Chapter 4 Choices (Part 8) "Stop killing innocent people, take them back to the city!" Li Xu suppressed his anger and ordered in a low voice that he could not directly order the punishment of those murderers. These people were under Li Mengchang's command.
, if Xuzi punishes them directly, it will damage Li Mengchang's prestige in the team, and the latter will not punish the murderer in any way. From his eyes, what Xuzi sees is also the result of bloodthirsty.
Excited Even after riding away, Xu Zi heard Li Mengchang yelling slightly excitedly, "Be more agile in your actions from now on. Don't let the general see that he is soft-hearted and cares too much about his reputation..."
It was irrational to go back and argue with Li Mengchang. Xuzi tried his best to restrain himself from doing so out of respect for his superior. Li Mengchang would definitely say that he had changed his mind. Not only Xuzi could guarantee that as long as he turned around, the other party would
Some things are not about what you do, but how others understand your behavior. Just like at this moment, Xu Zi cannot make Li Mengchang understand that his kindness is the principle of life and not soft-hearted. Similarly, Li Mengchang also
I can't make him understand that allowing soldiers to kill is to improve morale and the cohesion of the team.
When the image of the mighty and benevolent army that was created with good wishes in my heart suddenly collapsed, the subsequent pursuit process became boring. Everyone was busy killing, not only Li Mengchang's men, Cui Qian's subordinates, Murong Luo
The cavalry under his command were all playing the same "game." "This is war." Xuzi forced himself to accept reality, "This is reality!" He told himself over and over again in his heart, but the bloody reality burned his eyes again and again, making him
I had to stop again and again to stop the violence.
The soldiers did not understand the general's strange behavior. They justified their actions with confidence: "They refused to put down their weapons!"
There are many reasons, and there are a lot of them if you just grab them.
In fact, the soldiers behind him, as well as Zhang Xiu, Wang Qijin and others, also did not support the general's hypocrisy. From their eyes, Xuzi could feel the obvious confusion. Xuzi knew that it was just out of respect for himself.
They didn't join the feast of killing. As for the reasons for killing, you don't need to find so many reasons. It is much easier to tie a head on a horse than to escort a living person back to the city, but the two have almost the same merit.
After stopping several waves of "games" that went too far, Xuzi gave up his efforts in despair. He no longer looked for trouble, but tried to speed up as much as possible, bypassing the evil that was happening, and went straight to Li Mi's old camp in Daibi Mountain.
There, after chasing him to the bottom of the mountain, he could warn his brothers before Li Mi turned around and came back. At the same time, Xu Zi also had an unspeakable wish hidden in his heart. He left the city this time not to kill the enemy and make meritorious deeds, but to hope that
I can find Old Master Yang and take him away from the battlefield alive.
The chance of the former situation happening is obviously low. Li Mi and Han Shihe fled in a hurry, and most of the rebels were abandoned on the road. Even if they later found out that they had been deceived, it would be difficult to assemble a fighting force.
The chance of the latter situation happening when the team came to Liyang to seek revenge was also very slim. The rebels fled in all directions, and Asahi couldn't guarantee that his old mentor happened to be taking the same route as him.
When it was completely dark, they chased them to the foot of Dabi Mountain. The enemy camp that Li Mi had left on the hillside had been set on fire. The sky-high flames illuminated half of the hillside. There was no one on the hillside, only the shadows of the trees dancing with the light of the fire.
shaking constantly
"Let's withdraw our troops!" Zhang Xiu suggested lying on the saddle. He was so tired that his muscles and bones were falling apart. He endured his responsibilities and gritted his teeth until now. What about expanding the results of the battle, and what about stopping the familiarity of killing prisoners and claiming credit?
Zhang Xiu doesn't want to care about anything. The only thing he thinks about now is to go back to Liyang as soon as possible, take a bath, and then sleep soundly for a few days.
Xuzi did not answer Zhang Xiu's suggestion, but gently turned the horse's head and the group began to walk back. As they walked, they gathered the lone soldiers who were so excited about the pursuit that they became separated from the large group and walked back.
