Chapter 20: Blood Sacrifice into an Army

The list of new soldiers at Pingshan Fort has been finalized. When He Tengxiao reported the list to Gaizhou, he reported a quota of 1,120 people, and Da Zhao's food and salary were distributed according to the roster, and those who could still take it still had to be taken, He Tengxiao did not need to be polite to the Da Zhao court.

He Fangxiong did not question too much when he saw the list reported by He Tengxiao, when He Shifa was appointed to the thousand households of Pingshan Fort, there were more than 700 soldiers in Pingshan Fort, and they also received 1,120 people's salaries. He Tengxiao accommodated more than 4,000 refugees to stabilize the situation around Gaizhou for him, and it was not an exaggeration to report the number of 1,120 soldiers. He Fangxiong happily waved his pen and approved the roster reported by He Tengxiao.

He Fangxiong finished approving He Tengxiao's roster, propped up his weak body, and opened a brocade box on the table tremblingly. Looking at the bloodstained banner of the cavalry battalion, he fell into deep thought.

The Xiao Riding Camp is He Fangxiong's last effort in this life, and it is also his pride. He Shijie, the commander of the Xiaocai camp, is He Fangxiong's most beloved and proudest grandchild. He almost pinned his hopes for the future of the He family on the Xiaoqi Camp and He Shijie. How do you know that creation makes people, the battle of Yingzhou, the Xiaoqi camp is wiped out, He Shijie died, and He Fangxiong's last hope was shattered.

At this time, a He Tengxiao suddenly appeared, also his grandchild. If it weren't for the old man in the clan to remind He Fangxiong, He Fangxiong would have almost forgotten that he had such a grandson. At the meeting in Gaizhou, He Tengxiao's calm demeanor and conversation, as well as not greedy for false profits, left a deep impact on He Fangxiong. Judging by his performance in the battle of Pingshan Fort, among the grandchildren of the He family, He Tengxiao is also a very capable one. It is a pity that He Tengxiao has been marginalized by the He family for a long time, and it is inevitable that there will be complaints in his heart, there is a big gap with the He family, and He Fangxiong cannot trust He Tengxiao as much as he trusts other descendants.

Why didn't I find such a courageous talent among the He family's grandchildren before? He Fangxiong couldn't help but feel a little remorseful. At the beginning of the country, the He family came out with many stars and assisted Emperor Taizu to pacify the barbarians in Liaodong, and established the status of one of the few wealthy families in Liaodong for more than 200 years. More than 200 years have passed, and now there is a lack of successors to the He family, if there are not one or two outstanding figures to revive the prosperity of the He family, the He family is likely to decline in the future.

"Mingye, grinding ink and laying paper." He Fangxiong said to the domestic servant He Mingye, He Mingye has followed He Fangxiong for more than 40 years, and he is one of the few people who can walk with He Tengxiao.

He Mingye cleaned up the table, spread a piece of fine rice paper, and studied ink for He Fangxiong. "Master is so interested today, I haven't seen my master write for a long time."

Although He Fangxiong was born as a general, he writes a good hand. He Fangxiong's Mobao is very famous throughout Liaodong. He Fangxiong also likes to boast of being a Confucian general on weekdays.

"It's a pity, it's too late." He Fangxiong smiled and mentioned Wolf Hao, as if he was brewing.

He Mingye saw He Fangxiong concentrating on the pen, and closed his mouth very interestingly, for fear of disturbing He Fangxiong.

A moment later, He Fangxiong dipped in ink and waved down. There is only one big character written on the ruler-sized rice paper - Xiao. He Fangxiong was born as a military general, and his words did not have the grace of a literati, but he was strong and powerful.

"According to this word, embroider this word on the flag and send it to He Tengxiao." He Fangxiong put Wolf Hao on the inkstone and said.

―――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

Fuzhou is only more than 200 miles away from Pingshan Fort, and He Tengxiao received He Fangxiong's approval the next day.

"With this approval, we are officially in the army." In the lobby of Qianhu Mansion, He Tengxiao took the approval document and said to the military attache of Pingshan Fort under the hall.

The military attachés in the hall were all excited and couldn't help but talk. They were all promoted after the First World War in Pingshan Fort, and He Tengxiao did not treat his subordinates thinly, so they were naturally very happy. As soon as the approved documents arrived, it meant that the He family officially recognized them.

He Tengxiao stopped the discussion of these military attachés, took out the flag given by He Fangxiong and unfolded it, and the flag was embroidered with the word "Xiao".

"This is the flag given to us by the Duke of Wu'an, and in the future, I hope that the military will be killed, expel Yidi, and jointly protect my Dazhao territory!" He Tengxiao spread the flag and said, according to the usual practice, only the army above the battalion level is the army He Fangxiong needs to give the flag in person. He Tengxiao formed an army of thousands of households, and He Fangxiong personally gave Mobao and flags to show that He Fangxiong was optimistic about He Tengxiao, of course, for these military attaches and the soldiers of Pingshan Fort, this is also a great honor. When the military attache saw this flag, he couldn't help but straighten his waist and shouted, "Expelle Yidi!" Keep my territory! Banish Yidi! Keep my territory! Banish Yidi! Keep my territory! ”

After a short meeting with the military attachés, He Tengxiao walked to the school field outside the fort. It is said that it is a school field, but in fact, it is just a vast wilderness, and there are many flat lands near Pingshan Fort, and any piece of land can be used as a school field.

A flagpole was erected in the middle of the school yard, and a simple school platform was temporarily erected in front of the flagpole. He Tengxiao walked onto the school stage, followed by Ling Feng and Zhang Yuyang.

