A series of military victories did not let Wu Feng go to his head, but the recovery of Lulong, Longdong and Xikang did greatly ease Wu Feng's strategic situation. The acquisition of the three places allowed Wu Feng to attack the Taiping Army. The frontier gained a more obvious advantage, especially the recapture of Longdong, which made Wu Feng feel more at ease even sleeping with his own woman in his arms. He no longer had to worry about the Taiping Army closing the door to his eastward march, making it difficult for him to interfere in the situation in the Central Plains.
However, the recovery of the three places also brought corresponding pressure. The situation in Xikang was relatively good. After signing an armistice and prisoner exchange agreement with the Lang family, the situation here quickly calmed down. With the orderly clean-up movement Development, with the support of the local gentry forces headed by Zhong Wenjing, a large number of businessmen and gentry who had colluded with the Taiping Religion were thrown into prison. With iron-fisted methods and a combination of kindness and power, Wu Feng turned Xikang Mansion into a It has become a private domain like an iron barrel, in which the Zhong family, represented by Zhong Wenjing, and other prominent Kansai families played an indispensable role. The recapture of Jianmen Pass freed Xikang from the pressure from the east. The only thing worth worrying about was the south. Although the armistice agreement was signed, no one can be sure how effective this alliance under the city is, especially when the Lang family is relatively stronger in the northwest. When one side already had a considerable advantage, even though the military strength was already quite tight, Wu Feng still had to carefully place the independent second division in Xikang. After all, Xikang Fucheng had been dilapidated for a long time, and it would take a lot of time to repair and expand it in a short period of time. time.
The recovery of Lulong is certainly a good thing, but facing the direct threat from the main force of the Taiping Army in the East, the situation in Lulong is also very tight. Although the Taiping Army who lost Lulong has never dared to easily go west to provoke a war, A large number of spies and sentinels are always monitoring Lulong's situation, which makes Ling Tianfang feel a headache. Like Xikang, Lulong is also an easy and difficult place to attack. This division seems to be a little weak here. But if he wanted to release more Ling Tianfang, he felt that he was stretched too thin. Wu Feng left the entire northwestern defense including Taixuan, Lulong, Guide and Nanjieluoke to him, facing double pressure from the Kaman and Taiping troops. , Ling Tianfang was still not satisfied with the food. After some deliberation, Ling Tianfang boldly transferred a regiment of the Second Guard Division of Taixuan Mansion to be stationed in Guide, and directly dispatched the Guide Guard Division as a regular army. After arriving at Lulong, together with Mifeng's Lulong garrison division, there were troops from two divisions stationed there. Ling Tianfang could barely relax, but in his opinion, the northeastern defense line he was guarding was already very fragile. Whether it is Nanjie Locke, Taixuan or Lu Long, they all appear to be quite weak, especially since they do not have a reserve team of sufficient strength. Once an emergency occurs at that point, they will have to tear down the east wall to make up for the west wall. But if there were dangers on two or even three sides, he would have no choice but to look up to the sky and sigh, saying there was nothing he could do.
The Longdong Battle was decided to increase Ling Tianfang's mission. Although the area to the east was controlled by his ally Situ Jun, the north was the home base of the Taiping Army. In order to maintain mobility, Wu Feng only moved the northwest The third legion of the legion was placed in Longdong. It was unimaginable that such a vast defense area did not have a capable mobile reserve team. Even Wufeng had to admit that this situation was too dangerous. Fortunately, Cui Wenxiu's independent third legion The First Cavalry Division has returned to the northwest to rest for many days. In order to strengthen the emergency response force, Wu Feng finally agreed to station the only cavalry division in his hands to Guide, an important place capable of supporting the three sides. Only then did Ling Tian He breathed a sigh of relief.
The most important spring festival for the Tang people finally ushered in the biting cold wind. Although the empire was raging with wars and wars throughout the year, but in the winter, it seemed that all the princes had entered the winter rest period, and the tension had rarely eased. down.
The Taiping Army who occupied the Heshuo area may have been busy digesting their gains, or they were shocked by the defeat in Kansai. In short, they became unusually quiet. Apart from continuously strengthening the city defense facilities and adjusting the defense lines of the troops, they did not make any major moves. Both sides of the confrontation in Qinghe Mansion also invariably retreated thirty miles to break away from contact, making people even more suspicious of what the city guard regiment was planning. The Empire also had a rare opportunity to breathe a sigh of relief. The Third and Fourth Legions were formed as quickly as possible. In addition to integrating the remnants of the two legions in the Battle of Heshuo, the Imperial Military Academy graduated this year. Almost all the students were recruited into the two legions that were being formed. The soldiers recruited from the imperial capital were sent directly to the military camps of the two legions that had just been established without even simple basic training. The new Minister of Military Affairs, Duke Jilin The order issued was concise and concise: "The training of blood and fire on the battlefield is the fastest and best way for a soldier to grow."
