The fingers that were wrapped around the weapon were tattered, and the strong wind from the sharp blade was drowned in the angry roar.
It was a fierce battle, and her throwing knives were soon used up, and the sharp scimitar began to curl.
There was blood all around her, endless blood.
More and more people came, and before they knew it, the mountains and plains were full of people.
After half a day, all that was left on the mountains and plains were corpses.
—
On the other side of the mountain, a short "girl" wearing a coarse cotton skirt was waiting for the report from the spies she sent out.
The fierce battle at Dongbailing was unexpected even for her, who was in charge of the entire Xielian Sect's intelligence work.
But Long Niu knew that this battle would very likely affect the entire situation.
In her opinion, those martial artists who launched the attack outside Haozhou City were all brave but reckless men.
These reckless men dragged in more mountain strongholds and attracted a large number of barbarian troops. There were two people who started this war, one named Jiang Yiran and the other named Zhang Youcheng.
Jiang Yiran has some fame in the martial arts world, but he is not a master.
He used to be a member of the Dark Thunder Society and participated in the battle for the God-conferring Stone. Later, he also responded to the call of Yun Caiyao, the fairy of Tai Su Xian Pavilion, and broke into the Overlord's Underground Palace.
As for Zhang Youcheng, almost no one in the world knows him.
But it is the key to this fierce battle.
Zhang Youcheng's father is Zhang Jiusi from Longqiu Ridge.
Zhang Jiusi once tried to unite the twenty-nine villages of Longqiuling, rise up against the barbarians, and attack Gaoyou.
However, before he could actually start the rebellion, Yue Chongliang, the son of the Yue Ketai family, had already noticed it in advance. The Baiyang Army suddenly arrived, and among them there were experts who killed Zhang Jiusi.
Zhang Jiusi was originally a leader of the Dark Thunder Society. After his death, Zhang Youcheng inherited his father's will and continued to contact various righteous men.
The very few remaining members of Fu Shiyuan's old army also fled here for various reasons after suffering a series of disastrous defeats. The two groups came together and unknowingly, secretly formed an anti-barbarian force lurking under the noses of the barbarian army.
Long Niu didn't have much hope for these people.
There is no doubt that these people are righteous men and chivalrous knights.
But the vast majority of them were just running around like headless flies. Although they were determined to resist the barbarians, they had no plan at all.
Failure and escape were their daily routine. They had witnessed the brutality of the barbarian army countless times, and apart from the unchanging righteousness of resisting the barbarians, in her opinion, everything else was not worth mentioning.
This time, the war that swept across the north of the Yangtze River was started by Suizhou and Guangzhou.
Most of these people may not even know whether Suizhou and Guangzhou are in the southeast or northwest.
Attack the barbarian army's food supplies in places like Dongbailing, and then head back to Longqiuling to gather people to fight against the barbarians.
Such a suicidal act would never be done by anyone who has the slightest understanding of the barbarian army's military deployment.
But it is undeniable that the "central bloom" in the lower reaches of the Huai River at this time is extremely beneficial to the Dongting Army.
If these people can really gain a foothold in Longqiu Ridge, even if it’s only for ten days or half a month.
It will also give the Dongting Army more opportunities to defend Suizhou and Guangzhou.
Eventually, these people will die, and they will all be wiped out in the siege of the barbarian army.
The Dongting Army will be able to successfully defend Suizhou and Guangzhou because of them, and the Huangtian Army and the Longfeng Society will both benefit from this turmoil in the rear of the barbarian army.
These people try again and again to do things that are impossible to succeed, and then fail again and again.
This time, they will still fail... but it will lay the foundation for the victory of the entire situation.
—
It took a lot of effort for Long Niu's intelligence to penetrate the encirclement of the barbarian army and be presented to the Demon Commander of the Dongting Army.
The news of the Longqiuling Uprising surprised Shi Hao.
Anyone who has a little understanding of the situation would never dare to start an uprising against the barbarians in the current situation.
Part of the barbarian troops besieging Suizhou will be forced to redeploy, and the barbarian troops in the north will also roll down. In the end, it is hard to say how many of the rebels will survive.
More likely... no one will escape alive.
In the meeting hall, he placed the map on a low table, then sat cross-legged on the floor, looking at the map.
