Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 425 War and Natural Disasters (A Long Chapter of 10,000 Words)
"What did you say?!"

On June 12th, Zheng Tian, ​​sitting inside the gate of Zhisheng Pass, never expected that instead of the autumn rain, he would witness the crushing defeat of Yuanzhou.

His face was grim at that moment, and Yang Gongqing and Wang Shi, who were sitting to his left and right respectively, also stood up.

The Shence Army commander standing in the hall hurriedly spoke up: "This morning, the rebel army launched a full-scale attack on that city. When Deputy Envoy Yang received the news, he believed that the rebel army had already captured Pinggao, so he immediately led his troops to withdraw from Baiquan and retreat to Linjing County in the east."

"Currently, the rebels have captured Pinggao, Nacheng, and Baiquan counties, and have dispatched 5,000 troops to attack Linjing County in Jingzhou, while tens of thousands of troops are heading south to attack Pingliang."

"Supervisor Yang dispatched a fast horse to inquire whether Prime Minister Zheng should hold out or withdraw his troops?"

As soon as they finished speaking, Zheng Tian swayed and couldn't help but rub his forehead.

Pinggao County was a fortified city that he had hastily built by conscripting more than 100,000 people from Jingyuan Town before Liu Jilong went south to fight Gao Pian.

Now that the city has been lost, that's bad enough. The city and Baiquan County have also been occupied, leaving only Pingliang County and Zhisheng Pass.

Thinking of this, Zheng Tian looked at Wang Shi, who understood his meaning. After a moment of contemplation, Wang Shi said:
"Let Supervisor Yang withdraw his troops from Zhisheng Pass. Although Pingliang County is also well-fortified, it lacks sufficient food and manpower and cannot hold out for long."

"The best course of action now is to hold the key pass and rely on it to defeat the enemy."

"The rainy season should be coming soon. Pinggao City can hold off the rebels for nearly half a month, and Zhisheng Pass can hold off the rebels for at least two months thanks to the rainy season."

Wang Shi's words were correct, but Zheng Tian frowned and said, "That's true, but the weather really doesn't look like it's going to rain."

“This…” Wang Shi paused for a moment, then looked at Yang Gongqing:
"Please ask Vice Envoy Yang to inquire with the Astronomical Observatory when the rainy season will arrive this year."

"I have already sent someone to inquire," Yang Gongqing said hesitantly, his expression not pleasant.

"Officials at the Astronomical Observatory observed celestial phenomena and said that the rainy season would begin no later than the end of June, but there are still more than half a month to go before the rainy season."

"If the rebels seize this opportunity to launch a strong attack on Zhisheng Pass, then Zhisheng Pass might..."

Yang Gongqing didn't dare to continue, but Wang Shi shook his head and said, "We are concerned about the rainy season, and Liu Jilong will naturally be concerned as well."

"Zhisheng Pass is easy to defend but difficult to attack. Unless Liu Jilong is confident that he can capture Zhisheng Pass before the rainy season, he will never take a desperate gamble to attack it."

"If I am not mistaken, Liu Jilong will probably focus his attack on Jingzhou, Ningzhou, and Qingzhou, plotting to seize Pengyuan."

The term 'Yuan' originally refers to the loess plateau in the Guanzhong Plain, which was formed by water erosion.

These highlands are steep on all sides and flat on top. Although they have a flat surface and deep soil, making them suitable for farming, they often suffer from water shortages due to climate and rainfall issues.

Although the area is short of water, there are plenty of rivers around it. So, by carrying water by hand or digging wells, the local grain production has always been high.

The Guanzhong Plain has many loess plateaus, such as the more famous Wuzhang Plain and Bailu Plain, which are part of the many loess plateaus in Guanzhong Plain.

In the Guanzhong Plain, Pengyuan, which later became Dongzhiyuan, is the largest plateau in the Loess Plateau region. There is a saying that "Eight hundred miles of Qin Chuan is not as good as the edge of Pengyuan".

Qingzhou, Ningzhou, and Jingzhou divided Pengyuan into three parts, with the essence in Ningzhou, while Qingzhou and Jingzhou were relegated to the margins.

Even so, the three prefectures still supported 80,000 to 90,000 households, and during the Kaiyuan era, they supported more than 500,000 people.

It can be said that nearly half of the population of Guannei Road lives in these three states.

The remaining population either lived in the Luochuan Plain of Fu and Fang prefectures or in the Zhouyuan Plain where Longzhou was located.

It won't be easy for Liu Jilong to attack Zhisheng Pass, but it's not impossible for him to turn his troops around and attack Jingzhou, Qingzhou, and Ningzhou, and then turn around and attack Chang'an.

Thinking of this, Wang Shi reminded Zheng Tian: "Right now, we should remind His Majesty to transfer the Shenwu Army and Shence Army from Chang'an to Binzhou for strict defense."

"Alright!" Zheng Tian agreed without hesitation, wrote a memorial in front of the two men, and sent it to Chang'an by fast horse.

