War is dynamic and chaotic. From a micro perspective, today's arrangement may be useless tomorrow, but it may be miraculous the day after tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow becomes Achilles' heel.
But, it’s impossible to ignore it, right?
After all, quantitative changes lead to qualitative changes. Only by continuously making rational and correct responses can it be possible to improve fault tolerance from a macro perspective and make the command system, like logistics, troops, morale, and climate, become the real winner.
Of course, the outcome of such a large-scale battle will ultimately be determined by a decisive battle of the main force or the victory or defeat of a strategic location. Everything before was just a foreshadowing, just to create better conditions for the end.
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Now, Qu Duan is traveling westward all night to return to Yanzhou. This time he and the Wu brothers will be unified under the leadership of Hu Yin and become one of the three military commanders in northern Shaanxi. From the perspective of actual power, his power seems to have weakened significantly.
After all, he actually controlled the command of two armies before... But there is no doubt that the level has gone up, because this time he is a serious military commander, the pinnacle of life that the former Western Army generals in Jingkang dream of.
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In fact, even in the current Kansai region, there is only one Liu Xi, son of Liu Zhongwu, as the Xihe Road envoy, barely maintaining the qualifications of a traditional Western Army general.
But it is conceivable that as the importance of the Kansai War has been raised to an immeasurable level, according to Zhao Guan's past generosity, as long as the military performs well, the commanders of the Western Army will also receive unprecedented rewards. This is their
Opportunities, and the return of Quduan is a very representative signal.
After Qu Duan left, Zhao Jiu did not delay. Early the next morning, he led his army through Sishui Pass and continued westward. Then in just three days, he returned to Luoyang City, a "strategic place" that could determine the direction of the world in the past.
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The reason why it is said to be in the past is because this thousand-year-old capital has been slaughtered and burned once by the Jinren. This time last year it was still a white land. One year is not enough for it to truly rejuvenate and rejuvenate.
Build your own brilliance.
However, this does not mean that Luoyang has no value.
"Although Luoyang City is no longer there, the Luoyang Basin is still the strategic center of the world, and it is also where Xijing of the Song Dynasty is located." That afternoon, Zhao Jiu, who was wearing military uniform, led more than 3,000 troops to the old city of Luoyang.
He reined in his horse and looked around for a long time, and sighed sincerely. "Zhang Rong's ships are limited. Once the Jin army crosses the river in multiple ways, they will probably ignore it head and tail, but we must not ignore it here."
"Don't hide it from the officials." Liu Ziyu, who was wearing a cowhide belt at the side, rode forward and spoke proactively. "There were worries in the Privy Council before. The last time the officials stopped in Luoyang, the Jin people only sent Wanyan Saba and his troops to arrive.
We only had 5,000 soldiers in Jijin. The general was also defeated by Lieutenant Li several times. He was defeated when he first arrived, and his entire army was wiped out when he retreated. It was like a joke..."
"Do you think Wanyan Loushi deliberately sent a loser and thousands of weak soldiers to make us think that Luoyang will not be attacked by Hedong?" Zhao Jiu thought thoughtfully. "But in fact, this time the Jin army attacked in large numbers,
There are hundreds of thousands of Hedgehogs gathered in Hedong. Who knows that an elite army will come from Jijin and go south to attack Mianchi?"
"There are such considerations, but it may not be just Jijin, Changquan, or Mengjin." Liu Ziyu responded calmly. "In any case, Luoyang must be properly protected."
Zhao Jiu nodded, but did not say a word. Instead, he looked directly at the two people who had been standing for a while not far from the horse... The two of them were powerful men in Henan. They entered the imperial camp because of their ability to fight against the Jin people.
There are two generals, big and small, Zhai, and behind the second general is the old city of Luoyang. Only the city wall has collapsed and has not been repaired. You can clearly see hundreds of sergeants standing solemnly in the city.
