Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 263 Bad

Grain routes are lifelines.

Murong De neither fought nor retreated; it's unclear how long he can hold out.

More and more refugees are arriving from all over the Central Plains, and even the mountain bandits, the Beggars' Army, are rushing over when they hear they can get free food.

Food shortages are happening now; they'll only get worse later.

People depend on food for survival. If we can't produce enough food, not only will our credibility collapse, but our army will also be in danger.

Liu Daogui sensed a tacit understanding between himself and Murong De: although their armies were facing each other, their true targets were not each other.

Actually, from another perspective, it's not entirely unacceptable that he conquered Qingzhou and then took over Yuzhou himself.

"Requisition grain locally! Order all counties and prefectures in Yuzhou to send grain up: 6,000 shi for large counties, 3,000 shi for small counties, and 2,000 shi for each fortified village. The deadline is half a month. If the deadline is exceeded, I will personally lead a large army to collect it!"

Liu Daogui slapped his thigh.

“This isn’t outright robbery…” Liu Huaizhen hesitated, then stopped himself from speaking.

"You're right. If they won't give it to us, I'll just go and rob them outright. If Murong De can rob us, why can't I? Don't forget, this battle wasn't originally our business. Without us, their families would have been destroyed, their wives and children would have been torn apart, and their fate would have been even worse. Now, what's wrong with us demanding grain from them?"

If Liu Daogui hadn't come, I'm afraid most of Yuzhou would be suffering under the iron hooves of the Yan army.

Liu Huaizhen said, "I will send someone to demand it right away."

"This is not a demand, it is a requisition. This is a military order. Anyone who does not supply provisions is considered to have defected to the enemy!" Liu Daogui emphasized again.

In the North, there's no need to reason; everything is decided by strength.

Since a fight with Murong De is unlikely to break out anytime soon and neither side has much will to fight, it might be better to take some time to reorganize Yuzhou.

In fact, Liu Daogui's troops had been very restrained. Since entering Yuzhou, they had neither looted nor burned or killed. Compared with the various Jin army units, they had not committed any offenses.

Therefore, many fortified villages and county towns obeyed the military order and sent grain, some as much as a thousand, and some as much as five hundred.

He even submitted a memorial to the emperor, complaining bitterly to Liu Daogui that they had not been doing well these past few years, and now it was the spring planting season, so they didn't have much grain to begin with and could only offer this little bit, asking Liu Daogui to bear with it.

Liu Daogui didn't really want to drive them to the brink; he just wanted their obedience.

The grain that was delivered in batches totaled nearly 20,000 shi (a unit of dry measure), which was enough to last for a while.

The large tracts of land reclaimed on the south bank of the Bian River will be fully grown in two months.

"Qiuchuan Fort and Daji Fort disobeyed military orders and secretly colluded with the barbarians to harm the local people. Liu Zun and Liu Huaisu, obey orders and lead two thousand soldiers and five thousand volunteers to punish them!" Liu Daogui pointed to the two fortified villages in the south on the map.

They were less than a hundred miles from their own camp, yet they neither sent provisions nor sent anyone to explain.

Liu Daogui could only make an example of him.

"I accept the order!" Liu Zun's face was full of joy, while Liu Huaizhen remained calm.

These fortified villages were not benevolent entities; they were mostly local strongmen, refugees, and beggars leading armies.

Although the fortified village was sturdy, Liu Daogui had made preparations in advance, having built a number of siege weapons that could be used as soon as they were pushed over.

In retrospect, maintaining this standoff with Murong De is not a bad idea.

The imperial court had nothing to say either. Compared to Liu Laozhi, who remained inactive in Kuaiji and watched the rebels advance north, Liu Daogui took the initiative to resist the Yan army, making him a model of loyalty and virtue...

However, these fortified villages were indeed quite strong. Liu Zun and Liu Huaizhen launched a fierce attack for more than ten days before finally capturing Qiuchuan Fort.

They seized 2,000 shi of grain and captured more than 800 able-bodied men.

Liu Zun knew Liu Daogui's thoughts best, and with swift and decisive action, he wiped out the entire bandit leader's family...

The brutality of their methods terrified Dajibao so much that they sent people to beg for mercy overnight, offering 3,000 shi of grain and 500 strings of cash.

"To err is human, to forgive divine. Order that the men and women of Dajibao be relocated to Taishan County and reduced to slaves!" Liu Daogui, out of compassion, spared them a way out.

