Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 480 Hebei Riots (A long chapter of 10,000 words)
"Father! Father!"

In mid-November, as the standoff between the imperial court and Zhu Wen continued to lengthen, the surrounding regional military governors, who were observing from the sidelines, gradually began to become restless.

In this context, within the dry and cold city of Jixian (Beijing), in a simple and unpretentious mansion, a sudden, urgent shouting rang out.

"Cough cough..."

The shouting middle-aged man strode into a hall, where the smell of medicine was very strong and coughing could be heard.

After the middle-aged man entered the side hall, he saw an elderly man with gray hair, a tall but extremely thin build, who looked like a skeleton, sitting on a couch.

He coughed to steady himself, and the girl who fed him the medicine was only twelve or thirteen years old and had already tied her hair up.

"What's the matter...?"

The old man's voice was like a broken gong. Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man bowed and said, "An Pohu wants to pass through Mozhou to attack Yichang."

"Father, do you think this might be a case of 'using a pretext to attack Guo'?"

"Borrowing a path to attack Guo... cough cough cough!" The octogenarian coughed, angrily saying, "I can't stand up for myself!"
"Liu Muzhi has just pacified three towns, and he is facing off against Zhu Quanzhong in the east. Use your blockhead to think, why would he want to attack my Lulong now?!"

In this town of Lulong, the only person who can address Lulong as "myself" is Zhang Yunshen, the 87-year-old military governor of Lulong, Grand Master of the Palace, Grand Tutor, Grand Chancellor, Grand Master of the Palace, and Duke of Yan.

The Zhang family was already a famous military family during the Kaiyuan era, and they remained standing despite the An Lushan Rebellion and the Four Garrisons Rebellion.

Zhang Yunshen was born in the first year of the Zhenyuan era after the end of the Four Garrisons Rebellion. He became a colonel at the age of eighteen. His promotion was slow, but he eventually rose to the position of military commander and commander of the cavalry and infantry.

It wasn't until he was sixty-four years old, when Zhang Zhongwu's son Zhang Zhifang was expelled from Lulong, and Zhou Chen, who was unpopular as the military governor, suddenly died, that he was pushed into the position of military governor of Lulong by many of the generals in Lulong Town.

Originally, the military officers in Lulong Town only thought that Zhang Yunshen was old and wanted to stabilize the situation and control him well. They planned to elect a new military governor after he died in a few years. However, they did not expect that Zhang Yunshen would live from the age of sixty-four to the age of eighty-seven.

Those who wanted him to be their puppet back then were either outlived by him or subdued by his methods.

During his twenty-three years of rule, he was diligent in military and political affairs, and promoted water conservancy projects, which resulted in bumper harvests year after year in Lulong Town, peace on the border, and a peaceful and prosperous life for the people.

From commoners to governors of various prefectures, everyone benefited from him, thus making his position increasingly secure.

But people will eventually grow old and die, and Zhang Yunshen can now clearly feel that he is getting worse day by day.

That's why, starting a few years ago, he has been working hard to find a way out for his descendants.

He knew all too well the nature of the governors and generals of Lulong Town. If he died and Zhang Jianhui failed to bring them any benefits, they would find a way to wipe out Zhang Jianhui and his men, and then wholeheartedly support a military governor who could bring them benefits.

Zhang Yunshen did not want to see himself without descendants, so after waiting, he finally met Liu Jilong, a powerful man.

Liu Jilong's expansion speed exceeded his expectations.

Therefore, after Liu Jilong occupied the three towns of Xuanwu, he immediately transferred Zhang Jianhui to Guizhou and also sent Li Maoxun to assist him.

Although Li Maoxun was a neutral party, I treated him well, so he wouldn't go so far as to kill me like some of the arrogant generals like Zhang Gongsu.

Sure enough, the opportunity soon came. Li Guochang and his son Li Keyong fled, and Zhang Jianhui appeared in time to deal them a heavy blow.

Although they were not stopped, given the relationship between Liu Jilong and the previous time when Liu Jilong sent troops to help, Liu Jilong would certainly not stand idly by.

Moreover, judging from the contents of Li Maoxun's military intelligence report, Liu Jilong's strength was even greater than he had imagined, which made him extremely happy.

He caught a cold in the first month of this year, and his health has deteriorated significantly since then. Therefore, after learning about Liu Jilong's abilities, he directly ordered Zhang Jianhui to be stationed in Guizhou.

As the western gateway to Lulong, Guizhou was a place of great importance to Liu Jilong, who possessed the vision and skills to reach his current high position.

Liu Jilong's current attacks on the Tianping Army and the Yichang Army are clearly preparations for his future attack on Lulong Town.

Zhang Yunshen didn't care about the fate of Lulong Town; all he cared about was his own family.

