Chapter 320 Exchange of Interests

Chapter 320 Exchange of Interests

Chapter 320 Exchange of Interests (Additional chapter for leader Xiaolong V)

"Hurry up!"

"do not stop!"

"Continue the pursuit."

The vanguard led by Wang Que'er had begun to rest in Wancheng. The leader of the group, Hou Feihu, took over his position and led three groups of 1,800 combat soldiers and 2,000 auxiliary soldiers, pulling pack horses and driving carts, and continued to attack in the direction of Nieyang and Rang County.

The essence is the word "fast".

Before the enemy can react, disperse and capture as many of their forces as possible.

Without gathered strength, it is not strength, but spoils.

On the evening of the 16th, when we arrived at Nieyang, more than 900 refugees from Guanxi surrendered.

On the 18th, we arrived at Rang County.

This county had been ravaged by Wang Ru, and it was also the first city he occupied. It was in ruins and was easily captured by the army.

Almost on the same day, Xinye Yu killed the rebel general in the city, and then joined forces with Hou Feihu's troops and headed towards Xiangyang.

Besides this, Jin Zheng set out a little later, leading nearly 10,000 men from the Three Silver Spear Armies and the Le and Liu clans, heading west to Shunyang.

Yang Dan led the county troops to respond and jointly wiped out the rebellious troops in Guanxi within the territory.

The Fan family of Shunyang lured Hou Tuo's general into the village, killed him at a banquet, and annexed his troops to respond to Jin Zheng's army.

Shao Xun arrived in Wancheng on the 18th. After reading the news, his expression remained unchanged and he was not surprised at all.

It is normal for this situation to occur today when self-employed farmers are rapidly disappearing and rural areas are becoming increasingly fortified.

This is also the main reason why the refugee army of the Western Jin Dynasty had reached the "third stage" but had never achieved anything.

The refugee army of this era had troubles that they had never had in the late years of the centralized dynasties of later generations. It was strange that cities were easier to attack than villages.

But there might not be much money and food in the city. If they wanted to obtain the key supplies, they had to find a way to get them in the countryside.

This gave rise to the strange spectacle of rural tyrants and nobles bargaining with refugee armies and even invading foreign enemies.

In the end, the most likely outcome between the two sides is peace and compromise.

Maybe this isn't such a bad thing.

The world is in such a mess, if the villagers cannot be organized, they will be at the mercy of others.

Zhang Fang's army passed through Yiyang many times, and the Du brothers of Yiquanwu effectively saved the people. If there was no Yiquanwu, it is hard to imagine how many people would have remained in Yiyang.

Of course, the above is considered from the perspective of society as a whole. But Shao Xun's butt is no longer here. The relationship between him and the aristocratic families is very complicated, with both interests and conflicts.

However, for now, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, and both sides still have to cooperate.

"I haven't seen Hongxu for more than a year. How is the old lady?" When Shao Xun saw Lekai from afar, he immediately dismounted, walked up to him, took his hand affectionately, and asked with a smile.

"Still strong." Lekai replied with a smile, and then introduced the people who followed him one by one.

There were more than ten people behind him, who were obviously the local "local celebrities" of Nanyang.

They were also observing Chen Hou's attitude towards Le Kai, and they felt relieved when they saw such a harmonious scene.

Lord Chen is indeed a man who can do big things, and he knows who to rely on to ensure stability in the local area.

After hearing about what happened to the He family in Yangxia, everyone was a little worried.

The He family deserved to die, but they were also members of the gentry. They were killed just like that. It was inevitable that people would wonder whether Lord Chen had any opinions about the gentry.

Now it seems that the downfall of the He family was just an accident.

Lord Chen is killing a chicken to scare the monkeys, using the fate of the He family to warn those who oppose him. As long as you are on good terms with Lord Chen, nothing should happen to you.

Thinking of this, the He family's damned opinion prevailed again. What they should worry about now is how the interests of Nanyang should be distributed and whether they can take advantage of the opportunity to gain some benefits.

