Chapter 275 The Exhausted Teacher (4000 words two in one chapter)
After leading his troops on a rapid march from Shuozhou to Chang'an, Wang Zhongyi was travel-worn, with a tired look on his face.
Tired, he was really too tired.
In fact, not only was he tired, but the entire Shuozhou army felt exhausted.
It is impossible for such a tired army to have strong fighting spirit.
Even if Wang Zhongyi forced the soldiers to fight with a sword, it would be of no avail.
Of course Wang Zhongyi would not do this.
He is a veteran with extensive experience in commanding troops and knows what to do when.
At the moment, Wang Zhongyi's best choice is to lead his troops into the city and rest for a while before making plans.
But Emperor Xianlong obviously didn't think so.
Emperor Xianlong, who was still angry, did not allow Wang Zhongyi and his Shuozhou army to enter the city at all, but ordered Wang Zhongyi to camp outside Chang'an City.
Wang Zhongyi couldn't express his pain, after all, he was wrong first.
If it weren't for his disadvantageous marking, which allowed the northern barbarians to bypass the Shuozhou defense area, Chang'an would not be facing such great pressure now.
Since he was right in the first place, he had no reason to complain.
What's more, this is an imperial edict issued by Emperor Xianlong.
If he disobeys it, it is tantamount to rebellion.
In desperation, Wang Zhongyi could only order to camp outside the city.
With my back against the city wall of Chang'an City, I hugged back to back with the old soldiers from Gyeonggi Province to keep warm.
But they also face a problem, that is food.
It is said that there is a food shortage in the city of Chang'an now, and the price of food has skyrocketed, but it keeps changing day by day.
There is a shortage of food in the city, and life outside the city is naturally even more difficult.
Judging from the current situation, Wang Zhongyi's Shuozhou Army has enough food to last for a month at most.
What to do after one month?
It would be okay if the barbarians in the northern grasslands withdraw their troops, otherwise the consequences of food shortage would be disastrous.
Naturally, it is impossible for the barbarians in the northern grasslands to withdraw on their own, so they can only be driven back.
In other words, Wang Zhongyi must first let the Shuozhou army regain its strength, and then fight with real swords and guns against the barbarians in the northern grasslands.
If he can win, he can be considered guilty and meritorious.
If not, I'm afraid he will inevitably be severely punished by Emperor Xianlong.
Nowadays, countless pairs of eyes in the imperial court are staring at Wang Zhongyi. None of the Gonggun princes has a fuel-efficient lamp. They are all responsible for what is served.
If Wang Zhongyi wants to survive this crisis safely, he needs to be extremely cautious and must not be careless in the slightest.
As the saying goes, know yourself and the enemy and you will be victorious in any battle.
Wang Zhongyi lives next to the barbarians in the northern grasslands, so he naturally knows this old opponent very well.
But he was still not careless, and instead sent out scouts to investigate and bring back as much information as possible about the prairie barbarians.
I didn’t know this until I checked, but I was shocked when I checked.
It turns out that the northern grassland barbarians mobilized a full 200,000 troops to go south this time.
This is quite a scary number.
You must know that the grassland population is sparse, which is completely incomparable with the Central Plains Dynasty.
The Zhou Dynasty had a population of tens of millions, so if you wanted to raise an army of one million people, you would have to recruit soldiers.
The total number of people in the grassland is so small. If we gather an army of 200,000, does this mean that all the people are soldiers?
However, the prairie barbarians also benefited from the wild nature in their bones.
The boy on the grassland has been riding horses since he was a child. It can be said that he grew up on a horse.
Their cavalry and shooting skills are first-rate, and they are indeed more capable than the soldiers of the Central Plains Dynasty in individual combat.
However, in large-scale positional battles, the execution and discipline of the soldiers of the Central Plains Dynasty was obviously higher than that of the soldiers of the steppe barbarians.
In other words, the more large-scale and wide-scale the battle is, the more advantage the Central Plains Dynasty will have.
In fact, there is a very important point in this, that is, the Central Plains Dynasty can rely on wheel warfare to consume.
If one army can't defeat it, well, I'll use two or three of them to take turns.
After such consumption, the army of the grassland barbarians will naturally not be able to withstand it.
Of course, the premise of all this is that the combat power of the two sides cannot be too far apart.
Otherwise, it will collapse at the first touch, morale will be low, and everything you say will be in vain.
After fighting against the prairie barbarians for such a long time, Wang Zhongyi actually summed up a set of experiences of his own.
Prairie barbarians generally engage in guerrilla raids and rarely engage in large-scale charges.
Because they are generally light cavalry, and light cavalry have almost no armor protection. If a large-scale charge is launched, they are likely to face huge losses.
