In the second year of Taiwu, August 3rd.
After many days of preparation, Zhang Chong left a large number of civil and military personnel to stay in Yejing. Later, he personally appointed the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Expedition. He led the 5,000-strong Central Guard Army assembled in Yecheng and the 2,000-strong garrison troops transferred from the southern region to the north. Rush to Ji County, the transit place.
Because he had to guard against the princes in the south, Zhang Chong did not deploy too much military power in the Heji area this time.
When the army set off toward Jixian in the north in a mighty manner, Jushu, one of the accompanying troops, said this very sincerely. He pointed out that the biggest enemy in this campaign to conquer Liao was not the power of the four Liaodong counties but the roads there.
As soon as Jushou was strong, he traveled around and knew the mountains and rivers in Hebei very well. However, he never went to Liaodong because the road to Liaodong was too far and there were no supplies in the middle. It can be said that it was naturally cut off from the Central Plains.
But now that the Taishan Army has mobilized tens of thousands of troops, its later supply will be very troublesome.
Among the supply routes currently set, it is roughly divided into two routes, the southern section and the northern section, with Jixian as the transit point.
Among them, there is not much difficulty in transporting grain from Yecheng and Taicang in Handan to Jixian because there is an existing Guangyang Straight Road available, but it is difficult to transport grain from Yecheng to Lulongsai. And it is even more difficult to cross the border from Lulongsai to Liaodong, because there is no road at all.
After Zhang Chong heard this, he laughed loudly, then pointed to the north and said:
"Have you forgotten the two canals that were just repaired this year?"
Jushou was stunned when he heard this, and then suddenly realized.
It turns out that when Hebei started dredging rivers last year, Duman personally planned two canals, one starting from the Hutuo River and connecting to the Lu River. One starts from Luhe River and goes down to Baoqiu River.
In this way, relying on these two water canals, the Taishan Army was able to pass through the Hutuo River, Qingshui River, and the Baigou that had been opened outside Yecheng before, forming a waterway running from north to south.
The original purpose of building canals was to irrigate the coast and facilitate the movement of goods from north to south. But who would have thought that it would be used in this battle to conquer Liao.
Therefore, Zhang Chong specifically named these two canals "Zhengliao Canal" and "Zhenhai Canal".
After the sudden realization, Jushou stopped talking.
From the surface, it seems that the subordinates, privy councilors, nine ministers, and internal and external generals are all working hard for the major event of conquering Liao. But in fact, the quarrel about this battle has never stopped.
In fact, just when Zhang Chong had just finished the meeting in the Taiji Hall, he received letters from the Central Plains generals such as Guan Yu, Hei Fu, Wang Han and so on.
They all said that Liaodong was nothing but scabies. What if Yuan Shao and Cao Cao from the Central Plains united to attack Zhongnan, Heji and even Hebei when the army was conquering Liaodong?
But this time it was Duman who continued to support Zhang Chong. He directly said:
"Liaodong is far away, and it seems that there is no threat to us? But tactically, they must not have guessed that we would abandon the enemies in the Central Plains in front of us and attack them, so they will win by surprise. Furthermore, strategically, too, now all the heroes in the Central Plains The pressure on our army in the Central Plains is too great, and once we move south to the north, without our threat, the other countries will inevitably annex each other, and this will be our army's opportunity. Once the army takes possession of Liaodong, it can move towards Jiao Lai and attack Cao Cao in Qingzhou from three sides. "
Xun You, who praised paintings at that time, also agreed with the expedition to Liao.
He said that both Yuan Shao and Cao Cao were heroes and had the ambition to devour the world. Once the threat from our army is gone, the other side will definitely use this time to annex all parties. If Yuan Shao wants to solve the internal troubles first, Cao Cao will go south to Xuzhou.
It was the approval of a group of wise men in the military that made those foreign military academies gradually understand the deeper meaning of the Battle of Liao.
But when Jushou suddenly mentioned logistics and food supplies again during the march, although Zhang Chong took it over with a smile about the ditch, he actually understood that Jushou was most worried about the road conditions after leaving the fortress.
Zhang Chong also has his own plans for these.
The plan for conquering Liao mentioned by Zhang Chong before in Taiji Hall and among the disciples can be roughly divided into two stages.
The first stage is to leave Lulong fortress and head north, heading straight to Liucheng in western Liaoning, either to make a forced landing or to annihilate the Wuhuan tribe group entrenched here.
The second stage is to use Wuhuan's cattle, sheep and horses as supplies to go directly east, that is, from the north, bypassing Liaoze and attack Xuantu County, and then go all the way south to attack Liaodong.
This strategy is Zhang Chong's communication line combined with the historical Cao Cao's northern expedition to Wuhuan and Tang Taizong's eastern expedition to Liaodong.
There are three main traffic lines on the road from Hebei to Liaoxi.
They are the road from Lulong to Pinggang, the valley road from Bailangshui to Yushui, and the Banghai Road along the Liaoxi Corridor.
