Song Jiang and Wu Yong never expected that Huang Wenbing would see the flaw in their clever strategy at a glance. After Sun Tu thought that this might be a conspiracy to lure the tiger away from the mountain, he continued to think deeply.
Huang Wenbing didn't know what he was thinking. Seeing his silence, he was a little worried and said: "Captain, we can't neglect this matter. Once troops are really sent to rescue Dongping Mansion and Qingzhou is empty and the Liangshan bandits take advantage of it, the consequences will be disastrous. That’s easy to say.”
"I know, but Dongping Prefecture can't let it go, otherwise it might really be breached, and then we will be responsible for the casualties of soldiers and civilians. I am not only the governor of Qingzhou Prefecture, but also the soldiers of all prefectures on Jingdong Road. Ma Dujian!" Sun Tu had his own considerations. When he said this, Huang Wenbing really didn't know how to persuade him.
"What's more, it's not easy for me to give orders in the various prefectures now. Once I sit back and watch something happen to Dongping Prefecture, it will only chill the hearts of the soldiers below, and it will be more difficult to command them. But on the contrary, if I can save him this time Dongping Prefecture, after defeating the Liangshan bandits, it should be much easier to order the soldiers and horses of each prefecture to follow suit.
"So this rescue of Dongping Mansion is a bit risky, but the benefits are not small. It is worth a try. But before that, I have to ensure the safety of Qingzhou before sending troops." As he spoke, Sun Tu already had something in his mind. He made a detailed strategy. After saying this, he stood up and said, "Let's go to the military camp to talk."
Seeing that he had made up his mind, Huang Wenbing didn't know what to say, so he could only accept the order and accompany him out, and soon arrived at the military camp where training was still in full swing.
As time went by and some veterans returned, the chilling atmosphere in the Qingzhou Army camp became more intense. At this time, the school field was still divided into two sides, with male soldiers on the left and female soldiers on the right. The former were practicing formation changes under Qi Desheng's orders, while the latter were accustomed to various tactics of formation attack under Hu Rong's supervision.
As early as a year ago, after many battles with the enemy, the Qingzhou Army already understood how effective the battle formation could be in combat. As long as the entire army is united and commanded properly, a few hundred men can often kill thousands of enemies and disintegrate them, while their own casualties are negligible. Therefore, although the daily battle formation drills are the most boring, these soldiers do not dare to be careless in the slightest.
The situation among the female soldiers actually looks better than that of the male soldiers. Even though these women had only been in the army for a month or two, looking at them walking forward side by side, waving spears, stabbing, and slashing with knives, they were already quite neat. It was obvious that they had worked hard on this.
Although women are not as strong as men in terms of physical strength, they still have their strengths, such as endurance, patience and carefulness, and these are sometimes more useful in the army than individual strength.
Daily drills are often the most boring. Repeated repetitions are often boring and distracting. Even the elites in the army cannot avoid this sometimes. At that time, experienced generals will choose to let their soldiers rest for a while before practicing. But women are obviously more able to withstand this kind of boring and mechanical training than men. Sometimes they can practice for half a day without taking a break. Therefore, after more than a month, the growth and progress of this female soldier is completely visible to the naked eye.
Of course, in addition to the unique advantages of being a woman, these female soldiers can all
Another reason why they devote themselves physically and mentally to training is that they are very satisfied with their current life. They don't have to worry about food and clothing in the military camp, and they can get the same full military pay as male soldiers every month. This is a gain that was impossible to obtain no matter how many things they did at home.
And as they can earn the same money as men for their families, the status of these women in the family has also been greatly improved, and it seems that they are no longer the vassals of their husbands. In this way, not only did they become more energetic, but they also promoted the trend of women joining the army. This is another reason why the Qingzhou Army was able to recruit more than 800 female soldiers in just over a month. Key reasons.
When he saw the performance of the soldiers on the school field during training, Sun Tu unconsciously showed a satisfied smile. In fact, as long as he is given enough time and this virtuous cycle exists, he can really train an elite force here that can sweep the world. But it's a pity that the trees want to be quiet but the wind doesn't stop, so this battle is inevitable.
After listening to Sun Tu and Huang Wenbing's stories, Lin Chong, Yang Zhi and other generals also showed worries: "This matter does seem a bit embarrassing. The governor plans to rescue Dongping Mansion, but what if the thieves really have a chance?" It would be too much of a loss to take advantage of it.”
"So we need to make corresponding preparations." Sun Tu glanced at the faces of all the generals under his command: "This time I plan to lead only 1,500 male soldiers and 500 female soldiers to the rescue. , and the remaining more than a thousand people stayed in the city to prevent any unexpected events."
"Can only two thousand soldiers really defeat the bandits and save Dongping Mansion?" Yang Zhilue said vaguely. There was one thing he didn't say, which was that there were five hundred female soldiers among them. Can they really kill the enemy on the battlefield?
