Yanzhou, of course, is named after salt. Among the three treasures of Dingbian in later generations, the first one is raw salt.
Not to mention now, even during the Republic of China, the salt ponds in Dingbian were the raw salt production base of Shaanxi Province.
Most of the salt in Shaanxi, plus northern Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia, is supplied here.
In ancient times, salt was the most useful magic weapon for the government to control the population. Before Zhang Zhao time traveled, he often saw the protagonist in time travel novels canceling official salt and treating it as a good governance. Zhang Zhao felt his scalp numb.
In this era when imperial power does not go to the countryside, salt is almost the only way the emperor and the court can completely control the power of local wealthy households.
The abolition of official salt can only feed the local powerful and make the lives of ordinary people more difficult, and the court has lost an extremely useful weapon of centralized power.
Yanzhou and Xiazhou are next to each other. From Wuyuan, the capital of Yanzhou, to the capital of Xiazhou, it is only more than 300 miles.
With such a close location, the Dingnan Army would definitely not let go of this piece of fat.
At the end of the Tang Dynasty, some members of the Li family of the Dingnan Army served as Yanzhou defense envoys and other officials. Although they were not able to completely capture Yanzhou due to the fear of the Central Plains court, they had almost penetrated it.
Therefore, when Zhang Zhao's army arrived at Anlechuan (Shanshui River in Lingwu County), which is more than 200 miles away from Yanzhou, Dangxiang cavalry immediately discovered them.
However, Zhang Zhao deliberately recruited a large number of Yi Cong Xiaoqi from Huizhou. They were also familiar with this place. With the advantage of numbers and horses, all the party knights who came to peek at the army were basically captured and killed.
Qiongre Duojin also took Zhang Zhao's 300 Bashmi personal guards and knights, together with two Lingwu military tooth generals sent by Zhang Xichong, to Yanzhou to deceive the defense envoys.
....
Xiazhou and Shuofang City, among these famous cities in the northwest, who is in the worst situation? Shuofang City is second, and absolutely no one dares to admit that it is first.
This city was built with Sanhe soil mixed with rice slurry. The historical founder was Helian Bobo, a descendant of King Zuoxian of the Xiongnu. The original name of this city was also more resounding, it was called Tongwan City!
During the Republic of China in later generations, although all the cities in the northwest had declined, at least some of them were county towns. Only Xiazhou became a small village called Baichengzi.
The biggest reason is that after the Northern Song Dynasty army captured Xiazhou City in the fifth year of Chunhua (994), Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty was afraid that Tongwan City would not be able to penetrate with a sword and be indestructible if stones were dropped, so he ordered the city to be destroyed and all the residents moved away.
This destruction could never be repaired until the Xixia Dynasty was destroyed.
Just when Zhang Zhao's army had arrived at Anlechuan, west of Yanzhou, the Dingnan Army Office in Xiazhou was still undecided about the matter in Qingzhou.
The discussion is not about whether to attack Gyeongju or not, but whether to continue to increase troops.
As early as March before, there were riots in Gyeongju and after the envoy of the relief army was killed, Li Yiyin immediately ordered the dispatch of 3,000 troops to cooperate with the 3,000 party members in the north of Gyeongju. A total of 6,000 people went straight to Gyeongju City along the Malianshui River.
Originally, according to Li Yiyin's idea, as soon as his 6,000 people arrived in Qingzhou, Li Yuanzai would leave the city and bow his head to admit his mistake.
Li Yuan had more than 30,000 herdsmen under his command, and he could manage more than 4,000 cavalry.
Note that these cavalry are not cavalry with complete armor and stomach, but can only be called knights of armed herdsmen.
They are no match for the thousands of cavalry in Xiazhou who are wearing cowhide armor and a small number of iron armor, not to mention the three thousand cavalry from northern Gyeongju.
However, things soon went beyond Li Yiyin's expectations. Li Yuanzai actually summoned his troops to defend Qingzhou City, and provoked the cavalry of the Dingqu Army, who had only prepared to punish them, to go crazy.
Unable to penetrate, they could only send people to Xiazhou to request reinforcements.
At this time, Li Yiyin, the military governor of the Dingnan Army, was a big fat man. It should be said that he was a big fat man who was extremely flexible and had strong combat effectiveness.
Although his excessive weight is not conducive to galloping immediately, he is extremely proficient in the footwork method.
It was in his hands that the Dingnan Army underwent a qualitative change, from a Dangxiang tribe that only wanted to defend the four states of Xia, Sui, Yin, and You, to a formal warlord paying attention to the Central Plains.
When Li Yiyin was in the hands, the Difficult Army would intervene to gain benefits whenever someone in the Central Plains rebelled.
Historically, after the establishment of the Northern Song Dynasty, Li Yiyin originally formed an alliance with the Northern Han Dynasty, but when he saw that the Song Dynasty was trying to dominate the world, he immediately turned his back and began to help Zhao Kuangyin attack the Northern Han Dynasty. He was extremely submissive. After his death, Song Taizu deposed him.
After three days in court, he was granted the title of King of Xia.
Such an old fox is naturally not a simple person. He also smelled something unusual from the events in Qingzhou.
Li Yiyin, his younger brother who was standing next to him, was still clamoring that he would personally lead troops to Qingzhou to cut off Li Yuan's head. Li Yiyin shook his head slightly.
"This time, Xi Feng clan personally led the troops to the expedition. I didn't want to kill Li Yuanzai. I just wanted him to give an explanation and compensate some cattle and sheep. Why did he react like this?
