At this time, Pingxiang County in Xingzhou and Jize County in Mingzhou were very close to each other, less than thirty miles apart.
Zhangshui passes between two counties, Pingxiang County is to the northeast of Zhangshui, and Jize County is to the southwest.
Of course, the county seats of these two counties are also quite different from those in the later Republic period.
In particular, Pingxiang County is still far away from Pingxiang County, Xingtai City in later generations.
Of course, the biggest difference is that the river course of Zhangshui is completely different from that of later generations. This section of Zhangshui in later generations was called Fuyang River, but now, Fuyang River does not exist at all.
Therefore, Liu Zhiyuan could not rely on Pingxiang County with slightly undulating terrain to block Zhang Gao. He could only cross the Zhang River and move his troops to the north of Jize County, where the terrain was flatter. Otherwise, there would be no way to confront him across the river.
In fact, Xiazhai in Jize County is not the best choice. Even using Xingzhou as the base camp in Hebei is not the best choice. If you operate Hebei from Hedong, the best place is Hengzhou.
Hengzhou, also known as Shijiazhuang City in later generations. From Hedong to Hengzhou, the waterway is convenient such as Hutuo River and Mianmanshui, and the land route has natural dangers such as Jingxing Mountain and Jingxing Pass. It has always been the best choice to go from the Hedong mountainous area to the Hebei plain. .
Moreover, Zhengding and Changshan, where Hengzhou is located, have produced many powerful generals since ancient times. Among the heroes of Yan and Zhao we often say, this place produced the most.
If Liu Zhiyuan could establish himself in Hengli and recruit elite soldiers from Hebei, that would be a great way.
It's just that Zhang Gao knew the importance of this place better than he did. After entering Tokyo, he praised Huangfu Yu, a man from Zhengding, as the most loyal minister in Tianzi. He also greatly rewarded the heroes of Zhengding who followed Huangfu Yu to fight against the Khitans.
Not to mention that Zhang Yan's financial resources are not comparable to those of Liu Zhiyuan, but it is incredible that Huangfu Yu is the number one loyal minister in the world. This is simply a pass for a Zhengding hero!
Now in Zhangzhou, as long as you say that you are from the hometown of Prince Zhongmin of Changshan, people will look at you high on the street and think that you are naturally a loyal minister.
Not to mention that at this time, the concept of Xiangzi was very important. Zhang Gao treated Huangfu Yu as a loyal minister grandly. His golden signboard was shining. Many Zhengding athletes were even less willing to tarnish this signboard.
So even if Liu Zhiyuan went to Hengzhou in person to recruit, not many people in Hengzhou would follow him.
Liu Zhiyuan chose Xingzhou as a last resort. Although Xingzhou's geographical location was not as good as Hengzhou's, it also had the natural dangers of Junjiguan, which could block the roads in and out of Hedong. It could be regarded as the second choice after Hengzhou could not be stabilized.
But he didn't expect that Zhou's cavalry would be so difficult to deal with. Once they got entangled, they couldn't get rid of them at all.
At the same time, the cavalry in Hedong also detected the news that the main force of the Zhou army had arrived south of Nangong.
The Hedong Army has only more than 7,000 cavalry and almost 35,000 infantry.
More than 60% of the Zhou army were cavalry. Even if they were infantry, they were also mounted (mule) infantry. The marching speeds of the two sides and the load-bearing conditions of the soldiers were completely different.
Even if both sides traveled on foot, the Hedong Army, which did not even have many donkey carts, had to move with armor, while the Zhou Army could use armor on horses, mules, ox carts, donkey carts, etc., easily doubling the Hedong Army.
With such a gap, the Hedong Army would be overtaken sooner or later, and then the Zhou Army would be full of energy and give the Hedong Army a violent beating, and then everything would be over.
So Liu Zhiyuan could only stop, let the army rest for a few days, and then directly fight the Zhou army.
