Fenghou

Chen Qing was stunned for a moment, and then he was overjoyed. Doesn't this mean that Li Cheng was defeated?He quickly asked: "How many troops did Li Cheng bring and escape?"

"About more than 1000 people. There were originally 3000 defenders in the city. More than [-] of them have fled the county."

At this moment, Controlling Lu Gui stepped forward and said a few words to Chen Qing, Chen Qing nodded, "Go into the city!"

Twenty thousand cavalry marched into the county seat.

Xiangcheng has a large area, with a circumference of about [-] miles. There is a transfer envoy's office covering an area of ​​five acres. Li Cheng used it as a temporary Jiedu envoy's mansion, and Chen Qing naturally regarded it as his temporary commander's mansion.

But what makes Chen Qing more interested is the warehouses behind it. Xiangcheng has convenient transportation, Rushui passes through the south of the city, and is surrounded by major grain production areas, so this has always been an important grain transit point. it's here.

"How much grain is there in the warehouse?" Chen Qing asked with a horsewhip all the way to the warehouse.

Xu Ping hurriedly said: "The official warehouse belonging to the county has about 1 shi of food, but this time Li Cheng brought a large amount of military food and supplies, they didn't take it away, and they didn't burn it down, and sealed up the warehouse. I don’t know how much food and supplies I have.”

Chen Qing nodded, and said to Lu Gui and Yan Jun: "This Li Cheng is not bad, he didn't burn the grain. Based on this, if he is captured in the future, he can be spared to die."

Xu Ping also quickly said: "Li Cheng has a good reputation among the people. He restrained military discipline in Xiangcheng County. During his garrison, there was no looting of property or bullying the people."

Chen Qing smiled, and said to Zhang Fan, the marching commander: "Go and count the money, food and supplies. I want to know how much food and supplies Li Cheng left behind?"

"Humble post obeys orders!"

……

The result of Zhang Fan's inventory was really beyond Chen Qing's expectations. There were 20 shi of grain, [-] dans of forage, and [-] sets of armor. A set of armor is a set of armor, a sword, and a spear. , a dagger, a complete set of infantry equipment, [-] pairs of defensive bows, [-] military crossbows with corresponding arrows, and [-] tents. What surprised Chen Qing most was , More than [-] thousand-stone flat-bottomed cargo ships were seized on Rushui.

These grain and grass materials were all brought in by boat, of course not in batches. The three hundred cargo ships belonged to strategic materials. Li Cheng wanted to withdraw the ships no matter what. It was just that Chen Qing's army came too suddenly, and the boatmen were all scattered in the city. , and even many people were still staying in the brothel, and they had no time to go out of the city, so the ships naturally became the trophies of the Song army.

At the same time that the supplies were counted, Liu Qiong and Gao Ding's tens of thousands of troops also rushed to Xiangcheng County. Hearing that King Yong had already occupied Xiangcheng County first, several generals rushed to the city to see him.

In the lobby, Chen Qing sat down several generals with a smile, and said to them: "After this battle is over, Ruzhou is basically under our control. The control point of Ruzhou is in Xiangcheng County, like Ye County, Liang County, etc. Basically, there is no need to consider the garrison in the county. The enemy does not dare to review the map alone, but Dengzhou must garrison at least [-] troops to prevent Xiangyang's troops from going north. In fact, after we occupy Tangzhou and Dengzhou, the western front of the armistice agreement will count It’s invalidated, so we still have to watch out for the imperial court sending troops north.”

Tang Qian leaned forward and said: "His Royal Highness, I went to Xiangyang in a humble position, and heard a gossip that it was false that the imperial court attacked the Jingnan South Road and seized Yue Fei's military power. I wonder if this gossip is reliable?"

Chen Qing smiled slightly and said: "It should be true. The imperial court has signed a long-term armistice agreement with Jin Bing, and it is about to start withdrawing troops. What about the Bazi Army, Wu Jiajun, Yue Jiajun, Zhang Jiajun, Han Jiajun, etc., the emperor will not allow them to fight again." Exist, otherwise it will become the second Sichuan-Shaanxi.

