Chapter 776 Palace Discussion
Chapter 776 Palace Discussion
A heavy rain before the wheat harvest in May cast a gloomy mood on Pingyang.
Of course, this is just an inducement. What makes these bigwigs more worried is the war situation in Bingzhou.
Jinyang is an isolated city and is in danger.
According to the latest news, the Qingzhou soldiers in the city were clamoring to go home, but Liu Ling hacked dozens of them to death and barely managed to calm them down.
If three thousand infantrymen abandon Jinyang and flee eastward with total loss of morale, can they survive?
Liu Ling was still able to keep the situation under control.
He also conscripted all the men in the city and blocked the city gates.
Healthy women and children carry food, water and supplies.
Everyone had to go into battle, and only then was the city barely saved.
Of course, this was also related to the fact that the Xianbei infantry had not yet arrived. Most of the soldiers who had come were cavalrymen, who were not good at attacking cities, which led to this.
The longer we delay, the more disadvantageous it will be. Apart from other things, are there enough food and grass?
On the fifth day of May, just as Shao Xun left Tianchi and headed south but had not yet reached Jingle, three post horses arrived within half a day, bringing urgent military intelligence.
Princess Yu Wenjun urgently summoned more than ten assistants including the Right Sima Yang Chen of the Shogunate and several officials from the Liang State to the Guangji Hall to discuss the matter.
"If the king had listened to my advice, it wouldn't have come to this." Shao Shen, the governor of the shogunate and the commander of the Zhongwu Army, who had hurried from Hongnong, said angrily, "Why do we need to pacify them ourselves? Just bring those leaders to Pingyang and kill them with a single blow. I don't think they dare to rebel. If they do, I will personally lead the troops to fight them."
Yu Liang glanced at him.
After losing contact with her brother-in-law, her sister immediately summoned General Shao Shen to Pingyang, intending to have him bring the main force of the Zhongwu Army over.
He felt jealous because he trusted the royal family but not his natal family.
Taiwei Wang Yan automatically ignored Shao Shen's words, stood up and bowed, saying: "Don't worry, princess. Your Majesty has been raising troops for more than ten years, and has only suffered a few minor setbacks, but has won all the major battles. Although I don't know much about military affairs, I know that Your Majesty is experienced in using troops. According to the previous military report, Your Majesty defeated the enemy in Lan Valley and beheaded countless (six hundred). The morale of the army should be fine. Perhaps it is because the mountains of Kelan are continuous, the tribes are in turmoil, and the post roads are blocked, so the news cannot be transmitted."
Having said that, he still sighed, with some resentment in his heart.
King Liang is a military man, that's right, he is too impatient.
Are the tribes in the north of Kelan in a hurry to pacify them now? In other words, why are they in a hurry to take action against Dai?
He was not a fool. When he saw King Liang's intention to lead his army north to pacify the people, he knew that he would attack Dai within three years at the latest.
"What does the commander think we should do?" Yu Wenjun sat on Liu Cong's imperial carriage, feeling a little at a loss.
Normally, on New Year's Day, her husband would hold her hand, and the two would sit side by side on the imperial chariot to receive the congratulations of the officials. But now she was sitting here alone, feeling empty and uncomfortable.
"My princess, there is no food now." Wang Yan frowned and thought for a while, then sighed, "The little food we have is mostly taken away by the king. If we can delay for half a month, the summer grain will be stored in the warehouse, and I can raise some."
Yu Wenjun opened her eyes wide.
She actually doesn't have a bad temper and is a very gentle person, but at this moment she couldn't help but get angry.
"What are you talking about, Taiwei?" Yu Liang raised his voice, his dark face showing veins, and he didn't even give Wang Yan face, and angrily said, "I don't believe there is no food at all."
After saying that, he looked at Danong Yinxian.
Yin Xian immediately replied: "We can still gather together the military supplies for less than 10,000 people."
Yu Wenjun's eyes lit up, and she immediately said, "The left camp of the Black Shield is stationed in Hedong. General Hou is a disciple of the king and has always been trusted by him. Perhaps we can order him to lead the troops north?"
