Zheng Rong didn't stop here either.
On the night when Youyan's army celebrated their victory, Zheng Rong ordered his eldest son Zheng Xin, who was in Bozhou to transport grain and grass, to come to Tongguan immediately - one to strengthen the defense of Tongguan; the other to block the fortress passage to ensure the transportation of military supplies; and the third to Henan Road. There are still places that have not been completely pacified, so Tongguan is the best place to direct appeasement matters.
This order, along with the battle report of Youyan's army conquering Tongguan, was conveyed to Zheng Xin in a day and night with a speeding horse of 800 miles.
Zheng Xin felt worried and happy after reading it.
What worries me is that the army's battle is going smoothly, and I have less opportunities to make meritorious deeds. Fortunately, his father has not forgotten him after all, and granted him the power to transport grain and appease local areas. In fact, he placed all the military and political power behind Youyan's army on himself.
So Zheng Xin immediately ordered his close friends and bodyguards, entrusted the affairs of Bozhou to mature people, and immediately rushed south to Tongguan.
Early the next morning after taking Tongguan, Zheng Rong summoned Zhongli Kuang, Zheng Sen, Zheng Miao, Qiu Yizhi, Cui Nan, Wei Hu and others to discuss the next battle plan in the Tongguan Archery Tower.
The Tongguan Archery Tower was originally a place where the generals guarding the gate observed the battle situation and discussed military affairs. It had its own spacious meeting hall. Zheng Rongzi sat down on the tiger-skin chair in the middle of the hall, counselor Zhongli Kuang sat next to him, and the rest of the people also sat on the horses in order.
Zheng Rong raised his eyes and saw his generals and counselors gathered together. He felt happy and said, "Since everyone is here, let Zheng Miao first report to you the casualties of our army in this battle!"
When everyone heard this, they all looked at each other in shock - they had gathered for a night of drinking and drinking yesterday, but they didn't expect Zheng Miao to be able to complete the casualty statistics overnight. Then I thought about Zheng Miao, who was known for his calmness and quickness and reliability in doing things. It was not difficult for him to count the casualties overnight.
Zheng Miao stood up and said: "Our army invested 80,000 elite troops in this battle, and 6,019 soldiers were killed, 2,743 were seriously injured, and countless others were lightly injured..."
Everyone was in an uproar after hearing this, thinking: Youyan's army has always been a strong army in the world, but after this battle, it lost more than one-tenth. It was a heavy loss that had never happened since the Youyan army was formed.
Zheng Rong saw the expressions on the faces of his men and said: "Our army's casualties are indeed heavy, but the imperial court's losses are even more serious. Not only was Tongguan, the barrier of the capital, captured by me, but the elite Forbidden Army was also beaten like a frightened bird. With this point Compared with the losses, it is a huge gain.”
Although Zheng Rong was strict in managing the army, he also had the reputation of "loving his soldiers as his sons". I didn't expect that he would say such words today, using the metaphor of making money in business.
After Qiu Yizhi heard this, he couldn't help but feel a little surprised, but he heard Zheng Rong continue: "Because of this, the gate of Luoyang, the capital, has now been completely opened to our army. It has only been three months since the rebellion began, but there has been such progress. It’s really beyond my expectation, it all depends on your hard work!”
When everyone heard this, they couldn't sit still. They stood up from their horses and said, "It's all thanks to the prince!"
Qiu Yi was thinking deeply, so she got up a little later than the others, and her voice fell behind, which seemed a little uncoordinated.
Seeing this, Zheng Rong raised his brows slightly, ignored him, and said: "Everyone, please sit down. However, although our army has not lost its vitality, it is a fact that its combat strength is weak. Should we reorganize our troops to fight again, or send troops immediately? Siege of Luoyang, Guzheng is hesitant, I wonder what you guys have in mind?"
Hearing this, Zheng Sen immediately stood up and said, "Father, why should you worry? Please allocate me 50,000 elite troops. I will send troops westward to capture Luoyang for my father!"
After the war against rebellion began, several of Zheng Sen's brothers had made great contributions, and even Zheng Xin, who was in charge of logistics at the rear, was constantly praised. Except for his minor achievements, he had no great achievements. Instead, he was reprimanded by his father for his defeat at the hands of Dai Luanxiang. Therefore, Zheng Sen secretly thought that after taking Luoyang, there would be no more achievements to be made, so he immediately started to fight.
