When a few people came to the camp, Cao Jian said that he was going to bring people in, while Guo Kang and the others waited in place - after all, this was a military camp, and Guo Kang brought the order written by his father-in-law to put people in temporarily.

"Do you think his soldiers are reliable?" Joanna asked in a low voice.

"You have to start from scratch." Guo Kang didn't care much about this: "If it was an ordinary person he found, who had no combat experience, we would definitely have to break up and reorganize it no matter what." ”

"If it's a ...... with combat experience," he hesitated, "then you'll have to break up and start from scratch." ”

"Huh? Why is that? Joanna was a little surprised.

"There aren't many Rus' in the regular army on our side." Guo Kang explained: "As for the auxiliary army...... To be honest, their 'combat experience' is often a side effect. ”

"Why is that?" Joanna still didn't quite understand.

"That's a long story." Guo Kang was actually not ready to talk to her too deeply, so he prevaricated: "If you don't know the art of war, it's not easy to talk about it." ”

"I really know a little bit about it." Joanna insisted.

"Oh?" This time it was Guo Kang's turn to be unexpected: "I know that the Roman book of war has always been spread and studied in the west. But aren't you in business, and you've learned this? ”

"That's long enough." Joanna imitated Guo Kang's serious expression, answered in his own words, and smiled again: "Of course, the length and the art of war are definitely incomparable." It's just because of myself, a little insistence at the beginning. ”

"The last time we talked, you probably already knew. My mother had a great influence on me, and even made me blindly overestimate her influence. Joanna admitted: "In hindsight, she and her father may have seen it very clearly." ”

"Their marriage is a very regular kind of marriage. Her father's desire to marry her was mainly because of this sign - although her mother lost the competition for the throne and has since left politics and no longer pursues power, her bloodline and reputation are still there. ”

"The Hungarian nobles who had expelled her had been almost wiped out by the generations of Basil III and John IX. On the contrary, some Italian and Hungarian nobles and merchants, who had benefited from her grandfather's policies, were still happy to revere her. Although these people do not have much political and military strength and cannot form a decent force, this network is obviously helpful for the family business. ”

"On the Italian side, the rising petty aristocrats and merchants often tried to increase their family's status and influence by marrying into the down-and-out nobles. My father apparently intended to do the same. ”

Unlike the other families, he has always only cared about business, at most under the activities of the city-states, and even participated in the formal diplomatic activities between the city-states. But I don't think it's going to be a good way to do that. ”

"So you're going to invest around, visit, and learn military books?" Guo Kang asked.

"Yes, maybe it's because I have more contact with my mother, and I've always felt that it is necessary to know some military knowledge." Joanna nodded.

"Of course, I also know that this is not the main business of our family, and it is impossible to be the leader of the mercenaries like Muzio Sforza's family." She shrugged: "But you see, my mother and grandmother even lost the throne at the beginning, wasn't it because they didn't know anything about military affairs, and they didn't even fight a single speculator because they didn't have the support of their mother's family and the support of the people?" Those great nobles were all people who saw the wind and steered the rudder, and when they saw their embarrassing situation, they immediately reneged on their vow to support their mother. ”

"So I've always felt that even if we don't know anything about warfare, we should at least know something about war and have some basic judgment, so that we can trust our friends and make our enemies worry. After that, find the right professionals and get help. ”

"Before, the military commission of Florence had always been ...... It's hard to put into words. She shook her head and said, "For example, in the early years, our contractor was John Hawkwood, an Englishman. This guy is simply the quintessential mercenary villain - I think we'd rather seek the support of a great power like Rome than let that kind of guy blackmail anymore. ”

"You probably have a hard time understanding our situation. Let me give you an example. She said: "Siena, to the south of us, from 1342 to 1399, was forced to pay thirty-seven bribes to the mercenaries, at a cost of nearly three hundred thousand florins, and the city was almost bankrupt. ”

"Many of them are not particularly powerful mercenaries, but they can blackmail back and forth. Bribing them is also not a long-term solution, because these people simply do not follow the contract. Moreover, even if one is bribed, there will be another one. ”

"Anyway, they're all looking for foreigners, so why not find a more reliable one? Even if it is a fixed amount of tribute, it is better than this large group of mercenaries taking turns to rob. ”

"So you're coming to me?" Guo Kang pointed to himself, and then explained, "However, I have to tell you, this is a misunderstanding. I'm not a military professional, and I did a mediocre job in previous exercises. You're looking for the wrong person. ”

"I think you're a good fit...... Joanna muttered, "I heard from my mother that both father and son are kind and trustworthy people......"

"Where am I fit. I'm here to come up with ideas. I'm a civil servant now. Guo Kang emphasized: "And whether it is good or not is another matter. Under normal circumstances, shouldn't you look for someone who is simple-minded, but more gifted with war? In this way, it is convenient for you to control and play a role. ”

"But these two points are not suitable for me." He spread his hands: "Otherwise, if you are wronged, you will propose marriage to Shi Huizhen." She can do both of these things - as long as you can stand her. ”

"I care what other people do." Joanna was obviously a little unhappy: "Forget it, you should tell me about the difference in combat experience." ”

"We've always said that your art of war is the most valuable. People still have to spend money on this course. You should return on my investment, okay? ”

"And that said?" Guo Kang was a little surprised.

"Yes, unlike the barbarians of the north, we are able to understand the art of war—in fact, the term 'art of war' was first coined by the mercenary leader Babiano. His mercenary group only recruits Italians. Joanna explained.

"Previously, there were two main schools of 'art of war'." "One is the Sforza I just mentioned, and their faction emphasizes discipline and attaches importance to the timely dispatch and concentration of troops in the army. The other faction was represented by a mercenary leader named Bracho, who valued surprise in war, especially the use of cavalry. ”

"Sforza and Bracho were both Babiano's subordinates back then, so the teacher-teacher relationship between them is relatively clear."

However, at the end of the last century, Basil III conquered Naples. King Ladislau hired a large army to try to resist, and both Sforza and Bracho were hired as kingdom marshalls. However, in the ensuing battles, the Neapolitan army suffered heavy defeats one after another. ”

"If it's just because the soldiers aren't tenacious and brave enough, you can still find a reason. But the problem is that those battles are completely lost in terms of strategy. The once admired exquisite command skills seem like a child's trick to a real military strategist. This incident caused a great shock to the people who studied the theory. After that, it became a trend to learn the art of war in the East. ”

"It's okay if you say you're a civil official. That means you're the most orthodox oriental strategist. Joanna pestered him and said, "Tell me, what is the difference between you?" ”

"If you have to say anything different...... Guo Kang had to think about it seriously, and then said: "The most basic thing should be the quality of soldiers." The recruits of the legion on our side have been training for two years plus six months. Those strategies, tactics, I think the whole is just icing on the cake. These are the most basic differences. ”

(End of chapter)