Zhou He, as the prime minister, and Wang Boqian, as the privy envoy, will be accompanied by many secret officials in addition to the necessary guards and horses when traveling; the standard of reception at the camp is also higher than that of other generals.
When it comes to the secretaries around Zhou He, of course he is headed by his eldest son Zhou Lianggong.
After returning to the post house and waiting for the rest of the retinue to retire, Zhou Lianggong could not restrain his inner doubts and asked his father Zhou He:
"Pingliang Gong really wants to cross the Huaihe River this winter?"
"How can it be so easy to cross the Huaihe River this winter? Not to mention the lack of preparation, in the cold winter months, the streams and rivers are frozen solid. The Chihu people have 70,000 to 80,000 cavalry in the Hehuai River, and they come and go like the wind.
It is difficult for the armored warships from Beijing and Xiang to enter the Ru River. The Ying River will play its role and Ping Liang will not act in such a hasty manner."
Zhou He stood in front of the window, looking at a wintersweet tree in the corner of the yard covered with rice-like flower bones, and said in deep thought,
"If preparations are made this winter, after the spring of next year, the rivers will gradually fill up, and it is indeed possible to cross the Huaihe River again..."
"Preparation, how to prepare?" Zhou Lianggong asked doubtfully, "There is no way to prepare for crossing the Huaihe River after next spring. Pingyan, Zhennan, etc.
Each of the large royal palaces can gather 200,000 to 300,000 soldiers and horses. Between the Hehuai River and the Huaihe River, although the Bianshui River, Caishui River, Sishui River, Ru River, and Ying River are crisscrossed, the rivers are narrower and shallower than the Yangtze River and the Huaihe River.
, not only are the advantages of armored warships limited, but it is also relatively easy for soldiers to block the rivers. It is still necessary to advance by land and water in order to truly gain a foothold in the Hehuai River - the time is also a little early, right?"
Zhou Lianggong has been by his father's side all these years, and he has not had the opportunity to test how pragmatic and capable he is in military and political matters, but he has been influenced by his experience and still boasts that he has some discernment.
Since Xu Huai commanded the troops of King Qin, the Huaixi War was able to progress so smoothly mainly because of the sharpness of the armored warships, which made the Japanese navy unable to deal with it. They first annihilated part of the Japanese navy at Fengsha Lake, and then
The Japanese navy drove out the Huaihe River, completely cutting off the retreat route of the Japanese soldiers behind the palace, and thus completely annihilating the enemy on the south bank.
But to be fair, the troops that Dayue could muster in the Jianghuai and Jinghu areas were still far inferior to the two armies of the Chihu people in the Jianghuai area.
Especially after entering the Hehuai area, on the one hand, the rivers will be easier to block, and the armored warships in Beijing and Xiang will be greatly restricted. On the other hand, the transportation of grain and fodder will be transferred from the low-cost inner perimeter to the outer perimeter, which wastes people and money. The difficulty is
and costs will surge.
Even if he was just making preparations this winter and not crossing the Huaihe River until next spring, Zhou Lianggong still couldn't see how the time was ripe.
"That said, I somewhat understand what Duke Pingliang wants." Zhou He sighed quietly.
"What does Duke Pingliang want?" Zhou Lianggong asked.
"If my prediction is correct, Duke Pingliang should want Han Shiliang and Ge Yu's troops to withdraw from the defense line along the Huaihe River," Zhou He said, "No matter what happens, Shouchun will have to be given up..."
"Will Han Shiliang and Ge Yu give up Shouchun and let Liu Yan, Yang Qiye and their troops fill in?" Zhou Lianggong said, "However, Han Shiliang and Ge Yu have done meritorious service in guarding Shouchun. Duke Pingliang can't be too aggressive with them at this time, right?"
?”
Now Wang Boqian has no temper, and now he deliberately does not get close to Han Shiliang and Ge Yu. However, in the two Huainan battles, without Han Shiliang to defend Shouchun City, there would be no subsequent counterattack - not to mention that Han Shiliang defended Shouchun twice, and the time span was
It was huge, and it suffered huge casualties. At the same time, the number of soldiers killed and wounded was by no means a small number, which can be said to be indispensable.
