Dahan first prince

Chapter 240 The true meaning of government

Liu Ying knew nothing about Yingbo's determination to "capture Yongcheng in ten days".

But judging from the huge pressure on the Yongcheng defenders when the rebels attacked the city on the first day, it is not difficult for Liu Ying to guess: Yingbo probably has a very clear understanding of his own situation. cognition.

——If you can't capture Yongcheng in a short period of time, capture alive, or even kill Liu Ying, the army led by Yingbu will inevitably fall into the land of Chu!

But Liu Ying didn't have much worry about whether Yingbo could break through Yongcheng in a short time.

Obviously, this indifference, which is seriously inconsistent with his age and experience, also aroused Lu Shizhi's strong curiosity.

"Your Highness."

Standing on the turret of the city wall in Yongcheng, watching Liu Ying cast his eyes into the distance, the direction of the Huainan rebels who had just retreated, Lu Shizhi's face was only slightly anxious.

"Today, the thieves attacked the city from Shenshi, and retreated at the third quarter of Youshi; but in just two hours, the defenders in the city suffered nearly a thousand casualties."

"What's more, nearly [-] bows, feathers and arrows imported into Yongcheng as spares have already been consumed."

"If all future wars are like this, I fear that I won't wait for Pingyanghou and Xuanpinghou's troops to arrive, Yongcheng..."

Stopping the conversation at the right time, Lu Shizhi sighed and shook his head, and immediately gave Liu Ying a worried look.

But upon hearing Lu Shizhi's words, Liu Ying's relaxed expression also subsided a little bit, but it was not as anxious and worried as Lu Shizhi expected.

"Ah~"

"This is an unavoidable thing in the battle..."

"Where two armies engage in battle, no matter whether they win or lose, there must be casualties, which is different from the number of casualties and deaths between the enemy and ourselves."

"In the past, when Houbu of Huaiyin laid an ambush on all sides, and when Duke Xiang Yu of Lu was trapped in Gaixia, the soldiers of our Han family also suffered heavy casualties."

"——On the bank of the Danwu River, Duke Lu was alone, and he once beheaded 37 elite members of our Han family. The gravity failed, and Fang drew his sword and killed himself..."

Speaking with a slightly heavy tone, Liu Ying couldn't help raising her head, and sighed leisurely outside the city.

Liu Ying has already seen through the truth that kindness does not control soldiers, righteousness does not control wealth, love does not stand for affairs, and kindness does not serve as an official.

Although in the depths of her heart, Liu Ying still subconsciously remembers those "dead kings" heroes, but as a prince, at this moment, Liu Ying can only put on a hard-hearted heart.

There is no other reason: the war has just begun.

If Liu Ying was a little older, or had a little bit of martial arts, then in front of the big enemy, Liu Ying could naturally put on a posture of "soldiers killed in battle, lonely heart like a knife" to invite people's hearts.

But at this moment, there are still occasional rumors in the army that "the prince is young and doesn't know military affairs". At the moment when the officers and soldiers still have concerns about their ability to command soldiers, Liu Ying must always show a mature warrior , the demeanor that should be displayed.

As for the compensation and compensation for the fallen soldiers, put on the persona of the "benevolent prince" again, that is what should be done after the war, not now.

Seeing Liu Ying's reaction like this, Lu Shizhi pondered for a long time with a strange expression, but finally did not speak again.

But behind Liu Ying, there was a sound of flattery at the right time, pulling the eyes of Liu Ying, Lu Shizhi's uncle and nephew from outside the city.

"Your Highness said so."

"Where two armies are facing each other and fighting, but the enemy is ten times stronger than us, or we are ten times stronger than the enemy, there is absolutely no reason why one side suffers heavy casualties and the other side has no casualties."

Hearing Li Shang's words, Liu Ying turned around with a chuckle, smiled and nodded at Li Shang, but did not speak.

Seeing Liu Ying's calmness, Li Shang secretly nodded in his heart, then straightened his face, and bowed to Liu Ying.

"The details of today's battle, I have roughly known."

"——In today's battle, there were 350 soldiers stationed on the south wall, 74 died, and more than [-] were injured; among them, [-] were seriously injured and died."

"There are more than [-] lightly wounded. Most of them were shot in the arms and feet by the arrow feathers. Although they didn't hurt the vitals, they can no longer climb the wall and be guarded."

"There are more than a hundred of them. Their injuries may be severe or moderate. Even if their injuries can heal, they may be damaged in the future..."

