The Gao family left Jiangling Mansion, and Zhang Yan was not prepared to stay any longer. He had to rush back to Kaifeng Mansion in Tokyo before the first day of the year to celebrate the New Year, so he urgently held an imperial meeting in Jiangling Mansion.
The civil servants and generals who were still in Jiangling at this time included Ma Zhaoyuan, Liu Zaisheng, Er Zhujing, Luo Shande, Du Lunchixin, Cui Huxin, Guo Rong, Zhao Kuangyin, Wang Quanbin, Wang Shenqi, etc.
Jiangling Prefecture's current pro-army and forbidden troops total about 35,000 people, but Zhang Yan will definitely take away more than half of them. The guard army is still under construction and cannot be of much use, so the available troops are
Not very abundant.
Zhang Yan turned his attention to Ma Zhaoyuan, who had been guarding Jiangling during this period, "How is Meng Shu's defense in Kuizhou? How strong is the military strength of the Ningjiang Army?"
Kuizhou is the location of Baidi City, Fengjie County, Chongqing City, where Liu Bei, the White Emperor, left his son.
Shu, the king of Meng Shu, lost Guizhou (Zigui, Hubei) and Xiazhou (Yichang, Hubei) to the east of Kuizhou, so the entire Yangtze River defense line shrank to where the Ningjiang Army Jiedushi, with Kuizhou as the main force, was
.
Ma Zhaoyuan walked to the map and began to report to Zhang Gao the situation he had collected.
Surprisingly, the commander of the Ningjiang Army in Kuizhou turned out to be an old acquaintance, Gao Yanchou, who was captured during the Battle of Guanzhong and then released last year.
Of course it would be Gao Yanchou. He was a loyal minister certified by Emperor Zhou, Zhang Yan, and his own abilities were pretty good.
When the Shu army marched into Guanzhong, Gao Yanchou led 6,000 Zhaowu troops to line up on Niushou Mountain and continuously repelled the attacks of Feng Hui and Cao Yuanzhong. Finally, the Shu army collapsed and was forced to surrender.
Zhang Yan interrupted Ma Zhaoyuan's report, pondered for a moment and said softly: "It seems that this little Meng Chang is quite like a master.
I originally expected that Meng Chang would never use Gao Yanchou and others again, but I didn't expect that he could distinguish right from wrong."
As he said that, Zhang Hao rubbed his hands excitedly, "Then we can't keep this kid anymore! Keep talking, Yaozi."
Ma Zhaoyuan nodded, and then continued, "Meng Shu's defense of the Ningjiang Army in Kuizhou mainly relies on two points.
First, a large number of stone cannons were set up in Chijia Mountain and Baiyan Mountain to block the river. General Ning's navy mostly used large ships. During the battle, they used the hulls to block the enemy warships going upstream, and then used stone cannons to smash them.
.
The city defense is based on the angle between Baidi City and Kuizhou City. The elite troops stationed in Baidi City are used as nails, and the eight thousand troops stationed in Kuizhou City are used as hammers. With the cooperation of warships, it is very difficult to conquer."
The stone cannon Ma Zhaoyuan mentioned is a type of large trebuchet.
Chijia Mountain and Baiyan Mountain are high mountains standing on the north and south banks of the Yangtze River. The two steep mountains sandwich the Yangtze River in the middle, forming the famous Kuimen.
In the Kuimen Tianxiaxiong pattern behind the ten-yuan yuan, the two peaks that look like gates are Chijia Mountain and Baiyan Mountain.
The Yangtze River waterway from Jiangling, especially above Xiazhou, is originally narrow, with fast currents and many reefs.
After finally crossing Kuimen, the Shu army blocked the river with war ships, and then rocks rained down from the mountains on both sides. No matter how hard you were, you would suffer a big loss.
And even if we fight through, there are still Baidi City, a strong city that controls the Yangtze River, and the eight thousand elite soldiers in Kuizhou City. It can be said that if we attack directly, it will be difficult for ordinary troops to penetrate.
"Is there a way to break in?" Zhang Hao put on a serious expression this time.
Strategically, he despised Meng Shu because Meng Shu could not use a corner of Shu to block the general trend of the world.
But enough attention must be paid to tactics. Just like Kuizhou, Shu's terrain advantage is too great.
"Yes!" Ma Zhaoyuan was very confident. Zhang Gao did not take him with him when he conquered Ma Chu. He just wanted him to complete the battle plan of breaking into Shu from the Yangtze River. If he still couldn't figure it out, then as one of the five dogs of the Emperor of Heaven, he would It's all in vain.
