Chapter 1056 West and Middle East

Chapter 1056 West and Middle East

Chapter 1056 West and Middle East

The first battle to break out was not in Jingzhou or Xuzhou, but in Huainan, Yangzhou.

On September 11, General Shan Xia of the Jin Dynasty and Xunyang Zhou Guang led more than a thousand of their own troops by boat into Shaobi, landed on the north bank, and suddenly attacked the gardeners of the Shaofu who were sowing in the autumn, capturing and killing more than a hundred people.

The tenants fled in all directions and only stopped at the camp.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shuo ordered Zu Yue's troops, who had just finished autumn sowing, to go down the Caiji River to reinforce the military farming area.

The vanguard of the Zu tribe, numbering more than 3,000 people, was led by Xu Liu, including nearly 3,000 infantry and about 300 cavalry.

Originally, the Zu tribe had almost no cavalry, but after many soldiers whose families were trapped in Xuzhou got married, a lot of cheap men were added overnight.

This cavalry unit was composed of a group of teenage Hun boys.

To be honest, the weather was not very good.

There is a saying that goes "the autumn rain continues", and the season that is truly suitable for attack has not yet arrived, so Zhang Shuo has not made any moves, and he has not received the general attack order from Nanyang.

But if you don't fight back, someone else will fight back. You have no choice but to fight back.

On September 12, Zhang Shuo convened a military meeting at the prefectural government in Shouchun City.

Those attending the meeting included the commander-in-chief of the Right Camp of Heiliang Zhao Wei, the deputy commander-in-chief Dong Le, the general of Guangwei Zu Yue, the leader of the Ping'a garrison Liang Gong, the leader of the Xiquyang garrison Yang Tao, the Shaofu Cheng Zhou Mo (also the magistrate of Huainan Garden), the commander-in-chief of the Yang family manor Sun Song, and the military supervisor and Shouchun magistrate Yu Ju.

From the personnel composition, it can be seen at a glance that, except for the Heiliang Right Camp, the Shaofu Garden Households and the ancestral soldiers, the rest are basically the armed forces of the wealthy families, a group of miscellaneous soldiers that cannot be more mixed.

Zhang Shuo was displeased at first sight, because he had more experience in leading the Imperial Guards and was accustomed to their high quality and strict discipline. He was troubled by the miscellaneous soldiers who couldn't even maintain the hygiene of the camp.

But this is the situation, and no matter how unwilling I am, I have to take them to fight.

"Now that things have come to this, I won't say much." Zhang Shuo had someone spread out a map on the table and said, "Come here and discuss this together."

Liang Gong, Yang Tao and others stood up instantly as if their legs were equipped with springs and moved forward.

The two chief officers of the Heiliang Right Camp were much more reserved. They stood neither too far nor too close, able to hear and see, but not appearing overly enthusiastic.

Zhou Mo was a scholar and had his own reserve.

Sun Song, Yu Jian and Zu Yue each have their own backgrounds and are not people that Zhang Shuo can easily control.

Therefore, Li Zhong's value is still rising. This guy is used to commanding various miscellaneous troops to fight.

However, Daliang had just been founded and the atmosphere was still good, especially the strict orders in the army. In the end, a group of people leaned close to Zhang Shuo and listened to him carefully.

"Erxishi Mountain has its own navy to defend it, so let's not talk about it for now." Zhang Shuo drew a line on the map and said, "The Wokou camp must not be lost. General Liang, I will not withdraw your troops to the south. You must gather all the strong men and set up a tight defense. Don't forget the autumn sowing, leave it to the elderly, the weak, women and children."

"Yes, sir." Liang Gong agreed immediately with a very good attitude.

"Xiquyang and Huainanyuan are mainly used for garrison and planting. Although the grain has been harvested, the income and expenditure cannot offset each other, so autumn planting is particularly important." Zhang Shuo said, "I think the bandits will definitely go north along the old road and attack Chengde, so don't worry."

Yang Tao and Zhou Mo were a little hesitant, but still agreed.

"General Zu." Zhang Shuo looked at Zu Yue again and said, "Your troops have completed the autumn sowing. You can move the entire army south and station them north of Shaobi and west of Lijiangshui to guard against surprise attacks by bandits and protect the residents in the settlement to complete the autumn sowing."

