After hearing the words, the two kinds looked at each other, and then Master Zhong said: "Of course we know that the situation cannot be changed, but after all, we still want to save the lives of these soldiers who have worked hard for the imperial court. And now among the Song army, The only one who can really help us is you Qianli."
"You two ministers think too highly of me. Now that I have no soldiers and no power, how can I have any impact on the war?" Sun Tu asked casually, still confused.
Master Zhong calmed down and then smiled and said: "It seems that you don't know how influential the name Sun Tu is in today's army, right? I dare not say that Jing Cong responded as soon as he climbed high, but it was enough to make many The soldiers obeyed your orders during the war, even if you had no authority."
"This... how is it possible..."
"Don't underestimate the great things you have done over the years. Even if we are in the Western Frontier, we have heard about them for a long time. You are an outlier in the army, and you are a hero in the hearts of all soldiers. Because you have done There are so many things that we want to do but dare not do. Whether it is killing corrupt officials, rectifying military discipline, and training a truly elite army from a poor place like Shandong, these are things that soldiers cannot even think about. I dare not think about it.”
"And this not only affects our soldiers in the Western Army, but also all soldiers and horses in the world highly respect you. At least secretly, everyone admires you Sun Qianli very much. Maybe you still don't know how important your reputation is. , but as long as we try it once, we will know that what we say is true."
The two old men were talking to each other, but Sun Tu fell into deep thought. He really never thought that his bold actions in the past would make him famous among the soldiers of the Song Dynasty, because at that time, he did all these things more for self-protection or to gather the morale of his subordinates. But now it seems that this influence is much greater than I hoped.
After thinking about it carefully, things seem to make some sense. At least for ordinary soldiers, he does have great influence. Some clues can be seen from the fact that he was in charge of the Huben Army in Tokyo. At that time, although he relied on hard and soft means to win over Wei Cheng and other generals, ordinary soldiers were not so easy to win over. But as a result, in just a few days, the originally scattered Tiger Army was able to unite.
At that time, he thought it was because the generals below were under pressure and played too long. But now that I think about it, I'm afraid it's probably because of my own appeal. In addition, the incident at Yanmen Pass a few days ago also confirmed this point. ,
You must know that he was the one who killed Du Changguo and forced Tian Boyuan to death in front of the soldiers. Those two people have always been the commanders of these soldiers. But what's the result? No one raised any objections, let alone anyone who stood up to avenge them.
At that time, I didn't go into detail, thinking that the experience of the Hu Ben Army made these low-level soldiers feel the same hatred of the enemy, and they were frightened by the 20,000 people under Qin Gan. But now it seems that it was due to his reputation. Because the soldiers believed in his judgment and supported his actions unconditionally, they watched the two men being killed one after another...
These things that he had ignored in the past, Sun Tu gradually came to understand them with Er Zhong's frank words, which also caused some changes in his entire state. It turns out that I am already better than myself
What I thought was even more powerful. No wonder even Tong Guan only dared to leave me idle. Even if he saw that I seemed to have different intentions, he could only try to win over me first and use such clumsy means to deceive me!
After a while, Sun Tu, who wanted to understand everything, had greatly increased his confidence. He looked at Er Zang and asked: "So, do you want me to lead troops to support you?"
"This is not only to support our Western Army, but also to achieve the final victory of this Northern Expedition. If we really follow Tong Guan's strategy, I can conclude that our army will be defeated and we will never be able to capture Youzhou City again. "Master Zhong said with a serious expression.
"How can I see it?"
"Can't you see that at this moment, our Song army seems to be far stronger than the Liao army, but when it comes to fighting tough battles, except for our Western Army, which has tens of thousands of troops, no one can shoulder such a heavy responsibility. If We were the first to be defeated in this battle. Do you think the Northern Army and the Forbidden Army at the back, who are already fearful of the enemy, can reverse the defeat? They will only collapse quickly and be beaten dozens of miles away again."
"But if we combine the strength of our two armies to fight against the Liao army, the situation will be different. Even if it is still possible to fail, it will not seriously damage our vitality. Only in this way can we have a chance to turn defeat into victory. You should also know what is going on in the Liao people's country right now. The situation is that as long as they hold on for a while longer, their military morale may collapse, causing us to win without a fight!"
Sun Tu naturally took this statement seriously: "What the two gentlemen said is true. I will do my best to cooperate with you in the use of troops." As these words came out, he was convinced by the two of them. Plan to cooperate with them.
