In Anqing Fucheng, pedestrians on the streets have obviously sped up, and half of the shops have been closed. Martial law has not yet been issued in Fucheng, but various rumors have spread in the market.
Pang Yu hurried through the streets on horseback and arrived outside the Huaining branch. This was Shi Kefa's station in Anqing. There were twice as many sentries as usual. These were the pacesetters of Pan Keda's command, and the dozen or so who were just for show.
They were well dressed and strong, and two of them were wearing chain mail.
After entering the door, Ruan Jin was already waiting there. Pang Yu did not stop and asked him as he walked, "Since you have captured the rogue spy, why don't you stay in Tongcheng."
Ruan Jin chased after Pang Yu and said, "The two captured spies came from Gao Scarzi's camp and arrived in Tongcheng on November 27th. Your Majesty thinks this is a serious matter and is afraid that others will not be able to explain it clearly.
After I sent the letter the day before yesterday, I specially asked the villain to come here. Firstly, there are new interrogation situations that need to be reported in detail, and secondly, I want to meet with the adults."
Pang Yu frowned and said, "I'm sure it's Gao Scarzi's camp leader. How did he catch it?"
"It's exactly that one. Ever since the rogues entered Henan, the villain has been very energetic. Kuai Zhuang's two squads have always paid attention to the streets. After the two spies came to Tongcheng, they went to Baishuntang once. They lost money and showed their accent.
He also mortgaged two pieces of jewelry, and his behavior was quite suspicious. Kuaiban followed up and found that he was very suspicious. The villain, Ming Zhuangban, captured and tortured the two people the day before yesterday. Three detectives in Tongcheng have been captured by the villain, all of whom are locals.
According to several accounts, Gao Scarzi had already sent spies to Jiangbei Guang before he left the customs, specifically looking for local evildoers to serve as spies.
At present, they have joined forces with the seven bandits in Xinyang, numbering one hundred thousand in number, and Mr. Lu is still chasing the eight bandits.
According to the spy, when the master gave him instructions, he was asked to go to Luzhou on December 15th to report the news. They came out at the same time, and dozens of others went to various places in Jiangbei."
Gao Yingxiang is considered to be the leader of the rogue bandits and one of the strongest. He can gather a large number of camp leaders to join forces and have the spies report back in Luzhou around December 15th. This means that the main force of the rogue bandits will arrive in Nanjing in a few days.
Zhili and set Anqing as the target, so Yang Erming should be afraid. He sent Ruan Jin here to get Pang Yu's commitment.
But even Pang Yu was a little scared. Although he looked calm at this time, his heart was actually tightening. Hundreds of thousands of rogues and the strongest battalion leaders came together.
The bandits have obviously reached a peak this year. They have killed several famous generals in suppressing bandits and have increased their active attacks on the government troops. After entering Henan, due to the hungry people everywhere, their momentum has become more and more powerful. If some more camp heads are merged, the number can reach up to
Hundreds of thousands.
"Towards Jiangbei."
Pang Yu muttered in a low voice and then asked, "Where else in Anqing are there spies?"
"Two more spies came to Huaining, pretending to be monks."
Pang Yu stopped, and the rogue spies went ahead to attack the city. They had already learned about it at the beginning of the year. When the spies arrived in Huaining, it showed that Fucheng was also one of their targets. What made Pang Yu even more frightened was that the rogue bandits were leaving the seclusion.
We have already developed zatan in various places before.
This time, the various ministries headed by Gao Yingxiang are cooperating and must have a target to attack in the near future. Anqing is very dangerous and the situation is not optimistic.
However, Pang Yu's two thousand soldiers and horses can only defend the city in the face of 100,000-level rogue bandits. When the rogue bandits cut off the official road, they can only divide the city and garrison. However, the rogue bandits can concentrate their forces. It is very likely that both cities will be lost. In the end,
In a good situation, only two counties can be defended, and the rest of the territory will inevitably rot.
"Did he say that Huai Ning would be available to assist?"
"Said there were five or six people."
"No one may hear the presentation."
Ruan Jin whispered, "Only Shi Daotai, Lord Pi and the magistrate of Huaining."
