Han Zuo Gaomen

Chapter 771
The confrontation between the two armies is naturally difficult to be harmonious. Apart from attacking and harassing each other, it is also common for words to frame and humiliate each other.Similar methods have been used by both sides before, not to mention humiliating the chief general, even their respective emperors were insulted by each other by name.

However, this time the Huainan army was ingenious, using props to directly point at the food problem of the slave army, and the force was greater than before.After the general who faced the slave army was a little bit surprised, he hurriedly ordered the nearby slave soldiers to beat drums and shout to cover up the clamor of the Huainan army, and then sent boats to rush out of the water fence and block the floating wooden barrels along the river.

Sharp arrows pierced through the wooden barrel, and the white rice soup flowed into the river, and there were many swimming fish on the river surface pecking at the rice grains.When the slave soldiers near the shore saw this scene, many of them felt very sorry and swallowed frequently.

The lack of food in the army is a fact, not only the supply of the auxiliary soldiers is strictly controlled, but even the frontline soldiers, their daily food supply is decreasing day by day.Up to now, cutting and appreciating food have become the most important means of reward and punishment in the army.

Similar to the provocative actions taken by the Huainan army directly before rushing into the camp line this time, it is not necessary to think that they have nowhere to eat at night.The slave army's defense line shrunk, and there was no plan to block the Huainan Army's boat division on the Huai River, nor could it control the advance and retreat of its army. However, the generals in charge of military law did not tell them this, and would only make outrageous miscalculations and punish them. .

The clamor of the Huainan army was quickly transmitted back to the large tent in Houzhen Tucheng. Although the soldiers in charge of the report had paid attention to their wording, they still did not dare to distort the general meaning. Wang Shixuan had already drawn his sword and stood up with a gesture of fury, wanting to chop this pawn under the sword.The soldier was so shocked that he was out of his wits, and he was limp on the ground like a puddle of mud.

"The thieves have nothing to do with the warriors in this department because they use their words to gain advantage. That raccoon son Shen Weizhou is greedy for my head and neck, and he must have the courage to wade through the water to get it in order to fulfill his wish. Raccoon son is not the only one who has such delusions. He will fight bravely in the future and hold on to it." It is a crime to pull out your tongue and swallow your own words."

Shi Hu behaved differently this time compared to before, he waved his hand to stop his furious son, and then said with a sneer to the generals present.In fact, his temperament has become more restrained recently, and there are few violent and unrestrained situations. Many people or things that annoyed him in the past have now turned into resentment and buried in his heart.

The reason for such changes is that he felt the current unfavorable and uncertain situation, and worried that his judgment on personnel and affairs would be affected by his anger and he would make wrong decisions.The current him cannot stand willfulness and frustration.

The generals are still a bit at a loss about the changes of the king of Zhongshan, so they have no way of guessing his heart, so recently they just bowed and accepted orders, and rarely expressed their opinions, and they dared not be as irritable and disrespectful as King Qi. All of them just echoed for a while, but soon shut up.

With a magnanimous attitude, Shi Hu ordered and arranged means to respond to the provocative actions of countering the Huainan Army, and then began to discuss with the generals some adjustments to the army.

Recently, the slave army does not seem to have made any big moves outward, but it has made frequent moves internally.

Since going south, the army's subordinates have been severely destroyed as early as Yingkou's defeat, and the banners and military orders are all in chaos. This has an extremely fatal and bad impact on the control and dispatch of the army and the display of combat effectiveness.Before that, they successfully won the whirlpool because there was no strong resistance, but because of the lack of boats, the army stopped moving forward, and fell into a stalemate with the Nanren.

Recently, Shi Hu's main energy has been spent on the reorganization of the army, which is mainly reflected in the promotion of the trusted generals.Zhang Jack, who had previously been disintegrated from the Yingkou tribe, finally got his wish and regained control of the army. He was ordered to collect the Xuzhou defeated army on the Huai River before, and he has already pulled up a team of more than [-] people.

