Chapter 198 Pang Tong Goes North
In the north of Shangluo County, Wen Pin took the lead.

The three infantry battalions advanced lightly and did not carry tents or other large military equipment.

They were equipped with swords, spears, halberds, bows and arrows, and marched lightly and very quickly.

We will arrive in Lantian County around nightfall.

Wen Pin was still wearing his golden helmet and armor, looking at the mountains and cliffs on both sides of the valley road.

He also went to Guanzhong when he was young. Chang'an Imperial College was once very prosperous under Dong Zhuo's rule, and he also stayed there for a period of time.

Therefore, I am not unfamiliar with Wuguan Road. Now that I am revisiting the old place and commanding two thousand soldiers, I feel that life is even more heroic.

Accompanying Wen Pin was Pang Tong, the Gongcao of Nanjun, and a dozen scholars from Lumen Mountain who followed Pang Tong.

Pang Tong rode a docile old horse, which followed the team silently.

Pang Tong freed his hands and read the various official documents sent by Wang Wei. The contents of the documents described what was happening in various places in Guanzhong, as well as reports on the battle situation on the front line, including rumors among the people.

According to Wang Wei's official document, Guanzhong today is like a burning haystack.

Wang Wei was stationed in Duling. After conscripting civilians and distributing cattle and horses a few days ago, several famous local knights called on their fellow villagers and proletarian young men to gather more than a hundred people and take the initiative to go to the Lantian camp for training.

Looking at this message, Pang Tong couldn't help but smile.

In Guanzhong, there are no proletarian evil young men. They either become generals or powerful followers, or go into the mountains to become bandits.

It is estimated that the bandits and mountain people who voluntarily came down the mountain some time ago were not trusted by officials and villagers. Although they were distributed land, they lacked other means of production.

So several bandits and mountain leaders stood up again and organized people to join the army.

The underlying logic is very simple. If you do half a year of labor service, you will be given a cow and a horse. If you go to serve in the military, you will be guaranteed to have a cow and a horse after the service. If you are lucky, you will get both a cow and a horse.

Not only the manpower from the civilian population, but also the generals' troops who had previously been organized as auxiliary troops were rearmed and rushed to the Weibei front to participate in the defense.

If Pang Tong remembered correctly, the Huya Army gathered 42,000 households, leaving only 12,000 combat soldiers. The remaining 30,000 households were organized into auxiliary troops to carry out civil engineering work, which was like long-term corvée labor.

These 42,000 households did not include Duan Wei's troops. The largest of them was Ma Teng's with more than 11,000 households.

All we can say is that Ma Teng was very courageous. He gave up as soon as he said he would, and gave it away like a dowry.

These are not just more than 10,000 civilian households, but military households selected by Ma Teng after going through the hardships of the turbulent times. The men in each household are suitable for military service and have received military training.

After being given equipment and a short period of recovery training, they can be sent to the front line to fight.

There are some essential differences between the Guanzhong soldiers and the Jingzhou soldiers. For example, the Guanzhong soldiers have long been accustomed to death and suffering.

This is the essential difference between the soldiers in Jingzhou and soldiers in other regions. Jingzhou has enjoyed peace for a long time, and the soldiers cannot bear high casualties, and have obvious emotions of avoiding and fearing war.

Soldiers from other regions have adapted to the troubled times and have a more positive and optimistic attitude during wartime.

They knew they could not escape and that there was not much difference between being alive and being dead, so they could fight head-on; the soldiers in Jingzhou had no shortage of food, their hometowns were generally wealthy, and they could survive by working as hired laborers, so they were generally afraid of death.

Therefore, bringing the soldiers from Jingzhou to Guanzhong for training can quickly change and reshape the army's cognition.

But this time, it was different from Wang Wei.

Before, in order to stabilize Liu Qi, Black Bear had intentionally protected Wang Wei's troops in every battle. Wang Wei's troops had experienced the spiritual baptism of several major battles, but had never experienced a decent bloody battle.

This time, on the night when the two thousand Jingzhou soldiers arrived in Lantian County, an envoy from the Zhenbei Shogunate came to see Wen Pin with a transfer order and a letter.

Wen Pin's face was a little stiff as he flipped through the letters written to him by Black Bear, which told about the evil deeds of the Huns over the years and the deliberate indulgence and potential cooperation of the big families in Taiyuan and Hedong.

There are hidden dangers from mountain people such as Jingman, Wuximan, Jiangxiaman, etc. in Jingzhou, but there is no shortage of food in the mountains and forests of Jingzhou. These people guard the mountains and dense forests and are often able to be self-sufficient.

