Chapter 415 What to do
Chapter 415 What to do
Baiya Mountain is located on the north bank of the Yellow River in the southwest of Jiyuan and upstream of Mengjin.
There are rocks everywhere near the river bank, and the landform is peculiar.
During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Hou Jing built a city on the mountain.
During the Northern Wei Dynasty, Liang general Chen Qingzhi occupied the Beizhongfu City in Mengjin (the northern city of Heyang), Yuan Hao occupied the southern city, and "the righteous men of Xiazhou guarded the Hezhong Island."
Erzhu Rong failed to capture the northern city, and the armies of both sides confronted each other across the river.
Seeing that the war was going against their will, Erzhu Rong sent Heba Sheng, Erzhu Zhao and Dugu Xin as the vanguard. They cut wood and built rafts, avoided Mengjin, crossed the river from Xishijin upstream, went around Luoyang, and captured Yuan Hao in one fell swoop.
Today is so similar to the battle between Erzhu Rong and Yuan Hao!
Shao Xun built a floating bridge downstream of Mengjin. After failing twice, he still did not give up. He dispatched boats to ferry people north to attack the Zhamadi area, regardless of casualties.
After fighting for ten days, the battle of Zhamadi became more and more intense, gradually attracting everyone's attention. So, on such a rainy night, the army crossed the Xishijin upstream of Mengjin and occupied the north bank in one fell swoop.
It was almost the same as what Erzhu Rong did back then, the only difference was that the direction was reversed.
On the second day of September, thousands of auxiliary troops who had crossed the river built fortifications at the Xishijin ferry and then went up to Baiya Mountain to build a stronghold.
By noon on the third day of September, more than 20,000 soldiers had forced their way across the north bank, including nearly 10,000 elite Silver Spear Army soldiers, several thousand garrison troops, and another 5,000 young men recruited from refugees on the south bank.
Inside and outside the entire Xishijin, the sound of slogans was deafening. Trenches, earth walls, and fortifications were built at a speed visible to the naked eye, and all kinds of military supplies and food were slowly gathered here.
They have actually gained a foothold.
As soon as the rear route is stabilized and the post road is no longer muddy, we can march eastward and fight a decisive battle with the Huns.
It was also on this day that hundreds of Yicong cavalry arrived. They headed west, traveled forty miles at night, and reached the eastern border of Dongyuan County before returning.
"How is it?" On the morning of September 4th, Shao Xun asked casually while reviewing official letters in the camp after finishing his breakfast.
"This road is not easy to travel," Yicong Du Manyu replied, "There is no way to use carts, only people and pack horses. If you are not careful, you may fall and get hurt. It is 40 to 50 miles away from Dongyuan County. If the enemy is prepared, we will all die without a burial place."
"Then let's not fight." Shao Xun said with a smile, "It's not a big deal."
Going northwest from Xishijin, there is a dangerous path that crosses Wangwu Mountain and leads directly to the territory of Hedong County.
This road is too dangerous even for shepherds, let alone a large army.
But if you don't take this road, you have to go through the Chen Pass in the north, then cross the Wangwu Mountain area and reach the heart of Hedong.
The Chenguan Pass is one of the eight passes in Taihang Mountains, and the Huns also sent troops to garrison it.
Historically, after the Qin army captured the Wei State's Yuandi (now Yuanqu), they went out of the Chenguan Pass many times to compete with the princes.
They are not stupid. There is a reason why they don't take the shortcut and insist on taking the long way.
After forcing their way across the north bank, Jin Zheng, the commander of the Silver Spear Right Camp, suggested that they march quickly to the northwest, cross the mountain paths, and attack Hedong.
As for food and fodder, of course we have to fight to support the war.
If fighting to support the war didn't work, then they would kill draft animals to fill their stomachs, or even eat human flesh. In any case, they had to give the Huns a shock - since Cao Wu's defeat in Dayang, the Jin Dynasty had not invaded Hedong for several years.
Shao Xun sent people to investigate this road, and after hearing the report, he decided to give up.
