The news that the Chuzhou army was defeated on the east bank of the Fanchuan River quickly reached the city of Jinling, causing a shocking wave like a huge boulder smashing into a lake.
In an inconspicuous tea shop in Jinling City, a large group of citizens were panicking and discussing the latest news.
"The Chuzhou Army was defeated!" A middle-aged man wearing a green coat and robe, sitting in front of the window, said with a melancholy and shocked look.
Just a few days ago, the tea patrons sitting in this teahouse were full of enthusiasm and hoped that the imperial court would send troops as soon as possible to regain Huaixi with the Chuzhou army and revive the power of the Chu army. Many people even shouted
He wanted to join the army and serve the imperial court, but he did not expect that in just a few days, a large basin of such icy cold water would be poured in his face.
"How is it possible that the Liang Army has only 20,000 soldiers and horses on the eastern front, and there are still a large number of soldiers and horses piled up in Tangyi City on the north bank. How many soldiers and horses can be used to fight the Chuzhou Army? King Xin is also one of the few soldiers and horses since the founding of the Chu State.
How could such a brave general be defeated so easily?" Some people still couldn't believe that such a thing would happen, and their questioning voices were also sharp.
The common people in Jinling City live at the root of the imperial city. After all, they are not country folk. They are influenced by what they hear and see. Even if they are defeated and lackeys, they can still say a few words about the current situation in the world.
"Can I still lie to you? Yang Asi was selling ducklings in a village north of Gaoyou. He saw with his own eyes that the Chuzhou army was killed and ran away like dogs. Yang Asi was also robbed of several coins by the rebels.
He was stabbed on the shoulder, but he escaped with his life and returned to Jinling." What is spread among the people in the market is still gossip, but some gossips cannot be believed.
"If King Xin is so inexperienced, is Liang Jun really that powerful?" During this period of time in Jinling City, many people were preaching about King Xin Yang Yuan's bravery and ability to fight well. The news at this time was too contrasting.
Some.
"Back then, when Lord Liang gathered a group of unarmed slaves, he was able to give King Xin a head-to-head fight. Think about how many battles Liang Jun had fought with the Dongliang Army and the Mongol people in the north over the years. How could it be that he had not done anything for almost ten years?
How can the Chuzhou army who has experienced the war compare? I heard that King Xin himself was shot off his horse. Fortunately, there were a few loyal and brave soldiers around him to protect him and escape back to Dongyang City, otherwise his life would have been lost on the battlefield.
, Huaidong will be taken away by Liang Guo." Most of the tea drinkers in the tea shop were leisurely people, and there were also people whose sources were closer to the upper class, so they couldn't help but join in the discussion at this time.
"Then Liang Jun can't be so powerful?" Some people still can't believe that Chuzhou Army could be defeated so miserably.
"I heard that Lord Liang has been taught magic skills by gods since he was a child. His skills are unparalleled and he can make all kinds of instruments. He has not suffered a single defeat in these years."
"Then where is Liang Jun fighting now? Has he captured Chuzhou City?"
"I don't know why, but Liang Jun suddenly withdrew after reaching the gates of Dongyang City, without even attacking Dongyang City."
"How is this going?"
"Who knows, I hope God protects me and Liang Jun will not concentrate his troops to attack Jinling..."
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In the main hall of Changxin Palace, the atmosphere was as oppressive as if there was a heavy lead weighing on everyone's hearts.
Dongyang County Magistrate Li Chaoqing was an official appointed by the imperial court. After Shen Yang learned the news of the Chuzhou Army's defeat, he immediately called Li Chaoqing to Jinling. Only then did the ministers who participated in the political affairs learn more about the detailed process of the Battle of Fanchuan River.
In the battle of Fanchuan River, the Chuzhou Army was west of Dongyang County and actually invested more than 26,000 soldiers. However, they were defeated by the Liang Army four times. In the end, nearly half of the soldiers were on the battlefield on both sides of the Panchuan River.
They were killed or captured, leaving less than 14,000 remnant and wounded soldiers who fled into Dongyang City.