"I will definitely fulfill my duties and serve as a northern barrier for the officials." Zhai Xing, the big Zhai among the big and small Zhai, had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time, so he stepped forward and hurriedly responded.
Xiao Zhai Zhai Jin also quickly stepped forward and said respectfully: "Please rest assured, officials. I have grown up in Luoyang for generations. I am familiar with where to cross and where to defend in the north. We brothers are in the north, and the officials are very familiar with it."
You can sit peacefully in Luoyang."
Zhao Jiu nodded, still without saying a word, but turned back to look at the panting Prime Minister Wang Boyan behind him... This man was already very old.
"I will definitely fulfill my duties." Wang Boyan raised his hands to each other on the horse, and then dismounted carefully.
Zhao Jiu acted quickly, getting off his horse before Yang Yizhong, and helped Wang Xianggong, who was feeling a little uneven, off his horse.
Wang Boyan was a little embarrassed when he got off the horse, but he still managed to hand over to Zhao Jiu: "Let the officials laugh, I have been pampered and pampered over the years, and I have become old and decrepit. I am no longer as brave as I used to be with my bow."
Zhao Jiu couldn't help laughing when he heard this: "It's a pity that we still can't let Wang Xianggong be the Yin of Beijing, and I have to humiliate Xianggong and become the Yin of Henan."
Wang Boyan was startled for a rare moment, and then he also laughed.
Moreover, what the two men were talking about was the theoretical scene when the two met for the first time... That was four years ago, before Zhao Jiu climbed out of the well. At that time, the body of King Kang was on a mission to the north, passing through Hebei.
As a result, halfway through, the Jin army broke through the Zhending Mansion guarded by Liu Ziyu and his son. The cavalry went directly south to Cizhou and Xiangzhou. At that time, everyone came to persuade him not to go north again, and Wang Boyan, who was in Xiangzhou, personally carried the bow.
Jia led his troops to meet King Kang.
When the two met by the Yellow River, King Kang was greatly moved and comforted him, saying that if he went back to see His Majesty, he would definitely recommend Wang Boyan as Jing Zhaoyin, and he would become his confidant from then on.
But now, things and people are not the same. Wang Boyan has long thought that the officials have forgotten the old things, and of course Zhao Jiu has indeed 'forgotten'... It's just that Yang Yizhong mentioned it to him again accidentally... However,
No matter how many mistakes and errors there are, just like Lu Haowen, as the prime minister who was retained in order to stabilize the situation at the beginning, the two of them are kings and ministers, and it continues to this day. Some things are true or false, but it does not affect each other in the end.
Affectionate.
After laughing, Zhao Jiufang supported Wang Boyan and turned to look at the Zhai brothers who had already realized something: "You two are working hard here. In a few days, there should be rebels from Ruzhou and Nanyang coming to replace Niu Zongzhi.
Vacant... I don’t want you to do anything else. Protect Mr. Wang for me and save Luoyang. This is your contribution to this battle!"
Although they were a little awakened, the Zhai brothers were still shocked at what they said, but they did not dare to ask any more questions, so they had to bow their heads and salute Mr. Wang.
Wang Boyan, who got off his horse, did not immediately pay attention to the Zhai brothers, but only raised his hands towards the Zhao Guan family and then said: "The Guan family, on the south bank of the Yellow River, from Chang'an to Bianliang, has been the backbone of the world since ancient times, and Luoyang is the heart of China.
...The so-called "living in China and facing the world" refers to this place... As a minister of the country, and being ordered to be here, I will inevitably live and die with Luoyang, and the official family can rest assured and head west."
Zhao Jiu nodded.
He knew that China refers to its original meaning, which means the Central Plains or the capital. After the Yan and Huang Dynasties, during the period of Yao, Shun and Yu, it was likely that the country was founded and expanded in the Luoyang Basin, so this term in many ancient books can specifically refer to Luoyang.
