Early morning on August 24th.
As the sound of drums and trumpets continued to sound, flags of various colors fluttering in the wind were slowly removed from the Huzhou City Gate. Following these flags were groups of officers and soldiers of the Song Dynasty who were brightly dressed and full of energy. They were in neat formation, and their weapons shone with a cold light under the rising sun, causing many people in front of the city gate to follow. I felt a sense of awe in my heart.
Feeling this, the entire momentum of this group of officers and soldiers became more and more public. As the orders were issued, the army began to set off to the south. It was really murderous, majestic, and majestic.
After getting Sun Tu's approval, the generals didn't waste any more time. They only spent two days preparing and set off southward today. Next, the nearly 100,000 troops will be divided into three groups and go south to capture various prefectures and counties to clear the obstacles ahead for the complete quelling of the Fangla Rebellion.
With the experience and confidence accumulated after winning several previous battles, the spirit of these officers and soldiers of the Song Dynasty was completely different from when they were in Jinling. Instead of being timid and timid, they only had the belief that the rebels would win. Especially when several generals stepped on their horses and walked slowly out of the city gate, all the soldiers shouted in unison: "Today we are quelling the rebellion, our army will win!" The roar went straight into the sky, attracting the birds who had just come out of the forest. They were all so frightened that they flew around in the sky, panicked and uneasy.
After feeling the overwhelming momentum of the entire army, Zhang Gun and the others became even more energetic and laughed. Then they drew out their swords, pointed to the front, and shouted loudly: "The army is setting off!" It was like a roaring mountain and a tsunami again. With a burst of cheers, the tens of thousands of troops suddenly accelerated and strode straight towards the south.
Just judging from their mental outlook and performance, it can be inferred that the entire army has absolute confidence in going south to quell the chaos. In their view, the enemy pointed by the soldiers will be disintegrated and invincible when going south. Why? I will take Hangzhou in time, just to see when I can get there.
Although this is a gratifying progress, some people are not satisfied with it. At least many of the Shandong Army officers and soldiers who stayed in Huzhou City looked dissatisfied. One stood at the top of the city and watched the Qingzhou army leave in great glory. The veteran soldier even sighed and said disdainfully: "Why are you showing off your prestige in front of me! If our brothers hadn't been working hard at the front to capture Huzhou City, they would have been so scared that they retreated."
It wasn't until he finished speaking that he noticed that there were a few more people around him. When he turned around, his face changed with fright. It was Sun Tu, Zhu Wu and several other confidants who came to the city to see off the army. Apparently, he was complaining about this. I listened to the general words.
Just when the veteran was uneasy and didn't know whether he should take the initiative to admit his mistake, Sun Tu gently put his hand on his shoulder and patted him again, without any intention of blaming him. After a moment, he said: "Dong Ping, Yang Zhi, although you have never said it explicitly, you are actually deeply dissatisfied with my concession, right? After all, this is an easy achievement, but it has been easily taken away by others."
"I don't dare to humble my position." Dong Ping, Yang Zhi and other generals who were accompanying him hurriedly replied in a low voice, but in exchange for a smile from Sun Tu: "You said you don't dare, so you still have this idea in your heart. In fact, it's not just you. , I’m afraid all the brothers who stayed in Huzhou under my order are unwilling or dissatisfied with this, but they just can’t tell me directly.”
This time, several people fell silent. Everyone understood that there was something in his words. Song Jiang, on the other hand, smiled and said at this time: "Actually, General, it is reasonable for you to make this arrangement. Our army has fought many times during this period, capturing Danyang, defending Changshu, and breaking Huzhou. Every battle was not a battle to the death with all our strength. The soldiers are already exhausted, and if we continue to go south blindly greedy for merit, once we reach the end of our battle, the damage will be too great, so it is the safest idea to stay in Huzhou for the time being."
Sun Tu glanced at him and smiled softly: "This is indeed one aspect I consider, but it is not all. In the past nearly a year, our officers and men in the Shandong Army have made enough contributions, and we have paid so much The cost is also huge. We haven't received the previous rewards yet, so why should we insist on grabbing all the credit for quelling the chaos in Jiangnan without giving other soldiers and horses a chance to make contributions
"Only by dividing the credit for defeating the thieves among several armies, and our Shandong Army occupies the absolute first credit, then we can get more benefits when the court rewards us in the future. So at this time, let Huaibei and Jingnan The purpose of waiting for the Xiang army to go south is not to let them snatch the credit that belongs to us, on the contrary, it is to use their strength to make the credit bigger."
In response to this, others were still a little slow to react, but Song Jiang, who had many years of experience as an official, understood instantly: "The general is wise, and I admire him for his humble position."
