Shuhan

Chapter 458 Fighting for national strength, the crisis of Han!
Where is Liu Chan now?
In Xiangyang?
Of course not.

Now Liu Chan has passed through Dongsan County and reached the border of Hanzhong.

The road from Xiangyang to Dongsanjun to Hanzhong is not easy.

Even a few years ago, Liu Chan had already ordered Meng Da of Fengling County, the Shen brothers of Shangyong County, and Liu Feng of Xicheng County to repair the roads in the three eastern counties, but this official road was still difficult to follow.

Some roads cannot be made accessible by human input.

At least the technology of this era cannot.

However, after the sweat of the soldiers and civilians of the three counties, the official roads of the three counties in the East were finally able to transport grain, grass and weapons normally.

But Liu Chan can only describe his efficiency in transporting grain, grass and weapons as touching.

"Check how much food and grass is left."

The grain officer immediately went to count the amount of grain and grass, while Liu Chan rested where he was with the other officials of the Prince's Mansion.

"There are really mountains connected to mountains!"

The mountains are high and steep, like a natural barrier blocking people's face. The green pines stand tall and green, like green pillars supporting the sky.

In the woods, the scent of wild flowers is so overwhelming that it’s not to be missed. The stream rushes down, hitting the boulders in the rapids, making bursts of sounds.

There are green bamboos on both sides of the stream, swaying in the breeze. From time to time, there are roars of beasts, coupled with the chirping of monkeys, echoing in the valley.

If you are just entering the mountains and forests, this beautiful scenery may be eye-catching.

However, Liu Chan had been walking in the mountains for more than a month. Looking at this scenery all the way, there was nothing interesting to see.

All that's left is the fatigue from the journey.

I poured a mouthful of boiled and cooled spring water into my mouth, and the heat trapped in my heart was driven away.

The footsteps of spring have gradually gone away, and the steps of summer are coming firmly and staggeringly.

During the rest period, the grain transport officer also finished counting the amount of grain and grass transported.

"Your Highness, there are still four hundred carts of grain and grass in the grain team."

Four hundred cars?
The loss of this food and grass is really not small!

After transporting grain from Xiangyang, there were still thousands of carts of grain and grass in the grain team, but now, after walking the long mountain road in the three eastern counties, less than half is left.

The loss of food and grass is evident.

And if Liu Chan hadn't asked Liu Feng and Meng Dashen brothers to build the road in advance, I'm afraid this loss would have been even greater.

“It’s still early”

Liu Chan looked up at the sun. The hottest and most venomous sun at noon was gradually setting. Now marching would not be as uncomfortable as before.

"Let's set off and rest at the Ziwukou military camp."

This place is only more than ten miles away from the entrance of Ziwu Road.

And after leaving Dongsan County, the roads have become relatively easier to walk.

As a result, thousands of troops set off again, heading towards the entrance of Ziwu Road.

At dusk, the sky was dark, and the appearance of the military camp at the entrance of Ziwu Road came into view.

What appeared in front of Ziwu Road Military Village was the endless procession of civilians transporting food even at dusk.

The Han general who was guarding the military camp at the entrance of Ziwu Road had been notified by the former army scouts, and now he came out with the generals from the military camp to greet him.

of course
Those who stayed at the entrance of Ziwu Road were all old and weak, and there were almost no people with high military qualifications.

After all, those who can fight have been pulled to the front line.

Those left behind are the old and the weak.

For example, the man who guards the military camp at the entrance of Ziwu Road is just a Qu Wei who wears an eye patch and has some white hair on his head.

Looking at the soldiers under his tent, including those who maintained order and those who stayed in the stronghold, there were only five or six hundred people.

The Northern Expedition of the Han Dynasty completely involved Lao Di.

When he was in Jingzhou, Liu Chan knew that war would consume people's resources.

But in Jingzhou, his battle against Wu was actually successful.

The money and grain plundered from the State of Wu was enough to reward the soldiers and civilians, and it did not take long, and the people of Jingzhou did not lose much.

Even spring plowing had little impact.

But this time the Northern Expedition was completely different.

To conquer Guanzhong from Hanzhong, first of all, the logistics supply line is thousands of miles long, not including the distance from Yizhou.

The actual logistics supply line is probably longer.

Such a long logistics supply requires a huge number of civilians.

As far as Liu Chan knew, basically all the people in Yizhou were mobilized.

One person was requisitioned from each large and wealthy household, and one person was requisitioned from each small and poor household.

Of course, if you really don’t own the property, or you don’t want to use it, you can also use grain and grass as a deduction, but the amount of grain and grass is beyond the reach of most people.

It was under this policy that nearly 300,000 civilians were recruited, and supplies of food and grass were continuously transported to the front line.

Even the female relatives at the rear had no time to spare. They were either weaving or helping to make some simple ordnance.

