Dense hanging curtains were erected on the walls of Tongcheng. Crowds like ants were carrying supplies, and small iron blunderbuss were placed at many crenels.
The Zilai Bridge outside the city was filled with horses and stones, leaving only a winding passage that could only allow one person to pass.
Several human heads were hanging on the trees beside the official road outside Zilai Bridge. Two Kuaishou and five soldiers were on duty nearby.
Many civilians were busy on Zilai Street, scattering bricks, wood and mud blocks from the ruins everywhere, trying to make the area near the city difficult to pass. If the rogues still wanted to sneak attack the city gate like they did at the beginning of the year, it would be impossible.
At present, only Nanxun Gate and Chaoyang Gate are still open. Outside the gates are also filled with stones and horses. A steady stream of refugees are coming from all directions, waiting outside the city to enter the city. The strong squads at the city gate are checking in turn.
After asking about your original residence, you should also ask for nearby place names to verify your accent.
This was Tongcheng's third time to prepare for the invasion. Pang Yu was no longer worried about city defense. He was familiar with mobilizing soldiers in the city. The evacuation of the countryside was much easier than the first time, because no matter how numb everyone was, they all knew the tragic situation at the beginning of the year.
But the best situation is to keep the bandits out of the country. It's not that Pang Yu is arrogant enough to defeat hundreds of thousands of bandits, but he just hopes to make Anqing a worse choice.
"The two spies passed through Liantan and the trailer river to Tongcheng. They stayed for a while outside Nanxun Gate. Because the city gate was strictly guarded and the accent was checked, they went north without entering the city. They saw those heads at Zilai Bridge.
.
Afterwards, they arrived at Beixia Guancheng. According to the general's instructions, General Wang mobilized all the soldiers and horses of the garrison camp stationed in Tongcheng, including the Shuiying soldiers, as well as the local men. At that time, they all arranged to set up the Guan wall and streets.
The spies all saw it.
The last sighting of them was outside Shucheng City. They did not go to Lu'an Prefecture, but indeed went to Luzhou Prefecture."
After listening to Yang Erming's words, Pang Yu said respectfully, "It all depends on the master's proper deployment. We were able to deceive the enemy this time."
Yang Erming waved his hand, "If General Pang hadn't provided financial support to Tongcheng's two squads, I'm afraid it would have been difficult to obtain Tongcheng's spies, let alone confuse the enemy. Besides, the majestic troops and horses cannot be faked. In the final analysis, the general's military skills are superb."
Pang Yu said a few polite words, and seeing that the other people on the tower were far away from each other, he whispered to Yang Erming, "I hope this arrangement will work.
Judging from the route the spies took back, the rogue bandits probably came from Shucheng, because the Lujiang River in the northeast was broken and they couldn't grab enough supplies. It was best that they not come to Tongcheng after seeing the Beixiaguan alert.
"
Yang Erming also agreed that if they want to attack Anqing, the three cities that can still get supplies along the route are Lu'an, Shucheng, and Tongcheng. In the severe cold weather, it is unlikely that they will take a detour from the Lujiang River, and Beixia Pass is a must.
passing place.
The rogue bandits are different from the regular army. They mainly want to obtain supplies and have no other strategic purposes. Therefore, Anqing, a strategic town, has no additional benefits for the rogue bandits. As long as they give them the impression that Beixia Pass is impregnable, the risk can be reduced to a great extent.
But he still frowned. As a young county magistrate, he was considered a winner in life, but he was indeed unlucky. He had already encountered rogue bandits three times in the first year he took office, and Tongcheng had not had so many in the previous hundred years. He felt that the main task of the magistrate was to prepare for bandits. I don’t know.
When will it end.
After being silent for a while, he asked, "May I ask General Pang, how many troops are Master Daotai planning to deploy in Tongcheng this time?"
Pang Yu knew Yang Erming's worries. The probability of success of this kind of counter-espionage operation was low, and it was difficult to determine whether rogue bandits would come.
If the rogue bandits just stop coming temporarily and the alert continues for a longer period, Tongcheng's economy may not be able to bear it.
"Pan Keda will stay in Fucheng. If it is confirmed that the rogue bandits have entered southern Zhili, Shidaotai will personally lead Wu Song's troops to garrison Tongcheng."
