Early the next morning, the troops and horses set off in full formation.
When passing through the main street of Bazhou City, Jiang Bin, Xu Tai and other generals were waiting by the road. Zhang Yanling thought they would leave early, but they did not. He said it was respectful, but in fact Zhang Yanling thought it was Jiang Bin's trick.
His little thought was that he wanted to wait for his troops to move forward first.
Once the soldiers and horses leave Bazhou, I believe that the traitors will get the news immediately. In this way, it is equivalent to Zhang Yanling attracting the attention of the traitors. Afterwards, Jiang Bin and others will have less trouble when they lead the army to leave.
Of course, Zhang Yanling didn't care about this. Anyway, it took four days to capture Hejian Mansion, and it would take two days to reach Hejian Mansion. They had to capture the remaining two days. Even if they lay there and slept,
Zhang Yanling will not care. When the time comes, we will just act in accordance with military law.
Besides, the results Zhang Yanling wanted had nothing to do with other things. Even if Jiang Bin was Liu Jin's adopted son, even if they were not on the same path as him, as long as they could complete the mission according to his orders, Zhang Yanling didn't care about the rest.
For now, Jiang Bin, Xu Tai and others have not done anything bad to him, and there is no reason for him to target him.
These days, relying on the power in the imperial court to get promoted is actually nothing. This is human nature. If Jiang Bin is really a criminal, if he falls into the hands of Zhang Yanling, he will naturally
I can't spare him. But now I can't be hostile to him just because he is Liu Jin's adopted son.
The army passed through the city, with a thousand cavalry clearing the way and eight thousand infantry behind them. Behind them were more than two thousand soldiers and horses protecting heavy vehicles covered with cloth and vehicles carrying heavy supplies of food and grass.
Because they carried a large amount of supplies and vehicles, the marching speed was not as fast as walking. The official roads were bumpy and difficult to navigate. It was nothing to the horse and infantry, but it was a trouble to the heavy vehicles with hundreds of vehicles.
The heavy cart made the wheels rattle under the weight, making it difficult to move on a flat road, let alone this kind of road. From time to time, vehicles got stuck in ruts and ravines, and the soldiers and horses had to stop and wait for everyone to work together to push and pull.
Get it out.
We walked like this for half a day, covering more than thirty miles. It was like a turtle crawling.
It's about ninety miles from Bazhou to Xiongxian. At this speed, it won't be possible until midnight.
Fortunately, Meng Liang quickly figured out a way in the afternoon. He sent a group of infantry to cut down dozens of large trees nearby and carried them to pave the way ahead. Once they encountered deep ravines, waterlogged low-lying ground and soft areas,
, then put wooden rafts as footings to ensure that vehicles can pass smoothly.
After the vehicle passes, the logs are picked up and used again and again. Although this is cumbersome, it is much faster.
However, Zhang Yanling did not seem to care about the speed of the march. When Meng Liang proposed to lead some troops and horses to Xiongxian to check the situation, Zhang Yanling rejected him. In Zhang Yanling's view, the things on the car are more valuable than anything else, and he would rather go slow.
For some, ensuring vehicle safety is the most important thing.
Furthermore, Zhang Yanling had other plans.
Along the way, there were constant sentries from the bandit soldiers roaming nearby. Zhang Yanling ordered not to pay attention to them and let them spy on them. From time to time, there were people walking with backpacks on the official road carrying goods. Zhang Yin believed that these people were the eyes and ears of the bandit soldiers.
I came to spy on the news. The reason is that Hebei is a land of war and chaos. How can people wander around at this time? It is obviously unreasonable.
Zhang Yanling agreed with his judgment, but he also did not allow the arrest of these people who were pretending to be common people. Zhang Yanling did not give an explanation, just said that it was not necessary. Let them spy on the number of soldiers and horses, and let them send back the news.
After procrastinating until dark, still twenty miles away from Xiong County, Zhang Yanling ordered to set up camp on the spot.
All the generals were very puzzled. With extra effort, they could arrive outside the north city of Xiongxian County at the second watch. Why they had to camp here and delay all night was really unreasonable.
But the Marquis's order is an order, and no one dares to disobey it.
Zhang Yin, Meng Liang and others secretly speculated whether the Marquis was deliberately waiting for the rebels to increase their numbers. Because the rebels were not heavily armed in Xiong County, and there was news that there were at most 5,000 traitors in Xiong County. The Marquis might have thought that the enemy had more troops.
Too few will attract some enemy troops to annihilate them in one fell swoop.
This speculation aroused Meng Liang's concern, wondering whether the Marquis was trusting the emperor. If the rebels got the news when they set off from Bazhou and reinforced Xiong County, it would be possible to mobilize a large army from Baoding Prefecture in one day and one night.
There are quite a lot of soldiers and horses in Baoding Prefecture. Wouldn't it be terrible if 30,000 to 50,000 soldiers came?
On the one hand, Zhang Yin felt that this possibility did exist. On the other hand, he believed that the Marquis would not make such a mistake. He couldn't hold it in anymore, so he asked Zhang Yanling before going to bed and raised Meng Liang's concerns. After hearing this, Zhang Yanling was confused
Laughing endlessly.
"General Meng is too worried. If you want to fight on a large scale, you have to do it in Baoding Prefecture. The city has high walls, thick walls, a large city, and a lot of materials and manpower. That's where the defense is. Although the city defenses in Xiong County are also very strong,
After all, it is a small county. Unless the thieves are stupid, how could they do this?"
After hearing this, Zhang Yin felt that this was indeed the case, but he was still a little puzzled by Zhang Yanling's decision. When asked again, Zhang Yanling waved his hand and said: "Go to sleep, you will know tomorrow. The secret must not be leaked. In fact, I am not sure either.
