Chapter 198 Jiang Wei's Old Path
"Jingshun, I heard that Duke Danyang sent you to Liangzhou to announce the order?"
Yang Kan came to Su Liang's tent and asked.
Su Liang nodded bitterly.
Yang Kan sighed deeply and said, "So, the Duke of Danyang is not going to save Qizhou."
Both of them are top-notch talents. From Xiao Baoyin's attitude, one can already see his strategic inclination, which is to follow Liu Kai's suggestion and then move on to Guanzhong after the army enters Huazhou.
This also means that Xiao Baoyin gave up on rescuing Qizhou and gave up the strategy of having Guanzhong scholars establish a front line in Qizhou to block the rebels.
Su Liang's clan was near Chang'an, so he naturally could not accept this strategy. Being kicked out of the decision-making core by Xiao Baoyin also made Su Liang very heartbroken.
Since his coming of age, Su Liang has served under Xiao Baoyin and made many plans for him.
The reason why the scholars in Guanzhong defected to Xiao Baoyin was also the result of Su Liang's support for him in his hometown.
Yang Kan sighed and said, "The Grand Commander also asked me to go to Liangzhou to organize an army in Longnan to stop the rebels."
After Su Liang heard this, he quickly asked, "How many soldiers did the Grand Commander give you to go to Liangzhou?"
Yang Kan sighed and said, "Two thousand."
Su Liang took a breath and said, "Although Liangzhou has not rebelled, two thousand is too few, isn't it!?"
"And it's not just the rebels in Longxi who are eyeing us covetously. With the civil unrest in Guanzhong, Southern Liang will certainly look for an opportunity to move north. Can these two thousand soldiers defend Liangzhou?"
Yang Kan still said helplessly: "We have to defend it even if we can't. My grandfather still has some old subordinates in Liangzhou. If it doesn't work, we can recruit soldiers along the way."
Su Liang thought about his own situation, which was not much better than Yang Kan's.
In the end, it could only turn into a long sigh. The two of them hurriedly parted and went to their respective destinations.
-
The capital of Qinzhou is Tianshui.
Hou Gang sat at the main seat at the banquet, but standing behind him were not beautiful maids, but two Hu warriors.
The real leader of the rebels, "Grand Prime Minister of the Qin Palace" Mozhe Dati, was holding a glass of wine to toast.
Hou Gang felt wronged!
How could a single soldier from Bingzhou become the leader of a rebellion?
How did he suddenly become king?
A person's destiny depends not only on his own efforts but also on the course of history.
Hou Gang is the unlucky guy who was pushed to the position of rebel leader by the course of history.
The key point is that he, the "King of Qin", is just a puppet!
Mozhe Dati sent guards to keep an eye on him all day long, and required them to report to Mozhe Dati whenever they saw anyone. Apart from this kind of banquet, Hou Gang didn't even have the chance to meet outside guests, let alone mention the "Prince Qin's Palace".
Hou Gang recalled the days when he was dismissed from office by the court and demoted to serve as a soldier in Qinzhou. Both were freer than being the "King of Qin"!
Most importantly, when Hou Gang looked at the "generals under his command" who were holding wine glasses around him, he felt that his future was bleak.
What a bunch of idiots!
Except for Mozhe Dati who was considered a fierce general, the remaining "generals" were the local Hu generals and Han fortress owners in Qinzhou. To put it bluntly, they were the barbarian tribes and country bumpkins in Qinzhou.
Mozhe Dadi did not reorganize those who came to seek refuge with him, and accepted them all as they came.
Apart from the fact that their troops were in disarray, this rebel group had no strategy to speak of.
After seizing Qinzhou and Nanqinzhou, instead of attacking Longxi County and occupying the entire Longxi area, Mozhe Dati instead let his son lead the main force to attack Qizhou.
Now that the attack on Qizhou has been stalled, the rebels are in chaos and it can be said that they have no strategic determination at all.
Some people suggested withdrawing troops from Qizhou and then attacking Liangzhou together.
Some also said that they should simply bypass Yongcheng and attack Chang'an directly.
There was also a "genius" who suggested bypassing Chang'an and attacking Tongguan directly!
Hou Gang wanted to ask, since you are so capable, why don’t you just attack Luoyang?
Hou Gang felt that his future was bleak. Perhaps before long, his head would be hung on the gate of Luoyang city.
After the banquet was over and the rest of the guests had left, Mozhe Dati stopped Hou Gang.
"Your Majesty!"
Hou Gang didn't want to pay any attention to the "prime minister" who supported him, but his life was in the hands of the other party, so Hou Gang nodded slightly.
Mo Zhe Dadi was so aggressive that he asked, "Why does the king never say a word during every military meeting?"
Hou Gang glanced at Mozhe Dam and said, "Speak? Have you guys considered my opinion?"
During the last military meeting, didn't you just rush into attacking Qizhou on impulse?
Now that we can’t take down Qizhou, you blame me for not saying anything?
Hou Gang felt extremely humiliated.
