It was late at night in the Fenyang Marquis Mansion in Chang'an. Lu Zhen was still staring at a picture of Gansu mountains and rivers in the study. The tea on the table had gone cold. A gust of night wind blew in and the windows banged.
The old lady gently dismissed the servant at the door, closed the window herself, picked up a large cloak and put it on Lu Zhen: "Master, be careful of catching a cold."
Lu Zhen looked uneasy and patted her old wife's hand gently: "It's getting late, go to bed."
After all, they have been an old couple for decades. Lu Zhen's thoughts could not be hidden from the old lady. She asked softly: "Are you worried about virtue and ability?"
Lu Zhen sighed and said: "The terrain in Gansu is flat, which is suitable for cavalry conflicts. Our army is mainly infantry, while the Xiliang army is good at cavalry. If a talented person does not know how to use his strengths and avoid weaknesses, he will definitely suffer a big loss."
The old lady said: "Decai is the great horse of our Lu family. I have been familiar with military art since I was a child, so I will definitely not make this mistake."
"Oh, I'm afraid he underestimates the enemy. This kid is good at everything, but he is a bit impatient. I have an ominous feeling now..." Lu Zhen's senses are really sensitive. As soon as he finished speaking, the boy outside knocked on the door.
He said: "Master, madam, the master is here."
"If the boss comes here so late, something big must have happened." The old lady murmured.
The boss, Lu Bodang, walked in quickly. What was shocking was that he was wearing a full body of armor, with a bow and arrows and a sword hanging on his waist. The leaves of his armor were rustling as he walked. He suddenly came home fully armed in the middle of the night. Look,
What happens in the next life will not only be big things, but also very vicious things.
Lu Bodang cupped his hands and said: "Son, please see your father and mother." There was a hint of anxiety in his tone. The rule of the Fenyang Hou family is that women should not get involved in important affairs. The old lady nodded to her son: "Master, you two should be busy.
"I'm leaving." Then he took a few maids and carried a lantern and went away. After passing the banana tree, he heard the old lady sigh.
"Father, something happened. Decai is back." Lu Bodang said in a low voice.
"Oh, where is Decai now?" After something happened, Lu Zhen was no longer so anxious and picked up the tea cup.
"Decai is resting in my camp. He dare not come to see his father. Tianshui's 30,000 troops...Father, please don't punish Decai. It's not that he doesn't try his best. It's because the enemy is too cunning!"
, Lu Bodang knelt down. It was very inconvenient for him to wear armor, but for the lives of his uncles and brothers, he still knelt down and begged his father.
Lu Zhen was holding a tea cup and drinking water. The tea had already become cold and he didn't even notice it. He just said coldly: "So, the 30,000 horses I entrusted to him are gone?"
"Father, Decai is also heartbroken..."
There was a "pop" and the tea cup was smashed to pieces. "Don't talk about that! I want to see him now. I want to know everything that happened in Gansu! Everything!"
"Yes," Lu Bodang quickly turned around and shouted outside, instructing Ma Bian to call Lu Decai, but he still knelt on the ground and did not dare to get up.
"Get up and talk." The old man ordered.
"Father..." Lu Bo was about to speak but stopped.
"If there are any other bad things, let me tell you about them."
"Yes!" Lu Bodang said bravely: "Xiliang Rangers have appeared near Chang'an. My son sent troops to capture them, but they killed dozens of them. My son has ordered the entire army to be on alert and went to the city to ask his father.
What are the regulations?"
Lu Zhen was so angry that her gray beard was trembling and her fingers were trembling: "How can you be a soldier and be able to let the Xiliang army attack Chang'an City! It's such an embarrassment to me!"
After venting his anger, he became deeply frightened. The Xiliang army was so terrifying. It had only been a few days since the declaration of war. They had been so powerful all the way. They had descended on several cities in a row, and even the rangers were able to penetrate into the vicinity of Chang'an. They had been doing so for decades.
I have never encountered such a capable army.
"Boss, how many soldiers do we have?" Lu Zhen suddenly calmed down.
"Except for the troops of Decai, there are the troops stationed on the front line of northern Shaanxi and Tongguan. There are only eight battalions outside Chang'an City, with a real force of 8,000 people." Lu Bo said, their Shaanxi army is only responsible for the territory of Shaanxi, and Chang'an is located in
In the hinterland of Shaanxi, there is naturally no need to station too many troops.
"Withdraw everyone into the city, leaving no one behind!" the old Marquis said decisively.
…
Martial law has been imposed in Chang'an.
In the huge Chang'an City, all twelve city gates are closed, prohibiting all people from passing through. Even the vehicles that enter the city every morning to sell vegetables, grains, and collect dung are not allowed to pass. Chang'an has a huge flow of people, and they come in and out every day.
More than 100,000 people were sent out, and a large number of people gathered at each city gate, complaining loudly. After all, the war was too far away from them, and no one could understand the government's sudden decision to block the city gates.
It was useless for the people to make trouble anymore. Now is the war period. In order to prevent Xiliang spies from infiltrating into the city, the whole city had to be under martial law. After the traffic blockade, the price of food and vegetables in the city immediately skyrocketed. Many wealthy people panicked.
People want to know how far the war has progressed, and if things go badly, they have to run away quickly.
At the Prince of Qin's Mansion, the sad-looking Governor of Shaanxi and Gansu Liu Songpo was reporting the situation to His Highness the Prince of Qin. The situation took a turn for the worse. The army that had been victorious a few days ago was actually defeated. It was said that the cavalry of the Xiliang people had appeared near Chang'an City.
faced the threat of war.