It would be shameful to tell you that tomorrow's outcome would not be what I expected. If I had predicted tomorrow, I would tell you the reason."
Zhang Yin had no choice but to return to the camp to rest with full of doubts.
The army was heavily guarded that night, with sentries posted several miles away to warn of any accidents. However, the night was uneventful.
After daybreak, the soldiers and horses shuffled forward again, and at 6 o'clock, they finally arrived outside the north city of Xiongxian County.
Meng Liang led 3,000 forward infantry to the city, but found that there was no one at the top of the city and the city gate was open. There were people standing at the city gate and watching. Meng Liang did not dare to enter the city rashly, so he reported to Zhang Yanling.
Zhang Yanling and his cavalry galloped in from the rear, frowned and observed the situation, and said with a smile: "Sure enough, he ran away."
Zhang Yin and Meng Liang were both a little stunned. Meng Liang said: "What the Marquis means is to deliberately delay time and scare them away. To subdue others without fighting?"
Zhang Yanling laughed and said: "What the hell is surrendering without fighting? The other side just retreated knowing they were defeated. They were just conserving their strength. We didn't kill any of their soldiers."
Zhang Yin frowned and said, "What kind of medicine is sold in Mr. Hou's gourd?"
Zhang Yanling said: "We'll talk about it first in the city. We'll see what happens next. The fun may have just begun."
After Zhang Yanling said this, he waved his hand and led the cavalry to rush into the city. Meng Liang shouted hurriedly: "Master Marquis, be careful. Be careful of the bandit's plan to empty the city, and be careful of the ambushes in the city. They have used this trick before."
Zhang Yanling laughed loudly and said: "General Meng, don't read too much in military books, or you will ruin your brain. Last time in Wen'an County, the thieves ambushed only a few hundred soldiers and horses from the Qianhu Station in Baoding County, Bazhou. We have more than 10,000
Soldiers and horses, how can they ambush? If there are tens of thousands of ambushes, then this Xiongxian city will not be packed full of people, and they can be seen through at a glance."
Meng Liang's face turned red, and he was unconvinced, but he could not refute. He found that the Marquis was too confident, and sometimes he was a little too confident.
"No matter what, the Marquis cannot advance into the city. I am humble and lead 3,000 infantry into the city." Meng Liang said.
This statement was echoed by Zhang Yin and others. Zhang Yanling said with a smile: "Forget it, you go first into the city, you are the vanguard officer, you have the final say."
Meng Liang ordered the soldiers to unsheath their swords and unstring their arrows, and to be alert at all times. Three thousand infantrymen filed into the city. Zhang Yanling stood on the roadside and watched them enter the city, grinning.
Sure enough, Meng Liang came back not long after and reported that all the bandits in the city had evacuated, leaving only some common people in the city. The Marquis was right.
Zhang Yanling smiled and then ordered his troops to enter the county town.
Xiong County experienced a battle, but the scale was not large. At that time, Hui'an Bo Zhang Wei was killed by Ying Waihe. The city defenses were still intact because the city gates were stolen that time.
Zhang Yanling rode his horse and walked on the street. Many people watched on both sides of the street. Some people even shouted loudly.
"The imperial troops have finally returned. Your Majesty is a wise man."
"Yes, we were severely damaged by the rebels. Fortunately, you fought back."
Meng Liang was a little moved after hearing these words, and said to Zhang Yanling: "Master Hou, it seems that the people have been suffering from thieves and soldiers for a long time, and the imperial court should have fought back long ago."
Zhang Yanling looked at Meng Liang speechlessly. He found that Meng Liang was very kind, kind and even a little pedantic.
"In that case, why did the bandits rebel? Why were there so many bandits? Answer me." Zhang Yanling asked Meng Liang with a sidelong glance.
Meng Liang was stunned for a moment, then understood and said in astonishment: "Could it be that..."
Zhang Yanling shouted in a deep voice: "Send the order to seal all the city gates immediately. Arrest all the young and strong people in the city and assemble them in the Yamen Square."
Generals Zhang Yin and Meng Liang immediately took action, and soldiers and horses blocked all four cities, and soldiers arrested them in large numbers in the city. At noon, in the Xiongxian County Government Square, thousands of young and strong people were gathered together with their clothes tied.
After the arrest, Zhang Yanling walked from the county government lobby to the square. The arrested people in the square were making a lot of noise.
"We are the common people of the imperial court, how can the officers and soldiers arrest us?"
"What mistake did we make? Why are you arresting people indiscriminately?"
"We finally waited for the officers and soldiers to arrive, but you came to arrest the people instead of exterminating the rebels. What's the point of this?"
"..."
Zhang Yanling looked at these noisy people with a sneer, and shouted in a deep voice: "Slap the most noisy ones until they can't speak."
Zhao Yuancheng and other personal guards came forward, picked out several young and strong commoners with fierce names, and greeted them with a loud slap in the face. They were beaten until their mouths spurted blood and were swollen like pig heads before they stopped.
"Why are you arrested? How can you escape under my nose? You rebels, if you don't admit your identities and motives as thieves, otherwise, we will all be beheaded." Zhang Yanling shouted.
"..."
Everyone, including the soldiers and horses in the Beijing camp, fell silent, and the Marquis did not know how he came to this conclusion.
Meng Liang did not dare to ask Zhang Yanling again, but secretly asked Zhang Yin: "How did the Marquis know that they were traitors?"
Zhang Yin said in a low voice: "These people are young and strong common people. The bandits are in need of young men to expand their strength. How can these people be allowed to run free? They are obviously the eyes and ears of the bandits staying in the city, waiting for opportunities."