After he finished doing all this, Wang Shi continued, "There should still be about 15,000 troops stationed in Binning Town and Jingzhou."

"Now that Vice Envoy Yang has retreated to Linjing County, as long as Liu Jilong marches south and captures Pingliang, Panyuan, and Anding counties, and sees the situation at Zhisheng Pass again, he will surely turn his attention to attacking Qing and Ning prefectures."

"At that time, Vice Envoy Yang will inevitably suffer a fierce attack from the rebels."

"Although the city walls of Jingyuan and other towns are sturdy, they are ultimately rammed earth walls. Rather than wasting troops in various prefectures and counties, it would be better to order Vice Envoy Yang to lead troops to implement a scorched-earth policy and forcibly relocate the population of Qingzhou and Ningzhou to Binzhou in the south!"

"What?!" Upon hearing Wang Shi's words, Zheng Tian couldn't help but exclaim, "If all 300,000 people from the two prefectures were to be relocated to Binzhou, how would these people survive?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Shi's face darkened as he said, "How could I not know? But keeping them here will only help the rebels."

"At that time, whether the rebels continue to cultivate the land and collect taxes, or forcibly conscript them as laborers, they will become an asset to the rebels."

"But if we relocate these 300,000 people, even if we can't relocate them, we won't be able to leave behind a large population."

“The rebels have come from afar. Without enough laborers, they will absolutely not be able to take the Binning official road to attack Guanzhong. They will only have two options: to forcefully attack Zhisheng Pass or the passes in the Qinling Mountains.”

Wang Shi's words were like nails driven into Zheng Tian's heart.

He naturally didn't want to make things difficult for the people, but given the situation, he had to think it over carefully.

Seeing that he wavered, Wang Ning bowed to Yang Gongqing and said:
"Liu Jilong has acquired a considerable number of people from Yuanzhou and Jingzhou, but not many. He mainly relies on laborers from Qinzhou and Shuofang."

"The rebels' supplies started from Qinzhou and Shuofang, but mainly from Qinzhou. The distance from the heart of Qinzhou to Zhisheng Pass is two hundred li, and the distance from Binning to Chang'an is seven hundred li."

"According to the current military situation, there are no fewer than 50,000 civilian laborers on the rebel army's front, while the number of rebels is also around 40,000 to 50,000. There should still be 20,000 to 30,000 civilian laborers in Qin Prefecture in the rear maintaining the transportation."

"The daily consumption of grain and hay by 120,000 soldiers and civilians, as well as no less than 100,000 riding horses, military horses, and draft horses, is no less than 4,000 bushels, and the consumption by civilian laborers alone is no less than 2,000 bushels."

"If we need to transport the grain, it will take at least five days from Qinzhou to Zhisheng Pass. The cost of the journey alone will be 10,000 shi, and the round trip will be at least 20,000 shi. The initial shipment will be 200,000 shi, and the amount of grain that can be transported will be around 180,000 shi."

"These 180,000 shi of grain, fodder, and beans are at most enough to keep the 40,000 to 50,000 rebel troops at the front fighting for three months."

"If the rebels bypass Zhisheng Pass, their losses along the way will gradually increase as they get further and further away from Qinzhou."

"If the rebels attack Binning, they will not be able to obtain food and laborers along the four hundred li route."

"In addition, the roads are rugged. Of the 200,000 shi of grain that the rebels transported from Qinzhou, less than 100,000 shi could be transported to Binzhou, which was not enough for the rebel army for two months."

"But if the rebels can harvest grain or laborers along the way, they can transport even more grain to the front lines with their animal power."

Finally, Wang Shi slowly said, "If you eat one bushel of my food, you are worth four bushels of my food; if you capture one of my people, you are worth four people..."

Wang presented the actual situation here, which also explained why he insisted on a scorched-earth policy.

If the rebels obtain one shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain at the front line, they can save at least four dou (another unit of dry measure) of grain.

If we continue to go deeper, the amount of energy saved will increase by two dou (a unit of dry measure) per hundred li (a unit of distance).

If Chang'an weren't so close to Longyou, and if the route weren't filled with densely populated prefectures and counties, Wang Shiguan's scorched-earth policy could have worn down the rebels' supplies.

Unfortunately, Chang'an and Longyou were still too close, so Wang Shi could only trade space and population for time, using time and distance to wear down the rebels.

Thinking of this, Wang Shi stared intently at Yang Gongqing. Upon hearing this, Yang Gongqing immediately said, "In that case, I will submit a memorial to Chang'an and relocate all the people of Binning and other prefectures to Guanzhong. I will request the court to set up soup kitchens and resettle them back to their hometowns after the war ends."

Compared to Zheng Tian, ​​Yang Gongqing admired Wang Shi more, but Wang Shi was too unlucky. He clashed with Liu Jilong too early and lost all his prestige in one battle.

In contrast, Gao Pian, having already suffered defeats at the hands of Zhou Bao, Wang Shi, and Wang Duo, was not only not punished or dismissed, but was instead promoted.