In fact, my old boss Wang Yan was the first to withdraw troops. The Bazi Army was disbanded, and Wu Jie was the second to receive troops. The three must be Yue Fei. If he is lucky, he will be appointed as a civil servant. If he is not lucky, he will be dismissed from office and be monitored. "

Chen Qing knew that due to his appearance, there was a high probability that Yue Fei would not be executed in Fengbo Pavilion, but there was a high possibility that he would be transferred to a remote area. His army was annexed by Zhang Jun in history, because the court was afraid of Yue Fei. The army rebelled, and this time, nine out of ten were taken over by the imperial court.

After a pause, Chen Qing said again: "But the imperial court still wants to attack South Jingnan Road. It may not necessarily conflict with our army, but they also want to garrison troops on Jingnan South Road, and then we will squeeze out Jingnan South Road. The imperial court has this ability. I can guess it."

Liu Qiong sighed and said, "But Yue Fei's generals are very good at fighting. It would be a pity if they were buried like this. The humble job has a good relationship with Zhang Xian. I want to write him a letter."

"How did you know Zhang Xian?" Chen Qing asked with a smile.

Liu Qiong said embarrassingly: "Didn't His Highness be expelled from the martial arts examination back then? Several newcomers were recruited in the martial arts examination, among them Zhang Xian, who lived in the same dormitory as the humble official, and we have a deep friendship."

Chen Qing said happily: "If the situation permits, you can write to invite him to the Western Army, and just say that I warmly welcome him to come."

Liu Qiong scratched her head and said: "There is one more thing to report to the humble officer."

"What else?"

"It's about the soldiers, Zhang Zhongxiong's [-] soldiers, I don't really want it, but I want Li Cheng's [-] soldiers, can Your Highness..."

Before he finished speaking, Gao Ding was a little unhappy and said: "Little Liu Dutong, we agreed, how can you swallow it all by yourself?"

Chen Qing smiled slightly: "Could it be that Li Cheng's soldiers are stronger than Zhang Zhongxiong's?"

Liu Qiong smiled wryly and said: "It's not a question of being stronger, it's far behind. Zhang Zhongxiong's army is basically recruits, not trained much, and their combat effectiveness is very weak, but Li Cheng's army is well-trained and experienced. Ten thousand infantrymen of the other side fought fiercely for an hour and a half, and the two sides were evenly matched, this infantry really impressed the humble staff."

"Humble job also thinks they are good!"

Gao Ding also interjected: "Although the army was defeated like a mountain, they still maintained their respective barracks after being captured. This is the first time I have seen such a surrender. I also hope to accept some of them. Please Your Highness Chen Qing !"

Chen Qing nodded, "Our total army strength has reached 35, but it cannot exceed 40, otherwise the finances will not be able to bear it. I originally wanted to annex a part of Yue Fei's army. If the 1 troops are really good, then you two and one family [-] people, and then Zhang Zhongxiong’s army was disbanded and returned to the peasants. In fact, it was the same in Luoyang. I dismissed all the prisoners of war and returned to the peasants. The restoration of the Central Plains requires a population and a strong labor force. In the future, all the prisoners of war will be disbanded and no more troops will be added.”

The generals stood up together and said: "I respect His Highness's order!"

Chapter 989 Information

In Jingzhao City, Lu Wei hurriedly came to the Baiyu Hall of Juxiang Restaurant, entered the room, but there was no Lu Hang, only Wang Shuang, Zhou Hua and Han Feng, Lu Wei asked with a smile: "Where is Lu Hang?"

Zhou Hua said bitterly: "I guess it's lying on some woman's belly again, and I can't get up."

Wang Shuang also sighed and said: "Lu Sima should persuade him if you have time! If he is so unrestrained, he will miss a big deal. We have been looking for him for three days, but we can't find anyone."

