In addition to Yue Lengqiu who sent troops to break out of the encirclement in Xuzhou to ask for help, since mid-June, Prince Ning's Mansion and the Jiangning Ministry of War have all issued orders to Huaidong to assist Xuzhou, but Lin Fu refused.
On June 20, Beijing also sent envoys from Qingzhou to Huai'an with an edict to urge Huaidong to send troops to assist Xuzhou.
Although Lin Fu obeyed the order, he refused to send troops because the major generals were weak and there was not enough food and fodder. No one entered Huai'an City and moved into Green Willow Garden on the northwest beach of Qingjiang Pu. There was no movement at all.
In the eyes of scholars, Lin Fu has shown his appearance as a tiger and a wolf. In essence, he is no different from Liang Xi and Liang Chengchong who occupied Jinan, and Cao Yiqu who occupied Tongguan and could not leave.
It’s a scorching hot day in June, and the sun is scorching in the sky.
In the garden of Huai'an City Government Office House, summer cicadas chirped noisily. Liu Tingzhou couldn't bear the heat. He sweated gurgling down his face. He took off his official robe. The green shirt and coat inside were soaked with sweat. He stood under the willows by the pond, facing the breeze of the pond and willows.
After downing a bowl of mung bean soup to relieve the heat, I felt better, but I was still irritated and couldn't get rid of it.
Tao Chun was wearing light leather armor, which was not breathable and had an inner lining. He was sweating like pulp. However, he sat in front of Liu Tingzhou, and when he prostrated himself, his waist was as straight as a pillar. He said: "When Tao Chun came, the thieves were in the southwest of Xuzhou City.
The embankment was built, with the intention of further raising the flood level in the city. In the past ten days, Xuzhou will fall at any time, and the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians are hanging by a thread. However, what can we do if the military and military forces do not hesitate to do so? Tao Chun came to bid farewell to Mr. Liu today.
, hurry back to Xuzhou, and live and die with Xuzhou!"
Liu Tingzhou was restless. Hearing what Tao Chun said was so generous and awe-inspiring, he felt very angry. He rolled up his sleeves and said, "General Tao will stay for a few days. Since the envoys are unwilling to go to war, I will recruit thousands of brave soldiers in the city tomorrow to fight bravely."
Go north to aid Xuzhou. I am just a handful of bones, with no other use. I have served the imperial court to the fullest, and my broken body is not worth pity..."
"Tao Chun is a warrior. It's not a pity to escape death in this trip. But the boss has millions of Huai'an military and civilian children, so he can't cross the Huaihe River easily!" Tao Chun kowtowed profusely and broke down in tears.
The special envoy in Beijing was Deng Wei, the censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, who was a student of Zhang Xie.
After arriving in Huai'an, it only took two days for Deng Wei to fall out with Lin Fu. He also advised: "Please take back your life, Mr. Liu, because I don't believe that I can't defeat the pigherder!"
Liang Wenzhan secretly thought: When the city of Jinan fell, Tao Chun didn't sit on the sidelines with Yue Lengqiu and watch. How dare he blame Jiangdong Zuojun for not saving him until he died?
Liang Wenzhan had disdain for Tao Chun and Deng Wei's tricks. The Liang family and the Cao family had strong soldiers and strong horses, but they did not move, but they forced Huaidong, a weak major general, to send troops. Deng Wei's ginseng skills came into play. It was really crazy.
But Liu Tingzhou said that he wanted to recruit brave men to personally lead him across the Huaihe River to Xuzhou. His expression was extremely generous and his determination was not trivial, not like a trick, which made Liang Wenzhan secretly frightened.
Since the chaos broke out in Hongzepu, Liu Tingzhou's children were killed by Chen Hansan. For several years, they guarded the Huaihe River and resisted the eastward advance of thieves. They worked hard and made great achievements, and their reputation in Huai'an was high.
Liu Tingzhou was killed by bandits when he crossed the Huaihe River, which would naturally make him famous for his eternal loyalty, but it would also severely damage Lin Fu's reputation in Huaidong. However, Ma Fu and other Huai'an salt merchants had extreme hatred and rejection of Lin Fu.
.
After Liu Tingzhou died, the imperial court could send another prefect, but Lin Fu lost the possibility of establishing a foothold in Huai'an.
Unexpectedly, Liu Tingzhou would rather lead thousands of people to die, but also insisted on not agreeing to the permanent Huaidong system and the establishment of envoys.
Liang Wenzhan put down his cattail leaf fan, prostrated himself and said, "The righteousness and loyalty of the governor are a model for our generation. However, Wenzhan begged the governor to take back his life. The governor died without hesitation. Who can he be among the millions of people in Huai'an?"
