"General, now that we have captured the gateway to Xuzhou, should we send an order to the King of Qi to let the follow-up army move in here immediately? After all, there are still two important cities to attack. Today we attack Quyang City, and we will definitely let the army move in here immediately. The other two cities are prepared. In addition, I'm afraid the Xuzhou army has also received the news. We can only wait for the Qi King's army to arrive, and together with the army, the army will be invincible," Xu Qing suggested in the General's Mansion in Quyang City. .
Xu Yandong nodded and said: "You don't need to say this. This general has already informed my king. Now, what we need to do is to immediately send troops to the two cities of Huaiyin and Huaipu. It is best to defeat them with one blow. If these two cities Once the land was captured by us, Xuzhou completely opened its doors and allowed us to enter and exit."
"Therefore, my general is preparing to divide his troops into two groups and attack these two cities at the same time. If possible, we can defeat these two important cities with one blow just like we did today."
"General, having said that, I'm afraid these two places will be ready when our army arrives. After all, these two places are inside Huaiyang Mansion and can receive timely support from surrounding small towns. In addition, the Xuzhou Army The army sent to conquer Situ Lei is also marching towards Huaiyang Mansion. With our army of 10,000 people divided into two groups, it is impossible to capture these two cities in a short time. "
"In addition, there are large armies of the Xuzhou Army stationed in Guangling Prefecture, Jiangdu Prefecture and other places in the south of Xuzhou. Once the Xuzhou Army gets the news, more than 100,000 Xuzhou Army will gather. Once we are between the two cities, If the ground attack is blocked, it will inevitably affect the morale of the army and the progress of our attack on Xuzhou," Xu Qing said urgently.
After listening to Xu Qing's words, Xu Yandong laughed and said: "General Xu Qing, you can be regarded as the leader of thousands of troops. Don't you know the meaning of the speed of soldiers? This time we attacked Quyang City, we only used 40,000 Just the remaining soldiers. Even if the remaining two important cities are defended, can they resist the attack of 70,000 to 80,000 troops? Besides, the general said that the troops should be divided into two groups, but he did not say that the two groups should be divided equally. It is entirely possible for the army to conquer the city again. I don¡¯t believe that they can gather reinforcements in just half a day.¡±
"As for the Xuzhou Army hoarded in the south of Xuzhou, let alone that. Don't forget why Li Chi hoarded most of the Xuzhou Army in the south. Now that our Qi Army has launched operations, do you think we, Yangzhou Are you indifferent? This general tells you that the Xuzhou Army in the south of Xuzhou is probably unable to move. The only thing that has an impact on us is the army of more than 50,000 people who came to conquer Situ Lei. However, they should not be so fast. Arriving at Huaiyang Mansion.¡±
impossible? What you said is impossible, nothing is impossible for the prepared Xuzhou Army. Xu Qing sneered secretly in his heart, but there was nothing unusual on his face. Instead, he said in surprise: "General, one is false and the other is true? Isn't it possible to attack both places at the same time?"
Xu Yandong said proudly: "Of course not. The two cities of Quyang, Huaiyin, and Huaipu are important places for Huaiyang Prefecture, and they are also important cities for Xuzhou to intercept the entry of foreign enemies from Yuzhou. However, now Quyang has been conquered by us, and this defense system has been We only need one more city. The last city is no longer important. We can defeat it in one fell swoop."
Xu Qing nodded secretly, what Xu Yandong said was quite reasonable. The three cities of Quyang, Huaiyin and Huaipu form an upside-down triangle. The sharp corner is Quyang City, and the two bottom corners are Huaiyin and Huaipu. Now that the top corner is broken, after taking one bottom corner, the other bottom corner will lose its original role.
Seeing what Xu Yandong said, Xu Qing stopped defending and said with a smile: "It turns out that the general had already made a plan, but Xu was negligent. The general's move is extremely reasonable. It can not only reduce losses, but also save money in the shortest time." Xu Mou admires, admires! "
Xu Yandong nodded slightly, seeing that Xu Qing's behavior from the beginning to now has always been relatively normal, and he was relatively concerned about the battle situation of the army. As a result, the investigation of Xu Qing was put aside.
"For the two cities of Huaiyin and Huaipu, we will attack Huaiyin as the main attack and Huaipu as the auxiliary. Therefore, we need an army to confuse the Huaipu army so that it does not dare to leave lightly. The army will directly attack Huaiyin City and knock it down with one blow. As for Huaipu, once Huaiyin City is conquered and the Qi King's army arrives, it will no longer be a problem," Xu Yandong said seriously.
