Only then did Chu Zheng confirm that Cheng Weiyuan came after him, firstly to reminisce about his friendship with his old friend, and secondly to persuade him to defect to Huaidong.
Chu Zheng was originally worried that Zhang Jinxian would be implicated, but Cheng Weiyuan was doubly suspected by the Gu family and his son. Due to the two people's care for him over the years, he abandoned Huaidong and returned to his hometown in Jiangxi to observe the situation. Unexpectedly, Cheng Weiyuan came after him.
Instead, he was urged to go to Huaidong again and again.
Chu Zheng looked down at the candlestick on the table, and Cheng Weiyuan said under the lamp: "It is a foregone conclusion to defend Yangxin now; if Yangxin is unfortunate enough to become the main direction of the Hu Dog's southern invasion, there are three ways to rely on reinforcements, and one is from the west.
The Liang family, all the way is Dengzhou Town, which is controlled by Liu Yefei, and all the way is Huaidong..."
Among the three lines of reinforcements that may be used in the future, the Liang family and Liu Yefei are not trustworthy, so Cheng Weiyuan pinned his hopes on Huaidong.
"Qingzhou and Huaidong are at odds with each other. How many jins and taels do I have? Mr. Cheng is not clear about it. What use can I get by going to Huaidong?" Chu Zheng said with a bitter smile.
"Lin Huaidong and Gu Qingzhou's son-in-law are at odds with each other, and selfishness and justice are mixed together, making it difficult for others to tell right from wrong," Cheng Weiyuan said, "but if Qingzhou is in danger in the future, asking Huaidong to help him is justice and selfishness is not harmful. I hope there will be a solution by then."
It is better for someone to speak out about this matter than to be cut off from the current situation."
Zhang Jinxian and Cheng Weiyuan were so repulsed by Gu and his son, but they still thought of Qingzhou so much. Chu Zheng said with emotion: "Master Cheng, Master Zhang is so considerate of Qingzhou, Chu Zheng dare not say goodbye," Er said, "It's just that Huaidong is currently
Tens of thousands of troops entered eastern Zhejiang to contain the She family rebels on the eastern front to reduce the pressure on Jiangning. Although Huaidong had previously won the victory over Yongjia, the main force of the She family in eastern Zhejiang and western Zhejiang remained intact.
Suffering heavy losses, if Qingzhou is in danger, Huaidong will be unable to send troops from eastern Zhejiang. Even if they come to rescue, they will be powerless. In addition to this, what is even more worrying is that Gu Qingzhou believes that Yanhu will drag on until the winter ice.
Only after the seal is sealed, there is the possibility of another large-scale southward invasion. However, looking at the recent concentration of Hugo dogs in Cangnan and the density of a large number of scouts sneaking across and harassing them, if Hugo dogs forcefully cross the Zhulong River before autumn and winter, they may be caught off guard.
. Even if Huaidong wanted to help, it would be too late..."
"Do your best to obey fate," Cheng Weiyuan felt deeply that the situation was difficult, and he and Zhang Jinxian were ostracized. He felt deeply frustrated, but he cheered up and said, "You can't just sit back and watch, right?"
Chu Zheng and Cheng Weiyuan held candlelight talks at night in the private courtyard of Hengtai Inn, and they separated at dawn and went their separate ways. Cheng Weiyuan returned to Guangrao in the north. Chu Zheng, surrounded by his retinue, changed his original itinerary and borrowed roads from Linzi and Qingzhou, along the
Go south along the Jiao Lai River.
At the beginning of the year, Hu soldiers raided the country and caused great damage to the Jiaolai River. The banks burst and filled up dozens of places.
The drought in Shandong has been severe since the spring. So far, no serious floods or waterlogging have occurred due to the damage to the Jiaolai River. This can be considered a fluke. However, almost all of Qingzhou's resources have been allocated to the construction of the Yangxin-Zhulong River defense barrier on the northern line, which has temporarily emptied the land.
No action is taken to repair the Jiaolai River channel.
After spring, the fields in Qingzhou have been greatly affected and have become a disaster. However, the Jiaolai River has changed beyond recognition. Once it enters the rainy season, the drought will suddenly turn into a serious waterlogging disaster, which will destroy the fields and villages along both sides of the river.
And the roads were flooded beyond recognition.
The Jiao Lai River is not only the lifeblood of the waterway that runs through the Shandong Peninsula, but also has roads crisscrossing the coast. It is also the most important land route hub between the Yishan and Kunyu Mountains in the Shandong Peninsula.
