Regardless of whether the enemy had shown timidity or not, Xu Huai did not dare to slack off in deploying defenses to the west of Ruzhou.
In many cases, the firmer and more indestructible the defender's will to resist, the more it can weaken or suppress the enemy's willingness to attack; conversely, it will make the enemy, who originally did not have a particularly strong willingness to attack, become eager to try.
In addition to building five small forts in the valley south of Pishan, Chushan also built five small forts in the valley south of Pishan. The forts were connected by long trenches and fences. There was also an undulating folded ridge north of Pishan on the southern slope of Jishan that looked like a woman's skirt.
In the valley, choose locations to build three forts.
Xu Huai's purpose was to build a defense line of more than thirty miles to the east of the Duma River, the northern branch of the upper reaches of the Beishui River, using a group of camps, long trenches, fences, and a long and narrow mountain as steep as a sword.
Block the Heluo enemy forces in the western part of the Ruzhou Basin.
From Xiangcheng and Ye County to the west to Ruzhou City (Liang County), which is about 150 miles away, it is the jurisdiction of Jiaxian County and Lushan County:
In the early years, there were post roads connecting the north and south banks of the Beishui River. The north bank post road was the only way for merchants from Xu, Cai, Ruying and other prefectures and counties to enter Ruzhou via Xiangcheng. The south bank post road was the only way for merchants from Jingxiang and Xiangzhou to pass through Ye County.
The only way to Heluo.
The two post roads merge into one at Majiadu west of the mouth of Yanglougou River, and then continue westward after passing through Ruzhou City.
For the time being, the Heluo Army had no intention of transferring more than 10,000 elite Red Hussars cavalry from the vicinity of Yique and Daguguan into the Ruzhou Basin. The mules and horses belonging to Lifengtang and Changshiyuan set out from Xiangcheng and Ye County.
, without stopping every day, tens of thousands of stones of grain, iron materials and other massive materials are continuously transported through these two post roads to Ruzhou City and to the Pishan Fortress on the front line.
It was difficult to organize the people of Ruzhou in a short period of time, and it was difficult to do what they wanted. Xu Huai recruited thousands of people from Ye County, Wuyang and other places to along the north-south post road, and on the basis of the original post stations and Wuzhai, he also strengthened and
Twelve post guard forts were expanded, supported by Jiaxian and Lushan counties, to form a communication line that traversed the entire eastern part of the Ruzhou Basin and was not afraid of attacks by small groups of enemy cavalry.
All this not only means that Chushan has mobilized more than 10,000 elite soldiers from the western front, which is already short of troops, and state soldiers to make up for the shortcomings of Ruzhou's defense line, but also means that Chushan has directly mobilized tens of thousands of strong civilians from Wuyang, Sapium and other places.
Entering Ruzhou for the construction of fortifications and post roads also meant the consumption of huge amounts of materials such as thousands of stones of grain and fodder every day.
However, Shi Zhen, who had often complained about Xu Huai's extravagant spending in the past, this time was eager to dig out all his wealth to support the construction of Ruzhou's defense line.
Holding the front line of Pishan, or in other words, forming a solid defense line west of Ruzhou City with Pishan as the core, means that Chushan will completely annex the entire eastern Ruzhou area.
It is not limited to the eastern part of the Ruzhou Basin, but also includes the entire eastern part of Jishan Mountain and the vast mountainous area in the northeast of Funiu Mountain.
Although Xiangcheng at the southeastern foot of Jishan Mountain and Ye County at the northeastern foothills of Funiu Mountain have long been included in the defensive scope of Chushan's camp, Chushan's previous jurisdiction was limited to Xiangcheng and two or three counties near Yexian County.
Mountains within ten miles.
Going west from Yexian County, most of the Funiu Mountains belong to Jiaxian, Lushan, Liangxian, Ruyang and other counties in Ruzhou; most of the mountains going south from Yexian County belong to Nanyang Fuye
Lower Fangcheng and Xiangcheng two counties.
From the west of Xiangcheng, most of the Jishan Mountain (southern range of Songshan Mountain), the southern slope belongs to Jia County, Lushan and Liang County under the jurisdiction of Ruzhou, while the northern slope belongs to Dengfeng County controlled by the enemy.
These mountainous areas were previously under the control of Heluo Xingying under the command of Zheng Huaizhong. After Zheng Huaizhong withdrew southward, they came under the control of Ruzhou and Zuo Xiaosheng's army led by Yang Lin.
Although Xu Huai has always emphasized that Zuo Xiaosheng's army should better rely on the dangerous terrain of Funiu Mountain and Jishan to resist the southward movement of the Japanese troops occupying the Heluo area, Zuo Xiaosheng's army will continue to focus on Ruyang, Liangxian and other cities.
On the defense.
Yang Lin didn't want to, but actually he couldn't.
The main reason is that Yang Linye does not have a team of capable local officials and cannot truly control local affairs in Ruzhou in a short period of time.
