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

Chapter 275: Attacking Longxi, Hedong Faction
With Guandong established, Liu Xiu would start with Kaixiao in Longxi and Gongsun Shu in Bashu in the southwest.

The generals under Liu Xiu had different opinions on whether to attack Weixiao or Gongsun Shu first. Some thought that Weixiao should be attacked first because Weixiao was weak, occupied a small territory and had weak troops, while Gongsun Shu had more people. The territory is large and the soldiers and armor are sufficient. You should attack the weak ones first and then the strong ones.

Some generals believe: "On the surface, Kaixiao is the weakest, but the terrain in Longxi is complex, mostly mountains and river valleys, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Large corps cannot be deployed there, and our army's strength advantage cannot be exerted. Moreover, our army The only way to attack Kaixiao is from Tianshui County. There is no other way.

As long as Wei Xiao gathers a large number of troops in Tianshui, it will be difficult for our army to advance. Moreover, the millions of Qi and Han troops were defeated there, which shows that Wei Xiao is difficult to deal with.

And Gongsun Shu occupies Bashu, so we can advance from Guanzhong and Jingzhou. As long as we seize the danger of Shu Road, advance in both directions, and enter Shu, there will no longer be any obstacle.

Looking at it this way, it is easier for Gongsun Shu. "

In the end, Liu Xiu listened to Su Jin's opinion: "Longxi first, then Bashu."

Because if the army enters Shu from Guanzhong and Wei Xiao is not pacified, the army will definitely be threatened by Wei Xiao. When Wei Xiao enters Guanzhong from Longxi and captures Chang'an, the army entering Shu will be blocked from retreat, and one of them will inevitably be left behind. The whole army was wiped out.

If he attacks Bashu first, Wei Xiao will definitely send troops to threaten Guanzhong, and the Han army will have to deploy a large number of troops to defend him, so Liu Xiu cannot concentrate on attacking Bashu.

If we attack Longxi first, we can send a few generals to guard the road out of Shu. It will be difficult for us to enter and it will be difficult for Gongsun Shu to exit.

November

Liu Xiu came to Chang'an from Luoyang, and with him the army originally in Guandong also entered Guanzhong from Hangu Pass.

King Bai passed away at the age of ninety-six. Liu Xiu sent envoys to the Bai Kingdom to express condolences. At the same time, hundreds of carriages went from Luoyang to Chaoge. They are all representatives sent by various generals and ministers.

Bai Shi succeeded Liu Xiu as King Bai with Liu Xiu's consent.

【Descent】

···
Ancestor Zhending (aged ninety-nine): My surname was Bai Shike. [Last words]: The one who raised me is too good, and he will be evergreen forever.

Ancestor Wending (aged ninety-six years): Si's surname was Bai Shiguan. [Last words]: The dynasty has been changing for hundreds of years, and the Bai family has been for tens of thousands of years.

Among the places under Liu Xiu's control today, Hedong is the richest. Due to Bai's suppression, Hebei has experienced the weakest turmoil, and Hedong is the area in Hebei that has experienced almost no war.

During the Pre-Han Dynasty, Hedong was located in the north and was invaded by nomads all the year round. It was mostly surrounded by high mountains. Although there was a vast river valley between the Taihang Mountains and Luliang Mountains, it was not particularly wealthy. It could even be said to be second only to The bitter cold land of the Xiongnu.

Even the Hexi region is inferior, because Hexi at least has trade routes leading to the Western Regions, while the Hedong region has nothing.

However, under the protection and management of the Bai family in the past two years, other areas of the world have suffered from wars, while Hedong has enjoyed lasting peace, making the Hedong area even as prosperous as other areas.

This is all due to the Bai family's strategy, so the Bai family in the Hedong area has very strong prestige. Even if these places are now returned to the imperial court, most of the big families, powerful people, and common people in each region are headed by the Bai family.

Bai's orders in the Hedong area were no less than the emperor's orders.

But fortunately, the Bai family had no unrest ambitions, and Liu Xiu was also a relatively benevolent and righteous monarch, so the people in the Hedong area lived a very prosperous life.

When the Bai Kingdom surrendered to Liu Xiu, not only the Hedong area, but also hundreds of thousands of troops surrendered. Although it was reduced a lot in the end, a large number of Bai's old troops still joined Liu Xiu's army.

After that, Liu Xiu played a very powerful role in conquering various places.

Now Liu Xiujun has no less than 200,000 troops at his disposal, excluding the troops to suppress various places and defend the borders, and they are divided into multiple factions:
There are the Nanyang sect that started in Nanyang following Liu Xiu and headed by Feng Yi and Deng Yu, the Hebei sect headed by Geng Yan and Geng Chun who joined in Hebei, and the Hedong sect headed by Bai He and Bai Wei.
As well as all the former generals of the Green Forest Army and Red Eyebrow Army who surrendered to Liu Xiu in scattered pieces, and generals who were promoted from the grassroots level by Liu Xiu.

