"Cai Bing has arrived!" The streets of Yangcheng County were in chaos, and people ran away one after another, as if they had encountered something terrible and terrifying.
To a certain extent, they were right. The Caizhou soldiers of these days could indeed stop children from crying. Wherever they went, houses were burned down and all the property was looted. The old and the weak were slaughtered and used as military rations.
, Ding Zhuang was bundled into the army and moved among the ravines - in a broad sense, Cai people are not limited to Caizhou. Soldiers from Chen, Xu, Cai, Ru, Zheng, Shen, Guang and other states can all be called Cai soldiers.
, or "Cai Thief".
If they are just brutal, it doesn't matter, just suppress them. But they are quite capable of fighting. In the eyes of many generals, they are just elite soldiers. They can recruit thousands of people into the army and use them as elite killers, or use these thousands of people to join the army.
By using a man-made backbone and incorporating a large number of local soldiers, an army with considerable combat effectiveness can be built.
At that time, Cui Anqian, the commander-in-chief of the Xichuan Festival, hated his inability to fight when facing the lying Shu soldiers, so he went to Xuzhou, where he had served as the military governor, to recruit troops. He actually built an army with considerable combat effectiveness, which was called the "Yellow Head Army" in Sichuan.
.
After Yang Xingmi defeated Sun Ru, he selected 5,000 of his elite men to form the Black Cloud Changjian City, which was the elite force of Huainan Town.
After Wu Yue Qian Liu obtained Cai Bing, he formed the Wuyongdu, which was also the most elite force.
Wang Jian, Guo Yu...and so on, all the commanders are attracted to Cai Bing, and they love and hate him at the same time. They love him because of his strong fighting power, but hate him because he is too unruly and difficult to control.
Of course Marshal Shao also likes Cai Bing, but they are not the surrendered troops, but the Huaixi people recruited. At least they are in good spirits, dare to fight, and are not bad. After being dispersed into various units of the Dingnan Army, they spent time training
After a while, you can turn it into your own use.
He would not directly form a separate army like Yang Xingmi and Qian Liu did. Marshal Shao had no shortage of good soldiers, and the northwest was suffering a lot. He dared to fight and fight hard. Even in the later Republic of China, Mr. Feng
The swordsmen recruited in large numbers from northern Shaanxi are also very fierce. Each one fires two grenades and has no guns. When they go into battle, they charge to seize the enemy's guns. What a good soldier.
The commander-in-chief recruited Cai people to join the army, mainly to create obstacles for Zhu Wen, and at the same time he was reluctant to consume the local strength. The northwest was short of money and food, and this was the key. There were plenty of war horses and good soldiers!
The Cai people's new troops under the temporary command of Fu Cunshen easily captured Yangcheng County.
In this matter, Pei Tong actually made a great contribution, because it was he who deceived the magistrate of Yangcheng County, his former fair-weather friend, and then Cai Bing succeeded in seizing the door in one fell swoop, which led to the following devastation.
There were only three hundred county soldiers in Yangcheng. Facing three thousand Cai people armed with wooden spears, they only resisted for a moment before kneeling down. The "Cai thieves" who had just put down their hoes won their first victory. While their morale was boosted,
I also obtained a lot of equipment.
However, after the victory, internal conflicts broke out among the "Cai Thieves".
Yang Shihou encouraged Fu Cunshen to coerce the officials and people of Yangcheng County into the army, and together with tens of thousands of Heyang people, they fought westward, fighting and eating all the way until they captured Hezhong Prefecture.
Wang Jianji was also a little moved, because the "quality" of this group of people was so good. The establishment of Heyang Town was originally for military purposes. At the beginning, there were three cities in Heyang, and the families of the sergeants were scattered around. Later, the population gradually increased.
Feng became the five counties of Heyang. The previous campaigns against Weibo, Zhaoyi, and Henan's rebellion all involved Heyang. The local people had experienced a lot of wars. They had a high degree of organization and martial customs.
A little training makes a good soldier.
At present, they have 400 veterans and 2,700 new soldiers in Huaixi. If they can convince the 200 party cavalry, they will really have a lot of money. Then they will select 7,800 or 8,000 strong men from the people of Heyang, seize enough weapons, and take advantage of the opportunity.
Taking advantage of the good opportunity of having no commander in the river, maybe we can occupy one or two pieces of territory, and then wait for the commander-in-chief or the court to appease him, and also get a governor, a general or something like that. Isn't it better than being afraid in Huaizhou?
But Fu Cunshen refused after some hesitation, and had a quarrel with Yang Shihou over this.
