Chapter 461 Fangtou
After pretending to discuss where to build the city, Shao Xun arranged a residence for Wang Huifeng, called his maid, and told her to stay here for a long time so that they could discuss it from time to time.
Wang Huifeng didn't say anything. He just quietly returned to his residence and read a book by lamplight.
Shao Xun knew very well that he couldn’t be rude to the beauty yet.
Wang Huifeng is a fierce woman. Whether she wants to remarry or not is entirely up to her and cannot be forced by others. She does have a good impression of herself now, but the reasons for this good impression are very complicated and fragile, and it will disappear if she is not careful.
The days ahead are long and there are many opportunities.
That night, Shao Xun led his soldiers and rushed to Heyang overnight.
The Silver Spear Left Camp is resting in Xiangcheng. It has only been more than a month so far, so it is not suitable to move lightly for the time being.
The Silver Spear Right Battalion is about to set off from Jinguyuan to Heyang. This is the main field force for this city building operation.
On July 20, just as Liu Cong issued an order to Shi Le to mobilize his troops, the gate of Heyang North City was opened. Silver Spear Right Camp, more than 9,000 soldiers from the Yi Congjun, and 1,000 borrowed Xiaoqi troops Light cavalry, 400 armored cavalry, plus 5,000 Xuchang soldiers, 7,000 Sizhou soldiers and hundreds of craftsmen, totaling more than 22,000 people, headed east along the north bank of the Yellow River.
The person who stayed behind in the three cities of Heyang was Chen Yougen, the left Sima of the shogunate.
The force composed of three thousand soldiers and their tribes is the main defense force of Heyang North City.
More than 10,000 people from the Heijian Army, Runan Mule Infantry, Tuntian Army, and Heyang Dingzhuang assisted in the defense of the city, taking turns to feel the battlefield atmosphere and accumulate combat experience.
In recent years, as the war has intensified, even the combat effectiveness of farmers and soldiers has increased rapidly.
They are indeed not as good as professional soldiers like the Silver Spear Army, but the gap is not as big as before. After all, it is easy to improve from thirty points to sixty points, but it is much more difficult to improve from eighty points to ninety points. .
In the future, if we go deep into Hebei, we will need a large number of line-filling soldiers with certain combat capabilities. Otherwise, even if we occupy it temporarily, we will have to spit it out sooner or later.
Since the army left Heyang Beicheng, the road has been smooth.
The Huns were surprisingly few and seemed to have lost the ability to stay near Heyang City for a long time. It was not until several days after traveling east that a group of two to three hundred Hun cavalry appeared, but they did not dare to approach and could only peep from a distance.
On the night of the 24th, when the army was stationed in Huai County, the Huns launched their first night attack, which ended in vain.
Shao Xun sat on a damaged carriage, quietly watching the retreating Huns, and put down his snack a little.
Only two groups of soldiers in the right camp of Silver Spear had the experience of marching under the surveillance of cavalry day and night. That time, they followed the veterans of Zuoying to escort Caoliang to Luoyang.
Before this expedition, Shao Xun was a little worried that the psychological quality of the soldiers in the right camp was not good enough, that they would not be able to withstand the huge pressure, and would collapse midway. Therefore, he personally led the troops to boost morale, commanded in a timely manner, and checked for leaks and filled gaps to ensure that no problems would arise. .
He knows that the soldiers in the right camp are trained very hard and scientifically. They are well-equipped and not all new soldiers. As long as they can get over the hurdle in their hearts and get rid of their fear of cavalry, even if they are afraid of cavalry in the future, He didn't personally lead the troops, so everyone would handle it very calmly.
The first time is the hardest.
Since the 25th, the number of Huns has increased day by day, and the expressions on the faces of the soldiers have become increasingly solemn.
"The thieves don't dare to attack the city. If they want to try their luck with us, then beat them back and let them see the bravery of the great Jin Erlang." Shao Xun rode his war horse out of the protection circle of the chariot formation. , holding a riding crop in hand, walking slowly and speaking loudly.