The location of Suizhou, the location of Chuzhou, the location of Chaohu... the location of Longqiuling!
He sighed deep inside.
These people helped everyone... but no one could help them!
The war continued. With the first sound of spring thunder, the entire upper and lower reaches of the Huai River were drawn into the flames of war.
The situation was so chaotic that no one could see clearly in the end.
But just as Shi Hao judged, after holding out for seven days, all the rebel forces in Longqiu Ridge were wiped out.
Huang Tian's army successfully captured Chuzhou, and the barbarian army in the upper reaches of the Huai River was forced to retreat. The Dongting army not only successfully defended Suizhou and Guangzhou, but also began to advance further towards Yingzhou.
The loss of Chuzhou posed a great threat to the barbarian army, as it meant that Gaoyou City, which controlled the Grand Canal, was exposed to the attack of the Huangtian Army.
The Dongting Army and the Huangtian Army have begun to coordinate their strategies.
The Longfeng Society still failed to capture Chaohu and was still struggling with the barbarian army in Luzhou.
The barbarian army was like a long python. Although it was strangled by the Dongting Army and the Huangtian Army, the Longfeng Society failed to seize the opportunity to cut the python in half.
As a result, the battle in and around the Huai River became increasingly complicated.
On the first day of the first lunar month, which should have been the beginning of the Chinese New Year, the war reached its climax when the Dongting Army captured Yingzhou.
On the second day of the first lunar month, in Songzhou, which is close to the Qinling Mountains, the largest gang in Songzhou, the Hehe Gang, launched an uprising and successively conquered many towns.
On the third day of the first lunar month, at least eight anti-barbarian forces rose up in uprising in various places in Qinhuai, and smoke of war rose everywhere.
On the fourth day of the first lunar month, the Tiandi Gang in Daxing City killed officials and rebelled. Afterwards, uprisings broke out in Bashan and Nanshan, and the anti-barbarian wave spread rapidly.
The Manchu court ignored the rebellions in other places and rushed down with all its might to pacify the Huai River. South of the Qinling Mountains and north of the Yangtze River, the Manchu army had a strength of 800,000.
The Dongting Army was also rapidly absorbing the surrounding anti-barbarian forces, with its strength reaching 150,000 and its flag changed to "Xuan".
Mysterious and mysterious, the door to all wonders! The Dongting Army, which was based on the Evil Lotus Sect, took a name that was inspired by the Tao Te Ching. This was too mysterious to be understood.
On the sixth day of the first lunar month, Huang Tian's army entered Gaoyou City and occupied it for half a day before it fell. Huang Tian's army was forced to retreat to Chuzhou.
During these days, the Dragon and Phoenix Society led 30,000 volunteers from Duxiong Mountain to assist in the attack on Luzhou. Li Chenglong personally went to the front line to command the battle, but failed at the last moment. The leader of the Duxiong Mountain volunteers, Cao Tianyi, the "Ji Xiong", was killed by the barbarian general Ahaiqian.
A Haiqian is a fifth-rank master in the Barbarian Army and the son-in-law of Hanhe Ruishu, one of the four great families. Originally, he had a low birth in the "royal family", but was promoted by Hanhe Ruishu as an exception, and was accepted as a son-in-law and promoted all the way in the army.
He is good at military tactics and possesses the supernatural power "Zhengzhang Deva". Although he is of the fifth rank, with the help of his supernatural power, he can be equivalent to the fourth rank.
The Longfeng Society tried their best but still failed to control Chaohu Lake. Even the Duxiongshan volunteers who came to help were defeated, and people were unstable for a time.
On the seventh day of the first lunar month, Li Chenglong of the Dragon and Phoenix Society proclaimed himself "King of Dasheng" and issued a manifesto, calling on the world to revive the Dasheng Dynasty.
"Is this guy crazy?" Li Xiuer, who was exhausted by the failure of attacking Gaoyou City, looked at the manifesto presented to her in Chuzhou City and forced herself to laugh out of anger.
Chapter 412 Dilemma, Two Heads
"King Dasheng? Where on earth does he get the nerve to call himself king?" Li Xiuer was so angry that it was funny.
