Lanzhou is surrounded by a flat land among the mountains, a rare mountain plain. This is the land of ancient Loufan. After Loufan was conquered and destroyed by King Wuling of Zhao, counties and counties were established along it in successive dynasties. Now it is an important place on the east bank of the Yellow River for the three prefectures of Lin, Feng and Fu, and controls the key points of surrounding prefectures and counties.
The sun rises in the east and the city gate opens wide. Ali was not riding on his horse, looking at the people around him and looking at Zixiong.
After receiving the news, Song Kaiyan, the magistrate of Lanzhou, hurriedly came out to welcome him. They bumped into each other halfway and hurriedly stepped forward to salute. He cupped his hands and said, "When Bo Jin comes, why don't you give me a little warning in advance? So that you can greet her early."
Ali was not on his horse, and said: "Since the king took over Fuzhou at night, there has been turmoil in the nearby counties. The king sent me to inspect the place, but there is no fixed location. The day before yesterday, I took a lady Zhou from Loubanzhai near Lanzhou. , so I went to the city to rest for a few days."
Song Kaiyan did not dare to neglect, and took Ali Bu into the state government office.
Ever since Chi Yuping occupied Fuzhou and Lanzhou, there were no large troops stationed in places like this, so the officials were completely at ease, living one day at a time. Wanyan Yinshu was unwilling to give in and sent several troops into the mountain. Or a group of five hundred people, or a group of three hundred people, and some even only have a hundred people.
Alibu's team, which consisted of more than 160 people, came along the Fen Valley. Although I dare not attack a large stronghold like Red Mud Fort, ordinary rebels are not a problem. I was lucky the day before yesterday and caught Aunt Zhou operating nearby, so I hurried to Lanzhou for fear of being snatched away.
After entering the state government office, Ali suddenly calmed down. He sat down on his seat and urged Song Kaiyan to get some meat quickly. He had been very hungry these past two days.
Song Kaiyan ordered the officials to prepare, but he was uneasy in his heart. Lanzhou is too far away from Taiyuan Prefecture, but close to Fangshan County. I heard that there are nearly ten thousand Song troops stationed in Fangshan County. If they get the news and attack at once, how will they respond? It is unthinkable to defend the city. Even the prefecture cannot be defended. Why should Lanzhou do it?
After leaving the official hall, Song Kaiyan thought for a while and transferred to the back office. Jin Bing said that he had taken Aunt Zhou, the bandit leader, but he didn't know what she looked like. There are not many women's rebel leaders nearby, but there is only one in Loubanzhai. It is close to Daizhou and attracts special attention.
Aunt Zhou was tied to a pillar in the corridor, her head lowered. The cotton-padded clothes on his body were torn open in several places, exposing the flesh underneath, which was a bit dazzling in the sun. Although he was beaten and disheveled, his back was still straight and he exuded a kind of toughness.
Song Kaiyan walked up to him and said, "What a tall woman! With such a look, no wonder she can be the leader!"
When Aunt Zhou heard this, she suddenly raised her head and stared at Song Kaiyan with her eyes like knives.
Seeing Aunt Zhou's face, Song Kaiyan couldn't help but say "ah". He pointed and said, "Isn't this Mrs. Song from Donghe Village? When did you become the leader of a bandit? How pitiful is this? Fortunately, Bo Jin was brave and invincible and was able to capture this bandit!"
Aunt Zhou looked at Song Kaiyan and said coldly: "God was blinded for a moment, you are still alive in the world like a thief! If I have my way, I will chop off your head!"
Song Kaiyan smiled and said: "Up to now, you can only talk about your happiness! How can you still survive if you fall into the hands of Ali Bujin? I will kill you in a moment to avoid long nights and dreams! I can't believe that you actually did it bandit chieftain!"
As he spoke, he shook his head repeatedly. He turned around and returned to the government office, urging Ali to kill Aunt Zhou quickly.
There was a tea stall outside the county government office, and two tea drinkers sat squinting at the door of the government office. One said: "Ali didn't catch Aunt Zhou, but he ran very fast and entered Lanzhou City. It would be difficult to save Aunt Zhou."
