After entering the second half of October, the cold wind rises suddenly, and there is a heavy rain every three or five times, and the light rain has hardly stopped, and anyone with a discerning eye can see that this year's winter may come earlier than before. However, for the little red wolf, he will never have a chance to see the snow this winter again.

After consecutive defeats in Buckwheat Mountain and Yanjing that day, Little Red Wolf and others made up their minds to avoid Zhao Ying's edge and go to Ningqiang Prefecture to hold on. Unexpectedly, the troops marched to the south of Hanzhong Prefecture, but the officers and troops fell into the well and cut off the road to the southwest. The little red wolf and other abdomen and back were attacked by the enemy, panicked, and after being defeated by Liu Shaozong, there was internal strife, a dragon, a tiger, etc. were all killed by the little red wolf, the people were in an uproar, and the little red wolf had to temporarily retreat to the seemingly empty northwest.

He panicked, intending to rendezvous with Wu Dading and consolidate his power, but he didn't expect that this move was in the hands of Zhao Dangshi. The thousands of men and horses gathered in the north of Zhao's camp have been preparing for battle for a long time, and the two sides fought in Chenggu County, the little red wolf was severely damaged, and Shangtianlong, a hardcore ally who had always supported him, also died by the bombardment. After successive defeats, the little red wolf's subordinates were separated from morality, and in the end, there were less than a thousand who stuck to his side. But he still had illusions, hoping to go north to Hanzhong Mansion through Wudading in the northwest to find another development. Unexpectedly, when Wu Da saw that the development of the situation was as Liu Xiaohong said that day, he was already impressed by Zhao Ying in his heart, and did not hesitate to choose to give himself, an old friend and comrade-in-arms, the most fatal blow.

At this time, with the drizzle, the little red wolf was tied up and was pressed to kneel on the high platform. His eyes seemed to erupt with rage, but at the same time a little despair. The wet ends of his hair were haphazardly bonded into strips and coiled around his forehead and sideburns, adding to the pathos.

"Zhao Dangshi, Lao Tzu and you have no grievances, why bother to die to the death!" The little red wolf raised his head to the sky and wailed, and his hoarse voice echoed through the entire silent school field.

Zhao Dangshi sat on the main seat of the high platform, his face was resolute, and he did not have the slightest wave in the face of the little red wolf's questioning before his death. He gave a few words to a herald beside him, who quickly ran to the front of the stage and shook the pennant in his hand three times. Almost as he moved, more than a dozen soldiers on both sides of the stage shouted in unison to the thousands of people who stood quietly and watched. These soldiers were all selected from the battalions temporarily, and their voices were louder than ordinary people, and according to the earlier arrangement, their loud shouts converged into a single force that instantly carried out the whole audience—

"Since the day of the start of the army, my Zhao Battalion has been sincere. The innocent do not harm, and the innocent do not kill. Today, on the ground, the three crimes of the little red wolf were counted and reported to the soldiers. A crime, I went to the camp to enter Sichuan, and I didn't think about helping, but I repeatedly did things like my comrades; the second crime, with bad intentions, instructing the subordinates to harm me; Three crimes, tyrannizing the people for a long time, bullying and poisoning the people, heaven and people are angry. With these three sins, people will kill them when they see them, and my camp will do the right thing for heaven, and if they get their people, there is no reason not to kill them to thank heaven and earth! ”

After saying this long paragraph, the more than ten soldiers were stunned and shouted to the end. Their voices were so loud that after they closed their mouths, the aftermath was still echoing in the drizzle for a long time. With their help amplifying, the thousands of soldiers present were able to hear everyone really understand.

"Never follow the same path as a rogue."

This is a goal that Zhao Dangshi has always had in mind. He was accustomed to killing and tyranny, but instead of numbing him, it made him wary. He had a heart for changing the army, especially in discipline. If the establishment of military regulations is a strong means, then such a pervasive indoctrination of ideas can be regarded as a soft means. Zhao Dangshi hoped that through such subtle subtlety, the soldiers in the battalion would gradually realize that Zhao Ying was not an army that could only kill and wander without ideals. Emphasizing that "there is a reason for a soldier to come out and a reason to kill" is the most direct way to express it today.

The little red wolf rested his head on the stake alone, his heart like ashes. There are thousands of people here, and not a single one of them is his friend. His friends and subordinates have all turned into ghosts, or like that Wu Dading, they have stood on the other side. Come to think of it, he really has no reason to continue to live in the world.

There was a small chair beside Zhao Dangshi, and on it sat Zhao Yuanzai, Zhao Dangshi meant that the children had to get used to killing as soon as possible. In fact, in a tiger and wolf den like Zhao Ying, it is impossible for the weak like cattle and sheep to continue to survive. Even as a child of Zhao Dangshi, he must witness blood and death again and again, and adapt to such a scene in the shortest time.

