Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 299 Southwest Snowstorm
"Sorry..."

By October, Liu Jilian finally sold 500 riding horses to Gao Pian, and Liang Zun used the remaining money to buy draft horses.

After paying two hundred thousand strings of cash, Liang Zun finally headed south with five hundred riding horses and nine thousand draft horses.

He was quite good at managing money. Before leaving, he bought horse-drawn carriages, roasted tea, spices, dragon beard mats, iron pots and other goods worth 100,000 strings of cash from Longyou.

After he transported these things to Zizhou, he sold them for a high price of 150,000 strings of cash.

In this way, he only spent 150,000 strings of cash to buy 500 riding horses and 9,000 draft horses.

"Liu Jilong really won't sell military horses to us, but the horses in Longyou are not inferior to the foreign horses, and can barely make up for the needs of 3,000 elite cavalry."

"These draft horses can also be used to organize the soldiers and horses in Zizhou into a cavalry army to facilitate future counterattacks."

In Zongzhou City, Gao Pian finished reading the letter sent by Liang Zun. He did not show any solemn expression, but was very calm.

Seeing how calm he was, Wang Zhongren immediately said:
"Chief Long personally led his troops to Tuodong City (Kunming) to rest and recuperate, leaving only 30,000 troops for Duan Zongbang to garrison the five cities of Hujin."

"Yang Qiuqing led his army to invade Lingxi and plundered more than 10,000 people from Tianzhou and Yongzhou. The governor Li Hongyuan is gathering 4,000 garrison troops from Xuanwu and other towns to prepare to recapture Tianzhou and Yongzhou."

"Envoy Xiahou was transferred to the northern capital Taiyuan, and Envoy Cui was transferred to Xichuan."

"Although winter is approaching, there will be a war next year. We..."

Wang Zhongren paused and looked at his commander with complicated eyes.

Having worked with Gao Pian for so many years, how could he not see the problem with Gao Pian's attitude.

When the army was marching north to Qianzhong Road, Gao Pian fought at a leisurely pace.

After arriving in Dongchuan and taking office as the Jiedushi, although he was fighting on the surface, he was actually fighting a stupid war.

Thinking of these things, Wang Zhongren didn't know how to describe it.

"General Jie, are we going to continue fighting like this?"

Finally, he expressed his thoughts, and Gao Pian looked at him in surprise, but then his expression gradually calmed down.

Presumably, he also guessed that Wang Zhongren saw through his intention of harboring the enemy to protect himself.

He was not in a hurry, but taught Wang Zhongren:
"I think you have seen what we have been through in the past few years."

"If the war had not broken out, I don't know when I would have been able to serve as the governor of Dongchuan."

Gao Pian stood up, walked to the main hall door and looked up at the sky.

"Xichuan's Xiahou Zi was defeated and dismissed. Although this can show that I have outstanding military strategy, I still cannot be promoted to a high position."

"The Supreme Lord transferred Cui Xuan to be the governor of Xichuan, just to recover the lost lands of Li and Shi."

"But if the Supreme sees that Cui Xuan has been unable to recover the lost territory, and I take advantage of the situation to recover the lost territory of Rongzhou, what do you think the Supreme will do?"

He turned to look at Wang Zhongren, who hesitated for a moment before saying, "If that's the case, the Supreme will probably transfer you to be the governor of Xichuan."

"That's half right." Gao Pian stroked his short beard and continued:

"The Supreme Lord will return Rongzhou to Xichuan for control, and then transfer me to Xichuan as the governor."

"As for Dongchuan, the Supreme will select officials to take up the post."

Dealing with the great gift was originally the responsibility of the Jiedushi of Xichuan.

If Xiahou Zi and Cui Shenyou had not been incompetent, Gao Pian would not have been transferred to Dongchuan and shared the defense of Rongzhou with Xichuan.

The court transferred Cui Xuan here with the intention of recovering the lost territory and then returning Rongzhou to Xichuan.

