Chapter 917
: Interpretation of the Art of War
Chapter 917: Interpretation of the Art of War
"Quick, quick, archers, get ready, one hundred steps ahead, fire in unison, fire!"
"put,"
Under Daliang City,
Dead bodies were everywhere, blood dyed the city walls red, but the slave soldiers of the Taiping Sect still climbed up the ladders fearlessly and attacked the top of the city walls. Just when they were about to reach the top of the city walls, they were hacked to death by swords and pushed off the top of the city walls by spears.
"Kill! The guardian has issued an order that anyone who climbs to the top of the city wall will be rewarded with a thousand gold coins and be made the incense master."
"Go ahead,"
With bloodshot eyes, a large number of slave soldiers rushed over from behind.
On top of the city,
Jia Lian, with a pale face, led his soldiers on a wall, swinging his sword and killing people. He felt that his arms were almost numb. His eldest brother Wang Ren, with his face covered in blood, leaned against the battlement of the wall, gasping for breath.
During the fight, Jia Lian came over weakly with a knife in hand, supported Wang Ren's arm, sat down on the spot, and asked;
"Brother, five days have passed. I wonder when the reinforcements will arrive? If they don't come soon, Daliang City will probably follow in the footsteps of Linshan County City."
Putting down the bloody knife in his hand, Jia Lian had been living on the edge of a knife these days, living in fear. Half of the personal soldiers he brought with him had died. He thought that he could stop the offensive of the enemy army by climbing up the city wall. Unexpectedly, even after fighting with a group of madmen for many days, there was no decrease in the number of people living in the city, including men, women, young and old. He was confused and stunned for a moment!
I secretly thought that the imperial court was really on the decline.
"It takes at least seven days to get from here to the capital. Even if we hurry, it will take four days. We have been defending for five days. If it weren't for the weapons stored in the Jiedushi Mansion, we would have dreamed of holding on until now. The key lies in the number of people."
Wang Ren now has no arrogance at all, nor does he have the demeanor of a young general in the Beijing camp. He relied on his courage to fight in the battlefield. Fortunately, he followed the army and had no worries about his safety. Now that he is trapped here, he is actually afraid. As for the blame from the court, he doesn't care about the blame for the defeat. Now, his uncle has even hung up the bloody flag and is fighting to the death here. If he had known earlier, it would have been better to stay in the camp.
"Yes, the mountains and plains are full of bandit troops. After calculation, more than half of the main force of the bandit army has been consumed. Even those untouchables are difficult to deal with."
The untouchables Jia Lian mentioned were the slave soldiers who were still attacking the city outside. They would never retreat until all of them were killed, and they kept advancing one after another. The casualties of the defenders were not heavy, but their morale was completely gone. If they continued like this, the elite troops of the rebel army's left protector would attack, and the situation would be disastrous. Should they fight or flee then?
"That's okay. There are still elite soldiers resting in the city, waiting for those people. So, the matter of fighting the slave army will be left to our soldiers.
Wait a little longer, the time has come, you and I will take turns guarding the city so that one of us can rest. If it really doesn't work, call Kang Mengyu up from the city."
Wang Ren took a short rest, regained his strength, wiped the blood off his face, and stared at the city. This wave of slave soldiers attacking the city had been killed or wounded. The methods used by the Taiping Sect thieves had been discovered by his uncle and several veterans. Although they had countermeasures, the battle to defend the city was so brutal that it was hard to believe if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes.
"Listen to my eldest brother. We have divided our troops into three groups on this section of the city wall. As long as we have enough soldiers, defending the city is not a problem. The key is morale and reinforcements. If the main force of the enemy army outside the city does not come, we can still defend it. If the main force of the enemy army comes, I am afraid we can't hold on."
It is true that Jia Lian is afraid of death, but he can hide it well. He pretends to be brave, but that is out in the open. Wang Ren and Kang Mengyu seem to be brave, but if you look closely, you can see that their hands holding the knife handles are trembling slightly. It's not that they are not afraid, but they can't say it.
"When you see the main force of the enemy army coming up, go to the city and call for reinforcements. Brother Lian, now we just need to defend the city. Even if you return to the capital and ask a few dukes for help, it won't be a big deal. If Daliang City is lost, not only will your uncle be held accountable, but he will be punished even more severely. Do you understand?"
Wang Ren had no choice but to do so. He was still thinking about getting himself a general. Now, it would be good if he could avoid being convicted. This morning, he saw his uncle's appearance, and he thought he had aged a lot. Even a confused person could see the key point, not to mention Jiedushi Lu, who brought out almost all his family's personal soldiers. The city of Daliang was lost, and all the efforts of the Lu family for generations were in vain.
