．

com

In the eleventh year of Chongguan, in the third month of spring, the emperor ordered Liang Xi to send troops south to fight against the bandits.

Liang Xi made excuses that there was insufficient food and grass, so he asked for 50,000 troops to be paid, hoping to have Qingzhou deliver grain to the Liang army before setting off.

The Chongzhou-Tianjin-Hai route delivers about 60,000 tons of grain every month. In summer and autumn, the sea is stormy and the ships will stop. Currently, Gyeonggi and the Northern Army still rely heavily on Qingzhou Jiaolai River for grain transportation.

Even if Qingzhou officials such as Chen Yuanliang, Zhang Jinxian, and Du Juefu had no grudges against the Liang family, it would be impossible for them to transport grain from Qingzhou to Xianji Liang's army in northern Shandong.

It was also impossible for the imperial court to seize the life-saving food from the capital and give it to the Liang family first. Liang Xi could not mobilize. Yue Lengqiu had few troops in Huaibei and was unable to stop the civilian army from crossing the Huaihe River south. In March, the emperor ordered Cao Yiqu to send troops eastward to march against the bandits in central Henan.

Cao Yiqu received the order in Guyuan, and transferred General Wei Shiyan to lead more than 20,000 elite soldiers to march south and east. The movement was as fast as thunder. He sent troops from Tianshui in the west of Qin and marched eastward along the Wei River. They arrived at Tongguan in eight days. Cao Yiqu also moved his troops to Chang'an.

Supervise the battle. However, the elite troops of the Western Qin Dynasty marched eastward to Tongguan, and Cao Yiqu entered Chang'an City. On the pretext that the Xuanfu Envoy of the county had insufficient food and fodder preparations for the army to go west to Tongguan to suppress the rogue bandits, the soldiers and horses were reluctant to leave Tongguan.

************

The spring was warm in late March, and the grass was luxuriant and wild flowers were blooming. There was a winding dirt path at the foot of Nanshan Mountain south of Tongguan. More than a hundred horsemen came galloping over, trampling the grass and flowers that had covered the dirt path.

At the end of the dirt path is a large tomb, with several tomb-guarding huts lined up beside the road. Hearing the sound of horse hooves coming from a distance, Gu Siyuan, Yang Pu and Zhao Qinmin walked out of the hut and saw the leader of more than a hundred riders, about fifty years old, with a complex expression.

She is as dark red as a jujube, has silk-like eyebrows and a thick beard, and is wearing a dark red armor, with her armor like fish scales shining brightly in the sunset.

"Qin Xihou Cao Yiqu!" Gu Siyuan said in a suppressed voice.

Zhao Qinmin was slightly startled. He did not expect Cao Yiqu to come to Tang Cemetery.

Gu Siyuan escorted Tang Haoxin's body back to his hometown for burial. The cemetery was located on the Tongguan Nanshan Plain.

Gu Wuchen couldn't get away from Jiangning, so Gu Siyuan stayed in Tongguan County to observe his father's filial piety. Gu Siyuan did not live in Tangjiabao in Nanyuan, but built three simple thatched cottages next to the cemetery, where he read military books every day and thought deeply.

After three months of quiet life, I didn't care about anything in the world.

Gu Siyuan's three-month filial piety period in Tongguanyuan was about to expire. Whether he was heading south to Hanzhong or east to Henan, bandits were infested and the journey was uneasy. There was no one available in Tangjiabao in Tongyuan, so Gu Wuchen sent Yang Pu to lead more than 200 people.

Jingli came to meet him, and Zhao Qinmin also came with him to see if Gu Siyuan decided to go back to Qingzhou or Jiangning.

Cao Yiqu dismounted and asked his entourage to stay where they were. He walked over, looked at Gu Siyuan with bright eyes, and asked, "But Gu Shaojun?"

"Gu Siyuan has met Lord Qin Xi!" Gu Siyuan bowed and saluted.

"Tang Gong and my late father traveled to the Western Qin Dynasty when they were young. I studied calligraphy when I was young, and I also studied under Tang Gong's family. However, I am not a talented person. I live up to Tang Gong's high expectations. I passed by Tongguan today and came here to burn a stick of incense in front of Tang Gong's cemetery.

..." Cao Yiqu said.

Cao Hongfan took advantage of the chaos in East Fujian and threatened the imperial court while he was ill. He asked his son Cao Yiqu to attack his governor-general position. From then on, the army at the border of Guyuan Town became the private army of the Cao family. Because of this, Tang Haoxin cut off his ties with Cao Hongfan and denounced the Cao family as

The thief also ended the teacher-student friendship with Cao Yiqu long ago.

Gu Siyuan did not stop Cao Yiqu from going to Tang Haoxin's tomb to offer incense. Cao Yiqu paid incense and then left with his entourage, leaving only a trail of trampled fragrant grass.

"Cao Yiqu received the order in mid-March, but the 20,000 soldiers stood still at Tongguan. The intention is really intriguing!" Zhao Qinmin looked at the dust that the cavalry brought away and was quite emotional.

