Eastern Jin Dynasty: My powerful father

Chapter 99 Xitao Plain
  Outside Chang'an City, on the south bank of the Wei River, the families of the soldiers who went on the expedition came to see them off.

Huan Xi looked at Xie Daoyun and Li Yuan and said helplessly:
  "I've already said that you don't need to come to see me off, so why did you come here without telling me?"

Xie Daoyun didn't take it seriously and said:

"I and A-Yuan are just pregnant, and it's not like they're sick. Could it be that they really can't bear the wind? It's because my husband is careless and careless."

Li Yuan didn't speak, just stared at Huan Xi.

The main wife was present, and it was not the place for a concubine like her to interrupt in such an occasion.

Huan Xi did not argue with Xie Daoyun, but just urged:
  "Hurry back and sit in the carriage. Don't really catch a cold."

With that said, he personally helped the two of them into the carriage, and talked about their separation with them through a curtain. After comforting the two girls for a long time, and watching the carriage return to Chang'an, Huan Xi and Wang Meng expressed their respect to each other.

With the relationship between him and Wang Meng, there was no need to waste words to show his trust. Huan Xi simply said:
  "Now that I'm leaving, I'll entrust my wife, concubines, and inheritance to your husband."

Wang Meng said with emotion:
  "As long as I have a breath left, I will be safe and sound in the rear, my lord, there is no need to worry."

Huan Xi nodded slightly, and following his order, the 20,000-foot cavalry bid farewell to their families and followed him westward.

The Hetao area seems vast, with such a large jigsaw appearing on the map, but the real fertile land consists of only three narrow plains distributed along the Yellow River.

That is, Qiantao Plain, Houtao Plain and Xitao Plain.

The Qiantao Plain, also known as the Tumochuan Plain in Hohhot in later generations, is located in the northeast corner of the Hetao area.

Houtao Plain is located in the northwest corner of the Hetao area, namely the Bayannur Plain.

The Xitao Plain became the Ningxia Plain in later generations.

As for the rest of the area, it is either sandy desert or high mountains and deep valleys.

Huanxi rescued Tiefu Xiongnu and did not go north.

Because there are loess hills and the Northern Shaanxi Plateau between Chang'an and the Qiantao Plain, soldiers and horses may be able to get through by chance, but the landform with thousands of ravines makes it difficult to transport food.

From north to south, it is separated from the Houtao Plain by the Kubuqi Desert, the Ordos Plateau, the Mu Us Sandy Land, and the Baiyu Mountains. It is even more impossible for Huan Xi to take this route.

The only way to advance was to go around Gaoping County, Anding County (now Guyuan County, Ningxia), go north from Gaoping County, enter the Xitao Plain, and then proceed along the Yellow River to the Back Tao Plain and Qiantao Plain.

Of course, Huan Xi did not miss the opportunity to occupy the Xitao Plain.

Huan Xi also had his reasons. I took the initiative to send troops to rescue the Tiefu Xiongnu, but I had to give people three melons and two dates.

The Xitao Plain, also known as the Ningxia Plain, was known as the South of the Yangtze River in later generations. It has many lakes and abundant water resources, which is not only conducive to the development of animal husbandry, but also suitable for the development of agriculture.

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month of the seventh year of Yonghe (AD 351), which coincided with the Shangyuan Festival, Huan Xi's vanguard general Deng Xia led five thousand cavalry and took the lead in entering the Xitao Plain.

"The Jin people are coming to kill!"

Screams of exclamation arose one after another, and the herdsmen ran in all directions, but the army did not pursue them as they expected.

This strange scene also slowed down the herdsmen on the Xitao Plain. They looked curiously at the sudden appearance of the Jin army.

At this time, a cavalryman emerged from the crowd, and his appearance was quite similar to the characteristics of these Huns herdsmen.

When the Xiongnu Zhao was defeated by Jiehu Hou Zhao, there were indeed many Huns left in Kansai, and this cavalryman was one of them.

He shouted in proficient Hun language:
  "We are soldiers under General Zhengdong of the Jin Dynasty. The Di people invaded Hetao. We are here to rescue the Tiefu Xiongnu!"

The herdsmen were relieved to hear such remarks.

The invasion of the Di people has long been known to everyone. Liu Wuhuan recruited his tribesmen in the Houtao Plain. All the tribes in the Xitao Plain responded. A large number of young and strong people went north to listen. Only then did the Jin army enter the Xitao Plain, which aroused the anger of the old and weak herdsmen. panic.

The Tiefu Xiongnu were actually composed of many small tribes. When the tribe leaders living on the Xitao Plain learned that the Jin army was coming to help them expel the Di people, they sent cattle and sheep to work one after another.

Huan Xi wanted to control the Xitao Plain, and he also specifically told Deng Xia to pay attention to military discipline, otherwise Deng Xia would have taken action to snatch the cattle and sheep all over the mountains and plains.

Of course, the cattle and sheep sent by the various tribesmen were accepted with disrespect.

The Xitao Plain is still dominated by nomads. The real development of agriculture here has to wait until the Nanchen general Wu Mingche was defeated in the Northern Expedition. Yang Jian captured the Nanchen generals and moved them to the Xitao Plain. Only then did the south of the Yangtze River become a land of fish and rice. reputation.

