On October 23rd of the sixth year of Tiansheng, Songyang grassland ushered in the first snow.
The first snow has enriched the year, but for Long Ruijun, this snow came too early. Although everyone knows that snow falls much earlier in the Northeast than in Guan Nei, it was only the end of October, and a sudden first snow caught everyone by surprise.
Anticipate.
At dusk, the first snow continued to fall, and a thin layer of snow had already accumulated on the ground.
Yuwen Chengchao personally led a group of people to wait in front of the camp gate to welcome the arrival of the Governor Shi.
Yesterday at dusk, someone rushed to the newly built camp first to report that the Governor of the Protectorate, Shi Qianqian, had come to express his condolences. Qin Xiao and Yu Wenchengchao discussed it, and Yuwen Chengchao and his people were waiting outside the camp gate today.
Long Ruijun abandoned the previous camp and rebuilt the barracks no more than twenty miles away from the original camp. They have been working day and night these days, and the construction can be considered initially completed.
The Armament Department spared no effort and quickly raised thousands of sets of winter clothes. In addition, they also purchased a large amount of charcoal, which was delivered to Qin Xiao three days ago.
Yuwen Huaiqian and Feixin spared no effort in the Armament Department, and Lin Hong did not hold back. When Qin Xiao came out of the customs, he quickly raised military supplies. He obviously knew that the Armaments Department would be useless if it did not have sufficient military reserves, so the first
A batch of military resources were also transferred to the Armaments Department as quickly as possible.
The Jiangnan family naturally knew that if they wanted to protect themselves after the Suzhou Rebellion, they had to make the court aware of the Jiangnan family's role in the empire. Taking on the military expenses of Long Rui's army was a responsibility that the Jiangnan family had to take and actively bear.
.
The more Jiangnan Family bleeds, the safer it is.
The Department of Armament has money in hand, so it is naturally much easier to purchase supplies. After all, no matter where you are, if you have money in hand, things will always go smoothly.
Seeing a group of people escorting a carriage outside the camp gate, Yu Wencheng immediately led the crowd to greet it. The carriage stopped, the curtain was opened, and an official in his early forties walked out of the carriage and saw Yu Wencheng
Chao Zheng was waiting to greet him. He coughed twice and got off the carriage. Yu Wen Chengchao led everyone to bow their hands and salute: "General Yu Wen Chengchao, the last general to return to Delang, pays homage to Lord Changshi!"
The Andong Protectorate governs the four northeastern counties. Under the Andong Protectorate, there are officials such as Chang Shi and Sima. The Chang Shi nominally manages all the troops and horses in the four Northeast counties. The Liaodong Army and the local garrisons in the four counties are of course
Under the control of Chang Shi, since Long Ruijun left the country to train in the Northeast, he naturally had to be controlled by Chang Shi.
Therefore, both Qin Xiao and Yuwen Chengchao were nominally subordinates of Chang Shi.
After receiving the news yesterday, Qin Xiao and Yuwen Chengchao naturally had a detailed understanding of this long history.
Xie Gaoyang, the Supervisor of the Army, is one of the four great ministers of the Beiyuan. Compared with Qin Xiao and Yuwen Chengchao, he has a deep understanding of the intelligence of many officials in the Northeast. The chief official of the Duhu Mansion is a senior official, so Xie Gaoyang naturally knows a lot.
, from Xie Gaoyang's mouth, the two knew that the chief historian's name was Wang Heng, and he had been in the position of chief historian for six years.
Local officials in the Tang Empire would be transferred frequently. Officials like Chang Shi who controlled local military power would usually be transferred once every three years. Five years was already the limit, but Wang Heng sat in the position of Chang Shi for six years without moving.
In the final analysis, it is still because of the existence of the Liaodong Army behind it.
From Xie Gaoyang's mouth, Qin Xiao learned more about the situation of the Liaodong Army.
