Chapter 721 Entering Rufeng
In Jinyang City, Qingzhou soldiers and Jizhou soldiers each took their positions, firmly controlling the city abandoned by the Huns.
I heard that Liu Yasheng wanted to set a fire before he retreated, but it had been raining for days and the weather was humid. Even if the rain stopped, it would not be so easy for a fire to break out. After the enemy troops retreated, the few remaining people spontaneously put out the fire, and then it rained again, saving this important town in the North, which was about ten miles away from the city.
Outside Jinyang City, there are endless carriages and horses as far as the eye can see.
The drivers and grooms spoke with Hebei accents and looked like mud monkeys, but they still used their last remaining strength to unload the grain and load it into the warehouse.
After finishing all this, some people will return as soon as possible to transport the next batch of grain.
Some people rested for a day or two, and then transferred military supplies and equipment northward to support the consumption of Governor Li Zhong's attack on Xinxing.
There was also a "ding-dong" sound coming from the distance.
The Taiyuan wealthy people pulled out many craftsmen from their own forts, working day and night to repair damaged vehicles, mend damaged armors, and reforge curled-edged swords...
To the west At the foot of the mountain, there are luxuriant water and grass, and flocks of cattle and sheep.
Some overused draft animals are also grazing here and will be raised for a while before being put into use again.
The mountain roads were rugged and transportation was difficult. Not only did the master suffer heavy casualties, but the draft animals also often rolled down the ravines and valleys. The losses were great and needed to be replenished in time. After fighting in Bingzhou for so long, everyone has deepened their impression: fighting is about logistics.
Perhaps because of the continuous rain, the water in rivers and streams was fierce, carrying a large amount of sediment, leaves and even corpses surging down. The grazing women and children worked hard to move some of the livestock to the mountainside or farther away from the river.
Someone is already making cheese, and it will be shipped out in a while.
Animals that died of illness, battle or injury were slaughtered on the spot.
After the leather is roughly tanned, it is put away and can be made into leather armor later.
The meat undergoes further processing. Due to the weather, it is inconvenient to dry and dry, so the only option is to smoke. The bacon will also be transported regularly as a front-line supply.
The water and the like are all cooked in earthen pots and cauldrons. Under the south city wall, there are rows and rows of jars, which are spectacular. They are for the soldiers to eat to replenish their strength and fight more vigorously.
In the camp in the east of Jinyang City, troops arrived one after another.
While cursing the muddy and dangerous road, they looked around for a place to light a fire and dry their wet clothes.
There was thick smoke billowing in the camp and there were constant coughs. The wet firewood makes people irritated and makes them want to curse.
Farther away, piles of prisoners and slaves were filling the puddles on the post road.
Dirt, broken bricks, branches, whatever they can be used for, they are busy making sure not to affect the passage of the baggage convoy.
This is the other side of war, the side that few people know.
Without this side, there would be no warriors galloping through various conflicts on the battlefield, let alone victory.
Under such circumstances, Li Chong spent three days arriving in Yangqu County, and then made simple weapons to launch an attack on Shiling.
******
On May 20th, Lu Ya led more than a thousand people as a vanguard and tried to attack the enemy stronghold on Shiling, leaving corpses everywhere. Then return.
“There should be no less than two thousand people on the mountain.” Lu Ya pulled down the two feather arrows stuck in his armor and said, “The thieves mainly guard a few narrow mountain roads that can only be passed by bicycles. Build a fence and build an earth wall, with iron-armored warriors with big shields and spears in front, and archers at the back. If you want to attack, you must give me elite soldiers."
"How many elite soldiers do the enemy have?" Li Zhong asked.
"It's hard to say." Lu Ya replied: "There may be some defeated soldiers who returned from Jingxing on the mountain, but there are all elite soldiers on the mountainside. There are always thousands of people in total."
Li Chong I know it well.
Da Hu Shile, who was once so powerful, only has so few elite soldiers today.
I heard that when Liang Gong went to Nanyang, the Le family was able to pull out a thousand heavily armored elite soldiers and even raised a small number of cavalry. Now many years have passed, and the Le family's power has spread from Nanyang to Shunyang, Xinye, Yiyang and other counties, and has become stronger.
From the perspective of military strength, Shi Le is not necessarily stronger than Nanyang Leshi. It's just that they have been fighting for many years and have rich battle experience. They also have a group of fierce and fearless men under them. This is more than the Le family. However, the Le family has repeatedly fought in battles over the years, and their war experience has slowly improved, but it is not the same now. Compared to the past.
“Dig trenches, build trenches, and stockpile supplies and equipment.” Li Zhong ordered: “Send people to monitor the mountains on the left and right sides to prevent thieves from taking detours and sneak attacks. Send another ranger to patrol the grain road in the rear. As soon as there is news, , report immediately.”
Li Zhong’s words were instructions to the other generals around him. They were very convinced of him and quickly followed the order.
Lü Ya was a little confused and hurriedly said: "Captain, weren't we just talking about attacking Shiling Village?"
Shiling Village refers to the temporary building built by Shi Le at Shiling Pass. Camp.
As the north gate of Jinyang, the terrain of Shiling is very dangerous. Therefore, during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, a military town was built at the southern foot of Shiling, which was called "Shiling Town", and a pass was built on the mountain, called "Shiling Pass".
The Jin Dynasty was in a state of semi-abandonment of Bingzhou, and at the same time opened the country's gates to welcome the Hu people going south. Of course, they were too lazy to care about the north gate of Jinyang. Shiling Pass and Shiling Town did not exist at this time.
