It was already New Year’s Eve, and the city of Changsha was completely silent.
After a while, the city creaked open, and an army rushed in noisily.
Obviously, they won the battle, but everyone was not in a high mood, especially the leader, Ma Zig).
He had just led his army out of the city. Taking advantage of the Xia people's failure to attack the city, he chased and killed the defeated troops and beheaded more than a thousand people. It was a rare victory in recent times. But it did not help solve the current crisis. If you can't break the siege, no matter how much you win,
What's the use?
The only good news is probably that after the death of Ye Guanglue, the former military governor of Lingnan West Road, his general Chen Ji staged a rebellion in Yongzhou and killed more than ten generals of Xia Ting, which caused the morale of the frontline troops to be unstable. Xu Dexun and Ouyang Si took advantage of the situation to attack fiercely.
, defeated the Xia army and recaptured Yongzhou.
But this did not seem to be able to fundamentally change the situation. Mianren, the son of the Shao thief, led his army south again to support Wang Shenzhi, Chu Shenyi and others. Yongzhou still had to fight.
To this day, Ma Ji has persuaded his brother to surrender several times, but his brother is undecided. He asked his left and right officials about Liu Yin's fate in Guangzhou, but they couldn't get it right, so he continued to hold off.
Ma Ni sighed, asked his soldiers to remove their armor, and angrily entered the military mansion.
Zhang Ji, the Left Chancellor of Tiance Mansion, Ma Cun, the Right Chancellor, and Gao Yu, the Secretary of Jieduzhang were all present, and they were actually having a banquet with Ma Yin—Tiance Mansion was an institution established by Ma Yin, and I don’t know why. Maybe it was because the name was nice.
Bar.
When Ma Ni saw this, he became furious and said sarcastically: "The Xia bandits are approaching the city, and all the gentlemen are lying down with wine while I am the only one working blindly."
Ma Yin laughed loudly after hearing this and said, "Third brother is here, please sit down."
Ma Shi snorted coldly, sat down, picked up the wine bowl and drank it all in one gulp, saying: "Shao and Hengzhou are still resisting desperately, and occasionally go out of the city to harass the Xia bandits."
Ma Yin was very happy to hear this and said: "When Liu Shuai was here, everyone was very united. But this summer, the thieves are besieging us from all sides, and none of the old brothers have surrendered. That's good."
At that time, there were tens of thousands of Cai thieves, who were scattered in all directions after being surrounded and suppressed by the imperial court. Sun Ru was one of the larger ones, but they also failed later. Liu Jianfeng, considered the remnant of Sun Ru, led his men all the way through Jiangxi and captured Hunan with such momentum.
rainbow.
Liu Jianfeng was killed for playing with the wife of a guard, and Zhang Xin was recommended as the handsome man.
Zhang Xin was a member of the Ming Dynasty in the former Tang Dynasty. He had great honors and led troops to fight in all directions. He had many achievements. After being praised by everyone, he did not refuse. He asked Ma Yin, who was fighting abroad, about his attitude. After receiving his supportive reply, he
Prepare to take over.
But on the way to the military mansion, the war horse stood up and fell to the ground and was injured. Zhang Xin thought it was unknown, so he gave up his position to Ma Yin. Ma Yin showed humility to him many times, and finally became the commander of Hunan, and he also trusted him very much.
Zhang Xin was entrusted with great power.
Generally speaking, the atmosphere within Hunan is very good and united. Li Qiong has served as the military governor of Jingjiang for many years, and he has always obeyed Changsha's orders and has never acted domineeringly.
In comparison, people like Lu Shizhou who surrendered were very unreliable, and Ma Yin also blamed himself. But everyone did not complain, but instead gave many comforts. It was simply a breath of fresh air among warlords from all walks of life.
Unfortunately, their capital is too small, and now they have reached a critical moment.
"Brother, the Xia people's envoy has arrived outside the city and wants to bribe the four states of Hunan with the position of county boss. Don't you think about it?" Ma Luan couldn't help it and asked. "I know you can't keep your temper." Ma Yin He smiled and said: "I did miscalculate this matter. I didn't expect the Xia rebels to advance so quickly. In the blink of an eye, Jiangxi, Fujian, and Guangzhou were all taken down. I heard that even Qian Luo surrendered the land of two Zhejiang provinces and developed. It happened so fast that I didn't expect it. By the way, is there any movement in Huainan?"
