Chapter 11 Chapter Eleven

"What?" Marquis Wen stood up abruptly, "Let that person run away?" I lowered my head and said: "The last general is guilty of death. This person actually has a mind-bending technique. I fell into his spell and let him snatch the horse and escape." Marquis Wen stood there without moving, and he didn't know what to think.I said again: "Before he escaped, he asked me to tell my lord that what he said is true, please don't give up eating because of choking." Marquis Wen turned around and walked to the window with his hands behind his back.There was already dawn on the window paper. He looked at it for a while and said, "General Chu, does this person really have the ability to read minds?"

"It's absolutely true." Marquis Wen sighed, and said, "This is God's will. Forget it, General Chu, you have worked hard all the way, you go back and rest." He didn't say anything like rewarding me, probably a little annoyed in his heart.I didn't say anything more, I saluted Cao Wendao again, stood up and paid the order to go out.Just as he walked out the door, Marquis Wen suddenly said, "General Chu, there is one more thing." I turned around, saluted and said, "What else do you want, sir?" "Today, you go back and prepare. Tomorrow, you will hand over the affairs of the class you are leading. I have ordered someone else to take over for you."

My heart felt cold, and I didn't know what to say, I just said: "Obey." Marquis Wen suddenly smiled and said: "Don't think too much, you have other uses, this is not a punishment for you." I also have some redness on my face.Qi Lie has laughed at me before for this kind of problem of expressing joy and anger.He said that I "can't hide things in my stomach".Marquis Wen must have snickered at my disappointment just now.I bowed again and said, "The last general will do it right away." As soon as he walked out, he saw Deng Canglan and Bi Wei hurrying over.Their official ranks are higher than mine, Cao Wendao and I stood aside and saluted them, letting them pass.Judging by their appearance, there are also traces of dew on their bodies. They must have been lying in ambush in the wild all night, but they just waited for nothing.If they caught up with Zheng Zhao, they would cut off the heads of those five people without further ado. Zheng Zhao would definitely have no way out.

Maybe there is God's will in everything.Marquis Wen originally wanted to kill these people without anyone noticing, and his plan was flawless, but by accident, it became self-defeating. In the world, there are no generals who are always victorious, and there are no wise men who can predict everything.Success and failure may only be determined by a trivial matter. At this time, Cao Wendao whispered: "General Chu, why did Marquis Wen kill Mr. Zheng and the others?" I scratched my head and said nothing.Wuyang City's status in the empire is quite special, it can be said to be a country within a country.This reason can be traced back to when the great emperor won the country.At that time, the emperor marched south, and the cavalry army in the south was at a great disadvantage, and the war was frustrated.At this time, with the great assistance of the Lord of Wuyang City, the south was pacified in one fell swoop. The emperor was delighted and wanted to canonize the Lord of Wuyang City as a public servant, but the Lord of Wuyang City did not want to be an official. He only asked the emperor to let Wuyang City be autonomous and pay tribute every year.The emperor calculated that the tribute collected by the owner of the Wuyang city was more than the tax collected by the Wuyang city as a direct control. The Wuyang city was almost equivalent to the taxes of several medium-sized provinces in the southeast.And the Lord of Wuyang City also has 40,000 private soldiers, which is quite powerful.After weighing the matter, he agreed to this proposal and opened Wuyang City as a commercial port, which would be governed by the owner of Wuyang City, but the private soldiers could only be maintained at 20,000.For hundreds of years, the city lords of all dynasties have been quite loyal. Before Cang Yue Gong rebelled, Wuyang City remained neutral, and Cang Yue Gong did not dare to use troops against him from the rear.

Since the defeat of Marquis Wu's Southern Expeditionary Army, Wuyang City has become a big city hanging in the south alone.In the past, the city lord of Wuyang always remained neutral no matter what wars were going on around him, but now there are snakes all around him. Presumably the city lord's usual skill of changing the rudder according to the wind is no longer effective, so he sent Zheng Zhao as an envoy to get a deal with Marquis Wen. connect. However, why did Marquis Wen silence their mouths?What exactly were they discussing?Of course Marquis Wen would not say such things to me, a general who is not yet his close confidant.

So many things happened in this day, I just feel tired as hell.Back home, I fell asleep as soon as my head touched the pillow.When I woke up, it was already bright, I hurriedly dressed and rushed to the class. I was a little late, and the students were already sitting upright.Today is the art of war class. The art of war class in the military academy uses Natingtian's "Seven Essentials of Marching" as the textbook. I teach the lower grades, and I don't know many ligatures. Read the content of "Seven Essentials". After the first class, when the students were being asked to take a break, suddenly there was a blast of horns at the school gate, and it was Marquis Wen who came to inspect.He said that today he wanted to see the actual effectiveness of the sight on the Thunder Crossbow, and then he wanted to inspect the defeated soldiers who fled back from Gaojiu City.Of the 100,000 troops commanded by Marquis Wu, fewer than 2,000 were able to return to the imperial capital.Since Marquis Wu had always ordered the officers to take the lead, very few middle and senior officers escaped. Lu Gongxing was already the highest rank, and only two thousand commanders also escaped.Everyone in the military academy came out to greet me, and I brought my class to the playground.

