On the way back to Partridge Pass from Xikang, Situ Yutang ignored Wu Feng, and Wu Feng wisely did not bother him. He knew that saying anything else seemed a bit redundant at this time, not to mention that he didn't have much energy at this time. Let’s pay attention to these things, because the battle situation in the east has begun to change dramatically.
On October 10, 696 in the Gregorian calendar of the mainland, the Taiping Army marched south in two directions and penetrated directly into Heishan and Longquan. The battle for the Taiping Holy Sect to march into the heart of the empire officially began.
On October 13, 696 in the Continental Calendar, Taiping Army Commander Yu Zhiyong led 100,000 Taiping Army elite troops in a fierce battle with the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Army of the Fourth Imperial Army in the north of Longquan Mansion. The two sides fought fiercely for three days and suffered losses. heavy.
On October 14, Taiping Army Brigade Commander Cheng Dayou led 30,000 elite troops out of the gate road on the left, bypassed the natural danger of Dashanping in the north of Heishan Prefecture, and inserted diagonally into the hinterland of Heishan Prefecture. Fortunately, the Fifth Division of the Imperial Third Army and Heishan Prefecture were stationed in Heishan Prefecture. The garrison division noticed in time and intercepted the Taiping Army south of Dashanping, and the two sides fought fiercely again. Cheng Dayou sent Tan Ma to lead the Black Mountain Taiping Rebellion, which had been prepared, to take the opportunity to revolt. The Imperial Army, which was caught off guard, collapsed after encountering a double-sided attack and the supply line was cut off. Only 8,000 people from the Third Division of the Imperial Third Army were able to survive. After escaping, Heishan Mansion, which was defenseless, was captured by Dayou's army on October 17.
Cheng Dayou, who had captured Heishan Prefecture, led his army non-stop and marched eastward overnight. On October 21, he detoured to encircle the flanks of the imperial garrison in Longquan Prefecture, which had not received any news. The army of three divisions of the empire and the garrison of one division were reinforced. The Taiping Army was jointly surrounded by Zhiyong and Cheng Dayou; on October 28, the imperial army, which had run out of ammunition and food, was forced to dig out the Bailongjiang embankment of the Fanjiang tributary and breach the levee of the Bailongjiang River to irrigate it. The entire army was wiped out, and only 10,000 of the more than 80,000 troops surrendered and were rescued. In this battle, the empire's main garrison in the Heshuo area almost lost more than half, and only the first division of the entire fourth army was still intact.
October 31st. The Taiping Army Yu Zhiyong's troops captured the defenseless Longquan City without a single blow, and the entire northern two prefectures of Heshuo County fell. The situation suddenly became extremely bad. The Taiping Sect, plus the troops mobilized after occupying Heishan and Longquan, had more than 200,000 troops pressing on the borders of the three southern prefectures in the Heshuo area. The entire Heshuo area suddenly fell into extreme panic. Rich families in the Sanfu area fled to Jiangnan or Wuhu areas to escape the coming war. Even many middle-class families also moved away with their families. To prevent unforeseen disasters after the war.
People in the imperial capital are also panic-stricken. Rumors and rumors change three times a day. Many far-sighted families and big businessmen have begun to move their funds and industries to the south of the Yangtze River and the Five Lakes. Of course, many have also moved to the northwest. Although it is a bit remote, at least it is there. It seemed that the Taiping Army did not dare to stroke Li Wufeng's beard.
Even Wu Feng, who was well prepared, was caught off guard by the sudden changes in the Heshuo area. The rapid fall of the two prefectures in the northern part of Heshuo put the entire Heshuo County in an extremely dangerous situation. At this time, the Taiping Army had just invaded. Victory, morale is strong; and the distance between the two prefectures of Longquan in Heishan and the three prefectures of Tianshui, Hejian and Jinzhong is already vast, and the cavalry can reach it in a day and night; the empire's garrison in the Nanheshuo area is already at an absolute disadvantage compared to the Taiping Army. Disadvantage, not to mention the tens of thousands of Taiping troops in Longdong can invade Tianshui at any time. If Heshuo is lost, the Imperial Capital will fall sooner or later. Although the Imperial Capital has the most powerful fortifications and defense systems in the mainland, the Taiping Army that occupied Heshuo is equivalent to taking half of the empire into its hands. Its arrogance It will definitely grow in a geometric progression. No matter how strong and powerful an isolated city is, it will be difficult to cope with it for a long time.
Looking coldly at the situation deduction map on the sand table, Wu Feng gently pinched his chin with his left hand. It seemed that the Taiping Army was quite well prepared this time. Not only did they keep Situ Tai's troops stationary in the north, but even Yusuf, The guy's city guard regiment was also soaking mushrooms in Qinghe Prefecture. Situ Jun also pretended to be deaf and mute in Jincheng. Even the three divisions of the Third Army were originally stationed in the Heshuo area, but for some unknown reason they were unable to do so. They retracted in unison and only swirled within the territory of Wuhu.
"Tian Fang, what do you think?" Wu Feng turned his gaze to Ling Tian Fang, who had been thinking hard. Ling Tian Fang rushed back from the Taixuan front line overnight after receiving Wu Feng's order. The drastic change in the situation was also beyond him. Unexpectedly, even if the Taiping Army attacked Heshuo, it would be a protracted battle. Unexpectedly, the Taiping Army turned out to be overwhelming, which surprised Ling Tianfang. In particular, Ling Tianfang felt that this guy was extraordinary even more when the Taiping Army formed a surprise force and conquered Black Mountain, and then used a water-breaking strategy to flood the Longquan Empire's army.
