The letters and reports that were sent back one after another in the past always contained limited information. When Han Bao, Wang Che, and Huo Li came back, Han Qian would of course find them and ask them in more detail what they had seen and heard during their trip.
You can have a more intuitive impression of the development of the war situation in Heshuo and the Central Plains.
Guo Rong, Feng Liao, Lin Haizheng, Feng Xuan, Zhao Wuji, Han Donghu, Xi Faer and others also put aside their matters at this time and sat around. They heard that Han Bao and the others talked about the military appearance of the Mongol cavalry they saw along the way.
They couldn't help but be moved.
At this time, when the ice and snow in the Heshuo area melted and the spring rain continued, the cavalry could advance quickly, which also meant that the logistics support capabilities were strong.
Dusk fell unknowingly as they chatted, and Han Qian asked someone to arrange dinner, leaving Han Bao, Wang Che, and Huo Li to eat and talk.
At present, the scale of the army is increasing day by day. Generals like Han Bao and Huo Li who are brave and good at fighting and have brains are urgently needed in the army. Han Qian still has to arrange for them to serve in the army and command the soldiers.
In addition, Han Qian decided this time to formally establish a department in the Military Intelligence Staff Department to systematically collect intelligence from the Central Plains and Heshuo hinterland. In other words, this part of the work that had not been done in depth before was independently strengthened.
.
The subsequent custody and transfer of Princess Yunhe, Shen Peng, Zhao Ci and others were also temporarily transferred to this department for disposal.
This department is headed by Wang Che with a military rank and is under the leadership of Xi Faer.
Wang Che had enjoyed a good level of service in Tangyi before, but those were all imaginary. He was more like a high-level servant. He was responsible for handling any matters that were assigned to him. He had no real power and no fixed manpower under his command.
Even if Wang Tang went to serve as deputy general for Kong Xirong, he would actually be serving as counselor of military affairs, and his status would not be higher than that of deputy capital Yuhou, who commanded the troops of the capital.
As for Wang Yan being able to go directly to Huangchuan as the county magistrate, he was the most experienced and oldest among them. He was thirty-six years old this year.
At this point, Wang Che has truly entered the inner circle of Tangyi generals. Not to mention the significance of intelligence collection in the Central Plains region, just based on the results of this first victory, everyone knows that this newly established department will not be reliable.
Dispensable decorations.
During the meal, Han Qian remembered that Han Bao's initial message sent back mentioned that he had collected two deserters on the way, so he asked about it while chatting.
Although Zhang Shigui and Zhang Shimin had a bad record of escaping from the camp, apart from the fact that they themselves were bold, careful, and extremely strong people, Han Bao had personally led them in the past four or five months and taught them fists, feet, swords and bows, military intelligence, spying, and lurking.
Flag orders, military command and other matters have grown rapidly.
Han Bao thought that even if he could keep them by his side in the future, he would have to start from scratch as an ordinary soldier, and then he would need to establish military exploits before he could be promoted. So he emboldened himself and said a lot of good things to them.
Wang Che also thought about asking these two people over.
The newly established department of the Military Intelligence Staff Department will include all the personnel who were previously responsible for this matter. However, the previous lurking and spying work on the Central Plains and the hinterland of Heshuo was far from enough, so Han Bao and Shi Ruhai were temporarily transferred to the Central Plains and Heshuo hinterland before the year.
The others were mobilized and sent to Heshuo.
Currently, there are only a dozen people lurking in the Central Plains and Heshuo areas. After Han Bao, Shi Ruhai, Huo Li and others completed this mission and returned to Huaixi, they still wanted to have the opportunity to lead troops and charge into battle.
Wang Che will then select new personnel to lurk in the Central Plains and Heshuo areas to be responsible for spying, liaison and other matters. Zhang Shigui and Zhang Shimin are two extremely compatible personnel, and he will fight for them no matter what.
"If they can follow him to Heshuo to spy on intelligence, then the merits will be equal to the guilt. The subsequent achievements must be narrated to them. As for where they go, you still have to ask their own opinions..." Han Qian said, he also wanted to
The Military Supervisor Si showed some mercy to Zhang Shigui and Zhang Shimin, exempted them from the punishment for deserting camp, and directly promoted them to appropriate positions.
The children of the family soldiers, the children of the Xi family, and the children of the craftsmen have all grown up one after another. The army has been actively cultivating junior generals in recent years, so that after the main force of the navy was destroyed in Hongzepu, Han Qian could be directly transferred from Xuzhou.
A large number of generals formed the Tangyi Army.
