Chapter 8

In late February, with the preliminary preparations in Tokyo complete, Emperor Chai Rong officially set out on a personal campaign, accompanied mainly by the Imperial Guards, which included the personal army of the Son of Heaven and the various armies under the Hall of Audience.

The small unit that Guo Shao served in belonged to the Hall of Audience system, so he naturally had to set out with the army.

The main force left the capital from the northern part of the city, through the four gates of the northern wall, with the main contingent passing through the Chenqiao Gate. The main road was filled with troops, and on both sides, there were many civilians, offering food and drink, showing great support for the army. The regular army of the Zhou Dynasty had better discipline than the regional armies, and from a broader perspective, they had the merit of protecting the Zhou-controlled areas from foreign raids. However, due to inadequate propaganda, they were far from being loved to the point of making the people weep with gratitude... Most of the civilians by the roadside were family members of the Imperial Guards.

The Imperial Guards, especially those under the Hall of Audience, were stationed near Tokyo, and their families were also there. When the soldiers went to war, their families at home naturally worried and were deeply concerned, so they crowded by the roadside, waving goodbye with tears.

The emperor's entourage at the front was still relatively neat and orderly, but the various armies behind were not as aesthetically pleasing, carrying too many things, making the ranks look disorganized. It was only the flags, armor, and weapons that proved they were an army.

Apart from grain and supplies, Guo Shao also carried a lot of things, requiring a mule to carry them. Not counting the full-body armor weighing about fifty pounds that he wore, the chest plate he had made weighed at least twenty pounds, and the long and short weapons weighed about ten pounds. There was also an iron pot for eating and drinking, a hammer, a machete, and rations. Without the mule, it would have been very strenuous.

Ordinary soldiers did not bring animals, so they had to carry fewer personal items. However, they had something to envy about Guo Shao: their families chased after the army, giving them food and advice. But when Guo Shao looked around, there was no one he recognized among the civilians by the roadside.

"A son, don't rush to the front, stay a bit behind..." a woman shouted as she followed the army. The person who responded was actually Luo Mengzi, who was behind Guo Shao. Guo Shao couldn't help but turn back and say, "Luo Er's wife really knows how to talk."

He looked into the crowd for a while and thought to himself: I also have someone who cares about my life and death here. Yulian should have come, but there are too many people, and she hasn't found me, or she might be watching from somewhere, too shy to come up. Women are just sentimental. Thinking of this, his heart felt more at ease.

...

Many days later, the army reached Huai Prefecture. The emperor, dissatisfied with the slow progress, wanted to issue an order for the entire army to accelerate. Zhao Chao, the commander of the Crane Control Army, learned of this and told his friend Zheng Haoqian: The enemy is too fierce, our army should not rush forward, it's safer to move slowly. Zheng thought the commander of the Crane Control Army made a good point and went to the emperor to say so, but the emperor Chai Rong was furious; Zheng had to betray his friend, saying it was Zhao Chao who said it.

As a result, Zhao Chao was stripped of his command and detained in Huai Prefecture.

Even though the army was already halfway there, Chai Rong had long decided to lead the campaign personally, but there were still many people in the army who did not share his resolve. Although he had ascended the throne smoothly, it was too short a time for him to fully control the army; not only the Imperial Guards, but also the armies mobilized by the regional governors were difficult to command smoothly.

From this, it seemed that the timing chosen by the Northern Han ruler was not wrong. The founding emperor of the Zhou Dynasty, Guo Wei, had just passed away, and his adopted son Chai Rong had only been on the throne for one or two months. How much could he have accomplished in such a short time? The Northern Han ruler and the Khitan troops aimed to destroy the vast Zhou Dynasty with just over ten thousand men; if they could win a significant battle, Chai Rong would not be able to hold his position, and the Zhou Dynasty might disintegrate without a fight.

However, Chai Rong seemed to be a ruler who did not believe in evil, insisting on leading the campaign personally to test his mettle. Even when the Imperial Guards reached Huai Prefecture, the Northern Han and Khitan forces probably could not believe that Chai Rong would do this.

Chai Rong's actions were unexpected, but not unreasonable. If he could successfully resist the invasion in a critical moment, he could establish his authority and control the country directly, saving a lot of trouble. However, the risk was great, and it all depended on whether he had the courage.

What the upper echelons were thinking and planning had little to do with the lower-ranking officers and soldiers. At Guo Shao's level, he couldn't even hear a whisper of it; all military orders came from the commander, Wang Degong. When the higher-ups ordered them to move, they moved, and when they ordered them to stop, they stopped.

However, the campaign was indeed a great test of the physical strength of ordinary soldiers. From Henan to Shanxi, even modern trains and cars would find the distance long, and the soldiers were on the road the whole time, camping outdoors and walking with heavy loads. Not only the infantry, but even the cavalry walked; warhorses were precious, and they ate much more than people, so the lower-ranking soldiers were reluctant to ride them unless in battle.

In early March, the army finally entered Shanxi (Hebei). There were already rumors that Li Yun, the military governor of Zhaoyi in Luzhou, had fought a battle and been defeated, meaning that the Northern Han and Khitan allied forces had at least crossed Luzhou and penetrated deep into southern Shanxi. Therefore, the Imperial Guards, including Guo Shao, were not far from encountering the enemy.

The sooner the battle, the better! Carrying dozens of pounds of equipment on a long journey across provinces was no easy task, indeed, achieving success in any era is not easy.

...

However, once on the battlefield, people would realize that carrying a heavy load and walking was relatively easier.