Liang Jun's casualties are unknown, but it is estimated that they did not exceed 4,000.
Maybe it can be said that the preparations before the war were too inadequate, maybe it could be said that the enemy was underestimated, and Liang Jun did not expect that Liang Jun would cross the Fanchuan River immediately to counterattack. Maybe it can be said that King Xin was too hasty and was shot off his horse at the first opportunity, so that he missed the opportunity.
In the end, there was a chance to turn defeat into victory, but there was one thing that no one in the hall could deny.
That is, Liang Jun's combat effectiveness is much stronger than they imagined.
Or perhaps the combat effectiveness of the Chuzhou Army, which they consider themselves to be elite, has declined much more than they imagined over the years.
Liang Jun's strong combat effectiveness is also reflected in many aspects.
Nearly half of Liang Jun's generals wore new plate armor, which could not be penetrated by knives or shot by arrows, but was much lighter than traditional full-cover armor; except for the large crossbows used in the raid on Aodao, Liang Jun's
Equipped with a large number of individual combat crossbows, they have extremely long range and strong penetrating power. King Xin Yang Yuanyan wanted to lead his elite troops to raid the key points of Liang Jun's Chinese army. However, he was shot down by this kind of crossbow, and the two men who followed him in the charge were knocked down.
More than half of the more than a thousand elite Silver Halberd Guards were lost in this battle.
Of course, Liang Jun's small group of soldiers and horses are extremely capable in combat, which makes Liang Jun's advantage more significant the more complex the terrain.
Before the battle, Yang Yuan did not even expect that Zhao Wuji would lead the main force of the Liang army to kill Fanchuan River immediately. All aspects of the response seemed hasty and disorderly; Liang Jun's soldiers and horses advanced and retreated in a seemingly chaotic battlefield.
It is much more meticulous and orderly. It is obvious that the Liang Army's command system is far stronger than that of the Chuzhou Army.
It is sad to think about it. People like Cao Ba and Li Qi were once brave generals of Chu, but now they have become the first soldiers of the Liang army.
Listening to Li Chaoqing talking about the many details of the Battle of Fanchuan River, all the ministers looked ugly. Shen Yang also sat on the embroidered pier with a hunched and thin body, tightly pressing his chapped, bloodless lips, and said nothing.
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During the Jinling Rebellion, the Chuzhou Army could be said to be at its most powerful. However, under such circumstances, the Chishan Army was blocked to the north of Langxi, and ultimately lost the initiative in the Jinling chaos.
They were forced to retreat to the north bank and implemented a separatist regime.
The situation in Huaidong has been very difficult since then. There have been constant natural and man-made disasters in the territory. It was also turned upside down by Liang Jun and the land on the north bank of the Huaihe River was lost one after another.
The Chuzhou Army has long been in decline. It is no longer the Chuzhou Army it was before, and the morale of the generals is becoming increasingly depressed.
It's just that no one is willing to admit this fact before tasting the consequences.
Of course, if the Chuzhou Army encounters an ordinary army, such as Xu Si's Army or Shouzhou Army, if they accumulate a few small victories and recover their morale, they may be able to re-emerge as a strong army.
However, in the Chuzhou Army's first critical battle in recent years - Zhao Zhen's Youwu Xiang Army once attacked Xiangbei, and the battle was a smooth battle - the chosen target was the sharp Liang Army.
Moreover, it was Han Qian who specially transferred elite soldiers from the Northern Front. Perhaps at that moment, the disastrous end of the Chuzhou Army was doomed.
Before September, Han Qian realized that Jianghuai was about to undergo changes, but he dared to simply deploy only 20,000 troops on the eastern front of Huaixi. He was obviously confident enough to anticipate such an outcome.
Thinking of this, Shen Yang felt powerless and helpless. Sitting in the main hall, he didn't know what to say.
As for why Liang Jun suddenly withdrew from Dongyang City, this was not a mystery to the people sitting in the palace.
