Reclaiming Wasteland: Carefree Mountain Farmer

Chapter 118 War begins

Wan Ye was both angry and anxious. Looking at the large tracts of territory lost on the map, his eyes turned red with hatred!
"Yanmen Pass, Shiling Pass! The Bai clan! These wolfish fools dare to betray me!"

Wan Ye immediately said, "Guards! Mobilize 300,000 troops! I am going to personally lead the army!"

The eunuch Sun Zhong immediately knelt down, "Your Majesty is of inestimable importance, how can you put yourself in such danger? What if something bad happens..."

Before the eunuch could finish speaking, he was kicked to the ground by Wan Ye, who was walking over quickly!
The old eunuch was kicked and fell backward to the ground, staring in horror at the 66-year-old man.

Wan Ye's face broke into a smug smile. "I am the Son of Heaven, how could anything happen to me? You dog slave, am I not strong enough?!"

Sun Zhong immediately knelt down and hurriedly kowtowed, shouting, "Your Majesty! Your Majesty's kick almost shattered my soul! Your Majesty is incredibly mighty, and I was only able to keep my breath to continue serving Your Majesty. Long live Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty!!"

Wanye was satisfied, but still somewhat insecure. After a moment's thought, he suddenly kicked the eunuch in front of him again.

The old eunuch cried out, "Ouch!"

The old eunuch rolled backward two or three times before collapsing onto the floor of the Dragon Palace, shouting, "Your Majesty is unparalleled in might! This servant knows his mistake! Cough cough... This servant knows his mistake..."

The room contained not only the emperor and eunuchs, but also the Crown Prince Wan Dai, who had been in a daze since returning, as well as several civil and military officials.

Everyone remained silent.

The emperors of the past were not like this, otherwise people would not have followed them to conquer the world.

I used to always talk about brothers.

Since becoming emperor, he's been using the term "朕" (zhen, meaning "I" or "the emperor") all the time.

The entire Wen Dynasty became the emperor's own affair, and his other brothers became his slaves.

If everyone had known this guy would turn out like this after becoming emperor, they wouldn't have chosen him in the first place.

"Hahaha!" Wan Ye laughed three times, then looked at his subordinate civil and military officials who were bowing their heads and remaining silent, somewhat unconvinced. "I have spent my life on the battlefield, winning hundreds of battles, large and small. Now the country is peaceful and prosperous, with a million soldiers. This time, I must completely annihilate the Shan Nong tribe to prevent future troubles!!"

Several people were waiting for the Crown Prince to persuade the Emperor, but ever since he personally killed thousands of people, the Crown Prince seemed to have gone mad and no longer dared to oppose the Emperor's orders.

In desperation, Prime Minister Xiao Gan bowed and said, "Your Majesty, please reconsider! The fact that the three places in Xinzhou have submitted to Shannong County is due to a major disaster. Shannong County has not sent troops to attack. In my opinion, we should send someone to inquire about Shannong County's intentions and order them to withdraw their troops."

Wanye looked at this lackey who dared to oppose him.

[I am the Emperor, how dare this Prime Minister disobey me?!]

"You dog slave!" Wan Ye cursed out his true feelings without any self-awareness, still coldly staring at the scholar.

"You can't even see the wolfish ambitions of Shannong County? What right do you have to be my prime minister? Guards! Take him to the imperial prison! Demote him to commoner status! In the imperial prison, he will learn the principles of loyalty to the emperor!"

Xiao Gan was completely devastated by the term "dog slave." He considered himself the foremost scholar of the Wen Dynasty and the chief administrator of the interior affairs, yet in the emperor's eyes, he was nothing more than a dog slave...

The guards came in and took the distraught Xiao Gan away.

The eunuchs inside the hall were still kneeling, while several civil and military officials were still standing.

Wanye looked at the few people standing there, hating them for not knowing to kneel down.

As the emperor, Wan Ye could not force them to kneel directly, so he angrily declared, "This empire was conquered by me! Conquered by me alone! In terms of military achievements and governance, who can rival me?"

"You bunch of good-for-nothings can't get anything done. The little Arctic Martial Army has been strengthened time and time again by you idiots. This time, I will personally lead the army to conquer it, so that the world will know who the true Son of Heaven is!!"

