[Take advantage of the fire]
Among the three big bosses, only Wang Jian and Zhu Wen of Xichuan have no grievances or conflicts of interest. However, Wang Jian is the most active in responding to the call of "King Qin".
The reason is obvious, as mentioned earlier, that is, in the name of King Qin, to encroach on the territory of the Kansai Group - Shannan West Road.
The eunuch Han Quanjie asked Wang Jian of Xichuan to be diligent in fighting against rebellion, and Zhu Wen also sent an envoy to ask him to be diligent in getting rid of thieves. Wang Jian of Xichuan became the target of both sides, which was very beneficial to Wang Jian.
On the surface, Wang Jian supported Zhu Wen and rebuked Li Maozhen for collaborating with Han Quanjie, the eunuch, to kidnap the emperor. However, secretly he encouraged Li Maozhen to resist tenaciously, expressed lip service to him, and promised to send troops to support him.
Therefore, Wang Jian sent his adopted sons Wang Zongji and Wang Zongdi to lead an army of 50,000, claiming to go north to protect the emperor, but in fact they invaded Li Maozhen's vast land south of the Qinling Mountains.
Attacking Lizhou first, Li Jizhong, the Zhaowu Jiedushi envoy of Lizhou appointed by Li Maozhen, abandoned the city and fled; then he attacked Xingyuan Mansion, but encountered strong resistance from Li Jimi, the Jiedushi envoy of Shannan West Road.
The fierce general Wang Zongbo launched several attacks but failed. One of his staff warned him, don't forget your identity. Although you are the adopted son of the commander-in-chief, you are a descended general. In fact, you cannot be trusted by the commander-in-chief. Your whole family will be used as hostages in the rear. If you are not there, If you perform bravely on the front line, how can you settle down and live in peace?
Wang Zongbo filled his eyes with blood and summoned his soldiers, "I will fight with you again. If you win, you will gain glory and wealth; if you fail, you will die here! Brothers, copy the guy!"
Either way, there is death. Those who die on the front line are martyrs, and those who die in the rear are traitors.
Wang Zongbo fought hard and broke through four enemy camps in one breath. He refused to stop and continued to attack Li Jimi's Chinese camp. Li Jimi was finally defeated and retreated backwards.
During the fierce battle, general Qin Chenghou was shot in the eye by an arrow. The arrow was embedded in the bone and could not be pulled out. Wang Jian personally licked his wound, the pustule festered, and the arrowhead flowed out with the pus.
Another strong general, Wang Zongdi, also risked his own life and led his troops to the city to conquer Xingyuan Mansion in one go.
Li Jimi could no longer resist and surrendered to Wang Jian with his 30,000 infantry and 5,000 cavalry troops.
Wang Jian accepted Li Jimi's surrender, but disliked him as a person. He said to the people around him: "Li Jimi is not a thing. He harmed the people of the capital. It's so hateful! But I have accepted his surrender. I can't break my promise and kill him. Alas!"
Wang Jian ordered Li Jimi to restore his original name to Wang Wanhong, and then summoned him frequently to prevent him from making small moves. The other generals knew Wang Jian's thoughts, so they always looked for opportunities to severely humiliate and run against Li Jimi. Even actors with the lowest social status at the time publicly humiliated him.
As a surrendered general, Li Jimi dared not speak out when he was angry. He had nowhere to vent his anger and could only drink alcohol every day. After toasting to relieve his sorrow, his sorrow became worse. Finally one day, Li Jimi collapsed completely. After being drunk, he jumped into the pool and committed suicide.
Wang Zongdi was granted the title of Military Envoy of Shannanxi Road for his meritorious service. Wang Zongdi was brave and resourceful, loved his soldiers as his son, and managed the people well. He had a good reputation both in the army and in the local area, and was deeply loved and supported by the masses, which made Wang Jian jealous of him.
Wang Jian renovated the headquarters building and painted the door with red paint. It was so majestic and majestic that local people called it the "Painted Red Building." Wang Zongdi's original name was Hua Hong, and "Painting Red Mansions" was a homophony with it, which made Wang Jian even more unhappy, thinking that this was a sign that Wang Zongdi would seize power and usurp the throne in the future. Other adopted sons, such as Wang Zongji, were also jealous of Wang Zongdi's achievements and often made slanderous remarks to Wang Jianjin and framed Wang Zongdi.
Therefore, Wang Jian recalled Wang Zongdi to Chengdu and questioned him face to face about his duplicity.
Wang Zongdi was filled with grief and anger, and retorted: "The rabbit is dead and the dog is cooked, and the bird is hidden in the bow. Now that the king has conquered the three rivers (Xichuan, Dongchuan, and Hanchuan), it is time to kill the heroes."
Wang Jian ordered people to make Wang Zongdi drunk first, and then strangled him to death with a rope.
