Chapter 673 Earn a Life
Chapter 673 Earn a Life
The wind was strong on the river, making the flags rustle.
In three days, the pontoon bridge was built and the vanguard troops crossed the river.
The first group to cross the river was the 2,400 Silver Spear Army. After arriving at the north bank of the river, they formed a battle array on the spot and responded to the Fangtou garrison.
Following closely behind was a group of baggage and logistics personnel, with large and small carts, pack horses, donkeys and mules, loaded with all kinds of supplies, arriving at the north bank along the pontoon bridge.
"The wind is too strong, keep steady." An ox cart loaded with a stone mill came over, and the floating bridge shook continuously. The auxiliary soldiers who were maintaining order shouted loudly.
"Don't panic, stay steady." The driver said with a smile.
The squad leader also laughed and said, "I am afraid that the millstone will fall into the river and we will have no food to eat."
"Is there no stone mill in Hebei?"
"Not much. They grow little wheat."
In the past few years, small stone mills driven by animal power have gradually become popular in Henan. The main reason is the change in food structure: more winter wheat is grown, so stone mills are naturally needed.
Before that, wealthy families relied on large mills driven by water-powered machinery to grind flour, unlike small households - when Jingu Garden was at its peak, there were more than 30 water mills, not just 30 units, but more than 30 locations.
The water-powered mill can be used to pound corn and, with some modifications, can also be used to grind flour. However, the equipment is too large and is only suitable for large-scale processing in an estate economy, but not for small-scale rice or flour milling by self-cultivating farmers.
The increasing popularity of stone mills can be traced back to the changes brought about by Shao Xun, and it is also a sign that demand is driving development.
This year's summer harvest was all wheat, and it was sent to the army in boatloads. How could they eat it without grinding it into flour? Well, maybe it was okay, wheat rice and wheat porridge, but it was really too unpalatable. The Silver Spear Army soldiers wanted to curse after eating it...
A ferry was sailing northward on the river.
The soldiers sat in the cabin, looking at the crowded pontoon, pointing and laughing occasionally.
The people on the floating bridge looked at it, laughed and cursed, then continued to move forward.
The overall morale is still good, at least they are not the kind of people who look listless with their heads down.
This is actually the change brought about by Shao Xun.
He opened a path for the warriors to rise. Although it was still relatively narrow, it was really useful. The soldiers worked harder than before.
The entire river crossing operation lasted several days.
The 6,000-man Silver Spear Right Camp, 10,000 Yanzhou hereditary soldiers (Man Heng and Tang Jian's troops), and 10,000 able-bodied men from Chenliu, Puyang, and Xingyang, arrived at the north bank of the Yellow River in a mighty force.
If we count the 10,000 troops stationed in Fangtou and Chaoge (hereditary soldiers from Yanzhou) and Shao Xun's personal soldiers, the total force reached 37,000.
As for the palace soldiers, they cannot be dispatched for the time being.
Part of the Puyang Prefecture troops was in Heyang, and part remained in the local area.
Soldiers from Chenliu Prefecture were also left to garrison the area.
The soldiers from Dongping and Gaoping prefectures guarded against refugees from Qingzhou and Hebei.
The Luonan government troops were in Hongnong.
Baichao City had just been captured by the Imperial Army.
Wang Mi suffered more than 3,000 casualties, and the imperial guards, young men, and refugees suffered more than 15,000 casualties. They could no longer attack.
The two cities of Xin'an and Baichao both suffered four or five times the casualties, and the imperial guards were terrified when talking about Hongnong.
After staying in Baichao and Xin'an, they licked their wounds and recruited refugees to join the army to reorganize.
Another 2,400 men with military merits were selected and transferred to serve as palace soldiers to give them some hope. So far, 6,000 palace soldiers were already or were about to move to Liang State.
Wang Mi was also unable to fight back.
He only had 18,000 or 19,000 men left, and last year and this year he selected 10,000 strong men from the refugees in Bingzhou, and trained them while they were farming. He used the mountainous terrain to wear down the blood and flesh of the imperial army, but so far, he has retreated 40 miles from Xin'an and pushed the battle line outside Xishi Fort.
Behind Xiashi Fort is Han Mianchi County (located in the valley north of Jin Mianchi County).
After Mianchi County is the Erling area of Xiaoban, which was repeatedly fought over by Shao Shen and Wang Mi.
The repeated fighting on this line is a bit like the repeated tug-of-war between the Eastern Wei and Western Wei, and the Zhou and Qi dynasties. It does not depend on who has more soldiers, but on who occupies the advantageous terrain.
Shao Xun didn't care much about this flank battlefield, and his energy was still focused on Hebei.
On the first day of September, he personally crossed the river and set up the big flag on the bank of the Qi River.
This battle must be fought well, because he will use this victory to promote many things.
Without victory and prestige, nothing can be accomplished.
******
Desheng Township, Zhongqiu County, Zhaojun.
At the former site of Zhang Jue's camp, shogunate officials and county magistrates were supervising the distribution of the second batch of relief grain.
"This is the kindness of Lord Liang. Please remember it well." The county officials who were distributing grain did not care whether the victims could understand or not, and just kept talking in a disjointed manner.
After receiving a bag of food, the victims left with many thanks and ran back to their homes.
His wife came up to him, her body thin and emaciated, as if she could be blown down by a gust of wind, with a sleepy baby on her back.
"The food is here!" The disaster victim said with a smile, pulling open the patched sack with trembling hands.
The wife wiped her eyes.
