The sky is getting brighter, and the Shiqian East Hall is already filled with ministers!
The young emperor was on top, with all his ministers serving on both sides. Li Chengzhi stood under the imperial desk, with a dozen generals wearing armor and sabers behind him.
The emperor was only five years old, and his facial features were exactly like Yuan Yi's. The tip of his nose could barely reach the stone case, but he was holding a copper jue as big as his head and handed it to Li Chengzhi with great difficulty: "I wish you the best, General Yang" Jing Hengshuo, the flag is set for victory!"
Li Chengzhi knelt down on one knee and took it with both hands: "I am useless, but I am favored by the Holy One. I am given a seal and sent to the north. I dare not resign, let alone let down the Holy Hope. I can only devote myself to death and die." ..."
Hearing the words "Dedicate yourself to the end and die", Yuan Jia frowned and couldn't help but look at the few strands of silver hair exposed under Li Chengzhi's pocket.
Vomiting blood, my hair turned gray overnight...
If it weren’t for the pure heart and clear blood, and the pure essence that penetrates the sun, why would we be here?
The Queen Mother's worries may not be groundless...
His face darkened and he shouted coldly: "Come back alive!"
Yuan Cheng and Yuan Ying looked at each other, both looking worried: It was not that they were afraid that Li Chengzhi was deliberately seeking death, but that he was eager for revenge and acted too hastily.
Furthermore, Li Chengzhi’s words are extremely unlucky...
"Slow things down and things will go well!"
"Step by step!"
Although the two of them spoke at the same time, they meant the same thing.
"You'll save it if you lower your rank!"
Li Chengzhi responded in a deep voice, raised his wine cup again, and saluted the young emperor: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
The wine in Jue is wine that has been warmed and tastes sweet and sour, just like drinking water.
From him below, a dozen generals raised their glasses at the same time, shouted in unison: "Thank you, Your Majesty", then raised their heads and drank.
The sound was like muffled thunder, echoing in the empty hall. The emperor was only five years old. When he passed this scene, his little face turned pale with fright.
Yuan Cheng hurriedly leaned down, tried his best to smile kindly, and coaxed in a gentle voice: "Your Majesty, don't panic..."
In my heart, I cursed: The Queen Mother is too willful!
I was angry because I didn't want Li Chengzhi to lead the army on the expedition, but he ignored it at such an emergency. He only hurriedly finished the sacrifice to the sky, paid homage to the general, and walked away...
While he was cursing secretly, when he saw Li Chengzhi and the generals saying goodbye and setting off, Yuan Cheng was busy teaching the young emperor to return the favor.
"Your Majesty, take care, and all your lords, take care!"
Li Chengzhi clasped his fists heavily, turned around and strode outside the palace. More than ten generals followed him.
The emperor worshiped Li Chengzhi as the general who conquered the north, and gave him a golden seal, a jingjie, and the three divisions of Yitong (referring to the three princes of Yitong, the rank is from the first rank, which is a temporary appointment, and cannot open a government to appoint an official), and the governors of Yong, Qi, Jing, and Xia The military affairs of the four states.
Below: Recruit 5,000 tiger warriors, and two battalions of Zhonglang Yazhang soldiers, a total of 7,000.
There are three thousand tiger cavalry, 10,000 left and right guards, and 20,000 new troops. The total is 40,000. It is known to the outside world as a hundred thousand central army.
He also ordered the four prefectures of Yong, Qi, Jing, and Xia to recruit troops, ranging from thousands to 20,000 civilians, totaling 50,000 troops, which was said to be 300,000 to the outside world.
According to this calculation, Li Chengzhi has 400,000 soldiers. In fact, it is less than 100,000, but there are only 20,000 soldiers who are good at fighting.
But it is already very good: during the Battle of Zhongli, the imperial court recruited nearly 300,000 soldiers and civilians, and Yuan Ke only sent 30,000 Chinese troops... This shows how seriously the imperial court attached importance to countering the rebellion.
The ministers looked at the generals who were filing out of the hall, and then at Li Chengzhi who had left the hall. They suddenly felt a mixture of emotions and thoughts.