Pei Tong did not dare to interfere in their affairs, but ran to the side of the two hundred cavalrymen. He kept telling them that his family was still in Youzhou, and used the name of "Great Khan" to coax and intimidate them, and finally stabilized the situation.
To help kill him. If things go wrong, he will have to rely on this group of party cavalry to protect him and escape.
"General Fu, after getting these more than nine thousand grains, is it time to hit the road?" Seeing that the three of them had stopped arguing for a while, Pei Tong cautiously approached and asked.
This amount of food is enough for everyone to eat for more than 20 days, so walking to Jiangzhou is not a problem. Moreover, Yangcheng County belongs to Zezhou, which is theoretically Li Kexiu's territory, but Li Kexiu has no soldiers and does not care much about the local area.
, if you leave at this time, it will probably be fine. As long as you enter Hezhong Town, it will be basically safe, and then everyone will run all the way back to Suizhou. Pei Tong has completed the task, and Fu Cunshen has also completed the task.
"It's time to go." Fu Cun looked at Yang Shihou, who had a sullen face, and Wang Jianji, who was uncertain, and said.
These two people were not his subordinates, but were temporarily assigned by Li Shuai and were not easy to manage. Moreover, he was not that ruthless and did not want to do anything to his own people, so he was trying to persuade them.
After eating two meals in the city and resting for one night, everyone headed north again, towards Qinshui County.
Another quarrel broke out on the road, because Yang Shihou secretly led a large group of Yangcheng people to join the army, including men, women, old and young. It was still the same style as before - when going into battle, he could drive ordinary people to consume the enemy's arrows and troops. If there were no
During the war, the old, weak, women and children could be used as food.
Pei Tong watched with cold eyes and roughly figured out the path of the three of them. Fu Cunshen could still communicate, was relatively normal, and his temperament was not that bad. Wang Jianji was a little confused. He felt that he could become someone like Fu Cunshen, but
He will slip down to Li Hanzhi's virtue at any time. In his opinion, Master Yang is completely hopeless, cruel, greedy, cruel, and a typical Huaixi warrior.
On the evening of the 27th, the vanguard arrived in Qinshui County. Without warning, they rushed in and robbed again.
Li Kexiu's defense in Zezhou was really bad, and it was almost the same as that of Henan counties. No wonder Li Hanzhi was defeated by Sun Ru in later generations, and the defeated generals took it with thousands of remaining soldiers. At that time, Li Hanzhi had not surrendered yet
Li Keyong secretly occupied Zezhou without saying hello, and actually occupied it for a long time. Then Li Keyong sent people to take it back. Li Hanzhi took advantage of the situation and defected to him, and was appointed as the governor of Heyang.
Taking into account the time point, Li Keyong's main troops were trapped on the side of the Datong Army, fighting fiercely with Helian Duo, who was supported by the Hebei feudal town. Zelu's troops should have been exhausted, otherwise Li Hanzhi's strength would still lead to a fierce battle.
No more than Zezhou.
Everyone agreed to rest in Qinshui County for three days, and then go west to Quwo County in Jiangzhou.
The soldiers can move, but the people are a little tired. If they don't rest, many people will fall behind. And falling behind at this time is not much different from death.
While eating dinner, Pei Tong rolled his eyes, secretly found Fu Cunchen, and said, "General Fu, I don't know whether to say something or not."
Fu Cunshen glanced at him with a half-smile and said, "If you have anything to say, just say it."
"The king of Langya County in the middle of the river died suddenly, and there is no commander in the town. It seems to be an opportunity, but there is Hedong to the north, Dingnan to the west, and Shaanxi and Guo to the south. Does General Fu think it can stand?" Pei Tong asked.
"It's difficult." Fu Cunshen didn't mince his words and said directly: "Taiyuan's division is 60,000, the division of Difficulty is 40,000, the division of Shaanxi and Guo is 20,000, and the troops in the river are 30,000. If we gather the troops to attack, it will be the Qin Zongquan
It’s impossible to stand, it’s a dead end.”
Pei Tong was a little surprised when he heard this. He had indeed seen the right person. Fu Cunshen had a brain, and a military commander with a brain could generally live a long time in troubled times, as long as his luck was not too bad.
I'm just afraid of someone like Li Hanzhi, who thinks too highly of himself, overestimates himself and underestimates others, is full of murderous thoughts, and doesn't know how to manage a territory. This kind of person usually doesn't live long.
"General Fu can see this, so I feel relieved." Pei Tong said happily: "My lord, the Prince of Lingwu County, is extremely brave, generous, and has no sectarian views. He is a reduced general. As long as he has talent, he will be rewarded."
