Chapter 272 Wilderness Survival Affixes
Yuwen Tai straightened his body, Dugu Ruyuan was still lying on the bed, and said calmly:
"Leave the city and kill Wei Kegu."
-
"Leave the city and kill Wei Kegu?"
Yuwen Gong looked up at his old friend. He did not expect that Heba Duba would make such a risky suggestion.
There was an unhealed wound on Hebaduba's weathered face.
This was when he was on his way from Wuchuan to support Huaishuo, he encountered a Gaoche rebel army and was scratched by the enemy's archers' long-range shots.
If the arrow had not been slightly crooked, Heba Duba would have died on the battlefield.
Although the Gaoche rebels were wiped out by Heba Duba, the overwhelming number of rebels along the way made the veteran Heba Duba realize that he would not be able to hold out for long with the few troops he had.
The reinforcements from Wuchuan were the clansmen and volunteers recruited in Wuchuan by Heba Duba using his own prestige.
They are all elite soldiers, but even the most elite soldiers will become useless if they defend the city for a long time.
Heba Duba approached Yuwen Gong and proposed his own plan.
Heba Duba nodded and said, "Brother Yuwen, we have seen the situation outside. The imperial army has just arrived in Bingzhou. If Huaishuo wants to hold out until then, we must first repel the rebels."
"Wei Kegu has many forces under his command. If we can kill Wei Kegu, the rebels will naturally become a pile of loose sand."
Yuwen Gong still said hesitantly:
"But I heard that Wei Kegu is very alert. We don't even know where he is now. How can we kill him?"
Heba Duba said:
"I have an idea."
"any solution?"
"Fake surrender!"
Yuwen Gong was also shocked when he heard Heba Duba's risky plan.
Heba Duba was a man of both courage and resourcefulness, and was well-known in the Six Garrisons, but Yuwen Gong could not understand why he fought so desperately.
To repay Yang Jun's kindness?
They were all from the Six Garrisons and were also local generals and military leaders, but Yuwen Gong did not believe this.
Heba Duba said to his old friend frankly:
"I am old now. I will die if I want to. I want to fight for a future for my sons."
"If I wanted to live, I should have gone to Hengzhou to seek help when I left Wuchuan. General Li might not have punished me."
"But if you want your descendants to leave the Six Garrisons, you must make great achievements!"
"The last time the Rouran invaded the border, I failed to achieve any great success, but instead made Su Ze famous."
"Today I will risk my life to build a future for my sons."
"A future away from the Six Towns!"
After listening to his old friend's words, Yuwen Gong finally understood Heba Duba's thoughts.
The Yuwen family and the Heba family were both upper class in the Six Garrisons, but life in the Six Garrisons was still too hard.
My descendants have both military strategy and talent, but the stage of Liuzhen is too small.
As small as one’s own position is the final achievement of one’s descendants in this life.
This was even more true for the Heba family. Heba Duba was the military leader, and his eldest son and second son had made contributions during the last Rouran invasion and were also promoted to military leaders.
But there is nothing above that.
Upon hearing that Su Ze returned to Luoyang and took up the post of General Protector of the Qiang, the military leaders of the Six Garrisons were envious for a long time.
Heba Duba gave up everything in his family and came to Huaishuo just for the possibility of his descendants rising to prominence.
As long as he could make great contributions in Huaishuo, even if he retreated after Huaishuo City was captured, his son could be absorbed into the imperial army.
If you continue to make meritorious contributions in other battles against the Six Garrisons, you will be able to break away from the Six Garrisons system and become a genuine official of the imperial court.
At this time, whether it was veteran military leaders such as Heba Duba or young military leaders such as Dugu Ruyuan and Gao Huan, none of them had any intention of joining the bandits.
In their view, as long as the imperial court made every effort, it would be able to suppress the rebellion of the Six Garrisons.
But Heba Duba didn't know that he thought the powerful imperial court had already exhausted its strength due to internal and external troubles.
The destructive power that the "rebels" of the Six Towns, whom he looked down upon, could unleash was far beyond anyone's imagination.
The people and soldiers of the Six Garrisons will influence the entire Central Plains for a hundred years, and the aftereffects did not stop until the Tang Dynasty.
-
Zhengguang two years, August 15th.
Northern border, Hengzhou, Pingcheng.
Li Chong, the commander-in-chief of the Northern Expedition, finally reunited with his subordinates.
The Yanzhou governor, King of Anfeng Yuan Yanming, led the Yanzhou army, which had just won a great victory in Beixuzhou, northward.
Li Chong's son, Li Shengui, the governor of Xiangzhou, also led Xiangzhou troops to Pingcheng.
Zhang Shijun, the governor of Jizhou and the son of the former prime minister Zhang Yi, also led the Jizhou troops to Pingcheng.
Yuan Gong, the governor of Hengzhou and Prince of Guangling, had already assembled the troops of Hengzhou and was waiting for Li Chong in Pingcheng.