Hearing that Li Shang reported this series of casualties accurate to single digits, Liu Ying's face only subconsciously showed a little heaviness.

"Nearly a thousand casualties..."

With a sullen face, she squeezed these words out of her mouth, and a little anger also appeared in Liu Ying's eyes.

Liu Ying could understand Li Shang's words.

Before noon today, the army had just set off from the western suburbs of Qixian County, and arrived in Yongcheng in the afternoon.

And from the afternoon when the army arrived in Yongcheng, to the dusk a moment ago, in just two hours, more than 400 Guanzhong soldiers under Liu Ying's command had died in battle!
In addition to the more than 400 dead heroes who died here, more than 400 people were slightly injured and completely lost their combat effectiveness. They bid farewell to the defense of Yongcheng in advance.

What made Liu Ying feel even more heavy-hearted, and even slightly angry, was the other hundred or so seriously injured people whose life and death were uncertain.

Although Li Shang's words were not very clear, Liu Ying easily guessed what a tragic fate was waiting for the hundreds of seriously wounded people.

Those who are unlucky will die in pain just like the more than 70 seriously injured people who were carried off the city wall alive and eventually died in the city.

And in this era when "witch doctors don't separate families" and there is no such thing as "military doctors" in the military, the possibility of serious injuries and death is really high and a bit ridiculous.

——For those who were judged to be 'seriously injured' and carried off the city wall by their colleagues, three out of ten survived, which is already considered a miracle!
And even the few lucky ones who survived will be left with varying degrees of disabilities as Li Shang said, basically lose the ability to work, and become a burden to the family...
"Whoo~"

After gathering her composure, she breathed out another foul breath with a gloomy face. Liu Ying stopped for a while and looked at Li Shang with a serious expression.

"I also ask the right minister to pass on the meaning of loneliness so that the whole army will know."

"——For all the generals and soldiers of the Han family, regardless of whether they are generals or soldiers, whether they are soldiers or civilians, all those who die in the affairs of the king will be raised by their relatives, wives and children, and orphans!"

"If you are fortunate enough to be injured but not dead, and those who remain disabled, the orphans will also contribute money and food to the internal treasury, and provide pensions from time to time to support their families!"

"In addition, no matter who died in battle or who were disabled, the eldest son will enter the palace from the son of a good family, thinking that the crown prince will guard him!!!"

Said these words with a serious expression, Liu Ying did not forget to add in a deep voice: "Besides, the imperial court is for the pensions for the dead and disabled soldiers, the father and the emperor are for the meritorious soldiers, and the gifts for the soldiers are for the dead king. , all as before."

Hearing Liu Ying's words, a sincere smile appeared on Li Shang's face.

As one of the top generals in the Han Dynasty, Li Shang knew all too well what changes Liu Ying's promise would bring.

In today's Han Dynasty, the sons and nephews of common people join the army, why?
The answer is that at the top you can make meritorious deeds and repay the favor of the king; at the bottom you can exchange martial arts for rewards and support your wife, children, old and young.

So, what worries do young men have when they join the army?

The answer to this question couldn't be more obvious to a veteran like Li Shang.

——After being killed or disabled, the family will lose a strong laborer!

And Liu Ying's promises about the dead and disabled soldiers in battle are enough to make any soldier of the Han army put all worries behind him!

——First of all, there is a sentence, "Anyone who dies as a king will be raised by his parents, wives and children alone", which can be regarded as guaranteeing the livelihood of the family after the death of a soldier;

After all, no matter what, it is impossible for anyone to doubt whether the prince's promise will be adulterated, and Liu Ying, as the prince, is absolutely impossible to backtrack on such a matter.

Afterwards, it was "injured or disabled but not dead, and money from the internal treasury was also used to support them", which can be regarded as a small loophole: no matter whether you are killed or disabled, from now on, you don't have to worry about making a living.

The most important thing is undoubtedly the last one: the eldest son of the dead or disabled, he thought he was the prince's personal guard!

Cao, as the name suggests, is to practice and train; Cao thinks that the prince's personal guards, naturally focus on training according to the standards of the prince's personal guards.

Even if the people cultivated in this way fail to become the glorious prince's personal guards in the end, they will definitely be able to create a world of their own in the army by virtue of their extraordinary knowledge and military literacy.

This alone is probably enough to make every Han soldier below the head of the village put aside everything and focus all their attention on how to kill the enemy and how to kill more enemies.

Anyway, the final result is not too bad.

——Killing the enemy, there are military honors and rewards; death and disability, there are pensions from the court, and the "care" promised by the prince himself.

