Chapter 12 Shanyang Ridge (an additional chapter for leader Lenny)
In mid-August, the troops were already marching on the Tongyi Avenue between Zhenwu Army and Shuozhou. After walking through the initial plain, they entered the mountainous area. The road was in disrepair and was very difficult to walk.
Weighed down by the heavy carriage and baggage, the army could only travel twenty miles a day, and everyone was very tired, both physically and mentally.
There are two routes to take from the Zhenwu Army to the Datong Army. One is to go southeast for 500 miles and go straight to Yunzhong County, Lisuo, Yunzhou. The second is to take the Shuozhou Road, which is 350 miles to the southeast.
Lisuo Shanyang County, Shuozhou (Note 1). The two routes are mainly Shuozhou Road. Because Yunzhou is relatively desolate, sparsely populated, and difficult to supply, people traveling north from Taiyuan to the grassland since the Sui and Tang Dynasties, whether on missions
Whether sending troops or sending troops, they all like to take this route.
On the evening of August 14th, the army arrived at Shanyang Ridge (Note 2). When the former army came to report, the door was wide open and there was no one there. There were no guards in the post house. No horses or food were seen, but the building was still there.
It is complete and can be lived in. The generals cursed when they heard this, but Shao Shude breathed a sigh of relief. The lack of food was indeed a problem, but the war was in chaos, and there was no hope that there would be food here. With the city and the posthouse there, everyone did not need to set up camp.
Much more relaxed.
Yes, that's what Shao is doing. It's really tiring to set up camp, and he has to help himself, so he can't be completely idle. I really don't know how those party members and Turkic auxiliary soldiers survive, day after day,
Set up camp, break camp, set camp again, break camp again, people will be driven crazy!
Hao Zhenwei and Qiu Weidao were the highest-ranking officials in the army, so they naturally had priority in choosing their residence. Hao Zhenwei chose a stone courtyard in Guancheng, which may have been the residence of the former Guancheng guard, while Qiu Weidao lived in Shanyang Hall.
Shao Shude and his party naturally followed to protect him.
After eating biscuits in the evening, Shao Shude urged the soldiers to organize their equipment. The five-piece set of guns, knives, bows, cards, and armor is the life of the warriors. Is the spear still usable? Should the horizontal knife be sharpened? The spare bow string should be carefully
Check to avoid having no strings to use when going into battle. You should also pay attention to small bucklers and armors. If you need repairs, report them immediately. There are always a lot of equipment in need of repair at the army craftsman camp, so you have to queue up in advance.
After doing this, the soldiers were asked to go to bed quickly and recharge their batteries. They had to take over the guard duty at night. As for Shao Shude himself, he used a dim oil lamp in the building to refine his thoughts during the day.
, carefully recorded on paper. His background is very low, and he is not as good as the proud sons of the general family who have received a complete and systematic military education since childhood. At this time, no one can teach him, he can only teach him bit by bit.
After thinking about it, I went to the fire chiefs below to have a discussion with the soldiers. Well, I have been getting closer to Judge Song recently and learned a lot. And looking at him like that, he also wants to make friends with me, Shao Shude
He is not afraid of embarrassment. When he encounters something he doesn’t understand, he just asks. If Song Le can answer it, he answers it. If he can’t answer it, he agrees to find an opportunity to help him ask it. What a good person!
At midnight, Shao Shude put the pen and paper in his bag and was about to undress and rest for a while. Suddenly the clear sound of horse hooves sounded in the empty streets of the city. Shao Shude was startled. Who is so bold when galloping at night? Aren't you afraid of military law?
With a creaking sound, Qiu Weidao's door also opened. The supervisor's face looked uncertain: "Captain Shao, are the soldiers in chaos?"
"Your Majesty, you only have a few cavalry, and they should be from outside the city." Sanlang, a private soldier, came over, brought a bow and a knife to Shao Shude, and then stood aside to wait for orders.
Qiu Weidao glanced at Sanlang, then walked to the center of the yard, sighed deeply, and said: "The army's rations are less than what is needed for two months, there are few soldiers and generals, and morale is low. Now that we have entered Shuozhou, the future is dangerous and unpredictable.
No matter what."
Shao Shude thought to himself that you are not a stranger to me. Even if you say this, you can't even accept it.
"Your Majesty, for the present plan, we can only speed up and go straight to Shuozhou along the Zhongling River (Note 3). The terrain in Shuozhou is smooth and the land is fertile. The Sanggan River and the Zhongling River are intertwined in it, which is conducive to irrigation.
The important land in northern Xinjiang." Seeing that Qiu Weidao was a little frustrated, Shao Shude thought about it for a while and then suggested. It is impossible to retreat now. Instead of continuing to hesitate, it is better to break the point and go straight to Shuozhou. If we capture Shanyang or
One of them in Mayi could advance and retreat freely, and even Li Guochang and his son could not capture them in a hurry.