"The talented people of Nanyang are indeed extraordinary." Shao Xun greeted everyone one by one, carefully inquired about their family background, and occasionally praised them, which made a group of Nanyang scholars and local tyrants very happy.

Afterwards they entered the city, where everyone entertained them with wine, and they dispersed until nightfall.

"Hongxu, please stay." After most of the people had left, Shao Xun, who had just looked drunk, suddenly sobered up, pointed to the opposite side, and said, "Sit down and talk."

Lekai knew that there was something important going on, so he didn't dare to delay and sat down directly.

"The Huns have reached Hanoi." Shao Xun's first sentence shocked Le Kai.

"I'm not panicking, so why are you panicking?" Shao Xun laughed, poured another glass of wine for the two of them, and said, "The court is trying to fortify the city walls and clear the fields, but it's probably difficult to do so. Within a few days, the Xiongnu will be able to attack Luoyang city."

"How many groups are the Hun troops divided into?" Le Kai calmed himself and asked.

"Hongxu has been in charge for a few years, and he is indeed different." Shao Xun praised: "The troops are divided into two groups, one going south from Hanoi, and the other going south from Hongnong. The former is a large group, and the latter is a small group, and their target is Luoyang."

"What do you intend to do, my Lord?"

"It's similar to the imperial court's strategy, just fortify the city and clear the fields." Shao Xun said, "In Yiyang, the Zhongwu Army just needs to guard Huixi Slope and prevent the enemy from entering the Luoshui River Valley. Yuzhou is more troublesome, but fortunately the grain and beans in the fields have been harvested, and the people in the camps can hide in the county town and the fortresses for a while."

In fact, just as he commented that the imperial court was unable to completely clear the countryside, he was also unable to do so.

The first batch of refugees was collected in May and June this year, and people came one after another. The farming time was not consistent. There were quite a few people who came later. In order not to feed them in vain and waste food, Shao Xun asked the refugees to plant a lot of turnips so that they could dig them up and eat them in winter.

The turnips haven't grown yet, so it would be a pity to dig them up now.

He planned to see if the Xiongnu really entered Yuzhou, and immediately organize the people to dig up turnips, whether they were grown or not - a few days would be enough. The Xiongnu had many cavalrymen and strong mobility. They held the initiative on the battlefield, and it was difficult to inflict a heavy blow on them.

Shao Xun thought about it and felt that he could only rely on logistics to limit the range of activities of the Xiongnu cavalry.

Where can you find horse feed in the cold winter?

If they cannot raise food and fodder locally, they will have to bring baggage trains with them, and the cavalry will lose most of their mobility and their threat will be greatly reduced.

This was his only option.

It just so happens that the social form at this time was completely different from that of the Song, Ming and Qing dynasties.

At this time, there were many forts in the countryside and the power was relatively concentrated, which made it much more difficult for the Xiongnu cavalry to raise food and fodder.

During the Song, Ming and Qing dynasties, society was relatively atomized. The power of the local tyrants was not on the same level as this time. The countryside was in disarray. There were very few forts and manors, and most of the villages were undefended, making it easy for the grassland cavalry heading south to obtain supplies and fight to support themselves.

This is the only trick I can rely on.

The basis for the success of this tactic is that the nobles and powerful people should not bow to the enemy and should not think about spending money to avoid disaster. This is the most important and also the most difficult.

People are selfish. When the enemy is furious and threatens to demolish your fort even at the cost of heavy casualties, what will you do as the fort commander?
I really may not be able to withstand the pressure.

"The king is in turmoil, and the Xiongnu are heading south. It's really a troubled time. Sigh." Le Kai sighed in a sad tone, and then asked tentatively, "Is your Excellency going to return home soon?"

"Not so fast." Shao Xun said, "We have to see whether Wang Ru and Yan Yi are willing to fight me in the open. If they are confused and dare to fight me in the wilderness, then we will destroy them and then go north. If they hold their ground, we will not fight and return home directly."

