Chapter 12 Chapter Eleven Between Friends and Enemies

It was very calm in the barracks.Although there were also snakemen coming at the South Gate today, the snakemen army in Shandu probably had no strength to carry on.Before dawn, the soldiers who had just fought a battle returned to the camp to rest one after another, while those who had rested were heading out. I arrived at Marquis Wu's camp, jumped off my horse, and said: "The commander of the Dragon Scale Army, Chu Xiuhong, is here to pay the order." The messenger at the door said: "General Chu, please." He repeated loudly: "Chu Xiuhong, the commander of the Dragon Scale Army, is here to hand over the order."

As soon as I entered the camp, I couldn't help being surprised.There were quite a few people standing inside, most of them were generals from the Central Army and the Right Army, and a row of soldiers was waiting on one side, and Zhang Longyou was also there.To my surprise, even Gao Tie Chong, who never showed up much, was there.He still wears that big veiled hat, presumably his privilege, and still sits in a wheelchair.Marquis Wu was sitting high, with the two guards standing behind him, and a group of guards beside him.I stepped forward, knelt on the ground and said, "The commander of the Dragon Scale Army, Chu Xiuhong, is here to pay the order."

This is the second time I said it.When I said it at this time, I only felt an indescribable grievance in my heart.Perhaps, the real traitor is also among these people, but I was treated as a scapegoat. There was an endless stream of people who came to pay the order.The south, west, and north gates all had snake men attacking them. In comparison, the battle was most intense at the west gate.Luan Peng and Chai Shengxiang defended the city quite well. Although the right army and the rear army had about the same strength, the rear army suffered far more losses than the right army.But no matter what, this kind of war of attrition may not last long. If the North Gate still launches an attack tomorrow, I don't know if the snake man will come up with a way to break the fire bomb.

After paying the orders one by one, Marquis Wu rearranged the city defense.There was no need for so many people at the south gate, but the north gate was in a hurry. Not only did the 2,000 soldiers drawn from the rear army return to the north gate, but they also took 2,000 soldiers from the central army to guard the north gate. After this order, Lu Gongxing came out and said: "Your Majesty, the last general will fight at the North Gate today, the snake people there have advanced and retreated in an orderly manner, attacking and defending well, I am afraid that adding 4,000 soldiers will not help, I hope Marquis Wu thinks twice. "

Marquis Wu smiled lightly and said: "General Lu, I have heard the report of the battle at the north gate. Although there are many enemies there, the offensive is not strong. They will leave as soon as they attack. It must be a feint attack. The snake man's focus must still be on the south gate. .” Indeed, if the whole army of snakemen at the north gate were to press up, even if the defenders had fire and bombs, they would suffer great losses, but most of them would be able to enter the city in the end.However, once the snake man loses, the whole army will retreat, which is a bit suspicious.Could it be that the focus of the snake man is on the south gate?Or, in fact, they are just a tactic to attack the east and attack the west, feigning to attack the three gates, but the real attention is still on the invincible east gate?

If you think about it like this, it's really bottomless.At this moment, I no longer dare to regard the snake people as some wild beasts, their current offensive is more and more like a deep understanding of the art of war, false and real.From a single point of view, the offensive has weakened, but from an overall point of view, it is even more difficult to understand their intentions. Chai Shengxiang came out and said, "My lord, the two of us in the west gate are enough to protect ourselves. You might as well send the 2,000 people drawn from the central army to the north gate to help."

Marquis Wu pondered for a while and said, "Alright." At this moment, De Yang stood up from his chair and said, "My lord, I was attacked by snake men at the north gate today, and nearly half of the food and grass were lost. If this continues, the whole army may not be able to last for half a month." One of his arms was also bound with a bandage, which was about the same as mine, so Marquis Wu told him to sit down instead of standing up.But he is not as strong as I am, and he is out of breath after saying a few words. When he talked about food and grass, my heart sank.Regarding this food, although everyone has thought of it, no one is willing to mention it.The three armies can still fight a battle, but if they know that food and grass are in short supply, their morale will be low at a moment's notice.When besieging Gaojiu City in the past, the Republican Army in the city was united at first, and their fighting spirit was extremely strong.Two months later, the food and grass ran out, and the morale of the city plummeted.After someone starved to death, most of the city would lose their fighting spirit.If the Republican Army hadn't known that the Imperial Army was going to massacre the city after it broke through, they would have surrendered the city long ago.With this lesson learned, everyone is well aware of the tragedy after food shortages.

But not mentioning it is not a solution. After all, even the withdrawal of the army has failed. The next problem is to hold on first, and then escape from the city.We all looked at Marquis Wu, and only hoped that this peerless famous general would have a trick to make the 100,000 troops march smoothly. Marquis Wu raised his head and said: "Generals, don't worry too much. I sent people to Wuyang City to adjust food three days ago. I traveled day and night. I will definitely be back tomorrow." I don't know how much food and grass can be brought back from Wuyang City, but this is good news after all, at least there is no need to worry about food and grass when retreating.We all looked at Marquis Wu with surprise and joy, but we never thought that he had already made arrangements.

Lu Gongxing said again: "Your Majesty, Zhang Canjun's fire bombs are extremely powerful, and they are offensive and defensive weapons. The last general has already used them in actual combat, and they are quite effective. I hope Marquis Wu will order people to hurry up and dispatch the troops. .” Except for the Chinese army, the rest of the armies are a bit puzzled. They haven't seen fire bombs, have they?Marquis Wu looked at Zhang Longyou who was standing beside him, and said, "Zhang Canjun, how many fire bombs can you make in a day now?" Zhang Longyou went out and saluted, and said, "Your Majesty, there are now fifty craftsmen in humble positions who are rushing to make 1,000 small fire bombs and 300 medium ones. Although the north gate is occupied by snake people , but the amount of sulfur is enough, but saltpeter is hard to come by, Wang Junhou ordered people to speed up this matter."

