Meishan Su family, Su Yun is the most virtuous

Chapter 420 Taiyuan Army!
Zheng Chaozong soon looked tired again. While chatting, he closed his eyes and soon began to snore.

Ping Zicheng sighed secretly, then covered Zheng Chaozong with a quilt and walked out of the general's tent.

When Zheng Chaozong woke up, it was already evening of the next day.

When Ping Zicheng entered, Zheng Chaozong was eating with big mouthfuls of food. Ping Zicheng smiled when he saw this.

Zheng Chaozong pointed at the chair with his chopsticks, motioning Ping Zicheng to sit down and eat. Ping Zicheng was not polite and directly picked up the chopsticks and started eating.

A full quarter of an hour later, Zheng Chaozong put down his bowl and chopsticks, then picked up the tea on the table and drank it all in one gulp.

Ping Zicheng put down his chopsticks and looked at Zheng Chaozong. Although Zheng Chaozong's complexion was still not very good, his eyes were bright. His complexion needed a long rest, but at least his long-term lack of sleep was temporarily relieved.

Zheng Chaozong smiled and said, "Qinglan, can you tell me about the military situation now?"

Ping Zicheng smiled and said, "Of course, but it has little to do with you. Don't you want to attack Chang'an with all your strength? Just go ahead and attack. The more you go all out, the easier it will be for the master."

Zheng Chaozong nodded and said, "Let's talk about it. Only when I know the overall situation can I know how to fight."

Ping Zicheng nodded and said, "You can probably guess it."

Zheng Chaozong smiled and said, "You still want to see me rest, right?"

Ping Zicheng smiled when he heard this but did not explain.

Zheng Chaozong laughed and nodded, saying, "Okay, then I'll tell you.

Well... the Zhe family is here. With the ability of the Zhe family, there should be at least 20,000 people rushing to Chang'an from Ziwu Valley.

The second direction is Taiyuan Prefecture. Is it time for Lu Huiqing to come as well? Taiyuan Prefecture has never experienced any major battles and is well preserved.

Moreover, Lu Huiqing has wanted to return to the central government for a long time. This time when the emperor is in charge of the government, he has to perform well and bring at least 30,000 to 40,000 troops.

As for the imperial court, it will probably also dispatch troops from Luoyang, probably about 20,000 to 30,000 troops.

By this calculation, there must be at least a hundred thousand troops..."

Zhang Chaozong frowned and said, "...with an army of 100,000, you only have 20,000 soldiers. I'm afraid it will be difficult to deal with it."

Ping Zicheng's face immediately showed admiration when he heard this, and he said, "Haifu is really amazing. The main reinforcements are all within your estimation. However, the Zhe family army did not go through Ziwu Valley. Sir, you used a trick to make Zhe Keshi change his appearance and go through Chencang Road."

Zheng Chaozong smiled and said, "Chen Cang Dao, that's a detour. This way the time is staggered, and it will be easier for you to deal with it.

Well... last time, Mr. Xi ordered me to cut off the bridge over the Wei River. So the troops heading towards Luoyang along the Tongguan-Wei River line will also be delayed for some time.

In this way, sir, you can deal with Lu Huiqing's Taiyuan Prefecture first. With 20,000 against 30,000 or 40,000, the pressure is much less.

Moreover, if Lü Huiqing wants to rush to Chang'an from Taiyuan Prefecture, he must take the Fen River-Pujin Ferry-Tongzhou route, and Tongzhou and Pujin Ferry are already under the control of our army. If the Taiyuan army wants to reach Chang'an, they must first pass you. So, I can attack Chang'an with confidence."

Ping Zicheng smiled and said, "That's right. Don't worry. Since the master asked you to attack Chang'an, he will not send reinforcements to disturb you. You just need to worry about Chang'an."

Zheng Chaozong stood up upon hearing this, clapped his hands and said with a smile: "Sure enough, I was overthinking it. The master has made every possible plan, so it is naturally not for me to interfere.

This is great. Although Wen Yanbo has the strong city of Chang'an to rely on, a strong city alone is not enough!"

At this point, Zheng Chaozong's eyes turned cold, and he said, "After we take Chang'an, I won't take the head of that old dog Wen Yanbo right away.

I will wait until I capture all the members of the Wen family, and then behead them one by one in front of him.

I will treat Wen Shi the same way he treated me, Zheng Shi!"

Ping Zicheng stood up and patted Zheng Chaozong on the shoulder, saying, "Haifu, you should concentrate on attacking Chang'an. Don't think too much about these things for now. In particular, you should pay attention to the combination of work and rest. Attacking Chang'an is a protracted war, and you can't bear it without a good body."

Zheng Chaozong nodded and said, "Don't worry, as long as old dog Wen Yanbo is alive, I will definitely not fall down."

……

Jinzhou.

The 38,000 troops that Lu Huiqing sent to Chang'an to support were stationed again.

In the handsome tent.

Lu Huiqing and his two trusted aides gathered in the commander's tent.

