After the news spread that Xu Shiji led Wagang Camp to capture Maozhu County, the heads of the seven wealthy families in Maozhu County, except the Shi family who fled with Hong Yibo, and the other six wealthy families arrived early in the morning with food and grass.
Maozhu County, expressed allegiance to the Far Eastern Army.
When the people inside and outside the city heard that it was the legendary Far Eastern Army that occupied the county seat, they did not panic at all. Instead, they were overjoyed and full of expectations.
As early as five years ago, Wang Junlin and Nie Xiaoyu formulated a plan to face the ideological struggle in all counties and counties across the world, and this plan was strongly promoted by Xiaoyu Theater, the Military Intelligence Bureau and other forces, and the effect was very obvious.
Last year, Wang Junlin only used 50,000 to 60,000 troops to overthrow the forces of Li Mi and Zhai Rang Wagang, who had an army of 400,000 in just two or three months. The victory in the ideological field played a very important role.
In short, at that time, the vast majority of the people and even many soldiers under the rule of the Wagang forces were devoted to the Far Eastern Army, and even worshiped King Qin'an. Under such circumstances, it is strange that the Wagang Army could win.
However, because Li Yuan and Li Shimin were shrewd, they even noticed Wang Junlin's struggle in the ideological field and took a lot of precautions. For example, the Xiaoyu Theater was almost forcibly banned in Hedong and Guanzhong. Some good words about the Far East Army
Legends were also strictly prohibited, and Li Shimin even had people fabricate many evil stories about the Far East Army, which were widely circulated among some people under Li Yuan's rule and his officers and soldiers.
Therefore, the Far East Army's ideological struggles in Hedong and Guanzhong have achieved very limited results. This is also the reason why in the nearly six months of the war between the Far East Army and the Li Yuan Group from last autumn to early spring of this year, the people under the latter's rule were not affected by the Far East Army.
One of the main reasons why it was widely mobilized or exploited and thus hindered the Li Jiajun internally.
But in Zhu Can's territory, the effect of the ideological struggle of the Far East Army was even better than that under the Wagang Army. It can be said that under Zhu Can's rule, the people of Hanzhong and Champion counties are now looking forward to the arrival of the Far East Army.
In their minds, the Far East Army is even the heavenly army sent by God. They are soldiers of the people and represent the hope of a better life.
When the Far East Army occupied Maozhu County, Houqiu committed no crime and did no harm to the people. Even if he purchased something, he paid the full amount of money according to the market price. Even the grain and grass sent by the six wealthy families were paid at the normal price.
money.
Therefore, after occupying Maozhu County militarily, Xu Shiji easily controlled the entire Maozhu County without encountering any obstacles.
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Hanzhong, Lueyang County.
"The Far East Army was so fast that Xu Shiji actually led 60,000 troops through Bashan and captured Maozhu County." In the Tang Army camp, Li Shimin took the information sent by the courier, frowning and looking solemn.
"Second Young Master, the Far Eastern Army's appearance in Zhu Can's rear in Champion County will naturally compete with us for food, but it will be beneficial to the war in front of us." Changsun Wuji thought for a while and suddenly said.
"That's true." Li Shimin nodded slightly and agreed. Apparently he had also thought of this: "There is our Tang Army in the north and the Far East Army in the south. Not to mention a little Zhu Can, even the one in the south who has built Liang and proclaimed himself emperor
I'm afraid Xiao Mian will also panic."
Changsun Wuji sighed with emotion: "Zhu Can himself is already panicking. As you can imagine, his subordinates must fight quickly to seize more territory in Sichuan and Sichuan before the Far Eastern Army."
Li Shimin nodded, but then shook his head and said: "There is nothing wrong with seizing more territory, but if we cannot severely damage the Wagang Camp of the Far Eastern Army led by Xu Shiji, it may be difficult for us to carry out our follow-up plans in Sichuan and Shu.
, and will be threatened at any time.”
Changsun Wuji's eyes flashed and he said: "Second Young Master, do you think it is more important to severely damage the Wagang Camp of the Far Eastern Army than to seize more counties?"
