Qin Official

"This time when we set out, the first obstacle we encountered was not the Huns, but logistics, and the lack of food!"

A few days after setting off from Yiqu City, Beidi County Huanyi was stationed here. The Beidi Qin Army was stationed here. This was their last stop before leaving the fortress. Heifu summoned the deployment and came to the central headquarters of the city to discuss the matter of leaving the fortress.

As the three officers who commanded the three hundred good families, Qiang Hua, Fu Zhi, and Gan Chong were able to stand at the end of the hall and listen. As soon as Heifu began to talk about "the army will perish if it has no baggage, perish if it does not have food, and perish if it has no accumulation", Gan Chong winked at the other two people, meaning: "I guessed it right, the county captain is also It’s an old saying again.”

Qiang Hua and Fu Zhi were sitting upright, but in fact, their ears were almost ringing with calluses. Along the way, every time they stopped, what the county lieutenant and the generals discussed the most was how much food was left in the army? Where is the grain truck? How much can be replenished in the counties and cities along the way...

This is no wonder Heifu. When he asked Qin Shihuang for war, he imagined that Beidi County would send about 7,000 troops. Qin Shihuang's first reaction was "hate the young man". Little did he know that this was already the limit of this military operation...

It's not that Beidi County can't dispatch more troops. If Heifu is willing, he can lead ten thousand people out of the fortress. The key is that the supplies outside the fortress cannot bear more troops.

An army marching for a long distance is not like a primary school organizing a spring outing for students, where everyone can just bring some snacks. Heifu is also an old soldier, and he knows very well that the army consumes a lot of money eating horses and chewing, and it costs a lot of money every day in the mainland, let alone going outside the Great Wall.

"North of Xiaoguan, the terrain is spread out, reaching into the desert. During this period of four hundred miles, there are no residents, no trees, and very few water and grass. They only exist at Huamachi. The terrain in the middle is barren, and the army can't even hope to get any food. Supplies and water are also intermittent!”

The population density per square kilometer is closely related to the amount of surplus grain. According to the investigation by Wu Shiyan and Chen Ping, before arriving at Huamachi, the Qin army had no chance even if they wanted to "defeat the enemy with grain". They couldn't even think of getting a grain of grain along the way. Once you have it, it is even more unreliable to let the soldiers hunt on their own, so you have to bring everything yourself.

When Chen Ping was in Yiqu City, he made a calculation for Heifu: the distance of more than 400 miles, according to the normal marching speed of the Qin army's infantry with baggage, would be more than 40 miles per day, which would take about ten days, and a young and strong man would take 10 days. It takes 5 buckets of rice to eat, and 7,000 people need to eat 3,500 shi of rice.

On average, each person carries an extra 15 kilograms of grain, which is not too heavy and can be placed on the two donkeys or horses assigned to each item.

"Fortunately, the county captain asked everyone to bring pot helmets as dry food..." Qiang Hua stuck out his tongue.

This is an upgraded version of the "shaobing" eaten by immigrants from Shandong in Guanzhong. It is said that it came from the kitchen of Wei's family in Heifu County.

This thing is as big as a human face and can be cut into strips and put in a bag. In the dry north, it can be stored for several months without spoiling, and it is dry, hard and chewy.

The disadvantage is that it is too hard. It is no exaggeration to say that pot helmets that have been dried for a long time can kill people. Qianghua once asked Gan Chong, who was good at throwing stones, to try it. His belt spun like flying, but the small stones thrown out were Only a small hole was made in the pot helmet...

Gan Chong was stunned at the time, while Fu Zhize laughed loudly and said that this thing can be used as a shield.

Sure enough, since then, Fu Zhi has actually replaced the shield on his back with Guokui, causing Qiang Hua and Gan Chong to secretly replace him with "Fu Guokui" or "Guokui Hundred Generals"!

When the young men joked and joked, Captain Heifu heard them and did not blame them. Instead, he smiled meaningfully.

The three of them didn't know that Heifu was secretly glad that someone had given him a nickname...

But the pot helmets can only be used as dry food for emergency marches. If they are chewed every day, there will not be enough water to soften them, and the teeth will break. Considering the time of stay outside the wall, Heifu will have to add another month of food, about 10,000 shi of corn.

What is this concept? If civilians are used to transport the goods, a human-powered chariot can carry 200 pounds of rice, and two people are required to pull the chariot, which requires five to six thousand people. The road was dangerous, and most of the food transported was eaten by the civilians along the way. There was very little left at the end, and we had to face the attacks of the Huns coming and going...

Northland County is already sparsely populated, so Heif would rather use livestock.

