Chapter 185 Chapter Twelve

Part Six Forever and Ever Huainan Jiedu envoy Pei Yun took Chuzhou and Sizhou lightly, and personally beheaded Luo Louzhen, the chief general of Huaidong in Southern Chu. , Yong's army was unable to attack, Pei Yun ordered He Ying's troops to take a detour to attack Gaoyou, crossed the water and attacked from the side, Guangling was defeated, and reinforcements did not arrive for a long time. Before the battle, all the generals in Guangling surrendered.On October 29, the Yong army arrived in Yangzhou, and the Yangzhou defenders collapsed without a fight. ——"Zi Zhi Tong Jian".Yongji III

Chuzhou's scenic spots are most famous for Zhenhuai Tower, Hanhou Temple in the city, Piaomu Temple and Hanhou Diaoyutai in the suburbs. Gu Yuanyong, the prefect of Chuzhou, loved Zhenhuai Tower the most, and he often held banquets here. Celebrity, he was here last night to command the defenders of Chuzhou to resist the attack of the Yong army, but within one night, when he came to Zhenhuai Tower again, he was already a prisoner, although the soldiers of the Yong army who supervised him were not rude in the slightest, But the bitterness and fear in his heart could not be shaken off. At dusk yesterday, the disarmed and disarmed Chuzhou camp came outside the city to defeat the troops. I learned that the Yong army had captured the Chuzhou camp and Luo Louzhen had died in battle. He quickly opened the city gate to let the defeated troops enter the city. , the leader is Huang Canjun, this person often helps him to relax in front of Luo Louzhen, so he didn't feel suspicious.Unexpectedly, it was evil stars who entered the city. Huang Canjun was forced by the Yong army to make money in the city. Chuzhou, which could barely fight, fell inexplicably.Finally, Gu Yuanyong still had some vigilance. Although he was taken into the city by the Yong army, he retreated to Zhenhuai Tower under the protection of his own soldiers, and started street fighting with the Yong army. The Yong army was powerful, but the Chuzhou defenders were after all Familiar with geography, the two armies fought for a long time, and the outcome was not decided.But that night, 20,000 reinforcements from the Yong army poured into Chuzhou City, and Gu Yuanyong's last hope was shattered. Seeing that the city of Chuzhou was full of banners of the Yong Army, the remaining thousand defenders were besieged in Zhenhuai City. Downstairs, in desperation, he could only raise the city to surrender.Afterwards, he was forced to lead the Yong army to pacify the people in the four cities. By dawn, Chuzhou City had already been taken over by Dayong.

Gu Yuanyong, who hadn't slept all night, was summoned to Zhenhuai Tower by General Pei Yun of the Yong Army. He walked up to the top floor he was most familiar with. He saw Pei Yun standing in front of the window with his hands behind his back, overlooking the scenery downstairs. On the two sides behind him, on the left and right, stood two people, both of whom were masters of the white battalion in blue and black armor and white cloaks.Although Gu Yuanyong didn't know the special status of these personal guards, he could tell that each of them had a strong demeanor, unlike ordinary sergeants.With a bitter expression, he stepped forward and bowed to the tunnel, "Gu Yuanyong, a minister of Southern Chu, pays his respects to Master Jiedu Envoy."

Pei Yun turned around and reached out to support him. After he got up, Pei Yun smiled slightly and said: "Pei was ordered by His Majesty Emperor Dayong to attack Huaidong, and he offended the people of Chuzhou. The bloody battle last night is inevitable. Many innocent people have been hurt, since my lord has already turned to the light, please be more comforting." Gu Yuanyong Nuonuo agreed, but there was hope in his heart. Could it be that the Yong army was not going to execute him? He resisted the Yong army for nearly half the night. In the dark night, the Yong army who attacked the city suffered a lot of damage. There were about a thousand people. He originally thought that as long as Chuzhou was pacified, he would be punished by Qiu Hou. If he was not worried about the bloodbath of Chuzhou City in revenge, he would not surrender. Unexpectedly, this Huainan Jiedu envoy, Yong The general didn't seem to blame himself.

