On the third day after Shao Xun arrived in Luoyang, the auxiliary troops were almost ready.
The imperial court recruited 1,000 men from Hanoi, Chenliu, and Xingyang counties each, and allocated 300 additional craftsmen. Together with the 300 craftsmen and 5,000 auxiliary soldiers brought by Shao Xun, they formed a logistics support system.
At this point, there are 9,000 combat troops, 9,800 auxiliary troops, plus more than 160 Shaw soldiers, with a total strength of nearly 19,000.
On the ninth day of August, the Xiao cavalry army was joined by the Hu Ben governors, who each had 500 cavalry, and the Youzhou Tu cavalry governor came over with 150 cavalry. The whole army exceeded 20,000.
On the tenth day of August, after General Sima Yue had been raising him for a while, he came forward to convene a meeting.
There was not much else, except that he appointed Shangshu Zuopushe Liu Tun as the governor of Luoyang, which was beyond everyone's expectations.
On August 11, the first thing Liu Tun did after taking office was to inspect the western suburbs camp.
"Grand Governor." Shao Xun led a group of generals and came out of the camp gate to greet him.
"There are so many strong men under the command of Lu Yang." Liu Tun looked at the sergeants who were practicing around the chariot and praised them.
In the past few years, this army had mostly fought against the likes of Ji Sang, Wang Mi, and Shi Le. It had won successive victories and had developed a bit of arrogance.
This time I am facing Liu Han, but his fighting ability is much stronger. I wonder if he can still win.
"As long as you train well and don't mess around, anyone can raise an elite soldier," Shao Xun said.
Liu Tun laughed loudly.
The public will of Luyang County has something to say, but he doesn't mind.
Seeing Liu Tun like this, Shao Xun knew that he had guessed correctly.
When the late emperor was here, Liu Tun was a royalist.
After the late emperor's rise to power, Liu Tun's role became somewhat unclear, and he seemed to no longer be so loyal to the emperor.
But how is this possible?
A lifelong belief, even if it changes, cannot turn 180 degrees in a short period of time. At most, he is no longer loyal to the court, but he may not switch to Sima Yue. At the moment, he should be considered a neutral faction, slightly leaning towards the emperor.
"Before coming here, I was a little worried. But after meeting the heroes of Lu Yang, I felt a lot more relieved." Liu Tun put away his smile and said, "In this way, the journey to Yiyang will be worry-free."
"Yiyang?" Shao Xun was a little surprised.
He was mentally prepared to go to Hanoi, but you told me to go to Yiyang? But that's okay, because Yiyang Sanwu is here, and he has a place to stay.
The commanders of Zhuwu Fort in Yiyang also know each other and have some friendship, so they can help each other.
Yiyang Ling Pan Si is an old friend and has helped Shao Xun a lot in recent years - Pan Si is a younger brother of the Pan Tao clan.
"It's Yiyang." Liu Tun nodded and said.
While the two were talking, a few drizzles of rain finally fell from the sky that had been gloomy for many days.
Shao Xun and Liu Tun quickly raised their heads, and the cool raindrops fell on their faces, making people feel a burst of joy from the soul.
"It's raining!" someone exclaimed.
Li Chong's face was filled with joy, he stretched out his palm and touched the raindrops lightly.
Chen Yougen grinned widely, his face broke with laughter.
The sergeants who were practicing subconsciously slowed down the movements of their hands. The officers suppressed the joy in their hearts, whipped down their riding whips with a straight face, and scolded them to continue practicing without stopping.
"It's raining!" The young men in Sizhou were not so disciplined, and they all cheered loudly with joy.
Some people burst into tears. Really, it’s not easy.
The severe drought lasted for half a year, with almost no rain except at the beginning.
The dry land destroyed crops, vegetation, and their lives.
North and south of the river, there are people everywhere who are waiting for food.
I don't know how many people died silently in this severe drought - the Xiongnu drowned 30,000 people in the river at Liyang, but the drought killed more than one or two "30,000".
