It was sunny on May 20th, the third year of Dashun.
Gao Renhou raised his head thoughtfully and looked east.
He is from Xuzhou, but he spent the most turbulent ten years of his life in Shu.
He had feelings for that fertile land, and when he looked at the land of Henan in front of him, he actually found some vague similarities.
There are also mountains, vast wilderness, hills and plains side by side.
But it seems to be different.
In the middle of Sichuan, there is a woven village of smoke and smoke, and when the south wind blows, the rice flowers sway and the wind moves the forest.
The villages in Henan are dilapidated and deserted. When the south wind blows, the grass undulates and foxes appear.
It has always been ups and downs, success is also in the Central Plains, and failure is also in the Central Plains.
In this majestic and vast land, there are countless heroes who dominate the situation, and countless heroes who laugh and cry in joy and sorrow.
The various deeds they left behind may make future generations marvel, or make descendants sigh with regret.
Today, maybe you are also writing history?
With a "crash" sound, a carp jumped out of the river.
Gao Renhou grinned unconsciously.
Less than a year has passed, and the western half of Henan Prefecture has become a wasteland.
Well, maybe it was already semi-deserted.
During the Kaiyuan period, Henan Prefecture, which had nearly 200,000 households and a population of 1.2 million, experienced repeated devastation, and finally only 50,000 households and less than 300,000 people remained.
Last year, more than 100,000 people were kidnapped. It would be strange if it were not desolate.
Gao Renhou climbed up a high slope and overlooked the entire land.
On the post road, the five thousand infantry of the Qing and Tang Dynasty, serving as the vanguard, were marching.
The procession stretched as far as the eye could see, with numerous flags and drums and horns.
The inner and outer appearance of this army has lost the remnants of Tubo, and is getting closer and closer to a Central Plains economic army.
Training methods are from the Central Plains. Equipment and equipment are from the Central Plains. Drum and horn commands are from the Central Plains.
As for the tactical style of play, with Lao Gao at his side, could it be that the Tubo style of play couldn't be achieved?
Some people said that this army was unreliable, but Gao Renhou just smiled.
In fact, the Tibetan people who came from the Qing and Tang Dynasties were not so slick and crooked. To a certain extent, they could even be said to be obedient, honest, hard-working and hard-working.
The Heyuan Army and the Jishi Army only took two years to form. As soon as they were formed, they headed to Qingtang and immediately to Huazhou as soon as the garrison period ended. There was no time to reorganize them. Moreover, there were many veterans from feudal towns and towns inside, and they had many war ideas.
I will be the first to receive the reward. Such an army is unreliable!
The effect of giving the same reward of one min to the old oil man of the feudal town is completely different from the effect of giving the reward to the Tubo soldiers of Qingtang in Kuhaha.
Bianjun cavalry appeared in the distance.
The Xia army's rangers who followed the army immediately pounced on him and drove him away.
Gao Renhou descended the high slope and got on his horse.
Throughout the past winter and spring, the riders from both sides had traveled back and forth on this land countless times.
The situation on the Bianjun side is basically clear. To put it simply, it can be said in one sentence: the barriers are tight.
It doesn't take long to build a city.
During the reign of Emperor Dezong, Yanzhou City was built and more than 30,000 troops were mobilized to stand ready. Masters who came from the mainland took the opportunity to build the city, "building it with slabs and 6,000 soldiers." It only took 20 days to build Yanzhou City.
.
When Murong Chui withdrew his troops from Shenhebei, he built Yanchang City and mobilized 10,000 people. It took one month to complete the construction of the city.
Although such a city cannot be compared with a fortified city like Xin'an County, it is more than enough as a military fortress.
The Bian army basically restored its original density of one village per twenty miles, but of course it was limited to the vicinity of important post roads.
If it's not a post road, there's no need to worry about it.
