Chapter 1322 Isolated Stronghold
Chapter 1322 Isolated Stronghold
In fact, the main reason why the Peking Camp was able to drive a large number of civilians to the north to repair the post roads and expand the warehouse city was that a war broke out in Liaodong and it continues to this day.
Murong Huang seemed determined to destroy Murong Ren first. Even if he couldn't swallow his power in a short time, he had to eliminate his worries first so that he could concentrate all his efforts on dealing with the next direction.
Strategically, there is nothing wrong with this.
On March 18th, just as Prince of Yan Shao Yu began to tentatively advance northward to drive away the enemy cavalry in order to build a front-line military station, Murong Xianbei's cavalry were struggling to trudge through the hundreds of miles of Liaoze mud.
The team was endless and looked quite messy.
At noon, Murong Khan found a dry high ground and took a short rest.
He has walked this road many times.
Among his brothers, his ability to lead troops in battle was not outstanding, and he was often assigned to transport goods because no one was willing to do such dirty and tiring work.
He once thought that if his third brother could not withstand the pressure from Emperor Liang and had to send an envoy as a hostage, and if he was reluctant to give up the crown prince, he would most likely choose his younger brother.
I don’t know if the envoy who went to the Central Plains has returned. It would be good if he could convince Emperor Liang and avoid a war.
Although Pingzhou has been under construction for twenty years, its foundation was too poor and this amount of time is far from enough.
Murong Khan shook his head helplessly. There was nothing he could do. His brother insisted on fighting, so he could not object, nor did he have the right to object.
Looking around, I saw that almost all the cavalrymen on the long post road had dismounted. Sometimes they moved quickly on the high and swampy ground, sometimes they sank into the mud, and even had to wade through the water.
There were quite a few people who were stuck in the mud and couldn't get out. Some were lucky enough to be rescued, while others were drowned in the mud, leaving only a few bubbles, which was creepy.
He looked at the post road carefully again. It was said that it was built during the Qin Dynasty and was slightly raised during the Western Han Dynasty, but there was still mud and water on both sides of the road.
It was not taken care of much during the Later Han Dynasty, and was about the same during the Cao Wei period, with only occasional repairs until Sima Yi conquered Liao and carried out a thorough renovation. But times have changed, and it is no longer in good condition.
There are many high sandbars in the swamp, with many willow trees and cattails on them.
There were so many reeds that when the wind blew, it almost covered up the sound of the marching troops, making people feel sad, as if they were the only group of people marching alone in the world.
That's horrible!
For some reason, Murong Khan suddenly didn't want to rest anymore. He led his horse and, surrounded by his followers, he set off on the post road again.
"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!" The road was narrow, and the followers shouted loudly, pushing away some young men who were squatting on the side of the road to dry clothes.
Ding Zhuang stumbled and fell naked into the mud, shivering with cold.
The road ahead was cut off, as if the spring thaw had washed away the roadbed. Or perhaps the road had been in disrepair for so many years that it was already at its limit.
Some people were cutting willow branches to pave the road, while others could not wait and simply used the simple wooden boats towed over from land, put them into the water, and crossed to the other side one by one.
The warhorse neighed as it walked in the mud that almost reached the hinterland, as clumsy as an old ox.
The packhorse, loaded with luggage, refused to enter the water and had to be pulled and hauled forward little by little.
"It's still spring..." Murong Khan sighed. He rode on a tall horse and spent a long time to cross the broken road by bypassing the swamp.
Winter and spring are actually relatively easy time periods for traveling in Liaoze.
There are many heavy rains in summer and autumn, and the water level rises sharply, which is even more dangerous. There are also many "dragons and snakes" at all times of the day and night. Pedestrians wrap their chests and abdomens with clothes. No matter how hot it is, people wear heavy clothes and put on more clothes. When they sit, they smoke with wormwood to avoid the dangers. If you don't come to Liaoze, you really can't imagine that there are so many mosquitoes in the world. They can almost suck a person's blood dry.
Of course, the so-called easy travel in winter and spring is relative. What if there is a heavy snowstorm? The thawing of ice and snow in spring can sometimes be quite dangerous.
Murong Khan thought as he walked forward.
When he reached another quagmire, he could not help but look back: the dark shadows of people, cows and horses were intertwined, and from a distance it was impossible to tell which were the people and which were the cows and horses.
