"The general writes down the book, orders the public to follow the law, decorates the coffin and jade gate, and returns the soul to the country..."
"The royal door with plain curtains, in the Mingjing Lane, the burial order of Enlong, the ceremony and decoration..."
"The state envoys guarded the funeral, the historians praised the stones, the chariots and disciples lined up, and the majesty was majestic..."
"The charioteer preaches before and after, the spectators are honored, and the cowards are enraged..."
In the early morning, more than a thousand cavalry escorted the hearse to leave the palace, and after leaving the city, they meandered toward the southwest.
The chariots, handbooks, and drums stretched for more than ten miles, with hundreds of flags and thousands of chariots, which were extremely mournful and glorious.
Officials of all sizes in Hezhong Town, elders from aristocratic families, and military lieutenants and generals followed the funeral procession with their feathers, guides, and uniforms. There were also countless people who gathered around to watch this rare and grand funeral ceremony. The streets were almost empty.
On the other side of the river city, there were many people watching the funeral silently.
"There are two thousand Jin soldiers in the city, right?" Qi Bizhang, who was dressed as a merchant, looked at the majestic Hezhong City, as if his eyes could penetrate the city wall and see the Hedong sergeant hiding in it, secretly preparing his troops.
"Yes. Wang Ke brought it back when he went to Taiyuan to welcome his bride." Gao Renhou was dressed like a rich man, which made people laugh because the style was so inconsistent.
"Li Keyong treats this son-in-law quite well." Qibizhang said with a smile.
"It's not bad! It's just staring at this fat piece of meat in the river, just like our commander." Gao Renhou said disdainfully.
"Uh..." Qibizhang glanced at Gao Renhou. Old Man Gao was still carefully observing the funeral procession. At the same time, he secretly paid attention to the nearby mountains and rivers. He wondered if he realized that he was "slandering" the commander-in-chief.
"Wang Yao has made up his mind?" Qi Bizhang didn't want to talk about dangerous topics with the silly old man Gao Renhou anymore. Damn it, people from the Central Plains are not as sensible as us grassland people.
"He must have made up his mind. After his father died, he did not mourn and cry at home. Instead, he sent people around to visit him, making people look down upon him." Gao Renhou said, "Of course, even if he did his best, those river officials would not
Listen to him. Wang Chongying must have made arrangements before his death. Wang Ke can give what Wang Yao can give, and even more. Why should Wang Yao let them betray? I don’t know, there will still be a fight in the end, Tielin Army, Jinglue
The Zhenwu Army and the Zhenwu Army should be ready, let’s kill him this time!”
Unexpectedly, the old man was so bold and belligerent, so Qi Banzhang looked at him twice more.
I heard that when Gao Renhou was recruiting rebels in Shu, in order to win their trust, he once walked into the rebel army alone and comforted them with words. When marching and fighting, he liked to take the initiative to attack and set up ambushes. This was an old man who simply loved fighting.
There is another old man in the Shuofang Army, and that is Yang Yue, the Xinquan military envoy stationed in Shuozhou. In essence, he is the same type of person as Gao Renhou. He is relatively pure. He is not a good military leader or a good military commander, but he is a good warrior.
If they surrender to the commander-in-chief's tent, their ancestral graves will be covered in smoke. Otherwise, they will hit the wall everywhere and be buried in the weeds sooner or later.
"Let's go, stop looking, go back and get ready." Gao Renhou spat out the grass stalks in his mouth, clapped his hands and prepared to mount his horse.
"How to prepare?" Qi Banzhang asked.
"Advance troops to Jinzhou. Wang Yao has just recognized the commander as his uncle, so let's go eat at Wang Yao's house and urge him to take action." Gao Renhou said matter-of-factly: "Have a good fight, there are so many things to worry about!"
"Can we definitely win?"
"Let's wait until we can win!" Gao Renhou said nonchalantly: "Anyway, let's fight first and keep grinding, just like a woman."
When Qi Binzhang said this, his bellicose factor was also activated, and he said: "You are the coordinator, you have the final say."
The group quickly retreated and returned to Yucheng within a few days, each preparing not to mention it.
