The military system of the Sui Dynasty consisted of three hundred people in regiments, with captains in the regiments. One hundred people in brigades, with brigade commanders. Fifty people in teams, with team leaders. More than a month ago, Liu Hongji and Li Xu presented their horses to
As a result, they held the positions of brigade leader and team commander respectively. In the blink of an eye, one of them was promoted to the leader of 1,200 food guards and held the post of sixth-grade general. The other one also followed suit and was promoted to one level, and got the title of general.
The power to be transferred in case of emergency. No matter the generous treatment or the speed of promotion, it is really rare under the command of Tang Gong. (Note 15)
All the officers stood up one after another to congratulate Liu and Li. Li Xu followed Liu Hongji and said a few polite words to thank Tang Gong for his promotion. He smiled and stepped forward to receive the seal.
At present, Li Yuan only serves as a food guard. According to the military system of the Sui Dynasty, his subordinates can only place one chief officer, one soldier, and one general. Liu Hongji has just arrived and has already fulfilled his duties as a general, which shows that Li Yuan attaches great importance to him.
Trust. Liu Hongji also lived up to Tang Gong's high expectations. When he returned to the military camp, he immediately summoned the generals to discuss matters and began to detail the defense of the granary.
He was a generous and righteous person, and he had close relations with officers at all levels. With the support of Wang Yuantong, Qi Poning, Qin Ziying and other good friends who usually hang out drinking and admiring flowers, and with the support of Tang Gong behind his back, who else could
Say no. Within a few days, the food protection soldiers of the four regiments recognized the newly appointed general. Even if Li Yuan was not present, he could find a backbone when encountering big or small matters.
I don't know whether it was intentional or an oversight, but the fifty elite troops assigned to Li Xu by Tang Gong were actually fifty cavalry, which was difficult to match with the original fifty infantrymen under his command. Don't put Liu Hongji and Si Kai in the army together.
Seeing this, the lord opened the door for convenience and specially allocated seventy military horses to him. In this way, the Tiger Wing Brigade led by Li Xu became the only cavalry brigade in the food protection army. All the brothers rode
He was galloping back and forth inside and outside the military camp on his high horse, feeling very unhappy.
No need to guess, Li Xu also knew that the matter of the elite cavalry must be related to the second son Shimin. So when he was training troops, he no longer joined other brigade leaders. Instead, he pulled a hundred of his brothers outside the city and walked along the Liao River every day.
Walking around in circles. In the twelfth lunar month, the wind was strong and the snow was cold. The brothers were cold and tired, and they were all complaining. But everyone saw that Li Xu always took the lead every time he went out for training and was never lazy, so they couldn't feel too much resentment against him. Besides, everyone saw that Li Xu always took the lead and never slacked off.
With the help of friends such as Wang Yuantong and Qi Poning who are in charge of military supplies, the Tiger Wing Brigade's living conditions, armor, weapons, and food supplies are second to none in the army. Although everyone has suffered some physical pain, they feel envious and jealous when eating and going out.
The sight is very pleasant.
With a targeted target, Li Xu discovered that he had only scratched the surface of the art of war with Xu Dayan. Coordination in formations and basic orders could only improve the appearance and combat effectiveness of the army. How to collect and analyze the enemy's situation, how to seize opportunities,
How to fight in the wild and how to evacuate subordinates as much as possible after a sneak attack in the dark are all knowledge that must be mastered by a general who is responsible for his role. When Xu Dayan planned the sneak attack on Xi Ren, he planned and trained for four months.
But now, I don't know when the Goguryeo people will be unable to bear it and send their troops to cross the Liaohe River to kill them.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but secretly regret that he shouldn't have uttered arrogant words in Tang Gong's mansion. But at this point, he couldn't take back the words he said. He had to search his guts, recall everything he had learned, and rummage through it carefully, thinking
As I was thinking about it, my mind focused again on the notes I had recited from Old Master Yang.
When Old Master Yang accompanied Yang Su, the Duke of Yue, on his southern expedition, there was also a big river across from Nanchen. It was just that the river was wider and did not freeze in winter. Thinking of Master Yang's notes, Li Xu felt refreshed. When he was in Xibu,
In their spare time, he and his coppersmith master carefully analyzed the war of more than 20 years ago from the south and north aspects of the time. In almost every battle, the coppersmith carefully explained to him the gains and losses of both sides' military use. Li Xu
Apart from my admiration for Yang Su, what I remember the most are the details of the strategizing.
