Three thousand miles in exile

Liang Tianzi insisted on going his own way and issued imperial edicts to both Hanzhong and the South. In his eyes, it was already a sure thing, so he sent back the news soon.

The Minister of the Ministry of War was the first to receive the papers from the two places. He was very angry when he saw it, and hurriedly told the rest of the ministers to go to the palace to face the saint immediately.

"Your Majesty! General Wuwei and General Pingman want millions of military pay! What a shame!"

"Your Majesty! In my opinion, let this matter go, this prince cannot be conferred!"

"As for the Northern Expedition, we can think of another way."

The King of Han is self-reliant, and General Wuwei and General Pingman can also be self-reliant.

But why have there been no movements in Hanzhong and the coast for the past two years?

This is because Hanzhong and the coast are not completely separated from the Central Plains like northern Xinjiang. The two generals are weighing whether they can stand on their own.

Liang Tianzi's imperial decree to confer the title of king is no different from a step. If you follow it down, everyone will be happy when the king is in his hands.

The problem lies in the Northern Expedition proposed by Pei Gongli.

This is a prince with a price. Sending troops is equivalent to bleeding. In this case, the court should cut the flesh to show its sincerity.

The two generals asked each of them for 100 million taels of food, grass and luggage, which happened to be the sum of the taxes and taxes collected by the imperial court this year.

Liang Tianzi happened to be able to take out so much.

"If the imperial decree is withdrawn, how will the people of the world laugh at His Majesty!" Pei Gongli's sharp voice fell.

None of these close officials notified Pei Gongli, it was a letter secretly reported by the eunuch.

Several close ministers gritted their teeth in hatred.

"Your Majesty!" Pei Kilometer kowtowed heavily. "Great beams to establish a country, internal and external dissatisfaction, just need a big war to deter people! Just like the Great Chu Tai/Zu!"

Doesn't this dissatisfaction with the inside and the inside refer to these ministers who choke with the emperor at every turn.

"You, you, you!" Minister of the Ministry of War almost lost his breath.

"Your Majesty! You can't believe this ghost and traitor!!" The courtiers kowtowed anxiously.

Liang Tianzi had a splitting headache.

"Enough!!!" he roared ferociously.

"Can you stop contradicting me for once!!"

All the courtiers were stunned.

They suddenly understood that Liang Tianzi had listened to Pei Gongli's words.

Liang Tianzi, who was dissatisfied both internally and externally, just needed to intimidate people. He wanted to follow the example of the founding emperor of Great Chu and use force to intimidate people.

Liang Tianzi pointed to the Minister of the Household Department. "You send the food and salary to the two places now, if you don't send it, you will die to me!!"

The matter of sending troops to the Northern Expedition was finally decided.

At the end of November, northern Xinjiang entered the cold winter.

A brazier was burning in the imperial study room, and Queen Song Fenglin was reviewing the memorial after the imperial case.

These memorials have been classified by the cabinet and the countermeasures have been written down, and the countermeasures are stuck on the memorials.

If Song Fenglin felt that the countermeasures were feasible, he would put a seam seal between the note and the memorial, and distribute it to the local government for implementation.

If the countermeasures are not feasible, call back directly for the cabinet to reconsider, or bring it to the next morning for face-to-face discussion.

The existence of the cabinet greatly eased Song Fenglin's work, and he signed and issued the memorial presented by the cabinet today in a little more than an hour.

"Give it to Wen Shoufu." Song Fenglin stood up.

Li Ah San hurriedly responded, and called the palace servants to put a stack of memorial codes into a box and carry them away.

There is nothing to do in winter, and Liu Zhan usually stays in the side hall behind the imperial study room when he goes to court.

The function of the side hall is equivalent to the meeting hall of the general's mansion, but the space is more spacious and can accommodate more people.

There is also a warm pavilion inside the side hall.

The warm pavilion is not big, only a kang bed and two bookcases, and the kang bed is connected to the window sill. If the window is opened in summer, the outside is an independent garden.

Song Fenglin didn't see anyone in the side hall. As soon as he stepped into the Nuan Pavilion, Liu Zhan was leaning on the window sill and playing with the chessboard.

"Queen, come and sit down." Liu Zhan patted his side.

