Chapter 750: River Patrol
Chapter 750: River Patrol (Part )
This year's spring ploughing started a little late, not until late February and ending in early March.
In mid-February, Shao Xun left Pingyang with a group of entourage, first heading west into the mountains, and then heading north to patrol along the river.
On March 11, the army arrived at Lishi, then marched westward for four days to a ferry on a river.
The name of this ferry is Mengmenjin, which is not the Mengmen Shicao ferry below the Hukou of the Yellow River in later generations. Instead, it is located in Mengmen Town, Liulin County, Shanxi Province, opposite Wubao County, Shaanxi Province.
Two golden eagles soared into the sky, one in front and one behind, and let out hearty eagle cries.
On both sides of the river, the grass has turned green again and has grown tall shoots, which is quite pleasing to the eye.
On the other side of the river, among the mountains, some farmers were tending their crops on the relatively gentle slopes.
The land doesn't seem very fertile and irrigation is quite difficult, but the farmers have the perseverance and determination to do this difficult work day after day.
Yes, they are Qiang people.
The Qiang people, like the Han people, are used to enduring hardships, or even better.
"What are they planting?" Shao Xun squinted his eyes and looked carefully, but even though he was a sharpshooter, he still couldn't see clearly because it was too far away.
"Millet." Seeing that the staff and generals who came with the king did not speak, Xihe prefect Tian Mao plucked up his courage and stepped forward to reply.
"Really?" Shao Xun looked at his student and nephew-in-law and asked with a smile.
Tian Mao was a little nervous and said quickly: "Maybe there is millet."
"Why bother?" Shao Xun patted Tian Mao's shoulder and said with a smile, "I couldn't have expected these two things."
Mountain farming is not easy.
He remembered that the Northern Song Dynasty and the Western Xia Dynasty fought over this area in later generations, and their main target was the relatively good farmland in the endless mountains. For example, the Zhenzhu Mountain in Jiaxian and Mizhi, Shaanxi, had thousands of hectares of fertile land with high yields, and the Song and Xia sides fought fiercely for it.
It doesn’t matter if we didn’t get it this year. We can just see if the enemy has any land to farm.
He planted the crops, but they were killed during the autumn harvest, making his year's efforts go to waste.
It was a pure turn-based game, and both the Song and Xia sides suffered losses, to the point that during the autumn harvest, the number of people preparing for war was several times the number of people harvesting grain, and both sides suffered heavy losses.
"Which county is on the other side?" Shao Xun asked.
"Shangjun Fushi County (now Yuhe Town, Yulin City) has been established for more than ten years." Tian Mao replied.
“How many counties are there in Shangjun?”
"The eight counties of Fushi, Baitu, Gaonu, Diaoyin, Yangzhou, Sheyan, Yuanyang and Dingyang."
"Where is Liu Hu of the Tiele Xiongnu?"
"After escaping westward from Xinxing and Yanmen, he settled in Shuofang and remained a vassal of Liu Han. Two years ago, he attacked Tuoba Dai and was defeated and fled to the north of Yinshan Mountain. His brother Liu Lugu led the remaining troops to surrender."
"So, Shuofang is controlled by the Tuoba clan?"
"Actually, that's not the case. There are still Xianbei people who don't submit to the Tuoba clan, and there are also quite a few Wuhuan people."
Shao Xun nodded and understood.
The Tuoba Dai Kingdom had Shengle as its northern capital and Pingcheng as its southern capital. As it stands now, although most of the powerful and wealthy are in Shengle, the country's strategic focus is clearly biased towards the east, and it attaches more importance to the Yanmen and Daijun areas.
If Liu Hu hadn't launched a suicidal attack, they wouldn't have looked west.
If the Xiongnu wanted to make some achievements in Henan, they could only send troops from Shangjun, use both suppression and appeasement, and see if they could take over Shuofang and establish a territory roughly similar to that of the Later Qin.
Does this mean that I can also send troops into Hexi, try to capture Shangjun and Shuofang, and give the Xiongnu a crushing blow?
"Woo——" the horn sounded.
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and found that it came from the other side of the river.
The soldiers of the Silver Spear Right Camp who came with the emperor were setting up camp, and immediately scattered when they heard the noise.
