In Lizhou, Liyang (now Li County, Changde, Hunan) was on the city.
Duan Yanmo, the deputy envoy of Jingnan Jiedu who had just achieved an encouraging victory, did not see much joy and excitement at all. Instead, he watched the native army camped under the city with some guard. They are eating and drinking the genus of chickens, ducks, cattle and sheep plucked from nearby, as well as crying women.
Because all his previous efforts and conspiracies have become empty, and now he is in the Jedi. At the beginning, Shannan Jiedu had planned the three-way partial division and the two-way march. In the end, it was like a hasty joke in front of the demon monk of the Taiping Thief who had returned.
Not only the three-way invading divisional division, but the fast-running Shimen Man Xiangzhu subordinates were all over. Even Liu Jurong's Shannan army was defeated, and even the Xiangyang City that had been taken care of was lost.
Only the Jingnan Army succeeded in capturing the Gorge and returning to the Three Prefectures. However, he was obsessed with Song Hao’s suggestion. On the grounds that the poor people of the Xiajiang area were poor, Lizhou thought it was just a matter of dividing the army to seize the assistance. A place to eat.
As a result, when he went south to capture Liyang, he ran into the head-on with the retreating Xiangzhusuo barbarians. Just as he was in a dilemma, he was shocked to hear that Song Hao already took the main force of Jing Nan's army and just fled like this. He retreated into the mountain (south) and west (dao).
Then he finally defeated Xiangsuke's remnant, and he suddenly realized that he was actually surrounded by the enemy. Whether it is Xiazhou in the south, Jingzhou in the east, or Langzhou in the south, they are already within the sphere of influence of the Taiping thief.
Although Liyang, the most populous and most prosperous state city, serves as a foothold; Shimen and Anli counties in the upper reaches of Lishui River are still under the control of the barbarians under their assistants. The Taiping thief who occupied Anxiang County to the east was even more aggressive. Instead, he became a barrier instead of bearing the brunt of the help.
And he wanted to lead his troops westward to climb into the mountains, and retreat to the Enzhou or Shizhou of Qianzhong Road, which is not available. Because it is natural that there is no way to go through the savages occupying the land of Shimen and Anli counties.
So he can only bite the bullet and persevere on the spot, wanting to wait for a turnaround and change. However, the so-called turnaround did not wait, but the Taiping thief guarding Anxiang County pressed on Qu Chengyu step by step.
The opponent didn't directly confront him, but sent people to continuously build stockades and fortifications along the Lishui River. Then use this as a support and stronghold to continuously transport hoarded materials; and then send troops to suppress and surrender the surrounding Baozhai Village, a large family of wealthy families nearby, and gather the population, food, and property obtained after the break into the fortress.
Then push forward to the next ferry crossing and Zhechong node, and build a new fortress; in this way, after pushing back and forth to Qinghua Town, which is less than twenty miles away from Liyang, Duan Yanmo in Liyang City is fleeing to the place where he came. After the surname cried, he learned about this.
Then, the counterattack and armed temptation organized hastily in Liyang also quickly frustrated and returned outside Qinghua Town; because of the convenience of water transportation by the peaceful thieves, several ships of sack bundles were transported from downstream. Then use these empty sacks to dig up and fill them up on the spot, stack them into a wall overnight, and become the prototype of a temporary fortress.
This can be compared to the traditional piling and logging tree fence as a barrier, I don't know how much more convenient or faster it is. Therefore, even if the newly built wall is not high, but the first few soldiers who were the first group of soldiers were killed and injured before they rushed to the wall under the thief army's bows and crossbows. Tired and collapsed back.
The civil servants who work in it can still be used as cover several times, and they will continue to strengthen and build them. Therefore, even if several batches of Jingnan Army have successfully rushed into the earth fortresses, they are blocked and new barriers and obstacles. , Was interrupted by the momentum and had to retreat.
And when the Taiping Pirate ship appeared on Lishui the next day, the counterattack troops sent from Liyang City also lost their fighting spirit and confidence, and began to retreat spontaneously without fighting.
Therefore, when Duan Yanmo personally led the tooth soldiers to the front to observe the enemy situation, he found that the entire Qinghua Town, half a mile away, was almost surrounded by the walls made of these soil bags.
In the wall, you can also see a lot of construction activities, but more wood and stone fortifications have been built. On the surface of the water, many people, horses, materials, and grains arrived one after another.
As a result, the war with the Taiping thieves fell into a rather protracted confrontation, as well as frequent and smaller-scale conflicts and encounters in the countryside; because these were "attacked" and "predated" by the Taiping thieves. Among the village docks, the Jingnan Army also set up ambushes and counterattack methods, which gained the upper hand several times.
