Chapter 16 Chapter 16 Four-Phase Legion

At this time, Marquis Wen suddenly stood up and shouted: "Stop!" His voice was extremely loud, and the two soldiers with guns were about to stab Yang Yi, and one of them had already stabbed him, and he was stunned when he heard the sound Alright, put away your guns and stand still.The five people in the carriage lined up in a line, the archer led a group of people to the front of the stage, knelt down and said: "My lord, the villain is here to pay the order." Marquis Wen's face was very gloomy, and he just said: "Go down first, Chu Xiuhong!" I heard him calling me, so I hurriedly rode my horse and ran to the front of the stage, got off my horse and said, "My lord, the last general is here."

Marquis Wen said: "I didn't expect that the death row prisoner could really defeat the armored vehicle! You ordered someone to bring the death row prisoner up." His face was extremely ugly, probably he was very dissatisfied with the performance of the armored vehicle.It seems that armored vehicles do have fatal flaws.When I heard that I was going to bring Yang Yi up, my heart felt relieved, I didn't have time to say more, and hurried to Yang Yi's side, when I ran away, I heard Marquis Wen shouting in a low voice: "Zhang Longyou, come out now." Marquis Wen probably wants to take the blame on Zhang Longyou.Although the armored vehicle can be said to have killed all the prisoners on death row, but in the end he couldn't move. If he really faced the snake man in battle, the armored vehicle would have been destroyed.I didn't care about these, and patted my horse to the side of the armored car.At this moment, the playground was full of dead prisoners' corpses, which had been crushed to a bloody mess. Yang Yi fell beside the giant man's corpse. In addition to being shot in the leg by an arrow, he was also stabbed in the shoulder.I helped him up and shouted: "Yang Yi, Yang Yi!" He opened his eyes, seemed a little surprised, but didn't speak.At this time Qian Wenyi also ran up, Qian Wenyi and I supported Yang Yi and walked forward. When we arrived at the stage, Zhang Longyou was kneeling on the ground and was scolded by Marquis Wen sternly.He has always been valued by Marquis Wen, and it is probably the first time he has been scolded like this, and he dare not move.When Zhang Longyou retreated, we helped Yang Yi to the front of the stage, knelt down and said, "Your Highness, my lord, the last general has brought General Yang Yi here."

Marquis Wen raised his eyebrows and said, "Do you know him?" The prince had already covered his face and didn't dare to look at him, he just took off his sleeves after hearing what we said, and said: "Zhen Qing, this man is really useful, why not spare him the death penalty?" I don't always like to hear the prince's words, but these words are deeply in my heart, and I can't help but secretly grateful.Marquis Wen bowed to the prince and said, "Your Highness is merciful and humble, and I admire you. It's just that this person committed a capital crime..."

The crown prince said: "Zhen Qing, no one is at fault, all the people are the infants of the empire, even if they commit crimes, it is because the king is immoral, and we can't blame them all. This Yang's ability is extraordinary, if he can use it for the country, wouldn't it be a good thing? " Marquis Wen smiled and said, "Your Highness sees it clearly, and it is the blessing of all people. Chu Xiuhong, you should take this man away, so that he can recuperate, and let all his abilities be used on the snake man." I was grateful in my heart, and regardless of the dripping mud and water on the ground, I knelt down and kowtowed, saying: "Thank you Your Highness and Your Excellency for your kindness, the general will obey."

Helping Yang Yi go back, I asked two soldiers to immediately lift Yang Yi to the medical camp for treatment.Those two soldiers were veterans of the Qianfeng Battalion. Yang Yi had been under his command when he was in the Qianfeng Battalion, so he lifted Yang Yi up and left.We waited for a while, until the prince and all the officials retreated, and then we retreated.Zhang Longyou was listless as if he had been beaten by frost, and I couldn't bear it, so I walked over and said, "Mr. Zhang." Zhang Longyou raised his head and looked at me, and said, "Brother Chu, alas, I didn't expect the armored car to be anticlimactic, and I lost face a lot. Damn, those five soldiers are too useless, even a few prisoners on death row but."

In fact, all the death row prisoners were annihilated in this battle, and the five soldiers did not fail, but the armored vehicle was trapped in a mud pit, and this time, all officials were invited to see the power of the armored vehicle. Zhang Longyou naturally It's not easy to talk either.The more he spoke, the angrier he became, and he shouted: "Come on, bring the five soldiers in that armored vehicle!" There was murderous look in his eyes.He is now the minister of the Ministry of Industry, and his official position is not small. He is higher than me in terms of rank, and his speech is also very powerful. His subordinates did not dare to neglect, so they brought the five soldiers here.Seeing that the situation was not good, I said, "Mr. Zhang, are you going to punish them?"

Zhang Longyou said: "These five people are quite sophisticated, but they are so useless, I want to kill them to vent my anger!" I didn't expect Zhang Longyou to say such words, and my heart sank again.Zhang Longyou has changed a lot, but it turned out to be like this, I felt a pain in my heart, and hurriedly said: "Mr. Zhang, I have something to ask of you, and I hope it will come true." Zhang Longyou was startled, and said: "What?" I said: "I see that those five soldiers are not considered weak. Although this matter has not been handled well, they can be regarded as useful talents. Why don't you give them to me, and I will punish them, and then fill them in my camp. That's fine." One use."