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On May 23rd, Zhang Gao led an army of 20,000 people and arrived at Pingxiang County. Pingxiang County, which originally had three to four thousand residents, was like a ghost with no one left.
Because thanks to Zhang Yan, they had already disappeared without a trace.
This is not an irony, but it is really thanks to Zhang Yan. Otherwise, with the virtue of the Hedong Army, they ran for more than a hundred miles in a hurry, and they would have been full of resentment. Liu Zhiyuan could only choose to loot to maintain his morale. .
However, Zhang Zhang's pursuit was so tight that the Hedong Army had no time to harm the local people. Therefore, most of the people in Pingxiang County were able to successfully escape and save their lives.
As soon as Zhang Gao arrived in Pingxiang County, he took Zhang Cheng, Zhao Kuangyin and other escort generals to the Zhangshui River. As expected, the pontoon bridges more than ten miles up and down were burned down, and the ferry boat disappeared.
More than a dozen fishermen along the river were killed, and the rest disappeared without a trace. Zhang Yan only found an old fisherman who was about to die of illness. He was so sick that even the Hedong Army didn't bother to kill him.
Seeing how pitiful he was, Zhang Gao couldn't bear it, so he asked the army doctors to find two auxiliary soldiers to carry him back to the barracks to see if he could be saved.
"Sage, I am good at water. You can cross the other side at night to find out the arrangement of the Hedong Army!"
When Zhao Kuangyin saw Zhang Gao frowning, he immediately came up in an awkward manner and directly received a difficult task.
This is not a good job. Who knows how many overt and covert sentries the Hedong Army on the opposite side has placed by the river. They might lose their lives.
If someone else asked for help like this, Zhang Yan would definitely hesitate, but Zhao Kuangyin! Well, I, Zhang Shengren, will not feel bad if I die.
Done? Of course it's better.
Of course, Zhang Yan still had to show some worry on his face, "Are you sure? If it doesn't work, don't force it. Liu Zhiyuan is as anxious as a lost dog. It's not worth losing the general."
Um? no? How can a man say no? And when he heard that the saint cared about him so much, Zhao Kuangyin, who had just turned twenty, jumped up.
"But please be patient, saint, I will definitely be able to complete the task!"
All right! This is what you said, so Zhang Hao nodded, "Okay! Then after you go back, you will select warriors and cross the river to explore the situation of the Hedong military camp."
After saying that, Zhang Hao looked at Zhang Cheng next to him, "Zhang Cheng, what do you think Liu Zhiyuan is waiting for?"
On the surface, this is a nonsense question, but in fact, it is a question of unified thinking.
Zhang Cheng turned around and said to Zhang Yan: "Sage, Liu Zhiyuan is so anxious that he jumps over the wall and is eager to fight us. If he is anxious, we should slow down!"
As soon as Zhang Cheng finished speaking, Zhao Kuangyin immediately took up the conversation, "Sage, the reason why Liu Zhiyuan can act like he is on par with the saint is because of his popularity.
But now that he withdrew his troops from Beizhou, his decline was immediately obvious. I predict that when the news reaches Taiyuan, someone will plan to use his whole family to receive the reward. It can indeed take a while before taking on the battle. "
Zhao Kuangyin, who was born into a typical fifth-generation military academy family, naturally knew the temperament of the warriors at this time better than Zhang Cheng, a Han native from Hexi who was rescued by Zhang Gao from Fumo, and he saw Liu Zhiyuan's greatest danger more accurately.
Zhang Gao turned his head. Zhao Da, who had just turned twenty, was still a little chubby and had a fair complexion. His eyes were shining with the look of a child looking at his father, eager for his father's praise.
well! Let's talk about Zhao Da. He is really well-behaved. He always agrees with the leader. He is also knowledgeable and seems to be loyal.
More importantly, as a general, he was able to overcome the biggest shortcoming of the warriors at this time - greed for money, and at the same time, he had the bravery of the warriors at this time, and dared to step forward when encountering critical moments.
damn it! No wonder Guo Rong in history trusted him so much and almost regarded him as his son.
