Chapter 538 A eloquent speaker
After Xia Zeshu was defeated, Fancheng suddenly became a real dangerous city hanging alone on the north bank of the Han River.
Although there are still several forts nearby that have not been breached, the core of the Xia Zhe garrison no longer exists, and it is difficult for these forts to be preserved. Some of these forts surrendered directly after being persuaded by the surrender, while others simply abandoned their defenses and fled before the enemy could get close.
After wiping out the outer strongholds of Fancheng, Li Tai did not rush to attack this tall city, but began to build a camp and defense under the eyes of the defenders in the city.
Normally, as an attacker, you should first complete the construction of the camp and then plan to attack. It's just that the location of Fancheng and its surrounding fortresses is so attractive that people can't help but want to step forward and give them a slap.
However, they successfully captured the Xia Ze garrison without any delay. They could settle in the garrison nearby. With fixed city defense restrictions, they could also largely avoid the camp tactics used by the southerners.
Li Tai did not order the bombing of the fortress wall, partly for this reason. As for the construction debris in the fort, it is naturally the responsibility of the descendants to clean it up.
Taking advantage of the opportunity to clean up the garrison, he personally interrogated the surrendered general Du Youan, and carefully inquired about Xiangyang's current attitude towards his attack, as well as the specific personnel arrangements in various aspects.
Du Youan did not hide anything about this. He answered everything Li Tai asked. Especially when he talked about the soldiers guarding the city in Fan City, he explained it in extremely detail. However, his words were inevitably a little emotional and hateful. He had to grit his teeth and even take the initiative to explain some details that Li Tai had not asked.
Hearing Du Youan's emotional answer, Li Tai couldn't help but feel happy. It seems that he was right in judging that the personnel situation in Xiangyang was not better than that in Jingzhou, and it might even be worse.
At least before his arrival, the local powerful people in Jingzhou had united under the organization of Quan Zhongzun and forced back the Nanliang attack. There was no such vicious incident of refusing to save others or even betraying their colleagues. Even if there is any estrangement and suspicion between them now, it is only because of Li Tai, the newcomer who is instigating trouble.
Even though Du Youan had a cooperative attitude of telling everything he knew, Li Tai couldn't believe what he said. He and other subordinates who were responsible for interrogating Jiang Ren compared the contents of the interrogation with each other. Basically, they didn't make much difference. There are many discrepancies, and Du Youan’s explanation is especially the most detailed.
Li Tai was a little surprised by this. In his opinion, it was understandable that Du Youan chose to surrender after fighting so hard, but it was always a bit strange that he would take the initiative to explain the situation after surrendering.
Even if he hated Fancheng guard Liu Fanggui for refusing to rescue him, and hoped that Liu Fanggui would end up like him or even worse, wouldn't he consider the family members of Nan'an?
But what Du Youan said next made him realize even more the special national conditions of Nanliang and the lack of bottom line of these gentlemen.
"The King of Yueyang refused to obey and respond to the general's previous question. The general was newly appointed to Mianbei, so he was eager to establish his power over the enemy and intimidate the territory. Do you think he had no intention of crossing the Yangtze River to the south and occupying Xiangyang for a long time?"
After Du Youan was initially nervous and cautious, and after some exchanges, he was sure that Li Tai was not an unreasonable and unreasonable traitor, so he asked tentatively.
After hearing this, Li Tai narrowed his eyes slightly and smiled: "If you can achieve great success and gain an advantage, who would be willing to live in a lower position?"
After hearing Li Tai's ambiguous answer, Du You'an's thoughts became more vivid, and then he said: "The King of Yueyang was young and energetic, and ignored the safety of Xiangyang. He refused to go to the country to ask questions, and some local disciples were also forced to fight.
Moreover, those who attacked Mianbei were not Xiangyang natives of a certain class, and the attack they suffered now was an unreasonable disaster. If the general is willing to be kind to the innocent, the criminal is willing to help the general capture Fancheng, dispel the general's anger and make new contributions to the border. The two sides will stop fighting each other due to the Han River as the boundary..."
When he heard Du Youan say these words with a firm tone that sounded a bit absurd to Li Tai, even though Li Tai had always been very witty, he couldn't turn around for a moment. He just frowned and asked: "You can surrender me just because of your introduction." , Dare you offer me Fancheng?"
Du Youan finally remembered the reality that people were fighting for their own good, and he did not dare to show off too much. After hearing this, he hurriedly replied: "Of course it is not possible to rely on just one criminal, but my family is also very powerful in the north and south of the Yangtze River. From the west of the river to Xinxing, Nanyang and other counties, all the brothers in my household are in charge!
Although there is no danger to defend from the north of Fancheng, in addition to this city defense, there is another defense that is more difficult to break through, that is, the Han River in the south of the city. Xiangyang and Fancheng are divided into two parts by water. If the waterway cannot be controlled, Fancheng will not be an isolated city. It can be continuously supplied by water, making it absolutely difficult to conquer.