After resolving the issues with the two fortified villages, the surrounding counties and fortified villages immediately became more aware of the greater good.

They stopped submitting memorials to complain, and not only replenished the grain supplies, but also thoughtfully sent pigs and sheep, saying it was to reward the soldiers of Jianwei Military Prefecture...

With more food available, more and more people came to seek refuge with them.

Yuzhou has been the core area of ​​China since ancient times, with a large population.

Now that the north is in chaos, many people from Bingzhou and Jizhou are fleeing south.

In just one month, the number of people coming to seek refuge increased to more than 23,000, and they were sent to places like Jiyin and Gaoping by boat.

However, Murong De on the other side also gained a lot. Most of the Hu tribes on both sides of the Yellow River surrendered to him, and the Qiang, Di, Dingling and other tribes in the Central Plains also surrendered to him.

The Yan army camp was expanded to twice its original size.

"What will Murong De's army eat?" Liu Zun asked, puzzled.

Meng Ganzhi's face was grim. "Scouts have discovered numerous piles of bones around the Yan army camp..."

For the northern nomadic peoples, food was never a problem.

Guanzhong was plagued by constant warfare, leaving the fields barren and suffering from drought. Fu Deng, the Heavenly King of Di-Qin, would take the flesh of the enemy he killed in battle, steam it, and eat it as cooked food. He used this to encourage his soldiers: "You will fight in the morning and have enough human flesh to eat by evening. Why worry about hunger?"
In every battle, the Qin army relied on the dead for food, and they were always full after each meal, making them all strong and healthy.

The soldiers of Yao Qin were terrified by Fu Deng's tactics. Fearing that Fu Deng would devour all his soldiers, Yao Chang actually retreated with Yao Shuo De.

Fu Deng used this tactic to briefly recover counties such as Jicheng, Longcheng, Pingliang, Xinping, Hongnong, Lueyang, Qiancheng, and Yongcheng, but was unfortunately defeated by Yao Xing...

Murong De's situation hadn't deteriorated to this point yet. He had brought a considerable amount of grain and fodder from Ye City. Luqiu Xian had given him a batch, and there were also many cattle and sheep from the Hu tribes who had come to his aid.

In short, the supply of provisions had little impact on the Yan army.

Liu Daogui thought this situation would continue for some time, but unexpectedly, while the east was defended, trouble broke out in the west. Yao Chong and Yang Fosong, who were stationed in Hedong, suddenly marched south, and Tao Zhongshan, the prefect of Hongnong, and Dong Mai, the prefect of Huashan, surrendered without a fight.

The fall of Hongnong had a huge impact, and the Qin army crossed the Yellow River, its advance aimed directly at Luoyang and Nanyang.

Unfortunately, both regions were severely depleted of military forces. Yao Xing personally went to Shancheng, captured Shangluo, opened the western gateway to Luoyang, and the Qin army advanced into Luoyang.

Xin Gongjing had no choice but to ask Liu Daogui for help.

"We're already struggling to deal with Murong De, how can we possibly have the resources to rush to Luoyang's aid and deal with the Qiang bandits?" Gao Xun asked, his face full of worry.

Indeed, the opposing force consisted of over 200,000 troops under Murong De.

Yao Xing personally led the Qin army, which numbered no less than 100,000, while Liu Daogui's forces totaled only 20,000, making their strength disproportionate.

In recent years, Yao Xing has won many battles, and the morale of the Qin army has been extremely high.

Moreover, there seems to be some tacit understanding between the Qin army and Murong De.

Murong De's decision to leave Luoyang, such a lucrative prize, untouched likely stems from some agreement he reached with Yao Xing...

If Liu Daogui were to reinforce Luoyang at this time, he would likely face a pincer attack from Qin Yan.

“Write to Xin Gongjing and tell him that Luoyang is no longer defensible. Before the Qin army can surround it, retreat to the Xuanyuan Pass area immediately to preserve your strength and wait for a counterattack. Then submit a memorial to the court and Jingzhou to request reinforcements.”

Knowing that the chances of getting reinforcements were slim, Liu Daogui still tried his luck, even if it seemed hopeless.

"Are we just going to give up on Luoyang like this?" Liu Zun's eyes were full of resentment.

Liu Daogui said calmly, "What else can we do? It's already difficult enough that we were able to hold off Murong De. This time, Yao Xing personally led the expedition, which has been planned for a long time. We are no match for him."

Luoyang was a true battleground on all four fronts.

To the west was the Qin state of Yao, to the north was the state of Wei, and to the east was the state of Murong De.

