"It's cold."

A cold wind blew, Wu Chen shrank his head and wrapped the woolen coat on his body tightly.

He was the son of Wu Rui, Marquis of Ganyue, who served as Heifu's short guard during the Southern Expedition, participated in a series of battles from Yunmengze to Jiangling City during the Northern Expedition, and was later transferred to the Hanzhong Battlefield and served as a false lieutenant under Han Xin.

Although Wu Chen's proposal to "take the meridian to attack Weinan" was not adopted by Han Xin, he still attacked the meridian pass with 5,000 men as a partial division, disrupting the defense of the late Qin lieutenant army in Guanzhong, and contributing to Han Xin's secret crossing of Chencang with the main force and sweeping Yongdi.

Later, Wu Chen joined the Dongmen Leopard Department and surrounded the stubborn Qin general Sima Ying in Du County, after Sima Ying surrendered, Wu Chen was rewarded by the Marquis of Wuzhong: he was promoted to the Great Shangzao, turned into a captain, and took 10,000 soldiers of the Northern Expedition to support Beidi County.

It was July and August, and it was autumn, as a southerner who had never seen ice and snow since childhood, when he arrived in Beidi County, Wu Chen already felt a little cold, and when they crossed the Chaonasai and really entered the Guanwai, they felt even more cold.

"Autumn in the north is as cold as the harsh winter in the south."

He wrote so in his march diary.

For Wu Chen, everything in Saibei was new, from the accents of the locals to the clothing, from the loess plateaus that crisscrossed the ravines to the felt tents dotted in between, from the braided Rong people to the long-haired sheep they raised.

"Not as tasty as the southern black goat." This is Wu Chen's evaluation of Huama Chitan sheep, the reason is that the smell is insufficient, and the smell is called "fresh" by the Yue people, which is their favorite.

"If you don't have umami, can you still call it a sheep?" The country can be unified, but in terms of taste paranoia, the southerners and northerners can never be unified.

The scenery is boring all the way, contrary to the dense rainforest in the south, there are barren loess plateaus everywhere outside the pass, and large areas of bare ground are blown by the autumn wind, and the grass is also sparse, and you can't see a mile for more than ten miles.

But when the army followed Wushui and arrived at the river, Wu Chen was in a trance, and thought that he had returned to Guanzhong......

A wide canal leads out of the river and runs parallel to the north, and the ditch is lined with golden corn fields, which are connected by Qianmo and Lilu, and are like a prosperous farming area, where local settlers and soldiers are harvesting grain, and an army is also coming up.

But it was sent by General Zhang Han to answer, and the leader was a captain of a good family in the north, named Fu Zhi, when he dismounted with Wu Chen to salute, Wu Chen suddenly found that he was of medium stature among the southerners......

The height can only reach Fu Zhi's chest!

"Captain Wu."

Fu straightened down, but his eyes could still look at the bun on Wu Chen's head, and he was a little funny in his heart.

"I've been famous for a long time!"

……

When the two armies were side by side, the sons of the good families in the north all looked down at the Northern Expeditionary soldiers next to them, they were full of Jing Chu accents, on average a head shorter than themselves, and the suppression of height was strongly contrasted.

"It seems that Marquis Wu Zhong is the highest person among the southerners."

"But what is the use of Marquis Wu Zhong sending a group of southern soldiers to Saibei?"

"Can they get on the horse? Can you ride and shoot? ”

The sons of the good family whispered, and some did not understand how this group of southern dwarfs raised their heads and defeated the tall Guanzhong Qin army.

"Cut off its head, and it's naturally as tall."

When Sima asked, a reckless son of a good family at the welcome banquet in Fuping County, Wu Chen was not to be outdone and pushed back as if jokingly.

But he quickly pretended to be drunk again and apologized to Fu Zhi: Wu Chen knew very well that the Liangjiazi in the north was different from the ordinary old Qin army, and it was also the old line of the descendants established by the Marquis of Wu Zhong, and they went north to expel the Xiongnu and try not to cause friction.

"Marquis Wu Zhong thinks that Saibei not only needs knights, but also needs Jingchu warriors and swordsmen, and most of the soldiers under my command are veterans. In the past, Marquis Wu Zhong and General Li Xin defeated the Huns here, didn't they also rely on foot and cavalry to coincide? ”

"That makes sense."

Fu Zhi didn't think it was wrong, and on the way to Lingwu, he introduced this "Henan land" to Wu Chen.

