Chapter 484: The bitter cold of Youzhou has turned into Jiangnan?
Yangzhou, Danyang.
State Shepherd's Office.
Liu Yao stood in the octagonal pavilion in the inner courtyard with his hands behind his back, feeling the coolness in the spring breeze and thinking about the current situation in his mind. Jing Xiang's situation was beyond his expectation.
Although Liu Biao left, he was almost captured by the Jingxiang nobles. Nanyang was very close to Jingxiang and could guarantee Liu Biao's safety, but what about himself?
Out of reach!
The pressure I faced was much more difficult than that of Liu Biao.
Even now, Liu Yao can clearly feel that the Yangzhou gentry's supervision of him is becoming more and more strict.
Perhaps it won't be long before the Yangzhou gentry will have a real showdown with themselves as soon as the battle situation in Jingxiang is reported.
Will Nanyang lose?
Since they had already captured Fancheng, why didn't they take advantage of the situation and attack Xiangyang?
Once Xiangyang is captured, they can march straight in and drive the Jingxiang nobles to the south of the Yangtze River. This is a great victory, but now they actually give the opponent a chance to breathe?
Liu Yao did not understand the purpose of the Nanyang Court's doing this, but he would not naively think that this was a strategic mistake by the Nanyang Court. After all, the previous Nanyang Court had been victorious in every battle.
If His Majesty the Emperor really made such a low-level mistake, then Nanyang Hanting would have been defeated before. If not, there is a high probability that there is something fishy involved.
What is Nanyang Hanting waiting for?
Liu Yao's mind was as fast as lightning and he kept thinking.
But......
After a long time, there was still no answer.
Just when Liu Yao was puzzled.
suddenly.
A long announcement sounded not far away:
"Report—!"
Liu Yao took advantage of the situation and turned his head to look.
But then, the servants from the palace came in a hurry, bowed and cupped their hands and said, "My lord, General Chen Shi wants to see you."
Liu Yao was stunned for a moment, and his brows were so furrowed that he could pinch an ox to death: "Chen Shi?"
The attendant nodded: "Yes, it is General Chen."
Chen Shi was his newly promoted general. He was currently in charge of the naval forces from the mouth of the Yangtze River to Moling. He had 20,000 naval forces under his command, making him a well-known general.
But......
Shouldn't I be on duty at this time?
Could it be that something big happened?
Liu Yao realized something was wrong and waved his hand: "Take General Chen to the living room, I will be there later."
The attendant nodded: "Here."
Immediately.
He turned around and left, heading straight outside the house.
Liu Yao returned to the inner house, changed into fresh clothes, and immediately went straight to the living room.
Sure enough, when he arrived at the living room, Chen Shi was already waiting inside. He looked worried and kept pacing back and forth, obviously something anxious had happened.
"General Chen."
Liu Yao walked into the living room, waved his hand to interrupt Chen Shi who was about to salute, and motioned for him to take a seat: "You are here today, but is there anything urgent happening in the direction of the Yangtze River?"
"That's right."
Chen Shi nodded affirmatively.
At that moment, he fully explained the size of Nanyang Navy: "That's the thing. The strength of Nanyang Navy far exceeds our expectations."
"According to the general's estimation, the opponent should go up the Shuojiang River, go straight to Jingxiang, and copy Cai Mao's retreat. Maybe the battle in Xiangyang will be the final battle in Jingxiang."
hiss-!
Liu Yao was shocked to hear this, with a look of disbelief on his face: "Is it possible that this is the reason why the Nanyang court has not taken action against Xiangyang? They are actually waiting for their own navy?"
"General Chen, follow me."
Liu Yao waved his hand, signaling Chen Shi to follow him.
"Here."
Chen Shi held his hand and followed immediately.
The two of them left the living room and went straight into the side hall not far away.
There is a huge sand table here, covering Yangzhou, Jingxiang, Xuzhou, Yuzhou and other places. The most conspicuous thing is the Yangtze River running through the middle.
Judging from the map, once the Nanyang Navy enters Jingxiang and cooperates with Sun Jian in Fancheng, Jingbei will basically be completely isolated. At least in one battle, the entire Jingbei will be completely liberated.
