The two armies of Zhang Dan and Dong Fang joined together, with 13,000 elite troops and 4,000 baggage reserves. They already had the strength to occupy a foothold on the north bank of the Hutuo River.
Therefore, on the one hand, the second general notified the south bank base camp of the critical situation, on the other hand, he also chose to take the initiative to defend.
They first set their sights on a pavilion in the north of the Nine Gates, Sanhe Pavilion.
This pavilion is named Sanhe Pavilion because it is surrounded by three rivers: Hutuo River, Weishui River and Zishui River.
This strategy was proposed by Guo Shu in the army. His family was a native of Zhending and knew the importance of this pavilion.
He said:
"Sanhe Pavilion is bounded by Zishui to the north and Weishui to the west. It is a thoroughfare and is the only way to go from Quyang to Jiumen. In the late years of Xinmang, this place was the food and forage land of King Zhending. It was surrounded by stone barriers on all sides, several meters high. It is as strong as an iron wall. From Shangquyang to Jiumen, there is a flat river. This place is already the best defensive place in the north. ”
Zhang Dan immediately ordered Pan Zhang, the marshal of the rear army, to lead thousands of troops to quickly go north to seize Sanhe Pavilion.
After Pan Zhang was killed, he led a thousand soldiers and half a month's worth of food and supplies, and rushed to Sanhe Pavilion that night.
As soon as he saw this pavilion, Pan Zhang knew the importance of this place.
This pavilion occupies the left side of the straight road, surrounded by high stone walls and surrounded by a waterway, where is Zishui.
Pan Zhang was about to attack the pavilion, but found that the defense of the pavilion was weak, with only a few old soldiers on duty.
It turns out that Feng Xun of Jiumen in the south had already transferred the pavilion soldiers there to the city. Perhaps in Feng Xun's mind, the Taishan Army would not penetrate here.
With Feng Xun's assist, Sanhe Pavilion, the most important defensive stronghold north of the Nine Gates, was captured by the Taishan Army.
After Pan Zhang entered the stronghold, he quickly recruited nearby Li people to help build defenses, strengthen the fortifications, and prepare to snipe the enemies in the north.
At the foot of Jiumen City in the south, Chang Shanxiang was already frightened.
Previously, he had pinned all his hopes on the Hejian Kingdom's navy to go north to the Hutuo River to cut off the Taishan Army's supply line on the north bank. However, who knew that the other side would first suffer heavy losses on the water surface in the lower Quyang area, and all the giant boats capsized. The remaining ten or so flat-bottomed boats simply cannot cut off the Hutuo River.
What's more, the only remaining boat master also found out that Zhending City on the south bank was destroyed, so he didn't say goodbye and went back to the river directly.
Just like that, Feng Xun's hope was dashed. What made him even more sad was that the Taishan bandits outside the city came with reinforcements a few days ago, and they also attacked his village army outside the city.
Overnight, all his defenses outside the Nine Gates City were broken, and this time the Nine Gates truly became an isolated city.
But the tragedy is that although Jiumen is a thoroughfare, the city defense is far inferior to Zhending on the south bank. Now that the truth is broken, Feng Xun really has no confidence that he can hold it.
So, he wrote six feathers in a row, sent his warriors to hang down from the top of the city, and went to the north to find Lu Zhi, the general of Zhenbei, for reinforcements.
In Feng Xun's letter, the cuckoo crows and the blood ape whines, crying:
"Changshan is an important county in the north. It is connected to Taihang in the west and Youdai in the north. It is four hundred and dozens of miles away, connecting Hutuo and reaching the Bohai Sea. Now there are only nine gates and one place, and all of them are owned by thieves. There is an atmosphere of thieves everywhere, every time Listening at night, everything is different The voice of the countryside. The general controls hundreds of thousands of people, and there are hundreds of thousands of people in Changshan. They are all waiting for the general to go south. Please send your troops to the south to clean up the filth. "
Perhaps he felt that the previous letter contained too much empty talk, so Feng Xun wrote something practical in the next letter:
"It has been found that the Taishan bandits are divided into three places. One place is in Zhending, with 18,000 soldiers. The other group is located five miles and five miles outside the Jiumen City, and the bandit leaders are "Zhang" and "Dong" Second general. There are thousands of people in Sanhe Pavilion, ten miles north of Jiumen. The general can defeat the thieves in Sanhe Pavilion first. The thieves are weak and cannot be attacked by the general. After the general moves to Jiuli Pavilion, they will raise fire with me. As a signal, I will send out the entire army and cooperate with the general inside and outside. In this way, there will not be any thieves left in the north of Hutuo."
The following letters generally have the same meaning. In short, they are to convey a message to Lu Zhi in the north.
If you don't come, Feng Xun won't be able to stand it anymore!