It can be said that under the inspiration of the slogan of reviving the Han Dynasty and the concerted efforts of the Han monarchs and ministers, the entire Yizhou was mobilized.

Now that Liu Bei is still alive, the surrender faction in Yizhou is not yet large-scale.

In fact, it was also because Zhuge Liang failed several times in the Northern Expedition, wasting people and money, and leaving no hope of reviving the Han Dynasty in the Han Dynasty, that the capitulation faction in Yizhou gradually grew stronger.

But in the current Han State, there is no soil for the capitulation faction in the country to grow.

Whether it was conquering Hanzhong, pacifying Nanzhong, or cleaning up Badi.

The Han Dynasty all made money.

The powerful local nobles in Yizhou followed the Han army, and their mouths were filled with tears.

War can bring benefits, so who wouldn’t be happy about it?

This is also the reason why Liu Bei was able to almost completely mobilize Yizhou after the Northern Expedition.

"However, how long can the Han Kingdom sustain such an intense war?"

Thinking of this, Liu Chan's brows frowned unconsciously.

Han's current style of play is completely to overdraw one's potential regardless of losses.

Now that spring plowing has passed, there should be no problem with the autumn harvest, but what about next year?

Can the war in Guanzhong end within one year?
This is bound to be a huge problem.

And if the war continues, the competition will not be the bravery of the soldiers, but the strength of the country.

Seeing the worried look on Liu Chan's face, Fei Yi stepped forward and said: "This battle has been prepared by my big man for several years. There should be no problem with the logistics and food. Moreover, now the army has entered Guanzhong, and there is progress. It is so fast and fierce that Guanzhong can be regarded as a sacred place. By then, the army will be able to defeat the enemy with food, so it won't be a problem."

Because of the enemy?

The idea is good, but it is too difficult to actually do it.

There were 300,000 Han troops and civilians who entered Guanzhong. After being destroyed by Dong Zhuo's Xiliang army, the Guanzhong area did not recover much at all.

If there were so many people in Guanzhong, why would foreigners come over and occupy such a good place?
to be honest.

The people's power in Guanzhong has not recovered much.

Thinking of using the current Guanzhong to support an additional 300,000 people?
That is unrealistic.

Even if Guanzhong was captured as quickly as possible without much resistance from the Wei army, the 300,000 people who entered Guanzhong would still have to rely on grain transportation from the rear to be able to function.

After all, the Han army is a heavenly army, not a bandit army.

If it was a bandit army, they could rely on plundering, or even make dried meat from the common people to use as military rations. In the Wuhu chaos in China, Zhang Fang's marching method of using human flesh as rations was not uncommon. And in this troubled time of the Three Kingdoms, there were not many cases of cannibalism.

Even Liu Bei had tasted human flesh.

However, after the Han army, as a heavenly army, captured Guanzhong, what Han wanted to think about was the issue of governing Guanzhong.

In this way, the matter of collecting food cannot be so rough.

Even asking local nobles to donate food requires political exchange, and it is even more difficult to support 300,000 people.

The rear support of grain, grass and ordnance will definitely last for a long time.

Liu Chan was actually not worried about the Wei army's battle.

Now in Hanzhong, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Ma Chao.
There are too many generals who can stand alone.

As for the army, like the Baihu soldiers, they can be said to be elite troops comparable to the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry.

Although the soldiers of the Han army who followed Liu Bei to fight in all directions were a little older, they were far from invincible.

On the contrary, at their age, it is the time when their killing skills are at their most exquisite.

If the Northern Expedition fails, there is only one possibility.

Logistics can't keep up.

Guanzhong is not at peace, so it is impossible to collect food immediately, and the situation in Guanzhong is complicated.

Hu and Han people lived together, which made it more difficult to collect food.

The original people in Hanzhong had been moved away by Cao Cao long ago. Even if the Han Dynasty moved more than 100,000 new people, do you want to support 300,000 people with these more than 100,000 people?
That is undoubtedly a foolish dream.

Regardless of whether it is transporting food from Jingzhou or Chengdu, the logistics supply line is too long.

It's okay for a short time, but if it takes a long time, Han will definitely not be able to hold on.

This Northern Expedition must be fought quickly!

But the land in Guanzhong cannot be solved by a quick battle.

"It's still a little too hasty."

Liu Chan was filled with emotions.

Since he sent out troops, the journey has been too smooth.

If it were postponed for a few more years, and when the Han treasury was full, the Northern Expedition would be more certain.

If there is sufficient food and grass in the country, why worry about logistical supply issues?
But then again, give Han a few years, and also give Wei and Wu a few years.

Can you ensure that in a few years, there will still be as good an opportunity as now?

Liu Chan attacked Wu and Wu was defeated. Now Han did not need to worry about Wu's sneak attack on Jiangxia.

When Wei was dealing with Xuzhou, most of its military strength was attracted to the south of Wei.

