Five Dynasties River Mountains Fengyue

Seeing the corpses of relatives being burned, many people burst into tears and wept bitterly. Shi Congyun sent officials to spread the news that dead bodies would cause plague, but he still couldn't completely suppress the grief and hatred of the people.

This is only the outlying disaster area. There are more than 400 people in several villages in Liangshan, which is a small place.

There were only [-] people in the camp in Qianshan, and the rest were either missing or dead.

It was the first time that Shi Congyun came to the front line of the disaster, and Shi Congyun felt powerless, too powerless...

This is completely different from the disaster relief of later generations. It is difficult for the country to dispatch the army uniformly. Most soldiers have no experience in disaster relief at all, and it is impossible to do their best to save the people. It is normal to deal with things.

More importantly, in this era, there are no airplanes, satellites, cars, trains, and various heavy-duty road-opening machinery. Many roads in disaster-stricken areas are destroyed and cannot be entered. And more places don't even have news, and people can't get in. Whether people can live or not depends on whether the old man gives face or not.

It is the court's best effort to settle the people who can escape, and it is not uncommon for hundreds of thousands of people to die in random disasters.

If in later generations, a disaster that killed hundreds of people would have shocked the whole country, but here, even if a disaster killed thousands of people, the government and the people would not be surprised, and everyone is used to it.

At this time, Shi Congyun also found that he, the emperor, was far from being as arbitrary as he thought, and he was unable to change many things. Before thinking about holding a national draft, the expansion of years of victories had been thrown into the sky, and he was soaked by this flood. , Sober up a lot, only full of haggard and powerless.

Shi Congyun stood on the top of the mountain, stepping on the muddy ground, watching the raging flood below roaring at the bottom of the mountain. Soldiers carefully transported supplies through the temporary bridge. Very small portion.

After the sky cleared, the summer wind was still blowing, but it was heavy, making it hard to breathe.

Officials only came to report to him yesterday that the number of missing and dead people has exceeded [-], and in the worst-hit counties along the Yellow River, some places are still inaccessible, so it is not clear what the situation is.

However, they all expressed their concerns tactfully.

Shi Congyun understood what they meant, and directly asked them what they guessed.

Officials from the Ministry of Household Affairs predicted that the death toll may exceed 50, and the number of people affected by the disaster is estimated to be around [-].It will cost an astronomical amount of money to completely relieve the disaster.

Hearing this number, Shi Congyun's heart skipped a beat.

Nodding calmly on the surface, his heart was extremely heavy. The terrifying roar of the river below also made him restless, and the humidity and heat in the air also made him a little restless. Another thing that made him restless was that Xiao Huanghua was sick and had a fever in bed.

He regrets a little now, he shouldn't have brought Xiao Huanghua here at the beginning, it's all because he was too coquettish, the battle ahead went smoothly, the Liao Kingdom surrendered, and the kingdom was destroyed one after another, he was in the midst of a happy spring, so he thought that there was nothing wrong with him in the world, it was nothing Emperor Shi couldn't handle the matter, so he let Xiao Huanghua come.

As a result, I felt a deep sense of powerlessness.

After all, Xiao Huanghua is not like him. She is strong and strong. She followed him and took care of her all the time, but the conditions were difficult and the environment was harsh. She developed a fever within a few days, and now she is still in a daze on the bed, which made him worry a lot. .

At this time, the Battle of Lianhua Mountain that Pan Mei mentioned should have started, I don't know how the battle is going.

According to Pan Mei's description, this battle is likely to determine the fate of the entire Eastern Route Army, and it has a lot to do with it. He can only sleep for two or three hours a day these days, and he has something on his mind.

And this catastrophe does not know what kind of impact it will have on the country.

A few days ago, several prime ministers wrote a letter saying that they would come to the north to replace him. Shi Congyun hesitated. It was indeed too hard and tiring to stay here, which made him want to go back to the capital and wait for the result comfortably. I have fought for most of my life, suffered so much hardship, enjoyed it, and it is reasonable to be lazy.

However, after a night of ideological struggle, these ideas were finally rejected by him.

The more it is at such a critical time, the more we cannot relax. The front line is still fighting, and such a big incident happened later, and we cannot make any mistakes.

......

By the beginning of June, the situation gradually began to stabilize. After the heavy rain, there was no news of the battle in the south, but there was movement in the north.

Xiao Siwen wrote a letter saying that his daughter Xiao Chuo was sick and could not come to Daliang. Please forgive me, but he can send another clan girl instead.

Shi Congyun was a little angry and felt that something was wrong, so Li Hanchao also sent a letter.

