In Suizhou, the gathering drum of the Governor's Mansion, which had been dormant for two years, suddenly sounded again.
Chu Yuntian, who was in charge of the administration of Suizhou, and Wu Youdao, who was in charge of Biejia, stood one on the left and one on the right in front of the governor's case. The generals from all walks of life, wearing helmets and armor, hurried in.
In the past few years, due to the oppression and oppression of Linfu and other prefectures, Suizhou has been struggling to survive, with starvation and death everywhere, and it has almost turned into a dead city. In this city, only those who enlisted in the army can still eat.
Therefore, the people of Suizhou enthusiastically joined the army, including young and old. Suizhou was afraid that it would not have an army of more than 40,000 at this time.
Li Jiyun was very fond of his soldiers. As long as they could shoot a bow and carry a gun, they would recruit most of them. The food in the treasury was used up, and all the big households were divided. All the gold, silver and jewelry were exchanged from smugglers.
Rice and grain were given priority to the army. Even so, the grain was also decreasing day by day. If the imperial court had not successfully bribed Chi Zhong and launched an attack on Fuzhou at the right time, Suizhou would not have been able to hold on.
"Generals, we in Suizhou have been working hard for two years, and now... we finally have a chance to succeed!"
Li Jiyun said excitedly to the generals. Except for a few of his close generals, everyone was still in the dark about the news that the imperial court was sending troops to Fugu. When they heard Li Jiyun's words, they all turned their attention to him.
.
More than two years of forbearance, hiding, and painful suffering have caused great changes in Li Jiyun. His appearance is no different from before, but his temperament is much calmer. In the past, his eyes were arrogant and his temperament was rough and crazy.
Proud, now, no matter who he looks at, those fierce pair of eyes are shining with the light of a vulture like a will-o'-the-wisp, and he becomes forbearing when encountering trouble.
He smiled calmly, and then announced to the generals who were extremely devoid of information and had fallen into despair: "Everyone, our great enemy Yang Hao colluded with Chi Zhong from Caochengchuan to seize Fugu. The incident was exposed and Yang Hao was killed.
The alliance between the two families has collapsed. Fuzhou Zhe Yuxun fled to Beijing and asked Zhao Guan's family to quell the rebellion. Now Zhao Guan's family has mobilized six armies to send troops to Fuzhou and sent Pan Mei to lead an army of 50,000. Now they are on their way.
Hehe, the imperial court and Yang Hao are finally going to work together!"
When the generals in the hall heard this, they couldn't help but feel refreshed. Li Jiyun said again: "Do you think that my ambition has been wasted and I have just been living in a dream in the past two years? In the past two years, I have also secretly established contact with the imperial court. This time the imperial court sent troops to attack the mansion.
Prefecture, I also received an order from the imperial court to make a surprise attack on Yinzhou, so that the Yang family army could not take care of both the head and the tail, creating opportunities for Pan Mei to attack the two prefectures of Linfu."
The battalion commander Xiao Fenghan said happily: "Sir, if we recapture Yinzhou, this fortified city will be enough to establish a foothold. The northwest is dominated by the Xiang Qiang people. If the imperial court wants to control the northwest, it must support a group that can be controlled by the Qiang tribes."
The accepted leader, Yang Hao, fell. Who else is more qualified than you, my lord? With the help of the imperial court, Yang Hao and Zhe Yuxun collapsed again. In the northwest, it will be difficult for Wuzhou to return to your hands.
superior."
The generals under Li Jiyun, except for Chu Yuntian and Wu Youdao, who were just for show, were all trusted confidants promoted by Li Jiyun in the past two years. This deputy general, Xiao Fenghan, was Li Jiyun's guard captain and was promoted to battalion commander. After listening to Xiao Fenghan's words
, Li Jiyun said happily: "Fenghan, what you think is too simple."
Xiao Fenghan was startled and said in surprise: "Sir, is what my subordinate said wrong?"
"Of course not."
