Two days later, another group of martial arts warriors came to the Qi army camp in Kaiyang, either from Linzi or from other places in Qi State. Not only did they make up for the loss of troops in the previous battle, they even had a lot of surplus.
When these newcomers walked into the military camp noisily, the old people who had already experienced a fierce battle looked on with cold eyes.
"These idiots, I'm afraid they don't know where they are."
Outside a tent, Liu Shi, the sword and shield player in Scar Lao Chang's team, held a piece of grass in his mouth and said with a sneer.
"Isn't it the same with the old man before?"
Zhang He, the Changge hand in Scar Laochang's team, also said calmly: "The group of people who came here with us before were noisily talking about how to spend the bounty they earned, but today, who
Why don't you just keep your head down and seize the time to replenish your strength?" After saying that, he turned to look at Scar Lao Chang and asked: "Lao Chang, do you think Qi can win?"
Scared Lao Chang touched his chin when he heard this and lowered his voice and said: "What do you care about this matter? Let's just get the bounty... I think Qi State can hold on for the time being. Let's hang out here for a while. If Qi State
The army really can't handle it anymore, so we'll leave immediately..."
Having said this, he may have noticed Yawu and other three members who had just joined his small group, so he invited them: "How about we get together then?"
Ya Wu did not refuse and asked curiously: "Where to go?"
Lao Chang said with a smile: "The world is so big, how can there be no place for brothers like us to stay?" After that, he gave a simple explanation to Ya Wu.
Only then did Ya Wu suddenly realize that after leaving their hometowns, these deserters were either employed by others or simply turned into bandits. Take Scar Lao Chang as an example. They had served as bodyguards for merchants and occasionally did some work.
The business of killing people and stealing goods came to Qi State later when I heard that Qi State was recruiting soldiers.
"...These days, all the merchants in the Central Plains are running to Bolangsha in Wei State, so there are a lot more robbers on the way. Wei and Wei are not easy to get along with. Wei State's county soldiers are very strong, and
In the Wei Kingdom, the local rangers are very powerful. It is said that those rangers were recruited by Wei Gong Ziyu and made them
What kind of "Long Chai Shi", and in addition, there are many strong bandits and robbers in Lu State, Song County, including South Korea, on the way. Those merchants are afraid of death, and even more afraid of being robbed by those group of robbers, so they
Paying a lot of money to hire guards..." Lao Chang said casually, with a hint of pride in his tone as a Wei man.
Although now he is just a deserter wanted by the Wei army.
"But being a bodyguard for a merchant is a rare thing that happens once." Liu Shi, who was a bit talkative, added with emotion.
"Why is this?" Ya Wu was a little confused.
I saw Liu Shi smiling and saying: "Isn't this simple? The small merchant is afraid that we will hack his goods, and the big merchant has his own escort team and doesn't look down on us stragglers at all... In the past few years, Wei
Uncle Wen Shaobo, a wealthy countryman, was carrying several shipments of goods.
When the things came to Qi State, the strong bandits from the Taishan area came to plunder, Guaguai, there were hundreds of fucking barbarian guards, all of them were tall and powerful, and each of them was as powerful as the other three. What's more terrible is that these people were equipped with weapons
, these are actually the armaments of Wei’s regular army..."
"I've heard about this."
Chu brothers Zhong Meng and Zhong Bo said with a smile: "Did those Taishan bandits suffer a big loss at that time?"
Scared Old Chang heard this and sneered: "Not only did they suffer a big loss, a leader named Li Damu was shot to death on the spot, and the rest of the thieves dispersed... Aren't these idiots just asking around?
That boy, Shaobo Wen, is a merchant for King Su. His caravan carries a flag with the word "Su", and the guards under him are all equipment of the regular army of Wei."
"...When did this news come out?"
Seeing Scar Lao Chang talking so boastfully, Ya Wu felt funny in his heart.
Of course he knew that the King Su in Lao Chang's words was referring to "King Su Zhao Run", but this was news several years ago, and now His Highness has long been honored as the Crown Prince of the East Palace of Wei State.
But having said that, Wen Shaobo's fleet indeed still flies the flag with the word "Su". After all, it is a kind of honor - in Wei State, the name "Su" is not given casually.
