The mountain between Anfu County and Yuanzhou Mansion is called Wugong Mountain.
If you send troops in spring, you may be able to get over by luck if you go around in the mountains. But it is absolutely impossible in winter. After entering the mountains, they will either freeze to death or starve to death if they cannot find food.
Then you can only take the route further east, still need to cross mountains and ridges, from Anfu County to Fenyi County, which is equivalent to crossing the remaining veins of Wugong Mountain.
At the beginning of December, Zhao Han personally led an army of 4,000, without any supplies, food and grass, and set off on the snow into the mountains.
Half of the mountain journey this time belongs to Anfu County, and the work of dividing the fields has been completed. Moreover, the land was divided after the autumn harvest, and the rent had not yet been handed over to the landlord, so it could be said that every family had surplus food.
Every time he went to a village, Zhao Han would borrow food from the villagers to keep enough food and grass with him.
All the way to Taoyuan Village, which is a relatively wealthy village, mainly because there is a small river flowing through the village, alluvial fertile and flat mountain valleys.
"The whole army rests, don't sit down in the snow!"
Including Zhao Han, all four thousand soldiers stood at the entrance of the village, stamping their feet on the spot to warm up.
The missionary officer went into the village alone and contacted the village head and the peasant association: "Village Chief Li, I am Zuo Zhao, the missionary officer, and I came here with Mr. Zhao on an expedition. Please arrange for the villagers to borrow food for cooking, and all the food borrowed will leave receipts. After the spring of the villagers , you can go to the county to collect grain, and you will be repaid at one cent interest. It can also be used to offset the summer grain tax, which will also be calculated at one cent interest.¡±
"No interest, no interest." Li Huairen, the head of the village, was originally a boy born here, but was so poor that he gave up the imperial examination. Now the whole family is allotted the land.
Li Huairen first assigned work to members of the peasant association, and then immediately went out of the village to meet Zhao Han.
"Meet Mr. Zhao!" Li Huairen suddenly knelt in the snow.
"Get up quickly." Zhao Han said with a smile.
After Li Huairen got up, he quickly said, "Mr. Zhao, go to the village to rest."
"Please." Zhao Han said with a smile.
Fei Ruhe ordered: "The whole army advances!"
The herald raised the command flag, and four thousand soldiers walked on the snow. Although I walked staggeringly, I tried my best not to step on the field, and I couldn't help it if I fell into the field.
When they entered the village, every household was boiling water, mainly to soak the soldiers' feet.
The military clerks and heralds were so busy that they issued food loan receipts to the villagers everywhere, and the military judge repeatedly warned the soldiers not to disturb the people.
Seeing thousands of soldiers living in the villagers' homes very politely without any crime, Li Huairen couldn't help feeling: "A teacher of true benevolence and righteousness, in terms of military discipline, Yue Wumu's soldiers are no more than that."
Zhao Han laughed and said, "I can't compare to Yue Wumu. Village Chief Li, if you cross the Taoyuan Ridge in the north, will you reach the boundary of Fenyi County?"
"It's just turning over, but the snow is not easy to walk, and it's more convenient when the snow melts in spring." Li Huairen said.
Zhao Han said: "No matter how difficult it is to walk, you have to turn over."
Troops must be dispatched in winter. Once spring begins, Yuanzhou's elite will join forces with governor Li Maofang and go straight to Jishui County by boat along the Ganjiang River.
Moreover, the dispatch of troops in winter will definitely make the prefect of Yuanzhou unprepared.
When I came to Li Huairen's house, I saw that the village chief's wife had already killed the chicken and was boiling water to scald the hair. Zhao Han immediately said: "The poultry killed by the villagers will be compensated according to the price! All the meat in the village will be given priority to the sick and wounded."
"Mr. Zhao, there's no need to do this," Li Huairen said hastily, "Mr. Zhao is our great benefactor who gave us the land. What's the point of killing a chicken?"
Fei Ruhe said coldly: "This is a military order, don't try to destroy our morale."
"Don't dare, dare not." Li Huairen couldn't say anymore.
After cooking the chicken at the village head's house, the mission officer took it out and gave it to the wounded and sick. Along the way, some people fell ill, some got frostbite, and more than a dozen people have been "reduced".
Fortunately, there is no severe frostbite, so it can be rested at the villagers' house.
Zhao Han, Fei Ruhe, Huang Yao, Huang Shun and other senior military officers all ate ordinary food at Li Huairen's house, and didn't take a sip of the wine they brought out.
The composition of the army is simpler, and it is far easier to train than civilian officials.
Regardless of the off-duty soldiers in Zhao Han's hands, there are only a few hundred people, and the rest are all half-farming and half-war farmers and soldiers, but their military discipline is far superior to any current army. Those who are disobedient and who make mistakes have long been eliminated.
Even a few soldiers who were born as gangsters became strictly prohibited after being severely punished.
The main credit should go to the missionary officers in the army, and the soldiers are not treated badly!
The soldiers participating in the winter march this time not only received overpaid wages, but each was also given a cotton coat for free, and two more for free.??
"Burn, burn!"
The soldiers who lit the fire shouted excitedly, but Fei Ruhe ordered them to silence.
Many dead branches were picked up to dry, and then moved to the side to light a fire, and more and more fires were lit.
The soldiers who climbed to the top of the mountain also took off their shoes and changed into dry ones, and even took off their leggings to warm themselves by the fire, because the leggings had been soaked by the snow.
Between each other, they warmed up by the fire while helping to rub their legs and feet, otherwise they would definitely suffer from frostbite again.
After resting for an hour and a half, the clothes had been dried and his stomach was full to recover his strength. Zhao Han immediately ordered to continue marching.
The way down the mountain is almost rolling down, and it is already half afternoon at the foot of the mountain.
This place is under the jurisdiction of Fenyi County. The villagers were terrified when they saw the army, and they all hid in their homes and dared not come out.
Zhao Han forcibly knocked open a residential house, asked where the largest landlord in the vicinity was, and quickly led his troops to the landlord's house.
"Wrap up!"
There are no real big landlords in the mountain villages, and they can have hundreds of acres of land if they are exhausted. Zhao Han sent soldiers to surround the house, tied up the landlord's men, asked the women to help make the beds and fold the quilts, and asked the women to fetch food for cooking.
This house was not big enough to accommodate four thousand soldiers, so many more were allocated to borrow houses from common people's homes.
Rest overnight and start again the next day.
The landlords and peasants here are all confused, and they can't figure out where the army came from, and it's too benevolent.
Yes, benevolence!
Although the whole family of the landlord was tied up, they did not do anything to the woman. I just robbed some food from the landlord¡¯s house, really only robbed a little bit, because it¡¯s inconvenient to march because I robbed too much. There must be soldiers who steal petty things. The official can't check it either.
As for the common people, the soldiers did nothing but go into the house to sleep.
Compared with the officers and soldiers, this is a true teacher of benevolence and righteousness. The landlord even felt like he had a dream.