On the twenty-second day of the first lunar month of the fifth year of Emperor Qianyu's reign in the Northern Han Dynasty, he went south to meet the reinforcements from the West Route of the Southern Tang Dynasty, and successively annihilated Xu Wenzhen and Chen's two divisions. After that, Han Emperor Liu Chengyou led his division back to the Shouchun camp. The remaining Han generals came to Xiang Xun's camp. Under the leadership, we worshiped at Feishui Fuliang.
"The last general is waiting. We sincerely welcome your Majesty and return to the camp after victory!" In front of Fuliang, Xiang Xun bowed.
"Excuse me!" Liu Chengyou sat high on his horse, with a calm face and no arrogance. He led his troops to meet the Southern Tang reinforcements. The victory did not seem to cause much disturbance in his heart.
A large number of boats came from the south to the north of the Feishui River under the protection of the navy. Each boat had an extremely deep draft and almost exhausted its load. In response to the annihilation of the Chen and Xu armies, the Han army's gains can be described as huge. .
In addition to killing and wounding 20,000 people and capturing more than 40,000 people, they also transported food, ordnance, pack horses and other baggage with his army to the north. Even though more than 30% of them were consumed and damaged due to the war, Liu Chengyou still allowed Liu Chengyou to mobilize the rest. A total of one hundred and fifty ships were loaded before they were loaded. A rough estimate is that, if used sparingly, the proceeds from this seizure could be used by the more than 200,000 soldiers and civilians of the Northern Han Dynasty in the conquest of Huaihe, for at least one month.
Therefore, Liu Chengyou almost gave the captive Chen Jue the official position of "Huainan Camp Food and Equipment Envoy" to help him transfer money. Of course, this was just Liu Chengyou's only remaining evil intention, and he did not deliberately humiliate Chen Jue. Instead, he released him and wrote a handwritten letter asking him to be a messenger and return to Jinling to give it to Li Jing.
As the victorious troops returned and the emperor returned to camp, fierce cheers of "Long Live" broke out in several Han army strongholds. The sound was like thunder in the sky, shaking the heaven and the earth, and lasted for a long time.
The one who was most affected by the cheers of the Han army was of course the besieged Tang army in Shouchun. Hearing the roar of the cheers, the soldiers and civilians in the city were all shocked. Because after the cheers of long live, there were bursts of announcements of "the reinforcements have been destroyed."
After hearing this, the main generals of the Shouchun garrison, He Jingzhu, Zhang Quanyue, Xu Xiang and others, came to the north city head. On the ground outside the city that had been plowed by the Han army, there were a large number of captured Tang army flags. The armor and the color of the clothes clearly prove something.
"He Gong, are the reinforcements really wiped out?" Zhang Quanyue looked horrified and looked at He Jingzhu: "The Emperor of Han did not lead many troops south! How many days has it been?"
He Jingzhu's body was numb, and the wound on his left hand was far from healed. Fortunately, it was early spring, and the weather was not so hot. He was actually trembling a little at this time, and his old face showed a faint hint of illness. In fact, it was not just Shouchun City that was on the verge of collapse. As the commander-in-chief, He Jingzhu was almost exhausted. Being trapped in the city for a long time was really not easy for this veteran general who was over sixty years old.
When Liu Chengyou went south to fight Chen and Xu's armies, He Jingzhu, who was holding the city firmly and waiting for action, did not sit back and watch. Instead, he led his army to attack decisively, hoping to take advantage of the lack of soldiers outside the city to launch a counterattack against the Han army. Not only to completely break the situation, but also to delay the Han army's efforts to station troops and attack the city, to give Shouchun a breather and to give the Southern Tang court more time to prepare.
His goal was also very clear. He did not intend to cause much damage to the Han army, but aimed directly at the logistics camp in the northeast of the Han army. This was something he had discovered early on. To this end, He Jingzhu also played a scheming way. Zhang Quanyue led the army to attack the Han army's west stronghold, and Xu Xiang led his army to attack the northern stronghold to attract attention. Then he selected the five thousand most elite troops in Shouchun City, prepared fire starters, and headed straight to the northeast supply camp.
He Jingzhu's operation still caused a lot of trouble for the Han army. After all, the weakening of elite troops meant that for the Han army, which was more adventurous in setting up a stronghold in a trapped city, there would inevitably be some omissions in defense, and it would not be possible like the previous one.
Everything is covered.
If the Tang army really succeeds and destroys the grain and grass camp, then the Han army in Shouchun will not only collapse immediately, but the siege will be broken, and they may even have to retreat and rest. After all, when marching and fighting, food supply is the lifeblood.
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It is a pity that He Jingzhu's opponent is Xiang Xun. He was ordered to guard the stronghold. He felt that he had a heavy responsibility and also knew the importance of the supply camp. When He Jingzhu showed his fangs, he decisively increased his troops, strengthened the protection, and personally took charge. To this end,
He did not hesitate to mobilize troops from other camps.
He Jingzhu wanted to hit the Han army seven inches, but Xiang Xun also knew the importance. He had a very clear understanding in his mind that even if the other four villages were destroyed, as long as the food was still there, they would be able to recover sooner or later. Furthermore, the Tang army was not completely defeated yet.
The strength of Hanzhai.
Under Xiang Xun's calm command and control, He Jingzhu's plan finally came to nothing. Sun Li, Li Chongjin, Wang Yansheng, Gao Huaide and other generals fought hard, and the Tang army was defeated and returned to the city.
