(The big chapter makes up for the missing chapter yesterday)
Maoshan Mountain is not comparable to Baohua Mountain, let alone comparable to Wuling Mountain, Xuefeng Mountain, Wushan Mountain, Daba Mountain and other majestic mountains in Jingshu land. But on the Jianghuai Plain, it can also be said to be full of peaks, steep rocks, and forest caves.
It is circuitous and crisscrossed by streams.
As the ancestral mountain of Taoism in the Qing Dynasty, Maoshan is known as the first blessed place and the eighth cave. Since the Han and Jin Dynasties, it has been reduced to the former dynasty, and the Taoist temple in Maoshan has gradually developed to its peak.
Even though the former Shengzhou Jiedushi and Tianyou Emperor suppressed the development of Buddhism and Taoism, and there have been continuous wars in the past hundred years, nearly 200 Taoist buildings such as palaces, temples, and pavilions are still preserved in Maoshan.
There are six Taoist temples at the Zixu Temple in Leiping Peak. However, they have not been repaired for decades and are already dilapidated. A stone path cuts out of the mountain, like a rope connecting the Taoist temples halfway up the mountain to the valley at the foot of the mountain.
There is a small village in the valley, where more than a dozen families live together. In the Taoist temple on the mountain, there are more than a dozen elderly Taoists living and practicing.
In the afternoon, a large number of women and children entered the valley at the foot of Leipingfeng Mountain from outside the mountain, and set up camp next to more than a dozen houses in the valley.
The sky is clear tonight, the stars and moon are bright, and by midnight, almost two to three thousand people have crowded into the valley under Leiping Peak, which covers an area of less than 200 acres.
Taoism is not very popular, and there are only a dozen or so Taoists in Zixu Temple guarding the empty Taoist temple that has been dilapidated for many years and has not been repaired for many years. They look at this scene with panic.
Even though among the people who have entered the mountain, no one has climbed up to Lei Ping Peak to find Zixu Temple, but how can the Taoist priests in the temple feel at ease?
Nowadays, war is in chaos, whether refugees are refugees or bandits, it has always been a matter of a moment's notice.
The Taoists didn't know whether to close the Taoist temple tightly, open the gate, or send people to the valley to find out the truth.
What's the use of just opening the door or sending people to find out the truth?
There are only a dozen old Taoist priests in the Taoist temple, and they usually don't have much incense. Apart from being worshiped by the villagers at the foot of the mountain, they mainly support themselves by taking care of the more than ten acres of vegetable gardens behind the temple. Even if all the food is taken out, it may not be possible.
Enough to feed the two or three thousand people who crowded into the valley today.
At this time, three vigorous figures quickly climbed up Lei Ping Peak from the steep cliff on the west side, using hooks and ropes and other objects. They were as agile as apes.
There was an dilapidated pavilion behind the temple. The young man at the head of the pavilion went straight to the pavilion. When he saw that Yun Puzi, the temple owner of Zixu Temple, was still enjoying playing chess with his father leisurely and contentedly, he rushed in without any fear.
There were so many refugees who could demolish the Zixu Temple at any time. I thought that it was true that my father said that Yun Puzi was a rare Taoist in the world, but the other Taoist priests in the temple had already lost their mentality.
Sitting in front of Yun Puzi, the master of Zixu Temple, was a slender old man. His thin old face showed the blue-gray color of a serious illness, but his eyes were clear, without the turbidity of the elderly.
When the old man saw the young man approaching, he put down the chess piece in his hand, suppressed his cough, and asked, "Has the news been confirmed?"
"It is indeed Han Qian who came here. He took away the military power from his second uncle three days ago, imprisoned his second uncle, Chen Mingsheng and the guards in Yanling Port, and blocked the news from the outside world. Han Qian was among the Longque Army soldiers.
The impact is indeed huge. I see that many of the soldiers raised in the second uncle's house have turned against them and followed suit. The second uncle and Chen Mingsheng have no room to struggle at all."
The young man is in his mid-twenties and does not look very strong, but the muscles bulging under his short-sleeved robe reveal great strength. He is a brave man who has trained his body since childhood. He just climbed a hundred feet with a rope.
