The northern battlefield ushered in a turning point in the middle of the month.

After the Huai Army's South Route Army attacked Luoyang for a long time, it chose to withdraw under the lack of food, and when the Huai Army South Route Army was ready to withdraw to Xuzhou City, and the Huai Army North Route Army joined forces to conquer Xuzhou City, the 20,000 new army formed by the imperial court suddenly came out of Guanzhong, and the sneak attack on the Huai Army South Route Army under the leadership of Qi Fang and Zhang Wuzhu was successful, and the defenders of the Luoyang defense line of the imperial court also counterattacked in a timely manner, and joined forces with the new army to severely damage the Huai Army South Route Army in the field of Mingzhou County.

A great victory completely reversed the unfavorable situation of the imperial army.

The Huai Army's Southern Route Army lost more than half of its losses and was suppressed in a dilemma in Mingzhou County. The new army of the new-style musket team led by Qi Fang and Zhang Wuzhu went all the way south to reinforce Xuzhou City, which made the pressure on the Huai army to attack Xuzhou City in the north extremely heavy. In several encounters, although the Huaijun North Route Army was dispatched, it was still difficult to stop the pace of the new imperial army to rescue Xuzhou City.

The new army, led by Qi Fang and Zhang Wuzhu, entered the city from the north gate of Xuzhou City.

On the 21st day of the lunar month, Xuzhou City, which was trapped from the beginning of November to now a month and a half, finally waited for the long-awaited reinforcements, as well as the supply of grain, grass and materials.

The city was full of vitality, and the defenders of Xuzhou City, who had been struggling on the death line for two months, finally put on heavy winter clothes and had a full meal. The meals not only include steaming rice, but also sweet and delicious Nanyang porridge, as well as chicken, duck and fish, which are all materials that have long been exhausted in Xuzhou City.

A day earlier, they were still gnawing grass roots and tree bark.

The soldiers ate happily, the people ate even happier, and they could get the imperial court's material aid together with the defenders. Every household has a share.

Xuzhou Chengbei Road was opened a gap. The Huai army was no longer able to form a siege of Xuzhou City. The materials of the imperial court to aid Xuzhou City were also continuously transported from the north gate to the city. The Huai army intercepted several times, but was driven back by the new army of the imperial court with powerful firearms, and Xuzhou City was finally no longer an isolated city.

The new emperor led Yuan Bolang, the right minister, and Chai Jin, the generalissimo of the rebellion, Min Shaoqing, the Taishou of Xuzhou, Shi Ma Feng of Xuzhou, and a group of civil and military generals in Xuzhou, personally welcomed the reinforcements into the city.

When he saw the two familiar figures of Qi Fang and Zhang Wuzhu, the new emperor couldn't help but cry tears.

"Your Majesty. It's time to be self-respecting. Min Shaoqing reminded on the side.

"What is your own respect!" The new emperor wiped a handful of snot and tears, "I and General Zhang, the general of Qi, have experienced life and death together on the banks of the Kwai Shui River, and at that time, we had 1,800 people, fighting tens of thousands of Turkic cavalry, and still won a big victory. I am like brothers with them, what do I have to consider? ”

Min Shaoqing was stunned for a moment, about the war by the Kwaishui River, the official statement was the credit of Xu Xuanzhu, the commander of the women's army, and only slightly mentioned Su Yan, the then Nine Emperor Princes, in the credit book. He didn't know what was going on in the first place.

The new emperor took Qi Fang's hand enthusiastically and hurriedly asked, "General Qi." Where is my master now? ”

Qi Fang saw the new emperor come out to greet him, and he was about to salute, but the new emperor stepped forward to hold his hand and held it, hearing the new emperor's question, Qi Fang was stunned for a moment, and immediately understood who the "master" in the new emperor's mouth was.

"Back to the emperor, General Liu is still in Jiangnan, and the minister received news a few days ago that General Liu has led the army to pacify the land of King Jing and is leading the army to advance to Huaidi!"