If Cui Xuan had no achievements in office or even suffered a defeat, the court would certainly select another governor of Xichuan.

If Gao Pian recaptured Rongzhou, perhaps no one in the court or the country would be able to compete with him for the position of Jiedushi of Xichuan.

After obtaining the position of Jiedushi of Xichuan, he would be transferred to the imperial court and at least be able to obtain the high position of Shangshu Pushe.

These events and results were Gao Pian's plan.

Wang Zhongren fell silent after hearing this, feeling that his commander had changed a lot since he left the Shence Army.

I was clearly next to him, but I didn't feel anything wrong until now.

If Wang Zhongren remembered correctly, his own commander had always disdained the practice of raising a tiger to cause trouble.

I never thought that ten years later, my own commander would also use this method.

Wang Zhongren couldn't help but sigh in his heart, but he still bowed respectfully on the surface.

He tried his best to come up with some words of praise, but in the end, he could only say: "General Jie is wise!"

Gao Pian withdrew his gaze upon hearing this and said to Wang Zhongren:

"Send a message to General Lin Ruzhen and Zhang Lin, and have them guard the cities of Xunzhou and Pinzhou and reinforce them to prevent the barbarian army from attacking fiercely next year."

"Yes!" Wang Zhongren agreed decisively, then left the yamen and sent people to Pinzhou and Xunzhou to deliver the message.

While the Dongchuan troops were stepping up their vigilance, the Xichuan troops, who had suffered a crushing defeat, also welcomed their new governor.

Cui Xuan, the governor of Xichuan, was currently reviewing the Xichuan troops in the military camp outside Chengdu with the military supervisor Yang Fuguang.

Cui Xuan stood on the high platform of the parade ground, his eyes swept over the 3,000 soldiers and horses left behind in front of him, his brows furrowed.

Although the soldiers had sophisticated armor and weapons, most of them were fat and panted after putting on their armor. Even when they were lined up, their formation was loose and they had no morale at all.

Faced with such a scene, Cui Xuan sighed inwardly, how could such an army resist foreign enemies?

He turned his head to look at the military supervisor Yang Fuguang beside him. Although Yang Fuguang was young, he had sharp eyes and was obviously a shrewd and capable person.

Facing Yang Fuguang, who was not a mediocre person, Cui Xuan said in a deep voice: "General Yang, you have also seen that the current state of the Xichuan troops is really worrying."

"The weapons are not maintained, the training is slack, even the most basic six-flower formation takes a quarter of an hour to form."

"The troops left behind in Chengdu are so bad, how good can the troops in other places be?"

"If the barbarian army launches a surprise attack, I'm afraid we won't even be able to fight back."

Yang Fuguang nodded in approval of Cui Xuan's remarks, his expression solemn: "Minister Cui is absolutely right."

"The officers and soldiers of Xichuan have suffered disastrous defeats year after year, and their morale is low. In addition, there has been a long-term lack of rectification, and military discipline has been lax."

"If we don't rectify this in time, it will be difficult to cope with future wars."

Cui Xuan sighed and continued, "I saw this scene when I first arrived in Xichuan, and I felt really uneasy."

"The Dongchuan troops are now on high alert, but we are so vulnerable. If we don't reorganize our military and improve our combat power as soon as possible, Xichuan will be in danger."

Yang Fuguang was not a fool. He understood that Cui Xuan's words were a test. The main reason he did this was that he was worried that he, the military supervisor, would interfere with him.

After thinking it through, Yang Fuguang bowed solemnly to Cui Xuan:
"Minister Cui, the most urgent task right now is to immediately rectify military discipline, recruit soldiers, and strengthen training."

"Xichuan is full of refugees, so we won't have any trouble recruiting soldiers."

"We can recruit 30,000 soldiers and lead them south to Jiazhou for training."

"At the same time, we need to appease the troops and boost their morale."

