When the army set off, Gu Ran couldn't help crying. With a red nose, this little adult-like child was hiccupping while trying to maintain his image in front of his father: "Father, hiccup, my son is waiting for your return."
So cute.
Gu Yuanbai pursed his lips sadly on purpose, "If you can't come back as a father, then brother, you have to shoulder the burden of being a father."
Gu Ran was stunned for a moment, couldn't help it at all, raised his head and started crying.
Gu Yuanbai: "Cough... I'm just kidding you."
After appeasing his adopted son, Gu Yuanbai glanced at the mighty and splendid capital for the last time while the officials saluted in tears, and turned away resolutely.
The people in the back of the road swayed their heads, waving the peace talismans in their hands, and hurriedly crowded together: "Master Guan, we have asked for the talisman, can we give the talisman to the sage and the generals?"
The official who stopped the people on the side of the road said patiently, "I can't take it."
The old man Xu's family watched the army go out, and kept reciting "victory, triumph". His mother-in-law and several sons and daughters-in-law are crowded here. The mother-in-law has a ruddy face and is much fatter than last year. She is constantly wiping her tears with her sleeves. If others don't know it, she stepped forward and comforted: "Auntie, there is your son in there. ?"
"There are sons in the cotton-padded clothes I made!" Old Man Xu's wife said loudly, wiping the corners of her eyes again, "I hope these sons can follow the saint back well."
Several women around who were also called by the imperial court to make cotton-padded clothes this year put their hands together and prayed to the gods and Buddhas, constantly muttering, "The Holy One must be healthy, all come back, all come back well."
The officials on the side of the road listened a lot, and couldn't help but say, "You don't care about the crops, and you don't care about what you have for lunch today, why are you all here caring about the soldiers coming?"
A few wives glared at him, and the men in the crowd shouted, "How can you say such a thing when you are eating from the official's family!"
The official only asked curiously, and immediately everyone shouted and beat him. He turned his head in embarrassment, and when he saw it, his colleagues on the left and right were frowning at him, and their expressions were not good.
He smiled embarrassingly, and when he looked back, the army gradually disappeared.
*
The north wind was cold, and twenty days later, an army of 100,000 camped at the northwestern border.
The head coach is Zhang Hucheng, the hussar general, and there are many generals. After arriving at the place, Zhang Hucheng came to Tongsheng to ask for instructions, and then arranged for people to dig trenches and build high walls to prepare for the war.
There are several city walls in the northwest. When Gu Yuanbai overlooked the city walls for thousands of miles, he suddenly remembered that in the original book, didn't Xixia capture five or six cities in Daheng from the northwest
And now, everything has changed.
The purpose of this battle is not to defeat Xixia, but to invade Xixia in one fell swoop. The harsh environment in winter has doubled the pressure on the logistics line for the subsequent transportation of military supplies and food. There can be no problems in any link. The people in the rear must ensure the safety of the soldiers on the front line.
The people who stayed behind were all people Gu Yuanbai trusted extremely.
Gu Yuanbai believes that the biggest enemy of this battle is not Xixia, but the environment and logistics.
Later, Xue Yuan took the scouts to measure the terrain and reported the results of the investigation. It will respond differently to various situations that will occur in the Battle of Xixia.
Kong Yilin speaks little, but his eyes are extremely sharp, and every time he speaks, he stabs the key.
Gu Yuanbai's generals, after two years of continuous victories, have accumulated enough self-confidence and fighting spirit. They trust their abilities, their soldiers and the rear front. Gu Yuanbai was worried that the arrogant soldiers would be defeated, but after seeing their state, this last worry completely fell back to his stomach.
His generals were all rational and sober, and what they wanted was a down-to-earth victory.
The northwest is full of yellow sand, and the city walls are the color of sand. It is cold in winter. In order to prevent the soldiers from getting cold, the army will urge people to take turns to boil hot water every day. The hygiene must be clean. Wash your hands and feet with hot water every day. The Huotou Army provides ginger soup. Drink a bowl of warm ginger soup every day.
The soldiers thought it was troublesome at first, but when they knew that the Holy General would bring their generals to visit their camp from time to time, they hurriedly started rushing to wash their feet with hot water.
You can't smell like a saint, can you
Gu Yuanbai didn't know what they were thinking. He patrolled several camps cordially and gently. When he came out of the camp, he took a few breaths of fresh air.
Xue Yuan was on the side, still a little puzzled: "These bastards know that they are clean, and the smell is much lighter."
"..." Gu Yuanbai rubbed his nose.
Is this a light taste? How much was that before
Gu Yuanbai thought about it, it may also be that his nose is too delicate now. He took a few more breaths of the odorless air, and said, "Illness is the most important thing, and you must be very careful! During the day, the tent is ventilated, and Jiang Tangri can't stop, so he ordered each corporal to fight against his soldiers. More supervision, once you have a fever or cold, immediately send it to the military doctor for diagnosis and treatment."
General Hussar, General Zhonglang and others responded in unison: "Yes!"
Before Gu Yuanbai finished speaking, "When I sent Wanmin to sew clothes for the soldiers in the northwest, I also made tens of thousands of cloth bags. The cloth bags already contain medicines for hemostasis and healing, and I will use them tomorrow. The cloth bag is issued, up to the coach, down to the soldiers, it must be firmly tied around the waist and must not be lost."
Zhang Hucheng and the generals looked solemn, and said solemnly: "I will personally supervise its distribution tomorrow."
