On the official road from Youzhou to Changping, a large convoy was heading north, with more than 2,000 soldiers and civilians escorting 250 military supplies. The supplies mainly consisted of various types of medicines. During this period, the Han army in front of Nankou was most lacking in medicine. Many injured soldiers died of their injuries.
In response, Emperor Liu ordered that the wounded should be treated at all costs without giving up any soldiers. This order and the attitude shown greatly soothed the morale of the military. No matter high or low, no one was not grateful for the emperor's compassion for the soldiers.
Because the battle at Nankou was too brutal, especially for the besieged An Shenqi army, after the war, many soldiers' psychological defenses collapsed in the face of the mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
Although there was no resentment, there were still some suppressed emotions. Dong Zunjie of the Baoding Army actually burst into tears. The Baoding Army under his command suffered 70% casualties, which is hard to describe even with broken muscles and bones. However, after crying once, it got better.
Because of the emperor's order, many people were mobilized from surrounding towns to the south entrance. Of course, they were mainly from Youzhou, which had long been the most reliable base camp for the Han Dynasty's Northern Expedition.
By the end of September, the transshipment and stockpiling of grain had reached 900,000 shi, and the remaining ordnance, fodder, clothing, and medicinal materials were even more difficult to measure. Taking medicinal materials as an example, Puyin County under the jurisdiction of Shenzhou is the most important medicinal material production base in Hebei. After the war, all the medicinal materials produced in it that were related to treating injuries and colds and other diseases were purchased and transported.
And this group of convoys escorted to the south entrance was one of the ones that was urgently dispatched after the Zise War. What's special is that the escort of this team is of a very high standard, with more than two hundred knights cruising beside them, and the officer in charge of the escort is the general in front of the palace, Li Shoujie.
He was obviously responsible for the emperor's mission. Escorting supplies was only secondary. The main purpose was to return to Youzhou and take the three princes to the south entrance. Yes, Liu Chengyou wanted his sons to feel the atmosphere of the battlefield up close and see the pain of soldiers fighting.
The most excited one was the fourth prince Liu Fang. As early as the evening of the 23rd, when Liu Chengyou left Youzhou for Changping, he asked to go with him. Liu Chengyou gave him a scolding and gave him to Concubine Gao to watch.
Now, being taken to the south entrance by Li Shoujie, he looked excited and could not sit still.
An eight-year-old child can already control a strong horse freely. Although it has been tamed, it is not easy. Along the way, Liu Fang kept staring at Li Shoujie and asking questions.
"General Li, what would it be like to have hundreds of thousands of people fighting? The scene must be grand!"
"General Li, I heard that tens of thousands of Khitan Hu chiefs were killed in this battle, enough to form a mountain?"
"General Li, have you killed many enemies?"
"General Li, are there many casualties among the Han soldiers?"
"..."
Facing the fourth prince who was eager for knowledge, Li Shoujie also felt a headache from the endless questions, and he had to answer them one by one with a smile on his face. Li Shoujie, who was still young, felt the pain of raising a child for the first time, especially a naughty child with such a noble status.
It was the eldest prince Liu Xu who saw Li Shoujie's embarrassment and couldn't help but said: "Silang, General Li is responsible for escorting the escort, so don't pester him for questioning. What you hear with your ears is not as good as what you see with your eyes. You have all kinds of problems." If you have any questions, wait until you get to the south entrance to observe for yourself, or ask dad for advice!"
Liu Fang usually has no temper for his gentle elder brother. At this time, he listened to his words and said: "The generals in front of us have experienced the war. There is only General Li in front of us. I just want to ask for advice!"
After saying that, he looked at Li Shoujie again. Liu Fang raised his hands and said, "General Li, it's me who's bothering you, don't be offended!"
"Your Highness is serious!" Li Shoujie responded quickly: "It is an honor for the general to be able to answer His Highness's doubts!"
"I mean, Shiro, if you care so much about military affairs, you don't really want to be a general in the future!" On the other side, the third prince Liu Xi said to Liu Fang.
Unlike his brothers who were riding horses, Liu Xi became carefree again without the supervision of Concubine Gao. He found a car and leaned on a pile of sacks containing medicinal materials with his legs crossed.
After hearing the question, Liu Fang said directly, his little face was excited and full of yearning: "Dad did promise me that in the future, I would be a general and expand the territory for the Han Dynasty. It's a pity that I am too young, otherwise I would attack the Hu in the north this time." Prisoners, they will definitely go into battle to kill the enemy with their swords!"
"Si Lang's ambition is commendable!" In response to Liu Fang's words, Liu Xu's young and handsome face showed a smile from the bottom of his heart.
Liu Xi, on the other hand, looked at the young but sharp fourth brother and couldn't help but said: "Fighting is not as simple and beautiful as you think. One general can accomplish everything!"
Hearing Liu Xi's emotion, Liu Fang became a little unhappy and said, "Third brother, you have never fought in a war. How do you know the joy of fighting and chasing the enemy?"
Liu Xi smiled and did not argue with Liu Fang, who was in high spirits. There would be no result in this argument. He took out a piece of herbal medicine from somewhere in his mouth, held it in his mouth, and stirred it with his tongue. His crossed legs moved rhythmically, looking very relaxed.
Seeing this, Liu Xu rode his horse closer, reached out and pulled out the herbs in his mouth, and scolded him slightly: "How can you just use the medicine stick to enter your mouth!"
