Chapter 107 Guyuan City
Guyuan City was surrendered by a vanguard of the Northern Army.
Just a thousand-household cavalry. Moreover, after the battle, the cavalry Qianhu was no longer full. There are only a few hundred cavalry in total.
Although Guyuan City was heavily mobilized, there were at least one or two thousand soldiers, not counting the local strong men. Coupled with the advantages of city defense. In fact, it can be defended. However, the situation is not good, and people's hearts are floating.
first. It was the Battle of Ningxia.
Ningxia is an important border defense area, blocking the way to the south of the Yangtze River.
Naturally, it is the top priority. All Qu Neng's military operations are centered around Ningxia, and they go smoothly. At this moment, they have met at the foot of Ningxia City. The battle has entered its second half and is almost at its conclusion.
The siege of Ningxia did not require so many soldiers and horses.
Qu Neng naturally waved his whip and marched westward, dividing his troops.
As Guyuan City is an important place in the northwest, Qu Neng could not have just sent so few troops because the battle was simply too smooth. It can be said that since the war between the North and the South, the Northern Army has never fought such a smooth battle.
On the main battlefield in the Central Plains, almost every battle is a tough battle.
It's all a peak showdown of technology and wisdom. That battle was not easy, and even the progress of both sides was changing with each passing day.
But the Ningxia battlefield is different.
Ningxia has generally retained the appearance of the Ming army during the Hongwu period. It’s not that no one wants to play for Nanjing. But under the powerful fighting power of the Northern Army, they all fell apart.
It’s really hard to beat. Natural surrender.
This creates a chain reaction. Although there were only a few thousand people, they were trapped in the big city many times without any hindrance, and people everywhere they passed surrendered.
Only then did more than a thousand people rush to Guyuan City.
Secondly, the Xiaoguan battlefield also affected the aspirations of the soldiers in Guyuan City.
How important Xiaoguan is, even people who don't read military books and don't understand the geography of Shaanxi. You can tell just by hearing the name. Not to mention the Guyuan locals. They also know how important Xiao Guan is.
When Xiaoguan fell, it was a lie that the soldiers of Guyuan City did not waver at all.
Under these circumstances, Guyuan City is in its current situation.
This news naturally reached Mei Yin's ears.
Let Mei Yin have a place to go.
Originally, after Mei Yin withdrew from Xiaoguan, he planned to retreat to Lanzhou City. But he immediately went to Guyuan to join the Northern Army.
As for Mei Yin's status, even the soldiers of the Northern Army did not dare to neglect him. Instead, he was placed below Mei Yin. Mei Yin became the defender of Guyuan City.
Mei Yin was worried that Geng Bingwen's army would attack Guyuan, and he was always on tenterhooks. But soon, good news came. The defender of Ningxia City was killed by his subordinates, and Ningxia City Kaicheng surrendered.
Qu Neng did not enter Ningxia City at all, but left people to guard it. He quickly went south with tens of thousands of cavalry and came to Guyuan City.
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Mei Yin went out of the city to greet her, so Qu Neng naturally gave Mei Yin a lot of face. Qu Neng knew very well that with his status back then, he might not even be able to reach the threshold of the Ningguo Princess Mansion. Although things are different now, Qu Neng is a veteran after all, and he knows the importance. Will not get carried away. Mei Yin also knows that things are different now and is unsure of his position in Beijing. Naturally, he did not want to offend the important military generals in Beijing.
Therefore, Mei Yin and Qu Neng had a great time as host and guest, so naturally there is no need to mention it.
Soon we got down to business.
Qu Neng said: "The prince-in-law has made great contributions to the court. From now on, he will be called the Duke of the country."
Mei Yin smiled miserably and said: "How can a defeated general have the dignity to ask for merit after losing Xiao Guan?"
Qu Neng said: "What does the loss of Xiao Pass count? Not to mention, this Xiao Pass was captured by the Prince Consort. Only by restraining Geng Bingwen, a veteran general, the Prince Consort can freely use troops in other areas. Not to mention, Lintao and other places, Under the command of Zhao Zongshou, there were two prefectural cities, three guard cities, ten county towns, and more than 10,000 troops gathered. This is all the result of the consort."
When it comes to this matter, Mei Yin doesn't know what to say.
Of the two choices, Mei Yin chose the one with greater merit, but ended up falling into the sand, almost sinking himself into it.
Zhao Zongshou, however, relied on thousands of rebel troops to conquer a land thousands of miles away. His merits are enough to make him a marquis.
There is a big difference between this one and the next.