Zhang Yan actually thinks highly of Zhao Kuangyin. The reason why he is hanging on to him now is that Zhang Yan hasn't figured out how to arrange this guy.
Zhao Da is good at everything, but the ambition in his heart is too big. Zhang Yan would not dare to use him in the key positions of the pro-army even if he were killed. If he were to be deployed outside, he is too young.
"Da Lang is right!" Faced with this look and his subordinates who risked their lives, Zhang Yan couldn't help but look very affectionate even if he was Zhao Da.
"So we are not in a hurry to fight them. Liu Zhiyuan wants us to cross the river, but we won't!"
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That night! Zhao Kuangyin led thirty warriors and crossed the Zhang River from the upper reaches of Fu River to investigate overnight. The water in the Zhang River was cold and far less enthusiastic than Zhao Da who wanted to climb up.
And here, through the spread of Zhang Cheng and Zhao Kuangyin, Zhang Gao's idea of not crossing the river for the time being, but confronting the Hedong Army first, gained the support of the entire army.
Although the Hedong Army can continuously obtain supplies through Xingzhou, half of their grain and grass baggage is in the hands of Guo Wei of Shexian County, and it cannot be sustained for long just through Junji Pass.
Although Zhang Yan's side is also very difficult, after the siege of Beizhou is lifted, supplies south of the Yellow River can be continuously sent to Beizhou through the Yongji Canal and then overland.
In terms of the difficulty of transshipment, the two sides are almost the same, but in terms of the abundance of materials, not to mention Hexi and Guanzhong, Henan alone is completely incomparable to Hedong. The longer the delay, the more beneficial it will be to Zhang Xi.
Not to mention that as Zhao Kuangyin said, the fate of Hedong Group was doomed after Liu Zhiyuan left Beizhou.
No! It should be said that since Zhang Zhao personally led 20,000 cavalry to defeat the Khitan people, their fate has been sealed.
So Zhang Gao ordered Shan Zhuer Luo Shande to serve as the formation envoy for the front army, and led four thousand troops to camp at the narrowest point of the Zhangshui River.
He personally led 15,000 people back to Pingxiang County and stationed the army in Pingxiang County. The people in Pingxiang County still did not come back, and the empty houses were just for the army.
After settling everything, Fu Yanqing came to see Zhang Yan.
Before the siege of Beizhou, although Fu Yanqing had become Zhang Yan's father-in-law, the relationship between the two parties could hardly be called close, but at this moment, they finally became intimate.
Fu Yanqing showed his loyalty. You must know that Zhang Yan was mentally prepared for the test that Fu Yanqing couldn't help but that Beizhou was occupied by Liu Zhiyuan.
Feng Hui and Shanzhu'er Luo Shande's eight thousand people were just to prevent this from happening.
If Beizhou is occupied by Liu Zhiyuan, then Feng Hui and Luo Shande will occupy Linqing County in Beizhou. The Shenji Battalion's Camel Tornado Cannons are all under Luo Shande's command, which is enough to hold Linqing, and then wait for Zhang Gao to return to join the Hedong Army in Beizhou decisive battle.
But Fu Yanqing not only showed enough loyalty, but also perfectly demonstrated his strategy, fooling Liu Zhiyuan around.
And in history, this professional father-in-law was indeed not a simple person.
Especially in the military, based on famous ancient generals such as Wei Qing, he improved the use of foot to overcome the riding formation.
It uses a folk agricultural vehicle, ties the vehicle and the cattle together with strong ropes, and then puts a cover on the cattle to prevent the cattle from moving, and to help the infantry overcome the fear of being attacked by cavalry.
Because it was simpler and easier to make, it was used until the Southern Song Dynasty. It was a magic weapon for the towns in Hebei during the Song Dynasty and the Northern Song Dynasty to fight against the cavalry of the Liao Kingdom.
