Chapter 768: Premeditated
After trudging for many days, Shengle was not far away.
Shengle was the northern capital of Dai Kingdom, located in Tuchengzi, ten kilometers north of present-day Horinger County, Inner Mongolia.
The two counties of Yunzhong and Dingxiang were established in the Qin and Han Dynasties. In addition to the Yellow River, there are many tributaries and lakes nearby with rich water and grass.
The soil appears to be black sand soil, which is relatively fertile and suitable for farming and animal husbandry. It has the reputation of "livestock is widely spread, and the most fertile soil in Longhuang". In fact, it has great agricultural potential.
At this time, the rice seeds (millet seeds) have just been sown, and the countryside is quiet.
Villages of all sizes are scattered all over the country. The amazing thing is that there are not many forts and manors here. There seem to be more homesteaders. It is ironic when you think about it. In the grassland areas where slavery is more severe, there are actually more homesteaders than It is easier to see in the Central Plains.
"What are these people preparing for?" When passing by a village, Yu Mi asked, pointing to the things that the people were tying up.
The Daiguo Military Academy who escorted them glanced at them, did not answer, and just went on his way.
"Sacrifice wine, this is the stalk." Wei Hong, a descendant of the Wei family, followed him and said softly: "People in this generation like to grow stalks, buckwheat and other things, and they are widely cultivated together with millet and wheat in the Central Plains. Different. It can be eaten in grains, and its stalks are the best feed. During the reign of the country, they were collected and sent to the army. ”
"So that's what made Ji Shi laugh." Yu Miao nodded, frowning.
When he was a child, he worked hard with his father in the Linlu Mountains. He often chopped firewood, cut grass, and fed crop straws to livestock. However, many years had passed and he didn't think about it for a while.
However, seeing this fact always made him a little worried.
He looked around again.
Beyond the farmland, there are many pastures.
The terrain of Dai State is long from east to west and narrow from north to south, so there is a big difference between the east and west.
I heard that in some places the pasture turns green early and in some places later, but the most concentrated period is in April.
It is already mid-to-late April, and most of the pasture has turned green. So, could it be...
"Ji Shi." Yu Miao glanced at the Dairen soldiers not far away, and asked in a low voice: "Is Dairen preparing for war?"
Wei Hong hesitated, and after thinking for a moment, he said: "It's unlikely."
After that, he explained again.
It turns out that by next month, various places will gradually enter the critical growth period for pasture heading, budding and flowering. The Tuoba family has a tradition that from May to July, the king of the country visits various places, one to calm down and the other to prevent frost.
The so-called frost protection is mainly concentrated around Yinshan Mountain, where it is relatively cold, the trees are extremely lush, and there is even residual snow in May. It happens to be a suitable place for growing food, and the climate in recent years has been a bit strange. During the warmer months of May and June, frost events occasionally occur, reducing crop yields.
This kind of crop cannot withstand frost during the critical growth period.
After three months of maturity, they are not afraid of frost, but the wind will pick up at that time, which will blow the seeds off and reduce the yield.
In fact, frost will also affect the growth of forage in the flowering stage, so the Tuoba family will organize people to prevent frost in the Yinshan area - there may not necessarily be frost disasters, but Tuoba Xianbei We attach great importance to agricultural and animal husbandry production, and necessary preventive measures must be taken.
At the end, Wei Hong said: "Judging from my experience of doing business with the Tuoba family over the years, Tuoba Xianbei was very envious of the Xiongnu of the Liu Han Dynasty. The Kelan County established by King Liang is surrounded by vast mountains. The Jin people found it inconvenient to farm, so they abandoned it like old shoes. They didn't even bother to set up counties and villages, and threw it all to the Huns. However, the Huns found it a treasure. The valleys under the mountains can be farmed, the mountains are lush with vegetation, and they can graze. The rain is better than that of the grasslands. The grass grows taller, bigger, and denser, and it grows faster. I don’t know how many more livestock can be raised, and how many more people can live.”
“The most important thing is that June fell. There was much less frost than on the grassland, and the harvest of pasture and grain was high. Liu Kun ceded Yanmen and Dai County. Although the land was not large, it was a rare good land for Dai State, so they immediately built Pingcheng as the southern capital. It is their national policy, just like the Huns' "crossing Yongbin", Tuoba Xianbei is very eager to go south. Counties with more mountainous areas such as Kelan and Xihe are what they dream of. "
< br>"How frosty was it in June before?" Yu Mi had never been to the grassland and was a little curious about it.
