Chapter 805 Return to Huainan

Chapter 805 Return to Huainan

"I'm waiting to meet the general!"

Outside Wuyang Pass, one of the three passes in Yiyang, Guancheng Guard Quan Jingxuan led a group of civil and military officials to wait here early in the morning. When they saw Li Tai's ceremonial flag approaching, they rushed forward to greet him. Go and pay homage to General Li in the team.

"General Quan, there is no need to be polite. Thank you for your long wait."

When Li Tai saw this, he also turned over and dismounted. First he bent down to help Quan Jingxuan, and then he looked at the group of Suilu wealthy people accompanying him and said with a smile: "The territory of Suilu must be kept stable, by admiring Quan Jingxuan's rituals." The brave soldiers guarding the three passes have really benefited you and other countrymen. I must be deeply grateful to see Quan Yitong before this pass."

When the local tycoons in Suilu heard what General Li said, of course they did not dare to object. What's more, the three passes of Yiyang were indeed vital to the safety of Suilu, so they all stepped forward to bow to Quan Jing. grateful.

Quan Jingxuan was a little confused for a moment, and waved his hands repeatedly: "Everything you do as a general is within your scope of duty. Since you hold this position, you should do your best!"

"It is precisely because of the general's sincerity that I have entrusted this military affairs to the general for a long time. It is not only these protected soldiers and civilians who need to thank the general, but I also want to express my gratitude to the general! The general lives here , so that I don’t have to worry about this and can plan elsewhere.”

Li Tai took Quan Jingxuan's arm and said sternly: "Those who are good at fighting have no great achievements. Generals are unknown in the world because they have to guard important passes and have no time to leave. But I know that generals are talented and only do what they do when they are trapped. Bringing the masses here now will definitely make the general famous!"

After Quan Jingxuan heard this, his face suddenly became excited: "The last general, the last general is a warrior. His only abilities in his life are military and brigade affairs. He is so favored and appreciated by the general. I really deserve it." …”

In the Western Wei Dynasty, Quan Jingxuan can definitely be regarded as a veteran. Long before He Bayue and others entered Guanzhong, he served under Xiao Baoyu, the then Guanzhong Xingtai. After Yu Wentai inherited He Bateyue's power, he made him a doctor in Xingtai.

But his resume also reflects what it means to be unlucky and get up early to catch a late market. When he followed Xiao Baoyu, Xiao Baoyu failed in his rebellion in Guanzhong. When he was transferred to Yu Wentai's command, he was not reused because he was not from Beizhen. Especially since he had been active in the Kanto region for a long time, he did not even catch up with the series of military reforms during the Datong period.

As early as when Changsun Jian was the governor of Jingzhou, Quan Jingxuan came to Miobei to serve, and then was taken out of Miobei by Wang Sizheng. Finally, he was taken over by Li Tai as the remnant of Wang Sizheng.

Li Tai also had his own team, but Quan Jingxuan was stationed nearby. As for the series of important military operations of the military government, the main force is based on the subordinates under his command. After so many years of service, Quan Jingxuan is still just a rider, and he is even gradually surpassed by Quan Xu, the clan son who follows Li Tai.

Quan Jing's ability to declare is definitely very good, it can even be said to be better than that of a considerable number of town soldiers, and it is not limited to killing on the battlefield. He also has good achievements in promoting local affairs and handling complex local disputes and contradictions. However, because he has always been Being in a relatively marginal situation, he rarely has any highlight moments, so it is not wrong for Li Taeyan to remain unknown in the world.

A group of people exchanged greetings outside Guancheng, and then entered Guancheng under the leadership of Quan Jingxuan.

Yiyang Sanguan is located between the two mountains of Dabie Mountain and Tongbai Mountain. It is an important gateway to and from Suizao Passage in Huainan area. Several Guancheng were also established among the mountains and passes. Since such places did not have territorial jurisdictions to supplement them, generally speaking, there was no system for people's livelihood and military supplies.

But this was not the case in Yiyang Sanguan under the governance of Quan Jingxuan. There were more than 20,000 soldiers and civilians affiliated with Sanguan alone. In addition to the 5,000 troops stationed by Quan Jingxuan's headquarters and Jingzhou Military Mansion, the remaining They are all the barbarians in the Dabie Mountains and the wandering and food refugees who have been recruited by Quan Jingxuan in recent years.

More than 20,000 people relied on Sanguan in Yiyang to engage in wood cutting and other production activities. In addition to meeting their own daily needs, the materials produced were supplied to the garrison at Sanguan.

Because the Jingzhou Military Government attaches great importance to the development of commerce, there are not a few merchants from the east and west who travel to and from the three passes of Yiyang. For ten days every month, the gates are opened for business travel, and of course the Daicheng city tax is collected. One-tenth of these commercial taxes were retained in the three passes to maintain the expenses of the garrison at the three passes.

