2-26 The soldier who drinks the blood of the soldiers joins the army
In the establishment of the Liangzhou Army, each battalion has a quartermaster, who is responsible for managing the food, salt and vegetables in the camp. The position of the quartermaster is not high, and it is not enough to own real estate in the city. He can only communicate with junior officers.
They lived together in the barracks under the city wall. While Zhao Ding'an was taking people to pick up the quartermaster, Yuan Feng asked the soldiers: "This is what you eat for midnight snack?"
The soldiers said with a sad face: "It's a late night snack. We didn't eat that meal at night. We didn't bring these naan cakes until dark, one for each person. The naan cakes were cold and hard, so we had to light a fire to bake them."
Eat while you're at it, boil a pot of hot water and sprinkle some salt on it to go with the meal. Fighting is a tiring job, and you won't have enough energy if you don't eat some salt."
Yuan Feng frowned. Soldiers always fight with their heads in their belts and may die at any time. However, there are still people who tamper with the food. It is an unforgivable crime.
After a while, the disheveled quartermaster was brought in. It seemed that he had just been pulled out of the bed.
Seeing the angry look on the face of the deputy defense envoy, he was so frightened that he fell to his knees and said, "Don't do anything to me."
Yuan Feng said: "I told you that I have nothing to do with you before I even asked you. It seems that you already knew it. Someone, take this beast who drinks the blood of soldiers and kill him!"
The quartermaster kowtows like a fool: "Sir, please spare my life, but I dare not drink the blood of soldiers. The matter of withholding military rations is all assigned by the superiors."
Zhao Ding'an kicked the quartermaster hard and said, "Tell me quickly, who asked you to withhold military rations."
The quartermaster said: "It's... Mr. Liang, a member of the army."
Yuan Feng looked back and asked: "Which Liang joined the army?"
The veteran oil man Wang Jinbiao is now Yuan Feng's personal soldier. After all, he has been hanging out in Liangzhou for many years. He knows the people and things in the army very well. When Yuan Feng asked, he came up and whispered: "Liang Canjun is
He is a man of all abilities, and he is in charge of the army's logistics and supplies. He is in charge of a large number of fat vacancies. He is originally a popular position, but others can play it well. Whether it is Cai Yong or Cao Jun, he sells his face.
, if you want to deal with him, I'm afraid you have to think more."
Yuan Feng understood as soon as he heard this. Liang must have deep roots in joining the army. If he insisted on investigating this person, he would probably cause internal disputes. However, the issue of the treatment of the soldiers must be resolved. How can you fight a war when you are hungry?
He pondered for a moment and said: "Go to the camp and bring thirty sheep, and cook some mutton soup for the soldiers on the night shift to drink and keep warm. General Liang will seek an explanation from the eldest son for his embezzlement."
The quartermaster originally thought that Yuan Feng would kill him in order to establish his authority, and he had long been discouraged. Officials are like this. If practical problems cannot be solved, they will take it out on their subordinates. However, Yuan Feng actually spared his life. How could he?
I could not be grateful, so I lay down on the ground and kowtowed a few times, and went away with a lot of thanks. I called the gang leader all night, set up a big pot under the city, killed the sheep, skinned them and cooked the soup. The fragrant mutton soup was added with flakes and chili oil.
, it couldn’t be more comfortable to drink on a cold winter night. The soldiers all knew that this was a late night snack arranged by Deputy Commander Zhang, and all of them lamented that they had given it to their good boss.\
After the mutton soup was cooked, Yuan Feng left with peace of mind. A group of people walked through the snow to Yuan Feng's mansion. Suddenly, hundreds of people poured out of the darkness. Zhao Dingan reined in his horse and shouted: "Protect"
Sir!" Everyone quickly formed a circle, and Yuan Feng also drew his sword in his hand, glaring at those people warily.
Those people just stood together and did not rush forward. They did not look like assassins. Zhao Ding'an held a lantern and took a look at them. Only then did he realize that they were soldiers from the Roman battalion. They were made of bronze breastplates and scarlet red.
The feathers on the cloak and helmet were also red. More than a hundred people stood neatly and solemnly.
Yuan Feng was a little confused. Although he was the deputy defense envoy, equivalent to the deputy commander of Liangzhou, he did not have jurisdiction over the Roman camp. These soldiers came here late at night...could it be for the sake of the folks in Liqian?
Sure enough, an officer at the head of the queue shouted, and all the more than a hundred soldiers knelt down on one knee and saluted Yuan Feng.
