Above the Xiáo River, a stone bridge spans both sides.
This bridge was built by Li Chun in the Sui Dynasty. It is similar to the Lishui Stone Bridge in the 16th year of Emperor Kaihuang's reign. It is a stone arch bridge and is called "Big Stone Bridge". Later generations called it Zhaozhou Bridge because it is located five miles south of Zhaozhou City.
At this time, near the big stone bridge, there were soldiers and horses like clouds. The warriors were carrying swords and bows, and their faces were solemn.
The sergeants in the three towns in Hebei Province were really powerless if you asked them to attack others and capture land in other towns, and they had to be rewarded generously. But when they defended their own kennels, their morale was high, which was a sharp contrast.
But no matter how brave a defender is, there is a limit.
Facing the wolf-like tiger sergeants of Hedong, they were defeated again and again, and they really couldn't beat them... The tens of thousands of cavalry they were proud of became a joke, and they couldn't beat Li Keyong's infantry. And if they harassed them day and night,
Sergeant Hedong remained calm, took turns taking breaks, and did not collapse for ten days.
However, Hebei is densely populated and has many towns. It doesn't take ten days at all. It only takes three days to find a town to rest and seize grain and grass. In the end, the cavalry is exhausted and their physical strength is not as good as that of the infantry. What the hell can I do?
The solution? The only way to survive is to rely on sneak attacks.
At this time, the sergeants gathered outside Zhaozhou City mainly came from Zhuifengdu and Jiankoudu, commanded by Duan Liang and Ma Ke respectively. The former was cavalry, with more than 3,000 riders, and the latter was infantry, with 6,000 people.
There is also a foreign army that has escaped, Liu Rengong's tribe in Youzhou, with more than 2,000 troops on foot and cavalry, and is currently attached to Chengde Town.
Duan Liang and Ma Ke were discussing something in low voices, while Liu Rengong looked outside with concern.
There were many people coming and going on the big stone bridge, but none of them were afraid of these intimidating warriors.
It's actually normal.
The three towns in Hebei have always been very stable. Weibo implemented a military electoral system, and the Wang family in Chengde has been hereditary for several generations. Youzhou has a tradition of generals leading troops to mourn the deceased Jiedushi, but no matter which one, there are changes.
It is the upper level. The foundation of the three towns is actually the same, that is, the military group rules everything.
After more than a hundred years of separatism, there are not many people who have ever served as soldiers. Those who dare to say that they have nothing to do with soldiers are probably very few. Even if no one in your family is a soldier, you always have relatives who are serving in the army.
This generation has not served as soldiers, but there may be people in the next generation who will. Those who do business cannot do without soldiers, and those who work as officials cannot do without military positions. A large number of civilian positions in prefectures and counties are occupied by military men.
For businessmen or landowners who have some spare money at home, the first choice of their nephews is always to practice martial arts. At this point, Henan and Hebei are the same. Even ordinary people from ordinary families whose physical condition does not allow them to practice martial arts all year round will still be able to practice martial arts more often.
Learn some crop-handling techniques, touch bows and arrows, play with spears a few times, and conduct military flag and drum training during the slack farming period. Once a war breaks out, these local peasants will be an excellent source of reserve troops, and they will also be the basis for the feudal town to fight against the imperial court for a long time.
Main confidence
When Tian Chengsi was in Weibo, his territory was the smallest with only more than 20 counties, but he had an army of 80,000. If necessary, he could pull out all the men to fight against the imperial court.
"What are the benefits of beating An Jinjun?" A fierce argument came from the distance. Liu Rengong's expression changed and he listened attentively.
"The Jin soldiers were fierce and Ke Yong was deeply trapped in Youzhou. They pacified Zhuozhou and defeated the Shanhou Army. It may take several years to finish the affairs of Youzhou."
"After taking care of Youzhou, don't you plan to conquer Ji and Cangjing?"
"The Yan people are also difficult to deal with. How can this matter be so easy?"
"The elites of the Yan people have been greatly devastated in Xin. Gui, the only armies behind the mountains that can fight have been defeated by Li Keyong. Although the soldiers of Ying and Mo are against Li, they are just useless if they are promised benefits."
