Xu Huai, Meng Jie, Xu Kang, Cheng Xiao, Han Qiwen and others were discussing the evacuation of the people in the Yamen Hall, and Su Mi came in to report.
When Cheng Xiao heard that Liu Xian had come back alive, he stood up in surprise. When he was about to walk out of the government hall to greet him, he saw Meng Jie, Xu Kang, Han Qiwen and others sitting there after several cases, all motionless, and he suddenly woke up:
20,000 soldiers and horses were destroyed so easily. Can Liu Xian guarantee that Xiang Shang's head will not matter? Who will regard him as the pacification envoy of the Jinghu North Road Manager?
Of course, Xu Huai is not here. Before Xiangyang issued an edict to punish Liu Xian for losing the army, Meng Jie, Xu Kang, Han Qiwen and others had to pinch their noses to recognize Liu Xian as the strategic pacifier, but Xu Huai is here.
What kind of temper and what kind of character did Xu Huai have? How could he possibly return control of Huaichuan to Liu Xian?
As for Meng Jie and Xu Kang, they were only officials on Jinghu North Road with Liu Xian. Han Qiwen was the magistrate of Huaichuan County and was formerly affiliated with Beijing North Road. They could not even be considered Liu Xian's subordinates, let alone Liu Xian's personal officials.
It just went against the laws of the imperial court and was controlled and regulated by Liu Xian.
Besides, the main force of Xuanwei's army was destroyed in Jiaopi. Not only did they not need to take responsibility for this, but they also assisted Xu Huai in guarding Huaichuan. Now that they are full and supported, they still want to go with Liu Xian?
People, you have to be realistic.
Cheng Xiao stopped abruptly, wishing that an invisible hand could appear out of thin air and drag him back to several cases.
"I'll wait for Ambassador Liu to come in quickly!" Xu Huai supported the case and walked away, striding out of the Yamen hall.
Seeing this scene, everyone stood up together and followed Xu Huai out of the government hall. They saw that Liu Xian had already taken off his purple official robe and put on the robes of an ordinary soldier. He also twisted off the beautiful beard under his chin and was covered in mud.
There is an unspeakable embarrassment.
"..." Seeing Xu Huai and the generals coming out of the government hall to greet him, Liu Xian cried out without tears, "I am ashamed to see Xu Hou and the generals. Twenty thousand soldiers were buried in the battlefield by the little old man! Fortunately, Xu Hou was in time.
Help each other, otherwise, I don’t know how much this situation has corrupted me. I’m so confused!”
"Don't say that, Commander Liu. The enemy troops are strong and will come back at any time. At this time, Master Liu is still needed to take charge of the overall situation!" Xu Huai said.
"What role do I have to preside over the overall situation? The only thing I can do now is to go to Xiangyang to plead guilty!" Liu Xianchang bowed and said, "I can only entrust Xu Hou to shoulder the heavy responsibility for this matter! Please also ask Xu Hou to prepare a small boat for me.
!”
Liu Xian insisted on rushing to Xiangyang to plead guilty. Xu Huai said: "The situation is so critical. Guangzhou can no longer be defended. It is difficult for Chushan soldiers to take care of both sides. I discussed with Meng Langjun and Xu Langjun that not only the people of Huaichuan need to cross the river and go south
The people in Huangchuan and Guangshan also need to be evacuated to the south of Jiuliguan. It may be difficult for me, Meng Langjun, and Xu Langjun to write the memorial. Since Liu Shijun went to Xiangyang to meet His Majesty, I also ask Liu Shijun to present the report on his behalf.
!”
Xu Huai dragged Liu Xian into the yamen hall and sat down. He told him in detail the current bad situation and the enemy's possible next offensive. Then someone brought Liu Xian's robe and prepared it.
The boat took him across the river and headed south to Xiangyang.
In the afternoon, Shi Zhen, Tang Tiande, Jiang Xie and other officials rushed to Huaichuan. Xu Huai handed over many affairs to Shi Zhen to discuss with Meng Jie, Xu Kang, Han Qiwen and others, and he felt relaxed.