…
In Bianzhou City, Zhu Quanzhong has been paying attention to the war in Xuzhou.
The eldest son Youyu led an army of 50,000, and Ding Hui had 20,000 troops, totaling 70,000 troops. In addition, there were more than 10,000 troops from Su, Hao, and Shou, who surrounded Xuzhou.
Next came another classic siege and reinforcements. Zhu Jin of Yanzhou led an army of 20,000 people to the south to rescue Shi Pu. He was defeated by Zhu Youyu and fled in embarrassment.
Zhu Quanzhong was not surprised to defeat Zhu Jin, who had long been in decline. The elite soldiers of the Bian and Song Dynasties roamed the Central Plains and rarely encountered opponents. Is it worth being happy to defeat Zhu Jin in a frontal field battle? Just so so.
Zhu Yougong sued Youyu again. The last time Jishui defeated Zhu Jin, he did not pursue it. This time he won again, but he still did not pursue it and continued to besiege Xuzhou. Zhu Yougong secretly accused him of having different ambitions. Although Quanzhong did not believe it, he
I still feel very unhappy.
The troubles of doubtful people!
Zhu Quanzhong was restless. When he thought about the lack of affection between him and his eldest son, he was even more worried that he would collude with Ding Hui to seize Xuzhou and stand on his own. Just when he was about to call his staff to convey the order, a letter suddenly came from his own soldiers.
Zhu Quanzhong read it quickly and slapped it heavily on the case, which made the servants lower their heads in shock.
"General Jing Sima, Deputy Envoy Li is here." Zhu Quanzhong sat back on the bed, silently calculating.
The Xuanwu Army's current situation is still very good, but its strength is a little tight.
Hu Zhen in Xin'an worked hard to strengthen the city defense and defend it to the death, which cost 30,000 troops, of which 20,000 were the main Yamen army.
Ge Congzhou in Ruzhou has more than 20,000 soldiers at hand, half of them are Zhongwu Yamen, and the rest are Ru and Cai Zabing. Recently, they have been saying that there is Shazha Valley, Huixiban and two cities that need to be guarded by troops, and they can attack southward.
Tang and Deng were short of troops and asked for more troops.
Zhu Quanzhong also knew that it would be difficult to go south with only more than 10,000 troops. Even if Caizhou Yamen, Zhongwu Prefecture County soldiers, and local regiment soldiers were added, he would still be more than capable of defending but not aggressive enough.
But the responsibility I entrust you with is to make the impossible possible for you. What's the point of always asking for more troops?
In the area of Xu and Su, 70,000 Bianzhou yamen troops were gathered at this time, which can be said to be the main elite force. Zhu Jin was defeated, and Pu had no reinforcements outside the country, and his morale was even lower. These 70,000 people must not withdraw. We must strike while the iron is hot and strive to win the battle in one go.
Go to Xuzhou.
After removing the defensive troops of Er Zhu, Li Keyong, and the necessary remaining troops, Zhu Quanzhong found that the main force he could mobilize at the moment was only more than 30,000 people.
Can more than 30,000 government troops interfere in the war in the river? It may be possible to cause trouble, but it is difficult to swallow the river!
Zhu Quanzhong recognized Wang Chongrong as his uncle on the grounds that his mother's surname was Wang. Isn't the reason why he was so straightforward because he was always defeated by Wang Chongrong and could not defeat Pu's army? Later, in the decisive battle with Huang Chao, the scene of the heroic and bloody battle between the river troops was even more profound.
It shocked him and still lingers in his mind.
It has only been ten years. Have the soldiers and horses in the river deteriorated and become unable to fight? Zhu Quanzhong didn't believe it.
"Commander!" Jing Xiang and Li Zhen hurriedly left the office and came to pay their respects.
"There is news in Puzhou that Wang Chongying has passed away. The army wants to promote Wang Ke as the leader, but the situation is delicate and there may be changes." Zhu Quanzhong said: "In the past, I had a nephew-uncle relationship with the old king of Langya County. If I interfered,
What do you two think?"
Jingxiang thought slowly and did not answer immediately.
valley
"Who does the commander want to support?" Li Zhen asked first.