"Going east from Kuimen, there is a small city called Dachangdu. This is the only ferry on both sides of the river from Kuizhou to Guizhou that can dock a large number of warships.
This ferry is only ninety miles away from Baidi City. Our army can choose to land in Dachang, then approach Baidi City by land and seize the stone cannons on the riverside.
We can even capture Baidi City by surprise, so that the Shu army's stone cannons will be completely useless."
Zhang Yan did not show any joy, but instead frowned a little. As the gateway to Chuanjiang River, Baidi City, if it could be infiltrated so easily, would not be qualified to take on such an important task.
After recalling it for a while, Zhang Hao remembered that Baidi City is located in eastern Sichuan, just on the remaining line between Daba Mountain and Wushan Mountain.
During the Republic of China, highways were not opened until 201x. A large number of impoverished counties in Shaanxi, Chongqing, and Hubei were gathered there. They are famous for their high mountains, dense forests, and steep slopes. How could it be so easy to pass through?
Besides, since there is this flaw, how can the Shu army not pay attention to defense?
Ma Zhaoyuan chuckled, "The saint is indeed wise. Between Dachangdu and Baidi City, there is a high mountain called Yunpanling. The Shu army built a military stronghold called Yunpanzhai at a key point on the mountainside, with three hundred troops stationed there. As a guardian.
However, one of the guards of Yunpan Village, Yuhou, was a prisoner of the Zhaowu Army of the Shu Army whom we released.
I have already contacted Yaozi, and he hopes that when the saint builds a guard army in Kuizhou in the future, he can serve as a guard station and command thousands of households."
"Here! I can afford a health center for a thousand households."
Zhang Gao immediately made a decision. A guard station with a thousand households can control a thousand guardsmen, three hundred acres of farmland, and only twenty or thirty guan of salary a year. Use it in exchange for a White Emperor. City, definitely a bargain.
Now that Ma Yaozi has a plan, Zhang Gao doesn't have to worry.
Moreover, it is definitely impossible to defeat Shu by taking the Yangtze River route. In fact, the Ma Yaozi route can only be regarded as a partial attack.
His greatest role was to open the gap in the Yangtze River and provide insurance for the army to conquer Shu.
Because the Sichuan and River waterways along this route are very difficult to travel, and the land route has to go over mountains and ridges, so starting from Xiazhou (Yichang), the logistics support can only reach Zhongzhou (Zhongxian, Chongqing) and Fuzhou (Fuling, Chongqing). .
The main force still needs to fight the Battle of Hanzhong first to attract firepower, and then send out a small number of elites to cross the mountains from the Qinzhou (Tianshui) area and run directly to the Chengdu Plain, so that they can capture Shuzhong at the minimum cost and in the fastest time.
On the twenty-second day of the twelfth lunar month, after Zhang Gao held an imperial war meeting in Jiangling Mansion, he led 15,000 cavalry and left Jiangling Mansion.
When leaving, Zhang Hao left Zhao Kuangyin and Murong Yanzhao with Ma Zhaoyuan. This was another plan to let Zhao Da go to Yunpanling to do the most dangerous work!
On the twenty-third of the twelfth lunar month, Zhang Zhang arrived at Xiangyang Prefecture, brought Er Zhujing back to Xiangyang, and ordered him to lead the imperial army at Feng'an Town and the guard army at Xiangyang Guard to guard Xiangyang.
Moreover, Zhang Yan also asked Er Zhujing to prepare a small fleet to station in Jinzhou (Ankang, Shaanxi).
After the main force launched the Battle of Hanzhong, they went up the Han River and attacked Yuanzhou, the eastern gate of Hanzhong controlled by Meng Shu, where the Wuding Army Jiedushi was located, which was later known as Yangxian County in Shaanxi Province.
On the same day, Zhang Zhi issued an edict in Xiangyang, connecting Xiangyang Prefecture with nearby Suizhou, Yingzhou (Zhongxiang), Anzhou (Anlu), and Fuzhou (Tianmen).
Together with Jiangling Prefecture, Xiazhou (Yichang), and Guizhou (Zigui) of the original Nanping Kingdom, they formed Hubei Province.
Jiangling Prefecture was made the provincial capital of Hubei province, and Ma Zhaoyuan (Ma Yaozi) was appointed as the general of Ping Shu. He was also the commander-in-chief of the military affairs of various prefectures and counties in Hubei, and the patrol envoy along the river and waterway. He was fully responsible for entering Shu by waterway.
