Late Tang Dynasty Floating Life

Chapter 1566
"The only difficulty in the Western Expedition is supplies." Qiu Zengxiang, who had been studying in the martial arts hall after returning from Yunnan, pointed to several winding routes on the map, and said: "The best way is actually to go to Yi, The second is to transfer cattle and sheep from the northern grasslands to Beiting, and the last one is to transport grain from the Hexi Corridor."

As soon as this remark came out, everyone looked sideways.But the others did not speak, and only cast their eyes on one person: Li Lin.

Both of them are martial arts students, and they have both made great achievements. How about a fight?

"This is pure nonsense." Sure enough, Li Lin was not used to other people's bad habits, and said directly: "It is of course the best strategy to cultivate in the Western Regions, but what is the matter of transferring cattle and sheep from the northern grasslands? Is this easy? Last year, the sage sent troops on two routes and personally led the North Road. When hundreds of thousands of cattle and sheep reached the North Court, most of them were skinny and more than one-third were eaten. Tell me, can this work?"

"Of course we can't rely solely on cattle and sheep for supplies." Qiu Zengxiang said: "When soldiers march on the grassland, the livestock carried with the army can only be used as the last supply. It is not necessary to kill cattle and sheep, especially cows and ewes. But with so many soldiers and horses, Won't you grab it?"

"What if you can't grab it?"

"You can always grab it. If it doesn't work, just stop and let the livestock grow fat."

"It's so easy to grow fat? People lose fat after traveling a long way, and they can't make up for it in a while. How easy is it for cattle and sheep?"

"Then what do you want?"

"I don't want to, it's just that you said it too lightly."

Shuluporun, Liu Zhiyuan, Xianglijin, Bai Fengjin, He Delun and others whispered to each other, occasionally chuckled, too lazy to get involved in this debate.

"Stay here." Shao Chengjie stopped the two generals from arguing, and said, "When a sage uses his troops, the first thing he pays attention to is food and grass. The battle of the Western Expedition was vividly reflected. Most of the time the North Route Army was grazing, and most of the time the South Route Army was gathering food and grass. The army has enough food. , and then you can attack. If you can recognize this, you have achieved your goal."

"Secondly, there are a lot of staff officers in the Great Xia Army, and the staff officers in this march have demonstrated their abilities. In such an expedition, if the marching route is slightly wrong, it will lead to a big mistake. There is basically no problem with the route this time, which can be seen from the previous three years. The preparations are quite sufficient. You should agree to this before you make a decision, that’s enough.”

After saying this, Shao Chengjie looked at Li Lin and said with a smile, "Li Qing, this battle is very different from the battle against the Southern Barbarians, isn't it?"

Li Lin said: "It's really quite different. In the battle of Changhe, Zheng Renmin's ass was beaten all the way, fast and slow, chasing death and chasing north. Before the Nanman could react, the capital fell."

"Li Qing played very well, and it coincides with what I think." Shao Chengjie praised: "If a sage came to command the campaign to conquer the South, he would not fight like this. The generals who command troops in the world have different styles and must You have to think about it carefully. I heard that the thieves in the Western Regions have different ways of training, governing, and fighting. If Li Qing is on the right track, he may suffer losses if he blindly pursues and fights. On the contrary, the sages who 'do it for themselves first are invincible. Then the strategy of using troops for the enemy's victory is more secure."

Li Lin was a little surprised when he heard that.

I have heard that the crown prince used his troops to advance bravely, so why did he speak like this today? To be honest, it is not in line with his style.Could it be that as you get older, you want to understand a lot of things, and your thinking has changed?
This is not impossible. When the prince led troops to fight in youth, could it be the same as when he was in middle age?The living environment has changed, and the things I have experienced are also different, and my thoughts will definitely change accordingly.

What he said today made Li Lin faintly feel that the prince's military thinking has gone a step further, that is, he has different tactics to deal with generals of different styles, instead of just sticking to his own style.

How to say this kind of thinking, if it is not used well, it will be slapped on both sides, and if it is used well, it will be a master.

The saint has a bit of this taste.

The world said that he used his troops steadily, but when he was fighting Yang Xingmi in Huaibei, he gave full play to his cavalry tactics and advanced bravely, so that the enemy lost sight of one thing and lost another.

When fighting Zhu Quanzhong, he was much more stable and focused on consumption.

Fighting against the eight tribes of the Khitan is a majestic soldier, as thick as a mountain, advancing indomitably, leaving hundreds of thousands of Khitan riders at a loss.

