After receiving money from the court and saying that he was going to go on an expedition, Lu Yuan would naturally not play tricks on others.
Isn't it just to attract the Miao people to return to the army and guard their hometown?
Little things.
Lu Yuan's expedition will be carried out with great fanfare, and the more people will know about it, the better.
An army of 200,000 people just pressed forward and asked you if you were afraid?
What's more, Lu Yuan's 200,000 people are not all bluffs.
The army now only has 120,000 people including civilians. But by the time he arrived at Shaoyang Mansion and joined Zhou Qing there, the number of soldiers and horses could almost expand to 150,000.
There are 150,000 people. The difference between 200,000 and 200,000 is only 50,000.
Lu Yuan didn't believe that there were so many people stationed in the south of Wuling Mansion, staring at the Five Poison Sect's lair. How could the Five Poison Sect be able to sit still?
…
Smoke and dust billowed on the broad official road.
The army stretching for dozens of miles was like a long dragon, running towards the distance.
Pedestrians and merchants on both sides moved out of the way when they saw it, hiding in the villages, towns and cities on both sides, and looked at the majestic army in front of them.
An army of this size is rare in the entire Dongting County.
In the past few years, the war has become more and more grand. The imperial court has entered the Miao army, the Zhou people from the north have crossed south, and the Zhou and Miao have merged. Only then can we see such scenes.
But it was also near Yueyang Mansion and Tianmen Mansion, and it had never been seen in the central and southern Mansion of Dongting County.
Therefore, when Lu Yuan led his army to the expedition, and the army lined up in a row and marched forward in a mighty manner, it immediately attracted the admiration of the surrounding mansions.
Have you ever seen that huge army of soldiers marching in front of you for two or three days in a row?
At this time, those who hid by the road to avoid the army were experiencing this scene.
They hid on the roadside and waited for the army to leave so they could go on their way again.
But after waiting and waiting for three full days, this walking army finally left in front of him.
This kind of almost endless waiting has a huge psychological impact on people.
Such an open and upright formation and unabashed actions naturally allowed those who were interested to quickly figure out the number of Lu Yuan's army.
Ever since.
"There are more than 100,000 thieves crossing the border. They have to cross the border in three days and the road cannot be blocked."
"There are tens of thousands of southerners, and their troops are sharp. In the southern county of Dongting, there may be changes in the land."
"Lu Pingxi led hundreds of thousands of people to attack the thieves and immediately defeated the Miao people and pacified Wuling."
News such as the above suddenly spread like snowflakes back to the rear from the details buried on both sides of the road.
From this, various reactions began to emerge surrounding this matter.
…
Baling City.
In the county government office, many generals gathered at this time, divided into left and right groups according to civil and military orders. At the top sits a red-armored general, with a red-robed monk sitting next to him.
These two men were none other than Shangguan Ming, the general who conquered the West, and they had a close relationship with the current imperial advisor.
At this time, Shangguan Ming was seen holding a silk book in his hand. After reading the contents, he smiled at the generals below and said: "Everyone, a report has been sent back from the south. This time Lu Pingxi led twenty troops Ten thousand, he sent troops to march westward, and the troops were directed at Wuling Mansion, the lair of the Five Poison Cult thieves.
Those Miao traitors will flee in panic when they hear this news.
Without the help of these Miao people, the strength of the Zhou people in Jiangnan was greatly reduced, and the morale of the generals was bound to be shaken.
I intend to take this opportunity to send troops to conquer and defeat it in one fell swoop.
This time, Li Yanjing must be captured and killed. "
Speaking of this, Shangguan Ming's tone was a bit hateful.
The last time he was the vanguard, the one who came out to stop him was Li Yanjing, the general of Zhou State's Zuozhu State.
Although in the battle that time, the imperial court defeated the Zhou and Miao coalition forces, achieved a brilliant victory, and regained the county in one fell swoop.
But correspondingly, Shangguan Ming, an innate who had just broken through, was also almost killed in the duel with Li Yanjing.
Now he has been recuperating for several months and spent a lot of supplements to recover from his injuries, but even so, his vitality has been greatly reduced.
According to Shangguan Ming's estimation, the vitality consumed by this serious injury may cost him several years of life.
How can anyone not be angry when he thinks that he may live a few years shorter than others?
There is another big enemy who was almost killed.
Shangguan Ming really held a grudge against Li Yanjing.
Many generals below did not pay much attention to the emotional changes of their superiors. At this time, they were all shocked by what their chief general said about the 200,000-strong army.