Xuanbi didn't feel any strenuous at all. He walked up to the old man and detailed what he had discovered when he went out to the mountain today and said,
"Last night, Han Qian led his troops out of Yanling Port while it was dark, and lurked near Danyang City. In the early morning, he sent out a group of troops disguised as food soldiers to trick the city gate into opening, and then three to four thousand people attacked the city in one go.
, it took only half an hour to almost control Danyang City. Han Qian moved very quickly, and the defenders were unprepared for Yanling. They probably didn't even figure out where the soldiers and horses came from to attack Danyang, and they were blinded. It was a mess.
The group fled Danyang in a hurry, and it was not until noon that they thought of sending scouts to Yanling Port to investigate. However, 20,000 elite soldiers from Shouzhou had just crossed the river yesterday, and there was no movement from King Xin's side until dark. The boy guessed that Han Qian was there.
They used the elite Shouzhou Army to cross the river to fish in troubled waters, but what the boy couldn't understand was that Han Qian captured Danyang City but failed to defend it. In the end, he fled to Maoshan with 40,000 to 50,000 women and children. Even though he looted Danyang City and gained hundreds of
There was an extra car of food, but it was not worth the loss. It could only support these women and children for more than ten days. Why did Han Qian bother to offend King Xin? Even if it was to avenge blood hatred, the hatred between An Ning Palace and him was not deeper. His move was not
On the contrary, it will be more helpful to Ning Ning Palace?"
"Mr. Yun Pu, maybe you can guess Han Qian's intention?" the old man asked Yun Puzi, the owner of Zixu Temple.
"I have been reading scriptures and reciting Buddhism in the mountains for these years, but how can I understand the general trend of the military and the country? Your Majesty, please don't embarrass me with this kind of problem." said the viewer.
"Reading scriptures and reciting Buddha's name, you are an old Taoist who has practiced crooked ways." The old man coughed and pointed at the viewer and said with a smile, "If you really don't care about worldly affairs, why did Wang Yong, the Marquis of Changxiang, go to Jinling as an envoy?
But it’s time to go to Zixu Temple to offer incense first?”
"The Shenling Division has long since vanished into thin air with the previous dynasty. All that remains is the pursuit of power. How is it any different from the military commander Xiongfu who dominated the territory back then? I have been foolish all my life. If I didn't have any self-awareness, wouldn't it be wrong?
More embarrassing than your second brother?" But the viewer refused to admit that he was involved in secular affairs, and said, "Wang Yong is a prince after all, and he is the son of an old friend. If he wants to climb Leiping Peak, I can still
Can't you stop him? If you don't live in Hongzhou, what are you doing here at Zixu Temple? Even if you want to go out and help Yang Yuanpu capture Hongzhou, you need a Grand Master and the title of Grand Master!"
The old man coughed violently for a while, and it took him a long time to catch his breath. Instead of arguing with the cunning and cunning spectator, he said in frustration: "Wang Jixiong ran out of gas when he walked to Xuzhou. How many more years can I survive in this body?"
?Yang Zhitang didn't guard against me, he just saw that I was about to be buried, why did he talk about coming out?"
"I think Yang Zhitang is worse than your second brother. Even though he has ambitions, he still doesn't dare to show it at this moment. He still chooses to sit on the fence and wait and see. If you really want to come out, how dare he dare to stop you?" said the viewer.
Seeing that Yun Puzi was well aware of the situation in Hongzhou, the young man naturally knew that he did not stay in this Taoist temple in Maoshan to chant sutras and practice as he said. However, he could not guess why his father came at this time.
What do Jinling and Han Qian want to do?
The young man ignored the viewer and asked the old man directly: "Father, what do you think Han Qian means?"
"'The promulgation office seeks talents and visits ministers, but Jia Sheng's talent is even more incompetent. It's a pity that he only sits in front of the table in the middle of the night and doesn't ask the people or ghosts and gods.'" The old man did not directly answer the young man's question, but stood with his hands on his sleeves, looking at the leisurely scenery above the mountain stream.
Baiyun recited a poem by Li Shangyin, a poet of the previous dynasty, and said, "In the seventeenth year since the founding of the Chu Kingdom, there were as many generals as crucian carp crossing the river. But when it comes to being able to sacrifice one's life for the common people and forget the dead, only Han Daoxun and Wang Ji
Xiongya can only be counted as half."