A donkey can carry 2 stone, a mule or horse can carry 3 stone, and an oxcart can carry 20 stone. Just the oxcarts used to pull grain would require 500, plus the grain, beans, green materials, and various other things that the cattle and horses also need to eat. Ordnance equipment, medicine, bandages, and arrows as consumables would probably require thousands of vehicles, which could be discharged for several miles.

When transporting animals using bullock carts and driving animals, you have to consider issues such as injuries and diseases of the livestock. It is winter, and even if you arrive at the Huama Pond, there is not much grass to eat. If you do not graze regularly, many animals will become thin and die. Hei Fu has already suffered from this After the war, be mentally prepared to eat half of the livestock, or even kill them to death, and then replenish them on the spot.

Therefore, Heifu must lead elite troops and cannot be greedy for too much. Regardless of how grand the crowds are when setting off, when we arrive in the desert salt swamp, hey, everyone will starve. Every extra mouth puts more pressure on logistics.

After the final military meeting, Heifu decided to divide the seven thousand people he brought into several parts:

A thousand large plains soldiers are the vanguard, led by the official Yiqu Bailang. Each rider has one person and two horses, and only five days of food. As the vanguard and the following troops, they set off first, traveling hundreds of miles a day, and strive to reach Huama within five days. Pool!

After Heifu handed the cut wooden talisman to Yiqu Bailang, he told him: "Although Jun Yan rebelled against the Huns and surrendered to the Qin Dynasty, he was still afraid of the Huns' revenge. They were prone to repeat themselves, so he marched day and night with military supplies, and quickly arrived at Huamachi City. , to calm his mind, and then order Mr. Yan Yan to prepare rations and fresh water for our army. "

"Save it for me, my subordinates!"

Unlike the Gongsun clan who had received titles through generations, Yiqu Bailang's title was mainly earned through his repeated military exploits during the Unification War.

After not fighting for several years, this Huarong-mixed warrior already had itchy hands.

The Dayuan Rongqi under his command killed the Niu, Huluo, Penglu, Yehu, and Pengyang families. After the clan leaders were called by Hei Fu to the county town for a meeting, he hinted that after defeating the Xiongnu, they could move. When we arrived at the better Helan Ranch, we were already squealing with excitement!

Heifu said to the leaders of the five tribes: "I propose to your majesty that during this battle, the Rong tribe warriors who join the Qin army can be granted pastures according to the land grant system. Each level of nobility will be granted 500 acres of pastures..."

As soon as this statement came out, the eyes of the five Rong people shone. The Rong people were proud to die in battle and ashamed to die of illness. Rather than idle at home and fight among themselves, they would rather go outside the wall to earn a better and bigger pasture!

At this time, Heifu's eyes turned to the three good generals at the end of the hall.

Qiang Hua, Fu Zhi, and Gan Chong immediately puffed up their chests. They knew that the vanguard of the Hei Army was the easiest to perform meritorious service and the easiest to fight the enemy, so they all hoped that they could be selected!

However, Heifu's eyes skipped Qiang Hua. After looking at Fu Zhi and Gan Chong, he nodded at Fu Zhi.

"One hundred generals, Fu Zhi, and one hundred good family members will be at the command of Commander Yiqu."

Fu Zhi was overjoyed, but Gan Chong glanced at Qiang Hua secretly and found that he looked disappointed.

After that, Lieutenant Heifu selected two other troops. He himself commanded four thousand well-trained county soldiers and soldiers to form a large army. He spent ten days of food and strived to reach Huamachi and Qianghua within ten days. He was selected to act with the county lieutenant as his personal attendant.

As for the follow-up troops, Hei Fu arranged for Gongsun Bailu, who was able to take charge alone, and escorted a thousand ox carts with two thousand people. They marched slowly, and Gan Chong took the remaining one hundred good family members to join them...

…

"We are going our separate ways."

After everyone took the order and went out, Fu Zhi said to his two colleagues that although they were from different counties, they had been getting along for half a year, became a hundred generals at the same time, trained together, got along day and night, and already regarded each other as friends.

"Yeah, I thought we would fight together, but I didn't expect that we would be divided into three groups."

Gan Chong sighed and bumped the depressed Qiang Hua with his shoulder: "Zihua, you are unhappy, could it be that you are dissatisfied with the arrangement of the county captain?"

"How dare Qiang Hua do this..." Qiang Hua is the kind of person who writes all his emotions on his face. He said he didn't dare, but his face turned red. He is the grandson of Qiang Fu, the governor of Shangjun, and was born in a general. While practicing riding and shooting, he once led his family's cavalry to chase a group of bandits, killing many of them, and became famous in the local area.

