Chapter 723 Congge's Concerns

Chapter 723 Congge's Concerns

Chapter 723 Congge's Concerns

There was rain and fog between the sky and the earth.

The turbid river water rushed down with an unstoppable force, rushing towards the distance, making a loud rumbling sound.

Facing the might of nature, human beings seem so powerless.

Liu Cong stood on the hillside, gazing at the mountains and rivers quietly, without saying a word for a long time.

In fact, the heavy rain first started in Guanzhong and gradually spread to both sides of the Yellow River.

By this time, the rain in Guanzhong is gradually decreasing, but both sides of the Yellow River are experiencing large-scale, high-intensity rainfall, which is gradually affecting the entire Bingzhou and even Hebei.

Such weather is extremely precious to the Han people.

From a military perspective, they had suffered defeat after defeat and it was becoming difficult for them to stop the fierce offensive launched by Shao the bandit.

But they can't stop it, but God can.

With such continuous rainfall, the Jin army's supplies will become intermittent, and the soldiers may only be able to eat two meals a day, instead of three meals like when they go out to fight.

In fact, if the rain was heavier and lasted longer, it would have washed away more roads, made the mountain trails more slippery or even blocked them altogether, and it would have been even less likely for the Jin army to launch an offensive.

Moreover, such humid weather will increase the number of people getting sick in the army, further weakening their combat effectiveness.

For the big man, this is a rare opportunity to catch his breath.

This place is called Shilou Mountain, located at the junction of Xihe and Pingyang counties, and belongs to Lishi County of Xihe County. Lishi is the place where Liu Yuan made his fortune and the core territory of the Xiongnu.

Shilou is part of the Luliang Mountains.

At the beginning, "Lüliang" only referred to a mountain beside the Yellow River in Fengyi County, Hexi, called "Liangshan". At some point, "Liangshan" became "Lüliang Mountain", and then at some point, Lüliang became the general name for the mountains running from north to south along the He and Fen Rivers. However, people are still used to calling a single mountain, such as Shilou Mountain (located in today's Shilou County).

There are many pastures in the Shilou Mountain area, where various Xiongnu tribes live, and even other mixed Hu people who migrated here.

These Hu people were the main force behind Liu Yuan's uprising.

When Tuoba invaded, they were also the main force of resistance.

Now, after several years of westward migration, the population has been greatly reduced, but some people still remain.

Historically, after the fall of Liu Han and Former Zhao, these Hu people still lived here, and after migrations by successive rulers, a large amount of intermarriage occurred, making it difficult to distinguish their original ethnic groups.

During the Northern Wei Dynasty, people were simply divided by region, such as "Fenhu".

Fenhu is a large category, which is further divided into "Lishihu", "Shiloushanhu" and so on.

The Shiloushan Hu were one of the cornerstones of the Liu Han Dynasty. Their predecessors were the authentic Tuge Xiongnu. After the demise of Liu Han and Former Zhao, they mixed with the Lushui Hu, Tiele Xiongnu, and even the Di Qiang and Han people. They were all slaughtered during the Northern Qi Dynasty - "all men over the age of twelve were beheaded, and all women and the young were treated as soldiers."

Of course, in the third year of Shengui, the Xiongnu of Shilou Mountain were not homeless stray dogs. They were members of the Liu Han clan and one of the tribes that Liu Cong could trust.

So he came to inspect it in person.

"It's a pity that Mr. Chen has passed away. There is no one to give me honest advice." After looking for a long time, Liu Cong looked melancholy.

The generals who accompanied the emperor looked at each other in bewilderment.

Chen Yuanda has died of illness.

When he was alive, he would always give advice whenever he saw something he didn't like, which made the emperor very unhappy and he almost died and his family was wiped out more than once.

However, Chen Yuanda continued to offer loyal advice and remonstrances, and even until his death, he still submitted a memorial to the emperor, planning a plan to prolong the country's prosperity.

Liu Cong noticed the expressions of his ministers, sighed, looked at his cousin Liu Chang, who had recently been promoted to Duke of Xihe, and said, "Xihe is now in your hands. Guard this place for me."

"I obey your order." Liu Chang replied calmly.

"Do you have any strategy?" Liu Cong couldn't help asking when he saw that he looked neither sad nor happy.

Liu Chang took a deep breath and said, "Mainly guard the cold spring water, and secondly guard the Lishi."

Liu Cong frowned and thought for a long time, finally nodded and said: "Qiao Zhong and Liu Yasheng are still in Taiyuan, and they are also under your command."

Liu Yasheng fled westward with 5,000 people and entered the mountains west of Taiyuan. He received help from the Xiongnu tribe and recovered.

Liu Ling led his army to pursue and defeat them.

Liu Yasheng continued to flee westwards, and later received reinforcements from Qiao Zhong, who defeated Liu Ling and finally stabilized his position.

"Do you have enough soldiers?" Without waiting for Liu Chang to answer, Liu Cong continued, "I will transfer another 4,000 soldiers from Beiqu to you. They are all elite soldiers of the imperial army. They just went to Fengyi to suppress the rebellion and returned with a great victory."

When Liu Chang heard this, he felt relieved and said immediately: "With this magical weapon, I will definitely not let Shao the thief cross the Xihe River."

The Han imperial army originally had 32,000 infantry and cavalry, with strong combat power.

Of course, these people cannot be considered fully professional. It can only be said that some of them are conscripts and the others are semi-professional. However, their equipment is indeed good. Over the years, they have been working hard to plunder and produce various armors and equipment to supply them.

