From a son-in-law to a favorite of the empress

Chapter 621

Quick march! Quick march! Time waits for no one!

The Five Army Battalion set out from Shenjing and headed for Datong Prefecture, a journey of 700 miles, in just two and a half days.

For a huge team of 60,000 people, this speed fully reflects the willpower and execution of the soldiers of the Five Army Battalion, and also reflects their overall quality.

When they arrived in Datong, it was afternoon, the sun was high, the wind was howling, and the yellow sand was everywhere.

The endless plateau, all you can see is yellow earth, and the city standing tall, like a natural moat.

Dry, desolate, wild, countless words flooded into Zhou Yuan's mind in an instant.

But this place is obviously prosperous. Although it is not as big as Lin'an Prefecture, Yangzhou Prefecture and Shenjing, it is an important border town after all. The business travelers and caravans coming and going, the quaint and vicissitudes of life buildings, the spacious streets, the restaurants and inns... Everywhere interprets the unique appearance of this place.

In the wind and sand, there was even the aroma of old vinegar.

Zhou Yuan took a deep breath and watched the city gate in front slowly open. A team of hundreds of people quickly came forward with several generals.

Their bodies were very stable, and it can be seen that their riding skills were very superb.

The strong wind was still blowing.

The voice came before the people arrived.

"Min Tianrui, Governor of Datong, meet the Grand Marshal!"

The rough voice was full of domineering and majesty. A group of hundreds of people dismounted at the same time, half-knelt down, and their movements were uniform.

This proved that the Datong Army also had extremely high quality. After all, it was a border defense force, and after all, it was an ace forged in the flames of war.

Zhou Yuan strode forward and said in a deep voice: "General Min, please stand up, and all the soldiers, please stand up."

Min Tianrui was tall and wore heavy armor, but his movements were not dragged at all.

His face was very dry. Perhaps it was late autumn, and his dark skin was peeling. He looked very old, like an old man in his fifties.

But Zhou Yuan knew that Min Tianrui was only 41 years old this year.

The hardships of guarding the border are not worth telling to outsiders.

"Marshal, my Datong Army has 58,000 soldiers who have been waiting for the Marshal for a long time and are ready to be inspected at any time."

Zhou Yuan said in a deep voice: "Let's go into the city, set up camp first, and then talk about business."

There was no empty welcoming ceremony. The soldiers went to set up camp, and Zhou Yuan took Liu Fang, Wang Xiong, Shi Yi, Dayong, Dong Yu and others to the tower.

The wind was stronger, and the air was filled with the smell of yellow sand.

The soldiers stood straight, their bodies were covered with dust, but they did not move, like iron tower statues.

Zhou Yuan said: "What is the current situation in Datong Town?"

Min Tianrui didn't waste any words and said directly: "The situation is not very good. Datong Town is organized as a 100,000-man army, but there are actually 80,000 people. Wen Tieli has withdrawn 22,000 elite soldiers, leaving 58,000 people."

"But due to the tragic defeat on the front line, our military morale has been shaken. This impact is not great. The men guarding the border are brave and are not afraid of the Mongolian barbarians going south."

"But Wen Tieli took away a lot of supplies, especially food and tents, and they can't be taken back."

Zhou Yuan said: "That's no problem. I have food and tents. I can get as many as you want. Now it's not the past. The treasury has silver. "

"There is no upper limit to our military expenditure this time. Her Majesty means that she will give me as much as I need."

"Starting tomorrow, the soldiers of Datong Army will eat from the same pot as the soldiers of the Fifth Army Camp, and they will have enough meat, vegetables and coarse grains every day."

"Similarly, they will receive the same training intensity as the soldiers of the Fifth Army Camp."

Hearing this, Min Tianrui couldn't help laughing: "Hahahaha! Good! Marshal is happy!"

"As long as the Marshal gives meat! My Datong Army can do anything! Brothers! Are you afraid of high-intensity training!"

The soldiers standing guard around shouted in unison: "No!"

It is indeed comfortable to get along with such a good general and iron soldiers.

After entering the beacon tower, Min Tianrui poured Zhou Yuan a bowl of water and said, "Datong's conditions are simple, not as good as the capital. There is no shortage of tea, but there is definitely no tea in the barracks."

"I am strict in military discipline. As long as you are in the army, you are not allowed to drink or gamble. I don't care about them during the holidays."

Zhou Yuan said, "It should be. Datong is an important town in the country. It shoulders the hundreds of miles of national defense front, from Zhenkoutai in the east to Yajiao Mountain in the west. If you are not careful, it will be a disaster."

Min Tianrui clasped his fists and said, "It is precious that the marshal can understand the hardships of the soldiers at the border."

"It is said that the marshal has a connection with General Xue?"

Zhou Yuan smiled and said, "It is my father-in-law."

Min Tianrui sighed and said, "I was originally in Gansu Town, and I was transferred here after the great defeat thirteen years ago. At that time, I had a lot of complaints about Xue Changyue. I thought that although he had a great reputation as a famous general, he was a mediocre general. Otherwise, he would not have suffered such a disastrous defeat."

"ToAfter I came here, I gradually began to admire him. Datong's strict military discipline is a model. There are rules for everything here. The people are polite and the soldiers are disciplined. It is really rare. "

"This also makes me wary of Mongolia. After all, Xue Changyue is so strong, but he still lost the battle."

"In the following years, I have been constantly strengthening myself on his basis, and I have the current situation."

Speaking of this, he looked at Zhou Yuan and said, "When will the Marshal go to Ningxia Town? Only when Datong and Ningxia Town cooperate with each other can we defend the Hetao and keep the enemy out."

Zhou Yuan glanced at him and said, "Who said I want to defend the Hetao?"

Min Tianrui turned back in shock and said, "Don't defend the Hetao? Marshal, the Hetao is the fertile land in the northwest. It has never been lost since the founding of the Jin Dynasty!"

Zhou Yuan said, "From Ningxia Town to Datong Town, this section of the Hetao will not be defended. Fortify the walls and clear the fields, and transfer the people to Yulin Town. ”

“The three towns of Ningxia, Yulin and Datong form a pincer attack, from Xiquegou in Zhongwei in the west to Zhenkoutai in the east, and we must defend along the Great Wall to succeed.”

“The northern part of the middle section of the Hetao will only drag us down.”

Min Tianrui was stunned. Since ancient times, or since the establishment of the Jin Dynasty, who dared to defy the world and not defend the Hetao?

The fertile land on both sides of the Yellow River has always been the foundation of the people's survival and an important place for grain production. If it is lost, what will the people do?

Seeming to know what the other party was thinking, Zhou Yuan said lightly: "The autumn harvest has passed, and it is still early for spring plowing. As long as we take back the Hetao before the spring plowing, it will be fine. ”

Facing the situation in the entire northwest, Zhou Yuan adopted the strategy of clearing the fields and defending along the Great Wall. This was the main strategy.

As long as he could hold off this step and repel a few waves of Mongolia, he could enter his rhythm next.

He was the marshal, so he naturally had the power to make decisions. Min Tianrui couldn't say anything more.

"It's a pity for Hetao..."

He sighed, thinking about the many people in the Hetao Plain. It would be a huge hassle to transfer them. What to eat, drink, and live at that time would all be problems.

Although Yulin Town is large, can it really accommodate so many people?

Looking at the appearance of the border town, Zhou Yuan was filled with emotion. Countless people have been stationed here for their entire lives. Some died in battle, and some died of old age, just to protect the land behind them.

This is not a prosperous place, but a heroic place.