Chapter 139 Jingguan (4k)
When Su Ze led the Rouran captives to chase Li Chong, a rumor suddenly began to spread among Li Chong's army.
Li Shizhe, the Junior Secretary of the Imperial Household, who came to Hengzhou with an imperial edict, discovered the Rouran people's conspiracy on the way to Hengzhou. He worked with Captain Su to persuade General Li Chong to leave Pingcheng and lure the Rouran people to attack Pingcheng, thus annihilating all the elite Rouran cavalry who had sneaked into Hengzhou.
This rumor spread slowly among grassroots soldiers, but it spread quickly among officers. The highest commander of the army, General Li Chong, even acquiesced in the spread of this rumor.
By the time Su Ze led the captives to catch up with Li Chong's troops from Pingcheng, the army had already reached Baidao City.
Su Ze rode a tall horse, followed by Yu Jin. Having achieved such a great feat this time, the two were naturally in high spirits.
After this battle, the mental outlook of the entire Tunqi Camp was completely different. Confidence on the battlefield also needs to be accumulated. This time they were facing the elite cavalry of the Rouran royal tent, and they were able to defeat them so easily, which boosted the confidence of the soldiers a lot.
Following behind Su Ze were twenty armored cavalrymen, but now was not wartime, so none of them were wearing full armor. After the Battle of Pingcheng, this elite team of armored cavalrymen became famous in one battle. The team was full of arrogance, and they acted arrogantly in the army.
But with the achievements in battle, they had reason to be arrogant. When other armies saw them, they looked at this group of armored cavalry with envy.
Su Ze had already distributed some of the spoils as rewards. With such a great victory, ordinary soldiers would not be able to gain much and the rewards they received would also be limited.
However, this group of armored cavalrymen were able to defeat ten of their opponents and wiped out the elite Rouran cavalry that entered the city.
Su Ze presented horses and silk as rewards to these armored cavalrymen in public. He also announced that he would select another 20 men to form another armored cavalry squad before arriving at the Six Garrisons. This immediately caused a sensation in the army, and the soldiers were scrambling to train in riding skills during the march.
Su Ze looked at Yu Jin behind him. Sure enough, Yu Jin's suggestion was effective. Equality is needed in the army. If the commander wants his soldiers to be loyal, he must always care about the conditions of the grassroots soldiers and punish those officers who exploit the soldiers.
However, the army also needs classes the most. Each level can enjoy different treatments and obtain different rewards, so that soldiers will have the motivation to climb up instead of just muddling through the army.
Just these four words "clearly distinguish between rewards and punishments" contain countless knowledge. Su Ze can achieve these four words by relying on the orange military judge followers generated by the system to count military merits, and also relying on the elite soldiers he supports at all costs.
If the size of his army doubles, Su Ze will go bankrupt. If the number of soldiers in the army increases further, one orange military judge will not be able to count all the military merits.
The only thing to be thankful for is that Su Ze still relies on the big tree of Northern Wei, and most of the cost of maintaining the army is still paid by the court.
But the downside was that before the Northern Wei court completely collapsed, the army under Su Ze could only carry out the court's orders, and it was difficult to make them rebel against the court.
Su Ze began to envy his sworn brother Erzhu Rong.
The Erzhu family had official positions in the imperial court and their own territories. They could use the official positions and righteousness of the imperial court to attract talents, and at the same time they could use their wealth to win people's hearts. Once the authority of the imperial court fell, the rise of local powerful figures like Erzhu Rong was almost inevitable.
This is the benefit of having a base. It's a pity that the era that Su Ze traveled through had already passed the stage where the ancestors of the Erzhu family invested in the Tuoba family and prepared to go public. The power structure in the court had already become rigid, and it was impossible to give the Erzhu family such generous treatment.
But when the world becomes chaotic, I can seek to lead troops to a post outside the country, and then I can seize the territory and develop it?
Su Ze withdrew his thoughts, looked forward, and recalled the teachings of his teacher Li Daoyuan.
The middle section of the Yinshan Mountains is also called Daqing Mountain. After the Ming and Qing Dynasties, this mountain was called Heishan. The important channel connecting the north and south of Daqing Mountain was called Baidao.
At the southern foot of the Daqing Mountains, Su Ze looked up and could see a military castle. This castle was the Baidao City built by Emperor Taiwu Tuoba Tao. When the Northern Wei Dynasty was "starting its business", Emperor Taiwu Tuoba Tao often visited Baidao City in person to preside over the expedition against the Rouran.
"The Manggan River flows southwest to the south of Baidao. There is a city at the mouth of the valley, with a long wall on the side, facing the mountain and the marsh, which is called Baidao."
Su Ze was reciting the original text of "Annotations to the Classic of Waterways", and sure enough, he saw a mountain path where the terrain was gentler.
There is a section of this mountain road that is a ridge made of tuff, which is 3 to 6 meters above the ground, about 20 to 30 meters wide, 380 meters long from north to south, and grayish white like lime, so it is called the "White Road".
