In the hall, except for Hsu Fengnian and Xu Weixiong, the Governor of Beiliang Chu Lushan, the Cavalry Commander Yuan Zuozong, the Deputy Commander Zhou Kang, and the Infantry Deputy Commander Chu Lushan were the four people with the highest positions and the greatest authority. As for Hsu Fengnian's proposal to defend Hutou City to the death, neither Chu Lushan nor Yuan Zuozong expressed their opinions for the time being. It was Zhou Kang who argued with Great Ancestor Gu first. During the Spring and Autumn War, Great Ancestor Gu was famous for proposing the theory of the world situation and proposing that Southern Tang must fight outside the country as the policy of "protecting the country". However, it was Great Ancestor Gu, who seemed to have a strong sense of attack, who disagreed and did not agree with the Beiliang Frontier Army to help Liu Jinu defend Hutou City to the death. On the contrary, it was Zhou Kang, who came from the Partridge Headquarters Camp, who agreed with Hsu Fengnian's point of view. Great Ancestor Gu did not care that Hsu Fengnian was on the spot and said mercilessly, "This kind of hasty change of strategy is more harmful to the Beiliang Frontier Army than the change of generals! How can the national affairs be trifled with? "
Zhou Kang also argued, "Water is impermanent, and soldiers have no solid formation. What's wrong with waiting for an opportunity to act?"
In addition to the rhetorical question, Zhou Kang said something meaningful, "When we made the military strategy of Beiliang in Youliangliang Province, the General and Li Yishan were still there. At that time, the original intention was that Beimang would go south to the Central Plains through Beiliang and Jizhou. The Beimang barbarians only regarded Beiliang as an impregnable city. Even if they could not go around the city directly, they would only place 500,000 to 600,000 soldiers here to impede our Beiliang Frontier Army, instead of attacking the three provinces of Youliangliu Province today. Strategies and rules are dead, but our Beiliang soldiers are alive! The more than 100,000 border cavalry in Liangzhou are not to be trifled with! "
Zhou Kang kept saying "our Beiliang" and mentioned Beiliang's early military and border cavalry. The old general's meaning was obvious. Great Ancestor Gu was an outsider who came late, but he was only the second in command of the infantry. Beiliang respected the cavalry, even more so in Liangzhou, so Great Ancestor Gu should be "sensible" at this time and place. " In fact, the army was similar to the imperial court. Great Ancestor was ranked army was not only ranked, but also paid paid attention to family background. In Beiliang, those captains and generals who joined the cavalry camp from the infantry had to take a long time to get along with each other. The Northern Liang Border Army naturally had no objections to Great Ancestor Gu who had been promoted by Xu Fengnian.
Hsu Fengnian frowned, but didn't say anything. Great Ancestor Gu didn't turn hostile on the spot, but his expression didn't look good either. He said coldly, "I'm just stating facts. No one denies that our border cavalry in Beiliang isn't strong enough. We only have strong combat power, but it doesn't mean that our leaders and soldiers can be squandered. War on the battlefield is like a game of chess. A national player who only knows how to play the game of chess, even if he can conquer an orphan or even slay a dragon, will lose more than gain in the overall situation. I don't want Beiliang's army to be a chess player who has the strength of a tenth dan national player but only the vision of a sixth dan chess player. Beiliang now controls four provinces, and there are hundreds of cities, military towns, strategic passes, and impregnable passes in these four provinces. Don't you need to weigh the pros and cons of using Hutou City as a chess piece to decide the survival of more than a hundred chess pieces? "
Zhou Kang clicked his tongue and said, "Why do I feel like it's Chen Zhibao talking?"
Great Ancestor Gu finally said angrily, "You bastard! Today, in front of General Zhou and the King of Beiliang, I'll tell you that the Beiliang Army shouldn't deny Chen Zhibao. Even the King of Beiliang has clearly proposed that the Essentials of Military Preparation shouldn't be banned in the border army. Why can't you have a copy of it in your Liangzhou Cavalry Army? Zhou Kang, do you want to learn from Zhong Hongwu and be an impenetrable leader of the border army? You've disliked me for a long time, and I've disliked you for a long time, too! "
Usually, the commander of the cavalry army, Yuan Zuozong, would be a peacemaker. He would even help Great Ancestor Gu, an "outsider", to reunite the family. He was like a mother-in-law. When his son quarreled with his daughter-in-law, he would really help his son by helping his daughter-in-law. But today, since Hsu Fengnian was here, Yuan Zuozong practiced the Silent Meditation and relaxed his mind. Chu Lushan was full of mischievous tricks, and he beamed as he watched the two Vice Marshals blush with interest.
