The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 204 Pang Shigu

The stars are dim around us.

The morning fog was thick, and more than 100,000 horse hooves trampled on the Jishui Plain, plowing deep grooves. Large patches of weeds and bushes were uprooted. The muddy puddles were filled with pink face scraps and mucus. The black hair was caught in the fingers and tangled around the horses' feet like waterweed.

In the mist, there were all disheveled people and horses, crowded in front and back. Many of them simply broke away and ran wildly into the wilderness. There were waves of crying and screaming, and the defeated Bian army was evacuating in large numbers. However, the cavalry had lost the battle and had no infantry to cover them, so evacuation was not easy.

No one will be the last one to leave. Whoever runs the slowest will be the last one to leave.

The wounded can keep up if they can, and those who can’t will just leave it to fate.

No one paid any attention to the surrounded superior. When disaster strikes, everyone flees, and if you want to die, you die.

"Da da da..." There were many ghost shadows in the fog and cold arrows were flying everywhere.

Someone dismounted, prostrated himself on the ground, kowtowed, and begged for surrender, but the only response was a "traitor!"

Someone covered his bleeding broken arm and stumbled towards the enemy cavalry, trying to take someone down with him. A horse passed by, flew backwards, and landed heavily in the mud.

Accompanied by Wu Xiong's wild laughter, thousands of cavalrymen surrounded and drove the defeated soldiers towards the Ji River like driving sheep.

"Plop, plop..." Just like dumplings being put into a pot. The densely packed heads struggled to rise and fall in the waves. The turbid waves turned back and surged, and the fleeing soldiers who were tearing each other apart immediately fell silent. The fate that awaited them was to be merged into the Yellow River, and then go down to the East China Sea. If they were lucky, they could be salvaged from the shallows on the south bank of Zhengzhou and Huazhou, and their bodies could be brought back to their hometown.

"Da da da..." Xie Yanzhang's whole body was covered in blood as he emerged from the fog.

Immediately, the densely packed Li army broke through the fog, whipping their horses hard and chasing frantically.

Another wave of arrows came from behind, and more than a dozen riders were knocked over on the spot.

"Here!" Li Jun began to appear on both sides, fighting with the remaining soldiers while pointing at Xie Yanzhang and shouting, chasing and intercepting him. "

Dozens of cavalrymen rushed towards Xie Yanzhang to surround and kill him.

Xie Yanzhang turned around, swung his spear, and rushed towards the man.

The opponent was obviously an old hand, and he stabbed at his thigh without saying a word. Xie Yanzhang did not dodge, but quickly caught the stabbing halberd and clamped it under his armpit. He looked down and saw a ferocious mouth and teeth, shouting: "Halberd, wielder of halberd, are you from Zhao! Chengde general family?"

“So what!” Nangong Daoyuan looked at him coldly and pulled him back.

Xie Yanzhang was running out of energy and couldn't pull it out. He let go of the rope and turned around to urge his horse forward. He said, "Are you a descendant of the Wang Rong family? I know that the Wang family of Changshan intermarried with the royal family and that the blood of the Li family women has flowed through their veins for generations. But——"

Nangong Daoyuan drew his sword and slashed repeatedly: "I am Nangong of Jizhou, former head of Baiyun, Nangong Daoyuan."

Sure enough! Even Chengde has a general coming to the court! Xie Yanzhang sighed to the sky, but continued to speak: "It turned out to be General Nangong. The general is handsome and has extraordinary martial arts, which makes people envy him. But it is unwise to enter the court under control. How can you make your own decisions when you look at other people's faces? Moreover, Li Ni is determined to reduce the power of the vassal states, and there are no military governors west of Tongguan. Even if the general has made achievements in Fenyang, what can it do? It is better to turn sides and follow me into Bian. The two saints are respectful to the virtuous and humble, and are eager to recruit talents. They will definitely treat you as a general and a duke, so that the land and wealth can be passed on to future generations."

