Chapter 476 The sword points at Iroh

Chapter 476 The sword points at Iroh

Starting from the east of Tongguan and traveling along the Yellow River, it is also a nostalgic journey full of memories for Li Tai.

When he first came to this world, he was a defeated soldier of Mangshan who was escaping from Hengnong. He fled westward to Tongguan along this road.

This is really not a good memory. Even if Li Tai recalls it to this day, the most profound impression is the strangeness of entering this situation, the hasty and chaotic roars of the defeated soldiers, and the pain in the buttocks. On the back of a donkey, if I think about it too deeply, I can't help but shudder a few times, trying to drive these fearless scenes out of my mind.

This time I revisited my old place. No matter the identity, situation or future purpose, it was completely different. I felt very grateful and excited. There were thousands of infantry and cavalry soldiers at the front and rear, plus nearly ten thousand soldiers and soldiers. It was no longer the defeated army that was surrounded by grass and trees.

At that time, he was only focused on escaping and was not in the mood to observe the scenery along the way. This time, either because of his old journey or because of his mood, Li Tai felt that the scenery along the way was quite beautiful.

From the south bank of the Yellow River between Tongguan and Hengnong, there is a large plateau with open and flat terrain, much higher than the river. There is a large area of ​​jungle on the plateau, and untamed vegetation grows wantonly. There are only roads that are constantly trampled by pedestrians. The vegetation nearby is slightly sparse.

It is already midsummer in May, and the vegetation on the plateau is getting denser and denser. There are also mature wild peach groves. The peach blossoms have long been beaten by the wind and rain, and have been crushed into mud. There are many equally green leaves hanging on the branches. peach. These peaches are far from ripe and have thick velvet on the surface. After being rubbed and chewed, the taste is sour, bitter and astringent.

The name of this plateau is called Peach Grove. It is said that "Yanwu practiced martial arts, returned to the sun of Huashan Mountain, and herded cattle in the fields of Peach Grove." However, in today's troubled times after the Three Kingdoms, this can only be a fantasy.

There were no people grazing cattle on the plateau, but wild beasts such as foxes and wolves were not uncommon. Some boldly wandered on both sides of the road and were shot through by the soldiers with arrows, while many more fled deep into the dense forest.

Hengnong City is located on the Piyuan on the south bank of the Yellow River. After the Battle of Mangshan in the ninth year of Datong, Wang Sizheng returned to Hengnong from Yubi to guard the retreat for the defeated troops who returned to the pass.

Due to the defeat in the Battle of Mangshan, the Eastern Wei forces advanced to the west of Henan Province, and even the area of ​​Hengnong was exposed to the blade of the Eastern Wei army.

After Wang Sizheng returned to the town, he began to overhaul the city defense. After more than two years of management, Hengnong City was fully defended and the city size was expanded several times. It became an easy-to-defend but difficult-to-attack majestic city in the west of Luoyang. Isolated from outside.

Although Wang Sizheng has outstanding military talents, he is not a core member of Bafu after all. Therefore, when he was guarding Hengnong, Daxingtai Yuwentai also arranged for a confidant to stay here, that is, Li Yuan, who was in charge of the 21 defense military affairs such as Yizhou and Hengnong in western Henan.

In the twelfth year of Datong, Wang Sizheng was transferred away from Hengnong, but Li Yuan still stayed here to control the righteous and powerful people in Yiluo. When Li Tai led his troops to Hengnong, Li Yuan had already gathered a crowd and waited there for a long time.

Li Tai rode his horse to the front of the team, then dismounted and strode towards Li Yuan. He clasped his fists and said with a smile: "Mr. Yang Ping, it's been a long time. I was separated from Huazhou a few days ago. I often miss you. Now we will fight side by side. It's really doubly true." Feel honored!”

After Li Yuan heard this, he also laughed in response, stepped forward and took Li Tai's arm and said: "I received a message from the messenger in the palace, telling me that Duke Xihe will be the vanguard of the army, so I laughed with the people here and said that the East bandits are unfortunate, and Duke Xihe is a young leader. The reputation of his former achievements has not faded away, and now he is leading a powerful force to travel boldly. The disaster of thieves is not far away! "

The two exchanged brief greetings, and Li Yuan introduced several generals behind him to Li Tai. Several generals also had official positions such as governor, county guard, etc. However, since Western Henan was the front line of the war with the Eastern Wei Dynasty, many states and counties were often just one city and one place, so these official positions often had more symbolic meaning than practical significance.

After Li Yuan's introduction, Li Tai also met with these generals one by one. The names of the generals were Li Yisun, Wei Fabao, Chen Xin, Han Xiong, etc. Basically, they are not Beizhen warriors, but local powerful people around Heluo who joined the Western Wei regime one after another after Xiaowu moved westward, or people from Guanxi.