A month ago, Li Chengzhi was just a fifth-grade martial arts minister, a lucky minister who accompanied the emperor on horseback tours all day long. In the blink of an eye, he became the pillar and pillar of the country?
Sure enough, things are unpredictable and fate plays tricks on people.
Although his position is that of a leading general of the third rank, and his title is more noble, that of a county prince of the first rank, it is an indisputable fact that Li Chengzhi is young and has too little qualifications.
Therefore, after many discussions, the imperial court worshiped Zang Bo Li Shao, and the right general Diao Zheng was appointed as the left and right commander-in-chief to assist Li Chengzhi in leading the army.
Needless to say, Li Shao had a reputation as a general in his southern and northern expeditions. He had gone through hundreds of battles and was known as a general. Although he was not as good as Xi Kangsheng, Yang Dayan, and Cui Yanbo, he was not far behind.
Moreover, he was Li Chengzhi’s elder, so Chao Yan also had this intention in appointing Li Shao: first, he was afraid that Li Chengzhi was not qualified enough and would not be able to convince the public. Second, he was also afraid that Li Chengzhi was young and energetic, and would act on his own initiative...
Diao Zheng, the right governor, is not an unknown person. During Yuan Hong's several southern expeditions, he served as Wang Yuanjia of Guangyang, and Wang Yuanxi of Xianyang joined the army. When Yang Dayan was Pingnan General, Diao Zheng served as a special general, and later transferred to
General Right...
Even the two military commanders have profound intentions. The left commander is Yang Jun, and he and Li Chengzhi are close friends. The right commander is Li Daoyuan, who can be called the cruelest among the cruel officials...
The following are as follows: Yuan Zhen, the commander-in-chief of the new army's left and right forces, Li Mi, Yuan Gui, Liu Hui, Lu Daoqian, Yuan You, the guard general Yuan Zhao, Xue He, and Yuan Zhi, the general of the Tiger Cavalry Camp.
Sima Hao and others were either enlightened disciples of Gao Zhao when he was in power, or subordinates of Yuan Jia when he led the army, and they were all generals who were good at conquering and fighting...
For this expedition, Bafu and the court were really worried.
I hope I can win the battle and achieve success immediately!
Looking at Li Chengzhi and the generals who were walking further and further away, their backs gradually blurred, all the ministers had similar expectations...
……
There is heavy frost in the evening, and there is light in the morning!
A few days ago, the eunuch watched the stars and predicted that the sun would shine brightly today, and it turned out to be true.
The clear sky is blue, as bright as a mirror, the mountains are covered with snow, and the forests are dyed. The morning sun shines with thousands of rays of light, illuminating Mang Mountain like a silver dragon, rushing and winding, endless.
The soldiers and horses among the school are like a wall, densely layered. The swords and guns are like a forest, and the cold light is dazzling. The soldiers and the horses are just like sculptures, motionless. Occasionally, there will be one or two breezes to blow the flags and flutter the flagpoles.
The "whistle" sound.
By the emperor's order, there were also many military relatives who came to watch the formation and see them off. The city walls were overcrowded, as dense as wheat waves in the field.
With a "dong" sound, a military drum sounded suddenly on Jinyong City, three times in a row, neither urgent nor slow.
Then a hundred horns sounded in unison, and the desolate and powerful horn sound resounded between the mountains and forests and the palace city. A chilling, iron-blooded atmosphere rushed towards the face, which made the people in the city feel excited and excited.
The army is about to leave...
Suddenly, a woman cried, and then some men, such as fathers and brothers, shouted angrily in low voices. The crying stopped suddenly and was replaced by suppressed sobs.
The city gates opened wide, and hundreds of horsemen rushed out from under Jin Yong City to meet Xu Xu's military formation.
Although there were not many people, there were numerous banners and banners, all representing the commander-in-chief, the commander-in-chief on the left and right, and the commander-in-chief and trumpet flags of the guards. Among them, the banner of the Northern General and the Emperor's Banner decorated with golden beards were the most conspicuous. p>
There were a few tears in Li Shixian's eyes, but his two rows of teeth were clenching loudly.
