Minister

11【Six Years of Jiankang】

Walking up the city tower that was blown black by artillery fire, Wei Chi looked into the distance, and the land within a radius of five miles outside the city was completely blackened.But in the distance, those small hills sprouted the spirit of spring, and those bits and pieces of green set off the black soil outside the city shockingly.The city where Wei Chi was standing was facing due west --- the direction that the Qi army came, that is, at this city head, the father witnessed his daughter being executed by the enemy.The chill and ruthlessness of the war made Wei Chi palpitate, Wang Yunyi, Du Qihuan, Xu Yue, and even Du Yun made him feel strange.Before that day, they were all their good bosses, good comrades-in-arms, and good brothers.After that day, it seemed that he was no longer one of them, and he couldn't let go of the other side of these brave soldiers who usually looked like Wen.Two years ago, when I went to the capital alone, the shady scenes of those civil servants I saw were nothing more than darkness. How can it be compared with the blood dripping today?Wei Chi felt disgust and frustration in his heart.

That little mound might not be able to save the innocent girl's body in this artillery fire, right?

Whether it's a princess or a commoner... I actually condone such a thing... How can I bear it?

"Wei Chi..."

At some point, Lu Shengduo stood behind him.He was still the same, and his heavy cotton military uniform made his face even more gloomy.

"Master Lu." Wei Chiqiang cheered up and smiled at him.

"What are you thinking?" Lu Shengduo moved his hands coldly.

"...I didn't think about anything." What can I say to this gloomy King Qin's inner sentry?Wei Chi twisted his mouth, feeling rather boring.

After hearing this sentence, Lu Shengduo smiled rarely: "I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, these Qiu Bazhen beasts... am I right?"

"No..." Wei Chi quickly looked away, "It's just that I'm not used to it... There must be casualties in a battle between the two armies, how could I think so..."

Lu Shengduo put away his smile and gave Wei Chi a meaningful look: "Wang Yunyi's deep knowledge of the art of war is second to none, and his deep understanding of people's hearts is his strength. Look at Xilin Gol, which has been built for more than [-] years. The people in the city Hundreds of thousands, hundreds of thousands of soldiers, the foundation of the city wall is all made of chalk, and the food in the city is enough for a year. If Xilin Gol is determined to hold on, it will be difficult for our army to attack the city in a short period of time. If If you can't fight for a long time, one, you won't be able to reunite with the King of Qin, which will ruin the overall situation. Two, you will have no food, grass and medicine, and you will be unable to protect yourself. Let alone conquering Monan, it will be difficult to survive until the end of the flood season on the Wei River. You I only know that this is the first battle, but I don't know the dangers of this battle!"

"What you have done is not moral, and the victory may only be temporary." Wei Chi turned his head in disgust.

"Moral? You think Xilin Gol is too weak... If we want to talk morally with them, we may not win. Our army claims to be 80, but in fact there are only 16. You know that. Can your brain clean up the more than 30 people hiding behind the high wall? No! Don't say anything! Listen to me!" Lu Shengduo waved his hand: "I know, you think that no matter how much you fight, you shouldn't use your brains Move on innocent people. Innocent? Who is innocent in this world? Are these soldiers born to die? Are you, Wei Chi, born to be killed? The fault of that woman is that she is the daughter of Guyuan Magui It is unlucky to be dead, there is nothing moral or unrighteous. You think Wang Yunyi killed her to anger Gu Yuan Magui. But you must not know that the really terrifying thing in this city is not the city lord with extraordinary force... but Dadan!" Lu Shengduo lowered his voice: "Do you think that is just a bad old man who has passed his temper? You are wrong, you were not born when he was a counselor. Let alone the strong soldiers in this city, just Every day this old man lives in this world, the Qi army will kill hundreds of people. Wang Yunyi arrested Gu Yuan's daughter, so Gu Yuan will naturally be coerced by him. Dadan is an old minister of Gu Yuan's father, and it is inevitable to speak when he is in a hurry Not so obedient. To provoke Gu Yuan to send troops is the second best move, to provoke him to kill Dadan is the best move!"

