The spring rain is continuous and dripping. The thick fog in the mountains sometimes rolls and sometimes lingers, like an unpredictable fairyland.
Yuan Kuang and Yuan Qin wore raincoats and rode into the rear camp. There were dozens of carts parked in the camp, and hundreds of soldiers were carrying grain in the rain. Both men and horses, as well as carts and grain, were all soaked.
Transparent.
The rain was not heavy, but the fog was very heavy. I could only see a few figures coming in outside the camp gate, but I didn't know who they were. Therefore, the generals and soldiers did not pay attention, nor did they stop.
Yuan Kuang and Yuan Qin did not go forward anymore, but got off their horses and took shelter from the rain under the grass pavilion inside the camp gate.
The leader of the team on duty hurriedly greeted him, saying that he wanted to inform the superior officer to come to greet him, but he was stopped by Yuan Kuang.
They were originally here to urge the rear camp to unload food as soon as possible. Since they were doing it in an orderly manner at this time, why should they delay it for no reason?
After some warnings, the team leader responded repeatedly and asked his men to move a few wooden piers for Yuan Kuang and Yuan Qin to take a rest.
Seeing several white mushroom caps growing on the wooden pier, Yuan Kuang and Yuan Qin looked at each other and sighed in unison.
In the past month, the sun has only been visible for less than ten days, and most of the time it has disappeared into the clouds as soon as it appears. After that, even if it doesn't rain immediately, the sky is also filled with heavy fog.
How can we travel in such weather? So it has been one month since we set out, and the young emperor is about to arrive at Shang County (today's Shangnan), five hundred miles south of Tongguan...
"There has been no contact for the past ten days. I don't know how the battle in Tongguan is going."
"The bow is soft and the road is slippery, and the rebels' iron cannons are even more muted. The two armies must be in a stalemate!"
Yuan Qin let out a long sigh, "How great would it be if God could open his eyes like this two years ago?"
Yuan Kuang was stunned, and his expression became even more sad.
Two years ago, the imperial court formed an alliance with Tuyuhun and appointed Cui Yanbo as the governor. An army of 300,000 was sent to Longdong to attack Hexi, but was ultimately defeated by Li Chengzhi's firearms.
If the drizzle had continued for nearly a month like it does now, preventing the rebels from using their artillery, and Cui Yanbo would have attacked with ten times the force, the outcome would have been decided long ago.
Including the Battle of Longshan a year ago, if God had just opened his eyes and had such a rain, the situation would not have been so bad.
And how could the Young Emperor, he and Yuan Kuang end up in the situation they are in today?
It's a pity that there is no if in this world...
Thinking to himself, Yuan Kuang took the hot soup from the team leader. He took a sip and found it was a little hot and spicy. He sipped it slowly and realized it was ginger soup.
On the road in a hurry, the army was naturally not equipped with this kind of medicine. And when passing through counties and counties along the way, I never heard of local officials offering this medicine. It could only be that it was plundered from a wealthy family.
This small amount of medicinal materials is naturally nothing, but Yuan Kuang's mood is still gradually becoming heavy.
Perhaps, it's not that God is blind, but that Heaven's law is circulating...
Although people's hearts are invisible and intangible, if they are lost, they will never be regained.
Just like three years ago, if Yuan Yi hadn't offered millet to become a prince and forced wealthy families to donate grain and grain, people in the world would not be moved.
Another example is that a year ago, if Yuan Qin had not set fire to Xia Liang in Guanzhong, the people of Jing, Qi and Bin states would not have heard of it.
What's more, if we don't force ourselves to force ourselves to conquer Luozhou's men, grain and grass, how can we guard against the common people like thieves and bandits?
It is also more difficult to ensure that the people of Luo Prefecture will not be like the people of Guanzhong a year ago. Li Chengzhi’s army has not even arrived yet, and the heads of each county are suddenly replaced by Li Ziqi...
Yuan Kuang took a deep breath: "When the rain stops, distribute food and grass to each camp as soon as possible. Once the rain stops, we will hit the road immediately..."
Yuan Qin raised his head and looked at Yuan Kuang in surprise: "Aren't you waiting for Governor Li's military order?"
"Since there are His Majesty's orders, you and I, as ministers, must obey them, and Li Chong must do the same. So, what's the difference between waiting and not waiting?"
