Chapter 5 "The Cold Mountain Meets the Dragon Again, and the Smoke Breaks Thousands"

At night, the General's Mansion listened to the rain pavilion, and Su Hua was looking at the letter sent by the scout in front of him.

The letter reported that a small force had recently appeared outside the Hanshan Pass in the south of the Yangtze River. Many of the scouts went to inspect but were not heard from, and they were probably killed. Since Su Hua took over Jiangnan, he has been most worried about the safety situation, you must know that this is not only about the people of Jiangnan, but also determines his future path.

Since the outbreak of the floods, although I have been patrolling ahead, I have always been worried about two things.

The first is the outbreak of the plague and the spread of the plague, and the second is the remnants of the Western Xia.

The Western Xia light cavalry was invincible, and it was well known that it was not bad to fight a first-class land march immediately.

In the First Battle of Youyun, the Tang Dynasty lost its troops, and the Jiangnan army suffered heavy losses. Up to now, Jiangnan has only 30,000 troops, including 20,000 naval troops, and there are even fewer land combat services. In addition, with Su Zhen firmly rooted in the front for many years, Jiangnan can not be affected by half a minute. I'm afraid that the army has already trained in hand, which is the weakness of Su Hua.

The outbreak of floods in the Tang Dynasty will inevitably cause panic, and the imperial court will send troops to maintain order as soon as they come to relieve the disaster.

There is no reason for Xixia to let go of this good opportunity, although it can't be greedy for any big gains, but it is a small depression and a thousand miles away, and there must be a lot of rumors in the mouths of the people of the Tang Dynasty, and it is inevitable that there will be people who make a big fuss about it.

It is true that there are many defenders in the south of the Yangtze River, and most of the victims are helpless.

I wanted to put it inside the city and benefit the plague, so I ran aground outside the city. Su Hua was afraid of tigers and wolves, so he used the reason of mobilizing the army to maintain order, and secondly, he was to take precautions against the light cavalry of Western Xia.

After carefully analyzing the topography of the nearby mountains, Su Hua was thinking about what strategy to use.

Duan Sandao, who was patrolling from the barracks, also rushed back at this time to recover his life, followed by a young man in white.

"Young master, you will do everything you command."

"Uncle Duan, it's hard work." Su Hua looked at Duan Sandao, and his heart was full of warmth. To say that the hardest thing in the past few days is not him, he just moved the experience of later generations, and the hardest thing is Duan Sandao. During the day, he inspected the refugee camps, and at night he had to rush back to the barracks to check his work. These two days can make such a burly man feel six points more tired.

"Solve the worries of the young master, a certain thing." Duan Sandao returned the salute with a fist, then turned around and said: "This is Liu Changfeng, the squire of the Cold Mountain, who went to report the military situation to the young general on the order of his father. ”

Liu Changfeng is also handsome, not like a city defender, but a bit of a scholar. The age is a few years older than Su Hua, his father Liu Yan is old, and the affairs of Hanshan Pass are all taken care of by Liu Changfeng, so he also has a reputation in the mouth of the people of Hanshan Pass.

Liu Changfeng is also the first time to see Su Hua, at this time and age, which rich son is not spending time outside, on the other hand, Su Hua is studying the terrain of the south of the Yangtze River, and there is no magnificent scenery in the general's mansion, just by virtue of two points, he Liu Changfeng admires.

"Xiaguan Liu Changfeng pays a visit to the major general."

Su Hua also looked at Liu Changfeng carefully, and his official boots were covered with dust, so he must have been tired all the way. Touching his stomach from time to time, Su Hua guessed that he should be hungry.

"Liu Shilang is exempt from courtesy, and he is hungry when he wants to come after running for days. Fu Bo instructed his subordinates to make some food and bring it to him, so as not to neglect the guests. ”

As soon as these words came out, Liu Changfeng was frightened. It is rumored that Liu Chunxin, the general of Tiance, came to Jiangnan to visit Su Zhendu and ate a closed door, how could he dare to be a guest of the general's mansion.

"The young general doesn't need it, the subordinate has never been hungry, and after returning to the military situation, he has to rush back to Hanshan Pass, and he doesn't dare to disturb more." Liu Changfeng refused again and again.