In fact, many people in the hall had already heard about the news that Lu Yuan was going to launch a war in the south to cope with the army's movement here more than a month ago.
But many people present were not very clear about Lu Yuan's strength.
I only heard that there were 30,000 to 50,000 soldiers, while others said that there were only 10,000 to 20,000 soldiers. It is even said that there are 100,000 soldiers.
But which kind of news is more accurate? Everyone secretly speculated that the number of 20,000 to 30,000 was more reasonable.
After all, Lu Pingxi only has the land of two mansions in his hands. With such a small amount of territory, how many soldiers can it afford?
Twenty to thirty thousand is the limit.
Everyone present was an old soldier or a veteran who had been in charge of politics for many years. There is still some ability to estimate the opponent's strength based on local financial resources.
But what is Shangguan Ming saying at this time?
Two hundred thousand troops!
When did Lu Pingxi have such an army in his hands?
If there really are so many armies, why go and fight the Miao people?
Pulled directly to the side of Yueyang Mansion, joined forces with them, the main force of the imperial court, and pushed away the Zhou and Miao coalition forces.
After annihilating them, wouldn't it be better to cross the river and go north to have a head-on confrontation with the main force of the Zhou people?
So instinctively, after hearing this number, many people present subconsciously felt something was wrong.
'Isn't that 200,000 troops just a boast?
Moreover, the army going out for the expedition will not all be made up of strong men, right?
Just like the Miao people. '
This thought arises in many people's minds.
It had been a while since they arrived in Dongting County, and they had fought against the Miao people quite a few times.
After a long confrontation, it became clear what the quality of those Miao troops numbering in the hundreds of thousands was.
They are just some strong farmers brought in temporarily.
Even with the Miao people's temporary bravery, it cannot be said that they have no combat power at all. But in essence, they are still just a mob.
So last time they formed a formation on the plain and fought against the Zhou and Miao coalition forces with real swords and guns.
As a result, those Zhou people were able to fight them back and forth, but those Miao talents just collapsed after holding on for an hour.
The rout swept through the Zhou people, shaking their military morale, and directly led to the defeat of the entire war.
Otherwise, if only the Zhou people were to fight, even if there were only 50,000 Zhou people, there would be twice as many as the opponent. It is impossible to defeat the opponent in just one hour.
Even after the whole game, it is not certain whether the Zhou people will be defeated.
There is a huge gap in strength between professional soldiers and semi-professional soldiers, and between semi-professional soldiers and ordinary civilians.
The armies of the Zhou people and the imperial court were all professional soldiers. But those Miao people are probably not even semi-professional soldiers.
If General Pingxi's subordinates are all civilians, then even if there are 200,000 people, he will not be of much use. On the contrary, having too many people may cause harm.
Thinking of the consequences of this matter, many people who were worried about national affairs could not help but stand up and said: "General, is it true that there are 200,000 people over there at Lu Pingxi? If it is true, how many soldiers and how many soldiers are there among them? Many civilian husbands?
With his strength, can he really defeat the Miao people? "
As soon as this question came out, many people present looked at Shangguan Ming.
Lu Yuan's name of 200,000 troops has already been boasted.
If this is a big defeat, even if it is to their side, the strength will not be damaged.
However, the imperial court's 200,000-strong army suffered a disastrous defeat. If this news spreads, it may shake the hearts and minds of the people in Dongting.
It even spread to the whole country, fearing that it would cause local turmoil again and cause many careerists to emerge.
This would be a terrible thing for everyone.
If this is the case, then they would rather not have Lu Yuan's support.
Shangguan Ming glanced at his subordinates and naturally knew what they were worried about. He also knew that if he didn't explain clearly, he might lose his morale in the army.
So after thinking about it, he decided to reveal some details and said, "Don't worry about this matter. In recent years, Lu Pingxi has successively recruited and trained 60,000 soldiers. This expedition, although called 200,000 soldiers, , but in fact there were only 150,000 people.
Among these 150,000 people, there are 60,000 soldiers, and the rest are mostly prefecture and county soldiers and militia groups.
With this strength, even if the main force of the Miao people returns to Wuling Mansion, they will never be a match for Lu Pingxi.
It should be noted that those Miao barbarians are just ordinary mountain people. In terms of combat power, it is not much better than the civilian militia under the imperial court.
Moreover, the number of Miao people in Wuling Mansion is no more than 100,000.
With those 60,000 soldiers, and the 90,000 militia, they already outnumbered the opponent. Even if they can't defeat Wuling Mansion, they are determined not to retreat.
