Chapter 493: Arrive in Xihe, the two armies will meet
Chapter 493: Arriving in Xihe, the two armies meet
Shen Tang led an army of 60,000 people and marched southward in a mighty way. All along the way, they were within the territory of the Kingdom of Jin. Moreover, Wan Yanyong's imperial edict and He Shi Lie Zhining's military order had also been issued. Therefore, there were no soldiers along the way. If there is any obstruction, camps and food have been arranged in all the cities they pass. Shen Tang and others only need to rush along the way.
These 60,000 troops are also elite cavalry, and they are equipped with one person and three horses.
Originally, even elites like the Taiyuan Army could not equip one man and three horses. However, in the battle on Xijing Road, a lot was captured.
Heshi Liezhining made a direct decision and distributed a lot of spoils to his armies. Therefore, these armies were much richer than before.
The configuration of one man and three horses made the entire army move extremely fast. Moreover, the main army rushed on with the grain and fodder, and the team escorting the grain and fodder lagged behind, making the speed of the vanguard army appear even faster.
Everyone changes horses without changing people, and can cover nearly 200 miles in one day.
However, this speed has reached the extreme. If it goes faster, even one person and three horses will definitely not be able to bear it.
After nearly half a month of rushing, the Jin army led by Shen Tang finally arrived at Lintao Prefecture, the southwest border of the Jin Kingdom.
After entering Lintao Prefecture, the army repaired for a day and then moved forward again, directly crossing the border between the two countries and entering the Xihe Prefecture of the Song Dynasty.
This is also the border crossing between the two countries. Therefore, there is a Song Dynasty border army called the "Tianshui Army" stationed on the border.
The configuration of the Tianshui Army was similar to that of Bian Xi's Zaoyang Army, with only more than 10,000 men, and most of them were infantry.
The Tianshui Army had already received the imperial decree and Zhang Jun's general order, so Shen Tang led the Jin Army to enter the country, which did not cause any misunderstanding.
Under the welcome of Tianshui Army, Shen Tang led the army directly to the vicinity of Li County.
Here, the Tianshui Army has been ordered to set up a temporary camp, and the Jin Army can directly enter to rest.
At night, Shen Tang was sitting alone in the Chinese army's tent. However, a report came from the soldiers outside the door, saying that Feng Mo, the commander-in-chief of the Tianshui Army, had come to pay his respects.
Shen Tang naturally wouldn't refuse him in such a lowly place. A moment later, a black-faced man entered the Chinese army's tent.
"The last general, Feng Mo, pays homage to General Zhengxi!"
This General of the Expedition to the West is not an official position, but is only temporarily conferred by Zhao Shen.
However, the power is not small. He can coordinate the army and make arbitrary decisions when the opportunity arises! Speaking of which, it is just like Zhang Jun's position in Sizhou back then, he was the commander-in-chief of the army.
And although Feng Mo was also the commander-in-chief of an army, he was incomparable to Shen Tang at this moment.
Therefore, he was extremely respectful when facing Shen Tang.
Shen Tang smiled and nodded, "General Feng, you're welcome. Shen Tang is here to trouble General."
"The general is just following orders!"
Feng Mo smiled and said, "The general went to the Kingdom of Jin to borrow troops and prepared to lead his troops into Chengdu. General Mo and others admired him very much.
However, I heard that the situation on Chengdu Fulu Road is extremely dangerous now, I wonder if the commander has any chance of winning?"
"There is no final conclusion on matters on the battlefield!"
Shen Tang shook his head and said, "Fortunately, now we have enough troops, so we may not have no chance of fighting Tibet.
Besides, this is our Song Dynasty territory after all, so it is much better than Tibet coming to attack."
Feng Mo nodded, hesitated for a moment and then said, "General, haven't you thought about borrowing the power of the local tribes?
Although they are scattered, their strength should not be underestimated.
If it can be used by us, wouldn't the general become even more powerful?"
Seeing Feng Mo's hesitant words, Shen Tang felt thoughtful in his heart.
Is this person implying that he is in contact with the local tribe, or is he implying that there is a problem with the local tribe?
If it is the former, it means that Feng Mo is obviously harboring evil intentions, but if it is the latter, it means that Feng Mo obviously has a good understanding of the situation in Chengdu Mansion.
“I have such an idea, but I haven’t made a decision yet.
After all, I am still relatively unfamiliar with those tribes.
Why, is General Feng familiar with the local tribes?"
Shen Tang said after considering it.
Hearing Shen Tang's words, Feng Mo's eyes twitched slightly, "Since your Excellency is not familiar with it, that's fine. Anyway, with the elite soldiers under your command, it shouldn't be a problem to pacify the Chengdu Mansion.
Furthermore, the lives and habits of those local tribes are very different from those of us Song people, and if we contact them rashly, it may cause inconvenience."
When Shen Tang heard this, he immediately understood. Feng Mo obviously knew something about the situation on the roads in Chengdu.
As for why he didn't speak out, it was the same as his previous concerns.
Although these tribes may seem weak, there are many interests behind them. In this case, Feng Mo and Shen Tang are not familiar with each other, so how can they have a close relationship?
The two chatted until midnight, and Feng Mo said goodbye and left. Shen Tang, who had been running around for several days, fell directly into sleep.
The Sizhou army led by Bian Xi and Xin Qiji arrived faster than Shen Tang thought.
Two days after Shen Tang and others arrived in Xihe Prefecture, 70,000 Sizhou troops also arrived at the location where Shen Tang and others were.
"Greetings, Commander-in-Chief!"
Seeing Shen Tang coming to greet him, Bian Xi, Xin Qiji and others quickly dismounted and saluted respectfully.
Although the three of them are brothers, it doesn't matter in private.
However, in front of these many soldiers and generals, it is natural to deal with them according to etiquette.
"You are welcome, generals. Let's settle down the army first. We will stay here for two days to repair, and then we will set off to Chengdu Fulu."
The Sizhou army came thousands of miles away, and although the 70,000-strong army was all equipped with horses, it was naturally unable to compare with the luxury of the Jin Kingdom. In fact, most of them were riding inferior horses.
They had come all the way and were already extremely exhausted.
With his subordinate generals and General Ya going to organize the army, Shen Tang led Bian Xi and Hei Khan and Zhuo who had followed him back to his central tent.
Although the few people present were not familiar to each other, they had seen them before in Shandong.
Therefore, they are not strangers to each other, and they have Shen Tang as the mediator, so they get along harmoniously.
"This time, we are able to follow the commander-in-chief to fight. The soldiers are very motivated to fight! Coupled with your country's help, although Tubo is not weak, we are confident that we can win under the commander-in-chief's leadership."
Bian Xi laughed and said.
Heihan and Zhuo also nodded slightly, "The general is not only brave, but also has unparalleled strategy. With the general as the commander-in-chief, our chances of winning will naturally increase."
Both parties agreed with Shen Tangjin.
Moreover, they have all seen Shen Tang's methods and have a close relationship with Shen Tang. Therefore, although Shen Tang is in charge of the army for the first time this time, there is no trouble.