Even if there are some light boats going down the river, of course it is best to have a large wooden boat to travel instead, that is the best choice.
However, according to reports from scouts and spies, Guo Jing also had accurate information coming from within the secret party. Zhang Wenbiao has a water village in the ancient town of Xidu, where hundreds of sailors are stationed all year round. And this Xidu Ancient Town is the last stop on the way to Hengzhou City, and it is also known as the Old Hengzhou City.
If you want to reach Hengzhou City smoothly all the way, you will naturally need to go ashore in advance to take precautions when taking the waterway. It is naturally better to capture the water village. But the problem must be solved in advance, otherwise there will be no need to rush for help.
But everyone came all the way from Shaozhou at a fast pace, and the whole journey was through hilly areas over mountains and ridges. Not only did they have to guard against the Chu army, but they also had to increase their speed. Everyone was already a little tired from this kind of intense training.
According to military strategy, this method is taboo for military strategists. What's more, Guo Jing is still relatively new to this place. Where are there any ships for him to use?
After seeing the territory of Zhongxiang, Shaozhou, he actually saw the source of steamed water. Guo Jing vaguely guessed that this was the steamed water that Emperor Liu Jixing mentioned. An idea suddenly occurred to him. I thought that if I could quickly walk by water, this trip would be much faster.
So with the support of several local guides, a few soldiers were quickly sent out to contact them, hoping to persuade the people in the surrounding areas who made a living by fishing to let them give up a few of their fishing boats. All this seems to be going too smoothly, but it is very satisfying.
Although I didn’t have high hopes, I didn’t expect it to succeed. Just half an hour ago, the ships were basically in place. After promising a lot of money to these people so that they would have no worries, they allowed the soldiers who were repairing to board the ship one after another.
And under the leadership of this young man, they actually succeeded in getting five wooden boats of different sizes, which could accommodate everyone. This is unexpected, because where can I find such a big ship along the way?
Now it's just enough for everyone to move forward, I feel happy in my heart, and I feel more and more pleasing to the eye as I look at it. He is a student of the latest batch of Dongguan Military Academy. The emperor sent him to his side, which means he appreciates and focuses on cultivating him.
Although the arrangement was in accordance with the emperor's wishes, he never deliberately took care of anyone. Instead, Peng Cong first served as his own bodyguard as a rule. In a short period of time, he stood out and became the leader of his men during the battle of Shaozhou a few days ago.
This time we went to Hengzhou to help, and the journey was not that far. But because the Chu land was very hilly, marching was really difficult. Guo Jing still took Peng Cong and several military academy students with him, the purpose of which was naturally to sharpen these people.
Originally, Guo Jing had the attitude of giving it a try, because people always grow up through hardships, and Guo Jing knew that he also grew up in this way. Now giving people like Peng Cong a chance is the best promotion for them. I didn't expect that Peng Cong actually succeeded.
Because of the matter of collecting ships, even if someone was sent out to contact them in advance, the team was still delayed for nearly an hour near the lake and mountain. But now there are boats sailing down the river to Hengzhou, and this journey is naturally much faster than the land route.
It really takes no effort to sharpen a knife and chop wood.
In fact, of course there is another way to rush to Hengzhou City, but it is naturally a bit unrealistic now. That is, if everyone has fast horses to travel, they can naturally reach Hengzhou City quickly.
Since Zhu Wen of the Five Dynasties and the Tang Dynasty, he has not been able to unify the country. The feudal vassals and towns in various places have separated themselves into independent regimes. Everyone is particularly concerned about the strategic materials and horses and prohibits their circulation. Chu Land is located outside the border, and good horses are difficult to obtain outside the Great Wall. Therefore, it is even more difficult to find horses in Chu Land.
Of course, since entering Chu and developing, Guo Jing has continuously launched sieges and plunders against the Chu army in western Chu and even surrounding areas. He only plundered less than a hundred horses in Chu. This was even more stressful for Zhou Xingfeng, who was already short of horses.
Horses are really a rare thing in inland vassal towns. Where good horses were produced in the country, the best naturally came from outside the Great Wall. Nowadays, the Khitan in the north established the Liao Kingdom, which not only put great pressure on the Central Plains, but also strictly controlled the outflow of horses.
The Tang State was able to rank first in military strength among the towns in the south because it was an ally with the Liao State. Most of the horses in Chu today are descendants of Ma Chu's horses, as well as some horses left behind after the Tang army invaded Chu.
Horses are extremely difficult to train, especially in outback and hilly areas. There was originally one ranch in Chudi near Shaozhou and one near Yongzhou. The pasture near Yongzhou has been occupied by He Xiaoyao Heguo, and Guo Jing is planning to rob the horse farm in Shaozhou.
The Shaozhou Ranch was heavily guarded. Pan Song, the governor of Shaozhou, was defeated this time and led his people to flee to the vicinity of the ranch. Because Guo Jing rushed to aid Hengzhou City, although he sent people to harass it, he did not go to capture it personally because Guo Jing felt that the time had not come yet.
Therefore, horses are especially strategic materials, and they are forbidden meat in feudal towns in Chu. How can they be openly available to the public? Although Guo Jing had this idea, he could only think about it.
Although Guo Jing was a bit arrogant and domineering in the Chu region, he just saw that Zhou Xingfeng was surrounded by enemies on all sides and could not calmly attack him, so his biggest task at the moment was to continue to strengthen himself.
When he bribed the barbarians and appointed himself king of Xiangxi, Zhou Xingfeng, the actual ruler of the Chu region, had no choice but to admit it. Although Guo Jing gathered some forces around him, he still mainly fought guerrillas in the Chu region. Even if he had horses, he did not dare to lead them out for a walk.
Nowadays, although there are dominant warlords in the vassal towns across the Central Plains, there must be various forces, large and small. There is also a delicate balance between the feudal town and these forces. Because occupying territory privately and opposing the feudal town publicly are two completely different concepts.
Today's Chu land is quite special, not only because of the rise of the barbarian tribes in western Chu, but also because after the decline of the Ma family, there is no warlord in Chu land who can truly lead the heroes again. In the view of Emperor Liu Jixing, the Chu region would be annexed by other vassal towns in the near future.
As Guo Jing stayed in Chu for a long time, he became more convinced and recognized the emperor Liu Jixing's vision. Now that the emperor's layout has not yet been completed, and the pressure from Zhou Xingfeng in Chu has not yet reached its maximum, Guo Jing will not push himself to the forefront prematurely.
When the Chu land was in the hands of Ma Yin, it seemed to be a complete vassal town. After it was in the hands of Ma Yin's children, the barbarians of Chuxi were first separated, and then they were completely disrupted by the Tang Dynasty.
Now in the hands of Zhou Xingfeng, at best he is a vassal town recognized by the Central Plains, but at worst it is just a vassal town united by forces.