However, this is not the time to care about these academic issues, nor is it the time to be moved by the determination in Wang Boyan's words... After all, by now, Zhao Jiu himself has realized that he has asked his son to die. Whoever it is, at least on the surface should have the consciousness to risk everything.
Of course, calling for life and death right now is really not just perfunctory and pretense, because the weapons are right in front of you, and when it comes to it, anyone may be forced to make a decision... That's when the fake is the real thing No, when it’s true and false.
In one sentence, let's talk about all kinds of emotions until after the war.
Therefore, Zhao Jiu just nodded, got on his horse, and then looked at the Zhai brothers as if he remembered something.
The Zhai brothers all came to their senses, and then Dazhai turned his head towards the unshielded city behind him and pouted slightly. Then a young knight with a scar on his face led his horse out of the wall. He first knelt down and saluted Zhao Jiu, calling himself the eldest son of Zhai Jin. Zhai Cong then led about two capital soldiers and horses, dozens of auxiliary soldiers, and more than a dozen mule carts into the team.
Seeing this, Zhao Jiu no longer hesitated, abandoned Luoyang directly, and continued heading west.
To be precise, he was heading southwest. He did not take the main road between Mianchi and Shaanzhou... across the river, which would have been too easy to be discovered by the Jin army's sentries... but followed the Luoshui River south of Luoyang City, from Er. To the south of Xiaoshan Mountain, follow the river all the way up.
In this way, Wang Boyan settled in the palace in Luoyang, and a brand-new Jinwu 纛瓓 was raised on the remaining city of Luoyang, but Zhao Jiu died down. The imperial army marched for more than ten days, passing through the Luoshui trail in the south of Guozhou and the north of Shangzhou. After a hard journey, we arrived at Lantian, an important town in Kansai.
When they arrived here, Zhao Jiu joined forces with the Huyantong tribe who had arrived here in advance, and also received thousands of copper faces and flags left here by Han Shizhong... At this time, the number of this group had reached more than 4,000 All the soldiers and horses in front of the imperial army put on the iconic copper masks of Han Shizhong's tribe, and took advantage of the situation to take advantage of the banner of Han Shizhong's general Xu Shi'an. Just now, under the cover of Huyantong's tribe, they continued westward, but on April 18th, Arrived in Chang'an on the same day.
At this time, large armies had already gathered around Chang'an City. In addition to the Jingzhao defense troops originally formed by Yu Wenxuzhong, troops from Xihe Road, Qinfeng Road, and even Xingyuan Prefecture all arrived. And those who had arrived from Wuguan before Han Shizhong's imperial camp left army, and the various units of the imperial camp's central army that arrived from the road north of Laoshan, had already set up formations and garrisoned on both sides of the Wei River.
When they arrived at Baqiao, Hu Yantong went directly to Weibei to join Wang De. At this time, only one "Xu Shi'an tribe" who was good at guarding came to Chang'an... That Yu Wenxuzhong was the left-behind minister, so naturally it was not easy to go out to greet him. , it’s even hard to get out of the Prime Minister’s Mansion.
However, Zhao Jiu saw Zhang Jun and Zhang Deyuan, the Bashu Fifth Route Transport Envoy, who had changed into green robes and came to greet him inside the city gate.
"Official!"
When Zhang Jun saw Zhao Jiu, he resisted not worshiping him. When he arrived in the city, he eagerly mounted his horse and faced him. "I was on the road and heard that the official family should support you in front of the gate. It's really..."
"Don't talk about this." Zhao Jiu continued to rein in his horse and entered the city without taking it seriously. "Just tell me how you got here so fast? How is the military situation in northern Shaanxi?"
"Last time, I missed the due date due to the spring rain. I was extremely ashamed and had been handling affairs in Xingyuan Mansion (Hanzhong), so I came very quickly this time..."
"How many troops did you bring?"
"Ten thousand people from Xihe Road, ten thousand people from Qinfeng Road, and ten thousand people from Xingyuan Mansion... I originally wanted to recruit the various tribes in Qingtang, but they all couldn't wait and see."
