Chapter Three Power in Hand and Heavy Responsibilities
Chapter 3: Great Power and Great Responsibility
The rebellion of the Taiping Military State did not attract too many people's attention at the beginning. The governance of the Dawu Dynasty was not very popular, and it was dominated by foreigners. Since the founding of the country hundreds of years ago, rebellions in various places have continued.
uninterrupted,
In the past few years, droughts and famines have occurred in the southwest. People have no money and food, and their lives are unsustainable. They can only take risks and become grass bandits, robbing homes and homes, and then being arrested by the government, and they simply rebel.26nbsp;
Logically speaking, the rebellion caused by this situation is very simple. The rebels are all farmers and ordinary people. They do not have good martial arts training, let alone excellent ordnance and equipment. Even if there are many people, they will not have good military training.
The reputation is huge, but the result is that a few thousand officers and soldiers often defeat tens of thousands of rebels. Even to the extreme, a few thousand cavalry defeat hundreds of thousands of rebels with their families. This is not uncommon.
If not for this, the Dawu Dynasty would have been overthrown eight lifetimes ago, with rebellions almost every month and wars everywhere.
This situation, which had long been taken for granted, changed during the Taiping Army Rebellion. At first, the government did not pay much attention to this rebel team that claimed to be the Taiping Army. After a little investigation, it was found that the leaders were all
He is from a peasant background, because
Because of years of famine, the government 'forced' taxes, and finally killed officials and rebelled. It was no different from other rebel parties that had been wiped out in the past. Almost all of its members were farmers. They spent far more time holding hoes than swords. It was said that they were just a rabble.
That's considered a compliment to them.
But such a ragtag group of people actually fought several victorious battles in a row and occupied several small counties. The victorious battles they fought were very strange, and they suddenly overwhelmed the government.
The reason why the victory achieved by the Taiping Army was strange was that the battle lasted for a very short time. The officers and soldiers who were attacked were defeated almost within ten minutes, and it was the kind of defeat where the entire army was annihilated. All the officers and soldiers were completely destroyed.
Regardless of whether they died in battle, surrendered, or were captured, none of them escaped. As a result, after several defeats, the local military headquarters lost in confusion and had no idea how they were defeated.
Traitors, conspiracy, carelessness, and good luck are the official speculations on the victory of the Taiping Army. In the absence of precise information, the local military headquarters can only make these speculations and mobilize the troops at hand to prepare for a strong purge.
Destroy these 'rebellious' parties.
Due to the lack of data and the appropriate strategies adopted by the Taiping Army, the government at this time was indeed too careless and underestimated the enemy. They did not take these "rebellious" parties seriously, and their reaction speed in preparing for annihilation was slow, and they did not respond to the enemy.
The central government requested assistance. However, judging from the subsequent situation, even if the central government sent reinforcements and even mobilized troops from several nearby provinces, it would not help.
On the twenty-third day after the Taiping uprising, the local military headquarters was about to complete preparations for deploying troops. When deciding on the order of attack, it suddenly received a notice that the Taiping troops in several nearby counties had taken action to preemptively launch a surprise attack on the officers and soldiers.
When they first received this information, the head of the local military headquarters was still guessing which place the Taiping Army would attack first? After all, according to common sense in military science, the rebel army was in a weak position, so they should unite their forces and attack a certain location with all their strength.
, and as long as the military responds quickly, it can sacrifice a whole place to hold them back and engage in a battle of encirclement and annihilation.
However, the news returned by the spies shocked them because what the Taiping Army did completely ignored the art of war and common sense. They actually picked the nearest stronghold to attack. The Taiping Army in several counties attacked the target separately. It seemed that
I want to eat all the surrounding officer and soldier strongholds in one bite.
"This... this is so unwise. It's basically a 'suicidal' act!"
Several military officials who heard the news had this idea, but they had never thought that the conclusion of using an egg to hit a stone was correct, but in the eyes of the enemy, they were just the vulnerable eggs.
Just like the previous battles, the Taiping Army captured many military strongholds with ease, and the fighting time was incredibly short. The officers and soldiers who were about to launch an encirclement and suppression campaign against the Taiping Army actually failed at all in the face of the enemy's strong counterattack.