Dayong. The general may not know that Yang Yue, the former military envoy, was not a follower of the Yuan Dynasty. My Lord loved his talent and appointed him as the commander of all the armies on the Southeast Road. He commanded an army of more than 20,000 people to attack Tubo. Lingzhou surrendered as a general.
Han Xun is now also the deputy envoy of the First Army. My lord also treated the traitor general Tuoba Sigong’s family leniently and did not harm them. How does General Fu feel about doing this?"
"If you have the ability of a general and a heart of benevolence and righteousness, you can go further." Fu Cunshen said.
This was a fair statement, and Pei Tong felt reassured.
He had long heard that Fu Cunjian liked to talk about war. He should be a self-taught warrior, and he was not as cruel as ordinary warriors. He was actually quite consistent with the temperament of the Dingnan Army. Now that we have reached this situation again, it is better to add more
Use your strength to pull them over, and you will be safe along the way, and you won't have to worry about the troops being abducted - this is what he is most worried about.
"In that case, why not go to Xiazhou for a walk and have a look, maybe you can gain something." Pei Tong took the opportunity to encourage.
Fu Cunshen did not give a clear reply.
Pei Tong was not discouraged after seeing this. He just wanted to ensure safety along the way. As for who Fu Cunxen went to, he didn't bother to care. After thinking about it, he added: "Yang Shihou is afraid that he will blackmail the people again. General Fu
You still have to persuade him, if that doesn’t work..."
In fact, if Marshal Shao were here, he might not hate Yang Shihou's behavior of coercing the people. In fact, when Li Hanzhi occupied Zezhou and attacked Hezhong, most of these people would not survive.
Li Hanzhi had a cruel temperament and was not good at management. The people in Zezhou, Jinzhou, Jiangzhou and other places suffered terribly from him. He launched troops and plundered, and the people in these three states either starved to death or fled, or even couldn't escape.
He left and was captured and eaten by Li Hanzhi's men.
Wherever Li's army went, there were no officials in the counties and towns, and no peaceful people in the countryside. Some people formed a stronghold in Moyun Mountain to protect themselves. Li Han's relatives led more than a hundred people to attack, and they were nicknamed "Li Moyun".
Almost all the people in several states were slaughtered and devoured by the soldiers of Li Han's army. More than 20 counties were filled with mourning, and there were no fireworks.
In other words, the people in the team led by Fu Cunshen at this time were all "dead people" in history. They were either killed by Sun Ru during the massacre of the city, or burned, killed and looted by Li Hanzhi to use as military rations.
If Yang Shihou can successfully bring these people to Suizhou by doing this, it will actually preserve more vitality for this country and this nation, and Marshal Shao may not blame him more.
"Yang Shihou and Wang Jianji are not my subordinates. Li Shuai treats me well, and I will not overstep my authority and harm the two of them. If they really don't agree with each other, just let them go." Fu Cunjian said: "Don't repeat this matter.
If you talk too much, I have my own plans. Now that I have agreed to your request, I will send these people to Suizhou smoothly."
"When we get to Suizhou, can we send him to Lingzhou?" Pei Tong asked tentatively.
Fu Cunzhen glanced at him, as if he wanted to curse, but also seemed to want to laugh. After a long time, he asked: "After going to Lingzhou, do you want to go somewhere else? Is it Huizhou?"
"It should be Longyou." Pei Tongtong said: "The prince of Lingwu County personally led an army of 50,000 to conquer Tubo, aiming to regain the lost land in Helong. Today, which vassal commander has this ambition for the family and the country? Longyou fell into Tibet.
In the past two years, the Tianbao remnants have almost forgotten that they are descendants of China. Now the King of Lingwu County wants to bring order to the chaos, wipe out Hu Feng, and restore the glory of the Tang Dynasty."
"Furthermore, the scenery of Longyou is very different from that of the Central Plains. General Fu might as well go and see it when he has time. Everyone says that Yan and Zhao have many generous and tragic people, but don't you hear that there are also heroes in Longyou? There were six counties in the Han Dynasty.
The son of a good family has made great achievements. Unfortunately, the Han Dynasty is not worthy of the sons of a good family in the six counties. The country also has strong troops from Longxi to quell the rebels in Anshi. However, the court has also failed the people of Longxi. Now the commander wants to return the favor.
They are fair."
"If one day, General Fu can command the armies of the Helong Prefectures to conquer the West and the North, and achieve victory over Yan Ran, wouldn't it be a good story? His name can also be remembered in history and be praised for thousands of years. When people in later generations mention General Fu, they will know that he is
It is General Fu who recovers the Western Region and makes the Northern Expedition to the Desert, not General Fu who attacks which vassal town. It is clear at a glance which one is more important."
