In the eighth year of Xuanhe of the Great Song Dynasty, the thirtieth day of the first month.

The school field in the city of the Daimyo's Mansion is a tragic and solemn scene.

Tiance Jian'er, the forbidden army soldier, the famous filial son, the Wei Mansion people, under various banners, lined up in a corner of the school field. The armor is still neat, but the number is still a little small, and most of the territory is empty on the huge school field that can put out tens of thousands of steps, and only more than 20,000 people shrink in the northwest corner of the school field, so that the gentry of the Daimyo's Mansion who are standing outside the school field feel bottomless.

And the 20,000 troops here are all the combatable soldiers that Zhao Kai has tried his best to gather in more than 20 days after arriving at the Daimyo's Mansion.

Among them, there are more than 4,500 cavalry members who were incorporated into Zhao Kai's pro-army Tiance Army, in addition to the 1,800 cavalry that Zhao Kai received from Kaifeng Mansion, there are also 1,000 cavalry that originally belonged to Han Shizhong, more than 700 cavalry led by Liu Yan to the Daimyo Mansion, dozens of cavalry brought by Ma Kuo, and more than 800 cavalry led by the veteran Yang Weizhong, who arrived from Yizhou only two days ago, and two or three hundred cavalry recruited by Zhao Kai from the van soldiers, filial sons, and Minzhuang of the Daimyo Mansion.

These cavalry are now the main aces in Zhao Kai's hands, so he doesn't care about their original subordinates, and they are all transferred to his command with the military order of the Marshal of Hebei Soldiers and Horses to join Tiance's pro-army. In order to win the hearts of those military attachés and military leaders who led troops to join, Zhao Kai set up a commander in the Tiance pro-army, three deputy rulers and three commanders.

Among them, Tiance's pro-army command was given to Han Shizhong, and the deputy command was given to Xiang Ke, Liu Yan, and Yang Weizhong - these four all led the team to join, of which Han Shizhong and Xiang Ke each brought more than 1,000 horses, and Liu Yan and Yang Weizhong brought seven or eight hundred horses. The three commanders are Huang Wuji, Liu Qi, and Ma Kuo. In addition, although this commander, the three deputy commanders, and the three commanders have their own ranks, the number of cavalry they command is the same, and these seven people are also cavalry generals, each commanding more than 600 cavalry.

Tiance pro-army also has an auxiliary general, which is composed of Ma Ling brought by Zhao Kai from Mu Huogang Horse Farm, plus Ma Ling and miscellaneous servants recruited in the Daimyo Mansion, of which less than 500 have Tiance military status, and about 1000 people have forbidden army and box soldier military status. The main general of the auxiliary army is the box soldier officer Qi Wang from Mu Huogang, and he also has the rank of commander, called the commander of the military horse.

The main task of the auxiliary generals of the Tiance Army is to manage the horses of the Tiance army and a small horse farm, taking care of more than 10,000 horses in total - all the Tiance cavalry joined with war horses, plus the 5,000 horses that Zhao Kai got from the Mu Camel Gang Horse Farm, plus the horses collected after arriving at the Daimyo's Mansion. The total number of horses now under the Tiance army is more than 12,000, including 1,200 stallions and more than 2,000 tall mares who are in the best age to give birth.

In addition, there are hundreds of guards under the banner of Tiance's pro-army, which are the original Kaifeng soldiers who lined up outside the Donghua Gate, and their current task is to defend Zhao Kai's palace.

In addition to Tiance's pro-army, Zhao Kai also set up two new military titles, Shuaifu Yajun and Wei Fuyi Army.

Among them, the Shuaifu Ya Army was originally stationed in the city of the Daimyo's Mansion of the 5,000 forbidden army, and this army was also under Zhao Kai's command with a marshal's general's order, and the military command was the veteran He Guan brought by Zhao Kai from Kaifeng Mansion.

And the Wei Mansion Volunteer Army is also known as the Filial Piety Army, and those "filial sons" of the Daimyo Mansion are now incorporated into it, plus some reorganized righteous troops, as well as some forbidden troops and box soldiers of the Daimyo Mansion, a total of more than 7,000 people have been gathered and formed into an army. The military command system was given to Wang Yuan, the original daimyo commander.

