Late Tang Dynasty Floating Life

Chapter 705
The caravan reached the outskirts of Hanoi County.

Along with it, there are many livestock, mainly sheep, mixed with some beef cattle, camels, and horses.

In order to bring the livestock that are crucial to agricultural production to the people of Heyang, Shao Shude even used the caravan, that is, to attract them to buy livestock from the Fan people through tax exemption, and then transport them all the way to Heyang.

In fact, there are not many livestock, but only a few hundred.But a small amount makes a lot, and every caravan brings some of them here, and it will not be a small amount in the long run.

Zhao Cheng is not young anymore.He walked into the station and chatted with the familiar post general.The people below are busy fostering the livestock to the sheepfold behind the post station.The livestock that were finally brought along the way should not cause any problems.

"There's going to be a flood." The postman lost one hand, but he was in good spirits. While directing his two sons to chop meat, he took the time to chat with Zhao Cheng: "You'd better not cross the river recently. Just stay in Hanoi." , it cannot be submerged here."

Zhao Cheng sighed regretfully, and said, "I still want to go to Luoyang."

"Don't think about it. The pontoon bridge is full of carriages going from south to north, and the transportation of grain, grass and equipment is almost crazy." The post general said: "There is nothing left in Luoyang. According to the army's robe Ze, there are ruins there. But there are also people It is said that Henan Mansion has already cleared a large area, and some small palaces may be built in the future, one in the style of the Uighur palace in Ganzhou, and one in the style of Tubo, I don’t know if it will be repaired in the style of Dangxiang.”

"How do you know all this?" Zhao Cheng asked with a smile.

"It's all said by the officials and generals who come and go on business." The post general said shyly.

The post station, that is definitely a good place to inquire about news, because the identities of the people coming and going are not ordinary.

While the two were talking, it rained heavily outside again, accompanied by thunder and lightning.

The post general stood up, looked outside worriedly, and said, "Don't let the rain fall until June, otherwise the summer harvest will be troublesome."

The degree of "urbanization" in Huaizhou is very low, and there are large fields and pastures behind the post station.

The water in the irrigation canal was rushing and flowing, and the sound was frighteningly loud.

The peasants wore coir raincoats one after another, stepping on the ground one by one.They opened the ridges of the fields, let the accumulated water flow into the canal, and then gathered all the way into the pond.The water level in the pool was very high and very turbid, rushing into the roaring Qinshui.

On the bank of Qinshui, two small boats were tied to the pier, floating in the raging flood, so small and helpless.

"The power of the sky is unpredictable." Zhao Cheng sighed, "It's a trivial matter to see the water. If a big river breaks its embankment, life will be ruined."

The big river is indeed going to burst its embankment, but it is not in Heyang, not in Bianzhou, but in Huazhou.

Jiang Xuanhui personally rushed to the embankment with a solemn expression.

Wang Yin, the governor of Huazhou, followed behind him, his face pale.

The flood has risen for more than half a month, and the dams are under the flood, so overwhelmed that many places are damaged and the river overflows.There were a lot of conscripts in Huazhou, and they tried their best to block it, so there was no large-scale breach of the embankment.But it can't be blocked now, and if it continues, I'm afraid it will be difficult to protect the city.

In fact, as early as the beginning of April, because of the heavy rain for days and the river's water soared, someone in the shogunate proposed to either break the embankment and let the river flow through several small rivers in the southwest of Huazhou, or let Weizhou release the ancient Yellow River that was dredged in Yuanhe years. river course.

Liang Wang hesitated and dragged on until now.

But now a decision has to be made.Jiang Xuanhui rushed to Huazhou after receiving the order of King Liang, and ordered the embankment to be dug to allow the river to flood away. This embankment was built when Xiao Ao was governor in the fourth year of Xiantong (863). To be honest, it has been neglected in recent years. It's not very strong anymore.

The purpose of Zhu Quanzhong's order is very simple, to protect the city of Huazhou, but not Huazhou.Gein Huazhou is an important town and has always been prosperous. There are a large number of wealthy households in the city, as well as the families of sergeants and officials, who have to be protected.As for the people outside the city, they can't take care of it.

"Wang Shijun, the river is overflowing and the dam will be broken. Let's dig it." Jiang Xuanhui said: "Move the river far away to keep Huazhou, but after the water recedes, build a dike to strengthen itself."

Wang Yin swallowed.

Digging the Yellow River, if this kind of thing is done, it will be infamous for thousands of years.Moreover, King Liang didn't come in person, but sent his confidant Jiang Xuanhui to come in person and dictated the order in private. Why?Shouldn't he let Wang Yin stand up and be this villain?To be reviled and cursed?
Wang Yin suddenly regretted it.

When Yiyi escaped from the river, his wife and daughter fell into Wang Yao's hands and were humiliated by him.After arriving in Bianzhou, he was diligent and devoted to his duties. Taking advantage of Yuan Xiang's accident first, he managed to get a job as governor of Huazhou, and now he is going to dig the Yellow River?
Jiang Xuanhui looked at Wang Yin with some sympathy, but still said: "Wang Shijun, I can't hesitate to find someone to do it today."

