Chapter 267 River Valley
Chapter 267 River Valley
When the news of Song Zhou's defeat came back, Liu Tun was furious.
He went to Situ's mansion that day and after some argument, nothing came of it.
Sima Yue neither removed him from his post as governor of Luoyang nor promised that he would not interfere in military affairs in the future. In short, the situation was a mess.
On the 23rd, thousands of Hun cavalry appeared in the north of Luoyang city.
On the 24th, a large group of infantry arrived again, carrying a large flag with the word "Zhao" on it.
The cavalry captured the Xiongnu infantry who were collecting firewood and, after interrogating them, learned that they were the troops of Zhao Gu, the general of Han'anbei.
Who is Zhao Gu? Why have I never heard of his name?
There was a great deal of chaos in the court, and finally the truth was found out. It turned out that this man was a commander of a fortress, and he had gathered thousands of households to farm on the south bank of the river.
When the Huns arrived, they surrendered voluntarily.
Afterwards, Zhao Gu persuaded several commanders of the fortresses to surrender and join the Huns.
Liu Cong directly appointed him as "General Anbei" and gave all the soldiers from several forts to Zhao Gu, letting him command them.
It is obvious that Zhao Gu and others did not surrender due to pressure from the situation.
They have great ambitions and want to take advantage of the troubled times to gain wealth and fame. They are fundamentally different from those fortress commanders who are forced to pay money, food and men to keep the peace.
After hearing this, Sima Yue remained silent for a long time.
How come so many people have surrendered voluntarily this year? It wasn't so common last year.
Has everyone in the world lost faith in the Great Jin?
Hebei is still in the hands of Dajin.
Henan is still in the hands of Dajin.
Yongliang is still in the hands of Dajin.
Jiangnan is also in the hands of Dajin.
Even if Luoyang is lost, so what? Most of the prefectures and counties are still in the hands of the Jin Dynasty!
Thinking of this, Sima Yue’s eyes went dark and he almost fainted, and his attendants hurriedly helped him up.
After a long time, Sima Yue recovered and looked sad.
More and more often.
It was as if something was strangling his neck, suffocating his brain.
This is assuming there is someone watching you. What if it’s late at night and no one is around to notice?
He couldn't imagine.
Besides, this wasn't the only problem he had...
"Situ." Military commander Wang Yan came closer and looked at him carefully.
"Yi Fu." Sima Yue forced a smile.
Wang Yan felt relieved.
Recently, he heard from people that after Situ fainted and woke up, he sometimes didn't recognize people for a short time, and he had a very bad temper and would beat and kill people at will. Even the princess was scolded by him, and she asked him whose wife he was and why she appeared in front of him?
Fortunately, it only lasted for a short moment.
But it's enough to be worrying.
"Si Tu, the enemy situation has been basically determined. The Xiongnu have at least 30,000 cavalry, perhaps more, led by the pseudo-King of Chu Liu Cong." Wang Yan said, "We recruited surrenders and rebellions along the way, and got 20,000 to 30,000 infantry, mostly from Hanoi and Henan counties. It is reported that the pseudo-Sikong Hu Yanyi is reorganizing the infantry in Pingyang and will come east soon. Perhaps, he has already set out. Commander Liu ordered all troops outside the city to withdraw and station inside and outside the gates, just like Wang Mi's attack on Luoyang in the past, to hold off with the enemy for a while before making any plans."
In fact, this routine of Liu Tun was suggested by Wang Yan.
Last May, Wang Mi's troops arrived in Luoyang, and the garrison was arranged in this way. After a few days of stalemate, Wang Mi saw that he could not win, so he led his troops away. The garrison went out of the city to pursue and defeated him.
The commander-in-chief at that time was Wang Yan. His suggestion was indeed path dependence.
"Isn't this too cowardly and hurting morale?" Sima Yue asked.
"The morale of the imperial guards is low, so they should be more cautious," said Wang Yan.
Sima Yue was a little embarrassed.
The Battle of Mengjin was launched by him at the instigation of his staff, and the result was very disastrous.
The 5,000-man Right Guard of the Imperial Guard collapsed, and dozens of officers including General Song Zhou were killed.
He still doesn't think there is anything wrong with doing this, he just feels that he didn't cooperate well.
"Aren't there also bandit troops on Xin'an Road? What's the situation?" he asked again.
"The troops under Commandant Chen of the Ministry of Revenue were defeated at Xishi and retreated to Hangu Pass, where they were defeated again." Wang Yan said, "We collected more than a thousand remaining soldiers and stationed them outside Ximing Gate."
"How did we lose?" Sima Yue felt his forehead throbbing again and felt a little angry.
"Captain Chen fought a fierce battle with Wang Mi, and was in the upper hand. The fake Ruyin King Liu Jing led elite cavalry to attack from behind, shooting from all sides, and the king's army was defeated."
"Can't we really win in a field battle?" Sima Yue asked.
Wang Yan shook his head.
"How did Shao Xun fight?" Sima Yue slammed the table and asked.
Wang Yan seemed not to sense Sima Yue's anger, and only said: "Shao Xun did not fight the Xiongnu cavalry. He won the battle of Qili Pass by setting an ambush. After hearing that the enemy cavalry was approaching, he retreated to Yiyang."
