When King Jing Zhao Tuan felt deeply powerless and frustrated, he heard Xu Huai say that he could slightly demoralize the soldiers, so he grabbed his shoulders and asked anxiously: "What can I do?"
"The Prime Minister Wang once said that when the captive cavalry peeked at Zhengzhou, apart from the fact that Zhengzhou is connected to Zhiguan, Taihang and other passes in the north, which echoes the Western Route Army surrounding Taiyuan City, going west can block the Western Army's eastward advance. And the Western Army can
Whether the eastward advance can be carried out smoothly is the key to solving the siege of Bianliang."
Xu Huai didn't show any concern and said directly,
"When it comes to the Western Army's eastward advance from Tongguan, except for Hangu Pass to the west of Luoyang, Yanshi, Gongxian, and Xingyang at the northern foot of Songshan Mountain between Luoyang and Zhengzhou are all places that are easy to defend and difficult to attack, that is,
It is said that after the Japanese captured Zhengzhou, even if they did not bypass Luoyang and stationed troops and horses directly in front of Hangu Pass, but occupied Yanshi, Gongxian, Xingyang and other places, they could still block the Western Army's eastward advance. The Western Army could
Entering Luoyang, you can only enter the Hehuai area through the narrow valley road that has been in disrepair for many years between the southern foot of Songshan Mountain and Funiu Mountain, and borrow the road from Ruzhou to break the siege of Bianliang. This will not only make the Western Army soldiers more tired,
The time will be delayed for at least half a month to a month, and the battle situation will become more complicated, giving the barbarians more time to deploy the battle situation. The soldiers in Zhengzhou City are weak, and the surrounding city is wide, making it easy for the barbarians and cavalry to attack.
At this time, it is impossible to encircle the enemy with manpower, but the three cities of Yanshi, Gongxian, and Xingyang are small and close to the mountains, and if we defend them to wait for the Western Army, we can defeat the wishful thinking of the captives and cavalry to seal the road!"
Zhengzhou is a big city, with a city wall about thirty miles long. Xu Huai led two to three thousand elites to fill it in. Even if Sun Huacheng, the Zhengzhou defense commander, fully cooperated, he was simply unable to take care of such a long line of defense.
Zhengzhou City is adjacent to the Yellow River to the north, with flat rivers to the east and south, and some mountains to the southwest, but they are not very undulating. It is destined to be tightly blocked by the red cavalry, and it will be difficult for reinforcements to enter the city to supplement the lack of combat power.
Xingyang, Gongxian, and Yanshi are different. The three cities are all small. The perimeter of the city wall is about four to six miles. The defensive area is much narrower than that of Zhengzhou City. It is easier for a small number of elites to rely on the city to defend.
The more critical point is that the three cities all rely on Songshan Mountain. It is difficult for the captive soldiers to completely seal them off in a short time. On the one hand, the reinforcements can cross the mountains and enter the three cities. On the other hand, the city cannot be defended. Xu Huai and the others can also abandon the city and retreat into Songshan Mountain.
It's not a fatal situation.
The question is, how do they enter one of the cities and gain command?
Xu Huai directly led five hundred fine cavalry, pretending to be prisoners and crossed directly. The three-city guard was sick. Will he believe his words, open the city gate to welcome them in, and give up the defense and command of the entire city?
Or is it that Xu Huai’s face is particularly big?
Let alone entering the county town, would any village in Gyeonggi Province easily open the gate and let them in before gaining absolute trust?
Xu Huai had never thought of this possibility before, but meeting King Jing who was unable to return to the capital at this time was another story.
"...His Highness's safety is very important. This dangerous strategy must not be adopted!" However, before King Jing could speak, the middle-aged man beside him panicked and tried to dissuade him, "If Marquis Xu Jun is sure of helping to defend a city, Shang Duan is willing to go on behalf of His Highness.
, Your Highness should go to Caizhou for temporary refuge first!"
King Jing said calmly: "I don't know who the magistrate of Gong County is, but there are two thousand troops guarding the mausoleum in Gong County, the mausoleum guard Qiao Jien, and the commander Chen Yougui, I recognize them all; and only if I go there, they will know
Open the city gate!"
Gong County is affiliated to Luoyang Prefecture. The city is built on the east bank of the mouth of the Yiluo River into the Yellow River. To the southeast are the mountains of the Songshan Mountains, to the north is the Yellow River, to the west is the Yiluo River, and on the west bank of the Yiluo River is the Mang Mountain.
Gong County is also the eastern gateway of the Luoyang Basin, and to the southwest along the Yiluo River is Yanshi.
Although the Jingxi North Road is located in Luoyang, the small number of stationed imperial troops have already been transferred to Zhengzhou and Xuzhou on the east wing.
Luoyang has sixteen counties under its jurisdiction. At this time, it can be definitely said that there are forbidden troops in the city participating in the defense. Apart from Luoyang City where Lu Zhi is located, it is probably only Gong County.
The Imperial Mausoleum of Dayue was built in the deep mountains in the south of Gong County. Gong County is not only the gateway to the Luoyang Basin, but also the gateway to the Imperial Mausoleum of Dayue. The Imperial Tomb Guards have been stationed for a long time; this is a force that no one dares to mobilize.
And because Gong County is the gateway to the imperial mausoleum, although the city is small, it is more difficult and dangerous than Xingyang and Yanshi.
King Jing Zhao Tuan did not have much contact with the courtiers, but as a prince and a member of the Zhao family, he had visited the imperial mausoleum on behalf of Emperor Tianxuan many times on important memorial days.
Unlike local state and county officials who rotated periodically and had little contact with King Jing and Zhao Tuan, the officials guarding the mausoleum were relatively fixed and were mostly held by eunuchs.