To put it bluntly, Liang Jun's garrison in Huaixi really only has this little force, which is not enough to attack the city and seize strongholds in Huaidong. After achieving the goal of severely damaging the Chuzhou Army and shocking Jianghuai, Liang Jun might as well withdraw neatly. .
However, the withdrawal of Liang Jun does not mean that the whole matter is over.
After all, it was this side that broke up the peace agreement. After all, it was their side that sent troops to invade first.
Han Qian's attention is still on the northern front, but after Liang Jun captures southern Shanxi, will he be able to free up 50,000 or 60,000 elite troops to Huaixi?
Yesterday morning, Shen Yang sent Xue Ruogu across the river to Tangyi, hoping to see Gao Shao and Yang Qin in person. However, as soon as the boat arrived at the center of the river, it was fired upon by dozens of powerful crossbows from Liang Jun's naval warships. A shipman and sailor was shot and fell into the river to death.
If not for the timely protection of those around him, Xue Ruogu might not have escaped with his life.
To put it bluntly, even if Liang Jun retreated to the west of Fanchuan River, the war he started has not ended. Liang Jun also refused all forms of negotiations...
Empress Dowager Mingcheng complained that she was heartbroken and had not attended the court meeting for two days. Qingyang sat on the side of the imperial court, trying to straighten her back, looking at the ministers with sad faces, and there was a fire in her chest, but she also I don't know how to vent it out.
Everyone here, not to mention Gu Zhilong, Zhang Chao, Du Chongtao, Zhou Bingwu and others, even Shen Yang had no expectations in his heart when the Chuzhou Army invaded Huaixi, and he had no intention of condoning Yang Zhitang and Yang Yuanyan's dangerous actions. ?
Now that the situation is like this, everyone is speechless?
After seeing Dongyang County Magistrate Li Chaoqing recounting the details of the Battle of Fanchuan River, all the ministers were sitting there without saying a word. Qingyang waved his hand in disinterest, indicating that all the ministers could retire:
"Since we all have nothing to say, let's all retreat."
"When a humble minister is in trouble, he cannot help the Queen Mother, Your Majesty..." Zhang Chao, Du Chongtao, Zhou Bingwu, Gu Zhilong and others looked at each other and stepped forward to plead guilty.
"Let's go, let's go, let's all go! The Yi family and Your Majesty are orphans and widows. They were bullied by others before, and no one said a fair word. Now I don't expect you to be of any help!" Qingyang! said.
After a long stalemate and repeated accusations, Zhang Chao and others left first, while Shen Yang and Yang En continued to sit there.
The thin young man, with a pale face and trembling lips, wanted to say something, but in the end did not open his mouth. He sat behind the imperial court like an eggplant beaten by frost.
"Princes and ministers, at this time, you don't even have the sincerity to arrest a few scapegoats to apologize. Prime Minister Shen, you and Marquis Yang are staying here. What else do you want to report?" Qingyang asked with a bad look.
"Logically speaking, His Highness King Xin sent troops to invade Huaixi without permission. He should be brought to Jinling to be punished and given an explanation to Liang Guo. But the problem is that Liang Jun no longer gives us the opportunity to contact us. No matter how much we do at present, it will not work. It is difficult to alleviate the current situation. If we send envoys to bring His Royal Highness King Xin here, it will only make the situation in Da Chu more chaotic, and let Liang Jun watch the fire from the other side..." Shen Yang stood up bravely, his voice hoarse. said.
Shen Yang sent Xue Ruogu to the north bank yesterday just to be prepared for Liang Guo's lion to open his mouth. He even thought that as long as Liang Guo proposed conditions, no matter how harsh Liang Guo's conditions were, he would try his best to persuade Du Chongtao, Gu Zhilong and Zhou Bingwu. As well as Zhang Wei, Zheng should come down.
Whenever possible, even if it means sending troops to "quell the chaos", he will find a way to capture King Xin Yang Yuanyan and bring him to Jinling for punishment, so that Liang Chu can get back to the rhythm of peace talks.
