Just as the situation in Shaanxi is becoming increasingly stable, the situation in Shanxi is not optimistic.
After the rebel troops running eastward entered southern Shanxi, they quickly merged with the rebel troops who had entered earlier. They immediately reversed the decline of Shanxi's previous suppression and began a massive counterattack.
First, they made a comeback at Jishan, where the two armies fought for ten days. On January 19, Mang Zhangfei's troops attacked from the flank, forcing Shanxi Town's troops to retreat to Jiangzhou, which had just been recaptured.
Mang Zhangfei's tribe, together with Xing Honglang's tribe, immediately joined forces with Xu Cong'er, the eight-clawed dragon who entered Jinan earlier, Zhang Cunhou, the general of Dachuang, and Wang Taipu of Zijin Liang, the largest rebel army in southern Shanxi, and stormed Jiangzhou. On the second day of February, the dragon raised its head, and Wang Taipu officially They formed an alliance at the foot of Jiangzhou City, and then launched a siege of Jiangzhou. It only took three days to enter the city and recapture Jiangzhou.
This Shanxi town army had no way to escape, so they simply surrendered the rebel army, which suddenly made this unit of the rebel army more powerful.
Affected by the Battle of Jiangzhou, the rebel forces that had calmed down in Quwo and Jiangxian County resumed their momentum, and quickly spread to Wenxi and Yicheng, and the entire situation in southern Shanxi suddenly reversed.
At this time, Qiu Zixiong's army had just completed the reorganization of the Bai Jiu'er tribe in Hejin. Before they had time to make any move, Prince Taipu of Zijin Liang integrated the Mang Zhangfei tribe and Xing Honglang tribe to seize Jiangzhou and became the largest army in southern Shanxi. The rebel forces stood side by side with Qiu Zixiong's group.
Because there were quite a few Shanxi local rebels joining in, the rebel army of King Taipu of Zijin Liang was even more powerful. Especially after retaking Jiangzhou, they successively captured Wenxi, Quwo, Jiangxian, Xiaxian and Yicheng. , the power expands extremely fast.
Even Qiu Zixiong didn't expect that the Zijinliang rebels had not made much noise before. After Mang Zhangfei and Xing Honglang joined, they suddenly changed their bodies, and the Shanxi Town frontier troops also suddenly changed. It was impossible to fight, and they were defeated by the rebel army in a few seconds, and even surrendered to the rebel army, which was a bit troublesome.
"Purple Golden Liang?" Feng Ziying put away the letter and couldn't help but shook her head, "The name is a good one. The Purple Golden Liang that holds the sea, the White Jade Pillar that holds the sky, they are all earth-shattering figures. I just didn't know that Jun Yu was appointed as the military commander of Lu'an. Is it a curse or a blessing to have Tao soldiers and officers prepared?"
Wang Wenyan smiled and said: "My lord, haven't you always been looking forward to Sir Lian's appointment as the military officer of Lu'an Military Preparation Road? Why are you worried now?"
In mid-January, Lian Guoshi had just been appointed as Lu'an Military Preparation Officer. This was also the suggestion Feng Ziying gave him and helped him plan the plan. The idea was to use Qiu Zixiong to go to southern Shanxi to help Lian Guoshi gain military exploits, so that Lian Guoshi could You can get promoted with this, and the next step is to serve as the magistrate of Xi'an Prefecture.
"Humph, Qiu Zixiong wrote that he had contacted Zijin Liang Wang Taipu, but the other party flatly rejected the suggestion of joining forces with him and wanted to go their own ways. In turn, he asked them to attack the north, and Zijin Liang wanted to fight east. It seems that They intend to develop towards Lu'an Prefecture and Zezhou, so Qiu Zixiong wrote to inform them and asked how to deal with it."
Feng Ziying shook her head: "If Zijinliang really crosses Wuling Mountain and heads east into Zezhou and Lu'an, then I wonder if the Luzhou Guards, the guards of Zezhou Institute and the local people can resist it? If they can resist it, If I continue to suffer defeats, wouldn’t I have harmed Jun Yu?”
"It's not that bad for the time being. Although Zijin Liang's power is expanding rapidly, its foundation is not solid. He still needs time to digest the influx of rebel troops from various places in Jiangzhou. He may not be able to march eastward so early. Now. The key is that after Shanxi Town lost this battle, only one unit was left to guard Linfen, and there was no way to go south. Even if Qiu Zixiong didn't go, Bai Jiuer's unit would definitely not agree. How could he give an explanation to the people below? It’s also very painstaking.”
Wang Wenyan's analysis is very pertinent and pragmatic.
If you want to be promoted quickly to the fourth rank of Xi'an prefect by practicing state affairs, even if there are people in the court, you must show decent political achievements. In Shanxi now, the most convenient way is military merit.
Therefore, Feng Ziying's idea was to serve as a military officer concurrently. This was the idea.
Until now, I have encountered such a problem.
On the one hand, Zijin Liang is too powerful. If the soldiers who cross Wuling Mountain and Lu'an's military preparation road are defeated, it will be self-defeating.
On the other hand, if Zijin Liang does not go east and just stays here in Pingyang Mansion, then there will be no chance to make meritorious service in practicing state affairs.
, it also delays important things.
The situation in southern Shanxi is also not good. Feng Ziying should have an explanation for how to deal with the Tongguan Guards in Puzhou. If expedient measures cannot become the norm, it will definitely arouse the suspicion of the court.
