If it were before, the soldiers of the royal capital would definitely argue with each other, but after several battles, they have fully realized the gap between the two sides. They used to laugh at the sissies of the Cui army in Hanyang City, but now they themselves have followed suit.
Retreating to Pingchuan City is of course a good choice. There are also Li Ziqian's 7,000 troops there. If they join forces, they will be a considerable force.
The problem is that Pingchuan City is too close to Xichuan. Who knows what Wang Bengu is thinking? Wang Bengu is very good at making trouble.
Li Ziqian and Wang Bengu are old enemies. I am afraid no one knows Wang Bengu better than Li Ziqian. "General Wang, you will leave for Xichuan tomorrow and tell Wang Bengu that I will lead troops to garrison."
If he wants to die together with Pingchuan City, he can attack Pingchuan City with all his strength. I was not afraid of him before, and I will not be afraid of him now."
A little anger can be heard in Li Ziqian's words. Of course, he is also quite confident that although Wang Bengu is a narrow-minded person, he should not be confused about big things. Now that the royal capital has fallen, the Northern Shanxi Army is bound to follow.
Going north along the official road, the first city to be attacked is Xichuan City. Wang Bengu would not be stupid enough to annex the soldiers of the royal capital at this time.
Cui Zhuo also believed in Li Ziqian's judgment, but he was still a little worried. The Han people had just won a great victory, how could they allow the soldiers of the royal capital to retreat to Pingchuan City peacefully? In fact, Cui Zhuo had been thinking about why he fought repeatedly.
Defeated, Li Ziqian was considered a great talent of his generation, but he also suffered such a huge setback outside the royal capital. What was the reason?
There seems to be only one reason, and that is that every time the initiative seems to be in Tie Mo's hands, he is like a knight holding the reins, fighting as he wants, so the soldiers of the royal capital are extremely passive, "Your Majesty, we must do something
We must make some changes. If we want to safely evacuate to Pingchuan City, we must divert the attention of the Northern Shanxi Army elsewhere."
Li Ziqian was a smart man. He nodded and asked in a deep voice, "Master Cui, do you have any good ideas?"
"It's very simple. Let's attack it and save it. We completely ignored the naval fleet docked in Hot Spring Town before. I heard that Tiemo spent a lot of money to build this fleet. Li Wanqing led the navy army to attack the royal capital a few days ago, so it's so garrisoned
There must be very few people in Hot Spring Town. If there is a surprise attack on the naval fleet from the water at this time, they will definitely gain a lot. As long as there is a problem in Hot Spring Town, Tie Mo will never ignore it. When the time comes, the Han people will rush to help Hot Spring Town.
, can’t take care of us anymore.”
"Sneak attack on the naval fleet?" It's not that Li Ziqian has never thought of this method, but it is too difficult to do this. The biggest problem is where to get the ships. North Korea is not as good as the Northern Shanxi Army, and the Northern Shanxi Army's navy has bare keel ships.
There are only four of them. As for North Korea, let alone keel boats, there are not even small sailing ships. The difference in strength is too great. How can we fight with the navy of the Northern Shanxi Army without ships? On the sea, there are not many people.
It's amazing, no matter how many people there are, they will become bastards if they fall into the water.
After pondering for a long time, Li Ziqian finally came up with a brilliant idea. He waved to Wang Yingren and said, "After you arrive at Xichuan City, you must pretend to be unintentional and reveal the news that the Han fleet in Hot Spring Town is carrying countless
Treasure."
When Li Ziqian said this, Wang Yingren understood. Haha, Wang Bengu is known to love money as much as his life. If he knew that there were gold and silver treasures on the Wenquan Town naval fleet, there would be no guarantee that he would not be tempted. Li Ziqian is
No matter how hard they try, they can't get a boat, but Wang Bengu can. The Wang family has a fleet of its own that transports goods all year round. Together with the large and small fishing boats nearby, it is completely enough to harass Hot Spring Town.
Li Ziqian was planning how to withdraw from the Miao Town camp, and Tie Mo was naturally thinking about how to make some gains. If Li Ziqian didn't take advantage of the situation to cover up his troops when withdrawing, wouldn't it be a waste of opportunity? Of course, Tie Mo had no idea about Wang Yingren's situation.
If he had known about the situation, he would not have been so optimistic. In Xichuan City, Wang Bengu's life was much more comfortable than that of Li Ziqian. Since the Northern Shanxi Army besieged the capital, he felt as if he had been wiped with honey. You know what?
A dog has teeth and a dog has a hairy mouth. It would be best for these two dogs to fight to the death.
Wang Yingren rushed to Xichuan City in only five hours. Although they both had the surname of King of Korea, Wang Bengu did not like this brother very much because he was from the Tiger Head Army and was not taken seriously.
, and even received a blank look, but Wang Yingren did not
I took it to heart and quietly leaked the information about Hot Spring Town at night.