Except for direct retainers like Wen Shaobo.
A group of people were chatting casually when they saw a few messengers coming over and signaling to Lao Chang and others: "Are you the old people here?"
Lao Chang, Ya Wu and others nodded.
Seeing this, a messenger said: "Those who participated in the battle two days ago, go to the rear camp to collect the bounty."
After that, these order soldiers did not wait for any reaction from Lao Chang and others, and left on their own.
Since they originally came here for the bounty, Lao Chang and others certainly would not refuse, so they took Yawu and a few others to the rear camp.
At this time, the rear camp was already overcrowded. Carts full of Qi copper coins were parked in the camp. The number of carriages made even Ya Wu swallow his saliva subconsciously.
While queuing up, Ya Wu looked around and asked Lao Chang: "Lao Chang, we didn't cut off the enemy's heads as evidence on the battlefield. How did the quartermaster know how many we killed?
Enemy soldiers?”
"This is indeed a problem..."
Scar Lao Chang touched his chin, then frowned and said: "At that scene, who the hell had the time to cut off the enemy's head? Whoever cuts off the enemy's head is a fool who doesn't want his life!" "Tattooed Face of Qin"
Pawn: I dare you!』
Finally, it was Lao Chang's turn to rank. The quartermaster glanced at Lao Chang and asked casually: "How many enemies have been killed?"
"I killed sixteen!" Lao Chang said with eyes wide open.
Hearing this, the quartermaster raised his head in surprise and looked at Lao Chang up and down.
Seeing this, Lao Chang said with some displeasure: "What are you looking at? Could it be that I will still trick you?"
After hearing this, the quartermaster smiled and shook his head, grabbed a handful of copper coins from the basket next to him, and gave Lao Chang a reward based on the standard of "killing sixteen enemies."
Immediately, he wrote down Lao Chang's name in a book.
Even Lao Chang was a little dazed by the straightforwardness. He still didn't react until the quartermaster shouted "Next".
"...There is no need to cut off the heads of enemy soldiers as evidence?"
Crow Five was also a little shocked.
Immediately, it was his turn, and the quartermaster asked casually again: "How many enemies have been killed?"
Crow Five thought for a while, and originally wanted to test it out by deliberately lying about the number, but considering the benefits if it was exposed, he finally told the real number honestly: "Eleven."
After hearing this, the quartermaster also raised his head and glanced at Crow Five, and then directly gave the bounty without saying anything.
After that, Liu Shi, Zhang He, the Chu brothers Zhong Meng and Zhong Bo, including the two Qing Crows who accompanied Crow Five, all received the bounty one after another.
"...Strange, is the Qi country really so rich that you don't even need a certificate to pay a bounty? What should you do if someone lies about military merit?"
Crow Wu was secretly amazed and did not leave even after taking the bounty. He stood not far away and watched to see if anyone was lying about his military exploits.
Not to mention it was true, not long after, there was a middle-aged man who didn't look very powerful, boasting that he had killed more than thirty enemy soldiers, which aroused the ridicule of the martial arts warriors nearby.
It's no wonder, you know, a tough soldier like Scar Lao Chang, who was born as a hundred-man general in the Wei State's anti-rebellion army, only killed sixteen enemies on the battlefield in the past few days, and that guy who seemed to be a humble guy actually dared to
He boasts of killing more than 30 enemies. Does he think he is a warrior with the level of a thousand-man general?
However, to everyone's surprise, after looking at the man for a while, the quartermaster actually gave the bounty according to the standard of killing more than thirty people. However, during this period, the quartermaster added
He said: "It seems that such a tough soldier like this should get these bounties. However, after taking these bounties, I will arrange you to the front line in the next war... If you really have the ability, then you can
Survive, otherwise...hehe."
After that, he ignored the red-faced and frightened middle-aged man and went to greet the next one.
Seeing this scene, Yaowu and the nearby martial arts warriors all understood that the bounty was not easy to get. If you were too outstanding, you would inevitably be placed in the most dangerous place on the battlefield. If there is really a
A tough soldier who can kill more than a dozen, twenty, or thirty enemies will naturally survive. But if he lies about his military exploits, this bounty may be the last one he can receive in his life.
money.
