Late Tang Dynasty Floating Life

Chapter 9 Performance
"Li Guochang has been in Zhenwu for eight years, and his roots are deeply rooted. Zhenwu's military family is all in the city, and there are Shatuo cavalrymen who are under pressure. I am afraid that he will not surrender lightly. If you have any suggestions, please tell me. I don't have an idea." Hao Zhenwei sat on the head, looking around the generals.

The military envoy Qiu Weidao sat under him, and several ten generals and lieutenants from Xicheng, Zhoucheng, and Beicheng stood on both sides.

At this time, when they heard Hao Zhenwei's question, everyone knew it.

Not long after, someone said: "Zhenwu Military City has been in operation for many years. The city has high walls and thick moats. It is difficult to fight. Our army is only about [-] soldiers. It is not clear what the situation is in the city, but there must be more than [-] troops stationed there. Yes, I don't approve of squandering the lives of soldiers and soldiers, and in the end, they often fail to fight, and they lose their money in vain."

"Is it possible to drive the Toyosu Party Xiang who accompanied the army to attack the city? They have 3000 people, as long as they offer a reward, I am not afraid that those poor ghosts will not take the bait." Someone said.

"The barbarians aren't stupid! What is the situation of siege, can they not know? If you have life to get money, but if you don't have life to spend money, someone will do this?" Someone said unhappy.

"Disobeying orders before the battle is a capital crime. I'll be able to execute the military law, first behead a few thorns, and then add high rewards, so that they won't be disobedient."

"Hold on!" Hao Zhenwei slapped the armrest of the Hu bed hard, and said, "The party is untrustworthy, and it is the last resort to drive them to attack the city."

Hao Zhenwei had a headache. These warriors were all idiots, and they actually discussed how to attack the city seriously. This was already deviating from his original intention, so he hurriedly interrupted.

Zhenwu Military City is a big city, even if Li Guochang takes away the main force, it is not something that their small army can conquer.However, the situation in this state is strange and undercurrents are flowing.

"It's better to send someone to the military city to ask about the situation." A middle-aged man in a long shirt said: "The people who are determined to oppose Li Guochang have already gone to Hedong, and most of the people left in the city are loyal to the court. As long as the envoy Xiao is righteous, You can certainly persuade them to open the city gates and show their intentions. The rebels still in Hedong will definitely be frightened when they hear the news, and will not dare to fight again.”

"Haha, a scholar's opinion. The people in Zhenwu Army City are not fools. There may be some loyalty to the imperial court, but what happens when the city gate is opened? Aren't we afraid that we will earn money and start killing? I can't guarantee that I will enter it myself. Once you get to the city, you can still make no mistakes." Someone laughed again, the words were full of irony, and they didn't give any face.

"You—the important affairs of the country are corrupted by you guys!"

"His grandma's! If it weren't for the general's residence, I would have slashed you with a knife long ago."

"I'm the most annoying of you being so irritating. The last time I went to pick up the spring clothes, the left one was embarrassed and the right one pushed back, so I wanted to cut you. I heard that your little lady is very beautiful, but I didn't know you were cut. Who will be cheaper later, hahaha!”

"General, this person is so rude, lower official—"

"Shut up to this general!" Hao Zhenwei stood up with a loud cry, and his armor clattered, only to see him with a livid face, and angrily said: "The military affairs, how important! You are making a noise here. , just like a vegetable market, what kind of system is it? I will ask you for a plan, it is really a matter of asking for a fish. That's all, that's all! I have made up my mind, go east along the Yellow River, and take down the Dongcheng first. In this way, you can attack and retreat. Keep it up, there will be a lot more room.”

"All will be wise!"

"Follow the commander's order!"

**********
Shao Shude stood outside the door for a long time, listening to a group of personal soldiers and guards chatting nonsense.

Wufu, a soldier these days, is, in a way, terrifyingly blunt.As long as no one cares about him, he really dares to say anything.

