Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 664 Three generals from Shanxi North Pass are here
Northern Frontier Army,

It is still a bitterly cold place. Many soldiers are wearing shabby clothes and armor, standing on the city wall shivering. Many people's faces are purple due to the cold, their lips are chapped and bleeding. Only the cavalry who are resting in the tents at the rear can The armor was more decently dressed, but it was also obviously damaged.

Shanxi is closed, and the wind is biting.

The mountains in the distance spread out like a picture scroll, and the pale mist floated lightly. In this vast wilderness, on the barren land in the pass, the lonely villages were dim, with only a few households vaguely visible.

Outside the pass, the wind and sand in the distant wilderness stirred up, and a coldness immediately filled the pass. The branches were as slender as jade, and the branches and leaves were like dragons. On the mountains in the distance, they were mixed with the wind and rustled.

The sunlight shines like scattered mysterious symbols, highlighting the mysterious color of this grassland. There is no end to the horizon at a glance, only the hazy twilight and the silent border.

The commander-in-chief of Jinbei Pass is Hou Xiaolian, the direct grandson of Duke Xiu Guo. He looks gloomily into the distance. Many of the Lakers' rangers have been wandering outside the pass for nearly a month. The bad premonition in his heart is getting stronger and stronger.
"Liu Fang, are our people back?"

Not far behind him, Liu Fang, who also had a gloomy face, was also looking out. As expected, he saw many rangers monitoring outside the customs. Changing from his normal state,
"They haven't come back yet. It's already the fourth batch. If they can't come back, it means they have no chance to come back. Shi Guangzhu, tell me, Qitihou and those big tribes have already evacuated, why did they just leave the most elite Ying? All 20,000 cavalrymen in the division are here to stay, what’s the point?”

Liu Fang also sent his confidants to explore the mountains within a hundred miles, but there was no possibility of breaking through, because several generals guarding the city had also discussed whether the Donghu people had found a secret passage or something like that. Apparently one It's been over a month, and there is no movement from either side, let alone any intention of attacking the city.
You must know that 20,000 cavalry need to be supplied with at least 10,000 slaves here. Not only is the consumption huge, but they cannot attack the pass, how can they stay here for such a long time.

"Liu Fang, Hou Xiaolian, will Qie Tihou take this opportunity to confuse us? They will rest in the back and find a suitable opportunity to attack Jinbei Pass again, just like launching a surprise attack after the New Year?"

He quickly blocked the mouth of the water bag and put it away.

"I haven't thought about it yet. I'm afraid that as I said just now, Qitihou has not left and is still watching from a distance. Then we can't relax for a moment. There is another possibility that King Youxian has left and someone is left to suppress him. Will he take a detour, attack Luoyue Pass from outside the pass, and seize the pass?

Liu Fang, who was standing in front, was not surprised and had a plan in mind. She turned around and sat down next to the two of them, thinking and discussing;

And they go to guard the pass. Of course, in important places and the second line of defense, our own people must continue to stay and rotate, which is considered the safest. "

What Hou Xiaolian is most anxious about now is the supply of grain, grass and pay. In the past, he was paid half pay every year, but this year, he was paid full pay. After all, he had an explanation for his brothers, but the frontier army was notoriously poor. How could they maintain such a huge army if the various government offices did not provide business subsidies at the border?
In other words, a lot of people were sent out in the battle outside the pass, but it also reduced the burden on the soldiers and horses of the counties and allowed them, the government officials, to breathe a sigh of relief. Now, the most important thing is what the court thinks, what His Majesty thinks, and the people in the Ministry of War. , is simply a waste, indecisive, and the food and wages are inconsistent.

Hou Xiaolian patted the cold armor on his body. The worn armor was stained with rust. It looked like it had not been maintained for a long time. The robe inside was also patched and patched. One of the trouser legs tore a hole that has not been repaired. , sighed;
"Brother Shi said it lightly. One and a half years are not going to make someone like me poor. That won't work. You are right. In general, just hold on to the pass. I thought about it and sent the scouts. Towards the pass, in both directions, day and night, what do you think?"

He was furious, obviously feeling wronged for himself.
Liu Fang also shook her head. If she could ask for it, it was hard to say whether she could ask for it, so she simply replied;
"Having said that, it's up to you to decide what you can get. Now that you've submitted the report, let's just tell the Ministry of War that some additional military uniforms, bedding, etc. should be added. We also want them. As for the rest."