In this way, the five armies gathered in Pingcheng, but Li Chong was not happy at all.
Among these five groups of troops, except for the imperial guards led by Li Chong and the Xiangzhou soldiers led by his son Li Shengui, he could not control the remaining three groups of troops.
Needless to say, Yuan Yanming's victory along the way has made him a pillar of the royal family in Luoyang.
Although Yuan Yanming's character was considered good among the Northern Wei royal family, Li Chong also knew his own limitations and realized that he could not order this prince around at will.
The same goes for Prince Guangling Yuan Gong. His father, the late Prince Guangling Yuan Yu, was the younger brother of Emperor Xiaowen and made great contributions to the relocation of the capital to Luoyang.
Yuan Yu followed Emperor Xiaowen and enjoyed great prestige in the court. However, because he liked to rape women from decent families, he was beaten by his victims and eventually died in his mansion.
Because of his father's teachings, Yuan Gong was very low-key and never made friends with cliques in the court.
After the Xuanguang coup, Yuan Gong was afraid of being involved in the political struggle within the royal family, so he asked to be appointed as the governor of Hengzhou, which had been vacant for a long time.
Li Chong was also very courteous to Yuan Gong and did not dare to order this prince around at will.
The last one is Zhang Shijun, the governor of Jizhou.
Li Chong and Zhang Yi were old acquaintances. Zhang Shijun had a respectful attitude and among the soldiers he brought were also members of his Zhang family, whose number was second only to that of Li Chong's troops.
But Li Chong also understood that the Zhang family represented not only the governor of Jizhou, but also the representative of the Jizhou nobles.
Among the Jizhou soldiers, there are also a large number of soldiers from powerful families.
The Jizhou nobles have great power in Luoyang, and it is difficult for Li Chong to use them.
Li Chong's son Li Shengui saw that Zhang Shijun's soldiers were strong and well-equipped with armor and weapons, and said to his father:
"Grandpa, you can let the Jizhou troops be the vanguard to dampen the rebels' spirit!"
Li Chong looked at his son who rose to power by serving Empress Dowager Hu, and because Yuan Yi was a greedy man, he did not pursue Li Shengui, but instead retained him as the governor of Xiangzhou.
Li Shengui did not forget to make money while serving as the governor of Xiangzhou and almost caused a civil uprising in Xiangzhou.
The local nobles in Xiangzhou also didn't like him, so this time Li Shengui brought only old, weak, sick and disabled soldiers from the prefectures and counties, who were completely useless.
Thinking of his two useless sons, Li Chong sighed. "You don't think that the troops Zhang Shijun brought are here to fight, do you?"
Li Shengui asked doubtfully:
"Is not it?"
"of course not."
"What's that for?"
Li Chong sighed again. He did not answer Li Shengui's question, but asked a question:
"Do you know who is obstructing my father's proposal to change the six prefectures into states?"
Li Shengui shook his head. Seeing his son like this, Li Chong also knew that he got the position of governor entirely by being a favored minister, and knew nothing about the politics of the court.
Li Shengui explained:
"It is the provinces in Hedong connected to the Six Garrisons that are most opposed, especially Dingzhou, Yingzhou, and Jizhou."
"Why is that? Whether the Six Towns change or not, what does it have to do with them?"
"Of course it does."
Li Chong said:
"The Six Towns are military prefectures, and the people of the Six Towns are town residents. They cannot move around freely. Once they leave the Six Towns, they will become unregistered black households."
"The big families in Ding, Ying, and Jizhou like to recruit these illegal households in the north. Otherwise, where do you think so many hidden households in Hedong came from?"
"Zhang Shijun went north this time, and the Jizhou nobles sent so many soldiers, not to fight, but to traffic people."
Li Shengui was stunned. He didn't expect that the people of Hedong would think this way?
Li Chong said:
"Ever since Emperor Xiaowen established the family names, the Hedong clans have been very powerful, and now they have become a force that can influence the court."
"The amount of food the court provides to the Six Garrisons has been decreasing. In addition to the war with the Southern Dynasty and the shift of the court's focus to the south, it is also related to the fact that the states in Hedong are unwilling to continue to provide for the Six Garrisons."
"Before Emperor Xiaowen, the grain and fodder transported to the Six Garrisons and Hengzhou were all provided by the states in Hedong. Now they are unwilling to continue to bear the burden and instead covet the population of the Six Garrisons."
The Hedong region has been the most important area in the entire Central Plains since the Eastern Han Dynasty.
Cao Cao rose to power after he annexed Yuan Shao and gained control of the entire Hedong region.
The current Hedong region is the most densely populated, most developed in water conservancy facilities, and most culturally diverse place in the entire Central Plains.
Among the five surnames and six families established by Emperor Xiaowen, the four surnames of Fanyang Lu, Qinghe Cui, Xingyang Zheng and Taiyuan Wang all belong to the Hedong gentry in a broad sense.