In fact, this is a strategy to compete with the court and share the credit. If Sun Tu relied on his authority as the commander-in-chief of the three armies to suppress other officers and soldiers, it would not be difficult to prevent them from making much contribution. Even with his iron fist and the powerful combat power of the Shandong Army, it is really possible. With his army and horses, Jiangnan was completely pacified.
But can this really bring him and the Shandong Army soldiers the greatest benefit? Only those officials in the court who were suspicious of them and who were enemies of Sun Tu would interfere with them, or at least severely discount their achievements, or even not be rewarded for their high merits.
But if Sun Tu dragged other soldiers and horses into this great victory and everyone showed their merits to the court together, the situation would be completely different. Although these generals do not seem to have much status, in fact, they each have a backer. Under such circumstances, in order to obtain more benefits, these generals will naturally use their own channels to get the imperial court to recognize the pacification of Jiangnan. This is a huge contribution. In this way, the Shandong Army, which is the first contributor, can naturally maximize its benefits.
Eating alone may look great, but if you really have a big appetite, you can only eat more when you eat with many people, because then the ingredients are more abundant. What Sun Tu has to do now is to make this meal bigger and more abundant, so that more people can participate. This also corresponds to the previous imperial court’s attitude towards rewarding the capture of Huzhou. If it hadn’t been for the great victory near Suzhou later, the credit for conquering Huzhou might have been forcibly suppressed...
After Song Jiang's explanation, the others finally understood. Their dissatisfaction subsided, but they complained a little more about the court. They felt that the officialdom was too deep, and it was not something that straightforward warriors like them could understand.
Dong Ping frowned slightly and said: "General, despite my humble position, I am still a little worried. If he is really allowed to
They attacked the city and captured the territory, and finally defeated Hangzhou. Then, didn’t the achievements of our Shandong Army be overshadowed by them? "
This question really aroused the concerns of others. Yes, no matter how many achievements you have made in the past, it is crucial to capture Suzhou and Huzhou, but once you finally capture Hangzhou, you may even kill or capture the thieves alive. Shou Fang La's army was replaced by another army, and this merit belongs to others. They, the Shandong Army, worked hard but ended up making wedding dresses for others.
Sun Tu shook his head and laughed: "You are too unfounded. If Hangzhou is so easy to fight, why do I have to station troops here for rest and recuperation? Even though the rebel army is now in decline, they still claim to have With hundreds of thousands of troops, their strength is still higher than that of the various official troops, how can they be easily defeated? As for Hangzhou, it is even less likely to be defeated in a short time. Pang Wanchun and Fang Shifo are still there, so this battle will be huge. There are repetitions.”
Seeing that Sun Tu was so confident in what he said, everyone believed him. After all, over the years, almost every judgment made by Sun Tu was accurate, which made his soldiers convinced of him and regarded his orders as a guideline.
Sun Tu then said: "And this will also be of great benefit to our Shandong Army in establishing prestige among other armies. If they fail in Hangzhou or elsewhere, won't they have to rely on our Shandong Army soldiers to defeat the enemy and seize the city in the end? Everything in the army We all respect strength. As long as we are strong enough, we can convince them, and we will be able to make these soldiers and horses unite with me in the future. Even relying on their word of mouth, maybe when all the armies in the world will be We will respect our Shandong Army and make it difficult for our position to be shaken!"
This is Sun Tu's most far-reaching thought on this matter. Now he is no longer focusing on the small profits in front of him, but also starting to plan for the future. He knows very well where his strengths and roots lie. Only when the Shandong Army is strong enough and famous enough to become the supreme existence in the hearts of the Xiangjun in the world, can he, the leader of the Shandong Army, become the hero and idol in the hearts of all sergeants. And once you have this layer of divine light protection, no matter how conspiratorial and scheming those in the imperial court are, they will not be able to easily attack you.
Others may not be able to see as far as he does, but they are already impressed by their general's foresight. They all clasped their fists and said, "The general's far-sighted vision is beyond my reach, and I admire him even though he is of a lowly rank..."
Sun Tu hurriedly helped the two of them up and said with a smile: "Of course, everything I said is just an idea. If we really want to achieve it, we have to rely on you and the brothers below to work together and go all out. But there are I just want you to remember that the battle in Jiangnan is far from settled, and the only ones who can finally capture Hangzhou and put an end to the chaos are our Shandong Army officers and men!"
"I understand your humble position!" Everyone responded loudly, and even the soldier who was unwilling just now straightened his waist and shouted loudly. Then, someone suddenly shouted: "The Shandong Army will win, General Sun is mighty!"
The cry spread quickly, and the entire Huzhou City defenders shouted loudly at the same time: "The Shandong Army will win, General Sun is mighty!" This noise was not even compared to the tens of thousands of troops leaving the city. It was so small that it spread far away, reaching the ears of those soldiers and horses, but it made them confused for a moment, wondering what the Shandong Army was doing...