Chapter 251 Good omen
Chapter 251 Good omen
On the third day after Shao Xun arrived in Luoyang, the auxiliary troops were almost complete.
The imperial court recruited 1,000 young men from each of the three counties of Henei, Chenliu and Xingyang, and allocated an additional 300 craftsmen. Together with the 300 craftsmen and 5,000 auxiliary soldiers brought by Shao Xun, they formed a logistics support system.
At this point, there were 9,000 combat soldiers, 9,800 auxiliary soldiers, plus more than 160 personal soldiers of the Shao family, with a total force of nearly 19,000.
On the ninth day of August, the brave cavalry army was equipped with Huben Du and Zhonghu Ben Du, each with 500 cavalry, and Youzhou Tuqi Du with 150 cavalry, and the entire army was defeated by 20,000.
On the tenth day of August, after resting for a while, Sima Yue came out to convene a meeting.
There was nothing special about the other matters, except that he appointed Shangshu Zuo Pushe Liu Tun as the governor of Luoyang, which was beyond everyone's expectation.
On August 11, the first thing Liu Tun did after taking office was to inspect the western suburbs camp.
"Grand Commander." Shao Xun, along with a group of generals, personally went out of the gate to greet him.
"Duke Luyang has so many brave men under his command." Liu Tun praised as he looked at the soldiers who were training around the chariot.
In the past few years, this army had mostly fought against people like Ji Sang, Wang Mi, and Shi Le, and had won victory after victory, which had made them a little arrogant.
This time we are facing Liu Han, whose fighting ability is much stronger. I wonder if we can still win.
"As long as they train well and don't act recklessly, anyone can raise elite soldiers," Shao Xun said.
Liu Tun laughed out loud.
The Duke of Luyang County had some hidden meaning, but he didn't mind.
Seeing Liu Tun like this, Shao Xun knew that he guessed right.
When the previous emperor was alive, Liu Tun was a royalist.
After the death of the previous emperor, Liu Tun's role became somewhat vague, and he seemed no longer so loyal to the emperor.
But how is this possible?
Even if a lifetime of beliefs change, it is impossible to make a 180-degree turn in a short period of time. At most, he is no longer loyal to the court, but he may not switch to Sima Yue. At present, he should be considered a neutral faction, slightly inclined to the emperor.
"Before coming here, I was a little worried. But after seeing the mighty soldiers of Luyang, I felt much more relieved." Liu Tun put away his smile and said, "In this way, Yiyang will have no worries along the way."
"Yi Yang?" Shao Xun was a little surprised.
He was mentally prepared to go to Hanoi, but you told me to go to Yiyang? But it's okay this way, with Yiyang Sanwu, he has a place to stay.
The commanders of the various forts in Yiyang know each other and have some friendship, so they can provide mutual support.
Pan Si, the magistrate of Yi Yang, is an old friend of Shao Xun and has helped him a lot in recent years - Pan Si is Pan Tao's cousin.
"It's Yi Yang." Liu Tun nodded and said.
As the two were talking, a few drizzles finally fell from the sky which had been gloomy for many days.
Shao Xun and Liu Tun hurriedly raised their heads. The cool raindrops fell on their faces, making them feel a joy from the bottom of their souls.
"It's raining!" someone exclaimed.
Li Chong's face was full of joy. He stretched out his palm and lightly touched the raindrops.
Chen Yougen grinned so widely that his face was almost broken by laughter.
The soldiers who were training subconsciously slowed down their movements. The officers suppressed their joy, whipped their horses with stern faces, and ordered them to continue training without stopping.
"It's raining!" The young men in Sizhou were not so well disciplined. They were all overjoyed and cheered loudly.
Some people even burst into tears. It's really not easy.
The drought lasted for half a year, and except for the beginning, there was almost no rain in between.
The dry earth destroyed the crops, plants, and their lives.
North and south of the river, there are people crying for food everywhere.
It is unknown how many people died silently in this drought - the Huns drowned 30,000 people in the river in Liyang, but the drought killed more than one or two "30,000" people.
