Chapter 68: Chaotic chess game (monthly ticket plus 1/3 more updates)
On the twentieth day of the first month of the fifth year of Qianning, the war situation in the three towns of Yun, Yan, and Qi has undergone profound changes.
On the northern front, Yuhou Fengzangzhi of Mabudu in the middle of the river was appointed as the envoy to Qizhou, commanding more than 20,000 troops from the national defense, Zhongwu, and Jianrui armies.
On the twelfth day of the first lunar month, Guo Shaobin and Zhang Jun's troops were ordered to seal the country and stay in the rear. They suppressed the counties and led the troops to protect the country. The Zhongwu Army marched eastward from Pingyin.
After the Feilong Army abandoned Changqing and left, the defeated troops in Yuncheng gathered a group of thieves. Following Zhu Xuan's order, they advanced to the northeast of Pingyin. However, they were defeated by Feng Zangzhi and beheaded four hundred people.
On the 16th, the army marched to Gema Mountain and routed the more than a thousand men Zhu Xuan had gathered with great difficulty. Three hundred of them were beheaded, and Zhu Xuan escaped by riding alone.
On the 17th, he captured Changqing. On the 18th, he heard that Zhu Xuan led more than a thousand cavalry at Fengqi Station. Feng Zangzhi led the national defense army to pursue him. He was ambushed by Qi general Wang Shike and returned in defeat, losing his troops. More than three thousand.
The morale of Pu's soldiers was frustrated, so they retreated to Changqing.
Wang Shike is Wang Shifan's younger brother.
After Shao Shude heard the news, he was worried that he could not defeat Yun on the northern road, so he joined forces in the two towns of Qi and ordered the Peng Sheng Army stationed in Yuncheng to go north, pass through Zhongdu County to Changqing, and return to the command of Feng Zang.
The Feilong army that penetrated deep into the enemy's rear did a good job.
They first defeated the Yishui soldiers in Yishui County and beheaded more than 3,000 people. Then they rushed straight to Mizhou without stopping, defeated the enemy's vanguard, and beheaded 800 people. The Mi people were so frightened that they clung to the city and did not dare to attack again.
On the southern front, the war was more intense.
Shao Shude lost patience with Liu Zhijun's inability to capture Rencheng. After waiting for Tielin's army, he led the army to Rencheng on the eighteenth day of the first lunar month and stationed himself at Yangmen Bridge.
This bridge spans the Surabaya River and is on the outskirts of Rencheng County. General Yan Bao of Yan sent 6,000 men to garrison it, including 3,000 Yanzhen warriors and 3,000 Dingzhuang of Rencheng.
Yan Bao led more than 8,000 people to guard the county town. He relied on sufficient food and grass, but his attitude was arrogant and unwilling to surrender.
"General Liu, I don't blame you for this battle." Shao Shude also met Liu Zhijun for the first time, and said warmly: "The Dragon and Tiger Army has not yet defended the city. There are too many thieves, so it is normal that we cannot defeat him."
Liu Zhijun was from Xuzhou and served under Shi Pu. At first, because he was very brave in fighting, Shi Pu valued him and kept promoting him. But later, Shi Pu discovered that this man was not only brave but also resourceful, so he immediately began to suppress him. Liu Zhijun was afraid of being He was killed, so he defected to Zhu Quanzhong and returned to Caozhou to camp.
After Zhu Quanzhong failed, Liu Zhijun saw that there were no forces around him that he could rely on, so he surrendered to Shao Shude in desperation. His troops were organized into the Dragon and Tiger Army, with tens of thousands of people, and currently there are probably more than eight thousand.
The sources of the Dragon and Tiger Army were complicated, including soldiers from Xuzhou, as well as warriors from Cao, Dan, and Hua. But Liu Zhijun integrated the army very well. The top and bottom were integrated and monolithic. They were almost his private soldiers. Even Zhu Zhen couldn't do anything to him.
Shao Shude knew very well what Liu Zhijun was thinking and what he was like in history. But he was still willing to give Liu Zhijun a chance. As long as you are willing to obey and fight well, I will not make random suspicions and will also give you wealth and honor. .
Now it seems that Liu Zhijun is playing well in Rencheng, and he is not considered cheating, although he cannot be said to work hard.
The warlord mentality of conserving strength exists, but it is not obvious and is still in a salvageable state.
"Your Majesty is so generous and benevolent that I don't even know what to say." Liu Zhijun said movedly: "Now that tens of thousands of troops have arrived, we may attack again. I would like to lead my troops to ascend first."
"There is no need for this." Shao Shude stopped what he was saying and said, "Is it worth it to kill and injure tens of thousands of people just to attack Rencheng?"