"You can't refuse, it's a military order. I still have a lot of arrangements for military affairs. It takes a lot of time, and Liu Shilang has to stay a little longer. ”

"Major General Xie is very loving."

"Liu Shilang, please take a look!" Su Hua pointed to the topographic map of Jiangnan in front of him and said.

"What is this?" It was the first time for Liu Changfeng to see the sand model, and he couldn't help but be a little curious.

"This is the model of the sixteen states in the south of the Yangtze River."

"Model?"

"You can understand it as a map, and this one is more ingenious than a map on paper." Su Hua waved his finger and pointed to a place: "This is Hanshan Pass." Looking towards the place where Su drew his finger, Liu Changfeng was first surprised, this model is really ingenious, and the topography of the sand model is nine points similar to Hanshan Pass.

He manages a pass, so he naturally knows some art of war, and the more he knows about the terrain, the safer he becomes. Paper is paper after all, and it is not as clever as the real thing.

"It's really magical, Major General?"

"On a whim, someone sent someone to do it." Su Hua said with a smile. This dynasty did not follow the sand model maps, which were replaced by drawings. At first, there were always places he didn't know when he looked at the map, so he came up with the sand model so as not to affect his decision-making. Liu Changfeng secretly decided to get one himself when he went back, which was a good thing.

"Liu Shilang, please look here, the waters ten miles away from the Hanshan Pass are turbulent all year round, and the canyon whirlpools are countless, and even the fishermen in the pass dare not set foot in it. The water flow to the north is the Longmen outside the Xixia Pass, which is stationed outside the Tulong Gorge all the year round. ”

Su Hua pointed to a canyon, which is not far from Hanshan Pass, as if it could be reached in half a day by boat.

The strange rocks in the canyon are craggy, and the waves crash on the shore. There are countless undercurrent whirlpools, and they are located in the reef lurking water between the two mountains, and the water is turbid and indistinguishable to the naked eye. Because the merchant ships coming from the south to the north all wanted to make a detour and cross the Dragon Slaughter Gorge, they all died in the belly of the fish. The people joked among themselves, even if the dragon king came, he might not be able to swim out of this canyon unharmed, because of the title of Dragon Slaying Gorge.

"This Dragon Slaying Gorge merchant ship is not feasible, but the light boat raft is very useful. The area around Longmen in Xixia is familiar with water-based thieves, and if you cross the gorge on a raft, it is a good trick. ”

He knew the nearby terrain well before setting foot in Hanshan Pass, Liu Changfeng had a little more admiration in his heart after hearing this, and only when he came back to his senses did he remember something serious: "The lower official was about to report this matter, and two days ago he received an order from the major general and sent scouts to patrol the waters. A total of four teams of 12 people were dispatched. But in the afternoon before yesterday, a floating corpse was found by the west river in Hanshan City, and many scars on his body must have been tortured many times. This man was one of the scouts sent out, with ropes wrapped around his feet; The lower officials guessed that the thief killed his feet and tied the boulder to the bottom of the water after his words and deeds forced a confession, but the river was too turbulent and there were many debris, and the rope was cut in the current, so it floated to the west of the city, and it was inferred that it was from the Tulong Gorge according to the current. ”

"Good!" Su Hua couldn't help but admire, Liu Changfeng was really smart.

Hearing Su Hua's praise, Liu Changfeng's heart was also beautiful: "The lower official recalled the Western Xia Liukou mentioned in the order of the young general, so he sent people to Tulong Gorge but found no suspicious people. But just yesterday, only six of the four teams of scouts were left to report. There were a few more unknown forces outside Hanshan Pass, and the people who were sent to contact the general were nowhere to be found. ”

"Excellent! There are Liu's father and son in Hanshan Pass, Jiangnan is worry-free! Su Hua finally heard a piece of news that made him happy, this Liu father and son are really talents, from analysis to doing things, there is a beginning and an end, but there is no good news that the Xixia Liukou has indeed stepped into the land of Jiangnan.

"Major General Xie's reputation!"

After the conversation, Su Hua asked Duan Sandao to lead Liu Changfeng to the hall for dinner, while he walked back and forth in the room, not knowing what he was planning.

Ugly time, outside the general's mansion.

