The resistance against the Jurchens' fourth southern expedition lasted for two years. In the first half, the various powers in Jinshan and Shandong fought against the Jin army. In the second half, the battles in Jiangnan and the southwest attracted the attention of the majority of the world. But in addition, the Central Plains north of the Yangtze and south of the Yellow River were also in turmoil.
In the first half of the tenth year of Jianshuo, Xuzhou became the last stop before the Jurchens launched the war in Jiangnan. The cause and effect of this battle extended to the actions of the various parties before the war began. At that time, the Huaxia army kidnapped the fake Qi emperor Liu Yu in Bianliang and blamed Liu Yu's death on the Wu dynasty. The crown prince, Jun Wu, secretly contacted the governor of Xuzhou, Li Anmao, and used large amounts of money and resources to request the Huaxia army's help. At the same time, he dragged the Huaxia army into the front lines of the war.
Both sides seemed to be pushing the blame to each other, but in reality, they were both fighting against the Jurchens. In response to Jun Wu's move, Ning Yi ordered Liu Chengzong to lead more than eight thousand men into Xuzhou to help him defend the city. When the Jurchens' eastern army arrived in Xuzhou in the tenth year of Jianshuo, Liu Chengzong led his own army and Li Anmao's fifty thousand men to defend the city for three months before breaking through and heading north. Because Zong Fu and Zong Bi weren't determined to start a war here, the war didn't develop to a very tragic degree.
They could fight side by side when defending the city together, but when it came to breaking through, some things had to be done separately. The governor of Xuzhou, Li Anmao, was originally a subordinate of Liu Yu and was loyal to the Wu dynasty. At the beginning of the war, he invited the Huaxia army to help out. When Xuzhou fell, he naturally wanted to take his army back to Jiangnan.
This wasn't a big deal at first. The Huaxia army valued quality over quantity, and they didn't covet the fifty thousand soldiers under his command. But before the war with the Jurchens, the two sides had been together in Xuzhou for half a year. In order not to let these soldiers drag them down, propaganda, infiltration, and incorporation had to be done. After retreating from Xuzhou and seeing the strength of the Huaxia Army, a portion of the middle and lower ranking officers in the Li Faction's army had already made plans to join the Huaxia Army after more than half a year of infiltration. Because of this, as the retreat progressed, Li Anmao's power was directly seized. More than 50,000 people changed hands and were replaced with black flags.
After the initial annexation of Xuzhou was completed, due to the critical situation in Shandong, Liu Chengzong and the others moved north to support Zhu Biao, Wang Shanyue, and the others in Liangshan. But because the Jurchen Eastern Army had been plundering and mopping up southward, the people of Shandong had starved to death for thousands of li. Although Liu Chengzong had an army, he lacked supplies, and the supplies on Liangshan were also extremely poor. In the end, he had to borrow some provisions from Takeshi to support Liu Chengzong's several thousand men crossing the Yellow River to confront Wanyan Chang.
The tens of thousands of soldiers who had just been incorporated into the Li family could only stay on the south bank of the Yellow River and seek their own survival.
In order to lead this army to carry out the subsequent reorganization and survival, Liu Chengzong had left a team of more than 20 people who were good at politics and organization. The leader was the division's Deputy Chief of Staff, Zou Xu. He was an outstanding figure among the young officers of the Huaxia Army. During the war against Western Xia, he had been taught and trained by Ning Yi. Although he was still the division's Deputy Chief of Staff, he was efficient and had long since gained the ability to take charge of an area …
…
"I also have a deep impression of this person, Zou Xu." Qin Shaoqian said as the night wind blew through the barracks outside Hanzhong City. "He can be considered one of the most talented of your early disciples. His name is very upright, and his way of doing things is very similar to yours. After the war against Western Xia, the Jurchen came to demonstrate their strength and brought the head of Shopkeeper Lu. He was one of the main people who received them and could be said to be neither servile nor overbearing. At that time, you said that this person was worth using. "
Ning Yi nodded. "Back then, there were many outstanding people among the batch of people in Little Canghe, but today, there are not many of them left. Many of them have unfortunately died on the battlefield. Now, Chen Tian's position is the highest. He is partnered with Qu Zhengyan as the chief of staff. Below Chen Tian is Zou Xu. He is very capable and has long been a candidate to be the chief of staff or even the division commander. Because he was taught by me, this promotion was actually deliberately delayed by me. He should be aware of this, so this time in Xuzhou, Liu Chengzong gave him a chance to take charge of an area … I have also been negligent … "
Qin Shaoqian nodded and repeated the information that Ning Yi had given him.
