Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 500: Torture to intimidate the public

In the third year of Zhangwu, spring.

It has been many months since Huo Jun returned to Fei from Wuhan. In addition to meeting with Pang Tong and Jiang Ji, it was also about arranging the troops, food and equipment needed for the Northern Expedition.

It has been more than three years since Jianghuai implemented Huainan Theory written by Huo Fan in the 23rd year of Jian'an.

In three years, Huaidong and Jiangbei dredged water conservancy and reclaimed wasteland. Ruxukou and Shucheng, which were previously reduced to battlefields, now have people.

Those Lujiang scholars who fled south due to the war saw that there was no war in their old land. In order to enjoy the tax-free policy for returning home, they successively sent their families back to their hometowns, such as the Qiao family in Anhui City, the Zhou family in Shucheng and other Lujiang noble families. When these nobles returned home, they brought back a lot of people, such as repairing their hometowns and restoring village communities.

The population has returned, but due to tax exemptions, the Jianghuai army cannot rely on returnees for food supplies. If they want to be self-sufficient, they still have to rely on the Huainan military garrison.

Thirty thousand soldiers worked on the land and settled in Huainan for three years. After excluding the expenses of the military camp, they could get about three million dan per year, and nearly 1,000 dan in three years. However, after deducting the food and grass expenditures for the Jianghuai border army garrison, the inventory accumulated in three years was only more than 4 million stone grain.

More than four million stone grains are still insufficient for the 50,000 infantry and cavalry who are about to use force. For example, a sergeant consumes two dan per person per month, and 50,000 cavalrymen consume hundreds of thousands of dan per month, which means over one million dan in half a year.

This does not include the people who served as slaves for the Northern Expedition. The food and grass they needed also had to be paid from the grain depot. In order to ensure adequate supplies of grain and fodder, as well as the stock of grain and fodder for the subsequent garrison, Huo Jun went to Jinling and met with Bu Zhi, the governor of Yangzhou, and asked him to transfer 500,000 shi of grain to Hefei.

If we can capture the East China Sea and Xiapi, and rely on Huaidong, we can advance to Qingxu. You can even go west and eat Shouchun,
"Leicheng?"

"After Xuzhou gradually stabilized, due to serious riots in Licheng County, Cao Pi replaced him and appointed Xu Zhi, a central official, as the prefect instead of an old Taishan general."

During several battles between the Han and Wei dynasties, the Xuzhou warlords suffered heavy losses and died on the battlefield one after another. For example, Wu Dun in Licheng and Sun Guan in Beihai were defeated and died one after another. Only Wu Jing, Yin Li, Zang Ba and others were still alive. Now, Cao Pi used the turmoil in Qingxu as an excuse to insert his cronies into the counties under Xuzhou's rule.

Yuzhou (Lianyungang) is really a natural base. It has a vast area, high mountains and abundant water, and is close to the land. Using Yuzhou as a point, you can gather grain and gather troops.

If there is a change in the city, Huo Jun can use Yuzhou as a stronghold, and ride north along the Chi Road. The navy can advance along the seaside. If the situation is unfavorable, he can retreat to Yuzhou. If Qingxu's troops can be defeated, Huo Jun can advance westward to Xiapi and communicate with Huaidong through Surabaya.

Liu Zhongce immediately stepped forward and replied: "Capital Governor, because Cao Cao died of illness, the Xuzhou soldiers caused chaos in the world, so there were many commotions. However, Cao Pi responded quickly and ordered Lu Qian and Zang Ba to quickly quell the riots, and Xuzhou was temporarily peaceful."

Jiang Ji has stayed in Hefei for so many years, but it is not for nothing. Based on Huo Jun's strategy of conquering Qingxu, and now going to the Jianghuai territory of Southern Han Dynasty, he gradually figured out a feasible plan.

"The base of our army is in Huaidong, but it is limited to Huaixi. If we can expand to Huaidong, we can use Xiapi and Donghai as bases to plan for Qingzhou. At that time, we will harvest the benefits of Xuzhou's sea salt and supervise the transportation of grain and grass to Yuzhou. We can advance Go out of Langya and take Beihai; retreat to Xiapi and occupy Zhongli to defend Cao's troops."

On the way, Huo Jun rode his horse slowly and asked, "Is there any news from Xuzhou?"

"What does Zi Tong mean?" Huo Jun asked.

"Come here, order your scouts to explore the East China Sea more, to find out whether the city is strong or not, and to carefully examine its topography and mountains and rivers."

