Late Tang Dynasty Floating Life

Chapter 617 Shou Shen

"The one who lives in spring, leads to the benefits of Ruying in the south, and connects to the wealth of the three Wus in the east. It connects Liang and Song Dynasties in the north, and the flat journey is only seven hundred; it connects Chen Xu in the west, and the water and land can't travel thousands of miles. There are rivers and lakes on the outside, and Huai and Fei on the inside. It is solid. The embankment of Longquan has tens of thousands of hectares of fertile land; the tribute of Shuliu is full of benefits."

Shi Shucong closed the "Zhenghuai Lun" written by Fu Tao, walked out of the tent, and climbed a mountain in the north surrounded by his own soldiers.

This mountain is called Bagong Mountain, which is located five miles northeast of Shouzhou, north of Feishui River, south of Huai River, and stands against Shouzhou City by Feishui River.

A few miles to the northeast of Bagong Mountain, there is Zijin Mountain, which echoes Bagong Mountain.

25 miles northwest of Shouzhou, there is Xiashi Mountain. "Jiahuai is a dangerous place, and it has been guarding an important place since ancient times." On the mountain, there are Erjiashi City, which not only serves as a barrier for Shouzhou, but also controls the Huaihe River and Tianjin.

These three mountains are the northern barrier of Shouzhou.If the enemy army goes south from the north, they must first seize these mountains and make them important places for military strategists.

Shi Shucong looked at the trackers struggling to move forward on both sides of the Huai River, motionless, as if engrossed.

The trackers pull the boat, which is full of grain, grass, and equipment, and the draft is very deep.

On the south bank of the Huai River, some cavalry were leading their horses on foot.They are the vanguard of the troops who came from Suzhou. As for the main force of the Chinese army, they are still in a slump.

The vortex, the place where the vortex water enters the Huai River, is located in the east of Shouzhou and is a waterway transportation hub.

In addition, there is Yingkou, where the Yingshui River enters the Huai River, and it is also a transportation hub.

However, both Wokou and Yingkou are inseparable from Shouzhou because of their geographical location.

During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, materials from the north arrived in Shouzhou through here, then arrived in Hefei along the Feishui River, and then arrived at the Yangtze River through the Chaofei Canal and Ruxushui.Conversely, materials from the south of the Yangtze River can also be transported upstream to the Central Plains.

The north-south traffic artery of Guochao is the Huaibian Canal, the so-called east line, so the middle line of Shouzhou has declined.But after the hardships, the Central Plains repeatedly raised wars and blocked the Bian River payment channel at every turn. Therefore, the imperial court dredged the Chaofei Canal and the Caishui/Yingshui River again, leading to Bianzhou from the central line, so that when the Huaibian Line was blocked, it was still possible. Materials can be transported through the Huaiying line, that is, the backup channel.

The importance of Shouzhou can be seen.

It relies on the western barrier of Huainan formed by Haozhou, and the eastern barrier of Huainan composed of Sizhou and Chuzhou. They rely on each other and use the natural conditions of dense water networks to transport materials and soldiers. Small groups of rivers are all attached to the Huai River to reach the sea, and the Wu, Ying, Bian, and Si rivers are especially critical."

From Xuzhen to Shouzhou, of course, the most convenient way is to take the waterway!
After Shi Shucong took command in Bianzhou, he went to Xusu on a starry night and saw the army he was going to lead, a ya army with [-] paces.

In addition, more than 2 soldiers from Ying, Su, Hao, Shou, and Chu prefectures and Tutuan villagers assembled in Sikou, Qingkou, Wokou, Yingkou and other places, and then went west by boat, Or go west on foot—especially Chuzhou, which has a prosperous household registration, because it is likely to be handed over to Yang Xingmi, so manpower was recruited extensively, and the censorship was the most ruthless.

On this road, there are almost [-] troops marching along the Huaixi, planning to station in Yingkou, under the command of Shi Shucong.

In addition, Shi Shucong's old superior Pang Shigu came out again.

He led only 2000 soldiers from the Bian army, plus [-] soldiers from the Tingdu, a thousand cavalry from the captured army, and more than [-] soldiers from Bian, Song, Hua, Bozhou counties, and Tutuan villagers. When the [-] army left Bianzhou, they went south by boat along the Caishui River, and then turned overland to kill Caizhou.

