It's July and the weather has passed the extreme heat.
The weather is still very hot, but it is more bearable than the intense heat in late June and early July.
A lonely boat, Liu Tingzhou put on a brand new crimson official robe, stood on the bow of the boat, and looked at the great mountains and rivers on both sides of the Bian River, which had been destroyed and withered.
News of Lin Fu's intention to make peace with the refugee army reached Jiangning, causing a fierce quarrel between Zhan and the two factions, but more people remained silent. Neither Prince Ning's Palace nor the Jiangning Military Department dared to take over power, and they wanted Lin Fu not to make any arbitrary decisions.
People went to Beijing to ask for orders.
He took a boat out to sea from Jiangning, traveled to Shandong, and went to Beijing to request orders. He came back and forth, but he didn't get a response for more than half a month.
In addition to Prince Ning's Mansion and Jiangning Military Department, Yue Lengqiu, as the governor of Jianghuai, can handle the matter of recruiting refugee troops according to his authority.
Liu Tingzhou waited until the court issued an order, so he decided to go north alone to meet Yue Lengqiu and convey Lin Fu's intention to him; he also took the initiative to take on the responsibility of recruiting peace and negotiating peace.
Recruiting bandits is better than negotiating peace with the Donglu. It has a much better reputation, and Liu Tingzhou is not worried about his reputation being tarnished.
As he knew the affairs of the Huai'an Prefecture and accompanied the Huai army to the north, Liu Tingzhou knew the situation of the Huai-Si war situation best.
Lin Fu first led his troops to retreat to Feixiaji and break away from the refugee army. Yang Shi also led the water camp to withdraw from Bianshui, returned to Hongzepu, and opened the blockade of Bianshui;
The refugee armies in the area disengage - making a gesture of peace, what can others do?
If Liang Xi and Liang Chengchong could not quickly move their troops south from Jinan and defeat the enemies of Jining in the shortest time, if they did not want to see the city of Xuzhou destroyed and the Changhuai army destroyed, the imperial court could only follow their advice and recruit the bandits.
Lin Fu handled it this way, and it was difficult for others to say anything.
Lin Fu, as the envoy of the Jing invaders in Huaidong, led his troops to guard Huaihe. There were only two temporary letters of transfer signed by Prince Ning's Mansion and Jiangning's Ministry of War. The Central Committee pretended to be confused. Although he did not deny it, there was no formal edict, edict or
Official letters from the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Personnel confirmed this matter.
Except for the officials in Jiangning, officials from other counties even thought that Yue Lengqiu was still in charge of the Huai army's war situation.
If Lin Fu doesn't fight, who can bite him?
Previously, the Jianghuai Governor's Office, the Jiangning Military Department, and the Ning Prince's Office could not mobilize Lin Fu to lead his army to cross the Huaihe River to aid Xu. Liu Tingzhou had no choice but to recruit brave people to form an army to cross the Huaihe River.
The army crossing the Huaihe River was almost wiped out when they marched north, so Lin Fu had even more excuses to hold on to the Huaihe River.
Besides, after Jiangdong Zuojun was transferred to guard Huaihe, he set up camp at Shukou, consolidated the Huaisi defense line, recaptured Suining City, and rescued the Huaihe crossing army. This was far beyond the poor performance of other Zhenfu armies. Could it be possible?
Do you have more stringent requirements for the Jiangdong Left Army?
Lin Fu wanted peace, and the refugee army also wanted to negotiate peace.
In any case, even if it is just to delay time, it will be more conducive for the refugee army to adjust the military deployment in the Huaisi area. What is not negotiable about this peace? They are even willing to send a boat to escort Liu Tingzhou into Xuzhou City to meet Yue Lengqiu.
Xiao Kui'an stood behind Liu Tingzhou. The general situation of the world, the affairs of the imperial court and temples were all matters for adults to think about. He couldn't control that much. Liu Tingzhou had been kind to him, so he couldn't let Liu Tingzhou go north alone at this time.
All the wounded and dead were transported back to Shanyang County for treatment. Lin Fu established a large-scale medical camp in Shanyang County. If Xiao Kui'an did not follow Liu Tingzhou north to Xuzhou, he could only be transferred back to Huai'an to serve as his former Zuoying captain.