Even the spies of the Kingdom of Jin can't stand Lu Tang anymore, this Lu Tang is really a talent.

Lu Wei shook his head and said: "This is his virtue, and he can't change it until he dies, so everyone in the family hates him, but he is easy to find! Only those few brothels, looking for Mr. Lu San, generally know him. "

Wang Shuang glanced at Han Feng, Han Feng hesitated and said, "I asked the bustard at the door if Lu Tang had been here, and they all said that Master Lu hadn't been here for a long time."

Lu Wei smiled slightly and said: "This is their mantra. If you ask Zhang San, they will also say that Master Zhang hasn't come for a long time. They always say the same thing when you ask anyone. If you ask the third son, they will give him money. They'll tell the truth right away."

Han Feng clasped his fists quickly, "I've been taught!"

Lu Wei asked Wang Shuang again, "What do you want him for?"

"The information he provided was wrong. He said that [-] grains were sent to Dengzhou by camels, but he didn't say that [-] horses were sent at the same time. As a result, Bianliang always thought that Dengzhou's [-] troops were infantry, but it turned out that they were [-] cavalry, the higher-ups were furious, saying that we had missed the military information.”

Lu Wei shook his head, "I really can't blame him for this matter. He only cares about food. As far as I know, Liu Qiong's 3 people went to Dengzhou. There were originally [-] cavalry and [-] infantry. The war horses are stored in Shangzhou, so Lu Jiang will definitely not know about this, of course, I only found out yesterday."

Wang Shuang said angrily, "But at that time, the spies got information from Dengzhou that there were [-] infantry soldiers, and they suddenly became cavalry soldiers, so Bianliang was dissatisfied and put the blame on us."

Lu Wei sneered and said: "In my opinion, the intelligence analysts are stupid! The five armies of the Western Army are composed of [-] cavalry and [-] infantry. Everyone knows that this time Liu Qiong is leading the Flying Eagle Army , Of course, there are [-] cavalry and [-] infantry, how can you take it for granted that it is [-] infantry? My own analysis of information is not in place, and the responsibility is shifted to others."

Zhou Hua quickly said: "Lu Sima is right, we can reply to Marshal Du just like this."

Wang Shuang nodded, and asked again: "There is one more thing. It has been more than a month since our people recruited the boatmen to go to the Bian River. Why has there been no movement? Has the plan been cancelled?"

"Of course it's not cancelled. I'm here to tell you about it today. The ship leaves tonight."

Wang Shuang cheered up, and quickly asked, "How many troops will accompany the ship?"

Lu Wei said lightly: "This should not be within the scope of my disclosure!"

Wang Shuang immediately understood, took out a box and put it on the table and pushed it to him, "This is 100 taels of gold, which is equivalent to [-] guan. It's enough!"

Lu Wei opened the lid of the box, took a look, weighed it again, put it in his arms, and then said calmly: "Two hundred thousand-stone cargo ships set off tonight. There is no army to follow, only food and grass. In fact, this It was only a part of the ships that were supposed to be cancelled, but because many ships from Mengzhou went to Luoyang, there was not enough ships, so the ships in Guanzhong were redeployed. There are a total of 3 ships, and the army is about [-]. It is Taiyuan Mansion Niugao's army, as long as you spies pay attention to Mengzhou, you can get more detailed information."

Wang Shuang is overjoyed, this information is too important.

"Thank you Lu Sima!"

Lu Wei chuckled, drank a glass of wine, turned and left.

Looking at the back of Lu Wei going away, Zhou Hua was a little dissatisfied and said: "It costs 100 taels of gold to break through the information so much?"

Wang Shuang smiled slightly: "That's because you don't understand. The important information is the movement of Niu Gao's army, and it is also the information that Marshal Du has repeatedly asked us to pay attention to!"

