The military system of the Great Zhou Dynasty was like this. The highest-level army was the Forbidden Army, which was stationed around the capital to protect the imperial capital. The Forbidden Army had the highest quality and the best equipment, and was the core of the Zhou Dynasty's military force. Each province had its own army, called
Provincial armies, such as the Gan Army in Gansu and the Shaanxi Army in Shaanxi, are local troops responsible for maintaining the security of the province, suppressing bandits and guarding the border, and are maintained by the finances of each province; the third is the rural soldiers, the spearmen and archers recruited by the prefectures and counties themselves.
They are basically militias with very weak combat effectiveness.
The provincial army in Gansu was annexed by the Xiliang people as early as the year before last, and has not yet recovered. In order to block the border, only 5,000 troops were placed in front, but they were overwhelmed by the Xiliang army. Until Lanzhou no more troops were stationed.
, there were only a hundred rural soldiers and policemen in various states and counties who were unable to resist the army, so they could only watch the Xiliang army march straight in.
The momentum of the Xiliang army's march to the south is more appropriate to describe the Xiliang army's southward march. Along the way, all the prefectures and counties were defeated by the wind. The army did not commit any crimes in the autumn. It also appeased the local area and cleared out a few groups of stubborn bandits. It adopted the policy of free coming and going for the officials of the Zhou Dynasty.
The principle is that those who want to leave can leave, and those who are willing to stay can stay, and the salary will be increased by 30%. Most of the state and county chief officials are from outside the country, and their children are all in their hometowns. Naturally, they do not want to "become thieves", and those chief bookkeepers and county magistrates
, the petty officials such as the head catchers are locals. They have no way of living outside their hometown, so they are naturally willing to submit to the Great Liang.
…
In the governor's office in Lanzhou City, Fan Liangchen was as anxious as an ant on a hot pot, running around the room with his hands behind his back. Such a big event happened just three months after he took office, which caught him off guard and was powerless. He used to do business
He has no experience in taking charge of the overall situation, let alone facing an invasion by a large army.
Fan Liangchen was a civil servant and knew nothing about fighting. On his books, he had five battalions of Gan troops under his command. However, he had never seen these soldiers since he became the governor. The numbers on his books no longer exist. They were all taken by the West.
The Liang people have made dumplings, but now they have no available troops except for two thousand local soldiers and hundreds of official servants.
The officials in Gansu are still the same group of people left by Wen Yan. They are not interested in the new official Fan Liangchen at all. They are secretly causing trouble. Now that the enemy is facing them, they are even more interested in watching the joke to see how the governor will deal with it.
.
Fan Liangchen is really going crazy. He has no money and soldiers, and it is too late to recruit the people. If he abandons the city and leaves, he will be sorry for the cultivation of Master Liu and Master Zhou. The only way to go is to fight to the death. Only by sacrificing his life for the country can he be worthy.
The mighty imperial grace.
It is said that the forward of the Xiliang Army has arrived at the mouth of the river, and it is only a few hours' journey to reach the gate of Lanzhou City. People in the city were panicked for a while. Fan Liangchen ordered the four gates to be closed tightly, and personally led the soldiers and officials to the city to defend.
Lanzhou City has not experienced war for many years. The city walls are dilapidated and overgrown with weeds. The iron chains of the suspension bridge are rusty. The crossbows that have not been used for many years have long been eaten by insects. The two thousand rural soldiers are only a book number, but there are actually only
There were more than 800 people, and the rest were taken up by the guards.
Fan Liangchen looked at these sparsely numbered 800 people and really felt like crying. Good iron can't be nailed, and good men should not be soldiers. The soldiers are lazy and second-rate people who can't survive. Their armors are crooked and they can't even line up.
The rows were not neat and tidy, and the counting was weak. The swords and guns in the hands were just decorations. The embroidery on the big gun head was not good. Over time, the tassel of the gun also turned black. The few sparse hairs were pitiful. The waist knife was even embroidered.
Can't even pull it out.
The only ones who looked decent were the agents from the third squad of the Yamen. They had sharp swords and sharp legs, but they were agents, not soldiers. They were good at apprehending criminals, but they were of no use in fighting.
You have to defend it if you can, but you have to defend it if you can't. Anyway, the city wall of Lanzhou is so tall that it can't sustain it for a while. Fan Liangchen said to the Lanzhou garrison: "Move the rolling logs and stones to the top of the city, and even if we die, we will die vigorously."
