The 8,000-strong Chinese Army led by the Northern Expedition General Cheng Bushi hurriedly arrived as reinforcements half a day after Chengxian County was captured. But in just half a day, the Xia army's attack force had already been established on Chengxian County's city.
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Cheng Bushi was riding on a war horse, silently looking at the Xia army flag flying on the Chengxian city wall in front of him, his expression was extremely deep, and he remained silent for a long time.
The faces of all the generals of the Yun Army were red and livid, and they all looked like they could not accept it.
When Wang Xiao was in power, the Yun army swept through the small countries in the south and suppressed the Li Dynasty in the north. They were invincible. After Xiao Cheng came to the throne, he defeated the Xia Kingdom several times. His troops were so sharp and unstoppable that the world was shaken by his movements.
Under such circumstances, the entire Yun army had developed the spirit of a proud and powerful general.
Chengxian County was attacked by the Xia army, which was the first defeat that the Yun army suffered since entering the Xia Kingdom. How could the generals not feel indignant in their hearts like this!
At this time, a general of the Yun Army gritted his teeth and immediately stepped forward and cupped his hands:
"It only took half a day for the Xia army to conquer Chengxian County. The city walls have not yet been repaired, and the ordnance and supplies must have not been properly arranged. At this time, I can ask the commander to give the order to recapture Chengxian County!"
"Commander, the last general is willing to lead the troops and recapture the county!"
"The general is also willing to go!"
After hearing the words of his generals, Cheng Bushi came back to his senses slightly, but shook his head slightly at them and said:
"The most urgent task is to gather the defeated troops in Chengxian County and ask clearly why Chengxian County, where 3,000 elite soldiers are stationed, was attacked by the Xia army!"
Although Cheng County is small, it is not as dangerous as Yangping Pass in Xingyuan Prefecture and Jianzhou in Guangyuan Prefecture, but it is definitely easy to defend and difficult to attack. In addition, there are three thousand elite troops of the Yun Army garrisoned in the city.
Was it breached even before it could survive?
If we don’t understand this, Cheng Bu Shi’s cautious temperament will definitely not allow him to launch troops easily!
At this moment, Jiang Wei was seen galloping over on horseback, and he cupped his hands towards Cheng Bushi and said:
"Commander!"
"How?" Cheng Bushi asked quickly.
Jiang Wei heard this and immediately said:
"The county was forced into a state, and only about 700 of the 3,000 soldiers were able to disperse. Now they have all been gathered together by the general..."
As soon as these words came out, all the generals on the side were immediately in an uproar.
More than 2,000 casualties were suffered. Previously, the Yun Army captured the entire four southwest counties, but only suffered so many losses. Now, as the defender of the city, the 3,000 Yun Army has suffered such serious losses?
When Cheng Bushi heard that only 20% of the three thousand elite troops had withdrawn, he frowned slightly and said in a deep voice:
"Have you ever asked clearly why Chengxian County was broken down so quickly?"
"The defenders in the city said that tens of thousands of Xia's elite troops were attacking. They were divided into several teams, regardless of casualties, and took turns to attack day and night. The defenders in the city were exhausted and could only defend hard. They held on for two days and lost half of them. However,
Unexpectedly, just this morning, another elite Xia army suddenly attacked from Chencang Road. The city was attacked on both sides, and the morale of the army was scattered. Only then did the city fall."
All the generals of the Yun Army said one after another:
"This is so possible!"
"Why did Xia Jun come out of Chencang Road?"
"Chencang Road leads directly to the northern border of the Xia Kingdom, Jin. They must be elite soldiers and horses coming from the northern border!"
"However, the land of Jin is nearly a thousand miles away from Chengxian County, and it will take more than a month for the army to march... The Xia Kingdom must have had a plan in advance!"
If they had not planned to attack Chengxian County for a long time, how could the Xia Kingdom mobilize troops from the north more than a month in advance, attack from Chencang Road, and attack Chengxian County in one fell swoop?
Cheng Bushi's face finally turned ugly at this moment, and his voice was raised, with a hint of scolding:
"I once ordered that many of the army's scouting horses be deployed on Maming Pavilion Road and Chencang Road to prevent the Xia army from attacking. Chengxian County Guards General, why did you withdraw the scouting horses?"
