When Shan Zhu led his men to completely defeat the front and rear troops of the rebel army, Dubuque and Yan Tong had already led the main rear army to a distance of nearly one mile from the fleeing troops, and still maintained a good formation.
In fact, while Shanzhu was fighting in the front line, he was also paying attention to the changes in the rebel army. When the enemy's rear troops retreated decisively, he anticipated that his plan might not achieve the expected purpose. He also had to admire the decisiveness of the opposing commander's warriors in cutting off their wrists. Otherwise, once the defeated soldiers poured into the rear, all the troops would be thrown into disarray. By then, not only the current troops would be lost.
However, Shanzhu was not depressed. After all, this battle had made a good start. It had greatly damaged the morale of the rebel army, and it was considered to have achieved its initial goal. The organization and discipline of the rebel army were not high to begin with. They relied solely on their numerical superiority and familiarity with the geographical environment to defeat the original police forces of these prefectures and counties. Now that they have suffered such a blow, their morale will be greatly affected. It will directly affect the upcoming offensive and defensive battle at Xifengkou.
Seeing that the enemy's main force maintained a basic battle formation and retreated steadily, Shanzhu nodded appreciatively and said, "Don't pursue the enemy if you can't. What's more, the opponent still greatly exceeded him in numbers and maintained a battle formation. It was obvious that he was Already prepared, Shanzhu immediately ordered his subordinates to stop the pursuit and leave one brigade behind to remain vigilant. The other three brigade soldiers immediately returned to the division to clean the battlefield, especially to recover arrows, because due to the needs of the march, each light infantryman The warriors do not carry many arrows with them, and the ensuing battle will be more intense, and it is not known how long it will last. Arrows must be saved as much as possible.
After this battle, Shanzhu knew that he had successfully overcome the first difficulty. At least it was impossible for the enemy to launch an attack in a short period of time. He could build defenses while patiently waiting for the division commander and the main force to arrive and join forces. .
Just as the battle in Bonan was about to begin, the battle in Guide in the north was still calm.
After receiving the help of Long Zizi and Hillman's voluntary soldiers, Kamapov continued to march eastward and occupied Niangzi Pass, an important transportation chokepoint in the southeast of Guide on the night of November 13. It can directly reach Lulong Mansion in Beiyuan County of the empire, and to the southeast can reach Longdong Mansion in Guanxi County. It is an important transportation route within the empire.
In view of the importance of the geographical location of Niangziguan, Kamapov, Sang Sheng, Long Ziyi, and Hillman decided to leave a large group of troops to garrison here in case of unexpected events.
In the early morning of November 14, Kamapov led his army to the northwest, and arrived at Guidefu City that night, and successfully joined Cui Wenxiu's troops who arrived at Fucheng at noon that day.
The Qingyang Second Guard Division led by Cui Wenxiu patrolled along the northern route. Apart from encountering a small group of bandits in Majiaji, they never encountered anything else worth mentioning. On November 12, the Second Guard Division The regiment occupied Gongjing Town, the largest town in the north of Guide, which is the main production area of well salt. However, when Cui Wenxiu led his troops to arrive, what they saw was a desolate appearance.
After questioning the people who had not yet fled, they learned that this area was originally a very prosperous and wealthy area, but since the Luobei people controlled the northern passage of the mainland, it has declined rapidly like other places. Later, the Luobei people invaded the northwest , the situation here was getting worse and worse. It wasn't until Li Wufeng defeated the Luobi people two years ago and the empire regained control of the northwest region that the people and businessmen here saw hope again. However, the good times did not last long because the officials sent by the empire lacked effective The means and measures, coupled with the resurgence of banditry, have returned the social security situation here to the chaotic state of a few years ago, but the local government has no strong means to deal with it.
Since the beginning of this year, there has been a severe drought, and the people are in dire straits. Bandit forces and farmers who cannot make a living have hit it off. Coupled with the instigation of other forces with ulterior motives, this place has set off the center of the rebellion storm, and the local economy that had just made some progress immediately collapsed. , businessmen fled one after another, and workshops closed one after another, resulting in what it looks like now.
While Cui Wenxiu sighed, he was more concerned about the time and direction of the rebel army's departure. After careful inquiry and reconnaissance, it was almost certain that the rebel army had indeed fled to the northeastern border area of Guide.
This further aggravated Cui Wenxiu's worries. If all the rebels in Guide Mansion were concentrated on the northeastern border, then their number would far exceed the strength of his own and Kamapov divisions. What was their purpose? Do you want to concentrate all your forces on your side to decide the outcome, or do you want to wait there? Cui Wenxiu is more worried about the second possibility. It is conceivable that the man behind the scenes must have planned it in advance.
Through reconnaissance, we learned that there are almost no rebels in the entire northern part of Guide, especially in the salt-producing area centered on Gongjing Town. They have all moved to the area bordering the Northeast and Taixuan Mansion. After grasping the situation, Cui Wenxiu arranged for the remaining local officials to temporarily organize and restore normal production and living order. This was no longer the responsibility of the army, but the troops did not stay too long and directly sent their troops south. , entered Guide Fucheng on the morning of November 14th.
As soon as he entered Guide City, Cui Wenxiu was welcomed by the people of the city. Although the people were not satisfied with the local government, they hated the behavior of the rebels even more. After all, once the rebels invaded the city, no matter how wealthy you were, Whether they are wealthy businessmen or ordinary commoners, they will all become prey in their eyes.
