Chapter 131: A difficult march

When it was almost dark, a towering mountain appeared in front of me. The mountains were steep and steep, with thousands of rocks and peaks, which was particularly dangerous.

Geshuhan pointed to the mountain in front and explained to Chen Wanrong: "Brother Chen, this is Jishi Mountain. The farthest place where China marched into this land is here. Zhao Chongguo, a famous general of the Western Han Dynasty, was ordered to guard the western frontier and once had a troops at Jishi Mountain. More than 700 years have passed, and there has never been another advance as large as his. We are the second army after Zhao Chongguo to reach here at this scale, so we should be proud."

Zhao Chongguo, a famous general in the Western Han Dynasty, once followed General Li Guangli of Ershi to travel to Ershi City, and fought hard in the army. He was injured by dozens of wounds. There were dozens of arrow clusters taken out of him. Li Guangli valued him very much and introduced him to Emperor Wu of Han, and Zhao Chongguo was famous.

His greatest achievement was to fight against the Western Qiang, which was entrenched on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau at that time, and achieved very important achievements. When he started to discuss military affairs, others disliked it. Later, his views were accepted by others. Whenever he talked about military affairs, he was praised for his goodness. Emperor Xuan of Han valued him very much and gave him the important task of guarding the Xichu.

Emperor Xuan of Han was the first emperor in Chinese history to launch a large-scale military force against the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and Zhao Chongguo was the first famous general in Chinese history to advance here. He also achieved very important achievements and had a great impact on later generations.

The ancestors' heroic style made Chen Wanrong yearn for it very much, and sighed: "The terrain here is dangerous, easy to defend and difficult to attack, the road is rugged, and it is difficult to march. How difficult is Zhao Chongguo able to come to this mountain seven hundred years ago!"

"It is not easy for Zhao Chongguo to reach here, but the deeds of his ancestors have gone! Although it is not easy for us to reach here today, I believe we will march further!" Geshuhan said confidently: "Although Doma blocked Cheng Xiaotian, he could not stop us."

"I think so too!" Wang Shaohua looked at the sky. It was no longer too late, and suggested: "Brother Chen, we will camp here tonight. We will pass Jishi Mountain early tomorrow morning. Jishan Road is absolutely dangerous and difficult to pass. It is a big test for our artillery. Only after resting for a night can the brothers be able to cross the mountain!"

Chen Wanrong nodded in agreement: "It's so good! Just set up camp."

The order was passed, and the artillery immediately set up camp and concentrated the artillery to guard the artillery. The artillery was born in the Longwu Army and had good military qualities. After receiving Geshuhan's training, he moved more quickly. After the camp was broken, the weather was very strict, and Chen Wanrong was very satisfied.

"Brother Geshu, it's still a while before dark. Let's go to Jishishan to see the situation." Chen Wanrong suggested.

Brother Shuhan was just thinking this way and said with a smile: "Brother Chen, if you don't say it, I'm going to go too. Let's go and see it. I have heard that the mountain roads of Jishi Mountain are dangerous and I'm just trying to see it."

Wang Zhongsi suggested: "Since you are going, you should bring the lieutenant and brigade commander with you, so that they can understand it, so that they can know it well."

No one would disagree with this proposal. Chen Wanrong nodded and said, "Wang Zhongsi is right."

After ordering, the lieutenant and the brigade commander arrived immediately and entered Jishi Mountain with Chen Wanrong and others.

The steepness of Jishi Mountain is beyond imagination. The mountains are towering, the roads are narrow, and huge rocks can be seen everywhere. If an ambush is set up here, even a god cannot escape.

"What a great place to use troops!" Ge Shuhan's eyes shone.

Wang Shaohua sighed: "No wonder Zhao Chong's troops never marched forward after they came to Jishishan. This mountain alone was enough to be intimidating!"

Geshuhan knew this history very well and smiled and said, "Brother Wang, Zhao Chongguo's army has advanced to this day and no longer advances. It is not that he is not brave enough, but that even if he passes through Jishishan, it is useless to occupy more land. This land is different from other places. The interaction with the Central Plains is very inconvenient because of the high mountains and dense forests. Therefore, the indigenous people here do not know much about the Central Plains."

Emperor Wu of Han was the emperor for fifty-four years, but he fought for more than 30 years, established great achievements and created the "Han and Wu prosperous era". His greatest achievement was to defeat the Huns and split the Huns. Those hard-working troops moved north to the Volga River Basin, lived for four centuries, then advanced westward again, and finally destroyed the Western Roman Empire.

