More than four hundred years have passed since Ren Xiao and Zhao Tuo led the army to pacify Baiyue in Lingnan in 214 BC.
This tragic war has long been forgotten by many people, but Liu Xiang knew that the Qin army had two southern expeditions, using 600,000 people, fighting for five years, and suffering more than 300,000 casualties before they obtained the land of Jiaozhou.
The first general Tu Sui died in battle.
The second general, Ren Xiao, fought hard for four years before pacifying Baiyue. Six years later, he also died of illness in the South China Sea.
The one who gained the most was their deputy general Zhao Tuo.
During the two southern expeditions, he was a deputy general, but he finally gained control of this land. Taking advantage of the chaos at the end of Qin and the beginning of Han, he established the South Vietnam Kingdom, first becoming king and then emperor. He lived for more than a hundred years.
He reigned for sixty-seven years and was praised for two thousand years.
His descendants were kings for four generations.
It was not until the sixth year of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty that General Yang Pu and General Lu Bode led a hundred thousand Han troops to go south and conquer Panyu, the capital of South Vietnam, and this land was truly incorporated into the territory of the Han Dynasty.
He only sent 5,000 front troops and 30,000 navy troops. It would be extremely difficult to capture the entire territory of Jiaozhou.
If you want to pacify that land, you still have to rely on persuading Shi Xie to surrender.
Unlike other frontiers there, the Han people are not the mainstream ethnic group, but the Yue people are.
At the beginning, Zhao Tuo, the king of South Vietnam, adopted the policy of harmonizing Han and Yue, which was to encourage Qin soldiers and soldiers to marry Yue people. He also took the lead in marrying Yue women to win over the local ethnic minorities.
In the ninety-five years since the founding of the People's Republic of China, five generations of Nanyue kings have ruled. Regardless of whether they are native Yue people or descendants of intermarriages between Qin soldiers and Yue people, they all consider themselves Nanyue people.
The number of real Han people is less than one tenth, and rebellion by the Yue people is a daily life there.
From the nine counties of Jiaozhi in the Western Han Dynasty, two and a half counties have been lost until now, leaving only seven counties.
Han rule there was not strong.
Now that there is insufficient military rations, the army cannot move south. The front army of 5,000 infantry is unable to attack the city and seize the territory. The navy has not yet opened up sea routes. There is no news about the sent Xun Chen, and it is unknown whether he is alive or dead.
The scorching heat of midsummer in June can kill people, but it can't compare to the anger in Liu Xiang's heart.
"Be patient, be patient, be patient for two more months, and when the new crop is harvested, I will beat you to ashes!"
When Shi Xie's information about increasing troops from Cangwu County and Yulin County was sent back to Chang'an, he knew that he would not be able to enter Jiaozhou without a battle.
On the Chang'an side, Liu Xiang was anxious, and on the East China Sea, Taishi Ci was also anxious, but there were too many things involved in opening up the channel, and he could not lead the fleet into the ocean recklessly, as that would be suicide.
The hydrological exploration fleet should go south along the coastline, measure water depth, ocean currents, wind direction, and wind strength, find out the distribution of reefs, and look for fresh water supply places.
In the vast sea, the most lacking thing is water. Drinkable fresh water cannot be stored for long. Even if it is boiled and then put into a wooden barrel, it will smell bad in three to five days. Fresh water in the north can be stored for seven days, but in the south, after three days,
It's changed.
South of the Yangtze River estuary, wind and waves are getting stronger and stronger. If there is a strong wind, waves one to two feet high can hit the shore. Even if the ship is not overturned, it will easily be pushed to the coast and then run aground on the rocks.
Yunfan Camp has already lost several ships due to this.
Therefore, when exploring the waterway, you must look for a harbor that can avoid wind and waves to prepare for unexpected events.
This all takes time.
However, it has been more than a month since His Majesty's order was issued. The first batch of food for the Liaodong Fleet has been delivered, and the waterway has only been explored for a few hundred miles. It is still unknown how far away it is from Jiaozhou.
Taishi Ci was so anxious that his mouth was full of tears.
But at this time, Gan Ning and Su Fei were leisurely wandering around Guangxin City.