The Heluo enemy troops moved south along the Yishui River in large numbers. Under the imminent threat of life and death that they could not resist, the rural gentry families in the Ruzhou Basin either followed Yang Lin's order to clear the country, abandoned Wuzhai Manor and retreated to Liangxian and other cities to avoid
In the event of war, either the whole family fled directly to Nanyang, Xiangyang and other places, or the whole family fled to the mountains, or the Wubao garrison was opened to welcome the elite of Zuo Xiaosheng's army to station in to strengthen defense.
Yang Lin did not encounter too strong resistance from these Wubao villages, whether he was recruiting grain and fodder or recruiting local warriors to supplement the deficiencies of the defenders, and he was very obedient in all aspects.
However, the tentacles of Yang Lin's rule in Ruzhou have no way to effectively extend to the Funiu Mountains and Jishan Mountains on both sides of the Ruzhou Basin - not to mention taking over the defense of Wubao Village in the mountains, recruiting food and bravery, etc.
It cannot be carried out effectively.
This situation is very similar to that before the banditry, the Tongbaishan clan maintained a relatively independent and closed status outside the county government.
The essential reason is that traditional county governance has extremely limited means of controlling rural areas.
However, what Yang Lin can't do doesn't mean that Chu Shan can't do it.
The foundation of the rise of Chushan Mountain is the control and management of most of the mountains in the northern and southern ridges of Tongbai Mountain, and then expanded to the control and management of mountains such as Dafu Mountain, Jinding Mountain and Dengtaijia. A complete set of patrols has already been formed.
In recent years, Chushan has also formed a modern system of governance based on the inspection system and the township system as the core, based on the old soldiers who have withdrawn from the army due to injuries, age and other factors. Under the leadership of a group of military officials who are familiar with official affairs,
There are thousands of people in the team, and they are absolutely loyal to the inspection department and township department officials who are commanded by the camp.
Therefore, Chushan was able to completely bypass the rural gentry and directly control all matters such as the procurement of grain and fodder for the villages, land reclamation, construction of water conservancy roads and bridges, autumn and winter drills, recruitment of laborers, and selection of brave soldiers.
Although there were only 500,000 soldiers and civilians under Chushan's rule, unimaginable military potential was unleashed.
Chushan currently has limited cultivated grain fields, but it is precisely because the township system greatly suppresses the rural gentry from annexing land for food and land, and suppresses landowners from hoarding grain, that it ensures that the limited grain production can be used more for the people.
Self-feeding to make up for the shortage of food for the army and many industrial and manufacturing affairs.
Chushan's current management and development of Tongbai Mountain, Dafu Mountain and other mountainous areas not only contributes nearly half of the grain output, but also covers most of the coal and iron mining, smelting, gold and silver ore mining, as well as tung oil, tea, and tallow trees.
Bulk goods such as seeds, timber, and medicinal materials are produced; most livestock breeding also uses the relatively gentle slopes and valleys between mountains.
Facing the strong military pressure from the enemy forces in the west of Beijing and Heluo, Chushan was not yet able to occupy and manage the open Pingchuan area.
Most of the plain areas along the Ru River are nominally affiliated with the Chu Mountains, and there are millions of acres of fertile farmland. However, the Chu Mountains can only be left to be deserted at present, and more soldiers and civilians are organized to attack the nearby Dafu Mountains and the Jin Dynasty.
Dingshan and the sloping areas of Dengtaijia Mountain are being cultivated.
Therefore, at this stage, the Ruzhou Basin, which is prone to enemy cavalry penetration and harassment, is not very attractive to Chushan, but the vast Funiu Mountains and Jishan Mountains on both sides are of greater value.
Of course, the prerequisite is that the Chushan Army establishes a solid defense line to the west of Ruzhou City, with Pishan as the core.
…………
…………
Zhu Zhi accompanied his father Zhu Hang back to Jianye to renew the imperial edict. Ten days later, he came to Ruzhou alone carrying a new imperial edict.
Zhu Zhi spent most of the month on horseback. Zhu Zhi, who was a rough martial artist and boasted of his excellent riding skills, went to Pishan and asked the guards to help him get off the horse. He could not even stand straight, and his thighs were already numb.
His flesh was bruised by the saddle, and blood seeped out of his jacket and trousers.
"What, you want to transfer Zuo Xiaosheng's army to Xiangyang to rest and recuperate?" Yang Qiye listened to Zhu Zhi read out the imperial edict. He stood stunned for a moment and looked at Xu Huai in confusion.
"What do your majesty and the ministers mean? Is it possible that the Chushan army has to bear everything despite the hard work?" Xu Wujiang, who came to Ruzhou from Wuyang to assist Xu Huai in handling Ruzhou's military affairs, as well as Wang Ju and Wang Xian
, Tang Pan, Shi Hu and other generals were extremely puzzled at this moment, and even felt very angry.