So, while he was refining his troops in a targeted manner, he consulted Master Yang's notes and secretly planned the details of the sneak attack across the river. Seeing that Li Xu was so attentive, Liu Hongji couldn't help but use some "obscene" stories from when he and some of his friends were horse thieves.
"To give him some pointers on the techniques. The two discussed it over and over again, and gradually came up with a rough plan of action in their minds.
Yang Gong's notes describe at great length how to find out the enemy's situation. Among them, sending spies on one's own side is a main method. As a supplement, there are also other auxiliary methods such as buying off enemy generals and soldiers, using merchants, Lu, and rural people.
. At present, the weather is freezing and Shanglu is cut off. However, Khitan hunters can occasionally be encountered in the wild or in the city market. These hunters who live near Huaiyuan Town all speak some Chinese or Turkic dialects. Li Xu draws the gourd.
, dressed up as a trader, secretly chatted with a few mature and prudent hunters, and gained some understanding of the situation in the four major Goguryeo garrison towns of Fuyu, Xincheng, and Wugu on the other side of the Liao River, which are closer to Huaiyuan Town.
"If Brother Maogong were here, he would not know how to judge my plan after seeing it!" Looking at the increasingly clear map of the other side of the river on the table, Li Xu couldn't help but secretly thinking in his heart. At this time last year, Xu Dayan invited himself to follow
Together with the warriors of the Suchu tribe, he practiced the art of making an enemy of ten thousand people, while he was busy learning bow and arrow and sword skills. Now that Brother Maogong was no longer around, he was figuring out military strategies by himself.
Things in the world are impermanent, and it has turned out to be like this! Li Xu sighed in a low voice.
"If Maogong and I were the same person last year, would Su Chuobu still abandon me so easily?" Suddenly, a strange thought came into his mind. His chest felt a heavy pain, and inadvertently, a bitter smile filled his face.
Face.
"Ouch--woo" outside the curtain, the north wind brought the cry of wild wolves, which was very much like Gan Luo's call in the wilderness.
"Why did you abandon me?" Gan Luo stared at his big golden eyes and asked seriously. His eyes were clear and deep, just like the water surface of Crescent Lake in winter. The wind rolled across the snowy field, and in the pink world, there were
Pastoral songs are singing in a low voice.
"I, I want to go back to the Central Plains. The people over there won't accept you!" Li Xu heard his dreamy voice. He saw big tears in Gan Luo's eyes. The wind blew and the silver wolf flew like snow.
The same thing was shattered, and in the pink world, Tao Kuo was dancing with his clothes off. Floating in like smoke, with a smile between his eyebrows, he whispered: "Dew couple, this word is so beautiful. You Han people just know how to talk!"
The whimpering horn sounded, and Gan Luo and Tao Kuo Tuosi disappeared. Turkic cavalry wearing scarlet cloaks roared towards them, waving sharp scimitars in their hands, chopping up all hope. Ashina Choyu
He was at the front of the team, with his unique kindness on his face.
"Woo--Woo-Woo" the horn sounded continuously. Li Xu stretched out his hand to grab the knife, but only caught a handle. The black knife that accompanied him day and night disappeared, turning into Tao Kuo's ghostly resentment in mid-air.
's eyes.
"Fu Li, don't leave me!" Tao Kuo Tuosi cried and shouted, "Fu Li, don't leave me -"
"Woo--Woo-Woo" the horn sounded like thunder, and the Turkic cavalry rushed closer and closer.
"Ah--" Li Xu yelled and stood up suddenly from the desk. Feeling dizzy, he fell softly again. The moment he fell, he held on to the desk with both hands.
He tried his best to stand firm and take a clear look at the surroundings around him. This was the residence Wang Yuantong had specially set aside for him. There were still flames dancing in the charcoal basin. Everything just happened was just a dream.
"Woo-wu-wu-wu" the shrill horn sound chased from the dream to the outside. Li Xu grabbed the black knife and rushed out of the room, and saw several flames rising in the direction of the city center. People shouted, horses
The hissing was endless, and the entire military camp turned into a mess.
Someone took advantage of the chaos and tried to rush into the military camp, but was ambushed in the dark by veterans of the Li Mansion who blocked the door with bows and arrows. The soldiers on duty, led by junior officers, rushed to help, but were killed by the enemy's counterattack. The defeated soldiers pushed back
Pushing and pushing, they dispersed their own archers. Seeing the advantage, the attackers outside shouted and pressed on them.