Some people watched the ferry, some occupied the hills on both sides, and some hid in the valley, ready to attack at any time.
The soldiers of the Yicong Army and Luoyan Army also rode out on their horses, ready to fight.
Shao Xun laughed, rode his horse down the hillside, and came to the ferry to water his horse.
There is a house of neither large nor small size here. It is said that it was the temporary residence of Liu Kui, the son of Liu Cong and King of Gaoping, when he went hunting in the mountains. Liu Kui once stationed in Lishi and later returned to Pingyang to take up a post. After the Battle of Wenxi, he was beheaded by pursuers at Sushui.
The crisp sound of horse hooves was heard. Shao Xun turned his head and saw the heroic Liu Ye running towards him. When he got close, he jumped off the horse lightly.
Her breath was a little short, her chest was proud, her buttocks were round like pearls, and her thighs were slender and strong. A fit young woman in her twenties was at her most charming and attractive.
This is a woman of the same age as Princess Yu Wenjun (24 years old).
The soldiers prepared a temporary camp for the night. The staff found an open space, set up desks, and dealt with more urgent official business. Shao Xun sat under the locust tree at the gate of the courtyard, looking at the opposite bank.
"Your Majesty, are you going to attack Shangjun?" Liu Ye asked without any concern, sitting on the grass with tender sprouts growing.
"Call me Lang Jun." Shao Xun said.
"Yes, my dear." Liu Ye said without any shyness.
"You are too feminine now." Shao Xun said with a smile.
"What is a 'little woman'?" Liu Ye asked curiously.
"I've always heard that Madam Liu is courageous and brave. Once the military order is issued, anyone who violates it will be executed immediately..." Shao Xun said halfway and stopped.
Perhaps, women are one way in front of him and another way in front of others. He remembered that when he was in Youzhou, Liu Ye sentenced the Jie people who committed crimes without any leniency.
Wasn’t it Liu Ye’s idea to lay on the ground and have his leg bones crushed repeatedly by horse hooves and wheels?
"You just have these dirty thoughts." Liu Ye didn't know what he was thinking about, and he blushed.
Shao Xun was puzzled and was about to say something when he suddenly heard some movement on the other side of the river, so he turned around to look.
Mengmenjin is located at the narrowest part of the river bank, which is only a few hundred meters. Looking from the east to the west of the river, you may not be able to see other things clearly, but the large group of people can still be found...
******
Shi Le climbed up the hillside and overlooked the opposite bank.
The trumpet sound just now came from his troops.
After the horn sounded, team after team of knights rode up and looked quietly at the ferry on the other side.
Outside the small brick courtyard hidden among the trees, there seemed to be a man and a woman sitting side by side, very affectionate.
Shi Le looked up at the golden eagle hovering in the air, then looked at the man and woman on the other side of the river, and his face gradually turned pale.
"Uncle." Shi Hu followed, followed by hundreds of soldiers who were running breathlessly, holding high a large flag with the word "Shi" on it.
"Mingsir, are the bandits going to cross the river?" Zhang Jing also rushed up the hillside, put his hands on the awning, looked at the other side, then took a breath and said, "It looks like the Silver Spear Army."
"Cross the river? Cross a fart river!" Shi Le was extremely angry, so angry that it was inexplicable. He said, "We can't build a floating bridge here, and the bandits haven't collected any boats. How can we cross the river?"
Zhang Jing was sprayed with saliva in the face and was speechless.
Shi Hu looked at the rapidly flowing Yellow River and said nothing.
He heard people say that even in the coldest months of December and January, the river here would not freeze solid.
Sometimes half of the river is frozen, sometimes the middle is not frozen, and sometimes it is full of floating ice.
Crossing the river here in winter is simply a fantasy.
What about summer? Actually, it is also difficult because the water flow is too fast to build a floating bridge, so the only option is to ferry.
Also because of the rapid water flow, the ferry is very slow, can't carry many people, and is very easy to capsize. It is very difficult to defend. I wonder what my uncle is worried about?
Could it be that he has gotten old and gone a little crazy after being beaten so badly by the thief Shao?
Thinking of this, Shi Hu sneered inwardly.