Li Hanchao, commander of Guanbeidu, said that his secret interview found that Xiao Siwen's daughter was not sick, but that Xiao Siwen seemed to want to break his oath with Qin and let his daughter marry the Liao royal family, but he didn't dare to act, as if he was testing.

Based on Xiao Siwen's refusal, Li Hanchao asked to send troops to teach Liao a lesson, and also made Xiao Siwen think about his own mistakes, and quickly sent his daughter to Daliang to serve the emperor.

Li Hanchao was very excited in his words. It could be seen that he wanted to make military achievements, and he also felt that it was a great achievement to do this well. Everyone in the world knew that the emperor was good at this, and he was professional in robbing other people's Emperor Shi.

After Shi Congyun saw it, he immediately understood, and he thought it was true.

In the past, he would have been furious and told Li Hanchao to fight quickly, but now he is strangely calm.

It may be that he has seen the devastation in the disaster area, it may be that he has realized his own powerlessness, or he is really immune. After so much, women are more for him to pursue a kind of psychological satisfaction. As for physical stimulation, Emperor Shi has seen a lot, so it doesn't matter anymore.

After going through this extraordinary spring and summer, he suddenly felt that the so-called Xiao Chuo and the so-called clan of the Liao Kingdom were not important. Compared with the millions of people in front of him who were looking forward to him, they were nothing.

The most important thing now is to stabilize the current situation. At this time, the middle school is already very difficult. The victory in the south is still undecided, and disasters continue in the Central Plains. It will be difficult if there are still problems in the north.

What's more, Xiao Siwen thought he was smart and kept testing his bottom line, but he didn't know that for the current Emperor Shi, it didn't matter whether Xiao Chuo was not Xiao Chuo, he was more willing to have an excuse to start war against the Liao Kingdom at any time.

If Xiao Siwen really broke the contract, if he didn't send Xiao Chuo here, it would mean that the Liao Kingdom would go back on its word and violate the covenant first, then it would be justifiable for them to tear up the peace agreement and send troops first.

So Shi Congyun replied to Li Hanchao immediately, telling him to guard the border and not send troops.

But he treated Xiao Siwen's letter coldly, pretending not to see it, not posting it, not replying, but devoting himself to disaster relief work.

Chapter 423, Three Happiness Arrives

The dirt smelled foul, and the bleak daylight pierced through the black smoke.

Those smoke screens were thick, covering the ground, emitting a stench, and half of the sky was dyed thick black, as thick as if it was about to fall. The fires in the wilderness flickered little by little, like the lights of thousands of families, and there were hatchets everywhere, covering their faces Muzzle soldiers to and fro in the fire.

They were responsible for splitting the corpses for burning, and those fires in the distance were all for burning corpses.

In late June, as the weather improved and the emperor personally took command of the disaster-stricken area, no one dared to neglect the front-line officials and soldiers. More and more troops from Hebei prefectures began to enter the disaster-stricken area, and the follow-up troops rushed to come. performance in front of the emperor.

Originally, Shi Congyun didn't want so many soldiers from other states and counties to come, because so many people piled up here would increase the logistical pressure.

But when he came to the front in person and saw the situation on the scene, he realized that many things can be explained clearly not in a few words, but only by guessing and imagining, there will be a big difference.

After more than ten prefectures entered the disaster area and waited to be dispatched, more than [-] troops from all walks of life were assembled on the banks of the Yellow River, which was more than the war in the south. It seemed that the Central Plains and Hebei had also fought a big war.

While Shi Congyun mobilized the treasury for food and grass, he asked Wang Zhong to lead [-] imperial troops from the capital to maintain order.

This place seems to have become another battlefield. The 10,000+ army and the input of many logistics support personnel have made the Central Plains more lively than the southern battlefield, and the money spent every day is like opening the floodgates.

It is not impossible to compare this place to a battlefield, and the casualties are even more severe. Up to now, more than 50 people have been confirmed dead, and more than [-] people have been displaced. The number of casualties is still increasing, which is far more terrifying than the front line.

This year's events were unexpected, as if the Qin State opened up two major battlefields in the north and the south at once, which exhausted the originally complacent Emperor Shi.

He rode a horse and looked into the distance under an old persimmon tree. This place is already close to the central area of ​​the state and county. He had never dared to go deep before, fearing that it would be too dangerous to be trapped, or encounter floods and rockslides. Just kidding, he has elite imperial guards, but these guards may be able to protect him against the enemy, but they are powerless against natural disasters.

Second, he was afraid of the spread of the plague. After a catastrophe killed too many people, it was usually accompanied by a catastrophe. This was why he ordered the burning of the corpses under pressure.