There was no way to fight back, and several places were wiped out at the same time. The local military headquarters was shocked to learn this fact, but they still couldn't figure out how they were wiped out by the enemy.
At this time, the senior officials of the local military headquarters realized that something was wrong. The strength of this group of rabble may not be as simple as it seems on the surface, and they are definitely not an ordinary peasant rebel army. After repeated mistakes, the officers and soldiers were no longer able to
Maybe the central government is not allowed to know the situation here.
But...how to report it? How to explain to the central government how these defeats were defeated?
The seemingly thorny question was soon answered. After the Taiping Army captured several heavily-armed strongholds in the province, they no longer kept a low profile and silence, and bared their ferocious fangs. They attacked the provincial capital, which also allowed the local military headquarters to
The leaders saw a scene they had never imagined.
Not hoes, nor poles, nor even swords, guns, bows and arrows. Those wolf-like rebels used incredible weapons, some of which were recognizable and sophisticated mechanisms that sprayed flames and poisonous water, but some
There were even more completely unknown instruments that emitted magical light and caused powerful explosions, leaving the stunned officers and soldiers at a loss. They had no idea what was going on, and they were killed on the battlefield with blood and flesh flying everywhere.
This is not a reciprocal war. The Taiping Army is like the mythical heavenly soldiers and generals. Although their number is small, their strength is not just one against ten, but even one against dozens. Those who have experienced
Strictly trained and well-equipped officers and soldiers were reduced to three-year-old children under the Taiping Army's light knives and lightsabers. They could not even put up a slight resistance and were completely wiped out the moment the two sides came into contact.
The overall situation was determined from this. With the fall of the provincial capital, Yunzhou Province completely fell under the control of the Taiping Army. Less than twenty-nine days had passed since the Taiping Army's attack. They had already captured a province, which can be said to be the greatest success since the founding of the Dawu Dynasty.
, the biggest rebellion incident. And this incident finally alerted the central government, and the emperor personally issued an order to eliminate this group of rebels as soon as possible.
The order was issued, but the actual implementation results were quite disappointing. Even if the emperor's imperial edict was as heavy as the sky, the soldiers would not be able to win something that they could not win in the first place. The advanced equipment used by the Taiping Army allowed them to win with
Absolutely inferior in strength, they easily defeated the officers and soldiers in a row. Later, when the commander of the officers and soldiers yelled to charge, the soldiers dispersed without thinking. No one wanted to rush forward and fight with that group of gods and ghosts who were simply not human beings.
soldiers fighting.
"...Yes, there is such a thing? Why did we never know about it?"
Xu Jiangzi was very shocked. What he had heard all along on Buzhou Mountain was that although the Taiping Army was in a fierce commotion, it had a mutual victory or defeat with the imperial court. It occupied some places and slowly attacked inland. It was definitely not the case.
Why was the army defeated like a mountain and the gap between victory and defeat between the two sides was so huge?
"Is it unbelievable? Then, brother, please think about it. After seeing those light knives, light crossbows, and magical firearms that can blow up most of the hospital at once, do you really think that the imperial court can be evenly matched with these people and win each other?
defeat?"
"Well, you're right, this kind of thing is impossible, but why have we never..."
"That is the intelligence operation of the imperial court. Although it cannot fight, the foundation of hundreds of years of rule can still accomplish many things. I have been thinking about it over and over in the past two days and figured out many things. The imperial court must carry out
With a strict intelligence blockade, quite meticulous information operations, and many confusing rumors, we were at a loss as to what to do. In the end, we could only choose to believe the official statement. Even if we didn't believe it, we would never have imagined that the war situation was so bad.
to a certain point."
Xu Hezi sighed, his young face looked like he had just woken up from a dream. Even though he had come into contact with the "reality", even he felt unbelievable, as if he was still in a nightmare.
Since the theory of mutual victory and defeat is not established, the fact spread out in front of us is a tragic defeat. After Xuhezi realized this fact, he conducted an investigation. Because the time was too short, nothing could be found.
