Dawn of the Empire

Chapter 221

After all the centurions left, Zhao Xingde left Jin Changtai alone, and said in a low voice, "The enemy is strong and we are weak, and he wants to go down the mountain to fetch the people. For the movements of Khitan and Jurchen, Jin Sima needs to keep in touch with the secret agents of the Military Intelligence Department at any time." .”

Jin Changtai nodded, and said with a smile: "Don't worry, I will ask the Military Intelligence Department to strengthen the investigation in this area." In Xia Guo's military system, the military commander is in charge of combat, and the marching Sima is in charge of coordinating with the Logistics Department, the Military Intelligence Department and other departments. Contacting the military commander is also the way to control the size.As Jin Changtai said, he circled his shorthand with a pencil. In this moment, he had already dissected the arguments of the soldiers that he just casually wrote down just now. With a little repair, he could become a guide for the sergeant to go down the mountain. The people's battle plan.He looked at it two or three more times, frowned and sighed.

Zhao Xingde was thinking about how to get along with the Han army in the future after coercing the people, so he asked, "Why worry?"

Jin Changtai sighed: "The surrendered military prefectures of the Liao Kingdom, as well as the prefectures and counties are well guarded. If they do not fight the Liao army, they will not be able to coerce the people. However, there are a large number of Han in these places. Although they cannot be taken out for the time being, so It is a pity to abandon the enemy." The keynote of the whole decree is to coerce the people to expand their strength, but try to avoid fighting with Khitan and Jurchen, and these people who are near the center of the enemy's power will inevitably be unable to rescue them.

Zhao Xingde's eyes moved slightly, and he muttered: "For those who help themselves, God will help them. Although these Hans are in the enemy's camp, they may not be incapable of being used by me. Is there any way to organize these Hans so that they can help themselves?" Let’s inform the Khitans and the Jurchens, and cause some trouble?” He said, knocking on the table rhythmically, and the rough pine wood made a banging sound, as if knocking in the silent wooden house. heart.

Jin Changtai hesitated for a moment, then asked: "While Xingzhi was discussing matters in the Huguo Mansion, could someone persuade you to join the club?" call.

Zhao Xingde was taken aback, and thought to himself: "I have joined the club before, but I have never heard of Xia Guo's club?" Then he shook his head, and said in a deep voice, "I have never been invited to join the club." Looking at Jin Changtai, I don't know him Yes and intention.

Jin Changtai sighed: "I heard that when this dynasty was first established, there was a brotherhood system in the army. Each brother had eleven brothers, and each brother developed a brother at the next level, so as to advocate the friendship of robes and make the army After the founding of the country, this brotherhood fell apart. Sergeants only need to register with the Military Intelligence Department to form their own associations, but the momentum is far inferior to that of the original brotherhood. There are many such associations in military government everywhere. I was thinking, if Xingzhi joined a powerful society in the Huguo Mansion, he could naturally use the name of the society to develop power among Han children, and if he used it to coerce the people, it would be more effective than half the effort." He patted the table Case, regretted: "If I knew this, before our battalion dispatched troops, I would register a club with the purpose of recovering Liaodong."

"There is such a thing?" Zhao Xingde was even more curious, and asked about the details. The brotherhood system had been lost for a long time, and Jin Changtai was only interested in it, so he checked a lot of related documents in the General's Mansion, but I just know the general situation. Thinking back to the beginning, the emperors and princes were all brothers, and the whole army worked together to establish the country, and they were invincible across the world. It is fascinating.

Zhao Xingde pondered for a moment, then asked, "Can we form a club now, and then infiltrate Han'er?"

"The association of sergeants must be registered in advance, otherwise it will be regarded as suspected of treason and will be subject to a military jury." Jin Changtai said helplessly. It's just that after a lot of time and effort in the registration procedure, I'm afraid time will be delayed. He suddenly patted head, with a look of remorse on his face.

"So that's the case." Zhao Xingde nodded slowly, this is what it should be, if it is allowed to form a secret association, it would be too much.It should be known that Zhao Kuangyin in the Guandong usurped the country, relying on the strength of the ten brothers of Yishe.Xia Guo brought out this undercurrent and made it known to the world. The sergeants can connect themselves with clubs outside the military barracks system.

"Perhaps we are asking other sergeants to see if there is no club with a suitable purpose?"

"This," Jin Changtai said without much hope in his tone, "except for the General Assembly Society supported by the Colonel of the Huguofu, the purposes of other sergeant clubs are all kinds of strange and strange, and it is difficult to fit the Liaodong affairs." He closed the shorthand book and stood up. , going out.

"I'll go with you to ask." Zhao Xingde also stood up and put on a wolf fur cloak.Unexpectedly, there was such a club system among Sergeants Xia, Zhao Xingde felt that it was necessary to find out for himself which clubs the sergeants belonged to. "Do I give the impression of being alone, or why no sergeant has invited me to join the club?" he thought to himself.

When the two came to the stables, Wang Tongdeng was brushing the horses. It was so cold that the horses couldn't take a bath, so they could only brush their fur with a thick brush. Relax muscles and activate blood circulation for it.Brushing horses can best cultivate the emotions of soldiers and war horses.There is a legend in the army that even the emperor washed his mount himself.Wang Tongdeng's armor and padded jacket were piled aside, and he was only wearing a white silk gown. His forehead and upper body were still steaming. The stronger the horse, the harder it was to brush it.

