"Envoy of the capital, after the northern army broke through Yangzhou, it has advanced by land and water, and has killed my Xingyuan Mansion."

"Nourish...... It's so fast! After Yang Chong got the news, he couldn't help but feel a pang in his heart, the speed of the Han army's movements made him unexpected.

"How is this good?" Yang Chong was uneasy in his heart, so he asked the generals on the left and right.

"All envoys, as the saying goes, the soldiers will block, and the water will cover the earth. I have more than 30,000 soldiers and horses in Xingyuan Mansion, and there are countless grains and grasses in the city, as long as I am not ambushed by the Northern Army, there is no problem in guarding it for half a year. ”

Zhang Ji, the deputy head of the soldiers and horses of Xingyuan Mansion, is Yang Chong's confidant, and what he said is very reasonable.

Yang Chong couldn't help nodding frequently, and said with a smile: "This is a great good, and it is indeed a veteran general in the army." ”

Up to now, because Yangping Pass is too small to accommodate too many soldiers and horses. Therefore, there was no way to retreat, and Yang Chong could only hold on.

"Pass my military order to recruit adult males over the age of sixteen and under the age of sixty in the city to go to the city to assist in the defense." After Yang Chong made up his mind, he was not a fuel-efficient headlight, and immediately thought of a ruthless move to catch the strong man.

Regardless of whether these strong men are really useful or not, at least, more manpower can boost the morale of the army, right?

From Yangzhou to Xingyuanfu, it is only more than 200 miles. With the marching speed of the Han army, there was no need to march in a hurry, and it could reach the city of Xingyuanfu within three days at the latest.

When he left Yangzhou, Li Zhongyi ordered that all the ships, livestock, ox carts, and carriages inside and outside the city be requisitioned.

So, when the army set off from Yangzhou, there was a long line of transport trucks, and there was no end in sight.

Zhang Sanzheng turned his head to look at the mighty team, and couldn't help but sigh: "The harvest of winning Yangzhou is really considerable." ”

Li Zhongyi happened to hear Zhang Sanzheng's muttering, he couldn't help but smile slightly, captured by the enemy, saved countless money and food, and indeed gained a huge harvest.

Fang Zhen, the enemy general of Yangzhou, never dreamed that the Han army's siege ability was really appallingly fast. Otherwise, let Fang Zhen burn all the grain and grass in Yangzhou City, then the Han army will be in big trouble.

If it could not be done, the food would be delivered to the enemy, and the Han army's military grain transportation line would have to cross the rugged and narrow Qinling Mountains. Then, the loss in transit must be amazing, which is extremely uneconomical.

Since the army has entered the Hanzhong Plain, the entire plan to cut down Shu is equivalent to half of the success.

Three days later, when the Han army arrived at the city of Xingyuan Mansion, Yang Chong and Zhang Ji on the city tower gasped in unison: the peak of military prestige is simply incomparable.

The Han army outside the city, like one person, methodically set up an offensive formation, and surrounded Xingyuan Mansion.

Li Zhongyi was stationed under the city, holding a telescope with one hand, silently observing the defense of the Shu army.

Xingyuan Mansion is the first important town in northern Shu, with a garrison of more than 30,000 troops, so it is naturally impossible to speak on the same day as Yangzhou, which has few soldiers.

Li Zhongyi put down the monocular in his hand and asked Zhang Sanzheng with a smile: "How is it?" Do you have faith that you will take this city in one day? ”

Zhang Sanzheng didn't answer immediately, he thought about it carefully, and then said with a smile: "Your Majesty, the minister is sure to break this city today." ”

Li Zhongyi nodded and said with a smile: "There are more than 30,000 Shu troops, and our army is only more than 20,000, so you dare to besiege the city." Hehe, even if this city is broken, there will be no fewer routs who escape from the city, so what? ”

Zhang Sanzheng knew in his heart that this was the emperor's immediate examination, and he said confidently: "Even if the combat effectiveness of the defenders in the city is twice as high as that of the Shu army in Yangzhou, the ministers are sure to gather and annihilate it." It's just that the twenty 6-pounder guns, including Li Yongtang, must be at the disposal of the ministers. ”

Li Zhongyi smiled, Zhang Sanzheng was actually more conservative, obviously not arrogant to the point of getting carried away.

Objectively speaking, in terms of combat effectiveness alone, if the Khitans are 100 points, the Han army is at least 105 points, and the Shu army in Yangzhou is at best 20 points.

"Alright then, this battle continues to be under your command." Li Zhongyi has always been free and easy, and he is also willing to let go and train his heavy generals.

Seeing Li Zhongyi getting off the command car behind his back, Zhang Sanzheng's eyes couldn't help but redden, when he met such a well-known lord, how could he not swear allegiance?

In the Han army, the senior generals who belonged to the side generals were Yang Lie, Liu Heyang, Liao Shanhe, Song Yunxiang and Ma Guangda.

Zhang Sanzheng has reason to believe that after the battle of Shu, his name will definitely be added to the list of generals.

Li Zhongyi really wants to exercise Zhang Sanzheng, and in the future, the generals of the Northern Expedition will not be too much.

What's more, Zhang San is Li Zhongyi's confidant, if he can stand the test and quickly become a handsome talent, how can Li Zhongyi's harvest be small?

Since the advent of 6-pounder and 12-pounder artillery, siege warfare launched by the Han army has been many times easier.

After Li Zhongyi handed over the command to Zhang Sanzheng, he turned around and walked back to his Chinese army tent.

"Your Majesty, the urgent delivery from the capital." He held a secret letter with chicken feathers in both hands and handed it to Li Zhongyi.

Li Zhongyi opened the letter and couldn't help laughing, this is a secret report sent by Zuo Ziguang, which is related to the marriage of the eldest princess of the Han Dynasty.

Although Tianya is Li Zhongyi's sister-in-law, but when Empress Dowager Xue and Li Dahe are alive, he is not very good at interfering in Tianya's marriage.

As the saying goes, it's better to demolish ten temples than get married!

However, in Li Zhongyi's eyes, the Henan Wang family is by no means a good match.

Generally speaking, the more famous the so-called family, the more glamorous it is on the outside and dirty on the inside.

According to Li Zhongyi's knowledge, the current head of the Henan Wang family, like Jia Zhen in "Dream of Red Mansions", has an unsmelling act of picking up ashes.

Therefore, Li Zhongyi was naturally very unhappy, and his beloved sister jumped into the fire pit of the Wang family in Henan.

Now, now that Empress Dowager Xue has dispelled the idea of marrying Tianya into the Henan Wang family, Li Zhongyi can't help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

Li Zhongyi picked up the pen in his hand and wrote a long letter to Zuo Ziguang, in which Li Zhongyi emphasized the importance of continuing to keep an eye on the famous families in the capital.

It is no exaggeration to say that in today's New Han Empire, in addition to those Confucian disciples who are unwilling to lose their exclusive right to education, there are only a few corrupt classes of famous families.

Objectively speaking, Li Zhongyi holds military and political power, and the negative impact that the family may have is not now, but after his death.

It is actually doubtful whether Li Zhongyi's sons will continue to implement Li Zhongyi's policy of emphasizing business and heavy industry.

As the saying goes, once a son of heaven is a courtier, a master is a tune.

A person as strong as Li Zhongyi does not have absolute confidence that his sons will follow the road of strengthening the country guided by him.