My Chinese ancestors

Chapter 352: Soldiers and horses gathered, and the war was about to break out

On April 12th, news spread like wildfire that Xia's [-]-strong army had passed Jiuding Prefecture and marched straight into Pingsheng Prefecture.

In the outer area of ​​Heshengzhou where Xin Xiang was located, and most of the lower reaches of the Tuo River, a large number of low-level officials from various counties and counties rushed among the people with their servants, calling on the people to evacuate southward or to seek refuge in the mountains on the east and west sides.

As for the crops in the fields, even if many people were reluctant to part with them, most of them gave up. After all, the news of the massacre in Pingwu County had already come and was publicized by the court, causing the people to be terrified.

At this time, all the roads in Heshengzhou and Pingshengzhou were full of people who had left their homes. In cities and mountain villages, those who could escape had basically left their homes with their families and their families under the mobilization of the government.

The roads, large and small, are filled with crowds of people. Men carrying children on their backs lead their wives anxiously forward, scholars lead horses carrying a book, and motorcades of wealthy families crowded in front of each other, holding hands. The old woman with her grandson stumbled around, looking around for her son with cloudy eyes. The panicked woman was crying as she walked, her baggage had been stolen.

The dignitaries from the counties and counties in the north of Heshengzhou, with their families and nursing homes, filled the inns and restaurants along the way. After a short rest, they prepared to take a boat into the Hun River and then arrive in Meizhou, where it would be the safest place.

In the early summer season, ships of all sizes ply the waterways. In Xinxiang's palace, the newly enthroned Qi Ke'an broke a leg and could only sit on the dragon chair like a wooden man. His face was full of uneasiness. He listened to the eloquent words of the civil and military officials in the hall, and his eyes were filled with confusion.

He was proficient in manipulating hawks and flirting with good women, but when it came to government affairs, he found that he couldn't understand it at all.

When a minister asked, he just nodded. He didn't even understand what he was asking. But the only thing he knew was that Xia's army had marched all the way south and had reached Pingsheng Prefecture. If he didn't do something, he would He is going to be the king of a subjugated country.

"Xia's soldiers and horses were strong, and they launched a war against Qi and Liang at the same time. Liang had too much time to take care of themselves, so they couldn't count on it. The enemy came so quickly. However, after defeating Jiuding Prefecture, within a few days, they had already entered Pingsheng Prefecture. Feiyan Guan and Jiuding Prefectures have almost fallen, and if this continues, Xia's military force will be driven down like a torrent."

"The purpose of Xia's army is to attack Xinxiang just like attacking Wei. The other two states on the left and right of Jiuding state are completely ignored. We can let the armies of the two states over there outflank us from behind!"

"Outflank? Jiuding Prefecture is surrounded by mountains on both sides, and the people of the two prefectures are extremely poor. The Cheng Guang case involved two years ago, even the money for the soldiers' armor was embezzled. Let the troops there go to fight. It would be strange if they don't rebel! "

"Between Pingshengzhou and Shengzhou, there is almost a smooth road. The ministers must make up their minds and don't just use their words!"

The Empress Dowager Zhao Zhuangyi on the phoenix chair asked the emperor on behalf of the ministers below. The originally noisy hall suddenly became quiet, and the figures lowered their heads and fell silent.

It's not that they are stupid, but any strategy is useless at the moment. They can only rely on King Qin's soldiers and horses from other states and counties to defend the capital Xinxiang layer by layer, dragging Xia's army until the second half of the year. Food is in short supply and the crisis is finally resolved.

Once you have a chance to breathe, planning comes into play.

"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager, don't be anxious. Soldiers from all over the country are already arriving one after another." The Minister of War came out and said a word of comfort to the grandfather and grandson.

The civil and military officials in the hall also nodded in agreement. Even if the soldiers of the Xia Kingdom marched straight in, there would be a lot of Qinwang kings from all over the country. Now there are several armies gathered, and there will be more behind them. The border troops on the border with the Liang Kingdom have also been Heading towards Xinxiang City.

Therefore, no matter how ferocious Xia's soldiers and horses are, and Jiuding and Pingsheng are completely captured by the other side, as long as Xin Xiang still has hundreds of thousands of troops, which is enough to block Xia's army to the north of the capital, even if it cannot be defeated, If it fails, even tens of thousands of people can delay it until winter, right?

Thinking of this, many people straightened their backs again, and the nervous expressions on the faces of the emperor and the empress dowager on the imperial steps also relaxed a little.

On April 22, Pingshengzhou fell into huge chaos.