Disaster deaths are far more terrifying than wars.

He hasn't ridden a horse for a long time. Because of the weather, the road is still a bit muddy, but riding a horse is not a big problem. He gallops across the battlefield on horseback, and the feeling of being invincible and invincible seems to have returned, which made him ride for many days. Rejuvenate the weary spirit a little.

The dark sky in the distance is particularly oppressive, the air is filled with the stench of burning corpses, and faint wailing can be heard from time to time. Many people are crying and kneeling on the nearby avenue to bid farewell to their family members, but they dare not go over because of the emperor's death order. , Going forward, the avenue and the fire site have been separated by patrolling cavalry, and the air of sorrow permeates the world.

Shi Congyun looked at these calmly, and repeatedly told the officials around him not to let the common people get too close.

"Officials, why don't you drive them away, what do these ordinary people know?" the officials around him asked for instructions.

Shi Congyun glanced at him: "People are flesh and blood, it doesn't matter to them here, as long as they don't get close to the pile of corpses."

He was actually very scared in his heart. The flood disaster had made the country open up another big battlefield near the Yellow River. At this juncture, both the north and south fronts were already very tight in terms of manpower and financial resources. If there was another plague, it would be fatal.

Traditional Chinese culture is different from that of the nomads in the north. After the Khitan died, their corpses had to be processed in various ways, and they were not so opposed to burning their corpses.

But in traditional Chinese culture, because of the worship of the land, people are more advocating returning fallen leaves to their roots, and advocating burial in the ground. Burning and destroying corpses is a great blasphemy.

Therefore, when fighting in the past, Shi Congyun chose to bury the plague in order not to cause plague. Although it was more time-consuming and labor-intensive, it was easier for soldiers and common people to accept.

But it’s different now, too many people died, too densely packed, and many corpses were dug out from ruins, under the sand, or found in rivers and streams.

Emperor Shi didn't dare to bet, the front line was still fighting, and if another plague broke out, it would be really fatal.

Not only did the situation start to improve, but Xiao Huanghua's condition began to improve. It can be said that double happiness is coming.

On the same day, Shi Congyun went around and couldn't bear the smell of corpses in the air, so he went back to the big tent to accompany the little Huanghua who had just recovered, and took care of the little girl.

When it comes to taking care of people, Shi Congyun is naturally good at it. He is a rough guy, and he has not done any rough work for so many years.

But he just likes to order people around. He used to call Zhao Shijian, but now he calls Xiao Huanghua.

Now he took care of Xiao Huanghua instead, if others would definitely be scared to death, Xiao Huanghua was not afraid, her little face was happy and flushed, the fever had subsided, but she hadn't fully recovered yet.

In the evening, Shi Congyun accompanied Xiao Huanghua to eat some porridge and water, and after hearing the officials' report on the disaster, a soldier carrying a red flag was hastily led into the tent by the imperial guards, who gave him three blessings.

The soldier who came in was soaked and covered in muddy water. After kneeling on one knee for a while, he suddenly rolled to the ground.

The imperial guards next to him went up to check and replied: "Official, he fell asleep, probably too tired."

Shi Congyun asked someone to take out the letter in his hand and present it up, then quickly took him down to rest, and prepared water and food.

Opening the letter and reading it for a while, Emperor Shi's fatigue these days seemed to disappear all of a sudden, and he stood up excitedly from his seat.

After all, Pan Mei had cooperated with him for many years, unlike those civil officials in the court who insisted on words, they had a deep understanding of the cultural level of the emperor, so the battle reports they wrote were all in vernacular.

The content of the letter is very simple, Lianhuashan victory!

The Qin army captured more than 120 people from the Southern Han army, defeated its main force in Shaoguan, and captured more than [-] generals and schools above the commander of the enemy capital.

Shi Congyun took a long breath, the worry and depression of these days finally spit out from his chest like a breath of turbid breath, and his whole body seemed to lose half of his weight, and he began to feel light.

Immediately found the officials around him, excitedly said: "Announce this news, the more people know the better! Notify the whole army and the people!"

In such a calamity, such an inspiring victory came at an opportune time.

After seeing it, the official was so excited that his arms trembled slightly, and he bowed and retreated immediately.

......

Soon, the south won again, the Lianhuashan victory, and the news of the Shaoguan victory spread throughout Hebei, shocking the soldiers and civilians in suffering and tears.

Things are starting to turn around, and things are going in a good direction...

Chapter 424, Great Debacle

At the foot of Lianhua Mountain, black smoke filled the sky, thick enough to suffocate people, but those dancing flames were not for burying people, but burning roadblocks and deer villages.