Therefore, the conflicts between the barbarians and the counties and powerful people were neither obvious nor frequent.

The people of Jingzhou had no interest or harmful relationship with the northern Hu people, so influenced by culture and ideas, Wen Pin believed that killing the Hu people was the justice of the world.

In the letter, Black Bear hoped that Wen Pin could lead his Jingzhou troops to the front line to help in the battle. In return, he would provide them with war horses and help Wen Pin reorganize his troops into cavalry.

When Wen Pin retreated to Jingzhou after the war, he was provided with 3,000 horses.

As for the deaths of Jingzhou soldiers during the battle, there is no need to go into details. So many horses are just compensation.

When three thousand horses arrived in Jingzhou, Wen Pin was the only cavalry general under the command of Liu Biao and Liu Qi, father and son.

Wen Pin was in great need of these war horses, and Liu Biao and his son were even more so, because Yuan Tan was about to arrive in Nanyang with his troops and horses.

After Yuan Tan and Liu Bei joined forces, Liu Bei also had a cavalry force of two to three thousand people.

This was very disadvantageous to Cao Cao and also to Liu Biao's side.

In order to offset this disadvantage, Jingzhou must have its own cavalry.

Wen Pin was very excited, and immediately took the official documents and letters to Pang Tong: "Mr. Shiyuan, I dare not make a decision on this matter without authorization, and it still needs Mr. Shiyuan's decision. If it is difficult, you can send a letter to Jiangling and ask the lord to make a judgment."

When he arrived, Pang Tong was still sorting out and studying the changes in Guanzhong. He could only put these aside and read Black Bear's letters by the oil lamp.

Similar to Wen Pin, Pang Tong had no business dealings with the various Hu and Xiongnu peoples, and he instinctively disliked them and was delighted with Black Bear's achievements.

Somewhat different from Wen Pin, Pang Tong only felt that the black bear's sneak attack on the Huns was very ingenious and definitely did not seem like an impromptu performance.

The three thousand Guanzhong cavalrymen defeated the enemy with the result of thirty thousand men, and their strength grew as the battle went on.

Different from other famous families, Pang Tong and his family followed an academic school. Pang Tong didn't care at all about Black Bear instigating the Huns' slaves to rebel, or winning over the escaped slaves from the big families in Taiyuan and Hedong.

He only cares about the costs and benefits of war. If he can make money from war, Pang Tong will keep fighting.

After reading Black Bear's letter, he glanced at the document of troop mobilization which had only a few dozen words.

Only with this document could Wen Pin obtain supplies during the march, especially replenishment of armor.

The entire Guanzhong area has been mobilized. While each county has mobilized its soldiers to defend its own county, it is also collecting armor within the territory and transporting it to Tongguan.

When the three battalions of light soldiers led by Wen Pin arrived at Tongguan, they would be able to obtain armor and equipment. Pang Tong put down the official document and said immediately: "This is a matter of national survival. It is a national war and we must not refuse."

"With your words, I feel relieved."

"General, don't worry. Hei Zhenbei has always been on good terms with our lord. He intends to increase the number of troops under our lord's command."

Pang Tong folded his hands, still a little uncomfortable with the cold in Guanzhong: "It is difficult for a person like Hei Zhenbei to trust a contemporary hero like Liu Xuande. In Hei Zhenbei's eyes, Yuan Shang of Hebei is a fledgling eagle that is about to spread its wings and make a name for itself. Only a person like this can form an alliance with Hei Zhenbei in times of crisis and hardship."

"But the lord is different. He is kind-hearted and wants to protect the border and the people. He is lucky for us and Hei Zhenbei."

Pang Tong couldn't help laughing while he was talking, and Wen Pin also laughed.

There is absolutely no intention to laugh at Liu Qi. Liu Qi was very lucky. At least when it came to supporting Liu Qi, Black Bear did his utmost and risked almost all his belongings.

At that time, Black Bear's words of advice to Liu Qi gradually spread out.

For example, Black Bear's estimation of Jingzhou's population potential is that as long as Jingzhou can stabilize internal affairs, it can just sit back and watch Cao Cao toss around.

After more than ten years of struggle, the size of Cao's army will become smaller and smaller.

The theory of Jingzhou's population advantage has been continuously magnified among the Jingzhou scholar group. As long as they can hold their ground until the next generation grows up, the people of Jingzhou can be transformed into Chu people.

Liu Qi doesn't seem like the kind of person who would stir up trouble. It would be interesting if it were delayed until 20 years later, when a young and strong leader came to power.

