Chapter 3 third quarter
On the second day after the military meeting, General Yang Keshi of the East Route Army personally led a vanguard force composed of elites from the Jingyuan and Qinfeng Route Armies to the front line of Baigou.
Although Yang Keshi did not understand and was very dissatisfied with the decision of the Xuanfu Division not to allow crossing the river to provoke, he still tried his best to be a model general who obeyed the orders of his superiors. His own troops far surpassed those of his brothers, especially the West Route Army led by Xin Xingzong.Through officers at all levels, he conscientiously conveyed Xuantuosi's orders to the whole army.When the troops established a foothold on the front line and found a place to live and a temporary warehouse for storing military supplies, his own East Route Army Command was also established in Nantangwa, more than ten miles away in Henan.After everything was in place, he acted swiftly to implement the court's surrender measures.
He chose a prominent spot along the river bank, and set up a few large yellow silk banners issued by the Xuanfu Department. A big character, expressing to the Liao army our sincerity that our army will never do anything.
Then he sent some small teams, each with no more than 20 people, to find some sheltered strongholds near the river bank, or temporarily use wood, straw mats, and bamboo chips to build nests and set up crossbows.The Huang Pong sent by the Xuanfu Department to surrender and a special red-bordered white-heart flag (with the words "Hanging the people and punishing crimes, there is no war, and those who come to surrender with the flag board will be rewarded first"), became an official. The ground is tied to the large arrow shaft from which the arrow has been removed, and it is fired into the Liao army's position on the opposite bank with a crossbow.
He also strictly ordered the soldiers not to stay by the river, let alone enter the range of the Liao army, except to perform the above tasks.
Since the Western Army arrived in Xiongzhou one after another in mid-March, the planting division had already allocated some troops to station in Xingsheng on the south bank of the river, and established a strict and regular watch and patrol system.This patrol force and the Liao army faced each other across the river, closely guarding and monitoring each other's actions, but no formal confrontation took place.
Now the Liao army defending the river suddenly noticed the opponent's unusual behavior, immediately put on guard, and reported the situation to their superiors, and dispatched troops from the rear to strengthen patrols along the river and prepare to meet the enemy.Several mid-level military officers also rushed to a confrontation point for on-site observation.They must have been very annoyed when they read the banners presented by the soldiers.Two of the officers didn't wait to change their opinions with their colleagues. They took bows and arrows and immediately galloped to the river, swearing at the Song army hidden in the nest.
Because the river bed was narrow and not far away, Song Jun could see all their actions, and heard their scolding, everyone started talking.
"Brother, what are they talking about? Judging by the way he gritted his teeth, he must have said something nice. It's just because I'm deaf, I didn't understand a word."
"I don't understand either."
"Don't you understand Hexi's family's language, why don't you understand his family's language?"
"The Hexi family's dialect is different from that of Khitan. When the two of them talk, they have to be interpreted by someone."
"Whisper, softly!" Someone yelled in a fuss, "I heard a sentence, it is my family's words, calling my family's Xuan Fu is a dog."
"Can you hear me clearly?"
"Listen, isn't he just scolding Xuanfu the dog and Xuanfu the thief?"
Xuanfu is an unfamiliar official position, scolding Xuanfu has nothing to do with soldiers, and did not arouse their hatred of enemies.Someone else asked:
"What kind of official is Xuanfu? Can he compare to my family's Xiaozhong manager?"
"Xuanfu is the leader of an army," someone suddenly remembered the title on the banner, "I heard that he is even bigger than the old businessman! Didn't the general order be passed down the day before yesterday that killing the enemy is strictly prohibited, this is what Xuanfu did How could the old businessman give such nonsense orders?"
"How can there be a bigger official in the world than the old manager? We know that this plague will be scolded." Officials who are bigger than the small manager, they only admit that there is another old manager , a bigger official than the old manager, they only admit that there is another Zhao official family.If anyone was inserted among them, it must be a bad breed who corrupted the law and used illegal means to climb over the head of the manager.He deserved to be scolded!Such is the logic of the soldiers.
However, it was not only this plague that was scolded, but also extended to themselves.All of them distinctly heard a vicious curse.they shouted:
"This guy is hateful, he scolded my old lady."
"That's okay, I'm going to run to ask him, my old lady walks her own way, eats her own food, and does his shit, is it worth his scolding?"
Swearing at mothers, although it is common in the world, is the best way to achieve the purpose of angering the other party.Those soldiers were really enraged, they didn't listen to the command of the team officer, they whistled, jumped out of the bunk immediately, and ran to the river to ask the officer who scolded him for clarification.
Soldiers who have just entered the front line still maintain the strongest will to fight and maintain a sense of freshness about everything on the battlefield. They can't help but want to meet the Liao army they saw for the first time in their lives. Rather than out of righteous indignation against the enemy, it is better to say out of my own curiosity.I've heard people say that the so-called "kunfa" of the Liao people is to shave off the top of the head and leave a circle around it, just like a circle of straw on the bottom of a pot.Isn't this all a child?Only children have such hairstyles.To prove this, not only have to go close, but it is best to meet a friendly Liao army, and ask him to take off his helmet and let them take a closer look, so that they can believe it. Some people say that the beards of Liao people are hard , it can be raised enough to hang a horn bow, they have heard this in some commentary, the Yelu who was whipped to death by Hedong Huyanzan in the early days of the country, his beard is so hard.This also has to be touched, let them verify it for themselves before they can believe it.