"It doesn't matter...Last time, because the spring rain hadn't arrived, Lou Shi didn't see you in Tongguan for a month. I'm afraid he didn't count on you this time. Of the 30,000 troops, at least 20,000 of them are extra."
Things have changed.”
"I am ashamed. Before Bashu provided money and food to Nanyang, the Western Army was rebuilt only a year ago. There may not be officials to bring these 4,000 to 5,000 elite soldiers out of the 20,000 soldiers..."
"I made this up by force, and I don't know if it is good or bad, but when it comes to money and food from Bashu, 30,000 soldiers and horses, and three soldiers and horses from northern Shaanxi... With so many soldiers, military pay, and logistics, are they sufficient?"
"Enough." Zhang Jun immediately responded. "As I came over, I asked Zhao Kai to collect money, food, materials, and materials in Bashu at all costs. Not only did he ask him to advance money and food to Bashu for two years, he also called on the wealthy families in Bashu to donate money and materials..."
Zhao Jiu suddenly stopped his horse and responded seriously: "Won't it trigger a civil uprising?"
"I think this battle is of great importance. If it loses, Bashu will not be able to protect it, so I won't care about it." Zhang Jun also stopped his horse, but he gritted his teeth and said sincerely. "I will set an example and save my ancestral property, farm and house."
He also forcibly sold it to a wealthy businessman in Xingyuan Prefecture, and got five hundred taels of gold, which he also brought with him... everyone was speechless."
Zhao Jiu was silent for a moment, but could only nod helplessly, and then continued to rein in his horse and move forward: "Deyuan is serious... How is the military situation in northern Shaanxi?"
"Wu Jie was defeated three times and Yanzhou was lost. Hu Mingzhong retreated to Ningzhou to dispatch the grain and grass supplied to him by his ministers. Quduan went to Qingzhou to rectify the troops and horses on the Huanqing Road, and Wu Lin went to Yuanzhou to rectify the troops and horses on the Jingyuan Road.
, while Wu Jie himself led the remaining troops to retreat to Fangzhou and continued to resist Lou Shi... In contrast, it was unexpected that Huonv tried to cross Liangshan to Tongzhou to respond to the Hedong Jin Army, and then was repelled by Han Taiwei himself.
It’s the right thing to do.”
"Fangzhou." Zhao Jiu sighed immediately, but his thoughts were a little confused.
"Fangzhou is located due south of Yanzhou." Liu Ziyu quickly reminded him. "Downstream of Beiluoshui, but the key point of Fangzhou is not on Luoshui. It is with the city of Jushui, which is twenty miles away from Beiluoshui. There is
The river has mountains, so we can still defend it for a while...but the Beiluo River Channel can no longer be blocked!"
"In other words." Zhao Jiu said in a daze. "If Lou Shi is desperate and insists on going south to the Weibei Plain, there is actually no way to stop him? It's only been less than a month, right? He has already penetrated northern Shaanxi and captured all three
State?"
"It is unlikely that Mr. Lou abandoned Fangzhou and went south. Otherwise, once he went south, Wu Jie could lead his army and cut off his retreat." Liu Ziyu answered sincerely at first, but after he finished speaking, he was not sure, so he added more
One sentence. "Even if Lou Shi and I abandon the city of Fangzhou and go south, we can still defend the Wei River. We can mobilize our troops quickly and the defense will be sufficient."
Zhao Jiu shook his head, his face already extremely ugly.
Everyone did not dare to say anything. When they arrived at the Xianggong's Mansion, all the soldiers and horses went to the city to settle down. The central ministers, ministers, and accompanying generals, all with names, entered directly with the officials.
And Yu Wenxuzhong had already led dozens of Kansai officials and generals of the Western Army to look after him in the courtyard.
After entering the courtyard, the door was closed, and everyone was formally greeted. However, Zhao Guanjia, who was still in Zhang Jun and Liu Ziyu's side could not hide his worry, had already returned to normal, and then calmly faced many people who were meeting for the first time. .
