Even though he was mentally prepared, when Sun Tu came to the north of Qingzhou City the next day and saw the so-called military camp and Xiang officers and soldiers, he was still stunned for a long time before he accepted the facts in front of him with great difficulty.
The military camp in front of us was like a refugee camp, with only a few barracks. Except for the wooden fence in front that served as the camp gate, there were no other walled entrances, although there were indeed a few soldiers guarding the gate. There, but just by looking at their feeble appearance, you can tell that they are just pretending. If someone really wants to sneak into the military camp, it shouldn't take much effort. Of course, judging from the situation of this military camp, no one will bother to sneak into it. in.
As for the military camp, it was quiet at this time. There were only two or three figures walking around inside. Not to mention drills, even daily activities like Jiangzhou officers and soldiers could not be seen. This so-called Qingzhou Xiangjun military camp looks like a dilapidated empty camp at this time.
After exhaling several breaths in succession, Sun Tu clapped his horse forward, and their arrival immediately aroused the wariness of the four guards. They immediately raised their spears and shouted: "The military camp is important, and the idlers are waiting for you to retreat." Down!"
Naturally, Sun Tu did not have to deal with it personally at this time. A Jiangzhou soldier stepped forward and shouted: "Bold, this is General Sun, the new Qingzhou Governor. Why don't you come and see me quickly?" He took out his seal and showed it to them.
Under the blazing sunlight at the end of May, the gold seal awarded by the imperial court shone with dazzling light. The eyes of the four guards were straightened. It took a moment to understand, and they immediately knelt down and said: "Little I'm here to pay my respects to Superintendent Sun. I don't know how disrespectful the Superintendent is when he comes, so I ask the general to punish him."
"Get up, you, take me into the camp." Sun Tu did not mean to embarrass them, and pointed at a soldier in his thirties with a hungry look on his face and ordered. A few people did not dare to neglect, and hurriedly moved the wooden fence behind them to the side, and then led Sun Tu into the area from the head of the soldier who was pointed out. In fact, the area was quite large, covering more than ten acres. Xiangjun military camp.
These many people walked straight into the camp in a swagger, which naturally attracted the attention of everyone in the camp. But surprisingly, none of the soldiers had the intention to step forward for questioning. Only one of them ran back and came to the only room where there was still room. He stopped in front of a decent barracks, and then loudly reported something. After a while, the two people came out one after another. The one in front of them was a big man who was about eight feet tall and as strong as an iron tower. The man behind him was a little thinner than him. But when Sun Tu and Lu Da two After seeing him, the person looked stunned for a moment, then kicked his horse excitedly and quickly rushed towards the opponent.
The man who came out of the barracks one step behind also quickly showed a look of surprise. In a flash, he hurried forward to meet them. When Sun Tu and the others jumped off the horse, he had already rushed to the two of them. , clasped his fists and said happily: "Brother Sun Sanlang, Lu... I didn't expect that after two years of separation, we would be in Qingzhou when we meet again!"
The person who could make Sun Tu and Sun Tu act a bit rude was none other than their old friend, the former head coach of the 800,000 Imperial Army, Leopard Head Lin Chong.
It was not until this moment that Sun Tu remembered this section. It was said that two years ago, Lin Chong was in panic all day long because he was threatened by Gao Qiu and his son, for fear of being harmed by them. It was Sun Tu who helped him at that time and transferred him from Tokyo to Qingzhou through Tong Guan's relationship.
Appointed as deputy team coach. However, as time passed and many changes occurred, Sun Tu completely forgot about this section. Even after he was transferred to Qingzhou, he did not expect to have a good friend here.
"Brother Lin, I really didn't expect that you and I would meet again under such circumstances." Sun Tu hurriedly supported him: "There is no need to be polite between you and me." With Lin Chong here, he wanted to Taking control of Qingzhou's military power would give him a little more certainty.
Luda was also very happy and patted Lin Chong on the shoulder: "Is Coach Lin okay? You have suffered a lot in the Qingzhou military camp, right?"
Lin Chong smiled humbly: "Although this place is indeed not as wealthy as Tokyo, I can live a comfortable life here. At least I don't have to worry about being plotted and framed by others." He has always been a person who doesn't argue with others. As long as he can live peacefully with his wife, Stronger than anything else.
While they were talking, Yang Zhi and others, as well as the soldier, also came over. The latter looked at Sun Tu for a few times before clasping his fists and saying, "May I ask if you are the new governor, General Sun Tusun?"
Sun Tu looked at the other party's appearance and nodded: "It's me. I wonder if you are..."
"The last general, Yuhou Qi, the commander of Qingzhou Xiang Army, met Sun Dujian when he was victorious." This man was a down-to-earth man. As he spoke, he got down on one knee and performed the military salute. Lin Chong, after being stunned for a moment, quickly followed suit and bowed down: "Commander Lin Chong of the Left Camp of the Qingzhou Xiang Army has met Sun Dujian."
Seeing that even Lin Chong had given such a big gift, Sun Tu couldn't show off, so he hurriedly stepped forward and helped them up one by one: "You two don't have to be so polite, hurry up and talk."
