Although bribery was common among officials in the Sui Dynasty, there had never been a precedent for superiors to give gifts to subordinates. As soon as Li Xuchu took office, he did not forcefully ask for filial piety from the generals in Henan counties, which was already very unexpected. In the blink of an eye, he was sent out in public.
Several large boxes were packed, and even if the generals were not afraid of being impeached by the officials later, they still could not achieve the same thickness of face as Yu Wenhao. Therefore, they declined in every possible way and refused to accept it.
"Actually, these gifts are not given to everyone for nothing!" Seeing that everyone was resolute, Li Xu was afraid that he would not even be able to give Yu Wenhao a share, so he smiled and looked for everyone to go down the steps, "I copied these from the den of thieves.
If the dirt that comes out is put among the people, few people will be able to afford it. So I ask you to dispose of it on your behalf and raise some supplies to improve the equipment and food of the soldiers, so that the Wagang Army can be wiped out as soon as possible!"
"Yes, yes, if you want to do your job well, you must first sharpen your tools!" Yu Wenhao was greatly embarrassed by everyone's reserve. Hearing Li Xu's understanding, he quickly responded. "I'll pick some for the emperor first.
There are so many robbers these days, I'm afraid the palace is lacking something to make His Majesty happy!"
"Everyone, please take some. We will raise money and food in a few days, and we will reward the teachers in the city!" County Sheriff Yu Shi saw this and hurriedly helped to make arrangements.
After listening to the speeches of the senior officials with the highest official positions, all the civil and military officials hesitated to pick out the remaining items from Yu Wenhuo. Some people secretly praised the new arresting ambassador for his righteousness and wealth, and that he was a good boss worth following. Others did not.
They felt that this move was a bit like buying people's hearts. There were also a few honest officials who simply picked the ones that were easiest to sell, and planned to exchange them for meat someday and then hand them over to the public, so as to buy some solid points for the soldiers under their command.
My armor and sharper weapons.
The imperial court's arrangements for the suppression of bandits in Henan Province had been spread to various places a year ago. Therefore, in addition to the remnants of Liu Changgong who had lost his command, there were also more than 20,000 troops under Huyalang General Wang Bian gathered around Xingyang County.
Thousands of county troops were led by Fu Bing, Pei Renji, Qin Shubao and others, as well as local troops sent from Hongnong, Xiangcheng and other nearby counties, led by their respective generals, ranging from three to five thousand each.
Except for the 20,000 government soldiers, the imperial court did not care about the equipment and supplies of the various local troops. Therefore, although the batch of stolen goods Li Xu brought with him was only a drop in the bucket when distributed to the generals, it was really touching.
once.
The generals were moved and tried to give General Li something in return. However, after waiting in the city for two or three days, Li Xu, in addition to occasionally finding a few people who had fought against the Wagang Army to learn about the enemy's combat effectiveness, asked about the enemy's combat effectiveness.
There was no mention of the arrangements for how the next battle would proceed.
"Isn't General Li planning to annex all his subordinates?" You cautiously discussed with worry. Things are abnormal when things are abnormal. It was the first time in their lives that they had seen a boss who was so considerate to his subordinates.
The gift of the golden sword proposed to organize the army. No matter whether they were forced by his power or grateful for his kindness, it was really difficult for everyone to refuse.
"Not necessarily. In my opinion, General Li is not that kind of greedy person. Besides, the brothers we have are incomparable to the more than 3,000 cavalrymen under their command. Even if they come to ask for a merger, they may not take it seriously.
Eye-catching!" People who had secretly observed the training of Boling's elite cavalry shook their heads repeatedly, denying their colleagues' speculation. "I think General Li is waiting for a response from General Pei. After all, without the support of Hulao, it will be difficult for us here.
Take action alone!”
Only then did everyone notice that the children of Qijun, who were among the best in combat effectiveness, were not in Guancheng. Since General Li took office, only a few low-level officers were sent to Hulao Pass to express their congratulations, while a few core figures were sent to guard against the Wagang Army.
In the name of a sneak attack, no one showed up.
"Does Pei Renji have a feud with General Li?" Someone continued to speculate.
"Impossible, half of the people in Hulao Pass are General Li's old troops. I heard that Qin Shubao and Luo Shixin are close friends with General Li!" The well-informed person shook his head in denial and pointed out directly.
Comparing the strength of the two sides, "We, General Li, have His Majesty's imperial edict, the late Emperor's golden sword, and the support of two tiger generals, Qin Shubao and Luo Shixin. What right does his surname Pei have to disobey orders? Unless he thinks he is outlived!"
"
Regardless of the outcome of the speculation, someone still needs to be sent to Li Xu to find out the truth. Everyone pushed and pushed, and finally agreed that Hu Benlang, General Wang Bian, had the best relationship with Li Xu, and suggested that he should take the lead to find out what General Li said.
Wang Bian, the general of Hu Ben Lang, was also worried and couldn't get through the pleadings of others, so he had no choice but to agree. He first put together a clean outfit, and then ordered his subordinates to push a few carts of money and food in the name of returning the proceeds from the sale of the thieves.
Go to the Boling Army station outside the city to visit Li Xu.
"I am also having a headache about this matter. Since everyone is so concerned, why not get together to discuss a safe solution!" After hearing Wang Bian express everyone's concerns tactfully, Li Xu smiled and suggested.
"How dare they influence your Majesty's decision-making!" Hu Benlang was stunned for a moment and said in surprise, "If your Majesty has any plans, just give them orders. If anyone refuses to obey, there will be military law to deal with him!"
"It's better to work together as a team. I've just arrived and no one is familiar with the enemy. Otherwise, we might make a mistake and give the Wagang Army an opportunity!" Li Xu shook his head and insisted.
The generals felt greatly reassured when they learned that the new superior had no intention of integrating all the troops into one. Hearing that General Li wanted to gather the generals for discussion, they all responded with a bang. The chief generals of the Sui armies in Hulao and Xingyang received
They quickly passed the message and hurried over on their own initiative. Everyone gathered in the temporary Chinese military tent, and their morale was as high as it had ever been in several years.
Li Xu was appointed by His Majesty the Emperor as the Henan Province's arrest envoy, so he naturally sat in the position of commander. Pei Renji, the governor of Xingyang County, and Huben Lang placed Wang Bian's seats on both sides of him. The other generals were assigned seats according to their official positions.
Standing sequentially along both sides of the commander's case. Placed on the ground directly in front of the commander's case is a large map made of sheepskin, which shows the mountains and rivers of Xingyang, Guancheng, Hulao and other places, the direction of the rivers, and the locations of the enemy and our various departments.
The prescription position and the number of troops are marked on it.
After the military point was made, Li Xu looked around first, then pointed at the map in front of him, and said with a smile: "In recent days, the Japanese commander has been busy understanding the military situation nearby, so he has never taken time to discuss business with everyone. Now the enemy and we are both
We have almost understood the situation in all aspects, and then we are going to start a war with the Wagang Army. But there is no specific charter for how to fight. If you have any good suggestions, you might as well tell us, and we will take a look at the details together!" (To be continued)
