Chapter 206: Firmly Hold On
Chapter 206: Firmly Hold On (Monthly Ticket Plus 7)
The emperor knew the bad news of the fall of Huanyuan Pass earlier than Shao Xun, and he knew more.
For example, more than 10,000 soldiers of the Right Army of the Imperial Guard were marching towards Huanyuan Pass. Less than a day after passing Yanshi County, they were caught off guard and encountered the sudden appearance of the enemy cavalry, followed by an overwhelming number of infantry. After a hasty battle, they were defeated and retreated.
The enemy army took advantage of the situation and pursued and killed many of them.
Upon receiving the news, Luoyang immediately closed the city gates, and the capital was greatly shocked.
On the night of the 27th, the emperor summoned Minister of the Interior Wang Yan, General of the Left Guard He Lun, General of the Right Guard Pei Kuo, General of the Left Army Wang Bing, General of the Cavalry Wang Hu, Sima of the Imperial Tutor's Office Wang Bin, and the Protector of the Liangzhou Shogunate Beigong Chun, as well as several trusted ministers, to the Taiji Hall for questioning. As for the Right Army, it had already been disbanded, and the remaining soldiers had not had time to contact each other...
Among these people, Wang Yan was the commander-in-chief of the imperial guards; He Lun, Pei Kuo, Wang Bing and Wang Hu were generals of the imperial guards.
Wang Bin was Sima Yue's direct representative. He brought 5,000 soldiers from Yuzhou to support the capital. His troops were still very combat-capable.
Of course, He Lun and Wang Bing were also Sima Yue's die-hard supporters; Pei Kuo could only be said to be half Sima Yue's man; Wang Hu was neutral and could not be said to be inclined towards anyone, although he once defected to Sima Yue.
Beigong Chun was a guest soldier sent by Zhang Gui of Liangzhou to lend assistance.
These people together almost represent the main armed forces of Luoyang today.
"Your Majesty, although the enemy army is large, it is impossible for them to rush to the capital. Now, only a few thousand infantry and cavalry have arrived in Yanshi. Following closely behind them, there are only 30,000 to 40,000 people, which is not as large and powerful as the imperial guards." Wang Yan was the first to speak. He said, "And I have the strong city of Luoyang and the support of the people. When the enemy arrives in Luoyang, they will be suppressed by the royal aura and be terrified. They can only exert 30% of their full combat power. There is no need to worry."
"Is what Situ said serious?" Emperor Sima Chi felt relieved but still asked with some concern.
When Wang Mi broke into Xuchang, he was shocked and angry, and even more scared.
Afterwards, as his ministers carefully analyzed the pros and cons, his confidence soared suddenly. He felt that this battle would be won without any suspense, so he intervened in the deployment of troops, which made Wang Yan somewhat dissatisfied.
After the fall of Huanyuan Pass and the defeat of tens of thousands of soldiers of the Right Army during the march, his confidence suddenly plummeted to the bottom. He felt that the battle was going to be lost and the country was about to fall.
Ups and downs are indeed a common mentality among people who are unfamiliar with military affairs and do not understand the actual situation.
They are easily overly optimistic, but once the battlefield situation does not match their perception, they will slide into the other extreme and become overly pessimistic.
It is actually not easy to keep them in a down-to-earth middle state.
"Your Majesty, if the bandits come, we can just go out of the city and fight them." Wang Yan took a deep breath and said, "Before entering the palace, I sold my ox cart and vowed to fight the bandits to the death. Even if the battle goes against me and the palace is about to collapse, I will protect your majesty and let you go to Chang'an."
"Mr. Wang..." Sima Chi was somewhat moved.
He knew that Wang Yan was extremely selfish and sought benefits for his own nephews and cronies, and was not a loyal minister. But he did not expect that at the critical moment, Wang Yan was still willing to protect the court and his master.
His understanding of Wang Yan became deeper.
He Lun, Wang Bing, Beigong Chun and others also glanced at Wang Yan.
When the news of defeat came, he took the initiative to sell the ox cart. This statement was very important. Considering his status as a famous scholar in the world, it did have a great effect in calming people's hearts.
In this respect alone, Wang Yan surpasses many people.
