Xue Shao really rewarded Li Xianyuan with ten buckets of fruit wine, and promoted him from a logistics idler who was waiting for death to be promoted to the marching office of the counselor's military aircraft, and became a member of the think tank "Gao Shen" who directly served the commander, which was equivalent to a deputy military division.

Li Xianyuan has seen Xue Shao's strictness in governing the army and ruthlessness in his methods. He has always been accustomed to laziness and profligate nonsense, so when others are promoted, they are happy and motivated, but he is sad and retreats. Xue Shaocai didn't bother to talk nonsense with him, and either he was promoted or shown to the public for the crime of disobeying military orders.

In this way, Xue Shao has an extra half-drunk and half-awake military advisor who is always half-drunk and half-awake, always unreliable but occasionally has a flash of inspiration.

After resting for three days, Xue Shao led his army to Fengzhou.

A short three-day rest could not fully restore the army. The current Shuo Fangjun is like a person who has just finished a marathon and immediately fought with people, very tired and weak. In order to avoid encountering the enemy again on the road, Xue Shao temporarily requisitioned thousands of cavalry from the left and right Yu Marquis Army as battlefield scouts, and dug three feet into the ground in a radius of dozens of miles in front and rear to strictly reconnoitre, beware of the enemy's ambush or sneak attack.

As a result, the Turks were really completely evacuated, and not even a single scout remained. Xue Shao secretly screamed in his heart that he was thrilled and glad that if the Turkic army launched a large-scale surprise attack on our army at this time, the consequences would be unimaginable!

Toyosu has finally arrived.

The entire Shuofang army was relieved.

When Xue Shao's army arrived, Fengzhou Sima Tang Xiujing and Fan Yunxian, the general of Yulinwei sent by the previous imperial court to rescue Fengzhou, led the army to meet him.

Xue Shao rode out and stood alone in front of the army of 100,000 people, with only one flag bearer behind him.

Tang Xiujing and Fan Yunxian each led a team of men and horses out of the city, all of whom were infantry trotting. When he got closer, Xue Shao found that whether it was generals like Tang Xiujing and Fan Yunxian or the pawns behind them, they were all yellow-skinned, their eyes were sunken, their bodies were stained with blood, their clothes were dirty and smelly, their armor was covered with scars, and the places where the leather was spliced were all gone, and they were barely tied with strips of cloth.

Seeing them, Xue Shao couldn't help frowning, and couldn't help but think of the native soldiers in Yanzhou.

They are just as ugly and wolf-like, but also just as energetic and scrappy!

"Subordinate Tang Xiujing!"

"The last general, Fan Yunxian!"

"-Meet Young Marshal Xue!!"

The second general stepped forward and bowed to Xue Shao.

Xue Shao didn't rush to move on the horse, and asked lightly, "Where are your horses?" ”

"Back to the young marshal, there has been no food in the city for a long time...... Horses, all eaten! Fan Yunxian lowered his head and replied in a low voice, with a hint of fear and a deep sense of guilt in his voice.

Horses are the most important military material in this era, and the sergeants who abuse the horses have to eat military law, let alone kill and eat them? Moreover, emotionally speaking, horses are the most intimate and trustworthy robes of soldiers, and this kind of thing is tantamount to cooking meat for the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty!

"Why is your armor so messy?" Xue Shao asked again.

As soon as this question came out, Tang Xiujing and Fan Yunxian fell to the ground at the same time, "Young Marshal Xue, it was the two of us who ordered to cook and eat all the leather things in the city!" Not only the cowhide on the armor, but also the scabbard, quiver and even the ...... Boots! - The crime of damaging ordnance is unforgivable, and the two of us bear full responsibility, please punish the young marshal! ”

Xue Shao was instantly silent. He rode on his horse and quietly looked at Tang and Fan and the group of soldiers behind them who were even more wolfless than beggars, and his heart was mixed.

Tang Xiujing and Fan Yunxian didn't know much about Xue Shao, and in the face of Xue Shao's silence, they were apprehensive and drumming in their hearts, wondering if he would really behead us with military justice?

"Guo Yuanzhen!!" Xue Shao suddenly shouted, startling Tang Xiujing and Fan Yunxian, who were nervous about their heartstrings.

"Here!" Guo Yuanzhen stepped forward and promised.