, but Xuhezi guessed that the land occupied by the Taiping Army should be much larger than what the court announced.
Xu Jiangzi shook his head and said: "To block the news to such an extent, how...how can you do this?"
"How could I possibly know, but the imperial court did it. While they blocked the news of the war, they also adopted delaying tactics, fortified the walls and cleared the country... and other strategies, which slowed down the Taiping Army's attack."
Xu Hezi said that he was not very sure because what he knew so far was indeed limited. After being sent to the hospital, he began to actively collect intelligence and tried to contact some senior military officials who were currently on the front line.
The seniors of the Heluo sect hoped to learn about the situation from their mouths, but the invitations sent out received no response.
It was not until the end of the Lijiatun battle that these seniors who had not responded suddenly took the initiative to contact him and gave answers to his questions, that he knew the so-called truth.
In order to deal with the Taiping Army's attack, the imperial court also adopted quite extreme defensive methods. Although the Taiping Army's magical weapons are powerful, the users are still living people after all, and they will still die if they encounter something beyond human power.
Many times in a row, the military destroyed embankments at locations where the Taiping Army marched and stationed, causing massive floods to rush in, burying the Taiping Army and local people together; or triggering landslides, using rolling rocks and mudflows to lure enemy troops into battle.
Buried together with the Taiping Army.
The cruel tactics paid a heavy price, but effectively brought harm to the Taiping Army. On the way of the Taiping Army, the imperial court forcibly relocated villages and burned all the crops to scorched earth, leaving not a grain of rice or a blade of grass.
Supplies to the Taiping Army
When encountering people who refused to move, they were killed on the spot, and the scorched-earth tactics of fortifying walls and clearing fields were carried out to the extreme. As for public resentment and anger, they were completely ignored. With such tactics, the Taiping Army's attack was slowed down.
speed.
"After suffering many defeats in a row, the imperial court finally discovered that the alien weapons used by the Taiping Army were called magic weapons. They were machines made with magical technologies in ancient times. The imperial court had established secret departments for hundreds of years to conduct research on these technologies.
It’s just that there is not much progress, and I don’t know where the Taiping Army got these magic weapons, but they are actually more powerful than those from the imperial court.”
Xu Hezi said: "The imperial court also sent a special force, equipped with magic weapons, to destroy the Taiping Army... Of course, this was also done in absolute confidentiality. The imperial court seemed to be very unwilling to let the technology of these magic weapons be known to the world.
"
Xu Jiangzi said "Huh" and couldn't say anything. He knew nothing, and it was not his turn to speak at this time. However, the special forces sent by the imperial court should not have much effect, otherwise today's Taiping Army
How could it be so rampant?
"The magic weapons assembled by that special force are very powerful. It is said that they are ancient relics that surpass today's technology, and the soldiers who use the magic weapons are also considered masters. At that time, the magic weapons of the Taiping Army were not so powerful, and they suffered a lot from the officers and soldiers.
Some places were also taken back, but... these all changed with the appearance of one person."
"Which person?"
"…that person!"
Xu Hezi lowered his voice, and vaguely, Xu Jiangzi felt the unusual pressure, as if the temperature around him had cooled down, all because of that ominous name.
Heavenly demon!
A name that had not appeared in the early stages of the war but suddenly appeared. Just like himself, in a certain battle, he mysteriously appeared in front of the officers and soldiers, stared coldly at the thousands of troops in front, and let out a long roar, like a ghost.
and rushed into the military formation.
Those who fought in that battle were unwilling to think about it afterwards, and reluctantly confessed one or two sentences, probably "He is not a human being" or "He is not a human being at all". Others were baffled by these words, but Xu Jiangzi and others
The brothers could imagine, because they had witnessed similar battles, and the man in black who slaughtered the Taiping Army with ruthless hands made them feel the same way.
The special forces that the imperial court relied on were 90% killed by "that person" in this battle. The Taiping Army counterattacked, and the officers and soldiers were defeated, with countless casualties. However, "that person" came and went in this battle, passing through
The horrific image of rivers of blood and scattered corpses left a profound impression on people.