"Your Majesty, I just thought about it. What will happen if Huanyuan Pass is breached?" Wang Yan said, "The imperial army is in Luoyang. If the enemy comes here, we will fight against them from the city. Shao Xun, the governor of the southern route and Marquis of Luyang, fought four battles in three days at Rushui and won all the battles. Now he has led his troops north to Yangdi County and is attacking the enemy from behind with his newly-victorious army. With such a pincer attack, how can Wang Mi not be defeated?"
It has to be said that Wang Yan’s “talk therapy” was quite effective and it immediately calmed the emperor’s mind.
The emperor has made up his mind and will not do anything out of character, so this battle will be easier to win.
"What Mr. Wang said makes sense." The emperor calmed himself down and said, "Send an envoy to Yangdi immediately and order Shao Xun to march day and night with light troops to attack the enemy army from both sides."
The Secretary of the Central Secretariat drafted the edict on the spot without any delay.
Wang Yan sighed inwardly, thinking that the emperor was still too anxious.
But it's not a big problem. Given Shao Xun's domineering nature, he may not completely obey the imperial edict and march day and night with light troops, because that would put himself in great danger.
"I have entrusted the strategy of defending Luoyang to you, Lord Wang." Sima Chi added, "You can decide which troops to deploy and who to appoint with just one word."
"I obey your order." Wang Yan immediately stood up and responded.
"Mr. Beigong..." Sima Chi seemed to have just remembered the Liangzhou governor Beigong Chun, and said, "You have thousands of elite cavalry, and have defeated the Xianbei many times. You should be a brave general in the world. When the enemy arrives in large numbers, you should fight bravely and establish special merits."
"I obey your order." Beigong Chun thought to himself that it was my turn to speak long ago.
Wang Mi had many bandits, but in his opinion, that was just the way it was.
When the two armies were fighting in the field, he would first use the imperial guards to fight against them, shake their position and make them panic. Then he personally selected more than a hundred brave and combat-savvy veterans from Liangzhou, equipped them with horses and men, and rushed forward when the opportunity arose, followed closely by the light cavalry, so that there might be a chance of victory.
Of course, in the final analysis, the cooperation of the Imperial Guards is still necessary.
Although Wang Mi's bandits were just roving bandits, they still had some elite troops.
If he led 5,000 cavalry directly into the battle, he might suffer a great loss. He was not arrogant enough to that extent.
He had observed the imperial guards these days. Although their fighting capacity was not very good, it was not worse than Wang Mi's bandits.
We have a good chance of winning this battle. I don't know why everyone is so panicked.
He Lun, Wang Bing, Pei Kuo, Wang Hu and others looked at each other and realized that this was a crucial battle and they could not afford to waste any more time.
After returning, I must find the officers and tell them clearly that minor problems such as embezzlement of military supplies, bullying of men and women, and enslavement of soldiers can be tolerated, but they must work hard in the next Luoyang defense battle, otherwise no one will have a good ending. If we win, everything will be fine.
If you are defeated, the pot for eating will be smashed.
Normal people know how to make the decision.
******
The news that the bandits' vanguard had arrived in Yanshi quickly spread throughout the capital, and the people were in panic.
If the city gates had not been closed, allowing only vehicles transporting grain, meat, fruits and vegetables as well as garbage to enter and exit, Luoyang would have experienced a large-scale exodus by now.
Cao Fu sat calmly in his backyard, watering the flowers and plants with his own hands, then practiced calligraphy with a brush and ink.
There were actually not many people in the Cao family in Luoyang. Most of their descendants served as officials in other places. The only eldest grandson, Cao Yin (this name...), remained in the capital.
"Has Aung really made up his mind?" Cao Yin walked over and asked in a low voice.
He was neither tall nor short, but rather sturdy. At this moment, he had a bow hanging from his waist and a knife in his hand, and looked quite impressive.
In fact, he had practiced martial arts for many years, since he was a child, but when he grew up, he indulged in pleasure and did not persist.
Since the beginning of this year, the situation has become increasingly chaotic. Cao Yin picked up his martial arts that he had abandoned for several years and practiced them slowly for several months - to be honest, it was a bit painful, but he had to practice.
"My father is old and lazy, and can't walk far. Besides, he still likes the various enjoyments and expenses in Luoyang, and it is hard to give them up." Cao Fu calmly enumerated his shortcomings and said with a smile: "So Gaoshi County is not bad. After the enemy army retreats, you can recruit people to build a dock."