If Cai Mao had transferred Jingnan's troops to Jingbei for support at this time, perhaps this battle would have eliminated at least seventy-eight percent of Jingzhou's troops. As for the rest, even if they resisted, they still wouldn't be able to hold out for long.
"What a strategic detour!"
Liu Yao stared at the sand table, his eyes almost exploded.
He finally understood why the imperial court was not in a hurry to attack.
The opponent's appetite is really too big, and they are not willing to spend too much time attacking Jingxiang. Instead, they want to eat all Jingxiang's soldiers and horses in one go, thus defeating Jingxiang in one battle.
"Lord!"
At this moment, Chen Shi breathed out and said softly: "If the Nanyang court's plan succeeds, then if we go south, we in Yangzhou will also face a catastrophe."
"No."
Liu Yao shook his head and immediately denied it.
"this......"
Chen Shi frowned and wondered: "Master, does he think we can withstand it?"
Liu Yao said softly: "The reason why Your Majesty ordered the Nanyang Navy to go along the Yangtze River instead of the Huaihe River is to frighten the nobles in Yangzhou. Once this matter spreads in Yangzhou, there will probably be no more wars."
Chen Shi suddenly understood and nodded slowly: "That's right. Knowing that he would definitely die, he would naturally have surrendered early. But now, the Yangzhou governor sent by the imperial court has not arrived yet."
"right."
Liu Yao nodded and admired Nanyang Hanting even more: "The other party is deliberately delaying time. He wants to knock down the mountain and shock the tiger. If Jing Xiang wins a big victory, he will naturally come over."
"What's the use of coming here now? Spend a lot of time fighting with the Yangzhou gentry? People like Gu Yong are not easy to fight."
"If the Nanyang court can achieve a complete victory in Jingxiang, then Gu Yong will naturally understand the current affairs and take the initiative to cooperate. Wouldn't this be twice the result with half the effort?"
Chen Shi suddenly realized again: "That's it."
Liu Yao felt completely at ease and let out a long breath: "Do you see, this is the method of Emperor Nanyang. We can just wait here with peace of mind. The ones who are anxious now are not us, but the Yangzhou nobles."
It's obvious.
The Nanyang court was not very friendly to aristocratic families.
Therefore, some wealthy families in various places also did not welcome the imperial court.
But if they are faced with death or genocide, they can only accept it reluctantly and then find ways to mediate.
At this thought, Liu Yao put his hands behind his back again, with a hint of indignant admiration on his face: "I really didn't expect that His Majesty, at such a young age, would actually have such means. I think a big man can definitely be revitalized in his hands."
"Sanxing Yanhan!"
Liu Yao went out proudly and suddenly felt refreshed and energetic: "I, the Han Dynasty, may be able to extend another four hundred years and become a great dynasty comparable to the Great Zhou Dynasty!"
In history, the Zhou Dynasty was the longest dynasty with a foundation of eight hundred years. The Han Dynasty lasted four hundred years. If it continues for another four hundred years and surpasses the Zhou Dynasty, it will be called the strongest dynasty in history.
*****
Bingzhou, Taiyuan.
Zhang Liao Military Camp.
Central army, big tent.
Zhang Liao stood in front of the sand table, staring at Yuan Shao's troops and horses who suddenly changed their positions. He felt an unspeakable anger in his heart. This meant that the power they would face next had changed significantly from before, and they needed to make timely adjustments.
.
Although Zhang Liao had already transferred some of his troops back from other places, the latest situation caught Zhang Liao off guard and was really overwhelming.
"Report—!"
At this moment, Zhang Liao was in the big tent, discussing the military situation with all the soldiers.
suddenly.
A long announcement sounded outside the tent.
Zhang Liao raised his eyes and looked.
But when he saw his own bodyguard lifting the curtain and entering, he leaned forward and raised his hands, saying: "General, Zhang Yan of the Black Mountain Army has something urgent to see you."
Zhang Liao frowned, took a long breath, and said as if he had expected it: "General Zhang Yan is here after all. Let him come in. This matter must be explained to him in the end."
The guard nodded: "Here."
Immediately.
He bowed and left the tent.
Not long after, Zhang Yan was so angry that he opened the curtain and came in. Without saluting, he immediately shouted sharply: "Zhang Liao, what do you mean? Why do you suddenly postpone the attack time?"
"General Zhang, calm down and let me explain to you."