If Liu Jilong can take Lulong Town, the Zhang family's wealth and status will surely be preserved.

If it weren't for his poor health, he would have even planned to wait for Liu Jilong to send troops to attack, and then work with Liu Jilong from the inside to slaughter all the arrogant and fierce soldiers in Lulong Town.

Unfortunately, his health is failing, and many generals in Lulong Town, led by Zhang Gongsu, the governor of Pingzhou, have long coveted his position.

He was worried about how to settle his family, but now that Liu Jilong needed his help, it gave him an opportunity.

"Ahem... Liu Jilong's passage is a good thing for my father and me."

Zhang Yunshen coughed as he took the letter from An Pohu from his eighth son, Zhang Jianshou, and then coughed as he said:

"This matter is approved, but after agreeing to this, I must allow you to enter the capital."

"Go to the capital?" Zhang Jianshou's face showed surprise: "Father, do you mean to send me to Luoyang as a hostage?"

"My Lulong is strong and powerful, why should I need to be concerned about Liu Jilong's feelings?"

"Cough cough!" Hearing his son's foolish words, Zhang Yunshen couldn't help but cough again.

If he had an outstanding son, he wouldn't need to deliberately curry favor with the court and Liu Jilong.

The most terrifying thing is to live in a chaotic world, hold a high position of power, and have mediocre offspring.

"If I were to pass away, would you be able to suppress Zhang Gongsu and his group?"

Zhang Yunshen's words struck a nerve with Zhang Jianshou, and seeing his unpleasant expression and silence, Zhang Yunshen said with exasperation:

"Think about Zhang Zhifang and Zhou Chen. If you don't want to end up like them, you'd better obey them."

"While I am still here, tomorrow you will lead 500 cavalry and 5,000 laborers from Ji County to escort 100,000 shi of grain south. Also, send a fast horse with a handwritten letter to inform An Pohu of this matter and instruct him to recruit more laborers."

"This batch of grain can be transported to the confluence of the Sanggan River and the Yongji Canal, and then we will wait for Anpohu to send troops to collect it."

"After this matter, you should lead a light cavalry south to Luoyang. You should not only ask Liu Jilong to secure official positions and land for you brothers and nephews, but also ask Liu Jilong to gather troops in Yun and Wei prefectures to prepare to support Liu Lang at any time."

Zhang Jianhui was the sixth child in his family. His five older brothers had all passed away, making him the eldest of the surviving brothers, but he was also unusable.

"And then?" Zhang Jianshou asked worriedly, but Zhang Yunshen laughed after hearing it.

It wasn't happiness, but rather helplessness over his good-for-nothing son.

Since he sent them south, he had already prepared them to rely on Liu Jilong to maintain their wealth and status.

"After you go south, don't cause any trouble. None of you brothers are very talented, and you are all outsiders. The official positions Liu Jilong gave you and the money you took south are enough to ensure three generations of wealth."

"What will happen after three generations, only heaven knows..."

Zhang Yun chuckled dryly a few times, waved his hand, and said, "Half of the money in the manor will be taken to Guizhou by Liu Lang. You can keep the remaining half as long as it is enough for the manor's expenses for half a year. Take the rest to Luoyang as well."

"What about Qilang, Jiulang, and Shilang?" Zhang Jianshou noticed that his father hadn't mentioned these people.

In response, Zhang Yunshen reassured him: "As long as Liulang is in Guizhou and you are in Luoyang, and there is no extra money in the mansion, even if there is unrest in Lulong, they will be fine."

During the conversation, Zhang Yunshen coughed violently again, then waved for him to leave.

Seeing this, Zhang Jianshou could only bow respectfully. He then led 500 cavalrymen from Ji County and forcibly conscripted 5,000 laborers, preparing to travel south along the Sanggan River to the Yongji Canal.

At the same time, he also wrote a letter to Yiwu Town, clearly explaining Zhang Yunshen's arrangements for this matter.

It is only 130 li from Ji County to Yizhou, but it is 200 li by waterway to Yongji Canal.

Therefore, before Zhang Jianshou could even move the grain out of Jixian City after recruiting laborers, the news was already delivered to Yiwu territory by fast horse.

After receiving a letter in Zhang Yunshen's voice and Zhang Yunshen's military secrets, An Pohu immediately recruited 30,000 laborers and 20,000 mules and carts. He transported only 5,000 shi of grain and then personally led 10,000 Han infantrymen to begin the eastward advance.

Not only that, he also sent a fast horse to deliver Zhang Yunshen's letter and his own letter to Luoyang.

An Pohu knew very well that if he waited for Liu Jilong to return with the imperial edict, it would take at least half a month. Moreover, based on the intelligence he had gathered over the past few months, Zhang Yunshen was indeed terminally ill and probably wouldn't last more than a few months.

