Guanqiu Jian did not go west to Changshan. Deng Ai sent a horse to report and found that several groups of bandits were heading south from between Sushui and Pinglu Canal, at least tens of thousands of them!
Ordinary strategies seemed to have no effect in front of Guanqiu Jian.
The last time Qin Liang encountered such an opponent was Sima Yi. At that time, Qin Liang didn't even have the confidence to use tactics, so he simply gave up on trickery and adopted the strategy of seizing the opportunity and fighting head-on.
Deng Ai's military report used the word "going south". Obviously, Sushui refers to the section of Hejian County; because Sushui is relatively long and has several counties in the drainage basin, but in different directions. Pinglu Canal is a section excavated manually. A short waterway at the junction of Hejian County and Bohai County.
According to Deng Ai's information, the first people to be threatened are Hejian County Zhi Chenggong and Bohai County Zhi Nanpi. Success cannot be defended, and even Jizhou Prefecture on the south bank of the Zhang River cannot maintain peace. further.
Deng Ai gathered most of the Jizhou army in Nanpi, and it was up to him whether Deng Ai could defend Nanpi.
At this time, Qin Liang's army had arrived at a county in Jizhou called Qingyuan. There was a bridge on the Qinghe River in front of it, called Jie Bridge.
This name is very interesting. It probably means boundary. It suits Qin Liang's mood at this time. He feels that he is reaching a crossroads. Should he summon all the troops to go northeast to support Deng Ai, or go northwest and fight with Tian Ai first? Yu confluence?
The weather had just been sunny for a few days, and now it started to rain again.
However, today is no longer like last time, a dense mist-like light rain. This time the light rain is slightly heavier and drizzling.
Fortunately, the army camps had just arrived in the county, and there were more sheltered houses from the rain. It was better for many soldiers to squeeze into one room than to huddle in a small tent on a rainy day.
The county temple pavilion is no longer used as the headquarters of the Chinese army, because it is the largest building in the county and can accommodate many soldiers. Qin Liang set up the Chinese army in a small room inside the gate of the county temple, where he stayed at night Put a mat in the room and it can also be used as a bedroom.
Qin Liang walked back and forth in the small room, which was not very spacious. A map was hanging on the wall on the side. He walked a few steps and came to the wall, where he would stop and look at the wall for a while.
Sometimes he would stand at the door for a while, just watching the rain.
The brick floor under the eaves was uneven, and although the rain was not heavy, it also formed puddles in low-lying areas. The rainwater flowed down along the edge of the tiles, and the large droplets gathered hit the puddles, and the water foam splashed, forming a A circle that lasts forever.
At this moment, Qin Liang believes that history is not only inevitable, but also contingency. Occasionally, a person's choice can really change history. And the choice is not destined, because the result cannot be determined in advance, and there is a certain reason for any choice; It's not about right or wrong, it's just a matter of choice.
At this time, an acquaintance from afar appeared in the county temple, Lao Jing.
Lao Jing was Wang Ling's confidant. He seemed to be in Luoyang when Qin Liang left Luoyang.
As expected, Qin Liang asked him where he came from, and he replied that he came from Luoyang on orders from Wang Gongyuan.
Lao Jing said: "The imperial court received Guo Boji's petition for help. Not long ago, Fei Yi and Jiang Wei of the Shu Han Dynasty were discovered in Liangzhou. They attacked from two directions. Jiang Wei went out of Taoxi and colluded with the rebellious Hu and Qiang people. Guo Boji, Chen Xuanbo ( Chen Tai) mobilized all Yongzhou troops and went to rescue Xiahou Ba and Wang Jing."
"Yes." Qin Liang nodded after hearing this. Before he left Luoyang, there was a report from the Western Front. At this time, the Shu Han army really attacked, so it was not too surprising.
We haven’t heard any news yet from the south, but Wang Feixiao also claimed before that Wu State has increased its troops in Dongguan. With Sun Quan’s obsession with Hefei, maybe the Emperor of Dongwu will personally conquer this time?
Lao Jing's voice said: "Empress Dowager Guo summoned General Wei Wei Wang Gongyuan and suggested that Wang Gongyuan not rush to send news from the Western Front, so as not to distract General Wei. However, Gongyuan believed that General Wei could face it calmly and let General Wei promptly It’s better to understand the big picture.”
Qin Liang glanced at Lao Jing and thought to himself, it doesn't matter whether you tell me or not. Now I have no skills and can't do anything else, not to mention I only have tens of thousands of horses in my hands.
"There were signs before. If you didn't come to deliver the letter, I would have guessed about it." Qin Liang said.
After hearing this, Lao Jing added: "General Weiwei is very concerned about the war in Youji. He sent me here to see how it is going."
Qin Liang said: "There is no problem at the moment. Her Royal Highness the Queen's grandfather, Sheriff Zhen, killed Guan Qiucheng and resolutely refused the rebel army's persuasion to surrender. The armies of the two sides are only one or two counties apart. After all, there still needs to be a battle." Decide the outcome."
Lao Jing looked back, took a step forward and said in a deep voice: "General Qin clearly knows that there is no room for any mistakes at this time. Once there is a mistake in Jizhou, I am afraid that the situation will not be maintained."
Qin Liang looked sideways at Lao Jing and thought: Don't I know yet?
He asked calmly: "Uncle, my cousin is guarding Luoyang. Is there anything going on?"