It's a pity that Feng Xun sent so many letters, and he didn't know if any of them could be sent to Lu Zhi. Even if he was sent to Lu Zhi, he was not sure whether Lu Zhi would go south to rescue him.
After all, if it were him, he would also let himself consume a wave of Taishan troops first!
While Feng Xun was waiting like a blind man in the city, the war had already begun.
……
Zhao Jun is the postal governor of Changshan State and a young talent promoted by Feng Xun.
According to the secular conventions of this world, Zhao Jun is Feng Xun's disciple, and Feng Xun is Zhao Jun's patron. So when Feng Xun was in trouble, he would come out to relieve the patron's troubles without hesitation.
Therefore, Zhao Jun personally carried Yu Xi, lowered himself to the city in the dark night, and then sneaked back into the Zhao family. On the one hand, he told his wife and old servants about his funeral affairs at home, and on the other hand, he wrote a suicide note to his second brother Zhao Yun, who had not yet returned home.
In this letter, on the one hand, he urged Zhao Yun to shoulder the responsibilities of the Zhao family, and on the other hand, he advised him to read the scriptures. Although the world is now dominated by warriors, only by reading the scriptures can one transcend ordinary warriors, otherwise they will end up being the master's servant.
Finally, Zhao Jun also expressed regret in the letter, saying that the important task of finding his second sister in the future would only be done by Zhao Yun. As for his own wife and children, Zhao Jun said nothing.
After taking care of the funeral, Zhao Jun took the only two horses at home and headed north.
He did not take the official road, but took the animal road that he and Zhao Yun had hunted in their early years. Along the eastern foot of Taihang Mountain, he finally arrived at the Zhenbei Army shogunate in Shangquyang.
After checking the talisman, Zhao Jun realized how lucky he was, because he was the only one among the group who left the city to reach Shangquyang alive.
Zhao Jun didn't bother to change his clothes, but just washed away some of the dust. Under the leadership of several guards from the Zhenbei Army, he passed through the Thorny Gate and came to the Zhenbei Army's central shogunate.
Here, Zhenbei General Lu Zhi was waiting for him with his military generals.
At this moment, the Zhongjun Festival Hall was already packed with Zhenbei Army officers and soldiers, so there were still dozens of tough tiger generals who could not enter and could only stand on the steps outside the festival hall.
When Zhao Jun came, he could tell at a glance that all of these people were warriors on the battlefield, with the air of a tough and reckless man. But Zhao Jun was not happy about this. Instead, he frowned, lowered his head and said nothing.
It turns out that these dozens of warriors are just like barbarians. For example, those with hair hanging down are Huns. For example, those who have their hair on both sides braided and hanging on their shoulders are rope hair, and they can be identified as Xianbei people at a glance. As for the ones with the top of their knuckles, or those with deep eyes and high noses, they are all miscellaneous.
But only about ten people looked Han Chinese, and most of them had beards and wore their hair in a Han Chinese bun. But Zhao Jun took a closer look at these Han people, and there were also some with pigtails. At a glance, he knew that they had been exposed to the Hu style for a long time, and they looked more like Hu people than Han people.
Zhao Jun secretly said:
"I heard that General Zhenbei went to Daidi to recruit troops. Now when I look at the appearance of these people, isn't it true?"
Zhao Jun was born in Changshan, which can be regarded as a border area, and there is also hatred between the country and the Hu people. When I saw that my general Zhenbei wanted to use the troops of the barbarians to kill his own Han people, I felt a little uncomfortable.
But Zhao Jun is not a pedantic person. He knows that he is not here to argue with Lu Zhi about Hu and Han defense, and if he really debates, he can't argue with Lu Zhi, the first Confucian in the North.
So Zhao Jun simply closed his eyes and didn't look, out of sight and out of mind.
But the fishy smell of those barbarians was reaching his nose all the time, making him upset.
Fortunately, Zhao Jun was paged inside soon.
Zhao Jun held his breath and passed through General Hu outside the door, and then entered respectfully.
As soon as he entered the hall, he saw a crowd of fierce warriors and crowns in the hall, and then dozens of pairs of eyes looked at him. Zhao Jun calmed down, and suddenly a thought came to his mind:
"This place smells much better than outside."
Isn't that right? In fact, all the people in the hall were warriors from Youzhou and scholars from the border areas, not a single barbarian. Moreover, although the scholars in the border areas were in the border areas, they still advocated incense. Even in order to prevent the scholars from the Central Plains from looking down upon them, these scholars from the border areas were even more smoke-stricken than those from the south.
Therefore, the aroma is fragrant in the hall at this moment.
At this time, there was a lot of discussion in the hall. Those Youzhou warriors obviously knew that this so-called envoy of Changshan State must come to ask for help.