"well-done."
Pang Yu stood there for a moment, closing his eyes and not knowing what he was thinking.
Ruan Jin waited for Pang Yu to open his eyes before continuing, "My Lord specifically asked me to meet Master Pang. Tongcheng's two squads will now listen to your arrangements."
This was a deal that Pang Yu made with Yang Erming when he was in Tongcheng last time. The garrison battalion would provide money to support the strong two squads in Tongcheng, but Pang Yu would be in command during the war.
Without the support of this money, Ruan Jin would have been seriously short of manpower and would not have been able to obtain the two spies so easily.
This was a private agreement. There were many people here, so Pang Yu didn't say much, leaving Ruan Jin to hurry to the second hall.
After turning the corner, we arrived at the second hall. Shi Kefa was already sitting at the top. Pi Yingju looked worried and nodded slightly when he saw Pang Yu.
There were also magistrates of Huaining, Dian Shi, Chen Shifu and others in the hall. More than half of Anqing's senior officials from the city were here. Everyone looked serious, thinking that they all knew the scale of the rogue bandits.
In addition to Pan Keda being there every time, Pang Yu met Xu Ziqiang again. The Wusong soldiers and horses he led were placed across the river from Anqing some time ago, and were supplied by several Shi Kefa's subordinate mansions, which reduced Anqing's burden.
.
Pang Yu received the news that about half of Wu Song's soldiers had fled, but Xu Ziqiang found some beggars from several houses to support him.
When Xu Ziqiang saw Pang Yu, he bowed his hands politely.
When Pang Yu was in place, Shi Kefa waved his hand to the guards and others to leave. He glanced at the hall and said, "We won't wait for the rest who haven't come. We are summoned because Tongcheng captured Gao Scarzi's spy.
His confession talks about the situation of high-ranking thieves spying on Anqing, and the meaning is self-evident.
The situation in Anqing is critical. I have rushed six hundred miles to report to Mr. Zhang. Everyone here should also make preparations in advance.
In today's meeting, everyone will offer their suggestions and plans, all to ensure Anqing and peace."
Everyone below claimed that it was, but their tone was a little low. Pang Yu also heard that Shi Kefa was a little less confident. What he was talking about this time was to keep Anqing safe. This understanding could be the whole territory of Anqing, or just the city. After all, Anqing is the only city in Anqing.
This little soldier.
Shi Kefa subconsciously touched his nose, and Pang Yu noticed it from the corner of his eye. This was a subconscious action to comfort himself, indicating that Shi Kefa was indeed very nervous.
After looking at the audience, Shi Kefa said directly, "General Pang leads the garrison camp. Let's first talk about the battle and defense situation of the garrison camp."
Pang Yu stepped out and bowed, "After my subordinates heard the report the day before yesterday, the garrison battalion stationed in the city immediately went on alert. Soldiers were sent out in all areas of armament and began to practice the method of defending the city at the top of the city and at the gate. As long as your Excellency orders, you can
Depart within one day.
We also flew the troops from Songyang to Tongcheng and stationed them in the county and Beixia Pass."
Pang Yu's voice was calm, Shi Kefa nodded repeatedly, and the chests of several other officials also straightened up.
The magistrate of Huaining County suddenly stood up and said, "The lower official believes that there are hundreds of thousands of rogue bandits, the city is the mainstay of the river, and the defense of the river is also the top priority. However, the number of garrison camps is only a few thousand, and more than half of them are new soldiers, and they are not strong enough to repel the enemy."
, I should be transferred back to the capital city to take measures."
Chen Shifu then stood up and said, "I second my opinion. The bandits are coming fiercely. I think there was a battle to defend the city in Tongcheng at the beginning of the year. If I can defend the county government, I will have no worries. Guanfu City has not experienced war. If there is no garrison camp to guard it, I am afraid that the people will be uneasy."
Gather."
Tongzhi also took a step forward and said, "My official seconded the suggestion. Tongcheng has experienced military disasters twice, and the people have learned how to defend the city. We can deploy Wusong's troops and horses to garrison. This will ensure that there is no danger. It is better for the Anqing garrison to defend the city."
