The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 92 Snake

It was afternoon on the sixth day of the ninth month in the first year of Jingfu.

According to the latest enemy situation, Hou Jing's troops stopped 15 miles away and built a camp. It seemed that they learned that Wang's army was blocking the road ahead, but they were not sure of victory, so they fought cautiously.

After receiving the news, the king's army reorganized in a place called Jiecai Bay. The Taibai River bends here, and a small plain shaped like an upper ohm is formed. Chrysanthemums are in full bloom, yellow, purple, and white swaying in the wind, warm and elegant, with subtle fragrance floating in the air, and there are also various wild flowers. Looking around, the whole field is colorful, just like a natural garden.

There were originally two villages nearby, where people made their livings by cutting wood and fishing, growing rice, and raising cattle and sheep. Seeing the war suddenly break out in this unknown place, the villagers hid in the mountains early, hoping that the warring parties would perish together as soon as possible.

On the east and west sides are dense evergreen coniferous forests - the Qinling fir trees rise from the ground, blocking out the sun and forming a forest. The forest is thick with fog and dark and gloomy. According to the military strategy described by Fu Cunshen, the forests on both sides provide retreat routes for both the enemy and us, and are a mutually beneficial battleground.

After discussing with the generals, Li chose this place as the camp site. The situation in war is unpredictable, so he dared not gamble. He was not confident that he could win every battle, so he had to keep some tricks. In this way, even if he was defeated, the soldiers knew there was a way to retreat, so they would not panic and run around.

So the army settled down in Mustard Bay. While preparing for war, the whole army ate meat to build up their strength. At the same time, they sent a small number of soldiers and their grooms to the valleys on both sides to cut down trees such as Qinling fir and transport them back to set up chevaux de frise and reinforce the camp.

The saint wandered around accompanied by Zhazhu and other generals. Chatting with these people who had fought their way out of the dead piles always yielded good results, and it was also helpful to have a deeper understanding of the generals and grasp the character and outlook of these warriors.

The eldest brother-in-law Zhao Fu is calm and steady. Although he is skilled in martial arts and knowledgeable, he does not express his opinions easily. The second brother Zhao Jia is humorous and likes to tell jokes. He is also very cunning. He has been offering all kinds of vicious schemes to his brother-in-law along the way. He is too eager to prove himself and too eager to make progress, so he has been scolded by Zhao Fu several times.

Zhazhu was a modest man, brave but never showed off, and never fought with others. This was probably related to his background. When he was still a child, he was bought by Li Guochang as a slave in the palace, herding sheep, raising horses and feeding pigs.

Fu Cunshen is probably the most special one. He is kind, honest, compassionate, and has a heart of a bodhisattva who wants to end the troubled times. More than ten years ago, Huang Chao passed by his hometown. Fu Cunshen, who was still a street gangster at that time, gathered loyal heroes and formed an army to protect the elderly, the weak, women and children. Yesterday, he was sent out to find mountain people as guides. Perhaps he was afraid of scaring the people, so he changed into casual clothes. He is also very studious and always carries books with him when marching and fighting.

But who would have thought that such a kind and righteous warrior who loved the weak would be under the command of a demon like Li Hanzhi? How can we describe the world and human nature?

Suddenly, a stern voice reached the saint's ears, interrupting his thoughts.

"The pits are five feet long, one foot wide, and three feet deep. Deer antlers, bamboo sticks, and pointed sticks are buried in the pits. The pits are connected in a cross shape and then covered with grass, reeds, and pine needles. They are set up at all the main entrances and exits."

"The chariot spear... is ten feet long..."

At the gate, Sima Kanwu, the Iron Axe Military Commander who had received the mission, was teaching the soldiers how to build fortifications - normally this kind of physical work would definitely be done by civilians, but now it was a field raid, and he had to do it himself.

"This involves our safety, don't be lazy." Sima Kanwu was sweating profusely while carrying a hoe, and he turned back from time to time to urge the soldiers.

The soldiers cheered when they heard this.

"What do you want me to say?"

"Are you teaching me how to do things? If I can't even dig a horse trap, I might as well find a piece of cow dung and hit my head against it and die."

"Don't worry, boss. We'll save a lot of trouble."

"That's good." Sima Kanwu was too lazy to argue with the soldiers. Just three months ago, he was a student in Qizhen, and was appointed as the governor of Fengxiang. On the way to Chang'an, he was dragged into the chaos by the army, and he fled with Li Zan, Liu Bo, Yu Duozuo and other generals to surrender to the saint. After the war, he was sent to the Infantry Training Department as a coach, and then was driven out by Wang Congxun to train farmers.

