Chapter 223 Insects
Chapter 223 Insects
It took Shao Xun several days to cross the Yellow River from Luoyang and arrive at Henei County, which was still the king's land.
The army did not stop, but turned directly northeast and headed towards Ji County.
On the first day of October, Yu Chen climbed to the top of the Ji County city wall, looked at the army shining silver in the distance, and silently breathed a sigh of relief.
At critical moments, the son-in-law is still reliable!
He has gritted his teeth and expanded the county's troops to five thousand.
There was no military reward, only food, the purpose was to resist the Huns.
But the people of our own country know our own business. A mere 5,000 county soldiers may be able to defend the city, but they will be left to the Huns to harm the wild.
The Huns acted like bandits, forcing young men to join their army and then forcing them to attack more forts in order to obtain more money, food, and young men.
In this case, what's the point of defending the city? The commanders of the fortresses were not fools. Seeing that the imperial court was unable to rescue them, it was obvious which side they would turn to.
You know, Hebei and Luoyang have never gotten along well.
"Boom boom..." The sound of drums suddenly rang out. Yu Chen was startled and looked around.
Fortunately, there was no enemy attack, the army simply reorganized and continued to advance.
Yu Chen, standing on the top of the city wall, could clearly see the entire picture of the reinforcements.
The army numbered about 20,000 and marched in a long line.
The side carriages and baggage carts were placed on both sides.
Scouts and cavalry patrolled the periphery, reporting back the news they had discovered from time to time.
There was a baffle outside the side carriage, so the interior could not be seen clearly, but the soldiers' equipment and armor could be vaguely seen, and it was obvious that there were people sitting on it.
There were also people on the baggage carts, including sword and shield soldiers, archers, crossbowmen, and spearmen, moving forward with the carts.
The infantry and horses walked in the middle, divided into four columns, one after another, holding flags high, with high spirits.
Every time they marched a certain distance, each unit would stop to reorganize the formation, then beat the drums and continue moving forward.
This soldier walked very slowly, and it is estimated that he could not cover more than thirty miles a day, but he was very alert along the way and was ready for battle at any time.
Yu Chen is now considered knowledgeable about military affairs.
Some armies only cared about hurrying on their way, and some were still marching during the Shen time (3 to 5 p.m.).
When camping, they only set up some barricades at the intersection, then set up tents to sleep, and did not even set up camp.
In this way, they claimed to be able to march 60, 80 or even 100 miles a day and thought of it as boasting - to put it bluntly, they increased the marching speed at the expense of reducing safety.
Some armies set up camp while the sun was still high in the sky in the afternoon, with trenches, walls, and chevaux de frise all in place, even if it took two hours.
In order to find a place with trees (to cut down trees and build a camp), they would sometimes prefer to travel less and walk only twenty miles a day. When they camped at night, they must have a sturdy camp and refused to sleep in a tent in the open air.
His son-in-law is obviously the latter.
Some baggage carts even carried wooden stakes and posts for setting up fences. They would rather set up camp in the afternoon and break up camp in the early morning every day, no matter how troublesome, to reduce the possibility of their camp being stolen.
He is so mature, could he really be a god?
The army soon arrived near the county town. After Yao Yuan, the commander of the other divisions, went up to the top of the city wall to ask for instructions, Yu Chen went out of the city with him to welcome them.
"Fu Jun."
"Your Excellency."
After the greeting, Yu Chen stepped forward and took Shao Xun's hand, and said with emotion: "The Xiongnu has arrived in large numbers and has broken through Yecheng, but Pei Xian, Wang Kan and others are either fleeing in panic or halting their troops on the river, hesitating to move forward. You are the only one who has come to save the people of Hebei."
"Pei Yuzhou didn't come?" Shao Xun was stunned.
When in Hanoi, Pei Xian sent an envoy to order Shao Xun to lead the army to rescue Yecheng. He then led his men across the river to the north to provide support. Is this a lie?
"Xian - Your Excellency really doesn't know?" Yu Chen asked in surprise.
"We have been searching for the traces of the Huns all the way, so we really don't know." Shao Xun said.
"Pei Yuzhou has already withdrawn his troops." Yu Chen said.
Shao Xun was stunned for a moment.
