Chinese New Year

Chapter 520 I have made up my mind
"The Ye Plain is a thousand miles long, with grain transport connections in all directions." On the Bronze Sparrow Tower, Shi Le suddenly felt a little emotional.

He looked towards the forest garden in Yexi.

Someone once told him that after moving his capital to Ye, he could build a palace in the garden, where he could escape the heat and cool off during the hot summer months, and enjoy the magnificent scenery of the Zhang River.

He agreed with it deeply, but the time was not yet ripe and he did not want to waste too much manpower, so he gave up.

Of course, some people say that Ye is not a place to live for a long time. This is because since Ximen Bao ruled Ye, it has been a well-known rich place in the world, and the fertile land of Hebei has thousands of miles and a large population. Emperor Guangwu of Han used it to accomplish his mission, and Yuan Benchu ​​relied on it to fight against Cao. It is indeed a first-class rich place, which can easily make people linger in wealth and luxury, and gradually lose the spirit of enterprising.

A rich country will be extravagant, and it will quickly rise and fall. This is not just talk.

But these may have nothing to do with him!

Some things, the less you see them, the less you see them.

Unconsciously, Shi Le also faced the reality and was able to let go.

Of course, recognizing the reality is one thing, but it does not mean that he is willing to accept it, nor does it mean that he can do whatever he wants. Even if Shao Xun has the upper hand, he cannot do whatever he wants.

Some battles must be fought.

"Mengsun, how is the battle in Bingzhou going?" After Shi Le looked at the scenery, he calmed down and asked calmly.

"The two sides fought three battles at the foot of Jinyang City, Lan Valley, and Guanjuejin. The Xianbei did not gain any advantage and have already indicated their intention to retreat," Zhang Bin replied.

Shi Le hummed and said with a smile: "Look, as soon as I asked Mengsun, there was good news."

"Your Majesty, if you have any other good news, please tell me as well." Zhang Jing said jokingly.

"Haha." Shi Le pointed at Zhang Jing from a distance, then put his hand behind his back and took two steps calmly, saying, "There's news from Pingyang that the emperor has appointed my son as the crown prince of Shangdang..."

Having said this, he stood with his hands behind his back, his back to the crowd. In an instant, it seemed as if all his energy and spirit had gathered together.

"Doesn't this mean that the emperor will make Yidang the kingdom of the king?" Zhang Jing hesitated.

Shi Le turned around and nodded with a smile.

When the generals and officers heard this, they looked somewhat excited.

Zhang Bin lowered his eyebrows and eyes, without saying anything.

This matter was actually decided at the beginning of the month, but Da Hu kept it secret.

He was the King of Pingjin of the Han Dynasty, which was just an empty title in the past. Now it was different. He used Shangdang County as a fiefdom, which was a standard way to divide the land and become a king.

Of course, Shangdang County had basically long been under the influence of the Great Hu. There were not many Jin people in the area, and the Jie people and Wuhuan were all from the Great Hu. Granting this place to the Great Hu was just a recognition of a fait accompli.

But if you say it has no effect at all, that's not right.

This is an attitude that shows that the imperial court trusts the Da Hu and relies on him very much, and he is the backbone of the country.

This is not difficult to imagine.

If Zhang Bin can think of it, others can understand it too.

Da Hu released this news at this time just to reassure people: Don't panic, the court will come to rescue us.

Unconsciously, everyone had changed from tacitly following Da Hu with the goal of establishing an independent force to relying on Pingyang with survival as their primary goal.

What is this? This is the destruction of one’s spirit.

What was even more difficult to understand was that everyone in Yecheng seemed to have accepted this fact. This made Zhang Bin feel that the ceiling of their military-political group had actually been locked, and there was no future to speak of - unless there was a major change.

It is difficult for a ruler to govern his country without good ministers.

It is difficult for a minister to display his talents without a wise ruler.

The relationship between ruler and minister is like the harmony between yin and yang; the present and the past are one body, and they abide by the laws.

The generals and officers under the Great Hu army originally seemed to be quite capable, but now it seems that they are just mediocre people, and not the kind of loyal ministers who can assist a king and create a new world.

He already regretted it.

The king chooses his ministers, and the ministers also choose their kings. In troubled times, who is the true master? It's really hard to believe, or I'm not good enough in learning.

But few people are willing to make Hebei their base.

There was Sima Ying before, but he ruined his great advantage.

