Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 371 Army

"Brother, I've avenged you."

Liu Daogui placed the heads of Murong Chao's entire family together before the memorial tablets of Liu Zun and the fallen soldiers, and ordered the entire army to wear mourning clothes.

In addition, Liu Daogui also submitted a memorial to the court, requesting that Liu Zun be granted the title of Marquis of Wuyang County, and incidentally, requesting that Liu Heibi, who died in battle in Pingyang City, be granted the title of Marquis of Pingyang County.

Although their people are gone, their descendants can inherit their legacy.

Liu Heibi had seven children, and Liu Zun had sixteen, so they could be considered to have lived a worthwhile life.

In addition to the military government's compensation, Liu Daogui granted military merit titles to other fallen soldiers based on their battle achievements, and their land and status were inherited by their sons.

Hu Fan, Tan Zhi, and Liu Xuanzhi were credited with the capture of Linqu and were granted the titles of Prefect of Le'an, Prefect of Pingyuan, and Prefect of Jinan respectively, and were also granted the title of Baron of the County.

Why did Wuji request to be granted the title of Marquis of Ancheng County?

Shen Tianzi, Meng Longfu, and Zhu Lin were the bravest in the army and requested to be appointed as General of Valiant Might, General of Destroying the Enemy, and General of Unfettered Wilderness.

Liu Zhong was appointed General Fubo and Prefect of Langya.

Fu Hongzhi and Mao Xiuzhi were appointed as the prefects of Nanyang and Xingyang, respectively.

Finally, the surrendered civil and military officials of Southern Yan, including Yuan Zun, Yuan Miao, Feng Kai, Zhang Gang, He Laisheng, Zhang Hua, and Han Fan, all joined the General of the Cavalry's office as civil and military officials.

Two days later, Feng Kai introduced Duan Hong, the Left Guard General of Southern Yan.

This man was also a veteran general. He was a relative of the Later Yan imperial family and a member of the Duan Xianbei clan. After the Wei state conquered Zhongshan, the capital of Later Yan, Duan Hong and Han Fan led three hundred craftsmen to flee to Ye City and join Murong De. They fought and killed in various places and established the Southern Yan.

When Murong Chao ascended the throne, Duan Hong, due to his high moral character and wisdom, was ostracized and led his followers to wander in Hebei.

After the fall of the Southern Yan, Duan Hong led eight hundred followers to surrender. Liu Daogui promoted him to the rank of acting military advisor and brought him into the military government.

In total, 15,000 Yan soldiers were incorporated into the army. They were all elites selected from prisoners of war, including 3,000 cavalrymen, each with two horses.

Liu Daogui's cavalry force grew to eight thousand.

This force has become the third largest force outside of the Northern and Western Prefectures.

Taking advantage of the momentum of conquering the country, while the soldiers were resting, Liu Daogui simply merged the various elite forces under his command into the Tiger Guard Army. From then on, the Western and Northern Armies were no longer distinguished, and the Tiger Guard Army became independent of the Jin Army.

Otherwise, with more and more factions emerging, internal strife will become increasingly intense.

The entire army was reorganized, with those who performed meritorious service promoted and those who were mediocre demoted.

From the lowest ranks of the ranks to the highest ranks of the officers and generals, all were personally appointed by Liu Daogui.

Each squad of 100 men was assigned a supervising officer, and each unit of 800 men was assigned a supervising officer. The supervising officer did not interfere with the officers' command, but was only responsible for monitoring public opinion in the army and the morale of the soldiers, comforting the soldiers and boosting their morale.

The Tiger Guard Army expanded to 32,000 men.

The cavalry numbered over 8,300 and was divided into five cavalry colonels, with Liu Huaijing, Liu Huaimo, Liu Elang, Mao Yi, and Liu Pingzhi serving as cavalry colonels.

The infantry numbered 24,000, with 15 subordinate officers.

The quality of an army is more important than its quantity. If Liu Daogui wanted to, he could raise an army of 100,000 men at any time.

However, this "large army" is ultimately meaningless.

Sometimes having too many troops can be a burden.

Liu Daogui's establishment of the Tiger Guard Army was actually a continuation of the Wei-Jin system of central and outer armies. The Tiger Guard Army was the elite of the central army, and the Fubing (a type of military unit) was the outer army. In the event of a major battle, the elite of the central army plus the Fubing, plus the Yicong Army, would be sufficient to cope with the situation.