Liu Songpo was the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, but one of the two provinces under his rule was occupied by the enemy, and the remaining one was not safe. This situation made him more uncomfortable than the loot sent by Fenyang Marquis a few days ago. He did not want Xi
The Liang people were defeated so quickly, but they didn't want them to make a complete comeback. As a feudal official, he had the responsibility to defend his territory. This time he was in big trouble.
His Highness the King of Qin was also frowning, but there was a hint of joy in his heart. Fenyang Marquis was finally deflated, and this old military leader is also here today!
After finishing his gloating, he felt deeply sad again. Just a few months after taking control of Chang'an, he went to war with foreign countries. This was not a good sign. Even though it was an opportunity to practice, he was completely unprepared. Fenyang Marquis
When you are done, you must be done too. Now we are all grasshoppers on the same rope.
Liu Songpo also meant the same thing. He had always believed that Xiliang was a serious concern of Zhou Dynasty. Now it was finally verified that the Xiliang people could reach Lanzhou in a month. Their fighting power was astonishing! No matter how much it costs, we must do it now.
Defend Chang'an.
This matter is so serious that it cannot be concealed. Liu Songpo has already written an urgent side report and sent someone to rush to the capital for help over 800 miles away. If Chang'an cannot be defended, the imperial court should be prepared to defend it.
Tongguan, mobilizing the imperial army, and collecting money and food all require buffering time.
The money and food in Chang'an's treasury are also open here, and Fenyang Marquis will give him as much as he wants. Liu Songpo is a man who knows the general situation and knows that when there are constraints from time to time, we should work together with civil and military forces to resist the barbarians.
Another cartload of silver was transported out of the treasury, said to be used to reward the Tianshui troops of the Shaanxi army. However, there were vague rumors that the 30,000 troops and horses in Tianshui had been wasted. Liu Songpo did not take it seriously. It was normal for him to miss the quota.
, but it is simply impossible to eat up the entire army. Even though Fenyang Hou is greedy, he cannot do such a thing. Besides, 30,000 Shaanxi troops are not easy to swallow, so this must be
It's a rumor.
Unfortunately, this matter is true. Fenyang Hou really dared to hide it and continue to eat the 30,000 people. Anyway, the war is not over. He can eat for a few more months while waiting for the war.
After that, the Xiliang people will capture some more masters and raise the army.
After a night of hearing, Fenyang Hou finally got a general understanding of the Xiliang army from Lu Decai. They were good at using cavalry and firearms, and their troops were well-prepared. There was nothing else remarkable about them. It is especially worth mentioning that the Xiliang army
The Liang army's attack ability was very poor. Even though they occupied the entire Gansu Province, the flag of the Great Zhou Dynasty was still flying in Lanzhou City. This made Lu Zhen even more reassured. He was already confident about the strategic deployment.
Make use of strengths and avoid weaknesses, fortify walls and clear fields, stand firm and wait for reinforcements, shrink the troops outside the city, and blockade the whole city. The city wall of Chang'an City is much higher than that of Lanzhou. Lanzhou can hold it, so why can't Chang'an hold it?
Then transfer the soldiers and horses from Tongguan and Yan'an, and combine the inside and the outside. This will make the Xiliang army a dumpling. Then they can fight all the way to the northwest and occupy Liangzhou and the Hexi Corridor. Wouldn't it be wonderful?
…
The first rangers who appeared near Chang'an were Zhuo Ligetu and other thirteen daring scouts. After these guys scared Lu Decai away, they all gathered together and went straight to Chang'an. They were not so arrogant that the thirteen of them wanted to go to Chang'an.
When they captured Chang'an, they wanted to investigate the situation of the garrison around Chang'an.
It was Lu Bodang's team who was stationed outside Chang'an City. When someone was found near the camp, he quickly sent people to arrest him, but he was killed by the scouts. At this time, Lu Decai happened to arrive at the camp and found his cousin to report the battle situation.
As soon as he said that, he was already out of his wits, the wind was shaking, and the exaggeration made Lu Bodang's hair stand on end. At this juncture, his subordinates came to report that a Tatar-looking reconnaissance cavalry had appeared nearby. It's strange that Lu Bodang was not afraid, so he immediately sent the order.
The entire army was on alert and went to the city in person to report to dad.
Fenyang Hou made a decisive decision to retreat into the city and close the city gates. This move was quite wise, but he was still a step too late. Zhuo Ligetu and his twelve brothers had already sneaked into Chang'an City before the city closed.
Chang'an is an international metropolis, with Mongols, Tibetans, Qiang, Turks, Persians, Koryos, and Japanese all living there. A dozen Tatars with knives are not very dazzling, you have to know those long-haired Tatars
Who among the big merchants taking the Western Route doesn't have more than a dozen swordsmen from the Western Regions at home?
What's more, Zhuo Ligetu and the others had already disguised themselves, and their armor and bloody battle robes were buried outside the city. They were wearing stolen Han Chinese clothes, and weapons of mass destruction such as muskets, bows, arrows, and maces were also hidden in their sacks.
He restrained his facial expressions and pretended to be harmless.
Chang'an was suddenly under martial law. The men were aware of the danger. After some discussion, they decided to find a suitable place to hide. Zhuo Ligetu saw several children playing in the alley, so he walked over and called one of the older ones to stop him.
He pinched his face and asked: "Kid, where is the temple near here?"
The child had never seen such a ferocious uncle in his life. He was so frightened that he started to cry. The adults around him all looked over, and someone shouted: "Where did this wild man come from?"