I'll think of a solution from Chenguan later, there's no rush.
What's more, attacking Hedong would not help the war situation at all, and if things go wrong it might even expand the war and turn it into a strategic decisive battle between Han and Jin.
The time is not right!
"The ground has been exposed to the sun for two days and is much harder. A group of cavalry will cross the river in the morning. You will lead your troops eastward in the afternoon to lead the army." After reviewing the last official letter, Shao Xun put it in a wooden box and handed it to the messenger to take away. Then he instructed: "If you encounter the enemy army, don't force it. Fight if you can, otherwise let it go, but you must send the news back."
"Yes." Seeing that Shao Xun had no other instructions, Man Yu left quietly.
Inside and outside the camp, soldiers were coming and going, busy.
Overall, it's much more orderly than the previous two days, but I don't know what the next step will be? From what you said, the army is still going to march east?
But who can tell? The battlefield situation is ever-changing, and no one knows what will happen next.
Only a few of the plans formulated before the war were ultimately fully implemented.
At least, the site planned for building the northern city of Heyang was occupied by the Huns. Should we take it back?
In Xin'an, the imperial court has just been defeated, Hu cavalry are running rampant around Luoyang, and people are in panic. Do we need help?
In the direction of Yanzhou, all the main forces were transferred westwards, and only the government troops and the garrison troops were left to guard the home. If the Huns marched south in large numbers, could they withstand it?
All this is unknown.
After Manyu returned to the camp, he led his men to wash the horses and feed them. In the afternoon, he led a total of more than a thousand cavalrymen and headed eastward to the northern bank of Mengjin, eighty miles downstream.
******
The Xiongnu cavalry did not bring the news back to the Zhamati camp until the night of September 2nd.
At that time, the camp was brightly lit, with more than 30,000 infantry and cavalry camped for several miles, and the momentum was extremely strong.
That night, King Liu Fu of Bohai had just finished inspecting the camp and returned to his tent to have a drink with Wang Zhang.
"Shangdang intercepted Liu Kun's messenger, and he sent a letter to the prefectures and counties, saying that they would meet in Pingyang in October to attack our Han Dynasty." Liu Fu laughed and said, "What a conceited and arrogant person he is. He doesn't know how much he is capable of. It's really ridiculous."
Wang Zhang also laughed.
Liu Kun is a person with extremely distinct strengths and weaknesses.
His advantages are his great fame and his ability to pacify the mixed Hu people.
His shortcoming is that he is not competent enough. The number of people who leave dissatisfied with him is almost the same as the number of people who come. As the saying goes, a great reputation is not worthy of reality. Moreover, he has all the faults that a scholar should have.
He took medicine and pills, indulged in sensual pleasures, and often failed to distinguish between good and evil.
Just recently, a man named Linghu Ni came from Jinyang to surrender and told us the truth.
Ni Fusheng was the Protector of Jinyang and a general under Liu Kun.
Because Liu Kun favored the actor Xu Run and appointed him as the magistrate of Jinyang, Run became arrogant and interfered in government affairs. Linghu Sheng repeatedly advised against it. Kun was angry and arrested Sheng. Xu Run took the opportunity to spread rumors again, so Liu Kun killed Linghu Sheng.
Linghu Ni fled in panic and took refuge with the Han Dynasty, telling the Han people everything that was going on in Jinyang.
The emperor was overjoyed, and sent Linghu Ni as the vanguard to persuade the officers and officials of Jinyang to surrender. He also re-employed Liu Yao, the King of Zhongshan who had withdrawn to Pingyang, and ordered him to lead the troops together with Can, the King of Henei, to attack Jinyang.
Liu Kun left east on the pretext of going to Hebei to recruit soldiers, leaving Hao Shen and Zhang Qiao to guard the city.
Jinyang had no soldiers and no food, so it was impossible to defend the city. In addition, Linghu Ni persuaded many people to surrender, so there was a great chance of taking Jinyang this time.
Wang Zhang was very satisfied with this.
After so many years, we can finally take Jinyang. This way, we can control the entire Bingzhou area. How wonderful!
