The Northern Han Dynasty's Huainan strategy was officially launched. Troops and horses were transferred to the south. Tens of thousands of servants accompanied the army, and there was an endless stream of vehicles, boats and horses. At that time, the states in Huaibei were under martial law, and a breath of war spread throughout the Huaihe River Basin, which was heart-stopping.
However, the "Civil War" between the Northern Han Dynasty and the Southern Tang Dynasty first broke out in Hunan.
It had been nearly two months since the Tang army had defeated Chu. However, just as the Northern Han monarchs and ministers had expected, before Chu was defeated, the situation became increasingly chaotic. Even the Northern Han Dynasty is not causing trouble behind the scenes, and some secret hands have not yet been activated.
In late August, after the situation in Changsha and surrounding areas stabilized, Tang Army commander Bian Hao sent a partial division south to Hengshan in order to capture Ma Xi'e. Originally, Ma Xi'e went to the Southern Tang Dynasty and wanted to return to Changsha and continue to be his king of Chu. However, the actions of the Tang army completely dispelled his illusions.
As a result, Ma Xihe did not have the courage to fight against the Tang army and directly led the Hengzhou generals to surrender. At this point, Ma's family was completely destroyed.
In the land of Lingnan, Ma Xiyin, the governor of the Chu Jingjiang Army, was in charge of the overall situation in Guizhou. However, facing the army of the Southern Han Dynasty who took advantage of the situation, they were already weak. They lost seven states in a row. Although they were all barren lands, it sounded like they were already in control. It's a precarious situation. And there was not much room for choice for Ma Xiyin.
In the Southern Tang Dynasty, seeing that most of Hunan was settled, Li Jing, the leader of the Tang Dynasty, issued several edicts, mainly to adjust the personnel in the Chu region and reward the meritorious officials.
As the commander-in-chief, Bian Hao naturally became the military envoy of Wu'an Army, temporarily in charge of Hunan's military affairs. Because of his previous efforts to open warehouses to provide food relief, he first won the hearts of the Chu people.
Thousands of Ma family members and Hunan generals moved to Jinling one after another. This is simply clearing the way for future generations to rule.
If from now on, the Tang army could stick to the style they had when they first entered Hunan, allowing the Chu people to recuperate and take time, it would not be impossible to digest the Chu territory.
Then, the upper echelons of the Southern Tang Dynasty came. Perhaps Pingchu was too relaxed, and the emperors and ministers of the Southern Tang Dynasty were too arrogant. They did not listen to the words of talented and good ministers, and instead lost themselves in their achievements. Take Feng Yansi as an example. At the beginning, he was still stable and advised to be cautious. Later, the person with the most arrogant attitude was Xianggong Feng.
At the suggestion of "Friend of the Northern Han Dynasty" Feng Yansi, Li Jing sent several envoys to Hunan. The mission of these people was the same, which was to recruit Chu people to provide funds to make up for the losses of the Tang army during the expedition. Basically, just like the Khitan people's policy of "borrowing" money and food after they destroyed the Jin Dynasty, it was an unpopular move. The country of scholars and the dynasty of scholars are the reason for this harsh government.
Not only these plundering envoys, but also the generals of the Tang Army in Chu, after being honest for a short time, gradually showed their fangs and participated in this feast of plundering wealth, which gradually turned into adultery and robbery.
As Hunan's military and political chief, Bian Hao did nothing at this time. His human nature is gentle, gentle and unbreakable, and he likes to be a good person. He has no binding force on the generals under his command. He spent the whole day worshiping Buddha and praying for blessings in Jiedu Mansion, letting the chaos in Hunan go unchecked.
As a result, the Chu land was in chaos. The Tang army's gathering behavior in the Hunan states can be described in one sentence: they did not even spare the barbarians at the foot of the mountain.
...
It's the end of autumn again. Since the Ma family's civil strife, the people of Chu in Hunan have been suffering for several years and have been uneasy.
On the left side of Changsha City, more than 20 ships docked. On the pier, mountains of money, food, goods, soldiers, and coolies began to be loaded onto the ships under urging.
