In early April, Chen Mu crossed the Yellow River, then crossed the Majia River and arrived in Pingyuan County.
Historically, the water system in the lower reaches of the Yellow River was complex and criss-crossed, with nine large rivers including Tuhai, Taishi, Majia, Fufu, Husu, Jian, Jie, Goupan, and Lijin.
Note that this is only the Nine Rivers recorded in history books. Beyond the Nine Rivers, there are a large number of tributaries and small streams, which are intertwined and form a marsh country.
The geography of the Han Dynasty was completely different from that of two thousand years later. At least the location of the Yellow River alone was different by 70 to 80 kilometers.
Therefore, it was relying on the complex and changeable water system in the lower reaches of the Yellow River, Qingzhou's powerful navy, and the many forts, canals, and camps built on both sides of the river in the past few years as defense fulcrums to keep Yuan Shao's army at bay.
After passing through Gaotang, you can already feel the atmosphere of war. On the roads going back and forth, you can often see a large number of fortifications such as bunkers and forts, as well as large groups of Qingzhou soldiers roaming around, patrolling, guarding, and checking pedestrians.
It is said that things have been relaxed a lot in the past two years. In order to do business, salt was sold and restrictions on travel between Jizhou and Qingzhou were relaxed. During the most severe period of the war in the first two years, not to mention pedestrians and merchants, even local people were moved south.
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It was late spring in April, and the grass was growing and warblers were flying. A group of people were walking slowly on the official road. It was not yet midday, and there were many cars and horses coming and going on the road, and there were many pedestrians.
There are Confucian scholars wearing simple clothes and shoes, businessmen dressed in elegant clothes, and ordinary people in Guizhou wearing black or white clothes. Because the world is uneasy and the roads are rough, pedestrians often carry short knives and long swords with them. When they see a convoy, they will get out of the way.
It's not that ordinary people are afraid of the powerful, but when they see an old man on a carriage, Han people respect the elderly deeply. If they meet an old man on the road, even if they don't know them, they will bow their hands and salute to show respect.
The closer we got to the city, the more intense the atmosphere of war became. Rows of Han soldiers in red armor shuttled outside the city. Some went north out of the city, some patrolled near the outside of the city, and some stood at the gate.
On duty, patrolling everyone who enters the city.
The stern eyes like arrows and the serious attitude when searching the goods seemed to remind every passerby that this was war time.
"Stop!"
The gatekeeper who was standing at the gate of the city sternly shouted to stop. He had already noticed this team. Everyone was riding a horse, and there were two carriages. Although they didn't seem to be carrying much cargo, the swords on their waists and the sides of the horses were still there.
The hanging crossbows have already proved that they are no ordinary people.
Ah Da Ah Er, Zhang Long, Zhao Hu and others have been serving as Chen Mu's personal bodyguards. Seeing this situation, they were about to take out their official seals to prove their identities. Unexpectedly, Chen Mu smiled faintly and said to the gate: "The military lord has
What's the matter?"
The gatekeeper looked them over, pointed at the crossbows they were boasting about, and said seriously: "Crossbows are prohibited items and are prohibited from being brought into the city. Where are you from? Do you have any photo IDs?"
The ID card is the ID card of the Qin Dynasty, invented by Shang Yang. Except that it does not have a photo, it is similar to the ID card of later generations.
It’s just that in the non-information age, this thing is too easy to forge and has little practical significance.
However, Qingzhou stipulates that all people who want to go out of the county must apply to the government. After the application is approved, the local government will issue a special pass, which is Qingzhou's unique photo ID.
This kind of photo sticker is made of special materials and special technology, which is very difficult to imitate. It also has an official seal stamped on it, so it is almost impossible to forge it, but at the same time it is difficult for ordinary people to get it.
Only dignitaries can afford it.
Although people from outside Pingyuan County come and go, in fact most of them are from this county. People from this county have their own set of identification and have certificates issued by the village elders.
Therefore, the business dealings between Gaotang and Pingyuan in the salt industry often involved large local families, and most of them were familiar faces. However, Chen Mu and the others were strangers and brought banned items, which naturally attracted attention.
