Liu Yu's eyes were bright and his voice was loud. He relied on powerful gestures and movements to strengthen the persuasiveness of his words: "If my subordinates had different intentions, they would fall to the Yan Kingdom now, but so far, the entire desert
In the south, not a single tribe has rebelled against Wei and surrendered to Yan. There is no kindness or righteousness on the grassland, only strength. This shows that in the eyes of these barbarians outside the Great Wall, the Yan army will retreat sooner or later, and the grassland will eventually return to Wei."
When he said this, he waved his right hand vigorously and made a decisive movement. In line with his conclusion, he was full of momentum.
Sima Yao was about to nod in praise, but Sima Shangzhi on the side said coldly: "Sergeant Liu, your words sound reasonable, but my general sounds like they are flawed. You said that Hulu's cavalry cannot fight for more than
One month, including the round trip time, the Yan army has been at the meander of the Yellow River for more than ten days, and there are no tribes, cattle or sheep behind them. You said it will take another month for them to retreat.
Could it be that the Yan army had less food to eat than the people, or could they fight without relying on cattle and sheep? Or that there were other tribes on the grassland helping them? No matter which one it is, it is different from what you said."
Sima Yao's face changed slightly, and he thought it made sense. He looked at Liu Yu, and before he could speak, he heard Liu Yu say calmly: "Leading General (Sima Shangzhi's current official position is Central Leading General, responsible for the Su Wei Army)
Commander) is very reasonable, but you have overlooked one thing, that is, the Yan army defeated more than ten servant tribes in Monan before, such as Helan tribe, Baba tribe, Houmo Chen tribe, Yuan Gu tribe, etc.
He also captured Shengle City and occupied the Khan's court."
"Tuoba Gui moved everything he could take away and move in advance, but he couldn't stop some greedy tribes from taking over the water sources and pastures he left behind. These tribes were beaten badly. I heard that Guang
The Yan army captured nearly a million cattle and sheep, and more than 300,000 dan of grains and grass were also seized. Therefore, the Yan army could use these ready-made seizures to support its own operations. Cattle and sheep may not be able to move to Hequ in large numbers.
There is pastoral care there, but the food is readily available."
Sima Yao finally found a chance to speak and said with a smile: "Sergeant Liu, didn't you just say that these prairie barbarians don't eat grains? Where did these grains come from? Is it possible that they learned to farm on the grassland?
Already?"
Liu Yu shook his head: "On the grassland, the living conditions are extremely harsh. Once a severe drought or a natural disaster such as heavy snow occurs, it is enough to destroy a tribe. A big reason why we in the Central Plains have more food and clothing than they do is that we
The ability to withstand disasters, grains can be stored for three years. Even if there is a disaster in a certain year, granaries can be opened to store grains to tide over the difficulties. However, beef and mutton cannot be preserved, at least not for more than one year. Therefore, since the Huns and the Han Dynasty made peace,
Since then, I have also learned a little bit about the role of this kind of grain storage in disaster relief. If various grassland tribes can trade with the Central Plains, they will also use cattle, sheep, fur and other things to exchange for Central Plains food, handicrafts, silk, etc. This time those
The tribe was defeated and abandoned their cattle and sheep, as well as the hard-earned food. Apart from people, it can be said that almost nothing was left, so they could only go to Hetao, attach themselves to Tuobagui, and even
Even some of the previous freedom of nomadic rights no longer exist."
Sima Yao nodded: "Yes, listening to what you said, Tuoba Gui actually killed someone with a borrowed knife and let the Yan army teach those less honest Monan tribes a lesson. Now they have suffered heavy losses, including their cattle, sheep and grain."
, we completely rely on Tuoba Gui’s relief, so naturally we can only obey his orders. How can the Hetao accommodate so many tribes?”
Liu Yu smiled slightly: "One river loop alone is not enough, so Tuoba Gui also took the opportunity to seize a large number of war horses from these tribes who came to surrender, and used these horses to pay tribute to Yao Chang in exchange for food aid and military aid from the Later Qin Dynasty.
assistance."
Sima Shangzhi said in a deep voice: "Liu Yu, how did you, a little sergeant of the Su Wei Army, know about Wei's mission to Qin? Even I, the general, just learned the news a day ago.
!”
Liu Yu said calmly: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. The past few years in my humble position in the grasslands were not in vain. I also have my own eyes and ears. As I said, everything is to prepare for the future Northern Expedition to the Central Plains and regain the lost territory, so
Whether it’s battle reports or diplomatic reports, those who are humble enough to know them may know them earlier than His Majesty.”
Sima Shangzhi was so angry that his face turned red: "You, you are still talking to foreign countries, you just lost your life in three fights, and you still dare, you still dare..."
Sima Yao waved his hand: "That's all, Sergeant Liu is also devoted to the country. Over the years, all the major aristocratic families have their own intelligence spies, like Mr. Xie An and Mr. Xie, who can even make deals directly with Murong Chui. I can't just let it go.
? Sergeant Liu, I can allow you to continue to inquire about this information, but from now on, after you know this information, can you also prevent me from having to wait two or three days to hear the news from the Ministry of War?"
Liu Yu laughed: "As long as Your Majesty is interested, I am willing to report immediately!"
Seeing the emperor's attitude, Sima Shangzhi could only sigh: "Your Majesty, I can understand your love for talents, but if you indulge Liu Yu like this, I'm afraid it will cause discussion among loyal ministers."
Sima Yao said coldly: "Loyal minister? If you are a loyal minister, you should honestly hand over those land deeds and let the country take back what should belong to you. It has been more than a month, but one family after another has taken the initiative to return these things.
?”
Sima Shangzhi was choked and unable to respond, so he could only salute and step aside.
Sima Yao looked at Liu Yu and continued: "So, does the Yan army have no chance of crossing by force?"
Liu Yu shook his head: "Murong Lin's sneak attack was almost the only opportunity. The reason why Hetao is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and can form an independent kingdom on the grassland, is that with this big river as a barrier, Tuoba Dai Kingdom was in its heyday.
At that time, Liu Weichen could not do anything, not to mention the current Tuoba Gui, whose military strength was several times that of the Tiefu Xiongnu. Now he has recalled all the tribes in Hetao, and asked the Monan tribes who came to defect to patrol the river bank, even though it is thousands of miles away.
There is no opportunity to take advantage of the Yellow River. Unless the Yellow River suddenly freezes and the river becomes a direct road, the Yan army can cross the river on the ice. But even so, if the Yan and Wei armies concentrate all their main forces and form a formation,
In the decisive battle on the Hetao Grassland, the outcome is still uncertain. In fact, if I were to choose, I would choose Wei to win in the end."
This chapter has been completed!