Ye Bingqian's hands hidden in his sleeves were trembling, and his eyes roamed around the tent, finally settling on his sword.
It was a copper war sword with a thick spine and a broad blade, with a melon head and a melon head. It was especially good at slashing and fighting. He had served on the battlefield with his brother. This time he was invited to Cowan. Before leaving, his brother said with a solemn expression. His sword.
When talking about the chieftain of the imperial court, he should carry weapons and not be looked down upon.
At that time, Ye Bingqian didn't take it seriously, and just regarded it as a heavy decoration, which he didn't hang around his waist when he walked out of the house. Until he heard that his brother Ye Guoqi led his family to stationed at Binggou Horse Station, which was the only place to go eastward. Having to use the mantis' arm as a chariot, he finally remembered this sword.
Ye Bingqian took out the war sword and held it in his hand, and waved it twice in the empty camp. He thought that he did not have the ability and courage of Xin Qiji, so he changed his hands and placed them on his neck. However, he did not have the courage. Instead, he felt a little more in his heart out of thin air. Grievance.
‘Why, why did such a difficult thing happen to me!’
Just as he lowered the sword from his neck, the guard stretched out his hand to open the tent curtain, and Liu Chengzong lowered his head and walked into the tent. Ye Bingqian was afraid of seeing him, so he pointed his sword straight in a defensive posture without thinking.
Liu Chengzong frowned and glanced at him in confusion. He walked to the table in the tent and sat down. He picked up the inkstone and glanced at him again. While polishing the ink, he said, "Okay, take the iron bar. You can't beat me, so put it away."
In fact, there was no room for Ye Bingqian to think about it anymore. There was a soft click at the tent door. Fan Sanlang had already pointed his gun at him. Another guard came forward with a sword. When he put the sword into its sheath with a dejected expression, Then he snatched it with his hands.
"The sword has been confiscated, so as not to commit suicide again, let's go down." Liu Chengzong glanced at the guards, sat on the table and looked at Shang Ye Bingqian's twinkling eyes, and asked seriously: "Really don't want to live anymore?"
Ye Bingqian thought to himself that the bastard didn't look like he was alive anymore. He suddenly heard what Liu Chengzong meant and said in disbelief: "Commander...won't you kill me?"
"Why should I kill you?"
Liu Chengzong chuckled: "Although the chieftains surrendered to me, it was helpless, but if you do something for me, and your brother raises troops to stop me, I will turn around and kill you? Haha... Your family pays 48 shi for food, is it two portions per year? ”
Ye Bingqian nodded.
Liu Chengzong showed an expected expression, nodded, put the inkstone next to him and said: "Write a letter to your brother and persuade him that the chieftain of Xining has contributed to the country, and I don't want to kill them all."
After that, he stood up and walked outside the tent.
He admires the country's weapons, is smart and aware of current affairs, can bend and stretch, and can stand in his rightful place in times of great right and wrong... This man simply has advantages in every aspect.
Only, it’s not his person.
"Commander!"
Half of his body was already out of the tent, but Ye Bingqian stopped him and asked: "My brother..."
"Your ancestor was a fourth-grade military officer of the Northern Yuan Dynasty who was demoted to Emperor Taizu and given the title of small flag officer. He has been loyal to him for generations and commanded the Qian affairs through hereditary merit. When your brother raised the army at Shangchuankou, he was his own master. I don't blame him." /p>
Liu Chengzong paused, glanced westward, and said: "But if the walls of a house are cracked, you can still live in them with repairs, but if the foundation is shaken and the beams and columns are broken, if half of the people live in it, they are waiting to be smashed to death." , those who escaped don’t have anyone to build new houses, and in the end, this land may be taken away by others.”
"Nowadays, people's hearts are betrayed, and armies are rising all over the world, causing our Chinese people to lose their livers and brains to death, and to lose the flesh and blood of the living. Although it is caused by human affairs, it is actually the time when God is disgusted with his virtues and abandons him."