In addition to the above more than 17,800 people, Zhao Kai also has two other armed forces, one is his royal army, about 1,000 people, the main force is He Guan of course led the 300 people who blocked the door outside the Donghua Gate and more than 200 relatives who followed Zhao Kai. After arriving at the Daimyo's Mansion, Zhao Kai let his henchman Wang Xiaode take care of them, and asked Wang Xiaode to recruit 500 new strong men, making up the number of thousands.

The other armed force was the 2,000 Cangzhou soldiers brought to the Daimyo Mansion by Du Chong, the governor of Cangzhou - this Du Chong was ordered by the Song Dynasty to escort a batch of grain to Kaifeng Mansion, and he only arrived at the Daimyo Mansion two days ago.

Under the patchwork, Zhao Kai's troops have exceeded 20,000 people, which is twice as many as Guo Yaoshi and Liu Yanzong's troops! Even if one of them had to stay in the Daimyo's Mansion, it was still safe to send 15,000 troops.

Fifteen thousand people fight 10,000 people, a whole thousand more people, and there is also the advantage of a surprise attack, as well as the bonus of Zhao Kai, the king of the chosen one...... This advantage is even greater than estimated at the beginning, so it's impossible to lose, right?

Now in the school field, the victorious army of 20,000 people has been lined up neatly, and there is no sound. It's just that I can't see much arrogance, and there is a kind of melancholy faintly floating...... It seems that this problem has to continue to be cured!

Outside the school field, dozens of knights are slowly coming towards the school field. The first to ride, silver helmet and silver armor, and a dazzling red cloak, is the marshal of Hebei soldiers and horses, Zhao Kai, the king of Yun. The high-ranking officials and generals on the side of the Daimyo's Mansion all gathered around him, half of them had sad faces, and a few of them couldn't stop sighing-they had been persuading Zhao Kai for a few days, wanting to prevent him from going out of the city in person to fight against Guo Yaoshi.

But Zhao Kai is very stubborn, and he is determined to go out of the city to fight for thieves! He also ordered Chen Ji, He Guan, Han Shizhong, Wang Yuan and others to draw up a plan to raid Guo Yaoshi's camp. Now is the time to start putting it into practice!

Today, Zhao Kai came to the school in person, not for anything else, but to swear an oath of soldiers!

After the oath is completed, he will immediately leave the city and go to the west bank of the Yellow River to fight to the death with Guo Yaoshi and Liu Yanzong, the two thieves!

Although this battle plan looks quite good—there are regular soldiers, surprise soldiers, and ambush soldiers, and a part of the cannons (trebuchets) and bed crossbows that are laid at the head of the Daimyo's Mansion will be moved down and loaded into trucks, disguised as goods, and pulled to the outside of the camp of Guo Yaoshi and Liu Yanzong as support firepower. And in order to enhance the power of the cannon, Zhao Kai also ordered the artillery soldiers (subordinate to the Wei Army) to bring a 12th-century high-tech weapon, poison smoke balls!

But in the eyes of Cai Mao, Du Chong, Liang Fangping and others, Zhao Kai's current behavior is messing around, he is a prince of the Song Dynasty, even if he receives the post of marshal of Hebei, he should not go out of the city in person!

Moreover, he went out of the city to raid the Jin army when there was great hope for peace...... This is really unwise, and it will also put the official family and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in Bianliang, Tokyo to death!

If both the official family and the crown prince let the gold thieves kill, what would the hundreds of millions of people in the Great Song Dynasty do? Who will be the new official?

As soon as they thought of this question, Cai Mao, Du Chong, and Liang Fangping didn't dare to speak anymore......

Zhao Kai had already arrived at the school yard at this time, and walked under the Xuanxi Daxu, the white general's tooth flag and the red Luo Zhi flag, which had long been erected in front of the phalanx composed of 20,000 Great Song warriors. Countless pairs of eyes were projected from the phalanx, all staring at this somewhat crazy King Song Yun.

Although Wang is a little crazy, he seems to be the only person in this Great Song Dynasty who can make people see hope...... Maybe the Great Song Dynasty was such a mad king?

