In the hall, Luo Xiancheng lay dead in a pool of blood. The soldiers all retreated from the corridor, and other generals were blocked in the courtyard. It was already dark at this time. Due to the panic inside and outside the courtyard, only two lights were still on. It was drizzling and windy.
Stop, the scene in the depths of the big house can't be seen clearly in the yard, nor can the conversations inside the house be heard - Chen Jingrong's voiceless question only fell into the hands of Zhong Rong, Huo Tong, Luo Jian, Wang Xian'er, Yin Xiangli and others who became prisoners.
In the ears of Tong Erdan...
Tong Erdan laughed, but blood was still oozing from the corner of his mouth. His appearance looked ferocious and terrifying, and he said: "I didn't expect Mr. Chen to be such a smart man. This is exactly what Prince Mu meant!"
Ren Zhongrong, Huo Tong, Luo Jian and others have also experienced bloody storms in their lives. At this time, they were frightened for a while. Ye Ji Luorong sent Tong Erdan to assassinate Luo Xiancheng. Was it to ask them to surrender to Huaixi?
How can it be?
If you think about it carefully, the retreat has been cut off. Whether it is to surrender to the east of Huaihe or to the west of Huaihe, isn't the biggest obstacle Luo Xiancheng himself? Luo Xiancheng once proclaimed himself king, and he was granted the title of King Xiangyang by Beiyan. Whether he surrendered to Huaihe
East or Huaixi, the most important thing is to survive - for a hero who once controlled hundreds of thousands of troops, survival is probably the last choice he wants to make.
That's why a general persuaded him to surrender and was stabbed to death by Luo Xiancheng in a rage. The other generals did not dare to surrender, for fear of irritating Luo Xiancheng's nerves for no reason and causing death. However, the idea of surrender was not out of everyone's mind.
Circled!
Zhong Rong, Huo Tong, Luo Jian, and Wang Xianer looked at each other in confusion. Although surrender was an option before them, they did not believe that Ye Ji Luorong would be kind enough to help them surrender to Huaixi!
"Nonsense!" Luo Jian punched Tong Erdan. He and Luo Xiancheng were of the same clan. Since Luo Xiancheng was selected to lead the most elite guard army, in addition to his own bravery and fighting skills, what was more important was his loyalty to Luo Xiancheng.
He was more reliable than generals such as Zhong Rong, Huo Tong, and Wang Xian'er. He was not opposed to surrendering to Huaixi, but when it came to Tong Erdan who stabbed Luo Xiancheng to death, he wished he could kill him with an iron mace on the spot. He angrily said, "Unless King Luo dies or surrenders, we are in Lishan Mountain."
There are still 60,000 soldiers and horses. Even if they are huddled in Lishan, they can still contain the main force of the Huaidong Army that enters the hinterland of Jingxiang. King Luo asked you, a thief, to be stabbed to death. No matter whether we surrender or collapse, is it right?
Is there any benefit to you from fleeing north?"
Tong Erdan punched Luo Jian so hard that he almost fell. He barely managed to hold on to the pillar to avoid falling. He panted heavily and looked at Chen Jingrong and said, "I have to ask Mr. Chen about this. On the 20th, Huaixi will conquer Xinyang and the areas east of Xinyang."
With all the soldiers and horses pressed to the northern foot of Huaishan Mountain, can you deliberately condone the king of Ruzhou to aid Nanyang?"
Luo Jian was still furious. Zhong Rong, who was not too sentimental about Luo Xiancheng's death, glanced at Huo Tong: Although their strategies are far inferior to those of Shewenzhuang and first-rate wise men such as Hu Zongguo, they are also inferior to counselors such as Chen Jingrong.
, the reaction is relatively slow, but they have been in troubled times over the years, and their knowledge is beyond the reach of others...
Although they had 60,000 soldiers and horses in Lishan, they were already frightened. What's more, Dong Yuan had already led 80,000 to 90,000 soldiers and horses to attack from the north. In fact, their effect on containing the main force of the Huaidong Army entering the hinterland of Jingxiang was very limited.