Without sufficient strength, one cannot stand firm at all.

Moreover, Luoyang is nearly a thousand miles away from Huai and Si, which is beyond Liu Daogui's sphere of influence.

This was no longer a struggle between Liu Daogui and Murong De, but a clash between the three forces of Yao Qin, Jin, and Yan.

Five days later, Xin Gongjing's reply arrived: "Luoyang is the capital of the Central Plains, the place where the imperial aura resides. Although I am old and weak, I have the heart to die for my country. Since the Yongjia era, the northern kingdoms have fallen, and the people turn pale at the mention of the barbarians. Their spirits are gone, and their hearts are broken. Now, I will use my old, weak, and frail body to let the barbarians know that there are still people in the Central Plains..."

Liu Daogui closed the document; everyone has their own choice.

Xin Gongjing chose to die a heroic death, but Liu Daogui could not be buried with him.

In fact, such people are the true gentry, while the group in Jiangzuo is nothing but insects, yet power is precisely in the hands of these insects.

Liu Huaizhen sighed, "Yao Xing's power is too great. Luoyang will definitely not be able to be defended. If Huan Wen had recovered Luoyang back then, and the court had moved back to the old capital, it wouldn't be in this situation now."

"Xin Gongjing has several thousand troops under his command. Luoyang is a well-fortified city with deep moats, so it should be able to hold out for some time. There are also several other forces from Jin Yong, Yanshi, and Baigu, all of which are fortified cities. Now it depends on whether the imperial reinforcements can arrive in time."

Liu Daogui is becoming increasingly calm.

The situation is very clear: we are not strong enough, and it would be good enough if we could just hold onto Yuzhou.

There's no need to be delusional about Luoyang.

Unless the imperial court can send a few more Northern Army units, or Huan Xuan can send troops north, there is no chance of fighting.

One day, two days, three days...

While no fighting broke out in Chenliu, Luoyang was engulfed in flames of war. Tens of thousands of Qin troops launched a fierce attack on Luoyang, but Xin Gongjing managed to hold it.

Xiahou Zong of Jinyong City also repelled Yao Chong's siege.

Once people are willing to die for their cause, they will unite as one.

Back then, Shen Jin led five hundred Wu Xing youths to resist Murong Ke's tens of thousands of troops for a whole year.

"General, the imperial edict has arrived!" Meng Ganzhi jogged along.

All eyes were on the silk he was holding.

Liu Daogui opened it, and the more he looked at it, the more somber his expression became.

The imperial court remained unchanged, not only unwilling to send troops, but also ordering Liu Daogui to retreat to Pengcheng to prevent Murong De from advancing south to the Jianghuai region...

Judging from the imperial court's intentions, it seems they don't even want Yuzhou anymore.

However, Liu Daogui also understood Sima Yuanxian's meaning. Behind Yuzhou was Yongzhou, which was set up in Xiangyang and Nanyang and was within Huan Xuan's sphere of influence. After Yao Xing took Luoyang and Nanyang, it would definitely put enormous pressure on Jingxiang.

Huan Xuan couldn't possibly keep his eyes solely on Jiankang...

Liu Daogui was speechless. Yao Xing had already taken over Guanzhong and was very powerful. If he were to occupy Luoyang and Yuzhou as well, he would almost recreate the power of the Di-Qin state in the past.

Luoyang is no other city; it has always been the capital of China.

He who controls the Central Plains controls the world. If Yao Xing takes Luoyang, Yuzhou will definitely not be able to hold on.

"Incurable. Has Huan Xuan made any move?" Liu Daogui threw the silk on the ground.

The Sima family could not be relied upon, so they could only place their hopes on Huan Xuan.

Even if he sent out a troop to slightly restrain the Qin army, it would greatly relieve the pressure on Liu Daogui.

Meng Gan said: "Huan Xuan's army, both land and naval, is concentrated in Gushu, where it confronts Sima Shangzhi of Liyang."

These people are experts at internal strife.

At this moment, bugles sounded outside the tent, and the sound of horses' hooves grew louder as they approached. Without asking, one knew that the Yan army had risen up.

Liu Daogui lifted the tent flap and stepped out, only to see the Yan army cavalry outside the camp slowly approaching like a long dragon.

"Listen up, you little brat Liu Daogui! Our army is marching east to Qingzhou. If you dare, come with us! Hahaha—"

A dozen or so Yan cavalrymen swaggered around, extremely arrogant.

(End of this chapter)