Chapter 158 Only Yecheng is worth grabbing

"I know Liu Yuan, who has been close friends with King Sima Ying of Chengdu for many years. If the Yecheng army is not defeated in the future, Liu Yuan will definitely attach himself to Sima Ying."

Standing up from among the many rebel army officers, Wang Mi walked to the general's desk holding a wooden bowl, sat cross-legged and began to give a profound speech.

"Jianxing and Yining counties are mountainous and have few people. Liu Yuan's purpose is to call on the able-bodied men of the Southern Xiongnu to form a private army and then use the civilians to capture the counties of the two counties. In my opinion, Liu Yuan is not a concern."

The war potential of the two Shangdang counties is indeed far less than that of the surrounding Taiyuan County, Pingyang County, and Henei County. The two counties combined can only mobilize five or six thousand soldiers.

Of course, if we ignore the issue of farming and recruit all the able-bodied civilians into the army, the fourteen counties in Jianxing and Yining counties can indeed produce tens of thousands of able-bodied men. However, Liu Yuan was not in that hurry. He only needed to form an army that could defend the cities and then wait for the Jin court to confer the title on him.

As for the mess in Bingzhou, no matter which Sima vassal king won the battle of Luoyang, he would have to unite with Sima Yong, the King of Hejian in Guannei, to attack the rebel army in Pingyang County. Liu Yuan, who was in Shangdang area, could be regarded as a help to the Jin court.

"Wang Mi, how well do you know Sima Yong?"

To the north of Taiyuan County is the western part of the Tuoba Xianbei. Before Taiyuan was in the hands of the Jin court, there was a small fight with the Xianbei, Qiang and Hu tribes every ten days and a big fight every thirty days, and the contradictions between the Hu and Han were extremely sharp.

In order to return to Jingxing Pass in time for support, Li Hao only had time to capture Jinyang City, and there were still several county towns that he had not taken care of. The rebel army also had insufficient troops in Jinyang City and was unable to expand its victory.

Therefore, General Li had to make another trip to the Taiyuan Basin. At that time, he had to decide based on the situation whether to go north to fight the Tuoba Xianbei or go south to fight Sima Yong's Chang'an army.

After quickly swallowing the wheat rice in his mouth, Wang Mi replied: "Sima Yong is hesitant and greedy. He is also a vassal king. He will help whoever wins in Luoyang. If Sima Lun can win, it will be great news for the general and the brothers of the righteous army. If Sima Ying wins, we must consider fighting the government on two fronts."

The situation in the rebel army's territory is also quite bad. Several counties in Jizhou need to be recovered quickly. The families of the newly recovered Zhongshan soldiers are all in Zhongshan County. The rebel army has to fight eastward, otherwise these Zhongshan soldiers will not have the heart to fight.

"According to the generals' opinions, where should we expand our territory now?"

The servants of the general's mansion brought in more oil lamps, which made the hall much brighter.

"We will conquer the entire territory of Zhao County, and then capture Yecheng, and let the government know how powerful our righteous army is."

"Go eastwards and attack Zhongshan State, Hejian State and other places. Take advantage of Youzhou being without a ruler and capture Youzhou in one fell swoop to use it as a barrier."

"It would be better to attack Julu County, Xindu County and other places, and then attack Yecheng in the south."

The military officers discussed the matter a lot. Although they had different opinions, almost everyone supported attacking Jizhou, Youzhou, Yecheng and other places first.

These places were rich and had many noble families. After conquering them, the rebel soldiers could get more rewards, especially Yecheng. Many military officers were eager to urge the general to attack Yecheng in the next battle.

The purpose of the war was to seize the beautiful women, mansions, and property in the city. Looking at the surrounding big cities, Yecheng was the most worth robbing.

Wang Mi made the final suggestion, "General, why don't we first recover the counties of Zhao, Changshan, and Zhongshan, and then march south when the situation in the south becomes clear."

