Xinye, this place is located at the junction of Nanyang and Xiangyang. Now the city is emitting fire and smoke, and the soldiers of the Xia army with stern appearance and strong body are pouring into the city like a tide.
"General, the defeated troops in the city have been cleared!"
Half an hour later, Zhou Taiding returned with two generals and reported to the general Qi Jiguang who led the troops north.
Qi Jiguang's qualifications in the Great Xia Dynasty were slightly lower than those of Zhou Taiding and Feng Feng, but his status as a powerful person in the heavenly realm was enough to make up for everything.
Even Xia Jun, who valued military merit and would not promote generals rashly, had to relax some rules in front of the powerful people in the heavenly realm. Qi Jiguang's strength could guarantee his status.
Coupled with his ability in training and commanding troops, it was only normal for him to come from behind and become the general of Zhou Tai, Ding Feng and others.
Qi Jiguang withdrew his gaze from Xinye.
"Well, I have asked the general for orders before going north. After capturing Xinye, I will go north to attack Nanyang. You two will each lead 50,000 troops. You will rest for half a day, and then go to attack Tang and Deng states respectively..."
Qi Jiguang said calmly.
Zhou Tai and Ding Feng looked at each other and immediately accepted the order.
Nanyang and Xinye were originally the heartlands of the Eastern Han Dynasty. These places were densely populated and fertile, providing the Eastern Han Dynasty with a large amount of soldiers and food every year.
If these places are not captured, the Eastern Han Dynasty will be able to continuously train new soldiers and horses with its war potential.
Although they cannot be trained into elites in a short period of time and become a threat to Daxia, the constant number of enemy troops is also a troublesome thing.
At this time, most of the main armies of the Eastern Han Dynasty were in Hulao Pass and Xiangyang. In other places, only the more important Xianyao Pass was stationed with elite defenses. For example, some elite defenses were stationed at Mengjing Pass near Luoyang.
As for Xinye, Nanyang... the defenders left here are only the second-line troops of the Eastern Han Dynasty. It is hard to say that they are a rabble, but compared with the elite soldiers of the major dynasties today, they can be called a rabble.
Time is passing and the world is changing.
In the first year of Taichu, heroes competed with each other. In the eyes of today's generals, the soldiers and horses under their command were inferior to even the militia. As the world's vitality continued to upgrade and the practice of cultivation gradually spread, the soldiers in each dynasty's army also continued to grow in strength. Enhance.
A small number of Xinye's garrison soldiers have reached the second level of strength, and they can be sent out to suppress the bandits and bring peace to the people. However, the strength of the soldiers under Qi Jiguang's command has generally reached the third level.
Among them, the personal guards specially trained by Qi Jiguang have reached level four or above.
Nowadays, middle and low-level officers of the fifth and sixth levels can be seen everywhere. Only the threshold from level six to level seven stopped most warriors.
soon.
After Zhou Tai and Ding Feng reorganized their troops, they rushed towards the two states of Tang and Deng in the northeast and northwest of Xinye respectively. These two places are strategically located and are important places in the south of Nanyang.
By capturing these two places, the southern part of Nanyang will no longer be owned by the Eastern Han Dynasty, and Tangzhou can still be connected to Runan, allowing the troops of the Great Xia Dynasty to continuously invest more power through here.
Qi Jiguang had just entered the city when the latest orders came from the West Route Army camp.
"Let me personally lead the troops north, let the Feizhou division of the Eastern Route Army go south, and jointly attack Nanyang..."
Qi Jiguang pondered for a long time while holding the military report that had just been delivered to his hand.
When he attacked Xinye, the Han army in Xiangyang did not make any big moves. It was obvious that the Han army in Xiangyang was ready to be a nail and nail it to the spot.
Yue Fei also quickly issued the latest military order based on the other party's reaction.
This military order requires the cooperation between the West Road Camp and the East Road Camp.
"The two armies join forces to capture Nanyang...Then the imperial court can open up a new battlefield and send more troops to Nanyang. In this way, the Eastern Han Dynasty can be divided into several disconnected areas. This method is feasible!"
Qi Jiguang's thoughts flashed through his mind, then he looked at the messenger in front of him and said in a deep voice: "Go and reply to the general and say that Qi has understood the general's strategy and will live up to his trust!"
…
Before Qi Jiguang received the military order, Wang Jing received Yue Fei's military report in Bianliang.
Yue Fei was only the general manager of the West Route Camp, and could not command the flying boats belonging to the East Route Army. If he wanted to cooperate with the East Route Army, he needed Wang Jing, the emperor, to personally mediate between them.
In the main hall.
Wang Jing had already issued an order to have Gao Xi and Yu Yunwen in the middle to communicate with Yue Fei and Han Xin. After receiving the news, Han Xin also agreed to cooperate.
The military order has been issued, but Wang Jing and several important ministers around him are still discussing.
