mesbooks Chapter 488: Should Have Taken Shen Zhiqiu with Him
Chapter 488: Should Have Taken Shen Zhiqiu with Him
After this battle, Taialu hated the Fu family army.
The subsequent journey to the north was not peaceful, as they were continuously harassed by the Northern Yuan cavalry. They would not fight head-on, but would rely on their familiarity with the terrain and then run away after harassing them.
That’s not all. Tai’alu also joined forces with the Nuzhen tribe and planned to completely erase the name of “Fu’s Army” from the world.
Looking at the large number of cavalry sent out time and time again, it is clear how much Tai'alu hates the Fu father and son.
With only a few hundred thousand soldiers and horses, without water or food, you dare to go straight to his lair?
Oh, you don't take him seriously, right?
Tai Alu gritted his teeth and said, "Given the situation in Guanzhong, my master doesn't believe that if we annihilate your army of more than 100,000 in one fell swoop, Beiyan can still withdraw troops to attack Beiyuan."
He even imagined that after Northern Yan suffered heavy casualties, he would wait for the death of the King of Yan, and then he would reap the benefits of the war between the north and south of Guanzhong, push back Guanzhong in one fell swoop, and rebuild the Yuan Dynasty.
As for the Nuzhen tribe, its relationship with the Northern Yuan Dynasty was actually not very good before. Tai'aru was very ambitious and had fought many battles with the surrounding foreign tribes.
But there is a saying that goes: "There are no eternal enemies."
The Nuzhen tribe agreed to cooperate with the Northern Yuan Dynasty because they were actually afraid of being in trouble if their lips were gone.
The Fu family army was not afraid at all even when they were attacked from both sides and the gap between them was huge and the enemy was much larger than theirs.
Isn't it just guerrilla tactics? It's not like they don't know how to use it.
After the two armies regrouped in Harun and Arshan, they received a large number of supplies escorted by the imperial court, including basic cotton-padded clothes, cotton boots, and even sleeping bags, enough for almost every person.
Although the number of plastic tents is limited, only 1,500 were added this time.
But there is also good news, that is, the compressed dry food delivered this time is ten times more than last time.
Because the court's own workshop also started production in the second month, but there was no intention to stop the Tangjia Village compressed biscuit workshop.
There are also a large number of medicinal herbs that can cure colds, and a batch of alcohol in plastic bottles!
There are many things to consider when marching in winter, such as how to choose the route, how to get supplies and provision, how to arrange defense and attack, how to provide medical support, and how to apply tactics.
However, keeping warm and preventing colds are of utmost importance, because even if the tactics are unparalleled and the entire army is sick, it will be of no avail.
Also included was a private letter that Shen Zhiqiu had written specifically for Fu Huaian.
This letter explains in detail the uses of alcohol, which can not only clean wounds, but also cool down the body when used to wipe it.
Shen Zhiqiu also wrote clearly about how to make sleds and snow sleds, and how to use them, and even explained how to build an igloo.
He also gave Fu Huai'an a lot of suggestions.
In particular, it was suggested that Fu Huaian try to hide the whereabouts of the army in the winter.
Although he didn't know that the second supply point of the Fu family army was in Harun Arshan, he knew from his memory that the last place where they fought against the Northern Yuan Dynasty in their previous life was Buyuer Lake, also known as Er Lake.
The father and daughter thought about it again and again, discussed it again and again, and felt that the Fu family army would most likely come from the Arshan area.
So in this letter, Shen Zhiqiu mentioned a place that was most suitable for hiding - Arshan.
And Shen Zhiqiu wrote in the letter: He learned about this mountain from a travelogue. It is high and densely forested.
There are many hot springs and natural caves.
In his letter, he also listed all the possible medicines, animals, foods, and minerals such as limestone that might be found in the mountains.
If we really want to hide in this mountain for the winter, it will be much safer than on the grassland without any cover.
However, he also reminded Fu Huaian that the Northern Yuan army might be hiding in this place. The Northern Yuan people would definitely not give up a mountain with such good resources, so he asked him to be more careful.
Duke Fu slowly placed the thick stack of letters on the table, glanced at everyone, and couldn't help but sigh:
"This Mr. Shen is really a thoughtful person!"
There was a hint of appreciation in his voice.
Ah Chi, who had been waiting beside him, could not help but speak:
"Mr. Shen even brought us several fishing nets this time.
But the fishing net was made of some unknown material, but it was extremely strong, and even our soldiers couldn’t tear it apart even when they pulled hard.”
Hearing this, Zhou Sheng, who was standing aside, was stunned for a moment, then he raised his head and laughed:
"Haha, it seems like they want us to go fishing in that lake! Mr. Shen is really an interesting and wonderful person!"
At this time, Fu Huai'an also smiled and nodded, expressing his agreement:
“Although Mr. Shen is a scholar, he is well-read and has read a wide range of books.
Even though they are not proficient in marching and fighting, they are excellent in surviving in the wild.
When they fled famine with such difficulty, the conditions they faced were much more difficult than when we marched north.
There was no cotton clothing to keep warm, and there was no food or rice to fill the stomach.
He also brought many elderly, weak, women and children with him, and finally managed to survive.
It can be seen that the information he provided about survival in the wild must be very useful to us.”
As soon as Fu Huaian said this, everyone present nodded in agreement.
Some generals even laughed and joked:
"In my opinion, we should have brought Mr. Shen with us from the beginning. Maybe he could have helped us!"
Duke Fu and others did listen to Shen Zhiqiu's advice. After all, war horses might freeze to death or get frostbitten in such an extremely cold environment.
If we find a natural cave in the mountains, or build an igloo according to Shen Zhiqiu's method, we can probably avoid this problem.
Furthermore, there were indeed many Northern Yuan tribes settled in the Arshan area, and this place was very close to Buyuer Lake.
In this way, as long as they can cleverly conceal their whereabouts, it will be very convenient for them to launch a surprise attack anywhere.
However, it is not easy for an army of hundreds of thousands to remain completely unnoticed and hide their tracks.
In desperation, everyone had to split the army into several small batches and set foot on this mysterious mountain one by one.
Just as the Northern Expedition Army was cautiously entering the mountains, Guanzhong also welcomed the Lantern Festival.
The nine clans had just received last month's silver and money, and were sitting together in groups of three or five, discussing what new year goods to buy.
"This year, we will still have ten dishes on the table for the New Year. We will also have wine for you to drink as much as you want. The persimmon wine they brew is clear and sweet. We will eat big chunks of meat and drink big bowls of wine."
As soon as Mr. Shen finished speaking, everyone raised their hands in agreement and decided that they should live a good life in the first year after settling down.
Many women were discussing going to the capital to buy new clothes for their daughters, sons, and elders.
Although the clothes they are wearing now are all new cotton-padded clothes made not long ago, they are all filled with plastic cotton made by themselves.
Many families in the village have also bought some plastic cotton. Although they are not able to sell it to outsiders for the time being, they still have some for their own use.
New Year's Day is just two days away, and Shen Youyou is encouraging her sisters to go on strike.