Shangdang County has been a battleground for military strategists since ancient times.
The earth is extremely high and is aligned with the sky, so it is called Shangdang, which shows how dangerous the terrain is.
Strategically speaking, Shangdang can also be called the gateway to Hedong and the extension of Hebei. It can be seen that Shangdang is a very important strategic location for Hedong and Hebei. In other places, the geographical advantages are not so prominent.
Whoever occupies this place will have the first mover advantage. As for looking south to Henan, that is an artistic exaggeration. Across the Taihang Mountains and the surging Yellow River, you can't see anything about Henan.
The most famous battle for Shangdang is the Changping Battle between Pre-Qin and Zhao during the Warring States Period. In fact, the battle took place at the junction of today's Changping County and Shangdang County.
That battle is well known, and there is no need to go into detail. In fact, Zhao's failure was not tactical. At that time, Qin's national power was gradually getting stronger, and it became increasingly obvious that it was overwhelming the six countries. It was already at the upper hand politically, economically, and strategically.
, Zhao’s failure is almost inevitable.
At the end of the Han Dynasty, Cao Cao also visited here. To sum up, Shangdang is at a very high altitude, which does mean it is a bit condescending, but to say how dangerous it is... well, that's about it.
Surrounded by mountains, the scenery here is very good, especially in summer, with undulating mountains, rolling green mist, and flocks of birds and animals. It should be a place where poets and poets are very willing to visit.
But the fact is that the folk customs of Shangdang are fierce, and it is not easy for literati and poets to come here and want to walk around and take a look without incident. You might be killed on some mountain trail.
It's time to kill and drink.
This is even more true in troubled times. Most of the bandits in Shangdang are useless, but if you want to wipe them all out, it is still a fool's errand. Shangdang lacks everything, except the territory for Tibetans.
In fact, there is nothing to say. Shangdang is surrounded by mountains and is rich in mountain and forest resources. However, it is almost impossible to develop it in these days. There are only a few acres of fertile land for people to cultivate, and the grain production cannot be compared with the counties outside the mountains.
Compared with other counties, businessmen don't have much interest here.
Therefore, most of the people here are very poor, and it is difficult for them to join the party. The root of the problem is that they are here. They are poor in materials, and it is difficult to know etiquette. This is the fundamental idea of Confucianism, and it is very suitable to be placed here.
The advantages of Shangdang are actually contained in it. When there is a large army stationed, most of the food and grass are supplied from outside the mountains, so it can be a barrier, but there is no need for people to support the troops and respect themselves. Look, isn't it good?
Just like Yan Zong and Lu Haoran, they huddled in the basin and dominated, but when the soldiers arrived, they immediately fell apart.
Shangdang went through several wars this year and quickly changed its owners. The so-called dangerous situation is nothing but a general trend. Places like Shangdang and Changping can only follow the trend.
In late May, Li Podong joined the Shangdang Party.
Entering Shangdang, it's almost like a completely different world. There are undulating mountains and hills. There are forests and grass everywhere, exuding a primitive flavor.
It was too closed-off, this was how Li Po felt, so he had strong doubts about this luggage pouch. Later, he realized that such a place must be very popular.
But now, what Li Po wants is fertile land and population, so what does Shangdang have? The strategic advantage is not so obvious at this time, Dou Jiande does not dare to come, and Wang Shichong will only come to grab Shangdang and Changping unless he is crazy.
After entering Shangdang for about half a day, Li Po felt a little ashamed in his heart. It was indeed unethical to leave the head of the Pei family in Hedong in such a place.
Furthermore, Yan Zong and Lu Haoran always ask for food and grass from him. Looking at it like this, it seems that they are not so shameless...
Well, if what he thinks is known to Yan Zong who has already gone underground, he will definitely be pissed to death again.
Of course, the actual situation of the Shangdang was not really that bad. Because of its isolation, it was relatively intact during the melee in the late Sui Dynasty. The most serious damage to the Shangdang was not the rebels, but the labor force.
From the seventh year of Daye until the battle between Li Po and Li Shentong, the two counties of Shangdang and Changping had to endure so much labor that even the officials in the counties could not calculate it.
As food prices soared, officials in these two counties also came up with the idea of exchanging labor for food. Many families were desperate and became refugees and bandits.
Up to now, the population of the two counties is about 10 to 56. The situation is not good, but compared with Xihe County and Daizhou County, it is much better.
Li Po and his party traveled very fast, and it only took eight days to get all the way from Jinyang, which also included the time spent in Xihe County and Linfen County.
As Li Po expected, the process of greeting Liu Han, the prefect of Linfen County, was almost completely imitated by Zhang Yunzhi. With the ceremony and music accompanying him, Li Po waved the stick without hesitation and gave Liu Han the gift.
Han a few times.
Of course, the significance of his tour was not here. Along the way, he met with many local officials and learned about the places he passed.
The trip went smoothly, and I didn't meet any daring people. Five hundred soldiers of the King of Han accompanied him, and they galloped past like wind and clouds. Not to mention the bandits who walked only on two legs, even the regular officers and soldiers came.