Jiang Ji spoke briefly and said: "The governor wants to send troops to Xuzhou. Although we can reach Xiapi City by walking through Si River, if we go deep into Xuzhou alone, we may be surrounded by Cao's troops. Licheng is adjacent to Yuzhou. If we can profit from the city, we can lure When the troops of Qingxu arrive, they will be defeated and defeated, and then it will be easier to conquer Pi."

That morning, Huo Jun rode out from the Hefei government office and went to the military camp to review military discipline. Jiang Ji, Liu Zhong, Ding Feng and other civil and military officials accompanied him.

There is nothing wrong with Bu Zhao, and he will help Huo Jun in both public and private matters. Bu Zhao not only transported grain to Hefei and Jiangdu, but also transported newly cast armor and equipment to Jianghuai to help.

He learned from the last case where Huo Jun went deep into Xiapi alone and was cut off from Sikou. He did not suggest that Huo Jun attack Xiapi directly from Sishui, but suggested that Huo Jun start from Donghai County.

Donghai County borders Guangling to the south, Xiapi to the west, Langya to the north, and the sea to the east. The Southern Han Dynasty invaded the sea twice, using Yuzhou as its base, and raided the Xuzhou coast. Licheng County is separated from Donghai County and is located northwest of Yuzhou and directly north of Qu County.

Therefore, since returning from Jinling, Huo Jun has devoted himself to preparing for the Northern Expedition.

Why ancient people did not use the sea to fight is not because the ancients were ignorant and lacked foresight. But the sea is too rough and the waves are too strong, so it is easy for a large army to attack, and a lone army goes too deep and easily runs out of food.

Huo Jun pondered for a while and said: "Zitong's words are feasible. Although the East China Sea is almost depleted, our army must have Yuzhou. Food and supplies are stationed in Yuzhou. If we march north on foot and horse, we can expect Qingxu. Xiapi is isolated and vulnerable to danger. You should be careful when attacking from all sides."

Jiang Ji held up the reins and said: "The soldiers and horses of Xuzhou have not been under the control of the Cao family for a long time. The military discipline is loose and frivolous. It is difficult to subdue. Now Cao Pi orders Xu Zhi to go to Licheng. The governor should send more people to explore to see if there is any opportunity. ?”

"promise!"

During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Sun En used Yuzhou as his base to rebel against the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Later, the Southern Dynasties also established county and commission officials on Yuzhou, which were used for the Northern Expedition to Qing and Xu.

Nowadays, Yuzhou is gradually valued by the Southern Han Dynasty due to its own role. After Huo Jun went to the Yangtze River and Huaihe River, small groups of naval forces from the Southern Han Dynasty often settled in Yuzhou and patrolled the seaside.

As they spoke, they had walked dozens of miles and arrived at the Huainan Army camp on the bank of Chaohu Lake.

The Huainan army was summoned from all over the country, and the deputy governor Pang Tong is currently in charge of settling it. Perhaps because of Huo Jun's sudden inspection this morning, the officers and soldiers in each department were slightly panicked. Under the leadership of Deputy Governor Pang Tong, the generals went to the gate to greet Huo Jun.

After several greetings, Huo Jun stepped forward and asked his left and right: "How is the morale and appearance of the troops when they first gather?"

"The sergeants have high morale and are ready to fight," Gao Xiang said.

"We haven't fought for a long time, and the sergeant hopes to achieve great results!" Quan Cong said with a smile.

Looking at the military camp with flags flying, Huo Jun pointed his whip forward and said with a smile: "In that case, let's take a look at Erlang's appearance!"

With that said, Huo Jun asked the generals to lead the way. He wanted to review the military appearance.

Seeing this, many of the generals present were very nervous, fearing that Huo Jun would find out something, and hurriedly went to find the personal guards.

"You are not allowed to call personal guards!" Huo Jun saw that some generals wanted to inform his subordinates in advance, and asked: "Is it possible that the soldiers under your command are not in good order and are secretly doing illegal things?"

Hearing this, the generals did not dare to respond and could only follow Huo Jun obediently.

During the first patrol of Gao Xiang's headquarters, although the sergeants were loose in the camp, the patrol troops and horses were rigorous. All the bows, crossbows and arrows were waterproofed according to standards, so there was no big problem.

After inspecting Gao Xiang, Huo Jun came to the headquarters of clan general Huo Yuan.

The situation of Huo Yuan's camp was not much different from that of Gao Xiang. Drinking water, sanitation, and military discipline all met the requirements. Among them, the camp was set up in accordance with the requirements, with ravines and horse barriers in place.

Just when Huo Jun wanted to leave, he found that Huo Yuan looked uneasy and often glanced in the direction of his tent. He kept wanting to say something to his guards, but because the guards were too far away, he kept winking.

