The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 223 The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (Part )

On the first day of July in the second year of Qianning, the prairie fire was raging in the middle of summer in Qianyan Cave. Hills, wetlands, streams, ridges, lakes, and green rivers were winding and intertwined, water birds were looming in the reed marshes, and wild flowers were colorful under the blue sky and white clouds.

"What's Du Yuhou's name?"

"Li Shiqilang, Eagle Shooting Captain."

"Tell me the essentials of setting up camp."

"Build beacon towers on high ground to look east, south, west and north to the camp."

"Build a sheep and horse nest on the flat ground, 50 feet high, 30 feet at the bottom, 10 feet wide at the top, in the shape of a round house, with three stoves on the top and three stoves under the nest, and three piles of firewood baskets in a wet place for use. The sheep and horse platform is connected to the upper and lower parts with soft ladders, and the four walls are open. Put a flag, a drum, gunpowder, wormwood, and some manure."

"Every night, light one fire when it's peaceful. Light two fires when there's an alarm. Light three fires when there's smoke. Light three fires when there's thieves. Light fires when there's nothing to do. There are six people in a group, and they take turns twelve hours a day to observe what's going on. Two people are on duty to pass on military documents and certificates..."

"Now my army has camps all around us, how can we talk about the safety of people fifty miles away?"

"If there are post stations, important roads, or valleys, send two rangers to cooperate with the ranger. If there is an emergency, smoke and dust enter the country, they will run to report. The rangers report to the army, and the ranger reports to the camp. For all the roads, dig a 20-meter-wide and 20-meter-deep ditch, fill it with fine sand and loose soil, check it regularly, and sweep it to make it clean. If a fox or rabbit passes by, you can tell how many footprints there are, let alone people and horses!"

"How to listen to the ground?"

"Choose those who are clever, careful, and sleep little, and let them sleep with an empty pillow. If a person and a horse are traveling thirty miles away, a sound will be heard among the people. Beware of the empty pillow. It is best to seal it with wild boar skin."

"Now I am camping outdoors in July. How can I check on people at night?"

"Every evening, the army is on high alert and no one is allowed to enter or leave. The chief military officer patrols the camp with an axe. There are people sitting in the paths of the camp. If they see someone moving, they will shout: Who are you? The patroller will answer: The military officer is patrolling. The sitting officer will shout: What are you doing? The answer is: I have found a place to stay. The sitting officer will shout: Are you going? Answer the command. The answer is: Yes, answer the command. This will be repeated three times. If the sitting officer says: Pass! If not, he will be captured. If anyone dares to shout or move, he will be beheaded!"

……

"What's your name? Which military commander?"

"The nameless orphan lived by begging in the Duling area when he was young. His nickname was Du Qier."

"What are you doing now?"

"Looking for water."

"Since it is adjacent to the Hongnong River, why should we look for water?"

"To prevent thieves from poisoning and dumping the body, I don't drink alone."

“How do I find water?”

"In the desert, where there are wild horses, monkeys, and small animals, there is water nearby. Where there are flocks of birds, there is water. Where there are reeds on the ground, there are hidden springs. Where there are anthills on the ground, there are hidden springs. Just dig..."

……

"Call the Fengyun chief Pan Meng!"

"The Great Sage."

"A horse is given one dou of millet, three he of salt, and two bundles of grass every day. Is the food I give to the Imperial Guards' Cavalry Division not enough?"

"enough."

"Are you familiar with this stream?"

"Not... too familiar."

"Then why did you bring the war horses here? Look at the Wansui Army, Xingguo Tianqi, Husheng Army, Longjiedu... They are all cavalry. Who brought the war horses to a remote and unfamiliar water area when they first arrived? Do you know why Shi Siming's horses were robbed during the Battle of Heyang?"

"I don't know."

"Because Shi Siming was walking his horses around. Li Guangbi just found a group of mares bathing and having fun on the other side of the river, and he seduced more than a thousand of his horses away."

"Pfft..."

"dare you laugh!"

"I just suddenly thought of something happy."

"roll!"

"Okay, I'll take it back now. I won't do it again."

"What do you say if you commit a crime?" "The saint will deal with it."

"If I find you doing something stupid like this again, I'll beat you until all three of your legs are covered in blood. Do you understand?"

"I understand, I understand very well!"

"Go."

The saint was walking through the mud, inspecting the army that was settling down. After several days of careful trekking, the central army had all arrived at a place called Qianyan Cave on the west bank of the Hongnong River. The terrain was widely distributed with ponds, plateaus, and hills, as well as river tributaries, lakes and wetlands, making it very fragmented. After crossing the river, they would march straight to Shanzhou and Luoyang.

But not yet.

It was completely dark about what was happening on the other side. Secondly, about 90 miles to the north was Hongnong City, where Zhu Wen’s troops were stationed. If we didn’t force him to leave, he would easily cut off the food supply and go around to the direction of Yanxiang from the south, attacking Wang Congxun and Zhazhu on the Xiaohan Road from the front and back.

Their current mission was to go out of Tongguan and enter the Xiaohan Road to put pressure on Zhu Wen, but they would not go deep into the road - on the one hand, to guard against Li Keyong's surprise attack on Guanzhong, and on the other hand, to warn Zhu Wen to avoid the main force and attack the weak Tongguan instead, and fight a desperate battle with them on the Xiaohan Road.

In short, the attack was mainly defensive, which would tie down Zhu Ni's forces, lay the foundation for the advance of the central and eastern routes, share the firepower, and wait for the two routes to open up. If Zhu Ni retreated, they would advance. On the contrary, if the saint was defeated, he would immediately retreat back to Tongguan and put on a tortoise shell to pretend to be dead.