Zhang Liao always remained calm and waved his hand to signal him to take a seat: "Why don't we want to resolve the battle as soon as possible, but now there are some minor accidents. Just in case, we can only postpone the battle."
"What accident?"
Zhang Yan led the Black Mountain Army in the mountains, and his reaction to the situation outside was slightly slow. Therefore, it is not yet clear whether Yuan Shao mobilized troops and horses, and he even had a way to deal with the Ambush and Thunder.
"That's it..."
At that moment, Zhang Liao informed Zhang Yan of all the recent changes: "General Zhang, the court reacted like this out of safety considerations."
"If the Fire and Thunder can't work as it should, it will definitely cause greater casualties. You don't want your brother to die on the eve of a great victory, right?"
Zhang Yan suddenly became silent, took a long breath, and frowned: "But, General Zhang, it won't be long before the spring plowing season. If we delay it any longer, it will be delayed."
"Although the food provided by the imperial court can last for another half month, my brothers' hearts are now all about cultivated land. We have eliminated Yuan Shao and still need to divide the land. Isn't this all a matter?"
Although the Montenegrin Army claims to be one million, in fact, most of them are ordinary people. They are more concerned about the next spring plowing. If the spring plowing is delayed, it means that the emperor has broken his promise in front of the Montenegrin Army.
If the morale of the millions of Montenegrin troops is unstable, it is very likely to cause unnecessary losses. This will not only be a pressure on Nanyang Hanting, but also a pressure on Zhang Liao.
"Don't worry."
Zhang Liao patted his chest and assured: "The imperial court is already thinking of countermeasures. It is estimated that it will not be long before a general offensive can be launched. It should not delay the spring plowing."
"But......"
Zhang Yan still couldn't believe it, and Dong Zhao on the side said softly: "General Zhang, don't worry, this is included in the responsibility letter we signed this year."
"Protecting our brothers in the Montenegrin Army to settle down as soon as possible and have fields to farm is a top priority. If we fail to accomplish this, we will all face the risk of being abolished."
"It's true."
Dong Zhao said confidently: "We already have a complete set of arrangements for the support of the Black Mountain Army brothers. If we go quickly, we will be able to solve it within ten days."
Zhang Yan frowned: "Ten days is enough?"
Dong Zhaodan smiled: "Of course, if the general doesn't believe it, you can come with me to see the work arrangements. You can also ask Guo Daxian how many times I have communicated with him this year."
Guo Daxian is the only scholar in the Black Mountain Army.
Therefore, when Dong Zhao communicated about internal matters within the Black Mountain Army, he basically communicated with Guo Daxian.
Naturally, this matter could not escape the eyes of Zhang Yan, the leader of the Montenegrin Army. He knew very well that Guo Daxian had been doing this and almost all preparations were made.
Zhang Yan exhaled: "Of course I know that you are well prepared, but I'm just afraid of delaying the opportunity, causing the spring plowing to be postponed or even completely delayed."
"General Zhang, don't worry."
Zhang Liao took a deep breath and said sonorously: "Your Majesty is more worried about the resettlement of the millions of people in the Black Mountain Army than you are. Currently, people have been sent to transfer grain and grass to support the post-spring plowing."
"So, you can rest assured. Even if there is no way to deal with it, I believe that once the time comes, His Majesty will definitely issue an order for a general attack. At that time, we will attack by force."
Zhang Yan knew that there was nothing he could do at the moment, so he could only nod his head: "This is the only way we can do it now, General Zhang, the last general has made preparations. If necessary, our Black Mountain Army is willing to take the lead and attack Yuan Shao."
"How is this possible?"
Zhang Liao refused without hesitation: "We are the real main force of the imperial court. How can we let the brothers of the Montenegrin Army take the lead? Are you not slapping someone like me in the face?"
"How dare you? How dare you."
Zhang Yan hurriedly raised her hand.
"alright."
Zhang Liao waved his big hand and said softly: "General Zhang, just wait for the order with peace of mind. The opening of the Taihang Mountains must be defended to death. Yuan Shao must not be allowed to escape from here into Mobei. This is your biggest task."
Zhang Yan bowed and handed over her hand, and said solemnly: "General, don't worry, no one is more familiar with the Taihang Mountains than me. All the troops and horses have been assigned on all the paths that we can travel with. We will raise smoke by day and light fire by night to ensure that there will be no mistakes."
