(2-in-1)

On the morning of March 19, the first year of the Great Zhou Dynasty, outside the city of Xiongzhou, the northernmost part of the East Hebei Road of the Great Zhou Dynasty, hundreds of heavily armed generals were riding horses and lining up on the official road outside the southern city of Xiongzhou, waiting eagerly.

What they were waiting for was the arrival of Yang Jun, the privy envoy of the Great Zhou Dynasty, who had arrived from the capital. These generals were all selected from the best of the armies in the Great Zhou, and the oldest of them had arrived in Xiongzhou for more than two months, and some had just arrived more than ten days ago. None of them have collectively met with the Yang Privy Envoy, and the arrival of the Yang Privy Envoy today marks that the Northern Expedition army has been fully prepared, and the day of the expedition is just around the corner. Everyone's hearts are full of excitement, tension and anticipation.

Halfway through the hour, several horsemen in front of him came galloping and came to the generals and reported loudly: "Yang Shumi and his party are already outside Lixu, and they will arrive immediately." ”

Hearing this, the generals hurriedly straightened their clothes, brushed away the catkins and dust falling from their armor, and straightened up to look at the bend in the official road ahead. Soon after, the sound of hooves rumbling was heard, and the other party was not seen, but first heard the rumbling of hooves and the yellow dust rising from the mountain road. A moment later, a cavalry galloped in and appeared in everyone's sight. It was Yang Jun and his 1,000-strong cavalry.

Yang Jun rode a tall black horse galloping at the front of the group, he was dressed in black armor, and his blue cloak fluttered in the wind. The gold beads on the helmet shimmered, and the bright red jewels danced like flames. He is already an old man over sixty years old, but he did not take a big car all the way, but rode a horse gallop with the young soldiers of the guard battalion, and after nine days of running, the young soldiers could not bear it, but Yang Jun still had a straight waist and was full of energy.

A group of generals rode their horses to greet them, rolled their saddles and dismounted, and saluted in unison: "The last general and others greet Yang Shu's envoy!" ”

Yang Jun pulled the reins, the war horse stood up, and in the smoke and dust, Yang Jun dismounted, and his movements were as vigorous as a teenager. He laughed loudly, and said in a loud voice: "Generals, no courtesy." How did it make it so grand? Is it all here? ”

A middle-aged general said in a deep voice: "Humble Bai Qi, two hundred and seventeen generals of each battalion of the Northern Expedition army with more than five grades are waiting for Yang Shumi here. The whole army is waiting for the arrival of the Privy Councillor. ”

Bai Qi was named by Guo Xu and asked Yang Jun to take him as his deputy, Yang Jun was named the generalissimo of the Great Zhou Northern Expeditionary Army this time, and Bai Qi was the deputy marshal. With Bai Qi's qualifications, he didn't have this honor, but Guo Xu attached great importance to Bai Qi. Although Bai Qi failed to make a contribution in the last battle of Funiu Mountain, some of Bai Qi's suggestions were still quite insightful, but Guo Xu failed to adopt them. After Zhao Yuankang died in Funiu Mountain, Guo Xu intended to cultivate the next cronies in the army, and Bai Qi was his candidate.

Bai Qi is the deputy marshal, and he is actually Guo Xu's eyes and ears beside Yang Jun, similar to the prison army dispatched. If Yang Jun made any out-of-the-ordinary moves, Bai Qi would stop it on behalf of Guo Xu. In fact, everyone knows this, and Yang Jun also understands this. But the rules of the Great Zhou Dynasty are like this, and the army must be followed by the supervising army on behalf of the emperor. If the overseer has any objection to the behavior of the commander, he will put forward his opinion and have the right to report to the emperor, which is also a measure to restrict the behavior of the commander. Yang Jun felt that instead of letting those palace servants who didn't understand military affairs but liked to point fingers be the supervisors, it was better to let Bai Qi follow him, after all, Bai Qi was a person who knew military affairs, and he would not make random ideas in terms of combat strategy. And Bai Qi actually has a very good reputation, Yang Jun believes that he should not sing against him.

"Good, good. Deputy Marshal Bai has worked hard, and brothers have worked hard. Ben Shuai came, so he came for the northern expedition. Ben Shuai brought the emperor's decree, which was conveyed to the generals later. Yang Jun laughed.

"Okay, please ask Privy Envoy Yang to get on the horse, let's go into the city and talk about it, about the affairs in the army, the lowly rank will report to Privy Yang in detail." Bai Qi bowed.

