Looking at his crumbling finances, Li Qin knew that the plan to attack Shanxi had to be put on the agenda.
Otherwise, his finances really wouldn't be able to hold up.
These 50,000 new recruits from Liaodong are absolutely not going to be taken to the battlefield. They have only been training for a short time, and they would easily cause trouble if they went to the battlefield.
They could stay in the capital to quell some unrest without any problem.
At the same time, they helped Zhou Wentong of Jizhen, with the help of veterans to defend the various passes in Jizhen.
I plan to personally lead the remaining 80,000 troops in the capital to Datong to meet up with Jiang Xiangyang, who will lead 40,000 to 50,000 men to follow me south. This will bring the total number of troops to about 120,000 to 130,000.
His own army alone was larger than the army under Yang Zhiyong's command.
Zhang Hengshuo, in Zhending, led his tens of thousands of troops toward Jingxing, thus diverting Yang Zhiyong's forces.
At the same time, Qin Chenyao of Shandong was ordered to mobilize 50,000 troops from Shandong to join Li Xuanshang's army in Henan in attacking several routes in southeastern Shanxi.
At the same time, as his political offensive spread to Shanxi, the conditions for surrender were bound to be met with some people surrendering.
Next, all I need to do is prepare.
This operation will involve more than 200,000 troops, so the amount of food and other supplies that need to be prepared is astronomical.
Although I have prepared a lot during this period, it is still not enough if I get caught up in a long siege.
I cannot repeat the mistakes that Zhu Qizhen and Wang Zhen made.
The army had far too little time to prepare for the expedition, so they forcibly ordered the troops to set off.
The consequences were ultimately extremely serious.
This period is perfect for gathering intelligence related to Shanxi.
Further refine your operational plan.
They gathered intelligence on every official in Shanxi and analyzed their reputation.
Who are the people who can be won over and bribed? We can try to win them over privately first.
Once their main army arrives, they can surrender directly, or even lead the way for their army.
Moreover, he could use this time to prepare food and supplies to further observe the situation in Shaanxi.
Chang'an, Shaanxi.
A large army arrived and set up camp around Chang'an, Shaanxi.
Immediately afterwards, a soldier rode up to the city wall and said:
"Tell your Governor Hong that Commander Xia Feihu of Guyuan Town has arrived. Tell your Governor to come and greet him quickly."
At this moment, the soldier on the city wall immediately went to report to Hong Chengchou in the mansion.
Upon hearing that Xia Feihu, the governor-general of Guyuan Town, had arrived, Hong Chengchou thought to himself, "He's finally here," and then led his men out of the mansion.
Soon, the city gates of Chang'an slowly opened, and Hong Chengchou, accompanied by his personal guards, rode out of the city gates.
Hong Chengchou said with a smile:
"General Xia, you've finally arrived. I've been waiting for you for a long time. Come, please come into the city so we can discuss the issue of grain supply together."
Xia Feihu, also clad in armor and protected by his personal guards, stepped forward and said with a smile:
"Brother Hong, let's go into the city and discuss this together."
Hong Chengchou and Xia Feihu walked side by side toward Chang'an City with smiles on their faces.
Meanwhile, the troops from Guyuan Town behind Xia Feihu also wanted to enter the city.
But they were stopped.
Seeing this, Hong Chengchou explained with a smile:
"General Xia, it's inevitable that chaos will ensue when the army enters the city."
But please rest assured, General, and the soldiers of Guyuan Town, I will not treat you unfairly.
I have gathered all the chefs in Chang'an City to ensure that all the brothers in Guyuan Town eat and drink well.
There will be plenty of drinks; let everyone drink to their heart's content tonight.
Furthermore, I have already ordered your camps to be set up in advance, and they will be set up together with the main camp of our Shaanxi army.
Everyone, eat and drink well tonight so you'll have the strength to fight the enemy later.
If there is anything that has been done poorly in terms of hospitality, please forgive me, brothers.
Xia Feihu was taken aback after hearing Hong Chengchou's words, and then Hong Chengchou continued:
"What's wrong, Commander Xia? You're here with your brother now, are you still worried about your safety?"
Then he whispered to Xia Feihu:
"We have important things to do together, so we can't all go in. We must choose the army we trust the most."
Upon hearing Hong Chengchou's words, Xia Feihu immediately reacted and said:
"Okay, I understand."
You guys just enjoy your drinks outside.
After hearing Hong Chengchou's words, Xia Feihu waved his hand and led his family servants and personal guards into Chang'an City together with Hong Chengchou.
As for the rest of the army that came with him, they were left outside the city, while the city sent them cartloads of food and wine to reward them.
Hong Chengchou was extremely hospitable to him throughout the journey, leading him and his personal guards into his residence.
The mansion was already filled with welcoming banquets.
The people at the banquet were all local gentry invited by Hong Chengchou, mainly from the Yang family.
"I'm sorry to have kept you all waiting."
Hong Chengchou led Xia Feihu to the innermost part of the table and addressed the people at the table.
He then took the seat of honor, while Xia Feihu sat directly next to Hong Chengchou.
Their gazes swept across the room, where most of the people sitting at the same table with them were elderly with white hair, along with some middle-aged men in official robes.
These people were all retired high-ranking officials of the Yang family, and they enjoyed extremely high prestige within the family.
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