Zhang Longyou's gunpowder formula is sulfur, wall salt and charcoal. The sulfur was originally obtained from a Huoyun cave outside the north gate. There is already an army of snake people stationed outside the north gate, so there is no way to get it anymore, but Zhang Longyou must have moved. Many come in, so there is no need to worry for a while.It’s just that the nitrate powder was originally scraped from the wall, and only decades-old houses have nitrate walls. After the city has been slaughtered, the houses have collapsed, and there are no houses to scrape the walls. Marquis Wu said, "How long can the current stock last?"

Zhang Longyou said: "There are still more than 50 catties of nitrate powder, probably more than 100 catties of gunpowder can be made. The small fire and thunder bomb needs 2 taels of gunpowder, and only 500 more can be made." A total of fifteen hundred.The entire army now has more than 90,000 men, how to divide the 1,500 fire and mine bombs?Lu Gongxing used at least two or three hundred of them in the battle at the North Gate.From the looks of it, this Huo Lei Bo could not rely on it to defeat the enemy. Marquis Wu didn't speak either.Maybe he also wanted to use the fire bomb to secure the victory in one fell swoop, I don't know what he is thinking now. After a while, he said, "Zhang Canjun, please come back." Zhang Longyou gave a salute and returned to join the army.Originally, he was just a nondescript soldier in the supply battalion. Once he entered the shogunate, he turned out to be a completely different person. Marquis Wu put his hands on the table and said, "Generals, the snake men have surrounded Gaojiu City on three sides, but the east gate is invincible. If you wait, you will be trapped in the isolated city. I don't know which general has a good strategy , might as well report it up." The soldiers and generals standing below were silent, even Chai Shengxiang, who was boastful yesterday, was also silent.Probably no one can think of a good way, the snake man loosened the east gate, perhaps just to make us feel that there is a way out, and lose the determination to fight to the end.These snake people are more and more like a cunning enemy, no one dares to underestimate them, so this gap is like a trap, but people dare not jump into it. Lu Gongxing opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but he still didn't speak.There was a sudden silence in the tent, no one dared to speak.At this time, Bu Wu stood up and said: "My lord, the only way to do it now is to withdraw from the east gate." The east gate may not be a place where you can safely evacuate.But under the current situation, if you wait in the city, you will have to wait for death.There were still some small towns around Gaojiu City, but most of these small towns escaped during the Southern Expedition of the Imperial Army because they responded to the Republican Army, and there was no way to go there to replenish their supplies.However, it will take a much longer journey to withdraw the troops from the east gate and return to the imperial capital, and it is bound to go to Wuyang City to replenish the luggage.This may be the only way now. After a while, Marquis Wu said: "Generals, after returning, stick to each other and make no mistakes. Tomorrow, the left army will take the lead from the east gate, and the whole army must withdraw from the city within one day." We all stood up straight and bowed to Marquis Wu.For some reason, I seem to see a very desolate look in Marquis Wu's expression, making people feel that he is not like an all-powerful general, but just an ordinary old man. We walked out of the camp and were riding back to the defense area.Only Luan Peng and Chai Sheng of the right army came to hand in the order, and it was not my turn to hand it in. It was only because I was ordered to help guard the north gate that I was able to come to hand in the order. I was about to get on my horse, when suddenly the big eagle guarding Wuhou came out and said: "General Chuxiuhong of the Dragon Scale Army, Your Majesty ordered you to come in, we have something to discuss." I was taken aback, what does Marquis Wu mean by asking me to stay?Perhaps, it is because of doubting me?I was a little uneasy, and Chai Shengxiang said: "General Chu, you are a celebrity in front of Junhou. Back then, Master Shen personally commanded the Dragon Scale Army, and you are almost as good as Master Shen." His words were full of jealousy, probably he thought Marquis Wu was interested in me again and wanted to promote me again.This person is actually so jealous, he really is just a brave man.I didn't argue with him, I just said: "General Chai made fun of me." I followed Daying into the account. Everyone in the tent withdrew, except for Marquis Wu and his enlisted soldiers, I was the only general left.I couldn't help but my legs were a little weak, and I knelt down involuntarily, and said, "Your Majesty." Marquis Wu smiled and said, "General Chu, where did you go after the meeting yesterday?" My heart skipped a beat.Yesterday, I sent Bai Wei and Zi Liao out of the city, that is also suspicious, right?Maybe, they might even suspect that they brought military information out of