In the face of a powerful enemy, Fan Liangchen changed his former gentle and amiable image and became decisive and decisive. He took down eight senior officials of fourth rank or above that night, and all the officials were convinced.
Fan Liangchen ordered overnight to recruit men in the city, carry weapons and supplies to the city, and sent people to control the treasury, seizing military power and financial power. Without his order, not a single soldier, not a grain of grain, not a single copper coin was allowed to be dispatched without permission.
Anyone who dares to say no to abuse will be immediately dismissed from their post and investigated. Such vigorous and resolute actions and decisive methods are beyond the reach of Wen Yan in the past.
During the war, everything was in power. Fan Liangchen took over Lanzhou Prefecture in the name of fighting. The people below were frightened when they saw the governor, but they obeyed. Only then did Fan Liangchen truly feel the power of being a feudal official.
All this was thanks to Yuan Feng. Tens of thousands of Xiliang troops outside the city were watching eagerly, forcing the people in the city to unite. Everyone was frightened by the chaos. Only Master Fan was not afraid of danger and had good arrangements.
They moved all the old iron cannons in the arsenal onto the city wall, demolished the barracks, and transported rubble and stones to the city wall to use as stone. For a time, there was a bloody battle to the end. The city was still alive, but the people were destroyed.
, the knowledgeable elders in Lanzhou City couldn't help but sigh, they couldn't usually tell that this Master Fan was really strong and strong.
The Xiliang army under the city also cooperated very well. First they sent a man to persuade them to surrender, but were scolded by Governor Fan's impassioned and righteous words. Then the Xiliang army began to attack the city, with cannons flying to the sky, and the sound of killing shaking the ground.
They fought back, but both sides only loaded gunpowder without loading cannonballs. Although the fighting was lively and the sky was full of smoke, no one was actually killed.
The Lanzhou garrison was puzzled and asked Fan Liangchen: "Sir Governor, what kind of battle are we fighting?"
Fan Liangchen commanded and dispatched with a sword in his hand. He did not answer directly, but said: "I only want to ask you one question, do you want to die or live?"
Guard said: "Young general naturally wants to survive."
"Then it's over. Stop talking nonsense. Don't ask questions that you shouldn't ask. Just do as I say."
The garrison is not a fool. The governor can save Lanzhou and the lives of these people. No matter how he fights, he immediately accepted the order and commanded the soldiers to go to the countryside. They beat the war drums loudly and the iron cannons fired continuously.
It’s more lively than the Chinese New Year.
After a while, the soldiers also realized that the Xiliang army was just bluffing, and they were also putting on a big show. One side pretended to attack, and the other side pretended to defend. Who was this show for? They didn't know.
If you care, you will be lucky if you can save your life anyway.
After a noisy day of fighting, the Xiliang army stopped and retreated. Fan Liangchen ordered people to take 20,000 kilograms of gunpowder and 500 dans of grain from the storehouse and quietly transport them out of the city. Now that he had the power and said everything, no one dared to question these things.
To whom are the scarce supplies given?
The Xiliang army obtained grain, grass and gunpowder and continued to perform under the city of Lanzhou. However, the large army continued southward and set up an ambush in the Maxian Mountain area, waiting for reinforcements from the Zhou Dynasty to arrive.
Ten days passed, but the Zhou army had not yet arrived. According to the information from the Military and Horse Statistics Department, the officers and soldiers stationed in Tianshui had no intention of rushing to aid Lanzhou. Instead, they shrank their front lines and stood firm in the fortified city.
A plan of siege and reinforcements was in vain. The generals were puzzled, but Yuan Feng figured out the reason. The Shaanxi army is the Shaanxi army, and the Gan army is the Gan army. Gansu fell, and it is the Gansu region that is responsible for defending the territory.
Officials, the Shaanxi Army is equivalent to Fenyang Marquis's private army, so they have no interest in wading into this muddy water. There will be no benefit if they win. If they lose, they will lose their own strength. Who is willing to do things that are harmful and useless.