Gu Yuanyong had no experience in fighting the Yong army before, so he naturally didn't know that in the eyes of the Yong army, it is normal for the enemy to resist, and if they don't resist, please surrender. Would it make them feel strange? Pei Yun comforted Gu Yuanyong with his gentle words, which made Gu Yuanyong gradually calm down. At this time, Du Lingfeng came upstairs angrily, saluted Pei Yun, and said, "General, that Chu Governor Shi is too rude, and his subordinates were ordered to confiscate the documents and seals, but he refused to hand them over, and even scolded you, saying that you are an insidious villain who used deception to make money."

Gu Yuanyong's heart skipped a beat. Shi Jing Changqing, the governor of Chu State, was a top-ranked Jinshi in the autumn of the second year of Tongtai, and he took office in Chuzhou four years ago.This person is a child of a Jiaxing family, and according to his background and talent, he should have a higher official position, at least he can enter the Imperial Academy, but his official career has been bumpy. He was promoted, and those who were in the same discipline as him were already in the same class, and only he was appointed as the governor of Chu Prefecture when he was not confused.After he took office, Gu Yuanyong paid careful attention to it. This person acted rationally and disciplinedly, advanced and retreated appropriately, fulfilled his duties, was upright and honest, and was indeed a good talent. He once asked him why his official career was bumpy, but this person just sighed and said nothing. There is naturally something hidden in this, but Gu Yuanyong doesn't like to probe other people's privacy in his life, so he just keeps it in his heart.Unexpectedly, this person turned out to be so stubborn today. If he offends Yong Jun, he would have lost his life. His wife, concubine and children are all in the city of Chuzhou.

Pei Yun remained expressionless, and said calmly, "Ling Feng, what did you do?" Du Lingfeng said: "In a fit of rage, I have already had someone tie him downstairs, please allow your subordinates to behead this man for public display, and warn anyone who dares to fight against me, Dayong." Thinking of Jing Changqing's daily benefits, Gu Yuanyong hurriedly stepped forward and bowed: "General, forgive me, general, Jing Changshi is upright by nature, and if he offends, the general is very tolerant, please forgive his life." Pei Yun smiled and said, "Bring him here, I want to meet this long history of strength."

Du Lingfeng was overjoyed, and sent the order down. Not long after, his personal guards escorted a man up. This man was about forty years old, with a gentle appearance and a peaceful demeanor, but at the moment he was covered in dirt, and his official hat had fallen off somewhere. There are also bloodstains, which shows that they have suffered a lot along the way. When he came upstairs, the man stood still without kneeling, but just stared at him angrily. Du Lingfeng saw him like this, and said angrily: "You don't kneel down to apologize when you see my general." The man said coldly: "Jing is a minister of Southern Chu, why do you want to worship Dayong's general?"

Hearing this, Pei Yun laughed and said, "Gu Junshou has already led Chuzhou officials to surrender to me, Dayong. Now you are a surrender, why don't you kneel down?" The man said angrily: "The county guard please surrender, but my long history did not please surrender. You invaded our land and hurt our Li Shu. The people of Southern Chu all hated them to the bone. Although they are forced to surrender temporarily due to the situation, when the king's army goes north, plow the plow Sweep the acupoints in the court, and you will never be allowed to escape from Huaidong."

Du Lingfeng was furious, he stepped forward and slapped that person on the ground, pointing at him and cursing: "I don't know who the people in Southern Chu hate so much? Who doesn't know that Luo Lou is really raging in Huaidong?" , looting the women of the people, and forcefully expropriating food and salaries. Today our army posted a notice mentioning Luo Louzhen's subjugation. You rotten Confucian, since you refuse to surrender, then you are a prisoner of our army, and I will not kill you, but will put you in the shackles in front of the county guard's mansion for three days, to see if you still have the strength to curse." He said this The punch was so heavy that half of the man's face was swollen, and the corner of the mouth was bleeding. The man seemed to be willing to give up and scolded. Although he couldn't speak clearly, Du Lingfeng became more angry when he heard it. He pulled out his saber and pointed at it. The man said: "Okay, since you want to die, I will fulfill you."