Among the defeated soldiers, I saw Pu Anli and Xing Tiefeng again.A total of six centurions from the Qianfeng Battalion escaped back, and there was also Yang Yi from the 4th Battalion of the Vanguard, and a centurion I didn't know, who was probably promoted after I left the Vanguard Battalion. The effect of the sight is quite obvious. Bi Wei's men have already practiced quite proficiently. Once the sight is installed, the hit rate is greatly improved.After switching to the Thunderbolt Crossbow, every soldier can be a good archer who can use a strong bow, and this kind of long-range attack power should be greatly enhanced.

After Bi Wei shot a round of crossbow, I saw a smile on Marquis Wen's tired face.Originally, he had been sitting all the time, but suddenly stood up, and everyone on the field fell silent, and all knelt down. Marquis Wen glanced at us and said loudly: "Warriors of the empire, you have either been killed out of thousands of troops, or you have never been on the battlefield, but you are all good men of the empire and will be protectors. The pillars of the family and the country." His voice was very loud, different from his usual polite tone, and now he spoke colloquialisms, which even the illiterate soldiers could understand.His words seemed to have a magical power that penetrated directly into people's hearts. Everyone who listened raised their heads and their faces lit up.

Marquis Wen didn't talk much, but when he said it, all the people on the field began to shout in response to his words, and there were thunderstorms in the sky above the playground.After he finished his training, Bi Wei's troops tested the sight.Bi Wei's reputation was well-deserved, and after installing the sight, his aim improved a lot. Marquis Wen announced in public that Yuan Kezhen was entered into the Mufu of the Ministry of Industry, and Wu Wanling recommended him for meritorious service and was also rewarded.When I saw Wu Wanling stepping forward, I was a little confused. He probably didn't expect that I would give all the credit to him.

After this matter is over, it will be the early graduation ceremony for the senior class.There were originally 400 students in the graduating class, among whom some dropped out, but the actual number of graduates was 387.These three hundred and eighty-seven people will be placed in various ministries, and will be awarded the post of chief or centurion according to their achievements.Now there are only more than 10,000 regular troops left in the empire. Including the troops transferred from various ministries, the total is probably only a little over 30,000. It seems that low-level officers can't use that much.But the situation is urgent, and I am afraid that even those centurions or centurions will not be able to bring enough troops.

After the graduates were awarded the sabers, they all knelt down and said loudly, "Thank you, sir. The last generals will serve the country loyally and never give up." This is the ceremony of the military academy, and I have also said it.Thinking about it now, this sentence is somewhat ridiculous.Loyalty to the emperor and serving the country was not originally a sentence. People who said this sentence may be disloyal to the emperor at all, and do not want to serve the country. After the incident, those graduates were transferred to the barracks to start their official careers.I heard that Marquis Wen wanted me to hand over this class to someone else. I thought Marquis Wen would let me lead this group of graduates, but I didn’t hear that Marquis Wen had such an appointment until the people dispersed. At this moment, a man came over, approached me, bowed first and said, "Excuse me, are you General Chu Xiuhong?" This man was wearing a new military uniform, and he was not very old. I was a little puzzled and said, "The last general is right. May I ask who you are..." He took out a token and said: "The young general is Hu Tao, the military officer of Marquis Wen's mansion. Lord Wenhou ordered me to take over the position of General Chu." I took it over and said to him, "Deling. General Hu, this is the seventh class of the first year I lead, and there are currently fifty students." Hu Tao saluted again and said, "General Chu has worked hard. General Chu will be promoted in the future, don't forget to come back and have a look, haha." He was serious just now, and now he talks humorously.This Hu Tao is a team officer in Wenhou Mansion, so he is not incompetent, so I also bowed and said: "General Hu, you are welcome." We were talking, but the students in that class were already looking at me. Suddenly, a student lost his voice: "Mr. Chu, you don't want to teach us anymore?" I turned my head and looked at them.I have only been teaching this group of students for a few days. I mainly teach them spears and horses. Probably the competition between me and Wu Zhao left a very good impression on them, so they don't want me to leave.In fact, I also have a good impression of these military school students who are the children of the common people. In them, I vaguely see my own shadow.I said: "Students, Master Wenhou has something else to do with me. From today on, you will be under the guidance of Teacher