"This is a good sign!" Liu Tun was also very happy and said: "The Huns are about to invade and the drought will end soon. Isn't this a good sign? Our army will win!"
Shao Xun called Tang Jian and ordered: "Pass this on, sweet rain will fall from the sky. This is a good omen, and our army will win!"
"No." Tang Jian immediately took care of it.
After a while, loud cheers came from inside and outside the camp.
Liu Tun stroked his beard and nodded secretly.
The Duke of Luyang County knows how to boost morale, so it is no wonder that he has won many battles. If we leave Yiyang to him, there should be no serious problems.
"When will Lu Gong march?" Liu Tun asked.
"How about the whole army gathers together today and has a good meal, and then march westward tomorrow?" Shao Xun asked.
"Yes." Liu Tun said happily.
No procrastination, just leave.
People say that the Duke of Luyang County is arrogant and domineering, he is also a lustful ghost, and he is also greedy for money. This seems to be somewhat untrue.
He's really there for me! This alone is enough.
In an emergency, extraordinary people should be hired. To put it bluntly, if Zhang Fang was still there and willing to fight for the court, Liu Tun would dare to use him, even if he was criticized by the outside world.
After inspecting the camp in the western suburbs, Liu Tun went to Mihuang and Chen Yan's camp.
The two of them combined more than 8,000 soldiers. In fact, they were not elite soldiers, they were just the troops of Sili Xiaowei and Duzhi Xiaowei. Their combat effectiveness was almost the same as that of the Forbidden Army.
When Shao Xun goes to Yiyang, these two men will lead a group of strong men to guard Xin'an Road.
Because you don't know which way the Huns will come - after crossing the river from Dayang, if you take the shortcut, take the Xin'an Road, if you take the long way, take the Yiyang Road, you have to be careful.
****
It rained for a long time and then stopped.
That night, it rained lightly again, but it stopped quickly.
In the next few days, the sky will be clear again and the golden crow will hang high.
On August 15th, Shao Xun led his troops to Yunzhongwu, and the autumn rain returned.
The last group of old, weak, women and children are retreating.
Shao Xun stood in the dry Luoshui River and watched everyone go away.
"Master Shao, do you want to plant wheat this year?" Wang Hui, the owner of Yunzhongwu, stepped forward and asked.
Wang Hui is a second-term student from Luoyang. He is 19 years old and has managed Yunzhongwu for two and a half years.
This large-scale retreat made him feel a little uncomfortable.
After harvesting the winter wheat in late May, they were not idle. They have been maintaining the fields according to the agricultural book compiled by Shao Xun.
In years of severe drought, we still find ways to find moist silt, mix it with human and animal excrement, stir it, and store it as fertilizer.
If wheat is planted in September, the harvest next year will be very good.
This was not a few years ago. The fields in Sanwu in Yiyang are now relatively mature and well maintained. They are also close to the Luoshui River and its tributaries. They are the best irrigated land and their value is immeasurable.
"That's all." Shao Xun shook his hand and rejected it.
It had only rained two or three times, and it was not heavy. There were no conditions for farming for the time being.
Furthermore, there is a high possibility that this place will turn into a battlefield. Don’t put in seeds and end up with nothing.
There were waves of horses neighing in the river.
Cavalry Inspector Duan Liang's men are herding horses.
In years of severe drought, the vegetation scorches and the Luoshui river channel becomes a grassland. Because the soil here is relatively moist, and many deep river beds have formed pools of water, the surrounding water and grass are lush, tender and juicy, and horses love it very much.
This prince made great achievements in the Battle of Yema Gang, and was unable to be granted the title of County Marquis. In the end, he was given the rare title of Ting Marquis and some wealth.
This time the cavalry was mobilized to accompany them, and Duan Liang took the initiative to come to the west route.
If you fight with Shao Xun, you can earn a title for your meritorious service, but if you follow Wang Kan, Cao Wu, Wang Kuang and others, you may not even be able to save your life. The choice is obvious.
That afternoon, the army continued westward to Jinmenwu.
