"General, now that we have taken the gateway to Xuzhou, are we giving an order to the King of Qi to let the follow-up army enter here immediately? After all, there are still two major cities to be attacked. Today's attack on Quyang City will definitely make the other two cities prepared. In addition, I am afraid that the Xuzhou army has also gotten the news. We can only wait for the army of King Qi to arrive, and together with the army, the army will be invincible. "In the palace of the general of Quyang City, Xu Qingjian said.

Xu Yandong nodded and said, "You don't need to say this, General Ben has already informed my king." Now, what we need to do is to immediately wave the two cities of Huaiyin and Huaipu, and it is best to break them with one blow. If these two places are taken by us, Xuzhou will completely loosen the door and let us go in and out. ”

Therefore, the general prepared to divide his troops into two routes and attack these two cities at the same time. If possible, we will break these two great cities with a single blow, as we did today. ”

"General, having said that, I'm afraid that these two places will be ready when our army arrives. After all, these two places are within Huaiyang Mansion and can get the support of the surrounding small cities in time. In addition, the army sent by the Xuzhou army to conquer Situ Lei is also marching towards Huaiyang Mansion, and with our 80,000 or 90,000 troops alone, the troops are divided into two routes, and we cannot take these two cities in a short time. ”

"In addition, in the southern part of Xuzhou, Guangling Mansion, Jiangdu Mansion and other places, there is a large army of the Xuzhou Army stationed, once the Xuzhou Army gets the news, then, there will be more than 100,000 Xuzhou troops will gather. Once our attack in the land of the two cities is blocked, it will inevitably affect the morale of the army and the progress of our attack on Xuzhou. Xu Qing said urgently.

Listening to Xu Qing's words, Xu Yandong laughed and said: "General Xu Qing, how can you be regarded as the chief general who leads 10,000 people, don't you know the meaning of the speed of the soldiers?" In this attack on Quyang City, we only used more than 40,000 soldiers. Even if the remaining two important cities are defended, can they resist the strong attack of 70,000 or 80,000 troops? Besides, General Ben said that he wanted to divide the troops into two roads, but he didn't say that the two roads would be divided equally. It is entirely possible for the army to go to the next city. General Ben didn't believe that they would be able to gather reinforcements in just half a day. ”

"As for the Xuzhou army hoarded in the south of Xuzhou, let alone that. Don't forget, what did Li Chi hoard most of the Xuzhou army in the south for. Now that our Qi army has launched an operation, do you think that my Yangzhou side is indifferent? General Ben told you that the Xuzhou army in the south of Xuzhou is afraid that it will not be able to move. The only thing that affected us was the army of more than 50,000 people who had come to prepare to conquer Situ Lei. However, they shouldn't have arrived at Huaiyang Mansion so soon. ”

No way? What you say is impossible, for the prepared Xuzhou army, nothing is impossible. Xu Qing secretly sneered in his heart, but there was nothing abnormal on his face. Instead, he said in surprise: "General, one fiction and one reality? Isn't it a two-way attack? ”

Xu Yandong said proudly: "Of course not, the two cities of Quyang, Huaiyin, and Huaipu are important places for Huaiyang Prefecture, and they are also important cities for Xuzhou to intercept the entry of foreign enemies in Yuzhou." However, now that Quyang has been conquered by us, we have broken a corner of this defense system. We just need the next city, the last city, and it doesn't matter anymore. When the army of King Qi arrives, we can completely destroy it in one fell swoop. ”

Xu Qing nodded secretly, what Xu Yandong said was very reasonable. The three cities of Quyang, Huaiyin and Huaipu form a triangle placed upside down. The sharp corners are Quyang City, and the two bottom corners are Huaiyin and Huaipu. Now that the top corner is broken, when you take down one bottom corner, the other bottom corner will lose its original role.

Seeing Xu Yandong say this, Xu Qing no longer continued to defend himself, and said with a smile: "It turns out that the general has already made a plan, and it was Xu who was negligent. The general's move is extremely reasonable, not only to reduce losses, but also to obtain the maximum benefit in the shortest time. Xu admires, admires! ”

Xu Yandong nodded slightly, seeing that Xu Qing had always been relatively normal since the beginning to the present, and he was more concerned about the battle situation of the army. So, the investigation of Xu Qing was also put down.

"Huaiyin and Huaipu are two cities, we mainly attack Huaiyin, supplemented by Huaipu. Therefore, we need an army to confuse the Huaipu army so that it does not dare to come out lightly. And the army hit Huaiyin City directly and fell with one blow. As for Huaipu, when Huaiyin City is conquered and the army of King Qi arrives here, it will no longer be a problem. Xu Yandong said.