Twenty years later, if Pang Tong and Wen Pin had not died young, they would have surely become military and political leaders.

After the two men finished laughing, Pang Tong said, "The posthumous letter of Lord Cai has been excavated. My brother, Xi Zhen and others can just copy it. I will set out with the general tomorrow. I want to see what the Xiongnu really look like."

"Yes, then Mr. Shi Yuan should go to bed early."

Wen Pin tactfully took his leave, and Pang Tong stood up to see him out.

Returning to the desk, Pang Tong rubbed his hands, picked up a pen and reported to Liu Qi the interests involved in the matter.

There is only one friendly force on our side, and that is Black Bear; the opponent's true ally is only ours.

It was precisely because of the alliance between the two sides that Yi Ji, who was sandwiched in the middle, was able to gain a firm foothold and not be controlled by Liu Biao or Liu Bei.

As for other allies, they were mostly anti-Cao Cao coalition formed due to the pressure of survival.

When Cao Cao's main force suffered heavy losses, this coalition camp automatically collapsed.

Liu Bei always had the potential to succeed Cao Cao, and he never gave up his efforts in this regard.

Therefore, after Liu Bei received Yuan Tan and that batch of war horses, Jingzhou must have a cavalry of the same size.

What kind of ally is it if it doesn’t engage in an arms race internally?

While Pang Tong was writing the letter, Sima Zhi, whom he had met once in the morning, was also writing a letter to Black Bear.

There are no prominent families in Shangluo at present. There are only various powerful people who occupy the mountains and valleys and settle and defend themselves. These powerful people are generally part-time bandits.

Ever since the Huya Army entered Guanzhong through the Wugu Pass, the long-abandoned trade route has been reopened, and the merchants from Jingzhou pursuing profits have become increasingly dense.

After the bandits and mountain people in the Shangluo mountains successively surrendered, only the powerful and wealthy were left.

After the news of the policy of conscripting laborers and distributing cattle and horses to various counties in Guanzhong spread, these powerful people could no longer sit still and began to actively report their population and request to be registered.

Although the cattle and horses had not yet been transported, Sima Zhi had already started selecting able-bodied men.

The first priority is always military service, and the impact of turbulent times on mountain people is relatively smaller.

Shangluo was originally the result of the merger of two counties. It has many valleys and ravines. Although the population is sparse, its vast territory cannot be overstated.

So Sima Zhi recruited two thousand soldiers with their own armor and equipment as soon as he took action.

He was also good at making decisions, allocating cattle and horses to the soldiers who signed up, and if there were any casualties, he would give them cattle and horses.

As long as these two thousand people were sent to the front line, Shangluo's defensive pressure would be reduced.

These are two thousand infantrymen who are good at mountain raids. Sima Zhi does not understand military tactics, but he feels that they can definitely be used when fighting deep in Xihe.

Shangluo County was basically handed over to Sima Zhi for exclusive management. What Black Bear wanted was stability. He didn't care how Sima Zhi managed it. As long as the stability of Wugu Road and water transport was guaranteed, all other problems were secondary.

It was precisely because of this decentralization that Sima Zhi took the lead in recruiting soldiers and released unstable factors to the outside world.

When they come back, they will become an external force of the county government and a part of the local order.

He believed that his actions would not cause any trouble. In fact, he was not afraid of trouble, but was more afraid of failure on the front line.

After writing the official documents to the front line, he also wrote to Gan Ning, Chen Zhen and Zhen Mi respectively about the recruitment of 2,000 soldiers, hoping that they would be prepared and not misunderstand.

Finally, after a busy day, Sima Zhi began to read Pei Qian's letters, which were sent by Pei Qian through Pang Tong.

As Sima Zhi expected, Pei Qian, who lived in seclusion in Changsha, refused Hei Xiong's recruitment and also declined Sima Zhi's invitation.

Sima Zhi could only sigh at this. According to the itinerary, Pei Qian's letter of refusal could be delivered to Nanjun.

It also means that if Pei Qian had agreed at that time, he would have been able to arrive with Pang Tong and Wen Pin and catch up with the final decisive battle.

Sima Zhi felt so regretful that he even felt a hint of hatred.

However, at this moment, Pei Qian had already left Changsha and sailed northward against the Han River.

The battle reports that kept coming from Guanzhong to Jingzhou urged him on, and Pei Qian also felt a little regretful.

But he believed that when he appeared in front of Sima Zhi, Sima Zhi would definitely crumple up his letter of rejection and throw it into the fire and burn it to ashes.

Coming later would not affect his career.

(End of this chapter)