If Yangxin is in danger, it will take more than three to five thousand soldiers and horses to escape the siege, and it is not a simple matter for an army of three to five thousand to cross the border to provide reinforcements.
When the Jiaolai River is unblocked, the main force of the Huaidong Army can disembark from Jimo, march along the Jiaolai River by land and water, and enter Linzi Prefecture as quickly as possible. At this time, the Jiaolai River was destroyed, and Gu and his son had no intention of being the first to do so.
After repairing the Jiaolai River, it is no longer realistic for the Huaidong Army to land from Jimo and go north to assist Linzi Prefecture.
Putting all this aside, what Chu Zheng was most worried about was the lack of time.
Years later, Yan Hu drove a large number of civilians to build a road from Hejian and other cities to Cangzhou and Cangnan. A large amount of materials and troops were also gathered in Cangnan.
On the one hand, Yanhu's troops are gathering in Cangnan to strengthen the defense of offshore areas and to guard against possible attacks by the Huaidong and Dengzhou naval forces from the sea; on the other hand, Yanhu is likely to rely on Cangnan.
, crossed the Zhulong River and launched a strong attack on Yangxin.
Cangnan is only more than a hundred miles away from Yangxin. Although it is the same as the lower reaches of the Yellow River, with crisscrossing rivers and swamps, which is not conducive to the movement of large groups of cavalry in summer and autumn. However, Yanhu has assembled a large number of craftsmen in Cangnan to build bridges. Furthermore, Cangnan has gathered a large number of craftsmen to build bridges.
The main strength of the army was the newly attached Han army, which was much less affected by the river than the cavalry.
In Chu Zheng's view, the soldiers and horses assembled by Yan and Hu in Cangnan may cross the Zhulong River and attack at any time. The Zhulong River is north of Yangxin. Although it accommodates part of the Yellow River water, it is only two to three hundred feet wide. It is far from being a military force.
A natural danger that a horse cannot overcome.
It was under this situation that Chu Zheng repeatedly clashed with the Gu family and his son, and eventually he was deprived of his general position and expelled from Qingzhou.
Chu Zheng traveled southward non-stop and arrived at Shanyang County on the 24th with five retinues.
People in Huaidong were eager to poach Qingzhou, and Chu Zheng also had a close relationship with Huaidong. When he came to surrender, Cao Ziang personally came to receive him. By chance, Ning Zechen was also in Shanyang, and came to talk about his old friendship.
When they met, they were taken to Cao Ziang's carriage in Shanyang City. They had just sat down and had a few sips of tea. There was no time to talk about old friendships, so Chu Zheng couldn't wait to tell Yang Xin about the current critical situation.
Cao Ziang smiled bitterly and said: "Brother Chu Xian may not know that on your way to Huaidong, Chen Zhihu led his troops eastward from Qinyang, crossed the Wei River from Raoyang, and crossed Pingyuan Prefecture. They traveled three hundred miles in three days.
Capture Leling on the 21st..."
"Ah!" Chu Zheng was stunned on the spot and was speechless for a long time.
Although the Gu family insists that the Yan-Hu troops will not move south in large numbers until winter comes, they are not unwary of the Yan-Hu troops gathering in the north, and they always strengthen the many ferries on the south bank of the Zhulong River to prevent the Hu troops from crossing the river south. However,
Who would have thought that Chen Zhihu would lead his troops to suddenly cross the Wei River from the west, penetrate Pingyuan Prefecture where Liang Chengchong led a heavy garrison without stopping, and launch a surprise attack on Leling, a stronghold in the northwest of Yangxin, from an unexpected direction?
Leling is less than 70 miles away from Yangxin City. It is the most important ferry in the upper reaches of the Zhulong River. It is also the starting point of the western line of the Yangxin-Zhulong River defense fortress that Gu and his son want to build. Chen Zhihu's capture of Leling is naturally for
The main force of Yanhu troops assembled in Cangnan was preparing to cross the Zhulong River southward.
I am really worried about what will happen, and it comes so suddenly, as if a violent storm is coming all of a sudden, leaving people unprepared and helpless.
"Chen Zhihu raided Leling and disrupted Liang Chengchong's sight in Pingyuan. There will not be many soldiers and horses. Can Gu Qingzhou drive troops to recapture Leling?" Chu Zheng asked.