However, the Tangyi Army expanded too fast. In just two years, the number of soldiers and horses increased from more than 12,000 at the beginning to more than 60,000 at this time, which was a considerable expansion of five times; the demand for grassroots military attaches was also only
This is equivalent to an expansion of five people.
In addition to the army, the counties under the jurisdiction of Tangyi in Huaixi have increased from the original Tangyi isolated city to the current twenty-five. In the future, we will also consider restoring the setting of two counties outside Chaozhou City, which is almost the same as when Emperor Tianyou
The territory where he started his career was when he was appointed as the governor of Huainan.
To break the tradition of relying on aristocratic village tycoons to govern local grassroots levels, each county will have to establish six to eight townships, and there will be nearly 200 township inspection departments throughout the territory.
County and township government offices need to appoint officials directly from the government, so that Han Qian can ensure that his will is truly implemented; and this alone requires at least four to six hundred officials with experience in handling local affairs.
Therefore, whenever there is an opportunity, Han Qian will actively select talents from the grassroots level.
As for the crime of deserting camp, in other armies it may be a capital crime that requires killing to deter other generals, but in the Tangyi army, different levels of punishment will be imposed according to the severity of the consequences.
Of course, the most serious escape from camp will also be punished by beheading. Brothers Zhang Shigui and Zhang Shimin were originally prisoners of war and wanted to return to escape camp. At the same time, no serious consequences were caused during the escape process. Even if they were caught, they would be sentenced to a term of imprisonment.
A prison sentence of not more than three years.
For prisoners serving light sentences, if they need to be mobilized in emergencies, they will be pardoned directly, instead of paying for their crimes with merit after having performed meritorious services.
When Han Qian formulated such a military order, both Gao Shao and Feng Liao were worried that the imperial army would be too broad, especially after the victory at Wujinling, more than 20,000 surrendered soldiers were captured. Without sufficient deterrent torture, large-scale escapes might occur.
In fact, as of today, there are less than 100 deserters out of more than 20,000 soldiers, and the proportion is so low that it can be ignored.
After the meal, Han Qian let Han Bao, Huo Li, and Wang Che leave first.
Han Bao didn't care, he lived directly in Han Donghu's barracks. Their mother and little sister were both in Xuzhou, and it was impossible to take leave to return to Xuzhou to recuperate.
Huo Li and Wang Che have families in East Lake. Han Qian gave them a few days off to return to East Lake to reunite with their families, but required all three of them to write a detailed report on the northbound mission during the vacation and submit it to
Archived by the Military Intelligence Staff Division as important information.
This was Han Qian's rigid rule that was most opposed and contradicted by the generals below.
Wang Che and Huo Li are better off. Even though Huo Li is not good at literature and has received a strict education since childhood, Han Bao can read and write these years.
He didn't even have a thousand words. When he walked out of the dental tent, he pestered Wang Zhe and asked him to write the report and let him copy it.
Wang Zhe will be responsible for the follow-up intelligence reconnaissance and contact in the Central Plains and Heshuo areas. Han Qian also made it clear that he will be specifically responsible for the custody and handover of Princess Yunhe and others. He has no way to do it yet.
Huo Li, who was busy with errands, rushed back to East Lake to reunite with his family.
In fact, when he returned to the post house, as soon as he called brothers Zhang Shigui and Zhang Shimin to inquire about their intention to stay or leave, Guo Rong sent someone to look for him.
Wang Che couldn't afford to take a bite of food, so he took Zhang Shimin, who was willing to follow him to serve in the Military Intelligence Staff Department, to see Guo Rong.
Zhang Shimin went to private school for two years when he was young and knew some words. He was described by Han Bao and Shi Ruhai one after another. He was not very dissatisfied with the hell-like literacy classes, literacy classes, and martial arts school training; he heard that he joined the Military Intelligence Staff Department
The requirements for cultural level were higher, so Zhang Shigui was more willing to follow Han Bao into the army, thinking that even being a personal guard for Han Bao, carrying a knife and a bridle, would be better than staying in the Military Intelligence Staff Department and being tortured.
Guo Rong had already ordered his men to draft a memorial reporting the capture of Yun He and the princess, but whether the wording was appropriate or not would have to be discussed with Wang Che, the person involved; and this memorial would also be sent directly to Wang Che to the capital.
On behalf of Tangyi, Wang Che negotiated this matter with Beijing in detail, and some matters had to be explained to him.
At Guo Rong's place, Wang Zhe saw Huo Xiao, whom he had not seen for many days. Huo Xiao was serving as a clerk in the Department of Capital Affairs at this time. He was very strong in writing and outstanding in literary talent, so he helped Guo Rong capture the company's official and private letters.
draft.