"good."
Zhang Liao nodded affirmatively: "This sounds encouraging, I believe you."
Zhang Yan said sonorously: "Yan will definitely live up to the general's high expectations."
*****
Youzhou, Ji County.
State Shepherd's Office.
Tian Chou stood in front of the sand table and said softly, "General Gongsun, although Yuan Shao has strengthened his troops in the north, our mission remains the same, mainly defense."
"After all, after a whole year of fighting, Liu Zongzheng doesn't have many troops left. Our offensive capabilities are completely insufficient and we can only defend."
"but......"
Speaking of this, Tian Chou felt a little thankful and said: "Fortunately, the terrain in Youzhou is quite special. It is not that difficult to defend these passages."
"In addition, with your Baima Yicong here, there will be no problem in responding quickly. Even if the other party attacks Youzhou, I think we will have no problem if we support it for two or three months."
Liu Yu and Gongsun Zan were already at odds with each other, and Nanyang had abolished the state pastoral system, so Liu Bian transferred Liu Yu back to the court as Zongzheng, one of the nine ministers, and changed the governor of Youzhou into Tian Chou.
Although Tian Chou was in charge of the military affairs of Youzhou, he was basically just a supervisor. The actual military power was in the hands of Gongsun Zan, and most of the political power was in the hands of the prefects in various places.
After Gongsun Zan gained full military power, he naturally placed more trust in Nanyang Hanting. He immediately patted his chest and promised, "Don't worry, Mr. Tian, as I am here, I guarantee that Yuan Shao will not escape from here."
"What's more, the imperial court also sent a large number of Ambush Thunderbolts. Although our infantry suffered heavy losses, the presence of Ambush Fire Thunderbolts can completely make up for the deficiencies in defense."
"As for mobility..."
Gongsun Zan was full of confidence, raised his head and said: "My white-horse followers, whether it is the mountain passes in various places or the cities in Youzhou, will definitely be able to come to support within half a day."
Of course, Tian Chou knew very well that the territory of Youzhou that Gongsun Zan was currently referring to was the area west of Banhai Road and surrounded by the remnants of the Taihang Mountains and the Yanshan Mountains.
Strictly speaking, this should be Youzhou in the narrow sense, rather than the entire territory of Youzhou in the broad sense, including Youzhou in western Liaoning and eastern Liaoning.
Tian Chou smiled calmly: "I naturally believe in General Gongsun's ability."
Gongsun Zan bowed his hands and was about to leave when he suddenly remembered something: "Oh, by the way, I have a question in the end. I don't know whether I should talk about it or not?"
Tian Chou said softly: "General, if you have any ideas, just say so. Now we are partners. No matter what questions you have, just ask them. I will definitely tell you everything you want."
"That's right."
Gongsun Zan held a strand of goatee under his chin and went straight to the point: "The envoy once said that the imperial court wanted to define Ji County as the northern capital and use it as a starting point to expand outward."
"That's right."
Tian Chou did not hesitate and nodded affirmatively: "There is indeed such a plan, what's the matter?"
Gongsun Zan frowned and said loudly: "Although this idea is good, it seems difficult to realize it based on the current conditions in Youzhou. After all, Youzhou is a bitter cold land, the land is barren, and the food harvest is very low."
"Under such difficult conditions, the imperial court can only protect itself at best, and it is difficult to expand outwards. The imperial court cannot rely on support from the interior to ensure the normal operation of the northern capital, right?"
Tian Chou stared at Gongsun Zan with bright eyes, and he could see through his true intention at a glance.
On the surface, Gongsun Zan was concerned about the development of the northern capital, but in fact, he was worried that the imperial court would give him a bad promise, saying a goal that could never be achieved, in order to trick him into submitting to the imperial court.
Tian Chou knew he couldn't handle it. After pondering for a long time, he said: "Perhaps the general doesn't know yet, but the imperial court has actually made certain plans for Youzhou. Although it has not started yet, I have already heard about it."
"oh?"
Gongsun Zan asked tentatively: "What is the plan?"
Tian Chou smiled lightly: "It is natural to improve the environment of Jizhou and turn the bitter cold land into a fortress in the south of the Yangtze River."