"Xuzhou and Huai'an are like lips and teeth. Xuzhou's city was destroyed, its governor died, and hundreds of thousands of thieves rushed south. Can Huai'an's mantis arms stop the carriage?" Liu Tingzhou asked sadly.
Hearing what Liu Tingzhou said, Deng Wei also said with emotion: "Since Mr. Liu sacrificed his life to serve the country, Mr. Deng would not dare to spare his life. Please come with us!"
Liu Tingzhou wanted to die when he crossed the Huaihe River and refused to compromise with Lin Fu. Deng Wei actually thought that Liu Tingzhou was using this to blackmail Lin Fu into sending troops, and asking him to accompany him would be a bigger bargaining chip. Liang Wenzhan thought it funny in his heart: He didn't know how to fight.
After that, could Deng Wei still be determined to die generously?
Thinking of this, Liang Wenzhan said: "Wenzhan has thought about it over and over again, please speak for me..."
"Please tell me about the cultural exhibition." Liu Tingzhou said.
"It is said that under heavy rewards, there must be brave men. We cannot expect others to have the righteousness of the government, and only then can we say heavy rewards. The envoys have been reluctant to send troops, and their greed is obvious," Liang Wenzhan said a little bit
After thinking about it, he also wanted to say something bad about Lin Fu, and said, "I would like to ask your lord, Sir Lin sent troops to aid Xuzhou and made great achievements. Even if there is no evidence from the governor of Yue, if he asks to establish an envoy to Huaidong, will the imperial court do it?"
Accept it? If Master Lin fails, even if you hand over the certificate from Governor Yue, there is nothing to worry about..."
"From what you said, there is certainly nothing to hesitate about," Liu Tingzhou frowned and said, "I'm just afraid that if I hand over Governor Yue's pledge, he won't do anything! Liang, Cao has the heart of a tiger or a wolf. This
Even pigherders should not be looked down upon! Mr. Chen is very accurate in judging people and will not lie."
Lin Fu's bad reputation as a pigherder was first spread from Chen Xiyan's mouth. It was very poisonous among the scholars, so it is not surprising that Liu Tingzhou has a prejudice against him.
Liang Wenzhan sighed inwardly: This possibility that Liu Tingzhou is worried about does not mean that it does not exist.
It took seven or eight days to deliver the book to Beijing via Qingzhou.
Under the current situation, it is almost impossible for the court to refute Yue Lengqiu's suggestion, but once the Huaidong system of envoys is formally established, Lin Fu can still stand still in Huai'an.
Or Lin Fu could bluff his way across the Huai River, fight a few innocuous little battles, explain himself, and then return to Huai'an, and others would be helpless.
By that time, there were big thieves in Huaibei, and Lin Fu had the official title of being an envoy. He might be out of reach of Hailing and Wei Yang, but Huai'an Mansion would definitely not be able to escape his grasp.
After all, Liu Tingzhou was very wary of Lin Fu and continued to argue without restraint. This situation was really unsolvable.
Liang Wenzhan didn't want to see Liu Tingzhou acting out of loyalty, so he really recruited thousands of people to lead him across the Huaihe River to die.
Liang Wenzhan said: "Don't let the public know about the recruitment of brave people for the time being. I happen to have something to go to see Mr. Lin. Maybe I can take the opportunity to find out what he has to say..."
************
When Liang Wenzhan came over and said that Liu Tingzhou wanted to recruit people to bravely cross the Huaihe River to aid Xuzhou, Lin Fu remained calm while discussing things in the hall. When he returned to the house, he couldn't help complaining angrily: "This old man really doesn't bother to talk to me.
Let’s be together!”
During the discussion, Song Jia hid behind the screen and listened. At this time, he smiled and said: "Liu Tingzhou is also a Qingliu person, and his character is better than those who call themselves Qingliu. You really can't watch him lead thousands of people across the Huaihe River to die.
"
Now that the weather is hot, even if she puts on a green shirt, she can't hide her graceful figure, especially her swollen breasts, which can't be covered up by just a thin layer of clothing.
Lin Fu smiled bitterly and said: "Deng Wei started making noises because he thought Liu Tingzhou wanted to force me, but I shouldn't do it. Liu Tingzhou really knows how to cross the Huaihe River to die... He is such a stubborn old man. He is wrangling, wrangling, why bother forcing himself to die?
?" Although he cannot urinate in the same pot as Liu Tingzhou, Lin Fu admires Liu Tingzhou's character, which is indeed beyond comparison with ordinary officials.
At this time, one had to admire Yue Lengqiu's ability to judge people. It was obvious that he had become a trapped beast in a cage, and it was obvious that he could only rely on sending troops to rescue him, but he still managed to hold the last trump card in his hand.