After the war, news came from the Taiping Army that the name of this peerless killing god was "Tian Yao". He was one of the leaders of the Taiping Army. He was in charge of the actual combat troops of the Taiping Army, charged into battle, and participated in several subsequent battles.
Being one of the first soldiers in the body became the deepest nightmare for the officers and soldiers. Out of fear, the officers and soldiers avoided calling him by his name and just called him "that person".
"The legend of the Sky Demon became more and more chaotic as it spread. Quite a few people insisted on believing that the Sky Demon could do evil and seduce people. As long as the name of the Sky Demon was spoken, he would appear in that place... Huh! It's so big.
Magical power, this is not a celestial demon, it is simply worshiped as a god."
Xu Hezi's words were provocative. He called "Celestial Demon" four times in one sentence and did not pay attention to other people's taboos. Xu Jiangzi noticed this, but so far, he has never actually experienced the Celestial Demon.
Demons are so powerful, no matter how absurd and bizarre those legends are, after all, Sky Demon is just a vague name. Instead, it is an unexpected thought that shocked him.
"Brother, that mysterious man in black...could he be..."
Xu Jiangzi hesitated to speak, but Xu Hezi shook his head decisively. Judging from the deeds he heard, the big man in black could never be a sky demon, and the sky demon would not turn against him and start killing people indiscriminately. The Taiping Army came, let alone saved the lives of his two brothers, and made those reminders.
The black-clothed man's martial arts are extremely powerful. Even when compared with the legendary Heavenly Demon, he seems to be not inferior. However, the martial arts used by this man are completely different from the martial arts of the Demon Sect. The two brothers were enemies rather than friends, so it was not difficult to understand the purpose of his "righteous act".
Xu Hezi murmured: "Driving tigers and devouring wolves...it's so nice to look up to us!"
Xu Jiangzi asked curiously: "What did you say?"
"It's nothing. It's just a conjecture that cannot be confirmed. It doesn't mean much, but...brother, we didn't know the actual situation on the front line before, but...do you think Master doesn't know it either?"
Regarding this issue, Xu Jiangzi was silent. No matter how tight the imperial court's intelligence blockade was, it was impossible for the decision-makers of the Heluo Sword Sect to be completely unaware. Especially the master, the leader of one of the two great holy sects. How could he? Don't you know anything? But... when the two brothers left Buzhou Mountain, the master didn't explain anything. If the master had said something, even just a little bit, many disciples could have been killed or injured.
"You have a good mind. Since you asked this question, you should have an answer, right? Let's just talk about it and see what you plan to do?"
"this……"
Xu Hezi seemed hesitant, which surprised Xu Jiangzi, but he quickly understood because the choice space in front of him was too small.
The master sent his two brothers to join the army here without any further instructions, so the options before him now are one is to flee back to Buzhou Mountain in embarrassment, the other is to fight to the death here, and with the younger brother's personality, the former It is absolutely impossible, but the latter... this responsibility is very big, and... even if they want to fight, my brothers are just two ordinary soldiers. Although they have a special status, they have no position or power after all, and they can't do much. thing.
Thinking of these things, he was quite annoyed. Xu Jiangzi shook his head and didn't know what to do. At this time, there was a sound from outside. It sounded like the footsteps of a large group of people approaching here. They were walking very quickly, as if they were... What's the emergency? The two brothers looked at each other and felt surprised.
The door was opened all of a sudden, and the visitors who entered the room were a group of Heluo disciples who had recently arrived at the front line. Most of them were of the "Xu" generation and had always been on good terms with Xu Hezi. When they came in, their faces were full of excitement. Hezi originally thought that they were going to congratulate Lijiatun on this great victory, so he forced a smile on his face, but before he could say a word, he was shocked by the heavy news they threw at him, making him jump up.
"Junior Brother Xuhezi, congratulations. This great victory has been reported back to Buzhou Mountain. Your achievements have greatly earned our Heluo Sect a lot of face. The leader has given an order that you will be in charge of everything on the front line of the Heluo Sword Sect. All Heluo disciples are obeying your order. The official document of this order will arrive soon. We came to congratulate you first after hearing the news. Congratulations!"