An enlarged topographic map is placed on one side of the hall, stretching from the Yellow River and Hanoi to the north, Jingxiang to the south, Qingqi to the east, and Hanzhong to the west...
There are wars, big and small, happening everywhere in the east, west, north and south.
In such a vast territory, the war is raging and burning. Daxia's more than two million elite troops were also distributed from east to west.
On the map, the cities that the Daxia army had captured were marked in red, and a large area of land in the eastern part of the Central Plains was dyed red visibly to the naked eye.
In addition, the western part of the Central Plains is a tough nut to crack, and it still has not conquered the strategically important areas of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
Before Yue Fei sent the military report, Wang Jing thought that the only way to defeat the Eastern Han Dynasty was to rely on head-on battles, storming Hulao and Xiangyang, and only after conquering these two places could the Eastern Han Dynasty be broken down.
But as Yue Fei sent the message, Wang Jing suddenly saw the opportunity to defeat the Eastern Han Dynasty.
Wang Jing stood in front of the map of Kun, and traced his fingers across Xinye, Nanyang, and the junction of Nanyang, Yingchuan, Runan and other places.
"Capture Nanyang, then recruit 300,000 troops and horses to march northward, turn it into a sharp blade and pierce directly, dividing the territory of the Eastern Han Dynasty continuously, relying on the superiority of the troops, constantly interspersed attacks... This seems to be a relatively famous large-depth strategy in later generations. ah!"
Wang Jing sighed secretly.
Having stayed in this world for a long time, I am familiar with the cold weapon fighting of dynasty wars, and the war cases in the source world have long been blurred.
If Yue Fei hadn't mentioned it, he really wouldn't have thought of this.
"Your Majesty, General Yue's method fully exploits the advantage of our army's large number of soldiers. Generals Yue and Han keep an eye on Hulao and Xiangyang, and the other troops divide the connection between Nanyang, Luoyang, and Xingyang, and attack intermittently. …”
"In less than three months, the Han army will be defeated!"
Gao Xi looked happy.
Wang Jing withdrew his gaze and said with a smile: "Yes, General Yue has lived up to my expectations. Before capturing the Central Plains, Generals Yue and Han must try their best to satisfy any requests they have."
"The 300,000 troops that General Yue said should be mobilized to the north as soon as possible. And the Jinling Ministry of Industry will continue to build flying boats. Don't stop until our army has 10,000 flying boats!"
When the ministers in the palace heard this, they all agreed.
…
Luoyang.
The originally bustling streets became a little sparse. There were rumors in the past two days that the Xia army in the south had captured Taigu Pass and was attacking Yique Pass. If Yique Pass was captured, the Xia army would be on the way to the city.
Luoyang, which had not experienced war for nearly ten years after the rise of the Eastern Han Dynasty, was about to face war again.
This news stirred up distant memories in the hearts of many people. When they first came to this world, the princes of various eras around Luoyang conquered each other, and blood flowed like rivers.
As Luoyang, the most densely populated city in the Central Plains, tens of millions of young people disappeared during the chaos.
The people in Luoyang City basically had relatives who died tragically during that time. When they realized that the war was coming again, they felt a surge of fear in their hearts.
Outside the city.
There are also many merchants and people who risk their lives and shuttle between the capital and surrounding cities and counties.
On the road, a caravan with the word Geng hanging on it was heading towards Luoyang. Dozens of cloud carts carried a large amount of goods. Geng Shu is riding a horse, dressed in brocade clothes, holding a whip in his right hand and swinging it at will.
"I don't know what my brother's situation is like at Hulao Pass. If the Xia army breaks through Hulao Pass, the situation will be bad!"
Geng Shu thought to himself.
He is Geng Yan's younger brother. Because he had a conflict with Fubo General Ma Yuan, when Ma Yuan was favored by Liu Xiu, he did not become an official in order to avoid interacting with Ma Yuan and took charge of business affairs in the family.
The Geng family was one of the top tycoons in the Eastern Han Dynasty. The caravan organized by the family could even purchase a large amount of goods from the south from Xuzhou and transport them back to the Central Plains, earning a lot of money.
These wealthy families enjoyed a lot of special treatment in the Eastern Han Dynasty, and Geng Shu himself knew this.
If the Eastern Han Dynasty were defeated, the prospects of these wealthy families would also deteriorate.
"When I return to Luoyang, I want to talk to my father. Geng must make some preparations..."
Geng Shu was worried in his heart, but he didn't show it on his face. He had no intention of betraying Liu Xiu and was willing to fight for the Eastern Han Dynasty.
But the Geng family is a big family. If Liu Xiu is defeated and Luoyang is captured, and the general situation collapses, they will not be able to go against the will. Geng Shu's preparation is to hide the family's resources in advance and disperse the clan members.
In order to prevent the entire clan from being wiped out when the dynasty collapses.
Woohoo!
While Geng Shu was worried, some wind sounds slowly came from the distant sky, and some people not far away pointed at the distant sky and screamed.