Facing the expectant (and questioning) eyes of the athletes under his command, the blood in Zhao Kai's heart churned violently again.

Zhao Kai is excited, look, this is an army of 20,000! Now they are all gathered under the command of the king who holds high the banner of anti-gold...... This is just the beginning, after this king kills Guo Yaoshi and fights the first big victory in the anti-Jin war, there will definitely be more hot-blooded men under the command of this king. At that time, the king will be able to open up more and larger anti-Jin base areas in Hebei and train more anti-Jin feudal forces.

When the gold thief is driven away, this king will be able to add a yellow robe, become the supreme of the Ninety-Five, dominate the world, and colonize the world!

Thinking of this, Zhao Kai couldn't help but slam the horse's belly, urging the war horse under his crotch to gradually accelerate, and finally galloped through the front of the 20,000 army in the school field. Everyone's eyes followed him, as if they really saw a glimmer of hope for victory in the anti-gold war from him! I also saw the hope of being promoted and making a fortune......

In the midst of countless pairs of eyes that became a little eager, Zhao Kai rode his horse and galloped to the front of the Tiance cavalry in the center of the 20,000-strong army. Then with all the strength of his body, he tore open his throat and shouted: "Now that the national disaster is at hand, what does the man and husband want?" ”

Immediately, someone took the lead and shouted: "Defend the family and defend the country!" ”

Zhao Kai glanced at the man, it turned out to be a team leader of the Tiance Army, named Wu Benao, a yellow-faced man, born in the Western Army, and later joined the fifth personal commander of the Imperial City Division, which can be regarded as Zhao Kai's "henchman".

Zhao Kai nodded at him, and then laughed: "Is it just to protect the family and defend the country?" Don't you want to take advantage of this chaotic time to kill thieves and make meritorious contributions, get promoted and make a fortune, and seal their wives and sons? ”

There was a silence below, and the shouts burst out: "Think! Think! Want to ......"

This voice is much louder than the heartfelt cry of the team named Wu Benao just now, it is simply deafening!

The feudal army, of course, wants to be promoted and rich, and seal his wife and son!

Hearing the truth, Zhao Kai laughed and raised his right hand, and the cheering generals below gradually closed their voices, and the school field fell silent again.

Zhao Kai shouted again: "If you want to be an official, go with this king to kill the gold thief!" The lone king is the marshal of Hebei soldiers and horses, controlling the armies, states, and prefectures, and can act cheaply, and can recruit his own subordinates! Up to the rampant officials, the lone king can also appoint them!

Tomorrow the army, the lone king personally supervises the battle, you should work hard to kill the thief, if there is a great merit, on the spot to be crowned official...... It is the control of the rampant officials and one state and one government, and the lone can also be given to you!

In addition, there are countless official fields in Hebei, and this king can also control them...... When you get to the battlefield, you have the merit, and the lonely king can give him a lifelong job on the spot! ”

This pie is too big!

Not only were the soldiers and soldiers in the school field stunned for a moment, but even the civil and military officials who followed Zhao Kai were taken aback.

Zhao Kai does have the power to recruit subordinates, and he can also recommend some officials, and even print official photos himself...... After all, these are extraordinary times! The traffic around Kaifeng Mansion has been cut off by the Jin soldiers, so the personnel power of the Hebei Marshal's Mansion is definitely bullish.

But how can the rampant officials and the state government officials give them to the outside world at will? Although the rampant official started from the seventh rank right martial ro. However, in the Song Dynasty, where the rank of military attache was generally low, the military attache who entered the rampant was a high-ranking official. Except for the award, it is according to the special purpose, and it is not among the military ministers!

Even the officials themselves could not use the central decree to appoint rampant officials, and had to issue official edicts through the eastern and western governments.

As for the governor of the state government, he is a very powerful dispatch, and the military affairs of the chief officer of one state and one government cannot be lightly delegated.

Although Zhao Kai has the power to control the armies of Hebei, moderation does not mean that the officers with troops in Hebei can be replaced!

Moreover, Zhao Kai still has the power to control the governors of various prefectures, can he also remove the governors of various places with a single order?

