After the defeated troops returned to the camp, the security in the city was fine, so they immediately ordered the lifting of martial law and restored normal order in the city.

When Xin Qiji returned to the state office, he personally inquired about the supply of rations for the defeated soldiers in the south of the city.

In the evening of the same day, the half-moon rations of the defeated soldiers were sent from the state government to the barracks.

Of course, grain is not given away for free, and there are conditions for having a full meal in Bozhou.

There were nearly 10,000 routs, no one to command, and they were in chaos, and among the generals of the entire rout team, there was no commander, only six battalion commanders, and they could gather their own soldiers, a total of less than 2,000 people, and the rest were all chaotic soldiers who could not find their superiors.

Xin Qiji personally summoned the six battalion commanders and asked them to take the battalion as a unit, each of the three battalions of soldiers, and the collection was completed within three days, and those who could resume training were given the position of commander.

The six battalion commanders who had just eaten were overjoyed, and they did not want this rout but it was a blessing in disguise, and if they could get the post of commander, they would be a hundred times better than them returning to Qixian or returning to Defu like lost dogs.

And even if they do return, it won't necessarily be better than fruit, let alone promotion.

The governor of Bozhou, who had gained power, promised that the generals and colonels would start their work that night, and the scattered and defeated soldiers who had long been unable to find Shangguan would join the camp.

With food and promises, the nearly 10,000 defeated soldiers in the military camp in the south of the city were quickly pacified, and in less than two days, they were integrated into a full 18th battalion with the team as the basic unit.

Once there is food, full of food, and basic training is carried out, the defeated soldiers who were about to die before become flesh and blood Song army.

Three days later, Xin Qiji came to the military camp in the south of the city and conferred his post in public, with a total of six commanders and eighteen battalion commanders.

At the same time, it was announced that the Bozhou Army would be formed, and all the soldiers in the barracks could join the Bozhou Army on the spot, and those who did not want to join could return to Guide Mansion or Qixian Daying to find the old department.

Where is it not eating, where is it not fighting, losing the battle, and scattering, where is the face to return to the camp of Qi County and Guide Mansion? If you are punished by Shangguan for the crime of escaping, the guy who eats will have to be lost.

There was little hesitation, and all the officers and men from top to bottom agreed to join the Bozhou Army.

When the Bozhou Army was formed, Xin Qiji did not give them any combat tasks, but only asked them to step up their training in order to wait for the spring of the next year to go into battle and make meritorious contributions.

There is a shortage of troops in the north, and there are hundreds of thousands of troops in Guide and Qi County, but Xingren is attacked on several sides, and the number of troops is limited, and it is even more difficult to supply from the rear.

When Xin Qiji first came to Bozhou, he had to be helped by Yang Congyi, the then governor of Suzhou, so that he quickly adapted to Bozhou affairs, and he was promoted one after another in just over a year, until he was promoted to the governor of Bozhou.

In June, when the imperial court ordered the Northern Expedition, Yang Congyi, the commander of Suzhou, personally found Xin Qiji and told him that no matter whether the situation of the Northern Expedition was good or bad, he must stay in Bozhou before Bianjing recovered, and if Bozhou was lost, the Song army would definitely retreat to the Huai River, and the road of the Northern Expedition would be long in the future.

At that time, Xin Qiji didn't know what Yang Congyi meant by telling him this, but now Zhizhou and other officials fled Bozhou City in panic because they heard that the army had robbed the granary, and he understood what Yang Congyi meant.

After this incident, in Xin Qiji's opinion, Yang Congyi should have guessed that some of the chief officials in the Zhizhou Mansion were unreliable, and they were all greedy for life and afraid of death for their own selfish interests.

Now the Northern Expedition is not smooth, the Qixian offensive has made no progress, and the Xingrenfu garrison cannot recover more lost territory, and the Song and Jin are basically deadlocked.

Therefore, the moment Xin Qiji took over the official seal of Bozhou, he suddenly felt the heavy pressure on his shoulders like a mountain, and at the same time, it also inspired the infinite fighting spirit in his heart.

From that day on, he only rested for three or two hours a day, and devoted all his time to raising grain and grass and training and recruiting soldiers.

At noon on the 29th day of the lunar month, the defenders of Luyi rushed to Bozhou for help: ten miles west of the city, a large group of Jin army cavalry, numbering more than 5,000 people, went straight to Luyi and asked the Bozhou army to support immediately!

Hearing the news, Xin Qiji immediately summoned the defenders of Bozhou to discuss the matter of supporting Luyi.

However, in the state government, Xin Qiji had serious disagreements with a group of officials and the Zhang system on whether to support Luyi.

On the grounds that the defenders in the city were less than 5,000 and the number of troops was limited, Zhang Tongzhi did not recommend supporting Luyi, and proposed that the Jin people rushed for two or three hundred miles in the ice and snow, not just to attack an insignificant Luyi, but the goal of the Jin people was likely to attack Bozhou City!

As soon as this theory came out, many officials echoed it, suggesting that Bozhou should not move, and the defenders should focus on Bozhou, and said that Luyi can be lost, even if the Jin people are lost, they can't hold it, but Bozhou is different, and it must not be lost.

Xin Qiji retorted, there are 40,000 or 50,000 people of the Great Song Dynasty in Luyi, if they don't send troops to support, they are isolated, once the city is broken, they will definitely be slaughtered by the Jin people, if they see the people in danger and don't help, what is the difference between killing the people of Luyi with their own hands?