The other nodded, thoughtfully. Said: "Cao Xian went back to gather his brothers, and he should arrive in Lanzhou tomorrow. As long as he waits for one day, he will rescue my aunt!"
This is Zhang Guanghe's subordinate Xie Zongyuan. A few days ago, Aunt Zhou was invited by Zhang Guang to visit Red Mud Castle. Unexpectedly, when I went back, I bumped into Ali Bu who was out patrolling. Outnumbered, Ali and his gang captured him.
Zhang Guang had hundreds of people in Red Mud Fort. Ali didn't know he was outmatched, so he hurried to Lanzhou. Zhang Guang learned the news and chased him all the way.
Xie Zongyuan said: "I heard that Liang Xing is in Fangshan County and has thousands of troops. We might as well go there to ask for help. How can Ali not stop them?"
Zhang Guang sighed: "Water from afar can't dissolve fire from afar. I'm afraid that Ali won't be able to stay in Lanzhou for a few days, so what if I kill my aunt?"
After saying that, he picked up the tea cup and drank tea. He quickly put down the teacup, looking very impatient.
Xie Zongyuan said: "The Jin army in the nearby state army is already a grasshopper in the autumn and can only jump around for a few days. I heard that all the troops have withdrawn from places such as the Huoshan Army and the Baode Army. The magistrates and county magistrates are in panic all day long. . It’s just that Zhe Zhizhou wants to integrate the three prefectures of Lin, Feng and Fu, so there is no attack for the time being. Liang Xing marched from Fangshan County, and the first one to bear the brunt was Lanzhou. Now Song Kaiyan, the magistrate of Lanzhou, only wants to run away, how can he dare to resist Liang prosper?"
Zhang Guangdao: "Without the Jin army, the defenders in these prefectures and counties would be like chickens and dogs! Without Liang Xing's army, our cottages are enough to regain the place!"
Xie Zongyuan nodded. Said: "Now the Jin army in Taiyuan feels that there are too few troops to control these places. For example, Loufan County, the magistrates of the county ran away a few days ago, and now there is no one to control it. If it weren't for our Red Mud Fort, which is not far from Loufan , it truly becomes a land of no one.
Zhang Guang nodded.
After Chi Yuping occupied Fuzhou, the surrounding states and counties were greatly shaken. The Volcano Army, the Baode Army and the Jin Army have given up, the troops have withdrawn, and the officials are left to their fate. Troops from other state armies were concentrated in Xianzhou to protect the upper reaches of the Fen River. In places like Lanzhou, there are only a small number of local troops in the city, which can only maintain law and order.
Many officials at the county level below took their property and ran away. Others contacted nearby forts and said they wanted to surrender. Now the mountainous area to the west of Taiyuan has become a vacuum, and the Jin army has surrendered to the Song army.
Liang Xing did not attack immediately in Fangshan County. He mainly dealt with the three prefectures of Lin, Feng, and Fu and the Jinning Army to stabilize the place. Then there is the accumulation of military supplies. If we cannot advance, we will have nothing to eat.
The mountainous areas in this area are very barren, far worse than the mountainous areas in the Central Plains. Many prefectures and counties could only manage a few miles around the city, and they could not get enough military rations. Wang Xiaolie's army needed a lot of supplies and did not dare to advance rashly.
For example, Chini Fort and Feiyuan Fort can already occupy states and counties. It's just that due to various considerations, especially military rations, there was no attack. For example, Loufan County is not far from Chini Fort. The county magistrate fled, but Zhang Guang did not occupy it. It was because of the small space around the county and the looting by the Jin army that they could not supply military rations.
Zhang Guang looked at Lanzhou Yamen with sharp eyes. If it weren't for Ali's army and he would go in and kill Zhizhou now, who would dare to resist? Ali Bu's army of more than one hundred, although not large in number, can run rampant in the mountains for a while.
(Back to normal tomorrow.)
(End of chapter)