The silver spear soldiers stood on side cars and baggage cars, holding their rifle bows and manipulating their crossbows, with all the worries on their faces.
Seeing Master Shao in golden armor, the student officers were full of confidence.
Seeing the mighty Duke Chen, the ordinary soldiers became more courageous.
As a martial artist, I naturally like a coach who is skilled in bow and horse and has a heroic personality.
If you can't draw a strong bow, kill stubborn enemies, and if Mount Tai collapses in front of you without changing color, how can you truly convince people?
You can rely on the system to force them to obey orders, but this kind of restraint is not reliable. In troubled times, why do so many regimes die after their second generation? There are certainly reasons for committing suicide, but lack of prestige is also an important factor.
“Man Yu!” Shao Xun suddenly pointed his riding whip.
"The end is here!" Man Yu rode his horse and arrived.
Shao Xun pointed at a group of Hun Qingqi wandering in the distance and said: "One person and three horses, catch them for me, no matter what the cost."
"Promise." Man Yu Without hesitation, he ordered 500 cavalrymen on the spot and rushed out of the formation roaring with 1,500 horses.
The car formation did not stop and continued to move forward.
From west to east, it meanders for several miles.
That evening, Manyu came back with seven or eight arrows stuck in his body.
Many people and horses were lost, but there was more than one head hanging under each person's saddle.
"I will give you two pieces of silk, and I will distribute them after the class." Shao Xun announced loudly.
Everyone cheered, and the morale of the entire car formation was greatly improved.
Shao Xun laughed.
Some battles must be fought even if the casualties are greater than the enemy's.
The wilderness just now was extremely empty, with no rivers or woods. In fact, it was not suitable for attacking cavalry, because if you were not careful, you would be sent flying kites in circles.
But so what?
Just like when you are besieged, you don't care how many people are beating you, just focus on one person and beat him to death.
The Huns are divided into tribes and clans. If you stare at the people of one tribe and beat them to pieces, the people of other tribes will be frightened. The next time someone harasses me, I will be murmuring in my heart and hesitate.
This is the effect you want!
Shao Xun did not believe that Liu Ya had such high prestige that he could force tribes to die regardless of casualties.
I've got a discount on my old capital, will you make up for it? Is the compensation enough?
This is a political issue as well as an institutional issue. Those who can solve this problem can establish a grassland empire.
******
On the night of the 27th, the army camped in the southwest of Ji County.
Beginning on the 28th, the Huns seemed to give up harassment. Except for a few people left to monitor, the main force disappeared without a trace.
At this time, Shi Le's envoy was still on the way to Xihe, carrying his memorial and urging the emperor not to attack the three cities of Heyang.
In short, Shi Le didn’t want to go and was still bargaining.
Of course, maybe he will change his attitude soon, because the situation has changed again.
On the first day of August, the army arrived near Yanjin and set up camp.
On the second day, the whole army crossed Qishui. In the evening of the same day, the vanguard part of the army crossed Qingshui north and arrived outside Fangtou City.
On the third day of August, the army continued to cross the river.
There seemed to be a small number of defenders in Fangtou City. They came out of the city to intercept and defeated the Yi Congjun. At this time, the number of Huns' cavalry gradually increased. But most of them were not from Hanoi, but the Xiongnu, Jie, and Wuhuan cavalry under Shi Le.
Shao Xun did the math for him. After getting the news, he started mobilizing and raising food and grass to go south. The speed was not slow. Shi Le was really capable, and the efficiency of his separatist regime was also pretty good. OK.
On the fourth day of August, the infantry across the river captured Fangtou, beheaded 200 people, captured 200 people, and captured this dilapidated earthen city.
At this point, more than 20,000 troops were stationed inside and outside Fangtou, with deep ditches and high forts, and they were stationed there.