"Don't be anxious. The more arrogant and leisurely you are, the more those natives will not dare to stop you." During this period of experience of searching for news, Su Fei discovered some ways to be sneaky and hideous.
It's useless. If you just listen and look openly, you can get a lot of information.
He led Gan Ning to the prefect's mansion in a swaggering manner. The city was mostly made of bamboo buildings and wooden houses, with very few earth and stone buildings. The style was very different from that of the Han Dynasty. Gan Ning looked around curiously. On the way, he met South Vietnamese people driving elephants through the city.
, couldn’t help but asked curiously:
"Is this long-nosed monster a legendary war elephant? I heard someone say that there is a cave in Nanzhong where the beasts can tame elephants and can drive them into battle. They are so powerful that they cannot be stopped by military formations and can only be controlled by strong crossbows.
"
"I guess so. This is my first time seeing you. I heard that Jiaozhi County and Jiuzhen County were called Elephant County, which shows that the Yue people there are good at taming elephants." Su Fei, like Gan Ning, is a listener.
I said I have never seen it.
I couldn't help but stop and take a look at the strange thing, and kept sighing: "Oh, these big teeth are turned out, it is really ferocious! Being punched, it must be very heartbreaking."
Gan Ning frowned: "The war elephant has arrived at Cangwu. Could it be that reinforcements from Jiaozhi and Jiuzhen are also coming?"
Su Fei also realized that this was not good news for them.
"There are too many variables, otherwise..." He winked to the north.
Gan Ning was hesitant to give up, but thinking of the guilt of the defeat and his wife and children at home, he gritted his teeth: "The matter has come to this, how can we give up? At least we have to rescue the envoy and make a contribution. My brother and a certain talent
Return to the imperial court. If I spend the rest of my life wandering around the world, living among the wild and wild all day long, will my brother be willing to do so?"
"Of course I am not willing to do so." Su Fei also made up his mind: "Let's go to the government office to visit Wu Ju!"
The two of them were in no mood to see the elephant anymore and walked along the road to the prefect's mansion.
"Please inform Governor Wu that my old friend Su Fei is visiting."
The disciple collected the copper coins that Su Fei secretly gave him, and returned the gift with a happy face: "Dear guest, please wait a moment. I will notify the master right away."
Not long after, Wu Ju personally welcomed him out the door. An old friend from his hometown came to visit, which made him overjoyed.
One of them is from Changsha and the other is from Jiangxia. They can barely be regarded as fellow villagers, and they once served as officials under Liu Biao together. If they can meet each other thousands of miles away in southern Xinjiang, even the slightest friendship will be lost in a foreign land.
The atmosphere expanded to ten.
When I see a fellow villager, my eyes well up with tears.
Wu Ju was really moved: "Brother Su, how are you doing after not seeing each other for so many years?"
Su Fei lamented: "We lost our army and were burdened with guilt. In order to save our lives, we fled to southern Xinjiang alone. How can we say that we are safe? I have been desperate recently and I have the audacity to come to Brother Wu for help. I hope Brother Wu can take care of the past."
In terms of friendship, give someone a place to stay."
Hey, Wu Ju snickered in his heart, what good thing is that? Su Fei was the commander-in-chief of the Jiangxia navy back then, and his official position was higher than his own. He was one of the most respected generals in Jingzhou. In terms of military strategy, he was willing to be inferior.
The current situation in Jiaozhou is severe, and the army is gathering. He is feeling very anxious. It is God's favor to have a general to join him at this time.
He did not doubt that Su Fei had faked his surrender, because the news of the imperial court's Jing Yi boat division being wiped out in the Battle of Chibi had long since reached Jiaozhou. The defeated army had lost all its troops and had to be executed according to the law. Su Fei was a surrendered general, so he was bound to die.
The whole world knows that a surrendered general has no status.
Wu Ju was secretly happy, but with a sigh on his face, he tried to persuade him: "Alas! Victory and defeat are common matters in military affairs. Brother Su, don't worry about it. Now that you are here, don't worry. Come on, come with me and have a drink."
It relieves the depression in my heart."
Su Fei was also secretly happy.
"Okay, Brother Wu and I will have a great drunken time!"