After leaving Wangwu, the group went straight to Zhiguan and arrived in Jiyuan County on August 15th.
It has been very popular since the Northern Dynasties to take the queens, concubines, princes, princesses, and civil and military officials together, under the protection of the army, to go out for inspections and fights.
The most ruthless one was Yang Guang, who went directly to Qinghai and Hexi. During the battle of pulling out grains on the way, it was snowing in summer and the climate was so cold that most of the soldiers froze to death, and nine out of ten horses and donkeys died. There were many concubines and princesses in the harem.
After being separated, Yang Guang's sister also fell ill and died, and he himself was in an extremely embarrassed state.
Naturally, the King of Xia did not need to be in such a panic. The road from Wangwu County to Heyang via Zhiguan was indeed difficult, but the climate was not harsh.
Shao Shude likes movement rather than silence, but he still likes this kind of large-scale patrol behavior.
He didn't know when this trend was formed, maybe it had been there a long time ago.
Qin Shihuang toured the country five times, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty toured the country six times, and Emperor Guangwu, Emperor Ming, Emperor Zhang, Emperor He, and Emperor An of the Later Han Dynasty also made frequent tours.
In the Northern Dynasties, patrols became more frequent, because this was more in line with grassland customs. At this time, in various political regimes, the emperor took hundreds of officials, concubines, children and hundreds of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of troops to go out to fight against people.
Worry about being blamed for everything.
The emperor was confined in the palace and could not leave the capital for the rest of his life. To be honest, it was too frustrating.
The 10,000 infantrymen on the right wing of the Tielin Army were newly equipped with 3,000 cavalry. Zhu Shuzong selected and trained new recruits, and Yinchuan Ranch mobilized war horses.
Now the whole army has 26,000 infantry and cavalry. It is very powerful and deserves to be the first army.
"Accompanying" were two thousand guards and soldiers.
The number of guards and troops under the Qinjun Division has expanded to more than 7,000 people. Two thousand people followed Shao Shude to Heyang, two thousand people were in Wangwushan, and more than three thousand people were in Anyi.
Heyang itself had more than 40,000 troops, including the Guide Army, the Wuwei Army, the Yinshan Fan soldiers, and the Yumen Army who came all the way from Suzhou. After Shao Shude arrived, there were more than 70,000 troops in Heyang.
If Zhu Quanzhong heard this, he might have thought that Shao Shude was going to launch another offensive in Heyang.
In the Jiyuan County Yamen, Shao Shude and Zhe Fangxiao sat side by side to receive the generals' greetings.
The envoys of the Huaizhou camp, Lu Huaizhong, the Wuwei envoy, and the beheading envoys of the camp vanguard, Cai Songyang, the Tiande army envoy, are about to leave with their troops and return to Jinjiang to rest and recuperate. The soldiers have not seen their families for a long time, and a big battle has just ended.
Lots of things to deal with.
"Guanghe Town, Lao Lu, you fought well." Shao Shude personally poured a glass of wine for his old friend and said: "Quan Zhong left two strongholds in Hebei. It was a beautiful idea, but now it seems that it is purely
I’m delivering food.”
Banzhu and the two cities of Guanghe are Liang Jun's strongholds on the north bank. Since this year, apart from sending the Feilong Army southward to harass, the biggest military operation of the Huaizhou camp has been to besiege these two cities.
It was a feint attack on Banzhu City, and the main attack on Guanghe Town. Each ministry took turns to go into battle, and even the local folk from Heyang were drafted into the battle, allowing them to undergo a baptism of war.
Most of the people in Heyang, except for a few people from Helong and Fan, more than two-thirds have not experienced any war and are mainly engaged in farming. For example, there are 10,000 households of Huazhou people and 10,000 households of Hebei Dangxiang from Feng and Sheng.
.
It would also be good to mobilize them.
The people of Henan were not very good at fighting in the early stage of the dynasty. At that time, An Lushan's army marched straight in. Henan's military preparedness was depleted and it collapsed at the first touch. However, after the difficulties, many war mobilizations and frequent wars suddenly became the most capable place in the country today.
