Shu Chen

Chapter 330
"Wen Chang's words are not unreasonable."

The Prime Minister, who was thinking a little bit, nodded slightly, "Forget it, after I go back to Jixian County, I will see how much Shu brocade and tea leaves are left, and spare me the pain of going to Xiping County in exchange for cattle and sheep to station in Hexi's various ministries."

Uh.
After hearing this, Wei Yan couldn't help being dumbfounded.

He was not asking for food and labor for the soldiers stationed in Hexi, but he just felt that there was no need to treat the captives too generously.

But since the prime minister avoided talking about it, he couldn't talk too much about it.

The chariots and horses moved slowly.

When I was young, Zhiyang city came into my eyes.

Wei Yan put aside his thoughts of talent just now, drove his horse close to Prime Minister Su Yu, bowed his head and asked in a low voice, "At that time, the captives will be collected and compiled. Will Zhang Bogong or the governor of Anyue of the state follow me to Hexi? Will the Prime Minister make a decision?"

Yes, Zhang Yi and Zhoutai need to follow Wei Yan to the Hexi Corridor.

One is that the war in Jincheng County has passed for several months, and the people's hearts are generally stable, so there is no need to keep two troops in the county.In addition, the original state Taitun stayed in Lingju to rebuild the fortress, and settled down Weihaoyoufu who migrated from Hexi, etc., and other things have been roughly established. It is only necessary to send hundreds of county soldiers to a small school to supervise. , There is no need to let Zhoutai, who is General Zhenwei, continue to be overqualified.

The other is the difference between the guarding army soldiers and the conquering soldiers.

The more than [-] people newly recruited from the captives did not have high morale and combat power, and now they did not have the heart to die for the great man. After being incorporated into the army, they could only scatter into the city or guard in the beacon.If you want to go out into the wild to defend the fortress or drive troops to fight back, only the headquarters under the supervision of Zhoutai and Zhang Yi in Jincheng County can do it.

"Since Wenchang asked, he must have a promise in his heart!"

The prime minister who heard the question did not answer directly, but asked with a funny smile, "Let's talk about it, which one is better according to your opinion?"

"Hey!"

Wei Yan, who had been told off, showed no embarrassment on his face.

Instead, he chuckled lightly, raised his head and pointed his eyes at Fu Qian, who was leading the guard of the prime minister, and told him to scatter the surrounding soldiers farther away. Anyue."

After all, before the prime minister could ask any questions, he explained, "One, I have been in the barracks of the two in recent days, and the soldiers under Zhou Anyue's command are stricter and seem to be more elite. Chang guards the prefectures and counties, and fresh governors are in battle; and Zhou Anyue has followed Zheng Zijin to conquer many times since he entered the Han Dynasty, and he is even better at making decisions before the battle and ordering soldiers to die. Again, all the soldiers under Zhang Bogong's command came from the land of Shu, which is unbearable The wind, sand and bitter cold in Hexi are not as good as those under the command of Anyue in the prefecture. Now the rebellious Wei generals will drive the Hulu to harass Hexi, and the war will last for many years. Go to the defense soldiers and strive for excellence!"

"good!"

After listening, the prime minister clapped his hands and praised, "In terms of knowledge of soldiers, Wen Chang is the leader of my great man!"

"Hahaha~~~"

Immediately, Wei Yan opened his eyes and smiled, and quickly said modestly, "The prime minister is too famous! Too famous! Well, in this way, the prime minister has agreed to my request?"

"Ah."

Gently nodding his head, the Prime Minister smiled coyly, "You supervised the battle in Hexi, and since you raised it, how can I not allow it? But please work hard, so that the court will have no worries about Hexi!"

"promise!"

Wei Yan immediately withdrew his face, cupped his hands and said with great emotion, "Rebellion against Wei is nothing more than a mere barbarian invasion. The prime minister can rest assured! If he disturbs the border, I will be able to protect the people well. If he dares to enter the country to fight, I will order them to be safe. No return!"

