Heading northwest from Rang County and passing the danger of Denglin, you completely leave the flat Nanyang Basin and enter the hilly area. The road is rugged and steep. Especially after reaching the boundary of Xi County (Xixia County, Henan Province), there is a valley named Huanggu, which is composed of two mountains.
There is a small pass between it.
It is said that the captain reported that when they came west from Rang County, they were blocked here. After a fierce battle and a lot of casualties, they captured Huanggu.
At this time, the soldiers were still cleaning up the battlefield, and the corpses were being moved away separately. The ones with red, white, and black cloth on their arms were from the Confederate Army, and the rest were from the Northern Army.
At the mouth of the valley, countless arrows are stuck on the ground, with white feathers. They are made from a local water bird, so Xi County also has another name: Baiyu City.
When he arrived outside the city of Xi County, he saw that it was a small town by the water. At a glance, Heifu saw dozens of prisoners squatting with their heads in the fences of the barracks outside the city. They were all dejected, just like the group in Rang County.
There were quite a few, and they were so dark that they were countless. When Lieutenant Gong came to visit, Heifu asked him: "How many were intercepted?"
"Twenty thousand people!" Gongwei said:
"A few days ago, the rebel army encountered rain and the mountain roads were difficult to travel. The last batch of Northern troops evacuating from Wancheng and Li County were delayed. They only arrived at Xi County the day before us. However, our army was blocked for a long time in Huanggu.
It was already too late, but Dongmen's uncle braved the rain and led troops to attack the west bank, defeated the enemy in the rear, destroyed the pontoon bridge, and blocked Sima Yang's troops from coming to rescue. This ended the hope of 20,000 people on the east bank.
After surrendering, Sima Yang did not know the size of our army, so he also withdrew towards Wuguan."
Twenty thousand people is not too many, but it is not too small either. The Northern Army has 150,000 people in Nanyang, 50,000 people in Xinye and Rangxian County have surrendered, and with the addition of Xixian County, less than half are left behind.
However, what Heifu is most worried about is that Dongmen Leopard's losses are too heavy and the gains outweigh the losses.
"Uncle Dongmen allowed the army to cover up the rear. He personally led the light troops into the battle, so the casualties were not heavy, but..."
"Just what?" Heifu had a bad feeling.
"It's just that Uncle Dongmen was injured himself! I heard the doctor said it's not serious!"
…
Dongmen Bao's troops are stationed on the west bank of Danshui. Because the pontoon bridge has been destroyed and has not been set up yet, Heifu has to take a boat to get there.
On this ship, he saw several fingers that he had not had time to clean.
Lieutenant Gong explained: "The pontoon bridge was cut off by my uncle at the east gate. In order to cross the river, the Northern Army on the east bank rushed to the river bank in chaos, fighting for boats to cross. Those who got on the boats first slashed at them with their swords, so many boats were broken.
It can actually lift... This ship was cleaned by some careless village chief? The subordinates just had them thrown away!"
"No need."
Heifu sighed, lowered his head and picked up the fingers that were soaked white one by one. After looking at them for a long time, he handed them to his guards.
"There are many fingers in the boat. This is the first time I have seen them. It shows the cruelty of this battle. Just bury them together with the dead Northern soldiers. Those older soldiers may have died more than ten years ago.
We were once the allies of Paoze who fought together to defeat Wei and Chu."
"The guilty ones are Hu Hai, Zhao Gao, Sima Yang, Gantang, and ordinary soldiers who are unwilling to repent. They only acted under the orders of their superiors. In this war, they have no right to choose!"
"Let the corpses of those people have their heads facing the west. It was a pity that they finally arrived so close to home and died outside the gate."
After this little episode, the boat carrying Heifu crossed Junshui and entered Dongmen Leopard's camp. They saw that although there were many wounded soldiers here, the attrition was not serious. After arriving at the big tent, he did not wait for him.
When I entered, I heard a loud curse.
"Han Xin, that boy, was severely defeated in Danyang last year and lost his army. But now, Nai Gong has won a great victory in Danyang. When we meet again, I wonder if he still dares to be proud!"
Hearing this voice, Heifu knew that Dongmen Leopard was probably fine. He opened the tent and went in. He smiled and said, "Ah Bao, the captain said you were seriously injured, why are you still making such a noise?"
"Taiwan Chief!"
Dongmen Leopard was lying on the couch with his upper body naked, and the doctor was applying medicine for the sore, but he was hit by an arrow in the back. However, because his armor was thick, it could not penetrate deeply. When he saw Hei Fu coming, he immediately got up.