The phalanx of more than three hundred people is not a lot, but these people are all elites carefully selected from more than a thousand people. He Tengxiao put on new military uniforms for them, making them look particularly energetic and imposing.

The military ceremony was a very solemn ceremony, He Tengxiao was wearing a thousand-household dress, and he glanced at the soldiers under the stage with his saber in his hand. The soldiers looked solemn, holding their breath, waiting for He Tengxiao's lecture.

With a wave of his hand, several soldiers carried a war horse to the school platform. The war horse was tied to death, and after being thrown onto the school platform, it rolled and struggled.

He Tengxiao walked in front of the war horse, Huo Di pulled out his waist knife and stabbed the war horse in the neck, the blood gushing from the pierced place was like a spring, and the horse's blood sprayed on He Tengxiao's brand-new Qianhu dress. The war horse was not dead, it was still struggling, and its desperate eyes looked at He Tengxiao almost pleadingly, as if to say, "Spare my life." He Tengxiao pushed the handle of the knife with his left hand, and stirred the knife again, and the war horse finally let out a final scream and died on the school platform.

The soldiers in the audience were shocked when they saw this, according to the regulations, there was no process of killing animals and sacrificing to the sky in the army ceremony. Why did Lord Senhu kill the war horse at the army ceremony?

Seeing that the war horse was dead, He Tengxiao pulled out his waist knife and wiped the blood on the knife on the hem of his dress. After wiping off the blood stains on the knife, He Tengxiao cut his index finger and dripped the blood into the bowl. Ling Feng and Zhang Yuyang also followed He Tengxiao to cut their fingers and drip blood into the bowl.

When the blood was almost dropping, He Tengxiao raised the bowl high in front of the horse corpse, knelt down and said, "The sky is above, and the thick soil is the proof, today my three hundred and seventy-eight men in Pingshan Fort swear here: The day my Pingshan Fort army becomes an army is when my three hundred and seventy-eight men become brothers." We met in danger, trapped in Pingshan Fort for Manju, fortunately blessed by God, repelled Manju, survived, today I He Tengxiao made a vow here, in the future to share the blessings, there are difficulties together, do not seek to be born in the same year, the same month, the same day, but the same year, the same month and the same day to die, if I violate today's oath, the end will be such a horse! This bowl! ”

With that, He Tengxiao raised the bowl and drank all the blood in the bowl, and smashed the bowl in his hand to the ground.

The soldiers in the audience watched the enthusiasm surge, and they thought that He Tengxiao would talk endlessly at the formation ceremony like other officers, and talk at length. Where would he have thought that He Tengxiao would kill horses and sacrifice to the sky when he came to power, and make a blood alliance with them? These rude men have no culture and don't understand the truth, but He Tengxiao's bloodthirsty oath shows that He Tengxiao does not treat them as simple subordinates, but also treats them as brothers who share life and death.

In Da Zhao, blood means that they want to become brothers in life and death with each other and conspire with each other to achieve great things.

"This kind of enthusiasm is only sold to those who know the goods!" The old soldier from the Xiaocai battalion in the audience watched with tears in his eyes, patted his neck, and bit his index finger to suck blood.

More than 370 soldiers bit their index fingers, knelt down and sucked blood and swore an oath, "Today we are here to swear and share the blessings!" There are difficulties! I don't want to be born in the same year, the same month, and the same day, but I want to die in the same year, the same month, and the same day! If you break your oath today, you will end up like this! ”

After everyone finished taking the oath, He Tengxiao got up and ordered the military flag to be raised, and the big flag with the word "Xiao" fluttered in the wind.

"This flag was given by Wu'an Gong, some people say that in the first battle of Yingzhou, our Xiaocai battalion is gone! Riding Camp is just history! You say, right?! He Tengxiao was almost shouting to say this.

"That's not right! Wrong! The soldiers in the audience shouted like thunder.

"Excellent! Today, I want to tell you that the Xiaocai Battalion is not just history, the 3,000 Xiaocai Battalion soldiers died in Yingzhou, but the soul of the Xiaocai Battalion is still there! We are the soul of the Riding Battalion! In the future, we will be a riding camp! A terrifying riding camp for Manyu! He Tengxiao pointed to the word "Xiao" on the military flag. Under the sun, this word is so dazzling.

"I He Tengxiao can't control the other troops, in the future, we Pingshan Fort, all the soldiers, each person per month two taels of silver silver, one stone of grain, military pay is not discounted, all in full cash!" He Tengxiao opened the salary of the soldiers of Pingshan Fort. Zhang Yuyang sighed that He Tengxiao was generous, and the monthly salary of Da Zhao Zhenjun was one tael of silver and one stone of rice grain. These are only on paper, Da Zhao has a tradition of giving silver to the silver, each soldier can get three or five dollars of silver a month, and six or seven buckets of rice and grain are thankful. In Liaodong, which has been out of pay for nearly ten years, He Tengxiao's conditions are not unfavorable.

He Tengxiao offered such generous conditions, and made a bloody alliance with these soldiers at the army formation ceremony, and these soldiers will not die for He Tengxiao in the future? Zhang Yuyang had to sigh at He Tengxiao's methods!

"But!" He Tengxiao's face sank suddenly, "I have already paid you the full amount of food and salary, and if you violate military discipline and prey on the people in the future, you will end up in this horse!" He Tengxiao stuck a knife on the horse, his expression was cold, and his cold eyes swept over the soldiers in the audience, and he felt a chill in the hearts of these soldiers.

"Do you understand?" He Tengxiao asked.

"Understood! Got it! Got it! ”

"I declare that the Thousand Households of Pingshan Fort will become an army today!"

Between heaven and earth, He Tengxiao announced the establishment of the Pingshan Fort Thousand Households Team.