Seeing that Yang Fuguang made so many suggestions, Cui Xuan also roughly knew the other party's level.

Young and thoughtful, but knows the priorities.

After getting to know Yang Fuguang, Cui Xuan nodded and said, "General Yang is right."

"The Xichuan treasury has been counted by my officials and is sufficient to recruit 30,000 soldiers."

"With these 30,000 troops, plus the more than 20,000 defeated troops within the country, we should be able to stop the enemy south of the Dadu River."

"Once the troops are trained, it will be time for you and me to recover the lost territory and repay the Supreme."

Yang Fuguang ignored Cui Xuan's polite words, but showed a kind expression and bowed respectfully: "Envoy Cui, rest assured, I will do my best to help you recover the lost territory."

Helping and following are not the same attitude. Helping is cooperation, while following is a relationship of superior and subordinate.

Obviously, Yang Fuguang has made his position clear.

Cui Xuan smiled and praised: "I am very happy to have the help of Yang Jianjun."

"As long as you and I work together, Xichuan will be able to regain its strength and recover its lost territory."

As soon as he finished speaking, Cui Xuan walked down the platform and got on the carriage.

Yang Fuguang followed closely in his footsteps, and the three hundred cavalrymen Cui Xuan brought from Taiyuan were the greatest help in protecting him when he took office.

Although the three hundred elite cavalrymen from Hedong had never experienced war, they were at least well trained.

Under their escort, the two carriages carrying Cui Xuan and Yang Fuguang began to walk out of the military camp and head towards Chengdu City.

It was about eight miles from the military camp to the gate of Chengdu's outer city. The area within five miles around the military camp was relatively peaceful, but when one arrived at the official road five miles outside the military camp, the scene one saw was horrifying.

There were endless refugees squatting like dead trees on both sides of the official road. Their clothes and pants had been sold. Many of them were naked with their skinny bodies, barely using dry grass to cover their private parts.

The climate in Xichuan was cold in October. Many people had frozen to death while sitting still. Others huddled together, looking at the vehicles and horses passing by on the official road with pleading eyes.

Their figures looked particularly thin in the cold autumn wind, as if a gust of wind could blow them away.

The men lowered their heads, their hands drooping limply on their knees, their eyes empty, as if they had lost hope for the future. The women hugged their skinny children tightly, their cries weak and intermittent, like a kite whose string might break at any time.

As for the old and weak, they have already become corpses...

The bark of the trees along the official road had been stripped cleanly, and even the grass roots had been dug out.

When passing this section, Cui Xuan frowned slightly, Yang Fuguang was very indifferent, and only a small number of elite cavalrymen from Hedong showed reluctance.

Cars and horses passed by, raising dust.

There was an indescribable sour smell in the air, the smell of a rotting corpse.

In the distance, a few crows were circling above the dead trees, making shrill cries, as if foreshadowing the despair and desolation of this land.

The refugees squatted there like a group of abandoned shadows, hoping only that the passing carriages and horses would drop some food to fill their stomachs.

They didn't know that in the carriage passing by them sat Cui Xuan, the mayor of Chengdu and the governor of Xichuan, whom they regarded as their hope.

"How many refugees have gathered outside Chengdu?"

Smelling the unpleasant air, Cui Xuan frowned slightly, and the official driving the car responded: "It should be no less than 30,000..."

Seeing that Cui Xuan did not get angry, the official continued to test him, saying, "The number of refugees in the entire Xichuan should be no less than 100,000."

In fact, what he said was still conservative, but it was enough to cheer up Choi Hyun.

"Three days later, send people to open thirty porridge stalls in the military camp and recruit young men as soldiers."

"I have heard about the refugees from Xichuan fleeing to Longyou when I was in the Northern Capital."

"When I recruit 30,000 soldiers from the refugees, more than 100,000 refugees will benefit. I think no more people will flee to Longyou."