Even though none of the generals in the army had ever thought that the Xia army, which had been beaten to the extreme, would dare to attack. However, Cheng did not know how to use troops cautiously, so he still ordered the county guards to deploy more troops on the main roads.
Exploring horses to prepare for the Xia army's surprise attack.
At this time, when I heard that Chengxian County had been conquered in this way, I subconsciously thought that the general of Chengxian County did not carry out his military orders, and he immediately became angry in his heart.
When Jiang Wei saw this, he quickly explained:
"It's not that the Cheng County garrison didn't respect military orders, but that the Xia army seemed to have sent a large number of masters to attack and kill Tan Ma on Maming Pavilion Road and Chencang Road, quietly paralyzing the army's informants, which led to Cheng
The county was attacked..."
Jiang Wei's words made Cheng Bushi's anger subside a little.
In fact, unless they are high-level warriors of the eighth level or above, ordinary martial arts masters cannot get any advantage in front of the soldiers forming a military formation.
The Tan Ma dispatched by the army are even more skilled in the army riding horses, so they are generally not afraid of attacks by martial arts masters.
Mamingge Road and Chencang Road near Kecheng County are two important roads with narrow terrain. It is difficult for the cavalry in the army to use their speed and escape. If there is a master who secretly sets an ambush, I am afraid that he will not be able to escape.
!
After hearing this, the generals of the Yun Army realized that the Xia Army was well prepared and that they were definitely not suddenly planning to attack Chengxian County. They immediately stopped talking about recapturing the city while the Xia Army was not yet firmly established.
At this moment, Cheng Bushi noticed something was wrong.
But the Xia army's tens of thousands of elite troops were pointing at the front, which really made him feel more pressure, so he had to immediately order:
"The Xia army is well prepared. Don't underestimate the enemy and advance rashly. Withdraw troops from Longnan Prefecture and recall soldiers and horses from all over the country to prepare for war!"
No matter what, it is always the safest method to withdraw troops from Longnan Prefecture first, report to Beijing urgently, and then gather troops from various places to reorganize and prepare for war.
But at this time, without waiting for the generals to respond, Jiang Wei suddenly said:
"Commander, I only feel that the Xia Army's movements are strange! Among the six counties in the southwest, Xiangzhou County is the most remote. Even if it is captured, it will not have much impact on the situation in the southwest. I'm afraid the Xia Army is spending so much effort for no reason.
From Xiangzhou County!"
Hearing this, Cheng Bushi opened his eyes and woke up suddenly.
"This is true. Xia Jun is not coming here just for Xiangzhou County... Jiangyang County! Xia Jun wants to drag most of our army here and then take Jiangyang County directly!"
The reason why Jiangyang County was previously selected by the Xia State as the location of the southwest frontier army camp is naturally because it is the most critical place in the entire southwest situation.
Recapture Jiangyang County, and go north to cut off the connection between Xiangzhou County and Yun State. Go east, and invade the back and front of Dejiang County. You can even use Jiangyang County as a base to attack the northern border of Yun State, which is currently extremely empty of troops.
Spread the war to the territory of Yun Kingdom!
When everyone present wanted to understand this, they suddenly trembled.
Xia Guo's plan this time was really ruthless, and it hit the key point of Yun Guo. If they really succeeded, the situation in the southwest would be completely reversed!
"But even if the Xia army attacks, if they want to enter Jiangyang County, they still have to overcome the dangers and attack Jianzhou, which is no less difficult than Yangping Pass. The commander-in-chief had previously left three thousand elite troops there, so how could the Xia army easily break through it?
?" Some generals couldn't help but said.
Cheng Bushi heard the words, but said in a deep voice:
"The reason Jianzhou is as difficult to attack as Yangping Pass is because the city pass is built as a pass in the mountains. The widest point is only seven or eight feet. It is difficult for soldiers from both sides to form a military formation, so only a thousand people are enough to withstand tens of thousands of troops...
…”
At this point, Cheng Bushi changed the subject and continued:
"But it is precisely because of its terrain restrictions that it is difficult for soldiers from both sides to display military formations. Therefore, if you want to break through it, it is easier than Yangping Pass! You only need to send dozens of masters to risk their lives to rush to Jianzhou City Pass.