Although this result displeased all the officials, the court could not find a more capable general than Gao Pian.

People like Kang Chengxun were either suppressing bandits in the Central Plains or stationed in places like Hedong and Huainan.

In this situation, it's naturally impossible to cut off another arm.

In Yang Gongqing's view, if this battle still fails to stop the rebels from advancing eastward, Wang Shi will probably be reinstated.

With that in mind, Yang Gongqing finished writing the memorial by hand and sent it to Chang'an by fast horse.

After discussing it, the three of them left with heavy hearts.

Meanwhile, in the following days, military intelligence was constantly being delivered by fast horses, and the rebel army advanced triumphantly, successively capturing Pingliang, Panyuan, Anding, and Lianyunbao.

Yang Xuanji also led his troops to forcibly relocate the people of Qingzhou and Ningzhou to the south, while strictly guarding Binzhou.

On June 22, the Han army arrived at the northern part of Zhisheng Pass.

Because there has been no rain for more than three months, the water level of the Jing River has dropped by about ten feet. The Jing River, which is no more than seven or eight feet wide, is no match for the Han army's southward advance.

However, the south bank of the Jing River is a gentle uphill slope. After climbing for 30 to 40 zhang (approximately 15 meters) in a mile, you will reach the strategic pass known as the "throat of Qin and the key point of Guanzhong".

"Is that the key to victory?"

On the hills on the north bank of the Jing River, Liu Jilong surveyed the terrain and pointed with his riding whip to the pass located between two mountains on a low hill to the south, asking questions.

Upon hearing this, someone immediately rode forward from behind him, smiling obsequiously, and said, "King of Han, that is the Pass of Victory."

The person who was smiling obsequiously was none other than Wang Chongrong after his surrender.

Liu Jilong didn't know much about Wang Chongrong, but he remembered that Wang Chongrong seemed to have attacked Chang'an with Li Keyong and defeated Huang Chao in history.

Liu Jilong always used the generals who surrendered to the imperial court with caution, and the same was true for the officers and soldiers.

Previously, after Wang Chongrong surrendered his troops during the attack on Pinggao County, the Han army suffered less than 2,000 casualties, but inflicted more than 6,000 casualties on the officers and soldiers of various towns, and more than 13,000 officers and soldiers surrendered.

Many of these officers and soldiers had the temperament of mere cavalrymen. After Liu Jilong sent Husi Guang to disarm them all, he transferred 2,000 Shuofang soldiers from Xiaoguan to the south and controlled these 13,000-plus men. Then, he led Wang Chongrong southward.

He assigned 5,000 troops to Husiguang, ordering him to attack Baiquan and Linjing counties, and ideally capture Qingzhou and Ningzhou, thereby gaining hundreds of thousands of people and millions of acres of arable land in the two prefectures.

He then led his main force south and successively captured Pingliang, Anding and Panyuan counties. Now he has regrouped his troops to win the battle at the pass.

Facing the crucial pass not far away, Wang Chongrong took the initiative to introduce it to Liu Jilong:

"General, this strategic pass is known as the throat of Qin and a vital location in Guanzhong. Behind the pass lies a plain amidst crisscrossing mountains and valleys."

"There are markets where merchants and common people gather on the plains, and thousands of acres of farmland have been cultivated."

"Zheng Tian deployed 40,000 troops here. Among them, in addition to nearly 10,000 Fengxiang Army and Shence Army, the remaining 30,000 were new soldiers who had been trained in various towns for less than eight months."

"In addition to these 40,000 soldiers, Zheng Tian also forcibly conscripted 30,000 laborers to cultivate the plains behind Zhisheng Pass for farming and vegetable planting, clearly intending to confront you here for a long time."

As Wang Chongrong spoke, Liu Jilong's lips curled up: "A long-term standoff?"

Upon seeing this, Wang Chongrong immediately smiled and said, "Although Zheng Tian is courageous, his military strategy relies entirely on Wang Shi, and Wang Shi is a defeated opponent of yours. He certainly cannot last long."

"King Han, our army can first lay trench bridges, set up a small camp on the south bank of the Jing River and a large camp on the north bank, and then launch a strong attack on Zhisheng Pass."

Liu Jilong disagreed and instead looked at Wang Chongrong: "Tell me about the situation at the decisive pass."

"Yes!" Wang Chongrong nodded quickly and continued, "Zhisheng Pass existed in the early years. During the Dazhong era, it was reinforced by Gao Pian into a fortified city wall, and then Zheng Tian re-encased it with three layers of bricks last year."

"The wall is three zhang high and four zhang thick, with four layers of bricks. The inside of the wall is one hundred paces deep and two hundred paces wide from east to west."

After Wang Chongrong finished speaking, Liu Jilong frowned slightly. He really hadn't expected that the key to victory would be four layers of bricks.

The city gate, reinforced with four layers of bricks, was not so easy to breach even with the Han army's gunpowder.

Even if the cannons of the Ming and Qing dynasties wanted to forcefully attack this fortress, it would have been difficult to break through without one or two months of hard work.

