Inside Wushan Pass.
After Lu Yuan led his troops into the city, he immediately ordered people to collect the prisoners in the city.
I don’t know whether the defenders in the pass did this on purpose or if they were really afraid of his reputation. This time they came out of the pass and surrendered. There were more than 30,000 defenders in the pass, and the party chosen to surrender was Lu Yuan.
Therefore, he was able to lead his troops into the city without the knowledge of Shangguan Ming on the other side of the pass.
Naturally, Lu Yuan would not be polite about this great opportunity.
There are more than 30,000 elite soldiers in the city, which is a powerful force. If we include the 20,000 prisoners previously collected outside Yuzhongfu City.
So since this surprise attack, he has recruited 50,000 elite soldiers, which can be said to have greatly enriched his strength.
Of course, we must not forget that after successive campaigns, the nearly 10,000 rebels and the remaining 30,000 civilian warriors were added together to form a powerful force.
After entering Xichuan, although there were dozens of battles fought before and after, Lu Yuan's 30,000 troops and horses not only did not decrease, but he actually gained nearly 100,000 troops.
Such brilliant achievements can be called a great victory.
After sending people to collect the garrison in the city and taking control of all the treasuries in the city, Lu Yuan ordered people to open the east gate and sent people out to spread the news, telling Shangguan Ming and others that Wushan Pass had been restored.
So after waiting for more than an hour, Shangguan Ming, Ji Hui and Qiao Kangquan, led the vanguard and hurriedly entered Guancheng.
After the few people met, Shangguan Ming looked at Lu Yuan with a slightly ugly expression: "The King of Changsha has really made great contributions in his surprise attack on Xichuan."
This time he led troops to attack Wushan Pass, but ended up stationed outside the pass, wasting time and achieving nothing.
But at this time, the enemy he had been entangled with for several months suddenly surrendered to Lu Yuan.
Shangguan Ming was very dissatisfied that tens of thousands of Zhou soldiers in the city had taken advantage of the enemy in vain.
Not only Lu Yuan, but also the imperial court was also very covetous of those prisoners of war.
After all, the imperial court fought wars every year, and the original elite soldiers lost hundreds of thousands. Now, the entire imperial court has only more than 200,000 elite soldiers left.
This quantity, to be honest, cannot meet the normal needs of the court at all.
But if you rely solely on your own training, with the four counties in Jiangdong currently controlled by the imperial court, with a large number of high-quality soldiers being consumed too much, it will take at least five or six years for the younger generation to grow up before they can have enough energy. Replenish.
Therefore, it would be a good thing for the court if we could recruit a group of elites from the Zhou people and directly add them to our own army.
'Unfortunately, this time Lu Yuan was allowed to take the lead and snatch the person away. '
Shangguan Ming glanced at Lu Yuan, feeling quite worried.
The opponent is already heavily armed, with more than 100,000 strong soldiers. Now that the Zhou elites have been taken in one after another, the army and horses have further expanded, and I am afraid it will be even more difficult to control in the future.
Alas, why is it so difficult for the great cause of the imperial court?
This Marquis Wu Cheng couldn't help but lament in his heart.
But compared to Shangguan Ming's worries, Ji Hui and Qiao Kangquan beside them were simply happy.
Wushan Pass was conquered, Xichuan County was completely restored, and all the feudal territory originally promised to them by the imperial court was finally taken back.
At this time, as soon as the imperial edict arrives and they and Lu Yuan are settled, the two of them can officially establish a country in Xichuan.
How can you not be happy with such a good thing?
Therefore, for Lu Yuan, the great hero who regained Xichuan, these two masters were different from Shangguan Yun's slightly eccentric praise, and they expressed their sincere congratulations.
"This time the King of Changsha ran thousands of miles to attack, and defeated the Zhou and Shu thieves in a row. His military power is really admirable. I think that after word spreads, the world will be in awe."
"Yes, a lone army went deep behind enemy lines and defeated the entire county by one person. This kind of bravery is enough to be called the military god in the world."
The two of them did not hesitate to speak and praised Lu Yuan desperately.
Listening to these kind words, Lu Yuan naturally smiled. He repeatedly said "praise" and "dare not dare", and was extremely happy to have a good relationship with Ji Hui and Qiao Kangquan.
The two of them will become his neighbors, even in the rear. If he has a good relationship with them, then he will have peace in the rear.