And to ensure victory this time, I have ordered Yan Wangqiu, the Xiantian Grandmaster of the Nanhai Sect, to go to Lu Pingxi to help.
Yes, even if the Saint of the Five Poisons Sect took action herself, she would not be able to cause trouble.
In this way, you all have nothing to worry about? "
Shangguan Ming added some reasonable polish to the information he knew, and shared it with many subordinates in the hall with a smile.
As expected, after listening to what he said, the worry on the faces of the people below had been reduced by half.
really.
If things are really as Shangguan Ming said, then Lu Pingxi's move this time will definitely be enough to feed the Miao people.
Even if these Miao people are not wiped out in one fell swoop this time.
But before they had dealt with Lu Pingxi's offensive, they were unable to take action anymore and interfere in the war between them and the Zhou people.
Without the help of the Miao people, this is indeed a good time for them to drive the Zhou people back to Jiangbei in one fell swoop.
Therefore, some people excitedly said: "If this is true, then this time to defeat the Zhou people, I would like to be the vanguard and drive away those northerners for the general."
"Haha, don't worry, General Lu, the Miao people haven't left yet."
Shangguanming laughed loudly, then turned to look at the holy monk Ji Hui next to him, and begged: "National Master, as soon as the Miao people of the Five Poison Sect retreat, I will lead the army to go out. But Li Yanjing is very powerful, and I am very its opponents.
At that time, I will ask the national master to join me in killing this beast. "
Holy Monk Ji Hui nodded solemnly: "Amitabha, the people of Zhou are good at using swords and weapons to poison all living beings. Li Yanjing is the chief culprit. The poor monk who transformed himself into Angry Eyes Vajra will also help the general to get rid of this evil head."
Shangguan Ming smiled again and said: "As the holy monk said, this battle will be worry-free."
Afterwards, Shangguan Ming distributed tasks on the spot and asked many subordinate generals to prepare for the expedition.
This is an expedition, and what matters is speed.
Although the news of Lu Yuan's dispatch of troops this time cannot be hidden. But the scale and direction of his troops were indeed strictly blocked.
Therefore, sending 200,000 troops to attack Wuling Mansion this time can be said to have completely caught the Five Poison Sect and the Zhou people by surprise.
They had no idea that Lu Yuan would send so many troops, and that the target would be Wuling Mansion.
Suddenly, the thieves from these two parties must have been at a loss when dealing with each other.
At this time, it was Shangguan Ming's opportunity.
As soon as the Miao people retreated, he would lead the army to attack, and when he saw the Zhou people whose morale was greatly weakened, he would beat them up.
Drive them all down the river in one fell swoop.
Hey, a group of northerners on horseback dared to cross the river.
I really don’t know who gave them the courage?
…
Some are happy, some are sad.
Just when Shangguan Ming's troops were excited and making intensive preparations, they were preparing to send troops to attack the Zhou people.
Lan Zhaoyun from the Five Poison Sect also arrived at the place where the Zhou people were stationed in Anxiang County, which he was always thinking about.
"General Li, our sect's main altar has been massively attacked by the Yue people, and Wuling Mansion is in danger. Now our sect wants to withdraw its troops to return reinforcements and guard the main altar, and we can no longer stay here."
In the county government office, Lan Zhaoyun immediately said goodbye after seeing Li Yanjing.
As soon as these words came out, Li Yanjing's face became a little ugly: "Master Lan, the so-called 200,000 troops of the Zhou people were just a bluff. And most of them were forced to recruit civilians to make up the number.
Now, the reason why he is making such a big noise is to get the leader to withdraw his troops.
If you really withdraw at this time, you will fall into the trap of the thieves. The leader should think twice. "
Shangguan knew what they could think of. Li Yanjing, as the head coach of the Zhou people who crossed the river south this time, naturally knew his situation.
Without the Miao people as wings, there would be no help from these local snakes.
As for his soldiers who were not accustomed to the soil and water of the south, even if they were well trained, they were no match for the Vietnamese army.
Therefore, once the Miao people leave, Li Yanjing may not be able to hold on for long.
But this southern expedition is related to whether Zhou State can destroy Yue and unify the land south of the Yangtze River.
Even if he is an innate master, he cannot bear such a huge responsibility.
Naturally, Lan Zhaoyun didn't want Lan Zhaoyun to take people away at this time.
But Li Yanjing wanted to take care of himself now that the situation was approaching.
Why isn't Lan Zhaoyun like this?