Zhang Longyou pondered for a while, then sighed: "Brother Chu, since you said that, that's fine. It's just that these five people must be punished, and they can't be forgiven lightly!" I said: "Thank you, Mr. Zhang." When I said this, my heart felt bitter.In the past Zhang Longyou respected me quite a bit, although now he is a little more affectionate, but the respect is greatly reduced. Perhaps in Zhang Longyou's mind, I am at most a familiar general.At the beginning, he couldn't bear Marquis Wu's killing of a woman, and he pleaded with me when Jian Zhonglan violated the military order, but now he wants to kill people to vent his anger at every turn. I really can't see through the changes in people.However, I managed to save those five soldiers, and I really wanted to use those five soldiers, especially the archer, who could shoot two arrows at once and shoot bows left and right.

At this time, the five soldiers came over and knelt down on the ground anxiously. Zhang Longyou shouted: "You useless things, if General Chu hadn't interceded, I would have killed you. Don't follow me in the future, go to Chu Under the command of the general, you have contributed to General Chu, have you heard?" The five soldiers raised their heads, looked at me, and said in unison: "Thank you, Sir, for your kindness." Zhang Longyou was already bored, so he ordered his servants to lift up the armored car, cupped his hands and said to me: "Brother Chu, I have to go back too. Alas, today's embarrassment is really big, I hope Mr. Wenhou don't Get too angry."

I said: "Mr. Zhang, don't think too much. Everyone can see the power of the armored vehicle. If it is improved, it will definitely be a sharp weapon. With Mr. Zhang's talents, it is not difficult to do this. " Zhang Longyou smiled wryly, and said: "I hope so." At this time, all the officials had retreated, and the Qianfeng Battalion was cleaning the playground under the command of Cao Wendao.Twenty-nine of the thirty death row prisoners died, and it was not easy to carry out the twenty corpses.Waiting for Zhang Longyou to join me, I said to the five soldiers in unison: "Everyone, please follow me."

Just as he was about to mount his horse, the archer suddenly said, "General Chu, the last general is honest and polite." Lianbai policy!I was taken aback when I heard the name.At the beginning, Lian Baice was a general under Shao Fengguan. As the guard of Dongyang City, his official position was not low, but now he is an archer!I turned my head and took a closer look. Although I only met Lian Baice once, I could vaguely tell that it was Lian Baice. When I was captured by the second prince, Lian Baice was ordered by Shao Fengguan to take good care of me.That time the second prince was going to take me to the imperial capital in a cage, but thanks to Lian Baice's hard fighting, I escaped with my life, and he can be regarded as my savior.I rushed forward, grabbed him, and shouted, "Lian Baice, is it really you? Ha, I can't believe it, why are you here?" Lian Baice smiled wryly, and said, "I'm ashamed. When General Shao was demoted, the last general lost his mind for a while and couldn't leave. Later, the snake men broke through the two cities of Dongping and Dongyang, and the last general had no way to defend and was defeated repeatedly. He was demoted one after another, and now he is just a corps leader." He was removed and became subordinate to Zhang Longyou, I didn't expect it.I said: "Brother Lian, don't worry too much, I'll go talk to General Shao and ask him to record it again." Lian Baice smiled wryly, and said, "Thank you General Chu for your kindness, but Baice knows what he's doing, so he has no face to see General Shao." When Shao Fengguan was demoted, Zhuge Fang of the Chinese Army would rather abandon his post and follow him. Lian Baice was also Shao Fengguan's confidant at that time, but he couldn't be like Zhuge Fang. In Shao Fengguan's eyes, I'm afraid he looked down on Lian Baice. .Now that Shao Fengguan is making a comeback, Lian Baice must have no face to face Shao Fengguan. I sighed secretly, and said: "Then you should stay in our army. Brother Lian is a great talent, and I also admire him deeply." A trace of gratitude flashed in Lian Baice's eyes, and he knelt down and said, "Thank you, General Chu." I quickly helped him up, and said, "Get up. It's just that the Qianfeng Battalion often suffers from vicious battles, so it's much more dangerous here." Lian Baice said: "General Chu, don't worry, the general will never make a wrong decision again." At this time, Cao Wendao came over and said, "Tong Zhi, the playground has been cleaned, shall we go back?" I nodded and said, "Brother Cao, this General Lian saved my life in the past, and now he is joining our vanguard battalion. Let's work under your subordinate first." When Cao Wendao saw Lian Baice, he said happily: "Ha, you are the archer just now, right? Your archery is really good. Since you are my brother, you should ask for advice in the future." Although Cao Wendao's marksmanship and archery skills are not top-notch, they are It's not bad, especially I like archery very much. When I talk about archery, I get a little excited. After dealing with the aftermath, Qian Wenyi and I will go to the