"This year's winter is surprisingly cold. The army must take precautions against the cold and not suffer too many casualties due to the cold." Bai Qi warned.
"Soldiers were divided into multiple shifts and took turns going out to camp to cut firewood to use as fire starters for warmth."
"Three war meals a day must be maintained at all times. You cannot reduce it to two just because you are not fighting - when your stomach is full, your body will be warm."
"From me down, captains at all levels should go to the soldiers' camps more often. Not only should they help them solve the heating problem, but they should also always pay attention and observe the emotional changes of the soldiers."
Wang Lun calmed his expression, raised his hands and said, "I will obey the order of your Majesty to build an army!"
Fighting in this winter is full of hard work. If the morale of the sergeants is not high, accidents can easily happen.
Even though Qin's military laws are strict, no one would dare to cause trouble...but be careful.
Wang Hao took the order, and Bai Qi squatted in front of the stove, gently rubbing his hands and temples from time to time, staring at the huge map hanging up, trying to keep his mind clear.
There are several advantages to choosing to garrison in [Danyu] -
First, although Danyu is just a small city, there are almost no civilians in the city (ahem, don’t ask where those Chu civilians have gone).
But at least there are city walls, which can more or less block some of the cold wind.
Second, Danyu is close to Danshui, so it is quite convenient to get water - as long as the sergeants are sent to dig some ice cubes back, it can be used as a water source for the army.
After all, for a crowd of 80,000, snow and water alone would definitely not be enough.
Third, it is the instinct of a general - facing the Danshui garrison, the river is the first natural line of defense. Although the elixir water was now frozen solid and could no longer function as a moat, Bai Qi still subconsciously chose this place as a camp location.
Bai Qi stared at the map and thought to himself——
If I were Xiong Wuliang, where would I choose to garrison?
How will this battle be fought after spring begins?
Slowly, Bai Qi's eyes focused on a point on the map - [Gao Qian].
…
High before.
This is an inconspicuous small village, not even a city wall. Danyu, where the Qin army was stationed, was only separated by Danshui, dozens of miles away.
Xiong Wuliang's limbs were stiff and he walked tremblingly down from the bronze chariot, his face turned purple from the cold.
Along the way, my nose has been ruined!
From Yingdu to Gaoqian, a distance of only a few hundred miles, Xiong Wuliang led the 800 soldiers to stop and go, and actually walked for more than 20 days.
"General Wu Bi, please pay your respects to Grand Sima!" Wu Bi hurried over in big strides and bowed his hands deeply to Xiong Wuliang.
It's this old acquaintance again!
Xiong Wuliang forced a smile and nodded to Wu Ben.
Shaohu also strode over and said earnestly: "Master, your residence has been packed up. Please come later."
Just as Bai Qi expected - 50,000 Chu troops camped in the small [Gaoqian].
"How is the morale of the soldiers? Has the heating problem been solved?" Xiong Wuliang asked casually.
Shao Hu: "Report to the Lord - the morale of the 10,000 Quyang soldiers is high, but the morale of the 50,000 garrison soldiers is relatively low."
"As for heating... it's not a problem yet. Our army brought a lot of charcoal from the fiefdom and cut down some trees. It won't be a big problem to survive this winter."
Xiong Wuliang nodded.
Entering the room that Shaohu had arranged early - the stove was already burning and the room was still warm. Xiong Wuliang breathed a long sigh of relief and took off his heavy cloak while being attended by several soldiers.
Drink some more hot water and feel your body gradually warm up.
The generals all came to see each other and then left with a tacit understanding - it was not easy for Marquis Quyang to come along the way, and there was no urgent military situation at the moment, so he might as well let him rest for a while.
Xiong Wuliang was sitting by the stove. Seeing that the generals had left, he glanced around and found no one in the room. He hummed softly: "Come out."
I don’t know from which corner Huang Wu appeared, appearing in front of Xiong Wuliang like a magic trick, and respectfully saluted the latter: "Huang Wu, commander of the Qingyu Guard, pays homage to the lord."
"It has been found out clearly now that the Qin army does have 80,000 people. The leading general is Shao Shang Bai Qi. He is stationed in the small town [Danyu]. It is only separated from [Gaoqian] where our army is stationed by a Danshui river. , the straight-line distance is less than thirty miles."
"At present, the Qin army is camped safely, and there is no abnormal movement except for logging and collecting water."
Xiong Wuliang nodded appreciatively.
The Qin army "did not make any unusual movements", indicating that Bai Qi also believed that there was no point in using troops in winter.
So in a short period of time, you don’t have to worry about fighting.
The main problem at present is to prevent cold and survive the winter.
Especially to ensure the morale of the army.
"Continue to inquire, and always pay attention to the movements of the Qin army." Xiong Wuliang ordered Huang Wu, and then waved his hand, indicating that Huang Wu could retreat.
Later, Xiong Wuliang called Zhao Hua, Shao Hu, and Wu Ben, and discussed the current war with the three of them - and finally came to the unanimous conclusion that there would be no fight in a short time.
"Let's go patrolling the camp." Xiong Wuliang stood up, put on his thick bearskin cloak, and waved to Xiao Hei.
…
For most of the Chu soldiers, this was their first time seeing Xiong Wuliang.
Looking at this young master, the soldiers began to discuss one after another——
"Is this the Marquis of Quyang who won several great victories?"
"So young!"
"I heard that Marquis Quyang just arrived at the military camp and didn't take a break, so he came to visit us..."
The morale increased slightly, and the Chu soldiers looked at Xiong Wuliang excitedly.
To be honest, when facing the wolf-like Qin army, the Chu soldiers were more or less psychologically shadowed.
Generally speaking, the Chu army must be far more numerous than the Qin army in order to barely compete with the Qin army.
But this time... the Chu soldiers learned that the Qin army on the opposite side had 80,000 troops, while their own side only had 50,000 troops... morale was even lower, and panic spread throughout the camp.
In addition, it was the end of the year, and the Chu soldiers were temporarily recruited and left their hometowns to come to the front line... They were in extremely cold weather that had never happened in a century... Various factors were added up, and morale was even lower.
Fortunately, Xiong Wuliang went around in time and showed up, and the morale of the Chu soldiers improved.
Within a few years, Chu State experienced many battles and victories, and the name of Quyang Hou Xiong Liang was highly prestigious in the hearts of Chu people.
Since this young prince appeared on the battlefield, he has never lost a battle!
The weak defeated the strong every time! Create exaggerated results!
Now the invincible Grand Sima is personally commanding the troops... Xiong Wuliang's name is like a golden sign, which calms down the uneasy hearts of these Chu soldiers when they face powerful enemies.
Xiong Wuliang walked around - [Gaoqian] is a small mountain village with not many empty houses, and it certainly cannot accommodate 50,000 Chu troops stationed there, so most of the Chu soldiers can only pitch tents in the open space.
Even if there is a stove, the temperature inside the tent is not high.
The issue of food and warmth determines the morale of the army to a large extent, especially in winter operations... Xiong Wuliang thought about it for a moment and thought about it——
…