This execution, a blunt knife with an unopened edge, and the broad back of the knife reflects its cruelty. The executioner was an experienced old butcher who carried the knife on his shoulder and rubbed his right hand restlessly against his body. From time to time, I will look at Zhao Dangshi's side.

The little red wolf can't see a knife, but from past experience, it is unlikely that a sharp knife will be used for any beheading, and it is common to use a blunt knife in order to inflict the greatest pain on the tortured. Especially with a scene of thousands of onlookers like this, it is so solemn, if a knife falls to the ground, it will be too cheap for yourself.

Therefore, he smiled bitterly and said, "Brother, it will be okay later, and you will kill me first with a knife." There was no one within a few steps, so naturally he said this to the executioner behind him. I only heard the "grunt" of the executioner's throat, but I don't know if I heard it or not.

Not long after, Zhao Dangshi waved his hand, and the small flag in the herald's hand waved again, and the more than ten soldiers shouted in unison: "Cut!" This time, not only them, but also the thousands of soldiers watching in the audience also let out a shaking cry at the same moment: "Chop!" ”

The little red wolf sighed softly and closed his eyes tightly.

Zhao Dangshi obviously felt that Zhao Yuanzai's thin body beside him was startled by this majestic roar, and shook it, so he said lightly: "This is a shout to the enemy, but what are you panicking about?" In the future, when we really go to the battlefield, the sound of drums and trumpets will be much louder than that. ”

Zhao Yuanzai was very stubborn, biting his teeth lightly, and said, "The child is not afraid." But the body still involuntarily shrank inward.

As the execution horn sounded, an angry roar exploded from the executioner's throat on the high platform, and then, almost in a flash of lightning, the thick knife swung down and slashed at the back of the little red wolf's neck, and his body immediately went limp.

Zhao Yuanzai let out a "pout" and threw his head into the arms of Ge Haishan, who was standing on his side, in horror, but Ge Haishan coldly pushed his head out. Then his young heart was shaken greatly. I saw that the executioner again and again, and constantly raised the knife and cut it down, and each time he slashed, there was flesh foam and blood splashed with his shouting, and I am afraid that after nearly ten cuts, the little red wolf's head rolled off the stake, and his neck was smashed, not so much cut off.

Zhao Yuanzai wanted to cry, but Baba opened his eyes, but he couldn't shed a single tear.

"If you don't kill him, the next time your head is on the stake, it's your father." After the execution, Zhao Dangshi also exempted himself from the steps of inspecting the head, got up and left, but left such a sentence when he passed through Zhao Yuan's tribulation. Zhao Yuanzai opened his eyes, and waited until Zhao Dangshi's back disappeared, and tears unconsciously burst out of his eyes.

After the death of the little red wolf, Wu Dading naturally accepted the rest of his subordinates, which was also agreed between Zhao Dangshi and him before. After that, Wu Dading released Guo Hutou, who had been imprisoned for many days. Zhao Dangshi rewards and punishments are clear, and after discussing with the generals, he believes that Guo Hutou's crime is not to death, but it is reduced to 100 generals, fined for three months, meritorious service and self-redemption, and the former battalion and former division temporarily held the position of general by Xu Hui himself.

At this point, the old Kou who was the number one on the ground in Hanzhong Mansion was basically swept away, and Zhao Ying became the strongest force in the mansion. In addition to the 6,000 people under Zhang Miao's hand, and Wu Dading's expansion of the army, there are also 5,000 or 6,000 people, and the Zhao camp in a broad sense has a scale of about 25,000 people.

However, it is always good to be cautious in all things. Zhao Dangshi's earlier outings to collect intelligence from all over the country also began to return to the camp one after another, among which the news provided by Pang Jinming was the most eye-catching.

If Zhou Wenhe is more suitable to be a pro-soldier leader, then this Pang Jinming is well-deserved, a talent born for espionage. Zhao Dangshi has the wisdom to see the current ability and potential of each of his subordinates, which is also a necessary quality as a manager. He believes that if a special secret service department is to be set up to be in charge in the future, then Pang Jinming is undoubtedly a more suitable candidate than Zhou Wenhe.

Not to mention, the military intelligence brought back by Pang Jinming is divided into three items: the first is the negotiation with Liu Shaozong. That day, in order to block the little red wolf's retreat to the southwest, Mu Gongchun's proposed method was to find the official army and use the Huaqing county lord as a bargaining chip to buy the 'official army's contribution. Hooking up between officials and thieves, Zhao Dangshi has heard a lot and experienced a lot, only Cao Wenzhao and Qin Liangyu will insist on this concept. More people, such as Liu Shaozong, are easily shaken in the face of interests. For him, he lost a lot of financial resources and manpower in exchange for several months of arrears of military salaries from the imperial court, whether it was subjective will or objective circumstances, which drove him to take over this business. Just imagine, what a credit it is to rescue the county lord of Huaqing alone? Not to mention what kind of reward will be given by the imperial court, the reward given by the Rui Fan is enough to eat a lot of money. Therefore, Liu Shaozong readily agreed to Zhao Ying's request to send troops. Right now, Liu Shaozong is still wandering outside with people, waiting for Zhao Dangshi to fulfill his promise.