Moreover, when the sage uses his troops, there are many tricks outside the battlefield, which often work.

To be able to fight to this level requires not only military talent, but also life experience and insight into the world. This is called a god general, and Li Lin feels that he is not as good.

"Have you written down all of today's discussions?" Shao Chengjie looked at the two "internship" martial arts students in the corner and asked.

"Return to Your Highness, I have written it all down." The two replied in unison.

"That's good." Shao Chengjie stood up, looked at the crowd, and said, "It's boring to talk so much, go out and practice?"

"Practice!" Everyone laughed and got up one after another.

It is one thing to win or lose in martial arts, but it is another thing to deepen the relationship with the prince.

Of course, those who are able to enter the martial arts lecture hall must have a bit of "wisdom". The saint is still there, and how close he is to the prince is a question worthy of careful consideration.

******
And just when everyone in the martial arts hall was frothing to resume tactics, the second batch of transportation teams from Luoyang had already arrived in Lisuo, Huahan County, Hezhou.

Today is the third day of March, and by the stream in the outskirts of Fanghan County, there are quite a few scholars who are enjoying themselves, drinking a cup of Qushui.

This custom does not know why.

The most reliable statement is that in the Han Dynasty, "Xu Zhao in Pingyuan gave birth to three daughters at the beginning of March, and they all died in three days. A village thought it was a strange thing, so they washed with each other at the waterfront. Because of the flowing water, the Qushui started here. .”

This festival should be strongly promoted by literati and refined scholars.Because it was fun, some common people also participated in it.But generally speaking, it is still tepid, not as good as other festivals, and it is mainly played by gifted scholars and beauties.

At this time, the people playing this game in the outskirts of Fanghan County were such people.I saw the ladies covered their mouths and smiled lightly, their faces were flushed, which dazzled Gao Chonggui and Gao Chongnian brothers.

"Longyou is singing and dancing so peacefully, I wonder if the west is at war." Gao Chonggui looked away, knocked on the carriage with the scabbard, and said: "Seeing this supply cart, I am sure the west is still at war .”

"Why did the general say that?" Zhang Datong, master of Weizhou, sighed, "I am also from Longyou, so I was confiscated by the government and went west with you?"

All the palace guards laughed and said that he was unlucky.Some Weizhou tribute goods were temporarily added and sent to Gaochang. Due to lack of manpower, a hundred people were temporarily requisitioned, and Zhang Datong was selected.

"Actually, I'm quite lucky." Zhang Datong said again: "Last year, when someone came back from Gaochang and said that they were going west to transfer supplies, someone took a shortcut and crossed the sea of ​​quicksand. Hundreds of people lost their way, and none of them Come back. When they were finally found, both humans and animals had been dead for many days, it was miserable."

"Is there such a thing?" Gao Chonggui was startled, and said, "How many masters are there in Longyou to transfer funds?"

"Why not many?" Zhang Datong said: "From Qinzhou to Shanzhou, one counts as one, and all of them have been sent. The saint's western expedition is the 30-year accumulation of Longyou and Hexi. We don’t have to go to the battle to kill the peasants in more than a dozen states, but it’s not easy. Every grain of Gaochang was sent there by us desperately, dying of exhaustion and thirst on the road. I don’t know how many. Every county has people who can’t come back, it’s really miserable.”

As soon as these words came out, the faces of some other people in the team changed.

Judging from their age, most of them are between seventeen and eighteen years old, and the oldest is only in his early twenties.

Looking at their attire, it's actually not bad. The clothes are quite new, and they still carry bags of various sizes.

"Gaochang is so short of food?" a bearded "boy" asked.

"Why is there no shortage? There are so many soldiers and horses, and people eat and chew on horses. Gaochang is not a rich place, maybe it is not as good as Hezhou. How can it support so many warriors who are not productive?" Zhang Datong asked rhetorically.

"It's bitter!" A person next to him stomped his feet and sighed: "Aren't we going to eat dirt when we go? If we knew this, we might as well stay in Luoyang."

"Let's go on the road before the new year is over. At least let me have a good meal for the new year before leaving. Now it's all right. I went to eat dirt. Life is sad."

"Look at your cowardice. What are you afraid of when you go to steal cattle and sheep from the Tibetans without food?"

"One hundred thousand troops are not as smart as you? They didn't get it, so why did you get it?"

"It's unfounded to worry about. Since the imperial court sent us on the road, if we go there, can we still eat less?"

