Chapter 507: Chasing the Enemy
Chapter 507: Chasing the Enemy
Inside the commander's tent, Xiao Xia stood in front of the map in silence and deep thought. The picture was a flat map and was very blurry. Xiao Xia was not used to it. He had already sent people to various places for surveying last year, and a sand table map would be made in a few months.
At this time, Luo Shixin walked quickly into the big tent, bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Highness!"
Xiao Xia smiled slightly and said, "I plan to give you another important task!"
Luo Shixin's eyes lit up, "Should I go to Yongjia County to pursue the remnant rebels?"
Xiao Xia nodded slowly, "I'll give you 10,000 troops and half a year. You have to completely wipe out the remaining troops in Yongjia County. How about that? Are you confident?"
Luo Shixin bowed and said, "I will definitely not let Your Highness down!"
After hesitating for a moment, Luo Shixin asked again: "Your Highness, can you lend me your clairvoyance?"
Xiao Xia took out a new clairvoyance from the box and handed it to him, "This is a new clairvoyance, you can use it!"
Luo Shixin was overjoyed and couldn't let go of the clairvoyance. He had been looking forward to this thing for several years.
Xiao Xia handed him another letter, "This is my idea for dealing with the Shanyue tyrants. You must strictly follow the instructions above!"
Luo Shixin took the letter and bowed, saying, "As you command!"
"Then there's the supply. Listen carefully!"
Xiao Xia pointed at the map and said, "Yongjia County has many mountainous areas and few plains, so transportation is inconvenient. So I am considering using a large ship to supply you by sea. Yongjia County has a total of four counties, Linhai County in the north, Yongjia County in the southeast, Kuacang County and Songyang County in the west. Yongjia County is the key. Although a large number of Shanyue people live in Kuacang County and Songyang County, the Shanyue tyrants who rebelled this time are all concentrated in Yongjia County because they need to go to the sea for convenience.
You can take Linhai County as your base. It is about fifty miles away from the sea. However, the spiritual water flowing through Linhai County goes directly to the sea, and the supply fleet can reach Linhai County through the spiritual water. "
Luo Shixin nodded, "I understand. When do we set off?"
Xiao Xia said slowly: "You will set out tomorrow. The 10,000 mules and donkeys that were seized will be given to you. Bring enough supplies for 20 days. The supply fleet will also set out by sea tomorrow."
At midnight, Luo Shixin led an army of 10,000 south. There are two routes from Kuaiji County to Yongjia County. One is the eastern route, which goes south from the coastal Juzhang County. This route is more difficult to travel and requires bypassing Mount Tiantai. The other is the western route, which goes south along the Puyang River, goes through Zhuji County to Dongyang County, and then enters Yongjia County from Dongyang County.
Relatively speaking, the western route is easier to travel, but considering that supplies must be transported by sea, Luo Shixin's army must take the eastern route.
Just after dawn, a soldier came to report, "Your Highness, there are people from the Intelligence Agency outside the camp who want to see you!"
Xiao Xia was eating breakfast. He nodded and said, "Bring him to my tent!"
Soon, the guards reported from outside the tent, "Your Highness, the person has been brought here!"
Xiao Xia drank the porridge in one gulp, wiped the corners of his mouth with a cloth, then stood up and walked out of the tent.
Outside the big tent stood a man in his thirties, with a strong physique and dark skin. He was wearing a coarse cloth short coat, straw sandals, and a worn flat scarf on his head. He looked like a genuine farmer.
But people in the Intelligence Agency are like this, dressed in various styles and very down-to-earth.
The man took out a bronze plate and showed it, bowing and saying, "I am Wang Kuang from the Security Intelligence Bureau. I was ordered by Director Li to go to Dongyang County to gather intelligence. I just came from Dongyang County and have important information to report to Your Highness."
"Tell me! What important information?"
"Your Highness, the rebels from all over Dongyang County are gathering towards Jinhua County. I have received news that they may be moving to Yongjia County."
Xiao Xia's expression changed slightly, and he quickly asked, "Has the assembly been completed?"
"We have just started to gather, and it will take some time."
Xiao Xia nodded, "This information is very important. Thank you for your hard work!"