And new generals like Ma Qiu, Zhang Xiong, Ran Min, etc., although their previous performance in attacking Feikou from Ying to bottom was really poor, but now they are all entrusted with important tasks.There are as many as seven trusted generals who have obtained the qualification to lead the army alone, and they are in charge of more than [-] people.

The troops under the command of these generals are no longer just Shihu's private soldiers.In fact, after several battles, Shi Hu's Yi Cong army suffered a lot of injuries, far less than this number.but close
Later, he reorganized wantonly. The original Qiaojun troops, including Zhu Yicong, plus the original defeated private soldiers, as well as those defeated troops received by Xuzhou, all selected elite soldiers to fill the central army, and delivered them to the senior generals in the army. Under the command of trusted generals, the size of the entire Chinese army expanded to as many as 5 people.

This time to rectify the army, Shi Hu's methods can be described as tough. Taking advantage of the time when all the armies are concentrated on defense, even the old Chinese army of the country of Jie, who was the main force, will not be spared. All the veterans of the army are eliminated, and only the elite and strong soldiers are retained for reorganization into the army.

As for those soldiers who were eliminated from the Chinese army, Shi Hu had already almost given up, and all the allotted ordnance was confiscated to be used by the Chinese army. As for the food supply, there was very little, and he just let out a sigh of relief. Not to panic.The army seems to still maintain a scale of 10,000+, but those soldiers who were excluded no longer have much combat effectiveness.

For those miscellaneous followers, Shi Hu also encouraged the strong to annex the weak, and even did it himself.

There are nearly 4000 Zahu Dingling who accompanied the army to participate in this battle under the leadership of its leader, Juding Wang Zhaibin. It was originally a rather powerful force from Zhu Huyi.As a result, when Yingkou was defeated, Zhai Bin died among the rebellious army. There were only two thousand troops left.This time when Shihu reorganized the army, he took advantage of the situation to engulf more than two thousand people from Dingling and merge them into the central army. As for the remaining ones, they were all snatched up by Tu Ge, Lin Hu, and Xianbei ministries that still had strength. .

It was precisely because Shi Hu and Zahu Qiang joined forces to divide the people, the weak forces in the army were eaten away, and the original loose and chaotic system became clear again.Now Shi Hu personally leads the Eight Guards of the Chinese Army, with a total of [-] troops. They are elite soldiers selected by the army. A general who was promoted from among his cronies.

As for the remaining armies of the Chinese army, including those who were conscripted and defeated in Xuzhou, they were handed over to his son Shi Sui and others to take charge.Now his eldest son, Shi Sui, is helping him in the army, and his other son, Shi Xuan, has already settled in Pengcheng.Shi Kan's return to the country was obviously aimed at him, so Shi Hu would not be polite to the forces left behind by Shi Kan. Anyone in Xuzhou who refused to be ordered would attack and annihilate them.

Counting the number of times he used Huaibei and the number of people he used during his stay in Weikou, it was obviously higher than the number of troops he used in Huainan.Seeing such a situation, there is no need to say anything more clearly, and all the generals know that the king of Zhongshan has no intention of fighting south. The reason why he is still staying here is that he has not waited for the right opportunity and excuse, and the southern army is really biting. It was too tight, so that the army could not evacuate calmly.

On the water surface at the front of the vortex, the Huainan army's provocative large ship has not yet retreated, and the slave army has counterattacked here.Dozens of Jin captives were carried from the rear camp to the front line, their mouths were all propped open by utensils, bamboo buckets filled with grain and rice were poured in, even if they couldn't swallow, they were all pushed in with wooden sticks, and there were slave soldiers beside them Crying: "The raccoon slaves don't know that China has a wealth of resources, and the army has accumulated enough grain for three years. In the future, the raccoon general Shen Weizhou will be captured, and the King of Zhongshan will have his own grain and rice!"

A similar move to counter what the Huainan army said was exhausted was nothing but an act of deception.But seeing this scene, the slave soldiers on the shore still waved their swords and yelled endlessly, regardless of their hunger.As for the dozen or so captives who were abused, they soon passed away, and their bodies were all thrown into the river, with their abdomens swollen, which was shocking!
Shen Zhezi is now on the Chang'an big ship, seeing such a brutal scene of the slave army, he was so enraged that he immediately ordered all the soldiers to drive the boat straight to the vortex.

