On October 19, the second year of Taiwu, outside Yuanping Post, the Taishan army marched south like a tide.
Ever since Liu Hong rushed to the west and the frontier troops on the outer Great Wall moved south one after another, Yuanping Station has not been so lively for a long time.
At the height of the country's dynasty, there were about 50,000 professional frontier troops in Yanmen, Yunzhong, Gaoliu and other areas along the Great Wall. The day-to-day support of these troops relied entirely on transfers from the Han Dynasty.
Among them, Taiyuan is the most important grain transfer and supply area.
All crops must rely on water, heat and soil. Those that can become important food producing areas have advantages in all three, and this is the case in Taiyuan County.
Taiyuan County covers the basin in the central part of Bingzhou, such as Yangqu, Taiyuan, Yuci, Taigu County, Qi County and other counties are connected by Qianmao, and Fenshui flows through it, making irrigation convenient.
In addition, because it is located in a basin, the solar terms are suitable. Plant two wheat crops in mid-spring and harvest them at the summer solstice. Plant millet and mixed crops in April and harvest them in the late autumn, so you can achieve two harvests a year.
Therefore, Taiyuan can not only be self-sufficient, but can also bear part of the important task of transporting grain and fodder for border troops.
In addition to being a grain-producing area, Taiyuan is also a transportation hub.
Almost all the grain distributed from Aocang was transported to Luokou warehouse in Kyoto first, and then the corn from Luokou warehouse was transported upstream along the river to Shaanxian County.
Because the natural barrier of Sanmen Gorge in Shaanxi County prevents boating, the corn and boats will be carried ashore at this time. After bypassing Sanmen Gorge, they will re-enter the water and then go back along the Yellow River to Fenglingdu to wait for the grain ships to arrive.
When it reaches Pishi, it can be transferred to Fenshui.
Pishi is located at the mouth of the Fen River. From here, you can walk along the Fen River, passing through Linfen, Yong'an, Jiexiu, Zhongdu, Jingling, Qixian, Yuci, and finally arrive in Taiyuan.
Then from Taiyuan, go all the way north along the post road that runs from north to south. Cross Yangqu, pass Yuanping, Shangdai County, and then to Yanmen.
Among them, on this northward grain road, the Han Dynasty built a post station every fifty or sixty miles.
Starting from Linfen Post in Yangqu, go north to Chengjin Post, Jiuyuan Post, then Yuanping Post after arriving at Yuanping, and then go a hundred miles to Guangwu Post in Dai County, then 60 miles to Shanyin Post, and then to
Yanmen Pass.
It can be said that the Han Dynasty spent more than hundreds of millions of dollars and more than 100,000 manpower in order to supply the northern frontier army every year.
But it’s all gone.
With the chaos in Kanto, the fall of Aocang, the chaos in Kyoto, and the border troops moving south, this boiling water and land station no longer saw any transfer from the imperial court, and desolation replaced prosperity.
But the road is always here. If the Han army can no longer use it, it will be the turn of the Taishan army to use it.
At this time, the Taishan Army gathered in Yuanpingyi had a total of 20,000 horsemen and infantry, including ten captains. The original 7,000 infantry and 3,000 cavalry generals were stationed in Pingcheng to continue to stabilize the Yanbei area.
However, Yu Jinbu, who entered Bingzhou from Feihuxing, was still on the way and did not have time to meet up.
But even though only a part of the military strength is here, it still becomes a bright yellow sea, with countless apricot-yellow flags waving, various letter flags, command flags, and general flags, and they set off southward step by step according to the original southward plan.
During this process, camp heads continued to come from the north, and camp heads continued to go south. From north to south, the long and narrow valley was full of people.
At this time, a large apricot-yellow scroll was hung high on the slope of a wall. Countless officials walked south along the official road under the slope of the wall. They knew that the king was bidding farewell to them there.
From time to time, some generals would gallop down the slope and report the situation of each battalion to Zhang Chong above. Zhang Chong listened very carefully, and then said goodbye to the generals of each battalion one by one. Before setting off, Zhang Chong rarely gave any more instructions.
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For example, Xu Huang was told to cherish his life and not always take risks. Chen Huan was told to observe the battlefield situation more and provide timely arrow assistance to friendly forces.
In short, everyone can see Zhang Chong's feeling of farewell to his generals.
In fact, Zhang Chong’s warning was indispensable. In the past, the Taishan Army had a mass base for its operations, and the situation in Taiyuan County has been very clear through Wang Yi’s description. That is, the powerful families have been infiltrated for hundreds of years, and Dingkou in the county does not belong to these people.
The side branches are their disciples.
In other words, this time going south, the Taishan Army will fall into a sea of enemy troops.
When the time comes to play away from home, the outcome is uncertain.
At this time, he already knew that the person stationed in Taiyuan was the famous Ding Yuan in history. This person was only a handful, but the Bingzhou Army under his command was very dazzling in the troubled times in the future.
