Qin Official

"The country of Eastern Han Dynasty will become bigger and bigger."

As a native of Suixian County, he is not content with being an old Confucian who teaches, but he has a special liking for the art of lobbying and manipulation. He pays more attention to it on weekdays. Suihe is naturally familiar with the mountains and rivers geography of Suixian County.

In the temple in Sui County, he spoke eloquently to Ji Ying and Zhou Chang who came to him to ask for advice: "When King Wu of Chu wanted to conquer the Central Plains, he first submitted to Sui and Tang, and all the concubines in Hanyang were destroyed. Chu surrendered to Sui, Tang followed Cai, and Zheng Shi feared Yan. When Jin and Wu wanted to attack Chu, they also surrendered to Tang first and followed the two princes, thinking that they were on the right path. Since there are many enemies in the north and south, they often set up garrisons here."

He told Ji Ying and the two that Nanyang County was equivalent to a large basin, and there were four large mountain ranges between the Nanyang Basin and the vast Jianghan.

From west to east, they are Jingshan Mountain, Green Forest Mountain (Dahong Mountain), Tongbai Mountain and Dabie Mountain.

Therefore, in this era of backward transportation, there were only three roads between Jianghan and Nanyang, surrounded by four mountains, that could pass large numbers of vehicles and horses.

Hanshui Road, Tang Suidao, Ming'e Sanguan Road.

Xiangyang and Yan counties guarded the Han River, which was the smoothest and most convenient, and had waterways to transport grain. They were the first choice for going south, so Wang Ben led his army to fight with Hei Fu there.

Ming'e Sanguan Road is connected to the Runan area of ​​Chen County, and Wang Ben did not invest a large number of troops there.

The Tang Suidao (Zao Sui Corridor) located in the middle became the second choice. Once it falls, the Northern Army can march straight into Anlu, the hinterland of Jianghan, and even threaten Hengshan County. This is why Sui Guo has a prominent position among the vassals of Chu State, and at the same time, it also This is the reason why Heifu ordered Ji Ying to lead 10,000 people to guard this place.

He didn't want to, but when he finished speaking, Ji Ying slapped the case and cursed: "You old Confucian, the enemy has 30,000 people across the white water, and is about to enter Suixian territory, but our army only has 10,000 people, and there are more They are the newly recruited militiamen in the past few months. I came to you to defeat the enemy's strategy, but you told me allusions about local mountains and rivers, and you were so long-winded that you were not entertaining me? "

With a formidable enemy at hand, Ji Ying was on the verge of panic.

Seeing Ji Ying's attitude was so bad, Old Confucian Sui He sneered and said, "Since the captain knows that he can't be defeated, why not give up on Sui County?"

Ji Ying was furious and was about to draw his sword: "How dare you encourage me to abandon the ground and run away? I'll kill you!"

"Ji, Lieutenant Ji, please calm down and listen to what he has to say."

Young Master Zhou Chang, who also stuttered a bit, had to be persuaded. He was originally a Sishui County official. Three years ago, when Xiao He went south to serve as the captain of Sosu under Heifu, Zhou Chang followed Xiao He and then boarded Heifu's pirate ship. Now he is serving as the governor. The grain officer assists Ji Ying in Suixian County. One of them has an out-of-the-box personality, while the other is strong and tolerant, which is a good match.

Sui He stepped back and said: "This is not an abandoned land, but what Wu Zhonghou said, save yourself first before you can destroy the enemy!"

Ji Ying was stunned and thought about it carefully. A few months ago, Hei Fu made a surprise attack on Anlu and rescued his fellow villagers. He indeed said these words and immediately led his people across the river to avoid Feng Wuze's main force.

Suihe began to elaborate on the reasons why Sui should not cling to Sui: "Sui and Tang are like lips and teeth, so if you stay with Sui, you must defend Tang."

"But now that the Tang Dynasty has been lost, the lips are dead and the teeth are cold, and there is no barrier. The Northern Army can march straight in and besiege Suixian County."

"The city is not strong and the soldiers are not elite soldiers. In my opinion, Captain Ji is not a good general. Ask yourself, can you withstand three times the enemy?"

Sui He's words were rude, but they were true. Ji Ying was indeed the person with the least military talent in Heifu's old department. Ji Ying pondered for a moment and said honestly: "I can't stop it..."

Sui He advised: "In this case, instead of fighting for life and death with the enemy in Suixian County, it is better to abandon the city of Suixian County, take 10,000 soldiers, and the people of Suixian County, and hide in the villages of Green Forest Mountain and Tongbai Mountain." Among them!"

Suixian County is a small basin between two mountains, so Lixiang, Longshan, Pinglin, Hengwei and other townships are all in the mountains.

"In this case, wouldn't it allow the enemy troops to easily pass through Suixian County and enter Jianghan?" Ji Ying was very upset.

Sui He shook his head: "Giving up Sui County does not mean giving up Sui Place."

He pointed to the bare farmland outside the city wall and said: "The grain in Suixian County has been harvested in advance. The captain can immediately distribute the millet to the soldiers and people. Don't leave a grain of millet in the city, and then block the springs and well water." The landfill was poisoned, and Suixian County was burned down in the end! This is a strategy to strengthen the wall and clear the wilderness."

Zhou Chang glanced at Suihe in surprise. Everyone has a love for their homeland, but Suihe was cruel. He was the first to burn the flames on the people in his hometown.

