Fenghou

"It's ready, and we have recruited more than 500 carts, a total of [-] carts, ready to go at any time."

Yang Yuanqing's thoroughness really satisfied Chen Qing, and he said happily, "I will leave the training of the two thousand recruits to you. In the morning of the day after tomorrow, I will personally lead the five thousand troops to Anxi County."

Yang Yuanqing hesitated for a moment and said: "Control, there is a saying about a humble job that I don't know if I should say it or not?"

"you say!"

"I feel that the Xixia Army is not ready yet. They will attack Anxi County, at least until autumn!"

Chen Qing said lightly: "Who said I was going to defend, I was going to attack the Xixia Army in Deshun Prefecture."

"what!"

Yang Yuanqing was stunned for a moment, the control actually wanted to preemptively start a war.

"Control, is it too hasty to launch a war now?"

Chen Qing shook his head, "In two days, Zhu Shengfei's special envoy will arrive in Qinzhou. Although he has no right to dismiss me, he can use the investigation as an excuse to suspend me.

Of course, I can also ignore him, but the price is too high. After all, he is the Xuanfu envoy of Sichuan and Shaanxi. If a war breaks out, it will not be a battle for one city and one region, but will trigger a war in the entire Northwest, and the Song, Qi, and Xixia families will all be involved. As for when the war will end, it is beyond Zhu Shengfei's control. "

Yang Yuanqing nodded silently. He had seen a lot of Chen Qing's generosity, and he was not surprised at all by triggering a war to deal with Zhu Shengfei.

It's just that he felt Chen Qing's determination, if Zhu Shengfei wanted to use him for surgery, he would definitely fight back without hesitation.

……

Chen Qing's preparations for this expedition were really insufficient. The main problem was food. Their rations were only enough for the army to spend for three months, and there were still so many people who needed relief. There was not enough food at all.

Although they can still buy some sheep from the Qiang people, they need to prepare at least half a year's military rations for a war. The key is whether the Bashu ration purchase plan can be implemented smoothly.

Chen Qing also had no choice. The matter of food was very variable, and he could not control it. He could only gamble, either he could get food in Deshun Prefecture, or the food from Bashu could reach Qinzhou smoothly.

After resting for one day, before dawn on the third day, Chen Qing led [-] troops and set off, accompanied by [-] carts loaded with grain and military supplies. The grain and dried mutton on the cart could support the army for a month.

……

Jianmenguan is located in the north of Longqing Prefecture, and Zitong County, the prefecture of Longqing Prefecture, has become the most important commercial transit point in northern Shu.

Especially during the Song-Jin war in the past two years, the money, food and materials in Sichuan were continuously transported to Hanzhong, and Zitong County became the rear of the rear. A large amount of food and grass materials were collected here from all directions, and then they were shipped from here to the north.

The Zitong River, which connects to Fushui, has become the main channel for water transport of food and materials. Thousands of large warehouses have been built in the past two years by the docks outside the county.

However, as the war subsided, the busy Zitong County suddenly relaxed and became quiet, without the hustle and bustle of before.

This morning, a fleet full of food slowly approached the pier. If it was the busiest time, they would have to wait at least three days for their turn to dock. Just landed.

On the pier, Zhou Kuan had been waiting for a long time. He was now serving as the envoy of the Qinzhou Army to purchase food and supplies, and he belonged to the logistics battalion. Fifty soldiers followed him to Zitong County.

They rented a warehouse in a very short period of time, opened a business, hired a few accountants in the local area, and then established contact with several large grain merchants through the business.

Today is the first batch of grain merchants purchased by Zhou Kuan arrived. The grain was purchased from Langzhou, a total of [-] shi, and the price was [-] guan. Guanqian hired a camel team along the Shu Road to transport the grain to Qinzhou.

"Docked!" The boat boss shouted loudly.

Zhou Kuan turned to a supervisor and said, "Can you carry it now?"

"anytime!"

"Then start now and move the grain to the warehouse."

The steward waved his hand, and a hundred porters ran up. They were divided into two groups, one was to carry the grain ashore from the boat, and the other was to use a wheelbarrow to transport the grain from the pier to the warehouse.