If there is no war, naturally there will not be so many dangerous passes. During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, both sides fought bloody mills in western Henan and Bingzhou. This was related to the fact that both sides used the terrain to resist resolutely and continued to build forts.
"My army only has six thousand men and less than five thousand infantry." Li Chong took a deep look at Lu Ya and said: "The Art of War says, 'A general does not worry about victory but first considers defeat, so he can fight a hundred battles without danger. "With this small force, the casualties in attacking the stronghold will be too great, and the enemy may take advantage of it. Once defeated, Jinyang may be killed and plundered by the enemy. This will not only depress morale, but also allow Shi Le to relieve those who are short of resources." "It's urgent."
"Captain..." Lu Ya was a little reluctant and said: "On the occasion of a great victory, it is time to fight bravely and chase the north." "You are the governor, or am I?" "Commander?" Li Zhong scolded: "Go down and rectify your troops, don't make any noise."
"No." Lu Ya bowed and turned to leave.
Li Chong called the messenger again and ordered: "You quickly go south and urge the Golden Governor to bring the Silver Spear Right Camp."
"Promise." The messenger Leave quickly.
Li Chongze began to patrol the camp with his own soldiers, and he was meticulous.
If the trench cannot be dug properly, it will be reworked.
Anyone who fails to place antlers or refuse a carbine as required will be whipped on the spot.
No one complained.
After so many years, everyone knows that following Li Zhong in the war is very tiring. He spends a lot of time digging ditches and building forts, most of which are even "useless efforts."
But everyone also knows that when fighting with Li Zhong, it is difficult to be attacked by the enemy, and there is basically no risk of running out of food.
When the Huns' cavalry was strong and the grain road was at its most critical, Governor Li also built an earthen city thirty miles away. He was not afraid of trouble at all. For this reason, he did not hesitate to give up the attack and advance slowly.
As he said: Before thinking about victory, think about defeat first.
This is his style, different from others.
******
On the 21st, it rained heavily again, occasionally mixed with thunder.
Shi Le came from Jiuyuan County, the Xinxing government office forty miles away, to inspect Shiling Village.
Zhang Jing, who had escaped from Jingxingguan, stood behind him, looking unhappy.
He has been deprived of his job and all his duties, and has followed Shi Le's orders in vain.
Of course, Da Hu, who only had one county territory, could not give him any real power position. At this point in the battle, he really had no energy left. He just wanted to retreat to a safe place, silently lick his wounds and take some time off.
The wind and rain are getting stronger, penetrating the raincoat, soaking into the iron armor, and soaking the inner lining, making people feel a bit chilly in early summer.
"If it hadn't rained, Shao's bandits would have come faster, and Shiling Pass might not have been saved." Shi Le wiped the rain off his face and sighed: "In the land of five counties, there are only a few soldiers. We are short of resources, so what can we do to fight against the Shao thieves?”
Xinxing is not a large county, and there are years of war, so it is difficult to persist in a long-term war.
This time a large number of young men were recruited, which will inevitably delay the farming work. Even if Shao Bing is defeated this time, the subsequent grain harvest will be greatly affected. Shao Bing's second attack will be unreasonable.
He now feels what Liu Kun feels.
Being trapped in Taiyuan, there is no time to recuperate and recuperate. There is no way to encourage childbirth, teach farmers and mulberry trees, or train young men. The wars are one after another, and there is no chance to breathe. The more we fight, the poorer and weaker we become. If there is no Tuoba Xianbei supported him, but Liu Kun had been destroyed for who knows how many years.
But does he have his own "Tuoba Xianbei"?
In the past, for example, the Pingyang court allocated some money, food, cattle, sheep, and equipment to him from time to time, and also helped him share the pressure of the war. But at this moment, there is nothing left. His defeat is only a matter of time. Maybe one month, three months if he is lucky. Is there any point in carrying on?
"Your Majesty, Xinxing is not a place to stay for a long time, why not..." Zhang Jing stopped talking.
Shi Le remained silent and only asked: "I heard that Liu Yongming was trapped in Lu County?"
"Yes." Zhang Jing replied: "It must be unreasonable."< br>
“Where is Liu Yasheng?” Shi Le asked again.
"Maybe I'm in Jinyang, maybe I've left. I--" Zhang Jing gritted his teeth and said, "If Liu Yasheng is trapped in Jinyang, how many days will he have enough food to eat? In the end, he may be able to eat people. . I think he may have left. He moved those 10,000 old, weak, women, children, and homeless men and women away at the end of March, so he had no intention of carrying them around in Jinyang."
Shi Le sighed.
Yes, as the coach, Liu Yao cannot protect himself. They have also been severely beaten by Shao Jun. What reason do they have to persist?
"Your Majesty, it's time to make a decision." Zhang Jing couldn't help but persuade again.
Shi Le glanced at his right-hand man, who was devastated by the defeat, and said after a long time: "I will assign you five hundred people to escort the generals and their families all over the city to the west. Don't make any noise. Leave at night, and don't Bring your baggage and travel lightly, and only need to carry seven days of dry food. After entering the Fenshui Valley, go south and pass through the Xihe River to Pingyang. I have a familiar tribe on the Fenshui side, the Wubao Commander. Just go to them and do it as soon as possible.”
Zhang Jing secretly breathed a sigh of relief and agreed in a deep voice.
Sending his family members away means that Da Hu has no determination to stick to it.
At present, the main force of the Jin army has not arrived yet, and there is no determination to attack by force. Once the army arrives in full force, Shiling Village will probably not be able to be saved, and its fall is inevitable.
Seeing that Shi Le had nothing to say, Zhang Jingshen bowed deeply and left quietly.
(End of this chapter)