Hu." After listening to me, they looked at Hu Tao again.Maybe Hu Tao is handsome and handsome, and he is also very impressive. I saw that they didn't feel reluctant to part with me. After all, I didn't teach them for a few days.I can't help but smile wryly. Hu Tao took them back, and I took the token to Wenhou Mansion to pay the order.Just as he was walking to the door, he suddenly heard someone shouting from behind: "Teacher Chu!" This person yelled urgently. I turned my head and saw the student who asked me not to teach.I stopped, and when he came to me, I said, "Why did you run out? It's time to go to class now." The student said: "Mr. Chu, Mr. Hu and I took a leave of absence to see you off. Mr. Chu, are you going to go to battle?" What he said moved me a little.This young man is so handsome and handsome that I almost feel jealous.I was at his age, but my standard appearance was not outstanding.I smiled and said, "Probably. I'm a soldier, and I can't do anything else." "Mr. Chu, I have something I want to ask you, is that okay?" Under the sun, his black hair glowed with a copper-colored luster, and his smooth face also showed a trace of desire for knowledge.I stood up straight and said, "What are you talking about?" "My father is a veteran, and he wanted me to be a famous general who will win every battle. But Mr. Chu, you told us that the most important thing for an army is to protect people's lives. As long as this goal is achieved, the victory or defeat will not matter That's not the point. Teacher Chu, tell me, if a general can protect the lives of the people but is always invincible, is he also a famous general?" This is the problem.I couldn't help raising my head and looked at the sky.In class, I used to say this when I was talking about the phrase "Surrender without fighting". "The duty of the army is to defend the country. Sacrifice is unavoidable, but it must be minimized. If the enemy can be subdued by military power, that is the highest level of a military strategist. It is not just a famous general, but God of war. It’s just that we can’t do this. What we can do is to defend this country and its people from being invaded. From this point of view, the outcome of one or two battles is not the key. The ultimate goal of war is to eliminate war, as long as this can be achieved, do you think you are a famous general?" The young man looked at me half-understood, and said: "Then, if a general wins hundreds of battles and slaughters cities and countries all the way, isn't he considered a famous general?" I sighed, not knowing what to say.In the Imperial Army, bravery has always been respected, and it is believed that bravery can solve everything.Although it is also to end the war, when I was taught by the teacher before, it was right to destroy the enemy's will to resist the war, even if the city was slaughtered.In the eyes of ordinary people, a famous general is determined by the number of victories and cuts.However, following the Marquis Wu's Southern Expedition, I really couldn't agree with the horrific scenes of massacres that I saw along the way.Marquis Wu massacred the city in order to destroy the fighting spirit of the Republican Army, and the Republican Army mobilized countless civilians to fight against the Imperial Army. Fundamentally speaking, they were all the same cruelty, using innocent civilians as tools.However, when facing the real war, I really don't know what should be the better way. "I don't know either." I sighed and patted the young man on the shoulder. "It's ridiculous. I really can't teach you everything as a teacher. However, the duty of the army is to end wars and protect the people. The people, or if the people are also involved in the battle, then the commander has already failed, and he is definitely not a famous general.” What I said seems to be blaming Marquis Wu. If Marquis Wu is still alive, he might be furious and scold me for being a woman.However, before he died in the battle, the helpless "Heaven punishes those who are not benevolent" seems to still be echoing in my ears.Maybe Marquis Wu has a spirit, and he will think that what I said is not unreasonable-even though what I said in the army will be regarded as a heresy that hinders the morale of the army. The boy looked at me, wondering if he understood what I said.Suddenly, he stood up straight and gave me a military salute.His military salute was not very standard, so I stood up straight and saluted him.He said: "Teacher Chu, please come back triumphantly as soon as possible." This little boy seemed to have grown up a lot at once.I really don't know whether it's triumphant or not.When the country is in trouble, everyone is responsible. Even if I die on the battlefield, that is my duty.I just said lightly: "I'll try my best. By the way, what's your name?" He was turning around to go back, when he heard my question, he turned around and waved to me: "My name is Liu Fengwu, Teacher Chu." In Marquis Wen's mansion, it was already in chaos.Today is the ninth day of March, and the Tianshou Festival on the 23rd of March is coming soon. Marquis Wen has to prepare reinforcements as well as Tianshou Festival. When I arrived in front of the conference hall where the