Chapter 9 Chapter 9 The First Appearance of Wolf Soldiers

This kind of massacre scene was too cruel. I saw that many people in the class I led turned pale and seemed to want to vomit.I whispered: "Hold on, don't make adults laugh." Unexpectedly, the student hadn't vomited yet, but the prince suddenly vomited.Marquis Wen stood up, supported the prince and said, "His Royal Highness, get in the car and sit, don't hurt yourself." The prince vomited for a while, supported Marquis Wen and said, "Zhen Qing, you really shouldn't have called me here." Marquis Wen smiled and said, "This battle depends entirely on Your Highness's wisdom, and only a catastrophe can be eliminated. Your Highness, your achievements in this battle, even if the second crown prince wins and returns to Beijing, he will not be able to surpass it."

The prince's eyes lit up, and he said, "Zhen Qing, so that's what you came up with." I couldn't help but feel a little chill in my heart.At first glance, Marquis Wen seemed like an idler, but later he knew that he was very scheming, and at this moment, it seemed that he was so far-sighted that it was frightening.The second prince has Wen Hou as his opponent, it is really his bad luck.Although Wenhou is not a god, he didn't expect that Wazhuang would rebel, but he used this incident to make the prince take advantage of the opportunity to make meritorious deeds, which is really unthinkable.

At this time Deng Canglan and Bi Wei came back.The two of them lived up to their names, Deng Canglan's silver armor was still shining like water, but Bi Wei's body was covered in dark red blood as if he had been fished out of a blood basin.They knelt down in front of Marquis Wen and said: "My lord, the last general will hand over the order. This battle has cut eight hundred and seventy-seven ranks, and none of them slipped through the net. Only five of our army were slightly injured." Marquis Wen glanced at them and said, "Okay. You all step back." After Deng Canglan and Bi Wei stepped aside, Marquis Wen said, "The whole military academy is listening to orders."

We got down on our knees again.Those students had never seen such a battle before, many of them were trembling, Wu Zhao was right in front of me, I saw that his body was trembling too.He has never experienced actual combat in his life, and I am afraid he has never even seen a murder. Marquis Wen said: "The rebellion in Wazhuang is related to the safety of the imperial capital. Fortunately, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is brave and wise, and the soldiers went to death to put down the chaos. You will all be the pillars of the imperial army in the future, and you will be the models of your predecessors. power for the country."

I don't find it funny either.The crown prince has always been there, nothing more than being present, and Marquis Wen put all the credit on him, but the crown prince accepted it without any doubt, and his face is thick enough. Marquis Wen said: "The matter is over, I respectfully invite the prince back to the palace, the military academy buried the corpses, counted the number of people, and no one slipped through the net." He suddenly turned to me and said, "General Chu Xiuhong!" I didn't expect that Marquis Wen would call me suddenly, so he hurriedly stepped forward, knelt down and said, "The last general Chu Xiuhong obeys the order."

"After cleaning up, come to my mansion and report to me immediately." I shouted loudly: "Deling!" But I was a little surprised in my heart.Among the instructors of the military academy, I am just a novice. In terms of official positions, there are five or six instructors who are higher in military rank than me. Marquis Wen asked me to report, but I don't know what the purpose is.Perhaps, Wenhou is using this to show everyone that I belong to Wenhou's side.If I belong to Marquis Wen's side, I don't know whether to be happy or afraid. With Marquis Wen's resourcefulness, if I want to be promoted in the future, as long as I do things well, I'm afraid it won't be difficult.But Wenhou's temperament made me feel unspeakably afraid. At this time, when I saw Wenhou's shadow, I was afraid.

After the prince left, Deng Canglan and Bi Wei also saluted and led the army away.The 1,600 of them were in order, and when they retreated, I saw that most of them had blood on their armor, and quite a few had blood spattered on their faces.Marquis Wen got on his horse and went back surrounded by his followers.I fell on the ground, looking at the back of Marquis Wen, I couldn't help shivering. It is actually not too difficult to clean up the battlefield. The dead bodies are dragged out, arranged according to men and women, piled up into a pile and burned.After we captured Gaojiu City, the supply battalion did a lot of these things. Marquis Wen asked the military students to do these things, just to let them experience actual combat.It's just that they probably saw this kind of battlefield for the first time in their lives. When they saw the messy limbs on the ground, those heads covered with blood and dust, many students and even a few instructors started to vomit, and Wu Zhao was among them.

I walked up to Wu Zhao and supported him, saying: "Teacher, you can rest on the side, I will do these things." Wu Zhao is getting old, so he is not as hale and hearty as usual when he vomits like this.He wiped the corner of his mouth, raised his head to look at me, his face turned pale, and said, "General Chu, I'm sorry for your trouble." I said: "Teacher, you can call me by my name, students dare not." I helped him to the side and sat down.The students in my class were still standing there, all of them flickering, as if they were afraid.I glanced at them and said, "Everyone follow me to clean the battlefield."

They looked at each other, and a student boldly said: "Teacher, we are afraid of ghosts!" I shouted: "What kind of ghosts and monsters, have you ever seen them? Even if there are ghosts in the world, if ghosts can't kill people, what's so scary? If ghosts can kill people, don't they be afraid of ghosts after you become a ghost?" The student was speechless by what I said.I waved my hand and said, "Go and pick some wooden sticks for use, so as not to get your hands dirty, go." I led them to walk in, and Wu Wanling's group also walked by at this time.The class we lead is the lowest class in the military academy. As soon as we go out, those seniors who can't sit still, come out one after another.When there are many people, there are no one to be afraid of, and the grinning corpses on the ground are almost the same as some logs and stones.

