The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 519 Meeting Zhao Pu Again
The second Luzhou military newspaper did not arrive until early February.

And it was not issued by Li Jun, the military envoy of Zhaoyi Army in Luzhou, but by Fu Yanneng, the defense envoy who arrived in Zezhou in advance.

Because of Li Yun's repeated defeats, he had already led his army back to Luzhou City, relying on the tall mountain city to defend and resist.

Li Yun's military report could not get out of the city at all. After Fu Yanneng found out the situation, he rushed to report to the court.

After Liu Chong's army made a tentative attack, they simply gave up attacking the city. The enemy army swaggered past the gate of Luzhou City and went straight to Jincheng, Zezhou.

Li Jun lost his troops and generals, but failed to delay Liu Chong's army at the border of Luzhou, and was almost wiped out.

Chai Rong received the military report in Kaifeng and was so angry that he cursed Li Jun for his incompetence and hurriedly led his army to Zezhou.

Fortunately, Fan Aineng, He Hui, Fu Yanneng, Bai Chongzan and other generals had already set off more than ten days ago, and they would arrive in Zezhou soon.

Shenzhou regiment training envoy Shi Yanchao took the Jingxing Road to Luzhou and arrived in Zezhou a few days after Fu Yanneng. When Chai Rong learned about it, he greatly appreciated it and ordered Shi Yanchao and Fu Yanneng to integrate the Zezhou garrison and step up recruitment. Civil servants are waiting for the emperor to come in person.

Three days after the holy driver left the capital, Xingzhou veteran Liu Ci led his army to Kaifeng. At that time, Zhu Xiu had already loaded the grain, grass and baggage into trucks and was waiting for Liu Ci to arrive. He joined forces and headed for Zezhou.

At the Heyin Ferry, Zhu Xiu and Liu Ci stood high on the dock, supervising the sergeants and civilians as they loaded bags of fodder onto the boat.

I haven't seen him for several years. Liu Ci has aged a lot, but his spirit is still strong.

"Major Zhu Xian knows that the grain transport in the army, if it is only counted according to the infantry, how to calculate the amount of grain and the distance during the march?"

Liu Ci stroked his white beard and asked with a smile.

"Old General, this is my intention to teach you!" Zhu Xiu said with a smile.

Liu Ci laughed and was noncommittal.

Zhu Xiudao: "Assuming that one civilian husband provides one soldier, the civilian husband has to bear six dou of grain, and the soldier brings five days of dry food, and the army can march for 26 days; two civilian husbands provide one soldier, and the army can march for 31 days; three civilian husbands support one soldier. Forget it, you can march for [-] days."

Liu Ci said: "How should we calculate the return journey?"

Zhu Xiu said without hesitation: "According to the calculation of two civilians and one soldier, the three of them carry one stone and two buckets of grain in total. The three of them eat six liters per day. If one person eats up the grain in eight days, he will be given six days of grain and sent back. After ten On the eighth day, either two people will eat four liters together, or take turns to eat four liters every day, which can guarantee the march on the 26th."

"What if we include mules and horses?" Liu Ci asked.

Zhu Xiudao said: "A camel can carry three liters of grain, while a horse and a mule can carry one stone and five buckets of grain. War horses eat three to four liters of fine food and one bucket of hay every day. Horses and mules eat three liters of fodder, and camels eat twice as much.

During the march, we must consider whether there are places for grazing along the way and what the weather is like. If the march lasts for more than a month, the forage supply will not be timely, and most of the livestock will die of fatigue and illness. The remaining grain and grass will be carried by the soldiers and civilians, and any more will have to be abandoned. "

Liu Ci put his hands on his hands and smiled and said: "Mr. Zhu County has indeed put in a lot of effort. No wonder His Majesty sent you to guard the grain with me!"

Zhu Xiu curled his lips, it was just elementary school mathematics, so it was still not clear.

Zhu Xiu said seriously: "I believe that the most difficult part of transporting grain is not the calculation, but the mobilization and distribution of the people in various places, and the cooperation of the states and counties along the way.

It is impossible for the civilians of Kaifeng Prefecture to follow the army all the way to Luzhou. After crossing the Yellow River, the civilians of Huaizhou, Zezhou and other places will take over.

