Chapter 153 Northward
Three hundred thousand Turkic cavalry, divided into five groups, invaded Youzhou and Jizhou from the hinterland of Bingzhou, using the passages between the Taihang Mountains, which are the traditional Taihang Eight Paths.

Shibi Khan personally led 100,000 cavalrymen out of Juyong and attacked Shanggu, Yuyang and Guangyang.

The brother Shilifu led 50,000 cavalrymen, passed through Feihukou and Zijingguan, and attacked Zhuo County.

His son Shibobi led 50,000 cavalrymen, went out of Hongshang Pass, and attacked Zhongshan, Hejian, and Bohai.

The brother Duobi led 50,000 cavalrymen, went out of the old pass, and attacked Changshan, Julu, and Anping.

The general Zhishisili led 50,000 cavalrymen out of Fukou Pass and attacked Wei and Zhao counties.

The dust raised by the Turkic cavalry rose up into the sky with the wind and covered the entire Hebei land. It seemed that the thunderous sound of horse hooves could be heard in Luoyang, Chang'an, Qing, Xu, Yan, and Yu states south of the river.

In the eyes of the ministers, Murong Chao was originally a naive fat man. He was honest, dutiful, and did not fight or compete. He was also not favored by the previous emperor Murong Ying.

But now, Murong Chao, who had been on the throne for only a few months, looked like a thin middle-aged man with a messy beard, sunken eye sockets and bloodshot eyes.

The round-necked robe he was wearing seemed a little big. It was from the batch of new clothes woven two months ago, and it should have fit him well according to the sizes at that time.

As for the officials of Yanyan in the court, each of them looked energetic, well-dressed, and dignified as before, as if they had not received any military reports of the war in Hebei.

"In early July, Yuyang was besieged. Ten days ago, Youzhou Governor Wei Zhi led more than 15,000 infantry and cavalry to fight with the main force of the Turks 70 miles south of Yuchang City. They were defeated and retreated. A few days later, Yingyang Langjiang Liu Jiangong surrendered to the enemy. Yuyang City was broken, and the prefect Xu Zhifang died a martyrdom. County Magistrate Cui Hong died in battle."

"Zhao Yi led the Left Army, the Right Army, and the Left Huben Army, totaling more than 40,000 troops. A few days ago, he fought with Tuoba Yuqing south of the Qin River and won a small victory, beheading hundreds of enemies and capturing more than a thousand. After learning of the Turkic invasion, he retreated to Huai County and continued to confront Tuoba Yuqing."

"Julu, Guantao, Handan, and Xiangguo fell one after another, and dozens of county magistrates and officials above the rank of Langjiang died in battle or died for their loyalty."

"The rebel general Zhishisili led his army to attack Yecheng. The King of Xia led his army back to Ye and chased them away."

These military reports continued to attack Murong Chao's defenses.

He couldn't understand why the world became like this after he took over. Everything was fine before Aye left.
As usual, the grand court meeting failed to come up with any countermeasures.

Duan Yihong, the Minister of War and General of the Auxiliary State, proposed to recruit soldiers and re-establish a new army.

Although Luoyang can control most of the world at present, the elite central army that relies on to maintain Dayan's rule over the world has almost fallen apart at this moment.

Only the Left Army led by Zhao Da maintained a complete structure, while the other units had long been incomplete. This time even the Xiaoguo Army built by the late emperor was disbanded, and the Central Army was basically left with only its old foundation.

This old foundation cannot be used to fight to the death, but should be used as the basic backbone to recruit new soldiers, reorganize the central army, and complete the task of old leading new.

The imperial court also issued an edict asking the local tyrants, nobles, and common people in Hebei to form associations and defend themselves, and to establish "Yicong".

The imperial edict was quickly delivered to the Yan army camp in Huai County, Henei. After receiving the edict, Zhao Da did not set off immediately. Instead, he invited the envoy to rest first, and then summoned a group of confidants to discuss the matter.

Upon hearing this, Chief Clerk Zhou Pu immediately suggested, "General, you should lead your army north to fight against the Turks and win the hearts of the people in You and Ji. There are many generous and righteous people in Yan and Zhao, and only brave people can be vassals. If the general takes the lead in advocating justice, he will surely win the hearts of the people in the two states."

Zhao Da was somewhat tempted when he heard this, but he was more hesitant. The imperial court had issued a clear edict ordering him to cross the river to the south and return to Luoyang. Disobeying the edict would be a serious crime.

Zhao Erze hesitated and said, "General Zhou, the emperor's order cannot be disobeyed. Moreover, among the army, only more than 20,000 are under the command of my brother, and the rest are in various units."