.”
There was silence in the hall. Xu Ziqiang's face was gloomy and he kept glaring at the colleague. This was because he looked down on Xu Ziqiang and wanted him to die.
Because Pan Keda was a member of Shi Kefa's camp, it was difficult for Anqing officials to target him, but the contempt was obvious.
Pang Yu observed that Pi Yingju was not surprised at all, and knew that Pi Yingju was willing to accept it.
Three cities were lost at the beginning of the year, and Pi Yingju's official position was not implicated, so even if another Tongcheng was lost, Yang Erming would still be responsible, so the impact on him would be relatively small.
And if the city is lost, even if Pi Yingju can escape across the river, he will not be able to escape the court's investigation, let alone the magistrate of Huaining County.
At this time, there were no representatives from Tongcheng in the hall. The wealth and lives of all the government officials in the county were in the city. Naturally, they all preferred to protect the city. They introduced the magistrate of Huaining County to say this, and others seconded it. It would be more appropriate. If Shi Kefa
It is relatively strong and can be turned around by lifting the skin.
But it was different for Shi Kefa. He was an Anchi soldier. According to Zhang Guowei, his main duty was to guard Anqing.
At the same time, he has just taken office. If Tongcheng is allowed to be destroyed, there will be an obvious contrast. That is, Wang Gongbi can defend Tongcheng, but it is lost in his hands. Then Shi Kefa's ability is obviously not as good as Wang Gongbi, Zhang Guowei and the court.
will easily come to this conclusion, which will have a great impact on his future future.
But they only had these soldiers. Regardless of the training they saw on a daily basis or the results of several actual battles, everyone knew that the strength of Pan Keda and Xu Ziqiang's troops was limited, and what they could rely on was the garrison camp.
Shi Kefa had never dealt with an enemy with a scale of 100,000, and he understood what the Anqing officials meant. At this time, he hesitated again and neither answered the magistrate of Huaining nor proposed other plans.
The hall was a little embarrassed. Pang Yu naturally didn't want to abandon Tongcheng, which was the gate to Anqing. Even if Yang Erming was lucky enough to defend it, with the scale of the bandits this time, in order to obtain enough survival resources, they could control the area except Fucheng.
All destroyed.
A dilapidated Anqing will have no commercial value and can no longer provide conditions for developing military power.
But it was obvious that other officials in Fucheng supported letting Tongcheng fend for itself. Pang Yu was in Fucheng and could not go against all the civil servants.
After thinking about the words, Pang Yu coughed and stepped forward and said, "Whether it is Fucheng or Tongcheng, the garrison camp will definitely follow the orders.
But whether all of them should be transferred back to Fucheng seems to be debatable. Everyone knows the news from Tongcheng today. The rogue bandits may arrive in Luzhou around the 15th, but the rogue spies are not only in Anqing, but also in cities in the north of the Yangtze River. This may not be the case.
I will definitely come to Anqing.”
Tongzhi didn't wait for Pang Yu to finish, but interrupted in a stern voice, "Since the rogue spies are here, they want to attack Anqing. The art of war says, 'The invincible lies with oneself, but the victorious lies with the enemy.' So we should have made plans early."
.
You should know that Anqing is the key to the Yangtze River, and the safety of Jiangnan depends on this place, so you must not take any chances."
Pang Yu said politely, "What Lord Tongzhi said is that Xiaguan also prioritizes the city. However, Tongcheng is the key to Anqing's land route. If it is broken this time, the barrier will be lost in the future. Rogue bandits can come whenever they want, and Anqing will be safe."
There is only one city left in the mansion.
Therefore, the following officials believe that it would be more appropriate to have a method that has both ends."
Tongzhi's face softened slightly, but he still said rudely, "Can Pang Defei have a way to have both?"
"There is nothing that can be done at this time, but there are still a few days until the 15th. If there is no other way before the 10th, it will not be too late to decide where the garrison camp will go."
Tongzhi Buyibuluo said, "The military situation is like a fire. The arrival in Luzhou on the 15th is just what a spy said. Who knows whether it is true or not? If we arrive in two or three days and the garrison camp is not in its place, we will first
The opportunity is lost.”