This is naturally related to the "Wufu populism" that has continued since the mid-Tang Dynasty.

In a vassal town, whoever wants to come to power must please the warriors and promise various benefits and benefits.And this kind of welfare can only be increased but not reduced. If you want to gain the support of Wufu, you will have to write a bigger check and better welfare.Over time, the status of the warriors has become accustomed to it, and their speech is somewhat casual.

Shao Shude chatted with them for about half an hour, learned a lot of important information from these big mouths, and gained a deeper understanding of the action of sending troops to crusade against Zhenwu Army.

It is not so much a war as it is a performance. In the entire army, few are willing to risk their lives for the so-called imperial edict.

Soon, the military council chaired by Hao Zhenwei adjourned.Qiu Weidao walked out silently, and Shao Shude immediately stepped forward to greet him: "Qiu Shijun."

"Go back and talk about something." Qiu Weidao waved his hand, and turned on the warhorse led by Saburo.Shao Shude responded and greeted Brother Yihuo who was following him, carrying a knife and bow, carefully escorting Qiu Weidao back to the temporary prison.

The area of ​​the middle city is not small, but because it is a military fort, it is not a normal city in terms of structure.There is only one street, two or three hundred households, and a few shops. The layout is similar to that of Xicheng, or even worse.

At this time, the doors of the buildings on both sides of the street were closed, and no one could be seen. It was obvious that the warriors were fierce and famous.

After the Temporary Supervision and Military Academy arrived, Qiu Weidao immediately had the door closed, and at the same time called Song Le and Guan Kairun, the judges who accompanied the army.

"General Hao Du's mind is uncertain, he sits and waits and hesitates. I'm afraid there will be no success in this eastward expedition." Qiu Weidao made a pot of tea, poured his own drink, and shook his head: "The military envoy of Zhenwu appointed by the imperial court. Lu Taiqing died of illness on the way, and there are no leaders in the two states and three cities, each with his own mind. At this time, if there is one person in charge of the overall situation and answering the various kings, the situation will be much better."

"My lord, this is not necessarily a bad thing." After being silent for a while, Song Le, who was the judge of the military academy, spoke up, only to hear him say: "Guochang and his son are fierce and stubborn, and the Zhenwu Army is known to be good at fighting. Famous, the strength is twice that of Tiande, if it really fights, it will definitely not benefit. Now that the main force of the rebels is heading east, Zhenwu Military City is their old nest, and there must be a considerable number of troops left behind, attacking is the best strategy."

"The words of Judge Song won the heart of the envoy." Qiu Weidao nodded and said: "Close the team, how much do you know about the Zhenwu Army?"

"The Zhenwu Army is good at fighting. In the past, it was... Zeng..." Guan Kairun was a bit big headed. He squatted in the prison all the year round, and he didn't have much contact with foreign troops. It got stuck for a while and didn't know how to continue.

"Captain Shao, tell me." Qiu Weidao frowned and glared at Guan Kairun, then asked about Shao Shude.

"My envoy, the Zhenwu Army has more than 3000 infantry and 30 cavalry. They are mainly stationed in Dongcheng, Juncheng, and Shengzhou. Linzhou is located in the rear and there are not many soldiers in the town. It mainly depends on the local area. The Tutuan villagers of the wealthy clan assisted in the defense, such as Zhejia and Yangjia. During the Huichang period of Emperor Wuzong, Liu Mian and Liu Taifu led the Hedong Army and joined Qibi, Tuoba, Shatuo and other Tibetan troops to defeat Uighur Wujie Khan and rebuild the Tiande Army. At that time, a large number of Zhenwu Army officers and soldiers were transferred to Fengzhou to serve as officers at all levels. In the past 2000 years, the Zhenwu Army has towned Dangxiang in the south and went to the grasslands in the north. Regardless of Guan Kairun's ugly face, he said directly: "After Li Guochang entered the town, the strength of the Zhenwu Army has expanded, mainly due to the addition of Shatuo, Dangxiang and other vassal troops, about [-] people, all cavalry, and the combat power is quite impressive. .”

