Chapter 203 Collapse
In the last few months of the first year of Guangping, Luoyang's top priority was to deal with the large-scale uprising in Yuzhou.

First, the entire campaign to conquer Jingzhou was ordered to come to a halt. As the situation spread, Luoyang had begun to discuss sending out the elite troops of the central army to quickly put down the rebellion.

However, Xue Chu, who had previously led the attack on Jingzhou, did not make any progress and instead led to the collapse of Yuzhou, so Gao Shizhe attacked him.

Gao Shi fiercely accused Xue Chu of "harming the country" in the court.

Xue Chu could only keep apologizing. Fortunately, Murong Chao was a sensible man and knew that this matter had little to do with Xue Chu.

In the end, an imperial edict was issued to reprimand the emperor, and that was the end of it.

However, the officials in the court kept arguing with each other, and King Murong Hui of Xia had a difficult time fighting on the front line.

He had more than 25,000 elite troops in the central army, which were divided into the Left Huben Army and the Right Huben Army.

The two army commanders, Pu Gusu and Xue Qi, were also veterans with considerable military achievements. Murong Hui himself was also a veteran, having followed the late Emperor Murong Ying into battle since he was a teenager, and had been leading troops for ten years.

Even though he was not a first-rate general, he knew how to advance and retreat and how to use his troops.

However, this time, facing the increasingly powerful rebel forces, they were unable to suppress the rebellion in Yuzhou.

Although these rebels had no cavalry, their marching speed was not slow.

On the contrary, Murong Hui's troops were very cautious in their attacks because they needed to protect the food routes and supplies.

But the Yuzhou rebels were divided into several groups, which attacked towns and looted them in all directions.

In order to put out the fires everywhere, Murong Hui ordered Pu Gusu and Xue Qi to lead heavy troops to attack, while he himself led thousands of soldiers and more than ten thousand civilians to supervise the transportation of food and grass.

This move showed that Murong Hui underestimated the rebels in Yuzhou.

The Yuzhou rebels were very familiar with the local terrain and culture, and there were also rebel spies among the laborers transporting grain. So after Pu Gusu and Xue Qi were transferred away from pursuing the rebels, Sun Bai and others led tens of thousands of rebels to attack Murong Hui's rear army.

Set fire to their camps and baggage.

Murong Hui himself also died in the chaos.

Even Li Yuanhui, who was in Hefei, was surprised when he heard the news in the military report, because Murong Hui's status was not low.

This was the first prince to die in battle after Dayan unified the country.

Even when the battle report reached Luoyang, Murong Chao burst into tears.

Murong Hui and Murong Chao were about the same age, and their relationship was not that good. But at least they had known each other since childhood and were cousins.

The more important factor is that there are almost no more members of the royal family.

When Murong Ying was alive, he basically worked non-stop to eliminate several clan members who had disloyalty. In addition to those he had killed in the previous ten years, the Murong family had gone from being full of talented people at the founding of the country to having very few clan members who could stand on their own now.

The death of a royal prince was such a major event that the Luoyang court immediately decided to send a large number of troops to quell the rebellion. They would never allow such a heartland like Yuzhou to continue to be in chaos.

Duan Yihong, the General of the Auxiliary State and Prince of Lingzhi, was appointed as the commander-in-chief of all military forces at home and abroad, and was given the imperial seal to lead the elite troops of the central army out of Luoyang to quell the rebellion.

but.

The imperial edict had been drafted but not yet issued when intelligence arrived.

Xiyan in Guanzhong decided to take advantage of the rebellion in Yuzhou and send troops. There will be action this month.

It seems that they don't want to give Luoyang a chance to pacify Yuzhou, and they are determined to kill you while you are sick.

There is no doubt about the authenticity of the intelligence, and no one doubts it.

Although sending troops in winter is a taboo in military strategy, such an opportunity to fight is definitely hard to find.

As a result, the Luoyang court was once again plunged into dispute.

Some people even suggested moving the capital.

Of course, they didn't say it explicitly, but they just said that they wanted the emperor to go on a tour to Jizhou.

It was denied immediately, and even Murong Chao himself shook his head after hearing it.

However, the fact that someone made such a proposal shows that people in Luoyang have begun to waver.

After all, Yuzhou and Sili are very close, and there are so many powerful forces there, and Prince Murong was killed in the battle. We have to wonder if the next part will be Luoyang? Fortunately, Duan Shiheng, Murong Xianzong, Gao Shize and other old ministers still have residual power and can intimidate the court.

Only then did the voice get suppressed.

But the current problem is still very serious. Should we send heavy troops to resist the attack from Western Yan? Should we send more troops to suppress the rebellion in Yuzhou?
Fighting on two fronts is difficult and it is easy to lose sight of one while focusing on the other.