We must seize the initiative now, subdue Yiwu and Yanhai towns, then pacify Ganhua and Huainan towns, and finally concentrate our efforts on dealing with the three towns of Hebei and Zhaoyi town.

Therefore, without the slightest hesitation, he led a force of 40,000 soldiers and civilians directly through Zhang Yunshen's military documents, crossing from Mozhou to Cangzhou in Yichang Town.

After the army entered Mozhou territory, more than a thousand cavalrymen from Mozhou followed them closely.

An Pohu didn't care about this; he focused his main efforts on observing the situation in Lulong under Zhang Yunshen's rule.

It must be said that Mozhou under Zhang Yunshen's rule was indeed better than the towns that Anpohu had seen. Even though the taxes were high, they were basically transparent, unlike the towns where taxes were invisible and intangible, and the people paid them in a daze.

Moreover, although the local people were not exactly well-fed and clothed, at least they were still within the normal range of physical stature, unlike the emaciated people of other warlord regions.

It's no wonder that Zhang Yunshen was able to govern the harsh and desolate border town of Lulong so peacefully for over twenty years.

"Zhang Yunshen is indeed capable, but judging from the state of his handwriting, he probably won't live much longer."

"Once he dies, the situation in Lulong will inevitably collapse..."

Wang Chongrong spoke without hesitation, while An Pohu remained noncommittal, only saying:
"I hope he can hold out until our army recaptures Yichang and defeats Zhu Quanzhong."

An Pohu was very worried that Zhang Yunshen would not survive until then, because he knew that if Zhang Yunshen died, it would be the best time for the imperial court to advance on Lulong.

If Zhang Yunshen could survive until then and then die, they could win over many enemies to their side by simply using the banner of supporting Zhang Jianhui, and then they would only need to deal with Zhang Gongsu's troops.

However, if Zhang Yunshen doesn't survive until then, and the window of opportunity is right here, then given An Pohu's understanding of his prince, his prince will definitely not let this opportunity slip by.

An Pohu had seen the strength of the Youzhou cavalry before. Although their organization and quality were not as good as those of the Han soldiers, they had rich combat experience and were very skilled in both horsemanship and archery, as well as long and short weapons.

Even the Han army found it difficult to reduce casualties when fighting against the Youzhou cavalry.

If they are unable to subdue Yichang and Yanhai by then, they will have to fight three warlords at the same time. More importantly, Chengde and Weibo, who are also eager to make trouble, will not behave themselves.

At that time, the north will probably be thrown into chaos, and Gao Pian in the south will certainly take the opportunity to seize Huainan, Jiangdong, and Liangzhe.

"Zhang Yunshen, I hope you can live a few more months..."

An Pohu muttered to himself with a solemn expression, then focused on leading his troops through Mozhou.

Zhang Yunshen was still alive, so his military intelligence was still valid in Lulong Town.

An Pohu and his men were filled with anxiety the whole way, but they eventually made it through Mozhou without any major incident and set up camp on the east side of the Yongji Canal in northern Cangzhou.

The morning after they arrived in Cangzhou, Zhang Jianshou led 500 cavalrymen to escort his family of more than ten people and 5,000 laborers southward.

Anpo Hu was still asleep when he heard the sound of the cavalry reporting.

Zhang Jianshou's troops were only about 20 li away from them. After learning about this, An Pohu personally led more than 100 officers and soldiers in his camp northward.

At this moment, they were all curious about how Zhang Jianshou had managed to transport grain across the frozen Yongji Canal.

After traveling north for an hour in the dry, cold weather, they heard the sound of ice being chiseled.

When they stopped their horses, they saw that the Yongji Canal, which was twelve zhang wide, was frozen over, and thousands of laborers were lined up on the ice, chiseling at it with iron picks.

Instead of chiseling the ice open, they quickly carved out grooves several inches deep into the ice.

Thousands of people continued to walk south, and in less than half an hour they had carved out a trench several miles long.

Meanwhile, black figures began to appear in the far north.

Anpohu looked north and saw horses pulling what looked like a carriage, but without wheels, and something resembling a canopy bed, heading south at high speed.

"what is this?"

An Pohu asked in confusion, but Wang Chongrong realized what he meant: "I have heard that after winter arrives in Youzhou and Weibo, they often station soldiers to cut ice into channels and transport grain on ice beds. Each bed can carry dozens of shi of grain."

"I originally thought these were just rumors spread by others, but I never imagined they were true."

The sled is actually a large sled. This method had its prototype in the pre-Qin period. With the construction of the Grand Canal in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, it gradually became a system and was perfected.

"Quickly, bring over laborers!"

When An Pohu and others saw that there was such a way to transport grain, they immediately became envious.

