coobybook Chapter 1090 Hunting Pandas?
Chapter 1090 Hunting Pandas?
For thousands of years, the Qiang and Man peoples have been a thorny problem that successive rulers of the Shu region have been unable to solve.
Although Li Che had a high opinion of himself, he was not so arrogant as to think he could sweep everything away with a single move.
Force alone will not work. In his previous life, Zhuge Liang also achieved peace by combining kindness and severity in dealing with the Southern Barbarians.
Thinking of this, Li Che asked, "Tell me, how important are the salt wells to them?"
Aguli said in a deep voice, "It's a matter of life and death."
"Your Majesty, the Qiang land is barren and has very little arable land. The salt produced from the salt wells is not only essential for their own consumption, but also the capital for exchanging grain, ironware, and cloth with other tribes."
“In the past, they obtained salt through private transactions with us, their acquaintances, and the generals of Shu. Now that the court has taken over the salt wells, it is as if they have cut off their livelihood.”
"In the short term, we can rely on stored salt, but in the long run, chaos will inevitably ensue. For a mouthful of salt, those Qiang and Man people are truly willing to risk their lives."
Li Che nodded slightly, glancing at Aguli with surprise: "You see things very clearly."
Aguli chuckled and scratched his head, not daring to respond.
Li Che then realized that Aguli must be a brave but reckless good-for-nothing who could become the leader of a clan and was the only one among the familiar leaders who had not been overthrown.
He was still able to analyze and understand this basic situation.
Thinking of this, Li Che lowered his head and fell into deep thought, and the hall fell silent.
The candle flame crackled and burst open, creating a tiny flower.
Li Che stared at the area on the map that represented endless trouble, and he had already made up his mind.
Scattered, stubborn, and driven to the brink of survival... even cornered beasts will fight, let alone these Qiang and Man tribes.
This is no longer a problem that can be solved with a few tricks.
First, you need enough troops to form a large enough net, to instill fear in them before you can use other methods.
Let's fight. Although Li Che doesn't like starting wars now, the great man said it well.
If you seek peace through struggle, you will survive in peace; if you seek peace through compromise, you will perish in peace!
If this battle had not been fought, the Shu region would not have been able to develop peacefully. Daqing would have lost a major rear granary, which would have been a major event affecting the fate of the nation.
"I understand," Li Che's voice broke the silence.
He walked back to the desk, picked up a command arrow, and looked at Qiu Bai, who was standing beside him: "Qiu Bai, go and fetch Ma Zhong."
"Here!"
A moment later, Ma Zhong, still clad in light armor, strode into the hall, clasped his hands in a salute, and said, "Your Majesty!"
Li Che handed him the command token: "Take this imperial decree and set off immediately for Rongcheng."
"Send orders to all the garrison troops in Chengdu, in addition to the necessary garrison forces, to dispatch 20,000 elite infantry and cavalry to this place immediately for deployment."
"Tell them that the military situation is urgent and the first batch of troops must arrive within ten days!"
Ma Zhong's eyes sharpened, and he accepted the command token with both hands, saying in a deep voice, "This subordinate obeys!"
He also understood that His Majesty was determined to completely eliminate the threat of the Qiang and Man tribes.
"Your Majesty?" Ma Zhong asked tentatively, "Will the Qing army or the Shu army be used for this military campaign?"
Li Che frowned: "There's no Shu army left, it's all Qing army now."
"Yes," Ma Zhong quickly replied, "Then should we use generals from Shu, or...?"
Li Che interrupted, saying, "Since we are fighting against the Qiang and Man tribes, we should naturally call over the Shu generals who are more familiar with them."
Ma Zhong instantly understood Li Che's meaning: they needed to use the Shu army.
"The general understands."
Li Che has always been like this; whether they are old or new, as long as they sincerely follow him, he will give them a chance to show their talents.
Whether they can seize this opportunity depends on themselves.
The same was true of the meritorious generals during Emperor Qing's reign; although Li Che gave them opportunities, they didn't achieve any outstanding performances.
In the future war in Daqing, they will likely find it difficult to be on the main battlefield.
Li Che watched Ma Zhong's departing figure, then gazed at the continuous mountains on the map, his eyes deep and unfathomable.
“Aguli”.
Upon hearing this, Aguli's eyes flashed with excitement, and he quickly said, "Your Majesty?"
"How many combat-ready troops can each of the familiar departments must provide now?"
After a moment's thought, Aguli replied, "Your Majesty, the strength of the Shu Liao lies in salt production, but in terms of fierceness and fighting prowess, they are far inferior to the Qiang and Man tribes in the mountains."
"But over the years, they have suffered from the Qiang and Man tribes' encroachment on their salt wells, extortion of their property, and even abduction of their people, and their resentment is deep. If Your Majesty is determined to conquer the Qiang and Man tribes, it should not be difficult for each tribe to gather more than 10,000 able-bodied men to vent their anger."
"However, their equipment and tactics are incomparable to those of the imperial army, and they may not be able to undertake a frontal assault."
"I understand." Li Che nodded slightly, showing neither surprise nor disappointment. "Then issue an order to them to prepare their own weapons and rations, and for each unit to select its strongest men to assemble and await orders at the Ciyan tribe within a specified time."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Aguli replied, then hesitated for a moment before asking, "Your Majesty, should we send officers to train them?"
"No need," Li Che replied decisively. "Just assemble on time and await orders."
Aguli was slightly taken aback, and said no more.
He never expected that Li Che had no expectation that these auxiliary soldiers could contribute any combat power.
What Li Che cared about was the fact that the Liao people were sending troops to conquer the Qiang and Man tribes.