When Zhang Gao heard that Fu Yanqing had arrived, he quickly invited him in. Fu Yanqing also had a smile on his face.
Because he made the right bet, Zhang Yan was indeed the hero who could dominate the world. His 20,000 cavalry easily defeated the Khitan's 40,000 cavalry, and killed the Khitan emperor again. At this point, the threat of the Khitan people could basically be said to have been completely eliminated.
"The Saint wants to force the Hedong Army to surrender? I am still a bit thin-faced in Hedong, and I am willing to communicate with the Saint. Now that they are at the end of the road, I think they have known it for a long time."
Zhang Yan understood Fu Yanqing's feelings. After all, he was from Hedong and Daibei, and he definitely didn't want to see the Hedong and Daibei martial arts groups come to an end.
Moreover, if the mountains and rivers in and outside the river east of the river are forced to defend themselves, it will not be able to be pacified in a short time.
Fu Yanqing saw that Zhang Yan had never ordered a decisive battle across the river, thinking that he had a strategy of attacking the heart first and fighting in formations second.
However, Zhang Gao slowly shook his head. He did not want to recruit the warriors from the Hedong and Daibei Groups to surrender now.
Although these guys seem to be at the end of their rope now, they are not kind people. Their nearly two hundred years of arrogance will never fade away just because they enter a desperate situation.
According to the virtue of the warriors at this time, recruiting and surrendering can be said to be the last resort, and the only way to do it after there is really no other way.
If Zhang Gao surrendered them at this moment, they would think that Zhang Gao just had money, armor, and good horses, and they would never be too convinced.
Recruiting for surrender now is just turning the decisive battle into small-scale conquests one after another.
Only when Zhang Gao defeated these people with thunderous means and killed them with heavy casualties, they would come over and hug their thighs as if they suddenly realized it, like big brother, you hit me so hard, it turned out that you are the most cruel person in the world. Human emotion.
Thinking that Japan was in the middle and late stages of peace, and that the Kamakura shogunate, the first shogunate, would be formed in one or two hundred years, Zhang Hao doubted that the bad virtues of Japanese samurai were learned from the fifth generation of warriors at this time.
So Zhang Gao decided to fight first. The Hedong warriors did want to surrender, but not now, but after they knelt on the ground.
And from a practical point of view, in this era when productivity is not particularly developed, merger wars are actually a collective activity of grabbing other people's cakes, eating the biggest piece yourself, and sharing the rest with your subordinates.
If all the warriors in Hedong surrender, where will the farmland, wealth, beauties, and official titles of Zhang Zhi's own generals come from?
These people have followed him for most of Hebei and will soon be able to make great achievements. Now if you suddenly say that the decisive battle will not be fought, everyone will feel uncomfortable.
So we still have to fight, kill some and then conquer some, and finally move the core of them to Tokyo to truly stabilize Hedong.
So Zhang Shengren pondered for a moment, looked at Fu Yanqing and said: "Hedong warriors are tigers and wolves! They have followed Emperor Wu, Zhuang Temple, Ming Temple and even Shi Jingtang to enjoy all the wealth and honor. How can An Neng succumb easily? The only way is to let the tiger fall to Pingyang and turn the wolf into a dog. , to make the best use of it.”
Fu Yanqing then knew Zhang Yan's thoughts and stopped talking about these things. Instead, he chatted with Zhang Yan for a few words and left.
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Zhang Li could not move, but Liu Zhiyuan could not, and just in the past few days, Liu Zhiyuan encountered big trouble. During his hurried retreat, he was infected with wind and cold and fell ill.
Don't underestimate catching wind and cold. In later generations, it was just a matter of a few pills, but at this time, it was a somewhat troublesome disease. If you didn't take a good rest, it could be fatal.
It is said that a disease comes like a mountain, and goes away like a thread. This is exactly the case with colds and colds. As long as you catch it, the disease is a process of continuous strengthening, and it can last for ten and a half months without disappearing.
