After Xia Houying came over, Jia Heng and Jia Mu had a hasty lunch in Rongqing Hall. Before they could say a few more words to everyone, a nun suddenly reported that the army in the capital camp had been assembled. She asked Jia Heng when he would set off. Without further delay, he and Princess Xianning left Rongguo Mansion accompanied by Xia Houying and the guards of Jinyi Mansion.
In full view of everyone, he was destined not to say goodbye to Yuanchun, Baochai, Yuanyang, Qingwen, Xichun and others. In the end, he only said a few words to Qin Keqing to say goodbye.
After Jia Heng left in a furious manner, the previously noisy atmosphere in Rongqing Hall felt a lot of depression.
Xiangyun's eyes were lost in thought and he murmured: "Brother Heng just left like this?"
"The military situation is raging, Henan is in a hurry, and Brother Heng can't be delayed." Tan Chun said in a clear voice, and couldn't help but think of Princess Xianning and Xia Houying, and then thought of the previous proposal to go to Luoyang, Yingli's He frowned and finally sighed.
Mother Jia comforted her and said, "Qing, don't worry too much. When has Brother Heng not been winning a battle outside?"
Qin Keqing nodded and said: "Old lady, I know this. It's just that she couldn't follow her husband to Henan like the Xianning princess, and her husband was gone for who knows how long, and in the end she didn't have time to say goodbye.
Now her husband is not only her husband, but also the support of the entire Jia family. He will never be able to return to the time when he was in Liutiaoer Hut.
Xiangyun pouted her pink lips and said with regret: "Third sister, I also want to go to Henan. Brother Heng didn't even ask me. I'm not afraid of the bumps and hard work.
Tanchun: "???"
"Sister Yun, war is no joke. Brother Heng will take you there and take care of you." Daiyu glanced at Xiangyun and said.
"What about the third sister?" Xiangyun Pingguo's face looked a little unconvinced.
"Third sister, if you follow me, you can still help Brother Heng." Daiyu said softly.
Listening to the laughter of several little girls, the worries in Jia Mu and Qin Keqing's hearts gradually dissipated.
Yuanchun took a sip of fragrant tea, a trace of worry appeared on his eyebrows, and he sighed in his heart.
I hope Brother Heng is safe and returns home soon.
Baochai's face was also covered with a worried look.
Not to mention that everyone in the Jia family was worried about Jia Heng's expedition, it was said that Jia Heng, Princess Xianning, and Xia Houying, under the protection of Jinyi Mansion, rode fast horses to the capital camp. At this moment, the cavalry of the capital camp were getting ready in the south of the city, with flags and streamers flapping. The sound of horse hooves echoed in the foothills.
Jia Heng led a group of dozens of cavalry to follow the front line and merged under the Chinese flag.
"Jie Shuai." At this time, Pang Shili, the general of the Yangwei camp, clasped his fists to greet him and called out. Jia Heng asked: "The sentries have been sent out.
When a large army approaches, they will scout ahead and report later. There are often a large number of scouts sent out first to respond to the news at any time.
Pang Shili cupped his hands and said, "Report to Commander-in-Chief, General Xie has led five hundred cavalry and sent them out in batches."
"It won't be too late, let's set off with the army!" Jia pulled out the Emperor's Sword from his waist, and with an order, the endless cavalry behind him galloped their horses and whips, and set off in the direction of Luoyang.
In the evening, Kunning Palace, the quiet and soft golden sunset shines into the palace. Groups of palace maids and eunuchs stand beside the beams, pillars and curtains, with their hands hanging down, not daring to leave their breath.
Ever since the emperor heard the bad news about Henan and fainted after vomiting blood, the whole Kunning Palace was shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere. Xia Shouzhong, the eunuch in charge of the Sixth Palace, even punished two palace maids who were not doing well, making the atmosphere in the harem even worse. Replaced by chilling.
Even after lunch, the Supreme Emperor and Empress Dowager Feng brought the concubines over to visit Emperor Chongping, but he still didn't feel much relieved.
"Your Majesty, the soup is ready." Dai Quan had a white cloth wrapped around his head at this time, and the blood stains were still visible. He was holding a bowl of soup in his hand, came close and whispered.
At this time, Queen Song's chief female officer took the medicine bowl and took a sip before handing it to Queen Song.
Queen Song stirred it with a spoon and said softly: "The imperial doctor said this is a medicine for replenishing blood energy. Your Majesty, please use some."
While talking, he scooped up a spoonful of the decoction, raised his pink lips with rose petals, blew on it, and handed it over.
Emperor Chongping did not continue like this, but took the medicine bowl, picked up the spoon to stir, and asked: "Concubine Rong is still angry with me?"