"It's getting late, please go back and rest early." Liu Changfeng arched his hand and said, Su Hua not only treated people politely, but also sent him out in person, which was what moved him the most. I thought that the rumored young general was a person who was arrogant and arrogant, but I didn't expect it to be such an outstanding person.

"Liu Shilang has really worked hard all the way, this mountain road is rugged and dangerous, and General Ben is really not at ease." This is true at all, if the Xixia Liukou really arranged the eyes and ears outside the Hanshan Pass, Liu Changfeng would be more auspicious when he went back this time. If not, it will be a delay in the military situation, and he will be more passive at that time.

Su Hua gritted his teeth and thought about it, he couldn't care about it much.

"Uncle Duan!"

"Young master, what do you command?"

"You escort Liu Shilang back to Hanshan Pass, you must return to Hanshan Pass unscathed."

"Then your safety, young master?"

"This is a military order!" Su Hua said categorically.

"Whoa!"

"Major General, don't, Duan Guard is your personal guard. "Liu Changfeng was about to say something, but was interrupted by Su Hua

"Liu Shilang doesn't need to say much, this time the road is long. If it is really as I expected, the ears and eyes are arranged outside Hanshan City, and Liu Shilang's life is worried. Uncle Duan has followed my father to fight on the battlefield for many years, and his martial arts are strong, he escorts you, I can rest assured! "It's true that Su Hua wants to win over Liu's father and son, and it's true that he is worried. It's a pity that such a talent is not available to him.

Ask yourself who is not worried about their own lives, and Liu Changfeng is indeed worried about this problem. Seeing Su Hua's categorical appearance, Liu Changfeng didn't want to say more, Su Hua's kindness, he remembered it in his heart.

"Liu Shilang, I will entrust Hanshan Pass to you. The safety of the people in Jiangnan depends on your intelligence. ”

"I will not disgrace my life!" Liu Changfeng swore and replied to Su Hua.

The waning moon hung high, and it was extremely deserted, watching Duan Sandao and the two disappear into the night.

Su Hua couldn't help but bow his head and sigh: "Eventful, I hope for peace." ”

"Fauber, prepare the horses!"

At three o'clock in the morning, five miles away from the east gate of Jiangnan, the Su family military camp.

This status belongs to a high mountain plain, which is used for stationing and training the army, and is also known as the Dingjun Yuan. This is not under the control of the Jiangnan army, and only obeys the dispatch of Su Hua. The organization that belongs to Su Zhen's guard battalion, the original guard battalion has been killed after the Youyun War, which is all the remnants of the rest of the army, and later expanded by two hundred, and now the scale is only five hundred. The once glorious guard battalion has ended up in such a field, which can't help but make people sigh.

In order to pay tribute to the deceased soldiers, Su Hua renamed him: Lingyan Camp.

Su Hua has learned about the recruitment mechanism of the Tang Dynasty, and the military salary is to distribute agricultural products, which is to allow soldiers to maintain their families' livelihood, and secondly, the transaction of agricultural products is more convenient and can also replace coins. In ancient times, when the army was paid, I went to the barracks and saw a large group of big men set up stalls.

Being a soldier is mainly based on salary, after all, these people don't talk about idealism with you, and it's all nonsense if you don't have money.

If you want others to do things in your hands, the salary is at least higher than others.

Therefore, Su Hua improved his salary, recruited soldiers from the Lingyan Battalion of the General's Mansion, had meat for three meals a day, and distributed food and five taels of silver every month. This news also caused a lot of sensation in Jiangnan, but not to mention the strict conditions for conscription, it also requires its own physique to be excellent, as for the two hundred people who entered later, they have all experienced the strict selection of Duan Sandao, and there is no indiscriminate filling.

Su Hua also told Duan Sandao a lot of training methods in later generations, although this army of 500 people is small, but it has a great improvement in concept compared with other armies.

After all, this is a life-saving talisman left by his father, and if something happens, Su Hua can at least have this army at his disposal

The 2,000 men and horses who maintained order outside the city were all defenders of Jiangnan, although they were also under the management of Su Hua. However, there was no combat situation or Jiangnan Admiral Gan Wei was dispatched, and he neglected to practice on weekdays, so he might not be able to ask for benefits if he was to the Western Xia Liukou. Using innocent people as cannon fodder, Su Hua didn't plan to do so.

"Young Master, why are you here?"

