Southeast of the Fangcheng Mountain pass, this is already the boundary of Tangzhou. The 160,000-strong army led by Guo Xu, Zhao Yuankang and dozens of senior generals from the Great Zhou Dynasty had already crossed the mountain pass in the afternoon and reached the last open area in Nanzhao County on the east side of Funiu Mountain.
In front of us, under the bright autumn sun, the continuous Funiu Mountains seem to be right in front of us. But as the old saying goes, if you look at the mountains and run to death, in fact, this place is still seventy miles away from the Funiu Mountains.
On the gorgeous chariot, under the bright yellow umbrella, Guo Xu sat in the tall chariot. Looking left and right, he saw flags fluttering, war horses neighing, and his army swarming like a sea with momentum like a wave. He was not only delighted.
In my heart, I laughed out loud.
"My generals of the Great Zhou Dynasty are so powerful that they are well-equipped with food and supplies. How can those rebels imagine it? Soon, I will take the heads of Lin Jue and Guo Bing and his son, and let the world know that they dare to go against me."
, the consequences of going against the imperial court."
Zhao Yuankang, who was riding his horse to follow, raised his hands and said with a smile: "What the emperor said is true. We will arrive at the east pass of Funiu Mountain early tomorrow morning. Their good days are numbered. I am wondering if they have already escaped."
Guo Xu sneered and said: "Escape? The whole world belongs to me, where can they escape? I have ordered Junzhou, Xiangzhou, Fangzhou, Suizhou, Shangzhou, Shaanzhou and other states to assemble soldiers.
Funiu Mountain is surrounded by people. If they dare to come out of the mountain, they will fall into a trap. However, based on my understanding of Lin Jue, this person will not shed tears until he sees the coffin, and he will definitely fight to the death with me. I know that he is conceited about his handsomeness.
Thinking that he is the best general in the world, he dismisses my leadership ability. Therefore, I know that he will not run away. He must be ready to fight."
Zhao Yuankang smiled and said: "If he thinks so, then he is not far from death. It won't take half a day for my army to break through the bandit camp in Luoyan Valley in Funiu Mountain. Maybe from tomorrow, there will only be a group of lonely ghosts left in Funiu Mountain."
Already."
Guo Xu laughed repeatedly, but suddenly shook his head and said: "Zhao Yuankang, although your words may sound encouraging, but they also seem to underestimate the enemy. I don't dare to underestimate the enemy, but you do. Maybe you didn't fight with this Lin Jue
This person is not a simple person. Many people are as dismissive of him as you are. However, it is you who will suffer in the end. So I advise you not to underestimate the enemy. Otherwise, you will slap yourself in the face if you talk too much.
That would be bad."
Zhao Yuankang smiled awkwardly and said yes again and again. Zhao Yuankang was both contemptuous and afraid of this new emperor. He had witnessed the cruelty and ruthlessness of this man with his own eyes, and he could still be like this after killing his father, brother, the Queen Mother, and others.
He was as calm as if nothing had happened, which showed his hard heart. After he ascended the throne, Guo Xu specifically talked to himself and told Zhao Yuankang straight to the point that from now on, he, Zhao Yuankang, must loyally work for him and never have any flirtations with Lu Zhongtian.
If he, Zhao Yuankang, still has his heart set on Lu Zhongtian and serves as his eyes and ears, then what awaits him will be the disaster of confiscating his family and annihilating his clan.
Guo Xu's frankness made Zhao Yuankang feel frightened. Zhao Yuankang knew that it was because Guo Xu knew that he was a member of Prime Minister Lu, and he was unwilling to leave a person of Prime Minister Lu in the important position of Palace Secretary. This was a frank and honest interview.
Zhao Yuankang did not dare to disobey, so he could only follow Guo Xu’s ideas and in turn acted as Guo Xu’s eyes and ears to find out the secrets reported to Lu Zhongtian. Guo Xu did not break his promise and promised him that he would report to Lu Zhongtian soon.