Later, Gong Shifan, Ji Sang, Shi Chao, Sima Mo, Sima Teng and other people rose and fell. During this period, he watched coldly and did not act rashly. In the end, he bet on Bao Le...

What can I do? What can I do? After all, I am not good at learning and my vision is poor. I am not broad-minded enough and I am too obsessed with Hebei. I have not looked at the whole country and carefully observed the heroes of the world.

Tao Bao stood among the generals, secretly observing Zhang Bin.

There is actually nothing to discuss in the military meeting. With the morale of the army so low, what good solutions can be found?

Da Hu mentioned that the imperial court in Pingyang would send reinforcements, but Tao Bao only half believed it.

Let's take a step back and say that even if this is true, is it too late?
We have been fighting Tuoba Xianbei in Jinyang for almost two months. Even if they leave now, will you replenish supplies and rest your troops? Yecheng can't wait any longer, unless Dahu is willing to risk being besieged and hold out until the food runs out. But judging from the current situation, Dahu is unwilling to take this path.

Although he was born a bandit, he still had some vision and did not want to die in such a cowardly way.

After listening for a while, he already understood: Da Hu decided to fight to the death with Shao Xun.

He had nothing to say about this.

Just fight, anyway, the troops that can fight are in the hands of the big Hu. As the governor of Wei County, he only has 5,000 to 6,000 people, half of which are county soldiers and half of which are temporarily recruited young men. In a war of this level, they are really useless.

He is more worried about his future now.

The words my concubine said are still ringing in my ears.

The babbling child smiled at him every day. He felt that he was not as hard-hearted as when he followed Da Hu in his early years. After he had a wife and children and became rich, he became even more stubborn.

When he thought of the scene of losing the war and destroying his family, he felt so uncomfortable that he couldn't eat. He was distracted again just now. When he thought of his young child being killed if the city was broken, he broke into a sweat and subconsciously looked at Zhang Bin.

Zhang Bin was very silent, and nothing could be seen on his face. He hid his thoughts very well, but Tao Bao had a hunch that this man no longer wanted to give advice to Da Hu.

"Old guy, you just can't be trusted!" Tao Bao secretly complained in his heart.

There was a "swish" sound in my ears.

Tao Bao was startled and looked up, only to see Da Hu draw out the sword from his waist. After looking around at everyone, he said, "Those who are helped by God must first help themselves. If we are defeated again and again, even if the imperial court reinforcements come, they will not take us seriously. I have made up my mind to go out of the city and fight against Shao the bandit. You don't need to say anything more, just follow my orders."

Everyone hesitated for a moment, then said, "Yes, sir."

Shi Le looked at everyone again, said no more, and went back to his mansion.

His family had been taken to Santai and lived in the palace room next to Yujing. When he returned home, his wife Liu and concubine Cheng came forward to pay their respects.

"I heard that my husband is going out of the city to have a decisive battle with Shao Xun?" Liu asked.

Shi Le nodded, not surprised why his wife knew this.

In fact, as the daughter of the chief of the Jie tribe in Shangdang, Liu was indeed "beautiful", but she did not use her beauty to please others. Instead, she often assisted Shi Le in handling military and political affairs, made suggestions, and played a key role.

Shi Le was a man who had a miserable life when he was young. He didn't even have a wife. After being sold as a slave, he couldn't even get married. It was only when he surrendered to Liu Yuan that he gradually settled down. He also got married at that time, and it has only been a few years since then.

Up to now, he has only two sons. The crown prince Shi Xing is born to Liu and is six years old this year.

The second son, Shi Hong, was just born this year. His mother was Cheng, the sister of Cheng Xia from the Jin Dynasty. She was the concubine that Shi Le took in after he settled down in Hebei.

He has even fewer offspring than Shao Xun, and now he is being targeted and beaten by Shao Xun. You can’t even imagine how miserable he is.

Liu was born in the Shangdang Jie tribe, of the same species as Le. She was a courageous person, skilled in archery and horse riding, and was not a delicate beauty in the boudoir.

Theoretically speaking, Shi Le was able to rise to prominence because the Liu family was the original shareholder and made great contributions. At least many of the large number of Jie cavalrymen were from the Liu family.

According to grassland customs, men go to war outside while women stay at home, and Liu is no pushover.

Although Shi Le discussed many things with his generals, he would also go over them again with Liu after returning home to see if there were any omissions.

