Delong

Chapter 162 Floating Horse Walk (9)

Cao Che, the current emperor of the Great Wei Dynasty, has many characteristics, but he is very happy, impatient, and unquestionable, and he does not take human life seriously, which are quite obvious among them.

And these several items are often displayed in series.

The most common example is to require a huge scene and project, and then set a shortest time limit. If there is a delay, it is better to pile up lives than to see the slightest discount.

This is true of Xiudong, Jianming Hall-Tiantian Pagoda-Great Golden Pillar, Western Tour, and the previous two expeditions to Dongyi.

But there is one thing to say, this is the third expedition against Dongyi after the Chinese New Year, Mao Rensheng seems to pay special attention to the stability of the rear, and made many detailed arrangements:
For example, in addition to sending the British official Bai Hengqiu out of Taiyuan, he also sent a heavyweight Shangshu Zuocheng Zhang Shizhao to the Bianzhou Daying in charge of the front-line logistics, and at the same time sent two generals, Qu Tuda and Zheng Shanye. They were stationed in Puyang and Liyang respectively, forming a civil and military division on the logistics road.

For another example, when it was decided to let Sima Changying, Yu Changji, and Zhang Han accompany the three ministers, Cao Lin, Cao Huangshu, Su Wei, and Niu Hong could have taken charge of Dongdu and the overall situation behind him... But the emperor still set up a Dongdu, who has very low qualifications but has a very subtle background, is Zhang Shiben, the youngest son of Zhang Bofeng, the master of the great master Zhang, who is also the father of Zhang Changgong, the kanban lady of Jingantai... This is not counted, and the Minister of the Ministry of War is added. Wei, the newly-appointed Minister of Criminal Justice Gu Yi, Minister of Rites Bai Hengjin, and Qian Shiying of Shangzhu State formed an eight-member Dongdu deliberative body.

According to the clearly issued imperial decree, the military and state affairs of the Eastern Capital require eight people to make a decision to replace the previous Nanya decree and issue it. If there is a conflict and invalidity, Zhang Shizhao and Zhang Xianggong of Bianzhou Daying can be asked to express their views.

Finally, for example, the imperial court abandoned the old practice of directly leading troops from the Zhu Kingdom and Shangzhu Kingdom in this Eastern Expedition, and only led the troops directly by the generals of the guards, and first adjusted the positions of these generals who actually led the troops... Among them, Sima Changying, one of the ministers of Nanya, personally led General Zuo Yiwei;

Yu Shuwen, the famous general of the dynasty and the general manager of Beidi West Road, was recalled, and General You Yiwei was added;

General Zuo Xiao Qiwei is Bai Hengyuan, the governor of Nanyang;
The general of You Xiao Qiwei is Zhang Shi'an;
General Xue Changxiong of Zuo Weiwei;
Right Weiwei General Han Yingong;
Sima Huada, General of Zuo Tunwei;

Li Anyuan, General of Youtunwei;
There are also General Xin Changxiong of the Left Yuwei, Zhang Jin of the Right Yuwei, Cui Hongsheng of the Left Wuwei General, Zhao Xiaocai of the Right Wuwei General, He Xi, the Left Houwei General, and Zhao Guang, the Right Houwei General;

These fourteen guards, together with the left and right Jinwu guards, are the so-called sixteen guards system after the establishment of the Great Wei, which expanded the power of the eight-pillar kingdom, twelve guards, generals, and four soldiers.

As for these generals, there are senior generals, national famous generals, generals, famous family generals with family background, local veteran generals, and even talented generals from poor families like Zhao Guang.

According to the rules, once the soldiers of the government are mobilized, they will be assigned to these generals according to the Yingyang government, and let them lead... However, if there are still [-] recruits to form the upper five armies, the specific distribution of troops may be a little more complicated .

And these are only the large army in the middle led directly by the sage, and there are also three battalions or the general state troops led by Lai Zhan'er and Zhou Xiaoming in the south;

For a time, there was a gathering of famous generals and heavy troops.

Perhaps it was just to wait for the main characters to be in place first, so the court rarely delayed and did not send troops to the east for a long time.