Cangzhou and Dezhou in Yichang Town are both not far from the Grand Canal. They could easily rely on the ice path of the Grand Canal to quickly move south and capture Cangzhou and Dezhou.

"Yes!" Wang Chongrong dared not delay and immediately ordered Zhu Mei to go and mobilize the laborers.

At the same time, Zhang Jianshou, who had already seen the Han army, led his horse onto the canal and, under the escort of more than a hundred Youzhou cavalrymen, came before Anpohu.

It was the first time the two sides had met, but after his father's repeated instructions, Zhang Jianshou understood how difficult his family's situation was.

Even though he didn't believe it in his heart, he still showed the proper courtesy when facing An Pohu, who commanded tens of thousands of troops.

“Zhang Jianshou, the magistrate of Youzhou, pays his respects to Governor An.”

"It doesn't have to be this way!"

Anpo Hu hurriedly bowed on horseback, his eyes filled with envy as he looked at the thousands of palanquins and the grain on them.

Seeing this, Zhang Jianshou thought that if he could get An Pohu as his backer, then at least he wouldn't have to be subservient in the south.

Thinking this, he took the initiative to befriend An Pohu and said, "I will send these two thousand chariots and four thousand draft horses to Governor An. I only hope that Governor An can show me the military credentials so that I can travel south to Henan by land and detour to Luoyang."

"Going to Luoyang?" An Pohu nodded, though somewhat puzzled.

"Such a great favor cannot be settled by military intelligence alone."

"If you are not in a hurry, just give me ten days and I will take Cangzhou and Dezhou, and then send troops to escort you to Luoyang."

"Ten days?" Zhang Jianshou was taken aback for a moment. Although Yichang was not strong, it was definitely not weak either. Otherwise, the three towns would not have been so well-behaved and never brought their conflicts out to the outside world all these years.

However, since An Pohu had already spoken, Zhang Jianshou knew that if he questioned him, he would offend An Pohu. Therefore, he bowed and said, "Then thank you very much, Governor An."

"It is I who should thank Zhang Yaya more." An Pohu said casually to Zhang Jianshou as they followed Lingchuang's team south.

An hour later, the Han soldiers and laborers who came on foot encountered the laborers from Ji County who were heading south.

Zhang Jianshou dismissed the laborers who had gone south from Ji County and assigned a hundred cavalrymen to escort them north. At the same time, he handed over the Lingchuang to Anpohu.

However, three hundred of them belonged to the Zhang family. Zhang Jianshou naturally left six hundred laborers to drive the Lingchuang for him. An Pohu knew what they were without even looking and did not mention these hundreds of Lingchuang vehicles.

One hundred thousand shi of grain were transported south. Due to the short distance, only about two thousand shi were consumed along the way, and the remaining grain was taken over by laborers sent by Anpohu to the south.

After Zhang Jianshou followed An Pohu south, he soon encountered the 10,000 Han infantrymen led by An Pohu.

Although he was amazed by the Han army's elite strength, he was more curious than anything else.

"I've heard that the imperial court mainly uses cavalry, I wonder why here..."

"Oh, this? Haha," An Pohu said heartily.
"Our cavalry has already entered enough territory in Yichang. What we need now are infantry to attack cities and capture strongholds."

During the conversation, An Pohu asked Zhang Jianshou, "Does the magistrate need a rest?"

"There's no need to spend most of your time on the carriage on the way south," Zhang Jianshou said humbly, knowing that he would still need to rely on An Pohu after entering Luoyang.

Not only now, but also in the future.

"In that case, our army will now break camp and head south."

An Pohu spoke frankly without hesitation, and with Zhang Jianshou's consent, 40,000 soldiers and civilians began to break camp and head south.

At the same time, An Pohu also sent out fast horses to signal Chen Jingchong in the south to occupy the east bank of the canal first, in order to receive the grain and fodder heading south, and explained the reason.

The journey from the north to the south of Yichang, a distance of three hundred li, is only a matter of a day and a night for a fast horse.

The following morning, Chen Jingchong received the news and dispatched Husiguang, Ma Yi, and Gao Huai with 5,000 elite cavalry and 5,000 infantry to occupy the Grand Canal and the official roads of Cangzhou and Dezhou counties, cutting off their communication.

Although Lu Jianfang had 10,000 soldiers, he simply did not have the courage to leave the city to fight. Otherwise, he could have led his troops out of the city and defeated them one by one.

Unfortunately, he didn't, which made Zhu Wen furious when he learned the news.

"That spineless bastard! Even with only a few thousand men, he could easily harass the government troops in the north. Instead, he's holed up in the city, waiting for me to clean up the mess for him!" "If we capture him, we'll skin him alive to vent our anger!!"

Zhu Wen was furious. He had thought that even if Lu Jianfang was incompetent, he could at least harass the Han army at crucial moments.