Shao Shude has long seen that the people in Guanzhong live a relatively comfortable life and their combat effectiveness is a bit low. He is unwilling to recruit soldiers from Guanzhong. The people in Huazhou have low organization, lack of ferocity, and the folk martial arts style is not strong enough. He Piao Dangxiang is better.
Some, but the Yinshan area has been peaceful for a long time. We are all human beings. How can we maintain our fighting power if we are used to living a peaceful life? Even the Qiang and Hu can fall into depravity.
Therefore, it is beneficial to let them mobilize regularly, even if they do not go into battle. Not to mention that Gao Renhou really let them go into battle to attack the city. In short, the training results are great.
After various rounds of battles, it was the Tiande Army and the Wuwei Army that played the decisive role. Especially the latter, after paying the price of 1,700 casualties, they broke through Guanghe Town and killed the enemy generals.
Wuwei Army, among the Shuofang Army system, is famous for its sieges. They are present in Heqing and Guanghe, and they fight tough battles that are convincing.
"The thieves in Guanghe Town have good morale. It took a little effort to defeat them." Lu Huaizhong picked up the wine bowl and drank it all in one gulp, and then his expression became very exciting: "Your Majesty, this wine..."
"Grape shochu was sent from Xiazhou, and it is very popular on the grasslands." Shao Shude said with a smile: "It is bitterly cold in the northern part of the country, and horses are addicted to alfalfa and people are addicted to alcohol. I don't know how many heroes have bowed down to this product."
After that, he poured another bowl for Cai Songyang and said: "When we attacked Guanghe Town, the Liang people crossed north at night and came with reinforcements. Cai Jun's envoy led the crowd to form an array and defeated the bandit army. You should drink this cup to the full."
"Thank you, Commander-in-Chief." Cai Songyang picked up the wine bowl and drank it all in one gulp without changing his expression.
This gentleman is also an old man. He once served as Shao Shude's personal soldier and is as trustworthy as Lu Huaizhong.
He has a violent temper and likes to charge and kill himself. In his hands, the Tiande Army has also been trained into a team with a strong "pig attack" style.
"After returning home this time, take a good rest. Wait until winter and follow me to fight." Shao Shude picked up the wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.
The family members of the Wuwei Army moved to Jinjiang last year. After the first month of this year, the families of the Feng'an and Tiande Army also moved here in batches. This was a plan that had been planned long ago, and the cost was still the salt from the river.
However, in order to speed up the progress, Shao Shude made a temporary decision last year to move the families of the Shunyi and Tianxiong armies here, with Lingxia funding the move. Now it is August, and they are almost starting to arrive one after another.
As a result, there are already Tielin (in Zhengping County, Jiangzhou), Wuwei (Linfen), Chishui (Shenshan), Wuxing (Yicheng), Guzhen (Quwo), Guide (Jiangxian), Feilong (Hong)
Dong), Tiande (Taiping), Feng'an (Wenxi), Shunyi (Zhaocheng), Tianxiong (Anyi), a total of 11th Army family members were taken to Jinjiang.
Therefore, the Wuwei Army and the Tiande Army also returned to Jinjiang to rest and recuperate, which is not too far from Heyang. Once needed, they can be transferred easily. This is the advantage of moving. Walking two hundred miles to fight is different from walking two thousand miles to fight.
The difference is still huge.
After the Chinese New Year next year, relocation will continue, mainly for the Zhenwu Army and the Cavalry Army.
The Zhenwu Army has just completed its two-year garrison period in Xiedan and will be stationed in Lingxia. Their replacement will be a 10,000-person unit of the Zhenguo Army.
The Zhenguo Army has a total of 30,000 people. It is a second-line force with poor training and equipment. The military envoy is Zhen Xu.
Last year, a force of 10,000 people went to Qingtang for garrison. This time, 10,000 people sent to Xiedan were taken from the three cities of Pujingguan and Fenglingdu. They were replaced by state soldiers from Tong, Hua and Guozhou.
There are still 10,000 people left to guard Tongguan. Of course it is not enough! Fortunately, Guanxi is now very stable and there are no enemies. It is not a big problem whether Tongguan can be defended or not.