The memorial had been drafted. After reading it, Wang Che was still shocked. He couldn't help but ask Guo Rong: "Master Guo, do you really want to tell the whole story of this matter to the court truthfully? The so-called tragedy of Hulu cavalry ravaging the Central Plains for hundreds of years will never be repeated again."
Liang Jun is still alive, I'm afraid everyone in the court will never recognize such a reason?"
No matter what the court guessed at this time, even if Princess Yunhe, Shen Peng and others were handed over, Wang Zhe thought that Tangyi would kill him for not admitting to informing Chen Kun, but he did not expect that in this newly drafted memorial
Here, not only did he reveal the whole matter exactly as it was, but he even disclosed Han Qian's intentions in making these decisions without hesitation, hoping that Liang Jun could take a breath and prevent the Mongols from occupying the Heshuo area too easily, and Huaixi
The follow-up strategic arrangements are also to digest and consolidate the twelve newly recovered counties. For the time being, there will be no rush to launch an offensive against the Shouzhou Army who retreated to Shouchun, Fengtai and other Huaibin cities.
Wang Che was stunned for a while and couldn't help but put forward his suggestion.
Although he had never been an official before, he stayed with his great-uncle Wang Jixiong for two years before and after he became an official. Later, it was only at the suggestion of his great-uncle Wang Jixiong that he wanted to travel around the world.
It’s time to put it into action.
He has a deeper understanding of the Chu court than ordinary people. He knows that the court and even the ordinary soldiers and civilians believe that Liang Jun is the mortal enemy of Chu, and that the iron hoofs of the Mengwu cavalry are nothing more than an unpredictable threat.
Besides, Da Chu was based on the Jianghuai River, and the Central Plains region was ravaged by the Mongol people. In the hearts of the vast majority of Da Chu soldiers and civilians, this was in line with their wishes. Not to mention that after the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the Hu people ruled the Central Plains for four to five hundred years.
Years ago, during that period of history, the Jianghuai region in the south was still under the rule of the Han people.
Wang Che felt that even in the court, most of the generals wished that the Mongolian cavalry would beat Liang Jun harder to relieve their anger at being suppressed by Liang Jun over the years. He did not think that the reasons in the memorial would be used by this. The great Chu court at that time recognized this, which was equivalent to them taking the initiative to hand over the clues.
"My lord has said that no matter how the court discusses it, he has to show his feelings to the world," Guo Rong pondered for a moment and then said, "Besides, excuses are never the most important..."
When Wang Zhe heard what Guo Rong said, he thought that Guo Rong and others must have advised Han Qian but they were not adopted. However, he also thought in his heart that Jinling only has 30,000 guards and troops for defense. How strong its combat effectiveness remains to be tested. In addition to controlling the waterway of the Yangtze River east of Runzhou, Tangyi established a government, and the horse infantry army also expanded to more than 60,000 soldiers. At this time, no matter how lame an excuse it seems, it should become insignificant, right?
"This memorial is submitted. If the imperial court really wants Tangyi to hand over Princess Yunhe, what should we do?" Wang Zhe asked.
In any case, Wang Che hoped that Princess Yunhe and Shen Peng could be detained in Tangyi. Han Qian ordered to submit a memorial to report many things, but he did not intend to escort Princess Yunhe and Shen Peng directly to Jinling. This must not be the case. I want to hand people over.
However, they could not predict the reaction of the princes of the imperial court at this time, especially if Han Qian truthfully reported the whole incident, it would definitely cause a shock.
Maybe the court would not directly rebuke Tangyi's reasons and excuses for being ridiculous, but maybe they would become stubborn and stubborn in dealing with Princess Yunhe.
Logically speaking, if such an important figure from the enemy country was captured, he should be handed over to the Imperial Court to deal with it, and it was not something Han Daoming, the Minister of Household Affairs, could argue with in the court.
"From what you see, what should we do?" Guo Rong asked Wang Che with a smile.
"Just say that if you are infected with the epidemic, you need to rest on the spot. It is not suitable to travel and work hard, okay?" Wang Zhe said thoughtfully.
"This excuse for delay is reasonable - the master said that you should go back to East Lake to reunite with your family for a few days, but now I don't even know what the situation is in Zelu. I'm afraid it will be hard for you to go back as soon as possible." Guo Rong said.