However, the southern part of the empire was not quiet. In the Northern Romania region, small-scale conflicts between the Macihans and the Lin family army continued every day. In the Yuejing area, which had been quiet for a long time, an army claiming to be "national self-defense" suddenly appeared. They took advantage of their familiarity with the local terrain and environment and the fact that the organization members were from the local area to constantly attack and harass the garrison of the local Maci Khans. Once they encountered the Maci Khans dispatching a large army to encircle and suppress them, they would quietly sneak into the Lin family or Wu family. The areas controlled by the Lake Empire left the Machi Khans helpless. This has become a nightmare for the Machi Khan garrison in Yuejing.
Song Tianxiong stared coldly at the city in front of him. The majestic man next to him was Xiong Daoyuan, the commander of the Third Independent Division. He was a general with Gaoyue clan blood. The huge and heavy sword hanging on his waist looked particularly dazzling, but this The extremely powerful general didn't think it was a burden at all. The old-fashioned horse-killing sword that seemed too heavy to ordinary people was very handy in his eyes. Even Song Tianxiong had to admire these guys who were born with extraordinary talents. It is the best choice for professional soldiers. It would be too unfair for them to be farmers or workshop workers.
Xiong Daoyuan ordered the officers of the regiment below to pay attention to the camp location and arrange night vigilance. At the same time, he organized the camps of his five regiments into a five-pointed plum blossom shape, with his command camp and direct brigade located in them, and also with the Guards Division. The regiment's camp echoed each other, and Song Tianxiong couldn't help but snicker secretly as he watched the other party issue orders seriously. Even during the routine observation in front of the position, Xiong Daoyuan still held a copy of "War Strategy" written by the famous military strategist Cao Cao of the former dynasty. His thirst for military theory had made the division commander almost eat it alive while studying. After learning that he had graduated from the Imperial Military Academy, he came to ask for advice when he had nothing to do. Song Tianxiong answered patiently at first, but later he quietly left when he saw the other person coming with a book, or he thought he had other important matters. Avoid the name.
"Brother Song, look, it's been how many days, why haven't the two families reached an agreement yet? Are we just sitting here in a daze like this?" The strong man with a strong nasal voice spoke in a low voice. The red face gives people a hint of warmth even in winter.
"Hehe, of course this is not an agreement. Who is willing to hand over such a fertile land to others? I wouldn't do it if it were me." Song Tianxiong replied with a smile, "Hanzhong is the land of plenty in Guanxi."
"Since we can't reach an agreement, let's just rely on our strength. Whoever has a strong fist has the right to speak. What's the point of grinding here all the time? It's better to fight hard and end happily. "The strong man grinned broadly and said, "They are talking like old ladies. I don't know how they managed to get this far."
"Haha, Daoyuan, have you seen these guys in the city? They send people every three days to find out the truth. They are nominally here to surrender the table, but they also want the three of us to have a unified surrender party. Is this not intentionally provoking a conflict? What? I'm afraid they just want us all to make a fuss. It's best to have a civil strife and let them reap the benefits. These three parties are all two divisions with equal strength. Let's see who can have the last laugh. I'm afraid it will all be in vain. It's easy to take advantage of those gangsters. I heard that Feng Qi has no ability in fighting, but he is quite good at playing tricks. He has a deep understanding of the current psychology of the Lin Lang family. If you don't talk about the ugly Yinmao, he is I won't show my attitude easily." Song Tianxiong sneered and glanced to the south. In the distance, he could vaguely see a series of tents, with flags flying, and from time to time, sentry horses passed by the open space in front of his camp. They were the scouts of the Lang family.
"Fortunately, Mr. Li asked us not to get involved. We should just stay here honestly. No matter which one of them has the upper hand, there must be a share for us. This Hanzhong was not conquered by any one family. No one can take it all by himself. I want to squeeze out our northwest, hehe," the strong man puffed up his chest and said no more in the second half of the sentence.
"My lord, I don't want to make too many enemies at this time, otherwise, hum," Song Tianxiong also reserved half of his sentence. He vaguely knew that there was a special kind of relationship between his master and Lin Yuexin of the Lin family that was not common to outsiders. Feelings, but his master has never told anyone about it. It seems that even the few confidants who stay in Qingyang don’t seem to know about it. This issue is certainly not something that his subordinates can consider, but he believes in his master’s The mind is not troubled by such trivial matters.
Song Tianxiong didn't say anything else, and looked sideways. The three-legged bluebird flag on the top of the city was still hanging high, but he looked a little listless. Even the patrolling soldiers rarely saw it. He probably had already lost his morale and was waiting for the final surrender. Well, the city gate is still closed, the cold north wind swirls through the wilderness under the city wall, the withered grass trembles in the howling cold wind, and occasionally the land is lifted up to reveal dark brown soil, showing this The fertility of the land.
This is Hanzhong, surrounded by mountains, but with endless fertile fields in the middle. No wonder it is known as the granary of Kansai in the west of Jiangnan. No one who sets foot on this land is willing to go back. This is indeed a difficult choice for those who want to go north. I'm afraid it will be even more difficult for the Lin family and the Lang family.