On the fifth day of August, he climbed onto the almost collapsed Fangtou City Wall and looked far ahead.
On the Yellow River, ships were densely packed, coming from Xingyang and Puyang counties, loaded with grain and military supplies. After docking, they unloaded the goods on the tidal flat near Laoqikou and transported them to the camp.
Qikou is where the Qishui River enters the Yellow River.
In the ninth year of Jian'an of the Han Dynasty (204), Cao Cao "built a weir at the mouth of the Qi River with large logs to prevent the Qi River from entering the Baigou for canal transportation."
The Qishui River originates from Taihang, and is joined by many streams along the way. The water is turbulent and has a large flow. When flash floods occur, it rushes into the Yellow River.
For the Northern Expedition, Cao Cao ordered the construction of artificial weirs and dams at Qikou using large fang trees to divert the flow to the northeast.
To put it bluntly, the water in Baigou flowing in the northeast is scarce, which is not conducive to water transportation, while the water in Qi River is abundant, so we tried to find a way to pour Qi water into Baigou to facilitate water transportation and provide grain and grass for the Northern Expedition.
In other words, the Fangtou water conservancy project is mainly for military purposes. To be more precise, it is mainly used to transport military supplies, food and grass, in order to reduce the logistical pressure of going deep into the hinterland of Hebei - land transportation is not impossible. But water transportation costs are much lower.
Logistics has always been one of the most important factors in war at any time, and is even the primary consideration for most generals when fighting.
Historically, Huan Wen withdrew his troops from Fangtou, and logistics was a decisive factor - there was less rain, the rivers were clear and shallow, and some sections of the river were inaccessible to grain ships, which directly led to the shortage of food on the front line day by day.
Now Shao Xun has arrived at Fangtou decades earlier than Huan Wen, and is preparing to transform this earthen city, which is not much stronger than a fortress, into a large military city, backed by a big river, to garrison strong troops, and serve as a strategic fulcrum for the northward march. .
If there are still Xiongnu cavalry wreaking havoc in Puyang this year, causing the local people's crops to fail, once Fangtou City successfully garrisones, it will at least be able to protect the two hundred miles of the river from east to west, so that the people on the south bank can rest assured. Production will no longer be harmed by Hu Qi.
"Is that the ancient Qingshuikou?" Shao Xun asked, pointing to a semi-silted river in the southwest.
He Lun, who was crossing the river from Wenshijin to the north, raised his eyes and said immediately: "Yes, that is Qingshuikou." Wang Zhongxuan (Can)'s "Heroes" once recorded that "(Yuan) Shao was at Qingshuikou in Chaoge , (Zhao) Fu and others followed, with hundreds of ships and more than ten thousand people, and the whole army passed through Shao camp in a panic. '"
Shao Xun glanced at He Lun approvingly.
Lao He is indeed a martial artist, but he is also the son of an aristocratic family. He was born in the He family in the East China Sea. This family developed with Liu Yu in the Southern Dynasties and Song Dynasty, and was extremely famous.
So, He Lun may seem rude, but he is actually quite knowledgeable and has read a lot of books. However, after becoming a warrior, he was affected by the environment and actually touched the princess.
Damn it, I haven’t played Princess Lingshou yet, and you’ve already done it.
“After Fangtou was built, Cao Cao diverted the clear water and merged it into Qishui at Fangtou, and together they poured into Baigou.” He Lun continued: “Fangtou is actually a good place, both to the west and south. There is river water, which is convenient for shipping. If the Qingshui mouth is reused and the river can be connected, and the grain ships can be driven directly to Fangtou City, the military city will be indestructible. "
The clear water source flows out of Ji County and flows into Ji County. , Chaoge area, generally oriented east-west, the water volume is not very large, originally poured into the Yellow River at Qingshuikou.
Qishui originates from Taihang, goes south from Chaoge, and flows into the Yellow River at Qikou.
Qingshui Port and Qikou are very close to each other.