Sun Tu seemed to see what he was thinking, and smiled and said: "Back then, I dared to fight thousands of Liangshan troops with only 500 soldiers and won. So now, can't I win with 2,000 soldiers and horses? ? And you all have to believe in your robes. Everyone can see how hard the soldiers have been training these days. Isn’t the daily training just to be able to fight the enemy?"
After a pause, he said seriously: "The reason why I recruit female soldiers is not only to increase the strength of our Qingzhou Army, I also hope to make them contribute to Qingzhou."
"I also believe that sisters will not hold us back. We will never shrink back on the battlefield!" It was Hu Rong who said this. Her pretty face was still flushed because of some excitement.
Faced with such a certain statement, it was natural for Yang Zhi and others to question it again. But then, a new question was raised: "What about Qingzhou? How to defend the city?"
"Actually, our city wall in Qingzhou is high and deep. Unless there are tens of thousands of troops to attack the city, it is impossible for the thieves to pose a threat to us. I think the Liangshan bandits also saw this and thought of using such a move to lure the tiger away from the mountain. But this is obviously not enough, even if we only leave a thousand people to defend the city. This is not something they can easily capture." Sun Tu expressed his guess: "So the only thing to be wary of is that they send people to sneak in early. In the city, once the inside and outside cooperate, then our Qingzhou will be in danger."
"We really have to guard against this. Liangshan thieves used to
This is the most commonly used move when attacking certain states and cities. "Qi Desheng nodded in agreement. When he knew that the next battle with Liangshan was inevitable, he collected the opponent's relevant battle cases and made many summaries.
"So the soldiers who stay in the city also have a heavy responsibility, which is even more dangerous than leading the troops to rescue Dongping. They must be strong in martial arts and shrewd and careful." When Sun Tu said this, his eyes once again glanced at the faces of his subordinates. After that, several names were announced: "Lin Chong, Wu Song, and Shi Qian, the three of you will stay in Qingzhou and assist Magistrate Huang in guarding the city."
Although the three of them were stunned for a moment, they soon stood up and clasped their fists solemnly in response to the order. Without the foreshadowing of the previous sentences, they would naturally have some thoughts in their minds, but now they feel that they have shouldered a responsibility and must defend the city with all their strength.
Sun Tu also had his own considerations in choosing these three people to stay behind. Lin Chong already had a high prestige in the army and was the most skilled in martial arts among the Qingzhou army. With him in the city, he would naturally have an extra level of protection. Wu Song, on the other hand, is an experienced, bold and careful man. With him around, some of the tricks played by the Liangshan bandits should be exposed in time.
As for the last one, Shi Qian, he was the ancestor of rat and dog thieves. He paid attention to the changes in the city. Even if the Liangshan thieves disguised themselves again, they could not hide it. Sun Tu believed that as long as the three of them and Huang Wenbing cooperated seamlessly, it would be enough to stop the thieves who dared to sneak into Qingzhou City. As long as the internal troubles that sneaked into the city can be cut off, even if Song Jiang leads a large army to attack Qingzhou later, the more than a thousand people left behind and the people in the city will be enough to support him until he comes with his army.
After all the problems were taken into consideration and resolved, the rescue of Dongping was finally decided.
Then the military order was issued, and the Qingzhou military camp naturally became agitated. For these soldiers who have been training hard for several months, being able to go out to kill the enemy is the best motivation. Moreover, the people they are going to deal with this time are the Liangshan bandits who have already made great enemies, so there is no need for the generals to say anything about mobilization. If so, both the male and female soldiers were in high spirits and wished they could kill the enemy right away.
Then the news spread, and everyone in the city knew that the army would go out again. Although everyone was a little worried, after all, the Qingzhou Army's previous expeditions had failed and returned with a lot of casualties, but when they thought that the leader of the army this time was Sun Dujian, the people became worried again. Confidence, how can our Sun Dujian be compared to those idiots
After several days of preparation, on the morning of September 16th, two thousand Qingzhou troops waved their banners and left the city in a mighty manner. When the people seeing him off saw the big flag with Sun characters flying in the front moving in the wind, they even let out bursts of cheers of "Victory" and "Mighty", which boosted the morale of the entire army out of thin air. One piece.
When this scene fell into the eyes of a strong man wearing a bamboo hat, there was something strange in his eyes: "This Sun Tu actually has such a great reputation in Qingzhou. It seems that our village has really met him this time. We have reached a powerful enemy. Fortunately, they have fallen into the trap. It’s time to take the news back and let Yuan Wai and others find a way to enter the city!"
In order to be sure, Liang Shanbo had already sent people to sneak into the city, and the second confrontation between the two sides officially began.