At the end of February, the land of Hebei is certainly not full of grass and orioles, but there are also willows sprouting branches and peach and apricot flowers filling the courtyard. More importantly, the land that has just been cultivated brings out a fresh earthy smell.
The new seedlings that are sprouting slightly make the land of Hebei very pleasing to the eye.
At this time, along with the migratory birds returning from the north, the Gang began to conduct large-scale military gatherings around Yecheng.
No movement or stillness can be covered.
This was a quasi-total mobilization, and all gang territories were activated. Not only the army, but also a large amount of supplies were transported from Henan through the newly thawed river. The ports on the river were working day and night without stopping. At the same time,
The defense forces originally on the front line and various places in Hebei have also begun to build simple temporary military camps and supply depots, and at the same time inspect and maintain roads.
As for the palace city on the northwest side of Ye City, it is not simply overcrowded at this time. A more accurate description is actually people coming and going:
Many members of the departments directly under Dahangtai and their heads are not here now, but have gone to various places. Some went to the front line in the north, some went to inspect traffic, some went to Henan to escort grain, grass and ordnance, and some went to the military camp for inspections.
The state of being a soldier...but often does not last long, and then goes back to attend some meetings, submit or deliver some documents, fill out some forms, and then go somewhere again.
In addition, a large number of middle and low-level officers, local officials, and retired veterans were summoned here. Together with the original documents from Yecheng, they joined the army and prepared generals to receive general promotions, and then were sent in large numbers to
In the military, in the logistics team and in various places on the front line, he serves as deputy to core positions.
This is not simply adding sand to strengthen the authority of Daxingtai, nor is it simply the pursuit of improving combat effectiveness. The more consideration is a plan designed for war and expansion based on past experience.
The purpose of adding a large number of officers is to ensure that the structure of the army does not collapse after a possible war leads to large-scale attrition, so as to maintain combat effectiveness or to quickly rebuild; while the transfer to logistics and local areas is to ensure that there are enough spare officers to take over new sites in a timely manner and ensure that new
The grammar and official system of the territorial gang was quickly activated, and then blood transfusions were made in time for the Northern Expedition.
Against this background, Xie Minghe, the general manager of foreign affairs, went north again in person and came to Hejian on February 27th.
"If Duke Xue surrenders, first of all, Duke Xue and his sons will be able to come and go freely, whether they are returning to the Eastern Capital or the Western Capital. If they stay, Duke
The person who does things is the general manager, and the leader is the general. If you want to go to the local area, be the leader, command the station, or be the general manager of the state, you can only stay in Hejian, and you may go to Dengzhou or Xuzhou.
"Secondly, here at the Hejian Camp, Mr. Xue can make a list. In addition to the normal appointments, we will guarantee the positions of two big leaders and eight leaders. According to your concept, they will all be in charge of general management, separate management, and prefecture.
, the dispatches of generals and generals...the middle-level officers and county officials who were originally serving as officials in the Hejian camp will not be dispatched within two years unless they are obviously against us.
"Third, the above conditions were signed by Chief Zhang and officially issued in Daxingtai... The deadline is the eighth day of March. I will be in Hejian before the fifth day of March. Before the eighth day, as long as Mr. Xue is actually here
Give up resistance, and we will try our best to abide by this condition...please ask Mr. Xue to accept it."
As Xie Minghe finished speaking, the lobby of the Hejian Daying General Manager's Office in Hejian City, Hejian County fell into an eerie silence.
Xue Changxiong, who was sitting in the first place, took a look and felt cold in his heart... He had been in the army for a long time, so he didn't know that the army had its own atmosphere. If he didn't scold him at this time, he would be tempted, and this would also be the decline of his own authority.
Otherwise, it would be just a show of loyalty, and many people would have scolded me.
"How dare the dog thieves underestimate us in Hejian?" In the midst of anxiety, a general suddenly jumped out with his sword, pointed at Xie Minghe and scolded him, but it was Dou Ru, son of Dou Pi, the former deputy general manager of Hejian. "We in Hejian are thieves with you.
The hatred is as deep as the sea, and we can only decide life and death, so how can we talk about making peace?!"
When everyone heard this, they became more solemn. No one else... The Gang invaded Hebei before and fought two rapid and fierce frontal battles with the Hejian Camp. The Gang won quickly, but the Hejian Camp was defeated quickly.
There were many casualties.
A leader of Dasheng's gang died, and the situation here in Hejian Camp was even more tragic. Xue Changxiong lost two sons, and Dou Ru's father, who was the deputy general manager, also died in the battle. The current No. 2 figure in Hejian Camp, Hebei
Murong Zhengyan, a famous local man, was also seriously injured and disabled.
The rest of the generals and sergeants were also seriously injured.
"Well said!" Xue Wancheng also stood up and scolded. "You killed my second brother and fourth brother. This is a life-and-death feud. How can I discuss it with you? Our family is only about life and death!"
"That's right! If the thief wants to fight, then he will fight!"
"Don't worry, foster father, Youzhou's 100,000 cavalry can go south at any time. I don't know who will surrender when the time comes!"
"The thief seems to be coming menacingly, but in fact it is just a bluff. If he is really sure, why would he give such generous conditions... This is a delaying tactic! Manager, don't fall into the trap!"
"Father, the hatred between the fourth brother and the second brother must not be forgotten!"
"Manager, we are not afraid of him!"
"..."
"..."
"Okay." Suddenly, Xue Changxiong, who was sitting on the main seat, raised his hand to stop this sudden unnecessary performance, and then looked at a key figure. "General Murong, what do you think? Can you fight?
?”
Murong Zhengyan, whose legs were crippled, sat in the first seat on the left and was silent for a long time, so that the generals around him became a little impatient, but Xue Changxiong remained patient.
After a long time, the local general spoke, but he did not reply directly: "General manager, no matter what, the two armies are fighting and the envoys will not be killed. Besides, I was well received when I went to help. Thank you, manager, for returning to the post house to rest."
.”
"Okay." Xue Changxiong understood, and then nodded to Xie Minghe. "Mr.
Xie Minghe didn't hesitate or get angry, he just handed over his hand and left. Walking out of the lobby, he was greeted by the bright spring sunshine. He raised his head to face the warm spring sun and slightly raised the corners of his mouth, but he didn't know whether he wanted to sneer or just be innocent.