"What benefits can be promised? The three brothers of the Gao family have been eyeing the position of Youzhou Jiedushi for several months. Li Keyong has not made up his mind yet, but no one knows who he will be given after he stays. If it continues,
The Gao brothers will also be disappointed."
"Sooner or later, the Jin soldiers will return to Hedong to reunite with their families, and Li Keyong can't stop him. I think Gao Siji will probably become the governor. When the situation changes drastically, our town will face it head-on. Hedong, Yiding, You
The soldiers and horses from the three prefectures and towns are coming to attack, but the three prefectures of Xingming are still in the south, what should I do?"
"Then we have to capture Xingzhou first and eliminate the threats along the way."
"Wei Bo's bunch of bastards have retreated. How can we fight alone?"
The debate is never ending.
Liu Rengong was tired of hearing the same old things, nothing new.
He is very interested in the ongoing Xia and Bian wars. There is no way. Looking at Wang Rong, he does not seem to be willing to go out to fight Li Keyong without external help. Looking at his two thousand people
Fighting back to Youzhou is nothing more than a daydream.
Now it's time to think of other ways out.
According to Liu Rengong's own judgment, the war between Xia and Bian will never end.
Yesterday, he specially found a map and looked at it. If Shao Shude won in Heyang and occupied most of the land in Meng and Huaizhou, there would be a confrontation across the river with the Bian army.
What to do next? He judged that it was probably to cooperate with other battlefields to capture Luo and Ruzhou. It was also possible to cross the river and go south, but the risk was higher. If it failed in Henan, it would be difficult to return to Hebei. That would be the whole country.
The end of the army is annihilated.
Shao Shude's power indeed extended too quickly, and it suddenly reached Meng and Huaizhou in Hebei Province, which belonged to Hebei Province.
Next he meets Wei Boluo Hongxin. It will be very interesting where things will go.
The overlord of the northwest actually wants to interfere in the affairs of Henan and Hebei. What will Li Keyong think?
"Let's not talk anymore." Duan Liang walked over with a gloomy look on his face and said, "Let's set off after we have had enough rest. The commander-in-chief has not ordered the troops to withdraw, so we have to go to Xingzhou."
Ma Ke stamped his feet and sighed.
Why is the vision of a grand alliance of three towns in Hebei so difficult?
In the past ten years, former Weibo Jiedushi Le Yanzhen mentioned it once, but Wang Shuai was unwilling. Youzhou Jiedushi Li Quanzhong was in poor health and later passed away, but there was no response.
The first three-town joint operation effort failed.
Later Li Kuangwei mentioned it once, Wang Shuai agreed this time, but Wei Boluo Hongxin did not agree.
The second three-town joint operation effort failed.
This time it was Wang Shuai who took the initiative, and Luo Hongxin was a little moved, but Youzhou was occupied by Li Keyong again.
The third joint three-town effort is about to fail.
Each has its own calculations, its own small thoughts, and its own difficulties. The three towns in Hebei Province are increasingly affected by external forces.
Unfortunately, the two saints An and Shi were killed. The reason why the three towns in Hebei Province were able to compete with the imperial court relied on unanimous cooperation at critical moments. The tradition of cooperation is very deep. Although there are conflicts among the soldiers, they will not particularly reject this kind of alliance.
.
Combined with the three towns, the six prefectures of Weibo and Bozhou have a population of three to four million, the four prefectures of Chengde and Chengde have a population of two million, and Youzhou has a population of one and two million, adding up to more than seven million. The level of wealth is also far higher than that of Henan, Guanzhong, and
How can the money and food produced by a household in Hedong and Hebei be comparable to other places?
Why can't we unite? Obviously we have successfully united many times in the past hundred years.
The sergeants slowly packed their bags and were waiting for the team to leave when a messenger suddenly came.
"The commander-in-chief has given orders to postpone the dispatch of troops and return to Zhenzhou." After dismounting, the messenger dictated the order to the two leading generals and then handed over the ultimatum.