plaque of "Writing to carry the Way" was hung, I said loudly: "The last general Chu Xiuhong is here to pay the order." Contrary to what I imagined, Marquis Wen was not gesticulating and directing his subordinates, but was sitting on a chair watching something.Hearing my voice, he raised his head and said, "General Chu, come in." After I paid the order, I said, "Lord Wenhou, you asked me to leave the military academy, but you want me to join the Second Route Reinforcement Army?" Marquis Wen nodded and said, "It seems that there is nothing else I want to use you for. Do you have anything to say?" I knelt down, bowed my head and said: "The country employs me, and the last general will die." Marquis Wen helped me up and said with a slight smile: "These days, I have told many people who came back from the Southern Expedition Army that they said that General Chu is both wise and brave, so he is worthy of great use. It is a pity that you are only asked to teach a group of children. .” I couldn't help being moved for a while, and I blushed a little.My wisdom and courage do not know what to say?In terms of bravery, there may be some, and in terms of wisdom, it can only be counted as stealing Shen Xiping's head from the snake camp and escaping with a flying machine.Marquis Wu is not famous for his wit, but his resourcefulness has already made me admire him. In front of Marquis Wen, who is famous for his wit, I am afraid that my little wit is not worth mentioning. "My lord, the final general is useless if he does not have his subordinates to serve him." Marquis Wen smiled and said, "That's right, the letter I'm reading now also says: 'When people make the best use of their talents and things make the best use of them, the three armies can fight." By the way, this Wu Wanling was your subordinate at the beginning. Bar?" This is what Wu Wanling wrote in the paragraph.Only then did I notice that the book in front of Marquis Wen was actually the parchment I bought.I said: "Your Excellency, that's right. Although this man has no superiority in guns and horses, he dispatches soldiers and rectifies order. This man does not think of second people." In fact, Yuan Kexiang is not inferior to Wu Wanling in this regard.It's just that until he died, he was just a small inspector of the Chinese army, and he never had the chance to use his skills in this area. Marquis Wen stood up, walked to the window and looked outside, murmured: "This person has a humble position, but there are many insights in this book. At the beginning, I really misunderstood. What he said, 'the one who wants to conquer, must be determined'." Strategy is more important than decision, marching is more expensive, discussion is more important, and military power is more important." This paragraph is quite specific to the weakness of the army. The imperial army has a chaotic military system, different military powers, and indecision in making plans. Everyone has their own opinions, except for the emperor, no one can make a final decision." This passage is exactly what I lent to Wu Wanling in "Victory Strategy", and he also copied it.I said: "This is true. In the Southern Expedition Army, the official positions of each army are different. When the various armies dispatch each other, it is often unclear which one has a higher rank and confusion occurs. And there are troops in the army, which also makes If the situation cannot be communicated, it will only increase the chaos." Marquis Wen slammed the table and said, "That's right, this Wu Wanling also said this." He turned around, suddenly a look of pain appeared on his face, and said, "It's a pity that I didn't read this letter earlier, although I have this heart, but I have never acted. Now that the Second Route reinforcements are imminent, there is no other way." I said: "My lord, it's not too late to make up for it. If the recruits recruited now get rid of the old problems and train them carefully, things may not be impossible." Marquis Wen walked up to me, put his hand on my shoulder and said, "General Chu, you came back from the Southern Expedition Army, so you are well aware of the disadvantages in the army. Today's second-line reinforcements are based on four-way reinforcements." With the army fighting together, these disadvantages are even more serious, and training a new army is not something that can be done in a short time, the burden on your shoulders is not light." I raised my head and said in a loud voice: "For the way of generals, orders are strictly prohibited. If your lord uses the last general, you should serve him." Marquis Wen can be said to have saved my life, if Marquis Wen hadn’t pleaded for mercy, I would have been beheaded by the prince long ago.No matter what Wenhou's intention in saving me was, I am deeply grateful to him after all. There was a strange light in Wenhou's eyes, and for a moment, even he seemed speechless.After a while, he patted my shoulder and said, "Go back first. Go to the school grounds early tomorrow morning. Tomorrow is the time for the Second Route reinforcements to be called in." We're leaving tomorrow!I was taken aback and almost cried out.It seems that the situation in Dongping City is very bad.I bowed on my knees