Lord of the House

Wei Zhang returned to Suizhou on the second day of the eighth lunar month, and Luo Xiancheng also returned to Suizhou from Fancheng.

Wei Zhang presented Wang Xiang's secret letter, and Luo Xiancheng sat on the high seat in the hall to open the secret letter and read it.

Luo Xiancheng knew a lot about brush and ink, and often claimed to be based on it, but Wei Zhang knew that Luo Xiancheng had limited brush and ink in his belly, and Wang Xiang was from a serious family, so he didn't know if Wang Xiang wrote any peculiar words in his letter. Luo Xiancheng couldn't understand.

Not only did Wang Xiang not come back to Suizhou, but Wei Zhang, who represented him in Chaishan, could not even see Wang Xiang, so he sent a letter back. Luo Xiancheng's good temper was exhausted, and his black face was so gloomy as if he had wiped ink. of.

But seeing Luo Xiancheng opening the letter, his face turned from black to red, his eyes opened like copper bells, his canthus split his fingers, and he slapped an angry palm on the Nanmu long case, smashing a letter written on rice paper into pieces. The dendrobium and fruit plate on the long table were shaken to the ground, and the wine pulp and fruit were splashed everywhere.

Luo Xiancheng is cruel by nature, he can handle big things, but he often angers the people around him in small things.

Luo Xiancheng's letter to Wang Xiang angered him so much that Wei Zhang and the people serving nearby were so frightened that they didn't even dare to breathe.

Wei Zhang lowered his head. He could guess that Wang Xiang's attitude would anger Luo Xiancheng, but he didn't know what Wang Xiang said to Luo Xiancheng in the letter. A piece of broken letter happened to float in front of his feet. He glanced at it. Only a few words such as "suicide" and "Han people's clothes" can be seen.

"Take care of him later!" Luo Xiancheng did not anger others, but left such a sentence and walked to the bedroom, leaving Wei Zhang and others behind.

Only then did Wei Zhang pick up the pieces of the letter and put them together to read, and he was surprised: Under such circumstances, Wang Xiang actually wanted to part ways with Luo Wang? Thinking like this, no one else competes with him in front of King Luo. Wei Zhang thought so, and completely shredded the letter, as if this had never happened.

This is just an episode in Changle Palace, while in Suizhou City, the atmosphere is chill.

Since the day before yesterday, the soldiers and horses of the brigade have been gathering from the counties in the south to Suizhou City, and then through Suizhou to Yindian in the north. No less than 20,000 soldiers and horses passed through Suizhou in two days.

In addition to the 80,000 soldiers originally compiled, Luo Xiancheng also ordered all the troops to assemble in villages and stand by.

Although the Changle Army's 80,000 soldiers were all incomplete and could be called elites, they were only three or four out of ten. At this time, a larger group of 120,000 soldiers had to be incorporated into the camp, and the combat power was higher than that of the rabble. Not too much, but it can't beat the crowd and the crowd, and the situation suddenly changed in the southern foot of Huaishan.

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In the city of Suizhou, even ordinary people can feel that the war is coming, not to mention the eyeliners of other forces lurking in the city of Suizhou?

At the moment Luo Xiancheng made up his mind, he ordered a complete blockade of the southern foot of Tongbai Mountain and cast a big net in the deep mountains and old forests.

Huaixi's eyeliner deployed in Suizhou saw the sudden change in the situation in Suizhou, and was eager to return to Huaixi to report the news, and they were arrested in Tongbai Mountain. However, Tongbai Mountain and Huaishan Mountain stretched for more than a thousand miles. No matter how many troops and horses in Changle, it was difficult to block the two mountains without leakage. Entering August, the situation in the northern foothills of Tongbai Mountain and the counties in the southern border of Nanyang Prefecture also suddenly became tense.

Although it was not that Luo Xiancheng might use troops against Xinyang, it was not that he was not prepared for the possibility of using troops in Xinyang, but he was prepared to be defensive. When this moment came, the pressure on the people in Xinyang was completely different.

The fast horses galloped away in Xinyang, and the sound of the hooves seemed to be trampling on people's hearts.

Seeing that it has only been stable for three or four years, this time he will be involved in the war again, and this war is completely different from the past.

Although Nanyang was the main direction of Yanhu's use of troops, in the north of Xinyang, Chen Zhihu led 50,000 elites to advance along the Yingshui River to the north bank of the Huaihe River, and Luo Xiancheng was even more aggressive. From the valley road between Tongbai Mountain and Huaishan Mountain, more than 100,000 soldiers and horses will pour into the hinterland of Huaixi.

