Zhenlin County, the seat of Fenzhou Prefecture, since Situ Tai moved the Metropolitan Governor's Mansion here, this county seat, which was not prosperous in the past, has become much more lively, and of course, there have been many riots.

In Zhenlin County, there are armor-clad soldiers and soldiers everywhere moving back and forth. But whether it was a patrol soldier or a private officer, they were all panicked. These soldiers, in addition to some local soldiers, are more from the rest of the prefectures and counties with Situ Tai or in the Zhao army to flee to this place.

The Zhao army won many battles, and the wolf of the Bingzhou army fled, and these soldiers and soldiers could not help but be nervous. Even the people of Zhenlin County have reduced their outings and waited for the war to finally end.

I don't know if it's because the Zhao army is getting closer and closer, which has caused Zhenlin County to make trouble many times. In order to expand the ranks of his own personal guards, Situ Tai removed the elite soldiers among the sergeants of the various departments and states, and the jurisdiction of the remaining mergers and states was much lax. It is also because of this that the people here hope that Zhao Jun will be killed here as soon as possible. After all, Zhao Jun's reputation for military discipline is notoriously good. Of course, what is more important is that Zhao Jun's new policy is extremely superior to the people.

"Brother Wei, in this Fenzhou Mansion like the rest of the land, the coins of my Zhao Land have become the mainstream coins here." On the street of Zhenlin County, a group of people looked around and talked softly. They were Wei Chen and the others sent by Zhao Xun to negotiate with Situ Tai.

Wei Chen said with a smile: "Not only coins, but also numbers, statistical methods, and pinyin literacy methods created by the lord are also spread here. As you can see, my Zhao merchants are already all over the land. One can imagine how widely some of my Zhao Di's things have been circulated. Moreover, this is true not only here, but also in the Central Plains and the southern states. Tong guò merchants, so that many of the circumstances of my Zhao land are known to outsiders, and the prestige of the lord is also spread. Otherwise, where would so many scholars from the south and the Central Plains come from in the land of Youzhou to seek officials and study? ”

"Brother Wei, Tong Guò has been observing for two days and learning from the rest of the counties of Fenzhou Mansion that we have come here that this Situ Tai has begun to gather troops and horses, and has no intention of fighting our army. It seems that this task will not be difficult to complete. A young man dressed in a samurai uniform said lightly. This time, Wei Chen came with them to be the best of the Pro-Guards and the Young Guards, and Zhao Xun patted them to negotiate with Situ Tai in order to cultivate their ability to act independently.

Wei Chen nodded and said, "Well, it seems that this Situ Tai values the position of King Yong more in his heart." He also knew very well that without strength in his hands, he would have nothing. After all, fighting with our army, defeat is already a certainty. By the way, you have traveled all the way, and you have also seen the situation in the land of Fenzhou, do you think that this Situ Tai will bring many subordinates to leave willingly? ”

"It is believed that the purpose of this Situ Tai is to bring his personal guard troops, after all, now in the land of Fenzhou Mansion, Situ Tai has begun to rectify the people. Although on the surface, it was just to gather troops and prepare for a death battle with our army, but judging from the situation that the soldiers here were flustered and did not have strict jurisdiction, I was afraid that Situ Tai was ready to give up these ordinary soldiers and soldiers. The elegant young man said with a smile.

He also agreed with Brother Li's meaning, and the evacuation of the army was not a simple matter. Without knowing of our troops' movements, Situ Tai had to stay behind to cover up or delay our attack. Most of the soldiers and soldiers in Bingzhou are from Bingzhou, and they are not necessarily willing to go to Yongzhou to fight with Situ Tai. In particular, the current state army is not the border army of the past, they are all composed of local county soldiers and government soldiers, but they are only responsible for local security, and their families are all local. Although he was organized into the state army and became a regular soldier, after all, the time was not long. Otherwise, it would not have appeared after Situ Tai withdrew from Taiyuan Mansion, as soon as our army arrived in the rest of the prefectures and counties, and the soldiers of the state army would surrender the city. It can be seen that the defenders of this place are not qualified regular soldiers. Xiao Yan, the captain of the guard, said in a deep voice.