After Duan Liang and Ma Ke finished reading, they looked at each other and asked almost in tandem: "Why don't you send troops?"
"I don't know." The messenger, who was a civil servant, shook his head after hearing this and said: "It may be related to Keyong's return to Jinyang. The commander-in-chief seems to want to take advantage of this opportunity to see if he can reconcile with Li Keyong.
As long as Ke Yong gives up the southern invasion, everything will be fine."
I see.
The Hedong army is on the march, and it won't be long. Even if they indulge in military discipline and dilute the homesickness of the sergeants, they are only treating the symptoms and not the root cause. They will go back sooner or later, and it is already a long time to hold on until now.
Liu Rengong's heart moved slightly after hearing this.
Sergeant Hedong plundered a large amount of property in Youzhou, and now he is eager to return home. He is eager to go back to Jinyang to buy and have fun with his family. However, the army in Youzhou has not been completely wiped out. If only a few soldiers and horses are left, it may be possible.
If Ji can't do anything, then he must compromise with the local military forces in Youzhou, or temporarily compromise.
Judging from his previous methods, he appointed his adopted son Li Cunxiao as the commander of the Xinyi Guidu regiment, and recently appointed Li Cunxin, who was second in military merit, as the governor of Zhuozhou.
Xinyi Gui's land is close to the grassland, or there is a large grassland itself. Li Cunxiao is very brave and his soldiers are good at fighting. He can control this area and there are many benefits.
However, Li Keyong seemed to have taken a precaution. Many generals and soldiers under Li Cunxiao's account were withdrawn to Jinyang, and only some of the elite backbones were retained. The supplements were the troops surrendered by Youzhou, or Li Cunxiao's new recruits on the grassland.
Khitan, Xi, Weifan people.
Most of the soldiers and horses under Li Cunxin's account were also taken away, and the additional troops were sent from Youzhou. Zhuozhou was right under the nose of Youzhou, and it was also connected to Ke Yong's in-law ally, King Yi Ding Chucun. Li Cun trusted the governor, which shows that
This is the key to this place.
Generals Li Cunxiao and Li Cunxin, in a few years, the troops and horses will slowly be localized, right?
Liu Rengong smiled and thought to himself, if he defected to Li Keyong at this time, would he be able to become the governor of a state?
Li Keyong was very anxious, and he must have looked at the Youzhou people who were willing to surrender to him. He must have been worried about the Gao brothers. If I made some gestures, I might have a chance.
After the messenger's order was conveyed, more than ten thousand soldiers and horses left Zhaozhou and rushed to Zhenzhou.
While on the road, they received news again that Li Keyong appointed Gao Siji as the post-reign in Youzhou, and at the same time recruited Lu Wenjin, who was stationed in Mozhou, and appointed him as the governor of Mozhou. He also ordered a highly respected sergeant in Youzhou.
The fierce general Shan Keji was appointed as the governor of Yingzhou.
He also established Shun Prefecture and took charge of Huairou County. He appointed his adopted son Li Siyuan as the governor of Shun Prefecture. All the food and salary needed by Li Siyuan's department were provided by Youzhou.
Liu Rengong became anxious after hearing this.
The wonderful Youzhou Town has not only changed from eleven to twelve states, but also gained a lot of military leaders.
Gao Siji, Lu Wenjin, Shan Keji, Li Cunxiao, Li Cunxin, Li Siyuan, etc., the Shanhou Army is more complicated and is also connected with the Khitan. Although the Khitan was defeated a while ago, the Khitan was also beheaded by Li Keyong
More than a thousand levels, but something will happen sooner or later. Can the Gao brothers really hold on?
still have a chance!
Liu Rengong thought silently in his heart.
The idea of a grand alliance of three towns in Hebei, with Hedong Town as a barrier, is destined to be unrealizable. The big fish eats the small fish is a trend, and no one can change it.
Li Keyong did not dare to offend the public and was forced to take the Jin soldiers home. But after resting, he might come back again, unless something bad happens between him and Shao Shude.
It was time to seize the opportunity. Liu Rengong's eyes were rolling around, thinking about the next step.