When Wu Feng and his party entered the northwest county, they could feel the destructive influence that the Luobi people had brought to this area in recent years. Bonan Mansion was originally a relatively developed economy. Wu Feng saw that the soil quality in many areas here was obviously different from the soil quality in other places. It was glazed soil with excellent quality. Although Wu Feng did not understand it, he also knew that this Soil is an excellent raw material for making porcelain and pottery. The original pottery and porcelain manufacturing industry in Bonan Prefecture was quite developed. Many famous craftsmen and workshops were producing here day and night. The various pottery and porcelain produced were very famous in the Eastern Continent, and even sold well in the Central Continent and the Western Continent. The tea house and hotel business is booming, and businessmen from all over the world stay here for a long time to get their goods as soon as possible. But now, dilapidated kilns can be seen everywhere, and the large pits used for soil extraction have long been covered by thick weeds. Along the way, there are sparsely populated people, and there is almost no decent market town in sight, making it look particularly depressed -
Since the Luobi people took control of the transportation line across the east, west, and mid-continent in the north more than ten years ago, there are many checkpoints along the way, and the safety of business travelers cannot be guaranteed. The economy of Bonan Prefecture has begun to shrink. Fortunately, there is still the empire. The big market can still maintain its past. However, in recent years, the clutches of the Luo Bei people have gradually extended into the northwest county. The first ones to suffer were Qingyang Prefecture and Yinchuan Prefecture, which are close to the Luo Bei people's territory. Then they invaded Bonan Prefecture and Guide Prefecture, and finally even Jinzhou Prefecture. The government was not spared either. The annual harassment and invasion makes the common people in several prefectures miserable. When personal safety and property safety are not guaranteed, there is no way to talk about economic development. Therefore, a large number of people left their homes, fled their homes where their ancestors had lived for generations, and looked for another place to make a living -
After Wu Feng led the troops into Bonan City, he found that the residents here were talking about the war between the Empire and the Luobi people. From the government officials to the ordinary people, they all hoped that the Imperial Army would be able to defeat them. The Luobei people were defeated in one fell swoop, and since then they have strengthened their border defenses and restored the previous prosperity of the area. The arrival of Wu Feng and his party was warmly welcomed by local people and officials. Wu Feng also deeply felt the local people's desire for stability and peace, which greatly aroused his determination to save the people from the fire and water -
Leaving Bonan and entering Qingyang Prefecture, the situation here is even worse than Bonan. The fertile fields have been deserted for many years, overgrown with weeds and uncultivated; the roads and bridges are in disrepair and difficult to walk; and the irrigation ditches are blocked and obliterated. , cannot be used; there are few pedestrians on the road, and most of the people I encounter are in rags and have no food, and there is no trace of the former "Granary of the Northwest". The beautiful rivers and mountains have fallen here! In this situation, Wu Feng couldn't help but clasped his hands and sighed -
On October 7, Wu Feng led the troops to escort a large amount of grain, weapons, medicine and other logistical supplies and finally arrived safely at the terminal - Qingyang Fucheng. After entering Fucheng, Wu Feng took the team to the west of the city for simple settlement, and then visited the city guard's office, hoping to get help from the local government to place these supplies and his subordinate soldiers, and at the same time to inquire about the battle situation ahead. Wu Feng ordered Liang Chongxin to stay at the battlefield, and he, Xiao Tang, and Cui Wenxiu arrived at the city guard's mansion in the center of the city. On the way to the city guard house, Wu Feng and the other three learned that the battle ahead was still in a stalemate. The people here were very concerned about what was happening on the battlefield ahead. On the one hand, they all hoped that the Imperial Army could defeat the invasion of the Luobei people. On the other hand, they were also worried that if the war situation went unfavorably to the empire, they had better prepare in advance and pack up their belongings to escape. After learning that the battle situation ahead was relatively stable, Wu Feng felt calmer. Maybe he had overestimated the Luo Bei people or underestimated Situ Mingzhi—