The hunting ground is very large, and Wozhuang is located in a mountain depression in the southwest corner of the hunting ground. This mountain depression is also very large. There is only one exit, and three sides are surrounded by cliffs. If you guard the exit, it is difficult to fly.Marquis Wen didn't know what to do when he brought the people from the Tufu of the Ministry of Industry here. He probably wanted the islanders from Wozhuang to serve the craftsmen of the Ministry of Industry, but he didn't expect that Wozhuang rebelled.At this time, I really don't understand what's going on in Wazhuang, so crazy that they rebelled. Maybe they saw that the guards were so weak, and they mistakenly thought that one could count as ten.But there are more than a thousand of them, no matter how powerful they are, they can't make a fortune. No matter how bad the imperial army is, there are still 30,000. In addition to the imperial army, as a last resort, Chang'an Botufang, who is stationed in Beining City 200 miles away, can also enter Beijing to defend.Although Tu Fang's soldiers were only 10,000, they were still elite soldiers, and they were completely different from the Forbidden Army who were seen as useless.In my opinion, the only way out for the island barbarian rebellion is to hold the emperor hostage and make others throw their hands at him. Only then can there be a chance.But even if they can threaten the emperor, so what?Do you want to go back to Wa Island, which is far away across the ocean?

I can't figure it out.Perhaps, the island barbarian rebellion in Wozhuang had their own reasons.I pushed several corpses together, and vaguely remembered the nine cities that we had slaughtered during the Southern Expedition.At that time, whenever a city was slaughtered, all the corpses would be piled up in one place and set ablaze like now.The bloody and burnt smell made me have nightmares several times, and I never expected to relive the scene at that time in the imperial capital. Burn dead bodies for a long time.Thousands of dead bodies, whether male or female, old or young, whether they were island barbarians or forbidden soldiers, are now turned into a pile of black ash, which can no longer be separated.Although some dead bodies writhed as if they were alive in the fire, the situation was horrific, but the panic and uneasiness on the faces of those students gradually faded away when they looked at the fire, and they all calmed down. After seeing this a few times, they will no longer be afraid of dead bodies.People are really strange, they are not afraid of the living, but the dead. Watching the fire, someone came up to me and said, "General Chu." I turned my head, and it was Wu Zhao who came to greet me.He took care of senior students, so he didn't need to spend much time, and he was more relaxed than me.I threw aside a wooden stick in my hand, bowed and said, "Teacher Wu Zhao, hello." He turned his face to the side, as if he didn't dare to look at the dead bodies with teeth and claws in the firelight, and said in a low voice: "General Chu, I taught you your spear skills?" I nodded and said, "Teacher, you probably forgot. In the year you taught me, there were more than a dozen people who learned to use two-stage pistols. I was one of them. On the battlefield, I used this gun to defeat many enemy." Wu Zhao stroked his gray beard and said, "Oh, I'm probably old, and I owe the little prince's trust, ha ha." What he said made me a little puzzled. I don't know what the little prince has to do with it.I said: "What?" Wu Zhaodao: "The little prince was very unconvinced when you knocked him off his horse. He insisted on me to teach you a lesson. It seems that I didn't let you off your horse, it was General Chu who showed mercy." I was angry and funny at the same time.It was really an accident that I knocked the little prince off the horse that day, and his spear skills were also a little unexpectedly good, but not so good that I couldn't deal with him.I said: "That day I was really too rude to my little highness, tomorrow I will immediately go and apologize to my little highness." "That's not necessary. The little prince admires you very much. He said that you are the best spearman he has ever seen besides an old man. His two-stage pistol is vulnerable to a single blow in your hands. Don't look down on him. , although the little prince is young, his spear skills are one of the best in the military academy. This year, only five or six of this batch have learned two-stage pistols, but no one can match him. Five or six years later, when he grows up , it’s not so easy for you to deal with him. Alas, it’s true that a hero comes from a young age, and the old man really can’t do it anymore. When he was young, he still wanted to make meritorious deeds on the battlefield, but good luck tricks others. He has a false reputation of being the number one in the army, but he hasn’t made any achievements. In the end, I’m afraid I can only teach children in the military academy.” I don't think so much about Wu Zhao's emotion.He has never been on the battlefield, and at his age, if he goes to the battlefield now, he probably has all the skills and will not be able to use them.I said: "Teacher Wu Zhao, you are our benefactor, every contribution we made on the