Chapter 294 Reunion with Shuofang

Chapter 294 Reunion with Shuofang

The geographical concept of Shuofang refers to different places in different historical periods. Sometimes the scope is larger, sometimes smaller, but the basic scope is mainly in the Hetao area.

The Shuofang we talk about nowadays mainly refers to the area where the Sheyan River, a tributary of the Yellow River, flows through. Shuofang County is located in the middle and lower reaches of the Sheyan River and is part of Dongxia Prefecture.

Although Shuofang County is administratively affiliated with Dongxia Prefecture, because there are almost no large-scale household registration in the territory, some county and county official positions are mostly Jisi officials, held by various Hu chieftains in the territory.

"This is Wei Ping City? Didn't you lead the wrong way?"

In the wilderness, Li Mu pointed to a city in front of him and asked with half-surprised, half-suspicious eyes: "After all, it is governed by a county. Why, how come it's like this..."

Li Tai, who was traveling with me, also felt a little funny when he heard this. Who are you asking? You yourself are the governor of Dongxia Prefecture, and Wei Ping is the city under your governance. You don’t know it yet?

It's no wonder that Li Mu was so surprised that he couldn't believe it. The city in front of him was really too shabby. It is more like an earthen fence than a city. The outer wall of rammed earth has been weathered to a disgraceful state, and nearly half of it has collapsed, leaving only a bottom wall that is half a man high.

The buildings in the city are also in dilapidated condition. At first glance, there are almost no intact and sizable buildings. The entire city gave off a strong smell of dilapidation from the inside out, and no human habitation could be seen at all.

"Mr. Wu'an, this is indeed Wei Ping City. The earthen dam in the north of the city was built when the Sheyanshui River flooded in the old years. In the seventh year of Datong, the last general once traveled with the army and camped here to rest and replenish his supplies. Supplies. This city used to be ruled by the great chieftain Qi Nu, but now the Qi Nu clan seems to have moved to the vicinity of Tongwan Town to make a living."

Li Dao, who was in the team, looked at the terrain carefully and then replied that his family was originally a powerful chieftain in Xiazhou, so he was no stranger to the geographical conditions here.

Li Tai was secretly criticizing Li Mu for neglecting his duties. After hearing Li Dao's answer, he couldn't help but laugh. This governor is really good at being a governor. Not only does he not know where the cities he governs are located, but he is so emotional that even the officials and the people directly rush to neighboring states to take advantage of the troubles.

Hearing Li Tai's laughter, Li Mu couldn't help but blush with embarrassment. He forced himself to explain: "The situation here is different from that in Neizhou. The people gather into tribes, and all the kindness and power come from the chief. I don’t know that there are other government agencies. Yuwen Xiazhou is a hero in this town and is widely supported by the people. I entered the state not long ago, and I have no intention of competing with him. I only share the mountain with him on the banks of the Heishui River, so the people in the north don’t know about it. deep……"

Li Mu's explanation was not unreasonable, but seeing the embarrassment on his old face, Li Tai couldn't help but feel secretly happy. Although this guy was a lot older, he was not as thick-skinned as his son Li Ya.

Dongxia Prefecture has a vast jurisdiction, and the conditions in different regions are very different. Since Li Mu entered the state, he has mainly operated in the south of Qingshui, while the north of Qingshui is mostly managed by Yu Wengui of Xiazhou. The Hu chiefs here are still used to listening to the orders of the local chiefs, and they don't think much of Li Mu. This guy from Gaoping.

However, due to the lack of support from the locals, the two of them felt a bit blind after leading their troops to this area. Just like the dilapidated Wei Ping City in front of them, it was originally an important station after their planned northward march, where they could garrison and wait. If accurate news comes from the other two states, we can attack and eliminate them along the Sheyan River.

But at the moment, this city doesn't even have any personal smoke or bird feathers, so it is obviously not suitable as a base camp for this attack. Fortunately, the vanguard troops they brought were not many, only more than 2,000 light cavalry. If the army really attacked together, they would inevitably be even more blind. Of course, Li Mu knew his own affairs, so he would not let this happen.

Although Wei Ping City has long been abandoned, I have to say that the geographical environment is really good. It is located in a flat valley. The Sheyan River flows around this sloping valley. Of course, the river is already frozen. However, traces of large areas of land reclamation can be seen around the city.

It can be seen that a few months ago, this place must have been a scene of abundant water and grass, and diligent farming and herding. However, the environment became harsh after winter, and there was no longer a strong tribal organization to protect it with considerable force, so the people had to move away. This state will not return until next spring when the flowers bloom.

"It's a pity. If it could be developed..."