Zhang Chong thought that he was facing off against powerful frontier troops such as Lu Bu, Zhang Liao, and the Eighth Generals, so he naturally had to tell the generals to pay more attention.
The forward force he deployed this time had a strength of 5,000 men. The leader was Xu Huang, the deputy general was Chen Huan, and they had two captain's units and one assault cavalry unit.
Before the war, thanks to Wang Yi's intelligence, Zhang Chong roughly understood that there were three important passes in this southward march to Taiyuan.
They are Yikou Pass, Shiling Pass and Chitang Pass.
Yikou Pass is the closest to them, and it is also the only way to enter the Dingxiang Basin. After passing Yikou Pass, they enter the entrance of Taiyuan Basin, Yangqu.
Yangqu has a special place, that is, it is located at the junction of Yiding Basin and Taiyuan Basin. Its territory is adjacent to Xiaowutai Mountain in the east and Guanmao Mountain in the west. The mountains are steep.
There is a continuous slope plateau running across it from north to south. And if you want to go south from the Yiding Basin to the Taiyuan Basin, there are only two slope plateau mountain roads.
Shiling Pass and Chitang Pass guard these two passages. Chitang Pass is in the west and belongs to the secondary passage, and Shiling Pass is in the east and belongs to the main passage.
The task given by Zhang Chong to Xu Huang was to defeat three levels in a row.
After that, Zhang Chong chatted with Xu Huang alone for a while and asked him about his strategy for going south:
"Gongming, we have broken through three levels on our way south this time. How do you plan to fight?"
Xu Huang hesitated for a moment and then said what he was thinking:
"Your Majesty, in the previous military discussion, the main force of our army was to attack Yikou Pass. I have been thinking about this matter over and over again, and I have some ideas, but I am worried that I have not thought deeply enough and said it inappropriately, so I have not mentioned it."
Zhang Chong smiled:
"You are a general who can attack. The lives of thousands of brothers are in your hands. It is right for you to be cautious, but you cannot be too cautious. You must be responsible. This is what the commander must bear. So what do you think?
Just tell me whatever you want."
So Xu Huang did not dare to hesitate and said hurriedly:
"Before, I went south with the Cavalry to scout, and also looked at this pass. To be honest, there is no need for us to attack this pass, because we saw a hilly land on the west side of this pass. We can completely bypass it.
Yikou Pass and go directly south to Taiyuan."
Zhang Chong nodded and agreed:
"I have also considered what you said. Wang Yi also said before that among the many passes in Bingzhou, Yikou is very inconspicuous among them. This is because Yikou looks dangerous, but in fact it is not very important.
It cannot be attacked. There is an open hilly area to the west of it. In the past, after the Xianbei people broke Yanmen Pass, they never attacked Yikou and just detoured from there. But let me ask you, what is the difference between our army and Xianbei's army?
?”
Xu Huang is a smart man and has rich battlefield experience, but he has always commanded the cavalry before. This time it is his first time to lead the cavalry as a general, so his thinking has not changed.
At this moment, with Zhang Chong's guidance, he understood:
"The Xianbei people are good at riding, can disperse quickly, and can easily supply supplies. They also go south to plunder. They abandon a city every time they break it, and will not stay for a long time. Therefore, they can bypass Yikou and go straight to Taiyuan. And I
The army is different. There are tens of thousands of infantry and cavalry, and they need to obtain supplies from the rear every day. If we abandon Yikou at this time and directly enter Taiyuan, we will still have to fight the next two levels first. At this time, our supply line
We will be threatened by Yikou again."
Zhang Chong nodded happily and said to Xu Huang:
"The purpose of our army's march south this time is to completely occupy Bingzhou. If our army wants to carry out a tactical coordination and raid, then it can naturally use its advantages of maneuver and rush in and out. But now, if we want to expand the territory and the people, we can establish a stronghold in Bingzhou.
According to this, we must go all the way down in a grand manner, with the army blocking the army and the stronghold blocking the stronghold, just like the Yinhe River and flowing down in a grand manner. Only in this way can we break the hearts of thieves and calm people's hearts."
Finally, Zhang Chong patted Xu Huang:
"Gongming, I value you very much. Your future is not just a cavalry general. What I hope is that one day, you can raise 100,000 troops for me and sweep across the mountains and rivers, so this time is your training ground. Bingzhou is the pot.
Good food, we are not in a hurry."
Xu Huang couldn't help but puff up his chest and gave Zhang Chong a military salute.
Afterwards, Zhang Chong felt that he had sorted out his general strategy and asked Xu Huang to retreat to pursue his troops.
In this way, Xu Huang and a group of vanguard generals rode south in an excited mood. Zhang Chong, who was on the high slope, kept watching them go away.
…
It took almost an hour for the 5,000-strong army to move south continuously. After the baggage officer of the central army said that lunch was ready, Zhang Chong took a group of hungry staff and officials back to the central tent to eat.
Returning to the central tent, Zhang Chong did not eat immediately, but continued to process paperwork for a while.