"I don't care how much you have left, now I'm going to requisition a batch of military rations soon." Xue Shao said, "I'm going to let the brothers in the city of Fengzhou eat and get drunk for three days—steamed cakes, loose seeds, pickles, white rice, Turkic dried meat, and our home-brewed fruit wine, all of which are enough!" ”

"Yes!" Guo Yuanzhen agreed to the promise without saying a word, and could only secretly complain in his heart: My mother, you are a loser and generous, how will you live in the future?

Tang Xiujing and Fan Yunxian were unexpected, and looked up at Xue Shao who was high on horseback together, and they were all stunned.

Xue Shao turned over and jumped off the horse, personally stepped forward to help Tang and Fan, and said: "One qiē thing, when you have enough wine and food to nourish your spirits, we will discuss it again!" ”

"Thanks...... Young Marshal Xue! The second general bowed down on his knees and burst into tears.

Xue Shao grabbed the two of them from bowing, and grabbed the shoulders of the two of them hard, and said, "In the future, Shuo Fangjun will be our home, and we are all Brother Paoze!" Brothers, no thanks! ”

"Yes! ……”

"Swear to follow, Young Marshal Xue!"

The two generals finally burst into tears, excited and embarrassed, and they all turned their faces to wipe them in a hurry.

"Welcome home." Xue Shao patted them on the shoulder and said with a smile, "The family banquet has been prepared, two brothers, please!" ”

Later, Shuofang's army entered the city, and Tang Xiujing and Fan Yunxian handed over all military affairs to Xue Shao, took their few remaining more than 1,000 horses, and went to rest and recuperate for a while.

After taking over the city defense, Xue Shao didn't care about the fatigue of overdrafting, and personally led people to inspect the surrounding areas to check the defense as soon as possible.

Fengzhou is a military town without people and farmland merchants, built to prevent the nomads from the north from going south to the Yin Mountains to plunder, and has a very long history. After the Northern Expedition to pacify the Turks during the Tang Taizong era, a group of Turkic settlers were placed here within the scope of Fengzhou's rule, and the military town was placed under the rule. But over the years, because the Turkic settlers were not accustomed to life here, they successively went south to Guanlong to make a living or returned to the desert for grazing, and Fengzhou once again became a pure military base with nothing but soldiers.

Therefore, the city of Fengzhou was built very large, and at least 200,000 troops could be stationed in the city, and the city walls were very tall and strong. Xue Shao rode his horse and ran all day without walking around the city, and he almost got lost. Because all the places in the city look similar, except for the barracks arranged like a Go lattice, which is a military aisle that is straight and open to the end, and then it is not a bare school field, and it is difficult to find even a single grass.

Every qiē here is for military service, and there is no fancy and redundancy at all.

Xue Shao felt that living in such a boring, monotonous and tense place for several years, even if he was not killed by the enemy, he would have the urge to commit suicide because of loneliness and boredom.

I really don't know how those Tang soldiers stationed in Fengzhou survived in the past!

A few days later, the scouts again reported accurate news that after crossing the Yellow River, the Turkic army had retreated across the Yin Mountains and retreated into the desert.

The siege of Toyosu has been completely resolved, and there should be no serious fighting in the short term.

just took a breath, and then Xue Shao faced a heavy problem - the grain and grass were about to run out, and the frugality could only last for a month at most!

There are no people or farmland here in Fengzhou, and all military supplies rely on the transfer of the Xiazhou Governor's Mansion in the rear. In the past few decades, the northern grasslands were under the rule of the Tang Dynasty, so there were not many garrisons in Fengzhou, and the imperial court did not think so. However, in recent years, the Turks have repeatedly launched rebellions, and the throat of Fengzhou has to be garrisoned.

There are more than 700 miles from Xiazhou to Fengzhou, most of which are Gobi and desert roads, and the road is rugged and difficult to travel, so it is very difficult to transport grain and grass. Often transporting a bucket of grain to Fengzhou, more than one bucket is consumed on the road. Fengzhou's military expenses have remained high since then, and the Tang Dynasty court has wanted to abandon Fengzhou and retreat to Shuofang several times.

Now, the big problem of 100,000 people having to eat is Xue Shao's turn to solve it.

