choke element

Chapter 643 Jinshan

The northern boundary trench of the Dajin Kingdom is a rare and extremely large-scale defense system in modern times.It starts from Puyu Road in the northeast interior of Jin State in the north, and stretches westward to the border with Xia State.Through the network defense composed of two layers of linear trenches inside and outside and a large number of fortresses and fortresses, the cavalry on the plateau can be hindered from attacking, and the detour tactics that cavalry are good at can be effectively cracked.

However, because the construction of the boundary moats by the Kingdom of Jin itself began to weaken because of its national strength and it was unable to control the grasslands. The status quo of the weakened national power also made them make a lot of crude and simple things when they built the boundary moats, and continued to use the city sites left by the Liao Kingdom.

Jinshan was built on the basis of the Jinyang Army of Confucianism in the Liao Dynasty.During the Five Dynasties, the Later Jin ceded Youyun Sixteen Prefectures to Daliao, and Ruzhou was one of the so-called nine states behind the mountains.If you push forward, the history of this place can be traced back to Banquan where the Yellow Emperor and the Yan Emperor fought.

This city is located in the middle of the grassland surrounded by mountains on three sides. The snowmelt on the mountains and rivers converges into mountain springs and streams, and then merges into Qingshui River, Gu River, Xihe and other rivers winding around the city.The continuous meadow to the west of the city pool is even richer in water. There are stretches of wetlands and clear springs called Baiyanquan.At that time, there was a poem praising it: "The rain in the morning passes through the clouds in the Black Mountain, and the hundred-eyed spring produces new water and grass."

Just when Zhao Xuan and others entered the city, hundreds of birds flocked around the Baima Spring in the north of the city, hovering on the clear water, causing many soldiers to laugh.

From Jinshan Mountain to the west, to Xuandezhou and Hongzhou, this entire area is a place where farming and nomadic intersect, and it is also an important water source for the grasslands of northern Xinjiang and Zhongdu.

In the past ten years or so, it has been the center of northern ordnance and material transfer that Daikin has strived to build.Dajin's Herding Office and Zhongdu's Jiafang and Sharp Weapons Departments both set up branches here, and supervised the shepherds or craftsmen to work for military supplies.

However, in the third year of Da'an, the Mongolian army broke through Jinshan Mountain and slaughtered the people in the city. These shepherds or craftsmen survived by chance, and they were all taken captive to the depths of the grassland.It is said that they were all regarded as property by many Mongolian Nayans and divided into slaves of various tribes. In the eyes of the Nayans, their status was roughly equivalent to a horse or a hound.

Because the population has been massacred and plundered, Jinshan City looks empty right now. The outer city of Zhouhui Qili is almost uninhabited, and no one has cleaned up the broken walls. The weeds and thorns have obviously been cut down and burned. , but some corners and corners were not taken into account, so there were gnats flying in groups.

Zhao Xuan stared at it for a while, and several soldiers in the city quickly said, we will send people to clean up immediately.

Walk a few more steps, and you can see a high hill on the east side of the city.There is an iron smelting workshop on Gaogang, which is clangingly started, and the inner city close to the workshop is now the entire place where soldiers and horses are stationed.

Seeing Zhao Xuan visiting the workshop frequently, Zhang Shao, who came to welcome him on behalf of Qiu Huiluo, shook his head and said, "Don't expect too much, there are only a few arrowheads and a few nail leaves to repair, nothing else can be done there! "

Qiu Huiluo's subordinate generals suffered a lot in the bitter battle in the north of Sanjiadiandian.Therefore, Guo Ning successively transferred many officers to fill the vacancies in his army.

Zhang Shao was a companion who fled from Yehuling to Hebei together with Guo Ning. He was the leader of Guo Ning's guard, and he was as famous as Zhao Jue in archery.At this moment, he has also become a command envoy, but he is temporarily responsible for training the newly signed soldiers and horses of the Beijing Road. After waiting for the strength of the troops, he will go north to restore the old place of the recruiting department on the Northwest Road of Huanzhou.

So he and his subordinates were also stationed in Jinshan City, occupying half of the barracks.

When the Mongols who came here with Zhao Xuan were busy unloading, Zhang Shao sent his men to help.My family accompanied Zhao Xuan to walk around and have a look.

Hearing what Zhang Shao said, Zhao Xuan asked, "I don't think the scale of this workshop is small? Is this the only thing you can do?"

"The key is that there is no one. In this area of ​​Shannan, there have been more than [-] casualties in the past two years. We are in the local area, and we can't find blacksmith masters at all. And in the central capital, ahem, they are also short of manpower, and even if we Which craftsman has taken a fancy to, and when he heard that he was going to come to the mountain, he immediately shook his head like a rattle..."

Zhao Xuan laughed and said, "That's a matter of course, after all, this place is under the eyes of the Mongols! The common people are terrified of being killed by the Mongols, who dares to come here to seek death."

"So not only is there a shortage of people in the blacksmith workshop, but also the building that should be built in this city, such as warehouses, stables, and horse faces on the enemy's platform at the head of the city. Because there are no common people who can sign and serve, they are all done by the soldiers themselves. It was hard work to come out!"

Zhang Shao was born as an old soldier in the local area, and he is the most sympathetic.He had just seen that Zhao Xuan was dissatisfied with the mess in the city, now he said something sideways, praising Zhao Xuan's new subordinates.

At present, the few officials nodded their heads like pounding garlic, saying that it is not hard work, and they have to work harder.

Zhang Shao's words are not wrong at all.