As shepherd slaves, they had no personal property and lived entirely on herding livestock for others in exchange for some dairy products. When the locusts were everywhere, the couple desperately cut some hay and green grain to take home, and survived until now.
This is the second time I have received relief food. If I eat it sparingly, it will be enough to last until winter. I just don’t know if there will be a third batch of relief food.
After giving the food to his wife, the shepherd picked up his saber and horn bow.
The wife shuddered when she saw this. "I'm going to fight for you." The husband pulled the corners of his mouth and forced a smile, "Food and lodging in the barracks, the more money you can save, the better. After the war, maybe there will be a reward."
The wife's tears kept falling, but she knew that this was the way the world was.
She took out the thickest fur coat in the house and handed it to her husband.
The fur coat is made of lamb skin and is actually very expensive. It was one of the dowries when the two got married when they were still living in Guanzhong.
The man put on a thick fur coat and wanted to speak, but he didn't know what to say. In the end, he just looked at the child on his wife's back, his eyes full of love.
The child has fallen asleep, his lips are smacking and drooling.
The man sighed and walked out of the house cruelly.
The village head and village assistants are already recruiting people, and there is a huge rush to sign up. People are scrambling to get the chance, even if it means risking their lives. This is the cruel reality.
By the time the relief grain was distributed, one thousand strong men had been recruited.
The nobles reluctantly took out the horses and gave them to the young men to ride.
Someone was so generous that he even gave away the saddle.
Some people were stingy and just gave a bare horse, asking the young men to provide their own saddles.
The township head and the village chief stood on a high slope not far away, watching the young and strong herdsmen leading their horses out.
A moment later, they also mounted their horses.
The sound of a cow horn suddenly rang out.
A thousand men rode out on horseback, whistling and roaring, and rolled southward.
They have to fight for their lives and fight for a chance to survive for themselves and their families.
Almost at the same time, large groups of knights from Anping, Changshan, Zhongshan, Boling, Fanyang, Yan State and other places rushed south and gathered in the direction of Weijun along the designated route.
Many people can't wait any longer and are feeling anxious.
If Lord Liang does not use money and food to buy their lives, they will plunder everywhere. By then, there will be wars everywhere in Hebei and rebellions will break out one after another.
They really don't mind who they swing their knives at.
They will work for whoever can keep them alive.
A total of more than 20,000 cavalrymen were recruited from Jizhou and Youzhou. They set out from their respective garrisons and gradually gathered in Anyang and Dangyin, like streams merging into a river, waiting for the next order.
Anyang had stored up a large amount of horse feed, less hay, but plenty of bran and beans.
This is their forward base.
******
There was almost no life in Yecheng.
There were few pedestrians on the street, and they were all walking hurriedly and looking pale.
Under the three platforms, the defenders were exhausted and huddled against the wall.
The once bustling Ye Palace was now deserted. As soon as night fell, it was pitch dark inside, and there was almost no movement. It was hard to imagine that just over two years ago, this place was full of guests and very lively.
This is Yecheng, like a woman abandoned by her husband, confused and lifeless.
Tao Bao is packing his luggage.
Because Yang Quan went south to the Huai River, they were liberated and returned to their long-lost home.
But after only a month of rest, the Xiejie Army and the Zhongyi Army were ready to go out again.
There was some unrest in the army, but it was suppressed. Not only was it the officers' pressure, but the current situation of the barren land also put great pressure on them, so they had to work hard - at least, before they went to war, they would give their families more food as travel expenses.
In fact, they were not the only ones who went on the expedition.
Five thousand infantrymen were also recruited from Yecheng and Anyang, all of them veteran soldiers who had been allocated land and houses during the Shi Le era.
When Tao Bao heard the news, he felt that Duke Liang seemed to trust Shi Le's surrendered people more and was actually using them to fight the Huns, even Shi Le's nephew Shi Hu!
But this is also normal.
As time went by, Shi Le's influence gradually decreased. The soldiers who used to be grateful for his kindness were now silent - he had been defeated in Bingzhou and there was almost no possibility of him coming back. People should look forward and let the past go.
They are Liang people now, and are the subjects under the rule of Liang Gong Shao Xun. Don't think too much.
Even if we take a step back, right now we are just fighting Liu Han, not Da Hu, so why think so much?
Outside Yecheng, ships were coming one after another.
Last year, during the period of recuperation, the five counties of Wei, Zhao, Qinghe, Pingyuan and Yangping conscripted laborers to dredge the canal between Anyang and Yecheng, which had been blocked for many years.
This water conservancy project, which was despised by many people at the time - it is not only navigable but also can be used for irrigation - has actually become a life-saving channel this year. Grain ships set out from Fangtou, go down the Baigou River, then turn into the Huanshui River and the Grand Canal, and go straight to Yexia.
The damage was minimal and the speed was fast. I don't know how many lives were saved.
Even the soldiers gathered in Yecheng and Anyang could take empty ships south and assemble in Fangtou area, saving time and effort.
In this way, troops from Henan and Hebei gathered one after another.
The military camps on both sides of the Qishui River are extending outward every day, new troops are moving in every day, and the atmosphere of war is becoming increasingly strong.
On the sixth day of September, Liu Qia set out from Chaoge, leading 5,000 men, and headed straight to the east of Jixian City.
At the same time, a large group of cavalry went south from Anyang and rushed to the Gong County area, where they fought with a part of Shi Hu's cavalry consisting of several hundred people.
This was the first clash between the two sides on the Eastern Battlefield, which took place on the seventh day of September.
(End of this chapter)