The little Black Panther was placed on a carriage. It seemed that the little guy was not used to this kind of mobile life. He roared in the carriage every day, but his chubby appearance could not be said to be powerful at all. However,
Perhaps because of his nature, although the enemy was still small, the horse pulling the carriage was very afraid of it and almost frightened. If the driver hadn't been quick and quick, he would have feared that the carriage would rush out of the team. Later, Liu Ling had someone make a square
The box was put into the box, which was covered with cotton wool. The little guy seemed to enjoy this treatment, and the horses couldn't see him. Although the smell of beasts still made the horses uneasy, at least nothing happened that frightened the horses again.
After resting for a day in Gyeongju and replenishing food and grass, the army continued to advance. In addition, 10,000 soldiers were transferred from Gyeongju. The army of more than 20,000 people became even more powerful. The smoke and dust stirred up by the march covered the sky and blocked the sun.
Ten days later, Tanzhou was already in sight.
During this period, Liu Ling sent his own soldiers to Yingzhou and notified Liu Mao to mobilize all the troops in Yingzhou and assemble in Yuzhou. When they arrived in Tanzhou, it was already mid-November, and the weather was already quite cold, but fortunately it was here.
In the past few years, the Taiping government in the Northern Han Dynasty had sufficient treasury, cotton-padded clothes had been issued to the soldiers, and the morale of the army was also very high.
"My subordinates pay their respects to the prince!"
Outside Tanzhou City, Fuyuan Army Commander Du Yi, General Feng Fubo, and General Wang Qingzhi, who came from Yuzhou to greet Liu Ling, bowed and saluted Liu Ling. Although he was wearing armor and was not required to salute according to the rules, Du Yi still
He knelt down and bowed meticulously, with a respectful attitude.
Liu Ling turned over and dismounted, laughed, helped Du Yi up and said, "We haven't seen you for three years, but the general's demeanor remains the same."
Du Yi smiled and said: "Your Majesty is getting more and more energetic. My subordinates have always been puzzled. They say that time flies. Why is Your Majesty always so heroic?"
Liu Ling smiled and said: "You guy, how come you have improved your ability to flatter others after three years? This is not the style of the bold general I am familiar with."
Du Yidao: "I don't know why. I am usually clumsy and talkative. But today I feel happy to see the prince and my mouth can be used much better."
Liu Ling was in a very comfortable mood, and the smile on his face was particularly bright when he saw his old subordinates.
"General Maoyuan is also coming, but if they all come, there will be no one to take charge of the affairs in Yuzhou. Besides, we are also afraid that one of the prince's subordinates will be guilty of leaving his post without permission. So we discussed it and General Maoyuan stayed in Yuzhou.
, I come down to pay my respects to the prince."
Liu Ling nodded and said: "You guys have worked hard these past few years, but I don't have anything good to reward you."
"It's hard work, but I've developed a disease of laziness in the past three years. My belly has started to get bigger and my flesh has become loose. If the prince doesn't do some tasks for me, I'm afraid that in a few years he will become a helpless person."
What a terrible old man."
"If this is really the case, I will punish you for neglecting your duties and slacking off in military affairs."
Liu Ling smiled and said: "Let's go to the city and see if Tanzhou has changed much after three years."
"I guarantee that the prince will be shocked."
In fact, before arriving at Tanzhou, Liu Ling was quite surprised by the scene along the way. Tanzhou, Yuzhou, and Jinzhou of the Great Zhou Dynasty are not far apart, and have always been battlegrounds between the two sides. These hundreds of miles were once desolate.
, it is normal to walk for a day without seeing any people. But looking at it, I didn’t expect that the Tanzhou farmland was doing better than the Qingzhou side. This was really beyond Liu Ling’s expectation. Only now is it finally over.
We truly know how great the resilience and perseverance of the people are. As long as we give them a good policy, even a devastated wasteland can become thousands of miles of fertile wilderness.
When they arrived outside the city, Liu Ling could see at a glance that Tanzhou City had been repaired. The city wall had been increased by one-third. The city wall that was originally only over four meters high was now nearly six meters high. There were even equipment on the city walls such as arrow towers and watchtowers.
The city of Tanzhou, which has experienced countless wars, cannot be said to be completely new, but it has become stronger and heavier.
After entering the city gate, Liu Ling found that the streets were very clean. From the welcoming crowds lined up in the streets, everyone could see a real smile on their face, rather than a false and perfunctory one. The common people only had to live their lives.
Only when you are fulfilled can you have such a heartfelt smile. Three years ago, Tanzhou was besieged by nearly 200,000 Zhou Dynasty troops for several months and still stood firm. Now, this city has become more majestic and magnificent!
The 20,000 troops brought by Liu Ling did not enter the city but camped outside the city. Liu Ling only brought a few hundred soldiers into the city. The governor of Tanzhou County did not laugh at him, and the county magistrate Li Li was also among the people welcoming him.
, welcomed Liu Ling into the Yamen of the state government.
"It's really surprising."
After Liu Ling sat down, his first words were heartfelt admiration.
"Now the people of Tanzhou are prosperous, the society is stable, and the city is strong. Master Mo and Master Li have worked hard and made great achievements. I will definitely write a letter to express my merit for these two adults."
Liu Ling said with a smile.
As county guards and county magistrates who took office after the war, it was the first time for both Mo Xiao and Li Li to see this powerful man. The regent, the prime minister of internal and external military and state affairs, although in name he had other people above him.
There was an emperor, but everyone knew that he was the real person in charge of this big man. Now this big man was sitting in front of him with a smile. Mo Xiao, he and Li Li were both a little nervous and a little at a loss.
"It's all the credit of General Du. Lower officials dare not take credit for it."
The two men bowed and said.
