Eastern Jin Dynasty: My powerful father

Chapter 102 Strict orders
  When Liu Wuhuan heard that the Di envoys had visited the Jin camp, he was still worried that Huan Xi would still be his ally, so he reached an agreement with Fu Xiong to carve up the Hetao.

This kind of thing sounds absurd, but it is not impossible.

Fortunately, he later learned that Wang Yuan had been expelled from the camp, which made him feel at ease.

Compared with his brother's surprise, Liu Kuantou obviously understood Huan Xi better and knew that it was impossible for the general who conquered the east to make peace with the Di people, which made the Fu family get involved in the Hetao.

At dusk, people from the Jin camp came to summon Liu Kuantou on Huanxi's order.

Liu Yan didn't dare to delay, so he hurriedly followed him to pay his respects.

At the Jin army's camp, Huan Xi had already been waiting in the commander's tent. When he saw Liu Kuantou approaching, he stood up to greet him and asked:
  "Can you still teach the Xiongnu archers to get used to it?"

Liu Yantou replied:
  "To be honest, Duke Huan, I am quite prestigious among the tribe, and my officers and men are able to obey orders."

When Huan Xi heard this, he got straight to the point and said:

"In that case, I have a task for you."

Liu Yan patted his chest and replied:

"As long as I listen to Duke Huan's orders, I dare not disobey you."

Huan Xi nodded slightly and ordered:

"I need you to lead three thousand cavalry, cross the Yellow River at night, and harass the Di army camp."

Liu Yan was very puzzled. He expressed his doubts:
  "Huan Gong, how could Fu Xiong be unprepared when the battle is about to begin? Besides, my subordinates are all archers and cavalry. They are not good at attacking and setting up camps. I am not declining this matter. I am just worried that it will be in vain and will damage Duke Huan's reputation. "

Huan Xi patted his shoulder and said with a smile:
  "My intentions are not something you can guess, so just follow my instructions.

"Remember to make it clear to the three thousand soldiers that there is no need to get too close to the Di army's camp and just shoot five arrows in the direction of the camp.

"But remember, one arrow can't be too many, and one arrow can't be too small. After shooting five arrows, return immediately. Don't be reluctant to fight."

Liu Yan was confused when he heard this. He fired five arrows at random from a distance, but they could not cause any damage.

But since Huan Xi said this, he had no choice but to do as he was told. After all, he fired five arrows and ran away, and the Di people couldn't catch up, so there wouldn't be any danger.

"I will obey Duke Huan's order."

Just when Liu Yan was about to go back and order troops, Huan Xi seemed to remember something again and stopped him:

"Before departure, you need to check the arrow pot. Each of the three thousand soldiers will carry ten arrows. Remember this."

Huan Xi was like a riddle man, leaving Liu Yan as puzzled as a two-foot-tall monk.

Since only five arrows are allowed, why do you have to put ten arrows in the arrow pot?

Huan Xi didn't explain either, he just said:
  "Go quickly, I'm waiting for news of your return."

Liu Yan returned to the military camp full of doubts. He selected three thousand archers and ordered them to carry ten arrows. Before setting off, he said to everyone:
  "Gong Huan said that after crossing the river, each man should fire five arrows and then return to camp. Did you hear it clearly?"

The three thousand Xiongnu archers didn't know what kind of medicine Huanxi was selling in the gourd, but they agreed in unison.

In the night, Liu Kuantou personally led three thousand Xiongnu archers out of camp under the moonlight. They had lived here for generations and knew very well where the water was shallow and where the water was deep in the Hetao section of the Yellow River.

There are few tributaries in the Hetao River section, which makes the water flow in this section of the river gentle. It is now in the dry season, which is enough for the Huns to wade through the water.

Hu Yanlaohu was also among the three thousand horsemen. As soon as the men and horses came ashore, he muttered dissatisfiedly:
  "I don't know yet what Duke Huan's fighting skills are, but he is quite good at tormenting people."

Although Huyanlaohu lowered his voice and complained, Liu Yantou in front of him still heard him. He turned around and scolded:
  "Maybe you don't know that disaster comes from the mouth. If these words reach Duke Huan's ears, do you know what the consequences will be!"

Huyan Laohu quickly shut up.

Now the Tiefu Xiongnu wanted to seek help from Huan Xi. If Huan Xi insisted on killing him because of this, I am afraid that King Zuo Xian would not intercede for him.

Three thousand archers marched silently in the dark night. Huyan Laohu couldn't help but regret that Deng Qiang failed to appear in the Xitao Plain.

During the military parade in Chang'an that day, he was defeated at the hands of Deng Qiang. Hu Yanlaohu was unwilling to accept it. After all, the two were only fighting hand to hand, and his most outstanding thing was riding and shooting.

If there is still a chance, Hu Yanlaohu hopes to fight Deng Qiang again to clear his name.

Just as Huyanlaohu was in a trance, a cry of surprise rang out from the front. He couldn't hear clearly what the Di people were shouting, but he also knew that his group had been discovered by the scouts outside the enemy camp and could not get any closer, otherwise it would be difficult to Get away.