Besides, regarding this arrangement, Zhang Xing, who was chatting around the furnace at night, was as mean as ever—the arrangement on the logistics road was obviously divided into civil and military affairs, to prevent Yang Shen's story; the arrangement in Dongdu was obviously to restrain Uncle Cao... No one would think that Uncle Cao would be bored and rebellious, and he didn't need it, but once this person set out to part ways with the saint, he was doomed to be the emperor's most feared and powerful enemy; as for the reconstruction of the army and horse organization, It is for the most direct strategic and tactical expression and intervention.

Since this saint is determined to fight for the third time, not to mention how to fight, at least he will not allow the slightest disobedience within the Eastern Expeditionary Army.

The [-] military servicemen in Dongdu actually mobilized early... No matter how they escaped, how they bribed or took advantage of the loopholes, Dongdu has a population of millions of people, plus the surrounding territories, how could there be ten less people? million poor?
Therefore, Zhang Xing didn't know if there was any "son" of the old man who brought firewood to his family in the re-established camp east of the city.

Of course, Zhang Sanlang has also been very busy in the past ten days. Apart from dealing with more and more officials, servants, and generals who have offered to befriend him, he also has to struggle with other arrangements—for example, whether to let Yueniang go to seclusion. Zhou, Dengzhou, Taiyuan?Or stay in Luoyang and go to Baifu?

Of course, in the end, I chose to keep Yueniang in Luoyang, not only because I have full confidence in Uncle Cao, but more importantly, because Li Ding, who failed to buy an official like Zhang Xing, was suddenly promoted and became an envoy of Dushui. Although the duty has only changed from building roads to dredging waterways, but the level has crossed the threshold and become a serious fifth-rank master... According to the rules, the family members of the fifth-rank officials must stay in the Eastern Capital, so, Zhang Xing and Qin Baoma made the decision to let Yueniang go to the master Zhang Shiniang.

Specifically, the eighteenth day of the first lunar month.

And two days later, these men and Bai Yousi, an old lady, hurriedly set off in accordance with the imperial court's orders and military orders.

15 recruits from the Upper Five Army, 30 Jinwu Guards, [-] Guanxi Shanluohedong Prefecture Army, [-] civilian husbands, and even thousands of servants and court ladies, totaling nearly [-] people. It started with a bang, and went directly downstream from the north bank of Luoshui River, heading straight for Luokou Cang... When the vanguard arrived at Luokou Cang, the rear troops were just dispatched, like a long dragon.

Not to mention, after arriving at the warehouse in Luokou, they opened the warehouse and took all the rice, grain and cloth. After a little boost in morale, they gradually waited for the follow-up soldiers and civilian husbands in Hebei and Kansai... Kansai is a little farther away Afterwards, another 25 government soldiers and 20 civilian husbands came. Hebei also came with [-] government soldiers, but [-] civilian husbands came. .

So far, in the narrow riverside area of ​​Luokou-Boshui-Biankou-Liyang-Puyang, there are actually 30 soldiers, 60 civilian husbands, and nearly a million people.

Once again, Zhang Xing realized his own insignificance, and at the same time was amazed at the storage of Luokou warehouse and Liyang warehouse. He stayed here for many days, and he really saw with his own eyes the scene where the grain and silk in the warehouse were backlogged to decay. But I don't know whether to mock the first emperor or the present hairy saint.

Not only that, Zhang Xing did not know until this time that in fact, the first emperor had already conquered Dongyi once, but because of the wind and waves at sea and the efforts of the Dongyi governor... It can only be said that Zhang Sanlang was even more awakened , no wonder the saint is so persistent.

After all, considering the life experience of this saint, it is absolutely nonsense to say that there is no pressure accumulation of [-] catties in his [-] catties.

"here we go."

On the third day after the gathering of soldiers and horses from all walks of life, on the eighth day of the second lunar month, Li Ding, the newly appointed Dushui envoy, came to look for Zhang Xing, and when he came up, he became a riddler.

"What has started?" Zhang Xing, who was wiping a long sword without a scabbard in the room, did not lift his head.

"It's not something...it's people!" Li Ding finally began to feel resentful. "Soldiers are precious and fast. Do you know why the soldiers and horses have been assembled for three or four days, but they still haven't sent troops?"