In his opinion, if he chose the bravest and best fighter among the three to join the vanguard of the Hei Army, he would be obliged to do so. Why did the county lieutenant choose Fu Zhi?

"Can't you see the intention of the county captain?" Gan Chong's talent is not only throwing stones, he is also very careful.

"What's the purpose?"

Qiang Hua said: "My brother is also a cavalry commander in the Longxi Army who can lead thousands of men. It is said that he went out with General Li many times to collect firewood. Why can I only stay with the county captain and be his personal guard?"

He spoke without hesitation and stared at Fu Zhi: "I am better than you in swordsmanship, horseback riding, and archery. Why did the captain choose you to join the army? It's not fair!"

Fu Zhiren was more blunt and a little stunned, but Gan Chong said coldly: "Fair? It is indeed extremely unfair. We enlisted in the army at the same time and became a hundred generals at the same time, but from today on, the future will be very different. As a heel soldier, Fu Zhi was exploring the way outside the fortress in ignorance. He might encounter a large army of Huns at any time. He had many opportunities to make meritorious deeds, or he might die in battle. But you, Qiang Hua, could stay safely beside the county captain without any traces. Wrong, you have to stay close to him, you are not allowed to be free, and you cannot gallop around the battlefield wantonly, but you can accompany him to hold military meetings, be informed of all matters, big and small, and even make suggestions..."

"No matter what the outcome of this battle is, I'm afraid you can get a share of seniority and a share of credit! This is the benefit of being a personal guard. I heard the official Gong Ao say that when the county lieutenant was the son of the court lieutenant The one who has hundreds of personal guards and is highly regarded!"

Gan Chong was the lowest born among the three, and his family was just a small family, so he was more concerned about these things.

"Why do the lieutenants treat me like this!"

Qiang Hua was completely stunned. Seeing that he still didn't understand why, Gan Chong spat angrily: "Because you are the grandson of the governor of Shang County!"

Only then did Qiang Hua suddenly realize that he was a little ashamed of his recklessness. He lowered his head and said, "It's not that I want to be like this. I still want to go to the front line to charge into battle." He said stiffly. "Do I want to go to the rear army to see the bullock carts, smell the stench of manure, and eat dust?" Gan Chong ridiculed this young comrade.

At this time, Fu Zhi, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke: "Gan Chong, have you misunderstood? I once heard a county captain say that if there is no farming, there will be no food, if there is no work, there will be no work, and if there is no business, there will be no food. Then the three treasures will be perfect, and if Yu does not come out, wealth will be scarce. Farmers, workers, Yu, and merchants all have their own duties."

"The county lieutenant said that the same is true in the army. Whether it is heel troops, bodyguards, or baggage, each has its own responsibilities, and none of them is indispensable. Without heel troops, the outpost will be in danger, without bodyguards, the commander will be in danger, and without baggage, the army will perish. The county. The lieutenant arranged us in different military formations, maybe to let us practice in each position. Second gentleman, don’t worry about which position is easy to perform meritorious service, and which position is safe and easy to be promoted. I think that the battle formation Above, things are changing rapidly, and no matter where you are, you have the opportunity to make great achievements!”

This was a lesson that Heifu taught to the three hundred good family members who had high hopes for him when he inspected the army. They were like pieces of blank paper, with martial arts skills and cultural backgrounds. They were the young generals and officials... So Heifu The husband put them in different positions to practice. Among them, Gan Chong was asked to see the grain truck because he was talking about logistics and showed a disapproving look...

This war is like this. I'm afraid it will be the same again next time. There is no deliberate preference for anyone.

At this time, it was Qiang Hua and Gan Chong's turn to feel ashamed together, and murmured: "It's Fu Guokui who remembered the words of the county lieutenant. We almost judged the heart of a gentleman with the heart of a villain..."

"No matter what, this is the first battle for three hundred good families from the North. Don't lose to those soldiers!"

Fu Zhi raised his hands to the two paozes and said, "Mianzhi!"

Qiang Hua and Gan Chong also clasped their fists and nodded: "Yes, let's encourage each other!"

…

The next day, an army of more than a thousand cavalry set off from the front, basically one man and two horses, galloping out of the fortress!

The four thousand main force led by Heifu followed closely behind and arrived at Xiaoguan one day after the vanguard left the Great Wall.

On the 28th day of the 28th month of the 28th month of the 28th year of Qin Shi Huang’s reign, while the army was resting in Xiaoguan, Heifu received news from Yiqu Bailang sent back by Hou Qi:

"Jun Yan sent an envoy to report the situation! More than a thousand Xiongnu cavalry have arrived at Huamachi!"