Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 708: The Lord Should Not Raise an Army in Anger

The rain stopped and the sun came out. When the people of Bianzhou went out to look, they found that the water level of the canal and other rivers had risen a lot!

In some bumpy places, small "ponds" have formed, and there are even fish jumping around in them.

The flood did not flood the area, so people can only breathe a sigh of relief temporarily.

Because the peak of this wave of floods has passed. However, based on past experience, there will be another peak of floods in early summer, which will be more severe.

Ever since he discovered that Li Guiren sent laborers to secretly cross the Yellow River and dig the river embankment on the south bank of the Yellow River, Fang Chongyong has strengthened patrols along the Yellow River.

Sure enough, two more groups of people were captured in different sections of the river.

Fortunately, Li Guiren was a rough man with a good idea. He planned to dig a breach in the dam somewhere on the south bank of the Yellow River, and then the Yellow River would flood over there.

However, even sabotage is a professional skill. The Yellow River cannot be diverted by digging at any place! It must be dug at the entrance of the old Yellow River course to achieve a diversion effect.

Li Guiren's sabotage actions had no effect other than uniting the government and the people of Bianzhou against a common enemy.

In fact, even if those waves of excavation were left alone, they would not cause any panic damage.

Just as night fell that day, Fang Chongyong, with bloodshot eyes, looked at the flood prevention map drawn by Jia Dan. All the dangerous areas had been marked and reinforced. He breathed a sigh of relief, slumped tiredly on the cushion, rubbing his temples.

"Official, you haven't been home for more than ten days. You should go back and have a good sleep."

Jia Dan saluted to Fang Zhongyong with his hands crossed.

"Got it. You stay here and keep an eye on him. If Che Guangqian has any military matters to report, just ask him to come to my house.

"For matters concerning floods, please consult Minister Yan."

Fang Chongyong stood up, waved his hand casually, and walked out of the government office. Two days ago, he urgently appointed Che Guangqian as the governor of Huazhou, the commander of the Privy Council Guard Division, stationed troops in Baima County, Huazhou, and took charge of the war against Hebei.

The attack on Li Guiren has been put on the agenda and is being gradually advanced. We will not stop until this fellow's head is cut off.

However, there is one thing Fang Chongyong is very curious about. Why is Li Guiren so cruel?

Doesn't he know that the imperial court in Bianzhou is now strong in soldiers and horses, with abundant food and fodder, and its war potential is more than ten times that of Yecheng! If a war really breaks out, will Li Guiren really benefit?

That's obviously impossible.

With a lot of questions in his mind, Fang Chongyong returned home and fell asleep. He hadn't had a full night's sleep for more than ten days, and when he woke up, it was still dark!
"What time is it?"

Fang Zhongyong covered his head and asked casually.

"It's just past midnight."

There was a hint of resentment in Wang Yunxiu's tone.

"You've only slept for less than two hours?"

Fang Chongyong sat up from the bed and slowly woke up from his coma.

"No, it's already midnight of the second day, and Alang has slept for more than a day."

Wang Yunxiu sighed.

It’s not that she doesn’t want her man to be incompetent, but a man who is too capable will be busy forever.

However, Fang Chongyong is still doing serious work, fighting for his life and future.

What else could Wang Yunxiu say? She could only say that Fang Chongyong and her father Wang Zhongsi were of the same character.

"Ah Lang, is Li Guiren going to flood Bianzhou?"

Wang Yunxiu suddenly asked.

Fang Zhongyong was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and said, "He may think so, but the section of the river he dug is downstream of Bianzhou and will not flood Bianzhou. At most, it will cause harm to Huazhou, Puzhou, Songzhou and so on."

"Today I heard that the people are all talking about this matter, and some people are going to the government office to clamor for the arrest of Li Guiren. With the public outraged, I'm afraid Alang will also send troops to Hebei."

Wang Yunxiu sighed again.

The people of Bianzhou didn't care where Li Guiren wanted to flood, they only knew that he was digging the embankment on the south bank of the Yellow River, which meant he was destroying his entire family!
When Fang Chongyong publicized this matter, he was actually putting himself on the spot.

If they sent troops to Hebei, won the battle, and arrested Li Guiren and brought him back to Bianzhou for public trial, then the prestige of the Bianzhou court would reach a whole new height, and Fang Zhongyong would probably be just one step away from changing the dynasty.

However, if Fang Zhongyong pretended to be ignorant of this matter, or sent troops to Hebei but was defeated by Li Guiren, the reputation of the Bianzhou court would be ruined.

The people would say: The Bianzhou court is good in every way except that it lacks martial ethics and dares not draw its sword, or it cannot defeat others.

This is the end of it.

“For many things, there is no choice.”

Fang Chongyong's face was solemn, and he continued, "Li Guiren is a madman, he must be beheaded to correct the morale. This war is inevitable, we have to fight, even if we don't want to."