"Are you hungry? I'll ask someone to bring some snacks in." Song Fenglin was about to call out, when suddenly footsteps came from outside the Nuan Pavilion.

"A letter from the King of Han and King Qing!" Zhao Qianhu, captain of the imperial guards, asked for instructions standing outside the warm pavilion.

"Come in." Liu Zhan immediately sat up straight.

It was a thin piece of paper with not much content, but Liu Zhan's face became more and more mocking, and there was a sullenness that others could not detect.

"If you want to fight, you can fight. The Qing army has nothing to do with Xi Rong, so how dare you negotiate terms with me?" Liu Zhan sneered.

"The queen should take a look too." He handed the letter to Song Fenglin.

In his letter, King Qing said bluntly that if the King of Han was willing to spend money to buy peace, he could play a show and send troops to pretend to attack Cenzhou.

As for how much it cost, King Qing actually asked for 100 million taels and [-] shi of grain.

You must know that Liang Tianzi has already given 100 million taels of food, so he wants to eat both ends.

"Ridiculous." Song Fenglin pressed the letter on the small table.

"I'm afraid King Qing has been beaten out of his mind by Xi Rong, but I seem to be a man who can handle it?" Liu Zhan snorted coldly, with murderous intent on his face. "Let's not talk about 20 people, so what if 30 people come."

This year Qiyun's army is close to 40, excluding the defenders of Tongtian Pass, Humen Pass, and Songliao Pass, the three northern passes, Taohe Pass has 20 defenders, and the Chinese army on Cangxia Plain has [-] defenders.

The Han army was a powerful army that beat the Yan army's iron cavalry to the point where they could not fight back!

"Let the generals of the Chinese army enter the palace!" Liu Zhan ordered in a cold voice.

Soon the generals will enter the palace.

Among them, Cao Zhuang, Li Xiaolian, Cao Ming, and Jiang Changlin were promoted to the general rank, and Zheng Fengtian, Guo Donghu, Niu Shilu, Wei Chenggui, Li Futian, and Zhou Ziming were promoted to the Zhonglang general rank.

These ten people are the core generals of the Han army.

In the side hall, Liu Zhan and Song Fenglin occupy the upper positions, and the generals are divided into left and right positions.

"Li Xiaolian, you set off immediately to Taohe Pass to take charge of the defense. Beware of surprise attacks by the Qing army in the early spring. If there is any change, you can mobilize the defenders of the Cenzhou Battalion." Liu Zhan quickly gave instructions.

"After the Xuehua Road is opened, Zhou Ziming, you lead 5 people to Taohe Pass to support."

Hanzhong is adjacent to northern Xinjiang, and war can be launched at any time, so Liu Zhan has to guard against it.

Now it is the cold winter in northern Xinjiang, the road is blocked by heavy snow, and it is inconvenient for the army to march, so we can only let Li Xiaolian go to preside over it first.

Li Xiaolian immediately took the order and set off.

After arranging the defense of Taohe Pass, Liu Zhan set his sights on the Southern Army.

There was a sand table and a map in the center of the side hall. Liu Zhan stood in front of the map with his hands behind his back. He didn't speak, and everyone waited with bated breath.

"How do you think the Southern Army will go north?" Liu Zhan asked.

The southern army wanted to go north to attack Han, and they had to cross the Huai River across the entire Central Plains and then cross Huangchuan, as shown on the map.

"This journey will take at least two months for 10 people," Cao Ming said.

"It's fast enough to arrive in two months. Every city and place along the way must be approved by the local state government." Jiang Changlin said.

One hundred thousand troops run through the north and the south, this route is too long and tiring, the generals have a lot of discussion, they all think that the king of the south may have a brain problem, how dare he go north.

"There is another route." Song Fenglin said in a deep voice.

He remembered that day when he and Liu Zhan were running horses along the North Coast. Liu Zhan said that the sea boats had to cross the sea, which left a deep impression on Song Fenglin.

"If King Nan has a large ship that can cross the sea..." Song Fenglin hesitated.

Liu Zhan smiled, encouraging with his eyes. "My queen, please continue."

Encouraged by Liu Zhan, Song Fenglin spoke up.

