Gentlemen, listen to the sword chant

Chapter 78
"Well said, a soldier cannot be without a general for a day, and an army cannot be without a commander for a day. My 28th Allied Army met in Xuzhou City for the purpose of hunting down thieves, defending the community, and recovering rivers and mountains. If there is no leader of the army, it is really It's a mess. General Chen Donghai's proposal is seconded by me." Xi Shen stood up to respond at this time, and the generals who had been making a fuss stopped arguing when they saw the host talking, and all looked at him in unison.

Now the generals all support Lin Guming or Yanchang, but then again, this is Xuzhou, and Xi Shen is the master of Xuzhou. In terms of status and prestige, Xi Shen is the hereditary shepherd of Wuzhou. The Xi family has guarded Wubei for 400 years , controlling several large counties in the Wubei area, with hundreds of thousands of soldiers, the level is higher than that of Lin Guming and Yanchang.As soon as Xi Shen speaks, the generals will know what he has in mind, but the generals have selfish intentions, no matter how high Xi Shen's status is, he is just a literati, no different from a sour scholar. Therefore, Mu Cheng Shouyu of Yuezhou The example of Xi Jinping is vivid, and it is difficult for Xi Shen to be the leader of the alliance.

The general of Wanzhou said: "General Lin Guming is the vanguard of the Southern Expedition personally conferred by the imperial court. He should be the leader of the alliance and command the whole army."

"Yes, Qishan Commander's Mansion is full of loyalty and loyalty. The world has received the favor of the emperor. The Zhongzhou Iron Army is the most powerful army in the world. If General Lin is not the leader of the alliance, who can provoke the leader?" A general from Qingzhou agreed.

The influence of the imperial power is probably refracted in the north with Zhongzhou as the center. They do not blindly support any prince, and they are not as greedy as the southern princes. They are staunch supporters of the royal family and the court, such as Wanzhou, Qingzhou, Jingzhou and so on.Not to mention Jingzhou, this Jingzhou Mu and King of Chu, who put down the Lianchi rebellion more than ten years ago, were rewarded by the court for meritorious service and re-canonized. Naturally, they are staunch supporters of imperial power.In addition to the various generals from these states, the generals of the Western Regions and Bingzhou headed by the First Prince also chose to support Lin Guming.

Seeing that there are more and more people supporting Lin Guming, Chen Donghai is a little anxious, and Wuzhou Mu Xishen is also anxious, but unlike Chen Donghai, Yanchang can still compete, but Xi Shen can only stare blankly up.Chen Donghai gave Ning Cheng, the chief general of the Zhao army, a wink, and the latter understood, stood up and bowed and said, "Generals, listen to a certain statement. It is true that the iron army of Zhongzhou is so powerful in the world. General Lin Guming is also a heroic general who became famous at a young age. Talent, but after all, he has commanded large-scale battles in his life. To put it bluntly, General Lin Guming has only been talking on paper since his debut, with empty ideas and no military achievements.

In order to prevent Lin Guming from becoming the leader of the alliance, Ning Cheng was going all out. He knew that he would be reviled and criticized by many people for saying these words, but for the sake of the big plan, he didn't care about so much.

All the soldiers heard the same reasoning, Lin Guming has a false name, but he hasn't commanded a large-scale battle yet.First, in the nearest battle of Jingzhou, Lin Guming was still too young to go to Jingzhou to fight; second, Zhongzhou is a state directly ruled by the imperial power, and there have never been any rogues and reckless people, so Lin Guming Ming Ming's most outstanding achievement is nothing more than training troops. Whether he can command this large army of 200 million people remains to be doubted.

Ning Cheng smiled and said: "I strongly recommend General Yanchang to be the leader of the alliance. Firstly, General Yanchang is the son of the Xue Kingdom, and he was also a young man who led troops. General Yanchang has rich experience; secondly, General Yanchang is well versed in the art of war, studies strategies, has extremely high military quality and strategic vision, he has spent his whole life fighting against foreign barbarians, dealing with mere Japanese Japanese pirates, he can be destroyed with a snap of his fingers, He is indeed the best candidate for the position of alliance leader."

Hearing this, Yan Chang lightly picked up the wine glass, toasted to the surroundings, and drank it all in one gulp. He was bound to win the position of leader, not only for his own military exploits, but also to pave the way for his nephew.Only when he assists the third prince to ascend to the throne can the imperial court shift its military focus to the north. It is feared that in a few decades, the Yanyun cavalry will replace the Zhongzhou iron army and become the most powerful army in the world.

Chen Ci listened to the high-spirited speeches of these generals, and he was very interested. He used a dagger to cut barbecued meat and stuffed it into his mouth to eat, his mouth was full of oil and water. , but there is no seat, so naturally he is not blessed to enjoy the food and drink, so he can only watch Chen Ci gorge on meat and wine, and the hala is pouring out, Chen Ci thinks it is funny, so he cuts off a leg of lamb and handed it to him, "No. "

Lu Qian looked vigilant, although he really wanted to accept it, but he was afraid that the statement would be contemptuous, so he suppressed his longing, "Why?"