and said, "Yes." I stood up and started to leave.Just as I was about to move, I turned my head again and said, "My lord, there is still one thing I don't know about the last general, please make it clear, my lord." Marquis Wen seemed to be thinking about his own affairs, and after hearing what I said, he said, "Let's talk." "Yesterday, Zheng Zhao came here, why exactly?" As soon as I said it, I regretted it a little, because Marquis Wen's face sank.He was originally pleasant-looking, but soon became gloomy.He looked at me and said, "General Chu, this is a confidential matter, you don't need to inquire about it, and don't spread it to outsiders." I was startled, and hurriedly knelt down again and said, "Of order." Zheng Zhao belonged to the owner of Wuyang City, and now the southern provinces are full of snake people, but Zheng Zhao can still come out, which shows that Wuyang City has not yet fallen.With the viciousness of the snake people, how could they leave Wuyang City untouched?I'm afraid there is a secret in it, but I don't know what it is. The lord of Wuyang City has always been known for being accustomed to adapting to the wind, and he also has quite strong strength at hand, especially the water army of Wuyang City, which is said to be stronger than the water army of the empire.Before the republican army started, the lord of Wuyang City and the republican army reached a non-aggression agreement, and may have provided the republican army with supplies.When the Southern Expedition Army was in full swing and defeated the Republican Army, the Lord of Wuyang City immediately turned to the Imperial Army.Now that the snake man is so arrogant, has he reached an agreement with the snake man again?Is this possible?What happened to Zheng Zhaolai?Why did Marquis Wen kill them again? Walking out of Marquis Wen's conference hall, I only felt exhausted, almost more exhausted than after the war. Three miles outside the east gate of the imperial capital, there is a Dinghu Lake.Dinghu Lake is the confluence of two perpendicular rivers. One runs north-south to Dongping City, and the other runs east-west to the sea. It is a canal.This canal was built by a certain generation of emperors who wanted to go to the sea on a whim, and ordered 100,000 people to spend three years digging it.When the canal was dug, there were complaints, but after it was dug, the emperor of that generation was praised very much, because he gave the emperor a direct waterway to the sea, and merchant ships from Wuyang City could go north along the coast. , directly to the imperial capital, compared with the land route, the cost is greatly reduced.From that canal dug, all kinds of items in Wuyang City can be transported to the imperial capital in one boat, and the residents of the imperial capital can also enjoy exotic items thousands of miles away, and those businessmen have also obtained several times the benefits, so they used to be in private. The complaints immediately turned into praises in unison. The Water Mansion of the Ministry of Industry is located by the Ding Lake at the mouth of the river.Dinghu Lake has a radius of seven miles. Since the canal was dug, many residents have grown on the shore of the originally remote lake, forming a large village. On the tenth day of the third lunar month, Marquis Wen took a group of our officers above general level to Shuifu.At this time, the 10,000 people drawn by Red Moon Lord and Qingyue Lord have already arrived at Dinghu Lake in advance, plus the 4,000 people brought by Xiexuan and the 6,000 people drawn from the remaining army of the imperial capital, the total is 30,000 people. The teams lined up into a large piece. These 30,000 troops can be said to be the last troops that the imperial capital can send out.Although these troops can be called elite, in fact, there are four troops in the 30,000 people, as if to make a counter-note to the "military power and noble one" in "Victory Soldiers", there will be four of the 30,000 people. Commander, I don't know how to cooperate with each other. The Water Mansion has built a high platform by the lake, and when we were hundreds of steps away from the Water Mansion, we had already seen the Lianyun mast and sculls on the lake.As he approached, someone couldn't help but exclaim. Although the Ministry of Industry has a tight schedule for this shipbuilding, it has almost gone all out. These days, a large number of warships have been built, and the largest behemoth is more than twenty feet long. Such a big ship can probably carry five or six hundred people.Even though there is only one, it is amazing.The rest of the warships lined up densely by the lake, and many of them were refitted from civilian ships.Now that Wuyang City has lost contact with the imperial capital, those civilian ships have also been requisitioned for military use.The big ones can carry more than 200 people, and the smallest ones can carry more than 100 people. When more than 200 ships are surrounded together, it is really spectacular. When I walked into the Water Mansion among a group of trusted generals of Marquis Wen, a person greeted me and said, "My lord, Cui Yang, the left servant of the Ministry of Workers and Workers, led the