Chapter Three Hundred and Twenty-Three: Being Forced Out of Ruthlessness
The wind is strong and cold, and there is a slight frost under the yin air.
Half a month has passed since the battle in the east of the city. The weather has become colder day by day. The ice in Zhangshui is getting thicker and thicker, and horses can already walk on it.
There are three thousand Yue cavalry, four thousand Hu cavalry, one thousand two hundred Xiao cavalry, and eight thousand cavalry will go north to Handan today.
Cui Yi was not happy.
Because he wants to lead the team back.
"Lord, just let Yan Gang lead the team. I will accompany you to besiege Ye County."
Yan Gang was unhappy: "Why do you want me to guard Pingyang?"
Liu Xiang smiled and said: "Yan Gang is not convinced by Xiaoqi. Come back. After taking Ye County next year, we will go to meet Julu Guo Dian again. Then you can go directly to the east of Handan."
Let the cavalry go back to Handan for repairs. Firstly, the war horses will not be able to withstand the cold when camping in the wild. Secondly, it will save the consumption of food and grass. The appetite of the war horses is that one horse can eat as much as three people, so it is more convenient to go back to Handan to eat.
Cui Yi reluctantly left, and Yan Gang led 3,000 men to garrison in the small town of Pingyang.
There were 40,000 infantrymen under Ye County. The trenches, cofferdams, and bunkers were connected together, completely blocking the east, west, and south sides of the county. Only a gap was left open toward the north of Zhangshui. Those who wanted to escape could escape.
Liu Xiang didn't stop him.
A complete siege would arouse the desire to fight to the death in the city, which was not what he wanted.
The logging teams in jackets are still on the move, but have stopped entering the mountains. They are dismantling manors and forts around Ye County, and transporting wood and stone back to the camp. Needless to say, those who have escaped are still left behind.
, naturally they were robbed by the "yellow turban bandits", all direct descendants were killed, and the rest were used as coolies.
"Build several wind-proof walls in the camp, and have sufficient reserves of dry firewood and coal to prevent frostbite and maintain weapons. Armor grease should be distributed to every soldier. Again, this stuff is not for eating. If there is any
If you find out, please help me clean the toilet." Liu Xiang was preparing for the cold.
Officers above the rank of marquis gathered in the tent to listen to his speech.
"Speaking of latrines, we should also pay attention to this. Frozen soil is difficult to dig and bury, so we have to transport it to a distant place. If there is too much excrement accumulated around the camp, there will be a plague after the spring. How terrible the plague is, no need to
Let me tell you, remember, don’t let me see the accumulation within five miles of the camp, otherwise, all those responsible for this will be killed."
"I will obey the order." All the officers responded with their hands raised.
In ancient times, wars were basically accompanied by plagues, not only because there were too many corpses, but also because excrement was not properly disposed of. During marches and wars, the disposal of toilets and feces was very important.
A person who knows the military can not only infer the number of enemy troops from the stoves and pits, but also the number of latrines. When breaking out of camp, the stoves and latrines will be properly dealt with. This is all part of the military strategy. Therefore, you cannot learn it by just reading military books.
The army is a very complex system that leads troops to fight.
"The number of people in the logging team has been reduced by 90%. They only need to be responsible for collecting fuel. We cannot rely entirely on coal transportation from Handan for heating. Water must be obtained upstream, and drinking water must be boiled to prevent the enemy from spreading the plague. Use the wood already in the camp to continue to build an offensive
City equipment, start siege after the twelfth lunar month!"
"The general will obey the order."
The purpose of attacking a city in the twelfth lunar month is to transfer the defenders to the top of the city to suffer the cold, and to fight for the treatment of the soldiers at the bottom. In this regard, Liu Xiang is not afraid of anyone.
Except for Huben Lang and Yu Lin Lang who were beside the emperor, the treatment of soldiers in Youzhou was inferior to that of all the armies in the late Han Dynasty. However, Huben and Yu Lin had become the promotion rank of the nobles' sons, so they had no fighting power at all.
While others are making money to buy land and building palaces and towers, he is building an army; others are feasting and enjoying themselves, pursuing wine, food, and beauties, and he is building an army; others are quoting scriptures, reciting poems, and writing poems, and he is building an army.
Therefore, he became a famous general. He knew in his heart that he was not a wise man who could strategize and win thousands of miles. His achievements were all supported by the soldiers who followed him.
Every money he spent on these soldiers was returned a thousand or ten thousand times.
Then what reason does he have for not continuing to spend money on these soldiers?
Steel weapons are popularized, armor coverage is increasing, and crossbows are increasing. There is never a shortage of summer clothes, winter clothes, cloth shoes, and leather boots. There is enough food to eat. Vegetables, fish, and meat are supplied regularly, and military pay and pensions are paid in full.
He spent more time in the army than with his wife.
Whenever an officer is found who dares to raise his hand, the entire clan will be killed. Withholding military pay, emptying quotas, and drinking soldiers' blood must not be spared. This is the most important thing that affects the morale and combat effectiveness of the army. It is to dig out his lifeblood and destroy the Yi tribe.
He has already softened his heart.
Nowadays, the literacy rate in the army is also improving. Many soldiers can already write military regulations silently. They can calculate their military pay and pensions by themselves. They also know clearly that when they make a mistake, they should go to the military Zhengcheng to complain, or they can directly tell the general.
As long as the person who files the complaint is true, he will receive military merit and be rewarded. If the problem is serious, he will be promoted to military rank.
Is military management harsh?
No, this is called loving soldiers as sons!
Coupled with the strict implementation of the twenty military title system and the high treatment of military dependents, the Youzhou soldiers were delighted when they heard about the battle and went crazy when they went into battle.
I often see honest people who are usually shy and timid, with their heads hanging on their waists, shouting and fighting fiercely on the battlefield.
