Chapter 1150: Going to War and Waiting
Chapter 1150: Going to War and Waiting
After entering February, as the Liang army broke into the heart of Shu, the progress of the war suddenly accelerated.
At this time, changes in the situation are often measured in days.
Li Xiong had fought in wars with his father and brothers after all, and he knew that now was an extremely critical moment. When most of the country's elite troops gathered in Hanzhong and Jiangzhou, the emptiness of the hinterland was shocking.
To put it bluntly, there are no soldiers in the hinterland.
Most of the troops from core and prosperous areas such as Shu, Qianwei, Jiangyang, Xindu, Guanghan, and Zitong went to Hanzhong. Even the Qiang barbarian soldiers from Wenshan, Zangke, Hanjia and other counties were transferred north, and not many were left in the local area.
As for the troops in Zhuti, Yuexi and other places, because of the rebellion in Ningzhou and some counties rebelled and joined Jin, General Zhennan Li Long (son of Li Liu) led them south to Ningzhou to quell the rebellion. Even some Bandun barbarians, Liao people and the children of the six counties were taken away. They have not returned yet and it is too late for them to come back.
Li Xiong actually acted very quickly, but it still took him nearly ten days to gather more than 10,000 troops who were capable of fighting to Chengdu. Together with the thousands of people who stayed in Chengdu, the temporarily recruited servants of wealthy families, palace guards, and more than 10,000 newly-joined barbarians, the total number was about 30,000. These were the only troops he could mobilize in a short period of time.
Thirty thousand people still looks spectacular, but when you don’t look at the whole picture and only look at the details, it is full of bitterness.
There are only a few thousand young men left in the six counties, old and young, and they look extremely miserable.
The leader of them is Taibao Li Shi, Li Xiong's elder brother, and Li Xiong is fifty-nine years old this year...
"Bo Jing, can the young men from the six counties still fight?" Li Xiong asked, holding his brother's hand.
"Your Majesty, now that things have come to this, what else is there to say? We must fight whether we can or not." Li Shi said, "Many of the young men from the six counties who went south are rich and powerful. Even a small soldier can get good land to pass on to his descendants. The country is in danger now, how can we not fight?"
Li Xiong silently looked at the soldiers arrayed behind Li Shi.
There are a lot of "old men" in their forties and fifties. They were all the founding soldiers of the country. They were already enjoying retirement at home, but now they are being conscripted to go into battle again.
"I—" Li Xiong wanted to say something, but there were thousands of words in his heart. In the end, he could only sigh and said, "I am ashamed of waiting for you."
The veterans were silent.
After a long while, an old soldier with several fingers missing sighed, "Your Majesty, I can no longer draw the bow, so I can only hold this long spear to kill the enemy for Your Majesty. More than 20 years ago, I was given good land and a beautiful house, and I married and had children. I have no regrets in this life. Now half of my body is buried in the ground. What if I give this worthless life back to Your Majesty?"
Li Xiong felt extremely upset after hearing this.
"Your Majesty." Another old soldier who was missing two front teeth and spoke with a lisp said, "I also have descendants. This life is not precious. Even if I die in battle today, it is still a great gain."
Li Xiong walked a few steps closer, patted him on the shoulder, and said nothing more.
Then he looked at a soldier on the left.
This was a Diqiang boy of about sixteen or seventeen years old, with a bewildered look on his face. He was born and raised in Shu, but because he was a descendant of the soldiers and civilians who had gone south from the six counties, and was so-called "deeply indebted to the country", he was conscripted.
He was a little bit confused because he was born with a house and fields, and his family also raised seven or eight large livestock and a big pond for raising fish. He had never suffered any hardship since he was a child.
He could understand intellectually when those old soldiers of his uncles and aunts said they would repay their kindness with their lives, but he could not resonate with them emotionally.
He didn't even want to go to war; he was a little scared at the thought of fighting.
He had never been in a battle, and his deceased father rarely mentioned these things in front of him. The few times he did, his father's face looked frighteningly ugly, as if it was the most terrifying thing in the world.
Li Xiong glanced at the boy's face, and being a smart man, he probably understood.