"Actually, it's easy to say it's easy, but it's hard to say it's difficult. Now that Jie Tihou has an idea, we have two ways to go. One is to train reinforcements and withdraw all the border troops guarding the pass to rest and let the brothers take a breath.

"What can we do? We are required to guard the pass and not go out to fight. In addition, people from the Ministry of War have arrived, and they have received reissued wages and grain from the Ministry of Household Affairs. They also ask us to stay at Shanxi Pass and not go back.
Oh, by the way, we are required to organize and train the government troops in Anshui, Heyuan, and Zhongshan for the use of the defenders. Damn, you are actually looking for trouble for us. There are hundreds of thousands of troops. Who gets the money after training? , and there is no charter. "

Liu Fang raised her head and squinted her eyes, looking at the celestial pole in the distance. Among the faint mountains, there was a line of black shadow. That was Master Jie Tihou Ying. The vigilant rangers were still as vigilant.

Liu Fang, who had the worst temper, was cursing there, saying that it was just for training. When the training was completed, the court sent out soldiers without asking. Isn't this a waste of effort? A hundred thousand people is not a small number, and the court will not ask. After asking, the Ministry of War has long been eyeing these troops, and they also have the money, but they are so fragrant that everyone wants to take a bite.

Before I finished speaking and I wanted to take another sip,
The water bag in his hand was snatched back by Shi Guangzhu, and then he shook it by his ear. The sound of water splashing in it was so loud, it was obvious that he drank a lot, his face suddenly became ugly, and he complained;

Shi Guangzhu had already considered these issues, especially the rangers outside the customs. Not only were they monitoring the closure, but there was also the fact that none of the scouts sent out came back, which meant that none of the people who went out were alive. It was obviously their people who were hunting. own soldiers. In this way, the actions of the Donghu people will become even more suspicious, and they cannot send any more troops.

Hou Xiaolian frowned. He couldn't figure out why the Donghu people didn't give up. Was it because of the royal court? He asked again;
"Also, today, there is no need to send out any more scouts within the pass. The people from the Eagle Master across the street must be still watching us. Also, there is a letter from the imperial court. How did you reply?"

Hou Xiaolian's eyes lit up and he suddenly became interested. Although it was the safest way to say this, it was also the most passive. He could only watch and suddenly asked;
"Then what's your other method? Do the opposite?"

After saying that, he also wrapped himself in a cloak, turned back to the steps, sat down next to Shi Guangzhu, grabbed the water bag in his hand, and took a big sip. The spicy wine went down his throat, and he became energetic. Many, a compliment;
"Good wine, it should be the serious Shaodaozi from outside the customs. It is bold and tasty. I didn't expect you to have such a good thing."

"Okay, as expected, you are so stupid and cruel. You drank half of this sip. I was supposed to come here to check in with you, and you didn't even eat a few things to eat and drink, but you went back to get them first. You calculated well, and this sip Liquor, even the liquor seller, can’t handle drinking like this.”

"It's not impossible. Although the Donghu people's surprise attack later in the year didn't kill many elites, the servant army also killed a lot of people. Qi Hou didn't find anything, so he must be uneasy. The scouts didn't come back, or they were strangled by them. On the grassland We don’t know anything about his situation, and if we kill him, we will just die in vain.”

Only Shi Guangzhu took out the water bag from his waist, poured a sip of wine into his mouth, and looked at the two of them with a smile. His mind was focused on this matter. No wonder it made Jia Lian laugh.
Now the frontier army is short of everything, not to mention food, pay, armor and weapons, damn, the clothing and supplies worn by the brothers are all in short supply. Some men only wear one set of clothes.
sneered;
"Look, he's still angry. He won't leave until he leaves. He's still not happy after the court gave him salary and food. I think Brother Liu is distracted. As for things outside, no matter what King Youxian thinks, we won't do anything. , it will be in vain for him to move any more. If he has this energy, it is better to let Brother Hou find a way to entertain us and wait for a year and a half before leaving."

After saying that, he walked to the attic steps at the top of the city, sat down on the ground, sighed, and then said;

"This is still a joke. Our border troops are poor and lack everything. Since we are allowed to stay here, let's jointly sign a petition and demand everything. Brothers don't even have a change of clothes, so how can we fight!"

