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Free Web Novel,Novel online - All in oicq.net -> Historic -> Sniping at the Southern Song Dynasty Volume 1: Saving the Three Thousand Beauties in the Harem Chapter 450: Eight Hundred Miles to the Clouds and the Moon (Part 1)
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- (The generous rewards from the alliance and the votes from book friends have given Shiroro endless motivation. Well, let¡¯s stay late and fight for another half month.)
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Maowusu means "bad water" in Mongolian. However, before the fifth century AD, it was a piece of "good water" comparable to that of Jiangnan. In the south of Mu Us (now Baichengzi in the north of Jingbian County, Shaanxi Province), it was once the political and economic center of the Huns. At that time, the grassland was vast, the river was clear, the water and grass were fertile, and the scenery was pleasant. It was the most desirable pasture for the nomadic people.
It is precisely because this pasture is so fertile that the Xiongnu tribes fight for it, causing frequent wars and serious war damage. In addition, due to the long-term stay of the Southern Xiongnu's political center here, overgrazing, and hundreds of years of climate change, the ground vegetation was completely lost and sand rose on the spot. Sand accumulation began around the Tang Dynasty. By the Song Dynasty, the desertification of Mu Us expanded to the southeast, and by the Ming and Qing Dynasties it had formed a vast desert.
However, at the turn of the Song Dynasty, desertification was not as serious as in later generations. At this time, the Mu Us Sand Area was at the intersection of several natural zones. Its northwest is a semi-desert area; its southwest to Yanzhou is a semi-waste area; and its southeast is a forest-steppe area.
This is why although Xixia has a vast territory, all its prefectures, including the capital, are squeezed into a long and narrow line in the southeast and southwest. If we leave our large tracts of land undeveloped, reclaimed, and built cities, we will have to fight with the Song Dynasty for hundreds of miles of land, and we will fight for hundreds of years. If we continue to develop according to the original historical trajectory, we will have to fight for another hundred years. The country will not perish for a day. Territorial disputes continue day by day.
The long-distance attack of the 12th Division of the Chinese Army is to solve this stubborn problem once and for all - does it have to be destroyed before the country is destroyed? Then it will be all right for you.
March seventeenth. The army crossed the Zhuolun River and officially entered Mu Us. Walking at the front of the team was a guide team. The leader of the guide team was, well, an old acquaintance, Sun Zhangong, and Sun Bearded as well.
Sun Zhangong. The former commander who killed Fort Hu. Killing Hubao, as the first transit point for trade with the Xia people, Sun Zhangong, as the commander, naturally benefited a lot. It can be said that his life was quite nourishing. Even during this period, the relationship between China and Xia was tense, but on the border. There are still many businessmen from both countries secretly smuggling, and killing Hu Bao can still make a lot of money from it.
" On the surface, China cracks down on smuggling, but on the surface, it condones it. Because what China needed was the input of various raw materials from Xia State, but what Xia State obtained from Hua State were mostly luxury goods such as silk and porcelain. This is determined by the different needs of the two countries. This kind of trade is something that China is happy to see, not to mention that it can also be used to infiltrate the Intelligence Department's spies. And the effect is very obvious - the precise topographic map of Xia Kingdom placed on the case of Emperor Hua Di Lie is the work of the intelligence department's spies.
Sun Zhangong was in charge of a commander who was neither up to down nor down, although his life was quite comfortable in his small life. But the ordinary days have not dampened the passion and ambition of this northwest man. You know, the previous killing of Hu Bao. However, being at the forefront of the border between Song and Xia, there were wars every year, and there was a lack of food and clothing, which was extremely difficult. How can people who can take root in such a place be covetous of comfort? During the Tianzhu Northern Expedition, Sun Zhangong sent a letter to the headquarters of the Fifth Reorganized Division under his department, requesting to participate. Of course, not approved.
Just when Sun Zhangong was lamenting that he had lost an opportunity for a manly feat, he suddenly received an order and summoned him to the headquarters of the Fifth Army in Lintong. He was personally summoned by Deputy Chief of Staff Zhao Neng, but the focus was to ask him about an experience in his early years. .
Faced with senior military generals who were seven or eight levels above him, Sun Zhangong did not dare to hide anything and answered all questions. It turned out that Sun Zhangong had been a horse thief on the Gobi Plateau in the Henan region of Xia Kingdom before he was the bodyguard of Sun Ang, the deputy commander of the Jinning Army in his early years, and he knew the geographical environment of Mu Us quite well. This experience of his was mentioned to the spies of the Intelligence Department who came to kill Hu Bao after drinking, and the spies naturally reported it. During this western expedition, the Intelligence Department immediately brought him into view - this was the best guide for this operation. Sun Zhangong was overjoyed when he learned that he would be able to participate in a surprise attack on Xia. Without saying a word, he didn't go back to kill Hu Bao. He just hit the horse and reported to the 12th Division.
