansion, which is what a wise man would not do."
"Shuofang's cavalry is quite elite." For some reason, the first thing that came to Xie Yanzhang's mind was the three thousand cavalry of Zhongyongdu that he saw in Guanzhong.
To put it bluntly, they are much more presentable than the cavalry of the Xuanwu Army!
"Don't think blindly. Get ready when you get back. The commander-in-chief is going to attack." Ge Congzhou said.
****
"...Ke Yong will always be a national danger. Now that he has been defeated, I invite the troops of Bian, Hua and Meng to eliminate them together with the three towns in Hebei."
"Pah!" Li Keyong angrily slapped a copy on the case.
Gai Yu looked at him silently.
Today's imperial court is like a shabby house with leaks everywhere. As long as you are willing to spend money, you can always get all kinds of news.
For example, Shao Shude, the king of Lingwu County, proposed to build Yulin and Woyang palaces for the new king.
For example, Prime Minister Wei Zhaodu appointed Ximen Wentong as the Qiongnan Defense Envoy.
For example, the two states of Xuan and She (She) were given the title Ning Guojun, and Yang Xingmi was appointed as the governor.
For example, Zhu Quanzhong resigned from the post of Huainan Jiedushi and named Sun Ru as his commander-in-chief.
There are too many, and there is no information you can’t get, as long as you are willing to put in the effort and spend the money.
Of course, these are all trivial matters. What made everyone in Hedong most angry was Zhu Quanzhong's memorial.
Full of malice and evil intentions, his intentions towards Hedong are clearly exposed.
"Commander, this matter needs to be treated with caution." Seeing that Li Keyong had finished losing his temper, Gai Yu thought that it was almost over, so he added.
Li Keyong also knew that now was a more dangerous time. The three towns of Hebei, plus Xuanwu and Datong, had more troops than fewer. The most troublesome thing was that they were attacking from all directions, making Hedong unable to concentrate on responding to the enemy.
"Send an order to my brother Ke Gong, Zhaoyi Town selects elite and brave men to enter Jinyang." Li Keyong ordered.
Gai Yu signaled, and his staff began to write.
Now that the situation is critical, the Zhaoyi prefectures are newly acquired, and the people's hearts are unstable. It is indeed a good response to send their best troops to Hedong.
"Send an envoy to Zhenzhou (now Zhengding, Hebei Province) and tell Wang Rong that my intention is in Youzhou." Li Keyong said again.
The staff continued to record.
"Wait a minute, the envoy will bring some gifts. I heard that Wang Rong is young, so he sent some gold and silverware." Li Keyong added.
Gai Yu smiled happily.
Although the past few years have been rough, the Marshal's temper seems to have changed, and it doesn't seem like a bad thing. If in the past, others only gave the Marshal gold and silk, how could the Marshal give gifts to others?
This is extremely embarrassing for the commander.
You can throw away your life, but you must save your face.
Now it seems that Hedong's temporary adversity is not necessarily a bad thing. As long as the commander's temper changes, there is still great hope for his ability to run the army.
"Send envoys to Lingzhou again..." Li Keyong stopped mid-sentence.
Gai Yu is stunned, why should Shuofang Town not comfort him?
He really couldn't figure out Shao Shude, and he felt that he was a thick-faced and evil-hearted man. If he was given the opportunity, and an army of 100,000 people came to attack him, wouldn't Hedong be left alone?
"Commander..." Gai Yu reminded.
"That's all, I'll send an envoy with another letter." Li Keyong took a breath and said.
Originally, he wanted his wife Liu to send someone to Lingzhou to find Shao Shude's wife Zhe, and through these connections, he could tactfully repair the relationship between the two towns, so that he would not have to show up directly and would look better.
But now that I think about it, is it not shameful for a man to stand back and let a woman come forward to change things?
If my sworn brother doesn't want to be repaired, he can just fight him! The worst he can do is die on the battlefield, what big deal can he do!
"The key to this battle is Youzhou and Datong." Li Keyong said: "If we repel the Xuanwu Army this way, I will not be afraid!"
Gaiyu agrees with this statement.
It would be impossible for the imperial court to send troops, although I heard that Zhang Jun was urging this matter.
But don't be afraid if they come. Even if 50,000 soldiers come, sending a fierce general and leading 5,000 people will be enough to deal with them.
The Shence Army is not made for fighting, and can be dealt with in a few or two.
In fact, coming here may be a good thing. After repelling the Shence Army, it will also shake the morale of other enemy armies. It may not be a bad thing for Hedong.
But the people in Shuofang Town cannot be underestimated.
Shao Shude is a man who is very aggressive in military affairs. He is as good as, er, the prince of Longxi County. He fights every year and uses troops with veteran skills. He is really a formidable enemy.
In the current situation facing Hedong, what is most feared is not the kind of brave and diligent generals. Such generals are very straightforward in their use of troops. They either win or lose, and the winner can be determined quickly.
But Shao Shude's military skills are really hard to describe. If you fight with him, you will most likely be victorious and undefeated. He will just make you sick. When you can't hold it anymore, become irritable, and show your flaws, he will pounce on you.
How can you spend so much time with him?
In today's Hedong, every ounce of troops is precious. If tens of thousands more people are pinned down in the direction of Shuozhou, this battle will be impossible to fight.
"In this way, we will prepare our troops for war." Li Keyong said: "The enemy's advantage lies in having more troops, and our army's advantage lies in being united. If we can repel all the soldiers and horses, the thieves will be frightened, and our army can take advantage of the situation to attack. Come today
Every town we invaded must be defeated one by one. Especially the thief Zhu Quanzhong..."
Li Keyong thought of the sentence in Zhu Quanzhong's memorial "Ke Yong will eventually be a national danger", and for a while he became so angry that he almost couldn't suppress his temper.
Excessive anger damages the liver!
Li Ke took a deep breath and stared at the map expressionlessly.