Lao Jing pondered for a moment, took a breath and nodded, "It's okay for the time being, but there is a sense of deathly silence. The ministers remained silent, unwilling to say much about current affairs, as if they were all waiting. Waiting for the outcome of Youji! "
Qin Liang said: "I understand."
At this time, Chief Shi Fugu came into the house with a report, and Qin Liang and Lao Jing said nothing more.
Qin Liang took several volumes of slips and asked, "Is there any news about Tian Yu?"
Fu Gu shook his head and said, "I haven't received Tian Yu's letter yet."
Tian Yu is well-known, but Qin Liang has never met this veteran general. Previously, Tian Yu agreed and was willing to obey the court's orders, but don't stretch your hips at critical moments!
Qin Liang faced the map on the wall and asked without looking back: "Where is Xiong Shou?"
Fu Gu said: "The report the day before yesterday was that the Eastern Route Army had entered Pingyuan County. Wenqin's troops had passed Wei County and arrived at Guangping County."
Before Wen Qin received new orders, he had been marching along the eastern foot of Taihang Mountain.
That road has the most cities. Probably because of the military geographical considerations of being close to the Taihang Mountains, both the Han and Wei dynasties set up large and small cities on that road, including Ye City.
Food and fodder materials from various places are generally gathered in cities. The more cities there are, the more supplies will be sufficient. When Qin Liang arranged for Wen Qin's entire cavalry force to go west, he also considered this. The same number of cavalry required far more food and fodder than a mixture of infantry and cavalry. .Long-distance strategic maneuvering. If supplies cannot keep up, cavalry will be slower than infantry.
After a while, it seemed that the sky was getting closer to dusk. The drizzle stopped at some point, and the sky became a little cleaner.
Qin Liang also walked out of the room and walked toward the palace. Lao Jing followed him, and Qin Liang ignored him.
The pavilion was full of people. As soon as the rain stopped, many people came outside and lit a fire in the courtyard. There were people on the platform and under the eaves.
When the soldiers saw Qin Liang and others, they all bowed around and saluted. Qin Liang held his hands from time to time, occasionally nodded in response, and walked into the gate from the crowd. Nearly half of the people under his command were from the Lujiang military camp, and were similar to Qin Liang. They are considered acquaintances.
When Qin Liang arrived in the hall, he found a man lying on his back on the mat with a straw hat covering his face. It wasn't until a military general kicked him that he took the straw hat off his face, turned around and stood up. He stood up, and when he raised his hands, he covered his mouth with his hands and coughed repressedly.
"Have you caught the cold?" Qin Liang asked.
The man said hurriedly: "It doesn't matter, I'm in good health."
After he stood up, he indeed looked tall and strong.
Qin Liang heard the voice and said again: "You have never stayed in Huainan, are you from Jizhou?"
The man chuckled and said: "I am a fellow countryman of the general. My ancestral home is Pingyuan County, Jizhou. My name is Dongfangzhi, but my family has already moved outside Yecheng."
Qin Liang said casually: "Dongfang is the surname of Pingyuan County, and Dongfang Shuo in the Han Dynasty was from Pingyuan County." After saying this, he reached out and touched the man's clothes, which felt a little damp.
Qin Liang then turned around and said: "Arrange a room with few people for Dongfang Zhi and ask the army doctor to show it to you. Make a fire and dry your clothes first."
Dongfang Zhi hurriedly waved his hand and said: "Don't bother general, servants are not that precious."
Qin Liang mainly thought that colds might be contagious because there were too many people in the hall. But as long as the army was dispatched, many people would gather together, so the army was very afraid of the epidemic. There are many uncontrollable factors in war. War diseases are one of them. Qin Liang always felt that war was like gambling, and that was it. Fortunately, the land in Jizhou was already mature, and infectious diseases rarely broke out.
But he didn't say much, he just said: "The soldiers under my command are all very noble."
The group of people then inspected and came to the attic. The attic was also covered with mats and there were many quilts. However, most people had gone outside, and there were not many people upstairs at this time.
Qin Liang turned around and came to the wooden window.
The pavilions in the county are usually the tallest buildings in the city, and Qingyuan County is no exception. Standing on the attic, you can see through the low houses in the county and even see the scene outside the city wall.
Outside the city is still an endless plain. At dusk, the view is even better.
After the rain stopped, the faint glow of the sun appeared in the sky, dyeing the horizon an earthy yellow color. The scenery became vast and broad, and Qin Liang couldn't help but stand there and look at it for a while.
However, no matter how good the sight is, the human eye is limited. Apart from the natural scenes between heaven and earth, Qin Liang can hardly see anything.
Fu Gu's voice said: "After the weather clears, we can break camp early tomorrow morning. The road may still be a little muddy, but we won't get wet."
Qin Liang then put away his gaze, turned to look at Fu Gu, and said: "The minister will come to write in a while, and I will sign and seal it. Wen Qin, Yang Wei, and Xiong Shou were all ordered to meet at Julu County. Changshan County also sent people. Send the message, and as soon as Tian Yu arrives at Zhending, he will move closer to the main force in the south."
Fu Gu bowed his head and said, "I obey my command."
In this way, we can no longer take care of Deng Ai for the time being. Deng Ai has few soldiers, so it will be more dangerous to face Guanqiu Jian's main force. I hope Deng Ai can hold his own and not end up in a civil war.
The advantage is that Qin Liang can gather the main force through the nearest route, and the logistics route behind Julu County is also very secure. This is also a strategy he had thought of when he first sent out troops.
The place of Julu should be near where Xiang Yu fought the battle of Julu. In the dark, there seems to be some kind of reincarnation in the world.