Han Zuo Gaomen

Chapter 914
In hot and dry weather, occasional hot wind blows by, or people walk and horses step on it, and there is a cloud of dust.

Although the Yellow River today is not the chaotic soup of later generations, the long years of war have also caused great damage to the vegetation on both sides of the river, so that bamboo and wood materials have become scarce.The most important impact was that under the scorching sun, many small rivers and swamps dried up, which brought great difficulties to the Huainan Army's transfer of supplies.

"I also know that this year's army will go north, and there will be a lot of hardships and hardships, but this is inevitable. Now that the army is gathered by the river, everything depends on logistics, and there is no shortage of it. This is my respect for you in literature The only request."

In the Suanzao camp, Shen Zhezi met with Ji You and other Huainan officials in charge of logistics, and once again emphasized that the logistics must be sufficient.

Hearing Shen Zhezi's words, Ji You and the others also looked solemn.Although these people did not directly fight on the battlefield, the past period of time has not been easy.Every time there is a little tactical adjustment on the front line, they need to work hard day and night to match the movement of the army.

For example, in the previous battle in Chenliu, the original plan was to absorb some of the villagers of Chenliu as military force after defeating Chen Guang.However, due to the unsatisfactory progress of the war, the northward movement started ahead of schedule.

Especially after successive breakthroughs were made on the south bank of the Yellow River, the supply line of the army was more than doubled in a very short period of time.Moreover, because none of the people in Huainan had any experience in organizing a large-scale northward march, although they had prepared a lot before, they often found out that there were still some ill-considered places when things came to an end.

For example, in terms of machinery, several major smelting and casting bases in Huainan have also manufactured a large number of excellent armors in the past few years, but it was only after arriving in the Yellow River that they discovered that these iron armors were not too practical.Wearing iron armor in hot weather is simply torture, so another batch of rattan armor was urgently mobilized and sent to the front line as soon as possible.

Moreover, the dry and hot climate along the Yellow River also brought great troubles to the Huainan Army. Although the Huainan Army has also recruited a large number of people from the Central Plains to join the army in recent years, the backbone of the army is still Huainan and Jiangdong people.A considerable number of them have never experienced this kind of climate at all, and even the whole camp died of sudden illness due to heat stroke.

If it's just high temperature, it won't be the case.In midsummer in Huainan and Jiangdong, the temperature is even higher than that along the Yellow River.But the problem is that there is a lack of climate regulation such as dense vegetation and precipitation along the Yellow River. In addition, in order to catch up with the military period, the army had to march and build fortifications intensively.

In terms of summer escape, although the Huainan Army is also prepared, it still underestimates this.So the front line issued an urgent order to step up the mobilization of plums, gypsum and other heatstroke prevention materials, all of which needed to be delivered to the front line as soon as possible.

Coupled with the lack of labor, it is necessary to conscript a large number of civilians in the Huai River Basin to go north for use, which intensifies the consumption of food and grass.The 50 hu army rations originally assembled in Xuchang were intended to be used to sustain the entire war, but now it seems that this estimate is a bit optimistic.

According to the current average grain consumption, the follow-up Huainan army will have to raise another 20 hu for military grain.If this burden is entirely borne by the Huainan Governor's Mansion, even if it can be completed, it will definitely be overdue.If it is raised in Jiangdong, the transportation line will be more than doubled, and the consumption along the way will be doubled.

Such large-scale, cross-regional long-distance transportation is also a test for the logistics system of the Huainan Army.Therefore, Ji You and other Huainan logistics officials were also under great pressure during this period, and lost weight almost at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Especially Ji You, who originally had a gentle and elegant demeanor, but after several months of hard work, he became thinner, with fine stubble on his lips and chin.

Shen Zhezi was originally dissatisfied with the logistics cooperation. As the follow-up army gradually gathered near Suanzao, the original plan for the next step was to continue to increase the number of troops on the slide.However, due to limited logistical supplies, the speed of troop increase can only be slowed down. It is now almost mid-July, and the plan to increase troop numbers by 3 troops is less than half completed.

But seeing Ji You and the others look so tired, his anger also subsided a little. After all, the current logistics pressure is due to many reasons, such as not being able to get enough people on the Chenliu battlefield, and the obstruction and containment of the Heluo army on the Yellow River. and hot weather etc.