When a large army is dispatched, it is impossible to choose a route at will. When a post road was first built, it was originally built with military purposes in mind. There was usually water and woods next to it, and it could pass heavy vehicles.
If you deviate from the post road, a small army may be fine. If a large army is sent out, what if there is no water source? What if there are no woods for cutting firewood? What if large vehicles cannot pass?
In the afternoon, five thousand troops arrived near Shihaozhai. The flag of the Bian Army was flying at the top of the city, but they did not go to battle.
Gao Renhou sent people back to report and ordered the sergeants to set up camp.
Shihao Village is a place that must be passed through and must be attacked.
Judging from the scale of this stockade, it is not very big, and it should be able to garrison more than a thousand soldiers and horses. The walled city was also built in winter and spring, and unlike a regular city, it should not be too difficult to attack.
After nightfall, Heluo Youyi's attack commander Bai Gu led 3,000 cavalry and arrived at the forward camp.
Unlike the Iron Cavalry Army and the Flying Bear Army, this is a military-affiliated cavalry that is used intensively.
They set off from Xia Shi County and were on a single horse. Theoretically, they could spend two days on an assault all the way to the vicinity of Xin'an County.
But this is generally not done because it consumes too much horsepower and will not be able to fight in the field.
Most of the time, they were the object of ridicule by the infantry, because they led the horse on foot and did not ride the horse. They were inseparable from the large carriage wherever they went, and their marching speed was even slower than that of the infantry.
I don’t have much endurance, but I have explosive power!
"General Gao, prepare water quickly." Bai Gui shouted as soon as he got off his horse.
Gao Renhou looked at the gagged war horse and without saying a word, he immediately asked the auxiliary soldiers to prepare horse feed and salt water.
These war horses have been raised in a tricky way and like to eat food, mainly bean cakes.
I heard that the horses that Ma Zheng bred and grew up eating grain from generation to generation have shorter intestines than horses that eat grass. I don’t know whether this is true or not.
The auxiliary soldiers were busy nervously. They loosened the bellybands of the horses and walked them around for a few times to collect their sweat.
Some cavalrymen saw the clumsy behavior of the auxiliary soldiers and were so anxious that they took care of the horses themselves.
The work continued until midnight, when most of the cavalry took a nap.
Bai Gui also woke up from his nap, looked up at the position of the silver moon in the sky, and without saying a word, immediately ordered everyone to get up and mount their horses.
They carried hundreds of extra pack horses, loaded with grain and salt, but this was definitely not enough. However, it is different now from last year. There seemed to be a lot of silica grass and Dawan alfalfa growing in the wild, but the Bian army did not
I know what happened, but I didn’t clean them up...
The cavalry quietly left the camp, turned south, and disappeared into the darkness.
…
The lights in the Xiashi Fort, one hundred and twenty miles east of Shihao Village, are brightly lit.
Zhang Jiye sat in the barracks and calculated the accounts carefully.
The status of the Youguo Army is getting lower and lower. It used to retain a little independence, but since the Xia thieves made trouble last year, its strength has declined greatly and it has become more and more looked down upon.
In this world, one really has to rely on strength to speak.
It is true that the Youguo army is not good at fighting, but fortunately it is good at management and can provide food, grass and equipment to Prince Dongping.
But during the battle last year, the Xia army was captured near Luoyang, and they galloped and plundered wantonly. Their household registration was suddenly reduced by 40%. How could they live like this?
In order to prevent the Xia thieves from coming east, the forts were overhauled from Shihao Village to Xin'an County, and conscripts were recruited from Zheng, Hua, Bian and other prefectures. Most of the current garrison troops are Xuanwu troops, and there are very few local soldiers in Henan Prefecture.
He just guarded the base camp of Luoyang and escorted grain, grass and equipment, reducing him to a dispensable role.
"Can't the Xia thief live in peace for a few years?" Zhang Jiye threw down the brush bitterly, not settling the accounts, he might as well go to bed!