Princess Xianning followed Jia Heng to Henan. This move was strongly opposed by Xianning's mother concubine, Concubine Yi Duanrong. When Jia Heng left the palace and went to the capital camp to dispatch troops, she was still trying to persuade Emperor Chongping to withdraw his order. .
Empress Song's face was slightly startled, and she sighed quietly: "Your Majesty, Jin Yang has already gone to persuade her. In addition, he also sent Xia Houying from the mansion to escort Zhi'er. Zhi'er's trip should be foolproof. My sister will eventually do it. Figured it out.
Emperor Chongping paused slightly with the spoon in his hand, stared at Dai Quan, and said, "Has the Beijing camp army set off?"
"Just now Jinyi Mansion came to report, the cavalry from the Beijing camp went to Luoyang first, and now Jia Ziyu also led the troops." Dai Quan said quickly and respectfully.
The Prime Minister of the Ming Dynasty was still in a state of lingering fear since he mistakenly sent a good news, causing the emperor to vomit blood and faint.
Emperor Chongping nodded and murmured: "Soldiers are valuable and quick. If the court does not check the victory report and delays it for another three to five days, I am afraid that Luoyang will be in danger. With Ziyu gone, at least Luoyang will be saved. As for Kaifeng, The civil unrest over there will take some time."
Dai Quan's heart trembled and he didn't dare to respond.
Empress Song turned to look at the frowning Emperor Chongping. Her soft voice tried to soothe the emperor's anxiety and said: "Since Jia Ziyu has sent troops to Henan, I hope your majesty can relax. Didn't Jia Ziyu say before, your majesty?" The dragon body is the most important thing, and he can calmly calm down the others."
"Zitong, why don't I know? It's just that it's inevitable that it won't settle down." Xu Shi was suffering from illness. This emperor, who had always been resolute and determined, rarely revealed some true thoughts.
"But it doesn't help that Your Majesty is so uncomfortable in the bedroom. Since Jia Ziyu has deduced the situation early, I think the chaos in Henan will be put down by him soon." Empress Song took Emperor Chongping's hand and said with relief. .
Emperor Chongping sighed, then looked at Dai Quan and said: "Let the internal guards keep an eye on Henan's movements at all times, and nothing will go wrong this time.
When Dai Quan heard this, his expression paused and he cupped his hands in response: "Yes, Your Majesty.
…
…
Henan, Kaifeng Prefecture
This capital city in the Song Dynasty was once bustling and bustling, but it had only been in the hands of bandits for a day and was already enveloped in an atmosphere of terror and murder.
The streets were sparsely populated, and corpses and blood stains were seen from time to time on the roadside. Except for the Gao Yue soldiers holding red scarves on their heads, there was no common people coming and going, and it was deathly quiet.
From time to time, women's screams and screams came from the houses, occasionally breaking the silence. Some criminal thieves and death row prisoners who were originally from the prisons of various counties infiltrated into Gao Yue's troops. Naturally, there was no military discipline to speak of, and the female officers in Kaifeng City were raped and robbed.
Gao Yue, who proclaimed himself the "Generalissimo of Fengtian and Advocate for Righteousness", had set up the anti-Han banner and "restored the Ming Dynasty". Naturally, he understood that Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of the former Ming Dynasty, had used the Red Scarf Army to cause trouble. thing.
The former Ming Dynasty lasted for more than a hundred years and died in Jiajing. There are still some old and young people among the people and scholars who miss the former dynasty.
At this moment, twilight is closing, the sky is vast, lanterns have been hung up on the front porch of the government office. The newly released "Generalissimo" Gao Yue is wearing a mountain armor inside and a black cloak outside. Surrounded by the guard general Ma Liang and others, Take a big step into the official office.
At noon, Gao Yue held a gathering in front of the government office in Kaifeng. He sacrificed the head of Zhou Dezhen, the governor of Henan Province, to the flag, made a blood alliance with the generals of the rebel army, and named himself Grand Marshal. The leader who led 12,800 people under his command was named General. The small leader who leads three to five hundred people is awarded the title of captain. At this moment, Gao Yue's troops are gathered in the form of a loose alliance, with about thirteen or four groups, large and small.
Shao Yingchen, who was in the government hall directing the civil servants stationed in Kaifeng to count the treasury, saw Gao Yue coming in and said, "Commander."
"How's it going? How's the storage in Kaifeng Mansion?" Gao Yue didn't waste any time, sitting on a chair nearby and asked in a low voice.
Shao Yingchen frowned and said: "Commander, after counting all night, the Kaifeng Mansion's treasury has about 300,000 shi of grain, 2,370 taels of gold, and 94,600 taels of silver. There is not much silver and grain in the treasury. If we open warehouses to put out grain and recruit refugees, we can barely support us for a month.