After Guo Ning took control of Zhongdu, he immediately took Zhao Jue as the envoy of the Wuding Army, and advanced to the states behind the mountains in the north via Juyongguan.But after three months, when Qiu Huiluo's troops were successively transferred to the states behind the mountain, there was still only Jinshan that he could firmly control.

That is the reason why the population is too small to support the army.

If there is no population, grazing, arable land, and all needs such as food and materials for the army, they have to be transferred from it.This put a huge pressure on the logistics, especially the geographical environment of this transportation route is complicated, with mountains, grasslands, and wetlands intersecting, the roads are difficult to maintain, the wheels and axles are easily damaged, and the consumption of vehicles and materials is very high.

Without the support of the population, even if Marshal Du's Mansion controlled all parts of Shannan, it would be just an empty territory.Our own forces can only control a few strategic points, and the vast outer space, the Mongols will come and go as they want.If one's own side is a little negligent, they will be crossed and outflanked by them, and they will go straight into the Central Plains.

However, how many people can meet the needs of rebuilding the northern defense line?How many people can support at least two-thirds of the defense line of the boundary trenches, and the many military forts dotted around the rear?

fifty thousand?One hundred thousand? 50?
When Dajin was in its heyday, the command fort and garrison fort at the front of the boundary trench and the road level were all densely populated.For example, Changzhou, where Guo Ning was born, has 240 households, and Xuande Prefecture behind Changzhou has 3 households.Although there is no exact number of Yongtun soldiers and civilians along Jiehao, there are about 140 strong men.

What now?
What is it like along the boundary trench? The soldiers and horses of the Ding Navy have not arrived, and no one can see it.Just look at how many villages and communes were burned down from Jinshan to the south, passed Juyongguan, and counted to Jinkou Daying in the north of the central capital, and how many good fields were trampled to waste?The entire 180-mile boundary, if you use a grate to comb through it carefully, you may not be able to point out 1 strong men.

As for the city of Zhongdu, it was besieged by the Mongolian army twice, only worse.Not to mention fighting to death, more than 30 people died of starvation alone.The mass grave in the south of the city has already been buried to the fifth floor!

This is also the reason why the Marshal's Mansion held high the hands of a large number of captives.

After the war in Zhongdu, the Mongols, Khitans, and even the surrendered soldiers on Beijing Road who failed to catch up with the uprising on the battlefield and became captives are now all regarded as laborers and sent to various departments to work for atonement.Without them, many things just can't be done!

After talking about this topic for a few more words, Zhang Shao shook his head again and again.He came here first, and he has witnessed the difficulties in the past two months, and he has a lot of depression in his heart.

The two climbed up to the wall of the inner city to have a look. Under the scorching sun, the Mongols lined up in several queues, unloading boxes and bags of military supplies on vehicles and pack horses. drenched.

Shi Mo, who led the team, had just finished looking at the unloading area marked out in the city, and walked out from the inner city.Inadvertently raised his head and saw Zhao Xuan and Zhang Shao standing side by side, he stopped and cupped his hands: "Shi Mo also first met the two generals."

Zhang Shao's family members were all killed by the Mongolian army. He didn't like any foreign race, so he just snorted and ignored it.

Zhao Xuan looked at Shi Moye first, and said with a smile in Khitan: "This trip is under the sun, you have worked hard! After the cargo is unloaded, take a good rest. I think there are a few lakes outside the city. Go take a shower and come back to eat."

Zhao Xuan was born as a merchant, and his family was doing business in the grasslands and various ethnic groups in the Northeast, so he could speak Mongolian, Khitan, and Jurchen, and he could also chat with Tatars and Wangu people, and his temperament was relatively gentle.

Shi Mo also brought people back and forth to transport supplies. Recently, he has seen many officers of the Ding Navy, and it is rare to see such a polite surrender to a foreign race.Immediately, he was moved, and saluted again: "General Zhao, don't worry, we can finish the move in half an hour at most. I also specially let people watch those who need to be handled with care, and there will never be any question."

Shi Mo also spoke Chinese at first.

Zhao Xuan also switched back to Chinese and said with a smile: "Okay, okay!"

Shi Mo also hurried out first to urge the Mongols to work.

"It turned out to be a Khitan man! Hehe..." Zhang Shao turned his head to look at Shi Moyexian's back.

Because there are many Khitans in the Dinghai Navy, especially because Chu Cai is the head of civil servants, many Han soldiers usually feel that the military government is more tolerant of Khitans.However, the Sinicization of the Khitan people is also strong. In the eyes of ordinary Han children, there is almost no difference between the Khitan people and the Han people.It has to be Zhang Shao, a veteran of northern Xinjiang, who still feels different.

Moreover, during the Battle of Zhongdu, Zhang Shao was one of the group who stayed behind in Shandong and failed to catch up with the fight and meritorious deeds, so he was very upset at the moment, and he was not happy to see any foreign race.

On the contrary, Zhao Xuan persuaded with a smile: "This Shi Mo is also a smart person first, and he cooperates very well with us. Let's be more polite to him, maybe in two years, this person will be a colleague! If you want to kill the enemy and make meritorious service, That spirit has to be placed in the north!"

Zhang Shao nodded slightly.

At this time, he looked around and saw that there were soldiers in armor with swords and guns at the gates, horse faces, and enemy towers of Jinshan City.Everyone stood under the scorching sun, all sweating, but no one stood crookedly, and no one left the post to rest.

This situation proved the effect of the two months of military training and made him happy.

Zhao Xuan immediately said a word, which made him more energetic.

"As for the lack of personnel in the military prefectures behind the mountains... the marshal has known about it for a long time. Lao Zhang, to tell you the truth, I am here this time under the order of the marshal to solve this problem."

(End of this chapter)