The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 321 Only Winning

"It's just a little grumbling, why take it so seriously?"

Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Tao Sheng quickly tried to smooth things over and changed the subject.

After being reminded, Zhai Wen, who valued the other party's background and knew he couldn't afford to offend them, softened his attitude.

Wang Xin didn't take it seriously.

They were sent by Zhang Wenjin, not only to inform Wang Xin about the situation of the grain supplies, but also to learn about the situation in the Xiaohuanghe area from Wang Xin. Wang Xin then got down to business.

The Lesser Yellow River is a strategically vital area.

A more recent example is the Ming Dynasty's history, specifically the infamous invasion of the Northern Barbarians.

Further afield, Tuoba Gui revived the Dai Kingdom and established its capital at Niuchuan, which is located on the Yellow River.

The Yellow River is bordered by the Yinshan Mountains to the left and the Yanshan Mountains to the right.

These two mountain ranges stretch for thousands of miles from east to west, separating the north and south, encompassing Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia and other places. Only the Hexi Corridor in the west and the Eastern Corridor in the north of the capital region are suitable for travel.

Since the Ming Dynasty established its capital in Yan, the Yan region has been firmly controlled by the mainland for nearly three hundred years.

A great number of influential figures emerged.

Many heroes have emerged from the desert.

No matter how capable they were, they all ended up failing.

This place is impassable; the only remaining route is the Hexi Corridor.

The Hexi Corridor is located in the far northwest, a very remote area.

This demonstrates the importance of the Yan region.

The land of Yan was in the hands of the Hu people, and the Han people could not take it back for hundreds of years. They were passively attacked and could only wait for the Hu people to collapse before they had a chance to take back the land of Yan.

The same is true.

The land of Yan was in the hands of the Han people, and the Hu people could not take it away for hundreds of years. They were just as passive and vulnerable to attack, and they could only have a chance to take back Yan after the Han people collapsed.

This is the power of advantageous location.

Since taking Yan territory is out of the question, as a compromise, the Little Yellow River is the most important gateway to this mountain range stretching for thousands of miles.

The Yellow River can be easily accessed via the Xiaohuang River, which includes places like Dabansheng, Shanyu Old Land, and Tumaochuan, or more accurately, the Hetao region, or more precisely, the Qiantao region.

This is also why the Northern Barbarians' invasion of the Ming Dynasty was so famous.

During this period, the northern barbarians did not engage in any major battles with the Ming Dynasty.

However, judging from the process, it was precisely because the northern barbarians entered the Yellow River bend region through the Lesser Yellow River that they obtained this fertile land, which allowed them to recuperate, multiply their population, and rapidly increase their strength, thus enabling the rise of the next generation, Altan Khan.

"If Ou Yanhu wants to enter the Yellow River bend smoothly, he must first take over the Xiaohuanghe area. Contesting this place is the key next step, so I ordered the area to be cleared out early on, leaving Ou Yanhu no chance at all."

Wang Xin ordered his men to unfold a map and pointed to the area around the Little Yellow River.

"As per the Commander-in-Chief's instructions, our three armies should support each other. Therefore, I have set up three camps in the shape of the character '品' (pin), with the Commander-in-Chief in the center as the main camp, and General Hu and I on the left and right respectively."

Sanzhai is not three villages.

Wang Xin was a deputy general, and both the Yongxing Army and the Tiancheng Army had deputy generals. The difference was that Wang Xin led a separate route, which was the significance of leading a separate route.

Even the smallest head is still a head.

Even the biggest butt is still a butt.

Of course, Wang Xin's position as a military commander was indeed valuable and could not be viewed as that of an ordinary military commander.

Anyone with eyes to see knows that as long as Wang Xin doesn't make any mistakes and there are no unexpected events, he will soon be promoted to general. He just needs to wait it out because he lacks seniority.

There's a world of difference between a brigadier general and a commander-in-chief.

Many people can't get over it even in their entire lives.

The higher the position.

Each step may take a lifetime to take.