Pei Tong knew that Fu Cunchen liked to read military books and talk about military affairs. After reading so many military books, he must know the deeds of many famous generals in history, and he must also be very envious of those people. Persuasion from this perspective may be more effective.
As for the generals who are ambitious, who doesn't want to be Wei Qing, Huo Qubing, Li Jing, Li Hanzhi, Qin Zongquan, etc. Even if they leave a name in history, it is not a good reputation.
Sure enough, being "bewitched" by Pei Tong, Fu Cunshen was a little moved. He just heard him say: "Let's go to Xiazhou and have a look. In the last years of Tianbao, Longxi's powerful troops were transferred eastward, and they stopped the fierce flames of Anshi.
, I really want to go and see it. However, for now, let’s think about how to bring these people to Suizhou.”
"Of course we focus on the things at hand first." Pei Tong nodded repeatedly.
****
The summer in Longxi is actually not very hot, but near the Taoshui River Valley where the war just ended, there is still a smell of corpses in the evening wind.
In the night, a little bit of fireflies flickered up and down, like messengers from the underworld carrying green lanterns, leading out the ghosts on the Naihe Bridge.
Oh, I remembered it wrong. The Dangxiang people claim to be the descendants of King Mi Yao, and after death they want their souls to return to the Snow Mountains. I just don’t know who controls the souls of these Dangxiang people who have been transformed by Tubo. Will the Snow Mountains accept them? Tuyuhun who has been transformed by Tubo
Who is in charge of human souls? Do you want the Eternal Life?
The Tubo people in Hezhou didn't know they took the wrong medicine, but they didn't surrender. The "famous general" Meiguxi in Hezhou has died outside Lanzhou City, and all the elites have been lost. What is supporting your resistance?
Chen Cheng told Shao Shude in private that the excessive killings in Lanzhou might have frightened the Tubo tribes and they were afraid of encountering the same fate, so they refused to surrender. Unable to withstand it, they fled into the surrounding mountains and then defected to Shanzhou.
Kuozhou, a relative of Taozhou.
Shao Shude felt that there might be factors in this regard, but he could not say this in public. On the contrary, he also wanted to praise the Han slave tribe's spirit of killing thieves and reforming. This was the case for the Han slave tribe in Lanzhou and the same was true for the Hezhou slave tribe.
"How many Tang people are there in the three counties of Hezhou?" Shao Shude asked softly while sitting under an old ginkgo tree.
The ginkgo tree is located outside the city of Pohan County. It is said to have been planted by Guo Zhiyun. It is ancient and full of symbolic meaning. The "flattery" Vice Ambassador Chen suggested erecting a monument under the tree with an inscription written by Lu Siye to commemorate the great achievements of the Dingnan Army in regaining Hezhou.
Great cause, Marshal Shao followed it.
"There were originally more than 20,000 people, but after the battle to attack Hezhou, there should only be just over 20,000." Chen Cheng replied.
In fact, no major battle took place in the attack on Hezhou. The army marched south from Lanzhou and divided into two groups. The main force marched along the Taoshui River Valley. The Tielin Army and the cavalry army numbered more than 10,000 people. They crossed the Yellow River southward and captured the Tubo abandoned area.
Defend Fenglin Pass, then advance eastward.
In early June, Linzhou Tubo surrendered under the coercion of the Tiande Army and Zhenwu Army that had gone south in advance. Therefore, the main force successively recovered Changcheng, Didao, Changle and other places without fighting. The Yinshan Tibetan tribe of the Southeast Road armies also
Going north from Dalai Valley, they met the main force. This was a historic scene. The painters painted another picture of the army meeting on the banks of the Taoshui River.
Afterwards, all the soldiers and horses crossed the Taoshui River and marched along the route of Emperor Sui Yang's western tour in the fifth year of Daye.
On the west bank of the Daxia River (today's Daxia River), the Tubo people gathered thousands of troops and blocked the river for a confrontation. Marshal Shao also played a trick of using the main force to cross the river and the cavalry troops to detour and attack in a sneak attack. He defeated the Tubo people in Hezhou and beheaded more than 2,000 people.
Collected Daxia County, then moved westward, occupying the deserted Hezhou City and Fenglin County.
So far, all three counties in Hezhou have been restored, 2,400 people have been beheaded, more than 17,000 Tibetan men, women and children, and more than 120,000 cattle, sheep, horses and camels have been captured.
