The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 276: Swearing to Sweep the Huns at the Risk of One's Life (I)

On the first day of June, after more than ten days of reconnaissance and patrol fighting, the army moved from Hongliu River to the river section southeast of Tongwan City.

There is a tributary of Wuding River here called Wushui.

The Wuding River makes a curve at the confluence of the two rivers, and the south bank is a plain. Here, you can avoid being poisoned by the upstream and drinking water accidents. At the same time, you can focus on the west and don't have to worry about being attacked from the west and north.

The vanguard envoy Wu Xiong reported that they had found traces of the spirit thieves, and the number of flags they saw alone was no less than 30,000, and possibly more. The barbarian tribes included the twelve clans: Shu Cang, Shui Ni, Ni Zhong, Nv You Sha, Nv Nv Meng Le, Nv Nv Mang, Nv Nv Er, Mo Er, Lu Mie, Xi Mie, Lu Cai, and Xi Mu.

Such as Nuzihao, Shucang, etc., most of them are Lingzhou Dangxiang.

The rest are unknown, some say Qiang, but others may be Hu.

There are so many barbarians in the north, and their ethnic groups change frequently, so no one can figure out their origins.

There was also Tubo.

After the fall of Tubo, the people were scattered. Some were thousands of families, some were hundreds, and there were families in Wei, Jing, Hui, Qin, Ling, and Xia. It doesn't matter if you don't understand, just know that they are widely distributed in Guanxi. The people who followed the rebellion this time were a large family called the Orei clan.

Very good, opponents united from all sides. The spiritual thieves were also very good. In order to seek benefits, they did not hesitate to invite the Tubo, a mortal enemy, to invade. But it was normal to think about it. In the distant past, there were Shen Hou and Sima family, and recently there were the successive anti-thief Jiedushi of Youzhou.

You are unkind and I am unjust. The Ling thief can do such a thing, and Li can also do something like not putting down the sword in Lingzhou for ten days.

The relationship between the monarch and his subjects ended when the spirit thief spread the rumor that he was a beauty and a lowly child. Since the Han and Fan people in Shuofang chose to happily send their sons and fathers to the road of regicide, they should be prepared to be retaliated. If you want to snatch food from the tiger's mouth, you have to use your life. You can't say that if you win, my whole family and the people of Chang'an deserve to die, but if you lose, you don't deserve to die, right?

The Zhazhu tribe operating in Hebei also sent back the latest news.

The Zheba, Zheluo, Miewei, Zheyu, Pochou, Niyeliu, Bobei, Yili, and Yueli clans in the Nanshan area on the western border and the Jijia, Luoni, Wuyi, Yueyi, Miewu, and Yi clans in Xiazhou have also stationed in various locations near Tongwan City.

The sage did not dare to delay and set up camp and waited.

"The rebels are already cowards because they dare not cross the river to fight. They should be hesitant at this moment. If we scare them a little, many of them may leave. They may not dare to fight for their lives. What's the point?" Zhao Jia said, "According to the Great Sage, we are called liberators and live under the rule of the king. Isn't that a hundred times better than eating raw meat, drinking blood, and farming with knives and fire?"

"This is just our idea." The saint said, "Many people have grown brains in vain. They don't even cry when they see a coffin. Nanzhao and the Nanman have invaded for many years. They were slaughtered every time. Have you learned your lesson?"

"Angry!" Zhao Jiayi held his forehead. Although the chance of winning was high, the number of rebels was several times that of mine, and there was no such thing as a sure win. He really didn't want to waste precious troops on the barbarians, and the right thing to do was to quickly pacify Yongliang and conquer the East.

So time passed day by day.

From the first to the fifth day of June, the army was making sandbags and fences, piling up soil and digging pits to reinforce the camp to prevent the rebels from forcibly breaking camp by relying on their large numbers. All soldiers and civilians participated. Because everyone faced the same fate: either defeat the rebels and wreak havoc in the northern frontier, or lose their golden mink in the dust of the barbarians and be buried in the Wuding River.

At the same time, the sage sent Zhao Chong and others to destroy the ferry, search for boats, cut down trees, and collect grain along the river. In short, all the supplies that could be looted were looted, and those that could not be looted were burned along with the trees, lawns, and houses, so as not to leave them to aid the enemy.

Especially wood.