Among them, the Nanyang sect and the Hedong sect are the strongest, almost equally matched, while the Hebei sect is weaker and more inclined to the Hedong sect. The rest of the scattered people who have not formed a faction mostly lean towards the Nanyang sect.

Therefore, Bai Guanyi's death now has a considerable impact on the Hedong Sect.

The seventh year of Jianwu
April
Liu Xiu sent Jianwei General Geng Yan and seven other generals with 50,000 troops to march along the Weibei Plain, cross the Longshan Mountains, and attack Longdi. Wang Yuan, the general of Kaixiao, discovered that the Han army was defeated.

Fortunately, Ma Wu led his elite cavalry to intercept the rear of the army, allowing the Han army to withdraw.

Seeing that the Western Expeditionary Army was defeated, Liu Xiu quickly left Geng Yan to guard Qixian County, Feng Yi to guard Quyi, and Zhizhun Yi County. He also transferred Wu Han to march westward from Luoyang and assembled troops in Chang'an to prepare for the attack of Weixiao's army.

Wei Xiao lived up to expectations and ordered an attack to take advantage of the victory. He sent a patrol to attack Chuanyi. Wang Yuan took Gan County, but fortunately they were all repulsed.

At this time, Dou Rong, who was located in Hexi, surrendered to Liu Xiu and surrendered to the Han Dynasty, so he sent his elite cavalry to attack Jincheng County and defeated He Feng, a powerful Qiang tribe that helped Kaixiao. Weixiao was attacked from both sides.

At the same time, Weixiao general Ma Yuan believed that Liu Xiu was the orthodox member of the Han family, and that Weixiao's separatist rule was for his own selfish reasons, which was harmful to the people without any benefit. Now that the world has been mostly pacified by Liu Xiu, it is time to recuperate and recuperate. It should not be To consume the power of Longxi to fight against the imperial army, they should learn from the Bai Kingdom and take refuge with Liu Xiu, so as to find a way to survive for the people of Longxi.

However, he was rejected by Kuai Xiao, so Ma Yuan secretly defected to Liu Xiu, and received the aid of Liu Xiu's five thousand cavalry. He openly recruited Kui Xiao's subordinates and Qiang leaders to surrender, and internally divided and disintegrated Kui Xiao.

With Ma Yuan inside, Dou Rong in the north, and Liu Xiu in the south, Wei Xiao was besieged on all sides for a while, so he wrote a letter to express his goodwill to Liu Xiu in an attempt to slow down the war.

However, Liu Xiu's military advisor Su Jin saw through this and rejected him, asking him to open the door and surrender.

In desperation, Wei Xiao had no choice but to send an envoy to Gongsun Shu to proclaim his vassal.

The seventh year of Jianwu
Spring:

Gongsun Shu granted Kui Xiao the title of King Shuoning and sent troops to aid Long.

As early as when Liu Xiu proclaimed himself emperor, Gongsun Shu had already closed his door in Bashu and became emperor himself. He proclaimed himself emperor in the same year as Liu Xiu, established a kingdom, advocated the color white, and established Longxing in the Yuan Dynasty. Yizhou was also renamed Sili Xiaowei, and Shu County was renamed Chengdu Yin.

Received assistance from Gongsun Shu.

Fall:

Wei Xiao personally led 30,000 infantry and cavalry to attack Anding County. At the same time, Gongsun Shu sent an envoy to successfully persuade Peng Chong, the governor of Yuyang, to rebel. Peng Chong sent troops to Jicheng to attack Mu Zhufu, Youzhou.

Liu Xiu was attacked from two sides, so he had to send Feng Yi and Ji Zun to lead 50,000 troops to guard Anding County. Bai He and Geng Chun led 50,000 troops to go north from Zhuo County. He also asked Zhenbei General Bai Wei to lead three soldiers from Shanggu. Wan attacked Yuyang County and attacked Peng Chong from two sides.

Winter:

Kaixiao's attack was overwhelming all the way to Yinjia, and beyond that was Qixian County, Guanzhongguo. Fortunately, Feng Yi and others provided timely assistance, causing Kaixiao's army to stop at Yinjia and not enter Guanzhong.

Peng Chong's attack on the other side was defeated by Zhu Fu's stronghold of the city for several months, but was later defeated by Geng Chun and Bai Wei.

In order to win over Hebei, Liu Xiu married the Bai family's daughter for his son, the second son of Yin Guiren, Liu Cang, King of Dongping.

Because Liu Cang himself clearly stated that he gave up his qualifications to inherit the throne, and because Liu Cang himself had a benevolent personality after investigation by the Bai family, the White family agreed to the marriage.

Finally, at a banquet held by both parties, she was attracted by Bai Wei, the daughter of Bai Bao, the younger brother of the White House. The two got married, and Bai Wei became Princess Dongping.

