"The only difficulty in the Western Expedition is supplies." Qiu Zengxiang, who entered the martial arts hall for further training after returning from Yunnan, pointed to several winding routes on the map and said: "The best way is actually to go to Yin
, the two western prefectures are cultivated and transported nearby. The second step is to transfer cattle and sheep from the northern grassland to Beiting, and the last step is to transport grain from the Hexi Corridor."
As soon as these words came out, everyone turned their attention. But the others did not speak and only focused on one person: Li Lin.
Both of them are martial arts students, and they have both made great achievements, so why don't they compete with each other?
"This is pure nonsense." Sure enough, Li Lin was not used to other people's bad habits and said directly: "Of course, colonizing the Western Regions is the best strategy, but what about transporting cattle and sheep from the northern grasslands? Is this easy?
Last year, the saint sent troops from two directions and personally led the northern route. When hundreds of thousands of cattle and sheep walked to the north court, most of them were emaciated and more than a third of them were eaten. Can you tell me, can this be enough?"
"Naturally we cannot rely purely on cattle and sheep for supplies." Qiu Zengxiang said: "When troops march on the grassland, the livestock brought with the army can only be used as final supplies. Cows and sheep, especially cows and ewes, must be killed unless absolutely necessary. But with so many soldiers and horses,
Don’t you know how to rob?”
“What should I do if I can’t get it?”
"You can always grab something. If it doesn't work, just stop and let the livestock fatten up."
"It's so easy to gain weight? People lose weight even after walking a long distance, and they can't make up for it for a while. Is it so easy for cattle and sheep?"
"What do you want?"
"I don't think so, but you said it too lightly."
Shulu Porun, Liu Zhiyuan, Xiang Lijin, Bai Fengjin, He Delun and others whispered to each other, occasionally chuckled, and were too lazy to get involved in the debate.
"Stay here." Shao Chengjie stopped the argument between the two generals and said: "When a saint uses troops, his first priority is food and grass. This was vividly demonstrated in the Western Expedition. The North Route Army spent most of the time grazing, and the South Route Army spent most of the time gathering food and grass. The army has enough food.
, and then we can attack. If you can accept this, you have achieved your goal."
"Secondly, there are many staff officers in the Daxia Army, and the staff officers of this march demonstrated their skills. In such an expedition, if the march route is slightly wrong, it will lead to big mistakes. There is basically no problem with the route this time. It can be seen that the three years of previous
The preparations are quite sufficient. You should make a decision before taking action. You should also agree with this. That's enough."
After saying this, Shao Chengjie looked at Li Lin and said with a smile: "Li Qing, this battle is very different from the battle against the Southern Barbarians, isn't it?"
Li Lin said: "It is indeed very different. In the battle of Changhe, Zheng Renmin was beaten on the ass all the way, using the fast to beat the slow, chasing him to the north. Before the southern barbarians could react, the capital fell."
"Li Qing fought very well, and it coincided with what I thought." Shao Chengjie praised: "If a saint came to command the southern campaign, he would not fight like this. The generals who command the army in the world have different styles, and they must
You have to think about it carefully. I heard that the thieves in the Western Regions have different methods of training, running the army, and fighting. If Li Qing is against him, he may suffer losses if he pursues and fights blindly. On the contrary, saints who 'do their own thing first will not be able to win.
The strategy of using troops to make the enemy more victorious is more prudent."
Li Lin was a little surprised when he heard this.
Su heard that the prince was fighting bravely and vigorously. Why did he speak like this today? To be honest, it was a bit inconsistent with his style. Could it be that as he got older and figured out many things, his thinking changed again?
This is not impossible. Can the young prince lead troops and fight in the same way as he did when he was middle-aged? The living environment has changed, the things he has experienced are different, and his thoughts will definitely change accordingly.
What he said today made Li Lin vaguely feel that the prince's military thinking has gone a step further, that is, facing generals of different styles, he has different tactics to deal with them, instead of just sticking to his own style.
How to put this kind of thinking? If it is not used well, it will be slapped on both sides. If it is used well, it will be a god general.
The Saint has a bit of this flavor.
Everyone said that he used his troops steadily, but when he attacked Yang Xingmi in Huaibei, he gave full play to his cavalry tactics and advanced bravely, making the enemy lose sight of one thing.
When fighting Zhu Quanzhong, he was much more cautious and focused on consumption.
When fighting against the Eight Khitan tribes, they were majestic soldiers, as thick as mountains, advancing with indomitable force, leaving hundreds of thousands of Khitan riders at a loss.
