Four hundred and twentieth eight chapters convince people with virtue
Not to mention that the soldiers below could not hold on, even Liu Xiu himself could hardly hold on. He got off his horse and said loudly to Wang Ba: "Uncle Yuan, go and get over this situation!"
"Yes!" Wang Ba agreed, turned around and ran away. After a while, Yao Qi and Wang Ba came to Liu Xiu together. Liu Xiu asked: "Secondly, is there a place to hide from the wind and snow nearby?"
Yao Qi pointed forward with his hand and shouted back: "Lord, if we go seven or eight miles further, there is a mountain col ahead, which can provide shelter from the wind and snow!"
Liu Xiu turned his ears and listened clearly to Yao Qi's words. He nodded and shouted to Wang Ba: "Uncle Yuan, let brothers hold on a little longer!"
Wang Ba nodded, bowed to Liu Xiu, and ran back. Liu Xiu pondered for a moment, then mounted the horse with great effort, turned the horse's head, and walked back.
Although Zhongshan County soldiers are all natives of the north and have long been accustomed to the severe cold weather in the north, people can't bear to face such a heavy snowstorm and at night when the temperature drops sharply. They are all freezing despite the wind and snow.
Shivering.
Liu Xiu rode on his horse and walked for a while. He saw Wang Ba helping a soldier who had fallen to the ground. The soldier was less than twenty years old. His face was pale, his lips were purple, and he was already unconscious from the cold.
Not clear.
Wang Ba called him loudly several times, but when he saw no response, he took off his cloak and wrapped it tightly around the soldiers. Seeing this, the soldiers around him were all moved.
Among the generals under Liu Xiu's command, Wang Ba was the one who treated the soldiers the best. In the military camp, Wang Ba usually lived and ate with the lower-level soldiers. When he received rewards, he would also distribute them to the brothers below.
Every time the battle ends and the battlefield is cleared, Wang Ba will personally participate.
When he saw the corpses of his own soldiers with disheveled clothes, he would neatly tidy up their clothes and armor. In the words of Wang Ba, people come in clean, and when they leave, they should also dress neatly.
Therefore, Wang Ba's prestige has always been very high in the minds of the soldiers at the bottom, and people also sincerely like and admire this man who looks rough but is actually as considerate as silk.
Seeing Wang Ba wrap his cloak around the cold-stunned soldier, Liu Xiu dismounted, pulled the horse over, and signaled Wang Ba to put the soldier on the horse.
Wang Ba was shocked and said: "This...isn't this appropriate, my lord..."
Liu Xiu shook his head and motioned to the surrounding soldiers to come and help. Then he took off his mink cloak and put it on Wang Ba's shoulders.
"My lord——" Wang Ba's eyes were hot and he looked at Liu Xiu eagerly.
Liu Xiu patted Wang Ba's arm, shook his head and said, "Let's go, let's continue on our way!"
Wang Ba wanted to take off the big cloak from his shoulders and return it to Liu Xiu. The latter grabbed his wrist and murmured: "Everyone who followed me from Yingchuan! But now, only you and Ci Kuang are left.
Gongsun!"
When Liu Xiu won the great victory at Kunyang in Yingchuan, his reputation was so great that the people who came to join him were like crucian carp crossing the river.
But now, the only people from Yingchuan who are following him are Yao Qi, Feng Yi and Wang Ba, and Yao Qi and Feng Yi had already taken refuge with him.
Two thousand Zhongshan County troops marched arduously for another seven or eight miles, and finally arrived at the small mountain col that Yao Qi mentioned. This small mountain col is shaped like a gourd, and the concave area in the middle can indeed provide shelter from wind and snow.
After entering the small mountain col, the soldiers from top to bottom seemed to have collapsed, sitting on the ground, gasping for air. Traveling on a windy and snowy day was not only cold and freezing, but also extremely draining of physical strength.
.
Everyone now is cold, tired, hungry and tired. People chopped some firewood in the mountain col and nearby mountains, and built circles of bonfires in the mountain col.
Liu Xiu sat by the bonfire, took out the sword from his side, stuck a piece of dry food in it, and put it on the fire to roast. It wasn't that Liu Xiu didn't care about his sword, but the dry food was as frozen as ice and he wanted to string it on a branch.
Can't get in either.
Others also followed Liu Xiu's example, picking up their own weapons, picking up the dry food they carried with them, putting it on the fire to roast until soft, and swallowing it with the snow water.
The conditions were very difficult, but with so many soldiers, no one complained of hardship, because even Liu Xiu was like them, chewing hard dry food and swallowing snow water as cold as a knife.
People rested in the mountain col for more than an hour. When the wind and snow outside subsided a little, Liu Xiu ordered all the soldiers to continue on their way.
The troops fighting against Yan Feng's department this time were not theirs, but fired four arrows together. The time for the attack had been agreed upon. No matter where there was a problem along the way or the task was not completed at the agreed time, there would be
It may affect the entire battle situation and even cause the entire battle plan to be wasted.
No matter how hard and tiring the march was, Liu Xiu had to grit his teeth and get through it, not daring to waste any more time.
In winter in the north, the days are short and the nights are long. Walking in the dark night, the white snow in front of you seems to be endless.
Liu Xiu's tribe passed through Xiaquyang and walked for another three days before finally arriving near Jin County.
That afternoon, Liu Xiu was resting in a temporary tent in the forest when Yao Qi's voice came from outside: "My lord!"
Liu Xiu opened his eyes, immediately sat up from the ground, and said, "Come in!"
Yao Qi bent down, walked into the tent, stepped in and saluted Liu Xiu, and said, "My lord, the scout who went to Jin County to investigate is back!"
Liu Xiu hurriedly asked: "What is the situation in Jin County? How many defenders are there in the city?"
