Five Dynasties River Mountains Fengyue

Chapter 156
Shouzhou has been an isolated city for more than a year. Since Li Gu besieged the city last year, there has been no reinforcements.

During this period, only when Liu Yanzhen was defeated, some soldiers ran to the city of Shouzhou to seek shelter. Liu Renshan collected them and stayed in the city.

Since then, there has not been a single soldier in the city.

"Shi Congyun ordered people to capture Tu Shanshui Village, then cut off the waterway, and surrounded Zhu Yuan's army by the Huai River.

Zhu Yuan and the others always thought that he was going to attack the Zijin Mountain camp, but they never thought that he had been staring at Tu Shan."

In the compound of the Governor’s Office in Shouzhou City, Sun Yu, the deputy envoy of Yingtian, was reporting to Liu Renshan. The yard was very dilapidated, leaving only bare tree stumps. All the decorative trees were cut down, and the bark was removed after being boiled. The bitterness is also something that barely satiates one's hunger.

Two Siyang soldiers in front of them were carefully cooking a pot of porridge in clay pots, so clear that they could see the shadows of people.

Liu Renshan didn't speak for a long time, and after waiting for a while, he said, "You can stay here and eat."

Sun Yu hesitated to speak, and nodded.

After the porridge was cooked, the soldiers carefully filled a bowl for each person, and then the two of them mixed some water into the earthen pot and drank the rest.

In the past two days, there have been two moderate spring rains, and the rain of apricot blossoms wets the clothes.

The spring rain was originally so gentle and gentle, but Liu Renshan felt a piercing chill, which made him feel terrified, made him dizzy, powerless and hopeless, and dared to wake him up from his dream in the middle of the night. , I lost a bit of weight again, and my eye sockets were sunken, far worse than before.

Liu Renshan didn't make a sound while eating, following the admonition of not talking when eating or sleeping, and drinking half a bowl of water after drinking, flushing all the grain residue in the bowl into his stomach.

Sun Yu was worried, and only drank half of a bowl of porridge, "Jie Shuai, I'm afraid Zhu Yuan can't hold on anymore, that Shi Congyun is too powerful, let's underestimate him."

"Well, it's not just you." Liu Renshan nodded, handed the bowls and chopsticks to the soldiers under him, and then stood up: "At the beginning, the old man saw that he was wandering outside the city every day, so he didn't have any serious business, so he went to move it to the trebuchet himself. Stone."

"This old man will not underestimate any enemy, even if he is a young child." Liu Renshan looked at him: "What's more, he defeated Shu Kingdom and Liu Yanzhen's army."

Speaking of this, he sighed: "It's a pity that staring at him every day still can't see his way, can't guess his thoughts.

At first we thought he was going to concentrate his forces to attack Shouzhou, but later we thought he might want to attack Zhu Yuan's army on the east side of Zijin Mountain. Until now, after dozens of days passed, we gradually figured out that what he had been staring at was Tu Mountain. "

"Hard eyesight, unique use of troops, he is a good general.

Probably this is in the midst of strategizing and decisive victory thousands of miles away. It is not easy for the emperor of the Zhou Dynasty to dare to use him. It is not everyone's decision to ask a young junior to hang in Huainan to recruit envoys. "

"Marshal." Sun Yu was speechless, he had never heard Liu Renshan praise someone so much, even when Lin Renzhao burned down the Xiacai floating bridge, when Jieshuai heard about it, he only praised him for his courage and courage.

I didn't expect that Shi Congyun's evaluation would be so high today.

"You don't have to be surprised." Liu Renshan shook his head with a wry smile: "In the whole of Huainan, we have [-] soldiers, but in the past month, Shi Congyun was in Shouzhou, going back and forth to both sides of the Feishui River, but step by step our [-] troops Play around.

In the end, the Tu Shanshui village was lost and the navy was lost. Zhu Yuan's 5 or [-] people might not be able to keep them. They would either starve to death or surrender.