I feel like yawning.
Not to mention that Xie Minghe was happy to go back. As soon as the people left, there was a commotion in the hall again, but Xue Changxiong suppressed it with one hand, and then continued to see Murong Zhengyan.
Murong Zhengyan hesitated for a moment, then continued to ask: "Manager, can we talk to you in private?"
Xue Changxiong sighed: "I know what General Murong means."
The hall also became cold.
Murong Zhengyan was helpless: "Manager, some things involve people, so we really can't talk about them in public, and you shouldn't make such direct conclusions."
Xue Changxiong thought for a moment and waved his hand to signal others to leave.
And just when everyone turned around helplessly, the Hebei marching commander called out to two of them again: "Wanquan, Ashin, you two stay and listen."
Xue Changxiong's youngest son, Xue Wanquan, and his adopted son, Luo Xin, each cheered up and regained their composure upon hearing this, while the other three sons and a nephew took the lead to leave angrily. However, the other generals remained calm and did not express any unnecessary words.
After they left, Murong Zhengyan looked at the two young men and told Xue Changxiong bluntly: "I know what the manager wants to ask me, and I can't hide it. Military officers and local officials from Hebei, Xindu,
We can no longer believe that those on the Boling side will switch sides and abandon their armor as soon as the war begins; those on the Boling side may not switch sides directly, but they will not help us too much. As long as they help Zhuozhangshui, they will be unstable..."
"I understand Xin, but is Boling like this?" Xue Changxiong couldn't understand.
"This is nothing." Murong Zheng said sternly. "The key is in the army..."
"Does General Murong want to say that those officers were so shaken that they actually dared to mutiny directly, or that some of them had already acted as agents for thieves and become traitors?" Luo Xin interjected and asked.
"No." Murong Zheng said sternly. "It's not an officer, at least it's not just an officer. What I'm worried about is that the officers and soldiers are in turmoil together, especially in the past two years, most of the soldiers in the Hejian Camp were newly recruited from the three counties of Hejian.
... They are all locals. They know that the government order for the gang is simple and the land transfer is fair, so they are often hesitant... The general manager, military officers and local noble families may not really have much yearning for the gang. Even if they have contacts, it is difficult, but due to the situation,
But the people below can't control their interactions, especially this year, with so many targeted agitation... What I'm afraid of now is that the two sides will influence each other and cause chaos."
Xue Changxiong looked a little ugly.
Luo Xin and Xue Wanquan remained silent for a while.
The reason is very simple. As a member of the local military family, Murong Zhengyan is now the number two figure in the Hejian camp. He has a unique say in the matter of local people's hearts. More importantly, he also fought for Xue Changxiong that day.
, I have been working hard in the past two years, and I can be regarded as someone who can be trusted enough.
Well, if he says this now, I'm afraid it's really unstable down there.
"Then what should we do?" After a while, Xue Wanquan felt a little helpless. "Is the only outcome is surrender or leave?"
Xue Changxiong also sighed: "The thieves are right. Give me two years to win over the people of Hebei and make them one. I deserve to lose to them..."
"That's what the manager said." Murong Zhengyan sighed. "That's because the manager abides by the principles of being a minister and has no ambitions... It's not like everyone has such deliberate intentions that the late emperor wanted to replace him just after he went to Jiangdu."
"That's the truth." Xue Changxiong sneered when he heard this. "The princes in the world, from south to north, if they are bandits, they will fight from scratch to establish their foundations in one city and one place. If they are officers and soldiers, nine out of ten they will follow the tide.
, forced by the situation, he was the only one, Bai Hengqiu, who made great plans. As soon as he was dispatched, more than a dozen counties in Jin became an ironclad... And by coincidence, he fell into the position of staying behind in Taiyuan before the Three Expeditions.
Where are you waiting for the late Emperor to go to Jiangdu?"
"That's what happened before. It's useless to think about it." Murong Zhengyan had no choice but to interrupt the other party. "Manager, you asked me about the situation in the local area. I have already answered truthfully. Now we have to make a decision."
"As you said, you can't fight?" Xue Changxiong paused and asked a question similar to but different from that of his youngest son.
Murong Zhengyan understood the other party's thoughts instantly.
To put it bluntly, Xue Changxiong is not that difficult to understand. People like him are even the most common in troubled times... He has the ability and ideas, but does not have the ambition and courage to change the world. He has loyalty and morality, but cannot resist the power of the separatist party.
The best result of the temptation of self-centeredness is to stick to one side and be free for half a life. Even following the example of the previous hundreds of years, when encountering specific historical circumstances, future generations can become kings and hegemons and live free for several generations.
And what if there is a bad outcome?
Regardless of self-knowledge, life and death, honor and disgrace, are all just one knife.
In fact, Du Po Zhen was in a similar mood, but his Huaiyou Alliance was born to help this behemoth, and they all belonged to the rebel camp. He himself was able to step on the steps because of people like Zhang Xing, Bai Yousi, and Qin Bao.
Naturally, there are only two more ropes to bind the immortals.
Back in front of him, Murong Zhengyan pondered for a moment and decided to open the skylight and speak frankly: "So, the manager still wants to survive as much as possible?"
"good."
"Then all I can think of is a strategy to defend Hejian City." Murong Zhengyan said with difficulty. "Once the troops are sent out to fight in the field, the troops will spread out, and the front line will stretch for more than 400 miles from east to west. After the fight, they will become intertwined.
It would be even more chaotic. When the time comes, some people will inevitably surrender and switch sides, and in all likelihood, others will follow suit, and more people will sit and guard the city to watch success or failure... And in this case, according to the current situation of our two families
Based on the comparison of strength, defeat is almost inevitable, and it will be like a mountain falling, like a river fighting, and it will be out of control."
"But if we insist on defending Hejian, even if I build a tower in Hejian City, won't it just be a withered city waiting for death?"
The battalion has been renovating and operating Hejian City for many years to gather part of the military morale and seize the city of Hejian. However, military morale is not water without a source but a tree without roots. If it leaves the depth outside, it will just wither."