“Yes, but less.” Wei Hong shook his head and said, “I don’t know why, but there have suddenly been more of them in recent years. The grassland in June is actually the warmest period. In the past, The frost incident is almost unheard of, and even if it is, it may not be of any consequence, but it has become serious in recent years. People in the grassland are terrified, thinking that they have done something wrong, and they have repeatedly killed people to worship the sky, but nothing has changed. "
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Frost and frost-induced disasters are two concepts with very different degrees.
The most embarrassing thing is that not only have there been more frosts in recent years, but they have also been severe and caused repeated disasters. This is another story.
“But——” At this time, Wei Hong was also a little unsure. He looked at Yu Mi and said seriously: “In the past three years, there have been no disasters worth mentioning in the Tuoba clan. After that, After three good years, I can’t tell what will happen to them.”
Yu Mi nodded silently, he basically understood the whole story.
On April 25th, a group of more than ten people arrived in the south of Shengle City.
Yu Mi took the opportunity to observe and found that the city was not small: it was more than four miles long from east to west and six or seven miles long from north to south.
Like the Han Dynasty cities, there were many people living outside the city, including herdsmen, farmers, craftsmen, and merchants, and it was very lively.
This is a big city outside the Great Wall. I am afraid there are more than 50,000 people living there!
Moreover, I heard from Wei Hong that as Tuoba Dai conquered more and more areas and the household registration became more and more prosperous, Shengle may continue to expand.
How ambitious!
Just when Yu Miao and others were about to enter the city to take a look, they were suddenly taken to a Buddhist temple in the west of the city by the military academy escorted all the way.
This man was as cautious in his words and deeds as ever, and only said: "If you don't want to die, don't leave here."
Yu Miao and Wei Hong looked at each other, inexplicably shocked.
"Whose order does the general have? Where is the Duke? Why don't you see us?" Yu Miao caught up with the military academy who turned to leave and asked in a low voice.
The military academy seemed a little annoyed, and his face suddenly became very fierce, and he just said: "I asked you to live here, live here, don't talk too much. There are many people looking for you now, and you fall into their hands. , he will definitely die.”
Yu Mi wanted to say anything more, but Wei Hong stopped him.
The military academy left quickly, but the hundreds of soldiers who followed him did not leave. Instead, they were scattered in every corner of the Buddhist temple, serving as both guards and surveillance.
A bad premonition arose in Yu Miao's heart.
Perhaps, the previous judgments of King Liang and the shogunate’s assistants were wrong.
They felt that Tuoba Xianbei had experienced a civil strife in a short period of time, with three monarchs dead and a large number of people fleeing. The situation in the country was extremely turbulent, and it was impossible to launch a war with the outside world at this time.
But this is just a judgment made from the perspective of the Central Plains people. Maybe the grasslands are different?
It is easy to make mistakes by judging others by yourself.
"Tick tock!" It started to rain. The huge raindrops fell on the lotus-turned-tongzi tile, washed away the dust on it, gradually formed a line, and fell to the ground.
The Buddhist temple is relatively new, and the vermilion paint on the tiles is very dazzling and looks a bit like blood.
It’s just that this bloody disaster happened in Shengle or somewhere else. Maybe, it's everywhere.
Tuoba Xianbei had actually already made plans for this year's southern expedition. This was a thought that suddenly popped up in Yu Mian's mind.
******
After receiving the news from Gao Yi, Shao Xun did not act rashly, but he did not neglect it either.
He immediately sent a large number of rangers northward into Yanmen territory to spy on the news.
Ten days later, half of the manpower was lost, and the remaining people came back in disgrace, without finding any useful information.
But one thing is certain, every city in Dai Kingdom is hoarding food and grass.
The forged iron armor, arrows, swords and guns were also transported in carts and bags, and convoys of baggage could be seen everywhere on the road.
Shao Xun was a little surprised by this.
He was making preliminary preparations for the conquest of Tuoba Xianbei, such as wooing the peripheral tribes, inspecting local areas, building pre-exit strongholds, making diplomatic concessions, etc. He did not expect that others would take the initiative to go south.
This is so unexpected.
On April 25, he left the Yellow River and led his army to Langu County (today's Kelan County).
Arashi Valley is newly established. After the rain stopped last autumn, a thin earthen city was built. It is similar to a slightly better fortress and cannot be called a city at all.
The mountains around Langu County stand tall, and the Kelan River (today's Lanyi River) flows out of the middle and merges into the Yellow River.
