Four hundred and twenty ninth chapter: Expedition to Wagang
Since the great victory in Yanshi City, the momentum of the rebels in Henan has also stagnated. One has waxed and waned, and the other has waxed and waned. Calls for counter-rebellion in Luoyang City have also come and gone. After Yang Tong, the king of Yue, sent someone to ask Jiangdu for instructions, he made a decisive decision. Huben Lang General Liu Changgong was the chief general, and Guanglu Shaoqing Fang Er was the deputy general. He led ten thousand Yulin troops to Wagangzhai to quell the rebellion. Not only that, Yang Tong also called on all the noble families and princes in the eastern capital to send their soldiers and their children to help. Promised generous rewards. In this way, it attracted all the princes and families of Dongdu. They sent their own soldiers one after another. In fact, more than 20,000 people were raised. In addition to the previous 10,000 The Royal Forest Army marched towards Wagang Mountain in such a mighty manner.
At the same time, the rebels in Wagang Village seemed not to be outdone. Zhai Rang and Li Mi personally led the troops. Nearly 100,000 elite troops from Wagang Village came out and headed towards Luoyang City. According to the advancing speed of the two armies, the two armies They will meet in Heikou County in Luoshui. And Heikou County will also become a battlefield for the two armies.
The officers and soldiers marched very quickly. In one day, they could reach Heikou County. However, it was already getting late. Commander Liu Changgong also ordered the entire army to camp on the spot. The camp had just been sorted out. Liu Changgong asked the army to The main generals rushed to the main tent to discuss the military situation.
All the generals were summoned to their tents. They looked at the generals and the children of aristocratic families standing respectfully to attack them. Liu Changgong also looked proud and high-spirited. Liu Changgong, who was nearly forty years old, was one of the most famous generals in the Sui Dynasty. He is unknown. Although Liu Changgong is from a family of military generals, his family background is not very prominent and he has never fought in any big battles. In the past few years, he has been working with Duan Da abroad. This time Duan Da returned to Luoyang, he also followed Duan Da. They came back together. It was precisely this relationship that led to the expedition against Wagang Village. It was Liu Changgong’s turn to be the head coach. In the same way, as Liu Changgong’s deputy general, Fang Er was also a confidant of Yuan Wendu. Plus two When they were young, they were both students of Yuan Wendu. This time Yuan Wendu and Duan Da became the confidants of the King of Yue. The two of them also became better and better.
He felt secretly proud in his heart. But Liu Changgong almost forgot that he was still in front of the generals. Fortunately, Fang Er next to him saw him and immediately coughed lightly. Only then did he wake up. Liu Changgong also coughed slightly in embarrassment. Then he said seriously to the generals: "You all know that the bandits from Wagang Village have now arrived in Heikou County. Heikou County is located east of Luoshui. In other words, you have to cross Luoshui to fight against the bandits. The soldiers launched an attack. What do you think about this?"
Hearing Liu Changgong's question, there was silence below. These generals are actually children of aristocratic families, princes and nobles. They came with the army this time. It is just that they heard that Wagang Village is actually a mob. This battle will be won. Undoubtedly, so I came to get some military glory, so as to add a little resume to serve in the court in the future. When it comes to walking dogs and fighting birds, these dudes can still do it. But when it comes to marching and fighting, they are blind. Liu Changgong just asked them in vain.
Liu Changgong's face looked a little bad. Although he came here to take credit for his achievements, he was considered a warrior after all. He had fought on the battlefield. But now these dudes following him were nothing. Liu Changgong turned around and looked at him again. Xiang Fang'er. Unlike Liu Changgong, Fang'er has been staying in Luoyang in the past few years. He knew that although these dandy boys were incompetent, the forces behind them were not simple. When he saw Liu Changgong's face, he showed impatience. Fang Er immediately shook his head slightly and signaled Liu Changgong not to be impatient.
Liu Changgong took a deep breath and finally suppressed the unhappiness in his heart. He knew that his expedition this time was not only to gain credit, but more importantly, to win the support of these aristocratic families and princes for his teacher Yuan Wendu. Therefore, these dandy boys must not be offended. Thinking of this, Liu Changgong lost his temper. He could only nod lightly and said: "That's it. I want to rush to Luoshui tomorrow. After resting overnight, I will cross Luoshui. .Attack Heikou. If you have no objections, then just do it."
Since he couldn't ask for any advice, Liu Changgong could only act arbitrarily. Anyway, it can be expected that these dandy boys will not have any good ideas. Sure enough, after Liu Changgong finished speaking, the leading lieutenant generals looked at each other. .Then everyone clasped their fists in unison and shouted at Liu Changgong: "I will obey the general's order."
"Here comes the general." At this moment, a shout came from outside the camp. After hearing the shout, Liu Changgong's face, which was originally as black as ink, immediately turned cloudy. He hurriedly shouted : "Rokuro is here. Hurry. Hurry, bring the general in."