"This is a good sign!" Liu Tun was also very happy and said, "The Xiongnu are about to invade, and the drought will end soon. Isn't this a good sign? Our army will win!"
Shao Xun called Tang Jian and ordered, "Pass it on, the rain from heaven is a good sign, our army will win!"
"Yes." Tang Jian did it immediately.
A moment later, loud cheers were heard inside and outside the camp.
Liu Tun stroked his beard and nodded secretly.
The Duke of Luyang County knows how to boost morale, no wonder he wins every battle. It shouldn't be a big deal if we leave Yiyang to him.
"When will Duke Lu advance his troops?" Liu Tun asked.
"How about we have a feast for the whole army today and march westward tomorrow?" Shao Xun asked.
"Yes." Liu Tun said happily.
No delay, just go.
People say that the Duke of Luyang is arrogant, lustful, and greedy for money and goods. This seems to be untrue.
He really does get things done! That alone is enough.
In extraordinary times, extraordinary people should be used. To put it bluntly, if Zhang Fang was still alive and willing to fight for the court, Liu Tun would dare to use him, even if he was criticized by the outside world.
After inspecting the western suburbs camp, Liu Tun went to the camps of Mi Huang and Chen Yan.
The two of them had a combined force of more than 8,000 soldiers, but they were not actually elite troops. They were just the main troops of the Sili Xiaowei and Duzhi Xiaowei. Their combat effectiveness was similar to that of the imperial guards.
When Shao Xun goes to Yiyang, these two will bring a group of young men to guard Xin'an Road.
Because you don't know which route the Huns will take - after crossing the river from Dayang, if they take a shortcut, they will take the Xin'an Road; if they take a longer route, they will take the Yiyang Road, so you have to be on guard against both.
******
The rain stopped after half a day.
That night, there was another drizzle, but it soon stopped.
In the next few days, the sky was clear again, and the golden crow was hanging high in the sky. On August 15, Shao Xun led his people to Yunzhongwu, and the autumn rain came again.
The last group of the elderly, the weak, women and children are retreating.
Shao Xun stood in the dried-up Luoshui River and watched everyone go away.
"Master Shao, do we want to plant wheat this year?" Wang Hui, the owner of Yunzhongwu, stepped forward and asked.
Wang Hui is a second-term student from Luoyang. He is 19 years old and has been managing Yunzhongwu for two and a half years.
He felt a little uncomfortable about this great retreat.
After harvesting the winter wheat in late May, they did not sit idle, but continued to maintain the fields according to the agricultural book compiled by Shao Xun.
Even in years of severe drought, people still found ways to find moist silt, mixed it with human and animal feces, and stored it as fertilizer.
If wheat is planted in September, the harvest will be very good next year.
This was not a few years ago. The fields in Sanwu, Yiyang are now relatively mature and well maintained. The land is close to Luoshui River and its tributaries, making it excellent irrigated land with inestimable value.
"Forget it." Shao Xun shook his hand and rejected it.
It has only rained two or three times, and they were not heavy, so the conditions for farming are not suitable for the time being.
Furthermore, there is a great possibility that this place will become a battlefield. Don’t invest seeds only to end up with nothing.
There were bursts of horse neighing in the river.
The men under Cavalry Commander Duan Liang were herding horses.
In the year of severe drought, the grass and trees were scorched and the Luo River became grassland. This is because the soil here is relatively moist, and many deep riverbeds have formed ponds, and the surrounding water grass is lush, fresh and juicy, which horses love very much.
This gentleman made great contributions in the Battle of Yemagang, but he was not worthy of the title of County Marquis. In the end, he was given the rare title of Pavilion Marquis and some wealth.
Duan Liang took the initiative to request to go to the western route when the cavalry was assigned to accompany him this time.
If he follows Shao Xun to fight in wars, he can be rewarded with merit and be awarded a title. However, if he follows Wang Kan, Cao Wu, Wang Kuang and others, he may not even be able to save his life. It is obvious what choice to make.
