Just when Lu Jianchao was about to make the final decision to stand on the side of the Zhennan Army and fight against the Fengwu Army, his eldest son Lu Houde stood up and said slowly with a cough:
"Dad, I think it's a matter of military matters. It's better to ask Brother Yun to explain it. Although Mr. Zhao said it very well, he is not the commander of the army after all... ············”
As soon as these words came out, Lu Jianchao also felt that it made sense. After all, everyone still had to see the truth on the battlefield. He immediately looked at Lu Yun, his nephew, and asked:
"Yun'er, what do you think of this battle between Jingchu and Chu?"
As the current largest commander of the Jiangnan Army, Lu Yun had no choice but to step forward. He organized his words and said:
"Xu Zhaojie has fought really well in these battles. First, he planned to annihilate the main force of the Fengwu Army's Fifth Army in Xiaowushan, and then quickly conquered Tanzhou and pushed towards Hanyang City!"
"It directly caught the Fengwu Army by surprise, causing the Fengwu Army's situation in Jingchu to take a turn for the worse. If Hanyang falls, the Fengwu Army may be driven out of Jingchu!"
Hearing what Lu Yun said, a look of pride suddenly appeared on Zhao He's face. However, the next second, Lu Yun changed his voice and said:
"Although Xu Zhaojie fought well in these two battles, the Fifth Army, although nominally a Fengwu Army, was actually surrendered by the Jingchu Army. It was a change of soup without changing medicine... ·············”
"The situation of empty pay within the Jingchu Army is very serious. In addition, Xu Zhaojie also deliberately boasted, so he claimed to have annihilated 100,000 Fengwu troops. In fact, it would be very good to have 50,000, and these 50,000 were all Jingchu troops whose combat effectiveness was average. !”
Hearing what his nephew said, Lu Jianchao showed a hint of suspicion. He was a civil servant and didn't know much about military affairs. He immediately looked at Zhao He and asked:
"Zhao He, is what Yun'er said true?"
Facing Lu Jianchao's inquiry, Zhao He instinctively wanted to defend himself, but at this moment Lu Houde looked at him meaningfully.
Seeing Zhao He hesitating here but unable to say anything, Lu Jianchao also realized that what Lu Yun said was probably true. After pondering for a while, he asked Lu Yun with a serious face:
"Yun'er, just tell me do you think the Fengwu Army can defend Hanyang?"
Because he had thought about this problem for a long time, Lu Yun didn't think much about it at this time. He just shook his head and said:
"Uncle, I don't know about this issue. The situation in Hanyang is indeed not optimistic. After Xu Zhaojie united the Sichuan and Shu armies and accepted part of the Jingchu army, his strength in Jingchu basically doubled, and he had just won a great victory. Victory, the morale of the army will be at its peak!"
"According to the news before the war, the Fengwu Army has less than 20,000 troops in Hanyang! However, the most elite First Division of the Fengwu Army is stationed in Kangyin. I believe they must be rushing towards Hanyang for reinforcements at this time. If If they can arrive in time, the possibility of holding Hanyang will be greatly increased..."
Lu Jianchao frowned slightly when he heard the words. Although he was a civil servant and didn't understand military affairs, he almost understood it at this time. Although Xu Zhaojie was fighting well now, the one who won was not the real Fengwu Army!
If Xu Zhaojie really captured Hanyang, the Fengwu Army would have suffered a major defeat. On the contrary, the Fengwu Army had not really been hurt yet!
Thinking of this, Lu Jianchao's heart, which had just been gradually heated up by Zhao He's fanning, was now half cold!
After hesitating for a moment, Lu Jianchao looked at Lu Houde, who was standing quietly aside, and couldn't help but ask:
"Houde, what do you think?"
Lu Houde said in a deep voice:
"Dad, I don't think we need to be so anxious to take sides. We can take a look at the situation in Hanyang and make a decision. If Xu Zhaojie wins Hanyang, we might as well stand on his side and give him some financial and food support!"
"If the Fengwu Army finally defends Hanyang, then we should keep a distance from Xu Zhaojie to avoid offending the Fengwu Army!"
After hearing this, Lu Jianchao thought about it and felt that it made sense. Then he seemed to have remembered something and asked again:
"How is Zhengshan's condition? Has his assassin been caught?"
