Although he was patrolling outside, there were special riders delivering official documents from Xiangyang every day. Yang Anxuan had something to do, so he asked Yu Ying to sit in the bullock cart and unpack it first for screening.
After a period of experience, Yu Ying has become familiar with Yang Anxuan's habits. He first wrote the abbreviation and drafted a palindrome, and put it in the official document for Yang Anxuan to read in the evening, saving him time to deal with it.
Yang Anxuan only brought more than a hundred personal guards with him on this trip, but they were all carefully selected and were led by Yu Fei and Shen Qingzhi. When the group arrived in Luoyang, an urgent report from Xiangyang arrived. Sima Xiuzhi, the governor of Jingzhou, asked Duke Yong to send troops to garrison Jingling City.
Liu Yu wanted to attack Jingzhou, and Yang Anxuan knew it in his heart. No matter whether Sima Wensi made a mistake or not, the imperial army would always attack. The location of Jingzhou is very important. You can attack Xiangyang to the north and Liangyi to the west. It is in a pivotal place. You can't let Jingzhou be captured by Liu Yu under any circumstances.
The generals under his command each held their own. Yang Anxuan considered sending one of Meng Longfu, Kuai En or Hu Fan to Jingling. Shen Qingzhi took the initiative to ask for help. Yang Anxuan considered it again and decided to let Shen Qingzhi lead the army to garrison in Jingling.
Jingling is under the jurisdiction of Jiangxia County, Jingzhou. It is located south of the Han River, ten miles west of Yangkou. Huarong is fifty miles to the southwest, Jiangling City is one hundred and fifty miles to the west, and Dangyang is about two hundred miles to the northwest. city.
Yang Anxuan estimated that Liu Yu would send troops to attack Jingzhou, and they would send out troops by land and water. If he attacked Jiangling by land, he would have to pass through Jingling City, and Jingling would be a battleground.
He had defeated Liu Yu several times. In this attack on Jiangling, Liu Yu expected that Sima Xiu would ask for help from him, so he would definitely launch a large-scale attack.
Liu Yu has about 60,000 elite troops in the Beifu under his command. Liu Jingxuan recruits about 8,000 Xianbei knights in Northern Jizhou. Liu Huaisu trains about 10,000 troops in Shaopi. The imperial court has about 80,000 capable soldiers. As for the county and garrison troops, all together There are more than 100,000 people.
The Beifu Army was divided into several places. Tan Daoji led 15,000 troops in Nanyizhou; at least 15,000 troops were stationed in Jiankang, Jingkou, Guangling, etc.; Liu Jingxuan could support 5,000 light cavalry, and the troops trained by Liu Huaisu were estimated If it is difficult to dispatch, then Liu Yu can use 30,000 elite troops and tens of thousands of auxiliary troops to defeat Jing.
Jiangling Sima Xiuzhi had only been in Jingzhou for a short period of time, and he had less than 20,000 troops under his command. He sent the mighty general Sima Chuzhi to guard Dangyang with 2,000 troops, and the Nanman captain Sima Shufan to lead 3,000 troops to guard the barbarians. They also had to divide the troops. There are less than 5,000 soldiers and horses in Jiang'an, Baling, and Jiangling cities, and the warships are damaged, so the navy has no fighting capacity. Even if they recruit a large number of troops, their combat effectiveness is low. Sima Xiuzhi alone cannot defend Jingzhou.
To defend Jingzhou, at least 40,000 soldiers and horses are needed. Yang Anxuan asked Shen Qing to lead 15,000 soldiers and horses to Jingling, including 5,000 elite soldiers. Five thousand Qin soldiers were selected from the garrison, and 5,000 were strong. He also ordered The navy of the Yong Army dispatched hundreds of ships and 3,000 troops and horses secretly entered Jiangling from Yangkou, and stationed at Pozhong Jingzhou Water Village to assist in the defense of Jiangling City.
Yangkou is the intersection of Yangshui River and Hanjiang River, and not far from the south bank is Jingling City. Back then, Guan Yu and Le Jin fought in Qingni, which was around Jingling.
Qingni is on the west side of Yunmeng Ze. There is a river channel leading to the Han River. The water can be used to carry boats to Jiangling in the west. There is a wide bay that can store boats. The broken tomb is the location of Jingzhou Water Village. Less than fifty miles down the river from Jiangling City is the Public Security Bureau, and twenty miles further eastward is the Public Security Bureau's Broken Tomb.