The leader of the Five Poisons said in a decisive tone: "Whether the Yue people have a conspiracy, I know this better than General Li. As for Lu Yuan, I have been fighting with him for several years.
I know this person's nature well, and he always makes decisions before acting, and is extremely cautious.
Now that he has sent out the army, he must be completely confident that even if I lead the army to return reinforcements, he can fight head-on and even win.
Even if such a man's talk of an army of two hundred thousand was a bluff, there could still be one hundred thousand.
Moreover, he has been recruiting troops since he acquired Luyang Mansion. I heard that as early as last year, he recruited tens of thousands of soldiers.
Even though the training of those soldiers was a little short, I had to face up to their strength. "
As the saying goes, the people who know you best are often your enemies.
Lu Yuan may not be the number one enemy among the enemies of the Five Poison Sect, but he is definitely the one he wants to kill the most.
Therefore, although the Five Poison Sect did not regard Lu Yuan as its main target, they focused on targeting him. But there are always people observing his every move.
Among them, everyone knows something about what Lu Yuan did in Luyang Mansion, whether it was governing the place, recruiting soldiers and horses, or buying grain and grass from other places.
Precisely because he knew so much, Lan Zhaoyun knew that it was really possible for his sworn enemy to overthrow his lair if he really showed his full strength.
When he thought that the main altar that his family had inherited for thousands of years might be captured by the Yue people, and that the Miao family's ancestral land would also fall into the hands of the Yue people, the leader of the Five Poisons could not sit still for even a moment.
Therefore, out of justice for allies, after saying goodbye, he thought about it and said to Li Yanjing: "General Li, Lu Yuan's strength is by no means as weak as it appears. If you underestimate him, You will definitely suffer a big loss.
General, it's better to make plans early.
This time I led the army back, but I was not sure that I could repel Lu Yuan.
If my side loses, the general's rear flanks will also be lost. So if possible, the general should send a message to Jiangbei and ask him to send another batch of reinforcements.
Otherwise you and I will be capsized, maybe not far away. "
After fighting with the imperial court for so long, Lan Zhaoyun was a bit shadowed by the elites of the imperial court.
He knew that there was a huge gap in combat power between the civilian Miao soldiers under his command and those of the regular army.
So at this moment, when I think about the tens of thousands of elite soldiers under Lu Yuan's command, I can't help but feel a little scared.
The last time we faced off against the imperial army at the foot of Baling City, we were defeated miserably.
His 50,000 Miao soldiers ended up in a head-on battle with 20,000 imperial elites. He was twice as powerful as the enemy, but he was defeated in less than an hour.
Such a reality can be said to have poured cold water on Lan Zhaoyun's original ambition.
So when he returned to Wuling Mansion this time, he really didn't have much confidence that he could defeat Lu Yuan. What I want to think about at this time is to be able to hold on to the city until the opponent runs out of food and retreats.
Didn't Lu Yuan claim to have an army of 200,000?
Two hundred thousand people eat horse chews every day, and the amount of food and grass they consume is astronomical.
The little bit of territory the other party controls cannot support such a large army for a long time. As long as we can hold on for three to five months, the opponent will be unable to support the retreat.
This is where life lies.
Li Yanjing saw that Lan Zhaoyun had made up his mind to leave, and he knew in his heart that he couldn't persuade him anymore, so he could only say with an ugly face: "I understand, if Leader Lan wants to leave, then let's go. Over here, I I’ll carry it.”
Lan Zhaoyun said nicely and asked Jiangbei to send reinforcements down again.
But after he led his troops across the river, the Yue people reacted and immediately sent hundreds of warships to block the waterways south and north of the Yangtze River.
Nowadays, there are Yue boatmen everywhere on the river. How can the Zhou soldiers from Tianmen Mansion still send anyone?
But Lan Zhaoyun was right about one thing.
If there is a problem on his side, it will not be easy on his side.
Li Yanjing, who had his retreat route cut off, now relied on the Miao people in Wuling Prefecture to provide the entire army's logistics.
If Wuling Mansion was captured by Lu Yuan, his army would also be out of food.
In this case, even if he can withstand Shangguan Ming's fierce attack, he will only be destroyed if he loses his supplies and supplies.
'The great situation was ruined by a little-known Lu Yuan, which put me in a dilemma. This Yue General Ping Xi is really good at not taking action. Once he does, he will be killed. '
Li Yanjing thought about the terrible situation now, and couldn't help but feel hatred for Lu Yuan who caused all this.
If he encounters this thief in the future, he will definitely kill him.