If, as Tong Erdan said, Chen Zhihu went to Nanyang because of Huaixi's deliberate connivance, but Huaixi had evil intentions towards Huaidong, Huaidong must also be well aware of this matter. Once they lead Lishan's troops and horses to Huaixi, they will
This means that in addition to having 50,000 or 60,000 more soldiers and horses, Huaixi will also control the passage from the northern mountain range of Huaishan into the hinterland of Jingxiang. Dong Yuan's ambition in Huaixi is the biggest threat to the main force of the Huaidong Army entering the hinterland of Jingxiang.
Containment will really help Beiyan's troops on the west bank of the Han River to withdraw northward.
In this way, it can be explained why Ye Jiluorong sent Tong Erdan to assassinate Luo Xiancheng.
Chen Jingrong looked shocked: Although it can be understood that Ye Ji Luorong sent Tong Erdan to assassinate Luo Xiancheng, Huaidong's ambush in Chaishan was wiped out, and they attacked Suizhou and Fancheng. They also defeated the troops of Eastern Hubei and Hanshui.
Shouldn't the generals of Beiyan on the west bank be in panic and bewilderment? How could they come up with such a good plan quickly? Counting the time, Tong Erdan should set off from Jingzhou on the 22nd.
Who proposed the plan to Ye Ji Luorong and sent someone to assassinate Luo Xiancheng? Is it Shewenzhuang, the king of Fujian? Did Shewenzhuang escape from Huangpi on the 22nd? How is it possible? This plan was not proposed by Shewenzhuang.
Who is it again?
Chen Jingrong prided himself on being resourceful, but at this moment he felt deeply inferior to him.
When the situation reached this point, Chen Jingrong looked at Zhong Rong, Huo Tong, Luo Jian, and Wang Xian'er, and said: "Henan's recruiting envoy Dong Yuan, Mr. Dong, has long heard of the names of General Zhong, General Huo, General Luo, and General Wang. He often sighs at the names of General Zhong, General Huo, General Luo, and General Wang.
He is his master and cannot reciprocate. Today, King Luo unfortunately passed away. Chen took the courage to ask four generals to serve Huaixi!"
Chen Jingrong's words undoubtedly confirmed what Tong Erdan said: Dong Yuan did intend to let Chen Zhihu enter Nanyang. Otherwise, Chen Zhihu would have been delayed and unable to enter the Nanyang Basin first, leaving Xinye, Xichuan and other cities to Huaidong's Chaishan troops to seize them first.
The northern retreat route of Beiyan's troops on the west bank of the Han River will be completely cut off...
When the true nature of everything was revealed in front of Zhong Rong and others, they truly understood what a bloody conspiracy was. In the face of Dong Yuan and others' plans, they had not seen enough before, killing people, stealing goods, occupying mountains and becoming kings.
As the saying goes, "Those who steal hooks will be punished, and those who steal the country will be martyred."
Zhong Rong looked at Luo Jian and Huo Tong, and couldn't help holding the saber at his waist with his right hand: Wang Xianer came in with Chen Jingrong. Wang Xianer's attitude towards surrendering to Huaixi should be clear, and he had strongly advocated abandoning Huaidong and allowing Chen Hansan.
After defecting to Beiyan, and even quarreling with Wang Xiang, Huaidong must also want to get rid of him and then quickly. Now they can only defect to Huaixi, but what choice will Luo Jian and Huo Tong make?
Huo Tong noticed Zhong Rong's hand on the saber at his waist and the faint murderous aura emanating from his body. If Zhong Rong wanted to surrender to Huaidong, he would not have fled north with Wang Xian'er from the south line. He asked himself that his personal bravery was not Zhong Rong's.