Sui He did not feel any psychological burden at all, and continued: "In this way, 30,000 Northern troops entered the place, and they could neither find people nor find food. They were faced with a situation of no rice to eat. Suixian County is surrounded by mountains to the east and west. Ever since Anlu in the south was given up by Marquis Wuzhong and relocated, the area within a hundred miles has long been a white land. The Northern Army has nowhere to eat. If they want to advance, they have to transport food from Nanyang County in the rear and replenish it along the way."

"But the road is long and narrow, with mountains and rivers facing each other, thick trees, and the march will be slow, so the team will be very long. The captain can send people to hide in the mountains and forests, attack their baggage, and burn their grain. If the army has no baggage, food, or If you are tired of it, you don't dare to take the risk to advance, so you can only stay here and waste time with us."

"Hiss." Ji Ying's eyes lit up, this is a good idea!

He couldn't help but think of what Heifu had done a few months ago when he took Huarong Road and asked him to go to Yundu and Xinshi.

Heifu asked Ji Ying and Gongwei to lead 5,000 people to attack Feng Wuze's luggage there, and also taught him the sixteen-character mantra:

"When the enemy advances, we retreat; when the enemy is stationed, we harass; when the enemy is tired, we attack; when the enemy retreats, we pursue!"

Sui He raised his palm and said: "Yes, this is the way of fighting. This is probably why Marquis Wu Zhong asked the captain to guard everywhere."

Zhou Chang poured cold water on the side: "Ru Sui... Sui Ren doesn't want to leave with us, what should we do?"

Ji Ying's eyes widened: "If you're tied up, you have to be tied up and taken away. You can't leave a grain of food or one person for the rebels!"

Sui He smiled and said: "This matter is simple. More than ten years ago, Sui Prefecture still belonged to the Chu State. Qin destroyed Chu and defeated Sui County. Because Sui people resisted, after the city was defeated, many people were beheaded as a beheading measure. went."

"After that, Sui County was called the New Land, and there were often bandits and bandits causing chaos. The young people in Sui County all had grudges against the Qin officials. Two months ago, when the Northern Expeditionary Army arrived, they killed the officials and surrendered. Wei only needs to tell Sui Ren that when the Northern Army comes, Sui Ren will be held accountable for his crimes and they may massacre the city. Sui Ren is afraid and will definitely leave with us."

"good!"

Ji Ying felt that his whole body was full of energy. He could not defend the city in the field, but he had some experience in breaking it into pieces and avoiding the real situation and attacking the weak. He then decided: "I will follow Mr. Sui's advice. Zhou Chang, you go to Yan County immediately and take care of the weak." I will inform you of the county’s response!”

…

After leaving the county temple, Zhou Chang called Sui He from behind.

"S-Mr. Sui, are you telling the truth?"

Sui He looked back, stroking his gray beard and said:

"It's absolutely true. With my plan, we can hold the Northern Army in Suixian County for at least a month!"

Zhou Chang shook his head: "I, I mean, it's just a matter of others..."

Suihe was stunned for a moment and laughed dumbly:

"I dare to ask Mr. Zhou, looking at the world, who will join the Northern Expeditionary Army?"

Zhou Chang shook his head: "I never thought about it."

Sui He pointed at Zhou Chang and then at himself: "One is like you and me, people who are not content with the status of a commoner and are ambitious."

"The second type is those who have obtained the promise of the king and want to live a good life."

"There is another kind of people who, if they can be exploited, will be most devoted to their rulers and the Northern Expeditionary Army."

Suihe suppressed his smile and looked around at his father and brother Kundi in his hometown who were terrified when they heard that the Northern Army was coming. They were afraid of being massacred. He sighed:

"People who can't survive!"

…

In early August, before the Northern Army arrived, fires broke out all over the city and the county turned red. The farmers watched their houses being set on fire with tears in their eyes. At the urging of the military officials, they followed the flag of the Northern Expedition and walked into the mountains.

Zhou Chang went in the opposite direction. The ignited Suixian County was left behind. Zhou Chang led a dozen people first to the south and then to the west, taking the path of Green Forest Mountain. In early August, it could be calculated that After passing the rolling mountains, we came to the west side of Green Forest Mountain and the shore of Han River.

This is near the suburb of Ying (Zhongxiang, Hubei Province). Zhou Chang wanted to go north to Yanxian County and then west to Yancheng to tell Marquis Wu Zhong about what happened in Suixian County.

But before he arrived in Jixian County, he witnessed a horrifying scene...

A group of chariots and riders with black flags were galloping on this fertile and flat land in eastern Han Dynasty. They drove and killed the farmers in Nanjun who were trying to harvest rice, and set fire to the crops in the fields that were too late to be harvested.

The flames danced in the withered rice fields, turning the hard work of spring, summer and autumn into a pile of ashes. The fire continued from south to north. After the riders finished setting the fire, they flew away again, leaving only a Scorched earth, and the blood and tears of farmers...

Looking at the smoke and dust disappearing in the distance, Zhou Chang couldn't help but be horrified: "Have Wang Ben's chariots penetrated this far?"

You know, this is a place two hundred miles south of Xiangyang. If the two armies are still facing each other, it is impossible for Wang Ben to let the chariots and cavalry troops go deep here alone. He suddenly has a bad feeling in his heart.

Zhou Chang was careful to avoid the Northern army's cavalry that could be encountered at any time. When he arrived at Fuxian County, he found that the four gates were tightly closed. He felt like he was facing a formidable enemy, but he was helpless against the cavalry outside the city who were wreaking havoc on the countryside and farmland.

Chen Ying, who was guarding the city, knew Zhou Chang. After letting him enter the city, he told him a piece of news that was like a bolt from the blue:

"The front line is defeated!"

…

ps: Chapter 2 is at night.