The commander of the barracks guard is called Fang Meng, Su Hua has an image, and he does not forget to inspect at this time, Su Hua is still very satisfied with his attitude towards work. However, this is thanks to Su Zhen's good leadership, otherwise Su Hua took over the stall in Jiangnan, and I don't know how much resistance he will encounter.

Fang Meng took Su Hua off his horse and asked, this young master came to the barracks in the middle of the night, could it be some emergency?

"Uncle Fang, drum gathering, the whole army is on standby!"

"What happened to the young master?"

"We've got a battle to fight!"

Looking at Su Hua's firm and serious expression, Fang Meng couldn't help but be stunned, although the young master was young, he would not joke about the war, and then ordered his subordinates to beat the drum.

The first military order of the Lingyan Battalion: When the snare drum is heard, the whole army must be assembled within one minute. No matter what you're doing, even if it's, you'll have to put my pants up.

500 people gathered in the school field to stand by, quite a military parade in later generations.

Many soldiers who were woken up in their sleep also felt a little sleepy, and the sleepiness gradually faded when the wind blew it.

Su Hua was wearing silver armor on the school field, and under the contrast of the moonlight, the young general really had three points of spirit.

"Brothers and uncles, it is really undeserved for the younger generations to take the liberty of disturbing your good dreams late at night, and I apologize to everyone here." Although Su Hua's later generations are similar in age to them, it is better to be wronged in the current situation. Seeing Su Hua bend down sincerely, many people who were angry because of this incident saw this scene, and their displeasure disappeared.

"Look at Jiangnan City behind you." Because Dingjun was located in a high mountain, it was natural to be able to see the appearance of Jiangnan City clearly. This is also why Su Zhen chose to camp here in the first place, just to be able to perceive Jiangnan's every move.

Jiangnan in the early morning is silent, with a little embellishment, like a child sleeping in a cradle.

The people work at sunrise, the city is noisy, the merchant ships come and go from the south to the north, and the flow of people is endless. As the sun sets, the lights of thousands of homes are all gathered around a table to talk about the interesting things that happened today. Although it is poor, it is also a joy in suffering, and it has not been affected by the slightest war, which is more and more rare.

"Any thoughts?" Su Hua asked at everyone.

The major general came over in the middle of the night, did he just let them see Jiangnan at half past three in the morning?

Seeing that everyone was confused, Fang Meng didn't want Su Hua to lose face, and pointed to one person: "Xing Dahu, you can talk about it!" ”

Xing Dahu is a native of Jiangnan, and he looks like a tiger. Three generations of the family are fishermen, the father is old and sick and cannot go out to sea to fish, and the mother has to quit her job as an embroiderer to take care of her husband at home. There is also a younger sister in the family, and the eldest son of Xing Dahu is the eldest son of the family. I heard that the major general has a high salary for recruitment, so he came to join the army.

Xing Dahu is a rough man, he didn't know what Su Hua meant, he scratched his ears and cheeks for a long time and didn't know what to say, and finally he could only say one sentence: "My home is in Jiangnan!" It made everyone laugh.

Fang Meng's face was a little embarrassed, and he wanted to make a long face in front of the young master, so he had to scold: "One tiger head soldier, go down." ”

Xing Dahu scratched his head a little embarrassed and stopped talking.

Su Hua recalled that Duan Sandao handed him the list of Lingyan Battalion, and a soldier's name popped up in his heart: "Wang Xiaoqi." ”

"Here!" A small, thin man replied, in a small but powerful voice.

"Tell me why you became a soldier?"

Su Hua is still very curious about this kid, when he took over the guard camp, Su Hua re-sent someone to sort out everyone's information, including home addresses, relatives and friends, there is no pension this year, but Su Hua decided to set a precedent. Of course, there is also a volunteer column for soldiers, Su Hua has repeatedly ordered that this item should be filled in carefully, not sloppy, in fact, it is also selfish, this is a later story.

"For the glory of the ancestors, for the righteousness of the heart." Wang Xiaoqi said that it was a righteous and awe-inspiring one, and others couldn't see the slightest hint of lying.

"Stop, stop! Didn't you become a soldier in order to marry several wives? Su Hua quipped.

"Who is framing me? Major General, you have to believe me, my loyalty to you is a lesson from heaven and earth! ”

"You wrote it in the volunteer column yourself."