There are even two generals in the Yongxing Army, who are also left and right generals. Because they do not lead a separate route, they cannot order troops to fight independently. They are subordinate to the Yongxing Army unless a separate military order is issued.

Officials from border regions generally have some knowledge of military affairs.

"awesome."

Zhai Wen bowed respectfully.

Tao Sheng was also filled with admiration.

They were so meticulous in their work, so hardworking and conscientious, that neither of them had anything to say.

To be honest, if they were superiors, they would also be willing to use Wang Xin if they had such a capable subordinate. No wonder I heard that Grand Secretary Zhang of the cabinet liked Wang Xin very much.

However, they couldn't do what Wang Xin did.

One can only sigh in dismay.

Wang Xin smiled.

If you have resentment yourself, how can you not have resentment towards others, including your subordinates?

This is the dilemma faced by those in positions of power.

You need to get your subordinates to do the work, but you also need to reduce their resentment.

It makes doing things unpleasant.

Nobody wants to do anything. If doing things is enjoyable, then it's not doing anything, it's just entertainment.

After spending two days in the Xiaohuanghe area and seeing for themselves that there were no problems, Zhai Wen and Tao Sheng returned to report. Wang Xin noticed that they didn't have many people with them, so he asked Xiao Shitou to take some people to deliver the supplies and check on the grain along the way.

at this time.

Zhang Can has already led his men to launch attacks in all directions.

Wu En led his remaining troops to launch a surprise attack on Tiancheng Army, but his plan backfired spectacularly. Not only was his entire army wiped out, but Wu En himself also disappeared without a trace.

The area around the Yellow River has been completely hollowed out, so Zhang Can faces no obstacles.

To ensure that only Zhou Jun's forces remained in the entire Xiaohuanghe area, and to prevent anyone from informing Ou Yanhu and revealing Zhou Jun's garrison information in the Xiaohuanghe area.

As long as Zhang Wenjin is willing to send troops, including the Tiancheng Army.

Now that things have come to this, whether our allies want to fight or not, they have no choice once they're on the battlefield. They can't just stand there and watch the enemy hack at them, letting others chop off their heads.

Wang Xin had no hope for the second part.

The 10,000-strong Western Army of Datong alone was no match for Ou Yanhu. However, with two divisions sharing Ou Yanhu's forces, even if these two divisions only shared half of Ou Yanhu's forces, they still had a chance.

According to the normal situation.

Ou Yanhu should mainly deal with the Yongxing Army, which is the majority of the force.

It would be best if Ou Yanhu only sent ten or twenty thousand men to contain him, while he concentrated all his strength to defeat the Yongxing Army, and then turned around and devoured him.

In that case, I can actually give him a surprise.

However, these are the best-case scenarios I've envisioned; who can say what Ou Yanhu will actually do?

What if Ou Yanhu focuses his attacks on himself?

Zhang Wenjin is unlikely to stand by and watch someone die. His roots are in the capital, and his own "roots" are also in the capital, so he won't create a personal scandal with him that would affect his future career in the capital.

It's hard to say about Tiancheng Army.

This is a complicated matter.

Hu Liyong gave gifts to Zhang Wenjin, but Zhang Wenjin did not take Hu Liyong seriously because Hu Liyong had no connections in the court.

It's all about interests, really.

Wang Xin shook his head. People's hearts are complex, and everyone has their own thoughts.

This is probably why it's harder to be innocent as you get older.

When you're young, you tend to see things as a whole; as you get older, the individual people behind those things become the key.

Being poor cares themselves, being wealthy cares the world.

As Wang Xin's understanding of this statement deepened, he also grew to admire the wisdom of the ancients more and more.

The straight-line distance from Guihua City to Helin is two thousand li, and the marching route would have to be at least double that, meaning Ou Yanhu's army would have to travel four thousand li to return to the Dabansheng area.

The advantage is the disadvantage.

In the past, relying on the vast desert, the Hu people often made the Zhou army return empty-handed.

Similarly, with the shift in offense and defense, Ou Yanhu also had to endure the torment of this long journey.

