Chapter 490 The decisive battle in Liangzhou (9) 2/2
Time flies.
After entering October, with the arrival of the first snow, the situation in Liangzhou gradually experienced some wonderful changes.
After Zhang Lu captured Wudu County, he did not continue to send troops. Instead, he ordered Yang Ang and Yang Ren to guard the old road and Ju County, and station troops in the East Wolf Valley. This can be regarded as showing Zhang Lu's attitude: As long as we have two gates in Hanzhong
, not much other interest.
In the beginning, everything was smooth sailing for Ma Teng.
First they captured Didao, and then they captured Lintao without any bloodshed.
He ordered his second son Ma Xiu to lead his troops to Wudu. The reason... is very simple! Ma Teng and Huangzhong Qiang have a good relationship. Whether they are Baima Qiang or Shenlang Qiang, they all respect the Ma family and his son. After all,
The blood of the Qiang people has always flowed in Ma Teng's body. This is destined to make Ma Teng and the Qiang people inseparable and dependent on each other.
As the second son of Ma Teng, Ma Xiu often interacts with the Qiang people.
Therefore, it is easiest for him to gain support from the Qiang people when he takes over Wudu County...
As it happens, the Qiang people in Wudu County are also a major group, and the ratio to the Han people is almost two to one. There are two Han people and one Qiang people. If Ma Chao hadn't contained Cao Jun in Zhangye County, he wouldn't have been the most suitable candidate. But Ma Chao
If you can't come, Ma Xiu can do it. He can get the greatest support in Wudu County and the support of the Qiang people!
In fact, it's pretty much the same.
After Ma Xiu entered Wudu County, the White Horse Qiang Teng Zijing and the Wolf Qiang King Tu sent 3,000 troops each to assist Ma Xiu in pacifying Wudu County. In just over ten days, Ma Xiu took the Qiang Road and captured Wudu.
There are five counties in total, including Dao, Lu on the top, and Hechi on the bottom. They stationed troops on Fanzhong Mountain, echoing each other with Yang Ang, and stationed at the gate of Wudu, forming a natural barrier.
Overall, the battle was surprisingly successful, and Ma Teng had the absolute upper hand.
However, as the war gradually progressed, Ma Teng was unable to capture Zhangxian and Xiangwu for a long time, and his morale gradually began to decline.
After experiencing the initial panic, Cao's army immediately launched a counterattack as Cao Hong garrisoned Chang'an.
On October 16, Shi Hao Zhao, the governor of Hexi County, was ordered to cross the river and stationed in Anding County. With Cao Peng's handwritten letter, he borrowed 3,000 soldiers and horses from Anding Prefect Zhang Ji, together with the 2,000 people he brought, and quickly went to the Anding County.
Hanyang County rushed to help.
Zhang Ji didn't have too many troops and horses in his hands. He had three thousand seconded to him, which was the ultimate and there is no need to go into details.
Originally, Wei Duan was not willing to let Hao Zhao's troops stationed in Hanyang, but Yang Fu's words forced him to agree.
"Ming Gong, now, there is no other choice.
Hanyang does not have strong soldiers and horses. Without foreign aid, it may not be able to last long. When the time comes, Ming Gong will either fight to the death or die in battle, and there is no other way out. Cao Gong is planning to settle in Hebei, and the losses will be huge. He may not be willing to take over Liangzhou at this time. If Ming Gong
Rejecting reinforcements from Hexi will inevitably make Duke Cao sit idly by and ignore... Ming Gong should know that this is the friendship of Wuwei Cao Youxue. Ming Gong will rely on Cao Sanpian's goodwill, and Chang'an Cao Zilian will no longer make any moves. Although the third auxiliary force is empty
, but he is more than able to defend himself. And the Longmen Zhonglang general Gan Ning came from Cao Youxue's sect. How can he help Ming Gong when the time comes?
Since Hao Bodao rushed to help, Ming Gong should let it go.
Otherwise, it will chill the hearts of everyone and be detrimental to Duke Ming..."