It can be broken easily."
However, the pass that is seven to eight feet wide can only have a maximum of a hundred soldiers at a time. With the cooperation of the army and the organization of enough martial arts masters to attack, it will be a piece of cake to capture it!
Hearing this, the generals felt a sense of urgency rushing into their hearts, and they suddenly felt anxious.
Cheng Bushi swept away all the generals, and finally stopped at Jiang Wei, a young general, and shouted in a deep voice:
"Jiang Wei!"
When Jiang Wei heard this, he immediately cupped his fists and shouted:
"The end is here!"
Although Jiang Wei is young and has insufficient qualifications and official positions, he is the only ninth-level master under Cheng Bushi!
"I order you to lead the 800 cavalrymen in our headquarters and take a quick detour to Jianzhou for reinforcements!"
When Jiang Wei heard this, he immediately cupped his fists and responded:
"The last general takes command!"
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Yun Kingdom, in the palace of Zhongqing City.
The atmosphere in the entire Yangxin Hall was extremely oppressive at this time. The cabinet ministers in the outer hall and the palace attendants who came and went did not even dare to show their anger. They were all cautious when talking and doing things, for fear of making any noise and disturbing the inner hall.
And in the inner hall of Yangxin, Xiao Cheng was sitting on the dragon chair with a livid face.
In front of him, the notorious Dongchang overseer, Duyi Guards at Sticky Rod, Feng Bao and Guo Xie all knelt down on the ground with pale faces, burying their heads and letting their foreheads slide.
I was sweating profusely, and I didn't dare to reach out to wipe it.
Xiao Cheng looked at the two of them and said with an extremely cold voice:
"Last year, I allocated 378,000 taels of silver from my inner treasury and gave it to Shang Yu as a backup. The East Factory allocated 410,000 and more than 3,600 taels of silver. This money
Taken together, at the time of the late emperor, it was almost the entire court's annual surplus. But I don't care! Because I believe that Dongchang and Shangyu are my eyes, and I can't live without you... But you, give it to me now.
Did you get such a result from me?"
The anger of Xiao Cheng, an emperor who wields power like this, is at the peak of his prestige, and is willing to take life and death, is like a great change in the world. His aura is so solemn and overwhelming that it makes people feel as if Mount Tai is pressing on their chests, making them so stuffy that they can't breathe.
"The Xia Kingdom has mobilized soldiers and horses on such a large scale, but your spies all over the Xia Kingdom are not aware of it at all? Then, what is the use of raising you?"
A furious sound, like thunder from the sky, resounded throughout the entire Yangxin Hall, making everyone in the inner and outer halls suddenly feel fearful and trembling.
Feng Bao and Guo Xie were so panic-stricken that they could only kowtow and apologize.
"Your Majesty, please calm down and don't get so angry! I just listened to the news in Jinling City and didn't find out. Please forgive me, Your Majesty!"
"Xia Jun secretly transferred the elite troops, supplies and weapons from Wuling Prefecture to Xingyuan Prefecture in batches this time. During this period, he mobilized troops and horses from other places to station in Wuling Prefecture with great fanfare. I was unaware of this, and this led to the intelligence leakage.
Wrong, please forgive me, Your Majesty!"
Just from the many arrangements made by Xia State this time, it can be seen that Xia State obviously put a lot of thought into catching Yun State off guard.
But even so, as long as the two of them pay attention to the secret reports from informants everywhere, they will never be fooled so easily!
Xiao Cheng could not calm down the anger in his heart at this time, and couldn't help but continue to angrily say:
"Believe or believe? Overlooked? The two calculations of the Xia State Embroidery Envoy in the country caused quite a stir. I felt that since the Dongchang and Shangyu Reserve Department had just been established, it was inevitable that there would be oversights and no convictions were made. However,
Things can be done once or twice, never over and over again!"
At the beginning, Yu Yingyao made many troubles, Dongchang, and Guanzhang were only afterthoughts. However, Xiao Cheng always felt that the two of them were mainly focused on the Li Dynasty and the Xia Kingdom at that time, so they did not punish them too much.