The Romans didn't say much nonsense. The leading officer, the young man whose facial features were somewhat similar to Yulia's, walked up to Yuan Feng and said, "A great kindness must be repaid generously." After saying this, he said:
Swinging off their scarlet cloaks, more than a hundred of his subordinates stood up in unison, moving in unison as if they were one person. They turned around as a team. Yuan Feng and others were still secretly exclaiming: The Roman Camp is indeed the strongest camp in Liangzhou.
As soon as she reached the door of her house, the door opened. Yulia jumped out directly, patted her heart and said: "It scared me to death. I thought my brother was going to fight with you. A bunch of people were standing there like this.
I have been waiting for you to come back for several hours."
Yuan Feng said: "That man is really your brother. He is indeed a good man."
Yulia said proudly: "Of course." Then she shook her head and said: "No, my brother is not as powerful as you. He is only the chief executive now. I heard that you have become the marshal."
Yuan Feng chuckled and handed the reins to his servant. Just as he was about to untie his armor, Yulia had already reached over to help him unbuckle the belts under his armpits and waist, and helped him take off his heavy chainmail armor.
The little girl ran to the backyard with her armor on her shoulders.
Yuan Fengqi said: "What are you doing?"
Yulia chuckled: "I'll help you clean your armor. Don't think I can only play the pipa. I know a lot."
Chain mail is an armor made of countless small steel rings. It is soft, light and has moderate defensive power. A decent chain mail can be sold for hundreds of taels of silver in the Central Plains, but it is more common in the Western Regions.
, on the contrary, there were less plate armor and pierced armor. When it came to cleaning chain armor, Yuan Feng really didn't know how to clean it. He curiously followed Yulia to the backyard and saw Yulia putting the chain mail into a large wooden basin.
Then he poured half a basin of sand into it and stirred it up with a wooden stick. Yuan Feng suddenly realized that if he used water, he would be afraid of rusting, and if he used manual scrubbing, those small corners could not be taken care of, so he should use sand to clean the locks with many meshes.
Zijia is the best.
At that time, Yuanfeng did not live in the mansion, but went to live with the soldiers on the city wall with his bedding in his arms. The Turks were cunning and it was not impossible to launch a surprise attack at night. A general must be in charge of the city. At night, he went there many times
He got up to patrol and check sentries. By dawn, Yuan Feng's eyes were already red.
The Turks did not move, and there was no sign of any action during the day. Seeing that the enemy situation had eased, Yuan Feng collected some information on the soldiers' food and went to the government office to complain to Cao Jun.
In the main hall of the government office, Cao Jun was sleepy-eyed and tired. He thought it was the result of a hangover last night. After Yuan Feng reported the enemy's situation, he said: "My eldest son, when I was patrolling the city at the end of last night, I discovered a crime of embezzling military rations.
This matter is seriously detrimental to the morale of our army, and I ask the eldest son to punish him."
Cao Jun said: "Oh, come and listen."
Yuan Feng told what happened last night and presented the confessions of the soldiers and the quartermaster at the same time. After reading it, Cao Jun turned around and said, "Liang joined the army, is this true?"
Standing next to Cao Jun was a skinny middle-aged man with twinkling eyes. He looked more like a profiteer than a military man. After hearing Yuan Feng's accusation, there was only a hint of disdain on his face, and he handed over his hands.
Cao Jun said: "My lord, what Deputy Commander Zhang said is indeed true, but it has nothing to do with corruption."
Cao Jun signaled Liang Canjun to continue, and Liang Canjun walked to the center of the hall and talked: "Our Liangzhou army has always been well-paid, and everyone knows that the food is not bad. Although we don't have meat for every meal, we can get some every now and then."
It's fishy, but the Turkic army is currently pressing down on the border. I don't know how long this war will last. As the general military supply officer, I must be careful in my humble position. Otherwise, how can I defend the city if the food is gone? Besides, the soldier on duty last night was the traitor Cai.
Yong's remnant troops are not the eldest son's cronies, and the eldest son's Ganzhou Army didn't even drink mutton soup, so how can you treat them favorably and give them mutton soup?"
After saying this, Liang Shenjun glanced at Yuan Feng provocatively and said: "You have to join even a humble position. Some people buy people's hearts as soon as they become deputy commanders, interfere in everything, and privately use the reserved military rations to reward the army. Who does Liangzhou belong to?"
Liangzhou? Whose army is this army?"