The remnants of the Huaihe Army have transferred Suining to Lin Fu to strengthen the defense on that side.
Lin Fu stood on the rocks on the north ridge of Feixiaji and looked at the mighty Huaihe River.
Sun Jingtang and Liang Wenzhan also crossed the Huaihe River to meet him.
"Regardless of whether the recruitment is successful or not, the construction of the city wall at Feixiaji must be carried out immediately and cannot be delayed," Lin Fu said with his hands behind his hands. "The materials for building the city require the support of Shanyang County..."
"Your Excellency guards the Huai River so that the Huai River is like a thunder pool so that bandits cannot cross even half a step. Shan Yang is protected from the disaster of war. It is natural and natural that the people of the county donate money to build forts." Liang Wenzhan said.
Teng Xingyuan, the magistrate of Shanyang County, has died. Lin Fu has asked the court to transfer Liang Wenzhan to officially serve as the magistrate of Shanyang County and assist him in guarding the Huai River. Regardless of whether it can be done in the end, it will take two or three months, but it will be possible.
When the world is rejuvenated, there is no distinction between the exterior and the interior of the Huai River.
At this time, there are endless battles in various places, and troubled times are about to occur. To defend Huaihe, we cannot only guard the inner lines such as Huai'an and Shanyang.
Only by choosing locations such as Shukou and Sikou to build fortified cities on the outer line, so that Shukou and Huai'an City are each other's exterior and interior, and Sikou and Shanyang City are each other's exterior, can we truly complete Huaidong's defense of Huaihe.
Regardless of whether the recruitment can be successful or not, regardless of whether he has the official title of Zhizhishi or not, as long as the refugee army in Huaisi is not crippled, Lin Fu can stay in Huai'an and not leave.
Of course, Yue Lengqiu or someone in the DPRK and Jiangning will try every means to restrict the Jiangdong Left Army from extending its tentacles to the north bank of the Huai River. But as long as this side takes the lead and builds a wall on the north bank of the Huai River and sends elite troops to garrison it, there will be no fear of them coming.
Can't be driven away?
Lin Fu looked to the east. It was only a few miles away from the mouth of the Sishui River. It was about Pingchuan and fertile fields. Only Feixiaji had terrain to borrow. The floating soil was dug out, and the foundation was made of stone. The natural stone bank was not afraid of collapse due to the erosion of the mighty Huaihe River.
The danger of the embankment is a good place to build a city.
After the completion of Feixiaji Walled City, it can not only control the Surabaya River, but also serve as the entrance for Hongze Pudong to enter the Huai River. The Bian River also flows into Hongze Pu less than 30 miles to the west (from Sizhou to Shanyang, Huai River and Hongze Pu
is confluent).
This can be said to be the first strategic point in Huaidong, far beyond Shukou.
The Shu water source emerges from the mountainous area in the southeast of Shandong and enters the northern border of Jiangdong County. The water potential becomes stronger. The main river channel is only more than a hundred miles long. Its strategic position is naturally far inferior to that of the Bian River and Si River that connect Heji.
During this period of time, Lin Fu continued to mobilize troops from Chongzhou to strengthen this area. Even the work camp had 4,000 people entering Huai'an, most of whom Lin Fu transferred to Feixiaji to build the city wall.
The refugee army was happy to see the Jiangdong Left Army build a large-scale fortress in Feixiaji.
Since the fall of Suining, in the narrow strip between Bianshui and Si Rivers, the refugee army has stationed heavy troops in the Huaisi corner of Suyu and Siyang in the south, which is suspected of being top-heavy.
Lin Fu wanted to make peace, so Liu Miaozhen and Malantou led the main force back north and set up camp at Qinglonggang in the northwest of Suining to build a new line of defense.
However, the left army in Jiangdong had water camp warships, and the new defense line of the refugee army actually had big loopholes, but it looked much better than the heavy troops blocking the Huaisi corner.