Liu Bei pretended to have a large army, and Liu Chan's attack on Wu was used as a cover-up. The Wei army in Guanzhong had almost no defense against Han's Northern Expedition.

Now or never!

A few years later, the Han Dynasty will indeed have enough capabilities to carry out the Northern Expedition without putting the logistics in danger. But after a few years, will there still be a chance for this?

Thinking of this, Liu Chan also put aside the hesitation in his heart.

Now that we have embarked on the Northern Expedition, it is like an arrow that has been shot, with no possibility of taking it back.

Now that there is a problem, we need to think about how to solve it.

just
How to solve it?
Liu Chan shook his head and said to Old Qu Wei who stepped forward and saluted for a long time: "No need to be polite. Is there any news from the Governor of Hanzhong?"

As the most dangerous road from Hanzhong to Guanzhong, Liu Chan was naturally worried about the Ziwu Road.

"Your Highness, news came yesterday that the governor has left Ziwu Valley. Except for the loss of more than 300 people during the march, the rest of the army arrived in Guanzhong safely!"

"What's the situation like when we get to Guanzhong?"

Wei Yan was relatively brave in fighting. If he could surprise Chang'an and defeat Chang'an, then the progress of the Northern Expedition would be much faster.

Don't think it's impossible.

When Deng Aizhong entered Shu, who could have imagined why Chengdu would surrender without siege equipment and insufficient supplies of food and grass?

Liu Chan still had expectations in his heart for this eventuality.

Moreover, according to the intelligence of the Military Division, the person guarding Chang'an is Xiahou Mao. This person has some abilities, but he is still far behind Cao Ren, Cao Zhen, Xiahou Yuan, Xiahou Dun and others.

A surprise attack on the city does not mean there is no chance at all.

"The governor led his army to conquer Duling and surrendered to Lantian. After knowing that there were still 20,000 defenders in Chang'an city and Zhang He was still guarding it, he did not march towards Chang'an. Instead, he built a fortress and stronghold in Ziwu Valley and strengthened the city defense in Lantian to attract the Wei army. Come attack."

"This is a prudent move."

There was a look of disappointment on Liu Chan's face, but that was all.

It is normal that there is no possibility of that eventuality.

From Liu Chan's point of view, thousands of people attacked Chang'an. If Chang'an was not prepared, it might not be impossible to capture Chang'an.

As long as the situation is controlled and the Wei army has not yet reacted, it will have the final say, and it is still possible to win Guanzhong.

but
This amounts to a huge gamble.

If the Wei army reacted, Wei Yan's Han army coming out of Ziwu Road had no siege equipment and no war horses. They would not be able to capture Chang'an. They would not even have a place to move on the great plain, and they would just die.

Moreover, even if Wei Yan captured Chang'an, if the Han army from Chencang Road did not move quickly enough and arrived in Chang'an before the Wei army cleared the Han army in Chang'an City and regained control of Chang'an, then Wei Yan would have captured Chang'an, but in fact there would not be much Functional.

A surprise attack is a surprise attack, which means many dangers.

This is a big gamble, this is risking your life to survive.

Wei Yan's choice is understandable.

"How many percent of transporting grain from Ziwu Road can be delivered to Ziwu Valley?"

Although Lao Quwei was blind in one eye, he still prepared these specific tasks very carefully.

"Less than 30%."

Less than 30%?

Liu Chan had a serious look on his face.

It seems that the loss of grain and grass during transportation is indeed greater than the loss from Xiangyang to Dongsan County.

In this way, if grain is transported from Xiangyang to Ziwu Valley, it will be 30% after 40%.

Out of ten portions of grain and grass, only one or two portions were transported to Ziwu Valley.

This loss can be described as staggering.

"The Ziwu Road is dangerous after all, and the roads are different. The same is true for the three eastern counties. If we transport grain from Baoxie Road and Chencang Road, starting from Nanzheng, 40 to 50% will be transported to Guanzhong."

Fighting is a waste of money and food. Now Liu Chan has experienced it personally.

Three hundred thousand people chewing horses, there is a mountain of food, which can be eaten by you in one day.

"Who is responsible for the logistics?"

Liu Chan suddenly asked.

"The prime minister is in charge of logistics. Li Yan, the governor of Chengdu, is responsible for guarding Chengdu. Together with Taichang Lai Gong and Situ Xu Jing, he handles all minor matters in Yizhou. (Major matters are handled directly by Liu Bei.) Attendants Liu Ba, Liao Li, and Yang Yi Waiting to guard the Southern Expedition and be responsible for all affairs in Hanzhong."

Hearing this series of names, Liu Chan could only sigh in his heart. With these star-studded civil servants here, unless it was really to the point of being unable to hold on, there would be absolutely no problem with the logistics.

Since he couldn't think of an answer on how to solve the logistics problem, Liu Chan could only focus on other aspects.

The breaking point is simple:
How to get to Guanzhong quickly!

(End of this chapter)