Han officials

Chapter 154 The Road is Difficult [1/2]

On November 23rd, Wei Zhe finally led his troops to set off.

He did not plan to bring too many people on this trip, only a total of more than 10,000 infantry and cavalry.

Wei Zhe originally wanted to ask Taishi Ci to stay behind, but since Taishi Ci really wanted to go, he had no choice but to agree.

Of course, even so, Taishi Ci only followed alone, after all, the vassal state of Liaodong could not be without the Han army to guard it.

It was only because Yan Rou, the chief secretary of the Liaodong vassal state, was capable, otherwise it would have been difficult for Taishi Ci to escape.

However, what made Wei Zhe laugh and cry was that he received another imperial edict before he left Liaodong County.
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Edict:

I, despite my small stature, have been entrusted with the duty of enshrining the ancestral temple. I work with utmost caution day and night, as if I were treading on a deep and icy cliff.

We should inherit the legacy of the previous emperor and comply with the aspirations of the people for a well-governed country. However, the year sequence has been changed frequently, and the reign titles have been replaced one after another, such as Guangxi, Zhaoning, and Yonghan. This is not a way to show the rules of unification or to establish a long-term system.

This is all due to my lack of virtue, which has led to frequent changes in the reign title, disturbing the harmony of heaven and disturbing the people.

Now, recalling the sixth year of the Zhongping reign, it is precisely when the late emperor's legacy remains lingering. All titles should be abolished and the reign of Zhongping Sixth Year restored. The Minister of Rites and the Minister of Religion should expeditiously rectify the calendar, and all suburban sacrifices and ancestral temples should adhere to the old rites. Officials should diligently observe yin and yang, and diligently improve government affairs to respond to the heavenly warning.

Announce it to all prefectures and counties so that everyone knows.

On the Yisi day of October in the winter of the sixth year of Zhongping.

……

Seeing this, Wei Zhe couldn't help but twitch his lips slightly.

It is true that when a country is about to perish, there will be evil spirits. The more critical the situation is, the more they like to do these useless things.

In July, it was still the first year of Guangxi, but in August it became Zhaoning, and in September it became Yonghan.

The New Year is almost here, but the court is still in turmoil.

If they really didn't want to disturb the common people, they should have quietly waited until the end of this year and established a new reign title.

Don’t those high-ranking officials in Luoyang know how much unnecessary government affairs will be added to the local area every time the year name is changed?
"Taiping is ruined, how can there be peace in China?"

After saying this, Wei Zhe couldn't help but sigh and shook his head, and then ordered Liaodong not to pay attention to this edict.

After all, the grassroots officials in Liaodong are extremely busy now.

Instead of taking the time to change the reign title, it would be better to wait for another month for the new reign title to be announced.

Wei Zhe then led his army into Liaoze and began the most difficult part of the march.

……

Ten days later, when Taishi Ci saw Wei Zhe again outside Changli County, he was already covered in dust and dirt.

Wei Zhe was naturally well aware of the dangers of Liaoze, but he still suffered a lot on this trip.

The Liaoze Lake, which was only two hundred miles long, took the army ten days to successfully cross. The daily march was only more than twenty miles, which was so slow that it was outrageous.

Even so, there were still more than a hundred wounded soldiers who lost their combat effectiveness due to illness and had to stay in Changli County.

Fortunately, Wei Zhe had the advantage of home court, and the vassal state of Liaodong was no different from his own territory.

Otherwise, if foreign troops came, Liaoze would definitely make them suffer a terrible fate.

You should know that in the original history, even when Gongsun Zan was at his most arrogant, he never thought of attacking Gongsun Du of Liaodong.

The danger of Liaoze can be seen from this.

After Taishi Ci had his men settle the Liaodong army, he asked in confusion, "Brother, why didn't you go to Qingzhou? How can a mere remnant of the Yellow Turbans stop our army?"

Taishi Ci originally wanted to go back to his hometown for a visit, but he didn't expect Wei Zhe not to take the sea route.