In recent years, due to the recuperation of the Jingzhou military government, there have been fewer foreign wars, and the three passes of Yiyang have been less affected by the war. Quan Jingxuan used the money and grain allocated by the military government to build warehouses near the three passes to lease to business travelers.

Now that Li Tai came to Sanguan for inspection, Quan Jingxuan reported these matters to Li Tai in detail. Only then did Li Tai discover that the affairs of Sanguan in Yiyang were developing in an orderly manner, especially the income from business and trade was second only to The existence of Stone City. In addition to the revenue that was turned over to the military government, the rest, after deducting necessary garrison expenses, was also stored in the Sanguan government treasury, which can be said to be a rich treasury.

"General, you are really a talented person. I was only used as a fighting general before. I am really ignorant. Please forgive me, General!"

After Li Tai learned about the government affairs of Yiyang Sanguan, he couldn't help feeling that he had not paid enough attention to Quan Jingxuan before.

Outside the three passes there is Yiyang, and within the three passes is Suilu. Li Tai has always paid attention to these two places, but he did not pay enough attention to the three passes of Yiyang. Even if I knew something about it before, I only listened casually during the affairs reports of the government officials. I only knew that the three levels were operating well, but I did not take the initiative to systematically inquire about it.

Now, after learning the specific details of many military and political matters in the Three Passes, Li Taicai discovered that he still underestimated Quan Jingxuan's ability. He was a more outstanding and comprehensive person than he had previously thought.

Quan Jingxuan's failure to achieve his goals was no longer a short-term matter, and he was not only ignored by his boss. He would not be resentful towards Li Tai because of this, but when he heard that his ability was recognized, he couldn't help but look excited. He said: "The general is a little talented, but he really shouldn't be praised so highly by the general. The general is responsible for the important military and political responsibilities in the southeast, and he has a lot of things to do. He cannot be appreciated by the general based on his merits. This is also due to the mediocre qualifications of the general..."

Li Tai waved his hand to prevent Quan Jingxuan from continuing, and then sighed and said: "General Quan said that I have a high and powerful position, so he still has the grace to admit his negligence. Fortunately, I have now realized that General Quan still We are young and powerful, and it is not too late to make achievements. You and I will not miss the opportunity to make up for the situation. Preface: This act will make the general famous. Seeing the general's ability makes me more confident!"

After Quan Jingxuan heard this, he quickly lowered his head and said: "The general is extremely talented and has profound strategies. The last general is fortunate to be driven, so there is no need to lose his fame! But if you have a mission, you must do your best!"

"A few days ago, the Eastern Thieves sent envoys to Jiangling, hoping to join forces with Liang Guo to plot against us in Yiyang and Handong. Although the two have deep suspicions and are extremely difficult to accomplish, they must investigate this situation and be on guard against this kind of situation. Changes have occurred. Therefore, the military government intends to use troops to deter Huainan."

Li Tai first explained the previous situation to Quan Jingxuan, and then continued: "This time I will personally lead the elite cavalry to Hefei to fight the Huainan divisions of the Qi army. Please ask General Quan to lead the troops in the three passes and follow the land troops. Go north to Yiyang, join forces with Yiyang and advance along the Huaihe River to cut off the reinforcements from the east thieves on the Huaihe River..."

Since he planned to cause a big event, Li Tai naturally would not make a small fuss. He used Hefei as the target of aggressive operations, and used this to drive Northern Qi's defense deployment throughout Huainan.

Hefei is located in the hinterland of Huainan and is also an important hub for the Northern Qi Dynasty to control Huainan. Once this city is attacked, it will inevitably affect the garrison situation of Northern Qi in the Huainan area.

Li Tai himself led the fine cavalry to Hefei, just like a sharp arrow shot at Hefei. When the Northern Qi Huainan forces were stirred up, Quan Jingxuan and other divisions could take advantage of the situation to expand their results.

In addition to the army that Quan Jingxuan marched eastward along the Huai River and cooperated with his actions from the north, when Li Tai passed through Anlu, he also told Wang Jie, who was stationed in Anlu, to also lead an attack along the Yangtze River. Marching eastward, together with the troops of Li Tun who were stationed in Qichang County and had changed their surname to Dugutun, as well as the brothers Lu Xida and Lu Guangda of Jinxi County, they marched along the north of the Yangtze River and passed through Lujiang County towards Hefei.

This time, they are advancing in three directions, pushing forward to destroy Northern Qi's control in the west of Huainan. Li Tai did not plan to leave after the battle and not actually occupy the city as before. Instead, he planned to send troops to station in Hefei for a long time to leave his mark on Huainan.

There are many reasons why he was unwilling to agree to Wang Sengbian's request before, but now he wants to take the initiative.

The more critical point is that Li Tai must break away from the military and political structure of the Western Wei Dynasty and rebuild a border defense line based on the Jingzhou Military Palace itself. Not only Northern Qi, but also Wang Sengbian was a target that he needed to guard against and check.