Hsu Fengnian said calmly, "Those who are qualified to discuss here are all Level Three and Level Two officials. It's time to talk openly. But in the case of Hutou City, we can find loopholes and fill in the gaps. But the decision to guard it for a year will not change. "
This sentence was said to Great Ancestor Gu. Then Hsu Fengnian said to Zhou Kang, "Don't ban Chen Zhibao's Military Supplies. General Zhou, after you go back, take the lead to copy a volume. Including the commandant, all the lieutenants and generals can't be exempted. After you copy it, send it to the Protectorate of Beiliang. I'll review it myself. Whoever asks someone to write it for him or refuses to copy it, I'll go to your army and have a talk with him. If we can't reach an agreement, I'll send him to Youzhou as an infantryman."
Zhou Kang had a bitter expression as he carefully haggled, "Your Highness, that book has over a hundred thousand words, and a single volume has close to ten thousand words. Right now, the war is in full swing, so why don't we wait until we have time?"
Hsu Fengnian said with a fake smile, "Then let's have a talk first. Do you want to drink some wine and ask my second sister to cook some dishes to go with the wine? After we eat and drink enough, General Zhou can go to Youzhou. "
Zhou Kang hurriedly waved his hand and said with a smile, "No, no, I'll stay up late to copy the book. Those lieutenants and commandants under my command will finish copying it within ten days."
After the two deputy commanders of infantry and cavalry left the Protectorate of Beiliang and went to their respective cities, Yuan Zuozong said with a smile, "It turns out that each of them will be beaten 50 times."
Hsu Fengnian said worriedly, "Zhou Kang was beaten 50 times, but Great Ancestor Gu may feel that he was beaten 500 times."
Yuan Zuozong asked, "Do we need to stop him and have a private talk with him? General Gu is not that kind of stubborn person. As long as it makes sense, he will listen to it. "
Hsu Fengnian was a little helpless, "But the problem is that I don't have the confidence to make sense. At that time, it will add fuel to the fire and make Great Ancestor Gu more insistent. It's better to be like now. I'm deliberately mystifying him. Great Ancestor Gu doesn't know whether I'm selling elixirs or dogskin plasters. He can only pinch his nose and do as I say."
Hsu Fengnian saw that there were only his second sister, second brother Yuan and Chu Lushan in the hall. He said with a wry smile, "Now we are family. Finally, I don't have to pretend to be a master."
In addition to laughing at the two old generals, Chu Lushan's eyes were more on the sand table. In fact, the Protector General of Beiliang had always been famous for his political and military achievements. He had always been looked down upon and underestimated by the entire Central Plains imperial court. Especially after the older generation of the Central Plains passed away one after another, Chu Lushan was only occasionally mentioned by people because he led thousands of cavalry to Shu Province. Compared with Yan Wenluan and Chen Zhibao, he was much inferior. He was even inferior to Yuan Zuozong who showed his brilliance in the battle of the Princess' Tomb. At that time, people were very shocked that Chu Lushan, who was only a level four official, was appointed as the Protector General of Beiliang. However, the Beiliang Army and its archenemy, Beimang, were not surprised. From this, it could be seen that the Liyang imperial court generally did not care about Beiliang. What the eye did not see, the heart did not feel troubled. Chu Lushan had a saying that was widely spread among the upper echelons of the Beiliang Frontier Army. From the first time this fatty saw the sand table, he was intoxicated. In his early years, whether there was a war or not, he liked to stare at the sand tables of various countries in a daze. No one knew what was so interesting about these things. It was only when Wu Su asked him once that Chu Lushan told the truth. He said, "It is the same principle as reading a book. After reading a book a hundred times, its meaning will be revealed." Later on, when the Xu and Zhao 'separated' from each other, Chu Lushan's home in Beiliang had no less than a hundred sand tables of various sizes. It was rumored that the largest one took up the entire building. There was no place to stand on the first floor. If one wanted to see the sand table, one had to go straight up the stairs to the second floor to look down.
Chu Lushan looked at the sand table at the northernmost city of Liangzhou, Hutou City, and then at the southernmost city of Youzhou, Xiaguang City. He softly said, "It's not that Hutou City can't be defended for a year. I've thought of a reason that might be able to convince Great Ancestor Gu."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
