Xu Huai sent Lu Xiong back to the camp to rest. At this time, the surrounding area was quiet, and piles of half-finished bonfires in the camp were burning in the cool night wind. The soldiers on the night watch sat by the bonfires holding their spears and dozed off. At this time, it was When people were most sleepy, the patrolling officers would whisper but sternly scold the dozing soldiers.
Xu Huai climbed up to the watchtower and looked at the dark shadows outside the camp. He signaled Zhou Jing to also climb up to the watchtower and said:
"Tomorrow you select capable people to personally escort Mr. Lu back to Bianliang, and then you stay in Bianliang——"
"Okay," Zhou Jing asked, "What should I do and how long should I stay in Bianliang?"
Xu Huai looked at the faint silhouette of the distant mountains under the stars and moon. Everything looked so empty and thin. He said to Zhou Jing: "Prince Xiang, His Highness agrees that even if the Chihu people can temporarily retreat this time, , will come back soon, but they still have expectations in their hearts to defend Bianliang City. Although I also hope that the situation will not be too bad, I have to prepare for the worst case scenario..."
"What's the worst case scenario?" Zhou Jing couldn't help but asked with some sadness.
"The best case scenario is that all our current expectations have been disappointed: for example, Wang Qiyong, Wang Boqian and others who advocated the Wang Xiang Meeting were squeezed out of the capital. For example, after the peace talks, we saw the Chihu people withdrawing their troops, Wang Qiyong, Wang Boqian, etc. People thought that everything was safe, so they dismissed King Qin's troops early to save money. For example, when the Red Husbands invaded south again and besieged Bianliang, there were no useful generals or soldiers in Bianliang City, and in the end it was like paper. Tell the Chihu people to capture it. After you arrive at Bianliang, you have to make preparations for 'the city of Bianliang has fallen and His Highness has not left the capital, so I will have to lead my troops into Bianliang'..." Xu Huai said.
Zhou Jing was stunned there, unable to estimate for a moment how difficult this mission would be!
When Bianliang City fell, the Red Husbands would have tens of thousands or even two to three hundred thousand soldiers and horses inside and outside Bianliang City. Tongbaishan soldiers would only have a few soldiers and horses, and they would be able to kill one person in this chaotic battlefield like a Shura field. ?
"Is Your Highness really that important?" Zhou Jing couldn't help but asked in a low voice.
They had not been together for long. In the eyes of everyone, King Jing and Zhao Tuan seemed to have a good mind and magnanimity. However, Zhou Jing was from a rough background and had little regard for the distinction between nobles and thieves. When it came to magnanimity, civility, Taoism and military strategy, who could Can he compare to Xu Huai?
Considering the interests of Chu Mountain (Tongbai Mountain), Zhou Jing felt that the situation was really going to collapse to that point, and they should not take such a big risk for King Jing alone.
Xu Huai said: "If when Bianliang falls, King Lu is still sitting in Weizhou, how do you think the situation will evolve?"
Zhou Jing came to his senses at this time. It was hard for him to imagine what kind of dilemma everyone in Tongbai Mountain would suddenly find themselves in after Bianliang fell and King Lu became the only candidate for the new emperor because he was in Weizhou.
"I understand, I'll get ready right now!" Zhou Jing said in a low voice.
"Don't be too nervous. Things may not turn around; if things turn around, I'm afraid you will have to withdraw early." Although Xu Huai knew that the situation was at this point and no one could turn the tide, he did not want others to bear too heavy a burden on their shoulders. , but said in a slower tone to comfort Zhou Jing.
Considering that the fall of Bianliang is difficult to avoid, and the chaotic situation, there is no telling how many tragedies will result. In order to avoid unnecessary losses, Xu Huai did not ask Liu Qiong'er to arrange manpower from Yueyu Tower to Bianliang. It's just that I don't want to appear to have any ulterior motives.
After Cai Qing was imprisoned, Zhufengtang and Yueyu Tower also lost one of their most important goals.
However, plans really don't change quickly.
Who would have thought that Lu Wang Zhao Guan would go out to Weizhou and appoint Han Shiliang as a bodyguard to accompany him. This directly confirmed another memory fragment that emerged in Xu Huai's mind, indicating that Lu Wang Zhao Guanji would probably be the only candidate for the new emperor.
Although the incident at Nuanxiang Tower was short-lived, it seems that Lu Wang Zhao Guan had never appeared in Lanzhou City (Kelan), but Xu Huai would never forget the cold-blooded and ruthless scene of Lu Wang Zhao Guan.
Xu Huai would not forget that Ge Boyi, Ge Yu and others, who had a deadly feud with them, were very likely to make a comeback by joining Zhao Guan, King of Lu.
Everything around the camp was quiet, but there was one place that was extremely lively and had not stopped yet. That was Fan Zongqi's camp. Wang Hua and Wang Zhang's troops were temporarily left to Fan Zongqi's arrangement.
Xu Huai didn't feel sleepy, so he walked over there.
As the commanding general, Fan Zongqi's camp doubled as a command post, which was larger than an ordinary accommodation camp. However, Wang Hua, Wang Zhang and others were still in his camp, excitedly reminiscing about old times, and did not leave, but they were also crowded -
—
Xu Huai opened the curtain and walked in. He saw that his seventh uncle Wang Ju was also in the tent, sitting cross-legged on the ground with a wine bowl in his hand. Not long after leaving King Jing, Wang Ju was already a little drunk.
"..." Fan Zongqi was suddenly startled when he saw Xu Huai walking in. He stood up and hurriedly explained, "I had someone steal the wine from the back camp. My father-in-law, his two brothers Wang Hua and Wang Zhang just came over, and they were also stolen.
We were so happy that we drank several bowls of wine..."