"You quickly handed over your military power back then, why didn't you count yourself as half? If Yang Yuanyan didn't have the foundation to stay with you, he wouldn't have been so majestic in the previous battle!" said the viewer.
"How many years ago was that? Besides, I was just afraid of death at the time. I wanted to live a few more years of peace, but I couldn't compare to Wang Jixiong, let alone Han Daoxun," the old man said, "I just didn't expect that the storm would end after all!"
"You mean this kid from Han Daoxun's family is here for the sake of the common people, why didn't I see it?" the viewer asked, returning to the topic.
"If this were not the case, I can't figure out why he would come to this muddy water at this time." The old man said.
"Children are also stupid." The young man also couldn't understand why his father had such a judgment. He interjected and asked, "It is said that Han Qian is a scheming and vicious person. My father also judged the battle of Xichuan. Han Qian was capable of bullying.
Wang Ruzi was suspected of performing extraordinary feats, so it was difficult for him to be favored by the late emperor. Before Shen He was poisoned and died, he went to Tanzhou to declare an edict. If Han Qian had not noticed it, it would be difficult to be regarded as a "three or five people". If he had noticed it, the great Chu would fall apart.
, he cannot absolve himself of the blame for Jinling falling into today's crisis."
"Yes, I used to think that although Han Qian was a great talent, he was not ruthless, but people will change and grow," the old man said with a long sigh, "That's why I ran away with my sick body in my arms.
I came to Jinling just to see if Han Qian would come to Jinling in the face of the current chaos, or if he would join forces with Zhigao to capture Yongzhou first..."
The viewer interrupted and asked, "What's the difference? In my humble opinion, Yueyang should attack Yongzhou first to consolidate the foundation. Zheng Yu and Zheng Chang advocated stationing troops in Huang and E, but they just wanted to use the opportunity to consolidate their Zheng family's power in Jingzhou.
Xiang’s power, while Chai Jian and Li Chong’s followers want to divide Li Zhigao’s power - there is no peace within your Li family, otherwise there would be no need to be in such a mess this time."
The old man did not want to say much about the internal affairs of the Xinchang Hou Mansion, and said: "The Zheng family, Chai Jian, and Zhou Yuan all have their own selfish motives. It may be beneficial to Yueyang to take Yongzhou first, but after a year and a half of delay, the situation in Jinling collapsed, and Jianghuai
Then it will fall apart, the ground will be red for thousands of miles, and the blood will flow everywhere. And after the Jianghuai River is completely crippled, the foundation of Chu will be shaken, and it will be difficult to resist the Northern Army's southward invasion..."
"How can you argue like this?" If someone else had said this, the viewer would have thought it was an outrageous statement. However, the viewer knew what kind of person the old man in front of him was and couldn't help but ask in shock.
The young man was also puzzled.
The old man said: "Not counting counties, the city of Jinling alone has a population of six to seven million. In previous years, grains were brought from Yangtai in the east and Suyunhu, Xiuyuehang and other states in the south of the Yangtze River to meet consumption. During the Jinling Incident
After the incident, Yangtai was completely controlled by the Chuzhou Army and continued to recruit troops and adjust grains from it. Not to mention that the merchants were cut off from the grains on the east road of Jiangnan, the gangliangs that should have been escorted to Jinling before the end of last year were either intercepted by Chuzhou.
Military pay is either hoarded in large warehouses in various states and becomes a bargaining chip for these people to wait and see. In fact, to this day, not a grain of food from the states in the east of the Yangtze River has been transported into Aurous Hill for almost half a year," the old man said, "You just came from
When you come back from Jinling City, do you know how high the price of food in Jinling City has risen?"
"The price of fifteen cents per stone has increased three times compared to the lowest point in the past two years. However, compared with the sky-high price of one stone of grain worth a hundred cents in the past, there is still a long way to go. What's more, Anning Palace is also working on a solution at this time.
Grain transfers from prefectures and counties in the west and Jiangbei have come to stabilize grain prices." The young man said nonchalantly.
"West of Jinling, Jingxiang, and Hunan are no longer under control, and the next step will even be to strictly control the export of grain to the east; Poyang Lake has been flooded for years, and the surrounding states have more mountains and less land. Even if the states in Jiangxi and Yuanjiang are not willing to wait and see, they will
There is no surplus grain here, and even with Yueyang in Hubei, Huangzhou will continue to increase troops, and Jiangchi and other states will also recruit troops and horses, exacerbating the consumption of grain. Jiangbei has always been a war-ridden place, and it has been eventful for more than ten years.
