Chapter 1073 Filial Piety Has No Plan

There have been continuous gatherings of troops in Shangdang City for several days, and soon the city was full of troops, and the rear division had to camp outside the city.

When he first learned that the Wei army was attacking Jinzhou, Duan Shao immediately withdrew from Heyang to Ye City, and immediately led 20,000 troops from Ye City to Fukou, which was one of the fastest-reacting armies in the Northern Qi Kingdom.

But then more than half a month passed quickly, and Duan Shao's progress was not great. He only pushed his troops from Fukou, which was close to Ye City, to Shangdang.

The reason for such slow progress was that it was initially to cooperate with the gathering of troops in Jinyang. Fearing that the lone army would be forced to retreat by the enemy, Duan Shao planned to cooperate with Jinyang to advance in two directions and counterattack the enemy. Therefore, after entering Fukou, he first sent a troop to Yining City and ordered the garrison commander Han Zunian to guard the exit of the army to the west.

At the same time, the divisions and brigades in Heyang were constantly recalled and transferred to Fukou. But a new problem emerged. With the influx of a large number of troops into Fukou, the military supplies and food stored in the treasury of Shangdang area were quickly consumed, and they had to rely on the supply from Hebei area.

This was naturally due to the previous military judgment. Otherwise, the military supplies stored in Shangdang area were still considerable. After all, the emperor's carriage often needed to pass through Fukou and Shangdang to travel between the two capitals, so of course, the imperial materials had to be prepared. However, after the supplies were withdrawn, they had not had time to be replenished. After the army entered here, they faced a dilemma of having no food to eat.

If the problem of food and grass can be solved with time, after all, the supplies from Heyang can be used directly here after being transferred back, then the problems faced next will be more and more overwhelming.

Since the two main roads of Queshu Valley and Qianlijing were controlled and blocked by the enemy, it was difficult for the Jinyang division to cooperate with the southward march, so Qi Lord Gao Yang also sent a message to Yedu, ordering the army of Yedu to attack Jinzhou first.

Since the army's supplies have not been fully replenished, Duan Shao can only lead 10,000 troops to the west first. As for the tens of thousands of divisions gathered in Fukou, they will be temporarily led by Zhu Hunyuan, the Fufeng King who has just returned to the court.

However, this appointment was just issued not long ago, but Zhu Hunyuan had not had time to leave the city when he suddenly fell ill and was bedridden. At this time, most of the generals in the country who had experience and qualifications in commanding most of the troops had already followed the emperor to Jinyang. It was really difficult for Yedu to select another suitable candidate in a short time.

After Duan Shao arrived in Shangdang area, he temporarily stopped his troops because he learned about this matter. After weighing the pros and cons, he proposed that Hulugu from Heyang go north to serve as the main general here.

Although he and Hulugu were not on good terms, he still recognized his ability. At this critical moment of war, he had to choose reliable people to control the army. Moreover, when Hulugu went north, he could also transfer part of the Heyang Division and escort military supplies to the north, so that the army here could continue to fight.

However, not long after Duan Shao made his suggestion, a response came from Yedu that surprised him. The King of Changshan asked him to stay in Shangdang temporarily, because Hulugu had led elite troops from Heyang to the west and out of Qiziling to attack the enemy's rear.

After learning about this, Duan Shao was very dissatisfied. Hulugu had told him about this before he left Heyang, and he also made it clear that he did not like this military action. Unexpectedly, Hulugu did not get his approval, but convinced the King of Changshan and got his support.

Although he was somewhat dissatisfied, Duan Shao could only stay in Shangdang patiently, first slowly increasing troops in the Tunliu area in the west, and at the same time continue to transfer the troops from Fukou to Shangdang.

While Duan Shao was anxiously waiting for the news of the results of Hulugu's troops, the envoy of Yining City hurried to Shangdang to report that the Wei army had already moved to Qinshui and attacked Yining, and requested to send reinforcements to support them as soon as possible.

Although there was no news from Hulugu, after learning about this, Duan Shao immediately guessed that the troops were probably in danger. Because from the time and distance, if Hulugu really disturbed the enemy's rear, it must have affected the front line of the Wei army at this time, so the Wei army would naturally adopt a strategy of shrinking defense instead of continuing to turn eastward.

At the same time, the Wei army's move to turn eastward immediately made Duan Shao feel a sense of crisis, because according to common sense, after the Wei army captured Jinzhou, the next step must be to continue to attack Jinyang to the north. After all, the two main roads of Queshu Valley and Qianlijing are now under their control, and theoretically there is no obstacle for the Wei army to advance northward.

But now their troops are turning eastward. Is it just to occupy the Qinshui River Valley and contain the Qi army in Shangdang area, or is the advance northward just a feint, and the real target is Shangdang or even Ye City?

Because the enemy situation reported by the envoy of Yining City was not very clear, Duan Shao could not make a more detailed judgment, but through his consistent observation and thinking of Li Boshan's military style, this time the army marched eastward, it is likely that there are also very sinister intentions and variables.