The Crown Prince Wan Dai, who was responsible for playing the good cop, advising the emperor, and demonstrating benevolence, has been worn down into a useless person by the emperor.

At this moment, the crown prince knelt on the ground and cried out in terror, "Father is wise!"

Several civil and military officials who considered themselves partners finally realized that they were neither partners nor brothers.

The crowd knelt down one after another, saying in unison, "Your Majesty is wise!"

I kneel down sometimes, but never like this.

When we were building our business, we called each other brothers and promised to share the spoils, but now we're all just lackeys.

"Immediately muster 300,000 troops! A month later, I will lead 200,000 troops north, the Duke of Qin will lead 50,000 troops east from Lüliang, and the Duke of Zhao will lead 50,000 elite troops from Jizhou west from Weizhou, cutting off the retreat of the Shan Nong tribe!"

"Order the Prince of Guihua to lead the Mongol cavalry to attack Tongzhou, and let the Khitans attack Nongjiakou, otherwise the Shan Nong tribe will surely destroy the Khitan!"

Wanye quickly issued orders to prepare for the emperor's personal expedition.

As an emperor who conquered the world on horseback, although there were times when he was chased like a dog, now as the victor, his memories are filled with nothing but victory!

Strong self-confidence made Wan Ye unwavering in his decision.

"Now that winter is turning into spring, the grassland warhorses are weak and powerless, and the mountain farmers' food is almost gone. Whether we launch a direct attack or besiege them, we will surely achieve twice the result with half the effort!"

The eunuch Sun Zhong immediately said, "Your Majesty is wise! We servants are not even one in ten thousand as good as Your Majesty!!"

The others were very embarrassed and could only kneel down and shout, "Your Majesty is wise!"

The emperor's lackeys readily agreed, but once they left the palace, they all looked very displeased.

The army and troops had long been taken back by the emperor, and now he could only gain military power when leading troops into battle. His whole family was in Luoyang.

Military generals who have lost their military power are now reduced to lackeys.

The civil officials who had followed him all the way were all settled quite well. However, the military generals were different from the civil officials. Several military nobles were very resentful of the emperor's attitude.

During the century of chaos, military leaders, tired of the constant fighting and the precarious existence, all longed for stability.

Unfortunately, it turns out that they chose the wrong person.

On the contrary, the Mountain Farmers, being a different ethnic group, treated Han and non-Han people the same. There was no such thing as a Mountain Farmer royal family; anyone could join the Mountain Farmers and become a Mountain Farmer. They levied light taxes and governed the barren lands of the Nine Provinces behind the mountains in an orderly manner, ensuring that even in the face of natural disasters, they could have enough to eat and wear.

The news that the imperial court was going to attack Shannong County quickly spread among the nobles and soon became known to the common people.

Many border areas needed to prepare for the army's advance. At this time, the New Year was not yet over, and the nobles who were visiting relatives began to seek positions for their families, looking for lucrative and profitable jobs.

The more war there is, the easier it is to make a fortune.

Upon learning of the news from the south from the merchants, Beiji Wu summoned his civil and military officials for a meeting.

"The emperor wants to personally lead an expedition against us, and he also wants to unite with the Mongol, Khitan, and Xianbei tribes to fight us. What do you think we should do?"

Arctic Wu delegated the problem to others, as he himself was not good at strategic matters.

The advisor Nie Zhen said, "This time, the Southern Dynasty has mobilized its entire nation to attack our people. As long as our people can withstand the attack, the people's hearts will surely be scattered after the Southern Dynasty withdraws its troops."

Beijiwu said irritably, "Say something useful, stop talking about people's hearts and minds all day long."

Arctic militias, who rose to power through slaughter and conquest, have no faith in popular support or popular sentiment.

One should not forget one's roots. Beijiwu's impression of most people is that it doesn't matter who becomes emperor.

The original garrison commander of Yanmen Pass, Yan Shuangli, respectfully said, "Reporting to my lord, I believe that Shiling Pass cannot withstand the elite troops of the Southern Dynasty, and we still need to rely on Yanmen Pass."

Arctic Martial asked, "What's the reason?"

Yan Shuangli explained, "Shiling Pass is too close to Taiyuan City. The land in Jinzhong is flat, and tens of thousands of troops can be assembled not far from Shiling Pass, and there is also the supply of grain from Jinzhou City."

