Chapter 197: Like Guangwu's Wisdom
Cui Yanbo looked at the rebels under Yongcheng, and he thought of his youth, when he was also improving himself through constant battles.
At that time, I studied military tactics day and night, and often discussed them with my friends in the army.
Cui Yanbo asked himself, when did he stop studying military tactics and start enjoying himself?
Cui Yanbo cleared these messy thoughts from his mind and gathered his energy to deal with the rebels besieging the city.
From the captives, Cui Yanbo learned that the rebel leader was Mozhe Tiansheng, a general who was only in his twenties.
A young man who is only 20 years old is so amazing? Is he really old?
All I saw was that outside the city, Mozhe Tiansheng was driving the able-bodied men he had captured nearby to harvest the fertile fields near Yongcheng.
It is now time for autumn harvest. After the last attack on the camp, Mo Zhe Tiansheng did not rush to attack the city, but did two things.
One thing is to continue to annex friendly forces. As Mozhe Tiansheng's power grows, small and medium-sized rebel forces are reorganized. Cui Yanbo can see this from the layout of the rebel camps. The rebel camps are becoming more and more organized. Now Cui Yanbo no longer dares to go out of the city to attack the camps.
Another thing is that Mozhe Tiansheng forced the nearby people to gather at the foot of Yongcheng and snatch the grain near Yongcheng.
At the beginning, Cui Yanbo ordered the soldiers guarding the city to use bows and arrows to drive away the people who were rushing to harvest, but he soon gave up this order.
Now the whole Qizhou, except Yongcheng, has rebelled. Can all those people who are trying to harvest grain be killed?
Moreover, many of the people driven out by Mozhe Tiansheng were people known to the defenders in the city, and some were even their relatives. Such an order would only make the morale of the defenders in the city even lower and waste arrows in vain.
Mo Zhe Tiansheng collected the grains, built granaries and distributed them uniformly. In this way, he was able to control the large groups of rebels.
The more people there are, the more food they need. Mo Zhe Tiansheng used military orders to restrict all troops from staying in the camp and only let himself go out to harvest food. In order to eat all at once, these larger groups of rebels had no choice but to accept Mo Zhe Tiansheng's reorganization.
Cui Yanbo stood on the city wall, watching the enemy's camp become more and more organized, and he felt more and more helpless.
Cui Yanbo could only say that the rebels' timing was too coincidental.
When Mo Zhe Tiansheng led his troops here, the autumn crops had just not been harvested yet.
Mo Zhe Tiansheng didn't carry much military rations with him, but now he has food everywhere in his hands.
With food, these rebels can fight against themselves for a long time.
Cui Yanbo thought of the time when Liu Yu led the Northern Expedition to Guanzhong. It was also at this time that he relied on the autumn harvest along the way to fight his way into Chang'an.
Otherwise, if he only relied on the transportation of food and grass from the rear, Liu Yu would not even be able to enter Guanzhong.
This is the so-called "right time". Cui Yanbo sighed, "The right time is not on my side!"
Not only is the right time not there, but the right people are also not there.
The reason why Cui Yanbo took his troops out of the city to take risks was because defending the city for a long time would lead to low morale. Fighting outside the city could boost morale and also allow them to seize some supplies and food.
At the same time, the quality of the soldiers from the prefectures and counties in Yongcheng was not high, and going out of the city to fight was also a form of training.
If the rebel army remained the same as before, Cui Yanbo could even fight to support the enemy and pull out more elite soldiers from the prefectures and counties to counterattack.
But that's not possible now.
Mozhe Tiansheng's camp was already well organized, with soldiers patrolling at night, and Cui Yanbo no longer dared to go out of the city to fight.
Unable to leave the city to fight, the soldiers became even more exhausted.
Yongcheng is not a big city, and not many soldiers are needed to defend it.
But Yongcheng is not a big city and there are not many soldiers in the city.
So Cui Yanbo divided the soldiers into two groups and took turns guarding the city.
In comparison, Mo Zhe Tiansheng has many more soldiers at his disposal.
Mo Zhe Tiansheng changed his previous tactics. He no longer attacked the city all at once, but instead sent his soldiers to attack the city in turns.
For Mo Zhe Tiansheng, it was taking turns to attack the city, but for Cui Yanbo, it was attacking the city all the time.
The soldiers have to bear tremendous pressure every day. Just when they have repelled one wave of attacks, another one comes.
This pressure was undoubtedly enormous. The defenders, who used to laugh and joke occasionally, now had numbness on their faces. Their spirits were on the verge of collapse.
Cui Yanbo had fought in too many battles and knew that this was a sign that the city was about to fall.
"Young people nowadays really have no moral principles!"
Cui Yanbo cursed. He really had no way to stop Mo Zhe Tiansheng from playing like this.
Now we can only hope that the reinforcements will arrive soon. If Mo Zhe Tiansheng is allowed to continue to organize his troops, Cui Yanbo doubts whether the reinforcements can win the battle.
But he knew the character of the Luoyang Imperial Guards, which might be even worse than the soldiers from the prefectures and counties under his command.
