Late Tang Dynasty Floating Life

Chapter 283 Returning to the Army
Under the city of Yangzhou, there was blood and fire.After besieging the city for more than a month, all the soldiers and horses were red-eyed.

Liang Hanyong had just wrapped up his wound.He has excellent riding skills, extraordinary courage, and good archery skills, but in siege battles, all of these are greatly restricted.

Looking back at Yangzhouzi City, which is still holding on, a large group of soldiers climbed up the ladder, risking their lives.Every time they rushed near the top of the city, they would be greeted with a rain of arrows, or scalding water covering their heads and faces.

Inside and outside the city walls, there were endless screams.

In the wounded barracks, crying and howling could be heard everywhere.

In the baggage camp, the sound of jingling continued all night long.

Siege, attack a ghost town!
Liang Hanyong sighed.He also attacked the city twice, one time when he approached the top of the city, he was pushed down.When he was falling, he frantically grabbed the flying ladder. Although he fell down in the end, he was lucky enough to survive. The price was that his palms and arms were wiped dripping with blood.

Another time, just after starting, the ladder was doused with oil and burned.The sergeant rushing to the front was covered in flames and couldn't be extinguished no matter how much he patted.The situation is too horrible to look at.

No matter how heroic you are, you may not be able to survive the siege, and you may not even be able to pull the enemy back before you die.

More than 7000 casualties!Zhu Mei's unit, which suffered the most casualties, lay down [-] people. Who made him the commander of the Yangzhou four-sided battalion?

The 3000 men of the Dongfang Kui Department of the Baoda Army were lost by [-].

The [-] Hexi Dangxiang who escorted the grain and grass were also sent up, with [-] casualties, and then directly bombed the camp and were bloody suppressed.Six thousand infantrymen in the left wing of the Yi Cong Army also died, and the Zhenwu Army and the Yinshan Fan tribe had a total of one thousand casualties.

Such tragic casualties should be the first time for the Dingnan Army.

But Yangzhou Zicheng probably couldn't hold on anymore.The supplies for defending the city were exhausted, and yesterday they were attacked twice in succession, and the city began to conscript healthy women to defend the city.

It was the Shence Army, Binning Army, and Jingyuan Army who attacked the city today. They had a total of more than 1000 casualties before.I boarded once in the morning and was kicked off. I will fight again, so there should be no suspense.

Yang Fugong and his son are only a few hundred Yamen soldiers, more than a thousand state soldiers, plus young men recruited temporarily, and they have forcibly guarded until now.However, their luck was not very good, and most of the general siege battles were sieges.For example, Huang Chao besieged Chenzhou for [-] days. In fact, it is not certain whether he fought for [-] days, but Zhu Mei is a ruthless person, and he fights every day. Each department takes turns to attack the city with high intensity, without hesitating casualties. Who can stand it?
A burst of warm cheers suddenly erupted outside Yangzhouzi City.

Liang Hanyong was shocked and walked out of the wounded soldiers camp quickly, only to see that the Jingyuan army had already attacked the top of the city.The bandit army fought back desperately, and people or corpses kept falling from the top of the city, but the Jingyuan army resisted and pushed the bandit army in step by step.

The Shence Army, which was on standby, immediately sent reinforcements. Hundreds of strong men rushed up to the top of the city with weapons, and stood there firmly.The Jingyuan army, which was the first to kill, had already chased the bandit army and charged into the city.

Yangzhou City is finally about to collapse!
Liang Hanyong let out a long breath.He didn't want to fight any more siege warfare, not at all.Seven thousand sergeants were killed or wounded, but two thousand bandits were wiped out, many of whom were still young.If it is a field battle, I am afraid that the enemy army will collapse in one round.But when they were defending the city, Yang Fugong and his son rewarded them repeatedly, forcing them to attack for more than a month, and then they flattened the city.

There shouldn't be any surprises in the commander-in-chief's southern expedition Zhuge Zhongbao, but he doesn't know if he will also encounter the siege of a fortified city.In fact, the battles in Henan were smooth, except for the time when the nest thieves besieged Chenzhou, various forces fought back and forth, and there were almost no cases of long-term sieges.

Either it is a field battle, or the defenders are easily captured, in short, it is very easy.Xuanwu army attacked Huazhou, and it took a day or two to attack Puzhou and Caoerzhou in one night. Henan people are so refreshing!

While Liang Hanyong was dreaming, the city gate was quickly opened, and all the troops rushed in.There were even some quarrels during the period. Fengxiang's army wanted to massacre the city to vent their anger, but Zhang Yanqiu sent people to dissuade them, and they almost met with each other.

Although Zhu Mei was appointed by Shao Shude as the recruitment envoy appointed by Shao Shude, she was afraid and did not dare to completely ignore Zhang Yanqiu's opinion.In addition, Zhe Zongben was also on Zhang Yanqiu's side, so in the end he could only give up and plunder hastily.