Lin Fu opened his mouth and allowed Sun Zhuang's generals Chen Zhi and Zhang Gou to lead their troops across the Surabaya River. However, Chen Hansan's more than 20,000 troops were blocked in a small area and they attacked the east of the Surabaya River.
At this time in Yusu, the refugee army in Siyang only had more than 6,000 soldiers and horses under Sun Zhuang, but they were all rare elites in the refugee army.
In this situation, the more large-scale the Jiangdong Left Army built the city in Feixiaji, the more sincere it was to negotiate peace.
Sun Zhuang is a warlike person. At this time, for the sake of the overall situation of the refugee army, he also defended Siyang tightly and did not leave Suyu, so as not to interfere with the Jiangdong Left Army's construction of the city at Feixiaji.
In addition to Ning Zechen, who led the Fengli Battalion with 3,000 soldiers stationed at Feixiaji, Lin Fu transferred the Changshan Battalion and the remnants of the Huaihe Army to take the waterway to strengthen Suining's defense.
In addition to the Changshan Camp, the remnants of the Huaihe Army, and Gu Siyuan's troops, Ge Cunxiong also led the Jinghai Third Water Battalion, which was mainly stationed in Suining. There were more than two hundred armored cavalry with a small number of troops but lethality and destructive power in local battlefields.
and 400 auxiliary troops with swords and shields were also stationed in Suining. There were nearly 12,000 elite troops stationed in Suining.
In the direction of Suining, Gu Siyuan was nominally the commander-in-chief, but the nearly 3,000 elite troops of the Jiangdong Left Army and the remnants of the Huaihe Army were all under the control of Qin Chengzu.
Only by occupying Suining, stationing heavy troops, blockading Surabaya, blocking the three armies of Chen and Han on the east bank of Surabaya, and establishing a posture that can attack Xuzhou at any time, can we ensure that the refugee army can honestly sit down and talk about recruitment.
The setting sun at dusk coats the mighty Huai River with a layer of gold, making sparkling golden waves appear as far as the eye can see.
Lin Fu said to Sun Jingtang and Ning Zechen: "I'll leave this to you first..." He and Liang Wenzhan walked down the simple plank road to the river beach, boarded a boat and headed for Shanyang on the south bank.
In the southwest of Shanyang County, the Baitang River meanders, with sparkling golden waves flowing under the sunset.
Although Baitang River is not wide or deep, it connects Qingjiangpu and Hongzepu and is an important waterway connecting Beiguan River to Huaihe River.
Business travel and boats are densely packed. The ferries at the east and west ends of the Baitang River have formed rare prosperous towns in Huai'an: Qingjiangjin and Baitangpu.
The Yanguan Mansion of the Ma family is located at the west end of Baitangpu. It is the first household where Hongze water enters the Baitang River. It is connected to the Ma family's ancestral hall and Tuisi Garden, covering an area of more than 200 acres.
The walls of the village are two feet high and are made of large bluestone bricks. The pink and white walls are covered with black tiles. They are continuous like a dragon's spine and have extraordinary momentum. They show the wealth and power of the Ma family, the richest salt merchant in Huai'an.
However, at this time, the Yanguan Mansion was tightly surrounded by officers and soldiers, and other houses in the town had been ordered to close their doors, and no one could leave the entrance hall without being summoned.
The stone streets were full of patrolling soldiers, and the entrance and exit of the town and the ferry at the branch of the river were each blocked by a team of cavalry.
Ma's family, a salt merchant, is not the only one living in Baitangpu. Many families who have not gone south or have taken refuge in the city are watching the situation in the west, and they all speculate in their hearts that when the bandits were at their peak in Hongzepu the year before last, they sent troops to attack the Yanguan Mansion several times.
, failed to capture, can these officers and soldiers succeed?
If the Ma family relied on them to control the rivers and lakes, and the private soldiers in Yurou Township were still there, and they had not followed the Ma family leader Ma Fu to be annihilated by the refugee army in Feixiaji after crossing the Huaihe River, they would have to pay a heavy price to capture the Yanguan Mansion.
of casualties.
More importantly, there was no excuse to storm the Yanguan Mansion.
At this time, these are no longer obstacles.
