Chapter 686 You used to be a pioneer, this time you are the coach
The horn sounded long and leisurely, and the majestic trumpet sound spread far along the official road in the southern part of the vast Wei Sheng Army. After a while, groups of neat soldiers and horses were faintly revealed. There were about two or three people in the front line.
Thousands of people and horse troops are all riding on very majestic mounts. Each of them has bright clothes and armor, and is fully equipped with weapons.
Behind the cavalry in the front formation, the rear infantry gunners were holding long spears with red tassels and short knives on their waists. The sword and shield hand held the shield in the left hand and the sword in the right hand. There were also several teams of crossbowmen holding the divine arm bow, which was the weapon of the Great Song Dynasty. However, they saw the cold light shining and murderous intent.
, the vanguard is fierce, leading all the elite soldiers who can charge into the battle, the middle army is brave, they are all strong men, the dragons and tigers are fierce, the group gallops across the place with majesty, looking from a distance, the mountains are shaken by the thundering drums, and the banners reflecting the sun ward off ghosts and gods.
Xiao Tang was also wearing light armor at this time and was riding on the fiery red horse of the divine horse. He stood solemnly under the military flag fluttering in the wind. He also had sharp eyes and a majestic demeanor. When he saw the official road in the distance,
When the troops marching in were neatly dressed and looked very majestic, he finally showed a smile.
Although the Imperial Guards in the capital had a large number of troops, their combat effectiveness was indeed uneven. Xiao Tang was really afraid that the officials dispatching troops in the imperial court would not know the military affairs, or that Gao Qiu would interfere with them.
There were more than a thousand weak officers and soldiers who were just looking for food and pay to survive, but did not dare to fight when the battle came. So the war that had to be carried out to suppress the river east and conquer Tian Hu was really impossible to fight.
Now it seems that Zheng Juzhong, who is currently in charge of the Privy Council, also knows that Wang Huan, Han Cunbao and other Shijiedu people who were canonized during the late emperor's reign have a close relationship with Xiao Tang, and Wang Huan and Han Cunbao were both trained in the Western Army in their early years.
Veteran general, Baozou asked for instructions on which troops with relatively high combat qualities to dispatch, so he naturally knew what to do.
Although Gao Qiu is still the Sanya Taiwei in charge of the life and death of the imperial army in the capital, he can only ask Zhao Ji for orders when the imperial army is dispatched to conquer other prefectures in the Song Dynasty. However, according to the official system, he is not allowed to interfere.
Officials are no better than the military officers and generals who were posted in front of the palace and could only tolerate Gao Qiu. They offended other high-ranking officials in the court just to cause trouble for Xiao Tang.
When senior officials participated in his book, the gains outweighed the losses for Gao Qiu. Gao Qiu, a treacherous official who was also good at calculating gains and losses, would not be able to calculate this account clearly.
Even if many of the officers and generals in the imperial guards from the capital who were dispatched could only follow Gao Qiu, it is often said that they are not afraid of officials, only of management. Now that they are sent to the capital to Hedong, they will have to be controlled by Xiao and Tang. If these generals were ordered by Gao Qiu to
If you don't work hard to conquer the bandits, you may not be able to keep their heads and return to the capital to continue to curry favor with Gao Qiu.
At this time, the army of officers and soldiers also saw the flag hoisted by Xiao Tang on the north side. In just a moment, a number of horses rushed towards the advancing army, riding straight towards Xiao Tang. When Xiao Tang saw this, he also
With his legs clamped together, the red horse under his crotch also flew out and rushed towards the riders.
When Xiao Tang rushed closer, he saw clearly that it was Wang Huan, Han Cunbao, Xu Guanzhong, Pang Wanchun and an officer with good facial features and a trace of vicissitudes of life between his brows.
"Junior Xiao Tang, I have met the two great uncles Wang and Han." Xiao Tang tightened the reins and said to Wang Huan and Han Cunbao first.
In the early years, due to the expedition against Zhang Di in Hebei Province, Xiao Tang, who was still serving in the left-behind department of Daming Prefecture at that time, was ordered to help the army commander Wang Huan kill the thieves. Wang Huan took more care of Xiao Tang and taught him his spear skills and martial arts.
, and Han Cunbao was always grateful to Xiao Tang for saving the children of the Han clan in Xiangzhou when he was chasing the thieves. The three of them often had contacts in the capital, so Xiao Tang called them uncles, and their relationship was very close.
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While Xiao Tang was saluting the two of them, he also winked at his confidant Xu Guanzhong, who had gone with the army to Hedong Road, and Pang Wanchun, who was pretending to be his general. The two men also nodded slightly to indicate that they The relationship between them is currently kept secret.
Han Cunbao first laughed and said: "My dear nephew, I didn't expect that I have been idle in the capital for a long time. It is thanks to you that I finally have the opportunity to fight on the battlefield and serve the country. This is as good as it is. The two of us can fight side by side. !”