"Then secretly inform Dadan's son, let him do a series of tricks..." Wei Chi secretly clenched his fists: "Then if the princess is not caught, wouldn't General Wang be invincible in this battle? In the end, it is still a speculative victory !"

"If the princess is not caught, Wang Yunyi will naturally have other ways to deal with Dadan. If the princess is not killed... there will naturally be other unlucky ghosts who will die for him. Wang Yunyi is so powerful, I don't need to say, you will soon I can understand it thoroughly." Lu Shengduo looked at Wei Chi coldly: "You don't regret that you didn't let that princess go, do you? I hope you're not as stupid as I thought. The person who started the war and the one involved People in war...no one can escape seeing blood. Who can you save?...It's ridiculous."

Wei Chi lowered his head in pain: "Why... I came here?"

"I don't know why you came here either. I only know that Du Yun, who got along well with you, once tied up more than [-] people, men, women and children, in a village and beheaded them one by one when he was suppressing bandits in the south. ...Nothing else, just because a bandit leader was hidden in that cottage. I can also guess that you will become like him in the end...It is very likely that you will do more ruthlessly than him. "

"No! No!" Wei Chi felt sick for a while.

"Yes!" Lu Shengduo grabbed Wei Chi's left hand suddenly, and turned it over... In just two months, these once white and slender hands were covered with calluses: "A person who can be so cruel to me... yes Others will be more ruthless."

"I advise you to adapt as soon as possible, and don't look like a woman with grievances." Lu Shengduo loosened his fingers like iron tongs: "Then clean up those weird thoughts in your mind, and be your leader honestly." .”

"Lord Lu, what kind of person were you before?" Wei Chi withdrew his pinched hand that hurt a little.

"Me?" Lu Shengduo looked directly at Wei Chi with eagle-like eyes, "It's the same as now... a person who won't meddle in other people's business."

After saying this, Lu Shengduo regained the respect that a junior officer should have.Wei Chi knew that this man would not talk to him any more at this moment, so he turned his head knowingly: "Master Lu has worked hard, please go back."

The soldiers under the city began to search house by house, and those ordinary people who failed to escape in the chaos were pushed to the corner of the city wall.The women's hair was untied so that no murder weapon could be hidden inside.The men's knives were confiscated.Tens of thousands of people were strung into several strings by several ropes.Those who lost their hometown also lost their dignity. Some men even knelt down and begged for mercy, asking the other party not to kill their wives and children.The cattle, sheep and food in the city were all piled up at the gate of the city, and some misers who didn't understand were stabbed right on the spot.The blood coagulated on the dark frozen ground terrified the bound hands, and several women couldn't help crying.

Wei Chi wanted to walk down the city wall but couldn't move his feet... The wind was so strong that it seemed to wind up these mournful cries and blow them further away...

This is not written in the military book, and it is not written in any book...

This is war, the ultimate war!

"Wei Canling? Why are you here?"

Populus euphratica was patrolling, and saw a person standing alone on the top of the wall from afar.Although he couldn't tell clearly, Wei Chi must be right from that posture, so he ran over as soon as he finished his work.

"I heard that you are suffering from the wind and cold. This place is very windy. What are you doing here?"

Wei Chi shook his head and ignored him, just looking at the refugees under the city wall.

Hu Yanglin patted him on the shoulder and pulled him away from the wall: "Shaohu isn't used to it, is it? Wars are always like this. Can people who are not dead be called wars? You read the words of gentlemen and sages. How can gentlemen and sages know?" Knowing the suffering of the people? Those princes and ministers only care about their own glory and wealth, so how could they waste their time grieving the common people who died in vain?"