Because of his hard work and dedication, he was recognized by the coach Wang Congxun. During the expedition to Fengzhou, he was recommended by the coach and was fortunate enough to be selected by the saint as the commander of the Iron Axe Army.

If he didn't perform well, he would probably just be a coach in the imperial army and wait for death. How could he justify his wealth of strategies and martial arts?
If a saint knew his inner thoughts, he would most likely sigh - he exchanged his ten thousand words of strategy for the neighbor's book on planting trees.

"Sima Kanwu, quelling rebellion with force, what a good name." The sage came on horseback.

"Your Majesty?" Sima Kanwu hurriedly climbed out of the trench, brushed off the mud on his body, and bowed, saying, "My father was moved by the chaos in the world, so he gave me the name Kanwu."

"May the name live up to its character." The sage looked at him as if he were a general, and his words were full of warnings.

"Dare you not to die?"

The saint did not respond. He observed the towers, wooden fences, chevaux de frise, and pits around the camp gate, nodded, and said, "The fortifications are well built. You and the soldiers who participated in the work will be rewarded with a piece of silk. When you return to the court, I will order you to redeem it."

"Long live!" The soldiers shouted happily.

Now, the saint dares to express his own opinions on military affairs; I still remember the first time I went to Qishan with Wang Congxun, the opponent was only more than 3,000 Bin divisions of Wuxiong. At that time, he was still at the stage of talking about military affairs on paper, and did not dare to intervene, letting Xiao Wang and his men command. But now, leading more than 10,000 soldiers to fight across the border is quite handy. There are clear solutions in mind for any problems encountered.

War is a matter of great importance to a country, a matter of life and death, a matter of survival or destruction. It should be one of the activities in the world that best hones a person's wisdom.

When he went deep into the frontline, how to prevent the soldiers from making noises? How to warn the generals whether they have rebellious intentions? How to win people's hearts by not just buying them with money? How to act to win people's hearts? These trained him a part.

He analyzed the enemy situation with other generals, figured out the opponent's mind, and constantly adjusted the battle plan; these cultivated his thinking.

Being among the warriors, he personally talked to the grassroots soldiers and understood their various demands. When he rose to the position of general, he personally dealt with all kinds of arguments and quarrels, and coordinated the interpersonal relationships between the generals; these gradually taught him how to get along with all kinds of warriors.

If I were to return to Lingfu Yingshengyuan on a rainy night last year and see my immature self back then, what would I think? Would I still tremble when I return to Zitingyuan and face the chaotic army that kills people like crazy? The more I become the emperor, the better I feel about him. It's like playing a game. The longer you play, the better you become at it.

--------

"The method of driving the people to fight..."

"Make one army of able-bodied men, one army of able-bodied women, and one army of men, women, old and weak. Do not let the three armies meet. When an able-bodied man meets an able-bodied woman, he will be exhausted and commit adultery. When an able-bodied man or woman meets an old and weak person, they will feel sad and compassionate. If compassion is in their hearts, the hearts of the three armies will be sad, and the warriors will not want to drive the people away."

"Crying is not allowed in the army. Anyone who cries will be killed immediately."

"Be careful! Be careful!"

The sobbing sounds echoed in the camp of the Ganyi Army, including those of pregnant women and babies, which made Hou Jing feel sad. Officers walked back and forth, directing the beast soldiers to classify the captured supplies into strong men, strong women, old and weak.

Ugh.

Hou Jing also had a three-year-old child who could relate to the situation. He moved his feet and continued to walk around the military camp. He found someone sleeping and snoring loudly. Someone was sitting on the ground with his hands on his knees, staring at the gray sky in a daze. Someone grabbed the officer's arm and demanded a reward, and would not leave unless he got it. The officer was so annoyed that he took off his shoes and stuffed them into the other person's hands.

The soldiers of Langlangdu sat together in groups of three or five, gambling loudly: "If you lose, I'll give you my head!"

In a corner, several burly soldiers from Xiaoxiongdu cornered a young girl. Her helpless and submissive look, her pitiful tears, and her sobbing begging for mercy made the soldiers feel hot all over, and they all wanted to be the first to attack her.

Hou Jing paused for a moment, and the beast soldiers turned around and glared at him, picking up their spears and throwing them at him fiercely: "Get out of here!"

"well."

Hou Jing stumbled to the eastern military camp. He saw a bunch of black pots set up, firewood burning underneath, boiling water boiling in the pots, cooking the skin, bones and meat with a gurgling sound. A strange fragrance and a foul odor filled the camp along with the rising hot steam.