It is especially scary for old people like Liu Zhiyuan, who had the root of their disease in their youth.
Liu Zhiyuan had only been ill for two days before he felt like his chest was on fire, his head was dizzy, and his body was feeling cold and tired, which was getting worse.
He could only quickly mobilize Liu Yun, the eldest son of his father and brother Liu Chong, to serve as the commander of the personal guard to prevent the illness from leaking out.
But the more you hide it, the easier it will be spread everywhere. It was only blocked for two days, and it was already rumored that Liu Zhiyuan was terminally ill.
So Liu Zhiyuan could only steel himself and come out to preside over the military meeting.
In the Jize County Yamen, the generals from Hedong saw Liu Zhiyuan coming out with a serious face, and they all breathed a sigh of relief. Only Wang Jun kept beating his drum in his heart.
It was already May, and Liu Zhiyuan was still wearing such bulky clothes. Although he claimed to be slightly ill, he was isolated from the outside world and did not dare to announce it casually. Obviously, it was not as easy as he said.
Today's military discussion has a new face, and that is Wang Jingchong, who broke out from Fuyang City.
This man was considered quite brave. He led more than ten people to hammer down in the middle of the night, broke through the three blockades set up by Yan Jin, and ran to Liu Zhiyuan to report the news.
"Your Majesty, Yan Jin, the general of Zhou, commanded 30,000 soldiers and horses to besiege on all sides. Three days ago, he used Hexi Demon Fire to destroy the south city of Fuyang. Fortunately, Guo Yanei led his army to stop him and defeated the Zhou army.
Although there is still plenty of food and grass in the city, there are only four thousand soldiers. The soldiers are fighting day and night. Many of them cannot sleep a wink day and night. They are extremely exhausted and the situation is very critical! "
Guo Wei was appointed by Liu Zhiyuan as the military governor of Zhangde Army in Xiangzhou and stayed in Yedu. Guo Rong was of course the commander of Mabudu in Zhangde Army Ya Nei, so he was also called Guo Ya Nei.
The defense of Fuyang this time seemed to be led by Guo Jin, but in fact Guo Jin lost his troops after he was driven away by Yin Zhengqi (Yin Yaozi) when he was the military commander of the Baoda Army in Yanzhou.
He couldn't command Guo Wei's Zhangde army at all, so the commander of Fuyang's defense must be Guo Rong.
Liu Zhiyuan nodded happily after hearing this. He was originally worried that Guo Rong might sell Fuyang City after serving as a general under Zhang Gao for more than a year, but now it seems that he is trustworthy.
However, he was relieved that the current critical situation in Fuyang could not be solved by him. He had to find a way to solve the siege of Fuyang.
The best way to resolve the siege of Fuyang is, of course, to send troops directly.
But he only has more than 40,000 men in his hands now. If he sends too few, it will be useless. If he sends too many, the Zhou army across Zhangshui will definitely attack.
So now there is only one way, and that is to first defeat the Zhou army across the river, and then go south to relieve the siege of Fuyang.
At this time, Tan Ma came to report that Shi Hongzhao, commander of the Wujie Army, came from She County with a large amount of grain, grass and ordnance.
It is about three hundred miles from Shexian County to Jize County. It seems that Guo Wei received Liu Zhiyuan's order and sent Shi Hongzhao to lead his army eastward.
This time, in addition to escorting a large amount of baggage, Shi Hongzhao also brought the Wujie Army and part of the Fengguo Army, totaling more than 4,000 people. In this way, the strength of Liu Zhiyuan's troops was strengthened to nearly 50,000 people.
There were more people and more consumption, but it was always a good thing. Liu Zhiyuan suddenly felt that the cold pain on his body seemed to be getting better. At this time, the soldiers below also started to make noises.
It has been more than five months since Liu Zhiyuan sent troops from Hedong. Most of the soldiers did not even spend the Lantern Festival at home. They ran from Taiyuan, Hedong to Hengzhou, Hebei, and then from Hengzhou to Beizhou. , and now we have arrived in Xingzhou again.
