Just when Cheng Yihou led less than 40,000 troops to Yuzhou, the three battalions of soldiers and horses drawn from the Jianxiong Army in the north were also arriving day and night. Liu Ling's strict order to the Jianxiong Army was not until he arrived in Yingzhou
After five days, if the Jianxiong army has not arrived, the generals of each camp will engage in military law.
When Cheng Yihou led dozens of generals into the camp to see Liu Ling, three battalions of soldiers from the Jianxiong Army had already passed Yingzhou and would arrive in Yuzhou in less than a day. The scouts who reported the news first only
He entered the Yuzhou camp two hours later than Cheng Yihou.
Seeing that all the people were about to arrive, Liu Ling felt more confident.
This time Cheng Yihou led 36,000 troops, and when Jianxiong's army arrived later, there were 30,000 troops. Liu Ling now had 44,000 Fuyuan troops in his hands, which together amounted to 110,000 troops. Although
It was 40,000 less than the 150,000 horses and horses in the following week, but it could barely compete in terms of numbers.
In the evening, 30,000 troops of Jianxiong Army arrived and set up camp ten miles outside Yuzhou City. The leader of the third battalion of Jianxiong Army, Zhao Er and Hua Sanlang went to Liu Ling's Chinese army tent together.
Now eleven battalions of soldiers and horses have arrived, and the numbers of each army and horse are very confusing. In order to facilitate the command, Liu Ling discussed with his generals and reorganized the troops.
The 110,000-strong army, with all previous unit designations discarded, is collectively known as the Pingnan Army.
The troops were integrated into the eleventh battalion, excluding Liu Ling's thousand black unicorn bodyguards.
The first battalion of the Pingnan Army is the forward battalion, with 10,000 soldiers and horses. The commander is Zhongyihou Wang Banjin.
The second battalion of the Pingnan Army is the Xiaoqi Battalion, with 10,000 troops and horses, and its commander is Du Yi, the former general of the Fuyuan Army.
The third battalion of the Pingnan Army is the Ruijian Camp, with 10,000 soldiers and horses, and the commander is Zhaoxian, the commander of the Imperial Army.
The fourth battalion of the Pingnan Army is the Tiger Camp, with 10,000 soldiers and horses, and its commander is Sun Sheng, deputy commander of the Forbidden Army.
The fifth battalion of the Pingnan Army is the Shenfeng Battalion, with 10,000 soldiers and horses. The commander is Chen Yuanshan, the former commander of the Gyeonggi Camp.
The sixth battalion of the Pingnan Army is the Zhenwei Battalion, with 10,000 troops and horses, and the commander is General Hua Ling.
The seventh battalion of the Pingnan Army is the Zongheng Battalion, with 10,000 troops and horses, and the commander is General Zhao Er.
The eighth battalion of the Pingnan Army is called the Flying Eagle Battalion, with 10,000 troops and horses, and its commander is Mao Yuan, the former general of the Fuyuan Army.
The ninth battalion of the Pingnan Army is the Lion Battalion, with 10,000 soldiers and horses, and the commander is Sanjiang Hou Cheng Yihou.
The tenth battalion of the Pingnan Army is Tongwu Camp, with 10,000 soldiers and horses, and its commander is Hu Tinghou Liu Mao.
The 11th Battalion of the Pingnan Army is the Han Xiong Camp, with 10,000 soldiers and horses, and its commander is Luo Sanshui, the former general of the Jianxiong Army.
In addition, Liu Ling also made an exception and promoted several young generals. Among them, Yang Ye, a young general who was originally under the command of General Du Yi of the Fuyuan Army, was transferred by Liu Ling to the Black Kirin Army to serve as a military staff. Feng Fubo, the former commander of the Fuyuan Army, was also transferred
When he comes to his side, although he has not been promoted to an official position, he can still serve as a military officer.
One hundred and ten thousand troops camped in Yuzhou, and each battalion was set up according to Liu Ling's plan. The city defense of Yuzhou was almost completely destroyed, and Liu Ling mobilized people to repair the city. The order was limited to ten days, and reinforcements must be added outside Yuzhou.
An Wengcheng was built. Thirty trebuchets were to be placed on the top of the Wengcheng. Liu Ling also ordered people to cut down trees and hurry up to build dozens more.
