In the second year of Taiwu, August 10th, morning day.
At this time, the sky in the Yanshan area was dark, and the clouds covered the morning sun, making the place even more gloomy.
Taishi Ci led his team of assault cavalry and an infantry battalion to set off from the stronghold.
Since arriving in Jixian County the day before yesterday, Taishi Ci felt that the road was becoming more and more difficult to walk.
Although the Taishan Army began to build roads after stabilizing Hebei, the roads in Youzhou, especially east of Jixian, were not built so quickly due to manpower and priority reasons.
This resulted in Taishi Ci and others eating a lot of yellow sand along the way.
It wasn't until they were stationed outside Lu County yesterday that the whole thing took on a new look.
Speaking of this, Taishi Ci felt more and more that Chang Lin, the magistrate of Lu County, was a talented person. It was said that this man had been a county magistrate in Shiyi before, but later he violated his superiors' wishes when dividing the fields. He said that the problem in Shiyi was not that there was no land, but that there was no land.
It's because no one is planting it.
Then this person was transferred to Lu County and demoted from Jizhou to Youzhou, which must be considered a demotion.
However, Tai Shici felt that this man was lucky.
Because Lu County is located between Ji County and Lulongsai.
From Ji County to Lulongsai, there are three transit counties: Lu County, Wu Zhong County and Xu Wu County.
It can be said that the thousands of troops and horses that conquered Liao passed through these three places and then gathered at Lulongsai.
In other words, the king will also pass through these three places, and this is where Taishi Ci said Chang Lin's destiny lies.
From what Taishi Ci had seen, Chang Lin was the one who did the best job of entertaining the soldiers along the way and the one who paid the most attention to detail.
In terms of the military system of the Taishan Army, when marching on the inner line, the Privy Council will order the counties along the route to prepare firewood, tents, and salt water in advance for the Taishan Army to replenish along the route.
It can be said that the Taishan Army was able to travel forty miles a day, and half of the credit was due to such supplements along the way.
But different people do the same thing very differently.
And Tai Shici could tell that Chang Lin was the kind of person who could get things done.
Not to mention that ordinary people would feel a little bit resentful when they were relegated to the frontier area. But Chang Lin was happy with it and continued to do things attentively.
And they do things very well.
For example, the provision of hot water is just one example.
When Taishi Ci and others took the Guangyang Road before, the inns along the road also provided various needs, but the things were not satisfactory.
But there was no hot water.
It's not that people don't use it carefully, but that the hot water will get cold if left for a long time.
When you arrive at the military station, the hot water will be cold, and whether you have such a large amount of firewood when you start burning it is the same thing.
So Taishi Ci and the others had no choice but to accept it, and just drink some cold water and drink it for free.
But until they came to Lu County, they did not have hot water. Now Tai Shici was curious and asked the clerk at the military station. Then he was told that the county commander had already arranged for people to deliver the goods five miles away.
Once you see the Liao army approaching, report back immediately.
Is this difficult? It can be said to be too simple.
But none of the many counties along the line did this. This is the difference between care and attention.
And who is the king? When he came here, he saw nothing more than Tai Shi Ci.
Wouldn't officials like Chang Lin be appreciated by the king?
Thinking of this, Taishi Ci, who was sitting still on the horse, couldn't help but look back at Lu County behind him, feeling a little sad.
Alas, I'm afraid that the next time I see Chang Lin, he will have already become famous.
I don’t know what happened to me, Taishi Ci!
When Taishi Ci looked back, Guan Xing next to him thought something was going on and hurriedly asked:
"Ziyi, did something happen?"
Taishi Ci turned his head and looked at the boy Guan Xing with squinted eyes. Seeing that he had already pulled out the ring-head knife, he couldn't help teasing anymore:
"Don't worry, don't make yourself like a young chick. You have to learn this from brother You. It's not your brother and I who boast. Not to mention here, even on the battlefield where thousands of people are fighting, I am also a leisurely person.
Take a stroll.”
Seeing Guan Xing, a young man, looking at him with admiration on his face, Taishi Ci's self-esteem was greatly satisfied.
But who knew that Guan Xing said something at that time:
"Who is the most handsome, brother or my adoptive father?"
Now Taishi Ci took a breath and refused to pay attention to this boy.
At this time, Taishi Ci also thought of the scene where Guan Yu called him over.
After the end of the Jinan War, Taishi Ci was transferred to the Marshal Department of the Left Army, and was appreciated by Guan Yu and directly promoted to the post of General of the Cavalry, which was already a mid-level military official in the Taishan Army system.