"Try it, the meat is cooked!"

“Slurp… huh… slurp… slurp… It’s cooked through!”

"Salt, more salt!"

"Wait a minute, throw this fat cat in there."

“Meow…Ah…”

"Plop." The skinned tabby cat was thrown into the pot while still covered in blood.

"Come and enjoy, the freshly cut beauty." The soldiers saw Hou Jing, smiled lewdly and waved. "How can you eat cat meat?"

Snapped!
An iron helmet hit Hou Jing's left cheek, causing a burning pain. "Then get out of here! You've been using us as scapegoats all day long, and you can neither give us rewards nor take away our food. You're incompetent!"

"Tomorrow you will follow the Empress to fight, and you will command her well. When we kill the Emperor, we will divide the wealth and goods, and you will be the saint of the Hou family."

"Hahaha, yes, just like Qin Zongquan."

Hou Jing did not dare to stay for long, fearing that he would be lifted up and thrown into disaster, so he turned around and walked away with a gloomy face. Such a violent teacher, whose behavior was outrageous to both humans and gods, was no different from the people like Huang Chao, Sun Ru, Li Hanzhi, Bi Shiduo, and Qin Yan.
He suddenly remembered the time when he was a guard in the mansion of Cheng Zongchu, the governor of Jingyuan. Cheng often called the generals to feast and warn them that a man who kills his father or brother, robs others of their property, and rapes others' wives and daughters is a robber, not a warrior. Warriors are soldiers to eliminate violence and protect the good.

His earnest teachings are still in my ears and eyes. Unfortunately, things have changed over the years, and Cheng Shuai has already led his troops to fight against the bandits and died for his country in the Zhonghe year. After escaping from Chang'an, he went into exile and eventually became a member of the Beast Soldiers.

If we defeat the king's army and kill the saint in the chaos, the various vassal states in Kanto will attack the three prefectures and crush our bones to dust. If we lose the battle and are captured, will the court understand that it is difficult to offend the public anger?

With mixed feelings, he returned to the central army tent, where Li Gongdi, Wang Yu, Xue Tao and other generals were having a meal around the stove. A broken copper pot sat on the charcoal basin, and the aroma filled the air.

Li Gongdi kept stirring the soup with a long spoon.

"It's done." Li Gongdi laughed, scooped out a spoonful of the already stewed meat and bones, then took out a delicate silver dagger and forked a piece, dipped it in salt and stuffed it into his mouth to chew frantically, mumbling: "Full-term babies are tender, fresh and not fishy."

Hou Jing glanced at several people, as if comparing who was more valuable.

If we lose tomorrow...

"Report!" A sudden shout interrupted his calculations. The scout rushed into the camp and said happily, "The king's army is releasing horses by the Taibai River, and the soldiers have already attacked, trying to seize the horses and eat them."

what?
Wang Yu stood up suddenly and said angrily, "How can there be such a stupid soldier! It's obvious that he is trying to lure me into attacking because I'm hungry."

He had used this kind of trick when he was working under Huang Chao, so how could he not understand it?

"How many have gone?"

"There are people from several cities, probably more than 2,000 soldiers."

"Let's wait for the defeated army to come back." Wang Yu sighed. Why does this crude and simple trick work so well? It's because the warriors are greedy, profit-seeking, and hungry. Of course, it's not necessarily the king's trick. Tens of thousands of livestock must be grazed, and eating alone is not enough. But no matter what the situation is, more than 2000 people dare to rob, which is really arrogant.

------

At the river bend, Baozi and Tianxing were releasing their horses. They were bathing their mounts, feeding them water, and feeding them fresh grass. After marching for several days, many of the knights, who were smelly, took off their armor and clothes, jumped into the water, and rubbed their backs.

In the woods, Yingwu, Changjian, and Hujie were crouching in the bushes, and some were crouching in the tall treetops, holding crossbows and scanning the area below - it was not an ambush, the saint had simply sent them to cover the cavalry. No matter if it was an enemy or a tiger or leopard.

At the end of the 3:00 pm, the infantrymen were getting impatient and began to urge them to come. Li Zan, the commander of the Changjian army, rode on a tree trunk, with a thick spotted king cobra wrapped around his body, twisting and playing with it. When he got tired of playing with it, he pulled out his dagger and dug out the snake's gallbladder.

Drops of snake blood fell to the ground.