A large number of piles are piled up at intersections, gates, bridgeheads, and forest edges, blocking the march. However, compared with obstacles such as rejecting horses, Luzhai is too rough. Most of the time, trees are cut down and sharpened branches are used to hinder the march. The places near the woods use local materials. , very easy to use.

This kind of simple obstacle really can't cause any decent damage to the army, but it takes a lot of effort to clear the obstacle, which greatly consumes the soldiers' morale and physical strength, and slows down the pursuit. It is the most troublesome obstacle for soldiers.

In fact, fighting is the same as many things. The more fancy things are, the more useless they are. Just like the least fancy bows and crossbows have always been the main force of the army, and the least fancy spear weapons have always been the backbone of the army. An army of 100 people needs Fifty spears and fifty pairs of bows and crossbows can fight. Swords and swords are mostly used as secondary weapons.

The simpler it is, the more effective it is.

Facing these rough obstacles blocked by logging everywhere, the Qin army still had no good way, which greatly hindered the speed of pursuit. Facing these obstacles, it was unrealistic to rely on manpower to move them. It was time-consuming and laborious. It might take tomorrow after clearing By then, all pursuits will be delayed, and the best solution is to set fire to the matter.

Fish oil is kept in large quantities in the military, most of the time just to deal with this situation.

The flames soaring into the sky left the shadow of Lianhua Mountain behind. In the distance, a large group of soldiers were chasing south across the woods and low hills. A small village in the northeast was blazing into the sky, and those poor people's lives and properties were burned.

The Southern Han army used the surrounding villages as positions and set up too many roadblocks, and the Qin army had no good way to attack. The best way was to set fire to it. Whether there were still civilians inside was not a consideration...

This is war, and its essence is killing and destruction.

Liu Renshan was riding a horse, looking at the flames and chaotic figures in the distance. Soldiers everywhere rushed forward like a tide through the woods, villages, and the bridge to the south.

This battle went surprisingly smoothly.

The Southern Han people really assembled about 7 to [-] people, less than [-], but it was about the same, but their generals obviously made a mistake. The so-called [-] army, many people and many refugees captured from nearby, were not regular at all. army.

Tens of thousands of people spread out for dozens of miles at the foot of Lianhua Mountain, guarding all the main roads, which seemed to be a very large posture.

The generals of the Southern Han Dynasty probably thought that it was safer to have a large number of people, but in many cases, it was counterproductive to let the mob go, mixing the people. The army of the refugees seemed to be large and mighty, but both logistics and organization and scheduling would become a big problem!

Years of war experience made him and the coach Pan Mei both excited and pleasantly surprised after knowing that the Southern Han Army had arranged such a long snake array dozens of miles along the foot of Lianhua Mountain.

Passive defense cannot deal with active offense at all.

Afterwards, he and Pan Mei immediately decided on a battle plan, concentrating their forces and breaking down one point.

Since they have dispersed their forces, it is a godsend opportunity!

Then he led three thousand elite forwards to attack the eastern defense line at the foot of Lianhua Mountain to the east, penetrated through a small village called Shilipo, and then detoured west to defeat the enemy from the side and rear.

The reason why Shilipo was chosen was because the scouts concluded that the terrain there was relatively flat and suitable for cavalry operations in the north.

The follow-up Chinese army will be led by Pan Mei personally, as the general reserve team, if the battle goes wrong, it will be quickly replenished.

Their plan is to break through one or more places on the enemy's long defense line with local superior forces. Too many troops will not be able to expand, hinder each other, and affect the attack.

It is true that the Southern Han army had several times more people than them, about 8 to [-] people, but they were scattered on a long front for tens of miles, and their strength was dispersed.

It seems that they are 1000 against [-] or [-]. In fact, the defenders in the direction of Shilipo do not exceed [-] people.

Afterwards, the battle went very smoothly. They took advantage of the darkness to launch an attack, took down the village in less than half an hour, and opened a gap to pass through.

Subsequently, the follow-up armies also crossed the Southern Han defense line one after another, detoured to the southwest, and after attacking the enemy's side, they formed a situation of more attacks and fewer attacks on the east side of the front line.

It seems that there are many enemy soldiers from the Southern Han Dynasty, but on local battlefields, they always surround the Southern Han army.

The battle went very smoothly. After two days of fighting, a large number of Southern Han troops fled along the defense line of dozens of miles, and a large number of troops, plus refugees and civilians mixed in the army, had poor discipline and morale, and the generals of the Southern Han Dynasty were not capable of commanding. Come here, it looks like there are a lot of people, but almost all of them disperse after a dozen.