After the Battle of Yongqiu, Liu Laozhi's troops marched to the east of Chenliu and attacked the western counties of Yanzhou. At Lihu Fortress, they were defeated by Qi Commandery Tian Cao Liu Yan's plan to invite the emperor to commit suicide. Five thousand men and horses were lost, and Liu Laozhi himself was there. Under the desperate cover of his subordinates, they hurriedly escaped from Lihu Fortress, and the morale of the Qin army was greatly boosted.
The Qin army and the Jin army were fighting fiercely in various parts of the Central Plains. Murong Chui's 100,000 troops from Hebei were also besieging Yecheng day and night. Just when Yecheng was about to be broken, Wang Yong, the governor of Youzhou, led an army of 20,000 men and marched southward at night under the stars. When the Yan army was struggling to attack the city, Wang Yong personally led the Youzhou Army to attack, catching the Yan army by surprise and making it difficult to resist.
Wang Yong killed eight thousand enemies and led 20,000 people into Yecheng under the support of the guard general Yang Liang. Seeing the reinforcements coming, the morale of the Qin army in Yecheng was greatly encouraged!
On the contrary, the Yan army that was attacked by Wang Yong was unexpectedly attacked by the Youzhou army because they were attacking the city. They suffered heavy losses and were wilted like eggplants beaten by frost.
"Let the soldiers withdraw first. The morale of the Qin army is at its peak at this time. When their energy is exhausted, we will then find a way to break the city."
Murong Chui had no choice but to order the Yan army to besiege but not attack. After all, the morale of the Qin army was at a high level. If he was not sure, launching an siege would undoubtedly cost the Qin army their lives. He would not do such a loss-making transaction.
Murong Feng and Murong Nong had resentment, sullenness, and endless anger in their hearts. They were angry at Wang Yong, angry at the Youzhou Army, and of course angry at Fu Pi...
At the foot of Ye City, the stalemate between the Qin and Yan armies had just been broken, but unexpectedly, Wang Yong, the governor of Youzhou, advanced quickly and suddenly attacked, defeating the Yan army. The situation of confrontation between the two armies was repeated again.
Xu Zongwen brought the old and young of Yongqiu to Xiangyi to settle down. Xie Yan was ordered to dredge Yongqiu and led thousands of Beifu soldiers and tens of thousands of Yongqiu Qingzhuang to carry out the work of rebuilding Yongqiu. After the Suishui River was blocked, Xu Zongwen led people to reinforce it again, which prevented Suishui from being exterminated again.
"This time we leave Chenliu and go to Xingyang."
Xu Zongwen led more than 4,000 people north from Yongqiu and met Zhang Gui who was ambushing on the road from Yongqiu to Waihuang. After the Qin army was defeated in the Battle of Yongcheng that day, all the defeated Qin army went to Zhang Gui's ambush circle. Drill.
Zhang Gui led a thousand men from a high position and killed five or six thousand Qin troops. Seeing an ambush, the rest of the Qin troops thought that the Jin army had large soldiers and panicked. This panic caused a stampede, and the Qin troops trampled each other to death. There were another three thousand people, and the remaining less than ten thousand people fled in all directions. Not one of the ten thousand Qin troops survived!
"Xingyang is the territory of the Yan Kingdom. Does the general want to fight with Murong Chui?" Xi Jian revealed the mystery with one sentence, exposing Xu Zongwen's thoughts.
After Xi Jian gave some advice, all the generals suddenly realized it!
As expected of a general, he defeated the Qin army and fled, and now he has taken a liking to the Yan army!
Xu Zongwen made no secret. He reined in his horse and said carefully: "We were fighting to the death with the Qin army in the Central Plains. Murong Chui took the opportunity to pick peaches, penetrated Jijun from Xingyang, and laid siege to Yecheng. He must not let his rear area too far. It’s so safe! Once he takes Yecheng and eats Fu Pi, he will most likely turn around and attack us. Instead of attacking later, it’s better to take the initiative at this time!”
None of the generals knew that Murong Chui was besieging Yecheng, and no military information came from the direction of Yecheng. So when Xu Zongwen said that Murong Chui was attacking Fu Pi, everyone was very surprised!
Xu Zongwen relied on his own judgment to conclude that Murong Chui was attacking Yecheng, so he took advantage of his army's march north to attack Xingyang. Such a plan was quite bold!
