For a distance of four to five hundred miles, if the post relay changes horses without changing people, it may take day and night; the elite cavalry can travel day and night, and it may only take two or three days; the forced march of elite infantry may only take four or five days, but for those who endure hunger,
For more than half a year, the soldiers and civilians of Taiyuan were so weak that they would collapse in the wind, but it was an indescribably long journey that almost spanned a natural chasm.
First, go south from Shiyan Valley and arrive at the canyon section of Fen River located in the hinterland of Luliang Mountain. Cross the Fen River and turn west to enter Loufan County, Lanzhou.
At this time, the reinforcements mobilized by Chihu from Huihe and Cangtouhe had already entered Lanzhou. Xu Huai and the others could only go from the mountains in the south of Fanlou County, along the deep gorges and dangerous valleys to the southwest, to the west of Luliang Mountain and Guanchuan Mountain.
To the south, we walked slowly through the valleys of the Mao Plateau.
Along the way, Xu Huai not only sent troops and horses to block the openings where enemy cavalry might penetrate in advance, but also did everything possible to send forward troops and horses to open roads across mountains and build bridges over streams, so as to reduce the difficulty and facilitate the subsequent passage of Taiyuan soldiers and civilians.
At the same time, it ensures that a large number of livestock can transport a large amount of supplies on camels and follow the large troops slowly in the mountains.
The soldiers and civilians of Taiyuan rested and marched in the Luliang Mountains. It was not until early February that they arrived at the bank of the Yellow River in the southwest corner of Guanlui Mountain.
At this time, the Yellow River is like a winding white ribbon for thousands of miles, tied between the yellow sky and earth dotted with snow.
When the soldiers and civilians of Taiyuan arrived at the bank of the Yellow River, they were filled with joy and sorrow. Countless people knelt on the bank and cried bitterly. Xu Huai, Wang Ju, Xu Wuqi and others reined in their horses and stopped on the hilltops. They looked at the hills to the left and right, but they were not in the slightest mood.
easy.
They crossed the Chijian Mountains, crossed the Beichuan River, and entered Fenzhou.
At this time, the terrain is much gentler to the south, north, and west than the main line of the Luliang Mountains behind it. To the south is the Lishi County of Fenzhou. There is a post road at the southern foot of the Luliang Mountains leading to Wenquan County, and further to the southeast
Then it enters the territory of Jinzhou; and going south along the west bank of the Fen River is the two cities of Hejin and Puban, the gateway to Guanzhong.
At this time, information has also become smoother, and news can be exchanged with Xinqi in Fuzhou and Puzhou.
Therefore, Xu Huai also already understood the general situation of Hehuai at this time.
The main force of the Red Army crossed the Yellow River in mid-December of the eighth year of Tianxuan Period, and divided their troops into two groups to encircle Bianliang. At that time, even though there were more than 100,000 troops stationed in Bianliang City, the situation was in chaos.
Prior to this, in early November, although the main force of the Chi Hu did not cross the river at that time, and the Yellow River was not yet frozen, the Chi Hu people collected hundreds of boats along the coast, allowing 20,000 to 30,000 forward cavalry to cross the Yellow River in batches and advance into the Yellow River.
Attack the Bianshui River and along the Caishui River.
Water transportation was never restored, and the previous poor land transportation was also interrupted.
The ordinary people in Bianliang City have been short of food for a long time. The 100,000 garrison, hundreds of officials in the court and the imperial city have been exhausted, but they have also been cut off. When the main force of the Red Husband came to the city, the garrison had no fighting spirit, and the temple was in chaos.
Emperor Tianxuan and Wang Qiyong did not think about making great efforts to govern and appoint the remaining main war generals in the court to defend the city and wait for reinforcements. They also did not have the courage to take advantage of the Hehuai barbarians to move southward, but they would finally defend Bianliang.
The hope is pinned on a charlatan who claims to have no magic power and can dispatch six Dingliujia magic soldiers to assist in the battle.
The final defense of Bianliang City did not even fully mobilize the remaining 100,000 defenders in the capital. Instead, they listened to the lies of the charlatans and sorcerers and deliberately searched for 7,700 Dings born in the Yang year and the Yang month from the people of Bianliang.