"It's really a treasure." Qiu Weidao praised: "How much do you know about the Zhe family and the Yang family in Linzhou?"

"The Zhe family is a member of the party, and the head of the family, Zong Zong, has been a general in the Zhenwu Army for many years. He has served as deputy general, ten generals, commander, military envoy to suppress troops and horses, and five towns along the river. After Li Guochang's rebellion, Zong Zong This led the troops to return to Linzhou to protect the environment and the people, and the intention to wait and see is very strong.” Shao Shude continued to introduce: “The Yang family is a noble family in Linzhou. After the Yang family of Hongnong, they came to Linzhou about two or three generations ago. (yuè), his great-grandfather Yang Sun, the official to the censor doctor, Ziqing Jiedu. The three generations of Yang's family did not become officials, but they bought land and property in Linzhou, managed well, and had many parts, just like a wealthy family. ."

"Listening to Captain Shao's words, the emissary did the math. The soldiers Li Guochang brought to Hedong probably numbered six to seven thousand. Counting the thousands of soldiers used by his son Li Ke, the total amounted to no more than ten thousand. Even if Han'er and Fan soldiers are temporarily recruited, they will definitely not exceed 7000. Even if they are brave and good at fighting, there is absolutely no way out under the encirclement and suppression of the imperial court. What a shame, what a shame!" Qiu Weidao stood up, sighing again and again.

Shao Shude was silent.He already understood what Hao Zhenwei was thinking about, and he didn't believe that Qiu Weidao didn't know.

Toyosu's undercurrent is surging, and it is indeed a very dangerous time.In the event that there are three strengths and two weaknesses in the defense history, several generals in the state may compete for the position.

Now that Hao Zhenwei is leading the army outside, as long as he is not stupid and is not in a hurry to go back to hand over the military power, when news comes from the state, he can reward the troops and promise a bunch of things, and then take advantage of the momentum of the warriors to directly return to self-reliance. The history of defense, can the court still admit it?
Of course, there is still a problem here, that is, if Li Jian is safe and recovers, then all Hao Zhenwei's calculations will be in vain.

Li Gan has ruled the German army for many years, but he still has a bit of prestige. Hao Zhenwei is not sure that he will seize power while he is still alive.

Furthermore, even if Li Yan really died, there would still be enough competitors in the prefecture. If they gathered the remaining troops and recruited some temporarily, it would not be a problem to gather three or four thousand troops. Do you, Hao Zhenwei, still want to go back and fight them first? Can't make a fight?
Therefore, whether General Hao Du's plan will be successful or not is actually between two things, and no one dares to guarantee it.It's just that the warriors do things, and whenever there is a certain opportunity, they like to gamble.

"That's enough, that's enough! Hao Zhenwei wants to act, so the envoy will accompany him to play this one. It's just delaying the affairs of the state, and the envoy is worried." Qiu Weidao waved his sleeves and sat back on the Hu bed again, his expression tangled. Pain, as if it was a last resort.

Note 1: Dongcheng, that is, Dongshoujiang City, is located outside the Yellow River in what is now Tuoketuo County, Inner Mongolia.During the Tianbao years, there were 7000 soldiers and 1700 horses.It is only ten miles from crossing the river to Shengzhou City in the southwest of Dongcheng, and 120 miles from Zhenwu Military City in the northeast. The situation is critical.

Note 2: Linzhou has jurisdiction over three counties of Xinqin, Liangu and Yincheng.Fuguo, Xinqin County, is located near Shenmu in today's Shaanxi Province. It was established in the first year of Tianbao. The city is isolated on three sides and the situation is dangerous; Liangu County is forty miles north of the prefecture, and Yincheng County is forty miles south of the state.

(End of this chapter)