In June, the midsummer wind has blown all over the north, and the breath of war has spread from the northwest to the south of the Yangtze River.

Zhang Xiang's carriage went to school in the wasteland

When he heard that Lin Feihong Xijin's soldiers and horses had already driven straight into Qin Feng's hinterland, he knew that things had spread in the direction he had thought before.

Since the Yuan Capital Mansion started from the prefect, all the Southern Chu officials were imprisoned by Sun Qing, as soon as the news of the Zhending Army's control of the Yuan Capital Mansion and the rebellion spread, he knew that Xijin could not let go of this good opportunity.

The border of thousands of miles from north to south in the west of South Chu has always been guarded by the Zhending army, and now the Zhending army has withdrawn from the northwest back to the Yuan capital, and the northwest is empty, even if Xijin does not enter Chu from the direction of Dingzhou, there is a lot of room for development in a large distance to the south, and the Shangyuan Plain to the west of Yingzhou is the most suitable place to enter Chu.

Therefore, Xijin's soldiers and horses will also enter Chu from here.

Now that Liu Qingyin has just restored the former Chu regime as a descendant of the orthodox royal family in the Yuan Capital, in order to consolidate the situation in the Yuan Capital, it is impossible to participate in the external war in a short period of time, the first thing she has to do is to hold the Yuan Capital Mansion of one acre and three points of land, after all, Zhao Yan has also transferred 150,000 soldiers and horses from Jinghu to suppress it.

As far as Zhang Xiang heard, in the next few years after she restored the former Chu regime, she had already hunted and killed a lot of loyal ministers of Southern Chu, and the Yuan Capital Mansion at this time was also in chaos, and she had no extra strength to participate in the chaotic war between Northern Liao, Xijin and Southern Chu for the time being.

First, she wanted to consolidate the situation in the Yuan capital, and second, she wanted to take this opportunity to let Northern Liao and Xijin consume a lot of Southern Chu's strength first.

After leaving Jingzhou and knowing that Liu Qingyin and Wei Lie were going to start an uprising in the Yuandu Mansion, Zhang Xiang had already guessed that this chaotic situation would come sooner or later, which was why he wanted to come to Yingzhou in advance.

Wei Lie was very smart and knew that something would happen at this time, because now that the army that Nanchu could fight was transferred to Liangzhou, there was no extra strength to deal with them, and the Zhending Army didn't pay attention to the combat effectiveness of those local armies at all.

Moreover, Xijin will also take this opportunity to enter and disturb the northwest, and they will be able to consolidate their power for at least a long time.

They are not worried that Xijin will attack them, they are the internal troubles of Nanchu, as the saying goes, enemies are friends, and Xijin will also be happy to see them develop and grow to make Nanchu fall into trouble

Now that the Yuan capital has fallen, and Xijin has advanced eastward, Southern Chu at this time can be regarded as Zheng who has fallen into a situation of being attacked from three sides

There is still a privy envoy in Liangzhou, and there is Xuanzhou Mansion behind him, and Southern Chu is the attacking side in this battle, even if he loses, he will withdraw at most, and he does not have to worry that Northern Liao will go south for the time being.

The former Chu regime had just been restored, and if it was necessary to consolidate the power in the Yuan capital, there was no strength to spread outward.

Therefore, at present, the greatest threat to Southern Chu is not Northern Liao, nor Former Chu, which has just restored power, but Xijin.

Xijin took this opportunity to move eastward, and the goal would not be as simple as Yingzhou.

On the way back to Yingzhou City, Zhang Xiang re-sorted out the whole thing in the carriage, and chose to take it seriously, the top priority is to keep Yingzhou, as long as Yingzhou is kept, the Hanzhong Plain of Lizhou can be kept, and the two routes of Xijin to the east can be temporarily blocked.

Unless they choose Dingzhou, the northernmost state, but Beiliao will not let Dingzhou to them, so there is no need to worry.