Li Tai now has the idea of ​​​​farming development and increasing his strength. Seeing that such a large area of ​​river valley land with good conditions cannot be continuously and effectively developed and utilized, he feels that it is a waste of natural resources. The Hu tribes in this area are a bit overwhelmed by the blessings. If we can't develop steadily in such a good geographical environment, why do we need bicycles in other places?

A group of scouts first went into the city to inspect and clean up, scared away and shot some wild beasts lurking in the city, and also found dozens of Hu men and women. After a short interrogation, they found out the residence location of some nearby Hu tribes, but Whether it is accurate or not cannot be guaranteed. After all, a large number of bandits and troops marched through this area a few days ago, which will inevitably bring some impact and changes to the personnel in the area.

Search and contact the nearby Hu tribe for their own scouting operations. After entering the city, a large group of people cleared an area and used the supplies they carried to cook.

In the evening, the scouts who went out returned one after another. Some found nothing, while others brought back some local tribe members.

When they learned that Li Mu, the governor of the state, was passing through the border, the Hu chiefs were enthusiastic and attentive. While they came to see him in a hurry, they also brought a large amount of supplies produced in the pastoral areas, including some cattle and sheep, and finally gave Li Mu Mu, the governor, showed some respect.

Li Mu was quite satisfied with the attitude of these people. He first inquired about some regional intelligence, and then talked about his hope that they could send troops to jointly pursue and suppress the bandits.

When the Hu chiefs heard this topic, their expressions were very unnatural. Some even gave various excuses with embarrassed faces, while others had their reluctance written directly on their faces. It can be seen that although Li Mu, the governor, has face with them, it is limited. He can just treat him to a meal and drink, and the further step is to have an interview.

Seeing these people's excuses, Li Mu suddenly felt uncomfortable and was too lazy to argue with these Hu chiefs. However, after rejecting everyone, he couldn't help complaining to Li Tai about Yu Wengui from Xiazhou: "Shuofang people, I look up to Yuwen Xiazhou. Nowadays, the territory is uneasy and thieves are rampant. Yuwen Xiazhou is really to blame! Our army has advanced so bravely. If Xiazhou does not provide proper countermeasures and the thieves get lost, I will definitely report to the Lord. "

Yu Wengui also didn't hesitate. Early the next morning, before the team had time to set off, Xiazhou's messenger had already found this place, rode into the city, and sent Yu Wengui's reply.

In the letter, Yu Wengui agreed with the pursuit plan discussed by Li Tai and Li Mu, and also hoped to take this opportunity to carry out a rectification and purge of the Shuofang Hu people in the Sheyan River Basin, and stated that the material consumption of their two troops after entering the country would be Xiazhou raised part of it to compensate for the losses caused to them by the thieves who went south.

Seeing Yu Wengui's attitude, Li Mu felt calmer. However, when the messenger led them to the next campsite arranged by Yu Wengui, his mentality suddenly became a little unbalanced.

This is a large tribe with tens of thousands of people, located near a tributary of Sheyan River. In order to welcome the arrival of Li Mu and others, almost the whole family came out to welcome them and prepared a sumptuous meal. It's just that the chief's emotional intelligence was a little anxious, and he hinted in his words that he hoped they could put in a good word for him in front of Xiazhou Yuwen, but he ignored that Li Mu was their nominal superior.

Li Mu actually had to rely on other people's reputation to get around in his own land. No matter how shameless Li Mu was, he couldn't stand it, so he got up and left the table directly because he was tired from the journey.

Li Tai was holding a roasted leg of lamb that was charred on the outside and tender on the inside, and was cutting it with a knife. When he saw Li Mu getting up and leaving the table, he sighed inwardly. You didn't know this for the first time, so why can't you look away? If one day Yu Wengui goes to Yuanzhou to become an official, wouldn't it also depend on your brothers' faces?

The state officials formally appointed by the imperial court and the overlords were not as prestigious as the local powerful chiefs in the territory they governed. This was also a reality in the current politics of the Western Wei Dynasty.

Although Li Mu was a little resentful, he had to admit that with the support and help of these local snakes, their next affairs would go much more smoothly. Soon a local Hu tribe sent them information and told them the route of the defeated soldiers of a bandit army.

Li Mu was so eager to make a contribution that he did not wait for the troops behind him to catch up. Dangjie led his vanguards to pursue them all the way, and soon encountered the bandit army in the wilderness. He successfully sniped and captured more than a thousand bandit soldiers. , swept away the previous decadence and depression, exhaled greatly and raised his eyebrows.

Li Tai didn't have much desire to fight. At this point, the threat of the three-defense city had been lifted, and his goal of going north had been basically achieved. The next step was to lend Li Mu his troops, hoping to Continue to expand the results.

