The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 549 Touching Zhao Da across the river
Regarding the war in Shouzhou, Han Lingkun did not want to argue too much.

Shouzhou is the main direction of attack in this southern expedition, and His Majesty is personally in charge. His subordinates Li Chongjin, Wang Yanchao, Si Chao and others are all famous generals in the world.

His brother Zhao Kuangyin also followed Yu Jia southward. With so many elite soldiers and generals, Han Lingkun thought that it would only be a matter of time before Shouzhou was captured.

What he wanted to discuss with Zhu Xiu was what the Zhou army stationed in Sizhou should do next.

After thinking about it for a moment, Han Lingkun said: "Deputy Commander Zhu, Sizhou is not far from Yangzhou. All the Tang troops in Sizhou have retreated to Tianchang County. If we want to attack Yangzhou, we must first capture Tianchang County. Our two armies total more than 3 soldiers." Ma, I think you can give it a try!"

Zhu Xiu smiled and said, "What is General Han's plan?"

Han Lingkun became more energetic, "I have inquired and found out that there are a small number of Tang troops stationed in Gaoyou. We can go through Gaoyou first and pretend to attack. Tianchang Tang troops will definitely come to the rescue. Then our army can ambush halfway or take the opportunity to attack Tianchang County!"

Zhu Xiu thought for a while, "General Han's plan is indeed feasible, but there is something wrong with it!"

Han Lingkun was not upset at all, he cupped his fists and said, "I'd like to hear the details!"

Zhu Xiudao: "There is nothing to fear from Tianchang's Tang army, but once our army takes Gaoyou and Tianchang lightly, Yangzhou will be shaken! Our army's goal is Yangzhou, and other small victories are insignificant! Although General Han's strategy is good, it is not time yet!"

Han Lingkun thought for a moment, "I wonder what specific timing Deputy Commander Zhu is referring to?"

Zhu Xiu smiled slightly, cupped his hands in the direction of Shouzhou and said: "Shouzhou is difficult to attack, but in the direction of Chuzhou, Tang army reinforcements led by Huangfu Hui and Yao Feng have already stationed. Downstream of Shouzhou, there is also a Tang army at Tushan that is ready to move.

Your Majesty is a man who knows the military, and it is impossible for him to sit idly by and ignore the Tang troops in Tushan and Chuzhou.

I predict that within a few days, His Majesty will definitely send a powerful general to break Tushan first, and then defeat Chuzhou. Only by destroying the reinforcements of the Tang army first, can there be hope of conquering Shouzhou!
Only by taking Chuzhou first can our army go south to take Yangzhou.

Otherwise, if our army moves, Tianchang and Chuzhou Tang troops will definitely come to rescue. Even if Yangzhou is conquered, they will not be able to garrison for a long time, and there is a danger of being cut off from the rear. "

Han Lingkun frowned and said: "Tushan is okay, but Chuzhou relies on the danger of Qingliu Pass. Generals Huangfu Hui and Yao Feng claim to lead an army of 15 to block the pass, making it easy and indestructible!"

Zhu Xiu said with a smile: "I am just about to report to Your Majesty and ask for permission to go to Qingliu Pass to challenge! Let's see if we can find an opportunity to seize Chuzhou in one fell swoop!"

Han Lingkun was startled, his eyes widened and he couldn't speak, almost thinking he had heard wrong.

"Vice Admiral Zhu wants to lead [-] troops from Sizhou to attack Chuzhou?"

Zhu Xiu stretched out a finger: "It is enough for me to lead [-] soldiers and horses! The rest will be led by General Han. When I conquer Qingliu Pass, with the temperament of the enemy general Huangfu Hui, I will definitely order Tianchang Tang's army to rescue , when the time comes, General Han will seize the opportunity to ambush, and you and I will work together to encircle the area for reinforcements!
If Tianchang Tang Army is defeated, there will be no need to take a long way to attack Gaoyou, and the time has come to capture Yangzhou. "

Han Lingkun was stunned and speechless, his face full of laughter and tears.

I bet this Vice Admiral Zhu has even thought about the battle arrangements after capturing Qingliu Pass?
But Qingliu Pass is in a dangerous terrain and has a large army stationed there. How can it be easily taken?
Listening to Zhu Xiu's tone, taking Qingliuguan is as simple as bending down to pick up a piece of grass from the ground.