The new emperor was originally full of joy, but when he heard this, he couldn't help but become sad, and muttered: "Why did the master go to Jiangnan?" ”

Ma Feng was angry and said: "General Liu left the emperor in Xuzhou City, and went to Jiangnan to have a good time?" Is he still a little human? ”

As soon as he entered the city, the smell of gunpowder rose, Zhang Wuzhu was a rough man, and when he heard Ma Feng's aggressive words, he couldn't help but say angrily: "If it weren't for General Liu leading his troops deep behind enemy lines and risking cutting off the grain route, how could he make the Huai army retreat without a fight?" If I dare to slander General Liu again, I will have to shoot you, a white-faced scholar, apart! ”

Before the new army entered the city, the battle with the Huai army, Ma Feng on the city tower saw the truth, the musket in the hands of the new army was shocking, and when he met a rough man, Ma Feng did not go to the tangle, so they also came to rescue Xuzhou City.

The new emperor didn't care why the reinforcements were delayed, the joy of the first time had diluted everything, and enthusiastically pulled Qi Fang and Zhang Wuzhu to the palace to celebrate the success, but Ma Feng and Min Shaoqing did not go under the pretext of defense, Zhang Wuzhu snorted disapprovingly, thinking that Min Shaoqing and Ma Feng disdained to be with them.

"When I see the one surnamed Liu, I definitely won't give him a good look! Such a person is too insidious to be a loyal and good general of the auxiliary country! Ma Feng and Min Shaoqing went down together to supervise the distribution of supplies, and complained in a vicious tone on the way.

Min Shaoqing sighed and said, "Now that the reinforcements are coming, a lot of words should actually rot in the stomach." In front of the emperor, you can't talk as nonsense as before! ”

Ma Feng said disdainfully: "What, I said something wrong?" The Hun man surnamed Zhang knew at a glance that Lu Dao was a supporter of the surname Liu, and he dared to do it, but he didn't want to hear it. Is he the emperor's subordinate, or is he a retainer surnamed Liu? ”

It is no secret that Liu Wenyan threw the new emperor in Xuzhou City as bait, and Ma Feng didn't say anything on weekdays because he didn't want to embarrass the new emperor who trusted Liu Wenyan so much. Originally, Liu Wenyan led the army to come to the rescue as soon as possible, and maybe he could make up for it, but now Liu Wenyan didn't come, he only sent his subordinates, and he didn't have any sincerity, so it's no wonder that Ma Feng was angry.

Min Shaoqing glared at Ma Feng angrily and said, "Xuzhou City turns the crisis into safety, and it will be content!" ”

Ma Feng didn't say anything more, and now Xuzhou City has a new atmosphere in one day.

The soldiers happily put on their winter coats, carried a bowl in one hand, and roasted chicken and duck in the other, and ate with their mouths full of oil, and laughed and laughed everywhere they went.

And the Huai army was a little lost, originally they were eating and drinking under the city, so that the defenders in the city were greedy, and they couldn't wait to put on their wings and go down. Now it's the other way around, the Huai army is short of food to the point of tightening their belts to get by, and they haven't shown off under the city of Xuzhou for many days, and now the city walls are steaming everywhere, and the defending soldiers are eating and drinking with laughter, and it's their turn to stare and look greedy.

"Damn, isn't it that there is a great drought in the north, and all the grain has been requisitioned by our new emperor, even if there are reinforcements in the city, there is no food to deliver? What the fuck is going on? ”

While the soldiers were complaining, they saw someone throwing something down on the wall, and the round object that had fallen on the snow was still steaming, as if it were some kind of food. The soldiers in Huainan didn't recognize it, but the soldiers in Huaibei knew a lot, and explained: "That's Nanyang Gan!" Delicious tight. ”

It's useless to be delicious, this thing is only available in the city, but not outside the city, and now the defenders are throwing Nanyang Gan down like a flower, which is full of food. Although the soldiers on the front line of the Huai Army were hungry, no one dared to go up to pick up Nanyang Gan and come out to eat.

