But Wang Ben can think of these, and Shen Bing can certainly think of them too.
Just kidding, he is a modern man. Knowing that the Song Dynasty was defeated by the Mongols, how could he still copy the Song Dynasty's equipment and tactics?
Shen Bing spread out the map in front of the case and said:
"What the captain said is absolutely true."
"However, as the captain said, it will only happen when our army goes deep into the grassland to fight the Huns."
"Do you think so, Captain?"
Wang Ben looked at the map and nodded.
After a pause, he asked again:
"Isn't it true that the general wanted to recover Jiuyuan and the back set before he made the crossbow?"
Shen Bing shook his head and replied:
"I make crossbows only for defense."
"There is no Great Wall in Yunzhong County to stop the Xiongnu from going south. Our crossbow array is the Great Wall."
Wang Ben couldn't help but say "oh" when he heard this, and then nodded to express his understanding.
Of course there is a problem if the strategic purpose is to attack, but if it is just to defend... Yunzhong County is backed by Yanmen County, and the Yellow River and desert are on the left, so the logistical pressure is not great.
Shen Bing then explained:
"Even so, we can't just guard the city and let the Xiongnu do whatever they want outside the city."
"Otherwise, Yunzhong County will soon become an isolated city."
Wang Ben nodded in agreement.
Because if you don't go out to fight outside the city and just defend it, the land, resources, and even transportation routes outside the city will gradually be encroached by the Huns, especially the fields... Although there are fields in the city, they are far from enough to feed the people in the city.
Therefore, the population of a city is not determined by the height of the city wall, the number of troops, or the geometry of the grain storage, but by the effective fields outside the city.
Even if there are fields in Yunzhong County, what's the point if the Qin people are planting them and the Xiongnu are robbing them when they are harvesting?
As mentioned before, over time Yunzhong County will be depopulated due to frequent harassment by the Xiongnu.
After that, Yunzhong County really became an empty city with only soldiers and no people.
so……
Shen Bing said:
"My purpose is very simple, which is to protect the land."
Wang Ben couldn't help but wonder:
"But General, Yunzhong County is full of weeds and has no fields to protect it."
What Wang Ben said is true.
If we push the timeline forward... Shen Bing and others began to farm after they captured Handan, the capital of Zhao State.
At that time, Zhao Wangjia fled to the north and moved the people to Dai Kingdom, proclaiming himself King of Dai.
In other words, the people in Yunzhong County, including Jiuyuan and even Houtao, were moved away before they could even start farming.
As a result, the fields in Yunzhong County were barren and full of weeds. Shen Bing and others basically had to transport food from the Central Plains.
This is one of the reasons why Wang Ben previously opposed gathering the elderly and weak people in Yunzhong County... there is pressure on food.
If the Xiongnu succeeded in going south and entering Zhao's territory to burn and kill, the pressure would be even more obvious.
Shen Bing only replied:
"If we just sit and watch inside the city, how can we keep the fields outside the city from being abandoned?"
Wang Ben was stunned for a moment, and then he understood the meaning of Shen Bing's words.
This sounds a bit awkward to say, but it’s actually a chicken-and-egg problem.
Because the people feel that the fields outside the city are not safe, they do not go out of the city to farm. Because the people do not go out of the city to farm, they have no fields to protect...
If there is no land to protect the Qin army, there is no need to leave the city, so the fields outside the city will never be safe.
To break this cycle, we must protect the land even when there is no land to protect outside the city.
The purpose of this protection is not to protect the fields, but to circle a safe area to regain the confidence of the people.
Only in this way can Yunzhong County enter a virtuous cycle and become stronger and stronger.
As he spoke, Shen Bing picked up a brush and clicked a few points on the map, saying:
"I plan to build five fortresses outside the city, each with a thousand people. What does the captain think?"
Wang Ben looked at the positions of the five points and asked:
"General, are you planning to enclose land along the river?"
Wang Ben was right, Shen Bing wanted to enclose land along the river.
On one side is the Yellow River, and on the other side are the five cities built by Shen Bing along the main transportation roads and the flow of the river.
The five fortresses are connected in a line to enclose a safe area. If this area is cultivated or planted with crops, it will be enough to feed the soldiers and civilians in the city.
The purpose of enclosing land along the Yellow River was to facilitate defense... The Xiongnu were a nation on horseback and were definitely landlubbers, so the side of the Yellow River was definitely safe.
In this way, as much land as possible can be enclosed with the fewest forts.
Another consideration is river irrigation.
There is an old saying along the Yellow River, "The Yellow River's evils only make it rich."
This means that the Yellow River often changes its course due to its high sand content and becomes silted up, and there are flood seasons, which means flooding is very frequent.
However, due to the influence of the terrain, the Hetao area is basically not flooded. In addition, the soil is fertile and the several plains are flat, so agriculture is very developed.
Of course, this is describing the modern Hetao area.
During the Warring States Period, the Hetao area was often harassed by the Xiongnu because it was located outside the Great Wall. Its irrigation system was very backward and crop yields were seriously insufficient.
Even when Li Mu was guarding the Northland, the Northland Army still relied on transportation from the Central Plains for food.
This situation did not change until Meng Tian connected the Great Walls of Yan, Zhao and Qin. It was not until the Han Dynasty that the Hetao area was truly utilized and developed.
But now, since Shen Bing has come to manage this land, he certainly won't wait another few hundred years.
Wang Ben thought for a while and asked:
"This method may be feasible."
"But general... We already have insufficient troops, so we divided them into five villages. Isn't this a violation of the taboo of dividing our troops?"
Shen Bing replied with a smile:
"That's why we need to develop crossbows and bed crossbows."
"If the Xiongnu invades, our army will set up a crossbow array and go out to fight... It will be like a wall blocking the Xiongnu so that they cannot cross the thunder pool."
Wang Ben asked again:
"But one day if the number of people increases, the surrounding land will not be enough..."
Before Wang Ben could finish speaking, Shen Bing continued:
"At that time, when we have more troops, we can consider encircling another field."
"In this way, we will gradually go deeper into the direction of the Xiongnu, and even the troops in the front and rear can move forward..."
"It won't take long to recover Jiuyuan and even Houtao!"
Wang Ben couldn't help but admire:
"What the general said makes sense."
"This is to retreat first and then advance. At first, the Xiongnu may only think that a small piece of land is not important, but as time goes by, they discover the key."
"But by then I'm afraid it will be too late."
This is actually not a tactic invented by Shen Bing.
Throughout the Song Dynasty, the entire Song Dynasty was groaning under the iron heel of Mongolia, but there was only one exception, and that was Sichuan, which was governed by Yu Jie.
At that time, the Sichuan area was also invaded by the broken tactics of the Mongolian cavalry, and it was becoming increasingly desolate, not far from the city.
As a result, Yu Jie adopted this tactic of using the terrain to expand outward step by step, and a few years later the Mongolian army was unable to enter.
And even after the demise of the Song Dynasty, Sichuan still held on and even killed Meng Ge Khan.1603468771