"As you command." Zu Yue bowed and then asked, "Now that everything is ready, but there is no attempt to attack the south, how can we contain the bandits?"

"Your Majesty has not issued the order yet. It is important to complete the autumn sowing." Zhang Shuo waved his hand and said, "Except for the Heilongjiang Right Camp, all the other troops are both farmers and soldiers. If we don't sow in autumn, what will we do next year? After winter, a group of Hebei garrison troops will go south, and then we can make a big move."

Zu Yue then felt relieved, thinking to himself that Zhang Shuo's nickname "General of Military Farming" was indeed correct, as the only things on his mind were "military farming" and "autumn sowing".

However, this kind of person can persist in Shouchun. If Shan Yanlin doesn't have a trick, it will be difficult to drive him away.

******
On September 15th, a heavy rain came unexpectedly on the north bank of the Huai River, blowing several new chrysanthemums to pieces.

Li Chong climbed to the top of Xia Pi City and looked towards the south with the prefect Miao Kai.

"In the past two years, the Wu people seem to have lost their morale and have not even come to take Xia Pi." Li Zhong looked at the muddy river surrounding Xia Pi and smiled, "When Yu Yuangui was still here, Xia Pi was fiercely fought over several times, and many soldiers were killed or injured."

"Commander-in-chief, is Yu Yuangui still in trouble?" asked Miao Kai.

He and Li Chong are very familiar with each other.

He was born into the Miao family of Lanling, whose family was famous for its literature. He himself was also well-educated, but he was down-to-earth and did not discriminate against people of lower birth. He got along well with Li Chong and was recommended by him to be the prefect of Xia Pi.

Of the 3,000 soldiers guarding Xia Pi now, about half are members of the Miao family's own army, and they have a strong cohesive force.

"I have been away from the central government for a long time, and I am not clear about many things." Li Zhong said, "It has been 27 months, and I don't know if I have been appointed to an official position."

Having said that, I sighed a little.

His mother passed away, but he could not go home to mourn. Although the emperor promoted him, he still felt a little sad.

Moreover, such things would always be criticized. In the long run, it would be detrimental to one's future, especially for an upstart like him with a shallow foundation.

But he was satisfied. Not everyone can be the General of Zhendong. As the first-generation founder of the family, if he can end his career with this position, it would be perfect. The rest will depend on his descendants.

"The autumn rains are continuous and the river water is rising rapidly. Does the governor want to march south?" Miao Kai asked, wiping the rain off his face.

"Don't you know whether we will march south or not?" Li Zhong gave him a dissatisfied look. Miao Kai laughed and said, "Following the Sishui River, the further south we go, the more muddy the land becomes. At the end of the Han Dynasty, Chen Deng occupied Guangling and made it difficult for the Sun family to advance."

"The flag with the word 'Chen' on it was hoisted on the top of Beiling City Wall. Is he a descendant of the Chen Deng clan?" Li Chong asked.

"That's right." Miao Kai said, "They are a native tribe, no longer a county lord. Most of their people live in Huaipu."

"Where are the Chen family troops in Linhuai?" Li Chong asked again.

"He is from the Chen family of Dongyang, a descendant of Grand Marshal Chen Qian." Miao Kai said, "When the Yongjia Rebellion broke out, the Chen family fled back to their hometown from Luoyang and Gaoping. Sima Rui has always relied on them."

"Is it possible to pacify them?" Li Zhong sighed and said, "I have understood Xuzhou over the years. From Xia Pi to the south, to Linhuai, Huailing, and Guangling, whoever attacks will suffer. Even if we have the advantage of the navy, we have to go ashore. It is much easier to defend than to attack."

Miao Kai laughed again and said, "Mingsong's words are very true. During the Three Kingdoms period, most of Guangling was in the hands of Cao Wei, and Sun Wu only got a few dozen miles of land north of the Yangtze River. However, during the Wei and Jin dynasties, no one went south from here. It is true that whoever attacks this place will suffer. As for pacifying it——"

At this point, Miao Kai rolled his eyes and said, "I heard that Jianye Sima Rui has been ill for a long time. If he dies of illness, there may be a good opportunity to pacify him."

"Hmm?" Li Zhong looked at him, quite interested.