"Xue Zhiqin is here in Shuozhou, and he has powerful soldiers from the five northern tribes (Note 4). We cannot underestimate the enemy." Qiu Weidao was a little worried. Tiande's army was small and the number of enemy troops was unknown. Can this battle really be fought?
Xue Zhiqin? Shao Shude was a little dazed. After thinking carefully for a long time, he vaguely remembered that Lu Huaizhong had mentioned before that this guy was actually one of the masterminds of the Yunzhou Duan killing incident, together with Shatuo military commander Li Jinzhong, Yunzhou tooth general Kang Junli and others.
Together, they instigated Li Keyong to start a rebellion. Li Keyong vaguely knew that he was powerful at the time, and at the same time he was a little confused that Li Jinzhong, as the Shatuo military envoy, did not take the lead himself, so he wanted to ask his father Li Guochang for advice. In the end, he couldn't stand Li Jinzhong.
, Kang Junli, Li Cunzhang, Xue Zhiqin and other old gangsters were bewitched, and eventually they broke into trouble on the spot.
"There are also two of the three Shatuo tribes in Shuozhou. These people have weird thoughts. Our army suddenly moved forward and was isolated and helpless. I'm afraid..." Qiu Weidao became more and more panicked as he thought about it, and his brows almost twisted into knots.
"May I ask the envoy, where are the Helianduo tribe and the Qixinzhang tribe now?" Shao Shude asked.
"They are all in Yunzhou. A large part of Tuhun originally lives in the north of Yunzhou, and is one of the five tribes in the north. Helianduo is the governor of Yinshan, so there is no problem in giving orders to Tuhun in the north. The main part of Qixin tribe
In the Zhenwu Army, they came all the way and had conflicts with Helian Duo. The envoy guessed that they might not be able to work together. In Yunzhou Jiancheng, two more than 10,000 soldiers and horses would have to work there in vain.
, It's just a hardship for us. If we had known earlier, we should have taken the northern route, and two months of food and grass should have been enough no matter what." Qiu Weidao said.
Shao Shude could not agree with the words of the military supervisor. There is indeed a road between Zhenwu Army and Yunzhou. Because in the early years of the Northern Wei Dynasty, the capital was near Zhenwu Army City and later moved to Pingcheng (Datong). There was a lot of traffic between the two places and the roads were in good condition. Question
It has been so many years. The current condition of this road is far inferior to that of Shuozhou Road in the south. It is also relatively deserted and difficult to supply. There are also Shatuo and the five tribes in the north. Helianduo and Qi Xinzhang can survive.
Just because they are like a fish in water does not mean that they will be able to do so even if the German army passes by. It would be good if they are not attacked by the local people, let alone other things!
Qiu Weidao wanted to say something more, but he heard the guards shouting and asking questions from outside the hall. Shao Shude glanced at Sanlang, who immediately understood and quickly ran back to several houses where the sergeants of the army lived, shouting to everyone. At this time,
At night, the situation is unknown and everything must be prepared.
"The envoy, Hao Dutou's personal soldier, said that we have important military affairs to discuss." Guan Kairun suddenly came from the front and saw that almost all the sergeants of Shao's team were fully armed and poured into the open space in the courtyard, and he was stunned.
"Are you sure he is Hao Zhenwei's personal soldier?" Qiu Weidao asked casually.
"The password is correct. I've seen it before, so the identity can be confirmed without a doubt." Guan Kaiyun replied.
Qiu Weidao nodded, went back to the house and changed his clothes, then went to the courtyard and said: "Captain Shao, please light two fire sergeants and follow my envoy."
"Yes! Li Yixian, Lu Huaizhong, each lead the fire sergeants, bring all the equipment, and set off with me." Shao Shude shouted to the sergeants of the team standing in the courtyard. Soon, twenty soldiers came forward with swords and bows.
, Shao Shude carefully checked their equipment and tightened the quiver of a sergeant. Then he walked up to Qiu Weidao and said softly: "Your Majesty, you can go."
Guan Kairun watched silently from the side. He has been very upset since Shao Shude came. He could feel that Qiu Shijun was currently more interested in this outsider and was a little dissatisfied with them, the old Yuancong people, and he would have to find a way to make up for it in the future.
The August night was already a bit cold, and a group of more than 20 people walked on the empty street, which seemed even colder. After walking half a stick of incense, they arrived at the general's house. The main door was brightly lit, and there were more than ten people standing in full uniform.
Armed sergeants and people came and went from time to time, and the atmosphere was quite solemn.
After verifying his identity at the door, Qiu Weidao went straight in while the others waited outside.
