The sun had already set, and the mountains, waters, and houses were gradually shrouded in dim light. A monotonous whistle sounded from somewhere, a simple whistle made of grass leaves, without any melody and very low volume, but the hoarse voice was inexplicably sad.
Yao Erniu had already eaten dinner, eating wheat cakes with cold water; he was sitting on the thatched grass under a tree, propping up his knees and hugging his hands to keep warm. The troops of the Tiger Guards on Shipo Mountain were in an unexposed ambush, and needed to be concealed, so they were not allowed to light fires. He looked to the north, and there was light on the edge of the sky. It was a bonfire lit in the camp of the Southern Tang Army a few miles away; it was already early November, and it was very cold at night, and the Southern Tang soldiers were lighting fires to keep warm.
The soldiers of the Huben Army could only endure the cold.
I heard that the Southern Tang army has 50,000 soldiers. Twenty miles to the east, the Southern Tang army on the north bank of the Suoxi River is very close. Even the flames can be seen. It is estimated that the fighting will start early tomorrow morning.
Several people around were shivering from the cold, some had already wrapped themselves in blankets, and no one said a word; in the distance, some people were whispering, and from time to time there was a sound like a sneeze from a horse. Hiding in the forest mainly meant that you couldn't light a fire to create smoke, but the sound wouldn't be easily transmitted.
At this moment, Yao Erniu took out an embroidered purse from his arms and looked at it in the dim light.
The scene of the day he left Tokyo emerged in his mind. As he walked past a corner of the alley, a woman suddenly jumped out, stuffed the thing in his hand and turned around and ran away. The moment she brushed past him and ran away, Yao Erniu's ears turned red when he saw her. The woman was his cousin, the daughter brought by his aunt who fled from famine.
Maybe my cousin thought that Yao Erniu was good at making money. In those difficult times, military salary and bonuses like Yao Erniu's were indeed very good.
Yao Erniu stroked his purse for a while, and thought of his father who had to use a wooden stick to walk, his mother who went to the city gate every day to buy vegetables from farmers at a low price and then sold them at the gate, and other people.
He hoped that he would not die in tomorrow's battle, and even more so that he could win and enter Jiangning City to share the money.
The Central Army Camp at the Quarry Wharf. Lanterns hanging on the wall make the classical architecture look more oriental and elegant, and the contrast between light and dark makes the environment look a little heavy.
Li Chuyun said solemnly: "Just like Tian Ji's horse racing, our army uses the worst unit, Gao Yanchou's unit, to deal with the most elite vanguard of the Southern Tang Army; and then uses the first-class Ma Hu Ben Army and the second-class elite Long Jie Army to fight against the remaining main forces of the Southern Tang Army. This is a sure-win method, first establish an invincible position. However, it is impossible to win completely, as the Southern Tang vanguard will break through the defense line to Dangtu."
The leader of the Southern Tang Army's vanguard is Lin Renzhao, and although the number of people on the Suoxi River side is small, the leader is Huangfu Jixun. Guo Shao pondered.
Li Chuyun fell silent after hearing this. There were other generals in the hall, and no one spoke. The atmosphere was a bit solemn. People inevitably face such difficult choices sometimes.
Guo Shao paced back and forth in the middle of the hall. There were many people present, but they were very quiet. When he spoke, it was as if he was whispering: On the eve of this great war, everyone has his own expectations and dreams. The soldiers want to make achievements and want to be appreciated for their merits.
He looked around, his eyes glowing with the light of lanterns, and I wanted to end the civil war as soon as possible; we still have a lot to do, but life is too short. I hope that one day the land of Kyushu will end its chaos, poverty and weakness, and restore the glory of the Han and Tang dynasties, so that every place name with a profound background can be passed down among the nations, and everyone can hold their heads up and make their families live a life of food and clothing. This country should have dignity.
Guo Shao was a little moved when he said this, there was no sense of false acting at all, we will bleed and people will die, but it will all be worth it
His expression and voice were very inspiring. Dong Zunhui, who was relatively young, was completely moved and looked at Guo Shao with admiration. Even Li Chuyun and Shi Yanchao were a little moved.
Dong Zun said: Uncle, just give the order. No matter how dangerous the situation, I will never question your order.
Guo Shao's face became resolute, and he turned to Li Chuyun and said decisively: General Li must use more than 10,000 troops to resist Huangfu Jixun's 50,000 troops to defend Cai Shi. If you find it difficult to resist, let the navy soldiers go ashore and form a battle array.
The generals present were all very familiar with Guo Shao and instinctively trusted Guo Shao's decisions. Li Chuyun said without saying anything, clasped his fists and said: "I understand your command."
Guo Shao added: Shi Yanchao, Dong Zunhui and I will lead the first, second and third armies of the Tiger Guard to leave Shipo Mountain early tomorrow morning and head southeast to reinforce Gao Yanchou and first defeat Lin Renzhao.
When we go out, we need to make a big noise, light fireworks on Shipo Mountain, and raise flags widely to provoke the enemy. Huangfu Jixun in Suoxi River may be frightened when he finds out there are ambushes on Shipo Mountain. He won't dare to act rashly. It's best to delay it so that we can create a time difference and come back to deal with Huangfu Jixun.
The generals clasped their fists in response.