Jia Lian's pale face also showed regret. How could he have followed here for some unknown reason? Before leaving, he did not go back to Chunlou to reminisce about the old days and drink farewell wine with Xiao Taohong. Now he didn't know which young man that little bitch was having fun with. The thought of drinking made him feel depressed. If he had been more carefree before leaving, he might not have had any regrets in his heart. Now, he was just waiting to use all his skills on Xiao Taohong after returning to let her know how powerful he was.
but now,
How could he not understand what his elder brother said? There is great terror between life and death. He understood many things in an instant. He thought of how Luo Yunhou won the great victory outside the pass.
"Brother, the enemy troops inside the pass are difficult to defeat, so how did Marquis Luo Yun win the great victory outside the pass?"
"You ask me, who should I ask? It would be great if Marquis Luo Yun led his troops south. I don't know if it is true. Hey, the enemy army has stopped moving."
Wang Ren stood up angrily and looked out along the corner of the battlement. He saw that the enemy troops on the opposite side had withdrawn their troops and returned to the camp.
"Jia Lian, the enemy troops have withdrawn to the camp,"
"No way, it's just past noon."
Jia Lian was in disbelief, and quickly got up and imitated his elder brother, lying on the battlement and looking out. It was true. The main force of the enemy army was slowly retreating. What was going on? Could it be that they were withdrawing their troops?
"Brother, do you think that now that all the slave soldiers have died, they are preparing to retreat?"
"How is that possible? You are like this. I will watch you here, and you go and report this to your uncle."
Wang Ren could not see any tricks either, so he asked Jia Lian to go back and report to his uncle. Even if there was a conspiracy, they would not leave, and the temptation of conspiracy was useless.
"Yes, big brother, I will report it right away."
After looking for a while and not being able to figure out what was going on, Jia Lian put away his sword, and with his personal soldiers, he went down the city wall, mounted his horse, and rushed towards the city. He could not hide the fatigue in his eyes.
"Quick, all troops, leave the camp and march south along the official road."
"Yes, General."
The 30,000 soldiers under his command were ready to go. They were the first to leave the Anhu camp. Yang Shixiong, holding a crescent-shaped sword and riding a horse, stood at the gate and watched until all his troops had left the camp. Then he followed them. After that, the huge army swarmed out.
At this time, Zhang Jinyu had escorted His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin to the official road, where he joined Duan Hong's 10,000 cavalrymen and stopped there to watch quietly. Hundreds of thousands of troops were on the march, and they might not be able to leave until sunset.
"Your Highness, the army is heading south, and your carriage is here. You must not show up. The battlefield has no eyes, and I am afraid I can't take care of Your Highness."
Zhang Jinyu can't trust anyone now. Ten thousand more or less cavalry won't affect the overall situation. He can only follow the Jin Wang convoy to ensure that everything goes well.
"Don't worry, my Lord. I know my own limitations and won't act rashly. But if we march like this, how long will it take us to reach Daliang City?"
King Zhou Ding of Jin lifted the curtain of his carriage and stuck his head out, looking at the army marching out from the gate. It seemed that there was no end in sight. He was shocked and a little anxious.
"Your Highness, you can't be impatient in a war. When people are impatient, they are prone to making mistakes. From the capital to Daliang City, taking the official road, for example, it takes seven days for ordinary people to walk during the day and rest at night. For a large army, it takes six days. If it is a forced march, it will take more than four days, but it is not good for the army. So I will try another method. Four days are enough to get there."
Don't think Zhang Jinyu is mysterious. The methods are all in the military books. Sometimes it is said that marching and fighting should be done by marching first and then fighting. There is a lot to say about marching.
After hearing the explanation from the Marquis, King Zhou Ding of Jin, who loved these the most, quickly asked;
"My Lord, what do you have in mind?"
"Your Highness, this is not my method, but what is written in the military book. The military strategy says that speed is the most important thing in war, and there is also a saying that food and grass should be sent before the troops move. Your Highness, do you remember how to explain these?"
In fact, Zhang Jinyu didn't like reading these military books. Not only were there few words, but some things were not explained clearly. For example, if the food and fodder were sent before the troops moved, what if the enemy army attacked first and ambushed them? Wouldn't it be like a sheep walking into a tiger's mouth, and would be aiding the enemy?
So, if there is only a military book with words, and then a sentence comes, that's it. Many people have a hard time reading and writing, and if you add these exquisite and profound words, even a saint would need time to interpret them.
"My Lord, these are all simple military books. When the troops have not yet moved, it is natural that when the army has not yet moved forward, the food and fodder should go first, which means that the baggage and food should go first. It is very simple."