Another part surrendered to the Han Dynasty during the reign of Emperor Xuan of Han. Emperor Xuan of Han ordered the Xiongnu to move within and become the Pingfan of the Han Dynasty. In order to treat the Xiongnu nobles, they specially gave the surname Liu to show honor. Liu Yuan, a very famous historical figure, was the Xiongnu. A large part of the current Liu surname is the descendants of the Xiongnu.

As soon as the Huns were defeated, the threat from the north was lifted. The Western Han Dynasty could finally free up its hands to deal with the matters in the western frontiers, which led to the fact that Emperor Xuan of Han initiated the famous general Zhao Chongguo to guard the western frontiers. It was also from Emperor Xuan of Han that our ancestors began the war to conquer Qinghai-Tibet. Historical changes and dynasties changed, and our ancestors' efforts to open up this territory never gave up.

Zhang Huan and Duan Jiong of the Eastern Han Dynasty rose up in the war against the Western Qiang. These two were famous generals who achieved great success in fighting the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau after Zhao Chongguo.

At first, the people on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau were influenced by ancient India and were more far-reaching than accepting the Central Plains civilization. Even the Tubo script was created based on Sanskrit, rather than based on Chinese characters like the Khitan and Jurchen scripts.

During the hundreds of years of war, the indigenous people here accepted the Central Plains civilization more effectively than ever before, and continued to be sinicized, and the influence of Indian civilization gradually faded out. It was our ancestors' unremitting efforts that prepared all the conditions for the incorporation of this land into the territory that Kublai Khan naturally unified the border.

Geshuhan's words hit the nail on the head. It was just the first time that Zhao Chongguo had developed this territory. Even if the local indigenous people did not accept the Central Plains civilization, it would not last long, and it was just a flash in the pan.

Chen Wanrong smiled and joked: "Brother Geshu, what do you mean is that after so many years of war, the people here are very yearning for the Central Plains civilization. We will surely succeed in our march this time?"

"It can be said that!" Ge Shuhan nodded and said, "The people here are not only very yearning for the Central Plains civilization, but there are many Han people among them. They were plundered and slaves, and their lives were very difficult. If they knew that the king's army had arrived, they would definitely be happy and cross the road to welcome the king's army. As long as we restrain the three armies, we would not kill and rob, and not invade the people, the Tang Dynasty would definitely get Tubo!"

By the Tang Dynasty, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau had already received a high level of acceptance of Central Plains civilization, but the mountains are high and the road is long and the terrain is dangerous. It is not easy for the Central Plains to march here. Furthermore, it happened that Songtsen Gampo unified the entire Tibet and established a powerful slave country. If Songtsen Gampo had not suffered a loss at the hands of the Tang Dynasty, he would not have bowed to the Tang Dynasty, and there would have been no Princess Wencheng entering Tibet.

Geshuhan's insight is very unique. After hundreds of years of war, the Central Plains civilization took root here. All the conditions were ready, just waiting for a large army to arrive. To arrive, a powerful weapon that could destroy all dangerous barriers. The emergence of artillery happened to shoulder this important task.

During this period, Chen Wanrong was also contemplating the situation in Tubo. After hearing Ge Shuhan's words, his eyes suddenly became clear and he said with great confidence: "No matter what, we must transport the cannons to Doma through Jishishan and transport them to Luoshe City! No matter how many dangerous passes Tubo has, the cannons must be opened!"

Wang Shaohua and the others were very excited and said together: "Brother Chen said very well. No matter what, the artillery will definitely arrive on time!"

"I must arrive on time!" The brigade commanders and the brigade commander were also extremely excited.

Geshuhan gave them a history lesson. They knew the heroic deeds of their ancestors, and their blood was boiling, and they wanted to grow their wings and fly over the Jishi Mountain.

After checking, everyone returned to the camp. What made Chen Wanrong most relieved was that the route they were going to take was not to go deep into Jishi Mountain, but to the northwest of Jishi Mountain, which was the remnant of Jishi Mountain. Although the road was dangerous, it was still difficult for artillery soldiers.

However, an unexpected rainstorm happened, disrupting Chen Wanrong's plan and hindering the Tang army's advance towards Luoshecheng.

After sleeping until midnight, Chen Wanrong woke up a drizzle of rain. The thing that was most worried was that it was raining. He heard the sound, it was quite heavy. Chen Wanrong jumped up suddenly, grabbed his shirt, put it on his body randomly, ran out with his shoes, and dense raindrops fell on his body. When he took a breath, his body was wet.

