Chapter 433: Majesty is not as important as strength
Chu State, the outskirts of Chenying.
Thirty thousand soldiers stood ready, their flags covered the sky, and there was no sound.
Looking at these soldiers, King Chu's heart was filled with infinite pride, and his originally silent heart gradually became restless.
If he had a choice, he wanted to be a good monarch, weaken the feudal lords, destroy Han and Wei in the north, pacify Baiyue, regain his old capital, and revive the great power of Chu.
There was no way before, but now he saw hope: these 30,000 soldiers were his capital.
According to the method used by Wu Qi to select military soldiers, the King of Chu selected 30,000 good family members from all over Chu State, measured the land for them, distributed cattle for farming, rewarded them with money, and exempted them from agricultural taxes, so that they could concentrate on training.
In order to raise this money, the King of Chu emptied all his internal and external treasury, and sold a large amount of jewelry and jade. With the addition of donations from Chunshen Jun Huang Xie, Yangling Jun Zhuang Xin and others, he could barely raise the money.
Although the princes of the Chu State were corrupted by the country, they also had capable people with lofty ideals who really wanted to strengthen the country.
"There is still a shortage of a general." King Chu finished and said that the Chu State was located in the south, not close to the grasslands like Zhao, Qinyan and other countries, and had excellent cavalry seeds and generals who trained cavalry.
Of these 30,000 soldiers, less than 1,000 can ride a horse. Without a general who can train cavalry to lead them, these 30,000 soldiers will always be just a decoration.
However, more than 70% of Chu's generals came from the Jing, Qu, and Zhao tribes, and the King of Chu was unwilling to let the three tribes control this army.
"Then there is only the Xiang family." Huang Xie said.
The Xiang family is also considered a big family in the Chu State, but compared with Jing, Qu, and Zhao, it is still somewhat lacking. Moreover, the Xiang family is not a royal family of the Chu State. In comparison, the Xiang family is more dependent on the King of Chu.
"Who in the Xiang family can be a general?" King Chu asked.
"Xiang Pei." Huang Xie thought for a moment and then said.
Although Xiang Pei has never led a cavalry, his riding skills are very good. At this time, he can only choose the taller one among the short ones.
"Xiang Pei is courageous and loyal to the Chu State, so he can take on big responsibilities." Yangling Lord Zhuang Xin said, stroking his gray beard.
As an old man who dedicated his life to the Chu State, Zhuang Xin couldn't help but smile when he looked at the hope of Chu State's rise in front of him.
When he served as the assistant to King Chu Qingxiang of Zuo, he criticized King Chu Qingxiang: "He is obsessed with lewdness and extravagance, and does not care about national affairs. The capital of Ying will be in danger!" King Chu Qingxiang refused to listen and angrily denounced him as "an old rebel."
Zhuang Xin left Zhao in anger.
Then Sima Cuo and Bai Qi appeared on the stage. They defeated Chu State one after another, causing Chu State to lose all the land west of Yunmengze and was forced to move its capital.
At this time, King Qingxiang of Chu called Zhuang Xin back from Zhao State and granted him Zhigui and a land reward.
With the help of Zhuang Xin, it took two years for the Chu State to accumulate strength and take back the fifteen cities along the Yangtze River of the Chu State that Qin had occupied.
Now Zhuang Xin is old and has to walk with a cane. He originally enjoyed his old age at home, but after receiving the summons from King Wan of Chu, he rushed from his hometown to Chen Ying.
"Then Yangling Lord will be the chief general, in charge of everything, and Xiang Pei will be the deputy general, in charge of training." King Chu thought for a moment and then said.
It was impossible for him to trust an army of 30,000 in the hands of one person, but it was not suitable for separate training. There were not many people in Chu who knew cavalry, so he could only make Zhuang Xin the chief general and Xiang Pei the deputy general.
Zhuang Xin is qualified enough, and he is already in his 70s and 80s. He will not live for a few days, so there is no possibility of evading him.