Arriving at the City Guards Mansion, it was a rather large mansion, but it seemed a bit deserted. After Wu Feng reported his identity and purpose of visit, the yamen guarding the gate quickly went in to report. The person who received Wu Feng and the three people was Yuanning, the current chief executive of Qingyang Prefecture, acting city guard. Due to the Luobi people's invasion almost every year in the past few years, Qingyang, Bonan, and Guide Prefectures were also repeatedly looted, and the entire area Social security was extremely chaotic, and the imperial authorities had been unable to come up with countermeasures. Ouyang Chun, the former governor of Northwest County, resigned and returned to his hometown of Jiangnan County four years ago on the grounds of poor health. The trees fell and the hozens scattered, and the officials below also Feeling that this is not a place to stay for a long time, they all looked for other ways out. The Northwest County Governor's Mansion became an empty shell. The empire has not appointed the northwest county governor. It is said that no one in the central empire wants to come here. When Yuan Ning received Wu Feng, he also said that he was here temporarily. There were only a dozen or so people in the entire city guard house, so they could not perform their functions at all. In fact, this place was just a reception station. Yuanning also said that there are currently a lot of people in this city because everyone knows that the Imperial Army has gone to the front line. In the past two years, except for the old, weak, sick and disabled, almost all the middle-aged people were hiding outside the city. Go to the mountains and wait until the Luobi people plunder them before coming back -
After Wu Feng learned of these circumstances, he had no choice but to return to the arena. It seemed that he had no choice but to set up camp in the arena and stay temporarily. Back at the camp, Wu Feng ordered all soldiers not to leave the camp without orders to prevent harassment of the local people -
At night, Wu Feng arranged the night duty in the camp. He, Xiao Tang, Liang Chongxin, and Cui Wenxiu changed into civilian clothes and left the military camp to go to the city to understand the situation. It can be seen that the streets of Qingyang City are relatively grand in design. After all, this was once the center of the entire northwest region of the empire. Although it has been war-torn in recent years, the scenery of the past can still be seen. The city wall looks a bit dilapidated, with many places already collapsed and some places crumbling. There are not many households in the huge urban area, which is very sparse. Many houses have collapsed due to long-term unoccupancy and management. Candlelight like will-o'-the-wisps flickered in and out of the residential areas, making the streets seem very deserted. Seeing these scenes, several people were a little depressed. The incompetence of the imperial authorities had made the once prosperous place become so depressed. The fertile fields were overgrown with weeds, the lively market towns were in ruins, and the vast number of people were displaced and had nowhere to live. —
"Xiao Tang, what do you think of the situation here?" The four people looked around, and Wu Feng spoke up, "The conditions are very good, but it's just a pity that it's abandoned and lacks popularity. It may take some time to manage it. . Of course, the premise is to block the attack of the Luobei people." Xiao Tang replied unhurriedly. "Chongxin, Wenxiu, what do you two think of this place?" Wu Feng asked Liang and Cui again. "Qingyang's geographical location is very important. It is connected in all directions and is a strategic location. However, it is a flat area and lacks dangerous points. It is easy to attack but difficult to defend." Liang Chongxin just finished his words. "Yes, Brother Liang is right. It is easy to attack but difficult to defend. Moreover, the city walls of Fucheng are collapsed everywhere and are in urgent need of repair. The public security situation here has reached a very dangerous level due to the long-term anarchy. My subordinates heard that the horse thieves here are quite powerful and bandits are also quite rampant. People's lives are It’s very difficult.” Cui Wenxiu also added that both of them viewed it from a military perspective. "That's why there are both opportunities and risks here. This is called pros and cons. The ancients said that when disaster comes, blessing depends on it. When blessing comes, disaster lies on it. It depends on how the ruler controls it." Wu Feng Confident summary—
Early the next morning, Wufeng sent his own scout squadron to the front line. On the one hand, he reported to the army headquarters that the logistics supplies he had escorted had arrived safely. On the other hand, he also wanted to know the real battle situation on the battlefield ahead. At the same time, the troops were ordered to pack up all the escorted materials so that they can be sent to the front line in time once they are needed -
This is a beautiful autumn day, but for the empire, this is probably a day that is even more unacceptable than hail. Before noon, Wu Feng was carefully looking at the map of the Qingyang area in the camp. Suddenly, the soldiers standing guard at the gate of the camp noticed that the residents in the city were running around as if they had encountered some kind of disaster. Then he saw his troops leaving in the morning. The scout rushed towards the camp at lightning speed, "Something big must have happened!" the sentry thought in anticipation -
"So, our troops have completely collapsed, and the Luobei people have already invaded." After listening to the scout's report, Liang Chongxin was also a little nervous. After all, he had never encountered such a serious situation. Several people here They all looked at Wu Feng, who was silent above him. After pondering for a while, Wu Feng raised his head, his face a little red, his eyes blazing, showing the look of a red-eyed gambler, and he glanced at the crowd, "I thought about it for a while, and I want to talk to a few people." I am here to have a gamble. I wonder if you can trust me?" Xiao Tang was the first to express his position: "I am willing to listen to your orders." Liang and Cui also stood up and said, "Please give me your orders." "Okay! Everyone knows the report just now. At this time, the Luobei cavalry had chased the imperial troops and bypassed Qingyang Fucheng. I judged that the enemy probably thought