Liu Yanhoutou also knew this, and he immediately shouted:
  "Release the arrow! Release the arrow!"

Regardless of whether firing arrows from such a distance would cause damage, Huan Xi just wanted him to walk to the other side and shoot five arrows in the direction of the enemy camp.

Three thousand horse archers pulled their strings one after another, and saw arrows pouring forward, causing heavy casualties to the Di scouts.

The Huyan Laohu showed off its power even more. Every time the bow string was loosened, one of the Di people would fall to the ground after being hit by an arrow. Not long after, the arrow pot behind him had bottomed out.

When Liu Yan saw this scene, he couldn't help but cheer.

In the enemy camp in the distance, warning gongs and drums were beaten loudly.

Seeing that more and more enemy troops were coming out of the camp, Liu Yan quickly led his troops to evacuate, leaving Fu Xiong who had hurriedly put on armor to fight, but was left empty-handed.

The noise was endless, and Fu Xiong looked at the arrows all over the ground, fearing that there were tens of thousands of them.

He didn't know what Huan Xi's intention was. Could it be that he was working so hard just to prevent himself from resting.

But Fu Xiong didn't dare to sleep tonight, he was afraid that Huan Xi would leave and come back again, and the little fight just now was just to numb himself.

Just when Fu Xiong was on alert and on guard, the Huns' horse archers also waded through the water in a relaxed and joyful atmosphere.

At this time, the sky was slightly bright, and Huan Xi had already led his troops into the archer camp. He assembled the remaining 7,000 archers and waited in the open space of the camp.

Liu Yan was a little surprised at first, but when he saw Huan Xi on the general platform from a distance, he quickly dismounted his horse and greeted him:
  "Why did Liu bother Duke Huan to wait?"

Liu Yan's head was always lowered in front of Huan Xi.

This is what people ask for.

Huan Xi nodded to him, but did not exchange greetings. Instead, he immediately ordered the Jin troops who followed him into the camp to inspect the arrow pots carried by the three thousand horse archers one by one.

Perhaps Liu Yan's shouting before setting off had an effect. Most people still remember that Huan Xi asked them to cross the river and shoot five arrows. Therefore, there were just five arrows left in their arrow pots. .

But there were also more than 200 people who either fired fewer arrows or fired more arrows because they were excited to kill.

Hu Yanlaohu felt the crisis at this time. His arrow pot was empty, and he had already shot all ten feather arrows.

Sure enough, Huan Xi pointed at the more than two hundred Xiongnu archers and shouted:
  "Someone! Get them for me!"

Everyone was shocked, Huyanlaohu struggled and shouted:
  "Tonight I fired ten arrows in a row and killed ten enemies! What a crime!"

Even Liu Yan was interceding for Huyan Laohu:
  "Gong Huan, brave generals are rare. Please spare Lao Hu's life so that he can make meritorious deeds on the battlefield!"

Huan Xi did not sell the favor. Tiefu Xiongnu suffered repeated defeats and battles. What they lacked was not warriors but military discipline. He ignored Liu Yan’s ugly head and directly shouted to Huyan Laohu:
  "Let me ask you, my military order is to ask you to shoot only five arrows across the river, or to kill the enemy with ten arrows!"

Huyan Laohu was speechless.

Huan Xi looked at the Xiongnu archers gathered under the general platform, and said loudly in the Xiongnu language he had temporarily learned:

"Gong is merit, fault is fault! Hu Yanlaohu killed ten enemies, his family will get the rewards they deserve, but he disobeyed military orders, and I can't spare his life!"

Following Huan Xi's order, more than two hundred heads fell to the ground in an instant, including Huyan Laohu.

Hu Yanlaohu's wish to compete with Deng Qiang again came to nothing.

Just when the Xiongnu archers and cavalry were in panic, Huan Xi ordered a batch of silk cloth to be delivered, totaling three thousand pieces.

Huan Xi pointed to these silks and preached:
  "As a general, rewards and punishments should be clearly defined. Anyone who goes out of camp tonight and can obey my military orders and has five arrows left in the quiver will be rewarded with a bolt of silk."

The remaining more than 2,700 archers all raised their arms and cheered, happy that they had received the reward.

The seven thousand Xiongnu archers who watched the whole drama were also shocked and understood the majesty of the military order.

Only then did Liu Yan realize that Huan Xi asked them to cross the river and shoot arrows, not to harass Fu Xiong, but to take advantage of the opportunity to establish his authority and command strict orders.

The Xiongnu archers and cavalry had dispersed, and Liu Wuhuan also got the news and rushed over.

When he arrived, he had already seen more than 200 heads hanging outside the camp gate, and he also recognized the famous Huyanlao tiger in the tribe.

"Huan Gong, why is this happening?"

Liu Wuhuan did not dare to show his dissatisfaction in front of Huan Xi, so he had no choice but to sigh.

Huan Xi did not answer him, but asked:
  "Does King Zuo Xian know why the Huns were able to dominate the grassland back then?"