the city to inform the snake man.If Marquis Wu thinks so, then I can't tell with my whole body and mouth. I knelt and took two steps on my knees and said, "My lord, I have two concubines who are going to Wuyang City. I will send them out and then return to the camp. Once I return to the camp, I will receive orders to reinforce the North Gate." Marquis Wu said: "General Chu, please come up. Wu joined the army. Is it true what General Chu said?" A soldier in a long gown came over and stood beside me, bowed and said: "General Chu sent the two women out of the city after the meeting yesterday, but before they went elsewhere, they were ordered to attack and defend the city after returning to the team. There is no intention of avoiding the battle, so there is nothing suspicious." Is he Wu Keqing?I couldn't help but look at him.This man was not very old, and he had a shrewd look on his face. Marquis Wu smiled faintly, and said, "Wu Canjun, you should step back." This Wu Keqing actually followed me?I can't help being a little annoyed.But if he hadn't followed me, I'm afraid I can't tell my whereabouts now.But, when sending Bai Wei and the others away, did he also notice that quick kiss? Marquis Wu pondered for a while, and said, "General Chu, get up." Does that mean Marquis Wu no longer doubts me? I stood up, looked at Marquis Wu, and felt sweat dripping down my back.Marquis Wu's face was also blank for a while.I remember when I was studying in the military academy, I read "Seven Essentials of the March" which said: "Using time is the foundation of victory." At that time, I didn't think that using time was very useful, but when I actually encountered this situation, I also knew it. , a capable spy can really be said to be the difference between victory and defeat. In the army, there must be a traitor of the snake man, but who is this person? Walking out of the camp, I jumped on my horse and was about to go back to the right army when someone behind me said, "General Chu." I looked back, and Wu Keqing walked out of the camp.He is wearing a long gown, more like a scholar.I don't have any feelings for him. Marquis Wu sent him to monitor me, so I don't have a good impression of him anyway.But if he hadn't spoken for me, maybe I would have been treated as a spy and beheaded by now. I nodded immediately and said, "Hi, Wu Canjun." He led a horse beside him, jumped on the horse and followed, and said, "General Chu, please don't blame me." I nodded and said, "That's none of your business. The military order is like a mountain, even my brother will do the same." Wu Keqing patted the horse, and the horse followed, walking beside me.He said: "General Chu, I didn't believe that you would be a traitor at first, but this matter is ordered by the prince, I can only follow the order." I said, "Wu Canjun doesn't need to talk about it, I know it too." He held the rein in his hand, lowered his head, and watched the horse walking unhurriedly on the road.On the road, there were puddles of dried blood from time to time, black ones, like pieces of thin leather. He raised his head and said, "But there must be a mole." I nodded and said: "Yes, I have thought about it too, so the kite attack will be a complete failure that day, and last night the team of elite snakemen will suddenly appear at the north gate." Wu Keqing said: "General Chu, do you think we still have a chance to win?" I was silent.This question is really difficult to answer. If you want to break out of the encirclement, I think most of the cavalry can break through smoothly, but the infantry may not be able to escape, and that is bound to be a big rout.For Marquis Wu, he would rather fight until the entire army is wiped out than agree to such an escape.If there is a chance of winning, it may not be impossible. If the strategy offered by Lao Guoji was successful, he would definitely be able to win a complete victory.But this opportunity has been lost. Now that the snake people have formed a siege, keeping the east gate unencircled is just to disperse our army's morale. I pondered for a while, and said: "It's very difficult. If I were Marquis Wu, I'm afraid I would have lost my armor and fled in chaos." Wu Keqing nodded, and said: "Yes, if we retreated as soon as the first batch of snakemen arrived, we would have the upper hand at that time, and the snakemen would not dare to pursue them." I sighed.If the leader of the army is not Wuhou, who claims to be invincible in all battles, then maybe we have already retreated.Sometimes, reputation is like an invisible shackle, but it binds people's hands and feet. I didn't want to talk about this matter again, so I changed the topic and said: "By the way, Wu Houcha's traitor, is there any clue?" Wu Keqing led the horse, looked at me and said, "General Chu, this is the purpose of my coming." His face was serious, my heart was shocked, I pulled the rein and said: "What can I do?" Wu Keqing looked around.We have already walked out of the camp of the Zhongbing, and there are only some ruins around us.He said: "Your Majesty is suspicious of someone." When I returned to the camp, Jin Qianshi, Wu Wanling, the newly appointed chief of the left post, and Yu Dai, the chief of the right