Chapter 602: You Are Not A Hero If You Don’t Reach The Great Wall
Heishan Camp, Zhenyuan Pass.
Zhenyuan Pass, located at the intersection of the Helan Mountains and the Yellow River, can be said to be the intersection of mountains and rivers, and a battleground for military strategists. During the Zhengtong years, the Wara Tatars grazed their herds in this area one after another, and intrusions from the south occurred frequently. For the convenience of defense,
, and finally a section of the North Great Wall was built at the mountain pass that stretched for more than thirty miles. Zhenyuan Pass was located on this section of the Great Wall. Five miles south of the pass, Heishan Camp was built, with both warehouses and yards. These two places became
The most important barrier for the Pinglu people in Ningxia.
However, when Xu Xun left Miao Kui, Zhang Yong and part of his entourage at the Acropolis of Ningxia and set out early in the morning, more than 200 people traveled for two days and did not arrive at Zhenyuan Pass until the evening of the third day.
I found that this place is completely different from the grand pass like Juyongguan. After decades of wind and rain erosion, the North Great Wall has long been dilapidated, and the Zhenyuan Pass on the pass of the Great Wall also looks lonely and lonely.
Even the three words Zhenyuanguan, which must have been full of dragons and phoenixes, now appear dim.
Zhenyuan Pass is under the jurisdiction of Ningxia Pinglu Qianhu. Wei Sheng, a hundred households who got the news, knew that Xu Xun was coming, but he was a little surprised that Xu Xun came so quickly. The general general has always been on duty to inspect various guard posts in Ningxia, but Zhenyuan Pass
Guan was ignored almost every time. Firstly, the trek was too far and the mountain road was steep. Secondly, there were only more than 200 people here, and they had died of illness and disease over the years and had become nothing to look at.
Therefore, when he faced the young and powerful Xu Xun, he was more curious than the fear of the generals in the General Military Mansion.
Anyway, there is no place in the world more difficult and dangerous than Zhenyuan Pass, and he is not afraid of being put in small shoes!
Therefore, when he took Xu Xun into the pass and saw that he looked around with no expression, Wei Sheng said bluntly: "The place is small and there are only a few houses. I'm afraid there will be no place for servants like Uncle Pingbei. Besides, we are here.
The military household rations are all fixed. Although the General Military Office sent someone to inform them before, the Heishan Camp Warehouse has limited food and grass. Even if the General Military Office transfers it, it will take several days. Therefore, if Uncle Pingbei stays longer, it is not a derogation of his position.
If you are discouraged, I am afraid that it will be difficult to save food..."
"Before I came, I had already ordered you to prepare dry food for seven days."
Xu Xun glanced at Mo Feng, who had an indifferent expression behind him, and thought to himself that he was lucky to have met such a person by chance. Otherwise, without his warning, he might have heard that Heishan had both camps and warehouses, so he thought he was right and did not bring dry food, which would have been troublesome.
.At this time, seeing Wei Sheng let out a long sigh of relief, obviously happy that people like him would not rob Zhenyuanguan sergeants of food reserves, he asked: "How many troops are stationed in Zhenyuanguan now?"
"There are 520 registered people, but the actual number is 253." Wei Sheng answered readily, and then as if Xu Xun had a question, he took the initiative to explain, "I can honestly say that since I have a humble position,
Do not take quotas. If you take quotas in a place like this, if the Tatars invade, you will be asking for death. The 263 people who are short of quotas have died of illness or serious injuries over the years. Zhenyuanguan is a place where
The most miserable place in Ningxia Town, no one is willing to come, but when the military households are selected for replacement, everyone will pay bribes to avoid being selected, so the vacancies are becoming more and more."
It is not that no general dares to say that he will not take his quota, but it is mostly untrue. Therefore, Chen Xiong, who has led the army for many years, laughed, and Jiang Bin behind him also sneered. However, Mo Feng, who was standing behind Xu Xun,
Suddenly he said: "Uncle Pingbei, Wei Baichan is already fifty-eight this year. He should have been stationed at Zhenyuan Pass for more than twenty years. If he took advantage of his quota and used money to curry favor with his superiors, he wouldn't have stayed there for more than twenty years.
A miserable place like Zhenyuan Pass.”
Although Mo Feng agreed to follow Xu Xun to Zhenyuan Pass, this was the first time he spoke except for the previous reminder to bring enough dry food. As soon as he said this, others were fine, but Wei Sheng looked at him in surprise, and then
He laughed self-deprecatingly: "I didn't expect that people would know about my little reputation as Wei Sheng. I thought no one remembered me."….
