Chapter 502: Dispatching the Soldiers
Chapter 502: Dispatching the Soldiers (Additional Update for the Alliance Leader)
It was already May, and the order to go to war spread throughout Henan.
In a village in Lijiafang, Liang County, Wang Wu, a soldier from the government, took out a rusty broadsword and started sharpening it by the well.
The broadsword is very long, has a thick blade, and is relatively heavy overall.
With Wang Wu's family background, he could not afford such weapons made of fine materials. In fact, this was a share of the spoils of war given to him by his master.
Of course, this is the only weapon, there are no others.
His old father made him a wooden shield, which was neither too big nor too small, just enough to cover his chest. It provided some protection and increased his chances of survival on the battlefield.
As Wang Wu continued to grind, he raised his hand to wipe the sweat off his face, sprinkled some water on the grindstone, and continued to grind.
The sound of chaotic footsteps could be heard on the road outside.
The county has recruited a thousand men, all of whom look sad. They have been passing by the road outside the gate for the past two days, and I don’t know where they are going to gather.
"Wang Wu, it's time to go!" When the knife was sharpened, Li Si passed by outside leading the horse and shouted loudly.
Wang Wu looked up and said, "Are you going to the funeral? Are you in such a hurry?"
Li Si was not annoyed, he just laughed and said, "I'm not going, I'm here to give you a horse."
He knew that Wang Wu was going to follow the master into battle and was in a bad mood, so he didn't mind.
Before leaving, he fed the horse well and tried his best not to cause trouble for Wang Wu.
Wang Wu put down the knife and looked around again.
What a beautiful garden!
He and his father personally selected adobe bricks and built the house one by one.
Despite years of wind and rain erosion, it is still generally strong.
He couldn't help but walk over and stroke the rough outer wall with his hand.
On the sunny wall, wild bees were buzzing, going in and out of holes, busy with their own little homes.
In the corner of the wall, several Impatiens plants swayed in the wind, blooming with gorgeous stamens.
He walked around the earthen house. The bamboo forest behind the house was quiet and remote.
The few bamboo shoots that were missed have grown taller and taller, and have taken the rudiments of bamboo, just like his growing children.
Every autumn and winter, he would accompany his father to cut bamboo and prepare materials, and make bamboo products in the spring and summer of the following year to supplement the family income. However, he cannot do this this year.
He came to the right side of the earthen house again.
The river ditch was nearly dry and full of weeds. Children were herding sheep on the bank. From time to time, they would jump into the ditch and catch one or two finger-length fish in the water plants, then shout and scream.
Wang Wu watched quietly for a while, a smile appearing on his lips.
There are more than ten mulberry trees planted on the east side of the ditch.
This was transplanted last spring. After more than a year, it has already grown taller than a person.
Mulberry leaves have been picked once this year, turning into food for the spring silkworms and then into clothes for people.
Wang Wu was wearing linen clothes, and the silk was obviously not for them to wear. The women had been weaving day and night, and their eyes were tired. The fruits of their labor had to be taken to the market to exchange for money - they were still a little short of the money to buy the cow. If there was a reward when they returned this time, it would be enough, right?
He walked on the dead branches and leaves, crossed the road and came to the ridge of the field.
My father came towards me from a distance, carrying a hoe.
"The crops are not growing well this year, which makes me so worried." The father, with a head full of white hair, sighed.
"It's fine as long as we can get by." Wang Wu said.
"That's right." My father breathed out.
Neither of them mentioned the expedition, as if they were deliberately avoiding the topic.
An old man and a young boy stood side by side on the ridge of the field, looking into the distance.
The sky is high and the clouds are light, and the geese are flying north.
There are endless acres of fertile fields.
This is his home.
His children were born and raised here.
"Wow——" A loud cry came from the yard.
Wang Wu turned around and looked.
The wife hurried out of the woodshed, picked up the crying baby, lifted her clothes, and started feeding the baby.
Wang Wu lowered his head.
"Let's go!" A loud shout came from not far away.
Wang Wu looked up and saw the head of the family and Zhang San and Li Si standing on the road, waving at him.
