Three Kingdoms

The further northwest he walked, the more Fei Qian realized the reason why Zhuge Liang chose this offensive route in the first place. Well, maybe it was just one of the reasons, but this reason should also be a very important one, and that was transportation.

Before the transportation problem is solved, large-scale wars or long-lasting wars are an act of killing one thousand enemies and damaging oneself eight hundred.

The consumption is too great, not only the consumption of soldiers, but also the consumption of transportation troops, and these consumptions have nothing to do with war to a large extent.

Fei Qian sat by the green mud water and spread out a piece of thick bamboo paper on the relatively smooth stone slab in front of him. He then used a brush to sketch on the bamboo paper, drawing a rough marching route and marking the key points of the surrounding mountains and rivers.

Of course, this slightly crude map is still a rough record and description, and many things are still unable to be marked in detail, but Fei Qian at least knows some basic common sense about maps. The proportions and sizes are relatively compared to other things in the Han Dynasty. Mapmakers are much better.

At least Fei Qian won't draw freehand or realistic landscape pictures on the map...

The current location is three days away from Yangpingguan, Hanzhong.

That's right, three days.

After making the mark, Fei Qian couldn't help but muttered that next time, he must get a mileage counter. Such a rough calculation method was really speechless.

In the Han Dynasty, there was actually a mile meter, or a Sili car, or a road-recording car. However, like many ancient black technologies, this thing was not widely used and was gradually lost.

In fact, the principle of the Sili car is not complicated. It just uses the differential relationship of the gear mechanism. However, with such technology, in the Han Dynasty, and even for a long time after the Han Dynasty, such Sili car was only used as a vehicle for the emperor to travel. One of the indispensable ceremonial guards in the "Dajialu Book" has not been put into actual use. In addition, no one except the manufacturer understands the principle. Once any of the gears becomes loose and decoupled, it will Even though it was broken, it didn't know how to repair or maintain it. Therefore, such a relatively bulky Sili car was defeated by China's unique chaotic calculation.

Approximate sums and approximations, all based on feeling, have been popular in China for hundreds of thousands of years. It was not until Western machinery came to the door that we realized how important it is to have an accurate measurement method.

Fei Qian turned his gaze to the rushing green mud water beside him, and then raised his head to look into the distance.

Qingni Water is so named because the color of both sides of the river is as green as green mud. In today's Han Dynasty, unlike later generations, when mentioning the northwest, one thinks of desolation and loess, just like the green mud water in front of us, which is still clear.

There is still some way to go.

Coming out of the small basin in Hanzhong, exiting Yangpingguan in the west, heading northwest, you will enter the Qishan Road. Compared with the Qinling Mountains, this road is much flatter. The mountains are gentle and there are roads between them. , enough to accommodate the troops marching in formation, not like the Tangluo Road that requires climbing and circling.

After walking northwest for about a day, we arrived at the intersection of Jushui, Dongdu River, Xihe, Baihe and Donggou River. Although there was a lot of water in this place, it was very shallow and not suitable for water transportation. It is walking along the river valley. Of course, building a camp in such a place for supplies should also be a good choice.

Fei dived into this position, marked it a little, and drew a "hui" shape with some horns, indicating that the camp could be built.

After walking northwest along the Qingni River Valley for about two days, we arrived at Ju County.

This is a rare piece of flat land surrounded by mountains, and has abundant water systems. One is the Jialing River that runs through the county, and the other two are the Qingni River and Xihan River in the northwest of the county.

The Western Han River was probably the pain of Zhuge Liang's life.

During Liu Bang's Northern Expedition to Xiang Yu, Han Xin mobilized troops out of Hanzhong to use the Western Han Dynasty water to transport grain and grass. However, by the time of Zhuge Liang, this had become the old almanac and could not be copied.

The Western Han River originates from Qishoushan Mountain in the north of Qishan Mountain. It originally flows through Ju County, and then continues southward. It joins the Han River at Yang'anguan in the southwest of Hanzhong, so it is named the Western Han River.

Therefore, Han Xin could calmly lead his 100,000 soldiers and horses northward without worrying too much about the problem of grain and grass, because bulky things like grain and grass could be transported by ship from the Han River to the West Han River, and then sent here to the Jialing River. , transporting northward...

Even if the shipping technology in the late Qin and early Han Dynasty was backward, it was still much more convenient than land transportation by humans and horses, but by Zhuge Liang's era, there was no other way.

I don’t know whether it should be Liu Bang’s good luck or Liu Bei’s lack of luck. An earthquake in BC changed the course of the Western Han River. From then on, the Western Han River met the Jialing River directly in the northwest of Ju County and no longer continued southward. It flows to the Han River, so it changes from a tributary of the Han River to a tributary of the Jialing River. Therefore, what was originally a good natural grain and grass transportation channel is cut off.

Therefore, in this era, if you want to transport grain and grass north, you must first walk from Hanzhong to Ju County, then take a boat in the county, first along the Jialing River, then along the West Han River, and finally reach Qishan Mountain. At the same time, this water transport has a long route, high mountains and narrow waters, and dry periods. Therefore, small boats are more often used to transport grain and grass, which invisibly increases the difficulty of transshipment of grain and grass.