Seeing the soldiers on the city wall waving the food in their hands, while smiling proudly, the soldiers of the Huai army below were angry, and they couldn't wait to attack the city immediately and kill them.

…………

The reversal of the war situation in the north made King Huai have to make the next consideration.

Now that Liu Yu led his troops to pacify the land on the right side of the river and obtained the allegiance of King Jing, the supply of grain and grass for the Huai army was no longer enough to sustain a huge war. After Liu Wenyan gained control of the land of King Jing, he already had the scale of 30,000 or 40,000 troops on the right side of the river alone.

After careful consideration, King Huai ordered Meng Chuliang to lead the army to withdraw to the left of the river, use natural dangers to restrain the imperial army's southward movement, and then seek a counterattack after the spring of the next year.

Meng Chuliang, who was outside Xuzhou City, could also feel the pressure of the siege army on the Huai Army's North Road after the arrival of the new imperial army in Xuzhou.

The fortifications that were originally built well were rushed by the new army of the imperial court, and they were basically about to fall or be in an emergency, and often only the new army of the squad could not be killed by ten times the Huai army as long as the firearm in their hands was at one end.

The disparity in weapons was huge, the Huai army suffered losses one after another, and coupled with the lack of food, it had to make a temporary retreat.

But the Huai Army's Northern Route Army could not retreat in a hurry, after all, it had to be supported by the Southern Route Army. Now the Huaijun South Route Army is trapped in Mingzhou County, and there are still 40,000 or 50,000 soldiers and horses, which cannot be abandoned. However, the Huai Army's Northern Route Army also had enemies in front and behind, and reinforcements could not be made.

Seeing that it was about to reach the end of the year, perhaps it was the conscience of the imperial army, or it may be the negligence of the first-line defenders of Luoyang in the imperial court, which actually made the Huai army's southern route army break through the encirclement, although in the subsequent pursuit battle, the Huai army's southern route army lost one-third of its soldiers, but at least the Huai army's southern route army arrived at the riverside, formed a defense, and could withdraw to Jiangnan at any time.

The Huai Army's North Route Army finally began to evacuate Xuzhou City in batches, and with the Huai Army's North Route Army's southward retreat, the Luoyang Army, which pursued the South Route Army to the riverside, must also temporarily retreat. The two sides seem to have formed a tacit understanding, before the Huai army all withdrew to Jiangnan, the imperial army no longer disturbed, and the Huai army no longer launched a counterattack, the two sides lived in harmony on the bank of the river for two days, and finally ordered the Huai army to withdraw to Jiangnan.

And this day is the twenty-eighth day of the lunar month, and there are only three days left before the New Year.

The Huai Army's Northern Route Army withdrew from Xuzhou City, and the new army of the imperial court also launched a pursuit, but the new emperor seemed to be very reluctant to go further south to take risks, and he had his own set of ideas.

"It's better to stay in Xuzhou City, wait for the master to come, he said he will come soon!"

Min Shaoqing and Ma Feng originally sent Luan Jia away, but after hearing the sound, Ma Feng scolded in a low voice: "Is there a piece of brain missing?" Still believing that bastard at this time? ”

The new emperor just listened to Ma Feng muttering, and didn't hear what he said, but Min Shaoqing really heard it. The new emperor turned his head to look at Ma Feng and said, "Spur History, what did you say?" ”

Min Shaoqing hurriedly explained: "Back to the emperor, Spurs is worried about your safety in Xuzhou City. ”

The new emperor smiled and said: "It's okay, a few days ago, King Huai's army attacked the city every day, and I was safe and sound." Now that they have withdrawn, where is the danger? ”

Then the new emperor politely sat on the dragon chair prepared for him in the palace, and said with a smile: "It's better to stay here in Xuzhou." (To be continued......)