In addition, the grassland barbarians are sparsely populated, so if the losses are really heavy, it will be difficult to recover in a short period of time.
The grassland never pities the weak.
If the population of a tribe drops and its combat effectiveness weakens significantly, it will be replaced by a new tribe that rises.
Natural selection and survival of the fittest are the rules of the prairie people.
Therefore, the prairie barbarians will not launch a general attack rashly unless absolutely necessary.
They will constantly harass you and annoy you beyond measure.
After confirming that they are sure to win, they will really attack with all their strength.
You only have one chance to strike with all your strength, and it may take several years before you can recharge your batteries.
Naturally the same is true this time.
The difference is that this time the grassland barbarians have the support of the Demon Sect.
The Demon Sect arose and thrived in the grasslands, advocating darkness and death.
In the teachings of the Demon Sect, darkness and death are the paths and processes towards rebirth.
Only by experiencing darkness and death can one finally be reborn in Nirvana.
This is somewhat similar to some parts of Buddhism.
But Wang Zhongyi knew that the two were actually completely different.
Because the Demon Sect is more inclined to darkness.
The reason why the Demon Sect has been boycotted by the Central Plains and the spiritual practice community for so many years is probably because the things it digs are too dark.
Under such circumstances, human nature begins to become distorted, the practitioner becomes demonized, and his personality changes so much that he can no longer be called a human being.
The essence of spiritual practice is to make people do good, but if all practitioners become evil, it will run counter to the original meaning of spiritual practice.
Therefore, practitioners in the Central Plains talk about demons, and practitioners of the Demon Sect have almost become public enemies of the Central Plains cultivation sects.
"I heard that the Demon Sect has a high priest this time?"
Wang Zhongyi confirmed again and again.
"Reporting to Jiedu Envoy, this is indeed the case. The High Priest of the Demon Sect came to Chang'an in person this time, and it should be a big move."
"Um."
Wang Zhongyi nodded heavily.
The arrival of the high priest in Chang'an is definitely not good news.
It is said that the high priest's cultivation level is super grade. If this is the case, Wang Zhongyi is no match at all.
Wang Zhongyi's current cultivation level is the third level of martial arts.
He has recently launched an attack on the second level. Even if he succeeds in advancing, it is still a huge difference compared to the super level.
If all the super strong men in the world could be counted on two hands, there would not be more than ten.
But there are too many first-grade and second-grade ones. It is estimated that there are hundreds of them.
Therefore, Wang Zhongyi would not think about taking the general's head from among the thousands of troops.
If he really rashly goes deep alone, he probably won't be able to get out of the barbarian camp alive.
Today's Wang Zhongyi is no longer the strong general who was more than brave but insufficient in resourcefulness.
Wang Zhongyi is now the governor of Shuozhou.
What he bears is the honor and future of the Shuozhou Army.
One of his decisions may directly determine the future and direction of the Shuozhou Army, and it must not be too casual.
"Give me the order to go and explore again to see how many masters from the Demon Sect have come."
Wang Zhongyi felt that the Demon Sect was probably more than just a high priest.
The masters of the Demon Sect are by no means only the high priest.
If it were just the high priest, with Shan Chang, Yuan Tiangang and Zheng Jie around, it would be impossible for the Demon Sect to cause any big waves.
But if there is any other help, it's hard to say.
"I heard that the Western Region is not peaceful now, and there is also war in Jiannan Road."
Wang Zhongyi smiled bitterly and sighed: "It's really a troubled time. But in this way, we can allow all the people with lofty ideals to fight against the enemy with one heart."
"Don't worry, Commander Jiedu. As long as you give the order, the brothers will fight with the prairie barbarians. I don't know who gave them the courage. The prairie barbarians actually bullied them to Chang'an. Chang'an is at the feet of the emperor.
One breath of spit can drown them all."
...
...
Ashina Zhuo and the high priest of Mo Sect were sitting in the tent of the Chinese army, their eyes were gloomy.
"High Priest, you haven't attacked for so long. This is not the way to go. There is a saying among the Central Plains people that it is a rush of strength, then it will weaken again, and then it will be exhausted. I think it makes sense. If you continue to delay the attack for a long time, your morale will be damaged.
It will fall. It is easy for morale to fall, but it is too difficult to rise again."
Ashina Zhuo's attitude towards the high priest has always been very respectful, but this does not mean that he can endure it forever.
You must know that the 200,000 people who besieged Chang'an were his entire wealth.
He had bet all his fortune on it, and naturally he didn't want to lose it all.
"This kind of thing cannot be rushed. The time has not yet come."
The High Priest of the Demon Sect exhaled a long breath and narrowed his eyes slightly.
"It will take some time to move to the west and south, and the Dark Door has not yet been opened. It would be detrimental to us to start a war rashly at this time."