"We can only hope that there will be changes outside during the defense of the city. The Youzhou army will be desperate and helpless, but it is difficult to count on them." Murong Zhengyan said helplessly, then paused for a moment and expressed his own opinion. "Actually,
General manager, I want my subordinates to sincerely consider you. I still have to say that the terms of help are generous enough... If the general manager wants face, he can go to Dongdu. Kansai, isn't the eldest son of the general manager in Dongdu? If he wants face, he can give it to himself.
When you and a few young masters seek real power, why bother worrying about personal grudges and old grudges?"
"If I could let go of these personal and old grudges, I would have left with Bai Hengqiu that day." Xue Changxiong waved his hand to stop the other party's persuasion. "Now that the Wei Dynasty is dead, I, Xue Changxiong, am no longer incompetent, and I don't want to be beaten again.
These people who look down on me are humiliated."
"But what can Ruzhi do?" Murong Zhengyan spread his hands helplessly.
The situation became awkward again.
After a while, Luo Xin finally couldn't bear it anymore: "Father, General Murong, now that things have happened, I have a plan, maybe I can give it a try."
Murong Zhengyan and Xue Wanquan looked at each other, and then each went to see Major General Luo.
"Say." Xue Changxiong didn't have any taboos.
"I have understood the words of General Murong and my adoptive father. If I want to hold on, I have to wait for help. However, I am worried that the Hejian Army has long lost morale. During the defense of the city, thieves have captured the city outside. This is even more understandable.
Losing yourself can't last long, and then when the Youzhou army arrives there will be nothing you can do...is that right?" Luo Xin asked sincerely.
"Almost." Xue Changxiong answered in the affirmative.
"Then why not pretend to surrender?" Luo Xin suddenly took a step forward.
"What do you mean?" Xue Changxiong was stunned.
"Fake surrender to the thieves, demand military power and the number of leaders according to their conditions, and use this as a reason to gather the main force of the Hejian Camp... In this case, the military morale within the Hejian Camp has already been disorganized, or there is a quarrel with the gang.
On the contrary, it will be easier to gather here without causing trouble." Luo Xin pointed out the key points of his plan. "Then when we see the army gathering, on the one hand, we will relax because of the fake surrender, but on the other hand, we will not dare to neglect because of the gathering of our army.
We still send the main force to Hejian to make plans... At this time, if all the Youzhou cavalry are out, and we suddenly send troops from Hejian City, and the two sides attack between the Hutuo River and Zhuozhang River, the army will be caught off guard and win in one battle.
It may not be impossible to turn things around.”
Xue Changxiong hesitated for a moment.
"I'm afraid that I might be self-defeating and get out of control." Murong Zhengyan reminded him sternly.
"It is possible." Luo Xin nodded repeatedly. "It is also possible that the strategy failed and was exposed. For example, the thieves were ruthless and directly sent three of their masters to control the situation, and some of us could not withstand the pressure.
To inform... it's possible no matter what. However, didn't General Murong just say that the current situation has no 10% chance of winning, and it is more likely to sit back and wait for death... Instead of doing this, it is better to give it a try."
"That's well said." Just when Murong Zhengyan was about to say something else, Xue Changxiong suddenly accepted the suggestion. "That's well said... Our strength is too weak to compare with the gang, and the momentum of the competition is one after another. I
He is an outsider and cannot win the hearts of Hebei people. He has no hope in the first place. Now Ashin has this plan, and if he thinks about it carefully, he has a certain chance of winning. It is good enough, so let’s use this method!"
Murong Zhengyan's face froze...but he couldn't.
What he just wanted to say is that this is indeed a way to survive in death, but the prerequisite is to resist to the end. If you only consider the way to survive, doing so, regardless of success or failure, will be equivalent to cutting yourself off from the help. People will catch them in the future.
I'm afraid you and your sons deserve to be killed if you kill them with one knife.
It was obvious that Xue Changxiong knew what Murong Zhengyan meant, but he directly spoke out and settled the matter before he spoke, as if he would rather die than surrender.
But... Murong Zhengyan's expression remained unchanged, but he sighed in his heart. Xue Changxiong was a blessing to him, and that was it. The worst he could do was let him die.
"If this is the case, there is still a key point in this plan. Please take care of it, Lord Foster."
Luo Xin was overjoyed when he saw Xue Changxiong adopting his suggestion... This is completely understandable. It's not just as simple as the approval of so and so, which of course he also has. But in addition, he got the approval of his biological father when he came.
Luo Shu's clear reminder, knowing that the survival of the Hejian Camp is also a matter of life and death for the Youzhou Camp, so this time he not only contributed to the overall situation, but also personally gained the approval of his adoptive father, and it is very likely that he will contribute to the overall situation.
It's not too exciting to gain the approval of his biological father, and to defeat his cousins and those who bring demons to him.
"You mean to let some people know about this, but not to let some people know about it?" Xue Changxiong immediately grasped the key point.
"Exactly." Luo Xin nodded quickly.
Murong Zhengyan prepared his mind, thought for a moment, and immediately said: "You can naturally trust these young masters, General Dou Lang can also be trusted, and General Gao also needs to be informed..."
"Can General Gao be trusted?" Xue Wanquan, the youngest son of Xue Changxiong who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke up. "The Bohai Gao family is not only in Bohai County, but also in the entire Hebei, Northland, Eastern Territory, and even Dongyi.
There are quite a few people with high surnames in the gang."
"If General Gao cannot be trusted, no one in the local military generals in the Hejian camp can be trusted." Murong Zhengyan quickly reminded Xue Changxiong. "General manager, without the local military generals to control us, if we suddenly send out troops at that time, I am afraid something will go wrong."
"With father here, as long as the troops are all in one place, how could something go wrong?" At this point, Xue Wanquan's face turned dark. "General Murong, I am not talking to you. I absolutely trust you, but don't forget Chen Bin...
...How did he win his father's trust back then? What happened? It's just that Xie Minghe got involved with him. When something happened in the battle, his knees went weak... And General Gao knew just by his last name that he must be with the thief.
There was a hookup."
When Murong Zhengyan heard the word "Chen Bin", his heart immediately dropped, but he knew that he could no longer persuade him.
Not only that, Xue Changxiong rejected the Surrender Gang, and even rejected the surrender to the Gang. This should also be the reason why Xue Changxiong rejected the Surrender Gang.
Sure enough, when Xue Changxiong heard this, he sighed slightly and looked at Murong Zhengyan: "General Murong, it's up to you to restrain the local generals... There is no need to expand this plan. Too many people will cause chaos."