Yao Qi frowned and said, "According to detective reports, there are about 4,000 defenders in Jian City."
Liu Xiu raised his eyebrows and said, "How is this possible? Could it be that the spies got the wrong information?"
Jiancheng is not on the front line, but in the rear. How could a mere county town have amassed four thousand county soldiers? You must know that Lunu, as a county town, originally only had two thousand county soldiers.
Yao Qi said seriously: "My lord, Yan Feng has stored grain and grass in Wei City! Most of the 4,000 defenders in Wei City are people left behind by Yan Feng's tribe."
After Liu Xiu heard this, he couldn't help stroking his forehead. Before the war, he had calculated everything, but failed to calculate that Yan Feng actually chose Jincheng as a place to store grain and grass. What a coincidence!
At present, there are four thousand Wang Lang's troops garrisoned in Jiang City. Our own soldiers are only 2,000 strong, and 2,000 fight against 4,000. Moreover, it is a siege battle. This is too difficult.
Yao Qi asked cautiously: "Lord, the situation has changed. In this battle, we..."
"We must fight this battle, and we must capture Wei City!" If they fail to capture Wei City, it will directly affect the offensive deployment of the other three soldiers.
"However, there are four thousand Wang Lang's troops in the city, which is double the strength of our army!" The art of war says that it takes three times to attack the city. Now the number of defenders is actually twice that of the attackers. This is
How can we fight a war?
Liu Xiu frowned, thought for a moment, and asked, "Are there any villages or towns near Jincheng?"
Yao Qi said: "In the southwest of Jincheng, there is a village called Yangcun."
Liu Xiu asked: "How far is it from my department?"
"Twenty miles."
Liu Xiu rolled his eyes and said, "When night falls, our army will go to Yangcun."
"What do you mean, my lord?" Yao Qi's face was full of doubts. The occupation of Yangcun by our own side had no impact on Jiancheng at all. On the contrary, it was an act to scare off the enemy.
Liu Xiu took a deep breath and said: "It is difficult to successfully attack a city where four thousand enemy troops are stationed with two thousand troops. We must draw the enemy out of the city. We have to fight them outside the city!"
Yangcun is a large-scale village with dozens of households and more than 200 villagers. It is located in the southwest of Bincheng, which is more than ten miles away.
That night, when it was dark, Liu Xiu led two thousand soldiers under his command and quietly marched towards Yangcun.
They walked for an hour for a distance of twenty miles. Halfway through Wu Shi, that is, around eight o'clock in the evening, the Zhongshan County Army led by Liu Xiu arrived at Yangcun without anyone noticing.
Yangcun is a large village with no military garrison, but there is a night watchman organized by the local villagers. Two middle-aged villagers huddled in a thatched house at the entrance of the village, talking to each other.
Just when the two of them were drowsy, the door suddenly opened, and the cold wind from outside suddenly poured into the thatched house.
Two middle-aged villagers shivered excitedly and said dissatisfiedly: "Who is it? Close the door quickly, close the door quickly..."
In the middle of their conversation, the two of them suddenly paused. The first person walking in from the outside was a young man wearing armor. Behind him, there were many burly men.
The two middle-aged villagers subconsciously grabbed the spears standing on the side and pointed them directly at the young man who walked in. They bravely asked in a trembling voice: "You... who are you? This is Yang Village. There are people here."
...There are hundreds of strong men, and you want to do evil, but...you are looking in the wrong place!"
The young man who came in from the outside was none other than Liu Xiu. After he entered the thatched house, he glanced around first, and then his eyes fell on two middle-aged villagers. He bowed his hands and saluted, and said: "I am Liu Xiu, passing by Yang Village, especially
Come and ask for help from the people of Yangcun!"
Liu Xiu?! The two villagers widened their eyes in surprise and stared blankly at the young man in front of them. He was tall, handsome, and gentle. He was also gentle when he spoke, making it easy for people to like him.
.
One of the villagers put down the spear in his hand and asked uncertainly: "You...are you Liu Xiu from Nanyang? The Liu Xiu who defeated millions of Wang Mang's troops in Kunyang?"
"That's right!" Liu Xiu said with a smile.
The expressions of the two villagers changed again. They looked at each other, knelt on their knees, kowtowed forward, and said, "I don't know that this is Marquis Wu Xin who is here. I have offended you so much. Please forgive me, Marquis Wu Xin!"
Liu Xiu had a good reputation, which served him well throughout his life.
At that time, people attached great importance to virtue. The quality of a person's virtue directly affected his reputation, and his reputation directly determined the attitude of people in the world towards him.
Take Wang Mang for example. Before Wang Mang usurped the throne, he was really a model of virtue in the world. His son was forced to death by Wang Mang because he killed a slave. He forced his son to die.
The slave paid his life. At that time, when people mentioned Wang Mang, from the common people to the princes and nobles, they all raised their thumbs and praised him for his great virtue and respect.
It was precisely because of this foundation that Wang Mang dared to usurp the throne and successfully usurped the throne.
However, after Wang Mang sat on the throne of the emperor, his true colors were revealed. Not only was his noble virtue gone, but his governance was also in a mess, making the people miserable. Only then did the heroes of the world come to attack him.
Liu Xiu himself was highly educated, a Taipei student, and knowledgeable. Because of this, he paid more and more attention to his own moral cultivation, which gave Liu Xiu a very high reputation among the people.
The reason why heroes like Geng Yan, Wu Han, Kou Xun, and Jing Dan were willing to take refuge in Liu Xiu was precisely because of Liu Xiu's virtue.
Even villagers as far away as Hebei Province made a 118-degree turn when they heard that the person standing in front of them was Liu Xiu, and they knelt down to salute.
In some eras, it’s all about face, in other times it’s all about money, but in this era, it’s all about virtue.