The two armies of Heyuan and Jishi have also ended their two-year garrison period in Xingfengliang. At present, Li Yixian of the Jishi Army has moved south to Longjian, and the Shence Army led by Liu Chongwang has just arrived here and is hoarding food and grass to be ready at any time.
Interfering with the situation in Shuzhong.
In order to make up for the vacancy, Feng'an Army Qian Shousu's Department has sent to Xingyuan Prefecture to guard Bailao Pass for a period of two years.
The troops under Li Tangbin will also be rotated. After all, the three armies of Chishui, Wuxing and Guzhen have been fighting for a long time and are in urgent need of rest.
The three armies that will replace them will be Dingyuan, Jinglue, and Tianzhu. They have already set off and have arrived at Tongguan.
Yi Congjun returned to Lingxia and guarded his hometown together with Zhenwu Army, Iron Cavalry Army and Leopard Cavalry Army, while Silver Spear Army continued to guard Shuozhou.
The campaign, replenishment, rest, garrison, and mobilization of various armies are really a complex project.
Shao Shude urgently needs an army that can fight on the field all year round, even if it is ten or eight years without thinking about home, without having to withdraw to rest, and can still maintain morale and combat effectiveness. It is a pity that this only exists in novels. What a pity.
"Your Majesty, you want to go south in a big way this winter?" Lu Huaizhong asked.
"First stock up on food, grass, ordnance." Shao Shude did not give an affirmative answer, but said: "In addition, we still need to do some vertical and horizontal coordination."
This combination of vertical and horizontal lines obviously refers to Zhu Xuan and Zhu Jin.
Thousands of Feilong troops marched south, and Zhu Quanzhong fought hard to drive them away. Xue Li's 5,000 men could not go far, and after some harassment, they returned to the north bank. But Qibizhang's tribe could not come back, and now they have reached Zhu Jin's
On the territory, waiting for the opportunity.
Zhu Xuan and Zhu Jin have basically stayed put in the past year. This is a great thing for the local people, and the local vitality has been restored, but it is not good news for Shao Shude.
Judging from the current situation, Zhu Xuan probably doesn't want to fight, but Zhu Jin still has some thoughts. We still need to work harder to see if we can do something jointly. The focus is on Yanzhou Zhu Jin.
"Commander, while the old guys are still able to fight, let's eliminate Zhu Quanzhong as soon as possible." Lu Huaizhong said: "After the fight is over, attack Li..."
At this point, Lu Huaizhong realized something and fell silent.
"Haha, it is really important to destroy Zhu Quanzhong. I have been keeping an eye on him." Shao Shude took the topic and covered it up casually: "Let's set off early. The soldiers haven't seen their wives and children for a long time. I have to go to Huaizhou."
…
Shao Shude stayed in Jiyuan County for five full days.
There are many Hebei party members from Feng Sheng here, as well as people from the Fan tribe in Hexi.
Although the Tibetan chiefs have lost their power, they are still famous local figures. Shao Shude will hunt with them and deepen their relationship.
Wherever they go, titles such as "Saint", "Khan", "Wuzhu" and "Zanpu" pop up one after another. People who see this kind of scene for the first time are often shocked.
My jaw dropped, is this still Tang Tu?
Shao Shude was surrounded by seven concubines, including Princess Zhe, Ruren Zhao, and Feng. Surrounded by a meandering army, flags and banners, and civil and military generals accompanying them, he was almost a genuine saint.
Shao Shude spent the last day at Wangwushan Ranch in the northwest of Jiyuan County.
Above the open wilderness, tents stretched into the distance like white clouds.
Shao Shude rode a wild black horse and circled in the distance.
This is the "new product" sent from Yinchuan Ranch, the latest achievement of Ma Zheng.
The shoulder height is estimated to be around 140 centimeters, which is already in line with Shao Shude's requirements for horses used by light cavalry.
He remembered that in Napoleon's French army in the 19th century, those with a shoulder height of 150-155 cm were equipped for cuirassiers, and those with a shoulder height of 143-150 cm were equipped with light cavalry. Those with a shoulder height of less than 143 cm were not favored by the military and would not be wanted.