medical camp to see Yang Yi.There were twenty centurions in the Qianfeng Battalion under Marquis Wu's tent back then, but today there are only three of us left. Although Yang Yi has never had much friendship with us, we will eventually have fellowship.When they arrived at the medical camp, they asked where Yang Yi was. The medical official said that Ye Tai, the medical officer, was taking arrows for Yang Yi and had to wait for a while.We waited at the door for a while, only to see Ye Tai come out, the robes were still stained with blood, we stood up, and said, "Master Ye, how about the man sent by the Qianfeng Battalion?" Ye Tai and I are also old acquaintances.He washed his hands in a copper basin, and said: "Don't worry, General Chu, there is no danger of his life. This man is very healthy, and he can go out in half a month at most." I breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Thank you, Doctor Ye." Ye Tai smiled, and said: "General Chu, I heard that you have been promoted to partial general now, but?" When I was in Gaojiu City, I was still the eleventh rank among the thirteen ranks of military officers, but now I have become a senior general of the fourth rank. I couldn't help but feel a little proud, and said: "It was cultivated by Lord Wenhou." After chatting for a few words, someone inside suddenly heard shouting: "Go away! Don't come over!" It was Yang Yi's voice.Ye Tai frowned, and said: "This man is really strong. I put Wangyouguo powder on him, so he still can't wake up." I said, "Let's go see him." Ye Tai nodded and said, "Okay, General Chu, tell him not to make noise. There are many patients in the medical camp, so keep quiet." Qian Wenyi and I walked into the tent, just in time to see Yang Yi pointing at a handyman and cursing.One of his legs was tightly wrapped, and he stood still, and his shoulder was also bandaged.I walked to the bed and said, "Brother Yang Yi." When Yang Yi saw us, he smiled miserably, and said, "Chu Xiuhong, Qian Wenyi, you came to see my joke, didn't you?" I was heartbroken for a while, Qian Wenyi said: "Brother Yang, don't think about it, the governor pleaded with Marquis Wen for you, and asked you to come to Qianfeng camp, you are fine." I pulled a chair over and sat down, and said, "Brother Yang, what happened? How could you be sentenced to death?" Yang Yi calmed down at this moment, seeing Qian Wenyi and I sat down, he said: "Chu Xiuhong, you are soaring, ah, you take me back to the camp, I don't want to stay here." I went out and asked Ye Tai, and Ye Tai had nothing to do with it. He said that although Yang Yi's injury was serious, it was only a flesh injury. As long as he didn't move too much, he would be fine. It's so noisy, it's my wish to take him away.We hired a big car and took Yang Yi back to the Qianfeng camp. I immediately asked someone to vacate a hut for him to recuperate. Yang Yi told the whole story.It turned out that he and Xing Tiefeng had a little relationship, and they usually have a very good relationship. When Xing Tiefeng was imprisoned, he was immediately persuaded by Lu Gongxing, but he did not join the rebel army when the second prince rebelled, but he was still accused and captured after the rebellion .In prison, he gritted his teeth and said that it had nothing to do with the matter. The officials of the Criminal Ministry tortured him half to death. He still insisted on his words and refused to plead guilty. He was either killed or exiled. The Ministry of Criminal Justice finally sentenced him to death. Presumably, Marquis Wen took care of him, and he was strict with traitors. He would rather be killed by mistake than release him.Today he was dragged out to fight with armored vehicles, he only thought he was doomed, but he didn't expect to escape from death, even he himself secretly called it a fluke.When he was in the Vanguard Battalion before, he ignored us centurions who were born as civilians, but now his arrogance has been greatly reduced. Let Yang Yi take a good rest, and Qian Wenyi and I withdrew.As soon as he went out, Qian Wenyi smiled wryly and said, "The system is about to change. At that time, who would have known that Xing Tiefeng, Yang Yilu, Gongxing and the others would end up like this, and we would be showing off our power." In fact, it was Pu Anli who was taken to Wuyang City as a hostage at the mercy of Marquis Wen.Marquis Wen's strategy of killing two birds with one stone is really powerful. Pu Anli might have been extremely grateful when he supported Pu Anli's attack on the Marquis, but he would be sent to Wuyang City.I said: "Fatality tricks people, no one knows the future." After arranging everything in the Qianfeng Battalion, a soldier came in and said, "Tongzhi, there is a messenger from Lord Wenhou outside, and he wants you to go see Lord Wenhou immediately." I frowned, knowing that Marquis Wen must have something to discuss with me.After today's exercise, the armored vehicles still showed fatal flaws. I don't know if Marquis Wen will ask to equip the army immediately, maybe that's what he wants to talk about.I confessed a few words to Qian Wenyi, pulled out my horse and walked to Wenhou's mansion. As soon as he arrived at the lobby of Marquis Wen's mansion, before entering the door, Marquis