It’s the second generation, and they were born in a comfortable environment. They have never participated in a war, and have never even felt the atmosphere of war.
Conscripting them to fight in the war felt a bit sinful, but who wouldn't feel the same way when the chaos began?
Li Xiong silently adjusted the iron helmet on the boy's head.
The helmet is a good one, but the soldier is not a good one.
Next to the young men from the six counties were palace guards and servants from wealthy families.
Seeing their expressions, even though he was mentally prepared, Li Xiong was still a little disappointed.
They were led by General Jianwei Li Qi and Li Xiong's own son.
His expression didn't look very good, but there was a hint of longing in it.
Li Xiong's eyes kept wandering over the palace guards.
These people usually boast of their bravery and loyalty, but when they are about to go into battle, their faces turn pale.
Yes, standing guard in the palace is one thing. Not only does it pay well, it requires little work and is close to home, but it also gives you face when you tell others about it.
Fighting in battle is another matter entirely; not only does it cost little money, it is also extremely dangerous.
They have been pampered for too long, and the indulgence in wine, sex, money and power has worn away their blood and courage.
As for the servants of the wealthy families, they all looked reluctant.
Some of them were trained as family soldiers and generals, but not all of them had ever been on the battlefield.
Some are just lackeys who follow their masters and show off their power around Chengdu. They are good at bullying the common people and fighting for their lives with the warriors who have fought out of the pile of dead bodies - how many pairs of pants do you have to change?
Li Xiong didn't have much to say to these people. He just looked at his son and forced a smile, saying, "Shiyun, my son and I are on the battlefield together today. This will be a good story if we tell others about it."
Li Qi raised his head and said, "Father, I will fight bravely and defeat the enemy."
He was only nineteen years old, an age full of passion and enthusiasm.
The troops gathered outside the city for review were endless, with shining weapons and bright armor. Such a scene was so inspiring, and such military might was so majestic.
Li Xiong was speechless for a moment after hearing this. After a long time, he looked at his son with a hint of apology in his eyes.
This boy grew up in the palace. He was smart, studious, and generous. When he came back to report after visiting the army, he spoke eloquently and logically. Li Xiong liked to listen to his son, even if he didn't get to the point at all, because he saw himself as a teenager.
In fact, he still needs experience, accumulation, and enlightenment, but there is no chance now, as every member of the royal family must lead the troops into battle.
In this world, if a prince does not lead troops to fight or go out to garrison the frontier states, he will be courting his own destruction.
However, the first time Shi Yun led his troops into battle, he faced a life-and-death battle.
This is fate! Just like these soldiers, old and young...
Li Xiong finally looked at the strong and strong Liao people who had gathered from the surrounding counties and had just come down from the mountains less than two years ago, and was speechless for a long time.
After giving the order to distribute rewards, the entire army set out.
The vanguard commander was the former general Zan Jian, a member of the Zan clan of the Bantun barbarians, but he had long since moved to Guanzhong, so he went south to join the six nobles of the counties, and was replaced by Li Yu, a member of the royal family. His army numbered about 3,000, mostly Liao soldiers.
The commander-in-chief of the rear army was Shangguan Dun, who was mainly composed of palace guards and servants of wealthy families, about 7,000 people, and Li Qi was his deputy.
The central army had about 20,000 people, mainly composed of the sons of the six counties, the soldiers left behind in Chengdu, and the county soldiers selected from various counties. It was led by Li Xiong himself, and was specifically commanded by Taibao Li Shi, generals Ren Yan, Wei Bo, Li Yi and others.
Thirty thousand people marched eastward towards Guanghan.
******
The young men of the Li family and the six counties were enthusiastic and vowed to go to the war, but the old clans in Shu had a different mentality.
Crown Prince Li Ban stayed behind to supervise the country, with only three thousand guards around him.
These guards were formed only a little over a year ago, and their combat effectiveness is very questionable.
After the court was dismissed, Prime Minister Fan Ben, Secretary of the Imperial Library Chang Qu, Prince's Junior Tutor He Dian, Minister of Rites Qiao Xianzhi, and Inspector of the Imperial Capital Jing Qian quietly gathered together.