By the time of World War I, the shoulder height standard for war horses of the great powers had been raised to 160 centimeters. Even the mixed-blood "Eastern Horse" bred by the Japanese required a shoulder height within the range of 155-168 centimeters to be suitable as a war horse.
Anything below this standard is considered unqualified.
It took so many years of horse administration to purify the bloodline and stabilize it at about 140 centimeters, and the number is not large. It is really not easy.
The main breeds of horses selected for breeding are Qinghai Cong. This kind of horse actually has Central Asian blood. However, irresponsible crossbreeding over the years has ruined the blood of this horse. The horse politics that lasted for more than ten years
, it’s just an attempt to recover.
"What a horse!" Shao Shude flew past the tent at lightning speed, stretched out his hand to fish it out, and took Princess Zhe Fangxiao into his arms. He laughed and said, "Capture one alive and torture him for a while."
Zhe Fangmei looked at her husband funny and hugged him tightly.
"Madam, would you like to try this horse?" Shao Shude asked.
Zhe Fangmiao's eyes flashed with eagerness to try.
Before Shao Shude could react, he turned around lightly, clamped the horse's belly with his long and straight legs, grabbed the reins from Shao Shude, and started riding.
"My husband's affairs are getting better and better." Zhe Fang Ai seemed to have regained the feeling she had when she was a girl, with an expression on her face full of memories.
"In fact, in the Spring and Autumn Period, the Central Plains war horses were fourteen palms (140 centimeters) tall, but by the Qin Dynasty, they were only thirteen palms (130 centimeters) tall. It may have been caused by prairie horses," Shao Shude said.
The height of the horses in the Terracotta Warriors of Qin Shi Huang is only 129 centimeters, which is pitifully short.
"In the Han Dynasty, Emperor Wu introduced BMW from the Western Regions and cultivated new species. The war horses were half a hand to a hand taller. The war horses of the Tang Dynasty were almost as tall." Shao Shude continued: "The war horses bred in Yinchuan Ranch are
14 palms high is probably the limit, or it can be a little higher, but not too high. However, even at 14 palms, it is still a good horse. You must keep an eye on it in the future, and you must not be harmed by prairie horses again.
.”
In fact, there should have been native horse breeds in the Central Plains and Han Dynasty, which were taller than the Mongolian horses on the grasslands. The height at the withers of the Central Plains horses in the Spring and Autumn Period was between 135 and 140 centimeters, exceeding the shoulder height of the Mongolian horses in their early 130s.
But for some unknown reason, by the Qin Dynasty, the shoulder height of war horses dropped significantly. It may be related to the long-term war and the neglect of horse administration, or it may be caused by the introduction of too many prairie horses and too much mixing.
In the Han Dynasty, the Wusun Horse and the Khanxue Tianma were introduced to improve the bloodline, and the shoulder height returned to about 135cm, surpassing the grassland horse again. In the Tang Dynasty, the Kangju Horse was introduced to continue to improve the bloodline.
Long-term wars and uncontrolled random mating will lead to the degradation of horse breeds. From the late Qing Dynasty to the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, in just a few decades, the average shoulder height of horses in our country has actually dropped by about 5 centimeters. This shows that it is impossible to do without horse administration.
of.
"Husband, what do you mean by being harmed by a prairie horse?" Zhe Fang Ai asked after she had had enough of her addiction.
"Madam is tall and has long legs, and her husband is not short, so our child will not be any shorter. Madam, does she know what she means?" Shao Shude said.
Zhe Fangmai turned around and glanced at Shao Shude, as if she didn't believe it.
"If Madam doesn't believe it, let's have a few more children and see if they are taller or not." Shao Shude said with a smile.
"Okay." Zhe Fangmiao responded as lightly as a mosquito.
…
After leaving Jiyuan County, the large-scale team continued to move forward and arrived at Hanoi County, Huaizhou on August 24.
Gao Renhou, the commander of Huaizhou's camp capital, led his civil and military generals out of the city to meet him.