"...It seems that Qi Ren is not stupid either."
After a few chuckles, Ya Wu and the two Qing Crows returned to Scar Lao Chang and the others, told them about the scene they had just witnessed, and reminded them: "We received too much bounty.
If it is too conspicuous, the next battle may be arranged in the most dangerous place."
After hearing this, Scar Lao Chang, Liu Shi, Zhang He, and Chu brothers Zhong Meng and Zhong Bo all showed no unusual expressions. Scar Lao Chang even chuckled and said casually: "Everything on the battlefield is dangerous.
How can it be said that there is no danger?... It doesn't matter. As long as we brothers work together and advance and retreat together, it will not be difficult to survive... When the time comes, it will be up to me to give orders."
Everyone nodded. After all, Scar Laochang was born in the Hundred-Man General of the Wei State's anti-rebellion army. In the Wei State army, he could serve as a Bo-shang and a Hundred-Man General. He naturally knew how to increase his chances of survival on the battlefield.
.
On that day, in addition to receiving the bounty, Ya Wu and others also received a pot of wine and a bowl of meat, which made the new martial arts warriors greedy.
While drinking wine and eating meat, Ya Wu secretly thought in his heart: This Qi State seems to be planning to feed them all at once. This is really rich and powerful. It should be noted that even the regular army in the Wei State does not have
Possibility of drinking and eating meat every meal.
Even when Zhao Run, the prince of Wei State, led the army on an expedition, cured meat and pickles were often included in his meals. This was why the generals such as Zongwei and Wu Ji went up to the mountains to hunt for the prince during their free time during the war.
Your Highness, please improve the food.
But it's better for Qi State, it really doesn't use money as a messenger.
Crow Wu once heard that there was a rumor in the world that Qi King Lu Xi used money to win the war with Chu State. He thought it was just a rumor before, but now look again, this Qi State really has money.
The possibility of crushing the Chu State.
This country is really too rich.
For a moment, Yawu actually considered giving false information to His Highness the Crown Prince, asking him to lead an army to attack Qi and seize the wealth of Qi. After all, no one can ever have too much money, and they will never have too much.
Some people may find it too much.
Even if he is the Wei State today.
At this moment, General Zou Ji of Qi's Donglai Army and General Ji Mi of the Eastern Navy were patrolling the military camp together to observe the morale of the martial arts warriors of this battalion.
During this period, Ji Mi said with a smile: "General Zou Ji is so scheming. He deliberately distributed the bounty at this time. It not only boosted the morale of the old people in the camp, but also filled the new people with fighting spirit..."
Zou Ji smiled and said nothing.
In fact, as early as yesterday, the team that came from Linzi and was loaded with bounty copper coins had already arrived in Kaiyang under the escort of a group of Qi soldiers.
But Zou Ji did not advocate issuing the bounty immediately. In his opinion, it was impossible for the old people who had experienced the previous war to leave without receiving the bounty. In this case, it was better to wait for the new
After the recruited martial arts warriors arrive, the bounty will be distributed, which can not only boost the morale of the old people in the camp, but also stimulate the newcomers who have just arrived.
When it came to Linzi, Zou Ji was filled with resentment.
It is undeniable that the bounty shipped here from Linzi was quite timely. In fact, Zou Ji was still thinking about how to coax those martial arts warriors who had just experienced a fierce battle to continue fighting against Chu, but he did not expect that
, Linzi has already prepared sufficient funds.
But the problem is...
If you have the time, why not mobilize several elite armies such as the Jimo Army, the Beihai Navy, the Langya Army, and the Flying Bear Army?
In response to this, the reply from Linzi was very simple: If you want money, yes, I will send troops continuously to deliver it, but if you want several elite armies such as Jimo Army, Beihai Navy, Langya Army, and Flying Bear Army, then
No, it's not yet time for these armies to dispatch.
It must be said that Linzi's attitude made Zou Ji, Ji Mi and other frontline generals very troubled.
It can be said that Linzi's officials do not know the general situation. Linzi has indeed spent a lot of money this time. It spread its financial resources like a boy spreading wealth and recruited hundreds of thousands or even more martial arts warriors. It can be said that Linzi's scholars
You know the general story, gentlemen, that group of people are still holding on to those elite troops, and this time, even the left prime minister Zhao Zhao was persuaded by them.