His opponent, not to mention Wang Xianer disappeared for a while and then went back in. Who knows if he has mobilized other troops. He sighed in his heart: No matter whether he defected to Huaidong or Huaixi, each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Huaidong won the victory over Jingxiang, and its power
It will expand to the extreme, and Huaixi is afraid that it will be difficult to match it. But because of this, if they surrender to Huaidong, they will most likely have their military power removed immediately, and at most they will survive. Although Huaixi is weak, it is precisely because of Huaixi's weakness that
Only then can we pay attention to these surrendered generals...
Of course, apart from these, the most important and critical point cannot be ignored:
On the outskirts of Lishan Mountain and the northern foot of Huaishan Mountain, Huaidong had less than 25,000 soldiers and horses in Suizhou and Xinyang. Especially the Fengli Army in Xinyang was surrounded by Huaixi soldiers and horses in the center (Huo Tong was not
It was clear that the Meng family in Xinyang had secretly attached themselves to Huaidong); and in Huaixi, under the personal leadership of Dong Yuan, a total of more than 70,000 soldiers and horses came straight to the northern range of Huaishan Mountain from the 21st; Dong Yuan
On the 22nd, more than 30,000 elite troops were stationed in the southern border of Guangshan County, less than ninety miles away from Lishan.
If they surrender to Huaixi, Huaidong will not be able to do anything to them for the time being; if they surrender to Huaidong, Dong Yuan will probably not give them a chance to surrender, and he will directly lead his troops southward from Guangshan County to attack Lishan, and they will not
There is a chance to gather the other 30,000 soldiers and horses guarding the village from the northern foot of Huaishan Mountain!
Huo Tong finally figured it out at this time: Dong Yuan would transfer all the troops and horses from Xinyang and the east of Xinyang to the south from the 20th. In addition to making way for Chen Zhihu, the king of Ruzhou, he also wanted to entangle them in Lishan.
The soldiers and horses at the northern foot of Huaishan Mountain did not give them the opportunity to choose to surrender to Huaidong...
At least on the surface, both Huaidong and Huaixi were ministers of Dayue. Dong Yuan was the deputy privy envoy of Dayue, the envoy to Henan and the general manager of the Huaixi camp. At this time, he was also ordered to suppress the Huaishan Mountains. Naturally, some surrendered to the Suizhou army.
power. And they surrendered Huaixi and made them generals in Huaixi. From now on, they will all be generals of Dai Viet. If Huaidong and Huaixi turn against each other in the future, that will be a matter of the future. For now, they can only worry about the present.
After thinking through this, Huo Tong saluted Chen Jinrong and said, "Thanks to Huaixi for not giving up, Huo Tong is willing to serve Huaixi!"
"To invest in Huaixi is to invest, to invest in Huaidong is to invest, but this thief will never stay!" Luo Jian took out his mace and was about to hit Tong Erdan.
"Wait a minute," Zhong Rong grabbed Luo Jian's right hand and shouted, "Since everyone has defected to Huaixi, Tong Erdan should be handed over to Huaixi for disposal!"
Wang Xian'er and Huo Tong both knew that they had let Tong Erdan go, and it was difficult to explain to the generals below. But Tong Erdan stabbed Luo Xiancheng to death to help them clear the obstacles for surrendering to Huaixi. If they killed Tong Erdan at this time, wouldn't it mean that they would not be able to fight with each other anymore?
Beiyan's kindness and retreat? Furthermore, since Beiyan and Huaixi have so much tacit understanding in many matters, Huaixi may not want to kill Tong Erdan.
Huo Tong, Wang Xian'er and Yin Xiangshang all looked at Chen Jingrong. Seeing that Chen Jingrong was winking at wanting to save Tong Erdan's life, they all advised Luo Jian: "The two assassins have been killed on the spot, but one must be left alive and handed over to Huaixi for disposal..."
"
Tong Erdan came to act as a dead man. He was prepared to be killed by the enraged Suizhou army general if he succeeded or failed in the assassination. Unexpectedly, Hu Zongguo's words about his trip being a near miss came true.
Chen Jingrong did not expect that this trip would go so smoothly because of Tong Erdan's sudden appearance. Luo Xiancheng was dead, and Zhong Rong, Luo Jian, Huo Tong, and Wang Xianer all surrendered, which would immediately transform Huaixi's combat power, at least in front of him.