Hei Fu asked him to lie down, but Dongmen Leopard didn't care: "Children have never experienced hardships, so what does this small injury mean? I think back then, when we were serving as soldiers with the pavilion chief, who was not covered with scars?"
There were indeed many wounds on his body from head to toe, like the colorful patterns of a leopard.
But Hei Fu had a straight face: "Lie down and I will give you the medicine myself!"
When Hei Fu applied the wound medicine and bandaged Dongmen Bao with his own hands, Dongmen Bao suddenly sighed and said: "The pavilion chief's method is the same as in the past. I think the most serious time I suffered was at the head of Waihuang City, where I almost died.
Fortunately, the pavilion chief came to the rescue and saved his life..."
Heifu said: "Chen Wujiu is more useful than me. Without his medicine, even if the bleeding is stopped, it will not help. You, you, are already General Pi, why do you still like to risk your own life in a war?"
Dongmen Leopard said: "I was helpless at that time. In that rainy day, the enemy was outnumbered and our army wanted to retreat. If it was too late, the 20,000 people on the east bank would have successfully evacuated. If I didn't charge into the battle myself, my troops would
How can officials and soldiers follow him?"
"It doesn't matter if Abao is dead. What matters is to intercept more enemy soldiers. Only in this way can the pavilion chief enter the border as soon as possible! Let the Anlu folks live a good life as soon as possible."
"If I kill you, even if I capture another 20,000 or 30,000 people, it will still be a loss!"
Heifu tied the slipknot, but then smiled and said: "Ah Bao, I heard you talking about Han Xin just now, are you still worried about me transferring you back from Hanzhong?"
"It was Leopard's incompetence that failed to conquer Nanzheng..."
Dongmen Bao didn't say anything, but the dissatisfaction on his face was clearly revealed - this dissatisfaction was not directed at Hei Fu, but at Han Xin! Since that conflict, the two guys with the same small minds have become enemies.
.
But Heifu shook his head: "I changed generals not because of this."
"Which do you think is the main direction of attack between Hanzhong and Wuguan?"
Dongmen Bao thought for a while: "Of course it's Wuguan!"
"That's right." Heifu held up his palm and said with a smile: "Hanzhong can be taken by the partial division, but here at Wuguan, I need a pioneer general who is brave enough to defeat the three armies!"
Immediately, Hei Fu's face turned serious: "Why, Ah Bao doesn't want to fight with me?"
"Being a pavilion chief's pawn is better than being a partial army general, but..." Dongmen Leopard hesitated to speak.
"I know what you're thinking."
Heifu stood up and said: "Since the beginning of spring, there have been some people, I won't name them... Others say that my employment of people is like laying bricks, the ones who come last get the upper hand..."
"That's total nonsense!"
Marshal Hei angrily criticized these rumors and then comforted Dongmen Bao:
"Don't worry, Dongmen Baohu has plenty of opportunities to make meritorious deeds. No matter the title or title, he will not be ranked lower than Han Xin in the future!"
…
The Dongmen Leopard was finally appeased and after leaving the camp, Hei Fu felt the same as Ming Jing.
In the old Nanjun Township Party branch, Dongmen Bao can be regarded as the one with the highest honors. His attitude is not just his own temper, but also represents a group of people!
Han Xin's rapid rise to the top and even marrying Hei Husband's niece made many former subordinates jealous and envious, and at the same time they felt a deep sense of crisis.
Although "those with meritorious service" are shouted loudly, absolute fairness is impossible. As a leader, a bowl of water must be balanced. In the future, under the black husband, Han Xin's family will never be the dominant one in the army.
.
On the one hand, he must continue to promote the old team, on the other hand, he must also discover new talents.
So coming back to this matter, if we look at it completely objectively, Dongmen Leopard is a talented person who charges into battle.
And Han Xin is a handsome man, with an army of millions, the more soldiers the better. In Xiao He's words, "Generals are easy to hear, but those who trust them will be unparalleled in the country!"
The latter is obviously more precious than the former.
But we can’t just look at the abilities of the two people, we have to look at another level.
"Yes, Han Xin can fight for me."
Heifu showed a happy smile.
"But Ah Bao, he could die for me!"
…
In early April, the Northern Expeditionary Army won successive victories. The poor bandits were able to intercept those who could be intercepted, but the more than 80,000 people who could not be intercepted had already entered Wuguan and were guarding in seclusion.