"
The guards were red-faced and did not move for a long time. Fan Liangchen asked curiously: "Why don't you go?"
"Sir, the last general deserves to die, the rolling wood and the stone are all gone. The military pay for the young men is meager on weekdays. There has been no war in Lanzhou for a long time, so... I have no choice but to exchange for some wine money."
City defenses must roll wood and stone. This is the regulation of the Ministry of War of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Of course, not many actually follow it. Wood and stone are both building materials. The wood and stone bought with public funds are resold to others to build houses, and the income is not just a little.
Drinking money is an unspoken rule in Zhou Dynasty's officialdom, and only Fan Liangchen doesn't know about it.
Fan Liangchen stamped his feet and said nothing. At this time, an army appeared on the horizon. It was so majestic and powerful that the dust it raised covered the sky. Looking from a distance, the afterglow of the setting sun shone on the layers of armor.
The soldiers were surrounded by iron horses and golden swords. Needless to say, it was the Xiliang army who came to kill them.
The Xiliang army did not attack the city immediately. Instead, they set up camp ten miles away from Lanzhou and cooked rice. It seemed that they were preparing to attack Lanzhou again at dawn tomorrow. Seeing such a majestic army, Fan Liangchen finally understood why the five battalions were
Gan's army was useless, and the city's destruction was a certainty. There was no point in sacrificing the lives of these rural soldiers in vain, so he simply ignored it and went down to the city back to the Yamen in despair.
In the study room of the governor's yamen, Fan Liangchen lit a brazier, took all the important official documents and case files, and threw them into the brazier one by one to burn them to ashes. While burning them, he was filled with emotions. He had experienced too many ups and downs in his life.
He was born in a poor family and suffered all kinds of humiliation. Fortunately, he studied hard and got a job. First, he became a royal censor, and then he was demoted to Gansu to work as a tea and horse clerk. Later, he was demoted and dismissed, promoted, and then promoted.
The governor of a province thought that his life would be about to change, but he didn't know that his efforts to take the lead were in vain. Lanzhou was destroyed, and his life had come to an end.
While I was in a trance, a servant outside reported: "Sir, we have a visitor."
"No." Fan Liangchen refused without looking back. The people who came to see him at this time were nothing more than a bunch of weak-minded bureaucrats, trying to persuade him to surrender. If they were willing to surrender, just surrender. He would rather die than surrender.
The servant said again: "Sir, we are guests from the west..."
To the west? Could it be the envoy from Xiliang? If the city is destroyed, there will be a looting. If it can prevent the Xiliang army from poisoning the people, it doesn't hurt to meet the envoy.
"Let him come in." Governor Fan said.
After a while, a man dressed in green clothes and a small hat walked into the study and saluted respectfully: "Meet Mr. Fan."
"It's you, Zhang Tietou." Fan Liangchen was greatly surprised. Zhang Tietou used to be a horse dealer with Yuan Feng. He knew Zhang Tietou when they were in the Tea Horse Division. He didn't expect to meet him today. Could it be that he also
Submitted to Xiliang?
"You are just a gentleman. There is a letter here. Please open it personally." Zhang Tietou took out a letter from his arms and presented it to Fan Liangchen.
Fan Liangchen read ten lines at a glance and said with trembling hands: "Seriously?"
Zhang Tietou nodded: "Every sentence is true."
Fan Liangchen breathed a sigh of relief, sat down on the chair, and said after a long while: "My brother worked hard and still thinks of me. He doesn't say anything and just does everything as he is told. But I, the governor, am just an empty post. He has been replaced by them a long time ago."
It’s empty and there’s no one available.”
Zhang Tietou said: "Master Fan, don't worry, I have brought some people here for you to use."
"It's best. Recruit them quickly."
…
In the middle of the night, a team of 100 people was formed in the governor's office. In name, it was Governor Fan's standard guard. In fact, all the members came from the field team of the Military and Horse Statistics Department of the Generalissimo's Mansion in Xiliang.
The Military and Horse Statistics Department is an intelligence organization under the Generalissimo's Mansion. Unlike the Household Transport Department, they are all engaged in murder and arson. The Transport Department does not engage in assassinations, only intelligence. The separation of dry and wet is Yuan Feng's instruction.