My uncle now has 8,000 infantry and cavalry, most of whom (5,000) were brought by him. The position of Governor of Shuofang will fall on him sooner or later.
Uh, yes, Shi Le had been appointed as the governor of Shuofang by Liu Can.
Considering that the Xiongnu did not own the Shuofang land, this so-called prefect was just a figurehead. If he wanted to really make it happen, he would have to rely on Shi Le himself.
Of course, the Xiongnu court would also provide appropriate assistance, such as recruiting the personnel of Liu Hu and Liu Lugu (noblemen from the Tiele Xiongnu), as well as agricultural tools, seeds, oxen, etc. for farming in Shangjun.
They do not have enough strength to take over Shuofang now, so they first have to cultivate land to support themselves, and make friends with the tribal nobles in Henan before they can plan for other things.
The location of their military farm was also determined: Baitu County (near Shenmu, Shaanxi today).
The local population is not large, and most of them are from the Qiang, Xiongnu, and Xianbei ethnic groups. They mainly engage in grazing and supplemented by farming - that is, the kind of farmland that is left alone after sowing and "relies on the weather for the harvest."
It is said that during the Han Dynasty the population was quite large and agriculture was prosperous, but now things have changed and the prosperity of the past is no longer there.
"Why don't you leave, Shao, you bastard, you mother's servant? Has the palace in Bianliang collapsed? Why do you have to live in Pingyang Palace?" Zhi Quliu came on horseback and started cursing as soon as he saw him.
Shi Hu couldn't help laughing out loud.
Zhang Jing couldn't help but smile.
Shi Le heaved a long sigh and said, "Let's go, Shao the thief won't cross the river."
"Crossing the river is none of our business. Liu Yang's men will drive them away." Shi Hu muttered and was the first to go down the mountain.
Before leaving, he took one last look at the other side.
Another woman came out of the courtyard and said something to Shao Zei, and then they went in together.
Zhang Jing invited everyone to go down the mountain. As they walked, he said to Shi Le: "Mingsir, after we go to Baitu County, our primary enemy will be the Xiongnu Dugu tribe. They are attached to the Tuoba clan, do not obey the orders of the court, and often plunder the Tiele tribe and even Shangjun. We must be prepared."
"I heard that Dugu's tribe once surrendered to the imperial court?" Shi Le asked.
"Yes, it's just an old story. The late emperor was able to pacify the Dugu tribe, but the current emperor may not be able to do so." Zhang Jing said.
"What about the Helan tribe?"
"The Helan tribe is also Xiongnu, but they have been intermarried with the Tuoba Xianbei for generations and have never been pacified." Zhang Jing said, "The current plan is to stop the looting of the Dugu tribe. This tribe thinks that they have the Tuoba Xianbei as their backer, and they have always looked down on others. Many small tribes in Henan have grudges against them. My lord, you may unite these tribes."
"Well, not bad." Shi Le praised.
After saying this, he, like Shi Hu, couldn't help but look back.
It is impossible to say that I am not afraid.
For so many years, since the time of Yemagang, he had been suppressed by Shao Ze, and his mentality had once collapsed. After a few months of recuperation, he had regained some confidence.
Liu Can's sending him north was not a humiliation. It could even be said that it was a great honor and gave him one last chance.
He understands this very well.
As the sun sets, wisps of smoke rise from the other side of the river.
In the small courtyard, Liu Yeta was lying lazily on the couch, with disheveled hair, rosy face and watery eyes.
The man was really fierce just now.
As for the reason for the fierceness, she buried her face in the mattress, and her ears turned red.
Shao Xun, like a wise man, sat behind the desk, wrote an order, stood up and went out, handed it to Yang Qin, and said, "Send it to Pingyang and handle it immediately."
"Yes." Yang Qin left immediately.
Shao Xun looked at the gradually darkening sky and felt very proud.
He had already issued an order to establish Hu County here, under the jurisdiction of Xihe County, and to move some of the Jia family members from Pingyang here to settle down and cultivate the land.
We don't have enough supplies to attack Guanxi at the moment, so it's always a good idea to make preparations in advance.
(Today will definitely be the third update, don't worry. It's the last day, it will be a waste if you don't vote.)
(End of this chapter)