He also advocated marching south to capture Yecheng.

The rebels came from various backgrounds, but most of them were seeking wealth and glory, and what they wanted was to capture Yecheng and plunder it.

Li Hao calculated the date and said loudly, "That's settled. We will attack Zhongshan and Changshan counties first, and then turn around and head south."

The rebel army seized a lot of siege weapons in front of Jingxing Pass, and after some modification, they were used to attack Yecheng.

After taking Yecheng, even if they hold on to an isolated city, they can tie up a lot of Jin troops. Then General Li will have time to lead his troops to the Taiyuan Basin to clean up the mess.

All the military officers were smiling happily, and they all flattered the general. The purpose of rebellion was to seize the big city.

After agreeing on the military strategy, they said goodbye and left one by one. Li Hao then summoned officials such as Li Huang, the Langzhong of the Construction Department, and Zhang Ren, the Langzhong of the Tax Department, under the General's Mansion, and asked them in detail about the matters they were in charge of.

Zhang Ren was a housekeeper and servant of Li Ju. He was good at writing and calculating, and was an honest man with no airs of an official. He was used to urge local taxes and mining levies purely because the rebel army lacked talented people.

Labor service in various places was under the jurisdiction of the Construction Department. The first thing Li Huang reported was the members of the gentry in the Jingxing Coal Mine.

"The rebels have stockpiled enough coal. Charcoal is still the best choice for making weapons and armor. Please ask the general to order the members of the nobles to go to Mianshan to cut trees."

His brother was in charge of the Yuhengsi, which was responsible for making armor. The armor made from coal-smelting iron was too brittle, and the blacksmiths complained about it for a long time.

Li Huang explained the reason to the general.

"You decide. Just record the miners' change of use."

Li Hao waved his hand to show his agreement.

"General, there was a brother named Zhao Zhong who had caught up with the Ma clan members fleeing south with the rebel army. He worked for me for several months and was very capable and opinionated. He was a native of Zhao County without any land..."

Zhang Ren wanted to recommend this capable subordinate, but after much discussion he could not bring himself to ask for an official position for Zhao Zhong.

"Can this man read? If he can, I will give him an official title and let him be my assistant in charge of weapons and armor. If he can't read, he will study with Lou Quan and his people for a while."

The new officials of the rebel army were almost entirely recommended by middle and high-level military and government officials, and the people who could write and judge were at best from humble families. Ordinary people could only climb up by fighting on the battlefield and earning military merits.

In order to reverse this situation, Li Hao gathered some members of the aristocratic families who were willing to cooperate, such as Lou Quan, and set up a Tongxueguan, so that the officers and officials of the rebel army who had never been to school could study in their spare time.

"Zhao Zhong can't read." Zhang Ren smiled shyly, "I thank the general on his behalf."

After saying this, he bowed to the ground.

The rebel army was short of officials, and they had too many things to take care of. Li Hao asked them to report only the most important things, and it was already the middle of the night when they finished reporting everything.

After that, everyone went back to their homes. The general went to his own residence, washed up, and went to the north room to prepare for a few fierce battles before resting.

There was only one oil lamp lit in the north room. Wu Xianying turned over on the bed upon hearing the noise, smiled gently and stood up, first closed the door, then walked to her husband, put her hands delicately on the general's shoulders, and slid down to untie the belt of his robe.

"My dear, please be gentle tonight. I can't stand you..."

She said this, but her body was distant and close, using her actions to express her true thoughts.

Li Hao chuckled, picked up Wu Xianying with both hands and threw her onto the couch.

This woman is of medium build, with delicate features, and what is rare is that a small branch can bear great fruit.

"My dear, please don't, ah~"

She lay prone on the bed, bent over and stuck out her buttocks, and fought for several minutes.

After a long time, Li Hao lay on the couch, enjoying Wu Xianying's caress. "My dear, my father has also worked hard for the righteous army for several months. Can you give him an official title?"