The terrain in the northeast of the county gradually opened up, forming a trumpet-shaped valley in the Wuzhai County area in later generations.
There are many rivers in the valley - in fact, Wuzhai County is also an area with relatively rich water resources in Shanxi in later generations - the largest river is named "Caocheng River", and the place is also named after "Caocheng River", but it is unknown where it originated.
Due to the abundant water and grass, Tuoba Xianbei Ruo likes to gather in the Caochengchuan area when going south, because the supplies are relatively abundant.
Shao Xun established Langu County here to block Caochengchuan, a gathering place for enemy troops.
He is here now.
“Kill!” In the valley, ten thousand soldiers lined up in formation and practiced hard.
Shao Xun stood at the top of the city and watched silently.
Chen Yougen's hands were itchy, so he actually led a team to drill the Yellow Head Army officers himself.
He is strict, his words are harsh, and he often beats people with a horse whip. Anyone who failed to move properly or reacted slowly was often punished, which left a deep impression on the soldiers.
The other 10,000 soldiers were divided into several batches to cut down trees and collect soil to build camps.
The county town is just that big, with three to four thousand people living there reaching the sky. Most of the sergeants have set up villages around the county town, and many of them are even stationed in the mountains on the left and right, looking down into the valley.
"Your Majesty, the food and grass in the army can't last more than a month. It's time to go back." Zhang Bin, the military adviser, pointed to the rolling mountains to the north and said: "Just leave one general to guard here. Your Majesty's body of ten thousand gold cannot be taken lightly." "I'm in danger."
Shao Xun hesitated and asked, "Didn't I just harvest a lot of livestock? I don't have enough food for only one month, maybe two or three months."
Zhang Bin still frowned, and then changed his advice and said: "If Tuoba Yulu goes south, he may not have to leave Lishi. Wouldn't Jinyang be more convenient?"
These words are really interesting. After hearing the effect, Shao Xun said: "Meng Sun's words are quite reasonable. Jinyang only has Liu Ling's soldiers, and I'm afraid it will be difficult to support him alone."
It's not that he doesn't want to mobilize more troops, but the main reason is that there is insufficient food and grass.
This problem will not be alleviated until June and July - the wheat is harvested in May and will be shipped to the front line at the end of May or early June at the earliest. Depending on the distance, it will be sent to the front line in June and July.
"I invite you to come to Jinyang, Your Majesty." Seeing that the persuasion worked, Zhang Bin immediately bowed and said.
"Meng Sun..." Shao Xun looked at him with emotion.
This son was reluctant at the beginning, but now he is trying his best to make suggestions for him. He has changed a lot in a few years.
Sometimes I think about it, is it overkill to only let him serve as a military staff officer? Maybe he can handle a more comprehensive stage?
"I will go to Tianchi in the past two days, and then lead the army back to Jinyang." Shao Xun said: "Meng Sun, who do you think is better to stay in Langu?"
"I think——" Zhang Bin Just as he was saying this, he saw the rangers sent to Caocheng River running back on Pegasus. Some of them had arrows stuck in their backs, looking extremely embarrassed.
His face suddenly froze.
Tuoba Xianbei said that "there will be millions if you control the strings and mount the horse."
Of course this is bragging. There are more than one million people in the country, but it is still scary, because it can already recruit a lot of soldiers, and they are all relatively strong and resistant to fighting.
Would King Liang be besieged in Lan Valley and unable to move, right?
"Your Majesty." Zhang Bin's face was not very good-looking, and he whispered: "The three counties of Kelan, Xihe, and Taiyuan are miscellaneous. They have joined the army not long ago. People's hearts are in confusion. Even if they suffer from elbow and armpit problems, they are not beautiful. Servant, please—"
Shao Xun reached out to stop Zhang Bin's words and said: "Meng Sun, send people to Jinyang, recruit troops from various counties, and garrison Shiling. If possible, the people will evacuate. If you can't retreat, then stick to Wubao."
"Going to Wenyouzhou, I have recently heard that Xianbei has repeatedly attacked Guangning and Shanggu. We should recruit people from the county as a strategy to defend Guangning, and we can retreat as appropriate. Go to Shanggu, but you are not allowed to retreat any further."
"Send people to Lishi and let the Huangtou Army escort the princess and others back to Pingyang."
"The rest of the people, please follow me to attack the thieves. Retreating is not the way to retreat. If you run away after seeing the thieves, how will you fight in the future!"
(End of Chapter)
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