"What about Fu Zhuyan?"
"The rain in Luozhou is so heavy, let alone Xiangyang? The heavier the rain, the faster the river rises, which is more convenient for sailing. Naturally, more Liang troops gather in Xiangzhou (today's Xiangyang). The enemy is a formidable enemy.
Therefore, even if the weather is fine, General Fu will not dare to leave Nanyang without permission. In this case, even if you and I wait, it will be in vain..."
Yuan Qin opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.
Who would have thought that Nanliang, who had agreed to the alliance, would suddenly go back on his word and even stab Yuan Wei in the back?
A month ago, when the young emperor moved to the Huaihe River, the two countries had agreed that Li Chong would attack from the front. When Li Chengzhi was caught off guard, Liang Jun sent troops from Hanzhong to Chencang and attacked from behind. Li Chong expected that even if
If he can't win a big victory, he will definitely take a bite out of Li Chengzhi.
Unfortunately, it rained heavily for several days, and the plan to attack by force had to be postponed. The young emperor, Yuan Kuang, and tens of thousands of troops were also trapped in the Qinling Mountains.
The same goes for Fu Shuyan. He had just led 5,000 Qingqi to Yiyang (today's Xinyang) when the Huaihe River suddenly flooded, so he had to temporarily stop and urgently recruit ships.
On the second day after he recruited civilian ships and prepared to re-build the bridge, Xinye (belonging to Nanyang County, Luozhou, Yuan and Wei Dynasties) came to report that there was a flood in the Tuanhe River and that several large Nanliang ships were washed up in Xinye County.
The boat was loaded with grain, and the boatman claimed that he was a merchant selling grain from central Sichuan to Xiangyang via the Yangtze River. Due to a sudden flood in the Yangtze River, he was washed into a tributary, the Turbulent River, and then to Xinye.
It is not strange to sell grain, but the boats were loaded with beans and hay, which makes one have to wonder whether this was the fodder used by Liang Junzhong to feed the pack horses, donkeys and mules.
The Xinye garrison noticed something was wrong and tortured him repeatedly. As expected by the Xinye army commander, the two ships were indeed carrying military rations. Due to the flooding of the Yangtze River, they were washed into the rapids. The leader was a camp commander. He could not bear the torture.
, simply told the truth: just after the New Year, Emperor Liang worshiped the famous general Wei Rui as his commander and began to mobilize troops to Xiangzhou. Now there are nearly 70,000 or 80,000 troops, and there is still a steady stream of troop transport ships from the Yangtze River to Xiangyang.
And the grain and grass shipped to Xiangyang alone was enough to feed an army of 100,000 for more than half a year...
After receiving the emergency report, Fu Shuyan broke out in a cold sweat: Xiangyang was five hundred miles away from General Yiyang, and less than three hundred miles away from Nanyang, where he and Li Chong had made an appointment to meet the young emperor. The young emperor was almost killed.
The Nanliang people were kidnapped...
And you can tell with your toes that Xiao Yan definitely did not send troops to Hanzhong, and it is even more nonsense to cooperate with Li Chongqi to attack Chencang. Even Luozhou, which was ceded to Nanliang by the Yuan and Wei Dynasties as a reward, was dismissive and prepared to personally
Grab it.
Of course, since Nanliang dares to take advantage of the situation, he must be planning more than one Luozhou. He is afraid that the five states of Jing, Yang, Yan, Qing, and Xu to the east are all within his plot.
Fortunately, there is this heavy rain...
At this point, no matter whether he hates or scolds, it will be of no use. Fu Zhuyan can only be forced to accept the challenge. But at the same time, both Yuan Kuang, Yuan Qin, and even the young emperor know that the situation is over.
What else could happen?
Nearly half of Beizhen's 200,000-strong army, which was originally regarded as a life-saving straw, has been destroyed by Xing Lian and Yuan Heng. What's more, Bing, Ding, Ji and other prefectures have all rebelled, and the remaining soldiers can fly even if they have wings.
Don't come.
And Luoyang was defeated, Nanliang betrayed his faith and stabbed him, which became the last two straws that broke the camel's back. Even if the gods came to the world, they would be powerless...
Yuan Kuang discussed with Yuan Qin and suggested that the emperor should issue an order to Li Chong, leaving a large number of civilians and a small number of Chinese troops to contain the rebels, while the remaining elites would detour eastward and retreat to Xu and Qing prefectures.
