Lujiang.
The wind became more violent, picking up sand and dust and hitting the soldiers on the ground.
Huang Fazhu was riding a war horse, wearing armor and holding a sharp sword. He stared fearlessly at the Qi army in formation on the high slope in the distance.
He chose a flat area to form his formation, dug a gully in front, and set up tall spur rails on both sides.
The infantry holding large shields stood at the front. Rows of large shields were placed on the ground, forming a shield wall. Countless thorns poked out from the wall, waiting for the enemy to attack.
.
Huang Fazhu looked at the city in the distance again.
Lujiang City.
The Chen people's flag is flying on the city wall.
Obviously, the actual battle situation was not as bad as what Zhou Xizuo described. Huang Fashu was not chased all the way to the vicinity of Luozhou. The war was still fought around several important cities such as Liyang, Dongguan, Lujiang, and Hefei.
Huang Fasi's eyes flashed with joy, he knew Liu Taozi would come!
Xu Du took over the territory of Qi in the west, and then quickly moved closer to Huang Fasu and stationed in Lujiang and other places.
Wherever they went, Qi people surrendered one after another and went down without attacking.
Huang Fazhu had realized that Liu Taozi would not confront him head-on. He would attack Xu Du while he was marching, or wait for his main force to pass and attack the troops left behind.
Therefore, Huang Fasu quickly led his troops to the vicinity of the Lujiang River to escort Xu Du.
His prediction was correct. Huang Fasu quickly formed a formation after arriving, and Liu Taozi then appeared from the north with the intention of attacking Lujiang.
He did not enter the city, but chose a flat place outside the city, suitable for cavalry to charge, and formed a formation to receive it.
He very much hoped that Liu Taozi would pay attention to this advantageous terrain and launch a fierce attack on him.
Unless there are huge terrain restrictions, it is very difficult to defeat cavalry with infantry, especially when facing such elite and professional cavalry.
Huang Fazhu stared at the enemy in the distance. After Wu Mingche's death, he fought with Liu Taozi many times. Only twice did he gain an advantage, but he only repelled Liu Taozi and killed some of his people.
The impact is not big, I can't catch up with him.
But it seems impossible to wear Liu Taozi to death bit by bit.
Liu Taozi's army is fighting more and more now?
On the high slope in the distance, Liu Taozi was riding Heifeng, wearing heavy armor and holding a horse spear, and was also observing Huang Fazhu's formation.
Lou Rui sat next to him on horseback with a big belly, a silly smile on his face.
King Lou is uneducated and incompetent in governing the country, but at least he will not send it off like Yangzhou Daoxingtai.
He did not quarrel with Xu Du, and voluntarily abandoned the city to the west and led his troops to join Liu Taozi.
Also coming to seek refuge was Wei Pohu, who survived the catastrophe. After following Lu Qian and being defeated, he escaped by chance, then gathered the defeated troops everywhere and found Liu Taozi.
At this moment, the army arrayed around Liu Taozi was already huge.
However, on one side were the elites of the former Ye city who had followed King Lou to eat and drink and had fallen into depravity. Their combat effectiveness was greatly reduced, and they were beaten on the head by the Chen people.
On one side, there was the Yangzhou Dao army that was forcibly summoned and defeated again and again by the Chen people. The number of soldiers was reduced from more than 100,000 to just over 20,000.
It was Liu Taozi's blessing to have these two armies on both sides.
Lou Rui narrowed his eyes, "This guy is using provoking tactics. If you know it, don't be fooled. He is arrayed on the plain just to provoke you to charge. Once you take the initiative to attack, he will bite the army and wait in the city.
If the army comes out, it will be detrimental to us."
Lou Rui knew that Liu Taozi would definitely be able to see through this, but he was still a little worried. After all, he had been young and had a strong youthful spirit. Especially for a guy like Liu Taozi, who was always victorious, he was afraid that he would not be able to stand the other party's naked provocation and directly
Lead the troops to fight.
Wei Pohu on the other side also nodded wildly, "Yes, yes, we came all the way."
Listening to the two singing and harmonizing, Shi Wansui who was following Liu Taozi had a dark face and just wanted to curse.
The fight was going well, but suddenly Lou Rui came with his men.