Xu Qing understood that the reason why they were in a hurry to take Huaiyin City was because they needed to pull the battle line south and connect it with the south of Xuzhou, so that Yangzhou's army could attack from the north and south with them, and break through the prefectures of Guangling, Gaoyou, and Jiangdu.

"I don't know how the general arranges?" Xu Qing asked. He knew that since Xu Yandong had said both fiction and truth, he naturally had to have his own share, and it was better to say it himself than to be brought forward. Lest the general of this Qi army have other thoughts in his heart, the two armies are united, Xu Qing knows very well that the other party does not believe in himself very much.

"I don't know if General Xu Qing is going to do a void? Or do you want to do it with our army? Xu Yandong asked with a smile.

"I, the Yanzhou Army and the Qi Army, are cooperating here, and here, I naturally obey the orders of the general. The general has an order, just give the order. Although our Yanzhou army does not dare to say what kind of strong army it is, it can still be done by acting according to orders. Xu Qing replied in a loud voice.

Xu Yandong's eyes flashed, he pondered for a moment, and said, "In this way, after all, your department and we belong to two armies, and if we fight together, we may not be able to cooperate well." Therefore, this time the task of pretending to attack Huaipu and confusing the defenders of Huaipu is to make friends with General Xu Qing and your subordinates. Just in case, I'll give you another 5,000 of our soldiers to cooperate with your actions. Fifteen thousand men should be able to cause tens of thousands of troops to attack the city. How is it? ”

Xu Qing said respectfully: "Xu should take his own life!" "For this appointment, of course, it is the best. After all, whether it was with the army or with the army, Xu Qing needed to take his subordinates away from the Qi army. It's just that if you are with the Qi army, you need to leave when the Xuzhou army counterattacks. Although it is said that the Xuzhou Army secretly cooperates with himself, who knows if the Xuzhou Army will be exterminated together with him. You can pretend not to know afterwards, and it is you who suffers. Now the army is divided into two ways and separated from the Qi army, which is the most advantageous.

…………

"The Qi army has begun to move, and according to our spies, Quyang City has been broken by the Qi army's front route army. Now, Murong Cheng, the king of Qi, has begun to set off from Huaiyang Mansion and marched towards the east. "In the southernmost Luzhou Mansion in Yanzhou, Zhao Xun and other major generals of the Yanzhou Army are all concentrated here at this moment.

"In this way, the army that just came from Jingzhou didn't stay in our Chenliu Mansion for long?" Zhao Xun asked in a deep voice. At the beginning, Murong Cheng used the excuse of attacking Situ Lei to stop an army that had fallen from Jingzhou in Chenliu Mansion and wait for the battle situation in Huaiyin Mansion in Xuzhou. But now it seems that the Xuzhou army was "caught off guard", so Murong Cheng was impatient to transfer the army that was stationed in Yanzhou and made it for others to see.

"Yes, the troops stationed in Chenliu Mansion are still leaving. In accordance with the Lord's wishes, the subordinates have asked the local officials to take over the passage along the way, and some of the grain and grass materials transported from Jingzhou will be seized on the spot. Wei Dong said excitedly.

"By the way, how is Tang Xian going to act this time? Do you want to send troops south again, and then create an enclave in the south? Zhao Xun said puzzled. The negotiations between the Xuzhou Army and the Tang Army were not very clear to him, and later the matter was also negotiated by Feng Ziming.

Feng Ziming said with some doubts: "Tang Xian wants to go through Yanzhou and Yuzhou to enter Jingzhou. ”

"Into Jingzhou?" Wei Dong was puzzled and said, "How could Tang Xian go to Jingzhou?" Jingzhou is located in the south of Yongzhou, which is the scope of Situ Lei's attack, how can this Tang army also mix up? ”

Zhao Xun said lightly: "Don't forget, Tang Xian was born in the imperial court guard in the past, he was a person from Jingzhou, and he was also stationed in Nanyang, Jingzhou for a long time to defend Luoyang. Therefore, Tang Xian has deep connections in the north of Jingzhou. If Murong Cheng is defeated this time, Tang Xian is very likely to occupy a foothold in Jingzhou. ”

Feng Ziming suddenly realized: "I see, no wonder he has to use our Yanzhou to go south, it only values the land of Jingzhou." However, aside from Murong Cheng, this Tang Xian does have a better chance of occupying Jingzhou than others. ”