It rained so hard!

The roads in Jishishan are difficult to pass. If it rains again, it will be a bit of a mess to make it worse, and Chen Wanrong's heart suddenly becomes heavier.

If the artillery cannot arrive in time, it will not only be a problem of the push and attack of the city of Doma, but also the survival of the vanguard of Cheng Xiaotian's vanguard. Cheng Xiaotian's army is light and simple, with strong mobility and coming and going like the wind. However, they have a fatal weakness, that is, they cannot provide much supplies and can only last for a few days.

Since passing through the Stone Castle City, Cheng Xiaotian has not received any supplies, and all supplies were solved during the march. In order to obtain the first gift, Cheng Xiaotian had to attack the great slave masters and take away all their food and jerky.

Doma is a solid fortress, not comparable to Cuonuo City. There are many Tubo troops stationed here. What Cheng Xiaotian wants to do the most is to capture Doma and get supplies here. They are light-fit, without heavy equipment, and there is no problem in fighting in the field, and it is impossible to attack the city.

If the artillery cannot be driven away, Cheng Xiaotian's supplies will be exhausted again, and the Tubo army stationed in Doma will take the opportunity to attack. Cheng Xiaotian may not do it well and will be wiped out.

"Hurry, check the artillery and shells. You must not enter water or cause a tide!" Chen Wanrong ordered loudly.

Geshuhan quickly walked over: "Brother Chen, don't worry, I've checked it, there's no problem. Now, our biggest problem is how to pass Jishishan."

Wang Shaohua and Wang Zhongsi also rushed over, and the four of them entered the tent and sat on the ground. Chen Wanrong frowned: "The road is not easy to walk, and when the rain comes, the problem will be even more troublesome. If there is a mountain torrent, the consequences will be unimaginable. Brother Brother, I see that the artillery will be divided into two batches, the first batch is twenty-five, and it will be on the road tomorrow. No matter how difficult it is, it will set off as scheduled tomorrow! The second batch, ten, stay here."

Ge Shuhan nodded in agreement: "Okay! The advantage of doing this is to prevent accidents! If the road ahead is difficult to walk, the artillery will not be completely damaged. There are still ten pieces to use. This is a perfect way. But Brother Chen, who will stay to guard this artillery?"

Chen Wanrong said with a solemn face: "Brother Brother and I set out tomorrow, Brother Wang and Wang Zhongsi stayed to protect us."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Shaohua and Wang Zhongsi opposed in unison: "No, we have to go ahead."

Chen Wanrong knew that they wanted to kill the enemy and smiled and said, "Wang Zhongsi, you are very smart. If you talk about your talents, I feel inferior. However, some things cannot be solved by wisdom. You are too young to take this risk. If something happens, how can I explain to the prince? Therefore, you must stay and don't say much about this matter! I am the military supervisor, and I have the final say here!"

This was the first time Chen Wanrong spoke out like a military supervisor. Wang Zhongsi and Wang Shaohua were extremely reluctant and finally agreed.

After the matter was settled, Chen Wanrong was concerned about military affairs and had no intention of sleeping anymore. Ge Shuhan and the others were also anxious and had no sleepiness at all. They accompanied Chen Wanrong for a while before going out to inspect the army.

The rain came at a very bad time. Not only Chen Wanrong and Geshuhan were very annoyed, but even Liu Fuqing and other artillery soldiers were extremely anxious.

In the battle of Shibao City, the artillery was not even a small test for the artillery. It didn't fight at all, so the Tubo soldiers couldn't stand it. They all held their energy and thought that there would be wars to fight after passing Shibao City. Unexpectedly, Cheng Xiaotian's movements were fast enough, so the artillery could only enjoy the scenery along the way.

Cheng Xiaotian was frustrated by the city of Doma, and finally had the opportunity to show his skills. The weather was not good, and it actually rained, and it was such a heavy rain. It only took a while, and the water overflowed the insteps, and the road must be muddy.

Although the artillery was resentful, they were not angry. When Chen Wanrong arrived, they all stepped forward: "General, don't let us stop. We should rush forward in the rain! No matter what, we must pass Jishishan!"

Chen Wanrong was very satisfied with their ability to maintain such a fierce fighting spirit and said with a smile: "Brothers, don't worry, don't say it rains tomorrow, even if it is a knife, we have to rush forward! However, I want to remind you that this road is very difficult, you must make the most difficult preparations!"

