There is heavy snowfall, and this winter seems to be extremely cold. The mountains, rivers and land are covered with a thick layer of white cotton-padded jackets.
Compared with the turmoil that has spread again in Youzhou, Jizhou, Shangdang Taiyuan is somewhat quiet, but relatively speaking, after all, the war is taking place in a nearby prefecture and county, although it is blocked by the Taihang Mountains.
It also brought a lot of restlessness.
In such icy and snowy weather, even people from Yanmen Wuyuan who are accustomed to the northern climate rarely go out to cross counties. What's more, if it snows, the cold wind will be as sharp as a knife.
In the same way, people can be hacked to death halfway.
But in the winter of Yan Ping's early years, things were a little different.
Because of the ongoing war between Jizhou and Youzhou, farmers from Youzhou, and then from some small counties in the north of Jizhou, began to flee one after another.
Different from the policy of elite soldiers implemented by Fei Qian, both Yuan Shao of Jizhou and Gongsun Zan of Youzhou continued the original recruitment system of the Han Dynasty, and recruiting soldiers was not like in later games, where there would be large numbers of soldiers just by giving an order.
The people gathered at the military camp voluntarily, and everyone was able to look like a person with higher education, knowing how to line up, knowing how to report his or her name, hobbies, specialties, etc...
The sources of recruitment are first of all various types of rangers and libertines and farmers who have lost their farmland. However, the number of such people is always limited. When these cannon fodder are gradually worn out on the battlefield, there will be no one to replenish them next.
I am willing to abandon my family and join the great cause of Yuan Shao or Gongsun Zan.
So what should we do when the war still continues, and we still need to replenish soldiers and recruit farmers?
Catch the strong man!
Therefore, in such cold weather, there are naturally more refugees fleeing, dragging their families with them from the Taihang Mountain Trail into Taiyuan and Shangdang, where the situation is relatively calm. Even though they may die on the way, at least
It is somewhat better than being captured directly by Yuan Shao or Gongsun Zan and walking to the battlefield lifeless.
The war between Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan clearly shows no sign of peaceful coexistence. No one has an idea of how long the war will last, and it disturbs people everywhere.
In the counties and counties to the north of the border between the two armies, local officials simply used all kinds of weird reasons to resign, to go home, and some even used the excuse of going to Yuan Shao Gongsun Zan in person to report matters.
Run straight towards the inner territory of Jizhou and Youzhou. In any case, we must leave these dangerous places first. In these places, the nobles and nobles, big and small, do not all have the spirit of seeking wealth and wealth in danger, let alone the so-called duty of defending the territory.
Those who were less courageous set off quickly before the military disaster spread to their own homes. Even those who had hundreds of strong bankers in their hands did not know how long they could stay in the local area.
The second reason why these people chose to flee was also the reason why a large number of refugees at the junction of Jizhou and Youzhou fled to Taiyuan and Shangdang. This was an even more desperate move by Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan. According to the laws of the Han Dynasty, the refugees could be directly transferred to the army.
, so Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan naturally captured and sent all the people who fled to the army without saying a word, so these people had no more choice but to survive in danger.
There is another very important reason. When the armies of Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan were at war, the damage to people's livelihood was really serious. The army was short of food, so they looted everywhere. In the past, the so-called fish and water situation between the army and the people, in the time of shortage of supplies,
The situation has long since ceased to exist. Many nobles and nobles were forced to open their warehouses under the threat of swords and guns, and were "borrowed" by Yuan Shao or Gongsun Zan who knew how much food and grass they had. Not only that, the destruction of cultivated land also caused these people to
There is absolutely no hope for the future.
There were basically few nobles and nobles in Youzhou originally. Especially after Lu Zhi's death, there were no decent leaders. Moreover, the area around Shanggu County in Dai County was basically troubled by Wuhuan and Xianbei for a long time, so and
Yan Rou, who had some friendship with Wuhuan and Xianbei, gradually gathered some people who were disgusted with Gongsun Zan.
As for Jizhou, it has been relatively peaceful for a long time, so the place has not seen such a domineering and unscrupulous army for many years. The prominent families in Jizhou are even more angry and angry, and the marriage between Jizhou nobles
The relationship was complicated, involving many people. Many people found Yuan Shao and severely sued the soldiers on the border! They were angry and even more heartbroken. These grains were all money!
The nobles and nobles in Jizhou, who were originally relatively relaxed, began to become nervous. These years have been really rough. The war against Gongsun Zan, which I thought would be over soon, has become involved today, no matter which family in Jizhou.