Liu Zaisheng was transferred to Pingzhang and Jiangling Prefecture of Hubei Province to do logistical work for Ma Zhaoyuan's entry into Sichuan. In addition, he could also provide support in case anything happened to Hunan Province.
Er Zhujing was appointed deputy general of Ping Shu, Yin of Xiangyang Prefecture, supervisor of soldiers and horses of Xiangyang Prefecture, general soldier of Feng'an Town, commander of Xiangyang Guard, etc., responsible for assisting the army in the decisive battle of Hanzhong.
At this point, after Zhang Hao arranged the strategy of entering Shu by water, he finally allowed the position of Jiedushi to become history.
For example, Er Zhujing's long list of duties could be summed up in the past as the governor of Shannan West Road.
But now, none of the official positions with these suffixes can be missing.
Without the position of Governor of Xiangyang, Er Zhujing could not direct the civil affairs of Xiangyang.
Without the position of Chief Soldier of Feng'an Town, his subordinates would not have weapons similar to the tooth soldiers.
Without the titles of Xiangyang Prefecture Supervisor of Soldiers and Horses and Xiangyang Guard Commander, he could not command the entire Xiangyang Prefecture's state and county guardsmen, as well as the patrols scattered in the countryside, as well as the members of the Gun Club, Bow and Arrow Club.
Therefore, there will be no separatist regime in Zhang Zhou in the future. As long as Zhang Zhi deprives Er Zhujing of any one of them, he will lose the ability to segregate regimes.
Moreover, after the civil and military examinations are on the right track in the future, more people will become officials, and power will naturally be dispersed.
In the second year of the Shaoming Dynasty, on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, Zhang Gao led 10,000 soldiers on light chariots, and finally rushed back to Kaifeng Prefecture in Tokyo before Yuan Day.
Just after entering the palace, Zhang Yan had to visit his aunt, the Empress Dowager Ciyou, before he had time to fix himself.
It turned out that the King of Jin and the eldest princess of Wei, Cao Yuanxin, had been in the Central Plains for a year. After this first day, they were preparing to return to Anxi. Empress Dowager Ciyou was reluctant to leave her brother now, and she contracted the cold due to depression.
Moreover, the condition of Zhang Shengren's aunt's mother is not optimistic. So far, she has been bedridden for more than ten days without much activity.
In addition, this year is already 40 years old. In this era, a cold wind can really kill you.
But even so, none of the Empress Dowager Ciyou, Zhang Yan, and Li Shengtian asked Li Shengtian to stay in Kaifeng Mansion in Tokyo.
It was not until the visit was over and everyone came out that Cao Yuanxin glared at Zhang Hao with red eyes.
"The saint is really cruel! For the sake of your great cause, you can throw everything behind."
Zhang Yan knew what Cao Yuanxin was talking about. If he was now willing to leave Li Shengtian in the Central Plains to accompany his eldest mother, the Empress Dowager Ciyou, maybe the Empress Dowager's illness would slowly get better.
Of course, this is just like Cao Yuanxin, who is half a mother, dares to say it. Who else can say it, Zhang Yan can let the servant around her slap her to death.
Even Li Shengtian quickly interrupted Cao Yuanxin, "Sanniang, be careful! We were born in an emperor's family, worshiped by all the people, and enjoy endless glory and wealth. If we have to evade even this little responsibility, we will lose our country and ruin our family."
It's not far away, this is the fate of being born in an emperor's family."
Zhang Hao thought for a while and nodded slowly, not hiding his thoughts.
Does he feel sorry for his aunt, the Empress Dowager Ciyou? He definitely does.
The old lady had only lived a few good years when she was old. Without her always holding Zhang Yan in her arms to protect him, during Cao Yijin's coup, Zhang Yan would have been picked up by an unknown soldier and thrown into the moat.
went.
But Zhang Yan could not ruin his plan for the sake of the Empress Dowager Ciyou. Li Shengtian was an extremely important and even indispensable figure for the stability of Anxi.
Zhang Yan needed him to guard Anxi for at least ten more years to give him time to calmly complete the preparations for stabilizing the Central Plains.
"My uncle is right, look at the princesses of the powerful Tang Dynasty, Princess Xijun and Princess Jieyou of the early Han Dynasty, Princess Wencheng and Princess Jincheng of the great dynasty.