Originally, Pei Yun just watched Du Lingfeng's actions indifferently, and when he saw that he was really going to kill someone with a knife, he stopped him and said, "Forget it, he is also a loyal person, and it is inauspicious to kill him. Just put him in a prison and don't make things difficult for him." family." Du Lingfeng said happily: "This subordinate obeys orders." After saying that, he dragged the man to go downstairs. Gu Yuanyong was so frightened that he was sweating coldly. Although Du Lingfeng was beating and scolding the disrespectful Chang Shi, the eyes of the rest of the people were clearly on him, clearly intending to make an example of others.Seeing the powerful subordinate officials being insulted by the domineering Yong army sergeant, Gu Yuanyong felt a sense of humiliation in his heart. He wished he could also scold these people, and then let Pei Yun order him to be dragged out and beheaded. This can be regarded as loyalty to the country up.His face was blue and red for a while, which was naturally noticed by Pei Yun, but the most important thing now is to deter the officials of Chuzhou so that they dare not resist, so he pretended not to see Gu Yuanyong's face, The senior officials of Southern Chu in Huaidong are all descendants of the Southern Chu family, even if they ask to surrender, they are absolutely unreliable. Pei Yun will clean Huaidong after he captures Guangling, and use it as Dayong's front line to attack Southern Chu. Now it's just a temporary forbearance. One day later, Pei Yun left Wei Ping to guard Chuzhou with 5,000 people, and he led the army to join He Ying's tribe and head towards Guangling. Guangling is the last gate of Yangzhou. This place was originally under the jurisdiction of Yangzhou. Yangzhou was called Guangling in ancient times. This kind of name.Taking Guangling as a barrier to the north of Yangzhou, and capturing Guangling, Yangzhou can be taken down in one fell swoop, so Southern Chu set up a Guangling camp here. Although Cai Lin, the deputy general of Guangling Camp, is also from Shang Weijun's lineage, he is upright by nature. He is Shang Weijun's nephew. Luo Louzhen, so Luo Louzhen respected him at a distance, and ignored him when he handed over the Guangling camp. Cai Lin's military training is quite unique, restraining soldiers, never disturbing the people, and often helping the poor , so the reputation in the Guangling area is very good. After the defeat of the Chuzhou Camp and the Sizhou Camp, many remnants fled to Guangling and were collected by him in the camp. After rectification, there were more than 30,000 people.After he reported the situation to Jianye, he led the army into Guangling City. He knew that if he wanted to confront the Yong army head-on, it would be a disastrous defeat, so he planned to rely on Guangling City to resist the attack of the Yong army.He had self-knowledge, knew that he could not defeat Pei Yun, and only hoped that he could defend until the reinforcements from Southern Chu arrived. On October 9th, Pei Yun's army arrived at Guangling. The 100,000 Yong army and Chen Bing were under the Guangling city. At a glance, the Yong army's camps were connected by horns, and they had a strict manner. Just looking at it already made people feel invincible.Cai Lin pointed to the camp of the Yong army and said: "If Guangling falls, the Yong army can drive straight into Yangzhou and threaten Jingkou and Jianye. If you don't fight hard, the reputation of the Huaidong army will be ruined. This general has submitted a letter to Jianye. , ask Shang Xiang and General Lu for help, we only need to wait for ten and a half months, and then we can wait for the reinforcements, and you will be willing to die." The soldiers of the Guangling Camp were all deeply favored by Cai Lin, and they all said loudly when they heard the words : "Willing to die for the general." The howling sounded far away, and the Yong army under the city could hear it clearly. Pei Yun frowned, and said to He Ying and Zhang Wenxiu who were behind him: "It seems that Guangling City is not easy to capture!" He laughed and said: "Why worry, general, even though Guangling is difficult to attack, can it still stop my Dayong iron cavalry?" All the soldiers also said loudly: "General, please order the attack. Hearing this, Pei Yun waved his whip and pointed at Guangling City, saying, "Since that's the case, He Ying, you haven't made any achievements this time, so how about letting you go first?" He Ying was overjoyed, Pei Yun rushed to be the vanguard along the way, but he could only follow behind with the main force, he was already eager to fight, he heard his awe-inspiring order, and rode his horse to the front of the army, not long after, the horn sounded , The first wave of the Yong army's siege began. No one thought that this attack would last for half a month. Cai Lin is very popular in Guangling, and he is not as incompetent and