Chapter 79: The Army Passes Through (Part 3) Update
"You, you have a way to protect it?"
With a million-strong army approaching, the actions of the Xiguan Marquisate over the past few years are about to be fully exposed before the Emperor and the Crown Prince of Yanjing. How could the young Marquis of Xiguan still be so confident that he has a way to protect himself?
This, this, with Wang Yanpeng's brain, he couldn't think of any possibility of cracking it at all!
But all the changes in Xiguan County in the past few years have been under Wang Yanpeng's eyes.
Is there anything that is not beyond his imagination?
He now clearly realized that even if the young Marquis of Xiguan told him that he could go to heaven, he would not be afraid of a head-on confrontation with the Emperor of Yanjing of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
You may even believe it yourself!
"Yes. The Governor is struggling to protect himself, yet he still considers this Lord Marquis's interests. He truly is a fine official. However, the Governor has served my cousin, the Crown Prince, for many years. I'm sure he wouldn't let you fall into trouble without helping you. But things aren't so easy for my Xiguan Marquisate! It's not easy for us to cope with this crisis, and I'm truly overwhelmed with affairs. I can't personally entertain the Governor."
She stood up and gestured to Du Hui, who was sitting next to her, saying, "Mr. Du, please entertain the Governor well."
After saying that, he raised his leg and was about to leave the classroom.
“Plop—”
There was a sound of flesh and bones hitting the ground behind him.
"Young Marquis! Young Marquis! Please save me!"
Liu Ziye smiled and turned to look at Wang Yanpeng, who was kneeling on the ground. "Since Lord Wang wanted to ask for my Xiguan Marquisate, why didn't you say so earlier?"
"I, I..." Wang Yanpeng had no way to explain himself.
He originally thought that the Xiguan Marquisate could not sit idly by and wait for death, and he, Wang Yanpeng, could still do the same as in the past few years.
With the Xiguan Marquisate as a guide in everything he did, Wang Yanpeng could create a good situation and then retire. He could just pick up some of the achievements from those fruitful ones, which would be enough to embellish his official career.
At the same time, he could also show off his achievements to the prince for the salt mining.
Holding three lines in both hands is like having the best of both worlds.
However, this time, the plan may fail.
If he didn't make his position clear, the connection with the young Marquis of Xiguan would probably be completely severed.
But in this situation, this is the only line he can hold on to.
Liu Ziye had never had a favorable impression of the Xiguan County Governor. She left a message: "If the Governor is ready to speak frankly, please go and have a good talk with Mr. Du."
Wang Yanpeng nodded repeatedly: "Yes! Good! Good! I will be frank and honest with you and have a good talk!"
·
Fangshan Pass in Fanyang County.
General Qin Feng, the Seventh Guard of the Central Army, who was originally stationed here, was commanding his soldiers.
Horse and mule carts churned and churned, laden with provisions, fodder, weapons, and cooking utensils. New confiscated grain continued to arrive from various locations, and the cries of the animals mingled with the soldiers' loud shouts.
The Central Army Inspector in charge of receiving and inspecting the grain questioned the local grain delivery officer with an extremely dissatisfied look on his face, "Why is there only 5,000 dan of grain? Don't you know we have to supply a million troops? The distribution for you, Fanyang County and Qingtong County, is 300,000 dan! And there are also 10,000 sets of ready-made clothes and 10,000 sets of boots! You only sent this little, are you kidding me?"
The grain delivery officer hurriedly explained and pleaded, "No, no, how dare we do that, right? It's just that we can't transport all the grain and clothing in one batch, and the rest are still being transported! No matter how hard and tired we civilians are, we absolutely cannot let the army run short of rations!"
Seeing that his attitude was quite good, the inspector's expression softened slightly, but he still said harshly, "Your deadline for delivery is only one month! If the military supplies are not delivered after one month, you will be subject to military law. Don't blame our general for his ruthless military law!"
"Yes, yes, definitely, definitely!" the grain delivery officer assured repeatedly.
Only then, under the command of a group of Central Military Inspection Guards, did they go to inspect this batch of military supplies.
When we get back, we have to urge their governor to collect enough military rations no matter what!
At worst, the people will suffer a little longer, just for three to five years!
In the tent of the general at the Fangshan Central Army Station, the seventh general of the Qibaming Central Army and the Si Cao who came with the government troops from Fanyang County and Qingtong County were gathered.
Chi Mu, as the deputy general of the Great Zhou Dynasty's expedition against the eight tribes, also sat at the conference table in the tent.
At this moment, everyone was gathered around a map that was about seven or eight feet in size, with several small sand tables placed in front of the map.
The map featured a number of small flags and markers of various colors, marking the current locations of the eight grassland tribes. There were also several circular markers scattered along the Yansai Mountains in Xiguan County. A prominent red flag in the center indicated the Fangshan Pass, where the Seventh Guard was currently stationed.
Qin Feng, the general commander of the expeditionary force, pointed at a hanging map with his staff and said, "The first assembly point for the six guards of the central army and the million soldiers from the twenty-three counties is this place—Fangshan Pass. However, this pass cannot accommodate so many soldiers at once. Moreover, if a million-strong army were to move in unison, it would be too time-consuming to assemble at Fangshan Pass before setting off. Therefore, while the army is still assembling, we must complete the assembly of various forces in advance and set out in batches, entering Xiguan County and garrisoning several passes and border villages around Yansai."