Liu Tao, the Prime Minister of Shanyang County, straightened his black gauze crown, asked two soldiers to protect him with high shields in front, approached the vermilion-painted gate of Yanguan Mansion, and shouted loudly: "Ma Fu violated military orders in Siyang, causing the crossing
The Huai army was taken advantage of by bandits, and more than 10,000 soldiers were killed. No corpses were left, which is the first crime. Someone else accused Ma Fu of collaborating with the bandits, which is the second crime. Although Ma Fu died in the rebel army, he cannot be accused of collaborating with the bandits.
If we don't investigate, we will be sorry for the nearly ten thousand generals who died in Siyang. If we don't investigate, it won't be enough to strengthen everyone's determination to defend Huaihe. Please forgive me and other officials in Shanyang County and don't fight with each other.
There is no luster in them.”
"Little Liu Tao, you have received a lot of benefits from my Ma family. The golden hairpin on your mother-in-law's head was also given by me. Now you are here to lead the way. Your conscience is eaten by dogs. You are not afraid of giving birth to a son.
If you don’t have any butts/eyes, will you harm future generations?” There was yelling and cursing coming from the gate.
Liu Tao's old face was slightly red. The situation had reached this point and he was unable to get off the tiger. He said: "I am an official of the imperial court. How can I allow you to slander wantonly? This is the third crime. If the Lord of Shanyang County does not open the door again, don't blame me for being rude!" He gestured to the left and right.
, take the ladder, carry the wooden beam and prepare to climb the wall and hit the door...
At this time, the door suddenly opened. Ma Fu's wife, Yuanshi, was blocking the door in palace clothes. She held a pair of scissors in her hand and pressed it against her throat. She shouted: "Liu Tao, if you want to break in, just step on it."
Go over with my body and see who can save your life!"
Liu Tao looked pale and didn't know what to do for a moment.
The Yuan family was the daughter of the King of Chu. She was granted the title of Lord of Shanyang County and was a noblewoman of the royal family. In terms of rank, she was far above Liu Tao, the eighth-rank county magistrate. Liu Tao really did not dare to force the Yuan family to death in front of the gate.
Even if she was found guilty and wanted to be arrested, it would be under the jurisdiction of the Zongren Mansion under the Ministry of Rites.
If he just ignores this matter, Liu Taoyuan will probably hang up his boots and leave without being the county magistrate in Shanyang. But if he really forces the Yuan family to die in front of the gate, Liu Tao will have to worry about the head on his neck being moved away, and maybe he will
It will give the nine tribes of Yi.
Liu Tao motioned to the left and right to slow down and not to push too hard.
The south gate slowed down, but there was a commotion at the back gate, and someone in Zhuangzi was heard running to tell them: "The officers and soldiers are attacking from the north gate! The officers and soldiers are attacking from the north gate!"
Liu Tao was shocked and wanted to scold anyone for not listening to his orders and entering without permission. Then he thought, if the Zhizhi Envoy wanted to destroy the Ma family, how could he honestly let him lead the team? There must be other arrangements. Liu Tao did not dare to force him to death.
How could the Lord of Shanyang County and the other desperadoes in Shanyang County Yamen who are eager to rise to power and dare to fight for wealth not find one or two people to come?
Seeing that the Lord of Shanyang County was making mistakes, Liu Tao quickly ordered someone with quick eyesight to come forward and snatch the scissors from her hand. He ordered the four strong women who brought him over and said: "Take good care of the Lord of Shanyang County and keep your eyes open."
Be careful. If Shanyang County Master loses even one hair, not only will your lives be at risk, but your family will be affected too?" He thought secretly: If you want to blame it, blame it for not escaping to Weiyang in time and Jiangning to avoid disaster. The Ma family is like this
Who would let go of a piece of fat so easily? How could the Ma family be so clean even if the Ma family did not smuggle in bandits? Even if they smuggled salt, the Ma family would never be able to stand up again.
Ordered the Lord of Shanyang County to be placed under house arrest. He personally led a team into Zhuangzi, detained the servants, maids, and wives inside one by one, and ransacked the Yanguan Mansion...