After the words fell, he paused for a moment, and he quickly added a sentence, "Prime Minister, I know that the imperial court is in short supply of food and fodder, and the priority should be to cultivate life and rest. Therefore, after I arrive in Hexi, the priority is to suppress the enemy. I won’t work on my own and mobilize the troops to chase the Hulu for war.” At this point, he seemed to be thinking, and then sighed sadly, “If my big man can return to guard the county, it will make the Hulu dare not ride a horse. Here comes the west! Alas."

The prime minister was silent when he heard the words, and there was a little helplessness on his face.

Because Wei Yan's words hit the nail on the head.

According to the Quwu Mountains, the original purpose of setting up the Naowei and Shuyin Fortresses by Emperor Xiaowu of the former Han Dynasty was to prevent nomadic tribes from entering the Hetao Plain from the Hetao Plain.

The two are interdependent, showing the trend of horns.

Among them, Naowei (now the ancient city of Maiwo, Diaogou Village, Jingtai County) is facing the northern desert and approaching Mingsha Mountain. It only needs to garrison three to five thousand troops to prevent nomadic tribes from coming west. As long as they go north to block their way back, they will be turned into turtles in the urn, and they will be gradually wiped out by the soldiers of the Hexi counties.

However, it is impossible for Naowei County to be restored until the world is unified.

The reason is simple and cannot be replenished.

The fortress of Yuyin is adjacent to the mouth of the Zuli River into Dahekou (now Jingyuan County). It can be self-sufficient by recruiting Li Shu or soldiers to support itself. With the convenient transshipment of the Zuli River, it can ensure that the problem of food supplies is worry-free.

But Laiwei is quite different.

In Laowei, which has been invaded by desert wind and sand all year round, there is almost no fertile land in the surrounding area for soldiers to support themselves.

All costs depend on the transshipment of Wuwei County across hundreds of miles of uninhabited barren valleys, and the loss of human and material resources can be imagined.

And the food and fodder for the garrison here must be at least enough for the soldiers to eat for more than one year!Otherwise, they will be trapped by the army of nomadic tribes, besieged for help, or wait for the food and fodder in the city to run out without attacking themselves.And the number of garrisons needs to be at least [-].Because if there are fewer troops, they will not have the strength to go out of the city and cut off the return of nomadic tribes.

This is the reason why Cao Wei abandoned the city after he conquered Liangzhou; it is also the reason why the Han Dynasty did not restore Liangzhou after it was restored. Think about it.

This is true of Wei Yan's sigh and the prime minister's silence today.

Knowing the strategic significance of the siege, and having a good plan to keep the enemy out of the gate, but limited by the national strength and terrain, he had to fall into the passive position of the war.

Otherwise, if Liu Bao, Liu Gaosheng and other tribes invaded against Wei, why would the prime minister and Wei Yan come to work in person?

Even if the Southern Huns came with tens of thousands of cavalry, the prime minister only needs to send five or six thousand soldiers and horses to listen to Ma Dai and Jiang Wei's dispatch, and he can kill them so that they dare not drink the horses!
In other words, this is the reason why Sima Yi went to Cao Rui in Luoyang and asked to enlist the Southern Huns to help the war after Guo Huai's point of view in the past.In essence, it still imitated Cao Zhen's strategy against the big Han in the past, and made the big Han avoid the inevitable upright strategy: use the Hexi Corridor as a turning point in the game between Han and Wei, consume the national power of the big Han, and win time for the Guanzhong army to rest and morale.

"It's hard to reset it, I won't think about it later."

The prime minister, who had been silent for a long time, put aside the meaningless thoughts, and joked with a smile, "I can't feel at ease about the Hexi affairs with the general brief of the text!" Jincheng prefect Zhang Yi had already heard the news and came out of the city to greet him, so he waved his hands, "Enter the city, let's stop chatting first."

"promise."

Wei Yan nodded in response and said nothing more.

And very carefully pulled the reins of the horse a little, staggering the distance between the two of them.

