Chapter 82 "No Man's Land"
Chapter 82 "No Man's Land"
Zhang Fang didn't come for the time being, which gave Luoyang some extra time to prepare.
Grain was harvested, dried and stored on a large scale in various places.
You have to farm, no matter how difficult it is, you have to work hard to survive.
Mi Huang has recently been trying to build relationships with Man Fen and Miao Yuan.
This is what he is good at.
As the governor, he "humbled himself to make friends" in the hope that the two would obey orders at the critical moment and not fight alone.
Man Fen was indifferent to Mi Huang, but he didn't deny him face either.
Miao Yuan was an old general from Sima Yi's era. He once followed Shangguan Si. He was greedy and cruel, but he knew the times and was quite enthusiastic about Mi Huang's solicitation.
Most of the soldiers of these two people were newly recruited, and the training time was only three or four months. A few days ago, they went out of the city for a group drill, and Mi Huang went to watch it. After returning, he was a little silent.
Under Shao Xun's influence, he now has some vision and can tell what are strong soldiers and what are weak soldiers.
The 5,000 soldiers under these two men may not be as good as the royal army in terms of combat effectiveness.
He was very sad that he had no soldiers to fight in Luoyang.
Shao Xun is focusing on the training of new recruits.
The royal army was basically replenished, with many deserters with military experience. After a month of training, they had become roughly familiar with the camp.
Shao Xun only hoped that the enemy would come slower and slower, so as to give him more time to train his troops.
But sometimes, the more you worry about something, the easier it is to come...
In early August of the first year of Yong'an (304), on the vast plain south of Yecheng, the fierce battle was coming to an end.
As soon as the battle started, the 15,000 surrendered soldiers from Hebei were defeated in panic.
Most surrendered on the spot.
We are all from Hebei, why do we have to fight to the death? There is no need.
There were even surrendered soldiers who turned against their allies in the middle of the battle, joined the Yecheng camp, and marched southward.
They did not move quickly, as if they were intentionally letting the news ferment.
At the same time, the Xianbei cavalry accelerated their march southward.
They did not rush towards the royal army's center.
They were not able to deal with twenty or thirty thousand imperial guards, especially when they were fully equipped with light and heavy cavalry, and even armored cavalry. To rush forward rashly would be to seek death.
They specifically targeted weak soldiers.
Southwest of Anyang, Liu Qi rode away in a panic, not daring to look back.
His fellow clan member Liu Anzhi wielded a halberd, swept away several arrows, and protected Liu Qi tightly.
As they fled for their lives, the two were almost in tears.
The Liu family of Xie County was a powerful family in Hedong. They had many followers and wild cattle and sheep, but their local status was not high.
Liu Qi's grandfather Liu Gui once served as Shangshu Lang (sixth rank) and jointly drafted new laws with Jia Chong.
My father Liu Jingyou was only a minor official.
When it comes to their generation, they would simply stay at home and stay at home, waiting for the opportunity to enter officialdom.
When Sikong Fengdi led the Northern Expedition, the Liu family did not respond much. Only Liu Qi and his cousin Liu Anzhi led their troops eastward, hoping to seize the opportunity.
Liu Qi was simply more ambitious for fame and fortune, while Liu Anzhi was because he had married the daughter of the Pei family. The two of them traveled together, bringing a total of 3,000 troops with them. After joining the royal army at the bank of the Yellow River, they plundered along the way and were having a great time when they were suddenly attacked by the Ye army.
After being plundered to their heart's content, everyone lost the will to fight, so they retreated all the way, even dispersing friendly troops that came from nowhere.
When the friendly troops saw this, they ran away faster than them, causing Liu Qi and Liu Anzhi to curse loudly.
But no matter how much you curse, the most important thing is to escape.
The two men fled south in panic, not daring to look back, and even leaving their troops behind.
Whoever wants to fight this battle can go ahead. We won’t serve you anymore. Go home!
Northeast of Dangyin, a temporarily recruited troop of peasant soldiers was marching. The further north they went, the more deserters they encountered.
The defeated soldiers who fled in panic were simply "rumor-mongering machines".
After a while, someone said that the entire army was wiped out and Sikong was captured and killed.
After a while, some people said that the Luoyang central army turned against their own side and surrendered to Sima Ying.
Some even said that the emperor was shot and wounded, and issued an edict to abdicate.
The rumors became more and more outrageous, causing the peasant soldiers to panic and flee on the spot.
In the northwest of Dangyin, the county soldiers from Chenliu stayed where they were after hearing the news that the troops from various routes had retreated.
During this period, some Xianbei cavalry surged southward, but no one paid any attention to them and just left.
At night, after a heated debate, the entire army broke camp and turned around and left.
This is the battlefield of the Northern Expedition.
The mob had no intention of fighting and fled in panic under the influence of rumors.
Their escape greatly affected the Luoyang Central Army...
On the morning of August 7, Shi Chao took advantage of the heavy fog and led the main force of the Ye army to attack Bo's central army.
