Jinghu sometimes has a Taiping thief, and its name is most similar to the official army; The pawn has many hats and armor, all of which are good at strong bows and crossbows and big guns; Attacking the wall at every turn, retreating is replaced by layers, and defending is like relying on a base; It is also the longest civil construction business, and the (earth) base must be built to build a (wood) village where it passes, so as to cover the grain road and the back road.

Since the thief went out of the Xiajiang River to jump to Shanxi and Dongchuan, the officials, soldiers, and righteous gentry were all killed.

"The Chronicle of the Three Rivers"

- I'm the dividing line -

In the sound of the refreshing drums on the edge of the deep gorge of the river, Wang Qiu, who was already in the middle of the team, rode a purple-skinned mule named "Da Luoluo" and walked at the forefront of the team with neat steps.

Along the narrow flat land by the river in Fuzhou, all the way to the southwest to the territory of Yuzhou, the original mountain gorge deep encompassing the river topography seems to suddenly open up and become enlightened.

Here, both sides of the river are like irregular scattered staircases, rising up large and small terraces and low slopes. Although the actual stretch of the mountain did not decrease much, it also made the Taiping soldiers who saw more rocks on the walls and cliffs and river beaches along the way, and they couldn't help but feel a little refreshing.

At least here, except for the dock towns along the river, it is no longer full of people and only the green and green of birds and apes. Rather, it is a large area of Qianmo fields under the mountains, as well as villages and settlements dotted with slopes.

The road beneath your feet also ranges from the most common riverbank and the large and small gravel left behind by the rising water, to the very rough sandy slopes, to the delicate sandy beach, and finally the terrain that rises too high reveals the loamy rich red soil.

Then the color of the red soil becomes darker and darker, and it becomes more layered as the terrain is staggered; In this richly colored land, there are many white and dry paddy fields that have been harvested irregularly, and there are still green tea trees and fruit trees on the sloping hills.

It seems to be the place where the relative wealth and wealth are among the states of Xiajiang Province; The members of Wang Qiu's team, who were the objects of the escort, were also constantly planting soil and samples of the river along the way to measure the layers and traces left by the rise and fall of the river.

Then, they will use bright and durable pigments on the corresponding mountain walls, leaving symbols representing the survey data and datum points for the reference of the subsequent team.

It's just that there are a lot of people along the way, but almost all of them are full of a certain sense of fear and vigilance. In some villages, bows and arrows can be clearly seen on the wooden fences, while on the periphery of others, there are traces of smoke and fire and other means of destruction.

Occasionally, some villages leaning on the side of the road have been completely destroyed and deserted, and only scattered unclothed figures remain, wandering on the ruins of the ghost realm; When they saw the army flags passing by in the distance, they all ran away or disappeared.

Obviously, the long-lasting war outside has also affected these prefectures and counties that belong to the traditional sense of Shu. Thinking of this, Wang Qiu couldn't help but glance at the guide and representative of the party leading the way, the former Fuzhou Sima Qu Xing, who rose up to rebel against the imperial court.

"All the way over, I will arrive at Ba County, but I haven't seen the traces of Jingnan's army fleeing. Is there anything Qu Sima would like to say?"

"That's it. That's it. This shows that the old thief Song has not been defeated here, and the local government has not yet been heard. ”

He was born thick and strong after middle age, but he could not hide his sad expression, but he raised his eyebrows slightly.

"When I brought troops back from the territory of Yuzhou, there were still a few usable old troops left in the local area, and I hope to be able to help your army for a while."

However, half a day later, when they arrived at the nearest stronghold of the old subordinate department, Longping Village, they saw the ruins that had been burned and plundered into white ground; When I arrived at another stronghold the next day, Eguchi Town, I found that it had also been abandoned.

Qu Congxing's face gradually became ugly, and when they arrived outside Ba County, where Yuzhou Prefecture was located, what they saw on the head of the city was a completely unfamiliar banner.

-- I'm still the dividing line --

And in Xiangyang City, where the weather is slowly getting cooler, Zhou Huai'an, who is holding a regular meeting with your subordinates, also received unexpected news again.

"Qi Yu Governor, Li Zhou good news."

Zhou Huai'an was surprised, Fang Cai suffered a setback, and there was a good news so soon. He couldn't help but wave his hand and said:

"Read it out on the spot."

Mi Bao immediately read aloud:

"Qu Chengyu, the general of the Seventh Army, was invited and said: Our troops gathered seven battalions along the Lishui River and attacked under the city of Liyang."

“。 With the gongs, drums, horns, firearms, and stone cannons of various water and land departments, they attacked the joint camp under the city of Shimen and the barbarian help; ”

"The wind is fast and the moon is high, taking advantage of the fire and the barbarian army is out of control, so that the fifteen large and small joint ventures have broken it. . . ."

"The barbarian chieftain Xiang Zhu was trapped in the chaos, and the military expenses of the captured armor were not counted, including twenty-three large and small bronze drums."

"In the battle, more than 3,000 barbarians were killed one after another, and several times more were captured. They also had to rescue thousands of young men and women in the camps. ”

"Duan Yanmo, the deputy envoy of Jingnan in the old dynasty in the city, was shocked to abandon the city and flee, so he was able to go down the whole city."

Zhou Huai'an listened to it, but couldn't help but provoke a slight line in the corner of his mouth, because this report of the victory sounded beautiful; There are still several things that need to be scrutinized and pondered.