Jin Wang Zhou Ding was a little confused. Even the female historian Xia Yu in the carriage looked out the window. The Marquis was still so amused. "Ahaha, that's a good idea, but Your Highness, how about sending the food and grass first? When two armies fight, they send scouts to infiltrate each other. The importance of food and grass is self-evident. The enemy is not stupid. If we send the baggage first, what if we are ambushed?"
Zhang Jinyu raised his head and looked at the gate. The cavalry came out in large numbers, followed by carts carrying food and supplies. They quickly got on the official road, caught up with the troops in front, and headed south first. This was the killer move he arranged. To ensure the speed of the army's advance, the soldiers' physical strength must be maintained, and they must eat well and sleep well. That's why he made this arrangement. After all, Wang Ziteng's army camped, leaving many traces behind.
"What the Marquis said makes sense. Then we can send troops to protect them. There is still a way to solve the problem."
King Zhou Ding of Jin, watching the army in front of him, suddenly realized that he had read these military books before, but no one had explained them to him as carefully as Luo Yunhou did. It was as if he had opened up another new world. Wars could be fought in this way.
"Your Highness is absolutely right. Not only do I need to send troops forward, but I also need to set up camps in advance. There are three nodes along this route. According to the garrisons left by Wang Ziteng, we will directly set up three camps. Each camp can provide the needs of 250,000 troops. This time, the siege army will be the last. We will set out early tomorrow morning, and the troops used for field battles will go forward. The nearly 500,000 troops will be divided into two parts, and each camp will be manned by soldiers. Therefore, I will let the more than 40,000 cavalry from the Beijing Camp serve as the main force to escort the baggage."
This was also the brilliant idea that Zhang Jinyu thought of. The Right Guard Army went south first to ensure that Daliang City would not be lost. More than 40,000 cavalrymen escorted a large amount of baggage and first went to find the garrison nodes on the official road to set up camp and prepare meals. In this way, they would definitely be able to arrive in four days, and it would also ease the busy logistics transportation. The garrisons of each camp would only be transported along this section of the journey, which would not only reduce losses but also save time.
"Amazing, Lord Marquis. Today I have seen your ability for the first time. In the past, I only saw the world from a narrow perspective. But now, you can actually make such a big statement in the field of military operations. I admire you very much."
The King of Jin was filled with emotion. He thought that he could gather all his troops and march south to end the war once and for all. However, he did not expect that with so many people, even food and water became a problem. How could the Taiping Cult manage them?
"My Lord, I don't know how to lead the Taiping Rebellion army, with so many people."
The King of Jin was full of excitement, as if he had endless questions to ask. At this moment, a team of messengers came from the camp with news;
"Report, Lord, General Dong'an's troops have already moved south, General Dingnan and General Dingbei's troops have already left the camp, and General Dingxi is gathering his troops to prepare siege equipment and other equipment. He will definitely move south tomorrow morning."
"Okay, tell Song Yutian to set off before dawn tomorrow and be sure to avoid the civilians along the way as much as possible. After going south along the official road, you can rest when you encounter a large camp. At each large camp, you need to leave 2,000 infantry behind and replace the cavalry to serve as scouts and messengers. It is expected to be a day later before we can join the main force in the front. This marquis is waiting for his news."
"Yes, Lord Marquis,"
The messenger clasped his fists to receive the order, and rode back. The yellow dust was rolling, and he kept his hand to make up for what he had. He looked at the people in the carriage again. In addition to His Highness, Xia Yu also followed, with a shy look on her face. He suddenly turned around and saw Lan Yue'er following behind him, looking at him with a smile. She didn't even sit in the carriage. His heart was moved. It's good to have someone who understands your feelings.
"Your Highness, it's time for us to set off. Many of these soldiers are from the Central Plains, and there are also many from the capital. They are all human beings, and everyone has a family. We must not only win the battle, but also bring them back."
"My Lord, you are merciful. These little kings have never thought about it. They all say that the northern border troops suffer from the cold weather. What should they do?"
King Zhou Ding of Jin was very upset today. The soldiers around him were all flesh and blood. How could they guarantee that they would not die in battle if they killed the enemy to serve their country? How could Marquis Luo Yun actually have such a kind side?
"Your Highness, let me tell you a story,"
There were some shouts coming from outside!
Duan Hong led the troops to escort the convoy of Marquis Luo Yun and His Royal Highness Prince Jin southward. At this time, Zhang Jinyu remembered a story.