This battle is really about merit and reward, and Xu Huai deserves to be ranked first. However, apart from Xu Huai, Zhou Lianggong doesn't think anyone can compete with Han Shiliang for merit.
Zhou He said: "That's why we have to cross the Huaihe River!"
"...Oh, Han Shiliang doesn't have a navy, and Duke Pingliang wants to make a fuss about it!" Zhou Lianggong suddenly realized, patting his thigh and said, "Without a navy, even if Han Shiliang led his troops to barely cross the Huaihe River, he would not be able to ensure that his retreat would not be captured.
The soldiers were defeated. Duke Pingliang originally wanted to use this method to make Han Shiliang retreat when he realized the difficulty!"
Of course, there was a navy before the Shouchun War, but after the Second Battle of Huainan began, it was not enough to compete with the Lubing Navy, so it gradually withdrew southward and joined the Jianye Navy. Later, it was destroyed together with the Jianye Navy.
Now that the Chihu people have retreated to the north of the Huaihe River, Shouchun can of course reorganize the navy, but if next spring, all armies will have to cross the Huaihe River to fight.
, Han Shiliang wanted to reorganize and train the navy, but obviously he couldn't make the trip.
"It's good that you can understand this," Zhou He said. "During the night banquet, if you find an opportunity, bring up the matter of crossing the Huaihe River in public..."
"Although everyone hasn't arrived yet, today's night banquet can be regarded as a gathering of ministers. Is it appropriate for a child to stand up and speak out about this matter because of his humble status?" Zhou Lianggong asked puzzledly, "If you really want to do what he likes?
Shouldn't it be more in line with Duke Ping Liang's wishes for father to speak directly about this matter?"
"The late emperor ascended the throne in Xiangyang, and I have been in this position for too long. Duke Pingliang may not like it. I know I am knowledgeable!" Zhou He sighed quietly.
"Ping Liang Gong more hopes that Mr. Wang Fan will replace his father and take the position of Prime Minister?" Zhou Lianggong asked.
"It may not be Wang Fan, Duke Pingliang always wants to avoid suspicion; I guess it should be Gu Fan," Zhou He said, "Gu Fan went to Huaidong before, just because he had no intention of competing with Gao Chunnian for the position of deputy prime minister.
There are also some people who look down on the position of deputy prime minister. His ambitions have always been lofty, but when His Majesty just ascended the throne, he did not want to be too eager in front of Yang and Wang, but instead gave me and Gao Chunnian a chance to continue to serve. This time, he can
Huaidong contributed a lot to annihilate all the rebels at Pikou. Regardless of whether Gu Fan was threatened by Deng Gui or not, he has surrendered, and Jingxiang should repay it with Li. It's time for me to retire..."
"My child understands." Zhou Lianggong said.
Zhou Lianggong was right if he thought about it carefully. Even if the situation in the court changed several times, his father did not contribute too much, and more just followed the trend. Jingxiang and Xiang were not necessarily willing to show their gratitude, nor did they need to show their gratitude - especially Gu Fan.
After surrendering to Jingxiang, Jingxiang had an absolute advantage in terms of elite soldiers and generals, as well as in the court. One person more than his father was not more, and one person less than his father was not more.
Even if he is a vassal of Jingxiang and has the right to govern the government, that is, the position of Zhengxiang, there are countless people watching secretly. His father does not have a deep friendship with Jingxiang, and he has no way to resist the barbarians.
I don’t know if a particularly big achievement really depends on the position of left prime minister.
How many overt and covert arrows will come.
What's more, his father may not be the person of Beijing and Xiang's liking at all.
Now that his father had begun to think about quitting, he asked him to bring up the matter of crossing the Huaihe River in public at the night banquet. Zhou Lianggong also understood that his father had good intentions...