For this reason, Liu Jilong couldn't help but think about whether to take a detour, but he quickly dismissed the idea.

Taking a detour isn't difficult; it just requires recruiting more laborers, allocating more draft horses, and consuming more grain.

Although the grain in the Longyou granary has suffered considerable losses, it is still enough to sustain the supply for the next few years. With the summer harvest in Helong and Longyou imminent, and the autumn harvest in Sanchuan providing ample grain, he need not worry about the grain supply.

However, if he detours to Binning, the rainy season will arrive, and the transport of grain will be difficult. He will inevitably have to withdraw his troops due to the shortage of food, which will only boost the morale of the government troops and diminish his own prestige.

Moreover, if he were to capture Binzhou, Li Cui would flee, the court's prestige would be tarnished, and various warlords would inevitably rise up, which would not be good for him.

What he wanted was to consolidate his power in Guannei Road, then head south to deal with Gao Pian, turn around, concentrate his forces to attack Guanzhong in one fell swoop, and then advance eastward into Shannan East Road and even the Hehuai Road.

Once the Central Plains are occupied, the weaker Jiangnan region can be integrated first, and then the war can be ended by dealing with the Hedong and Hebei regions to the north.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong took a deep breath and turned to look at An Pohu: "Order the laborers and the three armies to set up camp on the spot, and send another five thousand laborers and three thousand elite cavalry to build a trench bridge, and set up camp on the south bank after crossing the Jing River."

"Tomorrow we'll build catapults and triple-bow crossbows, and see if we can reach this crucial pass."

"Yes!" An Pohu bowed in response, then turned and rode down the mountain to begin arranging for the troops to cross the river.

Meanwhile, Zheng Tian, ​​Wang Shi, and Yang Gongqing, standing in front of the Zhisheng Pass tower, looked down at the Han army in the distance with furrowed brows.

"Based on what we see on the battlefield, the number of rebels is no less than 40,000. We do not see any civilian laborers, so the civilian laborers must be on the north side of the hill."

"As expected, they should be crossing the Jing River to build a small camp now."

After Wang finished speaking, he looked at Zheng Tian and said, "We can try using a catapult."

"Okay!" He nodded in agreement and then turned to instruct everyone to prepare the catapult.

Soon, the thirty catapults that had been set up inside the pass were counterweighted, and these counterweighted catapults were undoubtedly obtained by Zheng Tian from Gao Pian.

Although it couldn't compare to the catapults of the Han army, it was still much better than the catapults previously used by the Tang army.

More than 3,000 laborers entered the Zhisheng Pass and began to operate the catapults under the command of the Tang army.

"put!"

With a command from the Tang general, thirty catapults, each weighing twenty or thirty pounds, flew over the city wall, arced through the air, and crashed down on the Han army below the low hill.

"Dodge the stones!!"

"Beep beep!!"

"Bang bang——"

The piercing sound of wooden whistles and warnings rang out, but people's reactions were not as fast as the sudden throwing of stones.

Thirty catapults crashed into the ground with a "thud," smashing the timber of one of the catapults. The flying wood chips cut the surrounding laborers and even stabbed one of them in the abdomen, drawing blood.

"Retreat! Retreat!!"

The Han army captain in charge began to give orders, and Wang Jian on the battlefield was also frightened by the stones that landed not far from him.

"Damn it, let's get out of here!!"

Wang Jian shook the reins and immediately escorted the laborers back to the north bank of the Jing River.

Liu Jilong had a clear view of the situation on the south bank from the low hill, and his expression inevitably turned grim.

The fact that Zhisheng Pass was situated on a high vantage point, and that they had collected catapults and stones in advance, and were able to hit the Han army so accurately, indicates that they had trained several times beforehand and knew at least how many kilograms of stones and counterweights they could use to launch them to a certain distance.

Zheng Tian had the advantage of terrain. Even if the Han army had gunpowder, the range of the catapults and winches would be limited by the bloodshed required to build up this gentle uphill slope of more than three hundred paces.

Liu Jilong certainly couldn't afford to use human lives to build this road, so it seemed that he had no other way out except to take a detour.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong calmly turned his horse around: "Back to camp!"

"Yes!" Jiuju Yan and the others responded, then rode down the hill with Liu Jilong.

Looking at the devastated south bank of the Jing River, Zheng Tian couldn't help but stroke his beard: "Zhisheng Pass is the throat of Qin Feng, and it's not so easy to attack."

Yang Gongqing smiled upon hearing this, but Wang Shi still wore that bitter and resentful expression.

Seeing his expression, Zheng Tian couldn't help but ask, "Brother Xiao Nian, our army has just dealt a blow to the morale of the rebels. Could it be that you've thought of something, which is why you're so unhappy?"

“I am worried,” Wang Shi said with a furrowed brow. “The more difficult it is to conquer Zhisheng Pass, the more determined Liu Jilong will be to bypass it.”