Wen said loudly: "Chu Xiuhong? Don't be too polite, come in." I entered the door, but I saw Marquis Wen still sitting in front of the topographic map. When I got there, just as I was about to kneel down, Marquis Wen said, "Don't be too polite, Chu Xiuhong, come and have a look." I have seen this topographic map a few times, but this time I saw something strange. After a closer look, it turned out that the Tianshui Province had also planted a small flag representing the snake people.I was shocked and said: "My lord, the snake people attacked Fudun City again?" Marquis Wen nodded, and said: "Tao Shouzhuo just sent a battle report yesterday, saying that the Snake Man appeared in Tianshui Province again, but the battle was not too intense. It seems that the Snake Man is also taking advantage of the winter to mobilize troops. There's going to be a big move." I said: "It's just that now Wuyang City has joined hands with our army, and the snake people are facing the enemy. They must not have thought of this." Marquis Wen smiled slightly and said, "Do you think Wuyang City will attack with all its strength?" I thought about it, and said: "They asked to send the hostages there first, so the attack must be about two months later. According to the general, even if City Lord He is unwilling to attack with all his strength, once the official war with the snake people begins, I can't help him." Marquis Wen nodded and said: "That's right. Wuyang City is a strange army. Although they have different intentions, if He Congjing is wiped out by the snake man, our army will be alone. Therefore, we can neither let He Congjing be unable to support, nor They can't be allowed to grow up. Alas, to be honest, I'm afraid that Wuyang City is more difficult to deal with than the snake people." I am silent.There will definitely be a day when Wuyang City will turn against them in the future, but now they are allies.Marquis Wen is so wary of Wuyang City now, I really don't know what will happen in the future.However, if it were He Congjing, he would definitely not have confided in the empire. At this moment, Marquis Wen suddenly said: "By the way, Chu Xiuhong, can you take a look at this flag?" He took out a small flag from the drawer under the topographic map and handed it to me. Although the flag is small, it is very delicate, with tassels on the side, and a big golden word "地" in the middle.I said, "What kind of flag is this?" "The flag of the Land Legion." My hands trembled.It seems that the Land Legion is really about to become an army. Could it be that, as Xue Wenyi and Wu Wanling said, they want me to be the commander of the Land Legion?Although my military rank is equal to that of Deng Canglan and Bi Wei, and higher than that of Shao Fengguan, my qualifications are far behind them. If I am also on the same level as them, then I can truly be regarded as a rising star.I was excited for a while, and said, "Well done." "Earth, fire, water, and wind are also called the four phases. Hey, Bi Wei is fire, Deng Canglan is water, and Shao Fengguan is wind. It's good to have these four legions called the four phases. The name is not bad." .” I said cautiously: "My lord, it's just that the armored car seems to have some flaws. It can't rotate well, and if the road is uneven, it will hinder it. It can't be put into actual combat yet." Marquis Wen nodded, and said: "That's right, the armored vehicles are not usable for the time being, and Zhang Longyou needs to make improvements. But the battle is urgent, and we can't help it. Field battles with the Snake Man are inevitable. Thunderbolt crossbows, plus the flying machines of the Wind Legion, and the warships of the Water Legion have also made great progress, and they can support them now without armored vehicles." He thought for a while, and then said: "Chu Xiuhong, do you think it's better to compete with the Snakeman now? What are the odds of winning in a field battle?" I thought for a while, and said: "Even if there is a Shenlong Cannon, you must have three times the military strength to fight an enemy, otherwise you will definitely not be an opponent of the Snakeman." Marquis Wen said: "That's right. Although the armored vehicles cannot be used, we can still defeat the masses. The snake people have been entrenched in Dongping City for so long, and now it's time to take them back. Weapons are not enough to defeat the enemy, but tactics are also acceptable." Replenish." This is indeed a solution, and it is not a long-term solution to confront the snake man across the river.Marquis Wen patted me on the shoulder and said with a smile: "Chu Xiuhong, you did a great job in going to Wuyang City this time. It's just that you haven't fought for so many days. I wonder if your vigor has worn off?" I said: "Please rest assured, my lord, the final general is like a knife in its sheath, and it will not lose its sharpness." Marquis Wen smiled and said: "Intensify the training these two days, and the army will be formed in a few days. At that time, don't make me lose face like Zhang Longyou." Hearing what Marquis Wen said, I hesitated, and said in a low voice, "My lord, Mr. Zhang has done his best, please don't blame him too much, my lord." A cold light flashed in Wenhou's eyes, and