Warrior in Turbulent Han Dynasty

In June of the first year of Xuanren. Guo Shao negotiated with Wang Pu, the privy envoy, and set the time for the Northern Expedition as next spring.

Most countries choose to launch wars in spring, starting from the Battle of Gaoping and the Battle of Qin and Feng, almost always in spring. Because the traditional Chinese New Year is the most important festival for the Han people, it is easier to mobilize troops and people after the new year; it is very cold in the north, and it is very difficult to use troops in winter.

But at that time, it may also be the time for the Liao people to guess and take precautions, and it will be even more difficult to ensure the suddenness of the war.

At this time, there was still half a year before the Northern Expedition.

Soon, the local officials in Hebei reported their merits and captured several Khitan spies on the north bank of the Yellow River.

The process of catching the spies was very simple. The inspector ran into some strange-looking people on the road, went up to question them, and found that they could not speak official language, and the first-instance arrest was from Khitan.

It is not surprising that the Liao people used the number of ways to inquire about news. At this time, the countries seem to have no concept of spies. They can be called scouts at most, and they are the kind of people who are arrested. I'm afraid the Liao scouts didn't think they would be caught, because they didn't intend to sneak into Tokyo to inquire about the news, they were just inquiring about the situation near the Yellow River.

Because if Zhou Jun wants to make a northern expedition at this time, he must cross the Yellow River... a large number of pontoon bridges need to be erected.

Observing the pontoon bridge on the Yellow River is the fastest and most direct way for the Liao state to judge the large-scale northward march of the Zhou army.

The Liao Kingdom sent scouts in-depth at this time, obviously already alert to the intention of the Zhou army's northern expedition; but they didn't know when the Zhou army would make the northern expedition.

The court of the Great Zhou had only a dozen or so people who knew about the Northern Expedition, and they only knew that the imperial court had decided on the Northern Expedition, but they did not know the exact time; at this time, only Guo Shao, Wang Pu... and Fu Jinzhan were fully informed.

The suggestion of a minister to send someone to contact Goryeo and Hebei Han generals in advance was rejected.

Goryeo is too far away from Tokyo and Youzhou, so it cannot directly affect the Battle of Youzhou. Although Goryeo has always been ambitious about the "Old Land of Balhae", it has insufficient offensive capabilities. The alliance has only long-term strategic benefits, not tactical benefits... The most disadvantageous reason is that it is easy to reveal the approximate time of the Northern Expedition.

The same is true for contacting Youzhou Han generals, and it is easy to expose signs of the Northern Expedition.

... Mid-Autumn Festival of the first year. Tokyo is brightly lit, festive banquets and moon-watching scenes are as usual.

At this time, the hot summer weather has passed, and it is getting colder... When the temperature reaches the coldest, it will be the time of the Northern Expedition. The gradually cooling weather seems to be a signal that time is approaching.

The Military Weapons Supervisor Zan Jurun reported that the first batch of newly cast Longxiao Cannons had been tested.

There is almost no difference in the structure of the new cannon and the old cannon. They are both large-caliber mortars that throw stone projectiles. The only difference is that the cast iron material was changed to bronze, which the Ordnance Supervisor believed would make the gun more durable.

Soon after, the first matchlock guns were also manufactured. The barrel of the gun is still cast in bronze; the bolt has been improved several times and switched to matchlock for ignition.

It's just that the ignition device has been improved, which is more convenient than an open flame, but the range and lethality of the musket is the same as before. So it is still only equipped with Shenhuodu, because the practicality is far inferior to the bow|crossbow.

……In September, the envoys sent by Tokyo arrived at the Nanhan Guoxing Palace (Guangzhou) to order the ruler of the Southern Han Dynasty to enter Beijing, but were rejected, so that the Rhythm Newspaper was expelled from the territory of the Southern Han Dynasty.

