Outside Ganhao Village, a large group of cavalry roared past.
The general was also a thief named Lao Cai, and he had followed Qin Zongquan and Sun Ru successively. Later, he saw that following these two demon kings would lead to no success, so he joined Zhang Quanyi and started farming in Henan Prefecture.
Who says thieves who have tasted the taste of burning, killing and looting will no longer farm? The generals are very happy farming.
This year's wheat harvest was good, with one bushel and two to three bushels of wheat harvested per acre. Everyone was happy because Zhang Dashuai asked for very little, and most of the "lenient punishment and small tax" went to himself, unless those in Bianzhou asked for excessive amounts. .
The generals in the village still hated the roaring Xia thieves.
Because after the autumn harvest, there was originally a rush to plant some grains, but as a result of the war, no one dared to plant any more, which made people very angry.
Qianhaozhai is everyone's anchor. Your family and food are all there, so you can feel at ease.
The Xia thieves' cavalry once circled the stronghold, but they were forced to retreat when they came out of the stronghold to meet the enemy - they only dared to form formations near the stronghold to meet the enemy.
Twenty miles west of Ganhao Village is Shihao Village, which is also a farming site with a city and field soldiers. There is also Sanxiang Village nearby, which has the same nature.
There were villages all over Henan Prefecture. Initially, there were only eighteen of them. They were all set up by Marshal Zhang and stationed with soldiers.
When the people saw this, they rushed to imitate it. Now there are nearly a hundred people, but there are no farms. However, the local braves who form strongholds to protect each other are not made of clay. Unless a large army is sent to attack, it will be difficult to capture them.
At the end of the second year of Wende, Zhu Quanzhong, the Commander-in-Chief of Bian, was unhappy when he saw the forts everywhere in Henan Prefecture, Ruzhou, Zhengzhou, Xuzhou, Caizhou, Chenzhou and other places. He said that the Cai thieves had been defeated and Qin Zongquan had sent him to the capital. The villagers do not need to build a stronghold to protect themselves, but they want to demolish it.
Fortunately, the time is still short, and only some prefectures and counties have begun to demolish forts. Otherwise, if the Xia soldiers invade this time, they may suffer heavy losses.
Henan, what life has it been like these past few decades! Wave after wave of thieves and bandits, and the officers and soldiers are not much better. If there is no fortress, and Qin Zongquan makes such a fuss, will there be anyone left?
Prince Dongping is really confused.
The Silver Guns have now basically entered Henan Prefecture, and are mainly active in Mianchi County in the west. They occasionally enter Yongning and Xin'an counties to peek, but they quickly withdraw.
It's not that they don't want to go deep into the vicinity of Luoyang, it's mainly that Marshal Shao is still stationed in Shaanxi County, waiting for the follow-up brigade to arrive.
In the past few days, Yin Qiandu has been searching for villages without forts. While obtaining food, he has also tried to find ways to forcibly relocate the local people back to Shaanxi and Guo.
This is a dangerous job.
Because they only have more than 4,000 cavalry that they can fight now, while the Bian army still has more than 3,000 cavalry. If they meet head-on, it is still unclear who will win.
Henan is different from the open prairie. Zhang Quanyi did a good job in Henan Prefecture and Ruzhou. There are many rivers and canals. For Yinqiandu, which is good at high maneuverability, once it is surrounded by the enemy, the detour space will be greatly reduced.
When the chase is very urgent, if there is a river blocking the way and unable to open up space, the mounted archery will be restricted. In addition, villages, fields, woods and other terrain will limit their capabilities.
The advantage of Silver Spear City is always to keep a middle distance with the enemy cavalry, and use cavalry shooting to kill the enemy bit by bit. Once it is impossible to maintain this distance and let people get close, they can only use lances and swords to fight with the enemy, using their advantages.
Failure to come out will only increase the number of casualties.
Why haven’t the cavalry troops come up yet?
Well, the cavalry army did not come up, but Zhe Silun's Fengxiang army finally arrived in Shaanxi County after hurrying and slowly. After hearing the news, Shao Shude personally welcomed him to the Gantangyi camp.