The Twelve Division had previously recruited many Khitans and Mongolians as guides, but this operation was too important and they did not dare to put all their money on a group of foreigners who came for commissions. It is best to have Sun Zhangong, who is also familiar with the road, as the team leader, which can play a supervisory role and is equivalent to double insurance.
When the more than 10,000 soldiers of the 12th Division first set foot in the desert, they were attracted by the Gobi Canyon, the flat and endless gravel fields, and the completely different scenery from the south of the Great Wall. The speed of their advance was so fast. . Unfortunately, this interest did not last long before he experienced the unpredictable power of heaven and earth.
On March 19, the army marched hundreds of miles, and Shi Shi secretly grinned happily for the smooth march.The good mood of the generals of the Second Division did not last long, and was soon wiped away by a sudden thunderstorm, strong winds and hail.
In the Mu Us area, heavy rains often occur in spring and summer, as well as hail disasters and strong winds. There is a local proverb that "the dragon's mouth robs food in February and August", which means that large-scale hail disasters are prone to occur during this period. At this time, it is the turn of spring and summer
There were lightning and thunder, wind and rain, hail like bullets, and mud and rocks falling. This was the first warning that Maowusu gave to the soldiers of the Twelfth Division.
In the vast expanse of wilderness, dark clouds cover the sky and the ground is dark; thunder rolls, as if it is exploding in the ears; pale lightning illuminates the faces that are equally pale due to the heavy rain; frightened horses run around, The soldiers chased him through the wind and rain. If they were not careful, they would fall into the muddy water. If you are holding the reins or the horse pole, it is better to let go in time. If you are a minute and a half slower, you may even be dragged and trampled by the frightened horse, and you will be unable to save you
The generals below Yue Fei ran around with their iron helmets clanging against the hail, shouting for orders at the top of their lungs. Their voices penetrated the wind and rain, but were eventually drowned out by the thunder.
Fortunately, before departure, Yue Fei conducted intensive training for his subordinates for more than half a month based on the suggestions of the Emperor and the General Staff, including training on how to deal with thunderstorms. After the soldiers experienced the initial panic. Finally, under the leadership of the grassroots non-commissioned officers at all levels, they went through all the troubles. Six hundred chariots and a thousand transport vehicles were formed into a defensive circle. First, a large number of war horses and camels were enclosed to prevent these important transport forces from running away and being separated. Then tents were set up urgently. All tents were placed close to the inside of the vehicles. Increase the ability to withstand strong winds; finally, except for the groom and the driver, they must stay with their livestock. The rest of the soldiers all got into tents and tanks. It doesn't matter if there are people squeezing people over each other, as long as they can avoid wind, rain and hail that can smash people's heads and bleed.
After two long hours of hard work, the clouds finally opened and the sun and moon were visible, the wind stopped raining, the hail stopped, and the thunder faded away - this was the first difficulty on the Western Expedition. Finally got over it.
When Yue Fei, Wang Gui, Xu Qing and other generals emerged from their chariots and tents with their helmets crooked and swollen noses and faces, they all gasped - the entire temporary camp seemed to have been ridden by thousands of random horses. It's like kicking the camp. a mess. Flags, swords, guns, ammunition, armor plates, rice grains, and buckets were scattered everywhere, and almost every soldier was uninjured. The most shocking thing was that the iron baffle on the roof of the chariot was beaten into holes, and the thick wooden walls on both sides were battered. Cracks were visible, as if he had just been baptized by the whirlwind cannon of Xia Guopuxi's army
By now it was getting dark. They had just suffered another defeat and the soldiers were exhausted. Yue Fei had no choice but to order the entire army to camp on the spot, dig trenches for drainage, and build a camp with vehicles. Unable to find dry wood to light a fire, he had to make do with boiling steamed buns in water. After softening, he managed to survive.
The next day, the loss statistics came up: 157 soldiers were slightly or seriously injured, five were dead, and nine were missing. Nearly a hundred horses were scattered, more than 20 stones of grain were soaked and submerged, and buckets and water tanks were damaged or leaked, accounting for nearly 10% of the total number. In addition, there were thousands of injured horses and slightly injured soldiers. The more than three hundred military doctors in the medical camp were really busy.
Yue Fei looked at the amount of losses and frowned. Xu Qing scolded the thief. Wang Gui shook his head and sighed. What a bad start! After only walking a short distance, dozens of people were killed - in such a desolate wilderness, missing someone was tantamount to a death sentence.