When Liu Chengzong said this, Ye Bingqian was dumbfounded: "This, this..."
Liu Chengzong looked at Ye Bingqian, nodded seriously, and said matter-of-factly: "Emperor Taizu's Holy Instructions, your brother has sworn to resign forever, make him obedient, surrender within two days, and still retain the position of chieftain, grant Hereditary commander; if he insists on being loyal, I will help him."
Ye Bingqian was speechless. Until Liu Chengzong walked out of the military tent, he was still wandering around. Liu Shishi's ideology made him fall into deep doubts.
Returning to the Chinese army commander's tent, Fan Sanlang saw that he was in a good mood, so he poured tea and asked with a smile: "Commander, do you think Chief Ye of Binggou Mayi will be persuaded to surrender?"
Liu Chengzong took the cup and shook his head: "Those who have no way to go can climb down by themselves if there is a step, but this kind of person who can go anywhere but is determined to die, I'm afraid I won't be able to persuade him to surrender."
He knew this matter well, and Ye Guoqi could have avoided choosing sides in this war, but since he raised troops at Shangchuankou, left his family and brothers behind, and stood in a position where there was no retreat, He must have realized that he must die.
For a person like this, any threats about family separation, promotion of officials or the safety of brothers will not have any effect. Liu Shizi also does not think that his imperfect theory of family, country and world can play a role in persuading surrender. What a miraculous effect.
So he smiled and said: "It's just a try. This letter is written for living people to read. Even if you can't persuade Ye Guoqi to surrender, you can still persuade others to surrender. Not everyone will have the same determination to die as him."
In fact, the most important thing is that his army has marched to the west entrance of Laoya Gorge, which is only forty miles away from Shangchuan Pass.
This is the narrowest canyon section in the entire Hehuang Valley. Liu Chengzu's vanguard army took the lead in occupying this area so that the army could pass through here calmly.
This inevitably slowed down his advance. It took two days for the army to pass through this canyon, and it also took two days for the heavy artillery from the rear to reach the front line.
What's more, the Zhenhai Battalion soldiers under Liu Chengzu's command had disguised themselves as fleeing civilians and went east to explore the road conditions and information about the fortress defenders. Even if no one was sent to persuade them to surrender, Liu Chengzong would still have to stay here for two days.
When Fan Sanlang heard him say that this letter was meant to be read by living people, he suddenly realized it, and then expressed his doubts: "I'll just tell you, where can I make him a hereditary commander?"
Xining is no longer possible, and the Marshal's Office does not need to confer hereditary commanders elsewhere, but if this is just lip service, it will be very simple.
However, she did not expect that Liu Chengzong took a sip of tea and said very seriously: "If he comes to surrender, I will make him a hereditary commander, really."
"Where can I go?"
Liu Chengzong pointed to his handsome case and said, "Look to the west of that map."
Fan Sanlang did as he was told and searched on the map. Liu Chengzong's map covered a very large area. Although there was a large blank area to the west of Qinghai Lake, it included almost all the places they knew.
The first thing she saw was the big and small kuaidan, but she thought it was the place reserved for Hu Duntu Khan, so she looked to the side from there and asked: "Wei Ding?"
Weiding is the ancient name of Golmud, but Liu Chengzong shook his head and said: "I said that chieftains have made great contributions to the country. Their merits are guarding the northwest border for generations and acting on behalf of the king in places that are difficult for the court to control. Look at Hui Dan,
Whether it’s Weiding or not, is there any place I can’t get through? Look further west.”
Liu Chengzong believed in his heart that there must be a battle between the Marshal's Mansion and Hu Duntu, so he allowed Hu Duntu to stay in Huitan temporarily in order to make it easier for them to fight against each other in the future.
Fan Sanlang looked west again, his eyes fixed, and he looked at the map and Liu Chengzong. There were sketches there, the places marked by Shili. She asked carefully: "Anxi?"
"Hahaha!"