"How is my uncle's health?" In the inn, Shao Shude asked people to prepare a banquet, accompanied by Chen Cheng, Zhe Siyu, Liu Zijing, Li Renfu and others.
Zhe Zongben is also over fifty. At this age, for a wealthy man who is good at maintaining health, it may not be the end of his life, but for a martial artist who eats ice and snow all year round, if he has injuries in his youth,
It's hard to say.
Shao Shude's background was too low. He joined the army at the age of fifteen or sixteen and lived a hard life for a long time. Even though he later became the leader of the team and received the filial piety of the merchants at Hejin Crossing, there was still no substantial improvement.
The real good life was achieved after becoming the governor of Suizhou.
During those days, the diet, work and rest were very regular. Zhao Yu came from a wealthy family and had his own understanding of life. The family was well organized and the services were in place, so Shao Shude didn't have to worry about anything and could just concentrate on military affairs.
At that time, even though he had made up his mind to lure Linzhou's family to help him fight for power in the town, Shao Shude still had the idea of marrying Zhao Yu as his head wife more than once. This shows how much a good wife can help a warrior.
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After conquering Huangchao, life has undergone a qualitative change. The majesty of Jiedushi is difficult for ordinary people to imagine. Even when he is away on an expedition, the interior decoration of the tent is still elegant and comfortable. He is surrounded by soldiers before and after the trip, and his life is like a cloud.
In all aspects of life, what you think of, others have thought of for you, and what you haven’t thought of, others have thought of for you.
On the way to the expedition, Marshal Shao wanted to drink tea. Soon someone would spread a rug on the ground, set up a table, set up a canopy, and then serve the brewed tea, which was all top-notch tea.
If you want to eat something, your own soldiers will rush out to buy it.
Shao Shude was injured five or six times when he was young, and he still has scars on his body. Fortunately, they were not serious injuries, just flesh and blood injuries.
He had to thank his luck. If someone had a mace smashed into his body when he was in a low status, even if he survived, there would still be hidden injuries, which would have an impact on his lifespan.
There is no way around the fate of a low-born warrior. In the late Tang Dynasty, it was also a relatively special time period in Chinese history. Among the generals in various towns, the proportion of grassroots people was surprisingly high, almost more than half, which had never happened before.
past situation.
Coming from a humble background, if you want to climb up, don't you have to risk your life? Historically, Fu Cunshen followed Li Keyong to attack Yunzhou, and the ants attacked the city, with blood flowing down his sleeves. Li Keyong was so moved that he personally bandaged his wounds.
Fu Cunshen was lucky because he survived. When educating his children in his later years, he said: "When I was young, I fought with a sword, and it took me more than forty years to reach the rank of general. I have died more than once and gained a lifetime."
, there are more than a hundred arrows taken out from the body alone."
It's not that easy for martial artists to "train" their bodies to achieve longevity!
"My father's strength is not as strong as before, and he can no longer shoot a stiff bow, but he is still healthy, can ride a horse, and can lead troops in battle without any problem." They are all from his own family, and Zhe Silun did not hide it, and said everything.
Shao Shude felt relieved after hearing this.
Ten years ago, Li Xiang was still a vigorous and vigorous warrior, but now he was so sick that he needed to be carried on expeditions. In the last few years of the martial arts life, his physical fitness dropped off a cliff, and various injuries and illnesses struck him at once, which was indeed a bit scary.
"Don't be polite about Feng Xing's attack on Junzhou. Just fight hard. He only has a few thousand soldiers. Even if he manages the army well, he can only rule three counties. How much strength can he have? After conquering Junzhou, he can
Looking for an opportunity to spy on other states belonging to the Zhongyi Army (Shannan East Road). This matter will be left to my uncle. He will decide whether to fight and where to fight." Shao Shude said.
Shannan East Road is a completely different battlefield. Shao Shude does not intend to control the situation remotely and gives full authority to Zhe Zongben.
Zhuge Zhongfang of Xingyuan Prefecture has agreed to send 3,000 troops, gold merchant Li Xiang will send 5,000 troops, Fengxiang Town will send 8,000 troops, and a total of 16,000 infantry and cavalry, with Zhe Zongben in command.