Chen Mu is the fourth eldest son on the surface and the second eldest son in fact in Qingzhou. Naturally, he doesn't need to bring any photo ID when he goes out. Every time he passes through counties, he can just use the official seal he carries with him. But this time he doesn't want to do that. Here
It was no longer the rear, but the front line, so he wanted to make a secret visit to see how alert it was.
Now he waved to Ah Da, who took a few steps forward and took something out of his arms.
The gatekeeper thought they were taking out their ID cards, so he looked back at the soldiers who had quietly gathered around him, and motioned them to relax. At least these people didn't put their hands on their weapons, and they didn't notice that they were too aggressive.
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Ada came over, took out a bag from his arms, weighed it, and handed it to the gatekeeper.
The moment the doorkeeper took it, he felt something was wrong. The feeling inside the bag was hard and definitely not a personal touch. When he opened it, his face suddenly changed. He raised his head and saw Chen Mu looking at him with a smile.
"What does this mean?"
Menhou squeezed the bag in his hand.
"A little thought."
Chen Mu smiled slightly: "Please ask the military lord to be accommodating."
"snort!"
The prince snorted coldly and said: "You want to bribe me? Arrest me!"
"Who dares!"
Ah Da, Ah Er, Xu Rong and the others immediately drew out their swords.
The soldiers at the city gate reacted quickly, all raised their spears, and surrounded everyone.
The soldiers patrolling in the distance noticed something was wrong and rushed here quickly.
People nearby stayed away to avoid getting into trouble.
Seeing that things were getting serious, Yan Zhong glanced at Chen Mu and wanted to know how he would end up?
You know, when he came to the front line this time, Chen Mu's idea was to imitate the Qin State in exchange for Bai Qi, and his purpose was to attack the enemy unprepared.
If his identity is exposed here, Chen Mu will be humiliated.
However, Chen Mu was not worried at all and just said with a smile: "The Marquis has misunderstood. What I want the Marquis to see is not on the surface, but underneath."
"Down below?"
The gatekeeper frowned and saw soldiers coming up from all around and surrounding them. He was not afraid, so he opened the bag and reached in to touch it.
After a while, he touched a square object, and just as he was about to take it out, he heard someone whisper in his ear: "Just look at it alone, don't let others see it."
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! The prince glanced at the weak scholar in front of him. Although he didn't care, he still took out the things and took a look at them in his arms.
At this glance, his face changed even faster than before. He hurriedly stuffed the things back into the bag and raised his hand to salute.
Chen Mu waved his hand and said, "Okay, don't reveal my identity."
"only!"
The prince did not dare to salute anymore and could only respond in a low voice: "I have seen the four generals."
He didn't know Chen Mu and didn't know how to call him, but he knew that in the army, most of the old soldiers from Qingzhou called Zhang Fei the third general, and occasionally mentioned the rumored fourth general, so he might as well do the same.
They all call it that.
Chen Mu smiled and asked, "Can we go in?"
"nature."
The gatekeeper returned the bag to Ada, and kept waving to the soldiers around him: "You have the photo ID, and if it is checked correctly, let it go!"
Chen Mu turned around and returned to the carriage, and the convoy set off again.
When passing by the doorway, he suddenly opened the curtain and turned to the doorkeeper and said, "What's your name?"
The prince was shocked. The noble man asked his name. He didn't know whether it was a blessing or a curse, but he had to answer. He could only bite the bullet and said: "Wen Ji!"
"hehe."
Chen Mu smiled, put down the door curtain on the carriage, and sat back in the carriage.
Wen Ji saw the carriage slowly driving into the city, and the team of more than 20 people slowly disappeared into the crowd, and he felt uneasy in his heart.
It was rumored that Chen Mu, the fourth general of Qingzhou, had always been very strict in running the army and used cruel methods. Once a veteran who had followed him for many years committed a crime, he beheaded him with tears in front of all the veterans, and military discipline became clear for a time.
Now that I have stopped him outside the city, although there is no rude behavior, who knows whether he will remember it in his heart and punish him severely?
Thinking of the years of war in my hometown, my family had no choice but to flee to Jinan and join the army to make ends meet.