"Eat, why, afraid of being poisonous?" Chen Ci rolled his eyes.

Lu Qian hesitated again and again, but still took the roast leg of lamb. He was already hungry, but there was no seat, no food and drink. Seeing him munching on the leg of lamb, Chen Ci handed him a jug of wine.Lu Qian was also unambiguous, eating vigorously, and said: "My son-in-law, it's not that I, Lu, are bragging. In our Taozhi Mountain, we are bold and tight, drink heavily and eat meat, and share gold and silver. Damn it!" Come here, get a bit of a bird, no seat, no food, so fucking stingy, and he is a self-proclaimed teacher of justice in the court. Gentlemen, for the sake of such a small and useless leader, making noise like his mother's little lady, cursing the streets with shrews, it's really embarrassing."

Maybe it's because Chen Ci's wine and meat gave Lu Qian some face, which can be regarded as a little closer, and Lu Qian's chatterbox also opened up. He is a bold person, and he has been treated unfairly these days, and he is on fire. , sullen and angry, seeing that Chen Ci was the only one who was somewhat close and familiar with him, he rarely showed his true colors.

Chen Ci couldn't help laughing, and patted him on the shoulder with his greasy hands, "General Lu is also a man of temperament. To be honest, Chen also looks down on these guys fighting for power. What kind of leader, what is the overall situation, isn't it? For the little bit of profit in my stomach."

Several people argued for a long time about who should be the leader of the alliance. Yanchang wanted to be the leader of the alliance, but Lin Guming lost interest. Seeing someone belittle himself in order to promote Yanchang, he suddenly smiled and caressed Long Jian, "Some people say that I will be a man for fame and reputation, and I will only talk on paper? I am not interested in the position of leader, but the person who said this is willing to stand up. Now that the Japanese pirates occupy Wunan, then we Let's have a contest, each with their own soldiers and horses, whoever recovers a county first will have the face to belittle this general, if he dare not, hehe, that general's long sword really has no eyes, and it is bound to kill those who have ulterior motives. People, those who perverted, those who acted in collusion, are killed here."

Hearing this, Ning Cheng's face was extremely ugly. He did not hesitate to belittle Lin Guming in order to elevate Yanchang's status. He knew that he would be targeted by Lin Guming and others, so he forced himself to laugh and said, "General, forgive me, you are a villain." Just joking around, the name of the Zhongzhou Iron Army is powerful all over the world, well-known in the north and south, who dares to doubt it?"

"Then you doubt the general's ability to lead troops to fight?" Lin Guming squinted at him, and said quietly.

Ning Cheng was at a loss for words.

"Although this general came from the Lin family, the leader of the world's martial arts sects, he is not the kind of dandy who only knows how to gallop around women's bellies. Since you look down on this general, it seems that your Zhao Jun is very brave, or that General Ning is very powerful in martial arts. After Lin Guming finished speaking, he drew out his military sword and said coldly: "How about this? Since General Ning is so trustworthy, do you dare to compete with this general? Should you lead troops to fight or teach me to compete with you? choose."

Ning Cheng is now riding a tiger. Seeing that Lin Guming is determined to kill chickens and monkeys, he dare not make a big deal, so he bows his knees and lowers his head. He looks at Yan Chang from the corner of his eye, wanting Yan Chang to say something fair.

Chen Donghai said with a smile: "General, calm down, the Japanese pirates are invading right now, we, as an allied army to seek thieves, have had a conflict before the war, and it will inevitably make people laugh when it spreads."

Yan Chang played with the wine glass and said with a smile: "General, the name of the Tiejun is like a thunderbolt. Qishan, Zhongzhou, and the Lin family of the commander-in-chief are the top four martial arts sects in the world. It goes without saying that General Ning has drunk too much." You don’t need to be as knowledgeable as him when you make a slip of the tongue. General Haihan, let’s say General Ning is drunk.”

"Better so."

Lin Guming sneered and sat down, putting his long sword back into its sheath.

His sword is very exquisitely crafted, inlaid with various sparkling gemstones, if it weren't for the cold light on the blade, people might think it is a work of art at first glance.

"Yanchang, I'm talking about this, put away your small thoughts, this general was ordered to go out this time, to suppress thieves, to make meritorious service, not to fight for power and profit with you. I don't care whether you are behind the third prince or the eldest son." The prince is confronting in secret, but it is best not to involve this general, otherwise, how to allocate the food and salaries distributed by the imperial court is still up to this general."

After Lin Guming finished speaking, all the generals fell silent, and suddenly they came to their senses.

Yes.

The Zhongzhou Iron Army represented by Lin Guming not only represented the Qishan Commander's Mansion, but also the imperial court.