"There are endless shoals along the coast of the North Sea. If King Nan has enough ships, he can land anywhere in the North Sea as long as he takes the boat north."

After Song Fenglin finished speaking, the sound of gasping came and went.

If that's the case, they won't be able to guard against it at all!

For a while, everyone talked about it.

Liu Zhan knocked on the table, and the discussion stopped suddenly. "There is no need to argue, this king will tell you now that the southern army will definitely go north by boat."

For a moment, everyone looked stern.

"The place suitable for landing on the North Sea coast spans almost the entire Cangxia Plain, how to defend?" Liu Zhan glanced at the faces facing the enemy.

There are tens of thousands of acres of fertile land on the Cangxia Plain, and these are the lifelines of the common people.

"I'm not afraid of a mere 10 people!" Liu Zhan straightened his waist. "But! Our goal is to defeat it along the coast, and not let the war spread to the inland!"

This requires careful planning.

For a whole winter, Liu Zhan stayed in the side hall to rehearse the sand table almost every day, and stayed in the Nuan Pavilion at night, with Song Fenglin naturally accompanying him.

After the snowstorm, the generals could not often enter the palace, and more often Liu Zhan discussed strategies with Song Fenglin.

Because Daliang went north to attack Han in the coming year, the first Spring Festival in the palace did not have a lot of fuss, and a simple banquet was held for family reunion.

So soon the spring came and the snow melted.

At the order of the King of Han, the entire Chinese army mobilized, and 5 people went to Taohe Pass. Liu Zhan gave Li Xiaolian a death order and stood firm at Taohe Pass.

The remaining 15 Chinese troops moved to the seaside for defense.

The coast of the North Sea is vast, and it is divided into three beaches by mountains, islands and reefs. The 15 people are divided into three groups and stationed on different beaches.

In addition, the Han Dynasty stepped up conscription, and the recruits will be stationed in the interior to adapt to the situation.

At the same time, the Qing army camp.

"General, King Qing summoned all the generals to discuss matters." Zhao Wuguang entered the tent to deliver the message.

Zhang Taining's knife-like resolute face was full of sullen anger. "The Xirong army is just outside the Yumen Pass, and I am too busy to take care of myself. I am so stupid to send troops to attack Han for a false title!"

As early as last year, the Qing army had spread the word that they would attack Han in the coming year. The generals had different attitudes, some agreed, and some strongly opposed it like Zhang Taining.

"King Keqing has made up his mind." Zhao Wuguang sighed.

It was also because Liu Zhan replied with sarcasm and refuted his face, King Qing felt that he would not be able to step down, and that he would be sorry for his status as King Qing.

"Just say that the general is unwell, and they will fight if they want." Zhang Taining made up his mind to ignore it.

But he didn't want King Qing to issue a king's order asking him to attend the meeting, so Zhang Taining could only hold his breath and go.

In the middle account, all the generals looked different, only King Qing, who was golden and covered with dragons from head to toe, was determined to fight.

"How to capture Taohe Pass, can the generals have countermeasures?" King Qing put on a very high air.

Ever since he was proclaimed king, Tang Chongjian seemed to have changed into a different person, becoming the aloof King Qing.

A general spoke. "The final general suggests a feint attack, and it will be enough to delay it for a year and a half before giving the emperor a job."

"Stupid!" King Qing's face turned cold. "The southern army will be able to catch the Han army by surprise when they go north by sea boat. Our army just took advantage of the civil strife in the Han army to capture Taohe Pass and go north. As long as we take Cenzhou, we will have an extra retreat!"

Unexpectedly, King Qing would try to seize Cenzhou in vain, and all the generals were stunned for a while.

You must know that there are tens of millions of people in Qiyun Mountain and Cangxia Plain, and there are several Xiongguan Passes.

Not to mention how far the southern army landed on the coast, how far a [-] army can fight, as long as the Han army gathers and defeats it, it is tantamount to wishing to destroy the Han country.

Zhang Taining was upright and couldn't stand it anymore. "Have you ever visited the Han army's Taohe Pass? It's such an imposing pass, and it's built next to the river. As long as the Han army breaks the bridge, our army will cross the river and attack the city. Even if 20 people go there, it won't be enough!"