"I sent troops to defeat Qian Liu two months ago. What's going on now? I don't know what's going on." Ma Yin said angrily. Ma Yin picked up the wine bottle and pondered for a long time.
"Brother, you can't gamble now." Ma Xi advised: "Qian Liu and Yang Wu have always won less and lost more in battles, but they can't be killed. Without Qian Liu, Yang Wo has no ability to invade Jiangxi. .Furthermore, there are Xia thieves in Huaibei, and the main force in Huainan dare not move lightly."
"Is there any news from Chen Ji?" Ma Yin put down the wine bottle and asked.
"The west road of Lingnan is empty. I heard that many prefectures and counties were captured, and I don't know how many more." Ma Dou said, "I tortured the prisoners just now. I heard that Guangguan and Guangguan were captured.
There are also people who rebel and echo Chen Ji. My nephew Xizhen is in Hezhou, riding alone."
"This traitor!" Ma Yin cursed, but there was no anger on his face.
"Commander." Zhang Ji suddenly interjected: "The county uncle's position is a bit low, but he made a mistake last time, and now he has an opportunity." "What opportunity?" Ma Yin asked.
"Shao thieves never spared a hand against those who surrendered and rebelled again. I expected that Chen Ji and others would die, and he must have known it." Zhang Ji analyzed: "Now the Xia thieves on the South Road are shaken across the board. If you come down here, you may get preferential treatment."
"Since Liu Yin entered Luo, there has been no news yet?" Ma Yin asked again.
"Commander, Liu Yin is alone in the city and has more than ten thousand soldiers. How can he compare with us? Shao Thief is also knowledgeable. We still have tens of thousands of soldiers and horses, but our combat power is not comparable to that of Liu Yin, Wang Shenzhi, and Shao Desheng. . Each county has sufficient food and grass, and if everyone works together, it will not be difficult for the Xia thieves to attack the city and kill tens of thousands of people. If it is delayed until March and the rain continues for several months, the Xia thieves will not be able to withstand the epidemic even if they are iron men. It's not surprising that his imperial troops suffered heavy casualties when they launched an attack." Zhang Ji said, "Now is the perfect opportunity to surrender."
"Then it's better to wait until the rainy season." Ma Yin said. "Commander, can Hunan be guarded for a long time?" Zhang Ji asked back. Ma Yin remained silent.
"Brother, you can't gamble anymore." Ma Ji said anxiously, "Huainan is unreliable. Who knows where their soldiers are. Those wild beasts in Xiangxi are not reliable either, but they won't move at all when accepting gifts. Even in central Guizhou The barbarian beasts came and ignored them. Besides, Wu Guan Chen Ji and others, don’t you really think they can make any big waves?"
"What do you think?" Ma Yin did not answer, but turned to his second brother Ma Cun and counselor Gao Yu and asked.
"Brother, I think it's better to surrender." Ma Cun said: "In a field battle, the five-man army can still fight, and Zhao Kuangning's Jingnan soldiers can also bully them, but Tielin and Konghe's second army are really tough. but."
"You have sent people to contact the Jin and Yan people before. What did they say?" Ma Yin asked.
"The Yan people were dissatisfied with the delay in allowing the Shao thieves to evacuate, and wanted to cause chaos, but they were worried that they would not be able to defeat the Imperial Army, so they hesitated again and again." Ma Cun said: "The Jin people are similar to them. Some people are clamoring to capture Jiangxi.
, established a separate regime, but were arrested and killed, and now that they are being watched every day, it is estimated that a number of more people will die, and they will rebel only when they can no longer bear it."
"Why are the Jin people so determined? If they are willing to invest in me, what's the point of a woman's property?" Ma Yin was a little angry.
In fact, the Jin soldiers and Cai thieves were both from the north. If they were willing to surrender, Ma Yin would still be willing to accept them. This would be of great help to him to further consolidate his foundation in Hunan and even take over Wu Guan, but this would
The time is obviously not yet ripe.
