Some time passed in the blink of an eye, and Tong Guan's military reports continued intermittently.
Just that morning, another military report was delivered, and Yuezhou, the capital of eastern Zhejiang, was recovered.
But Tong Guan found no trace of Fang La, and suspected that Fang La was still here in Muzhou, or even returned to the place where Bang Yuandong started the incident.
Zhao Tong held the Nianjun newspaper and thought for a moment. Now only Chuzhou and Taizhou in eastern Zhejiang have not been recovered. However, these two states are not big and powerful cities, and there are few bandits in them. Recovering them is a matter of time.
Although Tong Guan's side is overwhelming, Muzhou on the other side has not yet been able to break through.
Muzhou is difficult to attack. On the one hand, there are too many soldiers, but on the other hand, the Western army is slack and has little fighting spirit.
Although these border troops are well-armed and well-trained, they are not willing to fight far away from the northwest.
For ordinary officers and soldiers of the Western Army, although the border is not as prosperous as the south of the Yangtze River, there are Goulan brothels and gambling dens that they are familiar with. They have to give up the wine and the dice they are used to. Shake the cup and fight with the rebel bandits, but they are naturally unwilling.
After they received the order from the court, even if they were urged by the governors and commanders above, they still found various excuses to delay and stayed at the border for several days without moving.
In the previous fierce battle in Suzhou, it was better to have Tong Guan watching over him. After all, Tong Guan had a very high prestige in the Western Army. But now that Tong Guan left and Liu Yanqing was left, more than 20,000 people immediately began to complain.
Liu Yanqing is the commander-in-chief of the military and horse capital at Yanyan Road, and is the commander of his own side. These Western troops are not very afraid of such things.
And if the rewards and the like could keep up, and there was money to earn face, it wouldn't be like this. However, after the war in Suzhou, apart from the losses, they didn't get any money at all, so they marched to Hangzhou in a hurry. It would be strange not to complain.
Liu Yanqing didn't have a good way to deal with them at the moment. They were all directly affiliated with the Western Army and could not kill to establish their authority. However, he originally had few soldiers. No matter how lazy he was, he would never be able to attack Muzhou.
He had no choice but to write to Zhao Tong for advice. In addition to respectfully asking for advice, he also had some intention of borrowing money.
Zhao Tong was also scratching his head about this matter. He could naturally guess the whole reason, but he couldn't be allowed to use his own money to reward the Western Army, right?
The court would not reimburse him when he took out the money. In fact, although Emperor Daojun said it generously and openly in the Golden Palace that day, Zhao Tao knew how much money there was in the treasury. He really wanted to reward him according to what Emperor Daojun said. In the end, I am afraid that except for the official one, the other methods can only be partially paid or directly defaulted.
Moreover, Emperor Daojun talked about rewards for merit, but not every soldier was rewarded, but they had to refer to the merit book.
Liu Yanqing is in a miserable situation right now, but once he takes out the money, he will have nowhere to ask for it. The court has no money to give him, so why should the Western Army ask for it? He is a member of the royal family, and they are fighting for Zhao, Song, Jiang, Shan and Sheji. How will you want it then?
What's more, the commander-in-chief of the Western Army is not as tender-skinned and thin-skinned as the princes of the two palaces. They all take off their armor and official robes and dare to roll around on the ground. Borrowing money is obviously like a meat bun beating a dog. There is no return.
In desperation, Zhao Tong could only pretend to be stupid and did not understand Liu Yanqing's hidden meaning, but he gave him an idea, asking him to surround Wei and attack Zhao, attack in the east and attack in the west, and first sneak a surprise attack to capture Shezhou.
After taking Shezhou, it is estimated that Tongguan's side will also decide the war. By then, the rebel army will have an isolated city in their hands, and the morale of the army will be in chaos. At this time, they will attack the heart first. The soldiers shouted deceptive words and marched into the city. If you project arrows, Muzhou will be destroyed in the long run.
After he replied to the letter, Liu Yanqing naturally followed his instructions. He built a plank road openly, crossed Chencang secretly, and attacked Shezhou. As expected, it only took a day or two to capture Shezhou, and then he publicized the news in front of Muzhou City...
Zhao Tong went to the guest room for dinner in the evening and said upon entering, "Xiu Niang, Shezhou has been recovered. You can go home and have a look."