post, were waiting for me outside the right camp.Yu Dai was recommended by Jin Qianshi. Although I am not familiar with him, I can tell that he is a shrewd and capable person. Although he is young, his behavior is quite remarkable. I pulled back the horse, and Jin Qianshi helped me down, saying: "Commander, you are back." I said, "Are you all right in the army?" Jin Qianshi said: "There is some clamor in the army." I was taken aback and said, "What's wrong?" Jin Qianshi said: "Today's rations in the supply camp have been reduced by one-third compared to usual, the right army has nothing to say, and the Longlin army is a little bit angry." Originally, our food was only some dry biscuits, six pieces per day, and a piece of dry beef every ten days.Subtract one-third, and that's four cards per day.Although the dry biscuits were not tasty, some soldiers with big appetites were not enough.There is a lot less now, no wonder those in the army who eat a lot are clamoring. I said: "The food for the Dragon Scale Army is also low?" Jin Qianshi said: "Yes, everyone is treated equally." His face was a bit depressed, probably when he was under Shen Xiping's command, the Dragon Scale Army had many priorities.Now being equated with ordinary soldiers is naturally unacceptable. I sigh.Marquis Wu wanted to take the Dragon Scale Army back for his own use, so he had no choice but to do so.Although Marquis Wu said that a batch of grain would come from Wuyang City tomorrow, how much could there be?I'm afraid it won't help. I said: "General Jin, please explain to the brothers. At this time, it is useless to talk too much. By the way, how much food do I have?" Jin Qianshi said: "Commander, you have ten cakes every day." I said: "I have six cards that are enough, and the remaining four cards will be distributed to them." Jin Qianshi said: "Commander, are you enough?" I smiled and said, "I don't seem like I'm a fool." In the past, Bai Wei Hong Liao followed me, and I had to share a few of them a day, and six of them a day was enough for me. These four cakes are distributed to more than 300 people. Of course, there is nothing to share, but at least it can inspire the morale of the army.Jin Qianshi said: "That's good. I have eight cakes every day, and I also take out two. General Wu, General Yu, how about you?" Wu Wanling and Yu Dai said: "General Jin is right, we are the same." At this time, I couldn't help it anymore, and laughed out loud with a "puchi".They looked at each other, and they said something wrong, I was almost out of breath from laughing, and said: "Others only think that we are talking about important military affairs, if they know that we are talking about it in such a serious way, it will save ten dollars." Zhang Dabing, don't let them laugh their teeth out." They were taken aback, but couldn't help laughing at this moment. Jin Qianshi smiled and said: "Damn it, we have a pile of treasures for nothing, and we can be considered a small rich man when we go back to the imperial capital, but now we are like a beggar with nothing to eat." He is also familiar with me, and he began to talk casually, unlike when I first joined the Dragon Scale Army, he always talked to me respectfully. Although he said this in a joke, we couldn't help being silent.Food is the lifeblood of the army. If there is a shortage of food, what is the point of defending the city?During the three months of our siege, we have also seen the tragic scene of cannibalism in Gaojiu City.Could it be that Feng Shui takes turns, is it our turn? After a while, Wu Wanling said, "Commander, what do snake people eat?" His words were also understated, just to divert the conversation, but Jin Qianshi suddenly trembled, I saw that his expression was different, and said: "General Jin, what's wrong?" Jin Qianshi said: "Commander, what do snake people eat?" His words seemed to repeat Wu Wanling's words, but the tone was very unusual. I raised my head, only to see him, Wu Wanling, and Yu Dai all looking at me with burning eyes.I said slowly, "Yes, what do they eat?" The number of snake people is probably in the hundreds of thousands.No matter how hungry they are, they still have to eat, so they must have a huge supply camp.If we can burn their luggage, then the snake people will run out of food and grass, and the siege will be lifted immediately.I looked at them, and they must have thought of this, too, and their faces lit up. I said, "Are there any snake-man corpses outside the city?" Jin Qianshi already understood what I meant, he said: "General Luan and General Chai had a hard fight today, leaving hundreds of snake-man corpses outside the city, many of them are still outside the city." The Snakemen also cleaned the battlefield after the battle, but they didn't dare to collect the Snakeman corpses under the city, and many remained there. The soldiers of the Right Army were cleaning the battlefield, and they piled up those Snakeman corpses and burned them.The huge siege vehicle was also dragged into the city. If such a huge piece of wood was brought back to the capital, the emperor would probably be very happy and make it into a pillar of the palace.Before Marquis Wu's Southern Expedition, the emperor was building