Dingzhou County has a total of eight counties, with a vast territory and dense population. It is the first developed and most prosperous area in Dingzhou.
Not counting Bei'an County, which Zhou Bai worked hard to transform, the combined land of Longfeng, Ruinan, and Biancheng counties is not as valuable as Dingzhou County.
This is why Zhou Baifei wanted to be promoted to Marquis after taking over Dingzhou County.
Holding Dingzhou County in hand and being promoted to a vassal state, one's fortune will be determined and irreproachable. Even if one claims to be one, it will be justified and recognized by the people of Texas.
Since the defenders of Dingguo had issued a no-war sign and showed a stubborn attitude of defending, after the Anbei Army's camp was established and the cavalry deployed four gates, Zhou Bai ordered his troops to be divided to attack the southern part of Dingzhou County.
Li Dingguo led the selected vanguard army across a thousand miles to take Nanding County, the southern gate of Dingzhou.
The border of Nanding County is adjacent to Daizhou, and the Dai River is used as the dividing line between the two states. After capturing Nanding, Li Dinghui deployed defenses in the Dai River Basin in time to ensure that the main force to attack Dingzhou City went smoothly.
According to the news leaked by a senior executive during Dingguo's latest small court meeting, Lei Haomiao finally received help from Daxu.
Lending luck was one thing, and the other was that Daxu persuaded two feudal states in Daibei, Lin Hu and Lou Fan, that they were willing to send troops to support Dingzhou County.
The price Dingguo paid was naturally not small. Not only did he have to bear the cost of sending troops from friendly countries, but he also had to cede the land of the two southern counties of Dingzhou County.
This is a huge shame, but if the country is gone, it means nothing to cede territory and ask for troops.
Instead of focusing on the local area of Daizhou, they want to get involved in affairs in other states, abandoning the near and seeking the distant, regardless of the fundamentals.
Of course, this is also due to the chaotic separatist situation in Daizhou. The actions of any force may lead to siege by other forces.
The two feudal lords who were willing to send troops were only viscounts, and their combined territory did not cover three counties.
Without considering the first step of casting the state tripod and proclaiming himself as King Cheng Long, compiling the land and population of Dingzhou might be a way out.
Although Daizhou was established earlier than Dingzhou and has a longer development time, in terms of stability and prosperity, it is not necessarily as good as Dingzhou.
In the vast Gobi desert, there are countless fierce bandits and horse bandits hidden in it. It is a famous place for hiding evil and evil in the north. Throughout the Great Xu Dynasty, Daizhou has never been completely stable.
For the Daizhou forces in neighboring Dingzhou County, this land is as blessed as the south of the Yangtze River. Now that the sovereign has ordered it and Lei Haomiao agrees, how can they miss this great opportunity.
I heard that Anbei Kingdom was very strong, but I had no idea. As a strong man who had emerged from years of turmoil and fighting, the monarchs of the two countries did not feel that they could even defend.
Yes, what they want is to take over the territory of the two counties first, and then just pretend to respond to the Dingzhou Army.
Taking chestnuts from the fire, the plan was good, but the execution was dumbfounded.
On March 12, 30,000 troops from Lin Hu and Lou Fan left Daizhou to cross the Dai River.
On March 13th, they attacked five military villages and market towns. On the 14th, they arrived at Nanding County.
At this time, the garrison of Nanding County was less than three thousand, and the soldiers were weak and there were few generals.
The Linlou coalition claimed that Dinghou had ceded Nanding, but the defenders "didn't believe it" and immediately decided to hold on.
In response to the sudden arrival of foreign enemies, Nanding was united, and the powerful people in the city came to help.
Because in the past few decades, many horse bandits and rebels roamed Daizhou across the Dai River to plunder, and Nanding suffered particularly serious harassment.
As a result, facing the fortified Nanding City, the Linlou coalition attacked hurriedly for a day and night without success.
While they were waiting for the follow-up siege equipment, Li Dingguo led the Forbidden Army to suddenly appear.
On March 16, a battle broke out in the plain area between Nanding City and Daihe. Anbei Forbidden Army of 10,000 people fought against 30,000 Linlou Allied Forces.
This battle lasted for three full days. The soldiers sent out by Lin Hu and Lou Fan were all elite, a strong army at the Daizhou level, and very arrogant.
In addition, based on their past experiences of robbery and fighting, how could they think that 10,000 people could compete with 30,000 of them.
The martial arts prevailed in Daizhou, and after the spiritual energy was revived, there were many more warriors in the army.
Similarly, the Xuanfeng Army, one of the five forbidden armies of Anbei Kingdom, has never suffered a major defeat since its formation and has made outstanding achievements.
After the new military leader was appointed, the campaign in the southern expedition to the country was also performed very well. The number of people in the army who received awards and were waiting for the title of national scholar was in double digits.
From Dingzhou City to Nanding City, they marched thousands of miles, but their morale never weakened at all.
If you don't obey me and I don't obey you, naturally there is only a head-to-head confrontation, a fight of flesh and blood, which is the best way to compare the strength of both sides.