He was appointed Privy Councilor and
He was immediately made deputy privy envoy.
The successful instigation of rebellion this time was, to put it bluntly, a kind of integration of interests. I am afraid that even Lu Zhongtian himself did not expect that Guo Xu would take the risk of offending him and directly showdown with Zhao Yuankang. Lu Zhongtian is a veteran politician, and he is accustomed to using this method
It's never that direct, and he won't use anyone else's people because he thinks that kind of people are unreliable. But Guo Xuquan doesn't care about this.
Zhao Yuankang is not just flattering. Listening to Guo Xu's solemn words at this moment, he also knows that bragging is bragging and things cannot be messed up. Otherwise, he will take the blame and die without a burial place. So
, he quickly understood what he should do.
"I ask the emperor to clarify what to do next. If the emperor gives you some advice, I can act according to the rules and do it wholeheartedly," Zhao Yuankang said.
Guo Xu nodded, he was very satisfied with Zhao Yuankang's attitude. He didn't like self-righteous people the most, because he was that kind of person himself, so there was a sense of rejection of the same kind.
"When I came here, I had already thought about it. I was going to pretend to attack Dongshan Canyon and send another cavalry to attack the pass near Shiren Mountain on the southeast side of Funiu Mountain. Lin Jue thought that I would attack Dongshan Canyon with all my strength, but I told him to know.
I am also good at using troops. This is called attacking from the east and attacking from the west. As long as the pass of Shiren Mountain is captured, we can attack the inner organs of Funiu Mountain from south to north. Lin feels that they are stuck on the left and right, and it is difficult to look at the head and tail. By then,
We changed the feint attack into a strong attack at Dongshankou, broke through its defense line in one fell swoop, and pushed straight into Luoyan Valley. This move is called virtuality and reality. Zhao Yuankang, do you understand?"
Zhao Yuankang laughed and said: "The emperor's clever plan is as if Zhuge was still alive. Lin Jue thought that we would attack Dongshankou to the death, but he didn't expect that the emperor would do this to him. Well, if you make false claims to the east and attack the west, you will make false claims. The art of war read by the emperor
There are so many, I am so impressed that I fall to the ground."
Guo Xu laughed and said: "You should also read more about the art of war. I will still conquer the north in the future, and you will make great contributions. Before coming, Prime Minister Lu was worried, and asked me to be careful when fighting Lin Jue, and not to fall in love with him.
That's right. He said that Lin Jue was very scheming and clever, and the implication was that I was not his opponent. I would not tell him in person. I don't like to speak big words, so let me answer him with the facts. Zhao Yuankang, without further ado, I
I think you should pick a soldier and go south, who do you think is suitable?"
Zhao Yuankang puffed up his chest and said: "If the emperor can trust me, I am willing to lead 10,000 troops and horses to accomplish extraordinary feats."
Guo Xu laughed loudly and said: "You are not humble at all. This matter is clearly a great achievement. You don't think about others and go alone. That's all, I'm sure. I'm not worried about others going. You can fix it immediately
Army, lead 10,000 cavalry to go south immediately. Tomorrow morning at midnight, when Beishan Pass launches a feint attack, you will launch a surprise attack and must break through Shiren Pass. I told you the ugly words at the front, and I can give you the credit, but if you fail to act, then
You have to bear this responsibility, so don’t blame me for being harsh and unkind to you."
"Your Majesty, don't worry. If I can't take Shiren Pass, I will die on the battlefield. I am willing to suffer the disaster of being pierced by thousands of arrows." Zhao Yuankang raised his hands and swore a poisonous oath to the sky.
…
As the sun sets in the west, the mountains and fields under the autumn sun look particularly magnificent. Where the mountain peaks are continuous, the autumn leaves on the hillside are golden and fiery red, and each piece is like a tapestry carpet, extremely gorgeous.
