They expected that Luo Xiancheng would not be stupid enough to sell Chen Hansan to Dong Yuan, but after Ma Zhen passed through Huaishan and arrived in Suizhou, he found that the atmosphere in the Changle army was not exactly what they had expected.
Luo Xiancheng had been in Jinghu for many years. In his early years, he, Gong Yucai, Yang Xiong and others were known as the Five Heroes of the Two Lakes. Ten years after Chongguan, Liu An'er summoned all the army commanders in Fangling to hold a conference in Fangling. Luo Xiancheng was called the King of Black Pagoda, and Liu An'er led his troops.
Returning to Huaisi in the east, Luo Xiancheng occupied Xiangyang and Suizhou, and was given the title of Changle King, and the world called his tribe the Changle Bandits.
The commander-in-chief of Fangling, Liu An'er, died in Xuzhou, and the remaining troops are now integrated into Huaidong. After the Cao family entered Sichuan, Gong Yucai was beaten to a pulp in eastern Sichuan, and the remaining troops retreated into the deep mountains and old forests in southern Sichuan.
Waiting for breath; if the She family hadn't entered Jiangxi in time and defeated the Qifeng of southern Jiangxi with a devastating force, causing Jiangxiang to shake, Yang Xiong's days in Dongting Lake would have come to an end, and only Luo Xiancheng could survive until now.
Flavorful.
Xiangyang and the south of Suizhou are under the jurisdiction of the Jinghu envoy. After the Cao family entered Sichuan, the Jinghu soldiers and horses had to guard against the Cao family leaving eastern Sichuan. For a while, they had no time to take care of Luo Xiancheng in the north; and the Cao family had no intention of getting involved before digesting the two rivers.
In the chaos in the Central Plains, the north was threatened by the Huqi from Yanxi, and the troops gradually moved north, with no intention of entering Xiangyang from the east of Han Dynasty; Nanyang and Xinyang in the north and northeast were also reduced to ruins - to say the least
What else did Luo Xiancheng have to be unhappy about? Dong Yuan went out to control Huaixi, and Chang Huai's army withdrew into Huaixi, which caused the Huaixi troops to the west of Xiangyang to surge. After Liang Chengchong led his troops into Nanyang, he got too close to Xiangfan.
.
Compared with Liang Chengchong, Dong Yuan, and the Cao family who entered Hanzhong in the west, Chen Hansan, who set up envoys in Jinghu in the south and led the remaining troops into Huaishan, became a small fish. Chen Hansan sent Ma Zhen to come over to talk about the project, and Luo Xiancheng had already
Too lazy to deal with it.
After Ma Zhen arrived in Suizhou, he didn't see Luo Xiancheng for several days. Even Luo Xiancheng's confidants Wang Xiang and Zhong Rong couldn't meet him. Only Wei Zhang, his old friend whom he met in Fangling, came out to receive him.
Although Wei Zhang is Luo Xiancheng's staff, he is not a confidant. His words in front of Luo Xiancheng are not important, but it is better than nothing. Ma Zhen can at least understand some of the current situation of the Changle Army from him.
"You have gone too far in Xinyang. I will not hide it from you. Dong Yuan sent letters twice, asking us to send troops to Huaishan to encircle and suppress you. Commander Luo is still thinking about it. You came here this time and did not detain you. Already
It's because of the great love that Dong Yuan can't afford to offend him. It's better not to talk about other things..." Wei Zhang held a banquet at his home to invite Ma Zhen, but no one else came over and was willing to talk to Chen Hansan.
It would be easier for us to talk if the remnants were related.
How could we not talk about it? Not only did Xiao Kui'an lead his troops into Xinyang, Dong Yuan also went to Xinyang in person to supervise the war. He also recommended Luo Zhen, the Luo family of Xinyang, as the prefect of Xinyang, and came up with a strategy of forming a stronghold and joining forces. Now the small village at the northern foot of Huaishan Mountain has merged with the big village.
, Dazhai trained rural soldiers and guarded key passes and valleys. They had no intention of immediately entering the mountains to clear out the troops, but the plan was to first trap their more than 3,000 remnants in a local area of Huaishan, restrict their access to supplies, and restrict their large-scale movement.
There are more than 3,000 remnants, plus more than 2,000 strong men, nearly 6,000 people, and more than 1,000 livestock who have joined the army since fleeing west. Without plundering from Xinyang and other places, it is impossible to obtain sufficient supplies in the Huaishan Mountains.
Chen Hansan is not afraid that Xiao Kui'an will lead his army into Huaishan to fight, but he is afraid that a dense net will be set up outside to trap them in Huaishan. At this time, Chen Hansan can only get enough supplies from Suizhou in the south, otherwise he will
The more trapped they become, the weaker they become. When a certain time comes, if Huaixi soldiers and horses do not enter Huaishan Mountain to encircle and suppress them, they themselves will be unable to bear it and disperse.
"Dong Yuan built a stronghold in Minghe. I believe you all know where Minghe is," Ma Zhen said. "Minghe is the north entrance from Xinyang to Suizhou. Dong Yuan used to encircle and suppress us on the surface, but in fact he wanted to form a strong alliance.