"This..." Lekai was originally quite happy, but upon hearing this, he felt mixed feelings.

The Marquis of Chen was in a hurry to return, not only to save Luoyang, but more likely to save the foundation he had established in Chen County.

Le Kai could understand this. If he were in the other's shoes, he would also prioritize saving Chenjun instead of Luoyang.

Chen Hou left in a hurry, and Nanyang needed the "wife clan" like Le's family to stabilize the country. This was his chance. But when he heard that he might not even wipe out Wang Ru and had to return in a hurry, he immediately felt bad.

Most of the big families in Nanyang were instigated by him to take action against Hou Tuo and even Wang Ru's followers.

Some of the methods are very despicable, such as deception, killing, sneak attacks, etc.

Once Shao Xun left, what if Wang Ru came to settle accounts with them? There was no point in talking to Wang Ru at this time. He would no longer believe you. The two sides were already in a state of fighting to the death.

Lekai just felt a bitter taste in his mouth, and his good mood disappeared in an instant.

"Why do you have to act like this?" Shao Xun glanced at him and said with a smile, "Hou Tuo and Pang Shi were captured. I will take away the people under his command. There will be no hidden dangers in Nanyang. I will leave another army to guard Wancheng as a backup for you. It should be fine."

Le Kai secretly breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "I wonder how many troops you have left?"

"The eleventh to fourteenth divisions of the Silver Spear Army, with a total of 2,400 soldiers, have been ordered to march south and will arrive in Wancheng soon. Don't worry," Shao Xun said.

Lucky felt more relieved.

The Silver Spear Army is really famous. At least in Luonan, everyone with a little knowledge knows about it.

Two thousand four hundred soldiers is really a lot, and they can play a big role if used well.

Wang Ru and Yan Yi had no more than 30,000 refugees under their command.

Shao Xun sneered to himself.

The last four Silver Spear Armies were mainly composed of new recruits, half of whom had been trained for more than two years, and the other half for more than a year. Their skills were only so-so, but passable.

The most important thing is that they have never fought a war and do not have much combat experience.

Shao Xun was worried about letting these new soldiers fight the enemy in the field without the guidance of veteran soldiers, but they were just right for defending the city.

Le Kai did not understand the secret and thought he was a veteran who had fought for many years, which was a big mistake.

"I will set up a garrison in the suburbs of Wancheng and Duyang. I will try to raise part of the money, food, farm tools, and oxen needed for the initial resettlement. If there is any shortage, I will need Hongxu's help to find a solution." Shao Xun said again.

"This is easy to do," Lucky assured.

"With Hongxu here, Nanyang will be stable." Shao Xun said happily, "In this case, I would like to recommend Hongxu as the internal historian of Nanyang. The safety of the people of Nanyang is all on Hongxu's shoulders. He has a heavy responsibility on his shoulders. I wonder..."

"How dare I refuse when justice is at stake?" Le Kai said generously.

Shao Xun raised his wine glass, and the two of them drank it all in one gulp, both laughing.

The exchange of interests was completed in this way.

Shao Xun was incapable of ruling Nanyang. He did not even have enough staff to manage the county town, let alone the counties and townships.

Rather than dispersing our strength, it is better to concentrate it on the bases in Luonan, Xiangcheng and Chenjun.

Now that Nanton County has also begun to deepen its control, we cannot disperse our forces.

On October 19th, Shao Xun went south to Yuyang.

It was also on this day that a part of the Huns crossed the river from Fupingjin and appeared south of the river.

In the direction of Hongnong, the governor Yuan Yan came to report that there were Xiongnu cavalry moving around and seemed to have some plans.

Yu Chen, the governor of Ji County, wrote a letter, mentioning that Shi Chao, the pseudo governor of Jizhou, Zhao Gu, the general of Anbei, and Wang Sang, the general of Pingbei, gathered troops to attack Ji County and then go south to Yanzhou.

There is no peace on both the north and south fronts.

(End of this chapter)