slack as Luo Louzhen. Over the years, he has prepared well for war, and the food, grass and supplies in Guangling City are very sufficient. Under his leadership, Guangling City has supported half of the city Moon, above and below the city, everything was in a mess. The catapults and archery towers of the Yong army were damaged, and the Southern Chu army did not know how many arrows they shot, and how much boiling oil and water they poured down. There were countless rolling stones and trees. Later, all the houses near the city wall were demolished, and stones and wood were used to defend the city.The Yong army sent death squads to attack the city several times, but without success.The closest success was on October 19th, when Pei Yun dispatched all the guards in the white-clothed battalion, a total of 16 people led 300 daredevil warriors to the city. Reinforcements suddenly came from Gaoyou Lake in the east of Guangling City. I am afraid that Guangling City has fallen. In this fierce battle, two people died in the Baiyi Battalion, and none of the three hundred warriors survived. Cai Lin's personal guards were also killed and injured.But under the afterglow of the setting sun, the bloody Guangling City still stands. Pei Yun's expression was a bit icy. Although he was not prepared to capture Guangling in a few days, the current situation is too unfavorable, and the battle must be ended at any time.Du Lingfeng walked over with a weary expression. Although he was young, his martial arts were among the best in the white-clothed camp. The two were uncle and nephew, so Pei Yun was very concerned about him. Seeing that he was covered in blood, Pei Yun frowned. Asked: "How is it, is the injury serious?" Du Lingfeng said: "I was only stabbed twice and didn't hurt my bones. It's a pity that these brothers, the guards around Cai Lin are very good at martial arts. If the guards around Luo Louzhen were so good back then, I'm afraid my uncle and I They will all be buried in Chuzhou Camp." Pei Yun sighed, "Jianye's Cai family is a well-known family in Southern Chu, so there are naturally some expert guards. Cai Lin is also the son of Cai's son, so it's no wonder that's the case." Du Lingfeng said: "General, the Gaoyou garrison has the guts to come to rescue Guangling. Could it be that the reinforcements from Southern Chu are ready to cross the river?" Pei Yun shook his head and said, "Si heard the news from Cao. Now Lu Can is in Jianye asking to take over the Huaidong military power, but Shang Weijun still refuses." Du Lingfeng was stunned and said, "Don't Shang Weijun know that Huaidong is in danger now?" Pei Yun smiled and said: "This matter is a bit strange. It seems that someone cut off the news exchange between Huaidong and Jianye, and Guangling's request for help never reached Jianye." Du Lingfeng was at a loss, but he quickly put the matter behind him and said, "Uncle Shi, what should we do now, the Gaoyou defenders dare to go out of the city to fight?" Pei Yun was about to answer him, when a scout came to report: "General, we have found out that those people are not Gaoyou defenders, but Gaoyou lake water bandits. He was forced to go to the lake to become a bandit because he was really strong in collecting food and salaries. He usually robbed the rich and helped the poor, and won the hearts of the people in Gaoyou. However, he and Cai Lin in the Guangling camp were life and death friends. The navy has come to clear Gaoyou Lake, and today he led the troops to rescue Guangling." Pei Yun said with a smile: "This person is loyal, but it's a pity that he is just a mantis arm. He Ying, you go to Gaoyou tomorrow, Ling Feng, go to Chuzhou to pass on our military orders, and transfer a battalion of sailors to Gaoyou to stand by. Under the wings of the navy, He Ying crossed the water and attacked the east side of Guangling, and Guangling could be destroyed sooner or later." The generals suddenly took orders. On October 20, He Ying attacked Gaoyou. On October 21, a battalion of water troops arrived at Gaoyou Lake. Originally, they did not plan to use the water army before capturing Yangzhou. Hongze Lake in Chuzhou was on standby, but now the situation has changed, so a battalion of water troops had to be transferred to Gaoyou Lake to deal with water bandits. On October 22, the decisive battle in Guangling began. This time, the Yong army came prepared. When Guan Feng went out of the city to attack the Yong army on the shore, the Dayong water army suddenly appeared. Dayong had confronted Jianghuai and Nanchu for many years. The elite army was not much worse than Nan Chu, and it was a world of difference compared to these mob water bandits. After a hard fight, the water bandits were wiped out. Except for Guan Feng who escaped back to Guangling by chance, no one survived.The Yong army had already cut off the passage between Guangling and Yangzhou, and now the Gaoyou Lake in the east was