Qi Ning pondered for a moment and finally said: "Is there a map here?"
"Yes, your Majesty, please wait." Wei Shutong stood up and personally fetched a map and spread it on the table. Qining saw that the map was actually quite simple. The terrain of the Chu Kingdom was relatively complete. But the boundaries of the Northern Han Dynasty are very blurry. Except for some extremely important city landforms that can be shown, many mountains, rivers and rivers are actually ambiguous.
Qining knew that it was not easy to make a map, but Chu State had always dreamed of obtaining the map of the Northern Han Dynasty, but it was not available. Because of this, Chu State had always wanted to obtain the map of the world from Prince Yu of the Northern Han Dynasty.
"The main force of the Eastern Qi is currently stationed in Puyang." Wei Shutong pointed at a place on the map: "This place is not too far from Maling Mountain, but Maling Mountain has been occupied by our army. If the Qi army wants to return to Linzi to aid, We must capture Maling Mountain."
Qining put one hand behind his back and found Dingtao on the map. Dingtao is located in the southwest of Puyang. In fact, it is not far from Puyang, and Maling Mountain, Puyang and Dingtao just form a triangle.
"The Han army deployed heavy troops in Liang County." Wei Shutong added: "It is said that when our army went north, the Han army initially stood firm on the line north of the Huai River and fought to the death, but then quickly withdrew its troops and retreated to the Dingtao line. After the Qi people captured Puyang, the Han army abandoned Dingtao and retreated to Liang County."
Liangjun is located northwest of Dingtao, but directly west of Puyang. From the map, Liangjun forms a triangle with Puyang and Dingtao.
Qi Ning was quite surprised to see that the battle situation had fallen into such a complicated situation.
The Chu army's strategic plan to move north actually has two purposes. The first purpose is to lure out the main force of the Qi army. The second purpose is to take advantage of the emptiness of the Qi state to attack with surprise troops, while the main force will contain the Han army and the Qi army. The main force of the army was to buy time to attack the partial army of Dong Qi.
The Northern Han Dynasty was in civil strife, and the Chu army marched north, with the attitude of wanting to fight to the death with the Han army. Naturally, Qi State mistakenly believed that Chu State's real purpose was to seize the opportunity to conquer the Han Dynasty. Qi and Chu became marriage allies, and the people of Eastern Qi naturally did not want to Maybe they thought that the target of Chu State's Northern Expedition would be them.
The Eastern Qi was located in a corner of the country, with a thin land and sparsely populated areas. During the civil strife in the Northern Han Dynasty, it was the opportunity for expansion that the Eastern Qi had dreamed of. Naturally, the people of the Eastern Qi could not miss this opportunity. The Chu State had figured out the thoughts of the Eastern Qi people and had been planning for a long time. , just waiting for the Dong Qi people to come out in full force and take the opportunity to launch an attack.
Qi Ning thought that in order to confuse the Eastern Qi people, the Chu army would definitely attack the city to the north, but they would not use all their strength. However, in the current situation, the progress of the Chu army was obviously much deeper than Qining expected. Dingtao had already entered. The hinterland of the Northern Han Dynasty.
"Is it because Zhong Li'ao didn't hold the enemy on the Huai River and retreated to Liang County because of Qu Yuangu in the northwest?" Qining asked.
He had received battle reports before. After the Chu army went north, although it crossed the Huai River, it was blocked by the Han army on all fronts. Zhongli'ao was a veteran on the battlefield. Although there were drastic changes in the Northern Han Dynasty, Zhongli'ao did not neglect the front line because of the changes in the palace. The defense strategy was based on the expectation that the Chu army would take the opportunity to move north, so a defense line was built north of the Huai River. The war between the two sides was like the previous situation, reaching a stalemate again.
Qi Ning knew that if there were no accidents, it would be difficult for the Qinhuai Army commanded by Yue Huanshan to break through Zhong Liao's defense line. The reason why the Han army retreated to Liang County could only be because of Qu Yuangu.
