Dengfeng and Gaocheng are counties under the jurisdiction of Henan Province, and Yangdi is under the jurisdiction of Xuzhou. The total distance between the three is 105 miles, and they are lined up along the Yingshui River.
In fact, the first two have little population. They were originally located in mountainous areas and sparsely populated. Huang Chao and Qin Zongquan twice caused disasters and suffered huge losses. During this period, some people from other places came to seek refuge, and later they were all gathered in the Yiluo Basin by Zhang Quanyi.
In other words, in addition to Huang and Qin, Zhang Quanyi was also an important factor in causing the sharp population decline in other places except Luoyang and the Luoshui River Basin. It's just that Lao Zhang forcibly moved people to farm, and what Qin Zongquan did was
Much scarier.
There were slightly more cities in Yangzhai, but it also suffered huge losses in previous wars. Most of the people ran to the city, and very few came back.
On the fourth day of April, the army suddenly appeared in Yangzhai County, outside Yangzhai Town. The gate of the county was closed tightly, and Qi Bizhang ordered a strong attack.
Tens of thousands of sergeants dismounted, cut down trees and built simple ladders. As a result, before the drums were beaten, the sergeants successfully climbed to the top of the city, killed the meager defenders, and occupied the county seat.
The situation in the county disappointed the Xia army officers and soldiers.
There were really not many people there, only about 300 scattered households, including men, women, old and young, with frightened and uneasy eyes.
There was no need to loot, and there was no oil or water to scrape out. The sergeants broke open the door of the only grain store in the county and opened the county treasury's granary. In total, they got more than 8,000 husks of millet and wheat, half of which was still grain.
It was shipped from other places at a high cost and was ready to be sent to Dengfeng.
After collecting dozens of horses and mules, the entire army spent the night in the city. On the second day, they led the horses on foot. In the afternoon, scouts came to report that Liang Jun cavalry was chasing them from behind, so everyone got on their horses and ran away.
Horses are so willful. The average weight of each horse is not as heavy as yours. If you have the ability to chase me.
On the evening of the sixth day of April, the entire army arrived at the outskirts of Lisuo Changshe County in Xuzhou, ninety miles southeast of Yangzhai.
Xuzhou was named Yingchuan in the Northern Dynasties.
In the third year of the reign of the Western Wei Dynasty, Shi Heruo, the governor of Ying in the Eastern Wei Dynasty, came to surrender to Yingchuan. The Eastern Wei Dynasty sent generals Yao Xiong and Zhao Yu, and Yun Bao led an army of 20,000 to attack Yingchuan. Yu Wengui led 2,000 infantry and cavalry from Luoyang to rescue him.
Ciyangzhai. A war broke out between the two sides, and the Eastern Wei Dynasty was defeated.
Qibizhang didn't know much about these old things about old sesame seeds and rotten millet, but he also humbly asked his army staff for advice and learned that Yingchuan County had been a prosperous, wealthy and densely populated place in the past dynasties, and he had a new understanding of this place.
know.
In short, let's go ahead and grab them. With these 10,000 people and more than 20,000 horses, there is no need to worry about surviving.
"There are Xuchang and Changge in the north of Changshe, and Linying and Yancheng in the southeast. They are all crowded places. If the general goes to send donations, he will gain a lot." The staff suggested.
"Is Changshe rich?" Qi Bizhang asked.
"Naturally rich."
"Then why bother seeking the far away at all?" Qi Bizhang asked with a smile.
"There may be a large number of thieves stationed in Changsha." The staff expressed their worries.
Xuzhou was the official envoy of Chen Xu, with the military name Zhongwu. Since the mid-Tang Dynasty, it had been the frontline against the Cai thieves in Huaixi. Just think about it, being able to fight the Cai thieves back and forth made the court very happy.
Can a person who relies on someone be a weakling?
Defeat the three towns in Hebei, pacify the rebel town of Huaixi, pacify Zhaoyi Liu Zhen, pacify Xuzhou Silver Sword Capital, pacify Qiupu Uprising, pacify Pangxun's rebellion, pacify Li Guochang and his son, and even pacify Huangchao and Qin Zongquan. In which time did the Zhongwu Army fail to dispatch? Almost all of them were not dispatched.
He is the royal thug of the imperial court.
