Light snowflakes were falling from the sky, and a biting cold wind came from the north, causing the surrounding flags to flutter.
Dongfang Wuyun stood at the top of the city, looking eastward, looking at the continuous military stronghold stationed along the south bank of the Han River outside the city, with a trace of worry in his eyes.
Chu people came too quickly and too unexpectedly.
No one expected that the Chu State, which had a very pleasant conversation with them and quickly reached a huge grain trade with them, would suddenly launch a sneak attack while they were trading grain.
The more than 10,000 elites in Nanjiang Prefecture and the hundreds of thousands of civilians recruited from various places in the army were almost wiped out in one day by the Chu people's surprise attack.
Even Nanjiang Mansion was empty and was easily taken by the Chu people.
When the news came back to Nanzheng City, Dongfang Wuyun, who was checking the accounts at the government office, was so shocked that he dropped his pen.
He really couldn't figure out how the Chu people dared and how could they send troops to Hanzhong?
Given the current situation of the Chu State with internal and external troubles, how could it have the confidence to attack the Zhou State?
Yes, now Zhou State is surrounded by enemies on three sides, and the situation is indeed very unfavorable.
But there are three battlefields in the Zhou Kingdom. The Henan County in the east relies on the natural dangers of Heluo. There is a big river in the north of Henan County and dangerous passes in the southeast. Two hundred thousand troops are stationed here. Two generals of the Zhu Kingdom are stationed here. Even if the Liang people are fifty Thousands of soldiers and horses come to attack, which is enough to protect yourself.
Although there are no dangerous passes in Shuofang County in the north, it is backed by a large river. There are many grasslands and deserts in the county, and it is difficult to live inhabited. It can also be regarded as a natural danger.
The most elite 300,000 soldiers and horses from the Northern Territory of the Zhou Kingdom were stationed here, led by two generals of the Zhu Kingdom. For decades, the Wei people were unable to cross the river south.
As for the two counties of He and Long in the west, there are even more than 400,000 troops stationed there, including two generals of the Zhuguo State, two generals of the national protector, plus more local militia groups, nearly a million soldiers and horses.
Even those Tibetan people who came down from the snowy fields suffered a lot in the Helong War in these years, and were killed one after another in defeat.
The two fronts in the north and east are secure, and the west front is in the upper hand. Although it seems that Zhou is in a difficult situation, in fact, the basic foundation still exists.
If it is willing, even if the country is short of money and food, the imperial court can organize another 200,000 troops and horses, and equip it with a general to protect the country, and order them to lead the troops to the south.
It is precisely because of such strong strength that Dongfang Wuyun couldn't figure out whether the Chu State had lost its mind and came to attack the Zhou State?
Is it possible that the other party has attacked some southwestern barbarians in recent years and is used to bullying those small countries. Is it possible that they really think they are invincible, so they dare to stroke the beard of the Zhou Kingdom?
yes.
With the development in the past two years, Chu State has gradually begun to move from a small country to hegemony.
With a household registration of 8 million, troops of 500,000, and five congenital people, it does sound quite bluffing.
Compared with those brothers, this kind of strength is enough to suffocate a small country with only one or half a county.
But in the eyes of the real big countries, it is actually nothing more than mediocrity.
As just said.
As long as Zhou Guo is willing, he can send another general to protect the country at any time to lead an army of 200,000 south.
When the garrison of Hanzhong County is gathered together, there will be 250,000 troops and two innate generals stationed here.
This level of strength is already equivalent to half of the Chu Kingdom.
And this is only equivalent to one-fifth of the Zhou Kingdom.
But if the Chu State wanted to mobilize so many soldiers and horses, it could only send out all the troops.
The gap in background between the established hegemons and the new hegemons is so disappointing.
But even so, Chu State still sent troops.
And in order to plan this war, so many preparations were made.
He first used the grain trade as a cover, and then secretly mobilized his troops. Taking advantage of Hanzhong's lax defense on the day of the transaction, he launched a sneak attack and completely opened the west gate of Hanzhong County.
At this time, tens of thousands of Chu soldiers came to the city. The vast Han River was like a cloud of ships. The Chu people had completely blocked this great city in Hanzhong from both land and water.
compare to.
Although Dongfang Wuyun immediately closed the city gate after receiving the news, he also recruited soldiers in the city.
But how much reaction can be made in a hurry?
To this day, the city is still busy and chaotic.
"General."
