A thousand-year-old family that began with the Battle of Makino

Chapter 268 Setback, Reinforcements

After reorganization and expansion, Liu Xiu's military strength reached 60,000, including 50,000 infantry and 10,000 cavalry. After collecting and purchasing from Bai Guo, Liu Xiu formed a heavy infantry of 500 people.

In addition to the 500 heavy infantry, there are also 3,000 elite infantry in the infantry. Except for the three thousand fine cavalry in the cavalry army, the rest are light cavalry.

According to detailed information, the Bronze Horse Army actually gathered 500,000 people. However, after careful investigation, there were discrepancies, but it was only 200,000.

Sixty thousand against two hundred thousand, this battle is not easy to fight.

Liu Xiuchou's beard was almost gone, and even the always confident generals such as Feng Yi, Deng Yu, and Wu Han didn't know what to do at this time.

Even if Liu Xiu had a great record in the Battle of Kunyang, it was a coincidence and the result of a mixture of various factors. Moreover, at that time, there were many crises. If there was a choice, who would face that million-strong army?

"General, if there are too few people, why don't we ask for reinforcements?"

Liu Xiu looked at Su Jin.

Su Jin stepped forward and pointed to two places.

"Zhongshan, Montenegro?"

"General, King Liu Shang of Zhongshan is a descendant of Liu Jing, King Jing of Zhongshan, after Emperor Ren. They are both members of the Liu clan. As long as the general comes to visit in person and states his interests, I believe there will be good results.

The Black Mountain Army is a rebel army that began to rise in the last years of Emperor Wu. It follows the principles of Taitian, which can be said to be prosperous and declining, and prosperous in troubled times. Moreover, the Black Mountain Army and the Bronze Horse Tribe had many bad blood and conflicts, and they were happy to see the Bronze Horse Tribe suffer misfortune.

Secondly, I heard that its leader Fan Xianjie is also a man who is familiar with Confucian classics and is a thorough Confucian scholar. As long as the general tells him about the lives of the people under his rule and his future practices, he will definitely be able to get his help. "

After listening to Su Jin's introduction, Liu Xiu immediately stood up and grabbed his arm, saying gratefully:
"Sir, they are my Guan Zhong and Le Yi!"

Su Jin bowed slightly and said: "I don't dare to have such a good reputation as a general. This is the duty of a minister."

After finding a way, Liu Xiu sent two envoys, one was his brother Liu Zhong as envoy to Zhongshan State, and the other was Gongyejiao, a talented man who was accepted in Jixian County, as envoy to Changshan County.

Fortunately, Liu Xiu took over the north of Zhuojun. From here, he could enter the Taihang Mountains and go south along the Taihang Mountains, passing through Zhongshan Kingdom, Zhending Kingdom, and Changshan County.

October 25
The prepared Bronze Horse Army, led by its leader Cheng Pu, went north to attack Liu Xiu with 200,000 troops.

Liu Xiu placed 50,000 infantry in Rongcheng, preparing to defend the city here, and then asked 10,000 cavalry to wait for the opportunity in Fan Yang, north of Rongcheng.

October 30

When the Bronze Horse Army approached the city, Liu Xiu appointed Feng Yi as the defender of Rongcheng, commanding 50,000 defenders. He held on at all costs until reinforcements arrived.

Two hundred thousand troops surrounded Rongcheng.

"My brother Liu Xiu is the Grand Sima appointed by the Han Emperor in Chang'an, who is responsible for raiding Hebei. Your Majesty is a relative of the Liu family, and he is the Queen of the Ren Emperor. How can you tolerate the Han Dynasty being occupied by a group of thieves?

The people can't farm with peace of mind, the merchants dare not go to the road, the wilderness is full of bones, and there are few people in the city. Is this what the benevolent emperor wants?

As a descendant of the benevolent emperor, the king must have the virtues of a benevolent emperor. When foreign ministers travel along the way, the people of Zhongshan Kingdom can be regarded as stable even if they don't pick up things along the way.

But after all, Zhongshan is just a country. If this big man doesn't exist, how can the country of Zhongshan exist? Nowadays, the world is in chaos, Wang Mang is acting rebelliously, and the people are suffering terribly. How can we, as descendants of Liu, remain indifferent?
Let's talk about my brother Liu Xiu. He was famous throughout the world for his battle at Kunyang. Now he occupies a corner of Guangyang. He applies benevolent policies and restores the Han system. Officials perform their duties and the people cultivate their land. Even if the Han Dynasty is still alive, it can only be like this.