After Emperor Wuzong conquered the Bohai Sea, he left 20,000 permanent troops stationed in the four northeastern counties, commanded by General Anton. General Anton had several generals under his command, all of whom had made great achievements in the conquest of the Bohai Kingdom.
The ancestor of the current General Andong, Wang Xingchao, was one of the heroes. Like the ancestor of the current loyal general Huangfu Yunzhao, they were both subordinate to the first General Andong.
These two families are full of talents and have strong martial arts. After Wang Xingchao's father became General Anton, the Wang family has become the largest family in the four northeastern counties. Not only is it prosperous, but it also owns countless fertile lands.
They serve as officials in the four northeastern counties. Although Wang Heng is only in his forties, he is the uncle of Anton General Wang Xingchao and the younger brother of Wang Xingchao's father. Therefore, Wang Xingchao also treats this uncle very much.
care.
It was the Liaodong Army that put pressure on the imperial court, and many officials, including Governor Anton, signed a petition, which allowed Wang Heng to take the position of long history. With the support of Wang Xingchao and the Liaodong Army, Wang Heng's power
The chair is naturally as stable as a rock.
Yuwen Chengchao knew in his heart that the Lord Changshi in front of him was just a puppet of the Liaodong Army, in name only, but behind him was General Anton Wang Xingchao and the Liaodong Army, so they should not be underestimated.
"Where is General Zhongwu Zhonglang?" Wang Heng glanced at Qin Xiao and frowned as he did not see Qin Xiao.
Yuwen Chengchao hurriedly cupped his hands and said: "Sir, the lieutenant general is not accustomed to the climate. He has been sick for two days. He wanted to get up to greet him, but he was dizzy. The marching lieutenant looked at him and said that he needs to take good care of himself in the past few days and not to be exposed to the cold again.
Please forgive me, sir."
"Oh?" Wang Heng said, "Sick? It's only the end of October, and the weather will be colder in a while. He won't be able to hold on so soon? As a military general, such a system is not feasible."
"That's what your lord said." Yuwen Chengchao raised his hand and said, "The food and wine have been prepared in the tent. Please invite me!"
After entering the main camp, Supervisor Xie Gaoyang was already waiting. He came up to him and saluted. Wang Heng just returned the greeting lightly. After entering the main tent, Yu Wen Chengchao immediately ordered people to serve food and wine. Long Ruijun was the only one with Xie Gaoyang and Yu Wen.
Cheng Chao accompanied him, and Wang Heng and two officials sat down.
"The conditions here are difficult and the food and wine are simple. Don't mind, sir." Yu Wen Chengchao said with a smile: "I received the news yesterday that my lord came to inspect today and made some preparations. This is game caught nearby. Please try it.
"
Wang Heng saw that the dishes were quite rich, so he smiled and said: "It's interesting. You have been out of isolation for some time. I should have come to express my condolences long ago, but I was delayed due to busy business." He looked at Yu Wencheng and said: "I got the news.
, the Black Mountain bandits attacked the military camp at night, but you were repulsed. The Black Mountain bandits suffered heavy losses. You did a good job and let the Black Mountain bandits know how powerful the officers and soldiers are."
"I don't dare." Yuwen Cheng said, "This is all because of the clever planning of the Minister and the General."
Xie Gaoyang's face brightened when he heard this, and he smiled and said: "Sir Chang Shi, the bandits have returned in defeat. Should we take advantage of the victory and pursue them? What I mean is to mobilize the Liaodong Army and join forces with the two armies to take advantage of the situation.
The morale of the Black Mountain bandits was low and they were captured in one fell swoop. The Black Mountain bandits were causing harm to the people in the Northeast and committed all kinds of evil. If they could be eliminated at one stroke, the saint would definitely be delighted."
"Your Excellency, you are too eager." Wang Heng said immediately: "You don't know something. The Black Mountain bandits have built their lair like a copper wall. It will not be easy to attack the Black Mountain. I know that you have won a big victory.
