Jiuxi

Chapter 234 232 [An enemy hundreds of miles away]

Passing through Yongquan Pass and walking north for seven or eight miles, you will find Beiyan Dongyang Road.

Walking more than thirty miles northeast, you can vaguely see the outline of Gushu City.

The State of Yan began to implement the strategy of strengthening the walls and clearing the country on the border very early, not wanting to leave any resources for the Qi army.

This was done very well on Moyang Road, because on the long border there, the areas actually controlled by Northern Yan and Southern Qi were intertwined. There were many offensive routes that both sides could choose, and the people were worried that they would be affected by the war at any time. , so they were very obedient to leave the place where they had lived for generations and move to the north or a big city.

But the situation on Dongyang Road is slightly different.

Yongquan Pass and Qingtian City blocked the way for the Qi army to go north, and there had never been any mistakes for more than ten years. This made the people in the rear not feel the threat of war. In addition, the abilities of officials at all levels in the Yan State were uneven. As a result, the implementation of the strong wall and clearing of the wilderness here is not thorough enough, especially for the people in villages and towns, many of whom live in the same place.

Once Yongquan Pass changed hands, Li Shouzhen, who was far away in Ruyin City in the north, had just received the news. The Huaizhou Army had already determined its combat strategy. The army was advancing directly to the northeast. Naturally, they would encounter some people of Yan State on the way.

In a small village called Beishan Village, hundreds of people stood tremblingly on the grain field in the village, looking at the majestic Southern Qi cavalry with bright armor around them. In the distance, a large number of Southern Qi troops were passing by on the road outside the village.

Lao Gaotou is the oldest elder in Beishan Village. He is already sixty years old, which is naturally considered a long life in this era.

He could barely maintain his composure on the surface. After all, he had the experience of traveling all over the country when he was young, but he was already panicking in his heart. After all, no one could guarantee what those fierce and fierce soldiers would do. If they just asked for food and money, it would be a disaster. Fortunately, I'm just afraid that they will become ferocious and hurt people at will.

Not long after, a heroic young general came to the threshing floor surrounded by more than ten guards.

The old man had some knowledge. When the young military general came closer, he knelt down tremblingly and saluted: "The common people pay their respects to the military master!"

As soon as his knees touched the ground, a pair of warm and strong hands lifted him up.

Lao Gao couldn't hide the surprise on his face, but he saw the young general smiling and saying: "There is no need to be polite, old man. My name is Lu Chen, and I am the captain of the Ruishi Camp in Huaizhou, Great Qi."

"It turns out to be Lieutenant Lu, whose name I have admired for a long time!"

The old man said in awe, but his eyes were a little dodgey. It was obvious that he had not heard of this name and was just showing his goodwill according to the methods he had learned before.

Lu Chen knew this very well, but he did not expose it to his face. He only said gently: "Old people, don't be afraid. Our army is just passing by here and will not harm you."

The old man felt uneasy and felt that there was no need for the young general to deceive him, so his expression relaxed slightly.

Lu Chen looked around and saw timid faces full of weathered colors, full of ravines due to the ravages of poor life. Neither men nor women dared to look at him.

On the other hand, some four or five-year-old children opened their big round eyes and looked at Lu Chen curiously, but they were tightly restrained by the adults in the family for fear of angering him, the big man who commanded the army.

Lu Chen sighed secretly in his heart and said to Lao Gaotou: "Old man, you have all suffered since the imperial court moved south for more than ten years. Now the northern expedition of the army is just to regain the homeland so that everyone can live a peaceful life. We will not disturb the people. You can rest assured of this.”

Seeing how frank he said, Lao Gaotou was immediately touched and said cautiously: "On behalf of the fellow villagers, I would like to thank the captain for your kindness."

Lu Chen then chatted with him about the customs and customs of this place, as well as some of the measures taken by the Yan Kingdom's court in recent years. The most important thing was the situation of Gushu City in the northeast. Although Lao Gaotou didn't know the details, it was a good supplement for Lu Chen.

After about half a stick of incense, Lu Chen smiled and said, "Thank you, old man, for clearing up the confusion."

The old man said respectfully: "Captain, you are so polite."

Lu Chen turned to Li Chengen and said, "Let me get some pork and grain to give to the folks."

"Yes, Captain."

Li Chengen took the order and left.

After hearing this sentence, Lao Gaotou and the villagers all showed expressions of astonishment and surprise.

Lu Chen then said to everyone: "Folks, farewell."

The old man quickly bowed to say goodbye, but the others remained motionless.

They looked at this well-organized army and couldn't figure out why the other party not only didn't ask for food, but instead gave them these things?

Recalling what the Yan government and army had done over the years, the villagers felt mixed feelings in their hearts.

It wasn't until the Huaizhou Army left Beishan Village that the people on the threshing floor seemed to have come to life. They were whispering excitedly. Only Lao Gaotou looked at the army leaving in the northeast and sighed with complicated emotions: "Unexpectedly... Many years have passed, and the appearance of Daqi’s officers and soldiers has changed unexpectedly.”

The Huaizhou Army was not moving very fast. On the one hand, they were mainly infantry, with only [-] cavalry from the Rui Shi Battalion led by Li Chengen. On the other hand, they carried a large number of siege equipment and had to take into account logistics. The speed of the baggage train. It was already the afternoon of the next day when the army arrived at the southern suburbs of Gushu City.

Gushu City has a history of hundreds of years. Before the Yuanjia Incident, it was considered a hub connecting Dongyang Road and Huaizhou, and it was considered a prosperous place.