also under the control of the Yong army. He Ying used the navy to attack the east city repeatedly. This time, Guangling really became an isolated city. On October 23, under the continuous onslaught of the Yong army, Guangling City finally lost the ability to resist. Although the generals of the Yong army strongly urged Pei Yun to take down Guangling in one fell swoop, it would be better to massacre the city to vent his anger, but Pei Yun stopped him , Make people shoot arrows to the city to surrender. Cai Lin, who was already more than ten years old in ten months, looked at the arrow book in his hand. His expression was strangely indifferent. Looking at the generals in front of him, they were already exhausted, and almost everyone was injured. Now Guangling There were only ten thousand remnants of the army in the city, and twenty thousand soldiers died on the top of the city.On the contrary, the Yong army outside the city, relying on sufficient siege equipment and strong combat power, although it was the siege side, only lost more than 15,000 people, and the main force remained intact.Why haven't reinforcements arrived yet?Cai Lin could see such doubts from the eyes of the soldiers under his command. The city defense was dilapidated, there were no reinforcements outside, and the soldiers were exhausted. He said sadly, "Please surrender when you leave the city tomorrow." Seeing the relief expressions of the generals, Cai Lin knew that they were not happy because they could save their lives, and no one knew whether the Yong army would retaliate because of the heavy losses, but as long as they could be freed from the endless siege battle , which is enough.Those who have no soldiers to save have no city to defend. The will of the army and people of Guangling has collapsed, and it is really impossible to defend it. After the generals left, a bronze-skinned young man standing in the corner came over and said, "Brother Cai, do you really want to surrender?" Cai Lin glanced at him, and said: "Guanxian brother, you have done your best to Cai, you should take advantage of tonight and escape from Gaoyou Lake." The young man said angrily: "Brother Cai, if it weren't for your help in the past, my parents would have been killed by the government long ago. When the two elders were dying, they ordered me to give up my life to repay their kindness. How could I escape alone? If you die, I still have What face do you have to see your parents?" Cai Lin said dejectedly: "I was just a little effort that day, why should you take it to heart, besides, I entrusted you to see General Lu, and asked him to prepare to meet the enemy at Jingkou as soon as possible, I just asked to surrender tomorrow, in Pei Yun's voice Being a famous person will not embarrass me, this matter is very important, and it is better than my life, so you can take my token and go." Guan Feng hesitated again and again, and said: "Since brother Cai said so, I will go to see General Lu, don't worry, brother, when I see General Lu, I will return to Huaidong and try to rescue you." Cai Lin smiled and said: "Okay, I will wait for you to rescue me, you can go at night, I am very tired, I am ready to take a good rest, these days it is rare to have a night without worrying about the Yong army attacking the city, I should also have a good rest It's been a night." Seeing his haggard look, Guan Feng said goodbye, "Brother take care, then I won't come to say goodbye tonight, don't worry, I will be back in five or six days at most, and I will definitely come to look for you when the time comes, in Jianghuai, I can alone Come and go freely, and will never be discovered by Yong Jun." Cai Lin nodded, turned and went back to the inner room.That night Guan Feng left Guangling in the dark, there was only one battalion of the Dayong Shui Army, and the defense was not strict, so Guan Feng successfully sneaked into Gaoyou Lake, swam all night, landed on the shore and headed south. On October 24th, Cai Linhan slept for a night, shaved his face, took a bath and changed his clothes, and changed into a Tsing Yi. He was originally from a famous family and had achieved fame. Out of literary style, wearing a blue shirt, he doesn't look like a general defending the city in blood, but like a literati studying abroad. He doesn't look like he was in a mess a few days ago. Looking at the thin but energetic face in the bronze mirror, he smile slightly.After breakfast, the generals and Guangling officials were already waiting outside, he glanced at everyone, and said with a smile: "You don't have to worry, the one who led the crowd to resist is someone Cai, if Yong Jun wants to question the crime, he will be responsible. "Everyone looked at each other in blank dismay. Seeing Cai Lin's open expression, everyone felt relieved. At the beginning of Sishi, Cai Lin ordered people to open the north city gate, and led his generals and Guangling officials to walk to