On the Huainan camp of the Northern Han Dynasty, while fighting against Chen and Xu Yuanying's armies in consecutive battles, in Huaidong, Huaidong economic envoy Guo Rong also launched a combat plan against the Southern Tang reinforcements under the orders of Liu Chengyou.
In fact, the pressure on Guo Rong's side is still relatively high, especially the pressure on military strength. The Han army deployed by Guo Rong for the Huaidong Economic Strategy only had 6,000 Xu and Yizhi troops who went south with him, 3,000 Suzhou Tuanlian troops, as well as 1,000 cavalry and a group of Longqi troops allocated by Liu Chengyou at the mouth of the vortex. The total number of troops was There were about 15,000 soldiers, plus more than 10,000 servants recruited from Huaibei.
It seems that there are already a lot of troops, but the garrison and combat tasks that these troops have to undertake are very arduous. Haozhou and Chuzhou must be garrisoned, especially Chuzhou, which is at the strategic point of the canal. Because in the face of Yao Feng's army stationed in Gaoyou, which always intends to move north, there must be no less garrison force.
In addition, the Tang army stationed in Sizhou needed to be on guard even more. Although Feng Yansi had transferred his younger brother Feng Yanlu from Sizhou for personal reasons, Guo Tingwei was left to take charge of military and state affairs alone and stationed at Xuyi, an important town in Huaiyang.
This operation made Sizhou more difficult to defeat. As mentioned before, Guo Tingwei is a talented general, has strong military training ability, and is not afraid of the Han army. Since the Han army's southern expedition, Sizhou's soldiers and horses have not suffered much damage in several battles. Coupled with the Tang court's subsequent deployment, recruitment of warriors, and gathering of defeated troops, Guo Tingwei still had tens of thousands of soldiers to hold on, especially with one Although the scale of the water army was small, it made Guo Rong always use the enemy's weapon when he was trapped.
And Guo Tingwei was not a passive person. He attacked from time to time and fought on a small scale. Although the results were not great, it made Guo Rong very uncomfortable. Later, during the winter solstice, the weather became colder and Guo Rong had to withdraw his defense and contain Guo Tingwei's army conservatively.
Zhao Kuangyin led an army to garrison Zhaoxin in the southwest of Xuyi. Xuzhou's deputy envoy Cheng Deqin garrisoned Linhuai in the north. Guo Rong led his army to garrison in Duliang Mountain across the Huaihe River from Xuyi, forming a triangle to control Xuyi. As for Chuzhou, it was garrisoned by Chen Sirang, the former Yizhou regiment training envoy, who was an experienced general.
But since the beginning of spring, after Huangfu Hui and Yao Feng moved northward, Guo Rong had a headache, and Liu Chengyou's edict made him feel that he had a heavy responsibility on his shoulders. Fortunately, the Tang army moved slowly, especially Huangfu Hui. I don't know what he was thinking about. Chen Jue and Yao Feng both moved forward. His middle army was still guarding Qingliu Pass.
When Xuzhou Jiedu envoy Wu Xingde led his army from Pengcheng to Linhuai, Guo Rongfang received his report and Huangfuhui sent troops. At this time, Yao Feng's army of nearly 40,000 troops on land and water had launched an attack on Shanyang. Chen Sirang's army was weak, with only more than 3,000 soldiers. Facing ten times the enemy, even if Tang Division was not good at attacking the city, it was still very hard to defend. Letters asking for help came in one after another, and Chen Sirang's words became even more serious. If the reinforcements did not arrive, Shanyang would be lost and he would die in battle.
Speaking of which, Huangfu Hui was the Huainan aid envoy in the Southern Tang Dynasty and the commander-in-chief in resisting the Han army. However, the armies led by Chen Jue and Yao Feng on his left and right were both more powerful than him. By the time his troops left Qingliu Pass, including Zhengfu, his army was less than 30,000.