At home, my wife has been pregnant for several months, and my parents are old, so I have to rely on myself to support myself as the mainstay if something unexpected happens.
For a time, Wen Ji was worried about gains and losses, and felt anxious and uneasy.
Pingyuan County is less than fifty miles away from the front line of E County. Soldiers and horses are dispatched from various places, making it look like a military town.
However, the transportation and trading of salt still cannot prevent it from becoming a transportation hub city for military and commercial mergers.
Qingzhou's salt was sold all over the world, including Gongsun Zan of Youzhou, Wuhuan people on the border, Xianbei people in the north of the Great Wall, and even the hostile Yuan Shao.
Food is the most important thing for people. As the two major necessities of life, if food ranked first in ancient times, then salt would definitely rank second.
As long as it is profitable, the private salt trade is not prohibited.
Although Yuan Shao knew that this was to make money for Qingzhou, he had no choice. Among the three major salt producing areas in the world, plus the newly opened salt fields in Qingzhou, there was none in Jizhou.
If Bohai County was still there, it would be possible to use the original salt boiling method to make sea salt in Bohai to meet the demand, but now Bohai has been occupied.
As a result, he could only hold his nose and admit it. In addition to seeking other methods, he was also actively trying to defeat Qingzhou.
The motorcade is driving slowly on the streets, and the development of commerce will definitely drive the prosperity of the local economy.
People were coming and going on the streets, and there were many signboards. Although there were occasionally long queues of soldiers walking on the streets in uniform steps, they did not harass the people, and the two sides lived in peace and had no intersection.
Chen Mu watched the whole journey and made some calculations in his mind. The carriage drove slowly to the Prime Minister's Office in Pingyuan County. Pingyuan County is the seat of Pingyuan State. There are not only county offices but also county offices in the city.
It was afternoon. Tian Feng had finished his arrangements for the day and was about to summon some wealthy people in the city to discuss some matters. Suddenly, he heard someone outside reporting that Chen Mu was coming. He was very surprised and hurriedly ran out to greet him.
"Brother Yuan Hao!"
"The son returns."
The two of them saluted each other at the door of the mansion and laughed.
Chen Mu stepped up the steps, looked around, and said, "There are many people outside, let's go in and talk."
"Um."
Tian Feng led Chen Mu in, passed the vestibule, and went to the outer hall. Yan Zhong and Xu Rong followed, and the four of them sat in rows.
If you are a sophisticated person, although both of them are currently serving as prefects, with Chen Mu's status, a smooth person would ask him to sit at the top.
But Tian Feng just came up and was the kind of person who didn't like the sophistication of the world, so he didn't think about these things at all and sat directly on the main seat. If Chen Mu had the right method to be so petty, he would probably hate Tian Feng on the spot.
However, Chen Mu was deep in thought, and of course he would not make such senseless calculations. He sat down in the first place with a smile and reminisced about the past: "Brother Yuan Hao, I haven't seen you for some years. I miss you very much."
Tian Feng smiled and said: "Zi Gui, why did you suddenly come to Pingyuan? Who are these two?"
In the past two years, Chen Mu has rarely been on the front line, dealing with internal affairs and matters in Xuzhou. Tian Feng felt a little strange about his sudden visit.
Chen Mu introduced: "These are hermits from Guanzhong who migrated to Qingzhou to avoid disaster. Mr. Yan Yi and his adopted son Xu Zheng. I know two great talents and specially invite them to help each other and become officials in Qingzhou."
"I've seen the envoy."
The two of them bowed their hands to Tian Feng.
Yan Zhong actually met Liu Bei. He and Dong Zhuo went to Liu Bei and said they would deal with Yuan Shao together.
But that was all eight years ago. Not to mention that eight years have made Yan Zhong even older. It was just a one-time relationship, and so much time has passed. Unless Liu Bei has Zhang Song's photographic memory skills,
Otherwise it would be impossible to remember.
As for Xu Rong, Xu Rong had fought tough battles with Liu Bei and Guan Yu, but they were basically controlled by remote control from the rear, and they never met up close on the battlefield. The most recent time was when Guan Yu came to the bottom of a hill and almost chopped Xu Rong down.
