Gu Mingchuan opened his eyes wide in surprise and looked at Song Xiangyu in front of him, wondering if this guy had taken the wrong medicine.
The discord between the camps has a long history, and there are many grievances, but the relationship between them has always been just tolerable. Even in the big competition, it is just a matter of time and will not cause any serious consequences. This is already an established rule, and it should be the same this year.
Song Xiangyu had been a decent person in the past, and he didn't put on airs like other nobles. The country had enjoyed peace for a long time, and although the Tartars invaded the border from time to time, there were no major battles, and it was difficult to confer titles based on military merit. Therefore, it was inevitable that veteran nobles like Song Xiangyu would compete with officers like Gu Mingchuan who had truly relied on their own efforts to rise to the top.
But despite all the troubles in the past, Song Xiangyu was not such an annoying person.
I don't know what happened today, but he came to provoke me like this without any scruples.
The men in the army were full of blood. Before he could say anything, the other generals in the West Camp were already anxious. Someone immediately shouted to Song Xiangyu: "Commander Song, don't go too far! Whether it can be done or not, we will see it in the martial arts arena. You are talking big now, aren't you afraid of gnashing your teeth!?"
Once someone took the lead, everyone else followed suit and became indignant. Everyone in the West Camp looked at Song Xiangyu as if they wanted to eat him.
Song Xiangyu sighed, and without hesitation, he stepped forward and picked up a spear from a soldier's hand. He laughed disdainfully for a while, "You want to compete with us with a thing of this quality? I'm telling you, don't even think about winning this year. The prize is destined to be ours!"
After he said that, he bowed to Gu Mingchuan provocatively, then walked away laughing.
"Bah!" After a long while, a deputy general beside Gu Mingchuan spit fiercely on the ground: "What the hell!? A villain is getting ahead! He is just relying on the fact that he is the eldest grandson of the emperor! Why are you so arrogant!"
Everyone then realized, yes, who is standing behind the Song family now
From this perspective, keeping a low profile in the past simply meant that he had no opportunities. But now that he has the support of the emperor's eldest grandson, isn't that a villain's success
The deputy general could not hold back his anger and said angrily: "Marshal, are we really going to be bullied like this? What should the Ministry of War do? We have to intercept the flow of troops every year. Our West Camp cannot compare with the Beijing Camp and the East Camp. One has Guangping Marquis in charge, and the other has Chen Taijun's godson..."
Xidaying is really a place where neither his father nor his mother loves him.
Of course, the Beijing Camp and the East Camp were also exploited, but generally they were approved to pay 30,000 to 40,000 taels of silver, and the Ministry of War would intercept 3,000 to 4,000 taels of silver. However, the West Camp was always exploited more.
That would be fine, but now that the competition is coming up, those people in the Armory are still so biased, rushing to give the good weapons to those two. What is the point of the West Camp competing
As soon as the deputy general spoke, the other generals in the West Camp could not help themselves. Some of them pursed their lips and advised Gu Mingchuan: "Marshal! Do we deserve to be inferior to others? They have all been issued new weapons, why don't we have them? Isn't this picking on the weak? In my opinion, we should just go up and make a scene..."
Gu Mingchuan glanced at him calmly: "Where are you going?"
The three major camps are all under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War. Ultimately, one still has to live by the Ministry of War's wishes. Besides, military officers are already inferior to civil servants. If they dare to make trouble, do they want to stop working there in the future
The deputy general gritted his teeth and said, "Marshal, whether it works or not, we have to think of a way, right? Seeing Song Xiangyu's arrogance, we know that this competition must be important. We can't do anything else, but my younger brother is in the Equipment Department of the Ministry of War... Can't we borrow a batch of weapons first? There have been such examples in the past..."
That's right. If we want weapons, we just have to wait for the Ministry of War to send them. How long will it take? There are many details and complexities here. You have your Yangguan Road, and I can also walk my own single-plank bridge. We are all like the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, each showing his own magical powers.
Gu Mingchuan's eyes lit up, and he pounded the table, making the final decision: "Let's do it! Just say that we used the weapons of the new recruits in advance! Anyway, we should have provided them with supplies after the New Year!"
It's easier to get things done if you have someone in the court, and your Song family is not the only one who can get convenience in the Ministry of War.
As for Dongying
General Chen of the East Camp was even more perceptive. He received news almost as soon as the news came out and the Beijing Camp and the West Camp moved.
Damn it! Both sides are trying their best to come out on top, just waiting to step on Dongying. How can such a good thing happen?!
He immediately went to find his godfather.
Not only that, General Chen took advantage of his godfather coming home from the palace at night to tell the story with exaggeration, and said: "Godfather, it's obvious that they are all trying to win the credit! I'm not angry that they are trying to win the credit, but they are planning to use such a trick to harm others and benefit themselves, which shows that they look down on their son too much! My son must fight for his honor this time!"
Eunuch Chen opened his eyes and glanced at him. Seeing that his godson had already poured all the water, he put his feet into the basin and sighed comfortably, "Don't do anything stupid! The Marquis is mature and steady, and the emperor values him very much! Even if he is the prince, he still has the emperor's favor."
General Chen added hot water to the basin and tested the water temperature. He laughed and said, "Don't worry, godfather. I know what's going on and I haven't thought about it. But I think this is a good opportunity and I don't want to embarrass you..."
"Go to hell!" Eunuch Chen laughed. "I don't know what you are planning, kid? Life in Dongying is easy, right? You are just thinking about getting more benefits, and you are talking as if you are showing great filial piety."
General Chen was kicked and squatted on his buttocks. He supported himself on the ground with his hands, climbed up skillfully and smiled: "What can my son hide from his godfather? Dongying is a good place, and the soldiers are easy to lead. They were all led by Xu Yonghong to the battlefield before, and there are no cowards. But later, when Duke Cheng got into trouble, they were also unwelcome and had a hard time. It was not until my son left that they turned things around and no longer lived in misery. This, my son has been with them for a long time, and everyone knows each other. My son wants to get benefits, but my son is not ignoring them! As long as they work hard, it means that my son is filial to you, right? If my son does well, you will be proud!"
General Chen and Eunuch Chen are truly related by blood. General Chen is Eunuch Chen's nephew, so Eunuch Chen naturally treats him very well.