The situation was so chaotic that Huang Tianjun was forced to attack Gaoyou. The biggest problem was that the Longfeng Society couldn't even capture Luzhou.
If the Longfeng Society could capture Luzhou and march its troops to Shouzhou in the middle section of the Huai River, they could connect the anti-barbarian forces into a line and the Dongting Army would not have to attack Yingzhou.
It is obvious that the Dongting Army should attack Xuzhou or Chenzhou, control the upper reaches of the Yingshui River, and suppress the strategic space of the barbarian army on a large scale.
Because the Longfeng Society failed to approach Shouzhou as planned and control the lower and middle reaches of the Huai River, the Huangtian Army faced tremendous pressure in the lower reaches of the Huai River. The Dongting Army was surrounded by enemies on three sides and had to approach Shouzhou on behalf of the Longfeng Society so that the Dongting Army and the Huangtian Army could cooperate with each other in the upper and lower reaches of the Huai River.
And now, the Longfeng Society, which has made no progress on the battlefield and is still fighting a desperate battle with the barbarian army in Chaohu, has begun to proclaim themselves kings and "command the world."
How can they be so bold
"Li Chenglong is getting anxious!" In the hall, an old man in a long robe frowned first, then relaxed his brows.
This old man was called Tang Ze, he had no martial arts skills, he was a pure scholar. Although he was a scholar, he had some reputation in the white world. The Barbarian Court once invited him to serve as an official, but he refused and fled overnight, and was caught up by the Barbarian army.
Fortunately, although he himself did not know martial arts, he knew many friends who knew martial arts and they arrived in time to rescue him.
After that, he lived in seclusion in a fishing village by the sea in the northeast of Chuzhou. After Li Xiuer conquered Chuzhou, she learned of his whereabouts from a warrior from the White Dao, went to the fishing village in person, and successfully got him out.
In the hall that served as a temporary meeting room, the braziers on both sides emitted hot steam. Tang Ze sat next to the brazier on the right, stretched out his hands, and warmed them over the fire.
After all, he is not a warrior and he is already old. He can't stand much in such weather.
He said: "Dongting Army... well, it should be called Xuan Army now!"
He smiled and said, "Both the Xuan Army and our army have gained more soldiers and expanded their territory. Only the Dragon and Phoenix Society has been losing soldiers and generals in Chaohu. If this continues, the Xuan Army and our army will become more and more powerful. Li Chenglong has put on such a high profile, as if he is the one that everyone expects, but he has no results. The Jiangzhou that was captured before is not a big city.
"A full bucket of water doesn't make a sound, but a half-full bucket of water will make a noise! The less results you achieve, the more you want to clamor, for fear of having no sense of existence."
Li Xiuer sat by the brazier on the other side, also warming herself by the fire. Several generals stood beside her, listening to her discussion with Old Tang.
Throwing the so-called manifesto into the brazier, she shook her head, feeling somewhat helpless and amused.
It was not that she could not understand. When Li Badao had just died and she had just become the chief steward, she was also very panicked.
She was not very old and was still a woman. Although she contributed to Li Badao's success, serving as a "female military advisor" in the army was completely different from being a leader herself.
At that time, whenever she discussed matters, she would stand on the steps with her hands behind her back, looking very dignified, for fear that she would be looked down upon by the generals below.
After successfully resisting the barbarian army from the south and even capturing the important city of Guangling, although her meeting hall also had steps, she often walked down to move among the generals and talk to them, and she was not afraid of appearing short among them.
As for now, after taking over Chuzhou and successfully gaining a foothold north of the Changhe River, they have taken over a large area of land east of the southern section of the Grand Canal and north of the Changhe River's estuary.
When she discussed things, she would just find a side hall. There was no need to appear too formal. She would wear a simple, plain cotton skirt and sit on a small stool to warm herself by the fire.
The generals around her were all wearing armor and helmets, tall and strong, but she felt that she was sitting very steadily and did not feel uneasy at all.
She hadn't worn the dark gold Vermillion Bird armor and red gold crown with tassel that were specially customized in Guangling City for several days.
Chuzhou, also known as Huai'an, is one of the four capitals of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, along with Guangling, Gusu, and Qiantang. Three of the four capitals of Jiangsu and Zhejiang were built under her leadership. Her achievements are enough to make her feel at ease sitting here.