Faced with the irresistible power of heaven and earth, Yue Fei had no choice but to order: "Order the craftsmen to repair the broken barrels and fill them with all the water from the ditch for the camels and horses to drink. Rest for one day, and tomorrow Keep on going."
The characteristic of the Gobi Desert is that it was stormy yesterday, but it may be cloudless today. The soldiers of the Twelfth Division quickly felt this. As the army gradually approached the desert area, the sun was extremely hot during the day, and it was still so cold that people shivered at night.
After the seventh day of the march, more and more sick soldiers, including war horses, were acclimatized, which had seriously slowed down the progress of the army. Yue Fei had to mobilize a city's cavalry and infantry troops, a team of military doctors, and more than 200 sick and seriously injured soldiers to form a wounded camp, leaving enough supplies and treating them on the road. Dropped at the end of the large army.
Despite all the difficulties, Sun Zhangong and seven or eight guides unanimously confirmed that the army was indeed advancing westward in the correct direction and was nearly halfway through. This news was enough to encourage Yue Fei and his generals, sweeping away the decline of the previous period.
On March 27, five miles in front of the army, a team of mounted sentinels tasked with exploring and clearing the way discovered a group of sand bandits and immediately reported to the division headquarters.
Yue Fei gave instructions to capture them all and not let anyone go to avoid leaking the news.
Xu Qing was almost sick these days. When he heard that there were enemies who could be bullied, he immediately volunteered to fight in person.??Three hundred cavalry went to reinforce them.
But with just such a round trip, by the time Xu Qing arrived at the scene of the incident with three hundred cavalry, everything was over.
Fifty hard detectives on horseback took advantage of one person and two horses to quickly catch up with the sand bandits. They cut the group of sand bandits riding horses or camels into five segments in units of tens, like five sharp blades. Using bows and arrows, hand crossbows, javelins, hawk-bill muskets, and thunderbolts all of them came forward and in less than two seconds, they completely wiped out this large group of sand pirates, which consisted of more than seventy to eighty people.
Xu Qing smacked his lips and shook his head. He didn't know whether he was lamenting that his own cavalry was too strong, or that the sand bandits were too scumbag.
A horseman came from afar at high speed. The knight on horseback slapped a sand thief who was holding him under his arms on the sand. Then he raised his hand to push off his helmet and saluted Xu Qing: "Uncle Xu, I captured a bandit leader."
Xu Qing laughed, rode forward, and gently slapped the knight's shoulder armor with his riding crop affectionately: "What a good boy, you are worthy of being the son of Fifth Brother (Yue Feiwu)!"
This knight is none other than someone else. It was the sixteen-year-old boy Yue Yun.
Didn¡¯t Yue Yun serve in Yang Zaixing¡¯s First Army? Why was he transferred to the Fourth Army? More under Yue Fei's command?
There are some twists and turns in this matter. Just as Di Lie expected. Yue Yun shined during the Northern Expedition. In the first battle at Lugou Bridge, Ma Jin was killed with one blow and became a blockbuster. After the war, after the war, he was promoted from an ordinary soldier to a team leader, and was awarded a pair of blue armors by the military commander himself as a reward. Fight again at Qipanshan and behead six levels. They are all leaders with rings, and they are promoted to the head of the capital through merit. In the third battle of Shangjing, he was the first to climb the city of Shangjing with the appearance of a brave and fearless tiger. After the war, he was awarded the Silver Medal Level 2 for his meritorious service and was promoted to deputy commander.
In just half a year, he was upgraded several levels in a row and was reduced to a mere soldier. He was promoted to a mid-level officer at such a speed that it was really shocking for a sixteen-year-old boy. As for Yue Yun's solid record, even the most picky people have nothing to say.
Yue Fei also had nothing to say. But he was very disturbed by his son's rapid escalation. So he asked to be transferred to his twelfth division, and Di Lie happily agreed. Others speculated that Yue Fei wanted to take advantage of his promotion to the commander of the Western Expedition Army to accumulate military merit and promotion for his son, paving a wider path. Only Di Lie knows. On the contrary, Yue Fei will definitely suppress Yue Yun's military achievements. Just like in history, you let the horse run but don't let the thousand-mile horse eat grass.
In history, Yue Yun had outstanding military exploits, but was suppressed by Yue Fei many times, and Yue Yun had no complaints. However, in China, there is the most stringent military merit reward system, and the emperor Di Lie is especially focused on this. Yue Fei wants to suppress his son's military achievements, but hey, it's not that easy.