Yongying to ask for surrender. At this time, Pei Yun had already received a report. Admiration, in order to show respect, he also brought all the generals out to meet, and the two sides were twenty feet apart before stopping.All the generals of the Yong army looked at Cai Lin, secretly amazed, this man looked like a poor-faced scholar, unexpectedly he was able to defend the isolated city for half a month under the onslaught of the Yong army. Cai Lin looked at the majestic Yong army formation in front of him, and smiled faintly. He was originally a son of an aristocratic family, with a scholarly family. So mediocre that the army has been defeated so far, what face is there to ask for a living.He raised his hand, stopped the steps of the Southern Chu generals, and stepped forward alone, a few feet away from the Yong army formation. The other side stopped, looked at Yong army leader Pei Yun, and said loudly: "General Pei, Cai Lin is delusional and leads the people to resist your army. In half a month, blood splashed across the isolated city, if the general has the intention of blaming him, Cai Lin will bear it all, please forgive the soldiers and civilians of Guangling." Pei Yun also said loudly: "The two countries are going to war, it should be like this, Pei is not talented, and he will not take revenge on the Guangling army and people for this matter." Cai Lin laughed loudly, and drew his sword out of its sheath. The deputy general Huang Cheng only said that he wanted to present the sword seal to show his sincerity, so he brought the general seal over. Unexpectedly, Cai Lin raised his sword and said, "Cai is from Southern Chu. Your minister, there is no reason to ask to surrender, and today I am apologizing for my crime with death, and the affairs of the afterlife will be decided by Deputy General Huang." After finishing speaking, Pei Yun drew his sword and killed himself amidst Pei Yun's voice of "No!"Blood dripped, and Cai Lin fell to the ground. The people in Southern Chu were all terrified, and Deputy General Huang yelled loudly, and threw himself in front of Cai Lin's body, weeping bitterly.Even though the generals of the Yong army originally harbored hatred in their hearts, their resentment has disappeared at this moment, looking at Cai Lin's dead body and sighing endlessly. After a long time, the deputy general burst into tears, took Cai Linxue sword and sword seal, went up and bowed down and said: "The last general, Huang Cheng, the deputy general of the Guangling Daying Camp of the Southern Chu Huaidong Army, on behalf of the Guangling army and people, I would like to present to the Huainan Jiedu Envoy General Pei. Please surrender, I only ask the general to forgive the soldiers and the people, and the last general will be at the disposal of the general." Pei Yun got off his horse and went forward, took over the sword seal and said: "Dayong Huainan Jiedu envoy, General Pingwei Pei Yun, on behalf of my emperor, accepts the surrender of Guangling soldiers and civilians. General, rest assured, Pei will not kill Guangling soldiers and civilians to vent their anger." The deputy general kowtowed and said: "The last general kowtows to the general for his forgiveness." Behind him, all the generals and officials in Guangling bowed down and apologized.So far, the bloodiest scene of the Battle of Huaidong has finally passed. After Pei Yun comforted the generals and officials in Guangling's surrender, he returned to the camp and was preparing to march to Yangzhou. At this time, a messenger from Chuzhou sent Wei Ping's letter. Pei Yun opened it, frowning, and handed the letter to the generals for circulation. . Du Lingfeng was with his attendants, and he also read the letter. He was the most impatient, and exclaimed: "How is it possible, Jing Changqing has already been imprisoned, and his family members are still involved, but the whole family has disappeared without a trace. How is this possible?" Zhang Wenxiu, He Ying and the other generals also looked at each other, Pei Yun said indifferently: "A Jing Changqing is nothing, but this shows that our army is too hasty, pass my general order, He Ying will follow me to take Yangzhou first, and Wenxiu will be in charge of all Huaidong. The town should be cleaned once, and all those who are closely related to Nanchu should be thoroughly investigated, so as not to leave any future troubles, it is better to leave some gaps to let those officials and people who are loyal to Nanchu flee south, so that Huaidong will be quieter, and the emperor's The meaning is to guard the Huaisi Pass firmly, and even if you cannot cross the river smoothly, you will not lose Huaidong again." The generals agreed with a loud voice. After the Yong army was repaired in Guangling for three days, Pei Yun led the army to Yangzhou. On October 29, the Yong army advanced to the outskirts of Yangzhou, and the Yangzhou prefect abandoned the city and fled. .