It will be much stronger than defeating 40,000 to 50,000 troops. It will also weaken the threat to Huaixi after the war in Huaidong and completely suppress the different voices within Huaixi.
More importantly, Ye Ji Luorong sent people to assassinate Luo Xiancheng, causing the Suizhou army to surrender to Huaixi and sit in Huaixi, with the intention of uniting with Huaixi.
Huaidong is strong and has a lot of territory, but Huaixi's 300,000 troops on the eastern front have to guard against Ye Jiduo's army in Shandong, and on the west front they have to guard against the Northern Yanxi front troops who have retreated into Guanzhong.
The Cao family in both Sichuan will also be on guard against Huaidong. In a short period of time, what threat can Huaidong pose to Huaixi, whose military strength has suddenly increased to 160,000 to 70,000?
No matter how strong Huaidong is, can it still deal with Huaixi joining forces with Beiyan and the Cao family? Shouldn’t they continue to tolerate Huaixi and the Cao family?
Therefore, Tong Erdan must not be killed.
Of course, Huaixi will not release Tong Erdan. If Tong Erdan is to be released, it should be done by those ministers in the court who advocate peace negotiation.
Huaixi's people's livelihood in Shouzhou, Haozhou, and Sizhou has been greatly restored. The land for military camps alone is as high as 1.5 million acres. At least the military food can be basically self-sufficient. This is why we feel more and more
The importance of manpower.
Huaixi initially relied on 50,000 soldiers to cultivate fields, and later absorbed refugees into the farming system. Following the example of Huaidong's envoy to Shouzhou, farming in Haozhou quickly recovered in just three years. However, after the Nanyang War,
Dong Yuan had to mobilize 50,000 soldiers from the camp to join the camp. After the autumn, the production of the camp fields was greatly reduced due to the lack of labor.
Even if it is for the 50,000 to 60,000 young and strong labor force and the small families behind them, it is worth fighting for Huaixi even if the entire Suizhou Army is surrendered.
The 50,000 to 60,000 young and strong labor force means that one million more acres of farmland can be cultivated.
At this time, there is no shortage of land or fields around Huaixi, but there is a shortage of people, and there is a shortage of young and strong labor force.
As long as Beiyan proposes peace, the imperial officials in the court will definitely support it vigorously. Huaixi can take advantage of the situation and get more time to recuperate. It is still unknown who will win in the future!
Thinking of this, Chen Jingrong couldn't help laughing, and he admired his lord Dong Yuan's wise decision even more. He even seized the opportunity that was missed and won a promising future for Huaixi...
*****************
Chen Jingrong, Zhong Rong, Wang Xian'er, Huo Tong, and Luo suggested a plan to surrender, that is, sending people to control other generals, especially those who may be inclined to Huaidong, and strictly control the news of Luo Xiancheng's assassination from leaking out, and use Luo Xiancheng's order
The villages at the northern foot of Huaishan Mountain were secretly ordered to guard Lishan Mountain in the future, and Zhong Rong was elected as the guard general of Lishan Mountain. He temporarily controlled the 30,000 troops and horses in Lishan Mountain on behalf of the generals. Wang Xianer, Huo Tong, and Luo Jian followed Chen Jinrong and escorted Tong Erdan to Guangshan.
Seeing Dong Yuan, he expressed his intention to surrender and asked Dong Yuan to send troops from Guangshan and immediately enter Lishan to control the northern chain of Huaishan Mountain.
In the Huaishan Mountains, it rained continuously and the roads were narrow and dangerous. Chen Jingrong could only follow Luo Jian, Wang Xian'er, Huo Tong and others on horseback to the north. The road was bumpy for half the night. Tong Erdan was tied to the horse and rode on the 25th.
Entered Dong Yuan's camp in the southern border of Guangshan County before noon.