"This place was originally the Huns stationed in the pastureland, when Wei and Li Erhou chased the Huns in the north, the Hu people fled north, did not dare to go south to herd horses, Helan Mountain and the banks of the big river were empty, there was no felt tent again, for a time there was no one and there were wolves."

"But the Marquis of Wuzhong took us to Tuntian here, opened up a large area of land on the east bank of the river, and moved Dayuan Rong to the eastern foot of Helan Mountain, herding horses and sheep, and guarding the return of the Xiongnu."

After the departure of Marquis Wuzhong, Zhang Jun followed his strategy, and Li Ling, the captain of Shanghe Nong, built 10,000 houses for the immigrants from Guanzhong, opened up 500,000 acres of land, and then dug the Qin Canal to divert river water for irrigation. This wasteland outside the plug is flooded by river water and fertilized by cow and sheep dung, and has become a fertile land that is vertical and horizontal. Over the past few years, Fuping and Lingwu counties have abundant grains, cattle and sheep have flocks, and they are called 'plugging the Central Plains'! ”

The local grain production not only met the needs of the local settlers, but the surplus grain could even be transported downstream to replenish the Great Wall Corps.

After crossing the narrow Qingtong Gorge, a river appeared in front of me, where many flat-bottomed ships docked to load the newly harvested grain.

Fu Zhi introduced to Wu Chen: "In the thirty-second year, Helan was already self-sufficient in grain, but Shuofang grain and straw still needed to be transported from Guanzhong. ”

After all, there are 20,000 immigrants in Shuofang County, but they have to raise half of the Great Wall Corps, as well as a large number of prisoners and people, even if they build a straight road, it is still too far away, and 100,000 people are miserable to save millet, and people and horses eat all the way, and there are no two out of ten after the food arrives.

Like the quagmire of the southern rainforest, Shuofang has become the heaviest burden of annual expenditure in the history of Su Neishi.

So the imperial court, whose finances were gradually drying up, started the idea of Helan, who had enough food.

"At that time, Zhang Jun and Shanghe Nongduwei calculated that from Helan to Shuofang, it was necessary to walk 800 miles by land, and there were many sections of the desert in the middle, which were inaccessible to people, and it was difficult to drive long distances."

"According to the calculation of 5,000 ox carts that can be collected in Beidi County, 500,000 hulls of accumulated grain will be transported to Shuofang, each car will be loaded with 20 stones, and 100,000 hulls will be transported at a time, and it will take more than 100 days to make a round trip. In this way, it can only be transported twice a year at most, and all 500,000 Hu military rations will be transported to Shuofang, which will take 3 years! This is not counting the chewing losses along the way, it is really not cost-effective. ”

Moreover, this kind of long-distance transportation also takes up a large number of laborers and a lot of cattle and horses, and in three years, Helan area's own agriculture is estimated to have collapsed.

Zhang Han and Li Ling believed that this method was time-consuming, wasted agricultural time, and affected farming, and decided to adopt the suggestion left by the former Heifu:

"Take the big river as the road, and prosper the water."

Through a detailed investigation of the upper reaches of the river, Li Ling measured the water depth in different seasons in various places, and believed that it was feasible.

Therefore, people cut down the wood of Liupan Mountain, and transported the wood to the bank of the big river through the Qingshui River to build a ship on the spot. In a year, 200 wooden ships were built, each of which could carry 1,000 stones of grain, and the task of carrying 500,000 stones was completed in only half a year.

"Shuofang forty-four cities, in order to get water conveniently, built by the river, the wooden boats from Helan came one after another, leaving grain, going around to Shangjun, and returning in the next year, not our boasting, Shuofang tens of thousands of soldiers can eat enough, thanks to Helan's grain and transportation!"

Originally, the Qin Dynasty's strongholds in Saibei were not very convenient by land, and Helan, Shuofang, and Shangjun were independent, but they were connected by the surging giant river that turned into a big bay, and the water was connected by food and manpower, and it became a whole.

"Marquis Wu Zhonghou's ideas back then have all been realized!"

Fu Zhi and they are very proud of this, the good family of Beidi has watched this land grow, grow, and become rich, and now, they must fight to defend her!

"Although the Huns plagued Shuofang and Yunzhong, fortunately, Helan who 'plugged the Central Plains' was saved."

This is Zhang Hanneng's army here, the greatest reliance against the Xiongnu, and when Shuofang was invaded by the Xiongnu, Helan also continued to send large ships to go downstream, collect the refugees from the north and flee to the counties of Henan to settle down again, and provide their food.

