The two reasons are related to the hearts of the non-commissioned officers and officers and colonels, so for Cao Gang's intention, evacuating Yunzhou Mansion and surrendering to the state army, these soldiers of the Northern Army of the state are very reluctant.

The first reason is related to ordinary soldiers. Unlike officers, they are ordinary soldiers, and their families are naturally not allowed to move with the army, especially during such wars. The new household registration system and the land distribution system are all related to the population of the family, which is related to vital interests.

The second one is related to officers and colonels. Cao Gang and the Bingzhou army were opposed, and the two sides did not know how much friction they had, how many times they fought, and they did not know how many fallen soldiers, generals, and gentry of the great clans. Ordinary non-commissioned officers are better, but if these officers enter the territory of the Bingzhou Army, I don't know if some generals and colonels of the Bingzhou Army will assassinate them in order to avenge their robes. Therefore, these generals and colonels are reluctant to go south and join the territory of the state army, preferring to fight to the death here.

Of course, the so-called death war, Cao Gang does not believe it. He believed that the generals in this hall hoped that Cao Gang would lead them to surrender. Because the Xiaoguo Army has spoken first, or the slogan is played first, all the soldiers of the Northern Army who surrender will be pardoned for past crimes, but they must deal with family property in accordance with the new policy of the Xiaoguo Army.

In contrast, if they can save their lives, as well as the lives of their entire families and basic property, these officers and colonels are still willing to fall to the Xiaoguo Army. Because they have been subjugated by the rapid offensive of the Xiaoguo Army, they know that they are difficult to defeat the attack of the Xiaoguo Army, and there are many family members of officers and colonels who are already under the jurisdiction of the Xiaoguo Army.

Cao Gang was naturally reluctant to let these soldiers surrender to the Xiaoguo Army, he knew very well that if he didn't have the strength in his hands and ran to the territory of the Bingzhou Army, he would be nothing. But now he can't imagine that the soldiers unanimously refuse, what can he do? In the end, under the faint coercion of the soldiers, Cao Gang could only take his family and his own personal guards, as well as the 20,000 soldiers who were willing to follow him south, and handed over the Yunzhou Mansion to his own soldiers.

When Cao Gang led the team to Sangqian City in the south of Yunzhou Prefecture, the Yunzhong City Guardian of Yunzhou Prefecture dedicated Yunzhong City to Zhao Xun and surrendered to the Xiaoguo army. Subsequently, the Xiaoguo army took this as the center, blossomed in all directions, and attacked the counties, which had no intention of resisting, coupled with Cao Gang's departure, these counties surrendered one after another. It can be said that the northern and central parts of Yunzhou Mansion were taken by Zhao Xunbing without blood.

At the beginning of August, Zhao Xun and the eastern commander Li Chenfeng joined forces with Yunzhong City, and the Xiaoguo army basically realized the strategy plan of merging the northern land of the state. Next, what is needed is to restructure and reorganize the prefectures and counties in the northern part of the state. These are not very difficult things for Zhao Xun, who has been prepared for a long time. As early as the beginning of the war, the land of Youzhou continuously sent a steady stream of civilian officials and reserve officers of the military academy to take over the government affairs of each prefecture and county and set up a county soldier, a government soldier and a patrol department between townships and towns in each prefecture and county, so as to achieve full control over the northern land of the state.

At the same time, Zhao merchants also appeared in the northern land of Bingzhou one after another, and started a war and trade in the northern land of Bingzhou to activate the local economy. The livestock brought back from the Turkic steppes were given to the people of the northern part of the state at a low price or on credit for their cultivation. As for the captive Turkic slaves, they became free laborers for the construction of walls and gallops. As for the captured Turkic women, they were rewarded to those who had meritorious service.

"Congratulations to the Lord for defeating the Turks and gaining the northern lands of the annexed state." The General's Mansion in Cloud City, Cao Gang's mansion in the past, and now where Zhao Xun is located, the generals and colonels of the two armies who met together congratulated Zhao Xun.

Zhao Xun laughed and said: "This is not my credit alone, the east and west are attacking on two fronts, and the soldiers are using their lives to have today's situation." Today, I celebrate the victory of this battle with all the soldiers. Come, drink this cup together! ”

The entire General's Mansion suddenly fell into a sea of joy, Zhao Xun, Li Chenfeng, and the generals and cavalry captains of various towns gathered in the inner hall of the General's Mansion, listening to the joy outside and discussing the follow-up battle.