However, Fei Qian did not intend to take the route of transporting grain and grass, but planned to go to Xiabian first, so he took the direction of Qingnishui.

The Qingni River and Jialing River in Ju County meet just north of the county. The river channels were originally narrow and blocked by silt. However, Yu Xu, the former prefect of Wudu, repaired the roads twice on a large scale, and the water transportation of these two rivers was reduced. After it was opened, this area has convenient transportation and is also an area where a large number of goods are traded, so it has become a prosperous place. This is where Li Ru borrowed grain and grass.

The further north he went, the more Fei Qian understood how helpless and desolate Zhuge Liang's choice was at that time...

Once Jingzhou was lost, Zhuge Liang not only lost a large area of ​​land, but also lost a place to supplement talents. The local nobles in Sichuan and Shu were the same as the local nobles in Soochow. Most of them only focused on the three points in front of them and did not want to make any progress outside. Therefore, Zhuge Liang's desire to defeat the vast Wei State, capture Longyou, and obtain the support of Longyou's talents has become a top strategic priority.

Longyou is located in Yongliang. Because of its close relationship with the Qiang and Hu, most of the people here are strong in nature, good at riding and shooting, practicing martial arts, and have extremely strong combat effectiveness. Therefore, Xiliang's strong military is not in vain, so it is also a supplementary place for combat. A strong base for troops.

Therefore, there is also a saying that "when a prime minister comes out of Guandong, a general comes out of Longxi". Zhuge Liang's troops left Qishan and marched into Longyou. In fact, he was just to recruit generals and replenish his army...

Put it this way, um...

Fei Qian pinched his beard, which was not too long, and thought of something. He couldn't help shaking his head and laughing twice. Then he put the brush on the pen cover and asked Huang Xu to put these items away. Facing the green mud water, he couldn't help but sigh. .

Therefore, Zhuge Liang chose Jiang Wei. In addition to Jiang Wei's own talents, and more importantly, apart from Jiang Wei, there was no one in the entire Shu Kingdom who had the same strong desire to attack Longyou and could completely defeat Longyou like Jiang Wei. Implement Zhuge Liang's strategy and fulfill Zhuge Liang's dream.

Take Longyou, take people, land, horses, recuperate, and then take Guanzhong, then join forces with the Sweet Party Wu State to destroy the Salty Party Wei State, and finally clean up the Sweet Party Wu State and unify the world...

In this way, Sichuan style hot pot will dominate the world, long live the spicy party!

such a pity……

"Junhou, Jiang Gongcao is here..." Huang Xu reported.

"Please." Fei Qian turned around and said.

Interestingly, I just thought of Jiang Wei, and then Jiang Ji came...

Although Jiang Ji has a good name, he is not good-looking. On the contrary, he has a handsome appearance, a strong body, and a bit of elegance. He is indeed Jiang Wei's father, and he is a good model.

Well, at this point in time, was Jiang Wei born?

Fei Qian didn't have an encyclopedia at hand, so he really couldn't remember when Jiang Wei was born. However, since he was the heir of Zhuge Kongming, he must be ten or twenty years younger than Brother Zhu, and now Brother Zhu is still in Lushan. I live in the wooden house down there...

By the way, I built that wooden house. Can I ask Zhuge for some rent money then?

How much is good?

"My subordinates pay homage to the general!" Jiang Jiu stepped forward and saluted with his hands in hand.

Jiang Ji was transporting food and grass and handling affairs for Fei Qian, so naturally he couldn't do it without a more formal status, so he took the position of meritorious officer in You Fufeng, so naturally he could be regarded as Fei Qian's subordinate to some extent.

After seeing the ceremony, Fei Qian didn't stay polite to Jiang Ji for too long, and directly asked about the transshipment of grain and grass.

"General, the Di Wang's nest has an old relationship with someone, and the transfer of grain and grass is profitable, so the Di people are happy to see it succeed..." Jiang Ji answered with cupped hands.

Longyou is a mixed bag of fish and dragons. Since the Zhou and Qin Dynasties, most people have lived in Mianzhu, Ji, Ji, Di, Di, Qiang, Lu and other Rong groups. The Qiang people have mostly lived in the counties of Wuwei, Anding, Tianshui, Jincheng, and Jiuquan in Liangzhou, and the Di people have lived in Wudu. , Fufeng, Tianshui and other counties, there are Western Qiang in the west of Hexi, and Xianbei, Xiongnu, etc. in the north. Therefore, in this area, the problem of ethnic minorities is also quite serious, and the Han people are also good and bad.

In the Xiabian area, the Di people were most concentrated, and their leader called himself the king, which was the King's Nest of Di.

The plank road on Baoxie Road is still being repaired. Although it has been repaired for a period of time, the project is difficult after all. It will not be completely repaired for a while. Therefore, it is still necessary to walk down the grain transport road to Longxi. Keep it up for a while.