"Alas, as a woman, I don't know what to say. Swords have no eyes, so be careful, Alang.

By the way, there is a scout commander named Han Yougui who is waiting for you in the lobby. He said there is urgent military information in Hebei!"

Wang Yunxiu spoke slowly, as if she had just remembered this.

"Military situation in Hebei?"

Fang Chongyong immediately stopped feeling sleepy.

He changed his clothes in a hurry and came to the main hall of his house, where he saw Han Yougui, dressed in military uniform, sitting restlessly and kneeling on the cushion with an embarrassed look on his face.

"How's the front line?"

Fang Chongyong asked as soon as he entered the door, without any politeness.

"Reporting to the commander, the military situation in Hebei is very strange. A large number of troops are being dispatched to the north of Yecheng!

Judging from my more than ten years of scouting experience, it should be Li Guiren and Shi Siming who joined forces.

Li Guiren couldn't produce so many soldiers. But Shi Siming had enough men. "

Han Yougui reported with a serious expression.

"Sure enough, it's just as I expected. It was Shi Siming who gave Li Guiren the courage to be so brave."

Fang Zhongyong nodded slightly, without any expression of surprise on his face.

Shi Siming was injured because of Li Guiren. Logically, he could not have joined forces with Li Guiren. It's just like when Cao Cao was beaten badly by Zhang Xiu, Zhang Xiu could not have surrendered to Cao Cao.

However, history has told future generations that these are nothing compared to major interests!
Today, the Bianzhou court is thriving, and its strength is beyond the reach of Shi Siming. At least in terms of economy and people's livelihood, it is far superior to Hebei, which was badly damaged by Shi Siming.

The longer the time is delayed, the greater the gap between the two will be. All of this will make Shi Siming despair, and will also make Li Guiren despair!
"Go back and tell Che Guangqian to keep his troops still and strictly order him not to cross the river."

Fang Zhongyong gave the order calmly.

Han Yougui breathed a sigh of relief. He was afraid that Fang Zhongyong would play the "two brave men win when two meet in a narrow road" trick, which would be a disaster.

When the Bianzhou army crossed the Yellow River and arrived in Hebei, the coalition forces of Li Guiren and Shi Siming were already ready for battle. It was clear what would happen at that time, even without saying it, that if they could win, it would be a pyrrhic victory. Shi Siming was also very likely to escape back to Youzhou.

If we lose, the Hebei troops will have to cross the Yellow River, and Bianzhou will be in danger!
Bianzhou hasn't even completely dealt with the flood. If the imperial army is defeated again, the consequences will be disastrous.

In short, it is extremely risky to go into battle rashly.

"Understood, I will go through the formalities at the Privy Council and then go to Huazhou to convey the military order."

Han Yougui saluted to Fang Zhongyong with his fists, then turned and left.

After he left, Fang Zhongyong sat down at the desk in the lobby, tapping the table with his fingers, thinking about countermeasures. There is a saying that goes, "What you fear will come true", which means that everything will often develop in the direction you worry about most.

Before this, Fang Chongyong was worried that Li Guiren's courage was given by Shi Siming. Even the bad idea of ​​flooding Henan might have been proposed by the "tyrant" of Youzhou.

Judging from the intelligence from the front line, the possibility is very high.

Shi Siming needed Li Guiren to trick the Bianzhou army across the river and kill them, but Li Guiren was happy to see Shi Siming and Fang Chongyong fight to the death so that he could sit on the mountain and watch the fight.

This time, Li Guiren’s troops may not even leave Yecheng!
I'm having a headache as to how to deal with it next.

An hour later, the sky was still dark, dark clouds covered the stars, and nothing could be seen on the ground except the light of the fire.

However, at this moment, the lights in the study of the Bianzhou government office were already brightly lit.

Except for Che Guangqian and others who led troops to Huazhou to wait for orders, all the close associates of Fang Chongyong gathered here.

"Han Yougui sent me military intelligence on Hebei. There are a lot of troops being dispatched to the north of Yecheng. Considering that Shi Siming cannot attack Li Guiren at this time, the result should be obvious."

Fang Chongyong gave the military intelligence sent by Han Yougui to Dacongming, asking Dacongming to pass it on to others for circulation.

The letter went around and returned to Fang Zhongyong's hands. He looked around and asked, "What do you think?"

"The intention to set a trap is so obvious."

Yan Zhuang sighed and shook his head, not knowing what to say.

They knew that the other party was setting a trap, but it was still inconvenient to get out of it. The Bianzhou army did not send troops to Hebei, and did not explain it to the inside. Many people were watching them!
There were resettlement of disabled veterans and selection of archers, and a martial spirit was set off among the people. As a result, others were digging river embankments, planning to flood Bianzhou, but they did not dare to cross the Yellow River.

What a martial artist! Just go home and have a shower!

"Although this move is a bad one, it is indeed vicious. Our dispatch of troops to Hebei is exactly what they want. Not only is it difficult to replenish food and fodder for external operations, but our military strength is probably inferior to that of the enemy."

