When Zhang Congfu, who had escaped from Lizhou, brought the news back to Langzhou, the Wuping (Hunan) regime couldn't help but be terrified. After all, the distance between Langzhou and Lizhou is only one hundred and fifty miles, and the Zhou army must be within reach. At this time, it was said that Zhou Baoquan, who was only eleven or twelve years old, even those who had always boasted of being talented and experienced Wenchen generals began to panic, and some of them even asked if they could follow the example of Nanping (Jingnan) and take the initiative to hand over power to the Great Zhou, so as to seek peace and protect the people from the suffering of war.

Although there are only a few ministers who propose to surrender power and surrender on their own initiative, it is not believed that those officials who did not speak will not have this idea, and they will not believe Zhou Baoquan to death. The reason why these people didn't echo it was more because they wanted to see the reaction of their own envoys and governors, listen to the opinions of those ministers, and then make a choice.

Just when Zhou Baoquan was in a dilemma and all the civil and military forces were hesitant, Wang Duan, the general of Wuping (Hunan), came out of the squad and said: "Tai Lieutenant, the last general thinks that although I have lost two battles in Xianghu, it has not yet reached the time when there is no way out and the mountains and rivers are exhausted.

First, although the Zhou army is strong, after all, it has come from afar, and it is tired of running around along the way, and now it is a veteran of the division. And most of the Zhou army is a northerner, who is not accustomed to the water and soil and is not accustomed to eating and drinking in the land of Xianghu Lake, and there will be many sick people who will be sick for a long time, and their combat power will inevitably decline gradually.

Second, the water network and dense rivers in Xianghu Lake were not only not conducive to the role of the cavalry of the Zhou army, but also not conducive to the march of its army. In particular, it is said that the firearms of the Zhou army can easily weigh hundreds or even thousands of catties, and they are extremely inconvenient to transport. If our army manages to destroy the roads and block communications, so that the cavalry and firearms of the Zhou army cannot follow their main force, so that they can only engage our army with infantry, the opponent's combat strength will be greatly reduced, which is a good location.

Third, since the king of Runan took control of Xianghu, he has always been meritorious, close to the people and loving the people, and living a frugal life, which is even loved by the people of Xianghu. Although the Taiwei is young, since he succeeded to office, he has also been sympathetic to the people and appoints talents, which has also won the recognition of the people of Xianghu. Although the Zhou army went south this time at the request of the Taiwei, but now that the document has been ambushed, the reason for the Zhou army to enter Xianghu is no longer there, and its forcible entry into Dongting and strong attack on Lijiang is to be a nameless division and a strong bully. In addition, when he captured Lizhou, he used firearms to storm the city as soon as possible, which made the city of Lizhou almost ruins, and the civilians suffered heavy damage, which made the people complain and complain.

Now, Taiwei occupies the advantages of time, location, and people, and can completely fight with the Zhou army, far from the end of the road, and has nowhere to go, let alone hand over power and surrender on his own initiative like Gao Jichong. ”

"General Wang thinks that my Xianghu still has the strength to fight with the Zhou army?" After listening to Wang Duan's speech, Zhou Baoquan's originally extinguished ambition was ignited again, and his heart, which had been completely shrouded in disappointment, sprouted the light of hope again, and asked with some excitement and expectation.

"It's nature." Wang Duan replied very affirmatively, and then added, "It's just that the defeat in the battles of Sanjiangkou and Lizhou will have a little bit of a blow to the morale of our officers and men. If you want to fight to the death with the Zhou army, you must try to improve the morale of the soldiers, and then you can drive the Zhou army out of Xianghu in one go. ”

"In General Wang's opinion, how should we boost the morale of our army?" Zhou Baoquan, who was more and more confident by Wang Duan, continued to ask.

Wang Duan pondered for a moment when he heard this, and said: "If you want to improve the morale of our army, so that they have enough confidence and courage to confront the world-famous Zhou army, the only way to do this is to personally go out and lead the three armies to fight against the Zhou army." ”

Hearing that he was going to let himself personally lead his troops and horses to fight against the Zhou army, Zhou Baoquan's immature face couldn't help but show fear. It stands to reason that Zhou Baoquan, as the supreme leader of the Wuping (Hunan) secession regime, should remain calm in the face of the pressure of strong enemy troops, and have the courage, calmness, and composure of Mount Tai collapsing in front of him. But the problem is that it is said that it is a child who is only eleven or twelve years old, even if he is a veteran of the imperial court and a veteran general in the army, at first hearing that he wants to personally lead his troops to fight face-to-face with the Beiping Army, which is known as the "first army in the world", he will have a sudden break in his heart and a cold sweat, not to mention Zhou Baoquan, who has never fought and seen blood.