The army of the Zhou Dynasty was so virtuous, and everyone was disappointed and excited. Soldiers without a sense of honor were not worthy of being opponents. Since they did not dare to come, then fight them. Anyway, there was food and supplies in the official warehouse of Lanzhou Prefecture for backup and logistics.
Very little pressure.
…
Chang'an, the Governor's Office, Zhang Ruiqiang, the magistrate of Tongcheng, fell to the ground crying and bleeding. After a long journey, he finally arrived in Chang'an. For this scholar, his physical strength and will have reached the limit.
"Mr. Governor, hurry up and attack Lanzhou. If you don't attack Lanzhou, it will be over." This book reproduces Zhang Ruiqiang's head in the tunnel.
But Liu Songpo frowned and said nothing. He had served as governor of Gansu, so he naturally knew the level of Gansu's army and Lanzhou's city defense armament. Lanzhou must have been destroyed by now, and there was no point in reinforcing it. Besides,
As the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, he can nominally mobilize the provincial armies of the two provinces. In fact, he cannot mobilize a single soldier. The entire Gansu army is destroyed. The Shaanxi army is the private army of Fenyang Marquis. Without the old man's willingness, not a single soldier will go out.
If we don't give this old fox proper benefits, it would be a fool's errand to expect him to help us regain Gansu.
"Sir, Governor Fan assures me in person that the city is still alive but people will die when it is destroyed. With Lord Fan's determination and the common hatred of the elders of Lanzhou, Lanzhou will definitely still be there. I beg you to send troops!" Zhang Ruiqiang saw that Liu Songpo was silent and kowtowed again to ask for orders.
.
"Zifang, it's not that I don't have troops, it's too late. We can only think about it in the long term." Liu Songpo tried to appease Zhang Ruiqiang, but Zhang Zhizhou, a nerd, refused to listen and insisted on inviting troops to march westward.
While they were in a stalemate, someone suddenly came from outside to report that an urgent document of 100,000 yuan had arrived in Lanzhou. Liu Songpo quickly let the person in. A travel-worn messenger came in and presented the document to Liu Songpo. Liu Songpo saw that the paint on the envelope was intact before opening it.
Watch.
The letter was written by Fan Liangchen himself. He reported the situation in Lanzhou to the Governor, saying that although the Xiliang bandits were fierce, they were good at cavalry and were helpless against the tall and thick walls of Lanzhou City. Now he had recruited strong men and prepared rolling wooden spears.
Shi was about to fight the enemy in a bloody battle. Suddenly, some of his officials wanted to surrender. He questioned him. Now he is asking Governor Liu to apologize. The most important thing is to ask for reinforcements. Although Lanzhou has a tall city and sufficient food and grass, there are no reinforcements.
It won't be supported for long.
After reading the letter, Liu Songpo confirmed that it was Fan Liangchen's handwriting, and asked the messenger when the letter was sent out and what was the war in Lanzhou on that day.
The messenger was a man of great distinction. He spoke to the Governor with neither humility nor arrogance. He left five days later than Zhang Ruiqiang. When he left, the Xiliang Army had already attacked 6 times and 18 times, but each time he was defeated by Lord Fan himself.
Lead the troops to fight back.
Seeing Lord Fan's bravery, the messenger couldn't help wiping his tears with his sleeve: "I have been in the army for so many years, and I have never seen any civil servant as brave and courageous as Lord Fan. He is even more manly than a man. Sir, he carried the coffin up the city wall.
He personally fired the cannon at the enemy. He was hit by several arrows but could not miss the line of fire. He was still motivating the soldiers at the top of the city..."
Liu Songpo couldn't help but be moved by his words: "With such a capable minister in Zhou Dynasty, why worry about Lanzhou and Gansu not being protected? Come with me, you two!"
