Qin Official

"Sir, the soldiers and civilians recruited in the Yan region have been properly arranged. Tomorrow, we will leave Jicheng (Beijing)."

In early April of the 33rd year of Qin Shihuang, Fusu, who looked tired, listened to the report from veteran general Yang Duanhe, nodded and said: "Thank you, old general, we are finally halfway through this expedition..."

That's right, they had only walked half of the way. Fusu made a rough estimate and found that it was more than two thousand miles from Chang'an to Jicheng. It took him and five thousand Guanzhong soldiers two months to complete the journey, and they also joined in the process. Zhao Dibing couldn't even get enough for five thousand meals. Thirty miles to one camp, which was in line with the Qin army's march standards. Thanks to Fusu's hardened heart, he showed no mercy to the soldiers and allowed them to rest frequently along the way.

But the real test has just begun, because Yang Duanhe told Fusu that from Jicheng to the eastern boundary of the Qin Dynasty, Manfanhan City, located at the mouth of Peishui (Qingchuan River), is another two thousand miles!

Fusu's eyes moved from west to east on the map. Such a long journey made him worried.

There are two difficulties, one is time and the other is hunger.

These days, the Northeast is vast and sparsely populated. If Heifu were here, he would definitely describe it this way: "Everywhere is the Great Northern Wilderness!"

According to what Fusu knew, the army would no longer have a smooth and wide road to walk on. The roads would become increasingly narrow and difficult to navigate, and the surrounding population would become increasingly sparse. Sometimes they would even have to climb over mountains and ridges, and fight through thorns and thorns. After several months of boring marching, the soldiers will also become tired and their marching speed will be greatly reduced.

Yang Duanhe settled the accounts for Fusu. It would take at least three months to walk from Jicheng to Manfanhan! By the time they arrived at the border of North Korea, it was already July. By that time, there were less than three months left before Qin Shihuang's request to "surrender North Korea before winter and destroy Lord Canghai"...

Fusu clenched his fists and pursed his lips, not knowing what to think. Yang Duanhe was secretly thinking: "Looking at it from this point of view, His Majesty's appointment as general is not an easy way to pave the way, but like a difficult problem set up to force him to do so." Let the young master do it..."

Time is only one of the difficulties. What is even more troublesome is that the army's supplies will become extremely scarce.

On the march map, the six counties of Yandi were arranged from west to east: Shanggu, Guangyang, Yuyang, Youbeiping, Liaoxi, and Liaodong.

Yang Duanhe pointed at the map and said: "Sir, the food for the army is basically supplied by the counties along the way. Guangyang County is rich, Dukang is the largest granary in Yandi, and Jicheng is the northern city, which can keep the three armies well fed. Then. In the next half month, we will pass through Yuyang and Youbeiping. These two counties are important border towns after all, and there is no shortage of military rations. The guards of the two counties will arrange thousands of civilians to deliver food to the pavilions and post offices along the way."

"But once you leave Jieshi City and arrive in western Liaoning..."

Yang Duanhe shook his head, his face solemn.

He had already inquired about the situation there. After entering Liaoxi County, the marching route was long, and there were no major cities and counties along the way. The pitiful warehouses in the counties and villages were simply not enough for a large army to feed their horses. Therefore, thousands of civilians must join the army and follow from Jieshi, carrying people on their backs, horses, camels and carts, carrying a month's worth of food to survive the Liaoxi Corridor and reach Yangle (Jinzhou), the capital of Liaoxi County.

"The situation will get worse after we cross the Liao River and enter Liaodong County."

Liaodong these days is really a multi-ethnic gathering area, with Donghu, Yan people, Fuyu, and Dao Yi mixed together, and most of them are concentrated on the plains along the Liao River. There are only a few counties in the rest of the area.

Fusu also looked at the household registration books of Liaodong, which showed that there were only about 20,000 households and about 100,000 people living there, which was only equivalent to a large county in the Central Plains, but they were scattered over thousands of miles. Although the people there farm fertile black soil, their production tools are backward and the yield per acre is very small. If they want to collect grain locally, there is no grain to collect.

Yang Duanhe told a story from the past: "After Qin destroyed Yan, the King of Yan fled to Liaodong. The Qin Dynasty failed to conquer it immediately because the distance was too long and the army could not keep up with supplies and was eaten by the enemy. It couldn't be implemented, so it took several years before General Li Xin led his elite cavalry troops to attack in one fell swoop."

Therefore, according to Yang Duanhe's idea, after they had their last full meal in Xiangping City, the capital of Liaodong County, until they arrived at Manfanhan, they had to live frugally. For a full eight hundred miles, there were only four kilometers along the way. It is a small city, and the rest is wilderness. The supply line is so long and the food in Liaodong is so scarce that it is unsustainable.

Yang Duanhe predicted: "If my prediction is correct, the army will be cut off from supplies after crossing Mazishui (Yalu River), becoming a lone army in a foreign land, and falling into a critical situation with no food to sustain..."

