Fenghou

Chapter 36 News
Chen Qing came to the material warehouse again, and the doors of all the warehouses were opened, and it could be seen that various weapons and city defense weapons were piled up in a mess in each warehouse, which looked very messy.

The warehouse is too messy, and there is no trick at all.

Chen Qing frowned and asked, "Why is this mess?"

Du Min said with a bitter face: "These are all kinds of weapons captured by the Jin soldiers in Longzhou. They were not placed in Siyang County, but all were piled up in Guancheng. The former treasurer was killed because the things were too messy. I just I just checked out the grain and grass warehouse, and I haven't had time to tidy up here, I'm so busy these days that I don't even have time to drink my saliva."

"water?"

Chen Qing suddenly realized that the important thing he wanted to ask just now was water.

"How do you solve the problem of drinking water here?"

Du Min pointed to the cliff behind the warehouse, "There is a cave over there, and there is a small spring in the cave."

"Go and see!"

Everyone walked towards the cliff together, Chen Qing stopped Zheng Ping, "You are injured, go to rest!"

"It's been bandaged, it's okay, it's just a little flesh injury." Zheng Ping said indifferently.

Chen Qing stared, Zheng Ping's calf trembled, he quickly saluted, turned and left.

The cave is dark, very humid, about ten feet deep, and the sound of dripping water can be heard.

After walking about seven or eight feet, Du Min pointed to a corner, "That's right there, be careful there's a puddle below!"

Chen Qing saw the irregular octagonal pool on the ground, soaked by running water all the year round, covered with moss, and the rocks became very smooth, much like a natural bathtub.

"How deep is the pool?"

"I haven't measured it. I heard from the soldiers that it seems to be four or five feet deep!"

There was no rushing spring water, but the rock wall was covered with moss. Chen Qing stretched out his hand to touch the moss, and at his fingertips, a stream of water flowed down along the moss, silently pouring into the pool.

"Commander, please look here!" A soldier pointed to the ground a foot away.

Chen Qing walked over and saw a stream of spring water flowing from the pool, and finally gurgling into the crevices of the rocks.

From this spring water, the amount of water on the stone wall can be known.

"Is there any stored water?" Chen Qing was a little distressed that the spring water flowed away in vain.

Du Min shook his head, "No?"

"Then is there any water container in the pass city?"

Du Min thought for a while, his eyes suddenly lit up, "Yes, there are hundreds of empty wine jars!"

"Clean the wine jars well and use them all to hold water!"

After walking out of the cave, Chen Qing said to Yang Hua, "Arrange two brothers to stand guard at the entrance of the cave. Except for the soldiers who fetch water, no one else is allowed to enter."

Chen Qing glanced at Du Min, "Pay special attention to this person!"

"The humble official suggested that he be released from the city. It is still a bit dangerous to keep him."

Chen Qing shook his head, "No one knows our details now, either kill this Du Min, or keep him to work for us."

"Reporting to Commander, I asked him specifically just now, he is the teacher of Siyang County School, and I think it would not be good to kill him."

Chen Qing thought for a while and said, "Let's do this! Keep him and be responsible for writing home letters to the soldiers. He is not allowed to approach the warehouse or water source. No matter who it is, he must have a token to enter the warehouse and water source."

"Humble post obeys orders!"

Chen Qing got on his horse, at this moment, Yang Yuanqing urged the horse to come over, and asked with a smile from a distance: "Commander, is there enough food and grass?"

"There is enough food and grass, but all kinds of weapons and materials are too messy. You organize the brothers to clean it up. I hope we can get a surprise!"

"What about the copper coins, gold and silver found?"

"Distribute it to the brothers, and slaughter more than a dozen donkeys. Treat everyone well tonight!"

Both Zhang Junhe and Wu Jie made a strategic mistake when judging the distribution of the enemy's forces. They greatly underestimated the surrender number of the Song army.

After the Battle of Fuping, Wanyan Zongbi and Wanyan Zongfu led an army of [-] to sweep Guanlong. The Xiang army from all states and counties surrendered in anticipation. In just one month, the number of imperial troops and Xiang troops in Guanlong who surrendered reached [-]. Thousands of people.