he said, "Really? I see, you can go out." I was taken aback. I didn't know why Marquis Wen suddenly changed his face, and I didn't dare to say any more, so I had to say goodbye to Marquis Wen and backed out.Back in the camp, Qian Wenyi and Cao Wendao were talking about something together. When they saw me coming back, they stood up and saluted, and said, "Tongzhi, you are back. Do you have any orders from Marquis Wen?" I sat down and said, "Lord Wenhou intends to form a land army." Cao Wendao showed joy, and said: "Ha, then we will be side by side with the three armies of water, fire, and wind?" He knocked his hand on the table, and said with a smile: "Okay, those bastard snakes are going to fight again. Fight a tough battle." Qian Wenyi said: "If you really set up a legion and control it, you have to open a mansion to recruit Mu Liao." My heart skipped a beat.Indeed, only by brainstorming can we be exhausted.I don't think I'm a headstrong person, but if I really want to lead a legion, it's necessary to recruit Mufu to join the army.Right now, one of the best candidates is Jian Zhonglan, and the other is Lian Baice. It is enough to have these two people give advice first.If Zhen Yining was alive and joined the army as Mufu, with his talents, one of them would be worth three or four. Thinking of this, my heart suddenly trembled.When I used to think of Zhen Yining, I always thought that if he was alive, what would happen if I assisted him, but before I knew it, it became that I wanted him to assist me.Don't you know since when, I have gradually become ambitious?Maybe this is how the heart of disobedience arises? I was upset for a while, I didn't know what to think, suddenly I felt that I really shouldn't be so arrogant, and suddenly I felt that emperors, generals and ministers are basically without kind, so I might not be able to do this step.I must have been fascinated, Cao Wendao said in amazement, "Control, what are you thinking?" I came back to my senses, smiled lightly, and said: "It's too early to say these things, don't think too much, one step is one step." Perhaps, this is how ambition grows step by step.Those rebels who took the common people as their own responsibility to relieve the people's upside down and raised the pole may not have really thought so at the beginning, but as their ambitions grew, they gradually forgot their original intentions, and those nice slogans became empty words. Just do everything for your own self-interest. It's not easy to be single-handedly.I have never dared to forget the eight characters engraved on the Baipi Knife, but how long can I stay awake in this vortex? When I returned to my residence that day, I drank two glasses by myself.Under the candle, I just think about the past, about the innocent civilians who died on the battlefield, about the cities burned by the war, and about the refugees fleeing everywhere with the old and the young, until the sweat drips down my face. Whether I will lose myself or not, as long as I have this ray of conscience, I will never forget it. It was too fast to say, on November 5th, the emperor issued an edict, announcing the formal establishment of the legion. The ground army is the land main battle army, with a total army of 20,000, a quarter of which are cavalry, divided into four divisions: front, back, left, and right.Different from the past, the generals of these four divisions were awarded title generals, with General Yokono in the front, General Zhechong in the back, General Zhenwei in the left, and General Yangwei in the right.However, unlike Cao Wendao's wild predictions, I am not in charge of the ground army, but the deputy general Tu Fang, and the vanguard battalion is organized as the front, and I am General Yokono in it.The other four are all partial generals. General Zhechong is named Qi Yahui, General Zhenwei is named Zongmin, and General Yangwei is named Chen Peng.Except for me, the other three famous generals are all middle-aged generals who are over forty years old.The current military strength of the empire is weak, and there are only more than 20 generals in total. Some of them are still in the hands of the two grand dukes who founded the domain and the Xifu army. In fact, there are only a dozen partial generals in the army of the imperial capital. He is only a partial general himself, and the command of the local army is one level higher than them. There are only four partial generals, and the army has reached 20,000 people.On the other hand, there is a word "earth" in Tu Fang's name, which also corresponds to the name of the land army. Probably this is also under consideration by Marquis Wen. The awarding order was held in front of the imperial city.Tu Fang led our four famous generals to the stage to receive the sabers, and the Land Army was formally established. Along with the establishment of the Land Legion, the emperor also promulgated the decree to open the ban on the admission of literary schools.At the Nangong Wenli, the seven major literary schools were asked to lift the ban. I remember it was before the departure, and it was not officially announced until now. It was probably for the new year and when the literary schools recruited students.This incident shocked the empire even more