Huo Jun was suspicious and said with a smile: "Huo Yuan's camp is well organized and should be praised. Now that I'm tired from walking, let's go sit in his tent."

"Captain?"

Huo Yuan's expression changed with surprise, he forced out a smile and said, "The Yuan tent is so narrow that I'm afraid it will be difficult to sit in it."

"nothing!"

"Go and sit down!"

Without waiting for Huo Yuan to speak, Huo Jun led the generals to his camp, with Huo Xiong and Huo Hu leading the way. In the crowd, Huo Yuan's face gradually turned pale and his heart beat rapidly, fearing that Huo Jun would discover his secret.

Everyone quickly arrived at the big tent. At Huo Jun's signal, Huo Xiong stepped forward to lift the tent and led a few people into the tent. Immediately afterwards, the harsh and sharp sounds of panic from the female family members sounded in the tent.

Hearing the sound, the generals on the left and right were all shocked and looked at Huo Yuan. Huo Yuan's face had already turned pale and he knelt on the ground.

Huo Xiong glanced at Huo Yuan, cupped his hands and said, "Captain, the room for Huo Tuo's concubines is in the tent."

Huo Jun put his hand behind his back, holding the riding whip in his hand, shaking the whip as he moved, and asked, "What's going on?"

Although his expression remained unchanged, there was a hint of disappointment in his words.

Huo Yuan knelt on the ground, lowered his head and said, "The woman in the tent is Yuan Xina's concubine, because she asked him to join the army in every possible way. Yuan couldn't win over her, and in a moment of fever, he agreed to let her join the army, but he said that he would send her out after leaving. camp."

"Humph!"

Huo Jun shook his head and sneered, and said in disappointment: "It has been more than ten years since I joined the army in Jiangxia. I followed me to Sunwu and took Jianghuai. But now you are confused by the woman. Could it be that you have forgotten my words of advice?"

As he spoke, Huo Jun suddenly became angry, whipped Huo Yuan's face with a riding whip, and scolded: "You were fascinated by women in your early years, and you often gave up your love and felt sorry for yourself. Now that you are more than forty years old, you are still confused by women, and you dare to do something disobedient." A matter of military order?”

Regarding his clansman Huo Yuan, Huo Jun must have hated iron. Although he is quite brave, he is greedy for women and is often easily trapped by love.

After following him for so many years, he made many military exploits and was worshiped by Liu Bei as a general against bandits. I thought that as I get older, I will be able to avoid being deceived by women, but it turns out that the situation is easy to change, but the nature is hard to change.

"Captain, you know you're wrong!"

Huo Yuan looked sad and said with tears: "I am greedy for women, and now I have broken military discipline and failed to meet the expectations of the commander-in-chief. I beg the commander-in-chief to forgive me, and Yuan will realize his mistake and change it."

Huo Jun shook his head and sighed, and asked: "How should we punish women who secretly hide their wives in the army?"

"According to the military law established by the governor, anyone who hides a female family member secretly will be killed according to the law." Jiang Ji said.

After hesitating for a while, Jiang Ji said: "Commander, Huo Toutou has made many military exploits. Now the war is about to begin. It is the time to employ people. It is better to pardon his sins and make him redeem his merits first."

"Captain!"

Huo Jun had a look of intolerance on his face, he really didn't want to attack Huo Yuan. But thinking about the military law that he has formulated, how can he take the lead in disobeying the order.

With a long sigh, Huo Jun said: "In the past, military laws stated that if someone violates military orders, they will be my own children and nephews, and they must be enforced according to the law. Now that I bring my family with the army, if I don't punish them, wouldn't it be against my military laws?"

When Huo Du saw Huo Yuan crying, he couldn't bear it and said, "Captain, why don't you spare Huo Yuan's life temporarily? Now is the time to employ people."

"Captain!"

"Gentlemen, don't say anything!"

Huo Jun turned his head, looked into the distance, and couldn't bear to say: "If you want to use troops, how can you disobey orders? Military orders are like mountains, and anyone who disobeys them will be killed. In the past, Tian and Sun were so powerful in the world because of their enlightened laws. If they can't do it now, the soldiers will definitely criticize them. How can we fight against thieves?"

When Huo Yuan saw that Huo Jun was really going to execute him, he burst into tears and kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "I hope the governor will take care of my wife and children for me. I will learn from this in my next life."

Huo Jun, carrying everyone on his back, closed his eyes and sighed loudly: "I will treat your wife, concubines, and children well, and I will never abandon them!"

"Thank you, Commander!"

(End of this chapter)