Zou Xu had taken over this army of nearly 50,000 soldiers in the autumn of the 10th year of Jianshuo. This had already happened nearly two years ago.
…
No matter how one looked at it, it was not an easy task to take in and settle down the tens of thousands of soldiers originally under Li Anmao's command.
First of all, after the puppet Qi was established, Xuzhou was already the territory of the puppet Qi Liu Yu. The establishment of the puppet regime had originally been to kill the goose that laid the golden eggs to catch the fisherman. Li Anmao was concerned about the Wu dynasty. When the time came, he sought to restore order, but the so-called army under his command was originally a puppet army without any fighting strength. After restoring order, in order to expand its fighting strength, the method used was to wantonly plunder the young and strong, making up the numbers. Its fighting strength was perhaps only slightly better than the Han army at the end of the southwest war.
Liu Chengzong would lead 8,000 soldiers to defend Xuzhou with him. In order to be safe, he had to grasp command and control in his hands. Although Li Anmao was hot-blooded, in the end, he was still loyal to the Wu dynasty. After defending Xuzhou to the death for three months, his intention was to nail everyone in Xuzhou to the last soldier, so as to reduce the pressure on the Jiangnan defense line to the greatest extent. Liu Chengzong could not keep him company. He directly knocked Li Anmao out during the meeting and then seized control.
As a result, even though the transfer of authority to the upper echelons had been completed, the internal structure of this miscellaneous army had yet to be disrupted and completely reorganized. The soldiers were still not mentally prepared for this. After Liu Chengzong and the others decided to head north, they left Zou Xu's task force with an army without sufficient rations, fighting strength, or even enough cohesion. On paper, there were nearly 50,000 soldiers, but in reality, they were just a time bomb that could explode at any time.
Of course, in the circumstances at that time, no power in the world could be described as having "easy" living space.
After Tian Hu's death and Liao Yiren's betrayal, Lou Shuwan and the others also hid in the mountains, struggling to survive.
Zhu Biao and Wang Shanyue's side experienced the bitter rescue of the Daimyo Residence and suffered heavy casualties. Countless of their companions were captured and slaughtered. After Liangshan was besieged, there was no food everywhere, and they had to endure hunger.
In Jiangnan, the Jurchen Eastern Army knocked on the pass and was on the verge of collapse.
In the southwest, the main force of the Huaxia army had to face the threat of the world's strongest army led by Zong Han and Xi Yin.
This army could only be thrown out like abandoned chess pieces. Even at that time, Ning Yi did not have too optimistic expectations for the future of these 50,000 people. He made some suggestions to Zou Xu's task force that was thousands of miles away, and at the same time, gave them the greatest freedom and authority. Under such circumstances, Zou Xu carried out the reorganization of the army with great difficulty.
On one hand, for more than a year, Zou Xu contacted the local landlords and big clans, and adopted the method of fighting one against one, using war to fight and obtaining as much external resources as possible to maintain his own survival.
On the other hand, without the support of the main force of the Huaxia army led by Liu Chengzong, he carried out a huge reorganization and reorganization of the army. First, he eliminated some people through battle, and also lost some people in the long-distance transfer. Then, he took the initiative to reduce the army's core combat strength, maintaining the scale of more than 20,000 people. In addition, there were two splits in the middle, by the winter of the eleventh year of Jianshuo, this army had fought for thousands of miles and was covered in wounds. They took root near Funiu Mountain in the southwest of Luoyang.
To be able to achieve such an effect, there was no doubt that Zou Xu's leadership skills were on full display. At that time, the war in Jiangnan had ended, and the war in the southwest was about to begin. Although this army had used war to nurture war and produced some elites, their overall strength was still much weaker than the Jurchen Western Army. Moreover, after a year of endless campaigning, lack of resources, and damage to their vitality, Ning Yi ultimately did not plan to send them into battle. Instead, he allowed them to rest and build up strength, preparing to use them as a key force in attacking Luoyang, Bianliang, and other places in the future.