The war was fought with money and food. Yang Anxuan knew that Jingzhou's baggage supplies were insufficient, so he enlisted laborers to transport forty shi of food and grass from Dangyang City to Jiangling. He wrote to Sima Xiuzhi, suggesting that he recruit servants to set up defenses on the cliffs on both sides of Jiangling, set up archery towers and ramming platforms, and block the river with crossbows to prevent Liu Yu from attacking from the waterway.
Sima Xiuzhi was very happy to receive Yang Anxuan's letter. With the help of nearly 20,000 Yong troops, his chances of holding Jingzhou greatly increased. Although Yang Anxuan relied on himself to resist Liu Yu, everyone got what they needed and what they wanted.
Orders were given to recruit corvees and more than 20,000 laborers from Yongzhou to transport grain and grass. Led by Sima Wensi, they set up defenses along the cliffs along the river. Both sides of the river bank are steep, with walls standing several feet high. There are crossbow towers and archery towers on them, and a stronghold is set up at Yideng for defense, condescendingly blocking the river.
Sima Wensi narrowly escaped death, knowing that he had caused great trouble for the Sima family, and found an excuse for Liu Yu to attack Jingzhou. It was as if he had grown up overnight, getting up early and working late every day to build fortifications with his slaves, working tirelessly.
After arranging the important matter of assisting Jing in the south, Yang Anxuan, who attacked Anding County in the north, was handed over to Wang Zhene. The general is outside, and the emperor's orders are not accepted. Wang Zhene's strategy is not under his control. Yang Anxuan does not want to interfere and give random orders.
Moreover, there are many generals such as Wang Zhen'e, Meng Longfu, Kuai Si, and Lu Gui gathered in Beiyong Prefecture, as well as the Western Qin soldiers and horses to help them. It should not be a problem to capture Anding County. Yang Anxuan felt that he only had to wait for the news.
…………
In May, Chang'an City, Governor's Mansion.
Wang Zhene looked at the map, and his lord ordered him to be responsible for attacking Anding County. He started planning after the year. It was cold and freezing, and it was not suitable to mobilize troops. He waited until April, when the spring flowers bloomed, and Wang Zhene began to mobilize troops.
Meng Longfu has been ordered to go to Xinping County in person, with eight thousand soldiers and horses under his command; Wang Hong and Li Qiang led five thousand troops to garrison in Yinmi City, while Lu Gui led six thousand soldiers and horses to garrison in Quaigu City as a way to attack Anding County. The Western Qin Dynasty sent an envoy to send a message, saying that Wushi City would be captured before the end of April, and then Anding City would be attacked from west to east.
Don't follow Guo Cheng's advice: "Wang Governor, the baggage, food and fodder used by the army have been prepared and have been shipped to Xinping, Yinmi and other places. I don't know when the Governor will send troops."
Guo Chengzhi was ordered to replace Yin Ji as the driver, but Xin He secretly instructed him to assist the king in suppressing evil and maintaining order in Northern Yongzhou. There are some things that cannot be said clearly. Guo Chengzhi is extremely agile and has been an official for many years. He naturally knows the tricks and methods of officialdom.
Wang Zhene nodded. Seeing his noncommittal, Cen Minghu asked with some confusion: "Prince Wang, the weather has warmed up, and the advance army has been prepared. If we delay it any longer, I might miss the opportunity to fight?"
"Ming Hu, a great general should know the time, place, and people." Wang Zhen'e said with a smile, stroking his beard.
Cen Minghu admired Wang Zhen'e's ability to lead the army in battle. He cupped his hands and said, "Please give me some advice from Governor Wang."
Wang Zhene narrowed his eyes, hiding the sharpness in his eyes, but he answered the question unintentionally: "Yu has been familiar with military books since he was a child, and he has always been a strategist. He and his lord often talk about military affairs, training, using troops, forming formations, and using strategies. Especially when it comes to ordnance, my lord is more knowledgeable than Yu. My lord entrusted Northern Yongzhou to Yu and asked him to take Anding County. He repeatedly told me not to underestimate the Xia army. My lord values the Xia army so much, how dare you take it lightly."
When Yang Quanqi came to Yinjiawu with his three sons, each of the Yin, Cen, and Deng families chose one person to assist them, but now the superiority has been divided. Cen Minghu has no regrets. He gets along well with Yang Anyuan and they are as close as brothers. Yang Anyuan's wife is Cen Minghu's sister.
As the relationship between Anyuan and his lord improved, and the brothers got along harmoniously, it was obvious that Anyuan would be appointed governor in the future. The Yin, Deng, and Cen families advance and retreat together, and the three families are inseparable from the lord. If the lord can conquer the world, the three families will surely become top-notch families.
