Chapter 1889 Renzijuan warrior’s wish, his heart beats
Standing on Luliang Mountain, you can overlook the Lulianghong section. This is the section of the Yellow River in Xuzhou where the current is the most intense. Chen Jixian’s eyes were calm.
In the second year of Yonglong's reign, the imperial court diverted water from Lijiakou, ten miles east of Xia Town, and opened the river through Hanzhuang and then merged with the Jia and Yi rivers. It bypassed Baibuhong and Lulianghong in the Xuzhou section and reached the mouth of Pizhou Zhihe River like the Yellow River, forming the Jia Canal. , Xuzhou’s status as a canal hub was shaken.
It is difficult to judge whether he has taken the right or wrong step from General of the Fifth Military Camp to Huaiyang Town Headquarters. Even now, Chen Jixian is still a little confused.
Or perhaps it was my confusion and timidity that caused me to lose the chance to be brave enough to bet in Beijing.
But until now, Chen Jixian still couldn't see clearly who would win in the showdown between Nanjing and the imperial court.
He once thought that Niu Jizong and Sun Shaozu's troops marched out of Shandong and controlled most of Shandong, cutting off water transportation, and the court would be unable to recover. Unexpectedly, Feng Tang led the northwest army to boldly send troops to the Central Plains and became the vanguard.
In Chen Jixian's view, this was a rare opportunity to support his troops and build self-respect. With Feng Tang's prestige in the Nine Borders, all he had to do was suppress and delay, and the imperial court would collapse and the North would fall into chaos. Although Nanjing controlled Jiangnan, But without enough troops, Feng Tang could take advantage of the situation to seize more power, and the Jiangnan court would have to pay a higher price to bribe the other party. He could also benefit from it. After all, he controlled several people in the south. an army.
Who would have thought that Feng Tang would desperately want to be a loyal minister of the Zhou Dynasty.
Shaking his head, Chen Jixian couldn't understand what Feng Tang was thinking. He didn't think that Feng Tang really wanted to live a life where he was called around by court officials and might even be impeached and dismissed by the censors at any time. Haven't you had enough of the feeling that the general soldier of Datong Town came down and almost went to jail?
Or maybe he thinks that Feng Ziying can really have smooth sailing and take the position of chief assistant in the future?
Even if you are the first and second-in-command, how can it be so satisfying to be alone and to be a local emperor who is not restricted by others?
Chen Jixian envied the feudal towns in the late Tang Dynasty the most. Whether it was Zhu Wen, Li Keyong, Yang Xingmi, or the three towns in Hebei, it was the happiest era for warriors. Who would have thought that after experiencing the Song and Ming Dynasties, Now the warriors of the Zhou Dynasty can only survive under the power of the civil servants.
He didn't care about Feng Tang's raid on Xia Town, and he even deliberately indulged it. How could he show his importance by allowing Nanjing to win so early?
Who would have thought that the northern court was so ineffective that the 50,000-strong army in Shanxi Town was actually annihilated by Niu Jizong, which suddenly made the situation in the entire northern region tense, which also left him speechless.
The situation is so chaotic now that Chen Jixian can't see clearly, and he is even a little unsure about which step he should take.
"Yejun, what do you think a father should do now?" After a long time, Chen Jixian withdrew his gaze and looked at his eldest son.
"Father, with the defeat of Shanxi Town, my son originally thought that Niu Jizong and Sun Shaozu might not be able to sit still after the raid on Xia Town, but now it's hard to say. The imperial court has few usable troops in the north, and it only relies on Feng Tang's northwest army. , Niu Jizong can definitely work steadily, Shandong is rich in products, and the canal line is a fertile land, so it is no problem to survive for the first half of the year."
Chen Yejun followed his father, wearing a green shirt and cotton robe, looking elegant and extraordinary.
“How many troops are there? Not necessarily.” Chen Jixian shook his head.
"Father, do you think the imperial court can mobilize troops from Ji Town and Liaodong Town?" Chen Yejun didn't think so. "Nan Bian'er must have something to do with the Jurchens and Chahar people in Jianzhou, or a tacit understanding. My son probably only needs the imperial court." If they dare to attack the Liaodong Army, the Jianzhou Jurchens will definitely take action, and the same is true over Jizhen. Although the Chahar people are a little looser in strength, I'm afraid it's still okay to fight a harassment war, right?"
"Well, what you said makes sense. The court in Liaodong may not dare to move, but you have a high opinion of the Chahar people. In the battle the year before last, the Chahar people seemed to be very powerful. They looked like leaders of the grassland alliance. But what happened later? Instead, he exposed his weak nature and besieged the capital city but achieved nothing. This made the grassland tribes extremely dissatisfied with him, and even the Chahar people complained about him."
"Now the Inner Khalkha people simply don't buy Lindan Batur's account, and the Outer Khalkha people are becoming more and more alienated from him. It is basically impossible for Lindan Batur to call the Outer Khalkha people back and forth. The Tumut people were not at odds with the Chahar people in the first place, and now they are facing off against each other, Su Nang and Bu Shi Tu, and have no intention of participating in these matters. The Ordos tribe is still licking its wounds and has not regained its strength. The Chahar people, as a family, How big of a wave can it make?”
"Then father means that Ji Zhen can still draw out troops?" Chen Yejun seemed not to believe it. "You Shilu's troops have already been drawn out. I'm afraid You Shigong doesn't dare to draw out more troops, right? Ji Zhen is defending the border crossing thousands of miles away. If something goes wrong, it will lead to internal and external difficulties, and the country will be shaken."