He also traveled thousands of miles! Now many people don't want to run away, they just want to have a happy battle with Zhou Jun, enjoy wealth and honor when they live, and die here where they are destined to die.
This is a typical thought of the Five Dynasties Ya soldiers. If you win, you will eat a big piece of meat, drink a big bowl, and take care of the money. If you lose, you will have a big scar on your head, and you can continue in the next life.
Who is patient and defends the city? What confrontation? How can it be as exciting as the white knife going in and the red knife coming out?
Liu Zhiyuan is in trouble now. It's not that he doesn't want to fight now. The key is that the Zhou army on the opposite side can't come over?
Shi Hongzhao, who was rushing forward and full of resentment, and his brother died at the entrance of Hezhang Valley, jumped out and said to Liu Zhiyuan.
"Then let's break up the camp and retreat three miles to make room for the Zhou people. If they still dare not cross the Zhang River, Emperor Shao will no longer lead troops to fight."
Su Fengji wanted to roll his eyes at Shi Hongzhao, how could he be so stupid as to give up the natural danger, but he would not speak, because Shi Hongzhao did not like to see literati the most. If he dared to speak, he would definitely be caught and scolded.
But what Su Fengji didn't expect was that when Shi Hongzhao made such a suggestion, the soldiers in the room burst into applause.
Even Liu Zhiyuan was a little moved, and Murong Yanchao even screamed strangely: "I will retreat three miles, and then while the Zhou army is halfway across the river, a certain family will personally lead the athletes from Hedong to attack the Zhou army with thunderous force. Half of them will If you are still in the water, you will definitely lose!"
Wang Jun couldn't help but be a little stunned. It was already miserable enough that he was being chased without fighting. Now he was attacked half way across the river. Isn't it a little too unlucky?
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The actions of the Hedong Army were immediately reported to Zhang Gao by Shanzhuer Luo Shande.
The Hedong army retreated more than three miles from the stronghold, and even shouted insults at the Zhang River, calling the Zhou army weak, but they did not dare to cross the river.
Zhang Hao couldn't help but slap his head and pinch his mother. I'm still thinking about how to cross the river. Why don't you just give me the steps?
"Sir, the bandits from the east of the river seem to have opened the door and bowed down to the thieves, but they must have thought of crossing the river and attacking. Please take the Youyu Linwei headquarters as the vanguard to cross the river first to cover the army."
Li Cunhui was bored. As soon as he heard that there was a battle to be fought, he jumped out immediately.
"Sage, I have six hundred armored men with silver spears who have long been looking forward to killing the enemy with meritorious deeds. Duke Shouchang's right feather Lin Wei is a sharp horse, and it would be a waste to use it for foot combat. Veteran, please cross the river first!"
Feng Hui came out without getting any credit, so he quickly came out to ask for help.
"Saint, we in Shenwei Town have always been the vanguard of the army, so we should be the vanguard to cross the river!"
Xue Huairang, the commander of the left camp of Shenwei Town who had brought the letter, saw that the vanguard's errand was about to disappear and quickly asked for orders.
Immediately afterwards, all the generals started fighting for it. Zhang Gao waved his hand. These guys were all worried about the market situation of Hedong Group and wanted to go up and pick up the bargain.
This is not necessary. The Hedong Army is only at a disadvantage now, but it is not defeated. It is obviously inappropriate to treat the Hedong Army as a soft persimmon now.
"Generals, please be at peace. I'll leave Liu Zhiyuan alone for one more day. I'll have my own arrangements for the day after tomorrow!"
When everyone heard what Zhang Gao said, it became clear immediately, because yesterday Zhang Zhaozhong and Zhang Zhao, the commander of the left and right infantry of Hanshandu, arrived with 3,000 elite infantry. The emperor still had to use his infantry at the most critical moment. trump card.