Wang Zhen'e was in Chang'an, greedy for money and plundering, and allowed his brothers to ask for money to take revenge on his enemies. Of course, Cen Minghu, as a ruler, knew that, but he knew that he was not a direct descendant of Yang Anxuan, which was not as close as Wang Zhen'e and Yang Anxuan. Moreover, Meng Longfu , Kuai En, Yin Ji and others were all present, so it was not his turn to report to Yang Anxuan.
Sure enough, not long after, Yin Ji was recalled and Guo Chengzhi succeeded him. After Guo Chengzhi took office, he often warned Wang Zhene about his disciplinary violations. Wang Zhene also restrained himself and restrained his brothers from acting rashly. The atmosphere in Chang'an gradually improved.
It was probably because Wang Zhene knew that he had not reported it to Yang Anxuan, and Wang Zhene became much closer to him. He would invite her to dinner when there was nothing to do in the evening, and he would give advice when the conversation was interesting, which greatly benefited him.
"The weather is getting warmer, and soldiers no longer have to worry about frostbite. This is one; secondly, with the arrival of spring, all things sprout, and cattle and horses breed. Tribes have to herd cattle and sheep, so it is difficult to recruit knights; thirdly, horses cannot fight when they are pregnant, which is conducive to I, this time and space are with me.”
Cen Minghu thought that the soldiers would not get frostbite, but he did not expect that there would be two more points later. He said sincerely: "The Governor Wang has a far-sighted vision that is far beyond my reach. I admire him."
Wang Zhen'e stroked his beard and continued: "Besides, the geographical location is favorable. Not long after the Xia army took Anding County, they heard that Helian Lijun was guarding Anding County, enslaving the people, and demanding excessive demands. People from all tribes fled one after another. Our army went on an expedition to attack the city with troops. , there is no advantage over geographical location.”
"As for harmony, the Xia army has less than 10,000 people in Anding County. Our three armies plus the Western Qin soldiers and horses surrounded Anding City, so we have an obvious advantage." Wang Zhene said: "In March, the secret guards sent intelligence, and Xia King Helianbobo crossed over The Yellow River went eastward and fought with the Wei army in Bingzhou, taking tens of thousands of people captive. At this time, the Xia tribes were still gathered by the Wuding River, and Yu was waiting for news that they had dispersed."
Cen Minghu knew that in addition to Helian Bobo's own troops, half of the troops were composed of various tribes. During the battle, he summoned tribal warriors to go out together, and distributed the gains obtained from the battle. Having made a fortune from the Wei State in March, these tribal leaders were probably eagerly waiting for Helian Bobo to share the results of the battle, and then return to their respective tribes to graze.
If Helian Bobo dispersed the various tribes, the Xia Kingdom would not have many reinforcements to attack the Anding City. After all, the tribes lived in isolation, and it would take at least two or three months to gather together.
Wang Zhen'e stared at the map and said: "Helianbo built Fenglin City and stationed three thousand light cavalry. Once the war breaks out, they can go straight south to attack Feng Yi County. Feng Yi Governor Yang An is far away in Puban City and cannot respond in time."
Turning to look at Cen Minghu, Wang Zhene said: "Minghu, you lead three thousand troops to Suyi City, just in case. If the Xia army takes the opportunity to invade Feng Yi County, if you can defend it, you can retreat to Pinyang. , the Chang'an army will go to reinforce."
Wang Zhene continued to explain: "When we arrive at Suyi City, no matter whether the Xia army invades or not, we must first fortify the walls and clear the country, and move the old, weak, women and children of Suyi City to Pinyang first, leaving only the young and strong who can help defend the city. Once we feel that Suyi City is It is difficult to defend, burn the food and then withdraw, and we must not allow the Xia army to receive supplies."
Cen Minghu promised loudly, "I will obey your orders."
Wang Zhen'e said coldly to Guo Chengzhi: "Guo Biejia, you don't understand the war, so you don't need to say anything. All you have to do is collect good food, fodder and baggage to meet the needs of the army. If there is a delay, don't blame me. ruthless."
Guo Chengzhi smiled and bowed, saying: "Please rest assured, Governor, I am too stupid to dare to interfere."
After the ancestral home was rebuilt, Wang Zhene rarely lived in the mansion behind the government office, but returned to his own mansion. When he entered the hospital, he saw his fourth brother Wang Zunzheng playing with his second son Wang Wei. Wang Zhene remembered that his elder brother Wang Ji told him that during this period, Wang Zun would run to Jianjing Temple whenever he had something to do, as if he was attracted by a female monk.
Wang Zhene's face darkened, and he said to Wang Zundao: "Come to the study, if I have anything to ask you."
Some people died, but not completely...