When Shangguan Ming saw this scene, his already worried heart suddenly became more congested.
In order to prevent himself from bleeding, he had to change the topic and said: "This time the Changsha King conquered Xichuan and it was indeed a great contribution to the coalition forces. I just don't know where the traitors Li Xiong and Yu Wenchong have gone now?"
Upon hearing the inquiry, Lu Yuan had no choice but to put down his conversation with the two neighbors, shook his head and said, "I don't know about this. Li Xiong led his army to fight with me before, but he never showed up during the whole process.
Later, I defeated the troops and horses he led, and his subordinates all said that before meeting me, he had already abandoned the army and fled.
When he arrived at Wushan Pass, Yuwen Chong did the same.
I guess these two thieves may have fled back to Zhou Kingdom and went to Xiangyang, right? "
Lu Yuan said with some uncertainty.
After hearing his words, Shangguan Ming, Ji Hui and Qiao Kangquan looked at each other with different expressions.
Just as Lu Yuan had thought before, after he achieved the achievement of letting the innate master escape without fighting, his own weight has been improved compared to before.
This is what happened to these three people at this time.
While I was surprised, I couldn't help but pay more attention to the Changsha King in front of me.
Shangguan Ming laughed twice, suppressing the shock in his heart, and said with regret: "It's a pity that these two thieves escaped at this time. If they were allowed to escape back to Zhou Kingdom, they would have to face these two innates again in the future. Grandmaster, I’m afraid Xiangyang will be even harder to fight.”
The holy monk Ji Hui next to him said: "This is also impossible. Who could have expected that these two people would be so cowardly and flee before fighting."
Qiao Kang nodded and said: "It is indeed extremely difficult or even impossible to stop an innate master from escaping."
Lu Yuan smiled and ignored the implicit accusation in Shangguan Ming's words, and just asked: "My surprise attack on Xichuan took two months and I lost contact with the outside world for a long time.
How is the situation in Xiangyang now?
I remember that when I left, reinforcements from the Zhou people were already arriving. Can Marquis Wu'an still hold on? "
For the coalition forces, the real main battlefield is Xiangyang.
If there was a disastrous defeat there, then no matter how great victories Lu Yuan achieved in Hanzhong County and Xichuan County, it would only be a castle in the air.
As soon as the Zhou army arrives, these two counties can be lost in an instant.
Therefore, he was particularly concerned about the war situation in Xiangyang.
After hearing what he said, Shangguan Ming and the other three looked a little strange, looking like they were happy and worried at the same time. They looked very complicated.
In the end, Shangguan Ming said: "Actually, over there in Xiangyang, um, the Zhou reinforcements have arrived. One hundred thousand soldiers and horses, one Xiantian. But there is no fighting there."
"There was no fight."
When Lu Yuan heard this, he was very surprised: "What's going on?"
Shangguan Ming said in a complicated tone: "King Changsha still remembers that the imperial court ceded the three prefectures of Guangling County and negotiated peace with the Liang State in exchange for them sending troops to threaten the Zhou State?"
When Lu Yuan heard about Liang Guo, his mind moved, and he already had some guesses, and replied: "I remember. At the end of the sixth year of Hongdao, the imperial court and Liang Guo reached a reconciliation, and the land of the three prefectures of Guangling County was exchanged for Liang Guo sending 200,000 troops. Attack Nanyang Mansion of Zhou Kingdom."
Shangguan Ming nodded and said: "More than a year has passed since then, and the Liang State has finally sent out troops. At this time, it has transferred 200,000 troops to Jiangxia County to threaten Xiangyang's Nanyang flank.
Intimidated by this, although the Zhou people increased their troops to 200,000 on the Xiangyang front line, they still did not dare to mobilize their troops when faced with being attacked from both sides.
Similarly, Marquis Wu'an had Liang people stationed on his flanks and did not dare to use troops easily.
Therefore, the two sides reached a stalemate near Xiangyang and have not fought much so far. "
Originally, Liang Bing came to help the Yue Kingdom in its Northern Expedition.
But now, seeing the great victory of the Yue Kingdom's Northern Expedition, they not only defeated the Zhou people's 200,000 soldiers and horses, but also killed two of the opponent's Xiantian Pillars. At this time, half of Xiangyang County was captured, and the situation was excellent.
In this case, it is worth pondering whether Liang's 200,000-strong army is here to help Yue or Zhou.