Qin Feng's arrangements were within the expectations of Chi Mu and everyone else.
After all, a million-strong army sounds impressive, but in actual deployment, it is like a huge monster that moves extremely slowly.
Moreover, at the beginning, putting together the head, body and limbs of this behemoth not only required a huge amount of energy and time, but the problem was that even if it was really put together, there was no condition to support and transport this behemoth.
It is indeed most appropriate to do it in batches and in a unified manner.
Qin Feng continued, "The victorious army of the Great Zhou Dynasty will surely triumph over the Rong people this time. However, before the troops move, the food and fodder must go first. We must also make careful plans and plot victory from afar. We must not bring down the prestige of the Great Zhou Dynasty!"
These words were also said in an exciting manner. The generals were already familiar with this kind of formality, and when they heard this, they all cooperated and agreed.
"I will never bring down the prestige of our Great Zhou!"
Qin Feng looked around and was very satisfied.
He casually glanced at Chi Mu, who stood beside him, and changed the subject, "However, a million-strong army must have its own rules. This time, during our campaign against the Rong people, the Western Border Commandery of our Great Zhou Dynasty will be a necessary passage for our million-strong army. However, the terrain of Western Border Commandery is complex, and the roads are difficult. Since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, there have been few garrisons, and few military or merchant caravans passing through."
"This is the only road for grain and horses. However, no troops have passed through it for over thirty years, so we can't guarantee its unobstructed passage. Therefore, before the various armies gather in Fanyang County, we need to send out an advance team. One team will explore the route, and the other will establish military garrisons at several major passes along the Yansai border."
After saying this, several generals looked at each other and understood why General Qin summoned everyone to discuss matters today.
This advance team is truly a unit that has endured hardships but has no merits to commend it.
Clearing roads and setting up garrison camps is only slightly better than being a logistics trooper in the army. If there are successful results in the future, it is unlikely that anyone will think of these as the contributions of the engineers who cleared the roads or set up the camps.
Aren't they all those who actually achieved victory on the battlefield?!
Everyone looked away, not daring to meet General Qin's gaze for a moment.
After all, no one wants to be this coolie cannon fodder.
General Qin looked around with understanding, his eyes passing over every general until they finally fell on Chi Mu, the deputy commander of this big battle.
Qin Feng looked at Chi Mu and continued, "For an army of a million, accurate planning and thorough preparation are essential. This is no less important than fighting on the battlefield. You are all veterans of the military and veterans of hundreds of battles. You all understand this principle. If no one is willing to endure this hardship and take the lead, then even with an army of a million, victory is hard to come by."
"Deputy Marshal Chi, is that right?"
The fact that Chi Mu was singled out by Qin Feng for questioning at this time was obvious.
The other generals felt relieved, realizing that today's battle was between the two commanders. They simply had to play their roles as participants and witnesses.
Chi Mu's face remained solemn and proud, and he replied directly to Qin Feng, "General Qin is right. I, Chi, am willing to serve as the deputy commander of this expedition against the Rong and Di tribes."
When these words were spoken, the generals nearby were surprised, and Qin Feng even laughed out loud "Hahahaha".
"You are worthy of being the son of a meritorious general who founded the Great Zhou Dynasty! General Chi's sincere heart, devoted to national affairs, should serve as a vanguard and role model for our troops!"
Chi Mu's expression remained unchanged, and he simply said, "General Qin, you are too kind."
"Great! With Vice Marshal Chi as the vanguard, I no longer have to worry about the army's route or the deployment of border defenses. Afterwards, I will definitely commend General Chi's achievements to the Emperor in Yanjing!"
"Thank you very much, General Qin." Chi offered his hand lightly.
Three days later.
Chi Mu selected 50,000 soldiers and horses as the vanguard of this war, and set out from the Fangshan Pass in Fanyang County.
The army passed through the Fangshan Pass and marched eastward for dozens of miles until they reached the border between Xiguan and Fanyang County.
Continuing deeper along this main road, the road conditions gradually became less smooth. After another day or two, they would reach the valley where Chi Mu and his thousand Wuwei Battalion soldiers were trapped in the heavy snow.
As they crossed the tombstones between the two counties, Miao Tailin, deputy commander of Chi Mu's Wuwei Battalion, couldn't help but say, "General, I can't believe we've entered Xiguan again after four years. What do you think? Should we go to Yucheng to visit the young Marquis of Xiguan?"
Upon hearing this, Chi Mu said without hesitation, "This time, the army is just passing through. You and I are under their attention, so it's inconvenient for us to move without permission."
Miao Tailin felt a little regretful, but he also understood that what his general said made sense, so he immediately replied, "Got it, General!"
"After we passed that col, the road will be very inconvenient. We have sent scouts ahead to report back regularly."
“Here!”
Miao Tailin rode his horse and led a team of people to chase after the team that was exploring the way ahead.
Chi Mu, riding on his horse in the rear, took in the scenery of the Western Border, which he had not seen in years. As soon as he left Fanyang County, he could feel the completely different temperament and style between the two counties.
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