"Your Highness, please think twice. Qiao Jien, the guardian of the mausoleum, and Zhang Xin and Qian Yishan both know each other. It is enough for me and Qian Yishan to accompany Marquis Xu to help guard Gong County." Zhang Xin also advised King Jing to be cautious.
Dai Viet has stricter restrictions on princes. In addition to internal officials, the prince's palace basically does not set up officials such as chief historian, Sima, and counselors to join the army. The internal affairs of the palace are mainly handled by subordinate officials such as Yishan, Wang You, and Jishijunjun.
Qian Shangduan, as a good official in Prince Jing's palace, was in charge of attendants and lecturers, and he was already at the head of the history of the palace.
As a military minister, Zhang Xin was subordinate to the three yamen, but he was also an old man who had served in Prince Jing's Mansion for many years.
Although he was also born in martial arts and was highly appreciated in the army. His father and grandfather were also old men in the army. He quickly rose to the position of commander of the royal guards, but he had not experienced any war. In the past, they were in Bianliang.
They lacked an intuitive understanding of strength and weakness, and felt contempt for them. However, in the past month, they followed King Jing Zhao Tuan to participate in various military discussions, and worked everywhere for rewards, and to some extent they realized the fierceness of the red cavalry.
In this adventure, they first left Bianliang City. More than a hundred cavalry encountered a small group of only twenty prisoners. It can be said that they had no ability to fight back, and they were killed and wounded more than twenty people. The remaining people were waiting for them.
He could only escort King Jing to escape in a hurry.
They also witnessed with their own eyes the process of the Japanese soldiers' raid on Yanling City. The Japanese soldiers did not use any siege equipment at all, but made some improvised ladders, and even used simple hooks to directly attach to the wall and attack the city, killing all sides.
These encounters in just two or three days made Zhang Xin deeply realize how big the gap was between the palace guards and the Vietnamese Imperial Army who usually flaunted their power, and the elite Red Husbands who fought bloody battles in all directions.
It is true that there are two thousand soldiers guarding the tomb in Gong County. The generals are all of extraordinary appearance and tall, but they usually practice sweeping ritual formations. If they are expected to defend the city, they may not be much better than the sword archers.
Wang Zhen and Zhu Hang repeatedly praised Xu Huai and the Tongbai Mountain soldiers for their bravery and prowess in front of King Jing. In Zhang Xin's opinion, even if Wang Zhen and Zhu Hang were not lying, the Tongbai Mountain soldiers were incomparable to the captive soldiers they encountered.
, not to mention that Xu Huai only had a few hundred cavalry with him, so of what use could they be?
"The mountains and rivers are broken, the country is gone, and thousands of soldiers are needed to fight bravely. As a son of the Zhao clan, how can I dare to spare my life?" King Jing Zhao Tuan stood up and said with emotion.
He had a deep discussion with Wang Zhen and Zhu Hang about the changes in the situation, and they knew very well that if the elite of the Western Army were blocked to the west of Luoyang and unable to advance eastward, the other troops and horses of the Qin King would be unable to fight against the Red Husband Cavalry and would only watch helplessly.
Liangcheng fell into a tight siege by the Red Husbands.
With a population of 16.7 million being besieged in Bianliang City, how long can the city's food reserves last?
And he also knew very well in his heart that neither the mausoleum defenders nor the Gongxian defenders had anything to rely on. He could only rely on Wang's report. Zhu Hang's praise of the people in Tongbai Mountain was well-deserved; and Zhang Xin and Qian Shangduan accompanied Xu Huai to Gongxian.
, may help Xu Huai enter the city smoothly, but there is no way to make Qiao Jien and other Gong County defenders follow the advice of Xu Huai and others and redeploy the defense.
"How can you accomplish anything with just three to five hundred of you?" Qian Shangduan also stamped his feet anxiously, complaining that Xu Huai was recklessly encouraging King Jing to take risks.
Xu Huai didn't have time to talk to Qian Shangduan. Zhang Xin explained and said to King Jing: "Please write a letter to Hu Shijun. We will rush to Gong County first. The troops are still slightly less. We still need Hu Shijun to follow."
Caizhou mobilized some elites to stick to Funiu Mountain and go north to Songshan Mountain to meet us!"
The red cavalry blocked Pingchuan, and the mountainous Funiu Mountains and Song Mountains were still beyond their reach for the time being. They went north along the edge of the mountains. When encountering the enemy, they avoided the mountains, or even went directly to the mountains and small passes. In the end, three to five hundred people arrived at Gong.
If the county joins them, the chance of winning will increase by 10% to 20%.
Qian Shangduan and Zhang Xin were so anxious that Xu Huai was so excited that he even carried pen and ink with him.
While Zhu Tong was waiting for King Jing to write the letter, Xu Huaicai took time out to talk to Qian Shangduan and Zhang Xin explained:
"Qian Langjun, Zhang Junhou, unless Xu Huai instigated His Highness to commit danger, the situation is actually extremely dangerous, and His Highness cannot turn the tide. And going to Gong County may not be as dangerous as you imagine: first, capture the troops in the early stage
Our thoughts will definitely still be on Zhengzhou. Only by capturing Zhengzhou first will we send troops westward to the north of Songshan Mountain. We rush to Gongxian County and we will not encounter the enemy suddenly. And His Highness himself is in danger in Gongxian County, and Luoyang Mansion will never dare to sit idly by.
Reason, we can also hope to borrow some reinforcements from Luoyang; in addition, Sun Huacheng and Sun Shijun are in Zhengzhou, and Zhengzhou also has 20,000 troops, so it may not necessarily fall..."
Zhang Xin and Qian Shangduan thought about it. Luoyang Prefecture was really in embarrassment and could still squeeze out some troops. But before His Highness went to Gong County, Luoyang Prefecture might not send troops to reinforce Gong County!