Faced with a somewhat critical situation, Guo Rong summoned Zhao Kuangyin and other generals to discuss the military situation. After discussion, they unanimously decided to take the initiative to attack. If they were to defend passively and let Huangfu Hui attack the Huai River and cooperate with Guo Tingwei, the Han army would be in a dire situation. Something bad happened.
Guo Rong's decision-making ability has always been very strong. Directly ordered Zhao Kuangyin to lead five thousand troops east to assist Chen Sirang, and then engage in a dogfight with the Tang army around Shanyang. Guo Rong himself led a thousand cavalry and three thousand Longqi troops to the south to meet Huangfu Hui.
As for Sizhou, two thousand soldiers and some civilians were stationed in Liangshan, the capital, and Zhan Wuxingde was asked to lead the Xuzhou soldiers south to contain Guo Tingwei in Xuyi. Guo Rong's arrangement is very risky. Three roads are facing each other. The three roads are outnumbered. If there is any mishap, the consequences will be serious. Of course, this arrangement is also in line with his temperament.
Those who accompanied Guo Rong in the battle were all young generals, such as Zhao Kuangyin, Dang Jin, Zhao Yanjin, An Shouzhong, etc., and none of them were with them. And if there is any battle plan, it is for each to fight his own way and use whatever he wants.
Guo Rong led four thousand cavalry and headed south from the capital Liangshan, watching Huangfu Hui's army rush away. In an unexpected encounter with the Han army, the two sides fought on the upper reaches of Lai'an River in Chuzhou. Because the scouts were spread far enough, Huangfu Hui was aware of the Han army's movements and adjusted his formation in advance. However, Huangfuhui finally underestimated Guo Rong and underestimated the determination and madness of the battle. After a fifty or sixty-mile attack, he ignored the fatigue of the soldiers and took advantage of the incomplete formation of the Tang army to launch an attack.
An encounter was very fierce. Guo Rong took the lead and stared at the left flank of Huangfu Hui's army. The two sides fought fiercely for half an hour, which ended with the defeat of the Tang army. The power of those thousand Han cavalry was too great a threat on the battlefield, which was why Guo Rong dared to defy military strategists and launch an attack on an enemy several times larger.
Of course, this battle was not easy for the Han army. They were too exhausted to do their best and allowed Huangfu Hui's army to retreat south to Lai'an County in the north of Chuzhou. As a result, the Tang army along Huangfuhui's side was defeated and the enemy's power was contained.
After winning the first battle, Guo Rong found a village nearby for his soldiers to rest and recuperate. After discussing with Zhao Yanjin and An Shouzhong, on the second day, they made a decisive decision to march to Lai'an to force the Tang army and dominate the masses with their few.
Chuzhou, Lai'an County.
Since the war between the Han and Tang Dynasties began nearly four months ago, the war has finally spread to this small town in Chuzhou. The defeat of the supporting army has made the people in the city panic. Under the welcome of the county magistrate, Huangfuhui directly occupied the county government office and sat at the hall table. Huangfuhui's expression was ugly.
Huangfu Hui can be regarded as the epitome of martial arts in this era, and he is still quite famous. In the last years of Emperor Zhuangzong of the Later Tang Dynasty, Wei Bo's garrison mutinied in Beizhou. It was this man who took the lead in instigating the rebellion and forced Zhao Zaili to do what he wanted. He became the "big brother who took the lead", which caused a chain reaction. Towns in the Central Plains and Hebei responded to the rebellion one after another, causing Li Cunxu to lose his country after four years of victory.
The more "legendary" version is that Huangfuhui was a gambler, and he gambled with the army sergeants, but he couldn't pay for it, so he was so angry that he just rebelled for fun. Of course, Huangfuhui is famous for this, and it is more due to fate. At that time, the Later Tang Empire was already in dire straits, and the garrison soldiers were like a pile of dry firewood, and Huangfuhui was just the spark that ignited it.
With the golden belt of murder and arson, Huangfu Hui gained a career as an envoy from a soldier. When the Khitan went south to destroy the Jin Dynasty, this king saw Lu Shen in the Central Plains, and took the opportunity to lead his troops to surrender to Li Jing, and recruited a large number of Huaibei stragglers, thieves, and men for the Southern Tang Dynasty. Xian Shilang, Sun Lang, Cao Jin and others mentioned before are all among them.