Liu Fuqing on behalf of everyone: "General, please rest assured. General Geshu trains us to deal with the most difficult moment. Now, this challenge has come. It is time for us to use General Geshu to train us!"

"Yes, we can run dozens of miles with wood, and we can run as much as we carry cannons!" The artillery soldiers agreed.

Chen Wanrong nodded with satisfaction and joked: "Brothers: Do you still remember what you were reluctant to do when General Geshu asked you to run with wood?"

"General, why did you mention this old story?" The artillery was a little embarrassed and said with a red face.

Chen Wanrong teased and said, "I can't say what you can do?"

It attracted a lot of laughter. That night, the artillery was sleepless and had a strong desire to fight. Chen Wanrong sat with them and talked and it was dawn.

As soon as the sky was dawn, the artillery hurriedly ate breakfast and started to pack up. Without Chen Wanrong's order, the artillery prepared the bar and rope. Just wait for Chen Wanrong to give the order, and he was about to carry the artillery to travel.

Accompanied by Geshuhan and others, Chen Wanrong came here strode and saw this scene, he was very happy: "Brother Geshu, if you hadn't been thinking carefully at the beginning and asked your brothers to run with cannons every day, I really wouldn't know how to deal with this matter today."

It has to be admitted that Geshuhan is really foresighted, especially in dealing with the most difficult situations, he always sees farther than others.

Brother Shuhan laughed: "Brother Chen, this is a must-have for marching. He will think so, and it is incomparable."

There was a stream that was rushing out of the rain, half a foot deep, the accumulated water flowed through, making a rustling sound. Chen Wanrong stepped on the stream with his right foot and said loudly: "Brothers: Have you seen it? This is a problem that God has given us! Although God is not beautiful,

, We will definitely overcome the difficulties in front of us and make God’s ruthlessness useless to us! Because we are good men of the Tang Dynasty! Because we are artillery soldiers!"

"We are good men of the Tang Dynasty! We are artillerymen!" the artillerymen shouted in unison.

A lightning flashed past, illuminating the artillery's resolute face!

Chen Wanrong waved his right arm heavily: "Now, I order you to snatch your shoulders and set off!"

"Set out! Let's go!" The artillery soldiers shouted, lifted the artillery, and braved the rainy curtain, embarked on the most difficult journey since their march.

The most difficult thing to advance this time is the artillery, which needs to be removed. Six people carry the cannon bodies and two people carry the cannon stands. One cannon requires eight people, and twenty-five cannons require two hundred people.

Chen Wanrong left ten artillery pieces left by Wang Shaohua and the others, and brought a total of 800 people to set off. Chen Wanrong divided them into three groups, one group was responsible for carrying the cannons, one group was responsible for alerting, and one group was responsible for resting. Of course, the three groups had to rotate.

As for shells, it is easy to deal with. The Tang army has many horses, which is just right in hand. Chen Wanrong has put in some effort in the packaging of shells. He has considered the issue of marching. He packs every ten shells together, packs them tightly, and then apply moisture-proof agent, so he will not be afraid of resurgence.

Chen Wanrong had conducted an experiment. After packaging it, he put the shells in water and soaked for a long time. When he opened it, he still found it was still very dry. No need to worry about the heavy rain. He just needed to put it on the horse's back and transport it away.

A hundred kilograms of shells were placed on the blue and white backs. Chen Wanrong held the reins and parted with Wang Shaohua and Wang Zhongsi, and followed the team forward.

The heavy rain was like a lot, and even my eyes couldn't be opened. The water on the ground filled the insteps. The road that was not smooth was full of ravines. When walking, I didn't walk fast.

In such a harsh environment, the artillery was full of momentum. While shouting horns, they encouraged each other to cheer each other. Although the journey was slow, it was smooth. After an hour, they entered Jishi Mountain.

After half a day, you will come to a dangerous place and be very careful to get the cannons to pass through. There is a cliff below. If you are not careful and fall down, you will definitely be crushed to pieces.

Liu Fuqing led fifty people to the front to open the road. As soon as he arrived here, countless huge rocks rolled down from above, whistling down from the cliff with the strong wind.

"The mountain collapse?" Liu Fuqing's face changed drastically.

If a mountain collapse occurs here, the artillery passing through here is just a dream. Just when Liu Fuqing was surprised, hundreds of figures appeared on the mountain, pointing at Liu Fuqing and the others and shouting: "Well, that passing man, keep the money and spare you all the time!"
Chapter completed!