Huan Xi arrived at Xitao Plain a little later than Deng Xia. He stood at the former site of Beidian Nongcheng and sighed to Liu Kuantou who came from Houtao Plain to ask for help:
  "The Fu family covets the Hetao, and everyone's ambitions are well known. I am only worried that if I expel Fu Xiong today, he will lead his troops to invade again tomorrow. Chang'an is far away, not to mention whether it can be rescued in time. The Queen Mother has repeatedly spent time on expeditions and money and food. If asked, I don’t know how to respond.”

Liu Kuantou met Huan Xi on the way. He admired Huan Xi for his foresight and foresight to mobilize military advisors in advance through Fu Jian's military mobilization, guessing that the opponent was going to attack Hetao.

He also knew that Huan Xi was telling the truth.

Hou Zhao, who initially occupied Bingzhou, focused mainly on competing with the Eastern Jin Dynasty for Xiangyang and competing with the Qian Liang for the Hexi Corridor.

After that, Zhang Ping, who had separated the state and merged the state, had too much time to take care of himself and had no spare energy to attack the Hetao area.

But now the Fu family is occupying the east of the river. As Huan Xi said, their ambitions for the Hetao area are not even concealed. Even if they successfully repelled Fu Xiong this time, the Fu family will definitely come back with strong troops and horses.

If Huan Xi were to make a few more trips from Chang'an, Guan Long's finances would also go bankrupt.

Liu Yan asked for advice:
  "In Duke Huan's opinion, what should we do?"

What Huan Xi was waiting for was what Liu Kuantou said. He pointed to the former site of Beidian Nongcheng at his feet and said:
  "I want to build a new city here and station troops here to protect the Xiongnu herdsmen. If the Fu clan dares to raise troops to invade again, they can also send troops to rescue from here.

"In this way, the reinforcements can rush to the battlefield as soon as possible, and I can reduce the loss of traveling long distances. I don't have to send troops from Chang'an. Isn't it the best of both worlds?"

Beidian Nongcheng was built during the Yangshuo period of Emperor Cheng of the Han Dynasty (24 BC). It has a crisscross water network and fertile land. It is the core area of ​​the Xitao Plain, but the city is dilapidated.

Although Huan Xi said it euphemistically, his intention was very clear, that is, he wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to station troops in the Xitao Plain and take the place as his own.

Liu Yantou said with regret:
  "I quite agree with what Duke Huan said, but this matter is not a trivial matter, and I cannot agree to it. Please rest assured, Duke Huan, I will definitely argue with my brother to facilitate this matter."

Huan Xi had already received Zhao Ju's report about Liu Yan's ambition. He patted the other party on the shoulder and said meaningfully:

"Lord of the Tiefu Xiongnu, you should act as a virtuous person. I really hope to see a day when you can make your own decisions."

What is a virtuous person? Of course, only those who are willing to cooperate with Huan Xi can be called a virtuous person.

Liu Yan was greatly encouraged. In fact, he also had his own power within the tribe, but he did not have the support of external forces.

Huan Xi had another conversation with Liu Kuantou, who left first and rushed back to Houtao Plain to report the news.

Huan Xi also led 20,000 cavalry to the north slowly. Although rescuing people was like putting out fire, Huan Xi was really not in a hurry after learning that Liu Wuhuan had retreated to Houtao Plain. Fu Xiong sent troops in time for the New Year, catching the Tiefu Xiongnu off guard, while Liu Wuhuan gave up the plains in front and retreated to the back, trading space for time, and was finally able to gather his troops.

Why did Huan Xi rush to the battlefield regardless of the fatigue of his soldiers, and let them wear each other out for a while first?

When Liu Yan returned to the Houtao Plain, Liu Wuhuan had already fought Fu Xiong twice, both of which ended in failure. He had now retreated to the foot of Langshan Mountain on the west side of the Houtao Plain.

When Liu Wuhuan told Liu Wuhuan about Huanxi's conditions, Liu Wuhuan became furious:
  "This is robbery! Huan Xi is taking advantage of others' danger! Brother! Go back and tell him! Don't think you can use this to blackmail me!"

Liu Yantou followed Liu Wuhuan's words and consoled him:

"Yes, yes, brother, please don't get angry."

As he spoke, he changed the subject:
  "It's just that I'm worried that if I reject Huan Xi, the reinforcements I've been waiting for for a long time will turn into bandits in an instant and divide the Hetao with the Fu family. There are wolves in front and tigers in the back. In this way, although the world is big, how can we still have iron?" It is a foothold for the Xiongnu."

Liu Wuhuan was shocked when he heard this. He finally calmed down, but if he agreed to Huan Xi's request and handed over the Xitao Plain to Huan Xi's garrison control, it would really make Liu Wuhuan unable to swallow. He said:

"Is there no other way?"

Liu Yan shook his head and said:
  "Huan Xi has made up his mind. Even if my brother doesn't agree, I think he will take advantage of the emptiness in Xitiao and occupy the place.

"Brother, in my opinion, should we take a longer-term view?