But the humiliation was still to come. Mo Zhe Dadi said, "Your Majesty, you don't think that by doing this, your Great Wei court will forgive your sins, right?"
"Your Majesty, you are already the King of Qin, why do you want to surrender to Wei?"
Hou Gang was so angry that his whole body was shaking. He didn't want to be the King of Qin, so how could he be twisted into such a state by Mo Zhe Dadi!
Mo Zhe Dadi looked at Hou Gang, and he was helpless.
The rebellion was thrilling and the rebel army quickly swept across Qinzhou and Nanqinzhou. The "anthropomorphic" governors that the Wei Dynasty had continuously sent to the local areas over the years had accumulated huge public resentment in Guanzhong.
When the army first started, people came to Mozhe Dike to surrender every day.
But he soon discovered that the people who came to him were only local tyrants like him, or at most small warlords who were rampant in the countryside. There was no one who could give him advice!
Therefore, since the rebellion started, it has been like a headless fly. In the end, it was Mozhe Dati who made the final decision and mobilized his own elite troops to attack Qizhou.
But now the army of Qizhou was blocked in Yongcheng, and the imperial court's army to suppress the rebellion had already entered the pass, and the situation began to become unfavorable.
Mo Zhe Dati thought about it and decided that only Hou Gang could help him with advice.
"My king, you don't think you can survive after being defeated, do you?"
Hou Gang's expression finally changed.
How did the Wei Dynasty treat those who rebelled against the king?
They cut off the head, painted it with lacquer, and hung it on the gate of Luoyang city as a demonstration.
After the demonstration, they will be put into the armory and become the royal "treasure".
Hou Gang used to be the magistrate of Zang Mansion and had seen the warehouse full of heads.
It’s a pity that the fire in the Western Jin Dynasty’s armory burned Wang Mang’s head to ashes, otherwise he could have enjoyed the same treatment as Wang Mang.
bah bah bah!
Hou Gang collected his messy thoughts. Mo Zhe Dati was right. In the current situation, if the rebels were powerful enough, he could still get away with it for a few more days.
If the government troops succeed in suppressing the rebellion, he would be dead.
Even the Mozhe Dam in front of him had a way out, and he could accept the imperial edict of amnesty, but only he, the "King of Qin", must die!
Damn it! This guy must have forced himself to be the "King of Qin" because of this!
Hou Gang suppressed his anger and said:
"Does the Prime Minister really want to listen to my opinion?"
Mozhe Dati nodded.
Hou Gang said: "It doesn't matter whether Qizhou is attacked or not, the most important thing now is Longxi County."
Mozhe Datti's eyes lit up. Hou Gang was indeed knowledgeable. He quickly pretended to be willing to learn from him.
After Hou Gang finished describing the key points of Longxi, he said, "If we take over Longxi County, we can go north to Hezhou and Liangzhou. Both of these states are richer than Longxi, and Liangzhou has horses." "If we have all the ancient Liangzhou, we can advance to seize Guanzhong, and retreat to defend the old land of the Five Liangs."
Mozhe Dati's eyes became brighter and brighter, and he wished he could bow down and kowtow.
Oh, the other party is really my lord, then it’s okay.
After a conversation, Mozhe Dike suddenly understood.
The second time, he called the camp together and made the following announcement:
His son Mozhe Tiansheng continued to lead his troops to besiege Yongcheng.
The fourth son, Mo Zhe Niansheng, stayed in Tianshui to be in charge of logistics.
The general Lü Bodu led the non-directory army south to Liangzhou, trying to capture Liangzhou and open up contact with Southern Liang.
After Mozhe Dati gave the order, he immediately led the remaining elite troops of his headquarters to Longxi County.
-
Su Ze was also very fast. In this battle, Su Ze led the Hezhou and Liangzhou coalition forces.
With the mediation of Yuan Yu, the governor of Liangzhou, the wealthy families of Liangzhou sent out 3,000 troops, including 1,000 Hu cavalry and 2,000 infantry.
Hezhou Governor Li Shizhe and Hezhou Deputy Governor Gao Ren both supported Su Ze. Hezhou sent out 5,000 troops, including 2,000 Qiang cavalry and 3,000 infantry.
Together with Su Ze's own 2,000 cavalrymen, a total of 11,000 regular soldiers and 20,000 auxiliary soldiers, it was known as an army of 200,000. After swearing an oath in Jincheng, they immediately marched south to Longxi County.
Of course, it is impossible for these troops to be assembled so quickly, and some of them are still on garrison and need to be replaced by local militia.
In addition, the army needs to have food and fodder before it can go out. If so many people rush into Longxi County at once, they will probably make Longxi County cry.
So Su Ze first took his own two thousand cavalry, plus a thousand cavalry from Liangzhou and a thousand cavalry from Hezhou, and headed to Longxi County with these four thousand cavalry.
Su Cho stayed in Jincheng, responsible for the logistics of food and fodder transportation, as well as the reorganization of infantry and sending them to the front line.
It was at this time that Su Ze discovered the efficiency of the "Military Government" organization.
