A rich fox cannot escape from a heavy ring, and a cunning rabbit cannot escape from three caves.
While the armies were conducting military training and hunting on the Dijinze Grassland, the Battle of Yunzhou also reached a critical moment.
More than 60,000 troops from the east of the river besieged the city and attacked fiercely day and night.
There are more than 15,000 Datong troops holding on to the city, like daisies in a violent storm, they may fall to pieces at any time.
In the ancient city of Dali, east of Chaoyi County in Tongzhou, a large group of civilians are clearing the ground in preparation for building a military camp.
The main force of the Yi Congjun has entered the border of Tongzhou.
They traveled all the way through the state and counties. Everywhere they went, they attracted large crowds of people to watch.
The folk customs and climate in Guanzhong are completely different from those in Guanbei.
The sergeants from Hengshan Capital had been here several times, nothing unusual, but the sergeants from Qingtang Capital had only been here once. During the march, they always unconsciously observed the nearby scenery with the corner of their eyes to satisfy their curiosity.
In the evening of that day, the army camped in Chaoyi County. The cavalry rushed in and reported that Ren Yuji, the military governor of Weibei, was coming to work for the army in person.
The officers immediately became busy. The military envoy Bu Zangjie issued an order to each battalion to "clean up their military appearance."
How do people below understand this military overhaul?
That night, the people in the city suffered a great disaster. Every household helped wash the military uniforms and mend any damage.
As for the sergeants, they put on another set of camel hair military uniforms that they carried with them.
Some did not bring a second set of military uniforms, some tried to wear their clothes inside out, and some planned to wear wet clothes. It would be summer anyway, so one night would be enough.
There was smoke from cooking in the stadium, and the soldiers threw dried meat and wild vegetables into clay pots, and the aroma was fragrant.
"General Wei has been promoted. Who is the new deputy envoy?" While waiting for dinner, the sergeants began to chat.
General Wei is Wei Dingli, who was born in Pingxia Dangxiang and served as deputy envoy in Yi Congjun.
"I heard that a Han is here. From now on, we can all go to him for all our affairs." said a young officer who looked like he was in command.
"Do the Han people control the capital of Qing Dynasty and Tang Dynasty?"
"Weren't the party members in charge before?"
"Does he know Tubo?"
"Look at your appearance. If you don't speak, will anyone think you are a Tibetan?"
"I don't speak well in Mandarin."
The sergeants were chatting away, and the atmosphere was lively.
There must be some people who are dissatisfied with Han people being their superiors, but they are definitely not the top soldiers and low-level officers like them.
Furthermore, I heard from people in Hengshandu that the commander-in-chief has been rectifying the Yi Cong Army in recent years, because this army has "questionable origins". It is not a direct lineage, and it is not known whether it is true or false.
But the result is obvious.
Many soldiers with meritorious military exploits in Hengshan were transferred to other units, and then some veterans from the Tielin Army were transferred to fill the gap.
In short, Hengshan is no longer full of Hengshan party members.
"General Bai is here." Someone shouted, and soon everyone sat upright and stopped whispering.
Bai Gui, who was promoted to Du Yuhou, inspected a circle of military camps surrounded by his own soldiers.
It's said to be a military camp, but it's actually just a stadium, and it can't accommodate everyone. Many sergeants live outside the city, and those who can lie down on the stadium are very lucky.
After asking someone to correct a few minor issues, Bai Gui gave the final instruction: "Commander Ren and Deputy Envoy Gao will come together tomorrow, and the entire army will be arrayed outside the city. The military must be majestic. Please bear this in mind."
Naturally, everyone responded in unison.
Early in the morning of the next day, 8,000 soldiers of the Yi army marched outside the city and formed an array. They were surrounded by Shandu on the left and Qingtang on the right. They were all in bright armor, equipped with swords and guns, and their morale was high.
On behalf of the Tongzhou shogunate, the new Weibei Jiedushi envoy Ren Yuji sent 300 jars of wine and 2,000 cattle and sheep to the Yi Congjun.
He was accompanied by a veteran general, Gao Renhou, the newly appointed deputy envoy of the Yi Cong Army.
"At the end of the day, the general meets the military envoy." Although he was a former military envoy, Gao Renhou had a very upright attitude and saluted directly to Meizang Jieming.
"Deputy Ambassador Gao." Wu Zang Jieming returned the greeting.
"The commander-in-chief sent me to bring the military order." Gao Renhou straightened his face and handed the ultimatum into the hands of Mu Zang Jie Ming.
Ren Yuji looked at the two of them with interest from the side, suffering from old occupational disease.
I carefully checked the sealing condition, and after confirming that it was correct, I opened it for reading.
After a long time, his expression was both excited and worried.
Seeing both of them looking at him, he said: "The commander-in-chief ordered our troops to prepare equipment, food and grass, and prepare to move to Huazhou."
Gao Renhou was a little stunned, while Ren Yuji didn't show any surprise at all.
A day like this will come sooner or later, it's just a matter of time.
He was already sure that after thinking for a long time, the commander finally made up his mind to give up entering Shu and send troops to the Central Plains.
This decision is not easy to make!
By conquering Shu, a large number of people and goods can be obtained. It is impossible to strengthen the Qin Dynasty, because Qin can easily use the food of Shu. However, since the earthquake changed the course of the Han River, neither the Western Wei nor the Northern Zhou Dynasty
The food in Shu could no longer be used, and the transportation costs of money and silk had also increased sharply, and their value had been greatly reduced.
But no matter what, Shu is rich and it is still profitable to attack it.
