Liu Chengyou was not as angry about the defeat at the front, the discord between the generals, and the results of the treatment as he was in the imperial tent. He just sent his entourage and Wang Yu back to convey his order to let the troops in front of the Hezhong camp rest and recuperate. , soothe the morale of the troops and restore morale in preparation for the next step in countering the rebellion. Moreover, the status of the deployment of the camp capital in the middle of the Baiwenke River was emphasized.
The emperor's "kindness" made the generals on the front line a little embarrassed, especially Bai Wenke. The veteran general was also a great Han Yuancong. Although he did not have a close relationship with Liu Chengyou, he did not expect that the emperor would be so thoughtful at such a young age. Zhou Hui was ashamed and a little uneasy. Except after arresting He Hui and Fan Aineng, he did not dare to be arrogant anymore and kept a low profile.
The so-called knowing shame and then being brave. If the army in the river was still a little gloating about the misfortune when the Forbidden Army was first defeated, but the rebels gained a little momentum and dared to send the cavalry south to check, then it would be a shame for all the officers and soldiers. beated.
On the other hand, veterans like Bai Wenke, Zhao Hui and others who are full of troops on the front line will not really think that the emperor will not respond to the revelation and will not pursue the case. Perhaps with the mentality of atonement through merit, with the support of Zhao Hui and others, on the third day of the defeat, Bai Wenke personally led the army northward.
Just as Liu Chengyou expected, the victory in the previous battle had a great impact on the situation, and the rebels in the city suddenly gained some confidence. The efforts and momentum gathered by the officers and soldiers in the previous campaign were like a tire with a hole in it, leaking.
And Li Shouzhen seemed to have an idea and figured out how to fight this battle. That is to be cowardly, rely on fortified cities, launch defensive counterattacks, and hold back the imperial army until the times change. If the officers and soldiers reveal any flaws, they will attack decisively.
For example, when Bai Wenke and others led the army, forced into the south of the city and went down to the stronghold. Li Shouzhen became so courageous that he dared to personally lead his troops out of the city to attack and disrupt his stronghold.
Li Shouzhen had a good idea in mind, and wanted to imitate what happened before, taking advantage of the first arrival of the army and his unsteady footing to catch him off guard. As everyone knows, Bai Wenke and other generals had already taken precautions. In other words, luring the rebels out of the city was also one of their purposes.
The number of officers and soldiers outside the city was not much greater than Pu's army, and their composition was complex, with different commanders. The coordination and execution were not precise enough. However, except for the Huazhou Army, the rest of them have impressive combat capabilities. In terms of combat power alone, except for Li Shouzhen's tooth soldiers, the rebels in the city were not worth mentioning.
Although they fought each other, after a fierce battle, the officers and soldiers came out from behind, and Wang Yan was invited to attack from Linjin to help in the battle, directly killing Li Shouzhen and retreating back to the city. Xiaodi's army wanted to avenge their previous humiliation and fought particularly hard. Sun Li, the commander of the left wing, marched forward with blood and led his army to cover up the killing. He tried to follow the defeated troops and rushed into the city, but failed and was injured by two arrows.
Li Shouzhen retreated into the city at the expense of abandoning thousands of Pu troops behind the palace. This time they attacked, the rebel army's momentum was suppressed again, and more than 2,000 soldiers were directly damaged in the battle. After this battle, Li Shouzhen probably did not dare to leave lightly.
The goal of the officers and soldiers this time was obviously not to become a fat man in one bite. After killing the rebels, they calmly established a stronghold in the south of the city. After establishing a firm foothold, thousands of people were recruited to the front line to strengthen the fortifications. After the south camp was established, they moved to the east of the city and built a new camp. They saw a large number of military camps rising outside the city. Li Shouzhen in the city saw it from a distance, but he didn't dare to move any more.
Liu Chengyou's side started from Shihao Town, passed through Shaanzhou, crossed Pinglu, followed the Xiaodi Army's march route, and arrived at the foot of Hedong City in four days. Prior to this, the Xingjie Army and the San Commander had escorted the part of the grain and equipment to arrive, which at the same time allowed the besieging officers and soldiers to stand firmer. With the arrival of Liu Chengyou's personal army, the siege of Hedong City was completely consolidated.
There are more than 50,000 horse and infantry troops, including the state troops, and the nearly 30,000 civilians recruited successively. The number under Hedong City has truly exceeded 100,000, and can at least be called an army of 200,000. Its power is numerous, the soldiers are full of soldiers, and the flags are fluttering, boundless.
Under the enemy's city, Liu Chengyou issued an edict in advance. There was no need to arrange any welcoming ceremony and military system. First, he ordered the generals and generals of the army to lead their troops to garrison the two-sided company camp that had been formed. However, a 100,000-level fortress cannot be easily built in just a few days. It still needs to be expanded and built.
This expedition was to quell the rebellion in Hezhong, which not only shocked the world, but also the prefectures and towns in Guanyou. The town army here is also old and has never seen such a large-scale war or such a huge army.
After the armies were stationed, Liu Chengyou, accompanied by the generals of the armies, began to inspect the camps, personally inspecting the sergeants, and also letting the armies take a look at their emperor. Not only the soldiers of the various towns and vassals, but also the soldiers of the Forbidden Army who participated in the conquest, most of them knew that they were protecting and guarding the emperor, but they had not seen his true appearance.
The emperor's act of "pro-military" had a miraculous effect. He was warmly welcomed by all the soldiers and surrounded him. Under the encouragement of some generals, the voices of "long live" and "ten thousand victories" kept coming and going.
Of course, to prevent unexpected events, Liu Chengyou traveled by imperial chariot. However, every time he arrived at a camp, he would get out of the chariot, stand on the shaft of the chariot, and wave to the soldiers and civilians who came up from the tent. Every move made by the emperor aroused cheers from the crowd.
Liu Chengyou's move was actually very risky, because there was no guarantee that there would be a hidden arrow. However, some risks must be taken. Just because the imperial chariot passed by and the deafening cheers made it worth doing.
Of course, although Liu Chengyou was intoxicated by the enthusiasm of the soldiers, he was very clear-minded and should not take it too seriously. He just satisfied the curiosity of the sergeants and gained military support, but it didn't reach that level.
However, after such a show by Liu Chengyou, morale was even higher. The warm atmosphere was extremely contagious, and many people were caught up in the wave of cheers.
The cheers of 100,000 people were deafening, reaching into the dry clouds and reaching the city, making the guards tremble. Li Shouzhen heard the sound and climbed onto the city wall. When he looked at the army barracks again, his face was terrifyingly gloomy.
The officers and soldiers were naturally worthy of fear, but if their morale was so strong, then that would be really bad for him.
The sound spread for several miles, directly over the city, across the Yellow River, and reached the two military camps on the west bank. During this period, Yao Yuanfu and Song Yanwo had led the troops from three states and set up camp in front of the rebel Xizhai, keeping a close eye on the rebel Xizhai. The two of them cooperated quite well.
Knowing that the emperor's chariot had arrived, and hearing his cheers, Yao Yuanfu and Song Yanwo also ordered their soldiers to shout long live in tacit agreement and join in the East Bank's harmony.
In a short period of time, outside Hedong City and on both sides of Pujin, there were shouts of long live.
When the royal chariot passed by the East and West Ban military camp, Zhao Kuangyin glanced at Liu Chengyou in the distance under the autumn sun. He couldn't help but sigh in his heart, and his expression was also excited. He followed the crowd and shouted "Long live" several times.
I muttered silently in my heart: This emperor is not simple, his military morale is determined, and his morale has been strong since then!