Zhu Xiuniang looked at him for a moment and then said, "Will you let me go home?"
Zhao Tong frowned: "How can I let you go back by yourself? Nowadays, the Zhu family has very few people in Jiangnan. There has been a military disaster in Shezhou and the compound is empty. Naturally, I will accompany you."
Zhu Xiuniang sneered when she heard this, looking into his eyes with a hint of ridicule.
Zhao Tong touched his chin: "After Fang La is calmed down, the bones of Lao Taishan and many clan members will have to be moved there. It is always best to return the fallen leaves to their roots."
After hearing this, Zhu Xiuniang put away her sarcastic expression and became serious. She did not object in any words and just sat there in a daze.
Zhao Tie looked at her without saying a word, turned around and said, "Whenever you want to go back, let me know. Otherwise, after the rebels are completely pacified, I will take you back to Shezhou, and then let your clan leader who is the county magistrate in Fujian Brother, come together to worship our ancestors."
When Zhu Xiuniang heard this, she stared at Zhao Tong closely, but Zhao Tong stopped talking and walked out of the room slowly.
Zhu Xiuniang bit her lips lightly until she saw his back walking away, and then her slender and beautiful eyebrows frowned. If Zhao Tao kept his promise, she would tell her Zhu family brother exactly what happened!
Tell the clan brother that Zhao Tong has framed the Zhu family and killed most of the Jiangnan nobles. Zhao Tong is ruthless, ambitious and full of evil. The clan brother will definitely find a way to let the court know, let the whole world know, and let Zhao Tong be criticized by thousands of people. Thousands of people reviled him, and he died without a burial place.
She didn't believe that no one in this world could punish Zhao Tan. The prince broke the law and was guilty as the common people. Zhao Tan broke the law and died a hundred times or a thousand times. It was enough!
What she had to do now was to be patient and not let Zhao Tong see that she wanted revenge. Otherwise, she would be alerting the snake and being guarded by him, which would be inappropriate.
But she couldn't take the initiative to get too close to him. Zhao Tong was as cunning as a fox and as ferocious as a wolf. If he tried to cover up and act too much, he would see his flaws. It was best to continue to treat him indifferently.
How could Zhao Tong know what Zhu Xiuniang was thinking at this moment, but the hatred of killing her father and annihilating her family was really irreconcilable. This kind of thing might be like Hu Sanniang, who was born in a rough place and was not very energetic. After being repeatedly persuaded and brainwashed, she might forget it for a while.
But someone like Zhu Xiuniang, who came from a noble and wealthy family, had read poetry and books since she was a child. She knew history and the ups and downs, and was familiar with half of the principles. How could she forget it? Maybe there are all kinds of tricks planned in his heart, ten kinds of plots to deal with him.
Zhao Tong sighed as he walked. This is destined to be a protracted war. Even if his family breaks up with the court one day, and he is not afraid of anything and can have no scruples, this war without gunpowder may not end.
But he was not too worried. Zhu Xiuniang had no evidence and everything was just her guess. Even if she were asked to stand in front of everyone in the world and shout, who would believe it?
As for some conspiracy methods, wouldn't it be just a trick in front of him...
After Shezhou was captured, Liu Yanqing organized his army to attack Muzhou again. This time he followed the methods taught by Zhao Tao and used all kinds of mind-attack tactics. The rebel army in Muzhou couldn't hold on.
Originally, they all relied on the land of several states in eastern Zhejiang as their basic backing, but now I heard that Tong Guan and his troops have recovered all of them there, and Shezhou here has also been lost. Isn't it just the isolated city of Muzhou?
The defense was shaken and the morale of the army was unstable.
And there is a more important thing at this moment, that is, Muzhou City is running out of food and grass.
Although Liu Yanqing's troops were small, even with the troops led by Zhe Kecun and Yao Pingzhong, there were only more than 40,000 people, and the city could not be besieged. But even so, there was nowhere to replenish the food and grass in Muzhou City.
No one sends them food! They don’t have anywhere to raise food!
When the Muzhou gentry fled that day, they burned all the grain that could not be taken away, uprooted all the green crops in the fields outside the city, and burned all the fodder and livestock farms.
