wjnovel Chapter 249 Inspection of Shaanxi Province
Chapter 249 Inspection of Shaanxi Province
Before Zhong E became the deputy envoy of Shaanxi's pacification and recruitment, Kang Guogong Han Jiang was the biggest leader in the entire Shaanxi Road.
Previously, Han Jiang's official position was Shaanxi Road Xuanfu Envoy, responsible for overseeing the resistance to Xixia.
Later, after Zhong'e became the deputy envoy, Han Jiang became the Shaanxi Economic Strategy's appeasement and recruitment envoy, and was a veritable leader on the Shaanxi Road.
This time when he went to Yanbian, Wei Yuan had to deal with him.
It stands to reason that since they are all nobles, no matter what they do when they go to Yanbian, Han Jiang should strongly support him.
But according to Zhang Fu, Han Jiang was born as a Jinshi. He was one of the few people in the Zhou Dynasty who had both a title and an imperial examination.
The most important thing is that Han Jiang has a good relationship with Han Zhang and has a long-distance relationship with the martial artists in Bianjing City.
Before arriving in Yanbian, Wei Yuan had already begun to have a headache as to how to deal with the Duke of Kang.
Wei Yuan went all the way west, taking Hezhongfu to Yanzhou.
What I saw on the way was from prosperity to depression, and even as we got closer to Yanzhou, there were more and more beggars on the roadside.
Chen Daniu and Xiao Yuming, who followed Wei Yuan, were all sighing.
"Since the founding of the Zhou Dynasty, Yanbian has always been a place of hundreds of battles. Even Yanzhou was almost occupied by Xixia. It is not easy for the people here."
"It is said that in the previous dynasty, there were big cities in the Yanzhou area, but now, I only hear that there are many villages on Shaanxi Road, but not a prosperous city."
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How could Wei Yuan not understand what they were saying?
After all, as far as the eye could see, it was not devastated, but it was almost there.
The imperial court allocates grain to the Shaanxi Road area every year, hoping that the people here will have a better life.
However, when Xixia was short of food, they would plunder the Shaanxi Road. They had fast horses, and the Zhou army could only defend one side, and it was difficult to defend against the intrusion of Xixia bandits.
In this way, we fall into an infinite loop.
Under such circumstances, how could the imperial court manage Shaanxi Road?
Wei Yuan's "General Strategy for Attack and Defense in Xixia" was intended to change this situation.
"We in Daizhou often encounter Liao bandits, why not like this on Shaanxi Road?" Chen Daniu asked.
Wei Yuan said: "There is the Great Wall in Daizhou, Yanmen, what is there on the Shaanxi Road? If Helan Mountain had not been taken back in this battle, Yanbian would still be undefeated."
Xiao Yuming said: "According to the current journey, we can reach Yanzhou in three days at most."
"Kang Guogong is in Qingzhou, which is hundreds of miles away from Yanzhou. Should we go to Qingzhou to see Kang Guogong first or..."
The administrative seat of Shaanxi Road is in Jingzhao Mansion. Interestingly, the two most influential people in this area, Han Jiang and Zhong E, are not in Jingzhao Mansion.
One person is in Gyeongju, relying on the security army, Fengxiang army and others to resist Xixia.
Zhong'e has been operating in Yanzhou for many years and has already asked Yanzhou to change its surname to "Zhong".
Wei Yuan analyzed why Duke Kang ignored Jingzhao Mansion and insisted on staying in Qingzhou.
First, by being based in Gyeongju, one can remotely control or influence several nearby Imperial Guard regiments;
Secondly, it was what Han Zhang meant.
After all, only if you stay in Qingzhou and fight against Xixia, your achievements will not be taken away by Yanzhou's Zhonge.
Moreover, when Han Zhang visited Shaanxi, his focus was Qingzhou.
Qingzhou is as important to Han Zhang as Daizhou is to Wei Yuan.
"We will not go to Yanzhou or Qingzhou, but go directly to Pingrong Village. From there, we will go north to Helan Mountain to inspect the border troops."