What Zhao Er didn't finish saying was that the rest were not under the control of the Zhao brothers, and if they went north to resist the court, these people would not follow them.

Zhou Pu waved his hands and said, "Don't dwell on this. Although the imperial edict ordered the general to lead the army back, the Luoyang court is not concerned about whether the general will return to Luoyang, but the tens of thousands of elite troops. So the general might as well ask for an exchange with the governor of Jizhou, King Xia. The general of Jizhou has also seen that they are well-trained and have the people's support. At this time of chaos in the world, Jizhou is rich and has the people's support."

Zhao Da and the others were all delighted when they heard this. Jizhou was originally the land of Yan and Zhao, where the people were martial and important grain producing areas. Such a place was naturally a great treasure land.

"Then King Xia," Zhou Pu said, "General, staying in Hebei to fight the enemy is like taking advantage of the situation, not stealing sheep. It is something that only a person with great perseverance can do. King Xia is from the royal family. He is a young man in a high position. How could he be willing to stay in Hebei, which is in a precarious situation? The royal family in Luoyang is declining. If the general can exchange King Xia for the court, I believe both the saint and His Royal Highness the King of Wei will be happy to see it happen."

Zhao Da nodded after listening. What Zhou Pu said made sense. Hebei was now the front line against the invasion of the Turks. The hundreds of thousands of cavalry to the north of Yecheng might be in danger at any time.

In this situation, if anyone abandons the city or land without permission, he or she will be beheaded according to national and military laws.

Even though King Xia Murong Hui was of noble status and escaped punishment, he would still have to bear the stain from then on.

But if someone is willing to take his place, he can return to the Luoyang court openly to serve, which would naturally be a good thing for him.

Zhao Da immediately ordered his trusted men and brothers in the Yishe to select thousands of elite soldiers and organize the troops to cross the river and return south. He then asked Zhou Pu to draft a memorial requesting war.

Just three days later, the court's approval came.

He was appointed General Zhenbei, Commander-in-Chief of Jizhou's military affairs, Envoy with Special Powers, and concurrently Governor of Jizhou and Prefect of Weijun.

He also tacitly agreed to Zhao Da's dispatching of 4,000 elite soldiers and some generals to follow him north to fight the enemy.

Afterwards, Zhao Da and others immediately led their troops north to Yecheng, and the court envoys also went with them.

After entering Yecheng, Murong Hui learned that Zhao Da was here to replace him and the court had ordered him to return to the capital. He was overjoyed and immediately held a banquet to entertain Zhao Da and the envoy.

Starting from the second day, the seal of the governor, the situation of each unit of the Jizhou Army, the current battle line, intelligence, etc. were all handed over.

Very cooperative, no matter how big or small the matter is.

On the third day, he waved goodbye and entrusted Jizhou to Zhao Yi. Then, like an arrow from a bow, he returned south to Luoyang.

I have to say here that although the military power is currently controlled by the governors of each state, the imperial court still has some authority at this time, and it is far from the level where local areas have their own troops and develop into warlords.

At the very least, the governors in various places obey orders and announcements.

King Murong Hui of Xia was also very worried that he could not defend Yecheng and would be unable to resist the Turks' southward advance.

If he were allowed to escape from the battlefield, that would be absolutely impossible, but if he were to be transferred to the court to train a new army, that would be a no-brainer.

Therefore, with the cooperation of Murong Hui, Zhao Da quickly took over the Jizhou Army and immediately advertised it, calling on the heroic and tragic people in Yan and Zhao to join the army to kill the bandits and form associations to fight the enemy.

Zhao Da had always been known for his bravery. Now, as he went to Jizhou to take up a post in a time of crisis, his prestige grew day by day, and knowledgeable people from nearby Weijun and Zhaojun came to join him.

Among them are famous aristocratic families such as the Zhaojun Li family and the Qinghe Cui family.

The initiator of all this, military officer Zhou Pu, was even regarded as Zhao Da's strategist and was listened to and followed his advice.

"I have the help of Mr., it is really like a tiger with wings."

In the festival hall, Zhao Da loudly praised Zhou Pu who was sitting next to him, but Zhou Pu shook his head and smiled without saying a word.

Zhao Er suddenly interrupted and said, "Brother, this should be like 'fish in water'."

Zhao Da was stunned when he heard this. Wang Junya beside him whispered to him, "This sentence comes from the biography of Zhuge Liang in the "Three Kingdoms": 'With Kong Ming, I am like a fish in water.'"

Zhao Da laughed and said, "How can I compare to Liu Xianzhu?"

(End of this chapter)