The one hundred and twentieth chapter million rides (12)
Outside Ban County, heavy snow is rising with the cold wind, dancing in all directions, and the sky and earth have already become the same color.
The snow started to show up the day before yesterday, and it continued intermittently from yesterday to today, but it was indeed magnificent.
In the huge camp, the soldiers stopped their daily rotation of drills, sports games, military fairs and other activities early, but they were still busy with something.
There was an overly spacious barracks in the middle of the camp, and Zhang Xing, the leader on the left wing, carried a long bench and sat on the outside of the door, staring blankly at the heavy snow falling above his head.
The inside of the barracks, separated by a wooden wall behind him, was steaming with heat. There were seven or eight corridors, plus dozens of desks in three or four rows. They were full of documents, forms, paper and pens. The leader of the gang, Wei Xuanding, was
Leaders Xiong Bonan, Shan Tonghai, leaders Zhou Xingfan, Yan Qing, Zu Chenyan, Liu Zhouchen, Zhang Jinshu, Dou Lide, Zheng Ting, Lu Mingyue, Sun Xunzhi, Zhuge Dewei, leading hundreds of officers and civil servants, were arguing and thinking there.
and issuing orders, plus a dozen spear-wielding guards and constant messengers and heralds, it almost turned into a vegetable market.
There was only one Jia Yue, fully armored and wearing a half brown fur cloak unique to generals. He was standing silently by the gate behind Zhang Xing, staring at the heavy snow above his head in a daze.
"Good snow."
After watching for who knows how long, Zhang Xing suddenly sighed quietly on the bench.
"Yes." Jia Yue behind him nodded expressionlessly.
"Heidi Ye Rennian, if it weren't for this snow, Hebei wouldn't be able to survive next year."
Obviously, with the arrival of the heavy snow, everyone has realized the strategic significance of this snow, whether they paid attention to it early or realized it later.
After a while, Jia Yue came again and asked, "Were you waiting for this snow?"
"Yes." Zhang Xing nodded. "But I didn't expect to wait...and I didn't expect there would be so much trouble after arriving."
"Something is better than nothing." Jia Yue could only say.
"Trouble is only temporary."
Zhang Xing also nodded.
Besides, these days, Zhang Dalong is staying in the winter camp here in Ban County, and there is of course no problem. There is also no problem in organizing the army, killing people, allocating farmland, and holding sports games...
No matter who it is, you can say that he acted with caution, that he was cruel in his methods, or that he was kind to women, but few people would say that what he did was unreasonable.
But in fact, Zhang Xing knew very well that this was not the real reason why he stayed still for so long.
With so many troops and horses, and a decisive victory won, we can always divide our troops to do other things, and we can always send reliable troops to take the opportunity to expand the results of the battle.
But he never moved, sitting back and watching the three counties resume their defense, and even the new Bohai governor of the imperial court arrived. However, he did not dare to go from the south, nor did he dare to go to the county government under the eyes of the army. Instead, he went to the northernmost Nan
Skin.
There are of course many reasons for not moving, but one important reason is that since setting foot on the land of Hebei, there has not been a single rain or snow in the entire Chidi of Hebei for thousands of miles. This is a place that has been brutally fought and organized plunder by the army.
, covering a really big problem obscured by severe cold and moderate to mild famine across the entire territory.
In the feudal era, Zhenqi was not used in production, and the common people were sucked out of the Wei Dynasty without leaving any room. There was almost no savings among the people, so this kind of natural disaster could have a negative impact on any political strategy and military achievements.
Under such circumstances, if there is unbridled expansion, one of the most realistic problems is that the next year gang will not be able to support the corresponding production activities, and the entire Hebei will further break through the bottom line due to the combination of military operations and famine.
This is obviously difficult to accept for Zhang Xing, who has to consider economic and people's livelihood issues in everything he does.
However, when it really snows, life-saving heavy snow appears, and new and imminent troubles arise.
Zhang Dalongtou sat for a while, and suddenly someone walked out of the door, but instead of leaving, he came to the side of the snow and bowed his hands in a salute.