than the establishment of the ground army, because too many common people saw the dawn of officialdom from it.Although the common people's children may not all enter the official career after graduating from the liberal arts school, and those who embark on the official career must not be as smooth as the children of the aristocratic family, but after all, the ice of "top grade no poor family" has been broken, and the officials of the empire are expected to see more common people's children. figure.When civilians step into official careers, no matter what happens later, they will always be like a breath of fresh air blowing into the dead government, improving the current image of officials who are corrupt and perverting the law. The new era is really coming.The newly established four-phase legion of earth, fire, water, and wind has changed the shortcomings of the previous army, and politics has begun to show signs of clarity.If Marquis Wen really has the heart of disobedience, but if it can bring about a peaceful and prosperous world, what's so bad about it? After the Land Legion became an army, it first conducted a training camp outside the city for some running-in, and also let Tu Fang, who was in charge, get acquainted with the four famous generals under him.However, besides me, the other three had previously stayed under Tu Fang's command, and I was probably the only one who really wanted to get acquainted.During the training camp, I often came into contact with the other four partial generals. Although they were much older than me, and the oldest Zong Min was forty-five years old this year, almost twice my age, he was still very nervous when he saw me. Easy-going, I don't mean to look down on me at all, maybe they also know that I am a close friend of Wenhou, this army is not so much the army of the empire, it is better to say that it is Wenhou's personal soldiers.In fact, in the final analysis, the most elite four-phase legion in the empire is all established with the team of the Eight Thousand Mansion Army of Marquis Wen.The water and fire corps were 10,000 when they were formed. After reorganization, the water corps expanded to 15,000, while the fire corps was reduced to 7,000, and the wind corps has always been 800.When the army was formed, it reached 20,000. It can be expected that with the development of the war, the scale will only increase. This army will definitely be the main force of the imperial army in the future. In the past few days of the training camp, I will step up the reorganization of the forward battalion.The giant ax warriors who had practiced in the past suffered almost no casualties, but the power of the giant ax warriors is not small, especially when forming eight formations, with this strong soldier among them, the power of the eight formations greatly increased, so I asked Cao Wendao to start again Fifty powerful soldiers were selected to set up an ax battalion, and Chen Zhong was going to lead this small team, and another fifty archers were selected to set up an arrow battalion and handed over to Lian Baice.Lian Baice is only a corps leader. I can only mention him as a centurion now. If he has meritorious service in the future, I will definitely promote him.Now both Qian Wenyi and Cao Wendao have been promoted to reserve generals, and Chen Zhong was promoted to Xiaoqi when he was under Xing Tiefeng's subordinates. Although he was also involved in the second prince's rebellion, he defected before the battle because I interceded for him, so he has no merit However, the rank has not been erased.It's just that Yang Yi has nothing now, and I don't know how to arrange it after he recovers from his injury.With Yang Yi's ability, he can completely rank with the above-mentioned people. Qian Wenyi, Cao Wendao, Chen Zhong, Lian Baice, Yang Yi, these people were heroes for a while, and now they are all under my command.In time, when I can command thousands of armies and let them fight in a unified army, I don't know who else can be the opponent of the Vanguard Battalion.Although there are only 5,000 subordinates now, my confidence has greatly increased.If the ground army is the elite of the current imperial army, then my vanguard battalion is the elite of the ground army. It is no longer a dream to let the people of the world live and work in peace and contentment without the smoke of war. Sweating all over from the drill, he was about to take a bath with the soldiers.Unlike other armies, I paid great attention to the cleanliness of the vanguard camp. Now that I have some money, I will renovate the bathhouse in the barracks and boil water for everyone to take a bath every day.These seem trivial things, but in the "Victory of the Army", it is repeatedly warned that those who are disorganized in military capacity will definitely not be able to improve their combat effectiveness, and leading the army is not just about sharing the joys and sorrows with the soldiers. He had just finished taking a shower and was about to go back when he suddenly heard someone shouting: "General Chu!" Following the sound, he found it was the little prince.He was waving to me, I walked over, saluted, and said with a smile: "Little Highness, why do you come here when you have time?" But there was