Not long after, the Privy Council established the "Qianying Military Mansion of Prince Xing's Mansion" and mobilized officials to form a complete organization from top to bottom... What they were dealing with at this time was dealing with envoys from the Southern Han Dynasty and collecting news about the Southern Han Dynasty.

As a result, many people in the official circles in Tokyo also speculated that after the imperial court regained Hedong, the strategy would be placed in the south, and the Southern Han Dynasty, Wuyue and other places would be recovered one after another, and the great event of unifying the world would be completed.

However, this "Qianying Military Mansion of King Xing's Mansion" is well-organized, and it can be transformed into a staff mansion for the Northern Expedition with just one imperial decree.

Then the Privy Council ordered Sun Xingyou, the Jiedu Envoy of Yizhou, to build a city in the southeast of Yizhou; he also sent Fu Zhaoxu to go north, and recruited a large number of foundation stones needed by Min Zhuang to dig a stone quarry near Yizhou from various states in Hebei.

... In October, the peasants from the states north and south of the Yellow River were conscripted into corvee labor to build embankments for the Yellow River.

All these actions are deceptive. As a big country, there will be some government orders every year in Dazhou. Whether it is building a city or repairing embankments, it is not something worthy of attention.

A few months passed, and there was no sign of the Northern Expedition in Tokyo, and even the officials in Beijing did not think that the imperial court was preparing for a big war.

However, the Zhou army’s siege guns required a large amount of stone bullets. To build a city and open a stone quarry, they found a stone mine in advance and recruited a large number of stonemasons.

To build the embankment of the Yellow River, more people were recruited, counting in the hundreds of thousands.

Winter has arrived, and the weather is getting colder. This winter month (November) the south bank of the Yellow River began to snow. In the twelfth lunar month, the Yellow River Basin is already freezing cold.

...

On the tenth day of the first lunar month, Tokyo is still immersed in the festive atmosphere. The whole city is covered in silver, and the roofs and streets are covered with snow, but it is not deserted at all. Lanterns, flags, and people’s clothes are decorated with all kinds of bright red. The market is crowded with people. All kinds of playing, beating gongs and drums make the city during this period the busiest time.

But it's still too cold, and it's been extra cold this year. Entering the first lunar month, it is still snowing lightly.

Except in the cities and villages, the countryside is almost deserted.

On the bank of the Yellow River closest to Tokyo, there are one or two hundred riders stationed there. In the monotonous snow-capped world, these people feel lonely.

Guo Shao and the privy envoy Wang Pu are both here. The two stood there looking out, and in front of them was the surface of the Yellow River... a vast white plain with nothing on it.

Guo Shao kicked the snow away with his feet, squatted down again, and stretched out his hands to dig it away.

"This year is colder than previous years." Guo Shao turned to Wang Pu and said.

Wang Pu bowed and said calmly: "There is no need to build a pontoon bridge to cross the river." After speaking, he raised his hand and waved it.

As soon as he rode the horse over, he yelled "drive", kicked the horse's belly, and the horse rushed forward. Guo Shao stood up and looked at the departing people for a long time, only to see the black shadow getting smaller and smaller.

There was no wind between the sky and the earth, and the little snowflakes fell from the sky and fell to the ground lightly, very quietly. The dull sound of hoofbeats was very clear.

After a long time, the knight gradually returned on horseback. Wang Pu waved his hand again, a row of more than twenty riders lined up, approached slowly, and ran forward in a sparse formation.

"We will camp here today and return to Beijing tomorrow." Guo Shao said to Wang Pu.

Wang Pu pondered for a moment, and finally did not persuade Guo Shao. This place is on the south bank of the Yellow River, very close to the capital, and the surroundings are very peaceful; there is an elite cavalry around the emperor, so there is no danger of staying for a day or two.

Wang Pu only asked the soldiers to choose camps and set up tents, and ordered the men and horses who were on duty to take turns.

When marching and camping, Guo Shao didn't ask any questions. He just waited for the tent to be set up, the fire was lit, and he went inside to escape the cold.