Wang Bengu didn't know that he had been plotted by Li Ziqian. He was thinking about how to rob Hot Spring Town. Now most of the Han naval forces were in the royal capital. How long would it take if he didn't make a sneak attack at this time? With Wang Bengu
With this order, Li Ziqian's plan to divert disaster to the east was completely successful.
On February 19, the 14th year of Chongzhen, the peaceful hot spring town suddenly experienced a sudden change. Countless ships appeared on the northwest sea. Although these ships were small, this was offshore, and it was not unusual for ants to kill elephants.
.
When Li Wanqing left, he handed over the fleet to Vice Admiral Mi Fei. There had been nothing going on in Hot Spring Town for the past few days. Suddenly this situation occurred. Mi Fei was a little panicked. Without thinking, he ordered to request reinforcements. Then everyone in Hot Spring Town
The navy soldiers boarded the ship, abandoned the garrison in Hot Spring Town, and sailed the fleet to the distant sea to wait for the battle. The most correct thing Mi Fei did in his panic was to sail the fleet to the distant sea. In offshore operations, the navy's advantages could not be used at all, but
He hurriedly asked for reinforcements, but fell completely into someone else's scheme.
There was movement at the main camp in Miao Town, and the soldiers of the royal capital were getting ready to go. Tie Mo naturally wanted to say goodbye, "Shang Kexi, you go and get ready, and you will lead the brothers to see off Li Ziqian later. Otherwise, it would be unreasonable to walk such a long distance."
Aren’t you lonely?”
Tie Mo was overjoyed too early. Shang Kexi was not ready yet, and the request for reinforcements from Hot Spring Town was sent to the royal capital. After weighing the pros and cons, Tie Mo decided to rush to the aid of Hot Spring Town first. For the Northern Shanxi Army,
The naval fleet is far more important than Li Ziqian's troops. Li Wanqing and Shang Kexi led the troops to Hot Spring Town together. When they arrived, the battle was getting fierce. Countless unmanned fishing boats helped to lift sharp iron rods onto the giant ship.
After crashing into it, three huge ships were restrained and unable to move.
Seeing this, Li Wanqing's face turned green with anger. This Mi Fei is really too young. Faced with this situation, there is no need for a giant ship in front. All he needs to do is put those armored ships in front. The armored ships collided back and forth.
After several attacks, most of these small Korean sailing ships were overturned. There was no time to worry about Mi Fei. Li Wanqing was concerned about the naval fleet and immediately said, "General Shang, please order the cavalry brothers to find more fire starters."
, try to create chaos behind the enemy's rear."
Due to the addition of cavalry, the battlefield situation was reversed. Wang Bengu's sneak attack plan was completely ruined, but the retreat plan of the Miao Town camp went very smoothly. Without the help of cavalry, Tie Mo would not have been able to let the infantry rush forward.
It would be bad to be killed by others. Of course, Wang Bengu, who had achieved nothing in Hot Spring Town, also knew that he had been tricked, but he could only swallow his anger. Just as Li Ziqian expected, no matter how bad Wang Bengu did,
It is also impossible to make things cheaper for the Han people.
The Korean War was going on in full swing, and it didn't seem to be going well. The Central Plains of the Ming Dynasty was also facing an unprecedented war.
For the people of the Ming Dynasty, the most tragic war they have heard recently was the rogue bandit raids, but the situation facing the Central Plains now is ten times more terrible than Zhang Xianzhong's rebellion. Entering February 2, Song Qiao's troops under Tian Zhiyang rebelled.
Ye Tianming's army and Bi Yonghao's army totaled four groups of soldiers and horses, and an army of 110,000 men threatened Tangzhou together.
At this point, the situation has become clear, that is, whether it is Ye Tianming or Tian Zhiyang, these soldiers and horses are all used by rogue bandits. But Liu Guoneng hesitated at the time, unwilling to completely give up the decision of Xiangzhou and completely let the garrison in Tangzhou
The army of more than 30,000 people faced the situation of complete destruction. 110,000 rebels besieged Tangzhou, and more than 30,000 elite troops of the Northern Shanxi Army were in danger. Since the formation of the Northern Shanxi Army, it has never encountered such a crisis.
In the Yamen of Yingzhou Prefecture, officials are busy coming in and out these days. Even General Liu Guoneng has not slept for two days. "Report...Qin Xinkai's army has arrived in Tangzhou and has now joined forces with General Liu Qi's reinforcements."
touch."
"Report... Ye Tianming's 50,000 troops have arrived at the official road from Chenzhou to Tangzhou, and General Yang's 10,000 troops are blocked at Liyangpo!"
Military reports came frequently, but there was no good news. Liu Guoneng was breathing heavily and clenching his fists tightly. Suddenly, after a burst of panicked footsteps in the courtyard, it suddenly became quiet. Liu Guoneng raised his head and saw a woman mentioning
He walked in angrily with a riding crop and said, "Subordinate Liu Guoneng, please see Madam!"
