At the southern foot of Tongbai Mountain in Suizhou, Qin Zitan had broken his arm. Wearing a green shirt, he stood on the bank of Baiyun Lake, looking at Luo Xiancheng's refugee army camp.
After Liu An'er was trapped and killed in Xuzhou, Luo Xiancheng became the most powerful refugee army in the hinterland of the Central Plains.
Although he was forced to withdraw from Shouzhou and suffered some setbacks, he advanced westward to capture Nanyang and fell into Xiangyang. This time he conquered Suizhou again. All the battles were very smooth. Nanyang, Xiangyang and Suizhou were connected together, and the momentum of Luo Xiancheng's troops was restored.
Restored to its peak.
Luo Xiancheng couldn't wait to return to Xiangyang base camp, so he couldn't wait to call himself the King of Changle in Suizhou and entrust hundreds of officials.
Jinghu is in chaos, and troops are being mobilized from all over the country to encircle and suppress the Changle bandits. The road is naturally more dangerous. Qin Zitan, who is pretending to be a business traveler with his followers, went through hard work and sneaked to Suizhou, but was almost used as food by the refugee army first.
The sheep was slaughtered.
Several horses rode up, trampling on the hot soil under the scorching sun, and rushed to the front. The leader shouted and asked: "Which one is Mr. Qin?"
Qin Zitan put one arm behind his back and said, "That's Qin!"
"My king invited me, and I have been looking for you for a long time, but you came over here." The leader said displeasedly.
"How can you come to Suizhou and not see Baiyun Lake? Don't be surprised, little general," Qin Zitan said with a smile, "I will go with you to see King Changle!"
The leading riding school asked his men to give up three horses to Qin Zitan and his retinue, and they all galloped towards Luo Xiancheng's tent.
Luo Xiancheng is tall and strong, with dark complexion and beard. He looks like a black tower standing there.
Luo Xiancheng was originally the leader of a horse gang and traveled around Jinghu Prefecture. He was a man of wealth and justice, and was very brave. He even attended the county school in his early years. He was literate and resourceful, and he was very famous in the world.
In the early years of Chongguan, civil unrest continued in the Lianghu area, and Luo Xiancheng also rebelled. In the fifth year of Chongguan, Luo Xiancheng led 27 poor porters and captured Luohe County, which made him famous for a while.
He recruited troops in Luohe County, and his troops quickly expanded to thousands. He fought repeatedly with the officers and soldiers. By the time of the Lianghu Rebellion in the ninth year of Chongguan, Luo Xiancheng's tribe, together with Gong Yucai and other tribes, were known as the Five Heroes of the Two Lakes.
, he has more than ten thousand elite soldiers under his command who are capable of fighting. Because of his black and strong appearance, he is known as the Black Tower King.
Luo Xiancheng was given a title this time in Suizhou. Naturally, he thought the previous bandit title was too vulgar, so he changed his name to Changle King.
"Nowadays, there are wars and chaos all over the country. Mr. Qin traveled to Suizhou, and the journey was not easy." Luo Xiancheng had a rough appearance. He went to a county school when he was young. His family was backward, so he worked as a porter in the horse racing gang to make a living. At the Fangshan Conference, Luo Xiancheng was prejudiced.
Passing by Qin Zitan is like old times.
"There is no danger, but it is nothing to be able to meet King Changle," Qin Zitan said, "Qin came here this time to persuade Commander Xian to lead his troops to the south. Jinghu is not a place where Commander Xian can live for a long time.
!”
"During the Fangshan Conference, you also advised us to go south, and now you come to urge us to go south. After all, is it not for the She family?" Luo Xiancheng said with a dark face, "I think you are an old friend, and I will entertain you well; you
If you trick me into being a stepping stone for the She family, don’t blame me for not remembering our old friendship!"
"Qin is a retainer of the She family, so he should be planning for the She family. It is naturally beneficial to the She family to persuade Commander Xian to move south, but Qin really has no intention of deceiving Commander Xian or harming Commander Xian!" Qin Zitan said,
"Two years ago, I also advised An Shuai to do the same. As long as An Shuai can lead his troops south from Haosi, Dongyang Qi'er's troops will be unable to resist An Shuai's army, and An Shuai will be able to join our She family in Jiangning. At that time, our She family will send troops.
Moving north, An Shuai could march westward to the two lakes and carve out territory to become king, which would be of great benefit to both sides. However, An Shuai was stubborn and wanted to capture Xuzhou, and was eventually defeated and killed. An Shuai was in the wrong place, so he had to offer his command.
Check!"
"Liu An'er was just made by a traitor, and died unjustly." Luo Xiancheng said disdainfully.
"Chen Zhihu led his troops southward and won three victories in succession. If the red-coat girl cannot resist, is Commander Xian confident of defeating him and blocking his westward advance?" Qin Zitan asked, "Is Commander Xian confident of holding Nanyang?"