When the two sides sat down, Zhao Jiu, who had already done his homework on the road, even did not forget to summon Liu Qi, the military supervisor of Xiaxi Road (Hanzhong area), to come forward, hold his hand and ask a few questions... According to Yang Yizhong reminded that this person had traveled with Zhao Jiu before he fell into the well, and then returned to Guanxi to serve as the governor of Longyou. Later, Zhang Jun valued him and entrusted Yu Wenxuzhong to promote him to the actual command of Hanzhong's troops and horses. , largely because of his royal experience.
In other words, the younger brother of Liu Xi, the military envoy of Xihe Road, and the son of Liu Zhongwu, the famous general of the Western Army, "knows" his Zhao Guan family, and is even a rare "member" of his Zhao Guan family among the six departments of Guanxi.
After the two parties had finished the ceremony, Zhao Jiu sat upright, but still did not ask about the military situation, but first started to assign duties as discussed on the road:
Liu Xi, the former military commander of Xihe Road, was appointed as the commander of the West Third Road; Liu Qi, the military commander of Xixia West Road, was appointed as the military commander of Xiaxi Road; and Zhao Zhe, the military commander of Qinfeng Road, was appointed as the commander of Qinfeng Road. Use it briefly.
Among the well-known generals of the Western Army, such as Murong Wei, the military commander of Qinfeng Road; Li Yanqi, the military commander of Jiaxihe Road; and Zhang Zhong, the military commander of Jiaxia West Road.
He also temporarily sent a message to Hu Yin in the name of Yu Wenxuzhong, assigning him, Qu Duan and Wu Jie the authority and responsibility, and allowed the two generals to advance the Jingyuan and Huanqing generals in front of the battle line.
This was a last-minute reward. Considering Qu Duan's previous arrangements, this was expected, and the generals naturally burst into tears... but it was hard to say how effective it was.
After patiently arranging all these arrangements, Zhao Jiu ignored the sweat on his cotton uniform and slowly asked about military matters in the seat. However, at first he only spoke to Yu Wenxuzhong: "Mr. Yuwen, what do you think of Xixia? ?”
"I went to Xixia to invite troops early, but Xixia was slow to respond." Yu Wenxu stood up awkwardly and faced each other. "I am ashamed."
"I didn't count on them." Zhao Jiu said disapprovingly, but instinctively held on to the saber tied to the cowhide at his waist, and then looked at the many Western generals on the left side of the hall. "I don't know the geography of Kansai... you guys They are all Kansai generals, can someone tell me if Fangzhou can be saved?"
Dozens of Western Army generals looked at each other in shock and did not dare to speak.
After a long while, Liu Xi, the man with the highest official position, the most seniority, and the strongest family foundation, had no choice but to stand up and speak carefully:
"Officials, please speak frankly. Wu Jie was defeated again and again. His troops had already lost their fighting spirit. Recently, Qu Duan and Wu Lin gathered their troops at Jingyuan Road and Huanqing Road. They couldn't do it for a while. If the troops and horses from Chang'an arrive at Fangzhou, they will have already been defeated. Instead, they will be attacked head-on by the Jin cavalry in the wilderness... However, now that our army has sufficient supplies and strong soldiers and horses, it would be better to We set up formations along the Wei River, Bei Luo River, and the Yellow River, while the officials sat in Chang'an to wait for the hot summer."
Zhao Jiu nodded, as if he had expected this confrontation.
"I don't recommend rescuing either." Liu Ziyu also gritted his teeth and stood up to confront him. "The officials, let alone saying whether they can be rescued, just said that the soldiers and horses on Xiaxi Road and Xihe Road here happened to be unpredictable by the Lou family, so we should use surprise troops. Raise it for great use!”
Zhao Guanjia rubbed the sword in his hand, and then nodded, without any expression during the whole process.