Murong Zhengyan just nodded.
After a moment, Xue Changxiong first called his sons Xue Wannian, Xue Wancheng, Xue Wanping, his nephew Xue Wanbei, and Dou Pi's son Dou Ru who died in the battle. He first made an explanation, and then called the other ten generals in the army and announced.
In order to prepare to accept the terms of help and peacefully hand over Hejian.
Make a show and do it all:
When the generals heard this, they were naturally shocked and came to persuade them one after another. However, Xue Changxiong just sighed and said that he wanted to leave enough room for his sons to escape.
The sons had different reactions, two agreed, one remained silent, and the youngest son Xue Wanquan seemed unwilling but did not dare to disobey his father; his nephew Xue Wanbei asked to leave Hejian.
, returned to the Western Capital; Dou Ru was even more unhappy and insisted on fighting. After being scolded by Murong Zhengyan and seeing Xue Changxiong ignoring him, he left angrily; and Luo Xin also asked to leave Hejian and return to Youyou after persuading him hard.
State news.
After the two opposition parties left, Xue Changxiong began to discuss whether he should stay in Hejian, and who the two big leaders and the eight leaders should be... After finally reaching an agreement on the result, he invited Xie Minghe again.
.
After hearing the conditions, Xie Minghe didn't say much. He only said that Xue Changxiong's move was a great good. Then he sent his entourage back south quickly and informed Ye City, while he continued to stay in Hejian City.
Immediately, on February 28, the Hejian Camp officially issued an order, requiring the garrison troops from various places to draw elite troops, led by the chief officer, and gather them in Hejian City for reorganization.
The Gang was about to embark on the Northern Expedition and was undergoing reorganization at this time. It seemed that only reorganization and surrender were understandable. Therefore, when the news came out, Hebei was shocked.
At this time, Xie Minghe's entourage had returned to Yecheng with specific news.
Immediately, on the first day of March, at an impromptu high-level military meeting, the matter aroused fierce controversy... For example, Chen Bin firmly believed that this was a false surrender, because Xue Changxiong was not the kind of person to surrender, let alone surrender so neatly.
?Doulide believes that people in Hejian Camp have been separated for a long time. Coupled with Feng Wuyi's defection and the political shock of Cao Ming and Niu He, Xindu County, one of the three foundations of Hejian Camp, has almost
It's a long time coming, and the surrender of the Hejian camp is very credible under such circumstances.
However, although this controversy was fierce, it came and went quickly, because Li Ding, who arrived at short notice, quickly ended the discussion.
"I don't believe that Xue Changxiong will surrender. If he could surrender, he would have followed Bai Hengqiu and left Hebei that day... You have never tasted the feeling of separatist power and domineering power, right? How can you let it go so easily?" Li
Shiro smiled half-smilingly, looking around and talking. "But it doesn't matter. Even if he really surrenders, do we have to relax our vigilance and not take precautions? Tens of thousands of troops gather in one place. If we lose control, who will be responsible? Who knows who he is?"
Will you regret it?
"What's more important is that now we have a lot of help, and Youzhou and Hejian are both inside and outside each other. Will Youzhou not send people to persuade them to come back in the past few days? Will they not send troops to intervene? So take ten thousand steps back.
, even if Xue Changxiong and the Hejian camp come to surrender wholeheartedly, won't we make preparations for a large-scale battle in Hejian?"
As soon as these words came out, Dou Lide and others immediately gave up the argument.
"Li Longtou said it well." Xu Shiying immediately came to a conclusion. "No matter what, we have to continue to complete the previous subordinates and march on the premise of launching a war around Hejian."
"Then there is nothing more to say, and the previous arguments are all nonsense." Dou Lide took the initiative to admit his mistake. "It's just that the military belongs to the military. We have to make it clear. Do we recognize his conditions? He agreed to most of our conditions.
, but insists on staying in Hejian, is it okay?"
"The war is coming, don't delay, raise your hand." Zhang Xing raised his hand in response. "There are just a few of us, the four from Daxingtai plus the four leaders present... Make a quick decision... Raise your hands if you agree.
"
After speaking, Zhang Xing raised his hand directly.
But unexpectedly, only Chai Xiaohe and Xiong Bonan raised their hands in favor, while the other five, Chen Bin, Xu Shiying, Li Ding, Dou Lide, and Wei Xuanding, all opposed it.
"Then don't agree." Zhang Xing urged. "Reply to Manager Xie and ask him to make it clear that Xue Changxiong himself must leave Hejian. If the other conditions remain unchanged, he himself will still evacuate Hejian on March 5th.
…But in this case, should we change our military deployment?”
"No need." Li Ding immediately shook his head. "The original plan was good... It's not that we can't change it, but if we change it now, the logistics deployment will be wasted."
Everyone was silent, and then Zhang Xingshuo looked at the clerks and soldiers who were busy writing notes and said: "Speaking of logistics waste... is there an issue that happens to be just like this?"
A young man who was seen quickly stood up from his seat and wanted to hand a one-page form to Zhang Xing, but Chief Zhang raised his hand to stop him: "Xu Jingzu, right? You will describe the issue."
"Yes." Xu Jingzu swallowed, but quickly looked at the form in his hand to speak. "Reporting to the chief and all deputy managers and leaders, since the mobilization, the fire consumption of many materials transferred to the destination has been higher than that set by Daxingtai.
The number of cases is much higher. The Ministry of Jing'an and the Ministry of Help took the lead in the investigation and found that some of them were indeed caused by crowded routes and excessive fuel consumption, but some were indeed caused by corruption and waste... There are currently twenty-three confirmed cases.
There were five serious cases, involving three leaders, Lu Hongyue, Guo Jingke, and Guan Xu, seventeen county magistrates, and the captain of the first level of the team..."
"It's time to abolish and abolish, and it's time to behead and behead." Li Ding was obviously impatient. "What's the use of military law?"
"No." Xu Shiying immediately refuted. "I have read the table. Among these people, the corrupt minority are more likely to be organizing such a large-scale logistics transfer for the first time. Their brains are hot and dizzy... Moreover, this
The three leaders and the seventeen helmsmen are all people in key positions in the transfer of supplies. If they are all eliminated and beheaded, it will delay the war that is about to begin."