If the war is prolonged, we will also need to consider the requisition of grain and grass from the states and counties along the way. The transshipment and escort are the key to the logistics support of the army. "

Liu Cishen agreed: "What Zhu County Official said is right! So I went to the court last year and suggested that the Luokou warehouse be rebuilt as a place for the Central Plains and Guanzhong military supplies to be stored and transferred. Unfortunately, there has been no response so far."

Zhu Xiu smiled and said: "In recent years, there have been many affairs in the imperial court. After this battle, I will return to Kaifeng and give you advice to your majesty."

Liu Ci said longingly: "If the grandeur of the four major granaries in the Sui and Tang Dynasties can be restored, the efficiency of our army's mobilization will be doubled!"

Zhu Xiu smiled and did not answer.

Liu Ci only saw the benefits of restarting the large-scale strategic reserve granary, but he did not see that under the current situation, this suggestion was unlikely to be recognized by the court.

Because the general centralized rule has not yet been completed, once a giant granary like Luokou Cang is built, will the stored grain be used by the imperial court or by the local warlords?
The power of local Jiedushi has been greatly restricted, but it is not enough. The shackles need to be further strengthened to avoid repeating the situation that has caused great disasters in the feudal towns for decades.

A thin, black man in his 30s, wearing a straw hat, walked up to the high platform of the pier, bowed to Liu Ci and said, "Shuai Liu, the soldiers and horses of both armies are boarding the ship, and we can set off!"

Zhu Xiu was stunned for a moment, the voice sounded familiar.

Liu Ci pointed to the man and asked Zhu Xiu, "Do you still recognize who he is?"

The man took off his straw hat, revealing a thin black face, a short beard under his chin, and deep black eyes with vicissitudes of life.

Zhu Xiu was stunned for a long time: "Are you Zhao Pu? Zhao Zeping!?"

"Zhao Pu, the judge of the Anguo Army, pays homage to Duke Zhu!" Zhao Pu sighed and bowed.

"It's really Mr. Zhao!" Zhu Xiu was overjoyed and hurriedly held his arms, "I sent someone to Xingzhou to inquire about you. It was said that you returned to your hometown to be your father, Ding You, for more than a year. I didn't expect to see Mr. Zhao again today. !”

Zhao Pu's eyes also flashed with excitement, and he chuckled: "Ding You's term has expired, and thanks to the call from Marshal Liu again, he returned to Xingzhou."

"Hahaha! For so many years, Mr. Zhao didn't come to see me in Kaifeng. It's really not mean!"

Zhu Xiu laughed, seeing his old friends who fought against Khitan together in Cangzhou made him very happy.

Zhao Pu said quietly: "Times have changed, everyone in Cangzhou City had their own destiny back then, and County Lord Zhu was also a celebrity in the court, working hard for the country's affairs, Zhao did not dare to come to disturb easily."

Zhu Xiu was stunned and let go of Zhao Pu's arm. He could hear a bit of sadness, resentment, aggrievedness and jealousy in his words.

It has been seven years since the war in Cangzhou that year, and the world has changed so much that it can be said that the world has changed.

Among the people who were trapped in Cangzhou City and fought against the Khitan, Chai Rong was already the new king of the Zhou Dynasty, and Fu Jinzhan was about to become the queen.

Zhang Yongde became the consort and now serves as the commander of the capital in front of the palace, holding a high and powerful position.

Zhu Xiu was deeply favored by the two emperors of the Zhou Dynasty. He was granted the title of Marquis of the Kingdom at a young age and became the son-in-law of the Fu family. Now he holds important civil and military positions and is a rising star in the court.

Pan Mei followed Zhu Xiu and encountered an extraordinary situation.

Only he, Zhao Pu, had risen from a small job to a judge of Jiedu, and he still worked under Liu Ci's account.

From an ordinary person's perspective, it is already quite good for Zhao Pu to become an important member of the staff at the age of 32.

But compared with Chai Rong, Zhu Xiu and others, they pale in comparison.

The 33-year-old Chai Rong is already the emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the 26-year-old Zhang Yongde is one of the highest commanders of the Great Zhou Forbidden Army, and the 21-year-old Zhu Xiu is the emperor's favorite and an upstart in the court.