Xu Qing understood that the reason why they were eager to capture Huaiyin City was because they needed to pull the battle line southward and connect it with southern Xuzhou, so that the Yangzhou army could attack from the north and south with them and defeat Guangling, Gaoyou, and Jiangdu prefectures.
"I wonder how the general will arrange it?" Xu Qing asked. He knew that since Xu Yandong had spoken both truth and truth, he naturally had to have his share. Instead of being brought up by others, it was better to speak out himself. In order to prevent the Qi army commander from having other thoughts in his mind, the two of them?United, Xu Qing knew very well that the other party did not really believe in him.
"I don't know if General Xu Qing is going to do it? Or will he do it with our army?" Xu Yandong asked with a smile.
"We, the Yanzhou Army, cooperate with the Qi Army. Here, I naturally obey the orders of the general. If the general has orders, just give them. Although our Yanzhou Army cannot say that it is a strong army, we can still act according to the orders. Yes." Xu Qing replied loudly.
Xu Yandong's eyes flashed with light, he pondered for a moment, and said: "Well, your army and ours belong to two armies after all, and we may not be able to cooperate well if we join together to fight. Therefore, this time, we pretended to attack Huaipu to confuse Huaipu. The mission of the Pu garrison is to make friends with General Xu Qing and your men. Just in case, I will send you five thousand more of our troops to cooperate with your actions. We should be able to form an army of tens of thousands. How about the siege?"
Xu Qing said respectfully: "Xu should accept the order!" For this appointment, it is naturally the best. After all, whether with the army or separately, Xu Qing needs to take his men away from the Qi army. However, if you are with the Qi army, you need to leave when the Xuzhou army counterattacks. Although it is said that the Xuzhou Army secretly cooperated with him, who knows whether the Xuzhou Army will also annihilate him. You can completely pretend not to know afterwards, and you will be the one who suffers. Now the troops are divided into two groups and separated from the Qi army. This is the most advantageous.
¡¡¡¡
"The Qi army has begun to take action. According to reports from our spies, Quyang City has been captured by the Qi army's front line. Now, Qi King Murongcheng has begun to set off from Huaiyang Mansion and march towards the east." The southernmost part of Yanzhou In Luzhou Mansion, Zhao Xun and other major generals of the Yanzhou Army who participated in the war are all concentrated here at this moment.
"So, the army that just came from Jingzhou didn't stop at our Chenliu Mansion?" Zhao Xun asked in a deep voice. Murong Cheng initially used the excuse of attacking Situ Lei to station an army that had fallen from Jingzhou in Chenliu Mansion, waiting for the battle situation in Huaiyin Mansion in Xuzhou. But now it seems that the Xuzhou Army was "caught off guard", which made Murong Cheng impatient and transferred the troops stationed in Yanzhou for others to see.
"Yes, the troops stationed in Chenliu Mansion have still left. In accordance with the wishes of the Lord, my subordinates have asked local officials to take over the passages along the way, and some grain and grass supplies transported from Jingzhou have also been detained on the spot." Wei Dong Said excitedly.
"By the way, what is Tang Xian planning to do this time? Is he going to send his troops south again and create an enclave in the south?" Zhao Xun said in confusion. I don't know much about the negotiations between Xuzhou Army and Tang Army. Later, Feng Ziming came forward to negotiate.
Feng Ziming said with some doubts: "Tang Xian wants to pass through Yanzhou and Yuzhou to enter Jingzhou."
"Enter Jingzhou?" Wei Dong said puzzledly: "Why did Tang Xian go to Jingzhou? Jingzhou is located to the south of Yongzhou, which is within Situ Lei's attack range. Why did the Tang army go to help?"
Zhao Xun said quietly: "Don't forget, everyone, Tang Xian was a member of the imperial guard in the past, a native of Jingzhou, and he had been stationed in Nanyang, Jingzhou for a long time to defend Luoyang. Therefore, Tang Xian had deep connections in northern Jingzhou . If Murong Cheng is defeated this time, Tang Xian will most likely gain a foothold in Jingzhou."
Feng Ziming suddenly realized: "So that's the case. No wonder he has to use our Yanzhou to go south. It turns out that he only values ??the land of Jingzhou. However, leaving Murong Cheng aside, Tang Xian does have a better chance of occupying Jingzhou than others."