"I hope there is something that can satisfy my hunger. If it is not possible, I will ask King Zhao for food. We are all his people, so we can't ignore it."

Brother Gao Chonggui looked at each other, knowing that they would suffer hardships along the way.

The composition of their team is very complicated, including palace guards, medical officers, craftsmen, etc., but the largest number is a group of teenagers from Henan Prefecture, about a thousand people, most of whom are forbidden soldiers and state soldiers who have practiced martial arts since childhood. Family children.

There are even a group of recruits who have been trained in the Shanzhou Academy for five years.They had already given up the idea of ​​entering the Forbidden Army, and they couldn't wait any longer, so they went to the Western Regions to try their luck and see if they could make a name for themselves under King Zhao's command.

When this meeting heard about the difficulties in the Western Regions, everyone looked sad, and they were no longer as relaxed as before.

"Hey, it turns out that you are suffering more than I am." Zhang Datong smiled when he heard the words, ignored the anger gradually appearing on the faces of those people, and continued without a clue: "I heard from people who came back that last year the sage was still digging ditches in Gaochang. Farming. Haha, even saints have to do this, what good will you do if you go?"

Gao Chonggui gave Zhang Datong a push, and said, "Stop sticking around here, go to the back and help repair the car."

"But I don't know how to repair cars..." Zhang Datong wondered.

"Get out!" Gao Chongnian scolded.

Seeing that he was angry, Zhang Datong walked away dejectedly.

"Actually—it's not as scary as he said." Gao Chonggui forced a smile, and said: "Longyou and Hexi are trying their best to transfer grain, and they haven't stopped even for the New Year. Gaochang should have enough grain."

"Guard Gao, don't comfort me to wait." The bearded boy said: "The people in Longyou and Hexi more than ten prefectures have been squeezed to this extent, obviously it can't last long. When the Western Regions are finished, the number of soldiers must be reduced. By then There is even less food to be transported to the west. However, there is no limit to the road, as we said on Wednesday, if you have nothing to eat, go for it. Those who have knives and guns are afraid of birds!"

"Haha, that's right." Gao Chongnian smiled and said, "I heard that orchids in the Western Regions are very good. Are you all married? If you go to the west, maybe you can grab one and come back to warm your bed."

For teenagers who often wake up in the morning, the topic of women is always attractive.Gao Chongnian's wretched smile boosted everyone's morale on the spot, and even the days when they might have to eat dirt in the future seemed to be cast a layer of seductive crimson.

"Spring tour, apricot blossoms blowing all over your head..." The gifted scholars and beauties playing by the stream have already sang in harmony, and the melodious sound makes people intoxicated.

"Huh!" The young man heard this, and sang loudly: "The wind roars in Luntai at night in September, and a river of broken stones is as big as a bucket, and the ground is full of stones with the wind."

The person on the other side was a little strange, but continued to sing in harmony: "Which family in Moshang is young and flirtatious?"

The young man raised his voice: "The grassy yellow horses of the Xiongnu are fattening up, and the smoke and dust are flying in the west of Jinshan, and the generals of the Han family are leaving their troops in the west."

The person on the other side was obviously disturbed, and when she sang "The concubine plans to marry and rest for the rest of her life", her voice dropped significantly.

The young man continued his efforts, and said loudly: "The general will never take off his golden armor at night, and the army will fight in the middle of the night, the limelight is like a knife, and the face is like a cut..."

The others were also aroused, and pulled out the short spears and horizontal knives around their waists one after another, and said in unison: "The captive cavalry should be intimidated when they hear about it, but they don't dare to pick up short soldiers, the chariot master Ximen stands up to show victory!"

After singing, I laughed loudly, and the previous boredom was swept away.

Gao Chonggui punched the boy on the chest, and said: "Good man, what's his name?"

"My name is Yao Hong, from Luoyang." The young man held his head up and said, "When will these melodramatic voices have the nerve to enter the Daya Hall? The ones who say 'walking on the snowy seaside' are good men, and they sing all day long." Talented scholars and beautiful ladies are just like women. If a thief comes to kill a woman, I'm afraid she won't be able to keep her, so she will be kidnapped."

"Haha. Is Yao Jun the woman who went to rob the bandits?" Gao Chongnian asked with a smile.

"Give it up! Why don't you grab it?" Yao Hong stared and said, "Go now, I can't wait."

"Go together! Go together!" The others shouted.

Morale was low before, but now it's high-spirited again.

Young people, you can't let your anger out.

(End of this chapter)