Cui Xuan fell silent, but he also knew that this was only a temporary solution and not a permanent solution.

While he was thinking, his carriage drove along the three-mile-long official road and soon entered the city of Chengdu.

When the carriage drove into the city, he suddenly felt refreshed, and even his sitting posture relaxed a little.

He looked towards the streets, and saw that the streets in the city were crowded with people, but many of the people had pale faces and thin bodies.

He naturally knew what was going on, and he also knew that if the tax problem facing the people was not solved, the emergence of refugees would not be prevented.

However, knowing is one thing and doing is another.

Until now, Cui Xuan still remembers how he persuaded the late emperor to establish a crown prince, but was deposed and sent to Huainan.

The world does not belong to Cui. Even if he submits a petition, who can guarantee that he will have a good ending?
In this case, it is better to take good care of your own little piece of land.

Thinking of this, Cui Xuan's mentality gradually calmed down.

When he returned to the yamen of the Yin of Chengdu, he did not forget to instruct Yang Fuguang on recruiting soldiers, and then began to study the war in the south.

As it turns out, Yang Fuguang does have some ideas.

Less than two quarters of an hour after Cui Xuan gave him the order, he had written the notice and ordered the officials of the yamen to send light cavalry to post it in all the counties and prefectures in Chengdu Prefecture.

There were quite a few refugees from Xichuan, and the population of Chengdu Prefecture was nearly 30% of that of Xichuan.

As long as he could appease the refugees in Chengdu Prefecture, Cui Xuan would be confident that he could suppress the refugees in other prefectures and counties even if they made trouble.

A few days passed in a flash, and the military camps outside Chengdu began to open soup kitchens to recruit soldiers.

After eating porridge for two days and regaining some strength, many refugees immediately participated in the selection and became members of the Xichuan soldiers.

Cui Xuan was also thoughtful. He paid three months' salary to each soldier who joined the army.

The military pay was not given to the soldiers, but was for the soldiers to give to their wives and children, so that they would feel at ease to follow them south.

Three months' military pay is five strings of cash, enough to buy five stones of grain, enough to feed five people for three months, and help the soldiers' families get through the most difficult winter.

By the beginning of next spring, Cui Xuan will be able to deploy defenses based on the movements of Dali's army.

After making these arrangements, Cui Xuan waited quietly for the number of recruits to be reached.

While he was making preparations, Chang'an also received memorials from various towns in the southwest.

However, the contents of these memorials were similar, basically asking for money and food.

"Western Sichuan originally had more than 24,000 soldiers, and now Minister Cui has recruited another 30,000 soldiers. I think we can hold the land on the north bank of the Dadu River in the spring of next year."

"After recruiting soldiers, Dongchuan had 37,000 soldiers, including 3,000 elite cavalry, 12,000 cavalry, and 5,000 mule soldiers."

"Li Hongyuan of Lingxi led 4,000 garrison troops to recapture Yongzhou and Tianzhou, repaired the city walls and reinforced them. I request the court to send another 30,000 garrison troops."

"King Shi of Annan said that he had more than 17,000 soldiers under his rule, all of whom had been trained for two years and were ready for battle."

"Song Ya, governor of Qianzhong, summoned 7,000 soldiers from Bozhou and Juzhou, saying that it would be difficult for the southern barbarians to enter Qianzhong."

Inside the Xianning Palace, musicians and actors were kneeling on both sides of the hall, while in the hall were Pei Xiu and Jiang Shen who came to report on government affairs.

Bai Minzhong was still bedridden, and the burden of government affairs fell on Pei Xiu and Jiang Shen.

On the surface, none of the five memorials mentioned money, but they all mentioned money.

Whether it was recruiting soldiers in East and West Sichuan, preparing for the border in Qianzhong and Annan, or calling up garrison troops in Lingxi...

All these things require money, and now Pei Xiu and the others need to discuss with the emperor how to deal with the issue of next year's expenditures.