"When the two armies are at war, it is not the soldiers who are brave and fearless that can win. Hundreds of thousands of people eat animals, which is the most important thing. I also know that you have worked hard recently, but it is really easy to revive Huaxia and revitalize Jinzuo. , In the past, the sages set up a standard, don't wait for me to take on this great cause! Now that the army has gathered here, it is really difficult to ride a tiger. If we don't win, most of the Huainan people inside and outside the barracks will sleep here!"

Shen Zhezi couldn't help but raised his hand and rubbed the center of his brows when he talked about this: "The two armies are fighting against each other to this day. Apart from fighting for courage, it is more about making fewer mistakes. I know that everyone is in trouble, but since I have surrendered, no one in Huainan Can you be calm? Because everyone is performing their duties, there is no need to force yourself to endure hardships, and if you fail, you will die, there is no exception!"

After everyone heard this, they all felt awe-inspiring, and they all bowed their hands to accept the order, not daring to slack off.After Shen Zhezi prepared various military supplies as warrants, he distributed them to everyone one by one, and then everyone got up to leave.

It's just that Ji You saw Shen Zhezi hesitate to speak, so he took a few steps behind, and came back and said in a low voice: "The princess has entered the county a month ago, and there are many good caretakers in the garden and the mansion. Everyone goes with him, and Ge Shibo goes with him..."

When Shen Zhezi heard this, the file in his hand shook, and then his face showed a bit of unnaturalness, and he waved his hand and said, "Got it."

After Ji You saw this, he didn't say any more, turned around and left the military tent.

After Ji You left, Shen Zhezi put aside the file in his hand, his mood gradually turned irritable, and he stood up and paced in the tent.It's just that the more I travel, the more depressed I feel, so I simply ordered people to put on light armor and go out to patrol the camp.

During this period of time, all departments of the Huainan Army have arrived on the south bank of the Yellow River one after another.Especially after the main force of the water army led by Xu Mao transferred from Honggou to the Yellow River, they cooperated with Chenggao's troops under Guo Song to control the middle section of the Yellow River waterway, and liberated Hu Ting's army to move to Suanzao.

Moreover, the drought in the Yellow River Basin also affected Chen Liu, and the area of ​​activity of Chen Guang's rebellious army was further compressed.If it weren't for the fact that the Huainan army had already fought against Shikan's army in the north on the south bank of the Yellow River, the returning army at this time would surely be wiped out in one battle.

But Chen Guang is no longer the focus, and Shen Zhezi doesn't need to change the fighting rhythm for this chaotic army. As long as enough pressure is maintained, the disintegration of Chen Guang's chaotic army is only a matter of time.

The brilliance of Xie Ai's victories in Jijun far exceeded Shen Zhezi's expectations. The main force that defeated Tianni in Jijun in the first battle, but suffered a small setback due to insufficient troops and retreated to Jijun in the follow-up attack on Fangtou, a key point in Hebei. county.

For Shen Zhezi, this was really a great surprise. Originally, he was worried that Xie Ai's talent might not be able to be fully utilized after changing the time and environment, but it turned out that he was over-concerned.

The acquisition of Ji County gave the Huainan Army greater tactical choices, especially Xie Ai's outstanding performance in stabilizing the countryside and rectifying civil affairs in addition to his military performance.After the recovery of Ji County, a part of the villagers was quickly united, and some unstable factors were selectively and step-by-step cleaned up, which can be regarded as initially controlling the situation in Ji County.

Shen Zhezi has been struggling because his subordinates don't have any comprehensive talents. Du He is one of them, but now he has to replace Shen Zhezi in charge of the government affairs of the governor's mansion.The other Guo Song, Mao Bao, Wang Shu, Xie Shang and others all have their own biases in their abilities.

The appearance of Xie Ai brought great help to Shen Zhezi.So after the first battle in Jijun, he appointed Xie Ai as the supervisor, and added three thousand troops, and he fully paid for Hebei affairs.

Such an astonishing move, even in the eclectic Huainan army, is really eye-catching.A mere member of the staff who joined the Dudu's Mansion for less than half a year, unexpectedly became an important general alongside Guo Song, Mao Bao and others.However, under the premise of the Huainan Army's meritorious service, this appointment does not seem abrupt, and it further demonstrates Shen Zhezi's intention to promote young generals.

Xiao Yuandong is one example, and Xie Ai is another. It is conceivable that after this battle is over, the young generals of the Huainan Army will become the backbone of the future.

