Kingdom of Heaven and Han

Chapter 551 The Difficulty of the Place

Early the next morning, Ge Ding sent people to repair the road out of the valley, and he himself led people to build a pontoon bridge on the Fu River.Qu Fengxing took his soldiers to understand the surrounding people's conditions, and sent people to Lushan County to inform the local people.

The sun was rising high, and the frost on the grass and trees was beginning to melt.I saw several horses galloping towards Lushan County and stopped by the Fu River.A man in military uniform shouted loudly on the horse: "The people who built the pontoon bridge over there are the Northern Expeditionary Army?"

Ge Ding looked at it and said, "You guessed right, it's right!"

The man hurriedly got off his horse, crossed his hands and said, "I don't know what army you are in? What is the general's name?"

Ge Ding said: "We are the engineering troops for building bridges and paving roads, and we are ahead of the whole army. I am under the control of the engineering regiment, Ge Ding."

The man nodded: "I see. Cai Zun, under the order of Cao Dutong, came to meet you. Because I live in Lushan City, I missed you with you yesterday. I got the news today and hurried over."

After hearing this, Ge Ding hurriedly ordered the ferry to bring Cai Zun and his party over.

Both sides saluted.Cai Zun asked: "Three Crows Town is remote, how was the control last night?"

Ge Dingdao: "Thanks to a nearby member of Kang who brought sheep to work in the army, the whole army ate a meal of meat. Who would have thought that there would be no meat seller in a town. If there is no member of Kang, there would be no meat last night. We were in San For three days on the Crow Road, I haven’t seen many people, and I’m really panicked. It’s said that the road between Wanluo and Wanluo on this road, how could I expect it to be so desolate.”

Cai Zundao: "During the Tang Dynasty, Sanya Road was still very lively. When Kaifeng was established as the capital of this dynasty, people who went north from Xiangyang changed to Fangcheng and Ye County. This road became more and more desolate. Now is not a peaceful time. Less business trips."

Ge Ding nodded.

Cai Zun looked at Ge Ding's army and said, "Commander Cao ordered me to support the army here. I originally thought that you would go to Lushan County to rest overnight, but did not deploy manpower here. Commander still ordered the soldiers to do things, you follow me Go to the county seat."

After hearing this, Ge Ding shook his head again and again: "General, come out of Sanya Road, it's already evening when we arrive here, how could it take us a few more hours to go to the county seat? Naturally, there is a reason for Sanya Town to be built here. You can support the army, It should be here, how can we go to the county seat?"

Cai Zundao: "We tried it. We came out of the mountains and arrived here at about noon, and it was just dark when we walked [-] miles to the county seat. The envoy asked that all the camps along the road should be built tents, and the passing troops came. Just sleep. There is no need to dismantle the camp tent when you leave, just leave it to the next army. Sanya Town is too remote here, and it is not easy to supply supplies, so it will be built in the county seat."

Ge Ding said: "If you leave the pass at noon, it will be dark when you arrive at the county seat. Three or five people don't think that camping for an army is such an easy thing? Not to mention, sixty miles to Lushan Pass, two days on the road, Most of the troops can’t leave the customs at noon. Needless to say, the army’s camp must be set up here. The supply of materials is originally a matter of your locality, and it’s just a matter of recruiting people to transport them.”

Cai Zun's official position is much lower than that of Ge Ding, so he dare not say more.But he murmured in his heart, how many people can Lushan County have, and how many civilian husbands can be recruited?How many people will it take to transport supplies here, plus other things?
Ge Ding asked Cai Zun to sit in the camp and asked about Lushan's situation.

Cai Zundao: "In recent years, there have been fewer officials and more shortages. In Lushan County, there are only two county magistrates and county lieutenants. Because the army is coming, they are patrolling the area, recruiting civilians, and purchasing supplies. I am in charge here. .There are so many things going on, and there are things that don’t work, don’t be offended by Wanwang’s rule.”

