On the twenty-sixth day of the first lunar month, after all the army of Niuliduo withdrew to Fengxiang Mansion, he personally led 30,000 elite cavalry to attack Jingzhao Mansion. Before the Jin army arrived, Wei Yang led his men to retreat and retreated to Shangzhou via Lantian. The shameful Yinliduo chased him all the way to Lantian. But because of the lesson of Wushu, they did not dare to attack Shangzhou again. After returning to Jingzhao Mansion, he sent more than 10,000 people to attack Guozhou.
When Wang Xiaolie got the news, he immediately ordered Shao Yun and others to retreat from Mianchi, join forces with him, and then return to Lushi County. Xue Cheng led his troops to retreat to Ruzhou via Shouan, while Li Songchen and Liang Xing led the Hedong Rebels to retreat to their own villages.
After entering Mianchi City and looking at the empty city, Wu Shu almost cried. In the past half month, food and grass have been cut off. Most of the horses in the army have been killed, and the bark of the surrounding grass roots and trees has been stripped bare. The back route was blocked by the Song army, and Wu Shu no longer sent troops to die, but was beaten to death under Mianchi City. Finally, when the Song army withdrew, he survived.
Ali said: "Your Majesty, the third prince has occupied Jingzhao Mansion. Why don't we send troops to chase the Song army? As long as they escape slowly, they will be attacked by us from both sides. At least let's get out of the bad temper we have been suffering these days!"
Wu Shu shook his head: "Now that the army is short of food, it is wise to find food as soon as possible. Where can the Song army escape? Sooner or later, they will be the ghosts killed by our swords! Hurry up to Shaanzhou and join the Third Prince's army!"
The generals will obey orders. No one said anything more.
Wu Shu escaped, but now he has no energy to trouble Wang Xiaolie again. The further away the better now. Shao Yun's army retreated, Wu Shu and his men kept at least ten miles behind, not daring to approach.
At Lushi County Government, Wang Xiaolie said to Wang Ruohai: "Is the journey to Weiyang going smoothly? If we don't defend Lantian Pass, the Jin army will attack Shangzhou, and we have no way. Shangzhou is close to Jingzhao Prefecture, so we need to pay special attention there. .”
Wang Ruohai said: "Based on the lessons learned from Lushi County, the Jin Army was also much more cautious. After Yinliduo occupied Lantian, he did not advance further and returned to Jingzhao Mansion. Looking at the posture of the Jin Army, after retaking Guanzhong, it may be possible We will still focus on Sichuan and Shu."
"This is the best." Wang Xiaolie smiled. "When attacking Sichuan and Shu, there are mountains along the way, which is not where the Jin army's cavalry can show its strengths. How can the Wu brothers, Yang Zheng and others be easy to get along with? Without a large army in hand, Privy Zhang has nothing to worry about."
Wang Xiaolie remembered this. In history, the Jin army attacked Sichuan and Shu, but was repelled many times by the Wu Jie brothers and Yang Zheng. Now that they have their own support army, they will not perform worse than they did in history. As long as he doesn't attack Shangzhou, he won't have a big war.
Starting from Jingzhao Prefecture, passing through Lantian, Shangzhou, Wuguan, and Neixiang to Dengzhou and Xiangyang, it is an ancient important road called Wuguan Road. During the Tang Dynasty, this important road was particularly important for a period of time. The taxed cloth and silk from Jianghuai were mainly transported to Chang'an through this road, supporting the turbulent Tang Dynasty. This road is the main road through which Dengzhou threatens Guanzhong.
Going north through Lu's family, the threat is Shaanzhou, and the strategic core is Luoyang. Wuguandao is different, directly threatening Jingzhao Mansion.
Li Yanxian came in and said: "Shao Yun's army has settled around. We are guarding Lu's family. The first important place is Huoshan Pass. The terrain there is rugged and it is difficult to station a large army. Only a thousand people are enough."
Wang Xiaolie said: "That's what Jing Lue said. Come and do it, and let's discuss the next situation."
The three of them sat down around the table. The soldiers served tea.
Wang Xiaolie said: "The Lu family is in the mountains, and it is inconvenient to transport food and grass. There should not be too many troops stationed here. I estimate that 3,000 to 5,000 people should be enough. When the Jin army comes to attack, they only need to hold on to one or two By the end of the month, the army should have arrived. Shangzhou is too far away. We can have more troops, but not too many. The distance to transport grain from Dengzhou is really too far."
Wang Ruohai said: "That's what the governor said. This battle recruited civilians from Dengzhou and Tangzhou and spent a lot of money. Fortunately, the war ended before the first month of the year. If the war continues, it will affect the spring plowing."
Wang Xiaolie said: "We entered Guanzhong and robbed the Jin army's savings. Otherwise, we wouldn't have spent the money we have now. After the first battle, after counting the seizures and the money spent, there was actually a profit. .It’s also rare.”
Wang Ruohai smiled and said: "Yes. In addition to our tens of thousands of troops, we also supplied food and grass to tens of thousands of rebels on Hedong Road. How could we do this without relying on seizures? It is really unexpected that Dengzhou was not affected by a big war. .”