The second item is the composition of the army in Hanzhong City. This is relatively much simpler, mainly because Pang Jinming has no way and enough time to go deep into the official army. In general, it is divided into three parts: Sun Xianzu has more than 1,500 people; Liu Shaozong's 3,000 people; Liu Yuyang has more than 2,000 people. Among them, Sun Xianzu's combat effectiveness was the strongest, and Liu Yuyang was the weakest. In addition, thousands of people from central Sichuan have also arrived in the west a few days ago, and the specific situation needs to be explored again.

The third item is the city defense of Baocheng. Although Wu Dading was officially attached to Zhao Ying, Zhao Dangshi did not intend to stop attacking Baocheng and Chuxian. In order to further convince Wu Dading, Zhao Dangshi was determined to take these two counties. Pang Jinming first mentioned that there were more than 3,000 officers and soldiers in Baocheng, and Zhao Dangshi was shocked. Shaanxi is not as good as Sichuan, because it has always been a military province, and it attaches great importance to the repair of the city. The defenders of Chenggu and Xixiang counties, which are close at hand, are only more than 1,000 people, which can make Zhao Dangshi dispel the idea of attacking. I thought that the remote garrisons of Baocheng and Chuxian would be looser, so they would transfer the target of the attack there, if the news of these 3,000 people was conclusive, then Zhao Dangshi really had to think about how to explain to Wu Dading.

However, Pang Jinming then shook out an important situation, that is, according to his inquiry, these 3,000 people were not recruited by He Yongxi in Baocheng County in the past month. I think it was Zhao Ying's sudden arrival that caused He Yongxi's pressure to increase sharply, so he had to make this decision. The distribution of these people to defend the palace is to make the illusion of many soldiers and fortified cities, so as to intimidate the rogues to retreat in the face of difficulties. Not to mention, this idea really has some effect, not only did the little red wolf not go to Baocheng to harass, but Zhao Dangshi, who had not heard this kind of inside story with his own ears, was afraid that he would hesitate to attack the plan. The three thousand officers and soldiers without any training were no different from sheep in wolf's clothing in the eyes of the battle-hardened Zhao Ying. This news is extremely valuable, as long as it is confirmed again, this attack on Baocheng will no longer be a problem.

Zhao Dangshi praised Pang Jinming with kind words and asked him to go down to receive the reward and rest, but suddenly found that he had an extremely fine Yanling knife hanging from his waist, and stopped him and said, "Where did this knife come from?" ”

Pang Jinming was reminded by him before he remembered this stubble, so he briefly told him about his stay at the old man's place, and said: "After the subordinates came back, they put it on, thinking that this knife is so conspicuous, wearing it and walking around the camp a lot, if the old man's son is really in my camp, he will come to investigate." ”

Zhao Dangshi nodded and said: "Knowing kindness will be repaid, it is my generation's deserved." It's good that you're doing that. As he spoke, he remembered something again, and replied, "I'm going to go to the county lord of Huaqing, and I might ask about something." You have explored Hanzhong City, so why don't you come and listen to her, and if she says anything exaggerated, you can remind me. ”

According to the agreement with Liu Shaozong, Zhao Dangshi should hand over the county lord of Huaqing as promised. Some generals have raised objections, arguing that they should not be so sincere, and that as long as they have realized their own benefits, they do not need to manage the officers and the army. However, Zhao Dangshi didn't see it that way, and there were Qin Qigong and Xu Hui who had the same meaning as him.

The county lord of Huaqing is indeed a good bargaining chip. However, if a bargaining chip is not put on the table, no matter how large the denomination is, it will not be able to exchange it for tangible benefits. Liu Shaozong privately promised that he would say that King Dongrui would also give some money as a ransom. It is enough to change the officers and soldiers, and it is enough to get some, and no matter how insatiable they are, they will only anger the officers and soldiers. People do not stand without faith, even among officials and thieves. If you blindly covet small profits, you have no foresight, and you will do what you do. Take Zuo Liangyu and He Renlong as examples, an important reason why they have been able to reap benefits from the rogues again and again is that they do what they say and keep their promises. The identity change can also put such a situation on Zhao Dangshi, and it is easy to talk about friendship after there are comings and goings. Zhao Ying's road is still long, leaving an impression of keeping promises and honesty on these soldiers, and there will be opportunities to deal with them in the future.

Based on the above considerations, Zhao Dangshi decided to send the county lord of Huaqing back in the past two days. But before leaving, he was still ready to talk to her again, after all, the news that was prying out of the mouth of such a dignitary status was difficult for Pang Jinming to obtain no matter how hard he tried.