When Chen Jingrong said that he had surrendered 60,000 troops to the Suizhou Army, he was extremely proud of himself. He thought that there were only a handful of advisers in ancient and modern times who had such merits as him - he thought that he would leave his name in the history of Qing Dynasty with this pen, and he thought that from now on in Huaixi, he would be able to
With Liu Tingzhou and Ding Zhiru on top of him, how could Chen Jingrong not try his best to restrain himself from bursting into laughter like he was incontinent?
Chen Jingrong placed Luo Jian, Wang Xian'er, Huo Tong and Tong Erdan in the front camp. He strode to Dong Yuan's tent to see Dong Yuan, opened the curtain and went in.
Seeing that Dong Yuan, Liu Tingzhou and the generals were all there, Chen Jingrong laughed loudly: "Dong Shuai, I am so happy, so happy! Jingrong wants to report the great joy to Dong Shuai!"
"Chen Jingrong, who made a big noise for no reason, what do you think about our military discipline?" Dong Yuan scolded Chen Jingrong with a livid face, who barged in without announcing the news and loudly announced the good news.
Dong Yuan scolded Chen Jinrong head-on, and Chen Jingrong was given a slap in the face and stood there stunned: Dong Yuan sent him to sneak to Lishan to persuade him, and he came to Guangshan to announce the good news. Could it be that Dong Yuan could not guess that Lishan and all the troops in the state surrendered? Compared with
Li Shan was overjoyed that all 60,000 Suizhou troops had surrendered, but what about his small mistake of breaking into the big tent?
"Jingrong, sit down." Liu Tingzhou also asked Chen Jingrong to sit down with a livid face, but his temper was better than Dong Yuan. After Chen Jingrong sat down, he told him, "Meng Zhen, Meng Zhixiang had already voted for Huaidong, and led Xinyang last night
The defenders followed Ning Zechen and left Xinyang..."
"Ah!" When Chen Jingrong heard the news, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning. He jumped up as if the chair was a nail board full of fangs, which made him tremble all over. He staggered and fell to the ground...
Chen Jingrong and Dong Yuan had long understood that the Meng family and Shouzhou were at odds with each other. However, considering that Xinyang was still under the rule of Huaixi, they did not think that the Meng family could simply and completely defect to Huaidong. It was more likely that
Sit on the fence and watch.
Even if the Meng family defected to Huaidong, it didn't matter. After all, in the Xinyang City garrison with a total strength of nearly 9,000 people, there were many generals who were close associates of Dong Yuan. What was terrible was that Ning Zechen led Feng Lijun.
The First Town Division's Xinyang garrison suddenly left Xinyang last night, and Dong Yuan's cronies placed in the Xinyang garrison did not even report the news here. It can be said that Ning Zechen led the Fengli Army and the Meng family threatened the Xinyang garrison.
The army's departure from Xinyang was something Huaidong had planned carefully long ago!
Maybe the trusted generals Dong Yuan had placed in the Xinyang garrison had been purged. They were a total of 25,000 people, and armored elites accounted for 60% of the powerful troops. They suddenly left Xinyang like this!
Chen Jingrong fell to the ground, holding his hands on the ground. A place name flashed in his mind, and he almost spit out a mouthful of blood: "Lin Fu is so vicious here!" Seeing that Dong Yuan and Liu Tingzhou's faces were ashen, they must have understood Huaidong a long time ago.
His hands and feet were trembling and he asked, "Is it still too late?"
Liu Tingzhou was about to cry, but shook his head and said: "Huaidong, in the name of transporting grain to the west, prepared ships in Xinyang on the 20th that could carry 30,000 troops and horses. We just got the news and have been delayed all night; if Huaidong
If Dong is to secretly attack the post station in the north, even if we send fast horses to send messages, they may not be able to march as fast as them..."
Chen Jingrong felt a biting chill in his heart, and felt that his strength was drained at this moment: He never thought that the 60,000 soldiers and horses of Suizhou Army in the northern range of Huaishan Mountain were actually bait deliberately released by Huaidong, waiting for them to bite the bait.