The net will completely seal Suizhou to the south. When Dong Yuan establishes a foothold in Huaixi, Huaixi soldiers and horses will be the first to cross the Huaishan Mountain from the Ming River to attack Suizhou..."
"Some people also say what you said," Wei Zhang shook his head and drank, "but if my general accepts the grant from Jiang Ning and cedes Suizhou to become the Marquis of Suizhou, what name does Dong Yuan have to send troops? Furthermore, Dong Yuan comes over,
We can go west to Hanzhong, and we can go south to Qichun..."
Hanzhong to the west has been occupied by the Cao family, and the Cao family is no easier to bully than Dong Yuan. After listening to Wei Zhang's words, Ma Zhen thought to himself: Could it be that the Cao family also sent people to win over Luo Xiancheng? It's really hateful to think about it, all the commanders in Fangling
, Luo Xiancheng is the most useless one. I didn’t expect to live so happily now. In addition to the Marquis of Suizhou promised by Jiangning, even Yanjing in the north also offered the chips of King Xiangyang. Luo Xiancheng actually collected twenty
Several "concubines", and now the military and political forces are also entrusted to the confidant of the king, Zhong Rong.
But being able to live a long life is also Luo Xiancheng's ability; now that Luo Xiancheng has so many choices, it is no wonder that he no longer cares about others.
Ma Zhen took out a package wrapped in a silk scarf from his arms, spread it out on the table, and found two beads as big as pigeon eggs, shining brightly under the oil lamp, and said: "Master Wei, please give these beads to me."
Give it to General Zhong, I really won’t be willing to go back without even seeing General Zhong..."
Seeing that Wei Zhang had his share, he was naturally willing to help. Moreover, he was helping Ma Zhen deliver the beads. Zhong Rong would never scold him. He wrapped the beads in a silk scarf and said, "Then I will do it for you."
Give it a try, but there is no guarantee that General Zhong will see you..."
"I know, I know, as long as Mr. Wei is dedicated, that's enough." Ma Zhen said.
It was getting late at this time, so Wei Zhang arranged for Ma Zhen to rest in his living room. He thought about the beauty of the bead and even sent a big-footed maid to warm Ma Zhen's feet.
Ma Zhen worked on it until he was out of breath, and the woman spread her legs and was crying, which made him not interested in doing it anymore, so he hastily finished the matter, took the underwear and wiped the dirt off, and then lay there thinking about something.
The bargaining chip offered by Beiyan to Luo Xiancheng is not low. The problem lies in Xuzhou. If Xuzhou is undefeated and the troops of Beiyan army successfully reach the north bank of the Huaihe River, Luo Xiancheng will probably not hesitate - and at this time, if Luo Xiancheng accepts
Due to Yanbei's granting of the title, before he led his troops to attack Nanyang in the north, Dong Yuan of Huaixi and Liu Wenmu of Jinghu might even join forces with the Cao family to attack Luo Xiancheng.
Luo Xiancheng seemed to have many choices, but in fact every choice was difficult to make, so it was impossible to listen to Dong Yuan and send troops to encircle Huaishan. Ma Zhen was not worried that Luo Xiancheng would send troops to face Huaishan from the south, but he came this time.
He hoped to get more from Suizhou, and even Chen Hansan intended to retreat to the southern foot of Huaishan Mountain to rest in Suizhou, but he was worried that Luo Xiancheng was too timid.
The most important thing right now is food and grass. There are nearly 6,000 people and more than 1,000 animals. Food consumption costs four to five thousand dan per month. Now, looting and replenishment are limited, and each village is attacked at a high price. This is confirmed.
It gives me a headache...
***********
Not only Chen Hansan had a headache about food, Liang Chengchong also had a headache about food in Nanyang.
Although the plains in Jinan were dilapidated, they were still a bit lively. After arriving in Nanyang, seeing the wormwood growing on top of the city that could drown people, Yuan Guizheng was even more heartbroken for Liang Chengchong.
Although Shouzhou, Xinyang, and Haozhou were in ruins, the imperial court at least sent Zhengyin officials to clean up the mess, and then Dong Yuan and Liu Tingzhou took over. Nanyang was completely abandoned. Except for some refugees in the countryside who formed associations to reclaim wasteland, they could not farm.
The city was completely deserted, with scorched earth and ruins everywhere. Nanyang City had become a place where foxes and rabbits hid. Hundreds of families could not gather in the city, and the surrounding mountains and fields were infested with bandits.
After Liang Chengchong abandoned Caozhou and marched west to Nanyang, he drove Beiyan to adjust his troops in Henan and Shandong.
Ye Jiduo led his army to withdraw to Jinan to rest and recuperate. Yuan Lishan occupied Tai'an, Dongping, Jining and other places to operate the defense line against Xuzhou. Nahe Xiongqi led his troops to march eastward to Qingzhou and Dengzhou, and Chen Zhihu led his troops to Henan.