After they surrendered, they were reorganized into various Han armies by the Jin soldiers.

The Jurchen army in Longyou and Hehuang was indeed only [-], but in addition to the Jurchen army, there were also [-] Han troops. This was an unexpected factor that Zhang Jun and Wu Jie did not take into account.

Even Jin Bing's plan to attack Heshangyuan and Dashanguan did not include these Han troops. They did not deploy the Han army as an army at all, but used them as slave troops.

But throughout the battle, these Han soldiers inevitably appeared.

On the third day after capturing Jiandao Pass from Chen Qing, a Han army of [-] men escorted [-] shi of grain to Siyang County.

This mighty grain transport team consists of a thousand carts.

If it was in the Tang Dynasty, Jiandao Pass was of little value. Both merchants and transporters could board boats from Siyang County and enter the Weihe River through the Sishui River. At that time, Guanlong had a mild climate and abundant rainfall, and the river transportation was very busy.

However, at the end of the Tang Dynasty, with the climate change in Guanlong, the precipitation was scarce, and the severe sediment loss on the Loess Plateau caused the rivers to be silted up, so that the rivers in the Guanlong area basically had no shipping value in seasons except summer.

All goods and materials can only be transported by land with carts pulled by mules and donkeys, and the strategic position of Jiandao Pass has become prominent.

In the morning, a businessman and seven or eight men were driving more than a hundred donkeys to enter the customs from Beicheng, but the soldiers refused, but Yang Hua found that the goods of the businessman seemed to be what they needed, so he immediately sent a soldier Run to find Chen Qing.

"Commander, take a look at his cargo, do we need to keep it?" Yang Hua asked outside the city.

Chen Qing went out of the city to take a closer look at the goods. This businessman actually sold water tanks. There were hundreds of large tanks inside small tanks. They were indeed the goods they needed most.

When the businessman saw that the goods had been seized, his face paled immediately, and he hurriedly stepped forward and clasped his fists and begged, "General, I have a small business and I still have to support my family, please let me go!"

Chen Qing couldn't help laughing, "Yang Dutou, didn't you explain it clearly to him?"

Yang Hua stepped forward with a smile and patted the merchant's shoulder, "Look, it scares you, thinking we won't pay for your water tank?"

The businessman wiped the sweat from his forehead, "I don't dare, I was really frightened by those Han soldiers yesterday. They ate and took for nothing in Siyang County, and they didn't give any money. They also injured many shopkeepers and Man, the local government and the garrison dare not mess with them."

"Where did the Han army come from?"

Chen Qing immediately heard that it was unusual. There were only two hundred troops stationed in Siyang, and their reputation was not too bad. The businessman was obviously not talking about them.

"The grain transport soldiers who arrived yesterday afternoon were all from the Han army."

"How many people? How much food?" Chen Qing asked.

"I heard that there are [-] people. I don't know how much food, about [-] carts, and it is estimated that it will cost more than [-] shi."

"We want all of your water tanks, and at the market price, you won't lose a penny."

Chen Qing explained a few words to Yang Hua, turned around and went up to the top of the city, and looked at Siyang County in the distance. It turned out to be three thousand Han troops. Has the test come so soon?
...........
The chief general of the Han army who was in charge of food was called Xia Jin. He was originally a commander of the Jingyuan army. He was captured and surrendered in the Battle of Fuping. Yan Wulu reorganized the Han army.

This time, under the order of the coach Wanyan Wulu, Xia Jin led [-] troops to escort [-] shi of grain to the Weinan Camp. However, when he arrived in Siyang County, he heard the news that the Jiandao Pass had been captured by the Song army. The yellow-bottomed Tuanlong flag of the Song Army was erected above his head.

Xia Jin didn't know the details of the Song Army, so he immediately sent an eagle letter to the Jinbing camp in Pingliang Prefecture, asking the commander Wulu for instructions on the next move.

After all, he is a food escort army, not a combat army. In his opinion, protecting food safety is far more important than attacking arrows.

Either he withdrew to Pingliang Mansion, or he waited for reinforcements in Siyang County.

At noon, Xia Jin received a reply letter from the coach Ulu, which only said one sentence: "Conquer the Jiandao Pass and continue to go south!" '

(End of this chapter)