On June 17, Shao Shude hosted a banquet for all the military generals in Hezhou. Huang Tuiguan once again came up with a wonderful line: "The horse with great merit unloads its golden armor, and the guests from all over Taiwan rejoice in the white jade bottle."
After regaining the five counties of Helin, Shao Shude also felt that it was a bit complete. The only regret was that Shanzhou had not yet been recovered. He wanted to fight, but it was too close to the core area of Tibet, and he was worried about attracting never-ending bandits and scattering.
own energy.
Military rations are not a big problem. If you are willing, you can advance next year's taxes and transport the Lingzhou grain harvested in the autumn to support the army in continuing to fight. What's more, the army has recaptured several states and captured livestock.
Quite a bit, this can also offset part of the food consumption.
The biggest hesitation is actually the insufficient population. To be precise, it is the insufficient population of the Han people. After the land has been conquered and no one is going to farm it, it is better not to fight. Attacking the river by yourself and approaching the two states is actually just a continuation of the Lanzhou War. After all,
The Tubo tribes lost a large number of elites under the city of Lanzhou, and it would be a pity not to take advantage of them. Now that they have occupied 11 counties in four prefectures, and six counties in two prefectures, Shan and Kuo, is it still necessary to take them?
It's better to wait for the result of the recruitment and surrender first.
"The land of four states and eleven counties requires at least 100,000 Han people to cultivate it. Counting the original 50,000 or 60,000 Han people, it's almost enough." Speaking of this, Shao Shude was also a little surprised: "Where did so many Han people go during the Tianbao period?
?It’s impossible for most of them to die, right?”
"Maybe they are grazing." This joke was not funny at all, and Chen Cheng felt it was too heavy.
"Back then, Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty came to Shanzhou during his western tour..." Shao Shude was still a little unwilling: "That is a good farming area. The plains are endless, suitable for grazing and farming. If there are tens of thousands of Han people farming, He and Lan Er
It doesn’t matter if the state doesn’t farm.”
"Has the Commander-in-Chief ever considered moving the Tibetan tribe over and asking them to help conquer Shan, Kuo, Tao and other prefectures?" Chen Cheng suddenly asked.
"Is it possible to move Dangxiang?" Shao Shude said with a smile: "In the past, Dangxiang could not be squeezed and enslaved by Tubo. He was hunted all the way and fled to the territory of the Tang Dynasty. Now let them return home? In the short term, it may not matter. If it takes a long time, if
Their strength is probably the same as that of the Tubo tribes, who will also invade the border areas. Now they live in Xia, You, Yan, and Ling prefectures. Being watched by the army, I feel a little relieved. If they are not under the nose, they will not be there after all.
Too safe."
The Party Returning Home League? It sounds good, but in practice, it’s probably hard to describe.
To put it bluntly, you still have too few basic bases. Moreover, these states and counties are located in the border areas, and ordinary honest and humble Han people are not suitable for it. It is best to use the thorny gang in Henan, such as the Cai people.
"There are still three thousand prisoners in the town. Let's send them all to Weizhou. We can select the ones of the right age from the captured Tubo women and children and give them as wives. It's not enough to be single and we can't settle down and take root. Besides,
Recruit some Chao people who have registered households in Yinzhou, just 2,000 households, and settle them in Weizhou. They will be given one hectare of land and will be tax-free for ten years." Shao Shude said: "The four counties in Weizhou are better than Yinzhou in any way.
If the four counties are strong, they are probably happy."
"Lanzhou will be the focus from now on. A certain person has sent a report to the court, analyzing the jurisdiction of Wuquan County and placing it in Yuzhong and Gaolan counties. In this way, Lanzhou will have four counties. The two new counties are empty and not suitable. There still needs to be someone.
, let's see if we can get some people from Henan." Shao Shude added: "In addition, the prisoners sent by the court should not be placed in Huining or Ulan, but sent to the newly established Dingxi County."
"There is also a river, bordering two prefectures and five counties. The Datong Horse Company has been struggling to settle thousands of households in a year, which is not enough." Shao Shude smiled bitterly and said: "Actually, I also know that Pei Tong has tried his best and cannot be too harsh. But I am
How I wish he could have a surprise. If there are enough immigrants, and most of them are brave and brave people like Huaixi, what will happen to Helong and Tubo?"
"Of course there is Lingzhou. We need more people here. We can temporarily fill in the families of sergeants. I don't know how the recruitment of soldiers in Henan is going. It is easy to recruit big soldiers, but it may not be so easy to get the families of big soldiers to come with them.
.Qin Zongquan has already made great contributions to someone, but how long can he still be around..."