It is impossible to say that Zhao Pu is not jealous in his heart. He is also working hard and trying his best to assist Liu Ci, but after all, his official career cannot escape the scope of the feudal town.

Seven years later, Zhao Pu also got married and started a business. He was no longer the young man in Cangzhou City who claimed to be an educated man, but in fact he did not read much and was not well educated.

The joy of Zhu Xiu's reunion with his old friends faded away, and a smile was still on his face: "What did Mr. Zhao say! You were my savior back then. Without you and Mrs. Fu, my head would have been taken by Pan Mei long ago. Beheaded!" Recalling the old events, Zhao Pu couldn't help but smile.

Just as he was talking, Pan Mei's thunderous voice came from a distance: "Hahaha! Zhao Suancai, I saw you! I will drink ten jars of wine with you tonight, don't even think about running away!"

Both Zhu Xiu and Liu Ci laughed, Zhao Pu's face trembled, and his face became darker and darker.

Pan Mei came over and took Zhao Pu for a while to reminisce about old times. It was obvious that Zhao Pu was not used to the enthusiasm and was a little embarrassed.

When it was time to set off, Zhu Xiu and Pan Mei got on the boat first, and repeatedly told Zhao Pu to drink together when they docked tonight.

Zhao Pu watched the two people walking up the bridge with a complicated expression. Liu Ci suddenly whispered softly beside him: "I see that the two of you have no less affection for you. Why do you feel uncomfortable?"

Zhao Pu said bitterly: "The disparity in status makes it difficult for them to interact with each other."

Liu Ci sighed: "I know your talent, it is a pity that you are limited to the Anguo Army. At my age, it may be difficult for me to continue to lead the army. Don't worry, I will find an opportunity to recommend you to the court, so that your talent, Zhao Zeping, will not go to waste." waste."

"Thank you Liu Shuai for your support! Don't worry Liu Shuai, as long as Liu Shuai guards the Anguo Army for one day, Zhao Pu will wholeheartedly assist him for one day."

Zhao Pu bowed deeply.

Liu Ci stroked his beard and smiled, "Let's go, board the ship!"

The two stepped onto the bridge one after the other, and the fleet slowly set sail from the ferry towards Wen County, Huaizhou.

Zhao Pu leaned on the railing and looked into the distance. Heyin Pier was getting farther and farther away.

The wind blowing from the river brought with it the coolness of early spring. Zhao Pu squinted his eyes slightly and his thoughts were confused.

In fact, he also found opportunities for himself. Last year, the late emperor personally conquered Yedu, Chai Rong also stationed troops in Xiangzhou, and Zhao Pu once took leave and secretly went to Xiangzhou.

I wanted to find a chance to see Chai Rong, but I couldn't even get into the military camp.

Zhao Pu was unwilling and settled in Xiangzhou City.

Not long after, he actually ran into Chai Rong and his party on the street.

Unfortunately, Chai Rong didn't remember him at all after meeting him. He was called a lunatic by his bodyguard Cao Han and was almost beaten.

Zhao Pu's heart was broken and he returned to Xingzhou in despair.

He finally wanted to understand one thing, he was not Zhu Xiu after all, during those days in Cangzhou City, Chai Rong could remember Zhu Xiu, but he couldn't remember him.

Zhao Pu gave up his idea of ​​reaching the sky in one step and stayed in Xingzhou to serve Liu Ci with peace of mind.

But he was still unwilling in his heart. He believed that if he was given a chance, he would be no worse than Zhu Xiu.

All he lacks is a noble person.

Zhao Pu appreciates Zhu Xiu's talent, but it does not mean that he will willingly accept Zhu Xiu's support.

In other words, he never thought Zhu Xiu was a good candidate for service.

He felt that Zhu Xiu was too shrewd, had a vicious vision, and had some weird and unpredictable "powers". It was too dangerous to work under such a person.

And he didn't think Zhu Xiuneng could give him the status and glory he wanted.

As the Yellow River surged, Zhao Pu slapped the railing, cleared his throat and murmured slowly: "Thousands of hammers and thousands of hammers have carved out the deep mountains, and the fire is burning them as if it were nothing. Don't be afraid of your bones being shattered into pieces, you want to leave your innocence in the world."