Yang Erming sighed softly. He hoped that Pan Ke would come over. After all, there were only five or six hundred soldiers and horses, and at least there were dozens of servants inside. Xu Ziqiang's troops had a large number of people, but their combat power was low, and even the servants were not very strong.
Even if they don't come, it won't matter. As long as the garrison camp is there, the city can definitely be defended.
"I heard that Wu Song's soldiers refused to leave, so why bother sending them to Tongcheng?"
"It's just that we have to leave Yin, Master Daotai has crossed the river to deal with it.
Mr. Yang, there is no need to worry, I have already advised Mr. Daotai to send only the elite from Wusong camp to cross the river this time, probably less than 500 people."
Yang Erming was a little relieved, Shi Kefa's arrangement this time was also right. Wu Song's soldiers were guest soldiers, and they might cause trouble when facing rogue bandits. It was relatively easy for Shi Kefa to manage them by keeping them by his side.
The so-called elites in the camp are the stronger soldiers. The servants only get nine coins per month, and they are not well trained, so we can't expect too much, but they can fight at least.
"To be honest, General Pang said that the county government does not have much money to use for food. This year, Qianshan, Susong, and Wangjiang have all been exempted from the tax. Tongcheng will not be exempted from the tax because the county seat is not broken. However, the four townships of Tongcheng are in ruins, and the official system
The fields along the way are barren, making it very difficult for the county government to reach its branches."
Pang Yu didn't think that Yang Erming wanted to take back the advance cashier, because now Baishuntang's profits were given to Tongcheng as interest and were also an income for the county government. He was just complaining to relieve his mood.
At that moment, he advised Yang Erming, "Sir, there is no need to worry. We have all seen the bandits, just to grab things. This time we got the information earlier than at the beginning of the year. If we really come to Tongcheng, let the people run to the mountains and rivers, and the bandits will come back after crossing the border."
That’s it.”
"But the house cannot be escaped, and the bandits will only burn the house, and these people can only survive by begging. Since the beginning of the year, there have been hordes of beggars in the city.
In the blink of an eye, it is the end of the new year again. Look outside the city gate, there are many times more people selling children and girls than in previous years. A servant boy can be bought for less than three taels of silver. When the people should be reunited at home, it is like this now.
"
Yang Erming's eyes were a little red, "I feel pity for you, and I feel really guilty for being a pastor."
"Sir..." Yang Erming wiped his eyes, "Fortunately, with General Pang here, the people have more support. Please make sure the general does not withdraw to the city. The people of Tongcheng are counting on the garrison camp."
Pang Yu was speechless for a moment. He did not tell Yang Erming about rescuing Jiangnan. Now Yang Erming thought that the garrison would be stationed here this time.
Yang Erming saw several officers standing behind him and said to Pang Yu, "Don't disturb the general's planning."
Watching Yang Erming's back disappear on the city ladder, Pang Yu drove away his distracting thoughts, opened his simple map and placed it on the battlement, waving to several generals to signal them to gather around.
"Our current preparations are based on the fact that the bandits came from Luzhou, but the news from Henan is unknown. The bandits may also be Guangfu spies. If the bandits really appear in Luzhou, their options include heading west to Huguang, north to Henan, and east
Xuzhou.
To the south there are due south and southeast, the southeast is the direction of Yangzhou, and the due south is Anqing. These two directions are related to our garrison camp.
Our unit is guarding Tongcheng, and the first priority is to intercept the incursions of rogue bandits. If the rogue bandits choose other directions, it will naturally have nothing to do with our Anqing garrison camp. If it is due south or southeast, we have different plans based on the different scales of the rogue bandits."
Several generals were a little nervous. This time the bandits gathered together, including the elite bandits who killed Cao Wenzhao and Ai Wannian. Cao Ai each had more than a thousand people, and the garrison camp also had more than a thousand people. Everyone was together.
I don’t think I am better than Cao Wenzhao.
"The first one is that the rogue bandits are coming to Anqing. I will not only guard Tongcheng this time, but the main force will be stationed here. There are two directions of Beixia Pass and Lujiang River. Beixia Pass is dangerous and can be defended. Let's deploy a second division first.
Bureau, the ferry bridge on the other side of the Lujiang River, deploy the two bureaus of the First Division, and we must not let the rogue bandits drive straight in like last time."