However, as more and more Taiping thieves gathered, these peripheral strongholds were also uprooted and destroyed one by one; the accumulated losses caused the Jingnan Army's range of activities to be gradually reduced to the vicinity of the city wall.
In the end, under the imminent threat, Duan Yanmo could only lay down his skin and dignity, and sent people to make money to help with Shimen as his base. Knowing the common great gains and losses and promising many conditions, he borrowed this line of soldiers and horses. Come with foreign aid.
However, the price of defeating the Taiping thief this time was not worth the gain; because he had to surrender the city of Liyang after the fact, and then lead his troops to the west through Shimen and Anli counties to retreat to Qianzhong Road. intend.
Therefore, here he secretly made another arrangement and plan, and now he is waiting for a corresponding reply amidst his worries.
And in Qinghua Town, a few miles away, Qu Chengyu, the seventh army general who came by boat overnight, was also hungry against a few generals who hung their arms and bandaged their heads. .
"Look at what you are doing. At any rate, I brought my old brother out from Annan. I have experienced a lot of things. Why didn't I make much progress... How come I was easily lured out by someone. ."
"When the war has reached our level and level, it is no longer a momentary victory or enthusiasm, but whoever can last longer and last the last resort. If you can't learn this way, then please It's okay to go back to the mountain to reflect on it..."
"Also ask Lang Jiang to give me another chance to be shameful... I want to avenge the dead and wounded brothers..."
One of the generals couldn't help but cut his voice.
"Things that don't know anything... Are you fighting in the army just for revenge or for your own selfishness?"
Qu Chengyu exclaimed more and more angry.
"The ambition of our rebels is to rescue the people who are hanging down in the world, not to fight for personal bravery, and then to retaliate with private individuals for a while... Then it is better to go back to Annan and join the hunting team... "
At this time, a small school leaned in and whispered a report:
"An envoy from Liyang City has arrived..."
—I am the dividing line —
In Fangzhou, the largest Zhuangziwei in Fengcheng Township, Yu Niancheng, the youngest one of the clan elders, also walked around like a trapped animal, stirring loudly in Zhuangzi. .
"Everyone cheers me up, it's about the safety of everyone in the family..."
"As long as it is a participant who can hold on to the Waizi, we will kill the pig and stew the broth tonight, and there will be enough noodles and pancakes..."
"After guarding the encirclement, regardless of the number of deaths and injuries, the three-year rent will be exempted, and the accumulated old debts will be exempted if there is no rent. The wife and children will be supported by you..."
"Why panic? It's not that you haven't seen such a scene. Don't say that you have encountered thieves and robbers. Don't even think about rushing in even if you are crossing the border..."
Facing the silent formation outside Zhuang Zi and the army that has gathered one after another, most people have not seen any confidence and confidence in their faces. Only under the deterrence and coercion of those strong men who danced with blades, iron rods, and bows and arrows, could they not immediately abandon the bamboo spears, knives, and forks in their hands and flee home.
And in the ancestral hall where the patriarchs were discussing matters, there was a bleak cloud of discussion.
"How is this so good? Suddenly it was surrounded by people, but the county didn't reveal a bit of news... Fortunately, those few who had just taken advantage of the family, patted their chests and said they were safe. ."
"But we still have many strong men and servants scattered in the nearby villages. There is no news to make them anxious; where did these men and horses emerge out of thin air..."
"The negotiator who went out to negotiate was driven back before they approached, and they directly called for everyone in the Zhuangzi to go out and receive treatment...especially the heads of the houses and the elders..."
"It's all the little beast in Yu Eshui, who has brought back the great disaster... He also led people to block a few paths out, and caught Zhuangzi who ran out to report the letter..."
"I had known that he had taken his old mother to Shen Tan together, instead of raising it to become a scourge now... And the jerk who wants to eat inside and out of Jirou, who is so bad, can't be forgiven easily..."
Obviously for them, these people who are accustomed to extreme self-interest and supremacy in giving and asking, of course, do not consider any causes, consequences and costs; they only care about what they have done that is the root of everything and right and wrong.
But from my own point of view, I only think wishfully, how others should obey my own will; no matter what I do, it’s for everyone’s good, and how wronged and hardworking is what’s the biggest and most important thing in the world. The reason lies.
"I'm afraid that this matter has something to do with the dog who is not familiar with Yu Donglou. Agui hasn't come back yet..."
"I heard that he was not a peaceful thief. If he explained and said that he was one or two, maybe there would be no such disaster..."
Then someone stamped their heads to regret and complain.
But the patriarch Yu Nianzong who was sitting at the head did not say anything, he still looked confident and comfortable. (End of this chapter)