Xiao Xia asked the soldiers to take the intelligence agency spy to rest. He came to the commander's tent and stood in front of the map to look carefully. There were mountains to the south of Kuaiji County, but there was a valley road running southeast for about 40 to 50 miles. Through the valley road, you can reach Puyang River, and then go south along the Puyang River valley to Dongyang County. Xiao Xia sent someone to find Wang Kuang, the intelligence agency spy who had just reported the news, and pointed to the map and asked him: "Did you take this valley road from Puyang River?"
Wang Kuang nodded and said, "This is the only road from Kuaiji County to Dongyang County."
"How's the road? Can we go on horseback?"
"Of course, I can come here on horseback from Jinhua County. The road is in good condition and there are villages along the way."
"How long did it take to get here from Jinhua County?"
"Your Highness, I left in a hurry and arrived in just three days."
"What's the situation in Jinhua County? Is there food there?" Xiao Xia asked again.
"If Your Highness can successfully capture the county, there will be a large amount of grain in the county, which will be the tax revenue of Dongyang County."
Xiao Xia immediately made a decision and ordered: "Order the entire army to assemble!"
An hour later, Xiao Xia personally led 10,000 infantry and cavalry troops south to Dongyang County and raided 20,000 Shanyue rebels who were preparing to move to Yongjia County.
Xiao Xia also ordered Pei Xingyan to lead 3,000 cavalry as the vanguard and march south to capture Jinhua County. They only brought ten days of dry food, and capturing Jinhua County was extremely critical for them.
That evening, the 3,000 cavalrymen led by Pei Xingyan arrived at Zhuji County first. Three miles away from the county seat, a soldier came to report, "There is an old man blocking the road ahead, saying he has something important to report!"
"Bring him up!"
Soon, the soldiers brought up an old man in his sixties. Pei Xingyan asked, "What do you want to see me for?"
The old man clasped his fists and said, "I am the head of Anping Township. My surname is Qi. I want to tell you something. This afternoon, the tyrant Liang Zunyi and his sons from Zhuji County retreated south with their families and three hundred men."
"This Liang Zunyi also participated in the rebellion?"
"That's right. He is Lan Zhaotian's brother-in-law. He forced more than 3,000 young and strong people to join the rebellion. Now he wants to escape for his life!"
Pei Xingyan was a little puzzled. Lan Zhaotian's entire army was wiped out several days ago. Why did Liang Zunyi escape now?
"Father, the news of Lan Zhaotian's defeat has only just reached here?"
The old man nodded and said, "The news here is relatively closed. We only learned about the defeat of the rebels today, and I guess the Liang family only found out yesterday."
Pei Xingyan was more cautious and sent people to inquire near the city gate. Sure enough, he got the news that the Liang father and son had indeed fled south out of the city in the afternoon.
Once the news was confirmed, Pei Xingyan immediately ordered a pursuit.
Three thousand cavalrymen quickened their pace and chased southward. At three o'clock in the morning, they received news from the front that they had caught up with the Liang family's troops and surrounded them.
Pei Xingyan urged his horse to go forward, and soon he saw hundreds of carts parked on the side of the road, and thousands of cavalrymen surrounded the team.
Three hundred warriors knelt on the ground with their hands above their heads, so all their swords were confiscated. More than twenty people from the Liang family were escorted out from three carriages. Leading the group was a middle-aged man, Liang Zunyi, a powerful man from Zhuji County. Behind him followed his three sons. Liang Zunyi looked as pale as death, and he knew he was finished.
The Liang family was a notorious bully in Zhuji County. They bullied the common people and bullied men and women. Thirty percent of the county's fertile land was occupied by the Liang family, and all profitable industries were monopolized by them. They had been rampant in the village for more than ten years.
In fact, Liang Zunyi knew about Lan Zhaotian's defeat the day before yesterday. If they had escaped in time, they would still have made it. The key was that they were too greedy. They wanted to sell all the land and shops and run away with the money, but they were unwilling to sell them at a low price. It dragged on until this morning, and they had not sold a single piece of land and no one was willing to take over the shop. They had no choice but to take all the money they could take and fled in a hurry in the afternoon, where they were immediately reported.
Pei Xingyan looked at the more than 300 warriors in black uniforms and hundreds of carts, and a bold plan popped into his mind.
(End of this chapter)