Chapter 651 Xishi

Chapter 651 Xishi

Chapter 651 Xishi
Jing Cheng gathered his soldiers and stood ready, watching the imperial guards passing by below.

He had about 200 men, all of whom were guards of Ximing Gate. In addition to the strong men selected from the refugees, there were also quite a few former Wang family (Wang Guojiu) soldiers, all of whom had fought for several years in Henan, Heyang, Hanoi, and Hebei. But the imperial guards who saw them leaving the city were still very nervous, because this group of people had just caused trouble, although it was quickly suppressed.

Jing Cheng was already the gatekeeper of Ximing Gate. He was transferred from the position of deputy commander of the Yicong Army and was in charge of one of the city gates that Liang Gong liked to enter and exit the most. Taiwei Wang Yan also liked to enter and exit from this gate, because Jingu Garden was already the Wang family's property and he would go there to live from time to time.

Today, when he heard that a part of the imperial guards were going to Xin'an to gather, he treated it as if he was facing a great enemy. He only left a dozen or so people at the foot of the city to manage the city gates, and the rest of the soldiers all went up to the city walls with bows and crossbows ready to prevent any surprise attack.

But everything seems to be fine so far.

Thousands of people, dejected, passed through the city gate one after another.

Jing Cheng watched silently without relaxing his vigilance at all.

Huang Biao, the commander of the three divisions of the Left Guard, slowly appeared in sight.

He was riding a tall horse, and as if he had sensed something, he saw Jing Cheng on the city wall and nodded in greeting.

Jing Cheng nodded in response.

After General Chen Jing of the Left Guard was transferred to Bianliang and served as the Weiwei, the Three Commanders Xu Lang was promoted to General of the Left Guard. Huang Biao, the Sima of the Vanguard Battalion, was a brave warrior and an old man from the Liang Gong Yamen Army era, so it was natural for him to take over the Three Commanders, in charge of the Vanguard, Strong Crossbow, and Youji Battalions, and control the most elite armed forces of the Left Guard.

In the Battle of Xin'an last year, the troops suffered heavy casualties. When Xin'an City was finally captured, only a little over 10,000 imperial guards were left.

After a year-long rest, the imperial army slowly recovered to more than 21,000 troops.

Most of the reinforcements came from refugees or forcibly conscripted men from the fortresses. They had weak will and low combat capability. Although they had been reorganized for more than half a year, no one could guarantee how they would perform.

Perhaps, no one expected how they would fight.

Last year's attack on Xin'an was purely to eliminate the threat to Luoyang's flank, which was a task that had to be completed. But what about this year?
It seemed that nothing had to be taken. It was purely to contain Wang Mi and prevent him from causing any trouble in the west. It would be great if we could break through Wang Mi's town and military camp, but if we couldn't take it, it would be good to contain the enemy, it was that simple.

Jing Cheng silently watched the imperial guards going away, as if he had foreseen their fate.

He looked further away.

In the wilderness, the remaining fortresses in the Heluo area provided men and grain, followed the imperial army, and embarked on the journey westward.

From Xin'an to the west, the mountains are continuous and extremely rugged.

Many cities are built in a mediocre way, but when combined with the terrain, they are very difficult to attack. Even if you don't build a city, just use the terrain to cut trees to build fences, it is very troublesome.

These young men who were conscripted were destined to be consumed. Their flesh and blood were used to make up for the disadvantages of the attacking side in terms of terrain.

There is nothing more cruel than retreating in big strides and throwing the land to the enemy, and now having to take it back bit by bit.

The soldiers finally passed through, and Jing Cheng went down from the city wall, ready to allow the people who had been waiting for a long time to enter and exit by car.

"Quick! Close the city gate!" A rider came galloping from a distance and shouted.

Jing Cheng was startled and looked carefully. It turned out to be a junior officer under the command of Pei Kuo, the lieutenant general of the Northern Army, who had come to deliver orders many times.

Without hesitation, he immediately ordered the city gates to be closed.

The soldiers waved their scabbards and drove away the civilian carriages and horses that were preparing to enter or leave, then pulled the capstan, first raising the drawbridge and then closing the heavy iron-clad wooden door.

A few more riders came galloping over from a distance.