After all, the reason why the Liang Kingdom originally made peace with the Yue Kingdom was because they saw that the Zhou people were powerful and had the potential to engulf the south of the Yangtze River, so they chose to join forces with the Yue Kingdom to jointly contain the Zhou people.
But at this time, Zhou Ren was beaten to the ground before his eyes. Even Xiangyang County is about to be lost, and the Yue Kingdom seems to be ready to stand up.
So according to the principle of whoever is strong will fight, if the weak is stronger at this time, then it is not impossible for the Liang people to attack Yue.
Therefore, the sudden arrival of Liang Bing at this time became a force on the sidelines, making the situation of the Northern Expedition, which had gradually become clear, become elusive again.
Now Zhou and Yue are exhausted from fighting. Both sides have tried their best, and there is not much power left.
On the other hand, Liang Guo was withdrawing from the outside world at this time to rectify his flaws and could dispatch hundreds of thousands of troops at any time.
Facing such a force, no matter whether it is Zhou or Yue, who can have no scruples in their hearts?
Both countries were afraid, and their own side was fighting to the death. In the end, it became a snipe and clam fight, allowing Liang Guozhi to benefit from Weng.
Therefore, in order to avoid this situation from happening, the two sides could only remain in a stalemate, not knowing that it would be a waste.
Lu Yuan also knew this truth, so after listening to Shangguan Ming explain the current situation, he asked: "So this Northern Expedition will not be fought in the end?"
Shangguan Ming nodded: "That's true. At this time, the imperial court has begun to discuss whether to negotiate peace with the Zhou people? According to the news we know, the Zhou Dynasty also seems to have the idea of peace.
Our two countries fight back and forth, the battlefield determines the outcome, and we are convinced even if we lose.
But if Liang Ren takes advantage, no one will accept it.
Therefore, this Northern Expedition is probably not going to be fought, and the final outcome can only be determined at the negotiation table. "
Hearing this, Lu Yuan didn't know what to say for a moment.
He really didn't expect that such a huge Northern Expedition, which affected four counties, would end in such an anticlimactic way.
After thinking about it, he could only say: "In this case, our army will have to rush to Xiangyang? There is also Hanzhong County. I have already captured the county. The Zhou people will go south at any time, and they will also need to hire people to guard it. of."
Lu Yuan did not forget that the territory of Hanzhong County was to be exchanged with Ji Hui and Qiao Kangquan in exchange for the territory of Xichuan County.
Therefore, regardless of whether the Northern Expedition ended with peace talks between Zhou and Yue.
But he had to defend the territory of Hanzhong County no matter what.
When Ji Hui and Qiao Kangquan heard this, they looked over with concern.
Whether the territory of Hanzhong County can be defended or not is of vital interest to both of them, so they are naturally concerned about it.
Facing the gazes of the three people, Shangguan Ming knew that this matter could not be evaded, but he actually could not make the decision on this matter. He could only say: "I don't know how to decide this matter. I have to consult Marquis Wu'an first. Only then can we make further calculations.”
Seeing that the other party had moved Marquis Wu'an out, Lu Yuan couldn't press any further, so he could only nod his head and said: "In this case, let's quickly send envoys to the Xiangyang camp to ask Marquis Wu'an what he wants."
"Yes, it's time to ask Marquis Wu An."
"As for the imperial court, we also need to ask people. Now that Xichuan has been restored, the edict of the feudal state and the land of the feudal state that we are waiting for must be confirmed quickly."
Ji Hui and Qiao Kangquan also urged at this time.
Seeing that the three pioneers, Lu Yuan, Yan Wangqiu, and Su Xuange, are now alone and majestic. The two newcomers had already seen it with great enthusiasm.
It was previously confiscated by Xichuan County and the court could not place it.
But at this time, the territory has been taken back by Lu Yuan, so the feudal country originally promised by the court should finally be settled, right?
Faced with these urgings, Shangguan Ming could only say: "I will send envoys to Xiangyang and the imperial court later, so you don't have to worry."
Seeing what he said, the three of them let him go.
Afterwards, several people continued their conversation, and Shangguan Ming and the others turned around and left the city.
Now that Wushan Pass was captured by Lu Yuan, there were not many troops stationed in the city, so Shangguan Ming could not lead his troops into the city and had to continue squatting in the camp outside the city.