They were said to be some of the elites of Yecheng, but it turned out that what they carried on their horses were not weapons, but everything they had stolen. They were marching all the way without forgetting looting, and military discipline was ruined!
In fact, these days, everyone is looting, and the army that does not prey on the common people is actually a minority.
It still depends on combat effectiveness. Just like Jinyang Lao Xianbei, he has no regard for human life and is also a good player in terms of looting. But the problem is that they all loot after victory. Military discipline is usually strict, and it is absolutely impossible to sneak out on the march.
The robbery thing.
They have poor combat effectiveness and no military discipline. They harm their own family more than others. How can they be considered elites in Yecheng?
Bullshit elite!
And Wei Pohu on the other side is even more of a heavyweight.
The soldiers under his command are not even as good as Lou Rui's soldiers. At a glance, they are all county soldiers who have been forcibly recruited. They are hungry and skinny. They start to tremble when they see Chen Ren. The military discipline is also corrupt. They belong to
The kind that you can grab wherever you go.
Shi Wansui couldn't figure out why the general would accept the two of them and these butchers and trash under their command!
It really seriously affects our own combat effectiveness.
Liu Taozi stared into the distance indifferently, with no obvious emotion on her face.
He looked at the two generals on the left and right, and asked: "Most of Huang Fasi's subordinates are infantry and outsiders. How could he appear outside the Lujiang River so quickly and set up defenses in advance?"
Lou Rui didn't care much, "This must have predicted your marching route in advance."
Wei Pohu said: "I heard that many scum surrendered to him. It was these villains who did it."
Liu Taozi nodded and said calmly: "Huang Fasu was defeated by me before, and there were only less than 30,000 men left under his command, but now his army has reached 40,000 to 50,000."
"Many of them are Qi people."
"After he defeated Lu Qian, he pardoned the prisoners and gave them food rations. Immediately, many people voluntarily stayed and fought for him."
"On the march, he strictly enforced military discipline and did not allow his subordinates to invade the people. He did not commit any crimes along the way."
"So there were people along the road to guide him. When he was crossing Dongguan and going to Lujiang River, people from several villages even gathered to chop wood and build a road for him."
Lou Rui's face suddenly became a little embarrassed.
Of course he understood what Liu Taozi meant.
Wei Pohu didn't react at this moment, he was still cursing: "These villains are really disgusting, they dare to help the enemy country to fight with us!"
"I think the Han people in the Huaihe River are all traitors to the Lord and should not be trusted easily."
"Cough, cough, cough."
Lou Rui's loud cough interrupted Wei Pohu's stupid words.
Only then did Wei Pohu react. He smiled quickly and said flatteringly: "General, I'm talking about the Han people in Lianghuai and Hebei."
Liu Taozi raised the horse's chariot and pointed at the yellow dharma chariot in the distance.
"Our army, during the march, looted and massacred everywhere, causing panic and causing people to flee in all directions."
"But the enemy can provide food and comfort the people, and there is no harm in the autumn."
"Therefore, Huang Fazhen became stronger with more battles, and the more elites he commanded, the more he fought. However, King Lou had tens of thousands of elites, but now we are left with these thousands of bandits who are unable to fight. As for General Wei, your more than 100,000 bandits are now also
There are only tens of thousands left.”
"According to this strategy, we will gradually lose the advantage of fighting in the local area. The people of the entire Lianghuai River will go to Huang Fazhu, give him news, and open the way for him. Fighting for him, we will die in his hands sooner or later."
Wei Pohu quietly glanced at Lou Rui, his eyes full of confusion.
Wei Pohu was a man who fought many battles in his life, but rarely won them.
Lou Rui lowered his head slightly, "Zhizhi is right."
Liu Taozi then said: "Since I am the commander-in-chief now, we should fight according to my method. If there is no military discipline, Huang Fazhu's attack on us will be like fighting bandits. When the time comes, we may not all be able to escape."
"From now on, my people will be responsible for military discipline. From me on down, no matter who dares to violate military laws, they will be severely punished and will not be pardoned."
"What do you think, two generals?"
Wei Pohu looked at Liu Taozi in fear. Wei Pohu was not very courageous in the first place. Facing the notorious Liu Taozi, he couldn't help but feel a little shy. How dare he resist, he immediately said: "I will definitely obey the general's orders."
make!!"