It turns out that the sea blue pearl has arrived,
Thirty thousand elite troops were trapped in Tangzhou City. No matter how hard Hai Lanzhu endured it, he could not stay in the capital any longer. That was an elite army of thirty thousand. The total number of elite troops in the Northern Shanxi Army was only 140,000. Thirty thousand people were suddenly trapped.
How can she bear it? When her husband left, he entrusted her with all the Central Plains and Jiangnan. However, in just a few months, 30,000 elite troops were about to be destroyed. How could she deserve his trust?
Seeing Liu Guoneng's red eyes, Hai Lanzhu sighed and couldn't bear to blame him. Although Liu Guoneng didn't completely follow the order to withdraw his troops, it was completely understandable that he left a large army to monitor Xiangzhou. Xiangzhou is the hub of the Yangtze River. How could he just give up?
"Excuse me, how is the battle situation now?" Hai Lanzhu threw the riding crop on the chair, took off his cloak and came to the map. Liu Guoneng quickly narrated, "Madam, Dingshan has rushed to help Tangzhou, but they were all attacked on the way.
The rebels resisted stubbornly, and Dingshan's cavalry blocked Liyangpo with their backs, and Uncle Xin was also blocked in the south of Chenzhou."
"Hey, it seems that the rebels have been prepared for a long time." Hai Lanzhu took a long breath, frowned tightly, and stared at the map in front of him with his bright eyes.
For some reason, she always had a bad feeling. Liyangpo was less than ten miles in radius, and Zhou Dingshan had tens of thousands of elite cavalry under his command. Once these cavalry were trapped in Liyangpo, it would really be a disaster.
It doesn’t work anymore. There is another big problem, that is, the rebels don’t seem to have attacked Tangzhou City so far, and they seem to be using Tangzhou as bait.
Looking south along Chenzhou City, he took the charcoal and the sea blue beads connected Yingzhou, Tangzhou, and Chenzhou. Only then did he realize that Liyangpo was actually in the center of the triangle. Qin Xinkai's army was even larger than Ye Tianming's.
The army has to move further north!
"No, there's a problem. Li Jiucheng's troops have 20,000 infantry. Why did Qin Xinkai use 10,000 light cavalry and 30,000 infantry to stop him, and he was so close to Chenzhou?" Hai Lanzhu's expression showed worry in his eyes, and Liu Guoneng also wondered.
He got up, and soon he came to his senses, "There is indeed a problem. If Qin Xinkai wants to resist Uncle Xin's troops, there is no need to bring tens of thousands of light cavalry. This is prepared for Dingshan's cavalry."
Huh, after thinking about it, I couldn't help feeling cold in my heart. Qin Xinkai's posture of blocking reinforcements and threatening Chenzhou was actually a lie. His real intention was to turn the horse's head at the right time, thrust it southeast, and appear directly.
Behind Liyangpo, that way, together with Ye Tianming's army, Zhou Dingshan's tens of thousands of cavalry can be surrounded in Liyangpo.
It was really a terrible plan. It not only trapped more than 30,000 troops in Tangzhou, but also solved the serious problem of the Northern Shanxi Army's cavalry in one go. It was really killing two birds with one stone.
Gritting her silver teeth, Hai Lanzhu closed her eyes and thought. Although it was only for a moment, it seemed like several hours had passed. "I ordered Li Jiuzheng not to rush to help Tangzhou, but to go to Liyangpo with all his strength. In addition, I ordered Guan Ning to abandon the defense."
Zhongmu, rush to help Liyangpo."
"What about Tangzhou?"
"We can no longer take care of Tangzhou. Geng Zhongming has led the army for many years and is well aware of the military situation in the Central Plains. He should not be able to trap Tangzhou. What happens in the end depends on God's will!"
Although it was not stated clearly, Hai Lanzhu's meaning was already very obvious. The Northern Shanxi Army had limited troops and did not have enough troops to help Tangzhou. Geng Zhongming and his army had to rely on themselves whether they would survive or die.
Tangzhou is located in the northeast of Xiangzhou, south of Chenzhou and Yingzhou, and directly faces Zhongmu in the north. Xiangzhou is the city of Xiangyang. It guards the mouth of the Yangtze River and has a dangerous terrain. It has always been a battleground for military strategists. As the old saying goes, this has been true since ancient times.
Those who win Xiangyang will surely be able to look back to the southwest and seize Jingzhou, then take control of Hanzhong and conquer the world.
At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Liu Bei relied on the land of Jingxiang to capture Shuzhong and Hanzhong to the southwest, and finally achieved the hegemony of the Three Kingdoms. Anyone who understands the art of war knows how important Xiangzhou is, so Liu Guoneng was not willing to give up Xiangzhou easily.
At that time, staying in Tangzhou to monitor Xiangzhou was also approved by Geng Zhongming. Hai Lanzhu was also careless. In her opinion, the possibility of the bandits and the Maitreya Cult being one is very small. If the bandits and the Maitreya Cult are not of the same mind, then obediently
Giving up Tangzhou seems a bit too cautious.
So when Geng Zhongming led the army to stay in Tangzhou, she did not force him to withdraw his troops.