Zhang Sheng’s generous words cleared away the gloom in most people’s hearts.
Everyone knows that continuing to fight to the death will only increase casualties, but retaining strength will still have a chance to make a comeback.
At this thought, a glimmer of hope flashed in the eyes of all the generals. Although the road ahead will become more difficult, they will never give up the struggle as long as they have a breath left.
Seeing hope igniting in everyone's eyes, Zhang Sheng was also filled with joy. As long as these people are in the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty will not perish.
The three mountain base areas respectively refer to: Taihang Mountain located between the two prefectures of Hebei and Bin, Mount Tai located between the three prefectures of Qing, Yan, and Xu, and the Dabie Mountains at the junction of the three prefectures of Xu, Yu, Yan, and Jianghuai.
These three major mountain ranges are large mountains stretching for thousands of miles. Their internal spaces are wide and rich in materials. Even millions of people can be self-sufficient. The terrain is difficult and difficult to defend, making them good places for Tibetans to hide their troops.
Zhang Yan in original history only occupied Heishan, located at the southern end of the Taihang Mountains, but resisted the Han for more than ten years.
According to the "Huangfu Song Biography in the Book of the Later Han Dynasty": "Since the Yellow Turban Thieves, there have been Heishan, Huanglong, Baibo, Zuo Xiao, Guo Daxian, Yu Digen, Qingniujiao, Zhang Baiqi, Liu Shi, Zuo Mouzhangba, Yang Feng
, Yudu, Wulu, Li Damu, Bairao, Suigu, Kuxi
, the bandits from Luo City gathered in the valleys, and there were countless bandits. The big ones were 20,000 to 30,000, and the small ones were 6,7,000. Zhang Yan, a native of Changshan, the leader of the bandits, was with the bandits from the valleys of Zhongshan, Changshan, Zhaojun, Shangdang, and Hanoi.
The thieves even communicated with each other, and when they arrived at Bo Wan, they were called Black Mountain Bandits."
It can be seen that the activity areas of the Black Mountain Army are in the valleys of the Taihang Mountains in Zhongshan, Changshan, Zhaojun, Shangdang, Hanoi and other places.
The Taihang Mountains have many peaks, most of which are over 2,000 meters above sea level. The Hebei Plain lies to the southeast of the mountains and the Shanxi Plateau to the northwest. The roads leading from the Hebei Plain to the Shanxi Plateau are mostly distributed between the Taihang Mountains.
The terrain characteristics of the Taihang Mountains provide more convenient conditions for the communication and strategic cooperation between the various units of the Black Mountain Army distributed in the valleys of the Taihang Mountains.
Zhang Yan was just a leader of the Yellow Turbans. Relying on the geographical advantage of the Black Mountains at the southern end of Taihang, he repelled countless encirclement and suppression campaigns by officers and soldiers. He remained active until the Battle of Guandu, when he surrendered to Cao Cao.
Zhang Sheng was the emperor of the Ming Dynasty and had a hundred times more resources than Zhang Yan, so of course he would not just occupy one Taihang.
This battle has not been completely lost, so the resources at Ming's disposal are still very large, so while opening up Taihang, they also opened up Mount Tai and Dabie as base areas for Tibetan troops.
As early as a year ago, Zhang Liang had begun preparations in secret. Now, not only has the Sanshan Base Area been opened up, but most of the defense system has been completed, and all the military personnel have been moved there. Therefore, after Li Shimin invaded Chenliu
I didn’t catch a single soldier’s family member.
Now the three major mountain ranges are populated by hundreds of thousands of Ming army family members, and they are no longer so desolate.
As long as hundreds of thousands more people move inland, the Ming Dynasty can completely close the mountain gate and hide in the mountains to become a country within a country.
After determining the strategy of retreating to the mountains, all that is left is to delay time and move the people who voluntarily continue to follow the Ming Dynasty there to prepare in advance for the endless encirclement and suppression by the Han Dynasty in the future.