After delaying for a moment, Wu Xianying stammered and expressed what was in his mind.

The timing chosen by this woman was not bad. The rebel army had just won a great victory and it was a time when people were needed. Wu Zhineng had managed to run his own fortress into one of the richest in Yuanshi County, so he was considered to have some talent.

"Let's wait until we conquer Julu County and see what military intelligence he has collected there."

Wu Xianying was overjoyed and caressed the general with much more force. Li Hao was intrigued by her tenderness and pressed her down on the couch, starting a new round of battle.

……

November 20th, Julu County, Julu County.

Julu County was established in the Qin Dynasty. When it was first established, it had jurisdiction over more than 30 counties. During the Western Han Dynasty, it was reduced to 20 counties. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, it was reduced by five more counties. Today, Julu County only has jurisdiction over eight counties.

Julu County is the southern end of Julu County. Eighty miles to the west is Xindu County, the capital of Jizhou. One hundred and thirty miles to the southwest is Handan City. And seventy miles due south of Handan City is Yecheng.

The rebel army's development in Zhongshan State was quite smooth. Since a large number of state soldiers surrendered to the rebel army, some people in the counties of Zhongshan State actually took the initiative to open the city gates for the rebel army. Almost all the local gentry who could escape did so, making it much easier for the rebel army to check the land properties.

The only bad thing was that the dozens of noble families who escaped took away their private soldiers and dependents, and also took away many of the regular households that provided farming for them, which caused a significant decrease in the population of Zhongshan County.

After occupying five counties in Zhongshan County, more than 21,000 rebel soldiers turned south and captured seven counties in Julu County.

Now, after taking Julu County, Xindu County and other places, we can attack big cities such as Handan and Yecheng in the south.

"Julu County is not like Gaoyi County and Xindu County. The county seat is in Dingtao County. Julu County is not very important. The only noble families are Wei, Geng, Bei, and Zhang. Some of the clans have already fled with their families. The remaining private soldiers add up to about a thousand people. There are at most 1,500 soldiers with swords in this city."

Wu Zhi, wearing a double armor, stood in front of many mounted rebel officers and introduced the situation in Julu County to everyone.

His military intelligence was not much different from that discovered by the rebel scouts.

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the seat of Julu County was moved to Dingtao County, and Julu County declined greatly as a result. It was far inferior to Xindu County, the seat of Jizhou, and also inferior to Gaoyi County, the seat of Jizhou for more than 150 years.

Of course, the gentry in these places can actually be further subdivided. Gaoyi County rose in the Eastern Han Dynasty, and the local gentry were far less loyal to the Jin court than those in Xindu County.

Julu County itself experienced the Yellow Turban Rebellion in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. The three brothers Zhang Jiao, leaders of the Taiping Dao, were from Julu. Therefore, the rise of the gentry here was mostly less than a hundred years ago. They were not even close to the high-ranking gentry and could barely be considered middle-class gentry.

"The city wall is only two meters high, and many of the battlements are made of mud bricks. The defenders in the city will not have much determination to hold on. Please allow me to persuade them to surrender, it may be effective."

In the end, Wu Zhi requested this.

He kept in touch with his daughter and knew that capturing Julu County was his last hope to be granted an official position in the rebel army, so he worked very hard on the road to the south.

After the rebel army repelled several Jin troops outside Jingxing Pass, its internal cohesion was unprecedentedly enhanced. Some captured members of the gentry began to take the initiative to show goodwill and demonstrate their talents in front of the rebel army's military officers and officials.

This was a good phenomenon, and Li Hao specially commended several members of the gentry who performed outstandingly, and granted them official titles such as Yuanwailang and Zhushi.

Of course, due to the expansion of territory, the original officials and military officers were promoted faster. The first few of the Five Hundred Lords were promoted to colonels, and Li Xiang, Lu Rong and others were even given the title of General of the Central Army, each in charge of three colonels.