Li Jijun sat down with his hands on the table, glanced at the generals who were standing respectfully in front of the case with contentment, and said in a deep voice: "The reason why the imperial court has never been able to firmly control the northwest is because the northwest has its own style, and as a general
He enjoys the power of life and death to dominate the place, just like a prince. Now that the imperial court has the opportunity to march into the northwest, if it has no choice, how can it hand over the territory and people it has to others? Hum, all the emperors since ancient times, and
Do you like to control the military more than the Zhao family?"
Xiao Fenghan only said yes, and Li Jiyun's eyes flashed, and he said with a ferocious smile: "If we are strong enough, and if the imperial court thinks that it cannot eat the fat in the northwest and can't quell the chaos in the northwest, then...only the officials will be concerned.
Reluctantly supporting a person and imposing restrictions on the northwest. What we have to do now is to find ways to grab grain from the fire and create this opportunity."
Marching Sima Wu Huohuo was also a general promoted by Li Jiyun. Hearing this, he loudly said: "Damn it, I have been holding back here in Suizhou City for the past two years. Life does not feel like life, and death does not feel like death. My subordinates have long endured enough. Your Excellency.
, my subordinate is a rough guy and can’t figure out these convoluted things. We’ll just do it as you say.
Li Jijun smiled and said: "What I mean..., let's pretend to attack Yinzhou, change the route halfway, and take Xiazhou directly. Take back the place where our Li family is rejuvenating. You all know what Xiazhou means to our Xiang Qiang people, Xiazhou
To our Xiang Qiang people, it’s like Luzhou is a holy land for monks in the northwest!
As long as we take back Xiazhou, Yang Hao has already offended the imperial court, made his biggest enemy, and lost Xiazhou and become a lost dog. How can the seven clan chiefs such as Yeli and Xifeng not think about the fate and future of their own clans?
?At that time, they will have no choice but to turn around and be loyal to me again, hehe!"
Wu Youdao, who was engaged in the fight, frowned and couldn't help but said: "Sir, how important is Xiazhou? We know it, and Yang Hao naturally knows it too. I'm afraid... Xiazhou will be more difficult to defeat than Yinzhou, right?"
Li Jijun glanced at him, gritted his teeth and said with a smile: "Otherwise, Yang Hao is not in Xiazhou now. He is ambitious and wants to unify Hexi. He has led his troops to fight all the way to Yumen Pass. The Uighur troops in Ganzhou are strong and strong, and it is difficult to deal with Yang.
Hao then bypassed Ganzhou.
Hehe, if there is a war here, his food and grass supplies will be cut off. When Yang Hao's army was confused and fled back in a hurry, do you think Ganzhou Huihe will let go of this God-given opportunity? Do you think the Guiyi Army will let go of this opportunity?
There are chasing troops behind and powerful enemies in front. It is hard to say whether Yang Hao can come back alive and be beheaded by my sword."
Wu Youdao and Chu Yuntian looked at each other, and both faintly heard something was wrong: Since Chi Zhong was bought by Yang Hao and collaborated with Yang Hao to annex Fuzhou, how could Yang Hao show up with all his elite at this critical moment?
Expedition to the west at Yumen Pass? This is too counterintuitive. Even if he wanted to attack in the east and set up a maze formation, he wouldn't really leave an ambush to deal with the emergency, right?
However, although they had doubts in their hearts, the two of them did not dare to tell the truth. The reason why the two of them were alive was entirely because Li Jiyun needed them as former Suizhou officials to act as facades when he changed his name to Li Pishou. Their power had long been eclipsed. Now,
The people in charge of the army were all Li Jiyun's confidants, so how could they dare to offend him?
Li Jiyun said proudly, raised his eyebrows, and said: "Before Yang Hao left, he transferred all the Xiazhou troops to the Western Regions. On the eastern front, the main force was deployed in Yinzhou and Linzhou. He originally thought that Xiazhou was in his heartland.
, the safest thing is, how could you have thought that there are fires everywhere now? We attacked Xiazhou by surprise. Speaking of which, Yinzhou is like Xiazhou with high walls and thick walls, so it is difficult to attack, but my Li family is in control of Xiazhou.
In the past few years, how could all the wealthy and gentry families in the city surrender to Yang Hao so quickly? As long as I rush to Xiazhou and reveal my name, Li Jiyun..."