After hearing that Wang Zongdi was killed, the people of Chengdu spontaneously went on strike to express their condolences; the officers and soldiers of each battalion also burst into tears, as if they were mourning a heir.
Subsequently, Wang Jian appointed his adopted son Wang Zonghe as the queen of Shannan West Road.
Since then, the land south of the Qinling Mountains has been basically occupied by Wang Jian.
【Surrounding Taiyuan】
Zhaozong sent a central special mediator (Qibianhe Assistant Envoy) to mediate the fight between Li Maozhen and Zhu Wen. He gave Zhu Wen the surname Li and ordered him to become brothers with Li Maozhen and shake hands to make peace.
Zhu Wen flatly refused.
Li Maozhen was unable to counterattack and could only hold on to the city and compete with Zhu Wen for attrition. Zhu Wen also continued to receive news of Li Keyong's invasion in Hedong.
If Wang Jian's "King of Diligence" is driven by the pursuit of profit, then Li Key's use of "King of Diligence" is to save himself.
Li Keyong sent Li Sizhao and Zhou Dewei to attack Hezhong to contain Zhu Wen's efforts to advance westward. Zhu Wen could only put down Fengxiang first and defend Hezhong.
Zhu Wen sent his nephew Zhu Youning and his uncle Cong to fight against the Hedong soldiers, and then personally led the main force to the front line to supervise the battle.
Li Sizhao captured Jiangzhou and was recaptured by Bian general Kang Huaizhen;
Uncle Cong led his troops to attack Li Sizhao at night, capturing and killing more than 10,000 people. Subsequently, Zhu Youning and Shi Shucong continued to attack Li Sizhao and Zhou Dewei's camp.
At that time, the Bian army numbered more than 100,000, and the troops stretched across ten miles. However, Li Sizhao and Zhou Dewei's troops were far less than the Bian army, and they were deep into the enemy's hinterland, so the army was panicked.
During the brief stalemate, Shi Shucong selected two strong men from the army who had "deep eyes and long beards, and looks like Shatuo" and dressed up as frontier herdsmen. As expected, the Hedong soldiers thought they were one of their own and had no doubts. The two warriors waited for an opportunity to capture two Hedong soldiers alive and return to camp.
The loss of two soldiers was nothing, but the elusiveness of the Bian army caused a great psychological shock to the Hedong soldiers. Everyone was in danger, and they did not dare to stay in the enemy's territory for a long time.
Zhou Dewei asked Li Sizhao to retreat first, but he was willing to stay behind.
At that time, Zhu Wen had sent Zhu Youning to lead an army of tens of thousands to assist Shi Shucong. Zhu Youning's reinforcements had not yet arrived, so the general proposed to rest and regroup first, and then pursue the Hedong Army after joining forces with Zhu Youning.
Shi Shucong refused and said: "The opportunity to fight is fleeting. By the time we have assembled, the enemy has also escaped!" So he ordered an overnight attack. Under the cover of night, Shishu Cong first detoured back to the enemy's rear, cutting off the retreat path of the Hedong soldiers. During this period, he annihilated hundreds of Hedong rangers. Then he took advantage of the victory and attacked the enemy camp, captured and killed more than 10,000 people, and captured three war horses. Hundreds of horses were used to capture Li Keyong's son Yanluan alive, and the Hedong Corps collapsed instantly.
Like "Luo Luo", this "Yan Luan" also does not know his detailed deeds. There is only one sentence left in history: "Capture Ke Yong male Yan Luan alive".
When Zhu Wen heard about it, he put his palms in his hands and laughed, saying, "To kill the Tibetan thieves and destroy Taiyuan, you must be old!"
Zhu Youning and Shi Shucong took advantage of the great victory, fought hard to annihilate the enemy's power, advanced with great success, and defeated Li Cunxin who came to meet Li Sizhao's defeated army.
Li Cunxin fled back to Taiyuan, and the Bian army took advantage of the situation to seize Fenzhou. Then they came to Taiyuan City and set up camp in the west of the city. Without taking a breath, they launched a fierce attack on the west gate and took back Li Keyong in one fell swoop.
Li Sizhao and Zhou Dewei detoured northwestward, gathering the remaining defeated generals along the way, and finally fled back to Taiyuan Prefecture.
This is a result that Li Keyong never imagined. I originally wanted to contain Zhu Wen and delay his westward march, but I didn't expect to lead him directly under my nose. In just a few days, not only did Fengxiang's siege not be lifted, but Taiyuan Mansion was also surrounded.
Hedong Li Keyong had not completed war mobilization at all, and the troops from all walks of life had not yet assembled. Taiyuan Mansion was empty of troops and the situation was precarious. Li Keyong visited the city day and night, and he had trouble sleeping and eating.