Ashina Zhuo frowned upon hearing this.
The situation on the west and south sides is pretty much the same.
But something as mysterious as the Dark Gate really made him feel a little suspicious.
The Dark Portal comes from a very ancient legend.
Legend has it that on the prairie tens of thousands of years ago, a man made a contract with the devil. He opened the door of darkness that had been sealed for many years and released the devil from the land of nothingness.
After that, he became a servant of the devil and has been doing things for the devil.
It is said that this is the origin of the Demon Sect.
In other words, all practitioners of the Demon Sect are essentially descendants of the original servant of the Demon.
"High Priest, is the Dark Portal really real?"
Ashina Zhuo said with some doubt.
"of course it's true."
The high priest frowned and said, "What do you mean? Do I need to lie to you about this?"
"That's not what I meant, but..."
Ashina Zhuo sighed: "But what if the door of darkness really opens and the devil is summoned, and there is no way to end it?"
"These are not issues you need to worry about."
The high priest was obviously a little unhappy.
"We are all servants of the devil, and what we have to do is to do our best to make all the preparations. Furthermore, the Dongyue Sword Master will also visit Chang'an in person in the near future. Can you rest assured now?"
"What, Wei Wuji is coming to Chang'an?"
Hearing this, Ashina Zhuo felt ecstatic in his heart.
If the devil is something invisible and intangible, which makes people feel illusory, but Wei Wuji, the swordsman of Dongyue Sword Pavilion, is completely different.
This is the top expert in the world, an unparalleled genius who can be ranked in the top two with Shanzhang.
What is the level of the Mountain Chief, what is the level of the Dongyue Sword Master.
Of course, the two have never had a serious fight, so no one knows what their strength is.
"Wei Wuji is a wonderful man, and he chose the right time to come to Chang'an."
High Priest Youyou said: "Just be optimistic, Wei Wuji will definitely take action when it is easiest to get benefits."
...
...
Chang'an City, bad people's yamen.
Zhao Xun looked at a letter with a solemn expression.
This letter is very unusual. It was sent by Feng Hao from the Western Region using the teleportation technique.
Or...
It was sent by Feng Hao from Shazhou.
Because the Western Region was lost.
With the support of the Tantric Sect of the Western Regions, the Thirty-Six Kingdoms of the Western Regions suddenly turned their backs and launched an attack on the Anxi Army.
In order to preserve his strength, Liu Lin, the Great Protector of Anxi, had to make the decision to lead his army to break out of the encirclement.
After leaving the Duhufu, the Anxi Army was pursued and suppressed by the rebels along the way.
Fortunately, the Anxi Army was finally supported by the Shazhou Army and reached Shazhou without any danger.
Feng Hao witnessed the miracle throughout the process and used all his cultivation skills.
After this battle, Feng Hao's vitality was severely damaged, and it would be impossible for him to return to his peak state within a year and a half.
"It's really not easy."
Zhao Xun's emotion is not without reason.
Feng Hao is a second-grade practitioner, and it is hard to say whether there are any superior-grade practitioners in Western Tantric Buddhism, but he must be a first-grade practitioner.
Relying on the strength of the second grade to forcefully conquer the first grade, and fighting until exhaustion. This is simply a model for practitioners.
At first, Zhao Xun didn't like Feng Hao very much, but as time went by, Zhao Xun found that Feng Hao was a very responsible person.
This sense of responsibility is not only towards Emperor Xianlong, a dog emperor who does not want to be a son of man, but also towards every common people and every soldier of the Zhou Dynasty.
Zhao Xun was very touched by this, and he was convinced that he and Feng Hao were the same kind of people.
The people are the most important thing, the country is the second most important thing, and the king is the least important thing.
This is not just a slogan, but Zhao Xun’s real understanding.
It doesn't matter whether you are a wise king or a faint king.
After all, these are just specks of dust in history.
Only the common people are eternal, or in other words, only the human group is eternal.
"It is indeed difficult for the imperial court to spare its hands to deal with the thirty-six countries in the Western Regions."
Zhao Xun murmured to himself.
Chang'an was besieged, and the troops of King Qin were everywhere.
It would have been good if Emperor Xianlong had not transferred the troops from Shazhou and Guazhou to Chang'an. It was simply impossible to send additional troops to the two states to regain the Western Regions.
In fact, Zhao Xun felt that the reason why Emperor Xianlong did not mobilize Shazhou and Guazhou troops to march to Beijing was not because he didn't want to, but because the two states were too far away from Chang'an.
It took several months to reach Chang'an from Erzhou, and by the time they arrived, the day lilies were already cold.
Therefore, Emperor Xianlong should have wanted to let the two states fend for themselves, just like the Western Regions.
If you can hold it, defend it; if you can't, retreat.