Among them, Li Yisun was from Yichuan, Luonan. His family had been a local tycoon for generations. His father, Li Changshou, even colluded with the barbarians to invade the area south of Hangu Pass when he was a boy. Later, he was recruited by the Northern Wei Dynasty and appointed as the governor to fight against the barbarians.

Later, Xiaowu moved westward, and many of the clan dignitaries who were stranded in Luoyang had to seek refuge with Li Changshou and were supported by him to escort them to Chang'an. Even Li Tai's aunt and Princess Feng Yi, Li Zhihua, were able to enter Guanzhong because of this.

Li Changshou and his eldest son Li Yansun died in the war one after another. The imperial court took charge of his tribe with his youngest son Li Yisun and continued to be active in Yiluo against the Eastern Wei people. This aspect is somewhat similar to Quan Zhongzun, whom Li Tai met before.

Wei Fabao is the son-in-law of Li Changshou and the nephew of Wei Xiaokuan. Now he serves as the defense chief of the upper reaches of Luoshui River and is a very important general in western Henan. But he was able to command his troops and sit in important places, mostly relying on his own heroic fighting.

Whenever he fought with the enemy, Wei Fabao took the lead. During a battle with the Eastern Wei army in Guannan, Wei Fabao was shot in the neck by a stray arrow, and the arrow came out of his mouth. He was rescued by his troops and was unconscious for a long time before he regained consciousness. . He still has a huge arrow scar on the side of his neck, which shows his bravery.

As for Chen Xin and Han Xiong, they were also local tyrants in Henan. Chen Xin had followed Li Yuan to Hulao to meet Gao Zhongmi and his party last year, but Li Tai had not yet come to this world at that time, so he did not have a deep impression of this. If Li Yuan had not specifically mentioned it, he would not have remembered it at all.

Han Xiong's name alone is not surprising, but his courtesy name is very memorable, and his courtesy name is Mulan. But what is more memorable is his son, Han Qinhu, a famous general in the Sui Dynasty, and of course, Han Qinhu's nephew Li Jing is even more famous.

Although Li Tai's official rank and status are much higher than those of the generals here, he is not arrogant in front of them. There are still many old soldiers in Beizhen who are lying on the old merits in Guanxi, but these generals who have made righteous deeds in western Henan are at the forefront of the battle with the Eastern Wei, especially in the past few years after the Battle of Mangshan, the country's strategy has shrunk, and it is all thanks to these generals who have fought hard here that the various probing attacks of the Eastern Wei have been blocked outside the country.

It is no exaggeration to say that the Western Wei Bafu has been able to fully recuperate in recent years and the new army of the Bafu, including Li Tai, who rose rapidly by taking advantage of the creation of the government soldiers, all rely on the development space that these generals in western Henan have fought for.

In fact, not only western Henan, but also other areas of the Western Wei are mainly responsible for defense by local people, such as the Battle of Yubi last year. And some offensive operations are often dominated by Beizhen warriors.

This point is not enough to extend the argument of who is stronger and who is weaker in combat effectiveness. It is nothing more than that compared with these Beizhen warriors who are staying in Guanxi, the local people's hometown feelings and sense of responsibility are stronger. The Beizhen warriors are professional soldiers, accustomed to obtaining resources through war, and they are more motivated to expand external operations.

The group entered the city and sat down, discussing military secrets while eating.

Although the Hengnong City built by Wang Sizheng is grand and solid, it has always been insufficient in material foundation because it is on the front line of the war. So even for the generals, the diet is only about eating and drinking enough, and there is no other requirement. In order to entertain Li Tai who came from afar, an old cow was specially slaughtered today, which was already a very rich meal.

Although Li Tai often led troops outside in recent years, he had not eaten coarse and choking grains for a long time. Looking at the full grains in the pottery bowl, he couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. It's not that he is squeamish and pretentious, but this sudden change in diet directly affects physical recovery.

So he used the excuse of giving the masses extra meals and asked his staff to go into the camp to get more than a dozen grain cakes. When the grain cakes were carried into the hall, the commander Li Yisun couldn't help but say: "Isn't this the grain cake made by the East Bandit Army? I didn't expect that the Xihe Lord Army also had it."

This grain cake naturally does not have a very high technical content. As long as the materials are solid and the process is guaranteed, it is not difficult to make. But after hearing what Li Yisun said, Li Tai couldn't help but ask curiously: "Does the Eastern Bandits often prepare this food?" Li Yisun shook his head and said: "Although the Eastern Bandits have more supplies than me, such fine food is not something that ordinary soldiers can enjoy. There are many bandits here, but I don't see any of them carrying it. According to the people of Yubi City in Hedong, this grain cake is harder than iron and stone. It can be stored in a dry place for several years without rotting. Just scrape a little hot water and soak it to eat, and you won't be hungry all day. Yubi City was able to hold on last year, and it got a lot of this material. It is said that it was left over from the defeat of He Liuhun's army in the eighth year of Datong. It must be just Supply it to his elite troops.