Zhang Xiang's pace was much faster than that of Xijin's army, and on the evening of the first day of the sixth month, he returned to the city of Yingzhou, and the gates of Yingzhou were also announced to be closed on this night.

At this moment, the city of Yingzhou has already become a pot of porridge, since the Xijin 30,000 army stepped into the Shangyuan Plain, the news has reached Yingzhou, Yingzhou Zhizhou Qin Fu has ordered a curfew, all the people are not allowed to go out, he also immediately passed the news to the nearest forbidden army Xinghua battalion, Xinghua battalion army commander Ji Ke has brought 5,000 soldiers and horses into the city, taking over the important task of guarding the city gate.

This night, Zhang Xiang didn't sleep, and after he went into the city to find an inn to rest, he asked Lin Feihong to find a few detailed maps and come back.

According to the news, the 30,000 soldiers and horses of Xijin were led by Qiu Xingjian, a general under the general Li Juguang of Xijin.

Then, he spent the whole night studying the map and this Qiu Xingjian.

Xijin was established by the Dangxiang clan hundreds of years ago, at that time, the Central Plains of Dawu had just declined, into the Huangchao troubled situation, the leader of the party Li Qian because of the pacification of the Huangchao troubled times, was given the surname Li by the Dawu Emperor, and named him as the envoy of the Hexi Festival, and gave the jurisdiction of the five states.

After the fall of Dawu, the warlords of the Central Plains were divided and chaotic, Li Qian's son Li Hao also established Xijin at this time with the Hexi Corridor as the border, cut off the connection between the Central Plains and the Western Regions, and posthumously named Li Qian as the ancestor of Xijin, Li Hao is not only the founder of Xijin, but also the founder of Xijin writing, and during his control of Xijin, he also made Xijin glorious for a period of time.

But the good times did not last long, after Li Hao's death, the northern nomadic Northern Liao rose, and once defeated Xijin and surrendered, and once called the Northern Liao a tribute.

It was not until a hundred years ago that Emperor Chu pacified the civil strife in the Central Plains and established the Great Chu to attack the Northern Liao in the north, that Xijin was free from the threat of the Northern Liao, and he also attached himself to the Great Chu for a period of time.

However, forty years ago, after the internal political stability of Xijin, it gradually broke away from Dachu.

Because he coveted the land of the Great Chu Yuandu Mansion, Xijin once wanted to seize this place, and had invaded the Yuandu Mansion many times, but unfortunately they were all beaten back by the Great Chu army.

More than 20 years ago, the last emperor of the former Chu Feng Weilie was the general of Pingxi, who was originally preparing to conquer Xijin and seize the Hexi Corridor to connect the Central Plains with the Western Regions again, but unfortunately encountered the Bianjing Rebellion launched by Zhao Yuan, the envoy of Xuanzhou Jiedu, which changed hands again.

Southern Chu was established on the basis of the former Chu has only been twenty-one years, after Zhao Yan succeeded to the throne, just towards the economic development of Southern Chu, there has been no war of foreign expansion, these twenty-one years, in addition to imitating the former Chu sent Sun Qing to garrison the Yuandu Mansion, sent Zhang Jian to guard the north, there was no plan to war, resulting in Northern Liao and Xijin have also developed a lot in these years.

Today's Northern Liao Emperor Yeluji is warlike, and the Xianbei tribe in the east of the black water and deep mountains is unbearable to the oppression of the Northern Liao, so also 21 years ago, the leader of the Xianbei tribe Tuoba Ye raised an army against the Liao, and also established Dongyan in Shangjing under the temporary chaos of the Central Plains, and controlled the northeast within ten years, becoming the biggest threat to the Northern Liao.

Today's Dongyan Emperor Tuoba Ye is also fifty years old, but his greatest wish in this life is to lead the Xianbei tribe to destroy the Northern Liao.