Wei Duan did not want Cao's army to enter Liangzhou. On the one hand, he was worried about losing power, and on the other hand, he had other concerns.
Wang Meng's death was caused by him.
just in case……
However, under Yang Fu's persuasion, Wei Duan only nodded in agreement.
Indeed, without reinforcements, he might not be able to withstand Ma Teng's ferocious attack. If he continues to hesitate, the whole of Longxi may be occupied by Ma Teng. If Ma Teng wins Longxi County, how can he not peek at Hanyang County?
On October 20, Hao Zhao led his troops to cross the Wei River south and stationed themselves at Luomenju.
Although there were only five thousand soldiers and horses, the pressure on Ma Teng was extremely huge.
After Luomen gathers in the west, he can rush to support Zhangxian and Xiangwu. It only takes two days to march south to attack the city of Lintao and threaten Wudu.
On October 22, Ma Teng ordered Zhang Heng and Li Kan to take over Lintao to defend against Hao Zhao's sneak attack.
On the same day, Cao Hong raised troops in Chang'an, with Zhonglang General Gan Ning as the vanguard. He led two schools with a total of 4,000 elite troops and marched to Dashan Pass.
Although there are only four thousand soldiers and horses, they are elite soldiers and strong generals.
Gan Ning's soldiers and horses participated in several battles in Hedong, and fought bloody battles with the Wuwan people in Huo Dashan. They were rich in experience and were not comparable to that of a mob. The most important thing is that after the Battle of Hedong, the soldiers and horses in Guanzhong fought for peace in Wei
Under the supervision of Cao Ren, they crossed Tongtian Mountain and stationed in Bingzhou. However, Gan Ning's troops were ordered to garrison in Longmen Mountain. They were fully rested and their morale was extremely high. When they came to the battlefield again, they were like a group of tigers coming out of the gate...
…
Outside Dashan Pass, there are ancient roads and Fanzhong Mountain.
After Ma Xiu and Yang Ang learned about it, they immediately led their troops to sneak attack, hoping to catch Gan Ning by surprise.
Unexpectedly, Gan Ning was ready to fight.
On the night when Ma Xiuyang Ang arrived at Dashan Pass, he personally led a hundred elite soldiers to rush out from Dashan Pass and went straight to the Xiliang and Hanzhong coalition camps. Gan Ning used his sword to kill twelve generals in Hanzhong and defeated the coalition forces.
Escape in embarrassment...
The next day, Gan Ning sent his troops south and attacked Fanzhong Mountain.
Ma Xiu had just retreated to Fanzhong Mountain, and before he even had time to rest, Gan Ning had already arrived. The two sides fought fiercely at the foot of Fanzhong Mountain for a day, and Ma Xiu was defeated and fled back to Hechi. Gan Ning, on the other hand, did not pursue him and stationed his troops at Fanzhong.
At the foot of the mountain, they were eyeing Wudu County, and at the same time they joined forces with Hao Zhao to form a pincer attack on Lintao... Hanyang and Longxi were shocked.
Gan Ning became famous after he killed Wen Chou with a sword.
When the Xiliang sergeants mentioned Gan Ning, they were all frightened and privately called him "Gan Fierce Tiger".
Jin Ma Chao, Gan Menghu!
Liangzhou, a bitterly cold place in the northwest, became extremely lively when many heroes gathered in one day.
On October 25, the ninth year of Jian'an, Cao Hong personally led 6,000 soldiers and horses, with Chen Qun as his military advisor, and arrived at Dashan Pass!
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It's not too far from Zhangye County to Yunwu.
It only took two days to cross the Huangshui River. Outside Lema Yunwu City, looking at the towering Yunwu City Wall under the gloomy sky, Ma Chao didn't know why, but suddenly had an extremely ominous premonition. This trip to Yunwu,
I'm afraid it's not as easy as he thought! However, he didn't think much about it because this Yunwu's surname was Ma, not Fei.
At the gate of the city, the gatekeepers were heavily guarded, checking people coming in and out.