"There are still 3,000 cavalrymen of the Yicong Army in Hedong," Yu Liang reminded.
"Then..." Yu Wenjun was about to speak, but saw the right Sima of the shogunate cough.
Lao Yang didn't want to speak so early, but seeing that Yu Liang and Yu Wenjun were about to give blind orders, he couldn't help but cough and remind them - theoretically, the princess can give the final order and has higher authority than them.
"Please be patient, my princess." Yang Chen stood up and bowed, saying, "Although I heard that the Xiongnu troops are stationed in An and intend to go north, there are still many soldiers in the three cities of Pujin Pass, so we must be on guard. If Heilong and Yicong's 9,000 infantry and cavalry are transferred away, Hedong will be in danger. If Hedong is not protected, Pingyang will be in danger. My princess, be careful."
After saying this, he paused and said, "The soldiers from the several prefectures in Pingyang City cannot be moved lightly. If they are moved, the people will be in chaos. The situation in the north is not serious, so don't lose your composure."
Yu Wenjun's head was buzzing, and she subconsciously looked at her brother Yu Liang.
At the same time, she was a little annoyed. Why did everyone stop her from saving her husband? She didn't want anything, she didn't want anything, she just wanted to quickly dispatch troops to the north to rescue Kelan and Jinyang.
Yu Liang was silent at this time, because what Yang Chen said made sense.
"This won't do, and that won't do!" Shao Shen slammed the table, not caring about other people's expressions, and said directly: "Aunt, this is a family matter. I will lead the Zhongwu Army north, and Pingyang will prepare the food and military supplies."
"General Huwei, don't raise troops out of anger." Wang Yan glanced at him and said, "There are still many bandits in Tongguan. Once the Zhongwu Army leaves, who will defend Hongnong?"
"Wang Yifu, what the hell are you thinking?" Shao Shen was angry and said, "Let Pei Kuo come to Hongnong."
Wang Yan was so embarrassed by his scolding.
God have mercy on me. Among so many people, if there is one person who is most reluctant to see King Liang get into trouble, it must be him.
The Yang family had well-trained soldiers and sufficient food supplies. They had long commanded the troops of Yandong, Yudong and even some counties in Qingxu. They had a high appeal and many of them served as generals in the army.
After all, the Pei family has 20,000 imperial guards.
There were many Yingchuan nobles serving in the army. As for Wang of Langya, he was lame and had very limited influence in the army. If something really happened to the King of Liang, the Wang family might be the first to be eliminated. What reason did he have not to save the King of Liang?
It's really infuriating.
Seeing that the atmosphere was not harmonious, Zuo Changshi Pei Shao immediately stood up and said, "Princess, the Heilongjiang, Yicong, and Zhongwu armies as a whole cannot be moved lightly, but some of the battalions can be transferred, supplemented by the fortress troops and the elite tribes, and a good general can be selected to lead them to march north as soon as possible."
This is a compromise, and it is actually quite feasible.
Seeing that the others did not object, Pei Shao said, "Dong Wu of Hedong heard that the war situation in the north was tense, so he volunteered to lead 3,000 'blind men' to the north to fight for King Liang."
"Is this guy really blind?" Yu Liang was stunned.
Pei Shao stroked his beard and smiled, saying: "General Cai has been in Bianliang for a long time and doesn't know what's happening in Hedong. The people in the county call the people of Ba 'Xia Ba', which is to praise their bravery and fearlessness when facing the enemy, but they are not really blind."
In fact, he was just stunned. When he saw the enemy's sharp blade and arrows, he didn't know how to dodge and just rushed forward like a blind man.
During the Northern Wei Dynasty, the Ba people were even proud of this. Dong Shao wrote to the emperor: "I will send out 3,000 blind Ba people to kill the Shu people alive."
When Yu Liang heard that the Ba people were so brave, he was overjoyed and said, "Then let Dong Wu go quickly."
