In February 573 of the Ruiguo calendar, 300,000 Xianbei cavalry of the Long Kingdom came to attack, and the giant spirit pass was in an emergency. On the occasion of the Spring Festival of the old calendar, Emperor Hang Xiao rewarded the left guard of the Central Army, and ordered the deputy commander He Ming to take command of the expedition and rush to the aid of the North Route Army.

More than 20,000 soldiers of the Third Battalion of the Left Guard, together with more than 70,000 new recruits from all over the country, set out early on the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year.

The sky was bright, the people of the capital were still asleep, and the 100,000 troops of the left guard of the Central Army had already stepped out of the north gate and embarked on the journey.

These 100,000 troops are all cavalry, and their armor is shining with war horses and horses. They lined up according to the system, left the capital, passed through villages and towns, and galloped all the way to the north. From a distance, the 100,000-strong army looked like ten huge black bars. The morning sun shone obliquely on the sergeants' black helmets.

Mo Cong was in the middle of it, with a long wind in front of his face, and a horse's hooves rumbling in his ears, and he was really excited in his heart.

Galloping on the field is originally a dream shared by hot-blooded men. Mo Cong, who has been practicing in Lingyun Mountain since he was a child and has been told since he was a child that he is committed to protecting the people of Ruiguo, has particularly strong expectations for this dream. Now that this dream is about to begin to be realized, Mo Cong's excitement is naturally self-evident.

The rest of the recruits who have never been on the battlefield have a different mentality. Some of them were as excited as Mo Cong, some were obviously a little nervous, and some of them had just come out of their homes and had not yet fully adapted to the new environment of the barracks, anyway.

And those veterans who are used to fighting in the shadow of swords and swords don't have much expectation and excitement for going to the battlefield, and they don't have any nervousness and discomfort when they first go to the battlefield. Therefore, compared with the recruits, the mentality of the veterans is much calmer.

At the front of the Leopard Battalion, Lei Leopard and Lu Can rode side by side, talking as they advanced.

"Those Xianbei people are really good at picking the time, they don't come early or late, but they come here at this time, which makes people have a bad year. Lao Lei, are you angry or not?"

"No, I think they did it on purpose. It was like that last year, and it's still the same this year. Once can be said to be a coincidence, twice in a row, it must be premeditated. ”

"Alas, you say, will they also celebrate the New Year, but there is no joy in the New Year, so they ran over to our side to use knives and guns?" Lu Can asked sideways.

"Probably not. Lei Leopard shook his head and said, "As far as I know, the Xianbei clan is not happy to celebrate the New Year. In the winter, it is extremely cold on the grassland, not to mention cattle and sheep, and it is difficult to see even a wolf cub. ”

"Oh, I see. Lu Can nodded, "Then why do you think they want to come here at this time?"

"If I guess, they probably know that our new army is not yet successful. Lei Leopard lowered his voice, and the rumbling of horses' hooves was estimated to be barely heard by Lu Can.

"Those recruits have just put on their military uniforms, and many of them have not practiced for a day, and they are not familiar with the formation, and their combat effectiveness can be imagined.

Moreover, these recruits went to the battlefield as soon as they left their hometowns, and they went to the battlefield on the festival when they should have been reunited, and their feelings can be imagined. Their combat effectiveness is not high in the first place, and for this reason they have to be discounted.

In addition, the most important thing is that the middle and lower-level officers of our left guard have not yet had time to be selected, and when they arrive on the battlefield, a group of recruits who need officers to teach, restrain and command the most are faced with a situation where there is no one to command. In such a leaderless situation, we are afraid that we will suffer a big loss. ”

"Oh, that's a real problem. Lu Can frowned when he heard this, "There aren't too many recruits in our Leopard Battalion, but the other seven battalions are almost all recruits. No, I have to talk to Commander He about this matter later, and I must quickly think of a solution. ”

"Well, we'll go talk to Commander He when we take a break. Thunder Leopard nodded.

Although the two spoke softly, Mo Cong's ears were extremely smart. This conversation was listened to word for word.

He looked at the mighty army in front of him and on the left and right, and thought:

Why didn't those Xianbei people attack when they hadn't started recruiting recruits a few months ago, but they chose to attack at this time when everyone had almost recruited? Logically speaking, at that time, the central army of the Rui Kingdom was less than 120,000 when it was added together, and wasn't it weaker than now?

Mo Cong thought about this question silently in his heart, but he couldn't figure it out.