A large amount of wood is needed for camping, defense deployment, fire making, and crafting in the field. The Spirit Thieves are a multi-service, multi-specialized army, and of course they have the ability to produce and sell their own goods. Sweeping the surroundings can first give the Spirit Thieves something to do, increasing their workload and working hours. Second, it can increase their logistical consumption. When they come, facing the devastated environment, they will definitely jump up and curse.

It can be seen that war is an all-purpose activity, and its essence is orderly, large-scale destruction and killing.

The same goes for the enemy accordingly.

It was reported that from Fuzhou to the Great Wall, bandits frequently rioted, killed messengers, raided officials and civilians transporting grain, cut down trees to block the road, and sometimes even went deep into the Fuzhou area, which doubled the pressure on the grain road and greatly reduced the speed and quantity of transportation. The heavy weapons needed for the siege were not in place. In order to prepare for a rainy day, the sage had to build a smaller version on the spot.

In addition, the army did not carry much food and fodder, and with the looted food, if the war could not be ended by the end of the year, they would run out of food.

On the sixth day of the sixth lunar month, the Ling bandits, led by Han Xun and Li Hongdao, marched to the Hongliu River in a mighty force, facing the punitive army across the river. More than 100,000 troops were stationed in the Wuding River basin, and the situation instantly became tense.

The saint rushed to the scene to investigate immediately.

Upon learning that he was present, the Ling thief sent people to the riverside to shout "ask for permission". After revealing his identity, he said that the Dingnan Army had made contributions to the restoration and had no guilt, and that he just wanted to restore the vassal state and regain his position as commander, so he came to mediate and asked the saint to consider the meritorious officials and not to listen to the traitor's instigation and withdraw his troops quickly.

Otherwise - "But I am worried that the military situation is changeable and the soldiers are hard to control. It is useless to make the people surrender and die for it!"

"I am here to kill this villain!" Before he finished speaking, Wang Yanzhang rode out from among the crowd of officers and generals on the left and right of Emperor Li.

There was a burst of laughter at once. This bastard is too good at pretending!
Laugh at your mother! Wang Yanzhang was drawing his arrow to the bowstring when he heard the saint raise his arm and shout, "I'm coming!"

As he spoke, he loaded the arrow, raised it to the sky, drew the bow, and looked for someone.

"Bang!" The string loosened and the dust fell.

An arrow flew over the river and pierced through the helmet of the shouting thief, shooting off a tuft of bird feathers and an iron helmet.

"I'm asking you to tell you guys a message. Go back to where you came from. Otherwise, your mood will change and you'll kill people without hesitation. The people of Lingzhou will be wiped out because of this!"

"Great!" The generals flattered him. The thief touched his head, picked up his helmet and put it on, cursing as he rode away: "Fuck you Zhang Hui! You don't want to be a saint, but a dictator. Please leave, you are an ungrateful wild donkey that causes plague!!"

The two armies immediately started to exchange insults.

Those who blaspheme the heavens will die! Shui Wusheng fired three arrows in a row, chasing the thief off his horse.

"Shoot him to death!" The other bandits fired dozens of arrows at the emperor in response, then reined in their horses and retreated to a safe distance. An officer waved his spear and pointed at the saint, angrily scolding: "The Dingnan Army just wants to protect their vassal status. What heavenly law have they violated? The men of Shuofang guarded the country's borders and repelled Huang Chao for the country. The blood-stained clothes of the martyred soldiers are still in the hands of their wives and children. What have we done to the court to deserve being deposed as Xiqi!"

"Your Majesty, if you punish someone without any guilt, aren't you afraid of criticism from all over the world?"

"Abolishing the feudal domains and restoring the counties is a naked violation of the ancestral system and will shake the foundation of the country."

"We cannot sit by and watch our country be destroyed in the hands of Your Majesty, so we put aside our fears, faced the criticism of thousands of people, and came to Tongwan City to purge the emperor and make peace with the Central Land. Your Majesty does not believe in our loyalty and is still so stubborn. It is really sad!"

"When I meet His Majesty, I will present my troops to the palace and have a proper talk with the court."

The soldiers were in a frenzy. Xiao Xiu, the Left Vice Marquis, shouted, "How ridiculous! How shameless! How clownish!"

"You bunch of bastards, you've only been eating, drinking, whoring and gambling since the Chaos. How could you care about the Empire? When the Qi bandits invaded, Zhu Wen entered the capital, and the Shangluo War broke out, where were you?"

"You are worthy to be ranked with me as a warrior!"

"You are qualified to be on par with me and be called a lord!"