Judging from Lu Jianfang's current performance, even if he and the Han army completely destroy Dizhou and Yichang, this old man will not leave the city.

Why did the government troops mobilize cavalry to move north?

Ge Congzhou suddenly spoke, then stood up and walked to the sand table. As he looked north, his face became serious as he said:

"General, it seems the government troops have reinforcements heading south."

"Reinforcements?" Zhu Wen quickly got up and stepped forward, his expression gradually turning grim.

"You mean they'll use Lulong as a route, then head south from Yichang, confront us while simultaneously destroying Yichang, and then concentrate their forces to fight us?"

Zhu Wen was about to say it was impossible, but after carefully considering that Zhang Yunshen of Lulong Town did indeed have an ambiguous relationship with the imperial court, he immediately confirmed this idea.

"Our army has 30,000 troops, and the government army is estimated to be around the same number."

"Now that troops have been transferred from the north, even if the number is not large, it is enough to break the situation. Moreover, the government army has a large number of troops in the Central Plains. Even if it needs to garrison the four prefectures of Tianping, it will still have the spare capacity to send troops to provide support."

"You're right, brother. It was I who didn't think things through."

Zhu Wen took a deep breath, then looked at Zhang Guihou: "How is the migration of the people of Dizhou going?"

From the moment Zhu Wen began confronting the Han army, he started to relocate the people, because he himself knew that he could not make use of their advantages in fighting in Dizhou, not to mention that Yanci County, the most fortified county in Dizhou, had also surrendered to Chen Jingchong.

Retreating south of the Yellow River and relying on the Yellow River and the hills of Qi and Lu to fight the Han army was one of the few good ideas he could think of at the moment.

The Han army was far too strong, with a large number of cavalry, while his army was mainly composed of infantry. It was truly disadvantageous for him to fight against the Han cavalry on the plains.

"Damn it, I originally thought Liu Jilong wouldn't be able to spare so many troops to besiege us, but it seems I miscalculated."

Zhu Wen readily admitted his mistake, but Ge Congzhou responded to his explanation as follows:
"I think that the commander should lead his troops to Yanzhou and make the appearance of attacking Songzhou to attract the Han army to come back to defend."

"If the Han army returns to reinforce, we will immediately attack Yunzhou and cut off the Han army's supply lines in Yichang, Qizhou and other places."

“Even if the Han army has sufficient food supplies, as long as our army cuts off the Han army's supply lines, the towns of Weibo and Chengde will cut off the canal and even attack the towns of Yiwu.”

"Liu Jilong's current goal is nothing more than to annihilate our army, and then concentrate his forces to attack Weibo and Chengde."

"As long as you can capture Yunzhou, the more than 40,000 Han troops in Hebei will be in my hands."

"Even Liu Jilong couldn't withstand being surrounded by 40,000 armored soldiers..."

Ge Congzhou's idea was good, but Zhu Wen frowned because he knew what kind of temperament Chengde and Weibo were.

Taking the initiative to attack Liu Jilong's Yunzhou was undoubtedly a gamble.

If Weibo and Chengde don't send troops, then he's lost his gamble.

Zhu Wen thought about it and didn't believe that the military commanders of Weibo and Chengde would willingly be controlled by Liu Jilong. After all, in the towns that Liu Jilong had recovered, the military commanders would basically only receive nominal official positions, and their original land and power would be reduced to ashes.

"it is good!"

Zhu Wen ultimately chose to take a gamble. Even if he lost, he could simply retreat to Yanzhou and abandon Zizhou and Qingzhou.

Thinking of this, he asked Ge Congzhou, "Should the troops in Dizhou be withdrawn?"

“No need!” Ge Congzhou shook his head and continued, “The grain and fodder our army obtained in Dizhou, as well as the grain and fodder our army transported, are enough to feed the army for several months.”

"Although there is a shortage of timber, demolishing houses in the city will provide enough."

"Although the Han army's cavalry is strong, it is difficult to play a role in siege warfare. Our army has been reinforcing the city walls for half a month, and it is not so easy to break through them."

"Even if the Han army has the magic to break through the city walls, our army can rely on the weather to pour water to create ice and defend the city."

"The safety of Dizhou and Zizhou is certainly not a concern. Now, the only question is whether the commander can capture Yunzhou."

Ge Congzhou was full of confidence. It was winter, and the city had no shortage of water, food, or wood. Holding out for a few months would not be difficult.

Zhu Wen breathed a sigh of relief and then said, "I will lead 5,000 troops to Yanzhou and leave 25,000 troops behind. Is that enough?"

“That’s enough!” Ge Congzhou bowed decisively. Seeing this, Zhu Wen said, “Since that’s the case, I’ll leave today.”