After two miles, everyone found the official road leading to Liyang. At the same time, there was a sudden commotion in the woods on the roadside.
"Who is there?" Wang Qijin led his horse and stood in front of Xu Zi. The Hengdao raised high at the same time with his other hand won the battle. If the enemy captured the general at the last moment,
, everyone has lost all their efforts.
There was a commotion in the woods, and the commotion became louder and louder. After a few breaths, Wang Qijin gently put down his weapon. It was not the rebels, but seven or eight of his own brothers. The guy currently wearing the uniform of the team, Wang Qijin,
I know Qijin, his name is Wu Yan, and I once waited for Xiongwuying rear team with him at the same inn.
"See General Li!" Wu Yan quickly took a few steps forward, stood firm, and cupped his fists at Li Xu. "General, we have captured a high official and are preparing to escort him back to the city!"
After saying that, he looked at Wang Qijin with a bit of pride in his eyes.
The brothers pulled the horses and emerged from the woods one after another, walked to Li Xuma and saluted with fists in his hands.
"See General!"
"See the general, see the captain Wang!" The shouts shook the treetops above them to buzz. Just now, everyone heard the sound of horse hooves on the official road. In order to avoid contact with the enemy, they went into the woods to ambush, but they did not expect that the first
The first person to sneak into his ambush was his master. He eliminated the danger at this moment, and his mood immediately became very relaxed, so he shouted his greetings as loud as he could.
"That's it! Everyone is safe!" Li Xu clasped his fists in return and glanced at the crowd. He looked directly at the horse at the end of the team and saw that the person sitting on the back of the horse was not a brother from the Xiongwu Camp, but a prisoner with his arms clasped behind his back and his head lowered.
The man was silent, perhaps because he heard everyone's greetings. The man slowly raised his head, and his eyes just met Asahi's.
"Yang..." Zhang Xiu, who was walking behind Li Xu, was completely exhausted. He opened his mouth to shout a word, but then there was no movement in his throat. He opened his mouth wide enough to swallow the torch in his hand.
"Hongnong Yang Ji, see General Li!" The prisoner on horseback bowed and introduced himself before Li Xu and Zhang Xiu recovered from the shock.
"Yang, Mr. Yang!" Li Xu swallowed and returned the greeting with great difficulty. Master Yang, whom he had been looking for on the battlefield and couldn't find, was so open-eyed that the master and disciple actually met in this situation.
We hadn’t seen each other for several years. At this time, Master Yang was already too haggard to look like. The bones in his once strong body had become skinny and skinny, like a skin covering a few bones.
Seeing the general's expression, Captain Wu Yan was even more convinced that he had caught a big shot. He rubbed his hands together excitedly and loudly expressed his skill: "Although this old guy looks weak, his hands and feet are very agile."
It took a lot of effort, but if Brother Wei hadn't gone around to stop him, we really don't know how long we would have been fighting him nearby!"
"That's it, that's it, this old guy is very slippery!" The soldier whose name was called by Wu Yan showed a flattered expression, stepped forward and confirmed loudly
"Your name is Wu Yan. What about you, my brother named Wei? What's his name? Which captain does he work for?" Li Xu suppressed the urge to rush forward to acknowledge his master and asked with a smile.
He must remain calm. The master just announced his family status just to remind the two parties that they cannot agree with each other. Just hand the master over to wait for the imperial court to suppress the rebellion and be tortured and executed. Xuzi asked himself that he could not do it.
"General!" Wu Yan heard the general ask about his official position, and immediately straightened his chest, "I am serving as captain of the second brigade and third team of the former fourth regiment. This brother named Wei is called Wei Ding, and he is the captain of my subordinates!"
"
"Write down the names of them and these dozen brothers, and discuss the merits after returning to the city!" Li Xu turned his head and loudly ordered Zhang Xiu. Countless thoughts were spinning in his mind. At the same time, he had to
Pretend to be dedicated to the public good and try to hide it from the hundreds of eyes around you
"You have the order!" Zhang Xiu, the captain of the personal army, hurriedly ran out from behind Li Xu and asked the names of the soldiers one by one. When the brothers who followed Wu Yan saw General Lang asking the captain to record their names, they all thought it was a big deal.