How can they not be pitiful, but this is their fate and helplessness when they are born into an emperor's family."
Cao Yuanxin was speechless after hearing this. In fact, she was the "princess" that the Cao family crossed the vast sea and sent to Khotan for marriage.
Hearing what Zhang Yan said, Cao Yuanxin walked to the city wall of Xiangfu Palace and looked at the bustling city of Tokyo. He couldn't help but shed tears.
"What a wonderful place! It almost has the charm of the legendary Chang'an and Shendu in the past!"
After sighing, Cao Yuanxin took off the thin hairpin on his head, gently tapped the gold and jade armband on his hand, and sang softly in his mouth.
"My family married me and the sky is far away,
King Wusun came to me from a faraway country.
The dome is like a room, and the roof is like a wall.
Use meat as food and cheese as pulp.
Living in the soil often, thinking about you, my heart hurts,
I am willing to return to my hometown as a yellow swan."
Zhang Yan was speechless. He could tell that it wasn't that Li Shengtian didn't want to go back, but Cao Yuanxin! After seeing the prosperity of the Central Plains, she definitely didn't want to go back.
In fact, Zhang Hao thought wrong, and Li Shengtian didn't want to go back.
Why go back? Although the Kingdom of Khotan is rich, it is far behind compared with the Central Plains, which has regained some of its vitality.
In Khotan, the food you eat is nothing more than mutton, beef and japonica rice, with at least some cheese, camel meat and so on. The cooking method is either roasting or stewing.
But in the Central Plains, there are not only rich varieties of meat, but also big white pears from Hebei, Jiangnan cakes from the Southern Tang and Wu Yue Dynasties, hundreds of flavors from the sea, lychees from Lingnan, and Zhutao (cherries) from Shu.
The preparation methods are endless, including frying, boiling, deep-frying, stir-frying, and the dogwood hotpot and the stove invented by Zhang Yan. Guiyilou is known as one hundred and eighty famous dishes, and Li Shengtian still hasn't had enough of them.
Coupled with his status as uncle and emperor, he was less than one person and more than ten thousand people in the Central Plains. He wanted to have more scenery and more scenery.
Every day, I travel with famous scholars from all over the country, exchange music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry and songs. Who wants to travel thousands of miles back to Khotan to work hard to defend the country!
This is not possible! Zhang Hao frowned. His uncle, the Emperor, is such a perfect 996 guarding the border, so he cannot back down!
If Khotan falls into the hands of cousin Li Congde and cousin Li Congyu, who knows if these two brothers can do a good job?
Don't wait for Zhang Yan to finish cleaning up the Central Plains and go back. As a result, there will be wars and rebellions in various parts of Anxi, and he will have to fight again, which will be troublesome.
So Zhang Hao looked at Li Shengtian who didn't express much and said.
"Why don't my nephew think that my uncle and my mother are in the Central Plains, so I can fulfill my filial piety every day, but my cousin Congde and brother Congyu can't fully grasp the situation in Anxi.
The Suiye Guo family, the Talos Li family, Sadid of Anyuan Kingdom, Rashid of Shunyi City, Hamid of Samang Persia, and even the Zhenyuan Kingdom that dared to betray us advocate loyalty, all of these,
Without my uncle to take charge, I really can’t feel at ease!"
Zhang Yan sometimes calls himself nephew, and sometimes calls me, which subtly hints at Li Shengtian's current situation. When Li Shengtian heard what Zhang Yan said, he really couldn't let go.
If Li Congde and Li Congyu screw up, Zhang Yan will only be in trouble, but what Li Shengtian doesn't have is his own son.
"The saint's worry is not unreasonable. It has been more than a year since I left Anxi, and I am also a little worried. If there is the slightest mistake, I, Li Shengtian, will be the sinner of the court.
What's more, the former Kara Khanate's Bugla Khan Saktu is still there, so we must be more energetic."
Hearing this, Zhang Yan immediately took Li Shengtian's arm and said sincerely: "Uncle, within five years at most, my nephew will be able to clear the Middle Earth, and in the next five years, we will be reunited.
In ten years at most, the heavenly soldiers will come from the west and fulfill your and my uncle’s long-cherished wish to re-establish a great dynasty."
Li Shengtian also held Zhang Yan's arm, "Okay! Ten years later, I will wait for the sage's heavenly soldiers in Khotan, and then clear the river and Tianzhu, achieving great achievements through the ages!"