The reason why this trebuchet can arrive at the battlefield quickly and cause a huge blow to the Zhou army is actually very simple. Because Liu Ling's design is somewhat different from the original trebuchet, that is, these trebuchets can be dismantled.
The chassis of the riprap truck was designed by Liu Ling into a large flat carriage-like structure. The upper arm part was disassembled and then loaded and transported, which greatly increased the speed.
In addition, Liu Ling sent people to find craftsmen to make a weapon for defending the city overnight, the rocket. This kind of thing uses gunpowder as a guide and can fire hundreds of arrows in a row, with amazing lethality. Once equipped on the city wall, it is very effective for attacking.
It will definitely cause huge damage to one side of the city. Although it is huge, it is not a big problem to transport it by carriage. Even if it is used on the battlefield where the two armies are clashing, it will definitely become a big killer that can turn the tide of the battle.
The Zhou army consolidated and did not launch another offensive. This was also a rare respite for the Han army. Liu Ling ordered the blacksmiths in the city to turn on the furnaces and make arrows day and night. The war was about to begin, and the number of feather arrows used
It was astonishingly huge. Although the Han army moved south this time and the equipment in the inventory of the Ministry of War was almost emptied, it was still far from enough.
At the same time, Yingzhou and Xiaozhou are also working hard to make arrowheads, and the first batch of reserve supplies sent from Taiyuan Prefecture are already on their way. From the current point of view, things are developing in a good direction. Bei
The Han Dynasty fought this war with all its strength. Although it was stretched, it was not at the point of difficulty. An army of 110,000 was assembled, and the supplies needed were huge. The officials in the court were also busy. Everyone understood the meaning of death, so no matter how lazy they were,
People don’t dare to stay out of it.
Judging from the news sent by the shadow guards who stayed in Taiyuan Prefecture, no one in the imperial court has neglected their duties yet. The death of Sima Lu, the Minister of Punishment, is still under investigation. The people from the Eight Gate Inspection Department and those from Taiyuan Prefecture and the Punishment Department
While everyone was busy, Emperor Xiao issued a strict decree to bring the murderer to justice.
Peng Zhan, who killed Sima Lu, seemed to have disappeared from the world, and there was no news about him.
While receiving the secret letter from the Shadow Guard from Taiyuan, another piece of extremely confidential information from the Shadow Guard was also sent through a channel that only Liu Ling had control over. This information was very important, and the route for sending clues was even more important.
It was extremely important, so even Liu Ling's trusted generals didn't know about it. Zhao Da was taking command in the dark, and hundreds of shadow guards were hiding in the dark to search for all the news about the Zhou army.
Judging from the current situation, the Han army is not very at a disadvantage. Judging from the intelligence at the border, the Zhou army has no signs of planning to increase its troops. This is very good news for the Han army. With 110,000 troops
There are 150,000 men and horses fighting against the Zhou army. As long as they are commanded properly and the sergeants use their lives to hold on to Yuzhou, the Zhou army will have no chance no matter how good the strategy is if the stalemate continues.
And if it is a decisive battle, both sides will fight. 110,000 vs. 150,000. Even if the Zhou army wins, it will inevitably suffer huge losses. It is difficult to predict how many troops will be left. This war is actually in a sense.
Zhou Shizong Chai Rong's battle to establish his authority was largely aimed at stabilizing the throne.
Therefore, both Liu Ling and Chai Rong must strive for victory in the next war. Chai Rong must restore the decline of the Yuzhou defeat and defeat Liu Ling's Pingnan Army in one go. Even if he cannot annex the Northern Han Dynasty, he must win the throne.
It also played a consolidating role. Liu Ling, on the other hand, could not be defeated. If he failed, he would perish.
All the generals under his command were in the tent. Liu Ling was sitting on the commander's seat and glanced at everyone. Behind him, the Nie brothers wearing sixth-grade official hats and white brocade robes stood there, still covered by black scarves.
Face. According to their rank, the generals took their seats on both sides.
Sitting next to Liu Ling are the Marquis of Zhongyi Banjin, the Marquis of Huting Liu Mao, and the Marquis of Sanjiang Cheng Yihou. Below them are the commanders of each battalion. At the bottom, those who are not qualified to participate in this meeting are present.
Yang Ye, the Marquis of Duyu, Feng Fubo, the commander-in-chief, and Pei Hao, the Minister of Punishment, who was brought along by Liu Ling and suffered a lot, and vomited when he saw the murder scene.