Zhang Xing said nothing and patted the other side of the bench. The other party understood and sat down, but he was a little cautious. However, it was the head who had just come from Henan today.
Get Zhang Jinshu.
"Longtou, apart from the apparent desertion issue, I am here this time to report to you some news and trends in the Eastern Territory." Zhang Jinshu lowered his voice and spoke sincerely, without making any fuss. "A
Because of the constant transfer of supplies, complaints gradually flowed out in the Eastern Territory, mainly among the people, but they have spread to local officials and leaders. Another thing is about your previous large-scale army consolidation. At the beginning, because of the Battle of Pingyuan.
It was really shocking, and no one mentioned it much, but now that the limelight has passed, the discussion has started, saying that you will not leave any bit for the leaders, and you will eat them all... This is obviously coming from Jiyin.
of."
"I understand." Zhang Xing's face didn't change, but he nodded slightly. "Thank you for your hard work... Let me see, after Hebei is stable, it is not impossible to go back to Jiyin... Your place is very important. If there is a shortage of
People, come straight to Hebei to look for me."
Zhang Jinshu was overjoyed when he heard this. He immediately stood up again and bowed his arms to the end: "It's not hard! You should do your best for the leader."
Zhang Xing nodded again, and Zhang Jinshu took the opportunity to leave.
"It is said that this person has always been disliked in the gang, but he seems to be indispensable..." Jia Yue watched the other person leave, thoughtfully.
"It's not that this person is annoying at all, but that this position is naturally annoying... It's just that once a person stays in a certain position for a long time, he will gradually become integrated with the position." Zhang Xingyi said.
"Actually, I'm the same way. It's quite troublesome."
Jia Yue was thoughtful and fell into silence again for no reason.
After a while, Xiao Zhou and Yan Qing also came out together. They looked at each other and Yan Qing took the initiative to take half a step back. Zhou Xingfan was the first to speak: "Third brother, there was an obvious commotion in the camp after the snow started. Yan Qing and I were right.
For a moment, I feel that some things still require you to make your own decisions in order to convince others."
Yan Qing immediately nodded.
Zhang Xing thought for a moment and nodded, but he was not in a hurry to go in. Instead, he asked Zhou Xingfan to go to the kitchen in person and have someone deliver salty hot porridge with minced meat and ginger and green onion to the barracks behind him. He watched the meat porridge go in.
The noise in the barracks gradually stopped, and then he and his three confidants stood up and walked into the barracks behind them.
"Let's talk about it. Is there anything that can't be dealt with or is too difficult?"
After entering, Zhang Xing first took a bowl of porridge from the desk, stood among the people and drank a few sips, then took the porridge back to the desk that technically belonged to him, and then sat on the chair to ask.
"There is something I need to change my story about." Wei Xuanding put down his porridge bowl and said directly with a tired face. "The firewood problem I told the leader yesterday and the day before yesterday when it just snowed was actually enough... I have been letting the soldiers in the field for the past month
We took turns logging in the surrounding forests, and logs and firewood were piled up everywhere. But when it suddenly snowed, there was suddenly a need for more firewood everywhere, and transportation became more difficult. There was also a shortage in every county, city, village, and town that we usually didn’t need to take care of.
...So, the problem is distribution and delivery."
Zhang Xing nodded: "What do you need if you want to distribute and transport it as much as possible?"
"It's nothing more than using as much manpower as possible." Wei Xuanding said seriously. "We discussed it and felt that just sending soldiers to the fields would not work. It would be better to follow the example in the east and use food and money to recruit civilians. And
After the people in various places got up, as locals, they naturally knew how much firewood was needed to be sent to various places and where was the best way to go... But in this case, money and silk were all that mattered, and food was tight. Especially the people of Hebei were very interested in us.
After all, it’s no better than before in the Eastern Territory. We have to use the most scarce food to support them, but food is too expensive, and it’s all military rations squeezed out from the Eastern Territory.”
"Then bring out the food, and save it at most." Zhang Xing made the decision without hesitation. "Otherwise, you will freeze to death before starving to death... This is the most important and important matter. Thank you, Mr. Wei, for your hard work."
Together with Lao Zheng, we will take the lead in handling this matter."