Then the rest of the people also said their own thoughts, and they all talked about the pros and cons of both sides, in general, it was quite reasonable, and they also saw Situ Tai's current situation.

Wei Chen nodded secretly, quite satisfied with the expressions of several people. He knew very well what his lord had told them to come with him. Zhao Xun somewhat expanded the pro-guard army, formed the Eighth Guard Army, and formed two armies with the Zhen Army, and controlled each other. Expanding the army naturally requires a large number of officers, and Zhao Xun has now begun to gradually train the best of the Pro-Guard Army and the Young Guard, so that they can experience in all aspects in order to reach qualified generals.

"Part of the real elite of the Bingzhou army is in Dingping, surrounded by our army, and some of them have been annihilated by our army in the eastern Zhufu counties and northern Zhufu counties at the beginning, and now the remaining Bingzhou army stationed in the western and southern Zhufu counties is mostly Situ Tai arrived in Bingzhou, and after serving as the governor of Bingzhou, in order to expand his strength, in order to defeat Cao Gang, in order to achieve control of the Bingzhou and temporarily expanded, its strength is naturally much worse. Alright, brothers, let's go and meet the governor of this state. Let him go back as soon as possible, he will be relieved, and we will be happy. Wei Chen said lightly.

…………

Dingping, now the only one that is no longer under the control of Zhao Jun, is located in the middle of Bingzhou. Here, there are still more than 18,000 Bingzhou troops and more than 2,500 Bingzhou Northern Army stationed. There are a lot of troops, but in recent days, it has been a lot of noise and murderous spirit......

Yang Li had a headache, and he was also very worried and difficult to choose. Since the soldiers who were released from Dingyun City and Dingyang City yesterday entered Dingping, the situation in the city has been very delicate. Cao Gang immediately came to ask Yang Li if he had colluded with the Zhao army, and then began to mobilize the troops in the city, and at the same time increased the guard of the four gates. At the same time, the Northern Army also began to increase surveillance around his barracks.

Originally, there were people around his military camp who were watching, which was intolerable for Yang Li. However, because he was released by Zhao Xun by his own soldiers, he also had the intention of killing Cao Gang and surrendering the city. And none of Cao Gang's corporal returned, which made Cao Gang suspect that he and Zhao Xun were colluding again. suddenly put Yang Li in a passive situation, making it difficult for him to explain clearly to Cao Gang.

There are two armies in the land of peace, and your own side is weak. Once you have internal strife, you will only be cheaper in the end. Therefore, Yang Licai took a step back and let Cao Gang do so. But no matter what, the current situation has reached a very critical moment, and he has to make a decision whether to fight or surrender.

"General, the land of Bingzhou has been occupied by King Zhao, and the governor of Dadu has been defeated, and even His Royal Highness King Yong has no intention of sending reinforcements. It seems that this land has been given up by His Royal Highness King Yong. We are alone, surrounded by enemies, and what is the point of fighting to the death with the Zhao army? Yang Li's brother Yang Xiong said in a deep voice.

"Yes, General, I will be afraid of death at the end of the day. However, after we were besieged by the Zhao army, the Metropolitan Governor did not issue an order, and did not send people to support. We have been forgotten by the Metropolitan Governor, and even if we die here, no one will remember. In addition, since the return of the brothers who were released by Zhao Jun, in addition to letting Cao Gang strictly defend us, it has also caused most of our soldiers to lose their will to fight. The strength of the Zhao army has been spread by these brothers, and the morale of the army is gone. Qin Ling, who had just been promoted to general, also said in a deep voice.

Unlike Yang Li, Qin Ling is not a hardcore confidant of Situ Tai, he is a person from the state, and he has no intention of running away for Situ Tai to the death.

"What do the sergeants and the people below think?" Yang Li didn't make any choice directly.

"Most of the soldiers and low-level officers have the intention of surrendering, and the treatment of the soldiers of Zhao is much better than that of the Bingzhou army, and after the meritorious service, it is needless to say more. I just don't want to continue to serve in the army and be an ordinary person, which is better than being under Situ Tai's command in the past. Therefore, ......" Qin Ling said directly, and now, he even called Situ Tai's name directly.

Yang Xiong on the side also nodded yes, completely agreeing with Qin Ling's meaning.