Wang Shuang immediately wrote an eagle letter and handed it to Han Feng, "Send it today!"

"Follow the order!" Han Feng also left in a hurry.

……

Han Feng left the restaurant, got on a bullock cart, and came to the poor area in the southwest of the city. The bullock cart stopped in front of an alley, and Han Feng quickly stepped into the alley. The alley was not deep, and there was only one family in it.

Han Feng knocked on the door, and the door creaked open. Just as Han Feng was about to enter the yard, he suddenly felt something. He turned his head and looked towards the entrance of the alley, only to see a five or sixty-year-old old woman with a scarred face looking into the alley. Seeing that she found her, the old woman quickly backed away in fright.

Han Feng frowned, and asked the man who opened the door, "There is an old woman with a scarred face outside, have you seen it?"

"The humble staff knows that it should be a crazy woman who lives nearby and always likes to sneak around."

Han Feng didn't take it seriously, and handed a roll of pigeon letters to his subordinates, "Send it away immediately, use the red mailbox!"

"The humble job will arrange it!"

At the entrance of the alley, an old woman with a scarred face walked up to a man, stretched out her hand and said with a smile, "I'll help you see clearly, he has entered the house, give me the money!"

The man gave her a handful of money, and the old woman left triumphantly. The man took note of this alley. After a long time, he saw a pigeon flying from the roof, and then got on an ox cart and left.

……

In the Neiwei government office, Zhong Huan made another mark on the map, Qizhoumen Street Osmanthus Alley is a single courtyard, Zhong Huan asked again: "Are you sure there is a new carrier pigeon spot?"

"I'm sure, I saw the carrier pigeon flying up with my own eyes, it's a red letter box!"

Chong Huan nodded, "This is the third spot where the carrier pigeons point, it really is the three nests of cunning rabbits."

"In addition, Wei Tang has been indulging in Baihualou for the past few days. He is obsessed with a prostitute named Xiaoyuxian. He has spent hundreds of taels of silver on her. He may be watched by the Supervision Department."

Zhong Huan suddenly nodded his head. Wei Xian was in a special situation. If people from the Supervisory Department investigated him, it would make a big fuss and affect His Royal Highness King Yong's plans. However, his boss Wang Hao was not in Jingzhao.

Chong Huan pondered for a moment, then got up to deal with this troublesome matter.

Zhong Huan found Zhang Miao of the Supervision and Intelligence Department. From the perspective of his position, Zhong Huan was not qualified to find Zhang Miao directly. It should be his superior who came to find Zhang Miao. He did not follow the rules and was easily criticized.

However, Zhang Miao was a relatively ordinary person. He heard that the commander of the internal guards had Zhong Huan come to him for an urgent matter, so he didn't refuse, and then interviewed Zhong Huan.

"Look at Zhang Dujian for a humble job!"

Zhong Huan bowed and saluted, "Thank you Zhang Dujian for the interview!"

Zhang Miao smiled and said: "Not bad! Not bad! You have become the commander of the inner guard in just a few years. How are you, General Wang?"

Zhang Miao was actually implying that Zhong Huan should be found by Wang Hao instead of him reporting to the superior.

Chong Huan blushed, and quickly explained: "Wang Tongzhi went to Fengxiang on business, and he won't be back until the day after tomorrow. I also know that I shouldn't come to the capital directly because of my humble position. The situation is urgent, and the matter is confidential, so I have to come to bother you!"

"Tell me! What's the matter?"

"Officials from the Supervision Department are keeping an eye on Wei Xian. Do all supervisors know about this?"

Zhang Miao was taken aback, what a coincidence, he was reading the supervision report on Lu Tang just now, he picked up a report on the table and said: "Lu Tang spent 500 taels of silver in the brothel within three days, this incident triggered It caused a sensation. As a small master book under the military department, how did he get so much money? Shouldn't he have a good trial?"