That afternoon, the army continued its march westward toward Jinmenwu.
On the way, Shao Xun visited the brothers Du Dan and Du Yin, the owners of Yiquanwu.
At this time, a messenger arrived from the direction of the county town, saying that Liu Cong led his army south, conquered Shan County, and headed straight for Hongnong. The prefect Yuan Yan surrendered the city.
"This..." Du Dan was very surprised when he heard this.
"Your Excellency has three thousand soldiers, why did you surrender to the enemy?" Du Yin was also a little puzzled.
Shao Xun was silent for a while, and secretly sighed that Liu Han was really gaining power and becoming famous.
In the past, these governors would at most flee when they were defeated, and very few would surrender.
Let's not talk about Hebei, which was Sima Ying's territory and was naturally not on good terms with the imperial court, so many people fled or surrendered. But Bingzhou, which faced the Xiongnu front line, did not have so many bad incidents.
But this year there was an incident where Shangdang prefect Pang Chun surrendered to the rebels, and now Hongnong prefect Yuan Yan has also surrendered. Something seems a little strange.
If Dajin continues to lose, more and more people will surrender.
In the end, no one loses, so it’s time to perish.
"Mr. Du, the bandits are rampant, and we in Yiyang should work together." Shao Xun said.
Du Dan sighed and hesitated.
Yiquanwu is very strong and has a large population. In the past few years, it made a deal with Shao Xun and obtained a lot of military equipment, so it still has the ability to protect itself.
The Xiongnu have many cavalry and their target is Luoyang, so they may not necessarily take Yiquanwu.
Just treat them as Zhang Fang and give them some money and food when they ask for them. Although the severe drought this year has made things difficult, the winter wheat harvest is good, so we are confident now.
Du Yinze was still sighing on the side: "Yuan Yan, this thief, said earlier that Hongnong and Shan counties were repeatedly plundered by the Hu cavalry and were unbearable, so he wanted to move the government to Yiyang. Fortunately, I didn't listen to him, otherwise Yiyang would be gone now. He is really a thief, he has no king and no father. I wish I could sleep on his skin and eat his flesh!"
"What's the point of saying this now?" Du Dan said, looking at his brother.
Du Yin sighed and said no more.
Shao Xun felt a little impatient when he saw the two brothers grumbling, and said, "To defend Yiyang, we need to work together. Yiquanwu has well-trained soldiers and sufficient food, so maybe -"
"Commander-in-chief." Du Dan bowed and said, "This year is a year of severe drought, and life is very difficult. However, fighting the bandits is a national war, and my two brothers cannot fall behind. I am willing to donate 100,000 hu of grain and 200 pigs and sheep to help with military needs."
Du Yin hesitated to speak and finally said nothing.
Shao Xun chuckled.
These fort commanders were all cunning and had their own agenda. It was extremely difficult to get them to send troops and food. After hearing that the governor Yuan Yan had surrendered, they became even more cowardly and were only willing to give him some food and meat.
But now is not the time to settle accounts with them.
It is not cost-effective to waste precious manpower on local forts, and it may also force them to surrender to the Huns.
"150,000 hu of grain and another 1,000 men." Shao Xun's face suddenly changed, and he said, "Otherwise..."
Du Dan looked at Shao Xun and was silent for a long time.
Thinking back to three or four years ago, they were still talking happily and had a good relationship. But now they turned hostile and threatened each other at will. Is this person born in the Year of the Dog?
Du Yin held his breath and was extremely nervous.
"Okay." Du Dan finally gave in.
"For the rest of the villages, please inform Mr. Du that everyone must donate grain and send men." Shao Xun said again.
"It will be as you wish." Du Dan said helplessly.
After achieving his goal, Shao Xun was too lazy to talk nonsense, so he got on his horse and headed towards Jinmenwu.
On August 17, the army arrived at Jinmenwu. He immediately sent people north to seize Huixiban, cut down trees and set up fences to prevent bandits.
(End of this chapter)