Chapter 231: Xia Prefecture Campaign
Time rewinds to early June; shift the strategic perspective from Yongzhou in the north to other frontlines.
At the same time that Xuan Chong expressed firm support for Su Ming on the northern frontline. On the southern frontline toward Xiang Prefecture, Xuan Chong’s three “pawns” have all crossed the river, southern frontline battle report: “Currently very stable, waiting for Ji Prefecture’s pigs to crash into trees”.
Now look at the central frontline, the military operations in Zhenzhou and Xia Prefecture. Xuan Chong is very reassured about this line, because Wu Zaixing is in charge of the Xia Prefecture campaign, and this area is also the region with the deepest change in Xuan Chong’s forces.
In the early years of the great chaos under heaven, Xia Prefecture was ravaged too harshly by the Hao Army, so the people who migrated from Xia Prefecture to the Zhen State all harbor blood feuds against Zhao Cheng’s Hao Army.
However, all along, due to the exiled people being like flowing sand, lacking fixed property to support organization; so the noble families and great clans who control the land don’t care at all about these “grudges”, thinking that driving away the refugees will settle the grudges once and for all.
Little do they know, a new era has arrived. Fixed property is not just land, and steadfastness is not solely in clans. In the Zhenzhou region, a new organization different from the gangs of the old era has been born; they have a program covering a large category of people, as well as formal organizational capabilities derived from the military. This is a brand-new party clique.
This party clique’s work covers multiple prefectures under Xuan Chong’s rule. The more developed the workshop industry, the more members this party clique has. Party clique members gather once a year in the “Grand Assembly Hall” to sing passionately. When dispersed, they expound in marketplaces and rural areas.
In the current stage of executing the Xia Prefecture strategy, Wu Juwang has mobilized 40,000 grassroots members here, of which 70% have genealogies originating from Xia Prefecture.
These people lost their land and work in workshops, most of whom, to receive more living materials, attended night schools, and during the collective study process in night schools, accepted new ideas of reform.
Xuan Chong: Their composition is quite clean.
The new party clique on this Xia Prefecture route has achieved complete internal autonomy in “military, government, economy”. The new party clique acts according to decisions conforming to the group’s greatest common interests.
The Da Yao noble families and clans’ faction-forming takes “high reputation people” as representatives, leading everyone as a force to serve under someone (lord).
For example, Cao Cao’s Xun Yu is the representative of Yingchuan people. Zhang Zhao is the civil official representative of the Jiangdong Group’s Huai-Si faction.
The core of this model is the “leading representative figure”; once this representative figure is gone, the group on the imperial court disperses in a bang.
Later there was a specific term “political broker”. Li Zhongtang is such a person, he played this set to ruin, leading to in Xuan Chong’s spacetime, this approach completely unable to ascend to the “grand elegance” in the east; crowned with negative terms like small groups, mountain tops. But in Europe, America, and the west, this set is played very elaborately.
The new party clique acts according to an interest standard encompassing everyone, this thing is called “program”. This is not centered on a “broker”, when one leader dies, another immediately emerges. This is unkillable. Unless the entire “leadership” abandons the program and rebels against the charter during long-term leadership.
Wu Zaixing on the front stage shouts: “Xia Prefecture campaign, must adhere to three programs! Military program is do not dismantle houses even if freezing to death, do not plunder even if starving to death! Governance program is drive out violent Hao, restore Xi Yao! Economic program is redistribute fields, liquidate treacherous noble families and powerful clans!”
Before the war, in the eight largest and workshop-ized cities in Zhenzhou, the developed press industry transmitted this program content to various artisan areas.
So when the mobilization order was issued, Wu Juwang organized 300,000 people in the eight cities in this direction. Originally Xia Prefecture had insufficient population for three cities, now it’s bustling with activity. Four-way connected transportation management, and vehicle and horse maintenance stations, one city now has supply capacity, fully equipped in these three cities.
This round is to thoroughly replace the entire heaven and earth of Xia Prefecture.
…Huge economic change brings social upheaval…
Over these ten years, with the development of southern border trade lines, Lingnan follows traditional raw materials commerce; while Zhenzhou side follows iron smelting, textiles and other processing industries.
Note: Xuan Chong’s developed textile industry is not British-style cotton cloth textile industry. Cotton cloth textile requires vast cotton fields, and a population base of over 100 million to support the high-end market, none of which Xuan Chong’s rule possesses.
Xuan Chong does hemp spinning industry, producing hemp cloth, not luxury consumer goods like cotton cloth.
Large pieces of hemp cloth are engineering consumables, for example, used to make sails.
Ships at southern sea outlets, and train lines all need them.
After feng shui adjusts wind direction, sails are also needed to save power.
As for the hemp rope industry, it has also expanded all the way. Because hemp rope combined with bamboo is essential consumable for building dams, erecting scaffolding.