Seeing that he was really surprised, Yu Chen explained, "Just three days ago, Wang Mi and Liu Ling led their people south and sent a small group of troops to cross the river. After Pei Yuzhou learned about the enemy, he fled all the way south and no one knew where he was going."
"Where are the soldiers? Where are his soldiers?" Shao Xun asked.
"After Pei Yuzhou fled, the generals led their troops back south and retreated."
"What a thief!" Shao Xun didn't give the Pei family any face, and cursed on the spot: "If he falls into my hands, I will kill him!"
Pei Xian, for unknown reasons, abandoned the army and ran away, but his escape also destroyed the morale of the Yuzhou soldiers.
When Sima Hu, the King of Fanyang, was stationed in Xuchang, the soldiers of Yuzhou put down the rebellion in Hebei and killed people on all sides.
After Sima Hu died suddenly, Gou Xi took over and still defeated Ji Sang and Shi Le, forcing them to flee in panic.
Now that Gou Xi is gone, what kind of ugly people are replacing him?
Wang Mi captured Xuchang, and the Yuzhou troops were controlled by Sima Yue and avoided fighting.
Wang Mi stationed troops in Hebei, but Pei Xian actually ran away and the Yuzhou troops retreated.
As a result of all this, the Yuzhou soldiers who were once capable of fighting became useless and their morale completely collapsed.
Damn, what kind of shit are these? The success of the Xiongnu is inseparable from these shitty celebrities!
First, the governor of Jizhou, He Yu, fled from Yecheng, and later, the governor of Yuzhou, Pei Xian, abandoned his army and disappeared.
Can you still do the work? If you can't, vacate your position and replace them!
Hey!
"Where is Jizhou Governor Ding Shulun (Ding Shao)?" Shao Xun asked again after calming down.
"In Anping, it looks like they won't advance any further, but will just hold their ground," Yu Chen replied.
"Where is the governor of Yuzhou?"
"Wang Shiwen is in Xuchang and won't come." Yu Chen sighed. Wang Shiwen was born in the Wang family of Donghai. He was the grandson of Wang Su, the son of Wang Qian, and the nephew of Sima Zhao's empress Wang Yuanji. He was currently the General of the Southern Army and the Governor of Xuchang.
Shao Xun frowned and thought.
Chen Yougen listened for a long time, his eyes widened, and he couldn't help but ask: "Could it be that Lord Yu was mistaken? Wang Mi was able to scare Pei Yuzhou away? Five months ago, we defeated Wang Mi at Rushui. Under the city of Luoyang, Mi's troops were completely defeated, and less than 10,000 people escaped across the river. Can such a defeated general scare off a provincial governor?"
Yu Chen's face turned red, and he obviously felt embarrassed.
Li Chong, who had been promoted to deputy governor of the Yamen Army, hung his head and remained silent, obviously very disappointed.
Wang Que'er and Jin San had blank expressions on their faces, but they couldn't hide the contempt in their eyes.
It would be understandable if you ran away when you met Liu Yuan, but it is really unreasonable that you were scared away by Wang Mi.
Could it be that Sima Yue avoided the battle and Ren Mi's troops broke through Xuchang, so everyone overestimated Wang Mi's strength? But he was clearly defeated at the gates of Luoyang, and the main force was lost. How many soldiers does he have now?
Chen Jing, who was in charge of an auxiliary force, sneered in his heart.
He came from a noble family and had been in Beijing for many years, so he had met many people.
People like He Yu and Pei Xian were very famous and had talents, but they were mostly in the areas of literature and etiquette. It was really difficult for them to become governors or even lead troops in battle.
Now both of them have run away, and they were both "favorite generals" chosen by the Grand Tutor. I wonder what the Xingyang Shogunate's reaction will be when they hear about it.
Haha, to be honest, the Grand Tutor might as well bow to Gou Xi and invite him back. Although Gou Xi has no family background and comes from a humble background, his military achievements are there. If he were to lead the Yuzhou troops, he might be able to defeat Wang Mi and Shi Le.
They insist on employing celebrities, insist on looking at their background, are narrow-minded and intolerant of outsiders, and this is the result we have today.
Even if you want to use famous scholars, at least choose the right person.
Chen Jing didn't know what to say.
After going through so much, he no longer believes in his origins.
Shao Xun, Gou Xi and even Zhang Fang back then were all better fighters than these people, and much better.