Liu Zhijun was speechless.
"How did Zhu Quanzhong attack Shi Pu in the past?" Shao Shude asked.
"Surrounding the points for reinforcements, besieging Xuzhou, and engaging in repeated battles. The people have lost their crops, the food supply cannot be continued, and they will be destroyed if they do not attack." Liu Zhijun replied.
Liu Zhijun is really familiar with this.
After the Battle of Wukang Town, Xuzhou went on the defensive. The three brothers Xu, Yun, and Yan rescued each other, and were surrounded and rescued by Liang Jun several times. Xuzhou was more unlucky, with continuous floods, which greatly affected agricultural production.
, so Zhu Quanzhong focused his main energy on attacking Xu Zhen.
Where the two armies clash, the people usually choose to take shelter temporarily and wait for the war to end before going home. But what if there are frequent battles? Then the people will not be able to live, and they will not be able to farm. Over time, the so-called fortified city will also lose its defense.
It is normal for the soil that has fallen down to break down on its own.
"How did Zhu Quanzhong attack Yun and Yan?" Shao Shude asked again.
"Quanzhong had an army to seize the unborn, plundered the people and lost them to the army. They even moved the people away, leaving the Yun people and the Yan people without food and clothing. The Liang people once forcibly moved more than 3,000 households of Yanzhou people to Songzhou.
Liu Zhijun replied.
"That's right. If we can't capture the fortified city, what can he do to me if I move the people away?" Shao Shude sneered: "Zhu Quanzhong was still too soft, so he only moved away 3,000 households. If I come, all 30,000 households will be gone."
not enough."
Liu Zhijun was shocked.
I have heard for a long time that the king of Xia restrained his troops and was not allowed to burn, kill, loot, or harm the people. But after entering Yunzhou, why did he use such cruel methods? There was news from Juye that many family members of Yuncheng warriors were going to be exiled to Qingtang.
Because they resisted too fiercely and now even announced that they would forcibly relocate the people of Yanzhou, Liu Zhijun had to re-examine this famous Kansai military leader.
"Tomorrow we attack the Yangmen Bridge bandit stronghold. Let the Dragon and Tiger Army go out to fight. I will personally support the general." Shao Shude glanced at Liu Zhijun and said.
"As ordered." Liu Zhijun responded quickly without any strangeness on his face.
****
Zhu Jin came to the vicinity of Rencheng City, and more than 3,000 horsemen were stationed at the Yao Temple seven miles southeast of the city.
The scenery here is beautiful, and it has always been a gathering place for scholar-bureaucrats. Nearby is the Fengyan Canal dug by Xue Zhou in the Sui Dynasty. Agriculture is developed, and it is considered a relatively good place in Yanzhou.
There were some Xia army cavalry on the opposite side. They were on horseback, shouting insults and bursting into laughter from time to time.
"What's the 'match against Zhang Fei'? Does Zhu Jin dare to fight?"
"Could it be that he is a 'fake Zhang Fei' who only dares to hide behind the formation?"
“It claims to be the best in Mashan in Henan, but I think it’s an exaggeration.”
In the face of provocation, Zhu Jin remained unmoved and listened carefully to his subordinates' reports.
"The Xia thieves are using the tactic of surrounding three buildings again. The Shao thieves are sitting at Yangmen Bridge, and are surrounded by General Tutu and the Tielin Army, totaling more than 30,000 people."
"According to the prisoners who were tortured, it was learned that Hu Zhen, the envoy of the Longxiang army, was the beheading envoy of Rencheng and was responsible for organizing the siege, but the actual command of the battle was probably Ge Congzhou, the deputy beheading envoy."
"The four armies of Longxiang, Longhu, Guangsheng, Shenjie and the Yameni Army are responsible for the siege of the city. They will attack Yangmenqiao Village."
"Thief Shao is holding on to the main force of elite troops. He probably wants to encircle the area to get reinforcements, looking for an opportunity to defeat our reinforcements and make an emergency landing in Rencheng."
Zhu Jin nodded, his eyes still fixed on the Xia Army cavalry who were still showing off their power. It seemed that they were the cavalry of the Tielin Army, and their morale was pretty good.
"Commander, the reinforcements from Yizhou and Mizhou have been defeated. Only more than 3,000 Haizhou soldiers have arrived in Yizhou, but they are not patrolling and they are quite hesitant. The general feels that it is better to be quiet at this time than to move, so we need to be cautious." Yamen.
Jiang Hu advised.
To put it bluntly, I am just afraid.