Besides, if the Bronze Horse Army breaks through Rongcheng and my brother's blood stains the city walls, who will his next target be? It’s unknown, but what we do know is that the Bronze Horse Army is just a group of bandits, and they can’t govern and bring peace to the people. Wherever they go, people’s livelihoods are in ruins and people are wailing.

But under the rule of our army, and under the rule of Bai Lin, the direct grandson of Bai Gong, stability has been quickly restored, which proves that we can save the world of this great Han Dynasty. Please think again, Your Majesty. "

Liu Shang looked at Liu Zhong and sighed: "I don't know, but my country in Zhongshan is small, the land is tired, and the people are sparse, so I may be powerless."

"Your Majesty, don't worry. As long as your Majesty still has big men and people in your heart, it doesn't matter if you send more or less. What's more, we have also contacted the leader of the Black Mountain Rebel Army. When the two armies are united, the Bronze Horse will be defeated. Hebei can then settle down again.

By then, your Majesty will be the one who revived the Han Dynasty. I believe that Emperor Gaozu and Ren Emperor will be alive in heaven, and they will be proud of your Majesty. "

After hearing this, Liu Shang made up his mind and said: "Okay, since Liu Xiu has the ability to revive the Han Dynasty and stabilize the hearts of the people, then I will help him once.

But as I said just now, Zhongshan Elementary School is small, and we still need to guard against the Zhending Kingdom Liu Yang and the Bronze Horse Army, so I can only send 30,000 people.

But the premise is that the Montenegro Army will agree to send troops, and if you convince Zhending Kingdom to also send troops, I can send another 20,000 troops, making up 50,000 troops. "

Liu Zhong was overjoyed and thanked him repeatedly.

Then go to Xinfan Yang first, and then transfer to Zhending Kingdom by yourself.

On the other side, Gongyejiao arrived at Changshan County with letters from Su Jin and Bai Lin. At this time, the Black Mountain Army occupied the entire Changshan County and was confronting the Youlai tribe in the east.

After reading the letter, Fan Xianjie did not agree immediately. Instead, he asked Gong Yejiao carefully how the people lived under Liu Xiu's rule. And his way of dealing with some powerful landlords.

Gongye Jiao was a Confucian scholar, but he had read some classics of political strategists, so he explained everything smoothly and in detail.

Although Liu Xiu left most of the government affairs to Bai Lin, the big framework was still built by Liu Xiu, and Bai Lin only acted as a specific executor.

Liu Xiu restored the Han system under his rule. While punishing those who were hostile to him, he also attracted those who were friendly to him. He guaranteed a large amount of unowned land by himself and distributed it to landless peasants or rewarded them. Meritorious soldiers. The seized money was used to build water conservancy projects, repair roads, and encourage business. Therefore, the counties and villages under Liu Xiu's rule quickly settled down.

After years of war, coupled with famine, man-made disasters, epidemics, etc., many powerful people disappeared and the population dropped sharply. According to Bai Lin's statistics, the population of a county at this time was less than one-third of what it was before Wang Mang usurped the Han Dynasty.

In addition to the original territorial boundaries where the New Deal was implemented, the Bai Kingdom's other solution was to impose strict laws. The Bai Kingdom sent a large number of troops and legal officials to station in counties and counties.

We will severely crack down on the illegal tycoons, curb unscrupulous land annexation, arrest those idle men on the streets to open mines, and encourage people to open up wasteland. They will be tax-free for the first three years, and they will have to pay taxes according to regulations after three years.

During this period, there must have been many powerful people who wanted to imitate those outside in instigating uprisings, but they were all suppressed by the Bai family. As long as there was conclusive evidence, their homes would be ransacked and their land confiscated.

As a result, the Bai family had more and more land available, and the place became more and more stable.

In the Bai Kingdom, the biggest problem, in addition to the recurring rebellions by local powerful powers, is the constant spread of diseases from the outside world. This means that although the Bai Kingdom has retained its pre-war population, it is unable to increase, and sometimes even declines.