Water Mansion member Huang Xiao, the Jin Manor member Wailang Qiu Mujie, and the Huo Mansion." Yuanwai Lang Hong Guang welcomes you." Below the Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry, the left and right second servants are fully responsible.Cui Yang has been stationed in the water mansion for the shipbuilding this time, which shows that Marquis Wen attaches great importance to this matter.The 130,000 garrisons of the empire in the past only had 6,000 sailors, but they were well prepared. The water government usually took care of things like irrigation of fields and river diversions, which had little to do with the military. Among the five government offices of the Ministry of Industry , can be said to be the one with the farthest relationship with the military. Now that Marquis Wen is vigorously building ships, it seems that the status of the Shuifu will be greatly improved in the future. Marquis Wen looked at the big ship and suddenly sighed: "What a big ship! Cui Shilang, who built this ship?" Cui Yang bowed and said: "This boat was made by Ye Feihu, a small official of the Mufu. It took more than a thousand man-hours, and it was not officially completed until the day before yesterday." This boat is really too big, and Dinghu Lake with a radius of seven miles is not too small, but when the boat is on the shore, Dinghu Lake suddenly looks much smaller.Marquis Wen smiled and said, "Is Ye Feihu here? I want to see him." Cui Yang suddenly hesitated and said, "Is this..." Marquis Wen was a little displeased and said, "What's the matter? This man is a useful person who can set up such a huge ship, isn't he here?" Cui Yang hurriedly said: "My lord, this Ye Feihu is indeed a genius, but this person is proud of his talent and has no courtesy to his superiors. He is also checking everywhere on this boat at this time. He refuses to order him to come down to meet your lord. If you provoke him He called, because I was afraid that he would offend your lord." Wen Hou said: "It's a common thing to let him go because of his talents. Let him come." Cui Yang was so forced that he turned his head and said to a follower, "Go and call Ye Feihu." The man turned and walked to the big boat, but Wenhou looked at the boat with great interest, and whispered to the people on the other side. Deng Canglan said: "Canglan, tell me, what are the shortcomings of this boat?" Deng Canglan looked at it for a week, and said: "My lord, I will see that this boat is quite satisfactory, and the seams are well built. It's a good boat, but I don't know how to drive it." Cui Yang said on the side: "General Deng, don't worry, this boat has tried sailing in the lake, and it can sail nearly 20 miles in an hour after the crew, and it is very stable, crossing Dinghu is just a matter of a blink of an eye." Deng Canglan's face glowed, and he said, "Master Cui, does this ship have a name?" Cui Yang smiled and said: "Then Ye Feihu must be called Feihu, but there is no correct name yet." Marquis Wen suddenly smiled and said, "Feihu, it's very good, so let's call it that. Generals, let's go up and have a look." At this time, two people galloped over, and when they arrived in front of Marquis Wen, they knelt down almost at the same time and said, "Lord Wenhou, the last general, Lord Qingyue, chose Wang Changqing, and Lord Hongyue knocked down Shen Hong to your lord." There is nothing strange about their names alone, but when they are heard together, there is a strange coincidence. Bi Wei couldn't help laughing standing beside Wenhou, and Wenhou also smiled and said: "The two generals have worked hard, Are you used to living in the past few days? Come on board with me and have a look." Wang Changqing and Shen Hong didn't say anything, they stood up and stood aside.Although the names coincidentally seem to be in a story, these two people have a tough look on their faces, and they seem to be two brave generals who are used to fighting.They all just arrived yesterday evening, and they arrived just in time for Marquis Wen's March 10th deadline.In their respective armies, they are all commanders, and their ranks are also generals. In this second reinforcement army, the two of them are the main force. The coach of the second reinforcement army will naturally be directly related to Wenhou, but the deputy commander is only I'm afraid it will be one of them. Marquis Wen walked us on the deck.The boat was very new, with a smell of wood shavings, and it was painted shiny with raw lacquer, but there were handymen from the Ministry of Industry tying ropes and cables, and when they saw Marquis Wen approaching, they all knelt down and saluted. Walking to the bow, Cui Yang suddenly shouted: "Ye Feihu, Lord Wenhou is here, come down quickly to pay respects!" He was calling for a man who was sitting astride the beams of the mast.This Ye Feihu was wearing a loose uniform of the Ministry of Industry, and he was hammering nails on the mast with one hand. This posture was very disrespectful. If Marquis Wen walked over, he might walk under his crotch. Ye Feihu knocked twice, and suddenly let go of his hand, as if he fell down, all the generals beside Wenhou couldn't help but let out a cry of surprise.The place