The problem is that the Liang State has stopped negotiating. If they send troops to Chuzhou to "quell the chaos" at this time, they will only mess up the situation and make Chu even weaker.
"What about Yang Zhitang, who has been hiding behind the scenes these days and fanning the flames? Do you still want him to continue to live happily?" Qingyang Nuli calmed down the anger in his chest and asked sternly in a suppressed voice.
"Prince Shou led the battle but his generals did not send troops," Shen Yang said. "For the moment, the Queen Mother and Her Majesty should consider the future based on the worst-case scenario, rather than holding anyone accountable!"
"You all know how to set up checks and balances. If it wasn't for your connivance at the beginning, how could the Huang family hiding behind Mingcheng Palace collude with Yang Zhitang and Yang Yuanyan to cause so many things?"
Qingyang couldn't suppress the anger in his heart and stood up suddenly. Shenyang asked angrily,
"Is it possible that if Yang Zhitang, Yang Yuanyan, and the Huang family are taken down and punished, and Chao Gang is purged, Chu will definitely be torn into pieces and will be completely vulnerable?"
"If there is a buffer time of two to three years, the ministers will support the Queen Mother in purging the imperial court," Yang En stood up and said haggardly, "However, according to the current situation, it is very likely that the Liang Lord Han Qian will take the throne after regaining the southern part of Shanxi. Send troops southward. In other words, it is very likely that by the middle of next year at the earliest, Da Chu will face the crisis of Liang Jun's full-scale invasion south of the Yangtze River, and I am afraid that there will be no buffer time to clean up Chao Gang."
"Then according to you, what should we do? It's been a few days, you should have discussed a solution in private, right? You don't want to ask the Yi family to cross the river to plead guilty to Liang Jun, right?" Qing Qing Yang stared hard at Shen Yang and Yang En and asked.
"Wei Chen went to Prince Shou's Mansion last night and met with Prince Shou. Prince Shou agreed to retire to Hongzhou for retirement. The crown prince Yang Fan will also submit a letter of resignation from the posts of governor of Runzhou and commander of Youlong Wujun. The Queen Mother can send him to any state or county at will. "Serve," Yang En said, "The Chuzhou army suffered heavy losses in this battle and should be reduced to one army. King Xin used troops without authorization. He should also be punished and demoted to the county king and ordered to reflect on his mistakes in Chuzhou City..."
Obviously, it was impossible for King Xin Yang Yuanyan to go to Jinling to bind thorns to plead guilty. Even if the Chuzhou army was left with only defeated soldiers and defeated generals, it was definitely not an easy task for the court to capture Yang Yuanyan.
As for Dachu, which is facing an existential crisis, if they don't compromise with each other at this time, do they have the capital to fight a civil war?
Even without Liang Jun peeping eagerly at one side, would it be possible to force Xin Wang Yang Yuanyan, Shou Wang Yang Zhitang and the Huang family to join forces to counterattack, and they would be able to control the situation and prevent the palace coup from happening again?
For now, it is a good result that Yang Zhitang, Yang Fan and his son are willing to accept relegation.
"Is this the end?" Qingyang asked.
"The Empress Dowager Mingcheng's body is in poor condition and she should rest in peace. She should no longer bother her with state affairs. And Xiaoxiao, who has been flattering his majesty recently, should also be exiled," Yang En said. "Of course, these are all related to Prince Shou's Mansion, Marquis Du, Lord Zhou, Prime Minister Zhang, and Marquis Gu have initially discussed whether it is feasible or not, and they need to send envoys to Chuzhou and Yueyang as soon as possible..."
After hearing that Dong E's cheap maid promised not to interfere in the government affairs, Qingyang reluctantly calmed down and said:
"Since you have made clear arrangements, then go ahead and do it. The young men around your majesty should not be exiled to the border areas. Each person should be beaten with a hundred sticks and driven out of the court. They should no longer hinder the eyes of the Ai family and stop trying to induce them. Your Majesty, just be a bad example."