If you go north from Baidao, you will reach Wuchuan Town, and if you go south from Baidao, you will reach Pingcheng.
Yu Jin stood beside Su Ze, looking at this ancient road, and couldn't help but sighed: "The White Road is indeed the key to Yinshan!"
The key means a key fortress. Su Ze nodded and said, "My teacher Li Gong once climbed Baidao City and found an even older city site to the north of the city built by Emperor Taiwu. My teacher inferred that it might be the city built by King Wuling of Zhao and the fortress that King Wuling of Zhao used to defend against the Donghu."
Any soldier who sees such a military fortress with his own eyes will have an urge to take it into his possession.
Baidao controls the Yinshan Mountains. The Northern Wei Dynasty relied on the defense system of Six Towns - Baidao - Pingcheng to suppress the northern grasslands for a hundred years.
Looking at this dangerous pass in the world created by the combined effects of man and nature, Su Ze secretly made up his mind that he would take control of Baidao City no matter what in the future.
But at the same time, Su Ze had another question. Baidao was so dangerous, how did those Rouran cavalry pass through Baidao City and enter Hengzhou?
As he moved on, he soon understood why.
The entire area around Baidao City was not only not desolate, but rather very lively. What surprised Su Ze the most was that he actually saw an elephant on the edge of Baidao City!
When Su Ze arrived at Li Chong's military camp, he finally understood why Bai Dao had become like this.
Li Chong sighed and said, "The northern border has been peaceful for too long. Now the military preparations in Baidao City have been relaxed. Even the Liutai in Pingcheng is unwilling to send troops to garrison here."
"Now Baidao City has become a resting place for merchants from the Western Regions. I was going to expel them, but there was a Persian tribute envoy in the caravan. That elephant was the tribute that the Persians gave to the Queen Mother and Your Majesty."
Su Ze was also stunned, but after thinking about it, it made sense, as there was a major transportation route behind the military fortress.
Persian and Roman merchants came to China to engage in business activities. One important route was through present-day Xinjiang and Gansu, then along the southern foot of the Yin Mountains to Hohhot, and then into the Central Plains from Datong.
Baidao City happens to be located at the center of this important transportation route between China and the West, and all traveling envoys and merchants have to stop here.
It is also our fault that the Rouran people were able to infiltrate Hengzhou, which means that the defense of the northern border now depends entirely on the Six Garrisons, and Pingcheng, Liutai and even Baidao City have been abandoned.
Li Chong said with some worry: "Hengzhou's military is so exhausted. If the six towns cause trouble, I'm afraid there will be chaos."
The trouble in the Six Garrisons that Li Chong was talking about was naturally not an invasion by the Rouran people, but rather a concern about a rebellion in the Six Garrisons.
Once the Six Garrisons rebel, Pingcheng will be impossible to defend.
After talking about Baidao City, Li Chong finally talked about business. He smiled and pulled Su Ze and said, "I have already reported the victory of Pingcheng to the court and asked for credit. I will give you credit when we return from the Northern Expedition."
Su Ze said quickly: "The victory in Pingcheng was all thanks to Li Shaoqing's intelligence. I dare not take all the credit."
Li Chong said with amusement: "You just reminded Zilin twice, how can you say it's a great achievement?"
Su Ze immediately said seriously: "Sun Tzu said: 'Know thy enemy and know thyself, and you can fight a hundred battles without danger'. 'Estimating the enemy' is the first priority in military warfare. Li Shaoqing's ability to bring such important intelligence is of course a great contribution!"
Li Chong was very satisfied with Su Ze's performance. This Li Shaoqing was naturally his eldest son Li Shizhe. After the rumor spread in the army, Li Chong confirmed it with Su Ze in person so that he could recommend credit for his eldest son.
The more Li Chong looked at Su Ze, the more satisfied he became. It was a pity that there was no daughter of sufficient importance in his family to marry Su Ze.
Unlike Yu Jin, Su Ze was already an official appointed by the court. Although Li Chong had several concubines and illegitimate daughters, they were no longer worthy of Su Ze.
As for the granddaughters, judging from the look on his son's face, Su Ze probably wouldn't be willing to call him father-in-law.
Li Chong just felt sad that Su Ze was not born ten or twenty years earlier. Now that Li Daoyuan had taken the position of teacher and student, he could only take the position of sponsor.
During their brief conversation, the two decided that Su Ze would share some of the credit with Li Shizhe, which was not a disadvantageous deal for Su Ze.
The great victory of thousands of elite Rouran cavalry was considered a rare victory in any northern expedition after Emperor Xiaowen's death. This achievement was so great that it exceeded the upper limit of Su Ze's current promotion.
This is the problem with the Northern Wei system.
There are rules for promotion of some official positions. For example, the promotion of military officers is step by step. Above the colonel is the captain, and above that is the general of miscellaneous titles, then the four expeditions, the four garrisons, the guard general, etc. Even if one has made great contributions, it is difficult to be promoted suddenly by skipping multiple steps.