When some people thought that they would be able to make achievements on the battlefield later, they all looked at Zhao Jun with eager eyes. But there are also some people who are looking at Zhao Jun sadly. Obviously these people are generals who have participated in the Jizhou war before and know the combat effectiveness of the Taishan Army.
In fact, these are the two extreme mentalities of the generals of the Zhenbei Army. One is extremely contemptuous of the Taishan Army. This group of people is generally composed of warriors and Daichi warriors who did not go south last year.
The other is the extreme fear of the Taishan Army. This group of people mainly survived the Battle of Jize last year. After returning, they suffered from Taishan phobia.
This also explains why the Zhenbei Army has already reached Shangquyang, which is only 120 miles away from Jiumen in the south, but it has begun to stand still.
As the leader of the Zhenbei Army, Lu Zhi's mentality is also more inclined to the latter. Although it was not to the point of fear, I subconsciously felt that if I was not completely sure, I should not take the initiative to go south and let Feng Xun consume a wave first. So, when Zhao Jun handed Lu Zhi the feather he was carrying, he just flipped through it casually. As for the matter of going south, we should discuss it later.
Later, Lu Zhi chatted with Zhao Jun about the current war in Changshan, but said nothing about when to send troops.
At this time, how could Zhao Jun not know that the situation had changed?
He came with a mission. If the Zhenbei Army does not move south, Jiumen will definitely not be able to defend it.
So, Zhao Jun got straight to the point:
"Lu Zhenbei doesn't want to send troops to rescue me, Changshan?"
Although these words were still respectfully addressed to Lu Zhi, in this context, they were extremely disrespectful.
Sure enough, a scholar next to him loudly scolded Zhao Jun for being rude.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Jun didn't panic at all, and first asked who was on the other side.
The man had a high crown and a beard, his face was covered with powder, and he said proudly:
"I am the Marquis of Fuyang, so you don't need to pay homage."
Zhao Jun is the postal supervisor of Changshan State. In addition to supervising the counties below, he is also often responsible for entertaining passing officials, so he still knows the situation of the aristocratic families in the North.
He just thought about it for a moment and knew who this fanboy was who looked more like a woman than a man.
At this moment, Zhao Jun was on full fire, and he immediately mocked:
"It turns out that after being castrated, I am a dignified man in Changshan. How can I pay homage to an eggless person!"
As soon as these words came out, the pink-haired man immediately turned red in the face, and he said angrily:
"You are such a good servant, how dare you insult me?"
After saying that, the pink-headed man was about to go off and beat Zhao Jun. But when he stood up, he found that he was a head shorter than the man named Zhao, and he couldn't move forward.
Lu Zhi, who was in charge, was full of joy towards Zhao Jun at first, but now he became cold-faced when he saw him insulting his staff.
Lu Zhi first scolded the Fuyang Marquis, then turned to Zhao Jun and said coldly:
"The Prime Minister of your country didn't ask you to come here to show off your words, right? Be careful that trouble comes from your mouth."
But after Zhao Jun heard this, he bowed directly and said with emotion:
"Today, I, Zhao Jun, cannot fulfill my master's trust, so I must die to apologize. But what preceded my Zhao Jun's physical death was the death of Zhao Jun's heart. Lu Shuai is the pillar of support for me in the North, and he also survives. With the beggar-thy-neighbour mentality, how can the Han Dynasty not change its hands? I and the Han ministers are destined to be ghosts in the future."
After saying that, Zhao Jun ignored Lu Zhi’s dark face and continued to apply the medicine:
"In the past, my father had met Lu Shuai several times. Since then, he has been teaching me earnestly in front of my two brothers, saying that I have ten points of literary talent in the North, and seven points fall on Lu Shuai. My father also said , but compared with that literary talent, he respected Lu Shuai's character, grace and beauty, and was a true moral figure. Therefore, the younger generation has been learning from him in this way. Although he cannot compare with Lu Shuai, he yearns for him. . But who knows..."
Before Zhao Jun finished speaking, Lu Zhi asked:
"What's your father's name?"
Zhao Jun replied respectfully:
"My father, whose only name is Fan, was once the Changshan Dharma Cao."
Hearing this name, a person came to Lu Zhi's mind, who was really similar to the impassioned scholar in front of him.
At that time, he went to Kyoto to study under the horse master, and it was Zhao Fan who received him at the roadside. Later, when he returned to his hometown, he was still received by this person. Later, the man broke a willow tree and gave it to him as a farewell message.
Later, Zhao Fan died tragically because he was framed as a party member because he sent a letter to his teacher. No wonder Zhao Jun laughed at Sun Tuo's introduction.
After seeing that this person was an old friend, Lu Zhi stopped beating around the bush and said:
"You don't have to act like a madman, I'll give you a chance to convince me. Remember, you only have one chance."
After saying that, Lu Zhi played with the jade Ruyi in his hand and cherished Zhao Jun's talent.