"General Li, how is the situation of the armies? Are the losses of soldiers clearly counted? ”

"The meeting lord has been counted after each war. After all, in addition to the identity plates carried by the officers and men of our army, there are rosters of officers and soldiers in the offices of the officers of various departments, logistics departments and military judges, and it is very convenient to count them. Li Chenfeng replied in a deep voice.

Zhao Xun put away the smile after the victory, his face was straight, and he said: "We must do a good job in the post-war pension work, and there must be no negligence." In addition to the list of soldiers to appear on the merit monument, it is also necessary to let the family members of every soldier know that their relatives sacrificed their lives for the country, and they will not be forgotten by our Xiaoguo army. ”

"Rest assured, my lord, these have been inspected by the military judges, quartermasters, and officers of the Military Verification Department, and no one will be left behind."

"Very good, our glory now is the soldiers who exchanged their lives for it, and the soldiers who paved it with blood, and we must not forget them. Are the replenishments of the various departments complete, and are the soldiers able to fight? Zhao Xun asked in a condensed voice.

"In this battle, successive battles have been won, and the soldiers are ready to participate in the war at any time. Moreover, in the past ten days or so, while replenishing the soldiers, the various units are also resting and recuperating, and they can participate in the war at any time. Li Chenfeng smiled and said, "In addition, the Yongzhou side in the south is also proceeding according to our plan, and this is also the best time for us to seize the land of annexation. ”

Zhao Xun nodded and said in a deep voice: "This is very good!" This time, we will not only take down the northern part of Bingzhou, but also bring the southern part of Bingzhou under our command and merge it into our Zhao army system. Moreover, the war in the northern part of the state did not end there. To the west of Shuozhou Mansion and to the east of Yanju Mansion in Liangzhou. In between, there was a territory equal to the size of the two provinces, and the Hetao Plain was in the hands of the Turks. Now that the Turks have retreated, here, we have to accept it. Although it is outside the Great Wall, it is a key place for the Turks to cross the Yellow River in winter and invade the Hetao. Here, it must be in our hands. ”

Although the land of the two provinces of the Hetao is surrounded by the Yellow River and the Great Wall, there is a gap in the northwest of the Hetao, and when the Yellow River freezes in winter, the Hu people directly cross the Yellow River to invade the Hetao, and then invade the state and Yongzhou. The Hu people in the north have always done this, taking advantage of the weakness of the Central Plains Dynasty and going down from the north.

"Li Chenfeng, I left the First Town, the First Town of the Young Guards Army, and the Eight Banners of the Eight Banners of the Indigo with a total of 100,000 regular soldiers and 80,000 heavy soldiers, and you are fully responsible for the war in the northern land of the state." Zhao Xun said in a deep voice.

Li Chenfeng immediately responded, and said: "That Yanju Mansion is the land of Liangzhou, if we want to bring this large grassland land under our command, the easternmost part of this Yanju Mansion also needs to be connected, so as not to leave a gap for the Turks." That Wushan City is the easternmost part of Yanju Prefecture, an important city to defend against the Turks, if we want to take this middle part, this Wushan City is the front line of Liangzhou to attack us, are we ......"

"If it is feasible, then send someone to raid and take this Wushan City first. Now, we don't have to shy away from anything. Situ Lei should be busy with Yongzhou now, not the corner of Liangzhou and the northern part of Bingzhou. Zhao Xun said slowly. He is also clear about the topography of Liangzhou.

After explaining the military affairs, Zhao Xun turned his gaze to a scribe in his thirties. This person has a clear face, slightly thin, and a long beard with a three-filter on his chin. "Cheng Qingming, you are an old man over there in Youzhou, and you are also a leader in my Zhao Jun's civil official system. Transferring you from Youzhou to serve as the governor of Bingzhou today is also a recognition of you by the Secretary for Administration. ”

"Although only half of the territory of the annexed state is under my Xiaoguo army, this is also the place where we immediately restore effective rule and deal with the aftermath. You are also very familiar with the administrative strategies of my Xiaoguo Army. I am very relieved that the government affairs here are entrusted to you. Zhao Xun said slowly.