Yang En glanced at Shen Yang hesitantly. Those young officials who danced the most happily would be disabled if each of them received a hundred canes.
The young man wanted to speak, but faced Qingyang's cold eyes and sat down again.
"I sincerely follow the Queen Mother's decree." Shen Yang said in a loud voice.
He knew very well that if Chu was not in chaos and the situation could be stabilized, there might be a glimmer of peace talks in the future; of course, in the worst case scenario, it was time to start thinking about moving the capital.
Of course, moving the capital involves a wider area, and we cannot rush to propose it directly in such a chaotic situation...
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Shen Yang and Yang En resigned and left. Zhang Ping and a group of servants gathered around the young emperor to return to Chongwen Hall to rest. Qingyang sat behind the imperial desk, with a large phoenix robe gorgeously spread on the wool blanket, watching the swaying in the hall. candlelight.
Lei Cheng, who was getting older and older, walked into the hall with a hunched body and said: "It's getting late, and it's time for the Queen Mother to rest..."
"Three days ago, the Ai family summoned Cai Chen to return to Honglu Temple to serve, but he is still bedridden today. Could it be that if the Ai family sent someone across the river to send a message to Tangyi, they would be shot to death by random arrows?" Qingyang looked at Lei Cheng and asked.
"How to deal with the follow-up matters? Your Majesty has not yet issued an edict, and we dare not make any independent decisions," Lei Cheng said. "Perhaps the status quo will be maintained for a while."
"So, once Han Qian frees his hands from the north, a battle between Liang and Chu will be inevitable?" Qingyang asked.
"Since the previous dynasty, the world has been divided for nearly thirty years. Countless people have been displaced and died in the war. This time, the barbarians were almost allowed to enter the Central Plains again and repeat the Wuhu chaos. The Queen Mother really hopes that this chaos will continue endlessly. Are you going down?" Lei Cheng asked, "No matter how others criticize you, but you can have the support of your family and country with your ancestors and emperors, what does the Queen Mother have to worry about?"
"How can a woman from the Ai family be qualified to consider such far-reaching matters?" Qingyang waved his hand tiredly, signaling Lei Cheng to retreat.
Lei Cheng bowed, hunched over, and excused himself from the hall.
Although there are holes for ventilation in the wall between the main hall, and even in the cold winter, the inside of the main hall is as warm as spring. But sitting in the empty main hall, Qingyang felt an inexplicable chill in his body, and he gathered his large phoenix robe tighter. , in order to be warmer, but I can’t get rid of the loneliness in my heart...
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When Gu Zhilong returned to his mansion, the sky had turned completely dark, with dark clouds and a howling wind, making people suspect that the first snow of the year would fall at any time in Jinling City.
With such a strong wind, for fear of causing a fire, they did not dare to hang lanterns in the yard. Everything was dark. When Gu Zhilong got out of the car, several attendants carefully held lanterns to light the way. They passed through the hanging flower hall and walked towards the back house along the corridor. , I feel more and more lonely and lonely.
The Chuzhou army was defeated, pouring cold water on the noisy and bustling young faction in Jinling. The Gu family has suddenly become deserted in the past few days, and even the Xi family father and son did not come to visit.
Countless people were in panic. At this time, no one knew how the situation would develop, nor when the Liang army would cross the river to kill them.
After taking off his court clothes and putting on a light and warm fur shirt, Gu Zhilong sat in his study and thought about things for a while. He suddenly woke up when he heard the knock on the door and saw his son Gu Xiongchang pushing the door open and looking over.
"Father, Mr. Fu is here."
Seeing the Chuzhou army being killed and routed, Gu Zhilong certainly wouldn't feel the slightest bit gloating about the misfortune, but after all, he was not directly involved, so he was still very happy in his heart.
When he heard that Fu Gengwen came to visit him overnight, he quickly stood up and wanted to go to the front hall, but then he asked Gu Xiongchang and said, "Master Fu, please come to the study here to speak..."