Liu Xian's return was mainly due to the night battle in Huaichuan, which attracted the main enemy forces on the Jiaopi and Chaiji lines to the south.
Next, especially the cavalry under Molihu were in Jiaopi at night, and there were only more than 500 troops left on the Chaiji front line, while many of the soldiers under Zhong Changqing shrank back to the camps after nightfall.
Mo Lihu and Zhong Changqing's troops withdrew from Huaichuan. In order to prevent the Chushan elite from pursuing them, they gathered their troops and marched, leaving a large space for the defeated soldiers to move south.
However, even so, at dusk, the defeated soldiers who fled south to Huaichuan and the left and right banks of the Huai River gathered together, and there were only 3,000 people; even if the other generals had not been killed or captured at this time, or
They were still hiding in river bends and reed swamps, but as the soldiers adjusted their deployment and regained control of the area north of Huaichuan with absolute superiority, they would no longer have the chance to escape.
In addition to reorganizing the existing defenders of Huaichuan, Xu Huai also left Chen Zixiao in charge of collecting the defeated soldiers.
Huaichuan is a large city on land and water with many ships. When Liu Xian led the main force of the Xuanwei Army to Huaichuan, he also requisitioned two local shipyards to build warships.
Therefore, although there were many people gathered in Huaichuan, they were arranged in an orderly manner, and 80,000 people were transferred to the south bank in four days.
At this time, Zhu Hang came to Huaichuan with an order.
"Liu Gong is really confused!" Zhu Hang climbed up to the city head and saw that the ground inside Huaichuan City was in disarray. He saw that the vanguard of the captives once again advanced outside Huaichuan City and set up a camp ten miles north of Huaichuan City.
Zhong Changqing's troops were able to advance southward in an orderly manner. Unexpectedly, the soldiers and horses of Chushan could come out of Huaichuan to make a surprise attack, but their hearts were filled with despair.
The winter war on the Huaishang Defense Line has just begun, and all the troops in the eastern section have been lost. Who is willing to face such a situation?
"Liu Xian underestimated the enemy and advanced rashly, causing the main force of Xuanwei's army to be destroyed in the first battle. His Majesty was furious when he heard the news. Zhou and other high ministers also wanted to punish severely, but Your Majesty still wants to hear your opinion!" Zhu Hang said in a low voice.
When Zhu Hang came here, he not only issued an order to formally integrate the remnants of the Xuanwei Army south of Jiuliguan into the Chushan camp, but also asked Xu Huai on behalf of Emperor Jianji about the follow-up defense of Huaishang. He also came to ask Xu Huai on behalf of Emperor Jianji.
I have my opinions on how to deal with Liu Xian.
At present, there are people in Xiangyang interceding for Liu Xian, but more people advocate severe punishment, and some people think that if Liu Xian is not killed, it will be a shame to bury the generals of Xuanwei Army.
"Liu Shijun was guilty of underestimating the enemy and losing the army, but he took care of His Majesty's worries!" Xu Huai said softly.
"..." Zhu Hang nodded and said, "I will bring your words to Your Majesty."
"The current situation is too difficult. It is better to underestimate the enemy and act rashly than to surrender to the enemy." Xu Huai said leisurely.
Dai Viet still has half of the country, and there are dynasties everywhere. Over the years, Jianghuai, Jinghu and other places have been fully developed, with a prosperous population and abundant supplies.
Dai Viet could not afford to underestimate the enemy and act rashly, resulting in the loss of troops and generals. Dai Viet had already suffered so many defeats and was not afraid of more defeats. What was more afraid was that the fear of war and the fear of the enemy would spread.
From this perspective, the severe punishment of Liu Xian in the past did not bring better results; the current situation is too bad and too complicated, so it is even more necessary to be cautious and patient.
Xu Huai advocated punishing Liu Xian, but there must be limits.
Of course, Xu Huai also suggested that Emperor Jianji should discuss it with everyone in the court as to how to deal with Liu Xian in the end.
Zhu Hang nodded, indicating that he understood what Xu Huai was worried about. After all, many things they had experienced over the years were the same. He asked again: "Your Majesty is still worried about whether Huaishang can withstand this winter. Now the enemy is on Huaishang."