battlefield is due to the teacher's teachings, and the teacher doesn't have to sigh for not being on the battlefield." Wu Zhao smiled and said: "Forget it, this batch of students will graduate early, I'd better train the little prince well. If he can enlist as a spear master at the age of seventeen, he will die in peace." gone." I couldn't help but smile.The little prince's spear skills are good, but he is still far from the realm of a "master". He is seventeen years old, and it may only be a year or two. It will be very difficult for Wu Zhao to train him to become a blockbuster in a year or two. .But Wu Zhao was full of confidence, so I had no choice but to follow him and said, "Well, I hope to fight side by side with your Highness in the army in a year or two." Wu Zhao was taken aback, then smiled again: "It's early. He is tall, but he is only twelve years old this year." Twelve years old!I stay.The little prince was as tall as a fifteen or sixteen-year-old child, but he was only twelve years old this year.A twelve-year-old child has already learned how to use a 2-inch pistol, so he is really a spear genius.Maybe, in five years, when he becomes an adult at the age of seventeen, he will really be able to fight me. Unexpectedly, apart from the second prince, there are such talents in the clan.Although the little prince is still young, when he grows up, maybe he will bring a new breath to the now lifeless royal family. At this time, the fire had been extinguished, and only a few embers remained, and the unburned human bones were only charred and black.We covered this pile of ashes with some soil so that they couldn't be seen.It won't be long before grass and trees will grow in this place, and they will blossom and bear fruit. Year after year, who will know that so many people have died here? After cleaning, it was almost dawn.It didn't take much time to slaughter all the islanders, but it took us most of the night to clean up.In the twilight, forty classes lined up to go back to school. I took my class to the end and watched the classes in front go back one by one. When I was about to reach the gate of the hunting ground, a student beside me suddenly turned his head and said, "Hey, teacher, who do you think is that?" In the twilight, a man stood at the gate of the hunting ground.He was wearing an off-white gown with a sword under his waist, standing tall, but he looked like he had just recovered from a serious illness. This is Zhang Longyou! Overjoyed, I jumped off the horse, ran up to him, grabbed his shoulders, and shouted, "Mr. Zhang! You're fine, that's great." Zhang Longyou grinned, his smile was uglier than crying.He was grabbed by the shoulder by me, his body swayed, and he said slowly: "I haven't touched a single hair." "It's good that you're fine. I was worried just now that something might happen to you. Where are you at night?" Zhang Longyou looked at the hunting ground.Originally, there was a house in Wozhuang, and a piece of land designated by the Ministry of Industry, but now there is nothing, only a piece of scorched earth.There was bewilderment and fear in his eyes. "Last night, Lord Wenhou wanted to see my latest achievements and called me away." I took a long breath: "Fortunately, you were blessed by God and escaped with your life. It's just what are you doing? I'm afraid that all the achievements will be destroyed." Zhang Longyou said: "It's nothing. It's just, alas." He hesitated to speak, and sighed again.Judging by his appearance, he seemed unwilling to talk about what he was doing, maybe what he was doing had to be kept extremely confidential, that's why Marquis Wen arranged for him and a few other people to come here.I stopped asking, and said, "Mr. Zhang, you don't have a place to live now, do you?" "Lord Wenhou ordered me to temporarily stay in his mansion. I just came out early to see what happened." "How did you come here? I'll call you a car." Zhang Longyou stopped me and said: "No need, I'd better walk back. General Chu, can you walk with me?" I said: "Okay, I'll take you back." I turned my head and confessed to the monitor of my class, led my horse, and walked side by side with Zhang Longyou. The imperial capital is very large, and from the official residence of Marquis Wen to the hunting ground, it takes a long time to ride a horse, and it takes more than half a day to walk.I walked beside Zhang Longyou, and now it was dawn, and along the way, I saw early risers carrying vegetables into the city to sell from time to time.When they walked past us, they all looked at us in surprise.One of us was wearing a military uniform, the other was wearing a livery from the Ministry of Industry, and I was leading a horse, which did look a little weird.Zhang Longyou also didn't say a word, just walked with his head down. Seeing those rural peasants looking over from time to time, I felt a little nervous and uneasy, Zhang Longyou suddenly said: "General Chu, how many people have you killed?" When I was asked by him, I was taken aback.I have never killed civilians, but in the credit book, I have already recorded that I have the record of "cutting level twenty-three".Killing twenty-three enemy troops is of course quite powerful, but compared with the original "killing king" Chai Shengxiang, it is not that great.It is said that