a large-scale construction project to build the Changle Palace by the Tianhe River as a residence for autumn hunting.But now, I can only stay here, I don't know what it can be used for. The four of us walked to the edge of the city. Jin Qianshi called two soldiers patrolling the city and asked them to bring two ropes. He and Yu Dai went down the city and picked up a snake that had just died in battle today. As for the human corpses, one tied the head and the other tied the tail, tied them up, and pulled them up. Jin Qianshi and Yu Dai also went to the city.As soon as Jin Qianshi came up, he said, "Commander, come on." I nodded, took out the Baipi knife from my waist, and said: "Help it well." They straightened the snake-man's body with its belly up.The snake man was wearing a soft armor. I cut the rope that tied the soft armor, and I couldn't help frowning: "The soft armor fits very well, it seems to be custom-made according to the snake man's body. Can the snake man also do this?" ?” None of them said anything.Probably, no one knows what is going on. The belly of the snake man is blue and white, with only some tiny scales, unlike the back, the scales are almost like a battle armor.The snake man's neck was cut to a bloody mess, and a head was almost cut off, with a long and thin tongue sticking out of his mouth.I inserted the Baipi Knife into the snake-man's corpse's neck, and pulled it hard. The sharp blade seemed to cut through the soft mud, and the snake-man's corpse was opened from the middle like a suitcase. As soon as I opened it, I felt a stench rushing up. I was the first to bear the brunt, and I was so smoked that I almost vomited.I turned my head to the side to let the stench rise, but I heard them all screaming. I turned around and saw that the three of them were all staring at the snake man's belly, and their faces turned pale, as if they had been enchanted by some kind of enchantment. What happened?I lowered my head to see clearly what was in the snake man's belly.I just saw it, and I couldn't help but panic. Inside the snake man's stomach were some dark purple pieces of flesh, including a hand and some hair.The most terrifying thing is that among these pieces of meat, there is a human head! The skin of this human head is like flour that has been scalded by boiling water. It is a pile of pits and holes, and the eyelids have been rotted away, but the two eyeballs are protruding, and the endless horror in the eyes can still be seen. After a while, Yu Dai panicked and said, "They...they eat people!" Although I also know that snake people can eat people, I never expected that they live by eating people.I looked at the messy bones and carrion in the snake man's stomach, and couldn't help feeling sick. I wiped the knife on the snake man's body, retracted the sheath, and thought, I must wash it with wine afterward. At this time, there was a sudden commotion from the east.It was so far away, only the noise could be heard.I took advantage of the situation and turned my head, "What happened?" Jin Qianshi said: "I don't know, it seems to be the east gate. Could it be the snake man attacking?" I frowned.Now that I have not received the order of Marquis Wu, I dare not leave Ximen at will.I said, "Wait." Jin Qianshi called several soldiers and threw the snake man's body into the fire and burned it.He clapped his hands and said, "Don't let anything happen to you." The uproar grew louder and closer, and could now be distinguished as a call.Listening to the sound, it is very rhythmic, not a wild scream when panicked.What can be so gratifying?Could it be that the food that Marquis Wu said arrived a day earlier? We stood at the top of the city, we couldn't hold back our curiosity, we wanted to know what happened. The shouts were gradually approaching, and it could be heard that they were indeed not exclamations, but cheers.Jin Qianshi said: "Let me go and have a look." He went to the archery tower with binoculars and took a look.I said, "General Jin, what's going on?" Jin Qianshi poked his head out from the archery tower and said, "I can't see clearly, there is a soldier and horse walking towards the Chinese army." Xiang Zhongjun?I frowned.Without orders, who dares to send troops to the Chinese army?Besides, what is there to cheer about? Suddenly, my mind lit up and I shouted: "General Jin, does that army have a banner?" Yu Dai suddenly said, "Is it General Lu?" He already knows what I mean.Today is the tenth day, and it is also the deadline for Lu Jingyu to hunt down Cang Yuegong.I thought he would not come back, if it is really Lu Jingyu who came back, then it means that he has captured Cang Yuegong? Jin Qianshi probably also heard our conversation, and shouted from the watchtower: "Yes! Yes! It's General Lu!" In fact, he didn't need to say much, the soldiers' shouts were already clearly heard, and the voices gradually became more and more uniform. It was "General Lu, General Lu." Lu Jingyu is back? We were taken aback, but what followed were surprises. Lu Jingyu has been away for ten days, and during these ten days, the snake man's offensive has been higher and higher.Although no one said it publicly, some people must have secretly felt that it was