When Emperor Xiaowen moved the capital to Luoyang, the Longxi Li family, headed by Li Chong, made great contributions and won the trust of Emperor Xiaowen. They were highly regarded by the emperor. The Longxi Li family was ranked among the noble families of the Jia clan as "the most important in the court".
Finally, the Zhaojun Li family is known for its "large family and powerful population" and the so-called "popularity by the well-educated". The Zhaojun Li family has a long history and is very powerful in the local area. It is a separate Hedong aristocratic family.
The current head of the Zhaojun Li family is named Li Xian. Like Li Chong, he is an old minister during the reign of Emperor Xiaowen and was once very prominent during the reign of Emperor Xiaowen.
However, because he was dependent on Gao Zhao, he was dismissed from office and returned to his hometown after Gao Zhao's downfall.
Although Li Xian was dismissed from office, his sons are still serving as officials, and he lectures in his hometown and has a very high reputation.
Emperor Xiaowen did not know at that time that the monster he unleashed by establishing the aristocratic family system would almost turn the Northern Wei Dynasty into another Western Jin Dynasty in just twenty years.
Facing this disorganized northern expedition army, Li Chong could only sigh, knowing that the battle must be fought.
"Reorganize the troops and send people to explore the Baidao first. If the rebels have not occupied the Baidao yet, we will enter the Six Towns immediately!"
Baidao is the main road from Hengzhou to Liuzhen. The last time Li Chong entered Liuzhen, he also entered Liuzhen from Baidao.
But for some reason, Li Chong always had a bad feeling this time.
In the old place of Pingcheng, Li Chong thought of Su Ze again, and it would be great if Su Ze was under his command.
-
Su Ze sneezed and didn't know who was talking about him.
He was inspecting the military camp, checking out the new soldiers he had created in Xiazhou—
[Hu Xia's Camel Scout]
Grade: blue;
Effect: A scout capable of carrying large amounts of supplies, conducting long-distance reconnaissance, and able to march through desert areas.
Comment: "Little-known fact: It is better to run long than fast."
Price: 200 Wen Taihe Wuzhu coins, no camel.
The system was still as horseless as ever, and by then this kind of scout would be just what Su Ze needed.
Xiazhou is vast and sparsely populated, and is separated from the northern border by a desert. Ordinary Yulin cavalry scouts cannot move too far from the town in this terrain.
This type of Huxia camel scout is different. The scouts trained by Helian Bobo always carry two camels, one of which is filled with various supplies.
These scouts can march in the desert Gobi, greatly expanding their reconnaissance range.
Su Ze sent out the blue and green [Huxia Camel Scouts], and left the purple [Huxia Camel Scout for Wild Survival] in the [Military Camp] building to train other scouts.
When Su Ze came to inspect, the purple scout didn't notice it at all. He was explaining the skills of survival in the wild to the soldiers.
"In the Gobi Desert, if there is really no food, scorpions can also be eaten."
"Let me demonstrate."
Under the astonished gaze of the soldiers, Su Bei (a Huxia camel scout surviving in the wild) swallowed the scorpion with its tail cut off.
Su Bei then explained several edible plants in the Gobi Desert, and finally reminded:
"What you learn now may help you survive when you are trapped in the desert in the future."
After the soldiers dispersed, Su Bei finally saw Su Ze, and he hurried forward: "Master!"
Su Ze was very satisfied with the progress of the training. This group of soldiers were all various scouts generated by the system. There were [Baima Di Mountain Scouts] and [Shanyue Scouts] who were good at mountain reconnaissance, and [Liu Song Navy Scouts] who were good at water reconnaissance.
After Su Ze discovered that the affix [Wild Survival] could be obtained through training, he asked Su Bei to teach them the skills of wild survival.
Among them, there is a [White Horse Di Mountain Scout] who has been promoted to a purple follower.
If there are enough scouts who are good at surviving in the wild and are arranged on the battlefield in advance, wouldn't fighting be like starting a war?
Su Ze attaches great importance to this scout camp and is also very concerned about Su Bei's training progress.
Li Xian, who was visiting with Su Ze, drooled when he saw these scouts.
I really don’t know how General Pingxi trained his troops. The soldiers under his command are so elite.
At this moment, Su Liang rushed into the barracks and said to Su Ze:
"General, Su Hui (a Uighur horse slave who is good at judging horses) has returned from the Hanhai (Lake Baikal), and he bought the BMW you mentioned!"
Li Xian looked at Su Liang in confusion. In his impression, this military advisor of the shogunate was always calm and composed even in the face of adversity. How come he lost his composure today?
Su Ze just remembered that when he was in Liangzhou, he sent his follower Su Hui to Hanhai to buy Guligan horses. There were too many messages piled up in the system, and Su Ze himself was almost forgetting about it.
He quickly looked through the report and found that Su Hui had really successfully bought back the Guligan horse!
With good horses, Su Ze's armored cavalry can finally be expanded!
(End of this chapter)