In fact, what he didn't know was that the prime minister's plan was to let Zhang Yi and Zhou Taiyi go to Hexi together.

The difference is that when Zhang Yi rushed to Hexi, it was a little later than Zhoutai—roughly after the autumn harvest and the invasion of Hulu against Wei Wei, he would go there to listen to orders and dispatch with Wei Yan in the name of escorting grain and fodder.

Not only did he feel that sending an extra army of soldiers and horses would make Hexi's defense more comprehensive.

Even more because of Zhang Yi's background.

The Qianwei Zhang family in Wuyang was born after Zhang Liang, Marquis of Liu. His family status was quite high, and his descendants also served as Sangongs. He was the best among the noble families in Yizhou.If he is also stationed in the Hexi Corridor and urges those wealthy Yizhou clans who live in Hexi to temporarily join their private soldiers to defend against the enemy, it will be a matter of course and get twice the result with half the effort.

In this way, the shortage of troops in Hexi can be more or less alleviated.

Moreover, Zhang Yi was the first to become an official by the former emperor as the Secretary of the State Department. In contrast to the frequent promotions of Guan Xing, Zheng Pu, and Jiang Wei, who have been promoted by military exploits in recent years, it is still a bit unfair to use him as the prefect.At a time when the powerful families in Bashu are competing for their lives because of the interests of the Silk Road, the prime minister does not want to cause bad publicity because of Zhang Yi's meritorious service and lack of official position.

As for who will guard Jincheng County after he leaves?
Among the generals of the Chinese army stationed in Ji County, Tianshui, there are many good candidates.

For example, Hu Ji, Zong Yu, and Liu Min are all qualified, but in the end the prime minister still intends to appoint Liu Min.

Because before the Northern Expedition started, Liu Min had already been in charge of farming in Nanzheng, Nanzheng, Hanzhong County.

Now that there is no war in Jincheng County, and it is impossible to cross Longyou to attack against the Wei Dynasty, what is needed is someone with rich experience in farming and raising troops to guard, and Liu Min naturally stands out.

Enter the city to escape the hot noon.

Wei Yan, who had won the letter of approval, led two thousand soldiers and horses to escort the grain and fodder to Lingju to join forces with the Taibu of the state. Soon he will go north to the Hexi Corridor to supervise the deployment of defenses in various counties and counties.

Accompanied by Zhang Yi, the prime minister inspected the war horses exchanged from the Qianghu tribe in Hexi for trading with Jiangdong.

In fact, there is nothing to inspect.Zhang Yi has served as a herdsman in many places and counties for many years, and he can handle small things such as maintaining the smooth flow of trade routes with ease.

Therefore, the prime minister made roughly one or two tours, and he did not hesitate to encourage him with words.

And it also vaguely revealed that he intends to let the governor go to the Hexi Corridor in a few days to find military merits and make him a marquis, so that he can make preparations as soon as possible.

After everything is over, the next day the prime minister set off to return to Ji County.

Yu Tu, there is another episode.

Fu Qian, who had been by his side for several years, asked for orders to station in Hexi while staying overnight at the post station.

Said: "When he was young, the first emperor took him into the palace and raised him. He was favored by the emperor. Now he is learning how to fight for the army and build a long life! He has the ambition to conquer the country and continue the unfinished work of his ancestors. Please let the prime minister allow it."

The words have to be said to be very sincere, but also very cunning!
Actually, he used the names of the late emperor, the emperor, and his late father Fu Xun to show loyalty and filial piety, and blocked all the reasons for others to refuse.

When the prime minister heard this, he was both relieved that the younger generation had the ambition to serve the country, and also a little bit dumbfounded.

Without him, Fu Qian's actions and words now faintly resemble Zheng Pu's cunning ears!But looking back, thinking that Fu Qian is now in his prime, so the prime minister agreed, and he will make arrangements after returning to Ji County.

"Han Feizi" has a saying, "The prime minister must start from the state and county, and the fierce general must be sent to the army."

