The temperature in April is gradually rising, and it has rained more frequently in the past two days. The continuous rainy weather and muddy roads make people uncomfortable.
Zhao's war on Zhongshan's western front has broken out in full force. The several military strongholds guarded by the Zhongshan Army outside Fangfang City have all been declared defeated. However, facing the fortress-like Fangfang City, Zhao Jun can only resort to the stupidest tactics. tactics.
Although it is a last resort, it is also a helpless move. The successive commanders-in-chief of Fangfangcheng were all members of the Zhongshan Kingdom's clan, and their words of persuasion to surrender were useless.
And if Zhao Guo wanted to capture Manjia, he couldn't get around Fangfangcheng.
The resistance of the Zhongshan Army is not without fierceness. Nowadays, wounded Zhao Army soldiers on the front line are transported to the field hospital in the city every day.
Zhao Yong was really nervous about Lian Cheng's promise to defeat the enemy in ten days.
...It was not until three days after the West Route Army launched its attack on Fangfangcheng that Li Tong from the Eastern Front sent a military report. The letter truthfully reported the Zhao army's battle damage to Song Zicheng; in addition, according to the scouts' reports, Quyang was heavily defended, and it was hoped that the Chinese army could reinforce five thousand infantry to attack Quyang together.
It is not difficult to see from Li Tong's military report that the defensive forces of several cities on the eastern front of the Zhongshan Army seemed to have all gathered in Xiaquyang.
However, only 5,000 infantry support was needed, indicating that Quyang did not have many troops.
But compared to Song Zicheng's defensive force of 1,800 people, it was indeed a heavy force.
Zhao Yong immediately ordered the deployment of troops from the capital of Guanjin, accelerated the march, and moved closer to the main force on the eastern front, under the control of Li Tong.
At the same time, the 20,000 cavalry led by Pang Nuan were ordered to bypass the eastern cities of Zhongshan State to avoid contact with the Zhongshan Army, and penetrated directly into the east Huan, destroying all the military fortresses and pontoon bridges along the Hutuo River, so as to completely cut off the aid from the north bank of Zhongshan.
There are a large number of civil servants and eunuchs in the army to assist, and there are many military generals who are setting up camp in accordance with military laws. The most important thing is that at this moment, it is completely the opinion of the Zhao State, unlike the joint operations of the three Jin Dynasties, where changes in tactics and the deployment of troops are subject to Taipei. Lots of moderation. Zhao Yong hardly bothered with the daily march in this battle.
The most critical decision is simply whether to attack or not.
A few days ago, Zhao Yong ordered 20,000 cavalry to be dispersed in several directions, and all the villages in Zhongshan south of the Hutuo River had been swept away. Although a small number of Zhongshan people have retreated to the big city guarded by high walls, most ordinary people have no time to escape, especially the large number of slaves.
Each cavalry brigade team has officials from the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of Works. Whenever Zhao Yong asked his soldiers to visit villages, they would first read out a proclamation to express Zhao's righteousness, and then explain Zhao's new policy to the Zhongshan people who had no time to escape, and promised them that they would not commit any crimes in autumn and never kill indiscriminately. Then, half deceived and half threatened, all these people were sent to the hinterland of Zhao State.
This does not mean that Zhao Yong is very kind, but it is just a political method. Zhao Yong does not advocate sending troops to plunder, but Zhao Guo’s government orders are not very kind. Those who obey are easy to talk about, and those who don’t obey sit still. The village will still be massacred.
According to veterans, pampering soldiers can make them work harder on the battlefield.
However, Zhao Yong believes that doing so not only conflicts with Zhao's national policy, but also does not apply to the rules of this era. The subjugation of people's hearts is the foundation. Especially in war, the kindness of the enemy is often more fatal than the help of one's own people.
In this battle, what the Zhao State wanted was not a Zhongshan State that was estranged from the Zhao people, but a lush land that could be completely integrated into the Zhao State. Hu Fuling also wanted the Zhongshan people to lessen their rejection of the Zhao State.
Indulgence may make the soldiers work harder on the battlefield, but it will undoubtedly aggravate the conflict between the Zhao people and the Zhongshan people, create new troubles out of the blue, and undoubtedly make it more difficult for Zhao to conquer Zhongshan.
Zhao Yong naturally understood this simple truth that only brave men would be rewarded with great rewards, but unfettered arrogance would undoubtedly make the army unruly.
The army can rob the treasury in an organized way, reward and pension the soldiers, or set up camps and prostitutes, so that the soldiers can get practical benefits. But we must not kill everyone, act recklessly, or waste resources.
...The seventh day when Zhao Jun launched a general attack on Fangfang City.
Early in the morning, Zhao Yong was taking a nap in the prison room when a joyful voice suddenly came from outside the door: "The king has an urgent report from the front."
Zhao Yong suddenly opened his sleepy eyes and glanced at the sky outside the door, "Come in."
Yesterday evening, I received news from the border between Yan and Zhao. The 20,000 Qi troops who had been confronting Zhao in Wuyuan for more than a month suddenly crossed the Yellow River and headed south. It is still unknown why they wanted to do so.