Liu Chengzong held it in for a long time, and finally clapped his hands and said with a smile: "Yes, they are Anxi, Kashgar, Yingisha, Yecheng, Yarkand, Hotan, and Kuqa. Those are places where it is difficult for me to go to establish my achievements in the south of the Tianshan Mountains and promote Wang Hua."
, it can be considered that the chieftain has contributed to the country."
That was something Fan Sanlang didn't even dare to think about. She shook her head and said nothing more. There was nothing more to say... Throwing the toast to Xiaoguidan and Delingha, others may not be willing to go. p>
Fan Sanlang is no longer the little girl who knew nothing about military affairs in the past. She knows all the preparations needed for a march and knows where the battle should start.
Throw the army to Anxi, not to mention that the land there still has an owner. Even if it is an ownerless land, just how to attack all the way there is a big problem.
The most important thing is that fighting a battle in the northwest has no meaning for the Marshal's Mansion.
Fan Sanlang felt that Liu Chengzong was very paranoid about the territory, so the gains outweighed the losses when they obtained Kangning Mansion. The supplies from the south could not be transported, and the support from the north could not be sent, but a large number of talented officials and generals were scattered.
If we fight another battle to the northwest, spreading more manpower will not be a big problem. The gains in two battles across the snowy mountains and deserts will be very small.
She planned to persuade Liu Chengzong when she had time that the existence of Yerqiang and Turpan did not pose a threat to the Marshal's Mansion, but not now.
Soon, Ye Bingqian's letter of persuasion to surrender was written and sent to the commander's tent in an anxious mood. When Liu Shizi read the letter, to his surprise, Liu Chengzong actually asked him to deliver the letter in person.
Ye Bingqian was stunned. He didn't know what Liu Chengzong was thinking for a moment, and asked out of nowhere: "Then, will the handsome man come back?"
Liu Chengzong was amused. How could he ask such a question? He smiled first, and then stood up and said solemnly after his smile subsided: "I hope you can collude with me on big things, but your brother is over there, urging him to help him. It's all up to you. When we meet again, we may be at the enemy's gate. Have a safe journey."
Ye Bingqian was stunned, then nodded slowly and slightly, and finally heard Liu Chengzong ask the guards to return the sword to him and escort him out of the control area of the Marshal's Mansion.
Ye Bingqian's lips trembled, not necessarily because he was grateful, but more likely because he was seeing the light of day again after the disaster. He bowed heavily to Liu Chengzong and then left with the guards.
When Ye Bingqian walked away, Fan Sanlang opened the curtain and took a look, and then asked doubtfully: "You just let him go like this and didn't let him persuade him to surrender under the city?"
"He was a hostage. I took him to the city walls to persuade him to surrender, held up the imperial weapons, and staged a show of righteousness and annihilation of relatives. If I killed him under the city walls, what use would it have besides making the defenders feel like heroes?"
Liu Chengzong shook his head: "Let him go to the city to disintegrate the enemy's fighting spirit. This is also a siege of three towers and a large army pressing down on the border, but it makes the enemy mistakenly believe that this is not a fatal situation. There is still a chance of surrender, and they will not be able to fight."
On the ninth day of February in the sixth year of Chongzhen, Ye Bingqian passed through the upper river beach controlled by the Marshal's Mansion Pioneer Army from Laoya Gorge, crossed the river ditch where the Tangma scouts of the two armies fought, entered the station of Banuan Sanchuan Battalion, and entered the Binggou Racecourse in the afternoon of the same day. .
At this time, the local officers and soldiers of the Han Dynasty in Hehuang were still gathering at Shangchuankou. Ye Guoqi, who had single-handedly left the imperial stronghold in Hehuang, was overjoyed to see his younger brother, but the worry on his face could not be removed... Just before Ye Bingqian came back , Ye Guoqi is discussing the matter of seeking help with Mo Yujing, who has just arrived at Binggou Racecourse.
There is a fixed number of native soldiers for each chieftain, but outside of the quota, almost every man in the Tujia family is a native soldier in times of crisis.
