I served as an admonisher in the Song Dynasty

Chapter 528: The Fighting Will of the Hebei Imperial Army! We Are Willing to Die for the Song Dynasty
October 1st, fifth watch.

Zhao Zhen, Zeng Gongliang, Su Liang and others set out on a northern tour, traveling incognito.

They disguised themselves as medicinal herb merchants, and brought only more than 20 guards with them.

However, there were hundreds of people hiding in secret, who could fully guarantee the safety of Zhao Zhen and the other two.

Also.

There were also more than ten officials from the Three Yamen and the Privy Council walking in front. They were the main executors of the evaluation of the Hebei Imperial Guards.

All officials who participated in the court meeting the day before received a notice from the Secretariat, prohibiting them from spreading the news of the emperor's northern tour to outsiders.

And the documents sent by Zhongshu to Hebei.

It also said that Su Liang and Zeng Gongliang would go to Hebei soon to evaluate the imperial guards, but did not say that the emperor would come in person.

During the time when Zhao Zhen was away from the capital, all state affairs were decided by the ministers of the Secretariat, but the documents of the resolutions were still sent to Zhao Zhen one after another.

The ministers of the Secretariat also gave Zhao Zhen restrictions, requiring him to return to Bianliang City before November.

A round trip to the north takes about half a month.

This means that Zhao Zhen has more than ten days to stay in the Hebei military camp, which is basically enough.

……

This was Zhao Zhen's second tour outside the capital.

Different from the previous emperor’s tour.

He wished he could take the entire palace with him, and Zhao Zhen was only accompanied by three eunuchs, including Zhang Maze.

Also.

Zhao Zhen preferred to ride a horse while on the road.

On the one hand, you can practice your riding skills, and on the other hand, you can enjoy the scenery along the way.

Even when riding in a carriage, he would ride in the same carriage with Zeng Gongliang and Su Liang.

Most of the discussions were about military issues.

He understood better than anyone what it would mean to recapture Yanyun or even destroy Liao.

Therefore, I take this matter very seriously and seldom enjoy myself in fun.

……

October 7th, near dusk.

In Hebei Road, in a pavilion beside the official road.

Zhao Zhen, Su Liang and Zeng Gongliang were sitting at a stone table.

Zhao Zhen said to the two of them, "We will arrive at the Hebei military camp tomorrow. I want to disguise myself as a general of the Three Yamen, hide from the crowd, and go deep into the army to conduct investigations. After the overall assessment is completed, I will reveal my identity to the officers above the level of the camp commander. What do you think?"

Zeng Gongliang was the first to speak: "There is nothing wrong with your move. What I want to know is that after the assessment, if the Hebei Imperial Army still fails to meet the standards, should the Northwest Imperial Army be used as the main force?"

"This is also what I am worried about," said Su Liang.

Zeng Gongliang and Su Liang have always believed that the Hebei Imperial Army's attack on the Liao Kingdom was a foregone conclusion.

But Zhao Zhen suddenly proposed to conduct a secret investigation in the military, which made the two of them wonder whether the emperor had changed his mind.

This type of secret investigation means strict and detailed inspection.

If you want to find a problem, there must be one.

The last time Su Liang "picked bones in the eggs" was to boost their fighting spirit. If he "picked bones in the eggs" again this time, they would be rated C again.

That would probably break the morale of the Hebei Imperial Guards.

Zhao Zhen smiled slightly.

"You think too much! In the war between Song and Liao, the Hebei Imperial Army must be the main attacker. If the Northwest Imperial Army is to be used in the war, then I might as well disband the soldiers from other places! Hebei has been raising troops for fifty years, isn't it just for the war between Song and Liao?"

"I want to conduct a secret investigation in the army, not to find faults, but to discover and solve problems. Solve problems that the generals cannot solve, and solve problems that only I can solve. I want to pay more attention to these low-level soldiers. As for minor mistakes, I will not investigate them at all!"

"I will personally lead the army against Liao. If we win, it will be the credit of the Hebei Imperial Army. If we lose, it will be all my fault!"

Hear this.