…
In the Fenyang Marquis Mansion, Liu Songpo, the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, personally visited the old Marquis. However, after serving tea in the West Flower Hall for a long time, the Marquis still did not come out to greet the guests. This kind of neglect was quite rude, but Liu Songpo had nothing to do. Once the qualifications of Fenyang Marquis were revealed
The old man is qualified to put on a show. He came here because he has military power in his hands. Now is the time to ask for help. How can he just walk away?
After the tea had cooled down, fresh ones were served. After waiting for an hour, hearty laughter came from behind. Fenyang Hou Luzhen, dressed in a smart outfit and walking vigorously, stepped into the West Flower Hall, pretending to be surprised: "
When did Lord Liu arrive? I didn't come to greet you from afar, but I still wanted to see Haihan." Then he reprimanded the servant: "You can't be disrespectful just because I am practicing martial arts. Lord Liu is my best friend. No matter when you come to visit me next time, just visit me.
Communication!"
Liu Songpo thought to himself, just pretend, I have been just discussing how to bargain for an hour. Now that the price has been set, he will naturally go out to meet the guests. He did not say anything, but laughed and said: "The Marquis of Fenyang is really a sword that never grows old. He gets stronger with time."
Fenyang Hou also laughed loudly. The two of them flattered each other a few times, but neither of them spoke first. Liu Songpo was also ruthless, and he just treated it as nothing happened when his eyebrows were burning. He looked around and didn't mention the war in Gansu.
After a long while, he suddenly said: "Master Marquis, you are about to be in trouble."
Lu Zhen sipped the tea and said with half-squinted eyes: "How do you say this?"
Liu Songpo said: "It was rumored that some time ago, the third son of the noble family fell in love with the Princess of Xiliang who came to Chang'an to study piano skills in disguise, and insisted on forcibly marrying her. The commotion was very unbearable. Now the Xiliang army has arrived, heading straight down to Gansu and approaching Tianshui Pass.
They threatened not to kill officials or civilians, but only Fenyang Hou." After saying that, he lowered his head to take a sip of tea and secretly observed Fenyang Hou's reaction.
Lu Zhen had long received a secret report that Xiliang's army had invaded and half of Gansu had been lost. However, he was not panicked at all. Gansu was not under his jurisdiction and he didn't care. However, Liu Songpo, as the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, must bear the responsibility.
It was too late to ask for help from the capital. When the Imperial Army arrived and the day lilies were cold, the only way was to ask him to mobilize the Shaanxi Army for reinforcements, and then he would be able to get a good deal from him.
But now it seems that Liu Songpo is really able to keep his composure. He still dares to play some provocative tricks with me. I, the Marquis of Fenyang, have never seen anything in the world, and I can still fall behind your trivial tricks. Lu Zhen sneered and said: "Then...
Just let them come, I haven't moved my muscles and bones for a long time, it's so fun."
Liu Songpo said: "So the Marquis is preparing to stick to Chang'an, which is not bad. The walls of Chang'an are high and thick, and the Xiliang cavalry can't do anything. There is no problem in saving their lives. It doesn't matter if I am a low-ranking official. Even if the emperor knows about this, I will not be able to deal with it well."
, it doesn’t matter if he is demoted to Lingnan and becomes a county official. Anyway, he is used to the ups and downs, but it will be a disaster for the people outside the city. The land in the Weihe Plain is fertile, and it is time for spring plowing. The envoys were trampled by those Xiliang cavalry.
It must have been confiscated, no, it seems that the biggest landowner in Shaanxi is you, Lord Marquis. If the Xiliang army comes over, the biggest loss will be yours, the Marquis of Fenyang."
This old fox, after all the talk, still wants me to send troops. But what he said is reasonable. Allowing the Xiliang army to attack the city will make it difficult for everyone and everyone will suffer. Since he won't point it out, I will simply point it out.
.
Fenyang Hou coughed dryly and said, "Master Liu, if you have anything to say, just say it."