An intense internal split broke out in January of this year. At that time, the original task force, which only had eight people left, was in confrontation. It was said that a small-scale 'rebellion' broke out, which was then forcefully suppressed by Zou Xu. Two members of the task force, along with dozens of soldiers, escaped with injuries. At that time, Fang Chengye, who had returned from the north, received orders to go to the vicinity of Luoyang. After understanding the situation, he contacted Takeshi's forces and initiated an investigation.
At that time, the war in the southwest was reaching its climax. Ning Yi was constantly gathering his forces and preparing for the battle at Wangyuan Bridge. Naturally, he was unable to determine what had happened near Crouching Bull Mountain. He could only do his best to keep it a secret and order external personnel who still had the strength to carry out the investigation according to the procedures. The entire investigation process was verified by many parties, and the dust finally settled at the end of April.
The results of the investigation showed that the Huaxia army entrenched in Crouching Bull Mountain had completely become under Zou Xu's control. This was not the biggest problem. The real problem was that Zou Xu had been controlled by his desires for material things and pleasure for the past year. In the vicinity of Ruzhou, he had killed landlords and taken their wives and concubines. After arriving at Crouching Bull Mountain, he had formed a relationship with the governor of Luoyang, Yin Zong, and the others. He had even accepted a large number of supplies and even women from them.
According to the results of the investigation, after arriving at Crouching Bull Mountain, the local gentry had prepared several residences for Zou Xu in the nearby counties. Zou Xu seemed normal in the army, but he often entered the cities to enjoy himself. At first, these things were only vaguely noticed by others. Since Zou Xu's military management was considered strict, no one dared to say anything rashly. By January of this year, the war in the southwest had become tense. After news of Huangming County being breached reached them, the other members of the task force felt that they could no longer sit idly by and watch the war develop. Since they had taken a breather, it was time for them to make further plans. Finally, both sides rose in the meeting and confronted each other with equal harshness.
Zou Xu himself was strong and influential, but the other members of the task force were not easy to deal with. Both sides made things clear, and the task force began to impeach Zou Xu. At that time, among the eight people, only two were on Zou Xu's side. Therefore, Zou Xu rose in revolt. Among the five people who confronted him, three were killed. More than a hundred Huaxia soldiers died in this internal conflict.
After Fang Chengye and the others intervened, Zou Xu even tried to catch all the people who knew about the matter in one fell swoop. He only gave up after this possibility was destroyed. He had a meeting with Fang Chengye and the others. After that, he chased them out and did not make any more excuses. Fang Chengye immediately sent a message back. Only then did Ning Yi know that in the midst of the intense war in the southwest, the north had already broken out such a vile act of defection.
…
"I only brought a summary with me." The patrolling soldiers came over and saluted Ning Yi and Qin Shaoqian. Ning Yi returned the salute and then said, "Fang Chengye's investigation in that area is relatively detailed. After Zou Xu took control of fifty thousand troops, because Liu Chengzong's troops had already left, he did not have the bargaining chips to forcefully suppress them. Within the army, he could only rely on the balance of power and intrigue to divide the original middle-level generals in order to maintain the command of the task force. In terms of methods, he actually did it quite beautifully. "
"Externally, he understood that he did not have the advantage of unity, so he always allied with one group of country gentlemen to fight against another group. There were constant battles, so he could maintain external pressure and maintain relative internal stability. In such battles, he divided and streamlined the troops, which was actually similar to the method used by the Jin Kingdom. If he treated the fifty thousand miscellaneous soldiers equally, it would be very difficult for him to maintain the stability of his power with a task force of twenty or so people. Therefore, he drew circles, set up relationships, and adjusted the troops layer by layer. In the end, although only ten thousand or so core troops were left, the combat power of the entire army had already far exceeded the fifty thousand people in the past. If this kind of planning ability was used on the right path, it would be able to achieve great things. "
When Ning Yi said this, Qin Shaoqian smiled and said, "In some aspects, he really did inherit your mantle."