Moreover, twenty miles southeast of Luyi and twenty miles southwest of Bozhou City, it is a military camp, and the camp is almost full of old and weak women and children, and there is not much power to protect themselves. Can they all be moved to Bozhou City in one day?

If Bozhou can't even protect the military camp, how can the soldiers of the Northern Expedition on the front line recover the old land with peace of mind?

Xin Qiji's words played some role, and the Zhang system was shaken, but he only had 5,000 defenders in his hands, and it was impossible to risk sending all of them to support Luyi, but if there were few people sent, he would not be able to rescue Luyi.

The relatives of other officials have their property in Bozhou City, for them, Bozhou City is definitely more important than Luyi, for their own safety, for the safety of Bozhou, they tried their best to dissuade Xin Qi from dividing troops in Luyi.

Some officials raised the question that had been pressing on Xin Qiji's heart, if the real purpose of the Jin people was to attack Bozhou City, after the division of troops, Bozhou would be lost, and the grain routes of Guide Mansion and Xingren Mansion would be cut off, and the news would spread, and the Northern Expedition army would have to retreat within a few days, and when the Northern Expedition failed, who could afford this responsibility?

Yang Congyi talked to him alone, that is, he asked him to stay in Bozhou no matter what, to hold Bozhou, and never let the Jin people occupy Bozhou again, otherwise the Northern Expedition would be defeated.

Bozhou City cannot be lost, and the people must also be saved, Xin Qiji, who is in a dilemma, is persuaded by everyone to make up his mind.

Guarding Bozhou, the 40,000 people in Luyi and the 70,000 military families in the military camp can only ask for more blessings, but they are unarmed people, how can they escape their lives from the hands of the murderous Jinren? Even if they can escape their lives, all the wealth they have accumulated over the years will be lost, and what difference is there between killing them?

If the Jin people are allowed to wreak havoc in Bozhou, with military disasters and displaced people everywhere, Bozhou will no longer be a rear base that can provide grain and grass materials for Guide and Xingren Mansion, and what is the significance of Bozhou's existence?

But if he didn't defend Bozhou City with all his might, once the Jin people attacked and Bozhou City was lost, how would he explain to Yang Congyi, how to explain to hundreds of thousands of Northern Expeditionary troops, and how to explain to the imperial court?

"Zhang Tong, you guard Bozhou City! No matter what happens outside the city, you can't leave the city, be sure to keep Bozhou City! Bozhou is here, and the Northern Expedition can succeed! ”

"Yes!" Seeing that the other party was persuaded, Zhang Tongzhi immediately responded.

Then I saw Xin Qijian get up and strode towards the door.

"Where is Lord Xin going?"

Zhang Tongzhi suddenly remembered the nearly 10,000 defeated soldiers in the south of the city, his heart trembled, and he immediately got up and asked.

"Support Luyi!" Xin Qiji spit out four words.

"My lord, don't take risks, Bozhou City can't do without you!"

"As long as he can hold Bozhou City, Xin is insignificant. Ladies and gentlemen, please do the matter of Bozhou! ”

After Xin Qiji finished speaking, he strode away, leaving only a group of stunned officials in the house.

"What is he doing here? Going out of the city to die? ”

"Lord Xin has great ambitions, I might as well."

"Ladies and gentlemen, Zhang will go first."

After Zhang Tongzhi finished speaking, he left in a hurry.

In the military camp south of the city, Xin Qiji summoned six newly promoted commanders of the Bozhou army, informed them of the Jin attack on Bozhou, and then issued an order to block it.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the Jin people have traveled two or three hundred miles for a long time, and the plan is very big, and we can't sit idly by. The face and dignity that you lost before, and now you have this opportunity to get it back, you say, to go or not to go? ”

"Go! Why not! I was aggrieved in the previous few battles, and if I didn't find a real fight, I had no face to go back to the front line, let alone go home. If they dare to come, we will dare to fight! ”

"My lord, the six of us don't have a master, and we haven't led the troops alone, it's estimated that it's okay to defend the city, if we go out of the city to block the attack, I'm afraid we won't be able to do it."

"The Jin people should be in Luyi forty miles away to the west at this time, maybe they are already attacking Luyi County, there are forty or fifty thousand people there, we must go to save them, and Bozhou City cannot be defended, so the Bozhou defenders must stay in Bozhou, and the Zhang system cannot leave, rescue Luyi, block the enemy, we can only rely on us. I have been in the Shandong Loyal and Righteous Army for a period of time, and I have some understanding of military affairs, so I will go with you. ”

"My lord, I'm afraid this is not right! How can you leave Bozhou City! Fighting a war is our business, and we should fight hard when we eat the food given by the imperial court. ”

"There is no need to fight, the new army has just been formed, and the morale of the army is still unstable, at this time, let you go out of the city to block the Jin people, I don't worry, the soldiers will also muttered in their hearts, and may even have other ideas, I will go with me, it should be able to eliminate some of my concerns." Time was pressing, and Xin Qiji immediately stopped the argument.

Then he continued: "Luyi is in danger, and time is running out." Within half an hour of the Bozhou Army, the whole army was dispatched. After leaving the city, the troops are divided into three routes: left, center, and right, and each army is three miles apart, and they must advance in unison, and they must support Luyi in the fastest time to block the enemy army! ”