Sima Yue was choked.
This little thief has such a clear mind? He knows what can be hit and what cannot be hit. He is indeed much better than Song Zhou and Chen Yan.
"That is to say, the Xiongnu troops are advancing from two directions, and have already approached Luoyang from the west and the north?"
"The western route may just be a detachment, the main force of the enemy army is still in the north."
"Where is the Xiongnu's food route? Can we send troops to block it?"
"Si Tu, there are two routes for the Xiongnu's grain supply. One is Xin'an Road, and the other is Chenguan Road." Wang Yan replied.
Xin'an Road refers to the route where grain was transported from Dayang to Shan County, then headed eastward, passing Xin'an County and arriving at the west of Luoyang City.
Chenguan Road refers to the grain transported from Dayang to the east, out of Chenguan Pass, into Henei, and then south to the north of Luoyang city.
Actually, the Huns had food supply, but it seemed that they also had no food supply.
Because they really don’t have enough food.
Otherwise, they would not have plundered so extensively along the way and forced the forts and counties to supply food and fodder, which wasted a lot of time.
"Didn't Shao Xun want to go to Bai Ma?" Sima Yue suddenly said, "Order him to attack Shaanxi in the north and cut off the Xiongnu's food supply route."
"Yes." Wang Yan lowered his head and replied.
Sima Yue's complexion gradually improved.
He found that this trick was really amazing.
If Shao Xun could capture Shan County, one of the two food routes of the Xiongnu would be cut off and the army would be cut off from supplies.
It doesn't seem like a bad thing if Shao Xun fails in his attack on Shaanxi.
"Ask Beigong Chun to come see me." Sima Yue sat up straight and gave the order.
Last year, Wang Mi besieged the city, but was repelled by the bravery of the Liangzhou soldiers.
If the Huns attack this year, perhaps they can be relied upon to turn the tide.
Sima Yue didn't mind meeting this person.
******
In fact, before Sima Yue ordered Shao Xun to go north, the enemy from Shan County attacked.
The visitor was an old acquaintance, Wang Mi.
It is not known whether he went there voluntarily or not, but his troops rushed southward and set up camp at Huixiban early in the morning of the 24th.
The two sides fought fiercely on the narrow terrain.
It was really intense, but the level was really not high.
The Zhongwu Army's rookies were about the same strength as the Mi Army, and the two sides fought back and forth, and the battle was very intense. After a whole day, each side suffered hundreds of casualties and returned to the camp.
On the 25th, Shao Xun led a part of the Silver Spear Army to the Huixiban camp and personally supervised the battle.
Chen Yougen went to Yique Pass.
Li Chong had taken his Yamen Army to Yiyang County two days ago and was fully responsible for any possible war in that direction.
Duan Liang and Duan Xiong led their cavalry to station at Jinmenwu as a mobile force.
The only soldiers Shao Xun could mobilize were more than 4,000 Silver Spear Soldiers.
From a strategic perspective, he seemed to be "surrounded" in the narrow Luoshui River Valley.
In the direction of Huixiban there are Liu Jing and Wang Mi.
There is a large opening in the northeast facing Luoyang, where the Hun cavalry might break in.
Fortunately, there is still enough food and fodder to last for several months.
There is Yi Yang County and many forts in the valley as fulcrums. Under the cover of the vehicle array, he can "jump" from one fulcrum to another, and his mobility is not deprived.
Yes, mobility is very important.
His main force was infantry, while the main force of the Huns was cavalry. In such a situation, how could his infantry maneuver long distances under the noses of the cavalry, or even take the initiative to launch an attack?
The key points are the fulcrums that are dozens of miles apart.
He started from Jinmenwu and marched forty miles to Yunzhongwu.
Starting from Yunzhongwu, go northeast for twenty miles to Yiquanwu, and then another twenty miles to Yiyang County.
It is a little far from Yiyang to Luoyang, nearly a hundred miles, but it is not impossible to go, just with a little more risk.
Along this entire line, he could maneuver and fight while being surrounded by cavalry.
But without these fulcrums, the risk of traveling all the way from Jinmenwu to Luoyang, which is less than 200 miles, would be greatly magnified. It is not to say that failure is certain, but it is really dangerous.
It's only because of the severe drought this year that the navigability of the Luo River has not yet fully recovered. Otherwise, things might be simpler - the grain route could be left to shipping, and the risk of cavalry intercepting it would be greatly reduced.
In short, he was not afraid of being "locked up" in the Luoshui River Valley.
But if we want to leave the Luoshui Valley and reinforce Luoyang, we still have to repel those two annoying bugs Wang Mi and Liu Jing.
"Woo——" A dull horn sound came from the bottom of the ravine.
Arrows rained down from the camp.
Yuan Xi from the Yuan clan of Lueyang took off his shirt and personally beat the drum to cheer.
Inspired by this, the soldiers fought bravely and after a fierce battle of half an hour, they defeated Wang Mi's offensive again.
Seeing the enemy soldiers retreating, Yuan Xi jumped off the platform directly. Without even having time to put on armor, he held a long spear and led his men out of the camp to chase and kill them.
