Chapter 33: Gathering up the courage (additional update for leader lixiaopang)
The brazier crackled, lighting up the dark night sky.
This night is silent because everyone is holding their breath and concentrating. Even when he was lying on the ground sleeping, he would toss and turn, restless, for fear that something unspeakable would suddenly happen.
This night was noisy again, because shouts, screams, and clashes of weapons often came from inside and outside the wall, disturbing the clear dreams of the whole courtyard.
Shao Xun got up several times and put out a fire.
The fighting ability of the rich boy servant is a bit poor, and he was almost defeated by the enemy sneaking from next door. If Shao Xun hadn't arrived at the right time with his patrol team, the compound might have been breached.
After repelling the enemy, he walked around the wall and then went back to rest.
Yu Liang saw this and had to admire Shao Dubo's tenacity.
He had heard people say before that when the Later Han Dynasty went out to conquer Xianbei, they usually used sword and shield infantry from the Luoyang Chinese Army in conjunction with armored cavalry.
The sword and shield infantry drove the cart, and when they rested at night, they formed a camp around the cart.
The Xianbei cavalry harassed them day and night. Some of the sword and shield infantry were fighting, some were sitting on the ground waiting for orders, and some were fast asleep.
Think about it, on the battlefield where arrows are flying and the killings are thunderous, they can still sleep. These are old warriors who kill without blinking an eye - it's a pity that such elites They are also a minority among the Luoyang Chinese Army, and the training of most infantrymen is actually very inadequate.
Shao Xun is a bit similar to them.
Piyong heard that he had a rare encounter with a god and was taught various civil and military skills. Yu Liang didn't believe it before, but now he is doubtful.
With this thought, his perception of Shao Xun changed again.
Nowadays, the importance of martial arts and military strategy has been greatly elevated. Talking, demeanor, and family background are important. Shao Xun is indeed far behind in this aspect, but it is enough for Yu Liang to treat him with a friendlier and more enthusiastic attitude.
People are so realistic.
Shao Xun didn’t think too much. After waking up, it was already late at night.
He got up from the couch and listened to Chen Yougen's whispered report. He knew that there was no big problem tonight, so he let him rest.
"Target." After Chen Yougen left, Shao Xun took out his dagger, scratched it on the dirt a few times, and wrote this word.
Regular introspection begins again.
Through his contact with the children of wealthy families in recent days, he has some new ideas.
His current capital is all accumulated within the system.
If he leaves this system, how many people are willing to follow him?
This question is difficult to answer, and Shao Xun does not want to make an overly optimistic estimate.
He is only in the emerging stage now, and has gained the goodwill and popularity of some people through his performance on the battlefield. But can this goodwill give them the courage to break through all kinds of obstacles and follow him? There may be such people, but definitely not many.
It still takes time to continue operating, wait for changes in the general environment, and then look for opportunities to obtain an official position - changes in the general environment are often an important reason for many people to change their minds.
After thinking about this, the following is——
Shao Xun wrote the word "measures" again.
Actually nothing special. Climbing up within the system requires two major elements: "merit" and "relationship". He is not from a wealthy family, so these two are even more indispensable.
From the current point of view, it is very likely that he will become the leader of the building. After all, Mi Huang does not want to be the leader at all. He would rather climb up within the shogunate system, which is what he is good at.
But what about the owner of the building further up? For example, becoming a general, in charge of a thousand or even thousands of troops, and becoming a middle-level military attache in the Jin Dynasty. Is this easy to do? What hard indicators are needed?
After much thought, Shao Xun felt that he still had to make a fuss about merit and relationships.
The attitude towards the Yu family can be more intimate.
The Xu family can also try to break the ice.
A word from a family member at a critical moment is worth your countless efforts.
Finally came the "difficulty". Shao Xun finished writing it one stroke at a time and pondered for a long time.
The oppression of the unreasonable social system has always existed and has always been the biggest difficulty he faced.
The next step is the enemy on the surface: the armies of Sima Ying and Sima Yong.
Enemies on the surface are easy to deal with - relatively speaking - deep-rooted enemies like wealthy politics in the dark are much more difficult to deal with.
We can only do it step by step.
Shao Xun stretched out his feet and wiped out all the words, took out the ring knife from his waist, took a rag, and wiped it bit by bit.
The flickering light of the fire shone on Shao Xun's almost frozen face, inexplicably reminiscent of the angry-eyed King Kong in the temple.
Yes, in the eyes of many people, he has such an image now. He is brave and fearless, dares to fight, has outstanding martial arts skills, can win battles, and is also very brutal in killing people. The level of bloodshed makes many people from aristocratic families who are used to taking Wu Shi San feel uncomfortable. But he did protect many people from being plundered, massacred, and even reduced to food.
The children of the aristocratic families also need to understand the world more deeply.
Times are changing.
******
Such a night is also painful for the offensive coach Meng Chao.
