Chapter 167 Shocked by the Enemy
Chapter 167 Shocked by the Enemy
Wei Xuan's deputy general is called Wang Chongrui. The deputy general's duty is to implement the orders of the main general. Now Wei Xuan orders Xiao Xia to lead 3,000 people as the second rescue team to rush to Dalao County. The rest of the matters will be arranged by the deputy general Wang Chongrui.
Xiao Xia asked: "Ziyang County itself should be under the control of the military government, right?"
Wang Zhongrui smiled bitterly, "Of course there is a military headquarters in Ziyang County, and the former commander was called Xu Lin, but I want to tell you that the 2,000 troops of Ziyang County have been annihilated by the Liao people, and Xu Lin was also killed, with his head hanging next to the big camp. The military headquarters is there, but the army is gone, so I have to arrange another army for you."
"I see. There are no troops left from the two thousand?"
Wang Zhongrui explained: "Total annihilation does not mean that all the soldiers were killed. In fact, half of the soldiers fled back home. Less than 300 people fled back to Panshi County, led by a lieutenant."
"Is the captain who escaped here?"
"Yes! If General Xiao wants him to follow, I can arrange it."
"Then I'll trouble you, Vice General Wang!"
Soon, 3,300 troops were allocated and a temporary Ziyang Military Headquarters was formed. Xiao Xia was appointed as the commander of the military headquarters, which had three large camps under its jurisdiction. Each large camp had 1,000 people and was led by a general. Each large camp was divided into several small camps, each led by a lieutenant. Each small camp had 3 to 500 people. For example, the cavalry battalion had 300 cavalrymen, the infantry battalion had 500 infantrymen, and the remaining 200 people were the logistics team and the scout team, each with 100 people.
After Xiao Xia took over, he immediately made adjustments, merging the three logistics teams into a small camp, and the three scout teams into a small camp, so that he had eight small camps under his command.
Xiao Xia appointed the captain Xu Min who followed him south as the captain of the scout battalion, and appointed another captain Cao Taiyue who followed him south as the captain of the logistics battalion.
Xu Min and Cao Taiyue had been following Xiao Xia in Tuyuhun. Both of them were fire chiefs. After returning to Beijing, they were promoted to captains. This time, they took the initiative to follow Xiao Xia south.
The only surviving captain of the Ziyang County Military Headquarters was named Zhou Huailiang. Deputy General Wang Zhongrui reassigned him and 300 defeated soldiers to Xiao Xia and set up a separate military camp.
Xiao Xia called Zhou Huailiang over and asked, "How did you two thousand people lose to the Liao soldiers?"
Zhou Huailiang smiled bitterly and said, "We encountered a Liao army of more than 10,000 people in Neijiang County. We set up an ambush and shot nearly a thousand of them with bows and arrows, but the remaining Liao soldiers fought back desperately. Seeing that the enemy had too many people, the soldiers were unwilling to fight to the death and turned around to escape. We were defeated. Captain Xu was unable to call the soldiers to justice and was finally surrounded by the Liao soldiers and hacked to death. It was a miserable death."
Xiao Xia frowned, "But the Sui army I led in Tuyuhun are all brave and fearless. Only a few dozen people dare to fight against thousands of people!"
Zhou Huailiang sighed and said, "The captain came from the capital. The troops in the capital are all professional troops, and they have been fighting against the Turks all the time. The troops in Bashu are basically rural soldiers, farmers who have never been to the battlefield. They usually train for three days and then rest for two days. It is very difficult to get them to work hard, but when they encounter danger, they run faster than anyone else."
"But what if there are benefits?"
"If there is an advantage, they will run faster than anyone else."
Xiao Xia smiled and nodded, "I understand!"
Xiao Xia was a little overwhelmed. Most of his 3,000 troops were local militiamen from various states. If they were to suppress the Liao soldiers, what if they all fled in fear of fighting?
In the big tent, three generals and nine lieutenants gathered together. Xiao Xia slowly said to everyone: "Although my appointment as a captain is temporary, I will return to the capital after pacifying the Liao people. If you think that since I am a temporary captain, you don't have to work hard for me or obey my command, if you really think so, you are wrong.
I came to Ziyang County not to sightsee or gild myself, but to fight and make achievements. If anyone disobeys my orders and fights passively, leading to defeat, I will kill them with my own hands and will not show mercy.
On the contrary, if you work hard for me, Xiao Xia, I will see it and I will never treat you unfairly."