where he was sitting was as high as three people. We only knew that Ye Feihu fell to at least half-death, but he fell in the middle, and suddenly his waist broke, and he stopped lightly, kneeling on one leg, right in front of Marquis Wen. Five or six steps away, he said in a loud voice: "Lord Wenhou, Ye Feihu, a small official in the Mufu of the Ministry of Industry, has seen you." This Ye Feihu was unexpectedly young, probably only about the same age as Zhang Longyou.But Zhang Longyou is already a Yuanwailang from the Tufu, and he is just a petty official, but he talked to Wenhou so boldly, Deng Canglan snorted, but Wenhou rushed ahead of him and said, "Ye Feihu? You Get up, stand up and talk." Marquis Wen's words were very polite, Cui Yang wanted to reprimand Ye Feihu a few words, so he had nothing to say.Ye Feihu raised his head, he probably didn't expect Marquis Wen to be so approachable.He looked directly at Marquis Wen and said, "Young official Ye Feihu is rude, please forgive me." Marquis Wen laughed and said, "What's the crime? You have made great achievements in building such a huge ship. Ye Feihu, I promoted you to Yuanwailang, and speed up shipbuilding." Ye Feihu was a little stunned, and didn't get up, but knelt down on his knees and said, "Thank you, Sir, for your favor." Wen Hou said: "Did you name this ship Feihu? It's a very good name." Ye Feihu stood up at this time. He heard Marquis Wen say this, but his face blushed, and said: "My lord is making fun of me. This ship has no official name yet." "It's good to call it Feihu, and ordered the Ministry of Finance to immediately stamp a pair of 'Feihu' in copper characters and nail it to the bow." Cui Yang was also a little stunned, I'm afraid he didn't expect that Marquis Wen would think so highly of Ye Feihu.He bowed and said, "The humble job will be done immediately." I followed Marquis Wen to look around on the boat, when suddenly a horn sounded from the gate of the Water Mansion, and I saw a car driving away from the crowd. From a distance, it was the car pulled by the ten horses cart. Is this the prince coming?Just as I was thinking, Marquis Wen had stepped off the Feihu and greeted him.The prince's cart stopped, and Marquis Wen knelt in front of the cart and said, "His Royal Highness, I respectfully invite Your Highness to come and command the troops." Everyone knelt down, and even though I was just unwilling, I could only kneel in the crowd.The crown prince got out of the car. He was wearing a very luxurious bright yellow gown today. Looking at the kneeling army, he said, "Zhen Qing, where are you going?" Wen Hou said: "Your Highness, please follow me." He led the prince up to the high platform, and several followers followed him up with a lot of boxes.At this time, the army of 30,000 people had already assembled under the stage, including people and luggage, they were already standing in a large area densely, there was no sound, I am afraid that many people were thinking about what was in this box.Marquis Wen glanced at us, and suddenly said loudly: "Bi Wei listens to the order!" Is it Bi Wei?I was taken aback.I originally thought that the reinforcement of Dongping City from the waterway this time would probably be led by the water general Deng Canglan, but I didn't expect that the first one called was Bi Wei. Bi Wei walked up to the high platform and knelt in front of Marquis Wen, but there was no abnormality on his face, he must have known it long ago.Marquis Wen took down his saber from his waist, and said loudly, "General Bi, this expedition is imminent. I now order you to be the commander of the reinforcement army, and temporarily receive my Chicheng sword. If anyone in the army refuses to accept you, regardless of rank, You can always cut first and then play." As soon as Wenhou's words came out of my mouth, I found that both Wang Changqing and Shen Hong changed color a little.Bi Wei is also a partial general, at the same level as them, but according to what Marquis Wen said, if they don't follow orders, Bi Wei can actually kill them.In their hearts, they are probably a little bit unhappy. The prince took a box from a entourage beside him and said: "General Bi, this battle is related to the luck of the empire. Here is a set of bright light armor, which is now given to General Bi. I hope that General Bi will put the state affairs first and be able to make great achievements immediately." Cheng, play the triumphant song early." Bi Wei took the box of bright light armor and said: "Thank you, Your Highness." He was still holding the Chicheng sword in one hand, and now he put the sword on his waist, and said loudly: "The last general will take on this responsibility. When the bloody battle is on the battlefield, To repay His Highness's great kindness." He spoke forcefully, but I was somewhat amused to hear it.What kindness does the prince have to us?He once wanted to kill me, and he was even more unkind to me. Thinking of this, I only felt a little pain in my heart, thinking of her.Once I enter the deep palace, I am afraid that I will never see her face again. At this time, Marquis Wen looked towards us and said loudly: "Wang Changqing, Shen Hong, Xie Xuan, Pu Anli listen to the