Wang Xiaolie led his army to Neixiang County and received a reply from Li Yanxian of Guozhou. Wushu led more than 10,000 Jurchen cavalry and more than 30,000 servant troops from surrounding counties and counties to surround Guozhou. The small town of Guozhou is not as strong as the city of Shaanzhou, and it is difficult for Li Yanxian to defend it. At the end of the letter, Li Yanxian thanked Wang Xiaolie for his willingness to rescue. He also said that he had ordered the defenders of Lu and Luanchuan counties to temporarily obey Xiao Lie's orders.
Putting down the letter, Wang Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Li Yanxian doesn't exclude himself, everything will be easy.
The route chosen for this march was different from the last time to save Shaanzhou. The last time we didn't pass through Luanchuan, we went north from the west of Neixiang and directly to Lushi County, which was a shorter route. This time, Luanchuan was needed as his rear base, so he chose to go directly north from Neixiang.
Luanchuan was originally a town, and the place produced a lot of gold and silver, so Luanchuan Smelter was established here. During the Chongning period, the town was promoted to a county and belonged to Guozhou. In the past, when gold and silver were smelted, the population was large and it was very lively. Nowadays, the war is in chaos and the population has fled. There are only more than a hundred households in the city.
Xingtang was a general under Li Yanxian. On the orders of Geng Sizong, the magistrate of Lu County, he led fifty people to garrison Luanchuan. When he heard the news that Wang Xiao had arrived outside Luanchuan City, he did not dare to neglect and hurriedly led his men to greet him from a distance.
Riding on his horse and looking at Luanchuan City between the two mountains in front of him, Wang Xiaolie couldn't help but frown.
The city is very small and has no walls. It only has a village gate at the entrance to the city. On both sides of the village gate, the wall only lasts for ten or twenty steps, and it only has a symbolic role. The entire city has no actual protection. Along the edge of the city, a small river flows with clear water.
Xingtang stepped forward quickly, crossed his hands and said: "The last general, Xingtang, is guarding Luanchuan on the orders of Prime Minister Li Jinglue. See Zhenfu!"
Wang Xiaolie said: "You don't need to be polite. I think your city is too small to house my army. I ordered the army to station outside the city. By the way, how much food does your city have? Is it enough to support my army?"
Xingtang said: "Zhenfu, the city of Luanchuan is too small, and there are not many people around it. There is really no food in the city. The fifty people under the general can still barely support it. It seems that there is no way to suppress thousands of troops."
Wang Xiaolie nodded and said nothing more. Following Xingtang, he entered Luanchuan County.
There are only seven or eight thatched huts in the county government office. Because Wang Xiao came here, the execution hall specially sent people to tidy them up, so they don't look messy. There are several pubs and inns open on both sides of the intersection next to it.
After entering the county government office, Wang Xiaolie was invited to take a seat in the execution hall and served tea.
After drinking tea, Wang Xiaoxing said: "The small size of Luanchuan County is beyond my expectation. It's a bit ridiculous that tens of thousands of troops use this place as their base. But there are mountains all around, and this is the only place suitable for stationing a large army." .There is no other way but to find a way by yourself."
Wang Ruohai said: "Lushi, Luanchuan, and Yiyang are connected by mountains. They are not roads traveled by armies. Luanchuan is the most remote and the latest county to be established, so naturally it is the most rudimentary. The town should be controlled here. For the foundation, special personnel must be sent to put in some effort.”
Wang Xiaolie nodded: "That's all we can do. The two hundred miles from Neixiang to Luanchuan are all mountain roads. The journey can take at least four days and can take up to seven days, and we can't drive large trucks. It's really not easy to transport supplies."
Wang Ruohai said: "I have ordered people to check the rivers along the way to see if water transportation can be used. But now in winter, the river water is too shallow, I'm afraid it won't be of much use for a while. Wait until summer and autumn, I heard from the natives, it will be better, half of it The journey can be carried by water.”
Wang Xiaolie nodded. Said: "Tomorrow I will lead troops to Lushi County, and the counselor will stay in Luanchuan. Check where to garrison troops and where to store grain. The Jin Army has occupied Guozhou. In the next few years, there will be no shortage of wars nearby. .”
Wang Ruohai said: "We have sent people to Yiyang. I wonder if Zhai Zhenfu will come to Luanchuan. Why don't Zhai Zhenfu wait for two days?"