"The Wu people still have seven or eight cities in Huaibei, with Beiling and Huaipu being the most important." Miao Kai said, "These Huaibei fortresses have been fighting for many years and are suffering. If the Wu people were strong and went north repeatedly, they might be able to hold on. Now that the Wu people have switched from offense to defense in Xuzhou, it has become increasingly difficult to defend Huaibei. If Sima Rui dies, people's hearts will inevitably be in turmoil, and there may be an opportunity to take advantage of it."

"That makes sense." Li nodded.

"If you lead a large army south and besiege one or two cities, and then persuade them to surrender, you may be able to capture them." Miao Kai said, "In this way, not only will you gain something, but you will also tie down the Wu army and give an explanation to the emperor. It can be said to be a good thing."

After that, he added, "We must not be impatient in Xuzhou. We just need to weaken the Wu army bit by bit. As long as we don't cross the Huai River and go south, Zhuge Daoming may not be willing to fight to the death with you."

"This war ultimately depends on Jingzhou." Li Zhong laughed and said, "Zhang Chuhou and I were just pretending to be friendly with the Wu people."

"Mingsir, I wonder who will be the commander-in-chief of the expedition to Jingzhou?"

Li Zhong stared into the distance and said, "General Zuo Xiaoqiwei and Prince Shen of Julu."

******
On September 20th, the weather in Nanyang finally cleared up.

Lekai rode a white horse and went out of the south gate of Wancheng.

"Greetings to the Governor." Hundreds of officials and officers of all ranks sang in unison from the south gate.

For some reason, Lucky suddenly shuddered.

He had been stationed in Wancheng for many years, commanding the five counties in northern Jing and fighting against the Jin people repeatedly. Although he was powerful, he inevitably attracted criticism from others.

Fortunately, the current emperor is not Xiongchai's ruler and has always trusted the Le family. After many consolations, Le Kai finally felt relieved.

Once a person has been comfortable for too long, it is easy for him to lose sight of himself.

The Ye, Zong, Liu, Fan, and Yu families, which once stood side by side, now all submit to the Le family;
The once unruly Guanxiwu fortress owners now all follow the Le family's lead;

After the emperor stopped serving as the governor of Mianyang North, all matters were decided by the Le family, and all officials, big and small, were selected by the Le family.
After many years of war, many officers were promoted by the Le family;

The Le family's land, houses, and farmhands increased day by day. Yongrao's furnace was kept burning all night, making all kinds of fine tools for the Le family.
There are hundreds of concubines in Lekai's mansion, and the power of officials is unfathomable.

But suddenly, the emperor was about to go on a southern tour, and Lekai actually felt a little scared.

"Alas!" He didn't know why he was sighing. He just subconsciously turned over and dismounted, threw the reins to his personal guard, and said, "The white horse is too eye-catching. Change it."

The guards were stunned at first, and then obeyed orders submissively.

Le Kai stepped forward and looked at the various Hu soldiers camping in the distance. He suddenly remembered an old saying: Pride brings harm, while humility brings benefit.

People really need to be more humble.

The emperor can recruit tens of thousands of Hu soldiers in one breath. Who can match his prestige?
Thinking of this, he called another person and said, "Go, clear out all the people in the Yuyang old house, and temporarily move the Le family members to other manors for settlement."

"Please re-copy the genealogy of the noble families in the counties of Jingzhou. I want to review it carefully."

"The five counties' best men who are going to meet the emperor..." Le Kai hesitated for a long time and said, "All the children of the Le family should be withdrawn, and the list should be rewritten."

"All the troops in the vanguard are transferred to Xinye. No one will be left behind."

"Pick some decent-looking girls from the tribe and send them to Yuyang. The emperor is tired during his southern tour, how can he not have women to comfort him at night?"

"One more reminder. Tao Kan may send troops north to seize the initiative. If you encounter the enemy, do not hold back. Anyone who tries to be cunning will be dismissed immediately."

"Prepare an extra million hu of military rations. If it's not enough, you can borrow some and return it after the summer harvest next year."

Orders were sent out like water, and the personal followers went back and forth, constantly passing on orders.

After seeing the messengers mount their horses and leave, Lucky finally put his snacks down.

"Where has the emperor gone?" he asked.

"We have passed Duyang."

(End of this chapter)