that there were no troops in this area that could compete with them, so they directly attacked Bonan and Guide without dividing their troops. Entering Qingyang City, it is estimated that they plan to completely defeat the Empire's Western Expedition Force first, and then the follow-up troops will follow and loot. I want to come to Qingyang City to gamble with the Luobi people." Wu Feng sounded a little excited. "But sir, there are more than 100,000 Luobei troops. We currently only have more than 5,000 people. There is a huge disparity in strength between the enemy and ourselves." Cui Wenxiu raised this most difficult question to avoid. "I have also considered this. There are about 150,000 enemies in total. There will definitely be some losses in the battle with the Imperial Army. In addition, the enemy will leave a certain number of troops to escort the prisoners. I estimate that the real There are probably only about 100,000 people who can fight with us." Wu Feng analyzed it confidently. He knew that although several people here trusted him unconditionally, if he didn't give them a convincing explanation, he might not be accepted. On the battlefield, you will also have doubts, after all, the balance of power is too far apart—
"But sir, even if the enemy only has 100,000 enemies, we probably have little chance of winning. The fighting power of the Luobei people is no better than that of the rioting farmers and slaves." Liang Chongxin expressed the thoughts of the three people present. "Don't be nervous, everyone, listen to my analysis. The purpose of the Luobi people's attack is not to eliminate the Imperial Army, but to rob the much-needed food and livestock in their own territory. Therefore, among these 100,000 people, at least Use 20,000 people to complete their primary task. Although the Imperial Army was defeated this time, it was not completely wiped out. A considerable part of the army was just defeated. It should be in Qingyang Mansion now. If we take the If we gather these scattered troops and reorganize them, we can get a large number of new troops. The most important thing is that I am not prepared to fight with the Luobi people outside the city. That is what they are good at. This is also what they hope for. I plan to make use of the existing city defense facilities in Qingyang City and seize the time to repair and improve them. The large number of weapons, arrows, grain and other logistics materials we brought this time can be put to great use. If We can fully mobilize the current residents in the city and mobilize their enthusiasm to assist us in our defense. In addition, the enemy certainly did not expect to engage in a siege battle with us during this expedition, so it is estimated that the tools and equipment they carry for siege are insufficient. Moreover, the soldiers lack experience and psychological preparation for siege warfare. Based on the above points, I think we are very confident in defeating the enemy's attack." The worries of the three people disappeared after Wu Feng's words. Especially when Wu Feng mentioned that the enemy lacked siege facilities, Liang and Cui suddenly understood. Yes, the enemy was mainly cavalry. Coupled with the lack of siege facilities, their side had every hope of winning. This battle—
After unified understanding, the sentry came in and reported that the city was in chaos, and residents were packing up their things and preparing to flee—
Seeing the emergency, Wu Feng immediately issued an order: "Liang Chongxin!"—
"arrive!"-
"I order you to lead the three direct cavalry squadrons and the first brigade into three groups to immediately leave the city and search within the Qingyang Mansion. If you find defeated imperial troops, immediately send people back to the city to compete and reorganize. If there is any reason, If you are still dissatisfied with the management after being informed of the situation, you can act in an expedient manner.”—
"yes!"-
"Cui Wenxiu!"—
"arrive!"-
"I order you to immediately lead the second brigade into five groups to patrol the city and do a good job in persuading the citizens. If you find anyone who is taking advantage of the situation, making rumors to confuse the public, or inciting chaos, no matter who they are, they will be killed!" -
"yes!"-
The second general immediately took the order and left. Wu Feng had regained his composure, but when he issued the order, he showed a cold and fanatical light. Xiao Tang, who was standing aside, saw this scene. While admiring Wu Feng's decisiveness, he also noticed the light in Wu Feng's eyes, and couldn't help but feel a sudden shock in his heart -
"Okay, now it's time for you and me to visit two important people." "Sir, are you Zhizhan and Wei?" "Haha, it turns out that heroes have the same idea!" Wu Feng laughed. —
The Zhan family is a large family in Qingyang Prefecture, mainly engaged in leather product processing, while the Wei family is another prominent family, mainly engaged in livestock and agricultural products trade. Both families are quite famous in Qingyang, and their power is not small. What's more important is that in the past few years when the Luobi people invaded, many high-ranking families have left with their families. Although these two families also moved most of their properties, their people have always stayed in Qingyang most of the time, so in Qingyang Mansion is very prestigious in the hearts of ordinary people. When Wu Feng left the imperial capital, he heard Gu Ji introduce the two families, and Gu Ji wrote a letter of introduction himself. He wanted to visit him when he had free time, but he didn't expect that the situation changed so quickly that he had to work in this kind of situation. I went to see the two of them.