Wang Huan looked cheerful, with some relief in his eyes. After listening to Han Cunbao, he also joked: "Brother Han, now that I have been ordered to conquer thieves, I should be called a military official, so how can I call Xiao Tang to be a virtuous man?" Nephew? We brothers should also call him Jieshuai."
After hearing this, Xiao Tang shook his head and said with a smile: "Uncle Wang Shi, the younger generation has to rely on careful care to achieve some achievements. My military position as Jiedushi is only a favor from the official family, so I changed it from a posthumous title to an additional title. What's going on? He can be compared with Xen and others who have made many meritorious deeds in the Shijiedu, but if Xie says this, he will kill this junior."
"What is there to deserve? You and I met in Hebei, and I have seen all your deeds after you arrived in Bianjing... A person is better than a person who is good at it. Our ten festivals are nothing but the same." You are a has-been character. Back then, I was a vanguard officer who took orders under my command. Now you are in charge of the three armies. This time, the three of us brothers have come to talk and have wild youths. We are all here to serve you as your commander and help you to control Hedong. .”
It is said that although Xiao Tang, Wang Huan and Han Cunbao were both military envoys, their qualifications were still far behind those of generals like them who had made many military exploits during the reign of the late emperor. However, Xiao Tang also served as a signatory to the Privy Council, which was very important. He held an important position with real power and was a popular person in front of the officials. Now he was in command, and he outnumbered Wang Huan and others in the army in the matter of suppressing Hedong.
If it were a senior general who was not familiar with Xiao Tang, he would probably be dissatisfied and resentful. But now it seems that Wang Huan and Han Cunbao not only have a close relationship with Xiao Tang, they only care about the rank of Jiedu Envoy They have been idle in the capital for too long with extremely high but empty official titles, and they are looking forward to a chance to use their remaining talents on the battlefield. Therefore, even if they are led by Xiao Tang, a junior, they still feel happy and grateful... ..
The old man is always ambitious, but his ambition is to reach a thousand miles. In his old age, a martyr is still ambitious.
After Wang Huan said with emotion, he immediately gestured with his hands, pointed at another general next to him and said with a smile: "I will wait until the tenth quarter to open up. Brother Han... and Mei Dalang and you are also old." I know you, you have met the two brothers Xiang Yuanzhen and Yang Wen when you were in Tianbo Mansion, Bianjing, but Xu Laohouer was not in the capital at that time and never met you. This time our brothers will help you calm down. Hedong, you two can get closer and closer."
The officer next to him was originally a serious man, but when he heard that Wang Huan called him "Xu Old Monkey", he couldn't help but smile and said: "Brother Wang Huan, you still want to make fun of me in front of this junior."
The character in the Ten Festivals was also called Mr. Xu by Wang Huan. Xiao Tang already knew who this person was at this time.
Xu Jing, from Zhending Prefecture in Hebei Province, was nicknamed the "Four-Legged Snake" by the Jianghu people because he was in danger many times when he was traveling in the rivers and lakes as a child. He was also nicknamed the "Four-Legged Snake" because of his extreme agility in his old age. He was called "Xu Lao Yuan". When he was in Baozhou, Liaodong, Wen Huanzhang often told Xiao Tang that Xu Jing was framed by gangsters and tortured in prison. He was introverted, taciturn, and perseverant. Wen Huanzhang, who was the chief registrar of Gaizhou Prefecture at that time, respected Xu Jing's nature, so he mediated and changed the death penalty to exile in the army.
It can also be said that it was thirty years in Hedong and thirty years in Hexi. After escaping, Xu Jing killed his enemies and became a bandit. Later, he accepted the recruitment. After making repeated military exploits, he also became a military governor. Instead, he was favored by Wen Huanzhang.
He was ostracized and suppressed, and later went to Anren Village to teach in seclusion. Xu Jing has never forgotten Wen Huanzhang's kindness back then. In the original work, when the army conquered Liangshan, he fully recommended him to him, hoping that he would be reused by the government again.
Just like Mei Dalang, Mei Zhan, who has reunited with Xiao Tang, Shi Jiedu, these protagonists who were originally mostly in drama scripts, appear in "Water Margin", and they still continue their old deeds, Xiao Tang secretly
Through Wen Huanzhang's evaluation of Xu Jing and his early experiences, Fu also knew that he was a gentleman who had gone through many vicissitudes of life. So when he saw that the person in front of him was Xu Jing, he immediately said: "Junior, I have been here for a long time."
I am very pleased to hear the name of Senior Xu Jing and finally meet him today."
Hearing this, Xu Jing just nodded slightly and said: "I have heard more about Xiao Renxia's name. Now that I have been ordered to help you fight against thieves, I should obey the commander's order. But before talking about official business, I have something to tell you.