Chapter 1314: Transfer
Chapter 1314: Transfer (Part )
Early in the morning, officials above the rank of Sima from the Right Cavalry Guards' Shixiang and Longxiang Prefecture's separate department rushed to the military headquarters.
There were more than ten people standing in the courtyard, most of them wearing military uniforms. There were also several civil servants holding a rolled-up paper, which looked like it might be an imperial edict.
Sure enough, after almost everyone had gathered, Cai Ya, the recorder of the Right Cavalry Guard, cleared his throat, unfolded the imperial edict, and read out: "I have received the imperial seal and am the ruler of the four seas. However, the remnants of Murong have secretly occupied Youping, relying on the strategic location to act arrogantly and repeatedly invading the border. Now I order the military headquarters of Si, Yu, Yan, Bing, and Ji provinces to recruit 32,000 elite soldiers..."
Tuoba Sigong listened silently.
He was the deputy commander of Longxiang Prefecture in Shixiang. Having served as an official for several years, he had gained a certain understanding of various documents.
Normal imperial edicts were usually drafted by the Zhongshu Province and sent to the Menxia Province for review. Even if the edict was handwritten by the emperor or a close minister, it was only equivalent to replacing the Zhongshu Province's functions, and it still had to be sent to the Menxia Province later, so the word "Menxia" was usually added in front of the imperial edict.
But there are exceptions.
The imperial edict being read out in front of him was sent directly by the emperor to the various guards of the military. It was rather general, only stipulating which local soldiers would be called up and the total number (30,000). It was not targeted at any specific military office, so the subsequent dispatch of troops would depend on the guard's order, that is, how many troops the military office would send out.
After reading the imperial edict, Cai Ya and the commander of the army, Zheng Bi, bowed to each other and then stepped aside.
A young official behind him opened the wooden box and took out half of a tiger talisman.
Following Zheng Bi's orders, General Xu Yi of the Shixiang Prefecture took out the tiger talisman from the prefecture's collection, and it matched the pair in Xiaoshi's hand perfectly.
Zheng Bi took out a document to mobilize troops and read it out in public: "Shixiang Prefecture has selected 1,200 elite soldiers, all of whom are given a foot soldier, a war horse, and a riding horse. They are also required to take weapons from the arsenal and gather in Jicheng by February 25th. Each soldier will be given two pieces of silk. Anyone who dares to ride past a village and trample on wheat will be beheaded. The leader must move quickly and not delay."
After reading it out, he first glanced at everyone, then took out his official seal, stamped each of the two copies of the document, and signed his name.
The chief military officer, the chief military officer, the deputy chief military officer, and the four special military officers all came forward. Those who could write signed their names, and those who could not write put their fingerprints on the signs.
After a while, Zheng Bi handed one of the troop mobilization documents to Cai Ya, the recorder of the guard, and kept the other one for himself and kept it in the military office for filing.
After everything was done, Zheng Bi stroked the hilt of his sword and said, "The military order has been issued, execute it immediately."
"Yes!" The generals responded and left.
"General Zheng, I have official duties to attend to and cannot stay long. I will take my leave now." Cai Ya bowed and said.
"Please do as you please." Zheng Bi returned the greeting and said.
Cai Ya nodded, went out with his entourage, got on the carriage, and left quickly.
Shixiang Prefecture was under the jurisdiction of the Right Cavalry Guard. The 1,200 cavalrymen of Mangshan Prefecture under the guard were currently stationed in Bianliang and Luoyang to guard the capital, while Shixiang, Yique and Qianjin Prefectures were all dispatched to Youzhou.
A while ago, he led a group of people on express horses to the two military headquarters of the Youyulin Guard in Hongnong to read out the order to mobilize troops.
The guard had 1,800 men in Bianliang and 600 in Luoyang. The remaining 3,600 soldiers from the twelve defense forces were dispatched to quickly rush to Youzhou.
As for the Zuo Yulin Guard, about 3,600 people were dispatched.