It was understandable that the staff were worried that Zhongwu's army was strong, but Qi Bizhang obviously had a different view.
"I heard that Zhu Quanzhong was conquering various towns and recruiting elites from the Zhongwu Army to join the Xuanwu Army. The Zhao family could not stop him." Qi Binzhang said: "Yang Shihou was a general of the Zhongwu Army, and it was Zhu Quanzhong who sent him there. He led thousands of people in
You, Cai has been fighting for many years, but he has not seen much success. It is obvious that the talents of the Zhongwu Army have withered, and all the best soldiers and generals have joined Xuanwu."
"The Zhao family of Xuzhou has been transporting goods to Bianzhou for many years, and every year they also send Chen Xu to join the army in Bianzhou. Chenxuzhen, with a population of 500,000 to 600,000, only supports more than 10,000 yamen troops. Is this normal?"
Qi Binzhang continued: "There are more than ten thousand cavalry, and half of them were taken away by Yang Shihou. How much strength does Zhao Jue still have?"
The staff was a little surprised and asked: "The military envoy wants to attack Xuzhou and wipe out the Zhongwu Army?"
Qi Bizhang laughed and said: "No fight! If I want to annihilate the rebel army, when I arrive in Gaocheng County, I will loot everywhere and cut off the retreat of Zhang Guihou and his gang. Wouldn't it be nice? But Zhang Guihou cannot be counted.
No matter how big a fish is, Po Xia's army is not worth enough. The thirty thousand people of Dinghui in Ruzhou are the ones who deserve to be watched. Losing a big thing because of a small thing is what a wise man would not do."
The staff seemed to understand.
"We will collect grain, send donations, and collect mules and horses in Changshe County." Qi Bizhang said, "If the Zhongwu Army comes to fight, we will look for opportunities. If we can fight, we will fight. If we can't, we will leave. Why should we be afraid?"
To be honest, only a small part of the more than 8,000 husks of millet and wheat obtained in Yangzhai County were taken away, and the rest were burned in a fire. It is only right to recruit more mules and horses. Each extra mule can bring more
Carrying dozens of kilograms of grain and beans is very important for them who continue to fight on the move.
"After collecting the grain and grass, we will cross the Ying River to the west and attack Yingqiao Town." Qibizhang glanced at Xuzhou City, which stood high on the horizon in the distance, and said.
…
The Tielin Army moved quickly, handing over the city defense almost immediately, and then marched south towards Luoyang.
The German returned army was a little slower than them and followed them southward the next day.
Mengzhou and Henan Prefecture no longer allow anyone to approach. Businessmen, scholars, and even officials on official business in the imperial court have all taken detours, either taking the gold merchants to Xiangyang, or taking the route from Huaizhou to Weibo. The purpose is not to let anyone
People spied on the movements of the main force of the Xia army to ensure the smooth implementation of the Ruzhou campaign.
Li Renjun, the envoy of the Heyuan Army, was appointed as the commander of the Huaizhou camp capital, commanding the Heyuan, Baoyi, and Yumen armies and their bodyguards, totaling more than 20,000 people. The cavalry army has already arrived in Jinjiang and will soon reach Heyang.
It will also be incorporated into the Huaizhou camp combat sequence.
With these 30,000 to 40,000 soldiers and horses, plus Meng, Huaizhou County soldiers and Tu Tuan villagers, under the current situation, it is enough to defend Heyang - to a certain extent, although Luo Hongxin has both sides.
, sitting on the wall and watching, did not help Zhu Quanzhong to seize chestnuts from the fire, but it did contain a large number of Xia troops and achieved part of the goal.
After resting in the river for more than two months, the Tiande Army, which has just recruited new recruits, is stepping up its training. Cai Songyang may receive an order to go eastward at any time and join the Huaizhou camp to strengthen the troops in this direction.
The Chishui Army affiliated to the Luoyang Camp continued to fight with Pang Shigu in the Poppy Valley area. Thousands of yamen soldiers, plus more than 10,000 Tuan Tuan villagers, almost filled every camp, waiting for the rebel army to attack in large numbers.
.
Against such a background, the Battle of Ruzhou unfolded almost silently. There were many more surprises than when the plan was made before the war, but the Xia army had long been accustomed to it, and it was a rare opportunity for them to be able to execute the plan perfectly without distortion.
Unaskable.