Theoretically, although Pei Hao, the Minister of Justice, was of the third rank, he could be regarded as a high-ranking member of the imperial court. But compared with the group of military gentlemen in the big tent, he was quite different. During the Five Dynasties, the world was in chaos, and military officers were valued over civil servants.
The official rank is much higher than that of civilian officials.
A commander of a thousand is from the fourth rank. A general is from the third rank. The ones in this tent who are slightly lower than Pei Hao are the commander of thousands, Feng Fubo, and the Marquis of Du Yu, Yang Ye. Pei Hao is of the third rank, and theoretically each battalion has its own.
All the commanders in the house are of the second rank, so Du Yuhou under Du Yi is only a little lower than Pei Hao, starting from the third rank. There are eleven commanders in the room, which are eleven royal officials of the second rank.
During the Five Dynasties, the ranks were a little confusing. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the officials of the second rank were quite high. Those feudal officials in the Qing Dynasty, such as the Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, the Governor of Liangjiang and other powerful people, were all of the second rank.
Grade. Except for those granted by the governor of Zhili and the emperor, basically all the officials in the border areas are of the second grade.
Their power is much greater than that of the commanders of the various battalions in the big tent. They hold the political, economic, and military power of one or even two provinces. It is not an exaggeration to say that they are the emperors of the country.
Now these commanders in the big account can only maintain the safety of one state on weekdays. Although they have military power, they are not able to cover the sky with one hand in the true sense. Unless they are commanders of the Seventh Battalion of the Fuyuan Army like An Heng, or
It was He Kun, the commander of the ninth battalion of the Jianxiong Army, who truly dominated one side.
Compared to An Heng, He Kun is much smarter. Liu Ling sent Zhao Erhua Sanlang to mobilize troops from Jianxiong's army. Not only did He Kun not set up any obstacles, he also personally selected the elites, equipped them with equipment, and brought enough food and grass.
He did his best without leaking anything. He was very smart in doing so. On the one hand, he showed his loyalty to the Northern Han Dynasty, and on the other hand, he could leave a good impression on the loyal prince Liu Ling. He killed two birds with one stone.
An Heng is stupid. He has great ambitions but is paranoid and indecisive. He is afraid of wolves before doing things and afraid of tigers later. He is indecisive and it is difficult to achieve great things.
After the generals sat down, Liu Ling cleared his throat and said: "Now that the three armies have gathered together, they are well-equipped and well-prepared. It will all depend on the generals to expel the barbarians and regain Tanzhou."
Everyone clasped their fists and said, "Only the prince is following his lead."
Liu Ling nodded and said: "Now Emperor Shizong of the Later Zhou Dynasty, Emperor Chai Rong, is personally leading the troops and is gathering the defeated troops in Tanzhou. According to reports from spies, all the troops and horses of the defeated Zhou army in Yuzhou have been gathered in Tanzhou, numbering no less than 150,000.
Everyone. Although the Zhou army was severely defeated in the battle of Yuzhou, it did not damage the foundation. I believe that Zhou Shizong Chai Rong would never accept defeat and retreat. Now that the Zhou army has occupied Tanzhou to recharge its batteries, it may be possible in the near future.
There will be another fierce battle."
He stood up and said: "Although Yuzhou is small, it is the chokepoint connecting the north and the south of our Han Dynasty. It is only possible to survive because of General Du Yi's protective guard to the death. I would like to thank the general for your majesty."
After saying that, Liu Ling bowed deeply to Du Yi.
Du Yi hurriedly left his seat and helped Liu Ling: "My lord, you must not do this. This is not to defeat the general. As a minister, it is the duty of the general to lead troops to protect one side and protect Yuzhou."
Liu Ling said: "Despite this, the general's loyalty and bravery are admirable."
He sat back on his chair and said: "This time I went south to take charge of the army and horses of the six states, and I have the power to make arbitrary decisions when the opportunity arises. General Du Yi was not afraid of danger and defended Yuzhou for more than ten days, making great contributions to our great Han Dynasty. I have already submitted a petition.
Your Majesty will reward you according to your merits. General Du Yi has made great achievements in battle and has been granted the title of hereditary national majesty. General Zhaoxian and General Sun Sheng have contributed indispensably. They have been granted the title of hereditary Zhennan Bo and hereditary Zhongyongbo. The decree will come down in the future."