Dongfang Wuyun was deep in thought when a deputy general came over from behind him. After saluting, he said: "The last general was ordered to train the troops. Now, in addition to the original 10,000 guards in the city, we have also recruited 2,000 wealthy merchants in the city. Guards by servants and 20,000 young and strong men in the city.
In addition, city defense equipment and armor materials from various warehouses have also been moved out by the city's Yashu and distributed.
With these 32,000 people here and the general in charge, even if the Chu people came to attack with 100,000 troops, they would not be able to shake Nanzheng City. "
When Nanzheng City was at its peak, it was said that there were 50,000 households, which meant more than 300,000 people.
But that was all from the old almanac of I don’t know how many years ago.
With the wars over the years, especially twelve years ago, after Lu Yuan, who was still playing in Changsha at the time, led his troops to visit, Hanzhong fell completely.
At that time, after leading his troops in the Northern Expedition and conquering Hanzhong, Lu Yuan directly asked people to move 350,000 Hanzhong households, with a population of nearly two million, from Hanzhong to replenish the country.
After this relocation, the population of Hanzhong was reduced by more than half, leaving only one-third of the population with a household registration of just over one million people.
In recent years, with the governance of Zhou State, Hanzhong County has gradually regained some vitality.
In addition, after the war between He and Long started four years ago, many people from Helong and Helong counties fled here and settled down in order to avoid the war.
The addition of a large number of foreign residents and the recovery of local production have greatly stimulated the development of Hanzhong, making the place gradually regain its former prosperity.
But it's only a few points.
After more than ten years of development, Nanzheng City, which was once deserted, has only restored a population of about 100,000, which is still far behind the more than 300,000 people at its peak.
The lack of population also means that even if there is an urgent recruitment now, if one person is born in the city, only 20,000 soldiers can be recruited, and it is impossible to recruit 50,000 soldiers.
However, although they could not gather 50,000 soldiers, Dongfang Wuyun still breathed a sigh of relief with the 32,000 soldiers and horses.
As the deputy general said, with these 30,000 people, plus his innate master, even if there are 100,000 Chu soldiers outside the city, Nanzheng City can still be defended.
Not to mention, there were actually not many Chu people outside the city. The Chu soldiers who camped on the south bank of the river, to the east of the city, looked at the size of their camp and the number of stoves, at most 30,000 to 40,000 people.
The boatmen on the water seemed to cover the sky and the sun, stretching for more than ten miles, covering the entire river.
But Dongfang Wuyun is not an unmanned person.
He was from an Oriental family and was one of the twelve families of the Zhou Kingdom. He had served as a general in the country for generations, and his status was equivalent to the six surnames and seven families of Linhai in Yangzhou.
Such a big family, a contemporary leader carefully cultivated, naturally cannot be a stupid person.
There is a large Yangtze River in the Zhou Kingdom, and there are also some naval forces. Since Dongfang Wuyun came out of Hanzhong County, in order to guard against the Chu Kingdom, he had an in-depth understanding of the water war.
Therefore, even though he had never actually commanded a navy, he could still see from his past perspective that there were actually not many naval forces on the river in front of him. Twenty to thirty thousand people was the limit.
That is to say.
Even if the land and water armies were combined, the Chu people would only have 50,000 or 60,000 troops. Nearly half of them are naval forces who are not good at land warfare. Once they get ashore, their combat strength will be reduced by half, making them useless for siege.
Let me ask, in the face of such an enemy, with a strong city to rely on, a large army to protect him, and himself being the current master, Dongfang Wuyun naturally has the confidence to defend Nanzheng City.
'As long as the Chu people don't continue to increase their troops. '
Dongfang Wuyun silently added this prerequisite in his heart, then turned back to the deputy general behind him and said: "You have done a good job in this matter, I know it. The people of Chu are dishonest and despicable. They stole my city and attacked me." The army is extremely shameless.
I am a general who has lived a long life and has received great favor from the emperor. Your Majesty has ordered me to guard the borders of Hanzhong County and protect the southern border of the country.
Now that the Chu people are attacking, I am determined to hold on to this city, block the enemy outside the city, and frustrate the thieves.
Now there are 32,000 soldiers in the city and 200,000 dan of food, which is enough for use.
I have ordered people to fly a letter to inform the country about the invasion of thieves.
It can be sent back to Chang'an in three days at most.
We only need to hold on for a few months, and His Majesty can send hundreds of thousands of troops south to support us.
As soon as the heavenly soldiers arrived, the Chu thieves outside the city were instantly wiped out.
