In a room in the mansion of Sichuandu County, Tang Feng listened to the report of his subordinates with an indifferent expression.
As for the senior officials gathered around him, everyone's expressions were quite ugly, and some even looked a little pale.
There is no other reason. The news brought by his subordinates this time was that a few days ago, the military power was divided and he led the troops to harass some of Su Qian's officials.
At first, the news returned was fruitful and smooth, and I felt that the Jiaozhou soldiers brought by Su Qi'an were nothing more than that.
But the good news didn't come back for a few days, but this time it brought shocking bad news.
This time, seven or eight officials with 20,000 troops were actively attacked by Su Qian's Jiaozhou soldiers.
Not only were the temporary strongholds destroyed, but all seven or eight leading officials were captured without exception. Of the 20,000 soldiers who were separated, less than a thousand escaped. More than half of the rest were killed, and the rest became prisoners.
Compared with the hundreds of untouchables who suffered casualties in the previous few days, their own casualties must have resulted in almost the entire army being wiped out.
This news stunned everyone present for a long time. After confirming it several times, they reluctantly accepted the fact.
The entire army of nearly 20,000 soldiers was wiped out. This shock brought a huge shock to their hearts.
According to the soldiers who recovered it, it was only a so-called division of the Jiaozhou Army that attacked them this time.
The establishment of a division was only about 10,000 people, and 10,000 people came to attack. Not only did they capture seven or eight commanding officials, but they also wiped out the entire Xizhou Army, which had 20,000 soldiers and twice their strength.
How could this keep them calm? In their eyes, they all regarded the strength of Jiaozhou soldiers with contempt, and at most they suffered a one-to-one battle loss.
Unexpectedly, the news brought back this time was enough to give everyone a wake-up call.
Everyone present had the disdain and disdain for Su Qi'an before, but now no one dared to say a word.
This is not the most critical thing. What scares them the most is that after the 20,000 Xizhou soldiers were wiped out.
All Jiaozhou troops stationed in Manghuang County began to mobilize.
They divided their troops into three groups and went straight to the three counties of Guangyang, Yong'an and Sichuan.
The defenders of Guangyang and Yong'an counties have received news that they are going to war with the Jiaozhou soldiers who have divided their forces.
At present, it seems that the two sides are evenly matched, and neither one can do anything to the other. However, no one knows how long this kind of evenness will last.
Among the three divisions of troops, the most important one and the most powerful one is heading towards Sichuandu County where they are located.
This is what makes many senior executives anxious.
The destruction of 20,000 Xizhou soldiers had already caused many senior officials to put aside their contempt and quickly dispatched spies and scouts to investigate the invading Jiaozhou army.
Basically, they understand almost the same. Compared with the Jiaozhou soldiers who attacked Guangyang and Yong'an counties, what they fear is the Jiaozhou soldiers who come to Sichuandu County.
The predecessors of this army were very familiar to them, the Dongshan Army, the most powerful army under Su Qi'an, plus the Split Mountain Army of Lingdong Marquis.
These two armies, no matter which one they are, are not good at each other. They know the strength of these two armies too well.
Even though there are only more than 20,000 people, if we really want to fight head-on, the 20,000 troops left behind in Sichuandu County may not be their opponents.
They never imagined how this Lingdong Marquis could be following Su Qi'an, seemingly not worried that the court would deal with his tampering with the army.
He made it clear that he wanted to intervene in the war in Xizhou.
Nowadays, it is unrealistic to rely on the support of the Guangyang and Yongan garrison. The top priority is either for them to retreat immediately and return to Xizhou City in the rear, or to use 20,000 reserve troops.
Compared with the worries of the higher-ups, Tang Feng was much calmer after hearing the bad news one after another.
After listening to the news report, he waved his hand and signaled his men to retreat, without any intention of speaking.
At this time, a senior official from Xizhou couldn't help but said, "Sir, Su Qian's counterattack came suddenly and caught us off guard. We must prepare in time."
"I think we either need to send a signal to mobilize the rear reserves for support, or we will..."
Talk, talk
At the end of the sentence, the senior official who spoke did not continue.
Although he wanted to say that he would evacuate Sichuandu County and return to Xizhou City, even if the words came to his throat, he did not dare to be the first to express his position like this.
In the current situation, Guangyang and Yong'an have already started fighting with the Jiaozhou soldiers. If he expresses his stance at this time and requests to withdraw, what is the difference between this and running away.
If they had not come to Sichuandu County and stayed in Xizhou City, it might not be a big deal, but they stayed in Sichuandu County for a long time.
Not long ago, Xue Muxiu's military power had been divided up, and he wanted to take revenge on Su Qi'an aggressively.
As a result, the revenge had just begun, not to mention that all 20,000 soldiers were wiped out. They wanted to escape at this time. If word of this spread, their morale would definitely be affected.
And based on his understanding of his colleagues and Tang Feng, if this war can be won, his proposal may be commended in the name of foresight and strategizing.
But once defeated, he would be the scapegoat for the defeat of the war, so no matter what, he would not be able to say anything about retreating.
Looking at the high-level officials who were hesitant to speak, Tang Feng's indifferent expression revealed a faint smile and he said softly.
"Haha, Honshu knows what you are thinking. Don't worry, since Honshu dares to bring you to Kawato County, I will have the confidence to take you back."