He pestered him for a full half month, using every means he could think of. But whether it was threats, inducements, or being moved with affection or reason, Li Chengzhi never let go.
If the son is a commander and the father is a general, why should he be the general?
For this reason alone, Li Shixian was speechless...
"The treacherous son..."
After scolding bitterly, Li Shixian scolded Guo Yuzhi and Zhang Jingmo, who were already in tears: "Stop crying..."
It was okay not to persuade them, but with this advice, the tears of the two of them flowed faster...
……
With a thousand soldiers, the ground reaches the sky. With ten thousand soldiers, there are no borders.
The 20,000 new troops serving as rear troops and escorting grain and grass have left Luoyang first, but the central army is still 20,000 strong. They are as dense as locusts in the mountains and fields.
The troops in each town have returned to their respective camps. Accompanying Li Chengzhi's central military office are Left Governor Li Shao and Left Sima Yang Jun.
Not long after entering the camp, Li Chengzhi changed his horse and took a carriage, and sent his own camp general Yuan Jian to invite Li Shao and Yang Jun to ride with him.
The carriage is for four, nearly ten feet long and six feet wide. It is very spacious, and it is more than enough for three people to sleep side by side. The outside of the carriage is covered with cotton curtains, and the bottom of the carriage is covered with silk bags, which are filled with fluffy wool.
The quilt is three layers thick.
So not only is it very warm, but I don’t feel any bumps at all.
In addition, the car also has a special charcoal stove, bookshelves for storing books, food boxes for wine bags and preserved meats, suitcases for changing robes and shirts, etc. It is a luxury.
Li Yun also owns a chariot with a slightly lower standard than this one, both of which are gifts from the emperor...
They were still a few feet away from the carriage when they smelled the faint aroma of wine. As soon as the carriage curtain was lifted, a strong smell of wine hit their faces.
When he saw the iron pot warming on the charcoal stove and Li Chengzhi's eyes clear and normal, as if he hadn't started drinking yet, Li Shao frowned.
Li Chengzhi got drunk several times a month, and once drank alone in front of the late emperor's mausoleum. Everyone in the civil and military circles knew about it. If he was like this during a battle, how could he fight this battle?
Taking the wine glass from Li Chengzhi, Li Shao took a sip. But just as the wine entered his throat and before it reached his stomach, he suddenly heard Li Chengzhi's earth-shattering words: "I want to take the first step!"
After many years of officialdom, the Qi-nurturing Kung Fu has not been practiced in vain. Although the two of them were horrified in their hearts, their faces were calm.
Looking at each other, Li Shao swallowed the hot wine in his mouth and asked in a deep voice: "Why?"
"The earliest report from Di was ten days ago. Yan Ti, the general of Gaoping Town, sent him, saying that Yu Jing (Yu Zhong's younger brother, General of Bogulu Town) suddenly claimed that Rouran was in danger and begged him to send troops to help...
It has been ten days, and no word has been heard about whether Yan Ti fell into the trap, whether Gaoping Town was lost, whether Yuan Huai, Yu Zhong had secretly communicated with Rou Ran, etc... That's why I planned this.
:
The first is to take a first step to investigate the actual situation of the enemy, and the second is to set up government tents as soon as possible to intimidate the place. It can also confuse the enemy so that they cannot figure out the actual situation of the army..."
Li Shao secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He also thought that Li Chengzhi wanted to take advantage of Huo Huoqi and traveled thousands of miles alone, going deep into the country alone?
If you just stick to integrity and follow the true and false way, it won't be a big problem...
The rush to conquer this time is false, but it is true to knock on the mountain and shake the tiger. The main purpose is of course to show the court's determination to fight the rebellion to the death, in order to prevent more and more rebel ministers such as Yuan Li and Cui Zuji from suddenly responding to the uprising.
Forming a prairie fire situation.
Otherwise, why did the imperial court still send troops brazenly despite knowing that it was extremely difficult to march in the deep winter and the ice and snow?