"What?"
This order really surprised Xu Hezi, because the Heluo Sword Sect has many disciples in the military, and as long as you are from the Heluo Sword Sect, even if you are a senior member of the military, you must cooperate with the instructions of the master. In other words, when If the Heluo Sword Sect seriously exerts this influence, it can even form a second center of power in the military that can compete with the government.
Xu Hezi couldn't believe that such a powerful power was handed over to him, and he was not happy at all, because he knew very well how much responsibility this unusual honor represented.
Especially when he knew that Chichengzi's order was not delivered secretly, but that Chichengzi sent an envoy, riding a fast horse, shouting at the top of his lungs to let everyone along the way know, so that he was arrested in Xuhezi.
Before the announcement, all the Heluo disciples who were heading to the front line along the way knew about it.
"Is there such a thing? Why is Master so high-profile?" Xu Hezi couldn't think of any reason, but the brothers around him smiled brightly and only congratulated him.
"Junior brother, you have always been shrewd, why are you so confused now? Among the disciples of the Xu generation of our sect, you are the most outstanding in both literary and martial arts. You are also the beloved disciple of the leader. The position of the next leader is not very good.
You are the only one. Now that you have just arrived at the front line, you have made great achievements one after another and earned a lot of face for our faction. The leader took the opportunity to hand you over the power. What is there to doubt?"
All his classmates congratulated him in unison. Under the warm support, Xu Hezi temporarily suppressed the uneasiness in his heart, smiled, and said righteously that he would live up to his master's trust and lead the Heluo sect to victory.
Discourse.
During the whole process, Xu Jiangzi sat quietly and said nothing. Although he was also happy that his brother was reused, as long as he thought of the heavy responsibility, he didn't feel happy. Besides,
He also saw that these fellow brothers who kept saying congratulations and congratulations, despite the joy on their faces, may not necessarily have the same amount of sincerity...
Regardless of the special significance of Chichengzi's appointment, at least as far as the party who took the order was concerned, Xuhezi did live up to his mission. He originally had the intention to do things, but lacked the authority. Now that he had the power in his hands, he continued to do it without hesitation.
To do anything on the front line, the biggest obstacle is not the Taiping Army, but the imperial court. Xuhezi is young and mature. He knows that he is too young to obey the crowd. If he suddenly gains power, he will be hated by others. This time, the Heluo Sect started by calling on its disciples to go on the road.
, until now, he has appointed himself to be in charge of powerful things, with great fanfare and no shyness. He is almost actively provoking the imperial court.
Although he didn't know what his party's plans were for the court, Xuhezi understood that the most direct result of continuing this way would be that he would be the first to be arrested and investigated, because at this juncture, the court would never allow a second power to appear on the front line.
Center, this will only die faster.
Xu Hezi kept his stature very low and actively visited the military commanders to seek cooperation. His attitude of neither being humble nor overbearing won the favor of many people. In addition, the Heluo Sword Sect did have a huge power in the army. Xu Hezi's these few
He made the right move, allowing him to avoid resistance. Although he had great power, he wisely gave up using it. He only showed the military department that he hoped to start from an ordinary soldier, charge into battle, and die without regrets.
This request was approved, and of course, Xu Jiangzi and his younger brother were also assigned together, and quickly participated in actual combat. The two of them fought a few more small battles before their injuries healed.
Being on the front line, you might not have anything else to worry about, but you don't have to worry about not fighting. The two of them were wearing the uniforms of ordinary soldiers, leading the Heluo disciples who were newly arrived at the front line, and took the initiative to attack the small Taiping Army unit, killing both of them.
Experience is passed on to these brothers through actual combat.
The Heluo disciples who came into contact with the "truth" were grateful to the two of them, which cannot be described in words. The most obvious fact is that without the leadership and escort of the two of them, all the newly arrived Heluo disciples would surely die.
Very miserable.
However, even though there are two brothers taking the lead, Xu Jiangzi and Xu Hezi are not top masters. They are not qualified to dominate the world on the battlefield and dominate life and death. They do not know enough about the front line. Even if they are selected by Xu Hezi to join the team, they will take the initiative.