Yang Jun nodded, turned around and wanted to get on the horse, but turned around and said: "From today onwards, please call the old man Marshal, the old man is here to be the generalissimo of the Northern Expeditionary Army, not a privy envoy of the imperial court." ”

"Inferior rank to the orders of the marshal!" Everyone said in unison.

Yang Jun smiled and turned over on his horse. All the generals got on their horses one after another, clustering around Yang Jun. With the sound of hooves, they galloped into the city.

……

Xiongzhou City is one of the important towns on the border of Yanyun, although it is still a hundred miles away from the border with the Liao people, but this does not prevent Xiongzhou from becoming one of the most important cities on the border of the north. To the north of Xiongzhou were the military towns of Bazhou, Rongzhou, Baozhou and other military towns directly facing the Liao, and Xiongzhou in the rear played an important role in their backing and became a powerful support point for the border towns in the front. Xiongzhou can not only garrison troops to support several border towns, but also become the most important transit point for grain and grass hoarding, weapons and armor and combat material replenishment. Large quantities of troops and combat materiel can be delivered to all the locations of need in front of us in a single day. In the direction of Xiongzhou to the territory of Dazhou, it is connected to Gaoyang Mansion and Hejian Mansion in the south, and Zhending Mansion in the west. The materials and soldiers of these state capitals can also be transported to Xiongzhou for transit nearby.

Because of this, Xiongzhou has become an extremely important city in Yanyunbian Town. In order to consolidate the defense system on the Yanyun border, Xiongzhou City was expanded eight times in the more than 100 years since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty. It was originally a small county town called Xiong'an County that was expanded into a huge military town city that could accommodate hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians and had a radius of more than ten miles. The tall city walls, the complete defense system, and the hoarding of a large number of materials and horses in the city made Xiongzhou City a huge beast with teeth and claws, entrenched on the Jizhong Plain. And because it is not in the most border town, the war with the Liao State can not directly spread here, so compared with other border towns and cities, it is more safe in the tension, so it actually attracts a lot of businessmen to do business here, and the whole city is also very prosperous. This is very rare among the many cities in border towns where there are frequent wars.

In fact, with the scale of Xiongzhou, it can already be upgraded to a government. It's just that the border town is a border town after all, and the beacon fire is together, and it may be empty overnight. That's why the imperial court didn't upgrade it from a state city to a government city.

In the past three months, Xiongzhou City has been more lively than ever. In the past three months, there have been 300,000 more soldiers and horses in Xiongzhou City alone. The 300,000 Northern Expeditionary Army, carefully selected from the border armies from all over the country, gathered here. On the two huge school grounds in the east and north of the city, there are dense soldiers practicing combat formations every day, and the shouts of killing are deafening.

In addition, in the past three months, there has been a steady stream of supplies arriving in Xiongzhou City from all over the country, as if they were rushing to a market. A large amount of supplies are escorted here every day. Hundreds of warehouses in the large Xiong'an warehouse in the south and west of Xiongzhou City are almost all blown up by these materials. A large number of never-before-seen siege equipment also came from the origin, occupying a large amount of space in the warehouse square in the south of the city.

Of course, the military and civilians of the entire Xiongzhou City will not be indifferent to this, and they are all keenly aware that something big is about to happen. There's a big battle to be fought.

On the morning of March 21, the eyes of the whole city were attracted to the campus of Xiongzhou Beicheng University. There, Yang Junzheng, the privy envoy of the Great Zhou Dynasty who had just arrived on the third day, took the stage to review the 300,000 soldiers of the Northern Expedition and held a swearing-in meeting.

Although the common people and the unemployed were forbidden to enter the North Church, many people still ventured to climb the walls of the North City and watch the grand scene on the North Church from afar.

The black-pressed soldiers and horses were connected to the sky like dark clouds, and countless war horses and vehicles were arranged in a huge formation, which was magnificent. Thousands of the most advanced armaments of the Great Zhou Dynasty, such as catapults, crossbows, siege vehicles, cloud cars and oil trucks, were gathered on the school grounds. The overwhelming dragon flag hunted and displayed in the windy and sandy weather blowing in the north at the end of March.

Yang Jun climbed the high platform and was excited to see the huge and elite soldiers and horses in front of him. Although there have been no less than 100 battles, this time it is the largest number, the most well-equipped, and the most elite soldiers that Yang Jun has personally commanded. Under the blue sky and white clouds, in the strong wind of the hunting north, seeing the mighty and majestic soldiers and horses in front of him, the pride in Yang Jun's heart suddenly came to life. He seemed to have returned to the scene of the pacification of Western Xia many years ago. At that time, he was strong and full of confidence. He led the Great Zhou soldiers and horses to sweep through the Western Xia army, and while winning the victory, he also won a huge reputation and won the glory and wealth of the rest of his life. Although he has been comfortable for so many years, every time Yang Jun dreams back at midnight, he still dreams of galloping on the battlefield and leading the army to fight the enemy. He dreamed countless times that he could return to the battlefield again, to be able to kill the enemy in blood, and to make achievements. As he grew older, he became more and more nostalgic for the time of the year.