Although the Gu Mansion in Jinling is not extremely luxurious, the front hall and the inner house are still clearly separated. In addition, there is also a hall specifically for handling official affairs in the mansion - this is an exclusive privilege for a first-level minister.
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Gu Zhilong thought about talking to Fu Gengwen in the study room of his inner house, which would make him appear more intimate.
In any case, it was Fu Gengwen who dissuaded him from participating in Yang Zhitang's conspiracy at the critical moment.
Otherwise, even if the Yongjia Army has no chance to dispatch from the beginning to the end, as long as it prepares for war and makes abnormal adjustments, it will not be hidden from the eyes of those who are interested.
At this time, it seems that Shen Yang, Yang En and the others do not intend to pursue the responsibility of using troops without authorization and undermining the peace talks too harshly to avoid civil strife, but the consequences of this matter will definitely be endless.
Fu Gengwen followed Gu Xiongchang into the study, and asked with concern about what was going on in the court: "Gu Hou and the other lords went to the palace to meet the Queen Mother today. Have you discussed any countermeasures?"
As a doctor-level official, Fu Gengwen was certainly not qualified to participate in the Privy Council.
"Xue Ruogu crossed the river to the north bank yesterday and was shot back by a barrage of arrows. At this time, Liang Jun had no intention of contacting him at all. What countermeasures could the imperial court come up with?" Gu Zhilong no longer regarded Fu Gengwen as an outsider, nor did he speak like that.
Carefully, he asked him to sit down and said, "We entered the palace today. We didn't say much, so we excused ourselves and left the Changxin Palace. Prime Minister Shen and Marquis Yang stayed behind to play secretly. I think the Queen Mother has experienced the storm, so she should be able to
Accept Prime Minister Shen and Marquis Yang’s advice - now we have to see whether Chuzhou and Yueyang can temporarily accept such conditions."
"King Shou has accepted it, Lord Huang and King Xin should be able to see the situation clearly by now," Fu Gengwen said, "It's just that even the Huang family and King Xin can compromise, but when Liang Jun conquers southern Shanxi,
Tens of thousands of elite troops marched south with Lord Liang, so I’m afraid it won’t be easy to deal with such a situation..."
"Yeah..." Gu Zhilong sighed softly and said.
"Liang Jun may not be able to easily capture southern Shanxi," Gu Xiongchang said. "The Mongols left so many old and weak women and children in Jincheng and Luzhou just to fight Liang Jun in a bloody battle - if Liang Jun were there,
If the Northern Front is frustrated, my father and other gentlemen will no longer be so disgraced."
Gu Zhilong glanced at his youngest son, sighed softly, and told him: "The reason why the Mongols left such old and weak women and children in Jincheng and Luzhou was mainly because they hoped that we could recapture Huaixi and hit Liang Jun hard from the southern front.
This forced the Liang army to withdraw from southern Shanxi - who could have imagined that the Chuzhou army was so vulnerable? It is hard to say whether the Mongols can defend southern Shanxi until the autumn of next year!"
Fu Gengwen smiled inwardly, then pretended to be anxious and asked: "Has your Excellency decided on the matter of replacing Zhou Bingwu in taking charge of the Privy Council?"
"The Privy Council is a fire pit right now. It seems that the Queen Mother will continue to support Zhou Bingwu for a while. Of course, it would be okay if Du Chongtao or Zhang Wei takes this seat. I won't fight for this fire pit." Gu Zhilong shook his head and changed his mind.
I used to be so energetic and anxious, but now I wish I could rest in the house for a while.
Liang Jun has now made it clear that it will not stop fighting. Whoever wants to replace Zhou Bingwu as the Privy Councilor at this time must bear the responsibility of organizing defensive operations against Liang along the river.
No matter how you look at it at this time, this is a fire pit.
Can Gu Zhilong still jump into the fire pit by himself at this time?
Fu Gengwen mainly wanted to test the changes in the minds of Gu Zhilong and others. Before the soldiers and horses on the northern front of Daliang could escape, there would be no other rash actions in the south. He then said some words of comfort and said goodbye and left the Gu Mansion...