For seven years, whenever he felt depressed and hopeless, this poem became his greatest spiritual comfort, inspiring him to stay alert at all times.
~~~
On February [-]th, Chai Rong Shengjia arrived in Zezhou, joined the army that had arrived earlier, performed troops in the northeast suburb of the state city, and then the army went north.

On the [-]th, the vanguard general of the Northern Han Dynasty, Bai Conghui, arrived in the north of Jincheng and met the front-line troops led by Li Chongjin and Shi Yanchao.

Li Chong entered the formation to meet the enemy, and Shi Yanchao led more than a thousand fine cavalry to attack from the side. The two of them cooperated to kill the enemy. Bai retreated from Huicang in panic and reported back to Emperor Liu Chong of the Northern Han Dynasty.

Chai Rong was very excited when he learned that the former army had won, and ordered the three armies to advance at full speed.

At the same time, Chai Rong was worried that Liu Chong would be defeated and flee, so he sent Li Yanchong, the governor of Zezhou, to lead a partial division to rush to Jiangzhu Ridge in the southwest of Changzi County in advance to guard the crossing.

On the 26th, Liu Chong led his army to Gaoping County. They formed a formation at a place called Bagongyuan, seventy miles southwest of Gaoping, preparing to meet the Zhou army.

It is surrounded by mountains on all sides, with a hilly basin in the center that is relatively flat and has many shallow rivers running through it.

Liu Chong's army occupied the high ground in the north of Bagongyuan and formed an array in an east-west direction. Wooden stakes were set up in front of the array to block the horses. The crossbowmen were on the top of the slope, the cavalry were on the two wings, and the infantry was in the middle. The array was quite organized.

At night, in the Chinese army camp on the top of the slope, Liu Chong was listening to the news of the horse exploration.

"Hmph, Chai Rong, you dare to fight in person. This is a great opportunity for us to rejuvenate our great man!"

Liu Chong finished reading the letter and handed it to the Khitan general Yelu Dilu who was sitting at the bottom. After Yelu Dilu read it, he handed it to the Privy Councilor Wang Yansi, generals Zhang Yuanhui, Bai Conghui and others for circulation in turn.

Yeludi Lukun had a wolfskin hat on his hair, a tall man with a fierce appearance. He spoke in a strong Chinese dialect and said: "The Emperor of Zhou is marching so fast. He must have seen through our army's intentions and was worried that our army would capture Zezhou and go straight to Huaizhou." State, completely disrupting the Central Plains."

Liu Chong said contemptuously: "So what if you see through it? If Chai Rong dares to come, let him be buried here in Ba Gongyuan!"

Zhang Yuanhui said with a fierce smile on his flesh-covered face: "Chai Rong has only been on the throne for more than a month, and the emperor's throne has not yet warmed up, so he is rushing to die!"

The Northern Han general in the tent burst into laughter, but Yelu Dilu's expression was flat.

Bai Conghui felt ashamed and said: "I was discourteous in the first battle, which caused the Zhou army to gain momentum. Please punish me!"

Liu Chong said with a smile: "General Bai, please get up quickly! If your vanguard army had not met the Zhou army, I would not have known that Chai Rong'er had come to Zezhou in person.

Without you losing this battle, how could Chai Rong be so arrogant?Not only is there no fault, but there is also merit! "

Bai Conghui said gratefully: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your forgiveness! I invite you to fight again, and capture Chai Rong alive for Your Majesty!"

Liu Chong smiled and praised a few words, and asked Bai Conghui to get up first.

Although he despised Chai Rong, he was still very cautious in actually using troops.

There must be a large number of brave generals gathered around Chai Rong. Even if he wins the field battle, it will be quite difficult to capture him alive.

Liu Chong glanced at Yelu Dilu. The purpose of going south this time was not to capture Chai Rong. As long as he can defeat the Zhou army and let the Khitan people see the strength of the Northern Han soldiers and make up their minds to send a large army to help, his goal will be achieved. .

When the Khitan army moves south, the Zhou army will definitely mobilize heavy troops to deal with it. Then will be the opportunity for the Northern Han army to attack in full force!
Liu Chong twirled his beard, his eyes full of excitement, and he was already thinking about the day when he would regain the Central Plains and rebuild Liu Han's country.

(End of this chapter)