If the soldiers of Ding Hui, Pang Shigu, and Zhang Quanyi are counted, the total strength of the Liang people in Huaixi may be close to 12, and it will be another massive battle.

Caizhou, Zhu Quanzhong really can't afford to lose it!This can be regarded as poking a hornet's nest.

Considering the tense military deployment of the Bian army, Bianzhou can be said to be extremely empty. Is Lao Zhu a gamble?No more homes?

"Shouzhou is often an important town for those who establish a country in the southeast. Yang Xingmi doesn't know what he is doing, might he covet Shouzhou?" Shi Shucong shook his head, deeply buried this thought in his heart.

According to the news just received, Yang Xingmi is still fighting on both sides.An Renyi and others will compete with Qian Liu for Chang and Run, and Qu Zhang is still entangled with Du Hong and Feng Jingzhang. Jiangxi Zhongchuan is frightened and sent envoys to Bianzhou to ask for a secret alliance.Not surprisingly, it was rejected.

I don't know if Zhong Chuan will send people to Ezhou or even Guanzhong to ask Shao Shude for help.

Du Hong of Ezhou, at present, seems to be more and more likely to vote for Shao Shude, but he didn't make an offering this year.An envoy was sent to ask, but the door was also rejected.This thief will definitely want you to look good in the future!

Jiang Congxu, the governor of Shouzhou, hurried up Bagong Mountain to meet his uncle Cong.

Shi Shucong glanced at him indifferently, and said: "Jiang Shijun, don't worry, the army is mighty during this western expedition. I heard that the Shao bandits went south to Xiangyang, and they may have arrived in Caizhou by this time. Wait for me to cut their way back. It's a catch in one fell swoop."

Jiang Congxu was a little hesitant, and said: "It's no problem for the clan to lead the army. Now we have raised a group of wine and meat laborers, and I hope we can accept it."

There was a little more smile on Shi Shucong's face, and said: "Jiang's town of Shouzhou has made great achievements. I saw Shaopi, and there are tens of thousands of hectares of fertile land. The future battles of the army may depend on this."

Shouzhou is located in the Huanghuai Plain and has the advantage of Shaopi.

In the Spring and Autumn Period, Sun Shu'ao worked as Shaopi in Anfeng County, Shouzhou.During the Kaihuang period of the Sui Dynasty, Zhao Gui, the governor of Shouzhou, expanded Shaopi and irrigated more than [-] hectares of land.In the first year of Emperor Suzong of the Guo Dynasty, Shaopi was further developed to irrigate tens of thousands of hectares of land, named "Anfengtang".

That is to say, in the five counties of Shouzhou, the Shaopi Water Conservancy Project in Anfeng County alone irrigated tens of thousands of hectares of land, and once became an important source of military supplies for the armies near and far: There is no need to retransmit."

In fact, there is not only one Shaobei project in Anfeng County, but also Yongle Canal.In Shouchun County, Shouzhou City, there are fertile fields irrigated by diverting Huai River and Fei River, and Huoqiu County in the west also has two ponds.It is not without reason that Shouzhou once became the "base of Huainan's land tax".

Shouzhou is also rich in tea. Huoshan Huangya is a famous tea product, and there is a tribute tea garden opened by the imperial court.During the Jianzhong period, Wu Shaocheng was begged in Huaixi, and one of the crimes listed by Dezong for him was "shouzhou tea gardens, all the way".

Shouzhou Kiln is also one of the six famous kilns in the country, and it is also a very prosperous place with developed water and land transportation, prosperous business travel and many boats.

Shouchun is an ancient city, but it is not a lie.

Jiang Congxu glanced at the marching cavalry column on the bank of the Huai River, a little in awe, and said, "The Dutou army is so majestic! Here, I wish the Dutou flag victory and success."

"I owe you a good word." Shi Shucong said with a smile.

……

Shao Shude came to Shenzhou surrounded by his own soldiers.

Wu Yu, governor of Anzhou under Du Hong's rule, and Chen Su, governor of Gwangju who took office as a new official, came to see him together.