The general waved his whip and signaled his personal soldiers to bring him a horse, so that Wu Zhi would not look too shabby when he went to the city to persuade them to surrender.

After bowing to thank the general, the former commander of the fortress mounted his horse and went alone to the city of Julu to persuade the enemy to surrender.

"Shoot your arrows, shoot this traitor to death."

The county magistrate named Wei on the top of the city wall ordered his soldiers to shoot the bandit to death.

But most of the soldiers in Julu City were private soldiers of the gentry, and a small part were able-bodied men he had recently captured by the military officials in the city. Most of those who could use a bow were private soldiers of the gentry.

Seeing the aggressive advance of the rebel army, the clan leaders of the aristocratic families who did not escape all had some thoughts of surrendering with their troops. They had no chance of making a name for themselves in the Jin court to begin with, and when they heard that General Li allowed the aristocratic families to lead their troops to join the war, they thought that following the rebel army that was winning successive victories was a way out.

"Why don't County Magistrate Wei go first? If we can reach an agreement with the general, whether County Magistrate Wei's head can be saved depends on the general's opinion."

The chief of the noble family named Geng Bo, surrounded by his private soldiers, suggested that Magistrate Wei escape on his own to avoid any bloodshed and embarrassment for them in their dealings with the Wei family.

"You are all heartless beasts!" County Magistrate Wei pointed his finger at the clan leaders who were unwilling to fight to the death with the rebels, "You have handed over a good county to the hands of the bandits. When I return with my troops, I will punish you severely."

Magistrate Wei wanted to say a few more harsh words, but when he saw the malicious looks of the private soldiers on the opposite side, he only dared to count with his fingers before he quickly walked down the city wall with his personal followers and rode away through another gate.

The military officials in the county and the civilians captured by him would definitely not escape with him.

Shortly after the county magistrate surnamed Wei fled the county, the rebel army entered Julu City.

The news of 20,000 rebel soldiers heading south spread quickly throughout the southern counties. Zuo Changshi Lu Zhi and others who stayed behind in Yecheng had already received the military intelligence. Originally, Changshi Lu only considered how to defend Yecheng, but after the rebels showed signs of attacking the city, he had to change his tactics.

In the Governor's Mansion in Yecheng, Wang Yan and others who led the Yanzhou army to aid the King of Chengdu gathered with the officials of the palace who stayed behind to discuss how to break the current situation.

"The King of Chengdu is still in Sizhou confronting the King of Zhao. If Yecheng is besieged, the soldiers will not want to go to Luoyang for a battle. The people will want to return home, and the King of Chengdu's chances of winning will be greatly reduced."

Wang Yan was the first to analyze the situation. At this time, Xindu, Handan and other cities were in the hands of the Jin court. If the county magistrates and prefects of these cities could be contacted, they could still resist the Li bandits who were heading south.

Wang Dun beside him nodded repeatedly, "We can send soldiers to search for forts in the countryside, and order the nobles to bring their private soldiers into the county to help defend against the bandits. As long as each city can gather 3,000 to 5,000 soldiers, the bandits will attack us one by one, and we can delay until the King of Chengdu leads his army to help."

Lu Zhi thought about the proposals of these two people and sent troops to garrison the northern cities. That would mean that a lot of soldiers in Yecheng would have to be sent out.

Zuo Changshi was in a dilemma as to whether to defend Yecheng alone or to divide his troops to garrison various cities on the enemy's way south.

"Yecheng is a place that the soldiers under the command of King Chengdu care about. We must not lose it. Even a siege would shake the morale of the army. What the governor said makes sense."

Lieutenant Fei Li also advised Lu Zhi to divide his troops and march north, as it would be too late if he delayed any further.

"Well, please ask Governor Wang to lead his troops to garrison Handan City, and Lieutenant Fei to lead his troops to garrison Xindu."

Seeing that both of them had good ideas, Lu Zhi sent them north to fight against the bandits.

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(End of this chapter)