"When Taifu Wang set fire to the Red Salt Pond and burned many of the Tatar Khans, and captured their young and old. At that time, Wei Baihu led a small soldier into the enemy's formation. Only then did he get promoted because of his meritorious service?"
Xu Xun suddenly asked. Seeing that Wei Sheng was stunned for a moment, even Mo Feng raised his eyebrows. He secretly thought that he had let Cao Mi operate in various places for more than a year and established the files of officers, although it was not as good as the military of the Ministry of War.
The selection process was thorough, but there was finally some progress. At this moment, he looked back at Mo Feng and said: "It seems that I am very lucky this time, and I can meet two warriors from back then."
Seeing Xu Xun striding forward with everyone, but Mo Feng stayed where he was, Wei Sheng couldn't help but stare at him for a long time, and then said with some hesitation: "I dare to ask this person..."
"Although I have been with Taifu Wang for a longer time, I am far inferior to Wei Baihu. After I conquered Ganzhou, I took off my armor and went home. Unlike Wei Baihu, who actually stayed with Taifu Wang just because of his words.
Zhenyuan Pass." "No one is willing to guard this place. If I give up, I will probably lose this place." Wei Sheng smiled bitterly, then spread his hands and said, "Fortunately, there are still these fools guarding here with me.
Otherwise, I can't make a living without rice, and I won't be able to survive for so many years. It's a pity that I can't withstand life, old age, illness and death. So many heroes from the past are left, and now only a small half are left. The others have gone underground to follow Taifu Wang... By the way, you still have
You didn’t say who you are?”
"Wei Dahong...I am Mo Feng.
Seeing Wei Sheng's eyes suddenly widened, Mo Feng smiled bitterly and said: "All the old brothers have dispersed. I have been frustrated over the years. Now it seems that I am really sorry for still thinking about eating sand in Zhenyuan Pass.
Of you!"
"Hahaha!"
Wei Sheng completely forgot about Xu Xun who had already walked far away. He patted Mo Feng heavily on the shoulder and said: "I didn't expect that you, the youngest one back then, would look like this with gray hair and beard now! Don't say anything wrong.
I'm sorry, if the imperial court wants to restore the Loop, but you still stay at home, then I will have to yell at you in the face, but now... the last time Heishan's grain operation came over, those dogs said it was Zhenyuan Pass to the south.
Shit, even I am disheartened!"
While the two brothers were chatting, Xu Xun finally came to the northeastern city wall. The north side of Zhenyuan Pass used the section of the Great Wall built during the Zhengtong period. The loess rammed wall was more than four meters high and could be clearly seen.
Chu saw traces of repairs, and the city wall was more than three meters wide. The arrow holes were only a patch of yellow after years of wind and sand attack. Since Zhenyuan Pass is located at the mountain pass, from a high position at this moment, he could clearly see the bottom of the mountain.
To the east of that passage is the surging river. And further away, another undulating Great Wall can be clearly seen.
That is clearly another section of the Great Wall left over from the Qin and Han Dynasties!
"The west side of Zhenyuan Pass near Helan Mountain is a stone city wall, but the section here is made of loess, which lasts for more than 30 miles to the west bank of the Yellow River." Wei Sheng didn't rush over until this time. When he said this, he sighed again
He took a breath and said, "I heard that when it was originally built, I planned to use all stone walls, but in the end it cost too much, so here we have to build them with loess. If they were all stone walls, the Tatars would have to destroy the walls and attack.
It is not that easy. Also, of the more than thirty miles of city wall, only Zhenyuan Pass is guarded. That is that section of the stone wall that is difficult for Tatar horses to climb, and other places are exposed to wind and sun.
It’s easy to get in when it’s raining.”
After hearing Wei Sheng's complaint, Xu Xun suddenly pointed to a green field by the river over there and asked, "Whose land is that?"
"That? It's the land cultivated by some soldiers down there." Wei Sheng replied naturally, "Although it might be possible that when the Yellow River flooded, all the Tatars would be gone when they came, but the greater possibility is that
A bumper harvest. Anyway, it takes some seeds and effort, otherwise the grain and grass transported by Heishan camp alone will not be enough."….
From Yansui Town to Ningxia Town, Xu Xun had already heard from many people talking about farming in the Hetao, but now when he really saw it, the thrill was extraordinary.