After the Northern Gate, Feiyan Pass, and Jiudingzhou counties were captured, Li Jing coordinated the Xiliang and Youyan armies to rest and recuperate while building large ships to go south. After Lu Bu and Xiang Yu took the Xirong cavalry and captured Pingyang County, the two armies The army followed the Tuohe River from north to south and disembarked at the dock seventy miles south of Pingyang County.

The army was still divided into two groups. The Xiliang Army led by Dong Zhuo went east to attack the city and fortified the city. Zhao Yun and Zhang Yi led the Youyan Army to attack the west, dividing Pingsheng Prefecture into north and south parts in a straight line.

The soldiers and horses then turned south towards Huiyin County in the south of Pingsheng Prefecture. If you look down, you can see that the entire offensive formed an inverted triangle shape.The troops of Xiliang and Youyan were invincible, and they were almost destroyed along the way.

Along the way, there were also Qi troops coming from the south, trying to use the built defensive offensive to slow down the progress of the two armies. However, they were defeated by Xiang Yu and Lu Bu without even seeing Xiliang and Youyan. The Xirong cavalry weapons and clothing The armor is simple, but the number is huge. I followed the sideways push down all the way, picked up a lot of bargains, and equipped an elite cavalry of 5000 people, led by Tie Ya.

When they joined forces at Huiyin City, they defeated the city defenses in less than two days. Then Li Jing entered the city from the rear and held a short meeting with the generals.

The government office in the city.

The warm afternoon wind was blowing in from outside. Li Jing, who had lost many white marks, was stroking his beard and sitting behind the desk in the courtroom. Different from his usual gentle expression, he looked solemn and majestic in the military.

All the generals below, such as Lu Bu, Zhao Yun, Zhang Yi, Su Dingfang, Dong Zhuo, Li Ru, and Li Jue, were all present. The Xirong general Tie Ya made an exception and also sat at the end. Only Xiang Yu, the overlord of Western Chu, did not come. Li Jing had specially sent someone to invite him. Yes, but that overlord's character is not the kind of one that is subordinate to others.

"... According to the intelligence coming from the south, the Qi State is not as weak as imagined. They have assembled hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses in the capital city of Xinxiang to intercept our army in the north of Hesheng Prefecture. These few attacks on the plains have These small groups of troops should be sent out by them to test."

There were sneers on the faces of the generals on both sides of the court. They had defeated hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses when they were in the Central Plains. The Wei State in the Central Plains was richer than the Qi State, and the army was better equipped. They were defeated in the same way. .

Of course, Li Jing, Su Dingfang, and Li Ru had not experienced that, but they had heard about the Central Plains War later.

"Now we have almost opened the road to Qi State's Xinxiang. We don't know what will happen to Guan Yunchang on the western front, but we can capture the capital of Qi State faster than them!"

As an old commander, Li Jing had rich experience in leading armies. Although he was serious, he would occasionally say some funny words to inspire the generals.

"Both sides are destroying the country. We can't lose to Guan Yunchang, who is so powerful in China. Everyone here has a good record, otherwise it will be embarrassing if we talk about it later!"

When he said this, he raised the corner of his mouth and smiled slightly, and everyone on both sides burst into laughter.

"We, the Xiliang Army, are the best at attacking the capital!" Dong Zhuo laughed loudly and proudly patted his son-in-law Li Ru and his confidant General Li Jue beside him. The three of them looked like they were joking, but their eyes actually showed those who had been on the battlefield. The fierceness.

Lu Bu raised his fist and hit the armrest of the chair under him, "How can a group of soldiers who don't know how to fight be called an army? Hundreds of thousands of people gathered together are nothing more than a group of livestock with weapons. The wilderness is left to a certain family and King Xiang can do it. How you allocate the siege to the city is up to you!"

He stopped talking and Li Jing nodded with satisfaction. When he was still in the early Tang Dynasty, it was basically impossible for him to have such a scene when he was leading the army, or for a general to say such rude words. However, the world has changed. Come here. No matter who is not an arrogant person, there must be changes in how you treat the generals under your command.

He raised his hand and slapped it on the table.

"It's good that you generals have such confidence. Let's speed up the advance. Since there are hundreds of thousands on the opposite side, let's push them together to attack Xin Xiang and wait for His Majesty to reward the three armies!"

When these words were heard in the court, the soldiers and horses of King Qin from various places were already gathering in the north of Heshengzhou. They were all from the prefectures and counties around Heshengzhou. There were five branches in total, totaling 30.

There are still [-] border troops who are being transferred back from the border of Liang State and are still on their way over. At this time, five troops and horses are distributed to the north of Shengzhou, forming a dustpan formation. Most of them will wrap up the Xia State troops and horses stationed in Huiyin County for rest. Posture.

For a moment, there was an atmosphere of imminent war.

(End of this chapter)