"Which regiment is on duty? Line up at the door. Anyone who retreats will be killed!" Liu Hongji held a rifle and walked forward against the flow of people. He pushed horizontally twice in succession and pushed the defeated soldiers outside the door. Qin Ziying and Zhang Deyu each
The man was carrying a whip and whipping the defeated soldiers without thinking.
"Why are you running away? Where can you run away? If you lose the army rations, let's ask everyone to kill them together!" Qin Ziying, who had always been timid and stuttered, suddenly stopped stuttering and spoke more coherently. The soldiers who retreated in panic were stunned.
He stopped and turned around bravely.
"The captain on duty, follow me up. The rest of the captains, gather the troops of the team!" Liu Hongji shouted, and he rushed forward. Qin Ziying and Zhang Deyu threw down their whips, drew their swords, and followed Liu Hongji.
behind.
When Yang Fang, the captain on duty, saw that the general was going to fight in person, he did not dare to escape anymore and followed him waving his weapons. When the officers of the brigade under his command saw that the general was taking the lead, they also stopped running for their lives.
"Don't panic, everyone returns to their own teams. All teams are in line and restrain their own troops!" Li Xu shouted loudly to the chaotic crowd on the school field. The most important thing Liu Hongji should do at this moment is to gather troops and horses instead of leading the attack, but if
If he doesn't attack, the entire military camp will collapse!
"That's fine, let's count each one!" Li Xu thought with a wry smile. He bent down and picked up a bow and a pot of arrows that others had left behind, and quickly ran towards the main entrance.
"Every team is in charge, restrain the men and horses of the team. Each brigade leader, collect the soldiers of the brigade. Each school captain, assemble the brothers under your command to listen to the order!" The voices of Wang Yuantong, Qi Poning and others rang behind Li Xu. Everyone was shouting.
He is a good brother. If he doesn't have the ability to step forward to help his friends and enemies fight, before running away, he can at least help a little bit to calm the morale of the soldiers.
In the blink of an eye, Liu Hongji had led his soldiers and fought against the invading enemy. There were not many of them, so he didn’t expect that the rumored vulnerable young master brother could come back so quickly. He was caught off guard and stabbed by Liu Hongji on the spot.
Two died. The third one tried to attack Liu Hongji's back from the flank, but was blocked by Qin Ziying and Zhang Deyu.
Qin Ziying was a child of an aristocratic family who aspired to gain fame, and had never learned martial arts at all. Zhang Deyu's swordsmanship was better than Qin Ziying's, but it only reached the point where he could perform a routine. In the blink of an eye, the two were disrupted by their opponents, and their cooperation was dangerous.
Huansheng. Just when the sneak attacker was grinning and about to launch a fatal blow, the rifle in Liu Hongji's hand swept back like a dragon.
"Cang!" The short knife was knocked away by Bu Shan. Before the owner of the knife could react correctly, Bu Shan's blade found his throat like a snake's message.
"Ah!" Liu Hongji shouted angrily, picked up his opponent's neck and threw the body into the air. The sneak attacker, whose throat was stabbed by Bu Shan, was not completely dead. His hands and feet were twitching in mid-air, circling, and heading toward his own body.
The companion flew away.
The attacking enemy was obviously frightened by Liu Hongji's move, and the speed of their attack slowed down. At that moment, a meteor flashed in mid-air, and a torch was shot by Li Xu as an arrow.
The torch covered in butter exploded with a bang, sending sparks flying everywhere. The fleeting light of the fire illuminated the fact that there were not many attackers at the main entrance. The morale of the officers and soldiers of the Sui Dynasty, with Liu Hongji as the backbone, was immediately boosted.
, shouted and launched a counterattack against the opponent.
Liu Hongji thrust forward with his long spear and knocked over one attacker. With a sideways shot, he swept away half of another attacker's face. As a former horse thief, he didn't know what mercy was when he struck. As long as he faced someone, he would be immediately divided.
Life and death. In the blink of an eye, the sixth attacker was killed again. Just as he was about to chase the seventh enemy, an arrow flew past his body and shot through the enemy's back neck.
"Who are you trying to steal from me?" Liu Hongji shouted impatiently. He turned around and saw Li Xu desperately waving to him at the gate of the camp.
Being thoughtful, he immediately understood what Li Xu meant. When he stood on the same spot, more than 200 soldiers immediately retreated to his side like waves hitting a rock.
"Take your troops back to the camp. Anyone who comes within a hundred steps of the camp wall will be shot!" Liu Hongji shouted menacingly, and strode back with his brothers who had won the "victorious battle." When passing by Li Xu,
However, he stopped and put his arm gently on his good friend's shoulder. (To be continued)