As the Lord of Datai, he not only has to deal with the affairs of the Taishan Army, but also the government affairs of You, Ji, Ping, Liao, and Yanzhou states.
Even with the help of many subordinates in Yecheng, the documents sent to Zhang Chong were still piled high.
Fortunately, Zhang Chong is a superman and his endless physical strength allows him to handle these government affairs diligently.
But after he finished processing the last document, he raised his head and saw that no one in the civil service moved their chopsticks.
Zhang Chong smiled and didn't say anything, but told himself to eat first and then deal with it next time. After all, these military staff are not him.
He glanced around and saw that Zhao Yun was not there, so he asked Xun You next to him:
"Where did Zilong go?"
Xun You and a group of staff and counselors were sitting on Zhang Chong's right hand side. Zhang Chong asked:
"Your Majesty, Lieutenant Zhao has been busy in the supply camp dealing with the problems of the people near Yi Zhan. I have already told him to come to the camp for food soon."
Zhang Chong was confused:
"Is there any Qianshou near this Yi Zhan?"
Xun You told the truth:
"There aren't many, most of them are disabled, old and weak. These people were abandoned in the village and fend for themselves. When Captain Zhao saw it, he asked people to cook some food for them and chop some firewood. Winter is coming soon.
If we don’t do this, it will be difficult for these old and weak people to survive.”
At this time, Li Damu also spoke, and his first sentence was a sigh, angrily:
"Those people are really hiding from everyone, and they are hiding from us. As soon as those people heard that the soldiers were marching south, they fled directly into the mountains. I had to find some guides at that time, but anyone who could move in those communities ran away.
It’s gone. It’s really stupid. Will our Taishan army care about their melons and dates?”
Zhang Chong didn't speak, he just lowered his head and sipped rice, but his heart was very heavy.
The Taishan Army has always been known for following the mass line. Wherever they went, they not only killed officers and raised poles to welcome the king's army, but they also carried pots and ladles to welcome them.
But what about now? Since the Yanmen Pass was broken, the army has hardly seen many people in the head of Guizhou on the way south. Just as Li Damu said, they all ran into the mountains.
Zhang Chong also had his own analysis. He felt that the powerful forces in Taiyuan still had a very strong control over the local Dingkou. Both in terms of public opinion propaganda and mobilization, they were different from the powerful forces that the Taishan Army had encountered before.
This is also related to the environment of Bingzhou. Bingzhou is surrounded by mountains, and there are only a few large basins that can be cultivated. Various wealthy families are intertwined in these basins, and their relationship with each other is also very close.
With the tacit understanding between these wealthy families, the Guizhou leaders in the Yiding Basin were firmly locked on the land of each family, and even the disciples who wanted to switch to other families would be beaten to death.
Over time, these Guizhou leaders really regarded these powerful people as their own family masters and the masters of everything.
So, when their masters told them that Taishan's army was tigers and wolves, then Taishan's army was tigers and wolves. When their masters told them that they would run into the mountains when they saw tigers and wolves, they ran into the mountains without even thinking about it.
Zhang Chong understands this, but he also knows that now is not the time to deal with this.
Only by defeating the Taiyuan magnates militarily can these people wake up and dare to look up with their eyes.
When the time comes, they will find out what kind of army the Taishan Army is.
So Zhang Chong just nodded and asked Cai Que to prepare some more food for the old and weak, and then he picked up the millet rice and started eating.
Zhang Chong picked up the bowl, and the hungry civil and military officers below also began to curl up.
In fact, Zhang Chong's part was very simple, just a bowl of millet rice, a small plate of pickles and a piece of dried meat. At this time, all the officers and soldiers in the army were eating the same as him.
If Zhang Chong had just come to this life, this meal would be tasteless. In his previous life, he was a glutton. Where he traveled or what he played was never important. What he ate was the most important.
Something he often said to his friends was:
"When I remember the smell of this place, I remember this place."
But now such a crude meal tasted delicious in Zhang Chong's mouth.
People are really very adaptable to their environment.
That is to say, with the opening of Feihuxing, the Taishan Army's supplies have been restored. In the past few days, they still couldn't eat that meal of dried meat.
Halfway through the meal, the curtain of the big tent suddenly opened, and it was Zhao Yun who came back. He happily said to Zhang Chong:
"Your Majesty, all the people nearby have returned."
Zhang Chong was stunned, wiped his mouth quickly, and handed the remaining dried meat to Zhao Yun:
"Come on, let's go take a look together. You can eat this meat while walking on the road. You can't go hungry."
Here Zhang Chong stood up, and the civil and military officials who had finished eating earlier also stood up and followed him.
Zhang Chong waved his hand and said with a smile:
"What should you do? The Central Guard Army from behind is coming soon. You must also hurry up and build the camp. Otherwise, where will we, the children of the Central Guard Army, live?"
After saying this, Zhang Chong motioned for Xun You to follow him.
As for Cai Que and Guo Zu, needless to say, they followed closely. As for Dian Wei and Li Damu, they led Hengchang generals behind and covered them all the way.