After a long time, he finally said: "The Tatars often attack when spring is warm and the flowers are blooming and autumn is high when horses are fat. Haven't you ever attacked when their herdsmen come to graze?"
"Why not?" Wei Sheng raised his eyebrows and said almost without thinking, "Otherwise, how could the imperial court have laws in the past? If you take back cattle, sheep and horses from captives, 40% will be yours, and 60% will be exchanged for military honors? It's just that,
Those herdsmen are not vegetarians. If they dare to come down to graze, most of them will come down as a whole tribe and respond to each other. It is not easy to make a big profit. To do such a thing, the generals have to mobilize a large army, so that they can get the first credit.
, those cattle and sheep can also be exchanged for a lot of money."
This is the right thing to do! It makes no sense that the Tatars invaded and plundered the people's money, food, and treasures, but the border generals did not know how to do the opposite. I remember that in the past, there were border generals who tricked the leaders of certain tribes into trading with each other, and then killed people and took credit for it.
In contrast, Wang Yue, who was repeatedly impeached for taking meritorious service, even if he was really guilty of taking meritorious service, he still had real military exploits.
The sky was getting dark very quickly. Xu Xun had only stood there for a quarter of an hour before night had completely fallen. The heat under the sun during the day was quickly replaced by an unspeakable coldness. He was wrapped tightly in his cloak and saw
There were already a few scattered torches lit around. Before Wei Sheng could explain, he knew that this person was not stingy, but that Zhenyuan Guan had limited physical supplies. Therefore, he took the initiative to say: "It's getting dark, go back first."
house!"
Although Wei Sheng vacated his room and tidied it up a little, it was still very shabby. Seeing Xu Xun glance at it, he sat down with a calm expression, remembering that this man had brought Mo Feng here and could come to Zhenyuan Pass.
Looking at it, at least it was better than those general soldiers who were just changing things. Wei Sheng's original disapproval in his heart faded a lot. Therefore, seeing Xu Xun's face as grave as water, he couldn't help but test it: "Uncle Pingbei plans to attack Zhenyuan
How many days can you stay in solitary confinement so that you can be prepared for your humble job?"
"Three days."
Xu Xun stretched out three fingers and saw that Wei Sheng was a little surprised, so he said: "First, I have to take a look at this section of the Great Wall from Zhenyuan Pass to the west to Helan Mountain; second, you take me there
Let’s go and have a look at the land cultivated by the soldiers below; thirdly, we’ll go to Heishan Camp again. Because I had to go to Zhenyuan Pass while it was dark, I didn’t have time to go to Heishan Camp, and General Qiu had already passed by.” But this is not the case.
It won't take three days...
Before Wei Sheng could answer, Xu Xun said calmly: "In addition, I have to wait for a group of people here."
Anyone who has not visited the Great Wall is not a hero. Although Xu Xun can be considered a man who has fought in the war, he has passed by Juyongguan and other important passes before, and has also explored many stone fortresses built along the Great Wall, but this is the first time he has actually climbed the Great Wall in this life.
Once. Compared with the stone city walls built with big stones in Juyongguan, the loess rammed city walls in the area from Zhenyuanguan to the west have become extremely difficult to walk in many places due to the erosion of wind and sand over the years. It reminded him of the time when he was out of curiosity and people.
The experience of climbing the Wild Great Wall.
However, the more than 30 miles of the Great Wall built against the mountains is even more difficult to climb. If Wei Sheng hadn't prepared a few mules that were good at walking this kind of way, he would have only been able to walk halfway even if he was physically strong.
Sheng Que walked as if taking a leisurely stroll, until Xu Xun got off his mule at the end of the stone city wall next to Helan Mountain, and walked to the end with the sword that had been tightly wrapped in cloth.
When he was in front of the mountain, he couldn't help but look over in surprise.
He found that Xu Xun suddenly drew his sword out of its sheath. The bright sword light penetrated deeply into the mountain, bringing down a lot of soil. Then Xu Xun took some soil with a silk handkerchief and wrapped it up. He finally couldn't help it.
He opened his mouth and asked, "Uncle Pingbei, what do you mean by this? I heard that wanderers take their hometown with them to show their nostalgia for their hometown. Do you want to take this soil from Helan Mountain back as a souvenir?"….
"I don't want to keep it as a souvenir, I just want to take it back to the emperor."