the heads of Chai Sheng who killed each other can be piled up in one place to fill a big house.Although more than half of the people Chai Sheng killed were civilians and captives, even he killed more on the battlefield than me. Soldiers, the comparison is only about how many people kill.I said: "There are more than twenty. Have you ever killed someone?" Zhang Longyou shook his head and said: "General Chu, I told you that when I participated in the Junhou's Southern Expedition, I only wanted to go to the southern provinces to find Dansha, so I joined the supply camp. I didn't even dare to kill chickens when I was young. , Master also told me that our Shangqing Danding sect is pure and inaction, and what we want is to rush and ascend by taking elixirs. At that time, I thought too simple, thinking that I would follow behind the team and refine my own elixirs. But, hehe, the alchemy furnace caught fire and exploded in Gaojiu City. If you hadn’t begged for mercy, I would have been beheaded by Master Deyang there. After returning to the imperial capital, I still wanted me to make these murderous weapons. General Chu , Is there really any righteous reason for killing people, is it necessary to kill? The world is in harmony, you don't care what I think, and I don't care what you think, isn't it all right? " I sighed and said: "There are some things that we can't worry about. What we have to do is just obey the orders. Eliminate the rebellion, put an end to the war, and the world will naturally be peaceful. At that time, you can practice your pill with peace of mind." It’s the medicine. Haha, you’re about to master it, give me two pills, I don’t want to rush and ascend, and I want to live longer.” But Zhang Longyou was not amused by the joke I said, and raised his head to look at the sky.The sun was rising, and the sky was bright red, like blood from a huge wound. After sending Zhang Longyou to Wenhou Mansion, he said goodbye to me.Marquis Wen went to court to discuss matters, but he never came back, so I bid him farewell.Looking in from the door, Marquis Wen let him live in the side room where we lived in Wenhou Mansion for the first time temporarily. Through the shadow of trees, I saw the plaque in the main hall of Marquis Wen Mansion.On it, the four powerful characters of "Writing to Convey Tao" are still very clear after such a distance. When we got back to school, it was already daylight.We dispatched urgently last night and rested for half a day today.As soon as I put the horses in the stable, I heard Yuan Kezhen calling me.He slept at home yesterday and didn't go out with the whole class, so he didn't know about the holiday this morning.I asked him to go home for the time being, and go directly to the Ministry of Industry to find Xue Wenyi tomorrow.After he left, I suddenly remembered that "Victory in War Strategy" was still in my arms, and the first thing to do now was to transcribe this book. There are several bookstores in the imperial capital, but the fees are quite high, and I can't afford them at all.Fortunately, I am literate and can copy by myself. I just need to buy some polished blank sheepskins from the copy bookstore. Although Wuyun City is an expensive imperial capital, there are not many people who study, and there is only one book copying shop in the west of the city.I hired a car and went to the "Rong Bao Zhai" that sells pens, inks and sheepskins in the west of the city. As soon as I entered the door, I heard someone inside say, "It's so expensive? Can it be cheaper?" That was Wu Wanling's voice.I was a little surprised, and walked in, only to see Wu Wanling standing in front of the counter looking at a stack of parchment.I said, "General Wu, are you there?" Wu Wanling looked at me, feeling a little embarrassed for some reason, and said falteringly, "General Chu, are you here to buy parchment paper too?" I said, "Yes, I want to copy a book. What do you want to copy?" Wu Wanling looked around, and said, "Just take a look. General Chu, you can choose, I have to go first." He bowed to me and walked out. The shop assistant called out, "General, do you still want to buy it?" But Wu Wanling had already gone out and fled. Probably because parchment is so expensive.Wu Wanling's rank is much lower than mine, and his treatment is also much worse than mine. I remembered that when he took me to Baixianglou for tea, he had to fumble for a long time before he found the money.Maybe, he wanted to write something, but he couldn't afford the parchment, so he felt ashamed to be seen by me.I looked at the parchment he just looked at and asked, "What did he pick just now?" The guy was very attentive, took out a lot of parchment and said: "General, please take a look." To write on the sheepskin, those sheepskins have to be tanned and then polished carefully, so that there is no mutton smell, and each piece is white and smooth.It also needs to be cut to a normal size, so the price is not low.Wu Wanling just picked the best parchment, and the price made me a little speechless.I flipped through a few and asked, "Can it be cheaper? Are silk books cheaper?" The guy said: "I don't know, the general. Originally, silk books are cheaper than parchment, but the Emperor's Longevity Day is approaching, and the palace has almost sold out all silk. These