Once the young and strong Liao people take up arms and fight against their former oppressors under the banner of the imperial court, regardless of the outcome, they will have an additional bond with the court and forge new enmities with the Qiang and Man tribes.
Once you've embarked on this path, it's difficult to turn back.
. . . . . . .
The military order spread like wildfire after Ma Zhong returned to the city.
The troop movements in the Chengdu direction were extremely rapid, and the newly surrendered Shu troops dared not slacken in the slightest.
The troops marched day and night, advancing into the mountains along the repaired official road.
Seven or eight days later, the valleys surrounding Ciyan had changed completely.
The continuous camps, like a grayish-white colony of fungi that grows after rain, covered the surrounding slopes for miles.
Smoke rises from the chimneys from morning till night, mingling with the mountain mist.
The neighing of warhorses, the shouts of officers, the chants of soldiers drilling... all these sounds blended together, startling the birds and beasts in the nearby mountains and forests, who all fled far away.
Such a large commotion, coupled with Li Che's previous attacks on many familiar officials, had already alarmed the Qiang and Man tribes.
Li Che had no intention of concealing the army's whereabouts, and simply laid them out right under the noses of the Qiang and Man tribes.
At this moment, Li Che was inspecting the camp area, accompanied by generals such as Luo Yueniang, Yue Yun, and Yu Daliang.
Although he was dressed casually in a black, arrow-sleeved uniform, the soldiers wherever he went stopped and paid him a respectful salute.
Li Che observed very carefully, which was his habit before every battle.
Observe the location and layout of the camp, the completeness of the trenches and barricades, the morale of the soldiers, the condition of the warhorses, and the arrangement of the military supplies and vehicles.
A general must attend to every detail, no matter how small; even if his record of complete victory is dazzling, he cannot afford to be complacent in the slightest.
The Shu army that came to provide support was an elite force selected and retained after the army was reorganized, and its quality was quite good.
“The soldiers are strong.” Li Che whispered to Luo Yueniang beside him, “Their armor and weapons are also quite complete. It seems that the Shu treasury has not been emptied too much. Minister Wei is truly a pillar of the nation.”
When Wei Xun was mentioned, Luo Yueniang's eyes dimmed, but she still replied, "Most of these infantrymen were reorganized from the original Shu border army and are familiar with mountainous terrain; the cavalry were drawn from several mobile battalions. Although they are not good at mountainous terrain, they can provide flank cover; there are also enough archers and crossbowmen, and the crossbows are well maintained."
Li Che nodded. The Shu border army was quite strong, after all, Shu bordered Tibet and there were many conflicts.
However, as the Tubo Kingdom grew stronger, it began to expand northward, and the front line of the military conflict between Daqing and Tubo began to shift northwestward.
Li Che stopped beside a training field.
Dozens of agile, lightly armed soldiers were seen using ropes and grappling hooks to simulate the rapid ascent and descent of a steep slope.
The leader was a dark-skinned, wiry Shu army captain who was loudly correcting their movements.
"This is..." Li Che looked at Yu Daliang and asked curiously.
These kinds of special tactical training are not conducted by ordinary armies; they are usually carried out by each army according to its own needs.
Yu Daliang grinned: "Your Majesty, this is a training program that General Luo and I decided to conduct after discussing it."
"To deal with those monkeys in the mountains, we can't just rely on a large force to push them over. We need some sharpshooters who can navigate the ravines. I've selected about a hundred of the best young men from each battalion and have them trained by local veterans who are familiar with the terrain. They're going to specialize in this."
"They'll be useful for scouting, reconnaissance, or seizing high ground."
Li Che's eyes showed approval: "Not bad, adapting to local conditions, you've used your brain."
He looked at the soldiers and asked, "How's the training going? Are any of you injured?"
Yu Daliang suppressed his smile and said seriously, "Your Majesty, after five days of training, sprains and falls are inevitable, but no one has been seriously injured."
"These kids have a good foundation and are quick to learn; they're already starting to look promising."
"But once we get into the mountains, we'll have to rely on our own judgment when faced with cliffs, poisonous insects, and miasma."
"No war is without death," Li Che said calmly. "Sweat more during training, bleed less during battle."
“Organize this mountain battalion properly, and double the rewards, bonuses, and pensions for the elite troops.”
"Your subordinate obeys!" Yu Daliang replied loudly.
After inspecting the stables, medical camp, and workshops, Li Che had a general idea of what was going on.
The troops are well-trained, morale is high, supplies are plentiful, and the generals are capable.
More importantly, the sheer force of the massive army's advance is spreading throughout the mountainous region of southwestern Sichuan.
After inspecting the main camp of the royal army, Li Che detoured to the area where the familiar soldiers were stationed.
The scene here is completely different; the camps are loosely set up, and the noise is much more chaotic.
Li Che was silent for a moment, then asked, "How many soldiers from each unit have arrived?"
Aguli replied, "Your Majesty, as of noon today, approximately eight thousand people have been assembled."
"Several more vehicles are still on their way, and the total number is expected to reach 12,000."
Li Che nodded: "That's about it."
Most of the young and strong Liao people gathered around the campfire, talking and laughing loudly in their local language.
Some were sharpening the broadswords they had brought, others were processing wild game hunted from the nearby mountains and forests, and still others were singing and dancing loudly around the campfire.
In the firelight, several Liao soldiers were excitedly surrounding a panda, preparing to skin and debone it before putting it on the grill.
Good, very energetic, and even knows how to hunt pandas to be self-sufficient...
Huh? Wait a minute... a panda?!