"If one day I can see the Kingdom of Chu regaining its old capital, I will die with no regrets. When I get down there, I can straighten my back and scold the foolish king of Qingxiang." Zhuang Xin knocked on the ground with his cane and said angrily.
said the voice.
King Chu had no way to answer this. If someone had said that his father was a foolish king, King Chu would have killed him without saying a word. But Zhuang Xin said that he had no temper.
In the next period of time, the King of Chu imitated Wu Qi to win up the morale of the army. Although he could not suck the abscesses of ordinary soldiers, he would go outside the city to talk to the soldiers every few days and ask them what their needs were.
Sometimes he even trains with the soldiers.
The King of Chu was a fat man. Although he was out of breath after walking only a few steps, the gap between him and the soldiers was still huge.
At the beginning, he couldn't keep up with the training, and he was often so tired that he collapsed on the ground. Huang Xie persuaded him several times to give up. As a monarch, this is not necessary, and it will also damage the majesty of the monarch.
"I have nothing to do against Qin, Zhao, Han and Wei. Internally, the princes from all over the country listen to the instructions but not the propaganda. Even the ministers in the court are harassing the king. So how many benefits did I get from going to Zhao?
Are the prices of war horses and cattle really what he said?"
"I don't even dare to expose this matter. I can only pretend not to know. The Qu family, the Jing family, and the Zhao family all don't take me seriously at all. Tell me, what dignity do I have?" Chu
Wang Wan angrily yelled about filial piety.
"In the Battle of Changping, the State of Zhao sent people to the State of Wei several times to ask for help. Even King Zhao, who was the commander-in-chief at the time, went to the State of Wei in person to ask for an audience with the King of Wei, but was turned away. When King Zhao got married, the King of Wei and the King of Han fell in love.
He went to Handan and was more diligent than me. Is it because Zhao Kuo is so majestic?"
"Some time ago, the State of Qin secretly sent people to the State of Zhao to compete for doctors. After the State of Zhao learned about it, they immediately killed them all. I heard that the State of Qin also lost an important figure. Then they sent people to burn all the libraries built by the State of Qin.
The Qin State didn’t even dare to let go of anything. If it had been five or ten years ago, what would have been the result?"
"In this world, without strength, majesty is inferior to nothing. If I had strength, even if I was lying on the street sleeping, others would come over and salute, and respectfully say hello to the king."
The King of Chu was barely in his thirties, and he fled back to Chu from Qin alone. His pride in ascending to the throne had not yet been completely corroded by the luxurious life.
He has never been willing to be a waste. Although his fear of Qin, helplessness towards the princes and courtiers everywhere, confusion about the future, and addiction to beauty and glory made him hesitate for a time, this does not mean that
He will eat and wait to die.
The dignified Qu family has been in charge of the Chu State for hundreds of years. Sometimes even he, the King of Chu, does not look down on him, because the little benefit Zhao State gives him is like a dog wagging its tail.
This incident deeply irritated King Chu. One day, he would have to let the Qu, Jing, and Zhao clans kneel on the ground and wag their tails at him like dogs.
"Anyway, I've thrown enough people into the court, so it doesn't matter if I throw them to these mud-legged people again. I, Xiong Wan, don't have much majesty in the first place."
King Chu was really embarrassed at first. He started to pant just after running a few steps. He was the last one. Xiang Pei didn't dare to really reprimand him. Although King Chu said that he should treat him as an ordinary soldier, Xiang Pei didn't dare to believe it.
.
Those who truly believe are rewarded on the spot, and then slowly become neglected and will never be reused again.
It can be said that King Chu single-handedly slowed down the training process of the army, and many soldiers even secretly laughed at him behind his back, betting that he would give up in a few days.
However, the final result was beyond everyone's expectations. Although Xiong Wan could only come to train for half a day every day because of government affairs to deal with, and sometimes he would leave early or not come due to urgent matters.
But he never gave up and persevered.
The soldiers' impression of the King of Chu has completely changed. In the past, they only supported the King of Chu and fought for the King of Chu because of the land and money they were given.
Now as long as King Chu is here, they are willing to shed the last drop of blood for King Chu.