After conquering the Southern Yan, they captured as many as 60,000 warhorses and livestock. Liu Daogui transferred more than 7,000 warhorses and 30,000 donkeys and mules to be under the unified management of the newly appointed General of the Cavalry, Yuan Zun.

During major battles, infantrymen could ride warhorses and mules, increasing their ability to launch surprise attacks and their mobility.

After the fall of Southern Yan, Liu Daogui faced off against Wei. Without a strong cavalry force on both sides of the Yellow River, he would forever remain in a passive position.

As was customary, each prefecture in Qingzhou was established with a Zhechong Prefecture, and two horse-breeding areas were opened up in Donglai Prefecture and Dongguan Prefecture south of Mount Tai.

There are three conditions required for raising horses: first, there must be salt; second, the soil and water must be fertile; and third, there must be a mountain nearby.

Both prefectures meet the criteria, but the only drawback is that the climate is mild, which does not produce the fierce horses of Liangzhou and Hetao. The offspring of these warhorses will degenerate in the mild environment.

However, it's sufficient as a stopgap measure.

With the fall of the Southern Yan, Liu Daogui's confidence soared. At the current pace of development, he was certain that he would acquire a prime horse-breeding site within ten years.

Although the Tiger Guard was established, friction continued among the soldiers, and they still discriminated against each other in private.

The Northern and Western armies have fought across the land for many years and are all elite troops. The surrendered troops of Southern Yan are no less formidable, and many of them have followed Murong Chui and fought in the north and south. Putting them together will inevitably lead to many problems.

But no matter how many problems there were, they could not deter Liu Daogui's determination.

If we can't handle it now, it will be even harder later.

The Later Yan and Southern Yan dynasties were able to unite the various Jin tribes into one army, and Liu Daogui was also able to do so.

Instead, a supervisor was added to each fire to carry out a more thorough ideological transformation.

"General, why don't you emulate the Han army's Cuju (ancient Chinese football) and wrestling? Firstly, it can enhance camaraderie among comrades, and secondly, it can train the soldiers," Feng Kai suggested.

"Excellent!" Liu Daogui slapped his thigh.

When Huo Qubing was campaigning against the Xiongnu, he often used Cuju (ancient Chinese football) to train his soldiers and boost their morale.

The more elite the soldiers, the more belligerent they are. Their strength and ferocity always need an outlet, whether it's women or enemies. Cuju (ancient Chinese football) and wrestling are also ways to vent their anger.

Liu Daogui ordered Feng Kai to formulate a detailed plan, which was just about to be implemented when an urgent report came from the north.

Changsun Song led an army of 50,000 to launch a surprise attack on Fangtou and is currently besieging Liyang. Daxi Jin led 20,000 cavalrymen in small groups to invade the plains, Le'an, Jibei, and Jinan counties on both sides of the Yellow River, burning, killing, looting, and destroying crops in the fields.

Tuoba Gui in Luoyang divided his troops to attack the passes of Hulao, Xuanyuan, and Yique.

After reading through the various military reports, Liu Daogui pondered for a moment and said to his generals, "Postpone the football and wrestling games. The army will follow me north and march into Hebei!"

Yuan Zun said, "If Tuoba Gui's fifteen armies in Luoyang break through the pass, the Central Plains will be in grave danger!"

He was a former official of the Southern Yan dynasty and harbored fear of Tuoba Gui.

However, with its capital in Daibeiping, the Wei Kingdom was destined to be unable to gain a foothold in the Central Plains.

After examining the map for a long time, Liu Daogui had an idea. "I have long since turned the Central Plains into an impregnable fortress. Even if Tuoba Gui breaks through the passes, it won't matter. Perfect, I want to lock him up south of the Yellow River!"

The generals in the hall were all extremely surprised.

Liu Daogui pointed to the winding Yellow River on the map: "Luoyang is isolated in Henan. The downstream crossings are all under our control, while the upstream crossings are blocked by Mao Dezhu. Only Mengjin Ferry and Xiaopingjin are left. Our army will use cavalry and navy to quickly penetrate and attack Liyang from Puyang. We will first defeat Changsun Song, then attack Henan County, and then we can trap Tuoba Gui and keep him in Henan forever."

Previously, we always thought about defense, but now that we have destroyed Southern Yan and gained cavalry, the balance of power has shifted.