Among them, Banghai Road is the most thoroughfare and the most convenient, so this road is also the main transportation line between Liaodi and Hebei.
However, this road is often affected by seasonal flooding and is difficult to pass.
But the bad thing is that the Taishan Army is sending troops now in autumn and August, when the sea tide rises. At this time, the seaside road has been swallowed up by the sea water and is no longer passable.
That's why Zhang Chong decided to take the road from Lulong to Pinggang.
After taking this road directly to Liucheng, you can directly follow the Bailangshui Valley Road through Songling and directly enter the boundary of western Liaoning.
On this road, the most important geographical obstacle is a huge swamp area called Liaoze.
This swamp is two hundred miles long and more than three feet deep. It has always been the most important protection for the forces in the Liaodong region in the west. Almost all the cities in Liaodong and Xuantu counties were built around this piece of Liaoze. .
Therefore, Zhang Chong chose to start from Liucheng and enter western Liaoning through the Bailangshui Valley, also to conveniently bypass this swamp so that he could attack Gongsundu directly from the north.
Originally, Zhang Chong planned to build a bridge directly over Liaoze, but unfortunately, Zhang Chong had not seen the specific situation of Liaoze, and he did not know how dangerous this famous Shangshui Lake was, so he gave up this plan. plan.
Therefore, if you want to go from Lulong to Pinggang, Pinggang to Liucheng, and Liucheng through the Yushui Valley to enter western Liaoning, then Liucheng cannot be avoided in any case.
And now it is the Wuhuan people who control Liucheng and these two roads.
The Taishan Army is no stranger to the Wuhuan people. As early as in the Battle of Puyang, a group of about 200 Wuhuan people belonging to the Liyang Camp surrendered to the Taishan Army. Later, several groups served in the Han Army. The Wuhuan people were captured and surrendered to the Taishan Army.
It was precisely with the addition of these Wuhuan people who were deeply Chinese that Zhang Chong and others had a deeper understanding of the Wuhuan people.
Like many grassland peoples, the reason why the Wuhuan people are Wuhuan people is not because they have the same blood, but just a group of miscellaneous slaves who were excluded from the Huns.
During the heyday of the Huns, the Wuhuan people living in the east had to sacrifice cattle, horses, and sheep to the Huns every year. Once they did not give them after the time, the Huns would ask their wives to pay the debt.
Therefore, once the Huns and Han people began an all-out war, these oppressed Wuhuan people naturally went south to seek support and protection from the Han people.
After these Wuhuan people went south, they migrated to the outside of the Great Wall in the five counties of Shanggu, Yuyang, Youbeiping, Liaoxi, and Liaodong as a tribe near the city.
The Han people provided them with safety and a place to spend the winter, while the Wuhuan people needed to spy on the Huns' movements outside the Great Wall for the Han court.
It can be said that the Wuhuan people had a place to stay under the protection of the Han people.
But the Han people soon discovered the Wuhuan people's martial prowess. These Wuhuan people, who were still in the tribal era, were brave and capable of fighting, and dared to die in large numbers. It can be said that plundering is the blood flowing in their bodies.
This power was controlled by the Han people and naturally became a sharp weapon. However, as the master of the blade began to weaken, these Wuhuan people began to have their own ideas.
Especially the Huns lost their families and the Xianbei killed each other. They believed that the destiny of the Wuhuan people was about to come.
As a result, in recent years, the internal integration of the Wuhuan people has become faster and faster, and the Wuhuan leaders who became tribal leaders also began to annex each other.
Moreover, there is a practical reason for these people's annexation. That is, as the north gets colder and colder, the Zahu tribes further north are moving southward, which puts great pressure on these Wuhuan people.
In the past, loose tribes could not protect security in such an environment, so there was a realistic basis for forming a major alliance.
Until Zhang Chong's Northern Expedition, the Wuhuan people have successively formed four tribes.
Among them are the ancient tribe composed of the nine thousand tribes of Wuhuan in Shanggu, ruled by the tribe leader Nanlou; the western Liaoning tribe composed of the Wuhuan five thousand tribes in western Liaoning, ruled by the tribe leader Qiu Liju; and then there are the thousand tribes in the eastern Liaoning area. The eastern part of the Liao Dynasty was ruled by Su Puyan, the leader of the Guibu tribe; the last one was the Youbeiping tribe formed by the eight hundred tribes of Youbeiping, ruled by Wu Yan, the leader of the Guibu tribe.
Each settlement here is a tent, with about a dozen people, so the four Wuhuan tribes combined have a total of more than 200,000 people, and the strongest among them is the western Liaoning.
Among these four tribes, the Youbeiping tribe surrendered to the Taishan Army very early. When Zhang Dan's army was stationed at Lulongsai, the Youbeiping tribe who set up camp in Pinggang not far from here offered to Zhang Dan. White wolf hair, thought to be a tribute.
The reason for this is precisely because there is a big turmoil happening among the Wuhuan people today.
As the strongest of the four tribes in western Liaoning, it has always regarded itself as the leader of the alliance of the four tribes, and even gives orders in the name of Wuhuan Chanyu on a daily basis.