When entering the Prime Minister's Mansion, everyone staggered their time to avoid being too conspicuous. Of course, this might be unnecessary, as Chengdu was a little chaotic right now, and people were in a state of uncertainty, so not many people cared about them at all.
These people are all from big families in Shu.
Let’s not talk about Fan Ben. Although his ancestral home is the Bandun barbarians in Fuling, that is all old news. Now he is a member of the Han clan.
Jingqian was from Zitong and also came from a noble family.
Chang Qu's family was a prominent family in Jiangyuan.
He Dian was from Pi County. His ancestor was the Grand Marshal of the Western Han Dynasty, but was dismissed from office for opposing Wang Mang.
There is no need to say much about Qiao Xianzhi. He was from Bashu and the Qiao family was a famous aristocratic family in Shu.
From their identities, it can be seen that they are a group of old Shu clans, who were Shu aristocratic officials appointed by Li Cheng after his establishment in order to compromise.
The people of Shu were very opposed to outsiders ruling them.
This tendency already existed during the time of Liu Yan and his son Liu Zhang in the late Later Han Dynasty. Even during the Shu Han Dynasty, conflicts between the natives and the Hakkas continued to exist.
Li Cheng was no exception. The nobles of the six counties and the local Bantun barbarians were superior to the gentry in Shu. Could he accept it? Obviously not.
If possible, the Shu nobles would prefer to expel all outsiders and establish a Shu regime of their own.
But they are also pragmatic. If they cannot win, they will lie dormant, and if the timing is not right, they will defect.
If Liu Zhang and Liu Chan can be sold, why can’t Li Xiong be sold?
If Shao Xun dies in the future and the world falls into chaos, the Shao family will still be sold out.
"Your Majesty's Eastern Expedition..." After Fan Ben sat down, he drove away all the servants, then looked at everyone and said, "It's very dangerous."
Jing Qian rolled his eyes and said, "Prime Minister, do you think this 30,000-man army is not going to be a good start?"
"To save the 50,000 people in Jiangzhou, another 30,000 are sacrificed. This deal is too bad." Fan Ben shook his head and said, "Luo Yan was defeated in Badong and Duan Liang broke into Shuzhong. If this loophole is not blocked, more people will come in. Those who have already come in have burned food and equipment everywhere and harassed the baggage troops. If they are not annihilated, Jiangzhou may not be cut off from food and grass, but the morale of the army will definitely be shaken. In addition, Gong is running around, and the Bandun barbarians have just suffered a great loss, and their minds have changed. If they are won over, Dangqu and Baxi counties will change color, and Ba and Fuling counties may also change. The overall situation is really bad."
Everyone nodded after hearing this.
This was what they had been discussing recently, and it was all facts. None of the Li family members denied it, so they hurriedly searched through their savings and gathered 30,000 people to plug the leak.
"Prime Minister, what should we do at this moment?" asked He Dian, the Prince's Junior Tutor.
Fan Ben was silent for a long time before he stood up, put one hand behind his back, stroked his beard with the other, and said as he walked: "With the current situation, people's minds are changing. However, the battlefield is ever-changing, how can an outsider know everything?"
"Some say that surrendering the city and surrendering the enemy can bring great success, but I don't think so."
"What if the emperor wins the final battle? Then he will return with a great victory, and we will all die without a single survivor. You have great families and great undertakings, so there is really no need for you to do this."
"All we need now is..." Having said this, Fan Ben turned around, looked at everyone, and said, "Wait."
"If the emperor wins, we will still be Li's subjects."
"If the emperor is defeated, we can do something decisive."
"Emperor Liang also needs the great clans in Shu, so he will certainly send envoys to appease them. Isn't it wonderful to just sit back and enjoy the benefits?"
"The Prime Minister is wise." After hearing this, everyone laughed.
Which of Liu Yan, Liu Bei, Sima Yan, and Li Xiong did not need to appease the great families in Shu? Which of them did not give them official positions?
The best way to deal with it is to wait patiently for them to decide the winner and then join the winner.
(End of this chapter)