The three people stood up, left their seats and knelt down in the tunnel, saying: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness, and thank you, Prince Zhong, for your cultivation."
There are different levels of titles, which represent the trust of the royal family. Having a title means owning a small fief of your own. Within your own fief, the words of the person who holds the title are equivalent to imperial edicts. In the Tang Dynasty, the titles were divided into princes.
, heir, king, duke, duke, duke, county duke, county marquis, county uncle, county son, county male, have basically been used in later generations. The country during the Five Dynasties basically followed the Tang system. By the Song Dynasty
The title was slightly modified at that time. The title is divided into two types: hereditary and non-hereditary. The meaning of a hereditary title is that as long as future generations do not make any big mistakes, in theory, they can be inherited by the eldest son or the person designated by the previous title holder.
A title that is not hereditary is lifelong. That is to say, the title holder himself enjoys all the benefits brought by the title during his lifetime, but as soon as he dies, the title will be gone and will not be passed on to his descendants.
There were slightly more hereditary titles in the Tang Dynasty. In the Song Dynasty, they became less and less. Most of the titles were lifelong.
In the Ming Dynasty, there were great changes in the titles and rewards. The emperor's eldest son was established as the prince, and other princes could be established as princes after reaching the age of ten, with their own fiefdoms, and the fiefdoms were called the country. At the age of twenty, they could take the title of prince.
The eldest son of the prince is the general of the state, and his sons are the generals of the auxiliary state. The eldest son of the general of the auxiliary state inherits the title, and the other sons are the generals of the state. In the Ming Dynasty, only
The titles of Duke, Marquis, Count, and Third Grade will be abolished. The titles of Viscount and Baron will be abolished. If you are a Duke, you can join the Five Prefectures and the Sixth Army, and if you leave, you can be awarded the title of General and Commander-in-Chief, with a high status.
The Five Dynasties period was a time of chaos, and the Northern Han Dynasty was even more weak. Its land area was only twelve states, which is now the central and northern parts of Shanxi. How could such a small area have so many fiefs distributed to many kings and princes?
Marquis and uncles. Therefore, having one's own fiefdom, which best demonstrated the benefits of a title, was basically abandoned in the Northern Han Dynasty.
Even Prince Zhong Liu Ling doesn't have a fief of his own, so what else do others dare to ask for?
The three of them thanked them and returned to their original place to sit down. Liu Ling ordered: "Now the 110,000 troops gathered in Yuzhou can be divided into three groups. One group of troops and horses will be placed in the southeast and southwest of Yuzhou. The finished camp will be in the shape of a Chinese glyph.
, they are each other’s horns.”
"Sanjiang Hou."
Liu Ling shouted.
Cheng Yihou stood up and clasped his fists and said: "The end will be here."
Liu Lingdao: "Sanjiang Hou Ke is the commander-in-chief of the Southeast Camp, leading the three battalions of Lion Camp, Ruijian Camp, and Tiger Camp. Set up camp twenty miles southeast of Yuzhou and deploy defenses. Don't slack off."
Cheng Yihou, the commander of Ruijian Battalion, Zhao Xian, and the commander of Tiger Battalion, Sun Sheng, fell to their knees at the same time: "General, please obey the order!"
Liu Ling said again: "Hou Zhongyi"
Wang Banjin stood up and said: "The end will be here."
"Marquis Zhongyi, lead the three battalions of Qianfeng Camp, Hanxiong Camp, and Feiying Camp. Set up a large camp in the southwest of Yuzhou, set up antlers, and deploy defenses. Don't slack off."
Wang Banjin, Feiying Camp Commander Maoyuan, and Hanxiong Camp Commander Luo Sanshui knelt down to accept the order.
Liu Ling continued: "Huting Hou Liu Mao, Zhenwei Camp Commander Hua Ling, Zongheng Camp Commander Zhao Er, Shenfeng Camp Commander Chen Yuanshan are stationed in Yuzhou with me. Rest for ten days, and wait for Taiyuan Prefecture and Yingzhou, Xiao
After receiving the military supplies from the state, we broke camp and went south to recover Tanzhou!"
All the generals clasped their fists together and said: "Your Majesty, the last general!" (To be continued)