Zheng Rong, of course, knew about Zheng Sen's thoughts, so he said: "Zheng Sen's courage is commendable, but marching and fighting does not rely on the courage of an ordinary man. Have you forgotten the defeat at the hands of Marshal Dai?"
Zheng Sen scratched his head and said: "Father, why don't you open the pot? The famous generals in the imperial court have either been killed by the emperor, captured by our army, or have defected to my father. Where will there be talents? If I lose again , willing to be punished!”
"Hmph! You said it lightly. Luoyang city walls are tall and well-defended. You, Zheng Sen, can't command an attack, and you're not as resourceful as your sworn brother. Why do you dare to guarantee it here?" Zheng Rong asked in return.
Zheng Sen just wanted to take over the errand first. As for the specific strategy for capturing Luoyang, his father Zheng Rong, master Zhongli Kuang and others would naturally explain it to him. Then he would just have to follow the steps.
Therefore, in response to the question asked by his father Zheng Rong, Zheng Sen's mind went blank and his mouth was open and speechless.
Seeing Zheng Sen's embarrassed look, Zhongli Kuang didn't even get up, so he lectured him: "Zheng Sen must think carefully when he speaks from now on, and don't speak out loud. Do you understand? Why don't you sit back?"
After listening to Zhongli Kuang's lesson, Zheng Sen felt as if he had been granted amnesty. He quickly sat back down and kept wiping sweat with his sleeves.
But Zhongli Kuang stood up slowly, bowed his hands to Zheng Rong and said, "The student has three strategies: slow, medium and urgent, which he would like to offer to the prince. I wonder if the prince is interested?"
Zheng Rong also stood up and returned the courtesy: "Please teach me, sir!"
Zhongli Kuang bowed again, and while pacing in the meeting hall, he said slowly: "Let's talk about the slow strategy first - our army will use Tongguan as a stronghold to consolidate the defense of Henan Road, accumulate strength for the winter, and wait until the weather gets warmer in the coming spring before attacking Luoyang. The middle strategy is to reorganize the army while sending troops to besiege Luoyang, waiting for opportunities to defeat the Qinwang's troops in various places, gradually consuming the fighting spirit of the Luoyang defenders, and then sending troops to attack the city in the spring of next year. In addition to guarding Tongguan, the main force immediately sent troops to Luoyang to capture the capital immediately before the morale of the imperial court weakened. As for what strategy to take, I leave it to the prince to decide."
When Zhongli Kuang finished speaking, he walked around the meeting hall, returned to his original position and sat down, playing with a folded folding fan in his hand and looking at Prince Youyan Zheng Rong.
"Sir, this is throwing the problem back to Gu!" Zheng Rong said with a smile, and then thought for a long time, "Gu thinks the slow plan is too slow, the quick plan is too fast, but the trick is exactly what Gu intended."
Zheng Rong saw Qiu Yizhi's thoughtful look and knew that he, the son of a worm, was resourceful, so he asked, "I wonder what Yizhi has a clever plan for?"
Qiu Yizhi was thinking: Zheng Rong, his adoptive father, is currently eager to become the emperor, but he still has the patience to choose the "middle strategy". This city government cannot learn from him...
Suddenly hearing Zheng Rong's name and question, Qiu Yizhi couldn't help but be startled. He stood up suddenly, calmed down, and then said: "The choice of the middle policy by the adoptive father is both safe and sound. Yizhi is just a child with a yellow mouth, how can I?" Do you have the right to comment? But my adoptive father also knows that Yi Zhi is impatient. If he divides another 20 to 30,000 elite troops when the army is sweeping Kinki, he may not be able to capture Luoyang... "
"Yi Zhijiu was in Luoyang, and I had seen some of the capital's defense. Gu thought that Youyan's army of 100,000 people might be able to capture Luoyang, and 20,000 to 30,000 partial troops faced Luoyang, the capital city with a radius of more than ten miles. What's the use?" Zheng Rong said.
"Maybe you can use gunpowder to blow open the Luoyang city wall!" Qiu Yizhi replied.
When Zheng Rong and Zhongli Kuang escaped from Luoyang, the capital, they both witnessed the power of gunpowder explosions. The earth-shattering sound and the choking smell of sulfur were like yesterday, making them unforgettable. .