The surrendered soldiers from Southern Yan in the Tiger Guard Army harbor a deep-seated hatred for the Wei army, and they are not afraid to fight to the death in this battle.

After Xiang Yu massacred 200,000 surrendered Qin soldiers, the men of Guanzhong fought valiantly for the Han Dynasty, suffering repeated defeats but never giving up.

War is the best way to unite the troops and integrate the Tiger Guard.

However, this plan was far too audacious. The generals of the Northern and Western armies, who had always been cautious and methodical, had never been so radical before, making a raid of thousands of miles.

Infantry has its own tactics, and cavalry has its own strategies.

On the plains, the outcome would be uncertain, given that Tuoba Gui's 150,000-strong army was not to be underestimated.

However, with the battlefield located next to the Yellow River, Liu Daogui had a huge advantage. The Xifu navy was invincible, advancing by both land and water, and had a very high chance of success.

"Crisis, crisis, but within crisis lies opportunity. As General Huo Qubing, I should follow in his footsteps and roam the world. What is there to fear?" Liu Daogui's voice gradually became more impassioned.

"General, you are a true hero, a true man! This humble general is willing to be your vanguard!"

As expected, Duan Hong was the first to step forward.

In the Battle of Canhebei, many members of the Duan clan of the Xianbei also died at the hands of Tuoba Gui.

On the other hand, these surrendered generals of Southern Yan also wanted to seize the opportunity to rise in the ranks.

“Agreed!” Liu Daogui immediately agreed.

The enthusiasm of the other generals was also stirred up. They had followed Liu Daogui in battle for so many years and had never missed a chance.

"Hu Fan, Han Fan, and Yuan Miao will remain to garrison Qingzhou. The rest of the troops will advance by land and water in three days and march on Hanoi!"

"We obey!" The generals bowed and went to prepare.

However, He Wuji stayed behind.

Liu Daogui knew something was wrong just by looking at his expression.

"I have been away on campaign for a long time. Now that we have defeated the Southern Yan, my soldiers are eager to return home and have no will to fight. If I force them to continue their campaign, I fear it will delay your important matters. Therefore, I have come to take my leave."

He Wuji was the governor of Jiangzhou, a high-ranking official, and his three thousand troops were not incorporated into the Tiger Guard Army.

Liu Daogui paced back and forth a couple of steps, then said calmly, "Has something happened in the south?"

He Wuji's face stiffened. "Liu Yi, following the imperial court's orders, led his army into Yuzhang under the pretext of resisting the northward advance of the demon bandits."

After the campaign against Huan Chu, Jiangzhou became He Wuji's sphere of influence, situated between Jingxiang and Jiangzuo, one in the south and the other in the north, with Liu Yi's Yuzhou.

If the two sides are of one mind, they will pose a great threat to Jiankang and Jingxiang.

Now that Liu Yi has led his troops into Yuzhang, it's tantamount to inserting his hand into He Wuji's home...

This has already broken the rules.

Moreover, who is Liu Yi? He is insatiable. Once Yuzhang falls into his hands, it's like throwing a meat bun to a dog—gone forever.

Liu Daogui secretly admired his elder brother Liu Yu's methods. A person skilled in the art of gambling must be skilled in scheming. This move directly undermined the possibility of Liu and He joining forces.

“Since it is an imperial edict, the court will certainly not treat Brother He unfairly. Why not let him stay in our army? We will definitely find an explanation for Brother He in the future.”

He Wuji was both brave and resourceful, and could be considered a good general.

Although he cherished the Jin dynasty and was loyal to the Sima clan, he was also genuinely committed to the Northern Expedition.

Liu Daogui's attempt to persuade him to stay was actually giving him a chance; given his temperament, he was not suited to go back to the treacherous world.

He Wuji hesitated for a moment, but still refused. "Thank you for your kindness, General, but the court is in danger and the imperial family is in jeopardy. I have received great kindness from the Sima family and cannot help but repay it with my life!"

Among the pro-Jin forces, he was probably the only one truly loyal to the Jin dynasty.

Everyone else is just using the Sima family's name to fight for power and profit.

"In that case, Brother He, please take good care of yourself."

"I have another matter to entrust to you..." He Wuji seemed to have a premonition of something, and his expression became unusually serious.

"Brother He, please speak."

"If anything happens to me in the future, I hope that, for the sake of our joint expedition to the north, you will take care of my family and prevent them from becoming homeless."

(End of this chapter)