This is the fourth time. The Tang army transported the goods looted from the surrounding areas of Changsha southward to Liling and transported them back to China via Pingxiang. It is difficult to describe the actions of the Dong army in Hunan by scraping three feet from the ground. Gold, silk, treasures, grains, and even boats, pavilions, flowers and fruits all moved to Jinling, as if they wanted to empty out all the prefectures and counties in Hunan. .
Among the coolies carrying them, there was a Tang army, a strong man dressed as a military academy, standing aside with a gloomy expression. This man's name was Sun Lang, and he was the commander of Fengjie in the Tang Dynasty. He was not a native Tang general, but in the early Han Dynasty, when the Central Plains was in chaos, he defected to the Southern Tang Dynasty with the Jin minister Xian Shilang.
Although he was brave, he was always marginalized in the Tang army. He was always under the command of Xian Shilang. After a few years, he only reached the position of commander of the first army, leading an army of no more than a thousand men. The only consolation is that these more than a thousand people are all trustworthy Huaibei Township people and can be hugged together for warmth.
This time, together with Xian Shilang, he was on the list of conquering Chu. Not long ago, the Southern Tang court rewarded him for his merits. Xian Shilang was promoted and was sent to Hengzhou in the south as a military envoy. Sun Lang was left in Changsha. His army coming from the north seemed to be awkward among the Tang army. There was no Xian Shilang at the top to support him. After a period of time, he was quite marginalized.
The Fengjie Army did not get the benefits, but it did a lot of dirty work. Under such a situation, Sun Lang, as the commander, could not be in a good mood.
At this time, I was on the dock, looking at the soldiers under my command, being used as laborers. The wind was very cold, and my heart felt even colder. And looking at the empty ships, which were filled with goods, a trace of eagerness could not help but appear in his eyes. However, looking at the Tang army defenders around the dock, they could only restrain themselves.
The more than a thousand Fengjie Army was stationed in a civilian square in the northwest of Changsha City, not far from Jiedu Mansion. After returning to the camp later, the deputy commander Cao Jin returned. He was a lanky man with dark skin. When he saw Sun Lang, he said angrily: "That thief Wang Shaoyan has deprived us of our reward again. What he said needs to be verified, and then Let’s distribute it!”
"How unreasonable! Is it not good for the thief king to bully me into using my sword?" Hearing this, Sun Lang couldn't help but slapped the table and said angrily.
Wang Shaoyan was the food envoy for the Tang army's camp and was responsible for the army's logistical supply and reward matters. However, he was a Northerner and had always despised Sun Lang's "Northern army". It was normal for him to be embarrassed.
Cao Jin said angrily: "I heard that there is a silver mine in Liuyang. Yuanzhou's soldiers were there and got tens of thousands of taels of silver. Now the Southern Army is plundering everywhere and getting a lot of money, but we are here, being used as laborers. The imperial court is here. They regard us as Chu soldiers! Rewards are not increased for meritorious service, but are reduced for those who have done nothing. How unfair!"
Listening to what he said, Sun Lang felt the same way. He had a pair of thick eyebrows, and he said excitedly: "When we followed Xian Gong to the Tang Dynasty, we thought we could gain wealth and keep peace. This time, even if we have no merits, we can bring peace to Chu." We have worked hard, the Tang army treats us so contemptuously! Now that Duke Xian has gone to Hengzhou, and you and my brothers are in Changsha, the situation is even more worrying. I have thought about it for a long time, rather than being treated as a coolie and suffering from this cowardice, it is better to do the opposite!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Cao Jin was startled. He quickly looked outside, closed the door behind him, and said hesitantly: "There are only more than a thousand of us!"
When faced with the idea of rebellion, Cao Jin had no intention of objecting. He was just hesitant about the power in his hands.
Hearing this, Sun Lang felt like a block in his chest. He felt refreshed and his eyes were clear. He said: "Although we only have a thousand soldiers, we are all close people. We all have grievances and can use angry troops. The Tang army in Hunan is scattered. However, there are only five or six thousand people in Changsha, and they have no intention of fighting."