Wei Yuan responded slowly.
This Pingrong Stronghold was built by Fan Zhongyan and Han Zhang. Its purpose was to serve as a military fortress and one of the supply stations for the frontier army.
In the sixth year of Jiayou's reign, it's mid-September.
Wei Yuan detoured to Yanzhou and headed to Pingrong Village.
When we reached the border near Yanzhou, except for a few prefectures, counties, and counties, there were no villages or people left.
You can see some abandoned or in-use fortresses everywhere, all used for garrisoning soldiers.
They farmed in this small defensive city while guarding against the invasion of the Xixia army.
The soldiers of the Manjia Battalion led by Wei Yuan this time all wore terrifying masks. They were full of evil aura and could not be looked at directly. Wherever they passed, they were so majestic that they naturally attracted the attention of many people.
At this moment, above the head of Yanzhou City.
Zhong E and Zhong Yi looked into the distance from time to time, hoping to see the appearance of Wei Yuan and his party.
But after waiting for several days, there was still no trace of the other party.
Zhong Yi said impatiently: "Brother, it stands to reason that even if the Manjia Camp climbed, they should have climbed to Yanzhou. Or, they went to Qingzhou and not Yanzhou?"
Zhong E glared at him and reprimanded: "Your mouth will bring you trouble sooner or later."
Zhong Yi said disapprovingly: "You and I are the only brothers here. If that Lord Wei was here, I would not dare to say anything."
Zhong E said: "You didn't go to the capital with my brother, and you never saw the grace of the soldiers of the Manjia Camp."
"My Zhou soldiers all regard Xixia's heavy cavalry as a nightmare, but I have never been afraid of this heavy cavalry."
"However, since my brother saw the soldiers of the Manjia Battalion, he asked himself whether he could win if he led his army to fight against them."
"The answer I got is that if the commander of the Manjia Battalion is Lord Wei, there is no way I can win."
Nowadays, who in the entire Zhou Dynasty doesn’t know that Wei Yuan has created a heavy cavalry regiment?
Although there are only three hundred people, they are still not to be underestimated.
At the critical moment of the war, three hundred heavy cavalry were enough to turn the tide.
Zhong Yi said: "Since my brother came back, he often praised the Marquis Wei, which made my younger brother a little curious about him."
Zhong E said seriously: "I am not flattering you, but the talents of Lord Wei are far superior to Duke Wu Xiang."
At this time, a scout came to report that a strange army was seen in the Sanchuankou area, and everyone was wearing heavy armor and masks.
Hearing this, Zhong Yan was shocked, "Lord Wei went to Sanchuankou?"
Sanchuankou is a place that many generals of the Great Zhou Dynasty are reluctant to part with.
In the past, the bandits of Western Xia entered the pass and defeated the main force of the Great Zhou Dynasty here.
Later, after Fan Zhongyan's long-term development and gradual erosion, the Great Zhou Dynasty recovered many old places, including Sanchuankou.
This place is also a must-pass place to Pingrong Village.
"Quickly prepare the horse, Zhong Yi, follow me to meet the Lord Wei!"
Zhong Yan went down the city without any hesitation.
Among the people that Zhong Yi admired the most was Zhong Yan. After his brother mentioned it many times, Zhong Yi not only became curious about Wei Yuan, but also had some awe.
At the same time.
Sanchuankou.
Wei Yuan was inspecting the terrain here.
He, Chen Daniu, Xiao Yuming and others came to a hill, and from a high vantage point, they saw the original appearance of most of Sanchuankou.
Chen Daniu exclaimed: "Sanchuankou, Sanchuankou, I thought it was a gorge of mountains and rivers, but I didn't expect it to be a mountain range."
It's called a mountain range, but there are only a few protruding peaks, and most of it is still plains. There are several narrow openings between the peaks.
From a distance, the entire Sanchuankou looks like a "leaf".