Just after a few people left, not long after, just before nightfall, Ji Hui and Qiao Kangquan quietly returned to the city and found Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan seemed to have expected this, and directly invited people to a prepared secret room.
They each sat down and served tea. Ji Hui said: "King Changsha, these two poor monks are here to talk to the King of Changsha about changing the territory."
Next to him, Qiao Kangquan also said: "Yes, what the King of Changsha mentioned earlier has always been in our hearts. But we didn't have the chance to have an interview. Now that we finally meet, we can have a good talk with the King of Changsha."
When Lu Yuan heard this, he smiled and said, "You two..."
The night is silent and the candle shadows are dim.
In the secret room, major events related to the future of Xichuan and Hanzhong counties were quickly confirmed among the three people.
After midnight, Lu Yuan personally sent the two of them off, with a smile on his face.
There had just been a discussion and the three of them had reached an agreement.
In addition to the original agreement, Lu Yuan could exchange Xixiang, Baishi, and Nanjiang Prefectures in Hanzhong County for Wushan, Linjiang, and Yuzhong Prefectures in Xichuan County, but the conditions remained unchanged.
On this basis, if there is still excess territory in Hanzhong County under his control in the end, he can continue to exchange territory with the two until all the territory in Hanzhong County is exchanged.
The reason why Ji Hui and Qiao Kangquan were able to propose this condition was mainly due to their exploration in the past few months since the Northern Expedition.
After continuously sending spies into Xichuan, the two finally figured out what was going on there.
The household registration is withered, the people are poor and exhausted, bandits continue, and poverty is extreme...
In short, you can use any bad words to describe a place like Xichuan County.
For two people to like such a place, then there is a ghost.
Previously, because they had no choice, even if they knew that Xichuan County was a trap, the two families were still willing to spend decades to take care of and restore the place.
But now that someone is willing to exchange territory with them and has a better choice, they will naturally not be taken advantage of again.
Therefore, Lu Yuan and the two of them hit it off immediately and reached a consensus instantly.
"I just hope that after these two people accept Hanzhong County, they won't regret it and just scold me secretly."
Lu Yuan looked at the direction in which the two people were leaving, thinking this in his heart.
The reason why he said this was mainly because of the arrangements he had made in Hanzhong County before.
Two months ago, he left Lan Cai'er in Hanzhong County. While in charge of defense, he began to collect local money and food and relocate the people.
This policy of plundering money and food and relocating people targeted the entire Hanzhong County, which naturally included the three prefectures of Xixiang, Baishi, and Nanjiang.
Although this strategy has not been implemented for a long time, it has only been two months.
But according to the latest news he received a few days ago, almost 30,000 households in Hanzhong County had been relocated a month ago and had begun to be sent to the south of the Yangtze River in Dongting County.
According to the speed of those migrating people, these people should have arrived in the Guining Mansion area by now, and will soon reach the boundary of Dongting County.
And this was news a month ago. Now one month has passed, and the work of relocating people there should be going more smoothly.
A conservative estimate is that at this time, there should be 60,000 to 70,000 households in Hanzhong County that have been relocated.
And this is not the end.
After Lu Yuan captured Hanzhong County, he checked the county's household registration atlas, so he also knew that there were 582,103 households in Hanzhong County, about three million people.
His goal is to relocate at least 200,000 households, or one million people.
Even if there is enough time, then move more people, the more the better, and never let the Zhou people stay.
Of course, although the relocation of household registration was for the entire county, Lu Yuan still paid special attention to the three prefectures of Xixiang, Baishi, and Nanjiang. He should not go too far and only move up to one-third of the population.
After all, it was meant to be exchanged with others, but in the end it might not be possible to make a deal or exchange for territory, so he still paid attention to his food appearance.
But no matter what, Xixiang, Baishi, and Nanjiang prefectures must have suffered losses in terms of population and wealth compared to the original times.
Therefore, it is certain that Ji Hui and Qiao Kangquan will have opinions in their hearts.
It's just that no matter how much the losses are, these three prefectures are always better than those in Xichuan County.
So there is no need to worry that they will not agree to the exchange in the end.
After all, theoretically speaking, in this transaction, even after Lu Yuan's behind-the-scenes manipulation, the two of them were the ones who took advantage.
Of course, Lu Yuan wouldn't suffer either.
In essence, this is a deal that one is willing to fight and the other is willing to suffer.