Therefore, Qiu Liju at that time was just like the Xianbei hero Tan Shihuai, a legend who could unify an ethnic group.
But heroes eventually come to an end. Qiu Liju is old and can no longer mount a horse, eat meat, or even leave the tent.
But the problem now is that Qiu Liju’s parents and children are young, so it is Qiu Liju’s son Tadun who takes the photo of Wuhuan in the three counties of Liaoxi, Liaodong and Youbeiping.
Since Nataton returned from his experience in the Han Dynasty, he has become very knowledgeable and won the support of Wuhuan warriors. In particular, he also used Han law to restrain the tribe and formed the tribe into leaders of hundreds, thousands, and ten thousand. The system greatly enhanced the organizational level of the Wuhuan people.
However, Wu Yan, the leader of the Youbeiping tribe, is Lou Ban's uncle, so Taton has been suppressing the Youbeiping tribe since he came to power.
First, he deprived some of the pastures, and then transferred some of his elite warriors into Liucheng. It can be said that Taton wanted to swallow up the Youbeiping tribe entirely.
Wu Yan, whose strength was only 800, couldn't compete with Tadun at all, so he could only go south to find Zhang Dan's help.
It was precisely with Wu Yan's support that Zhang Chong was able to have a clear view of the current passage leading to Liucheng and the situation.
It was not Zhang Chong who insisted on destroying Wuhuan in Liaoxi.
But whoever allowed this Taton to marry Gongsundu who was entrenched in Liaodong, and that Taton guarded the only passage to Liaodong, could only move the stone away first.
As the saying goes, what does destroying you have to do with you?
……
In Liucheng, two hundred miles away from Lulongsai.
It is said to be two hundred miles, but in fact, to reach Liucheng from Lulong, you have to walk nearly 600 miles on a mountain road.
Even on this road there is often drought and no streams, so people and horses can't move, and birds and animals can't come.
That is to say, not long after Zhang Chong arrived in Jixian, Liucheng became agitated again.
Because it’s time for the annual mutual market again.
At this time, in the various tents set up outside Liucheng, tribesmen and Han people from all over the country gathered here and started shouting at each other to trade.
These tribes include Wuhuan people from the three counties, some from the grasslands, and even some Fuyu people from further north also appeared here.
At this time, in the embryonic city of Liucheng, a banquet was also beginning.
Although the Wuhuan people are nomadic, the Wuhuan royal court entrenched here in Liucheng lives in the city like the Han people.
Liucheng, where they were located, was the county seat of western Liaoning during the Han Dynasty. Later, after it was abandoned in the north of the present dynasty, it was left to the Wuhuan people to live.
In this way, the tribal chiefs and adults who had been separated from manual labor moved into the city to live, receiving support from the tribes outside the city, and no longer suffered from frost and cold.
The most significant change brought about by this transformation is that the lifespan of the big-headed people has become longer.
And just looking at the banquet place in the center of the city, with all kinds of gray chiefs and wizards inside, you know that the city is still raising people.
Shanyu Qiu Liju still did not appear at this banquet, and his nephew Taton still entertained the envoys from all parties.
At this time, in the darkened hall, pits of bonfires were roasting cattle and sheep.
Some precious spices are being sprinkled on the barbecue, preparing to entertain the most distinguished guests of the Wuhuan people.
The envoy of the Gongsun family in Liaodong.
As the most important ally of the Wuhuan people, Gongsun Du's people also came for this mutual trade, and the envoy was a warrior named Han Zhong.
Han Zhong brought 500 carts of ironware and a large amount of salt to Taton.
This made Taton's hospitality standards for Han Zhong even higher.
In fact, these two years have been the most intense years for Wuhuan people.
As the Taishan Army continued to fight fiercely with the Han Army in Northern Xinjiang, Lu Zhi continued to send the Northern Xinjiang Army southward, which resulted in a void in the defense of Northern Xinjiang.
During this period, Taton led the three Wuhuan tribes to continuously go south into the Han areas to plunder people and wealth, which totaled about 100,000 households.
Relying on the huge population and wealth obtained through plunder, Tadun not only consolidated his power, but also developed farming and handicrafts based on these Han Dingkou, which greatly enhanced the power of the Wuhuan people.
But this time, his good neighbor and father-in-law Gongsun Du sent another big gift.
With this batch of iron tools, he can form a real assault cavalry, just like the assault cavalry of the Taishan Army.
Previously, Taton and his companions' journey south had become his most important asset.
No one knows the Taishan Army better than him.
Just when the banquet was getting hot, Gongsun Du's envoy Han Zhong suddenly took out something wrapped in deerskin from his pocket.
Then Han Chang handed it over respectfully and said:
"Chanyu, this is the real gift from my lord to Shanyu."
Tadun, who was already a little dizzy from drinking, took the deerskin bag and opened it, and saw a seal and ribbon falling into the bag.
At that time, Taton's wine had sobered up.