"The two of you have met with Zhao Jun's envoy? Let's be honest, don't go sloppy with us anymore. Yang Li said in a condensed voice.

Yang Xiong and Qin Ling's faces changed slightly, and after glancing at each other, they nodded and said, "Yes, we saw Zhao Xun's personal guard captain who was mixed in with the soldiers released by Zhao Jun. They want us to surrender and not to suffer more casualties. At the same time, King Zhao also promised not to care about what had already happened, and let our soldiers choose whether to continue to serve in the army. And we will also give positions according to ability. ”

Yang Li said lightly: "Although no superior conditions were given, this is how we can rest assured." By the way, did they tell us about the situation in the state? Is it true that the land of the annexed state has been fully occupied by the Zhao army? ”

Yang Xiong said: "Although it is not all occupied, it is not much closer. In addition, according to their intentions, King Yong is afraid that he has already begun to negotiate with King Zhao, and this land of annexation is only King Zhao's. As for us, no one cares. At the very least, King Yong and Situ Tai, the governor of Bingzhou, would not care. ”

"What do they want us to do? Fight with Cao Gang? Yang Li asked in a deep voice.

"They want us to open the gates and let the Zhao army enter the city. If it fails, then it is hoped that we will not participate in the southern and eastern cities, which are mainly defended by the northern army of the state. Qin Ling responded.

"Gao Ming, now let's go and open the gates, that opportunity is impossible. There are Cao Gang's people around the city gate who are in charge of the handles, and our soldiers are all cross-deployed on the city wall with the northern army of Bingzhou under Cao Gang, which is to cause trouble, and it will not be done in an instant. If we really take action, I am afraid that our state army will bear the brunt of being attacked by the state army. At that time, will the Zhao army storm the city and assist us? If we want to ignore Nancheng and Dongcheng, it seems that it is to weaken Cao Gang, so why not create an insoluble contradiction between our two sides? Yang Li muttered to himself.

"Big brother, what should I do, you should also give the charter. At the very least, we need to be ready now. Even if you want to fight, you must be ready for battle, you have to contradict the northern army of Bingzhou, and defend the city, the big deal is to die for the Situ family. But you don't have accurate information, so we are suppressed by Cao Gang on the one hand, and have a very bad impact on the situation on the other. Not to mention anything else, if we continue like this, I am afraid that our sergeants will fall apart before the Zhao army attacks. Big brother, now in our army, many officers and colonels have begun to connect with the people of Zhao Jun, they are also from Bingzhou, and under the persuasion of Zhao Xun's pro-guard officers and the non-commissioned officers who were released from our army, they don't know what will happen. Yang Xiong said urgently. He is Yang Li's clan brother, so he naturally supports his eldest brother, and he doesn't want his eldest brother to hesitate.

Yang Li's face turned cold, and he said sharply: "What? The men of the Zhao army have already begun to meet with the officers and colonels of our army? Damn, General Ben shouldn't have left the barracks at will. The order was passed down, and all the soldiers of all departments were in the barracks to reorganize their soldiers and prepare for war. Remember, watch out for Cao Gang's people. ”

"Are we going to fight to the death with the Zhao army?" Yang Xiong and Qin Ling's faces changed, and they said in unison.

Yang Li shook his head and said, "No, wait until Zhao Jun comes." But no matter what, we can't let Zhao Jun's people meet with our people anymore. Don't forget, Cao Gang's men are also watching us. But don't be prepared and make a decision before we are ready, so we will be raided by Cao Gang first. Since Cao Gang deliberately targeted us, we don't need to be polite to him. Let the soldiers stay in the barracks, and we will ignore Cao Gang except for the necessary task of defending the city. Since he doesn't believe us, let them fight Zhao Jun to the death. ”

On the morning of the second day, Zhao Xun's army gathered outside the southern city of Dingping County, and then surrounded Dingping on all sides. More than 100,000 troops gathered in the clouds, and the momentum shook the sky, making the defenders frightened.