When Li Jiyun said this, he clenched his fists tightly and said with great resentment: "How similar is this scene to two years ago? Haha..., how Yang Hao took away my Xiazhou back then, I will do the same now
When we took it back, my father and son were in such a mess and at the end of their rope, today... I want to let him, Yang Hao, experience the same feeling."
General Political Councilor Wu Youzhi is an old man from Suizhou. However, this man saw the opportunity early. When he saw that the situation was not good, he had already turned to Li Jiyun. He was beside him as the counselor Zan Hua and was highly valued by him. Hearing this, he couldn't help but feel a little worried.
Authentic: "Sir, since the imperial court ordered us to attack Yinzhou to contain Yang Jiye, if we rashly turn to Xiazhou, will we offend the officials?"
Li Jijun smiled sinisterly and said: "Who said we won't attack Yinzhou? It's just that... seeing that Yinzhou's soldiers were well-prepared, we had no choice but to attack Xiazhou instead. Hehe, those who guard Xiazhou
He is a Zhong Fang who has never led an army and can only talk about military affairs on paper. He is a scholar who has passed the Jinshi examination. If we go to attack Xiazhou, wouldn't we be better able to cooperate with the imperial troops and contain Yang Jiye?"
Counselor Wu added doubtfully: "What your Excellency said is true. However... if the imperial court gains Linzhou and we successfully attack Xiazhou, the morale of Yang Hao's troops will be in chaos, and the imperial court can easily capture Yinzhou.
At that time, Yinzhou, Fuzhou, Linzhou, and Suizhou were all under the control of the imperial court. Won't the imperial court continue to move westward? If the imperial court forces you to hand over Xiazhou, how should we deal with it then? "
Li Jiyun laughed loudly, shook his head and said: "No, no, at that time, the imperial court will definitely appoint me as the envoy to resolve difficulties and guard the northwest for the imperial court."
Councilor Wu said in surprise: "Why are you so sure, sir?"
Li Jijun smiled but did not answer. He turned his head and said, "All officers and men, return to camp immediately, order your troops and horses, and carry all the food and grass. At three o'clock, the whole army will pull out of camp."
He stood up and said in a deep voice: "Whether it's success or failure, in this one move, we must cut off all retreats. If we move forward, we will survive, but if we retreat, we will die. The three armies are united and work together for a great cause. So... before sending troops, we must seize this Suizhou
Burn the city with fire! I want to... carry water and fight!
The three messengers stood by the Yellow River, washed their faces, moistened their chapped lips, and then took off their water bags to draw water. The Yellow River here is clear and sweet, but the riverside is covered with endless yellow sand.
.It is when the sun sets in the west, and the undulating sand mountains in the distance turn into a fiery red color under the setting sun, like burning flames.
About a few miles away, a desert spectacle was being staged. A huge tornado, thick at both ends and thin in the middle, connecting the sky and the ground, was rolling up countless yellow sand, roaring recklessly in the deserted desert.
When the water bags were full, the three knights got on their horses and took one last look at the boundless sea of sand, the flaming sand mountains, and the wind dragons that connected the sky and the earth. Then, under the sunset, they continued to drive towards the west.
go.
There was soft and dry yellow sand under their feet, and even the best horses from the Western Regions could not run. Sometimes they galloped, sometimes they dismounted and led the horses to trek through the sandy mountains with difficulty, and sometimes they sat on the sandy mountains and rolled straight away amidst the rumbling sounds.
Down the hillside, their horses neighed loudly and waggled their tails to catch up.
They were messengers coming from Fuzhou, carrying urgent military information from Fuzhou and sending them to Yang Hao, who was supervising the division's western expedition. Yang Hao had just captured Liangzhou and Suzhou, and there was Ganzhou in between.
There was no time to set up a message transmission channel. The road in the Western Region was not easy to walk. Coupled with the harsh environment, they really suffered a lot along the way. However, they knew how important the mission they shouldered and still fought tenaciously against the world.
, marching...
Yang Hao has arrived at Guazhou City. The relationship between Guazhou and Linzhou is just like the relationship between Linzhou and Linzhou. They are interdependent and rely on each other. Losing one of them will open the door. If Guazhou is lost, Yang Hao will use it as a stronghold.
