The road was muddy and difficult to walk on. The Zhou army soldiers were too exhausted to form strong offensive pressure. The two sides exchanged bows and arrows from a few dozen steps away, and a large number of Zhou army soldiers on the hillside gradually retreated.
Xiang Gong looked at the thick smoke behind the fortifications above and the soldiers crawling around in a mess, and he couldn't blame the soldiers. They were not gods, and he couldn't blame people for not fighting well because of the road conditions.
The battle gradually eased and came to an end. Only a few people were left on the hillside, carrying the injured soldiers and walking back. Xiang Gong turned to Zhe Dejian, the governor of Jingnan Army, and said: Today's test cannot be completed in one go. Who is the Shu army general here? He is quite capable.
Zhe Dejian said: How can Shu have a famous general
Xiang Gong said: "We have lost our famous generals, but we still have talents. This man digs trenches and sets fences to defend cautiously without seeking credit. His tactics are rigid, but very pragmatic. His soldiers are not very special, but their military discipline is strict and methodical. If we meet a person who is only good for show today, we may seize the opportunity to take Qingni Ridge in one go. However, we have no good way to deal with the rigid defense of the Shu army."
Zhe Dejian bowed and said: What you said makes sense.
Xiang Gong had no choice but to lead his army down the mountain and set up camp in the north of Qingni Ridge, waiting for the rest of the army to arrive from the two routes. Not long after, he met Li Gu, the military supervisor of the front camp who had just arrived at Qingni Ridge, in the central army. Li Gu supervised the transportation of the first batch of food and supplies from various counties.
So Xiang Gong and his generals received Li Gu, and they all had a conversation in the central military tent.
Xiang Gong looked at a gray-haired general named Wang Tingyi. Wang Jing's eldest son was older than Xiang Gong and looked to be at least fifty years old. But Xiang Gong knew Wang Jing first and they had fought side by side as brothers. If they were to be polite and talk about their relationship, Wang Tingyi should call Xiang Gong uncle.
This was a bit embarrassing, as Xiang Gong was only forty-five and looked young, so he called out, "General Wang, Minister Wang, how is Wang Jing?"
My father is already 68 years old, and he is still strong, but he can't stand the long journey, so I sent you to lead the Qinzhou army to serve you. Wang Tingyi bowed.
Xiang Gong nodded and said: General Wang was still strong and healthy when he was old. Now that I mention it, I realize that General Wang is already old. He pondered for a moment and said, the Wang family has been in Fengxiang for many years and guarded the Qin and Feng states for three years. They should have made many friends here. I have to ask General Wang to find some people who are familiar with the Shu Road to re-sort out the way to Hanzhong.
Wang Tingyi stood up and bowed, saying: I obey your command.
After hearing this, Li Gu asked: "General Xiang, why don't you attack Qingni Ridge?"
Xiang Gongdao: Taking the Chencang Road across Qingniling is the best way to go, of course we have to try it; I just want to prepare other methods in advance.
Li Gu asked the general how long it would take to capture Qingniling.
Xiang Gong frowned and said, "My current plan is to first send people to transport stones and charcoal slag to the ridge to pave a road; build fortifications and camps near the enemy's fortifications. Then we can attack one by one."
Otherwise, if we were in a hurry to achieve success like the day before yesterday, the soldiers would be exhausted when they arrived at the battlefield and would be unable to break through the Shu army's line.
Li Gu was not very happy and said: "Although the road to Qingni Ridge is difficult to travel, the Shu army has no big city to rely on. If we attack the mountain so slowly, how can we take Hanzhong? The general should know that it is difficult to transport food and goods from the Shu Road. If 20,000 troops stay in this wilderness for too long, the cost will be huge, and I will not be able to explain to the court."
Li Gu was the prime minister and the military supervisor. Xiang Gong looked uneasy, but he did not get angry. He said in a deep voice: Qingniling has a large number of Shu troops' supplies, and the nearest place can only rely on Xingzhou; the Shu army's expenditure is not less than ours. If the Shu army relies on the climate and momentum to defend layer by layer, no one can do anything, so we can only compete with national strength.
If this is the case, it would be best for General Xiang to personally write to the court and describe the situation here, Li Gu reminded.
At this time, on Qingni Ridge, a short dark man was standing behind the fence with his sword in hand, pointing to the front and saying: Send people to the front to pick up all the arrows on the slope, wash and dry them. Rebuild the straw huts for living in the back, away from the fortifications.
The general took the order and left.
The Shu general who gave the orders was called Hou Mao, but people generally called him Monkey behind his back because his short stature made people laugh at him and unfortunately his last name was Hou. Monkey originally planned to study for the imperial examination, but his essays were criticized as nonsense, so he had to inherit his father's legacy and become a military general. He got the position of Xingzhou Defense Commissioner by working hard. He was completely incapable of martial arts because he was not good at literature and martial arts. Naturally, he was not a famous general.
Hou Mao trudged ahead and inspected the area. When he returned to the camp on the mountain, he saw more people transporting materials to build simple houses and tents. On the back of the mountain, countless laborers bent over and slowly pulled carts, and there were people pushing behind. A four-wheeled cart full of wood unfortunately fell into a mud pit. A laborer in front, covered in mud, was pulling and crawling to pull, and the hemp rope was deeply cut into the clothes on his shoulders. Several people behind him came forward to help push.
One, two, get up! One, two, get up! The people with Hanzhong accent shouted. People who survive in the mountains are still very hardworking.