A hundred porters were busy like ants. At this time, another steward hired locally stepped forward and said to Zhou Kuan: "Senior steward, Liu Zhangtuo is here!"

From Zitong County to the north, mules are usually used for transportation, but some clever businessmen have brought in camels that can carry heavy loads. These camels have a large capacity and are easier to take care of, so they are very popular among businessmen.

Zhou Kuan also signed a transportation agreement with a camel team consisting of a hundred camels, responsible for transporting food to Qinzhou for them. If it goes well, a long-term contract will be signed.

After a while, a middle-aged man with a strong figure came up. Everyone forgot his real name because he had a long scar on his face. Everyone called him Scar Liu.

Liu Scarzi has been walking on the Shu road for nearly 30 years, and he is very familiar with every plant and tree on the Shu road. The reason why Zhou Kuan sought him out was because he often led his team to Qinzhou three years before Jianyan.

"Boss, the food has arrived, we can set off tonight."

Zhou Kuan nodded, "It's no problem to transport a thousand shi of grain at once!"

Liu Bazi grinned, "Of course there is no problem, two hundred camels can be transported away."

"How long does it take to get to Chengji County?"

"At least half a month!"

Zhou Kuan calculated in his heart that it would take a month to go back and forth, and he should be able to purchase the second batch of grain within a month.

At this time, Zhou Kuan suddenly remembered something, and hurriedly said: "After leaving Beixianren Pass, go straight north to Chengji County, and don't take the long detour in Longzhou."

Zhou Kuan received a pigeon letter from Yang Yuanqing yesterday, specifically telling him that the grain transport team should not go around Longzhou.

Liu Scar frowned, "Going in a straight line has to pass through the territory of the Qiang people, and those Qiang people are not easy to deal with."

"Don't worry! Qinzhou Army's rations, they won't make things difficult, besides, with our sergeants following you, you don't have to worry about all the passes!"

"Okay! We'll pay when we get back."

Zhou Kuan nodded, "You take the receipt, and I will pay you according to the receipt."

Chapter 198 Investigation

Shen Dayuan, the special investigation envoy sent by Zhu Shengfei, arrived in Chengji County on the third day after Chen Qing left. Shen Dayuan was also a confidant brought by Zhu Shengfei to take office.

Shen Dayuan did not come from a professional background. He was originally a small clerk in Caizhou, but he is a distant relative of Zhu Shengfei. After he climbed into Zhu Shengfei's thigh, he began to make a fortune. He was appointed Danyang County Captain. He was transferred to the Ministry of Punishment, and now he followed Zhu Shengfei to Sichuan and Shaanxi, where he served as the Xuanfu envoy, the official government, and the judiciary to join the military, with great power.

This time, Shen Dayuan was also full of energy, and wanted to clean up Chen Qing for Zhu Shengfei. He came to the barracks with more than [-] entourages, and Yang Yuanqing welcomed him into the barracks. What? I was ordered to ask him about something and asked him to come see me!"

Yang Yuanqing bowed and said, "Shen Canjun didn't know something. The Xixia Army invaded Xining County, and Chen Tongzhi led the army to Xining County three days ago."

Shen Dayuan was stunned, Chen Qing was not in Chengji County, how would this suspension order be enforced?

"When will he be back?"

"I don't know about this, I hope the war will end soon!"

Shen Dayuan raised his sparse eyebrows, looking forward to the end of the war?The battle between Song and Jin is not over yet!

Since the rightful owner is not here, we can only beat the side drums first, collect evidence, and get the witnesses and physical evidence. Even if he doesn't come back, it doesn't matter. What the Xuan Fu envoy wants is not suspension, but dismissal.

"Okay! You have a general named Zhang Jian here! Let him come to see me."

"Zhang Jian is no longer here."

Shen Dayuan' Bang! 'He slapped the table, gritted his teeth and asked, "What do you mean you're not here anymore?"

Yang Yuanqing looked calm, "Half a month ago he violated military discipline and was beaten by Commander Zheng. He had left the barracks with resentment in his heart. If you don't believe me, you can read the inspection records and military affairs records every night. Everything was recorded."