Xuan Chong allocates industry entirely for “social engineering services”, “let more people survive” arrangements.
In the early stage of hemp cloth market development, Xuan Chong adhered to “thin profit high volume”.
Hemp cloth industry, every portion of capital invested returns at most 10% profit; far below the money-printing machine-like profit generation speed after early spinning industry flooded the market.
However, cotton cloth market saturates very quickly, Britain later had to go to war to find markets, otherwise workers unemployed, yarn market loans couldn’t be repaid.
Zhen State’s hemp spinning industry, textile workers expanded from 200,000 to 300,000. Output increasingly large, widely invested in agricultural and industrial reproduction.
Produced cloth even excess to start using in Yunmeng Marsh to separate lakes, isolate fry and adult fish.
Market shrinkage? Doesn’t exist. In eastern culture, only “pleasure consumption” markets shrink; in industries involving reproduction, this culture worshiping “fixed property” will expand and re-expand at all costs.
The might of industrial mass production has shown the tip of the iceberg. —Just now haven’t found large coal mines for Xuan Chong yet.
…Industrial culture has emerged, culture is mobilization…
Speaking of now, when the Chong Army fights back into Xia Prefecture, how many Xia Prefecture people will go back to farming?
Probably no one will farm. So in the feudal era, when a large batch of immigrants are driven out of their homeland, it’s hard to fight back—because the interests of migrants and land have been directly severed in the migration.
In the old era, the expelled old people even if surviving in foreign lands, looking back at homeland, it’s just looking back.
Homeland already occupied by those people, going back themselves no ready fields or homes. And lacking unified interests naturally no unified action.
Zhao Song lost Yan Yun Sixteen Prefectures, lost Western Xia river bend region, even later shrunk to the south, couldn’t fight back reasons. Naturally because couldn’t guarantee: soldiers recruited from south fighting north, the officials and masters can divide land in old homes for southern soldiers. Thus when Southern Dynasties confronted north, the only with combat power against north were Huai region displaced farmers.
While modernization party clique different, advanced relative to old era in interest allocation. Party clique will allocate interests to every person.
Before the war, Wu Juwang’s work was very thorough. He based on over a thousand survey reports from grassroots people, conducted targeted war mobilization planning below.
Wu Juwang sent propagandists to every artisan district. These propagandists first expounded the great evils of the Hao State from livelihood perspective.
“Xia Prefecture land, now under Hao State governance utilization rate very low. Lacking water conservancy, lacking river silt fertilizer cultivation, even manpower lacking, annual grain output only 150,000 shi! While Zhenzhou arable area less than two-thirds of Xia Prefecture, grain output yet 1.2 million shi!”
After propagandists aroused everyone’s grief and indignation, then turned words: “After we fight over, after redistributing fields, will massively invest in water conservancy, within three years, grain output will reach 1.8 million shi per year!”
This sentence first excited the workshop owners. Because building water conservancy needs sail transport vehicles, needs large amounts of hemp rope, bamboo pole building materials, these orders are all money!
Immediately after even heavier news issued. Propagandists uniform caliber: after capturing Xia Prefecture, ensure industrial workshop area grain price at 20 wen per jin; laborers signing up to support frontline, within 20 years, annually distribute 60 jin grain coupons.
After this sentence, these immigrants who lost homeland suddenly had “homesickness” for their hometown.
Above is mobilization of commoner people, internally, for administrative personnel propaganda, party clique will plan 15 administrative areas, 7,000 posts for Xia Prefecture. These posts are all “official positions”, that is, large batch with upward mobility space. —This way, the scholars who came from Xia Prefecture and became minor officials, start shouting: “Hao without dao, Zhen state prospers!”
As for internal commerce and industry propaganda: will plan train lines, platforms; simultaneously, in estimated commercial consumption market reports: grain, salt, charcoal, oil, cloth etc. commerce, all listed annual increasable returns.
New party clique internal those managing “goods wealth” senior officials, at mobilization conference emphasized to commerce and industry people: these commerces won’t be handed to post-war Xia Prefecture local forces to reconstruct and fill themselves! But to wholly take over, arrange this campaign’s own people to take charge.
In Wu Family Army internal, due to Xuan Chong over ten years’ physical practice, “blood labor exchange blood reward” concept already permeated entire Zhen State up and down.
In new party clique’s war dividend allocation plan, after getting Xuan Chong’s seal confirmation, a fire ignited on central frontline.
Xuan Chong: “In one war, how much value can be plundered from the losers? The clearer the calculation, the more blood rewards made from it, then the military group’s comeback health bar the stronger. In the past I calculated alone, now my disciples calculate together.”
…Modern people relative to ancients, just good at haggling…
Tong Zheng Calendar year 5, June 13, 30,000 fully armed Chong Army thus entered Xia Prefecture.