Seeing how curious he was, Wei Zhe immediately laughed and said, "I've been to Qingzhou so many times, it's not very interesting. This time it's a rare opportunity for me to go on a long journey, so I naturally have to take the opportunity to get closer to the heroes of Yan and Zhao!" As for the hardships of the march, Wei Zhe didn't care particularly.

He even deliberately chose this marching route this time just to meet heroes from all over the world.

You have to know that from Liaodong to Luoyang, you have to cross almost half of the Han territory.

This is a disadvantage for marching, but if you think about it from another perspective, it may be a benefit!

However, Taishi Ci thought about it but still couldn't figure out what Wei Zhe was planning.

Fortunately, he was used to obeying Wei Zhe's orders, so he set off in a leisurely manner the next day, leaving Yan Rou, who was full of envy, to watch him go away.

……

A few days later, Youbeiping County.

A long column of soldiers, like a winding snake, slowly moved along the official road. Numerous horse-drawn and ox-drawn carts creaked through the center, their baggage carts laden with arrows, tents, iron pots, and heavy armor. Even at the height of the midday sun, when the soldiers' sweat-soaked backs left salt stains on their clothing, no one dared to stop.

At the front of the team were scouts riding fast horses, spreading out in all directions like a spider web.

This was a habit Wei Zhe developed during his campaign against the Yellow Turbans. He would not relax his scouting even in his own territory, let alone outside Liaodong.

These elite troops would return every five miles to report, sometimes even exploring as far as thirty miles away. When the main force began to move, the five-colored flags fluttered in the morning breeze, and the ranks of over ten thousand infantry and cavalry could form a line five miles long. The sound of their footsteps shook the leaves of the locust trees on the roadside.

Every half an hour, the bronze bells would ring, and the soldiers would regroup.

During this period, the soldiers took the opportunity to stretch their legs or quench their thirst with the water bottles they carried with them, while the sergeant would check whether the soldiers' belts were loose.

The so-called "xing gui" is actually what later generations called leg wraps.

It is said that this item has been used since the Warring States Period. No one knows who invented it. All we know is that this item is of great benefit to marching and can prevent troubles such as mosquito bites and grass scratches.

As the sun was setting in the west, the scouts of the front army were seen galloping towards the central army on their swift horses, raising a cloud of dust.

"General, twenty miles ahead is Tuyin City, the seat of Youbeiping County."

Wei Zhe thought about it after hearing this, then turned around and looked back.

On the official road, the sounds of horse hooves, footsteps, and armor clashing mixed together. The soldiers' spears and iron horses, the flags fluttering, all conveyed a sense of solemnity and killing intent. Although the army was well-organized, the fatigue on the soldiers' faces could not be concealed.

Upon seeing this, Wei Zhe immediately ordered, "Set up camp!"

As soon as Wei Zhe said this, the army immediately moved in an orderly manner.

Before the last ray of sunlight disappeared, the deer-horn chevaux de frise had been set up, smoke rose again, and the sound of scouts' horse hooves still echoed in the night, alerting them to possible enemy forces.

As for Wei Zhe, he did not sit in the central military tent, but was patrolling around the camp.

It can only be said that the Yellow Turban Rebellion had such a huge impact on Wei Zhe that he is now extremely cautious in his marching.

Of course, there are advantages to doing this. At least Wei Zhe doesn't have to worry about the camp being attacked.

In fact, as long as the army sets up camp strictly in accordance with military tactics, attacking the camp will pose basically no threat.

However, veterans often become lazy, which gives the enemy an opportunity to take advantage.

Just as Wei Zhe was patrolling outside the camp, a commotion was heard not far away.

Wei Zhe's heart tightened, and he immediately spurred his horse forward. He saw a group of scouts galloping towards him. The leading scout dismounted and knelt on one knee. "General, we have spotted over a hundred cavalrymen ten miles ahead. They claim to be Cavalry Commander Gongsun Zan, and wish to see you."

Wei Zhe frowned slightly when he heard this. He didn't expect Gongsun Zan to come so quickly.

"Well, lead him here!"

After Wei Zhe finished speaking, he returned to the central army tent and sat down, waiting for Gongsun Zan to come.

(End of this chapter)