After the conscription, nearly 18,000 local soldiers and war horses gathered here. Although the soldiers were many but not elite, they were stationed around the camp city, the racecourse city, and the post city respectively, consuming more than 300 stones of food and grass every day.
Most of the troops were recruited as civilians, and a few generals negotiated with the left-behind gentry to raise food and transport supplies between the north and south valleys, but this was still a drop in the bucket.
This year, the valley is already short of food, and there is no backup. The food they raised is only enough to last for thirteen days; it is not yet known when the follow-up reinforcements will arrive.
So even though Ye Bingqian did not die in Liu Chengzong's hands, his arrival was still not good news for the defenders. On the contrary... he brought Liu Chengzong's ultimatum, two days.
Ye Guoqi read the letter and had no intention of surrendering. Instead, Ye Bingqian persuaded him with a few words, and he was ordered by Ye Guoqi to take the soldiers of the Ye family to the official house in Machangyi City and put him under house arrest to prevent him from disturbing the morale of the army.< /p>
However, regardless of whether it disturbs the morale of the army or not, there are not many tactics that the defenders can choose. The worst option is to stick to the small town and give up the vast fields outside the city. The second option is to defend in the field based on the two rivers. There are no good options other than that.
In the shadow of the famous tree, Liu Chengzong moved to northern Shaanxi and defeated He Huchen's Ningxia border army head-on. Wu Zimian was so frightened that he did not dare to fight. Anyone who heard this would be afraid of the combat power of his troops.
But Mo and Jing had no better way. Later, Lanzhou direction was transferring troops, food and equipment to provide support to Hehuang, so they could only rely on the river to try field operations first.
However, the advantage brought to them by the field battle was not great, because the two tributaries of the Huangshui River running north and south were only a dozen steps wide.
Mo Yujing selected 12,000 native soldiers and distributed them in three battalions. Two battalions were distributed on a river with a bridge as a fulcrum. They dug trenches, laid mines, and built camps to defend the river bank. A battalion was placed on the other side of the Erdao River to support the troops. In case the battle on the front line goes unfavorably, it is better to retreat to Shangchuankou and garrison the city for defense.
Ye Guoqi asked the local soldiers to send a letter to Liu Chengzong, firstly to thank him for releasing Ye Bingqian, and secondly, to deceive him and see if he could delay it for two more days, because Liu Chengzu's cavalry was harassing him on the other side of the river. , causing great trouble to the laying of landmines.
But he didn't expect that the next morning, the letter had just crossed the Erdao River, and Mo Yujing, who was standing on the mountain, had already ordered someone to fire the cannon.
Through the telescope, he saw the east entrance of Laoya Gorge, ten miles away from the end of the river valley, where a dense mass of troops and banners were passing through, like a black mist covered in smoke and dust, dividing into several strands and spreading mightily to the entire valley.
It was not until noon an hour later that the main force of the Marshal's Mansion was close to four or five miles away from the Erdao River. The outline of the military formation was gradually becoming clearer, and the smoke and dust from the horses tramping through the farmland became more and more obvious. The men and horses were just a small black dot, and it was still visible. Not real.
Soon after, you can see the shining reflection of Mongolian sabers, and gradually you can distinguish that the troops flanking the left and right wings are all cavalry, and in the middle is the infantry line with flashes of armor.
Until a mile away, the army formation sweeping across the valley stopped. Even without the help of binoculars, Mo Yujing could easily identify the enemy's head and torso, which made him relax a little.
The infantry among the enemy troops were not as elite as expected. Most of them wore mail armor and leather armor. The flashes of armor he saw were just leather armor's goggles.
The only thing that made him feel strange was that in his impression Liu Chengzong's army should be a force composed mainly of frontier troops. Why did it look so much like the Northern Lu?
Then when he raised his head, Mo Yujing was dazzled by the afternoon sun. He cursed in his heart: Liu Chengzong's little trick!