"Bring me the record, I'm going to make a copy!"

Yang Yuanqing ordered his men to go get the copy, Shen Dayuan said again: "Besides, I still have some questions to ask General Yang!"

"Shen Canjun, please tell me!"

Shen Dayuan winked at his subordinates and asked him to make a record. Shen Dayuan asked: "About half a month ago, General Yang took people to Guanzhong to transport a batch of supplies, right?"

Yang Yuanqing went to Zhongnan County to transport supplies, and there were records along the pass. This cannot be denied, and Chen Qing didn't want to deny it, but they were ready when they went to Zhongnan County to transport money and goods.

Yang Yuanqing nodded, "It's true!"

Shen Dayuan lifted his spirits, and quickly asked again: "I want to know, what kind of materials are being transported?"

"It's mainly food, as well as military supplies such as armor, kerosene, bows and arrows."

"It's a bunch of nonsense. What you carry are copper coins, silver, and cloth. How dare you lie to me now?"

Yang Yuanqing sneered and said, "Why am I talking nonsense? We have a transport list, which clearly states what materials are being transported, and there are inspection seals along the pass. Moreover, for this transport, our controller wrote a special report and handed it over to Wu Dutong, didn't Shen Canjun investigate before he came?"

Shen Dayuan was speechless for a while, both he and Zhu Shengfei had just arrived in Hanzhong, so they knew nothing about the material handling process, it was only because of Fu Xuan's informant, and Fu Xuan had also passed the informant of his in-law Pan Daguan, Pan Daguan It was through Zhang Jian's betrayal that Zhang Jian disappeared in the end.

Shen Dayuan suddenly realized that it was really not easy to investigate this matter, they did everything perfectly, but they didn't have any breakthroughs.

"What about the soldiers involved in the transport? I want to talk to them."

"Reporting to Shen Canjun, they all followed the command to fight the Xixia Army, and they are not in Chengji County."

Shen Dayuan was a little bit crazy, he gritted his teeth and said: "Open the warehouse, this special envoy is going to inspect your warehouse!"

Yang Yuanqing immediately ordered the sergeant to open the gate of the barracks and the barracks, and prepare the account books of the barracks. All the money will not enter the barracks barracks at all, not afraid of being checked by the other party.

Shen Dayuan walked around and finally found the clue, he asked excitedly: "Hehe! I want to know, where did you buy the grain from the big households and the sheep from the Qiang people, where did you spend the money? No Tell me, these are all your private money?"

"Shen Canjun is right. It is true that our leader used his personal money to buy the sheep. In addition, the sheep were just given to us by the Qiang people, and we didn't spend a penny."

Shen Dayuan was so angry that his eyes burst into flames, and he said furiously: "Where did your control get so much money?"

"It was rewarded by the emperor. Shen Canjun can ask the emperor if he doesn't believe it."

Shen Dayuan suddenly widened his eyes.

……

Xining County is also called Ganquanbao. The population and scale of this castle are no different from the county seat. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is a county seat. It is called Xining County on the state government map, but it is called Xining County on the military map. But it is an extremely important military fortress.

It is like a sharp knife inserted in the northernmost part of Qinzhou, so that the Xixia army in Huizhou and Deshun did not dare to go south easily.

Xixia has always been eyeing Ganquan Fort, and wanted to get this military fort many times, but Jin Bing never agreed. Even if Jin Bing gave up Xihe Road and retreated eastward, a hundred Jin Bing remained symbolically stationed in Ganquan Fort.

Don't underestimate these hundred golden soldiers, it is because of their existence that Xixia covets Ganquan Fort, but they dare not act rashly. Jin Guo wants to transfer Xihe Road to the Qi army, not the Xixia people.

This is also the main purpose of Chen Qing's going to Xining County. He also wants to take Ganquan Fort first, and then use Ganquan Fort as a logistics center to launch an attack on the Xixia Army stationed in the north of Deshun Prefecture.

Chen Qing's army marched day and night. In the evening of this day, the army arrived in a valley about ten miles south of Ganquanbao. This area also belongs to the Loess Plateau. within the ravine.