…………
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After the Jingzhou navy entered the Huaihe River, Deng Gui led the Huaidong water camp, which suffered heavy casualties, to stay in Hongzepu. This time, he also sent a warship to Chuzhou to pick up Gu Fan, and then landed in Haozhou. Together with the troops, he led the troops to garrison in Shaozhou.
Liu Yan and Yang Qiye, who are north of Pi, are marching westward and will arrive at the main camp of Jiangou Town late in the evening.
At this time, Jinghu North Road established pacification envoy Kong Changyu and Jingbei soldiers and horses deployed Gao Juntang and others, who had also rushed to the main camp of Jiangou Town. Shi Zhen, Cheng Lunying and Xu Wuqi also borrowed the road from Xinyang and rushed to Jiangou Town.
Town, meet Xu Huai.
In the banquet hall, Zhou He, as the left prime minister, was sitting in the hall with Xu Huaigao, Wang Boqian, Han Shiliang, Liu Yan, Gu Fan, Wei Chujun, Kong Changyu, Deng Gui, Yang Qiye, Xiao Yanhan, Dong Cheng, Xu Wuqi, Shi Zhen,
Xu Wujiang, Han Gui, Gao Juntang, Ge Yu, Luo Wang, Liu Shiwang, Yuan Jiuliang, Sa Luhe and other generals sat on both sides in sequence.
Although Zhou Lianggong was granted the title of Marquis, it was due to him as Yin En, the eldest son of Zhou He, and he had not made any personal achievements. Therefore, he was arranged to sit among Luo Wang, Liu Shiwang, and Yuan Jiuliang, and he had nothing to complain about.
He looked around the banquet hall, secretly feeling that except for a few, all the powerful generals who could decide the fate of the court, or the fate of Vietnam, were gathered here. And even if there was not a single general from the Jingxiang system participating in the banquet tonight, the banquet hall
The Beijing-Xiang clique, or those who have openly or semi-publicly sided with the Beijing-Xiang clique, already have an absolute advantage.
Seeing this scene, after drinking for three rounds, Zhou Lianggong stood up confidently, raised his glass to offer wine to Xu Huai, and said in a loud voice: "This time the captive soldiers invaded the south. After the soldiers crossed the Huaihe River and marched south, they were full of tricks.
The navy rushed to the capital, and the Jianye navy that the late emperor had worked hard for several years was destroyed. The capital was shocked, and the world was shocked. However, it was so lucky for the country to win the Duke of Pingliang. The people all over the world also hoped that the Duke of Pingliang could turn the tide. The Duke of Pingliang ignored him.
Personal safety was in danger, and the army was at peace when traveling far away in a boat. However, the army was in danger and was forced to retreat to the north of the Yangtze River. In an instant, they suffered a disastrous defeat at Fengsha Lake. The army retreated hastily, but they did not expect that Pingliang's public troops were like gods and cut off the enemy.
The end of it is that we were able to drink wine harmoniously, while the barbarians drank tears with hatred, all because of Duke Pingliang’s talent and strategy. Please pay homage to Duke Pingliang.”
"Liang Gong is very polite." Good words are always pleasant to the ears. Xu Huai smiled and had a drink with Zhou Liang Gong from a distance.
"But there is one thing. Liang Gong feels that Duke Pingliang did not do it properly enough, and I would like to ask Duke Pingliang to forgive Liang Gong for his arrogance..." Zhou Lianggong said.
"Did I not do something properly enough?" Xu Huai asked in confusion.
"The rivers and Huaihe Rivers are safe, but the common people in the rivers and Huaihe Rivers are still struggling under the iron hoofs of the Huaihe Rivers. They are always looking forward to Duke Pingliang to lead his army to cross the Huaihe River. However, it has been half a month since the enemy troops on the south bank were destroyed, and Duke Pingliang has yet to mention the crossing of the Huaihe River.
Lianggong thinks that Duke Pingliang did not do this properly enough." Zhou Lianggong said.
Hearing what Zhou Lianggong said, many people at the table were surprised. Han Gui whispered to Shi Zhen and Xu Wuqi in a low voice: "The Zhou family and his son are really wonderful people!"