The attacking Heluo disciples
, are all talents selected from a thousand, but after several battles, more than a hundred Heluo disciples were wrapped in horse leather. When these corpses were abandoned on the battlefield, Xu Jiangzi, who led the survivors to retreat, broke through and looked back, feeling extremely disappointed.
It's not that I don't feel it.
"There's no other way. We don't have time!"
When Xu Jiangzi sighed in the camp tent, Xu Hezi, who was facing him alone, looked extremely anxious, contrary to the calm and confident attitude he had in front of everyone.
"The imperial court only knows how to hide information and has no way to defeat the Taiping Army. If the fight continues as it is, all the disciples of our sect will die on the battlefield. I only hope that... the brothers and sisters who have fought with us can be like us.
Become seeds and spread what we experience as quickly as possible... These things cannot be conveyed through words. Only through personal experience can we remember them."
Xu Hezi clenched his fists and spoke very forcefully, but very weakly. Under people's infinite expectations, this was the real situation of their brothers.
Xu Jiangzi felt the deepest feeling when he was with Xu Hezi. There were so many things to do, but there were so few things that could really be done. This was not only due to the powerlessness of his own brothers, the entire Dawu Dynasty was in the same powerless situation.
No one knows how to fight this unequal war against the Taiping Army's magic weapon.
Fortunately, he and his brother had witnessed such a battle before, knew that there really were such ghostly martial arts in the world, and knew that facing the magic weapon of the Taiping Army, our side was not without hope... Because of these, I had the faith to support it.
To persevere in this situation, faith alone is not enough, and a lot of sacrifices are required. My younger brother has always given people the impression that he is not a hard-working person, although he is also very diligent in practicing martial arts, and his talent
In comparison, his efforts in training are easily overlooked... However, this time he really put in a lot of effort, hoping to use this to change the fate of all the Heluo disciples on the front line.
In addition to fighting in battle, Xuhezi kept reading and reading all kinds of data as soon as he returned to his residence, especially the records of previous battles with the Taiping Army. He almost never slept. Every time he was too tired to hold on, he would
I just lay down in the pile of books and didn't wake up. When I woke up a little, I continued to read the data and take notes.
After working so hard, Xu Hezi still had to put on a confident look when walking out of the room, show his face appropriately, keep smiling, so that all Heluo disciples could see him, and be firm
Belief, eliminate uneasiness, and believe that the end point of this war will be victory.
Looking at the calm image he deliberately maintained, and the tired look that almost collapsed when he didn't smile, Xu Jiangzi had to write the word "submit". His younger brother has been trained as a leader since he was a child. However, at this moment, he
But I feel more like a leader than ever before. Is this... caused by pressure and sense of responsibility?
"We don't have time. I have to get into the situation earlier than anyone else, otherwise I don't know how many brothers and sisters will sacrifice in vain!"
After returning from a certain battle, Xu Hezi said this to his brother while sewing his wounds. From these words, Xu Jiangzi felt the courage, but also felt a sense of familiarity, as if he had heard it somewhere before.
"...Well, by the way, that guy often says that he doesn't have time anymore...I haven't seen him for a long time. I wonder how he is doing!"
After arriving at the front line, Xu Jiangzi was too busy and had little free time to think about unnecessary things. It was not until he was accidentally touched by Xu Hezi's words that he thought of the reason why he was here.
At first, it was because of Ximen Zhuyu's words that he would see Shanladuo again when he came here. Xu Jiangzi made the choice to join the army with his younger brother and fight on the front line. However, it has been more than a month since he came here. In addition to fighting every day,
After being beaten to death, Xu Jiangzi did not see Shan Laduo, which made him wonder whether Ximen Zhuyu would lie to him?
"...Even if he does, there's nothing surprising. That guy talks like..."
After complaining slightly, Xu Jiangzi didn't say any more. In addition to not wanting to speak ill of people behind their backs, he was also aware of another possibility.
"...Damn it, could it be...that I made the wrong choice? That guy didn't say that he would meet her when he came to the front line!"