Unless you fight to Luoyang like Erzhu Rong, then you can add the title of General Tianzhu.
It's not just military officers, the same is true for local officials. They are transferred from one level to another in the prefectures, counties, and cities, and there is a distinction between upper and lower levels and north and south. They have been holding these positions for decades without a chance to be promoted back to Luoyang.
In contrast, there were the noble positions in the Menxia Province, such as the Proofreader and the Writer. These positions were located in the Menxia Province, which was the central decision-making body, and were close to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, so they were easily promoted.
It was also easy to get promoted. One would often be promoted to the second in command of the thirty-six departments of the Secretariat first, then be appointed as the governor of a large province, and then return to serve as the Shangshu of an important department of the Secretariat. Then one could be promoted to the rank of Palace Attendant and Palace Attendant, and then enter the imperial court to become the prime minister.
Su Ze's teacher Li Daoyuan, the Minister of Personnel Cui Liang who had just been promoted to the position of Palace Attendant, and the Minister of Personnel Yuan Shen, all followed this path.
By giving part of the credit to Li Shizhe, he could move on to the next step of being appointed as the governor of a large province.
However, Su Ze was very clear that this originally clear promotion path would soon change because of the Six Garrisons Rebellion. But if Li Shizhe could be appointed as the governor of a large state at this time, he might be able to escape the Luoyang Diving Competition.
Li Chong was very happy and became more affectionate to Su Ze. Su Ze said to Li Chong: "General, I have a request."
Li Chong was in a good mood and immediately said, "You can say whatever you want!"
Su Ze said: "General, I want to build a fortress on the edge of Baidao City to intimidate the Rouran people."
Jingguan! ?
Li Chong looked at Su Ze in surprise. He thought he was a disciple of Li Daoyuan and was studying Confucianism after all. How could he be so murderous?
But it seems like this is a good approach.
Li Chong said: "Killing the surrendered is unlucky since ancient times!"
Su Ze said, "Don't worry, General. I am not going to kill the 3,000 Rouran who surrendered. I am just going to build a Jingguan with the 1,000 who died in the battle to deter the north."
Hearing that Su Ze was not going to kill the surrendered, Li Chong felt relieved and said, "Then go ahead. We should give these Rouran people a little shock!"
Next, Li Chong tacitly did not mention the spoils of the Battle of Pingcheng, which was considered as his tacit consent to Su Ze's distribution of the spoils. However, this was also a common practice of the Northern Wei army.
At the same time, Li Chong also gave Su Ze the authority to appoint three brigade commanders, and he would report this to the court later, which was equivalent to giving Su Ze the power to appoint mid-level military officers.
Before leaving Luoyang, Su Ze had to be confirmed by the general Qinghe King Yuan Yi as the brigade commander. However, when he was on the expedition, Li Chong, the commander-in-chief of the army, could appoint and dismiss him. This was also a policy loophole that Su Ze took advantage of. After all, a general is not subject to the orders of the king when he is away from the battlefield, and the power to maneuver in battle still has to be given to the generals.
With such tacit understanding, Su Ze and Li Chong completed the distribution of the military merits.
Su Ze took the lion's share of military merit, while Li Shizhe, who "reported intelligence", took the smaller share.
As for the spoils of war, the horses, armor and weapons of the Rouran people all belonged to Su Ze. This time, Su Ze seized 2,000 usable war horses. It was a pity that the most elite war horses were the 200 riders who followed Yujiulü Brahmin into the city. These war horses were either crushed to death by the armored cavalry or became frightened and could no longer go to the battlefield. At most, they were left behind for breeding.
After careful selection, Su Ze picked out twenty top-quality war horses that could serve as mounts for armored cavalry.
Su Ze had too much to eat with the three thousand prisoners of war. They were about to enter the Six Garrisons. There was no guarantee of their loyalty, so he could only hand them over to Li Chong for disposal and then reorganize them on the way back to Luoyang.
Su Ze was very satisfied with this result. This was because the leading general was Li Chong, who was already the General of Cavalry and had no more achievements. If he made any more great contributions, the court would become suspicious.
If it were someone like Xiao Baoyin, the Duke of Danyang, he would have been unable to resist taking away Su Ze's military achievements.
The next day, a group of cavalrymen came to the edge of Baidao City. They untied the wrappings on the horses' backs, and human heads rolled off the horses' backs, scaring the Persian merchants gathered near Baidao City and making them scream in fear.
Su Lin commanded the soldiers to pile up the heads of the Rouran people into a Jingguan. He then erected a stone tablet next to the Jingguan to record Su Ze's contribution in defeating the enemy, and then rode away.
These Persian merchants had never seen such a horrifying scene. Even though the Sassanid Empire was now at war with the Romans, they had never seen a war of such a scale. The terrified Persian merchants no longer wanted to stay and left Baidao City overnight and rushed to Luoyang.
Just before the store refreshed again, Su Ze waited for Princess Shouyang to summon him.
(End of this chapter)