Liu Xi could feel his brother's concern and said: "It's just a stalk of grass, it's harmless!"
Seeing his carefree look, Liu Xu rolled his eyes slightly and said, "Sanlang, if I tell Gao Niangniang about your performance all the way..."
Liu Xi didn't even need Liu Xu to finish his words. Liu Xi sat up immediately, smiled, stared at Liu Xu and said, "Brother, you won't let me be punished by my mother, will you?"
"Haha!" Liu Fang couldn't help but laugh: "Third brother, you are still so afraid of Gao Niangniang!"
Liu Xi did not deny it, but asked: "Aren't you afraid?"
Liu Fang stood up and spoke out. In the Han Palace, Concubine Gao's majesty was probably only inferior to that of Queen Fu. Everyone in the palace was disrespectful, including these princes.
"Come here, bring my horse!" Liu Xi greeted, standing on the carriage, ready to ride on. Maybe I'm tired from lying down...
After the Battle of Nankou, the Han territories south of Yanshan had been completely wiped out, and there were no more Liao troops left. Therefore, the Liu brothers also arrived in Changping smoothly.
Winter was about to come, and the Han army gathered outside the south entrance made an adjustment. The Liuxing Jie army was commanded as the main general, leading 50,000 soldiers and civilians, and still stationed at the south entrance, rebuilt the camp, nailed it there, and monitored Juyong Pass. There were about 150,000 people left, and they all retreated to Changping to camp and rest.
The corpses all over the field have been basically cleaned up, and more detailed statistics are still in progress. The corpses of the Han army soldiers need to be properly placed. Because there are too many, Liu Chengyou ordered a cemetery to be set up on a hillside outside the south entrance. They were buried collectively, with handwritten inscriptions and stone inscriptions recording their achievements to commemorate the soldiers who died in this battle and for future generations to pay their respects. At the same time, the corpses of all the Liao soldiers were also collected and buried under the hills, arranged in a stylish manner to show their submission.
After experiencing a cold rain, the blood was diluted a lot, but the chilling air still seemed to be hovering around the south entrance. There is not much space in Changping City. The army is basically stationed outside the city. The buildings in the city are used to house and treat the wounded.
Even if a lot of manpower is invested, corpses are still being carried out every day, and tens of thousands of wounded soldiers are really not sure how many can survive. Fortunately, this is autumn and winter, and the weather is cold, which greatly avoids traumatic infections. Otherwise, more people will die and there will be worries about the occurrence of epidemics.
Several princes rushed to Changping, and the first order they received was to visit the injured soldiers. When the three princes walked out of the scene filled with mourning and blood, their expressions looked solemn.
Liu Xu was pity and sentimental, while Liu Xi was sighing with regret. Only Liu Fang seemed to have been hit the hardest, and his face turned a little pale. He now understood that his third brother was right, war was really not as beautiful as he imagined. , behind the romance is cruelty and bloodshed that almost destroys humanity.
Liu Chengyou was also cruel enough to let three children see those bloody injuries, broken limbs and broken legs, and he was not afraid of leaving a psychological shadow on them...
The emperor stayed in the camp outside the city, handling military and political affairs. When several princes were brought to the imperial tent, he was receiving someone to show his loyalty. This man was a native of the Zhebu family, a local tycoon in Wenmo, Liangzhou, and was one of the Fan cavalry generals who participated in the expedition. Because during the battle with the Liao army, the Fan cavalry was defeated and fled, and he was interceding for those who escaped and returned. coming.
As his name suggests, Zhebu Sizhong appeared to be very loyal to the big man, and he also led his men to fight to the end with Guo Chongwei. Therefore, Liu Chengyou is quite generous towards this person.
Seeing his awed look, Liu Chengyou finally spoke: "Victory and defeat are common matters for military officers. I can understand why I was defeated by Pi Shi's army. I will reward all the Fan cavalry who die in battle; those who take the initiative to return to camp after the war will be rewarded." But those who are scattered among the people, instead of joining the officialdom and returning to the army, are wreaking havoc in the countryside. The Han Dynasty has its own laws and must be dealt with in accordance with national and military laws!"
Seeing the Han Emperor's statement, Zhe Bu Sizhong immediately paid homage and said: "Your Majesty is wise, your Majesty is magnanimous, the generals and others will only die loyally!"
The purpose of Zhebu Sizhong was also achieved, which was to ask for leniency for the Fanqi who returned on their own initiative, but not to intercede for those who caused wanton chaos.
"Stay back!"
"I will retire at the end!"
Soon, the three princes entered the tent to pay homage, all feeling a little strange.
Seeing this, Liu Chengyou asked: "Have you all visited the wounded soldiers?"
"I've seen it!" Liu Xu replied.
"What do you think?" Liu Chengyou continued to ask.
After thinking about it, Liu Xu replied: "Soldiers are important matters of the country, the place of life and death, and the way of survival. We must pay attention to these sincere words. We should show more sympathy to the soldiers and the people, fight with caution and fight less!"
Liu Chengyou still liked the kindness his eldest son had shown since childhood, and looked at the third child again. Liu Xi said: "Soldiers fight bloody battles and kill enemies for the country. You should care for them well!"
Liu Fang's little face tightened and he said: "War is indeed cruel, but this is the only way to protect the people and the country. The Han Dynasty is strong, and the surrounding areas are surrendered. All nations come to court, and the foreign Rongdi dare not offend. This tragedy can never be stopped!"