The Chinese troops were in panic, but their quality was good. After a day of fierce fighting, there was no winner.
That night, more and more friendly troops retreated southwards, and the morale of the central army became increasingly low. Shi Chao took the opportunity to deploy all his troops, regardless of casualties, and launched a night attack.
The former imperial guards who surrendered in Yecheng fought bloody battles with the imperial guards loyal to the court, with corpses strewn all over the ground and heavy casualties on both sides.
By the afternoon of the second day, the Luoyang central army could no longer hold on and the entire army retreated.
Emperor Sima Zhong was hit by several arrows and fell into the grass.
Sima Yue escaped in a panic under the protection of his entourage, with only a hundred or so riders accompanying him.
Seeing that the Xianbei cavalry had already encircled them to the south, Sima Yue became afraid and worried that he would be killed, so he fled eastward towards Yanzhou.
The grand Northern Expedition ended in a mess and failure.
******
By the time the news reached Luoyang, it was already mid-August.
Military commander Cao Fu convened a meeting immediately.
"I'm sure you all have heard about the military defeat. An army of one hundred thousand was dispersed in one day, and I don't know how many of them can return. Alas." Although Cao Fu was sighing, there was no trace of sadness on his face, as if he had already accepted this result.
The others had different expressions.
Someone panicked.
Some people beat their chests and stamped their feet.
Some people were silent.
Some people exchanged glances with each other, and it was unknown what they were thinking.
"Military commander, where is Sikong?" Mi Huang, this honest man, is still very dedicated. Moreover, as a governor, he has a heavy responsibility and must know the specific situation in detail.
"I'm not sure either." Cao Fu shook his head.
Does that mean he is either dead or alive? Shao Xun and Mi Huang looked at each other, both a little surprised.
Sikong was the nominal commander-in-chief. How could there be no news about him, given his high status? Even if he was dead, his body could be identified by others.
Sima Ying would focus more on searching for Sikong's whereabouts. How could he not know whether he was alive or dead?
"Did Sikong return to the East China Sea?" someone asked subconsciously.
"Ridiculous!" Cao Fu frowned and scolded.
Others also found it ridiculous. How could it be possible?
Even if the Northern Expedition failed, as long as we returned to Luoyang, we might have a chance to regroup.
Sima Ying was threatened from the east, west and north, so he could not send his main force south to Luoyang. He only needed to gather some of the defeated soldiers and come back to defend the city, waiting for the opportunity to change.
The autumn harvest had just been completed and new grain had been put into storage, so there was no risk of a shortage of military rations in the short term. Unless Sikong was frightened, he would not have come back.
The man lowered his head after being scolded, and he probably felt that what he said was too outrageous. How could such irresponsibility be the appearance of a leader? Impossible, absolutely impossible!
Cao Fu flicked his sleeves and paced back and forth in the hall, apparently thinking of a countermeasure.
Shao Xun quietly pushed Mi Huang.
Mi Huang understood, cleared his throat, and said, "Military Commander, no matter where Sikong is, the most urgent task is to get Luoyang's defense in order."
Cao Fu stopped walking, nodded after a moment, and said, "Zihui is right. Luoyang is the Luoyang of the court, the Luoyang of the prime minister, not the Luoyang of the traitor Sima Ying. I don't know much about deploying troops, so Zihui will have to take care of it."
"As the governor, I should do my duty." Mi Huang said.
"Are there enough food and weapons?" Cao Fu asked.
“There is still some shortage.”
"I'll find someone to fill it up for you, anything else?"
Mi Huang glanced at Shao Xun.
Shao Xun did not hesitate and said immediately: "I think that if the defeated soldiers run to the city of Luoyang, they should not be allowed to enter the city. They must be disbanded and carefully identified before they can enter the city."
"But are you worried about thieves taking advantage of the situation?"
"Exactly."
"You have a point, what else do you have to add?"
"The garrison in Luoyang is quite insufficient. At this critical moment, I think we should not be limited by the number of troops and tie our own hands. We should open the treasury and recruit brave warriors to join the camp to strengthen the military strength."
Cao Fu hesitated for a moment after hearing this, but finally nodded and said, "Yes."
Shao Xun lowered his head and stopped talking.
His purpose has been achieved.
The Kingdom Army only has 3,000 soldiers, so it shouldn't be overstaffed, or at least not by too much.
But what time is it now? The backbone Sima Yue's life or death is unknown, and the people of Luoyang are in a panic. There is no guarantee that there will be a rebellious person. If you still stick to the old rules and cling to dogma, you are a fool.
Soldiers, the more the better.
If you don't recruit, others may pull you in and beat you up. It's obvious what to choose.
After walking around, Cao Fu sat back down, with the wrinkles on his old face squeezed into a ball.
Where did Sikong go? Should we send someone to look for him? If he doesn't show up, Luoyang will be left without a master...
Without an emperor, a crown prince, princes, powerful ministers, and officials, who can control the situation?
It's very tricky.
Sikong - he wouldn't really run back to the East China Sea, would he?
(End of this chapter)