When Ma Chao arrived at the city, someone had already gone to report to Feiwo. The guards did not come forward to question him, and immediately let Ma Chao and his entourage into the city. The hesitant movements made Ma Chao feel a little confused.
Pleasure.
At least, these people don't dare to provoke me yet!
Yunwu County, as the seat of Jincheng County, was originally extremely prosperous.
It is true that Han Sui was ambitious and calculating, but overall, he managed Jincheng quite effectively.
Starting from the Zhongping period, Han Sui captured Jincheng County.
Fast forward nearly twenty years, and he has indeed done his best in government affairs. When Han Sui was alive, the population of Jincheng County increased by more than 100,000. This is even more important in the context of the overall population of Liangzhou tending to decline.
Extremely valuable.
Among them, there are about 50,000 to 60,000 naturalized Qiang and Hu people, and as many as 6,670,000 refugees fleeing from Heguan and other areas.
This is also the main reason why there are only more than 29,000 people in the three counties of Heguan.
Han Sui was a native of Jincheng and worked hard to build a paradise. Even during the most chaotic period in Liangzhou, under Han Sui's governance, Jincheng not only did not weaken, but became stronger and stronger. At this point, Han Sui and Ma Teng
It’s different. Ma Teng relied on strong soldiers and horses, and fought everywhere to grow and develop; while Han Sui relied more on governance and tapped the potential of Jincheng County itself. Therefore, even during the famine years, there were no large-scale refugees in Jincheng County
Anhui also maintains an extremely friendly and equal relationship with the surrounding Qiang and Di tribes.
Yunwu County, as the seat of Jincheng County, once had a population of up to 60,000.
Merchants traveling between Guanzhong and the Western Regions must pass through Yunwu, making Yunwu County particularly prosperous...
It's just that at this time, Yunwu was not as lively as when Han Sui was under the rule. The long street was deserted, and there was an air of desolation.
Ma Chao urged his horse to march down the long street, and couldn't help but frown slightly.
"Yunwu, why are you so cold?"
He asked a soldier leading the way.
The soldier smiled bitterly and said, "My lord, the whole of Longxi is at war."
Longxi County is the only way to connect Jincheng County and Guanzhong. This "only way" is full of war, where will there be businessmen? Without businessmen, there will naturally be a lot less vitality, which is inevitable.
.
"But why aren't those shops open?"
"Nothing to sell!"
"oh?"
"The eldest son doesn't know something. Now my lord is using troops in Longxi and has recruited nearly 60,000 people.
Just for Yunwu, ten thousand people were recruited... Coupled with people's panic, many people fled their homes. Now Yunwu is afraid that there are less than 30,000 people. How can anyone be in the mood to sell? Coupled with the military operations, the city's supplies have also been destroyed.
There is a shortage... there is no one or anything, so what's the use of opening the door? It's better to stay at home for safety."
Ma Chao narrowed his eyes and looked up and down at the guard in front of him.
He looks young, maybe fourteen or fifteen years old, but his movements are full of spirituality.
"May I have your name?"
"The villain's surname is Hu, and the single word is consistent."
"Hu Zun?"
A smile appeared on Ma Chao's face, "Looking at the accent, I'm not from Jincheng."
"The villain is from Linjing, Anding. He came to Jincheng with his father in his early years. My father has passed away now. When the city was recruiting, the villain joined the army."
"Hu Zun, are you willing to follow me?"
"ah?"
"I mean, to be my personal soldier... If you are willing, you can go home to prepare and report to the mansion in the evening."
Hu Zun’s eyes lit up!
He is just a commoner with no background.
If you can follow Ma Chao, it would be a good way out.
"The villain is willing."
"Haha, just do it if you want."
For some reason, when Ma Chao saw Hu Zun, he thought of Hu Bai.
When he first met Hu Bai, Hu Bai was just a teacher and was very poor. However, he had a kind of spirituality that was very similar to what Hu Zun looked like at that time. Ma Chao decided to take Hu Zun away, and in the future
It was impossible to say that he would become his right-hand man. Hu Zun seemed to be very excited about this, and he kept laughing along the way...