, has never calmed down. Even if Anning Palace controls Shouzhou, Chaozhou, and Chuzhou, the food it can requisition can only barely guarantee the food supply for hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses, but it is difficult to take care of the large number of civilians," the old man said
, "These situations don't seem particularly dangerous, but we have to take into account what Chuzhou has and will have in the future!"
"Chuzhou's intention is to gradually tighten the supply of grain and fodder in Jinling, so that they will eventually collapse without fighting due to lack of food?" the young man asked in shock.
"After the battle at Jingshan Nunnery, the Chuzhou Army couldn't wait to seize Danyang from your second uncle's hands, and drove your second uncle and his 50,000 people to the Xipu River for food. They must have had this idea.
By making this move, they not only used the old, weak, women and children in your uncle's hands to consume the grain reserves in Liyang and Jiangcheng areas, but also blocked the trade route east of Liyang via Huzhou. However, I didn't have any particular worries at that time.
After all, Chuzhou should have made two preparations at that time, and perhaps was more inclined to a quick victory. However, the Liang Kingdom was in chaos, so Chuzhou did not fear the pressure from the north within a year, and Yueyang transferred Li Zhigao to defend Ezhou, and the Zheng family
We will also focus on operating Huangzhou and act like fishermen to gain profits. I am afraid that it will make it more difficult for the Chuzhou army to make up their minds to attack Jinling quickly..." the old man said.
"The Chuzhou army is afraid that if they attack Jinling by force, they will suffer too many casualties, or that they and An Ning Palace will suffer losses, which will only benefit Yueyang fishermen in the end?" the young man asked.
The old man nodded and said: "Once Chuzhou has no intention of a quick victory, their strategic options will become extremely limited!"
"As more and more Shouzhou soldiers and horses disembarked from the western foot of Baohua Mountain, civilians in Jiangcheng and other places fled into Jinling City to avoid disaster. However, there were refugees who wanted to flee eastward into Runzhou and Suhu.
Will they be intercepted and looted by Chuzhou soldiers and horses, and they have already planned to drive people to Jinling City?" The young man suddenly realized that the information he had collected also contained some obvious clues, and asked, "Who is my father?
Are you saying that Han Qian has seen through Chuzhou’s plan, and attacking Danyang but not defending it is to destroy their plan? Retreating to Maoshan is also to ensure that there is a gap in the southeast corner of Jinling that is not controlled by the Chuzhou army? "
"That should be the case," the old man said. "Whether both sides have this intention, you can verify it by seeing whether the Chuzhou army attacks Maoshan and whether Han Qian defends Maoshan!"
"Imagine that Maoshan Mountain is only twenty miles from north to south. If Chuzhou does not allow Han Qian to defend Maoshan Mountain to open a gap for Jinling, Han Qian only has less than 3,000 remnant soldiers and nearly 50,000 women and children, and even food is a problem. How can he defend it?
Maoshan?" The young man was puzzled by this question.
"I think he organized a women's camp, maybe he has plans to use women and children to guard Maoshan and use the elite to travel outside the mountain?" the old man said.
"How long can he sustain this style of play?" the young man asked with confusion or a hint of disdain.
"You know it's impossible and you do it, that's how brave you are." The old man sighed.
The young man turned to look at the mountain stream, obviously disdainful of the old man's words, or in other words, disdainful of Han Qian's actions that he knew were impossible, and secretly thought, isn't this the courage of an ordinary man?
The owner of the temple, Yun Puzi, saw the young man's reaction, slapped a chess piece on the chessboard, and said to the old man:
"In any case, Han Qian sneaked into Jinling to seize military power. He is probably not the good and virtuous minister you expected."
"What is a good minister?" the old man asked.
The leader of the temple, Yun Puzi, smiled slightly and did not answer the old man's question.
Seeing that the young man felt the same way about Yun Puzi's words, the old man sighed inwardly, thinking that if Xiu'er had not thought about it, Shenlingsi's so-called mental tricks would not be able to work, but he had experienced countless storms in his life and knew that the best
What is difficult to change is the human heart.