The four generals Wang Chan, Hao Chang, Lou Quan and Lou Bao looked at each other and secretly sighed that if it was Pei Xian, He Yu and others who invaded Hebei back then instead of Gou Xi, would they have succeeded long ago?
Sima Yue is such a joke!
It just feels aggrieved that such a person defeated the King of Chengdu.
"Send the order to set up camp on the spot." Shao Xun ordered: "Send another messenger to Luoyang and Xingyang to report to the emperor and the Grand Tutor for a decision."
"Yes." Tang Jian quickly went to arrange a messenger.
Yu Chen already understood that Marquis Luyang didn't know that he was alone, and he felt a little discouraged.
Is the overall situation in Hebei really beyond redemption?
******
In the Linlu Mountain where Ji County and Shangdang meet, Wang Sang retreated in disgrace.
There is a peak in Linlu Mountain, commonly known as "Big Head Mountain", which is very steep.
There are fields and springs in the mountains, and thousands of households have gathered to protect them, led by Yu Gun, a hermit from Yingchuan.
Yu Gun lived a simple life, personally took care of the farmland, and led the people to work in the mountains.
When attending someone's funeral, one must express utmost sorrow; when attending someone's burial, one must build the grave personally; if it is hard work, one must do it first; if it is leisure, one must do it last; if you say something, one must do it with peace of mind.
He was fair in his dealings and set an example himself, so many people in Linlu followed him and called him "Yu Xian".
Whenever there was a war, he would order his four sons, Yu Jing, Yu Mie, Yu Ze and Yu Ju, born to his ex-wife Xun and his second wife Le, to go to the front line, leading the Yu clan and their followers as vanguards to force back the enemy.
Such a steep fortress with united people and a strong backbone is indeed not easy to conquer.
Wang Sang tried it, but lost over a thousand soldiers and achieved no results, so he withdrew.
At the foot of Datou Mountain, Liu Ling put one foot on the horse's back and looked at Wang Sang with a smile.
"Has Wang Sanqi given up?" he asked.
Wang Sang was the Imperial Guardsman of Liu Han.
His brother Wang Mi was appointed as the Inspector of the Sili Army, and was given the titles of Palace Attendant and Special Advancement. Wang Mi refused the offer, but Liu Yuan insisted, so he finally took the position.
Liu Ling became the General Pingbei.
"Give up." Wang Sang said with a dark face.
"Just give up." Liu Ling jumped off his horse and said, "When you attacked Linlvwu, I led my men to raid some villages and forts and got 6,000 to 7,000 men. I'll give you half of them."
"Didn't Shi Le ask us to hand over all the young men?" Wang Sang asked.
Shi Le was the commander, and his orders were very strict: the limit was 50,000 people, and they would retreat once they had captured enough. Moreover, only the able-bodied men could be captured, and the old, weak, women, and children were not allowed to be harmed, and they were still required to stay where they were and work the land.
Liu Ling smiled nonchalantly and said, "Your brother isn't dead yet, are you going to throw stones at him now?"
Wang Sang’s face turned even darker.
Liu Ling is a guy who never says good things and often makes people embarrassed.
But he didn't dare to look for trouble with Liu Ling, for no other reason than that he couldn't beat him.
"Let's go and join the Minister. He has also captured tens of thousands of people." Liu Ling stretched out his big hand like a cattail leaf fan, picked up Wang Sang like a chicken, and dragged him down the mountain. As he walked, he said, "Ji County has not been harmed much and is very prosperous. Now most of the people are fleeing south and seeking shelter in the county. Let's lead the army south and see if we can make some money."
The three counties of Wei, Ji and Dunqiu were the sphere of activities designated by Shi Le, and his main purpose was to rob money, food and people.
Everyone agreed with this combat goal.
Who doesn't like to expand the army? That's what bandits did when they were young. It's their old profession.
It seems that these three counties have few troops left, so they can be easily taken.
As for Wang Kan and Pei Xian? Haha, looking at their ugly appearance, they are just relying on the river to prevent them from going south to Henan.
A bunch of rats!
Sima Yue is a rat among rats and is not worth mentioning.
It was the right decision to surrender to King Han this time. Hebei is so empty, and you would be a fool not to take advantage of the opportunity to gain some benefits.
(End of this chapter)