"You are the envoy of Dushui." Zhang Xing was puzzled. "You don't even know, how do I know?"

"Because some people think he's doing it again." Li Ding replied angrily. "I met my uncle's old department today, and only after he instructed me did I realize that the reason why he didn't send troops was not for any other reason. I'm afraid it was just because he didn't think of the way to march... Wasn't Guanfeng Xingdian burned? After a while, I can’t make new gadgets.”

Suddenly, Zhang Xing nodded, but shook his head again, and just began to wrap the sword layer by layer with the silk and satin he took from the Luokou warehouse.

"What does this mean?" Li Ding was puzzled for a moment.

"The sages have just started, but in fact the folks have already started." Zhang Xing answered calmly while wrapping his sword. "This morning I met a small official from Wu'an, Hebei, and I treated him to a meal of bacon. By the way, I asked... It turns out that Hebei, the old place of the Eastern Qi Dynasty, has been completely messed up... The actual number of soldiers stationed in their county Not enough, so I took advantage of the enlistment and arrested people to make up the number. As a result, one person knew that he was going to fight in Dongyi as a soldier, so he fled on the road. And guess what happened?"

Li Ding wanted to respond, but he became a little annoyed and shut up instead.

And Zhang Xing didn't let it go: "The team will simply bring a whole team of people, under the banner of this fugitive, and fled into Daluze... officially rebelled."

Li Ding laughed for a while, and immediately laughed: "This kind of thing happened twice before, but it was swept away by the army afterwards, and it disappeared without a trace."

"You don't understand." Zhang Xing put away the long sword wrapped in cloth, turned around and took out a gold awl, rubbed it carefully, and responded quietly at the same time. "The most wonderful thing about this matter is not the desertion or fear of war, but the fact that Wu'an County didn't dare to report this matter, but instead arrested another four hundred soldiers and sent them over as a garrison army..."

"Four hundred... It's a bit of a fall to gain a wisdom." Li Ding wanted to laugh but couldn't.

"Isn't it?" Zhang Xing continued to speak calmly while rubbing the gold cone. "Four hundred people were sent to the Liyang warehouse on the other side of the river. At last, there were more than 100 people left. They grabbed a few civilians and stuffed them in. They barely made up the number, but they had to go back and continue to replenish the civilians. This time they crossed the river. The matter of the civilian husband has not been fooled... Zhang Han Zhang Xianggong's character is hard to say, he has no ability to say... So I have to go back and continue to catch. But guess, how many of the 30 troops are filled by civilian husbands? In order to fill this hole, how many more civilians were arrested and how many thieves were raised in Hebei, Central Plains, and Jianghuai? As for the saint, let me say, let him do what he likes!"

Saying that, Zhang Xing took out the second gold awl, and did not forget to raise his head and ask seriously: "Why don't you go to write a letter to advise, is it the fifth grade?"

Li Ding opened his mouth to speak, but he had nothing to say.

In this way, he sat for a while, and when Zhang Sanlang began to polish the steel crossbow he had received, Li Silang finally gave up the entanglement and turned to polish the weapon with the other party.

After waiting for two more days, Zhang Xing was on duty, but he was fortunate to see the solution to what Li Ding said in front of the imperial court.

Besides, on this day the sage went to the hill outside the city to see the victory. A favored concubine, hundreds of palace attendants and servants opened the curtains, and most of them were prepared with delicious wine, food and seasonal vegetables, but the banquet was only three rounds. Standing there, looking at the huge camp that filled his entire field of vision, he remained silent for a long time.

The officials who stood up behind him had long understood the sage's will, but none of them spoke out... Of course it is understandable, after all, the matter is important, and not everyone dares to play tricks lightly, especially when there are so many famous generals gathered, it is inevitable to simply flatter the horse To be generous... But Zhang Xing saw that Sima Xianggong and his son were also among them, but they just kept silent, which was even more strange.

It stands to reason that this gentleman should have given up his reputation long ago.

The one who finally broke the silence was Mr. Zhang, one of the initiators of this Eastern Expedition, who accompanied him for the first time.