days, the price of silk is more expensive than parchment." I flipped through it, sighed, and said, "These are too expensive, no wonder no one can afford the books. You'd better buy me some mid-range ones, as long as they are solid, they don't need to be too high-end." The guy turned out another box of mid-grade parchment.These are much worse than the high-end ones just now. The high-end ones are white and soft without any blemishes. The mid-range ones are yellowish and dark, but they are also sheepskin and very tough.Looking at the parchment, I suddenly thought of Yemo Dawu's cocoon paper.Cocoon paper is almost comparable to the best parchment paper. In fact, if cocoons are obtained to make cocoon paper alone, the price will probably be cheaper than parchment paper.It's just that the emperor doesn't give birth to cocoons. If it's in Fudun City, then you can try it.I picked a few of them, guessing that I could copy the "Victory Strategy", so I took out the money and bought it.The guy was about to put all the things he had picked in, when I suddenly said, "Give me what the general just picked, I'll buy it." Those few pieces of high-quality parchment made me very distressed, but thinking about them, Wu Wanling and I had a big turn-off once, until now, we have never been able to return to the time when we shared weal and woe in Gaojiu City In that state, I feel a little bit unbearable to him.Buying two pieces of parchment as a gift for him probably counts as me accompanying him, right? I brought a box of parchment back to my residence, and it was almost noon.After eating in the military academy, I took the box of fine parchment to Wu Wanling's residence.Knocking on the door, he heard him say inside: "Who is it?" I said, "General Wu, it's me." The tables and chairs inside made a "crack" sound, and Wu Wanling said, "General Chu." Probably he was in a hurry to open the door, and dragged the chair aside.As soon as the door opened, I handed over the box of parchment and said, "General Wu, I'm really presumptuous. I bought some extra parchment, and I came to ask if you want it." He blushed.I saw a batch of wooden slips on his desk at a glance, and the pen and ink on the side were also piled up in a mess, and he was probably writing something.The wooden slips are too heavy, usually ten characters are written on each, and articles of 10,000 to 20,000 words are written on the wooden slips, which weigh dozens of catties, and it is troublesome to string them together.Wu Wanling probably had no choice but to settle for the next best thing.He took the parchment from my hand, pushed it back to me and said, "General Chu, I'm so sorry." I put the parchment in his hand and said, "You're welcome. What are you writing?" I was afraid that he would push back, so I went to his desk to have a look.Wu Wanling came over and said, "I'm writing something random, General Chu laughed at me." On the first piece of wooden slips, "Military System Nine Advances and Shus" is written in round characters.This topic is very interesting to me. I read a few articles and was even more surprised.What Wu Wanling said was actually the same as what Yuan Kexiang told me in Gaojiu City before, it was to improve the military system of the imperial army.Yuan Kexiang and I just talked about it in outline, but what Wu Wanling said was divided into categories, and the nine unreasonable aspects of the current military system were explained in detail.The more I read it, the more interested I became, and I shouted, "General Wu, you're writing this!" Wu Wanling felt a little embarrassed, and said, "General Chu, don't laugh at me for talking about military affairs with a lowly position, I just write about it casually." The wooden slips are not easy to turn over, but I read one by one, and I feel that each one is deeply in my heart.As Wu Wanling said, the titles of the military officials are disorderly and disorderly, and the superiors cannot be effectively issued, and the generals lead the troops, and the orders do not exceed their own troops. Once the situation suddenly changes, the generals of one department cannot command the other. These are deeply rooted in the empire. Military ills.I finished reading, and sighed: "General Wu, please finish this book quickly, what is said here is quite practical. By the way, I have a book here, you can also refer to it." I took out the half of "Victory in War Strategy" from my pocket, and said, "I borrowed this, please read it quickly, I will copy another copy." Wu Wanling took it and turned it over, with a happy expression on his face, and shouted: "General Chu, where did you get such a good book? It's so wonderful, I want to copy one too. General Chu, let me copy it for you, and it's done." for you." Wu Wanling's handwriting is much more beautiful than mine, and he will copy it for me, which is much better than my own.I was overjoyed, and said: "Okay." I took out the box of mid-grade parchment from my pocket and said, "You can copy it here." Wu Wanling took it over, his eyes flickering, as if tears were about to flow.I really didn't dare to see the big man cry, so I patted him on the shoulder and said, "General Wu, let's forget about the past." Wu Wanling opened his mouth, as if about to say something, but he still closed it.He is too introverted, and