"If he really bypasses the key pass and surrounds our army from the rear, trapping us in Longzhou and Jingzhou, what should our army do?"

"Given the strength of the rebel cavalry, it will be extremely difficult for our army to break through at that time."

Thinking of this, Wang Shi took the initiative to say, "I think we can transfer troops from Anrong Pass and various counties in Longzhou and Fengxiang Town in the rear to strengthen the defenses of Huating, Bailicheng, Lingtai, Xinping and other counties."

“In particular, the eighteen counties north of Baili City must be fortified and cleared of their inhabitants, and all of them must be withdrawn to the south of Baili City.”

Although Wang Shi's words were somewhat alarmist, Zheng Tian still heeded his advice and dispatched enough fast horses to deliver intelligence, urging Yang Xuanji to relocate the population south as soon as possible.

They moved quickly, but Liu Jilong was not slow either.

Having just retreated and arrived at the command tent, Liu Jilong stood before the sand table inside the pass, surveying the entire area. He then squatted down, measured the distance with his hands, and dusted off his hands, saying:

"Our army is 230 li away from the heart of Qin Prefecture. For every 200 li we go deeper, the losses of the laborers transporting the grain and fodder increase by 10%."

"The official road and plank road leading from Anding County to Huating County were destroyed by the government troops, and our army could not directly cut into Huating County from Anding County."

"Zhisheng Pass is situated on high ground, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. Even with gunpowder, our army cannot easily conquer this pass."

"Right now, we either need to capture Zhisheng Pass, or we need to detour through Longshan to attack Anrong Pass, or we need to attack Binzhou directly."

As soon as Liu Jilong finished speaking, he stood up and asked the dozen or so generals in the tent, "What do you think our army should do now?"

Upon hearing this, An Pohu immediately bowed and said, "If it won't disrupt your grand plan, I think we can go directly to Binzhou to attack Chang'an and force the emperor to flee to the Eastern Capital or the Northern Capital." Seeing An Pohu say this, Jiu Juyan also nodded and said, "The quickest way is undoubtedly to attack Binzhou and take Chang'an directly."

"Even though the imperial court has deployed enough troops in Binzhou, apart from Liyuan Village, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack, the other counties in Binzhou are not difficult to capture."

Upon hearing this, Liu Jilong nodded, and then revealed his plan: "I have been hesitating these past few days about whether to attack Chang'an."

"It would be easy to capture Chang'an, but if the court were to flee to the northern capital, warlords would inevitably rise up in the Jianghuai and Central Plains regions."

"Without the deterrent power of the imperial court, the various garrisons will inevitably expand their troops, causing the people to suffer."

"My original intention was to defeat Zheng Tian's troops, then immediately march south to defeat Gao Pian, and at the same time order Gao Jinda to transfer the grain and fodder from the rear to the front line."

"At that time, Zhang Wu will lead his troops eastward, while I will go to Xingyuan Prefecture to order the troops from Shuofang and Longyou to attack Guanzhong and capture Chang'an."

"At that time, even if the imperial court fled north to the northern capital, our army could directly occupy the eastern capital and seize Wulao Pass."

"As long as we have Shannan East Road and Wulao Pass in our hands, after a few months of rest, our army can march east out of Wulao Pass and sweep across the Hehuai region."

With the Shannan East Road in hand, Hunan to the south and the Jiangnan East and West Roads to the east can be easily taken. Hebei and Hedong will be dealt with last.

After Liu Jilong finished speaking, he looked at everyone, wanting to hear their suggestions.

After pondering for a couple of breaths, An Pohu took the initiative to say, "King of Han, so be it if heroes rise up everywhere. It's not like we haven't fought against the government troops of various towns before. At worst, you can lead us to fight again!"

"That's right!"

"King of Han, let's attack Chang'an directly!"

"King Han..."

The Han army generals shouted in unison, and seeing that Liu Jilong was still hesitating, Jiuju Yan probably guessed what he was thinking and couldn't help but ask, "Are you worried that our army is going too deep and our base is unstable?"

"That's certainly a concern," Liu Jilong said, nodding without hesitation.

"Although the Hebei and Huaihe River regions were disturbed by bandits, the foundation was not damaged, and it was only the common people who suffered."

"If possible, I would still prefer to proceed steadily and gradually reclaim all the paths."

As Liu Jilong finished speaking, Wang Chongrong, who was standing at the end of the line, glanced at him and then stepped forward to say:

"King of Han, if you are worried that the court will be driven out of Guanzhong and the warlords will rebel, then you should attack Chang'an even more."

Liu Jilong frowned slightly, but Wang Chongrong took the initiative to say, "Your Highness, you are not familiar with the temperaments of the various garrisons."

"Although Beidu is where the imperial court started, in recent years the military forces of Hedong Town have become arrogant and have caused several disturbances. Moreover, if we retreat directly to Beidu, it would be tantamount to seizing control of the north and losing Jiangnan."

"That is why, if the imperial court were to really move the capital, it would certainly choose the Eastern Capital over the Northern Capital."