Chong Huan wiped the sweat from his forehead, fortunately he came in time, he quickly said: "The inner guard is very clear about Lu Hang's matter, the humble official has been watching him all the time, he is involved in collusion with Jin Guo spies, the source of his money It is also related to the spies of the Kingdom of Jin, so I implore the capital prison not to startle the snake."

"Oh? The dignified Lu family's children actually colluded with Jin Guo's spies?" Zhang Miao obviously didn't believe it.

"Everything I said is true. If the Dujian doesn't believe it, you can ask Neiwei Wang Tongzhi, or even Wangfei or His Royal Highness Yong, but don't order people to be arrested."

Zhang Miao nodded, "I understand what you mean, I can temporarily suspend the inspector, but he is spending money so much, but he has not been suspected, isn't it more suspicious?"

"The humble job will arrange it, teach him a lesson, and he won't dare to give up like this."

"I see, I will suspend the supervision temporarily, and ask General Wang to come over and talk to me later."

"Humble post obeys orders!"

When Zhong Huan walked out of the room, he was also secretly glad that if he hesitated for a while, he might feel embarrassed to come, and things would be troublesome.

Lu Xian flaunted his money in a squandering way. On the way home that night, he was stopped and beaten up by a few hooligans, who stole more than 100 taels of silver, and he became penniless again.

9 Chapter Ninety Disagreement

At night, several cavalry rushed to the foot of Bianliang City, holding command arrows and shouting: "Hebei urgent report, open the city gate quickly!"

A roped basket was thrown from the top of the city, and the guards shouted loudly: "Put the arrows in the basket!"

The messenger had no choice but to put the command arrow into the basket, and the basket was pulled up for inspection. After a while, the city gate opened, and several messenger cavalry entered the city.

At this time, the night had just fallen, Bianliang City was under curfew, and the sound of horseshoes running on the silent street was extremely ear-piercing, as if the whole city could hear it.

Wanyan Wushu did not rest, he was still in the map room discussing the battle situation with several advisers, Chen Qing's army was coming fiercely, and had already won two rounds in a row, capturing Henan Prefecture, Ruzhou, Dengzhou and Tangzhou, with [-] lottery The army was destroyed.

It is not surprising that the Song Army captured Henan Mansion. The Song Army seized Hulao Pass, so that the [-] reinforcements he sent were blocked outside Hulao Pass, and Dengzhou was attacked. It is acceptable that the [-] army led by Zhang Zhongxiong is indeed relatively weak, and it is reasonable to be no match for the [-] elite Song Army.

However, the defeat in Ruzhou made Wanyan Wushu feel pain in his heart. The situation where he could win was clearly defeated in the end. What is the problem?

Xiao Jilie and Li Cheng disagreed with each other. Xiao Jilie criticized Li Cheng for being dazzled by the victory, advancing rashly, and being unprepared for the Song army's reinforcements.

Li Cheng also accused Xiao Jilie of disobeying orders and leading his subordinates to flee before fighting, which caused the collapse of the entire army and was the chief culprit for the Ruzhou fiasco.

Both of them insisted on their own words, both of them were right, Wanyan Wushu also sent people to investigate among the low-level soldiers, the conclusion was true, both of them were right.

But Wanyan Wushu knew very well that the responsibility probably still rested with himself. He ordered Li Cheng to go south to destroy Ye County's army. He didn't consider the possibility that Henan Province would send troops to support Ruzhou.

So in the end Ruzhou's defeat was nothing, and Wanyan Wushu couldn't hold them accountable.

Advisor Fan Gong saw something deeper.

"My lord, I always feel that there is another reason for this failure."

Fan Gong said cautiously: "I don't know what to say or not to say!"

Wanyan Wushu glanced at him, and said with some dissatisfaction: "Did I blame Mr. for all these years? Is there anything you can't say in front of me? Unless it's attacking the emperor!"

"That's not the case. I actually want to talk about joint operations."

Wanyan Wushu suddenly realized, "You mean the Hu-Han coalition?"