This is not because the gentry knows the tactics of fortifying walls and clearing the country, but that they hate these demon sect thieves and do not want to leave anything to them. They would rather destroy everything than leave anything to them.
After Fangla arrived in Muzhou, part of the grain in the official warehouse was burned by the defenders. He once raised grain from the people. Of course, he bought it with money at that time, and the people also sold a lot of it to them. The grain went with the army. Did not stay in Muzhou.
Until Hangzhou was captured, the army had enough food and grass, so it was possible to stay in Suzhou and Tongguan for a long time.
However, Hangzhou was lost and there was no source of supplies. Fang La retreated with less and less food and grass. Then he was defeated in Muzhou. Tens of thousands of people entered the city. The pressure in the city increased and the city was stretched.
After Fang La fled into Muzhou with Fang Baihua, he saw that the situation was not good, so he left some troops behind and led the others directly back to Bangyuan.
There are probably more than 70,000 soldiers in the city, and they are all in panic at the moment.
Outside, the Song army kept shouting about the war in eastern Zhejiang, saying that all other states had been lost. Although I don’t know whether these things were true or false, they were shouting all the time. Even if they were false, I would feel anxious listening to them. What’s more, Shezhou on the side was really lost, and my lips were dead and my teeth were cold. , the soldiers were naturally flustered.
The rations were decreasing day by day, which made the soldiers speculate that the city might run out of food, and they began to think of escaping. However, the city gate was closed and no one could get out.
When Fang La left, he left Chen Houtong behind to let him know the military affairs, but he was so anxious that he didn't know what to do.
A few days later, there was not much smoke left in the city, and the army began to run out of food...
Chen Houtong was feeling depressed that day. He climbed up to the city gate tower and looked out over the Jianjiang River. He only saw the white mist in the depths of the river. Not a single fishing boat was walking on the river. Only white gulls and waterbirds were flying, circling and croaking on the river. Yelling.
Chen Houtong was worried when General Fang Jie came up to the city and said: "Grand Master, many of the soldiers below are hungry. Some have died under the city, and some are dying. Many people have no food to eat, and the leaves and bark are all gone." After plundering them all, stripping them naked, and even eating them with dirt to satisfy their hunger, why didn’t the Grand Master order the remaining horses to be killed and distributed to the soldiers to make soup? At least we can survive these two days, and when the Holy Duke’s reinforcements arrive, the crisis will be resolved.”
Chen Houtong frowned when he heard this. Before Fang La left, he said he would go back to Bangyuan to tidy things up and then send troops to deliver food and grass. But now it has been a long time and no one or food has been seen. Even Shezhou has been lost.
As for the other prefectures and counties in eastern Zhejiang, he guessed that they might have been attacked by separate forces from the Song army, and it was difficult to say whether they would be captured. Fang La might not be able to care about Muzhou at this moment.
Full of worries, Chen Houtong went down to the city and returned to his mansion. After wandering around for a while, he walked to the stables and came to his own horse. His horse was as white as snow, with not a single hair on its body. It was eight feet tall, with a head and tail. One foot long, it looks like a good horse.
When the horse saw Chen Houtong approaching, its energy doubled. It held its head high and roared "Xi Liu Liu", just like a dragon roaring and a tiger roaring.
Chen Houtong touched the horse's head lovingly with his hand. The horse stuck out its tongue and touched his hand. Chen Houtong couldn't help but think, did he really want to kill the horse to satisfy its hunger? Although his own horses do not need to be killed, if all the horses in the army are killed, then the city will be really destroyed and without their mounts, wouldn't it be difficult for everyone except him and the generals to escape?
Chen Houtong couldn't help but sigh, looked at Fang Jie and said, "Take me out and have a look."
Fang Jie took the order to lead the way and walked around Muzhou City. He saw that many soldiers were too hungry to sit against the wall. After watching them pass by, they all gathered their energy and stood up.
When he arrived at the city again, he saw people squatting in groups of twos and threes under the wall to eat Guanyin soil. Chen Houtong felt sad and went to the military stables with a gloomy face. At this moment, the horses were coughing and neighing, but they were thinner and hairier than before. , the sound is miserable.
The groom who raised the horse seemed to have heard something before. He stepped forward and knelt down and said, "Grand Master, you can't kill the horse. This horse has done more than people!"