Seeing that the two people were a little nervous, Liu Ling said with a smile: "Don't be so restrained. I am not a tiger that can't eat people. Whoever gets the credit will get it. General Du has trained his troops well and is powerful in southern Xinjiang. Naturally, this credit will not go away."
.The two of you have managed Tanzhou in an orderly manner, and your credit is real. If nothing else, just in terms of farming, you actually did better than those in Qingzhou, which is a great achievement!"
"Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty. This is all within the scope of my official duties. I don't dare to slack off."
Don't laugh at him. This man's name is interesting, but he is a bit pedantic and not as free and easy as Du Yi, a military figure. This was Liu Ling's first impression of this man, and it was not bad.
Then, the local officials in Tanzhou paid tribute to Liu Ling one by one. Most of these people saw the famous regent for the first time. It was inevitable to be nervous. Some of them were shaking slightly and sweating profusely.
Liu Ling gave him kind words and encouragement, and always spoke with a smile. After the reception banquet at noon, Liu Ling asked the civil servants to retreat, leaving only the county governor Mo Xiao and the county magistrate Li Li, plus Tanzhou
All the generals from the garrison stayed behind.
"General Du, how many troops are available in Tanzhou now?"
Liu Ling didn't like beating around the bush, and Du Yi was still his old subordinate, so he asked directly.
"Back to the prince, the Fuyuan army has a total of 46,000 elite soldiers, of which 30,000 are stationed in Yuzhou and 16,000 are stationed in Tanzhou. I received the prince's order at the beginning of the year to recruit new soldiers, and now I have formed a new army.
The recruit camp has 9,000 men and horses. The total number is 55,000. Although the combat effectiveness of the new recruits is far less than that of the veterans, they can all be used."
When Du Yi talked about military affairs, he returned to his usual seriousness.
"There are 3,000 soldiers and brave men in the counties under Tanzhou. If the prince wants to use them, they can also fight."
Jun Cheng Li Li added.
Liu Ling said with a smile: "The county soldiers and people are brave enough to maintain law and order and protect the county and township. It is better not to move. Even the Tanzhou soldiers are not going to be taken with me. I will take 10,000 veterans and 5,000 recruits, and then bring them from Yuzhou."
We have 20,000 soldiers, including the men and horses I brought from Taiyuan, which is more than 50,000, which is enough."
Du Yi clasped his fists and said: "Your Majesty, although the Great Zhou Dynasty is in civil strife, it still has strong military strength. The number of soldiers of the Twelve Guards has now expanded to nearly half a million. Although they are scattered throughout the country, they cannot be underestimated. Moreover, the Great Zhou Dynasty is warlike.
There are also a lot of county soldiers in each state capital. Besides, bandits are rampant in the Great Zhou Dynasty. Not to mention far away places, Xiao Po's army in Jinzhou alone has 80,000 soldiers. Your Majesty only led 50,000 soldiers south, is that too little?"
Liu Ling said: "Because the civil strife in the Great Zhou Dynasty is in complete chaos now, it will be difficult to gain a firm foothold if we bring more troops."
Du Yi was stunned for a while, and then he thought deeply. After a while, he suddenly said: "Is the prince afraid that bringing too many people will arouse the fear of various forces in the Great Zhou Dynasty?"
Liu Ling said with a smile: "That's it. If I attack the Zhou Kingdom with all the troops of the Han Dynasty, let's not talk about the Khitan people in the north. Will the Dangxiang people in the west take advantage of the opportunity to attack the Han Dynasty? Let's talk about what if the various forces in the Zhou Dynasty
Because we have united again with our massive attack, I am afraid that the southern expedition will be difficult. If all the forces in the Zhou Dynasty regard us as their biggest enemies, the Han Dynasty's current national strength will not be able to compete with a million-strong army.
"
"We have few soldiers. We will only attack Jinzhou at first. After pulling out Meng Hu's nail, we will relax a little, and then keep a distance from Xiao Pojun's Black Flag Army. All the forces in Zhou Dynasty may not point the finger.
"
Du Yi nodded and said: "The prince has thought carefully. Just the left Xiaowei of Puzhou, the right Xiaowei of Luzhou, the right Xiaowei of Yanzhou, and the three armies of 150,000 men are enough for us to be busy for a while.
But fortunately, the soldiers of the Twelve Guards are eager to expand their power. The old and new are mixed, the good and the bad are mixed, and their combat effectiveness is not as good as before."
Liu Ling snorted and said: "In Tanzhou, I won't delay much. After the troops are ordered at the school field tomorrow morning, the army will set off to Yuzhou and join Maoyuan's troops. They are just waiting for the spies from the south to report the detailed information.
The news has been sent that I will lead my army to attack Jinzhou. Tanzhou will be handed over to Master Mo and Master Li. On the other side of Yuzhou, Maoyuan should be left to guard it. General Du, you can follow me.
"
"I was just waiting for the prince to take me away. When I came, Maoyuan and I were still saying that no matter who goes south with the prince, he must treat the people who stay behind to have a good drink."
Liu Ling laughed and said: "Let's remember this wine for now. When we capture Jinzhou, I will treat you all to a celebration wine!"
"General Du, I originally promised Dugu Ruizhi a junior official position. However, the Black Qilin Army is your Majesty's personal army, and Dugu cannot leave. Are you interested?"
Du Yi's eyes lit up and he asked eagerly: "What the prince said was the position of vanguard of the army?"
"Exactly."
"My subordinates have made a decision, let's see who will compete with me?!"
Du Yi gritted his molar teeth and said with a fierce look on his face.
Liu Ling laughed loudly and said: "In that case, I will allocate all the 15,000 troops and horses in Tanzhou to you to take with you. We will set off early tomorrow morning and wait for you outside Jinzhou City first!"