"So I said 'yes'." Li Ding showed no mercy. "Don't these people have deputies? Don't they have subordinates? So many officers were crammed in before, but now they are gone? There are really dangerous personnel, please bear with them for the time being.
Forbearance, the rest can still be killed! Xu Dalang, such protection is nothing more than caring about human feelings and wanting to protect the so-called gang members... But such behavior is the style of the prime minister, but not the style of the marshal. Could it be that you
Have you made up your mind not to go to the battlefield?"
Xu Dalang's expression froze.
"Chief." Chen Bin interrupted with a dark face. "Dahangtai is responsible for this matter. We did not worry that so many materials and personnel would be transported together, which would affect each other so deeply... The current situation is that even Jing
The Ministry of Security and the Ministry of Public Security have made a clear investigation, but if they are really convicted, they still have to be calculated based on the unified fire consumption we promulgated. In that case, it would be unconvincing."
"You're right. We didn't make a decision about Huo Hao this time, so we can't blame it all on the people below." Zhang Xing suddenly said. "That's good. It's definitely corrupt. We are engaged in military law and kill him to set an example; because he is panicking."
Those who cause waste should be engaged in accordance with civil laws, and can be punished with meritorious services, mainly by reprimanding, fines, and land transfer, and cannot be implicated too widely..."
"This is the kindness of a woman." Li Ding was speechless.
"Some womanly kindness is needed at this time." Zhang Xing refuted it without hesitation in front of many people. "The Three Expeditions have only been in the past few years? The scholars and people in Hebei and Henan are particularly sensitive to such things... This
This is the first time that the gang has taken the initiative to fully mobilize. We must consider the people's hearts. We cannot give the people of Lianghe the impression that we are as strict in corvee work as the Wei Dynasty. We must take our time and cultivate people's hearts before doing serious things. More
Don’t tell me, Daxingtai was indeed at fault this time.”
Not only Li Ding, many people were obviously stunned.
No one, including Dou Lide, who rebelled and fled to Gaojibo because of this incident, had not thought of this... Therefore, Dou Longtou couldn't help but look at Chief Zhang several times.
"Then let's do this. What else is there?" Li Ding paused and chose to give in.
"There is something that I need you to discuss in detail." Zhang Xing said seriously. "It's a matter of military discipline... Do you remember what we talked about before?"
Li Ding thought for a moment and remembered: "Do you want to take this opportunity to reiterate military discipline?"
"Yes." Zhang Xing said seriously. "I asked Xu Dalang to formulate a simple disciplinary regulations. It mainly emphasizes the prohibition of embezzlement, robbery, rape, and indiscriminate killing of innocent people in military discipline. At the same time, it must be fair in transactions and treat people well.
…Do you think it’s feasible?”
Li Ding looked at Zhang Xing, then at Xu Shiying, and finally glanced at the people in the hall and gave an answer: "It's feasible, it's feasible, but again, I hope that with this, I can improve my combat power.
It's deceiving to be invincible. Even for some troops, such strict military discipline will actually reduce their combat effectiveness... The biggest use is actually to preserve the vitality of the place when attacking cities and territories, which is convenient.
Will receive and use later.”
"That's enough." Xiong Bonan said directly after hearing this. "I agree with this military discipline regulation... Since we want to take Hebei as our foundation, how can we make the people in Hebei regard us as enemies?"
Several other people also nodded, but their ideas were not necessarily consistent. Some people agreed with Xiong Bonan's theory, while others agreed with Li Ding's statement and felt that this would be conducive to local acceptance.
Zhang Xing also nodded and strengthened his idea.
In fact, the reason is very simple. The current situation is that without ensuring the efficiency and scale of information dissemination, the party with higher moral standards in the war may not be able to gain much strategic and tactical advantage. This has led to many cases in the feudal era.
The war does not conform to the law that justice must win.
There are countless bad guys and treacherous people who have conquered the world, or who have gained power in a short time.
However, back here, the army has a huge advantage. Thanks to their identity as rebels, they have been able to maintain good military discipline... As Zhang Xing and Li Ding discussed before, at the beginning it was
Because it was difficult to plunder the territory when fighting in the eastern border, and then when we first arrived in Hebei, it was impossible to plunder the vast white area. When it came to taking over the Huaibei area, Chief Zhang Da began to consciously control and propagate military discipline, and preached that those who win the hearts and minds of the people will conquer the world.
Now that we are about to march into Hebei on a large scale, there is no reason to abandon such a good tradition of military discipline.
"Since everyone agrees, let's pass on this military discipline regulations." Zhang Xing came to a conclusion. "However, I still want to say a few more words... The principle that strict military discipline is conducive to acceptance is correct. The King of Heaven said that gangs and localities
The principle that the people are one is also correct, but it is more than that. There is also a scope... Since our gang takes the world as its own responsibility, it must have the mentality to accept the whole world, manage the whole world and regard the people of the world as one, so it is more important
We must emphasize military discipline... we must try our best to explain things to those below."
"Should we set up a department to do this kind of thing?" Xiong Bonan's heart moved slightly.
"Theoretically, it should be true. I have thought about it for a long time, but the problem is that if this department is not well-employed, it will be counterproductive. So if there are no good candidates and the rear is not stable enough, I think it can be slowed down." Zhang Xing
Sure enough, I had already considered it. "When Hebei is completely occupied and people's hearts stabilize, we will start with local law preaching and slowly establish a ministry."
After saying this, everyone stopped talking, and the atmosphere in the already somewhat empty palace became even weirder.
"Is there anything else?" Zhang Xing asked after a moment of pause.
No one answered.
"Well, let me add one last thing. Regardless of whether Xue Changxiong pretends to surrender or actually surrenders, within the last four or five days, he must convey it firmly. It is not to tell us, but we must be vigilant. It is to tell the people of Hebei and the world.
People, especially people from Hejian, Xue Changxiong is about to surrender." With that said, Zhang Xing stood up. "Other than that, there is nothing else to do. Let's go back and rest. We will dispatch troops as planned in four days!"
Those present were relieved.
Four days later, on the fifth day of March, Xie Minghe left Hejian City early in the morning, and was even personally escorted by Gao Zhan, the No. 3 figure in the Hejian camp, who received "big boss treatment". At the same time, arrangements were made.