"Sir, it seems that the Taiping Army is determined to turn Heshuo into their territory this time. They have used such a large force and secretly colluded with His Highness and His Highness the Third. If the situation continues like this, I'm afraid that The Heshuo area will really become the target of the Taiping Army." Ling Tianfang, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke.
"Well, it's barely justified that these two guys, Situ Tai and Situ Jun, actually stood still for their own selfish interests. It's just that Yusuf's guy also pretended to be a turtle at such a critical moment. I don't know who lent him such a big one. How dare he not be afraid of His Majesty the Emperor cutting off his head?" Li Wufeng lost his usual cynicism in his words. The dramatic changes in the situation in Heshuo forced him to reconsider his next plan. He originally planned to take advantage of the Taiping Army's re-emergence. Zhan Heshuo fell into a protracted war before sending troops, but he was surprised by the combat effectiveness of the Taiping Army and the general's command wisdom.
"Sir, you haven't decided whether to fight Lu Long or Longdong first?" Ling Tianfang couldn't help but ask. Seeing the hesitation on the coach's face that he had never seen before, Ling Tianfang was a little surprised. Could it be that this What else does Shi Wufeng have to worry about
Shaking his head, Wu Feng turned around and started walking with his hands behind his hands. The atmosphere in the room seemed particularly dull. Ling Tianfang didn't understand what the coach was thinking at this time. More than 100,000 troops gathered in Lulong and Partridge Pass, waiting for an order. Next, but the coach was hesitant at this time. This is not like Wufeng's style.
"Tian Fang, a messenger from the Taiping Army has arrived." As if he had made up his mind, Wu Feng raised his head and looked out the window and said calmly.
"Oh?" Ling Tianxin was shocked. So that's it. He didn't say anything, but quietly waited for the coach's next words.
"They brought a personal letter from Bo Jinchen. They are willing to hand over Hanzhong Mansion to us in exchange for us not sending troops to Heshuo and Beiyuan for one year. If we keep our promise after one year, they will hand over Longdong Mansion to us." Wufeng's tone was very calm, but the content of his words was as heavy as Qianjun's.
With a flash of light in his eyes, Ling Tian was overjoyed: "This is a good thing. I think it's possible to make a deal. As long as we get Hanzhong and Longdong, we can go south and east. Since they proposed it like this, they must Now that there is a way to implement it, how can we ensure the implementation of the treaty by both parties?"
Wu Feng sighed lightly. He knew that this condition must be a great benefit for Ling Tianfang. The original purpose of sending troops eastward was to expand the territory, especially the areas with more developed economic foundations, which were the targets of the northwest; Hanzhong The mansion has superior natural conditions, a developed economy, and is easy to defend and difficult to attack. It is a place of dominance and has always been one of my goals. Of course, it is a dream to win it without a fight; but... this kind of transaction is probably difficult. Covering people's ears and eyes, once revealed, you will fall into a situation where thousands of people will blame you.
Ling Tianfang was not a native of the empire, so naturally he didn't care much about the opinions of the people from the empire. In his opinion, strength determines everything. As long as he can strengthen his own strength, all opinions and public opinions are nothing but illusory things, and it is difficult to have any effect. The role of decision. But I was born and raised in the empire, and now I am a vassal of the empire. If I refuse to save someone or even collude with the party, I am afraid that I would not dare to do such a thing.
"The method of implementation has not been discussed yet, but I'm afraid we can't accept the other party's conditions." Wu Feng scratched his head in distress, obviously helpless: "These things cannot be hidden from human eyes, and the impact they will have will have on us in the future. It is extremely detrimental to gain people's support in the Central Plains. We cannot be too short-sighted. Only focusing on immediate interests will make us lose more things."
After the excitement, Ling Tianfang also gradually cooled down, and slowly considered the problem from the perspective of his superiors. The Tanghe people had a very deep nostalgia for the past, and they particularly hated and despised the betrayal. It was natural that the other party had spent so much money this time. They want to drag Wufeng into a quagmire with no bottom. Once Wufeng loses the basis of public opinion, it will only cause a lot of trouble if he wants to gain a foothold in the Central Plains. But the bait was indeed big enough that Ling Tianfang couldn't help but salivate.
"Bo Jinchen is really willing to give up. He actually dares to trade two mansions in one go. He is so courageous." Ling Tianfang frowned and thought hard: "It's just such a big deal. You Daofang Are you willing to give it up? And for such a big deal, they actually gave it to us without a detailed plan? Is it too hasty and abrupt?"
Wu Feng's eyes also lit up, he raised his head, and their eyes collided: "Tian Fang, do you mean that these guys from the Taiping Sect are using a delaying tactic?"
"It shouldn't be wrong. I have analyzed You Daofang. Although he is shrewd, he places too much emphasis on the gains and losses of one city and one place. Lu Long's gains and losses fully illustrate this point, which is consistent with Bo Jinchen's control in this regard. Ziru is very relevant, exchanging Hanzhong and Longdong Prefectures in one breath is not You Daofang's style, and Bo Jinchen cannot make the decision on such a major matter, which only shows that they have no intention of implementing this plan at all." Ling Tian carefully considered his words: "Then their purpose is obvious, to paralyze us, slow down our march eastward, and buy them more time!"
Nodding, Wu Feng with a mysterious look on his face smiled sinisterly and said: "Okay, since they are so pretentious, we will graciously agree to it and let them send people to discuss how to implement the treaty. We can behave like this." Be more eager and greedy, and let them believe that we really want to take over Hanzhong, and we will no longer wait here and launch a full-scale attack immediately!"