He practiced regularly and was rewarded by the emperor from time to time, so his loyalty was considered quite high.

Among these 32,000 imperial guards, more than 5,000 have been lost one after another, and some of them have moved their families to Guanzhong. Now, there are only more than 10,000 people left in Pingyang.

Liu Cong gave them 4,000 in one go, which was really generous. After returning from suppressing the rebellion, they camped at Liangru Mountain in Beiqu County. The mountain has two peaks, which look like milk, hence the name.

"I feel relieved when Lord Xihe said that." Liu Cong forced a smile, coughing continuously, and his face was pale.

Of course he knew that the current situation was actually very dangerous.

The ideal situation would be for Shao Ze to give them a year to rectify their minds, boost morale, and slowly reverse the crisis.

During the great defeat, people's hearts were in turmoil, and they could only exert 30% of their full combat power. But after the reorganization, even if they could not restore their heyday, it would not be difficult to have 70% to 80% of their combat power, which was a great improvement.

What they fear most is that Shao Ze will not give them time.

Fortunately, it is raining heavily now, which has slowed down the pace of the Jin army. This is a godsend.

"The good horses in the ranch at the foot of Shilou Mountain are also at your disposal." Liu Cong thought for a moment and added.

The ranch is fifty miles northwest of Shilou Mountain. It was opened by the imperial court and is located on the banks of Longquan River.

The Han people thought it was impossible to farm in the Luliang Mountain area, but in the eyes of the Xiongnu, it was a very good pasture. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties and the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Longquan water produced famous horses.

"Yes." Liu Chang looked at the emperor in surprise and responded in a deep voice.

He didn't say much today, but the emperor kept talking, one sentence after another, which gave him a very disrespectful thought: the emperor was really afraid of the thief Shao.

Liu Cong didn't care about Liu Chang's thoughts, he just silently calculated it in his heart.

There are only two roads from Jinyang to Pingyang.

One is to go through Guanjuejin (Queshu Valley), which is the shortest but also the most dangerous route.

The second option is to first travel west to Xiurong City and then go south to Xihe.

The name of Xiurong (now south of Lan County) comes from the former emperor (Liu Yuan). Because it was born with the help of gods and has a beautiful appearance, it was named after it. Now it is the residence of Qiao Zhong.

Historically, during the Later Zhao Dynasty, the Xiurong Guard was stationed here.

During the Northern Wei Dynasty, Xiurong City was established in the north, so it was called Bei Xiurong and Nan Xiurong - Bei Xiurong was the original pasture of the Erzhu clan, and later they moved south to Nan Xiurong.

Liu Cong thought about it again and again and became more and more annoyed.

What if the Shao bandits attack Xiurong City regardless of casualties?
It is impossible to deploy troops to Lengquanshui, and it is difficult to get to Guanjuejin, so it is easy to defend. However, the terrain of Xiurong City is not that dangerous. It is located in the river valley and is not difficult to attack.

Can Qiao Zhong defend Xiurong City?

After Liu Yasheng's recent defeat, could he hold on to the old city of Fenyang (today's Jingle County)?
If these two places were not defended, the Jin army could march southward in large numbers, directly reaching Chihong Ridge (today's north of Fangshan County) and Chihongshui (today's south of Fangshan County, Beichuan River, also called Lishishui), not far from the old capital Zuoguo City.

Once you pass Zuoguo City and Lishi, you will be not far from Pingyang County.

From this perspective, this is truly a critical moment for survival.

"Your Majesty..." Liu Chang called softly.

Liu Cong came back to his senses. He knew that he had lost his composure, which was not good.

Even if one is really anxious, one cannot show it, as that will only make the ministers and generals worried, which is not conducive to boosting morale.

He smiled and said, "Now that things have come to this, we must unite as one. There are many Chinese people in Xihe and Taiyuan, and they will not surrender to Shao easily. We still have a fight to make."

"Hongnong is in a difficult and dangerous terrain, but we can still hold on."

"At Lantian Pass, the Crown Prince has just defeated the offensive of the Shao army. They have come from a long way, so it is not easy to get supplies. They are stationed at the foot of a strong city, unable to make any progress. Over time, they will surely be defeated."

"This battle - can still be fought, there is still a chance of victory."

At the end of his speech, Liu Cong seemed to have convinced himself, and his mood actually improved a little. He laughed and said, "Shao the thief won by chance, and was about to chase him to the north, but the heavy rain extinguished his offensive. Isn't this God's help?"

When everyone heard this, they actually found that there was some truth in what he said.

It’s hard to explain these mysterious things, but sometimes they determine a lot of things.

If Shao attacks again at this time, it would be against the will of heaven and he will not have a good ending.

"I'm in Pingyang, I'm not going anywhere!" Liu Cong's face flushed like a sickly red, and he said in a loud voice: "If the Shao thief really comes to kill me, I will climb the city wall and fight him. I will only die, so why should I be afraid?"

"Your Majesty is mighty." The ministers praised in unison.

Liu Cong looked at the endless mountains and hills again, and felt a little relieved.

Mountains are a constraint, but also a barrier.

The Han imperial army could defeat even the Tuoba Xianbei, so of course they could also defeat Shao's army in these vast mountains.

If the thief Shao was really bold enough to come here to kill, he wouldn't mind leading the army north in person to meet this beast.

It's life or death, it's all about fighting.

(End of this chapter)