It is so difficult to transport supplies to the front line across the Liaoze River.
It's not impossible, but it will cost a huge price.
******
"Are you crazy?" A team of Yellow Head Army soldiers who were collecting seaweed on the beach on the west coast of Lushun County saw this and were speechless.
A lone ship was blown by the strong wind and drifted close to the coast.
The ship's mast was broken and the sails were gone, but it didn't sink. That's really amazing, or maybe it was just good luck.
There is no doubt that this is a so-called liaison ship. That is, when large-scale shipping stops seasonally to avoid bad weather, these ships still dare to go out to sea alone to maintain communication between Qingzhou and Liaodong as much as possible.
As far as they know, more than one liaison ship has sunk from last winter to now, but there are still people who dare to take the risk to go to sea. Should they say that they are out of their mind, or are they blinded by money?
There was a loud shouting from the boat, as if it had run aground. The bottom of the boat seemed to be leaking, and it tilted a little after a while.
The boatmen gave up trying to rescue the cargo and only took the important letters with them. Then they lowered the boat, jumped in one by one, and rowed hard towards the shore.
The soldiers of the Yellow Head Army hurried over to help them ashore.
"Thanks, brother." An older boatman, speaking with a thick Xia Nei (Sanba area) accent, stepped ashore with one foot deep and one foot shallow.
"What's happening in Liaodong?" After turning his head to look at the ship that was slowly sinking, the man sighed heavily and asked.
"Isn't it over there?" A yellow-headed soldier pointed to a hill not far away and said, "More than 2,000 people have just been resettled on the hill. They were brought by the Tong brothers. They are a bunch of stray dogs."
The "Tong brothers" refer to Tong Shou and Tong Li. Tong Shou was from Pingguo and was originally the Sima of Murong Ren. Later, he was transferred to Jicheng as an official. When he followed the army to fight against Murong Ren, he was captured and surrendered.
The two were defeated by Murong Huang's troops in Anshi City last month and fled all the way to Pingguo. When they found that Murong Huang's cavalry was spying and robbing from afar, they dared not stay in Pingguo anymore. They led their clans and tribes all the way south and came to Shijin. They were settled by the naval commander Yang Bao on the mountain near the old city of Daxian County and set up a camp to guard it. The two brothers betrayed Murong Huang and certainly did not dare to surrender to him again. Unless they fled to Goguryeo, they could only come to Lushun to join the Liang people.
"Are the Tong brothers Tu people?" asked the boatman.
"You are such a joke. I have been waiting for a year. I heard that there were only a few people in Pingguo. If Murong Ren hadn't come, it would have been a wasteland." The yellow-headed soldier said, "Let's go. I will take you to see the owner of the building."
The dozen or so people who got off the boat were still in shock and wet. When the cold wind of early spring blew, their lips turned blue. They nodded repeatedly and urged to go to the camp to warm themselves by the fire.
"I heard from the officials that after Sima Yi massacred the Liao, the people of Da County were forced onto ships and taken to the old Fanzong City in Qingzhou, which was made into the new Da County. The people of Wen and Beifeng counties were loaded onto ships and sent to Xi'an and Linzi counties in Qi County. However, there were no natives in the counties south of Liaodong County."
"Sima Yi, this bitch, ah."
"If you are willing to live in Liaodong, then you are also a native."
"You have lived here for a whole winter. How is it? Is it cold?"
"It's about the same as the north of Donglai County. Maybe a little colder, but not that cold."
"It seems that Liaodong County is different. It's not that bitter and cold."
"It's still quite cold without a sweater or fur coat." The soldier of the Yellow Head Army said as he walked, "You should apply oil on your face when you go out, and it's best to wear a leather coat. This is something we learned from the Xianbei people. In fact, it's OK not to apply oil or wear a coat in Mashijin, but you may have to do so in Xiangping. I used to be from Gaoyang, and lived by the Yishui River. I feel that Mashijin is only a little colder than Youzhou."
The boatman nodded.
Gaoyang people believe what he said, because they have lived in both places and must know clearly. And this "slightly cold" is probably because Mashijin is located on the seashore, which is a bit cold and damp in winter.
The group of people talked as they walked, and soon arrived at a camp not far from the seaside.