Chen Houtong glanced at him for a few times, but did not reply. Instead, he walked out of the stable in a daze. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, and the wind was mixed with a strange smell of meat.
Chen Houtong looked at Fang Jie, who also had a puzzled look on his face. The two led the soldiers to follow the scent and walked to a thatched hut in a secluded area outside the camp. It turned out that a dozen soldiers were eating meat and drinking soup there.
When these soldiers saw Chen Houtong, they were all speechless and speechless. Chen Houtong was wondering, there was no food in the whole city, where did these people get the meat?
He stepped forward and lifted the lid of the pot to see how it floated with the boiling water.
Chen Houtong suddenly had blood rushing to his head: "Where did this meat come from? Tell me quickly!"
The soldiers hurriedly knelt down and said, "Teacher, we did not kill these two!"
Chen Houtong immediately became furious, drew out his sword and cursed: "If you dare, I will kill you first as a warning to the other armies!"
The soldiers behind him saw that they were going to kill these people, and they all knelt down and begged for mercy. The people in front of him all lowered their heads, and did not defend themselves. They just stretched their necks to kill them.
Chen Houtong looked at the people again. They were all yellow and thin from hunger, and looked haggard. They had not had a full meal in the past few days, and they were staggering around. It was really pitiful.
He stamped his feet violently, turned around and walked away. As he walked, he said to Fang Jie: "Send my military order to kill the horse!"
Fang Jie clasped his fists and accepted the order, leading everyone in a hurry to the stables.
After killing the horse, the army feasted several times, even smashing the bones of the horse and eating them. But then the horse was eaten up, and there was still no news of the reinforcements or food.
Chen Houtong had no choice but to summon the generals to discuss the matter and said: "There is not a grain of military rations left in the city, all the war horses have been killed, and there is no news after the departure of the Holy Duke. To continue to defend it is no different from committing suicide. I think it is better to abandon Muzhou and not be a good person." picture."
Most of the generals were angry. In fact, they had been waiting for Chen Houtong to say this. But at this moment, a soldier outside suddenly came in in a panic and reported: "Grand Master, the guards guarding the south city gate suddenly opened the gate. Let the Song army enter the city!"
Chen Houtong was shocked when he heard this. He quickly stood up and ordered: "Hurry up and ask all the ministries to support Nancheng and drive the Song army out of the city."
Fang Jie said anxiously: "Grand Master, the soldiers should abandon the city and open the door to escape. The Grand Master can take out all the money and silk in the city and distribute it to the soldiers, encourage the three armies to move forward, paralyze the Song army, and divide the soldiers into groups after the Shen time." Fight to the death to break out." Chen Houtong thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
After receiving this order, the soldiers in the city aroused some enthusiasm and fought with the Song army at the edge of the south city. However, the Song army came with a full meal, but the soldiers guarding the city were hungry. At this moment, there were no horses, so they could only Fight and retreat.
In the end, the soldiers who defended the city were exhausted due to hunger and fatigue. More than 70,000 people were killed and injured numerous times. The corpses blocked the streets and alleys, and the bright red blood formed ditches and dyed all over Nancheng Street.
The number of soldiers defending the city dropped sharply, and the generals were hungry and tired. Finally, it was delayed until Shenshi. At this time, Chen Houtong ordered that all the city gates be opened in all directions, and the troops were divided into several groups to break out.
Fang Jie was seen waving a painted halberd and shouting in front of people: "Brothers of the holy religion, if we don't use our strength at this time, we will all die without a burial place!"
Chen Houtong led the generals from the rear to cheer up their spirits, and each took their weapons to fight outside the city together.
He is a master with strong martial arts skills. Although he cannot reverse the situation of the battle, he can still break out of the siege. However, the soldiers who followed him are not so lucky. Now only the generals have horses, and there are no cavalry. These soldiers Ding just ran away, throwing away his money and silk along the way.
The Western Army of the Song Army suddenly became red-eyed when they saw such a scene. They had come all the way without seeing any oil or water. At this moment, they were busy fighting for gold and silver treasures and had no intention of pursuing them. Liu Yanqing couldn't stop drinking even if he waved his riding whip.
Chen Houtong and his generals took advantage of the situation to escape from Muzhou. After climbing several mountains, they ran straight towards Bangyuan...
(End of chapter)