Liu Wuhuan replied without hesitation:
  "It's all thanks to Maodun Shanyu."

Huan Xi hummed:

"Since you know, why don't you hear about Ming Dy's father-killing.

"Without Maodun's strict military management, the Xiongnu would not have been as prosperous as they were in the past.

"Nowadays, the Tiefu tribe is suffering repeated defeats. In my opinion, this is the result of a lack of military discipline.

"Modun can give up his mount and his beloved wife. Today, I will restore discipline in the army for King Zuo Xian. Could it be that King Zuo Xian is still reluctant to part with a Huyan Laohu!"

As the Xiongnu Zuoxian King, Liu Wuhuan certainly knew the story of Modun Shanyu's rise to power.

Mao Dun once set a rule for his officers and soldiers: Anyone who shoots with a dynamite but does not know how to shoot will be beheaded.

At first, Mao Dun shot the sounding arrow at the prey. After that, Mao Dun shot the sounding arrow at the mount and his wife.

Anyone who hesitated was killed by Mao Dun.

Finally, Mao Dun took advantage of the hunting opportunity and shot a loud arrow at his father.

Having learned from the previous lesson, the soldiers under Mao Dun did not hesitate to draw their bows and shoot at Touman Shanyu.

The war was urgent, and Huan Xi didn't have much time to slowly get used to these Xiongnu archers, so he had to come up with this strategy.

Arrange a mission for the Huns' archers at will, and then kill people to establish their authority, letting them understand that they must follow their military orders.

Otherwise, even if there is merit, it is still a sin.

Huan Xi didn't need these Xiongnu archers to have their own ideas.

Listen to him, everything must be obeyed by him. No matter whether the military orders they give are right or wrong, they must be executed meticulously.

Historically, in the key battle of Huan Wen's conquest of Shu, the drummer mistakenly knocked the drum back instead of the drum in. Even though a great achievement was achieved by mistake, it stands to reason that if rewards are based on merit, for such a big thing, the drum would not be rewarded. It should be impossible for an official to be unknown.

If you think about it carefully, I am afraid that Huan Wen also killed him after the war to correct military orders, so that others would not follow suit, disobey military orders and make their own decisions.

Huan Xi's question left Liu Wuhuan speechless, so he had to say goodbye and leave.

When Huan Xi left the archer camp, he also felt the awed looks of the Huns' archers.

Since ancient times, those who join the army do not hate their generals for killing people to establish their authority, but they are afraid that there is no clear standard for rewards and punishments.

Yang Su, a famous general in the Sui Dynasty, would always send out one or two hundred men to fight the enemy before a battle. If they were victorious, they would be killed.

Although Yang Su was strict and fierce in governing the army, he was able to distinguish rewards and punishments, so he won the support of the soldiers. Therefore, he was invincible and invincible.

Huan Xi walked out of the camp gate. Those ferocious heads were still hanging there. Huan Xi thought to himself:
  ‘I will lend you your heads today, and after the war, I will let you rest in peace. ’

Then he led the Jin army soldiers out of the bow cavalry camp without looking back, leaving only Liu Yan's ugly head messy in the cold wind as he was escorting him out of the camp.

Liu Yantou felt a wave of fear in his heart:
  "If I accidentally forget the military order to only fire five arrows, and shoot one more or one less arrow, will Duke Huan also execute me?" ’

Liu Yanhoutou was destined not to have an answer to this question.

Previously, he had kept five arrows in his quiver, but after that, he did not dare to do anything without permission.

In Woye County, Fu Xiong stayed up all night. He waited until dawn but did not wait for Huan Xi's second wave of harassment. He had to leave the affairs of the camp to his nephew Fu Chang and go back to the commander's tent to rest.

When Fu Xiong woke up, he finally learned what had happened from the captured Huns scout. He sighed:
  "Huan Xi governed the army with the style of a famous general."

Even Fu Chang, who had not much recognized Huan Xi's achievements before, had a solemn look on his face.

That night, Huan Xi held a military meeting at the Jin army camp.

At Huan Xi's invitation, Liu Wuhuan brought his eldest son Liu Xiwuqi and second son Liu Weichen to the Jin camp to discuss how to arrange the troops for the battle with Fu Xiong.

Liu Wuhuan sat under Huan Xi, with his two young sons on either side. He knew that military affairs was not his strong point, so he kept silent and listened intently.

Comparatively speaking, his younger brother Liu Kuantou was more active. He suggested:
  "Gong Huan, in my opinion, you might as well adopt a formation in which cavalry, infantry, and chariots cooperate with each other. Set up antlers, thorns and other materials all around, leaving the cavalry in the center to provide support."

Liu Wuhuan nodded slightly when he heard this. This was a mature and prudent statement. If it were him, he would probably choose this formation.

However, Huan Xi shook his head and said:

"This is a way to consolidate defense, not a way to win."

After saying that, Huan Xi said seriously:

"In this battle, I shall use offense instead of defense and destroy the enemy in the wild!"

　The third chapter is here, there is no more today, but it will continue with 10,000 words tomorrow.

　　
  　
  (End of this chapter)