How could those few soldiers and horses in Gyeongju hold on to Gyeongju for more than a month? Could it be that the Xi Feng clan was greedy for the wealth in Gyeongju city, forcing Li Yuanjae to fight to the death? "
Li Guangrui, the son next to Li Yiyin, shook his head. The young patriarch of the Xifeng clan had been his friend since childhood, and Li Guangrui still knew something about him.
"Probably not. Xifeng Xili is bold and thoughtful. Even if he covets Qingzhou's wealth, he should be able to do it more skillfully. What's more, he doesn't have the courage to disobey the Lord.
Judging from his return, he had never seen Li Yuanjae at all.
I wonder if there is something wrong with Qingzhou itself? Then Li Yuan’s second son, Li Yanli, followed the King of Han from Hexi to Guanzhong, could it be related to this? "
As soon as these words came out, Li Yiyin, Li Yiyu, Li Yimin, Tuoba Chongde and others looked at each other, a little unsure.
This conflict was caused by Li Yuan reselling thousands of kilograms of Hexi fine iron to them, but from beginning to end, if you think about it carefully, everything is weird.
A thousand kilograms of fine iron, no matter where it is, is a big fortune. Then Li Yuanzai only had a son who brought one or two thousand people to fight against the Guiyi Army. How could he get so much Hexi fine iron?
Damn it, it was revealed so quickly.
Li Yiyin stood up impatiently and took a few steps back and forth.
"But even if it has something to do with King Zhang Han of Hexi, why do you do this?
He and I are both commanders of the borderlands. I, Dingnanjun, are from Dangxiang, and his Zhang family is just a member of the Momo family. They both listen to orders but not propaganda, so why do you want to plot against me?"
There is actually nothing wrong with Li Yiyin's thinking. In the eyes of many people, Zhang Zhao still has a strong aura of being a slave trapped in Tubo.
The Guiyi Army and the Dingnan Army are very similar. They are both semi-independent military towns in the northwest.
According to the views of the time, the Guiyi Army and the Dingnan Army should be allies who help each other and ensure each other's semi-independent status!
"Could it be that the imperial court had a secret order?" Li Yiyu thought for a moment and said.
"No!" Li Guangrui's head moved rapidly.
"An Chongrong, who became the German Army, has just launched a rebellion. The emperor has already led the imperial army to Yecheng for defense. Even if he wants to move my Li family's town again, it will not be at this time."
"And..." Li Guangrui started laughing as he spoke, "If the Zhang family in Hexi and I move to another town, wouldn't that be a dream?
Not to mention that Liang, Lan, He, Wei, Qin and other states are rich and prosperous, they are also the hometown of our ancestors. If the Dingnan Army and the Guiyi Army are exchanged, then the King of Han will probably be the first to jump up and cause trouble."
After hearing this, Li Yiyin rarely smiled, "My son is right. If we really want us to move the town with the Guiyi Army, I'm afraid the King of Han won't do it.
Let’s not speculate here anymore. My son will go back and make preparations. November is King Han’s birthday. You go to Liangzhou to see what King Han’s intention is?
As for Qingzhou, let him seal it carefully with fine gifts and then surround it for a month. When the food in the city is exhausted, someone will bring an army to capture Li Yuanzai and take him back to Xiazhou to have his belly disemboweled."
Everyone finished laughing and was about to disperse when suddenly there was a sound of crying outside the door.
Li Yijun, the sixth younger brother of Li Yiyin, walked in with a gray face and dried purple blood on his clothes.
"Isn't Liulang supervising salt in Baiyan Pond, Yanzhou? Who asked you to run back? What happened?" Li Yiyin was shocked.
The White Salt Pond and the Huama Pond are the two most important salt fields of the Dingnan Army. Every year, the Dingnan Army relies on war horses and salt to exchange a large amount of supplies.
The fine white salt from Baiyanchi is a tribute to the emperor of the Central Plains, and cannot be lost in a short time.
"Brother, a group of people suddenly came from Lingzhou the day before yesterday. They said that Lieutenant Zhang from Lingzhou was going to Yanzhou and was recruiting defense envoys to go out of the city to meet them. We went with them.
Who wanted to go out of the city but only ten miles away, the group suddenly launched an attack. They ambushed 300 armored cavalry, directly killed the defensive envoy and took over the city.
If he hadn't been a fast runner, he would have been killed outside Yanzhou City a long time ago."
Li Yijun ran over and hugged Li Yiyin's thigh, crying loudly.
"No! Sir, all the horse breeding land in Lingzhou is in our hands, and the Lingwu Army can't afford three hundred cavalry at all.
Besides, all the cavalry generals in the Lingwu Army have contact with us. If Zhang Xichong really wants to come to Yanzhou, we will definitely know about it in advance, and he will never dare to use such methods."
Li Guangrui was shocked, and looked at Li Yiyin with surprise and anger.
"Can you see clearly that it is indeed a knight?" Li Yi asked with a livid face.
"It is indeed an armored knight. The black leather armor is covered with a strange-looking chainmail. He holds a horse in his hand, and the horizontal sword on his waist is also of high quality.
After a few charges, the tooth soldiers around Commander Zhang were scattered, and the horse was also a tall horse, much like the fold-eared horses in Hexi." Li Yijun thought for a moment and returned.
"This must be the Guiyi Army from Hexi. It turns out that these thieves are trying to distract the Disaster Army!" Tuoba Chongde jumped up immediately.
Li Yiyin was also furious, "This traitor is so bold! Go down and gather the tribes, Yanzhou, there must be no mistakes!"