Li Shimin nodded and said: "Yes, the Far Eastern Army led by Yuchi Jingde and Li Jing was defeated in Hedong. First, the traitor Li Jing has been with me for a while and is very familiar with me, so I fell into Li Jing's scheme.
, Secondly, the opponent had a large number of soldiers and horses at that time, and thirdly, they were facing the Tiger Camp, Iron Spear Camp and Iron Hammer Camp of the Far Eastern Army, which are all old camps of the Far Eastern Army."
"However, what we are facing now is the Wagang Battalion that has only joined the Far East Army less than a year ago, and we have more troops than the opponent. If we do not seize this opportunity to destroy this Far East Army, I am afraid that this kind of opportunity will be difficult to come by again in the future.
appeared, not to mention that only by destroying this Far Eastern Army can we completely control the land of Sichuan and Shu, completely connect Guanzhong with Sichuan and Shu, and lay the foundation of this emperor."
Changsun Wuji solemnly said: "What the Second Young Master said is reasonable, but the problem is that although Xu Shiji was Wang Junlin's defeated general, he was the general marshal of the Wagang camp at that time. He was famous all over the world for his knowledge of soldiers and his ability to use them.
, it is not easy to deal with, and now that the Far Eastern Army has gunpowder weapons, steel plate armor and other good things, it may be even harder to fight."
"Zhu Can still has nearly a hundred thousand troops. If Zhu Can and I join forces..." Li Shimin looked confident.
Changsun Wuji was startled for a moment, his eyes flashed, and he solemnly said: "It's just that Zhu Can may not believe us."
Li Shimin laughed and said: "Zhu Can was beaten by us and the Far East Army at the same time. He must be in panic and despair. Wang Junlin had already announced that he would capture Zhu Can alive and cut him into pieces with a thousand knives. In this way, everything was broken."
The possibility of Zhu Can surrendering to the Far Eastern Army, and if I can give him a way to survive, or even promise him glory and wealth, he may not agree."
Having said this, Li Shimin stepped forward and patted Changsun Wuji on the shoulder, and said: "Of course, Zhu Can is a man-eating demon and a lunatic. Some things may not be done according to normal people's ideas, so
Wuji needs to personally go over this matter before I can rest assured."
Changsun Wuji was a little worried, but he had always acted decisively and considered the problem very rationally. Knowing that Li Shimin had already proposed it, he had no room to refuse, so he immediately handed over his hand and said: "Second Young Master, don't worry, Wuji will definitely convince him."
Then Zhu Can joined forces with our Tang Army to deal with the Wagang Camp of the Far Eastern Army."
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Xu Shiji knew that he was competing for time with the Tang army led by Li Shimin, so on the day after capturing Maozhu County, he left 3,000 men to guard Maozhu County. He led 30,000 cavalry and 20,000 infantry to directly attack the Champion County. In addition,
There were still 7,000 infantrymen left behind at Devil's Pass.
However, before attacking Maozhu County last night, more than two thousand horse thieves led by Kuangniao quietly left the group on Xu Shiji's order and disappeared without a trace.
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Just when Xu Shiji led the army to Champion County at a leisurely pace, rumors were already spreading in Champion County, people were floating, and undercurrents were surging.
"Prince Qin An's army has arrived, and the city of Maozhu County was captured by the Far Eastern Army overnight."
"I heard that the Far Eastern Army opened a warehouse to release grain in Moozhu County. The people have received the grain and have begun to divide the fields."
"I've also heard that as long as we are under the rule of Prince Qin'an, we don't have to worry about bandits coming in, and we will be given these miserable fields. When I think about those days, I feel like my whole body is on fire.
"
These are the sayings that have been spread among the people of Champion County in the past two days.
Among the Zhu Jiajun officers and soldiers in Champion County, there were other stories that were secretly spread from person to person, and spread throughout the entire military camp in a day or two.
"The Far Eastern Army is invincible in the world. Li Shimin, who came to attack us from the north, was the defeated general of the Far Eastern Army. The Li family and seven counties in the east of the river were robbed by the Far Eastern Army. This Li Shimin was driven to us to attack us."