"Meet the King of Xia." Looking at the sergeants who were marching out of the camp, Shao Shude was full of pride. He rode out on a horse and laughed and said: "Everyone has wine and meat at the big banquet today."
All the troops shouted loudly.
Shao Shude got excited and rode forward. Everywhere he went, he waved his whip and was always greeted with warm cheers.
The atmosphere team is awesome! Marshal Shao is very satisfied and the military spirit is still on his side.
Why did emperors like to go on patrol in ancient times? The most important thing was to declare their power, that is, "to show strength and subdue the country."
I recall that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty inspected Shuofang and "recruited an army of 180,000 cavalry, with banners spanning more than a thousand miles, which shocked the Xiongnu."
He also sent an envoy to inform Chanyu, "If Chanyu is able to fight, the emperor will be waiting for him; if he is not able to fight, he will surrender immediately."
What kind of pride is this?
Shao Shude is a martial artist, and his aesthetics is that of a martial artist, so he likes this style of conduct.
The emperor is about to be the emperor, so he should behave like the emperor is about to be the emperor. It is not a problem to shrink in the palace all day long.
Since the Northern Dynasties, the people in the Central Plains have been a bit cunning, and overall they are not as submissive as after the Song Dynasty. The imperial power is not very sacred, and many people rebelled during the heyday. A weak ruler is actually very dangerous and may not be able to control it.
Live the situation.
In addition to declaring military power, patrols also strengthened control and influence over local officials.
The Qin and Han dynasty's system of governors and governors, the power of local officials was very great, the distinction between civil and military affairs was not clear, the degree of centralization was not high enough, and the people were more martial and aggressive. These special national conditions destined the necessity of patrols.
The emperors of the Han Dynasty often killed prefects and dealt with local officials when they went on patrols, which was a reflection of this national condition.
After galloping back, Shao Shude walked up to the generals and glanced at them.
"Your Majesty, I have two states, Meng and Huai. There are more people in Huaizhou. Have you finished harvesting the millet and wheat in the fields?" Shao Shude asked.
Wang Ban was a little nervous, and the tall horse Shao Shude rode put a lot of pressure on him.
"Back to your Majesty, the summer grain has been harvested in mid-May, and the autumn grain has been put into the warehouse ten days ago. The total amount of summer and autumn grain is no less than 400,000 dendrobium." Wang Ban replied.
"Judge Su, you will be responsible for supervising the labor service. Qinshui River Engineering has a labor force of one hundred thousand people. Can anyone escape?" Shao Shude rode his horse to Su Junqing and asked again.
"Back to the king, I have made an agreement with the people in advance. After the Pichi ditch is repaired, the new fields will be distributed according to the work period. Situ of the Song Dynasty also allocated money and food in full, and there was no shortage, so the people were happy and did not flee." Su Junqing
replied.
"General Xie, I have transferred your troops to Heyang for battle. Do the soldiers have any complaints?" Shao Shude came to Xie Bin and asked.
"Back to Your Majesty, when our troops attacked Guanghe Town, everyone fought bravely and fought to the death. Next month when we attack Banzhu, please Your Majesty, please order our troops to go into battle. We will definitely kill all Liang people without leaving a single piece of armor behind." Xie Bin replied.
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He originally had 3,000 infantry and 600 cavalry. After the Baoyi Army was dismembered a while ago, he was also allocated some troops. Currently, there are 5,000 infantry and cavalry. They were organized into the right wing of the Baoyi Army and were assigned to the envoy of the Baoyi Army.
Soldiers and horses make Wang Jian and temperate.
"Wei Sima, I transferred you to Huaizhou. Do you know why?"
"Back to your Majesty, the kilns, charcoal fields, and craftsmen's shops in Xiuwu County are all complete. In a few days, the output will be even greater." The speaker was born in the Weicai family, and he was proficient in writing and iron smelting.
, Mining, currently serving as Huaizhou Sima, actually responsible for a lot of things in Xiuwu County.
"That's great!" Shao Shude got off his horse and said with a smile.
He will also conduct inspections on the important matters he just asked about later, so that he can verify whether anyone is lying.
He values the advanced base of Heyang very much.