The newly established department was affiliated with the Military Intelligence Staff Department, and Wang Che was also directly led by Xi Fa'er. However, after the establishment of the Metropolitan Department as a general office-type organization, the actual power of Guo Rong, the chief secretary, was somewhat similar to the combination of the chief secretary and the central envoy. He can intervene on Han Qian's behalf in all major and small military and political affairs of the system and the Zhizhi government - and after the expansion of the Tangyi Zhizhi government, there are many military and political affairs, which will inevitably require Guo Rong and others to keep an eye on Han Qian in many aspects. , so as not to slack off and make mistakes.
He expected Wang Che to leave early and return early. Wang Che naturally nodded in agreement and said, "I will leave for Jinling early tomorrow morning to deliver the package..."
Now Feng Liao is in charge of the General Administration Department and is quite in charge of the civil affairs of Tangyi. Feng Yi and others are far away in Xuzhou. It is rare for an important figure like Wang Che to go to Jinling. Guo Rong naturally wants him to come. He went to the Han Mansion to communicate the memorial to Han Daoming and others, and also asked Wang Zhe to truthfully tell Han Daoming the situation in Heshuo and other places.
In addition to the righteousness of the family and the country that Han Qian wanted to clarify in the memorial, perhaps the court did not have enough understanding of the strength of the Mongol people, and it was difficult to have a clear enough understanding in a short period of time, but Han Qian needed Tangyi and the Han family to understand The Mongol people must have a clear understanding and not regard it as an unpredictable threat.
"Your Excellency is indeed far-sighted. If Wang Che had not witnessed it with his own eyes, it would be difficult to imagine that the Mongols had grown to this point with the help of the nobles who fled north and the Guanjiang Tower," Wang Che said.
Guo Rong nodded and said
Said: "Before you came back, most of us were somewhat indifferent..."
The bloody history before the Wei and Jin Dynasties is too far away, and when the northern vassal forces segregated the local areas in the middle and late periods of the previous dynasty, either actively or passively, Hu soldiers and soldiers had the opportunity to intervene in the battles in the Central Plains, Heshuo and even the Guanzhong area from time to time, but they never
They were all plundered, evacuated voluntarily, or driven away, and did not have the strength or opportunity to take root in the Central Plains.
This was also the key reason for the initial disagreement within Tangyi on whether to leak the information. Fortunately, Han Qian's prestige was high enough, so the whole matter was not delayed, and he quickly moved forward without hesitation. When Han Bao, Wang Che and others returned, Tangyi people
Only then did they realize that they still lacked a clear enough understanding of the strength of the Mongol people. They did not expect that the Mongol people had digested Youji and other places so thoroughly in just twelve or three years.
In addition to the support of the northern fleeing nobles led by Xiao Yiqing, Wusu Dashi should also be a rare hero who has risen in the desert grassland for hundreds of years; without Wusu Dashu's appreciation and reuse, Xiao Yiqing and other northern fleeing nobles
It's impossible to accomplish anything in Hu Di.
The current problem, no matter what other people in the court think, or whether the Han government will have any opinions on Tangyi's "collaboration" behavior this time, after all, Tangyi has taken advantage of it, but Tangyi and the Han government
Internally, we still need to have a clear and profound understanding of the threat from the Mongol people, rather than really thinking that what Han Qian said in the memorial was just too lazy to find a better excuse.
"There is one more thing that you should mention to Lord Shangshu when you go to Jinling, that is, we will ask for the jurisdiction of Shiliang County in the future. This matter will be raised in the court first, but it can be expected that Huaidong will definitely
We have tried to push the envelope in every possible way, but when the time is right, we do not rule out sending troops directly into Shiliang County to drive the Huaidong troops out of the west bank of Fanliang Lake. Before that, as long as the rainy season passes, we may start excavation in Puyang.
The canal between the river and the Shiliang River!" Guo Rong mentioned the matter to Wang Che again and asked him to communicate with Han Daoming in advance.
Shiliang County is located east of Wujianshan, south of Hongzepu, west of Fanliang Lake, and north of Tangyi. It used to belong to Chuzhou. After the victory at Wujinling, the Shouzhou Army and the Hejin Army shrank their defense lines, and the Shiliang Army became the Huaidong Army.
Seize it first.
For more than 20 years since the founding of Daliang, Shiliang County has always been affiliated with Chuzhou. This is only a superficial excuse for Tangyi to claim jurisdiction over Shiliang County. What is more important is that Shiliang County is strategically located between Hongzepu to the north and Fanliang Lake to the east.
status.
The Shiliang River originates from the eastern foothills of Wujian Mountain, runs northeast through the entire Shiliang County, and flows into Hongzepu from the south. The Puyang River also originates from the eastern foothills of Wujian Mountain and flows southward into Chuhe River.