Taohe Pass was built next to the river, and the Taoshui River is a natural moat. If you want to attack the city, the army can't put up a position at all.

All the generals nodded.

King Qing's old face was flushed with anger. "How deep is the Taoshui River! It's not the dangerous Huangchuan River that day! We have an army of [-], and we just filled the river! Step on the river and attack the city!"

Taohe Pass is indeed not deep, and only during the high water season will it rise to the point where there are no people. On weekdays, the river water is only thigh deep.

But fill the river and attack the city?

The generals looked at each other, really speechless.

Zhang Taining stood up vigorously. "At the end of the day, please garrison at Ziwu Pass, please King Qing's approval!"

This person refuted him again and again, King Qing felt ashamed, but Zhang Taining had 5 people in his hands, so he couldn't really turn against him.

On the same day, Zhang Taining led his soldiers to defend Ziwu Pass.

King Qing ordered an army of [-] to attack Taohe Pass.

At that time, Xirong gathered 30 troops outside Yumen Pass, while the Yumen Pass guards had less than 10 troops.

It was not easy for the Qing army to defend Hanzhong. At this time, they had mobilized [-] troops, and the defense of Hanzhong was insufficient.

However, King Qing insisted on going his own way.

One is that he accepted the royal crown from Emperor Liang, and he had to fulfill his promise.

Second, he fell in love with Cenzhou, a city that is uniquely blessed and easy to defend and difficult to attack, and wanted to take the opportunity to take it as the rear of the Qing army.

What King Qing didn't know was that Taohe Pass had been arranged like an iron bucket by Li Xiaolian at this time.

The Taohe Bridge was completely broken, and the Taoshui River was also widened and dug deeper. Dozens of ballista catapults were installed on the city wall of Taohe Pass, with a range just enough to hit the opposite bank of the river.

When the vanguard of the Qing army came to the banks of the Taoshui River, all the soldiers were terrified.

The general who led the troops to attack Taohe Pass in this battle was the third son of King Qing. This son was arrogant and headstrong. After assassinating his own elder brother, he acted even more arrogantly.

"Cross the river and attack the city!" The third prince ordered regardless.

Just as the forwards of the Qing army moved timidly, there was movement from Taohe Pass, and dozens of giant arrows as thick as arms were seen coming through the wind.

In an instant, the Qing army gathered on the bank of the river fell down!

This is not over yet, and then the trebuchet threw the kerosene tank, and the kerosene fell to the ground and the fire spread, accompanied by choking smoke.

The forwards of the Qing army were in a mess.

The King of Han ordered to defend to the death, and Li Xiaolian would not let these bandit soldiers step into the Han Kingdom half a step!

The battle situation at Taohe Pass was delivered to Liu Zhan at an expedited speed of [-] miles every day. At that time, Liu Zhan was supervising the army in Baoping County.

Baoping County is in the middle of the Beihai coast, and Liu Zhan set up a temporary Chinese army camp here. He personally led [-] soldiers, and two other troops were stationed on the other two coasts.

No matter which coast the Southern Army landed on, the Chinese army battalion in the middle would go to support it very quickly, and the cavalry could arrive within an hour.

In mid-May, the grass along the coast of the North Sea was covered with small white flowers, and amidst the waves, some shadows appeared one after another on the distant horizon.

The soldiers on the sentry tower only felt their hairs stand on end!

The king of Han said that there are sea ships in the world, which are as huge as buildings and can come across the sea.

He was both afraid and looking forward to it. Now that he saw it with his own eyes, he felt his heart tremble. The sentinel was stunned for a while, and then he reacted and hurriedly rang the gong.

"The sea boat is coming!!!"

"There are really sea ships!!"

For a moment, the originally peaceful coast exploded, and the soldiers stationed in the forest rushed to the edge of the forest to see the ships.

"What are you looking at! Ready to fight! That's an enemy soldier!!" Niu Shilu drove away angrily.

The drums were beating loudly in the barracks, and the soldiers who had been waiting for more than a month took up their weapons and went back to their respective teams.

They have already rehearsed countless times. Heavy armored shield soldiers, heavy armored spearmen, archers, Mo Dao hands, and Mo Dao cavalry quickly arrived at their positions to prepare for the battle.