For example, how they easily sneaked into the city after the new defeat. How did they invade and burn the barbarian army without any worries; Duan Yanmo's department in the city obviously had the upper hand, but how did he suddenly abandon the city and flee when he heard the news.

Subsequently, another document with an appendix was sent to Zhou Huai'an. He only flipped it a few times before revealing the expression of "sure enough". Because in this document, which is called an appendix and is actually a petition for guilt, Qu Chengyu bluntly made a deal or agreement with Duan Yanmo in the city.

It was Duan Yanmo who sent an envoy to infiltrate Qinghua Town and took the initiative to betray Shimenman, who was an ally and a foreign aid. Therefore, according to this temporary agreement, Duan Yanmo in the city did not provide some kind of cover, and the Taiping army was responsible for keeping the Xiang Aid Department under the city of Liyang as much as possible.

Then, the corresponding Jingnan Army abandoned Liyang City and left it to the Taiping Army to take over, and sent troops to the west to capture Shimen County, where Xiangzhu's hometown and foundation were located; The Taiping army was not allowed to pursue and hinder it.

As for his practice of arbitrarily seeking deals with officials and soldiers before the battle, and his handling of the matter, I will say something after the fact. It's just that Zhou Huai'an was a little surprised that Qu Chengyu also summed up a military thought that he thought was a lesson in the summary before the battle; It is to "set up camp and fight a hard battle; Xu Jinjin"

Could it be that he was possessed by the "shaved head" thousands of years later, or did he come up with such a familiar military concept? However, if you look at the specific combat power report of the device, it is still so reasonable and practical.

Because they are facing opponents with a certain level of mobility and familiarity with geographical advantages. Therefore, combined with "hard village, dumb war." The fundamental point is to create corresponding conditions to squeeze the corresponding enemy's room for maneuver and tactics.

In the end, the enemy is forced to fight in front of the fortifications he has set up, in order to weaken and eliminate his natural superiority in geography, manpower, and superiority; At the same time, we will give full play to our active advantages in personnel, equipment and material support.

Therefore, the generals of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in later generations really lost without complaining in a sense. Further, this principle, or tactical concept, can also be applied to the majority of the peasant rebels in the world.

This is because most farmers do not have a stable base area, and they also lack the means of management and governance to provide long-term logistical support; Once you are blocked by a strong base, it is easy to fall into the predicament of material deprivation and low morale.

As a defender, as long as a small number of troops and materials can hold the corresponding communication points, to curb and drag the flow and infiltration of the corresponding peasant army; Then, in a relatively calm state, assemble a large force and attack or pursue it with all its might. In the end, it is easy to achieve the result of defeat or annihilation.

Of course, the use of this tactical means also depends on the environment. For example, in the plains of the Central Plains and Henan, which are accessible in all directions, and the water towns in the south of the Yangtze River with a dense water network, or the land of Jinghu Lake connected by mountains, rivers and hills, the cost and cost of implementation are also very different.

For example, in the battle of Lizhou, which is located in the Dongting River Valley, you can get the support of the naval army and the cooperation of water transportation. In the great plains of the north, more strongholds are needed as support points and bait (iron felt); and a large number of mobile cavalry, to play the role of blocking and blocking the opponent, and even a decisive means of determining the profit.

And in the territory of Lizhou, hundreds of miles southwest of Xiangzhou.

"You can know where the big families in the city are."

When Qu Chengyu officially entered Liyang City, he asked without hesitation to the representatives of the fathers and elders who spontaneously came to greet and comfort him.

Then the other party's forced smile turned into a sad face:

"Back to the general's words, there are no more wealthy surnames and big families in this city."

"How so?"

Qu Chengyu couldn't help frowning heavily.

"Don't dare to hide it from the general, the villain is telling the truth."

The other party was so frightened that he fell to his knees and trembled

"The wealthy surnames and big families in this city have gone through turmoil, and they are already ruined. Now, there is only a small household and a Chinese family left with me waiting for such a long time. ”

Then, Qu Chengyu gradually understood the details of the other party's words. When Xiang Zhu rose up in Shimen and entered the city of Liyang, he had already made the barbarian coalition army under his command kill a lot of rebels and think it was shocking. Among them, many wealthy families in Liyang were confiscated to replenish military funds and rewards.

Later, when Xiang Zhu raised troops again to invade the states east of Dongting, he also collected and captured a large number of young men in the city as military envoys; and once again forced and copied the only remaining Yin Fu House as the capital for sending troops.

After his defeat on the west side of Dongting, these materials and manpower were abandoned in the local area, and only some lightly armed troops were with him. However, at this time, Duan Yanmo's Jingnan Army also came. Sneaked all the way to the city of Liyang, defeated a few barbarians left by Xiang Zhu, and recovered this place on behalf of the imperial court.

However, before the people of the city could rejoice, this period of Yanmo began to liquidate the families of those who had helped the barbarians and cooperated with the barbarians, and for a time they were captured, tortured, and forced to give up their family wealth to redeem themselves. Although there are still some local wealthy families who have come to defect from outside, the rich are not exempt.

This time, the transfer of troops and the departure of the troops were all coerced into the army in advance of the young men who could be seen on the street.

Therefore, in today's Liyang City, almost all of them are dominated by old and weak women and children who have survived several troubles. It is no wonder that Duan Yanmo, who is the deputy envoy of Jingnan Jiedu, would give up Liyang City so happily and turn to Shimen and other places in his old nest to seek help.

(End of chapter)