Xiao Yuming was also puzzled by this and said, "Even if someone who doesn't know military affairs came to lead the troops, as long as they held a few mountain roads and formed a horn, the Xixia army would not be able to rush over, let alone endanger Yanzhou. How did they lose this battle?" Wei Yuan said, "I once heard Wu Liegong say that the defeat at Sanchuankou was because the governor of Yanzhou at that time was cowardly and unwise, and his generals did not know the enemy situation. When the war started, the reinforcements did not arrive in time." "Moreover, the general responsible for defending this area was a stupid and violent person, who often made his subordinates complain. Who would be willing to fight with the Xixia army?" "So at the beginning of this battle, our army lost the initiative, and then one step was wrong, and then one step was wrong. We didn't have the right time, place, and people." "How can we win under such circumstances?" Why did Wei Yuan emphasize the right time, etc.? Because from that time, the Zhou army had all the advantages of time, place, and people, but as the battle went on, it was the Xixia army that took advantage of it. "Just now, Yuanzhi said that this place was a dangerous mountain road, but it turned out to be quite wide."
"You must always remember that when you lead troops alone in the future, don't trust the map too much. No matter how detailed the map is, it is not as good as seeing it in person."
Wei Yuan warned everyone.
A general who fights with drawings and sand tables is definitely not a competent general.
In a local war, a lake, a mountain or a hill may be the key factor to victory.
But the map cannot be drawn too finely.
Even a sand table that claims to simulate the original terrain at a ratio of one to several will have this problem.
"There used to be a garrison here, why is it gone today?" Xiao Yuming asked again.
Wei Yuan replied: "Since Fan Wenzheng was in charge of Yanbian, the main defense of the Great Zhou has been placed in Pingrong Village, Saimen Village, Shunning Village and other places. As for this place, its strategic significance is not great."
"If the cities and forts are lost, then Yanzhou or the defeated army can also come here to re-station and defend, which will not delay it."
Xiao Yuming said: "What if one day, Xixia sends a surprise force across Sanchuankou and directly attacks Yanzhou?"
Wei Yuan smiled and said: "There are garrisons in all prefectures and counties near Yanzhou. If they want to send a surprise force, they can only control the size of the army. If the scale is not large, attacking Yanzhou is just wishful thinking."
"If the scale is large, do you think the scouts of the border army are vegetarians? There is no reason why our Great Zhou will not notice large-scale military mobilization, unless Shaanxi has long been eroded by Xixia."
Sanchuankou is the natural barrier of Yanzhou, which is the greatest strategic value of this place.
From here, go northwest for another 30 miles and you will reach Zhao'an Post.
Previously, it was called Zhao'an Village, which was built by Di Qing.
When he built this village to resist the Xixia army, he wanted to recruit some Xixia generals, so he named the place "Zhao'an Village".
Later, as the scale of the fortress grew and a small number of people settled in, it was gradually renamed "Zhao'an Post".
After Wei Yuan left Sanchuankou, he rushed to Zhao'an Post.
Not long after he left, Zhong Yan came to Sanchuankou. When he learned that Wei Yuan continued to move forward, he continued to chase without saying a word.
Wei Yuan marched slowly, in fact, he was waiting for Zhong Yan.
He believed that if Zhong Yan wanted to make achievements in the court, he could only rely on himself, so the other party would definitely come to find him.
Besides, the soldiers of Manjia Camp were the elite among the elite, and they knew better than anyone whether there were scouts nearby.
Not long after.
In front of Zhao'an Post.
As soon as Wei Yuan arrived here, a general named Zhong opened the gate of the village and came to see him.
After some inquiries, Wei Yuan learned that this general, like Zhong Yi, was Zhong Yan's younger brother, named Zhong Zhen, who was only in his twenties this year.
Zhong Zhen wanted Zhong Zhen to guard the border village for a few years to gain experience, and then seek an official position in the court. This was considered a routine operation for the border general family.
Wei Yuan and the soldiers of the Manjia Camp entered the village, but saw that there was already a market here. When they went to the direction of the city camp, they could see many people.
