Chapter 4198 Begins to Cross the River
As soon as he thought that there might be secret passages under the Tai Chi Palace like ant nests everywhere, extending in all directions, Li Chengqian felt like he was on pins and needles and his spine went cold.
He rubbed his forehead and said: "Deploy a lot of manpower around Wude Palace to guard it closely, and find people who are proficient in the secret arts to enter the palace to help investigate the hidden corners. Don't be careless."
Li Junxian nodded and ordered: "The general will do it right away."
Li Chengqian hesitated for a moment and then warned: "Pay more attention to whether there is a secret passage over the Xuanwu Gate for entry and exit, but it needs to be done secretly and not in a big way."
Li Junxian was shocked, but he didn't dare to ask any more questions. He nodded in agreement. Seeing that Li Chengqian had no further instructions, he saluted and left.
Li Chengqian was sitting alone in the hall, holding a teacup in his hand but not drinking, frowning in thought and feeling distracted.
Even though he is the legitimate and righteous crown prince of the country, even though the East Palace has an irreversible advantage, there are still so many people who openly and secretly support Pheasant Nu and do not want to see him, the crown prince, ascend to the throne.
If it's really just for profit, that's all. But many people want to oppose him as the prince under the banner of so-called justice. What's the reason for this?
Especially the princes within the clan, do they think that since the prince was deposed, they can really "feudalize the world" and imitate the old things of the Han Dynasty?
Too naive.
Even if Pheasant Nu ascends the throne as emperor in the future and fulfills his promise, those military officers and civil servants may be able to feudalize, but they will never allow the clan members to do so. ,
However, there are so many people who are so stupid that they are lucky...
*****
Mengjin ferry.
The original ferry was too narrow to be used, so Yuchi Gong ordered people to clear out the reeds near the ferry in the rain, clearing out large swaths of tidal flats, and placed wooden boats confiscated nearby at the ferry. He also ordered people to strictly guard them to prevent them from being flooded by the surge. Washed away by the flood.
They also repaired the damaged parts of the ferry overnight to speed up the army's crossing of the river as much as possible.
Today, when the rain stopped, Yuchi Gong watched from a distance the Shandong private troops coming like a tide. They rushed to the ferry and began to allocate areas under the leadership of their respective team leaders, and one after another began to board the boats to cross the river.
The first ship left the ferry under the spotlight. The sailors on the ship rowed the wooden oars and rocked the oars. The bow of the ship broke through the water waves and sailed towards the south bank. Due to the strong water, by the time it reached the south bank, it was already carried downstream by the current. A mile away.
As the ship docked, a burst of earth-shattering cheers erupted from both sides.
Soldiers came down from the ship one after another, and then came a white horse. A man wearing a long gown got on his horse and drove straight to where Yuchi Gong was.
In a moment, when they arrived in front of them, the man on horseback turned over and dismounted, cupped his fists and raised his hands: "Cui Chengfu was ordered to lead an army to help, and I have seen the Duke of E!"
Yu Chigong knew that this was the second brother of the Boling Cui family, so he got off his horse and stepped forward, holding his hands and laughing heartily: "I have been looking forward to it for a long time, and now we finally meet, hard work, hard work!"
Thick and huge crowds on the north bank of the Yellow River rushed to the river and began to cross the river, while the navy was still waiting for reinforcements near Banzhu downstream. This made all Yuchigong's worries disappear, although it was speculated whether the navy would have "encirclement points" "Strike for reinforcements" strategy, but at this moment there is no need to worry about it. Such a large number of troops and baggage support Tongguan, doubling the strength of Tongguan.
The battle situation has changed again, and it may not be impossible to turn defeat into victory...
Furthermore, since the Shandong aristocratic families support the King of Jin so strongly, they have obviously tied the interests of each family to the King of Jin. Even if Tongguan cannot be tolerated in the future, the King of Jin can retreat from Tongguan into Shandong. In Shandong With the support of the aristocratic family, they separated themselves into one party, waiting for the day of comeback.
Cui Chengfu hurriedly said: "Why bother? The Duke of E upholds justice and upholds the legacy of the late emperor. He does not hesitate to be trapped in Tongguan and refuses to rely on disobedience to enjoy the blessings. He is really a hero who is loyal to the sun and the moon and has a virtuous reputation for thousands of years. I admire you. It’s been a long time since I met you today, I’m truly blessed for the rest of my life.”
Yuchi Gong stroked his beard and laughed heartily: "I am ashamed of myself, I am ashamed of myself! As the late emperor's decree, how can we, as ministers, not overcome all obstacles and do our duty loyal to the king? On the contrary, you Shandong family has lived here for a long time, but you have always been loyal. , Sparing no effort to maintain Zhengshuo, he is truly a model for the world! Come on, I have some water and wine to entertain Cui Xiandi, please follow me.”
After complimenting each other, Yuchi Gong took Cui Chengfu's hand and returned to the barracks. As expected, someone had prepared a banquet and made all arrangements.
Cui Chengfu was not humble and the two of them sat down together.
Children of aristocratic families are best at such social activities. Even though Yuchi Gongjue is a high-ranking official, Cui Chengfu can handle it with ease and enjoy the conversation.
After drinking for three rounds, Yuchi Gong asked: "I have heard that Cui Dunli, the left minister of the Ministry of War, was also born in the second wife of the Boling Cui family?"
Cui Chengfu nodded and said: "That's right. Not only are I in the same branch, but I'm also my cousin."
Yuchi Gong took a sip of wine and said with emotion: "That boy is extraordinary."