After Guo Shao deployed the tactics, he and the generals of the Palace Front Division rushed to Shipo Mountain overnight. Guo Shao was usually cautious in his work, but at certain times, he was very courageous. He did not dare to launch a mutiny last year.
There were 10,000 troops deployed in the entire forest of Shipo Mountain, but it was impossible to see them at night, as the mountains were completely dark. Guo Shao and others followed a path through the forest to the center of the Third Army, and inspected the situation of the soldiers along the way.
It was really hard to sleep in the open air in this weather, and they were not allowed to light a fire. The soldiers piled hay in the tents, and then wrapped themselves in blankets and quilts to keep out the cold. When Guo Shao walked to a camp, he saw some soldiers shivering in the moonlight.
"Greetings, Marshal Guo," said a burly man.
Guo Shao recognized the person: You are Zhang Jiankui.
Yes, it is me. Zhang Jiankui said hurriedly, I strictly followed the order of the Central Army and forbade the soldiers to light fires and make noises. It seems that the Southern Tang army doesn't know we are here. These are a few low mountains, and there are no scouts nearby.
Guo Shao praised: You did a good job. He turned back and said to Dong Zun: We still can't light the fire tonight, just in case Lin Renzhao knew about the ambush here overnight and let him guess our possible intentions. Lin Renzhao seemed to be very good at using troops.
Dong Zunhui said: Uncle, what you said is absolutely right.
Guo Shaodao: We can light a fire and cook early tomorrow morning, so that everyone can have a hot meal before the battle.
After a few words, Guo Shao followed Zhang Jiankui to the camp to see the soldiers. Some of them had already fallen asleep, but those who were still awake poked their heads out and stood up to greet the commander when they saw him.
Marshal Guo came to see the soldiers, Zhang Jiankui said.
At this time, many people gathered around. Guo Shao said: It's cold, you don't need to get up, go to bed.
After that, a soldier was seen standing behind, still wrapped in a blanket. Guo Shao noticed him and asked: Can you survive the night
The soldier stammered and couldn't utter a complete sentence.
Zhang Jiankui said angrily, "Yao Erniu, it's you again. Others don't wrap themselves in blankets when they get up, but you are the most precious. I can freeze you to death in a short while."
When Yao Erniu heard this, he quickly threw the quilt on the ground and stammered: Commander Zhang told me not to talk too much.
Zhang Jiankui said angrily: Damn you, you dumbass, I told you to stop talking, not to stop answering
Guo Shao hurriedly stopped Zhang Jiankui: "Stop scolding. We are not on the battlefield, we are just here to take a look, no need to be so harsh."
He walked over, picked up the quilt on the ground, wrapped it around Yao Erniu, and said: It's cold, we were born and raised by our parents, so who wouldn't be afraid of the cold? The soldiers around him all looked at him sideways.
Yao Erniu stood there in a daze, looking very nervous and still not knowing what to say.
Guo Shao patted Yao Erniu on the shoulder and said: As long as you don't violate military discipline and don't cause trouble on the battlefield. Don't even mention wrapping yourself in a blanket to see me. Even if you scold me in person, I can't find a reason to punish you. Which military discipline says that you are not allowed to wrap yourself in a blanket when meeting people at night
All the soldiers burst into laughter after hearing this.
Guo Shao looked back at the generals and said: You have followed me in the battles of many years, and have fought countless battles. You know what I am like. No matter who has made contributions or made mistakes, I will treat everyone equally, regardless of whether they are close or distant, or have personal feelings. No matter who they are, if they have made contributions, they will be rewarded, and if they have made great contributions, they will be promoted to generals.
He also said to the middle and low-level generals around him: Brothers, you are fighting in the battlefield and shedding blood, you are sacrificing for the world and for others. As long as they do not disregard military law, you must treat the soldiers well.
Guo Shao left here and went to another place to look for a place. The soldiers respectfully said goodbye to Marshal Guo.
At this time in the Jiannan Army camp, Gao Yanchou was also encouraging the Shu Army soldiers. All generals above the rank of commander were in the central army. There were flames all around, and many soldiers were there.
Gao Yanchou said loudly: Shu will be returned to the court sooner or later. Now Shu no longer exists, but the people of Shu, our elders and fellow countrymen, have not been massacred or plundered in their hometown, and everyone is living well. Returning in this way is the best result.
Gao is also a general of Shu. Brothers are not only Shu people, but also descendants of Yan and Huang of China. Today, the court wants to unify the world in order to end the separatist wars among the same clans and clans. We are not working for others, but for the people of the same clan in the whole world.
People listened silently. Perhaps many people didn't care about this, but at least no one hated the Great Zhou court, nor did they reject it. As Gao Yanchou said, the Central Plains and Shu were not alien races after all. Unless the rulers were too cruel, the people of Shu never felt uncomfortable.
Gao Yanchou continued: "After we Shu people joined the Great Zhou court, tomorrow will be our first battle. Brothers, you must show your blood and courage, don't let the court look down on us Shu people, don't let the people of Southern Tang look down on us."
From now on, Gao and the others' status in the court, and the reputation of the Jiannan Army in the eyes of the world, all depend on this battle. Tomorrow, I will fight side by side with my brothers, determined to win. If we fail, we will die. We will never retreat. Anyone who escapes from the battlefield will be killed without mercy, so don't blame me for disregarding the feelings of my fellow countrymen.