Wei Dong said: "What about Situ Lei? What is his goal? If he takes action, it is impossible to give the land of Jingzhou to Tang Xiancai."
Feng Ziming said in a deep voice: "Situ Lei's target is naturally Jiaozhou and Jiangzhou in the south. According to the spies' report, the Yong army has secretly mobilized the army to Yizhou. It seems that they have targeted Jiangzhou. . Jiangzhou is located to the north of Jiaozhou. Once Jiangzhou is occupied, Jiaozhou will naturally not be a problem. In this way, Situ Lei will have the access to the sea he needs and will no longer be restricted by the Qi army. "
"Okay, send a message to Tang Xian and ask them to cooperate with us. Now that the Qi army has left Yuzhou, if he wants to go to Jingzhou, he must win the land of Yuzhou with us. If Murong Cheng doesn't die, let us attack Xuzhou. Now We are busy chasing down the Tang army in the territory," Zhao Xun said quietly.
"Ziming, prepare to take over the officials of Yuzhou. By chasing the remnants of the Tang army southward, we will take over the prefectures in the western part of Yuzhou as quickly as possible. Let the advance guard and rearguard troops start taking action and immediately go south to capture the west of Huaiyang Prefecture. The various prefectures are under control and the direct connection between the Qi army and Jingzhou is cut off," Zhao Xun ordered in a deep voice.
"The Luzhou Prefecture opened its doors and allowed the Xuzhou Army to pass through and attack the Qi Army from behind. But we must be careful and don't be careless. Although the Xuzhou Army is our ally, it cannot be trusted."
"Notify Huaiyin Mansion"Qing Qing, let them prepare for emergencies and immediately retreat to Yuzhou. "
Immediately, the entire Yanzhou began to take action. With Zhao Xun's efforts to delay the action, news of the Qi army's treacherous raid on the Huaiyin Mansion in Xuzhou finally came through. Suddenly, there was an uproar. After all, only a few people know the actual situation. The Yanzhou Army was also involved.
"Whether this news was spread by the Qi army or the Xuzhou army, it is clear that they want us to be stigmatized. Now, scholars in many places are scolding us." Wei Dong said with an angry look.
Zhao Xun, wearing armor and riding on a war horse, said quietly: "No matter who said it, things will become clear sooner or later. What we need to do now is to occupy the land of Yuzhou as quickly as possible and hoard the land in Yuzhou Enough to feed an army of hundreds of thousands for three months."
Zhao Xun paid no attention to the rumors spread by foreign merchants that the Yanzhou Army and the Qi Army had betrayed their faith, attacked the Allies, and sabotaged the unjust expedition. After all, once things became clear, these rumors would naturally dissipate with the wind. More importantly, in the face of strength, these rumors cannot harm yourself.
The 50,000-strong Yanzhou Army entered Yuzhou under the pretense of chasing the Tang Army that was preparing to respond to Murong Cheng's campaign against Situ Lei. The local officials and garrison officers in Yuzhou also knew that the Yanzhou Army and the Qi Army were in alliance, and the Yanzhou Army also had Murong Cheng with him. He received the warrant, so he fought all the way into Yuzhou without being blocked.
Because there were not many troops left in Yuzhou, the Tang army, totaling 50,000, avoided the city and headed straight for Jingzhou. As for the grain and grass supplies of the Tang army, they were naturally provided by the Yanzhou army who was "catching up" behind. The Yanzhou Army followed the central part of Yuzhou, with Huaiyang Prefecture as the boundary, went straight down, divided Yuzhou into two, and dispersed into the western part of Yuzhou.
Soon, when the Yanzhou Army entered western Yuzhou, a reserve army of 30,000 was immediately formed in Yanzhou and headed south. At the same time, Zhao Xun immediately asked the Yanzhou Army that entered Yuzhou to seize power, captured all the civil and military officials of the Qi Army, and replaced them with the banner of the Yanzhou Army. Thirty thousand trained reserve troops immediately became county soldiers and government soldiers to take over the local area and maintain local security. The Yanzhou Army, which had been prepared for a long time, was also equipped with a large number of civilian officials and began to take over local government affairs.
As usual, once the Yanzhou Army officials arrived, they immediately began to post notices to reduce or reduce taxes, and were about to launch various policies that would benefit the people, such as measuring fields, dividing the fields equally, and unifying taxes. They immediately won the support of the people, and the merchants support. You must know that now, under the influence of Zhao Di's policies, the influence and power of businessmen are much greater than that of the local wealthy gentry who rely on land. Therefore, within just half a month, the Yanzhou Army had controlled half of Yuzhou.
