Jiuxi

Chapter 104 Chapter 103 [People’s hearts are like a furnace]

Jiangbei, Jianghua City.

Meng Zhixiang's surrender was naturally a happy event. It could at least save the Qi army from a large number of casualties. Especially after Lu Chen inspected the city defense facilities, he realized how much impact his ordinary actions had.

If Meng Zhixiang does not surrender and the defenders are determined enough to resist, the Qi army's casualties in the attack will be unimaginable, and they may not be able to capture it.

In the process, he learned a lot.

Li Tianrun showed extreme caution in accepting the surrender. From the arrangement of the surrendered soldiers, the placement of the enemy generals, the order of his own troops entering the city, and the measures to occupy the main roads in the city in a very short period of time, he showed that the Jingzhou Army The strong strength of the main force, on the other hand, completely eliminates the possibility of the other side pretending to surrender.

In fact, from the beginning of the Battle of Guangling, Lu Chen was like a sponge, desperately absorbing various nutrients.

Whether it is Xiao Wangzhi and Li Tianrun's foresight at the strategic level, or the knack of generals such as Chen Lanyu, He Gui, and Pei Sui in leading troops to march, or even the details of every mid-level general's charge on the battlefield, as long as there are advantages that can be seen, Lu Chen They will write it down secretly, and then use the limited time to analyze and think, and try their best to transform it into their own abilities.

He never thought that he was superior to others and omnipotent because of his past life experiences.

After experiencing these months of war, Lu Chen became more and more convinced that the military of this era was completely different from his previous perceptions.

From the most basic training methods to marching and fighting, there are countless ways to do it, and even military books can only provide partial help.

Fortunately, the thousand cavalrymen commanded by Lu Chen in the guard camp were mature enough and did not require him to be blind, so he had enough time to improve himself, and the effect of training through combat was even more significant.

Two days after the city had completely settled down, Lu Chen was notified and rushed to the temporary governor's mansion. What greeted him at the gate was Marching Sima Li Liangyu.

The two of them passed the year together. Li Liangyu was 25 years old, married and had children. She indeed seemed more mature than the [-]-year-old Lu Chen.

"Now that Jianghua has decided, Commander-in-Chief Father wants to hear Xiaowei Lu's opinion on the progress of the upcoming battle, so he specially ordered someone to ask for it."

The two of them walked side by side to the back hall. Li Liangyu was gentle and spoke unhurriedly.

Lu Chen said humbly: "The governor's love is so great that I will never be able to live up to it."

Li Liangyu smiled slightly and said gently: "The captain is too modest. Although Mr. Wang's appearance was an unexpected surprise, the root cause is that Colonel Lu strictly abides by military discipline and law. If you let those soldiers do whatever they want, not only will you lose this credit, but you will also lose all the credit in the future. It is difficult for our army to truly control these territories. In the final analysis, everything is determined by fate."

Lu Chen said slowly: "Actually, the soldiers below also know this. Before sending troops this time, Governor Xiao told the generals in military orders that the soldiers must be strictly restrained because the people in the north do not have full trust in our army. All generals understand this truth, but due to past inertia and some bad habits in the military, this situation will inevitably occur."

Li Liangyu nodded and said: "Commander Father said before the war that he would be fully rewarded after this battle, just to prevent such troubles. Having said that, even if we don't mention the credit for recovering Jianghua City, Lieutenant Lu is here He still made outstanding achievements in the battle. When my father commander mentioned that the strategy for this battle was the work of the captain alone, I was really surprised."

Lu Chen always felt that something was wrong.

This promising marching Sima seems to have a very good attitude towards himself.

As a person of two generations, Lu Chen would naturally not superficially judge other people's opinions of him from words, but the closeness in Li Liangyu's words was undoubtedly revealed, which was a little abrupt.

He smiled and brushed off the topic. Li Liangyu suddenly changed the topic and said, "What is the Geng Geng like this year for Captain Lu?"

Lu Chen responded: "I will be twenty by the end of the year."

Li Liangyu's heart moved and he asked again: "I wonder if you have ever gotten married?"

Lu Chen said: "I have never been married."

Li Liangyu said with emotion: "Captain Lu is young and promising. I am sure your father will find a good marriage for you."

Lu Chen really wanted to ask brother, what do you mean by being so cloudy and foggy?
However, the other person was always as gentle as jade and not at all malicious, so he had no choice but to be vague and deal with it reluctantly.