"The Great Sage, with his majesty, risked his life, left his wife and children behind, and fought in all directions. He has over 3,000 white hairs on his head. Over 200 arrows have been pulled out of his armor. Is this so that you country bugs can continue to bully men and women and tyrannize over your own side?"

"If you can't protect our country, what's the use of you! Why are you still a vassal? Today, not only do you not repent, but you even dare to help the tyrant and confuse right and wrong. Do you think there are no loyal and brave people around the saint?"

"Do you think that only your knives are sharp, and only you are warriors who can kill people?"

"Spirit thief, you are a conspirator in rebellion, raising an army to attack the emperor, and using Tubo as your minions. You are extremely vicious. We will definitely kill you! You will have to wait for God to come and save you in person in armor to save you. Let's see how many blows He can take!"

The sky was blue and the clouds were white, with a gentle breeze blowing on his face. Xiao Xiu's hearty and vigorous ejaculation seemed to still echo above his head.

The spirit thief was speechless.

"Wait, little bastard." The officer pointed his spear at Xiao Xiu and threatened him coldly, "From your accent, you are from Zhao, right? Haha, I've seen your army in Chang'an. No matter how beautiful your words are, you still have to use your hands to see the truth. On the battlefield, I will tell you what it means to have thousands of troops flee to the north. I can crush the 50,000 bandits with only 3,000 people, and I can also turn the world of Tongwan City upside down."

"Get out!" The soldiers shot a volley of arrows.

After a fruitless verbal battle, the two sides turned back to prepare for a fight to decide the outcome.

"Well done." The saint patted Xiao Xiu on the shoulder and said expressionlessly: "I didn't expect you to have such a good eloquence."

Xiao Xiu was a little embarrassed. In war, it was customary to yell at each other before the battle, and how to quickly break the opponent's defense was also a basic skill for a general. For example, Li Cunxiao was an expert in this field. However, seeing the saint's unhappy expression, perhaps because he was insulted in public, and his beloved Tianxianjun was also questioned about his private organs, he had not recovered yet, so Xiao Xiu did not say much.

Back at the camp, the senior officers followed the saint back to the courtyard. The attendants were working, and when they saw him coming back, they all stood up and saluted. The saint waved his hand, walked to the tiger skin bed and sat down.

The generals stood on both sides of the big tent.

As the emperor's bodyguards, Xiao Xiu and He Zongyue stood on his left and right with their hands on their hips.

"Tens of thousands of spiritual thieves have joined together. Tell us what you think." The saint held his forehead with his hand.

After that, a man said, "The Tuoba clan has been managing Xiazhou for ten years, and the city will not surrender easily. Tongwan City is also a powerful city in the world. If they don't come out, I don't agree to attack them forcefully. There are only 30,000 soldiers in total, and even if they die, they can't fill the gap."

"Can we send out a large army to capture people to fill the trenches?" Liu Zhijun asked, "There are at least hundreds of thousands of barbarians in the western border. If we capture them, we can pile up corpses and fill the city."

"The barbarians are not idiots." Someone shook his head and said, "Those who should rebel have all come here. The rest who dare not rebel must have already fled. Otherwise, they would be waiting for me to come and offer them warmth. I can't catch enough of them."

"Stop!" When it comes to attacking the city, it means arresting people. The saint knocked on the chopping board angrily and said, "Let's not consider attacking the city for now, but talk about how to deal with the spiritual thieves."

"This is difficult." Zhao En, the cousin of Zhao Ruxin, said, "The rebels only need to hold on to the city and the camp, and I will be helpless until the baggage can no longer hold and they leave. Gao Zongyi and Li Hongdao are crazy, why would they come to fight me in the field? In my humble opinion, it is better to cross the river and fight them while the spiritual bandits are still in the camp and the camp is not strong enough."

"The bandits are in Hebei and our army is in Henan. If we take the initiative to attack, we will definitely be attacked halfway across the river." Cousin Zhao Cun objected.

"This..." Zhao En pondered, and walked to the sand table and map in the middle of the big tent: "Wuding River is very long, we cross the river at Wushui, and then find the way there."

Zhao Cun continued, "We have Jijia, Luoni, Wuyi and other tribes here. If we land here, even if the losses are small, we will have to defeat them before we can encounter the spiritual thieves. By then, we will have consumed a lot of physical strength, so how can we be a match for the spiritual thieves?"

(End of this chapter)