"I know." Wei Xuanding breathed a sigh of relief.
Zheng Ting, the leader in charge of the logistics of the troops here, also said yes.
"Who else has a problem?" Zhang Xing continued to urge.
Thanks to Wei Xuanding's start, the others no longer hesitated and moved forward one after another.
"Longtou, this morning someone who left during the army reorganization came to me and said he wanted to come back." Dou Li
De is a quick drinker of porridge. He finished it early and was the first to speak. "Japanese people can't stand it in winter, and they can't stand it even more when it snows."
"How many people are there and who is the leader?" Zhang Xing blurted out and asked.
"Originally, there were only one or two thousand left when we left, but now there are only four or five hundred left. In the Salt Mountains of the Bohai Sea, east of Wudi County, facing the sea, there is a tidal flat between the mountains and the sea. We could have counted on one or two, but now the sea is completely empty.
It's an ice floe, and the tidal flat is covered with snow." Dou Lide answered seriously. "The leader's name is Liu Heitao. He is a low-income man who dares to fight and fight. He is a master of Qijing who has mastered both the Ren and Du channels. Hebei has
I'm optimistic about him, but he's just a bit of a fool... In his early years, he went to Dengzhou with Chief Gao and came back. It is said that he also went to Dongjun to work for Chief Niu, but he didn't stay. In the past, the army couldn't stand the rules of the army, so he ran away with them.
Oh... I was a subordinate of Leader Hao before I left."
"I have an impression of him." Zhang Xing thought thoughtfully. "But since he is a subordinate of Leader Hao, why did he come to you again?"
"We are fellow villagers." Dou Lide smiled. "We have known each other for a long time."
When Zhang Xing came to his senses, he felt that he had been confused by the heat in the barracks.
When entering Hebei, people from Hebei must be re-employed, otherwise nothing can be done.
But among the first batch of Hebei leaders appointed, Gao Shitong nearly tricked everyone to death after his last outrageous maneuver. Basically, he no longer has any momentum. Hao Yide and Fan Wang are typical rough and loyal leaders. Some people look forward to it and have no politics.
Their abilities and thoughts are all in their respective camps; and the remaining Sun Xunzhi, Zhuge Dewei, and Dou Lide are all participating in handling all the general affairs in this camp at the moment. However, Sun Xunzhi is timid and only does his duty. Zhuge Dewei has a poor reputation.
Although he was powerless, Dou Lide naturally became a spokesperson for Hebei people.
As the saying goes, a person's achievements depend not only on ability and character, but also on luck. If you stand out at a critical moment and become the leader of a specific group of people in a specific environment, it is likely to change everything.
"It's not impossible to come back." After thinking for a while, Zhang Xing calmly replied. "They are all rebels. It is too harsh to refuse to save them.
But since you are leaving and coming back, you have to add another level according to the new surrender... The tribes dispersed, and those who should take their families to the fields will go to the fields, and those who should join the craftsmen's camp will go to the craftsmen's camp. Liu Heitao will come back to do it.
There is a team general, and a leader must come forward as a guarantor. If he runs away again, the leader will have to deal with the matter himself or this person can come back and continue working. Similar to guarantees, each leader must have an upper limit. You can
Let’s discuss it and the whole system will come out.”
Dou Lide responded solemnly.
"Zhang Longtou." Unexpectedly, the next person to speak was Shan Tonghai, the rotating leader who only recharged his account here. However, there was some substance to what he said. "It's the twelfth lunar month, and it's snowing again. There's a lot of
The sergeants from the East all want to ask if they can go home for the New Year..."
"It's impossible for them all to go back." Zhang Xing thought for a moment and shook his head helplessly. "It's human nature for the sergeants from the Eastern Region to have this idea, but as long as the sergeants from Hebei cannot support the overall situation, enough people must be left behind... Draw lots and divide the points.
Call us to slightly expand the scope of visits to relatives to ensure that one-third of the people in the East can go home for the New Year this year... Those who go home for the New Year this year will automatically avoid this annual holiday next year."
"That's all we can do." Shan Tonghai smiled, surprisingly he didn't have to worry about it. "But the morale of the military can't help but fluctuate."