"I have been to Maozhu County. The city wall is no shorter than that of the county town. There are more than 10,000 troops and horses, which is not much less than us. It is surprising that our county town can hold it."
"Isn't it? The Devil's Pass is so dangerous! I heard that General Wang Xiaoer and his 10,000 people were killed by the Far East Army in less than an hour, and they were so scared that they urinated in confusion!"
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Regardless of whether it was a rumor among the people of Champion County or a statement among Zhu Jiajun's barracks in the city, it spread like wildfire in just a day or two, and it was true. This was naturally abnormal, or perhaps
There is a reason.
The so-called "three people become a tiger" has been spread a lot, especially when everyone is saying these words, more and more people will unknowingly believe that this is true, not to mention the fact that these words originally contain a lot of information.
Most of them are true, just a bit exaggerated.
Of course, the fundamental reason why the people and soldiers in the city were able to believe these words in such a short period of time was because the Far Eastern Army had long occupied Champion County due to ideological struggles.
Therefore, in just one or two days, almost all the people in Champion County were looking forward to the arrival of the Far Eastern Army, and the soldiers were extremely war-weary. Everyone believed that the cannibal king Zhu Can was about to be destroyed.
No one wants to work for Zhu Can anymore.
As the rumors spread more and more, and commotions continued to occur, some wealthy families and slightly powerful people in the city had other thoughts. When they had other thoughts, mysterious people soon came to their door.
Hit it off with them.
The soldiers secretly hid their weapons and became deserters.
Although the guard Zhao Changshu killed nearly a hundred deserters with a stick, deserters continued to appear, and the fleeing trend triggered by rumors became more and more intense. In just two days, half of the Zhu family soldiers in the city fled, and the 30,000 defenders
In just two days, there were only more than 10,000 people left.
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When the desertion craze in Champion County became more and more intense, Shen Guang was secretly summoning the heads of several wealthy families in the city and the leaders of three gangs in a mansion deep in an alley in the city to plot a major event.
Obviously, the rumors in the city were started by people from the Military Intelligence Bureau and Xiaoyu Theater led by Shen Guang.
To be honest, Shen Guang originally only wanted to shake the morale of the Zhu Jiajun in the city and lower the opponent's morale. Unexpectedly, the effect was so good that half of the Zhu Jiajun's soldiers became deserters.
This gave Shen Guang an even bolder idea: he wanted to capture the championship county without any blood before Xu Shiji's army arrived.
In addition to the current situation of Zhu Jiajun in Champion City, his confidence is also because he has nearly a thousand personnel from the Military Intelligence Bureau, Xiaoyu Theater and the Wulin Guild in the city. If he adds up the personnel from several wealthy families and gangs who have submitted their services, he can gather At least five thousand people.
These five thousand people would not be enough to overthrow the Zhu Jiajun's rule in Champion City in normal times, but the current situation of the Zhu Jiajun in the city is already very bad, which gives Shen Guang hope. What's more, there are more than a thousand people led by the head of the Shi family. He followed Hong Yibo, who guarded the city of Maozhu, and fled to Champion County, and gained the trust of Hong Yibo and Zhao Changshu.
Shen Guang's plan first started with assassination. He personally led a group of masters to assassinate the generals who were loyal to Zhu Jiajun. This plan went surprisingly smoothly. Overnight, half of the generals of Zhu Jiajun who were loyal to Zhu Can died. Without the restraint of their generals, many Zhu Jiajun soldiers either became deserters or became scattered.
Therefore, when Shen Guang led 5,000 people to a sudden uprising with more than 1,000 people from the Shi family acting as internal countermeasures, the process went so smoothly that it was unbelievable.
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On the morning of the next day, an army appeared outside the city of Champion County. The team was neat, with spears like a forest, and bright armor. The red Sui flag was fluttering in the wind. On a big flag, the red flag read "Wa" "Gangying" are three big characters.
This was when Xu Shiji and Cheng Yaojin led the Wagang Battalion to attack. Just when Xu Shiji was preparing to put pressure on the city head first, then persuade him to surrender, and then prepare to carry out a psychological intimidation battle with trebuchets and gunpowder packets, the city gate suddenly opened It was opened from the inside, and Shen Guang led a group of people out.