Moreover, saints also have many tricks outside the battlefield when using troops, which often work.
To be able to fight to this extent requires not only military talent, but also life experience and insight into the world. This is called a god general, and Li Lin felt that he was not as good as him.
"Did you remember everything we discussed today?" Shao Chengjie looked at the two "internship" martial arts students in the corner and asked.
"Your Highness, I have taken note of everything." They both replied in unison.
"That's good." Shao Chengjie stood up, looked at everyone, and said, "It's boring to talk so much, why don't you go out and practice?"
"Practice!" Everyone laughed and stood up one after another.
Winning or losing in martial arts is one thing, but deepening your relationship with the prince is another.
Of course, those who can enter the martial arts hall must have some "wisdom". The saint is still here, how close he is to the prince is a question worthy of careful examination.
****
And just when everyone in the martial arts hall was talking about the tactics, the second batch of transportation teams from Luoyang had arrived in Liduohan County, Hezhou.
Today is the third day of March. By the creek on the outskirts of Pohan County, there are many scholars enjoying themselves and drinking from the flowing water.
I don’t know why this custom originated.
The most reliable theory is that in the Han Dynasty, "Xu Zhao of the plains gave birth to three girls in the third month, and all died on the third day. A village thought it was strange, so they took them to the waterside to wash, so the flowing water started here, and the meandering water started here.
.”
This festival should be strongly recommended by literati. Because it is fun, some people also participate in it. But overall it is still tepid and not as good as other festivals. It is mainly played by talented people and beautiful people.
At this time, this kind of people were playing this game in the suburbs of Panhan County. The ladies covered their mouths and smiled softly, their faces flushed, which dazzled brothers Gao Chonggui and Gao Chongnian.
"Longyou is singing and dancing so peacefully, I even doubt whether there is a war in the west." Gao Chonggui withdrew his gaze, knocked on the carriage with his scabbard, and said: "Seeing this supply cart, I am convinced that there is still a war in the west.
.”
"Why did the general say this?" Master Zhang Datong of Weizhou sighed: "I am also from Longyou. Haven't I been drafted by the government and followed you to the west?"
All the palace guards laughed after hearing this and said that he was unlucky. They temporarily added some tribute goods from Weizhou and sent them to Gaochang. Due to lack of manpower, they temporarily recruited a hundred people, and Zhang Datong was selected.
"Actually, I'm quite lucky." Zhang Datong added: "Last year, someone came back from Gaochang and said that when they were transferring supplies to the west, someone took a shortcut and crossed the big quicksand sea. Hundreds of people got lost, and no one was there.
When I came back and was finally found, all the people and animals had been dead for many days, it was so tragic."
"Is there such a thing?" Gao Chonggui was surprised and asked, "How many masters are there in Longyou who transfer funds?"
"Why are there not many?" Zhang Datong said: "Starting from Qinzhou to Shanzhou, everyone has sent people. In this western expedition, the saint attacked Longyou and Hexi. Hexi has accumulated 30 years of savings.
The money and food that came down. Although we, the local peasants from more than a dozen states, do not have to go into battle, it is not easy. Every grain of food in Gaochang was delivered by us who worked hard to deliver it. We died of exhaustion and thirst on the road.
, I don’t know how many. Every county has people who can’t come back, it’s really miserable.”
As soon as these words came out, some other people in the team became angry.
Judging from their age, most of them are between seventeen and eighteen years old, and the oldest is only in his early twenties.
Looking at their attire, they were actually pretty good. Their clothes were all quite new, and they also carried large and small baggage, which was bulging with something.
"Is Gaochang so short of food?" asked a "young man" with a full beard.
"Why is there no shortage? With so many soldiers and horses, people eat what horses chew. Gaochang is not a wealthy place, maybe not as good as Hezhou. How can we support so many warriors who are not engaged in production?" Zhang Datong asked rhetorically.
"It's bitter!" A person next to him stamped his feet and sighed: "Aren't we going to eat dirt? If I had known this, we might as well have stayed in Luoyang."
"I'm going on the road before the New Year is over. At least I can have a good meal during the New Year before leaving. Now it's better. I went to eat dirt and my life was miserable."
"Look at how cowardly you are. You go to rob the cattle and sheep of the Tibetan people when you have nothing to eat. What are you afraid of?"
"A hundred thousand troops are not as smart as you? They didn't get it, so why can you get it?"
