The New Year of Yuanyou's seventh year was extremely unsettling. The Xining Prefecture threatened to clear the emperor's side, announcing that his army of 300,000 troops would march to Hexi. All the ministries and temples in the imperial court had already begun to prepare for the dispatch of troops.
Lin Ruhai and Jia Cong originally planned to escort grain and grass to Lanzhou after the new year, but had to make changes as the war broke out.
On the fifth day of the first lunar month, Jia Cong paid homage to his relatives in the palace. Guarded by a hundred soldiers, he left Guangning Gate, joined the army and galloped westward.
Wang Ziteng looked at Jia Cong, who was wearing silver armor, hanging a jade-handled wild goose feather sword on his waist, and riding a white horse. He couldn't help but think of his son who was under house arrest by Prince Jing Liu Yi.
Alas, he had been working hard all his life to let the Wang family take over the power of Ning Rongjia's family, but in the end, it was all in vain...
Not only does Jia Shiyi have a long sword hanging on his waist, he also has a sword box on his back.
A hint of bitterness flashed across Wang Ziteng's face. He had only seen that sword box once. It was Wei Qinghe, the old chief minister of the cabinet and posthumous title Wenzheng of Xingguo Gong. He used this sword box to kill more than ten kings and three princes in one go. A member of the imperial court.
Including him, Wang Ziteng, the last authority in his hands was taken away. Decades of hard work were no match for the scene between the Second Saint and the current Emperor Wenzong, and he finally made a wedding dress for the emperor.
The Nan'an Palace was sunk to the bottom of the canal by Jia Cong with artillery. The Dongping Palace became a bereaved dog and was driven by King Jing Liu Yi to become a savage in the mountains and forests. The Beijing Palace now only has a milk baby used by the royal family to win people's hearts.
In just seven years, the four great vassal towns that were so prosperous in the past were now reduced to only one town in Xining. Except for the Ningrong and Niu families who were loyal to the royal family, all the power in the hands of the Eight Dukes and Twelve Marquises was taken back.
Saint, saint, it turns out that we are no different from monkeys these years, and we have been fooled around by you!
I am afraid that even this sudden rebellion in Xining Mansion is part of the palace's calculations. Maybe the prince's journey to the west was planned in advance.
Otherwise, it would be such a coincidence that one hundred thousand elites would have gathered in Lanzhou Guard in advance and set up a formation to block the Xining Prefecture's troops.
…
Since the end of last winter, Hexi has experienced heavy snowfall.
There are not many ordinary people left in Lanzhou City, and most of them have been moved to Lintao and Gongchang Prefectures. The rest are all armored and armed Daxia soldiers and civilians who are constantly escorting grain, grass and weapons.
It took more than a month for the 30,000 forbidden troops to finally arrive at Lanzhou City on February 12, the Flower Festival.
Jia Cong took a bath and put on his official robes and coat, and discussed with the crown prince Liu Hong, Longxi County Prince Liu Yu, Pingxi General Wang Ziteng, Lanzhou Guard Commander Gong Qiliang and other military commanders to put down the rebellion.
Although the most respected person in the hall is Prince Liu Hong, the leader of the battle this time is Wang Ziteng.
Many people were puzzled by the emperor's move, but the army had always only recognized the Commander-in-Chief Tiger Talisman, so naturally Wang Ziteng could arrange for them to do whatever he wanted.
Now that the Yellow River is frozen and the mountains are blocked by heavy snow, Wang Ziteng adopts a steady and steady strategy, only sending a few teams of scouts to scout around and not actually organizing a large army to press on.
However, he still arranged a lot of work for everyone, and even Prince Liu Hong was sent out to take charge of food and grass matters.
After only Liu Hong and Jia Cong were left in the palace, Prince Teng said: "The army has been reorganized for a few days. In ten days, Your Highness will take over the leadership of the Lanzhou army. I will lead eight thousand forbidden troops and cavalry in light armor and march westward along the Great Wall. Surprise attack on Xining Mansion."
"Wang Qing, no!"
"No, it's too risky!"
Not to mention Liu Hong stood up in shock, even Jia Cong was shocked by Wang Ziteng's words.
The strategy was a good one, but the time, place, and people were not favorable. It was snowing heavily in the west of Hexi, and there was no logistical supply to carry out a thousand-mile attack. Wang Ziteng's move was no different from committing suicide.
Although Jia Cong hated Wang Ziteng to death, this was a war. If the coach died and eight thousand elite soldiers were lost, the loss would be too great.
but……
"Your Highness, Uncle Yongfeng, Xining Prefecture's rebellious slogan claims that there are 300,000 soldiers. Although it is an exaggeration, there are definitely 150,000 troops!"
Wang Ziteng looked solemn and explained to the two of them: "Qi Wenhua is a simple-minded guy who took the title by virtue of his eldest son. But in fact, most of the power of the entire Xining clan is controlled by his younger brother Qi Wenliang. Others may not know this. Qi Wenliang is very familiar to me. He is an ambitious and talented person. Although His Highness mobilized 100,000 troops to gather in Lanzhou earlier, if it were to face him head-on, the imperial court would not have the upper hand, and would only have a 30 to 40 percent chance of winning. .”