"How magnificent! Charging forward with bare body!" Shao Xun stood on the slope and saw this scene clearly.
How many years had it been? It was the first time he had seen someone charge naked.
However, it's still a little short of it. This is about pursuing the enemy, not charging headfirst into the enemy when the fight is stalemate.
Just imagine, without armor, with bare upper body, facing the enemy's arrows and sharp blades, and fighting fiercely.
This is certainly dangerous and it's easy to die, but it really boosts morale and makes the adrenaline of those around you surge and explode together.
Such warriors must be rewarded generously, because they often produce unscientific and unreasonable results that astonish people.
When the enemy saw Yuan Xi’s bravery, they immediately fled in all directions.
Hundreds of people were chased and hacked away. From time to time, enemy soldiers accidentally fell into the icy stream and soon became silent.
The army chased the enemy all the way to the front of the camp and rushed into the camp with the fleeing soldiers.
The enemy army could not hold on and retreated from another camp gate.
Yuan Xi led his men to chase for more than a hundred steps before withdrawing their troops.
Shao Xun went straight down to the bottom of the stream, and when Yuan Xi came back, he took off the fake bell, put it on him, stroked his back, and praised him: "Just now I saw the general rushing forward with his bare body, his spirit was unstoppable. He was magnificent, and I have never seen him in recent years."
Yuan Xi was somewhat touched.
He's just a nobody.
My ancestors were wild people living in the mountains without a surname. They became slaves of the Yuan family and served them for many years. They were given the surname Yuan, but their status was actually very low.
Now that the famous Duke of Luyang County in Luoyang has praised him so highly, it is conceivable that his reputation will be greatly enhanced.
Moreover, he had ridiculed the Duke of Luyang before, but he was not only not blamed, but praised him in every way, which showed that he was highly regarded.
"My lord, please don't think I am humble..." Yuan Xi stammered.
"A hero doesn't care about his origin." Shao Xun held his hand and said, "I like warriors the most in my life. Every time I see one, I want to recruit him to my camp. Lord Yuan is so brave, he can be my henchman."
At this time, "claws" is not a derogatory word, but rather means confidant, which is actually a more complimentary word.
"Military Colonel Yuan, the governor values you very much. If you are willing to surrender, you will be rich and prosperous without worries." Tang Jian said on the side.
Theoretically speaking, Yuan Xi was a retainer of Yuan Yan, the governor of Hongnong, or his slave.
He was just a guest general in the Zhongwu Army.
Tang Jian's words clearly indicated that he wanted Yuan Xi to become a disciple of the Shaw family.
Upon hearing this, Yuan Xi lowered his head and said nothing.
When Shao Xun saw this, he was even more satisfied. He took his hand and walked up the slope, saying with a smile, "When Lord Yuan comes, I will definitely ask him for General Yuan."
Yuan Xi's heart moved, but he didn't say anything. He just followed Shao Xun silently with a respectful look.
Tang Jian glanced at him secretly and laughed in his heart.
Yuan Xi didn't agree verbally, but seeing the way he followed closely, his hand on the hilt of the sword, and his eyes scanning everyone, he looked just like one of Shao's personal soldiers.
"Governor." A clerk walked over from afar with hurried steps.
Yuan Xi took half a step forward, put his hand on the hilt of the knife, and stared at him.
The clerk was startled and paused.
Shao Xun laughed loudly and waved his hand. Soon, his personal soldiers brought a set of military uniform.
Shao Xun gestured and said, "It's just the right size. I'll give it to you."
This is the blue-colored 櫜鞬服 that he had someone order in Xiangcheng. He had originally intended to wear it himself, but now he gave it to Yuan Xi as a reward.
Yuan Xi did not refuse and took it gently.
Shao Xun smiled with satisfaction, then looked at the clerk and asked, "What's the matter?"
"The Minister of Rites sent an envoy to order the governor to lead the army north to attack Shaanxi," the clerk replied.
Shao Xun waved his hand, asked him to leave, then he put his hands behind his back and paced back and forth.
Theoretically, he could try to go north. Even if he didn't attack Shan County, he could try to cut off one of the Huns' food supply routes. It was just a matter of how much it would cost.
But the problem was that he was not sure whether Liu Cong would send troops to attack the Luoshui River Valley.
Moreover, he could advance as far north as the Erling area of Xiaoban, and then go down the mountain to cut off the post road, but once he reached that place, he would likely face siege by the Xiongnu cavalry.
Setting up a camp on the road may not be afraid of cavalry siege, but it will attract a large number of Hun infantry like a magnet.
With the Hun cavalry watching closely nearby, it was very difficult to pursue them. Even if he defeated the Hun infantry, he could not launch an annihilation campaign.
In the end, it will become a game of consumption. Is there any meaning? The capital is limited. What will happen if it is all gone?
Everyone looked at him, waiting for his decision.
Shao Xun paced for a long time and finally stopped.
"Keep calm and wait for the right moment to act." He looked up at the sky and said, "I will station troops in Yiyang. I don't believe Liu Cong dares to turn his back on us."
(End of this chapter)