Zhu Wen kept his word. Soon after, he ordered the dispatch of 5,000 soldiers, carrying half a month's worth of military rations, and also took away all 10,000 laborers from the city.

Ge Congzhou did not need too many laborers, because he felt that too many laborers would be a burden.

In any case, all he needs to do is hold his ground; any extra people are just a waste of food and firewood.

On the 22nd day of the eleventh month, Zhu Wen led his army back to Zizhou and then entered Yanzhou.

At the same time, Anpohu, who had moved south, also launched an attack on Yichang.

"Boom——"

As the familiar explosions rang out once more, dust began to rise in Changlu County, along the Cangzhou section of the Yongji Canal.

These were supposed to be some of the most fortified cities on the southward route, but now, after only half a day of fierce attack by An Pohu's army, a breach more than ten steps wide appeared in the western city wall of Changlu County.

"Uuuuuu——"

"kill!!"

As bugles sounded and battle cries rang out, Zhu Mei personally led two thousand Han soldiers to charge towards the breach in the Han army arrayed outside the city. Zhang Jianshou, who was watching from the sidelines, stood with his mouth slightly open, unable to recover for a long time.

"This...this is the magic arts used in the military?"

Zhang Jianshou was taken aback and looked at the breach again. The Han army was already clashing with the Yichang army inside the city at the breach and was continuing to advance.

"This is gunpowder, which has long been popular in Huainan. Today, only our army and Gao Pian's troops are proficient in this method!"

An Pohu calmly explained, and at the same time said to Wang Chongrong, "After taking Changlu, the granaries will be stored here, and the army can divide its forces to take all the counties of Cangzhou except Qingchi."

"Yes!" Wang Chongrong replied without hesitation, while Zhang Jianshou, standing beside him, watched the two men's nonchalant manner and felt uneasy.

He had thought that heading south was a last resort for his father, but now it seemed that with the Han army's methods of attacking Changlu, even Lulong Town would be difficult to defend against.

To attack the Han army in a direct assault would be tantamount to suicide; a field battle would offer a much better chance of victory.

An Pohu and Wang Chongrong didn't care about Zhang Jianshou's idea. While the two were talking, the Han army had already entered Changlu County.

The Yichang army, numbering less than a thousand, was quickly defeated and captured by the Han army.

As the banners of the Han army rose in Changlu City, An Pohu ordered the laborers to move the grain and fodder to the granaries in Changlu City. He then discussed dividing his forces and began to attack the north and south of Cangzhou. He also sent a fast horse to inform Husi Guang to lead his elite cavalry to surround Qingchi County, the seat of Cangzhou, so that Lu Jianfang could not lead his army out of the city.

An Pohu acted swiftly. The next day, Husiguang dispatched elite cavalry from the Changlu County section of the Grand Canal to besiege Qingchi County, while An Pohu and Wang Chongrong calmly divided their forces to attack the counties of Cangzhou.

Seeing this, Lu Jianfang had no choice but to hold Qingchi and not come out. An Pohu went to inspect the city of Qingchi himself. After finding that the city was high and thick, he ordered his cavalry to continue besieging the city while he continued to march south to attack the counties of Dezhou.

In less than ten days, only Qingchi, Ande, and Pingyuan remained in Yichang Town to hold out. Seeing this, Ge Congzhou simply abandoned the two counties of Dihe and Yangxin to the west and chose Putai County, which is separated from Bohai by the Yellow River, to hold out.

Ge Congzhou ordered Zhang Guihou to lead 5,000 troops to garrison Bohai City, the only remaining city north of the Yellow River.

Zhang Guihou led 8,000 troops to garrison Putai County on the south bank of the Yellow River, while he led 12,000 troops to garrison Zouping, Changshan and Zichuan counties.

He relocated the people to the rear, then demolished the houses, collected firewood, and used all the rammed earth from the houses to build more city walls.

All of his actions were carried out right under the noses of Wang Shi and Chen Jingchong.

The two knew he was going to hold the line. Although Wang Shi was a little worried, the Han army had brought two thousand gunpowder packs with them when they marched east. So far, they had only used more than seven hundred of them, and there were still more than a thousand gunpowder packs left to use for attacking the city.

Although Ge Congzhou built the city wall, it was still a rammed earth wall. As long as it was a rammed earth wall, Chen Jingchong had a way to break it.

On the 27th day of the eleventh lunar month, Zhang Yanhui led his troops to the front line, while the troops of the three towns of Xuanwu also entered the four prefectures of Tianping.

On the 28th, the 5,000 cavalry and infantry dispatched by Li Yangchun also arrived in Qizhou. At that time, the Han army had more than 65,000 troops in Yichang and Tianping.

Although more than 20,000 of them were used to defend against the Taiping Army, 40,000 troops were actually used to attack Yichang and confront Yanhai.