On the first day, the selected vanguard army had a big advantage due to the overall quality of its soldiers and excellent military formation coordination.
Five thousand of the enemy were killed, but less than a thousand were lost on our side, and more than 300 of them suffered minor or serious injuries, which could be saved with the help of military doctors and Taoist talismans.
With such results, it stands to reason that the Linlou coalition forces should recognize the reality and retreat in time.
But out of reluctance, disbelief, and face, the top leaders of the coalition decided to give it another try.
The next day, the two sides fought again, and this time the Linlou coalition suffered an even worse defeat than the first day.
Because the Xuanfeng Army got a night's rest, they were in better shape. They killed nearly 10,000 Linlou coalition forces and destroyed nearly half of their camps.
Invading like fire, motionless like mountains, unpredictable like shadow, moving like thunder.
In the eyes of these Daizhou soldiers, the Xuanfeng Army was already comparable to the rumored Daxu New Army, and they decisively gave in after being defeated.
That night, the Linlou coalition forces fled, and were tipped off by Li Dingguo, who successfully set up an ambush by the Dai River.
When the battle ended at dawn, there were still 7,000 men in the selected vanguard army, and only 7,000 Linlou coalition forces fled back to Daizhou.
After this battle, the reputation of the Anbei Military Army spread to Daizhou and even Lingzhou, setting off an even crazier military training trend...
Of course, the people in power in Nanding County are well aware of the current situation in Dingguo. Lei Haomiao will cede territory and ask for troops again, which will make people lose their hearts.
After witnessing the Anbei Army's ability to expel foreign enemies and defend the homeland, Nanding County surrendered as a matter of course and was very cooperative.
While Li Dingguo fought against Daizhou soldiers and captured Nanding County, generals Zhou Ping and Huang Jingtong took orders and captured the two southern counties of Dingzhou County respectively.
It is worth mentioning that Andre performed well. After getting the opportunity to lead the army alone, he also led the Qingxu Yicong to successfully capture a county.
Seeing that the Anbei Kingdom is getting stronger and stronger, these soldiers who have surrendered from outside the territory are trying their best to obtain a household registration.
By March 21, the entire Dingzhou County, except for the capital, was captured by the Anbei Army.
As early as March 18, good news came from the navy. Under the personal command of Liu Rengui, the remaining naval forces of Dingguo were completely destroyed and more than fifty battleships were captured.
Only a few small boats took advantage of the chaos and escaped southward.
This may exaggerate the current true power of Anbei Kingdom and spread it to the Ningjiang River Basin, but Zhou Bai does not care about being hostile to other countries. The more stable and powerful Dingzhou is, the more talents will come to trade.
Dingzhou County, or all the most prosperous and profitable ports in the entire Dingguo, are now under the jurisdiction of the Anbei State Shipping Department.
This is a new office established by Zhou Bai, which is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Husbandry. Zhou Rui, a doctor in the Ministry of Husbandry, is the first to be promoted.
His duties include inspection of incoming and outgoing ships and cargo, collection, extraction, and trade matters.
According to the information reported by Li Bao, it is estimated that there are 500,000 taels of silver seized from the ports of Dingzhou County, and there are also hundreds of thousands of taels of goods.
The smoothness of the war actually exceeded the strategic expectations before the Southern Expedition. After all, at that time, even Zhou Bai wanted to capture Ruinan County first and then turn around to deal with Dingxi Kingdom.
But he didn't expect that Zhou Yuan would stand up, fight back and curb Lu Ding's ambition.
Then Cai Feng's betrayal, his successful breakthrough to Yangshen, the welcome of the people of Dingguo, and the great victory at Luanjiao Gorge, etc., led to the grand occasion of almost completely conquering Dingdong.
Suddenly there were eight more counties, and 1.5 million people had to govern them. It became very difficult to implement the same national policy as Anbei Kingdom in a timely manner.
This was determined by the reality of deploying 50,000 militiamen and almost all reserve officials while ensuring the security of the homeland.
In order to actually control such a huge core area, Zhou Bai had to encourage others, and many rural clerks in Bei'an County became official officials.
District chiefs and village chiefs who only receive salaries and have no rank can be directly awarded the positions of magistrates and officials because they understand the grassroots policies of Anbei Kingdom and loyally support them.
The Anbei Kingdom's system was quickly integrated into Dingzhou County, 50,000 militiamen went deep into the countryside, and the township office was established, which caused the uneasiness of many gentry and powerful officials.
For this reason, even inside and outside Dingzhou City, there was a confrontation between soldiers and constant bombardment with artillery and rocks every day.
Zhou Bai's Chinese army camp was still bustling with activity. Powerful gentry, officials and generals from Dingzhou County and even Longfeng County all lined up to see him.
It was nothing more than a show of loyalty and reassurance, and Zhou Bai was now willing to cooperate.
When the tentacles of the Anbei system had not yet completely controlled the entire original territory, he was not in a hurry to cut off the leeks.
After Dingzhou City was captured, Anbei Kingdom was upgraded to a marquis state, and its power became increasingly stable.
If these people still cannot recognize the reality and try to have the same treatment as the meritorious nobles of Anbei, then they can only be said to be hopeless.