"As long as you don't rush to attack Chang'an after you enter Guanzhong, the officials will surely encourage the emperor to make an eastern tour."

Wang Chongrong provided Liu Jilong with crucial intelligence: Hedong Town was not stable, and the emperor would naturally not put himself in a dangerous situation.

Moreover, moving the capital directly to the northern capital would make it easier for people in the south to mistakenly believe that the court has lost power, while the eastern capital would not.

"Luoyang is only five hundred li away from Chang'an. How can you be so sure that the imperial court will definitely go to the Eastern Capital?"

Liu Jilong questioned Wang Chongrong, who replied, "It is only because you have defeated all the towns around Luoyang that there are no troops around Luoyang that can threaten it. Moreover, Yanling Pass and Xiashi City are also blocking your eastward advance. It is also easier for the court to mobilize the funds and grain from Henan to protect Luoyang."

"If we were to go to the Northern Capital, not to mention the arrogance of the Hedong Garrison, there are the Shatuo to the north of Hedong, the three towns of Hebei to the east, and the Hezhong Garrison to the south is not peaceful either. The situation is too dangerous, and the officials would never put the emperor in such a precarious situation."

There were some things Wang Chongrong didn't continue to say. In reality, Dongdu wasn't that good either; the best should be Chengdu Prefecture and Xingyuan Prefecture.

However, since both places had already been occupied by the Han army, the court could only choose the best option from the worst.

Taiyuan, the northern capital; Luoyang, the eastern capital; Jiangling, the southern capital…

The capital city of Beidu was too close to the three towns of Hebei, and it was also not peaceful in itself.

If the imperial court were to flee to the northern capital, it would have to find a way to deal with the troops in Hedong. The southern capital was too close to Huang Chao's location, leaving only the eastern capital as a last resort.

After Wang Chongrong finished speaking, Liu Jilong pondered for a moment before saying:

"I hereby appoint you to lead four thousand Hexi infantry and six thousand Liangzhou cavalry and infantry to garrison here. The rest of the troops will break camp tomorrow and follow me to attack Ningzhou!"

"The King of Han is wise!!"

Seeing that Liu Jilong had decided to attack Chang'an, they all hailed him as a wise ruler, but Liu Jilong denied it, saying:

"I want to conquer Guanzhong, but not Chang'an."

He walked to the sand table, squatted down, and pointed at it, saying, "Go to Binning to attack Guanzhong, then capture Fengxiang, and annihilate the remaining 70,000-plus government troops. After the government flees east to Luoyang, send a detachment to seize Chang'an."

Liu Jilong deliberately emphasized this in order to remind everyone of his true intentions and to avoid any misunderstanding.

He knew very well that at this moment, many people in the tent, or even everyone, hoped that he would directly attack Chang'an, capture the emperor alive, and then use the emperor to command the disobedient, or even force the emperor to abdicate in his favor.

However, Liu Jilong would never do such a thing before defeating Gao Pian and completely seizing Sanchuan.

With the examples of Zhu Wen and Li Cunxu before him, he would never be tempted by Jintai and prematurely reveal his ambition; he would even try to curry favor with the court.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong stood up and said, "Order the three armies to break camp at dawn tomorrow!"

"Yes!!" The generals responded in unison and then respectfully left the tent.

At the same time, Zheng Tian and his two companions, who were inside the pass, also gathered together in front of the sand table.

Facing the two men, Wang Shi simply pointed to the sand table and said, "If the rebels break camp tomorrow, our army must also break camp."

"Leave 5,000 men to garrison Zhisheng Pass. The remaining 35,000 troops must rush to the aid of Baili City, Lingtai County, and Liyuan Village within five days!"

“Okay!” The two had no objections and were completely convinced by what Wang said.

Therefore, when the garrison at Zhisheng Pass discovered that the Han army had begun to break camp the next morning, the government troops inside Zhisheng Pass also began to break camp.

Both sides began to attack and defend by taking detours.

The news reached Gyeongju two days later.

"The rebels are attacking Ningzhou?!"

Although it was dark inside Changwu City, the government offices were brightly lit.

Upon hearing the military intelligence read aloud by his adopted son, Yang Fugong, Yang Xuanji's expression changed drastically, and his behavior became panicked.

Seeing this, Yang Fugong reassured him, "Father, our army has 15,000 troops in Changwu. Changwu is located by mountains and rivers, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. Even if the rebels come to attack, it won't be so easy."

"At present, many people in Qingzhou and Ningzhou have not yet retreated to the south. Our army cannot retreat at this critical juncture, otherwise we will surely be punished by the Emperor."

The forced relocation of people from Binning Town to the south had only been underway for three days, and in three days, it was impossible to evacuate too many people.

If they want to achieve the scorched-earth policy that Wang Shi described, they need to persist for at least another half month.

However, Yang Xuanji said anxiously, "Liu Jilong's attack with his troops must be aimed at conquering Guanzhong."

"Their troops are all cavalry, and they can march fifty or sixty miles a day without any problem."