Zeng Gongliang and Su Liang looked at each other, then stood up at the same time and bowed to Zhao Zhen, saying, "Your Majesty is wise!"

If the Hebei Imperial Guards heard this, their combat effectiveness would be improved by at least 10%.

……

The next day in the afternoon.

Su Liang and his party finally arrived at the south bank of Baigou River and the Hebei Imperial Army camp.

Zhao Zhen was wearing armor and standing behind the troops of the Three Yamen and the Privy Council as a battalion commander.

Zhang Maoze followed behind as a clerk.

In the Hebei military camp, only Pang Ji and Zeng Gongliang recognized Zhao Zhen. Zhao Zhen was dressed like that, so unless he showed his face intentionally, the other party would not be able to see him at all.

Su Liang and his party just arrived at the gate of the military camp.

Pang Ji and Han Qi strode forward to meet them.

"Central Prime Minister Su, Deputy Envoy Zeng, we calculated that you should arrive today!" Pang Ji laughed, then he and Su Liang bowed to each other, and then gave Zeng Gongliang a big hug.

Pang Ji and Zeng Gongliang were old acquaintances and they had a very good relationship.

Han Qi smiled and said, "Mr. Su, Deputy Envoy Zeng, and all my colleagues, thank you for coming to the Hebei military camp to check the ratings!"

"Brother Zhigui, this inspection will be as strict as last time, you must be prepared!"

"The stricter the better, the stricter the better. The Hebei Imperial Guards are several times stronger than they were a few months ago. We are not afraid of inspections." Han Qi said with a smile, full of confidence.

……

After exchanging a few pleasantries, everyone walked and chatted into the military camp.

Early the next morning, Su Liang announced—

The inspection and rating of the Hebei Imperial Guards officially began and will last for eight days.

He and Zeng Gongliang checked the military officers above the rank of battalion commander, while officials from the three yamen and the Privy Council went to the camp to randomly check the soldiers. The inspections included daily training, riding and archery, communications, martial arts, discipline, and mental state.

The inspector, holding the token granted by Su Liang, can inspect any soldier in the Hebei Imperial Guards camp at any place and at any time without any restrictions on means.

Pang Ji and Han Qi followed Su Liang and Zeng Gongliang in the investigation.

The soldiers in the Hebei Imperial Guards camp were also very excited when they learned about the court's second investigation.

This is their chance to prove themselves again, and perhaps their only chance.

They must give their all and demonstrate all their abilities when they are examined.

……

At night, in Su Liang's tent.

Liu Sandao strode over and handed Su Liang the verification records of several accompanying clerks.

Su Liang looked at Liu Sandao and asked, "Sandao, you and I both went through a secondary check. How do you feel about this time?"

Liu Sandao looked excited.

"Boss, I am quite shocked. Last time I checked, the training of the Hebei Imperial Army was mostly for show, but this time it is completely different. Their training is somewhat similar to that of the Dragon Feather Army back then, and there is murderous intent in their eyes!"

Su Liang nodded in approval.

The training of the Longyu Army was not secret, and most of the mid-level generals of the Song Dynasty's imperial guards knew about it.

There are very few imitations because ordinary soldiers cannot bear the intensity of this kind of training, but the Hebei Imperial Guards obviously tried their best to seize the main attack.

He could tell something from the mountains of documents in Han Qi and Pang Ji's tents, as well as the fatigue on their faces.

"What about the emperor? Is he adapting well?" Su Liang asked.

"The official was very excited. He ate from the same big pot as the soldiers and asked many details. He seemed to be there to solve problems rather than to find them. It is a blessing for us soldiers to have such an official!"

Su Liang thought for a while and said, "Sandao, you have been a veteran for many years. You know the problems existing at the grassroots level of the army better than I do. There are some problems that it is useless to tell me, or even to the ministers of the imperial court, but the emperor can solve them. When you are with the emperor, you can take the initiative to raise some issues, such as the veterans' marriage, retirement, tattooing, and family members' studies." "I understand, I understand." Liu Sandao said excitedly.

