After thinking for a long time, Wang Xiaolian said: "Guozhou is too far away from Dengzhou, and there are mountain roads in between. It would be disadvantageous for me to fight the Jin people there. The best way is to defend Lushi County and use Luanchuan and Yi behind. In this way, I estimate that I can station 10,000 to 20,000 troops in Lushi County, enough to resist the Jin people from going south. Moreover, Lushi County is located in the center of the mountain road in that area, and can connect to Yiyang, Yongning, and Zhai Xing and Dong Xian connect."
Wang Yan said: "You have the largest territory in this area and the largest number of troops. If we send troops north, the rest of the people should follow your orders."
Wang Xiaolie shook his head and said nothing. If you listen to whoever is stronger, many things will be simple. Not to mention himself, Dong Xian is Zhai Xing's subordinate, and he still doesn't listen to Zhai Xing.
Looking at the sky, Wang Yan said: "It's getting late, so I went back. There have been no officials in Jin, Jun, and Fang prefectures for a long time, so I have to get there as soon as possible. And I don't have many soldiers and horses, so I don't dare to waste time on the road."
Wang Xiaolie said: "In this case, I won't keep you. After you arrive in Junzhou, write me a letter. When you first arrive, everything is difficult, so I will give you five thousand shi of rice. With money and food, many things can be done Easy to handle."
Wang Yan said: "If you go north to rescue Li Yanxian, you will spend a lot of money and food. How can I accept your rice?"
Wang Xiaolie said: "The weather has been good these two years, and five thousand kilo of rice will not break my bones. I have other ways to earn money and food for the north."
"Thank you very much!" Wang Yan thanked him and stood up to leave.
After seeing Wang Yan off, Wang Xiaolie sat alone in the yamen and thought for a long time.
Li Yanxian must save him. If we don't save him, the Jin army will conquer Guozhou and then go south, defeat Lushi County, and face Dengzhou directly. Dengzhou is a prosperous place, and the Jin army will be in serious trouble if it relies on fighting to support war. The hundreds of miles of mountain roads between Shaanzhou and Dengzhou must be fully utilized to isolate the Jin army in the north. Fighting in the mountains has many advantages, firstly, it is conducive to defense, and secondly, it limits the size of the Jin army.
Seeing that it was still early, Wang Xiaolie ordered his horses to be prepared and returned to Xiangyang overnight.
On the morning of the third day, Wang Xiao entered Xiangyang City. After tidying up a bit, they sent for Chen Qiudao, Chen Yuyi and Wang Ruohai.
Everyone took their seats. Wang Xiaolie said: "Two days ago, I went to see Wang Yan, the newly appointed envoy of Jinjunfang Town. I heard from him that Wu Shu had brought tens of thousands of people under his command and was about to attack Guozhou. Although Li Yanxian had more than ten thousand People, if they want to resist the Jin army, they will only be afraid of difficulties."
Chen Qiudao said: "Last year, Lou Su led an army of 100,000 to besiege Shaanzhou. The governor only led 30,000 people and won a great victory. Wushu's army only had 30,000 fine cavalry. Li Yanxian was guarding the city, so it was not difficult to stop him. .”
Wang Xiaolie said: "The Jin Army's 30,000 elite cavalry, plus those who raise horses, transport grain, and do various miscellaneous tasks, there are at least 50,000 to 60,000 people. In addition, after the Battle of Fuping, the surrounding Song Army surrendered to the Jin Army , Wushu could mobilize no less than 100,000 people. Li Yanxian withdrew to Guozhou and lost the Guanzhong Valley, making it more difficult to replenish food and grass. Now in early November, Wushu can surround Guozhou until April and May next year. . It’s very difficult to defend.”
Wang Ruohai said: "Zhenfu means to rescue Guozhou?"
Wang Xiaolie said: "Guozhou is outside the mountains. The Jin army must attack by force. It will not be easy to hold it. Lushi County is the main road. If it is lost, not only will Dengzhou be in peace from now on, but also Zhai Xing in Yiyang We are also under attack from both sides. The situation along the North Beijing Road will change drastically!"
Wang Ruohai pondered for a moment and said: "If this is the case, just send a general to the Lu family. Dengzhou's army has been stationed in Ruzhou. It will not be easy to send more troops to the north."
