Chapter 122 Decision

Chapter 122 Decision

Chapter 122 Decision
Until mid-August, the Luoyang Imperial Guards still did not move out because the Northern Army Lieutenant Wang Rong had died.

What can the army do when it loses its commander?

General He Lun of the Left Guard, General Pei Kuo of the Right Guard, and General Wang Hu of the Cavalry became the three highest-ranking officials in the Imperial Guard.

Putting aside the fact that Wang Hu's cavalry had only a thousand or so cavalrymen and was too weak, if we were to choose a commander from the imperial guards, He Lun and Pei Kuo would be the most suitable candidates.

Of course, it is also possible that the imperial court would parachute a certain general down to lead the army.

But this is actually very irresponsible behavior.

The General of Cavalry, the General of Chariots and Cavalry, the General of Guards, etc., have not led troops for many years. They are just promoted positions or good positions. If they are asked to lead the army, there will inevitably be all kinds of discord and unnecessary risks will be added.

Fortunately, after Sima Yue's disastrous defeat, he became more sober-minded. He sent envoys to the capital to discuss the selection of commander-in-chief with Wang Yan and Cao Fu.

On the first day of September, Shao Xun was training his troops outside Jinyong City when Pan Tao, the Imperial Court Minister, arrived.

Shao Xun went forward to greet him. He hadn't seen him for a while. Although he had invited him to the banquet, he didn't go.

"It's been several months since we last met." Shao Xun said with a smile.

"General, are you free? If you are, please let me know. I have to go to Cao Junsi's residence later." Pan Tao said with a serious face.

Shao Xun directly invited him into the cell inside - which was actually a palace-style room.

"If the Sikong Army order comes down, young master must obey the order and lead the troops to fight." Pan Tao said bluntly.

Shao Xun was a little surprised, but still replied: "I will obey the military order."

Pan Tao took a closer look at Shao Xun, and when he saw that he didn't seem to be lying, he breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Although the Sikong was defeated, he is still the Sikong after all. As long as he is willing to promise benefits, he can still recruit soldiers. King Fanyang has already arrived in Hebei, and when he heard that Xuchang was empty, he hurried back and sent an envoy to Xuzhou to meet with the Sikong and ask for the dispatch of Youzhou's elite cavalry to help in the battle."

"Xianbei cavalry?"

"They are the Xianbei cavalry. King Fanyang asked for 5,000 cavalry in exchange for the promise of plundering Yuzhou. But the prime minister was still hesitant. He asked his subordinates, but they were all undecided. He also sent a letter to Cao's military headquarters, but the headquarters did not reply either." Pan Tao said, "However, if he really wants these 5,000 cavalry, Liu Qiao and his son only have 10,000 or 20,000 soldiers. How can they resist? If you don't send troops, you will be the target of public criticism."

"Thank you, Minister, for telling me." Shao Xun bowed and said.

What Pan Tao said was true. Sima Yue was terrible at fighting, but he was very good at getting people to do things. If he could get 5,000 Xianbei cavalry, Liu Qiao and his son would be in real danger.

Besides, they wanted to plunder Yuzhou as a reward? What kind of beasts are these?
Last year, when attacking Sima Ying, Wang Jun received help from Xianbei cavalry and won battle after battle. After conquering Yecheng, the Xianbei looted and many people died.

When they were returning to the city, the Xianbei people looted 8,000 women from Yecheng and returned north. When they reached Yishui, Wang Jun stopped them and demanded that they release the women.

The Xianbei cavalry drowned all 8,000 women in the Yi River and left in anger. Wang Jun did not dare to say anything.

Demons are dancing wildly in the Central Plains!

But people like Wang Jun and Sima Hu are still in power and are influential.

It is powerful to rely on the barbarians to build up power.

When my silver spear and long sword armies are fully trained, I will use Ma Xiping's old wisdom to run rampant in the Central Plains and attack everywhere. Let's see what you Xianbei cavalry can do to me.
"There is one more thing." Pan Tao pulled Shao Xun away from the palace gate and whispered in his ear for a long time.

“You mean…” Shao Xun understood a little.

Pan Tao nodded and said, "Young Master, you can decide for yourself."

After saying that, Pan Tao bowed and left.

After Pan Tao left, Shao Xun sat alone in the palace, thinking, weighing, and calculating over and over again.

When the soldiers brought him lunch, he was still thinking silently.

At this time, General He Lun of the Left Guard arrived again.

******
"General He." Shao Xun came out to greet him and bowed.

"Hey, why do you have to do this?" He Lun held Shao Xun and said, "Since this year, I feel that everyone has become more distant."

He was referring to Mi Huang, Shao Xun, Wang Bing and other old men from Donghai.

Mi Huang was appointed as the governor of Hongnong in the capacity of General of the Western Army.

After taking office, he only recruited strong men, stored food and military equipment, trained soldiers, and repaired the city checkpoints. He seldom returned to Luoyang.

Relationships need to be maintained at all times. When you are away from home, they will gradually become estranged.

The estrangement between Wang Bing and He Lun was probably due to his inferiority complex.