Wang Yin nodded dumbly, then heaved a deep sigh and stepped down the embankment.

In the afternoon, a large group of soldiers and servants appeared at the river embankment in the southwest of Huazhou.

Huazhou is adjacent to the big river in the west, and the dams are divided into old dykes and new dykes.The old dike has been damaged long ago and has become a part of the Yellow River channel.

In the fourth year of Xiantong, because the old embankment was often soaked in water and was easily damaged, a new embankment was built four miles to the east.In other words, the four miles of land were abandoned to make it a part of the Yellow River channel, and now this new embankment is to be dug.

Jiang Xuanhui didn't want to watch it anymore, so he went back to Huazhou City directly.

The road passed through several villages, the villages were flooded, the houses were submerged, and the people lived in nests and boats.Many people dragged their families and went to Zhoucheng, panicking like the end of the world.

After dinner at dusk, a follower hurried in and whispered in Jiang Xuanhui's ear for a long time.

Jiang Xuanhui sighed.The dike was finally opened, and the raging flood broke through the barrier and headed east.

He can even imagine that the Yellow River is divided into three here. The ancient Yellow River flood discharge channel in Weizhou is one, but the terrain on both sides of the family is high, so it is not a big problem; the main river is one, and the water is already extremely turbulent; The county is considered a temporary river.

Under the overflow of the flood, the fields and crops were all damaged, the grains were not harvested, and many people were drowned. I am afraid that tens of thousands of people will die!

In the 18th year of Kaihuang and the 13th year of Daye in the former Sui Dynasty, the Yellow River flooded twice, and tens of thousands of people died each time. From the 18th year of Kaihuang to the 13th year of Daye, in just 19 years, the Yellow River in Henan and Shandong broke its embankment five times , It's unbelievable that the two fathers and sons really don't care much about the people in Kanto.

The most serious Yellow River flood in the Guo Dynasty should be the eighth year of Emperor Dezong's Zhenyuan (792), when more than [-] states in Henan, Hebei, and Jianghuai were flooded, killing more than [-] people.

How many people will die this time?Jiang Xuanhui didn't dare to imagine.

He can only comfort himself, at least the death rate is less than that of a military disaster.Li Ke used to toss in Hebei for so long, and the people lost their lives, with hundreds of thousands of casualties, and maybe even 30 to [-]. Isn't it more terrible than a flood?
Huazhou, this year is over!Pu, Yun, Yan and other states in the east are probably not feeling well, and they are about to jump up and scold their mothers.

who cares!What are the Tianping Army and the Taining Army doing to me?

……

Zhu Quanzhong didn't care about the flood, while Shao Shude stepped up his offensive.

The Tianxiong army and the Tutuan villagers took turns attacking the city, and the fighting was extremely fierce until the heavy rain came here.At this time, the Dingyuan Army on the South Road had set up camp in the Longmenyi area behind Yique Pass, and the Shunyi Army went directly to the south, capturing the empty Yique County two days later than them. , Surrounded the thousands of people of the Wei Rong army.

Regarding this Guancheng, Li Tangbin's opinion is to maintain a certain degree of military pressure, continue to attack, and at the same time send people to persuade him to surrender.

Shao Shude had no objection, because he couldn't think of any reason for the Yique Pass defenders to persevere.

From the start, it was a dead end for them.

Guan Cheng couldn't retreat, and as soon as he retreated, he was suppressed by the Tianxiong army, chasing his butt and beating him.If you don't retreat, you can only watch helplessly as the back road is cut off and becomes an isolated city.

Of course, this is not to blame for Wei Rongjun, nor is it Zhang Guiba's fault. In fact, it is caused by the defeat of Liang Jun as a whole.If you really want to go back, the big defeat in Luoyang doomed today's ending.To put it bluntly, Luo Ru shouldn't keep it—but what if he doesn't?Things seem to be getting worse.

The momentum is gone!

Hu Zhen appeared again.He volunteered to enter Yique Pass and was brought before Zhang Guiba.

It was raining heavily, and the atmosphere was quite harmonious. At least Zhang Guiba didn't kill him immediately, and even invited him to drink. This was a good start.

"King Xia's war is not the same as it was more than ten years ago." Zhang Guiba's eyes wandered, as if he was recalling something: "Back then in Chang'an East, Huang Ye's army was in his hands, alas. But, At that time, King Xia fought bravely and diligently. He fought Meng Kai in Shengao Station, Zhang Quanyi in Gaoling County, and Li Tangbin in Sanyuan County. They all fought in formations and defeated the enemy in one fell swoop. But he played more and more cautiously, why?"

Hu Zhen recalled it carefully, and felt a little embarrassed.

In the battle of Tongzhou, Zhu Quanzhong had no more than [-] men. Shao Shude, Zhuge Shuang, Zhu Mei, and Yi Zhao combined two to thirty thousand troops. They were either soldiers from the east of the river or soldiers from the border of Xiasui. .

The battle Zhang Guiba mentioned should be the battle of Dongwei Bridge.Zhuge Shuang, Shao Shude, Li Xiaochang, and Li Xiang defeated the Chao army and took Huang Ye's leader. The three brothers Zhang Guiba should be in the army and fled overnight.

