knife

Chapter 830 Situation in the North

The wheat planted last year has now grown to about knee height, and its vigorous growth looks pleasing. If nothing unexpected happens, this year should be a bumper harvest.

But it is precisely at this time that careful attention is needed, otherwise all previous efforts can be wasted.

Whether it's removing weeds from the fields or ensuring a sufficient water supply, both require a lot of manpower.

But looking out over this boundless wheat field, all you could see were elderly people and even quite a few children.

An elderly man with a cane walked through the fields, pulling out weeds that grew taller than the wheat seedlings. This was delicate work, something the young children certainly couldn't do, as they couldn't distinguish between weeds and wheat seedlings. So they spent most of their time carrying water.

However, their weak bodies made it difficult for them to handle such physical labor, so they had to work in pairs, using a carrying pole with a wooden bucket to carry water from a distant well and then irrigate the fields.

Such a combination of labor can only be described as very hardworking, but it is difficult to say that it is effective.

But there was no other way; things had to be done. We couldn't just stand by and watch the crops go to waste. We did what we could.

They originally had a sufficient workforce here.
However, a few days ago, the government issued an order that all people aged twelve to sixty, regardless of gender, must report to the county town to perform corvée labor.

Forced labor is something that ordinary people are used to, and it happens once or twice a year, but it has never been chosen to happen at this time of year before.

Most of the time it will be after the autumn harvest, and sometimes even after winter begins. In this season, all the labor force has been taken away, and people might starve to death in winter.

Moreover, in previous years, the conscription of corvée labor was not carried out in such a comprehensive manner as this year.

Many elderly people who have experienced many hardships already know that things are not going well.

Why would someone drain the pond to catch all the fish unless they've reached a dead end?
There have been rumors for some time that the Di people, who are criminals from beyond the Great Wall, have invaded the area. It is said that the Di people kill without blinking an eye, leaving no one alive wherever they go.

People didn't really believe it in the past, but now it seems like it's all true.

Looking at the thriving crops, the old people were filled with worry, not only about this year's harvest, but also about their younger generations who had been conscripted by the government for corvée labor. Although it was only supposed to be manual labor and auxiliary work, it was still a battlefield, and there was a risk of death at any moment. Moreover, if the government was defeated, these able-bodied laborers would be the first to be hit, and they wouldn't even be able to escape quickly.

Only the children, young and carefree, carried water while playing and laughing.

The entire northern region was shrouded in a thick atmosphere of war. Since the beginning of spring, countless troops had been continuously marching from the interior, and this had been going on for several months without interruption.

On the main road, either military vehicles or supply convoys passed by, leaving deep ruts on the once flat road.

With an army of 200,000, and an even greater number of laborers and artisans, Linghu Ye had squeezed out the last bit of strength from the entire Central Plains, preparing for a desperate fight.

Shanggu, Yuyang, Boling, Hejian, and Xindu County were originally important bases that Linghuye had worked hard to build to control the area outside the pass. However, with the loss of Boling County, a gap has been torn in this defensive line.

These areas had received preferential policies during the years that Linghu Ye was in power, resulting in excellent development and extremely low taxes. The people praised Linghu Ye and revered him as a god.

What they didn't know was that Linghuye was just raising pigs. If you want pigs to grow fat, you have to feed them good food and ensure they get enough nutrition. If they don't get fat, how can you get any fat when you slaughter them for the New Year?
If we can obtain more supplies from our local area for the decisive battle with the outside of the pass, the pressure on our logistics will be greatly reduced. The low taxes in recent years have simply meant that wealth has been hidden among the people, which can be taken out whenever needed.

How convenient!

Speaking of Linghuye's move, he actually learned it from Li Dachui.

However, Li Dachui only said that wealth should be distributed among the people, and that if the people were rich, the government would naturally have an easier time. After discussing this with him in detail, Linghu Ye put his ideas into practice after entering the pass.

And it was specifically designed to deal with Li Dachui.

The common people rarely went out and were not well informed. They were still guessing that war was about to break out, but in reality, the war had already begun.

Fanyang was the first to initiate the attack.

Wang De's 30,000-strong army launched an attack on Fanyang in just half a month. The success of the attack left everyone speechless. The enemy's resistance was minimal, and they almost completely abandoned Fanyang, retreating all the way back to the city of Fanyang.

Wang De pursued the enemy all the way to Fanyang County before encountering real resistance, and now they are locked in a stalemate.

The current strategic situation is already quite clear.

Li Dachui knew that Linghu Ye wanted to fight him to the death and had a decisive battle with him, so he also gave up fighting Linghu Ye on a larger scale to avoid scattering his forces.

He has now concentrated all his forces in Boling County, using it as the center for a decisive battle with Linghu Ye.

This was exactly what Linghuye wanted.

He also wanted to conquer the world in one battle, rather than dragging out a protracted war with Li Dachui. If the war dragged on for too long, the consumption of his hundreds of thousands of troops could really wear him down.

Li Dachui has now consolidated his forces in Shapingba, Huxiaoyuan, the Cui family's old residence, and Boling County City, and is using Yangguan as a logistical support base to wait for Linghu Ye's army to attack.

Clearly, Li Dachui had no intention of launching an attack.

He wanted to use his defensive advantage to wear down Linghu Ye's army.

Linghu Ye was not surprised by this; if he were in that situation, he would have done the same.

However, none of the places Li Dachui is currently stationed in can be considered strategic passes or fortified positions. They are just ordinary places. Yangguan Pass, on the other hand, has now become the rear base, which makes things much easier for the attacking side.

Places like Shapingba were just simple fortified villages, with walls that were inferior to those built by ordinary wealthy families. So, the battle still came down to the fighting strength of the army.

So what if it's a place like the Cui family's old house?

The army that Linghu Ye has mobilized today is much more complex and diverse than before. It includes many veteran troops skilled in attacking cities and capturing strongholds, and there are also a large number of craftsmen who manufacture various siege weapons. This is the advantage of occupying central places such as Chang'an.

In terms of the overall confrontation between the two sides in the North, Linghu Ye undoubtedly has a great advantage in the short term. At least for now, he is well prepared, with well-trained troops and sufficient supplies, which puts enormous pressure on the Beiting Protectorate.

It can be located in Xindu County, where Linghuye's central military headquarters is situated.

These past few days have been shrouded in a heavy atmosphere.

The news from the south has finally reached here.

(End of this chapter)