The stockade was built on the road, with trenches dug and earth walls built. There was a mountain on the left and a forest on the right. It seemed to be built to guard against a direct charge by cavalry - but it was only designed to guard against a direct charge by cavalry. If they took a detour, the bandits could still cross streams, farmlands and hills, but horse-drawn carriages and ox-drawn carts could not. This might be the meaning of the stockade's existence.
When the group arrived at the village, the wooden bridge over the trench was lowered with a bang. A team of cavalrymen crossed the bridge one by one, headed north, and soon disappeared into the horizon.
"People from the Zuo Feilong Guard." Someone explained, "They may have gone to rescue Pingguo. We still have several thousand people stationed outside the city. They were still there at the beginning of the month, but I don't know what happened this month. Not many people died in the war, and not many people froze to death in the winter, but many people fell ill after the beginning of spring. It's really strange."
After all the knights of Zuo Feilong Guard had left, a group of people crossed the suspension bridge and entered the camp.
The owner of the building, Zeng Yi, was sitting on a damaged donkey cart, arguing with someone.
"General Zeng, you are also from Ji, why are you so ruthless?" A man in military uniform protested, "There are only a few thousand of my clan members, they are hungry and have no morale, how can we fight again? Let us go to Mashijin, eat a few full meals, and train ourselves before we can fight again."
"You are a descendant of the You family of Guangping, well-known in the county, and an assistant to Murong Ren. It is not right for you to flee south to this place, and yet you are asking for this and that. It is really unreasonable." Zeng Yi snorted coldly and said, "If you dare to retreat south without permission, I will slaughter all your clan members and not spare a single one. I mean what I say."
"We are all Chinese people, you have such a cruel heart."
"When Hebei was in chaos, you and your people fled to Youzhou and then to Pingzhou. Why didn't you stay and fight the enemy?"
"you……"
Zeng Yi waved his hand and walked towards the group of people who had just come in. After asking about the situation, he directly said to the oldest boatman: "I'll take you to Lushun County."
After saying that, he found a mule cart, pulled the boatman on it, and left directly.
******
The construction of Lushun County has been stopped.
After receiving the letter, the naval commander Yang Bao immediately spread out the map and looked at it carefully.
The Peking Camp is about to take action, but not this month, nor in April, but maybe until May, because they have to act together with the cavalry of the Tuoba and Yuwen families, otherwise their momentum will be greatly reduced and the coordination will not be smooth.
It is easier said than done to attack in pairs!
According to the letter, a group of ships will sail from Penglai as early as mid-April to deliver a batch of supplies and equipment.
As for the remaining troops, they will probably not be able to cross the sea until May or June, when it will be relatively safer.
But can Murong Ren hold on until then?
He might be able to defend Pingguo City with the support of the Yellow-headed Army and the Zuo Feilong Guards, but he could only protect the city.
In fact, at the beginning of the month, Murong Ren had just fought a battle with Murong Huang in the field. It was said that he killed and wounded many bandits, but Murong Ren was still defeated.
Thousands of Zuo Feilong's guards engaged Murong Xianbei head-on. The bandit cavalry did not dare to charge, but kept a close eye on them and would not let them retreat. In the end, they slipped away at night, losing a lot of horses.
There is a lack of sidecars! If there were enough vehicles, why would we be so passive?
Last year he had requested to transfer a large number of craftsmen here to cut wood and make carts, or simply transport a batch of sidecars. The camp's recruiting envoy Xu Lang agreed, but the earliest they could arrive would be late April, or perhaps May.
If Murong Ren was merely trapped in an isolated city, then his value would be small, because Murong Huang could easily plunder the counties of Liaodong and defeat Murong Ren without being defeated.
As of today (March 20), Murong Ren's Sima Tongshou fled south to Lushun, and Ju Juling You Yi fled with him.
Both of them were accompanied by their fellow villagers, but they suffered defeat after defeat and their morale was low.
I heard that Xiangping Magistrate Wang Bing is still besieged in Anshi City and his life or death is unknown.
Liaodong Prime Minister Pang Jian (formerly Pingzhou Beijia) and Murong You were trapped in Wencheng.
The counties of Liaodong Prefecture were already isolated, and none of them dared to fight in the open, so they could only sit back and watch Murong Huang plunder...
After reading it, Yang Bao felt that he should not just sit there and wait for death. Perhaps he should cross the sea to the north in advance, otherwise the situation would be really critical.
(End of this chapter)