Even though Kaifeng Prefecture is the governor of Henan Province, its financial situation is still very bad. The annual tax revenue is only 700,000 to 800,000 dan, and it has to accept transfer allocations from Shenjing.
The money in the book was less than one hundred thousand taels, which was used to pay officials' salaries and military pay.
Shao Yingchen's previous expectation of opening up the treasury to provide relief to the poor, and then the people from the surrounding prefectures and counties in Kaifeng Prefecture would gather to respond, has been greatly reduced.
Gao Yue said in a deep voice: "Most of the rich households in the provincial government are rich and unkind. I have just ordered Wei Song to lead people to torture the wealthy merchants in Kaifeng Prefecture, collect all their money, recruit heroes, and some corrupt officials. Not only They want to kill them all, confiscate their property and use it for military purposes.
Shao Yingchen frowned and said: "If this continues to spread, I'm afraid the gentry and merchants in other provinces will hate the marshal.
"We can't control that much now. Besides, when we raised the army, we originally raised the army to advocate justice. Now if we don't kill all these corrupt officials who are unkind and use their money to help the poor, no one will follow us." Gao Yue's eyes were burning. Said.
Shao Yingchen said: "Every house and village in the city is killing people and setting fires. The marshal should send someone to restrain the military discipline, otherwise we will lose the support of the people.
"Sir, let them enjoy themselves first, and then they can resist the encirclement and suppression by the army later." Gao Yue frowned and said: "My brothers hate these evil big families, so I have to let them out. .
If he didn't feed his men, how could they be willing to go through life and death with him? After looting, he would enforce military discipline tomorrow and kill a few unlucky ones. That would be the right thing to do.
Shao Yingchen wanted to say something else, but Gao Yue interrupted him with his hand. Then he walked to the map, pointed at the land of Luoyang, and said: "Sir, what if I use my light cavalry to attack Luoyang?"
Shao Yingchen's face changed suddenly when he heard this, and he said urgently: "Luoyang is a big city, and now Kaifeng is just one day away. It is the time to recruit heroes. We still need to accumulate strength. After heroes from all over the country respond, we can briefly fight with the imperial army." After the confrontation, they should go south to Huaiyang to seek the foundation of the king's hegemony.
This was also Shao Yingchen's plan for Gao Yue. After causing trouble in Henan and shaking Chen Han's center, he would then smash the south.
"This opportunity must not be missed, it will never come back." Gao Yue looked solemn and explained: "Sir, the court still doesn't know that Kaifeng Mansion has fallen into our hands. We can take Luoyang with lightning speed. Sir, look at the map. The distance we are waiting for is similar to the distance between Shenjing and Luoyang. By the time the imperial court sends troops to help, we will have already captured Luoyang."
Shao Yingchen said: "Commander, we are a long-tired army. We only have two or three thousand light cavalry and attack day and night. However, there are Luoyang guards in Luoyang Prefecture, Henan Prefecture and the vassal king's guards. We are bound to suffer tears, and there are also Sishui Pass blocks the front."
"Sir, you overestimated the officers and soldiers of Henan Guard and Luoyang Guard. Judging from these few battles, the officers and soldiers have been out of battle for a long time, and most of them are old, weak, sick and disabled, and they are simply vulnerable!" Gao Yue pondered for a moment and said: " As for the Sishui Pass, I don't know anything about it. It has been in disrepair for a long time, and there are only a thousand old soldiers guarding it. With a little dash, you can go straight to Luoyang.
This was not the first time that he had a disagreement with Mr. Shao. He had been proven right several times before. For example, this time, although the attack on Kaifeng Mansion was a bit hasty, it turned out to sweep Henan and gather nearly 100,000 people.
The same is true now. If we don't capture Luoyang and just capture Kaifeng, the so-called idea of disrupting the hinterland of Chen and Han is just wishful thinking.
Moreover, before the arrival of the official army, they avoided their sharp edge and turned south to Runing and attacked Huainan. Not to mention whether the poor people who had recently gathered under them would follow, they were just running back and forth like this. The brothers under them would not be able to breathe for a moment, and they would definitely suffer. Unspeakable.
In fact, this was mostly due to the fact that Gao Yue and his men had been entrenched in Huguang since they started their troops, and they had not yet been chased and intercepted by the army. Although Shao Yingchen planned for him to use the "roving bandit" strategy to fight across the country, Gao Yue himself was Even his subordinates were not mentally prepared to fight elsewhere.
Especially after the crowd gathered to capture Kaifeng Mansion. The situation is very good, but of course I don’t want to rush south.