It can completely offset the unfavorable factors of extending the expedition front, poor supplies, and having no basis for advance or retreat, and poses a fatal threat to the Guiyi Army. Therefore, Cao Yangong personally sat in Guazhou and was ready.
Yang Hao set up a large camp at the foot of Guazhou City. The camp stretched for ten miles, and his army was so powerful that it was arrogant.
He did not rush to attack. After the army was stationed, he immediately ordered people to shoot 500 empty-headed arrows. Each arrow was attached with a letter calling for the surrender of the rebel army. The words were earnest and full of incitement. Cao Yangong, Cao Zitao's uncle and nephew felt like they were facing a powerful enemy.
, immediately commanded his trusted troops to search the city and recover Yang Hao's leaflets. However, the news had already spread. The Guiyi Army originally lacked hostility towards Yang Hao and acted as if it was out of reach. However, according to legend, he actually led the army to Gua Gua in person.
At the foot of the prefecture city, and when they issued surrender leaflets to them, their morale became even lower. Cao Yan's nephews, uncles, and nephews were so frightened that they had to send their most loyal and reliable people to each battalion to serve as supervisors to prevent the army from mutiny.
The next day, Yang Hao officially launched an attack on Guazhou City. Because from Suzhou to Guazhou, one had to pass through a long desert road, and heavy siege equipment could not be carried any longer, so Yang Hao's offensive had a serious impact on Guazhou.
The actual threat was relatively limited, but the siege crossbows displayed by Yang Haojun still caused considerable damage to the Shazhou defenders.
In addition to being aggressive, Yang Hao also carried out harassment tactics against the city day and night, and occasionally carried out propaganda offensives. Cao Yangong's uncle and nephew commanded the soldiers and horses to support them hard. Another hard battle was over. Chong Xiao's shouts of killing disappeared, and the blood returned.
Before drying up, the world was once again occupied by wind and sand. Uncle and nephew Cao Yangong climbed to the top of the city and looked at Yang Hao's military camp: the Guiyi Army occupied a favorable location. Guazhou was the only oasis to the west from here, and was surrounded by long stretches of yellow sand.
, if Yang Hao's offensive only stops here, they believe that they can survive this hurdle until Yang Hao runs out of food and grass and takes the initiative to retreat.
As the sun set, Yang Hao stood quietly in the desert covered with the setting sun. In front of him was the lonely city standing in the long yellow sand. The setting sun dragged his shadow very long...
He is also waiting, waiting for news from Shazhou. The descendants of the Zhang family have left the center of power of the Guiyi Army for a long time, and their influence on the senior generals of the Guiyi Army is limited.
Among them, he still enjoys a very high prestige. The Buddhist forces in Guasha will not oppose his unification of Hexi. This clever move of transferring Lu Wuhen to serve as the magistrate of Suzhou not only caused a strong influence on Guasha Shilin.
The shock caused Cao Yangong's situation to be thrown into chaos, and many officials who had connections with Lu Wuhen were pushed to his side.
All the prerequisites were ready. Before sending troops, he even sent out Gouer and rushed to Shazhou with the best Feiyu secret agent to secretly help the Zhang family succeed. Now, he has successfully dragged Cao Yangong to Guazhou.
, just waiting for the good news to come out from Shazhou.
"As sons and daughters of the Han family, I will never fight with the Guiyi Army unless I have to. However, if the Shazhou incident is defeated and Cao Yangong insists on not surrendering, then... I can't say anything to the Guiyi Army that obstructs my unification of Hexi...
I had no choice but to resort to cruelty!"
Yang Hao looked at the Guazhou City in the distance and became determined. He reached out to grab the cloak that was blown up by the wind. He was about to turn around and return to the camp. When he turned around, he saw two soldiers running towards him in a hurry.
Yang Hao couldn't help but raise his eyebrows as he kicked up yellow sand on the ground. The two soldiers rushed to him and shouted hurriedly: "Commander, please...please return to camp quickly. The Fuzhou messenger has brought urgent military information!"