Deng Chanyu also briefly described the benefits of doing so in military terms.
Ma Su's saying "dominating the high ground and breaking through like bamboo" may be correct in terms of military strategy, as being on high ground does indeed confer an advantage. However, he was so eager to achieve glory that he didn't take environmental factors into account at all. Once surrounded and the water source cut off, he was completely at a loss.
The Qixing Mountain is on the east side, with the Xixi City as its back, and the Xixi City is right next to the Wei River, which is not water-scarce.
Just like the Monkey Kid who rescued his grandfather, the Yin and Shang armies were also sent in waves, but they couldn't surround. A mountain, a city with a population of 700,000, and a river. How can they be surrounded?
Ji Chang was an agronomist and politician of this era, not knowledgeable in warfare. At this moment, he still had some doubts about the plan to move the mountain and asked his second son, "Is there really an advantage to doing this?"
Ji Fa was a naturally talented commander. He said, "Father, if all the armies on the south line are withdrawn, I am confident that I can defeat North Baohou Chonghou Hu in one month. After that, it will be autumn, and we will have seven months until next spring. During this time, we can implement the mountain moving plan. As soon as this defense is established, it will be much easier for us to defend against attacks."
It is not too long since the time of Yu Gong moving the mountain, so it is still a bit jarring to suddenly need to move a mountain. However, everyone is shocked but accepts it as long as there are enough manpower and material resources, coupled with some immortal techniques, these are not problems.
Ji Chang asked in a hoarse voice, "How many people can the Deng family provide?"
Ji Fa replied, "Currently, we have agreed to provide us with 10,000 slaves."
The Deng family justified their sparse population in the southern region as an excuse, gradually abolished the slave system of the Shang Dynasty through various means such as merits, redemption, and rewards, and now most of the region is composed of commoners.
The newly captured 100,000 Shu slaves cannot immediately enjoy the same treatment as the Shang civilians. Their jobs are mining, fishing, and farming. Those who perform well and are willing to comply can be granted their freedom. The troublemakers will be sent to Xixi to contribute to their mountain-moving plan!
Ji Chang shook his head, "That's not enough."
Ji Fa said, "We can capture more soldiers from Chonghou Hu in the northern region."
"Okay."
The newly conquered Hanzhong City will be entrusted to Deng Ai to defend, and Deng Chanyu will also send Zheng Lun from Nancun to serve as an adjutant.
Deng Ai's loyalty is completely unsuspectable. He leaves 5,000 troops behind, with 3,000 being the main force of the Deng family and the remaining 2,000 being surrendered soldiers from Shu and southern lords.
Her task for Hanzhong is to gradually occupy the southern Jinsha City, mainly to gain population and food, to accumulate strength. Only after the Deng family recovers from this great epidemic can they prepare a force of 100,000 troops and then proceed to invade Shu.
Sun He should return to defend the Nongcheng City, while the remaining generals will accompany her back to the Nancun Commandery.
Deng Jiugong left earlier than her and had already repelled E Chongyuxu, returning to the troops in advance.
Deng Chanyu recounted the battle experiences on her side and brought the High Priest Jiu back to Nancun to tell her about intelligence on the Southern Jinsha City and Sanxing City.
Deng Jiugong believes that conquering Shu will bring great benefits to the Deng family, but it is too far away and needs to be carefully considered.
Deng Chanyu expressed her thoughts: "Father, our family's territory is narrow and long from east to west, exceeding two thousand li. It would be difficult to respond in time if there was an emergency."
She has the ability to use the power of the Feng clan to intimidate crows, which ordinary commanders cannot do. As for sending messages by carrier pigeons, that's impossible. There are flocks of birds everywhere in the southern region. If you release a pigeon, it would be eaten after flying a hundred miles.
It is also impossible to catch and kill birds, as that would affect her own destiny.
Deng Jiugong also felt it difficult to handle, much easier than chopping people. He massaged his forehead in thought.
"What are your thoughts, my son?"
"We can build beacon towers. As long as there is a war, we just need to light the beacon. The people of Nancun can send reinforcements in a timely manner."
The principle of beacon towers is not difficult to understand. Deng Jiugong stroked his beard for a moment and said with difficulty, "We need money everywhere. Buying grain from Xixi, their prices keep rising. The treasury of Nancun has little gold and silver."
With almost no transportation and a harsh living environment, it's better to build beacon towers around cities. But to build them on the tops of desolate mountains with no human habitation would be a great expense.
Deng Chanyu has already thought about this: "It's no problem, we can report to the court and ask Zhongge to send us money to build 'beacon towers'."
Deng Jiugong was a bit skeptical: "Is this really possible?"
After more than ten days.
Youhun, the new favorite of King Zhao, presented a memorandum to the emperor, saying that it was disrespectful to the ancestors to only build one altar for sacrifices. We have so many ancestors in our great Shang Dynasty. Why should we only build one? Who are we looking down upon?
"What do you mean, Minister?" King Zhou felt discomfort at the mention of the altar for sacrifice, but fortunately he had some self-control and signaled to Youhun to continue speaking.
Youhun can be described as "never stopping until you shock". He believes that building one altar for sacrifices is completely insufficient.
He argued vehemently, "Does the world belong to King Zhao alone? No, it does not. The world is the world of the people! King Zhao cannot show favoritism. Sacrificing heaven is a solemn event of the current dynasty, expressing our respect for our ancestors as the descendants of Cheng tang. It cannot be that only King Zhao sacrifices heaven, but also the Grand Marshal of Heaven's Commandments, Bi Gan."
Jiang Ziya was also among the court officials, and he had doubts about the suggestion that Grand Marshal Bi Gan should also participate in the sacrifice. However, he strongly agreed with Youhun's statement, "The world is the world of the people."
King Zhao somewhat understood: "Then what does Your Eminence mean by building two altars for sacrifices?"
Youhun was particularly serious: "It is reported to Your Majesty that I believe two altars are not enough. When the king arrives before the ancestors, how will he recognize the ancient kings if he does not? The old chancellor Shang Rong should accompany him as well. When the king arrives before the ancestors, what if there is no general guarding him on his side? Then Marshal Wu Cheng should accompany him in sacrificing heaven."
He kept talking nonstop, and the whole court was stunned.
Youhun didn't care about them, and kept talking without stop with his mouth.
A moment later, he said that the chancellor was getting old and needed someone to take care of him, so his son should also go.
One moment he was talking about Huang Feihu, who had been gallant in the battlefield, and how a general couldn't possibly be without his personal guards, so his relatives should also accompany him in the sacrifice.
"If you consider yourself a part of the 'Chinese culture of beauty in clothing and grandeur in ritual' as the other ethnic groups, then you have to go with them!"
Youhun believes that five thousand altar for sacrifices should be built in the east, west, north, south, and central directions. When they ignite at the same time, all the literati and military officials of Yinshang, as well as numerous lords, ministers, generals and high-ranking officials of the court will go together to meet the ancestors of Cheng tang!
"Preposterous! Pure nonsense! Ten thousand altars for sacrifices?! And to light them all at the same time?" The eyes of the old chancellor, Shang Rong, widened in shock. When would they even finish building all that?
"Furthermore, what is the significance of lighting them all at the same time?"
Youhun seemed to be frightened, his neck retracted, and he trembled with fear as he said: "Then a thousand altars?"
The old chancellor was about to have a heart attack. This Youhun is simply talking nonsense. He wanted to argue, but was unable to come up with any good counterarguments against the numerous epithets and titles of the ancestors and descendants of Cheng tang, which Youhun kept throwing at him one after another.