Chatted for a while. Wang Xiaolie said: "We need to carefully plan how to arrange the next step. It is impossible for Yinliduo's army to stay in Guanzhong for too long, otherwise it will be too wasteful. It is estimated that when Wushu returns to Jingzhao Mansion, Yinliduo will Lead the army to attack west. Not to mention Sichuan and Shu, if they occupy Guanzhong, the Jin army must at least occupy Qinfeng Road. Fighting over long distances will consume a lot of money, and we will no longer be able to threaten Guanzhong in a short time."
Li Yanxian nodded: "That should be the case. The Jin Army should be worried about us now. As long as we don't send troops, the Jin Army can be said to have no worries. If we can't occupy Qinfeng Road, we will lose the geographical advantage. How can we occupy Guanzhong?"
Wang Xiaolie pondered for a while and said: "In short, for us, this battle is over. Without strong strength, we should try to avoid entering Guanzhong for a decisive battle with the Jin army. It is too far to transport grain from Dengzhou . It costs a lot of money, and it can’t support too many troops. If the Jin people don’t find flaws, it will be difficult for us to stand a chance.”
Wang Ruohai nodded: "That's what Zhen Fu said. For us, Guanzhong is not a good battlefield."
Wang Xiaolie looked at Li Yanxian. Said: "Jingluo, withdraw from Shaanzhou and Guozhou, your territory is too narrow. I still suggest that our two armies join forces. If you advance, you can attack, if you retreat, you can defend. It will be much stronger than now."
Li Yanxian pondered for a while. Said: "If we join forces, what are the regulations for suppressing and approving?"
Wang Xiaolie said: "There are no regulations. Joining forces means joining forces. From now on, we will not distinguish between each other. I have a special military camp in Xinye, Dengzhou, to train officers and soldiers uniformly. After joining forces, all the troops will go to Xinye for training. From now on, we will be mixed with the rest of the army. In other words, our two armies will be completely mixed together, regardless of the officers and soldiers."
Li Yanxian smiled bitterly: "Zhenfu, you said this, how should I reply? According to you, isn't it annexing me?"
Wang Xiaolie shook his head repeatedly: "Our army is to protect our country and drive away the golden captives. It is not owned by any one person. Jinglue has also seen that my army is different from ordinary armies. We have fought several battles, and now it seems that the combat effectiveness is Guaranteed. Without training and then mixing, the two armies will never be able to get together. It’s better not to get along than to be in different beds. If you want to join forces, you have to really get together."
Li Yanxian looked very embarrassed. Wang Ruohai asked: "After joining the army, will you take any positions?"
Wang Xiaolie said: "This is my plan. After the merger, our army was reorganized and divided into five armies: front, rear, left, right and center. Li Jinglue was appointed as the commander of the central army, and also promoted the affairs of the branch. Our army In the army, I am the principal, and the manager is the deputy. I don’t want the same army to be divided into this force and that force. If this is the case, I would rather not join forces!"
Li Yanxian nodded: "I understand what Zhen Fu means. The matter is serious, how about you allow me to think about it for three days?"
Wang Xiaolie said: "It should be like this. Jinglue, we are going to do big things, and we must have great courage. I dare not say more about how Jinglue will do it. But as long as we join forces, we must not Half-hearted! After so many days together, I should know that if I have anything to say, I will say it directly. If you agree, that’s it. If you don’t agree, it’s still the same as now. Don’t have any grudges in your heart!”
Li Yanxian looked at Wang Ruohai, shook his head and said: "It was only because I knew Zhen Fu was like this that I would think twice. Don't worry, I understand that I will definitely give you the answer in three days. Shao Xing will arrive in Lushi County tomorrow. This kind of We always have to discuss important matters."
Wang Ruohai said: "I was appointed by the imperial court to carry out punishment on Jingnan Road. When I first arrived, I had a lot of unpleasantness with the Zhenfu. As time goes by, you will know that the Zhenfu is like this. It makes people uncomfortable to talk about anything in front of them. .When we work together, everything will be fine."
Li Yanxian said: "I have wanted to be a hero since I was a child, not to be hesitant in speaking. However, when I met Zhenfu, he spoke more clearly, which made me look like a coward. There was no other way. With an army of 20,000, I had to ask Zhenfu to take care of me."
Wang Xiaolie nodded. After a moment of silence, he added: "At this time of national crisis, I don't want to waste energy on unnecessary things. No matter what, yes is, no is no, don't be ambiguous. Say the ugly things first, When working together, don’t be scheming. This is called being a villain first, then a gentleman. To be honest, many people can’t accept this approach. So when I talk about cooperation, the talks fall apart more often than the talks actually succeed. As time goes by, , I rarely talk about cooperation with others. Now with Jinglue, we will both benefit from cooperation and suffer from separation, so we have to talk about it. After thinking about this matter carefully, I am not afraid to wait. "
Li Yanxian cupped his hands and didn't know what to say for a moment. I have been friends with heroes since I was a child, and there are too many people who speak straightforwardly. But I have never seen someone like Wang Xiaolie stare at him without bargaining.