Before he finished speaking, Nangong Daoyuan interrupted him, "The people have been virtuous and loyal for generations, and they only know the grace and power of the Li family and don't know anything else. Everyone wants to die for justice, and everyone recommends loyalty and filial piety as the first among the princes. Besides, my Nangong will be famous for generations, the goddess is respected in Zhaoyang, and the royal family is a relative. How can they be confused by the mere benefit of their own good? The two saints? Zhu Wen and Zhang Hui, a pair of sluts from the countryside, are not the two saints? An old man in a farmhouse, a worn-out shoe in the camp. Humph, who are you? You are a turtle in a jar, and you dare to rebel against the general. I am going to capture you, offer your head to Duliu, and expose your corpse to dogs to correct morality!"

"Don't bother with the thief, just kill him!" A spear was thrown from Liu Xianyuan's hand, hitting Xie Yanzhang's head accurately. The helmet fell to the ground, and Xie Yanzhang, with his heart pounding and stars in his eyes, could no longer maintain his balance and fell off the horse.

"Kill!" Seeing an opportunity to take advantage, more than a dozen horse spears stabbed down immediately. Xie Yanzhang's followers were threatening, slashing with swords, sweeping with guns, driving horses to charge, using their bodies to shield, and crying out "Go!"

The helmet that was knocked off fell to the side, and Xie Yanzhang, with disheveled hair, staggered to his feet.

His eyes finally revealed confusion and panic. The army was defeated, everyone fled, and he was surrounded. How could he return to Bianliang? Military affairs were unpredictable. It turned out that death was so easy.

"Puff!" Blood splattered, and the followers fell one by one, left without saying goodbye, or ran away crying: "Yanei, I'm sorry! I will burn more paper for you on Cold Food Festival next year!"

"Give me your heads!" More than ten swords swept past swiftly.

Xie Yanzhang was caught in a dilemma and relied on his armor to move swiftly and tried to break out on his horse.

"Swoosh!" Another cold arrow shot in and pierced into Xie Yanzhang's calf. He staggered and knelt on one knee with his lance on his back. Just as he was about to sigh, his throat was pierced by a long halberd.

Nangong Daoyuan used both hands to lift Xie Yanzhang into the air.

From a distance, it looked like a leaking blood gourd hanging inside each pupil.

After a while, seeing that the generals were reluctant to admit their achievements, it seemed that they had not remembered the incident. The soldier who shot the arrow jumped out of the crowd and chopped down with an axe. In an instant, the head flew high. The soldier stretched out his hand to catch it steadily and urged his horse to go away: "The one who killed Xie Yanzhang is the imperial guards Long Jie Duwei Chi Guang!"

The rising sun slowly dispelled the morning mist, revealing steaming pools of blood.

As the fishy wind blew by, Zhao Fu twisted his bloody long hair and gave an order: "Skin the Bian bandits and search their bodies, and take their belongings. Gather up the weapons, armor, clothes and shoes that can still be used and take them away. Kill the injured horses and eat their meat, and use the good horses to carry supplies. The bodies of the Bian bandits... Last year, Zhu Wen dismembered the remains of our army on Shouyang Mountain and built a pile of skulls... Forget it, I won't seek revenge, just leave the bodies exposed here for insects, ants, hawks and dogs to eat."

Everyone agreed with a roar.

"Summoning General, the Bian bandit cavalry is so weak, why not just force a crossing and attack Henan Prefecture?"

"Yes, grab another Zhu thief!"

"Haha, after a night of hard fighting, it's time for us to get rich and lucky."

"Back then, Zhu Wen bullied us so badly. The unruly people east of Shanzhou provided him with food and sent men to fight in the war. They were all rebels and were slaughtered!"

"Alright!" Zhao Fu felt that things were not looking good the more he listened, and immediately said, "The military strategy still needs the decision of the saint."

After a hasty cleanup, leaving behind a field of naked bodies, Li Jun gradually withdrew from the battlefield.

