Huainan, Zhucheng
"Run away! The Fengwu Army is coming!"
"No escaping! Anyone who retreats will be killed without mercy!"
"You bitches, get on top of me! Drive the Fengwu Army out!"
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Amid shouts of killing, after a day of siege operations, the east gate of Zhucheng, Huainan's middle gateway, was first breached by Fengwu troops. With the east gate lost, thousands of Fengwu troops rushed into the city. The city's defense also began to gradually collapse.
Half an hour later, Zhang Meng, the deputy commander of the Fourth Army of the Fengwu Army, rode proudly into the city on a tall horse. Looking at the large number of prisoners of the Zhennan Army kneeling on the ground, the pride on his face became more and more... Overflowing with words, he glanced at the prisoners and then the deputy general next to him asked:
"Where is Zhucheng Commander-in-Chief Wang Zhikui?"
Upon hearing Zhang Meng's inquiry, Lieutenant General Liu Shenggang said hurriedly:
"Your Excellency, Wang Zhikui, led a dozen soldiers and ran away before the city was breached. However, Commander Cai and the others have already sent people to chase them. I believe they will be able to escort them back after a while!"
After receiving this news, Zhang Meng nodded slightly. Because Anqing and Zhucheng were only a few dozen miles apart, although there was no major conflict between the two sides, scouts, reconnaissance, and infiltration of each other were always going on.
Two months ago, the scouts of the Fengwu Army suffered a small loss near Zhucheng. Seven people were killed and more than a dozen were injured. This also made the Zhennan Army in Zhucheng very proud. Among them, Wang Zhikui, the commander-in-chief of Zhucheng, also They deliberately cut off the heads of the sacrificed Fengwu Army soldiers and built a Jingguan on the border to provoke the Fengwu Army... ··
Although in several subsequent frictions, the Fengwu Army won a great victory and regained its position, Zhang Meng was a grudge-bearing person. He always wanted to settle accounts with Wang Zhikui over this matter, but unfortunately he had not been ordered by Ye Mingsheng before. He couldn't lead his troops to attack without permission, so he kept holding on to this tone.
But now that he finally received Ye Mingsheng's order, he naturally would not turn over this bastard Wang Zhikui. He would personally cut off this bastard's head and build a city to commemorate the dead Fengwu Army soldiers and comfort their souls in heaven!
Putting Wang Zhikui's matter aside for now, Zhang Meng asked Liu Sheng beside him:
"What were the casualties and results of our troops in this battle?"
Liu Sheng thought for a moment and said:
"Sir, our casualties in this battle totaled approximately one thousand, and we annihilated nearly five thousand enemy soldiers, including three thousand enemy soldiers captured, and more than one thousand seven hundred enemy soldiers beheaded!"
After hearing this result, Zhang Meng nodded with satisfaction and said:
"Send the news that our Fourth Army captured Zhucheng to the General Staff Headquarters! Also send this news to Bozhou and tell the colleagues of the First Army!"
This time, according to the plan of the General Staff, the Fourth Army and the First Army under his command marched in parallel to attack Huainan. However, what made Zhang Meng a little unconvinced was that in the specific combat plan, their Fourth Army Mainly to provide support to the First Army, protecting the flanks of the First Army is not the main attack...
Although he understood that the First Army was the main ace of the Fengwu Army and the darling of the General Staff, Zhang Meng was still a little uncomfortable with it.
Zhang Meng felt that his Fourth Army had been underestimated by the General Staff. As a military-level unit that had been established for only one year, the Fourth Army was indeed not as famous as the First Army, but it was no worse than the First Army and could definitely bear the responsibility. The main task.
For this reason, Zhang Meng also wrote a letter to the General Staff and Ye Mingsheng, hoping that the Fourth Army could also assume the main offensive with the First Army. Zhang Meng was willing to issue a military order to ensure the completion of the task.
Ye Mingsheng also wrote back to Zhang Meng who was eager to fight, but to be on the safe side, he still asked him to provide support according to the established plan, protect the flanks of the First Army and assist the First Army's offensive.
Faced with Ye Mingsheng's order, Zhang Meng could only obey the order honestly. However, he was still holding a breath in his heart, thinking about how to report to the General Staff and the Marshal on the next battlefield. Prove the capabilities of their Fourth Army!
Although Zhucheng is not a big city in Huainan, it is still a strategic location. The Fourth Army was able to capture it in just one day, which is very proud and worth bragging about. It is a good start for the battle of Huainan!