I know it.I patted him on the shoulder again and said: "General Wu, we were born and died together, and sometimes I am too rude, General Wu, don't take it to heart." Wu Wanling's face turned red again, and he didn't know what I said touched him again.I walked out of his residence, closed the door, and let out a long breath. In the afternoon, I took my students to practice on the playground.After what happened last night, this group of students seemed to have grown a lot. Although their marksmanship was immature, they practiced very seriously.Seeing the murder with their own eyes was also a great touch to them.If you want not to be killed on the battlefield, you have to practice your skills first.This simple truth is said too much, and it is not as good as witnessing the effect. After class, I walked the street alone, wanting to see Xue Wenyi.Although I agreed with him to transfer Yuan Kezhen to the Ministry of Industry, there is no result yet, so I want to ask him how things are going.Yuan Kezhenzhi is not in the army, but he can show what he has learned in the Ministry of Industry. For him, this is probably a better development. Today is the eighth day of March, and the streets are much busier than before.The news of the second prince's defeat was known to ordinary people, but they were not announced. So after the panic at the beginning passed, the news of the snake man was still too far away for them.And Dijun's birthday is approaching, maybe Dijun doesn't want panic to disturb his birthday celebration.Dijun has a big celebration every ten years, and a small celebration every five years. Naturally, this year's Lent Day celebration should be more grand. The rebellion of the republican army and the attack of snake people are nothing more than scabies for Dijun's Tianshou Festival. .Also because there are still more than ten days before the Tianshou Festival, even the mourning ceremony for Marquis Wu has been postponed. I heard that we have to wait until April 4th, the Spring Festival Day, to pay homage to the souls of the 100,000 soldiers who marched south.In Dijun's eyes, 100,000 lives are not as important as his birthday. I walked to the Ministry of Industry and greeted the two guards at the door. As soon as I entered, Yuan Kezhen came out, and greeted me as soon as she saw me: "Teacher, you are here." I nodded and said, "Are you used to living here?" Yuan Kezhen was holding a wooden board with some circles drawn on it. His face was also full of excitement, and he said, "Very well, Mr. Xue took good care of me. Mr. Wenhou came here just now and asked us to rush to make a few One, try to show him tomorrow, and once it works, you must install it on all Thunder Crossbows." "Where is Mr. Xue?" Yuan Kezhen pointed to the backyard and said, "What kind of flying machine is he supervising? Teacher, can the flying machine really fly? How does it fly?" He still has a youthful heart and likes this kind of new things.I smiled wryly and said, "You can fly, but it's hard to come down." Even though we escaped by flying plane, it was very difficult to come down. Two women even hurt their legs after landing.If Xue Wenyi doesn't solve this problem, the flying machine won't be of much use after all. Yuan Kezhen and I walked towards the backyard together.The Ministry of Industry occupies a large area, because the three prefectures of Jinshuihuo are either water or fire, so the workshop is not located in the Ministry of Industry, and only the workshop of the Second Mansion of Wood and Soil is set up in the Ministry of Industry.The five mansions of the Ministry of Industry are actually a whole, like making arrows, the arrowhead is the job of the gold mansion, but the earth mansion is responsible for making the furnace, the arrow shaft belongs to the wood mansion, and the people who make the fire belong to the fire mansion. All the people are in one place, and the division into five prefectures is just for the convenience of management. As soon as we got to the backyard, we heard the little prince shouting: "Mr. Xue, when can I try it?" The little prince is there too?I was a little taken aback.In fact, it is no wonder that children are most interested in these novelty things. He is much younger than Yuan Kezhen, and he has heard of such things as flying machines, so it would be strange not to come and see them.It's just that if he asked Wu Zhao to teach me a lesson, he might be dissatisfied with me.I was a little hesitant when Yuan Kezhen called out: "Master Xue, Teacher Chu is here." Xue Wenyi was sitting in a wheelchair directing a few craftsmen to plan boards, the little prince was standing beside him, and his guards followed behind, one of them was that Chen Chaohang, with a white cloth wrapped around his hands.When they heard Yuan Kezhen's voice, they all raised their heads, my heart sank, I hurried forward, saluted the little prince and said: "Your Highness, the last general Chu Xiuhong is polite." I didn't know how the little prince would deal with me, and I was worried, but I heard the little prince shout: "General Chu, come here quickly. Have you used this flying machine before?" His voice was not hostile at all, but rather respectful.My heart widened, and I said, "Your Highness, I escaped from Gaojiu City on this plane." "Can it really fly?" "Flying