When he came out today, Xu Xun left Chen Xiong at Zhenyuan Pass just in case. At this moment, he saw a dozen other sergeants standing far away, only Wei Sheng and Mo Feng were nearby. Both of them were dumbfounded at the moment.
He then said: "The emperor has always wanted to patrol the border, but we have tried hard to persuade him. He felt regretful, so he gave him this sword, saying that in case of a war, he hoped to kill a few Tatars.
The emperor came to the battlefield in person. Unfortunately, although he encountered a small group of bandits along the way, this sword has not seen blood. If he went back like this, it would be better to bring some soil from Helan Mountain to calm the emperor's heart.
"
At this point, he carefully returned the sword to its sheath, then held the opening of the arrow stack and said word by word: "Before coming out this time, Governor Yang and I reported to the emperor that the Hetao is no longer peaceful, and Shaanxi will not be at peace anymore.
It is far better to guard the Yellow River because of its natural dangers than to let the bandits come and go like the wind!"
"Uncle Pingjian...are you serious about this?"
Wei Sheng was finally moved by it, and after blurting out a question, he realized that it was not his turn to speak out about such a major military matter, but it was really uncomfortable to hold it in, so he opened his mind and said: "But the Hetao
There was a lair of bandits among them. In those days, Taifu Wang was such a hero, he repeatedly defeated the bandits, but in the end, they only lost their lives and had to cross the river to the north. They were temporarily inactive for more than ten years. Now Pingbei Bo said that he would take over the Hetao.
Could it be that you feel that you are better at fighting than Taifu Wang in the past?"
"Those who are good at fighting have no great achievements." Seeing Wei Sheng's dissatisfied face, Xu Xun immediately said, "Back then, Taifu Wang was the leader of the three sides. Although he had made many military exploits, after the court meeting, he finally disagreed with the restoration of Dongsheng in Hetao.
First, even if he has great ability, he can't risk the world's disapproval and make a desperate move. Now that the emperor has the intention of cheating, and many ministers support this proposal, Governor Yang has adopted a more defensive strategy, which can be said to be
The time has come. Governor Yang previously submitted a letter on six matters along the three sides. One of the most important ones is to rebuild the Heishan and Zhenyuan Pass piers."
"I really want to restore the river... I really want to restore the situation!" When he thought that only a small piece of the fertile soil beside the Yellow River could be used, and the food had to be transported up with great hardships, even though he was unwilling to do so, Wei Sheng
He also knew that even if Zhenyuanguan did not move south in his lifetime, he would definitely move south after closing his eyes. At this moment, he almost knelt down on one knee and saluted without hesitation: "If the imperial court really has this proposal, even if it is a humble position,
Although I am young, I will try my best!"
As a former general, Mo Feng has always been brooding about the injustice suffered by Wang Yue. At this time, he couldn't help but say: "What Uncle Pingbei said now is certainly exciting, but what if the imperial order is changed overnight?"
"The Emperor's heart has always been extremely strong, and he will not be like this!" Xu Xun said this, paused for a moment, and then said word by word, "Besides, I had already discussed with the Emperor before leaving, and planned to reinstate the king's tutor, Earl Weining.
Bit!"
For the two officers who were single-handedly promoted by Wang Yue in the past, whether it was restoring the Hetao or rebuilding Zhenyuan Pass, although their impassioned words made people's hearts move, they were not as important as Xu Xun's last words. Especially for Wang
Mo Feng, who was by his side when Yue died, was so choked up with emotion that he couldn't say a word. After a long while, Wei Sheng said with a trembling voice: "Uncle Pingbei, are you really not just talking about this? Back then, Taifu Wang
When he was deposed and expelled, there were so many people in the world, but no one said a fair word. After so many years, will the DPRK and China really agree to this matter?"
"Just because no one spoke fair words at that time does not mean that no one speaks fair words now! Besides, I don't need to lie to you!" Xu Xun smiled and then said word by word, "It should be noted that the emperor is not the same as he was back then.
"Xianmiao!" These words are a bit treasonous. However, it is not a secret that Emperor Chenghua was rebellious, but the current Emperor Zhengde is rumored to be arbitrary and arbitrary. These are usually things that are criticized, but at this moment
Thinking about the little emperor's temperament, Wei Sheng and Mo Feng couldn't help but feel deep hope...
The emperor even dared to expel senior ministers like Liu Jian and Xie Qian, and restored their benefactors to their title. Maybe it would be possible!