Wang Xiaolie said: "The south of Guozhou is all mountainous. It is impossible for the Jin army to go south in large numbers. I estimate that the army that can attack the Lu family will not exceed 20,000 at most. As long as more than 10,000 troops can defend it, The Lu family. No matter what Li Yanxian thinks, we must send troops to the Lu family!"
Wang Ruohai and the other two looked at each other without speaking.
The governors and governors each have their own boundaries and do not belong to each other. Although there are examples of cooperation, there are more cases of mutual attacks. At the beginning of the year, when Wang Xiaolie went to rescue Shaanzhou, the imperial court had not established a large number of envoys to suppress the situation. It is different now from that time. It is hard to say what Zhai Xing of Yiyang thought about leading the army to Lushi County, except Li Yanxian. It is only one or two days' journey from Lushi and Luanchuan counties to Yiyang.
After a moment of silence, Chen Yuyi said: "The Lu family is not far from Yiyang. If Zhenfu wants to send an army there, it is better to discuss it with Li Yanxian and Zhai Xing first. If they agree, countless disputes in the future can be avoided."
Wang Xiaolie nodded, closed his eyes and said nothing.
Of course Wang Xiaolie knew what these three were thinking, but he also knew that he had to send troops north. Once Wushu captures the Lu family, he can attack Yiyang from both sides with the troops from Luoyang, and it will be difficult for Zhai Xing to stand. At that time, the north was no longer safe.
After thinking for a long time, Wang Xiaolie said decisively: "According to what Wang Yan said, Wu Shu should have led a large army to surround Guozhou. We can't say how long Li Yanxian can hold on. This matter cannot be delayed. We must go north immediately! I have decided , sent 15,000 troops north. I led 5,000 troops ahead, and the rest of the troops gathered in Dengzhou, and followed later. After the Battle of Fuping, the morale of the Jin army was strong, and they would not withdraw easily. This time it is likely that in Lu There will be a long battle in the area of shi, so we must be prepared. Chen Qiudao will be responsible for transporting the army's food and baggage to Luanchuan. After arriving in Luanchuan, the army will be responsible for transporting it to Lushi County. Over at Zhai Xing, I will Make it clear. Captain Zhai is a man who understands justice and should support this matter."
Seeing that Wang Xiaolie had made a decision, Chen Qiudao agreed.
Wang Xiaolie added: "Wang Ruohai will follow me north, and Chen Yuyi will continue to work on the new government office. Two months later, he will inspect the prefectures and counties. I have said before that the next one or two years will be a rare period of peaceful development for us. period. It is said that there is peace, and it is impossible not to fight. It is just that the Jin army cannot directly threaten our core area for a while. This requires us to be more active and keep possible enemies out. I led the troops to fight, and Chen Qiudao was not only responsible for local government affairs , and is also responsible for the supply of food and grass. Chen Yuyi must actively supervise the officials and eliminate official governance!"
The three of them made the promise together.
Wang Xiaolie said: "The Jin Army's 100,000 troops have entered Guanzhong. After the Battle of Fuping, they are plundering various places. It is difficult to say how many troops they will send to attack us. In addition to Ruzhou's 30,000 troops, Dengzhou must actively Recruit new soldiers as a follow-up reserve force."
Chen Yuyi said: "Since entering Xiangyang, we have been recruiting troops. Now it is not easy to raise 60,000 troops in the eight states. If we recruit more troops, we are afraid that it will affect people's livelihood."
Wang Xiaolie said: "What can be done? This is an era of war, and we cannot expect to be like the peaceful years. Either join the army, or wait for the golden man to come and treat the people as cattle and sheep. Our principle is to be of the right age and Anyone who is physically qualified must join the army. They join the army for five years, and then they are discharged, and new people are recruited. The retired people still have to serve as reserve forces, ready to go to the battlefield. When will the Jin people be driven away? Build your home with peace of mind. This must be made clear to the people."
Chen Qiudao said: "Now the local area is in dire straits waiting to be revitalized. Recruiting too many troops will affect the local area."
Wang Xiaolie said: "How to balance military construction and local construction will test our capabilities. However, now that the Jin Army is at its peak, we must have a stronger army. There is no choice."