Those who were on the boat right now were Xi Jian who came from Xuyi to meet after the recovery of Huaiyin. Seeing the big boat rushing directly towards the vortex, he was shocked in his heart, and hurriedly got up to dissuade him: "The two armies are fighting and humiliating each other, and the means are natural." There are despicable extremes, Weizhou, don't provoke self-willedness, and put yourself in a dangerous situation to kill him!"

After Shen Zhezi heard the words, he pointed to the slave camp on the bank of the river and sneered, "I have no heart to fight. Just before Chen Bingqi's door, force him to look timid!"

Seeing the Chang'an ship rushing towards the vortex, the slave soldiers on the shore were really panicked.They were not worried that the Huainan army would really dare to attack. Even if a large ship and a few fighting ships on the river were fully loaded with only a few thousand soldiers, there were thousands of people in their Wukou barracks. If the Huainan army attacked, they would not be able to take advantage of it.

What really worries them is that they may be sent out of the camp to intercept them. If they are fighting on the river, facing the huge Chang'an warship of the Huainan Army, without thousands of people and dozens of boats besieging them, they really dare not approach .

Fortunately, the generals did not plan to go out to attack far away. Seeing the Huainan army ship approaching, they quickly let people put down the water fence to defend.All the soldiers are on the defensive, ready to fight.Originally, the slave army was not good at this kind of defense by crossing rivers and crossing Tianjin, but because of the joining of many Xuzhou defeated troops, this shortcoming has also been made up for, so many fortifications are still well built.

Soon the Chang'an ship approached the vortex, and Shen Zhezi came down from the deck to make people shout: "China is really grand, and there are more than billions of people, and the king's land is wide and the four barbarians. The ancestors are kind, and they took in the dying people of the four barbarians and raised them." The country of the Central Plains is full of life. Although there are loyal and righteous men in the four barbarians, there are also Tuge and Jie thieves, who are greedy for our king's land and abuse our people. All living people are harmed, and all people die by swords! , steal people's food and clothing, abuse people's lives, the country of benevolence and righteousness in China is by no means a land occupied by beasts for a long time, how can evil and obstacles be allowed to live forever! If you are greedy for the small, you will be killed. "

"The Capricorn Lord is poor and vain. He captives millions of people. He thinks he is strong. He is defeated by the king's master's three thousand people. He is repeatedly defeated in the Huai River. This is heaven's enlightenment. The benevolent people have their own help. Disgusted! Today I tell the whole army of the Northern Army that within ten days, the Jie thief will be defeated! All my fellow Jin Zuo and all Hu Cunyi people should not be fooled by the Jie thief for a long time. With the body of a ruler, if you follow righteousness, you will live, and if you follow rebellion, you will die! Before the decisive battle, whoever holds the head of a butcher and a Jie thief, in order to show himself that he chooses benevolence and righteousness, and abandons evil and rebellion. Let's eat and meet to kill thieves!"

Such a long speech, the slave soldiers on the shore may not understand it.However, the Huainan army's large ship did not leave, but moored here and shouted again and again, followed by warships carrying troops to join in, and the sound waves gathered together, making it even louder.

After listening to it many times, the slave soldiers on the shore also gradually grasped several important points. The Huainan Army regarded Tu Ge and Jie Thief, two people with abusive records, as a life-and-death enmity, and wished they could not get rid of them soon.As for the Jin army, including the other miscellaneous Hu Yicongs, as long as they cut off the heads of Jiehu and Tu Ge, they can wade and surrender, be accepted by the Huainan army, and provide meals.

To be honest, these slogans of the Huainan Army did not arouse much resonance in the hearts of these slave soldiers.After all, although the slave army is struggling right now, it still has an absolute advantage in terms of military strength, and although they have suffered repeated setbacks, in their minds, the southerners are still weak and not worth relying on.Therefore, not many people really have the idea to behead Jiehu and Tu Ge in the ranks to join the enemy.