Han Lingkun sighed bitterly: "I would like to advise Deputy Commander Zhu to think again! Huangfu Hui and Yao Feng are both people who have been in the battle for a long time, so they should not be underestimated! Besides, the Tang army is said to have 15 soldiers, and the number of fighting troops is probably no less than [-] or [-], not to mention [-]." Soldiers and horses, even if you and I lead [-] soldiers and horses together, I'm afraid it will be difficult to capture Qingliu Pass."

Zhu Xiu waved his hand: "Don't worry, General Han, the Chuzhou Tang Army has at most 4 to [-] people, and the rest are civilians, so there is nothing to be afraid of! I have asked Wu Desi to find out about this."

"Alas~ Even if there are only [-] or [-] people, they are still several times more powerful than our own enemies!" Han Lingkun still shook his head and smiled bitterly.

Zhu Xiu picked up the feather fan placed on the table and shook it gently: "It doesn't matter. Although the Tang army is large, it is not enough. It is not a problem for one of our Zhou soldiers to be ten! Huangfu Hui, Yao Feng and the like are just local chickens and dogs, and it is difficult to get in." My eyes!"

Han Lingkun was speechless, wondering whether Zhu Xiu was arrogant or confident.

"Deputy Commander Zhu really wants to go?"

Zhu Xiu nodded: "The letter of invitation has been written. Once it is agreed with General Han, it will be sent to Shouzhou as soon as possible."

Han Lingkun hesitated and said: "As Deputy Commander Zhu, if he insists on carrying out this plan, it will be difficult for someone to stop him. However, the more than 1 troops brought by Mr. Han were all newly recruited by the Dianqian Division last year. After less than a year of training, I'm afraid it will be difficult to carry out this combat mission."

Han Lingkun was hesitating. Zhu Xiu knew what he was thinking at a glance. He smiled lightly and said: "This time, I will only take [-] infantry of the Huai Army, and another [-] mules and horses to carry twenty days of grain and grass. The rest of the soldiers and horses Stay in Sizhou, let General Han lead you, and act according to the plan!"

Han Lingkun looked at him, feeling a little ashamed and a little worried. He clasped his fists and said, "Please take care, Deputy Commander Zhu! If the opportunity to fight is not revealed, don't force it! The general and his army are always ready to respond!"

"General Lao Han is responsible for Sizhou's military affairs!" Zhu Xiu smiled heartily.

Han Lingkun was obviously not optimistic that he could win Qingliu Pass or even Chuzhou. Of course, he was not willing to use the more than 1 imperial guards in front of the palace to carry out this seemingly impossible task.

In fact, Zhu Xiu had no intention of using his imperial guards. He had formed an army to suppress the Huaihe River for four years and trained non-stop in the cold and summer. Wasn't it just to prepare for the Huainan War?

Historically, Chuzhou was also the place where Zhao Kuangyin shined.