"Wang Ke is my cousin..." Zhu Quanzhong paused for a moment, and then said without changing his expression: "If Ke can be used as a wife, he may not be able to win her over, so why not support Wang Yao? Or Wang Yin?"
"Commander!" Jingxiang raised his head, looked at Zhu Quanzhong, and said: "It doesn't matter who the commander supports, what matters is whose hands are in the four states of the river. How can Lingzhou Shao Shude not intervene in this matter? If
The river is for their own gain, and millions of people are using it to transport goods, grain, grass, and equipment. The pressure on our front lines in Luoyang and Mengzhou has greatly increased, and we are very passive. Commander, with all due respect, the river has fallen into the hands of the enemy.
It's better than falling into Shu De's hands."
"Can it fall into my hands?" Zhu Quanzhong smiled and asked greedily.
"We have to mobilize a large army!" Jingxiang said: "The river is rich, there are no less than 50,000 soldiers, and the armor and equipment are excellent. We have practiced battle formations for a long time, so we can't take it lightly."
His view was similar to Zhu Quanzhong's. Pu Jun's previous record was so dazzling that Wang's three-level discipline was not picked up, but forged through hard work.
Whether the Hezhong Army can fight, ask Huang Ye, ask Huang Chao, ask Marshal Zhu himself.
"Then just ignore it? I'm really not willing to do it." Zhu Quanzhong said angrily: "After my uncle passed away, Chongying took over, but he was ill and didn't have much energy to take care of these warriors. Or maybe he indulged and accommodated in order to secure his position.
Generals of the military government. A few years ago, Li Han attacked Jin, Jiang, and Wang Chongying was unable to stop it. Maybe we should underestimate the reality."
Jingxiang and Li Zhen were silent. This is the truth. Li Hanzhi has so many soldiers, but he can't stop him in the river. Could it be that it is no longer possible to fight? The army has lost its commander and is struggling for strength. The new commander cannot convince the crowd and can only fight.
With more bribes, the generals became more and more contemptuous, and then became lax and degenerate. This is not uncommon in history.
"I intend to increase the number of troops in Mengzhou to be prepared for any danger." Zhu Quanzhong made up his mind and decided in one word.
…
Li Keyong settled in Yizhou.
Fifty thousand Hedong troops marched eastward from Yunzhou, occupying the Qingsai Army (today's Yanggaonan) abandoned by the Datong Army, Niupiguan (under the Niupi Ridge of today's Datong), and Tiancheng Army (today's town), and then captured You
Benna, Huai'an County, Xinzhou, under the rule of Zhouzhen, surrendered to capture the city, and Emperor Xizong established the state and county.
Li Cunxiao, who served as the vanguard, attacked Yizhou City. The Yan army had few soldiers and abandoned the city and fled, so they surrendered without fighting.
Yizhou only has jurisdiction over one county, which is Wende County (today's Xuanhua). Originally Wuzhou in the Northern Wei Dynasty, it was changed to Yizhou by the late Emperor Wende during his reign.
After Li Keyong heard the news, he personally led thousands of cavalry and came. Sixty miles east from Yizhou is Yongxing County (today's Zhuolu North) in Xinzhou. Xinzhou governs Yongxing and Huai'an counties.
The main force of the Youzhou army has moved to and outside the city of Guizhou. The Xi people, Shiwei, and Khitan tribes who were attached to Youzhou also gathered 20,000 to 30,000 horsemen to assist in the battle. Guizhou has a county under its jurisdiction, namely Huairong County (today's Huailai).
This road is the main force of the Hedong Army and is related to success or failure.
During the reign of Suzong and De, Li Mi proposed a plan to send King Jianning to lead his army north to the fortress while the main force of the Anshi rebels was in the Central Plains, "to capture Fan Yang and overturn his lair." It was not adopted.
In the middle of the Yuan Dynasty, Suzong ordered Guo Ziyi to lead the troops out of Gaoque Pass in Fengzhou to the north of Yinshan Mountain, and then march eastward, "take Datong, Hengye, Qingyi (Guizhou), and then take Fanyang." This was done by Yu Chao'en.
block.