Lu Houde preached without thinking:
"Lapsang has passed the critical period and is now recovering. As for the murderer, it should be the Qianhu Guards of the Southern Army..."
Lu Jianchao was not surprised when he got this answer. He just nodded slightly. Although he is not good at military affairs, he has been in the officialdom for so many years and has a good sense of politics!
Therefore, after learning that Murong Zhengshan had been assassinated, although there was no evidence yet, he immediately realized that the murderer was probably a member of the Zhennan Army!
Seeing his father's reaction, Lu Houde asked tentatively:
"Dad, the Qianhu Guards have been doing a lot of things in Jiangnan recently. Do you think we should clean them up?"
"Is this an explanation to Zhengshan and the Fengwu Army?"
Lu Jianchao waved his hand after hearing this and said:
"Don't touch them for now! They will need to take the blame for other things in the future!"
"The explanation from the Fengwu Army must be given. Just tell the Fengwu Army that Qian Huwei did it and it has nothing to do with us in Jiangnan!"
"The most you can do is find a few criminals to take the blame and hand them over to the Fengwu Army. As for the other grievances and debts, they have their own owners. The Fengwu Army is very powerful, so let them go to the Zhennan Army to settle accounts!"
Hearing this answer, Lu Houde was a little helpless, and he also understood in his heart that Fengwu Army's aggressive attitude made his father very disgusted.
Therefore, although Lu Jianchao has not chosen to take sides due to interests considerations, in his heart he has expectations for Xu Zhaojie and the Zhennan Army... ·····
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August 5, Anqing
Zhang Meng, the commander of the Fourth Army of the Fengwu Army, was paying close attention to the situation between the enemy and ourselves on the sand table, and beside him several staff officers of the Fourth Army were changing the coordinates on the sand table based on the latest intelligence from the scouts.
After about a stick of incense, several staff officers were replaced, and Cui Zheng, the commander of the Fourth Army, introduced to Zhang Meng:
"My lord, the main force of the enemy army has begun to gather in Chizhou. There are about 30,000 people. The general in command is Xu Hu. This person is Xu Zhaojie's family general and the person Xu Zhaojie trusts the most."
"In the direction of Xingzhou, there is also an enemy force of about 8,000 soldiers and horses. The person who leads the army is Cai Shaojie. In the direction of Xingshui, there is also a Zhennan Army of more than 10,000 people. The person who leads the army is not yet It’s unclear, but they are currently heading towards the entire mountain!”
"In addition, the enemy's enemy scouts are very active around Wuhe County, and they are suspected of planning a large-scale attack on Wuhe County!"
After hearing Cui Zheng's introduction, Zhang Meng nodded slightly and asked:
"Have the arrangements been made for the people there with the Chief Secretary?"
Cui Zheng said with a somewhat troubled expression:
"Probably not yet!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Meng showed a hint of displeasure and said in a deep voice:
"Five days ago, I sent someone to tell the Chief Secretary that the Zhennan Army might be coming and asked them to prepare to fortify the walls and clear the country. Why aren't they ready yet?"
"What do the Chief Secretary and his gang do for a living? They all have a vegetarian meal in the corpse position..."
Seeing Zhang Meng angrily reprimanding the Chief Secretary, Cui Zheng smiled bitterly and said:
"Sir, I met with the Chief Secretary's deputy Bai Changjiu yesterday. According to what he said, he has received news from us. We are also trying our best to arrange for the people to go to the city, and those who can go to the mountains to go to the mountains!"
"But now the crops are about to mature, so many people are worried about the crops in the fields and refuse to move. The Chief Secretary persuaded them to leave, but they sneaked back, so the Chief Secretary's work is also very difficult! "
"According to what Deputy Bai said, it will take at least seven or eight days to complete the clearing of the strong wall! So Deputy Bai also wants to ask us to find a way to delay as much time as possible!"
Before Cui Zheng could finish his words, Zhang Meng slammed the table and shouted angrily:
"The Zhennan Army, who are like bitches, are about to attack. Where can I delay them for seven or eight days?"
Seeing Zhang Meng's furious look, Cui Zheng also comforted and said:
"Sir, don't be too angry. After all, the local area cannot compare with our army, and the execution is definitely worse. It's not worth it to be so angry!"