As long as Li Chong agreed, Fu Zhuyan would also mobilize elite troops from Luo, Jing, Yan and other states to escort the emperor to retreat to Qingzhou.
If we wait any longer, the Liang Army from the south will attack, or the rebels from the north will pursue us. Not to mention, the local wealthy families and common people in Luozhou will rebel first...
Yuan Qin gritted his teeth: "Just listen to what Brother Jianfu said..."
"good!"
Yuan Kuang raised his head and looked at the sky, "I hope God opens his eyes..."
…
During the Qingming Festival, Pingcheng received its first rain of the year. It rained heavily and lasted all day and night.
As soon as the sky clears, it seems that the world has changed. The mountains are washed away, and the sky is as blue as a mirror. The mountains and fields are full of green, and the world takes on a new look.
The scenery is beautiful, but no one appreciates it.
Under the city wall, there was a huge phalanx, with no end as far as the eye could see. A breeze blew, and the flags blew past the flagpole, making a soft "rustling" sound.
The army was in good order, and all the soldiers held their heads high and their chests held high. They were well-prepared with food, fodder, chariots and horses, and there seemed to be more soldiers than there were soldiers.
This is the last possession of Beizhen: 30,000 infantry, 10,000 fine cavalry, each riding two horses, as well as pack horses, more than 30,000 donkeys and mules, more than 500,000 cattle and sheep, and more than 4,700 chariots
Carts, grain and grass, and nearly 100,000 people...
Yuan Yao breathed out a heavy breath and hugged his fists towards Xi Kangsheng and Xing Luan: "You two, please do everything!"
“The Governor’s words are true, have a good journey!”
Xi Kangsheng twitched his lips, but his smile was uglier than crying. Xing Luan also had a calm expression, looking indifferent.
Yuan Yao just pretended not to see it and bowed slightly: "Mr. Xi, take care of yourself, Mr. Xing!"
Behind them, Yuan Heng and Yuan Ding also made a bow. When Yuan Yao got up, the three brothers turned around and walked down the tower.
Not long after, the army slowly moved under the city, forming a long queue and heading north.
The 40,000-strong army could not move in one or two seconds. Xi Kangsheng was too lazy to look again and walked towards the bottom of the city.
"The Governor of Yuan has repeatedly invited Duke Xing to go with him. Why didn't Duke Xing refuse?"
Xing Luan had a wry smile on his face and shook his head: "The Governor of Yuan said that this trip is to counterattack the West Sea. Do you believe Xi Gong?"
"I believe in a bird feather... When he has an army of hundreds of thousands, Yuan Yao is no match for Li Chengzhi. With these tens of thousands of defeated soldiers, he is going to counterattack Li Chengzhi's lair? You can make me laugh...
…
Yuan Yao just knew that the situation was over and wanted to run for his life. Not to mention Xihai, I can admire him for being able to reach Daqi. And nine times out of ten, Yuan Yao would escape deep into Mobei, otherwise there would be no need
Bringing so many cattle, sheep and cocks?”
"Yes! Xing has been a Han Chinese for decades, and his ancestors have been Han Chinese for generations. He can't go back to the days of sleeping in tents, herding sheep, and drinking blood. So even if he dies, he must die in the land of the Han family...
"
Xing Luan sighed, "What about Mr. Xi?"
"I?"
Xi Kangsheng smiled miserably, "Everyone knows that I have surrendered Li Chengzhi a long time ago. If he didn't surrender in the end, wouldn't it be a waste of all the hard work of everyone in the world?"
"Hahahahaha..."
Xing Luan laughed, his face filled with tears.
"Okay, then Xing will organize his army immediately and treat it as a meeting gift to Li Chengzhi..."
Xi Kangsheng nodded: "That's right!"
…
Thanks to the heavy rain during the Qingming Festival, the Huhe River flooded and washed away the dead people and horses.
According to the soldiers who had seen it, the scene at that time was extremely terrifying. There were countless corpses drifting with the current, floating and sinking, like countless big fish flipping up and down, which made people's scalp numb.
But now, the green grass has submerged the dark red soil, the river bank is lush and green, and countless people are running back and forth on the north bank, making it extremely lively.
Li Feng held up the telescope, looked at it for a while, and began to mutter. If you get closer, you can hear him scolding his mother in a low voice.