In history, when the Former Zhao was conquered, Liu actively made plans, with a big vision and great ambitions - "Liu was courageous and strategic, and Le often participated in military decisions with her, helping Le to build achievements. She had the style of Empress Lü, but was even less jealous."

When he stayed behind, Liu was also very qualified - "Zhang Bi rebelled in Xiangcheng, Liu drew his sword and killed him, and Le relied on him to help."

Even after Shi Le's death, she still refused to admit defeat - "Shi Hu was monopolizing power, and Liu planned to raise troops to fight against him, but the plan was leaked and she was killed by Shi Hu."

This woman is not simple.

Seeing Shi Le nod, Liu nodded despite her worries and said, "There are still some valuables in the mansion. My husband can take them out and reward the soldiers to encourage them to fight bravely."

"Madam is truly a good wife and supportive mother." Shi Le sighed.

At this point, many generals and officers were reluctant to give up their money. Despite his many hints, they were unwilling to give money to reward the soldiers. In fact, he was not as decisive as a woman!

After expressing his feelings, he saw that his wife still had her hair in prairie-style braids, and he subconsciously reached out to grab it and then stroked her face.

Liu dodged and advised: "My husband, at this critical moment of life and death, how can you act like a child? A man should wield a sword and roam the world. When he is accomplishing his great cause, what kind of woman can he not want?"

Shi Le was actually speechless after being scolded by her.

Liu continued, "Once the wolf king on the grassland shows signs of fatigue, he will soon be replaced. I have heard that Shao Xun is addicted to women, and I look down on such people. But now he has led his troops to station in Yexia, showing off his power. The sound of the mountains and the sea can be heard clearly even in the deep harem. This is what a real man does. If you want to turn defeat into victory, you should put aside all distractions, raise your sword and fight bravely, and fight with all your strength. Only in this way can you have a glimmer of hope."

After saying that, he waved his hand and asked Cheng and others to leave.

Shi Le was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, "Madam is right."

Liu sat down opposite Shi Le again and asked with concern: "There are both advantages and disadvantages to inviting a fight under the city. If the battle goes badly, I am afraid that someone will take advantage of it and fight for the city gate. Does my husband have a comprehensive strategy?"

"Wang Yang is in charge of the city's defense. He is mature and prudent, and I have already taken care of him," said Shi Le.

"How do we fight the decisive battle?" Liu asked again.

"It's impossible to rely on the infantry." Only in front of his family would Shi Le tell the truth: "We can only hope that the cavalry will work hard."

Liu nodded and said, "I'll give them some advice."

Shi Le felt relieved and said, "With Madam's help, our chances of winning are much better."

He has a love-hate relationship with his wife's family.

Love is easy to use, and they work harder, after all, we all prosper together and suffer together.

What he hated was that their power was too great and threatened his core position, so he had been secretly suppressing it in the past few years, and the military power was always in the hands of the "Eighteen Riders" who followed him earliest.

Unfortunately, he had nothing when he started out, so he relied on Liu Han's reputation and his eloquence to persuade the Wuhuan people to join him, and then he got an official position, and then he used this to win over other tribes. After marrying a wife, he received strong sponsorship from the Liu family, and finally had a core army. However, after so many years of fighting in the south and the north, although most of the people of the Liu family were suppressed and failed to climb to a high position, there were still a large number of their people among the middle-level officers.

He originally wanted to take the time to tidy up and clean up, but Shao Xun came knocking on his door, so he couldn't act rashly.

At this point, his wife actually had to come out to say hello, which made him feel a little uncomfortable.

But think about it from another perspective, Shao Xun also made his fortune with the help of women, so it's the same for everyone.

In the next two days, Shi Le took out money and goods and rewarded the soldiers, which boosted the morale of the troops.

On the 26th, he ordered the collection of the people's livestock, and slaughtered a group of old and weak horses and donkeys to hold a feast for the entire army.

After doing all this, on the 27th, he selected 30,000 infantry and 10,000 elite cavalry, and marched out of the city to line up in the wilderness.

The Jin army, which was building siege equipment, was also not ambiguous.

Early in the morning, drums roared, and the Silver Spear Army, the Volunteer Army, the Palace Army, and the Nanyang Army all went out into the battle. There were more than 30,000 infantry and cavalry, facing the Yecheng troops from a distance and forming a battle formation.

The war begins today.

(End of this chapter)