Xie Yanzhang's army came with great force but left in disarray. Of the more than 20,000 cavalry, only 4,000 entered the military city, and another 1,000 or 2,000 were frightened away and took a small route and returned south by boat that day.

Shi Shucong sat slumped on the bank, looking at the foggy river with lingering fear. Even when fighting the mule cavalry, Zhu Sheng was almost killed by Cai's cavalry, but the Daliang cavalry did not suffer such a terrible defeat. They were scattered in ten rounds, and the poor wet Jishui Plain became the burial place of countless people.

With their skills inferior to his enemy, and their morale and military strength suffering another severe setback, will the Ma army dare to fight against the thief Li in the future?

I'm afraid no one is willing to sign up for Ma Jun.

In addition, the area north of the Yellow River from Pingyang in the west to Muye in the east has become Li's racetrack! If Pang Shuai can't gain a foothold in Hebei and is cut off from contact, can Zhang Cunjing, who is trapped in Jincheng, survive the winter?
It is gone! It will be gone soon!
Rumble, several rangers stopped on the other side. While their mounts were leisurely drinking water, several knights looked up and observed this side. Shi Shucong's legs softened, and he subconsciously climbed up and hurriedly climbed onto his horse.

Zhao Fu, you damned beast from Tianshui, my sister will not live past the next year! Died in childbirth! Li Renmei, a bastard! Shi Shucong cursed the two of them with hatred and secretly swore not to fall into his hands, otherwise he would crush their bones and scatter their ashes with his own hands.

The horse soon disappeared on the desolate post road with withered autumn grass.

On September 15, the first year of Qianning, the army of the Holy Tang Dynasty defeated the rebel Xie Yanzhang at Jishuiyuan. Xie Yanzhang, the son of the pseudo-Liang official Ge Congzhou, was killed in battle, more than 100 officers and soldiers were captured, and countless weapons and materials were seized. Li Duo and other seven generals in Hebei retreated to the fortresses of Xiaopingjin, Wangmandu, and Huaizhou. Zhao Fu and Li Renmei took advantage of the situation to establish multiple food and logistics bases in Hanoi, and the generals were stationed in different places, making it clear that whoever crossed the river would be attacked, and the Bian army would be attacked if they showed any activity. In this way, the court controlled the initiative of the war north of the Yellow River.

The next move was Zhu Wen's turn. Should he reorganize his army and cross the river to fight again, fight for the Pingjin Road, and also fight for his dignity, or should he sacrifice his chariot to save his general and abandon Zhang Cunjing, and implement the strategy of "guarding the pass carefully"?

On September 17, Wang Chuzhi led 7,000 Yiwu troops through Shangdang and arrived in Jiangzhou.

Wei Bo also sent out 10,000 cavalry and infantry again to attack Hu Zhen of Yicheng Army. The slogans were the loudest, but the strength was always limited. Still have illusions about Zhu Wen? Probably. The Yajun may know how powerful he is, but the ordinary warriors and common people who are used to peace may not know. The Jiedushi is controlled by the Yajun, and the Yajun is controlled by their aunts and uncles. If they want to do something, they have to look at the faces of the common people. Hey, these birds!
The war broke out again in Qingzhou Peninsula and Xiangcai.

Zhu Wen attacked Linzi in a hurry, and Wang Shifan was so exhausted that he repeatedly asked Zuo Jie for help. However, Henghai seemed to be frightened by Zhu Wen's destruction of two towns in half a year. Zibo, where Zhu Wen stationed his troops, bordered Pingyuan County in the south of Henghai, which irritated Zhu Wen. The army that attacked Qi might turn north at any time. So he advised Wang Shifan to "endure the humiliation for the time being and serve the enemy." Then he could do that after Zhu Wen left.