The emperor had finally gotten deep into the military, so naturally he could bring up some things that would benefit the soldiers and not harm the country.

……

Late at night, almost midnight.

In Zhao Zhen's tent.

Zhao Zhen looked through the contents of today's record carefully, making notes from time to time.

aside.

Zhang Maoze advised for the third time: "Sir, it's getting late, you should rest!"

Zhao Zhen put down his brush and said with a smile: "Today, I have learned a lot. I claim to understand the needs of the court officials and the people of the world, but today I realized that I don't understand the needs of the imperial guards at all. If I let them work hard for the court, I must solve all their worries."

Zhang Maoze looked at Zhao Zhen and couldn't help laughing out loud.

Zhao Zhen was stunned, looked at Zhang Maize, and asked, "Why are you laughing?"

"Sir, you are handling official business today with all your heart, just like your first day in office, full of energy and full of confidence."

"Hahahaha, is that so? If I could maintain this state every day, the Song Dynasty would have ushered in its heyday!" Zhao Zhen said with a smile.

He really enjoys this current state.

……

The next day, the rating verification continued.

Su Liang and Zeng Gongliang began to talk to the generals of the Hebei Imperial Guards, accompanied by Han Qi and Pang Ji.

"What do you think of the first battle of Youzhou in the fourth year of Emperor Taizong's Taiping Xingguo? It mainly talks about the mistakes in the combat command." Zeng Gongliang asked a general.

This battle was very sensitive and it was a defeat for Emperor Taizong.

The general thought for a moment and said, "The intention of this battle is to capture Youzhou in one fell swoop, and then to shock other states and achieve the goal of recovering Yanyun. However, it is too hasty and impetuous."

"There are three mistakes in the battle command. First, we didn't know how to divide the troops among the many. The Liao army had strong defenses, and once they encountered setbacks, the morale of the army would be easily unstable. Second, we advanced quickly over a long distance, and we didn't anticipate the Liao army's defenses in Youzhou, so our ability to attack was too weak. Third, we didn't have enough troops to attack the reinforcements. When the Liao army's Yelu Xuegu came from behind the mountains to support Youzhou City, we didn't deploy troops to stop them..."

Zeng Gongliang and Su Liang nodded as they listened.

Next, the performance of several generals made the two of them even more delighted.

All questions raised can be answered in detail.

After a while, when a general finished answering, Su Liang signaled a pause in the conversation and looked at Pang Ji and Han Qi.

"Gentlemen, how do you train them? During this inspection, the performance of the generals is completely different from a few months ago. Could it be that you have opened lectures in the army?" Su Liang asked with a smile.

Pang Ji stroked his beard.

"Mr. Su, you really guessed it right. The last time we checked, we were rated as Grade C, and Zhigui and I felt ashamed. I don't want to lose my reputation in my later years, and Zhigui wants to wash away the stigma he left on the battlefield in the northwest. So we studied military books such as "Taiping Yulan·Bingbu", "Cefu Yuangui·Jiangshuaibu", "Wujing Zongyao" and so on, and then taught them to the generals."

"These generals train during the day and take classes at night. It's very hard, but as long as they can grab the mission of the main attack, everything is worth it."

Han Qi smiled and said, "Mr. Pang works much harder than I do. He is very meticulous and controls all the details."

"No way, no way! It's Zhigui who has the ability..."

……

The two of them began to give in to each other.

Su Liang and Zeng Gongliang couldn't help but smile as they looked at the two men giving way to each other and respecting each other.

Two people, one is impatient and the other is slow to warm up.

Last year, there were seven or eight memorials impeaching each other, but now they respect each other, which is surprising.

……

October 16th.

It was the last day of the assessment and rating, almost dusk.

Su Liang, Zeng Gongliang, Pang Ji, Han Qi, and people from the three yamen and the Privy Council walked out of the big tent.

Su Liang looked around and said, "The eight-day inspection is officially over. The results will be announced in the morning of the third day. During this period, officers and soldiers of the Hebei military camp are not allowed to enter the tents in front of the rope."

"Yes, sir!" Generals including Pang Ji and Han Qi bowed at the same time.

at this time.