Cheng Qingming, the current governor of Bingzhou, is also the head of the civil officials of Bingzhou. Hearing Zhao's words, he immediately saluted respectfully and said: "The subordinates will live up to the hopes of the lord, and this land will be the stable rear of my Zhao army." ”

Zhao Xun said with a smile: "Very good, the affairs above the government affairs, I have nothing to worry about in you, but I still have one more thing to do with you." ”

"Command, Lord!"

"Afforestation! All the people in the northern part of the state need to plant a tree outside the cities, outside the fields, especially those places that are slightly desertified. This is one of the conditions for our Xiaoguo Army to reduce taxes. In addition, the Turkic slaves we captured also needed to plant trees in addition to repairing official roads, cities, and water conservancy projects. Xuanfu envoy Francis, you have your Xuanfu Department to supervise this matter. Anyone who cuts down trees needs to plant and keep the trees alive. Those who cut down seedlings without reason will be severely punished. Zhao Xun said in a deep voice, "I don't want this northern land to be classified as a desert in a few years. I don't want our descendants to live in the desert. ”

"The Lord is benevolent and righteous, and his subordinates admire! The subordinates will live up to the will of the lord, and this move is a benevolent and righteous act! Cheng Qingming, Francis, and the civilian officials who arrived all sighed. They now clearly understand what Zhao Xun means, and naturally they can see the purpose of Zhao Xun's move very clearly.

Li Chenfeng said: "Not only that, but we also have to plant trees to the north in a steady stream. If you can grow grass, you will grow those trees. After all, trees are no more precious than those grains. We can also move the border northward by guò. ”

Zhao Xun had no other superfluous ideas about this idea. Because, Zhao Xun knows very well, what are the consequences of desertification in this land? He did not forget the strict zhòng nature of the mud flow arrows in the Yellow River Basin. Nowadays, some areas in the northern part of this state have seen slight desertification, and Zhao Xun cannot turn a blind eye. It's much easier to start treating now, or to prevent it, than to wait until it's completely deserted. Planting trees, it's not a very difficult thing to do.

…………

Jinyang City, the seat of Taiyuan Prefecture, is also the largest city in the land of Bingzhou, and it is also the capital of Bingzhou. Nowadays, it is also the base camp of the Bingzhou Army and the camp of the Governor of Bingzhou.

Situ Tai, the governor of the Metropolitan Mansion and the Metropolitan of the Prefecture, sat on the main seat with a pale face, listening to the little colonel who knelt down on one knee and reported the situation to him about the situation that made him angry. On both sides of the hall, Situ Wen, Situ Jian and other civil and military officials listened to the reply of the central soldier with a deep face, most of them frowned slightly, and looked slightly worried.

"What is the will of my father? Who made this decision? Have you reported what we have done here to my father? Situ Tai slammed his palm on the table beside him and asked coldly.

"Back to the Metropolitan Governor, I have reported the information here to His Royal Highness King Yong, and sent the detailed report of the Metropolitan Governor to King Yong, and His Royal Highness King Yongwang also ordered the Metropolitan Governor of Yongzhou, that is, His Royal Highness the Great Prince to send soldiers and horses from Yongzhou to support. After the eldest prince received the order, he had already begun to transfer 50,000 soldiers and horses from Bishui Pass and Tiger Prison Pass, totaling 100,000 troops, to prepare to go north and join the state to support ......"

Situ Tai interrupted the words of the junior colonel sent to Yongzhou for help in a cold voice, and said, "According to what you say, my father has already ordered support, and my eldest brother of the governor of Yongzhou is also ready to send troops to support?" ”

The little colonel said in a deep voice: "That's true, when my subordinates were in Luoyang, Yongzhou, they had already seen the Luoyang Mansion Treasury and the surrounding warehouses preparing to transport the grain and grass of the northbound army. ”

But where are their people? It's been more than a month since I asked for help. I border Yongzhou, why have Yongzhou reinforcements not arrived yet? My good big brother, is he really willing to send reinforcements to support me? If we send men and horses to support in time, how can we watch the northern land of Bingzhou being annexed by the Zhao army, how can we watch the northern army of Bingzhou being defeated by the Zhao army? Now that the northern army of Bingzhou is gone, and the northern land of Bingzhou is gone, we are directly face to face with the Zhao army, what about our reinforcements? Now there is no movement at all. Li Li! Just now you said that Luoyang will let us hold on for another three months, so why is this? Could it be that it would take four months to send reinforcements from Yongzhou to this point? Situ Tai's face was extremely gloomy.