because Marquis Wu reprimanded good generals that the soldiers had no fighting spirit, and the generals had no fighting spirit, leading to today's situation.Many people secretly felt that if Lu Jingyu was there, they would have been able to defeat the Snake Man and win the battle. Perhaps because Lu Jingyu was not around, it was easier to be rumored to be miraculous.Shen Xiping, who was tied with Lu Jingyu as the second general of the dragon and tiger, was killed in just one battle. With Lu Jingyu's ability, how much better than Shen Xiping? Wu Wanling said: "Did General Lu bring back Cang Yue's head?" Ten days ago, Marquis Wu ordered Lu Jingyu to bring back Cang Yuegong's head.If Lu Jingyu returns empty-handed, I'm afraid Marquis Wu's military order will not be lenient.I couldn't help feeling anxious, and said: "It should go well, otherwise General Lu might not come back." They didn't say anything, and probably thought so.Jin Qianshi ran down the archery tower and said, "Commander, let's go and have a look." Leaving the defense area without authorization is also a serious crime. Fortunately, Ximen is not far from the camp of the Chinese army. Marquis Wu set up the Chinese army in the city to support the four gates.I said, "Go to one of them and see what's going on." Yu Dai said: "I'll go!" Without saying a word, he turned and ran down the city.Jin Qianshi was walking up to me and said: "General Yu, come back quickly, we will wait for your news in the camp." Without turning his head, Dai Yu said: "Okay." He led the horse and ran towards the Chinese army. Looking at his back, Jin Qianshi said: "I brought Xiao Yu here from the Zuo Army. He admires Lu Jingyu the most." I smiled.In fact, it's not just Yu Dai, Lu Jingyu can be said to be an idol in the army. Everyone admires him very much. The two people I admired the most in the past were Marquis Wu and Lu Jingyu.In defending the city for ten days, Marquis Wu has already suffered many defeats, which inevitably damaged his reputation.Lu Jingyu had already left before the Snakemen attacked, and our defeat had nothing to do with him. He let go of the women and children of the Republican Army in the city, and it only made people feel that he was generous and benevolent, which made people more popular. However, there is a faint uneasiness in my heart. The news of Lu Jingyu's return was like a handful of salt thrown into a frying pan, boiling everywhere.Many people feel very relieved that with Lu Jingyu coming back to lead the left army, the situation of the battle will definitely improve. This overly optimistic idea made everyone in the army overflow with excitement.The Right Army and the Left Army had always been at odds. When Shen Xiping was in command of the Right Army, the two armies were mostly fellow travelers, but now most of the Right Army's people were talking about it. Perhaps, the teachers are war-weary, and the soldiers also hope to be able to march smoothly as soon as possible. They don't pay much attention to the grievances of the various armies now. When they walked into the Longlin barracks, the soldiers were lazily sitting or standing in the camp, mostly talking in small groups.The Dragon Scale Army originally captured a lot of women, almost everyone had one, and after the Snakemen attacked, those women were either sent to the supply camp, or all of them were released, and some were killed.If those women were still in the camp, there would probably be more chaos.I couldn't help frowning and said: "General Jin, are you always so lazy in the army?" Jin Qianshi said: "It's always been like this, it's like this when Lord Shen is here, but it will never be like this on the battlefield." I brought Wu Wanling here because I wanted to use his power to rectify military discipline. If a team does not have iron-like discipline, if it does its own thing and does not listen to control, then no matter how strong an individual soldier is, it will be in vain.When we were in the military academy, Lu Jingyu once told us about the deeds of Luo Hao, one of the twelve generals when the great emperor founded the country.Luo Hao is second only to Na Tingtian among the twelve generals. His troops are all from the south and are short in stature.But Luo Hao's army, known as "Iron Blade Mountain", made the enemy frightened.Once another famous general, Li Sijin, borrowed 3,000 men from Luo Hao to help defend them. When those 3,000 men arrived in Li Sijin's camp, it was raining heavily. Li Sijin's 10,000 men hid aside to shelter from the rain, and only Luo Hao's 3,000 guest troops , because they didn't receive the order to disband, they didn't dare to move in the rain.After the rain, Li Sijin returned to the school field to order soldiers, and was shocked when he saw this.When Lu Jingyu told us about this case, I still remember the admiration on his face. "If an army does not have iron discipline, then it is not a strong army." I remember this sentence he said to us several times at that time. When we walked into the camp, the soldiers were still lazy and only nodded when they saw us as a salute.Jin Qianshi shouted: "Assemble!" Following his order, the soldiers gathered and lined up in three neat squares.It seems