"King Liang has always wanted to have a decisive battle with King Xia." Zhang Guiba smiled and said, "If this battle is successful, I will definitely lead the army to charge and destroy the front and break through. All armies, even if you die without hatred, you will be convinced if you lose."

"The more soldiers you have, the more you need to be cautious." Hu Zhen subconsciously defended Shao Shude, saying: "In the battle of Luoyang in the early years of the Kingdom, Dou Jiande was captured in one battle and made the world laugh. , Focus on defense, and then use the strategy of his staff to take advantage of the false attack to capture Puzhou and enter Guanzhong. It is not a matter of one day for Taizong to win."

In the early years of Li Tang, Hedong was really empty.The staff all suggested that Dou Jiande should not rush to a decisive battle, but to capture Hedong, and then detour into Guanzhong, and contact the Turks to make a large-scale southward move, so that Li and Tang could not look after each other.However, he sent [-] soldiers and horses in the first battle, so that Liu Heita later moved to Shandong and Hebei with the support of the Turks. He defeated famous generals and beheaded countless Tang troops, but his strength was actually greatly insufficient.

Zhang Guiba smiled and said: "That's right. King Xia used his troops very steadily. Judging from today's momentum, as long as he doesn't suffer a disastrous defeat like Dou Jiande's and fights steadily, he will have no problem claiming the emperor like Hou Zhou. The world is also very possible. The old man Yuan Cong who followed King Xia can rest assured. Their lord is not the kind of person who spends money and spends money."

"The king of Xia is benevolent and generous. As long as you have talents, you can get rich." Hu Zhen said: "General Zhang is brave and crowned Bianliang. If he can vote for King Xia, don't worry about being rich."

Zhang Guihou sighed, and said: "It's too late, I wish I hadn't met King Xia sooner."

Hu Zhen thought for a while, then laughed again: "Actually, there is still a chance."

Zhang Guiba glanced at him with a faint smile.

"The three of Xian Kunzhong are all famous generals. I heard that Zhu Quanzhong recruited soldiers in the Bian Song Dynasty and handed them over to his younger brother Gui Bian for training, which shows his trust. Gui Hou Yitong's halls are all elite soldiers, brave and good at fighting." Hu Zhen paused, and said: "If The three brothers all voted for King Xia, wouldn't it be a good story for a while? Is it worth worrying about being rich?"

Hu Zhen's words, if put six or seven years ago, would have been a big problem.Gein Zhu Quanzhong had a high prestige at that time, and he had strong control over his subordinates. No one dared to talk nonsense, and it was not so easy to rebel and surrender.

But now, signs of warlordization of the army have slowly emerged.When the army was damaged in battle, the generals often recruited troops to supplement the establishment, and even formed a pro-army. For example, Zhu Zhen of Caozhou and Shu Cong of Suzhou had formed at least one pro-military of the capital, and Zhu Quanzhong could only open his eyes and close his eyes.

Among Ding Hui, Pang Shigu, Shi Shucong, and Zhu Zhen, Pang Shigu may be the most honest, and Shi Shucong may be more obedient, but for Dante Hui and Zhu Zhen, Hu Zhen is the most honest person. Their understanding now has a lot of small thoughts.

It can also be seen from this that the strength between the monarch and his ministers is not static, but is dynamically changing.To put it bluntly, it is still a matter of prestige, and there is always a game between people.The lord always wins and the situation is good, so the prestige is high, and he has an advantage in the game between the monarch and his ministers. Otherwise, he is at a disadvantage and has to surrender part of his power.

"King Xia has a big appetite." Zhang Guiba sighed: "Wei Rong's army has [-] cavalry, the men I brought are all right, the sergeants from Ruzhou soldiers and Tutuan Xiangyong are also fine, the rest of the sergeants , it is not difficult to persuade them to surrender when they are surrounded on all sides. However, it is not so easy to surrender in the halls, and I am afraid it will be difficult for my brother to control them. As for the new army, let's see..."

When Zhang Guiba talked about the difficulty of surrender, he didn't mention his family from the beginning to the end, only talking about the attitude of the soldiers.

In fact, his eldest son, Zhang Handing, was a hostage in Bianzhou, while his family was in Ruzhou.In his eyes, these were no obstacles to surrender.So what if the whole family dies?The big deal is to marry a wife and have children.If it’s not possible, it’s okay to accept a foster son to continue the incense. This is not a problem. The problem is how to persuade the big soldiers to surrender with you.

"It's all about human effort." Hu Zhen said with a smile: "I'm just saying something from the bottom of my heart. With so many soldiers and horses and so many officers and generals in Bianzhou, can King Xia replace them all? Don't they have to keep a lot of them? If you fall early, you will gain early, but if you fall late, you will suffer. If King Xia wants to buy a horse bone with a thousand dollars, isn't that an opportunity?"

"In the battle of Luoyang, King Xia's biggest victory was winning Hu Dalang." Zhang Guiba shook his head and said.

Hu Zhen laughed.

(End of this chapter)