Ge Dingdao: "I am a pioneer, building bridges and paving roads. It is not up to me to say whether you are doing well or not. But let me remind you that Sanya Town is the first stop after the army leaves the mountain. You must not be careless. You'd better get here as soon as possible." After building the tents, we also need to set up warehouses.”

Cai Zun complained in his heart.

According to the requirements, Lushan County will set up four stations for the army to rest.It's just that Lushan is a small county in a mountainous area, and after the war, the population is small and the supplies are not sufficient, so it is really difficult.The county magistrate discussed with Cai Zun and wanted to change it to two stations, just to lengthen the distance between them.In this way, the army was forced to speed up in Lushan County and pass there as soon as possible, which would save a lot of trouble for the local area.

This is the way things are, no matter how well planned, there will always be various problems when doing it.Some problems are so big that it is impossible to follow the plan.Some things are so small that the solution is not complicated.Regardless of whether it is a big problem or a small problem, if you don't try to solve it, things will get stuck there.Whether you want to solve it or not, and how to solve it, depends on the ability of a group.

Wang Xiaolie's envoy is considered rich.Being able to issue money by itself, a large amount of investment in the past few years has begun to see profits. Even without increasing taxes on the people, it is much more affluent than other places.In this Northern Expedition, the envoy sent money to the local government and asked them to guarantee the march.

But here in Lushan County, what if the money is distributed?There are only so many people in the place, and there are only so many materials.The distribution of money only pushes up local prices, and the supplies will not be changed.Food can be transferred from other states and counties, what about others?The army needs to eat meat, fish, and oil to ensure nutrition. How can a few officials appear out of thin air?
Ge Ding only brought a battalion of troops, and as long as he lived in Sanya Town for a few days, the sheep in the surrounding villages would be eaten up.At that time, no amount of money could buy meat, so what could the magistrate do?

Seeing Cai Zun's distressed face, Ge Ding said: "If you have any difficulties in the local area, you'd better report it in time. Don't let the army come, you have nothing here. If you delay the march, Marshal Jie will never let you go!"

Cai Zundao: "Control, the local officials and I are not fools, we have already reported it. The local supplies are insufficient, and as a result, the higher-ups just sent extra money and let us buy them. You saw it too, where can we buy it? Sanya Town There is no meat seller, and there is only one meat stall in Lushan County, which only sells two sheep a day! How can we supply tens of thousands of troops? There is really no way.”

Ge Ding said: "If you can't buy it locally, you can buy it elsewhere! Baofeng also has to pass through the army. If you don't buy it there, you can go to the nearby Ye County to buy it! No, you can go to Xiangcheng! There is always a way!"

Cai Zun looked at Ge Ding, didn't speak, just shook his head.

Ge Ding woke up suddenly.This is a mountainous area, not to mention that it is inconvenient to walk, how many sheep are there in Ye County?Supplying tens of thousands of troops is talking in dreams.In the whole Ruzhou, if all the sheep are slaughtered, how long can they supply the army?
Tens of thousands of troops passing through places in this era are like locusts passing through, and the supplies will soon be exhausted.Food and grass in the army can be prepared in advance, do you bring everything with you?In the past, when the conditions were bad, Wang Xiaolie's march was also simple, as long as he brought enough food.Now the conditions are better, and there are many more rules in the army.There are clear standards in the military for eating meat for a few days, how many eggs for a few days, how much food and vegetables a person needs.Such a standard, even if the local government tries its best, it will not be able to achieve it.

Ge Ding was silent for a while, and said: "If you have any difficulties, you can report them to the authorities and make them clear. If the higher authorities don't solve them, it's not your business. But if you hold back here and don't talk about it, if something happens, you won't be able to escape. The distance between the campsites on the road is thirty miles, fifty miles, or even ten miles, it is not decided casually, it cannot be changed!"

(End of this chapter)