His elder brother Meng Jiu has served the King of Chengdu for a long time. He is deeply trusted and has introduced many talents to the King, such as Gongshi Fan and so on.
It can be said that it is precisely because of his brother's hard work that the Meng family's foundation in Hebei has become more solid, and Meng Chao has become more and more at home in the army.
The superficial reason for attacking Lu Ji this time is that Lu Ji captured his people, but what is the deeper reason? Perhaps the northern generals were dissatisfied with the Wudi nobles.
In short, because the King of Chengdu has vigorously appointed scholars from Wudi in recent years, such as the descendants of the Sun, Lu, and Gu families, the Hebei nobles are very dissatisfied. Over time, the conflicts have become deep.
Distinctions between territories and regional differences have existed at all times, let alone the remnants of the conquered Soochow, which are even more despised.
Why do they hold high positions?
Not only Meng Chao wanted to ask, but the scholars in Hebei also wanted to ask.
Did Lu Ji become the governor? You know he doesn't have the ability, right?
But then again, Lu Ji is the governor after all. You can look down on him and challenge his authority, but until you are dismissed, you still have to obey the transfer order.
He was excluded by Lu Ji from Jianchunmen, the main battlefield where "it was easy to make meritorious service", and was transferred to the south of the city to serve as a feint attack. He was not even the head coach. Although Meng Chao was dissatisfied, he still accepted it.
He thought this would be an easy battle, and planned to massacre the surrendered troops after defeating Piyong to vent his anger. But I didn't expect that they fought for a whole day and night, with six to seven hundred people killed and injured, and nothing was caught.
You must know that he used his troops based on the principle of using all his strength when a lion fights a rabbit. The previous batches of troops he sent were all troops he thought were more capable of fighting, but without exception they encountered failures and suffered heavy casualties.
Now that it was dawn, Meng Chao, who had not slept all night, was extremely anxious. He stared at the shadowy figure on the wall and wanted to rush over and kill them all.
But he knew it was useless.
The enemies are not weak trash that can be kneaded at will. In fact, they are quite capable of fighting, and their overall quality is even slightly higher than them.
The troops brought by Meng Chao from Hebei include ordinary soldiers, private soldiers, and temporarily recruited men. It is not that they have no combat experience, but they have suppressed several civil uprisings in Hebei, experienced the atmosphere of the battlefield, and conducted intensive training before going out.
Who are the defenders?
I heard that there are soldiers from the East China Sea, soldiers from the Xuzhou Dudu District, broken soldiers recruited from around Luoyang, as well as servants and tribes from wealthy families. The sources are very mixed, but they are well integrated. As a unit, and inspired by capable officers, they fought tenaciously and defended to this day.
To be honest, Meng Chao admired the guard general named Shao Xun. He was skilled in archery, brave in close combat, and could lead troops. How could such a person succumb to the position of governor?
"There are talents left in the wilderness." Meng Chao flicked his horsewhip bitterly and said: "Continue to attack today without making any mistakes."
"Promise." The general's expression Embarrassed, but still answered.
"Don't make me look like you are mourning for your concubine." Meng Chao struck him across the head and face with a whip, and while beating him, he cursed: "I have been fighting for many years, so I have a sense of proportion. There were many casualties yesterday, but if we can't capture Piyong, I don't have the face to appear in front of the raccoon slave. Attack me. If it doesn't work, come and see me."
"No." The general left in despair, and the others looked at him with sympathy.
"Dong, dong, dong..." Not long after, the sound of war drums rang in the Mingtang on the west side of Kaiyangmen Street, and groups of soldiers came out one after another, walking on the unobstructed street. Line up.
The officers took whips and scabbards and chopped and smashed them to get them into position.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!" The arrow followed like a shadow, piercing the air and landing among the dense crowd.
Screams rang out one after another, and the formation that had just been arranged was suddenly disrupted.
The officers became ruthless and drew their knives directly to kill.
The crossbowmen stepped forward in an orderly manner, trying to suppress the defenders' archers on the courtyard wall.
The first wave of offensive started in the early morning of October 9th in this chaotic situation.
Meng Chao originally planned to go back to rest, but after all he could not let go of the war, so he still stayed at the front to observe the battle situation.
He could see that because too many elites were killed and injured yesterday, the efficiency of today's siege would not be too high - the morale of the soldiers was low. Under the pressure of the officers and the supervising team, they managed to muster up their courage. It was conceivable that Know how effective it is in combat.
But he also knew that the casualties suffered by Piyong's defenders would not be too small: at least two hundred people, maybe three hundred.
In such a situation, the competition is who can bite the bullet and persevere.
Sima Yue, this bitch, will definitely punish you when Luoyang is conquered, and then play with your wife and daughter to vent his hatred.
While cursing and staring at the bloody wall, Meng Chao's eyes gradually turned red.
The casualties are really a bit heavy. If this continues, the capital will be gone...
(End of this chapter)