At this time, Heifu had to face a new problem: even if the 20,000 Nanyang soldiers from the new field were not "surrendered", there were as many as 50,000 prisoners, and they had to eat 70,000 to 80,000 shi of food a month. They couldn't keep them in vain.
, how to treat these prisoners has become a problem.
"The officials of Qin are still dissatisfied with the masses, and they refuse to listen in the pass. Things will be in danger, so it is better to kill them!"
Fortunately, no one under Hei Fu has come up with such a stupid idea.
After all, they are rebels within the system. Even though they, the "New Qin people" in Jingdi, are looked down upon by the "Old Qin people" in Guanzhong, this is equivalent to the fact that the people of the imperial capital under the emperor's feet look down on other provinces. This is regional discrimination.
There was no more humiliation, and everyone in the Northern Army had no hatred of destroying the country and the family, so there was no need to kill them quickly.
So Heifu had already made plans on how to treat the prisoners.
"Preferential treatment for prisoners!"
"In the past few days, the captives' food was as per the "Rules of Food Delivery". The leader, five hundred masters, etc., had half a bushel of rice, a quarter of a liter of sauce, vegetable soup, and leeks for each meal."
"Below five hundred people, up to the head of the village, every meal consists of half a bushel of rice, vegetable soup, and salt."
"What's the chief? Captain, half a bucket of rice."
"Shiwu, one third of a bucket of rice."
Except for the fact that the food was in line with the standards of all levels of the Northern Expeditionary Army, no one in the world had ever treated prisoners so favorably, and everyone was a little confused.
But Heifu said again that if you want to eat, there is a prerequisite.
Before each meal, the prisoners would sit in a row, and the military judges would brainwash them, telling everyone the contents of the "Belt Order", the justice of the Northern Expedition, and General Wang Ben's sudden awakening before his death...
Heifu did this because he had his own plan.
He once saw a set of data. In another civil war in later generations, at the beginning of the war, the total strength of the national army was 4.3 million, and the total strength of our army was more than 1.2 million. The comparison of the strength of the two sides was 3.5:1.
But after the Battle of Liaoshen, the total strength of the national army dropped to less than 2.9 million, while the total strength of our army has reached more than 3 million. The strength of the two sides is different!
After the Pingjin and Huaihai battles, the proportion became even more exaggerated.
In short, the enemy is fighting less and less, and our troops are fighting more and more.
This is not a simple annihilation, but a process of elimination. Many prisoners have been transformed into the People's Liberation Army through reorganization...
Heifu is ready to follow this method. After all, even if Hu Hai's small court is overthrown, the war is still not over. The remnants of the Six Eastern Kingdoms have gained strength, and Heifu needs to fight a battle of "re-conquest".
At that time, these reorganized prisoners will be of great use again.
"I have appointed Wang Yi as the captain to command the surrendered Northern Army's chariots and cavalry and arrange them to go to Runan. The rest of the disciples will be given a good meal for a few days, and they will be preached that our army is the place of justice, so that they can
Once your doubts are cleared and you feel at ease, you have to start the process of screening and selection.”
If you want to join the Northern Expedition and continue to serve as soldiers, you will be assigned to various armies.
"What if there are those who don't want to?"
Ji Ying was a little worried. As the captain of the guard, he had carefully observed the surrendered soldiers in Xiaxian and Rangxian counties in the past few days and knew what they were whispering:
"Now Marquis Wu Zhong can enter the pass and capture Xianyang, which is a great benefit; but if he can't, if he captures my subordinates and goes south, Xianyang will kill my parents and wife..."
So don't expect that the prisoners will happily surrender after they have had a few good meals and have not been mistreated.
"Is that what they think?"
Hei Fu nodded, this is human nature and it would be the same for everyone.
"If you don't want to join, you don't have to force it."
Ji Ying's eyes flashed with a ruthless look, and he stretched out his hand to touch his neck: "What the Pavilion Chief means is to take prisoners who are unwilling to join the Northern Expedition..."
Cheating and cheating!
But Heifu shook his head: "I said that the guilty ones are Hu Hai, Zhao Gao and ordinary soldiers. They were just summoned by the conscription order and had no choice but to go to the battlefield. In this war, they have no right to choose!"
"But now, I want to give them this power!"
Heifu showed a sly smile.
"I will organize these people who are unwilling to join and send them to Wuguan."
"As long as Hu Hai and Zhao Gao dare to cross the pass, I will let them 'enter the pass'!"