After setting up camp, Zhao Xun was in the middle of the camp, and said lightly: "This Dingping County is very powerful by these two armies, and this city defense does not need to be governed by one state at all." If you want to storm strongly, if the two armies in the city cooperate well, there are no 10,000 casualties or 20,000 casualties, and there is no onslaught for more than ten days, I am afraid it will be difficult to break the city! ”

Yang Hu said in a loud voice: "When the subordinates attacked Dingyang City, the defenders were not very able to defend it, although the city here is strong, it shouldn't be so difficult, right?" ”

Zhang Yuanjing said with a smile: "General Yang doesn't know that this Dingping County is different from the two cities of Dingyang and Dingyun. Dingyang City and Dingyun City are small cities, this Dingping County was used as a transit station for the border army to transport grain and grass in the past. In addition, there are also commanders of the two armies here. However, Dingyun City and Dingyang City were only two isolated small cities after our siege, so the defenders of the two cities were attacked by us without support, of course, the lack of enough city defense equipment in the two places is also one of the important reasons. ”

"But here, as far as we know, in order to get the support of the people here, this Cao Gang has scattered a lot of money and grain, which is all the Cao family's own. In addition, the northern armies here are all private soldiers of the Cao clan, but they are all elite soldiers. Moreover, the troops here are all regular soldiers, and they are several times more powerful than Dingyun City and Dingyang City, so naturally they are not the same. ”

Zhao Xun smiled: "What? General Yang didn't have a good fight three days ago? Don't worry, there are wars all over the world, and if you want to calm down, it's still early, and there are many wars. ”

Yang Hu smiled and said, "The subordinates still feel the pleasure of fighting head-on, of course, it is naturally the best to be able to surrender without a fight." It's just that I'm afraid that this place is settled, and there is no place to fight. ”

Zhang Yuanjing shook his head and smiled: "Okay, General Yang, you obviously want to go to the land of Qianghu or the northern Turkic steppe to participate in the war, what excuse do you find!" ”

Zhao Xun said with a smile: "Well, after the land of Bingzhou is calmed down, you will not be allowed to stay here, whether it is the land of Qianghu or the Turkic steppe, you will be able to fight." By the way, guys, you see, how can we take this place with the least amount of loss? According to our spies, the food in the city is enough for them for half a year, but our army of more than 100,000 is not enough. Moreover, among the more than 100,000 troops, a small half are auxiliaries. If we stay here for a long time, it will be a waste of food and grass for us. ”

"Besiege but not attack, spread rumors, can mess with their hearts! If the strong one attacks it, if its army is in unison, it will be infighting, and within ten days, it can make it internal chaos, and then our army can easily take this place! Zhang Yuanjing said concisely and straight to the center.

Wei Zilin also nodded and said, "We can take turns attacking Nancheng from tomorrow, and the other three sides will be besieged without attacking." Heavy weapons, light casualties, in order to wear out the soldiers of the northern army of the state. At the same time, spread the news that our army has conquered the entire territory of the state. Three days later, it can spread the news that our army and the Bingzhou army are cooperating to weaken the northern army of Bingzhou, and extend the rumors and Yang Li. Within 10 days, there will be a reward. ”

"Okay, that's it, General Yang, although you can't have a full time attacking the city, let's just train the troops, let the various departments take turns to attack the city, with catapults and bed crossbows as the mainstay, supplemented by crossbowmen, to start the siege." Zhao Xun said in a deep voice.

On the third day of the siege, Zhao Xun got the news brought back by Deng Zhongyao, and couldn't help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief. Not to mention success, it means that he won the merger state from Situ Lei's mouth, and also set Situ Lei and Murong into opposition. In this way, the changes in the current situation are moving according to the plan of Zhao Xun and the military envoys of the Military Affairs Department. also made Zhao Xun still stay out of the matter.

On the fifth day of the siege, that is, on September 13, Situ Tai and Wei Chen negotiated that they were willing to withdraw from the state with 18,000 soldiers and soldiers and the grain and grass of the army, and completely hand over the land of the state to the Zhao army. The three armies of Li Huaiyuan, Qin Daolin and Xue Qinglan, who got the news, immediately took over the land of Fenzhou Mansion and Changping Mansion. At this point, Zhao Xun basically seized the entire territory of Bingzhou from Situ Lei. Next, in addition to the tens of thousands of remnants of the enemy army in this peaceful place, it is time to start governing.