"This rain is really heavy!" Shao Shude was not nervous or excited when he went south. He even had time to think about the progress of Heyang's water conservancy project.
There is no doubt that Song Le is capable. Shao Shude also gave him a lot of support. For example, this time he did not recruit Confucius from Heyang on a large scale. Instead, he tried his best to recruit from Shaanxi, Dongdu, three towns in Hezhong and Tongzhou, a total of seven
Most of the more than 10,000 people have arrived in Heyang and Luoyang areas, mainly transporting supplies and making equipment. When necessary, they will also go into battle, such as attacking cities, etc.
The water conservancy project in Heyang has been under construction for almost two years. It mainly focuses on repair and restoration. It has been completed well. I hope it can withstand today's heavy rain.
Last winter was extremely cold, and this spring it rained a lot. The weather changes are really strange. It is estimated that after this period of drastic changes, which may last for ten or twenty years, cold and drought will become the mainstream.
Until it gradually returns to normal.
After arriving in Luoyang, Shao Shude stayed briefly for two days to listen to the battle report on the Luoyang camp.
"At present, the army gathered outside Taigu Pass has exceeded 25,000. In addition to the 2,000 soldiers and horses from Henan Fuzhou, there are also 5,000 Tutuan peasants from Henan and Luoyang counties and 7,000 Shunyi troops.
Yesterday, tens of thousands of people from Tutuan Township in Yongning, Shouan, Fuchang and other counties were sent over to attack Taigu Pass in turn." Li Tangbin made a report in a strict manner: "The casualties in each department were high, especially among the township braves.
The Liang thieves are determined, tenacious in their defense, and refuse to retreat until the end of the battle, and have yet to make any progress."
"We also fought at Taigu Pass for some time. Li Dutou, tell me how many traitors were annihilated?" Shao Shude asked.
As for his own casualties, Shao Shude didn't ask. He knew Li Tangbin's tactics very well. He was a ruthless man who would send cannon fodder to pile people up without blinking an eye. The Qiang and Hu who were recruited from Helong and Guanbei in those days asked.
Ask them how they are doing on the Xiaohan Valley Road? Is the land so easy to get? It has to be exchanged for blood.
If he was not mistaken, Li Tangbin must have led a large number of Luoyang native soldiers to attack the city, regardless of the cost. In his eyes, these local warriors from Luoyang were originally Liang people, and they could become Xia people in only three or two months, and they would die.
Not a pity.
"We have been attacking the city continuously for several days and have beheaded more than 400 thieves." Li Tangbin replied.
"Have you seen these four hundred heads?" Shao Shude asked.
Li Tangbin was slightly nervous and immediately replied: "These are all observed during previous sieges. Level 400 is just a little more."
Shao Shude nodded, accepting the data, and asked: "Pei Tong told me that there are more than 3,000 thieves in Guancheng. How long will it take to capture it with this kind of attack?"
Li Tangbin is a cautious person, and he really doesn't dare to make any guarantees about this. At the same time, he is also a little confused. In his plan, attacking Taigu Pass is just a feint attack. Is it possible that the king must defeat it?
"Continue to attack fiercely, increase the intensity, and don't be afraid of casualties." Shao Shude said.
This kind of Guancheng, like Heyang Nancheng, relies on geographical location rather than city walls for defense. Even if there is no Guancheng, it is still difficult for you to attack and you can only attack it hard. For example, in the Shibao City back then, the Tubo people did not build the city wall.
, you also have to pay a lot of human lives to fill it. Of course, Taigu Pass is definitely not as extreme as Shibao City.
"When will we invest in the strategy and Dingyuan Second Army?" Shao Shude asked again.
"Back to your Majesty, the time is not yet ripe, and the thief has not been mobilized yet." Li Tangbin raised his head, looked into Shao Shude's eyes, and said with a serious face.
"Okay, I'll listen to you." Shao Shude smiled and said, "You are the commander of the camp, you make the decision."
Li Tangbin secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
The commander-in-chief brings more than 20,000 Tielin troops here to act as a reserve force, but be sure not to mess around.
"Lu Siye!" Shao Shude suddenly shouted.
"Your Majesty." Lu Siye stepped forward immediately.
"Draft a letter for me to Duke Zhe Ling of Tangzhou." Shao Shude said: "This battle requires the help of Wei Shengjun."