A burly young general suddenly walked up to Su Liang and Zeng Gongliang, knelt on one knee, and bowed.

"Central Prime Minister Su, Deputy Envoy Zeng, General Hong Yue, Commander of the Xuanzi Battalion of the Hebei Imperial Army Cavalry, on behalf of the five hundred brothers under my command, I have something to say."

On the side, Han Qi walked out quickly.

"Hong Yue, what are you going to do? The court's investigation has ended. If you have something to say, you can speak to your superiors. You cannot report to a higher level, and you must not stop your superiors from speaking in such an occasion."

Hong Yue's action was indeed against military rules.

"I know this is inappropriate, but...but...for the sake of the Hebei Imperial Army and my five hundred soldiers, I still want to speak up. I am willing to be punished with a stick after speaking up!"

"Speak! Stand up and speak!" Su Liang said.

Hong Yue stood up slowly and said, "Since the Treaty of Chanyuan, there has been no war between Song and Liao for many years, and the number of our Hebei Imperial Army has increased instead of decreased."

"Over the years, the Hebei Imperial Army has always had a bad reputation, and some people are indeed not up to the mark."

"Some people scolded us for not knowing how to fight and only knowing how to smuggle in the army. Some people said that the reason why the land of Jingdong and Dongxi has heavy taxes, poor people, and many bandits is to raise food for us. Some Liao soldiers also look down on us and always say that if the cavalry marches south, they can reach the front of Bianjing in more than a month..."

"As a member of the Hebei Imperial Army, we have heard all these insults and kept them in mind. We also want to fight Liao to prove our worth, so that people will dare to plant the hundreds of miles of farmland on the Hebei border, and the people will praise us like they praised the Western Army soldiers: Hebei Imperial Army, brave!"

"Now that the time is near, we are training day and night just to gain the qualification to lead the battle."

"On behalf of the five hundred brothers behind me, and possibly all the brothers of the Hebei Imperial Guards, I want to let Shangguan know."

"We are not afraid of death. Only when we go to the battlefield can we feel at ease with the salary paid by the court and the food eaten by the people. We are also men of steel. We dare to fight and we dare to fight to the death!"

"Perhaps our combat effectiveness is not as good as that of the older brothers of the Western Army, but we are not afraid of death, we are willing to die! We have trained for so many years, if in the end we are assigned to transport food and grass, we are not worthy of wearing this military uniform, we will let down our ancestors..."

……

After he said this, the surroundings suddenly became quiet.

Many people were moved to tears by these words.

Over the years, the Hebei Imperial Guards have had little military merit and have lived a very frustrating life. They will prove that they value others more than their own lives.

Su Liang and Zeng Gongliang's eyes turned red, and Zhao Zhen, who was among the crowd, was wiping away tears.

Hong Yue continued, "Central Prime Minister Su, Deputy Envoy Zeng, these words were not instigated by anyone. They are all the true feelings of our brothers in the camp. We did not expect to win the qualification to lead the battle by saying these words. We just want you to know that there are no fools in our Hebei Imperial Army. We are willing to die for the Song Dynasty!"

"We are willing to die fighting for the Song Dynasty!"

"We are willing to die fighting for the Song Dynasty!"

"We are willing to die fighting for the Song Dynasty!"

……

The generals around couldn't help but shout loudly.

The voice is like a loud bell, and very sincere.

No one is afraid of death.

Su Liang stretched out his hands and slowly pressed down, making the surroundings gradually quiet down.

"Everyone, I know your thoughts, and the emperor will definitely know them too!"

"Here, I, the Minister, will reply to you in three sentences. First, it is rare that you have such a determination to fight to the death, and the entire Song Dynasty is proud of you. Second, you can fight, but the court cherishes the lives of soldiers all over the world and will never allow anyone to sacrifice fearlessly. Third, whether the Hebei Imperial Army will support the war will be determined after verification and evaluation."

"It's all gone!"

All of a sudden, all the generals bowed and dispersed. Su Liang and others walked into the front tent and began to summarize the ratings.

(End of this chapter)