Hanzhong is adjacent to the Qinling Mountains in the north and Bashan Mountain in the south is shallow and beautiful, rich in products, and is known as Tianshui.
When the Li family controlled Bashu, Hanzhong was within Bashu's sphere of influence. At that time, Lord Jinyi led the army to attack Shu. The Northern Han Dynasty also felt that there was a good opportunity to take advantage of it, and intended to go south to capture Hanzhong. Fortunately, the Shu generals stationed in Hanzhong at that time blocked the Qinling Mountains. Although the troops on each of the main roads are weak, the several main roads in the Qinling Mountains are all dangerous places where one man can't pass through. When Li Hongxin submitted a surrender form to Da Chu, the Northern Han army still failed to do so. Take a step into Hanzhong.
After Li Hongxin surrendered to the Chu State, the Hanzhong garrison did not continue to resist and handed over Nanzheng to Jinyi Laohou, but he was greatly praised by the court for this.
But because he came from Li Hongxin's subordinates after all, the guard general was transferred to the capital and given enough glory and wealth, but he was not reused after that. The guard general also passed away many years ago, and his descendants still enjoy the favor of the imperial court. Salary.
After that, three garrison generals were transferred to Hanzhong, all of whom were sent by the imperial court. Ban Yun, the garrison garrisoned in Hanzhong now, was one of the generals who followed the Jinyi Laohou to conquer Shu.
After Ban Yun conquered Shu, he followed the old Marquis to the north to fight against the Northern Han Dynasty. Later, the Jinyi Lao Marquis personally recommended Ban Yun to the court, and Ban Yun was transferred to Hanzhong as the prefect and in charge of Hanzhong's defense.
Although small battles between Chu and Han have continued for many years, the front line of the Qinling Mountains has always been considered peaceful. Qu Yuangu, the general of the Han army stationed in the northwest, has never taken the initiative to attack the Chu territory, and Ban Yun has been in Hanzhong for many years and has not crossed the border. Qinling means.
Hanzhong is a strategic location. Ban Yun was originally a military general, but after staying in Hanzhong for many years, the martial aura around him has faded a lot. When people see him on weekdays, they just think he is a Confucian scholar.
Although it is located in a strategic military location, Hanzhong has become a fertile land with abundant food and clothing over the years, and the people of Hanzhong are very grateful to this prefect.
At this moment, Ban Yun was dressed in military armor, leading a group of troops and waiting twenty miles south of Nanzheng City.
Yesterday I received a flying report that the Protector of the Country was about to visit Nanzheng in person.
Ban Yun had been on the battlefield for many years and had been an official in Hanzhong for many years. He was already an extremely experienced general. Of course, he already knew that the Chu army was heading north, crossed the Huaihe River, and was fighting the Northern Han Dynasty. At this time, the Protector of the Country ran away. Coming to Hanzhong is certainly not easy.
As the sun set, the weather in Hanzhong was already quite cold. Suddenly, he heard the sound of horse hoofbeats. Ban Yun perked up and looked along the official road. He saw a group of cavalry galloping towards this side. Ban Yun immediately met them. Going forward, the cavalry team was small in number, only about a hundred or so, but it was quite powerful. They galloped close, and one of the first men reined in the horse and glanced at Ban Yun and others. Ban Yun saw that the man was less than twenty years old. At this age, when he heard the brocade clothes on his body, he understood immediately, stepped forward and cupped his hands and said: "I am the official Ban Yun, the prefect of Hanzhong, to pay my respects to your lordship!" He knelt down on one knee, and everyone behind him also knelt down.
The young man was naturally Qi Ning. He got off his horse, stepped forward to help Ban Yun up, and said with a smile: "Prefect Ban doesn't have to wait here."
Ban Yun stood up, with a friendly look on his brows, and said with a smile: "Your Majesty is here, and I should welcome you from afar."
Qi Ning smiled slightly, glanced at the followers behind Ban Yun again, and said with a chuckle: "These soldiers under Ban Yun are full of energy, and you can tell at a glance that they are brave warriors who are good at fighting."