Shao Xun visited Yiquanwu owner Du Dan and Du Yin brothers on the way.
At this time, a messenger came from the direction of the county city, telling Liu Cong to lead his army south, conquer Shaanxi County, and go straight to Hongnong. The prefect Yuan Yan surrendered to the city.
"This..." Du Dan was very surprised when he heard this.
"The prince has three thousand soldiers, why did he surrender the thieves?" Du Yin was also a little puzzled.
Shao Xun was silent for a while, sighing secretly that Liu Han had really gained momentum and became famous.
In the past, these prefects could only run away, and very few of them surrendered to thieves.
Let’s not talk about Hebei. It was Sima Ying’s territory. He naturally had a hard time dealing with the imperial court, and there were many bandits who ran away and surrendered. However, Bingzhou, which faced the front line of the Xiongnu, did not have so many bad incidents.
But this year there has been an incident in which Pang Chun, the prefect of Shangdang, surrendered to a traitor. Now Yuan Yan, the prefect of Hongnong, has also surrendered. The situation is not quite right.
If Da Jin loses again, more and more people will surrender.
In the end, no one loses, and it is time to perish.
"Duke Du, thieves are rampant. It's time for Yiyang to work together." Shao Xun said.
Du Dan sighed and hesitated.
Yiquanwu is very strong and has a large population. In the past few years, we made deals with Shao Xun and obtained a lot of military equipment, so we still have the ability to protect ourselves.
The Huns have many cavalry troops and their target is Luoyang, so they may not necessarily do anything to Yiquanwu.
Just treat them like Zhang Fang and give them some money and food when they ask for it. Although this year's drought is very difficult, the winter wheat harvest is good, so we are confident now.
Du Yin was still sighing at the side: "This thief Yuan Yan was talking about Hongnong before. Shaanxi County was repeatedly plundered by Hu Qi and couldn't bear the disturbance. He wanted to move the administrative office to Yiyang. Fortunately, he didn't listen to him. Otherwise, Yiyang will be gone now. He is such a good thief. He has no king and no father. I wish I could sleep on his skin and eat his flesh!"
"What's the use of talking about this now?" Du Dan glanced at his younger brother and said.
Du Yin sighed and said nothing.
Seeing the two brothers chattering there, Shao Xun felt a little impatient and said: "To defend Yiyang, we have to work together. Yiquanwu has enough soldiers and food, maybe -"
"Captain." Du Dan bowed his head and said, "It is very difficult due to severe drought this year. However, fighting against thieves is a national war, and my two brothers cannot fall behind others. I am willing to donate 100,000 dendrobiums of grain, pigs and sheep." Two hundred people to support military needs."
Du Yin hesitated to speak, and finally said nothing.
Shao Xun chuckled.
These Wubao commanders are all cunning and have small calculations. It is extremely difficult to get them to send troops and food. After hearing that the prefect Yuan Yan surrendered, he was as timid as a mouse and only wanted to give him some food. The meat is sent away.
But now is not the time to settle accounts with them.
It is not cost-effective to waste precious troops on local forts, as it may also force them to surrender to the Huns.
"The grain is 150,000 hu, and another 1,000 hu will be produced." Shao Xun's expression suddenly changed and he said: "Otherwise -"
Du Dan looked at Shao Xun and was silent for a long time.
I think back to three or four years ago, they were talking very happily and had a good friendship. But now they fall out whenever they want to, and they threaten whenever they want to. Is this person a dog?
Du Yin held his breath and was extremely nervous.
"Okay." Du Dan finally relented.
"In the rest of the docks, if there is a good relationship with Mr. Du, everyone must donate food and come out." Shao Xun said again.
"It will be as you wish." Du Dan said helplessly.
After achieving his goal, Shao Xun was too lazy to talk nonsense, got on his horse and headed towards Jinmen Pier.
On August 17, when the army arrived at Jinmenwu, he immediately sent people north to seize Huixi Ban and cut down trees and set up fences to prevent bandits.
Chapter completed!