Chapter 1363: Prelude to the Han Banner (Fifty-Three)

Yingshui is a prefecture in Yingchuan County, but now it is occupied by the Han army. It is separated from Yingchuan County by the Ying River. If it were not for the different flags flying on the two cities, it would be difficult for ordinary people to realize that this is the front line of the two countries' confrontation. In recent years, due to Tan Feng's deliberate efforts, the two places have jointly created the most prosperous trading place between Qin and Han. Yingshui and Yingchuan have also benefited from this. A large number of merchants have gathered here, and countless goods have been traded here, which has contributed to the prosperity here.

The two cities are separated by a short distance from the Ying River. Originally, these places were all wastelands, but now, these places are filled with houses one by one. Of course, these houses are not carefully crafted and built with heart. Most of them are made of mud bricks as walls and thatched roofs. They are good for sheltering from wind and rain, but if you really want to live in them, it may not be so comfortable.

Merchants who trade here all know that these two countries will have a war sooner or later. It is obviously not a good idea to spend money to build houses here. Once the war starts, no matter how beautiful and gorgeous your house is, it will become a ruin.

But don't underestimate these simple thatched houses. Any of them, or at a certain moment, are tens of thousands of big deals. After the two sides reach an agreement, then a ferry will transport countless goods to the two places, and then from these two cities to various places in Qin and Han.

Because of such transactions, Yingshui became the richest county in the Han Dynasty. Fang Shu even pioneered the good deed of distributing silver to the elderly over 60 years old, and was highly recognized by Gao Yuan, so that this policy was later implemented in Jishi County and Tianhe County. Other places in the Han Dynasty were unable to do so. Jishi County was the industrial capital of the Han Dynasty, with top businessmen gathering and amazing annual taxes. Tianhe County is the location of the capital Jicheng, the political center of the Han Dynasty, and naturally it is unwilling to lag behind the local areas. Even if Tianhe County is a bit difficult to do, it can only grit its teeth and increase revenue and reduce expenditure in other places, and it is unwilling to lose face.

In Yingchuan County, Tan Feng used this market to earn a large amount of military funds and equipped his tens of thousands of troops with extremely sophisticated equipment. Most of his weapons came from the State of Chu. In order to support Tan Feng, Huang Xie and Qu Zhong of the State of Chu also invested a lot of money.

However, after the end of June, this once extremely hot trading market suddenly became deserted. First, the top merchants withdrew one after another. They were well-informed and ran faster than rabbits. After one night, the agents and employees of these top merchants left cleanly, and then. Others also got the news that the peace between Yingshui and Yingchuan County that lasted for several years was about to become a thing of the past.

The merchants of the Han State retreated from Yingchuan County like a tide, and ferries were full of these merchants leaving. Among them, there were naturally some people crying and howling. The big merchants didn't care much about losing some goods, which was just a drop in the bucket for them. But for those small and medium-sized merchants, abandoning all the goods and the uncollected payments was a heart-wrenching pain. Many of them came here to pan for gold because of the prosperous trade here, but it was obvious that their luck was extremely bad.

The night after the Han merchants withdrew,

Yingchuan County City announced the closure of the city. There were suddenly countless fully armed soldiers on the city wall, and a row of brand new bed crossbows that had just been torn off the felt cloth were installed on the city wall. Stone cannons were densely placed, and in the distance, huge catapults were also installed. Next to them, baskets of polished stone bullets were stacked on one side. On the streets of the city, except for the soldiers who hurriedly came and went, the people either closed their doors or retreated in a panic from the other side of the city gate.

Qin and Han seem to be about to go to war. Come to think of it, the battle has already started at Hangu Pass, and Lubin is now in the midst of a fierce battle. The two countries have torn the last skin off, so how can there be no movement here?

Yingchuan County is in chaos because the people in Yingchuan County are afraid. Over the years, the Qin and Han have fought, and the Qin army has never won. They have lost every battle, and they have lost confidence. Now that the two countries are going to go to war again, their first thought is naturally to flee.

Tan Feng didn't care whether these people escaped or not, and he would not announce his actual military goal to these refugees. He didn't want those guys in Tai'an and Wulong to know his real purpose. Tan Feng was very sure about the Han army on the other side. There was only a division of more than 15,000 soldiers led by Gao Yuan's brother-in-law Ye Feng on the other side. In this military operation, he also made corresponding deployments for possible attacks on the other side. Over the years, he has been managing Yingchuan City and has full confidence in his defense capabilities. Not to mention anything else, the city wall wrapped in thick cement is not something that the opponent can easily knock open, not to mention that he still has the dangerous Yingshui River.