When Zhang Xiu walked up to him, he immediately raised his chest and raised his head, shouting out his name with all his strength. There was no paper and pen in the hurry, so Zhang Xiu repeated every name he asked several times until he had known everyone's name.
After remembering it, he ran back to Li Xuma to give his order.
"This prisoner will be handed over to the general for personal escort. You should go back to the city first and collect two rewards from each of the treasurers who joined the army. Write down the other merits first, and then make a decision after the general has discussed with the supervisor!" Li Xu nodded!
He nodded and gave orders to Captain Wu Yan
"Thank you for the reward, General!" All the sergeants were overjoyed and saluted again with clasped fists. The hierarchy in the Sui army was very strict. With Li Xu's current status, no one dared to say no even if they were deprived of their credit and receive money now.
He also recorded merit, but it was hard to find good things with a lantern. Someone immediately shouted that everyone did not dare to ask for the reward and credit, and were willing to give the prisoners to General Li in order to repay the general's kindness. Li Xu did not pretend to claim the merits of his subordinates.
In line with his habit, he waved his hands and said with a smile: "I appreciate everyone's kindness. Credit is credit, and you must not be left out. As for the reward, it's all the money of the imperial court. If you don't take it, and it won't fall into my hands, it's better than your own."
Collect it and take it to your parents, wife and children at home when you have time!"
"General, I will never forget your kindness!" Seeing Li Xu say this, Wu Yan and others had no choice but to thank him again, and then led his brothers happily away.
Turning back, Li Xu looked at Master Yang again. Seeing that Master Yang's temples were pale and his face was covered with dust, he felt stunned. In full view of everyone, he couldn't step forward to acknowledge each other. He held back his tears and turned his head away, facing Wang Qijin and others.
The man ordered: "You go back to the city first. This man has a high status among the rebels. I want to interrogate him, and I will follow him later!"
"Okay, let's wait for you, sir, half a mile ahead." Wang Qijin is a very smart person. Seeing Li Xu's behavior just now, he already knew that there must be some secret here. He knew that he was of low status, and the privacy of important people still knew the secrets.
The less the better, so I didn’t ask too many questions and shook the reins together with my brothers.
Seeing that everyone was far away, and only Zhang Xiu and a few of his personal guards were nearby, Li Xu jumped off his horse and walked slowly towards his mentor. He had a thousand words to say, but he didn't know where to start. For a moment, his voice was choked.
"Are you the commander-in-chief of the army who led the army to capture Liyang and captured Yuan Wuben alive?" Master Yang looked at the disciples who were slowly walking towards him and asked in a low voice.
"It's my disciple who came late and made my master suffer!" Li Xu wiped his face, quickened his pace, and cut the rope on Master Yang's body with his knife.
"Are you Zhang Xiu, Zhong Jian's cousin?" Master Yang moved his numb arms and turned his head to Zhang Xiu
"Student Zhang Jizhi, meet the Master! I haven't seen you for many years, how good is the Master?" Zhang Xiu, who was following Li Xu, quickly bowed and saluted. From the moment Xuzi asked him to record the names of Wu Yan and others, he began to
I know that things are going to be bad today. My cousin is a person who values friendship, but talking about friendship with the opponent in front of the two armies is seeking death from any point of view.
"Okay, okay, you are all grown up!" Master Yang stroked his sparse beard and sighed with emotion. He had just declared his family as the Hongnong Yang family, just to prevent the master and apprentice from recognizing each other at this time. But his disciples persisted in doing so.
As a prisoner, he naturally had no way to stop him. Looking at the two grown up disciples at this moment, he felt both happy and sad. For a moment, he was so exhausted that he couldn't tell what it was like.
"My master taught me back then, and my disciples never dare to forget it!" Li Xu and Zhang Xiu saluted again and thanked them.