"Even though they haven't reached Anding yet, they're not far from it, and Anding is only forty li away from Changwu."

"They will arrive outside Changwu City by this time tomorrow at the latest."

“Zi Ke, I know you want to make a name for yourself, but you have to be alive to earn that credit.”

"Changwu City is not as good as Pinggao City. The only way to stop the rebels is to retreat to Xinping County or even Liyuan Village."

"As long as we have troops at our disposal, even if the court is angry with our actions, it will not dare to take direct action."

Yang Xuanji wanted to retreat, but Yang Fugong disagreed.

If this had happened a few years ago, Yang Fugong would have been taught a lesson by Yang Xuanji long ago if he had dared to make such a statement.

However, Yang Fugong's status is now far from what it used to be, and many people in the court are dissatisfied with him as the deputy envoy. Therefore, even if he withdraws his troops, he can only take his five thousand Shence Army soldiers with him at most.

What he's worried about now is that Yang Fugong won't even let go of the five thousand Shence Army soldiers under his command.

“Father, if you wish to withdraw your troops, I can offer you the pretext of escorting them, allowing you to lead your 5,000 soldiers to escort the people south to Liyuan Village.”

"But there must always be someone to hold Changwu City. Although I am not talented, I also want to serve my country with loyalty."

Yang Fugong's words were half true and half false. He did these things not for the sake of his country, but because he felt that if he retreated directly, he would definitely be punished. However, if he retreated after being defeated, it would not have such a big impact.

If both father and son withdraw their troops, then when the matter is decided, it will be he who suffers the punishment, not Yang Xuanji.

"it is good!"

Seeing that Yang Fugong understood the bigger picture, Yang Xuanji breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Then I will now lead the troops to escort the people and laborers south."

"Please..." Yang Fugong stepped aside to make way, and Yang Xuanji also hurriedly left the yamen.

That night, Yang Xuanji led 5,000 Shence Army soldiers and 20,000 laborers south, while Yang Fugong left only 10,000 soldiers from Binning Town.

Located in the mountains and valleys between the Jing River and Yilu Plain, Changwu City has a circumference of no more than two li. It is built of piled stones and is easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Even if they were defeated, they could escape from the mountains behind them to Yiluyuan, and then retreat south to Lingtai County or Xinping County.

That's why Yang Fugong didn't want to retreat without any resistance; he wanted to hold out for at least a few days.

As he thought this, the sky gradually brightened, and Yang Xuanji's guess was correct.

The following evening, plumes of smoke rose from the mountains west of Changwu City.

"Beep--"

"Enemy attack! Don armor and defend the city!!"

The piercing sound of the wooden whistle rang out. Yang Fugong, who had rested all day, heard the news and immediately put on his armor and went to wait in front of the city gate of Changwu City.

Before long, dust billowed up as tens of thousands of troops, like a long snake, slowly approached Changwu City.

The north wind blew through the ravines, and the banners of the Han army fluttered, putting immense pressure on the 10,000 Binning soldiers inside the city.

Two quarters of an hour later, tens of thousands of people arrived outside Changwu City and set up camp north of the city, near the Jing River.

"The military supervisor observed that the rebel army numbered no less than fifty or sixty thousand, of which at least thirty thousand were soldiers."

Those standing next to Yang Fugong couldn't help but speak up, and Yang Fugong himself couldn't help but swallow a few times.

Although he had led troops and fought bandits before, this was indeed the first time he had fought against such a well-armored enemy.

As the army set up camp, tens of thousands of cavalrymen marched eastward, while several thousand more cavalrymen approached Changwu City, significantly increasing the pressure on the city.

If it weren't for the presence of Yilu Plain behind him, Yang Fugong would probably have been thinking about how to escape long ago.

"King of Han, this government army is interesting; they actually dare to station themselves here."

"Judging from the flags, they should be soldiers from Binning Town."

An Pohu and Husiguang spoke from the left and right, respectively, while Liu Jilong, in the middle, gazed at Changwu City in the distance, then turned his horse around and said:

"Take this city within three days, proceed to Yiluyuan, and recapture Yilu County."

"Your subordinate obeys!!"

The two bowed in agreement, and then began to carefully examine Changwu City with the same eyes one would use to appraise prey.

Meanwhile, Zheng Tian and others were also directing their troops on their way to Baili City and Lingtai County.

However, their memorial to Chang'an was delivered to Li Cui at the same time that Liu Jilong besieged Changwu City.

"Weren't the troops of Yiwu, Zhaoyi, Hedong... supposed to be incredibly powerful? How come they were completely wiped out by the rebels in less than a month?!"

Li Cui was so angry that his hands trembled. Lu Yan and Yu Cong stood on the left side of Xianning Palace, while Qi Yuanshi, Qi Yuanjian, Ximen Jixuan, and Yang Xuanjie stood on the right.

Faced with Li Cui's anger, the six of them each had their own thoughts, and Lu Yan had no choice but to speak up and explain:

"Your Majesty, although the troops of the various garrisons suffered a crushing defeat, they ultimately held off the rebels for more than half a month and inflicted considerable casualties on them."