Xu Huai waved his hand, sat down next to his seventh uncle Wang Ju, took the wine bowl, poured a bowl of turbid wine and took a swig, saying that there was no need to adhere to the alcohol ban in the camp tonight; Jian Niu Er saw the movement in the camp.
, opened the curtain and ran towards the wine jar like a wolf attacking its prey. Xu Huai raised his foot, put the toe of his boot against his chest, and said, "You are only allowed to drink three bowls of wine!"
"Junhou, you are too small. Three bowls of wine are not enough to rinse your mouth!" Niu Er shouted.
"Then you go to the back camp and steal ten jars of wine, and I'll allow you to drink one jar." Xu Huai said with a smile.
Zhou He brought with him the news that the emperor and ministers of the court were determined to bow to the Chihu people and negotiate peace, which was extremely depressing. However, the return of Wang Hua, Wang Zhang and other Wang clan members was like a ray of warm wind blowing away the cold current.
Although Tongbai Mountain Soldiers laid a certain foundation from the Tongbai Mountain Bandit Rebellion to the two Yan Northern Expeditions, the internal structure of Tongbai Mountain Soldiers has its own particularity. It can be said that it fundamentally opposes and resists the clan power -
—
This model can be implemented in Tongbai Mountain, which was in great chaos due to banditry, in Shuozhou, where tens of thousands of Han people have been moved out, leaving thousands of Hu women and children, and in Xishan, which was forcibly suppressed by force.
However, after returning to Tongbai Mountain, if this model is to be widely implemented in Tangzhou, Guangzhou, Caizhou and other places outside the mountain, it will inevitably arouse strong resistance and opposition from the surrounding clan forces.
At least until the Hehuai area is completely destroyed, the dog killers and others can no longer publicize it.
This also means that the Lifeng Academy needs to exercise maximum restraint in training core generals and military officials in a short period of time. To avoid leaks of information and becoming evidence of their ulterior motives, the work of the Lifeng Academy may need to be suspended.
However, the Chushan Camp needs to develop and expand, but it cannot do without experienced, loyal and reliable generals and military officials as its foundation. Wang Hua, Wang Zhang, etc., who returned as the sons of the Wang family and their generals, are equivalent to the Chushan Camp
Directly replenished a group of core generals and military officers.
Xu Huai sat on the floor and drank, listening to Wang Hua and Wang Zhang introducing many of the Wang family and their generals' children one by one.
Among the previous generation of the Wang family, his biological father Wang Xiaocheng had the greatest achievements and the greatest power. The generals of the Wang family basically served beside his biological father Wang Xiaocheng; people like Zhou Quan, Zhou Yong, Zhou An, Shi Xiong, Shi Hu, Shi Tingyu, etc.
They are all the nephews and generals of his biological father, Wang Xiaocheng.
After the edict was corrected, the news spread back to Jingzhou that these family members had committed suicide on the way to escort his mother back to Jingzhou and then fled.
Although Wang Ju, Fan Yong and the remaining elders of the Wang family did not believe these rumors, and the family moved out of Jingzhou without thinking of abandoning these young generals, the rumors have always been true over the years.
A huge boulder that weighs on everyone's hearts, sometimes making people breathless.
Now the truth is out in the open, everything was caused by Cai Zheng's vicious scheme, and these family members were killed until their corpses were left, and they still suffered from notoriety for more than ten years. These children were crying and crying while drinking wine.
At that time, his adoptive fathers Xu Wuxuan and Xu Waqi decided to use their luggage to replace Tao Zang. Not only his mother knew about this, many family members also knew about it - everyone was thinking that if they could reach Jingzhou safely all the way,
, and exchanged him with the son of his adoptive father Xu Wuxuan.
In other words, his life was saved by the joint efforts of these people and the huge sacrifices they made.
That is to say, some of them were prisoners who were recruited and some were recruited soldiers. Of course, they could not achieve many military exploits and get promoted in just three or four years. At this time, except for Wang Hua and Wang Zhang, who surrendered as the leader of the thieves, he served as a soldier and flag leader.
Except for the military officials, the others are all soldiers at the lowest level.
However, after the two clan elders and several Wang family matrons brought these children to Huayin, they were basically able to treat them equally. They taught them reading and literacy as much as possible, taught them boxing and kicking skills, and served in the army for several years.
The foundation is quite solid and cannot be matched by ordinary soldiers.
"Uncle Qi, Zhou Quan, Zhou Yong, Shi Xiong, and Shi Hu all served my father. In the end, they sacrificed their lives for me and were killed for my Wang family - I think they and the two brothers Wang Wen and Wang Zhang all died first.
I will stay with you as a bodyguard for training, and we will make other arrangements after you become familiar with military affairs!" Xu Huai said to Wang Ju.
In Shuozhou, although Tongbaishan soldiers had just become powerful, Xu Huai also served as Du Yuhou, Shuozhou inspection envoy, etc. As usual, he could have dozens to dozens of soldiers around him, but he did not need others.
To take care of life, except for Niu Er, all the people who need to be accompanied when traveling are always drawn from the on-duty staff.
However, after returning to Tongbai Mountain, everyone advised Xu Huai to formally form a team of dedicated bodyguards, but they had not yet had time to do so.
When Wang Wen, Wang Zhang, Zhou Quan, Zhou Yong, Shi Xiong, Shi Hu and others returned, it was impossible for Xu Huai to directly assign them important military positions before they were familiar with the military affairs and concepts of Tongbai Mountain soldiers, but it was also impossible to directly
Kick them to the bottom and serve as ordinary soldiers.
This is too unfair to them and will breed resentment on anyone.
Lifengyuan’s training of military officials cannot be restarted in a hurry.
Xu Huai could only keep them by his side as bodyguards, let him, Wang Ju and others train them for a while, and then test their talents and appoint them one by one...