It seems to be from the Song Dynasty or the Tang Dynasty, I forgot, but it looks the same, and continued;
"The border troops have always had a hard life. Many farm folks, when they had no food to eat, joined the army, and the food they got was used to keep their wives and daughters alive. The men could only wear armor and carry weapons, stationed at the border, day after day, year after year. Every year at the end of the year, the women would wait at the entrance of the village for the men to return, but they never saw them. The women endured the grief and longing, wrote a poem, and then returned home."
"My Lord, what is the word?"
Prince Jin was already fascinated by what he was saying. Xia Yu's eyes widened with tears in them. Even Lan Yue'er and Ning Bian and the others behind him were deep in thought.
"The autumn light is full and the air is solemn. The Milky Way is silent and cool. Where is the jade mirror in the sky? It does not shine on the palace but on the empty valley. The beautiful woman in the empty valley frowns with green eyebrows, and the treasure box is tilted and the net is hanging. She is afraid to see the light like a silk thread in the hall, and she is worried to see the scenery like a ruler when she peeks through the window. The rings and bracelets on the shining jade platform, the shoes on the gorgeous silk mat are so bright. It is so dark that it is so far away. How can we expect it to be thousands of miles away? This is Shangque. From then on, the woman would no longer wait at the village entrance every year after the New Year. She would serve the old mother at home and raise the children for the man. Until the old mother left, the man did not return for a long time."
Zhang Jinyu told the stories in his memory. Not to mention others, even he himself felt a lot of regrets. In ancient times, the land was vast and the population was sparse. Not to mention the distance of thousands of miles between two places, even the two prefectures were often never to communicate with each other. Only those wanderers, escort agencies, and chambers of commerce had the opportunity to go out.
"Then, then, sir, what happened to the man in the end, what happened to the woman, and what happened to the last verse and the second stanza?"
King Jin was already impatient and wanted to know the final result. He had heard his father say that the northern border troops were not like the human world, but rather like purgatory on earth. They would eventually be buried in a foreign land. After all, those foreigners had wolfish ambitions and had been doing the same thing for thousands of years.
Zhang Jinyu also felt emotional, waved his hand, the ending was naturally not good, looked behind him, and said;
"The man who left, guarding the pass alone, was eventually killed in battle at the border when the foreign tribes moved south. He only had a letter on his body that he hadn't sent home. It said, 'If the sky has feelings, it will also grow old.' There was no next sentence. As for the woman, there was a matchmaker in the village who advised her to remarry."
"So, did she remarry?"
Xia Yu asked this in the car. King Jin nodded, his eyes full of inquiry, but Zhang Jinyu shook his head and said nothing. How could King Jin bear it? He kept urging him.
"My Lord, why don't you speak?"
"Your Highness, you can imagine that there are only two possible endings: remarrying or remaining chaste. Women can also make up for it with poems. So how will Your Highness make up for it?"
Zhang Jinyu left an excuse and asked back, but it stumped the person.
The King of Jin frowned and thought, if she remarried, maybe her life would be much better. The Dawu Dynasty did not interfere with women remarrying, and there were many divorces. If she did not remarry, a woman's life would be hard. People will eventually get old and can no longer work. How can she live?
But since Marquis Luo Yun had asked, it left a suspense. How could he remember it? Seeing His Highness pondering hard, Zhang Jinyu smiled.
"Your Highness, don't worry. Think about it slowly on the way. After the war, Your Highness may have some experience. Maybe then you will have enlightenment."
"My Lord, as the saying goes, one person's wisdom is limited. This story should not be circulated here. The northern border troops are suffering. Although the people in the capital know about it, they don't really feel it. I want to pass the story back to see how the scholars taking the imperial examinations and the scholars in the academy interpret it."
It was not the King of Jin's quick wit. Since the border troops were in such a difficult situation and there was such a story from Marquis Luo Yun, it would certainly cause discussion among the people of the world. The border troops' affairs would be spread to the interior of the country. In this way, the court might give more supplies to the military heroes. It was also the first thing he did.
Perhaps Zhang Jinyu saw what King Jin was thinking, nodded, and said;
"Your Highness, just do what you want to do. Since you are setting up a government, you should do some things yourself."
Before he finished speaking, Jin Wang Zhou Ding actually took out a pen, ink, paper and inkstone from the compartment inside the car, quickly ground the ink, picked up the brush, and wrote down what he wanted to say, and then shouted to the outside of the car,
"Captain He, take your men back to the capital immediately, go to the government office, make a hundred copies of this notice, and post them everywhere in the capital. Make sure there are no mistakes."
"Your Highness, then,
He Yixiu was obviously stunned. If he went back, His Highness's safety would be in danger.
"What nonsense! Just finish your work and catch up later. You can't just follow the rear guard."
"Yes, Your Highness! I will go there!"
(End of this chapter)