"How is this possible? How can Xining Prefecture have so much food to support an army of 150,000 people?"
Lanzhou Prefecture is the throat of the Hexi Corridor. The imperial court originally established the Longxi County Prince's Palace in Lanzhou Prefecture in order to guard the key points of food and grass supply in the Western Regions and Xining Prefecture, and to control the development of the two places.
According to the agreement between Taizu and the Xining Palace at the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the palace's personal bodyguards could not exceed an army of three guards and 50,000 people. Even if the private soldiers raised by the Qi family are included, how can Xining Mansion afford an army of 150,000? The maximum number is 70,000 to 80,000.
Wang Ziteng pointed to the northwest: "The Liangzhou Guards are actually Qi Wenliang's people. In the 47th year of Zhaowu's reign, Wala invaded the south, and it was Qi Wenliang's fault. He had colluded with Wala for a long time, and he wanted to support the invaders in self-respect. He plays the game more shrewdly than anyone else. Every year, he basically uses the food and grass allocated by the court to the Liangzhou Guard to raise private soldiers."
call!
Liu Hong was so shocked that he couldn't speak. He really didn't know this matter, and he suspected that his father didn't know either.
"Uncle Wang, when you originally wanted my second brother to come to Ping'an Prefecture to smuggle salt, iron and other goods, and later you encouraged Brother Zhen of the Ning Prefecture to use the remaining shadow of the Ning Prefecture to participate in the smuggling of Shaanxi Xingdusi, was it because of the Xining Prefecture?"
In fact, Jia Cong has always had this doubt. When he returned to Beijing from Tiewan Mountain, he went to the Dongshi brothel and beat up the Huo family's son, which disturbed Jia Zhen's good relations with the Huo family and Wang Ren. Master Jing threw Jia Zhen into a Taoist temple outside the city, and the Ning Mansion changed hands, saving a lot of trouble.
This matter was originally just something Jia Cong inadvertently did, but there was one thing I still couldn't figure out: why did the Huo family get involved? Why is the Wang family involved?
The Prince of Nan'an has been managing Lingnan. The Wang family's main relationship is between the capital and southern Zhili. When did it involve the desolate land west of Lanzhou?
Now that Wang Ziteng mentioned the collusion between Xining Palace and Wala, he had to suspect that Wang Ziteng wanted to drag the Jia family into the water, so that the Jia family would have to join his pirate ship.
I saw Wang Ziteng smiling bitterly and looking at Jia Cong with a complicated expression: "Back when I was patrolling the border, Qi Wenliang and I secretly met a few times... The saint is getting old, and the old prince Yizhong has passed away. You The Jia family is in decline, and I really want to take this opportunity to seize the leverage of your family and seize the remaining power of your family. Unfortunately, your second brother is too shrewd and unwilling to take the bait."
"So, Uncle Wang approached Jia Zhen and his son! Uncle Wang, you are so scheming that you almost succeeded!"
Jia Cong wanted to rush forward and kill this guy with a knife, but he still held back.
Wang Ziteng did not deny it, but he sighed bitterly: "It's a pity that you disturbed me. You and Jia Lian beat the Huo family, and even Wang Ren was not spared. This is considered to be approved by His Majesty. Otherwise, how would we be today?" The Marquis of Rongguo and Uncle Yongfeng."
Jia Cong snorted coldly and continued to ask: "My uncle is honest, so why did he withdraw from this matter in the end?"
Wang Ziteng glanced at the prince Liu Hong who was listening indifferently, shook his head and said: "I just want to take advantage of your family, but I don't want to betray the country. He Qi Wenliang wants to collude with Wala, how can I You are said to be a first-class military attache of the country, how can you do such things as cheating on others?"
Ah!
A sneer is a sneer, but Jia Cong also admits this.
Wang Ziteng has colluded with many people over the years, but he has never colluded with the bandits. Otherwise, the Second Saint would not have kept him till now, and would have thrown him into the Yongding River to feed the fishes.
"Let's not mention this matter for now, let's talk about the surprise attack."
Wang Ziteng spread out the map completely, pointed to the Great Wall in the northern part of the Hexi Corridor and said: "Follow the Great Wall to the west, and you don't need to worry about getting lost. What I mean is that in order to prevent Oara from colluding with Xining Prefecture, the Liangzhou Guard is a stronghold. The land must be firmly held in the hands of the imperial court.”
Liu Hong and Jia Cong looked at each other and nodded solemnly. If Liangzhou is lost, Wala can march straight in, which will not only cut off the connection between Suzhou and the Central Plains, but also directly join forces with the Xining Prefecture army...
Jia Cong gritted his teeth and said: "I'll go, Lanzhou City cannot live without a coach."
"Brother Cong..."
Liu Hong stood up in a hurry and wanted to object, but saw Jia Cong shaking his head solemnly.
Jia Cong stood up, clasped his fists, and asked Wang Ziteng for orders: "Commander, I will go to Liangzhou to defend the surprise attack!"
Wang Ziteng was a little surprised. The emperor sent Jia Cong to follow him to the west with the king's whip. Shouldn't he be here to monitor him?