In Xiangyang, Li Cunxiao, the defender of Dengzhou, was probably eager to gain points, so he fought more actively. He had crossed Huangshi Mountain, which is the North Wudang Mountain, and reached Ye County in Ruzhou. Zhao Kuangming was not so good. He attacked Shen twice without success, so he moved to Caizhou and occupied Wencheng Gate. This was because the pressure on Zhu Wen from the west was too great, and Zhu had to transfer Niu Cunjie and more than half of his troops, otherwise it would not be so easy.

Whether he can achieve further results in the future depends on his control over his subordinates - if his leadership is not good enough, he may be killed by his subordinates and become the acting commander.

The ideas of Wu and Mi are also crucial. If they work together with Dengzhou and Xiangyang, it will not be a dream to destroy Ge Congzhou and advance to Xuchang. But at present, it seems that these two guys just want to take advantage of Zhu Wen's siege to get rid of Zhu Wen's control, sit on the mountain and watch the fight, and see how they move step by step.

Kui commanders Li Sizhou and Yuwen Qi were reorganizing their troops and food supplies, and reported to the emperor that they would set out in the spring of next year.

My brother-in-law in Jingzhou is similar.

adhere to!

Persistence is victory!

*******
On September 22, Pang Shigu, the commander-in-chief of the Northwest Camp, strode into Jinyong City.

Jinyong City was first built in the late Three Kingdoms period. It was a famous "detention center" in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, but its military value was actually greater. It was flanked by Mang Mountain in the north and controlled the Mengjin Ferry. In addition, the city walls were solid and several feet thick (between 10 and 30 meters). It could be called a fortress. In the Tang Dynasty, Jinyong City fell into disrepair due to the relocation of the Luoyang County seat. After the Chaos Rebellion, Sun Ru's beastly soldiers came to dismantle the door panels and to search for treasures in the Ming Dynasty, almost destroying Jinyong City to ashes.

At this moment, the dancing pavilion and singing stage were blown away by the wind, leaving only an empty city in the ghost den, and a naked bride with bruises all over her body, sobbing silently under the setting sun, grass and trees, reciting the vague past of the Galan Record.

Mr. Pang wants to use this as his headquarters, but it would be more convenient to just find a random village.

"Why is the thousand-year-old Jinyong City so gloomy?" Pang Shigu walked back and forth on the street with his hands behind his back, looking around.

"The army has been plagued by disasters and was even robbed once by bandits." Deputy Commander Niu Cunjie said succinctly.

"This damned Li brat has done a lot of harm to people. He is good at killing and robbing, and he has some shadows of old Li Heng, a bunch of bandits." Pang Shigu cursed, sat down on a pile of collapsed earth and rocks, and said, "Mr. Niu, what should we do about the situation in Hebei?"

The officers and bureaucrats sat nearby and listened quietly.

"As expected." Niu Cunjie took a sip of water and said in detail: "Zhang Cunjing is indeed a talented commander, but he is outnumbered. It is a great achievement to hold Pingyang. Li Duo, Xie Yanzhang and others are either frivolous or inexperienced. They are stubborn and self-righteous. I have a plan for everything, and it is foolish to use others. Your Majesty wants to rely on these young people to kill Li the thief, isn't it looking for fish in a tree. In addition, the Daliang cavalry is weak, and Xie Yanzhang used our weakness to attack his strength. This big defeat is natural. However, although Li the thief has a large number of cavalry, they are disorganized. If we select 20,000 brave infantrymen, like Ma Long's attack on the Xianbei, it will not be difficult to defeat the thief."

I really can’t praise Xie Yanzhang’s playing style.

"Mr. Niu is really bold." Pang Shigu teased him and said, "Keyong went on a long expedition to Youzhou, and his return date is unknown. If Shatuo doesn't come, we can still attack even if we are defeated. I suggest that we send Huang Wenjing, the road bridge envoy, and Zhang Guihou, the chief military officer, to Huaizhou first, so that the enemy cannot spy on Heyin and Hulao."

"Okay." Niu Cunjie nodded.

The appearance of Li Jun on the other side of Heyin Bridge made everyone in Bianliang feel like an enemy!