Zhu Xiu is naturally not as brave as Zhao Da, but he still has some confidence in crossing the river by following Zhao Da and meeting Huangfu Hui and Yao Feng.

~~~
A few days later, in the southwest of Shouchun City, the Zhou army camped in the imperial tent, and Chai Rong received a report from Sizhou.

After reading the report sent by Zhu Xiu, Chai Rong pondered for a moment, walked out of the imperial tent, walked to a high slope, and overlooked Shouchun City in the distance.

In the distance, there was a faint cry of killing.

More than a dozen trebuchets lined up outside the city and bombarded the west tower of Shouchun City indiscriminately.

No less than a hundred black fire mines were used for the altar alone. Most of the city tower was burned down, the entire city wall was burned black, and the smoke filled the air, but the Tang army still defended tenaciously.

Chai Rong led the civilians to attack the city for the first time. After half a month, there were heavy casualties, but apart from burning down the Shouchun West Tower and smashing several gaps in the crenellations of the city wall, there was no other progress.

Li Chongjin and Wang Yanchao organized several suicide squads to climb the city and personally led their troops to set up ladders and rush up to the city tower. However, they were forced back by the overwhelming Tang army.

Under the city, there were piles of corpses, most of them were Zhou soldiers and civilians.

Chai Rong recalled the debate between Zhu Xiu and Wang Pu that day, and sighed.

Zhu Xiu's prediction was right. Although the Southern Tang court was rotten, there were still capable people in the army, and the Southern Tang army was not useless.

At least the Shouchun in front of him, including the guard Liu Renzhan and the Qinghuai Army under his command, let Chai Rong see what it means to be a hard nut to crack.

Chai Rong realized that the siege of Shouchun could no longer be carried out by force, otherwise it would only be in vain to damage the lives of Zhou army officers and civilians.

"Shi Shouxin, go and deliver the order for Li Chongjin to withdraw his troops and return to the camp!" Chai Rong sighed.

Standing behind him, Shi Shouxin clasped his fists to accept the order and strode away.Zhao Kuangyin, who was accompanying the bodyguard, took a step forward and said softly: "Your Majesty, Shouchun is difficult to attack. It is better to encircle without attacking. When the food and grass in the city are exhausted, the morale of the Tang army will naturally collapse. The Tang army in Tushan and Chuzhou has made changes, and it needs to be done early. Guard."

Chai Rong smiled and said: "You and Zhu Xiuxiang went together. Yes, I also have this intention. We cannot be dragged down by a Shouchun city. Tushan and Chuzhou are the two major positions of the Tang army. Only by conquering these two places can our army be able to Head straight into the hinterland of Huainan!"

After a pause, Chai Rong said calmly: "It's a pity that Si Chao led his troops south to capture Shengtang County (Liu'an, Anhui), Wang Yanchao marched west to Guangzhou, and Li Chong marched to attack Shouzhou. If he wanted to capture Tushan, he would have to send his consort there."

Zhao Kuangyin blushed, clasped his fists and said, "Why do you need to work as a son-in-law? The general is willing to go to Tushan!"

Chai Rong looked at him with a smile, "Although you showed your skills in Bagongyuan, you have never led an army alone. This time when you go to Tushan, you will inevitably encounter a fierce battle. I can't divide too many troops here. So, do you still have the confidence to go? ?”

Zhao Kuangyin puffed up his chest and said proudly: "The general will only bring five thousand soldiers and horses, and it is your majesty's duty to wipe out the Tushan Tang army! The general is willing to issue a military order, and if he loses, he is willing to be punished!"

Chai Rong clapped his palms and laughed loudly: "Excellent! I will give you five thousand elite soldiers, and immediately send troops to Tushan!"

Zhao Kuangyin added: "After the general wins Tushan, he should go straight to Qingliu Pass in Chuzhou. Even if he cannot win, he must block the Tang army so that the Tang army has no chance to rush to help Shouzhou!"

Chai Rong said with a smile: "You just go to Tushan and don't worry about Chuzhou. Zhu Xiu asked for an order to send troops to clear Liuguan. After thinking about it, I agreed and asked him and Han Lingkun to deal with Huangfu Hui and Yao Feng so that they wouldn't Stationed in Sizhou with nothing to do."

"The last general takes the order!" Zhao Kuangyin did not force it. Tushan's Tang army was able to hold on to ten or twenty thousand people, but Chuzhou's side claimed to have 15. He just said it casually, showing that he was not afraid of powerful enemies and dared to fight to the death.

If I really want him to go to Chuzhou now, I still feel guilty.

~~~
At the end of February, Zhu Xiu received Chai Rong's permission to gather troops and horses, and took Shi Xiangwen, Mi Xin, and Tian Zhongjin to march towards Qingliuguan.

Han Lingkun led the rest of the Zhou army to continue to sit in Sizhou, and sent out more exploration horses to listen for the movements of the Tang army in the direction of Tianchang, Yangzhou, and Chuzhou. He always paid attention to the news of Zhu Xiu's departure and was ready to rescue him at any time.

Going to attack Qingliu Pass, Han Lingkun was more nervous than Zhu Xiu.

The straight-line distance between Sizhou and Qingliuguan was less than 160 miles. Zhu Xiu marched at a slow speed and walked for eight days before arriving.

Previously, Li Chongjin defeated Liu Yanzhen's 3-strong Tang army in Zhengyang with 1 Zhou troops. Liu Yanzhen was also beheaded in the battle. The Tang army alone had more than [-] dead in the battle. The corpses stretched for thirty miles. This battle in Huainan The soldiers and civilians were terrified.

After that, the Tang army rarely dared to take the initiative to attack, and most of them retreated to the city.