"In the past, you often paid tribute to the country, but Tuoba Shiyijian clearly had a crowd of more than 100,000, but he refused to help.

“We don’t have much contact with the Jin people, but Huan Xi personally led a large army to come to our aid despite the long distance.

"In terms of love and propriety, the elder brother should be promised generous profits.

"The front and back sets are enough for our Tiefu tribe to thrive, so we might as well give the western sets to Huan Xi.

"As Huan Xi said, if the Fu family invades Hetao, they can directly send troops to rescue them from Xitao.

"If my brother was unwilling to let go, how could Huan Xi come to Chang'an to help him again and again?

"Brother, please think twice about giving up a suit to get a strong support."

Liu Wuhuan was silent, but in fact, he had already been convinced by Liu Yantou. He sighed:

"That's all. You go gather the heads of various departments and listen to their opinions."

As soon as Liu Yangutou heard this, he knew that the matter had actually been settled. Most of the chiefs of the Xitao Plain were still in the tribe. The tribes here were basically the chiefs of the front and back tribes.

For them, giving up Xi Tao in exchange for Huan Xi's support to expel the invading Di people was a choice they could make without thinking.

After all, what do the interests of the Xitao Plain tribes have to do with them.

Now is the lambing season for ewes, so getting rid of Fu Xiong as early as possible is the most important thing.

The reason why Liu Wuhuan summoned the heads of various departments was because he did not want to bear the responsibility of giving up the suit alone.

And things were just as Liu Kuantou expected, all the leaders from the front and back were in agreement, and not a small number of leaders from the Xitao Plain could object.

Liu Kuantou once again took the initiative to ask for help to contact the Jin army that was slowly moving north. At the same time, Fu Xiong also learned about Huan Xi's dispatch of troops to rescue the Tiefu Xiongnu.

"He's finally here."

In the Di army camp, Fu Xiong sighed in the commander's tent.

In fact, Huan Xi's dispatch of troops did not surprise Fu Xiong.

Although he had never met Huan Xi, he had heard many rumors about him, so how could he dare to take it lightly.

Once the Fu clan captures the Hetao, they can bypass Tongguan and Puban and go up the Yellow River, directly threatening the hinterland of Guanzhong. How could Huan Xi sit back and watch them annex the Hetao.

But while we had anticipated it, we inevitably also had some illusions, hoping that the battle to capture the Loop would be simpler and smoother.

When Fu Chang saw that his uncle was worried about Huan Xi's sending troops, he said:

"Although Huan Xi has a great reputation, the people he fought against were just Shi Bao, Wang Zhuo, Yang Chu, Zhang Chonghua and others. These people were either dead weight, old and stupid, or like Zhang Chonghua, they were new to the battlefield. He can't control his soldiers.

"My uncle has 30,000 elite soldiers under his command. Now he has defeated the Xiongnu twice, and his morale is at a high level. Even if Huan Xi goes north, there is nothing to fear!"

Fu Chang is the eldest son of Fu Jian.

Fu Jian sent him to accompany him, not because he was worried about Fu Xiong, but because Fu Xiong was good at fighting, and he was also wise and brave. Fu Jian believed that having Fu Chang with the army could be of great use and help Fu Xiong.

Hearing this, Fu Xiong nodded slightly and said:

"I'm not afraid of Huan Xi, I just don't like this sudden change.

"However, Chang'er cannot underestimate the enemy. Although Shi Bao and others are ignorant, Huan Xi's proficient warriors are not in vain. This battle will definitely be a fierce battle."

As he spoke, he laughed again:
  "Of course, if we can defeat Huan Xi's elite cavalry in the Houtao Plain, we might as well drive straight in and take advantage of the victory to enter the pass through Xitao."

Challenges and opportunities coexisted, and Fu Xiong once again regained his fighting spirit.

After receiving the news from Liu Yan, Huan Xi finally speeded up his march slightly.

On the way, Liu Yan had a sudden thought and asked:

"Since Duke Huan is going to build a new city at the former site of Beidianong City, I wonder if he has thought of a name for it?"

Huan Xi thought for a moment and said with a smile:

"The local water network is densely covered. I still remember the sparkling waves under the sun. It is better to call it Yinchuan."

Just when the first battle between Huan Xi and the Fu clan was about to begin, Zhang Yu, who had surrendered Luoyang, Xuchang and other places to the Eastern Jin Dynasty, felt regretful.

The reason is that it was impossible for Zhang Yu to be appointed governor of Yuzhou in the Eastern Jin Dynasty.

After all, the current governor of Yuzhou is Xie Shang, the Queen Mother's maternal uncle, and it was Xie Shang who contacted Zhang Yu on behalf of the court and asked him to surrender.

But the problem is that Zhang Yu defected to the Eastern Jin Dynasty in order to use the Jiangdong imperial court as a backer to separate Luoyang, Xuchang and other places. Now that Xie Shang wants to take over these areas, how can Zhang Yu be willing to let go.

　The third chapter is here, two chapters are three thousand, and one chapter is four thousand. There is no more tonight, but it will still be ten thousand words tomorrow.

　　
  　
  (End of this chapter)