"Hao, Bo, Xu, Si, Bian, and Songzhou thieves robbed Jiangxi, Huainan, Xuan, Run and other roads a lot; Xu, Cai, Shen, and Guangzhou thieves robbed Jingxiang, Eyue and other roads a lot, and robbed goods. Going north to Benzhou to sell goods, it goes back and forth, and it starts again and again." Shao Shude stood outside a village, talking to himself.

Wu Yu didn't understand, but Chen Su was educated, and immediately continued: "Relying on the Huaijie River, a place of war, the county guards, and few civil servants. Villages and villages all have military battles. They openly act as thieves. Ten families and nine relatives belong to Jianghuai, and Yi dare not ask him."

Shao Shude laughed loudly, pointed at the people in the village who drew knives and held bows, and said, "I didn't believe it before, but now I believe it. Every family has wars, and they are brutal and martial, and there is no lie."

What they are talking about is actually the "investigation report" of Yizong Dynasty.From Bian Song to Hao Si, there were too many thieves, looting goods, crossing states and counties, swaggering.They even traveled as far as the south of the Yangtze River, and returned to Henan after a full plunder.As a result, the imperial court called Xuanwu, Eyue, Huainan and other towns to jointly send troops to conquer the bandits, but they were still unable to eliminate them.

Among the ten households, nine households are either thieves or have relations with thieves. Can you finish it?The people in Huaixi favor martial arts, there are few officials in the prefectures and counties, and there are military battles hidden in every household among the people.

Yuan and Ping Cai are not completely balanced.The Huaixi Jiedushi who fought against the imperial court was finished, but the Cai thief was not.

Pang Xun raised an incident in Xuzhou, "All the bandits of Guangcai will return in time."It's outrageous, wherever there is a rebellion, the Cai people rush to join the gang.

During the Huichang period, Du Mu, who served as the governor of Huangzhou, once said that Huangzhou's martial arts style is better than its literary style.And Huangzhou is just a neighbor of Huaixi, and they are all like this. What does the real Huaixi states look like?
After Yuanhe, the martial arts group with the highest degree of professionalization in the entire Tang Dynasty should be the western Henan states including Bian, Song, Chen, Xu, Ru, Cai, Shen, and Guang.Discussing Zhaoyi and Liu Zhen, Dingqiupu Uprising, Ping Pangxun's Rebellion, Helong's resistance against Tubo, Xichuan's resistance against Nanzhao, etc., and the extraordinary achievements of a hundred people in Dinglingnan, and even the reputation spread to Jiaozhi. The rebellious army heard about the "Yellow Head Army" Crossing the sea to Jiaozhou, he directly released Annan who was detained.

They traveled all over the east, west, north and south, either as officers and soldiers, or as thieves. This is their career ideal.

"My lord, this is..." Wu Yu asked subconsciously, a little puzzled.

"I want to recruit soldiers." Shao Shude said.

"There is not enough food and grass, why recruit soldiers?" Wu Yu was even more puzzled.

"Ding Hui, Yang Shihou, and Zhang Quanyi have [-] people." Shao Shude straightened his face and said, "If we can't shrink back, how can we defeat the enemy? The matter of food and grass must fall on Wu Shijun. If it can't be done, I will just You can lead your 'group of thieves' to figure it out on your own. In the six counties of Anzhou, the people do not have much food and grass, but don't tell me that there is no food! Whoever owns the food, you should know it."

Shao Shude didn't want to treat local tyrants in this way.

However, according to the feedback from the front line, Liang Jun adopted a defensive-oriented strategy, which is very annoying.

In addition, Zhu Quanzhong must have attached great importance to Caizhou, and may send reinforcements south at any time.If the results cannot be obtained quickly, it may be a replica of the battle of Heqing last year.

The more Shao Shude thought about it, the more angry he was, and he was about to "press the remote control". Gao Renhou of Heyang mobilized, spared no casualties, making Zhu Quanzhong want to die, and faced enemies on both sides.

Wu Yu's face turned pale, not knowing how to respond.

At this time, Zheng Yong, the tenth personal soldier, came over and reported: "Yi Congjun has marched all the way north, and has reached the vicinity of Caizhou."

"Are you sure?" Shao Shude asked.

After finishing speaking, he shook his head again and said, "Forget it, no one can say for sure about this matter. Make it clear to Muzang Jie, accept it when you see it, and don't love to fight. Let Niu Li move closer to him and help each other."

"As ordered."

(End of this chapter)