Zhang Xing had no expression on his face and no response. After all, as the other party said, this is probably the only way this matter can go.
However, after the discussion of this matter was completed, military judge Liu Zhouchen had some reaction, but also some hesitation.
"What should I say?" Zhang Xing looked at Liu Zhouchen and urged.
Liu Zhouchen, who was in charge of military law, immediately handed over his hand and reported: "Longtou, just as Chief Shan said, the morale of the military is indeed a bit fluctuating, but it is not just the Eastern Border sergeants who are just homesick, but the Hebei sergeants who were already stable, but because of the heavy snow.
, each worried about their family members in various places in Hebei, and quite a few people became deserters..."
"It's interesting." Zhang Xing couldn't help but sigh. "The guys who escaped outside want to come back, and the people in the camp want to leave."
Dou Lide also sighed, and then sincerely handed over his hand: "Longtou, it's like this. The current situation is definitely the most stable in our camp, and the peripheral family members, as long as they leave the Bohai Sea and the two plain counties, basically
There is no hope at all. If you run away, you may not be able to make it in time, and once you get there, you may not be able to find a solution... It's just that people's hearts are full of flesh, and not everyone can think clearly about the pros and cons."
"I know." Zhang Xing said seriously. "But you don't need to plead for mercy on this matter. Coming in is coming in, going out is going out, it's not the same thing... Military law cannot tolerate it, so just let the military judge do it freely."
"Here." Liu Zhouchen, who had the words, immediately responded.
"Yes." Doulide hesitated for a moment, then closed his mouth.
All I can say is that he has established his character as "Hebei Renyi's good brother".
Next, everyone had something to say, maybe talking about military affairs, or logistics, or the difficulties in surrounding counties and towns that had been conquered, but all they said was the same thing, that is, the heavy snow had catalyzed the camp.
internal contradictions.
It's snowing. Although it has not yet become a reality, everyone will think that traffic will become more difficult and the severe cold will continue for a period of time... This will psychologically stimulate people's hearts and cause fluctuations.
And the human heart is the foundation of everything, so the huge camp that had previously relied on the power of victory, sports games, military law, and logistics to ensure stability was naturally turbulent again.
People in Hebei have the thoughts of people in Hebei, and people in the East have the thoughts of people in the East. The sergeants are sergeants, the leaders are leaders, and the people are people. You think about progress, he thinks about his wife and children, and everyone thinks about food and fuel.
That's the bowl of porridge in my hand.
Meat porridge is the most fragrant.
However, fortunately, Hebei's ugly daughter-in-law Zhang Xing still has a record, so she won't have to cook just these few bowls of meat porridge.
"Is there anything else?" Zhang Dalong waited for a moment, and when no one said anything, he asked, and when no one responded, he looked at one of them.
"King Xiongtian."
Xiong Bonan understood and raised his hand seriously: "Is the leader ready to take action?"
In the large barracks, everyone looked at each other in surprise.
But even some attentive people suddenly thought that during the previous army reorganization, Xiong Bonan had indeed been here, using his reputation and strength to help suppress various places, and played a huge role, but then disappeared, but
I don’t know where I went, it seems I just turned back three to five days ago.
"It won't work without taking action." Zhang Xing said with a smile. "We have to find money, we have to find food, we have to boost morale, we have to let the soldiers survive this period... As long as we get through it, it will be easy to handle in the spring."
Xiong Bonan laughed and continued to ask seriously: "Where to fight and how to fight?"
"Hit them one by one, taking turns, but they can't escape." Zhang Xinghou lay back on his big bare chair. "Hit them from near to far, but the ones with bad reputations are given priority..."
At this time, Wei Xuanding suddenly realized, "Did King Xiongtian go to investigate the powerful Wubao in the two counties a month ago?"
"Of course." Xiong Bonan said with a smile. "But it's not the two counties, but the five surrounding counties! Otherwise, how can I use my one month's effort?"
Everyone was stunned and excited.
Only Dou Lide couldn't help but worry: "But Wubao is not easy to fight. We have tried it before, with three to five thousand people, but we couldn't take down one Wubao..."