After Fangtou was built, the clear water was diverted from flowing into the Yellow River and merged into Qishui at Fangtou.
Qishui also changed its course, no longer flowing into the Yellow River, but flowing into Baigou with the water from the two rivers, flowing to the northeast.
"No, Qingshuikou is a little far away and is not suitable. Qikou is more suitable." Shao Xun said: "After the construction of Fangtou City is completed, I intend to build another city in the south to dredge the Qikou River to connect the water of the Yellow River to facilitate Ship transportation. In this way, there are Fangtou South City and North City, standing across the river, forming horns of each other. "
The terrain on the north bank is high. If a dock is built to connect to the water of the Yellow River, the current Fangtou will not be able to reach it. , we must build another city to the south. Fortunately, the two cities are not far apart, just a few miles apart. They can even be connected as one, across Qishui - no, it should be called Baigou to the east of Fangtou - connecting the north and south, with a water gate on the middle river. , to pass ships.
Many cities in ancient times were like this.
For example, Jinyang City, which was destroyed by Zhao Er, was built across a river, with the Fen River running through it and communicating with the inside and outside through water gates.
Only in this way, the scale of Fangtou City has become larger. It is no longer the size of a county town, but a county town level like Heyang Beicheng.
This has advantages and disadvantages.
The disadvantage is that it costs more and takes longer to build. The advantage is that it can station more troops, horses and supplies, which will be more conducive to the future Northern Expedition.
Shao Xun looked at He Lun.
"Ming Gong..." He Lun was a little confused.
"After the construction of the north and south cities of Fangtou is completed, how about you lead your troops north and station here?" Shao Xun asked.
He Lun felt a little bitter.
Indeed, after the construction of Fangtou is completed, Wenshijin on the south bank no longer needs to be guarded, and his five thousand soldiers and horses can all move north to Fangtou. But in this case, we are facing Shi Le...
The south bank and the north bank of the Yellow River are both defending the city, but the pressures they face are essentially different.
He Lun is not stupid. He knows very well that once he really crosses the river, he will definitely face a siege every three days. How many casualties will there be?
But he did not dare to resist, and could only say sadly: "I obey."
"Why do you have to look so downcast?" Shao Xun said with a smile: "In the future, I will definitely make a northern expedition to Yecheng. Yes, Fangtou will not give up no matter what. If Shi Le comes in force, I will also send troops to the north for reinforcements. Can't you defend it with your back?"
"Yes. Still a little worried.
Shao Xun was a little unhappy when he saw it, and said: "How can you be rich and noble just sitting at home?"
He Lun was shocked and gritted his teeth and said: "I will obey the order of Duke Ming."
Shao Xun turned his anger into joy, put his arm around He Lun's shoulders, and said: "We are both from the East China Sea, and our love is extraordinary. As long as you guard the city with your heart and don't let Shi Le take it away, in the future I will definitely be rich and honorable. I will never break my promise.”
When He Lun heard this, a surge of heat surged in his heart.
Yes, we are all from the same hometown. In these days, if you don’t help your fellow villagers, who will you help? Do others trust you?
As long as you make certain contributions, you will definitely be richer than others in the future.
Thinking of this, He Lun immediately said: "Don't worry, Ming Gong. After the Fangtou is built, I will nail it here. Even if I die, I will die on the Fangtou."
"Don't worry. Shi Le doesn't have that ability." Shao Xun said with a smile: "He is stronger than the cavalry. Although the infantry is not bad, it is not much stronger. For him, he can't defeat Fangtou City no matter how many lives he takes."
As long as supplies are not cut off and supplies, equipment, soldiers, and materials for repairing the city walls are continuously transported into the city, Fangtou, like Heyang North City, will be difficult to break.
For Shi Le, this is a loss-making business and a long-term bleeding hole. It doesn’t matter if I fight or not, it’s extremely uncomfortable.
(End of this chapter)