Lai Zheng was the third son of the old guard in the Sui Dynasty. He was the sixth son and was called Lai Liulang. His son Lai Hong followed Lai Guer in the Eastern Campaign against Goguryeo and made many contributions. Lai Zheng himself also made many achievements in the Battle of Yanmen Pass. Therefore, although Lai Zheng is also a son of a noble family, he is not like these dudes in front of him. The younger brother is so useless. In a situation like this, the advice to rectify it is worth learning from.
Soon, Lai Zheng, dressed in military uniform, quickly walked into the camp. He stared at Liu Changgong in front of him without squinting. He cupped his fists and saluted, and shouted loudly: "Lai Zheng will come to Zheng in the future. I have seen the general."
"Haha. Liu Lang is back. This trip went well." Looking at Lai Zheng in front of him, Liu Changgong was also a little conflicted. Lai Zheng's ability is absolutely top-notch. But the problem is that the relationship between Lai Jia and Liang Guogong is a bit complicated. Although Yuan Wendu did not say it clearly this time, but Liu Changgong and Fang Er knew very well that the most suitable commander for this expedition to Wagang Village was no different from Liang Guogong Wan He, who had just defeated Wagang Village. He and Yuan Wendu didn't seem to be getting along with each other. Moreover, Yuan Wendu had finally gained the appreciation of the King of Yue. He wanted to be more important around the King of Yue. Naturally, he had to squeeze out Wan He, who was originally the most trusted confidant of the King of Yue. So this time Yuan Wendu worked up and down and finally squeezed Wan He away and made Liu Changgong the commander-in-chief of the army.
Liu Changgong, who understood what the teacher meant, would naturally act in accordance with the teacher's wishes. Anyone who had anything to do with Wan He was not selected into the army. This was the only solution. Liu Changgong hesitated again and again, but still recruited him into the army. Because after all, Lai Jia was an important figure in the Sui army. It would be unjustifiable if Liu Changgong did not choose Lai Zheng this time. However, although Liu Changgong let Lai Zheng join the conquest army, in the past few days However, he always asked Lai Zheng to carry out some logistical tasks in the rear. However, he did not dare to leave the front battle matters to Lai Zheng. A few days ago, Liu Changgong also assigned Lai Zheng a task of transporting grain and grass. The purpose was to Come and be marginalized from this war.
Liu Changgong's abacus was good, but the plan could never keep up with the changes. Who would have thought that Liu Changgong didn't have any available generals. In desperation, Liu Changgong had no choice but to shamelessly ask for advice.
Lai Zheng always maintained his neither humble nor arrogant attitude. It is said that this is a common problem among Lai's family members. As long as he was in the army, he would always be serious and unsmiling. When he heard Liu Changgong's question, Lai Zheng looked at Liu Changgong sternly. He cupped his fists and shouted: "Report to the general. The general has already transported the grain and grass back. A total of one hundred and thirty-seven stones. It has been handed over to the cook camp."
This serious look made Liu Changgong a little embarrassed. He smiled and said, "Of course I can trust Liu Lang's ability. Haha. Well, Liu Lang. I have a problem here now. I need to ask Liu Lang for help. We are on staff."
"Lai Zheng will obey the general's orders. Fight through fire and sword without hesitation." Liu Changgong had just finished speaking. Lai Zheng clasped his fists again and shouted loudly. His face always maintained a serious expression, as if he were a stone man.
"Ahem." Laizheng's attitude also made Liu Changgong a little embarrassed. Liu Changgong knew that Laizheng was expressing his dissatisfaction. It's no wonder that the son of a dignified general joined the conquest army, but ended up doing nothing all day long. Some trivial tasks such as transporting grain and grass, passing information, etc. Moreover, Lai Zheng is young and energetic. It is normal to feel angry. Liu Changgong smiled and said: "It's not that serious. It's not that serious. It's just that we are almost reaching Luoshui now. I want to ask Rokuro. In your opinion, how should our army behave?"
"I will obey the general's orders. What do you think, general? How dare I disobey my orders." Lai Zheng was as tough as ever. And the dandy boys next to him could also hear the anger in Lai Zheng's words. Everyone was gloating about his misfortune. Although they did not dare to laugh out loud in front of Liu Changgong, they all covered their mouths and started snickering.
Seeing this, Liu Changgong's face also turned red. Liu Changgong couldn't let go of his face because of this. Fortunately, there was Fang Er next to him. He was about to get angry when he saw Liu Changgong. Fang Er immediately became angry. He came forward to smooth things over. He smiled and said to the two of them: "Oh, if you have something to say, say it well. If you have something to say, say it well. Ahem, Rokuro. You are also a general in the army now. Don't be too motivated. Everyone is working for the imperial court. .Right? It would be good for everyone to put an end to the rebellion as soon as possible."
Fang Er had a reputation as a peacemaker when he was in Luoyang. Seeing Fang Er come forward, Lai Zheng's expression softened a little. He raised his head and glanced at Liu Changgong. Lai Zheng shouted in a deep voice: "I think so. Soldiers are valuable and they are quick. This is the only way to fight. Since the army in Wagangzhai has rushed to Heikou and is not far from our army, we should fight the traitors as quickly as possible and take advantage of the victory to attack. Get twice the result with half the effort.”