The straight-line distance from Guihua City to the southernmost point of the Yellow River is less than 200 li, and the straight-line distance to the northernmost point of the Yellow River is less than 500 li, so in terms of supply distance, it is advantageous to Datong.

However, this did not necessarily benefit the imperial court, since the grain transported to Datong was collected from provinces further south.

Fengzhou is closer to Guihua City, less than a hundred li away. Even if the army marches thirty to sixty li per day at normal speed, it would take at most two or three days. Cavalry reinforcements would only need one day.

The most difficult part of the grain cart route was in the mountainous area outside the pass. After leaving Tu Mao Chuan, the terrain became flatter and flatter. After passing Da Ban Sheng area and reaching Qing Shan Mountain range, some sections became difficult to travel.

The journey was reduced from 60 li a day to 30 or 40 li a day. The most difficult part of the journey was only a dozen li, but it took a whole day to complete.

Hundreds of thousands of shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain maintained this supply route and also supplied the front lines.

Wang Xin secretly stockpiled more than 20,000 shi of grain in Guihua City, mainly from the Juzhongchang Trading Company. This grain was not listed in the imperial court's accounts, so no one knew about it.

Zhai Wen and Tao Sheng rode on horseback, accompanied by more than ten people.

Wang Xin sent twenty men to see him off.

The guards from Wang Xin's side were a group of energetic men, among whom the leader was only twenty years old, younger than many others, but everyone respected him.

Seeing the way this group of people acted, Zhai Wen became even more curious and waved to Xiao Shitou.

"How old is this young man?"

"Just turned twenty."

"What is your name?"

"small stone."

Zhai Wen was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled and asked, "You're not young anymore, do you have a famous name?"

"Shi Gandang." "That's a rather strange name."

"The general named me that," the young man said with pride.

Upon hearing the name Wang Xin had given this person, Zhai Wen knew what was going on.

He was probably an orphan in the military.

In contrast to the mainland, where girls can fetch a better price but boys are harder to sell, boys are more valuable in the border regions, where military leaders often adopt orphans and raise them from a young age.

However, these orphans are often adopted as godsons and given the surname of their respective leaders.

However, considering Wang Xin's style, it's not surprising that he named the orphan after his own family name; it's something he would do.

"You look young, yet you're their leader. Do you have some extraordinary abilities?"

I was bored on the way.

It wasn't that he was in the mood to inquire; he already knew Wang Xin quite well, so Zhai Wen asked casually to pass the time.

"I can fight better than them."

"I see."

As we chatted, we met several herding families.

The pastureland of Tu Mao Chuan has been divided up.

There will certainly be empty spaces, but Juzhongchang did not use them all, leaving some land for risk mitigation, then the Shanyu area, and finally the Dabansheng area.

The area with the greatest risk also received the most pastureland.

Moreover, the profit margin is the lowest.

Some disaster victims are willing to take the risk, but their numbers are not large.

After not seeing anyone for several days, the arrival of a few herders' homes, even just having a couple more people to talk to, made me happy.

Zhai Wen sent people to contact several herder households.

Upon learning that he was an official of the Great Zhou Dynasty and was willing to give money, none of the herders refused.

It was only afternoon, and it seemed that Zhai Wen wasn't planning to leave and wanted to stay and rest.

His general disliked the army disturbing the people the most, so Shi Gandang thought about it and couldn't refuse Zhai Wen. He then led his nineteen brothers to set up tents in a more distant location.

With so many strangers around, the herding families were somewhat intimidated.

Their children are more timid.

Zhai Wen did not make things difficult for the herders and generously offered them money. Several herders happily took out their own savings of milk, dried meat, fried noodles, and other items to treat everyone.

They are different from the Hu people.

They had trading companies like Juzhongchang, which made it easy for them to exchange goods for goods from the mainland, so they really liked money.

These herder families chose a good location.

Shi Gandang felt bored riding his horse. Although he had become calm and composed over the years while serving in the army, he still retained some of the liveliness of a young man. When he saw the wetlands in the distance, he couldn't help but be attracted by the scenery.