, but the two sides were hundreds of meters apart at that time, so it was impossible to see so clearly.
Therefore, Chen Mu also confidently and boldly invited the two men out of the mountain and prepared to launch a military operation against Jizhou.
Tian Feng returned the greeting and said, "You two are polite."
After they got to know each other, Chen Mu explained: "Now that the political situation in Qingzhou is stable, the internal affairs are prosperous and orderly, so I decided to go north. Yuan Shao's matter is a personal problem for my eldest brother. It would be great if it can be eliminated as soon as possible."
"I see."
Tian Feng nodded. From the first year of Xingwu, the two sides fought fiercely, to the end of the Battle of Geting in the second year of Xingwu, and finally to the fourth year of Xingwu this year, they had been in confrontation with Yuan Shao for three years from the beginning of the fight to the confrontation.
During this period, their strategy has been to take a defensive stance, consuming Yuan Shao's strength and carrying out targeted attacks from all aspects.
Now, it's almost time to have a fight to the death with Yuan Shao and see who is the best.
Chen Mu asked: "What is the situation on the front line now?"
"Look at the son."
Tian Feng took out a frontline map and invited Chen Mu to come over and take a closer look.
"You two should take a look together."
Chen Mu also called Yan Zhong and Xu Rong to come with him.
Although battle reports are sent to Linzi every month, Chen Mu will be responsible for sorting out these battle reports and then sending people to Luoyang. He is formally responsible to Liu Yu.
However, these battle report information is definitely backward information, and there is a serious lag in the news.
The battlefield is changing rapidly, which can cause information gaps in the era of telegraphs, let alone the Han Dynasty, which required horseback riding to transport official documents. Therefore, only by going to the front line in person can you know all the information on both sides.
The four people gathered in a group and saw a large defense area clearly marked on the map. Qinghe County and Lingxian County were the bridgeheads, and the two cities were at the forefront.
Then there is Yimu County in the north as the fulcrum, plus Pingyuan County behind, the four cities form a T shape. The horizontal line above the T is the line connecting Ling County of Yi County and Yimu County, and the vertical line behind it
, which is Pingyuan County.
And near this T-shape, using the vast water system lake area in the lower reaches of the Yellow River as support, there are a large number of forts, watchtowers, water fortifications and other defenses. Once the enemy invades in a large scale, they can advance layer by layer and block the attack in sections.
Tian Feng was a little reluctant to show military secrets to people he met for the first time, but since it was Chen Mu's permission, it was inconvenient to say more, so he pointed to the E County Road on the map: "Ming Gong is in E County now.
, led 20,000 troops and horses, flanked by three generals Yi Deliang and Bi Zijing, and dozens of commanders and commanders, to resist Yuan Shao's attack."
He also pointed to Lingxian County and said: "Wen Yuan and Zhongda led 15,000 people to guard Lingxian County and threatened Ganling Beiqiu. Yuan Shao hated them deeply and often launched large-scale attacks, but they were repulsed by the two of them."
Finally, pointing to the Yimu County Road: "Xuan Gao led 10,000 people to the north, using his calculations to draw reinforcements."
"I will lead 10,000 people in the plains to support the rear army."
Tian Feng drew a large circle on the map and continued: "In addition, around the four counties, including Gaotang on the south bank of the river, there are hundreds of forts, thousands of watchtowers, and eighty water villages.
Taishi Ci Huangzhong leads more than ten thousand troops, and there are often boats patrolling the river, which can ensure that Yuan Shao cannot attack from Yanzhou."
Qingzhou is currently rich in talents, with countless civil servants and generals, but they are scattered in two places, and their strength is not concentrated.
Over in Luoyang, Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, Guan Hai, Wu Anguo, Han Hao, and Xu Huang are all outstanding senior generals. Others include Yang Feng, Li Le, Han Xian, Hu Cai, Guan Ping, Luo Hao, and Li Lan.
, Guan Cheng, Wang Dan, Zhang Rao and dozens of other mid-level generals will not go into details one by one.