The soldiers have been dealing with the Hexi family for half their lives, and when they meet on the battlefield, they have to use their skills to fight to the death. This is called courage!But the Liao army in front of them is not allowed to fight with them, nor to talk to them, what is this?The soldiers laughed at this unheard-of order passed down from their superiors, at the rude attitude of the officers on the opposite bank pointing and cursing, and at being unguarded and exposed to the enemy's shooting as if they were naked. A bold and boring move, headed straight for the river bank.But there is a naive idea in their hearts. They think that the method of "peaceful combat" implemented in this way must be a new thing that the superiors of both sides have explained clearly, and they cannot be announced publicly for the time being.Our army can't cross the river, how can the other party have any reason to cross the river?Our army's launch of the banner is an act of covering up the ears, and the opponent's swearing is also a fake show.The two parties must have established some kind of secret agreement, and it will be announced at the right time.They vaguely came to a conclusion: In this nominal war, there is no real confrontation between the two sides.
They hadn't run to the river, hadn't solved the problem they were trying to solve: the straw loops or the braids left and right?How hard is the beard?A burst of sharp arrows suddenly fell in front of them like a hailstorm.They didn't have time to believe this, so they quickly found a mound and took shelter for a while.Some people stooped, boldly took a few steps forward, raised their arrows and passed them on to each other, confirming that this is indeed a real arrow that can kill a person without removing the arrowhead, and it has indeed broken the arrow. After seeing their naive fantasy, they began to curse:
"You little wives raised by dogs, you've used real swords and guns."
"Dog raised" is a method of scolding mothers without naming names, which can also anger the Liao army.Another shower of arrows flew in, but the soldiers had already used their skilled footwork to avoid the arrows and rushed back to the nest shop as fast as they could.
In the womb, they exchanged angry scolding at one go, scolding those Liao soldiers for being ignorant of flattery and courtesy.He scolded the Liao army for breaking their promises and breaking the agreement (they still believed that there was such an agreement and tacit understanding).Then they also scolded Wen Xuanfu. Because of his stupidity, he believed the enemy's nonsense and fell for it. He almost made them become ghosts under the arrow.
The provocative behavior of the Liao army did not change the decision-making of the Song army, and the Xuanfu Division still strictly enforced the ban.The two sides were separated by a not-so-wide boundary river. One side kept firing arrows that could really kill people and horses, while the other side still fired the arrow shafts that had been removed and replaced with bundles of banners.This kind of entertainment, in which the two parties exchanged gifts of unequal value, lasted for five or six days.On the border stretching for dozens of miles, including the east and west routes, there are more than a dozen and sometimes as many as 20 or 30 Song soldiers every day. Out of curiosity and carelessness, or wanting to personally verify the Liao army Is it true that he is so ignorant of flattery that he rashly broke into the opponent's range, was shot by an ambushing cold arrow and was killed or injured.Every time a new casualty occurred, it caused great disturbance among the soldiers.
If Xuan Tuosi had not issued this ridiculous order, if the soldiers' brothers and legs were free, could cross the river to kill the enemy at will, and could draw arrows to shoot, they would still have many accidental casualties. In war, on a vast battlefield, since both sides aim to kill the enemy's troops, the possibility of escaping such accidents is very small.But people have long been used to this, and they don't think it is an accident. The enemy and themselves should be responsible for such casualties.Now that the Xuanfu Division issued this order, the soldiers' mentality was completely different, and they blamed all their faults on the Plague Xuanfu.They think that the dead robers are all victims of this order, and they shouldn't have died unjustly like this.They were also afraid that if they were not careful, they would become victims of this order.It is honorable to die bravely in battle, but to be murdered by the enemy and one's own commander for no apparent reason, and die without regret.
A feeling of grief and indignation and a sense of common hatred continued to grow in the hearts of the soldiers. They were eager to revoke the ban, to change the current passive situation of being slaughtered by others, and to cross the river to kill the enemy.They have more courage and strength than ever.Desiring to grab an enemy and fight to the death, strangle him to death, kill him, jam him to death, and beat him to death, he himself is willing to die with the enemy on the battlefield without regret.
Things got worse.One day, the Liao army actually gathered hundreds of people, formed a large force, sneaked across the boundary river, and surrounded a nest of the Song army.Facing a life-and-death duel, this order that once bound the soldiers' hands and feet was ridiculously put aside, and no one thought about it.They fought valiantly, fought back valiantly, and died valiantly.Before he died, he faithfully carried out a traditional prohibition, dismantling a bed of crossbows to pieces, so that the enemy would not capture them for imitation.Although this squad did not leave a living life behind, it also caused the Liao army to leave behind as many corpses and hurried back across the river.