He looked at the hesitant Crown Prince Liu Hong beside him and asked blankly: "Jia Cong, aren't you afraid that I will take the opportunity to kidnap His Highness the Crown Prince and rebel against the imperial court?"
As soon as these words came out, Liu Hong's eyes flashed coldly and he looked at Wang Ziteng. But Wang Ziteng just stared at Jia Cong's eyes, waiting for his answer.
Jia Cong smiled and replied: "Uncle Wang, do you still remember the mother and son in the hands of His Highness Prince Jing? Uncle Wang is indeed an ambitious man, and has done many disgusting things, but there is one thing that convinces me. oral……"
"Uncle Wang has sold the Huo family and the Shui family. Even the matter between Liu Fu and the Zhen family was secretly reported to the saint by Uncle Wang. Although the saint and Wen Zhenggong had already planned this matter, it is not ugly. Come on, Uncle Wang is a man who understands current affairs. His Majesty gave him one last chance, and I don’t think he will not cherish it!"
…
"I have made arrangements. Three thousand elite Ningxia Central Guards are waiting for you in the north. Food, grass and other supplies have also been sent there in advance, which is enough to support your arrival in Liangzhou."
Liu Hong sent Jia Cong out of the city and warned him carefully when he arrived ten miles north of the city: "Liangzhou is probably controlled by Qi Wenliang's people at this time. It will not be easy to capture. It is estimated that there will be many casualties. If the Wala army attacks, if you can keep it, , if you can’t hold it, withdraw it.”
Jia Cong grinned and wanted to smile, but didn't want to get a mouthful of snowflakes.
"Even if I risk my life in Liangzhou's most important place, I will defend it for Fourth Brother. In two months, Fourth Brother must capture Xining as soon as possible so that he can send troops to meet me."
Jia Cong glanced at the small black dots in the vast snow in the south, and said in an ear: "This old Yin man Wang Ziteng is indeed a man who knows the current affairs, but the fourth brother still has to be careful. I left the golden order to Feng Ziying, if If there is any abnormality, he will directly kill Wang Ziteng."
The wind and snow in Lanzhou were very strong, and the marching speed was slower than when we left Beijing.
After traveling north for five days, Jia Cong finally saw the majestic Great Wall. He did not lead his troops to the Great Wall to rest, but instead set up camp at the foot of the mountain.
After reuniting with the three thousand elite Ningxia Zhongwei, they rested for a night and continued westward. Encountering several scout teams along the way, Jia Cong's expression became even more solemn.
Liangzhou is probably really controlled by the people from Xining Prefecture, but the Great Wall has not set off a beacon warning so far, which proves that the people in Liangzhou City do not want this news to spread.
This also means that he still has the opportunity to make a surprise attack on Liangzhou and capture this important town in Hexi at a very small cost.
The people in Liangzhou City did not want to alarm the imperial court, but they did not dare to send too many scouts along the Great Wall, which gave Jia Cong an opportunity.
After running around for several days, on February 24th, Jia Cong led more than 10,000 troops to quietly reach the mountain depression less than ten miles east of Liangzhou City.
This place was already under Liangzhou City, and Jia Cong did not dare to let the soldiers bury pots to make rice. He could only eat dried meat to satisfy his hunger and eat snow to quench his thirst.
Because of the confrontation between Xining Mansion and the Hexi army, the four gates of Liangzhou City were closed tightly. Although the imperial dragon flag was still hanging on the top of the city, the news from the scouts made Jia Cong more certain that the city had been controlled by Qi Wenhua's people.
"Uncle Eleven, take five hundred people, put on Tatar clothes, go north, and take advantage of the opportunity!"
Jia Cong gave an order, and the five hundred people changed into the clothes of the Walas, and even the waist knives were replaced by Tatar scimitars. They quickly headed north and quietly reached the north of Liangzhou City along the edge of the desert.
Then he let two thousand people set off with the dragon flag in a swagger and slowly approached Liangzhou City...
"woo woo woo woo……"
The north wind howled and the heavy snow made the defenders at the top of the city unable to even open their eyes.
It wasn't until the two thousand people were approaching the city gate that he saw clearly a string of figures rushing towards the city.
"I, the Ningxia Central Guard, command the Qian Shi Xu Youwen, and I have been ordered to come to support the Liangzhou Guard and open the city gate quickly!"
The general on duty at the city head was shocked. As expected, the imperial court really sent someone.
He glanced at his confidant, who quickly descended from the city and ran towards the general's mansion.
The general calmed down and shouted to the city: "General Xu, wait a moment, the last general has sent someone to ask for instructions from my general..."
"You bastard, hurry up and open the city gate. I was ordered to come to support you, but you let your brothers suffer in this ice and snow!"
Xu Youwen quietly signaled to the people under him and rode forward alone.
He pointed at the people at the top of the city and cursed: "The rebels in Xining may attack and kill them at any time, but you are blocking the reinforcements outside the city. What do you think? Open the door quickly and let me in!"
Monthly ticket recommendation ticket
I’ll stop here tonight and continue coding tomorrow. There are too many things going on these days, and the time for coding is limited, sorry.
(End of chapter)
