After Lin Fu left and Yuan returned to power, Yuan Jinsheng quietly entered the Hailing Palace from the side door and walked into the residence of the Empress Dowager Liang.
Empress Dowager Liang was closing her eyes to calm down, suppressing the anger in her heart. She listened to the footsteps and saw Yuan returning to power. Yuan Jinsheng was led in by Miao Shuo. His face was like a dead tree. He sighed and said: "The few people in the Liang family have lost their reputation."
The prosperous Lord Lin saw it..."
"..." Yuan Guizheng looked puzzled and asked softly, "Does Lin Fuzhen really have no intention?"
"Maybe he has an agenda, but the Liang family can't give him the bargaining chip he wants..." Empress Dowager Liang said weakly.
"Chips, what chips?" Yuan Guizheng asked.
"He asked the Ai family: If they retreat without fighting, how will the world view them?" Empress Dowager Liang said in an old voice, "It's embarrassing, it's such a shame! If they can fight for reputation, why do the Ai family need such old face?"
Being trampled so hard by this arrogant young man? In the past few years, he led his troops to fight against the bandits and won great victories. Why didn't he dare to fight this time? If he really refused to retreat after a battle, let alone not saying that he was not welcomed by Huaidong, in Huaidong
Jiang Ning will definitely not be able to please him!"
"..." Yuan Guizheng's face was full of bitterness.
At that time, the Tianyi Army was a hasty revolt of 300,000 Yellow River civilians. It was basically a mob. Liang Xi, Liang Chengyi and his son naturally fought well. When Liu An'er and Chen Hansan led their troops into Huaisi, although they were also a refugee army, their troops
After many years of fighting in the world, there were many soldiers, horses, and elite soldiers, so the Liang family and his son did not dare to fight hard. When Yue Lengqiu was besieged Xuzhou, Lin Fu led the Huaidong Army to go north to relieve the siege, but the Liang family and his son led 50,000 to 60,000 elite soldiers but
He only dared to sit on the wall and watch - it was because of this incident that Yue Lengqiu had no good impression of the Liang family.
This time, Yan and Hu drove tens of thousands of cavalry and hundreds of thousands of new elite troops southward. How could the Liang family's soldiers and horses defeat them?
Linzi fell, and Jinan's flanks were completely exposed to the attack range of the Yanhu cavalry. Once the Yanhu troops and horses gained a foothold on the eastern front, they would inevitably reach the Tai'an Prefecture in the south of Jinan, cutting off the retreat of the Liang family and his son. What would they do?
Not afraid?
The Empress Dowager Liang was good at political disputes and was quite confused about marching and fighting. But in any case, Lin Fu's questioning made her speechless. Apart from hating the Liang family for being useless, she really couldn't find any reason to refute or defend the Liang family.
Yuan Jinsheng said without confidence: "Perhaps Lin Huaidong is trying to test this side?"
Empress Dowager Liang shook her head and said: "It's not like that. Miao Shuo walked out and left after saying a few words. He had no intention of continuing the conversation... The Ai family is really old and useless." Empress Dowager Liang dominated the court for half her life.
She was so ignored today, no wonder she kept getting angry.
Yuan Jinsheng and his father looked at each other, and Yuan Guizheng smacked his lips and said, "It's not as expected! The situation is so urgent, and there is no time to act calmly! Do we really have to bow to Jiang Ning?"
When Miao Shuo heard this, the corner of his mouth twitched, thinking: It is never a good idea to bow your head and kneel to Jiang Ning.
The biggest crime these days is to conspire to usurp the throne, and to stand in the wrong position in supporting the throne. In the eyes of Emperor Yongxing, how different can it be from conspiring to usurp the throne?
It seems that the turmoil of the Liang and Gu families and the Yongchang Houfu secretly discussing the establishment of King Lu has passed. The main reason is that the new emperor's foundation was unstable at that time, and Liang and Gu had deep roots in Shandong and controlled military power, so the new emperor temporarily let go.
Yes, don't pursue it.
But looking at how the Yongchang Houfu has been in decline in Jiangning over the past year, we can know what the consequences will be if the main force of the Qingzhou Army is wiped out in Yangxin and the Liang family retreats to southwest Shandong like a lost dog.
If the Liang family is completely dealt with, perhaps the best outcome for them, including King Hailing, would be to live in seclusion and die.
Empress Dowager Liang, Yuan Guizheng and others have all spent half their lives in the intrigues and deceptions of power. How could they not have a clear understanding of this? How can we expect Emperor Yongxing to be truly tolerant and generous, regardless of past grievances?