If you want to capture Fancheng, it will be difficult to defeat it by land battle. You must advance upstream and go down the water to block its retreat. The city will be in danger, and there will be chaos without a fight. I am willing to write a letter for the general and send it to the brothers upstream to persuade them to control the water and cooperate with the general! "
When Li Tai heard this, he became even more confused. He raised his hand and touched his face with some uncertainty. He was not sure whether this guy did this because of his handsome face or the domineering aura that permeated his body. Repay yourself!
When something goes wrong, there must be a monster. Li Tai put down his palm and rested it on the handle of his sword, and then said in a deep voice: "Although you have fallen into my hands now, your brothers are still calm about it and are willing to be involved in such treason for you alone." In the midst of great evil, you can't cover up with lies. If I feel that what you said is false, I will show you to the public immediately!"
"General, calm down, general... How can this be treason? Even if there is no general to attack this time, King Yueyang has used strong politics and great disobedience to control the hearts of the people since he entered the town. The people are just afraid of the power and swallow their voices and endure! And because of his own whim, he dragged the people of a state into war..."
After Li Tai heard this, he coughed lightly and glanced at Du Youan, who was still making an impassioned speech. The best thing you can say is King Yueyang!
"The people indulged themselves in anger and regarded the safety of people in the state as nothing. Their wild rebellion was the real evil. A certain group of countrymen really did not want to bear grudges against the state of Wei, and they did not dare to offend the general. The people of Weizhou revolted and expelled If you don't know how to be the leader of the state, you should save the people of our hometown and build peace with each other.
Even if the court is to blame, it cannot ignore the local sentiments and customs. The general no longer has to work hard to arrange soldiers, Fancheng is within easy reach. If he is unwilling to divide his troops and garrison them, some countrymen are also willing to ask for redemption! "
After listening to Du You'an's so-called heroic voice, Li Tai couldn't help but sweat broke out on the back of his neck, because only then did he truly see the toughness of the border tyrants, and then he couldn't help but laugh twice, because I didn't know how to evaluate Du You'an's rhetoric and logic. Finally, I couldn't help but punched the case hard and cursed angrily: "Son of a bitch!"
Du Youan couldn't understand what Li Tai was cursing, but he could tell from his expression and tone that the enemy general was not very happy. He was about to open his mouth to beg for mercy, but he was afraid that he would make mistakes if he said too much, so he closed his mouth in a hurry and recovered again. The initial look of apprehension.
Li Tai didn't know why he was so angry. Maybe it was because he had some expectations for the Southern Dynasty that even he was unaware of and beyond reason.
When he saw some ugly phenomena in the Western Wei Dynasty and the Eastern Wei Dynasty, he did not have such strong disgust. Sometimes he even joined in, often holding a joking attitude and even making fun of them, because he had no deep recognition of these two regimes. .
This first contact with the official figures of the Southern Dynasties left a very bad impression on him, and even exceeded his lower limit of understanding of this era. The centipede insect is dead but not stiff, but the maggots crawling in and out of the insect shell and squirming are really uncomfortable.
If what Du Youan said is true, this method is worth trying. At least what this guy said is quite accurate, that is, Li Tai did not want to gain any actual territorial gains from Nanliang when he used troops in Xiangyang. He simply wanted to establish his authority and intimidate his enemies and subordinates.
He needs a more stable internal environment to make a series of in-depth adjustments to the situation in Jingzhou according to his wishes. The close proximity of Jingzhou and Nanliang also determined that it would be impossible for him to adjust by the self-mutilation method of scraping bones to heal wounds.
In order to ensure that this adjustment is profound and effective, we must also ensure Jingzhou's own strength as much as possible, and eliminate the possibility of interference from Nanliang. This can only be achieved through a war.
Using the enemy as a wall created a temporary cage for the local powerful forces in Jingzhou, so that they did not dare to seek refuge in Nanliang, and could only stay there obediently and wait for their own criticism and rectification.
If he accidentally fails, then the situation that Du You'an said that Yueyang King Xiao Qing will encounter may be waiting for him in the not-too-distant future.
Either out of a boring sympathy, or for other reasons, Li Tai did not intend to try this seemingly cost-effective plan.
He stood up and looked down at Du You'an who was lying on the ground. After a brief pause, he said: "Your plan is quite shrewd, but it is a bit wrong. I am not leading the army to the south to share the common destiny." You are waiting for the Jianghan gangster conspiracy game, but you want to let the people of Hanmian know who I am!
If you want to live, you can write to your brother and immediately deliver supplies that match your life as redemption. You must remember that I am not a merchant who can bargain. If your family is too stingy, then I will be sorry. You only have one chance, so cherish it! "
After saying this, he was about to lean over and pat Du Youan's shoulder, but when he reached halfway, he stopped and did not fall down. The officer only ordered this person to be detained alone and not allowed to touch others at will.
Du Youan was a little dumbfounded when he heard Li Tai's words, and he couldn't understand the proposal, which was obviously beneficial to him but not harmful at all. Not only did this man refuse to agree, but he also put forward a condition that was completely difficult.
He quickly wanted to open his mouth to stop Li Tai, and then seriously explain the great power of the Jingzhao Du family and the feasibility of his proposed plan, but as soon as he uttered a byte, he was roughly blocked with a torn linen cloth. mouth.