Erzhong was immediately overjoyed and laughed and said: "Okay, with your words here, Sun Qianli, we can rest assured. Now you are the only one who can change the situation of the war."
Sun Tu smiled bitterly. To be honest, he still didn't have much confidence in his heart. Maybe he does have a lot of prestige in the army, but in wartime, can he lead the army to attack under Tong Guan's eyes? That would be contrary to the opponent's overall plan. But since the two of them had talked about it for this reason, Sun Tu had already made a promise that he would go all out when the time comes.
And this was Sun Tu's last effort after heading north this time. Because he actually knew very well that once there was another disastrous defeat this time, the direction of history would not change. By then, the demise of the Northern Song Dynasty and the sinking of the Central Plains would be imminent. Therefore, by that time, I really don't have to worry too much. Success, failure, life and death, all depend on this.
Erzhong didn't know that he still had such thoughts. Feeling relieved, he took him back to the front tent, once again offered water instead of wine, toasted Sun Tu several bowls, and then sent him off politely. Walk.
It wasn't until Sun Tu left that Zhong Jing, who had been lingering around, went to see his two grandfathers with full of confusion and anger, and asked him bluntly why they were so polite to such a little person, even to the point of being groveling. .
After hearing this, the two elders smiled bitterly at first, and then stared at each other: "So, although you have some abilities, you haven't really grown up yet, and you can't even see through the overall situation. Sun Tu is a famous person. In the army, there is someone who can save countless soldiers of our Western Army. Not to mention just asking us to treat him with courtesy, no matter how high the price is, we must be on good terms with him."
"He really has such ability?" Zhong Jing still looked unbelievable.
"You will know soon. I see Sun Qianli is definitely not a thing in the pool. I am afraid that this is not the only time he can help our Western Army." Zhong Shidao narrowed his eyes slightly and said.
"Yes, as long as he can really lead his army to rescue our Western Army this time, then all the troops in the world will return home. By then..." There are some words that Zhongshi Zhong couldn't say more: "Anyway, by then our Western Army will be able to use his If you keep your eyes on the horse, you can sit back and relax.”
After saying this, the two elders looked at each other and smiled again, but they showed an unprecedented relaxed look.
To be honest, over the years, especially when the two found that they were gradually eroded by time and old, and were about to become useless, an extremely serious question has been lingering in their minds. When they are a hundred years from now, where will the Western Army go
After all, the two old generals are still ordinary people, and they also have some thoughts as ordinary people. They really don't want the Western Army created by their ancestor Zhong Fanggong to dissipate with their death. However, in the current Western Army, they really can't find a qualified successor. Whether it's their sons, subordinates like Di Heming, or the grandchildren in front of them. It is impossible to take on such a big responsibility. Especially in this time of rapid changes and internal and external troubles, this seemingly powerful Western Army has reached a critical moment of life and death.
Foreign enemies are not to be feared, but the intrigues and calculations within the imperial court are the big trouble that worries them. After all, after decades of building, the Western Army has indeed become more and more like a family soldier of the Zhong family. This is obviously not what the court wants to see.
The two of them may not be afraid of the court's actions when they are alive, but what will happen after they die? Originally, they were already a little desperate and planned to resign themselves to fate and see if their grandson Zhong Jing, Di Heming and others could join forces to defend the Western Army family business. But now, the appearance of Sun Tu made them feel relieved.
It can be said that today's meeting is not only asking for help, but also asking for help. As long as Sun Tu can save the Western Army this time, then in the future, the last elite of the Song Dynasty will follow Sun Tu's lead, and he will also become the new generation of Western Army coach!
After Zhong Jing understood the two grandfathers' intentions, he became increasingly unacceptable. However, the two elders had accumulated power for many years, but he did not dare to question it directly. In the end, he could only bury these thoughts deep in his heart, thinking that one day he would show off his skills so that the two grandfathers would know that he was not worse than Sun Tu, but even better. The right successor!
Finally, he stood in front of the Chinese army's tent and looked at the Chinese army's stronghold on the other side from a distance, as if he wanted to see Sun Tu: "Sun Tu, Sun Qianli..."
Sun Tu, who had already walked back, didn't know that he was so valued by others, and he didn't know that he had such a powerful elite in his hands unknowingly. What he was thinking about now was the imminent war. He really didn't know what the final direction of this war, which was related to the survival of the two countries, would be with his participation.
The answer to this question will be revealed soon.
A few days later, on March 17, a burst of drums and trumpets suddenly sounded, and a long-simmering decisive battle between the Liao and Song Dynasties finally began...