The purpose of having Li Chengzhi prepare for the battle step by step was to ensure that there would not be too many non-combat casualties due to frostbite, frostbite or illness before the army marched to Liangzhou to engage in battle with Yuanhuai. Furthermore, attacking a city in winter is no different from risking death, so the court has already made a decision: If there is no abnormality, the war cannot start earlier than Jingzhe.
Even Li Chengzhi’s march date has been fixed: it must not be less than two months!
It's only 1,500 miles from Luoyang to Liangzhou, and it takes at least 60 days to travel. On average, it's only more than 20 miles a day?
As for the 40,000-strong army, most of them are cavalry, and they can even climb up.
Therefore, Li Chengzhi didn't even need a light chariot or a simple horse. He could reach Liangzhou in a month at most at a normal marching speed.
And it is true as he said, in terms of only deterring the prefectures, it is necessary for Li Chengzhi to take the first step to open a government office in Guanzhong...
"Where do you want to set up your account?"
"Jingzhou!"
As soon as he heard the word Jingzhou, Li Shao felt relieved again.
First, Jingzhou is located in the heart of Guanxi, far away from Liangzhou and Bogulu Town. Second, the governor of Jingzhou is Xi Kangsheng, so the possibility of rebellion is relatively small. He also has a deep connection with Li Chengzhi.
...The two phases are superimposed, and at least there is no need to worry that the army has not arrived yet, but Li Chengzhi first let Yuan Huai kill the commander and seize the flag.
"When will you leave?"
"Wait until the army leaves the capital city... in three days at most!"
"How to lead troops?"
"Two battalions at most: one battalion of tiger warriors and one battalion of tiger cavalry!"
Only bring two thousand?
Although they are all the best among the best, Li Chengzhi is by no means so arrogant that he can quell Yuan Huai, who claims to have millions of soldiers, with just two battalions of armored cavalry...
Li Shao pondered for a moment: "Can Yang Jun accompany you?"
Li Chengzhi didn't hesitate at all: "Yes!"
At this point, 90% of the worry has gone away. Li Shao finally showed a smile on his face: "Be careful along the way!"
"Don't worry, Shibo..."
Li Chengzhi nodded heavily and raised his glass again.
But as he brought it to his lips, he heard Yuan Chen Bing say from outside the car: "Commander, someone is waving a flag on the side of the road. The flags are messy and I don't know what they mean, but looking at the flags, it should be a warrior general..." p>
Samurai General, Gao Zhan?
Li Chengzhi paused for a moment, put down his wine glass, and clasped his fists apologetically: "You two, wait a moment, I'll come back as soon as I go!"
"Don't stop handsome, keep marching. I'll be here later... Li Liang can just go with you..."
"Yes!"
Listening to the response outside the car, a group of ten riders seemed to be heading north.
Yang Jun said suspiciously: "Li Chengzhi responded so quickly, the person coming here must have a good relationship with him... Well, it is most likely the newly promoted warrior general Gao Zhan... Could it be that Gao Zhao had a secret plan and came to teach him temporarily?
”
It has been more than half a month since the imperial court decided to send troops. Gao Zhao has taught Li Chengzhi countless plans, so why bother to stop him on the way when the army is about to move?
Li Shao's heart moved and he opened a corner of the north side curtain.
Four or five miles beyond the official road is Mang Mountain. A road paved with loess leads directly to the mountain forest. Li Chengzhi is galloping on his horse...
Imperial Mausoleum... Gao Zhan?
Couldn't it be...the Queen Mother?
No wonder he only showed up briefly when he paid homage to the general, but was never seen again?
If there was an explanation, why didn't you say anything in the palace and why did you insist on stopping Li Chengzhi in front of the late emperor's mausoleum?
Suspicious in his heart, Li Shao raised his wine glass and said calmly: "Nine times out of ten... But today is different from the past. Gao Zhao is no longer the Gao Zhao of the late emperor, and Li Chengzhi is no longer the Li Chengzhi of the late emperor. And because