Yue Fei interrogated the more than 20 surviving sand bandits and found nothing unusual. He immediately ordered the swordsman to push them out and behead them.
The leader of the sand bandits repeatedly kowtowed and begged for mercy, saying that he had eaten too much lard and was blinded, so he should not have collided with the army. I really never thought that in this desolate desert, the heavenly army of the Han family would actually appear. I am the brother of a certain commander of the Shun Army in the right wing of the Xia Kingdom, and I am willing to ask for a ransom from his brother to redeem my own life.
The right wing is facing Shun Junsi? Yue Fei's heart moved, he thought for a moment, and then ordered the sergeants to take the sand thieves down and keep them under strict guard.
¡¡
On March 29, more than ten days after the army set off, the biggest hardship on the Western Expedition came - an unprecedentedly violent sandstorm was about to strike.
It was noon, the sky was cloudless, the sun was shining brightly, and the army was preparing to set up camp, hoping to avoid the hottest part of the day and set off on the road in the evening. Suddenly seeing the guide leading the way, they desperately urged the camels to run back like crazy.
The soldiers stopped what they were doing and assembled as a team to prepare for the enemy. But I heard seven or eight guides shouting in unison: "Big sandstorm! Big sandstorm!"
As the guides hurriedly exclaimed, they saw a dark subway curtain approaching from the northwest
The soldiers of the Twelfth Division, who have withstood wind, rain, hail, small sandstorms, scorching sun, poisonous insect stings and other hardships, already have considerable experience in avoiding risks. There is no need for the general to urge you, just take action immediately. The grooms and drivers led the livestock to one place for centralized guarding; the auxiliary soldiers gathered the chariots and transport vehicles into three circular chariot cities with connected chariots and chariots; they erected tents, tied up grain bags, and sealed water. Jar Before the big sandstorm came, all the animals and animals entered the predetermined safe shelter.
¡°All preparations have been made and all personnel have been exhausted. Whether we can survive it depends on God¡¯s will.
The moment the big sandstorm rolled up the yellow sand all over the sky, it seemed like the end of the world, and the whole world was in chaos. Nothing could be heard or seen except the roaring that could tear the eardrums. In the darkness, countless horses, camels, and even guardsmen were swept dozens, hundreds, or even tens of feet away by the violent wind and sand.Not to mention how many tanks and transport vehicles were blown away by the strong wind, and the shafts of the vehicles were broken off. The vehicles lost their connection and overturned all the way, like grass in the wind
For half a day and a night, in the early morning, the violent sandstorm ravaged the chariot and horse army in every possible way, and then left with satisfaction.
After the storm, looking around, the chasm has turned into a high hill. Half of the tens of thousands of troops who were on the other side of the dune yesterday were buried under the sand. Only the roofs of many vehicles were exposed. The dunes bulged high and low, as if they were countless of grave mounds.
Poof! A head wearing an iron helmet broke out of the sand - Yue Fei. When the commander-in-chief of the Western Expedition struggled to crawl out of the carriage where he was half-buried alive, he looked around, and his hands and feet were instantly cold¡ª¡ª
"Soldiers! My soldiers! Are you still breathing? Get out of here!"
With Yue Fei's hoarse roar, he rolled over the endless sand dunes. A ridge of sand dunes seemed to move. After shaking again, the sand grains fell like powder, revealing a sticky helmet. The helmet was lifted up, revealing Xu Qing's rough face full of beard
"Bah, bah, bah!" Xu Qing kept spitting out sand, shaking his head, looking around, and yelled: "Nephew! Are you still alive? Climb out!"
Not far away, Yue Yun¡¯s head protruded from the sand, struggling to pull away the surrounding sand. While pulling out the sand from his ears, he kept waving to his father and Xu Qing.
The dense and raised sand dunes seemed to come to life. The sand was shaken off and faces were revealed. There were Wang Gui, Sun Zhan Gong, countless soldiers of the Twelve Divisions, and even the leader of the sand bandits. Every dirty, hard-to-recognize, sand-covered face is filled with a smile that will last a lifetime
Yue Fei's eyes were slightly moist, and he slowly leaned forward, inserted one hand into the sand, grabbed something, pulled hard, and broke out of the sand - grains of sand flew everywhere, and dust flew up. Although one side was broken and dirty, it could not hide its bright color. The vivid national flag of China flutters in the long wind against the light of the round sun in the desert. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian to vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile phone users please go to m. to read.) - Didn't finish reading? Add this book to your favoritesI'm a member and bookmarked this chapterCopy the address of this book and recommend it to your friends for pointsChapter error? Click here to report
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