Pei Shao nodded with a smile and continued, "The Xue family of Fenyin is known for their loyalty and bravery. They have more than a thousand members and have trained more than ten thousand elite soldiers. We can also mobilize three thousand brave men to go north together."
The two old officials, Wang Yan and Yang Chen, looked at each other, knew that this matter was reliable, and nodded slightly.
However, after all, on the Pei family's territory, the situation was controlled by the Pei family, which made people more or less unhappy.
When Yu Wenjun heard Pei Shao say this, her heart sank again. She looked at Pei Shao, then at Yu Liang and Shao Shen, and seemed to be hesitant to speak.
"Princess." Yang Chen thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps you can mobilize 1,000 Yicong cavalry, 2,400 Heiliang left camp infantry, 3,000 Ba people, and 3,000 Xue's troops, a total of 9,400 people, from Lishi to the north to reinforce Xiurong and Loufan. Shangdang Liu is not far from Jinyang, so you should ask them to mobilize several thousand strong cavalry from the tribe and 2,000 cavalry from Luoyan Army heading north from Bianliang, and go straight to Jinyang to stabilize the overall situation. If they say that there is not enough food and grass, Princess, you can ask Liu Runzhong to kill sheep for military supplies, and the court can compensate him with gold and silk. If you don't want gold and silk, you can compensate him with some summer wheat in a few months."
Shao Shen rarely spoke out his objection.
Yu Liang also breathed a sigh of relief.
"For the Shangdang route, Liu Runzhong can be appointed as the commander-in-chief. For the Lishi route -" Yang Chen added: "The front army -"
"Let's appoint General Huwei as the commander-in-chief." Yu Wenjun mustered up her courage, suppressed her cowardice, and blurted out what she wanted.
After saying this, his heart was pounding, as if he had done something extraordinary, and he didn't dare to look at anyone else.
Yu Liang looked at his sister in surprise. This was not her character.
Yang Chen bowed, did not object, and sat back.
No one else objected.
This matter is quite sensitive and any indiscriminate opposition will lead to endless troubles.
"Yes, sir." Shao Shen responded, then looked at the chief clerk Zheng Long and the fifth military official Liu Anzhi.
The two of them stood up at the same time and said, "Since it is the princess' order, we will draft the document to mobilize the troops."
After the general idea was decided, everyone started discussing the details. Everyone contributed something and soon they had finished the discussion.
Zheng Long and Liu Anzhi drafted the troop mobilization document on the spot;
The Minister of Agriculture and the Minister of Revenue dispatched grain and fodder;
Military Commander Wang Yan and Right Commander Yang Chen appointed generals to lead the troops...
After finishing each document, Yu Wenjun would first write her comments in red, then take out the seals of King Liang and the general and stamp them firmly.
The decision to send troops was thus made.
A few days later, troops from all over the country rushed to Pingyang. Shao Shen swore an oath in the north of the city, received some military supplies, and marched north.
At this time, Shao Xun had just arrived in Loufan, defeated Tuoba Hena, and forced him westward.
After leaving 5,000 Yellow-Headed Soldiers to defend the old city of Loufan, on the twelfth day, he led his personal troops, the Silver Spear Army and 5,000 Yellow-Headed Soldiers, totaling more than 12,000 people, to march eastward.
Along the way, they encountered some Xianbei cavalry.
The army slowed down but continued to move eastward.
Three days later, Yi Cong's army returned, bringing with them more than 2,000 light cavalry from various Hu tribes, and the total force increased to 16,000.
On May 18, flames shot up into the sky outside Yangchang Cang. The Xianbei people burned down the mansion, which had long run out of food, and retreated towards Jinyang.
On the 21st, the main force of the army arrived at the west of Jinyang City and set up camp along the Fen River.
Looking at the "Liu" general flag still flying high on the top of the city wall, Shao Xun secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He was really worried that the people of Qingzhou would continue to flee, although the loss of Jinyang would not affect the overall situation, because he did not believe that the Xianbei people would stay to defend the city.
At this time, there was a loud thunder in Bingzhou and the rain gradually increased, lasting for several days.
Thunder Lord help me!
(End of this chapter)