Now, everything in front of me seems to make my dream come true. Attacking Liao, this is something that I never dared to think of before, but now this burden really falls on my shoulders. This was both a huge pressure, and it also made Yang Jun's blood begin to boil, and the soul in his body that was eager to fight was recovering. Yang Jun belongs to such a person, as long as he is on the battlefield, he becomes extremely energetic. As long as he is on horseback, he will be as strong as a young man. He was a natural leader, and he seemed to have the genes to fight in his bones and blood.

"Marshal, please review the parade horses. Flag awarded. Deputy Marshal Bai Qi reminded in Yang Jun's ear.

Yang Jun nodded slightly, walked to the front of the stage, flicked his cloak in a chic manner, held the hilt of the sword on his waist, coughed, and said loudly: "All the soldiers of my Great Zhou!" I'm Yang Jun, your marshal! ”

Yang Jun's voice was not loud, and it was impossible for the 300,000 army to hear his voice, only a small number of soldiers and horses in front of the stage could hear Yang Jun's voice. But it doesn't matter, people don't care if they can hear Yang Jun's voice at the moment, the scene in front of them is enough to make every soldier passionate. Everyone is proud to be part of this elite army. It doesn't matter what the boss says. However, in fact, there are also people who repeat Yang Jun's words all the way to the farthest part of the formation, and it is not difficult to figure out what the coach is talking about.

"Warriors of the Great Zhou, today we are here to swear and go to the battlefield. In this situation, seeing the upright posture of the soldiers and the vigorous figure like a dragon and tiger, the handsome man was very emotional. Twenty-five years ago, when Ben Shuai swore an army in the northwest to attack the Western Xia tribes, it was also this scene. At that time, Ben Shuai led 200,000 troops in the northwest. Since then, Ben Shuai led the 200,000 brothers to the northwest and swept through the Western Xia tribes. Defeated Li Xuanhao's hundreds of thousands of cavalry and quelled the rebellion of the Western Xia tribes. The war lasted several years. Ben Shuai does not hide from you that countless brothers died on the battlefield in the northwest, and some people can't even find their bones, which has become fertilizer to nourish the pasture grass in the northwest. Some people have lost their hands and feet, lost their eyes, and become crippled. The rest of my life was miserable. However, it was also after that war that countless people made meritorious deeds, became officials, and were admired by the people of our Great Zhou. This includes Ben Shuai. ”

When Yang Jun talked about the past, his words revealed deep feelings, and the expression on his face became extremely serious.

"Ben Shuai heard a lot of people talking about me behind my back, saying that 'one will make ten thousand bones dry', saying that everything Ben Shuai today is bought by the blood of the soldiers. Ben Shuai did not deny this, however, Ben Shuai also told everyone that everything I had was also bought by my bloody fight. Ben Shuai has not been injured from head to toe, which battle Ben Shuai did not take the lead and rush to the front? Ben Shuai is not dead, it is the favor of God. Ben Shuai has today, which is not only given by his brothers, but also by Ben Shuai himself in exchange for the scars all over his body. Ben Shuai has always believed that in this world, if you want to live a good life, you have to work hard. If you want to become a person admired by the world, you have to work hard yourself. If you want your wife and children to live happily, you still have to fight by yourself. Although it is unfortunate to die on the battlefield, you have at least fought hard. Everyone is going to die, and dying on the battlefield is the most man's way to die. Just like Ben Shuai, he could have enjoyed happiness in the capital, but at this moment Ben Shuai is still standing with you. Because Ben Shuai didn't want to die in bed, the greatest honor of a soldier was not anything else, but the horse leather shroud. The greatest glory of a soldier is not to show his rewards, not to have high officials, but to have scars all over his body. Ben Shuai does not feel the greatest honor as the privy envoy of the Great Zhou, and the most worthy glory of Ben Shuai is this. ”

As Yang Jun spoke, he suddenly reached out and pulled the clasp of the cloak, and the cloak flew away. Yang Jun beckoned, and the two guards next to him stepped forward to quickly remove the armor on his body for him, Yang Jun grabbed the jacket in the armor and pulled it hard, tearing it up, and the clothes were torn, revealing Yang Jun's entire upper body. Although the body has been pampered for many years and has become a little bloated and fair, the dense scars on the body are clearly visible. A large, striking wound in the chest was extremely glaring. In addition, there are countless red scars on the chest and abdomen, arms, back, shoulders and elbows.