He even suspected that the disaster that caused the Queen Mother to bleed from the corners of her eyes and have a discharge from her mouth and nose when she met the emperor that day was related to this. Otherwise, why would the Queen Mother deliberately instruct him and Pang Shigu to find a way to kill those evil creatures, Fei Zhongkang from Tongzhou and Liu Bo from Qi?

The Queen Mother still remembers the revenge of the bandits who entered the Central Plains.

That winter, it was these bastards who were spewing shit outside the city of Bianzhou and made the Queen Mother of Heaven vomit blood and faint.

"Bull."

"Please speak, Commander-in-Chief."

Pang Shigu counted on his fingers and said, "Niu Gong will lead the garrison troops from Shaanxi and Guo as well as the troops from the Huaixi camp, totaling 40,000 people, to feint at Fenglingdu along the Yaohan Road, to attack Tongguan City and Hezhong Prefecture, and force some of the Li bandits to withdraw. You can pick some more soldiers, not many, just two or three thousand, to go back to Juyangchuan and try to sneak across Lantian. I will lead the rest of the troops to cross the river and fight against Li Renmei, Zhao Fu, and Nangong Daoyuan."

"I understand." Niu Cunjie did not ask any more questions. They often worked together and they could be said to have a tacit understanding.

As for this plan, it is a classic case of Wei to save Zhao. There is nothing much to say. The main force of Li's bandits gathered in Hezhong. According to the information that the total number of troops has not changed, if there are more soldiers in Hezhong, there will be fewer soldiers in the old nest and Tongguan. It is a very simple logic.

It is a bit risky to sneak through Lantian, and thousands of people may be lost. But correspondingly, the benefits are also very high. If the Bian army sneaks to Bashang, then the ministers will be panicked, the concubines will cry, and the ambitious people who are dormant because of fear of Li will jump out...

At this point, we have no choice but to take some risks.

Besides, marching and fighting are full of unpredictable situations. How can you have so many perfect strategies?
After making a plan, Pang Shigu slapped his thigh and said eagerly, "There are more than 10,000 Uighurs, 50,000 of the Emperor's troops, and nearly 20,000 of the Imperial Guards and Cavalry... Li Ni has been in power for four years, and he has 80,000 cavalry. It is ten times the number of our Daliang. They can cross mountains and ridges and come and go like the wind. It will be difficult to hunt them down even if we win. Hey, it makes people hate and envy."

"Don't be envious." Niu Cunjie patted his sore shoulder and said softly, "Infantry and cavalry each have their own strengths. The bandit Li is in the Yongliang Pass, and he has Ke Yong to rely on. What he lacks the least is horses and riders. And the Guanxi area is full of bastards, and people's livelihood is declining. What he lacks the most is also excellent infantry. I heard from your majesty that the infantry he can fight is only the guards of the various capitals and some of the garrison soldiers, which is only 30,000 to 40,000. And the 300,000 inside and outside Daliang, the Iron Eagles that have never died in a hundred battles are sharper than the crucian carp, unrivaled in the world, lonely immortals, how can they not be envied by the princes of the four seas?"

"Eighty thousand cavalrymen may sound like a lot and scary, but the food and rations consumed by the soldiers and horses are enough to make Li a traitor. We have to use up all our resources to support them. If the confrontation continues, how long can he last?"

"Haha." Pang Shigu smiled without saying anything, crushed the dirt in his hand, stood up suddenly and said: "This kid is so comfortable besieging Jiangzhou, I'll chop off one of his hands this time. I want to see whether the Xu people and Cai bandits are tougher or the Western bandits are tougher. Who is harder to deal with between Shi Pu, Qin Zongquan and this dead dog in Guanzhong. Come on, raise my flag!"

"Here!"

Looking at the rising flag, Pang Shigu's lips curled up slightly.

In the past, Lanling entered the battle and Gao Changgong lifted the siege of Jinyong City.

If I enter Jinyong now, can I lift the siege of Jincheng?

(End of this chapter)