that Shen Xiping's troops also have their own characteristics. Although the Dragon Scale Army usually has poor military discipline and looks like a mob, once the order is given, it will look like a strong soldier. Jin Qianshi said: "Commander, please say something to the brothers." I have only been in the Dragon Scale Army for a few days, and I haven't talked to them much, and most of the orders are delivered by Jin Qianshi, and Jin Qianshi must also feel that I should establish authority. I stood in front of the queue, looked at them, and said, "Brothers, raise your troops for a thousand days and use them for a short time. From today onwards, the Dragon Scale Army will strengthen its drills, and General Wu Wanling will take full power to clean up the military discipline. No one in the camp can make any noise. .If there is a violation, the heavy responsibility will not be jeopardized." Although my words are a bit harsh, they probably don't think they are strict.In the past, when Shen Xiping was in command, the Dragon Scale Army usually let it run its course, but once something happened, the military discipline was so strict that it was cruel.When I say this, my tone is much weaker than that of Shen Xiping at that time.But those soldiers were probably used to being sloppy, and they probably didn't expect me to say such a thing. Although I stood upright, the expression on my face had everything. Jin Qianshi said: "Brothers, no matter what, we must not fall into the reputation of the Dragon Scale Army. Anyway, when Master Shen was here, our Dragon Scale Army was the strongest soldier. After Master Shen passed away, we are still the strongest soldier. " The soldiers stood up straight.No matter how bad their military discipline is, they still value the honor of a soldier more than anything else. I said: "General Jin, from now on, you and General Wu are free to practice for an hour a day with your brothers. We must let Master Shen's spirit in heaven know that the Dragon Scale Army will never fail." Jin Qianshi stood up straight and said, "Obey!" There was also a little excitement on his face.I couldn't help but smile bitterly in my heart, maybe Jin Qianshi thinks that I am worthy of being a brave general now, but he probably never thought about it, no matter how strong we are, what's the use? When you know there is no chance of winning, you still have to fight. The kind of stubbornness that you know you can't do is also a kind of bravery.I lowered my head, not daring to look at those soldiers of the Dragonscale Army with high morale. Jin Qianshi took them through the exercises twice, worthy of being a strong soldier. Although they usually looked like a mob, they advanced and retreated smoothly during the exercise without any chaos.After the exercise, Jin Qianshi held a long knife and led them to do some stabbing techniques.The hundred soldiers in the Dragon Scale Army all use long knives. This kind of weapon is more suitable for charging, but it is not good for long-term battles, because the long knives are too heavy after all. After practicing for a while, a small half of them are a little out of breath.Jin Qianshi looked as usual, he was still chanting, and he was not impatient.There are no fancy moves in his knife skills, one knife is one knife, plain and simple.If it's just one knife, it's not surprising, but when dozens or hundreds of knives are slashed all at once, the power is really like a lightning strike, and the sky thunder is enraged. Jin Qianshi may not have other outstanding features, but Shen Xiping's mention of him as a sentry officer should not be underestimated.I thought silently.Now the Dragon Scale Army has Jin Qianshi who guides the training, Wu Wanling who cleans up the military discipline, and a shrewd and capable Yu Dai. If you give me a month or two, I will be able to double the combat effectiveness of the Dragon Scale Army. At that time, say Maybe it can really surpass the forward battalion.The problem with the Vanguard Battalion is that the command is too loose. Each of the 20 battalions under it has its own system, and the centurion has many conflicts. strength.However, the previous Dragon Scale Army pursued too much attack power, and their defense was too poor. If they could not rush through the enemy's camp during the charge, they would fall into a situation of single-handed combat. Shen Xiping died in the first battle, precisely because the People have no camp at all, and one by one rushed forward bravely. The super attack power of the Dragon Scale Army was useless, and they were defeated one by one. Self-preservation is not difficult either.But although the Dragon Scale Army also set up five sentries, the sentry officers are the direct subordinates of the commander, and they don't have the disadvantages of having multiple leaders like the Vanguard Battalion. Just as I was thinking, when the gate of the camp rode straight in, the man on horseback was Yu Dai.The horse ran extremely fast, and as soon as it entered the gate of the camp, Yu Dai reined in the reins, and the horse stood up.Jin Qianshi stood still, put away his knife, and all the soldiers who were practicing stood still.He handed the knife to a soldier beside