Fortunately, Li Liangyu didn't ask for more details. He took him to the study room in the back hall and said immediately: "Please."

The light in the study room is soft, and there is no mess with documents and files scattered all over the floor. On the contrary, everything is very orderly and tidy. Even the brushes on the pen stand are hung very neatly. This shows that Li Tianrun is a person who pays great attention to details. .

The Grand Governor was sitting at the table reviewing a report. When he saw Lu Chen come in, he raised his hand and pointed to the opposite side and said, "Sit down first."

Later, a soldier offered tea, and Lu Chen thanked him and took it.

After a while, Li Tianrun put the report on a pile of files. With a faint smile on his face, he looked at Lu Chen and said, "I've been wanting to talk to you for the past two days, but there are too many chores and I really can't do it. body."

Lu Chen said respectfully: "The Commander-in-Chief is busy with military affairs and has many things to do, so I don't dare to delay you."

Li Tianrun stood up, walked around the table, sat down not far away, and said straight to the point: "Now that all the ministries have rested, what do you think our army should do next?"

Lu Chen was also thinking about this issue these days, and immediately said cautiously: "The general believes that the Puppet Yan has suffered a big loss this time, and there will definitely be a counterattack. Now the entire southeast of Moyang Road is under the control of our army In the middle, the troops are relatively dispersed. It is better to withdraw the defense line to Jianghua line and form a solid defense line in Jianghua, Xunyang, Jiangle, Youxi and other places. As long as they can deal with the first wave of offensive of the puppet Yan army, it will be difficult for them to follow up. Attack."

This was an idea that Wang Jun had mentioned before. After careful consideration, Lu Chen felt that this judgment was indeed appropriate.

A hint of approval appeared in Li Tianrun's eyes, and he said half-jokingly and half-seriously: "My daughter tried her best to recommend you to me after she came back from Guangling. It's a pity that you have no intention of going to Jingzhou, otherwise she would definitely persuade me to directly report to the court and appoint you. An official of the Jingzhou Governor's Mansion. Over the years, I have never seen her value a young man so highly, and I am also a little curious in my heart."

He paused slightly and continued: "Up to this moment, I had a similar idea to her. It's just that Brother Xiao and I are close friends. If you are forced to stay in Jingzhou, he might have to take the guard camp with him. Call the door."

These words were not easy for Lu Chen to accept.He thought for a while and finally replied frankly: "To be honest with the Governor, my father does not want the general to stay away from Huaizhou, and the general himself also wants to stay in the Governor's Mansion in Huaizhou."

"It's natural. Brother Xiao has high hopes for you, and you can command a thousand riders when you first join the army. This is a rare trust and respect."

Li Tianrun's tone was gentle, and he did not try to seduce him with high-ranking officials and generous salaries. On the contrary, he was as approachable as he treated the younger members of his family.

Lu Chen ignored these too personal topics, looked at the world-famous Qi general, and said with a bit of regret: "If the imperial court was willing to support it, our army could actually seek greater victory this time."

"It's hard."

However, Li Tianrun gave an answer that surprised him.

Lu Chen didn't quite understand that the only reason limiting the results of the war at the moment was that the Jingzhou Army didn't have enough troops.

If the emperor in Yongjia City fully supports it, even if he does not use the Beijing army and only asks Daozhou and Chengzhou Dudufu in the southwest to send reinforcements, and goes north from Jingzhou Pingyangfu, Li Tianrun will have a wider space to strategize.

The strength of the main forces of the Jingzhou Army and the Huaizhou Army can fully support the continued attack on the city. The biggest problem at the moment is that even if more cities can be recovered, Li Tianrun cannot summon the troops to guard them out of thin air.

Li Tianrun saw the confusion on Lu Chen's face and said calmly: "In your opinion, the reason why the Northern Expedition was difficult to accomplish was the lack of support from the imperial court?"

Lu Chen felt that the answer to this question did not need to be elaborated.

After he traveled to this world, he was influenced by what he saw and heard for nearly half a year. All he saw and heard was that the people in the North were living in fire and water. The Qi army must bear the responsibility to regain their homeland and save the people.

However, the power of the court was controlled by the Jiangnan clan. The Northern Expedition had been called for more than ten years, but it had never been taken into action.