In the past few years, he has not allowed the construction of that kind of reinforced concrete bridge between the two cases. There are even restrictions on the size of the boats. He will never allow large ships over 100 tons to sail on the Yingshui River. If the Han army wants to attack, what can those small boats that can only carry dozens of people at a time do? The river bank near him is densely packed with carved buildings. The crossbows and stone cannons above could easily overturn these small boats while they were still in the middle of the river. If the Han army wanted to land and fight, the middle of the river and the beachhead would be enough to make them pay a heavy price.

With less than 20,000 troops, do you want to conquer Yingchuan County City, which is defended by 20,000 people? It's really a dream. Tan Feng estimated that if he was in charge, it would take at least 50,000 to 100,000 people and more than a month to conquer Yingchuan County City, which was guarded by 20,000 people. This is not counting casualties. Even if it is finally taken, the death toll of the attackers will definitely exceed 10,000. Such a high price is absolutely unwilling to be borne by the Han army.

In these years, I have never thought about attacking. I have been planning how to defend and how to make Yingchuan County impregnable. This is Tan Feng's real idea.

So, when all this came, he left Gongsun Zheng to defend the city with confidence, and he followed Gongsun Yan to Tai'an. For him, the most important thing now is to take Tai'an and Wulong. Tai'an is the next ruling center in his plan, and it must not be lost.

Occupying Wulong, Tai'an, and Yingchuan, he would have strategic depth and room for maneuver. At that time, whether he was using his troops to bully Lu Chao or bargaining with Chu, he would have greater capital. What Lu Chao could do today, why couldn't he do it in the future? Moreover, he had a much better geographical advantage than Lu Chao. Although he bordered Han and Chu, they would be happy to see him and Lu Chao fighting against each other. Being sandwiched between the three countries, although he was like walking on a tightrope, it might not be really dangerous. Or at a certain time, the three countries would want to win him over!

After taking over Tai'an and Wulong, Tan Feng believed that he could run them as prosperous as Yingchuan. Over the years, separated from Yingshui City by a river, Tan Feng took advantage of the geographical advantage and kept studying the reasons for Gao Yuan's success. He never missed an issue of the Han Weekly, and often invited some businessmen from the Han Kingdom to talk with them. He thought that he had almost learned Gao Yuan's tricks. Of course, he only wanted to learn his tricks to enrich the country and strengthen the people. As for Gao Yuan's political suicide, the Great Council, the Great Councillors, and the system of self-election of grassroots officials and people, that was out of the question.

In terms of economy, he should learn from the Han Kingdom, and in terms of politics, he should learn from Lu Chao's authoritarian rule. Combining the two, he will create a more powerful force to appear in front of the world. Han and Chu cannot bite it themselves, but why can't they erode the two parties that are about to fight in Daqin step by step in the future? Whether Lu Chao wins or Ying Ying wins, his ultimate goal is to replace people.

Tan Feng was full of hope to leave the chaotic Yingchuan County City. It didn't matter if the people were in chaos, as long as the army was not in chaos. Those who escaped, they would come back one day.

Unlike the panic in Yingchuan County City, Yingshui City opposite was a different scene. Although there were obviously more soldiers on the streets, and various carriages carrying weapons and military equipment drove into the city from afar, there was no martial law in the city. The people were still doing what they were doing. On the contrary, every shop was doing a good business because of the people who withdrew from Yingchuan County City. The major inns were full, and there would never be empty seats in the restaurant. Everyone was drinking and eating meat while discussing this sudden change.

"It seems that there will be a war this time. Business will definitely be affected." Someone said. This is a local merchant in Yingshui City. He runs an inn. Although the business is still full at the moment, if a war really breaks out, I am afraid that the flow of people will drop sharply. During the war, there is naturally not much business. Those who can do war business are top merchants. These people are a minority, and they will not choose a small shop like theirs.

"We have to fight, you know? I heard that we suffered a big defeat in Lubin! The king was furious, so we have to teach these Qin people a lesson."

"Brother, when did you get the news? Didn't you read the latest issue of the Han Weekly? Lubin was taken back by us a long time ago. I guess the previous small defeat was because we deliberately showed weakness, then lured the enemy into the trap, and then hit them hard."

"What, Lubin has been taken back. I have been staying opposite for ten days and just came back today. Is this true?"

"Look for yourself, the report is posted on the wall of the store!" Someone laughed: "I really don't know what you have been reading for so long in the store, and you didn't even notice this." (To be continued.)