Even Li Chuang, who lived in the late Ming Dynasty, was forced to fight in various places because of the heavy encirclement and suppression by the army.
"Sir, the day before yesterday, the Zhao brothers from Luoyang Mountain sent people to deliver a message quickly. Their people have sneaked into Luoyang secretly. As soon as we arrive, we can cooperate inside and outside to capture the city of Luoyang!" Gao Yue's eyes fell on the map with an excited expression. Said: "If Luoyang is captured and the two big cities in the Central Plains fall into our hands, then the world will truly be shaken. At that time, Mr. Zai Yi
He said that he was approaching Huaiyang and looking south to Jinling. "
At this moment, several generals who came in from outside, including Gao Yue's subordinates Li Zimin, Lai Haiyuan, Wei Bochuan and other generals, entered the yamen hall, applauded and said: "Brother is right, the Han Dynasty has occupied Jinling, so it's great." The world.
Shao Yingchen looked at the people who came in and sighed in his heart.
Gao Yue laughed loudly and said: "These brothers have come back just in time. How can we brothers conquer Luoyang together?
Li Zimin smiled and said: "Brother, the surrounding counties have not been captured yet. Should we wait until they are captured? I see that Lanyang and Tongxu counties have not been captured yet."
Doubts arose in my mind. Didn't I just say that I wanted to capture Jinling? Why did I change it to Luoyang? "It's too late. There's not much money to be made in Kaifeng Prefecture, and the treasury stores in these counties are also limited. Even if we win or not, it's just a little more powerful." Gao Yue said, explaining: "We are now based on Fight quickly and slowly, before the court reacts, it is important to capture Luoyang first."
Lai Haiyuan's eyes lit up and he asked: "Brother wants to take Luoyang?"
Wei Bochuan's face turned purple. Hearing this, he smiled and said: "I think I have to capture Luoyang. Although Kaifeng is the provincial capital, it's really just that. Luoyang is a big city. If it falls into our hands, hehe. .”
Gao Yue smiled and said: "We are summarizing, but we still need to hear what Mr. Shao wants.
With that said, everyone looked at Shao Yingchen.
Shao Yingchen pondered for a moment, then walked to the map and said solemnly: "If you want to take Luoyang, you still need a quick word.
Seeing this, Gao Yue felt happy, knowing that Mr. Shao had approved his idea. The two of them had agreed before that if Luoyang was desirable, they would make a decision immediately.
Shao Yingchen's eyes wandered between Kaifeng Mansion and Luoyang City, and said in a deep voice: "It is said that soldiers are very fast, but now that Kaifeng City has been defeated, the news cannot be suppressed. There is no guarantee that Henan Mansion over there in Luoyang will not be alert, leaving behind We are not given much time, only two or three days, and it depends on the defensive strength of Sishui Pass. Of course, as the marshal thinks, Luoyang is the place where grain is transferred to Shenjing, so it can cut off the water transportation, even if it only cuts half of it. Within a month, Shenjing will also be shaken.
"Sir, this is exactly what I mean. Just taking Kaifeng will not hurt the court at all. Only taking Luoyang and cutting off the water transportation will cause the Chen and Han court to be in great embarrassment. If we use heavy troops to suppress it, we will wait for it." If the people of Henan fight against them, even if they are defeated, they can retreat to Runing Mansion and go south to Huaiyang. This is to choke the throat and cut the belly." Gao Yue said, slamming his fist on Luoyang and said: "Sir, this Luoyang is where Chen Han used Shenjing to control the throat of the north and south. This move is precisely to cut off the throat. To say the least, even if he loses, he will return to Runing Mansion and rush to Huainan."
Shao Yingchen frowned, his eyes showed a look of thought, and said: "It's just that if the general attacks with light cavalry, he will be weak. If he gathers a crowd to attack, the imperial court will definitely respond in advance."
This is the reason why Mr. Shao has always believed that Luoyang is undesirable. If Gao Yue's cavalry is currently attacking, if there is any leakage, it may be broken on the way to Luoyang. Even if he is lucky enough to approach Luoyang and work hard for the expedition, once Being frustrated actually hurts morale.
"Don't worry, Mr. Shao. I will attack with three thousand light cavalry. I will keep a vigilant eye along the way and act according to the opportunity. If anything goes wrong, I will return immediately." Gao Yue said with shining eyes.
Shao Yingchen was silent for a moment, suppressed a trace of uneasiness in his heart, and asked: "When will the commander set off?"
"It's not too late, it's now." Gao Yue looked at the night outside and said, "If everything goes well, we can arrive at Luoyang City as early as tomorrow night."
However, judging from the current situation, even if the court learned the news yesterday, it will still take some time to mobilize troops and generals.