After a confrontation, the Han army suffered nearly three thousand casualties, while the Tang army that left the city suffered more than half of its casualties. In terms of field battles, the Tang army was far from the Han army's opponent. After this battle, the Shouchun garrison was again weakened and could no longer take the initiative to attack.
force.
At this time, He Jingzhu felt for the first time that the gentle breeze of early spring was so bleak and cold both physically and mentally. He could feel the doubts and fears of the generals around him.
He Jingzhu did not directly answer Zhang Quanyue's question. He Jingzhu just said extremely calmly: "Get ready. The final battle is coming. It's time to be loyal to the country..."
After saying that, he turned around and slowly walked down the city wall step by step. He Jingzhu clearly knew in his heart that Shouchun City could not be defended. With the current situation in the city, it was impossible to hold on until the next wave of reinforcements arrived. Furthermore,
He Jingzhu himself was not confident whether the Southern Tang court could organize another supporting army.
He even stopped talking to his subordinate generals about guarding the city. He was old and not stupid. It was questionable how many of his subordinate generals and generals were of the same mind as him. He Jingzhu himself didn't care anymore.
But no matter what,
As far as he was concerned, he was mentally prepared to face everything. He could only die for his country. Surrendering, He Jingzhu did not have that idea in his mind at all. It was not that he was very loyal to the Southern Tang Dynasty, at least before the Northern Han Dynasty invaded the south.
, the Southern Tang court did not give him much preferential treatment. However, after going through troubled times, he was already in his sixtieth year and had his own persistence. Burying his bones in green hills and shrouding his corpse in horse leather was not a bad ending.
Looking at He Jingzhu's desolate and determined back, the several generals looked at each other in confusion, but they were speechless, each with their own thoughts, and they dispersed.
Xu Xiang, the commander of the Left Divine Guard Army, returned to his camp in Beichengxiang with a heavy heart, frowning deeply. There was a sound of footsteps, and when he looked up, he saw that it was the commander of the next battalion of the Divine Guard Army, and he felt his heart tremble.
"General, since the reinforcements are dead, Shouchun has no one to rely on. The Han army's general attack is imminent. At present, the people in the city are unstable and it is difficult to defend it. Do we really want to be buried with this city?" There was a deep voice in the junior high school.
A little excited.
Xu Xiang concentrated and asked him: "What do you think Ben should do?"
After hearing this, Xiao Xiao came closer to Xu Xiang and said: "With the strength and attack power of the Han army, once a general attack is launched, the city will be defeated in a matter of seconds. Since the Northern Han Dynasty's Southern Expedition, the imperial court has not treated people well and made unclear decisions.
, the emperor only sat on the dragon bed and controlled the large army, causing our army to lose consecutive battles. In the current situation, the Huainan states will not be able to defend it, and the country will not even be protected.
In the opinion of my subordinates, it is better to offer the city to seek refuge and save one's life. After several battles, our divine guard army has been reduced to less than 3,000. If we can offer it to the Han Emperor and seek official positions and honors, it is not known!"
"You are trying to make me betray the emperor and the country!" Xu Xiang said angrily, casting his sharp eyes on the principal.
"Which king and country are the generals referring to?" Seeing this, the Xiaoxiao also let go: "The Xu family was originally a subject of the King of Wu.
In fact, it is nothing more than a separatist vassal. For example, Zhengshuo must be a strong Han from the Central Plains! We have all seen the strength of the Han army this time. It is definitely not comparable to the Southern Tang Dynasty. Our surrender is also a surrender to the imperial dynasty.
Orthodoxy, how can we talk about betrayal?"
If Liu Chengyou knew that an unlettered little commander in the Tang army had such insight and eloquence, perhaps he would have developed a love for talents.
Hearing what he said, Xu Xiang's eyes flickered and he said: "You, me, and even the officers and soldiers of the Divine Guards are all from Jiangdong. If you defect before the battle and harm your family, what should you do?"
Noticing the look in Xu Xiang's eyes, Xiao Xiao knew that the commander of Xu Du was actually tempted, and said: "The Lord of the Tang Dynasty always showed his kindness to others, how could he do something implicated with three thousand soldiers."
"Moreover!" As he said this, there was also a hint of cruelty in the Xiao Xiao's eyes: "If the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty implicates the family, then we can surrender with confidence, and the Emperor of the Han Dynasty can also feel at ease. A real man, there is no need to have a wife, as long as the name is
When the time comes, the Northern Han Dynasty destroys the Tang Dynasty, we can then counterattack, break Jinling, avenge our family, and comfort them under Jiuquan!"
Xu Xiang couldn't help but look at this song that had followed him for many years. He had never noticed that it had such "measurement", which made him feel chilled.
However, when I think about it carefully, I can't help but feel moved. Xu Xiang is only in his thirties now, in his prime. He doesn't want to really live and die with Shouchun, so he just explains it here. As for betraying Southern Tang, he really doesn't have any thoughts.
The psychological pressure and the righteousness between the king and his ministers have been a long-standing situation in this era, and there is no moral condemnation. At most, if the family's children are harmed because of this, they will feel a little guilty.
"Hey, I'm really in a dilemma!" After thinking for a moment, Xu Xiang couldn't help but sigh, and then suddenly turned his head and looked at Bu Qu: "Will you be my envoy and contact the Han camp to express my intention to surrender?"
The principal responded directly: "I am willing to go!"
"Tonight, I will arrange for you to descend from the north gate. The lives of the soldiers of the Divine Guard are entrusted to you!"