28 The princes of the Route [-] sent troops to beg for thieves, and all the food and salaries needed in the Wuyue area were paid by the court. If anyone angered Lin Guming, he had the right to tamper with the military salaries.If the man ran out of grain, the horses ran out of fodder, and the army was crippled, wouldn't he be slaughtered by others?
Yan Chang's face changed slightly.

The soldiers and horses from all walks of life arrived in Xuzhou City. Although they brought some food and grass, they could not last for too long. Therefore, when Lin Guming said that sentence, the eyes of everyone looking at Lin Guming changed.When the army goes out to fight, food and wages are tight. If the war is in a hurry, there are only three sources of food for them. The first is naturally provided by the imperial court, the second is provided by Wuzhou Mu Xishen, and the third is to recover the lost land and capture Dongying. People, or the taxes levied after the recovery of counties and counties.

When it came to food and salary, Chen Ci lowered his voice and said: "Brother Lu, you Taozhi Mountain Rebels are not the princes of that road. When the court's food and salary comes, you will not have your share."

Lu Qian was not surprised, and said proudly: "General, you are worrying too much. Since we and the rebel army went to Wuyue to suppress the bandits, we naturally have the determination to die. Counties, are you afraid that you can’t support our army’s tens of thousands of soldiers?”

Chen Ci nodded when he heard the words, gave a thumbs up, and said with a hint: "I have heard that there are many sages gathered under Peigong's tent in Taozhi Mountain, and they have been in the southeast for [-] years. Seeing you today, you really deserve your reputation. Your rebel army in Taozhi Mountain , compared to some regular soldiers who only know how to eat and do nothing.”

Lin Guming didn't talk nonsense, he glanced at a group of generals, and said coldly: "This general is not stingy to tell you, anyone who steals, rapes, cheats, perverts, covets life and fears death, and works in collusion, don't blame me for deducting the salary , I will do things for the rest of my life, and only look at military merits."

His words have been spelled out.

The alliance here is to seek thieves, so let everyone stop thinking carefully, if you have a wrong mind, don't blame him for not giving food and starving to death here in Wuyue.However, as the saying goes, a soldier cannot live without a general, and an army cannot live without a commander. They have 28 soldiers and horses, plus the Wubei army, there are 200 million troops. If there is no leader who coordinates the battle, it is indeed like a mess.In order to take care of everything, Lin Guming stood up and came to the huge military map behind Du Xishen. He pointed to the three counties of Xiaxiang, Haizhou and Piaocheng, and said: "I see that there are many factions and factions. Together we cannot elect a leader who can carry out the entire army, so let’s separate.”

Everyone looked at each other.

Xi Shen seemed to have guessed Lin Guming's intentions, and hurriedly stood up to obstruct him, saying: "General, you must not, you must not disperse the army, this will only hit the enemy's hands, and I am afraid that they will be defeated one by one."

Lin Guming ignored him, pointed to Xiaxiang Commandery and said, "Xiaxiang Commandery has one city and six counties, which are the defense line in the south of Wubei. The most important thing is that I am willing to lead the army to garrison. Who would like to form an alliance?"

Qingzhou Army, Shandong Army, Wanzhou Army, Jingzhou Army, Chu Army, and the generals of the Qin Army all stood up and cupped their fists, saying in unison: "The last general is willing to go."

Lin Guming nodded, pointed to one city and six counties in Haizhou County and said, "General Yan, Haizhou will be handed over to you."

Yan Chang frowned and said: "Since it is the order of the vanguard general, I will not dare to disobey it. With me guarding Haizhou, the general can rest assured."

The chief generals of Jizhou Army and Zhao Army stood up and agreed, expressing their willingness to station in Haizhou together.

Seeing this, Lin Guming felt that there were not enough troops in Haizhou. Of course he knew that the northern army headed by Yanchang represented the interests of the third prince, while the western army headed by the Western Regions army represented the first prince's army, so he said: " General Dake, you Western Regions Army, Bingzhou Army and Shanxi Army are stationed in Haizhou together."

Dake was stunned for a moment, then frowned, but after all, the food and grass were in the hands, and he didn't dare to refuse, so he had to express his willingness to guard Haizhou.

Seeing this scene, Chen Ci secretly thought that Lin Guming was really cautious in using troops. Of course he knew the grievances between the First Prince and the Third Prince. , can make the two armies guard against each other; secondly, it can also prevent them from causing troubles.As a result, almost all cities are like iron walls.

"Laocheng is the most important thing. It is not only a dangerous port, but also the first line of defense along the coast. It is composed of Yelang Army, Nanzhao Army, Bashu Army, Yizhou Army, Xiangzhou Army, Yuezhou Army, and Minzhou Army. , Ganzhou Army, and Jiangxi Army stationed together, who has any objection?"

The generals from the southern states were ecstatic when they heard the words. In this way, although the city of Piaocheng is important, there are twelve troops stationed there. Why should they be afraid of the Dongying people?

(End of this chapter)