The proper army launched an attack together from east to west on a front nearly four hundred miles long, advancing northward.
The battle line is roughly divided into five sections:
There is no need to cross the river in the easternmost section. The only strategic target is Lucheng, the only county in the eastern section of Bohai County. The army only dispatched two battalions;
Immediately afterwards, there are eight battalions in the line from Changlu to Gonggao, under the unified command of Dou Lide. The defense line of the Hejian camp in front of them is theoretically the strongest. This is because of the two large tributaries of Qingzhuo Zhangshui.
The confluence was quickly tightened near here. However, there were two strong cities, Changlu and Gonggao, between the two tributaries. More importantly, behind the Zhuozhang River was the hinterland between the rivers... If it was based on previous combat considerations, their
The mission is only to capture Gonggao and Changlu, but now it is necessary to penetrate further north and control the Zhuozhang River;
Further to the west is Xindu County. This is the most protruding part of the Hejian camp to the south. Not to mention being surrounded on three sides, the best of the county is still in the middle of the clear and turbid Zhangshui River. Among them, Feng Wuyi is the governor of Changle.
His hometown was in contact with everyone from top to bottom, and the gang chose to use this section as the main breakthrough point. Nearly twenty battalions gathered here, hoping to break through the Zhuozhang River from here, and then go straight down the river to Hejian City;
The fourth section of the front is in the north, led by Li Ding, with about six or seven battalions, plus Feng Wuyi's forces in Zhao County. Their mission is to occupy the four counties of Hengshan County, Boling County, Xindu County, and Zhao County.
At the key location, and then started to move down the Hutuo River from here, it not only responded to the main force's encirclement of Xindu, but also interspersed it, and it also meant to provide an early warning to the Youzhou camp in the north... In fact, the second force of the main force
The core mission of the first phase of the ten battalions is to break through the Zhuozhang River and quickly move north to the Hutuo River to connect with Li Ding's troops;
The last front line is in Hengshan. It is mainly for defense and monitoring the direction of Daijun. After all, Wang Chenkuo of Hengshan and the second high-ranking officer of Daijun are still objectively existing separatist forces. Especially Wang Chenkuo has officially defected to Bai Hengqiu. Now the gang is trying to sweep away Hebei, but no one is willing to do so.
Know when and where they appear on the battlefield.
The advance along the four-hundred-mile front was surprisingly smooth - the southern part of Hejian was completely undefended, and many guards complied with the army's request in a daze and opened the city gates. The local fortresses in the southern part of Xindu even took the initiative to defect.
Take off your armor and come down.
Within a day, the cities of Lucheng, Changlu, Gonggao, Fucheng, Xiuxian, Zaoqiang, Nangong, and Wuyi all started to take over. Changle, the governor of Xindu County, also surrendered. To the south of Zhuozhang River, the color changed instantly. Only within Changlu
A war clearly broke out in a small military stronghold, but it was quickly destroyed by the superior force.
At this time, with the clear transmission of information in Hejian City, many people in the army believed that Xue Changxiong was really going to surrender, and the locals in Hejian were even more convinced of this.
On the sixth day of March, the army forward crossed the Zhuozhang River and slowed down. However, that night, the vanguard of the central main force, Jia Yue Battalion, still made contact with the Su Jingfang Battalion of the troops intersecting to the north in the east of Lucheng, while Dou Lide on the eastern front
The troops also cautiously captured Jingcheng without encountering resistance.
That night, Zhang Xing placed his base camp in Hengshui on the north bank of Zhuozhang River.
On the seventh day of March, they already knew that nearly 30,000 of the main force of the Hejian Camp had gathered in Hejian City, and there were really no troops in the rest of the area... So with the support of Dou Lide's troops on the eastern front and Li Ding's troops on the northern front, the main force
They marched eastward on a large scale and captured Xiabo, Wuqiang, Lucheng and Xindu counties one after another that day.
On the eighth day of March, Liu Heifu's battalion, the main force of the army, captured Leshou City in Hejian County, and Li Ding's Fang Yanshi battalion captured Raoyang City on the south bank of the Hutuo River in Hejian County... You must know that Leshou City is directly south of Hejian City.
, only more than forty miles away, Raoyang City is only fifty miles southwest and upstream of Hejian City, and the Jingcheng captured by Doulide’s tribe before is only sixty miles southeast of Hejian City.
The three cities were connected into a semicircle, completely surrounding Hejian City. Moreover, the three main forces of the Northern Expedition, totaling nearly thirty-five combat camps and two military law camps, were also connected together.
So far, the situation is extremely good, and Hejian can be said to be at your fingertips.
In fact, no one, whether in the gang or on the opposite side, no one in the army in Hebei doubted the probability of success of the army's northern expedition to seize Hejian. It's just that the matter is now, on the day of the army's ultimatum to Xue Changxiong, it has already been completed.
The final siege of Hejian went smoothly.
Therefore, even among the top military officials, many people have given up their doubts about Xue Changxiong's false surrender.
However, the top military officials who truly have an overall view of the situation are still vigilant, because there is still no news about the main force of the Youzhou Army, and it is still uncertain how many troops the other side will mobilize and where they will come from.
It is hard to say whether the army may have advanced too quickly, disrupting the subordinates of the Youzhou Army and having some sort of deterrent effect on them, making them afraid to come.
The fog of war has not yet cleared.
On March 10, when the army sent a document to Hejian asking them to leave the city and reorganize, the three main forces prepared together, and Zhang Xing also moved the base camp to Leshou.
In the evening of that day, they received a message from Hejian City, expressing their willingness to leave the city to accept the adaptation, but they still asked the gang to promise to keep Xue Changxiong in Hejian, and asked Zhang Xing to personally participate in the adaptation and give the promise.
This time, the gang's reply was as usual, not allowing Xue Changxiong to stay in Hejian, but Chief Zhang Xing would personally go over to participate in the adaptation... This is because starting from tomorrow, the main force on the central line and the main force on the eastern front will total twenty-seven battalions.
The masters of cultivation, including the two masters, will set out together to go to Hejian City, and are expected to arrive at Hejian City on March 12th.
By then, no matter what kind of medicine Xue Changxiong sells in his gourd, or what kind of fake surrender is really surrendered, they will all be dealt with.