When the time comes, I will be able to defend my land with merit, and with the emperor's grace, I will be promoted to a noble rank, and given the title of wife and son, but it will just take a while! "
The war was about to begin. Dongfang Wuyun, as a veteran in the army, knew that no matter how much he said, it was better to directly give benefits to warriors. At this time, he began to make various promises to boost morale.
really.
After hearing about the promotion and the title of wife, dozens of soldiers present, including the deputy general, their eyes lit up and their breathing became faster.
In recent years, there have been many wars in the Zhou Dynasty, and many talents have emerged in the three battlefields in the east, north and west every year and every month. They have repeatedly defeated the enemy on the battlefield, received a lot of credit, and then risen to the top.
Many people who were originally just pawns, in the war, killed the enemy and beheaded generals, accumulated meritorious service, were promoted, and were given titles and titles.
These many successful examples have naturally inspired countless people.
When a warrior joins the army, in addition to earning a living, who doesn't want to stand out and become a noble general?
As for achieving this goal, no one cares about how many people become bones along the way.
Now that they have eaten this meal, everyone is mentally prepared to be wrapped in horse leather.
They are not afraid of death, but they are afraid of not being rich.
pity.
The three domestic battlefields are all extremely far away from Hanzhong.
Even if they heard about the rise of many ordinary generals, they felt itchy in their hearts and wished they could replace them with their own lives, but they could not cross thousands of miles and go to the battlefield to fight and perform meritorious service.
In the end, he had to stay in the mountains of Hanzhong, patrolling the place every day, feeling depressed and frustrated.
Fortunately, at this time, everything came to an end.
Those Chu people were so confused that they couldn't think of attacking Hanzhong.
They, the local defenders, finally had the opportunity to show off their talents, express their ambitions, kill thieves and perform meritorious service, and serve the country.
The general is right.
As long as they can defend Nanzheng and Hanzhong, they will have accomplished a great feat when the imperial reinforcements arrive.
When the time comes and rewards are given based on merit, I am afraid that not all of you here will be promoted to one or two levels, and you will be considered successful.
As for the Chu troops approaching the city, can I defend the city?
Looking at the Chu people's not-so-dense camp outside, everyone was full of confidence.
There are only 30,000 to 40,000 people, which is almost the same as the soldiers and horses in the city. What use can they do?
I have never heard of the saying in the art of war: if you are ten, you will surround it, if you are five, you will attack it, and if you double it, you will divide it.
Nowadays, the Chu troops and horses outside the city do not even have double the number inside the city, let alone ten times.
honestly.
With this small force, they didn't know how bold the Chu people were to attack Nanzheng.
What, Navy?
Nowadays, I have heard of the navy driving boats and crossing the rivers, but I have never heard of the navy attacking the city.
It's not that they look down on the navy, but the difference between water warfare and land warfare is really thousands of miles apart, and they are not the same system at all.
A water pawn may be an elite warrior with incomparable bravery on the Zhouchuan River.
But if he goes ashore, he will at best be a civilian with some powerful killing skills, and cannot compare to those military warriors who have been trained for many years.
Therefore, they are all civilian men. Instead of using the expensive sailors as cheap civilian men, it is better to recruit civilian men from the nearby countryside and use them as cannon fodder.
If those Chu people had any brains, they would not do such a stupid thing as letting the navy go ashore.
I really have to do this.
After the war, the king of Chu could also kill the general who led the army this time and sweep this prodigal son into the garbage heap.
Of course, everyone also knows that Chu State's massive attack this time will definitely have more troops than just outside the city.
For example, in the past few days, Baishi, Nanjiang, and Taibai prefectures have all sent back news asking for help, saying that Chu people have entered the country and are attacking cities and plundering land, and the prefectures and counties cannot defend it.
Therefore, in addition to the Chu people coming by the waterway, there should also be many Chu soldiers in other land routes.
But according to the news received by the county and city these days, the number of Chu troops in other routes is actually not very large, only 10,000 or 20,000 people along the way.
These Chu soldiers from all walks of life were also responsible for attacking various prefectures and counties in Hanzhong, and they also suffered some losses during the process. After those prefectures and counties were captured, they also had to divide their troops to garrison them, which further reduced their strength.
After a series of exhaustion, the soldiers and horses from all walks of life gathered under the city. Whether the total number of soldiers and horses of the Chu people can exceed one hundred thousand is a question.
And a mere 100,000 Chu troops wanted to capture Nanzheng City, which was defended by 30,000 people. It was not that they looked down on the Chu people.