Not only Situ Tai, but also Situ Wen, Situ Jian and others on the side also had ugly faces. According to what Li Li said, the governor of Yongzhou, who is in charge of the military and political power of Yongzhou, that is, His Royal Highness the eldest prince, is not willing to send reinforcements to support at all. Not to mention their original plan to expand their strength, but it is to resist the needs of the Zhao army, which is also in urgent need of reinforcements. The situation in the northern part of Bingzhou changed too quickly, and the northern army of Bingzhou was defeated too quickly, so that Situ Tai and others had no time to make corresponding preparations, so they could only directly send troops to support. The waiting reinforcements have not arrived, which makes Situ Tai and others very worried. Because, the army in the hands of the governor of the state is not enough to resist the current Zhao army in the north of the state.

Li Li was also sent by Situ Jian to ask for help from Yongzhou, and he was also a close confidant of the Situ family, so he was sent to Luoyang for help. Seeing Situ Tai asking, he said repeatedly: "Returning to the Grand Governor, it is not that it is difficult to mobilize the army, but that it is impossible to mobilize it now. Just when the governor of Yongzhou was ordered to mobilize reinforcements, the coalition forces outside the Tiger Prison Pass and Bishui Pass suddenly launched a fierce attack on the two passes, and their offensive was even more fierce than a few months ago. In the place of Tiger Pass, the Tang Army, the Yanzhou Army, that is, the Shanyang Army and the Xuzhou Army all sent reinforcements, and together with the Qi Army, they stormed the Tiger Pass, making the Tiger Pass several times a day. ”

And in Bishui Pass, the Qi army also sent additional reinforcements from Yangzhou and Jiangzhou to begin a counterattack on Bishui Pass. Because the Bishui Pass was set on fire by the Governor of the Metropolitan ......" Speaking of this, Li Li carefully glanced at Situ Tai, after all, this Bishui Pass was destroyed by Situ Tai in order to eliminate the Qi army, Situ Tai's face sank slightly, Li Li couldn't help swallowing some of the words he was about to say in his heart, and then continued, "Therefore, it is more difficult to hold on, so that the reinforcements here dare not move lightly." In addition, Murong Cheng also let the Qi army in the land of Jingzhou go north out of Wancheng and attack the land of Hongnongfu, which made the situation in the land of Yongzhou suddenly change, and the army in the land of Yongzhou did not dare to move lightly. ”

King Yong learned of the situation, and because of this, he was not in good health. However, King Yong still ordered the governor of Ningyi to go east to Jiaozhou and put pressure on the Qi army from the south road. In addition, he asked the Governor of Xiliang to send reinforcements to support the annexation of the state. Because the land of Liangzhou has already been transferred once, it takes time to prepare. Therefore, the Governor was allowed to hold out for three months. This is also the meaning of King Yong, and here is a letter from King Yong to the governor of Dadu. As he spoke, Li Li took out the sealed letter.

Let the guards take the letter, Situ Tai said in a deep voice: "It's hard work, you go down and rest first!" With that, he opened the letter and read it. The content is the same as what Li Li said, which is nothing more than a description of the situation in the land of Yongzhou. In addition, it was to let him hold out for three months, try to delay the Zhao army's action against the northern land of Bingzhou, and unite the northern army of Bingzhou to fight against the Zhao army.

Situ Tai still knew the handwriting on it, and it was indeed his father's handwriting. But Situ Tai didn't get better because of this. Situ Tai had already begun to implement the strategy in the letter, but the situation had changed so quickly that it had exceeded his and Luoyang's expectations. Not only him, but also Luoyang, did not expect that the northern land of Bingzhou would be captured by the Zhao army in less than two months. These so-called countermeasures have no effect at all.

Now there are only more than 25,000 people left in the northern army of Bingzhou, which was placed in the southernmost part of Yunzhou Mansion by Situ Tai, as the first line of defense against the Zhao army, for this reason, the Bingzhou army was also trapped in more than 30,000 people, unable to advance or retreat. Now, in the southernmost part of Yunzhou Mansion, the Bingzhou Army and the Zhao Army have begun to engage in small-scale battles, which is also one of the important reasons why Situ Tai and others care about reinforcements. In their plan, they should now be on the outside, not directly into a state of confrontation.