It's just that fear is fear, and when things have developed to this point, they can't help but not rush forward - even if he is pushed up by others. What's more, several ministers who were unwilling to be influenced by the Great Zhou court and hoped to continue to control the land of Xianghu also agreed with Wang Duan's statement, so whether Zhou Baoquan was willing or not, this "royal driving expedition" could not be avoided.

So, after some discussion, the Wuping (Hunan) regime finally finalized a specific plan to resist the Zhou army. According to the plan, on the one hand, Wuping (Hunan) will send envoys to meet with Wang Kunjun, the commander of the Zhou army and the Hunan Provincial Marching Army, to convey to the other party that Zhang Wenbiao's rebellion has ended and the main culprit Zhang Wenbiao has been beheaded, hoping to prevent the Zhou army from continuing to move south. On the other hand, all eligible young men were recruited into the army, and the existing soldiers and horses were trained together, and Zhou Baoquan, the commander of the inspection school, the governor of Langzhou, and the envoy of Wuping Jiedu, went north together, preparing to fight with the Zhou army who came from afar. At the same time, Zhou Baoquan also ordered the people of all villages and towns along the route to dig traps and trenches on official roads and wider dirt roads, so as to hinder the advance of the Zhou army and make it more difficult.

On the ninth day of the first month of the first lunar month of the tenth lunar calendar of Xiande, Baoquan led a temporary patchwork of 50,000 troops to leave Langzhou City, go north, and set up camp and set up camp in a favorable terrain thirty miles away from Langzhou City, set up a position, and waited for the arrival of the Zhou army.

The news that Zhou Baoquan personally led a large army out of Langzhou to meet the battle was soon sent to Wang Kunjun, and soon after, the envoys of Wuping (Hunan) also arrived at the camp of the "Jinghu Expeditionary Army".

Regarding Zhou Baoquan's "royal driving pro-conquest", Wang Kunjun disagreed, and even sympathized with the fact that he had to bear responsibilities that were not at all in line with his age and ability at a young age, and were manipulated like puppets by those civil and military generals and orphaned ministers. Regarding the request of the other party's envoy that Zhang Wenbiao is dead, the rebellion has been quelled, and Wang Shi should return to the army immediately, and it is not suitable to stay in the land of Xianghu for a long time, Wang Kunjun sneered at it and scolded angrily: "You and others asked to send troops to rescue the court because of Zhang Wenbiao's rebellion. In order to save the lives of the people of Xianghu and Bao'er, the imperial court ordered Bengong to lead a large army to the south to help Er and others quell the rebellion. Now that Zhang Yi is dead, it is your luck and creation. Why didn't you cherish it, but blocked the road and blocked the river, and then arranged troops to resist the king's division, what is the reason? This time, the lives of the people in Xianghu Lake and the spread of war are all faults. You go back and tell Zhou Baoquan and the officials and generals of Wuping that if they can repent and do the righteous deeds of Gao Jichong, then Zhou Baoquan's dignity will not be lost, and the power of moderation will not be reduced, and the other civil and military officials will also be retained, and the wealth will still be retained. Otherwise, you will be a rebellion of the court, and the day when the king's soldiers are under the city will be killed. ”

Although Wang Kunjun's words were very clear, and he also provided the other party with generous conditions for attachment, he could send troops with Zhou Baoquan, and Wang Duan, who actually controlled the army, was unmoved. On the one hand, he had never fought against the Beiping Army, and he did not have a clear understanding of the true strength of the Beiping Army, and his understanding of the Beiping Army was limited to some stories and legends that circulated in the streets. Although Zhang Congfu described to him and other officials the strength of the Beiping Army, especially the great power of firearms, after fleeing back to Langzhou, Wang Duan, who had no actual experience, regarded this as an excuse for Zhang Congfu to shirk the responsibility for losing power and land, and did not pay attention to it at all. On the other hand, Wang Duan, who is the general of Wuping (Hunan), has also coveted the position of the governor of Langzhou and the envoy of Wuping for a long time. In the past, due to Zhou Xingfeng's prestige and methods, he didn't dare to show any thoughts. Now that Zhou Xingfeng is dead, Zhou Baoquan is a child with neither prestige nor experience, and his ambitions have swelled. Wang Duan believed that as long as he was careful and diligent, it would not be impossible for him to control the power of Wuping (Hunan) one day. However, once Zhou Baoquan was attached to the Great Zhou, all military and political affairs in Wuping (Hunan) would have to obey the arrangements of the Great Zhou, and it would be impossible for him to seek power and establish his own moderation. Therefore, Wang Duan, who had seen his envoy in advance and knew the attitude of the Zhou army, not only did not convey Wang Kunjun's words to Zhou Baoquan and other civil and military generals of the Wuping (Hunan) regime, but secretly imprisoned all the envoys and their entourage, and was bent on fighting to the death with the Zhou army.