Regarding this, Zhang Yanqiu and Zhe Zongben had nothing to say and did not stop them. After all, many people died here, so they must be angry.The people in the city more or less assisted in the defense of the city, and it was their due intention to hand over their goods.

Yang Fugong and his son were searched and released.The fact that the two didn't have the courage to commit suicide made people despise them.Without saying anything, he was tied up and transferred to Xingyuan Mansion, and handed over to the Marshal for disposal.And the commander-in-chief will most likely send his weapon to the capital and hand it over to the court for punishment.

Shao Shude received the news on the 23rd, when he was staying overnight in Jizhou.

After reading the battle report, he suddenly felt a headache.

Since this expedition, there have been many casualties and wounded soldiers. Counting the Fan tribe, the number is close to 4000. Even if some of the wounded can return, it is inevitable that they will spend more than 3 hu a year on food and pensions.

The price of a dendrobium of grain is almost the same as that of a bolt of miscellaneous silk. More than 3 dendrobium grains are more than 3 bolts of miscellaneous silk.

And what about the harvest?Zhao Jian offered 12 coins and [-] bolts of silk. These silks were converted into miscellaneous silk. Based on the price of Lingxia, let's consider it [-] bolts. This is a one-time income.

In the future, [-] coins and [-] pieces of silk will be offered every year. Although I don't know how many years it will last, let's say it will be every year.Shannan West Road, no matter what, they have to offer the same goods, which is still not too much for the face of Commander Zhuge.

Well, there is still a lot left.But in fact, the biggest gain is that the people in Guanzhong, Fengxiang, and Shannan West Road have borne the expenses of raising the army this year. They have saved hundreds of thousands of coins and hundreds of thousands of pieces of silk in one year. This is the big deal.

Raising an army is not easy!But if you don't raise your army in this way, you won't be able to maintain your combat effectiveness.High combat effectiveness requires high military expenditures, which is in line with the law of energy conservation.

"Commander, Wei Zhaodu has arrived in Nanzheng." Zhao Guangfeng walked into the room and reported.

"Wei Zhaodu is going to enter Shu." Shao Shude waved his hand, stopped the little girl from the Zhao family who was rubbing his shoulders, and said, "Most of the shence troops in Yangzhou are going to enter Shu. 2 people, Can Chen Jingxuan withstand it?"

"Most likely I can't stand it." Zhao Guangfeng said: "The court's decree still has some weight in Shu. It doesn't need to be fought from city to city, and it often depends on the message."

This is the benefit of the court's righteousness!The brand of Datang is still popular in the south.The northern towns have more or less confronted the imperial court. If they are not so in awe of the imperial power, the court's righteousness will not be easy to use.

"Has there been any news from Han Quanhui about Zhu Mei moving town?"

Han Quanhui is currently supervising the army in Yangzhou. After all, killing Yang Fugong and his son is more important than recovering Tong, Bi, and Kaizhou.Even from the standpoint of the imperial court, it would be better if the three states could not be recovered, and they would have a chance to win over.When the time comes, I will give you the entire Banan defense envoy, is it disgusting?

"There is basically no problem with Beisi, but the prime ministers of Nanya have different opinions."

"Hmph! So-and-so just passed by Chang'an, so he has such a short memory? Now all the prime ministers are going to be sentenced to three divisions, right? Tell them directly that if they don't agree to my request, Shannan West Road will not allow the imperial army to pass through. From now on Let them find a way to detour and transship the tribute in central Shu. If they have the ability to ship it out of Sichuan, take the route of Kui Gorge, Shannan Dongdao, and Jinshang, and see if Li Kan, Zhao Dechen, and Li Xiang can talk well."

Zhao Guangfeng bowed his head and remained silent.

"Zhao Suishi, I feel that you should go to Chang'an. The court officials in the Southern Yamen, regardless of their fame, sometimes they are not as reliable as those middle officials. I have two requests. First, Dismiss Wu Dingjun and set up Longyou Town, Longyou Jiedu Envoy Xiao Yu will not change, Fengxiang Jiedu Envoy will be the Zongzong version; secondly, Binning Jiedu Envoy will be handed over to..."

Speaking of this, Shao Shude pondered for a long time, and finally said: "Li Yanling, the supply and demand envoy of the Difficult Army, was appointed as the envoy of the Binning Festival."

"Does the commander-in-chief want to serve as the governor of the town again? Today, Zhu Quanzhong and Li Kan are already two towns in the world."

"Let's forget it. Nowadays, in Dingnan, Shuofang, Zhenwu, and Tiande towns, one person handles all matters, big or small. How is it different from Shuofang Jiedushi in Xuanzong Dynasty?" Shao Shude smiled.He is a very stubborn person, he only cares about material gain, and it is enough for his fame to live well, there is no need to pursue too much.