Of course Taishi Ci was grateful to Guan Yu, because he knew that his past experience greatly affected his promotion.
Because Taishi Ci was not only a soldier of the Han army, but more importantly, he, Taishi Ci, killed the chief official on the Zhongrenting battlefield.
Killing one's own general is taboo in any army.
Therefore, Taishi Ci was very clear about Guan Yu's kindness to him.
But just when Taishi Ci was doing his best in Zuojun's system, Guan Yu called him over.
At that time, Guan Yu said this to Tai Shi Ci:
"Your Majesty is now deploying troops to Liaodong, looking for strong generals. This rare moment is the time for you to show yourself."
Then Taishi Ci was confused and was selected into the sequence of conquering Liao, along with Guan Yu's adopted son Guan Xing who was in Fenggao.
This is also the first battle of Guan Xing. Going to conquer Liao in the first battle of his life is neither a blessing nor a curse.
Just when Taishi Ci and Guan Xing were joking, suddenly there was a sound of golden gongs from the marching column at the rear, accompanied by a hoarse shout.
Taishi Ci, who was already old in the military, immediately realized that there was an emergency ahead.
Then he waved his hand to stop Guan Xing's excitement from chattering for the first time in battle, and motioned to listen.
Gradually, the sound of the golden gong became louder and louder, and the shouts behind became clearer and clearer.
Listen only to:
"The king has given an order to ride twice as fast as possible and rush to Lulongsai."
Taishi Ci was overjoyed when he heard this, and seeing Guan Xing still looking confused, he cursed:
"Idiot, that's our chance!"
…
About half an hour ago, on the roadside twenty miles behind Taishi Ci, a huge group of cavalry was resting here.
The banner of "Practice for Heaven" held high by the cavalry all shows that the former General Chongtian and today's Taiwu King Zhang Chong are stationed among them.
In fact, it is true. Behind a hill in the lee of the wind, under an apricot-yellow sky, Zhang Chong stayed here with He Kui, Ju Sue, Xun You and Tian Feng.
Because of many days of marching, He Kui, Xun You, and Tian Feng, who were born as scribes, were all a little thin. On the contrary, Ju Shu, who was good at both civil and military affairs, was even more energetic on horseback.
At this time, under the canopy, it was Ju Shou who was reporting to Zhang Chong the intelligence recently sent by the flag bearers.
It was only August, and they had only reached the Yuyang area and had not left the fortress yet, but this morning it was already a bit cold.
Even Xun You and Tian Feng, both of whom were still wearing thin shirts, sneezed a few times due to the cold. It was not until Hengchang brought in two braziers that they felt better.
So, just as the brazier was burning, Tian Feng, who was still frightened, couldn't help but said to Zhang Chong who was standing up:
"Your Majesty, it's so weird today. It's August, but it's like a cold winter. I don't know what's going on beyond the Great Wall further north."
This applies to both Tian Feng and Northerners, but it is even more unbearable for Xun You, who is from Yingchuan.
He is now wrapped in a big cloak and agrees very much with Tian Feng's words, but he sees one of the problems more keenly:
"Your Majesty, although I am looking back, judging from the current weather, this winter will definitely be more severe. Based on this, the Xianbei and Wuhuan people in the north will not be able to endure it this year. By then, no,
It should be this autumn that they will go south for the winter."
The people present were all wise men who knew the autumn leaves, and they naturally saw the changes in the situation in the north from the current abnormal weather.
Zhang Chong nodded, of course he knew that this was the result of the Little Ice Age at the end of the Han Dynasty.
Zhang Chong, who had a solid foundation in science in his previous life, understood very well that the cold weather during the Little Ice Age was just a symptom, followed by frequent droughts and floods.
Drought and floods are more disastrous to the farming civilization in the interior than the nomads going south.
And sadly, these two always happen together.
Therefore, Zhang Chong had the responsibility to do something to protect the survival of Chinese civilization during this period, among which the conquest of Liao was the top priority.
Because the barbarians in the grasslands and snow forests are also human beings, and they want to survive in such a rare cold winter, and their only way to survive is to go south to the warmer Han territory and survive there.
At this time, Zhang Chong needs to stand up and beat up these barbarians who went south, and then restrain them to become his subjects, instead of becoming the wolf pack that destroyed the Han Dynasty like in history.
This is what Zhang Chong wants to do.
But Zhang Chong also understood that even if he did all this, including conquering the Xianbei, Wuhuan, and Sushen people and integrating them into the empire's system, problems would still arise.
Because when these Hu people continue to move inland, it will become a problem for them to get along with the Han people in the interior.
