Chapter 40: Prepare with both hands
The next half month will be relatively calm.
On October 15th, Pei Shiliu came to Piyong once, and left after half a day of secret talks. That night he entered Luoyang City in a gondola and went straight to Sikong Mansion.
Sima Yue is hosting a family banquet to entertain several guests.
Present were the children of the Pei family, Pei Dun and Pei Xia, the generals of the East China Sea He Lun and Wang Bing, the princess Pei Shi, and the eldest son Sima Pi were also present.
Forget it about the Pei family, He Lun and Wang Bing entered the house, which is profound.
It should be said that Sima Yue has made the two of them his confidants, otherwise he would never let the princess and the prince come out to meet each other.
To put it harshly, if Sima Yue encounters a disaster in the future and asks his wife to sacrifice his son, He Lun and Wang Bing will definitely be the first ones to consider.
So, they were very excited, looked respectful, and did not dare to look more, for fear of offending the nobleman.
Concubine Pei sat there with a leisurely attitude, silently listening to everyone talking.
"The governor went out on the emperor's behalf and defeated Zhang Fang. Both the east and west sides were victorious. The situation in Luoyang was really turned from danger to safety overnight." He Lun said with joy.
Although he comes from a big family, he hangs out in the military camp all year round and doesn't think deeply. He gets excited when talking about fighting.
For Master Wang of Luoyang, October is really a dreamy month.
In the Battle of Jianchun Gate at the beginning of the month, Jizhou troops and horses were greatly defeated, tens of thousands were beheaded, and sixteen generals such as Ma Xian and Jia Chong were killed. The dead were piled up and the water stopped flowing. Lu Ji, Shi Chao and others fled all night, not daring to look back.
Subsequently, the Grand Governor Sima Yi led his troops to fight in the west of the city, defeated Zhang Fang again, and beheaded more than 5,000 people.
Since September, Zhang Fang has lost more than 10,000 troops, and Lu Ji has lost 50,000 to 60,000 men. However, Wang Shi only lost 10,000 men in battle and achieved an unprecedented victory.
Of course, it is not without its hidden worries.
The main casualties of King Division were the relatively elite Luoyang Central Army, rather than the temporarily recruited Sizhou Shibing and Luoyang Dingnan - no one cares about these casualties, but upon closer inspection, they may be no more than 15,000 Thousands, so the actual battle loss ratio between the two sides should be less than 1:3.
The Chinese army originally had only 50,000 to 60,000 soldiers left. Before the war, 20,000 people defected one after another, and there were only more than 30,000 left inside and outside the city. As a result, I lost one-third in one month, which is really painful.
But in order to win the war, they have to be used to death, which is difficult to handle.
Thinking of this, He Lun felt a little sad. Once upon a time, Luoyang's Central Army had more than 100,000 soldiers. They were well-armored, well-trained, and powerful in combat. They suppressed the soldiers from all over the country and the barbarians on the frontiers and dared not move lightly. It has only been a few years, and the 100,000-strong army has been almost exhausted by the civil war. It has to be said to be a huge irony.
"I don't think it's that simple." Wang Bing said weakly: "The bandit army retreated and reorganized, and it seems they want to fight again."
Wang Bing is King Wang Lang The descendant of Situ, a long-established Donghai family, is not comparable to upstarts like the He family. Logically speaking, he should not be so weak. However, he suffered a defeat outside the city. He commanded 500 Donghai soldiers and nearly a thousand Sizhou soldiers. The collapse became Zhang Fang's military exploits. Therefore, he really has nothing to be proud of now.
Hearing Wang Bing speak, Concubine Pei glanced at him without any trace, with indescribable complex emotions in her heart.
When she retreated from Pan Yuan, she planned to get Mi Huang and Shao Xun's troops into the city, but she failed in the end.
This is nothing. Didn’t Wang Bing’s troops fail to enter the city?
But she sent Pei Shiliu back and forth to Piyong several times. Shao Xun was respectful, without any complaints, and said a lot of loyalty in private, which made her feel a little guilty.
When Lu Ji mobilized his army and besieged Luoyang on all sides, although she was reluctant to admit it, she was still a little worried in her heart - well, it was like a cat or dog that had been raised for a long time, it was impossible No emotion at all.
Fortunately, Shao Xun gave her a big surprise.
Listening to what Pei Xia said, he rode alone and beheaded the thieves general Meng Chao. Then he raised his horse with a sword, and thousands of enemy soldiers stayed behind and dispersed in a flurry.
How brave and heroic this is!
When she first heard the news, she was stunned for a long time. After repeated confirmations, I finally felt relieved.
Actually, she was a little confused.
Wang Bing is also a veteran in the army. Why is the fighting so sparse that even Shao Xun, a young man, can't compare? It's really puzzling.
But when I saw Wang Bing’s dejected look, I seemed to understand.
Shao Xun was really arrogant when he was arrogant, and he actually dared to look at her rudely.
Wang Bing didn't even dare to look at her, he was timid and cautious.
Perhaps, the military needs a little fearlessness - this is the conclusion she came to after thinking.
Of course, although a veteran in the army like Wang Bing often dared not look her in the face, Concubine Pei still felt that his gaze was a bit disgusting.
Shao Xun secretly cast his eyes on her breasts. Concubine Pei felt that this was just a young boy's admiration. It didn't seem so dirty and could be forgiven.