In fact, Xu Zongwen had long known that Murong Chui would besiege Yecheng. This was the historical process and the general trend. However, after Murong Chui killed Fu Pi, he would not immediately turn back and become the enemy of the Jin army. His goal was always to revive the Yan Kingdom as his first priority. Yes, after taking Yecheng, the next step would be to go north to Zhongshan and attack Youzhou and Pingzhou, or attack west to Bingzhou. He would never be stupid enough to provoke the Jin army who was gaining momentum in the Northern Expedition!
The most important reason why Xu Zongwen said in public that Murong Chui would go south to become the enemy of the Jin army was to unite the soldiers and kill the enemy with one heart, so that they would not be merciful to the Yan army.
A battle between Jin and Yan will happen sooner or later. The difference between fighting earlier and fighting later is huge.
At this time, the Yan State was still very weak, and it was the right time to attack the Yan army. If he waits until he regains Hebei and occupies Guandong, it will be very difficult for the Jin army to fight with him by then!
There were many reasons why Xu Zongwen insisted on operating on Xingyang.
One: Xingyang's location is very special, guarded between Jijun and Luoyang, and the Xiongguan Hulao Pass is less than fifty miles north of Xingyang.
Xingyang borders Chenliu in Yanzhou, and Yingchuan and Xiangcheng counties in Yuzhou, but Yingchuan and Xiangcheng have long been occupied by Beifu soldiers.
Chenliu County actually belonged to the Jin army after the Battle of Yongqiu, and Luoyang was guarded by Xu Zongwen's second brother and general Zhuge Kan at this time. With the surrounding areas having fallen into the hands of the Jin army, only Xingyang was left The place is embedded in the sphere of influence of the Jin Army and the Qin State, intertwined and intricate.
If we can take Xingyang at this time, we can completely connect the Luoyang area of Sizhou with most of the Jin army's recovered territories in Xiangcheng, Yingchuan and Chenliu. In this way, Luoyang will not become an enclave and stand alone in the Qin Dynasty. .
Naturally, Zhuge Kan and Shen Chong no longer have to worry about being attacked by the Qin army, and the Jin army's Northern Expedition will also be pushed to the front line of the Yellow River. This is one of the benefits that Xu Zongwen planned for the Northern Expedition, and it is also the most important one. !
Second: Xingyang is the rear area of King Murong Chui of Yan. If it is captured by Xu Zongwen, it will have a certain impact on the morale of the Yan army and also attract the Yan army to go south for rescue.
Xu Zongwen was eager to have the Yan army divide its forces and go south. Once the Yan army divided its forces, the pressure on Fu Pi in the direction of Yecheng would be relatively reduced, and the time for the Yan army to conquer Yecheng would also be extended accordingly.
Let the Yan army and the Qin army bite each other. The longer it lasts, the better, and the greater the losses for both Qin and Yan, the better. In this way, Xu Zongwen's goal is achieved.
The snipe and the clam fight, and the fishermen gain.
This is sitting on a mountain and watching a tiger fight.
The final beneficiary was the Jin army in the Northern Expedition.
Third: Once Xingyang is captured by the Jin army, it will immediately become an important frontline area for the Jin army's Northern Expedition. Before Xu Zongwen sent out troops, he suggested to the cavalry general Xie Xuan that as soon as he captured Xingyang, Xie Xuan would lead the main force of the Central Army to station in Xingyang, so that Xu Zongwen could go north to fight Murong Chui with all his strength.
With Xie Xuan's army in Xingyang stationed, the victory of regaining the old capital Luoyang will be consolidated, and the Qin army will take a good look at the strength of Xie Xuan's northern troops when they attack Luoyang!
Fourth: Capture Xingyang and eliminate the Wubao of Dingling and Xianbei people. This will break the roots of Murong Chui's army! The hometown of Ding Ling leader Zhai Bin is in Xingyang. The Ding Ling people moved to the Central Plains, and Xingyang is their hometown. Carrying thousands of Wubao in Xingyang will probably cause Zhai Bin and Murong Chui to part ways!
Murong Chui was eager to capture Yecheng, and Zhai Bin then returned south. This was what Xu Zongwen wanted to see most and made Murong Chui tangled.
It is best if Zhai Bin can rebel against Murong Chui. Historical experience tells Xu Zongwen that Zhai Bin's rebellion is only a matter of time. As for whether Zhai Bin will die immediately in the hands of Murong Chui, it depends on God!