some pain in my heart.The little prince is the most amiable person in the clan. When I see him, I always think of the princess. The little prince ran towards me, and the butler Chen Chaohang stood aside with a few entourages leading horses.He ran up to me and shouted: "General Chu, why didn't you come to the palace when you came back?" I smiled wryly.Although King An Le forgave me, he still didn't take a good look at me. How dare I go to see him?It's just that I didn't dare to say much in front of the little prince, I just said: "Yes, the young general was rude." The little prince said: "General Chu, I will enter the military academy as soon as the Chinese New Year comes. Are you still an instructor?" I said, "Now I won't do this." The little prince was a little disappointed and said, "Oh, what a pity." I said: "Your Highness, don't sigh, I'm not a good instructor. By the way, I have a friend surnamed Tang who is an instructor in a military academy. His boxing and sword skills are very good." The little prince said: "Boxing and sword skills can only be defeated by one person, but what I want to learn is the ability to defeat ten thousand people." I smiled and said, "Okay, after you finish your studies and join the army, I will assist you in making achievements." The little prince was both surprised and happy, and said: "Really? That's great, my sister said, with your help, I can definitely make it!" Speaking of this, his face became gloomy again, probably when he mentioned the Princess, His mood suddenly became bad again.My heart moved, and I also sighed, and said: "By the way, Your Highness, I just wanted to go to the princess's grave to sacrifice her, why don't you go with me?" The haze on the little prince's face dissipated again, and he said, "Okay. General Chu, I'm afraid you've forgotten my sister." I smiled wryly to myself, and murmured: "No, no." But I felt a little guilty in my heart.If it wasn't for the little prince to come to see me, where would I have thought of going to offer sacrifices to the princess? I bought some incense candles, and headed for the western suburbs together with the little prince.It was still cold, and the snow on the West Mountain had not yet melted. The Memorial Monument and the National Monument of Loyalty stood on the top of Huabiao Mountain, like two silent giants. Although the Jiaotian Pagoda was still standing, it couldn't hide its desolation.When I arrived at the cemetery, I lit the joss sticks. Before I could kneel down, the little prince rushed to his knees and said, "Sister, brother-in-law sees you coming." I also knelt down, and all the attendants from Chen Chaohang and others knelt down behind me.The princess's tomb is still very new, covered with a layer of snow, after thousands of years, it will look like an ordinary tomb. No one knows that a woman who is extremely intelligent and has a heart higher than the sky is buried here, right? I kowtowed and said nothing.A gust of cold wind blew, and the snow hanging from a nearby tree was blown down, as if adding to the chill. "Let's go back." After an unknown amount of time, the little prince said softly.I stood up, my legs were a little numb from kneeling too long.I nodded and said, "Okay." Before leaving, I took another look at the grave of the princess.Although spring has not yet come, a fine grass has grown on the grave.The grass was wilted by the cold, but it was still stubbornly alive. We all have to live, live stubbornly. The day for the departure of the ground corps was set for December 17th.After more than a month of rectification, the four generals are quite familiar with it.Before leaving, I had another drink with Xue Wenyi, Wu Wanling, and Li Yaotian. Zhang Longyou still didn't come, presumably because of the failure of the armored vehicle drill, he was getting more and more busy, and he didn't even have any free time.Speaking of the newly formed land army, Li Yaotian praised it greatly, calling it a strong army rarely seen in the past century.I am also very happy to be praised by Li Yaotian.We parted happily, and after sending Xue Wenyi home, his wife came out to greet her. Seeing that her body was chubby, the day of giving birth was probably just these days, but I would definitely not be able to come back when I gave birth. Leaving Xue Wenyi's home, Li Yaotian and I walked on the street and asked about the giant ship. Li Yaotian said that the process was going well and it would basically be completed before the year-end deadline given by Marquis Wen.But when he talked about it, he was not at all happy. I remembered that he said that Marquis Wen built such a huge ship for naval battles, so I couldn't help but feel a little worried. After chatting a few gossips, Li Yaotian suddenly said: "By the way, General Chu, I will go to Wuyang City in a few days. Is there anything you want me to do?" I said, "You are the escort this time?" Li Yaotian nodded.I thought about it, and said, "It's nothing else... By the way, you said, if you want to give a friend a gift, what should you give?" Li Yaotian said: "For friends in Wuyang City? Don't give away weapons, special products of the imperial capital... Hehe, you can't give it to an official." I couldn't help laughing, indeed, the imperial capital