The ravine where Chen Qing garrisoned is called Liupigou, one of the few ravines with a name, because there is a Liupi village in the ravine.

Jin Bing did not massacre the villages in these ravines, because Jin Bing also needed their existence, as a guide for Jin Bing, or as a supply point for patrolling.

As soon as it was dark, Zhao Xiaoyi brought the two old men to Chen Qing's big tent.

Chen Qing enthusiastically invited the two old men to sit down in the big tent, and said with a smile: "I think you all understand that my army must be here to take Ganquan Fort, but I don't know the situation of Ganquan Fort, and it was not long ago. Knowing that there are golden soldiers inside, can the two old men tell me something about it?"

The two old men looked at each other, and the older man said cautiously: "Actually, the golden soldiers in Ganquan Fort have been withdrawn, and there are only 100 people left. It is no longer a concern. The key is to be careful of the Xixia people."

"Has the Xixia Army come too?" Chen Qing asked.

"The Western Xia Army has always had spies operating near Ganquan Fort, but just a few days ago, another spies came, but the number of spies was much larger than before."

"How many were there before, and how many are there now?"

"There were only a few people before, but 200 people came a few days ago. I don't know where they are now? But they must still be near Ganquanbao."

Chen Qing frowned, could it be that the Xixia people knew about his dispatch of troops?It shouldn't be!It is very secretive to dispatch troops by oneself, even the officials and people of Chengji County don't know about it.

Could it be... because Zhu Shengfei took office?

Chen Qing had a vague intuition that it was more likely that the changes in the Xixia and Qi armies would be caused by Zhu Shengfei's appointment.

"The other party only has one hundred defenders. How do the two old men think it's easier for me to take it?"

"Let my brother answer this question! He used to be a soldier of the Song Army." The old man pointed to his silent companion beside him and smiled.

"This old man is Song Jun?" Chen Qing was in awe.

The thin old man sighed, "It's just the dead souls of Yongle City, what's the point of mentioning it?"

Chen Qing was silent. It turned out that he was a defeated soldier in Yongle City. It was the most painful defeat of Song Dynasty's attack on Xixia, and Song Shenzong died of illness because of it.

The old man said to Chen Qing again: "The importance of Ganquan Fort is no less than that of Yongle City. What's more important is that it has a source of water. Xixia has always been eyeing it, but dare not offend Jin Bing. But once the general sends troops, Xixia will definitely go all out. We It is recommended that the general send troops tonight, once the Xixia people find the general's army, it is very likely that they will also capture the city tonight."

Chen Qing nodded. Two hundred spies had already appeared near Ganquan Fort, so the large army must be nearby.

Chapter 199

In the dark night, Chen Qing led [-] elite soldiers to appear one mile away from Ganquan Fort. Although he already knew about Ganquan Fort from the written records, he knew that it was tall and strong, guarding strategic routes, easy to defend and difficult to attack, but now he saw it with his own eyes. Arriving at Ganquan Fort, Chen Qing was really shocked. It is located on the edge of a big mountain, standing high, it is a mountain peak.

More importantly, it cut off the necessary official road from Deshun Prefecture to Huizhou. Not far from it is the north-south official road. Although there are many trails on the Loess Plateau, those who can walk cavalry and luggage There are only two official ways.

The night sky is clear, the galaxy is bright, and the huge black castle stands under the dark blue sky full of stars. It looks a little more mysterious, especially the tall pointed tower on the top of the city, which has the feeling of a medieval European city wall.

At this time, Zhao Xiaoyi bent forward and said in a low voice: "My subordinates discovered that there is also an army ambushing in a forest to the east, about 3000 people, about three miles away from Ganquan Fort."

Chen Qing immediately realized that this must be the time when the Xixia army was going to seize the city tonight. Now it was the first watch, and it was very likely that the Xixia army would take the city at the second watch.

There are not many cases of night raids on the city during the first watch, mainly because most of the soldiers did not fall asleep at the first watch, or slept very lightly. Generally, the time for attacking the city at night is scheduled for the second or third watch. Chen Qing originally decided Attacking the city at the second watch, but now, he had to change his plan.

"Command Zhang Dutou, Flying Ape Team!" Chen Qing gave the order.