Consider the issue of whether you can keep up.
Entering the territory of Shangdang, follow the foothills of Lutai Mountain to the southeast to Zhuoshui, go up the Shuo River, and reach Xiangyuan in less than a day.
The magistrate of Xiangyuan County came out to welcome him, and Li Po rested here for the night. Mountains were everywhere as far as he could see. Even Li Po, who was very fond of mountains and forests, was a little dizzy. Moreover, the hardship of the people here left a deep impression on Li Po.
Most of the people are hunters and woodcutters. Today, when the population has plummeted and men are either serving in the army or doing hard labor, their lives can be imagined.
Most of the villages along the way are abandoned, and some of the cultivated mountain fields are occupied by women and children. The harvest after autumn is difficult for the whole family to enjoy.
However, when he went to the mountains to hunt and collect firewood, he had to face threats from mountain people and bandits. From the Xiangyuan County Magistrate who accompanied him, he learned that the most famous custom here was bride snatching.
The mountain people came down to snatch women. When the population was sufficient, men from the plains would rush into the mountains to snatch the wives and daughters of the mountain people, thus forming a very special way of getting married.
Regardless of the common people or the local rich families, when getting married, the most indispensable thing is a man with big shoulders and round waist. What he holds in his hand is not a gift. Everyone has a sword on his back, as if facing a powerful enemy. There are endless blood feuds for this reason.
The government can't control it at all, and they don't dare to control it. The folk customs are very tough, and they are no worse than the Daizhou frontier fortress.
Knowing that the King of Han was coming, all the officials and gentry in the county gathered in the county seat. Wu Tong, the general under Zhang Lun, and Pei Xu, the commander of Shangdang County, had also been waiting in Xiangyuan City early.
This makes Xiangyuan look very lively. Well, it has never been so lively since the war in the late Sui Dynasty. Almost all the names of the Shangdang family can be found in this city.
They are all focused on this inevitable road, preparing to find the right opportunity to meet the King of Han. Even if they can't talk to each other, they can still feel noble, right?
A few months have passed, and no one seems to remember who Yan Zong is anymore. They only know that the sun, moon and star flags are flying again on the city tops, and they heard that the same is true outside.
The King of Han's achievements are as high as the sun and the moon. Today, he comes to Shangdang. The heroes of Shangdang are naturally happy. The little blood shed before is really nothing to them.
This is actually the significance of Li Po's tour. It is not a big one, but it does have the effect of gathering people's hearts. If not, Yang Guang would not drag so many people around.
People like Liu Bang and Xiang Yu at the end of the Qin Dynasty, didn't their eyes turn blue with envy when they saw Emperor Qin's traveling team, and that gave them strong ambition and fighting spirit?
But as the protagonist, His Highness the King of Han, his mood gradually became worse at this moment, because even though the outer counties were in a bad situation, they still showed some vitality.
But you can't see it here in Shangdang. The gap between the rich and the poor has reached a certain level. If you think about it, you can understand the reason. Behind closed doors in Shangdang, the local tyrants squeeze the people with cruelty, which is actually better than elsewhere. A few points higher.
Moreover, they are very stubborn, and it is annoying to watch them all being sneaky.
One of the reasons why Li Po felt this way was because of the established impression. Yan Zong and Lu Haoran made the first move, which made Li Po dislike the Shangdang officials.
Secondly, when we arrived in Xiangyuan, from the Xiangyuan County magistrate down, the chief registrar, county captain, etc. were all Xiangyuan natives.
Thirdly, both civil and military officials in the county were very rude. The county magistrate had read a few books and was called a scholar in the county. The chief clerk was similar to him, but the county captain seemed to be illiterate and behaved particularly "boldly".
However, they represent the three major families in Xiangyuan County, and county official positions have almost become hereditary for them.
Li Po had seen this situation before. When he entered Youzhou eastward, Zhuoxian County was like this. The Lu family and the Zhang family controlled the military and political affairs of Zhuoxian County. Finally, when Luo Shixin kicked open the city gate, they smashed it. dream.
If it were just these, it would be fine, but after only staying in Xiangyuan for half a day, Li Po had already keenly felt the mentality of being unable to penetrate with needles and unable to penetrate with water.
Li Po finally got interested, feeling that he had come to the right place, but when he touched it, it was tasteless, and the tasteless feeling made him feel bad.
At this moment, he is already preparing to go to the county town to cause trouble for Pei Shiqing and Zhang Lun. After a battle, a few of these people will be killed. Can you withstand the swords and guns I put in your hands?
At this time, the chief officials and assistant officials of Xiangyuan County did not know that His Royal Highness the King of Han was a little annoyed. That night, the county magistrate also hosted a banquet for Li Po to cleanse himself from the dust. Wu Tong, Pei Xu, the county chief registrar, and the county lieutenant accompanied them. In addition, we also invited "famous" literati from two counties to come over.
He was probably planning to show off Shangdang’s writing style at the banquet...
Well, who knows, anyway, Li Po felt that these guys were seeking death as much as Yan Zong, who had already lost his head.