The two aides were named Zhou Kai and Xiang Jun.

Zhou Kai is the son of his best friend. Before his best friend died, he handed Zhou Kai to him, and Lu Huiqing watched him grow up.

Xiang Jun has been Lu Huiqing's aide for decades. He is a poor scholar and extremely intelligent, but he failed in the imperial examinations. Later, he simply followed Lu Huiqing to offer advice and suggestions. For decades, he has been deeply trusted by Lu Huiqing.

Lu Huiqing looked at his two most trusted aides and said, "I asked you to come here tonight. I want to ask for your opinions on what to do next.

You are all my confidants, and there is no one else here, so just speak freely."

Zhou Kai is actually not young anymore, he is already in his early forties, but he is not very stable. Hearing what Lu Huiqing said, he smiled and said, "Uncle, in my opinion, we shouldn't join in the fun.

We are too far away. Coming from Taiyuan, although not a thousand miles away, we have to go through the Fen River Valley and pass through Jinzhou. If we want to rush to Chang'an for help, we need to cross the Yellow River Pujin Ferry to enter Guanzhong.

But now Su Ni has already controlled Puzhindu and Tongzhou. We will have to fight bloody battles with Su Ni every step forward.

Su Ni's Jingsai Army has amazing combat power. The Western Army has fought against Su Ni many times, but has not gained any advantage.

At the beginning, Su Ni only occupied the Suide Army, but over the years, his army became larger and larger, and he occupied the entire Fuyan Road.

Now they have set their sights on Chang'an, and they want to swallow up the entire Northwest.

Hey, the Western Army is the mighty army of the Song Dynasty, but it couldn't resist Su Ni, which shows how powerful it is.

It is not that easy for our Taiyuan Army to resist Su Ni."

Lu Huiqing frowned.

Xiang Jun said quickly: "Lü Gong's coming to help is also a helpless move. This time the emperor is in charge of the government, and he has secretly ordered Lü Gong to come to help. Lü Gong must come to help.

Secondly, this is the best opportunity for Lu Gong to return to the center. If he can stop Su Ni from capturing Chang'an this time, then Lu Gong will have made a great contribution. Then, Lu Gong's long-cherished wish of returning to the center will come true!

Therefore, this battle may be difficult, but Lu Gong is not a military general. Even if the Taiyuan army is defeated, as long as he can make great contributions, it will be worth it. " Zhou Kai smiled and nodded when he heard this.

Lu Huiqing stroked the military token on the table, his eyes flickering in the candlelight: "Mr. Xiang is right, but Su Juzheng occupies the advantage of the terrain. Pujin Ferry is easy to defend but difficult to attack. If we attack by force, we will suffer heavy casualties.

My dear nephew Zhou, since you said it is not advisable to take risks, do you have a good plan to repel the enemy?"

Zhou Kai stroked his beard and pondered, "I have a plan.

Although the Su rebels controlled the Puzhou ferry, both sides of the ferry needed to be heavily guarded.

Our army can pretend to attack Puzhou, but actually divide our forces and take a detour through Longmen Ferry.

Although the water at Longmen was turbulent, Su Ni was not prepared because he thought I would not take the risk.

Once we successfully cross the river, we can attack the flank of Tongzhou and form a pincer attack with the Chang'an defenders."

Xiang Jun shook his head and rejected it: "This plan is too risky. The undercurrent at Longmen Ferry is turbulent, and it is difficult for boats to sail. Moreover, if the army takes a detour, it will delay the opportunity to fight.

In my opinion, we should use the strategy of "encircling Wei to save Zhao" to break the impasse.

Su Juzheng's main force was concentrated on the Chang'an front line, so the Suide Army and Yanzhou garrisons in his rear must be empty.

Our army can send elite light cavalry to bypass Linzhou and directly attack Suide to cut off their food and baggage.

If Su Ni returns to help, the siege of Chang'an will be lifted; if he does not, our army can gradually erode his foundation. "

Lu Huiqing's eyes lit up when he heard this, but he was hesitant: "Both of these strategies have their merits. However, whether it is a feint attack on Pujin or a surprise attack on Suide, we need to divide our troops.

Thirty-eight thousand troops are not an advantage to begin with, and if they are further dispersed."

Before he finished speaking, hurried footsteps were heard outside the tent, and the guards lifted the curtain and came in: "Report! The Zhe family army has changed its route to Chencang Road, and is only a hundred miles away from our army!"

All three of them were shocked.

Xiang Jun said anxiously: "Zhe's move is strange! Although Chencang Road can avoid Su Ni's edge, it is a long way around.

They have arrived but have not joined our army. I am afraid they are trying to preserve their strength."

Lu Huiqing sneered: "The Zhe family has always been indecisive.

Pass the order down, the whole army is on alert. Tomorrow morning, call the commanders of each camp to discuss the matter. "

After saying this, he stood up and paced back and forth, his boots rolling heavily over the blue bricks. “Since Su Juzheng was able to compromise and change his course, he must have figured out our army’s movements.