We, the people of western Henan, only know the shape of this thing but not its taste. We think such a precious thing must be the secret collection of the thieves. If it is eaten normally, it is a bit extravagant! "

"It is extravagant for us, but not for Xihe Gong. You must know that last year Xihe Gong directly broke through the Jinyang Palace of the thieves. What kind of precious materials could not be collected? Today, fortunately, I can taste the taste of this wonderful thing of the Eastern thieves!"

Another general spoke up, flattering Li Tai while looking at the dozen grain cakes with expectation, and some of them couldn't help swallowing.

Li Tai was a little speechless when he heard their sighs. It seemed that these guys didn't know the truth at all and relied on guessing. Perhaps they heard about the existence of such fine grain cakes but didn't understand their meaning. They subconsciously thought that such high-end food must be made by the wealthy Eastern thieves, so this misunderstanding occurred.

This naturally made Li Tai a little amused, but he also had to say that people's thinking inertia is really great. Not to mention the slow spread of information in the Middle Ages, it is also very difficult to reverse some concepts formed in later generations.

Especially when people have shallow knowledge but want to interpret and discuss profound issues, simple brains cannot handle new information that changes with each passing day, so they can only cling to the old and the more ignorant they are, the more stubborn they are, and they can use bluffing to cover up their lack of knowledge.

Of course, these generals in western Henan are different from those ignorant and brainless ones. They are on guard against foreign enemies and struggle on the edge of life and death every day. They have no time to look back and take a closer look, so they don't know the emergence of new things in the country.

In order to avoid embarrassment for these generals, Li Tai simply didn't explain the origin of these grain cakes in detail, but ordered his personal soldiers to go forward to scrape them and prepare them and distribute them to everyone.

Each of the generals carefully held the pottery bowl, blowing on it while sipping it carefully, savoring the taste in their mouths. They found it endlessly delicious. They even scraped the residue on the inner wall of the pottery bowl clean with bamboo chopsticks and fingers. Their eyes were filled with satisfaction and exclamation: "I wonder when the men in the city can enjoy such delicious military rations every day? If they can only eat such delicious food, they can only chop off a few heads of the Eastern bandits in every battle. How can they boast of their bravery?"

When Li Tai heard these discussions, he couldn't help but look at Li Yuanfa and asked: "Is it so difficult to supply the army here?"

After hearing this, Li Yuan sighed and said: "In the past years, the situation in Heluo was not so bad. Although there was no lack of harassment from thieves, the men in Yiluo farmed and fought, and the women worked diligently in weaving. Although it is not abundant, there are always supplies.

But now that Yiluo has been lost, all the fortifications can only survive in dangerous places with mountains and rivers. The mountains and fields are rugged and the journey is difficult. How much harvest can be gained by just harvesting wood in the ditches? Therefore, this time when Hou Jing rebelled, the people here were also eager to fight back and regain the Iro Valley and the Kinki Plains. "

After hearing this, the generals all nodded in agreement. Although the central government would provide them with some funding in recent years, most of their material needs still need to be raised by themselves. But now I do not have the advantage between Heluo and Luo. They are all suppressed among the mountains and hills in western Henan, and one can imagine the poverty of their lives.

"Now that the bandits from the east are in chaos, and the army from the country is coming out one after another, I am a pioneer, and I must fight bravely to restore Heluo and live up to the expectations of the people!"

Li Tai looked at the generals who were still full of determination even though they were worried, so he couldn't help but speak.

There were not enough supplies here, and there was no wine to cheer them up. After the generals had eaten and drank enough, they began to discuss the military situation again.

Long before Li Tai arrived, Li Yuan had already formulated a counterattack plan with the generals, and listed all the important Eastern Wei strongholds in Yiluo as combat targets. He only waited for an order from the Tai government to attack Yiluo. launch an offensive.

Unlike Wang Sizheng's troops who sent troops without permission and entered alone, Li Tai's arrival meant that the Western Wei Dynasty's hegemony officially intervened in the war in Henan. The generals in western Henan, who had been troubled for several years since the Battle of Mangshan, were gearing up and eager to try.

Since Li Tai was not a subordinate of Li Yuan, as the vanguard of the Bafu army, he had the right to fight independently. After he understood the battle plans of Li Yuan's armies, he quickly selected his own marching route. and combat objectives.

There are maps involved in this plot in the book review area. I have tried my best to use the signs on these maps to mark the fortification locations that will appear in subsequent plots. I hope everyone can understand them and understand the development of the plot. . .