Not to mention the Chushan generals, Yang Qiye, Yang Yaozong and other Zuo Xiaosheng army generals as well as Ruzhou officials, for the past ten days, they all thought that Xu Huai was controlling Cai and Ruzhou, controlling the Tianxiong army and Zuo Xiaosheng army to resist the west of Beijing.
, the enemy of Heluo is a matter of course.
Yang Qiye's son inherited his father's throne and took over the command of Zuo Xiaosheng's army, which did not surprise everyone. However, no one expected that the imperial court had no intention of letting Zuo Xiaosheng's army stay in Ruzhou and accept Xu Huai's control. Instead, it transferred him
They went to Xiangyang to rest and recuperate, and were led by Wen Hengyue, who was left behind in Xiangyang.
Although Zuo Xiaosheng's army suffered heavy losses in previous battles, the foundation of a strong army was still there and it was not defeated.
A large number of old soldiers and elite military officers have experienced the test of blood and fire, and their fighting spirit has become more and more high. As long as new soldiers are recruited in time, and after a certain period of rest and training, it is only a matter of time before the combat effectiveness of Ruyang is restored.
If Zuo Xiaosheng's army stays in Ruzhou, after sufficient replenishment and rest, Chushan will directly have more than 45,000 elite combat forces, coupled with well-drilled local troops and horses, to fight against Jingxi, Heluo
The enemy can barely bear it.
Now that the imperial court wants to transfer Zuo Xiaosheng's army to Xiangyang for rest and recuperation, a large chunk of the elite combat force directly controlled by Chushan is suddenly missing. At this time, if you want to stand alone in the west of Jing, the pressure exerted by the enemies of Heluo will be difficult.
You can imagine how big it is.
The first thought of Xu Wujiang, Wang Ju, Zhou Jing, Wang Xian, Tang Pan, Shi Hu, Wu Chihai and other generals was that the imperial court did not want to put Zuo Xiaosheng's army under the control of Chushan, and intended to restrict Chushan.
Shan's strength has expanded so much that he insisted on transferring Zuo Xiaosheng's army under such a severe situation?
Xu Huai's face was uncertain for a while, and he silently studied the imperial edict in his hand.
"..." Seeing Wang Xian, Tang Pan and other generals were a little out of breath. Shi Zhen asked Zhu Zhi, "Apart from His Majesty's handwritten instructions, do you have anything to say to Mr. Hu and Mr. Zhu Hang?"
"Only His Majesty's handwriting." Zhu Zhi was only responsible for delivering the decree. He himself was very puzzled that Emperor Jianji decided to transfer Zuo Xiaosheng's army to Xiangyang for rest and recuperation. However, he did not know that Emperor Jianji summoned the ministers to discuss the matter.
How to make such a decision.
"Your Majesty may have made such arrangements out of necessity. We should understand your Majesty's difficulties..." Shi Zhen said to Xu Huai.
"Mr. Shi is saying that only when Zuo Xiaosheng's army marches south to Xiangyang, will Zheng Huaizhong be ordered to lead his troops to Huainan to join the war?" Xu Huai asked, raising his eyebrows slightly.
Han Gui also agreed with Shi Zhen's guess and said: "Whether His Majesty thinks so, we can only guess, after all, this kind of thing cannot be written down!"
Xu Huai closed his eyes and thought for a while, then opened his eyes, looked at Yang Qiye and said: "Your Majesty is planning for Jianye. Even if we find it hard to understand for a while, we should act according to your orders..."
Sometimes things may be simpler than you think.
At this time, Chushan could refuse the imperial court to transfer Zuo Xiaosheng's army to Xiangyang for rest and recuperation. However, Zheng Huaizhong would inevitably find various excuses to refuse to urgently send troops to Huainan to participate in the war.
The imperial court transferred Zuo Xiaosheng's army to Xiangyang for rest and recuperation. This step was extremely subtle:
On the one hand, this can be said to limit the rapid expansion of Chushan's strength, and it can be said that the status of Huaishang and Ruzhou in the entire defense layout of the imperial court has further declined.
This should be something Zhou He, Gao Chunnian, Gu Fan and others pushed hard, and Emperor Jianji needed to make some compromises with them.
On the other hand, the transfer of Zuo Xiaosheng's army to Xiangyang actually put Nanyang, where Zheng Huaizhong was stationed and garrisoned, into the delicate situation of the north-south confrontation between Zuo Xiaosheng's army and Chushan's army.
If the imperial court suffered a heavy setback in the Huainan battlefield and failed to successfully break the siege of Shouchun, it would definitely not be able to move Zheng Huaizhong, and would even have to double its efforts to win over him. But if the imperial court was lucky enough to win in the Huainan battlefield, Zheng Huaizhong would have to think carefully.
When the court comes, he will be held accountable for disobeying the decree and refusing to send troops. How much room does he still have to struggle?
This may be the fangs exposed by Emperor Jianji in grief and anger after learning about Yang Lin's death...