"An army will perish if it has no baggage, it will perish if it does not have food, and it will perish if it has no accumulation."

Fusu was helpless: "In such a predicament, it is not easy to just stabilize the three armies and prevent them from fleeing due to hunger, let alone conquest?"

He has read thousands of books and traveled thousands of miles, but the question his father gave him was really difficult.

If you don't want yourself and 20,000 soldiers and civilians to starve to death and collapse, you must find ways to solve the supply problem.

Yang Duanhe said: "The imperial court has an idea."

"Since we can't keep up with the land supply from Yan, we will supply from the sea and from the counties of Qi!"

Having said that, Yang Duanhe is still not optimistic about this plan, because supplying from the sea is unheard of in ancient times!

Fusu nodded: "It's said to be Qidi, but it's actually Jiaodong."

This sounds like a good idea, but in practice, the pressure falls entirely on Jiaodong’s shoulders...

As far as Fusu knows, last year there was a rebellion in various fields in Qi. Although it was quickly put down by Heifu, Linzi and Jibei were still severely damaged. Spring plowing and summer work were delayed. Many counties had no harvest. In addition, relief for the displaced people was War refugees, once overflowing granaries became empty.

Looking at the whole country, the only place in the warehouse that can supply tens of thousands of troops with food is Jiaodong County. This is why Qin Shihuang appointed Hei Fu as the supervisor of the army.

Fusu looked to the southeast and said with a wry smile:

"In the past, in the northern part of the Great Wall, Fusu served as a supervisor for General Wei. He did not help much, but caused him a lot of trouble. Nowadays, generals and supervisors are easy to change. My life and the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers are all tied to the supervision of Commander Wei. Hands on!"

…

In mid-April of the thirty-third year of Qin Shihuang's reign, the coastal county of Heilongjiang became the center of the military and political affairs of Jiaodong County. Not only did the navy commander stationed here, but even the county governor Heifu also moved his government affairs here.

There is no way, unlike the past few times as a general, this time Heifu, as the supervisor of the army and the incarnation of the logistics captain, must be responsible for the supply of the army, and Zhifu Port in Xie County is undoubtedly the most suitable command center.

"Where did the eldest son's army march to?"

Senior official Heifu was a busy man. He had just finished the cadre mobilization meeting on summer and autumn salt production and gold mining, and then summoned Cao Shen and asked him about the contacts and movements of the Eastern Expedition army.

In the war to quell the Qi Di Rebellion, Cao Shen was the first to ascend the throne and kill Tian Heng. Not only was his title raised by two levels, but his position was also changed from a small Zuo Shi to a "Bing Cao Tu", which was equivalent to the Minister of the Provincial People's Armed Forces. Although he is nominally subordinate to the county captain, Heifu is now the supervisor of the army, so he also has to report military information to him.

Cao Shen was originally a minor official in Pei County, but his reputation was not very good in the county. He became famous after being spotted by Hei Fu. His clan was honored and he had the opportunity to lead troops in battles. He regarded Hei Fu as his leader, so he naturally tried his best and reported it. :

He returned: "I received a reply last time, saying that the young master's army was resting in Jicheng. Now more than half a month has passed, and it has probably reached Jieshi and is about to enter Liaoxi County..."

"This young master may face real challenges next."

Heifu also knew something about the situation in eastern Liaoning and western Liaoning. He knew that there was not much food stored there and the supply line was long.

Cao Shen estimated that around the end of June, Fusu and his 20,000 to 30,000 men would cross the Yalu River. This also meant that the possibility of land supply from Liaodong was cut off, and grain could only be transported by sea from Jiaodong...

It can be said that the key to the success or failure of this battle is not the battle in front of the expeditionary force, but whether the food supplies from Jiaodong can continue to keep up.

Thinking like this, Heifu gave the order: "Let Cang Cao and Xiao He come to see me!"

Professionals do professional things. Heifu feels that he is very lucky. Historically, Xiao He, who was the number one hero of the Han Dynasty because of his good transportation and logistics, was under him.

In the past two years, Xiao He has proven his ability in the position of "County Jijiu" and has made Jiaodong's education so impressive that no one can find fault with it. Hei Fu was not stingy either. He rewarded Xiao He based on his merits. He promoted Xiao He to an official position and became a warehouse manager. He was responsible for managing grains and coordinating supplies. It was his old profession in history. No matter how many waves Liu Bang sent in front, Xiao He Can be continued.

Heifu clearly understands his position in this war: to supervise the army and manage logistics. Things on the front line have nothing to do with him, and he cannot steal the limelight from Young Master Fusu. He only needs to help the expeditionary force when a crisis arises. .

If Fusu is the C position, then Heifu is the support.

But Xiao He’s incident also taught Heifu something, and this is also the role he plans to play in this war:

"Even if I have to give up the C position, I am a good supporter, and I can still win the MVP!"