……

To the north, more than 2,000 soldiers in brown clothes were sneaking through the forest, led by the general Yan Shibalang. He was a veteran of the battlefield. When he approached the enemy, he saw the fat livestock and suppressed his excitement, discussing the "robbery" plan with the soldiers.

Some suggested burning the forest to scare the livestock, while others suggested setting an ambush on the road that the royal army must take to return to the camp. These are both relatively reliable.

But most people don't want to complicate things.

Fuck you, we are Fengzhou bandits who kill people and rob goods as easily as drinking water. Use a trick? What trick!

Go straight ahead and rob! If you win, you can run away on horseback. If you lose, it depends on your own ability.

Seeing that General Yan was concentrating on observing the King's division and ignoring everyone else, the soldiers could not help but complain that General Yan Shibalang was too cautious: "Fuck you! If I were in charge of the troops, I would definitely capture the Saint's little son alive!"

"Shut up, you Shu barbarian."

The soldiers talked at once and urged Yan Shibalang again and again.

Yan Shibalang stared at the huge camels, donkeys, war horses, nags and the naked knights, and was aroused. He gritted his teeth, turned around and said angrily: "No matter if it's a fishing hook or not, I'm betting! As long as we stop when we are ahead, we can rob the animals and ride away. Even if there are ambushes, what can we do? Damn it, I'm tired of eating jerky, I need to change my taste."

The soldiers agreed, but were afraid of alerting the enemy, so they did not dare to make a noise and just nodded in response.

"Let's go!" Yan Shibalang held the dagger horizontally in his mouth, and led the way, pulling away the grass. The other soldiers also held their knives and followed quietly.

……

"Pah." Yan Shibalang touched his cheek, it was a little sticky. He puffed his nose and smelled it, it was fishy. He brought his palm in front of him and saw it was bright red.

!!!

pat!

A heavy dead snake fell on his head.

He looked up and saw the wretched Li Zan riding on a tree trunk, his mouth full of snake blood, holding a crossbow and aiming at him.

"Puff!" Yan Du, who was caught off guard, was shot in the shoulder and rolled into the bushes on the side.

"Damn, there are people in the woods!" Several sharp-eyed soldiers also noticed something unusual and shouted.

Some of the soldiers walking behind heard it and immediately stopped, looking for trees as cover and looking around vigilantly. Some just kept walking, still immersed in the fantasy of eating camel meat, and didn't pay attention.

"Ah!" Another scream rang out.

A sharp whistling sound was heard in the forest, and giggling sounds were heard one after another.

"Damn it! There really is an ambush!" A soldier was furious.

Most people realized something was wrong. The officers were so anxious that they turned their swords around and hit the beast soldiers on the head, ordering them to leave the woods, line up on the riverbank, and fight while retreating. Those who were still staring at the fat cow were slapped in the face. At this time, they could not consider what the soldiers thought or whether the army would be in chaos. If they did not unite to fight the enemy, they would die in the hands of the enemy first.

"Swoosh, swish, swish, swish!" Several heroic soldiers came out of the bushes, knelt on one knee, raised their crossbows and started shooting.

"Puff!" The sharp spear was thrown down from the tree and pierced directly through the abdomen of a beast soldier.

The beast soldier grabbed the spear shaft, swung his sword to cut it off, staggered to his feet, holding his stomach, and stumbled back.

"Kill!!!" There were loud shouts of killing in the forest. More than 3000 soldiers in red and black armor from the Yingwu, Hujie and Changjian cities came out from everywhere and engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the chaotic army.

"You brats!" Li Zan's face darkened. Before he gave the order, his men rushed forward.

What a virtue!
　It is not difficult to update, and I type very fast. But why can't I update quickly? It's because of logic. I tried to use my logic and the logic of novels to write stories. But I found that my logic does not conform to the logic of most people in the late Tang and Five Dynasties. So I have to put myself into an absurd logic, and then compare the various performances of warriors in history books to write about the warriors in the book. Writing abstract things makes my mind abstract, so the speed is not fast. Why do I do this? Because, if the things written are exactly the same as other eras, is this still called the late Tang and Five Dynasties? What do you want to see from this? Do you want to see the saints being bullied by eunuchs? Do you want to see the protagonists being bullied and walking on thin ice? In a word, if you are willing to read it, then I will write it seriously and write it in line with historical facts. The author and the readers will learn something from this unbearable history, and that's enough for me. Let me say here that in the future, try not to say things like illogical, degrading, and mentally retarded, and then criticize the author. Of course, if there is a lot of feedback, I will open a separate chapter for interpretation.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)