Yu Wengui from Xiazhou has also sent troops, heading east from Tongwan City along the upper reaches of the Sheyan River. While marching, he is wiping out those Hu tribe forces who have been reluctant to obey along the way.

Although the Sheyanshui River was winding and long, it could not withstand the full push of the east and west sides. Ten days later, the two sides met in Huazheng County in Xiazhou.

After experiencing several defeats of the rebel army and the pursuit and raids of several Shuofanghu tribes who colluded with Li Shihu, Li Mu swept away the dejection of the previously besieged city. After the two armies merged, he ordered his subordinates to move all the troops. All the captured people and materials were laid out, and there was still a hint of competition with Yu Wengui in his heart.

Compared with Li Mu's massive capture, the troops led by Yu Wengui were much simpler, with only a few thousand soldiers under his command.

When Li Mu saw this scene, he couldn't help but became happy. He pointed at the prisoners and said with a smile to Yu Wengui, not without the intention of showing off: "These thieves are indeed rampant, but if they blindly engage in killing, there will be consequences." It hurts Tianhe. Therefore, under the punishment knife, the legal net is open, and the extremely vicious ones must not be left. The remaining thieves are cowardly and begging for mercy. I hope they can change their ways and make you go eastward. There is no one who can make you feel kind and forgiving among thieves?"

After hearing this, Yu Wengui smiled and said: "All the battles are in the territory, and the captured people in the formation are directly distributed to the tribes who are assisting in the battle, so that the military planes can not miss the scheduled departure. Wu'an is indeed not known for his bravery. The captured thieves It’s quite impressive.”

After saying this, he crossed Li Mu, clasped his fists towards Li Tai and said with a smile: "Li Zhi, you are well! Thank you for leading the army to the north this time, giving the rebels a head-on blow and allowing our troops from the two states to calm down." Pursue the remaining bandits. After all the bandits are wiped out, I will tell you that your Majesty will do your best!"

After Li Tai heard this, before he had time to answer, Li Mu next to him had already laughed again and said: "Boshan came north for me. When things are done here and the day of victory is over, I will hold the bridle and praise him. That's right." There is no need to wait for Yuwen Xiazhou Jiayan."

Li Tai knew that along the way, Li Mu had accumulated a lot of resentment towards Yu Wengui, and he didn't want him to continue to entangle and quarrel with him, so he looked at Yu Wengui and asked, "Everyone else can talk about it later. I'm curious about something. May I ask whether Shijun Yuwen has heard from Shijun Yang of Xi'an Prefecture?"

As early as when he sent troops to the north to rescue Li Mu, Li Tai had already written to Yang Zhong to tell him his current situation, hoping that some coordination could be achieved between the two realms. While Guangwu City was resting, he sent someone a letter to describe his and Li Mu's plan to pursue the north, and invited him to accompany him.

However, they have not received any news from Xi'an Prefecture all the way here. Li Tai has no idea what Yang Zhong's attitude and actions are, making it like a black hole of information.

This can't help but make Li Tai feel strange. Although he and Yang Zhong don't have a deep friendship, they are not completely speechless because of the medium of Dugu Xin. After sending a series of letters, Yang Zhong should be informed of his thoughts.

When Yu Wengui heard Li Tai's question, he shook his head and said that he had not received any message from Xi'an Prefecture.

But this is nothing. With the elimination of the Hu tribe who were disrespectful to the territory, Yu Wengui's authority in the territory was once again established and promoted. All the tribes dared not to obey all the orders, and most of the troops could be mobilized at any time. . Coupled with the troops commanded by Li Tai and Li Mu, it is enough to fight a big battle.

At present, several tribesmen of Shuofang Hu who were deeply involved in the incident and the remaining tribes of Lishi Hu have gathered on the bank of the Yellow River in the northeast of Huazheng County. There are probably tens of thousands of Hu people. Even if Yang Zhong cannot arrive in time, they can still attack the remnants of the rebel army.

But Li Tai still felt a little uncomfortable in his heart. He didn't expect that the cooperation with Yang Zhong would be so unsmooth for the first time. If the other party deliberately distanced himself and did not respond to him, then he would have to carefully weigh the future relationship. .

After several parties joined forces, they took a short rest in Huazheng County to prepare for the final encirclement and suppression battle. However, at this time, the scouts under Yu Wengui introduced the messenger from Xi'an into the camp. After seeing Li Tai, they reported: "After my lord defeated the thief in the territory, he received a message from Li Lang and immediately led his followers to this area. "We have already explored the thieves' nest and are waiting for Li Lang's army to arrive."

Sorry, I have to take a day off tomorrow. I have to pay my mother a hundred-day grave. I'm sorry. . .