And compared to solving the current pensions and care, the "fucking that the prince's personal guard" can seek the future for future generations is undoubtedly more action-provoking.

But soon, the joyful look on Li Shang's face was replaced by a slightly apprehensive expression.

Seeing this, Liu Ying also guessed Li Shang's concerns-the left and right were just Liu Ying's actions, which were somewhat out of bounds.

After all, no matter how you say it, this is the era of 'Only the Son of Heaven can be domineering, and no minister can be domineering'.

As the prince, Liu Ying was regarded as a "lord" in front of courtiers and officials, but in front of Liu Bang, Liu Ying was still a "subject".

But about this, Liu Ying didn't have much worry in her heart.

Liu Ying also believed that if she made the promise of "graciously caring for the dead and disabled soldiers", her father would not feel bad about it, but would feel relieved about it.

Thinking of this, Liu Ying smiled and nodded to Li Shang.

"The Right Prime Minister has nothing to worry about."

"As early as when I went out to fight, I have asked my father about this matter; although my father did not expressly agree to it, he never refuted it."

"And when Gudong came out of Chang'an, the emperor personally wrote the emperor's edict, saying that this time to suppress the rebellion, Xu Gu acted cheaply."

"You Xiang Guoda can speak alone, and spread it widely to the generals in the army, without any worries."

Hearing Liu Ying's words, the hesitation on Li Shang's face quietly receded, and he bowed to Liu Ying with admiration.

"Sir, please follow His Royal Highness's military orders!"

After saluting, he straightened up. Seeing Liu Ying turning around again and casting his gaze outside the city, Li Shang couldn't help thinking about the 'battlefield' where a little blood was still visible.

Of course Li Shang knew that the Emperor Liu Bang would unconditionally support Liu Ying's promises!
Taking a ten thousand step back, even if Liu Ying's move made the emperor Liu Bang feel a little "robbed and seized power", at most Liu Bang scolded Liu Ying in private.

On the bright side, it must be a pair of 'my son is doing well, very well! 'Attitude.

But even so, Li Shang had to ask Liu Ying directly or implicitly: Is it really okay for His Highness to do this?

It seems that Li Shang's move may seem redundant.

But in fact, if there was no such procedure, Li Shang would not have dared to follow Liu Ying's order to pass these words to the ears of the soldiers no matter what.

The reason is simple: Although this incident is a "whole incident", the emperor Liu Bang does not treat it as a whole.

Liu Ying made a promise that the emperor Liu Bang must consider whether Liu Ying's action is appropriate and whether it will destroy some established rules and order.

As for Li Shang, the emperor Liu Bang will observe it from another angle.

——When the prince promised to provide compensation to the soldiers, what was Li Shang's reaction?
——Didn't you remind the prince that doing this is a little bit out of bounds?

In this way, the problem is not so simple.

Liu Ying's 'accidental' overstepping the rules can also be understood as being young and ignorant. Even if she is in the top, with the status of a prince and the backing of the queen's mother, she will at most just eat and die.

But if Li Shang 'knowing that the prince violated the rules and not stopping', then it would not be a matter of hanging up.

——Sit back and watch the prince make mistakes without persuading him, what do you Li Shang intend to do?

——Could it be that he wants to watch the prince fall into the reserve position, so as to achieve some unknown goals?

——Or, you, Li Shang, didn't even think that Liu Ying's move was inappropriate or out of bounds?
Once a similar thought appeared in Liu Bang's mind today, even if Li Shang managed to save his life by chance, he would at least lose a layer of skin.

But now, with Liu Ying's 'it's okay' answer, Li Shang didn't need to worry anymore.

——Your Majesty, I persuaded you, I really persuaded you!

——But Your Highness insists that it’s okay, as a courtier, I really can’t persuade His Highness the Crown Prince~
And this is politics.

Whether the same thing can be done or not sometimes does not depend on right or wrong, but on the identity of the person doing it and what role they play in this thing.

There are some things that people with high status cannot do, but people with low status can;
And there are some things that only people with high status can do, and people with low status can't afford them at all.

There is something that he can do, and he wants to do it, but as long as you are here, you have to dissuade;

Or he can't do something, and he doesn't want to do it, but as long as you are here, you have to persuade him to do it.

This has nothing to do with hypocrisy or sincerity, darkness or frankness, but depends on the fact that in such a stage play, everyone has different identities and roles, and the missions and tasks that need to be undertaken will also be different.

This is also the reason for the "red face and white face" passed down by word of mouth in later generations...

(End of this chapter)