"The purpose is simply to wait and see Jinan," Gu Siyuan clasped his hands behind his back, raised his eyes and looked at the foothills of Nanshan Mountain, and said, "If the Huaihe River is in chaos, and Liang Xi is in Shandong, and the troops in the east of Henan are not advancing, the Cao family can seal Tongguan

, Qin Xihou can sit in Chang'an and wait and see the situation in the world... It's time for us to leave Tongguan." Gu Siyuan has experienced many things in the past three years, and he is less frizzy than when he entered Jiangning and has a more calm demeanor.

Zhao Qinmin also sighed in his heart: The world will be in chaos, the mountains and rivers will be broken, and whoever is competing to become the world's hero, Cao Yiqu's chance of winning is no worse than Shewenzhuang.

Gu Siyuan returned to Tangjiapu that night and packed his simple luggage. The next day, he said goodbye to his uncle's family and took Tang Weizhong, a young man from the Tang family with him. Supported by more than 200 retinues and soldiers, he was not in a hurry to go eastward.

Instead, we walked for three days in the foothills of Nanshan Mountain and inspected the terrain of Tongguan again.

Tongguan is located at the junction of Shaanxi, Henan and Shanxi counties, with Huashan Mountain to the south and the Yellow River to the north. The width between the rivers and mountains is only twenty or thirty miles. The Nanyuan Valley is deep and steep, and the original lower valley is narrow, forming a natural danger, commonly known as Han Valley.

Tongguan is located at the west end of Hangu, close to Tongshui. There is a tributary to the east of Guancheng, called Jinggou. The upper, lower, east and west sides of Jingguan include Jindou Pass, and there are 17 passes such as Tongguan and Mayu.

From the foothills of Nanshan Mountain to the bank of the Yellow River, we set up layer by layer to guard Tongguan.

"If Cao Yiqu separates Qinxi, he will use Tongguan as the gateway and send his troops out of Wuguan to seize Hanzhong. From now on, Qinxi will be in a complete situation and can look forward to the world..." Before leaving Tongguan, Gu Siyuan looked at the dangerous pass city and said with emotion.

************

The bandit leader Liu Miaozhen led his troops south to Yingshui, and the bandits in Hezhongfu on the north bank of the Yellow River gradually calmed down. Even if a small number of bandits attacked, they could not shake the two hundred elite soldiers of Gu Siyuan's retinue. Instead, they gave Gu Siyuan many achievements in suppressing the bandits.

After a war that lasted for three or four months, half of the counties in Hezhong Prefecture were destroyed, and many officials died. New officials have not yet been replaced. The war and the continuous drought have left desolation and desolation everywhere.

of refugees.

Gu Siyuan selected strong men from the refugees along the way. When he left Tongguan County, he only had 200 men. After ten days, there were more than a thousand men and women, plus their families, a team of nearly 2,500 people. In the areas controlled by the refugee army, there were

The Liang family controls travel between areas.

Gu Siyuan organized one group for the accompanying family members and another group for more than a thousand Jianyong. He also learned the formation method commonly practiced by Lin Fu in the Jiangdong Left Army. He divided the two hundred elites into groups and served as corps commanders and flag leaders. He scattered the refugees Jianyong.

We were incorporated into them, and we suppressed some small groups of bandits along the way, obtained some supplies of soldiers and armor, and also trained our troops.

When they reached Daming Mansion, the army composed of more than a thousand refugees fought against the bandits along the way, which was more powerful than Qingzhou's army.

I want Lin Fu to recruit refugees and go north to King Qin. When they reach Jinan, the Jiangdong left army dares to fight with the Donglu elite sentries outside the city. They march north to Yannan and achieve a great victory in Cangnan. Then they enter Jinhai and join forces with the remnants of the Jinzhong army.

, Daichuangluqi——The grassroots army is so capable of fighting. In the final analysis, there are not many secrets. The key is that a group of qualified grassroots military attachés have been incorporated into the army.

A great army and a top-down military attache system are the truly solid skeleton.

The Gu family's more than 400 elite soldiers were truly formed after the bloody battle in Jiyang. More than 200 people were selected from the Jiyang people's warriors. More than 200 people were organized into the water camp for Yang Shi and became the two battalions trained in Chongzhou.

Jian Rui's backbone and the remaining two hundred people were brought to Yang Pu and handed over to Gu Siyuan.

Entering the territory of Daming Anyang, Gu Siyuan and others heard the news that Jining had been captured by the refugee army.

Jining is southeast of Damingfu, southwest of Tai'an, and north of Xuzhou.

Between Jining and Xuzhou are Weishan Lake, Dushan Lake, Zhaoyang Lake, and Nanyang Lake, which are connected from north to south and are connected to each other. These four Weishan Lakes are also called Nansi Lakes and are connected by the Jianghuai River and the Jinei River.

The most important waterway for water transportation. Jining is connected to the Jianghuai River in the south and the Heji River in the north.