The morale is strong, but we must not underestimate the bandits because of this. If the Black Mountain bandits were so easy to eliminate, the Liaodong Army would have wiped them out long ago, so how could they be allowed to cause trouble in the Northeast for many years?"
Yuwen Chengchao smiled and said: "What you are saying is true, but from the general's perspective, now is actually a good time to attack the Black Mountains. If you give the Black Mountain bandits some breathing time and allow them to stabilize their position, it will be difficult to attack again then."
Much more. The last general heard that General Huangfu is very brave and is known as the best general in the Northeast. General Zhonglang said before that if General Huangfu is willing to lead troops to attack Heishan, Long Rui's army is willing to obey General Huangfu's dispatch." He looked towards.
Xie Gaoyang said with a smile: "Your Excellency, do you think so?"
"Exactly." Xie Gaoyang immediately smiled and said: "General Huangfu's reputation is well known all over the world, but Mr. Chang Shi is unaware of it. Zhonglang will admire General Huangfu immensely."
Wang Heng frowned slightly and asked: "The number one general in the Northeast? Where did you two hear about this?"
Yuwen Chengchao and Xie Gaoyang looked at each other and were startled. Yuwen Chengchao said: "Everyone in the court knows about this matter. General Zhonglang has served as an errand in the Ministry of War. I heard General Zhonglang said that the adults in the Ministry of War
General Huangfu highly praised it, saying that as long as General Huangfu is in charge of the Northeast, the Northeast will be peaceful."
"Thieves were once rampant in the four northeastern counties. If General Huangfu hadn't stepped forward with a sword, I don't know what the current situation would have been like." Xie Gaoyang sighed: "Otherwise, Long Rui's army may not be able to leave the border to train."
Wang Heng said calmly: "General Huangfu is naturally very brave, but without the general strategizing, there would be no peace in the Northeast as it is now."
"That's natural." Yuwen Chengchao smiled hurriedly and said, "Everyone knows that the general takes the most credit."
As soon as he finished speaking, he heard a voice coming from outside: "Has General Huangfu arrived? Hearing about his name for a long time is like thunder in my ears. I can see him today, which is a wish fulfilled." While speaking, someone opened the tent and Qin
Xiao already walked into the camp with excitement on his face.
"General!" Yuwen Chengchao stood up first and introduced Wang Heng with his hands raised: "Master Chang Shi, this is General Zhonglang!" He then said to Qin Xiao: "General Zhonglang, Master Chang Shi is here to visit and express condolences.
, General Huangfu did not come."
Although Qin Xiao's face was excited, his complexion did not look good. It seemed that he was not acclimatized and was feeling unwell. Upon hearing Yu Wenchengchao's words, Qin Xiao's excited expression suddenly dimmed, and he said in disappointment: "It's not that Huangfu
Will the general come too?"
"We heard wrongly." Yuwen Cheng said, "General Huangfu did not come."
Qin Xiao sighed, with a disappointed look on his face, but he still handed over to Wang Henggong and said, "It's been a hard journey, Sir Chang Shi!" Xiang Yuwen Cheng said to Yu Wencheng, "Please accompany Sir for a few more drinks. I'm not in good health, so I'll go back and rest.
"He turned around and left.
"Don't be so anxious, sir?" Wang Heng saw that Qin Xiao didn't seem to take him seriously at all. His face was a little ugly, and he said lightly: "I have something to ask you for advice, and it's not convenient to stay here for a long time.
Since you can get up, how about saying a few words before leaving?"
Qin Xiao turned around, seemed a little embarrassed, pondered for a moment, nodded, went over and sat down next to Yuwen Chengchao, and asked: "Master Changshi, when will we attack Heishan? Can General Huangfu come with his troops?
When the time comes, our Long Rui Army is willing to listen to General Huangfu's orders, capture the Black Mountains in one fell swoop, and completely eradicate the Black Mountain bandits."