This is Bowang Town, located in Funiu
Southeast of Shandong Province, it is an ancient town in the northeast of Nanyang County under the jurisdiction of Dengzhou. It is only thirty miles away from Funiu Mountain. The remaining mountains of Funiu Mountain stretch here. The terrain is undulating and very dangerous. The official road passing through Bowang Town is at
It passes between the remaining hills of Funiu Mountain and the Yinshan Mountain in the southeast. The slopes on both sides are covered with dense and lush forests.
Yes, this is where the famous battle "Burning Bowang" took place during the Three Kingdoms War. If anyone is familiar with history, they should know that the terrain where Bowang is located is dangerous. There has been the "Xianghan Pass" since ancient times
' is a battleground for military strategists.
Of course, from the end of the Han Dynasty to the present, hundreds of years of ups and downs have passed, and through the Sui, Tang and Zhou Dynasties, things are no longer the same as before. Today's Bowang Slope has long been connected by official roads. After the mountain road has been repaired, it can be used for carriages and horses.
The journey is much more convenient and smooth than it was back then. However, what remains unchanged is that the terrain here is still dangerous.
The cavalry shook, and the smoke and dust obscured the brilliance of the setting sun. Zhao Yuankang arrived at the Bowangpo Pass at sunset.
In fact, there is more than one road detouring to the entrance of Shiren Mountain on the south side of Funiu Mountain. Beyond the mountain pass of Bowangpo, there is another official road about ten miles to the left of Funiu Mountain, which is a flatter official road.
Said. However, Zhao Yuankang did not want to expose the whereabouts of the army, because the closer to Funiu Mountain, the easier it would be for the enemy to detect the movements of the army. If you stand on the peak on the east side of Funiu Mountain and look out, a large group of cavalry can run even ten miles away.
OK, the smoke and dust it stirs up will be discovered immediately.
In order to ensure the success of the entire plan to attack the east and attack the west, Zhao Yuankang certainly did not want the other party to notice it. Therefore, passing through the Bowangpo Pass was the best way. The distance of thirty miles away was out of sight, so there was no need to worry.
.
The people and horses ran wildly for an hour and were quite tired and thirsty when they arrived here. Seeing the sun setting in the west, it will soon get dark. After passing Bowang Pass, they can turn west and reach the south of Funiu Mountain before dark.
The entrance to the side of Shiren Mountain. Zhao Yuankang accepted the advice of his subordinates and took a final rest and replenishment here. Both humans and horses need to drink water and eat because this is the last meal before the battle begins.
After dark, the men and horses had to sneak up near the mountain pass to ambush, and there would be no chance of feeding the horses dry food.
The 10,000 cavalrymen stopped on the grassland under the Bowangpo Pass and began to rest. Zhao Yuankang gnawed on dry food and looked towards the tops of the mountains on both sides, not to appreciate the gorgeous scenery of autumn leaves, but to look at the tops of the mountains.
There should be a beacon tower set up by local soldiers on the top of the mountain here. If there is an enemy situation, a beacon fire will be used to warn. Now it seems that there is no movement on the top of the mountain, and everything is going smoothly according to plan.
After burning the incense, Zhao Yuankang drank the last drop of water in the kettle, poured the remaining dry food residue into his mouth, got on his horse, and gave the order in a loud voice: "Mount the horse and set off."
The cavalry mounted their horses one after another, adjusted their formation, and the long team began to move along the official road to the top of Bowangpo Pass. The slope was not steep. When the official road was opened, the height of the slope was obviously lowered to facilitate passage.
It makes it easy for carriages and horses to pass. The gravel ground is also flat. Although the war horses cannot gallop quickly when going uphill, they can still trot up the slope. The width of the slope pass is not narrow, so there is no problem for seventy or eighty riders to ride parallel to each other. So
, in just half an hour, more than 3,000 cavalrymen had crossed the pass.