There are even more military generals in Qingzhou, including Zhang Feidian, Wei Huangzhong, Zhang Liao, Taishi Ci, Zang Ba, Gao Shun, and dozens of people, large and small. Even the yellow scarf thieves Xu He and Sima Ju who surrendered at the beginning have now reached the rank of captain, middle and lower-level generals.
There are even more famous and unknown people in history, such as Wen Su, who now serve as a low-level prince in the army, which shows how powerful Qingzhou is.
Chen Mu looked at the map and nodded.
I am still very satisfied with this defensive arrangement. It cannot be said to be impregnable, but it is almost invulnerable.
Unless Yuan Shao can learn from the leader and bypass this Maginot Line of Defense.
But that was impossible. He didn't have airplanes or battleships. He couldn't fly over the Yellow River's chasm, which was a few hundred meters wide. As long as he dared to move, the news would spread quickly.
"As for the north, Gongsun Zan Bogui will confront Yuan Shao's troops in Nanpi, Dongguang, and Xiu counties. The two sides will win or lose."
Tian Feng finally concluded: "Generally speaking, the situation is favorable to us. Although Yuan Shao continues to attack and wants to take back the Bohai Sea, we occupy the advantageous location and are each other's horns. Even if he has more troops and generals, he can't even think of crossing half of the county."
step."
"Well, it is indeed easy to defend but difficult to attack."
Yan Zhong also praised him.
Tian Feng proudly stroked his beard, this line of defense was his own work.
Chen Mu said: "It's a pity that I have enough defense but not enough offense. I focus too much on defense, so I can only be beaten passively and it is difficult to fight back."
Tian Feng was doused with cold water and felt a little embarrassed, but he still asked unconvinced: "Oh, what do you think the distribution of troops should be like?"
Chen Mu laughed, pointed at a certain place and said: "If I use troops to station a group of people here, it doesn't need to be too many. Five thousand people are enough. They stay behind closed doors on weekdays and suddenly attack at critical moments. You
What do you think?"
Tian Feng looked in the direction he pointed and saw that it was Boping County in Yanzhou.
Although Boping County is within Yanzhou, it is actually located below Ling County, very close to Gaotang, and at the junction of the three states.
To the south of this place is Luoshui. Following the Luoshui waterway, you can retreat into the Yellow River Basin. To the northwest is Ganling, to the west is Guantao, and to the east is Gaotang. It can be said that it strangles the throats of the three states. It is indeed a battleground for military strategists.
.
If you deploy an army here, it will have a miraculous effect. It will be like driving a nail into Yuan Shao's hinterland. Once Yuan Shao starts to march eastward to attack Yi County, Bogan's troops can rush into Guantao from the west and disturb Yuan Shao.
The base camp of Wei County has been transformed, and it can also cooperate with the main force to attack from the front and back, creating a surprise force.
But Tian Feng shook his head and said: "I have thought about this place before, but after all, it is too close to Jizhou. It can be said that it is a lonely army. Although there is a big river as a retreat, it is really dangerous, so we cannot place troops and horses."
Chen Mu smiled and did not argue with Tian Feng.
Tian Feng had a straightforward temper, and the strategies he used were the same as Zhuge Liang's. He was an upright conspiracy, but he was not good at such strange and treacherous methods, or in other words, he did not dare to use them.
Because this strategy is indeed very dangerous, just like Wei Yan leading 5,000 men to surprise the Ziwu Valley, it is a surprise attack.
If Yuan Shao becomes ruthless and decides to ignore the front, pull out the nail in the hinterland first, and launch a massive attack, then a city with only 5,000 people may not be able to defend it. Therefore, surprise soldiers may sometimes be used as surprise soldiers, but more
When you are in trouble, it is easy to become an abandoned son and waste your troops.
"Now we have been confronting Yuan Shao for more than two years. From the second year of Xingwu to now the fourth year of Xingwu, it is time to have a showdown with him."
Chen Mu pondered: "I wonder if Brother Yuan Hao has any countermeasures?"
After hearing this, Tian Feng suddenly smiled and said: "I really have a plan, and I will definitely defeat Yuan Shaozhi!"
"oh?"
Chen Mu suddenly remembered the countless merchants on the street, frowned, and asked softly: "Could this plan be..."