By the Southern Tang Dynasty, Huangfu Hui was valued by Li Jing, and he was generously rewarded with titles and titles. Although many people in the court questioned his status as "Northern General", Huangfu Hui always felt that he had a clear conscience, and Li Jing still trusted him, otherwise he would not have been allowed to command the Huainan reinforcement army. Although it was only In name only.
Huangfuhui is not young anymore. He has passed the age of knowing his destiny. As he gets older, he has become more restrained and less rogue and frivolous than he was in his youth. The armor is very bright and powerful, and the beard is trimmed delicately. When he sits there, he looks like a famous general. However, he was frustrated by Guo Rong. At this time, the famous general was very angry and dissatisfied.
"Have all the battalions returned? How many troops were lost?" Huangfu Hui asked one of the generals.
"Hui Shijun, basically everyone is back! As for the losses..." General Pi lowered his voice as he answered, but facing Huangfu Hui's gaze, he said bravely: "Together with those who were killed in battle, those who were captured, and those who were lost." There should be five thousand soldiers inside!"
"Hmph! What a disgrace! My 30,000-strong army was ten times the enemy's, but it was defeated by him!" Huangfuhui suddenly became furious, smashed the table and said, "This Guo Rong is used to making these raids despicable. Trick, Haozhou and Chuzhou were both attacked by him, and this time they attacked me again!"
After complaining, Huangfu Hui ordered: "Go down immediately, gather the soldiers, and reorganize the troops! Send another group of troops from Qingliu Pass! Send scouts to detect the movements of the Han army!"
However, on the second day, Guo Rong also organized his troops and came south, setting up a stronghold five miles north of Lai'an. After hearing this, Huangfu Hui suddenly felt a sense of contempt coming towards him, and said angrily: "This Guo Rong is bullying others too much! He underestimates me too much. Do you really think I'm afraid of him?"
After wandering for a while, feeling depressed, Huangfu Hui immediately wrote a handwritten letter and ordered it to be sent to the Han army.
"Your Majesty, what does this mean?" the general under his command couldn't help but ask.
"Make an appointment with the Han army to fight outside the city to avenge the previous humiliation!" Huangfu Hui said seriously.
Hearing this, his subordinates were shocked and couldn't help but persuade him: "You can't do it! We just suffered a defeat yesterday, and our morale has not recovered. The Han army has won with a small number. One is declining, the other is growing. The army is sharp, so we should not fight lightly. !”
"I think you are afraid of being beaten by the Han army!" Seeing this, Huangfu Hui couldn't help but scolded: "We still have more than 20,000 soldiers, how many people are there in the Han army? How can the enemy's prestige destroy my ambition?"
"Your Majesty, it's hard to deal with that Han cavalry alone!"
"Not to mention Han cavalry, they are Khitan cavalry. I have seen them before. They only need large shields, spears, and horses, supplemented by bows and crossbows. If they dare to charge into the formation, they will only seek death!" Huangfuhui waved his hand and said: "Okay. That’s it, I’ve made up my mind, don’t say too much, it’s a big deal! Go down and prepare for battle!”
"However, you don't have to worry too much. As for Guo Rong, whether he dares to show off his swords and guns in a fight with someone is still a question..." Huangfu Hui stroked his beard again.
Outside Lai'an City, Guo Rongzheng personally led Qingqi to explore outside the city walls. Lai'an is just a small city. The city is not high and the walls are not solid. However, it is not easy for the Tang soldiers to break through it.
Enemies on three sides needed to be dealt with. After all, there was not much time. Guo Rong was still deeply worried. Just as he was thinking about how to fight next, Huangfu Hui's messenger arrived.
With doubts, he opened the letter and read it. Guo Rong suddenly smiled, laughed out loud, and said directly to the messenger: "Go back and tell Huangfu Hui that the envoy has agreed to his request!"