is able to fly..." I just wanted to say that the flying machine is not safe yet, but the little prince cheered and said: "Great, I want to tell the prince brother, I also want to sprinkle flowers for the Emperor's Tianshou Festival." Does this aircraft have this purpose?On the day I came back, I also told everyone about the escape scene in the court. Dijun's memory is not bad, but I didn't expect him to think of the use of the flying machine.I hurriedly said: "This flying machine is not very easy to control, Your Highness, you have a golden body, I'm afraid you can't sit on it yet." The little prince said: "Don't you just say it's okay?" Xue Wen also said on the side: "Your Highness, this is really impossible. I dare not be the master. You heard General Chu say the same." Only then did I realize that he was already sweating profusely. Probably the little prince He had to take a plane here, which scared him badly. The little prince looked at me and said, "General Chu, can I really not sit down?" Chen Chaohang knelt down on one side and said, "Young master, you heard General Chu say the same thing. If you don't believe me, you can ask Teacher Wu Zhao, he must also say that you can't sit." The little prince's face sank, he looked at the flying machine that the two carpenters were planning, scratched his head and said, "Oh, everyone says I can't sit on it, but I'm not too young anymore. Chen Chaohang, let's let the little one go Let's fly." Chen Chaohang and Xue Wenyi let out a long breath, and Xue Wenyi said: "Your Highness, after a few years, I will definitely speak to the crown prince and let His Highness take this flying plane." Chen Chaohang cut his hand by the end of my gun in order to grab my gun, but now he looked at me with gratitude.When the little prince left, he even saluted me, and I was so panicked that I hurriedly returned the salute.After they left, Xue Wen also said: "Fortunately, you are here, otherwise I really can't beat this little prince." I said, "Does he have to fly a plane?" "That's right. The flying machine is too dangerous. The little prince got on it indiscriminately. If something happens, I can't afford it. General Chu, fortunately, he still convinces you. What did you do to convince him?" The little prince asked Wu Zhao to teach me a lesson, but Wu Zhao didn't make me lose face. Wu Zhao probably told him about it.Although this little prince is a bit unreasonable, once he heard that I can fight Wu Zhao evenly, he immediately respects me, which is quite cute.I smiled and said, "It's nothing. Is it Dijun's intention to make this flying machine?" Xue Wen also said: "This is what the prince means. What's wrong?" It's what the prince means, I can't help but smile.I'm afraid this is also Wenhou's idea.The second prince was determined to make military exploits to overwhelm the prince, but he never thought that in the eyes of the emperor, being able to win his favor at the Tianshou Festival might be more valued by the emperor than making meritorious service on the battlefield. Marquis Wen really doesn't let things go for nothing.I admired Marquis Wen's scheming before, and I admire it even more now. A famous general must be courageous and resourceful, as Marquis Wu did, and so did Lu Jingyu.If I want to become a famous general, then Marquis Wen is the best teacher. Talked with Xue Wenyi for a while, Xue Wenyi let me have a meal in the Ministry of Industry, and when talking about the aiming device, Xue Wenyi said that Marquis Wen valued it very much, and Yuan Kezhen had also been transferred to the Ministry of Industry as an exception. full member of the department.It is also unprecedented for him to enter the Ministry of Industry when he was only one and a half years old.Speaking of testing the sight tomorrow, I told Xue Wenyi that once the test was successful, I would report to Marquis Wen, saying that Wu Wanling had discovered it. After dinner, I bid farewell to Xue Wenyi and left the Ministry of Industry.The Ministry of Industry is located in an unprosperous place in the imperial capital, but now there is a somewhat festive atmosphere.The Emperor's Tianshou Festival is also a festival to enjoy with the people. Even the poor people here have a little bit of a holiday. This is also considered a virtuous policy of the Emperor. As I was walking, I suddenly heard someone shouting: "General Chu!" I raised my head, but I didn't know who was calling me, and when I looked, I saw two people in civilian clothes waving to me in the crowd, one of them was a striker Qian Wenyi, the centurion of the Seventh Battalion. Qian Wenyi had a good relationship with me when we were in Qianfeng Battalion. We were both small military officers with civilian backgrounds and colleagues.Later, after I left the Qianfeng camp, I rarely saw him. When Lu Gongxing came back, he was not one of the five. I only thought that he was no longer in the battle, but I didn't expect to see him here.Overjoyed, I pushed through the crowd and walked to him, grabbed his shoulders and said, "Qian Wenyi! It's great that you're back." Qian Wenyi was not as happy as I was, he just said: "We just returned to the imperial capital yesterday, and there are only two hundred people left in the party." His face was full of dust, and he had suffered a lot along the way.I