Of course, this is on the premise that the power and influence have been greatly improved, and the authority of the veterans will not be affected by this.And those veterans are also in their prime, Mao Bao, Han Huang and others are all under 40 years old. As long as they follow closely behind the governor, the future will only be more brilliant.

Now the distribution of troops in Huainan, Guo Song led nearly [-] people and nearly [-] people from Xingyang Township to besiege Chenggao Hulao City.Luyong's [-] sailors controlled the section of the Yellow River from Hulao to Suanzao and Yanjin, Xie Ai's [-] Huainan troops garrisoned in Jijun, Han Huang's [-] cavalry and Tian Jing's [-] victorious troops surrounded Chenliu's rebellious army , Mao Bao led nearly [-] troops to the south bank of the Yellow River.

In addition to the nearly [-] troops obtained from the division and integration of the front road, the Huainan Army has assembled nearly [-] troops in the northern part of Yuzhou alone. Except for Hulao and Chenliu, which cannot move without authorization, what Shen Zhezi has now mastered The mobile force has reached nearly [-] people!
Of course, some of these troops are still on the way, and some have already moved to the defense zone. At least before the end of July, all the troops will be in place.

Now in Suanzao alone, the Huainan Army has assembled nearly 4 people on land and water, and they are no longer as weak as before.Suanzao was originally a cluster of cities and camps, enough to accommodate tens of thousands of troops.

Right now, the jujube camps and the like have already been filled with troops from all walks of life in Huainan.The many preliminary preparations made by the troops on the front line are now in use.In the hot season, the army does not need heavy tents at all. Many cattail mats are built on bamboo frames, and the top is sprinkled with water and coated with thin mud. It can not only shade and drive away the heat, but also prevent fire and dryness, and it is convenient and quick.

Fires are strictly prohibited in the camp. Because the surface is too dry, even if channels are dug for drainage, the water quality is turbid and difficult to use.But after all, this place is close to a big river, and after the soil layer was dug deep, many deep wells were dug, enough for the daily use of soldiers.

Under the wall of Tucheng, there are rows of large earth stoves. In the huge pots and stoves, thick soup of wild rice and wild rice grains is boiled. They are placed in earthen pots and put in wells to cool down, so as to relieve heat and satisfy hunger.There are also a few pots and stoves where a soup with a pungent taste is being boiled. White tiger ointment known as licorice is a heat-relieving soup circulated in "Treatise on Febrile Diseases", which is used to supply patients with severe heat.

As for the soldiers, if there is no task of fighting and moving defense, it is not necessary to have all armor and clothing in the battalion.Ordinary soldiers wear bamboo clothes woven from bamboo threads, which can not only prevent sunburn, but also prevent sweating from stuffiness.As for the soldiers, most of them wear ramie shorts, which are cool and sweat-free. Even if they are completely soaked, they will quickly become dry again with a little shaking.

The army is on an expedition, regardless of the outcome of the war, the most important thing is to maintain the momentum.The Huainan Army has maintained a good record in this regard. Although each army and battalion has different ownership, they are all under the jurisdiction of the Huainan Metropolitan Government. On average, there will never be a situation where the soldiers favor each other so that the soldiers have grievances.

Moreover, since Shen Zhezi, the commanders and generals at all levels must patrol the camp once a day.This kind of one-hearted atmosphere is extremely important in the case of a guest army's expedition. People are far away from their hometowns, and even brave soldiers will feel more or less panic in their hearts in a completely unfamiliar environment.

In this case, the generals are not only their officers, but also a manifestation of spiritual sustenance.Appearing in front of the soldiers every day, even if they are not in the army to express their condolences, is enough to comfort them.

Shen Zhezi's appearance between the camps caused quite a commotion. Many soldiers stood upright and watched on both sides of the road, with expressions of half pride and half reverence.The scorching heat was really unbearable. Although Shen Zhezi was only wearing light armor with a few layers of silk lining under the armor, he was sweating profusely soon.

He walked into a camp and sat in a bamboo grove that had not been transplanted for a long time. The shade was not enough to block the scorching sun, but the bamboo leaves could still bring some coolness after being sprinkled with water.

There are more than [-] soldiers stationed in this camp, and the chief is a building owner named Xu frame.Knowing that the governor entered the camp in person, Xu Zhuzhu was also a little flustered for a while, and was about to lead the crowd out to welcome him, but found that he was a bit slovenly in his linen shirt, so he went back to the tent and walked out with his heavy armor on. The governor had already walked and sat in the bamboo forest.