As soon as Hou Mao reached the top of the mountain, everyone bowed and said, "General Hou,
Congratulations to General Hou on his victory in the first battle. He will be praised by Fengchi when he returns to Chengdu one day. A civil servant said politely. Today, everyone looks at Monkey a little differently.
Hou Mao did not respond enthusiastically. He snorted and left. When he arrived at the central army, he said to a relative who was his staff: "Write me a letter to Hanzhong to ask for a large number of people and materials to reinforce Qingniling."
The relative was a whole head taller than the monkey and wondered: "We won the battle, but instead of asking for credit, we are asking for help?"
Hou Mao said: "The Shu army was able to stop the Zhou army in the first battle because of the geographical advantage. The road here is not easy to travel, but there is more than one road, and the battle line is too long. Once the Zhou army arrives and advances in all directions, our small number of people will soon be unable to withstand it."
Hou Mao has a Chengdu accent, with a softer tone from Xichuan and a harder accent from Dongchuan and Chongqing. He is a native of western Sichuan, not one of the migrants who followed the Meng family into Sichuan during the Later Tang Dynasty.
General, why don’t you defend Xingzhou City? A younger relative reminded him.
Hou Mao snorted: "If you want to scold me like others do, the Shu people are surrounded by mountains and have no experience. Hanzhong's city is strong. How does it compare with the towns in Hebei and Hedong? How does it compare with Shouzhou City in the Southern Tang Dynasty? It depends on the generals of the Zhou army to issue another military order and go to Xingzhou in one month."
He turned to his staff and said: "Write down our situation clearly. The Shu army is completely inferior to the Zhou army in combat power, and will definitely lose in a decisive battle."
The aide said: I’m afraid the Shannan West Road Military Government will be unhappy.
I will be happy when the Zhou army captures Hanzhong. Hou Mao's dark and rough face is very ugly. The terrain in the Qingniling area is difficult to travel and sparsely populated, which makes it very inconvenient to supply and fight; but the Zhou army is no better than us. If you defend the dangerous place instead of the city, you can fight to see who can outlast the other; Shu is rich and can outlast the other.
But if the decisive battle is fought in the city, it depends on the fighting power of the soldiers. Facing the Zhou army that has been fighting in the south and the north for years, the Shu army will use its own weakness to attack the enemy's strength.
Several people had no choice but to say together: "It's up to General Hou to decide." Hou Mao had little prestige in the army, but this time he won a game, and for a while he was recognized by the generals and soldiers.
Qingni Ridge was still covered in mud, and everyone seemed to be rolling in the mud, struggling to survive.
But Chengdu is a completely different story. It is known as the Flower City and it is not just a name.
The fertile and moist plains, the harvested paddy fields are white, and even in winter, the fields are green with many vegetables. After decades of peace, the rich supplies from the vast western plains and hilly and mountainous areas were transported to Chengdu, making this capital of Shu very prosperous. The sound of stringed instruments and orchestras continued day and night, and the quaint streets and alleys were densely populated. Peddlers and hawkers made all kinds of snacks, and the fragrance kept floating in the streets in winter, making people salivate.
The palace is even more bright and clean with carved railings and painted buildings. In the south, there are many flowers and trees that do not wither even in winter. At this time, there are lush green dots among the palace, which is very lively and vivid. It is a completely different scene compared to Tokyo in the north.
But the atmosphere has not been good recently.
The two routes of the Zhou army in the northwest were moving southward, making a lot of noise. Meng Chang had already learned about this. The Zhou Dynasty had threatened him more than once or twice, but this time it seemed to be serious, and the army was mobilized. Meng Chang was shocked and wanted to actively respond, but as soon as he went to court, he was always arguing, and he didn't know what to do. He had to take the most conventional approach and send a large number of troops to the north to reinforce; but the selection of generals in various places was very stalemate, and many people recommended them, and some even recommended themselves.
Meng Chang had finally gotten away from the crowd of women recently, and Lady Huarui Fei seized the opportunity to advise him again: Your Majesty should select virtuous and capable people and reward the soldiers generously, only then can it be a long-term strategy.
Meng Chang was worried now, but he still listened to Lady Huarui's words and was more humble for a while. He asked: How do I select the virtuous and capable? How do I know who is loyal and who is treacherous
Fei spoke in a soft Chengdu Shu accent. Her voice was not crisp, but had some alto charm: “Your Majesty, spend less time with those female alchemists and meet more with civil and military officials. After a while, you will be able to tell what kind of person each is.”
That makes sense. Meng Chang nodded seriously and said, how can we reward the soldiers
Fei said: "There are endless wars among the countries in the world. All the monarchs put military affairs first and constantly increase taxes to support the army. Your Majesty does not need to increase taxes. Just transfer the taxes that have been received from civil officials to military generals and soldiers. The generals and soldiers will understand your heart and obey your orders. I dare to make a suggestion. The royal officials have been in Shu for decades. Your Majesty is benevolent and the people of Shu yearn for you. Your Majesty does not need to be partial. You can delegate some power to the capable officials and wise men in Shu.
Meng Chang accepted all of it and nodded continuously. However, Lady Huarui knew that she was born a singing girl, and it would be strange for an emperor to take a singing girl's comments on military and national affairs seriously, so she sighed quietly.
Meng Chang was very enthusiastic at this time, and said with confidence: Tomorrow I will go to court, govern the country with all my heart, and work hard to govern the country.
I went on a blind date recently. Because the girl I met was pretty nice, I paid a lot of attention to her and spent a lot of time on her. I will find time to make up for the chapters I owe. There are 18 chapters in total. Please forgive me.