"Those two really didn't give up." Sima Yue's deep voice interrupted Concubine Pei's reverie.
She stood up and filled her husband's glass with wine. Sima Yue picked up the wine bottle and said expressionlessly: "This battle still has to be fought. However, I think the governor seems to want to take advantage of the victory to negotiate peace."
" Negotiate peace?" He Lun was a little surprised.
Winning consecutive battles, Hebei's army fled eastward for twenty miles, and Guanzhong Zhangfang collapsed westward to Thirteen Miles Bridge. The situation was so good, why should we still negotiate for peace?
"Are you afraid that there is not enough food?" Pei Xia asked from the side.
Sima Yue's expression was stagnant for a short period of time, then it cleared up, looked at Pei Xia, and said with a smile: "Uncle Daoguo is smart, and Wang Yifu has a good son-in-law. It is true that the food and grass are quite insufficient. The governor had a headache and didn't know what to do, so he made two preparations. If the two kings of Chengdu and Hejian were willing to negotiate peace, they could do so. If not, they would send envoys to contact the governors of Yongliang and order them to send troops. Attack Chang'an, first retreat the troops along the way, and then contact the barbarians in Bingzhou, Youzhou and the frontier fortress, and send them south to attack the rear of Yecheng." Pei Xia was thoughtful and keenly caught the look on Sima Yue's face. The fleeting complex emotions seem to include displeasure and jealousy? He didn't dare to think too much and just said: "This strategy is very good and well thought out."
Sima Yue nodded and said: "So, you must not slack off. You still need to organize your troops and horses. , to recruit talents. On this occasion, a brave person is better than two empty talkers."
At this point, he turned his eyes to Pei Xia again and said: "Uncle Dao last time. The Shao Xun mentioned was indeed from the Donghai Academy. Gu Yi didn’t know he was so brave and was almost buried.”
Concubine Pei was lecturing the eight-year-old prince in a low voice and seemed not to notice the conversation at all.
Some things, if you bring them up by yourself, they will look good, but they are not beautiful.
When Pei Xia visited the palace and mentioned Shao Xun, Concubine Pei did not show too much emotion. Instead, she led the topic slowly and deepened Pei Xia's impression without leaving any trace.
It is appropriate to do so.
Because in her opinion, she is recruiting talents for the family and making good friends, without any selfish motives.
Today's family dinner, Sima Yue mentioned Shao Xun again, and it was obvious that Pei Xia had contributed.
That’s good.
Having a general will give you an extra level of protection in Luoyang, which is like a dragon's pond and a tiger's den.
"That man - really powerful." Pei Xia seemed to recall the situation that day. Although it had the effect of his own drum and the influence of the general trend of the frontal battlefield, it was always difficult to kill the enemy. Is it true?
Now it is no different than when Wu and Shu were defeated. The elite soldiers and generals are withering badly. Whether it is the Luoyang Central Army or the soldiers from various places, the overall combat strength is declining, and the talents are almost nonexistent, or in other words It needs to be discovered urgently.
Sima Wanghu of the Taiwei Mansion killed sixteen enemy generals in one battle, and he was afraid that he would be able to stop children crying at night in Hebei.
Gou Xi defeated the enemy in a row in the north of the city and was also feared by the enemy.
Shao Xun defeated the army and killed the generals, his bravery and heroism made people admire him.
But there are only a few of them, and two of the three have no family background, and one is "poor", which makes people speechless.
In an era when military virtues are declining, generals are hard to find. No wonder Sikong attaches so much importance to him. What's even more amazing is that this person was born in the East China Sea, so he can naturally be trusted.
"Haha." Seeing Pei Xia's envious look, Sima Yue laughed heartily: "Mi Zihui also told me about Shao Xun, who is from our country and is only seventeen years old after the New Year. You are really young and promising."
"I am so happy that my husband has won a man. It's time for a drink." Concubine Pei filled Sima Yue's glass of wine in a timely manner and said softly.
Sima Yue became even happier, picked up the wine bottle and drank it all in one gulp.
"Husband, Shao Xun is only sixteen years old. If he is cultivated well, he can use it for decades. Not only will the husband benefit, but the prince will also benefit from it." Concubine Pei said again: "The servants in the mansion have heard that Shao Xun Isn’t it the praise of heaven to have a man of gods teach him civil and military skills, and to surrender to his husband?”
“Tian praise…” Sima Yue paused, and his face slowly turned red.
OMG!
He had drunk some wine and was already a little drunk. Hearing the word "Tian Zan" seemed to hit his heart.
Is this God helping me?
Recalling how he used to be humble and flattering, Sima Yue suddenly felt a little sad. My life is not easy!
Do you think I'm so mean that I have to lick my face to flatter others? He was even secretly teased by officials and officials?
Do you think I am so stupid that I have to keep changing families and be ridiculed or even looked down upon by others?
We are all sect kings, why should I be so mean?
No, not anymore!
Sima Yue shook his head subconsciously.
Concubine Pei stood up again and gently touched her shoulders, as if to comfort her.
Sima Yue was a little touched, my wife still cares about me after all.
That Shao Xun, since he is a star descending to earth, then let’s test his loyalty. If he is truly a loyal person, he may be of great use.
Sima Yue has thought of something, which may be left to this person to do in the future.
If he can even accomplish this, then he is commendable for his loyalty and can be focused on cultivating.
(End of this chapter)