"Your Majesty." After waiting for a while, Zhang Han suddenly stepped forward to salute. "Your Majesty, there is nothing more magnificent than a great river hanging in the sun..."

"It's natural." The sage turned around and sneered, as if impatient.

"However, I believe that the prosperity of the great river cannot compare with the prosperity of His Majesty's hundreds of millions; the high hanging of the sun cannot be higher than that of the sage and the virtue of the four fields..." Zhang Han is not too nasty.

The sage still didn't turn his head back, but his tone was unavoidably more amiable: "Although Sanhui doesn't have a strong personality, he is the supreme one after all. How can I compare myself to the emperor on land?"

"The matter of the supreme is not understood by mere mortals like me who can't even cross half of the meridian, but as the saying goes, there is no second day, and in the eyes of the minister, your majesty has always been the existence of the supreme." Zhang Han pointed to The sun, decisive and without hesitation, made the other civil and military behind him dumbfounded.

Standing sideways beside the curtain dozens of steps away, Zhang Xing saw with his own eyes that General Yu Shuwen of Youyiwei who had just returned from the Northland pulled a beard off of him.

But... the numbing is numbing, and it works.

The sage turned his head back with a smile when he heard this, and then he sighed: "Ms. Zhang's loyalty is of course good, but the army is about to go out, the queue is disordered, and the army is not strong. I really don't have the mood to enjoy the scenery."

Zhang Han nodded slowly, and then thoughtfully: "Actually, seeing the sun hanging over the river, and seeing His Majesty facing millions of people, I have an idea, but I don't have any military experience, so I'm afraid it's not good. wrong."

"It's okay, let's talk about it." The sage stopped and returned to the banquet while responding.

"Your Majesty." Mr. Zhang answered seriously. "I heard that the White Emperor sent troops from the middle of Shu to revive the Central Plains. The army stretched from Hanzhong to Nanyang along the Han River, and the banners covered the mountains and plains, patrolling like a real dragon... Now, why don't you divide the 30 troops into divisions? For the 32nd Army, an army is sent out every day, each army is [-] miles apart, the banners face each other, the golden drums are heard, the end is connected, and it is continuous for thousands of miles, just like a big river; The post-supervisor is like a great sun soaring into the sky... This is the grand occasion that I, the Great Wei, should have when I became a teacher."

Among the many civil and military personnel below, a few were at a loss for a while, and most of them looked at each other in blank dismay.

But the emperor was stunned for a moment, but immediately laughed out loud: "Why didn't I think of that? Can Mr. Zhang do this?"

"A minister is not good at marching and fighting, but it is his job to make overall arrangements and be a document for dispatching troops." Zhang Han hurriedly responded.

Hearing this, Yu Shuwen, the general of Youyiwei who had been away from the court for seven or eight years, couldn't bear it any longer. Not to mention the cost of countless money and food, the key is that the morale of the army is also weakening day by day. If we march in this way, won't it take a full month to set off, and we will have to gather again in Dengzhou? There will be countless troubles at that time .”

The sage's expression changed on the spot, but he seemed to realize that the military angle was indeed inappropriate, so he didn't refute directly, but asked one of the sentences coldly: "What do you mean that the morale of the army is getting loose day by day?"

"Your Majesty." Yu Shuwen seemed to have sensed the saint's tone, and quickly explained. "I dare not hide it. I and Sima Xianggong are ordered to control the general affairs of the army. These days are clearly measured... There are too many people fleeing, from civilians to soldiers, and even some of the upper five armies... I can't restrain them at all. .”

"If you don't command the army with kindness, the soldiers should be severely punished if they flee. As a general, how can you distract the army and whisper other people's advice?" The emperor's tone became more and more impatient, but it was obvious that he could not deny the other party's military opinion. It was just impatience and scolding. "Since you speak up, do you have a pretty good idea?"

I have a ghost!

Yu Shuwen was speechless, but could only bow down and salute, claiming to be ashamed.

"Some of you just came from other towns and don't know my temperament. I don't like giving advice. If you want to say something wrong with me, you should have a better idea. It's just useless nonsense, isn't it? Isn't it just for fame and reputation?" The emperor seemed to be even more angry when he saw this, but he said a lot of earnest truths.