order!" As soon as I heard the last name, I couldn't help being shocked all over.Unexpectedly, Pu Anli was also here, and he was side by side with Wang Changqing and the others. Could it be that he wanted to be a general in command like Wang Changqing and the others? I was at the same level as Pu Anli in the forward battalion, but I had to go back to the emperor early, and I only heard the news from Qian Wenyi when he came back.Lu Gongxing and I came back in the same group, and that group of people had more or less received titles, and even the two soldiers had been promoted to senior officers, and those who came back later did not have this kind of treatment.I thought that I might be appointed as a commander by Marquis Wen, but this position was taken away by Pu Anli. Do you want me to be under Pu Anli's command and be under his jurisdiction?Not counting the conflicts between me and Pu Anli when we were in the Qianfeng camp, but now that my official position is higher than that of Pu Anli, I can't help but feel uncomfortable for a while when I am asked to obey Pu Anli's orders. Pu Anli walked out from the team.His group was all the remnants of the Southern Expedition, Qian Wenyi and the others were there too, there were no more than a thousand people in total, although they all put on new uniforms, they were already very different from the 5,000 troops transferred from the army.Pu Anli and the other three knelt in front of Marquis Wen, and Marquis Wen said loudly: "The four of you are the commanders of the Fourth Army, and we should work together to face the national calamity." "Obey!" The four of them answered neatly, and the crown prince gave each of them a set of light armor before they stood up again.As soon as he stood up straight, Marquis Wen took out a very delicate waist card box from his arms, and said again: "General Pu, you were born and died, and you returned to the imperial capital. Your Highness was very happy to hear the name of General Pu, so I beg for your life, leapfrogged!" Promote you to the post of general." Pu Anli was just a centurion at first, and he jumped so fast, I thought I was going to be promoted fast, but I didn't expect him to be faster than me.The reinforcements dispatched from other places didn't know what Pu Anli was, but Qian Wenyi and the others couldn't help letting out a sigh.When I saw Qian Wenyi, his face was almost pale with anger.Qian Wenyi and Pu Anli escaped from the same group, and they were originally equal, but now he is intact, and Pu Anli has reached the sky in one step, which naturally makes him feel very uncomfortable. Pu Anli took the waist card, his face was blank, he knelt down suddenly and said: "Your Highness, Lord Wenhou, Pu Anli has made very little achievements and received a lot of kindness, so he will serve the country with his own body." His words were also trembling, maybe he himself didn't expect that he would rise so fast.突然，我看到文侯的脸上略微有些古怪的笑意，我脑中象有闪电闪过，猛地醒悟过来。 蒲安礼的父亲开显伯蒲峙身居工部尚书之职，是当朝重臣，蒲安礼能升那么快，恐怕是拜他父亲所赐。当朝重臣，随了太师和文侯，便要属刑、兵、户、工四部尚书了。现在帝君的宠妃希望自己亲生的二太子能成为储君，已经是个公开的秘密。朝中四部尚书里，路恭行的父亲兵部尚书路翔因为与二太子的母亲江妃为中表之亲，自然铁定是二太子一党，刑、户两部尚书则属太子一党。此等状况下，蒲峙的立场就相当微妙，若他能加入二太子一党，那么四大臣恰恰分成两派，权力最重的兵部尚书和帝君身边最为亲密的江妃组成的势力就能远超过文侯的太子一党了。可蒲峙一旦归到太子阵营，那么太子党又能占些上风。首次增援时，因为路翔全力推举二太子，文侯没有力争，只怕也知道不管他如何争，也争不过路翔的。此番二路援兵马上便要出发，身为兵部尚书的路翔大概也知道这批军马都是文侯的人，连这出师大会都不来。 这等看来，文侯在大会上当众加封蒲安礼，那也是招旁敲侧击，实是为了蒲峙吧。 我一向也只知在战场上拼杀，自南征军全军覆没以后，我想得多了起来。也只有到这时，我才懂得了这种不见刀光剑影的勾心斗角实在也不比真正的战斗逊色。 文侯绝不放过任何一个机会，在他心中，只怕无时无刻不在思索策划。不过，以他这样算度，也不曾算到前些天倭庄的叛乱，以至于会措手不及吧。 一想起倭庄，我突然又想起那天晚上邓沧澜和毕炜斩尽倭庄岛夷前，一个倭人骑马出来说“我们上当了”那回事。那个倭人这句话又有什么含意？ 我看着脸上浮起神秘莫测笑容的文侯，心头不知不觉地有一阵寒意。屠灭倭庄后，张龙友那欲言又止的样子，还有文侯对倭庄施展的斩草除根，都让我有点猜疑。以前只是约略想了想，但现在看到文侯这样的笑容，我又猜到了几分。 但愿文侯不要来猜忌我吧，我默默地想着。这时蒲安礼还在说什么什么，语气慷慨激昂，说完了后下面又是一阵欢呼，只怕那些豪言壮语也打动了听者的心。但我连一个字也听不下去了，对文侯的敬意和惧意现在同时又增了几分。 等他们欢呼完了，文侯又大声道：“楚休红，钱文义，杨易，邢铁风听令。” 我心头一凛，看了看边上。我站得离钱文义他们不远，杨易原先是前锋四营的百夫长，这回文侯叫的四个人都曾是前锋营百夫长。 难道，文侯是要让我和他们并列么？就算让我重新做百夫长，也没什么大不了的，只是如果要听从蒲安礼号令，那我实在不好受。 我们走上台去，文侯道：“四位将军，你们原先都是前锋营中的勇将，如今前锋营全军尽墨，但你们还在。”他扫了我们一眼，忽然大声道：“听令！” 我们一下跪了下来，文侯道：“南征军残部，如今还有一千三百余。这一千三百多位勇士，都是在妖兽刀枪下血战过来的，当不堕百战百胜的前锋营威名。楚将军，我命你将这一千三百人重新组建成前锋营，你为前锋营统制，钱、杨、邢三位将军为新前锋营三统领，定要让这支令敌人闻风丧胆的强兵重现于世。” 他说完了，太子在一边道：“楚……楚将军，钱将军，杨将军，邢将军，这里是四套黑月铠，望四位将军披此战甲，率前锋营在战场上所向无敌。” 所向无敌？我不禁一阵苦笑。虽然名称也叫前锋营，但这支由残兵败将组成的前锋营哪里及得上当初的前锋营？那时的前锋营都是从各军中精挑细选，又经过长时训练的，现在二十百夫长连我也只剩下了四个，要和以前的前锋营一样，谈何容易，何况就算是以前的前锋营，也仍挡不住蛇人的兵锋。 我们跪在地上，谢过了恩。帝国铠分四等，明光铠华丽轻巧坚实，是头一等铠甲，黑月铠的防护力和明光铠相差无几，但甲板上因为有擦不掉的斑点，所以全身都涂成了黑色，比明光铠已低了一等了。太子赐给毕炜和蒲安礼他们这四军主将的都是明光铠，赐到我们头上却成了黑月铠了。这自不是工部连几套明光铠也拿不出来，只是为了分成级别吧。 我还是比蒲安礼低上一级啊。走下去的时候，我看着手捧甲胄，站在队中的蒲安礼，心头又是一阵乱。 还好，我不曾直接受他指使，这也算不幸中的大幸吧。 太子象是大发善心一样，又赐了一些四军中的中级军官，到后来赐给他们的已是一把腰刀。这腰刀虽然也价值不菲，但已是不能和明光铠、黑月铠比的。不管怎么说，我成了能号令以前同僚的前锋营统制，那也说明文侯并不能对我失望吧。 中级军官的赏赐结束后，由四军主将来大发一通豪言壮语。这只怕也是文侯的主意吧，以前武侯出师时不曾有过这等事。等一切都弄好，船只上，辎重粮草也已装齐，终于，在月上中天时，这新点出来的三万人援军浩浩荡荡地出发了。 我们这支新前锋营分到的是十艘载重百余人的小型船。幸好掌舵的都由工部水府安排妥当，我们上了船的，也只消分派一批人去操桨就是了。随着一声令下，战船冲破了夜幕，开始了征程。 此时正是三月初十的午夜，大概已经交三月十一日的凌晨了，离天寿节还有十二天。在这个夜里，这支几乎是拼凑起来的援军分乘到两百六十八艘战船围着那艘巨舰，劈波斩浪，向南而行。那巨舰船头刚钉上去的“飞鹄号”三个大字在月光下闪闪发亮。 也许，此番征战，会成为南征军第二吧。我已经逃过一劫了，第二次还能不能逃过呢？ 想着这些不吉利的事，我在船头打开刚受赐的那件黑月铠穿起来。把厚厚的外套脱掉后，船头起了阵河风，吹起我的战袍。三月的风仍带着些寒意，虽然也软了许多，但这阵风中好象仍是有着无数的锋刃，吹到身上有点刺痛。 江山如画犹无奈，只与英雄作战场。 虽然眼前也看不到路上的风景，但我还是一下想起了当初天机法师的这两句话。这大好河山，不知还要经历几年战火涂炭，才能恢复如画的美景？ 我把黑月铠穿好，将百辟刀挂到甲外，不禁长叹了一口气。脚下，只听得流水汨汨，轻浪丛生，绵延数里的船队向南驶去。