With unrest happening again and again, even the most dull-witted person would know that it was time to think of a solution. If they did not want to leave Luoyang, then they could build a fort in the suburbs. This was the only option.
"Okay." Cao Yin said without any hesitation.
Although others were not clear about the family background of the Cao family, he was familiar with it. There were many descendants of the Cao family living in the vicinity of Luoyang, as well as in Nanyang, Chenliu, and Yecheng.
This time, the location for building the fort was chosen to be Gaoshi County, and it was Cao Fu who took the initiative to gather the strength of the clan members to build a large one.
Then, clan members could move in with their families, servants, and followers, and transfer all their property, food, and livestock.
Such backbone members of the clan are willing to work hard to defend their own property.
I heard that the Inspector of the Imperial Capital Mi Huang also asked his son Mi Zhi to resign from his position as an official in the Donghai Palace, and planned to find a place to build a dock near Luoyang.
If you can't bear to give up your official position and can't leave Luoyang, then you have to make all the necessary preparations.
"Where is Quanzhong?" Cao Fu asked as he sat comfortably on a recliner.
The recliner was given by Shao Xun. Uncle Cao likes it very much and praises it highly. He lies on it every day.
"They should have just passed Yangdi, but not yet gathered at Yangguan." Cao Yin said with some envy: "After this battle, he has made a name for himself in the Rushui area. Even the people of Xiangcheng chose his defense area when they fled. Bandits like Wang Laizi and the Zhang brothers were all defeated by him. I heard that Yushanwu also forced back the army of Wang Sang, the brother of Wang Mi. Even if the scholars and powerful people in Yingchuan, Xiangcheng and other counties looked down on him, they would try to make friends with him now."
"Yes, Quanzhong knows when to advance and when to retreat, he has a sense of propriety, and knows how to share the benefits. If such a person was born in an aristocratic family, he would have soared to the sky long ago. But now he has spent six years slowly climbing up, haha, it is not slow." Cao Fu laughed happily and said, "After the war is over, send someone to visit Shao Mansion. If he wants the position of Xiangcheng prefect, help him."
Cao Yin was startled and said, "Shao Xun can't be the governor of Xiangcheng, right?"
"He can't be the governor, but there are people around him who can be the governor." Cao Fu said, "Besides, I don't think he wants to be the governor either."
Cao Yin seemed to understand something.
Once you become a prefect, you will have to resign from your military post and leave the imperial guards.
To Shao Xun, the value of a county governor was far less important than that of a general of the imperial guards.
The latter would allow him to exert influence in Luoyang and be won over by all parties. Without this position, it would be difficult for him to gain favor with the court, and no one would speak for him if he was transferred away from Xiangcheng.
"Is there any other news from the capital?" Cao Fu asked, rocking the recliner gently.
"Most of them are rumors, and there are many that curse the Grand Tutor. Occasionally there are some news about Bingzhou. Some people say that after Liu Yuan conquered Pingyang and Hedong counties, he will either go to Guanzhong or attack Luoyang." Cao Yin said.
"Liu Yuanhai is not very willing to go to Guanzhong. He may fight, but he will not occupy it for a long time." Cao Fu said.
"Why?"
"Do you know the people from Guanzhong who are stranded in Nanyang?"
"know."
"Local officials have repeatedly urged these people to return home, and even offered them travel expenses, but no one is willing to go." Cao Fu chuckled and said, "No one knows what Guanzhong is like better than these refugees. They would rather die than go back to Guanzhong. Do you think Liu Yuanhai is willing to go? It would be enough to fight and collect some wealth, tribes, and people."
"I see." Cao Yin nodded and said, "Then we have to go south to Luoyang."
Cao Fu did not comment, but asked: "Does no one talk about Marquis Luyang? He used to be the savior of Luoyang."
"A lot of people have mentioned it." Cao Yin was quite envious when he talked about it: "Does anyone say that Wang Mi is more powerful than Zhang Fang? Why not invite Marquis Luyang back to serve as the Northern Army Commander and lead the Imperial Guards to defeat Wang Mi?"
"Haha." Cao Fu laughed, then closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep, without saying anything else.
Cao Yin bowed and left quietly.
(End of this chapter)