Separate the communication between the inside and outside of the pass, and then the army will either attack outside the pass, or send a cavalry to bypass the pass and attack us from both inside and outside."

Liu Fang has always been worried about this, so she arranged to exclude the waiting camp and check along the mountains in the pass, fearing that there would be any omissions.

The two of them were silent for a while after hearing this, and both shook their heads. If Jitihou came like this, then he was crazy, or the soldiers and horses who entered the pass were all crazy. Hou Xiaolian was on the ground, and he simply drew The map of the border passes, the mountain trend map from Shanbei Pass to Luoyue Pass, mentioned;

"You two come and take a look. I guess it's unlikely. This place is thousands of miles away from the outside of the pass. Moreover, the trend of this mountain range is from east to north, not in a straight line.
Not to mention that Ti Hou has to go around a long way, connecting to Pingyun City in the west of the pass. The terrain there is open and there is a flat river. There is a disturbance. How can the Pingyun City guard not know?

Also, the Luo Yunhou family is not guarding that place, the Yuezhi people have also set up camp there, so the presence of three forces is stronger than two parties staying there."

"What Brother Hou said is reasonable. In fact, there is one more thing that can be verified. Whether Hou has really left or not, we only need to make a move to understand."

Shi Guangzhu didn't think so much about what the enemy thought. Even if a few of them wanted to scratch their heads, they might not be able to touch it accurately. It would be enough to hit them.
The two asked simultaneously;

"Brother Shi, does he have any countermeasures?"

"Haha, yes, it doesn't count as no."

Shi Guangzhu gave up, took out the water bag again, unscrewed the lid, and wanted to take a sip, but Liu Fang's quick eyes and quick hands stretched out his hand and pulled him over.

"You've all drank. I haven't drank yet. You go ahead and I'll give it to you when you're done."

After saying that, he took a sip into his mouth. Shi Guangzhu’s eyes looked a little distressed.
"Next time, I won't bring it with you, you two. Really. Also, I want to know, if you go down there, it will be done. He has 20,000 people, and we have 30,000 elite cavalry. If you find an opportunity, kill him directly and chop him. If you catch that Eagle Master, as long as you hit him, no matter whether the Donghu people have any conspiracy, you can always figure it out. If the beating hurts, you will either run away or have someone to support you, isn't it clear?"

Shi Guangzhu murmured and took back the water bag. This time it was completely empty. The two of them stared at each other. It was a good idea. Unfortunately, they couldn't take risks.
"That's all, you have come up with the most impossible solution. If nothing else, the imperial court has passed word from the Ministry of War. Mr. Zhao's handwriting states that leaving the country is strictly prohibited. This is one. The other is, if our people suffer heavy casualties, The court's punishment is another matter. How can we quickly replenish the border army? At that time, Hachigong's face was still there. "

Hou Xiaolian shook his head. In their position, they can't do anything risky. The only real thing is to keep the rights and troops in their hands. I really don't know how the Marquis of Luo Yun outside the Pass made money from those bitter and cold places and raised so many The soldiers, as well as the Xiwanggong family, the northwest is barren, and the supply of 400,000 troops has been stopped by the court in recent years. Where did all this money come from? It’s strange!

Speaking of which,
Liu Fang's face was not good when he took it. There were very few caravans in Beihe County. If Yunhe was not in the territory and there were more farmers, he wouldn't be able to keep any money left. Now the four kings and eight princes, plus those outside the customs, only Hachiko is the last one. Thinking about it like this, there is no plan to leave the city.
"Brother Hou is right. The court's order is still there. Naturally, we have to obey the military order. But I have a question in my mind. Several caravans came from inside the pass. They said they were going to outside the pass. Now they have become the most popular people in the pass. For urgent matters, many caravan merchants also flocked over. Maybe the Jurchens were scared out of their wits and stopped going there."

The so-called grass hunting in ancient times means that in the name of herding horses, officers and soldiers plundered everywhere and used it as military pay. It is commonly known as grass hunting. It has always been a common thing for soldiers on the grassland. Although there are also caravans on the border army, especially at Shanxi Pass Here, in the past, when trading, the cashier's hands were soft, but now their hands are stiff from the cold.