Xu Shiji naturally knew Shen Guang. After being startled for a moment, he thought of a possibility and was shocked: "Master Shen, don't tell me that you have already won this championship county?"
Shen Guang smiled and said: "General Xu, to be honest, before doing this great feat, I never thought that we could capture a county in Zhu Can so easily."
Xu Shiji patted his head rather depressed, and Cheng Yaojin next to him said even more depressedly: "Sir, Master Shen, why is it so difficult for our Wagang Camp to make some achievements! There are only two counties in Zhu Can. Your Military Intelligence Agency has already captured a county."
Shen Guang smiled and said: "There is still Hanzhong County! Besides, the prince has already confessed that capturing Zhu Can alive is the greatest achievement. In addition to Zhu Can, there is also the Tang Army led by Li Shimin in Hanzhong. If General Xu and General Cheng can If Li Shimin was destroyed in Sichuan and Shu, that would be a great achievement."
Xu Shiji and Cheng Yaojin looked at each other with some doubts in their eyes. Capturing Zhu Can alive was a great achievement. They knew that destroying Li Shimin's Tang army must have been a big achievement. However, Shen Guang said it was a great achievement. Isn't this too great? It's an exaggeration. It would be almost the same if Li Yuan was killed.
Shen Guang saw Xu Shiji and Cheng Yaojin's disapproval and said with a smile: "You two may not know that in the whole world now, the person that the prince values and fears the most is not Li Yuan, nor Xiao Xian from the south, but this Li Shimin."
When Xu Shiji and Cheng Yaojin heard this, they were shocked. They looked at each other with solemn expressions in their eyes, and at the same time they were filled with fighting spirit and excitement in their hearts.
These two people have been going crazy trying to achieve great achievements these days. Since they have contributed so much to killing Li Shimin, they naturally have to work hard towards this goal, and now they see it as an opportunity.
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As Li Shimin's envoy, Changsun Wuji only led ten followers to the outside of Hanzhong County. He was not attacked by Zhu Jiajun. After revealing his identity, he was pulled up to the city by more than a dozen baskets that fell from the city.
.
Soon Changsun Wuji was brought to Zhu Can's palace.
The Zhu Palace in Hanzhong County was built by Zhu Can after he summoned tens of thousands of laborers and captured a master craftsman who participated in the construction of the Luoyang Palace. Under the auspices of this master craftsman, he imitated the palace in Luoyang.
However, although it occupies a large area and looks similar to the Great Sui Palace in Luoyang, if you look closely, you will find that the Zhu family palace is nondescript and even messy.
It is true that the master craftsman participated in the construction of the Luoyang Palace, but he was only the master craftsman specifically responsible for the wooden palace. Without other outstanding craftsmen, the Zhu Family Palace could not create a grand momentum at all.
And Zhu Can did not have strong financial resources, and it was difficult to build the Luoyang Palace as magnificent and luxurious.
Changsun Wuji stood outside the palace and glanced at the outline of the entire palace. Although his face was expressionless, he sneered secretly. After he was led into the palace, the sarcasm in his eyes became more intense.
From Changsun Wuji's point of view, the Zhu family palace made him feel like a monkey wearing human clothes.
Not long after entering the Zhu family's palace, Changsun Wuji heard a woman's miserable cries and begging for mercy in the distance.
Changsun Wuji sneered and ridiculed even more in his heart, because he knew that Zhu Can was in a state of agitation and panic, venting his inner fear by torturing women.
Zhu Can likes to beat women to vent his anger and fear. This matter is not a secret. It has been discovered by various forces in the world. Changsun Wuji came to act as a lobbyist. How could he not protect Zhu Can's personal information?
familiar.
Zhu Can is cruel, murderous, perverted, and crazy, but he is a very smart person, and he is quite good at employing people. Under normal circumstances, he is willing to listen to the suggestions and opinions of his subordinates and people around him.
Moreover, in order to win over his confidants, Zhu Can was very generous. He often gave money and beauties to his confidants. It was also under this situation that people like Wang Xiaoer, Hong Yibo and Zhao Changshu still maintained their loyalty to Zhu Can.