"Society?" Wang Tongdeng's eyes lit up, and he said with a smile, "Manzi also wants to join the club?" Whenever Zhao Xingde was studying alone, Wang Tongdeng would make fun of him for being out of group, saying that only "manzi" lived alone.At this moment, Zhao Xingde actually took the initiative to inquire about the club, and he said to the merchants who were eager to attract customers: "I am from the 'Hedong Society'. Hedong is the land of the founding dragon, but it fell into the hands of the Song people. Our 'Hedong Society' The idea is to recover Hedong, and then send troops from Guanzhong and Hedong. The northwest is condescending, and the Central Plains can go down with a drum. Then send troops from Shu, and go down the Yangtze River. Southeast states and counties are weak places in the Song Dynasty, and they can spread It depends." Wang Tongdeng knew that Zhao Xingde was from Guandong, so he looked at him with a half-smile.

"'Hedong Society' is famous, and I have admired it for a long time." Jin Changtai smiled and cupped his hands. The Hedong Society is also one of the most famous assembly clubs in Xiaguo.Zhao Xingde said with some embarrassment: "It's a little bit reluctant to let Liaodong Han'er join this 'Hedong Club'." Greeting Jin Changtai to leave together, Wang Tongdeng continued to brush his horse, humming the sour Hedong tune while brushing, Hedong Every year, the soldiers of the society deduce how to cross the Yellow River and take Taiyuan directly.

When Ma Rui was asked about this, he said regretfully: "Ma has not joined the club yet." Jian Cheng said: "I belong to the 'Canal Club'. The purpose of this club is that the water conservancy of rivers and canals is the foundation of the country. When the rivers and canals prosper, the country prospers, and when the rivers and canals decline, the country perishes, so the water conservancy in all parts of Guanzhong must be carefully maintained every year."

The situation in Liaodong seems to be some distance away from the construction of water conservancy projects. After Zhao Xingde and Jin Changtai joined forces, he left and questioned hundreds of soldiers along the way. About [-]% to [-]% of them belonged to a certain club. Members, some sergeants also joined several clubs.The purpose of the club is various. Some specialize in safeguarding the interests of the bereaved families of fallen soldiers, some ask the imperial court to expand the right of the sergeant to punish private households, and some specialize in supervising the fairness of the county magistrates stationed there. Organize shade households to kill snakes, insects, rats, ants and other pests.After asking around, Zhao Xingde only felt that his head was getting bigger, and he couldn't help laughing at himself: "It would be very appropriate if the targets of the 'Eliminating Harm Society' included Khitan and Jurchen."

While the two were talking, they came to Du Chuijiao's place, and saw him holding a heavy shield in one hand and a wooden sword in the other, fighting with the sergeant.Although Du Chuijiao is not young, his agility is no less than that of a young man, and he has been battle-tested for a long time. He is decisive and quick in his shots.Seeing Zhao Xingde and Jin Changtai coming, Du Chuijiao asked a sergeant to come on stage to replace him, and came off by himself.

"To tell you the truth, the general will belong to the 'Brotherhood of Volunteers'." Du Chuijiao said embarrassedly, "I get an extra one hundred coins every year."

"What?" Zhao Xingde lost his voice.Jin Changtai said that the Brotherhood had been scattered and annihilated after the founding of the country, but he did not expect that the unattractive Du Buijiao was actually a member of this powerful society.

Seeing that both Zhao Xingde and Jin Changtai were very surprised, Du Chuijiao hurriedly explained: "My 'Brotherhood of Volunteering' is different from the 'Brotherhood' of the Founding Dynasty. Registered. I am the only one in this fraternity. If the two of you intend to join, I welcome you." His face was quite embarrassed.

Looking at Zhao Xingde's confused look, Jin Changtai explained: "General Zhao doesn't know something. In order to encourage soldiers to register their associations with the Military Intelligence Department, each soldier who joins a formal association can have one Baiwen's "joint club money" is sent to the head of the club as the club's funds. With this sum of money, many clubs do not need to collect money from sergeants. Since this "Loyalty Brotherhood" is the first If a person registers, then of course the 'joint money' will be sent to him personally. There are many such cases, and the names of the clubs in the file of the General's Mansion are already tens of thousands."

Jin Changtai looked at Du Chuijiao rather amusedly, and praised: "It's such a good luck for Du Junshi to snatch such an imposing name like 'Brotherhood of Volunteers'." Du Chuijiao said with a smile: "The last general On the day I went to register at the military mansion, I casually said this, but no one had registered before, so I called it this name."

He was still waiting for a few more words of modesty, but Zhao Xingde said in a deep voice: "Good name!" He smiled slightly and asked, "I wonder what the mission of Du Junshi's club is?"

Du Jun was taken aback for a moment, and after thinking hard for a long time, he hesitated and said: "The eight words that the scribes of the military mansion just thought of for me seem to be 'those who offend a strong man will be punished even if they are far away'." He paused for a moment. After a pause, he looked awkwardly and said: "If the two of you join me, I will come, and I will never withhold the one hundred coins, and I will send them all to myself." This is the purpose of the club that Du Chuijiao is really thinking about. Finally got the chance to tell people today.