By the time Zhu Yixi and others arrived in Shangzhou, the cavalry had already left Shangzhou for more than two days and had probably arrived in Lantian.
Lam Tin, where the sun warms and the jade creates smoke.
It is the last link of Wuguandao, or the last checkpoint. As long as you win it, you can reach Bashang, where the Hongmen Banquet is.
The gentry of Shangzhou came to welcome him again, giving King Yu a big surprise.
Although there is not much food and grass, it is only enough to consume the army for half a month, but it can save 200,000 dan in logistics losses.
That's right, for every 1 stone of grain transported along the 600-mile Wuguan Road, three dan of grain must be lost, and one million dan can only reach 300,000 dan.
Only through continuous repairs and carving out mountains and ridges over thousands of years can such an effect be achieved.
"The only way to defeat the enemy is to win over the gentry."
Zhu Yixi was greatly touched and immediately decided to eat and drink in Shaanxi to save logistical expenses.
So, at his request, the shogunate's swordsman and penman wrote a message in a straightforward tone - a letter to the people of Shaanxi Province:
"I told my elders in Shaanxi Province that Yixi was originally a distant branch of the Qin vassal. Gou Quan lived in troubled times and grew up here. Fortunately, he was promoted by Sun Gong. The emperor showed mercy and was given the title of the King of Yu. I am very grateful and shed tears.
I was originally in Huguang, fighting against the bandits in the west, seeking to build slaves in the north, and I was very happy to be rich and wealthy. But suddenly I heard that the bandits were invading my hometown, and they were doing the wrong, the fields were barren, and the harsh government was everywhere. I echoed in my dreams, and my clothes were wet with tears...
Today, according to the destiny of heaven, Yi Xi is not afraid, and will attack and destroy the intruders, first to avenge the murder of the late emperor, and secondly to avenge the suffering of the people, in compliance with the destiny of heaven...
I hope that my father and fellow countrymen will change their banners and help me, Master Wang, to bring order to the chaos and restore our Ming Dynasty. Let the past be forgotten...
On November 27, the second year of Hongguang's reign in the Ming Dynasty, it was announced..."
Thousands of copies of the slogan in vernacular were immediately copied and distributed throughout Shaanxi, causing huge waves.
Shaanxi province, which was already boiling with heat, suddenly exploded as if cold water had been poured on it.
With the words "let's forget the past", all counties in Shangzhou immediately presented their official seals and submitted to him one after another.
In order to unite the front, Zhu Yixi was too vague and directly let them take office to appease people's hearts.
In terms of grain and grass, there were countless gentry who offered money and grain. The small Shangzhou City, located on Wuguan Road, hid many wealthy people.
In just three days, Zhu Yixi raised 100,000 grains and grass, and it was still growing.
The poverty of Shaanxi Province is, after all, only in northern Shaanxi. The land and water network in Guanzhong is crisscrossed, and there is never any risk of drought or lack of land and food.
As a result, the spread of news even caught up with the cavalry battalion.
When he arrived at Lantian, he saw the gentry who had surrendered nearby and replenished him with provisions.
"Lantian is not easy to fight!"
Li Jingwu ate vegetable pancakes and frowned as he looked at Lan Tian, who was waiting for him.
Hou Gongji raised his eyes and moved his mouth, as if he was estimating the chance of victory. After a long time, he said:
"We don't have artillery. If they don't leave the city, they won't be able to capture it."
"So, we have to find another way."
Li Jingwu fed half of the vegetable cake to the horse, touched its mane, and said lightly.
He deeply understood that his mission as a vanguard was not to occupy land and cities, but to most effectively deter intruders, thereby giving Hanzhong a chance to breathe.
In other words, try to force Li Zicheng to return to the army thousands of miles away and fight exhaustedly, so that our side can assume a strong attitude.
Hanzhong, and even Sichuan, were an important source of money and food for the shogunate, accounting for 70% of the tax revenue. There must not be any mistakes.
Or was wasted.
Otherwise, even if we capture Shaanxi, we won't be able to support our people.
"Come on, since the intruders are attacking Hanzhong, the food and grass pressure is not as easy as ours, let's go get it."
Drinking the water from the skin, Li Jingwu's experience has naturally increased a lot through his years of fighting.
The purpose remains the same, but the means have changed.
Thousands of cavalry changed direction and headed west of Xi'an.
Here, the official road is full of potholes and ruts.
Li Jingwu saw it and said with a smile: "This is the food road!"
Hou Gongji also nodded: "It seems that the intruders have invested a lot of troops in Hanzhong."
"Let's go, let's give him pain."
Li Jingwu took the lead and moved forward gracefully.
Each cavalry battalion was unwilling to lag behind, with the sound of horse hooves and the dust rising.
A large number of ox carts and donkey carts, loaded with grain, moved slowly, helping each other from time to time to lift out the grain carts that had sunk into the bottom of the pit.
The civilians' faces were red from the cold, and their hands and faces were covered with frostbite. Under the supervision of the soldiers, they did not dare to delay at all and moved forward as quickly as possible.
The soldiers who supervised them were relaxed and at ease, chatting, drinking, and waving whips from time to time. They were very happy and showed no signs of vigilance.
Also, the whole of Shaanxi belongs to Dashun, so there are no enemy troops anywhere.
These people are just managing the people.
Suddenly, there was a sound of horse hooves in the distance, followed by a huge cloud of dust, which looked like a sandstorm from a distance.
"Which troop is this?"
The young general looked puzzled and immediately waved his whip:
"Get out of the way, get out of the way, make way for us, don't delay the army's journey."
In just a short time, the cavalry arrived immediately.
I saw that each of them was wearing chain mail, and the armor plates were constantly reflecting light in the sun. They were one person with two horses, and they were elite.
The strange thing is that they wear red triangle scarves around their necks, which is incompatible with the intruders.
"It seems that we don't have an army wearing a triangle scarf in our army!"
The young general muttered, and his expression suddenly changed: "No, there are enemy troops, run away, run away -"
Unfortunately, it's too late by this time.
Li Jingwu snorted coldly, drew out his scimitar, and raised his right hand high:
"Listen to my orders, hunt down the intruders, and let the civilians go—"
As a result, a sudden massacre left hundreds of intruders to die in silence.
Only a few people were deliberately let go.
Blood stained the ground red, and a large number of corpses fell, stained with withered yellow weeds.
A large number of civilians gathered tremblingly and squatted down with their heads in their hands, fearing that these warriors would kill them at all costs.
"Burn all this food!"
Li Jingwu looked at the thousands of carts of grain and muttered.
"Commander, you can't burn it." Hou Gongji said hurriedly. He had suffered enough from the lack of food in Yulin and said distressedly:
"It's better to find a place to bury it and wait until we can pick it up next time."
"If you bury it, don't you give it to the intruders?"
Li Jingwu shook his head, thought over and over again, and said, "Let's supply some, and let these civilians divide the rest."
"In the coldest month of winter, if the harvest is not good, I'm afraid I'll go hungry again during the New Year, so forget it."
As a result, thousands of people learned about this great joy.
The leader hurriedly kowtowed to ask for permission and shouted: "I don't know which general took pity on us. Please tell me his name. We will burn incense at home and ask Bodhisattva to bless you..."
"We are King Yu's army."
Li Jingwu smiled and said loudly: "The imperial court is back again, and so is King Yu——"