Chapter 1275: Moving to Taihang
Located more than 100 miles southwest of Yecheng, Zhongmu City is adjacent to the Qi River in the south and the Mou Mountain in the back. It is located between mountains and rivers. As early as the Warring States Period, it was once the capital of Zhao State. Before that, it was an important town on the line of the Yenan Great Wall of Northern Qi. With the demise of Northern Qi, Gao Yu, the King of Pengcheng of Qi State and the current pseudo-lord, led his troops to occupy here.
When the two countries fought last year, the line of the Yenan Great Wall should have been an important line of defense against the invasion of the Western Army. As a result, starting with Gao Guiyan, the King of Pingqin in Shangdang, the Qi army fled all the way and directly handed over Hebei. Gao Yu, who was responsible for guarding the Yenan Great Wall at the time, had not yet reacted, and Yedu had already fallen.
When things evolved to that point, Gao Yu was really helpless. Originally, he planned to reorganize his troops and march to Yedu and recapture the capital, but as the Western Army between Heluo in the south came north, he was in a critical situation and dared not act on his own.
Since the focus of the Western Army's attack was always on the north, the situation in Yenan could still be maintained, but it was only relying on the city garrisons along the Yenan Great Wall to barely protect itself, and it was completely unable to fight back.
Gao Yu had been looking forward to good news from Jinyang, but he received the bad news that Jinyang City was broken and the King of Qi was dead, and he was extremely sad. But then many people who saw the country was about to perish fled to Yenan and attached themselves to him, which gave him a glimmer of hope.
Finally, at the beginning of the year, after repeated persuasion from the generals of Yenan, Gao Yu decided to ascend the throne and proclaim himself emperor, carrying the banner of the Northern Qi, hoping to recruit more people who refused to surrender and continue to fight against the Western Army.
"Your Majesty, the governor of Dongjun, Chi Lie Changyi, has arrived outside the city!"
On this day, Gao Yu was handling official business in the temporary palace converted from the City Lord's Mansion, when suddenly a personal soldier came to the hall to report.
Gao Yu was overjoyed when he heard this, and hurriedly stood up to go out to greet them.
Since he ascended the throne in Zhongmu City, he has indeed attracted many people to come and join him, but most of these people are desperate criminals, a mob, or monks from various temples around Ye City. There are very few strong generals and brave soldiers who can really help him resist the Western Army. On the contrary, these people have increased the consumption of materials here after joining him.
Chi Lie Changyi and his brother Chi Lieping are both brave generals in the country, and they were also generals of the Erzhu clan before they followed Emperor Shenwu Gao Huan in their early years.
Chi Lie Changyi was previously the governor of Dongjun. Because it was located in Henan, it was not affected by the war. In addition, Dongjun was the most powerful army in Henan, with strong men and horses and sufficient money and food. If he could be recruited, it would certainly greatly enhance his power and gain a retreat base in Henan. If the battle in Yenan was unfavorable, he could still cross the river to Dongjun to settle down.
Therefore, after Gao Yu ascended the throne, he immediately sent envoys to Dongjun to lobby and recruit Chi Lie Changyi, hoping that he would surrender to him. Now that he really surrendered, Gao Yu was naturally overjoyed.
But when he arrived outside the city and saw that Chi Lie Changyi's group consisted of only a hundred people, and each of them was in a rather embarrassed state, he suddenly felt something was wrong, but he still strode forward and said loudly to Chi Lie Changyi: "Finally, General Chi Lie has come to surrender, and my heart is at peace!"
"I am ashamed, and I have failed the grace of the Supreme..."
When Chi Lie Changyi saw Gao Yu striding to greet him, his face became somewhat awkward and ugly, and he bowed his head and bowed deeply, saying in a deep voice: "After I saw the Supreme's handwritten edict from Dongjun, I immediately mobilized the army, soldiers, and local righteousness, and finally gathered 5,000 soldiers. Just as I was about to come north to surrender, I was attacked by the thief general Zheng Wei who entered the county. I was exhausted and escaped with my life. I had more than a hundred followers and came here in a hurry..."
What Chi Lie Changyi said was also half true and half false. It was true that he was attacked by the Tang army, but his determination to surrender to the north was far from as straightforward and decisive as he said. Because at the same time as Gao Yu's recruitment, the envoy from Gao Zhan of Qingzhou also arrived in Dongjun, and also promised him a high position and generous salary to recruit him.
So Chi Lie Changyi did not choose to surrender to Gao Yu at the first time. He was still hesitant in his heart, and was also thinking about waiting for the price. But the Tang army did not give him this opportunity. Soon, the Tang general Zheng Wei led his army into the county. Chi Lie Changyi was at a disadvantage in the battle and could only choose to surrender to Gao Yu, who was closer.
After hearing Chi Lie Changyi's answer, Gao Yu's face suddenly sank. The reason why he was so looking forward to Chi Lie Changyi's arrival was naturally that he valued Dongjun as a retreat and its money, food, and horses. As a result, Chi Lie Changyi lost all of these, so the significance of his coming to surrender was naturally greatly reduced.
Although he was disappointed, Gao Yu still suppressed his disappointment and expressed his welcome to Chi Lie Chang Yi. After all, Chi Lie Chang Yi was a brave general, and it was better to have him than not.
However, when Gao Yu was still worried about the loss of Dongjun, Murong Jianzhong, the general in charge of guarding Baigou Xiuwu City, sent someone to report that the Tang army in Henei had crossed the previous defense line and advanced northward in a large number. There were tens of thousands of people and a huge momentum.