In this way, the entire battle situation in Huainan became obvious. After this battle, the Zhou army could no longer resist. "

"Is it so serious! Haozhou, Sizhou, and Chuzhou are all in our hands. Lin Renzhao, Jieshuai, Zhu Yuan and others are all used to fighting." Sun Yu said hastily.

Liu Renshan nodded, "As a leading general, it's right to look at the victories and losses, and it's also right to think about who can fight and who can't.

But recruiters like Shi Congyun will definitely think higher and wider. Under his calculation and overall planning, the current situation in Huainan is set, and the gains and losses of one city and one pool can no longer affect the overall outcome. .

We used to have 2 troops in Huainan, but now Tushan has been defeated, the main force is trapped, and our Shouzhou is besieged. The scattered troops scattered all over the country are only about [-] people, and they are not all gathered together. , scattered all over the place.

The Zhou army used tens of thousands of troops and hundreds of thousands of auxiliary soldiers and civilians. At this point, it is no longer a matter of individual bravery. Even if individual generals can fight, they cannot change the overall situation. "

Sun Yu had a look of disbelief, he didn't expect the situation to be so bad.

"This is the difference between general talent and handsome talent.

There are many generals in the Zhou army, their first strong general Shi Yanchao, Li Jixun who was defeated by the old man, Han Lingkun and Murong Yanzhao who came from our city to fight Yangzhou, etc., but they all only know how to kill and fight, and they don’t know how to go further Thinking about it, I don't understand how to win the overall situation in Huainan.

So even if they were able to fight again and defeated our North Korean army repeatedly, they still couldn't tell the final outcome after fighting with them for more than a year.

But Shi Congyun is different, he is not just able to fight."

Liu Renshan sighed again and again, "As soon as he took office, he directly mobilized troops from Yangzhou, Liuhe, Chuzhou, Qingliuguan and other places, and gave up a large area of ​​land, and also concentrated his troops near Shouzhou.

Just when the old man thought he was going to concentrate his forces to attack Shouzhou, he confronted Zhu Yuan in Zijin Mountain.

Now, I also understand what he is thinking, Huainan's priority lies in Shouzhou, and our army's priority lies in the navy!

He saw it clearly from the very beginning, far more transparently than anyone else, we were not wronged." At the end of the speech, Liu Renshan's voice gradually trailed off.

"It's not impossible for Zhu Yuan to fight to the death," Sun Yu said unwillingly.

Liu Renshan's face turned serious, "It's a big taboo for military strategists to stand against the water, not everyone is the Marquis of Huaiyin.

You haven't fought any battles, but based on the experience of this old man in half a lifetime, it is almost courting death. Not everyone who is forced to death can fight back vigorously. In [-]% of the cases, he surrendered directly.

Zhu Yuan dared to do that because he relied on Tu Shan's navy. Without him, it would be like digging his own grave. He must surrender in a few days. "

Speaking of this, anyone can hear the sadness and helplessness in it.

Sun Yu's Adam's apple rolled, he hesitated to speak, and finally asked in a low voice: "Jieshuai, what about Shouzhou?"

Liu Renshan closed his eyes, shook his head with a long sigh, and said, "Don't you think it's not surprising that the people who fell out of the city recently were not intercepted by the Zhou army and brought back more and more news? Shi Congyun did it on purpose, right?

Let us know the situation outside the city, the more we know, the more desperate we become.

Shouzhou is also hopeless now.”

"Jieshuai!" Sun Yu didn't expect Liu Renshan, who was resolute in defending the city, to speak so directly.

"There is no need to say those deceitful words now. I know why you came to see me today, and I know everyone's thoughts." Liu Renshan looked at him and said seriously.

"Shouzhou City cannot be defended no matter what."

"The old man's health is not as good as before, and the bark porridge eaten for half a year at the age of more than 50 is almost to the limit.

This old man's life can't be said to be magnificent, at least he has done some things. Loyalty, filial piety and righteousness are in his heart, and he has never overstepped. In the last journey, he doesn't want to be greedy for his life and forget his righteousness, and ruin half his life's wisdom. "

"Jieshuai." Hearing what Liu Renshan said, Sun Yu immediately became nervous.