"When Ge Ping led the Tianyi rebels to drive the Liang family out of Jinan, two to three hundred thousand people passed through Jining, but they were unable to capture Jining. They wanted to go south to the Huaihe River, but Yue Lengqiu led his army to station in Xuzhou to block it. Ge Ping

Without the ability to capture Linyi, hundreds of thousands of Tianyi rebels were trapped in the hills and ravines in the east of Nansi Lake. Although they occupied Weishan County, they were just fish in a dry ditch and trapped animals in a cage. Unexpectedly

Liu Miaozhen did not go south to contain Yue Lengqiu with Chen Hansan and support the Tianyi rebels going south. Instead, she directly sent troops to capture Jining..." Zhao Qinmin put his hands on the desk, looked at the crude map, and pointed at Yingkou in the southwest of Xuzhou.

, said, "When we set out from Tongguan, the bandit leader Liu An'er led the army of bandits eastward to Yingkou. If he led the army of bandits to continue marching eastward, could it be said that they wanted to encircle Yue Lengqiu in Xuzhou?"

Zhao Qinmin was not good at specific military management, but he was good at analyzing strategic situations.

Gu Siyuan frowned slightly. It was not his turn to care about the general situation of the world. The most important thing at the moment was that he should lead the two or three thousand people back to Qingzhou safely and without envy.

Gu Siyuan is no longer Wang Chao, and Yuan Jinsheng is acting like a fool. If the Liang family wants to gain a foothold in Shandong, it is necessary to expel Tang Haoxin's legacy forces from the Lushan area. If Gu Siyuan leads his troops from Liang

If the Liang family passes through the control area, the possibility of mistaking them for rogues and annihilating them is very high.

He originally planned to go to Qingzhou via Jining, and he would be able to sit back and relax as long as he reached Linyi.

Unexpectedly, Liu Miaozhen, a girl in Hongze's red coat, occupied Jining first and blocked their way to the east. They could not go south either. At this time, in the Huaibei area from Yingkou to Xuzhou, the mountains and plains were probably filled with refugee troops.

Liu Miaozhen captured Jining, so that the Tianyi rebels of the Geping tribe who had been trapped between Jining, Linyi, and Xuzhou were no longer isolated. Chen Han and Liu An'er led the main force of the refugee army to march eastward along the north bank of the Huaihe River, leading the Huai army.

Yue Lengqiu, who retreated to Xuzhou, was indeed worried about being surrounded.

Cao Yiqu stopped advancing at Tongguan, and the Liang family waited and watched the situation in Jinan. Instead, they became a lone army in Lengqiu, the mountain of Xuzhou. The refugee army came to encircle as many as four and a half million people - the Tianyi rebels under Ge Ping's command

That's okay, more than 300,000 civilians had hurriedly raised the army in less than five months, and they didn't even have enough people to use a hoe as a weapon. The threat was really limited, but the refugee army led by Liu An'er was very different.

Liu An'er was originally a general of the border army. After Chen Tangyi was defeated, he led his troops to escape from the frontier army and returned to Sizhou. He operated secretly in Sizhou for two years before taking advantage of the influx of refugees to the south and raised troops in Hongzepu. At the beginning of the army, they robbed

The Qin family's fleet received a large amount of supplies, and its strength quickly expanded to 200,000. It took control of Sizhou, Shiliang and other counties, and had a long-term confrontation with the Changhuai Army, Dongyang Xiangyong, Weiyang Army, Huai'an Anti-Pirate Camp and other units.

It has been nearly two years since we captured Haozhou, wiped out all the Chang Huai Army, and obtained a large number of soldiers and supplies. We then abandoned Haozhou and marched into Huaishang, joining forces with the bandits to attack separately, and then moved to Nanyang and Hanzhong.

Liu An'er has not been driven away by the officers and soldiers in the past two years, but because there are too many men and horses in his unit. If they stay in one place for too long, it will be very difficult to supply food and grass. Therefore, he is forced to choose to disperse the supply pressure by moving bandits to fight. His subordinates

The 200,000 soldiers and horses did not continue to expand. Although the armor was not complete, there were still 30,000 to 50,000 capable soldiers.

Liu An'er led the main force of the refugee army to encircle Xuzhou, and Yue Lengqiu was in great trouble.

Yue Lengqiu and Gu Wuchen are sworn enemies in the temple, but if Yue Lengqiu is surrounded in Xuzhou, it will not be their turn to rejoice in the misfortune. If the Changzhun Army, which has spent huge sums of money to rebuild, is destroyed again, the foundation of Jiangdong County will be hurt.

When the nest is overturned, how can the eggs be left intact? This is the truth. No matter how fierce the fight is in the temple, if Yue Lengqiu loses in Xuzhou, everyone in Jiangning, Dongyang and Chongzhou will be worried about losing their lips and teeth.

"Lin Fu's period of observing filial piety has also expired, so it is time for him to lead his army to march north from Chongzhou." Yang Pu said.
Chapter completed!