Although the chance of Qi targeting Zhao at this time is not very high, the sudden disappearance of the Qi army still makes people worried.
He didn't sleep well last night.
Seeing Chen Zhong coming in, Zhao Yong breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Why is the commander in such a hurry?"
Chen Zhong said with unconcealable joy on his face: "Your Majesty, General Lian Cheng has captured Fangfangcheng."
"What?" Zhao Yong stood up awkwardly.
Before Chen Zhong could react, Zhao Yong was already walking quickly towards the door. As he walked out, he ordered the guards: "Hurry and prepare your horses."
Fangfangcheng, the thorn stuck in Zhao's throat for hundreds of years, has finally been removed.
Zhao Yong led more than 300 cavalry guards and rushed towards Fangfang City. The worry I had for Qi Jun had long since been thrown out of my mind.
Haocheng is very close to Fangfangcheng, only about twenty miles away. The cavalry guards came out of the city gate and headed west along the Chi Road. Along the way, they could see wounded soldiers and baggage vehicles returning from Fangfangcheng.
Five miles outside the house, a continuous Zhao Army camp appeared in front of them. This was the front line of the confrontation between Zhao Army and Zhongshan Army. The sergeants were dismantling the camp at this time.
The Guards Cavalry did not stop much and continued to run forward.
A quarter of an hour later, light rain began to fall from the sky, and the wind and rain were accompanied by a strong fishy smell.
Lian Cheng and other generals rushed to greet him.
The deep moat outside the house had been filled in at some point, and the soil was now reddish-brown. The originally high and solid wall was now full of pits and pits, with stone pits and stains everywhere on it. Under the wall, there were piles of corpses that had not had time to be moved.
There was a lot of noise under the city tower. Many Zhongshan prisoners were muttering in incomprehensible dialects and crying and yelling. Zhao Yong couldn't understand a word anyway. The surrounding Zhao soldiers were gesturing with weapons and yelling.
Lian Cheng turned over and dismounted, faced Zhao Yong with an excited face, clasping his fists and saluting: "Greetings to the king!"
The armor on his body was now covered in blood, but looking at the way he was jumping around, it was probably not his own blood.
Zhao Yong nodded slightly on his horse, pointed at the messy situation under the tower with his riding whip, and asked, "What's going on?"
Lian Cheng said truthfully: "My ancestors of Zhao State, there are many people who hate this place, and in this battle, the defenders of the house did not understand justice, were stupid, and refused to surrender, which caused extremely serious damage to our Zhao army. I respectfully obey me." However, the officers and soldiers were dissatisfied with the new policies of the State of Zhao, so they captured several Zhongshan soldiers and were about to sacrifice their heads here to worship our ancestors of the State of Zhao and our deceased comrades."
Zhao Yong nodded and did not stop Lian Cheng's behavior. Instead, he replied solemnly: "Those who surrender and obey can be forgiven, and those who are stubborn will have their heads sacrificed."
"Here." Lian Cheng bowed and replied, instantly understanding what the king meant.
He then waved to the general on one side.
Just when Zhao's executioners were about to step forward for execution, among the prisoners, a guy who looked like a Zhongshan general spoke fluent Mandarin and cried loudly: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the foreign minister is willing to surrender... Your Majesty, my heart is with China and my heart is with Zhao, why don’t you kill me?”
When Sergeant Zhao, who was in charge of custody, saw this guy yelling randomly, he was afraid of disturbing Wang Jia, so he went up to him and punched and kicked him.
Zhao Yong looked around and saw a young military general with a Chinese face shouting loudly among the prisoners.
In fact, if you look closely at the local Rong Di, Bai Di, Xian Yu and other tribes in Zhongshan, you can easily see that they have obvious differences in appearance from the Chinese.
But this guy who cries for his father and mother is obviously a Chinese. Mainly because he is such a spineless guy. How could Zhongshan Kingdom be transferred to such an important town as Fangfang City? Judging from the armor style and level, it must be not low.
Zhao Yong pointed his riding whip at the guy and said, "Bring over the screaming prisoner."
Lian Cheng immediately shouted to his men, rushed over, and escorted the man over. But the man could no longer stand still, and was dragged from the ground to Zhao Yong's horse by the two men.
As soon as the person approached, Zhao Yong immediately smelled the stench of manure. Only then did he realize that the pants of the man in front of him were already wet. The prisoner's face turned red, he was afraid and ashamed, and he was simply in a state of embarrassment.
"Hahahahaha!" The surrounding Zhao army officers and soldiers suddenly burst into laughter.
General Zhongshan ignored the people's ridicule at all. He trembled and said: "Your Majesty, the foreign minister is not Rong Di. The foreign minister is from Qi. Please spare my life, Your Majesty."
Zhao Yong raised his hand to stop him: "In our country of Zhao, there is no distinction between Chinese and Yi. What is the name of any position you hold in Zhongshan?"
"Zhang Dai..."