Gongsun Zan was suddenly stunned: "Let the bitter cold land turn into the south of the Yangtze River? How is this possible? The fundamental reason for the barren land in Youzhou is the lack of water sources. If the water source problem cannot be solved, it will be impossible..."
Speaking of this, Gongsun Zan was even more shocked when he saw that Tian Chou still had a solemn expression on his face: "Shijun, do you mean that the imperial court can solve the water source problem in Youzhou?"
"kindness."
Tian Chou nodded affirmatively: "The imperial court is planning to build three reservoirs in Youzhou to store excess water in summer and save it for use during droughts. This will ensure farming and the people's water supply."
"Reservoir?"
Gongsun Zan's eyes suddenly brightened: "Is the imperial court really willing to do this?"
Tian Chou nodded, stood up immediately, walked to the bookshelf nearby, took out his responsibility letter, and turned to a certain page: "If you don't believe it, you can read it yourself."
"When the war is over, the imperial court will send experts over to carefully study the terrain of Youzhou. Currently, one is tentatively selected for Shanggu County, Yuyang County, and Youbeiping County."
"Yuyang County and the Yanshan Mountains in Youbeiping County have snow water left every year. It is possible to build a reservoir here. As for Shanggu County, the terrain conditions are the best, so building a reservoir is no problem."
The reason why the Military Advisor Alliance dared to choose Jixian as the northern capital was that it actually had a careful plan. Even in modern times, there are reservoirs in these places.
Shanggu County is Guanting Reservoir;
There is Miyun Reservoir in Yuyang County;
To the right of Beiping County is Yuqiao Reservoir.
During the Han Dynasty, the construction level of reservoirs was already very high. Large reservoirs were basically formed by using natural lakes or transformed depressions, while small reservoirs were mainly pitangs, which were widely used in the south.
For example, Shaopi is the earliest recorded reservoir in ancient my country. It was built in the Chu State during the Spring and Autumn Period. It is characterized by using plain depressions and building embankments around it to form a reservoir. It is a typical plain reservoir.
In addition, there are mountainous and hilly reservoirs and coastal area reservoirs, a total of three types of reservoirs, and the reservoir to be built in Youzhou happens to belong to the mountainous and hilly reservoirs.
Jianhu in Shaoxing, Zhejiang, is a reservoir built in the fifth year of Yonghe's reign in the Eastern Han Dynasty. It took advantage of the favorable terrain of Kuaiji Mountains, plains, and oceans to connect scattered lakes into a large lake to form a reservoir.
Although the level of the reservoir during the Han Dynasty still needs to be improved, experts from the Military Advisor Alliance have already overcome this problem. They only need to explore the terrain and follow standard construction procedures.
call-
After Gongsun Zan carefully read the responsibility letter, he immediately felt at ease.
At this moment, he was completely convinced that Nanyang Hanting attached great importance to Youzhou and Jixian.
Otherwise, they would not have spent a lot of manpower, power and financial resources to build a reservoir for Youzhou, turn the bitter cold land into a city south of the Yangtze River, and become a city that could support the northern capital of the imperial court.
"Long live your Majesty!"
Gongsun Zan sighed sincerely and felt completely at peace.
"Why, are you relieved this time?"
Tian Chou smiled calmly and put away his responsibility letter.
"kindness."
Gongsun Zan nodded affirmatively: "I'm really relieved now. I will definitely cooperate with you in the future, and I promise that I won't let you down."
Tian Chou pinched a strand of goatee under his chin and quickly waved his hand in denial: "No, you are not letting me down, but you will not let His Majesty down. We are all Your Majesty's ministers and we are loyal to Your Majesty."
"Yes, yes!"
Gongsun Zan nodded quickly and said with a smile: "Your Majesty is right, our allegiance is to Your Majesty, hahaha."
Tian Chou smiled faintly and waved his hand: "In that case, it's time for the general to return to the camp. If anything happens in the future, just send someone over to deliver the message. There is no need to go there in person. There is no general in the army, but that won't work."
Gongsun Zan nodded graciously: "Don't worry, I will not leave the military camp easily in the future. The military camp is my home. From now on, I will take root in the military camp."
"Hahahahahaha."
At that moment, the two of them looked at each other and looked up to the sky, laughing wildly.