Zhuang, as the Six Ding Liujia Divine Soldier, is responsible for guarding the city.
Under this ridiculous defense arrangement, the majestic Bianliang City was defeated in one blow. The civil and military officials of the entire dynasty, princes and grandsons, 100,000 defenders and nearly one million people were reduced to Red Husbands with almost no resistance.
The prisoner of the lower class.
Since the capture of Bianliang was far easier than imagined, and there were no sufficiently deterrent troops near the capital, the main force of the Red Army could not only attack westward from Zhengzhou, expand, and approach Hulao Pass again, but also have the remaining strength to return to the capital.
On the north bank of the Yellow River, with Weizhou as the core, they attacked the cities in southern Hebei, reinforced Jiangzhou all the way, and advanced along the Fen River toward Puban, Hejin, Pinglu and other cities.
In other words, although Xu Huai and the others achieved great success in raiding Taiyuan, they did not help the overall situation at all, and Dai Viet inevitably slid to the edge of collapse.
Of course, Xu Huai's current understanding of the details of the situation in Hehuai is very limited. The upright Zhou Jing and Yan Xiaoyi led their troops to sneak into Zhengzhou, Yanling and other places to spy on intelligence. However, no matter how optimistic he was, at this time
It's hard to relax.
Gu Jian had already returned to Fuzhou before entering Lishi County, and Qiao Jien also took Xu Wei, Qian Zerui and others, and Yang Qiye led his troops to escort him to Puban to see King Jing.
As the leader of an army, Xu Huai had no way to abandon his troops and advance first. He, Wen Hengyue, Xu Wuqi, Wang Ju, Xiao Yanhan and others led the troops and continued to escort Taiyuan soldiers and civilians to continue their westward retreat from Fenzhou.
To the south of Pinglu City is Maojin Ferry, which is the key point for crossing the river south to Luoyang; Puban, Hejin is located on the east bank of the Yellow River and is the gateway to Guanzhong. Crossing the Yellow River to the west is the Wei River Plain of Guanzhong.
The fall of any city would have earth-shaking implications for the situation in Luoyang, Guanshan, and Shaanxi.
Therefore, when Taiyuan soldiers and civilians crossed the Yellow River and entered Yanzhou territory, they could not stop and recuperate, let alone resettle on the spot; after they arrived in Yanzhou, they had to continue heading south non-stop.
Seeing the thousands of miles of frozen Yellow River right in front of him, as long as the soldiers and civilians of Taiyuan crossed the river, they would be relatively safe, but how could Xu Huai feel relaxed?
At this time, more than a hundred cavalry came from the south, passed through the Chushan Cavalry's outer scout blockade, and continued northward along the earthen road on the west bank of the Yellow River.
Xu Huai guessed that the messenger sent by King Jing from Puban and Hejin together with Wen Hengyue, Xu Wuqi, Wang Ju, Xiao Yanhan and others rode down the hill to greet them.
Xu Huai and the others rode down the hill, only to see Zhu Hang, surrounded by guards led by Zheng Shou, hurrying up along the earthen road on the west bank of the Yellow River.
Zhu Hang, Zheng Shou and others were not envious, but many of the guards and cavalry behind them were covered in blood. They must have encountered captive soldiers on their way north.
"Where did you come from, and how did you encounter the captive soldiers?" Xu Huai and Wen Hengyue hurriedly greeted them, and when Zhu Hang and others dismounted, they asked with concern.
"When we went north from Hejin, the main force of the Japanese soldiers was still on the west bank of the Fen River. We thought there would be no danger if we walked close to the outer edge of Luliang Mountain. Unexpectedly, we encountered a group of Japanese soldiers and scouts on the way. Fortunately, Zheng Shou and the others fought hard.
He was very powerful and got rid of the entanglement quickly, only losing four or five good players!" Zhu Hang said with lingering fear.
It has been more than a year since the Red Husband first invaded the south. Although Dai Viet's overall military strength has not improved significantly, and Hedong, Hebei and other places have also fallen more completely, there are still a small number of elites who have experienced bloody battles.
It has grown rapidly.