Song Jia said: "But it would be beneficial to let Liu Tingzhou and Deng Wei do some trouble..."
"Confuse the bandits?" Lin Fu asked.
"Well," Song Jia said, "it is impossible for the bandits not to have spies in Huai'an City. News of the civil-military conflict in Huai'an has naturally reached the ears of Chen Hansan and Liu An'er. Liu Tingzhou's recruitment of brave men to aid Xuzhou is nothing more than forcing you to
The same is true for sending troops to cross the Huaihe River in the eyes of Liu An'er, Chen Hansan and others. When the government official document is posted, you send troops to cross the Huaihe River. Liu An'er, Chen Hansan and others naturally think that you are forced by the situation and make some arrangements.
It’s just a gesture. Let’s start a few wrangling fights in the Sikou and Shukou areas to confuse the bandits..."
Lin Fu thought for a moment and nodded: "It's a good excuse to take advantage of the situation to adjust the situation of the defense line across the north..."
Confronting the refugee army along the Huaihe River, small-scale movements can be easily concealed, but large-scale adjustments of troops and horses are impossible to hide from the opponent's eyes and ears. Nearly 10,000 elite troops crossed the Huaihe River to aid Xuzhou, trying to be sudden and catch the refugee army off guard.
It is very difficult, and every means must be used to confuse the refugee army and weaken their vigilance.
Lin Fu discussed with Qin Chengzu and others in Huai'an and decided to let the situation develop without responding in advance.
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On June 26, Huai'an Prefecture posted a notice to recruit brave people to cross the Huaihe River and form a Huaihe Crossing Army.
The Jiangdong Left Army had been guarding the Huaihe River for more than two months, and the situation on the Huaihe River had improved. In the eyes of ordinary people, crossing the Huaihe River to aid Xu was not a fatal battle.
This time Liu Tingzhou emptied the government silver and raised the Anjia silver to twenty taels. Half of it was distributed on the spot, and the remaining half was to be distributed in Xuzhou.
There were so many refugees going south that they had no food to eat, no clothes to cover their bodies, and no place to stand. Enlisting in the army was also a way of livelihood. Having money to settle down would naturally protect their families from starving to death. Furthermore, the poor people in Huai'an at that time were also
There were a lot of people, and Liu Tingzhou's reputation in Huai'an was indeed not weak. On the day the list was announced, there were seven to eight thousand applicants.
Liu Tingzhou also recruited thirty or forty military attaches from the Huai'an Prefecture Army who were willing to accompany him across the Huaihe River. He opened the government arsenal and hastily organized and armed seven to eight thousand civilian warriors. He also transferred two to three thousand people from the Huai'an Prefecture Army.
, gathered together ten thousand people to form an army to cross the Huaihe River.
Time was short, and there was no way to guarantee that among the newly recruited seven or eight thousand civilian warriors, no elements from the refugee army would sneak in. There was also no practical and effective way to resettle the families of these civilian warriors. After crossing the Huaihe River, there was no effective way to stop them.
The emergence of deserters.
In the eyes of Lin Fu and others, using these rabble-rousers to cross the Huaihe River to aid Xu was nothing more than child's play. However, this did not prevent Liu Tingzhou from making a huge and passionate effort in Huai'an. There were even hundreds of scholars who generously joined the army and wanted to accompany Liu Tingzhou across the Huaihe River.
Go to Xuzhou to aid.
Ma Fu was the son-in-law of the King of Chu. The King of Chu was trapped in Xuzhou. Liu Tingzhou recruited people to bravely cross the Huaihe River. Ma Fu donated 100,000 silver to help the army. He also sent Ma Conglong to lead more than 500 elite private soldiers to accompany him. However, the Ma family was in Huai'an.
Its reputation has recovered a lot.
Lin Fu's reputation in Huai'an, which was "standing still and refusing to save anyone", naturally plummeted. Every day, many scholars, Qingliu and village elders came to invite soldiers to fight and knelt in front of Green Willow Garden.
Willing to leave.
Zhang Yubo, who was supervising the training of the Huai'an army in Shanyang County, finally couldn't sit still. On the 28th, he rushed to Green Garden and saw some scholars passing out from the scorching sun outside the garden. Then he saw Lin Fu in the garden with the people who had occupied it.
Song Jia, the wife of She Feihu, played chess for fun, but she couldn't help but get angry: "You can't really let Liu Tingzhou cross the Huaihe River to die. Go to the city and see if Liu Tingzhou is really going to die, who in Huai'an will tolerate you? Mr. Gu is in Jiangning