Empress Dowager Liang stood up and said to Yuan Guizheng: "Why don't you go to Jinan and discuss it with Liang Xi and Cheng Yi? In any case, even if you retreat, you must have something to explain.
Things will do. Today’s court is not as good as in the past. There is no one to help you speak in the temple, so you still have to rely on your own strength..."
"I'm afraid it will be very difficult," said Yuan Guizheng, who was familiar with military affairs. "Linzi has been occupied by the barbarians. At this time, Yangxin has not yet fallen, and the rivers and lakes in Linzi Prefecture are intertwined, which is not conducive to the passage of large armies, so it cannot be used.
Linzi attacks Jinan's flank. If it is delayed for another three months, the northern land is frozen. Not to mention that Jinan will be difficult to defend, but more worried that the Hulu will cut off Jinan's retreat first! And the soldiers and horses between Huaisi and Si are not under each other, otherwise
If we can organize a supporting army to go north, Jinan may have the determination to show off with the Huru..."
Not counting Huaidong, between Huaisi and Huaisi, there are troops and horses in the three towns of Huaiyang, Guoyang, and Xuzhou. Guoyang is the weakest with only over 15,000 troops, but Huaiyang and Xuzhou have quite a few soldiers and horses.
It is impressive. The total number of soldiers and horses in the three towns can be more than 70,000. They will be led by ministers to go north and join forces with the Liang family. It may be possible to break the siege of Yangxin.
However, the soldiers and horses of Huaiyang and Xuzhou towns were obtained from recruiting the refugee army, and they were both masters who did not listen to propaganda. Only the Wuyang town army controlled by Liu Tingzhou and Xiao Kui'an was loyal to the imperial court, but they were somewhat powerless.
"Perhaps we can talk to Dong Yuan..." Yuan Jinsheng said again, "Please ask the Queen Mother to return to court. Aren't they saying that Dong Yuan was behind this?"
"Dong Yuan is also a master who eats meat without spitting out bones!" Yuan Guizheng said, "Dong Yuan doesn't want the Liang family and Huaidong to come together, but he may not be able to hold up the situation today - besides, Dong Yuan
Yuan Jin is very docile to the new emperor and the Wu Party. Needless to say, the new emperor and the Wu Party are those guys who can only talk about war on paper. They have failed in many things and failed in many things. I am afraid that they will be the first to jump out and impeach the Liang family without a fight.
Retreat!"
These people were like trapped animals in a cage, unable to think of a way out.
****************
After returning from the Prince's Palace in Hailing, Lin Fu summoned the sentry from the northern front to report the situation on the northern front. Lin Fu summoned the sentry to the side hall and personally inquired about the details of Qingzhou.
"After Captain Chu and Master Wu met in Jimo, they entered Linqu in mid-June and first went to see Mr. Zhang Jinxian. Although Mr. Zhang Jinxian had no intention of abandoning the city, he did not object to Huaidong's management of Yishan. We first captured the Baqi Mountain.
After Baoping Mountain, Miandu Gu and other mountain villages, Mr. Zhang Jinxian also agreed to let us buy grain from Linzi and enter the mountains..." This sentry who rushed back from the northern route to report the details was none other than the one who had stayed in Suining, Suining.
Chen Daozi, the general who followed Sun Zhuang to Shanyang to take charge of the crime from Henan and Liangcheng, was later transferred to Wu Qi because he was good at reconnaissance and reconnaissance, and now he is Wu Qi's assistant to Yizhong.
Lin Fu sat in front of the long desk and only listened but did not speak; Qin Chengzu, Lin Mengde, Zhou Pu, Gao Zongting, Ye Junan and others sat on the left and right, but also patiently listened first.
"..." Chen Daozi continued, "Linzi was lost. Although some soldiers and civilians escaped, Master Zhang Jinxian was unfortunately captured. It was Master Zhang Jinxian who led his troops to resist until the end, and thousands of soldiers and civilians in Linzi City escaped. Waiting for the invaders
After the army passed by, Chu Lieutenant sent people in disguise into the city in an attempt to rob the prison and rescue Lord Zhang Jinxian, but he failed and lost many of his men. Zhang Jinxian refused to surrender to the barbarians and was killed by Chen Zhihu at the east gate the next day!"
Lin Fuyin had a sullen face, knowing that the situation in Qingzhou would collapse and countless people's lives would be ruthlessly devoured. When he heard the bad news of Zhang Jinxian's death, his heart was still heavy and extremely uncomfortable.