Originally, Li Tai was still considering who to send to guard Hefei after he captured it. Now, there is no shortage of candidates under his command who are talented and qualified enough to take charge of their own affairs, but there are not many who are still idle. Quan Jingxuan was originally one of the alternatives he had in mind, but after understanding the management status of Yiyang Sanguan on the spot, he felt that the other alternatives did not seem to be as suitable as Quan Jingxuan.

After Quan Jingxuan heard about this arrangement, he was quite surprised for a while. Although he was also a little curious in his heart, shouldn't the Jingzhou Military Government be actively preparing for war to attack Jiangling? Why would they use a large number of troops in Huainan, which was not too urgent at the moment?

Although he was not an important person in the military government, he still had full confidence in General Li. Since the general made this decision, it must be justified. And if we really want to attack Jiangling, he may not be able to serve as the main force, but if we use troops in Huainan, he still has a lot of potential.

Including Li Taijie's march route to Hefei, Quan Jingxuan also put forward his own suggestions. Because he was based in the Three Passes of Yiyang, he also had quite a lot of contact with powerful people in the prefectures and counties east of the Dabie Mountains, so he could provide a safer route and list the places where he could get some supplies along the way.

Li Tai stayed at Sanguan in Yiyang for two days, discussing the rhythm and details of the next march with Quan Jingxuan, while waiting for the local tycoons to lead their troops to assemble here.

It has been several years since he obtained the land of Handong, and it has also been a long time since he managed and won over the powerful people in Suilu. In recent years, the military government has not carried out any large-scale military operations, so these powerful tribes have also spent a lot of time in the countryside to recuperate. This time when troops were deployed in Huainan, he incorporated these troops who followed Lu's powerful forces into the combat team.

It's not because there are not enough people in Jingzhou headquarters, but it doesn't make much sense for these people to stay in their respective villages. On the contrary, they are still a hidden danger.

Ideology is a factor that is difficult to reverse. People's choices based on values ​​sometimes outweigh the pros and cons. As the powerful people in Lu have been ruled by Nan Liang for a long time, although Li Tai's governance has been very effective in recent years, there is no guarantee that these people have absolutely devoted their hearts to the Western Wei Dynasty, and they were indifferent when the Western Wei Dynasty launched a war of annihilation against Nan Liang.

Now the land of Suilu belongs to the internal area of ​​Jingzhou General Administration. There are no disturbances from the frontier, but there are just some security issues that need attention. With so many powerful tribesmen staying in the countryside, there is nothing to worry about on weekdays, but once it comes to war, people will inevitably become impetuous, and something may happen.

So it would be better to simply transfer them all away from their hometowns and go to fight in the Huainan area. This route is not unfamiliar to them. When Nanliang captured important towns such as Shouyang and Hefei in Huainan, they mainly used people from Yongzhou and Sizhou.

By the time these powerful troops from Suilu were assembled one after another, they had a total of more than 7,000 soldiers, which could be regarded as the elite of the entire Suilu area. These troops and Li Tai were all handed over to the command of Quan Jingxuan. Together with the existing garrison in the three passes, they gathered 10,000 soldiers, and then marched towards Yiyang.

As for Li Tai, he led his five thousand elite cavalry and entered the Huainan area from Jiuli Pass, the easternmost of the Three Passes of Yiyang. Then, they marched eastward close to the northern foot of the Dabie Mountains and arrived at Huainan Huo in just a few days. state.

Although they also passed through Shazhou, Yizhou and other places belonging to the Northern Qi Dynasty on the way, these states, counties and cities were basically in the hands of the local powerful.

The reason why they attached themselves to Northern Qi was to protect themselves. In fact, they also pursued a strategy of having both sides. Some even sent people to Mianbei Rangcheng every year to give Li Tai New Year greetings and gifts. The main idea was that no one would be offended.

Therefore, when Li Tai led his army through these cities, they did not encounter any obstruction. Some even thoughtfully sent some food and grass outside the city and said that as long as General Li could achieve a complete victory on this trip, they would also General Guiyi changed his banner and surrendered to the Jingzhou Governor's Office.

It's not that Northern Qi's governance here was so brutal and unethical, because there was no effective governance at all, just nominal restraint. And even if they defected to the Western Wei Dynasty, it was not because they admired Li Tai. If they lacked strength in troubled times, they could only swing left and right to protect themselves.

Huozhou was known as Lu'an in later generations, and it was only a day's ride away from Hefei. After arriving here, Li Tai ordered his troops to take a short rest here to restore their strength. At the same time, he sent scouts around to find out the enemy situation around Hefei. At the same time, he sent a team of envoys southward. Go to Lujiang and lead Wang Jie, Dugu Tun and other armies on the southern front to join the battlefield.