Jing Cheng held the lieutenant and asked in a low voice, "What are you so scared about?"

The lieutenant looked at the several riders rushing over here, then turned his head and whispered in Jing Cheng's ear: "The emperor was in Kaiyang Tower to see off the soldiers of the central army who were leaving the city. When they were returning to the palace, someone led his servants to attack the guards, causing chaos and the emperor was nowhere to be found."

Jing Cheng was so shocked that his eyes almost popped out of his head. Is this possible?

If the emperor died, could Lord Liang explain it clearly? I am afraid that everyone would think that those so-called wealthy family slaves were sent by Lord Liang to put the emperor to death.

This is a big deal.

The new riders had already approached, and after dismounting, they said, "It's all right. But the city gates cannot be opened. Commander Wang must search the entire city to catch the assassin."

Jing Cheng stood there in a daze.

The lieutenant was also a little surprised. He walked over and asked in a low voice. After a long while, he nodded and walked to Jing Cheng again, whispering, "After the Central Army's Western Expedition, the city was empty. There were vagrants looting in Tongtuo Street in broad daylight. The emperor encountered the thieves and fled in panic. Later, he was found by the guards and escorted into the palace."

After that, he sighed and said, "Actually, this is a good thing. If the emperor really leaves the city, I'm afraid he will starve to death on the road, or be captured and taken to a manor as a slave."

Jing Cheng shook his head and laughed.

The current emperor has been confused for many years.

After escaping Luoyang, where can you go? To put it bluntly, Luoyang is the safest place right now.

If you go to Jiangdong, even if you are lucky on the way and are not robbed or captured, you will probably be killed by a group of bandits of unknown origin when you arrive in Huainan, still far away from Jianye.

I really don’t know what to say!
But the emperor couldn't figure out what they could figure out. Or even if he knew, he subconsciously didn't want to think so, and lied to himself.

I just don't know who helped the emperor this time, I guess he's going to be in big trouble. He was so loyal to the emperor that he even lost his life.

The messenger left quickly.

Jing Cheng did not dare to slack off. He ordered people to bring in barricades and baggage vehicles and built barricades inside Ximing Gate.

******
Wang Mi left Shan County early in the morning and headed east with more than a thousand cavalrymen, arriving at Xishi Fort.

This city was originally a fortress of the Pei family in Hedong and was built over a period of more than ten years.

After Wang Mi took control of Hongnong, Pei sent people to negotiate surrender. Over the years, he had been working hard, providing men and food, and repeatedly fighting against the Jin army led by Shao Xun.

Several fort leaders from the Pei and Liu families were skilled in archery and horsemanship, and were brave and good at fighting. They once beat Pei Kuo, the then General of the Left Guard, into a state of disgrace, which made Wang Mi very satisfied. In the end, he gave up the idea of ​​dealing with Xishi Fort - not only because the children of the Pei family were good at fighting, but also because the Pei family was powerful and had the same blood as the Liu and Xue families. The Pingyang court also had to treat them with courtesy, so it was really difficult to take action. "See Duke Qi." A group of officers and soldiers came out of the fort to greet them.

Wang Mi waved his hand and went straight into the castle.

There were almost no civilians in Xishi Fort. It was full of soldiers, most of whom were brought by Wang Mi.

After sitting down in the main hall, he stretched out his hand and the general handed him a manifesto.

Wang Mi glanced at it and found nothing surprising. He was only a little surprised when he saw the last part: "Divine Turtle?"

"The Jin Emperor issued an edict to change the era name, making this year the first year of Shengui (317), but I don't know why," the general replied.

"He's scared to death." Wang Mi thought for a moment and sneered, "He's afraid Shao Xun will kill him."

Everyone looked at each other and agreed.

"Even though the tortoise is long-lived, it must live in peace." Wang Mi snorted coldly, "Shao Xun is so cruel and ruthless. If I were him, I would be worried about my own future."

In fact, many people think that Shao Xun is quite kind and generous, but Wang Mi unexpectedly describes him as cruel and ruthless. It can only be said that he probably has a psychological trauma.

"Did the Shao bandit come with the Jin army's westward expedition this time?" Wang Mi looked at his general and asked.

