When Prime Minister Hou Mo and Chen finally led his troops out of Queshu Valley and saw the messy Jiexiu City that had been burned and destroyed, his mood was extremely bad.
Unlike the cities south of Queshu Valley, Jiexiu's location already belongs to the Taiyuan Basin. Although it is still located on the southern edge of the Taiyuan Basin, there is a vast plain to the north, and there is no danger to defend it.
Jiexiu City was invaded and destroyed by the enemy, which means that if the enemy is willing, they can attack Jinyang City without any effort!
Since it would take a certain amount of time to withdraw from Queshu Valley, and we also had to be prepared for the enemy soldiers who were following very closely from the south, when Prime Minister Hou Mochen led his army back to Jiexiu, the enemy troops that had invaded along the way had already been
Yuan Dun left. No matter how angry Hou Mo and Chen Xiang were, they could only digest it by gritting their teeth.
"Your Majesty, what should we do now?"
When the generals saw the dilapidated scene in Jiexiu City, they were on the verge of tears. They looked at Hou Mo and Chen Xiang eagerly and asked.
This time they marched southward and fought hard in Queshu Valley for several days, but gave up halfway. Not only did they fail to open the passage to Queshu Valley, even Jiexiu City, their home base in the back route, was invaded and destroyed by the enemy.
If such a war situation were reported back to Jinyang, they could not imagine how furious His Majesty the Emperor would be and what kind of punishment he would give them.
Naturally, Prime Minister Hou Mo and Chen were a little panicked at this moment. He first took a deep breath, and then said in a deep voice: "The invading bandit army is huge, far exceeding the previous estimate. Moreover, they must recruit spies in the southern border.
As a guide, you can advance and retreat freely after advancing northward. The Jinzhou division brigade was unable to stop them, allowing many thieves to easily advance northward..."
When he generously asked for help in the Jinyang Palace, Hou Mo and Chen Xiang even boasted that in order to avenge their country and family, they would not let the thief pass through the Queshu Valley. But now the enemy has indeed not passed the Queshu Valley, but is killing them from a thousand miles away.
Come on. Such a situation cannot be deceived by being clever.
As the commander-in-chief here, Hou Mo and Chen Xiang naturally have to bear the greatest responsibility. Not to mention the late festival, under the rage of His Majesty the Emperor, he may not even be able to save his own life.
Since it can't bear such a huge responsibility, it can only shirk it. Jinzhou is not completely powerless to fight back. There are tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians in the city, but they just sit back and watch the enemy army march northward in such a short period of time. Changle Wang Weican and others can
Abandoning the blame? Moreover, the enemy has never been in this situation before, but this time it is like being in a deserted situation. How can it be done without the help of spies?
As Hou Mo and Chen Xiang put forward such an idea, other generals were immediately reminded, and soon someone spoke up and said: "According to what the remaining disciples said, the number of thieves who attacked this time was only a few hundred disciples, and common sense can be used to argue that
The enemy soldiers are all very capable and brave, and it is impossible to easily conquer a fortified city and cause such serious harm. The family members of the soldiers also reported that when the thieves invaded the city, many gangsters in the city responded, entered the treasury, and looted the latest goods...
"
After hearing that someone classified all the strong men in the city as internal agents of the enemy, someone else said not to be outdone: "The bandits have already entered Qima Ridge in Queshu Valley, but Jiahu, who is not far from Qima Ridge,
But the fort has not been invaded. The barbarian merchants in the fort are cunning and profit-loving, and have no sense of loyalty. Will they serve as a guide for thieves for the sake of profit?"
"Yes, Li Boshan, the giant Qiang bandit, once invaded Jinyang and passed through here..."
With everyone's comments, the reasons for the defeat of this battle were immediately clearly outlined. It turned out that the defeat of this battle was not only due to the incompetence of the Jinzhou soldiers, but also because of the enemy's treacherousness.
Cunning, it is a conspiracy that has lasted for more than ten years!
Not to mention whether these principles make sense or not, at least they are a comfort to the soldiers who are currently facing a disadvantage in the battle. Not only have they found a reason and target to shirk their mistakes, but they have also found a target to attack.
Jiahu Fort, located in the southwest of Jiexiu City, got its name because Hu merchants often lived in and out of the city. The gathering place of Hu merchants was naturally closely related to treasures and treasures. Usually, these Hu merchants relied on the wealth in their hands.
Befriend a group of Jinyang nobles with Zhenhuo, and gain the protection of these high-ranking officials. Even if the Jinyang soldiers are greedy for their property, they will not dare to plunder it easily.
But now if these Hu merchants are charged with having liaisons with foreign countries and invading Jinyang, then the so-called protective umbrella will naturally be gone, and they can also be arrested and held accountable, and Jiahu Fort will be looted by the way!
Therefore, the generals all spoke more and more energetically. At first, they had a tone of unfounded accusation, but gradually their tone became more and more determined, serious, and urgent.
However, Prime Minister Hou Mochen has not buried his head yet. Now his troops have just been defeated and retreated. Jiexiu City has been attacked, looted and destroyed by the enemy again, and the two main roads of Queshu Valley and Thousand Miles Path are out of control.
Under such a situation, it is enough to shirk the blame and responsibility. It is really not appropriate to create complications due to temporary greed and send the already damaged and relatively weak military to other places.