However, at the third watch of the night, Zhang Xing, who was staying in the backyard of the Leshou County government office, was woken up by Bai Yousi in advance, signaling that there was an uninvited guest.
Zhang Xing turned over and sat up, put on his clothes, and walked out. Xu Jingzu, a confidential clerk directly under Xu Shiying, hurriedly entered the backyard. He was a member of the clerk-staff system, so he could go straight in. When he saw Chief Zhang, he had already
I was not surprised, and only sent a document.
Zhang Xing opened it and looked at it, but there was no change in his expression.
It was important news, but not that important - after it was confirmed that the army would launch the Northern Expedition, Sima Zheng of Dongdu could not sit still and immediately began to repair the Heyang City system across the river in the north of Dongdu, especially
The reconstruction work of the north bank branch of Heyang City and the pontoon bridge on the river was carried out.
This is very troublesome, because this project is the key to Dongdu's defense work against Hebei. It is an important project for Dongqi to dominate Dongdu in the history of the world. It has been verified. Once the construction is successful, coupled with Sima Zheng's repairs,
Because, it is really impregnable.
But there is no way. The two sides are currently in the armistice and peace treaty period, and the Gang is planning to make a northern expedition to sweep Hebei. There is no way they can start work while you are fully mobilized to go north.
So, I could only watch it with a blank expression, and then go back to sleep.
Fortunately, I was sleepy in late spring and fell asleep quickly, but only for another two-quarters of an hour. Bai Yousi nudged Zhang Xing awake again and directly reminded: "Someone is here, it seems to be Li Silang and Zhang Shiniang.
"
Zhang Xing did not dare to neglect, and turned over and sat up again, but he was not surprised, because he knew that Li Ding's arrival at this time was reasonable, and the critical moment must have come, and the Youzhou Army showed up.
Sure enough, the couple got up together, got dressed, and waited in the courtyard. Within a moment, Guo Jingke, the leader of the city's garrison, and Qin Bao came to report in person, and then Han Erlang, the leader of the north gate garrison, also led Li Ding.
Entered the courtyard with Zhang Shiniang.
After a while, Xiong Bonan and Xu Shiying, who were alarmed, also came over. The small courtyard was packed with people.
"The Youzhou Army has come out." Li Ding saw the two men coming in and repeated what he said before. "A large number of them appeared in the Boye area of Gaoyang, northwest of the Hutuo River. The sentries worked hard to count them. Currently, there are estimated to be one south of Gaoyang.
Ten thousand cavalry, twenty thousand steps, seventeen of the twenty-five generals in the Youzhou sequence were directly visible. Wei Wenda, the deputy general manager, appeared in Gaoyang and did not dare to go further north. However, he expected that the enemy would be lenient and would only treat them as an enemy.
Move out, followed by 20,000 people including Luo Shu, for a total of 50,000 people."
Xiong and Li both looked awe-inspiring, because this was the arrival of the main force of the Youzhou Army, and they might even be dispatched in full force.
"It seems... Xue Changxiong is really going to surrender?" Xiong Bonan is from Hebei and is familiar with geography, so he pointed out a key point. "The Hutuo River passes through Gaoyang and then goes downstream to Muxian County. Muxian County crosses the Hutuo River.
To the southeast is Hudian, where it is difficult to handle a large force of tens of thousands. In other words, if their main force comes from the north bank of the Hutuo River, it will be difficult for them to cross the river in time to support them to the south bank of the river."
"Wouldn't it be more convenient to cross the river directly from Gaoyang to Hejian?" Xu Dalang was puzzled by this.
"That's not what I meant. What I meant was that if Xue Changxiong was pretending to surrender, then the Youzhou Army should be hiding behind Hejian and should have crossed the Hutuo River long ago." Xiong Bonan explained briefly.
"It's still wrong. Even if Xue Changxiong pretends to surrender, the Youzhou Army will only go to Gaoyang as it is now, because once so many main troops cross the river, it is equivalent to throwing themselves into the sleeve between Hutuo River and Zhangshui River
, and once defeated, it will be difficult for the organization to escape. On the contrary, if we fight on the north side of the Hutuo River, we can retreat calmly even if we are defeated." Xu Dalang continued to refute. "A person like Luo Shu will definitely not put down his family's wealth.
It’s on Xue Changxiong’s head.”
"Then...that means that we can only count the Youzhou Army's support at the moment?" Xiong Bonan frowned. "Can't you explain anything else?"
Xu Dalang hesitated to speak, but looked at Li Ding again.
Zhang Xing also looked at Li Ding.
Li Si had been looking at the half-circle moon above his head before. At this moment, he suddenly lowered his head and smiled: "Actually, these don't matter. I'm not here to talk about this... Chief, Zhang Sanlang, there is a fighter plane now, but I need you to hurry up."
Decide and act at dawn."
"What fighter plane?" Zhang Xing asked curiously.
"Destroy the Youzhou Army's fighter plane." Li Ding's expression remained as usual.
There was a sudden chill in the small courtyard, and for a moment there were only the chirping of insects on a spring night. Then, through someone's unknown means, a burst of true energy passed by, and the insects stopped chirping.
"To be specific." Zhang Xing paused and reminded.
"It's very simple. What we are most worried about or the worst situation is that the Youzhou Army and the Hejian Army join forces and have to fight a big battle. The second is to fight against the Hejian Army and Youzhou respectively. And now, no matter it is
Whether there is a real or fake surrender in the river, it has found a bag to put itself in, but it is only a temporary bag, a bag for one or two days." Li Ding said with a half-smile but not a smile, and the others were also slightly moved in their hearts.
"Now, if we don't care about anything and continue to go to the river, the Youzhou Army will probably force the crossing. If Xue Changxiong pretends to surrender, or changes his mind temporarily, we will face the most troublesome situation.
.right?"
"So instead of doing this, why not take the initiative to find a fight?" Xiong Bonan seemed to understand. "Hejian doesn't know whether we should fight. Anyway, the Youzhou Army must fight, so why fight the Youzhou Army? He is 30,000 or 50,000.
Wan, it doesn’t matter, we have to fight anyway, right?”
"More than that." Li Ding said with a smile. "We can also deceive the direction of Hejian. At dawn, we just tell everyone to go north to help me, Li Longtou, frighten the Youzhou army, and continue to Hejian."