Ban Yun said: "When you are on the front line, your subordinates dare not be negligent. Every soldier and horse in Hanzhong trains three times a day without interruption." He looked back and then continued: "There are three thousand soldiers in Hanzhong. Horse, but when Xiaguan came to Hanzhong to take up his post, he made a suggestion to the court, which was supported by the old marquis and approved by the court. Because of this, every soldier in Hanzhong was treated as one for ten. Strong feet."
"Suggestion?" Qi Ning was very interested: "What suggestion?"
"The equipment and food of the soldiers in Hanzhong have always been good. Although they are not as good as the defenders in the capital, they are second to none among the imperial border troops." Ban Yun is nearly fifty years old. Although he is wearing armor, he does not have the appearance of ordinary generals. With a spirit of bravery, he spoke slowly and calmly: "The official gave them the best food and the best equipment, but also gave them the most rigorous training. They trained three times a day, unchanged in all seasons, and each person's training situation will be different." Reports will be reviewed once a month, and if the training is not good, we will be demobilized and returned to the field, and new soldiers will be recruited to fill in."
Qining said "Oh", and Ban Yun continued: "Every month, thirty or forty people are ordered to withdraw from the army, but the soldiers in Hanzhong are almost all Hanzhong locals. After leaving, they can only stay in Hanzhong to farm. Tian. Soldiers are well treated and it is not difficult to recruit brave soldiers in Hanzhong."
"Thirty or forty people a month, wouldn't it mean that three to four hundred people will be ordered to retire in this year?"
Ban Yun nodded and said: "That's right. Over the years that Xiaguan has been in Hanzhong, thousands of people have been ordered to withdraw from the army."
Qi Ning smiled and said, "Aren't you worried that these soldiers will be resentful of you when you do this?"
"If orders and prohibitions are followed and rewards and punishments are clear, there will be no such worries." Ban Yun said with a smile: "Who goes and who stays depends entirely on their own ability, so no one is dissatisfied." He lowered his voice and said: "So the Hanzhong soldiers Horses are elite soldiers who have been eliminated by the survival of the fittest. Not only that, those soldiers who have withdrawn from the army can be called back at any time if the situation in Hanzhong becomes critical. These people have been trained by the military and know how to fight better than ordinary civilians."
Qi Ning sighed: "In this way, these retired soldiers are the reserve army of Hanzhong."
"What your lordship said is absolutely true." Ban Yun said: "Although it is impossible for all the people in Hanzhong to be soldiers, it is not a bad thing to store a group of reserve soldiers." He raised his hand and said: "Sir, please!"
Everyone got on their horses again and headed back to Nanzheng.
Nanzheng is the heart of Hanzhong County. After Qining entered the city, he saw people coming and going. Although it was not comparable to the prosperity of Chengdu, it was orderly and the expressions of the people coming and going were very calm. They seemed to have got used to it. In order to live a quiet life, being able to have such a situation on the front line also shows that Ban Yun managed Hanzhong well.
In the prefect's house, Ban Yun ordered people to serve tea, then dismissed everyone and stepped forward: "Wei Governor sent a letter to send a message, saying that the Lord's trip to Hanzhong is to suppress bandits. I don't know...?"
"Now that we are here, there is no need to hide anything from you anymore." Qining said: "Prefect Ban, are there any banditry in Hanzhong?"
"Back to Sir, when I took over Hanzhong, there were indeed bandits here." Ban Yun said seriously: "They were all Hanzhong natives, robbing homes and houses because they were familiar with the terrain of Hanzhong. Once the government encircled and suppressed it, they would use the terrain to move eastward. Hiding in Tibet, and they often hide in the Daba Mountain. The Daba Mountain stretches for hundreds of miles. Once you hide in it, it is really difficult to find it. It took Xianguan more than two years to completely wipe out the group of bandits. Now they are in Hanzhong , although it can’t be said to be peaceful, banditry is already very rare.”