Yang Hulin's hometown is not far from Beikuguan, which is more or less a battleground for military strategists.I grew up in a soldier's nest since I was a child, my father was a soldier, and I am also a soldier, and I really don't know anything other than fighting.Because of his skill, the sergeants respected him a little, and his superiors appreciated him, and he has a good future... Unfortunately, sometimes, for some reason, Yang Hulin doesn't like the battlefield... He always hopes that the murder weapon in his hand is a hoe.

There was a rumbling sound of explosions in the east of the city, and the city wall began to be blasted.It seems that Wang Yunyi is determined to make this city disappear from the grassland. The foundation of the city wall buried with gunpowder crumbles crookedly. After a while, those remaining city pillars and broken walls will be crushed by these refugees and be treated as waste. The stone is transported away.Destroy Xilin Gol with the hands of Xilin Gol people... General Wang really does everything he can.

"Let's go! We should go down too." Wei Chi held Hu Yanglin's hand.

In the end, Wang Yunyi did not kill these Monan people.Wei Chi had the cheek to ask something, but Wang Yunyi just smiled: "You have to remember, killing and surrendering is not auspicious."

The first battle of Xilin Gol added a large amount of supplies to the army, and the rest after filling the grain trucks was left to the civilians in the city.Three days later, the army set off from the ruins, and the civilians had to abandon their homes, and some of them even followed the Qi army to the east.

Looking back, the rich metropolis more than ten years ago has changed beyond recognition.If there is anything left in the city, it must be ghosts...

The army rearranged and marched eastward.Wei Chi also tried his best to pack up his mood and embark on the journey.Geng Zhuqiu saw the tacit understanding of Wei Chi and Du Qihuan's cooperation, and he had no shortage of men, so he ordered Wei Chi not to stick to military discipline, but just follow Du Qihuan.Du Qihuan happened to be short of a negotiable role around him. Although Wei Chi hadn't fought a war, he was a prospect after all. He had read a lot, and talking with him was a lot of benefit.Geng Zhuqiu was willing to take this convenience, and Du Qihuan was happy to accept it.The further east you go, the number of nomadic tribes gradually increases.In order to prevent guerrilla attacks, the deputy commander, Kui Siqi, removed Du Yun to sit at the rear of the army, leaving only the vanguard Xu Lang in the front, and Xue Yi and others retreated to the sides of the central army.

April finally ushered in spring in the grassland. Although the willow wind was not blowing, at least it was moist and soft.The permafrost on the ground has melted a lot, and some muddy ground has become a swamp. The swamp looks similar to other muddy ground, and it will be too late to step on it.As soon as you step in, the trap gets tighter and tighter. The people and horses are fine, but it is difficult to get the vehicle out.So Wang Yunyi gave Xu Yue a new task-to survey the terrain.

Surveying the terrain... Xu Yue thought for a while, and asked Wang Yunyi's important person: "I'm afraid the last general will be slow to do it alone. Please, general, send Wei Shenling to his subordinates!"

Wang Yunyi saw that Wei Chi was too idle recently, so he agreed without thinking too much.

When Xu Yue went to find Wei Chi, Du Qihuan argued with Wei Chi red-faced.Xu Yue and Wei Chi made an arch: "Master Wei, if you go back to the Imperial Academy in the future, remember to recommend Lord Du to the emperor to be a speech officer. It's a pity not to be a speech officer with such a powerful mouth."

"It's only been a few days, and your elbows have turned out? Don't look at this boy's gentleness, just saying something casually makes you convulse." Du Qihuan choked on the tea.

"Hey, don't tell me, General Wang sent Master Wei to me, I'm waiting for convulsions." Xu Yue smiled sinisterly.

Du Qihuan was stunned for a moment: "You really don't blink when you catch strong men, Mr. Wei, you should be careful, this person arrests people for work and strips them of their skin."

Xu Yue glanced at Du Qihuan: "You're old and rude!"