So he waved his hand to stop everyone's discussion, and then said: "The situation here is like this, so we should report to Jinyang according to the facts. The bandits and gangsters who are fighting against thieves inside and outside Jiexiu must be picked up and eradicated immediately. As for the hidden personnel dangers elsewhere,
You need to wait for the execution of the Supreme Being, and you cannot act without permission while waiting!"
After everyone heard this, they felt a little disappointed. But now that the enemy was facing them, they had not yet reached the point where they would ignore the danger of the country for their own selfish desires, so they could only nod their heads in response quickly, and then said before Hou Mochen.
Under the instructions of the Prime Minister, troops were divided to guard the two northern passages of Queshu Valley and Qianli Jing, and patrolled the countryside to search for the gangsters who had previously participated in looting the storehouses.
When the envoys sent by Hou Mo and Chen Xiang arrived in Jinyang, the leader of Qi Gao Yang had already known the news that Jiexiu City had been captured and looted by the enemy. After all, the soldiers and civilians in Jiexiu City fled and the enemy troops were invaded Bingzhou.
The news spread around Jinyang City, making the atmosphere inside and outside Jinyang City even more tense and solemn.
Gao Yang has also been familiar with military affairs for a long time, so naturally he will not be easily fooled by Xiang Hou Mo Chen's report. No matter how many other excuses and reasons there are, there is no doubt that Xiang Hou Mo Chen, who leads the army to fight at the front line, will have to do this.
Bear the main responsibility for this failure!
"A dog thief cannot resist the bandits, and he still wants to blame others. He deserves to die!"
After reading the report from Hou Mo and Chen Xiang, Gao Yang angrily tore it into pieces. At the same time, he cursed loudly, and then shouted: "How many people are there now in the house? They all gathered in Jinci Temple. I will personally go south to defeat the thieves. See,
It turns out that the Qiang thieves really have no control at all!"
"Your Majesty, please calm down, calm down!"
Everyone in the hall was a little panicked after hearing this, and they hurriedly kowtowed to dissuade him.
Although it is said that the battle between Hou Mo and Chen Xiang was indeed ugly, it cannot be denied that he is indeed a cautious veteran who has been in the military for half his life. The defeat in the war must be due to objective difficulties, and this advance may not be all about blame.
Although nearly 50,000 Jinyang Jia forces have been assembled at the moment, Queshu Valley and Thousand Miles Trail are already under the control of the enemy, and it is still unknown how many enemy troops have been amassed in the north of Pingyang. Under such circumstances, the monarch hastily dispatched all kinds of troops.
If it is not a good strategy, the fate of the country may be tied to this battle in any minute.
What's more, it was obvious to all that the emperor's ambition and strength had declined in recent years, and he was no longer as wise and powerful as in the early days of Tianbao. Naturally, they did not dare to allow the emperor to rush to the front line and take risks without having a superior force.
After repeated admonitions from everyone, Gao Yang temporarily gave up the idea of going south to personally conquer the city. Soon after, he ordered Minister Tang Yong to urge the troops to assemble. At the same time, he sent Hedong King Pan Zihuang to lead 10,000 Manan to Jiexiu to reinforce the garrison.
Don't let the bandit army return to the country. As for Hou Mo and Chen Xiang, take away his official title and make him a white body to lead the army in order to pay for his crime and perform meritorious service.
The Northern Qi Dynasty was in a panic due to the loss of the main road. After He Ruodun and his party sacked Jiexiu City, it took them another two days to retreat back to Jiqiyuan after a thousand-mile journey.
This time Gao Le finally did not miss it. After receiving the notification from his subordinates, he stood outside the camp gate early and waited. When he saw He Ruodun and his entourage returning home with a full load, he smiled and said, "Congratulations to He Ruogong, the newly arrived division won the first battle and boasted to the enemy!"
He Ruoden rode his horse until he was approaching and did not dismount. He just looked down at Gao Le and said in a nonchalant tone: "The reason why I am advancing so bravely this time is not to compete with you Gao Wu for glory."
I am an impetuous and noisy person with little knowledge, so I took him to the north to see the scenery of the thieves, and to kill some thieves along the way, which is not worth mentioning."
As he spoke, he raised his finger and pointed at his son He Ruobi, who was in the team, saying that he was really just walking his son this time, and he casually rushed to the front of Gao Le and other forward divisions and came back with some merit.
Gao Le knew what kind of temper this guy was, but after hearing this, he couldn't help but feel so angry that his temples jumped. He simply stopped talking to He Ruobi and pointed directly at He Ruobi, pretending to be a smile and praising him: "This guy is really brave.
You are very impressive when entering and exiting enemy territory, are you willing to join my command and help you become famous in the country through this campaign?"
"This, this... Thank you very much for the compliment, General Gao. I still want to be selected as the third guard and be the leader. This time I am going on an expedition with my father. I just want to accumulate things and make progress..."
After hearing this, He Ruobi hurriedly waved his hands and said, he didn't even think highly of his father, so how could he agree to Gao Le's solicitation?
But this answer still made Gao Le burst into laughter. Naturally, he couldn't help praising this guy for being smarter than his father. Then he looked back at He Ruoden and asked: "The Lord is marching here, does the Lord have any instructions for you to tell him? I
Should our forwards continue the attack, or stay here?"
"Your Majesty is already approaching Fenqu before we leave. You and I are not good choices for our Lord to garrison the main road. We will stay here to await orders."
After hearing this, He Ruodun replied again, and immediately called Gao Le to join him in the camp to explain in detail.