The two banks were separated by twenty or thirty feet, and they could be seen clearly in the mirror: those figures were either old, weak or disabled. At this time, those digging the earth and those carrying the wood were clearly trying to build a bridge across the river.
Being so close, there was no need for stone cannons or artillery. Calling some strong-armed archers could kill most of them. But unexpectedly, a huge Xi flag was standing on the bank of the river. Under the flag, everyone's beard and hair were white.
, but the general, who was still as strong as an ox, stood with his spear standing tall, showing no anger and self-power.
It’s not the first time he’s met, can Li Feng still recognize Xi Kangsheng?
If Li Chengzhi hadn't sent an urgent order to capture him alive as much as possible, even a hundred Xi Kangsheng would have been reduced to rubbish. But I don't know if this old thief had guessed this, but it was like this every day for three consecutive days: Here we come.
Standing next to the river embankment, it felt as if I was going to die on purpose.
This old scoundrel...
Li Feng cursed secretly and put down his telescope: "General Da, what should we do?"
Da Xi's face turned gloomy and he remained silent.
With just this group of old and weak people, even if they cross the river, how can they capture Dai County, which has tens of thousands of soldiers and thousands of artillery pieces?
What's more, the coach Li Feng has experienced countless battles and has never lost a game?
It is clear from my father that I have the ambition to die...
"General Li, let me go!"
"Ah?" Li Feng was stunned.
"Put it across the river and put it under the city!"
Da Xi let out a sharp breath, "Then I will take care of it!"
Li Feng rolled his eyes: "Okay, then I'll leave it to General Xi!"
Then, he winked at Pei Anzhi, and the two of them said goodbye to Da Xi and went down to the top of the city.
"Commander, is General Xi too trusting?"
"It's not about being too proud, it's about being helpless!"
Li Feng sighed sadly, "The Duke wanted to capture Xi Kangsheng alive, but Xi Kangsheng wanted to die. If it were you, wouldn't it be difficult for you?
But don’t worry, there are only a few thousand old, weak and disabled people around, so what if we just let them go across the river, even if they are let into the city?”
What he was afraid of was not the thousands of remnant soldiers. To be honest, there was no strategy at all, just a frontal push and a few rounds of artillery. What Li Feng was in trouble was, what if Xi Kangsheng was accidentally blown up?
Maybe Li Chengzhi also knew that it was difficult to control the situation, so he simply sent Da Xi to Xiurong County. But for some reason, Da Xi did not raise his flag and did not send anyone out of the city to persuade him to surrender. He just visited every day and saw that he was fine.
a few days.
Now that Da Xi finally opened his mouth and accepted this bad job, Li Feng was naturally happy to go along with it.
"That's true!"
Pei Anzhi responded casually, sighing in his heart.
Thinking about how powerful Beizhen was back then, with more than 300,000 troops from the six towns combined, they were defeated repeatedly by Rouran. It is not an exaggeration to call them the weapon of the country.
But now, we end up in a field where there are only a few thousand disabled, old and weak people who can't even pull together a few donkey carts?
Sad, deplorable.
I just don’t know if Yuan Yao, who took away all the elite and strong men in Beizhen, has ever reached Daqi...
…
The rebels on the south bank seemed to be watching a show, neither blocking nor obstructing them, allowing the enemy to build the pontoon bridge. The suppressing troops on the north bank also pretended that the rebels did not exist, felling wood, transporting earth, and driving piles.
Five days later, a pontoon bridge that was more than ten feet wide and thirty feet long was completed. When the first wave of suppressing troops stepped onto the bridge, the rebels on the south bank dispersed like a tide in an instant.
Looking at the other side, which was like a market two days ago but now deserted, Xi Kangsheng murmured to himself: "How much do you look down on me to Xi someone?"
"Isn't it possible that this is just to lure you into a trap and catch them all in one fell swoop?"
"hope so!"
Xi Kangsheng was the first to step onto the pontoon bridge, his steps unusually steady, "If I had known it would be like this, in the cold winter last year, I should have rushed towards the artillery array..."
Xing Luan sighed quietly and followed Xi Kangsheng.
I thought I could sustain it for a while, but I didn't expect it to fail so quickly?