He wasn't lying, and all the scars on his body proved his words. He didn't die on the battlefield, he was just blessed by God.

Yang Jun's topless appearance looked a little undignified, but it made everyone awe-inspired. Although the people of the world have countless attacks and misunderstandings about him, and there are all kinds of slanderous words against him. However, Yang Jun's ability to have today is indeed his life. He deserves to sit in the high position he holds today, and that is the reward he deserves.

"Ladies and gentlemen, these generals in your stands, they can become the leading generals in the army today, and they don't rely on other methods to get their hands on it, they also fight for everything. Generals, please show your shirts and let all your brothers see the scars on your body. ”

Dozens of generals on the stage took off their armor one after another, took off their shirts and lined up in a row. This scene is like a group of male models in a bodybuilding competition showing off their bodies, but their bodies are full of scars, and the criss-crossing sword wounds are shocking. Every carefully selected leader, everything they do today is not obtained in a vacuum, it is all spelled out. This is also the most important reason why they were selected by Yang Jun. Yang Jun wants people who are not afraid of death and can fight, not pampered waste.

The motivation is unparalleled, and there is no other way to motivate as intuitively as it is at this moment. Although Yang Jun did not say impassioned words, but used such an alternative way, it seemed to clarify something, but in fact, this is an encouragement. This kind of encouragement not only shortened the distance between the generals and the officers and soldiers, so that the soldiers did not have the feeling that they were about to become cannon fodder, but had a kind of motivation to fight. Everyone says that Yang Jun is a good leader, what does it mean to be a good leader? That's one way.

"Ladies and gentlemen. Today we are about to go on the expedition, and we are going all the way north and north and then north. The enemy we encountered may be more powerful than the one we encountered back then, but the stronger the enemy, the more we can prove that we are strong. Defeat them, kill them, trample them mercilessly, that is our goal. Maybe you will die on the battlefield, I say, that is your glory. Maybe you will be wounded, you will be crippled, and that is your glory. Ben Shuai can't guarantee that you are all alive and unscathed, but Ben Shuai can guarantee that even if you die in battle, even if you are wounded, you will be admired. Your family will also be generously commended. It will also be worry-free. But what Ben Shuai hopes more is that you can kill the enemy bravely, defeat the opponent, and return triumphantly. At that time, every scar on your body will be proof of your qualifications to be promoted to a knighthood. Every bloody battle is your capital that is admired by the world. Don't worry that we will fail, look at our soldiers and horses, we have the best siege equipment in the world, the strongest armor, the sharpest swords and guns, and the most powerful bows and crossbows. And you, the most elite soldiers of my Great Zhou. And don't forget, you still have Ben Shuai. Ben Shuai has never tasted defeat in his life, and the person who defeated Ben Shuai has not yet been born. It is your blessing and luck to have this commander as your commander. As long as you follow the orders of Ben Shuai to the letter, Ben Shuai will take you to sweep through the north and return triumphantly. My Great Zhou Army will win! ”

Yang Jun waved his palms and cleaned up in a big way, his tone was impassioned, and his words were simple and incendiary. He knew the psychology of the soldiers, so he focused almost every sentence on their worries or excitement. The so-called good leaders are not only good at fighting, but also good at doing ideological work and boosting morale. Undoubtedly, Yang Jun did this.

"Victory! Win! Win! ”

The 300,000-strong army let out the sound of a tsunami from the mountains, and the sound resounded through the sky. Their cries could be heard throughout Xiongzhou City. It rolled like a thunderbolt, making everyone above and below the city stand still and listen.

"Present the flag, go on the march!" When the shouting stopped, Yang Jun didn't say anything more and ordered in a deep voice.

A group of soldiers and horses walked before the review platform, and the leading generals took the flags from Yang Jun and Bai Qi and led their respective soldiers and horses out of the school field. The ranks of 80,000 cavalry were followed by 150,000 infantry troops. Then there was the 70,000 baggage troops. Large siege equipment dragged by horses, catapult lathes and ballistas loaded on large flatbed carts passed in order. Finally, there is a long line of grain and grass carts that cannot be seen at a glance.

In the vast land of the north at the end of March, on the official road of the border town of Huangshaman Dance, this army carrying all the hopes of the Great Zhou Emperor Guo Xu and controlling the ups and downs of the Great Zhou Sheji officially set off to the front. A national war with a huge momentum and unknown results has officially begun.