"Shao Ze is not here yet. I heard that Pei Kuo is still the head coach."

Wang Mi controlled his expression, not wanting anyone to see that he was relieved.

"It doesn't matter whether you come or not." He sneered and his mood became better.

However, he soon thought of something and felt a little upset.

The 500,000 hu of grain promised by the Grand Minister of Agriculture Zhu Dan has not been delivered yet - Zhu Dan was a former general of the Jin Dynasty's imperial guards. Many years ago, he was forced by Sima Yue to betray Jin and return to Han. Later, he led his troops to attack Jin and is now the Grand Minister of Agriculture.

When Wang Mi thought about the food problem, he became a little irritated. The war was about to start, how could he organize the troops without enough food and grass?
Or maybe they could harvest winter wheat in May and survive. But the problem was that this was their own grain, not the court's, and they felt bad about using it.

Nowadays, who doesn’t think about themselves?
At this moment, a confidant outside the door poked his head in and signaled with his eyes.

Wang Mi said to the generals, "First, discuss how to deal with the Jin bandits. I will come later."

After saying that, he left the main hall.

The confidant whispered, "Mr. Mingshen, an envoy from Luoyang has arrived at Baichao City."

"Who is it?" Wang Mi subconsciously lowered his voice and asked.

"A relative of Jin Situ Liu Tun." said the confidant.

Wang Mi was shocked.

Liu Tun was from Donglai, and he was also from Donglai. They had come into contact many years ago, so they were old acquaintances.

This was not the first time Liu Tun tried to persuade him to surrender, but he had always refused before. There was no other reason. His younger brother Wang Sang was killed, and several old Yuan Cong members were either captured or killed. The hatred was too deep.

Furthermore, Wang Mi himself was unwilling to surrender to Shao Xun.

The word "get lost" from that year is still deeply embedded in his mind, and he still feels resentful and ashamed.

"Send the gift back." Wang Mi immediately gave the order.

"Yes, sir." The confidant turned and left.

Wang Mi raised his head and looked at the distant sky, his mind wandering.

The big man's condition was actually not very good, he felt it.

The two-year battle for Hebei ended in failure, which dealt a heavy blow to morale.

This year, Hebei is still fighting, and it seems that the war is not over. But Wang Mi knows that it is just that the court is unwilling to give up and sent light cavalry to plunder. It may cause confusion in Hebei, but it is difficult to reverse the situation.

The Pingyang court now felt a deep crisis.

But what are they doing in this crisis?
Building fortresses in various places in the Taihang Mountains and storing up supplies was a move from offense to defense.

Momentum is something very mysterious, but it is real.

It exists in everyone's heart, affecting everyone's morale, and then subtly influencing everyone's choices.

The big man's momentum is not right.

Wang Mi was very sad.

But I have chosen my own path, and it is useless to regret it today.

He sighed and went back to attend the military meeting.

While Wang Mi was issuing orders at Xishi Fort, Shao Xun issued the second order: Xi Jian, a Zhonglang of Longxiang, was appointed as the governor of the northern route, leading 6,000 soldiers from Dongping and Gaoping counties, as well as soldiers from Qinghe, Pingyuan, Bohai, Yangping, Leling and Jibei counties, and the Xianbei tribes, to march along the Yellow River, and as soon as the troops, food and grass were ready, they would attack Jinan directly.

After the second order was issued, the third one followed: Yang Chen, the right Sima of the General's Office, led the troops from the five counties of Taishan, Lu, Dongping, Gaoping and Jiyin, as well as the Silver Spear Camp, waiting for an opportunity to enter the Laiwu Valley.

On the seventh day of March, the fourth order was issued: Jin Zheng was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the southern route, leading the Silver Spear Right Camp and the troops from Donghai, Langya, Dongguan, Lanling and other counties to attack Daxian Mountain in the north.

Although it was said that there were three routes of troops, in fact they were attacking from four directions, namely, from Daxian Mountain in the south, Laiwu Valley in the southwest, the south bank of the Yellow River in the west, and the north bank of the Yellow River in the north. The goal was to kill Cao Qi in one blow and completely disintegrate Cao Qi's rule in Qingzhou.

(End of this chapter)