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"Longxi County must be saved!"
Su Ze stood in the Mingtang of the Liangzhou Governor's Mansion and spoke to the Governor Yuan Yu and the Liangzhou nobles who were invited to attend.
At this time, there was a map hanging in the hall. Su Ze pointed at the map and said:
"Longxi is the heart of Guanzhong."
Looking at the wooden crowd below, Su Ze couldn't help but sigh, it turned out that the troubled times haven't even started yet, and these guys are still so green.
Compared with the Liangzhou nobles in history, how come these guys have no strategic vision at all?
Or is it that the Liangzhou nobles fell into depravity too quickly?
Looking at the fragmented map, Su Ze quickly understood the reason.
Perhaps the policy of continuously splitting up states and counties since the Three Kingdoms and Wei and Jin Dynasties has taken effect.
Liangzhou in the Han Dynasty was very large, including the current Liangzhou, Hezhou, Longxi, Qinzhou and other areas.
However, starting from the Three Kingdoms period, the rulers began to intentionally or unintentionally split up the large states of the Han Dynasty. On the one hand, after the implementation of the Nine-Rank System, more official positions were needed to accommodate the children of aristocratic families.
On the one hand, it was also intentional. By dismantling the large states, the influence of the powerful families at the state level was weakened, and they degenerated into local powerful families. There would not be a situation where, once the chaos came during the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period, people could occupy a state and establish their own regime.
Su Ze re-drew the map, pieced together the ancient Liangzhou and said:
“This is Liangzhou.”
"The four Hexi counties where we are located are connected to the Western Regions. Together with Hezhou, they are the northwest barrier of Wei and the barrier blocking the northwest."
"But Liangzhou is too far away from the Central Plains, so the Five Liangs can only establish a separatist regime here."
Many local nobles in Liangzhou nodded repeatedly. The regime established in Liangzhou could only be in a state of peace and could not compete for hegemony. This had been repeatedly argued by the Five Liangs.
Su Ze drew a mountain on the map, which was just to the east of Longxi County.
"This mountain is Longshan. It is high and dangerous. The Weihe River and the Jinghe River originate here. The ancient Long Road in the mountain connects Longdong and Longxi." Su Ze drew a circle to the west of Longshan, including Qinzhou, Longxi County and other areas, and said:
“This is the Longxi region in a broad sense.”
(From now on, Longxi in a broad sense will be called "Longxi area", and "Longxi County" will be the county that seeks help in the Longxi area)
Su Ze drew a circle around Qizhou, Yongzhou and Huazhou and said, "This is the area east of Longshan Mountain, which is the Longdong area, and the most fertile Guanzhong area."
"The strategic location of Longshan Mountain is that it is gentle in the west and steep in the east. To attack Longxi from Longdong, one needs to trek through the mountains and deliver supplies to Longshan Mountain. But to defend Longshan Mountain, one only needs to set up a camp in Longxi and wait for the enemy to attack."
"If the rebels completely occupy Longxi, it will be like a mountain pressing down on Guanzhong. They can attack Guanzhong from Longshan at any time. But if Guanzhong wants to attack Longxi, it will have to climb Longshan."
Hearing this, everyone began to whisper. Now everyone understood the importance of Longxi area to Guanzhong, but what did this have to do with Liangzhou?
But Yuan Yu looked at Su Ze anxiously. If the rebels occupied the Longxi area, Liangzhou would be cut off and the support of the Luoyang court would be lost.
If an ambitious person emerges and the situation of the Five Liang separatist regimes reappears, this is what he, as a member of the Yuan clan and the Governor of Liangzhou of the Wei Dynasty, is most worried about.
Su Ze pointed to Longxi County and said:
"Now, in the entire Longxi region, only Longxi County has not fallen into the hands of the rebels."
"The Longxi County that was seeking help was governed by the city of Didao. It was established by Duke Mu of Qin after he conquered the Western Rong. It was an ancient fortress."
"If the rebels occupy Longxi County, they can go north from Didao and attack Hezhou. Hezhou and Liangzhou are one. If Hezhou is attacked, Liangzhou will also be at risk."
Now the powerful people in Liangzhou were finally moved. If they said that Longxi County was attacked, they would not feel anything, after all, Longxi County had been separated from ancient Liangzhou for a long time.
Hezhou is different. Hezhou is a state that was established not long ago. The military towns and counties in Hezhou were previously under the jurisdiction of Liangzhou. Hezhou and Liangzhou are indeed one and the same.
If the rebels really reach Jincheng, then Guzang City will no longer be at peace, which is something most of the local tyrants do not want to see.
Seeing everyone wavering, Su Ze said with a smile:
"In Su's opinion, the rebels made a fatal mistake."
"When the rebels did not completely control the Longxi area, they came out of Longshan to attack Longdong. Now Longxi County is still resisting Didao City, giving us the opportunity to rescue Longxi County."
"As long as we occupy Didao, with the numerous ravines and gullies in Longxi, it will be easy to keep the rebels out of Hezhou and Liangzhou."
After Su Ze said this, Yuan Yu's eyes lit up. If he could control Longxi, Hezhou and Liangzhou would become a stable rear.