In this situation, all Wang Shi and his group are now waiting for is the imperial decree and Liu Jilong's edict.

At the same time, military reports from the Qilu region were continuously sent to Luoyang.

On the 30th of the eleventh lunar month, the day before the twelfth lunar month, as Liu Jilong was preparing to request an imperial decree, military intelligence from Songzhou and Caozhou forced him to take notice.

"Zhu Quanzhong has led nearly 10,000 troops to garrison the border of Yan, Song, and Cao prefectures. Is he planning to attack Song prefecture or Cao prefecture?"

Inside the Han Prince's mansion, Gao Jinda asked in confusion, but Liu Jilong simply got up and walked to the sand table, looking at Yunzhou without hesitation.

"Attacking Songzhou is useless. The canal is currently blocked and will not be cleared for several months."

"If we attack Caozhou, we will also need to attack Puzhou or Huazhou. However, this place is too close to Heyang and Dongji. I can send troops to its aid at any time."

"Zhu Quanzhong wants to use a feint to attack Yunzhou and cut off our army's lifeline."

"How many troops does Yunzhou have?" Liu Jilong asked Luo Yin. Upon seeing this, Luo Yin bowed and replied, "Five thousand infantrymen were just transferred from Xuanwu."

"That's enough!" Liu Jilong was quite confident in the ability of his troops to defend the city.

"Tell Chen Jingchong not to worry about Zhu Wen's harassment of the rear. First, swallow up Ge Congzhou's 20,000 to 30,000 men, then deal with Yichang, and recover the entire Qilu region from north to south."

Liu Jilong was somewhat anxious because of the handwritten letter that Zhang Yunshen had sent.

Zhang Yunshen made it very clear that his health was deteriorating and Zhang Jianhui was no longer of much use.

Although he had 10,000 Youzhou cavalry and Li Maoxun to help him, if Zhang Jianhui did not have strong support, given the atmosphere in Lulong Town, it would be good if he were expelled; the worst outcome would be assassination or poisoning.

"Imperial decree! Cao Mao is ordered to assemble 20,000 troops from Guannei Road and station them in Yun and Wei prefectures. Hedong is to dispatch 10,000 elite cavalry and infantry to Yun prefecture, under the command of Cao Mao."

"In addition, Chen Ying is appointed as the military governor of Shannan East Circuit, and Li Yangchun is appointed as the military governor of Tianping Army. Fifteen thousand soldiers will be selected from Shannan East Circuit and must arrive in Songzhou before the fifteenth of the twelfth lunar month to await imperial orders."

"Yes!" Luo Yin agreed without hesitation. With this addition of troops, the Han army's direct force participating in the battle against the Yan navy reached 80,000 men.

If we include the troops from Yiwu, Yunwei, and other places, the number reaches 120,000.

The total number of Han troops was only 300,000, but now they have gathered 120,000 troops. This is obviously not just for Zhu Wen, but to prevent any changes in Lulong and to prevent Chengde and Weibo from rebelling.

"The imperial edict orders Geng Ming that if Gao Pian mobilizes his troops in an attempt to attack Kang Chengxun in Huainan, Geng Ming should lead his troops to contain Gao Pian and assist him in Jiangbei."

"Yes!" Luo Yin wrote down the imperial edict, and then sent someone to draft instructions to be sent to various regions.

Upon seeing this, Liu Zhan, who was inside the hall, immediately said to Liu Jilong, "To simultaneously deal with Lulong and Yanhai with 120,000 troops, and still need to guard against Zhaoyi, Chengde, and Weibo... isn't that a bit overconfident?"

Seeing this, Xiao Gou nodded and said, "The three towns are not easy to pacify, and 120,000 troops are indeed a bit too few."

Seeing this, Liu Jilong was about to speak, but Zheng Tian shook his head and said:
“Our army is fully armored, unlike the other garrisons. Our army numbers 120,000, but in terms of armor, it would be equivalent to 180,000 troops in the other garrisons.”

"At present, the troops in Lulong, Chengde and Weibo have a maximum of 150,000 armored soldiers, while Zhaoyi and Yanhai have a lot of troops, but there is still time to start small and gradually expand."

"Given Yichang's current situation, it is clear that there is no way to reverse the situation. Your Highness's actions are not inappropriate."

As soon as Zheng Tian finished speaking, he looked at Liu Jilong, bowed to him, and said, "If war breaks out, the current funds and provisions for the 120,000-strong army may not be enough."

"Your subject is willing to go to Xuanwu to recruit provisions and laborers for the army."

Liu Jilong looked at Zheng Tian. Although Zheng Tian had already submitted, he was still somewhat uneasy, so he looked at Luo Yin.

"Zhaojian, why don't you go to Xuanwu with Minister Zheng?"

"Your subject obeys the imperial decree..."