The Left Jinwu Guard dispatched 3,600 men, the Right Jinwu Guard dispatched 3,600 men, the Right Flying Dragon Guard dispatched 6,000 men, the Left Changzhi Guard dispatched 2,400 men, the Right Dragon and Tiger Guard dispatched 2,400 men, and the Right Xiaoqi Guard dispatched 3,600 cavalry, for a total of 32,400 infantry and cavalry - the number required in the imperial edict.
Excluding the more than 10,000 people in Luoyang, about 20,000 people in Bianliang, and a small number of people who stayed behind, most of the troops that the Northern Military Government could mobilize had been mobilized.
There is no doubt that this is a war to annihilate a nation, fought with all the strength of a lion fighting a rabbit.
******
Outside Yewang City, a passing troop stopped.
The leader wore a tall hat and was obviously from the Wuhuan or Xiongnu tribe. After getting off his horse, he looked at the villages scattered outside the city wall with a little envy.
It’s a pity that we can’t rob. If we could, it would be so satisfying.
Of course, he also knew that looting was not such an easy thing. It would be fine for ordinary people, but most of the people near Yewang were children of the imperial army. Many of them practiced martial arts and were influenced by their fathers since childhood. They were not the peasants who would tremble in fear and flee in all directions when they saw the cavalry charging towards them.
These people in front of them dared to fight. Even if they couldn't win, they dared to rely on the forts and city walls to defend and wait for reinforcements.
There is no point in looting, it will only get you killed.
Not only could he not order looting, he even had to do his best to restrain his subordinates, because even though he could hold back, those under him might not.
"Look back when you go forward!" A high-pitched and sharp voice sounded in the wilderness.
"Get your iron crotches together!" Hundreds of people responded in unison.
The warhorse snorted unconsciously, and the chief grabbed the horse's head and soothed it softly.
Behind him, more than a thousand riders dismounted one after another, took salt water, hay and black beans from a camp, and began to feed the horses.
A military formation consisting of hundreds of people turned out from the southwest corner of the city wall, lined up in neat rows, and marched eastward.
Over there, several other phalanxes consisting of several hundred people had already arrived and were standing solemnly in the wilderness.
Some officers walked back and forth, giving lectures.
This is the Heilongjiang Zuoying, which has been engaged in constant conquests and wars, and is like the pillar of the country.
The chief sighed, silently took out a cake from under the saddle, looked around, found a place with a fire, and prepared to bake the completely dry and hard Hu cake.
More and more soldiers from the Heiliang Left Camp gathered on the eastern river bank.
Family members, old and young, gathered not far away, making a lot of noise.
"Son, come back soon!"
"Husband, the meat pie is still warm, eat it while it's hot." "Brother, I'm at home, don't worry."
"Third brother, I have received the reward. I will buy sheep in the spring. You should hunt them well."
There were so many people seeing him off that it started with a sparse crowd of a hundred or so and gradually grew to over a thousand. By noon that day, there were probably thousands of people, crowded together and making a lot of noise.
Not long after, a group of young men came over with horse-drawn and ox-drawn carts. The carts were full of various equipment and provisions. According to regulations, they would be sent all the way to Yecheng and then return. When they arrived in Yecheng, young men recruited from the local area would accompany the army all the way to Anping. If the river thawed by then, they would use boats to transport the supplies to the southern border of Youzhou.
While Chief Hao was baking pancakes, an old man opposite him looked at him with a smile and asked, "Are you from Hedong?"
Chief Hao glanced at him and said, "That's right."
"Why not go to Bingzhou?"
"The mountain road is difficult to travel, so why not take a detour?"
"The last time the Black Orb Left Camp fought was when they attacked Wudu and Yang Nandi of Yinping, and then the Hanzhong War." The old man said, "My son killed two bandits that time and was promoted to deputy captain, but I don't know how much he has gained this time."