Luo Xiancheng blushed and said nothing. Qin Zitan did not promote the Huai army, which was already a favor to him.
Chen Zhihu's unit was known as the Tiger Army on the battlefield in East Fujian. In the eighth year of Chongzhou, Chen Zhihu led the Tiger Army from Jiangxi to Luzhou and transferred to the north of Huaihe River. The bandits were cleared and bloody all the way, and all the bandits could only hide.
He entered Tongbai Mountain, Dabie Mountain, and Wanshan Mountain and hid in the deep mountains and old forests. When Chen Zhihu arrived in southern Shanxi, he killed more than 20,000 rebels in Wu County, and his reputation was even more prominent. Hundreds of thousands of Donglu cavalry besieged Datong, and Chen Zhihu defended it alone.
Compared with the Huaidong Army's victory over the Donglu cavalry in Yannan, the Tiger Army led by Chen Zhihu is regarded by everyone as a truly elite warrior who has fought bloody battles. In Luo Xiancheng's view, the Tiger Army led by Chen Zhihu is the most powerful in the world.
Their status must be above the elites of Huaidong.
This time, the Qing bandits were transferred to the south. In two months, Chen Zhihu led his troops to fight in Yanling, Luohe, and Qingxiang. They were victorious in all three battles. He took no prisoners with his sword and killed more than 40,000 people.
Lu Zhen panicked. Except for the red-coated girl, the other refugee troops in Huaibei and Henan fled away one after another and did not dare to fight with them.
Although Luo Xiancheng was far away from the battlefield, it was impossible not to be touched in his heart.
Not to mention defeating Chen Zhi's Tiger Army, Luo Xiancheng also suffered a lot at the hands of the Changhuai Army. If the officers and soldiers can be truly organized, have sufficient food and pay, and have strong armor, their combat effectiveness will be much stronger than that of the refugee army. This is
This is also the main reason why Luo Xiancheng is particularly eager to establish a foothold in one place and develop his territory after traveling around the world for many years.
Don't look at the 200,000 to 300,000 troops at this time. Only 20-30 of the soldiers and horses can be pulled out to fight. The rest are just miscellaneous soldiers. Let alone armor, most of the miscellaneous soldiers don't even have a spear with an iron blade.
Without spears, sword and shield soldiers would be considered elite in a long army.
But Nanyang was too close to the site of the Fourth Battle of Henan. Luo Xiancheng spent his whole day on guard against when Chen Zhihu or Tao Chun would suddenly raid Nanyang. Although he proclaimed himself King of Changle, he never had peace of mind.
Seeing Luo Xiancheng's dark face and keeping silent, Qin Zitan smiled inwardly: After the situation in Henan is calmed down, it is inevitable that the main force of officers and soldiers will march westward. How can Luo Xiancheng securely occupy Xiangyang, Nanyang, and Suizhou and become his Changle King?
"Shuai Xian will lead his troops to the south and join forces with Zhejiang and Fujian to attack Jiangxi," Qin Zitan said. "We, the Governor of Zhejiang and Fujian, just want to take the road from Jiangxi and attack Jiangning. We have no greed for the land of Jiangxi. By then,
The sharp officers and soldiers in Jianghuai are blocked by Zhejiang and Fujian. It is better to send troops to cross the ridge to Guangnan or go up the river and march west to southern Hunan. It is better than sitting here and waiting for death!"
"Hmph!" Luo Xiancheng snorted coldly and said, "Mr. Qin thinks that I am a three-year-old child who is easy to bully. The She family is confident that they can withstand the sharpness of Jianghuai officers and soldiers. They can take Jiangxi on their own. Why do they need my help from going south?"
"Nowadays, the battle line stretches for more than a thousand miles from eastern Zhejiang to western Zhejiang and then to Jiangxi. Our Zhejiang and Fujian families have to deal with Huaidong, northern Zhejiang, Huinan, and Jiangxi alone. In the south, there are still survivors of Yu Wangao's troops.
If the Governor-General of Zhejiang and Fujian wants to concentrate their forces to attack Jiangxi, Huaidong, northern Zhejiang, southern Huizhou, and southern Fujian, they will always attack with all their strength. No matter how strong Zhejiang and Fujian are, they will not be able to cope with it, so they have to ask Xianjun to send troops to the south to help.
," Qin Zitan said, "As long as we use our troops to march southward, we can defeat Jiangxi with our combined efforts, and our Zhejiang and Fujian elites will borrow the road from Jiangxi to march northward. We will first be able to encircle Deng Yu's troops in southern Huizhou, and the deadlock will naturally be broken.
.It is precisely because Xian Shuai's advance of troops to the south was of great help to Zhejiang and Fujian, but the governor of my family agreed to leave Guangnan, Southern Hunan and other places to Xian Shuai for himself. Besides, the two families have established contact, and Xian Shuai needs the troops.