Therefore, Dongyan has not regarded Nanchu as the biggest enemy for so many years in Tuoba Ye's reign, and has maintained a trade relationship with Nanchu for many years, and ten years ago, Tuoba Ye also sent a letter of state, wanting to fight against Liao, but unfortunately was rejected by Zhao Yan, the emperor of Southern Chu, who had no will to fight.

Today's Xijin Emperor Li Zuo is the tenth emperor of Xijin, and he is not a simple character, he always likes to do some tricks of fishing in troubled waters and drawing salary from the bottom of the kettle.

Because he had surrendered to Northern Liao, Xijin had always had a shadow on the iron cavalry of Northern Liao, and never dared to take the initiative to provoke Northern Liao, and this time seized the opportunity of Chu Liao's battle in Liangzhou, Liu Qingyin and Wei Lie to restore the country and rebel in Yuandufu, so they immediately sent troops into Chu.

It's a recipe for wanting a piece of the pie.

The abacus is playing well.

Li Juguang, the general of Xijin, is Li Zuo's uncle, and his general Qiu Xingjian is good at running and fighting, so most of the soldiers under his command are light horses.

Early the next morning, Zhang Xiang took Lin Feihong to the Yingzhou Mansion.

At this time, the Yingzhou Mansion was also heavily guarded, and when Zhang Xiang arrived, a soldier stopped him.

When Zhang Xiang reported his identity and made his intentions clear, the soldier was also suspicious, but he was afraid that it was true, so he hurriedly surrendered his hand and went in to report.

Soon, Qin Fu, the governor of Yingzhou, and Ji Ke, the commander of the Xinghua battalion, walked out together.

Qin Fu glanced at Zhang Xiang from a distance, he didn't know Zhang Xiang, and he hadn't seen it.

It's just that Princess Gaoping and General Zhang's son Zhang Mingheng got married, so he just heard about it.

Qin Fu is also a veteran official of the imperial court in his fifties, and after he greeted him, he hurriedly said while looking at Zhang Xiang: "The next official Qin Fu is seeing Zhang Fuma." ”

"The last general, Ji Ke, see the horse." Ji Ke is a standard Chinese face, with a righteous face, and he is about thirty years old.

Zhang Xiang hurriedly said: "Lord Qin and Commander Ji don't have to be polite, Ming Heng came to Yingzhou to do some private matters, I didn't want to disturb Lord Qin, but I just heard that the Xijin army was coming east, so I was worried and wanted to come and ask about the situation." The two adults don't have to doubt my identity, I have the marriage certificate given by the emperor here, Lord Qin might as well check the authenticity. ”

Then, Zhang Xiang took out a holy decree.

This trip to Yingzhou came because he came to hide his traces, but sometimes for convenience, just in case, Zhang Xiang still brought out this marriage decree, which is the only thing that can prove his identity.

Qin Fu didn't have any doubts when he saw this holy decree, and hurriedly said: "Please come inside the horse, wait for the officials to come together." ”

Zhang Xiang nodded, and followed the two into the mansion.

After taking his seat, Qin Fu informed him of the known situation: "Horse, according to the report, Xijin Qiu Xingjian's army has crossed the Shangyuan Plain, and there are about three days to go before it should be able to reach Yingzhou City." ”

"Three days? So fast? Zhang Xiang frowned, after all, even after crossing the Shangyuan Plain, there were still five hundred miles away from Yingzhou, and if it was a normal march, it would not be so fast.

Ji Ke on the side hurriedly said: "This Qiu Xingjian's 7,000 soldiers and horses are in a hurry, and he led these 7,000 soldiers and horses to come in a hurry, so it will be so fast, but most of the troops will take at least five days later." ”

"A quick march?" Zhang Xiang pondered: "Then it seems that they want to take Yingzhou City as quickly as possible. ”

Ji Ke nodded: "That's right, that's why the last general discussed with Lord Qin how to deal with it." ”

Qin Fu said: "Please don't worry about the horses, although now Sun Qing has rebelled and evacuated the Zhending army from the northwest, but my Southern Chu soldiers are all brave men, even if the lower officials donate their lives, they will ensure the peace of Yingzhou, and never let the Xijin people step into Yingzhou." ”

Zhang Xiang shook his head: "Things are far from that, since Ming Heng is here, he will definitely go all out to protect Yingzhou with Lord Qin and Commander Ji." ”

Then he asked, "I wonder what the countermeasures of Lord Qin and Commander Ji are?" ”

Qin Fu shook his head: "Things came too suddenly, Commander Ji also arrived in Yingzhou last night, and we have no way to deal with it." ”

"How many soldiers and horses are there in the city now?"