It has to be said that Zhang Xing listened to it not far away, but he actually thought it was quite reasonable.

As for the famous general of the dynasty, it is said that Yu Shuwen, who is close to the cultivation level of the master, can only bow his head and stand up, but he is panting, and he does not hide it at all, which also makes the atmosphere on the hill tense.

"Since this is the case, does anyone have any good ideas?" The saint seemed to have noticed something, but he just pretended not to hear it, and instead asked other civil and military officials.

"I have a strategy, I don't know if it can meet His Majesty's wishes." Sima Changying said suddenly.

"Speak." The emperor responded immediately.

"I think, why not build a big military city like the military city that was surrendered that day?" Sima Changying hurriedly explained. "Divide the army into Henan and Hebei, and form two or three square formations. For example, here in Henan Yujia, there are [-] soldiers on each side, and the defense is on all sides. The Yujia, palace people, hundreds of officials, and cavalry are all inside the square formation... In this way, it can not only demonstrate the majesty of the saint, but also enable the army to set off on the same day, without delaying the marching time, and effectively prevent people from fleeing."

There was a lot of discussion among the people. Some people said that this would probably trample young crops, but others quickly refuted it. If you only trampled on the young crops on the road in the military city, it would be a model for marching... In fact, doing so can reduce the impact on the towns and villages along the way. destruction.

Some people also said that this has a great advantage, which is that it is very convenient to deal with when encountering a surprise attack, but immediately someone ridiculed, in broad daylight, the world is bright, who is crazy to attack the military city surrounded by 30 troops?
And after some discussions, they all felt that this method was very useful...Of course, it is also very likely that many generals who know the soldiers will understand the harm of doing this all at once, but they would rather not say it...Because no matter what , is it much better than delaying the attack for a month?
The emperor finally nodded, agreed to the plan, and proposed a reasonable plan to end the city in three days, then thirty miles a day, and arrive at Dengzhou Camp in forty days.

As for Zhang Fuchangjian, a martial artist, he thought about it for a long time based on his three-legged cat's military ability, but he couldn't figure out the pros and cons... This is also understandable... But it doesn't delay him, and he wants to ask:
"Why can't you walk well?"

"An accident is going to happen." Li Ding immediately came to a conclusion after hearing the latest information that night.

"How to say?" Zhang Xing was refreshed, he really didn't understand.

"What can I say, if you don't walk well, what kind of military city you build will scare the soldiers..." Li Ding said angrily. "Thousands of miles, it takes people to walk in formation...how tiring?! Do you think that all the troops in the garrison are fat and strong? Even if they go to the fifth army, all the three armies are exhausted. ...why don't you walk well?"

Zhang Xing came to a sudden realization - as expected, he still had some talent, it was really that not being able to walk well was the biggest problem in itself.

It seems to be echoing Li Ding's words. Three days later, three military cities, one large, two small, were formed and headed east... After walking for two hundred miles, six or seven days, the civilians and soldiers began to be exhausted... especially the civilians. , They are also responsible for transporting military rations and materials, but although there is no shortage of armor and food during this expedition, ships and vehicles are limited, and many materials require manpower. Scale escape.

Soldiers carried swords and guns, and civilian husbands carried food. They often camped overnight, and there were many fewer people the next day.

At the end of February, after traveling for more than ten days, three to four hundred miles, and entering Dongping County, the largest group of fugitives appeared. A whole small camp, more than 500 civilian husbands, and a group of fifty soldiers in charge of guards, unexpectedly colluded together. Collectively fled to Juyeze in the south.

This time, it was impossible to hide the truth. The case of the saint who was sent to the city by the military information was sent to the saint. The saint was furious and sent cavalry "out of the city" to pursue them. He captured three or four hundred people, beheaded them all, and took blood to smear the drums and drums of war. Face...According to the saying, this is called provocative drums to establish prestige.

It has to be said that the effect was very good. After witnessing this scene with their own eyes, the "city bricks" of the military city immediately began to flee on a larger scale, and some even took the saint's royal horse.

(End of this chapter)