Pang Yu was still not angry. This Tongzhi was usually quite polite. At this time, his family and life were probably involved, and it was inevitable to be excited. He said unhurriedly, "What Tongzhi said is true, as follows.
The official thought that what one spy said was not trustworthy, but the so-called hundreds of thousands of rogues were also what the spy said.
Since there are still spies lurking in the city, we must not only plan and prepare for war, but also step up efforts to capture the spies to determine the scale and movements of the rogue bandits."
Tongzhi was speechless for a moment. His basis was indeed Tongcheng's intelligence, which was also what the spy said.
Shi Kefa saw that there was no need to decide the fate of Tongcheng for the time being, so he immediately bypassed this problem and arranged for Huaining County to contact the gentry, transport bricks and stones, protect grain depots, mobilize social soldiers, expel river boats, etc., among which the burning and demolition of houses near the city was involved.
It was quite big, and there was a debate at the prefectural and county levels, so they couldn't reach a conclusion. The last issue was to determine that the garrison battalion and the Huaining Express Team would work together to arrest the spies, and then the meeting ended in a hurry.
Pang Yu slowed down outside the second hall, waiting for everyone in Fucheng to go ahead. Pi Yingju walked in front. Pang Yu winked at him, and Pi Yingju hesitated for a moment and walked over to Pang Yu.
"What's the matter with General Pang?"
Pi Yingju's tone was slightly cold when he spoke.
Pang Yu knew that Pi Yingju was a little dissatisfied with him for not supporting the officials in the city, but he stayed to communicate with Pi Yingju alone in order to resolve the matter.
"Sir Pi, please note that there are some things that a lower-level official would not be able to say in court. Please look at the map."
Pang Yu took out a sketch from his sleeve and unfolded it before showing it to Pi Yingju. It was mainly about the Jiangbei area. Pi Yingju looked at it very carefully.
"Sir, please take a look at the route of the rogue bandits at the beginning of the year. If the rogue bandits really gathered in Luzhou, in the direction from Luzhou to Anqing, only the four counties of Shucheng, Tongcheng, Huaining, and Wangjiang are intact, and Tongcheng and Shucheng are only county security, and the official
The damage along the road was serious, and it was difficult for them to obtain enough supplies during their march, but from Luzhou to the east and south..." Pi Yingju looked at it for a moment and then his eyes flashed, "Luzhou, Wuwei Prefecture, Hanshan, Hezhou, Pukou,
Lu'an, Yangzhou, and Chuzhou are all blessed places."
Pang Yu nodded, "So Anqing is not a place where rogues must go. The spies came here to see if it is easy to defeat. If it is easy to defeat, they may not not go there. But as long as they feel that Anqing is prepared, they will leave west and east or even
Going north toward Xuzhou is easier than Anqing to get supplies.
This is the cost of being a bandit, and it is also the difference between survival and difficulty. As long as we do the right thing, not only will Tongcheng be safe, but the whole of Anqing will also be safe."
For Pang Yu, if the main force of the rogue bandits attacked Anqing, the garrison camp would need to fight the enemy alone and would be unable to defend the enemy from outside the country. For Anqing, defending two cities would not help.
Pang Yu would rather rescue Jiangpu Liuhe, after all, he only needs to defend the city.
What we have to do now is to make Anqing run a little faster than others.
Now, we must first communicate with Pi Yingju, and then discuss countermeasures with Shi Kefa privately. The fewer people involved, the better, but they must be those with power, otherwise the matter will not be completed smoothly.
Pi Yingju somewhat understood what Pang Yu meant, that is, as long as Anqing gives the impression that the rogue bandits are highly prepared for war, the crisis can be resolved without fighting. This is the best choice for Pi Yingju. Of course, the rogue bandits will definitely flee to other areas.
Such words are naturally inappropriate to say in class.
Immediately, he put aside the unhappiness in the hall and looked at Pang Yu seriously, "General Pang, can you elaborate on how to proceed?"
"The spy who sneaked into the city is a good opportunity."