Lou Rui wasn't displeased, just a little embarrassed, "Just do what Zhizhi said."
Liu Taozi looked at the enemy troops in the distance and signaled the army to retreat.
Huang Fasu watched Liu Taozi's army gradually retreat, but did not dare to pursue it.
Although there are many rubbish in the enemy's formation, the elite cavalry is still there. If he is waiting in formation, he still has the confidence to block the opponent's cavalry, but if he takes the initiative to pursue uphill, it is simply out of his mind.
Neither party made an attack, and just left.
Huang Fashu led his troops to Lujiang, and Xu Du appeared here only an hour later.
Xu Du brought the latest rewards from the temple.
The general of Zhenbei, Huang Fazhu, was promoted to the general of the expedition to the west. However, Xu Du's chariot and cavalry generals had not yet been changed. The general of the Chinese army, Chun Yuliang, was appointed as the general of the expedition to the north, leading reinforcements to participate in the Northern Expedition.
In fact, in terms of official positions, General Xu Du's official position is the highest, that of General of Chariots and Cavalry.
Cavalry General, Chariot General, and Guard General, these are the three general titles under the General. They often represent the three people with the most seniority, the most power, or the strongest combat power in the country.
Huang Fayu and Chun Yuliang were both one of the Four Expeditions. The difference was that Huang Fayu was originally the general of the Four Towns, the same rank as Wu Mingche, while Chun Yuliang was previously the general of the Chinese army, with a low official position but a very high status.
The two of them were sitting in the study room, both having countless things to say.
Xu Du frowned, with a look of disbelief on his face.
"I really didn't expect Wu Mingche to lose miserably to Liu Taozi. Wu Mingche has performed extremely well in the past many years and has many victories against Qi Ren. How could he lose to Liu Taozi in such a ridiculous way?"
Huang Fashu shook his head slightly, he didn't want to talk about this issue anymore.
Wu Mingche has been defeated and it is too late to say anything now.
All he thinks about now is the next steps.
He took the initiative to jump out of the topic and asked: "The temple wants General Chunyu to send troops? Shouldn't we stop the Northern Expedition?"
Huang Fasu thought that after experiencing such a disastrous defeat, there would be a huge quarrel in the country and no one would support the Northern Expedition anymore. He was already ready to withdraw.
Xu Du said: "There are people in the country who are rebelling and want to launch a rebellion in the name of opposing the Northern Expedition. They have all been killed."
"Your Majesty has decided to continue the war, so General Chunyu will take the lead, lead reinforcements and many supplies, take over from Wu Mingche, and continue the attack."
Huang Fashu finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Ever since Wu Mingche died in the battle, although he didn't say it explicitly, his heart was always in a tense state, ready to retreat at any time.
After hearing that the villains in the country had been killed, the emperor still fully supported the Northern Expedition, and Huang Fasu's expression became determined again.
"Your Majesty is wise."
"We have failed His Majesty once, and we must not fail him a second time."
"This time, even if I risk my life, I will drive out these barbarians and regain the land of the Huaihe River for Your Majesty!!"
Huang Fasu's eyes were extremely solemn.
Xu Du looked at him and just sighed.
He was no longer as confident as before, "Liu Taozi is a famous Hu general and is difficult to deal with. The current situation is very different from before. However, now is still the best time to send troops. If we can't take it back now, wait until Liu Taozi officially
If we go south, we won't have any chance."
Huang Fazhu asked: "When will General Chunyu come, and where will he disembark?"
"It's not clear yet. It should be from Qinzhou, right?"
Huang Fasu narrowed his eyes and pondered for a long time, "Maybe not."
"General Chunyu is always able to surprise and contain dangerous points. Every time he goes on an expedition, he can directly attack the enemy's key points."
"I think, this time, there may be hope of defeating Liu Taozi."
Liu Taozi is leading the army towards Dongguan.
The army was vast and vast, stretching a long distance from front to back.
At this time, as long as an army comes to attack, Liu Taozi will definitely be defeated, the front and rear are too far apart, the formation is chaotic, and it is completely different from the past.
Shi Wansui was riding a fast horse, running back and forth in this long procession.