However, the nobles of Liangzhou were still a little hesitant. Supporting Longxi County would require them to send troops, and some of them had connections with the "True King" and had different ideas.
Su Ze said: "The danger of Longxi has been verified many times in history. During the Han Dynasty, the Longxi warlord Wei Xiang occupied Longxi. Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty gathered troops from Hanzhong and northern Liangzhou, and it took Wei Xiang four years to capture Longxi despite internal and external troubles. If the Longxi area was occupied by the rebels, it would be much more difficult to recapture Longxi County."
After hearing this, Yuan Yu finally made a decision. He said:
"General Su is right. Although the rebels have not yet affected our Liangzhou, once the rebels occupy the entire Longxi area, it will be like having our throats strangled. We will have to send troops to defend against the rebels coming down from Longxi."
"It would be better to support Longxi County now and establish a defense line in the Longxi area."
After Yuan Yu made this statement, the powerful people in Liangzhou also expressed their agreement and were willing to send troops and food to let Su Ze lead his troops to support Longxi County.
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At the same time, in the Western Expedition Office, Xiao Baoyin's advisers were also having the same discussion about the war in the Longxi area.
Su Liang was a scholar from Guanzhong, so he naturally knew the importance of the Longxi area.
He repeatedly explained to Xiao Baoyin the importance of the Longxi region, and finally said:
"Captain General, Longxi County is still resisting. Now we should follow the story of Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty and invite Dou Rong from Liangzhou to attack the rebels together."
Su Liang had the same idea as Su Ze, and also took Wei Xiang, who ruled the Longxi area in the early Eastern Han Dynasty, as an example.
Wei Xiang was a warlord in the Longxi area. After he took control of the Longxi area, although he accepted the enthronement decree from Emperor Guangwu of Han, he always harbored a rebellious heart.
Wei Xiang was one of the last obstacles to the unification of the country by Emperor Guangwu of Han, Liu Xiu. In order to remove this obstacle, Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu mobilized his elite troops and launched a frenzied attack on the Longxi area.
Most of the twenty-eight generals of Yuntai were dispatched, and it took Liu Xiu four years to pacify Wei Xiang.
In addition to crossing the Long Mountains from Guanzhong to attack Wei Xiang, Liu Xiu also surrendered Dou Rong, the warlord who was in control of Liang Province at the time.
Dou Rong also attacked Didao from Jincheng, and he and Liu Xiu attacked Longxi area from the east and north respectively.
Now Longxi County where Didao is located is still in the hands of the government army, so Su Liang urgently suggested to Xiao Baoyin that he should immediately order Su Ze to go south from Hezhou to support Longxi County in the name of the Western Expeditionary Office.
For some reason, Xiao Baoyin frowned when he heard Su Ze's name.
He didn't know why, but he just didn't like Su Ze.
Xiao Baoyin believed in Su Liang's plan. As the second son of the Su family, he was well aware of Su Liang's talents.
Su Liang is a man of both literary and military talents who was trained by the aristocratic family.
One of the important reasons why many civil officials show extraordinary strategic ability as soon as they start their careers is that they read history.
Learning from history is not only about drawing lessons from history, but also about gaining experience from historical battles.
Su Liang was right. The current situation was the same as when Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty, Liu Xiu, conquered Wei Xiang in Longxi.
Xiao Baoyin can use Liu Xiu's successful experience, and can learn lessons from Liu Xiu's failed experience.
In Su Liang's opinion, the current situation of the rebels is much worse than that of Wei Xiang back then.
Wei Xiang occupied the entire Longxi region and received support from Gongsun Shu, who ruled Shuzhong in the south, so he was able to fight Emperor Guangwu for four years.
Now the rebels have not yet occupied Longxi County, but they are rushing out of Longshan to attack Qizhou. This is a strategic mistake.
In addition, Liangzhou in Longnan (where Yang Kan's father once served as governor) was still in the hands of the imperial court. As long as Liangzhou was stabilized, Longxi County was controlled, and Qizhou was rescued, the rebels could be trapped to death in Qinzhou.
Su Liang didn't understand why Xiao Baoyin hesitated.
Thinking of what Bian Ji said before he left, Xiao Baoyin said, "Then order Su Ze to lead troops to support Longxi County."
Su Liang added: "Grand Commander, there are rebellions in Guanzhong now. Please give Su Ze the right to control the troops so that he can better send troops to Longxi County."
Xiao Baoyin just thought Su Liang was annoying. He thought for a moment and said, "Then let Su Ze take control of the troops of Hezhou and Longxi County."
Thinking of the recent quarrel between Su Liang and Liu Kai, Xiao Baoyin said, "Jingshun, you go to Hezhou and announce the order to Su Ze."
Su Liang opened his mouth wide, and finally just crossed his hands and said, "Yes."
(Liu Xiu attacked Wei Xiao)
This chapter is too difficult to write. I read a lot of information. Let’s look at the map.
To be honest, battle description is not Fei Niao’s forte. Let’s look at strategy, which is what Fei Niao is good at.
(End of this chapter)