The two were both sixth-rank generals of the Kingdom, but now one is the General of the Left Guard and the other has failed to become the General of the Right Guard. The difference in status may not matter to a more open-minded person, but Wang Bing is not so open-minded. Shao Xun is simply too busy and focuses more on running his private business.

"General, why do you say that?" Shao Xun said with a smile, "We are all from Donghai, so we should work together."

"That's right, that's right." He Lun hesitated for a long time, and finally said, "The Minister of Works sent an envoy to appoint me as the commander-in-chief to lead the Left Guard and the Cavalry Army to the south of Yuzhou to quell the rebellion. Your Excellency is the bravest among the three armies, could you be the vanguard?"

Shao Xun sneered secretly.

It is really sad that He Lun, as his immediate superior, is so humble that he doesn't even dare to say harsh words.

Thinking back to the Shangguan Si Rebellion, he directly appointed himself as the General of the Central Army, and it was he who gave away He Lun's soldiers.

When defending Luoyang, he gave orders and He Lun obeyed them with his nose pinched.

Could it be that it would have left a shadow?

Shao Xun smiled and said, "If I'm the vanguard, I have to select the soldiers myself, and I have to equip myself with more equipment. If you need any food, you can provide it."

He Lun was delighted: "Just as you say."

After He Lun said that, Shao Xun was not polite. He picked ten people on the spot and said, "Select the best veteran soldiers from the left and right guards and have them lead them. It is best if they can ride horses. In addition, the cavalry led by Wang Hu must also be dispatched, and at least one of our commanders (500 cavalry) must be assigned to them."

He Lun nodded repeatedly. Of course, it was fine. Being able to fight on horseback and being able to ride a horse are two different concepts. If you look carefully, there are still many.

Shao Xun laughed.

Fame and prestige are useful. If Sikong wants to deal with me, it would be futile to rely solely on these people.

It just so happens that this time there may be troops from other places coming to suppress Liu Qiao and his son, so we can see what they are capable of.

The Left Guard and the Cavalry were dispatched, and the Right Guard with more than 16,000 men stayed behind. Hongnong is no longer the public toilet that anyone can enter and exit at will as before. Luoyang should not be lost, right?
No, I still have to write a letter to Mi Huang, advising him to defend the city and not fight recklessly.

There were originally 1,500 old Wang Guojun soldiers in Hongnong City, and Mi Huang expanded it to 3,000 to 4,000 people. The city was also located on a major transportation route and a must-go road. As long as they held the city, Zhang Fang's cavalry would not be able to take it.

Hongnong had been ravaged several times, there was nothing to plunder, and even eating people was a little difficult. Would Zhang Fang dare to come to Luoyang and risk starving?
Thinking of this, Shao Xun did not hesitate. After confessing his crime to He Lun, he returned to Jinyong City to write a letter on the spot.

After writing the letter to Mi Huang, he wrote letters to Jin San, Chen Yougen and Wang Queer respectively.

Wang Que'er's second battalion of Silver Spear Army with more than one hundred people went to Yunzhongwu for training.

The Changjian Army currently has more than 350 people. Shao Xun ordered Chen Yougen to lead 200 people westward to Yunzhongwu.

Jin San and Wang Que'er followed Chen Yougen's orders and selected four teams of Silver Spear Army soldiers to go to Huixiban to cut wood and set up fences.

If the enemy attacks, there is no need to engage in a head-on confrontation. Instead, we can set up an ambush in a strategic location and delay the attack, thus buying time for the people of Tanshan and Kinmen to evacuate - one to two days will be enough.

Anyway, there is basically no investment in these two docks, so it doesn’t matter even if they are lost.

Yunzhongwu is still under intensive construction. Although it has not been completed, some areas can be defended.

Of course, it is unlikely that Zhang Fang will come here, Shao Xun is just habitually preparing for a rainy day.

If the sky falls, Mi Huang will be at the forefront.

After writing the letter, Shao Xun called Tang Jian, the new leader of his personal guard, and asked him to deliver the letter personally.

When seeing Tang Jian off, Shao Xun saw that He Lun had not left yet. He thought for a moment and asked, "General He, can you mobilize a part of the Right Guard to march west to Hongnong to assist Lord Mi in defending the city?"

"My dear, you know the situation of the imperial guards." He Lun said with a wry smile, "It's good for defending the city, but not for fighting in the field."

"As long as we can defend it, it will be fine." Shao Xun said: "If the western troops advance eastward, they can defend the city by themselves, and there is no need for a field battle. If the enemy bypasses the city without fighting, we can go out of the city to harass their baggage troops and cut off their food supply. If the enemy attacks the city, there is nothing to say, just defend it."

He Lun hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded, saying, "We need to discuss this matter with Cao Junsi and General Pei. I will go there in a moment."

"No need for more." Shao Xun said, "General Wang, the Lieutenant General of the Right Guard, has more than 2,000 heavily armored infantrymen, many of whom are strong soldiers of the central army. If we send them over to defend the city, the enemy army will be helpless."

"You are the only one who can defend the city with field heavy armored infantry." He Lun left with a smile, saying, "Just wait for good news."

Shao Xun breathed a sigh of relief.

Almost everything that needs to be arranged has been arranged.

Next, I will take chicken feathers as my token of authority, so sit tight!

(End of this chapter)