Every household is greatly affected.
This day and that day is the end!
If Yan Ping has been playing for a whole year in the first year, how many more years will he have to play in the next year?
Except for those who were deeply affected by the war in northern Hebei, the local nobles and nobles in Jizhou, and others who were somewhat related to each other, also kept coming to Yecheng to visit Yuan Shao for various reasons.
Of course, when these people came to Yuan Shao, they were more or less polite. After all, what was Yuan Shao's identity? Yuan Shao also knew how to deal with these noble right-wingers better than Gongsun Zan, and he did not do anything as domineering as Gongsun Zan did to kill Liu Yu.
Things happened, so there was some respect between them. Although these nobles and nobles did not explicitly name them, Yuan Shao also generally knew that it was the generals on the front line who did these things, so he pretended to be angry and ordered
If you reprimand, just give him some face and deal with it.
However, as the war lengthened, it was difficult to stop this kind of thing. After repeated attempts, whether it was Yuan Shao or the Jizhou nobles and nobles, some barriers inevitably arose in their hearts. Will such barriers evolve into
No one can predict the cracks or what form they will take in the future.
Amidst the falling snowflakes, this place was already under the jurisdiction of Zhengxi. The large group of refugees who came through the mountains and ridges along the valley entered the Shangdang Taiyuan area from this place.
In the open area at the exit of the mountain road, many sheds have been erected and many dens have been dug. There are already more than a thousand refugees who have arrived early. They receive some dry food and hot soup from the sheds every day, and they sit on the ground in the evening.
I huddled up in the nest. Although it was still quite painful, it was already as good as heaven compared to stumbling on the snow on the road.
As soon as these refugees entered the territory of Zhengxi, almost everyone was resettled. Not to mention anything else, the food provided was extremely generous. Even compared to the hard winter at the border of Jizhou I also ate much better. The miscellaneous porridge distributed in the shack was also thick. After drinking a bowl, my whole body felt warm and comfortable, which could last at least an hour or two!
When we were on the border of Jizhou, although there were dilapidated houses with walls to block the wind, a family of several people might have a bowl of coarse grains to fill their stomachs every day. It was not even necessary to think about two meals a day or one bowl per person. Day and night I was so hungry that my eyes turned green, and I wished I could even rub up the frozen soil on the ground and eat it!
Not to mention how many poor families don’t even have shabby houses, so they just have to dig burrows in the ground for shelter!
It was only because of the generous food supply that so many refugees were able to survive after entering the Zhengxi territory. Although there were still some who could not hold on and froze to death on the road, these refugees had long been numb, and every time In the winter season of 2018, even if they stayed in their original homes, normally, at least one or two of ten people would die. Some old and weak people did not even want to drag down the young people at home, but quietly went to work in the middle of the night while they could still move around. Entered the mountain by myself!
Now I am living a better life...
Regarding the expedition to the west, these refugees who fled also felt a little strange. At least the relationship with Yuan Shao was, needless to say, strange. But it did not concern them, the common people in the border areas. What they were concerned about was their own lives. Can I live a few more years in this world?
Since entering the territory of Zhengxi, Zhengxi's subordinates have sent many strong soldiers directly into their ranks to act as leaders. With these soldiers in charge of management, many of the habitual things of the weak and the strong in the refugee group have been eliminated.
Although they are driven to do this or that thing every day, and they need to run around in the snow during the day, build shacks or dig burrows, etc., they are also taken care of, and the grains are distributed every day. The porridge was as much as it was said to be, and there were basically no deductions, and no women in the refugee team were ever kidnapped. Therefore, although the restrictions were tight, and there were some so-called "health regulations" that must be followed at all times, these refugees did not have any objections.
It's good to be able to survive during this kind of time, not to mention that Zhengxi is given food and drink and can do whatever he is told.
Although these refugees may not know how powerful these Zhengxi soldiers are, the fact that they can easily deploy and transport carts of grain, grass and various materials is enough to prove how wealthy Zhengxi is.
Anyway, even if these refugees are in Youzhou, Jizhou, most of them rely on the powerful tyrants in various fortresses to survive. Now they have changed to rely on General Fei Qian, who is obviously more powerful than the previous gentry tycoons. They are used to these things. For the hard-working and impoverished refugees, this may not be a bad thing.
Among the refugees who came earlier, some of the stronger ones have been integrated and moved inward, while those who stayed here are basically the latecomers and those who are not suitable for continuing the long journey.