When Xia Prefecture field farmers saw these soldiers wearing gray cloth, bewildered and at a loss, wanting to flee and avoid troops; but these soldiers ignored them, instead threw rice cakes to them. Then the army corps passed here, directly heading to Hao Army’s military assembly point.
Hao Army in Xia Prefecture total troop strength also about 50,000 (including immobile local garrison), and all completed national war training integration before war, able to form ranks, and had preliminary “drill manual” system. —Xuan Chong estimating enemy leniently templates opponent’s combat power toward his own side’s “model”.
Zhao Cheng these years also conducting drill manual-ization, but problem is: without “reform” post-country power support, appears feeble.
Especially now, when Xuan Chong side sees clear Hao State’s true condition, Xia Prefecture this route no large-scale mobility capability, this tactic like orca vs great white shark confrontation.
Although great white shark also has sharp teeth and claws, but great white shark’s burst speed is orca’s normal cruising speed. This is your ultimate, is our side’s normal attack.
Xia Prefecture campaign, 30,000 corps high-speed mobile 100 km, detour to Hao Army flank, that is the three fiefdoms place where Zhao Cheng blocked Emperor Shu corps rear back then. Almost along Zhao Cheng’s assault route back then, assault the cities garrisoned by those three fiefdoms back then.
June 15, Chong Army used heavy cannons to blast open the seemingly strong Lingcheng city defenses.
Lingcheng city defenses ordered built by Emperor Shu early in ascension, using fired bricks and tiles stuck with lime and egg white.
However here for Hao State, too rearward; generals under Zhao Cheng didn’t deploy heavy troops here. —Not Zhao Cheng negligent, but his troops only that many, facing large corps infiltration, defend rear thinly front thinly, defend front thinly rear thinly.
Local only 400-500 old weak sick disabled. Their teeth all incomplete, eaten from biscuits mixed with sand. Even the dozen elite soldiers in city due to acquired martial qi techniques, quite elite, but under thousand-plus killing intent suppression, powerless.
Those cultivating martial qi experts single combat still ok, but now on city battlements, facing Chong Army cannon fire suppression, heads dare not lift.
With standardized trench work extending forward, hand cannon fire suppression, Lingcheng city wall garrison morale collapsed too fast, in no time all fled.
When Chong Army vanguard assault team ascended city walls, city inner no resistance at all, all in chaos, great households doors tightly closed, thieves wandering streets.
After Chong Army entered city, unceremoniously confiscated intelligence among pro-Hao State several local great clan mansions; subsequently military control of city, household registers and maps in treasury first controlled, then warehouses sealed with strips special guards, wait until order thoroughly stable, then organize accountant’s office to inventory.
As for city inner control? Zhen State new party clique early in pre-war statistics willing support frontline personnel household registers. Those several years household register Lingcheng’s cadres called out, let them organize interrogation of city inner old forces.
…Ten years later rematch…
Zhao Cheng side, he rushing to Xiang Prefecture battlefield. Due to secret message transmission, he quickly got north Lingcheng fallen news.
Zhao Cheng silently burned the message, he thought of Xuan Chong each route corps all-out assault scene, but after north-south hands out, Zhao Cheng had to admit, he still slightly underestimated Chong Army.
He used his “internal espionage”, trying to shake Chong Army each line morale.
Just like back then dealing with eighteen route corps sent by Emperor Shu, but on Wu Yuanchang side no effect at all, each route Chong Army unmoving toward frontline advance, no shake in military execution.
For example, now he repeatedly spreads he now will go north route decisive battle with Xuan Chong.
But north route side still Su Ming this “criticized” commander leading, and Yongzhou each route troops all completely obey Su Ming’s plan.
As for Xia Prefecture frontline, battle tactic not some “mediocre” head-on confrontation, but quite spiritual grand detour.
So much so Zhao Cheng suspects, is Wu Yuanchang directly leading troops combat here? But obviously peacock and guiche not appeared here, only mu luan etc flying mechanisms. This shows that route not Xuan Chong’s main force.
Zhao Cheng to this can’t help surprised! That means Xuan Chong under hand surprisingly still has other great generals.
You know, in detour infiltration battle tactics to consider elements very many, ability insufficient will flip car. Most main generals only on own route, appropriately adopt such tactics.
While now Xuan Chong allows troops outside himself do this thing, this shows reassurance to that route commander to extreme!
Xuan Chong to Zhao Cheng attitude: “If Xia Prefecture that route you Zhao Cheng commanding, of course I not reassured Wu Zaixing such method; let him fight by the book, but now confirmed you not on this route, just give him tactical authority.”
Zhao Cheng also sees, Xia Prefecture that route use of troops, already embryonic form of Xuan Chong military system, lacking only battlefield experience.