"Indeed." Zhuge Dewei also felt a little afraid.
"We now have 50,000 elites and twenty-five battalions." Shan Tonghai sneered. "We can easily sweep all counties and cities, but we can't defeat anything."
"Both of you are right." Zhang Xing waved his hand and stopped the unnecessary dispute. "Wubao is indeed difficult to fight, because firstly, Wubao is often built by a powerful manor, and secondly, when the supplies are abundant, the Wubao
The officers are descendants of the clan, and the soldiers are to protect the countryside... Don't laugh, that is to say, Hebei is now forced to have no one in the wilderness. Otherwise, no matter how difficult it is in Wubao, it will be better than outside. But we have nothing to do, not only
Now we have to take the food and property in Wubao to enrich ourselves. The key is that these Wubao owners are destined to be our formidable enemies in Hebei and we must fight them."
"That's right!" Someone couldn't help but agreed, but it turned out to be Zheng Ting, the senior leader in charge of logistics. "Since we have made the decision, how can we tolerate them seizing the land for the master? Besides, the Hebei Rebel Army was driven to Haili Mountain in the past two years.
Yes, whoever can take advantage of the opportunity to build these forts and defend a place can be considered neither an enemy nor a friend?"
Dou Lide immediately followed up and made a change: "It is indeed true. What Chief Zheng said is exactly...the beating is deserved."
As he said that, he offered his hand to the outspoken Zheng Ting... Zhuge Dewei wanted to follow suit, but was half a beat too late. Many people around him were actually surprised by Zheng Ting's performance, but there were also people who knew clearly that Leader Zheng was the leader.
After a wave of senior scribes and leaders who were present at the time of the incident, most of them were sent to stay in a county. Zheng Ting came to Hebei with him. Isn't that just for this reason?
This was because he had brought himself into the post-retention status of Bohai County in advance, so he couldn't help it - these forts had previously angered Dou Lide and other Hebei rebels, and then they had angered the self-proclaimed masters of Hebei like Zhang Xing and Zheng Ting in advance.
It is also the case that people sit at home and cause trouble for no reason.
But again, since I went to Liangshan, how could I not visit Zhujiazhuang and Zengtou City!
"That's good." Zhang Xing nodded. "In short, Wubao is indeed difficult to defeat, but since we have crossed Hebei, we must also pull out... And we are not the scattered rebel army we used to be. No matter whether he is Zhujiazhuang or he was once
How can I be afraid of him when I’m in the market?"
"There is no such thing as these two families..." King Xiongtian wanted to correct him, but he didn't say it out loud.
Because Zhang Dalongtou quickly mentioned another important topic.
"To be honest with you, the reason why I want to leave Wubao until the army is reorganized before attacking is because it won't snow and there will be no drought locusts next year, which will not set the tone for expansion. The other reason is because I also want to take the opportunity to tighten military discipline."
Zhang Xing continued to speak sincerely. "We call ourselves a rebel army, so we should have excellent discipline, but human nature is greedy, and some people always think that we are being mysterious... Now that we have come to Hebei, we naturally have to reshape our situation."
"Longtou means..." Xiong Bonan suddenly became interested.
"At that time, when the Southern Tang Dynasty was crossing south, the north was in chaos, and the Zhou Dynasty had not yet established a country. It only lingered in Daijun and Yanmen. It was not until Emperor Taiwu rose up that he quickly swept through Hebei... The reason why he was able to quickly swallow up Hebei and Jin with just one county,
There are countless reasons, but there is one characteristic of him that I admire very much, and that is that war is beneficial, and the entire army is not allowed to hide personal interests. No matter how much money is spent, it all depends on the present." Zhang Xing glanced at the many people in the barracks.
, asked with a smile. "We are also here to fight Hebei. Can we do what Emperor Taiwu did back then?"
Everyone was uproarious and talking about it, but no one thought there was anything inappropriate.
This is the power of tradition and allusions.
If you ask these people to follow the three major disciplines and eight points of attention, they will definitely think you are joking. However, you want them to return to their local history and point to the old customs of tribal democracy of a tribal alliance military group that has just completed centralization and say that we
This should be followed in order to achieve success, and everyone will feel that this is not impossible.