A little careless, Huaixi will be completely overturned.

Xinyang Prefecture governs seven counties and one prefecture. The northernmost Zhengyang County controls the eastern foot of Tongbai Mountain, the valley road in Tongbai Mountain to the west of Biyang County, Nanyang Prefecture, and the Shenshui, the most important tributary on the north bank of the upper reaches of the Huaihe River, and also controls the Huaihe River. The upstream waterway is protected on the inside.

If you defend the northern enemy and guard Huai Shang, you must guard Zhengyang.

At this time in Zhengyang, with Xiao Kuian as the main general and Jiang Bao as the deputy general, a total of 20,000 troops and horses in Huaixi were guarding the fortress, waiting for the 50,000 elite Chen Zhihu who came along the Yingshui.

And in Zhengyang to the southwest, all the way to the inner side of the west foot of Tongbai Mountain, in Pingchang and Changtai along the Huai River to the depths of Tongbai Mountain, Xinyang has built a fortress, which is also a key defensive place.

Dong Yuan had considered that the Yanhu army did not have the ability to cross the Huai River on a large scale at this time. The Huai River originates from the east foot of Tongbai Mountain. Once the Yanhu troops advance to the east foot of Tongbai Mountain, Huaixi will also lose the control of the upper reaches of the Huai River.

After entering the seventh month, although Xinyang's troops increased to 40,000, they mainly focused on Zhengyang, concentrated in the northwest, and guarded the upper mountains of Huai and Shenshui.

In the south of Xinyang Mansion, including Xinyang City, which is close to the south foot of Tongbai Mountain, Luoshan, Guangshan and Huangchuan counties have less than 10,000 guards.

At this time, it is almost impossible to use these ten thousand guards to stop Luo Xiancheng's troops, which may exceed one hundred thousand soldiers from the valley road between Tongbai Mountain and Huaishan Mountain.

In Xinyang City, the wind was roaring, and the grass and trees were full of soldiers. The big families who got the news earlier, seeing the wrong wind direction before the end of July, fled Xinyang with their families and escaped the war to Shouzhou and Haozhou to the east. went.

Ordinary people were kept in the dark until August, not believing that Luo Xiancheng, who had been at peace with Xinyang all these years, would use troops against Xinyang. However, as news of the sudden change in the situation in Suizhou further came from the south of Tongbai Mountain, Xinyang City also recruited Ding Zhuang and Xiangyong on a large scale, and ordinary people were also restless.

However, Meng Yan, the prefect of Xinyang, and Meng Zhixiang, the defense envoy, are still in Xinyang City. Over the years, they have led the township and county soldiers to resist the looting of Xinyang City by rogues, and ordinary people have more confidence in them.

Meng Yan stood at the top of the city, looking out at the distant hills, with an undisturbed look on his face.

Under the city were all the villagers who had fled from the four towns and Baye to Xinyang City for refuge, making the road in front of the city where four horses could drive together became crowded and chaotic. The baby in the peasant woman's arms was crying loudly, and seemed to feel the coming of war more acutely than the adults.

Jiang Wenya climbed to the top of the city from the back, looked at the chaos under the city, frowned, and said to Meng Yan: "The secret letter to the envoy asks us to defend Xinyang City no matter what, how does Lord Meng see it? ?"

"Although there are still 30,000 soldiers and horses in Shouzhou, it is not appropriate to send them early," Meng Yan said, "General Xiao's 30,000 soldiers and horses are also unable to contain the north, and we only have more than 10,000 guards in our hands. How can the brave people from the villages guard Xinyang, Luoshan, Guangshan, and Huangchuan without fail when the Luo bandits are coming? It makes sense to ask us to focus on Xinyang!"

At this point, the situation became clearer and clearer. Yanhu's main attack direction was Nanyang. Luo Xiancheng's use of troops against Xinyang was mainly to contain Huaixi's forces that could not support Xinyang, not to fight with Huaixi troops.

Dong Yuan's 30,000 troops in Shouzhou, sooner or later, would never be able to capture Luo Xiancheng's main force in the north of Tongbai Mountain.

Most importantly, at this time, no one could be sure how long Nanyang's troops could last.

If Dong Yuan's 30,000 troops in Shouzhou enter Xinyang too early, and the defense of Nanyang is called Yanhu to break through quickly, then the main force of Yanhu can quickly enter Xinyang through the valley road of the north side of Tongbai Mountain for a big battle.