Luoyang was exposed, and Nanliang's betrayal was like stabbing a dying patient twice, shattering the few fighting will of Yuan Yao, Xi Kangsheng, Xing Luan and others.
All three of them knew that the Yuan and Wei dynasties were about to be destroyed, and it would never be possible to recover, but the three of them made completely different choices.
Yuan Yao chose to live, even if he lived like a lost dog. But Xi Kangsheng and Xing Luan chose to die.
Even if it doesn't make the slightest bit of sense.
He even made it clear before setting out for the expedition that this battle would be a dead end and he would definitely lose. So they ran away and ran away. Now there are only thousands of old, weak and disabled people following the two of them across the river.
Otherwise, there are more than one million military households in the six towns. Even if most of them were killed or injured and fled after several battles, and even if Yuan Yao took away 80% of the soldiers and young men, 80,000 to 90,000 civilians would still be able to make it.
It can be considered a good deed...
Xi Kangsheng sighed secretly, and unknowingly crossed the pontoon bridge. There was still no one on the other side, but he still took off his big bow, mounted his arrows, and pointed at the deserted fields.
Xing Luan also drew his sword and stood beside Xi Kangsheng.
The soldiers blew the horns, and each battalion crossed the river one after another. When the last soldiers stepped onto the river embankment, Xing Luan cut the rope with several swords.
The pontoon fell down the embankment and rushed to the middle of the river in just a few breaths, appearing and disappearing like a giant snake rolling in the river.
Xi Kangsheng mounted his mount, raised his sword and pointed at the looming Dai County town: "Fight!"
The soldiers had a tragic look on their faces and yelled with all their strength: "Fight!"
The sound was so loud that it could be heard for several miles. Da Xi's eyes were red and his lips were trembling slightly.
In fact, the moment Xi Kangsheng forced him to flee to the West Sea, Da Xi had already realized that his father had made up his mind: the day when the country was overthrown would be the time for him to die.
Whether it was out of family affection or following Li Chengzhi's orders, he extremely hoped that Xi Kangsheng could surrender. But he knew better that Xi Kangsheng was burdened by his reputation and would rather die than surrender.
So what should you do?
Looking at Zhenjun, who was spreading like a tide from afar, walking slowly and firmly, Da Xi gritted his teeth and said, "Open the door!"
…
Xi Kangsheng had also read Pei Songzhi's "Notes on the Three Kingdoms", so he naturally knew about the empty city strategy in the unofficial history. But he never thought that one day someone would use this strategy on himself?
The gate of Dai County City was open, and there were only a few sparse soldiers on the city. There were no frightening iron cannons, let alone the rebels with their bows ready to shoot as if facing a formidable enemy.
There wasn't even a big flag with the name written on it, so he didn't even know who the guard was.
Where are people?
The scouts found out clearly that tens of thousands of rebels had moved to Xiurong from Changshan, Julu and other counties one month ago to prevent Yuan Yao from being destroyed when they entered Pingcheng. If not for this, Yuan Yao would not have left so simply.
The army must still be there, and there are many in Dai County, Xi Kangsheng knew it well. But he did not take any precautions, let him build a bridge, let him cross the river, and even opened the city gate to let him in, but
Let Xi Kangsheng be in trouble.
Are you going to capture grandpa alive?
Since he was here to die, of course he had to die vigorously. If thousands of arrows from the top of the city shot him into a hedgehog, or if all the troops came out and chopped him into pieces, Xi Kangsheng would be considered worthy of death.
But once you enter the city, you are trapped in the urn, and then you neither release nor kill, and you starve for a few days, what will be the final outcome?
Not to mention killing the enemy, I'm afraid I don't even have the strength to wipe my neck...
"Hehehe..."
Xi Kangsheng sneered, "Tear it down for grandpa?"
Dismantle, dismantle what?
Xi Ding'an, who was in charge of delivering the order, was a little confused.
As expected of his lifelong companion, Xing Luan sighed: "Tear down the door and demolish the city!"
Is this what it meant?
Xi Dingan respectfully accepted the promise, and then issued the order loudly.
Seeing the town troops running over carrying hoes, shovels, and even baskets of soil, Da Xi was immediately dumbfounded: You entered the city, why did you demolish the city gate?
Li Feng, who was standing behind him, almost laughed out loud.
Heroes die, famous generals die for their country... It should be an extremely tragic battle, but now it is so funny?