Later, Wei Chi found out with grief that what Du Qihuan said was not serious at all, and working with Xu Yue was more tiring than being chased and killed by Du Yun...

The army pulled out the stronghold every morning, and when others got up to pack their bags, Wei Chi and Xu Yue had already been running outside for more than half an hour.When marching, Wei Chi was not allowed to rest, and had to follow the front line troops to explore the way.After setting up the village, the other soldiers were full of wine and food, and Wei Chi and his party ran back from the outside in a hurry...the trouser legs were full of mud.

"Exploring the road is more interesting than arguing with that old lunatic Du Qihuan?" Xu Yue, who is over fifty years old, is proud.

"Master Xu, you are so humorous..." Wei Chi, who was seventeen years old, was dejected.

There are still five days away from the next city - Duolun.From Wei Chi's point of view, a short rest is still far away...

Xu Yue seemed to have guessed what he was thinking: "Master Wei, don't think too much. Duolun is no better than Xilin Gol. It only takes a day or two to fight that small broken city. You can't live longer if you want to. You also know the situation of the battle with the King of Qin, if we can meet with them one day earlier, our chances of winning will be increased by one day."

"Yes, finish the fight early and go home early." Wei Chi also joked.

There are 30 troops in the Pathfinder team, all of whom are experienced soldiers under Xu Yue. They specialize in technical work, and their level of killing people is extremely limited, so they did not dare to be too far away from Xu Lang's forward troops when marching.It was noon again at this time, and it was not far from the time for eating. Xu Yue and Wei Chi simply led the people to mix with the forward troops.Xu Lang had originally disliked Wei Chi, an officer of unknown origin, and happened to hear Wei Chi's complaint again.He was originally a grumpy temper, and he hated the group of literati in the imperial court who had nothing to eat and knocked their teeth, the plain and plain complaining words suddenly became harsh.

"It's a burden! If you don't do anything, you can let your fart go!"

As soon as Xu Lang reined in his horse, the entire forward dared not leave, and thousands of people just stopped in the middle of the road.Xu Yue slapped his head secretly, it's broken!This idiot has made a mistake again.

Wei Chi took a sneak look at Xu Lang, who was covered with veins, and quickly lowered his posture: "I am not as heroic as General Xu, no, I just managed to learn how to ride a horse two months ago, so I have enough time to survive until today." Insufficient strength. Hehe, I am more suitable for editing books in the Imperial Academy. This horse is not obedient, and it has nothing to run around." After finishing speaking, Wei Chi patted the somewhat angry leopard.

Seeing that Xu Lang's face softened, Xu Yue breathed a sigh of relief. If Wei Chi wanted to argue with Xu Lang, it would really anger this idiot.Wei Chi's military rank is higher than his, but he can still judge the situation and follow his hair... As expected of being a member of the Imperial Academy.

Seeing Wei Chi's smiling face full of admiration, Xu Lang lost his temper and lost his temper. Hearing Wei Chi say that he is a martial artist, he felt more at ease. A quarrelsome posture.

During lunch, Wei Chi tremblingly took a large strip of white meat from Xu Lang's hand.

"Wei Canling eat more meat."

Is this how Xu Lang treats people well?Under Xu Lang's gaze, Wei Chi shoved the fat meat into his mouth tremblingly.Xu Lang nodded in satisfaction, and at the same time picked up a chopsticks of fat meat and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing until his mouth was full of oil.

When exploring the road in the afternoon, Xu Yue secretly mentioned Xu Lang to Wei Chi. This Xu Lang can be regarded as a talent.Except for General Wang and General Xue, no one will listen to them.Back then he privately buried all the 3 Monan soldiers captured by him outside the Yulong Pass, leaving only one person to send a letter to Wo Tuolei, in order to let him know that Xu was the one who cheated him of [-] people. Lang!At that time, this incident shocked the government and the public, and made General Wang very angry!Almost killed the brat.Later, thanks to Du Qihuan, an old fritter, who dealt with the Ministry of War and the cabinet, he was saved from death.