Li Si bundled up the armor, heavy sword, spear, bow, dagger, quiver and other equipment and placed them on the horse's back.
Zhang San carried a large bag of food and walked towards his courtyard. After putting it down, he trotted to the main courtyard and took out some meat jerky, cheese, and pickled mustard, and put them back in Wang Wu's courtyard.
"Hey!" Wang Wu responded, took two steps, and turned his head to look at his father.
His father was looking at him deeply. After a long moment, he sighed and said, "You still have your brother and sister-in-law at home. Go. The more you fear death, the faster you will die."
Wang Wu nodded, went back to the yard, and took the wooden shield and sword.
The wife had just finished feeding her child. When she saw her husband coming back, she quickly put the child down, wiped her tears, and hurried to the kitchen.
A small bamboo table was filled with wild vegetable porridge.
She didn't even look at all these. She carefully took out two pieces of Hu pancakes, wrapped them carefully, then stuffed the jerky sent by the host into the cakes and handed them to Wang Wu.
"Take good care of the family." Wang Wu held it in for a long time, only said this one sentence, turned around and left.
The soldiers began to march again on the road in front of the gate.
This time they were not outsiders, but local people from Li Jiafang’s hometown.
Two hundred soldiers, each with a subordinate, led a mount horse, pack horses or donkeys and mules, and marched in a line.
The atmosphere was a bit depressing at the beginning, and the sadness of separation made me feel extremely uncomfortable.
But after walking a few miles, the atmosphere gradually relaxed.
The soldiers were talking and laughing loudly, as if they did not take risking their lives on the battlefield seriously. Their words were all about how heroically they killed the bandits. Although after each expedition, some soldiers never returned.
Looking down from the sky, although there are only a few hundred people, they have their own aura.
And in the distance are Shiqiao Defense, Yongxing Defense, Yingqiao Defense, Yushan Defense, Gongzhu Defense...
Teams of soldiers gathered together, with the sound of horse hooves and swords and guns in full view.
They headed east, crossed the Yingshui River, passed through Xiangcheng, entered Yingchuan, and then headed towards Chenliu and Puyang. ******
In May, it rained continuously in Chen County.
Six thousand soldiers from the Silver Spear Right Camp gradually gathered in Yangxia and carried out their final training.
After the drill, General Jin Zheng gave an order and everyone lined up in an orderly manner and came to the river.
The armor was taken off one by one and sent into the cabin.
The spears were taken down one by one, tied up, and stuffed into the boat.
Everyone was stringing a bow, with the bow tip inserted at the waist and the bowstring tied to the quiver.
Another round of unsheathing and sheathing sounds were heard, and the ring-handled sword was carefully inspected. If there was any damage, there would be a last chance to replace it.
Several ships have already set out ahead of schedule.
The cabin was filled with arrows, bundle after bundle, some of which were made locally in Chen County or collected from powerful families.
Wooden clubs, hook-and-sickle spears, long-handled axes, earthenware jars, pots, cauldrons, ladles, iron pickaxes, shovels, ropes, candles, whetstones, medicines and other miscellaneous items filled ship after ship.
All the combat and military supplies of the Silver Spear Right Camp were transported by ship to reduce the burden of the march.
The sidecars and baggage trains traveled overland and could also carry an additional amount of grain and beans.
The six thousand soldiers also went north along the Suiyang Canal. After arriving in Junyi, they separated from the fleet, turned northeast, headed lightly to Wenshijin in Puyang, then crossed the Yellow River and arrived at Fangtou South City.
When Yuan Chong arrived at the parade ground, he saw this scene of going to war.
Six thousand people shouted "Kill" in unison, and then set off on their way with great momentum.
They recruited soldiers professionally, and fought for their lives even in the wind, rain, and snow. They did not have to worry about their families' livelihoods. The Guangchengze's pension fields now provided pensions to more than 10,000 people every year. They received 24 hu of grain a year, and if they ate sparingly and cultivated a little more land, they could barely make a living.
Besides, after fighting for so many years, the family has some savings, so even if they die in battle, their family will not die.
But once you have made military achievements, rewards will come, and your family can enjoy delicious food and fish.