This statement was directed at Yuan Feng, and it was well-founded. It was indeed inappropriate for Yuan Feng to interfere with logistics and food matters when he first arrived, and it was even more taboo to reward the army in his own name. Cao Jun's face looked a bit wrong. At this time, Wang
Wei and a group of guards and generals came out to smooth things over, saying that General Zhang was also thinking about the soldiers and had no intention of buying people's hearts. After talking for a long time, the unhappy look on Cao Jun's face faded and he said: "Don't talk about this anymore.
Mentioned, we are facing a formidable enemy, so we must work together to deal with the Turks."
Yuan Feng knew that he was too young and was not close enough to fight with these old foxes, but he still did not give up and said: "My lord, if you are not going to open warehouses and release grains to suppress the price of grains as mentioned yesterday, please make a decision early."
."
Before Cao Jun could answer, Liang Canjun jumped out and sneered: "Open a warehouse to put grain? What a joke! Did the grain in the official warehouse of Liangzhou Prefecture just be put out? Is it more important for the common people or the soldiers who defend the city? The grain has been put away.
What do the sergeants eat? Do they fight on an empty stomach? It is even more ridiculous to suppress the price of grain. The grain in the grain merchants' warehouses is not blown by the strong wind, but purchased with hard work and capital. The price can be set at whatever price they are willing to set.
The government should not interfere with the price. Our Liangzhou Prefecture can develop to the prosperous and powerful stage today and become the first city in the northwest because of free trade. This is the rule set by the old prefect. The government does not interfere in business transactions. This
No one can break the rules!"
What Liang Canjun said is true. The reason why Liangzhou has become the bridgehead where the East meets the West, the largest city in the northwest, and a pearl on the ancient Silk Road is because of free trade. The government only charges a small amount of management fees and never sets a card collection.
Taxes do not discriminate against merchants. Merchants have a relatively high status and have great political influence. Yuan Feng's proposal to limit grain prices is tantamount to robbing money from their pockets. As a representative of the merchants, Liang Canjun certainly wants to
Firmly opposed.
In fact, not only Liang joined the army but also the generals present were dissatisfied. The deputy commander's management was too lenient. You kept a low profile when you first climbed up. You are young and have very few connections. Just because you saved the eldest son.
Can you be so arrogant with your life? What the hell?
Cao Jun waved his hand and said: "Don't say it anymore. We will consider this matter in the long term. Anyway, the food is stored in the warehouse and will not spoil. If you have money, buy food. If you don't have money, you will be hungry. In extraordinary times, it is better to ensure military supplies first."
When Liang Canjun saw Cao Jun facing him, he didn't say anything more. He flicked his sleeves and returned to his column. Cao Jun said: "Let's all disperse. Go and do whatever you have to do. General Zhang is our number one brave general in Liangzhou, and he has an important task."
It’s on your shoulders, it’s really not appropriate to be distracted. Let’s do this. Don’t hold on to the position of commander of the bodyguard and army, and concentrate on being the deputy defense envoy.”
With one sentence, Yuan Feng's military power was taken away. Yuan Feng had no choice but to accept the result and return to his position silently.
Cao Jun yawned and went back to his harem. Cao Yanhui's harem was filled with beauties from the East and the West. It could be said that beauties were like clouds and treasures were everywhere. Cao Jun, a drunkard and a womanizer, was like a rat in a rice barn. How could he care about such a major military matter?
, he thought he handled this matter well, calmed everyone's emotions, and took care of Yuan Feng's credit. His methods were pretty good.
When the generals dispersed, Liang Shenjun walked past Yuan Feng with a loud voice, laughing and talking, without even looking at him. Yuan Feng was not angry either, and handed Wang Wei the military talisman of his bodyguard, and led his soldiers again.
Went up to the city wall.
At noon, a news spread on the city wall. Deputy Commander Zhang was framed by a traitor so that the soldiers could drink hot soup. He took away the military power and was reprimanded. The soldiers whispered to each other with resentment in their eyes. Liang joined the army.
Who doesn't know that he runs the largest grain store in the city? The army buys salt, vegetables and grain from him. This guy has drank countless soldiers' blood over the years. When Mr. Cao was here, he didn't care about him. When the eldest son became the leader, he still didn't care about him.
Regardless of him, in the final analysis, in the eyes of these officials, soldiers are just watchdogs. Only Deputy Commander Zhang, who came from a grassroots background, treats everyone as human beings and brothers!