Now that he had seen with his own eyes the strength of the soldiers under the command of the two governors in Huaizhou and Jingzhou, Lu Chen naturally believed that it was the monarchs and ministers in the south who were holding back the frontier army.

Li Tianrun's eyes were deep and he sighed: "The further north you go, the harder it becomes."

Lu Chen stared carefully and thought carefully, then said slowly: "What do you mean by the Governor, the people in the North are not eager for our army to regain their homeland?"

At this moment, he suddenly remembered what Lin Xi had said.

Li Tianrun nodded and said: "You are right. Regarding the Northern Expedition, the imperial court's constraints are on the one hand, but the most important reason is the support of the people of Qi in the north. Brother Xiao should have told you that before the Yuanjia Incident, Under the rule of the imperial court, public dissatisfaction boiled, and the common people complained, and most people had a bad impression of the imperial court. After the fall of Heluo 13 years ago, the royal family and powerful people hurriedly crossed the river, paying no attention to the lives and deaths of the people in the north. "

Lu Chen's expression became solemn.

Li Tianrun said quietly: "In this case, how can the people of Qi in the North be interested in the imperial court? The reason why this battle went smoothly is that on the one hand, your strategy has achieved miraculous results, and on the other hand, this territory is very close to Hengjiang River. It is bordered by the Jingzhou Governor's Mansion, and the imperial court can still maintain a certain degree of influence. Therefore, no matter it is Yingze City in the south, or Jianghua and Xunyang, the people will not be particularly resistant to our army."

Lu Chen saw the tiredness in his eyes and couldn't help but muster up the courage to ask: "In that case, why does the Governor insist on the Northern Expedition?"

The imperial court was holding back and the people in the north did not support it. What was the point of this Northern Expedition?
"Because you have never really seen the cruelty and cruelty of Jinglian people."

Li Tianrun's answer surprised Lu Chen, and he continued: "Do you know why Jing Dynasty supported the puppet Yan to establish a country?"

Lu Chen tentatively replied: "Because Emperor Jing wants to boil frogs in warm water?"

Li Tianrun thought about this proverb and said: "After the fall of Heluo City, the imperial center was paralyzed, and all areas in the north of the Yangtze River fell under the iron hoof of the Jing army, almost bleeding. At that time, the brutality of the Jing army was outrageous. They Not only does it target ordinary people, but it also treats high-ranking families with no mercy, and massacres of cities occur from time to time."

"I'm talking about a real massacre of the city. The city is full of bones and there are no voices."

Lu Chen was stunned.

Li Tianrun continued: "Therefore, the resistance in the North was very fierce, and wars were everywhere. If this trend continued, the rule of the Jing Dynasty could not be sustained at all. It was at this time that the late emperor of the Jing Dynasty died and a new king came to the throne. As soon as he succeeded to the throne, he adjusted his strategy to support the puppet Yan in establishing the country, and also attracted a large number of Northern nobles to maintain the functioning of the puppet Yan's court."

Lu Chen frowned and said, "That's it."

Li Tianrun said: "On the surface, the Qi people rule the Qi. In fact, the Jing Dynasty is constantly attracting young talents from the north, using official positions and gold and silver to change their ideas and make them proud of serving the Jing Dynasty. Soon, perhaps, What is happening above the Puppet Yan Court, this puppet court will truly be completely digested by the Jing Dynasty. When that time comes, the Jing Dynasty’s cavalry will ravage the world again.”

Lu Chen stared into the other person's eyes and said slowly: "That's why the Governor wants to prevent this from happening."

"Some things in this world have to be done by someone."

Li Tianrun's expression was calm, but also revealed a hint of expectation: "You are still very young and extremely talented in military affairs. You will definitely become Brother Xiao's right-hand man in the future. It's not easy for Brother Xiao. I hope you can try your best to help." he."

Lu Chen stood up and responded, "I will definitely remember the Grand Governor's teachings in my heart."

In fact, he still had one puzzlement that was still lingering in his mind until he left the Governor's Mansion.

How can Li Tianrun be sure that the people in the North will live a better life after the Northern Expedition succeeds?

After all, there are countless absurd things done by the previous emperor of Qi. Is the current emperor really very different?
Judging from Li Tianrun's attitude, he must firmly believe this.

The truth... is it really so?

(End of this chapter)