"General, Hu Shuai sent an order to send 50,000 arrows to Mianchi County. They will be delivered within three days." A soldier slowed down and walked in, reporting softly.
Hu Zhen was based in Xin'an and was the commander of all the troops in Henan Prefecture, holding a high and powerful position.
Under his command are Ge Congzhou, Huo Cun, Xie Yanzhang, Liu Kangyi, Yang Shihou and other more than ten generals, each commanding a number of troops and horses to guard the Heluo and Ruzhou areas.
The battlefield situation today is still very different from last year.
The two hundred miles from Xiashi to Xin'an are almost deserted. Last year, we had to clear the fields with strong walls. This year, there is no need to clear the fields because there are no people.
To the east of Xin'an, the troops were stationed in the fields to prepare for war.
Huguo Village, Mianchi County, Xiashibao, Quemen, Baichaolei, Xin'an County, Badou Mountain and other dangerous areas were all built with cities and troops deployed.
Shihao Village, Qianhao Village, Tuhao Village, Shuangqiao Village, Qianqiuting, Cijian Town and other secondary locations were also assigned local soldiers from Henan Prefecture to guard them.
On this line, there is not even a single citizen.
This is the northern route, and the southern route is similar, just to make the Xia thieves fight in front of these fortresses and retreat without success.
Everyone knows that there are many cavalry in the Xia Dynasty. Now it is necessary to limit the scope of your cavalry's activities. Fortify them layer by layer and let you eat the fortresses one by one. If you dare to abandon the city without attacking and risk going deep, you can close the door and beat the dogs and eat them.
One piece dampens the spirit of the Xia thieves.
"I will personally take the people there tomorrow." Zhang Jiye opened his eyes and said.
Hu Zhen was highly trusted because he was Yuan Cong, the king of Dongping County, and he was worshiped as Xuanyi Jiedushi. But Zhang Jiye felt that his level was not as high as that of Ge Congzhou, even though he was just a man who surrendered to the army.
General Pi.
"Is the Huazhou Army still in Luoyang?"
"Back to the general, we haven't set off yet. The Xia thieves arrived very quickly, and the Huazhou Army has just received the news and is preparing to leave again tomorrow."
The Huazhou Army, also known as the Xuanyi Town Yamen Army, is small in size. It originally had more than 10,000 people, but now there are only 5,000 left. It is the only army that Hu Zhen can command.
After Prince Dongping came out of Xuanwu, the first vassal town he annexed was Xuanyi Town, and Hu Zhen was later named the military envoy.
If we had to rank the Xuanwu Army system, Prince Dongping would naturally be the boss, and Hu Zhen could barely be considered the number two.
All the power in Xuanyi Town was under the direct control of Bianzhou. Hu Zhen worked hard and built more than 10,000 troops. However, in the battle to attack Hedong, all the troops were in vain. The king of Dongping County used an excuse to kill Li Fan and Li Chongyin.
Generals. These two were also surrendered generals with a large number of soldiers and horses. At that time, Hua and Zhengzhou, who were stationed in Xuanyi Town, had close contacts with Hu Zhen and were nominally under his command.
However, after the death of the two men, the troops were taken away and the generals were re-appointed. Hu Zhen's strength suddenly decreased a lot, with only 5,000 left, and he was now sent to Henan Prefecture.
It is said that Wang Xiong of Dongping County is suspicious, and it is indeed not groundless.
Hu Zhen had always been submissive, but he did not control the financial power of Xuanyi. He could not even appoint a governor. The food and salary for more than 10,000 troops were uniformly provided by Bianzhou. However, he was still suspected. Li Chan and Li Chongyin were killed. What happened to his husband?
Word?
Now I have gone to Henan Mansion to fight with the Xia thieves, and I am afraid that I will spend all my last bit of capital. Is this what Prince Dongping wants to see?
Such a bird! Zhang Jiye sighed, a little helpless.