"If Lao Du could hold him down just now, I would lose that face." Xu Yue sighed.

"Is he the same Xu Lang who led hundreds of people to chase down the three thousand cavalry in Monan a year ago?" Wei Chi thought for a while and asked.

"Exactly. Not many people know about this matter. Where did Master Wei know?"

"It's a coincidence that the Ministry of War and the cabinet did not report this on purpose, but when the zhezi passed by the Council Hall of the Imperial Academy, it was pulled out by Wang Bi, the history editor. Although it was not recorded in the end, it helped to sort it out. I read the information below carefully. General Xu is really a fierce general!" Wei Chi smiled: "At first, I thought General Xu was your nephew."

"Don't dare, I can't bear such a troublesome nephew!" Xu Yue also smiled: "He is from Shandong, and his parents are also generals. This person refused to read and discuss scriptures since he was a child. He was so fussy that he had no choice but to let him join the army. Not long after he came, he ran to General Xue and asked to be a striker. Haha, it was Old Jiang Lai, who was picked off by General Xue after only two shots. This kid has learned his lesson and respects General Xue as his father. General Xue also sees this kid as a talent, so he trains him with all his heart. In the past few years at the border, Xu Lang has also improved a lot, but it is his stubbornness. Temperament...hasn't changed at all."

Xu Lang's meritorious service was not insignificant back then, but unfortunately, the disaster he caused offended the Ministry of War, the cabinet, and the emperor... Hey, or he is not just a striker now.Wei Chi reined in his horse: "Master Xu, how long will we be exploring the way like this?"

Xu Yue laughed loudly: "Master Wei, don't be impatient. You also know that fighting a war is a matter of the right time, place and people. This task of exploring the road cannot be neglected for a day."

Wei Chi got off his horse and poked the ground with a wooden stick: "It looks the same, and the grass grows on it is the same, and it even looks the same. How did Master Xu tell which is a swamp and which is dry land? I will accompany you After running for so many days, I have to teach a thing or two to the lower officials to be kind."

Xu Yue also jumped off the horse and touched the ground: "You were either eating persimmons or breaking walnuts along the way, how dare I disturb you."

Wei Chi smiled and said, "The lower officials don't eat alone, don't they give it to Master Xu every time?"

Xu Yue tapped Wei Chi's nose with his muddy hand: "Smell it, the dry land is fragrant, but the swamp smells like rotten rice. I'm afraid you only paid attention to the smell of persimmons along the way. Smell it."

Wei Chi wrinkled his nose, and indeed smelled a foul smell. After a closer look, it really smelled like rotten food: "Your official has been taught, this official has been taught."

"So, don't throw stones at me next time. It's fine if you're covered in mud, and I'm covered in mud."

Wei Chi clapped his hands apologetically. Every time Xu Yue said that there was a swamp over there, Wei Chi didn't believe it. A team of people just watched this deadhead throwing a big rock into the quagmire.

Xu Yue stabbed Wei Chi's belt with a horsewhip: "Master Wei, where is your saber?"

"Hey, I didn't bring it... it's heavy." The saber weighed seven or eight catties, and it was too heavy to wear.

"This is impossible. This is a battlefield after all. It's unreliable not to bring a knife. I know you don't know how to use a knife, and I don't know how to do it, but I carry it on my back every day. If there is a surprise attack, it doesn't matter what kind of knife technique you have. You don't know how to use a sword, sometimes you can save your life with a single cut." Xu Yue turned around and asked the soldier behind him for a saber and handed it to Wei Chi: "Don't be careless!"

Wei Chi reluctantly took it and tied it around his waist: "Can you pin it on the saddle?"

Xu Yue smiled, and snapped his fingers on Wei Chi's head: "I'm so lazy, I don't know how I got caught."

The author has something to say: next week will also be updated in the same three time periods, thank you for your support, bye~