Even the Great Song official family doesn't have such power! If he wants to remove the officials and the system of the state government, he must also follow the line of the collegiate discussion of the two governments and the promulgation of the proposed edict, and if the prime ministers do not agree, it will not be easy for the officials to remove the officials and the system of the state government.

If Zhao Kai could use his own decree to seal the rampant officials, appoint the commander and the governor Taishou...... Isn't his power greater than that of the officials?

In addition, the field of employment for the soldiers...... There doesn't seem to be any precedent for this, does it? That is, the northwest, Hedong and other places have given land to archers along the border, but that is not because of merit!

Just when Cai Mao and Du Chong, two senior civil officials, were pondering whether to remind Zhao Kai to prudently appoint and dismiss officials, someone suddenly took the lead and shouted: "I am willing to die for the king!" ”

"The ministers are willing to die for the king!"

This was followed by more cheers, and soon the cheers reached their climax, deafening, enveloping everyone in the middle!

Zhao Kai nodded with satisfaction, it seems that this pre-battle mobilization has achieved the expected effect - now everyone knows that the official photo they want the most is here in Zhao Kai! They want land secondly, and he also has it!

Zhao Kai has the right to confer meritorious officials, and he is also ready to confer officials before the battle! Moreover, the largest Jilu official (rank official) that can be awarded is the largest five-rank general service doctor among the rampant officials! Officers can be awarded military command or government control!

If the merit of the sergeant is not great enough, he is also ready to give it to the field...... The foreign officials of the Song Dynasty all had jobs to receive, and they could get a few thousand acres at most! However, this field is not for officials to enjoy for life, but to take it back when they leave office.

And Zhao Kai learned from Cai Mao that there were many official fields in Hebei, so he wanted to use them as money.

Because he had limited money on hand, counting the savings in the official treasury of the Daimyo's Mansion, it was less than 4 million. And the normal expenditure of 20,000 troops and 12,000 horses in a month can reach more than 10 thousand! Therefore, the money on hand alone cannot support a long war.

So take out the land and motivate the soldiers.

And the official position and the land, but the real reward!

Although the Song army relied heavily on rewards to fight the war, before and during the battle, a large number of copper coins and silk silks were distributed, and the soldiers below who were given less were likely to refuse to fight in front of the battle! But the generals of the Song Dynasty actually didn't get any heavy rewards...... All they could easily get was some copper coins and silk silks, which could not change the class to which they belonged, and it was difficult for them to make a sergeant a rich man. It's nothing more than letting them eat, drink, prostitute and gamble, and then they're empty-handed.

And there are only two things that can really change the future and destiny of the sergeants, one is the official position, and the other is the land.

An official, even if he is a military attache from the ninth grade, can turn a fighting man into a member of the scholar class. Even if he returns to the countryside in the future, he can become a local gentry by virtue of his official status and various privileges.

Land, on the other hand, provided long-term income for the sergeants and allowed them to become members of the landlord class. Moreover, having a job field can also improve the social status of the sergeants and make them close to the sergeants.

But these two things are extremely difficult for the soldiers of the Song army to obtain through meritorious service...... Because high-ranking officials who have the right to recommend and recruit officials are usually not present in the Song Dynasty. That kind of thing that will go out and enter the phase did not exist in the Song Dynasty. Even if there are important ministers who go out of the town, they will not really be in battle when they are pacification envoys, control envoys, and economic envoys, but hide in the castle in the rear and command blindly, so they don't know who has merit in cutting people on the front line.

And the military attachés who lead troops into battle are often of very low rank. Because the Song Dynasty also set up an eighth-order no-grade school captain below Chengxinlang from the ninth grade...... In other words, since he was in the army, he has been promoted to eight levels in a row, and he has not yet become an official. How much merit does it take to advance to level eight?

Therefore, the number of officials at the grassroots level of the Northern Song Dynasty army is very small, and many of the officers who lead the troops are unqualified captains, and they have no officials themselves, so they can still recommend others to be officials?

In such a situation where it is difficult to obtain official positions and land, the soldiers can only ask for a reward...... And the incentive effect of money is very limited, so it is understandable that the Song army's combat enthusiasm is not high.

It's good now, the officials have it, the land has it, there is a lot of money, and there is a big Song mad king who can take the big guys to the battlefield together, what else is there to fight?