"Wang Shi actually has the courage to fight, very good... very good..."

On the Golden Stage, Li Yi commented on Wang Shi's affairs with satisfaction.

After all, Wang Shi only had 17,000 soldiers and horses, and he also needed to guard against Linyi and Zhenla in the south.

Under such circumstances, it is rare for Wang Shi to be able to show such an offensive attitude.

"Your Majesty, with only Annan's troops, even if we dare to go to war, I'm afraid it will be difficult to achieve results."

"If the troops of Dongchuan and Xichuan are trained, the two armies will march south to recover the lost territory. This is what the court should do now."

Pei Xiu expressed his attitude to Li Yi in a neither humble nor arrogant manner. Li Yi did not get angry, but just nodded and said:

"Prime Minister Pei's words make sense. I wonder how long it will take to train the troops of Dongchuan and Xichuan?"

"This..." Pei Xiu pondered. It was really hard for him to say about this matter.

It’s not that he hasn’t faced soldiers before, but most of them were from the north, while Dongchuan and Xichuan in Jiannan Road were undoubtedly from the south.

Among the southern soldiers, the soldiers from Bashu give people the impression of being "weak".

This is not because Pei Xiu looked down on the soldiers of Bashu, but it was based on his previous historical impressions.

The natural defenses of Bashu are not enough to defend it.

Among the regimes in Shu throughout the ages, except for Emperor Taizu of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bang, few other regimes ever conquered the land, and most of them lost Bashu because of defending the natural barrier.

The ancients emphasized "the right time, the right place, and the right people." However, Bashu, which had the advantages of both time and place, kept losing ground. This can only be blamed on people.

Because of this, the people and soldiers of Shu have been described as "fragile" by all dynasties.

Li Yuan once told Li Shimin that "the Shu soldiers are weak", and during Li Shimin's reign, a minister even reported to the emperor that "the people of Shu are weak and cannot endure strenuous work".

This stereotype has been passed down from generation to generation.

In Pei Xiu's view, the soldiers in Huaixi and the northern regions such as Hebei, Henan, Hedong, Guanzhong, Guannei, and Longyou were good at fighting, while those south of the Qinling Mountains and the Yangtze River were mostly weak.

It is difficult to say how long it would take Cui Xuan and Gao Pian to train the Shu people into an army.

Therefore, Pei Xiu pondered for a long time, and finally decided to talk about it in a long-term way.

"Your Majesty, military training cannot be successful overnight."

"I think it will take three years of training before we can hope to recover the lost territory and defeat the barbarian army."

"Three years?" Li Yi showed dissatisfaction, but still suppressed his temper.

"Three years is three years..." Li Yi took a deep breath and said solemnly:
"I hope to see the good news of recovering the lost territory in three years!"

"Of course." Pei Xiu agreed without hesitation. Jiang Shen also reacted quickly and praised Li Yi for his wisdom.

With the two nods, Li Yi gradually relaxed.

After chatting with Pei Xiu and Jiang Shen about some financial matters, Li Yi turned away and asked them to leave.

After they left Xianning Palace, Li Yi looked at Tian Yun:

"Send someone to Mr. Bai's residence to ask Mr. Bai what he thinks about the military affairs in the southwest."

"I understand your instructions." Tian Yun still responded honestly, and then walked out of Xianning Palace and sent someone to test Bai Minzhong.

Two hours later, the person who conducted the investigation returned to the palace and reported further about Bai Minzhong's situation.

It was clearly just a simple cold, but Bai Minzhong felt as if he was possessed by the god of bad luck.

Before his cold got better, his feet became affected by gout and he could not walk anymore, so he had to continue staying in bed.

Upon learning that Bai Minzhong had suffered from arthritis again, Li Yi frowned, but said nothing. He just looked away and continued to watch the actors in the Xianning Palace...

(End of this chapter)