When he returned to Liu Taozi again, his whole body had turned red and black, and his horse, his armor, and even his face were all covered in blood.
This blood does not belong to the enemy, but to one’s own family.
There were human heads hanging on both sides of his horse, fluttering in the wind, and there were many heads hanging on the horse stalls in his hands, which looked so terrifying.
He gritted his teeth and returned to Liu Taozi's side, heavily throwing the head aside.
Liu Taozi was walking in the middle of the team, staring at the front and back.
"Lord, no, I really can't do this job anymore!"
Shi Wansui wiped his face, revealing his original skin color, "I can't finish the killing, I can't finish the killing at all."
"I myself have killed nearly a hundred people, and the soldiers under my command are almost going crazy."
"The officers could not control their soldiers at all, and the soldiers ignored military orders. When I came, I knelt down and begged for mercy. When I left, it was still the same."
"If we continue killing like this, we will have to fight them sooner or later."
Shi Wansui led the cavalry as a military discipline unit, patrolling back and forth to ensure that these people could march safely and not do anything bad.
At first he thought this was a good thing, but now, Shi Wansui is really exhausted both physically and mentally.
The beasts were killing more and more, batch after batch, and the team was becoming more and more chaotic, with no sign of improvement.
"Lord, why on earth do we bring these people to fight?"
"These people have no purpose other than reducing our combat effectiveness. I suspect they will run away when they see the enemy, and then they will become a danger to us."
Hearing Shi Wansui's words, Liu Taozi glanced at him, "Then what do you think we should do?"
"Let them go away, let them go somewhere else, wherever they came from, as long as they don't stay with us!"
Liu Taozi said calmly: "Do you mean to let them burn, kill and loot elsewhere?"
"I"
Shi Wansui was stunned for a moment and quickly shook his head, "That's not what I meant. We can."
"Kill them all?"
Shi Wansui shivered and slowly lowered his head, "I understand."
Liu Taozi looked at the young man next to him. Shi Wansui was only seventeen years old. His beard was not fully grown, and his face was covered with sparse hair. He always looked menacing.
Although he is not yet twenty years old, his bravery has already been demonstrated.
In every battle, Liu Taozi was at the forefront, unstoppable. No one around Liu Taozi dared to look down upon this young boy. Through battle after battle, he rose from an ordinary knight in the Mandrill Battalion to a captain.
Although he is outstandingly brave, he is not a purely reckless warrior. Shi Wansui also likes reading. He is still quite well-behaved and polite on weekdays, and has his own judgment on many things.
Liu Taozi also attaches great importance to him.
"If you just rely on killing, you can only make them afraid, but you can't change them."
"You have to change your strategy and think about whether you can let the generals and officers help you restrain the other soldiers and think about yourself in the position of commander."
Shi Wansui frowned, "Master, do you want me to change them?"
"Just make them restrain themselves."
"Think more about it."
Liu Taozi sped up slightly and continued driving into the distance.
Shi Wansui froze on the spot and began to think about ways to restrain military discipline. He decided to honestly adopt the method his lord told him and let the officers help him.
He set his sights on those officers. After something happened, he first held the officers accountable and replaced them with people who were brave, capable of serving the masses, and able to obey orders.
Then give them the power to deal with their subordinates, let them rectify the soldiers under their subordinates, and if something goes wrong, they must be held accountable.
Start with the most junior officers and then work your way up.
Liu Taozi had no involvement from the beginning to the end, but it could be regarded as handing over the power of appointment to this young boy.
Shi Wansui found too many officers who did not meet the standards and could not find anyone to replace them. He asked Liu Taozi to make temporary adjustments. Anyway, they were already so bad, and he was not afraid that the temporary adjustments would affect the combat effectiveness. Ten people
The team was changed to a twenty-man team to enhance the power of lower-level officers and reduce the number of multi-level officers.
The people in Yecheng were actually fine. They were just spoiled by Lou Rui, and they still had some abilities. Under the forced orders, they were gradually reorganized, and the marching speed increased most obviously. As for Wei Pohu's
Under his command, we can only come step by step.
When everyone arrived at Dongguan, Wang Lin was waiting for them here.
He brought very bad news.
Chapter completed!