Outside the county, Ma Chao dismounted.
He threw the reins to Hu Zun casually, "Keep an eye on it for me!"
"General, don't worry, the villain will never make any mistakes."
Ma Chao nodded with a smile and walked up the steps of the county mansion.
"Eldest Young Master, why are you back?"
"If I don't come back, the eight thousand elite soldiers in Zhangye will starve to death... Mr. Fei is here, please report as soon as possible."
"Please wait a moment, Sir."
The doorman went to report it, and someone led Ma Chao to the hall to wait.
Fevo paid for the renovation of this county house. Fevo lived here on weekdays and was responsible for handling some important official documents.
Ma Teng also acquiesced to Feiwo's actions, and was even more respectful to him on weekdays.
No wonder, without Feiwo, it would be difficult for Ma Teng to do things in Jincheng County. After all, he took Jincheng County from Han Sui. And the reason why he was able to capture Jincheng County was because of Feiwo
deal with……
Ma Chao sat in the lobby for a while, which was time for a cup of tea.
I saw Feiwo coming in from outside, but his face seemed a little strange.
"My eldest son, if you are not on the front line, why are you here in person?"
Ma Chao said with a gloomy face, "If I don't come back, I'm afraid my messengers won't be able to see Master Fei... Master Fei, let's get straight to the point and don't beat around the bush. Master Fei, you must know the purpose of my coming back this time."
You know. I want food and grass! At least 10,000 shi... Otherwise, it will be difficult for me to support me in Zhangye County. You also know that my father is fighting in Longxi, and we must guard against military power. That Cao Peng is eyeing the tiger and will attack at any time."
"Ten thousand stones?"
Feivo suddenly showed a bitter smile, "Young Master, you might as well kill me."
"Master Fei, what do you mean?"
"Young Master, do you know how many soldiers and horses your lord has invested in Longxi County?" As he spoke, he stretched out his hands without waiting for Ma Chao's answer, "Eighty thousand, a total of 80,000 troops. Although my lord has captured a lot,
The county seat, but except for Didao and Lintao, the treasury of the other five counties is almost empty... I can't help but bear the food and wages of the 80,000-strong army, and I also have to worry about the food and clothing of the nearly 100,000 people in the five counties. A few days ago
, the lord sent someone to urge him again, and asked for thirty thousand stones.
But do you know how much Jincheng’s income will be this autumn?
The total amount is only 200,000 dendrobium... This does not include the support for the two Qiang people in Huangzhong, and the Yunwu Treasury is now almost at its bottom!"
When Ma Chao heard this, his expression changed drastically.
He could guess that Jincheng County was under great pressure, but he did not expect that it would be in such embarrassment.
Looking at Feiwo's much thinner face, Ma Chao's anger seemed to have suddenly become much smaller.
"But Ling Ju..."
"Lingju's side is now sending out orders every ten days.
Cheng Yin sent someone to complain to me earlier, saying that there was not enough food and grass. But what can I do? I can't deduct the lord's food and grass. Young Master, I know you are dissatisfied with me, but now we all serve the lord.
I can clearly distinguish the seriousness of this matter. Let me think of a way to see if I can transfer some from other places.
Five days... no, give me three days, I will definitely try to collect three thousand stones of food and grass and send them to Zhangye County, what do you think?"
"Three thousand stones?"
Ma Chao thought for a while, stretched out his hand and said, "Five thousand stones, no more."
"This...I'll try my best!"
Ma Chao left with satisfaction, and the bitter look on Feiwo's face disappeared immediately.
At this time, a young man walked out of the back hall and stopped next to Fei Wo, "Master Fei, five thousand today, ten thousand tomorrow. With a small golden city and a hundred thousand soldiers, you will be able to reach the sky."
, how long can it last? Besides... Haha, Ma Chao is asking for help from you today, so he looks nice. But if he gains power in the future, how will you deal with yourself? "