Wei Shutong nodded and said: "Exactly, Qu Yuangu left Tongguan to attack Luoyang. Zhongli'ao's backyard caught fire. Naturally, he could not continue the stalemate with our army and quickly withdrew his troops, but...!" His finger slid to Luoyang: "After Tongguan was blocked, Qu Yuan Gu had no way out, and he tried his best to attack Luoyang but made little progress. If it hadn't been for Beitang Hao's sudden assassination, Qu Yuangu's Northwest Army would probably have been completely wiped out under the walls of Luoyang City."
"Beitang Hao was stabbed?" Qi Ning was shocked, and Xuanyuan Po also suddenly changed his expression.
Wei Shutong nodded and said: "Exactly, Beitang Hao was assassinated, and Luoyang City was in chaos. Someone saw that the situation was not good, and secretly contacted Qu Yuangu secretly. It is said that Qu Yuangu bribed the general guarding the gate, and the city gate was opened wide. , the Northwest Army immediately rushed into Luoyang, but the Northwest Army did not plunder the city of Luoyang. Instead, it maintained order and only killed Beitang Hao's group of buddies, without implicating too many people. In addition, the border troops led by Beitang Zhao There was a mutiny in the army, and Beitang Zhao was escorted to Luoyang by his soldiers. Beitang Feng killed Beitang Zhao in the name of rebellion. In the battle for the throne of the Northern Han Dynasty, Beitang Feng finally won."
Qi Ning never expected such a result.
There is no doubt that the important reason that changed the situation in the Northern Han Dynasty was the assassination of Beitang Hao. He asked: "Who was assassinated Beitang Hao?"
Wei Shutong shook his head and said: "I really don't know the specific truth of the matter." Just after he finished speaking, a voice came from outside: "Sir, there is an urgent report!"
Wei Shutong hurriedly got up and went out, and soon came back with an opened letter in his hand. He presented the letter to Qi Ning: "My lord, Beitang Feng has ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor, and Qu Yuangu has been canonized. The Prime Minister was awarded the title of Prince Jin, and Zhong Liao was awarded the title of Grand Sima and the title of Duke of Anguo."
Qining glanced at the letter and handed it to Xuanyuan Po.
Wei Shutong is the governor of Xichuan. Now that the Chu army is marching north, he cannot turn a blind eye. After all, he has spies under his command to inquire about the intelligence on the front line.
"My lord, it seems that Zhongli Ao and Beitang Feng have reached an agreement." Xuanyuan Po glanced twice and then said: "If I am not wrong, Qu Yuangu is attacking Luoyang, and Zhongli Ao cannot provide the logistics supply, so he can only withdraw his troops. , but after Beitangfeng captured Luoyang, he knew that no one in the Northern Han Dynasty could stop the Chu army from advancing northward, so he immediately re-employed Zhongli'ao and promoted him to a higher rank. Zhongli'ao had no worries, so he led the army. He is firmly on the front line of Liangjun. By holding Liangjun, he is guarding the only way to Luoyang. As long as Liangjun is not lost, Luoyang will be unbreakable."
Wei Shutong nodded and said: "What Lieutenant Xuanyuan said is true. Zhong Li'ao has never participated in the prince's struggle for the throne. For him, no matter who ascends the throne, it has nothing to do with him. He is a battlefield What a general has to do is to defend his country. Since the overall situation of the Northern Han Dynasty throne has been decided, and Beitangfeng supports him, there is no need for him to fight against Beitangfeng anymore." He raised his hand and stroked his beard and said, "But the result now is , it is not a bad thing for our Chu country. Among the princes of the Northern Han Dynasty, Beitang Feng was the weakest, and Qu Yuangu was a mediocre and incompetent person. These two people controlled the political affairs of the Northern Han Dynasty and had great influence on the Northern Han Dynasty. It’s definitely not a blessing for Han.”
