Tongguan, the first military stronghold in the hinterland of the Central Plains, there is no need to repeat its important surname. After conquering Xi'an City, the white-clothed army soon took control of Tongguan. Now, the military flag of the white-clothed army is hunting and fluttering in the wind at the highest place of the Tongguan City Tower. In front of Tongguan, there were groups of white-clothed scouts patrolling in Yuechang.

Xu Xingxia stood under the military flag, holding a clairvoyant mirror, searching the land to the east. To the east of Tongguan is the ground of Henan. Looking at the past from the clairvoyant mirror, the current ground in Henan is already deserted. There was no human presence in the clairvoyant. I don't know whose family is the lost hens, who are walking around in the field blankly.

Those people who don't know the truth still think that the white-clothed army is a Tartar-like existence. When they heard that the white-clothed army was coming, they all ran away. Because of the speed of escape, many people did not even bring their own property. According to the report of the Eagle Cavalry, in many villages, there are chickens and ducks, pigs and cows, but there are no people.

"Zhang Yi, has the Vulture Cavalry been dispatched?" Xu Xingxia said.

"Report to your lord, five squadrons have already been dispatched." Zhang Yi replied awe-inspiringly.

Five squadrons of vulture cavalry are about 1,500 people. With so many cavalry entering the territory of Henan Province and spreading out to various places, it is estimated that effective intelligence will soon be collected. At the same time, they will send the strongest message to the surrounding officers and soldiers, that is, the white-clothed army is ready to attack Henan. If you don't want to die, get out of the way. If you stay, you'll be dead.

"Is there any movement in the direction of Puzhou?" Xu Xingxia asked again.

In the direction of Puzhou, it is in Shanxi, and Tongguan is only separated by a river. The heavy military groups of the Ming court are currently gathered in the northern part of Shanxi. With Taiyuan City as the dividing line, the strength of the troops in the south of Shanxi is quite empty. In the areas of Puzhou, Jiezhou, and Jiangzhou, there are not many troops. In fact, the officers and troops who had withdrawn from Xi'an City did not dare to stay here at all. They went all the way to the north, and they escaped Lingshi, Jiexiu and other places until they dared to stop.

Since there is no official army in this place, Xu Xingxia will naturally not be polite. Some of the stragglers under the Eagle Cavalry have crossed the Yellow River and appeared in the areas of Linfen and Hongdong. The first part of the Leopard Cavalry Army from Yansui Town will also go to this area to strengthen control. If it weren't for worrying about indigestion, Xu Xingxia would have wanted to send troops to besiege Taiyuan Mansion.

In fact, under the constant attacks of the white-clothed army, the military spirit of the officers and troops in Shanxi fluctuated very much. Taiyuan Province was also severely frightened. Although Shanxi Town stationed an army of 50,000 troops in Taiyuan City, it still could not calm down the people of Taiyuan City. There are many people in Taiyuan City, who have migrated to the north to Zhili, trying to escape the war. Affected by the fleeing people, the people of Beizhili now have begun to panic to a certain extent.

It's a pity that the white-clothed army can't spread its territory too much at once. Desperately attacking cities and conquering places, fighting everywhere, but not exercising effective control over the occupied areas, is tantamount to water over the back of a duck, and it is useless at all. Li Zicheng's lesson is right in front of you. If you want to hurry, you can't reach it, and steady progress is the last word. Now that the white-clothed army controls the entire Guanzhong region, it is necessary to properly integrate the population and resources of the Guanzhong area, digest them, and transform them into the driving force for continuing to fight in the future. This process takes time.

From a political point of view alone, behind Xi'an Mansion, there are Fengxiang Mansion, Gongchang Mansion, Lintao Mansion, Hanzhong Mansion and other places that need to be dealt with. Because the white-clothed army cut off their escape route, many local bureaucrats, landlords, and wealthy families had to face the butcher's knife of the white-clothed army. These people must be eliminated. Because, it is basically impossible for them to follow the white army. Even if they ostensibly defect to the white-clothed army, they will rebel if they have the opportunity in the future.

It will take at least half a year for the White Army to clear all the hostile forces in these areas. It will also take time to mobilize all the local people and actively join the arms of the white-clothed army. All the policies of the White Army must be put in place, and those people will truly support the White Army. In general, it will take at least a year to want these places, to provide combat effectiveness for the white-coat army, to provide population and resources.

In addition, the main forces of the white-clothed army, which have been fighting continuously, also need to take a break. It seems that the Leopard Cavalry is actually very tired. They traveled long distances to Naturalization City, and brought the prisoners and wealth of Naturalization City back to Yansui Town non-stop, this process was very tiring and tested their willpower. Xu Xingxia sent them to the area of Pingyang Mansion, but in fact, he had no choice but to do so. After they took control of Binh Duong Province, they had to rest for at least a month or two before they could continue fighting. It would be even better if it could take a three-month break.