"We just need to take advantage of them, rise up and attack Jiedu Mansion, kill Bian Hao and Wang Shaoyan, divide the property, and then take the Chu people hostage. Today's Chu people are suffering deeply from the Tang army, and the hatred in their hearts is , is stronger than us. After occupying Changsha, we will occupy Hunan and return to the Central Plains without losing the position of prince."
"Done it!" Cao Jin gritted his teeth as Sun Lang's words made his blood boil.
The two brothers, Sun Lang and Cao Jin, are just two hot-tempered old brothers nowadays. They do what they say. That night, they led their Fengjie soldiers and carried firewood to burn down the palace. Hao woke up from his sleep and hurriedly sounded the drums and horns to gather troops to attack.
After all, Sun Lang and Cao Jin underestimated the Tang army in Changsha. In addition, they did not have a comprehensive plan and lacked troops. The attack on Jiedu Mansion did not stop for two quarters of an hour. Seeing that the opportunity was not good, they would be trapped in a tight siege, so they hurriedly retreated. Thanks to their courage, they broke out of the encirclement and fled to Langzhou to join Li Yan, the military envoy of Jiedu of Wuping Army.
Although Sun and Cao were defeated, they also had the effect of causing chaos in Changsha. The fire in the government office affected dozens of official buildings and civilian houses. The Tang army garrison suffered nearly a thousand casualties, and the people became more restless.
In Wuling, Langzhou, the actual leaders of the Wuping Army, Wang Kui, Zhou Xingfeng and other warriors, were conspiring with the Northern Han envoys Lizhou Xuanfu Shi Wende to "expel the Tang army and pacify Hunan".
Shi Wende, a scholar, went to Tokyo as an envoy and completely surrendered to the authority of the Han Dynasty. After returning to Hunan, he tried his best to promote the emperor's wisdom and kindness. It is also quite famous, and many Hunan soldiers and civilians who suffered from chaos and had no one to rely on were bewitched.
He was ordered to go to Wuling to discuss the dispatch of troops with Wang Kui and other warriors. While Wang Kui and others in Wuling were originally frightened by the power of the Tang army, then they saw that the Tang people were making stupid moves, the situation in Hunan became out of control, and Sanxiang was in chaos, which made everyone happy.
Although Wang Kui and others swore sworn vows as "Ten Brothers" to temporarily eliminate internal troubles, one Wuling City could not accommodate ten hungry tigers after all. In Langzhou, they had already been preparing to expel the Tang army and re-divide the territory.
The Han army's proactive contact gave them some confidence. Shi Wende had promised them that he would attack the Tang army, and that he would be the governor of the states and rule Hunan, and there were imperial edicts as proof.
Sun Lang and Cao Jinzhi came to join the army, which further increased the confidence of Lang's troops. Sun Lang informed Wang Kui of the military affairs of the Southern Tang Dynasty and the situation of the Tang army in Hunan. He bluntly said that taking Hunan would be as easy as picking up mustard, and he was willing to unite the army as the vanguard.
There were Han troops first, followed by Sun and Cao. In October of the fourth year of Qianyou's reign, in the winter, Wang Kui, the commander of Langzhou, united with the Han troops in Lizhou, raised six thousand troops, and went south to attack Tan. The banner of "Expelling the Tang Army and Defending the Hometown" was raised. The Chu people followed and the rebels rose up to attack the Tang Army. The situation in Hunan completely slid into the abyss of chaos.
Not long after the war in Hunan resumed, in Suzhou, the Han Dynasty's southern expedition army, which was well prepared, officially launched an attack on Huainan. The direction of the troops was, as Suzhou regiment training envoy Zhao Kuangyin expected, directed at Shouzhou, the important town in Huainan.
For a time, the clouds of war completely drifted from the north of the Great Wall to the south, and from Hunan to Huainan, the smoke of war suddenly rose.