After learning about this, Gao Yu's mood sank. The Yenan army he gathered here, plus the troops and forces that were gathered after Yedu was captured, totaled only over 30,000, but the enemy that needed to be guarded against was very powerful. In addition to Henei, there were also the troops in Yecheng, which was attacked from both sides.
Previously, the enemy had not launched a large-scale attack, so he was able to survive here. Now that the enemy from the south was advancing in large numbers, he really had no confidence in defeating them. Especially since the retreat route in Dongjun was no longer hopeful, he became even more anxious.
Because Xiuwu City is close to Hanoi, it will be the first place to be attacked by enemies from the south. But now there are only more than 3,000 troops stationed in Xiuwu City, and the city cannot be said to be very tall and steep. The only Baigou that can be relied on has dried up in this late winter and early spring, and it is difficult to provide much resistance to the enemy. If it is not If reinforcements are added, they will inevitably be defeated by the Tang army soon.
However, when Gao Jun gathered his ministers to discuss the reinforcement of Xiuwu City, he was immediately opposed by his ministers.
"Xiuwu City is connected to Hanoi. There is little danger in the area to rely on. Now the enemy is so strong that it is difficult to stop it. If we don't use soldiers here, even if we invest more armored soldiers, it will probably be of no avail!"
The first person to stand up and speak was a middle-aged man named Helian Ziyue. Because he urged Gao Jun to proclaim himself emperor to strengthen his reputation, he was appointed as the Shangshu Ling of the Yenan Puppet Dynasty after Gao Jun proclaimed himself emperor. He stood up and spoke out against the reinforcement of Xiuwu City, and the reasons he put forward were also relatively practical.
After hearing this, Gao Jun sighed: "Although Xiuwu City is not a dangerous place, it is a city that I only have a small amount of control over now. Once it is abandoned and not defended, the thieves will never stand still until their troops have gathered." Under the city, what can we do to repel the enemy?"
"The Great Wall in the south of Ye was built in the old years to prevent bandits from the east from invading from the north. Now most of Hebei has been cleared of thieves, and there is no reason to defend this area. Previously, I advised Your Majesty to guard the south of Ye in order to appease Ye. Everyone is fleeing. In the current situation, if you keep people, you will survive, but if you stay in the land, you will die! Especially if Dongjun is lost, all roads will be exhausted. If you stay here and refuse to leave, you will not be far away!"
Helian Ziyue also sighed and said: "The plan is right now. It is really not suitable to fight with the enemy's force. We should escape as soon as possible. From the south of Ye to the west, pass through Linlu Mountain and enter Taihang. We should fight while walking, walking through the mountains and fields to avoid the enemy, so as to Looking for a turning point.”
"According to your opinion, what's the turning point?"
After Gao Jun heard this, he asked again with a confused look on his face. Although the Taihang Mountains are rugged and steep, they can block a considerable part of the enemy's forces, but the problem is that he cannot stay in the mountains and wilds all his life, wandering around like a bereaved dog.
Before Helian Ziyue could speak, another middle-aged man in the hall said: "According to what I see, although the Western bandits are powerful and seem difficult to resist, they may not be able to last long. The leader of the bandits, Li Boshan, is rampant and domineering. Because of his great power and arrogance, he is brutal and cruel, and he harshly accuses and harms the famous people in Guandong. Even if he is rampant for a while, the people will inevitably boil with resentment and rebel in all directions!
The Chen family is an example. A few days ago, a group of disciples in Yezhong were severely persecuted by the Eastern bandits. The ministers and others fled here, but fortunately they were taken in by the Supreme Being. The minister's uncle went north to Zhaojun to stay with his fellow villagers. There are thousands of families in the county, and they are connected across counties and towns. If we rely on each other and defend the land, it will be difficult for the thieves to get rid of me. Nowadays, those who are unyielding in resisting the thieves are not of the same kind. The thieves also need to use their troops everywhere and are exhausted. When their troops turn around, it will be difficult for me to eliminate them! "
The man who spoke was named Li Wenshi. He was born in the Li family of Zhao County and was an official in Yedu before. When the Western Army entered Yedu, Master Li Wen and his tribe also surrendered to the Western Army together with other Shiliu in Yezhong.
However, after the Dingzhou incident, the Li family in Zhao County suddenly became embarrassed. Many soldiers of the Western Army shouted that they would kill and retaliate against them. However, the Tang Emperor did not protect them at that time, so these Zhao County Seeing that the situation was not going well, the Li clan members fled one after another.
Li Wenshi and several tribesmen fled to Yenan to join Gao Jun, but some tribesmen also fled north to Zhaojun and other places. Zhaojun is where the Li family is famous, and the Li family's rural power and influence in the county are also extraordinary.
Because Yenan is located in the enemy's territory, he has heard about the political decrees of the Tang Dynasty. After learning that Emperor Li Tai of the Tang Dynasty had listed the Li family of Zhao County as an unforgivable clan without any regard for mercy and deeply criticized him, Master Li Wenshi The Li clan in Zhao County also felt deep hatred and did not want to submit to the Tang state, but continued to fight.
Therefore, on the basis of Helian Ziyue's proposal to avoid the Linlu Mountain to avoid the enemy, Li Wenshi also proposed to move north along the Taihang Mountains, connect with the people of the Li clan in Zhao County, and develop in a low-key manner. After attracting all the forces, they can take the opportunity to grow and regain their lost territory!
After everyone present heard what Li Wenshi said, they all nodded in agreement. Taking shelter in the Taihang Mountains would save them from the enemy's first attack. Combining with a powerful family like the Li family in Zhao County would also allow them to gain important The supply and development prospects are much greater than the current hope of sticking to Yenan.