"Don't go too deep, or you might fall into the swamp."

A crisp sound came from behind.

Shi Gandang turned around and saw only a timid little girl with braids and a red ribbon in her hair.

This hairstyle is very popular among the daughters of herders from the mainland. It's convenient for working and looks good. You can tell at a glance that they are daughters from several herder families here, and they look about eleven or twelve years old.

Shi Gandang laughed and said, "Thank you for the reminder."

The little girl was stunned.

Perhaps it was because he hadn't seen outsiders for a long time, or perhaps it was because of Shi Gandang.

The young man is very capable.

He had a remarkable complexion and extraordinary spirit, unlike anyone the little girl had ever seen. The little girl pursed her lips, then suddenly ran back. Shi Gandang, not knowing what was going on, smiled and ignored her.

But not long after.

The little girl was holding a small jug filled with milk.

"You drink it."

"No need, you can keep it for yourselves."

The little girl, who had finally mustered the courage, blushed and tears welled up in her eyes after being rejected.

The younger brother, who had followed her, found that his older sister had been provoked to tears. She was only three or four years old and could barely walk steadily, yet she raised her whip and glared fiercely at Shi Gandang, showing none of the numbness and timidity that one would expect from a disaster victim.

Shi Gandang couldn't help but find it amusing when he saw his little brother's appearance.

Smile and smile.

Shi Gandang stopped smiling.

This must be what the general wanted to see.

"Thank you."

Shi Gandang took the small pot from the little girl, drank the milk in it in one gulp, and then returned it to the little girl.

The little girl took the pot with both hands, hugged it tightly to her chest, her cheeks streaked with tears, but she looked at Shi Gandang happily, "Do you still want to drink?"

"I'm full."

Shi Gandang deliberately touched his stomach.

"Giggle."

The little girl was amused.

"hey-hey."

The older sister laughed, and the little boy put down his riding whip and started grinning foolishly.

"Hahaha."

Shi Gandang couldn't hold back any longer.

I was amused by the way the brother and sister looked.

If the general were here, he would be very happy.

Shi Gandang truly hoped the general would also be there.

Day two.

We bid farewell to this place.

The siblings rode horses to see them off for a long time.

"You've taken on an apprentice?"

A companion asked from behind.

“The kid has good courage. If we teach him some things and he can remember them and keep practicing, it will benefit him in the future. Who knows, he might join the army someday,” Shi Gandang said with a smile.

"I think that young lady is interested in you."

"What does a little girl like you know?"

"Haha."

Everyone laughed.

The marching route was fixed. After three days, on the morning of the second day, they finally encountered the grain transport team.

Shi Gandang and his group bid farewell to Zhai Wen and others, and returned with the grain transport team.

We'll pass through that place again on the way back.

"We need to tell them that it would be better to move to another place during this period. Once a major battle breaks out, this area may not be safe for them."

Shi Gandang couldn't help but think of it.

However, when he returned to the original place, he could no longer see those houses.

Everyone was killed.

Shi Gandang had already sensed something was wrong and quickened his pace. The place was completely silent, and sure enough, only corpses remained, clearly indicating that the area had suffered a devastating war.

Who the hell is it?

Shi Gandang was stunned on the spot.

They saw the naked body of a little girl, and a child who had been thrown to his death not far away.

"They are Hu people."

His companion frowned.

"Could it be Uen?"

After being driven back, Uen disappeared without a trace. It is unknown whether he is dead or hiding somewhere. Without food and supplies, he must have plundered the herdsmen.

"Could it be Ou Yanhu's spy?"

Someone guessed.

"No matter who it is, they must die."

Shi Gandang closed his eyes, and after a while, he opened them again, without any emotion.

They silently buried the group and returned to the main camp.

confirmed.

Ou Yanhu's men have appeared, and more and more scouts are bringing back news of the enemy's whereabouts.

"War is just that cruel."

Noticing that Shi Gandang had changed a lot since his return, Wang Xin patted Shi Gandang on the shoulder after figuring it out, but didn't offer much comfort.

The army can only win.

(End of this chapter)