My father-in-law is also a veteran. He started out as a local tycoon and a brave leader of the countryside. He fought with Pingxia Dangxiang for half his life. He also went north to fight the Uighurs. Finally, he became the military envoy of the five towns along the river in the Zhenwu Army. He has rich experience.
, can be trusted.
The Shannan East Road is actually very critical.
If we can really get through all the way to Xiangzhou, the situation will change greatly. It will not only threaten Zhu Quanzhong's Huaixi rear area, but also scare Li Kan in Kuixia and Du Hong in Ezhou.
Especially the former. Dr. Li has been really majestic in recent years. He started his business in Kuixia Town and then controlled Jingnan. His territory is equivalent to the complete version of Jingnan Town in its heyday in history.
Even though Li, Lang and other states in the south were controlled by separatist forces, this person still focused on going to central Sichuan to camp, and he simply didn't know how to live or die.
Moreover, the relationship with Shao Shude has been very cold in recent years. Is it possible that in the future, "each emperor will be on the same side"?
It would be nice to let Zhejia put some pressure on them.
In this direction, Shao Shude does not intend to invest direct resources. This is just like Shuzhong, the road is long and difficult, the general must be given full power, and it is easy to separate and stand on his own.
In this case, it is better to let the Zhe family do the hard work. How large a territory they can conquer is up to them. With the relationship of in-laws, they can always maintain a relatively good relationship with Shuofang Army, which is enough.
When the situation in the world becomes clear in the future, the Zhe family will naturally make a wise choice.
"I heard that Shuofang's army has fought with Xuanwu's army recently. I wonder how strong the Bian army is?" After talking about Junzhou, Zhe Silun quickly changed the topic to the current battle situation.
"According to the prisoners who were tortured, we learned that the commander of the Bian army was not Zhang Quanyi, but Ge Congzhou. He brought more than 3,000 cavalry from Bianzhou and had full power to coordinate the war in Henan Province. This man should not be underestimated," Shao Shude said.
"Oh? My sister-in-law thinks so highly of this person?" Zhe Silun was a little surprised and said: "I was in Fengxiang and I only heard that there were four generals in the Bian Army: Zhu Zhen, Ding Hui, Pang Shigu and Hu Zhen. Ge Congzhou Xiaoxiao
He is famous, but his status is probably not high. He is only comparable to Zhu Yougong, Zhang Cunjing, Guo Yan, Huo Cun, Zhang Guiba, Yang Yanhong, He Delun and others."
"It is not the time for a hero to be a hero." Shao Shude said: "Just as in the Hedong Army, old men such as Xue Zhiqin, Kang Junli, and Li Kening occupied high positions, while generals such as Li Cunxiao, Li Siyuan, and Zhou Dewei had no chance to stand out. But today, the world is in full swing, and the war is raging.
, these people will soar sooner or later."
This statement made everyone here a little surprised, but when you think about it, it is indeed true.
Just like Shao Shude trusted Lu Huaizhong, Li Yanling, Ren Yuji and other Yuancong elders. Now, the first priority of all military leaders in the world is to prevent their subordinates from rebelling, and they must stick to the elders first. But as the war becomes increasingly stalemate, eventually there will be
It is inevitable to let talented people rise to the top.
Ge Congzhou was an old member of Shang Rang. When he surrendered to Zhu Quanzhong, he was just a military academy and his status was not high. But now he has slowly grown up. He has served as a firefighting captain many times and completed his tasks outstandingly, and he is increasingly trusted by Zhu Quanzhong.
Yang Shihou's current status is even lower than that of Ge Congzhou, but as Zhui Chu is in the pocket, he will rise up sooner or later. Zhu Quanzhong still takes him seriously and sends him to the vassal Zhenzhongwu Army as a general. There should still be opportunities in the future.
"When will my sister-in-law prepare to march eastward?" Zhe Silun asked again.
Shao Shude asked someone to bring a map, stood up and left the table, pointed to the states and counties marked on it, and said: "The Wuwei Army has just arrived in Fangzhou, the bodyguards have arrived in Huazhou, and Tielin and other three armies have just left Yanzhou.