In Qingliu Pass, Generals Huangfu Hui and Yao Feng were also afraid of the strong combat power of the Zhou army. They learned that the Tang army was heading south from Sizhou a few days in advance. They hurriedly gathered a small group of cavalry along the way and prepared to retreat and defend.

Qingliu Pass was built during the period of Li Min, the founding emperor of the Southern Tang Dynasty. It is known as the key to Jinling and is the only way to cross the river south to Jiangning.

If you want to conquer Jiangning, you must first cross the river. If you want to cross the river, you must first conquer Chuzhou. If you want to conquer Chuzhou, you must first conquer Qingliu Pass.

To the west of Chuzhou City is Motuo Ridge, and more than 20 miles to the northwest, there is a long and narrow mountain range running from northeast to southwest, which was later called Guan Mountain. At this time, it was called Changkong Mountain and Qingliu Mountain.

Qingliu River, a tributary of Chu River, flows through the northeast of Changkong Mountain.

The middle section of the foothills is rugged and low-lying, sandwiched between mountains on both sides, and Qingliu Pass was built here.

Huangfu Hui and Yao Feng stationed [-] troops here, leaving only a small number of troops to garrison Chuzhou City.

In their view, as long as the Qingliu Pass is maintained, Chuzhou will be as stable as Mount Tai.

The Tang army in Chuzhou was said to have 15 troops, but in fact it was less than 4. After excluding some miscellaneous soldiers and auxiliary troops, there were only more than [-] combat troops.

Zhu Xiu had already found out the specific number of Tang troops through Hu Guangyue.

Above Qingliu Guancheng, Huangfu Hui and Yao Feng, wearing military armor, personally boarded Guancheng to inspect the war readiness.

Big bundles of arrows were piled up in piles, and kerosene, wood, and rolling stones were all prepared to defend the city.

A small scout came over to report: "To the general, the Zhou army has arrived at Tiger Chong and is setting up camp at Tiger Chong!"

Huangfuhui stroked his bushy long beard and laughed loudly: "Good job! Let Zhou Jun pass by my Qingliu pass, and try what it means to be one man guarding the gate and ten thousand men not opening it!

Continue to inquire and closely monitor the movements of Zhou's army! "

After the scout left, Yao Feng said: "Zhu Xiu is really brave. He dares to challenge Qingliu Pass with only [-] troops? Does he really think that our army is just paper?"

Huangfu Hui sneered: "After the defeat of Zhengyang, the morale of Zhou's army rose sharply. Those generals were naturally arrogant, thinking that our Tang army was full of wastes like Liu Yanzhen! This time, let Chai Rong'er learn how powerful our army is!"

Yao Feng thought for a while, "I heard that Zhu Xiu is young but has a lot of beauty in his chest. I'm afraid he is not the same generation as Yi Yu! I heard that he went south to Jiangning to find relatives, which caused a storm in Jiangning."

Huangfu Hui said disdainfully: "There is nothing to fear about a young boy! Let's see how he performs when he attacks the city gate."

Yao Feng thought about it for a while, no matter how great his reputation was, he still had to meet him in person.

When the Zhou army attacked the city, they would know whether Zhu Xiu had real talent or knowledge, or was just an embroidered pillow.

Two days later, Zhou Jun tackled the key.

Huangfu Hui and Yao Feng hurried up to the critical moment to have a look, they were startled at first, and then burst out laughing.

I saw thousands of Zhou troops lined up outside Qingliu Pass. One of the generals was wearing a golden paint battle armor, a phoenix-winged hood, a red military robe, and a charcoal red BMW under his crotch. At first glance, he looked majestic. .

This person is Zhu Xiu.

Behind him is a black-faced fierce general, holding a long-handled sword in one hand and a red general's flag in the other.

On the other side, Tian Zhongjin put on his armor and straddled his horse, carrying a horse pole. He glanced at Zhu Xiu and turned his head as if he couldn't bear to look directly at her.

Zhu Xiu's suit of armor was borrowed from Li Chongjin not long ago, and it didn't fit him very well.

Li Chongjin was much taller than him, and Zhu Xiu wore it loosely. The hood covered most of his face. When he raised his head, the helmet fell down, and he had to hold it up with his hands from time to time.

Mi Xin and Tian Chongjin couldn't understand why Zhu Xiu deliberately acted ugly.

(End of this chapter)