To this day, although Zhang Xingcheng is still the Minister of the Ministry of War, Cui Dunli controls all affairs inside and outside the Ministry of War. Even if he is just a clerk in the Yamen of the Ministry of War, he only obeys Cui Dunli's orders and treats Zhang Xingcheng as if he is nothing.
Zhang Xingcheng was so angry that he simply claimed to be ill and stayed at home instead of going to the Ministry of War Yamen to avoid humiliating himself...
Everyone in the government and the public knew that Cui Dunli would be promoted to Minister of War as soon as the crown prince ascended the throne and his merits were rewarded.
The Minister of War in his early forties, half a step away from the Prime Minister, how could he not be enviable?
Cui Chengfu held the pot and poured the wine. Yuchi thanked him respectfully and said as if unintentionally: "Your aristocratic family has a tradition of establishing separate families since ancient times. Is it possible that this time you are following the example of your ancestors and placing bets separately?"
Whenever the situation is unpredictable, in order to keep the bloodline flowing, the family members often support various forces. Only one of them can win the final victory, which can not only keep the bloodline flowing, but also maintain the wealth and wealth of the family. It has been tried and tested throughout the ages.
Therefore, everyone in the world says that the nobles of the aristocratic families only have interests in their sights and have absolutely no loyalty.
Cui Chengfu shook his head, sighed, and toasted Yuchi Gong with a glass of wine. After putting down the glass, he said: "Such things may have happened in the past, but it is definitely not the case this time. As a famous family thrives, it is inevitable that there will be many offspring. Differences of opinion and conflicting interests are common, and internal strife is common. It is not uncommon for the eldest brother to be a member of the military department. His promotion to Zuo Shilang was all due to the promotion of the Duke of Yue, and he did not have much support from the clan. As a result, the clan later ordered him to support the Guanlong clan, but he received no response. Then, his second brother Cui Yuqing was killed by the Guanlong clan. The Cui family manor in the south of Chang'an City made the eldest brother even more angry, so he ignored the family's orders and went his own way, but it was a helpless move."
Why are the children of aristocratic families willing to disregard loyalty and put the interests of the family first?
It's simple, because the children of the aristocratic family have benefited from the family throughout their lives and have to take this as feedback. On the contrary, if Cui Dunli does not receive much care from the family, but is asked to ignore his official career in order to comply with the family's decision-making, how can it be done?
Everyone is selfish, especially children from aristocratic families.
Yuchi Gong shook his head. Although the Guanlong dignitaries were the best in the world, compared with the Han family that had lasted for hundreds or even more than a thousand years, their ability to continue the inheritance would inevitably pale in comparison.
Although some of these methods are clear to see, they are far inferior in operation.
Perhaps this is the so-called family background. The Guanlong nobles were once glorious and prosperous, but today they suffered a heavy setback, and it is still unclear whether they can make a comeback. However, it seems that the Shandong aristocratic family has suffered countless disasters and genocide since the Han Dynasty, but it has been able to maintain its roots and continue to this day, and soar into the sky when given the slightest chance.
Although Yu Chigong was brave and invincible, he was by no means a simple stupid warrior. He was extremely smart in his conduct. The descendant of Cui Chengfu's family was well-informed and cheerful and talkative. The two of them had similar interests and met each other so late that they enjoyed a comfortable meal of wine.
Before the banquet was over, a soldier hurriedly entered the house and reported: "Commander Qi, the scouts have just returned the news that Liu Rengui, the naval force stationed in Banzhu, has been supplemented by Jiangnan and is entering the Yellow River through the Banzhu sluice. Stream up.”
Yuchi Gong immediately stood up and came to the map hanging on the wall. He pointed his finger from Banzhu up the Yellow River to Luoyang, pointed at the position of Mengjin Ferry, and said to Cui Chengfu who was standing next to him and was obviously nervous: "My dear brother, don't panic. , Nowadays, the water level of the Yellow River has surged and the current is turbulent. It is extremely unfavorable to sail against the current. Even if the naval warships have superior performance, it will take five to seven days to cross from Banzhu to Mengjin. "
Cui Chengfu calculated the calculation, shook his head and said: "Even so, we have to speed up the crossing of the river. These more than 100,000 people are not regular troops after all, and it is difficult to follow orders and prohibitions. It will inevitably be chaotic when crossing the river, and the speed of crossing the river becomes faster as we go further. If it is slow, we should speed up the process of crossing the river.”
More than 100,000 people gathered on the north bank of the Yellow River. Even if Mengjin Ferry was a group of ferry crossings, it was still very tight to supply such a large number of troops to cross the river. If there was a slight accident, it would be delayed for a long time.
Yuchi Gong laughed and said calmly: "Don't worry, I have foreseen this a long time ago, so I have taken measures to deal with it. Although it is a bit delusional to sink the navy in the Yellow River, it is not difficult if it just blocks its speed. ”
"Come here!"
Yuchi Gong turned around and called the soldiers outside the tent in, and ordered: "Send the order and order the troops reserved along the river to be ready. As soon as the navy ships appear on the river, they will be intercepted immediately."
"Here!"
After receiving the order, the soldiers turned around and came out of the tent to convey the order.
In a moment, dozens of scouts galloped out of the camp and headed downstream along the Yellow River.
More than ten troops reserved on both sides of the Yellow River were ordered to quickly stack the rolling logs, iron ropes and other objects prepared in advance on the shore, ready for use at any time. More than ten ships were moored in the shallow water of the river, and the ships were scuttled and blocked the river.
Just waiting for the naval ships to hit them head-on, they attacked them head-on on both sides of the strait. (End of chapter)