That's about it, it's not complicated. The cards have been played, let's see how Zhu Ni will deal with it.

The sage rode his horse and strolled on the wetland, and the generals followed closely behind him: "I really didn't expect that the prospects of the Eastern Expedition would be so good. We have reached the Hongnong River, but there is no sign of the Bian Army. I believe Zhu Ni is also very conflicted and painful now. Fight? Leave?"

"Who dares to offend the great sage's majesty?" Li Renmei, who had been serving as the sage's little follower since entering the court, answered with a smile.

"Fight with me in the field at Hongnongjian. If you win, everything will be fine. But what if you lose?"

"If he dares to defend Hongnong and Shaanxi, I can cut off his food supply. A warrior's daily food supply is no less than two liters, which means six dou per month, and seven shi and two dou per year. Assuming 250 soldiers, the daily food supply is 7500 dan, which means 9 dan per month, and 10 dan per year. Zhu Ni has no less than 60 troops, plus grooms, doctors, prostitutes, craftsmen and other miscellaneous people. He needs no less than dan of food per month. At least dan in half a year. If his food supply is cut off, can he survive for three months?"

"Hiss..." Upon hearing this, some generals secretly smacked their lips. After silently calculating and checking in their minds, the number was actually almost the same as the result of the sage's oral calculation... The key point is that he spoke without thinking or taking a nap...

"Saints and gods!"

The sage waved his hand and said lightly: "What's the point of mentioning a mere arithmetic?" If he can't even do such a simple calculation in his head, and still needs pen and paper and counting sticks, he is totally incompetent. How can he be the emperor?

The sage continued to talk to himself, "If we don't fight and hold on to Hongnong and Shaanxi, we will be cut off from the food supply if I cross the river. If we are in a different position, I will definitely retreat to Luoyang, Jinyong City, or even Xingyang and Chenggao, and trade space for time. If the food supply is protected, there will be a battle. Zhu Ni has a vast territory and strong financial resources, which is his advantage. In the confrontation between Zheng and Luo, we have a large number of troops and horses, a large demand for food, a long food supply route, and many additional losses. Guanzhong has only been barely stable for two years, and we are not rich, so we can't outlast him. However, this thief is used to taking unconventional actions. How can he be willing to retreat to Zheng and Luo without a fight? Moreover, once trapped in an isolated city, there are still princes forcing him on all sides. I don't know how many of the monsters and demons he has taken in will rebel and how many will secede. I can imagine that Zhu Ni probably knows better."

"What a wise opinion, sage!" Li Renmei praised.

What would Zhu Wen choose? It seemed like he was stuck in a dilemma. Staying in Shanzhou was a gamble, and returning to Luoyang was almost the same. The soldiers would not listen to your strategy or whether to fight. They would only think that you were scared away by Li the thief. Even if they did not have a strong desire to fight, as long as you retreated, it would not prevent them from mocking you.

To say that the feudal army was a group of unorganized and undisciplined rabble is a flat statement, but it is apt to use it to describe most of the slaughtered people in the late Tang and Five Dynasties. It took the sage four years of leading the army before he came to this conclusion.

Unruly, cruel, greedy, taking advantage of others, cunning, banditry when strong and servile when weak, these professional soldiers are fully reflected. Generals and soldiers are like two teams playing tug-of-war, politicians from two parties, fighting, cooperating, and breaking up... When things are going well, they will obey you in everything and be more gentle than a lover. When they are weak, they will leave you with a look that is 100,000 times more indifferent and ruthless than an ex-girlfriend.

When wielding the knife of a "martial artist", one must be prepared to be chopped at any time, just like Ah San wielding a king cobra. Jiedushi, including Li, are all snake charmers. Zhu Ni has not made any moves so far, which is not like him to be cautious. Obviously, he has noticed the changes within. In other words, he may feel that he has no authority to use.

"The current situation is completely different from what I predicted before I went to war." The sage faced the setting sun, his handsome face showing a trance and intoxication: "The rebels are in decline, Zhu Wen is useless. Let's rest for three days, and on the fourth day, we will go north to Hongnong to fight Zhu the thief and let the rebels kill him!"

"Yes!" The generals responded loudly.

The saint has tolerated Zhu Ni for too long.

Tongguan and Shouyang Mountain forced him into desperate situations twice.

What a pity, a hero like you, what else can you say now?
Will you continue to use your powerful army to intimidate, usurp Mr. Li’s wealth, and threaten the world?

Without authority, without the halo and filter of a superior, isn't he still a dead dog in the eyes of the killer?
The world's power is back in my hands.

Your power is gone! Forever!
"I never expected that it would turn into a battle in Shangluo."

"Don't celebrate at halftime. What if the rebels are still willing to fight to the death for Zhu Ni? Wouldn't that ruin the whole plan? He is too cowardly to come out now. If he doesn't do it well, he might just show weakness to the enemy."

"Tsk! Only the weak show weakness to the enemy. Showing weakness to the enemy means that you are no longer capable."

"If Li Keyong, Wei Bo, and Yang Xingmi sincerely unite with the saint, it will be no problem to slaughter the four rebel dens in Bian, Song, Boying, etc."

"Haha, the originally tentative expedition to the east has become a precursor to the spread of military power throughout the world!"

When the king's army, led by the Great Sage, set out from Qianyan Cave to Hongnong City, the grass was green and the birds were singing. The sun shone through the gaps between the leaves, illuminating the warriors. It was a good time for fighting.

Make great achievements and establish your career in this battle!
(End of this chapter)