In this case, the only people who can rely on the Kaiyang front line are these martial arts warriors.
After inspecting for a while, Ji Mi and Zou Ji returned to Kaiyang City and ordered Tian Wu to be reinstated.
"...the appearance of the martial arts warriors who have experienced the last battle has indeed changed. In my opinion, they have become much calmer and no longer as noisy as before. They can be used for the time being; but the newly arrived soldiers, I'm afraid
It’s useless...”
"Hmm."
After hearing the replies from Ji Mi and Zou Ji, Tian Wu nodded.
Tian Wu had a clear view of the battle in the past two days, and found that among the hundreds of thousands of martial arts warriors, there was a mixture of good and bad. There were veterans from the regular armies of various countries in the Central Plains, as well as reckless rangers who were not used to fighting on the battlefield, as well as
Ordinary civilians and such a mixed army are certainly difficult to dispatch and command, but Tian Wu still feels that this ragtag group can defeat the Chu State's grain soldiers and even the Chu State's regular army.
Why?
The reason is simple, it's the bounty.
Chu's grain-recruited soldiers were purely civilians recruited with grain. There was no so-called military pay. The harvest of the soldiers depended entirely on their own plunder. However, although Chu's regular army was paid with military pay, how could it compare with Qi's?
Is the army giving out bounties based on the number of enemies killed?
As the saying goes, there must be brave men under heavy rewards. As long as this group of martial arts warriors are not defeated by the Chu army with an overwhelming advantage, as long as this group of people still feel that Qi State can still persist, then this group of soldiers who were lured by money will not only
It will not be defeated, but will become more and more courageous.
Of course, before that, the most important thing is to let these people adapt to this kind of war as quickly as possible.
And the way to adapt is undoubtedly war.
The next day, Tian Wu once again led these hundreds of thousands of martial arts warriors to attack the Chu army.
At this time, the army under Chu Shouling Jun Jingyun was setting up camp thirty miles south of Kaiyang City. When he learned that Qi General Tian Wu was coming to attack, he would certainly not be timid. After all, no matter how brave Tian Wu was, he would never be able to rely on his strength to attack.
Single-handedly, he defeated hundreds of thousands of troops under his command.
As a result, the Qi and Chu armies clashed again that day.
The result is not difficult to predict. Chu's grain recruits faced Qi's martial arts warriors. Both sides were rabble-rous. They simply consumed each other's strength. The Chu army could fully afford it, and the Qi army could also afford it.
rise.
In this way, as of the end of April, Qi General Tian Wu took hundreds of thousands of martial arts warriors under his command to the battle in five days. Under normal circumstances, he only observed the battle situation in his own formation. Only when the martial arts warriors were at a disadvantage, he would personally
Go out and lead the elite soldiers of the Donghai Navy or Donglai Army to attack the Chu army's lineup to restore the disadvantage.
After a few times, Yang You, the general next to Chu Shouling Jun Jingyun, gradually saw the clues and said to the former: "Young Master, this Tian Wu is clearly using our army's miscellaneous soldiers to train..."
In fact, Lord Shouling Jingyun also vaguely had this speculation. Hearing this, he frowned and said, "Even if you know his intentions, how can you stop him?"
"This..." Yang You was speechless.
Also, even if he knew that Tian Wu's purpose was to use the Chu army's food to recruit soldiers and sharpen those martial arts warriors, what could the Chu army do?
Is it possible that we can't avoid the battle?
Wouldn't this further increase the Qi army's momentum?
Or should we say, send out the regular troops under your command?
But the problem is that Shouling Lord Jingyun really felt that he was at a huge loss by exchanging soldiers from the regular army for miscellaneous soldiers (martial arts warriors) from the Qi army.
But having said that, Shouling Jun Jingyun, a noble son of Chu State, although not good at military affairs, is decisive and straightforward in doing things, quite similar to his father Shouling Jun Jingshe's style. He thought for a moment
After that, he said in a deep voice: "Instead of asking Tian Wu to use our army's miscellaneous soldiers to achieve the purpose of training troops, it is better to make a decisive decision... Wait until the next time he leads his troops to attack, Yang You, you lead the main army to break in from the flank and defeat Qi Qi in one fell swoop.