"You can privately reveal to your subordinates that a group of bandits escaped from Chengdu to Daba Mountain and caused harm to the people. In order to completely eradicate this banditry, the governor's office dispatched troops to encircle and suppress it." Qining lowered his voice and said: "Let the ministries spread the news inadvertently, at least let everyone know that the officers and soldiers were transferred to Hanzhong to encircle and suppress the bandits."
Ban Yun nodded and said: "Xia Guan will go and make arrangements immediately. It's just that Your Majesty is on a trip to Hanzhong, but is there anything else you can ask Xi Guan to do?"
"The purpose of encircling and suppressing Daba Mountain is to deceive people and show it to the Northern Han people." Qining said, "Do you know the situation over there in the Northern Han Dynasty?"
Ban Yun immediately said: "Xiaoguan has long sent spies to operate in the northwest area. After hearing that Beitang Huan died, several princes competed for the throne. Beitang Feng fled to Xianyang and took refuge with Qu Yuangu. Two or three months ago, Qu Yuangu Yuan Gu had already sent troops from Xianyang, commanding the elites from the northwest, and stationed them at Tongguan. However, they remained stationary at Tongguan. It looked like they were waiting for the other Northern Han princes to fight to the death and lose both sides. Beitang Feng and Qu Yuangu then I will take the opportunity to enter the pass and seize Luoyang."
"What's the current situation of the defenders in Xianyang?"
"Qu Yuangu had two sons, but they were both drunkards and women. They are not as good as Qu Yuangu." Ban Yun said: "But after Qu Yuangu guarded the northwest, he was afraid that someone would peek into his power, so he used nepotism. Both of them were Both sons hold great power, and this time the second son went out with the army, while the eldest son Qu Manbao stayed in Xianyang to garrison."
"Qu Manbao?" Qi Ning said with a smile: "It seems that General Qu is very fond of treasures." He asked: "How is Qu Manbao like a person?"
"This man has an arrogant temperament and surly behavior." Ban Yun said: "His father was the lord of the northwest, and his aunt was Beitang Huan's beloved concubine. The Qu family was once very proud in the Northern Han Dynasty. Qu Manbao naturally had no scruples. There is lawlessness in the northwest, but this man is also very brave. It is said that he once killed a leopard with his bare hands after drinking. He must have some means." After a pause, he continued: "This man's biggest weakness is his greed for drink. He is lustful, and it is said that he drinks ten pounds of wine every day, and he is always in love with every girl."
"Having a girl makes you unhappy?" Qining thought thoughtfully.
Although Qi Ning hasn't revealed the plan yet, Ban Yun has already guessed it, but since Qi Ning doesn't speak, he won't speak easily.
He had been running Hanzhong for many years, and even Wei Shutong, the governor of Xichuan, did not dare to point fingers at him. But now that the young Duke of Qi came in person, he still maintained enough respect. He knew very well in his heart that since the Duke of Qi came, no matter what Whatever decision Ning makes, he can only fully cooperate with it.
"I heard that the defenders of Hanzhong are mainly stationed in the four mountain roads of the Qinling Mountains." After a while, Qining asked: "How many troops are there in Nanzheng?"
"Actually, the four roads in the Qinling Mountains are all narrow roads. As long as checkpoints are set up at strategic locations, they can ward off invading enemies." Ban Yun said: "Xiaguan has set up three checkpoints on each narrow road. Every time he arrives, There are one hundred people assigned to the checkpoint, and the total number of troops distributed in the four narrow passages is more than a thousand. Whenever the enemy is discovered at the first checkpoint, beacon smoke will be lit immediately. The following two checkpoints are not too far apart, enough to notice With the beacon smoke ahead, and the beacon smoke together, the news will soon reach Nanzheng, and a few lines of defense will be enough to buy us enough support time."
Qi Ning frowned and said: "We have set up checkpoints on the four roads, so of course the Northern Han people will also set up checkpoints on the narrow roads."
Ban Yun nodded and said: "Exactly, if you want to pass through any of the four narrow roads in the Qinling Mountains, whether you are going south to Hanzhong or north to Xianyang, you have to pass through the checkpoint, otherwise you can only cross the Qinling Mountains, but for soldiers and horses, It is impossible to cross the Qinling Mountains."