It seems that the troops of the Xiao Cavalry Army and the Archery Army, after fighting the Tatars and Mongols in succession, are actually very tired. The attrition of some units is still very serious. The most obvious example of this is the Dragoons. After the Battle of Blue Star Gorge, the Dragoons basically lost their combat effectiveness. Recruits must be trained before the dragoons can continue to fight. One can imagine what kind of consequences will be triggered if the troops do not get sufficient rest.

Sending the Han cavalry to occupy Hanzhong Province, sending the Vulture cavalry to cruise around Henan Province, and sending the Panther cavalry to occupy Pingyang Province and other places, it is not so much to bring these places under the control of the White Clothes Army, but to establish a defensive front line in these places to block the possible counterattack of the imperial court. If the imperial court mobilizes a large number of troops to attack Ningxia Town before April next year, the white-clothed army will be in the above-mentioned areas to resolutely block and defeat the enemy. If there is no movement in the imperial court, the above-mentioned areas will become the bridgehead for a new offensive of the White Army.

Under the blow of the white-clothed army, the Ming Dynasty has returned to the light. With the decay of the Ming Dynasty, if there is no determination to break the big and stand up, it is impossible to stop the attack of the white-clothed army if it is just a small fight. The entire system of the Ming Dynasty has all rotted. Its [***] has completely devoured the roots and bones of the dynasty, and has sucked away all the last nutrients. It can be said that he is terminally ill and completely unsaved. Even at this time, the Ming Dynasty was given millions of silver and tens of millions of stone of grain, but it could not reverse the fate of destruction.

"Zhang Yi, Tongguan will be handed over to the Vulture Cavalry." Xu Xingxia said.

Before leaving, Xu Xingxia specially instructed Zhang Yi a few questions. One is that for the people who come to the west to take refuge, we should actively help them and guide them to come to the white-clothed army. The area controlled by the White Army still needs a lot of people. In particular, a large amount of labor is required. The most conservative estimate is that when a million people arrive, the white-clothed army will have a place to settle.

The second is to pay close attention to the training of local militia groups in various regions. At this time, the imperial court will definitely let the localities form new armies and establish a large number of militias. Don't despise these militias. These local militias are, in some ways, the Forces nouvelles. The so-called masters are among the people, and their combat effectiveness may not be worse than that of the imperial army. It seems that Hong Chengchou, Sun Chuanting, Lu Xiangsheng and others all prepared their own troops. In case of a few fierce men, it can still cause a little trouble to the white-clothed army.

The third, of course, is the strategic point of controlling various places. It seems that the tiger prison is locked in these places, and the white-clothed army still has to find a way to control it as soon as possible. The Tiger Prison Pass in the Ming Dynasty was not as important as the Three Kingdoms era. However, it is undeniable that it is still a military fortress. If there were troops stationed here, it would still pose a threat to the surroundings. In particular, there is a threat to the Luoyang region. Luoyang, so close to the Tiger Prison Pass.

…… Xu Xingxia came back from Tongguan and found that Lin Xiaoniang had already lived in the Qin Palace. It is said that it was sent by her aunt herself. It's just that Lin Xiaoniang seems to be a little worried in front of Xu Xingxia, always keeping her head down, not daring to look at Xu Xingxia's eyes. She seemed to want to say something, but she didn't dare to say it. Later, when she saw Xu Xingxia, she almost walked around.

"Is she really that worried?" Xu Xingxia thought that she was worried that this visit would take too long and that she was afraid of being punished by the Xu family, so she was so nervous, so she didn't care. It's best to wait for your mother to come and deal with this matter. This time, Lin Xiaoniang said that she was visiting relatives, and she was almost gone, so it is no wonder that the people of the Xu family want to talk about it.

Finally, at breakfast, Xu Xingxia finally caught Lin Xiaoniang and asked curiously, "What does your aunt do?" It seems to be from a big family! Has she ever been to Ningxia before? How do I feel where I heard her voice? ”

Lin Xiaoniang's expression was obviously a little unnatural, and she lowered her head and whispered, "She...... Start a small business at home...... Every now and then, I come back to the place for a walk. Perhaps, she had been to Ningxia Town before. I'm not so sure, though. ”

Xu Xingxia asked curiously, "What business does she do?" ”

Lin Xiaoniang thought for a while and said, "Make some clothes for people and subsidize the family." ”

Xu Xingxia nodded and did not continue to ask. He thought it was Lin Xiaoniang who was reluctant to talk about this topic. This little girl seems to have some low self-esteem. She said that her aunt was in business and mostly lied. Her aunt didn't look like she was doing business. It's like a young lady from a big family. Her temperament seems to be quite dignified and generous, giving people a very comfortable taste. Vaguely, there was a feeling of wanting to blaspheme her.

It's really strange, her voice, I obviously have an impression, but I just can't remember who she is. To be sure, I never met her. I haven't seen her, but I've heard her voice...... What the hell is going on?

(To be continued)