At this time, he was too lazy to scheming with Yun Puzi, who was also much older, and turned his mind to the endgame of the chessboard.
The young man said to the old man: "I saw my second uncle entering Maoshan with Han Qian and the others. Do I want to see my second uncle?"
"Every one of you has grown wings. If I insist on keeping you by my side, you will probably be resentful. Besides, I am terminally ill and I won't be able to stop you for two or three years even if I want to." The old man held up a chess piece.
, sighed lightly and said, "You have to remember a few points. The palace of Yuzhang King Yang Zhitang is deeper than you think. Otherwise, there are so many collateral descendants of the Yang clan, and he alone can make the county king to guard Hongzhou. You
It is difficult for the second uncle to become a great weapon. You can go to see your second uncle or Han Qian at this time, but don't tell me that I am in the mountains. If possible, you should try your best to help Han Qian defend Maoshan and don't become his enemy."
"You said that guarding Maoshan is a man's bravery. Helping Han Qian guard Maoshan is not asking for his own death?" The young man muttered in his heart, but he still agreed.
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Damao Peak Yinyun Nunnery is one of the many Taoist nunneries deep in Maoshan Mountain. There are dozens of old nunneries hidden in the deep mountains and dense forests. Several elderly Taoist nuns guard them and lead a life of poverty-stricken practice. However, the world is not
The Wudao Buddha saves the world.
By midnight, nearly two thousand old and weak women and children were stationed in the valley where Yin Yun Nunnery was located.
Seeing that there was a female camp maintaining order, several Taoist nuns in the nunnery were in a relatively stable mood, and they especially lent the back kitchen to light a fire for these people to cook.
"Miss, what's going on with you? Why haven't you packed your things? If you don't leave and those outside are aware of Miss's identity, it will be really bad!" In the Xiyuan nunnery of Yinyun nunnery, two waists
The maid who was wearing a short sword went out to inquire about the news, and came back with strong skills. When she saw the young lady still sitting in front of the window, holding a scroll and reading leisurely, she was so angry that she hurried forward to pack her bags and prepare to leave Yin Yun Temple at night.
"We are peaceful cultivators, what are they going to do to make things difficult for us?" The young lady put down her book, hugged her knees and sat in front of the window, looking at the freshly green mountains and forests outside the window. A stream gurgled past the window, and the mountains were so quiet.
The hustle and bustle outside the nunnery did not bother me at all.
"Miss said that refugees and bandits are just a matter of thought. If they become refugees, they will not talk to the lady. Besides, the lady is so beautiful. If I were the king of the mountain, I would snatch her away.
Go back and be Mrs. Yazhai," the older maid muttered, "Besides, the young lady has already seen everything she wants to see. We misjudged the feelings of Young Master Han, okay? However, Yue Yang and Chu
After Xuzhou was united, the Han family captured Danyang but did not defend it. I wonder how angry His Highness and the boss would be. Miss, don’t you still think about marrying to Xuzhou? Miss, are you not afraid of Han?
Can that person tear each other apart when they meet the boss?"
"If you talk nonsense again, I will really pinch your mouth." The young lady said shyly.
"Okay, okay, let's pinch ourselves, shall we? Miss, look quickly and see if there is anything left unpacked. If not, let's leave quickly. It's still a mess outside. We can still find a space to get out. Maybe tomorrow
I really can’t leave." The eldest maid said.
"But I haven't figured out how he will guard Maoshan..." The lady held her snowy cheeks and looked at the stream outside the window, and said doubtfully.
"But Miss, you can't hand yourself over as a bargaining chip!" the eldest maid said anxiously, "You are really not afraid of making the boss angry to death!"
At this time, a man in black hurriedly walked into the yard, knelt on one knee in front of the corridor, and said: "A group of soldiers rushed straight to Yin Yun Temple, seeming to realize that this is our contact point. Miss.
Hurry up and hide in the back mountain, we can still delay the lady for a while."
As soon as the man in black finished speaking, he heard a popping sound coming from the bamboo forest in the back mountain. It was the mechanism they placed deep in the bamboo forest that was triggered, and the birds in the bamboo forest were frightened and flew up.
The people in the fast bamboo forest no longer concealed their whereabouts, and the loud footsteps came towards the nunnery...