The Feilong Army was like a sharp knife, running back and forth in Yizhou and Mizhou. Military discipline was still very poor, and they plundered grain, grass, mules and horses everywhere. However, their combat effectiveness was good. In a short period of time, they defeated the soldiers of Yizhou and Mizhou.
The state soldiers acted as a deterrent, and Yanzhou already felt a bit isolated and helpless.
In fact, this was also the case when facing Liang Jun's attack. In the end, the Liang people were able to survive by holding on to the city. Hu Gui's advice was a bit path dependent.
"Commander, now it is time to take charge of the defense." Judge Xin Wan also advised: "In the past, Zhu Zhen, Ding Hui, Pang Shigu, Zhu Youyu and others took turns to attack Yun. Now, we are working together to defend the city and defeat the enemy.
The army returned without success. General Yan Du has enough troops and supplies, and the Shao thieves will not be able to capture Rencheng within half a year. All we need to do is harass the city outside and let the defenders in the city know that the commander-in-chief has no intention of abandoning them."
Zhu Jin nodded, but hesitated a little. The violence in his heart kept rising, and he had the urge to put all his efforts into a decisive battle.
In the Battle of Jinxiang that year, when faced with Ding Hui's defensive army, he couldn't hold back. He charged forward with his cavalry, and finally returned in defeat. There is no doubt that it was a wrong military decision, but sometimes he just couldn't control it.
Keep your temper.
"That's it." Zhu Jin sighed and said, "Put it off! Just put it off as long as you can until Shao Thief can't bear it anymore."
This is a shameless fight, pretending to be dead until someone comes to save them.
"The handsome man is wise." Everyone praised.
Zhu Jin silently looked at their faces and saw that they didn't look fake. He was slightly relieved and said, "But Thief Xia is so arrogant, I'm afraid it will damage my morale."
Having said that, it makes people blow the trumpet.
"Woo!" The big horn blew for the first time, and the provocative Tielin Army cavalry on the opposite side was stunned.
The Taining Army cavalry immediately gathered together. There were not many people, just two or three hundred cavalry.
"Woo!" The big horn blew for the second time, the flags and flags were raised simultaneously, and Zhu Jin took the lead and rushed out.
More than two hundred cavalry galloped across the field like arrows. The Xia army cavalry on the opposite side was furious and charged towards them.
Zhu Jin took out a flying spear from its sheath and threw it out with a "swish", hitting the fastest one from the Xia Army Riding School.
Then came the second handle, the third handle, and the fourth handle.
Four flying spears killed four people in a row, suddenly opening a gap in front.
When the knights behind him saw this, their morale was greatly boosted, and they all shouted to follow him.
Zhu Jin raised his horse's spear horizontally, swiped left and right, and without stopping, his horse rushed directly into the crowd of Xia's cavalry. There was no enemy wherever he passed. When he rushed to the end, he abandoned the horse's spear and drew out his sword.
With his sword, he slashed three people in a row and killed Xia Qi in one go, turning around on horseback.
Before leaving, he also captured a military officer alive and beat him to his horse.
"Happy!" Zhu Jin laughed.
In the last conflict, the general's infantry formation was severely defeated, and he was intercepted and beaten into a state of embarrassment. In this face-to-face charge, he finally showed his strength and gave the Xia thieves a severe blow.
If you compete with Zhang Fei, you will gain a reputation in vain!
There was a dense sound of drums and horns in the distance, and then the sound of hooves sounded like thunder, as if an overwhelming number of cavalry were charging towards them.
Zhu Jin cursed secretly and said: "Withdraw!"
With a single stroke of the iron sword in his hand, he cut off the prisoner's head and walked away.
"Commander, I just received the news." Xin Wan rode his horse to catch up with Zhu Jin and said breathlessly: "Zhu Quanzhong crossed the river from Bozhou and attacked Dong'a. His troops were directed towards Yanggu."
"What? Zhu Quanzhong is here too?" Zhu Jin was stunned at first, then laughed again: "Okay! Okay! We will go back to Yanzhou now. The more chaotic this game is, the better. I want to see how Shao Thief handles it."
"Now is the time to compete for patience." Xin Wan almost couldn't breathe due to the bumps on the horse and said: "It is rumored that Zhu Quanzhong has 50,000 people, and Yunzhou is going to be lively."
"Keep an eye on Thief Shao. If he escapes, lead the army to pursue him and be sure to bite off a piece of meat." Zhu Jin ordered: "Even if Thief Shao doesn't leave, it's still a good idea to drag his main force here.
Create opportunities for Li Keyong."
Everyone was talking as they walked, sweeping away the previous shadows and disappearing into the distant horizon.