The distance from Shuofang to Youzhou is actually very close, with Datong in the middle, even closer than to Chang'an. If these two suggestions of sending troops outside the Great Wall can be implemented, the situation may be really different.
Li Keyong also had a side force along the way: Li Cunzhang led more than 10,000 infantry and cavalry troops, starting from Yuzhou Hengye Army (today's Yu County), walking through Xieyang Pass, and stopping at Kongling Pass, preparing to cooperate with the main force on the North Road.
If nothing else goes wrong, the battle with the Youzhou Army will begin in Guizhou.
Once they win, the army can march directly into Juyongguan and approach Youzhou.
Li Keyong is a person who likes decisive battles.
His good brother Shude likes to lead many soldiers and save a lot of money, food and supplies when fighting. He must also weaken the enemy's morale to the extreme before looking for an opportunity to fight decisively.
The sworn brother is much more heroic in battle, and he attacks fiercely when he comes up. He also has a lot of fierce generals under his tent, and he often "pig-attacks" the enemy. Victory is victory, defeat is defeat, and he is simply defeated. He also has the unique skills of retreating in front of the enemy that are passed down from his ancestors, which is very impressive.
Breathtaking.
Li Keyong decided to send Li Kuangchou and his grassland friends to the west on the Guizhou grassland, but a little accident happened.
"Commander, Wang Chongying has passed away." Gai Yu hurried into the Wende County Yamen and reported to Li Keyong and the Liu family behind him.
Well, Shu De's sister-in-law Liu was another military advisor of Li Keyong, and her words may be more useful than building an apartment, because she could give advice during the day and give advice at night. She was actually available around the clock, which was not as good as building an apartment.
Li Keyong nodded slowly, indicating that he understood.
To him, this was both reasonable and unexpected.
"Is there any news from Liu Xun?"
"Returning to the commander-in-chief, General Liu believes that there is an undercurrent in the river. Many descendants of the Wang family are not convinced by Wang Ke, and there may be a big change." Gai Yu replied: "Wang Yao, the governor of Jiangzhou, openly declared that '(Wang) Ke Benwu'
The family has a Cangtou and a small character, Chong'er, so he should not be his heir, or we may raise an army to attack him."
"Bang!" Li Keyong slapped the table hard, furious.
Wang Yao! You don’t even look at whose son-in-law Wang Ke is. You expose someone like this and don’t you take me seriously?
Gai Yu was also speechless about this man.
Wang Yao's words seemed a bit like Yuan Shu scolding Yuan Shao.
"Cangtou" is the nickname for a servant. Wang Ke was Wang Chongjian's bastard son, and he was adopted by Wang Chongrong. Because Chongrong had no children, he suddenly became his legitimate heir, so he was jealous of his cousins, which was actually quite normal.
But it's a bit too much for you to scold like this openly. Passers-by who don't help each other will see it in their eyes, and their impression of Wang Yao will probably not be much better.
"Husband!" Mrs. Liu took Li Keyong's arm.
Li Keyong calmed down his anger, thought for a while, and said: "Instruct Kang Junli to look for an opportunity to retreat and return to Jinyang. If anything goes wrong, he will cooperate with Liu Xun and kill Wang Yao. No, let Liu Xun pay attention to Wang Yao. If something goes wrong, he will kill Wang Yao."
No, take action first. Kang Jun will then unite the army to frighten those who have dissent. Wait until I have conquered Youzhou, and then we will make further calculations."
"Commander, Tuoba Renfu was sent by Shude..." Gai Yu reminded.
"Kang Junli knows what to do! Just let Tuoba Renfu die." Li Keyong said impatiently: "Youzhou has just experienced an incident and its morale has plummeted. If we don't attack now, it will be difficult to attack again in the future.
.This is a big deal, please don’t disturb me.”
"General Mo will go and deliver the order right away," Gai Yu responded.
"Wait a minute." Mrs. Liu stopped Gai Yu and turned to Li Keyong: "Husband, the river is very critical. General Kang has less than 30,000 troops. If my uncle intervenes, will he have a chance of winning?"