"Yes, you are the disciples I taught. The youth is better than the blue, and the ice is colder than the water." Master Yang smiled and shook his head when he saw that his disciples were better than himself. As a teacher, you should be happy, but in this situation
, which indeed made people unhappy. He let out a long sigh, and continued to ask: "You have been running for thousands of miles, but there shouldn't be many soldiers left under your command?"
"My disciple set out from Yishui with 10,000 cavalry and traveled through the stars and nights. When he arrived at Liyang, he had less than 5,000 brothers!" Li Xu didn't know why Master Yang focused on the war. He thought about it and answered very seriously.
"Five thousand cavalry defeated Yuan Wuben's 30,000 old and weak men. This battle can be called a classic. Then you collected Yuan Wuben's defeated troops and led them to guard Liyang together. You are quite brave!" Master Yang commented with a smile,
As if discussing the war that has ended is much more important than one's own safety
"It was Yuan Wuben who suggested before his death that we break up the captured soldiers and organize them into our own ranks to guard Li Yang together!" Li Xu nodded and answered truthfully.
"Yuan Wu is a fool, but this strategy is not stupid either!" Master Yang commented with a smile, "Then, who told you to block the four gates of Liyang and divide the city wall into several sections?"
"When my brother was outside Liaoyang City, he saw the method used by the Goguryeo people to defend the city!"
"This strategy is effective, but it is too unprogressive. The number of Goguryeo soldiers in Liaoyang City is less than that of the Great Sui Dynasty. Naturally, we have to use this shrinking tactic. And since you have five thousand capable soldiers and cavalry under your command, why bother to send Liyang into battle?"
Blocking all four gates seems safe, but it is equivalent to announcing to the other side that you have no confidence in winning. Although there are many soldiers on our side, there are only a few thousand who can actually fight. The real strength of both sides is evenly matched. You may not have gone out of the city to fight.
Force! Leave one gate to defend, and the other three gates can be used as counterattack channels. Go out quickly and return quickly, and leave with one strike. Even if there are many people on our side, how can we dare to attack the city with all our strength?" Master Yang calculated the numbers of the enemy and us.
Comparing the strength, he analyzed it in the tone of a normal class, "And you put on a posture of not being able to defend, so Li Mi naturally felt confident and bold to attack. If the reinforcements had not arrived in time, I am afraid that the status of master and disciple would have been reversed by now!"
"My teacher taught me a great lesson!" Li Xu felt cold sweat break out on his forehead when he heard this. He honestly admitted that his approach was not comprehensive. At the moment when the enemy army was defeated, he was still very proud of his strategic planning. At this moment, after listening to Master Yang
After saying this, he realized that his military skills were still far from being able to enter the palace. If Li Mi hadn't been negligent or Murong Luo hadn't happened to kill him, the outcome of the Liyang battle would have been hard to predict.
"Hearing Master Yang's words is like clearing the clouds and seeing the sun!" Zhang Xiuyi loudly agreed at the side. This action of his cousin is very consistent with the legendary standard of courtesy and virtuous corporal. And Master Yang is indeed a great sage. If he is surrendered and included in the Xiongwu Camp
, everyone will definitely be more confident in fighting in the future
"You have done a good job, I am just talking about it after the fact, so I can see clearly!" Master Yang smiled modestly, and after thinking about the answer, he probably felt that the topic of Liyang's offensive and defensive battle had been finished, so he asked another question
: "You personally led people to hunt down our army, but in order to prevent my military from counterattack?"
"Exactly, those coming from outside the city tonight are actually not reinforcements, but the brothers I left on the road!" Li Xu nodded, not daring to lie in front of his mentor.
"You can rest assured. Since you have guarded Li Yang and our army is gone, Li Mi and Han Shihe are both smart people and will not lead troops to take risks again!" Master Yang put his hands on his back and turned his head to the distance. The night was as dark as ink. He didn't know where to start.
When did the rising dark clouds cover all the stars? The road has come to an end. There are disciples like