Going to Bo Chang'an for several months, if you really ask for it by force, can't a prince get it?Is it impossible for one person to be the Jiedushi of Shuofang, Hexi, and Longyou?It's just that there's no need for it. He's just like An Lushan, and he's the target of public criticism. He's just looking for trouble.

"Marshal, I'm going to leave tonight." Zhao Guangfeng said: "The matter should be done sooner rather than later, so as to avoid another accident in the court."

"Why rush?" Shao Shude stretched out his hand to stop him, and then said: "Zhao Shu, pour tea for Zhao Suishi. By the way, are you still relatives?"

Zhao Guangfeng was a little embarrassed, and said, "They're all from the Tianshui Zhao family, but they're not one of them."

Shao Shude gave him a strange look.

All the other Zhao families wished to have a relationship with the Tianshui Zhao family, but Zhao Guangfeng kept a distance. This person is interesting.

Zhao Shu quickly brought the tea set and poured a bowl of tea for Zhao Guangfeng.

Zhao Guangfeng bowed his head in thanks, and slowly drank.

"Today, a certain person received a letter written by Li Keyong, inviting me to attack Zhang Quanyi together." Shao Shude said suddenly.

"The commander-in-chief has already refused?" Zhao Guangfeng asked, putting down the tea bowl.

In Zhao Guangfeng's view, this matter is unnecessary.Now that the situation in Shannan has just been pacified, in the future you can sit and receive offerings from Shannan Xidao and Longjian towns. It is not a problem to spend [-] to [-] yuan a year, and more than [-] pieces of silk. tens of thousands of troops.

After the class teacher, they can also carefully draw up the amount of offerings made by Baosai Army, Bao Dajun, and Fengxiang Town every year. The money and food in the town are very generous, which is just right to clean up the people's livelihood debts accumulated over the years.It is really inappropriate to use weapons at this time, at least take a while.

"A certain one did refuse." Shao Shude said: "However, Zhu Quanzhong has sent troops to attack Caizhou. After defeating Caizhou, the next step is probably to attack the Zhu brothers in time. The Xuanwu Army, almost every month, every year Years of war, the footsteps never stop."

Zhao Guangfeng thought about it carefully, and now it seems that he has reached a critical point of strategic decision.

The best thing about going south to Shuzhong is that the candidate for the commander-in-chief is actually the commander-in-chief's own son, and others are not at ease.It's a pity that the scholars are young and no one can provoke the leader, so for the time being, they can only interfere and restrain the middle of Shu.

And since it will not enter Shu in a short period of time, it has to find a new direction of expansion after construction.Liangzhou is an option, but the commander-in-chief should not conscript himself, and Guanzhong is excluded, so where else can it be?
"Don't think about it." Shao Shude said with a smile, "Going to Henan to fight Zhu Quanzhong, I'm not that stupid. Across Guanzhong and Hezhong, there's no need to stretch your arms so long. Let’s clarify the results of this expedition first.”

"The commander-in-chief is wise." Zhao Guangfeng cupped his hands and said.

On the 27th, the army returned to Xixian County.

During his stay here, Shao Shude met Wei Zhaodu, the recruitment envoy of Jiannan Road and the envoy of Xichuan Jiedu.

Wei Xiang was high-spirited and high-spirited. He led [-] victorious troops and marched southward to Shuzhong in a mighty manner, intending to conquer Pingtian and Yang Yunei.

"The king of Lingwu County is really good at fighting. After more than a month of expedition, he pacified the three states of Banan." Wei Zhaodu congratulated him as soon as they met.

Shao Shude glanced at the generals of the Shence Army standing behind Wei Zhaodu, and said with a smile: "When Prime Minister Wei enters Shu, he should also sing a triumphant song. Someone is waiting for the victory in Xiazhou."

Ximen Wentong didn't dare to look at Shao Shude.The more people who know soldiers, the more they know how powerful the Ding Nan Army is.Ximen Wentong felt that the soldiers under him were good enough, but during the Battle of Yangzhou, he watched the bravery of the Zhenwu Army attacking the city at close range, so he no longer dared to have any confidence.

Shao Shude's eyes lingered on Ximen Wentong for a while.With [-] Shence troops entering Shu, even if the Eastern and Western Sichuans are pacified, it is not certain who will pick the fruit in the end.

What's more, although these 2 people are different from the old Shence Army, they were recruited from various towns in the Kanto region, but the army has been formed for a short time, and its real combat power is still unknown.Let's take a look first, what the more than forty prefectures in central Sichuan will look like in the end.

The ambitions of Zhao Jian and Zhu Mei are not small.Gao Renhou in Zizhou is also a famous general, Wei Zhaodu is a scholar, Shao Shude is not optimistic that he can play well.

On the first day of July, Shao Shude led the army back to Nanzheng, where Zhu Mei had been waiting for a long time.

(End of this chapter)