After all strategic arrangements have been made.
Li Chengqian did not hesitate, and immediately took Qi Hong to the military camp and began to mobilize troops and generals.
There is not much time left for them now.
He himself was not sure how long Runzhou could withstand the enemy's offensive based on its military strength.
He must bring people to support him in the shortest possible time to ensure that Runzhou is not lost.
In the afternoon of that day, a group of more than 7,000 people set off in a mighty manner.
…
The number of rebels who went south alone was more than 40,000, and there were still more than 20,000 who stayed in Huainan Road.
Just by looking at the number of people, you can tell that this rebellion is completely organized and premeditated.
Although the mastermind behind the scenes has not surfaced until now.
But it must be related to the aristocratic families in Henan Province and Huainan Province that were offended by Li Chengqian.
And Li Chengqian can also see it.
If Li Ke hadn't suddenly jumped out, this group of people would have been dormant for several years before they broke out.
In this way, it is a good thing.
At least I can catch all these guys in one fell swoop as quickly as possible, saving a lot of trouble in the future.
However, this has caused hardship to the local people.
Nowadays, there are a total of fourteen Dao in the Tang Dynasty, but five of them are involved in this war.
Huainan Road and Henan Road were the birthplaces of the rebellion, so they were the first to bear the brunt.
Although the rebels only numbered 60,000 to 70,000 people, they were not comparable to the large and small national wars fought by the Tang Dynasty.
But the momentum and influence they created were much greater than those brought by national wars.
After all, many contemporary people have experienced the turmoil of the late Sui Dynasty.
At present, this rebellion and the shadow of the war in the late Sui Dynasty seem to be coming again.
Many people are on tenterhooks, fearing that the war will rekindle and that the war will burn them.
What disappointed them even more was the officers and soldiers of these two roads.
Caught off guard, the officers and soldiers of these two lines were defeated one after another.
In many places, the officers and soldiers even abandoned the city in advance and gave up their territory before the enemy arrived.
Today, the territory and cities west of Yangzhou have basically been lost.
If these rebels hadn't gone south to target Li Chengqian, I'm afraid it wouldn't be long before they would occupy the entire Huainan Road.
Due to the south-to-north grain diversion and waterway development, Huainan Road has almost become the heart of the Tang Dynasty.
If the Huainan Road was lost, Datang would lose control of the waterway.
By then, not only will prices in the north skyrocket, but the newly established connection between the south and the north will be cut off again.
Whether it is Li Chengqian or the imperial court.
No one will allow this to happen.
At present, the main force of the rebels is crossing the Yangtze River and heading towards Runzhou.
Their purpose is obvious, which is to capture Runzhou and establish a base on the south bank of the Yangtze River, so as to continue to expand their power southward.
Finally, they reached the point where they reunited with Li Ke's rebels in the west.
In fact, at the beginning, when Zhu Gu, the magistrate of Runzhou County, learned that the rebels were going to cross the river, he had already made the wisest move.
He first gathered soldiers from Zhechong Prefecture from various places, and then sent soldiers to the river to intercept the enemy.
His strategic deployment is quite wise.
After all, the rebels came from afar and had to fight across rivers. They also had the right location and people, so they naturally had the upper hand.
But unfortunately, he overestimated himself.
Since they have not experienced war for many years, not only the soldiers' combat effectiveness is low, but also the generals in the army have been away from battle for a long time.
Under the successive attacks of the rebels relying on the advantage of the human sea, they were defeated.
Although the Runzhou soldiers occasionally performed well, they were still a drop in the ocean and failed to turn the tide of the war.
After the defeat, the remaining three thousand troops returned to Runzhou.
Zhu Guyou urgently recruited 3,000 strong men from the people, and gathered 6,000 people to prepare to defend the city.
The rebels followed one after another to the foot of Runzhou City and blocked both roads in Runzhou.
When the people around Runzhou heard that the official army was defeated, hundreds of thousands of people fled south in panic with their families and their families.
The official road from Runzhou to Changzhou was crowded with people fleeing, and the scene seemed chaotic.
From time to time, someone would fall to the ground and be trampled to death by the crowd following them. The whole place would be filled with cries and howls, which was very desolate.
A child looked at his old father beside him and asked, "Dad, how could our army be defeated by the rebels?"
All these years.
The people of the Tang Dynasty had always heard about the victory of the Tang Dynasty's army, and had never heard of the defeat of the Tang Dynasty's army.
So these new generation children are very confused about this.
The Tang army was defeated?
And still lost to the rebels?
How is this possible?
The old father beside him also looked melancholy.
He sighed and said, "The thieves came suddenly. They formed a hasty formation. It's normal that they couldn't resist them."
These are just words to comfort children.
After this battle, many people also saw the military gap between the north and the south.
In its foreign wars, the Liangzhou Army looked down upon every direction, and all surrounding countries bowed to its knees.
But his army here suffered setbacks one after another, and could not even defeat a group of rebels called a ragtag group.
And heard my father's explanation.
The child scratched his head, his eyes full of confusion.
However, he was not pursuing these questions.
He looked up at the long crowd in front of him and asked, "Dad, where are we going?"
"Go to Suzhou."
"Where is our great emperor?"
The old father said: "Where are our elite troops from the Tang Dynasty? The thieves will not dare to come."
He just finished speaking.
Suddenly, an exclamation came from behind.
"Oops, the rebels are catching up."
"Oops, the rebels are catching up. Everyone, run away..."
Along with the screams, the north suddenly became angry and billowed with smoke and dust, which was the rebel team.
Seeing this scene, how could the fleeing people care about anything else?
One by one, they ran around in panic. Some hid in the woods nearby, while others hid in the mass graves nearby...
But is this the way to avoid it?
In an instant, hundreds of rebel vanguards were already chasing them.
If you want to establish your authority, the easiest way is to massacre. If you make people fear you, they will naturally listen to you.
The rebels want to occupy Runzhou and make the people listen to him, so they will naturally not show mercy to the people.
At this moment, those people who had no time to escape suffered.
Suddenly, the rebels wielding swords and spears rushed into the crowd of civilians.
As the sword flashed, unarmed people were chopped to the ground one after another, and the blood stained the ground red in an instant.
This is war.
Under the iron heel of war, no one can be spared.
The common people in war are like withered leaves, which can only fall with the wind.
The father and son hid in the woods. The father quickly covered the child's eyes.
He didn't want his children to see such a bloody scene at such a young age.
Just when those rebels were wreaking havoc among the people.
Suddenly I heard a majestic voice: "Kill!"
The people hiding in the woods were stunned when they suddenly heard the sound.
Many people looked confused and followed the sound in unison.
It doesn't matter if you don't see it, but I was shocked when I saw it.
Not far away to the west, hundreds of soldiers were seen charging towards them, carrying smoke and dust.
Seeing this scene, many people fell to the ground and cried.
The scene in front of them clearly showed a vicious wolf in front of them and a fierce tiger behind them. Now they had no way to go to the sky or to the earth.
Just when the people were desperate, they suddenly heard someone shouting: "Look, everyone, that's the Qianzi flag. The Qianzi flag is the flag of the prince. It's the prince. It's the prince who has come to save us!"