"Zhang Wanjin took Luzhou and caused chaos and killed everyone. Shao's thieves were too dark and they were afraid." Ma Cun said: "Xia Ting's strategy of consuming and surrendering people can be seen by any fool. If it is delayed until the rainy season, there may be a chance.
But I don’t recommend waiting.”
"Secretary Gao, please tell me what to do." Ma Yin poured a glass for Gao Yu himself and said.
"Thief Shao is obviously consuming the people." Gao Yu bowed and took the wine glass and said, "I heard that the Baoning Army went to Jiangxi twice and the number of soldiers dropped sharply. Everyone from top to bottom was complaining. The possibility of rebellion is indeed not small. If they suddenly attack
, with our army attacking from inside and outside, it is not impossible for the Dapoxia people to even capture and kill Shao Thief's son. But as Ma Xiang said, they are also afraid and hesitant. I don't recommend pinning their hopes on these unreliable things.
, it’s better to just lower it.”
There is indeed a chance of a comeback, but even if it happens this time and the whole territory of Hunan is recaptured, so what? What about next time? This really pisses off Thief Shao. If he sends another 100,000 or 200,000 troops over, he will definitely win the battle.
Second time?
Others can afford to lose, but you can't afford to lose.
"You..." Ma Yin sighed, looking a little lonely. Ma Mai, Ma Cun, and Gao Yu all looked at him, waiting for him to make a decision. Ma Yin drank but said nothing.
Ma Yin slapped the table and glared at his brother. Ma Yin smiled and didn't feel dissatisfied.
They all have "shares", and the internal atmosphere is not bad. What's more, they are brothers, so he won't shout and kill them just because of this matter.
"Brother, you are just too greedy." Ma Yin said angrily:
"Do we really have to be like Liu Yin and surrender to a lonely city? We may not be able to save our wealth. Please contact the Xia people quickly and send envoys to Heng, Shao and Yongzhou. This war will not be fought."
Ma Yin was repeatedly refuted by his younger brother, and he became a little embarrassed. He asked, "If I don't want to surrender, are you going to betray me and leave?"
When Ma Xia heard the words, she stood up suddenly and said angrily: "Brother, why did you say this? If you don't want to surrender, how can I force you? At worst, I will accompany you to death, and there will be someone to take care of you on the way. But the situation is like this, and I am here for my brother."
, I think about my sister-in-law, my nephews, and my nieces, and I think about the whole of Hunan.”
Ma Yin was not angry but happy. He stood up in person, took his third brother's hand and apologized repeatedly. Ma Yin sat down unhappily, but drank too much.
Ma Yin held the wine bottle and looked at the quiet courtyard. On New Year's Eve, it was a wonderful festival, but the whole city was silent and the people were uneasy.
"Back then, I followed Sun Ru, running around here and there, not knowing where to go next." Ma Yin suddenly said: "After eating Guangling, I set fire to it, drove the people across the river, and went to Changzhou. After eating Changzhou,
Eat Runzhou, eat Xuanzhou, soak without purpose, burn, kill and loot, the prosperous land in the south of the Yangtze River is almost transformed into ghosts."
"Sun Ru was defeated and died, and Liu Shuai led us to Jiangxi and back to Hunan, where we finally settled down." Ma Yin continued: "After so many years of peace, when I think about the past, it feels like a lifetime ago. Those days ago.
"I was too greedy. I always thought that if I failed, I would just run away again. But just now I thought about it, it turns out that none of the brothers wanted to run away anymore."
After speaking, he looked at his third brother Ma Zi.
Ma Xia was a little embarrassed. He really didn't want to run away anymore. In the past, he had nothing to do with his life, so he just ran away. What could he do? But now he has a huge fortune and dozens of wives and concubines. Running away is not easy!
"Burn the dragon robe." Ma Yin raised his head and finished the glass of wine and said, "Brothers, it's not easy to accompany me till today. I can't ruin everyone's future or even their lives because of my willfulness and greed."
"Brother, you mean-" Ma Ji suddenly raised his head and asked.
"Shao Shude has a pretty good reputation and always gives preferential treatment to those who surrender. Let's surrender this battle instead of fighting!" Ma Yin sighed and said. Ma Nang, Ma Cun and Gao Yu looked at each other and said in unison: "Big