him, went forward and said, "General Yu, what happened?" Yu Dai jumped off his horse and said, "Hurry up and get ready, the lord will probably call for troops soon." Are the snake men attacking now?Even though I knew I was in the city now and couldn't see the outside of the city at all, I couldn't help but look outside.There was some noise outside, but it was still calm. Panting heavily, Yu Dai ran towards me and said as he ran, "Commander, Junhou probably fell out with General Lu." "What?" His words really surprised me.Lu Jingyu has always been a subordinate of Marquis Wu, and before Marquis Wu ordered me to arrest him, he did not resist at all.Why do you have a falling out as soon as you come back now?I said, "What's the matter? Tell me clearly." Yu Dai took a breath, and when he was about to speak, he rushed in from the gate of the camp, but it was a thunder drum.Holding a general order of the Chinese army in his hand, he shouted: "The Dragon Scale Army listens to the order!" His voice was already loud, but now it was more like thunder.I immediately stood up and walked forward, knelt on the ground, and said: "The commander of the Dragon Scale Army, Chu Xiuhong, listens to the order." Lei Gu threw down a general order and said: "Your Majesty has an order, rush to the east gate to participate in the defense, and no one is allowed to leave the city." East Gate in a hurry?I took the command and said, "Obey." As soon as the voice fell, Lei Gu had already run out, and he was about to go somewhere to deliver orders.I turned around and said, "General Jin, tell the brothers to get on their horses and set off quickly." 边上有人带过我的马，我单手一按马背，人跃上了马，道：“虞将军，你过来一下。” 虞代也重又跳上了马，他加了一鞭，到了我跟前，道：“统领。” 我道：“到底发生什么事了？君侯命我们防卫东门，到底是何意？” 虞代道：“我也不知详细，但在中军营外，听得君侯怒不可遏，在帐中痛叱陆将军，似是说什么'生有反骨'，到底什么事我也不知道。听中军的弟兄们说，陆将军回来时带了十几个人，看样子并没有带什么首级。进帐后不多久，便听得君侯怒骂，命人传前锋营过来。我是听得君侯命雷鼓进帐听令，情知定有变故，马上回来的。” “是因为陆将军没能带回苍月公的首级吧？”我喃喃地说。武侯治军，一直都是强硬之极，有违军令的，就算官职再大也难逃责罚。陆经渔是武侯养大的，可以说是他的义子，不会不知道武侯之心。上次陆经渔误将苍月放走，武侯命他外出追赶，那已是网开一面，实际是放他逃走的意思。陆经渔如果带不回苍月的首级，回来的话那定是自己首级不保，就算武侯对陆经渔情逾父子，他也不会敢回来的。也许，是陆经渔关心太过，宁可自己性命不保也要回来的吧。如果是这样，那么就算明知无济于事，我也要在武侯跟前为陆经渔求情。毕竟，随机应变，现在不是用这等小事处斩大将的时候了。 虞代没说什么，他大概也是这样想。武侯命我们防卫东门，一定是为了防止陆经渔带回来的一千铁骑作乱。 左军不象中军和右军，陆经渔对属下一律一视同仁，不象武侯和沈西平，在军中自成一军地成立前锋营和龙鳞军。但他手下有一千铁骑，尽管没有名号，却是左军中的最强部队。上次他带走的一千人，正是这支铁骑军，一旦这支部队作乱，何况是在左军部属的东门，左军会不会加入作乱都未可知，当然不能指望他们平乱，所以武侯要火急让我这个外人来防卫吧。 I couldn't help but smile wryly.上一次捉拿陆经渔也是我，就算陆经渔自己也不怪我，他手下的人却对我没好印象，所以我送白薇红蓼出城时，两个卫兵都会给我脸色看。如果那一千铁骑真的作乱，也不消左军卷入，只要他们袖手旁观，我这三百多人的龙鳞军一定死无葬身之地。 我在君侯心目中，永远都是一只并不太重要的棋子吧。想到这里，我的心头隐隐作痛。其实也早该想到，这局棋中，武侯连陆经渔这样的重子都能弃掉，不用说是我这样的小卒了。 一到东门防区，便见到左军已列阵而立。还好，这阵头是对外的，那么说明左军也没有作乱。 我们一到阵前，何中已迎了出来，道：“左军中军官何中，请问是哪位将军？” 我拍马上前道：“何将军，是我。” 何中见了我，道：“是楚将军啊，你来得正好。” 我跳下马，道：“何将军，出什么事了？” 何中道：“陆将军带回的兵正在城外吵闹。” 我不由皱了皱眉。陆经渔一向以带兵纪律严明著称，出走十日，左军中的精英都成了这个样子么？我道：“陆将军在哪里？” 何中道：“他还在君侯那里。” 我道：“难道陆将军去谒见君侯时没跟那一千铁骑交待过？” 何中似乎想说什么，却又欲言又止，只是道：“楚将军，你自己看看吧。” 我扭头对龙鳞军道：“上城！”便走上城头。 一上城头，只见左军的士兵一个个如临大敌，却又似乎很茫然地看着城下。我道：“卜将军呢？” 何中道：“陪爵爷去见君侯了。唉，只怕君侯难以说拢……” 我道：“君侯不是只认军令不认人情的人，不至于如此吧。陆将军可曾带叛贼苍月回来？” 何中顿了顿，道：“带是带来了，只是……” 何中那种吞吞吐吐的样子实在让我难受。这时我已走上城头，刚到城边往下一望，不由得倒吸了口凉气。 城下，黑压压的，竟然有六七千人马！ 这批人马当先是一千骑军，正是左军的旗号，可后面却是些异样盔甲的人马，看样子，竟然是共和军！ 我吃了一惊，道：“这是怎么回事？” 何中还没说什么，我道：“陆将军是……他是带共和军回来的？” 何中点了点头。 陆经渔带回的共和军，总也有五千多。也许，这已是共和军的全部残军了，难道陆经渔已经收伏了共和军残部了？如果这样，他倒又立了一大功。我道：“陆将军是收了共和军……” 我一句话未说完，倒知道自己在胡猜了。那些共和军正在鼓噪不已，有几个正举着一面共和军的军旗，大声叫着什么，无论如何也不象是来投降的样子。I said: "Could it be...Could it be..." 我本来想说陆经渔是不是被共和军捉住了，被逼着回来赚城的。但我也知道这话一出口，只怕马上要惹得视陆经渔为神人的左军将士纷纷侧目。而且我也不信陆经渔是那种轻易会投降的人，他带走的一千铁骑毫发无伤，看样子不会因败被擒。何况就算要赚城也不会大模大样带回共和军来。 我想得头痛欲裂，道：“何将军，到底是怎么一回事？” 何中叹了一口气，道：“陆将军想与共和军联军一处，他将苍月公带了回来，去见君侯了。” 我道：“是苍月公请降了？” 何中道：“不是，是联手。” 何中把“联手”两字咬得很重，意思也是说，共和军没有投降，只是来和我军联手。这话如果几天前听到，那是妖言惹众吧，根本不可能的事，可现在听到，我也不禁有些怆然。 我们似乎还没到走投无路的地步，但也与之相去不远了。苍月趁这时候提出联军一处，那也是看准了我们不敢再妄动刀兵。这实在是示之以威，诱之以利，死中求活的好计，如果我们能顺利班师，那么以苍月那些残兵败将，势难支持得下去，日后也准会有被扫平的一天。而此时他提出联军，那便可以有喘息之机，而武侯现在一方面不敢浪费兵力去与共和军交战，另一方面也确实需要增添力量。 表面看来，这提议也是双方皆有利，倒也颇为可行，战后苍月公保持以前的藩属身份，帝君也未必不允。只是，养虎为患，如果让苍月公保留这一支力量，将来只怕会有啮脐之日，武侯也不会不考虑到这点。 我道：“陆将军到底是什么态度？” 何中叹了口气，道：“我也不知爵爷到底是什么态度。他回来时只跟我说了两三句话，便带了人去见君侯了。唉，若君侯一怒之下斩了苍月，只怕城外立时又要动起刀兵。” 这时，城下有个共和军的军官催了催马，到了城下，叫道：“喂，城上的听着，我家大公现在怎么样了？若再不回话，我们要攻城了。” 我不禁有点好笑。这支共和军虽然不算少，但较之左军，还少了一半，何况他们也是败军之将，本是败出城去，又谈什么攻城？ 何中到城边，道：“在下左军中军官何中，请将军稍安勿躁，君侯和爵爷定会给将军一个交待。若将军定要攻城，不妨一试。” 他的话语温和，却又带着隐隐的威胁。那人倒一下语塞，过了一会道：“何将军不要以为我们是吓人的。今日我军五千零二十三人，人人已抱必死之心。” 他拨转马头，向本营走去。 何中也转过头，有点颓唐地看着我，道：“楚将军，你说君侯会答应苍月的要求么？” 我有点茫然。如果我是武侯，我会答应苍月的要求么？ 这时，身后突然发出了一片喧哗，有人喊着“爵爷”，有人喊着“陆将军”。何中象是被针刺了一下，冲下城去。金千石道：“统领，我们也要下去么？” 我看看四周，城头的士兵有些乱。我道：“我们在城上看着，让兄弟们提起精神。” 现在的左军士兵大多激动万分。这情形便如一锅烧得火热的油，一旦有颗火星飞入，只怕马上会烧起来。我们这三百多人，若是左军哗变，那真如沧海一粟，马上会被人潮吞没。但只要没有火星，那这锅油再热，也总会凉下来的。 一群左军的士兵簇拥着几人过来，所到之处，尽是欢呼。虞代有点紧张地道：“统领，爵爷来了。” 这时，城头上的左军也发出了一阵震天的欢呼，陆经渔和另一个老人走上了城头。 陆经渔一身战甲，白得耀眼，他边上的老人却穿着土黄色的长袍。陆经渔看见了我，微微一怔，马上过来道：“是楚将军啊。” 我半跪下来，道：“陆将军，末将龙鳞军统领楚休红，奉君侯将令，前来防卫东门，任何人不得出城。” 陆经渔笑道：“现在已不必了。来人，将城门打开。” 他笑得很是开怀。自从我们被蛇人攻击以来，还没人能笑得这样过。他的笑声也感染了边上的士兵，他们一个个都笑了起来，手中的武器也举得不直了。 我站起来，道：“禀陆将军，在得君侯将令以前，末将不得擅离职守，故城门不得擅开。” 陆经渔也站定了，看着我，慢慢点了点头，道：“也对。君侯的传令兵也该马上就到了。” 象是应验他的话，雷鼓这时正好一骑飞驰，到了东门边，道：“龙鳞军统领楚休红缴令。” 我走下城，在雷鼓马前跪了下来，道：“末将楚休红在。” 雷鼓勒了勒马，道：“君侯有令，东门警戒已解，龙鳞军速归本营待命。” 他说着，将另一支将令伸出来，递了给我。我将两支将令合在一处，正好合得天衣无缝。我将两支将令交还给雷鼓，道：“末将遵令。” 武侯终于和陆经渔达成谅解了！随着交出将令，我心头也不由一阵欣喜。不知为什么，尽管和共和军交战了那么久，对他们却仍然没什么深仇大恨。也许，是因为他们和我们一样，都仅仅是些微不足道的棋子吧。棋子和棋子之间，又能说什么呢？ 这时，几个城丁正在放下吊桥，拉开城门。看着城门慢慢打开，我心头也不由得一阵茫然。