But Zhongli Kuang said: "Gunpowder is very powerful, but it could only blow up half of the Jianchun Gate. The capital is so big, what's the use of opening a passage to half the door?"
Qiu Yizhi replied: "I have reviewed this matter many times, and read through the classics of Tianzun Sect again when I was in Guangyang. It seems that firstly, there was insufficient gunpowder, and secondly, I did not find a weak point in the capital wall to bombard, so at that time Very little power..."
"According to what Yizhi said, it is not difficult to prepare more gunpowder, but where can we find the weaknesses in the walls of the capital?" Zheng Rong interrupted Qiu Yizhi.
Qiu Yizhi then replied: "Do you still remember Shi Dajian, who was good at digging tunnels? He once told me that although the walls of the capital city are tall and strong, the foundations are not very stable because they are connected to underground water veins."
Qiu Yizhi paused and continued: "The dozen bandits who came down from Yunmeng Mountain under my command have all learned some skills in digging sand and holes from Shi Dajian. If they can dig a tunnel to the foot of the Luoyang city wall. Then. Bury gunpowder in the tunnel, take advantage of Luoyang's defenders to be lax, and blow down the city wall in one fell swoop. By then the city of Luoyang will be in chaos, and something big will happen."
Zheng Rong listened and remained silent for a long time before saying: "Using gunpowder to blow open the city wall is unheard of. I'm afraid it's too risky?"
Qiu Yizhi nodded and replied: "What my foster father said makes sense. Many cities in Kinki are protected by walls. Why don't my foster father choose a city with stronger walls and try the power of gunpowder first? If the gunpowder is powerful enough, he will immediately send troops to attack Luoyang. , capture the capital before the New Year!”
These words touched Zheng Rong's heart.
Zheng Rong's elder brother Zheng Hua passed away at the beginning of the year. According to Han Dynasty custom, this year is still considered Zheng Hua's reign. Therefore, if Zheng Rong can ascend the throne and proclaim himself emperor before New Year's Eve next year, then the current emperor Zheng Yao can be completely erased from the history of the Han Dynasty. In this way, the legitimacy of Zheng Rong's ascension to the throne and proclaiming himself emperor can be greatly enhanced.
So Zheng Rong only thought for a moment and then said: "Yi Zhi's words are considered comprehensive. Kinki Road Yanshi City (the geographical location is wrong, please ignore it) is nearby, and there are thousands of defenders in the city. Yi Zhi doesn't need to do it anymore. Wait for tomorrow, gather the raw materials, prepare gunpowder today, and start the operation in Yanshi City!"
Zheng Rong also asked: "This matter needs to be kept confidential. Except for everyone present, this kind of tactics can no longer be spread. This will also prevent Xiao Xiaoxiao from plotting evil after the world is settled."
After Qiu Yizhi received Zheng Rong's order, he immediately searched for saltpeter, sulfur, charcoal and other materials nearby, and prepared 500 kilograms of gunpowder that day. He also ordered the eighteen bandits who came down from Yunmeng Mountain to carefully recall the digging skills they had learned from Shi Dajian and to build special tools overnight.
Early the next morning, Zheng Rong personally led the army and led Zhongli Kuang, Zheng Sen, Cui Nan, Qiu Yizhi and others with 30,000 troops and arrived at Yanshi City. Zheng Miao, Wei Hu and others led the remaining Youyan army and were still stationed around Tongguan, waiting for Zheng Xin's arrival.
A few days ago, a section of the Forbidden Army, about 5,000 people, retreated from Tongguan and fled to Yanshi City. The magistrate of Yanshi County was afraid that these people would disturb the people after entering the city, so he refused to open the city gate and only allocated some food and grass for the defeated soldiers to eat.
However, it is now late autumn and early winter, the weather is getting cooler, and the nights are even colder. The defeated Imperial Army had nowhere to spend the night, so they could only drive away the people near Yanshi, demolish houses, and look for shelter everywhere. The people of Yanshi were very troubled by this.
Therefore, when Zheng Rong led Youyan's army to Yanshi and defeated the remnants of the Forbidden Army entrenched near Yanshi, the people of Yanshi were all happy and carried wine and food to welcome Zheng Rong. It was as if the Youyan Army were not rebels from the imperial court, but legitimate royal masters. (To be continued)