"Your Majesty, this guy is the captain of the house." Lian Cheng from the side interrupted.
"Oh?" Zhao Yong asked lightly.
The military system of Zhongshan Kingdom is similar to that of other countries. A soldier captain is in charge of a brigade of a thousand people. However, no matter how you look at this guy, he doesn't look like a soldier captain.
Come to think of it, this guy is not a veteran on the battlefield. He may have become a military commander just because of his good background...
Sure enough, Zhang Dai said in a trembling voice: "The guilty minister's brother is Zhang Deng, the senior official. The guilty minister did not want to fight with the Zhao Kingdom's heavenly soldiers. Everything was coerced by the captain of the house. The guilty minister has never hurt any Zhao people. Your Majesty, please spare my life."
Zhang Deng? The name Zhao Yong is somewhat impressive. He is indeed a minister of Zhongshan State who is close to Zhao.
Zhao Yong's expression remained unchanged and he said: "Zhang Dai, are you willing to abandon the darkness and turn to the light?"
Zhang Dai did not hesitate, lowered his head and kowtowed: "I would like to express my gratitude to the King for not killing me, and thank you for not killing me..."
"Although I have forgiven you, I still need you to make meritorious service for your crime." Zhao Yong said.
"I am willing to take the blame and make meritorious service. I am willing to take the blame and make meritorious service." Zhang Dai continued to kowtow, and he didn't even notice that his scalp was bruised.
Zhao Yong nodded with satisfaction, turned to Lian Cheng and ordered: "Take Zhang Bingwei to change clothes."
Lian Cheng bowed and said: "Here!"
Under the city wall, the Zhongshan soldiers who were waiting to be killed suddenly cursed loudly when they saw Zhang Dai walking away with the Zhao people.
Zhao Yong frowned and waved his riding whip at the soldiers who were preparing to attack in the distance.
After a while, the soldiers of the Zhao army, who had been saving up for a long time, came forward in a line. They stabbed and slashed at the Zhongshan people with their swords and guns as if to vent their anger. They roared angrily and said foul words to the prisoners while slashing. . The hands of those Zhongshan prisoners were tied with hemp ropes, and they were strung up with ropes. They squatted or knelt and huddled in the corners. They could not run away or resist.
Zhao Yong watched all this with silent eyes. From the tragic situation outside the city, it is not difficult to see that Zhao Guo suffered heavy losses in this battle. Zhao Yong had no reason to refuse the soldiers to vent their anger, and there was no reason to forgive the dead Zhao Guo soldiers. These Zhongshan people.
After a period of howling ghosts and wolves, the world returned to silence again, leaving only a fishy smell that even the rain could not wash away.
Zhao Yong exhaled a breath of turbid air. When the white mist dissipated, everyone got on their horses and stepped straight through the headless corpses and blood stains under the city tower, straight into the house.
The scale of the house is very large, even larger than that of Handan Guocheng. The entire city is shaped into an irregular rectangle, one side of which is close to the Taihang Mountains.
Most of the cities in the Zhongshan Kingdom were built on mountains, or there were mountains in the city, in order to use the tactics they were good at. This is probably why Zhongshan got its name.
The reason why this Fangfang City is difficult to attack is not only the large number of troops deployed by Zhongshan here, but also the main reason is the mountain cut in the southwest of Fangfang City.
In the past, tribes such as Bai Di and Xian Yu emerged in Taihang and Hengshan. They were different from Rong Di such as Lou Fan and Lin Hu, and their customs were also fundamentally different. The Hu tribes in northern Xinjiang were herders and people on horseback; The Zhongshan and other Xianyu Alliance are hunters in the mountains and forests, and they have become people of the mountains. Although they are also good at riding and shooting, they are better at guerrilla warfare in the mountains and forests.
This is also the reason why Zhongshan Guoneng has repeatedly made a comeback.
But now Zhongshan people seem to have begun to gradually abandon their fine traditions. If you think about it carefully, it may not only be a matter of concept, but also the current national policy of Zhongshan.
However, no matter what, Fangfangcheng caused some damage to Zhao Jun.
When they arrived at a military camp, various captured weapons and armors were placed in the open space. The Zhao army officers also built several thatched huts to protect them from rain.
Zhao Yong dismounted and threw the reins directly to Lian Cheng beside him.
Although Lian Cheng was a general with tens of thousands of troops, he could only be a groom in front of Zhao Yong.
Zhao Yong picked up a sword from the ground and looked at it.
Zhongshan State's armament casting is not much different from that of other Chinese states, and its casting techniques are also not much different, even comparable to those of large countries such as Zhao and Qi.
The sword in his hand is about two feet long and made entirely of bronze. It is slightly shorter than the weapons currently equipped by Zhao Guo.
Lian Cheng said beside him: "The sharpness of these weapons is no worse than that of our country, Zhao."
Zhao Yong nodded. Zhongshan Kingdom is now fundamentally no different from the Central Plains princes. It has abandoned the customs of Rong and Di and has become an out-and-out farming country.