Li Quan shook his head. He also felt that he could not send troops.

You must not do what the enemy wants you to do. This is common sense in military strategy!
If the worst case scenario occurs, for example, as it is happening now, Li Guiren has already joined forces with Shi Siming.

Then sending troops directly to Hebei and setting the battlefield in Weizhou, Xiangzhou and other places across the Huazhou would be exactly what the opponent wants.

"Sir, we can send troops or not!"

Yuan Zai raised one hand and said excitedly.

"Well, not bad, you continue to talk."

Fang Chongyong nodded slightly.

"Sir, we can make a big move to cross the river. For example, we can build boats on the shore, send a large number of vanguard troops to cross the river during the day and return at night. We can also build wooden piles for a floating bridge on the other side of the Yellow River.

In short, we want to let everyone in the world know that we are going to march into Hebei.

However, the main force of our army is still camped on the south bank."

"and then?"

Fang Chongyong asked, I have to say, Yuan Zai's idea is quite interesting.

"Isn't this... all right?"

Yuan Zai said with an embarrassed look on his face.

Everyone shook their heads in disappointment. This move was really a head start without a tail. What was the point of having so many feints? Feints were to cover up for the ultimate move!

“Sir, we can pretend to cross the river in Huazhou.

Then they set out from Dengzhou Port and landed directly in Youzhou to raid Shi Siming's lair.

After Shi Siming's army returns to support, the main force of our army can immediately cross the river to Weizhou and Xiangzhou to fight to the death with Li Guiren.

I believe that without Shi Siming as an external aid, Li Guiren would not have been able to hold on for long.

By the way, isn’t Liu Longxian now the defense commander of the three cities of Heyang? In order to show his loyalty to the court, let him send troops to attack Yecheng.

I believe he should know his old friend Li Guiren very well."

Li Quan sneered and said, his eyes narrowed into slits.

"Who is the special teacher?
The troops of Huazhou cannot be moved, and Li Guangbi's troops in Bozhou to the south cannot be moved either."

Fang Chongyong asked again, frowning slightly.

"Your Majesty, it's just a detachment, why bother sending elite soldiers into battle? Didn't Li Sheng train a united army in Dengzhou? Its soldiers are all boatmen and sailors who sail on the sea. These desperate men can still fight a favorable battle.

It's not like we're really going to go head-to-head with Shi Siming."

Yan Zhuang proposed a vicious plan.

If the troops of Huazhou were not dispatched, Shi Siming would not be alert. It must be said that Yan Zhuang's strategy was very correct.

When a fire breaks out in the backyard, Shi Siming will have to consider whether to fight to the death with Li Guiren and the main force of the Bianzhou army, or to hurry back to save Youzhou.

Judging from Shi Siming's character, it was normal for him to return to Youzhou. He could even kill his own son, let alone Li Guiren?
By that time, the Bianzhou Army can hang Li Guiren up and beat him! As for Liu Longxian's troops, they are just adding a dish to Li Guiren and testing Liu Longxian's loyalty!
"Well, this is a great idea, let's do it."

Fang Chongyong nodded.

Every time he convened a meeting of his confidants to discuss matters, they would always come up with things that he himself could not think of. The phrase "brainstorming" was indeed not given for nothing.

"The Privy Council immediately ordered Li Sheng to land on the coast of Youzhou as soon as possible and make some noise. He has many ships sailing at sea, so he should not be short of such guides.

Shi Siming wants to set a trap for me, so I will give him a warning first!"

Fang Chongyong gave the order calmly, with a domineering aura and intimidating power without even getting angry!
"Sir, I'm afraid this military operation won't be over in a month or two, so we still have to focus on disaster prevention.

The embankments along the Yellow River must not be neglected.”

Liu Yan saluted Fang Zhongyong with his hands crossed.

"If we have to fight in Hebei, how long can the food and fodder last?"

Fang Chongyong asked.

"If the government really wants to say anything, it's that we can fight as long as we want. It just makes the people suffer. If we squeeze in, there will always be enough military rations."

Liu Yan sighed.

He basically didn't say anything here, but came to answer questions, mostly questions like "Is there enough money?" and "Is there enough food?"

With the current economic strength of Bianzhou, it would not be a big deal if the army fought in Hebei for three to five years. It would only hinder the development of people's livelihood.

"We fight wars so that we don't have to fight wars in the future. If we don't kill those crazy soldiers like Shi Siming and Li Guiren, the people will have no good life.

No need to say more, the matter is settled.

In this battle, we will capture Hebei and take as much territory as we can!"

Fang Chongyong waved his hand and set the tone for the war.

After everyone left, he stood up and paced in the study.

This era of great contention is indeed a world of extreme involution.

If you don't crush others, others will crush you. Fang Zhongyong laughed and shook his head, not knowing how to comment.

(End of this chapter)