If the eldest son of the Marshal is more than fifteen years older, perhaps going south to Shuzhong would be the best choice.
But the commander-in-chief is worried that some people will stand on their own feet, so there is no other way. This is the trend these days.
Wu Zang Jie Ming also saw it. Although he was a party member, he had been studying hard under the persuasion of his brother-in-law over the years. He had read a lot of books and often asked the Han staff he hired to give lectures on history. He was very knowledgeable about the current Shuofang Army's strategy.
Clear understanding.
In short, the grand strategy has two directions, entering Sichuan or sending troops to the Central Plains?
He supports entering Sichuan.
It will be easy first and then difficult. First control the Shu territory and obtain its wealth to support the powerful troops in the northwest. Then conquer the gold merchants, leave Tongguan in the east, attack Wang Chongying and his son, and occupy Shaanxi and Guo in the middle of the river.
I need to advise the commander on this matter!
Gao Renhou lost his expression after being stunned.
In fact, attacking Shu is destined to have nothing to do with him, and he will not get the chance to return to Shu unless the situation in the world becomes clear.
The Prince of Lingwu County would definitely not be able to conquer Shu in person, and he would not even be able to dispatch many soldiers and horses into Shu.
More than 80% of Shuofang's 150,000 troops will be deployed in Guanzhong and Guanbei. At most, one general will be sent to bring about 20,000 people into Shu.
There are so many princes in Shu that cannot be pacified by 20,000 people. It is necessary to recruit surrenders and rebels in Shu, recruit troops and horses, and give this general full power without any restrictions. This will give others the opportunity to stand on their own.
People cannot stand the test.
"No Zang Military Envoy, Deputy Envoy Gao, since the commander-in-chief has not stated clearly when he will move to Huazhou, then this military camp still has to be repaired." Seeing that the two of them were silent, Ren Yuji suddenly laughed and said, "And
It has to be cultivated very well. I heard that the commander-in-chief is discussing the salt industry with several ministers in Chang'an, or wants to use his brains on the salt industry in the river. This is a major project for the Hezhong Prefecture. If the negotiation is successful, Wang Chongying may become angry.
"
Wu Zangjie smiled brightly. Buying a gun worth hundreds of thousands of yuan a year is enough to earn a lot of money in a big town, so what if you offend Wang Chongying?
"Of course it must be repaired. The three cities of Pujin Pass are in the hands of the river. If they send troops to attack, we will be caught unprepared, and we will miss the important event." Meuzang Jieming said: "General Gao, what do you think?"
"It's up to the military envoy to make the decision on this matter. I want to see the sons of Yi Congjun."
Gao Renhou walked along the queue step by step.
Almost all the eyes of the eight thousand people in the army were fixed on him, but he didn't notice it and remained calm.
He looked very carefully.
The sergeants are tall and have good posture. They are also neatly dressed and have complete armor.
Especially in Hengshan City, half of the three thousand people were wearing iron armor. The proportion was so high that it was really surprising.
This is almost 1,500 soldiers, all of whom have iron armor. Hengshan has heavy armored infantry, so why are they so valued?
"He is truly a strong man." Gao Renhou stopped in front of an extremely tall and majestic mountain man and asked, "How many years have you been joining the army?"
"Three years." The mountain man replied calmly.
"How is your family?" Gao Renhou asked again.
"Decent."
"Still living on the mountain?"
"I live in Xiazhou and haven't had time to move to Lingzhou yet."
"We will go on an expedition in the future. All we need to do is fight bravely. Moving to Lingzhou will be easy." Gao Renhou said with a smile, "If anyone doesn't take credit for your work, just come to me."
…
"How many people are there in your family?"
"six people."
"Can you survive?"
"It's very good. The food and military rewards are all generous. Even if you don't farm, you can still make a living by doing this."
"The life we are living today is the result of the commander-in-chief's hard work, killing bandits, and eradicating the ugliness. If it were another town, life might not be as easy as it was."
…
"Have you ever killed anyone?"
"never"
"If we attack the bandits later, there will be a chance for you to serve."
"When will we conquer the bandits? I can't wait any longer."
"It depends on the commander-in-chief." Gao Renhou said, "Only he can make the final decision on major matters in the town."
…
Gao Renhou walked and watched, and gradually reached the last row, and gradually got a picture in his mind.
This army is not bad, much stronger than the soldiers he led before. Moreover, the equipment and armor are complete, and the people are fierce. After years of training, they have developed discipline. This can be called a strong force.
"It is indeed a majestic army." After the inspection, Gao Renhou returned to the front of the formation, saluted to Meizang Jieming and said: "The military envoy has led good soldiers."
"It's either the unruly Tubo or the mountain people who think highly of themselves. After many years, they can be considered rough and decent." Wu Zangjieming smiled and said: "Now that General Gao is here, the team should be better in the future.
bring."
"When you move to Huazhou, you will have to fight in battle if you don't know. Being well-trained is better than being unprepared." Gao Renhou said: "This land of the five states in the north of Wei will be turbulent in the future, and it must be guarded by strong soldiers.
."
After guessing the commander's strategic direction, the three of them knew that the status of the five states in Weibei would rise sharply, and might even surpass Shengzhou in the north.
If you leave from Guandong, the first obstacle is the two towns of Hezhong and Shaanxi and Guo owned by Wang and his son.
But Li Keyong's response will be crucial.
It is very interesting how the commander-in-chief convinced Li Keyong that Shuofang's army had no idea about Hedong.
Perhaps the envoy is already on his way to Jinyang.