At this time, Zhao Jun knew that the critical moment was coming. He tried to calm down and stopped talking nonsense, but actually spoke the truth.
"Lu Shuai, from the perspective of the battle situation, you plan to use the Nine Gates as a fortress to first drain the strength of the Taishan Army. After that, Lu Shuai will ride south lightly and defeat the fatigue with sharpness, and he will definitely win. This idea cannot be wrong, but Lu Shuai I really admire my nine-door defense.”
Lu Zhi pinched Yu Ruyi and asked:
"How to say."
Zhao Jun said very firmly:
"Now the Nine Gates can be broken overnight. Not because they were worried about Lu Shuai's army, but the Taishan bandits had already attacked the city. The defense of the Nine Gates city originally relied on the sixteen villages on the periphery, but the thieves were so brave that they destroyed all our outer military villages in one night. The military morale in Jiumen City has long been exhausted. Therefore, if Jiumen cannot exhaust the Taishan bandits, what is the use of Lu Shuai's strategy?"
Over there, a dark look flashed on Lu Zhi's face, and he cursed:
"Waste!"
I don’t know who I’m scolding!
Zhao Jun pretended not to hear these two words and gave another more important reason.
Zhao Jun said seriously:
"And Lu Shuai must go south now. Because there is food in Jiumen! Although the Prime Minister lacks military strategy, he also knows the importance of food and fodder. Therefore, all the surplus grain from each county has been transferred to Jiumen for storage. Moreover, the original Prime Minister We have made plans to use the north bank of the Hutuo River as our rear and recruit a large number of refugees to farm in the north of the county. It is already July and the wheat and millet are ripe. If the commander does not go south to grab millet, then all the thousands of hectares of ripe millet will be stolen by Taishan thieves. Harvested.”
Finally, Zhao Jun asked:
"At that time, the thieves lived in the fortified stronghold and had hundreds of thousands of stones and corn. And even if you, General Zhenbei, had thousands of troops and horses, what could you do to them? Not to mention, General Zhenbei, you also had no grain. Quite right.”
At this time, the whole hall was silent. Everyone looked at this outstanding scholar and said in their hearts:
"This is how I look like a man from Yanzhao!"
By this time, Lu Zhi didn't know that his original plan had failed, and going south to grab millet had become a must for Zhenbei Army.
At this time, the wind blew into the hall, and Lu Zhi felt a hint of coldness. It turned out that before he knew it, his back was already soaked. Thinking that the Taishan bandits were robbing millet in the Jiumen area, Lu Zhi felt extremely anxious. He couldn't sit still any longer and immediately gave the order:
"Immediately send the order, and Gongsun Zan leads the four thousand cavalry to go south quickly. First, fight for the corn and wheat in the wild. If it fails, it will be burned and cannot be left to the Taishan bandits!"
As soon as this order was issued, a majestic military officer in the upper ranks of the crowd stood out and received the military order.
This person is Gongsun Zan.
Before he left, he took a special look at the man named Zhao Jun, and for the first time he was impressed by the first-rate scholar.
In this way, a small Han official relied on his words and courage to instigate the Zhenbei Army to go south. It is true that one person's argument is stronger than the treasure of nine tripods; a three-inch tongue is stronger than a million teachers.
……
In early July, the millet and wheat in the north are ripe.
At Wulitun, located outside the Nine Gates, Zhang Dan indeed ordered the entire army to start harvesting grain crops to alleviate the grain crisis in the army.
On the south bank of Hutuo, the base camp has just established its true stability and is preparing to build a pontoon bridge to pass through the north and south of Hutuo. But the pontoon bridge has not yet been built, and the grain and fodder behind it can only be transported by small boats.
But now Zhang Dan and Dong Fang's two armies, the total number of large and small troops is less than 20,000, and the daily consumption of corn is nearly a thousand dan, which puts great pressure on logistics.
So Zhang Dan and Dong Fang discussed it and decided to seize the millet fields on the north bank. Although most of these belong to the powerful and official fields in the north of the county, there are still a large number of civilian fields.
It is definitely against the discipline of the Taishan Army to seize civilian fields. So Zhang Dan had someone leave a written note to prepare for compensation after the war.
After that, a vigorous grab for millet began.
At this time, the Han troops in Jiumen City were frightened and did not dare to leave the city at all. Therefore, Zhang Dan only left part of the garrison, while the rest of the entire army, nearly ten thousand people, were nearby to seize the opportunity. They even hired nearby people to help collect them.
The army has a large mill for grinding millet. When the time comes, the people nearby can take the millet and go directly to the army to exchange it with the Taishan army for fine grain.
It was also at this time that a cross-collision soldier entered the Wulitun Camp with Zhang Chong's letter in a small boat.
This is a handwritten letter written by Zhang Chong to Zhang Dan.