Those miscellaneous soldiers of the army!"
After hearing this, Yang You praised happily: "My lord, this is a wonderful plan!"
In fact, as the right-hand man of the former Shouling Junjingshe, it was not that Yang You had not thought of this strategy, but he never expected that his eldest son, who did not know much about military matters, would be so decisive.
For a moment, Yang You seemed to be able to vaguely see the head of the family he had previously been loyal to - Shouling Jun Jingshe in the figure of the eldest son.
It is undeniable that Shouling Jun Jingyun's judgment was very decisive and wise, but he only ignored one thing, and that was the growth rate of the Qi army's martial arts warriors.
During these days, under Tian Wu's deliberate guidance, the martial arts warriors in the Qi army were simply transformed. Those naive guys who once thought they could kill everyone on the battlefield have either become corpses on the battlefield or their consciousnesses. After realizing my own stupidity, I honestly learned to survive on the battlefield like a qualified soldier by closely cooperating with Tongze, which greatly reduced the casualty rate of these martial arts warriors.
From the beginning, there were over 10,000 casualties, which gradually decreased, and it seemed to have the aura of a regular army.
This made it possible that after the latter battle, Chu Shouling Lord Jingyun was unable to defeat the Qi army's martial arts warriors in one fell swoop even though he sent out his regular troops. The latter was still only slightly at a disadvantage.
At this time, Shouling Jun Jingyun and General Yang You realized that it would be difficult to defeat Qi General Tian Wu with the strength of his army alone, so they had to ask for help from several other Chu armies.
In early May, after Xiong Li, Lord of Diyang, took complete control of Donghai County, he finally led reinforcements to help.
But it is a pity that during this period, Qi State Linzi continued to recruit martial arts warriors and sent them to Kaiyang County one after another. As a result, Qi General Tian Wu fought seven or eight battles with Shouling Jun Jingyun, and his subordinates Instead of decreasing, the number of troops increased.
What's more important is that in these military trainings, the martial arts warriors of the Qi army were like panning for gold. They gradually developed an army with considerable combat effectiveness by surviving the fittest and eliminating the fittest.
The strong survive and the weak die. After several battles, there are more and more old soldiers like Scar Lao Chang and reckless rangers like Liu Shi, the ranger of the Patriotic Kingdom. What is even more commendable is that these reckless rangers and desperadoes are still alive. Gradually, he learned how to act like a good soldier and increase his chances of survival on the battlefield.
During this period, Ya Wuqing clearly saw the changes in his ragtag group over the past few days, and he had to admire: the power of money is really terrifying.
In late May, probably because Shouling Lord Jingyun and Diyang Lord Xiong Li were having trouble attacking Kaiyang, Chu Gongzi Yangcheng Lord Xiong Tuo personally led the army to the junction of Langya Army.
During this period, according to inquiries from the Qingya people under Yawu, the few remaining regular armies in Qi, namely the Jimo Army, the Beihai Navy, the Langya Army, and even the Feixiong Army, were also making subtle moves, and seemed to be preparing. ready to go to the front lines and join the battle at any time.
Originally, Ya Wu did not think that the Qi State could withstand the Chu State's offensive, but during these days, after he witnessed the "power of money" with his own eyes, he gradually changed his mind.
Of course, the specific outcome depends on the subsequent decisive battle between Qi and Chu.
At the same time, in Julu County, South Korea, the Crown Prince of Wei, Zhao Hongrun, was standing at the window with his hands behind his back, recalling in his mind the secret letters sent by Ya Wu these days.
"...I really didn't expect that Qi's money offensive was actually...ha! Well, even if Qi can resist the Chu army, the Chu army still has a huge advantage. If it were me, it would be temporary
Slow down the offensive of Qi State and attack Lu State instead. First obtain Lu State's craftsmanship and technology. Once Lu State is destroyed, even if Chu State cannot overthrow Qi State in a short time, Qi State's national destiny may not last long...
』
"Is there anyone in the Lu State who can compete with Xiang Mo, Xiang Pei and other Chu generals?"