At that time, the enemy's troops in Xinyang, including Chen Zhihu's troops, and Luo Xiancheng together, will far exceed the strength of Huaixi, and the mobile strength of Huaixi's last point is very likely to be wiped out. .

Under such circumstances, even if Huaidong's 30,000 elites in Luzhou entered Xinyang, they would not be able to change the balance of forces between the two sides.

From ancient times to the present, wars have always been won by the combination of regular troops and extraordinary troops. When the war starts, who will put all the last troops on the gamble?

When the enemy's army is strong, the only way to defend key cities is to wait for the war to drag on. Once Liang Chengchong defends Nanyang and Xinyang city is not lost, then Dong Yuan can find a turning point to change the battle situation.

Jiang Wenya saw that Meng Yan agreed to Dong Yuan's military deployment, and said in surprise: "If we follow the order of the envoy, then we can only give up the three counties of Luoshan, Guangshan and Huangchuan immediately. Do you send people immediately? Going to Luzhou, even handing over the defenses of Luoshan, Guangshan, and Huangchuan counties is better than giving up."

Luoshan, Guangshan, and Huangchuan are all to the east of Xincheng. Once these three cities are abandoned, Luo Xiancheng will be able to get there, and the passage of Huaidong's troops in Luzhou to aid Nanyang will be cut off, making it difficult to quickly aid Nanyang from the north. And Dong Yuan didn't want to use his last 30,000 mobile troops in Shouzhou immediately. It was impossible to defend the four cities at the same time if he wanted more than 10,000 guards in Xinyang City.

Jiang Wenya meant that even if they could not defend the four cities at the same time, before giving up the three counties of Luoshan, Guangshan and Huangchuan, it would still be an option to hand over the defense of the three counties to Huaidong's troops in Luzhou. .

Although Jiang Wenya and Meng Yan made such a decision behind Dong Yuan's back, it is likely to anger Dong Yuan, but as representatives of local forces, it is their fundamental interest to protect the countryside from the ravages of war.

Meng Yan shook his head and said, "You can't even send the last 30,000 troops from Shouzhou to Xinyang. How could Huaidong's 30,000 troops in Luzhou be so eager to move north?"

It is Dong Yuan's responsibility to keep Xinyang, and Dong Yuan has to keep 30,000 mobile troops in Shouzhou.

Jiang Wenya looked sad. As a local person, no one would want to see the villagers being devastated by the war~www.wuxiaspot.com~ and once they give up the three counties of Luoshan, Guangshan and Huangchuan, it means Huai Xi and Huaidong gave up the rescue of Nanyang at the same time.

If Nanyang wanted to escape the catastrophe, he would have to stand alone in the most difficult pre-war battle, and then it was possible to usher in a turning point.

Luo Xiancheng started to send troops to Xinyang. Obviously, in Xiangfan, the elites of the remnants of the She family would march north along the Han River to attack Xinye in the south of Nanyang.

How long can Nanyang soldiers and horses with low morale hold back three sides without reinforcements? Three months, one month, or ten days and a half months?

But then again, if the Nanyang Soldiers and Horses Company couldn't survive the war alone for a month or two, if Huaidong and Huaixi sent reinforcements to Nanyang, they would only be trapped in and unable to pull them out. Even if they wanted to help Nanyang, Nanyang had to survive the most difficult early stage of the war.

Of course, behind what Jiang Wenya didn't know, Meng Yan had already received a secret letter from Cao Zi'ang from Luzhou the day before. In the secret letter, Cao Zi'ang's instructions to Meng Yan also asked the Meng family to hold Xinyang City and wait for the situation to turn around.

On the surface, the representatives of the Meng family such as Meng Yong and Meng Zhixiang all served as officials in Huaixi, but the foundation of the Meng family was deeply tied to Xinyang. The Meng family does not have too many ambitions, but more hope that the lineage of the clan will continue, and the local wealth will not be lost. It is not a royalist who is rigid and loyal to the Yuan family. Between Dong Yuan and Lin Fu, The choice to make is clear.

In fact, Dong Yuan did not give enough trust to Meng Yong and Meng Zhixiang.

Before Dong Yuan entered Huaixi, the Meng family independently led the Xiangyong to defend Xinyang City from the refugee army. Up to now, the Meng family's restrained troops have not increased much. My QT room is open! More vulgar official QT room number [9167] Click to enter