In fact, according to common sense in the art of war, when the defenders are sufficient, the food and grass are ready, and the morale is high, there are really few examples of being able to capture a city with three times the number of troops and horses.
Just looking at their strength on paper, it is normal for them to defend Nanzheng City.
If you can't keep it, that would be surprising.
So from this point of view, it is not surprising why Dongfang Wuyun, down to the soldiers at the bottom, are so confident in guarding Nanzheng City.
It's not that they are too confident, but that everything should be the way it is.
Just as the Zhou generals and commanders at the top of the city were boosting their morale and talking a lot.
In the distance, in the Chu army camp, there was a loud noise and the sound of golden drums was heard. Then a group of Chu soldiers were seen swarming out of the camp gate and finally formed a military formation three miles outside the city.
Looking at this appearance, how could the old soldiers at the top of the city not understand that the Chu people were planning to call for formation outside the city.
as expected.
After the Chu people formed their formation, not long after, they saw a Chu people from a small school, riding out quickly and coming to the city, shouting loudly.
"Listen, people around the city, now we are approaching the city with a large army of 50,000 men. Hanzhong is shaken and Nanzheng is terrified.
However, my general has always been ambitious and does not want to bully the minority with the crowd. Now I would like to send thousands of troops to the city to invite General Dongfang to fight.
Now, I, the warriors of Dachu, are just outside the city. If the people in the city have the slightest bit of blood, they can come out and fight me to the death.
I have always heard that General Dongfang is a famous general in the world. My general has admired him for a long time. I think he will not be disappointed.
You guys dare to fight! "
The junior high school student shouted back and forth several times in Dongcheng. Due to the propagation of internal force, his voice could be heard clearly within several miles nearby.
After hearing the content clearly, especially the last sentence, "Dare to fight," the people around the city suddenly became excited.
In today's world of great strife, the common people are fierce and courageous, and martial arts practices are endless.
Even if they are rural people, many of them know how to kill people.
Under such circumstances, people who are brave and ruthless are naturally indispensable.
Being provoked at this time, many people's faces turned red and they were eager to go out of the city to fight the Chu people.
The Chu man outside was right.
There are only ten thousand Chu soldiers outside the city, so the numerical advantage is not great.
With so many soldiers and horses in the city, there is absolutely no problem in gathering ten thousand warriors out of the city to fight.
As long as there is no absolute numerical difference, as a veteran hegemon, the Zhou people do not think that they will be worse than the upstart Chu people.
If they really fight, they will chop down those southerners to a very small number, but that's all.
In terms of psychological advantage, the Zhou people are not necessarily any worse than the Chu people who have won consecutive battles in recent years.
But facing the restlessness below, Dongfang Wuyun was not affected by Chu people's provocative invitation to fight.
He waved his hand to stop the general who wanted to invite a fight, looked solemnly at the military flag that had been hoisted on the Chu army's formation outside the city, looked at the words "Chu" and "Qingyun" written on it, frowned and asked : "Have you ever heard of a general named Qingyun in the Chu Kingdom?"
When the generals nearby heard this, they also noticed the general flag with the word "Qingyun" written on it. After being stunned for a moment, they also frowned and thought.
"Is there anyone named Qingyun in Chu State?"
"never heard of that."
"The leader of the Chu army outside is originally named Qingyun. Seeing that he can lead an army by himself, he is probably an innate master. But why have I never heard of such a person before? Is he a new member of the Chu country?"
"That's probably the case. After the death of the old monk Ji Hui, I thought that the Chu Kingdom had lost an innate person, but I didn't expect that someone would replace it so quickly.
I asked how the Chu State could be so bold and dare to send troops to attack the Zhou State despite internal and external troubles. It turned out that it had support behind it. "
"The innate source is endless and the inheritance is orderly. No wonder Chu State can dominate. It is really good luck. Chu State has really become powerful."
"Hmph, what kind of luck?
In this world, I have never heard of a master named Qingyun before. The Qingyun general outside is expected to be just an unknown person who has just achieved innate talent.
With such ability, how can he be the opponent of our Eastern generals?
In my opinion, this Qingyun is here, but we are lucky.
In this battle, the King of Chu did not personally lead the troops, but instead appointed newcomers. It was a good opportunity given by God to defeat the Chu army and achieve unparalleled achievements. "
The generals discussed and had disputes.
But when the last person finished speaking, the discussion quickly subsided, and everyone looked in agreement.
Because what the last person said really touched their hearts.