"This old man can't last long, and neither can the city of Shouzhou. When the time comes, you and Zhou Tinggou will bring people to surrender to the Zhou army. If Shi Congyun and the Zhou emperor keep their promises, they will forgive you."

"But Jieshuai, it's not worth it. Last year when we were defending the city, the king sent someone to reward the Zhou army outside the city. Why?"

Liu Renshan raised his hand to stop his next words, "Everyone has his own ambitions. To defend Shouzhou City, this old man has put in too much effort. I have made up my mind. You don't need to say more, and don't say anything about it for now. Wait for the opportunity." When we arrive, the old man will tell you again."

Sun Yu couldn't say much anymore.

"Marshal thinks it's impossible for Liu Renshan to surrender?" Luqiu Zhongqing asked puzzled.

Shi Congyun nodded while sharpening his knife. The Tang army in the north was about to surrender. He originally wanted to hold a surrender ceremony under the city of Shouzhou in a grand manner, and then hit the morale of the Shouzhou defenders.

As a result, the continuous spring rain for two days made it difficult to carry out the surrender ceremony.

"Liu Renshan is a Confucian general. He even killed his own son in order to defend Shouzhou. Now that he is asked to surrender, how can he face his son who is in the underworld? His reputation will be ruined for half his life.

He devoted his whole life to the Tang Dynasty king, and stayed in Shouzhou, but he was let down. If he surrendered, he would not be able to get out of his own moral dilemma.

But in my opinion, he is just not thick-skinned enough. If I am in Shouzhou City, there is something I can't think about. Nantang treats him like this, and he should have surrendered long ago. "Shi Congyun shook his head. Last year when the Zhou army besieged Shouzhou, the Lord of the Southern Tang Dynasty sent people with beef and wine to reward the Zhou army outside the city in order to seek peace. Still defending.

Luqiu Zhongqing laughed dryly, thought for a while and said, "Marshal, I think there may be another way."

"How?" Shi Congyun looked at him curiously.

"Since he wants to keep the chastity, the Lord of the Southern Tang Dynasty does not dare to offend us. After Zhu Yuan surrenders and the situation in Huaibei becomes clear, it will be all right if the Lord of the Southern Tang Dynasty orders him to surrender." Luqiu Zhongqing said.

Shi Congyun's eyes brightened when he heard this. If the Southern Tang Dynasty surrendered and the cities in Huainan were to be handed over to the Zhou army, then the Southern Tang Kingdom would indeed order the defenders to surrender.

However, he immediately rejected this idea. As long as Shouzhou is still in his hands, the ruler of the Southern Tang Dynasty has no possibility of surrendering.

But Luqiu Zhongqing's idea did give him a different way of thinking, so he thought about it and said: "Send an envoy to the city, and say that this envoy wants to talk to Liu Renshan."

He had never asked for this before, because the war was still going on, and he was afraid of being cheated. What if he leaned over and the Tang army hid a bunch of sharp archers at the top of the city?That's not a joke. Killing him, the commander in chief, is beneficial to the entire battle situation in Huainan. For matters involving the lives and deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, no means can be overstated.

But now that the overall situation has been decided, the news that Zhu Yuan and others were forced to surrender must have spread to the city.

On the other side, Qi Wang Li Jingda of Haozhou sent reinforcements from both land and water, but the army was intercepted and defeated by Xiang Xun, and retreated in a panic after losing hundreds of people.

The navy was intercepted and defeated by Si Chao in the lower reaches of Tushan, burned more than [-] ships, and retreated to Haozhou Water Village in despair.

The Southern Tang army has suffered heavy losses in this battle. Tushan's troops wiped out about 2 enemies. In addition to the battle of Zijin Mountain, the siege and counterattack on the east side of Zijin Mountain, according to the general statistics of all parties, Southern Tang died in battle. There have been more than [-] soldiers, and as many as [-] surrendered, of which Zhu Yuan's army is the bulk.

As a result, the Southern Tang Dynasty lost almost [-] fresh troops in this war until now.