The forces assembled
Too much!"
"The situation is very difficult, but there will be no problems in Huaishang this winter," Xu Huai said. "Huangchuan, Guangshan and even Luoshan can be abandoned. Even if the enemy crosses the river and goes south, it will be difficult during the ice period of the Huaihe River. As long as
Defend the Jiuli Pass, Pingjing, and Wusheng Passes in the back and belly of Xinyang. If the enemy crosses the river in a hurry, they will at least worry about being attacked by our Chushan army on the flanks. As for Qingyi Ridge, Shimen Ridge, and the Chushan line, I will manage it in two years.
I wish Yue Hailou would open his mouth and chew it!"
The ice-free period of the Huaihe River is very short, which makes the Japanese soldiers dare not mobilize the army to attack Jiuli Pass or Xinyang City before they have solved the Chushan New City and Qingyi Ridge defenders on the upper reaches of the Huaihe River. If they were in Jiuli Pass and
Xinyang City was blocked before, and the Huai River thawed early due to abnormal weather. They had no way to ensure the safety of the troops' retreat.
This also determines that the focus of the Huaishang War will still be on the western or middle section.
The western section is now divided into two parts: north and south. Liu Yan is stationed in Wuyang, and Deng Gui leads the Xuanwu Army on the right in Fangcheng and Biyang to prepare for any danger.
Emperor Jianji and everyone in Xiangyang were still worried that Chushan would not be able to withstand the pressure, so they sent Zhu Hang over to ask Xu Huai about his detailed defense plan.
Otherwise, how can Xiangyang feel at ease?
Zhu Hang then talked about Xiangyang's many arrangements for Jinghu North Road.
The defeat of the Xuanwei Army once again proved that the combat effectiveness of the Forbidden Army under the jurisdiction of Jianghuai, Jinghu, and even the Sichuan Gorge, whether from the generals to the lower-level soldiers, was very worrying. At least it could no longer be put alone.
One direction is responsible for independent operations.
In the general direction, everyone in Xiangyang advocates that all troops and horses from the inner line be transferred to the front line in turn to participate in the battle, but the front line commander will have command and control power.
To accomplish this, it will take a certain amount of time and communication with all the road supervisors. But with such a big problem on Jinghu North Road, the Jingbei Supervisor must be the first to take action.
The remnant soldiers south of Jiuliguan will be recruited by Chushan, and Xiangyang hopes that Chushan will expand its ranks by one or two more elite soldiers.
Because Xuanwei's army was defeated so miserably, Xiangyang was worried that Chushan would go wrong again. Zhou He, Gao Chunnian and others were relieved. Even if Tianxiong's army only added one or two more troops, the money and food allocated to Chushan would not be enough.
Increased to one million coins.
Of course, these money and grains must be collected from Jingbei. After all, Jinghu North Road will no longer need to bear military combat tasks alone, so there is no need to withhold so much money and grains.
The establishment of the Xuanwei Army will be abolished, and the troops and horses that still remain in the Jingbei states will be incorporated into the Xiang Army under the jurisdiction of the prefectures, forming a command system of the Capital Deployment Department (Road)-Dubing and Madu Supervisory Department (prefecture), and then take turns
Mobilize the troops and horses from various states to accept the control of Chushan (Xu Huai) or Wuyang (Liu Yan) and participate in the defense of the Huaishang line.
On the other hand, it also strengthens the Privy Council's control over local troops; after all, the formal dispatching power of these troops is now directly in the hands of the Privy Council.
This is actually quite a change.
In the past, the governor of Dai Viet was also the leader of the army and the governor of the capital. In fact, Zhongshu's province had a greater influence on the local state soldiers. The Privy Council usually only had the power to dispatch and command the imperial army.
For this reason, after Liu Xian, Jingbei will no longer appoint new economic and strategic envoys, but directly assign troops and horses to deploy, and receive the vertical jurisdiction of the Privy Council.
At present, in Xiangyang, Wang Fan has gone to Jingbei to serve as the deployment department of the military and horse capital, and is in charge of the reorganization of local soldiers and horses...