"Good." Fei Qian nodded and said, "Transporting grain and grass is a complicated matter. Fortunately, Zhong Yi is lucky. When Guanzhong becomes self-sufficient, it will be Zhong Yi's great achievement..." A blank check must always be opened, otherwise The motivation brought by subordinates?

Jiang Ji quickly thanked him again.

"By the way, how many soldiers and horses does King Di have in his nest?" Fei Qian waved his hand, indicating that Jiang Ji didn't need to be more polite, and changed the subject and asked, "How is its combat power?"

Although it is said that King Di now favors Fei Qian's side and has some relationship with Jiang Ji, these Xiliang ethnic minorities do not have a strong spirit of contract. Some are also required.

"General Qi, there are three thousand Di soldiers in King Di's nest. They are all capable of fighting. They are especially good at running through the mountains and roaring in the woods..." Jiang Jiu said slowly, then glanced at Fei Qian and continued, "... However, the Di people belong to various tribes, including Qing Di, Bai Di, Bing Di, etc., each with its own subordinates, and the Di and Qiang intermarried, so now there are Qiang among the Di, and there are also Di among the Qiang..."

Fei Qian frowned and nodded.

How come this is the same as almost all noble tribes and natives? Or is it that this has become a fine tradition in China, and everyone who has some influence on it will become the same?

Whether it is Shandong or Shanxi, the gentry also relied on marriage and colluded with each other to form a huge network of relationships. Unexpectedly, the same is true for the ethnic minorities in Longxi. Is this red when close to Zhu, or black when close to Mo?

According to Jiang Ji, the Di people are good at mountain fighting, and the Qiang people are naturally good at riding fighting. This combination is really...

take it easy.

Fei Qian thought for a moment, and then said to Jiang Ji: "After returning to Guanzhong at some point, someone will send some fine things. At that time, Zhong Yi will give them to the leader of the Di people as a gift of thanks..."

Jiang Jiu's eyes flashed, but he nodded in agreement without saying anything.

"If Zhong Yi has any ideas, it's okay to speak up..." Fei Qian noticed Jiang Ji's performance and said directly.

Jiang Jiu glanced at Fei Qian and felt that Fei Qian was not just making perfunctory remarks, so he said tentatively: "...General...but you want to implement a strategy of differentiation?"

"This..." Fei Qian pondered for a moment, but decided not to hide it from Jiang Ji. On the one hand, since Jiang Ji had guessed a lot, it would look like he was petty to hide and deny it. On the other hand, Jiang Ji was recommended by Li Ru. The personnel were somewhat protected, so he nodded in recognition and said, "The land of Xiaben is connected to Longyou in the north, Guanzhong in the east, and Hanzhong in the south. Once it becomes unstable, there will be chaos on all three sides..."

Jiang Ji was silent for a moment and said: "In this case, my subordinates suggest that the general might as well be more friendly with Baima Qiang..."

"Baima Qiang?" Fei Qian was a little confused.

Isn't this talking about Di people again? How come they are connected with Baima Qiang?

Perhaps seeing Fei Qian's doubts, Jiang Ji explained: "White Horse Qiang is also White Horse Di, and the Qiang and Di are mixed together, and they are indistinguishable..."

I see.

Fei Qian nodded.

This is the benefit of local indigenous people. The Jiang family also has a surname in Longyou and has the largest number of people in Ji County. Naturally, they know the situation in Longyou quite well.

"By the way," Fei Qian said with a smile, "Zhong Yi is a person from Longyou, can anyone recommend him?"

Feiqian is very different now than it was in Bingbei.

In the eyes of the Han Dynasty people, the place in Bingbei was a remote and remote place, and it lived next to the barbarians. It was as if later generations said they were going to Inner Mongolia. Even if they were government officials, not many people would flock to it, so there was no How attractive, but now that Fei Qian holds the three major counties in Guanzhong, Fengyi on the left, Fufeng on the right, and Jingzhaoyin on the right, this area is naturally much better than Bingbei.

After all, the Han Dynasty is accompanying the capital, and Fei Qian also needs some gentry children from outside Guanzhong to balance and dilute the power of the gentry in Guanzhong, so the introduction of talents is an urgent matter at the moment.

Why not find Li Ru instead of Jiang Ji?

Isn't this obvious? On Li Ru's side, there are Jia Xu, Jiang Ji, Zhang Ji, Zhang Xiu, Gan Feng and other people who were originally subordinate to Dong Zhuo. If Li Ru recommends them again, wouldn't it mean that one family is the dominant one?

Li Ru also understood this, so when it came to Longyou talents, although he knew Fei Qian's needs, Fei Qian would never take the initiative to recommend them without asking.

Jiang Ji is different. According to the unspoken rules of the officialdom of the Han Dynasty, whoever recommends is responsible for who benefits. Those recommended by Jiang Ji are bound to be linked to Jiang Ji. Cultivating a small Jiang Ji power is naturally more important than continuing to let Li It would be much better for Ru's network to continue to expand...

So Fei Qian mentioned it, and Jiang Ji was indeed interested. He handed over his hand and said, "The general is interested in recruiting talents, and his subordinates will naturally do their best... Now there is a person who can be called a talented person..."