It seems that this battle is far more difficult than imagined."

Zhou Kai saw the dark clouds between Lu Huiqing's brows and whispered to comfort him, "Don't worry, uncle.

Even though Su Ni has great means, his military strength is limited after all.

If our army cooperates with the Zhe family and the Chang'an defenders, we may be able to turn the situation around."

Xiang Jun looked at the flickering torches outside the tent and murmured, "I'm afraid the Zhe family will just sit there and watch until our army and Su Ni are both defeated..."

He hadn't finished speaking when the tent fell into dead silence, with only the sound of the candle wick popping and a few wisps of uneasy smoke rising up.

After a while, Lu Huiqing shook his head and said, "It shouldn't be the case. The Zhe family might watch us die without helping us, but they definitely won't attack us.

I am a civil official, not a local lord. If the government wants me dead, a decree is enough. There is no need to use such means. "

Zhou Kai said: "I'm afraid the Zhe family will rebel."

As soon as these words came out, Lu Huiqing and Xiang Jun smiled at each other. Xiang Jun smiled and said, "Brother Zhou Shi, you don't have to worry about such things. The Zhe family is like a prince in the northwest. The honor given to them by the court is so heavy that no one else can afford it.

The Xixia people and the Liao people all put forward many conditions for the Zhe family. However, for more than a hundred years, although the Zhe family sometimes slacked off in fighting and even had their own calculations, they were still loyal to the Song Dynasty. There is basically no doubt about this.”

Lu Huiqing nodded and said, "That's right. We have to be on guard against the Zhe family selling us out in order to protect themselves, but it is completely impossible for the Zhe family to attack us, so we don't have to worry about that."

Zhou Kai nodded and said, "Then we only need to consider Su Ni. Since the uncle needs to rely on the defense of Chang'an to return to the court, we have to fight. Not only must we really fight, but we must also make great contributions!
In this case, there is no need to think so much, uncle. I suggest that we force a crossing of the Puzhou Ferry directly. The Su rebels only have 100,000 troops. If they want to defend the Fuyan Road, they must leave at least half of their troops to protect their industry.

Zheng Chaozong led an army of 30,000 to besiege Chang'an, but Su Juzheng had only 20,000 troops. With these 20,000 troops, he had to defend Tongzhou and the Wei River. Hehe, how could he, with only 20,000 troops, block the gate of Guanzhong at the same time!
In this case, we don't need to play any tricks with them. We can just ignore them. No matter which way they come from, we will just go one way. With just one stab, we can change all of Su Ni's plans!

As long as we seize Pujin Ferry, cross the Yellow River, and open the gate to Guanzhong, we can allow the troops from Luoyang to enter Guanzhong, and then you will have made a great contribution!"

Hearing this, Xiang Jun clapped his hands and laughed, "Brother Zhou Shi is indeed very smart. He saw the essence of the matter right away."

Xiang Jun looked at Lu Huiqing and said, "Lü Gong, this Su traitor should not have many people left in Pujindu, only about a thousand at most. If we attack them by force, they will definitely not be able to hold on. We will just suffer more casualties.

As long as we capture Puzhin Ferry, we will have the initiative and Su Ni will become anxious.

This is a battleground that is of vital importance. If we take Pujin Ferry and hold it firmly, so that the troops and food supplies supporting Chang'an can enter the northwest, this will be a great achievement!"

Lu Huiqing nodded and said, "Yes, that's right. If that's the case, then we should attack Pujindu and take down this strategic military point between Chang'an and Taiyuan.

When the Song Dynasty was confronting the Western Xia, food and soldiers from Hedong had to be transported to the northwest front via the Pujin Ferry. The smooth flow of the ferry directly affected the war situation.

Humph, Wen Yanbo is incompetent! Such an important military stronghold was actually seized by Su Ni. If he hadn't lost this stronghold, how could Su Ni be trapped in Chang'an?"

Zhou Kai laughed and said, "Although Wen Yanbo is famous, he is just a scholar. What does he know about fighting?
Humph, in my opinion, after we take over Puzhou Ferry, we should not enter Guanzhong. We should just guard Puzhou Ferry, and we will not rescue that old bastard Wen Yanbo.

My uncle was exiled to the border for so many years and could not return to Bianliang, and this was also due to Wen Yanbo's instigation.

Humph, when the previous emperor passed away, it was actually the best time for your uncle to return to the court, but it was Wen Yanbo who intervened and prevented your uncle from returning, hehe."

Lu Huiqing shook his head and said, "Okay, let's not talk about these. We should be loyal to our emperor and not worry too much about personal grudges."

The general strategy has been decided, and the next step is to gather all the generals and begin assigning tasks.

Lu Huiqing didn't care whether the army would suffer losses.

He is different from the Zhe family. The Zhe family is a family of generals, and the army is the lifeblood of the family, but it is insignificant to a civil official like Lu Huiqing.

As long as they can achieve their strategic goals, there is nothing to regret even if their army is sacrificed.

(End of this chapter)