"I heard that many people were killed and injured during the siege of Hanzhong?" asked the chief while eating a cake.
"Yes, the young soldiers from the other camps could not take the city after a long time, so Governor Liu became anxious and sent the Left Camp to attack. Many people were killed and injured." The old man sighed, "Fortunately, there are pensions. Later, many new soldiers were recruited. Today is their first expedition."
"With the old soldiers leading the way, it's not a big deal. The new soldiers will soon become old soldiers." said the chief.
"In this battle against Murong Xianbei, I'm afraid you light cavalry will have to take the lead," said the old man.
"Yes..." Chief Hao didn't know what he was thinking of, and said helplessly: "But the imperial edict has been issued, it is difficult to disobey."
"Maybe you can get rich." The old man stood up and said, "I'll leave the fire to you. Put it out when you leave."
The chief nodded.
After eating the cake, warm cheers were heard not far away. He stood up quickly and saw that the ten groups of people from the left camp of Heilang had already gathered, with their flags flying high and dancing in the wilderness.
These six thousand brave warriors have already set out.
******
"Hurry! Hurry! Prepare all the materials." In Xin'an County, Henan Prefecture, the county lieutenant was in a hurry and shouted loudly.
A large group of men, women, old and young were sitting on the roadside, with choppers lined up, chopping the straw into pieces and piling them all over the ground like small hills.
Even though there is so much grass, it won't take long before it is eaten up by passing pack horses and draft animals.
The grass mountain will melt as quickly as ice and snow under the scorching sun, so fast that it is surprising.
Under a tree not far away, pots of steamed beans were brought out, ready to be mixed into the fodder to provide nutrients to the draft animals.
There was someone mixing the salt water nearby.
When traveling long distances, salt supplementation is crucial, not only for humans but also for livestock.
Not long after the county lieutenant arrived, a long baggage train appeared on the distant horizon.
More than ten leading cavalrymen came quickly and shouted, "Hurry up and prepare the horse feed. We will only stay for one hour."
Ding Zhuang, who was resting under the straw shed, immediately took action, carrying horse feed troughs and lining them up on the side of the road.
There was hay, concentrate and salt water available, and some people were holding linen and brushes, ready to help wash the horses and draft animals.
The baggage train quickly arrived and was guided to an open space.
The grooms skillfully untied the leather harnesses, led the draft animals out, and brought them to the trough to eat.
Some cavalrymen also loosened the girths of their horses, took them for a jog to cool down the sweat, and then ate and washed.
When they were halfway through the meal, the infantry of the Yellow Head Army also appeared.
Instead of stopping, they formed two columns and quickly passed through the supply point.
This team will go to Bianliang to report, and then follow the emperor eastward and northward. As for whether they will participate in the war to conquer Youzhou later, they are not very clear. Anyway, the order from the Ministry of War is to go to Bianliang.
Henan Yin Yangjun stood on the top of Xin'an County, quietly watching the thousands of troops passing by.
The Yellow Head Army was probably the only troop dispatched by the Ministry of War this month. A total of 30,000 men from the second, third and fifth battalions were dispatched to accompany the emperor.
As for the imperial guards, they were dispatched by the Privy Council, and the palace troops were dispatched by the various guards. They took orders directly from the emperor without going through the three provinces and six ministries.
This was a major reform of the military system since the Han Dynasty. Under normal circumstances, it would be difficult for a powerful person to mobilize troops from all over the world.
This also meant that the emperor's power increased greatly. At least the people who controlled the army changed from the Zhonglingjun and Zhonghujun to the Three Supervisors of the Imperial Guards, the generals of the various guards and the Minister of War. They were not subordinate to each other and the military power was greatly dispersed.
After all, it's different from before.
Yang Jun retracted his gaze, went down the city wall, and prepared to check the food stores in the mansion.
This is just the first batch of troops to cross the border, and there will be a second and third batch to come.
The war against Murong Xianbei is expected to begin in late spring.
(End of this chapter)