After all, the Han army is only advancing bit by bit along the front lines that have been fixed for many years. Especially on several major battlefields, the advancement is actually very slow, such as from Huayin in Guanzhong to Tongguan, and from Huainan.
Arriving in Huaibei is just a step forward.
For the soldiers of the Han army, taking this step forward may have to pay a very heavy price, and they have to fight one bloody battle after another. After all, the Han army wants to advance, but the Zhou people on the opposite side do not want to retreat.
Taking a step forward also means using blood to force the people around you to take a step back.
People inside and outside the court were already very aware of what kind of battle this was. The imperial newspapers continued to directly publish battle reports from the front line, and even journalists who wrote articles went to the front line to write documentary reports one after another.
There is a smell of blood between the lines, which allows the officials of the government and the public to feel the taste of war more closely, and feel the cruelty of war and the soldiers who may be far away from them every day.
doing what.
Blood stains, killings, swords, mud, rivers covered with iron cables, burning mountains and rivers, fluttering broken flags, continuous enemy and friendly camps
This is a scene that many people cannot even imagine out of thin air, but they know very well how these soldiers are fighting and how they are not afraid of life and death.
Compared with the bloody battles on the front line, today's logistical supplies are not that difficult. After all, the national strength of the Han Dynasty has long been different from what it used to be, with streamlined production, canals dredged before the war and a large number of newly opened roads.
The roads and the transportation routes that had been mapped out by caravans long ago allowed the big men to move forward to transport food.
The problem is that once the Han army makes a breakthrough on the battlefield, it means that the Han army will quickly rush forward to attack the Northern Zhou people's defense situation. The court also has an idea, knowing that the Zhou people's defense is the first line. Once
Once the first line is broken through, it will be difficult to organize a large-scale and organized defensive operation later. Therefore, as long as the Han army can tear open holes at various positions on this line of defense, it can penetrate directly into the heart of the enemy.
At that time, the most important thing for the court to worry about is how to meet the needs of the Han army and transport more manpower, material resources, money and food to longer distances in a timely manner. Therefore, many things the court is doing now are actually
It is to prepare for a rainy day.
A lot of food has been accumulated in Huaibei, Xiangyang and Guanzhong, but this is only relative to supporting the Han army's current operations. Now it can indeed meet the needs of the Han army on various fronts, and even the Han army has no problem launching large-scale group operations.
, but once the Han army began to advance rapidly northward, these grains would be nothing more than a drop in the bucket.
After all, when the army goes north, it is not just the soldiers, but also the civilians, cattle and horses accompanying the army, and even the captive refugees who are being taken in. Not to mention how many people eat and chew horses every day, but if you take one more step forward from the rear, you will need more.
Civilians and vehicles require more cattle and horses, which naturally requires more consumption.
When Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty conquered the Turks, General Wei Qing led the main force of the Han army across the desert. The food supplies in the rear were almost to the point where the civilians could consume 80-90% on the way before delivering 120% to the front line. And if something went wrong with the team,
, such as taking the wrong path or the army moving forward again and needing to hurry up, it can even be said that there is no chance of saving one out of ten.
In other words, if an army of 10,000 goes out for an expedition, it is necessary to prepare supplies for at least 100,000 troops to feed and drink the 10,000 troops on the front line. Even if the Han army does not cross the desert but advances northward on the plains, it will
We must be mentally prepared that most of the food will be lost along the way. Baipao even did a test at the beginning of the war. When transporting food from the south of the Yangtze River to the north of the river, 50% to 60% will be lost on the way, plus some irresistible factors.
Due to factors such as weather, etc., the loss should be calculated at 60-70%.
Even today's big men will be hollowed out by this.
After all, the foundation of the Han Dynasty is still that of the Southern Chen Dynasty. The foundation of the Southern Dynasty was already hollowed out by Hou Jingzhi's rebellion. Therefore, it is really difficult to expect the Han Dynasty to be able to prop up the frame and fill up the inside in these years. So.
Now that the big man can provide for today's battle, he has actually reached his limit.
This is why Tang Yishun was so worried that he even went to Jingkou to supervise the formation himself.
As for the hope of reaching the main grain-producing areas in the north before the autumn harvest, the imperial court cannot place its hopes entirely on the fact that the enemy is really useless and will not even harvest grain.
You must know that whether the opponent is Yu Wenxian or Yuchi Jiong, they are both famous generals in the world. Due to various reasons, it may be difficult to defeat the Han army with absolute advantages on the frontal battlefield. Of course, it does not rule out that their outstanding personal abilities may even be able to
To save some situations, in other aspects, they will definitely cause trouble to the Han army as much as possible.
In other words, if the Han army can be prevented from obtaining enough food or even create some chaos in the territory that the Han army has already taken over, it will be able to hinder the progress of the Han army. It will be necessary for the Northern Zhou army to adjust its forces, organize new defenses and even counterattacks.
Of course it is beneficial.
Chen Shushen, who had stayed in Guanzhong for a long time, had reason to believe that Yuchi Jiong was such a tight-knit person that he would never give the Han army many chances. Therefore, in terms of food, the Han army relied more on the rear.
The more food and grass in the rear, the better. Only when the rear is hungry, the front has to find ways to raise it on its own.
From another point of view, the food in the army is unsustainable and even needs to be raised by itself. This is also a fatal blow to morale. The soldiers' minds will shift from how to kill the enemy and gain more military exploits to how to fill their stomachs.
.
You have to fill your stomach before you can work. This is not only the default rule of survival, but also human nature. The current Han army is not so lofty as to fight for the bloody battle of the Han Dynasty and ignore everything, so no one can
Ignore their true nature.
Chen Shushen sighed softly.
Next to him, Shen Jungao, the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, who took on the important task of presiding over the court with him, wanted to say a few words to comfort this young man who looked very stressed. Suddenly, there were hurried footsteps outside, and the ministers who were about to leave also
He stopped inside and outside the door.
"Great victory, your majesty beheaded Wang Gui and captured Qingjiangkou; General Hussars captured Tongguan!"
The messenger ran up the steps alone, his voice a little hoarse because he kept shouting.