The total strength of Southern Tang in Huainan was roughly [-], and now more than half of them have been lost. The rest are in Shouzhou and Haozhou, and the rest are scattered in various places, so it is impossible to organize a strong counterattack.

To put it bluntly in this situation, just release a general and let him lead 1 people to fight, he is the God of War!

Because after Shi Congyun won this big battle, in the overall situation in Huainan, the Southern Tang no longer had the troops to resist such a large-scale attack, and just sending any general could sweep all over the place.

In this situation, he was not so worried about seeing Liu Renshan. Smart people must know that Nan Tang was hopeless in Huainan.

The envoy came down to the city with a special flag and conveyed his intention to the defenders at the top of the city. The soldiers at the top of the city quickly ran down to report, and after a while they came up to reply, and the envoy ran towards him.

Shi Congyun watched from a distance. After a while, the envoy came back and reported that Liu Renshan was willing to see him.

Even so, Shi Congyun still escorted him to the city with a group of soldiers holding a large shield.

Under the city, there are rocks everywhere, and the city wall of Shouzhou is full of scars, and there are cracks from trebuchets everywhere. The guards at the top of the city are curious and scared to see what he looks like.

After a while, an old man in his fifties came out from the top of the city, his eyes were sunken, and his expression was not so good. Seeing him, he laughed and said: "It takes such timidity for the dignified Zhou Jun to meet an old man. I heard that you are a hero." The character, when I saw it today, it turned out to be a rat."

Shi Congyun looked up at Liu Renshan at the top of the city, and wanted to scold back on the spot, but he sneered as soon as he turned his head: "Liu Renshan, I am young, and I have a long life in the great Zhou Dynasty. How to make achievements, leave your name in history, how to enjoy the glory, wealth, wine and women!

On the contrary, Zhu Yuan will lead his army to surrender to the commander the day after tomorrow. Tu Shanshui's army will be wiped out, and all the land and water reinforcements sent by Haozhou will be defeated. Of course you are not afraid of death.

A certain person didn't want to be as self-willed and depraved as you, and despise life, so naturally he has to cherish his life, hahahahaha! "

After he finished speaking, the surrounding Zhou Jun also burst into laughter. Liu Renshan on the top of the wall had a bad face, and said coldly: "Master Shi is probably not here to argue, so just speak up!"

Only then did Shi Congyun stop laughing, "Liu Renshan, I have never lost a war against you in the Southern Tang Dynasty. In my opinion, all the troops in the Southern Tang Dynasty are like chickens and dogs, vulnerable to a single blow!"

Shi Congyun's words were very arrogant, and he said it with arrogance, but he was so angry that he couldn't refute it. The facts are there.

"However, among the many generals, there are only three who make me treat you differently. One is you, and the other is Lin Renzhao." He didn't say anything about the third one.

"You have shown the utmost benevolence to the court of the Southern Tang Dynasty. A certain person knows why you did not surrender. I forgive you. After all, those who persevere are worthy of admiration."

Liu Renshan was surprised by Shi Congyun's words. He thought that this time he was here to persuade him to surrender, and it was not the first time that Zhou Jun had persuaded him to surrender.

"Because of your current predicament, please show me a way, you write a letter to your king, requesting surrender, if he agrees, you surrender, if you continue to defend, all the people in the city will starve to death.

If the lord of the country agrees to your surrender, your reputation will not be damaged, and you will be worthy of your dedication and persistence over the past year. "The main reason is to have the face to see the son who was killed by you. Shi Congyun didn't say this. He said that he was forcing old man Liu to death.

"It's up to you to make up your own mind. Zhu Yuan will come to surrender to the commander tomorrow. By then, the overall situation in Huainan will be settled, and Shouzhou guard is useless. Make a decision early."

After finishing speaking, Shi Congyun didn't stop, and hurriedly led everyone back, what if someone in the city wanted not to open the sniper arrow, as he said, he still has glory and wealth, and the girls with good wine are waiting, so I don't want to make any mistakes here.

Only Liu Renshan was left in a mess in the wind at the head of the city, speechless for a long time.

(End of this chapter)