"In private, in the beginning, he was indeed somewhat similar to me. First, it's his appearance. He was very handsome, right?" As Ning Yi said this, both of them laughed out loud. "Then, it's the way he did things. The first batch of people first considered to do things, so their methods were very radical, and some were even unscrupulous. But Zou Xu's way of doing things was not only effective, but also very magnanimous and relatively particular in many aspects. This is what I admire very much. "
Ning Yi paused. "Moreover, in terms of personal matters, in the beginning, Zou Xu could bear hardships due to the lack of resources, but at the same time, he knew how to find joy in hardship. With limited resources, how could he make something delicious? Under circumstances where it was harmless, he emphasized the desire for good food … This is actually very similar to me. Now that I think about it, this is actually one of my weaknesses."
Qin Shaoqian said, "When there's nothing to eat, it's very normal to be hungry. In the future, when the world is better, I don't think it's a big deal …" He was also a rich playboy who had lived through the golden age, and had enjoyed what he should have enjoyed in his early years. At this moment, he did not feel that there was anything wrong with it.
Ning Yi sighed slightly, then patted him on the shoulder and did not say anything more.
"The Central Plains can be said to be very barren, but there are still people who can survive. Zou Xu has been forming alliances along the way, pulling one side to fight another. He has been in frequent contact with some large clans and landlords. Last autumn should have been a turning point in Ruzhou. A concubine of a family, who should have been the daughter of an official's family, hooked up with each other. Later, it was exposed on the spot. It was probably Zou Xu's first time dealing with such personal matters. At that time, he killed an entire family and gave it an excuse. Sigh … "
"Then he went to Luoyang … Actually, the few families that are still alive in the Central Plains have been weakened to the extreme in terms of combat power. They're just some local tycoons and some bandits. Zou Xu led this Huaxia army to survive in that area. Although he fought back and forth, his reputation has always been good. He pulled one side to fight another, and he would never make a move on his own boss. Therefore, to these people, paying protection fees to Zou Xu isn't too bad in such a war-torn situation … "
Qin Shaoqian smiled. "Rather than paying protection fees, why not pull him over and make him one of us?"
Ning Yi nodded. "That's right. It's hard to investigate the Ruzhou incident now. It's hard to tell if the people led by Luoyang's Yin Zong actively set up a scheme to corrupt Zou Xu, or if Zou Xu had naturally reached this step. But in general, Zou Xu has already laid his cards on the table with Fang Chengye. He won't accept the outcome of returning to the Huaxia army and being judged. Therefore, he can only steel his heart and unite with some of the impoverished people in the Central Plains to become the king of the mountain. Zou Xu is capable in managing the army, and he's very clear about the rules, rewards, and punishments within the Huaxia army. If Yin Zong and the others continue to inject blood into him, and he's not a mere figurehead, in the next few years, he might really become … a weakened version of the Huaxia army … "
"… What do you plan to do?"
"Now that things have come to this, it's impossible to forgive him." Ning Yi shook his head. "If I hadn't thrown Tang Minjie to the Jin Kingdom, I'd really want to throw him to Crouching Bull Mountain and have him fight Zou Xu in the arena. Now … I'll leave him to Fang Chengye to scout out the surrounding situation. It'd be best if he can solve it properly, but if not, I'll wipe him out in a few years. The world is too big, and there are already many people coming to join in the fun. "
The two of them walked along the military camp. Qin Shaoqian nodded and thought for a long time. "I understand now why you were so worried before."
"A year. Without watching, those who should be corrupted will be corrupted … In the next few years, this will be the most serious problem we'll face."
"I understand … Classes, meetings."
"Comrade Shaoqian … You're a little too enlightened …"
The river of stars spread across the night sky. The two of them in the military camp chatted and laughed. Even though they were talking about serious matters that would determine the future of the entire world, they would occasionally put their arms around each other's shoulders.
To the south of the military camp, the Han River flowed. A world-shaking war had ended. In the Divine Great Land, which spanned tens of millions of miles, countless people were still quietly listening to the news. The aftermath of the war was about to stir up great waves in the crowd. These waves would converge into giant waves that would wash away everything.
It had been 14 years since the Female Zhenren first went south. The entire world was fragmented. Countless city walls were decorated with all kinds of flags. At this moment, a new change was about to begin.
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