150,000 people, attacked Xingyang City, lost more than 10,000, ran more than 10,000, Shuai Rentai, Huo Xiaohan and Wu Hailiu three divisions, almost all the army was wiped out, and those who survived were gone, once they broke away from the army, they would freeze to death and starve to death in front of them.

In other words, the rebel army in Shandong should still have 100,000 people, but after a big defeat, the fragile alliance relationship is gone, and each has gone its own way, and the gang has been dispersed.

Among them, Zuo Xiaoyou and Xu Yuanlang think that it is better to go back to Shandong directly, Luoyang is the eastern capital after all, and it is definitely not easy to fight here, we need food, and other officers and soldiers also need it.

Looking for food, it's not such a way to find food, just hit the steel plate.

That's the smart people.

But Li Deyi doesn't want to return to Shandong so gloomy, as the commander of this Shandong group, if he goes back like this, his prestige in Shandong will be greatly damaged.

Moreover, the main force of 30,000 people under his command was still there, so he withdrew to the three counties of Yucheng, Lingchang and Fengqiu in Dongjun.

These three counties are the only way for Shandong to enter Guanzhong, and the rebels have already swept around the county on the way here, but Li Deyi feels that I have not swept thoroughly, and I should be like a grate, sift it again, and I will definitely be able to get some grain out.

After all, they have never entered the county seat, and this time, they must take the county seat to defend it in order to resist the pursuers behind them.

When he paused, it was tantamount to giving the other rebels a queen's palace.

A lot of climbing ladders used to attack Xingyang were used in these three counties, and Li Deyi's three righteous sons, as the main generals of the three-way siege, were frantically attacking the three counties.

Anti-thieves like to recognize the righteous son, because loyalty and filial piety are the greatest in the hearts of the ancients, you are my subordinate, you have to be loyal, I recognize you as a righteous son, you have to be filial, loyalty and filial piety is not complete?

Yizi is not blind, either you have a set of teams in your hands, or you can fight, in other words, you have to be useful.

They were already out of food, they were defeated too quickly, they didn't have time to take the only grain that was left, and if they couldn't take the three counties, they would go hungry.

Three counties, it's very easy to fight, after all, it has been beaten by Zhai Rang's dog thief, and the officials have already changed.

In the Great Sui system, if the place encounters a war, the chief officer dies in battle, from the top of the city, Cheng is dead, is a captain, down is a soldier, if all are dead, by the city alternate officials to replace.

After the imperial examination began, there were many scholars who became lifters, and those who did not become jinshi were alternates, and jinshi could be directly recruited, but the position was limited, and it was not your turn.

If the relationship is not strong enough, he will be a candidate for the rest of his life.

The current manager of Fengqiu County is an alternate, who participated in the scientific expedition three years ago, and is Yuan Zheng of the Yuan family of the East County clan.

Their branch is not the Yuan clan of Henan, but a Xianbei clan, and their territory is limited to one or two counties in Dongjun County, and they are attached to the Yuan family.

When Zhai Rang hit here, Yuan Zheng and his family were in a miserable disaster, his father and grandfather were all hung up, and now he and his two uncles and three younger brothers were left to stick to the city.

The local wealthy clans are very powerful, and it can be said that they can do what officials can't do.

Under the auspices of Yuan Zheng, almost all the strong men in Fengqiu City climbed the earthen city wall, and the thirteen or fourteen-year-old children also came up, and almost all the people were soldiers.

"This gang of thieves has retreated from Xingyang, it is already the end of the road, there must be a court army in the rear, we only need to defend until the reinforcements arrive, this is difficult to solve," Yuan Zheng was dressed in armor, with a horizontal knife at his waist, standing on the city wall, he was only twenty-four years old this year.

Uncle Yuan Wei said: "The enemy army has formed a formation, and it will attack the city at any time, this gang of thieves looks decent, we have a shortage of weapons here, and it is difficult to defend it." ”

"Guarding for a while," Yuan Zheng's second brother Yuan Jun said: "Before them, there were already a large number of thieves who bypassed Fengqiu and went to Shandong, but they didn't leave, but they knew that the grain and grass were exhausted, and they wanted to supply from us." ”

Yuan Zheng nodded: "Probably that's the case." ”

At this time, the horn sounded outside the city, and the rebels attacked the city.

Yuan Zheng drew his knife fiercely and held it high: "If the thief enters the city, he will kill my parents, insult my wife and children, take my corn, occupy my house, and those who take a step back will be killed!" ”

An offensive and defensive battle began.

Yang Xuanting and Xu Shiji are still resting in Xingyang City, they are cavalry, although they are powerful, but they have a service life, as for Yang Xuanzong's 10,000 elites, it is more embarrassing, when they arrived at the battlefield, the enemy army had been defeated.

So to chase, or not to chase?

Chase, I don't have enough rations, I'm afraid that the chase will be too deep and the food will be cut off, don't chase it, once such a good situation is missed, there may not be another chance in the future.

Xingyang used to be Dongjun, that place was the former base camp of the Wagang Army, and it was already a mess, and it was hard to say whether our army had anything to eat in the past.

After thinking about it for a long time, Xuan Zong decided to take 6,000 people to take the lead in the east, and hand over the rest to Hou Junji, who was responsible for seconding grain and grass from Xingyang, and then followed them to ensure military supplies.

Xu Shiji and Hou Junji were greeted by the crown prince, and they should be used well, these two people followed Li Jing to fight the Turks, and their combat quality has been recognized by Li Jing.