The armor was thick and airtight, and within a short distance of more than ten feet, Xu Jia was already sweating, his face turned red, and he stepped forward to salute.

Seeing him like this, Shen Zhezi said with a smile: "The owner of the building does not need to be polite, and I am just visiting on a regular basis, so there is no need to arrange too much."

Even so, a Sima, two lieutenants and other military commanders in the camp from Xu Jia onwards all stood solemnly outside the bamboo forest, not daring to neglect.Especially the soldiers at the bottom, when they saw that the governor was so close, their faces were full of surprise and excitement, and they were sweating profusely without realizing it.

Shen Zhezi heard these people's answers with local accents, so he couldn't help asking: "Could the commanders also be from Wuzhong?"

Hearing this question, those people were all excited, one by one scrambling to claim their own family, and it turned out that most of them were from Wu Xing or even from Wukang Township.In particular, the owner named Xu Frame even had some relatives with the Shen family, and the main body of their army was expanded after the original Dongyang Army went north.

Naturally, Shen Zhezi couldn't escape the common customs, so he simply used Wuzhong's local dialect to answer these soldiers, and ordered the soldiers to set up a table in the bamboo forest to have a meal with these villagers.The food in the camp was simple, except for the bean soup from Jingshuiliang Town, Shen Zhezi also asked people to bring some plum soup, sour bamboo shoots, dried meat and so on.

Everyone chatted while eating, and the estrangement and restraint gradually disappeared when the local dialects were exchanged. In terms of military affairs, it was naturally difficult for these low-level soldiers to talk to the commander, but I just stated the specific difficulties faced by the Wu soldiers in such an environment. .

Shen Zhezi also listened carefully, and stated that he would pay attention to these matters and resolve them as soon as possible.Now he has tens of thousands of people under his command. It is no longer like the basic board composed entirely of Wu people's children in the north. After several military expansions, the Wu people's children's soldiers have gradually been diluted.

But Shen Zhezi still has a closeness to these township parties that is different from others.Previously, because many regulations of the Huainan Governor's Mansion were first established, it was inconvenient for Shen Zhezi to flaunt his hometown too much to intensify the regional disputes within the Huainan Army.

Now that the Huainan Army's climate has come, especially if the next battle can be won, then the Huainan Army's sphere of influence will more than double, and its influence will directly reach Hebei.

Later, Shen Zhezi also planned to carry out some reforms in the military system, and then create several elite troops with special numbers like the Shengwu Army, taking this opportunity to gather the Wu soldiers in the Huainan Army to form a single army.Through such a unique core, the cohesion and combat effectiveness of several main forces can be strengthened.

Because if this step is reached, Shen Zhezi no longer needs to hide anything about his birthplace, he is a well-deserved Jin Zuo Zhongxing Yuangong, and he is also a well-deserved light of the Wu people!If the time comes to insist on equal treatment, it will be an expression of indifference and indifference, and even the old folks can't be kind to each other, so what kind of love is there for the world!
Just as Shi Le gathered the Jiehu people who had been scattered in the north and moved them to Xiangguo and other places to be kindly resettled after they developed in Hebei.The reasoning is similar, Shen Zhezi no longer has to rely entirely on the Wu people's team to get things done, but when he needs it, the Wu people's soldiers will definitely treat him more loyally!
This meal lasted until evening. Although there was no wine in the army, Shen Zhezi tried his best to meet all the villagers in the camp with plum soup.Shen Zhezi didn't leave this barracks until the two generals Mao Bao and Lu Yong came to see him, and then wandered to the rest of the barracks, and didn't return until late.

Lu Yong and Mao Bao, as the veteran generals of the Huainan Army, although the junior generals rose up one after another, it was not enough to shake their status.

Among the two, Lu Yong has the heavier responsibility as the supervisor of the navy. The [-] sailors in Huainan and the successor boats coming north will have more soldiers boarding and fighting.Not only to cooperate with Guo Song to block Heluo, but also to support Xie Ai in Ji County. Recently, we are also working hard to open the waterway from Yanjin to Baimajin. The responsibility can be described as heavy.

And Mao Bao will go to the skating platform to confront the enemy of Liyang, Hebei after the resources and supplies are in place later, and the future battle is very likely to happen there, and Mao Bao needs to preside over this battle.

As for the generals recently promoted by Shen Zhezi, no matter their abilities or qualifications, they are still a bit useless in such a crucial battle.