"Qiu Supervisor Army, the scouts have just come to report that there are enemy cavalry on Shuozhou Road, about a thousand people. Judging from their attire, they are not the people of the imperial court, but most of them are the five northern tribes newly recruited by Li Guochang." As soon as he entered the door, Hao Zhenwei said
I was informed of such shocking news.
"What does Dutou mean?"
"The general intends to march towards Shuozhou. I heard that the enemy will not advance and morale cannot be maintained. Even if we retreat to the Zhenwu Army, if the enemy soldiers pursue us, the battle will be defeated."
Hao Zhenwei's meaning is very clear. There are only more than a thousand enemy soldiers in the front. If you are afraid of the enemy and run away, what will the soldiers think of you? What will the court think of you? With this performance, let alone fighting for the throne of defense history, can you not
It would be good to be beaten to the end. Therefore, at this time, the Tiande army has no way to advance and has no choice but to fight with the enemy.
"What Dutou said is true. We have been deeply favored by the emperor and held a high position, and we have nothing to repay. Guochang and his son have gone against the grain, and both gods and men are angry. We should work together to kill the two beasts." Hao Zhenwei said this
, Qiu Weidao could only express his position.
In fact, from his own heart, he is not willing to go. In other words, he still hasn't figured out what to do. If he goes to Shuozhou, he will definitely have to fight, and life or death will be uncertain. If he doesn't go, the court will blame him.
It is simply fatal to supervisors like them. Supervise the army and supervise the army. If you don't supervise the army's execution of the imperial edict, what use are you!
Compared with Qiu, once Dutou Hao Zhenwei made up his mind, he was much easier than him. That night, he summoned ten generals from all ministries and announced that they would send out troops tomorrow and march directly to Shuozhou. The main force of Li Guochang and his son was in Xin Dai,
The troops left behind are limited. The Tiande Army, the Qixin Department, and the Tuhun Department are three people. You are covered in iron, how many nails can you drive?
Note 1: Shanyang County is the seat of Shuozhou. In the fifth year of Kaiyuan of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, it was divided into Mayi County. The county seat was located in the Datong Military City, thirty miles east of Shanyang. At that time, the Datong Army Jiedushi was in charge.
It was established in Datong Military City and later moved to Yunzhong County.
Note 2: Shanyang Ridge is located near the present-day Dahong Township of Horinger County, Inner Mongolia. The Great Wall was built in the third year of Daye of the Sui Dynasty. Shanyang Ridge is one of the passes of the Great Wall. In the Tang Dynasty, it continued to be repaired and expanded, and Shanyang Pass and Shanyang Pass were built.
Guan is one of the important nodes on the west post road from Taiyuan to Shuozhou. To the north of Shanyang Ridge is the Wuyang Ridge outside the Great Wall.
Regarding Shanyang Ridge, Wu Yuanheng once wrote a poem and copied it for readers. "Chanyu stopped fighting but returned to Shanyang Pavilion" -
"Chan Yu went to Shanyang Pass in the south and wandered around in pursuit of returning clouds. He was a guest of Lian Mansion for five years, and every time he heard barbarians crying in Yin Mountain."
Note 3: Zhongling Water, roughly the upper and lower reaches of today’s Red River, originates from Shuozhou.
Note 4: The five tribes in the north, that is, the five tribes of Zahu living in the Daibei area, are Tuyuhun, Uighur, Tatar, Xi, and Shiwei. Shatuo also mainly lives in the Daibei area and is divided into three tribes, namely Shatuo.
Tuo, Sage, and Anqing tribes. Shatuo actually had a small number of people. In the early years of Yuanhe, Zhu Xie Jinzhong led his tribe and some of the attached Hu people with nine surnames of Zhaowu and 30,000 people fled eastward. They were chased by the Tubo all the way. Jinzhong died in the battle, and his eldest son
Zhu Xiezhiyi packed up the remaining troops and went to Lingzhou to surrender to the Tang court and seek asylum. He later moved to Daibei and was deliberately divided into three tribes by the Tang court. It has only been seventy years since he was born, and he is actually regarded as the younger brother among the tribes in Daibei.
During the Qianfu period, the governor of the Shatuo tribe was Li Youjin, who was mainly active in Yunzhou and Shuozhou; the governor of the Sage tribe was Mi Haiwan, who mainly lived in Shuozhou; the governor of the Anqing tribe was Shi Jingcun, who mainly lived in the Daizhou area.
In fact, there are many Hu people with the nine surnames of Zhaowu in the Shatuo tribe, and there are many Hu people with the nine surnames of Zhaowu living in the Daibei area. These people later became the objects of the continuous integration and annexation of the three Shatuo tribes.
An important foundation for the gradual growth of Shatuo Sanbu.