About February before, Chen Zhihu, who moved west to Henan, was also busy taking over the defense of eastern Henan, and had no time to take care of Hezhong Prefecture in western Henan and Nanyang Prefecture in southwest Henan.
Liang Cheng finally survived the most critical three months after he marched west to Nanyang.
Liang Xi was beheaded by his subordinates in Dongping, which led to the destruction of Dongping City and finally allowed Liang Chengchong to avoid the bad reputation of abandoning his father and running away. The relationship between Liang Chengchong and his younger brother Liang Chengyi was not bad under the influence of the Yuan Dynasty. Liang Chengyi still respected Liang Chengchong in name.
for long.
Before February, all the grain and fodder needed by Nanyang were allocated from Hezhong Prefecture. Although Nanyang was dilapidated, nearly 100,000 refugees moved in with Liang Chengchong, and received grain and fodder support from Hezhong Prefecture. After two months of rectification, Nanyang has restored some scale.
.
No matter how desolate the land is, if the seeds are sown, there will always be some harvest in autumn. After the city is packed up and 20,000 soldiers and horses are stationed in it, it can barely cope with it.
After digging up the loess, although I didn't bother to sift through the rocks, I finally finished filling up the collapsed city wall before February. Infantry wearing armor stood on the wall, and flags were placed. There were people of mules and horses at the city gate.
Going in and out, there is some life.
However, in mid-February, Chen Zhihu personally marched westward to Ruzhou and reached Funiu Mountain, cutting off the connection between Hezhong Prefecture and Nanyang. The situation in Nanyang took a turn for the worse.
After all, there is still a lack of food.
The 20,000 soldiers, together with their families and the refugees who were traveling westward, totaled approximately 160,000 to 70,000 people. The rations needed to survive were 30,000 to 50,000 dan per month.
In the past three months, countless manpower and material resources have been spent on urgently transporting 100,000 shi of food from Hezhong Prefecture, and they have almost been consumed.
There is not even a grain of grain left in Nanyang City. Those surviving clans value food more precious than their lives. They would pick up a whole weight of gold and silver and not sell it for half a dou. These clans had already built strongholds in troubled times to resist.
There was a riot and the folk customs were fierce. It was too late for Liang Chengchong to get food to curry favor with them. At this time, his footing was unstable. How could he snatch their food rations?
Judging from the stance, Chen Zhihu will attack Hezhong Prefecture first.
Although Chen Zhihu was good at using troops, he had few soldiers and horses. After marching westward, he only had 20,000 elite troops when he was full. When he entered Henan, he only received some miscellaneous soldiers. In the end, Chen Zhihu led the westward march to Ruzhou with only 20,000 elite troops.
Liang Chengyi gathered 40,000 soldiers and horses in Hezhong Prefecture. There was no big problem in temporarily holding the counties and cities in Hezhong Prefecture, but Nanyang could not count on Hezhong Prefecture at all.
Jiangning did not care about the past feud caused by the dispute between Ning and Lu, and wanted Huaixi to support Nanyang with grain and grass. However, Huaixi grain was also valuable. Dong Yuan and Liu Tingzhou only agreed that the Huaixi Army Chief would allocate 200,000 taels of silver to Nanyang every year.
To support the army and benefit the people, Nanyang raised its own food.
The Liang family had accumulated a lot of gold and silver over the years. Liang Cheng rushed west to Nanyang and loaded dozens of carts of property. However, after the access to Hezhong Prefecture in the north was cut off, the food supply in Huaixi was extremely low. To the west was the Qinling Mountains.
, Funiu Mountain, Shangshan are separated from the Western Qin Dynasty, can we still buy food from Xiangyang controlled by Luo Xiancheng in the south?
"In a few days, Lin Fu will marry Liu Miaozhen in Xuzhou. I plan to go to Xuzhou to watch the ceremony. Nanyang has 20,000 to 30,000 stones of food and grass every month, so we can only rely on Huaidong..." Yuan Guizheng stood at the top of Nanyang City, looking at the devastation.
The land of Nanyang, said to Liang Chengchong.
The Huaihe River is navigable all the way to the territory of Xinyang Prefecture. There is a valley road across the northwest section of Baitong Mountain in the west of Xinyang and in the east of Nanyang. Although the terrain is quite dangerous, it is only more than a hundred miles long. This valley road is not too strenuous if it is transported by mules and horses.
Of course, it is not necessary to buy grain only from Huaidong. It is not troublesome to buy grain from Weiyang, Jiangning or Dongyang Prefecture, and go west along the Huaihe River.
The problem is that there is no peace on the north bank of the Huaihe River. The grain merchants in Weiyang, Jiangning, and Dongyang may not be willing to transport grain to Nanyang for sale. If the grain merchants do not transport grain, how can Liang Chengchong and Yuan Guizheng raise so much transportation capacity? Also,
In addition to food, there are many materials that are in short supply in Nanyang. If Huaidong is willing to supply, the pressure on Nanyang can be alleviated.
Yuan Guizheng was also a dignified hereditary marquis, but he has been reduced to this day and has to travel thousands of miles to congratulate others for taking concubines.