"Moreover, there are many roads in the area that can bypass Shiling Pass. If we are surrounded, we will be trapped."

"Yanmen Pass is a strategically important location. It takes 700 li from Luoyang to Taiyuan, and 300 li from Taiyuan to Yanmen Pass."

"Yanmen Pass is only 130 li away from Shuozhou. The army can arrive in a day, and a fast horse can deliver a message in half a day."

"Defend the pass and the strategic pass! Give me ten thousand men, and I will defend Yanmen Pass to the death! Resist an army of one hundred thousand!"

Beijiwu said directly, "I'm not very clear about your abilities. We've never fought before, nor have I ever seen you in battle. But 10,000 men isn't a lot. You'll still lead the garrison that surrendered earlier to continue defending Yanmen Pass. I'll make up for the missing ones with another 5,000 men."

"I've already had people start making consumables like bows and arrows and torches. Currently, we can produce a thousand bows and arrows and ten thousand arrows a day."

"Go over there and defend now. Just tell me what you need."

Yan Shuangli respectfully said, "Thank you, Master!"

Beijiwu then asked, "Who is at Shiling Pass now?"

Gao Laishun replied, "The garrison commanders of Shiling Pass are Bai Shi, Yanmen County, and Tongzhou, including the commander Niu Zhifu, and the military supervisor Yun Yong. Shiling Pass currently has 4,000 garrison troops, and about 3,000 people are stationed at the four nearby passes."

Arctic Martial looked at the map.

Jinzhou's terrain is characterized by mountains and rivers, with the Yellow River to the south and high mountains all around, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Two mountains flank a river, with a basin running through the middle.

The mountains and rivers are treacherous, and the Loess Plateau is covered with soil.

All the cities are surrounded by mountains, and are basically located in basins or valleys between mountains.

Because the terrain is high in the east and west and low in the middle, the narrow Fenhe River Valley is formed between the Taihang Mountains (east) and the Lüliang Mountains (west). Therefore, most rivers converge from the east and west sides to the Fenhe River in the middle and eventually flow south into the Yellow River.

The Sanggan River flows from southwest to northeast, accounting for only a small portion of its flow. The remaining 80% of its water flows south, converging with the Yellow River.

Several places in central and southern Jinzhong are natural water inlets.

Yanmen Pass is situated on high ground. Whether attacking upwards or descending the mountain, the next two or three months will be like traveling in the rain, with extremely difficult roads and inconvenient conditions for carrying siege equipment up the mountain.

The Tongzhou and Shuozhou basins also accumulate large amounts of water due to their topography.

“There is heavy snow on the mountain now. When the snow melts in the spring, the mountain roads will be very difficult to travel. All the snowmelt will gather near the basin. This year, the Jinzhong area will be difficult to travel for a long time. It is indeed necessary to give up Shiling Pass.”

Beijiwu quickly decided to evacuate Shiling Pass: "Immediately evacuate everyone from Shiling Pass to Yanmen Pass! Immediately! Leave no one alive!"

The guard immediately replied, "Yes, Your Majesty!"

After the guards left, Beiji Wu said to the crowd, "Come and take a look together, think of a solution. The weather hasn't gotten completely hot yet, so I need to send people to repair the river and reservoir first. The snow isn't deep this year, so let's try sending 50,000 people first."

Because its territory is less than one-tenth of the entire Jinzhou, the troubles it causes are easy to resolve.

If we were to occupy Daizhou, Xinzhou, or Lanzhou, the workload would increase a hundredfold.

In an era of frequent natural disasters, Arctic Wu did not want to blindly expand its territory.

Emperor Wen of the dynasty did not give him a chance to live a peaceful life and immediately mobilized a large army to carry out his plan.

The Jizhou army began its advance on Weizhou Garrison, launching the first attack.

Duke Cheng Shenzhi of Zhao led 50,000 troops to the city gates.

Cheng Shenzhi was accompanied by a handsome and dashing young nobleman.

"Duke Zhao, the Weizhou Guard only has one thousand military households; victory in this battle is assured!"

The Duke of Zhao stroked his beard and smiled, “Speed ​​is of the essence in war, and surprise is the key to victory. Your Highness, please rest assured, I will take this city today!”

(End of this chapter)