After listening to Cui Zheng's words, Zhang Meng couldn't help but sigh, knowing that he had no way to complain at this moment, he could only try his best to solve the problem... ··········
Most of the Fourth Army under Zhang Meng was formed by surrendered troops from the Qi Army. Therefore, although it had experienced the reorganization of the Fengwu Army, many grassroots military attachés were also transferred from other units of the Fengwu Army, and their combat effectiveness was improved. Enhanced, but ultimately lacking in the quality of soldiers and the equipment of firearms.
Therefore, before the establishment of the Fifth Army, the Fourth Army was generally considered to be the worst fighting army in the Fengwu Army! And the army with the smallest strength is only about 30,000 people!
At this time, in front of them was the Zhennan Army of nearly 50,000 people. These people were the main elite of the Zhennan Army. Except that they were inferior to the Fengwu Army in terms of firearms, they were no worse than the Fourth Army in other aspects!
Therefore, although Zhang Meng led his troops to attack the Zhennan Army in Anqing before in the Battle of Anqing, Zhang Meng's first solution at this moment is to defend the city and not give the Zhennan Army a chance to leave the city to fight in the field!
Therefore, Zhang Meng hoped that the Chief Secretary of Anqing could cooperate with his strategy of strengthening the walls and clearing the country, and prevent the Zhennan Army from obtaining supplies on Anqing's land. However, Zhang Meng did not expect to encounter such a big resistance in this matter!
Just when Zhang Meng was thinking about whether he should send several troops with thousands of troops to block the attack in some places with good geographical conditions.
Suddenly, a messenger hurriedly walked in, and then bowed to Zhang Meng and said:
"Sir, the commander of the First Army, He Jingyun, has come to the city..."
Zhang Meng was stunned when he heard the news, and then looked at each other with Cui Zheng. Cui Zheng frowned and asked:
"What's going on? Are you sure it's Mr. He Jingyunhe?"
The messenger preached without thinking:
"The person here has the document signed by Master He and is coming here!"
Cui Zheng continued to ask:
"How many people did Master He bring here?"
Faced with this problem, the messenger thought for a while and said:
"There are probably hundreds of them, all of them elite cavalry! They are very tough!"
Hearing this answer, Zhang Meng was also very confused. According to the regulations of the Fengwu Army, ministries are not allowed to leave the station without orders. Unless a friendly army asks for help from your unit at a critical moment, you can act without orders!
Although the enemy army invaded Anqing this time, Zhang Meng also hoped that the First Army stationed in Henan would come to increase its troops, but after all, it was not yet a life-or-death situation!
Therefore, the necessary procedures still had to be carried out. The memorial that required Zhang Meng to ask for help was sent to Yi Jing, and then it was reviewed and approved by the staff department, and finally the order was given to the First Army. Only the First Army can take action after receiving the order!
If this procedure goes smoothly, it will take more than a month at least, so Zhang Meng does not expect the First Army to come to the rescue now!
That's why Zhang Meng was so shocked and surprised when he heard the news of He Jingyun's arrival. What made him even more confused was that He Jingyun only brought a few hundred people!
Even if the cavalry of your First Army are all first-class elite cavalry, in a war involving tens of thousands of people between the enemy and ourselves, a few hundred cavalry will not make much difference... ················
With such doubts, Zhang Meng led the generals of the Fourth Army to greet He Jingyun. Although everyone was now a commander in name, Zhang Meng was very aware of the gap between him and He Jingyun!
When Mr. Zhang was the commander under Yuan Song, He Jingyun was already the number two figure in the Fengwu Army and the Chief of General Staff of the Fengwu Army!
Although He Jingyun's limelight in the Fengwu Army has gradually been overshadowed by Yuan Song in recent years, the skinny camel is bigger than a horse. He Jingyun is still quite prestigious in the army, so he, Zhang Meng, must show enough respect and enough respect. So much humility!
Soon Zhang Meng saw He Jingyun. At this time, He Jingyun looked very dusty and exhausted. It was obvious that he had led his troops to come here overnight, but He Jingyun's eyes were bright!
After meeting Zhang Meng, He Jingyun briefly exchanged greetings with him, then he couldn't wait to take out an order and handed it to Zhang Meng and said:
"Zhang Meng, this is the plan that the marshal put in the staff department before he went to Luo'an. After Cui Shao, Gu Sansi, and Zhao Han unanimously agreed, this plan is now activated. Take a look... ················”