Wei Dongdao: "What about Situ Lei?" Where is his goal? If he acts, it is impossible to cede the land of Jingzhou to Tang Xiancai. ”

Feng Ziming said in a deep voice: "Situ Lei's target is naturally Jiaozhou and Jiangzhou in the south. According to the spies' report, the Yongjun army has secretly moved the army to the land of Yizhou. It seems that they have set their sights on Jiangzhou. Jiangzhou is located on the north side of Jiaozhou, and once Jiangzhou is occupied, Jiaozhou will naturally not be a problem. In this way, Situ Lei had the access to the sea that he needed, and he was no longer restricted by the Qi army. ”

"Okay, send a message to Tang Xian and ask them to cooperate with us. Now that the Qi army has left Yuzhou, if he wants to go to Jingzhou, he must take the land of Yuzhou with us. Murong Cheng is immortal, let us attack Xuzhou, now we are busy chasing and killing the Tang army in the territory. Zhao Xun said lightly.

"Ziming, prepare to take over the officials of Yuzhou, and by chasing the remnants of the Tang Army to the south, we will take over the western prefectures of Yuzhou as quickly as possible. Let the avant-garde army and the rearguard army start to move, immediately go south, control the prefectures west of Huaiyang Mansion, and cut off the direct connection between the Qi army and Jingzhou. Zhao Xun ordered in a deep voice.

"The Luzhou Mansion opened the door, let the Xuzhou army pass through Guò, and let it flank the back of the Qi army. But also be careful not to be careless. Although this Xuzhou army is our ally, it cannot be trusted. ”

"Inform Xu Qing of Huaiyin Mansion and let him prepare for the contingency and immediately retreat to Yuzhou."

Immediately, the whole of Yanzhou began to take action. Under Zhao Xun's delayable action, the news of the Qi army's treacherous raid on Huaiyin Mansion in Xuzhou finally came. Suddenly, there was an uproar. After all, there are only a few who know the actual situation. And the Yanzhou Army was also stirred in.

"Whether this news was spread by the Qi army or the Xuzhou army, it is clear that they want us to bear the infamy. Now, the scholars in many places are spitting on us. Wei Dong said with an angry face.

Zhao Xun was dressed in armor, riding on a war horse, and said lightly: "No matter who he says, things will be clear sooner or later." What we need to do now is to occupy the land of Yuzhou as quickly as possible, and take down the grain and grass that Yuzhou has hoarded enough to support the army of more than 100,000 in March. ”

Zhao Xun did not take it to heart at all the rumors that the Yanzhou army and the Qi army were treacherous, attacked the allies, and sabotaged the large-scale campaign to conquer injustice. After all, once things become clear, these rumors will naturally disperse with the wind. What's more, in the face of strength, these rumors are not dangerous.

The 50,000 troops of the Yanzhou army entered Yuzhou under the pretense of chasing the Tang army that was originally preparing to respond to Murong Cheng's conquest of Situ Lei, and the local officials and garrison officers in Yuzhou also knew that the Yanzhou army and the Qi army were an alliance, and the Yanzhou army had Murong Cheng's warrant, so they fought all the way into the territory of Yuzhou and were not blocked.

Because there were not too many troops left in the land of Yuzhou, the Tang army, totaling 50,000, avoided the city all the way and went straight to Jingzhou. As for the grain and grass materials of these Tang Army, they were naturally provided by the Yanzhou Army that was "chasing" behind. The Yanzhou army followed the central part of Yuzhou, with Huaiyang Mansion as the boundary, went straight down, divided Yuzhou into two, and scattered into the western part of Yuzhou.

Soon, when the Yanzhou army entered the western part of Yuzhou, a reserve army of 30,000 troops was immediately formed in Yanzhou and marched south. At the same time, Zhao Xun immediately asked the Yanzhou army that entered the territory of Yuzhou to seize power, took down all the civil and military officials of the Qi army, and replaced them with the banner of the Yanzhou army. The 30,000 trained reserve troops were immediately turned into county soldiers and government soldiers to take over the localities and maintain local law and order. The Yanzhou Army, which had been prepared for a long time, was also equipped with a large number of civilian officials and began to take over local government affairs.

As usual, as soon as the officials of the Yanzhou Army took office, they immediately began to put up notices to reduce or reduce taxes, and they were about to start various policies that were beneficial to the people, such as measuring the land, dividing the land equally, and unifying taxes, and immediately won the support of the people and the merchants. You must know that now, under the influence of Zhao's land policy, the influence and power of the merchants are much greater than that of the big clans and gentry who rely on the land above the locality. Therefore, in just half a month, the Yanzhou army has controlled half of Yuzhou.