Through a series of means, the huge Bai Kingdom was stabilized, but this also involved all the energy of the Bai Kingdom, making it have no intention to explore. Even if there wasn't originally.

After listening to Gong Yejiao's description of Liu Xiu's rule, Fan Xianjie said: "Okay, very good. The existence of our Black Mountain Army is to plead for the people. Now that General Liu can calm down the troubled times and let the people settle down, I will definitely help." he.

But I have something to say first. If I find that he is inconsistent inside and outside and oppresses the people, don't blame me for being the first to rebel against him regardless of old feelings. "

"Don't worry, Chief Fan, my lord Liu Xiu is a benevolent and righteous king."

After convincing Fan Xianjie, the Montenegro Army prepared to send 60,000 men. Originally, the Montenegro Army had hundreds of thousands of troops, but it had to guard against Liu Ziyu in the south and You Lai's army in the east.

The Youlai Army was another peasant army slightly inferior to the Bronze Horse Army, with approximately 80,000 to 90,000 people.

Gongyejiao followed the 60,000 Heishan Army northward and passed through the Zhending Kingdom, where he was joined by the 40,000 Zhending Army sent by Zhending King Liu Yang.

This was the result of Liu Zhong's mission.

Because Liu Zhong promised to marry Liu Yang's niece Guo Shengtong on behalf of Liu Xiu, although Liu Xiu had only been married to Yin Lihua for a year.

And Liu Yang is not only because of Guo Shengtong, but also because Heishan and Zhongshan have sent troops, which is equivalent to an alliance. He is caught between the two forces and is attacked from both sides. He will definitely not be able to get a good deal.

If you don't agree, maybe the first thing the two armies will do when they join forces is to destroy themselves.

November 15th
One hundred thousand allied troops from Montenegro and Zhending arrived in Zhongshan, and Zhongshan's 50,000 troops joined them.

November 28

150,000 reinforcements arrived in Guangwang County, east of Zhongshan State, which bordered the Bronze Horse Army, and launched a sudden and fierce attack.

The reinforcements were led by General Yuan Yuan of the Montenegrin Army.

Because the Bronze Horse Department did not expect that the Zhongshan Congress, which had not left home for ten thousand years, would send troops, Guangwang only had 3,000 defenders.

November 30
Guangwang was defeated by the reinforcements, and 150,000 reinforcements marched down the Bo River and headed straight for Rongcheng.

It has been a month since the Bronze Horse Tribe's 200,000 troops attacked Rongcheng. No matter what method they used, they could not get in and even lost their troops. The 200,000 men had already lost 50,000 men in this month's siege.

Fortunately, another 100,000 soldiers were recruited from the rear. At this time, the strength of the Bronze Horse Army gathered under Rongcheng reached 250,000.

December th

The Bronze Horse Army received news that reinforcements had conquered Guangwang and supported Rongcheng. They divided 150,000 people from the army and went south to block the reinforcements. They did not seek to defeat them, but only wanted to block the reinforcements and buy time for the army to attack Rongcheng.

The path of the reinforcements happened to block the food route of the Bronze Horse Army. At this time, the Bronze Horse Army only had ten days of food and grass.

So Bronze Horse's attack on Rongcheng became more and more urgent, almost day and night.

December

The 150,000 Liu Xiu reinforcements and the 150,000 Bronze Horse Army faced off on the west bank of Laishui, 150 miles south of Rongcheng.

The military strength of both sides was the same, but the combat effectiveness was not much different. After constant testing, the Bronze Horse Army decided to build a camp and hold on.

The reinforcements were eager to support and continuously attacked the Bronze Horse Army's camp. Finally finding that it was of no avail, they ordered a retreat and built a camp two or three miles away from the Bronze Horse Army for a confrontation.

However, Yuan Yuan secretly sent 30,000 elite soldiers to the other side of Laishui on a few nights to let them find opportunities to support Rongcheng.

At this time, the war situation in Rongcheng was not optimistic.

The original 50,000 Rongcheng defenders now only had 30,000 left.

Ten thousand people is the loss in the previous month, and ten thousand people is the loss in these two days.

Because the Bronze Horse Army could not launch an attack except near Laishui in the east, they launched fierce attacks on the other three sides, day and night.

(End of this chapter)