Not long after, Wang Pu came in and saluted. Guo Shao told him to sit down, and then he sat down by the fire and shook the snowflakes off his body. Wang Pu said: "Tomorrow the imperial guards will change their defenses, and the old minister temporarily ordered the generals of the front division and the guard division not to disband the soldiers who have been transferred. Gather all the troops who have gone out, and then send money to each battalion to reward the soldiers and let them say goodbye to their families. The day after tomorrow, we can gather troops and horses to officially go out."

Guo Shao nodded.

Upon seeing this, Wang Pu clasped his hands and said, "In this way, the news of the Northern Expedition will only be made public tomorrow, and it will only be limited to the city of Tokyo. The Privy Council also ordered Tokyo to be under martial law for three days starting tomorrow, prohibiting anyone except soldiers from the Imperial Army from entering or leaving the city gate. Try to delay the time when the news of the Northern Expedition spreads."

Guo Shaodao: "The preparations for half a year, we have planned very carefully."

Wang Pu said: "Exactly. The new year has not yet passed, and martial law may affect people's hearts in Tokyo, but the people are not important in the current war.

The old minister reckoned that after the Great Zhou army was dispatched, it might take a while for Youzhou to know the news. According to the marching speed of the forbidden army, it is very likely that they have already attacked Youzhou and the people of Liao will be surprised. "

After Wang Pu finished speaking, he couldn't hide the excitement on his face.

Guo Shao looked at him pretending to be relaxed and said, "It should be unprecedented for us to launch a war of this scale suddenly?"

"Your Majesty is wise." Wang Pu bowed deeply.

Guo Shao waved his hand: "If you win the battle, you will be wise. Take Youzhou..."

There was a restlessness in his heart. Desire | Desire motivates people, but when things come to an end, it is not necessarily a good thing, it will distract people instead. Guo Shao took a deep breath, looking at the leisurely snowflakes and the simple white snow scene, the various ambitions surging in his heart gradually cooled down.

That's why he stays here. As soon as I arrived in this uninhabited place in the afternoon, I felt like I was far away from the world.

Guo Shao said in front of Wang Pu: "I have already started to work on it, and it is useless to think too much. Mainly focus on the matter itself, try to do it well, and the rewards will come naturally."

Wang Pu was thoughtful, turned to God and said: "Your Majesty's words are very true."

Dusk is coming gradually, you can't see the sun going down, but you can feel the light gradually dimming.

Guo Shao looked outside the tent, where there were two cavalry standing on the hillside. Their directions were opposite, standing motionless in the white snow seemed to be in a trance. What he holds in his hand is not a knife or gun, but a bow and arrow; there is an open snow field under the hillside, and anyone can see it at least a few hundred steps away.

But as long as you look carefully, you can see that the two riders have not settled down. They are facing each other with their backs, their heads are slowly turning, and they are carefully observing the things within the field of vision.

"Gu..." A bird's cry came, and Guo Shao was attracted, but he didn't know what kind of bird it was. The two sentinels were also attracted, and they looked up in the sky together.

But soon the silence returned. At this moment, the scene is so lonely, not as grand as a war at all, and everything seems to be deliberately covered in the endless snow scene.

Guo Shaoduan sat there, closing his eyes and meditating in this ethereal but open world. His breathing gradually became even and slow, as if a Taoist priest was practicing inner alchemy.

After a long time, he heard the sound of the wind, and opened his eyes suddenly. The flag that had been hanging outside the tent was blown up, swaying in the wind like a water dragon, the flag was unfolded, and a fierce tiger was printed in front of Guo Shao's eyes with its teeth and claws.

"Roar..." Guo Shao seemed to hear a deep and majestic roar.

The tiger seemed to be deep in his heart, staring down at the earth with rounded eyes. Guo Shao's eyes also stared round, turning into that imposing manner.

Coercion, bravery, self-confidence, fearlessness.

!!