However, the Huainan army's propaganda still caused some waves in the hearts of the slave army, and made some soldiers who did not belong to Jiehu and Xiongnu Tuge realize that they were different from these two tribes, and they were not from the south. The enemies and treacherous evil in my mind.Therefore, at this time, there was a lot of discussion among the various armies along the coast, and a sense of separation was established in many people's hearts, so that the sense of oppression and tension between the two armies confronting each other and life-and-death before was slightly eased.Anyway, the southerners wish they could not get rid of them, so even if the army is defeated, they still have a way to survive, and they won't be chased and killed by the southerners.

At this time, the generals defending along the river were also in a complicated mood after hearing the shouts of the Huainan Army. They could naturally realize the bad influence these shouts of the Southerners could have on the morale of the troops. Affected, the fighting spirit is shaken.

Even if they wanted to stop them, at this time the Southerners gathered seven or eight battleships in addition to the original large ships at the mouth of the vortex. It is necessary to apply to the rear to call the newly built boats moored in the weir before daring to go out to fight.

This back and forth, coupled with the military decision, will take a long time.At this time, the southerners' boats were still gathering here. In order to prevent the southerners from attacking, more troops could only be deployed and concentrated in the shore camp.As a result, more soldiers in the slave army heard these shouts from the southerners, and the commotion and discussion that arose from this spread even more.

On the Chang'an ship, when Xi Jian heard Shen Zhezi's words, his eyes were bright at first, but after a while, he realized that something was wrong. Shen Zhezi's words could indeed disturb the minds of the soldiers, but after careful judgment In fact, the problem is not small.

Although not going along with Liu and Shi is the strategy that the center has been pursuing since the Nandu, but in fact, the tit-for-tat confrontation at the military level, and the attitude towards those partisans, in fact, there are still disputes and differences within the stage, and no clear public opinion has been formed. .For Shen Zhezi to make people shout like this, it is actually considered overstepping. Although Fang Bo has great power now, especially in wartime, this kind of decision to rise to the level of national policy and military strategy is definitely not something that a local count can make!

Even if there is no investigation in the stage right now, once the war is over and the account is settled after autumn, once it is brought up by someone with a heart, it will be Shen Zhezi's crime and it will bring him great trouble.

So after the Huainan army shouted it once, Xi Jian hurriedly walked up to Shen Zhezi, told this hidden worry, and reminded Shen Zhezi not to focus too much on the war and ignore Taichung's attitude.And speaking so aggressively, it was forcing Shi Hu to fight ahead of time, taking away the room for him to continue to lead troops to confront.

Shen Zhezi was noncommittal about this. Of course, he knew that this declaration would cause turmoil inside and outside. The situation of Huaibei Expedition in the future.But he still didn't stop letting the soldiers speak out. He first expressed his gratitude to Xi Jian for his reminder, and then pulled Xi Jian to discuss how the two towns should cooperate to fight if the slave army really launched a decisive battle.

The words of the Huainan Army quickly spread to the Tucheng at the rear. After hearing the soldiers' trembling reports, Shi Hu finally couldn't keep his composure. Do you really think that I am afraid of him! Gather people to prepare for the south attack, and the decisive battle in the future will capture the raccoon alive! I will personally cut up the raccoon and share the meat with the generals!"

Seeing this, all the generals were awe-inspiring, and they didn't dare to be smart enough to ask if the king was just putting on a show or if he really wanted to launch a decisive battle.After all, all of their generals also have foreigners. Whether they have dissent or not is second to none. The key is to worry that King Zhongshan will have any dissatisfaction with them because of this.So all of them took orders one after another, and each returned to his department to rectify the troops.

For several days in succession, the Huainan army all came and went in boats in the vortex and crossed Tianjin around, repeatedly clamoring for this declaration.Regardless of the hearts and minds of the soldiers in the slave army, the entire slave camp is in a state of vigorous preparations and preparations for battle.

While the slave army was dignified inside and outside, and the atmosphere was tense, a ranger of the slave army who seemed to come from afar and was busy with travels rushed into the earth city where the Chinese army camp was located.

(End of this chapter)