But now Dongchang and Sticky Rod have been developing for two years, and they have swallowed so much money every year. Now they have made such a mistake, which is really unbearable for Xiao Cheng!
When the two heard this, they no longer dared to speak, so they had to kowtow heavily to apologize.
"Dong, dong, dong", the continuous heavy muffled sounds had already made the two people's foreheads turn red, and even Feng Bao's head had been smashed, with blood oozing out.
Xiao Cheng looked at the two people in the palace and suddenly shook his head.
At the beginning, Xiao Cheng had no choice but to control the East Factory with two people, leaving Shang Yu as a backup. But now, when he looked at it, he found that something was not suitable!
Feng Bao's political attributes are as high as 80, which is higher than many of the six officials in the court. In any dynasty, there is no problem in being a high-ranking official in the six departments, and it is more than enough to be around Xiao Cheng. And with enough wisdom, he can
Being in charge of Dongchang's affairs and spying on intelligence won't be a big problem.
However, his energy is not enough after all. While serving Xiao Chengjin, he also has to be in charge of the affairs of the East Factory. Over time, there will inevitably be oversights.
Guo Xie, on the other hand, was born in the Jianghu. When Xiao Cheng was dormant, he was able to quickly conquer the rangers and libertines in Zhongqing City and serve under his command, which is enough to prove his interpersonal charm. At the beginning, he was in charge of the stick office, and with his ruthlessness, he succeeded in
During Xiao Chengyu's personal campaign, he killed countless officials with ulterior motives and stabilized the situation in the DPRK and China.
But as the power of the sticky pole increased, it became increasingly difficult for Guo Xie to control this big ship!
Thinking of this, Xiao Cheng's anger subsided slightly and he said coldly:
"In view of your past merits, I will fine you half a year's salary. Feng Bao will be relieved of his duties in Dongchang today, and from now on he will concentrate on being your eunuch by my side. And Guo Jie will remove you from the position of Du Yiwei, and come here
Please serve in my forbidden army..."
After all, these two people were the old men who accompanied Xiao Cheng all the way. Xiao Cheng missed his old relationship and did not punish him too much. He even let Feng Bao continue to be his eunuch Bingbi and arranged for Guo Xie to join the Forbidden Army so that he would not be punished too much.
As for losing his position of power and official position.
Being treated like this is already a great grace!
Hearing Xiao Cheng's words, Feng Bao breathed a long sigh of relief, raised his head with tears in his eyes, leaned over and kowtowed, and said in a trembling voice:
"Slave, thank you for your kindness!"
Guo Xie on the side turned red, gritted his teeth and said:
"I thank your Majesty for your kindness...but I want to make up for my dereliction of duty with my own hands! Your Majesty, please order me to stay in Shang Yu's reserve. Even if I am serving as a low-level bodyguard, I must go to Xia Kingdom to serve in person to make up for this."
The next best thing is to blame!”
When Xiao Cheng heard Guo Xie's words, his eyes moved. When he saw that his loyalty point on the golden finger had risen to the full value, he knew that these words were definitely not an angry remark out of dissatisfaction with his arrangement, but were indeed sincere words.
Xiao Cheng pondered for a moment and then said in a deep voice:
"In this case, I will relieve you from the post of Duyi Guards, demote you to the first-class bodyguard of Shang Yu's reserve department, go to Xia Kingdom, and serve under Ju Meng, so as to make up for your sins with your merits!"
When Guo Xie heard this, his expression was suddenly moved. He then bowed respectfully and said in a trembling voice:
"My lord, thank you for your kindness..."
Xiao Cheng asked the two of them to retreat and meditated alone in the Nourishing Heart Hall for a long time before speaking out:
"I have decreed that Wang Zhi, the chief eunuch of the Department of Supervision, will be the governor of the Yamen of Dongchang official school today! Lu Bing, the head of Dongchang, is relieved of his official position in Dongchang and joins the reserve department of Shangyu. He is transferred to the Yiwei envoy and takes charge of the Yiwei of the capital on his behalf.
Use the big seal!"
"Yes!" the little eunuch responded quickly.
A director of the West Factory who has been recorded in history, and a commander of the Jinyi Guards, he should be someone suitable for these two positions!
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
I'll have a rest tomorrow, so I won't do much for today.