"There is a monster in the sky..."
"What is in the sky?"
Geng Shu immediately looked up, his expression suddenly changed, and he exclaimed: "Xia Jun's flying boat!"
In the distant sky, hundreds of airships were not hidden, and the distance was deliberately lowered. Each airship was like a hill floating in the sky. The hundreds of airships combined gave people a feeling of blocking out the sky and the sun.
The dark flying boat seemed like black clouds. It seemed to be slow. It arrived above the caravan in the blink of an eye. Geng Shu opened his eyes wide. He could even see the Xia army soldiers with a strong aura on the flying boat.
The riding crop in his hand fell to the ground at some point.
The flying boat passed by slowly, and every time it passed a village, town or avenue, it would cause a large number of people and businessmen to shout in shock.
Some people thought they were heavenly soldiers and generals, so they burned incense and knelt down to pray.
The more informed people, such as Geng Shu, were shocked when they recognized the origin of the airship.
Xia Jun actually appeared on the outskirts of Luoyang.
This means that Luoyang is no longer safe!
The significance of the flying boat appearing on the outskirts of Luoyang is similar to a certain attack in the later generations of the source world, which suddenly broke the comfort of the people of Luoyang and made everyone realize that even Luoyang, the capital of the Eastern Han Dynasty, was in danger.
If the previous rumors gave rise to worries and fears of war in the people around Luoyang, then when the flying boat passed by, the worries and fears had their source.
"Quick! Speed up and return to Luoyang as quickly as possible!"
Geng Shu came to his senses and kept shouting.
Half an hour later.
The group of people rushed outside Luoyang City, but at this time the gates of Luoyang City were closed. A large number of soldiers were on guard on the city wall. General Fu Jun and doctor Lu Zhi also climbed onto the city wall.
In addition to them, a young man with a somewhat pale face also came to the tower. This young man was in poor health, but he had a calm demeanor and a royal aura in his brows.
He was an Eastern Han emperor who had the authority to control the dragon energy of the Eastern Han Dynasty in Luoyang City. He was called Liu Zhao, Emperor He of the Han Dynasty in history books.
Even though Geng Shu was Geng Yan's biological brother, he couldn't make an exception to enter the city at this time and was blocked outside the city. Upon seeing this, Geng Shu immediately led the caravan and ran towards a Wubao in the northwest.
On the city wall.
Liu Zhao, Fu Jun, Lu Zhi and others looked solemn and waited for a while. But no Daxia flying boat appeared.
"what happened?"
Fu Jun frowned and sent additional detective horses to explore the situation on the outskirts of the city.
Soon after, Tan Ma ran back and reported: "General, Xia Jun's flying boat circled several small towns on the outskirts of the city three times, then turned around and flew south..."
"gone?"
Fu Jun repeated and looked at Lu Zhi.
Xia Jun had no intention of attacking Luoyang, so it was obvious that the opponent sent flying boats to appear in Luoyang. They turned their eyes and immediately saw the state of the soldiers at the top of the city and the people in the city.
Although the soldiers on the city wall were a little nervous, they were still okay. Their fighting spirit and morale were still there, but inside the city, some people were panicked.
…
Hundreds of miles south of Luoyang.
The two armies at Yique Pass were facing each other from afar. Xie Xuan led the Beifu Army to prevent Yang Hu in the pass from taking action easily.
Half a day later.
The hundreds of flying boats that had been separated earlier returned... Under the restraints of Xie Xuan and the Beifu Army, Yang Hu could only hold on to the pass and watched helplessly as hundreds of flying boats crossed the wall.
However, Yang Hu is not worried that these hundreds of flying boats will pose a threat to Luoyang. He is only worried that the other party will disrupt the surrounding areas of Luoyang and destabilize the people around Luoyang.
"General!"
After Yang Su led the flying boat back, he returned to Xie Xuan.
"The last general led his flying boat around Luoyang three times, and the people in Luoyang were unstable... Our army might as well take advantage of the situation to head east, attack Yanshi, take advantage of the shrinkage of troops and horses around Luoyang, and capture the Han army's important food route transit point in one fell swoop."
Yang Su suggested.
Seeing this, Xie Xuan retreated, and then said: "General Yang, your plan is very good, but the latest military order came from the camp, asking us to lead Feizhou southward and join forces with the Qi Jiguang Department of the West Route Army to attack Nanyang."
"Strike Nanyang..."
Yang Su was a little surprised, but he quickly reacted.
Indeed, attacking Nanyang is also a good choice. Capturing it can divide the territory of the Eastern Han Dynasty into two. At that time, their flying boats will become the key to the outcome of the east and west fronts.
After Yang Su returned to Daxia, he always had a plan to make meritorious service and climb up the ranks. Now that the opportunity to make meritorious service came, he would naturally not refuse it.
"Be prepared, pretend to attack Yique first and then retreat!"
Xie Xuan ordered.
(End of chapter)