There was another burst of laughter, even if Wang Xiaoqi was cheeky, he couldn't help but be embarrassed at this time: "Young General, do you remember." ”

"That's natural, although I haven't seen anyone, but I remember your entry on the list of the Ling Yan Camp clearly." Su Hua's words are true, with the blessing of the memories of the two lives, Su Hua's memory is terrible. As soon as these words came out, the bottom couldn't help but turn their heads and ears: "I know you don't believe it, so come out for an assessment?" ”

"Report to Major General, my name is Liu Ban."

"A native of Suzhou, Jiangnan, he lives in Yangliu Lane, Cheng'an Avenue, Jiangnan City, Jiangnan. His father worked as a warehouse manager at the grain terminal, and he had a younger brother who was seven years old at the time, named Liu Zhang, who studied at Lihua Academy. ”

"Report to Major General, my name is Han Bin."

"A native of Yangzhou, Jiangnan, lives in Lane 5, Yu'an Street, Xicheng. The parents are still alive, and his wife Wang has a four-year-old daughter named Han Caidie. ”

Many of them said their names, and Su Hua read out their messages like a few treasures. At first, there were some doubts, until the eighteenth man finished speaking, and everyone present was surprised. Shocked and moved at the same time, it was really not easy for the young general to remember their names clearly.

"Actually, Brother Big Tiger is right! This is our home! Our ancestors have been born in Jiangnan for generations, and here are our fathers and villagers, and here are our brothers and sisters. Su Hua looked at everyone with a serious expression.

"No one wants to be a soldier, and being a soldier means being ready to die on the battlefield at any time, and sacrifice means that we will never see our loved ones again, and we will never be able to exist in this world again. Some are just a handful of loess white bones, and some are just a handful of white spirits in the Qingming Dynasty.

Nobody likes to fight, and neither do I.

Most of us join the army to make a living and make a better life for our families.

This is a small selfishness, and who is not selfish? Even I am the same, if I didn't take over the General's Mansion, I would also like to open a small shop in Jiangnan, marry a wife and have children, and be a chic and happy person, I am only seventeen years old this year! ”

Everyone couldn't help but feel an inexplicable sadness, yes, who wants to be a soldier?

"Let Liu Ban the old man in the house? Or is it Han Bin's young child? Or your children and grandchildren? We don't do? So who else is going to do it? We don't do? The Liao Kingdom went south, and the Western Xia invaded? At that time, where did our folks go? Slavery of the times? Or is it facing the ruin of the family? In this troubled world, where did the peaceful scene come from. All the years are quiet, but someone is carrying a weight forward.

And we are the ones who carry the weight forward.

Today, General Tiance led 50,000 Chang'an sons to pacify the princes.

Today, my 500 children in Jiangdong can be invincible.

The purpose of this purpose today is to tell you why you are a soldier, in order to tell everyone that we are soldiers! I, a son of Jiangdong, swear to die not to be a slave in the city! ”

Su Hua's words were high-pitched and passionate, and the word soldier was officially brought into the mouths of the people of the Tang Dynasty.

The soldiers on the school field were all influenced by Su Hua, and why they became soldiers were ignited at this time.

"What is a soldier? A soldier is a person who has given up his good life and chooses to dedicate himself to the peaceful and prosperous world.

What is a soldier? A soldier is someone who gives up his family and chooses to become a member of all families in the world.

Tens of thousands of refugees outside the city of Jiangnan have been left homeless, and now the Liukou of the Western Xia Dynasty have flowed into Jiangnan from the area of Hanshan Pass, and the specific number of people and the purpose of their visit are not yet known. The Western Xia Liukou dared to invade my Jiangnan territory today, and they may dare to invade my Tang Dynasty tomorrow.

Many of you are new to the battle, and you may not have even seen human blood, and this is your first time on the battlefield, and it may be your last. Maybe no one but your friends and relatives will remember your name anymore. But there are also 500 soldiers of my Lingyan Battalion, who will remember you in my heart for a hundred years.

What is the second military order of my Lingyan Battalion, tell me loudly! ”

"Whoever enters my smoke, my brothers will not be deceived for a hundred generations. If they die in battle, we will surely treat their fathers and their sons as our own. ”