Pang Yu looked at Guo Fengyou, "Tang Ma from the Guards team and the county government's Ma Kuai are responsible for transmitting military orders. From Tongcheng to the border, a horse station is set up every ten miles. All the previously abandoned shops are used to ensure intelligence.
and military orders are smooth."
Guo Fengyou whispered, "Some shops have been occupied by officials and local gentry."
"Drive them all away and explain to them that we won't be staying for long, and we will return it to them when the bandits retreat.
If he still doesn't listen, he will be kicked out.
Until Yang Xueshi comes back, the cavalry bureau will also be under your temporary control. Keep investigating Shucheng and Lujiang. If traces of rogue bandits are found, cavalry will be sent to block their outposts first, and infantry will then reinforce in the corresponding direction."
Several generals nodded together. Tongcheng has many rivers. Setting up troops at Jindu Bridge can effectively slow down the enemy. If it is a small-scale rogue bandit, it can be completely blocked outside the country.
"In the second case, the bandits are heading from Luzhou Prefecture to Yangzhou. Jiangpu and Lu'an are under the jurisdiction of Governor Yingtian and may be attacked by them. After confirming that the bandits have entered the army, we will rescue them by water."
Wang Zenglu looked at the map and said, "In case the bandits make a false shot, for example, they go to Hanshan, Hezhou, and then turn back to Wuweizhou.
At that time, our military ships will be able to sail downstream and have no choice but to wait for a dock to land. Instead, we will be chasing behind them, and we may be besieged by an army of rogue bandits in the wilderness."
Pang Yu touched his chin and looked at it for a moment and said, "So we must have information about the bandits. As long as they set off from Luzhou, our cavalry will follow them and patrol Wuwei Prefecture and Chaoxian County.
In my estimation, they will divide their forces, otherwise their more than 100,000 people will not be able to walk on one road, and the food they will grab along the way will not be enough to eat. The information then will be messy and contradictory. The cavalry must make sentinels their first priority.
"
Zhuang Chaozheng, who had been silent all this time, suddenly said, "The rogue bandits have cut off the road. Their queue may be very long. The sentries can only see the tail of the queue, and may not know where they are going. Can they reach Chaoxian, Hezhou, Hanshan, Quanzhou, etc."
If the rogue bandits are approaching, they can cross the river and walk upstream, reach the other side of Anqing, and then return to the north of the river. The whole journey will be in the south of the Yangtze River, so that they can know the direction of the rogue bandits' attack."
"That's a good idea. I will arrange someone for you."
Pang Yu looked at Zhuang Chaozheng, crossed the river and then took the land route from Jiangnan. If the speed was fast, he could reach the other side of Anqing in about one day. It would take at least two days for the information to be delivered to Pang Yu. If it was slow, it would take three or four days, which is about the time it takes for rogue bandits to lay siege to a city.
.
This method is not very efficient, but it is also a way to verify intelligence. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I will ask the Caobang to prepare food and grass in Dangtu and Nanjing, and let them leave people in Jiangbei when they go."
At this time, a soldier came from the city ladder and whispered to Pang Yu, "Sir, the horses sent by Tongcheng to Henan will come back soon. They say that the rogue bandits have gone to Kaifeng, and Master Lu is leading the pursuit."
Pang Yu glanced at the map and said, "This news is indeed true."
"The horses quickly went over from Gushi and searched around Xinyang. They found some people who had escaped from the bandits and opened the seal as the bandit king said. The horses followed for a while and saw the camp left by the bandits.
It’s really going north.”
Several generals discussed in low voices. Everyone was a little confused, but at the same time they all breathed a sigh of relief. Only Yao Dongshan cursed in a low voice, seeming to be disappointed that the bandit didn't come.
Pang Yu was also a little disappointed. At present, all the preparations were focused on the bandits arriving in Luzhou on the 15th. Now that they were leaving like this, they lost the initiative again.
Looking at Yang Erming's appearance, we can tell that if the alert lasts too long, the local government will soon be unable to support it.
Guo Fengyou said respectfully to Pang Yu, "You must have succeeded in deceiving the enemy with false troops, and scared the bandits away."
"This is the wrong time. The spies are heading to Luzhou to join the brigade. The leader of the thieves has not received news from Anqing yet, so it has nothing to do with deceiving the enemy."
Pang Yu touched his chin and said doubtfully, "Let the spies wait in Luzhou, but then go to Kaifeng. Where are you heroes going? Are you also deceiving the enemy?"