"There are 5,000 people in the Xinghua camp, 3,000 soldiers in the city, plus all the officials, and the fast catch, which can make up about 10,000 people."

"What about the people of the city?"

"There are 70,000 people in Yingzhou City, and nearly 10,000 people within a radius of 100 miles outside the city."

Zhang Xiang thought for a while and said: "Seventy thousand people, at least two thousand soldiers and horses have to be reasonable, when encountering an army like Xijin, only the eight or five thousand people of Ji's command can fight, even if Xijin uses 30,000 people to attack the city, 5,000 people will not be able to hold on for a few days." ”

Ji Ke nodded: "Yes, and I am most afraid of the siege of Xijin, if the city is besieged, Yingzhou will become a lonely city." ”

"Have you notified Fengyang Mansion?"

"I've already sent someone to report the news, but it will take five days for Fengyang Mansion to come and go, and if Fengyang Mansion sends troops here, it will be at least seven days later, and it will be too late to rescue."

Zhang Xiang said: "What you can think of, Xijin can probably also think that Xijin is coming from a hurry, so there is no intention of besieging the city, and they only have 30,000 people, and scattering their forces to besiege the city will also cause a weak situation, so they should directly choose to concentrate their forces to attack the city, they must capture Yingzhou City before the rescue of Fengyang Mansion comes here, otherwise it will be delayed and wait until the reinforcements from Fengyang Mansion arrive, they will face a situation of being caught between the front and back." ”

"Then I wonder what the colt has to do?"

Listening to Zhang Xiang's words, Ji Ke hurriedly asked.

Zhang Xiang glanced at the two of them, and then said: "Don't dare, if you don't have a countermeasure for the time being, you can listen to my thoughts." ”

"Pony, please." Qin Fu didn't care if this horse had any real talent to learn, so he treated the dead horse as a live horse doctor.

Then Zhang Xiang took a map on the table, and said: "We now know that the army of Xijin East is only 30,000 people, I don't know if it is the vanguard army of Xijin, if Xijin still has a reserve army, we have to make preparations with both hands, tomorrow Lord Qin will first send a team of scouts to detour to the Shangyuan Plain to investigate, and then send two thousand people, with Yingzhou City within a radius of 100 miles as the center, first connect the people within a radius of 100 miles to Yingzhou City, if Yingzhou City can't be installed, send these 2,000 people to send them to Fengyang Mansion first, and then send 1,000 people." , all the crops within a radius of 100 miles, harvest and transport away, and destroy the harvest without talking, and clear the wilderness. If Xijin has a reserve army, then there is a possibility of besieging the city, the 30,000 rapid march should not bring much grain and grass, at most two days, so as long as the grain and grass within a radius of 100 miles are cut off, they will not be able to capture the city within two days will look for grain and grass, this is their only way, they can only wait for the support of the reserve army if they can't find grain and grass, at that time, the reinforcements of Fengyang Mansion should also come to Yingzhou. If there is a reserve, then we will make another plan, if not, then we only need to hold on for two days, and if they can't take the city, we will be safe for the time being. ”

"In addition, send a team of men and horses to report to Lizhou, ask Lizhou to send troops, if possible, we will leave the 30,000 people in Xijin, these 30,000 people in Xijin may be to listen to the truth, or they may really want to take the city, so we must all be prepared, not only to be prepared to defend the city, but also to be prepared to fight a protracted war..."