As for Murong Cheng, his army on the front road to conquer Quyang City can be described as a "surprise", and it will be broken with one blow. It's a pity that when the front route army attacked Huaiyin City, it was faced with an army of 50,000 that had been prepared for a long time, which made the 80,000 Qi troops in the front line bled on their heads. When attacking Quyang City, the Qi army only lost more than 6,000 people, but in this Huaiyin City, the Qi army lost more than 20,000 people, and Huaiyin City was still unbreakable.

When the Yanzhou army entered Yuzhou, Zhang Tu and the others felt that something was wrong, and Murong Cheng sent an army to turn back and inspect the situation. But Murong Cheng was convinced of what Zhao Xun said, chasing the Tang army that fled south. Because these news also came from Yuzhou, it is indeed true. In addition, outside Huaipu City, the Yanzhou Army, which was mixed with the armed Qi army, also harassed this Huaipu City outside the city.

But Murong Cheng didn't know that most of the defenders in Huaipu City had gone to support Huaiyin City. And the follow-up reinforcements did not come. Of course, the defenders of Huaipu City left the city to support Huaiyin, and they also got Xu Qing's news in advance.

With Xu Qing, the general of the Qi army, Bering, saw that Huaipu was holding on, and also built a number of attacks to observe the situation in the city. And Xu Qing, who knew the situation in the city, naturally refused repeatedly, and said that the defenders in the city were deliberately doing this, luring themselves into the urn.

It's a pity that if Bai Ling is the main general at this moment, I am afraid that this Huaipu City has been lost, and Murong Cheng, the king of Qi, and his army can drive straight from here.

At the end of March, after Zhao Xun's main force was stationed in the western half of Yuzhou, after making a lot of preparations, he made a sudden move, and took the land of the six prefectures in the west of Yuzhou overnight, so to speak, three-fifths of the territory of Yuzhou was controlled by the Yanzhou army, especially the area where Jingzhou and Yangzhou were connected to Yuzhou, which were suddenly taken over by the Yanzhou army. And the more than 100,000 quintals of grain hoarded in Huaiyang Mansion in Yuzhou suddenly fell into the hands of Zhao Xun. This is enough food to feed 100,000 troops for three months, and it can suddenly make Murong Cheng, who is now entering Xuzhou, fall into a situation of no food.

Xu Qing, who got the news in Huaipu, immediately secretly took action and summoned Bai Ling, the chief general of the Qi army, and some officers to kill him. As for the 5,000 Qi army, after Xu Qing explained the situation in public, under the coercion and temptation of the 10,000 Yanzhou army, more than 3,000 people were immediately willing to join the Yanzhou army, and the rest were also released. Because, the situation in Yuzhou will soon be exposed, and whether these soldiers stay or not will not affect the overall situation.

Xu Qing returned from Huaiyang Mansion to the Xuzhou Army. At this time, Guangling Mansion and Jiangdu Mansion in the south of Xuzhou, after learning of the treachery of the Qi army, panicked and hurriedly transferred troops to support. The Qi army in Yangzhou immediately advanced, and even entered the territory of Xuzhou, as a result, Li Yi, the commander of the Xuzhou army, successfully lured the enemy into the depths, defeated the other party, and annihilated more than 70,000 Qi troops. This time, Murong Cheng's plan to let the Yangzhou army contain the Xuzhou army was thwarted at once. Even, let the land of Yangzhou appear to be in a situation where there are no soldiers to defend.

At this time, the Tang Army had been stationed in the southwest of Yuzhou, which now belonged to the Yanzhou Army, for many days. While Tang Xian took a small-scale attack, he also won over his former colleagues, and told the general situation of the current princes joining forces to deal with Murong Cheng, and the various departments won the support of the civil and military officials and the gentry of the great clans in Nanyang Mansion.

On the one hand, Zhao Xun took over the prefectures and counties of Xinna and implemented the new policy. On the one hand, prepare for an offensive to the east. At the same time, they are also waiting for Situ Lei's action. Now Zhao Xun has to deal with the Qi army that is about to go crazy in the east, and the troops in his hands are in short supply, while part of the Yanzhou army has to guard against the Yong army and the Tang army. And the Tang army has already moved, so it can naturally be put aside, then, the Yongjun army, which has not moved, is the main opponent that Zhao Xun needs to guard against.