After the two of them stood up in response, Lin Chong sighed again: "Although I had heard that the new governor this time was called Sun Tu, I just thought it was a person with the same name. I didn't expect that it was really Sanlang... you are really the governor. Here we come." The status gap between the two parties widened, and he became obviously a little reserved.
At this time, Sun Tu couldn't stand it in front of other people and asked Lin Chong not to be too polite, so he could only say modestly: "But luckily he made some achievements and was recommended by high-ranking officials in the court, so he was promoted to the governor."
Lin Chong said happily: "Sun Dujian is too humble. With your ability, it is reasonable for you to be promoted to the capital supervisor in a few years. In comparison, it puts the last general to shame. After two years, you are still just a person." The little Du Yuhou."
While they were talking, several people had entered the barracks behind them. The furnishings here are also quite simple, with only a large table and a few wooden stools. On the table is a simple sheepskin map, two water bowls, and a teapot.
Seeing Sun Tu and the others looking at the things in the room, Qi Desheng smiled sheepishly and said, "I'm sorry to hear that all the supervisors laughed at this. There really isn't a decent place to entertain you in this camp. Please don't dislike it. Sit down and drink some water first." Let's relieve our fatigue." After saying that, he ran out and asked someone to fetch several large pottery bowls and put them on the table.
Taking this opportunity, Sun Tu asked about Lin Chong's situation in Qingzhou, and said in a general way that everything was going well. Finally, he added with some joy: "My wife gave me a Lin'er last year." , finally settled a worry."
"Oh? Then I really want to congratulate Brother Lin." Sun Tu couldn't help laughing happily when he heard this, and Luda even answered: "For such a happy event, the Sa family must go to the door to congratulate, and then Coach Lin will You have to prepare some food and wine to entertain me
They are the ones. "
"Of course, as long as Brother Lu and Sun... Dujian can go, I will entertain you with good wine and meat." Lin Chong agreed hastily.
After recounting this old story and taking two sips of tasteless cold water, Sun Tu looked at his two new subordinates and got down to business: "Since I am now the governor of Qingzhou, I have the authority and responsibility to command the officers and soldiers of Qingzhou. , then I still need to ask you about some things. Why is this military camp in such a dilapidated state? Also, according to the imperial regulations, the number of Xiangxiang troops in this state should be three thousand. Even if there is a shortage, there should be thousands. Well, why are there only a dozen or so people in this camp now? Where have the others gone? Also, what about the other officials in this army, where are they? "
"This..." Lin Chong fell into silence for a while. On the contrary, Qi Desheng had less scruples and asked: "Didn't Superintendent Sun listen to Magistrate Murong's explanation of everything? Because the imperial court did not allocate enough pay, we only have the Xiang army left. There are less than 600 troops left, and those people now only come to the camp to assemble under the orders of Commander Du. At other times, they work outside to support their families. As for the generals in the army, there are only a few generals left. It’s just Tou and Du Yuhou. Under normal circumstances, General Mo and Lin Chong will guard here... "
Hearing these words, Sun Tu frowned frequently. Although he had learned from Huang Wenbing that there was a big problem in the army, he still did not expect that the problem would be so serious. Today's Qingzhou Xiang Army can't be called an army. It is completely in disarray.
Then, he thought of something again and looked at Lin Chong: "Brother Lin, I remember that when the imperial court transferred you here to be the deputy regimental trainer, why are you now the commander of the battalion?"
Lin Chong gave a bitter smile: "These official positions are just errands, and they have nothing to do with it. Since there are no rural soldiers in Qingzhou, I was assigned to command any battalion in the Xiang army. This is thanks to General Qi's help. otherwise… "
"Oh?" Sun Tu glanced at Qi Desheng thoughtfully, who sighed and said: "Actually, the last general was trained by the Qingzhou regiment before, and then he was transferred to the post of Yuhou in the Xiang army, and General Lin His martial arts skills are extremely outstanding, and I really couldn't bear to have him useless, so I thought of transferring him into the Xiang army, but I felt a little wronged to him."
Lin Chong hurriedly said that he didn't feel aggrieved, but Sun Tu could see that both of them were actually quite aggrieved. No matter who it is, it is unacceptable for a good local soldier general to be transferred to someone else's service, not to mention that they have almost no one available at this time.
"Hmph, it seems that the situation of the Qingzhou Xiang Army has indeed reached a point where it cannot be delayed and must be solved immediately!" Sun Tu frowned deeply: "Since I was transferred here, I should do something about it. ! Otherwise, I am afraid that the lives of the people of Qingzhou will be even more difficult, and some people will be even more unscrupulous!"
Just as he said these words, there was suddenly a burst of chaotic footsteps outside. From the sound, there were quite a few people coming. Then, the barracks door that was covered was suddenly pushed open with force, and a person A voice suddenly sounded outside: "Qi Desheng, Lin Chong, you two are so brave, you dare to let people into the military camp at will. Have you forgotten my previous military order?"
Sun Tu turned around and saw a short but strong military man standing arrogantly in front of the door. Behind him stood several strong men holding swords and guns. A quick calculation showed that there were seventy or eighty people. There are so many people.