There are rumors in the army that Lord Chen plans to ask the court to appoint honorary officials, so can they also benefit from it?
Just follow Mr. Chen and kill him!
Yuan Chong brought mutton wine to the parade ground as a reward for the troops.
Jin Zheng glanced at him and said, "Mr. Yuan is late, so we are leaving immediately. If you want to send me off next time, please be more sincere and come two days earlier, right?"
Yuan Chong was not angry when he heard this, he just smiled and said: "It was my fault."
Jin Zheng ignored him, jumped on his horse, and rode away.
"Boom boom boom..." The drums sounded.
Thousands of soldiers lined up in a neat long line and walked past Yuan Chong in a row.
He stroked his beard and watched quietly.
After several years of hard training and a year of bloody battles, the Silver Spear Right Camp has taken on some shape.
These soldiers are Mr. Chen’s most valuable assets.
The left and right battalions, with more than 10,000 elite soldiers, are invincible in field battles when facing the enemy head-on.
Lord Chen mobilized so many soldiers this time that he could easily claim to have more than 100,000 or even 200,000 troops, but only those who could really fight were actually only these 10,000 or 20,000.
The drumbeats lasted for a long time before they stopped.
Yuan Chong looked from afar and saw only the tiny silhouettes of the last team of Silver Spear Army.
They’re gone. They’re all gone.
The best soldiers and generals from Henan all gathered in Hebei.
******
The big yellow dog rushed out of the fence, ran through the path surrounded by mulberry trees, ran to the edge of the rice field, then raised its head and barked wildly at the road.
On the road, there are cars and horses like a dragon.
There were slight tremors coming from the meadows on both sides of the road.
The big yellow dog whimpered and ran away with its tail between its legs.
Not long after it left, black lightning came whistling, and a large group of knights covered the ground like a tide, giving the early summer countryside a hideous hue.
The Wuhuan knights of Liang State and Chenliu Qihuo Army, wearing round hats, galloped on their horses, full of high spirits.
The horse's hooves trampled across the grass, crushing the wild flowers into mud and picking up the grass stems and flying high.
On the creek diagonally opposite, water splashed and horses’ hooves clattered.
The sons of powerful families who are skilled in archery and horse riding carry swords and bows, looking extremely heroic.
After joining the Wuhuan knights, more than a thousand riders carried large flags and their morale was high.
A dog's head appeared in the grass, baring its teeth and quietly watching the cavalry going away.
The big flag fluttered in the wind, making a rustling sound.
The war horses raised their hooves bravely, vying for the lead, and the sound was like muffled thunder.
The sound of horns came from the horizon, and the knights scattered and gathered together again, like mercury pouring on the ground, gradually covering the entire world.
The big yellow dog bared its teeth even more vigorously, and was just about to rush out and bark heartily, when it heard more frequent horse hoof sounds from the south, which frightened it so much that it slipped and crawled back to the village.
Look back as you walk.
On the plains of the south, countless horses were driven by herdsmen and ran forward in vain.
The shepherd was mixed in with the herd, constantly controlling the direction of the herd.
The sound of horse hooves continued for a long time before gradually subsiding.
The big yellow dog no longer tucks its tail between its legs.
It returned home slowly, and when it saw its owner, it shook its head and was very affectionate.
Isn't it better to be a dog in peacetime than a horse in troubled times?
The owner ignored him and walked out of the yard, stood in front of the door, and watched the herd of horses go away.
His son was also among the knights going off to war.
As a member of the Li family of Gaoyang (Yongqiu County, Chenliu), he was summoned to fight for his master and his own wealth and status. There was nothing much for him to say.
Wealth and honor must be purchased with life.
Do you dare to put your head on your waist and risk it all?
He is old, but his son is still young, so maybe he can get his official position back.
If the ancestors of the Li family did not dare to take a risk, how could they have allowed their descendants to enjoy wealth and prosperity, and to have become the powerful people in Yongqiu until now?
He knew very well that if he missed this opportunity, he would miss it forever.
The big yellow dog looked at his owner, then looked towards the north. There was nothing there but the gradually darkening sky and lightning that could strike at any time.
(End of this chapter)