At present, the Guyuan Army is guarding Tongguan instead of the Tongguan Guard. In addition, Modlen's Xi'an rearguard, mountain crossing camp, sudden front camp, and city-destroying camp are all stationed along the line of the Yellow River and Weihe River. In theory, they can all cross the river and march eastward. But Feng Ziying has no such intention, at least the conditions are not mature yet.
"Wen Yan, the Tongguan Guards are still in Puzhou, how do you think we should respond?" Feng Ziying asked.
"This is indeed a problem. If we take the initiative, we won't have enough men and troops, and we will have no name. All the salt class money has been transferred. We can't say we want to take back the salt pond, right?" Wang Wenyan also joked, feeling relaxed, "But still There is Lord Ma’s Guyuan Army, which is stationed in Tongguan with some illegitimate reputation. Should they be transferred back, or what should we do?”
"I asked you, but you asked me back." Feng Ziying also laughed, "This is not to take charge of the affairs of Shanxi. I am the governor of Shaanxi. I can't take care of Shanxi's affairs as well, right? "
"In my opinion, you should calm down and do the things you are doing well. Don't worry about Shanxi's affairs for the time being. As for Qiu Zixiong, it's better to let him take charge of it himself." Wang Wenyan thought for a while, "I do. I’m a little worried about what if the Zijinliang gang fakes a shot, or they think it’s difficult to walk over the mountains and ridges in Lu’an, so they simply follow the banks of the Yellow River into Henan?”
Feng Ziying rubbed his temples. This possibility was very high. He also thought about it. The Taihang Mountains stretch all the way to Wangwu Mountain. This line is not easy to walk. Shanxi is originally composed of multiple basins, so it is better to go straight to Henan. Not impossible.
"It's time to remind Henan, but who knows how effective it will be?" Feng Ziying sighed. This is where the center of Beijing is. If you remind others, if they don't listen or tell, they may not lead you. However, it is completely different to be able to direct instructions in the court.
This could only be done. Feng Ziying also knew that the Yueshan Camp, the Tufeng Camp, the City Destroying Camp and the Guyuan Army were all placed in the east. This was clearly because he was worried about the situation in Shanxi and Henan, and was distrustful and distrustful of the two provinces. respect.
But if we don't prepare like this, once the imperial court really feels that things are out of control, it will have to mobilize troops from Shaanxi to support it. This will require troops from the west, and it will be too late, which will delay the war opportunity.
"So I think it's better to follow the current deployment. If we stay close together, we can always come faster. But we don't want them to be idle, but we want them to step up their training. If they really encounter trouble, they have to go into battle. If Puzhou encounters We also need support for the rebel army, but for now, it’s not enough. It also depends on whether Qiu Zixiong can find an opportunity to collide with Zijin Liang."
The two of them just kept saying each other. After all, whether it was Shanxi or Henan, it was not their own responsibility. It would be the best if they could make some preparations. Doing their own work well was the most fundamental thing.
*******
"Let's fight." Feng Tang sighed and threw the letter on the desk.
The staff was still hesitant, "Sir, if Niu Jizong and Sun Shaozu want to defend, this battle may not be easy. The combat effectiveness of Chen Jixian's Huaiyang soldiers is worrying. I'm afraid this battle..."
"Is it okay not to fight?" Feng Tang said calmly: "Chen Jixian took the initiative to write a letter asking for a joint attack on Xuzhou. He must have also sent a letter to the imperial court. What reason do we have for not fighting this battle? Just because the Huaiyang army is invincible. Attack? Will the court listen to this reason?"
The staff was speechless.
That's right, since Chen Jixian dared to write the letter, he must have arranged everything and completely turned to the court.
After defeating Niu Jizong and Sun Shaozu, Xuzhou was handed over to the Northwest Army. The Huaiyang Army gained fame and took the opportunity to cross the river to conquer the south of the Yangtze River. Where was the Northwest Army?
Go and attack places north of the Yangtze River such as Fengyang, Luzhou, Anqing, Chuzhou, and Hezhou.
It's a good idea.
But the imperial court will definitely agree to let Chen Jixian's Huaiyang Army take advantage of the situation to expand its strength to contain itself, right?
Sun Chengzong's Northern Front Army has all moved north. Without anyone to contain the Northwest Army, I'm afraid the court will become more and more worried about itself, right?
In fact, Feng Tang had already expected it in his heart. It was normal to remove himself from the three governors, but this meant that the control of the Northwest Army was no longer legitimate. At most, it was just a temporary acting commander.
No matter how loyal Liu Dongyang and Liu Baichuan are to themselves, how long can they remain loyal to themselves after losing their authority and moral blessing? It couldn't be easier for the imperial court to bribe them.
At this time, he had no reason to refuse the battle to regain Xuzhou, and he had to fight beautifully.
You must know that in the eyes of the imperial court, this was a joint attack between the Northwest Army and the Huaiyang Army to attack Xuzhou, and Niu Jizong and Sun Shaozu were already bereaved dogs. They fled from Jinan and Dongchang Prefecture to Jining and Yanzhou, and then fled from Jining and Yanzhou to Xuzhou. Lost ground, now being attacked from both sides, isn't it easy to capture?
But is this battle so easy to win? The main forces of Niu Jizong and Sun Shaozu were not damaged, and their vitality was intact. If they really relied on Xuzhou to resist, even if they could win this battle, the Northwest Army would also be seriously injured.
As for Chen Jixian, Feng Tang had no hope at all, and he didn't want to pay attention to this idiot.
Of course, he had to admit that this wallflower was still somewhat capable. It jumped repeatedly, and the waiting time finally came to this good opportunity. Now Jiangnan is like a ripe fruit tree, allowing people to pick it. .