Zhang Sheng glanced at the generals, took a long breath, and said in a deep voice:
"According to my decree, all the people who are willing to follow will be moved into the 'Three Mountains' base area. The defenders from various places will try their best to hold on, and then immediately abandon all territories, and the entire army will retreat to the 'Three Mountains' base area to defend it."
"No." All the generals shouted in unison.
As for the candidates for the leaders of the three major base areas, Zhang Sheng had already made a decision in his mind.
Dou Jiande, the governor of Jizhou, died of an old injury not long after Zhang Sheng arrived. Zhang Sheng took over the entire Ming army in Jizhou, so the Taihang Mountains between Jizhou and Jizhou were naturally under Zhang Shenglai's personal control.
Dabie Mountain is located between Xuzhou and Jianghuai. Today, the Ming army only has one Zhu Yuanzhang left in the Jianghuai area. In addition, Zhu Yuanzhang has always been loyal to Zhang Sheng and the Ming Dynasty, so he is naturally the best candidate to lead.
What really gives Zhang Sheng a headache is the candidate to lead the Taishan District. Xiang Yu and Li Zicheng, who are sticking to Yanzhou, are both qualified.
Zhang Sheng was leaning toward Li Zicheng in his heart. The hatred between Xiang Yu and Qin Hao was too great, and he would never surrender to Qin Hao with him. If he really allowed him to command Taishan District, there might be a lot of trouble in the future.
With this thought, Zhang Sheng already made a decision in his heart.
Looking in the direction of Yanzhou, Zhang Sheng's eyes flashed with a trace of evil, and he whispered to himself: "Xiang Yu, don't blame me, but there is no place for you in this dirty world. Don't you want to atone for your sins? Die.
All sins are atoned for."
Neither Diao Chan nor Nu Wa is a vicious woman, and Zhang Sheng, who is a combination of the two, is naturally the same, but now she has to be vicious.
Life is so helpless.
——————
After Chenliu, the capital of the Ming Dynasty, was breached, the expected counterattack did not occur.
Instead of mobilizing soldiers and horses to recapture Chenliu, the Ming Dynasty ordered soldiers and horses from all over the country to defend it to the death, and then moved people from all over the country into the mountains.
This move of Ming Dynasty was really beyond the expectation of all the princes, and of course they were all happy to see it.
August, the fifth year of Zhongping.
Zhang Sheng moved 500,000 people who voluntarily followed him into Taihang, and then voluntarily gave up the Jizhou land in his hands and reduced his troops to defend Taihang.
As for Zhu Yuanzhang, who was far away in Jianghuai, he resisted the Yangzhou coalition while relocating the people, until more than 300,000 Jianghuai people were moved to the rear.
In September, Zhu Yuanzhang took the initiative to abandon Shouchun and other cities in the Jianghuai River, and led his troops to retreat into the Dabie Mountains to defend the city.
The situation in the Central Plains was the most complicated. The two Ming and Han armies were facing each other here. After paying a heavy price, Xiang Yu finally covered Li Zicheng and moved nearly 300,000 people from the Central Plains into Mount Tai.
In October, Li Zicheng took control of Mount Tai, but Xiang Yu was intercepted by the troops led by Li Shimin and Cao Cao on his way to Mount Tai.
If you force a breakthrough, you will definitely have to fight Li Yuanba, but Xiang Yu was seriously injured when he fought against nine generals alone, and now he is definitely no match for his injuries, so the Taishan road is unworkable.
Just when Xiang Yu wanted to go northward into the Taihang Mountains, Yang Jian led his army and blocked the way northward.
There are nine powerful generals including Yu Wencheng and others in Yang Jian's army. If he is trapped this time, Xiang Yu will not be sure of saving his life.
Taihang Mountain and Taishan Mountain are both impassable, and the Han army's current strength in the Central Plains is only weakest in the south, so Xiang Yu can only break out south.
When Xiang Yu went south, the situation in Qingzhou also took on new changes.
After Gongsun Xuanyuan led the army southward, the Qingyou Allied Forces joined with new forces. After a brief reorganization, they began to continue the siege of Huang Chao.