After the incident of Ma Di, the prime minister no longer had the idea of ​​cultivating generals from the center.Fu Qian, who is the best among the younger generation, has Zheng Pu not hesitate to teach him and carry him by his side to teach him by example, it is time for him to start practicing.

There should be a successor, not only the successor of power, but also the rate of generals who oversee the conquest.

And the prime minister also thought about Zhang Bao.

Since Liu Yin was promoted to be the chief general of the Shuyin Fortress, Zhang Bao was transferred back to Longyou.

The prime minister's original intention was to allow him to have more opportunities to accumulate military exploits in front of the battle when defending against the Wei counterattack troops out of Longyou, so that he can hold military power for the emperor in the future.

Today, there is no clan general available, so I can only rely on my relatives.

Unexpectedly, after the Battle of Liangzhou, Sima Yi still curled up his army in Guanzhong and did not come out. Instead, Cao Rui rebelled against Wei and sent the Xiongnu and Xianbei to fight against the evil in the Hexi Corridor?
Therefore, on the way back, the prime minister thought about whether to send Zhang Bao and Fu Qian to listen to Wei Yan.

Although the Longyou army should not be moved lightly, it is harmless not to send two or three thousand soldiers and horses away.

No more words along the way.

In mid-June, the prime minister returned to Ji County.

When he heard the news, Zheng Pu was at Xiaolongshan Ranch.

He has changed his official position and has no clear responsibilities for the time being, and those close to him are now busy with overseeing the army and defending the defense. When they have nothing to do, he accompanied his wife Zhang Yan to ride on the ranch for pleasure.

That's right, besides the Qu Ying of the three hundred personal guards of Zheng Pu, there are only five hundred heavy infantry of Liu Lin in the main line of Zheng Pu.

It's not that he moved his post and became inferior.

It is because he now belongs to the prime minister's Chinese army. With his position as the military adviser of the prime minister's mansion and his previous achievements, if the prime minister does not personally supervise the army to fight, he will authorize him to lead the Chinese army to fight!Because Wei Yan, who has a higher authority, has long been granted a false festival, he has always supervised and led all the ministries as the former army when he was in battle.

Such an arrangement made all the officials of the Han Dynasty understand the prime minister's desire for promotion and Zheng Pu's future position in the Han army.

But Yang Yi, who had always been at odds with Zheng Pu, fell into depression after hearing the news.

After Xiang Lang and Wei Yan no longer served as assistants in the prime minister's office, he was the one with the highest authority in the prime minister's central army.And his duty is not only to raise food and grain for the army, but also to dispatch all the soldiers and horses in the middle.

Now, unexpectedly being caught by Zheng Pu from behind, how can he readily accept the evil?
Not to mention, he played for Dahan earlier!

Even the first emperor Liu Bei once praised his talent and learning when he was discussing!

However, it's hard to get what he wants, and he also knows that he can't control the mind of the prime minister, let alone the fact that Zheng Pu and the emperor are brothers-in-law.

Regardless of merit or status, he has no chance to surpass Zheng Pu.

Discouragement is inevitable.

Even during the prime minister's visit to Jincheng County, when he was in charge of the prime minister's other affairs, there were incidents of detention, and he frequently angered Ling Shi and false assistants.Even Dong Jue, who had just transferred to the prime minister's mansion and joined the army, was scolded mercilessly by him in public.

Dong Jue, courtesy name Gong Xi, was from Yiyang.

When the prime minister opened the mansion to manage affairs, he was Lingshi, and later he had many good words to advise him. He was praised by the prime minister as a "good man" and promoted to the head of the prime minister's mansion.

In preparation for the Battle of Liangzhou, Fei Yi entered Wei Yan's army as the commander-in-chief, and Zhuge Qiao followed Zheng Pu to the fortress of Yuyin. The prime minister's office in Longyou was short of manpower, so the prime minister transferred Dong Jue from Chengdu to take up the post. .

(End of this chapter)