The Helan area has implemented military management, and the grain of the tunhu households, except for their own rations, the rest are all levied by the army, although the tunhu have complained, but compared to the Xiongnu into the Kou no granules, the destruction of the homeland, this is good.

"Marquis Wu Zhonghou had this plan that day, it was really far-sighted...... "Wu Chen, a southerner, and Fu Zhi, a northerner, finally reached an agreement on this point.

And when they finally arrived in Lingwu County, saw Zhang Han, and presented the title of "Grand Chief" awarded by Heifu, Zhang Han didn't say anything on his face, but smiled and asked Wu Chen, how many heroes of the Northern Expedition were able to be crowned marquis?

Wu Chen told him truthfully: "The regent is the marquis of merit, Han Xin is the marquis of Yishan, Dongmen Leopard is the marquis of the tiger, Zhao Tuo is the marquis of 100 years old, and his father is the marquis of Ganyue. ”

"These names are so strange." Zhang Han complained, but he was a little unhappy in his heart.

He said secretly: "Except for Zhao Tuo, the rest are reckless, crotch, and Yueren, and they all have to be made marquis, and I am only the eldest concubine, and I condescend to ......."

But the title is based on merit, mainly beheading, defeating, and slightly, who made Zhang Han raise troops too late and missed almost all the battles of the Northern Expeditionary Army?

Fortunately, Heifu Yao sealed Zhang Han as one of the "servants" of Jiuqing, which is equivalent to promising Zhang Han that he will be able to participate in the administration of national affairs in the future, which will ease the unwillingness in Lao Zhang's heart.

It seems that if he wants a higher status, he can only take it from the Xiongnu.

"The Huns moved."

He didn't talk nonsense, and told Fu Zhi and the newly arrived Wu Chen the latest military information.

"The Huns are going south again?"

Fu Zhi rubbed his hands, Wu Chen also became nervous, this way to the north, let him understand that the southern soldiers he brought with him were afraid that they would have to face a completely different war from before, if he started a war when the wind and snow were fluttering, would the southern soldiers who were afraid of the cold be able to adapt?

"No, when Mao Dun heard that the Six Kingdoms had retreated to the east of the river, he ordered the king of his left and right to return to Toumancheng with tens of thousands of captive people......"

Zhang Handun sent troops to Helan and sent ships to help defend Henan, and in the direction of Shangjun in the east, Han Xin also led 20,000 people to quickly go north and block the road to the south of the Xiongnu.

Mao Dun is not stupid, since the Six Kingdoms have retreated, there is no need for him to fight to the death with the Qin army, he will run away if he robs it, this is what the Huns like the most!

"I hope that the Huns will go south to avenge their grievances and fight a decisive battle with us."

But it is clear that the purpose of Maudun is to plunder the population, not to collect the land.

Zhang Han couldn't help but regret: "In this way, it seems that we have expelled the Xiongnu from Henan, but in fact, they can still occupy Beijiao and Yinshan South, and they can go south again at any time and attack our border fortress." As a result, tens of thousands of troops could only be dragged by the Xiongnu in Beidi, Shuofang, and Shangjun, unable to move! ”

……

At the same time, Han Xin, who did not know the specific movements of the Xiongnu, was in Yulin in the north of Shangjun, rejoicing at the Hou Yin he had obtained, and at the same time pondering the meaning of this "Yishan Hou".

After a setback, Han Xin was now far from swelling enough to dare to say to Heifu that "the prince and the marquis can only send 100,000" and "the more courtiers the better", plus there was little ink in his stomach, and after asking several military Chinese soldiers in a row, Han Xin "understood" Wu Zhonghou's good intentions.

"The beneficiary, even more."

"Good man, good guy."

Han Xin pondered: "Isn't this encouraging me, don't be satisfied with the current achievements, but continue to forge ahead, get better and greater credit, and make the Marquis of Che?" ”

And right now, there is an opportunity to strengthen the army, which is in front of Han Xin.

A bearded man with a thick beard and braided hair stood in front of Han Xin, claiming to be the envoy of Lou Fujun, and was making a request to him that was unbelievable and incomprehensible to the people of the Central Plains.

"As long as the general can give us a thousand catties of gold cakes, he is our employer, and the knights of the three thousand floors can serve the general with a bow and horse in the next year!"

……

PS: There is only one chapter today.