Luo Yin's eyes flickered. He understood Liu Jilong's intention in sending him to Xuanwu with Zheng Tian: not only to train himself, but also to keep an eye on Zheng Tian.

The ensuing battle was undoubtedly the largest war in the Tang Dynasty since the Rebellion of the Four Garrisons, even surpassing the Rebellion of the Four Garrisons and reaching the level of the An Lushan Rebellion.

If the rebellion in the various towns cannot be quelled, the Han army will inevitably suffer heavy losses, and Henan and Hebei will be completely devastated. Liu Jilong has no reason to be confident.

If Luo Yin could think of something, then Liu Zhan, Xiao Gou, Zheng Tian, ​​Gao Jinda, Li Shangyin, and others could naturally think of it as well.

However, Liu Zhan, Zheng Tian, ​​and Xiao Gou also understood that they had only followed Liu Jilong for a short time, so it was normal for Liu Jilong not to trust them.

"Your Highness, minister..."

Li Shangyin wanted to say something, but at that moment Zhao Ying hurriedly entered the main hall, bowed to Liu Jilong, and said, "Your Highness."

"What is it?" Liu Jilong saw the joy on Zhao Ying's face and immediately knew that something good had happened.

"News has come from Jiangling that the caravan that went to Yazhou has returned. The powerful clans and the Li people on Yazhou Island have been fighting for more than ten years. Many of the people sent by the court were captured or killed in battle as slaves."

"The caravan was led by a large number of guards, which the Li Liao dared not provoke. The Li Liao skills that Your Highness mentioned have been brought back, along with cotton seeds, and the captured people have been ransomed."

"Furthermore, Gao Pian of Jiangnan is currently mobilizing troops eastward, and it seems he is about to launch a military campaign against Jiangdong and Liangzhe..."

Zhao Ying brought both good news and bad news. Although the good news did not help the current situation, it played a decisive role in the future.

Cotton and cotton weaving techniques enabled the Han people to begin producing cotton textiles, and if the army had cotton clothing, it would be able to travel to more northern and colder places.

Finally, Liu Jilong felt guilty that the people he had sent out several times had gone through so much.

"The imperial edict ordered that cotton seeds and techniques be taken to Hexi, the Western Regions, Guanzhong and other places for cultivation. Also, it was to be seen whether this technique could be applied to cotton in the Western Regions."

"The brothers who went to Yazhou were all promoted two ranks, rewarded with 100 strings of cash, and given a mansion."

"The brothers who were captured on their way to Yazhou will be promoted three ranks, awarded the title of Fifth-Rank Cavalry Commandant, and each will be rewarded with 500 strings of cash and a mansion."

Liu Jilong's generous rewards are enough to demonstrate the extent of these people's contributions.

While Zheng Tian and the others were surprised, they couldn't help but become curious about the cotton and textile technology of Yazhou.

Before they could even ask questions, Liu Jilong said, "The Southern Office has established a Cotton Office, with a Cotton Commissioner, a sixth-rank official, two deputy commissioners, six clerks, twelve guest masters, and four hundred clerks."

"The cotton commissioner only needs to manage cotton. Wherever cotton seeds can be sown, if the local people sow one mu of cotton, they can be exempted from the land tax of five mu."

"All cotton shall be purchased by the government at ten coins per catty. Local governments shall not be harsh or try to lower the price. The Censorate and the Censorate must keep a close eye on this."

Liu Jilong gave the instructions, and Gao Jinda and the others dared not neglect them.

Seeing that they agreed, Liu Jilong gestured to them and said, "You should go and see how the cotton department should handle this."

"Your humble servants take their leave..."

Everyone bowed and then left the main hall, leaving only Liu Jilong and Zhao Ying behind.

Seeing them leave, Liu Jilong looked at Zhao Ying and asked in a no longer calm tone, "What is the current state of the artillery in Linzhou?"

"The cannon weighs 1,800 catties and can fire a five-catty iron ball 400 paces away. It can fire twice every 15 minutes."

Zhao Ying respectfully reported back. Liu Jilong felt that the cannon was somewhat useless, but considering the current battle, he took a deep breath and said:

"The imperial edict ordered that thirty cannons be cast first, and then that artisans be ordered to train the artillerymen. Once the cannons were completed, they should be transported to Yunzhou."

"Yes!" Zhao Ying replied. Liu Jilong waved his hand and then left.

Watching him leave the hall, Liu Jilong walked to the window and let out a long sigh of relief.

Suddenly, he felt something cold on the tip of his nose, but when he reached out to touch it, he couldn't find anything.

He subconsciously looked up and saw that snowflakes were indeed falling from the sky.

It's snowing, which means there's a water supply for next spring's planting, but this snowfall just didn't come at the right time...

(End of this chapter)