If five years ago, anyone showing this sign, wanting to gain experience on battlefield, Zhao Cheng definitely pinch it dead when it shows head. But now, Xuan Chong multi-route advance, Zhao Cheng overwhelmed.
Zhao Cheng seems to feel Wu Yuanchang holding good hand, staring at himself.
Zhao Cheng issues order: “Tell Zhen Hao side not to act rashly, contract corps eastward.” However after Zhao Cheng supplements this order, still somewhat uncomfortable in heart.
…Lose control of situation…
Perspective to Xia Prefecture, here now chaos boiling over.
In Zhen Hao’s large camp, crowd local noble families and great clans sent scholars come advise: “Please general save us from fire and water, we willing offer family goods to aid general resist enemy!”
Narrator: Really to donate family wealth, these noble families all become very poor.
And Wu Zaixing corps captured Xia Prefecture north, thoroughly cut off key trade route between Xia Prefecture and Sha Prefecture.
And with large batch Xia Prefecture accent officials from Zhenzhou side come, take over transportation roads, storage, and liquidate fields, and completely sever links between each great noble family in cities and various farm villages, this is to revolution off local forces’ life.
As Zhao Cheng’s trusted great general, Zhen Hao previously led troops here, camped in place, confronting three cities in Zhen State hands;
But with Chong Army mobile in Xia Prefecture north, he currently under various influences, hard to hold steady.
Zhen Hao’s wife received letter from her family side, his favored concubine also got gifts, all saying matter of sending troops.
Woman’s persuasion made him very annoyed, but yet had to consider. Because no matter how angry, can’t harshly punish these around him people.
For decisive killing big figures, people around are most untouchable, even if servant, for example cook.
Historically “died by” or “nearly died by” hands of people around examples abound, such as Zhang Fei, Jiajing, and “sheep stewed shame soup” allusion Song state general Hua Yuan and charioteer sheep stewed.
Zhen Hao facing wife’s words very displeased, then reasoned with her; facing favored concubine, face cold let her not meddle in what not meddle. But after no extra punishment.
Because Zhen Hao knows, his inner residence all passed words, then his under soldiers and generals now various minds, also passed words. He can only “mildly” cope, pull, dare not suddenly flip face, that would become “against public will”.
For this situation, Wu Fei at over ten years old leading troops already understood: on surface obedient army, tied by military law, anytime will backlash evil dragon. Before undefeated, has reckless advance chase merit impatient ‘before not yet won, will bully internally, shift blame, shirk.
So as classical old-style general, when leading troops cannot have any “let drift” slack; when no clear tactical objective, must set planning for army, cannot let idle down random think.
While Zhen Hao when stationed, didn’t prevent under generals and soldiers contact with noble families; with noble families interests damaged, military many people one loss all loss one glory all glory, will try every way let “evil qi” seep in.
…Influence battlefield off-field factors…
“Where is my tiger tally?” June 15, after one night drunken sleep, Zhen Hao searched his whole body and own military tent, discovered his most fatal leading troops credential gone. If external force holds his tiger tally to mobilize his troops, he unless go find Zhao Cheng prove for himself, otherwise unable explain.
However now Zhao Cheng in south, and annoyed at pig teammate Wang Yushan, he dare not go admit himself second “pig head”.
He calls personal soldiers, asks: “Who stole my money last night?”
His personal soldiers one by one bewildered ignorant, angered him directly drag these personal soldiers down beat, then thorough search.
However even beat personal soldiers half-dead, still didn’t find thief who stole his “money”.
However next day, one not afraid death martial world wanderer comes to door, uses flying knife leave letter one: “Thou hold heavy troops, yet not for commoners uphold justice, heaven abandons thee! If timely repent, still can remedy. Thing thou lost, will return to thee.”
Thus, just like this, a in later historians’ eyes “avoidable” strategic mistake happened.
Zhen Hao in early July, began march large army northward.
Perhaps in history, who doesn’t know, clearly Zhao Cheng as commander, to this trusted repeatedly ordered “only hold east pass tightly, cut no northward reckless war”, but why Zhen Hao still violate commander’s clear order, lead large army main northward engage Wu Zaixing’s corps?
While historically, the “great mistake” baffling people, just backstage black hands hid too deep; or everyone sees just these black hands’ stratum, compiled historical materials.
With Hao northward move, Xia Prefecture second branch troops begin toward this 30,000 scale Hao Army rear detour infiltration; Lingcheng line Wu Zaixing troops also immediately withdraw forces attacking other cities, rapidly assemble.
This north south two Chong Army simultaneously mobile, like Deng’s fish upper and lower jaws, while Hao Army a pitiful trilobite.
About Xuan Chong this time strategy, intact annihilation Zhao Cheng this route large army strategic objective, also about to complete.