So Duan Shao hurriedly sent someone to inform Ye City, requesting that a general be sent here as soon as possible to replace him to control the troops, and he would personally lead the division to rescue Yining City, worried that sending other generals would be difficult to defeat the Wei army.

But Zhu Hunyuan was seriously ill and could not get up, and Hulugu was uncertain about his fate. After thinking about it, he directly named Changguang Prince Gao Zhan to temporarily replace him. Apart from his ability, Changguang Prince's status and position were enough to stabilize the morale of the army.

After sending the envoy, Duan Shao had been anxiously waiting for news. However, he had already prepared the divisions to go west, but there was no news from Yedu.

"When I go to Yedu, I must report to the two kings in detail that the military situation is urgent and urgent! The bandits have entered Qinshui. If the reinforcements are still stagnant, the west of Qinshui may not be ours. The mountain passes will inevitably be frequently disturbed by bandits and there will be no peace!"

In order to let Yedu understand the urgency of the situation, Duan Shao sent envoys to Yedu several times a day to urge them. Each envoy had to be carefully instructed and explained, hoping that Yedu would respond as soon as possible.

However, the facts proved that Duan Shao was still too conservative and optimistic. The Wei army's eastward advance this time was not only aimed at the Northern Qi territory west of Qinshui, but also the territory east of Qinshui!

Just as he was anxiously waiting for news from the court, urgent intelligence came from Jianzhou in the south.

"Report to the king, the enemy army crossed the Kongcang Ridge and entered the country, breaking through Gaoping Pass. After hearing the news, the envoy of Jianzhou, Shi Di, led his army to attack, but was ambushed by the enemy in the upper reaches of Danshui and was killed by the enemy. I was defeated and retreated, and came here to ask for help. I beg the king to quickly send reinforcements to the south to rescue Gaodu. If it is too late, I am afraid that Jianzhou will not be mine..."

After several ragged and haggard soldiers were led into Shangdang City, they knocked directly in front of Duan Shao and reported in a hurry.

"Jianzhou, Jianzhou was also attacked? Who is the enemy general leading the army? How many are the enemy?"

After hearing this, Duan Shao took a breath and hurriedly asked about the specific enemy situation.

The troops that invaded Jianzhou at this time were naturally the troops led by Yang Zhong. They used the captured Qi army weapons and flags to disguise themselves, sent a vanguard to go over Mount Li first, and then deceived the enemy troops stationed at Kongcang Ridge, and broke through the fortress Gaoping Pass in one fell swoop.

After taking Gaoping Pass, Yang Zhong did not directly attack Gaodu City, where the capital of Jianzhou was located, but led his troops north to pretend to be in the direction of Changping. When the Northern Qi Jianzhou governor She Di Huiluo led his troops here to recapture Gaoping Pass and attack the enemy, Yang Zhong led his troops back and defeated the main force of Jianzhou in one fell swoop in the upper reaches of Danshui, and then quickly went south to seize Jianzhou City.

These Jianzhou soldiers retreated directly from the battlefield in the upper reaches of Danshui and fled north for help. Naturally, they did not know what happened later, but just the situation they reported was enough to shock Duan Shao.

"First they attacked Jinzhou, then attacked Yining, and now they are planning to attack Jianzhou. Do they want to attack Jinyang, Ye City, or Heyang?"

After listening to the reports of these defeated generals, Duan Shao frowned deeply, and felt that the enemy situation suddenly became confusing. For a moment, he was completely unsure of the enemy's next intention.

Or, these situations are not important at all. The problem now is that he has tens of thousands of troops in his hands. Even if he wants to rescue, he doesn't know where to rescue. It can even be said that he can't move.

If he leads his army to rescue Yining, the enemy army in Jianzhou can attack Shangdang from Changping to the north, and even threaten Ye City. If he rushes to rescue Jianzhou, Yining will be in danger. Once Yining is broken, Jinzhou will completely become the enemy's possession, and there will be no possibility of rescue in the surrounding area for a period of time! What's more, Wusu will also become very dangerous, and then Shangdang and Ye City will also become unsafe.

Of course, there is still a chance of turning around, that is, Heyang. According to the King of Changshan, Huluguang only took a small part of the divisions and brigades of Heyang, so now immediately mobilize the troops of Heyang to go north to rescue Jianzhou... However, the rebellion in Northern Yuzhou is not settled, Heyang is suddenly empty, and Heluo may not be able to be occupied again!

In a flash, many thoughts flashed through Duan Shao's mind, but any thought that was slightly extended would lead to a situation that was difficult to accept and difficult to face. For a time, he also completely lost his ability to judge the situation, and didn't know what to do to reverse the situation and minimize the losses.

"Quickly, quickly send an apostle to report to Jinyang and Yedu... Ask the Supreme, how to deal with the enemy?"

After a long silence, Duan Shao spoke, and after a pause, he added: "Whatever the Supreme has ordered, I dare not disobey, and I will die for the country at all costs!"