Hard days have come for the defenders of Ye County. In the cold winter months, the wind is as cold as a knife. The enemies are wearing coats and armor and making noise outside the city. They can only shiver and huddle up like quails.
Li Wen's brows never relaxed. He didn't understand what happened to the soldiers in Youzhou? Why didn't their morale collapse when they were forced into battle in the severe cold?
"Woo! Bang!"
Another stone bullet hit the city head, and one of the few remaining crossbows was broken. Looking at the busy enemy soldiers hiding behind the oar cart, he had a splitting headache.
This was different from what he expected, and it was different from the armies he had come into contact with before.
In order to maintain the morale of the army, he endured the severe cold and walked out of the city tower, and froze on the city wall with the soldiers. It is regrettable that the wealthy people in the city burned gold and silver charcoal that were more valuable than gold, but they were not willing to buy an extra piece of linen for the soldiers.
.
The most hateful thing is that he can't afford to offend those people.
Li Wen patted the battlements, feeling resentful in his heart. Looking along the crenellations, he saw all the enemy troops under the city wearing coats, and felt bitter and unbearable.
He was carefully observing the enemy's formation and wanted to determine whether the opponent would attack the city with all his strength so that he could arrange his troops to respond.
But at this time, someone was observing him carefully.
"The prefect of Wei County, the commander-in-chief of the city, is one hundred and seventy steps away." Cao Xing muttered.
He was originally the captain of Huguan, and he obtained the official position because of his wife's family connections, but his wife had no income, and he was not allowed to take concubines. The old Cao family could not afford to have any heirs, and he did not want to end up as an old and homeless man.
So I raised a foreign wife in fear, and finally had a son, but I couldn't recognize my ancestor and return to the clan, so how could I inherit the family?
He was very distressed, so he gave in after being persuaded by Liu Qiyi, defected to the Anping Army, and wanted to change his way.
Later, he was spotted by General Zhenbei and transferred into the Chinese Army as a fake captain.
The title of acting captain was unpleasant and unstable, so he wanted to be promoted to a regular position.
Recruitment requires military merit.
"Military merit is only one hundred and seventy steps away." Cao Xing stared at Li Wen with burning eyes.
"Take your waist and draw the crossbow." He ordered his subordinates from the Shesheng Battalion.
The six-stone waist-guided crossbow has a range of 185 steps, which is sufficient but may not be accurate.
"Push the oar car forward." He continued to order.
"Captain, there are crossbows on the city, and our oar-cart is advancing alone, so it is easy to be shot from the side." The subordinate Army Commander spoke to persuade.
"Push forward twenty steps." He was insisting on his order.
"The general only ordered to harass the defenders and did not let us fight the enemy desperately. Please forgive me for not following the captain's order."
Cao Xing sighed, look, this is the fake captain.
The subordinate's refusal to obey the order only strengthened his idea of making meritorious service, becoming a full-time official, and making his wife a wife!
"As long as you don't move, I will go by myself."
He didn't quarrel, nor did he use his official position to pressure others. The acting captain who was airborne had no prestige, so why bother to embarrass himself?
He ordered several personal guards at home to push a oar cart forward. He held the arrows loaded at his waist and fired the crossbow, counting the steps and following behind.
Twenty steps, if you go forward with all your strength, you will be there in a few breaths, but every step is towards a dead end. The further forward, the greater the gap on the side, and the more angles for arrows to enter.
The guard trembled and reluctantly moved forward. He was kicked several times before he reached the position Cao Xing needed.
Disliked that the oar blocked the view, he stepped out of the protection of the big oar, knelt on one knee, flat-ended the crossbow body, and aimed at Li Wen at the crenel with the mountain. He held his breath, raised it another inch, and gently activated the crossbow.
.
"Buzz!"
The crossbow arrows, carefully manufactured by the strong crossbow and specifically designed for waist-guided crossbows, flew over a distance of one hundred and fifty steps, drew a slightly falling arc in the air, and plunged into Li Wen's body.
face door.
"Ah!" screamed, Li Wen covered his face with his hands, and was shaking, and the people around him hurriedly helped him.
"Hit!" Cao Xing jumped up excitedly and waved his hand at the bodyguard: "Retreat, retreat, retreat, forget about the oar and run."
Several people ran back to the defense line of the rowboat at the rear. Several crossbow guns were fired and nailed into the frozen soil behind them. The gun barrels buzzed and Cao Xing's back felt cold.
Siluke
Excitement and fear came together, and he shivered a few times. After taking a few breaths, he observed the city head from the gap between the oars and confirmed the results of the battle.
Li Wen was in excruciating pain, blood was flowing down his fingers, and his cheek was constantly flowing. He didn't know how badly he was injured, but he knew that he couldn't fall down.
If he falls, the defenders of Ye County will definitely collapse.
He endured the pain and took his hands away. Blood flowed all over his face. His eyes were covered with blood and he couldn't see anything. He asked his servant in a low voice: "How is my injury?"
"The crossbow bolt entered the right eye socket, the blood flow continued, and the injury was extremely serious."
Li Wen also felt that the injury was serious, but hearing the panicked voices of the soldiers around him, he must not show weakness now. He groped and wiped his left eye, and he could barely see something.
He felt fierce in his heart, gritted his teeth, shouted loudly, and pulled out the crossbow bolt from his eye socket. The severe pain made him dizzy. He turned all the pain, anger, and hatred into a roar and shouted loudly.
"Father's sperm and mother's blood must not be discarded!"
In fact, he could no longer see the crossbow arrow clearly. He couldn't even hear the sounds around him. His eyes were blood red and his brain was buzzing. He forcibly controlled his arm and mechanically stuffed the crossbow arrow into his mouth and chewed it.