really doesn't have any special products, and the most must be officials, big and small.It's just that Li Yaotian would also say these sarcastic jokes, I didn't expect it.I said, "Really, that's a woman." Li Yaotian said: "Then send some snacks or something, just because I'm afraid your friend won't dare to eat them after I deliver them." I thought for a while and said, "Snacks aren't very good either. I'd better buy some decorations for her. General Li, come with me to Dongshi." The most famous decoration in the imperial capital is a kind of clay figurine, and there are many artists who make clay figurines There are two cities in the east and the west. The most famous ones are called "East Four and West Eight".It's not far from Dongshi, so I asked Li Yaotian to accompany me to have a look while it was still early. Li Yaotian has never been to Dongshi, and when he is inside, everything he sees is very fresh.That Qiu Gufang belongs to the four families. The Gufang family mainly makes playthings for children, while the Qiu family makes tricks. They are all stage characters. There are at least ten or as many as dozens of characters in a set. There is a unique skill that is based on the face of the person, but the price will be higher.If it is given to Bai Wei, if I make a clay figurine like me, I am afraid that it will disturb Zheng Zhao's heart. After much deliberation, I went to Qiu's clay figurine shop and bought two sets of small clay figurines for Bai Wei and Zi. One set of Polygonum per person.This set of clay figurines is very valuable. This is what I wanted most when I was a child, but I couldn't afford it at that time, so I could only look at it. With my current salary, it is naturally no problem. I asked the shopkeeper to tie up the two wooden boxes neatly. I looked at the clay figurines on the cabinet, and the more I looked at them, the more I liked them, and I bought two for myself.Just as he was about to hand it over to Li Yaotian, he saw him standing in front of the clay figurine booth where he was returning home, and a craftsman inside was watching him pinching the clay figurine.The artisans returning home are well-known for their craftsmanship, and their fingers move like flying, and the clay figurines they knead are very similar.After giving up the color, he put it on the side to dry in the shade. Li Yaotian paid for it, held the clay figurine in his hand and looked at it, and said to me, "Does it look like it?" I smiled and said, "It looks like it. Brother Li, you And this elegance." Li Yaotian just looked at the clay figurine, didn't seem to care about my jokes, and said, "Give it to my wife and put it on the table. Next time I go back, my son must be able to call him dad." I said, "You have a son?" Li Yaotian said with some embarrassment: "I just got the news a few days ago. Oh, I haven't seen him yet, I really want to see him." When he said this, his eyes were full of warmth, not like a手握重兵，在战场上所向无敌的勇将。我心中不禁有些妒忌，叹道：“真好。若没有战争，在家里与妻儿过过日子，也真个不错。” 李尧天笑了笑，道：“楚兄，你的志向也小了点吧？” 我道：“可是我真是这么想的。唉，我宁可建不了什么丰功伟业，只望天下太平。” 李尧天也沉默了一阵。其实，有谁不那么想？也许只有想在战争中得到好处的人才会希望遍天烽火吧，只是，我当真不想。 将那两套泥人交给李尧天，与他分手后，我回到家中。天也黑了，我点着蜡烛，将那两个泥人放在桌上。这泥人极是精致，捏得维妙维肖，连衣上的皱纹都捏出来了。看了一阵，眼前忽然一阵模糊，仿佛又回到几年前在高鹫城时的武侯宴上，她低着头弹着琵琶。 二太子叛乱时，她已身怀有孕，再过几个月，大概要为太子生一个小王子了。时间一天天过去，每过一天，她就离我远一分，在我记忆中也模糊了一些。 我取出薛文亦给我的那套刻刀，从中拿出块木头。这是在海上时拣来的沉香木，据朴士免说，这沉香木极为难得，为南海的檀木在海上随波逐流，浸得年深日久才形成的。虽说檀木在海上浸得久了，受风浪侵蚀，总有一些会化成沉香木，但是沉香木比水要重，一旦化成沉香木就会沉入海底，再也找不到了，而时候不到，沉香木纵然已有变化，也松散之极，毫无用处。这块沉香木是有一天朴士免偶尔发现的，截下来后只有这一小块最佳，便给了我。 初学雕刻时我就有一个念头，想把她刻下来，现在我的技法虽然还不是太熟，但我怕过一阵后我就会忘掉她的容颜，再也记不起来了。用这块沉香木刻她，也许，多半也是个安慰。 刻刀吃进木头里，木屑落下来，簌簌有声。朴士免说过，雕刻有挑、剔、切、削、抹、退、割、拢八法，下刀之时要狠，不能犹豫，因为雕刻最讲一气呵成，纵然一刀有错，仍然错有错着，可是如果犹豫不决，刻刀停停落落，反而不可收拾。我下了几刀，已经约略刻出一个抱着琵琶的女子之形了。 刻好轮廓，拿在手里又看了看。沉香木很名贵，我也想尽量少刻掉一些，只是这个轮廓就更显粗糙了，实在没信心再刻下去。以我现在的手艺，刻点寻常的东西大概也可以被人称一个“好”字，但离神似还有十万八千里之遥。我把它放回那刻刀盒中，找了另一块普通木头，顺手刻下去。 这回刻的是一匹马。在五羊城时，我最想念的倒是飞羽，因此刻了许多，其多大半都不太好，但刻了那么多，手也已经很熟练，现在刻的马倒是颇有几分神似。这回落刀无意，刻出来反倒更加出色，刻出轮廓后便显得这匹马神骏不凡，我被勾起兴趣来，细细地刻下去。马蹄，马鬃，甚至马铃都细细地刻了出来。等落下最后一刀，看看成品，自己也大为得意。 这匹马刻得大有神气，是我到现在为止刻得最好的，只怕以后更有长进，也未必都能刻成这样。我托在手上看了又看，直到睡意袭来。 第二天就是十七日。一大早便要出门，看看昨晚刻的那匹马，实在爱不释手，也带在身边，准备有空时向曹闻道他们炫耀一下。去了一趟五羊城，我还多了这件本领，他大概还不知道。刚向下人吩咐了几句，让他们在我出门时自己照料便是，门外忽然响起了小王子的声音：“楚将军！” 小王子一大早便过来了？我有些意外，道：“小殿下，请进……”话还没说完，赫然见小王子与安乐王走了进来，身后还跟着一大帮随从。一见安乐王，我大吃一惊，抢上前去，一下跪倒，道：“王爷。” 安乐王脸上也不见什么神色，只是扫了我一眼，道：“楚休红，起来吧。你要出发了？” 我站起身，道：“是，王爷，末将奉命增援，马上就要去东平城。” 安乐王看了看周围，哼了一声，道：“闹中取静，倒是一处好宅院。” 我心中惴惴不安，不知安乐王的来意。这次回来，我一直不敢去见安乐王，不知他会不会兴师问罪来了。小王子突然看到我放在桌上的那匹马，尖叫一声，一把抓起来，道：“楚将军，这是谁刻的？好漂亮啊！” 我道：“禀殿下，这是末将闲来刻的。殿下喜欢，拿着玩吧。” 小王子道：“楚将军，没想到你还有这一手。父王，我说楚将军很厉害的，是吧？” I am a little dumbfounded.作为一个将领，会一手雕刻看来也与厉害无关。安乐王仍然只是哼了一声，脸色还是阴沉沉的。小王子讨了个没趣，抓起我那个木盒，打开了道：“这是刻刀么？盒子也真精致。”他一打开，正看见那块沉香木，道：“这是什么？” 我吓得魂不附体。虽然现在只是个轮廓，但万一被安乐王发现那是她的样子，这个漏子可捅得不小。我拿过来，干笑道：“这是沉香木，还没刻好呢。”哪知安乐王忽道：“拿过来，给我看看。” 到了这时候，我也不敢不给，硬着头皮把盒子递过去。安乐王打开盒子看了看，脸上阴晴不定。我正在担心，忽然见他眼角滚落一滴泪水。他侧过身子，伸手极快地拭去了，将盒子还给我，道：“楚休红，好好刻吧。”声音却温和了许多。 我有点呆了，也不敢多说，只是道：“是，是。” 安乐王又看看四周，道：“楚休红，等你此番出征回来，常到我王府中走走。” 我道：“是。”心中却仍是疑惑不定，不知他要说什么，却见安乐王从怀里摸出一块玉佩，递给我道：“楚休红，你拿着吧。” 这块玉佩温润无比，看样子就很名贵。我不知道他到底是什么用意，却听安乐王叹息一声，道：“这是小茵随身携带之物，本来是成婚之日给夫婿的。今天给你，虽然晚了点，却也不迟。” 我再也忍不住，一下跪倒在地，想说两句，却哽咽着说不出来。他没再多说什么，拍拍我的肩，只是对小王子道：“走吧，别让楚将军误了卯。” 他先走了出去。看着他的背影，我仍然捉摸不透。小王子临走时，小声道：“楚将军，好好刻啊，刻得象一点。” 安乐王是误把那当成郡主的像了！我猛地回过味来。这块沉香木还只是个毛坯，我是知道到底是什么形状，安乐王却只能约略看出那是个女子的形状。一想通这点，握着那块玉佩，我心头突然象刀绞似的疼痛。