When the people saw the soldiers of the Manjia Camp, they did not feel panic, but just a little curious. They looked at Wei Yuan and others, as if to say, which big shot is coming to inspect?
On the way to the camp, Zhongjian explained: "Master Wei Hou, there are three thousand border soldiers in this village, all officers and soldiers of the Dingbian Army."
"As relations with Xixia have eased in recent years, my brother has taken the initiative to bring the wives, children, and children of the soldiers stationed here to live in the village."
"Some people are willing to come, while others feel that this village is too close to Xixia and not safe, so they don't come."
"The markets we just saw were all purchased by our soldiers in Yanzhou, and then traded in barter in this village."
Generally speaking, the soldiers stationed in the walled city may stay here for the rest of their lives.
They also have wives and children, so they cannot afford to see their relatives all year round.
Therefore, as the stockade expanded, some of the soldiers' relatives were simply brought over.
The purpose of doing this is to make the border soldiers feel at ease.
Precisely because those people were the family members of the soldiers of the border army, when they saw the majestic soldiers of the Manjia Battalion, they were more curious than in awe.
However, there were still several children on the roadside who were frightened and cried when they saw the soldiers wearing scary masks.
Wei Yuan had no choice but to let them take off the masks.
"Use the walled city as a fortification, allowing the soldiers to live and farm while training to guard against Xixia invasion."
"Over time, there will be people who stick to this place for generations. Fan Wenzhenggong's method is indeed good."
Wei Yuan couldn't help but admire.
Zhong Jingzuo bowed his head and said: "Master Wei Hou, I have borrowed the "General Strategy for the Attack and Defense of Xixia" written by you from my brother."
"The strategy you proposed against Xixia, which is to turn from defense to offense, with nuisance as the main focus and the construction of fortifications as a supplement, is far superior to the method proposed by Wen Zhenggong."
Wei Yuan only thought he was flattering,
"If your words reach the capital and are heard by the scholar-bureaucrats, I am afraid that the censor's spit will drown me."
As soon as these words came out, the originally serious situation suddenly became much more relaxed, and many generals laughed.
The policy essay written by Wei Yuan is invisible to ordinary people.
Only some figures at the level of frontier army leaders can watch.
The purpose of doing this is to worry about leakage.
At this moment, Wei Yuan heard a few weak voices coming from behind,
"Master Hou! Master Hou!"
Wei Yuan turned around.
The word 'Master Hou' became louder and clearer.
The person who came was none other than Zhonge.
In order to show his respect for Wei Yuan, when he arrived at the walled city, he did not ride a horse, but trotted all the way over.
When he came to Wei Yuan, without waiting for the doctor to say anything, he bowed deeply to Wei Yuan and said:
"Master Marquis, why don't you go to Yanzhou? I have been waiting for you for a long time. I wish I knew you were here earlier. I would be waiting for you here."
As soon as these words came out.
Unexpectedly, Zhong Yi who came with him was deeply shocked, and even the generals in the city were also shocked.
They even thought that they had heard wrongly.
General Zhong did not claim to be the last general in front of Lord Wei, but he claimed to be in a "lower position"?
There is a huge difference between these two words!
Some people standing in the distance were even more surprised to the point of being dumbfounded. Who doesn't know General Zhong?
It can be said that they exist like a belief.
However, that burly man who looks younger than General Zhong is actually more prominent than General Zhong?
Awesome! Zhao'an Yi is welcoming a big shot!
Wei Yuan naturally noticed the changes in the expressions of the people around him. He smiled, helped Zhonge up, who was leaning on his hands, and said:
"General Zhong has worked hard for our country and guarded the border. How can I let you wait for me? You happened to be here today. There is something I need you to remember."
The first half of the sentence is a joke, and it also acknowledges Zhong E's achievements.
The second half of the sentence tacitly acknowledges that Zhonge is one of his own people.
Otherwise, he would not call himself ‘this commander’ but ‘this prince’.