Although the attack on Gaoyou failed, Gaoyou was not actually a big city, it was just a springboard for attacking Xuzhou.
In fact, they also captured Gaoyou, but a large number of barbarian troops came from Xuzhou and barbarian troops were also mobilized from the upper reaches of the Huai River, so they were forced to withdraw.
Of course, it is impossible to fight a war without losing soldiers and generals. But in fact, in troubled times, as long as you continue to expand your territory, you will have more and more soldiers and horses.
Even the speed at which the army grows is often jaw-dropping, not to mention scaring others, even oneself will be shocked.
After Huang Tian’s army captured Chuzhou, they quickly absorbed the surrounding anti-barbarian forces, directly doubling their military strength.
Dongting Army... By the way, now it is called Xuan Army! Its apparent strength has also grown from 50,000 to 150,000.
Even though there are certainly good and bad people among them, not all elite as before, the number of people is definitely not exaggerated... maybe it's even underestimated.
In troubled times, countless people are at a loss as to what to do. As long as you have the ability to win battles, forces large and small around your territory will quickly attach themselves to you, and all kinds of talents will come to you on their own.
Tang Ze smiled and said, "When the Dragon and Phoenix Society sent out their troops, they were very powerful and boasted that they had 200,000 troops and countless warships of all sizes. They seemed to be able to control the world. Luzhou is not a big city either. It only has four counties under its jurisdiction. It is not as big as Guangling and Chuzhou. As a result, they are still trapped in Chaohu Lake. If I were Li Chenglong, I would be panicking too. If I were Li Chenglong, I would be anxious too.
"No matter how panicked or anxious I was, I couldn't take Luzhou. I had no choice but to make my voice louder. Unfortunately, in war, loud voices are not always effective."
Li Xiuer exhaled towards the burning charcoal in the basin, "He wants to use this manifesto to command the various rebel armies in Qinhuai, both to show his presence and to worry that these rebel armies will be continuously absorbed by us and the Xuan Army?"
Tang Ze said: "The Xuan army is strong, but after all, it has the background of the Demon Sect. For some righteous armies, there are always concerns. Manager Xiu'er, you are a girl, and there will be some people who call themselves heroes and are unwilling to bow down to a girl. If Li Chenglong shouts louder, maybe he can recruit these people... This is probably his idea, right?"
Li Xiuer really wanted to roll her eyes, but she suppressed it.
Although she was able to sit here peacefully, she moved a small stool and let the generals wait by her side.
But it's not to the point where I can escape like that.
He picked up the iron tongs next to him and crushed the ashes of the burnt manifesto, while at the same time clearing away the ashes on the charcoal fire.
She turned around and asked, "Mr. Tang, how do you think the situation will develop next? What should our army do?"
Tang Ze sighed: "The current situation is really too chaotic. Man Ting must win this battle no matter what.
"It is said that the Central Plains is the center of the country. What is the Central Plains? Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Huguang and Hunan are not the Central Plains. They are called Jiangnan. Daxing City and Shu are not the Central Plains either. They are called Qinguan and Western Shu. Bashan, Chushui and the south of the Five Ridges are even less the Central Plains.
"This large area of land in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River is the Central Plains. Logically speaking, whoever occupies this land is the 'orthodox'.
"Since ancient times, the kingdom has never been content with only one side. The Barbarian Court can give up the south of the Yangtze River, but it will never give up the Central Plains. If they lose the Central Plains, they can only flee north to the bitter cold land of glaciers. Although that was once their ancestral heritage, they can no longer return to the prosperity and wealth of three hundred years."
Li Xiuer nodded and said, "Without the restoration of the Central Plains, there is no talk of reviving China. The Barbarian Court wants to hold on to the Central Plains, but for any aspiring Chinese, neither dividing the country by the river nor settling in Chu and Shu is permissible. At the same time, it is precisely because of the righteous cause of restoring the Central Plains and expelling the barbarians that all forces can now join forces."
Tang Ze said: "That's right! But in the final analysis, after overthrowing the Barbarian Court, the future great cause will only belong to one of the forces. If you want to put it more extreme, it will only belong to 'one person'."