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Two days later, Huainan, Shouchun
In Xu Mansion, Liu Chaohu quickly walked into the study, bowed to Xu Zhaojie who was reading, and said:
"Master Marquis, news has just been sent from the front. Bozhou and Zhucheng have been lost! King Zhikui of Zhucheng was killed, and Bozhou General Sun Kaishan surrendered!"
After hearing the news, Xu Zhaojie, who was reading a book, didn't seem surprised. He nodded slightly and said:
"The Fengwu Army is still as fast as before!"
Regarding Xu Zhaojie's words, Liu Chaohu hesitated and said:
"Master Marquis, although we have controlled the news, the news of the fall of Bozhou and Zhucheng has begun to spread in the city. We suspect that there is something from the coordination office at work in the city!"
After hearing this, Xu Zhaojie immediately asked:
"How is the situation in the city now?"
Facing Xu Zhaojie's question, Liu Chaohu showed a look of hesitation on his face. Seeing this, Xu Zhaojie said calmly:
"Tell the truth! I am mentally prepared for this!"
After hearing what Xu Zhaojie said, Liu Chaohu also said sincerely:
"Master Hou, the situation is still under control, but it's not very good!"
"After the Battle of Jiyu, the soldiers and civilians of Huainan are somewhat afraid of the Fengwu Army. Now Bozhou and Zhucheng have been lost too quickly, so many people in the city are now afraid that the Fengwu Army will invade!"
"Although Zhu Ji Grain Store and others have been taken care of by Mr. Marquis and dare not raise the price of grain, they now say that the grain supply cannot enter the city, so they can only sell limited quantities every day... ··········
"Therefore, although the price of food in the city is still five cents per stone, there is no market price at all. Many people cannot buy food, and many people are complaining. The most hateful thing is the gang of rats in the Coordination Office. They are fanning people everywhere. Ignite the fire to stir up public opinion and try to incite the common people to fight against the government!"
After Liu Chaohu finished speaking, Xu Zhaojie's originally calm expression became serious and he asked Liu Chaohu:
"Who is the Chief Secretary responsible for monitoring food prices? Has he reported any information?"
Liu Chaohu thought for a moment and said:
"I am reporting to you, Lord Marquis, that he is a general under the command of Wu Buzheng, and his name seems to be Sun Ying!"
"He did not report any situation, saying that the food cannot be transported in now, mainly because of the reduction in food production in the autumn, and the weather has been rainy and snowy recently. A lot of food has become damp, moldy and rotten, and the roads are muddy. Multiple factors have combined. That’s why this happened!”
Hearing the news, a cold look flashed in Xu Zhaojie's eyes, but he didn't say anything more and just nodded and said:
"I know everything about the situation, go and call Fang She!"
"yes!"
After a stick of incense, Fang She, the commander of the Qianhu Guards, appeared in front of Xu Zhaojie.
"Master Hou, are you looking for me?"
Seeing Fang Snake Xu Zhaojie also asked directly:
"How was the discussion with Sun Liangyu and the others?··················"
When Xu Zhaojie asked about this, Fang Snake said without hesitation:
"Although there are still some minor twists and turns, overall the situation is going smoothly. Sun Liangyu has already received the first batch of 300,000 taels of silver from Jiangnan. His general Hou Zhen is also ready with 30,000 troops and can attack at any time. Anqing!"
Hearing this, Xu Zhaojie raised his forehead slightly, squeezed out a smile on his face and said to Fang She:
"Thanks to you, Fang She, for this matter. If it weren't for your efforts to facilitate this matter, I never thought that I would be able to get reinforcements from Sun Liangyu!"
Facing Xu Zhaojie's praise, Fang She also said very humbly:
"I don't dare to take credit. If I didn't have the backing of Lord Marquis, I wouldn't have been able to facilitate this matter even if I told the truth!"
Seeing Fang She being so humble and sensible, she was already very satisfied with him because of this matter, and undoubtedly looked at him more highly.
After eliminating the aristocratic families headed by the Cao family, Xu Zhaojie has been preparing for war, thinking about how to resist the invasion of the Fengwu Army.
At that time, he did not think that he could borrow the power of Jingchu and Jiangnan. After all, in the past few years, due to Xu Zhaojie's eagerness and some historical grudges, he had not had a good relationship with Jingchu Inspector Sun Liangyu and Jiangnan Governor Lu Jianchao. good.