said, "Is there anyone from the Qianfeng Battalion back?" "Pu Anli and Xing Tiefeng have also returned, seven of our group of centurions escaped back." Of the twenty centurions in the Qianfeng Battalion, apart from the ones who died in the Gaojiu City, there were fourteen more when the city was broken. Half of them escaped, which is quite remarkable.I sighed and said, "Don't think about him. You know, the vanguard of the Snakeman has already attacked Dongping City." Qian Wenyi said: "I came from a road in the northwest, and I have never passed Dongping City. I wanted to find the Xifu Army, but I went the wrong way and ended up in Langyue Province. Fortunately, I met the governor of Wangzhen in Langyue Province. Give us a few horses, or even if we escape the fire by chance, we will die on the road." Langyue Province is the westernmost province. It has a large land boundary, but its population is only 700,000. , In fact, it is still defended by 20,000 wolf soldiers from Chu Wenzhong, governor of Chengmei Province.听说朗月省连一个大城也没有，因为土地太过贫瘠，连强盗也不大有，所以朗月省根本没有驻军，王镇只带了两百多个随身的护兵，只是为看管流放到那里的罪犯而设立的，而王镇这个总督自己也是因为忤了文侯才被派到那里当总督，近于半流放性质。那里地处高原，马匹并不太多，最多的是一种长毛牛，王镇能给他们两百匹马，实在是竭尽全力帮助他们了。 如果我那时没有到西府军驻地，也差到朗月省的话，大概她们不至于会被送进宫里吧。我一想到她，心头又是一阵疼痛。 钱文义大概发现我脸色有异，道：“楚将军，你也别多想了。我们今天去国殇碑前祭奠君侯，你和我们一起去吧。” 因为天寿节，祭仪全都押后，这些天民间连出殡都不许，但我们自己趁夜去祭总没关系吧。我有些脸红，回到帝都这么多天，我从来没想过要去祭奠一下死去的弟兄么。我道：“好吧，我们叫辆车，再买点酒去。” 华表山在帝都城西郊。华表山孤峰兀立，顶上有郊天塔，塔下又有国殇碑，以前每隔两年的，驻守在帝都的三万禁军和外围的十二万驻军都要到国殇碑下进行祭祀。帝国征战数百年，国殇碑上刻着的阵亡将士名字就已经有数十万了，更不用说在连年征战中死去的无名士卒有多少。 我们到国殇碑下时，天已是黄昏。山衔落日，映得半天俱红，连树叶也变成了紫色。我和钱文义他们在国殇碑下燃起一堆火，钱文义倒了几碗酒，我们一人端了一碗，钱文义对着石碑道：“君侯，您英灵不远，愿来世再为名将，保家卫国。” 他把酒洒在碑前，我们在他身后也把酒洒在地上。我在洒酒时小声地道：“死去的弟兄们，你们也喝一口酒吧。” 酒洒在地上，把泥土也湿了一块。一阵风吹来，扬起了落叶尘土，也似有阴魂在侧。有个弟兄在一边低声唱起了那支葬歌，我们也应和着。 “身既死矣，归葬山阳。山何巍巍，天何苍苍。山有木兮国有殇。魂兮归来，以瞻家邦。” 我们都不是什么善歌之人，唱得也似狼嚎。第一段唱完，远远地，从山下传来了一些人的歌声： “身既殁矣，归葬山阿。人生苦短，岁月蹉跎。生有命兮死无何。魂兮归来，以瞻山河。” 这支葬歌共有三段，第二段更为悲壮，山下那些沙哑的嗓子唱出来，更是一片苍茫，在黄昏中，如一阵阵闷雷滚过。我们都站直了，一起唱起了第三段。 “身既没矣，归葬山麓。天何高高，风何肃肃。执干戈兮灵旗矗。魂兮归来，永守亲族。” 这第三段改用了入韵，和一般葬歌的绵长大为不同，没什么凄婉，却浑然是一派激壮，唱到最后的“永守亲族”四字时，山下那队人已到了华表山脚，一时间山上山下的歌声混成一片，直上云霄，几至满山俱响，已压过了渐紧的风声。 那庭天写的这首葬歌，最后却没有写“以卫家国”、“以卫君王”之类的话，一直为人垢病，因此平常在军中也唱第一段。这次把三段一起唱完，我只觉心头一阵酸楚。最后的“永守亲族”四字，以前从来也看不出有多大意思，现在突然间让我感到这短短四字中有那么多不尽之意。 那庭天一生行伍，他生前有三子，这三子从他出征，有“将门三星”之目，但先后在战争中阵亡，这对那庭天的打击一定很大，他老来也拒绝大帝赐与他的美姬，独自在府中度过余生，写了一部《行军七要》。在《行军七要》中，尽管讲了许多战阵的攻守之策，但夹在里面的，更多是“以不战屈人之兵”，“不杀为上”之类的话。 暮年的那庭天，也许也在悔恨上半生的杀伐吧。如果也许他在想着，与其在战场上建立不世功业，不如与妻儿老小相聚一堂，平平安安，又平庸无足道地过此一生。只是这世界如一道洪流，奔涌向前，再不容你回头。我几乎能从这四字里听到那庭天那无尽的悔恨。 我不知道我是不是懂得那庭天写这葬歌的真意，耳中，只是回绕着“永守亲族”四字，眼前，好象又出现了我已逝的父母，战死的朋友，还有，就是她。 如果有朝一日我也能到达那庭天的地位，我会不会也如此悔恨？我实在不知道。 这时从山上有人高声叫道：“山上的弟兄，你们是哪一军的？” 钱文义伸掌在嘴边，高声道：“我们是南征回来的士兵，你们是哪儿的？” 钱文义一语出口，山下一阵乱，有个人尖声叫道：“你们也逃回来了？我等是南征残军，陆将军部下。” 陆经渔的残部？我浑身都是一凛，高声道：“陆将军可安全？” 山下一下静了下来，过了一会，有人才高声叫道：“陆将军，魂兮归来，我们回帝都了！” 陆经渔死了？这时山下已是一片哭声。刚才这些人还在唱着那支悲壮的葬歌，现在却已判若两人。我心中一冷，钱文义道：“楚将军，我们下去看看吧。” I nodded.这批人大约有五六千，今天才到，恐怕以后再没有人能逃回来了。南征军十万，逃出的，只剩这五六千，这一场战败之惨，实令人心寒。 我们走下山，那批人还在山脚。一到山下，我才发现有些异样，这五六千人，大多是神情木然，只有队伍头上一两百人在抱头痛哭。我们一走过去，有个军官拍马过来，大声喝道：“几位将军，你们是什么人？” 这人盔甲鲜明，神情有些高傲，怎么看也不象是南征败回来的。我和钱文义互相看了一眼，我道：“末将是下将军楚休红，这位是前锋营百夫长钱文义将军。请问将军，你们是哪一部份的？” 这人听得我是下将军，倒收起了几分高傲之色，在马上向我行了一礼道：“禀楚将军，末将是褚爵爷麾下狼军左营都统解瑄，统本营四千，奉文侯大人火急征调令，日夜兼程，入都听令，失陪了。” 他转身要走，我急道：“解将军，他们不是说是陆将军麾下么？” 解瑄撇了撇嘴，道：“这一百二十七人为附在我营中的南征军残兵，楚将军，请你带这些人向文侯大人听令吧。” 他一挥手道：“弟兄们，我们走。” 永宁伯褚闻中，镇守成昧省首府石虎城。石虎城当年是西疆伽洛国国都，地处大江上游南岸，和处于大江中游南岸的符敦城、下游南岸的东平城合称为大江的三道门户。在大帝得国时，石虎城曾被屠成一座死城，几年前苍月公起事时，又攻破了一次，两万守军被活埋于城下。因为石虎城太过重要，虽然成昧省以西还有朗月省，但朗月省地势太过险恶，土地也太过贫瘠，无法驻扎大军，因此石虎城这座帝国本土境内最西的大城就成为帝国西部屏障。以往，石虎城依附于符敦城，受天水省节制，帝都对此也有些鞭长莫及，所以在被夺回来后，文侯怕此城再度有失，特意调攻破石虎城的永宁伯褚闻中为成昧守将。褚闻中原来被指派到乙支省开荒屯田，因为帝都位于三池、昌都、方阳三省交界处，昌都有青月公的七万军驻守，同样紧贴帝都的方阳省却只有长安伯屠方的一万兵驻守，中央一路，出北宁城向南直到大江都不再有驻军，未免太过单薄，文侯当初便倡议在乙支省筑城，由褚闻中在此屯田开府，这样便和符敦城的李湍府军、西府军、北宁城屠方守军守望相助，连成一个整体，不论敌人从南还是从北攻来，这四支军队都能互相接应。这本是个好计划，可惜李湍附和苍月公叛乱，将文侯这全盘计划打乱，而石虎城被攻回后，势必要有一支强兵驻扎，才能保障西部的安全，权衡之下，褚闻中便又被调往石虎城了。 褚闻中这支军队因为辗转于数地，兵源很杂，前期军纪也很坏，被人称为“狼兵”。褚闻中对这支队伍大加约束，整编后，战斗力令人刮目相看，他自己倒很喜欢这个称谓，反正将“狼兵”作为他这两万人的正式绰号。武侯南征前，他受命夺回石虎城，苍月公攻破石虎城后，转战向东进发，在这里留下了两万兵，褚闻中同样两万人，但他攻城时简直如摧枯拉朽，五天急行军八百里，又仅仅用了一天时间便攻下石虎城。那次褚闻中报捷的消息传来，武侯还在帝都选南征军，听得褚闻中如此快便取得胜利，他大为后悔，说本该调褚闻中这两万人为后军，那南征的四支军队每一支都能独当一面了。 帝国的本有驻军十二万，分驻帝都四周，武侯的十万南征军便是从这十二万人中选的。剩下的二万军在我和路恭行回来后就随二太子出征了，现在虽然也有一些补充，但帝都驻军只剩了一万多，真可以说守备空虚。如果全部征用新兵，那战力实在不能保证，我记得武昭说过，要让军校的毕业班提前毕业，那大概也是为了补充下级军官的不足吧。而解瑄这四千营只怕也是武侯紧急调来勤王的，恐怕，西面的青月公、东北的红月公也将分兵回帝都助阵。红月公距帝都最远，青月公驻军的西靖城其实比石虎城离帝都还近，反是狼军先来。 这时解瑄已带人走远了，远远望去，长长一条火把光象河水般流动，丝毫不乱，只这么一会功夫，便已在一里外了。 狼兵真是快啊。我不禁叹了口气，以前在前锋营以为天下强兵前锋营为最，后来到龙鳞军发现龙鳞军其实并不弱于前锋营，现在看看狼军，实在也强悍得令人吃惊。以前，我也实在是坐井观天，未睹天下英雄。 那些残兵此时已止住了哭声，列成一队。他们是陆经渔带出来的兵，自非弱者，但狼军一路急行军，恐怕也觉得他们是个累赘。我问了问他们，发现他们都是些下级军官和士兵。这次南征军一败，高级军官几乎尽数战死，逃出来的人中，路恭行算是官职最高的了，对帝国军的打击，实在不仅仅是一军的战败而已。 顺便把架构的帝国十九行省和各省驻军写在这里，帮我注意我有什么驴唇不对马嘴的地方吧，写得多了，不自觉就会忘记。 南九北十十九行省： 南九： 中西四省：天水（符敦城，原一千万，现人口三百万，西府军驻兵五万，原还有李湍驻军六万）、成昧（石虎城，褚闻中居城，人口一百二十万，驻兵两万）、秉德（人口九十万，无兵）、朗月（人口七十万，总督王镇无兵）； 东南五省：海靖（东部大岛，入道城，孙琢之居城，人口六十万，驻兵两万）、广阳（五羊城，人口原二百万，现二百五十万，五羊城主私兵两万）、南宁（高鹫城，苍月公居城，原有五百万，人口七十万，无兵）、闽榕（南安城，人口原一百二十万，现一百万，无兵）、之江（东平城，人口原一百万，现九十万，驻兵四万）。 北十： 西北三省：昌都（西靖城，青月公居城人口九十万，驻兵七万）、乙支（人口二十万）、汲昂（人口二十万）； 北部三省：方阳（北宁城，人口八十万，屠方居城，驻兵一万）、祈连（人口十三万）、扶龙（人口十九万）； 东北四省：铁当（神威城，红月公居城，人口一百七十万，驻兵七万）、三池（雄关城，人口八十万，常驻兵一万，原为帝都外围军驻地）、乐浪（人口二十万）、建徐（人口十三万）。 首都：雾云城，地处三池、昌都、方阳三省交界处，人口五十万，禁军三万，外围驻军十二万，南征军主力，现余二万。 帝国境内，原有人口二千八百七十五万，现有人口一千七百六十万。 总兵力： 原：禁军三万，外围驻军十二万，屠方一万，孙琢之两万，褚闻中两万。青月公兵力七万，红月公兵力七万，苍月公八万，西府军五万，李湍六万，东平城四万，雄关城一万，共五十八万，五羊城不计。 现：禁军三万，外围驻军两万，屠方一万，孙琢之两万，褚闻中两万。青月公兵力七万，红月公兵力七万，西府军五万，东平城四万，雄关城一万，共三十四万，五羊城不计。