Even if it is completely cut off by then, it will not cause any turmoil.
On March 23, Zhou Bai unexpectedly refused to see the guests, not because he felt the time was ripe for a general attack, but because he wanted to see another guest.
Half a month ago, True Lord Shao Yuan met him on the way to Dingzhou City.
It's not a fight, it's just a meeting and a friendly "consultation" between the two sides.
When he was surprised to find that Zhou Bai was the new Yang God and his spiritual consciousness was enough to suppress him, Shaoyuan chose to follow Zhou Bai's advice.
Go to the four counties of Anbei Kingdom and walk around from beginning to end, whether it is the newly captured Ruinan County or the longest-standing foundation of governance, Bei'an County.
Wanting to know whether he could make Dingzhou rise and bring glory to this land, Zhou Bai could only invite him to travel north to his country.
No matter how much I say, no matter how good the various performance data listed are, it is still not as good as going to the private sector to see it in person.
…
Outside Dingzhou City, there is Xinglong Lake, the legendary place where dragons live in Dingzhou.
The sun is dappled, the lake is sparkling, the green mountains are reflected in the center of the lake, and the clear water is golden and blue.
This scene is like a paradise, beautiful and poetic. It is no wonder that Lei Haomiao has listed this place as a private garden and does not allow others to visit here.
In the bamboo forest by the lake, in the quiet bamboo pavilion, Zhou Baizheng and the white-haired and crane-faced Lord Shao Yuan were playing chess, drinking tea, and doing the elegant things of a scholar.
"I didn't expect that the dignified Dingzhou Jie Yuan would play three spoons in a row in the next game of chess, which is even worse than me." Shao Yuan caught Zhou Bai's mistake and slaughtered the dragon directly, laughing loudly.
Zhou Bai shifted his gaze from the terrain around Xinglong Lake back to the chessboard, and shook his head helplessly: "I haven't played for many years, and my skills are inferior to others. I feel ashamed."
"Are you feeling unfulfilled in defeating the old man, or are you distracted by the energy of Xinglong Lake?" Shao Yuan picked up the bamboo leaf tea and took a sip.
Zhou Bai once again turned his gaze to the hazy Xinglong Lake and sighed: "Nothing can be hidden from the true master. He is indeed observing Qi."
"This place is surrounded by dragons, but there is no dragon energy at all. The Feng Shui Qi of Xinglong Lake is also a place where young dragons are raised. There are several large tombs hidden, but not even a dragon can be conceived."
In fact, this is asking Shao Yuan. After all, he has been in Dingzhou for many years. If there is a hidden dragon in Xinglong Lake, it is impossible not to know about it.
Shao Yuan hesitated for a moment, paused, but quickly said bluntly: "The owners of these large tombs were all important ministers of the country during their lifetimes and held high positions of power. Lei Haomiao's ancestor was just the most inconspicuous one."
"You were loyal when you were alive, but you didn't care when you were dead. You wanted to benefit the family's descendants and try to win the position of a thousand-year-old family. They also didn't think about how the imperial court could just sit back and watch such an obvious development."
"There is actually no problem with the construction and burial method of the dragon tombs. It's just that a certain official in the imperial court made some adjustments to the Feng Shui, so that these dragon tombs will naturally squeeze the energy veins of Xinglong Lake and be unable to accumulate a lot of dragon energy."
As Shao Yuan told the story, Zhou Bai also found out those extremely obscure Feng Shui disorders in due course through several observations using Qi-gazing techniques.
Once a trace of dragon energy is generated, it will be immediately crushed by the force of Feng Shui and return to the land of Dingzhou.
Zhou Bai vaguely understood why Shao Yuan was hesitant. He was afraid that the worshiper who took action was not just the Yang God.
"I was obsessed with the Qianlong Luck, but in the end I got nothing. I could only rely on the Daxu Dragon Luck to build a country. No wonder at this time, I still put my hope in Daxu."
Zhou Bai stretched out his hand and shot through a bamboo leaf. In the hollow of the bamboo leaf, the magnificence of Dingzhou City, which was more than ten miles away, was revealed.
The Tianzhu was rotten and tilted. The Anbei army besieging the city outside gathered countless soldiers to cut off the last support of the Tianzhu with one sword after another.
Obviously, if the country is about to fall, within half a month at the latest, the city of Dingzhou will be destroyed.
What day is half a month? It is the day when the national treasury reserves of spiritual stones are exhausted. It is precisely because of the existence of the city defense formation that Zhou Baicai did not order a real offensive.
However, it is this scene of national subjugation that everyone can see, but the red luck permeates the city inside and outside, inspiring the last bloody courage of the soldiers.
Zhou Bai even showed Shao Yuan the scene of Lei Haomiao personally training five thousand imperial guardsmen in the palace city, which made Shao Yuan look complicated, shake his head and sigh.
This means to tell you that he knows all Lei Haomiao's arrangements and is fully prepared.
"Please, Zhenjun or Zhenke can make a move with Gu Guo, which can be regarded as a farewell to Dingguo..."
(End of chapter)