"It's unfounded to worry. Now that the imperial court has sent us on our way, how can we lose one mouthful of food when we go there?"
"I hope I can find something to satisfy my hunger. If that doesn't work, go ask King Zhao for food. We are all his people and we can't ignore it."
Brother Gao Chonggui looked at each other and knew in his heart that they would probably endure hardships along the way.
The composition of their team is very complex, including palace guards, medical officers, craftsmen, etc., but the largest group is a group of young people from Henan Prefecture, about a thousand people, most of whom are forbidden soldiers and state soldiers who have been practicing martial arts since childhood.
Family children.
There were even a group of recruits who had been trained in the Shaanzhou Academy for five years. They had given up on the idea of joining the Forbidden Army and couldn't wait any longer, so they went to the Western Regions to try their luck and see if they could make a name for themselves under King Zhao.
.
After hearing about the difficulties in the Western Regions, everyone's face was filled with sadness, and they were no longer as relaxed as before.
"Hey, it turns out that you are suffering more than me." Zhang Datong smiled when he heard this, ignoring the angry expressions that gradually appeared on the faces of those people, and continued: "I heard from people who came back that the saint was still digging trenches in Gaochang last year.
Farming. Haha, even saints do this, what good can you do if you go?"
Gao Chonggui pushed Zhang Datong and said: "Stop being stuck here, go to the back and help repair the car."
"But I don't know how to repair cars..." Zhang Datong said curiously.
"Get out!" Gao Chongnian scolded.
Zhang Datong saw that he was angry and walked away in a gray manner.
"Actually - it's not as scary as he said." Gao Chonggui forced a smile and said: "Longyou and Hexi 2nd Road are doing their best to transport grain, and they didn't even stop for the New Year. Gaochang should have enough grain."
"Guard Gao, there's no need to comfort me and wait." The bearded young man said: "Longyou, the people in more than ten states in Hexi have been squeezed to this extent, and it is obviously not sustainable. After the Western Region is conquered, the number of conscripts will definitely be reduced. By then
The amount of food transported to the west is even less. However, there is always a way, and as Wednesday said, just grab what you don’t have to eat. Those who have knives and guns are afraid of birds!"
"Haha, that's right." Gao Chongnian said with a smile: "I heard that the Orchid from the Western Regions is very good. None of you are married, right? If you go to the West, you might be able to grab one and bring it back to warm your bed."
For young people who often stand high when they get up in the morning, the topic of women is always attractive. Gao Chongnian’s obscene smile boosted everyone’s morale on the spot, and even the days when they might have to live in the dust in the future seemed to be covered up.
It has an attractive crimson color.
"Spring outing, apricot blossoms blow all over your head..." The talented and beautiful people playing by the stream have already started singing in harmony, and the melodious sound is intoxicating.
"Huh!" The young man listened and sang loudly: "The wind roars in Luntai on a September night, and the gravel in the river is as big as a bucket, and the stones are scattered all over the ground in the wind."
The person on the other side was a little strange, but he continued to sing: "Whose family on the road is young and romantic?"
The young man raised his voice: "The Xiongnu's grass and yellow horses are getting fat, smoke and dust are flying in the west of Jinshan Mountain, and the generals of the Han family are marching west."
The person on the opposite side was obviously disturbed. When he sang "I plan to marry and live in peace for the rest of my life," the voice dropped significantly.
The young man kept up his efforts and said loudly: "The general does not take off his golden armor at night, and the army fights against each other in the middle of the night. The limelight is like a knife cutting..."
The others were also aroused. They all drew out their short swords and swords from their waists, and said in unison: "The captives should be frightened when they hear this. Unexpectedly, they don't dare to fight in close quarters. The chariot driver Ximen stands still to show off his victory!"
After singing, I laughed out loud, and all the previous worries were gone.
Gao Chonggui punched the young man in the chest and said, "What's your name, good man?"
"My name is Yao Hong, from Luoyang." The young man held his head high and said, "When did these melodious sounds have the nerve to go to the elegant hall? The ones who are walking on the horse river and walking on the snowy seaside are the good men. They sing these songs all day long.
Talented men and beauties are just like women. If thieves come to kill them, they will probably not be able to save them and they will be kidnapped."
"Haha. Is Yao Jun going to rob the Tibetan bandit's woman?" Gao Chongnian asked with a smile.
"Grab! Why not?" Yao Hong glared and said, "Go now, I can't wait any longer."
"Go together! Go together!" Others shouted.
My morale was low before, but now my spirits are high again.