Once war breaks out, the military government can replace the civil administration agencies of the states and counties and issue military-related orders.
The internal system of the military government is equivalent to a small government office. In the war zone, Su Ze can also use officials from the military government to temporarily replace local officials and entrust them to control the occupied areas.
Su Ze's system brought the efficiency of the military mansion to a new level.
[Small Military Office] has three attendant positions, namely [Household Affairs Officer], [Military Affairs Officer], and [Workers Officer].
These three positions can be used to accommodate corresponding clerks and attendants, who will submit summary reports on time. Su Ze can see the money and grain transportation report, reorganization and training situation, and weapons and armor forging and repair situation of his military office.
Su Ze placed Su Suan in the [Military Office] and made him assist Su Chao as [Housekeeper].
He also summoned purple craftsmen as attendants to serve as [workers], and [strictly enforcing the law military judge] to serve as [military officers].
He also set up common military buildings such as [parade grounds], [barracks], and [arsenal] in the military camp in Jincheng, so that the soldiers could be urgently reorganized and trained in Jincheng before being sent to the front line.
At the same time, Su Ze ordered his [production buildings], such as the [Blacksmith Shop] and [Weapons Workshop], to speed up the production of military supplies.
Su Ze felt that his system had been upgraded to a real-time strategy system, but these materials still needed to be produced and transported, so the efficiency was really low.
But to others, it is very scary!
Su Ze’s ability to integrate resources is really strong!
Liang Zhao was the one who felt the most deeply.
Su Ze was not at ease with these Qiang leaders staying in Baohan, so he ordered Liang Zhao to lead his cavalry and follow Su Ze into Longxi to fight.
Liang Zhao witnessed the changes in Baohan with his own eyes. Today's Baohan City has burst out with powerful mobilization capabilities. Su Ze's accumulation over the past six months can be said to be a result of long-term accumulation.
What a terrifying power this is! All the military and civilians were mobilized, and the entire Baohan was like a huge military camp.
Officers, clerks, craftsmen, and merchants each performed their duties, and supplies were distributed in this way, and the soldiers were armed.
Liang Zhao secretly made up his mind that as long as Su Ze was still in Hezhou, he would never have any other thoughts.
The Qiang generals who were recruited together with Liang Zhao had the same idea as him. They joined up with Su Ze as quickly as possible and headed straight for Longxi County.
Baohan is very close to Didao, but the journey is not smooth.
Su Ze sent out scouts. Didao was still in the hands of the government army, so he did not urge the army to advance, but let the army slowly adapt to the terrain characteristics of Longxi County.
What is Long? Thousands of mountains and valleys form Long.
This is Qinchuan, with mountains and rivers everywhere.
Su Ze finally understood how Wei Xiang had managed to hold on for four years when facing Liu Xiu.
The road in Longxi County is really difficult to travel!
Even the cavalry of Su Ze's headquarters were not able to adapt and had to dismount and move forward on foot. The entire Longxi area could be said to be a natural fortress.
Su Ze also saw a fatal flaw of his own - he relied too much on cavalry.
Since he took command of the Yulin Army, Su Ze has been a cavalry general, and the cavalry is what he relies on most in combat.
In the open grassland and the flat Hexi region, there is naturally no problem in using cavalry.
The people on the grasslands, especially those in Liangzhou, have been fighting with cavalry since ancient times.
But Guanzhong is not.
Fighting for world dominance still requires infantry, especially an elite infantry.
Su Ze made up his mind that after controlling Longxi, he would find a way to train an elite infantry.
Su Ze originally wanted to occupy Hexi and develop it well, and then occupy Hezhou and Liangzhou, but he did not expect that the situation would change faster than he thought.
Now I can only bite the bullet and go ahead.
The only advantage is that the rebels in Guanzhong are just a group of rabble, which is just right for leveling up.
After setting up camp, Su Ze led his troops to climb the high slope and overlook the mountains and rivers of Longxi.
Murong Shaozong on the side suddenly said: "We will go straight to Didao from Baohan, which is the same route as the one taken by Jiang Boyao of Shu Han in the northern expedition to Didao."
Su Ze looked at Murong Shaozong with approval, then looked at the generals around him. Hou Jing seemed to understand, but he looked around curiously at the mountains and rivers in front of him, trying to memorize the terrain here.
Wang Hui, Yang Zongjia, Sun Dayan and other former members of the Yulin Army did not understand at all. They just stared at Su Ze blankly.
Su Ze sighed in his heart, there is always a ceiling for people.
Wang Hui, Yang Zongjia, Sun Dayan and other former members of the Yulin Army only had the talent of a captain at most, and commanding a battalion was the limit of their ability.
Murong Shaozong and Hou Jing joined Su Ze's camp later and are now able to focus on one side.
Murong Shaozong, who had read military books, was able to put forward his own ideas on the battle situation.
Su Ze said, "Shao Zong, tell us about Jiang Boyao's Northern Expedition in Didao."
. . The chapter numbers are messed up again . . .
It should be Chapter 196.
(End of this chapter)