With this promise, on the way back, the two of them knew that Xu Xun could tell them such a thing, and he had already told them from the bottom of his heart. They told Xu Xun a lot about the personnel of Ningxia Town, and the past Wang Yue.
The whereabouts and current situation of other subordinates. Although Wang Yue died only nine years ago, after Hongzhi came back in the ninth year, only a small number of his subordinates were recalled, and more people waited for the news of Wang Yue's death before they had the opportunity to come forward.
.Many of the brave generals who defeated the enemy several times back then are now elderly men in their fifties and sixties, and more of them are no longer alive.
Wang Yue was demoted during the Chenghua period and was not recalled until the seventh year of Hongzhi. In the tenth year of Hongzhi, he took charge of the Ganliang border affairs and was impeached not long after Li Guang was implicated. Finally, he died of grief and anger. Speaking of luck, he was not the same as Cheng Minzheng.
Comparatively speaking, in the powerful world, such injustices may not seem to be much, but it is just that not many are famous, at least not as famous as those who died or were deposed when the treacherous ministers and eunuchs were in power.
Although he brought a mule, it was very inconvenient to get up and down in some places, so Xu Xun walked more than sixty miles back and forth. When he returned to Zhenyuan Pass, the sun had already set. In the morning, he watched the rising sun rise from the other side of the Yellow River.
I woke up at noon and watched the sun shining on the Qin-Han Great Wall that ran parallel to this Great Wall. At this time, I watched the sunset slowly set in the direction of Helan Mountain. The thick silence and desolation between heaven and earth filled this place that has been in existence for decades.
Above the Zhenyuan Pass, people seem to have a sense of confusion in time and space.
When Chen Xiong came out, he saw Xu Xun looking at the setting sun in ecstasy, and he vaguely understood in his heart, because he smiled and said: "Uncle Pingbei, is this the first time to see such a scene?"
"That's right, I remembered those two poems without realizing it. The smoke is straight in the desert, and the sun is setting over the long river. Today's journey has been quite difficult, but I also saw that this section of the Great Wall has been in disrepair, and between the mountains and rivers, the terrain is steep. , there are only hundreds of people in Zhenyuan Pass, and it is indeed extremely inconvenient to defend it. Ningxia Town intends to abandon this place and move it south to Zhenyuan Pass. This is understandable, but it is not reasonable. Not to mention other things, first of all, I am sorry for these We have collected soldiers at Zhenyuan Pass for decades!"
"It's really difficult to guard this lonely pass for so many years."
Chen Xiong walked around the Guanzhong today. Although he also saw women and children, the number was very small after all, and they were either old or young. After asking, he knew that the young women could not bear the poverty and loneliness here, and only the elderly and children could not live without them. As for the army kings, most of them were in their forties or fifties, and few were young and strong. From the perspective of him who had led soldiers for many years, how could he not know what this situation meant?
At this time, Wei Sheng was still immersed in Xu Xun's previous promise. Hearing Chen Xiong's words, he grinned and said: "As long as there are more understanding people like Uncle Pingbei in the court who know our sufferings, all these years of suffering will be gone." Even if it’s not in vain!”
"Having said that, if there is only hard work but no merit, how many Wei Baihus in the world can be so willing to guard the poor?" Xu Xun smiled slightly, and then said, "Teach the people in front of you. The soldiers shed blood and shed tears, and even tolerated some heroes who were seeking fame and glory to criticize the real heroes. How could there be such a reason in the world? According to me, in the future, the new Jinshi will be sent to the front lines such as Zhenyuan Pass. Stay in the dangerous stone fort for a month, let them know the sufferings of the soldiers, and then let them go back to be their security officers! If you don't visit the Great Wall, you are not a hero, you are not a hero, how can you slander the qualifications of a hero?"
As soon as these words came out, even the sergeants not far away burst into laughter. Wei Sheng and Mo Feng thought Xu Xun was just making fun of him and didn't take it seriously. Jiang Bin couldn't help but secretly laugh at Xu Xun's empty talk. , but Chen Xiong knew Xu Xun's temperament. He glanced over and felt a little guilty in his heart.
Could this master be telling the truth?
ps: I found out from the information that the two sections of the Great Wall at Zhenyuan Pass are running parallel to each other. To this day, the spectacular scene of the Han and Ming Dynasty Great Walls running parallel to each other can still be seen to the west of Datong...).