"Since this Su Qian can't stand it anymore and wants to start a war with Honshu, let us get to know him well."
"It also opened Honshu's eyes. Is it the Dongshan Army in his hands that is more powerful, or is Honshu's Kawato County strong enough?"
"Let's go. Since others are taking the initiative to find trouble, as a senior executive in Xizhou, I should express my gratitude."
"Master Zhou Mu is right, we have learned a lesson."
Immediately, a group of high-level officials prepared to follow Tang Feng out of the room and headed towards the county city tower.
Just as Tang Feng stepped out of the room, one of the senior executives suddenly couldn't help but ask.
"May I ask Mr. Zhou Mu, if Su Qian threatens the captured Mr. Huang and others, how will we respond?"
As soon as these words came out, all the senior officials around him looked at Tang Feng's back. With Su Qi'an's temperament, this might be very possible.
To prevent this, it's always a good idea to discuss things in advance.
Tang Feng, who was walking in front, hesitated, suddenly turned his head, and said with a smile on his face.
"Threat? Oh, Master Huang, didn't they die for their loyalty to the court in the previous confrontation with Su Qi'an? Master Liu, your memory is really bad."
Everyone was startled, looking at the smile on Tang Feng's face, and felt a little chill in their hearts.
Master Liu, who came to his senses, quickly raised his hands and said, "Yes, yes, the official is confused about this matter. Thanks to Mr. Zhou Mu, I understand."
"Do you all understand?" Tang Feng asked again with a smile.
"I'll understand." Everyone clasped their fists and raised their hands.
Tang Feng nodded with great satisfaction and said, "Well, it's good for you all to understand this. Remember, this war was started by Su Qi'an, a rebellious official. In order to protect the safety of the people of Xizhou, we were forced to fight back. "
"Killing thieves like Su Qian is what we, as Great Liang officials, should do. Sirs, please go."
After Tang Feng finished speaking, he walked out of the room. Looking at Tang Feng's back, the eyes of the high-level officials flashed with complicated expressions on their faces.
After a while, he calmed down and quickly followed.
Su Qi'an's comprehensive counterattack this time seemed very sudden, but in fact he had been fully prepared.
The Second and Third Divisions, which set out before them, received military reports as Su Qi'an gradually approached Sichuandu County.
Chen Dao and Song Biao had already fought with the defenders of the two counties, just as Su Qi'an thought.
The fighting between the two sides was fierce but ended in a stalemate.
It can basically be concluded that this stalemate was caused deliberately by the defenders of the two counties.
Everyone can see that the core of the defense line of the three counties of Xizhou this time is the Sichuandu County in the middle.
In addition, Tang Feng and other high-level officials are located in Sichuan County. Therefore, the current strategic value of Sichuan County can be
It's called the most important thing.
Therefore, both sides focused on Sichuandu County. As for Guangyang and Yongan counties, they were just cooperating.
Even if it is really won, it will at most be the icing on the cake, and is far less valuable than winning Sichuandu County.
And with the strength of Chen Dao and Song Biao, it is simply impossible to capture the two counties in a short time. If they really capture it, the casualties will be huge.
It is impossible for the defenders of the two counties to dare to take a life-threatening posture and fight against Chen Dao and Song Biao. Both sides are actually watching the core Sichuandu County.
Therefore, before setting off, Su Qi'an specifically told the two of them that if the other party only wanted to defend the city, there was no need to fight forcefully.
Slowly spending time with them will also reduce the pressure on Su Qian's side.
Of course, if the defenders of the two counties do not know the current situation and risk their lives, there is no need to be polite and just attack and eat them.
The results of the military report were consistent with Su Qi'an's prediction.
This made Su Qian feel a little more relaxed. The two counties were already working on it, and then it was up to him.
As the army marched, Su Qi'an finally saw the familiar yet unfamiliar Sichuan capital in front not far away.
In three years, the appearance of Sichuandu County has not changed much, but inside the city, it is probably heavily guarded.
Most likely Tang Feng had laid out fortifications in the city for street fighting with Su Qi.
The Splitting Mountain Army and the Dongshan Army came in force and stopped less than a hundred feet away from the city tower.
You can vaguely see some figures flashing on the tower.
Most of these people are old acquaintances of Su Qi'an, especially the leader Tang Feng.
Feeling the feeling of soldiers approaching the city below, Tang Feng put a smile on his face and spread the word about the soldiers.
"Haha, Dongshan Hou, we haven't seen each other for three years. See you again now. You are well. I didn't expect that when Dongshan Hou came, he directly gave Benzhou a show of strength. Benzhou's face was so shameless."
"Hey, Mr. Zhou Mu, after three years of separation, I think I miss Mr. Zhou Mu very much."
"When I return to Xizhou, I naturally have to give Mr. Zhou Mu some surprises. If I can keep Xizhou, compared to losing face, I think this is the most important thing for Mr. Zhou Mu."
"Haha, Dongshanhou has a big appetite. If he wants to capture Xizhou, he is afraid that Xizhou is full of thorns. If he swallows it hastily, he may pierce Dongshanhou's body."
"Hehe, Lord Zhou Mu has good intentions, and I appreciate it, but if you don't try, how can you know? You said it, Lord Zhou Mu."