The officers and soldiers scattered on the second line came to support after hearing the news, and they were not bound by this order, and they were ready to fight happily.But they came a step late, the Liao army retreated, and the battle was over.They saw so many paozes heroically dying in the shameless attack of the enemy at once, and they couldn't stop their tears rolling down.The suffocation that had accumulated in my heart for the past few days suddenly exploded like a balloon, and all the constraints were broken. Everyone gathered around and discussed loudly, chaotically, and angrily.
"How heroic he died!" A soldier saluted the first soldier who came into his sight, and kicked away the corpse of the enemy soldier who was tightly hugged by the dead man, "He was a good brother!"
"Cross the river and avenge the brothers who died in battle."
This shout quickly developed into a resounding slogan, and many people echoed and shouted:
"Cross the river, go across the river!"
"Cross the river and kill him, and see who is stronger and who is weaker!"
"With my old life, cross the river and kill ten or eight of them, and they will live forever after death!"
"Go, go, everyone! Those who don't go are bears."
There has been an upsurge, and there have been many perpetrators. At this time, a leader, an organizer and a commander are needed.They have not yet been able to produce such a leader.
"What are you doing here?" Someone asked sarcastically.
"Eating three catties of steamed buns a day, and urinating and shitting."
"Wouldn't shit be at home, and come all the way here to do it?"
"And launch the bird flag."
"There are also live archery targets for Fanzi."
"Xuanfu made this order to nail you to the target, and you will never be able to dodge again."
"Which Xuan Fu, who eats shit and drinks urine, gave this order?"
"It was Xuanfu who dug out his testicles and cut off the roots of his descendants who gave this order."
"Xuanfu envoy's guts have already been castrated along with his testicles, so we can tell he is a gelding."
"It's strange that he didn't see the shadow of the enemy, so he hid first."
"It's strange that he..."
The striker general Yang Keshi rushed to the scene with several sidemen and a team of personal soldiers.He heard a lot of yelling from a long distance, he pressed his saber unconsciously, rode his horse and rushed straight into the crowd, and asked sharply:
"Which one is messing around here?"
Everyone was angry and silent, only one officer with a tall figure and a stern face walked over the crowd and walked straight in front of Yang Keshi, gave a military salute, and replied loudly:
"The last general, Li Xiaozhong, brought his subordinates here."
Yang Keshi clearly recognized him and could call him by name, but asked deliberately:
"Who are you? Which road are you from?"
"The last general is Li Xiaozhong, who is under the command of Mr. Xiaozhong, the manager of Qinfeng Road, and the fifth lieutenant general under Wu Jie."
"Since you are under the command of Mr. Xiaozhong's manager, you need to know the law. What are you talking about here?"
"Commander, please take a look at the brothers who died in battle," Li Xiaozhong said, pointing to the corpses in the ground, apparently disobedient.
"I don't have eyes myself, so I want you, a little capital, to point it out?"
Li Xiaozhong's eyes suddenly pierced Yang Keshi's eyes like a shining sharp sword, and he replied firmly and clearly: "The commander's eyes only look up, how often do you look down?"
The muscles on Yang Keshi's cheeks suddenly trembled nervously, which was a signal to kill. He quickly drew out his saber like a falcon, and the knife shone brightly against the setting sun on the opposite side.At this critical moment, instead of backing down, Li Xiaozhong took a step forward, straightened his chest, and faced Yang Keshi's knife, as if his chest was covered with double armor, and continued confidently:
"The last general did not say anything wrong. If the commander's eyes can look down more, there will be no tragedy like today."
With incomparable courage, Li Xiaozhong defeated the old general Yang Keshi spiritually.When others were sweating for him, his crisis was over.Yang Keshi raised his saber, but this was already an excuse to retreat into the sheath.After inserting his saber, he asked:
"What else do you want?" The tone obviously softened.
"The last general please order to cross the river to kill the thief."
"You don't want to die?"
"The last general is willing to fight the Liao people for this life."
"You are not afraid of the Liao people, but you must obey the military order of the Xuanfu envoy."
Knowing that the silent masses were all on his side, Li Xiaozhong, who had a sense of superiority, became more calm and determined, and he replied resolutely:
"The last general only obeys the orders of the general, and does not obey random orders."
"This is a tough guy who has eaten the guts of a leopard and the heart of a baboon," Yang Keshi couldn't help but secretly marveled, "It's worthwhile to cultivate a small species of businessman, and I have few such people under my command."
"Li Xiaozhong listen to the order!" Yang Keshi pretended not to understand the second half of his sentence, and ordered, "You collect and carry the corpses of the brothers, and then bury the corpses of Fanzi! Finish in the middle of the night. Do not leave traces, do not let others know!"
"The final general obeys the order!"
Yang Keshi turned his horse's head and left with his entourage.
"Tonight I'm going to cross the river to kill the thieves and avenge my brothers." Here, Li Xiaozhong didn't wait for Yang Keshi and his party to run out of his sight, and ordered loudly, "Anyone who is willing to go with me, stay and discuss together. "
All the officers and soldiers present, including two mid-level officers who were higher than Li Xiaozhong, were willing to stay and accept his command and arrangement.
A leader chosen by the masses themselves emerges.
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