There are still some troops in the prefecture being mobilized, but they will not leave the town. Only Dingyuan and Tiande's second army will go to Weibei to garrison, Feng'an's army will go to Suizhou, and the army will not move and stay in Lingzhou."
"The only ones who can come to Shaanxi and Guozhou to participate in the war in a short period of time are the two thousand cavalrymen under the Pro-Army Division of the Protectorate. Moreover, this army will stay in Huazhou and escort grain and grass to the Jingzhao Prefecture.
For fifty thousand masters to transport grain, grass and equipment, relying solely on the Yi Congjun to take care of them is often insufficient. Besides, a certain person wants to transfer the Yi Congjun to Shaanxi and Guo."
Insufficient troops are the biggest pain that Marshal Shao is currently facing.
Any battle, whether ancient or modern, must first complete the gathering of troops.
In this campaign, Shao Shude abandoned the large army and only took the cavalry to travel through the stars and nights to Tongguan. There was no talk of gathering troops.
"Hedong is also urging me." After sitting back, Shao Shude smiled and said: "Brother's envoy just arrived in Shaanxi last night. He said that the Hedong army had conquered Henei County in Huaizhou after a bitter battle and had joined Zhu Zhen's troops in Meng.
There were several battles between Huai and Huai, with both sides winning and losing. I don’t know whether it’s true or not, maybe it’s a cover-up. The Hedong army has more than 60,000, but its composition is complex. There are many loyal soldiers. It is said that 80,000 troops were sent. My sworn brother
After the offensive was blocked, most of them were stagnant. It is urgent for me to break through Henan Mansion from the flank and cut off Zhu Quanzhong's path behind."
Zhe Silun listened carefully.
"A few days ago, Ge Congzhou set up an ambush in Xiaoshan, but he failed to achieve his goal. He is still staying there, using the mountain as a basis to block me from the road." Shao Shude continued: "Of course, maybe it's just a bluff.
It is unknown that the main force has escaped. I just received news today that the former Luzhou rebel general Feng Ba came from Zhengzhou with more than 2,000 infantry and cavalry. Reinforcements from the direction of Caizhou also went north and entered Ruzhou, and the Bian army was also gathering one after another.
Woolen cloth."
"Feng Ba's troops should be good at fighting, but the reinforcements from the Cai, Xu, and Chen states were mostly composed of state and county soldiers, right?" Zhe Silun asked.
"Cai Bing's bravery should not be underestimated." Shao Shude said.
"My sister-in-law wants to continue to station troops in Shaanxi and Guo, waiting for the main force to gather?"
"We can't delay it any longer." Shao Shude sighed and said: "Young man, please guard Lingbao for me. I will lead the cavalry myself in the Shaanxi County area. Shunyi and Huazhou soldiers will go eastward. I will meet Ge Congzhou. Li Keyong will use that
Xiaolang should learn from his temper in the future. Now that he has sent people to urge me, if I stand still, he will dare to withdraw his troops directly back to Jinyang, and then have no contact with me again."
"You are willing to join the army in Tongguan. I will lead the sons of the Zhe family to guard Shaanxi and Guo, and I will have my own bodyguards and soldiers to support me on the move. There will be no big problem in the rear." Zhe Silun pondered for a while and said: "However, most of the Hua soldiers are new soldiers.
He is not good at fighting, and once defeated, the morale of the entire army may be shaken."
What Zhe Silun said is not unreasonable.
When it comes to fighting a war, it is better to have fewer troops than to lead useless teammates. If they are defeated, it is likely to affect the morale of the entire army, which is an unstable factor.
"There are no soldiers available, so we can only make do with it." Shao Shude said: "Let them attack the fort and see the blood. They can always come in handy. Once the fort is broken, I will move all the men and women away. See if Ge Congzhou is in a hurry
Don't be in a hurry. This is a move to turn passivity into initiative. Maybe we can mobilize their troops, and there will be an opportunity."
Zhe Silun was silent. My brother-in-law's fighting was still so "weird", and he always felt that it was not a serious martial arts style.
Instead of attacking the Bian soldiers, attack the common people. What kind of military strategy is this?