"The most important thing right now is the advice from Zheng Taiwen and Wang Xiaonian in their memorials."

"If we take the advice of the two men into account, the rebels are now taking a detour to attack Binning, while Binning only has the Shence Army and the Binning Army with less than 10,000 troops."

"Right now, the court should mobilize the Shence Army and the Shenwu Army to rush to Liyuan Village. If Liyuan Village is lost, it is hard to guarantee that the rebels will not damage Emperor Taizong's mausoleum in order to vent their anger."

Liyuan Village is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and the reason is quite simple.

Besides the terrain, the most important factor is that behind Liyuan Village are the mausoleums of three emperors: Emperor Taizong of Tang (Li Shimin), Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (Li Chen), and Emperor Suzong of Tang (Li Heng).

During the An Lushan Rebellion, even when the rebel army entered Guanzhong, they did not disturb Li Shimin's Zhaoling Mausoleum.

Now that Liu Jilong has come to attack from Binning, it can be said to be a humiliation to Zhaoling.

However, Yu Cong expressed a different opinion regarding Lu Yan's speculation.

"Your Majesty, I believe that although Liu Muzhi is angry about the court's actions, he should not disturb Zhaoling."

"Liu Jilong has always known when to advance and when to retreat. If he disturbs Zhaoling, even the rebel generals will feel resentful, let alone others."

Yu Cong was right. Regardless of the state of the people during the Zhenguan era, since the An Lushan Rebellion, the people of the world have increasingly missed the days when the military was strong during the Zhenguan era.

Even if Liu Jilong complained to the court, he could not possibly disturb Zhaoling.

"His Majesty……"

Seeing that they were still discussing the Zhaoling Mausoleum, Privy Councilor Qi Yuanjian couldn't help but step forward and say:

"The most urgent task at present is to protect Your Majesty's safety."

"In my opinion, Liu Jilong's attack on Binning should never be made public."

"If that happens, it will inevitably cause unrest in Guanzhong. At that time, millions of people in the capital region will be unable to escape to any place, and will be able to obstruct the emperor's carriage."

"I believe that we should first send the Shence Army to Luoyang under the pretext of seeking food. As for the matter of sending troops to Liyuan Village, we can leave it to the Left and Right Divine Martial Armies."

Qi Yuanjian's words are not wrong. In the past, when the emperor fled Chang'an several times, he would pretend to appease the people and then secretly escape.

Of course, this resulted in the people being massacred by the rebels, but the population of Chang'an remained prosperous.

"No!" Ximen Jixuan couldn't help but exclaim.

"The Left and Right Divine Martial Armies are Zhang Huaiding's troops. The Zhang family has always had an unclear relationship with Longyou. What if they open up Liyuan Village and allow the rebel army to enter Guanzhong at will?"

After Ximen Jixuan finished speaking, he immediately bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I have heard that the Beidu Yabing are arrogant and domineering. Why not send the Left and Right Divine Martial Armies to Beidu to suppress the Hedong Yabing, and send the Shence Army to Luoyang?"

“Liyuan Village is important, but the court can transfer troops from Fu and Fang to garrison it. If that’s not possible, the troops from Huanghua County can be withdrawn, and Sanguan Pass can be strictly guarded. The troops from Fengxiang Town can be withdrawn to garrison Liyuan Village.”

The words of the group made Li Cui's face turn ugly, as if no matter what they said, he, the emperor, could only run away.

Although he also wanted to run away, such blatant discussion was still somewhat uncomfortable.

"This matter is entrusted to you all. Furthermore, send an edict to Zheng Tian, ​​instructing him to defend the area at all costs and absolutely not allow the rebel army to enter Guanzhong!"

Li Cui stood up and stormed off. In the end, he didn't have the courage to turn against the Northern Division, nor did he have the courage to stand in Chang'an and confront Liu Jilong.

As long as he doesn't explicitly state it, the officials of the Northern and Southern Offices will naturally know how to resolve the matter.

Thinking this, Li Cui's face darkened, and he then ordered the eunuchs to send the imperial treasury's contents to Luoyang.

At the same time he gave the order, on a mudflat nearly a thousand miles away from Chang'an, countless clods of earth began to writhe under the cover of night.

The cloudless sky allowed the moonlight to shine brightly on the ground.

Under the moonlight, the writhing soil began to churn, as if something underground was awakening.

Suddenly, a brownish-yellow insect poked its head out of the crack, its antennae trembling slightly, its compound eyes gleaming with a cold, metallic luster in the moonlight.

It struggled, using its spiky hind legs to push through the soft soil, and finally crawled out, its wet shell hardening rapidly in the hot wind.

After it crawled out, a second, a third... countless insects emerged densely from the soil, gradually forming a continuous mass that covered the entire mudflat.

They fluttered their wings and took flight like a dense cloud, as if a dark cloud had suddenly appeared and flown in all directions...

(End of this chapter)