"It's not that exaggerated. Even if the Chahar people break through the border wall and come in, so what? Can they still break the capital city? At most, it will just be a lot of trouble." Chen Jixian didn't take it seriously, "But Jizhen can't spare much troops. Now that we’re here, basic maintenance still needs to be done.”
"Where else can we get tens of thousands of troops? The Jingying camp?" Chen Yejun laughed himself, "Do you still want to repeat the 'feat' of defeating the Three Tun Camps?"
"I can't say, but if the imperial court wants to reverse this situation, the Northwest Army alone is definitely not enough. I heard that Sun Chengzong is now forming the Northern Front Army. This man has some abilities. He is considered to be a knowledgeable soldier among the civil servants. He is much better than Yang He. In In that kind of situation, it is not easy to be able to hold back your hands and focus on organizing and training the Sichuan Guards." Chen Jixian put his hands behind his back and walked slowly, "The imperial court transferred him back before the Bozhou Rebellion was settled, which shows its importance to them. He has great trust, so he will definitely spare no effort to support him, Sun Shaozu will face a strong enemy."
"Then father, what should we do?" Chen Yejun was a little worried, "Either we join forces with Niu Jizong to take back Xia Town. I don't believe how strong the Northwest Army is. If Feng County or Pei County is captured, Xia Town will naturally change hands. Feng Tang would never dare to hang alone by the canal, that would be a dead end."
"You think Feng Tang is too simple." Chen Jixian did not agree with his son's opinion of Feng Tang. "This man has no other skills in fighting. He still has the ability to fight tough battles in Jidaizhai. In other words, he is mature and prudent, otherwise he would not be able to I have been hanging around in Jiubian for so many years without falling."
"You can tell by looking at the terrain that he took great pains in choosing to raid Xia Town. The line of Dangshan, Fengxian, and Peixian seems to be north of the Yellow River and faces the threat of Niu Jizong. But you have to see that Niu Jizong's troops are limited. Caoxian, Chengwu, Shanxian County is actually in a state of abandonment, and the mobile troops of the Northwest Army, mainly cavalry, are basically concentrated in the Changyuan, Dongming, and Kaocheng lines. They can quickly advance eastward at any time to cut off Jinxiang Yutai and Jining Prefecture. This is more like a trap or bait to lure Niu Jizong southward from Jinxiang and Yutai. The area of Zhaoyang Lake and Dushan Lake is already chaotic and difficult for us to control. The geographical terrain is also complex, making it easy to hide troops. , Niu Jizong would not dare to go south easily if he was not sure."
"How long will this deadlock last? Are we just waiting like this?" Chen Yejun had no choice. His father's words were all logical and all possibilities were considered.
"There's no rush, we still have time. I guess the imperial court will definitely come up with countermeasures. Similarly, there should be some movement in Nanjing. It is estimated that the envoys are on their way to Xuzhou." Chen Jixian said calmly.
Chen Jixian's guess was correct. The envoys from both sides were on their way to Xuzhou and arrived at his house in Xuzhou.
Feng Tang’s envoy arrived first.
The first person to arrive will naturally be the first to be interviewed. Chen Jixian also wanted to hear whether the reason his colleague wanted to convince him was sufficient.
"Huai'an?" Chen Jixian laughed, "Since the Tang Dynasty, you want me to take Huai'an for myself? Do you want to go to war with Nanjing and destroy yourself from Nanjing?"
"The governor-general said, please consider it yourself, Mr. Chen. If you want to continue to sit on the fence on both sides of the north and the south with an ambiguous attitude, I'm afraid it won't work." The envoy was not polite in his words.
"Oh, why can't it work?" Chen Jixian didn't feel dissatisfied and asked with a smile: "Can't I even take a look at the situation?"
"The Governor asked his subordinates to take the lead. In three months at most, the situation will undergo earth-shaking changes, and the situation in the entire Zhou Dynasty will become increasingly clear. However, if you come back to clarify your attitude at that time, it may be difficult for the court to recognize you. Therefore, the governor has sent a message to your lord, to beat people to avoid making mistakes." The envoy continued.
"The situation will be clear in three months?" Chen Jixian looked at the other party suspiciously, "The imperial court just completely destroyed Shanxi Town. Why, it's not that simple to get the class emblem, right?"
"The governor said, it's up to you to believe it or not, but the governor believes that you are taking Huai'an for yourself now, and it's hard for Nanjing to say anything. You can just use the excuse that the Huaiyang army is unsustainable, or directly pass the responsibility to you. General below, as long as you don't touch Yangzhou, Nanjing won't care too much."
This suggestion made Chen Jixian slightly moved. Although it was just an excuse, he had to say that this suggestion was very feasible. Nanjing did not have a good relationship with him. The money and food were mostly for supplies in Shandong, but he lived in Xuzhou. Living a tight life, I deliberately tolerated it considering the needs of Shandong, and I didn't want Niu Jizong and Sun Shaozu to lose. However, the people below did not have the overall view of the situation like me, so they were always very resentful.
"The Governor also said that no matter which side wins in the future, only if he has enough power can he have a greater say. If he were you, he would take Yangzhou together. With Yangzhou, he can support more people. More soldiers." The other party finally lifted the veil of tenderness and said more bluntly: "If a warrior wants to control his own destiny, what else can he rely on if he doesn't rely on the army in his hands?"
(End of this chapter)