Gu Yuanbai nodded and walked in the direction of the return journey, "Zhang Qing, you are much more capable than me when it comes to fighting with the generals. I have only read a few books on military affairs, but it is impossible to form an army. You As long as you do it with confidence and boldness, you can deduce the offense and defense, and everyone can check and fill the gaps with one heart."
Zhang Hucheng was a little sincere and fearful: "The sage is full of achievements in both discipline and martial arts, and the minister is frightened. I hope that the sage will not say this again."
Gu Yuanbai laughed, thought for a moment, and asked, "Do you know Xue Jiuyao, the son of General Xue Ping?"
Zhang Hu was happy, "Chen and General Xue have fought together in the past. Xue Jiuyao entered the military camp at a young age, so I naturally knew it."
Xue Yuan coughed a few times.
Zhang Hucheng looked at him and sighed a lot, "Brother Yuan is now taller than the old minister, even though the minister is a hundred miles away from the northern border, he has heard about Xue Jiuyao's reputation. After I wait for the veteran, The generals are also successors."
Gu Yuanbai heard the words and looked back at Xue Yuan. He is indeed taller than these generals. Armored, with sharp eyebrows and eyes, he has the mature appearance that generals should have. The physique and desire to attack and aggression that the generals gradually lose is also thick and deep in his body.
The generals were deeply touched by Zhang Hucheng's words, and they talked in twos and threes. Xue Yuan took the opportunity to lean over and whispered in Gu Yuanbai's ear: "Why do you see me like that?"
Gu Yuanbai's ears were itchy, he tilted his head, but Xue Yuan chased after him, the tip of his tongue rolled over his ears.
The surrounding generals suddenly asked, "Sir, what do you think?"
As soon as the words fell, the soldiers patrolling around lit up the torches. In the light of the fire, the saint's complexion seemed to be a hazy thin red, "...very good."
No one noticed the general, so he also laughed: "The defense measures in the army are done one by one, and the ministers and others also feel good."
Gu Yuanbai nodded thoughtfully, looking calm.
"Xue Jiuyao still has a lot to learn," Gu Yuanbai continued, "but he has the talent of a general and is very talented. Whether it's suppressing bandits, suppressing rebels, or fighting in northern Xinjiang, he can learn from it. I see one or two. I will hand him over to you, and you can send him at will when it comes to combat, so that he can train with you."
Zhang Hucheng said with a wry smile: "Let's not say what the minister can teach Xue Jiuyao, just the battle of Xixia, the minister once asked him what he thought, but Brother Yuan said that he only protects the saint and fights, don't come to him ."
Gu Yuanbai was stunned for a moment, then looked up at Xue Yuan.
Xue Yuan's expression remained unchanged, as if he had not heard Zhang Hucheng's words.
"Everyone else is rushing to enter the battlefield for this opportunity to make meritorious deeds. Xue Jiuyao is usually the most ruthless one on the battlefield, and no one can stop him. The ministers are surprised that he can say these words. Of course," Zhang Hucheng shook his head, "he said that there will be more opportunities for meritorious service in the future, so don't rush this time."
"..." Gu Yuanbai responded slowly, "Well."
If you think about it with your feet, you can know who Xue Yuan is for.
He pretended to look aside casually.
Xue Yuan lowered his eyes and looked at him quietly.
Bloodthirsty and warlike people give up their military exploits for one person, and would rather stay by Gu Yuanbai's side to protect them when they watch others go to battle and kill the enemy.
Really... complicated.
In the evening, the eunuch brought hot water. Gu Yuanbai wiped his hands and face, briefly wiped his body, and sat on the edge of the bed soaking his feet.
The water in the wooden bucket reached his calf. He leaned over and pulled at the bottom of his trousers. He stretched out a large palm, and the shadow crouched down and rolled up Gu Yuanbai's trousers.
Xue Yuan rolled up his clothes and reached out to test the water temperature, "It's a little cold, I'll go get some hot water."
The tent door was raised and lowered, Xue Yuan came back soon, he squatted down and took the saint's foot out of the bucket and held it in one of his hands. He poured hot water with one hand, stopped when he felt that the water temperature was almost the same, and gently dipped the water with his hand, "My hand is thicker than before, but I just think the water temperature is still good, would you try it?"
Gu Yuanbai moved in his palm, "Okay."
Xue Yuan carefully held his feet and moved over to touch the water. Gu Yuanbai felt good, "Yes."
Xue Yuan finally let go of his hand, and then stretched out two long fingers to wrap around Sheng Shang's wrist, frowning, "It seems to have lost weight."
"Drinking medicine for a long time, and receiving acupuncture and moxibustion for a long time," Gu Yuanbai held onto his shoulder, still shivering from the hot water, "It's not surprising that he lost weight."
Xue Yuan sighed, stabilized his body and let him support him, "No matter how thin you are, there is no more meat."
"You should go and see those imperial doctors in the Imperial Hospital," Gu Yuanbai raised his lips and smiled, "they have never traveled such a long distance, and they are afraid of my body, everyone has lost weight along the way. lock up."
Xue Yuan responded perfunctorily, "Let the Huotou Army cook more meals for them."
"Huotoujun's craftsmanship is decent," Gu Yuanbai said. "The ingredients are enough, and everything tastes good."
"You can't eat like this," Xue Yuan refused, "I asked the imperial doctor long ago that anyone can eat like this, but you can't eat like this."
Gu Yuanbai: "You can't be as particular in the northwest as you are in the capital. Brother Yuan, add some more hot water."
Xue Yuan added hot water, suddenly stepped forward to check, and kissed, "My name is Jiuyao Langjun."