Only in this way can the efficiency and security of the intelligence system be ensured, with spies and killers separated and each performing their respective duties.
The entire Gansu Province has been infiltrated by the Transport Department of the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Military and Horse Statistics Department. They know more about how many soldiers and grains there are in Lanzhou City than Fan Liangchen. If they want to capture Lanzhou City, it will only take a matter of minutes, but Yuan
Feng didn't want to do that. Firstly, he didn't want to ruin Fan Liangchen's future. Secondly, he wanted to keep Lanzhou as bait to besiege the city and mobilize reinforcements.
Lanzhou's city defense force was too weak. In order to strengthen their determination to defend, Yuan Feng specially sent Zhang Tietou to deliver the message. Zhang Tietou got into trouble in Chang'an, and the Yuchi family could no longer stay, so they could only work as a post in the Department of Transportation of the Ministry of Household Affairs.
The leader is responsible for the work of the intelligence port.
Fan Liangchen had soldiers and horses from his direct lineage, and held a meeting overnight, and sent people to bring in all the civil and military officials in Lanzhou City. When the army approached the city, everyone did not sleep well. Everyone had already thought of a way out, and they were all local people.
, the house, land, property and property are all here, it is impossible to run away, it is better to take Fan Liangchen and surrender as soon as possible, and the whole city surrenders, who would have known that Fan Liangchen would be one step faster than them.
The main hall of the Governor's Yamen is bright with butter and wax. The officers and soldiers with big shoulders and round waists are standing on both sides holding the handles of their swords. They are all obviously unfamiliar faces. Looking at Governor Fan, there is no trace of the dejection of the day. He is wearing an official uniform with a hanging waist.
The sword is full of energy, and the face is full of red light.
"Everyone, I have called you here to discuss the defense of Lanzhou city. The emperor's kindness is so great that we have no way to repay it. We can only die for the country. Liangzhou can withstand the Turkic army, and we can also withstand Xiliang.
Army!"
Everyone panicked when they heard this. This man must have lost his mind and gone crazy. Can Liangzhou and Lanzhou be compared? You want to die, so don’t drag us with you. Suddenly an official came out and said, "You must not do this."
, Lanzhou City’s soldiers are weak, this move is tantamount to using a mantis’ arm as a chariot, it’s not a big deal if we die, but it will be miserable for the people in the city.”
The person who spoke was the chief envoy of Gansu, and his rank was only a little lower than Fan Liangchen. After Liu Songpo was promoted to governor, he was the most promising to be promoted to governor, but he didn't know that Fan Liangchen came out halfway and took away his coveted governor's seat.
From then on, he hated Fan Liangchen deeply and secretly called on the officials below to refuse to cooperate with all the governor's orders. He was a local who had climbed up from the county magistrate step by step. His appeal was very strong. Fan Liangchen could not fight him.
I was so angry.
When the chief envoy spoke, the people below him also followed suit. In short, they were opposed to all the decisions of Governor Fan. Fan Liangchen looked at them coldly and listened to their unscrupulous shouting. When almost all the people who should have jumped out jumped out, he clapped his hands.
Gavel: "That's enough!"
Everyone was stunned.
"What is the purpose of the imperial court raising you people? In times of crisis, you don't want to serve the country but want to surrender. What's the use of keeping you? Come on, take these people, pick off the black yarn and throw them into the sky prison!"
Soldiers on both sides swarmed up and tied down the seven or eight officials pointed out by Fan Liangchen. Everyone was stunned. When did Fan Liangchen become so tough?
The chief envoy shouted wildly: "Master Fan, I am appointed by the emperor, so you have no right to deal with me."
Fan Liangchen sneered: "You are about to commit treason. Why can't I arrest you? Huh, without you, I can still defend Lanzhou. Please keep me in custody!"
Several people were taken into custody. Fan Liangchen quickly assigned a few officials who were usually well-behaved to fill the vacancies, and then said: "Everyone, follow me to the city to defend. As long as I am here, we will never let the Xiliang soldiers enter."
Half a step from Lanzhou.”
After that, he took the lead and strode away. Under the moonlight, Governor Fan's face was full of justice, which made people think of Zhang Xun, Wen Tianxiang and other heroes who left their names in history.
How did they know that Fan Liangchen was confident for no reason? The Xiliang Army had no plans to enter Lanzhou at all, so they gave him such a huge achievement.