Because of this, the refugee reception center currently established near Taiyuan, Shangdang, seems to be fairly orderly and without any disturbance.
Zhang Liao, Zhang Xiu, and more than twenty personal guards stood on a hill not far away, looking at everything in front of them with a satisfied expression. Although the weather was indeed a bit cold, the surrounding guards did not.
One of them looked timid and stood upright next to Zhang Liao. Even if his armor was stained by the wind and snow, it would not tremble twice.
At this moment, a military commander in charge of the refugee camp, Sima Zhenggong, reported back to Zhang Liao: "Qi Lieutenant, these days, a total of 1,326 new refugees have arrived, and they cannot survive the cold at night.
Forty-seven people died, all old and weak. Each person was given two meals of thick porridge and some hot soup every day. Soldiers and horses patrolled the camp every hour, and any lawbreakers would be punished on the spot!
"
"The restraints are pretty good!" Zhang Liao nodded and said, "It's good to see, there may be refugees coming next! Although the weather is cold and the epidemic is not easy to occur, we can't relax the rules at all!"
The military commander bowed his hands in agreement and then withdrew without mentioning anything.
Zhang Xiu stood beside Zhang Liao and saw that Zhang Liao looked somewhat lonely, so he couldn't help but ask: "Captain, is there anything wrong with you?"
Zhang Liao shook his head first, then exhaled slightly and said: "Nothing, I just heard that the Yanmen area also suffered from a snowstorm... Now nine out of ten households are empty..."
After Zhang Xiu heard this, he couldn't help but be silent for a moment, not knowing what to say.
"It's okay, I just remembered it accidentally..." Zhang Liao didn't feel sad for long, and said, "At least our place is pretty good! By the way, the one who came a few days ago... well, Xu You and Xu Ziyuan are still here.
Are you in Huguan?"
"Haha..." Speaking of this Xu You, Zhang Xiu couldn't help but laugh. After laughing a few times, he said, "Captain, I have never seen such a person! It is said that in the post house, I only saw those
Some people came with gifts, but none came empty-handed! Also, I really have too many eyes and hands to see anything good. I heard that I saw Jia Shijun’s carriage two days ago, and I thought it was good, and then I was shameless
I'm going to die alive!"
"Hahahaha..." Zhang Liao also laughed, and then turned his horse's head and said, "If all General Yuan's subordinates were such people, we would be more relieved! But we cannot underestimate Xu You and Xu Ziyuan.
, or he is using a strategy to underestimate the enemy! Moreover, this guy lingers in Huguan. According to Jia Shijun, his men wander around Huguan for various reasons every day, most of which are surveying the terrain and our armaments.
Condition!"
Zhang Xiu raised his eyebrows and said with some surprise: "I thought this person was just a money-grubbing person! But we are all outside now, and it is useless even if this guy looks around Huguan! It's just that this
Due to the weather, Erlang is stationed outside, so it’s somewhat difficult..."
"It'll be there in a few days..." Zhang Liao rode forward and said, "The lord has sent people to greet him. Xu You and Xu Ziyuan can't delay for much longer. It will be enough in just a few days."
...But during these times, the men and women should pay more attention, and the sentinels should be placed farther away. Anyone who spies on the military situation will be killed without mercy!"
Zhang Xiu also followed and responded loudly: "This is natural!"
Although the winter time is difficult, spring is not far away after all. Under the Zhengxi rule, things are getting better and better. What do these temporary hardships mean?
Yanmen, Beidi, Jizhou, and the world, these words were tumbling in Zhang Liao's heart. Somehow, Zhang Liao suddenly felt that the gap between himself and Fei Qian, the general who conquered the west, seemed to be getting bigger and bigger. Although the original friendship was
It still hasn’t decreased at all, but the current General Fei Qian of Zhengxi is indeed far beyond many people...
Sometimes Zhang Liao couldn't help but compare himself with Fei Qian, the general who conquered the West, but found that if he had done it by himself, he would never have achieved what he did today.
As for Wen Hou...
To be honest, it's probably not possible.
This feeling is like being just a little brother following you around, but in the blink of an eye, you can only look up at the distant figure of someone high above you.
Is it uncomfortable? A little bit.
Zhang Liao let out a long roar and blew out a long line of white smoke, which dissipated in the air. But as long as he could pacify the North and regain Yanmen, what would it matter if Zhang Liao fell at the feet of his former little brother?
Try your best to keep up! At least for now, this direction is not bad!