Cui Wenxiu immediately announced that because the current situation in Guide Prefecture was not stable, the army would temporarily take over the administrative management of Guide Prefecture and immediately remove soldiers from a multiple regiment of the original Guard Prefecture Guard Division who were huddled in the city. Streamline and reorganize. At the same time, he also sent flying cavalry to Qingyang to report the current development of the situation, hoping to get clear instructions.
Oak Palace in Naples, the capital of the Kingdom of Milan.
"What? The Tanghe people have reached an agreement with the Macihan people? Show me the contents of their agreement!" Louis XI has always had a hot temper. When he heard that the Tanghe Empire did not negotiate with him, he did not even He just said hello to his country and hastily signed an agreement with the Machikhans, making him very angry.
"It's simply ridiculous! What kind of bullshit agreement is this?! It's worthless! They actually have the nerve to brag about it in the newspaper. I blush for them!" After reading the content of the agreement, Louis XI could no longer hold back his heart. Out of anger, he stood up like an angry lion and walked back and forth in front of the imperial court. His face, which was originally very rosy, now looked more like a red-hot furnace.
"Bedorich, what do you think we should do? The Tanghe people do this because they don't regard us as their allies at all. Then we don't have to look at their faces in the future!" Louis XI became angrier as he thought about it. As soon as he learned about the Machihans' invasion of neighboring countries, he immediately sent a special envoy to contact the Tanghe Empire and expressed his willingness to cooperate with the Tanghe Empire in punishing the Macihans. His troops could even serve as forwards, but he did not expect that , the Tanghe people have been perfunctory and vague about their answers, and have never given a clear answer. In the end, without any communication with themselves, they actually quietly reached an agreement with the Machihan people. This is undoubtedly He poured cold water on his enthusiasm.
"Your Majesty, the people of Tanghe have sent a special envoy to our country. He will explain to you the specific process of signing the agreement." Duke Bedric, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Milan, is a very thin middle-aged man, wearing a gorgeous robe. , always makes people feel like he doesn't look like a prince even if he wears a dragon robe, but this does not hinder his status as one person under one person and above ten thousand people in the Kingdom of Milan.
"Humph, I'm not a child, and I still need this kind of trick to make me happy." Louis XI dismissed this.
"They have already signed the agreement. No amount of discussion at this time will help. Your Majesty, in my opinion, the content of the agreement signed between the Tanghe people and the Machikhan people is indeed a bit surprising. This Tanghe people People have made such a big concession, which can only mean one thing. They have no ability to restrain the Maci Khans at all. This agreement has no binding force on the Maci Khans. To put it bluntly, it is just a piece of paper. The reluctant confession of my countrymen can only coax fools." Bedorich analyzed and came to a conclusion.
"Hmph, are their hundreds of thousands of troops to the south vegetarian? Even if there is usually that old guy Lin Guoxiong there to hold back, I think at this time, the man named Lin will probably not do anything that risks the disapproval of the world. Well. Not to mention that I am willing to take the lead!" Louis XI had gradually calmed down, but he was still aggrieved by the cowardice of the Tanghe people.
"I'm afraid the situation is not that simple. According to the information we have, Lang Yongquan of Tiannan County is not an easy man. His strength has expanded quite rapidly in recent years. The Central Committee of the Tanghe Empire will not be unclear about this. He was originally used to To deal with Lin Guoxiong's chess piece, now this chess piece also has different intentions. In fact, the people of Tanghe also have difficulties that they can't explain!" Bedorich put a lot of effort into understanding the internal situation of the Tanghe Empire. After all, this northern neighbor It is the most powerful country on the Eastern Continent, and its every move affects the foreign policies of neighboring countries.
"Oh, I've heard a little bit about this, but the possibility of him and Lin Guoxiong joining forces to launch an attack on the Tanghe Empire should be slim, at least for now." Louis XI, who had regained his composure, was also mentally alert. too much.
"After all, Ankun City and the Kingdom of Jemelo are not the Tanghe people's own territory. They have not suffered any physical pain, so naturally they are not willing to take this risk. What's more, there are too many variables in the process. Several countries in the north are watching with eager eyes. I really don’t want the Tanghe people to get involved in the war, they like to fish in troubled waters, and the Tanghe people also know this." Betteridge expressed his opinion in a deep voice, "However, the Machihan people have tasted the sweetness, which is not a bad thing. It's a good sign. I think the Yue Jing Kingdom will also be a meal for the Machikhans sooner or later. Once this domino effect occurs, it will be difficult to stop it." The last few words of Bedorich were full of emotion.
"Then how should we respond?" Louis XI also showed a solemn expression on his face.
"Your Majesty, rest assured that in the past two years, the Machi Khans will not point their fingers at us, but other small neighboring countries may suffer. We cannot do nothing. On the one hand, we continue to develop the economy, and on the other hand, we must also focus on development. The navy turned to our army. I think we paid too much attention to the navy. In addition, we must also try to form alliances with neighboring countries as much as possible, especially military alliances. No matter what method is adopted, as long as we can contain the Macedonian Just be a Khan." Bedorich's words were obviously well thought out.
"Very good, I will follow your advice. From this year onwards, fiscal expenditures will also be tilted towards national defense and military affairs, and we will make every effort to meet the needs of the army!" Louis XI made the final decision.