"You are the Marquis of Luo Yun who works for a living. There are so many troops there, and I heard that the royal court's salary and silver are all sent to them in full. Naturally, you don't have to worry about food and drink. The Jurchens are not stupid either. Now and then, We all know that persimmons must be picked soft, right?”

Shi Guangzhu put away the water bag, smiled helplessly and replied, "These are all relying on specialties from outside the customs to make money. There is nothing wrong with it. The court should be most worried.

"Brother Liu, Brother Hou, should we change our thinking? Although our borders are difficult, there are still many good things that can be sold at high prices when transported to the south of the Yangtze River. Why not form a caravan to be responsible for this business? Look at the West Prince's Mansion. Damn We can raise so many soldiers in the Yunhe Corridor, let’s learn from it, at least we should have enough money to buy wine.”

As he said that, he shook the bottomed water bag in his hand. The wine in this water bag costs thirty pieces of silver. It is the worst wine. If it is better, it may be sold for one or two silver coins. Generals like them, Who doesn't drink the blood of soldiers to support their "elites"?

Their eyes flashed, Liu Fangfang nodded and replied;
"Well, we can't just watch other people eat hot and spicy food. We are still here eating steamed buns and pickles. There are a lot of good things in our counties. We should run them properly. As for the training of new recruits , what do you two think?"

"Just as I said just now, leave the outermost guarding duties to them. Let's take the brothers down to rest and recuperate. We can learn from the Donghu people's ten thousand troops, one hundred thousand government troops, and organize and train ten thousand troops." manage."

Hou Xiaolian also agreed and talked about the training of the new army.
Shi Guangzhu, who was sitting next to him, put the last bit of wine into his mouth, then reluctantly closed the lid of the water bag, then looked at the two of them and nodded,

"Okay, it's settled. There is one thing. I want to find a way to know from the imperial court in advance whether the imperial court wants to use troops at the border. The other thing is, a few days ago, I read the imperial newspaper. The rebel army quickly captured Fucheng, and the army heading south from the capital has been assembled. This battle will leave our frontier troops alone, and the capital camp will be fully fed at once. "

The reason why Shi Guangzhu mentioned this matter was because of his meritorious service. Meritorious service, title promotion and relegation are all crucial to extending the blessings of future generations. Although he had merit in the border war, he could not be brought to the forefront. It's all hard work,

Things in the south are different. The Taiping Sect's rebels and cholera have occupied a lot of cities in the south of Beijing. These are all visible achievements. Although there are not many wars in the Beijing camp, this time is unusual. I'm afraid Many people have been favored.

The three of them thought of this at the same time and looked at each other. Liu Fang curled her lips and said;
"I don't know what's going on in the south, but the commander-in-chief, Prince Teng, the military commander of the Beijing camp, thought it was Marquis Luo Yun who led the army south, but he didn't expect him to lead the army. If this happens, there will be another wave, and the merits are not It’s so easy to get, think about the previous disaster of the White Lotus Sect and learn from the past.”

"That's true. I'm afraid that those under Wang Jieshuai's command will be greedy for success and rush into advancement."

Hou Xiaolian was also a little worried. Only Shi Guangzhu beside him shook his head. He was still thinking about meritorious deeds. Which meritorious deeds were not obtained at the cost of human life? He was also thinking about profit and who would fight.

"You are just thinking here. An army of more than 100,000 people cannot be defeated. Xiao Xiao is speechless and cannot move his bones. The Beijing camp and the guest troops have endured for so long. If they don't eat meat, how can they have anything? Morale, and the other thing is that Linshan County is still in the hands of the imperial court, and those thieves from the Taiping Sect cannot yet threaten the important area of ​​​​Jingshu, and they are not in good shape."

Shi Guangzhu waved his hand, stood up and said;
"Okay, don't talk about it anymore. Let's find a place to have a good drink. In the past few days, I've been wondering whether to go or not."

Seeing that the two of them were still sitting there, Shi Guangzhu asked again. Then the two of them stood up and patted the dust on their bodies.
"Haha, let's go together. We, the third brother, will not come back until we get drunk tonight. Let's go."

A bold voice resounded from the city tower, and the three of them walked down the city wall together, arms around each other.
Customs,

Still dusty and misty.
(End of this chapter)