"As you expected, when Chen Zhihu forcibly crossed the Wei River from Raoyangdian, he had more than ten thousand infantry and cavalry, and divided his troops in the north of Pingyuan City. One part was to disturb the Liang family's view, and the other part was lightly equipped with simple armor and rushed to Leling; the Leling troops and horses were attacked
No more than 3,000 people. But there is no news yet as to whether Yangxin has organized a counterattack and whether the counterattack has succeeded." Ning Zechen introduced the situation to Chu Zheng.
Yangxin and Huaidong were too far apart, and they were separated by the territory controlled by the Liang family. It was far less convenient for the Huaidong sentry to convey the news than imagined.
Huaidong has always been worried that Yanhu will take advantage of the laxity of Qingzhou and the Liang family to use large-scale troops against Shandong in the summer and autumn. Although he does not know the specific tactics Yanhu may use, he is mentally prepared for the news that came last night.
As for whether the Gu family and his son could counterattack and recapture Leling and drive Chen Zhihu away, Cao Ziang, Ning Zechen and others were not optimistic.
Although Chen Zhihu's surrender to Yanhu was shameful to the world, he had to admit that he was one of the few generals in the world who could fight a fierce battle. The Qingzhou Army had recently expanded on a large scale, and its armor was unfavorable, its soldiers were weak, and its morale was low.
At this time, the father and son were eager to control the military power and exclude dissidents. The possibility of retaking Leling in a hurry was really slim.
Of course, if the Liang family responds in time and can decisively mobilize troops from nearby, join forces with Qingzhou, and recapture Leling, there is still a glimmer of hope - so at this time, it is impossible to judge the direction of the situation in Yangxin. Everything depends on the Gu family and Liang.
Whether the response is quick enough and determination firm enough.
Once Chen Zhihu is allowed to gain a foothold in Laoling, Yanhu's troops and horses gathered in Yannan will cross the Zhulong River in large numbers and go south. It is hard to say whether the Liang family dares to mobilize the main force to advance eastward. Qingzhou will gather in Yang to build the Zhulong River defense fortress.
The tens of thousands of civilians, soldiers and horses surrounding the letter will be unable to retreat, and the situation will be very dangerous...
Chu Zheng thought of Cheng Weiyuan's entrustment before leaving. Unexpectedly, as soon as he arrived in Huaidong, bad news came. He was as anxious as hearing a thunder on a sunny day. But in the current situation, except for the Liang family who could send reinforcements nearby, Huaidong was thousands of miles away.
, it is beyond the reach of the whip.
Opening his eyes and looking at Cao Zi'ang, Ning Zechen, a tough man, his eyes were red and he was so anxious that he almost shed tears.
In these troubled times, there are people who are living in an ignoble way, but there are also loyal people. If it were not for the exclusion of the Gu family and his son, even if he knew that Yang Xin's situation was critical, Chu Zheng would never abandon Yang Xin - at this time, he could only helplessly watch.
Watching Yang Xin slowly slide towards the point of no return, how could he feel no hatred, no urgency, no pain?
"The military information only reached Shanyang yesterday. I have sent people to inform Jiangning and Chongzhou at the same time. But now we can only wait patiently to see how the situation in Yangxin will develop next?" Cao Ziang said.
"Where is Lin Zhizhi at this time?" Chu Zheng asked.
"Your Excellency and Gao Zongting are still in Mingzhou," Cao Ziang said, "If you want to go to Mingzhou, I will send someone to take you there."
"I want to leave tonight," Chu Zheng said, "I can help Mr. Cao arrange the ship..."
"By boat? There is a strong storm in the East China Sea at this time, and it is too dangerous to go by boat. Besides, traveling south is against the wind and is no faster than a horse," Ning Zechen dissuaded. "From Shanyang to Chongzhou, a post station has been built, and the cavalry can go there in one day."
Three to four hundred miles; crossing the river from Chongzhou to Yudong, taking the road from northern Zhejiang, crossing the Qianjiang River to Mingzhou..."
Regardless of whether Chu Zheng came here with the intention of rescuing Qingzhou, Chu Zheng was an important general who came from the East Fujian Army. Gao Zongting, Chen Dingbang, Geng Quanshan, Tang Fuguan, Yang Zichen and other people who came from the East Fujian Army all served in Huaidong. Cao Ziang
, Ning Zechen would not neglect Chu Zheng, not to mention that when they were in Yangxin, they still had the friendship to fight side by side.