"Now that our Chu army is heading towards the front, the Northern Han Dynasty needs to rely on Zhongli'ao to stop our army." Qining said: "But Zhongli'ao is not Beitangfeng's confidant. He has a lot of troops, and Beitangfeng will never rest assured. Since Qu Yuangu is the Grand Sima and holds the power of the Northern Han Dynasty's troops, of course he will not always let Zhong Li'ao control a large number of troops."
Wei Shutong said with a smile: "What the Duke said is true. Now that Beitang Feng wants to take advantage of Zhong Li'ao, he will naturally increase his rank and rank, and even make him a duke. Back then, Beitang Qing was on the battlefield and fought with General Qi. Yu Liangcai can be said to be the pillar of the Northern Han Dynasty, but he was only named Changling Marquis. Although Zhongli'ao can be regarded as a general, his strength is far from that of Beitang Qing. He was actually named a Duke. When It's really ridiculous." He chuckled and said: "I can tell you that if Bei Han's predicament is solved, the first person Beitang Feng will deal with is Zhong Li Ao, and Zhong Li Ao will never end well."
"That's for the funeral." Qi Ning frowned and said, "The Huai River is currently blocked by the Dongqi Navy, blocking the Qinhuai Army's logistics supply. How long can the Qinhuai Army sustain it?" He raised his hand and touched his chin: "I'm only worried about the Dongqi Army. Qi Hui will make peace with the Northern Han Dynasty. When the time comes, the Qi army will leave Puyang and join forces with Zhong Li'ao to attack our army."
Wei Shutong said: "Since the imperial court is aware of this situation, the Emperor's Ming Ming can naturally come up with a sound strategy. Although Xin Ci's Donghai Navy was defeated, it still retained some strength. When I heard that Xin Ci returned to the East China Sea, the imperial court also issued an order Work harder to build warships...!"
"Building a warship cannot be completed overnight, and training an elite navy cannot be accomplished in a short time." Qining sighed: "The navy of Donghai Sea suffered heavy losses, and it is impossible to attack Dongqi again in a short time. The Navy poses a threat."
"Don't worry too much, Duke." Wei Shutong said: "Although the logistics of the Qinhuai Army have been cut off, our army has now controlled three counties in the Northern Han Dynasty. If we requisition food and fodder on the spot, we can sustain it for a while. On the contrary, the Eastern Han Dynasty Qi Shui Division can only swim on the water, and their logistics is the real big problem. Without logistical supplies, they will not be able to sustain it for long. Now it depends on which of the two sides can sustain it longer."
Xuanyuan Po pondered for a moment and then said: "Our army is requisitioning food on the spot. I'm afraid... it will cause a civil uprising."
Qi Ning also nodded slightly, knowing that the Qinhuai Army's nearly 100,000 troops had no logistics, so they could only requisition food and grass locally. However, how could the local people hand over their own food and grass? It was inevitable that there would be forced food requisition. Such a situation If it comes, it will naturally arouse greater hostility from the local people, thus triggering unrest among the local people, which is also inevitable.
"Is it possible to raise grain and grass from Qi to supply Dingtao?" Qi Ning thought for a moment and asked, "If grain and grass can be raised from Qi, it won't matter even if the Eastern Qi navy blocks the Huai River."
Wei Shutong said: "If Duan Shao is dead, the Duke's method is naturally very good. But Duan Shao is still alive now, and everyone in Qi knows that their prince has escaped death, so they will not give in so easily. Let's give in. The soldiers and horses stationed in the Qi State can naturally collect grain and fodder, but it is not easy to transport it from the Qi State to Dingtao. The bandits in the Qi State will inevitably intercept them along the way. The troops stationed in the Eastern Qi State are weak and they must not divide their troops at the moment. Protect food, so...!"
Qi Ning nodded slightly, knowing that what Wei Shutong said was true.
Although Linzi was destroyed, the Qi State did not mean that it was destroyed. In a short period of time, the Chu State would not be able to completely control the Eastern Qi. Even if the grain was collected by force, it would have to be transported from the Qi State to Dingtao. The mountains were high and the road was far away. The team is bound to be intercepted on the way, and it is not easy to deliver food and grass smoothly.