Xiao Xia pointed at Xu Min and Cao Taiyue and said, "Captain Xu and Captain Cao were just two fire captains at the beginning of the year, but after following me to Tuyuhun, they not only made a small fortune, but also were promoted from fire captains to captains. Why did they have this opportunity?
I can tell you openly that my people are strong enough to let me keep the spoils instead of handing them over, so my subordinates can all make a small fortune."
Xiao Xia is a very realistic person. He needs soldiers to work hard for him. Risking their lives is impossible. He knows himself well. At this stage, no one will risk their lives for him. It is good enough if they are willing to work hard. So what he needs now is to work hard.
But even if he wants the soldiers to work hard for him, it is not easy. Without tangible benefits, it is not easy to rely on sentiments such as loving the soldiers like sons and sharing the joys and sorrows with the soldiers. Veterans can use this sentiment. After all, they have been together for many years and have feelings for each other. New generals like him should be spared. Others are not fools. So Xiao Xia thought of various plans. He decided to write a blank check first to test the attitude of the people, and then put forward two people who have cashed it as examples to see how it works.
However, the effect of the blank check was not good. Xiao Xia still underestimated the immunity of these generals. No one made a statement and everyone was silent.
Helplessly, Xiao Xia had to increase the stakes. He could not use hints, but had to make a clear statement. He promised everyone, "This time, you don't have to hand over the spoils of war you get from suppressing the Liao people's rebellion. They will all belong to you. I will bear all the consequences."
The dozen generals in the big tent were overjoyed, and they all knelt on one knee and said, "We are willing to die for you, General!"
Sure enough, only tangible benefits can fully mobilize everyone's enthusiasm.
The next morning, Xiao Xia set off with 3,300 people. He ordered Xu Min of the scout camp to lead ten teams of scout cavalry to go ahead and check the situation along the way to avoid being ambushed by the Liao soldiers.
Their mission was still to rescue Dalao County. General Liu Jian had already led 6,000 troops south, and they were the second batch of reinforcements.
Dalao County is located 350 miles southwest of Panshi County, where the domesticated Liao people live. What was originally just a dispute over interests has now evolved into an irreconcilable conflict between the raw Liao people and the domesticated Liao people.
The wild beasts, who have an absolute numerical advantage, want to kill all the familiar beasts who betrayed their ancestors.
Da Lao County had 2,000 troops, plus 8,000 self-defense militia organized by the Liao people. A total of 10,000 people defended Tai Lao County to the death, and more than 60,000 Liao soldiers could not take it down.
Xiao Xia led his army south along the Mianshui River and arrived in Neijiang County two days later.
In the morning, when they were still more than thirty miles away from Neijiang County, the scout captain Xu Min sent someone to deliver a piece of intelligence that a group of more than 10,000 Liao soldiers were discovered near Neijiang County.
Xiao Xia immediately sent someone to find Zhou Huailiang and asked him, "Where was your army annihilated?"
"Reporting to the commander, it is in Neijiang County."
Xiao Xia understood that this group of Liao soldiers that appeared near Neijiang County were probably the ones that wiped out the 2,000-strong Ziyang Army.
They suddenly appeared now, most likely because they discovered their own army.
He ordered the entire army to stop advancing and rest on the spot.
Along the way, Xiao Xia had gotten to know his own army better. The infantry was relatively weak, consisting of peasants and farmers, and their training was far from adequate.
But fortunately, the thousand cavalrymen were not bad. They were regular cavalrymen who had participated in the war against the Turks. They should have been specially assigned to Wei Xuan.
Xiao Xia gathered all the thousand cavalrymen and led them personally, while three Lang Jiangs were responsible for commanding the infantry.
The lesson of the previous annihilation of two thousand palace soldiers told him that he was not to be afraid of wolf-like enemies, but to be afraid of pig-like teammates. Xiao Xia decided to use only one thousand cavalry to fight against ten thousand Liao soldiers.
As time gradually approached afternoon, the scouts came again to report that 10,000 rebel Liao soldiers appeared ten miles away and were rushing towards the Sui army.
A tough battle was inevitable. Xiao Xia immediately said to the three generals, "I will lead the cavalry to attack the enemy in a moment. Prepare your bows and arrows to shoot the invading enemies. You are not required to go to the battlefield. Once the enemy is defeated, you will follow the cavalry to attack. No prisoners will be taken and no one will be spared!"
The three generals clasped their fists together and said, "As ordered!"
(End of this chapter)