In the end, it was Murong Xianzong who made the final decision and ordered General Duan Yihong to lead the central army to station in Hongnong.

At the same time, he sent a messenger to contact Li Yuan, asking Yizhou and Longyou to send troops to threaten the rear of Guanzhong.

As for the rebellion in Yuzhou, the Yanzhou army under General Lou Jushi, the Xuzhou army under Pei Minzhi, the Jianghuai army under General Zhennan Li Yuanhui, and the Jizhou army under Zhao Yi were mobilized together with the four outer armies led by Murong Deyu to encircle and suppress the Yuzhou rebels.

Mr. Lou was appointed as the Grand Commander in charge of military affairs.

In order to make up for the shortage of troops, Murong Chao also sent out the Tianxiong Army and the Tianwu Army, two elite troops from Hebei, and placed them under the command of Lou Jushi.

It was already after the New Year when Li Yuanhui received the imperial edict.

This year, from a geographical point of view, people south of the Huai River had a pretty good time.

Especially in the Jianghuai region, with a year's worth of savings, the New Year was celebrated happily, and there was no war.

This was in stark contrast to the chaos and war in Huaibei and Yuzhou.

"Not only do we need to send out 20,000 troops, but we also need to supply 30,000 shi of military rations every month. It's really..."

Li Yuanhui put down the imperial edict, looked at the military order sent by Mr. Lou, and shook his head.

Guo Fenghe said: "Yuzhou has no food, so the people gathered to riot. Although there is food in Luokou Warehouse, it is difficult to transport it. Jingzhou has been lost. We can only allocate food from Xuzhou and Yangzhou to send out 20,000 troops. Our Jianghuai defense line is still insufficient."

Li Qinglian said: "Last year, Jiangdong prepared its troops and selected 100,000 young and strong men to train in Jingkou, Caishi, Wuhu, Yuhu and other places. Now the morale is high, and we must be careful. When the rainy season comes this year, Jiangdong will definitely attack. The defense of Ruxu, Wankou, Pengze and Chaisang cannot be neglected. In my humble opinion, the Eastern Wei will definitely order Shen Shangfa and Murong Jing to attack Chaisang, Cao Yuanjing will lead the army to attack Ruxu, and Miao Xianyun and others will attack Liyang and Guangling separately."

".General, you should send a general to lead a large force to garrison Ruxukou, and close the city walls of Liyang and Guangling to ensure safety. As for you, you can personally lead the land and sea forces to attack Yuzhang County. If Yuzhang is in danger, Cao Yuanjing will definitely go to rescue it. You can order the troops at Ruxu to disrupt their rear."

After listening to Li Qinglian's fighting style, Li Yuanhui remained silent because he felt that fighting this way was a bit risky.

Ruxukou is the most important point of Huainan's defense line. Taking advantage of Cao Yuanjing's attack on Ruxuwu to attack Yuzhang County is not equal in terms of strategic goals.

Although Yuzhang County is rich and controls the Yangtze River, it is not a strategic location at all in the current confrontation between Jiangdong and Jianghuai.

Because both sides are fighting for control of the lower reaches of the river.

Li Yuanhui thought about the stories of past dynasties sending troops from Jianghuai to seize Jiangdong.

If the South wants to fight to the north and take advantage of the navy, it must stick to the Ruxukou route. It can also go through Chaohu Lake and Feishui River to enter the Huai River.

What about fighting south from the north?
Liyang!
Liyang is located at the intersection of the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers, with the Yangtze River on the left and Zhaoguan on the right. Liangshan stands to its east and Haochu River surrounds its north. It is the frontier of Huainan and the guarantee of the Yangtze River. Since ancient times, it has been a battleground for military strategists.

There are two ferry crossings in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. One is Guazhou Ferry, which connects Jingkou with Guangling on the opposite river.

The second is the ancient Hengjiang ferry, the stone quarrying passage between Liyang and Duijiang.

The direction of the Yangtze River changes from west to east to north-south at its border, "the sky gate is interrupted and the Chu River is opened, the clear water flows eastward and turns back here", so it is named Hengjiang.

Anyone coming from Huaixi must cross the river and advance to Jingling.

You can go south and north, or cross the river to the west from Caishi.

So, can Jianghuai take the initiative? Thinking of this, Li Yuanhui thought of many names.

Hou Jing, Sun Ce, Zhao Da, Lao Zhu, Han Qinhu, Su Jun. These people all sent troops from Liyang and successfully crossed the river.

Now that Li Yang and Lao Zhu are both alive, there's no reason why it wouldn't succeed, right?

Why do I have to wait for Cao Yuanjing to call me? Can't I just call him?

There is no such reason.

Let's take the initiative!

(End of this chapter)