Zhejiang and Fujian can also supply armor, food and weapons. Xian Shuai has twenty or thirty soldiers and horses. Without soldiers, armor, food and weapons, it will not be easy for him to become an elite."
Luo Xiancheng touched his chin with his hand. After Chen Zhihu led his troops southward, although he won a great victory in Suizhou, he still had trouble sleeping and eating. He was worried all day long that Chen Zhihu or Tao Chun would march west to attack Nanyang. Luo Xiancheng did not have Liu An'er's tenacity to fight with the officers and soldiers, and he was still worried.
When a powerful enemy came, he would change his mind. Although Luo Xiancheng didn't believe that Qin Zitan came here on behalf of the She family, he had any good intentions, but the situation was like this, so he thought to himself: It might be a good time to take advantage of the situation to move south at this time!
Luo Xiancheng stroked his beard and thought for a moment, then said: "There are still four to five hundred miles of winding road from Suizhou to the south. The city along the way is deep and large. It cannot be conquered by our troops in a short time. Even if we can reach the riverside, it will be so difficult."
How can we cross the river with so many horses? I intend to send troops south to help the She family achieve their great cause, but I am unable to give it a try!"
"As long as Commander Xian is determined to go south, there is always a way!" Qin Zitan said, "Of course, Commander Xian will have to bring two to three hundred thousand soldiers and horses to the south, which will be very difficult, but Commander Xian can choose between 30,000 and 50,000 elite troops.
, it is not difficult to bypass the fortified city and dangerous areas. As long as Xian Shuai's elite troops arrive in Qichun, Yang Xiong will lead his troops down the river to help Xian Shuai cross the river. As long as Xian Shuai has a firm foothold in Jiangxi, he is still afraid of the follow-up troops.
Can’t you cross the river?”
"Will Yang Xiong help me cross the river?" Luo Xiancheng frowned, stared at Qin Zitan suspiciously, and said, "Doesn't that mean that the She family will promise southern Hunan to Yang Xiong?" When he said this, his hands were pressed to his waist.
on the saber.
"Why is Xian commander so angry?" Qin Zitan asked calmly, "Yang Xiong's soldiers are only a few thousand, and they are all navy troops. No matter how big-hearted he is, he cannot compete with Xian commander for southern Hunan. However, when Xian commander marches south,
After Jiangxi, I must be willing to give him the title of Navy Commander!"
Yang Xiong was a big bandit who roamed Dongting Lake over the years, and was also one of the Five Heroes of the Two Lakes. Yang Xiong did not lead his troops north to participate in the Fangshan Conference. He stayed in the Xiangjiang River and Dongting Lake, and the development of his power was greatly restricted. Unlike Luo Xiancheng
, Gong Yucai, and Liu An'er, although they had their ups and downs, they all had their peaks and glory with hundreds of thousands of troops.
After hearing Qin Zitan say that he had persuaded Yang Xiong to agree to surrender, Luo Xiancheng's face was uncertain. It was not that he was reluctant to give up the title of navy commander to others. He did not have a navy under his command. He just doubted what Qin Zitan's words would do.
Somewhat believable.
Qin Zitan could see Luo Xiancheng's hesitation, but with the temptation of getting an elite navy for nothing, no one would give up easily. He said: "Yang Xiong has been unsatisfactory in Xianghu in the past few years. He has been oppressed by the officers and soldiers and cannot survive.
The space is getting smaller and smaller. If Gong Yucai doesn't send troops from eastern Sichuan or you can't lead his troops south, Yang Xiong's troops may be wiped out at any time. Yang Xiong hopes that you can lead his troops south, and I'm just running back and forth to be a lobbyist.
...For specific matters, Xian Shuai has to send a trustworthy person to contact Yang Xiong, so that he can know whether I have tricked you or not!"
"Okay, I'll send someone to contact Yang Xiong!" Luo Xiancheng finally convinced Qin Zitan that eastern Sichuan was occupied by Gong Yucai, and he didn't have the courage to touch the iron nail of the Cao family. Apart from going south,
He didn't have much choice, so he added, "Over in Jiangxi, we need the She family to cause more trouble there to attract the attention of the officers and soldiers!"
"That's natural!" Qin Zitan was in an excited mood. He could persuade Luo Xiancheng to go south. No matter how hard he tried, he could still eliminate the defensive advantage created by the expansion of troops in Jiangdong. He said, "Taxes and donations are being increased everywhere, and the people are poor.
Life is like a dry firewood pile that has been poured with oil, only sparks are missing!"
At that moment, Qin Zitan left a contact in Luo Xiancheng's camp in Suizhou. Under the escort of his retinue, he disguised himself as a transit business traveler and sneaked into Jiangxi. When he arrived in Qichun, Qin Zitan received an internal message from Jiangning.
The news came that Huaidong will attack Daishan and Changguo in the autumn!