In the previous dynasty, a large canal was excavated between the Shiliang River and the Puyang River as an auxiliary waterway connecting the two major river systems of the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers in addition to the Hangou and Anfeng Canals. However, this one is located in Yongyang County and is named Changzhi.
The main channel of the river has been in disrepair for a long time and has long been blocked by siltation.
In the second half of this year, the two major water conservancy projects in Tangyi are to re-excavate the Changzhi Canal, repair the Anfeng Canal, and open up the waterways between the north and south Feishui Rivers and the Chu River and Hongzepu. At this time, the jurisdiction of Shiliang County is being sought.
The significance of the Eastern Front is particularly important, and they will even directly send troops to expel the Huaidong soldiers and horses when the time comes.
Although Wang Zhe followed Wang Jun to marry into Tangyi, he expected that Tangyi and Huaidong would not be able to maintain a sweet alliance for a long time, but he did not expect that they would break up in less than two years, and this time it would be the same.
Tangyi took the initiative to break up.
Of course, they were unable to help themselves, and he also knew very well that regaining control of Shiliang County was not a simple gain or loss of one city or one pool, nor the ownership of many Dingkou (there are many people in Shiliang County).
There are only a few hundred households). In fact, Shiliang County has been included in the Huaixi region throughout history, which involves the key issue of equally sharing the topographic benefits of Hongzepu and Fanliang Lake.
Wang Che also knew that the whole thing would not be able to recapture Shiliang County simply by sending troops.
Even Tangyi should not be able to bear the responsibility of starting civil strife without authorization at this time, right?
Sending troops may be a last resort option, but this point is made directly at this time, or is this just a way for Han Qian to put pressure on all parties?
Wang Che thought to himself secretly, looked at Guo Rong, and thought of his embarrassing identity and position as a descendant of the Wang family, he asked cautiously: "I want Huaidong to give up Shiliang County, and don't want to cause trouble to the extent of sending troops to expel it, maybe
It’s definitely not possible if Tangyi doesn’t pay enough, right?”
"Your Majesty, how many men of the Tangyi Army fought to the death and annihilated more than 50,000 rebel enemies in three years. They helped the Chu regain 25 counties in the four states of Huaixi. Huaidong had hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses, but they made many achievements.
?If Huaidong still has the nerve to occupy Shiliang County and refuse to let it go, and still wants Tangyi to pay any price for exchange, then don't blame Tangyi for fighting with them," Guo Rong said.
Wang Che smiled bitterly and said, "How can you say such irresponsible words? Could they really make King Xin feel ashamed and voluntarily give up Shiliang County?"
Of course, Wang Che just returned to Tangyi today and suddenly received a heavy responsibility. This time he went to Jinling mainly to convey messages. Many things did not need to be carefully scrutinized. Seeing that the night was already dark, he took Zhang Shimin and said goodbye to Guo Rong.
Huo Xiao hadn't seen him for several months, so he took the initiative to send him back to the inn.
On the way, Wang Che couldn't help but complain to Huo Xiao, half-truthfully, and said, "Sir, you haven't been such an unreasonable person in the past. For the sake of Shiliang County, do you really have no room for compromise in other aspects?"
"You also know that once Tangyi and Huaidong have a dispute over Shiliang, Huaidong may send people to come to us to find out the information - probably the same. The final position of 'fighting without hesitation' is what we want to spread.
Right?" Horchow said.
Wang Che smiled bitterly and shook his head, because they were from the Wang family. Even if they made great achievements and were awarded important tasks in Tangyi, they could not completely get rid of their embarrassing position and asked: "Where is Wang Jun at this time?
"
"Wang Jun has returned to East Lake. If you go to Jinling this time, you should be able to see him when passing by East Lake," Huo Xiao said.
"Is Wang Jun pregnant?" Wang Che asked.
"How can I ask about this blindly? There shouldn't be, but it might not be too early for us to think about these things now, right?" Huo Xiao asked doubtfully.
"We may not care, but those who stayed in Yangzhou may have different ideas," Wang Che said.
Hearing what Wang Zhe said, Huo Xiao realized the purpose of his question and said: "Yes, we were initially regarded as insignificant abandoned children. Who would have thought that as the tide in Tangyi rose, all boats would rise, and we would also live in prosperity?"
Shuiqi——Wang Jun really can give birth to a boy, but it can change the minds of many people, and if the two sides have a dispute over the ownership of Shiliang County, the situation will be even different..."
Wang Che didn't know exactly how to fight for the ownership of Shiliang County. He didn't know enough yet, so he could only put it aside and think about this issue in detail after returning from Jinling.