Zheng Shou led a small number of cavalry to escort Zhu Hang to the north. Even if he encountered a small group of Japanese soldiers and scouts on the way, he would not be in the same mess as when King Jing Zhao Tuan left Bianliang.
Shi Hu led Zheng Shou and others to the camp to clean the wounds and rest. He, Wen Hengyue, Xu Wuqi, Wang Ju, Xiao Yanhan and Chen Zixiao gathered around Zhu Hang to learn about the latest situation in Heluo.
"... Before the fall of Bianliang, the official decree officially conferred the title of His Highness as the Grand Marshal of the Army in the West of Beijing, Guanshan, and Hedong. The Army Marshal's Mansion was temporarily located in Puban; Zheng Huaizhong and Gao Junyang served as the Heluo camp respectively.
The general manager of the military and horse capital, and the general manager of the military and horse capital of the Guan-Shaanxi camp are all under the control of His Highness. After Qiao Daguan and Xu Fujun arrived in Puban, His Highness also intentionally ordered Fuzhou troops and horses and Khitan troops to go south to Yanzhou, Hejin and other places.
"I am going north this time to see you, and secondly to go to Fuzhou to urge the soldiers and horses of Fuzhou to send the Khitan troops south as soon as possible! If you can, Your Highness hopes you can lead the way as soon as possible."
Let’s go south to Hejin and meet at Puban!”
"Gu Jiqian has decided to move south. Gu Jian returned to Fuzhou to supervise the matter. I believe they have sent envoys to Puban to see His Highness. They should have taken the road from Hexi and missed you. There is no need for you to go this way again.
"What happened," Xu Huai said, "Tomorrow, the soldiers and civilians of Taiyuan will basically be able to cross the Yellow River. Then we will set off directly south to Hejin and see His Highness in Puban!"
Logically speaking, after the fall of Bianliang, Zhu Hang, Qian Shangduan, Zheng Huaizhong and others should directly support King Jing. However, the delay lasted for nearly a month. Apparently King Jing still had various considerations and did not agree.
As the main participant in the attack on Taiyuan, the Gu family has reached this point, and with the military order issued by King Jing as the marshal of all armies, there will be no change in the retreat of the soldiers and civilians of Fuzhou to the south.
However, Linfu Road only governs three counties with 70,000 to 80,000 people. They had prepared to evacuate south two months ago. It would not be difficult to move south together with the remnants of the Khitan tribe who had long resumed their nomadic traditions. That Yan Muchi was in Lanzhou
A lot of soldiers and horses have been assembled, but they are not yet able to threaten the Fuzhou Army and the remnants of the Khitan clan.
Therefore, there was no need for Zhu Hang to make a special trip, he could just send someone to deliver King Jing's handwriting to Fuzhou.
The most important thing at the moment is the matter of support. Even if the formal support can be postponed, many details must be considered and prepared now.
More importantly, considering the overall situation, Xu Huai rushed to Puban to urge King Jing to go to Xiangyang and ascend the throne.
With Xiangyang as the new capital, on the one hand, it can better command the troops in Jianghuai, Heluo, Guanshan and establish a new line of defense to resist the Red Husbands; on the other hand, it can better communicate and control Jinghu, Jianghuai, Jiangnan, and Jiangnan.
Zhejiang, use its wealth to raise troops and horses.
At the same time, King Lu led Weizhou soldiers and horses to withdraw into Qingzhou, Qizhou, and King Jing also needed to get ahead of King Lu to win the support of the forces in Huainan, Jiangnan, and Zhejiang, instead of letting them be won over by King Lu's group.
Of course, Bianliang has fallen, and the troops and horses that can be mobilized to resist are mainly in the hands of King Jing and King Lu. They can't fight with each other, leaving the red soldiers to benefit.
However, how to get King Lu to accept the fact that King Jing ascended the throne and become part of the new dynasty is also a great test of the political methods here.
Xu Huai was accustomed to commanding troops and did not like to be caught up in intrigues and internal struggles at this time.
He was going to Pu Ban to see King Jing, so he naturally had to drag Zhu Hang back. Zhu Hang would be responsible for participating in the discussion of these major events. He would be somewhat cleaner and could rush back to Chu Mountain to prepare his troops as soon as possible...
