In late February, the preliminary preparations for Tokyo were complete, and Emperor Chai Rong officially led the army in person. The accompanying troops were mainly the imperial guards, namely the emperor's personal guards and the troops under the Palace Front Department.
The small army that Guo Shao served was affiliated with the Dianqiansi system, so of course he had to set out with the army.
The army left the capital from the north city, and the main force went through Chenqiao Gate through the four gates on the north wall. The army was on the main road, and there were many people on both sides, with food and drink, and a grand scene of loving and supporting the army. The regular army of the Zhou army had better military discipline than the garrison army, and from a broad perspective, it also had the merit of protecting the Zhou Dynasty's controlled areas from foreign enemies. However, it was obviously due to insufficient propaganda and public opinion, and it was far from reaching the point where the people cried and admired it. Most of the people on the road were the families of the imperial army.
The imperial guards, especially the troops of the Palace Guards, were stationed near Tokyo, and their families were also stationed there. When soldiers were about to go out to fight, the old and young at home would of course be extremely worried and anxious, and they would inevitably crowd on the roadside to bid farewell in tears.
The emperor's ceremonial procession in front was relatively bright and neat, but the troops behind were not so beautiful. They brought too many things, making the ranks messy. Only the flags, clothes, armor and weapons could prove that they were an army.
Apart from the food and supplies, Guo Shao also brought a lot of things, which needed a mule to carry. Not counting the full body armor weighing more than 50 kilograms, the breastplate armor he had worn before weighed at least 20 kilograms, and the long and short weapons weighed 10 kilograms. There were also iron pots, hammers, and hatchets for his own food and water. Without a mule, it would be very difficult.
Ordinary soldiers did not bring animals, so they could only bring a few personal items. However, they also had something that Guo Shao envied. Their family members chased the team, giving instructions and bringing food; and Guo Shao looked around and didn't recognize any of the people on the road.
Lang, don't rush to the front, hide behind a woman who followed the army and shouted. Then the person who answered was Luo Mengzi behind Guo Shao. Guo Shao couldn't help but turn around and said: Luo Er's wife is really good at talking.
He looked at the crowd again and thought: I have people here who care about my life and death. Yulian should be here, but there are too many people and she didn't find me, or she is watching me secretly somewhere and is too embarrassed to come up. Women are just hypocritical. Thinking of this, he felt relieved.
After many days, the army arrived at Huaizhou. The emperor thought the march was too slow and wanted to order the whole army to speed up. When Zhao Chao, the commander of the Control Crane Command, learned about it, he said to his friend Zheng Haoqian: The enemy is too fierce, our army should not rush to advance, it is safer to go slower. Zheng thought the commander of the Control Crane Command had a point, so he ran to the emperor and said it. As a result, the emperor Chai Rong was furious. Zheng had no choice but to betray his friend and said it was Zhao Chao who said it.
As a result, Zhao Chao was stripped of his military power and imprisoned in Huaizhou.
Even though the army was halfway there, Chai Rong had already made up his mind to fight a battle himself, but even now there were still many people in the army who disagreed with him. Although he ascended the throne smoothly, he did not have full control over the army because the time was too short; not only the imperial guards, but also the troops dispatched by the military governors in various places could not be ordered smoothly.
It seems that the Northern Han ruler had made the right choice of timing. Emperor Taizu of Zhou, Guo Wei, had just passed away, and his adopted son Chai Rong had only been on the throne for a month or two. How much could he do in power? The Northern Han ruler and the Khitan soldiers wanted to destroy the huge Zhou Dynasty with only tens of thousands of people, and they had their sights on Chai Rong. As long as they won a big battle, Chai Rong would not be able to sit firmly in his position, and various parts of the Zhou Dynasty might fall apart without a fight.
But Chai Rong seemed to be a monarch who did not believe in evil, and insisted on leading the army in person to fight. Until the imperial army arrived in Huaizhou, I am afraid that both the Northern Han and the Khitan could not believe that Chai Rong would do such a thing.
Chai Rong's actions were unexpected, but not unreasonable. If he could successfully resist the invasion at a critical moment, he could save a lot of trouble and directly establish his prestige and control the country. However, the risk was too great, and it depended on whether one had the courage to do so.
The lower-ranking officers had no business with the different thoughts and plans of the higher-ups. At Guo Shao's level, he could not even hear a word of the news. Almost all military orders came from the commander Wang Degong. If the higher-ups told them to go, they would go. If they told them to stop, they would stop.
However, going to war was a real test of the physical strength of ordinary soldiers. From Henan to Shanxi, it was too far to travel by train or bus, so everyone walked with heavy loads and slept in the open air. Not only the infantry team that Guo Shao was in, but also the cavalry walked; war horses were precious and ate much more than people, so unless they were fighting, the lower-level soldiers were reluctant to ride.
In early March, the army finally walked into the Hedong area of Shanxi. There had long been rumors that Li Yun, the governor of Zhaoyi Army in Luzhou, had fought a battle and was defeated, which meant that the Northern Han-Khitan coalition had at least crossed Luzhou and penetrated into the southern part of Shanxi; then it was not long before Guo Shao's imperial army encountered the enemy.
It's easier the sooner you start. Carrying dozens of kilograms of things across long interprovincial distances is extremely hard. It's true that it's not easy to have a future in any era.
However, once on the battlefield, people would always realize that it is easier to walk with a heavy load.