Xie Ai's ability is enough, but his qualifications are not enough.Moreover, even if he was defending in Ji County, even if he could not shrink back, as long as the presence of the Huainan Army in Ji County could be guaranteed, it would be a great help to the Huainan Army as a whole.As long as Xie Ai stays in Jijun, the Shikan flank in Hebei will be threatened, and he will not dare to fully engage in combat.

Because of this, although Shi Kan's army occupied a favorable location during this period, they were very conservative, which gave the Huainan army a chance to join forces and gain the initiative.

If there is no threat from Jijun, the enemy can take advantage of the geographical advantage and gather superior forces to cross south first, break down the reinforcements in Huainan, and push the battlefield to the south of the Yellow River at worst.Instead of completely retreating to the front line of the Yellow River as it is now, the main force only gathers towards Li Yang, with rigid and conservative tactical arrangements, completely failing to take advantage of the home field.

After each other sat down, Lu Yong first sent someone a box of bamboo slips, leather coupons, silk books and the like.Seeing this scene, Shen Zhezi grimaced. He rummaged through the bamboo box for a while, and there were very few papers. He couldn't help feeling that the war suppressed productivity and technology promotion.

Although up to now, on the whole, Hebei's vitality is still not weak, but in some small aspects, it is still behind Jiangdong.For example, the promotion of paper has spread to Jiangzhou and other places in recent years due to the emergence of a large number of papermaking workshops in Wuzhong. letter.

The promotion of a technology is not enough to demonstrate that Jiangdong as a whole has surpassed the Central Plains and Hebei.However, in the promotion process of this technology, it can be seen that Jiangdong has far surpassed Hebei in terms of social stability.As long as the society is stable, the progress of productivity and technology will accelerate.

This kind of thinking extended to the whole society only lasted for a moment, and soon Shen Zhezi listened to Lu Yong's preaching: "The things in this box are all the letters submitted by the navy along the river recently. For Zong Haowu from various villages in Hebei..."

While listening to Lu Yong's narration, Shen Zhezi flipped through these letters of different materials, feeling a strange feeling in his heart.These letters are similar, with only one theme, and that is surrender.The tone is different, the content is different, and the form of surrender is also different.

Some spoke in an extremely humble tone, saying that as long as the Huainan Army was willing to surrender, they would immediately lead their troops to vote.But some put forward many conditions. Like Chen Guang in his early years, he first talked about how many lands he owned in Hebei, and what kind of position and treatment he hoped the Huainan Army would give him.

Some are more specific, not only introducing their own strength, but also expressing remorse for their slaves in the early years, willing to commit crimes and meritorious deeds, arranging where the Huainan army will attack, and the other side will make countermeasures, etc.

It is hard to tell whether these letters are true or false.Right now, the two armies are facing each other across the river, and the Huainan army does not have an absolute advantage, so such matters must be taken seriously.It is true that Xu You offered a plan to burn Wuchao, but there was also Huang Gai who feigned surrender to Chibi and was defeated, and Zhu Xu's roar made Fu Jian all the grass and trees.

Especially in the Three Kingdoms period not long ago, the Wu people were experts in surrendering, some succeeded, and some failed.Now that the situation is reversed, Shen Zhezi needs to face this problem.Shen Zhezi originally didn't want to worry about this, but after thinking about it, he still sent someone to copy some of the surrender letters, and ordered someone to send a copy to Xie Ai in Hebei.

The next step is to arrange the follow-up battle. Right now, the Huainan army is taking the initiative, but the enemy army is also very strong. In Liyang alone, more than [-] troops have been assembled, and Liyang is only a day and night away from Yecheng. , Still continuously increasing troops.

The Huainan Army still has nearly 2 horses still on the way, and they will not be fully in place until August.If you want to completely secure the chances of winning, you still need to wait for Xuzhou's army to rush into the Yellow River from Juyeze, attack up and down the river, and Baimajin to attack head-on.But in this way, the confrontation period will be extended by nearly a month.

Therefore, for the Huainan Army at the moment, it is not seeking a big breakthrough, as long as it stabilizes the current defensive line of victory.But after Shen Zhezi discussed with the generals, they all felt that it was impossible for Shi Kan to wait for his death like this, but he couldn't guess where the other party would break the situation, and his words were realistic, so he could only focus on maintaining stability.

　This battle in Hebei is the prerequisite for the recovery of Luoyang.Tomorrow, the upper limit will be exempted. I don’t know how long it will last. I really can’t guarantee the addition of updates. Try to finish writing as fast as possible.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)