As for Murong Cheng, his advance army conquered Quyang City, which can be said to be "unexpected" and destroyed with one blow. Unfortunately, when the front army attacked Huaiyin City, they faced a 50,000-strong army that had been well prepared, and the forward army of 80,000 Qi troops suffered a bloody blow. When attacking Quyang City, the Qi army only lost more than 6,000 people, but in Huaiyin City, the Qi army lost more than 20,000 people, and Huaiyin City was still unbreakable.
When the Yanzhou Army entered Yuzhou, Zhang Tu and others felt something was wrong and suggested that Murong Cheng send an army back to investigate the situation. But Murong Cheng believed Zhao Xun's words and pursued the Tang army who fled south. Because these news also came from Yuzhou, the situation is indeed true. In addition, outside Huaipu City, the Yanzhou Army mixed with the Weapon Qi Army also harassed Huaipu City outside the city.
But Murong Cheng didn¡¯t know that most of the defenders in Huaipu City had gone to support Huaiyin City. However, subsequent reinforcements did not arrive. Of course, when the Huaipu City defenders left the city to support Huaiyin, they also received news from Xu Qing in advance.
Seeing that Huaipu was holding firm, Bai Ling, the general of the Qi army who accompanied Xu Qing, also suggested an attack many times to observe the situation inside the city. Xu Qing, who knew the situation in the city, naturally refused many times, and even plausibly said that the defenders in the city did this on purpose and were luring him into a trap.
"It's a pity that if Bailing was the commander-in-chief at this moment, Huaipu City would have been lost, and Qi King Murong Cheng and his army could march straight in from here.
At the end of March, after Zhao Xun's main force entered the western half of Yuzhou, and after making all preparations, he suddenly acted and captured the six western prefectures of Yuzhou overnight. It can be said that three-fifths of Yuzhou's area was Under the control of the Yanzhou Army, especially the areas connecting Jingzhou, Yangzhou and Yuzhou, were suddenly taken over by the Yanzhou Army. The more than 100,000 tons of grain stored in Huaiyang Mansion in Yuzhou fell into Zhao Xun's hands at once. This is enough food to support an army of 100,000 people for three months. It will immediately put Murong Cheng, who has now entered Xuzhou, into a situation of no food.
Xu Qing, who got the news in Huaipu, immediately took action secretly and summoned Qi Army General Bai Ling and some officers to kill them. As for the five thousand Qi troops, they were in XuAfter explaining the situation in public, under the coercion and inducement of the 10,000 Yanzhou Army, more than 3,000 people were immediately willing to join the Yanzhou Army, and the rest were also released. Because the situation in Yuzhou will soon be exposed, whether these soldiers stay or not will not affect the overall situation.
Xu Qing borrowed a road from Huaiyang Mansion to the Xuzhou Army and turned back. At this time, Guangling Prefecture and Jiangdu Prefecture in the south of Xuzhou panicked and hurriedly mobilized troops to support them after learning that the Qi army had betrayed their faith. The Qi army in Yangzhou immediately advanced and even entered the territory of Xuzhou. As a result, Xuzhou army commander Li Yi successfully lured the enemy deeper and completely defeated the opponent, wiping out more than 70,000 Qi troops. This time, Murong Cheng's plan to have the Yangzhou army contain the Xuzhou army was thwarted. It is even possible to make the land of Yangzhou undefendable.
At this time, the Tang Army had been stationed in the southwest of Yuzhou, which now belongs to the Yanzhou Army, for many days. Tang Xian launched a small-scale attack while wooing his former colleagues, and informed the general situation of the various princes joining forces to deal with Murong Cheng. The various tribes obtained the support of civil and military officials and wealthy gentry in Nanyang Prefecture.
Zhao Xun, on the other hand, took over all the prefectures and counties in Xinna and implemented the New Deal. On the one hand, be prepared to attack eastward. At the same time, they were also waiting for Situ Lei's action. Now Zhao Xun has to deal with the Qi army in the east, which is about to go crazy. He is short of troops, while part of the Yanzhou army has to guard against the Yong army and the Tang army. The Tang army has already taken action, so it can naturally be put aside. Then, the Yong army, which has been silent, is the main opponent that Zhao Xun needs to guard against.