How to deal with the Hu-Han problem will become a practical problem that the successors of the Taishan Army will face.
It's just that Zhang Chong doesn't need to think about this yet. Of course, he also believes that future generations will have the wisdom to deal with this problem.
Since Zhang Chong is aware of this problem, why can't he eliminate all these barbarians first?
Not to mention that the population of the Hu people is also in the millions. Whether they can be eliminated is a question. If you really dare to do this, the Taishan Army will be finished.
At that time, the Hu people who have absolutely no way to survive will have no choice but to fight to the death with your Taishan Army.
When millions of barbarians are fighting for their lives, supporting the old and the young, how many divisions does your Taishan Army have?
Therefore, Zhang Chong knows that the best solution now is to eliminate the upper structure of these barbarians, and then move the majority of tribal people to inner counties to divide them.
Then relying on the wisdom and patience of the successors, the historical proposition of the confluence of Hu and Han was completed.
Coming from later generations, and the deeper he understood this world, the more he understood that the confluence of Hu and Han was like that great tide, unstoppable.
It's just that what Zhang Chong did was that this time the Han people had to lead the merger, instead of facing it passively like in history.
Thousands of thoughts ran through his mind, and finally Zhang Chong just said lightly:
"It will be colder in the future."
After saying this, the four military advisors, including Jushou, fell silent. They all understood what the king said.
But now, when they really began to face the severe cold in Beisei, these disciples, Jiuqing, and Shangshu really understood the deep meaning of this expedition to Liao.
Among them, Professor Ju couldn’t help but sigh:
"Your Majesty, judging from the intelligence sent by the flying army, it is obvious that Liaodong believes that our army is going out to the north to conquer Xianbei this time. In other words, at this stage, our army has still not revealed its true intention."
When Jusuke said this, Dong Zhao happened to come from outside and had already reached outside the tent. He also heard Jusuke's words. He turned his lips contemptuously and dismissed Jusuke.
It was obviously him, Dong Zhao, who planned this incident, but now that Jushou said it, it seemed like he was the one who took the credit.
Thinking of this, he loudly called out outside the curtain:
"I have important military information to report to the king."
Zhang Chong, who had already seen Dong Zhao, shouted without having to report the incident outside the tent:
"Let Dong Neijun come in."
So Dong Zhao Shiran passed under General Hengchang's Thorny Gate, then gathered his clothes and entered respectfully.
When Dong Zhao came in, all the civil servants, including Xun You, looked solemn and lost their smiles. People like them subconsciously avoided Dong Zhao, who was engaged in espionage.
Dong Zhao didn't look at those people, and only bowed slightly towards He Kui.
He is considered to be from He Kui's lineage, and the one who supports him the most in the court is He Kui.
Afterwards, Dong Zhao reported an unexpected situation to Zhang Chong.
"The foreign troops lurking in Liucheng carried flags and sent a message using carrier pigeons, saying that the envoys from Liaodong were in Liucheng. Their intentions are unknown."
After Zhang Chong heard the news, he couldn't help but frown.
Xun You was also thinking about it and said uncertainly:
"Has Liaodong discovered our true intention?"
Tian Feng shook his head and retorted:
"Probably not, otherwise Liaodong wouldn't just have envoys there, they would have brought reinforcements there to intercept us."
Zhang Chong couldn't figure out the reason behind it, but he was keenly aware that something was wrong.
Thinking of this, Zhang Chong didn't waste any more time and directly ordered He Kui on the side:
"Give me my order, the infantry will continue to march together, and the sudden cavalry will lead three horses and follow me straight to Louronce."
He Kui nodded and hurriedly wrote a military order in his hand. Zhang Chong then stamped it and informed the entire army.
At this time, no one will interfere with Zhang Chong's order and say not to take personal risks.
Because this is the military, and in the military, only Zhang Chong's voice is needed. When Zhang Chong has given the order, the whole army can only execute it.
So even if there is a dead end ahead, everyone must die together.
…
About a moment later, the three battalions of flying tigers, flying dragons, and flying leopards stationed outside the big tent suddenly galloped towards Lulongsai in the east.
Zhang Chong's apricot-yellow scroll was left here to confuse Liaodong spies.
In this way, the Taishan army officers and soldiers marching along the road, carrying their bags on their backs, looked puzzledly at the way the thousands of cavalry on the roadside were kicking up dust.
After being fed a burst of wind and sand, they cursed at the back of the cavalry, but they had no idea that their king was among them.
Start it, start it, give the people of Tongliao a little bit of superhuman shock!