Nanyang administered seventeen counties, seven of which were occupied by Qin Hao.
When Liu Xiu led his army to the north, the three counties near Xiangyang were captured again. Therefore, the Qin army currently only has four counties including Xiangyang and Yicheng in Nanjun.
Yicheng is the closest county to Xiangyang, and Bai Qi led his army to return only three days away.
Of course, Bai Qi took away only 20,000 elite soldiers and 30,000 prisoners, while 5,000 wounded soldiers were left behind in Yicheng.
In addition to the troops under Bai Qi's command, all other Qin troops scattered throughout Nanjun were also recalled by Qin Hao.
Sixty thousand Qin troops gathered in Xiangyang. As long as you are not stupid, you can see that the Qin army must be making big moves.
Some people speculated that Qin Hao concentrated his troops to attack Nanjun, while others thought that Qin Hao was afraid of Bai Qi so he withdrew his troops, but the reality was completely different from what everyone thought.
At the military and political meeting in the Prefecture Mufu in Xiangyang, Li Cunxiao said to Qin Hao:
"My lord, although General Bai Qi may have made some minor mistakes, he is loyal to you and has never done anything beyond his bounds. You cannot listen to the one-sided slander of a villain and just punish him casually...
"
Bai Qi, who was standing under Qin Hao, was stunned after hearing what Li Cunxiao said. He covered his face and looked helpless.
Qin Hao also looked confused. What the hell is this? Why can't he understand it?
"Wait a minute, Li Cunxiao, what nonsense are you talking about?"
Qin Hao immediately interrupted Li Cunxiao and asked: "What slander? What kind of villain? General Bai Qi has made great achievements this time. It's too late for me to punish him, so why should I punish him?"
Li Cunxiao was also stunned and said blankly: "Didn't my lord fall into Liu Xiu's alienation plan, so he gave up the Nanjun that was within easy reach?"
Qin Hao was annoyed by Li Cunxiao and said angrily: "In your heart, Li Cunxiao, don't I even have such a broad mind?"
"That is?"
"The reason why I recall you and others at this time is mainly because Dong Zhuo has mobilized heavy troops in Hanzhong, Wuguan and Xuanyuan Pass, and may send troops to attack Nanyang in three directions at any time. I have called you back to defend Nanyang."
Hearing this, Li Cunxiao was stunned, and the generals finally understood.
No wonder the Lord would give up Nanjun. It turned out to be because of Nanyang. Nanyang is the foundation of the Qin army, and even the three Nanjuns cannot compare with it, so of course the priority is to save Nanyang.
Li Cunxiao, who was about to cry but without tears, pointed at the generals and said with a wry smile: "When you asked me to take the lead in begging for mercy, did you have a premeditated plan and deliberately wanted to see my joke?"
"No, no..." the generals quickly denied.
The reason why Li Cunxiao was asked to plead for mercy was naturally because Li Cunxiao was loved by the lord the most, and the lord would definitely listen to his words, but the truth was far from what they thought.
When Li Cunxiao saw that everyone was blaming others, he immediately asked Bai Qi: "Bai Qi, you know this, right?"
Bai Qi sighed and nodded slightly.
"Then why didn't you tell me in advance? It would make me embarrassed in front of the lord." Li Cunxiao said in anger.
"I didn't know you would really do this." Bai Qi said helplessly.
"you……"
Li Cunxiao looked aggrieved. If he had known better, he would have stopped meddling in Bai Qi's business.
Qin Hao also laughed when he saw this scene: "Okay, Li Cunxiao, I see you are aggrieved. The Flying Tiger Camp has made great achievements this time, but it also suffered heavy casualties. As compensation, you will give priority to the selection of soldiers and equipment, and the establishment will be expanded to three."
Qianqi."
Li Cunxiao instantly turned from grievance to ecstasy and shouted: "Thank you, Lord."
Seeing Li Cunxiao's face change in an instant, all the generals were also stunned, thinking that they were all in a routine.
Qin Hao, who thought he had defeated Li Cunxiao, turned his attention to Bai Qi and said in a deep voice: "Bai Qi, you have made great achievements in defeating the Jingzhou coalition in this battle. I will make you the governor of Nanyang and lead an army of 30,000 people."
Head to Ye County to set up defenses."
The Grand Governor has the power to lead an army alone, and is also the Generalissimo in later generations.
The Qin army had never had the post of governor before. Although Bai Qi, Yue Fei, Zhang Liao and other generals had all led armies alone in battles, their military positions were still inferior to those of a governor.
This time Bai Qi made such a great contribution that only the post of commander-in-chief was worthy of his achievements, and Bai Qi became the first commander-in-chief of the Qin army.
To the west of Nanyang, there are threats from Wuguan and Hanzhong. Only by Bai Qi guarding here can Qin Hao feel completely at ease.
Bai Qi was overjoyed, but his face remained calm. He cupped his fists and said, "Thank you, Lord, for your trust."
All the generals also said in unison: "Greetings to the Grand Governor."
Bai Qi led 30,000 troops to Ye County for repairs, while Qin Hao led 20,000 elites back to Wancheng, leaving only 10,000 troops and 30,000 prisoners of war in Xiangyang. As for the defending general Qin Hao, he had other arrangements.
What no one knows is that Qin Hao's main purpose of withdrawing his troops this time is not to rescue Nanyang at all.
Nanyang has 70,000 elite troops, and is guarded by generals such as Yue Fei, Xue Rengui, Su Dingfang, and Zhang Liao. Unless Dong Zhuo exceeds 200,000 troops, it will be impossible to capture Nanyang. And before Kansai is completely integrated, Dong Zhuo cannot use 30 troops.
Ten thousand troops came to deal with Qin Hao.
Therefore, the real purpose of Qin Hao's recall of the army was actually to prepare the heroes to challenge Dong.
Not long ago, Qin Hao received information from Jin Yiwei's spies, saying that Dong Zhuo had done something treacherous and unethical. Not only did he forcefully sleep with Queen Mother He, he even stayed overnight in the palace.
After receiving the news, Qin Hao's first reaction was that Dong Zhuo was crazy. After all, the rumors about Dong Zhuo were indeed spread by rumors before, but now they are true.
Dong Zhuo had restrained himself before, but under the pressure of He Hou and others who wanted to kill him, Dong Zhuo, who thought he could not be clean, had completely lost his patience and was ready to break the pot. From now on, he would directly crush any obstacles or threats by force.
Didn't you falsely accuse me of sleeping with the Queen Mother? Then I will sleep with you and see.
Aren’t you falsely accusing me of having a cholera harem? Then I’ll show you what I’m doing.
Anger blinded Dong Zhuo's eyes. He was venting and seeking revenge, and Dong Zhuo's behavior of completely letting himself go would also make him face the enemy of the whole world.
Dong Zhuo finally embarked on the path of the Demon King, and killing the emperor was probably not long after, so Qin Hao naturally had to prepare in advance to avoid being caught off guard when he arrived.
It is indeed a pity to abandon Nanjun at this time, but Qin Hao's goal of going south to seize Xiangyang this time and improve the southern defense line has been completed. Taking Nanjun entirely will be detrimental to defense, and will also make the Qin army's center too far south.
In addition, most of Jingzhou's military strength was basically destroyed by Bai Qi in this battle, and it is impossible to recover in a short period of time. Therefore, taking Nanjun early and taking it late is actually the same.
In comparison, it is naturally more important to replace Dong Zhuo and become the new overlord of the princes.