Xingyang doesn't have much food left, but behind its butt is Xingluocang, so Qu Tutong can transfer some out and then replenish it from Xingluocang.

The line from Luoyang to Xingyang is now stable, although there are still many rebel deserters, but they no longer dare to argue with the official army, at most they go to the countryside and harm the people.

Halfway through the march, Yang Xuanzong received the news that the order of Yucheng County was killed in battle, and Sima Huang Junhan of Dongjun who stayed in the city was on top of the rebels, and the city was about to be broken.

Huang Junhan just let Zhai Rang go, and in history he took refuge in Wagangzhai, but in this life, Zhai Rang did not become a climate.

Historically, the people were attached to Wagang after Li Mi annexed Wagang, occupied Xingyang, and forced the eastern capital, and now it is obvious that the Wagang army is still a gang of thieves.

"Pass my order, speed up the march, and go straight to the city," Yang Xuanzong decisively ordered.

If the rebels were allowed to attack the county seat, it would be unfavorable for Xuan Zong, because at that time, it would be him who would attack the city.

There is a cloud in the art of war: the army is plotting, the second is the battle, the second is the army, and the next is the siege, and the law of attacking the city is a last resort.

So if you can't attack the city, it's better not to attack the city.

The besieged of Yucheng was Li Deyi's righteous son, Zhao Quanfa, who was a bandit leader in Dongping County, Shandong, with his own team, and after attaching himself to Li Deyi, he fought a few beautiful battles in Shandong, and was recognized as his righteous son, nicknamed General Tianfu.

So, Li Shimin, the general of Tiance, sometimes doesn't sound very bluffing.

After receiving the news that the officers and soldiers had arrived, Zhao Quanfa immediately allocated 3,000 men to form a formation ten miles back to block the pursuing troops and provide him with an opportunity to capture the county seat.

Three thousand rebels walked backwards, and five or six hundred ran along the way.

At this juncture, no one wants to go west, because they all know that there are officers and soldiers there.

Or that once the morale is lost, it will be very difficult to pick it up again, and the rebels behind the palace of these two thousand people are almost crushed at the touch of a button, Yang Xuanzong didn't fight much at all, and the opposite side was torn apart.

As we all know, in the case of 0:3 on the football field, it is difficult to chase, because the morale is gone, and those who can survive are a minority after all, but once such a few situations occur, it will be a reversal.

Xuan Zong and Zhao Quanfa's rebels launched a decisive battle outside the city, one side was brave and fierce, and the other side was a defeated army, and there was no suspense at all.

What's more, Xuanzong still has a military advantage.

The corpses on the ground were densely packed, and the wails of the wounded rebels were disappearing little by little, as they were being mended one by one by the officers and soldiers who were clearing the battlefield.

This errand seems easy, but it is actually quite dangerous, because some soldiers who are injured and unable to move are still quite threatening if they hold a bow and crossbow in their hands, so the person who repairs the knife must be fully armored, that is, beware of hidden arrows.

From the mouths of the captives, it was learned that Fengqiu City in the south and Lingchang City in the north were also attacked by rebels, of which Li Deyi was in the direction of Lingchang.

Huang Junhan, who went out of the city to meet Xuanzong, was already covered in blood, and said: "There are more than 1,000 people in Lingchang's garrison, but Fengqiu is not at all. ”

He himself is the Sima of Dongjun, an official at the county level, and he is still very clear about the city defense of the three counties.

But he can't control the county order, although after Yang Ming's reform, the appointment power of subordinate officials at the county and county levels is gradually being taken over to the central government, but after all, according to the old system, the county Sima is guarded by the county, but the county order is appointed by the ministry, and it is clear who is big and who is small.

Yang Xuanzong frowned and said: "It's only thirty miles to Lingchang in the north, and it's still where the thief chief is, sixty miles to the south of Fengqiu, I'm afraid I can't save it, and the thief captures the king first, or Lingchang should be the priority." ”

There is nothing wrong with his thoughts, and the fire is also saved first, and Fengqiu is a little far away after all.

"Is there any food left in the city? Can you prepare a thousand catties of Hu cakes? Yang Xuanzong asked.

Huang Junhan nodded: "In such a difficult situation, the hungry people can make it up." ”

"Then do it quickly!" Yang Xuanzong led the army into the city and rested temporarily.

People's physical strength is limited, after a lot of exercise, you have to replenish energy, forced march, and it is the wax moon, which does more harm than good.

In one day, a basket of hot hu cakes was sent into the army, two per person, and there was really no more.

In fact, Xuanzong's marching rations have not been eaten yet, but they have been frozen hard, and after a lot of physical strength is consumed, they still have to eat something fresh and hot, so that they can recover quickly.

After resting for the night, in the early morning of the next day, Xuan Zong led the army to march in the direction of Lingchang County.

At the same time, in the direction of the Yellow River, Shi Huaiyi also landed smoothly, directly stationed in Liyangcang, fifteen miles away from the river bank, and sent a message to Li Jing to reassure the other party.

At this point, Luoyang to Hebei, a passage is opened.

Along the way, Shi Huaiyi's 6,000 people froze to death as many as 400, and the war was so cruel.

In the great chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty in history, more than 30 million people died, of which 80 percent died of hunger and cold, and those who really died on the battlefield were only a small number after all.

As soon as the war began, food was always the most important, and all gold, silver, and coins were accessories.

Whoever has five grains is also the Lord of all things.