Wang Xiaolie thought for a while and said: "It's less than a hundred miles from Yiyang, and it will only take a day or two for Zhai Xing to come. Okay, I will wait for two days and send the vanguard to Lu's first. Guozhou is originally a small town. It's not as good as Shaanzhou, I'm afraid Li Yanxian won't be able to hold on for long."
Fukuo County of Guozhou is Guolue City, which is later known as Lingbao County. It is not far from the Yellow River and has not yet entered the mountains. It would be very difficult for Li Yanxian to hold on there, and he probably wouldn't be able to hold on for many days.
In later generations, the Lushi and Luanchuan areas were called the mountainous areas of western Henan. However, in this era, the Lu family and Luanchuan belonged to Guozhou, under the rule of Yongxing Military Road under Shaanxi Road, and did not belong to Henan Prefecture. In later generations, the Xi'an area was at this time Jingzhao Prefecture, Jingzhao County, and Yongxing Army Jiedu. It was very special in the Song Dynasty. The magistrate's military quota was called Zhiyongxingjun instead of Zhijingzhaofu. It was not until the second year of Xuanhe that he was ordered not to use his military quota and was called the governor of Jingzhao Prefecture. The divisions of Shaanxi and Hebei are different from other places. Because they are on the front line, they have transshipment roads, economic and strategic roads, and military roads. The area around Shaanzhou and Guozhou is under the jurisdiction of both Shaanxi Road and Yongxing Military Road.
Zhang Jun was defeated in the Fuping area, and the Jin army quickly occupied Guanzhong. Now they are attacking everywhere to occupy territory. Lou Su died not long ago, and his son Wanyan Huonv took over the military power. Together with other generals, they are rushing towards northern Shaanxi and Longxi. Part of Wu Shu's army marched towards Fengxiang Mansion, while he led part of his army to seize Guozhou, intending to eliminate Li Yanxian.
After leaving the execution hall, Wang Xiaolie and Wang Ruohai analyzed the situation in the county office.
Wang Ruohai said: "After the Battle of Fuping, the 100,000 Jin army firmly occupied Guanzhong, which is different from the previous situation. With the support of Guanzhong's money and food, it is very difficult to recapture Shaanzhou. There is no need for Li Yanxian to defend Guozhou. We should withdraw to Lushi County in time. Wait for the main force of the Jin Army to leave Shaanxi and then find another way. Otherwise, there will be no food and grass support in the rear, and it is very likely that the Jin Army will be trapped to death."
Wang Xiaolie sighed: "At the beginning of the year, when we were guarding Shaanzhou, Li Yanxian was almost captured by the Jin army because of lack of food. We should learn a lesson from Guozhou this time and don't defend there. When we return to Lu's family, we can follow the road. It’s much easier to resist the Jin army.”
Wang Ruohai said: "He has more than 10,000 people. Without our help, food and grass cannot be supplied. What to do depends on whether Li Yanxian can trust the governor. If he can trust him, he should withdraw his troops early and defend the Lu family. .If you can’t believe it——”
Having said this, Wang Ruohai shook his head. If you can't believe it, you're probably dead.
Wang Xiaolie said: "For the current plan, if Li Yanxian, Zhai Xing and I unite closely, and Dong Xian from the north helps, the Jin army will not achieve much in the south. If they are suspicious of each other, they will be defeated one by one by the Jin army. "
Wang Ruohai said: "Lushi County is the center of this area, and roads can lead to all places. If we guard it, we will guard this mountainous area."
Wang Xiaolie nodded in agreement. Lushi County is located in the mountains, with not much arable land and a small population, so it is not suitable for garrisoning large armies. However, it is on the bank of Luo River and has developed transportation. There are roads to Luoyang, Guozhou, Dengzhou and Shangzhou. By guarding Lu's family, we can completely seal the Jin army to the north of the mountain and ensure the safety of the south. Wang Xiaolie needed to concentrate Dengzhou's manpower and material resources to garrison the Lu family to fight against the Jin army. The success or failure of this battle will determine Dengzhou's safety. If the Lu family is lost, Dengzhou will lose its previous safe environment, which is extremely disadvantageous. If we can defend the Lu family, we can stabilize this area. In the long run, after the Jin army retreats, they can still control Guozhou and Shangzhou.