There are five thousand troops stationed in the city, and the leader is Xu Huaibin, the training envoy of the Gushu regiment. He is a close associate of General Li Shouzhen and has been here for less than half a year.

He had received news of the fall of Yongquan Pass a few days ago, and Gushu City was immediately put under martial law. The four city gates were closed and no entry or exit was allowed. At the same time, investigations began in the city to prevent the Southern Qi lurking in the dark from deceiving people.

Xu Huaibin strictly organized the city's defense, and also asked big households in the city to contribute money and effort. He considered all aspects properly, and Li Shouzhen's trust in him was not in vain.

When the Southern Qi army attacked, he immediately sent people to the north to ask for help. Fortunately, the Qi army marched relatively slowly, giving him time to fully prepare.

At this moment, Xu Huaibin was standing under the south tower, looking at the Qi army camp outside the city, his brows already deeply furrowed.

The Qi army set up a large camp in the south, and a camp on the east and west sides. However, the tents in these three military camps were continuous, and the trenches and trenches were prepared outside the camp, which showed a very good marching order.

Only the north side is vacant.

Xu Huaibin said coldly: "Surrounding three buildings? Do you think this general is an ignorant child?"

A deputy general next to him whispered: "Regiment training, the Qi army is huge, this battle looks like it will be very difficult."

Xu Huaibin has been leading the army for a long time. Judging from the Qi army's camp outside the city, the opponent's strength is about [-], which is nearly eight times the number of defenders in the city. The defenders will naturally be under great pressure.

"Yongquan Pass has been lost. If we lose Gushu again, the south side of Dongyang Road will be completely released to the Qi army, so we must hold on here."

Xu Huaibin raised his tone slightly, and the generals beside him nodded, and he added: "The general sent someone to deliver a message earlier, and reinforcements from the north are already being mobilized to go south and will arrive in the near future. Lang Min, you choose a few smart scouts and go out at night Then we left the city and headed north to find Deputy General Manager Cheng, and asked him to lead troops to come to the rescue as soon as possible."

The former deputy general responded loudly.

Xu Huaibin looked at the Qi army camp outside the city with an extremely solemn expression.

At the same time, in a certain open space in the Qi army camp, several generals stood facing north, looking at Gushu City in the north.

"We only have one army outside the city. We relied on disguise to create the illusion of tens of thousands of people, so that the enemy was cowered in the city and did not dare to move. If the Yan Army General in the city knew the truth, would he be angry? Do you have to vomit blood and die?"

Zhu Youyu, the commander-in-chief of the Guangling Army, had a gentle smile, but his words were a bit sharp.

Duan Zuozhang glanced at Lu Chen, who was smiling and silent, and said calmly: "Although your Guangling army is the only one outside the city, there are only five thousand soldiers and horses in the city. So what if he knows? Does he still dare to go out of the city to seek a decisive battle?"

Zhu Youyu nodded and said: "That's true. I hope he leads his troops out to fight to the death. This can save a lot of trouble."

This time the army marched north to attack Gushu City, including the Guangling Army, Lai'an Army, Taixing Army, and the Rui Shi Battalion led by Lu Chen, totaling more than [-] people. The three military camps outside the city and related configurations were also of this size. Do, so Xu Huaibin’s judgment is not wrong. However, in fact, only the Guangling Army was stationed outside the city, and the Lai'an Army, Taixing Army and Ruishi Camp had all disappeared.

Lu Chen said: "After all, we still can't let the enemy general know the truth, otherwise why would he send people north to ask for help?"

Taixing Army Commander Kang Yanxiao had an unpleasant quarrel with Lu Chen in Xunyang City because Lu Chen used the power of military judge to kill his captain. Fortunately, Lu Chen gave him a step up, and the relationship between the two was not good after that. It was too cold and harsh, so at this moment he said with a smile: "Brother Lu, when will the Yan reinforcements from the north arrive?"

Lu Chen looked at Su Yunqing who was walking not far away, smiled and said, "There should be news."

Su Yunqing walked over with a spring breeze on his face, bowed his hands to the generals, and then said: "Everyone, the secret agents of the Sutra Weaving Department in the north have confirmed that Cheng Weimin, the deputy general of the Dongyang Road of the puppet Yan, led [-] troops from the northwest. We are heading towards Gaoyuan City, which is more than two hundred miles away, and are heading towards Gushu."

At first, due to the obstacles of Qingtian City and Yongquan Pass, it was very difficult for the spies of the Weaving Department to lurk in Dongyang Road to deliver the news, and in many cases it was quite delayed.

As Yongquan Pass fell into the hands of the Huaizhou Army, the barrier between the north and the south was opened. The manpower brought by Su Yunqing was like a hidden dragon entering the sea. They quickly established contact with the Anzi in the north, and various intelligences were continuously sent. .

No wonder Su Yunqing looked like this.

The generals' breathing became rapid.

Lu Chen said calmly: "Brother Duan, Brother Kang, the three of us are responsible for this battle. We only need to deal with the reinforcements led by Cheng Weimin. In a short time, there will be no more mobile forces on the Puppet Yan Dongyang Road, and our army can leave this place to its own devices." Galloping vertically and horizontally.”

The two expressed their stances quickly, and Duan Zuozhang asked again: "Where will the decisive battle be chosen?"

The topographic map of Dongyang Road sent by Wang Zhailin appeared in Lu Chen's mind. He turned to look north and said word by word: "Wanting, north of Gushu City!"

(End of this chapter)