At the same time, the sentry rushed to the Chinese army camp in Baoping County as quickly as possible.

Looking towards the coast from the sea, I can see that there is no one on the beach, and the woods deep in the beach are shadowy, and I can't see anything clearly.

"General! Sure enough, there is no one on the shore!" The sentry on the ship rushed to tell each other.

The general leading the fleet is Xie Huan, younger brother of Nan Wang Xie Yu, and he is not surprised that there is no one on the shore.

"Hmph, how do the barbarians in northern Xinjiang know that there are sea ships in the world?" Xie Huan ordered without haste. "It is said that our army ordered the troops to divide into two groups, and ordered Yang Xianwen to lead ten ships up the Huangchuan River and encircle Lufeng County two days later."

The landing beach was located near the mouth of Huangchuan River. Xie Huan's strategy was to take Lufeng County near Haikou first, and then use it as a base to deal with the Han army.

At the time of Xiang, he negotiated terms with the King of Han again. As long as the King of Han offered enough property, they would set off south after a few feints.

Nanwang's intention coincided with Qingwang's.

Xie Huan is full of confidence. He caught him off guard in this battle by surprise, and he will be able to quickly capture Lufeng County.

In the sight of Niu Shilu and others, more and more ships appeared on the horizon.

Those huge sea ships like buildings, one of which can carry thousands of soldiers, are all approaching this coast at this time.

"What are you afraid of! You're useless!" Niu Shilu slapped the trembling soldier.

"That sea ship can't eat people! The king of Han said that the sea ship is too big to touch the shore, and they will definitely come with a small boat later."

No wonder the soldiers were afraid. The biggest boats they had ever seen were the merchant ships in Huangchuan that carried goods up and down the river.

And the ship in front of him was several times or even ten times bigger than the largest merchant ship on Huangchuan!

These soldiers who have never seen the world are afraid of this behemoth.

Sure enough, a large number of sea boats in sight stopped not far from the beach, and then a large number of small boats were lowered from the boats.

Really came by boat!

Niu Shilu's thick big eyes are holding the Modao, and his round black eyes are full of fierce fighting intent.

When the first batch of small boats docked, Niu Shilu finally ordered the whole army to attack!

All of a sudden there were shouts of killing in the forest, and in the open space behind the forest, arrows rained soaring into the sky, just falling on the place where the waves sent one after another, those southern soldiers who had just disembarked or had not had time to disembark were hit by arrows one after another.

All of this was within Liu Zhan's calculations.

Immediately after Wuqian Mo Dao Shou, Wu Qian Buyong rushed out from the forest, and Niu Shilu led Mo Dao cavalry to outflank the coast from left and right.

The Han army who suddenly rushed out of the forest caught the Southern army forward by surprise. They thought they were going to attack the Han army, but they were ambushed by the Han army.

Not only that, a group of five heavy armored shield soldiers and heavy armored spearmen appeared on the edge of the forest, forming a line of defense.

The Han army never thought of letting them land!

However, in just one face-to-face effort, the tens of thousands of southern troops that had landed at the vanguard had been wiped out.

But the waves were dyed bright red, and a large number of corpses were floating on them.

Soldiers in the distance who hadn't landed hurriedly rowed their boats and turned around. This terrible scene frightened the souls of the Confederate soldiers on board.

"Archers come out and shoot arrows! Shoot all the thieves on those small boats!" Niu Shilu roared angrily.

The archers rushed out of the woods and raised their hands to shoot arrows one after another. The southern army still floating in the sea in the distance became a living target for a moment.

"Run!"

"Hurry up and paddle!"

The Southern Army floating in the sea was a mess.

Xie Huan was so shocked that he didn't come back to his senses for a long time. Even if he was ambushed by the Han army, it shouldn't be so unbearable. Tens of thousands of soldiers were lost in just one meeting!

Xie Huan was frightened by those terrifying long knives, the huge shield that reflected light, and those agile Bu Yong.

It turns out that this is the Han army that defeated the Yan army's iron cavalry, it is really terrible!

The author has something to say: The size and shape of sea ships come from the historical materials of Zheng He's voyages to the West