"After the fall of Linzi, Master Cheng Weiyuan was forced to abandon Guangrao and evacuate from Guangrao to Shouguang. He also got the name of Du Juefu and retreated to Qingzhou. The new auxiliary army under Chen Zhihu moved quickly. Guangrao, Hengtai, and Zouping were all captured.
"Du Juefu intends to abandon Shouguang and Changyi and concentrate his troops to defend Qingzhou..." Chen Daozi said.
The idea of concentrating troops to defend Qingzhou is correct, but how many troops can Du Juefu concentrate in Qingzhou at this time?
At this moment, someone was walking around outside the door. Lin Fu looked over and saw Chen Hualian walking in and reported, "Madam knows that someone is coming back from the north, and she is a little concerned about the safety of the old lady..."
With a little filial piety, it is normal to care about the safety of parents. Lin Fu walked to the door and saw Gu Junxun standing in front of the eaves, uneasy. He took her hand and said: "Xun'er, good luck has its own destiny, don't be too much."
Worry; you should also come in and listen..."
"I'm afraid it's not good..." Gu Junxun hesitated. She had been exposed to the idea that women should not participate in military affairs since she was a child. She felt it was wrong to go to Dongya to inquire about information. How could she want to go in and interfere with Lin Fu and others' discussion of important matters?
"What's wrong?" Lin Fu took Gu Junxun's hand and walked inside. He asked Song Jia to participate in confidential matters, so he didn't think there was anything wrong with women's participation in politics. Sometimes, he just didn't want to go against tradition or be too deviant.
Qin Chengzu, Lin Mengde, Gao Zongting, Ye Junan and others all stood up and saluted: "I have seen Madam..."
"I have met you all..." Gu Junxun returned the greeting, standing next to Lin Fu anxiously, listening to Chen Daozi continue to talk about the situation on the northern front.
Lin Mengde knew what Gu Junxun was concerned about, and helped her ask Chen Daozi: "Chu Zheng, after Wu Qi arrived at the northern front, has there been any news about the old lady?"
"Du Juefu intends to defend Qingzhou, but he will move his family to Linqu City. He will rush back from Baqi Mountain in the end. I heard that the old lady is also in Linqu." Chen Daozi said.
Afraid that Gu Junxun wouldn't understand, Lin Fu explained: "Linqu is in the south of Qingzhou, with hills and ravines on both sides, and the terrain is quite dangerous. As long as Qingzhou is not lost, Linqu will be fine. This arrangement by Du Juefu also shows his confidence in defending Qingzhou.
Insufficient. If Qingzhou falls and Linqu gets the news, the soldiers and civilians abandon the city and retreat to Yishan, there will still be a buffer time of one or two days..."
Hearing Lin Fu's explanation, Gu Junxun felt a little at ease. Her father and brother were trapped in Yangxin, and there were soldiers from all directions. It was difficult to escape, but her mother and sister-in-law were safe at least for now.
"Du Juefu might as well defend Linqu with all his strength!" Ye Junan said.
Ye Junan is not an official but is known as Mr. Siming. He has literary talent and military strategy. Although he has no experience in fighting with the army, his knowledge is not bad.
When Linzi fell, Guangrao's garrison was less than a thousand men, but the city was small and easy to defend. If Chen Zhihu and his troops had not intervened, the situation in the north of Linzi had been lost. Cheng Weiyuan took the initiative to withdraw from Guangrao. Chen Zhihu wanted to attack Guangrao.
A higher price will inevitably be paid.
Just like the original Yangxin, the city is small, easy to concentrate command, and difficult for the enemy to break through; as long as three to five thousand people obey the law properly, they can block the attack of twenty to thirty thousand people - the same principle applies to defending Qingzhou and Linqu.
The situation in Qingzhou has collapsed and is irreversible. The greatest significance of defending Qingzhou or Linqu is to retain the last base for advance and retreat, so as to prevent the Hulu from completely controlling the situation in Qingzhou comfortably.
No matter how much force Du Juefu concentrated, he could only gather three to five thousand scattered soldiers in Qingzhou, and there were no generals who were good at using troops to help defend Qingzhou. The city of Qingzhou was large, with a circumference of more than ten miles, and the surrounding terrain was open, so it was not a place to defend for a long time.
Once Chen Zhihu and his troops are surrounded, it is difficult to predict how long they can hold on - Linqu and Poche Xianguan in the south of Linqu are located in a dangerous place, with a small city but a strong pass, and it is backed by Yishan Mountain. If it is only in the
If we occupy a city north of Yishan, it is far more suitable to defend Linqu than Qingzhou.