Some of them even thought they saw some hidden meanings in these allusions - as expected, Zhang Dalongtou had a big plan, and now he was with the right person.
"What I mean is very simple, it is to build a Wubao fort, use trophies and victory to stabilize the morale of the army, and use the Wubao fort to establish the new atmosphere of our 25th Battalion's new army." Zhang Xing raised his voice and interrupted the noise. "That's it.
There must be strict discipline, no hiding anything, no private looting, all spoils of war must be handed over to the public, and then divided according to the rules... If you say that the officer should get one more point, then write it down clearly, and then give the officer one more point and say he wants it.
We discussed clearly how much to keep for confiscated treasury, how much to charge for camp treasury, and how much to share equally. We also wrote it down frankly. This family has not had a bad reputation. We should leave something to ensure their production and living in the coming year. We also wrote it down.
If you hide something, you will be punished with as many floggings as you can with a penny, or with a tael of gold. You can do it according to the rules today. If there is anything wrong, let the soldiers speak, and let the local government complain about injustice. If it is unreasonable, dismiss it.
, accept it if it makes sense, and if you change the rules next time, they will still be enforced."
At this point, Zhang Xing pointed to a person: "Chief Dou, for this first battle, you and Xia Hou Ningyuan will fight the two battalions. Choose the one who is closer and the weaker one to fight. To set an example, it is best to let Liu Heiguan.
See what it means to be a mighty and benevolent teacher."
No matter what, this is an honor and an opportunity to make meritorious deeds. Dou Lide immediately responded with excitement.
"Boss Shan, you lead your troops to hold down the formation, just in case... But if there is no accident, you don't participate in the war, and you don't have to participate in the division of the spoils. You just hold down the formation." Zhang Xingfu pointed again.
one person.
This arrangement is a bit uncomfortable for Shantong Hai, but he can't push it away, especially since Xiahou Ningyuan is his general. Now that the camp has been dispersed, even if there is still a foundation in the eastern border, it still needs to be carefully won over.
It's also said to be true.
"King Xiongtian, you have to go through another hard journey, but Leader Liu does not need to go out. Let Zhou Xingfan lead my elite cultivators from the middle camp to obey your orders. One, they will assist in breaking down the stronghold when necessary, and the other, they will serve as military discipline enforcers."
Zhang Xing continued to give instructions.
Xiong Bonan and Zhou Xingfan also surrendered.
"We must tell all the leaders and soldiers that we are rebels." Zhang Xing also stood up at this time and declared boldly. "We are cleaner than the army of Wei Wei, and we are more capable than the army of Wei Wei, and we are not trying to take a city.
Instead of one place, we want to take the whole of Hebei and the whole world! We want to establish a new peaceful and prosperous age!
"Therefore, the Wei Dynasty's court must be dignified to fight, the soldiers must be dignified to govern, and Wubao must be dignified to sweep. If you have merit, you will be rewarded, if you have delinquency, you will be punished. If there is a law, follow it, if there is no law, just control it."
"The overall situation in Hebei must be spread out cleanly and cleanly while this heavy snow is coming! As long as we do this, we will be the first class of benevolence and righteousness in troubled times, and everyone will be worthy of it.
People who come from the Eastern Region have already heard this slogan, and not everyone is Xu Dalang, who can take out a pen and paper to record it at any time. Even with the complimentary meat porridge, there is no unnecessary inner turmoil, just a few
A thoughtful person noticed the hidden meaning of Zhang Da Longtou and realized that some of the previous rumors were true - Zhang Longtou really hated the situation in the East and wanted to make his own situation in Hebei and establish a foundation.
Then, they did have some different reactions, but they did not follow the response of most people. However, at the same time, those Hebei leaders and a group of Hebei clerical staff spent two years climbing on the ice, lying in the snow, eating river mussels and picking river clams.
Mulberry, where have you ever had such luxurious meat porridge?
As soon as I heard about it, I felt as if I had heard something about Huang Zhong Dalu. I almost stayed on the spot, wishing that I could immediately start a career with this big leader and achieve a better life and future.