At noon, the army camped at the foot of a hill to rest. The leaders of the army set up a big pot to cook rice and stir-fry vegetables.

The Central Army is the elite of the country, and the usual food is better, and today is the first day of the Lunar New Year, and Zuowei's food is naturally more abundant than usual.

The men were well-trained and moved very quickly, and it didn't take much effort for each soldier to receive his own meal, and he sat on the ground in three or five to eat.

He Ming, Xu Hu, Lei Bao and other high-ranking generals also gathered together to discuss military affairs while eating. Regarding the various questions about the recruits mentioned by Lu Can, the generals were deeply convinced.

"I said that in addition to these problems mentioned by the detonator belt, there is another problem that is also very important. A recruit battalion supervisor said: "These recruits are newcomers, their sense of personal discipline is very weak, and they can't talk about the camaraderie between each other at all. This kind of group composed entirely of recruits to say something unpleasant is simply a mess. I really can't imagine what such a new barracks will be like on the battlefield. ”

Many of the soldiers in my battalion can't even call each other's names, let alone expect them to trust each other, work together, and even defend each other's swords and arrows like our veterans. Another boot barracks pipe band snapped.

"Ladies and gentlemen, my brother is in charge of the left guard for the first time, and he is inexperienced. I am glad that you have been so enthusiastic about military affairs. He Ming smiled and said, "But as generals in the army, we must not turn this discussion into whining, so as not to shake the morale of the army." Especially at this moment, what those recruit brothers lack most is the backbone and self-confidence, and they need you commanders to stand up and help and cheer them up. Don't mess around with yourselves. ”

"That is, if you want me to say, who is not a recruit who will come over? Who is a veteran as soon as he comes out of the womb?" Xu Hu, the leader of the Tiger Battalion, glared and said: "Although these recruits are new to the country, since Master Chen has worked hard to screen them one by one from all over the country, they may not be as bad as you say. They have a weak sense of discipline, so we should seize the time to instill a sense of discipline; they are relatively unfamiliar with each other, so we will try to make them get acquainted with each other as soon as possible. What do you want us officers to do, isn't that what we officers do?"

"Yes! Huzi finally said something today. Lei Bao nodded in agreement: "Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year, I think we can have a bonfire party when we camp at night, so that everyone can participate, report to their homes, get to know each other, and learn from each other." In this way, they became familiar with each other. ”

"Well, the detonator belt is a good point. I don't think it's just today, it's possible to do this every night during the march. This is also the old tradition of our Central Army. ”

"Well, I have an idea. We can elect middle- and lower-level officers by the way through such activities. Anyway, someone has to win and someone loses. Everyone can see it clearly in their eyes, and they can also be convinced. ”

......

The generals have made every word they have said, and they have offered suggestions and suggestions. He Ming hesitated.

Other things are easy to say, but the selection of middle- and lower-level officers is extremely involved. This is not only about the interior of the Left Guard, but also about the composition of the officers of the entire Central Army in the future. He originally wanted to wait until Chen Ruoping came back to study and solve this matter together, and calmly organize the selection of middle and lower-level officers. Unexpectedly, the military situation was urgent, and the matter suddenly became imminent, and it would not work if it was not resolved.

"Guys, you've got a good idea. He Ming thought about it, looked around at everyone, and praised. "However, the selection of middle and lower-ranking officers is a matter of great importance, and we must not act hastily. I think it can be like this, let's first screen some people from the third battalion of veterans to serve as middle and lower-level officers of new recruits. However, this selection does not mean a formal appointment, and all selected officers must have a code in front of their posts, that is, temporary substitutes. When they go to the battlefield and perform well, they are fully qualified for their positions, and then they will become regulars, what do you think?"

"Well, that's a good idea. ”

"Commander He, you are the boss, you have the final say. Brother couldn't agree more. ”

......

All the generals are also people who lead the troops, and they know that the selection of officers is very important, and when they heard He Ming say this, they all spoke out in agreement.

"Okay, that's it. He Ming waved his hand and made a decision. "The Pioneer Battalion, the Tiger Battalion, and the Leopard Battalion, do a good job of mobilizing and preparing for the selection of officers, but do not spread the news among the recruits, so as not to make the recruits feel that we are arguing about seniority and causing unnecessary misunderstandings. Each battalion interspersed various tactical formations while marching, so that the soldiers could familiarize themselves with the password as soon as possible and cooperate skillfully. Okay, disband. ”