It would be a lie to say that Mei Yin has no regrets, but he is not too jealous of Zhao Zongshou. Mei Yin is even ready to win over Zhao Zongshou. Without him, he has to think about the future. How can he do things in the court without his own people. He has been silent for many years, in Xining City, far away from the power field. Many relationships have been broken, but Zhao Zongshou has this merit, and he is an available person.
Mei Yin said: "This is Master Zhao's contribution. I cannot rob others of their beauty."
Qu Neng said: "Without the heavy responsibility of the consort, he would be where he is today."
"I don't know how Master Qu should deal with the current situation?" Mei Yin said.
Qu Neng said: "Fu Youde is here, how dare I leave. I am watching Fu Youde here. You can go to Lanzhou on my behalf. If my calculation is correct, King Yan will be here soon. Please ask the consort to entertain you for me."
For Qu Neng, the most important thing is not the trivial military exploits in the northwest. Qu Neng even looks down upon the contribution in the battle of Ningxia. For Qu Neng, the real contribution is the battle with the south. Only the strategic decisive battle of the main force of the army can be regarded as merit. Other military achievements are nothing more than adding some salary or other rewards. Only through such a battle can promotion to the nobility be possible.
Ye Chen is now a Duke. He wants to be too.
At this moment, he actually longed for Fu Youde to come out of seclusion and have a battle with him here at Xiao Pass. This is what he longs for.
Moreover, Lanzhou had to face King Yan, and Qu Neng had to avoid suspicion.
Ordinary people may have no problem if they are too close to the feudal king, but those who hold military power must be especially cautious.
Mei Yin said: "Quhou, I'm afraid something will go wrong."
Qu Neng said: "What can go wrong? You did a good job at Lanzhou City before. You only need to wait for more than ten days. He Shoufu will also arrive. Meet King Yan in Lanzhou. All you need to do is arrange it. .”
Although Lanzhou is not yet in the hands of the Northern Army. But Qu Neng didn't care at all. Because now the main force of the Southern Army in Gansu, Ningxia, and various places has been wiped out.
Those who were not eliminated lost their courage.
Just like the defenders in Lanzhou City.
Mei Yin's plan of making false troops could not be hidden for long. If at first, the people in Lanzhou City were deceived by Mei Yin, but now they were frightened by the Northern Army's offensive.
Even if he knew, there weren't many soldiers and horses outside the city. But he didn't dare to attack rashly. Destroy the tacit understanding between the two parties.
Too many people are thinking about their own future.
Although there are many troops and horses everywhere and the chaos is not yet settled, in Qu Neng's view, the war in the northwest has actually been settled. What follows is just the finishing touch.
The only variable is Geng Bingwen.
If Geng Bingwen leaves the country in a big way, there will still be a big war between the two sides.
If Geng Bingwen didn't come out of seclusion, Qu would not be able to do anything about the following things. It's just waiting to attack Guanzhong in the future.
But Geng Bingwen thought about it again and again and finally decided not to leave.
The reason is simple. Geng Bingwen thought of the Battle of Sanggan River. Although Xiao Pass today is not Yanmen Pass, the situation is similar to that of the original. Geng Bingwen was very worried. As soon as he came out of seclusion, the battle of Sanggan River reappeared.
But the situation now is different from that then.
First of all, it means that the Northern Army is at the end of its strength.
This end of the war does not mean that the Northern Army suffered heavy casualties, but that the Northern Army's logistics consumption was too great. Even if the armies surrendered, there was some gunpowder, but the quality of the gunpowder was not good, and it was not as good as that produced in Beijing, and the soldiers below did not want to use it.
It can be said that the current Northern Army can no longer afford a major war.
If Fu Youde attacks, the Northern Army he encounters will not be the Northern Army in its heyday.
Secondly, during the Battle of Sanggan River, the Datong area had already surrendered to Beijing and would not waver. The northwest region is different. But in reality, it's quite different.
Although the northwest region is now under the control of the Northern Army. However, there were actually defenders in various places who defended Nanjing. Most of them surrendered, and the original political structure was not disrupted.
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In other words, once the Confederate Army wins one or two big victories, various places will start to revolt to reverse the situation.
It's just that although Geng Bingwen can't be said to be a mediocre general, he is not a general who can fight the battle between gods and immortals. At this time, he still played a steady hand in order to be complete. This fighter plane was just missed.
Character determines destiny. Geng Bingwen spent most of his life defending the city. When defending the city, he would rather miss it. Don't rush forward, this is almost engraved in Geng Bingwen's bones.
It cannot be changed.