However, Fang She proposed the idea of asking these two families for help to jointly resist the Fengwu Army...
Faced with the idea put forward by Fang She, Xu Zhaojie didn't have much hope at first. In his eyes, whether it was Sun Liangyu or Lu Jianchao, they were definitely watching a joke when they saw him being attacked by the Fengwu Army and would never help him!
However, under Fang She's insistence, Xu Zhaojie also felt that there was no harm in giving it a try. The Fengwu Army used two armies and tens of thousands of people this time, and the pressure on him was also very high. If he could get support from Jingchu and Jiangnan, , that is naturally the best thing.
Even if he didn't get any support in the end, he had nothing to lose, so Xu Zhaojie agreed to Fang She's method and asked Fang She to contact and facilitate this matter, because he also felt that the possibility of this matter succeeding was too small, so Xu Zhaojie just put this matter behind him and thought about how to be self-reliant.
However, what he never expected was that Fang Snake brought him good news ten days later. Under Fang Snake's eloquent statement, he was in fear of Fengwu's army, and his lips were dead and his teeth were cold. Due to concerns, Lu Jianchao and Sun Liangyu reached a secret agreement.
Lu Jianchao gave Sun Liangyu one million taels of silver and 300,000 shi of grain, and Sun Liangyu lent Xu Zhaojie 30,000 troops to fight against the arrogant Fengwu Army... ········
Xu Zhaojie was naturally very excited about this unexpected surprise. Although he was sure to block the Fengwu Army's offensive and preserve the foundation of the Zhennan Army, he also understood that the current strength of the Zhennan Army was not enough to fight head-on with the Fengwu Army. If you resist, losing your city and territory is inevitable!
But with the addition of the 30,000 people from Jingchu, the situation has changed a lot. After occupying Huainan, Xu Zhaojie also had many interactions with Jingchu. He knew that Jingchu's soldiers and horses were not weak, but they were still very capable. The most important thing is that the Fengwu Army did not know that Jingchu's 30,000 troops were preparing to intervene in the Huainan battle.
Therefore, these 30,000 soldiers and horses can be said to be a surprise force. If used properly, it may have the final say!
Seeing that Xu Zhaojie was in a good mood, Fang She hesitated and said:
"Master Hou, Hou Zhen asked me to ask you when you plan to let him join the war?"
"oh?"
Facing Xu Zhaojie's questioning gaze, Fang She considered the words and explained:
"Master Hou, after learning that Bozhou and Zhucheng were lost, Hou Zhen was a little worried that our army would be defeated."
Although Fang She said it very tactfully, Xu Zhaojie couldn't figure out what Jing Chu meant, and he immediately snorted coldly and said:
"Let him not be so careless! They are not needed for a short period of time. When they are required to appear, don't hold them back... ·
"Yes!" Fang Snake bowed and responded:
After thinking for a while, Xu Zhaojie asked Fang She again:
"What's the news from Jinghai?"
Fang She thought for a moment and said:
"After Cao Huan captured Zhang Kai, he also hooked up with Jiangnan. He got a lot of money and firearms from Lu Jianchao. He has been recruiting troops recently. His strength has expanded rapidly. Now he has more than 10,000 troops. Feng This time the Wu army invaded in a large scale, and also asked Cao Huan to harass our army in the rear and contain us.
The strength of the army! "
"Although Cao Huan also sent some soldiers and horses to harass Fengwu Army's request, I feel that they are also acting in a shady manner. Compared to harassing our army's rear, Cao Heng is more interested in running Jinghai. !」
Hearing the news, a sneer appeared on Xu Zhaojie's face. He knew that the important reason why Lu Jianchao was willing to spend one million taels of silver to help him this time was because Cao Heng was there. Lu Jianchao used Cao Huan to defend himself. Guard Ye Mingsheng by yourself, this is double insurance!
Lu Jianchao thought that his move was very clever, but he would soon make him understand that being clever could be mistaken for cleverness. Now that the Fengwu Army was approaching, he could not spare the energy to deal with Cao Huan. After he defeats the Fengwu Army, there will be no suspense in dealing with Cao Heng.
After thinking for a moment, Xu Zhaojie changed his tone and said:
"Fang Snake, there are still too many bedbugs in the General Office of Shouchun City now. Clean them out, and also investigate the food supply in the city to see if anyone is playing tricks... ················》
"Yes! Lord Marquis!"