I sent a letter and asked him what was going on with the Youzhou Army, while continuing to insist that the chief will come to the city the day after tomorrow and reorganize it the day after tomorrow... This way we have a day's time difference, and we can cross the river tomorrow afternoon, and the main force of the army will be
Cross the river, drop down here in Hejian, and gather our forces to fight the Youzhou people. We can not only get rid of the Hejian army, but also catch the Youzhou people by surprise."
"I agree." Xu Dalang finally spoke again. "You must know that the highest and most wonderful thing in military law is nothing more than taking someone by surprise and attacking them unprepared. The key to this battle is to be quick. As long as the entire army is determined to turn around and go north tonight, then go directly north to cross the river.
, if we start a war the day after tomorrow, we have a three-point chance of victory! If we can get a three-point chance of victory in this kind of war, what else can we say?"
"The battle is not to start the day after tomorrow, but to cross the river tomorrow afternoon and launch a surprise attack in the evening. It must be continuous and fight a chaotic battle that can bring into play our battalion general system! They will not be able to fight even if they want to fight!" Li Ding corrected slightly. "
In fact, I plan to let my troops cross the river first tomorrow morning, pretending to be defensive, and taking the opportunity to block the view and prevent their sentries from seeing us crossing the river... This will not arouse suspicion."
No one answered.
"Where is the best place to cross the river?" After a while, Zhang Xing suddenly came and asked.
"Wulu." Li Ding's face remained normal and he spoke slowly. "When the ancestor died, there were more than five or six successors. At that time, the Emperor of Tang was accompanying the ancestor in Thudao Ridge. There was a chaos in the army. He only led
More than ten people went south to Wuluo River in Hutuo River. When they sent people to look at it, the river had not frozen yet, but when they arrived at the river bank, it had already frozen. After crossing the river, the ice melted again, and the pursuers had no choice but to turn back. Immediately, the Tang Emperor got
With the help of General Xindu, we went all the way south, returned to the Eastern Capital, entered Kansai, integrated the old country, and finally won... It is auspicious to cross the river from here, and the location is right, just ten miles northeast of Raoyang."
"As long as the location is right." Zhang Xing sneered. "As for the story about Emperor Tang, it sounds like there is one among his entourage who is a good practitioner of ice zhenqi... I wonder if he can match me?"
The others wanted to laugh, but they couldn't.
And sure enough, the next moment, Zhang Xing directly issued an order: "As the commander-in-chief of the First Army, I have the right to self-determination before the war, so I will not discuss it with you... I have made up my mind to cross the river tomorrow! Li Ding and Li Longtou quickly turned back to the Hutuo River.
To prepare for the crossing of the river, we are now calling the horses and encircling the horses to come over and work out the specific marching route and plan overnight. The rest of the people will go back to their respective camps and must not be leaked."
After saying that, he got up and went back to the house to sleep.
Everyone dispersed, and at dawn the next day, the troops got up as usual. The main force in the middle camp buried pots and cooked rice in the military camps around Leshou City. After the meal, they carried a meal of dry food and water and set off to march north.
It's just that the route is a bit to the west. It is said that the Youzhou Army came to the other side of the Hutuo River, dozens of miles away, and needed to strengthen its defenses.
In the afternoon of the march, Jia Yue, who was the first to arrive at the Hutuo River, suddenly received a military order not to stay and take over the river defense. Then Li Ding, who had already crossed the river, supervised the camps and continued to cross the river northward from the pontoon bridge at Wulou Crossing.
At the same time, Liu Heifu of the nearest Hejian City also received a military order. After reading it, he felt cold all over - he, a pioneer, had actually become a suspect! But he had no choice but to rein his horse in a circle.
The sun continues to move toward the west, and the Hutuo River under the sun continues to flow.
It was late spring, and the river was neither fast nor slow. As the name suggests, the Wulu area itself is a depression covered with weeds. The river seeped into both sides of the river, and the flow rate was slower. Therefore, it was a familiar place for crossing the river, and it was also a good place to cross the river.
A great place to get off the pontoon.
It can only be said that Li Silang is used to the work of marching and building roads, so he still has some skills.
When Zhang Xing arrived here, four pontoons had been built here, and the number was still increasing. The person in charge of this work was actually Ushikawa, the master. This person was probably one of the top three beings in the world who was soaked in the immortal energy. At this time
Using his true energy, the incomplete building materials that were temporarily found seemed to be tied up with ropes, and they were firmly connected into one.
Zhang Xing had seen similar skills like this one, but at that time he was repairing Cao Che's Guanfeng Palace, a movable main hall.
It would be nice if that main hall was still there. It would be a big floating bridge when it sinks into the Hutuo River.
There are still some terraces in the depression, and now a big pot has been set up and porridge is being cooked. The person in charge here is Feng Wuyi, and most of the people are from Zhao County... Chief Zhang, who was a little confused, turned around and led a few people first.
The ten ready generals, also known as Tabaiqi, drank porridge together.
At the same time, some sergeants began to carry some temporarily searched fragments of wood, put them on a pontoon bridge in the middle, and placed these floating debris on the west side of the pontoon bridge.
After a while, Chief Zhang no longer hesitated. He borrowed the Jinglong Sword from Xu Dalang. Behind him, Qin Bao led a dozen white riders to follow, and white air immediately rose on the river. When he crossed the river and
The pontoon is not long, and ice has already formed around it.
So he walked back from another pontoon bridge. After going back and forth several times, the pontoon bridges were frozen together.
In this way, before evening, Xiong Bonan also crossed the river, and at Zhang Xing's request, he personally waved a new flag embroidered by the Jiyin Quilt Factory after the New Year. Zhang Xingze still brought his
The deposed flag has a red background, and this is a hanging flag with greater regulations. It is basically the same regulation as Cao Che's Three Glory and Four Imperial Flags. Obviously, this is the handsome flag that represents the entire gang.
However, there are no patterns and images of the Three Splendors and Four Royals on the flag. Instead, there are only four big characters written on it - "Practice the Way for Heaven."
The big flag was spread out, swinging in the wind, and stood on the north bank of the Hutuo River in Wulou area.
At this time, together with the eight battalions under the command of Li Ding, the army had already passed through the nineteen battalions. Everyone knew that the arrow had left the string, and no matter whether it could hit or not, it was necessary to move forward.