This marriage temporarily reassured Liu Xiu about Bai. Bai's success also dispelled Liu Xiu's wariness. Liu Cang was able to embrace Mei Jiao Niang, and Bai Wei no longer had to become a victim of the royal family's infighting.

The eighth year of Jianwu
Spring:

Liu Xiu sent out She and led 2,000 elite troops to secretly march from Fanxu and Huizhong to attack Lueyang and threaten Ji County, the important town occupied by Kaixiao.

Because the terrain of Lueyang is steep and difficult to attack, Kaixiao concentrated his elite troops to counterattack Lueyang and was unable to defeat Lueyang for several months.

April
Liu Xiu took advantage of the opportunity when Kaixiao strengthened the city and his soldiers were exhausted, marched into Gaoping City, and captured Anding County occupied by Weixiao. Hexi General Dou Rong, the Liangzhou Mu, also led tens of thousands of Hexi infantry and cavalry to join the army.

The Han army advanced into Longshan by separate routes, and surrendered 13 generals from Weixiao, including Niu Han, the defender of Wating. They belonged to 16 counties. More than 100,000 of Weixiao's troops surrendered. Weixiao saw that the situation was not good and decisively led his army to retreat. , Lueyang encircles the solution.

May
Wei Xiao led the remaining troops to flee to Xicheng, and then the Han army occupied Tianshui County.

Just as Liu Xiu was preparing to pursue the victory and enter Longxi County, news came from Guandong that the remnants of the peasant army had resurrected and the capital was in commotion. Unfortunately, Liu Xiu had no choice but to give up personally leading the army to the west and ordered Cen Peng to lead the army to continue the attack. He hurried back. Luoyang stabilized the situation.

November

The Han army had conquered all the counties in Longxi, leaving only the Xicheng occupied by Kaixiao. Cen Peng could not conquer it for several months, so he prepared to attack with water and divert river water to pour into the Xicheng.

It happened that Kaixiao's generals Wang Yuan, Xingxun, and Zhou Zong arrived with 5,000 Shu reinforcements and counterattacked from the high ground. The Han army was caught off guard. Wang Yuan and others broke into the west city to support Kaixiao as he entered Ji County.

After several months of offensive, the Han army had no choice but to withdraw from Longxi due to the inconvenient roads and supply difficulties in Longxi and the fact that they had run out of food.

Kaixiao then tidied up the remnants of his troops and recaptured several counties in Longxi.

The ninth year of Jianwu
New Year
Because when he was defending Xicheng, Kai Xiao suffered several injuries, and due to the cold weather, he died of illness in Ji County not long after.

Kaixiao's tribe supported his youngest son Kaichun to succeed him as King Shuoning and continue to resist the Han army.

It stands to reason that since Wei Xiao was dead and the morale of his army had plummeted, the Han army should have taken advantage of this opportunity to attack Longxi. However, things were unpredictable. Instead, the Longxi army counterattacked Tianshui this year and captured Anding County.

why?

Because not long after Wei Xiao died, General Feng Yi died, and many of the founding generals died one after another, which caused the Han army to miss the best opportunity to attack Longxi.

After Liu Xiu solved the problem of the general's death, Lu Fang, the prefect of Jiuyuan, colluded with the Huns to rebel. Wang Tiao, the Lelang people, occupied the county and refused to accept it. The Huns attacked Hexi, causing Liangzhou Mu to withdraw most of his troops back to Hexi to resist the Huns. attack.

So Liu Xiu had to constantly mobilize troops and horses to attack Liaodong, and then mobilize elite troops to attack the Xiongnu.

This gave Kui Chun time to unite his father's old troops and seize Tianshui and An Ding while Liu Xiu had no time to deal with him.

May
Liu Xiu sent Wang Zun, the prefect of Lelang, to put down Wang Tiao's rebellion, and sent troops with Geng Chun to defeat Lu Fang, who fled to the Huns.

In the same month, Dou Rong in Hexi also blocked the Huns' attack.

July
Liu Xiu mobilized elite troops, and under the command of Pingdi General Xiuwu Hou Bai'an (son of Bai Wei), he set out from Shuofang County and continuously attacked the Xiongnu tribes. He defeated the Xiongnu army near Xiutu Mountain. The Xiongnu prince came to Luoyang in person to pay tribute. Liu Xiu handed over the surrender form and surrendered.

September
The King of Goguryeo sent envoys to pay tribute to the Han Dynasty.

November

Jiaozhou Mu submitted a petition of surrender to Luoyang, but Liu Xiu still appointed him as Zhou Mu
Ten years of Jianwu
August
Liu Xiu defeated Gaoping with Geng Yan and Kou Xun.

October
Lai She and Gai Yan defeated the main force of the Longxi Army at Luomen and took advantage of the situation to capture Luomen. Wang Yuan, the general of the Longxi Army, fled to Gongsun Shu alone, and Wei Chun and others surrendered.

Since then, Longxi has been pacified
(End of this chapter)