Xue Shao had almost no illusions about the imperial court, otherwise, the problem would have been solved when he left Luoyang. Now Xue Shao has only one way left, to go to the Xiazhou Governor's Mansion to raise grain and grass.

Without further ado, Xue Shao decided to return to Xiazhou in person immediately. In addition to collecting grain and grass, we also have to take care of the people's livelihood and government affairs there. In addition to leading troops to fight in Fengzhou, the governor of Xiazhou, he also has four prefectures under his jurisdiction: Xia, Sui, Yin, and Ting.

Half of the entire Guanlong hinterland of the Tang Dynasty is now under Xue Shao's control.

Xue Shao handed over the important task of Fengzhou's defense to Li Duozuo, Tang Xiujing and Fan Yunxian and other generals, and took Guo Yuanzhen and Xue Chuyu to lead only 3,000 jumping troops and returned to Xiazhou to supervise the grain and grass.

Before leaving, Li Duozuo made a special trip to invite Xue Shao and said to him: "General, I have to solemnly introduce someone to you. ”

"Who?"

Li Duozuo said: "It's the imperial history of the prison army that you temporarily threw to me on the eve of the first battle of Huanghuadui, Zhang Renyuan." ”

"Oh?" Xue Shao was a little curious, "What do you say?" ”

"This man is a man who can be made." Li Duozuo said, "On the battlefield that day, I saw that he was particularly brave in battle, and his martial arts were extraordinarily idle. So I deliberately took care of him on the battlefield, so that my guards would protect him from the death of him, a new recruit. After the battle, I called him to the front for questioning, only to find that he was not only strong in martial arts and brave in battle, but also proficient in the art of war and good at strategy, and wrote a good word and a good article. It would be a pity if the general didn't take it with him and carve it with his heart to reuse it! ”

Xue Shao smiled, "I didn't expect him, a first-time pawn, to attract the attention of you, a former general, on the battlefield." ”

Li Duozuo also smiled and whispered: "Just like when the general first came out, didn't he also get up from the pawn?" The cone in the bag will eventually stand out, and the extraordinary heroes will always be discovered, and they can't be hidden! ”

Xue Shao laughed, "I'm very comfortable with this sycophant-ask Zhang Renyuan to come!" ”

Li Duozuo smiled and waved his hand, Zhang Ren was willing to slap his horse and step forward, and excitedly and carefully hugged his fist and bowed to Xue Shao, "The last general, meet the general!" ”

"What kind of general, you are still the imperial history of the supervising army, not the general of the Shuofang army." Xue Shao said, "Yushitai is independent of the six departments of the three provinces and the army, and has its own lineage. Unless the imperial court officially transfers you to my command, no one will be able to pry into the corner of the Imperial Tower. ”

"General, I have already taken the initiative to submit my resignation to Yushitai before I set out on the expedition, but Shangguan will not allow it!" Zhang Renyuan said hurriedly, "But then the Queen Mother told me that as long as I made military achievements, she guaranteed that I could be transferred to a military position!" ”

Xue Shao smiled and said nothing, the Queen Mother had already sued me, do you still need to say it?

Zhang Renyuan was even more anxious when he saw that Xue Shao still didn't say anything, and hurriedly said: "General, I personally cut off seventeen heads, snatched a war horse, captured four horse lances on the battlefield, and captured a rebel chief who commanded a thousand-man horse team. Can this be regarded as a military achievement? ”

Xue Shao couldn't help but be slightly surprised, you are Xue Chuyu, doing so many things alone?

"General, what I said is true!" Zhang Renyuan was anxious, "If you say half a lie, dare to be dealt with by military law!" ”

Li Duozuo smiled and said, "General, I testify." Everything he said was true! ”

Xue Shao blinked his eyes and looked at Zhang Renyuan a few times, "Let's go, what nonsense!" ”

After saying that, Xue Shao turned the horse's head and left with Xue Chuyu and the others.

Zhang Renyuan didn't react for a moment, "General, where are you going?" ”

"Of course it's Xia Zhou!" Li Duozuo slapped Zhang Renyuan's buttocks, and laughed: "Hurry up and keep up with the general, silly boy!" ”

"General Xie!"

"General Xie Li!"

Zhang Renyuan rode a fast horse to chase Xue Shao, and shouted excitedly: "Long live Shuo Fangjun!" ”