"After Jinyang is taken, I will submit a memorial to advise Your Majesty..." Liu Fu raised his glass and said with a smile.
Before he could finish his words, he saw the general open the big tent and come in.
Liu Fu put down his wine glass helplessly and asked, "What's the matter?"
The general did not hesitate and reported directly: "News came from Xishijin that the Jin army crossed the river in large numbers and seized the ferry."
"What?" Liu Fu stood there, his right hand tightly gripping the white jade cup, his veins exposed.
The general repeated it again.
"When did they cross the river? How many people were there?" Wang Zhang asked calmly.
"It should be the night of the 30th." The general added, "The Jin bandits are currently repairing the city fortress to defend it. According to the scouts, there should be no less than 10,000 bandits."
Liu Fu was still in a state of shock and hadn't come to his senses yet.
Wang Zhang was calculating silently.
The number of "10,000 people" should be credible because he calculated it based on the number of ships owned by the Jin army and the frequency of ferries per day.
It would be troublesome for ten thousand people to cross the river!
"Is it possible to mobilize troops to encircle and suppress the enemy near Xishijin?" Liu Fu finally calmed down, stood up suddenly and asked.
Wang Zhang shook his head.
Xishijin was not the focus of defense, after all, it was eighty or ninety miles upstream. Three thousand soldiers were stationed there before, and they only played the role of surveillance and harassment. Later, 1,500 infantry and 500 cavalry were transferred away, leaving only 1,000 soldiers.
These thousand people are really not enough to defend the camp and patrol the river bank.
If the Jin army crossed the river in large numbers from here and attacked at night, they would only have to face a few hundred infantrymen. It rained heavily on the night of the 30th, and these people might not be prepared - oh, Wang Zhang sighed, after taking all precautions, they were finally attacked from the east and west, and there was no hope.
Liu Fu immediately spread out the map.
Wang Zhang had sharp eyes and noticed that his hands were shaking a little, and he sighed in his heart.
Liu Fu's eyes swept across the map.
Probably only the Chen Pass has soldiers, but they are people who are transferred to guard the pass in turns and cannot be moved lightly. Moreover, there are only four or five thousand of them, so they cannot play a big role.
"Can Your Majesty lead the army in person?" Liu Fu's face became increasingly anxious, and he spoke without thinking.
"General, please be careful with your words." Wang Zhang reminded softly.
Liu Fu reacted, but sat down weakly, his breathing became a little rapid, and his eyes moved around, obviously still thinking hard about how to solve the problem.
"General, this matter needs to be reported to Pingyang." Wang Zhang said.
Liu Fu looked at him with pleading eyes.
Wang Zhang avoided his gaze and said to himself, "General Zhenyuan is in Jizhou, General Zhenxi is in Fengyi, King Zhongshan and King Henei went to Jinyang, and the general is in Henei. Now, the only troops that can be mobilized in Hebei, besides Shi Le, are the various imperial guards stationed around Pingyang. If these troops are to be moved, the emperor must give his permission."
"There are still more than 30,000 infantry and cavalry in the Zhamadi camp. There is still a chance!" Liu Fu couldn't bear to hear Wang Zhang's calm analysis and interrupted him directly.
"There are more than 33,000 people, and Shi Le and Zhao Gu's troops account for more than 20,000. They can defend the camp, but if they fight the Shao bandits in the field, do they really have a chance of winning?" Wang Zhang asked in return.
Liu Fu couldn't answer.
"Field battle? Guarding the camp?" Liu Fu reacted immediately and said in surprise: "The Central Army said that Shao the bandit might lead his troops eastward to attack our camp? Isn't this a chance?"
"He may come, but it's hard to say whether he will have the chance." Wang Zhang sighed, "The military situation is urgent, so we should report it to the emperor first."
Liu Fu's face was pale.
Wang Zhang didn't look at him. After getting up and saying goodbye, he returned to his tent and picked up his pen to write.
A moment later, the messenger rushed out of the camp and headed for Pingyang via Chenguan.
(End of this chapter)