Chinese New Year

Chapter 487: Yushui (Part )

The Yu River is flowing.

Compared with previous days, the water level has risen and the water is more turbulent.

On the open grassland on the west bank, the young men conscripted from Wancheng had just finished cutting wood and started building a platform.

There were many people watching the fun below the platform, most of them were from aristocratic families from Nanyang.

The Liu family of Wancheng, the Le family of Yuyang, the Zong family of Yexian, the Yu family of Xinye, the Fan family of Shunyang...

These families have their roots in the local area, but they all have people serving as officials in regional centers like Wancheng. They were also invited to participate in today's meeting, so they all came - those who did not receive an invitation also squeezed in to join in the fun.

After the hour of Chen, rhythmic drum beats were heard from the north, attracting everyone's attention.

In the gray camp, the gate was wide open and countless soldiers lined up in neat rows and filed out of the gate.

After reaching the wilderness, they moved quickly and moved closer under the command of the flag.

The large formation in the middle was formed first.

There were a total of 6,000 iron-armored warriors, the first row holding swords and shields, and following them was an endless forest of spears.

When he stood solemnly with the weapon in hand, he was motionless and filled with murderous intent.

A square formation was also assembled on the left side of the formation, with about 5,000 people, a little noisy and scattered. After roughly arranging the formation, it ran forward for dozens of steps, protruding much more than the silver spear formation, and located in the front left.

The three thousand troops on the right side of the formation are not as good as the Silver Spear Army, but they are much better than the five thousand in front.

Most of them were wearing leather armor and holding black halberds in their hands. Half of them had bows hanging from their waists. Under the guidance of flags and golden drums, they lagged behind the silver spear formation by a few dozen steps and were located at the right rear.

After 14,000 men had formed their battle formations in the left front, center, and right rear, thousands more men left the camp.

They looked the worst, with no uniform battle uniforms, no different from farmers, and their weapons were very old, crude, and varied.

Unlike the previous three formations, they pulled their carriages and horses out of the camp and formed a circle at the back.

The baggage carts were outside, and people stood inside. There were many crossbows on the carts, and those who knew how to shoot arrows also held bows and looked around.

It can be seen that the fighting effectiveness of this group of people is very poor, so they can only fall behind and rely on baggage to form a formation.

When the infantry deployed, two thousand cavalrymen advanced to the two wings and spread out far away. After the infantry formation was completed, they dismounted from their horses and stood with their horses.

“This…” Under the high platform, the scholars who had been planning to watch the excitement suddenly felt their anus tighten and got goose bumps all over their bodies.

"What kind of formation is this?"

"According to military books..."

"There are such formations in military books, but they seem to be true but not quite."

"I've heard that Mr. Chen set up this formation in his early years, and it's called the '偃月阵'. I heard that when fighting, this formation would rotate and attack the enemy's flanks."

"Who are those people outside the formation who are standing or sitting in an untidy manner?"

"That's a scattered group. They are all desperate people who will die if they die. They are roaming around the flanks of the formation. When they see the enemy cavalry rushing towards them, they dare to charge forward with a gun in hand and risk their lives."

"This soldier is a bit fierce."

At the beginning, there were still people chattering and whispering, but as time went on, their legs felt sore from standing, but the group of people were still standing solemnly with their weapons in hand.

Well, not entirely.

The formation in the front left is a bit noisy, and they are not standing as neatly as before.

There was no more noise from the three thousand men on the right rear, but their formation was not as good as before.

The most amazing thing is the 6,000 people in the middle, wearing armor and holding guns, standing there like puppets.

The sound of horse hooves rang out.

Hundreds of cavalrymen came out from the rear of the formation, marched across the front of the formation, and then slowly stopped.

A general in golden armor stood out from the crowd, holding a horsewhip and looking very high-spirited.

The generals followed closely behind and surrounded him.

More than one person was holding an empty horse with saddles and weapons on its back. It was unclear whether they were horses for fighting or for escaping.

In the event of a great defeat, escaping alone is a skill, and it is necessary to prepare some empty horses.

The golden-armored general looked out for a while, then rode his horse to the front of the formation, holding his whip high.

"Kill!" Six thousand soldiers in the central army shouted in unison.

The deafening sound instantly reached the platform, and everyone's faces were solemn.

No matter whether you looked down on Shao Xun before, criticized his family background, or had any negative opinions about his ambitions, when you face the real military might, you will be much more shocked than the "flags covering the sun" described in history books.

What you hear and what you see are always different.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!" The other large formations also shouted one after another.

While shouting, he beat the ground rhythmically with the spear, which had an amazing visual and auditory impact.

Amid the deafening shouts, Liang Fen also left the camp and slowly moved forward, surrounded by generals, staff members, and personal soldiers.

He stared at it for a long time, then sighed and dismounted.

Fu Xuan, Yan Ding and others dismounted immediately afterwards.

Fu Xuan was fine, he just watched quietly.

Yan Ding's face turned pale, and he almost stumbled when he got off his horse. It wasn't because he was scared, but because he was so excited that his hands and feet were a little out of control.

He subconsciously glanced behind him.

More than 10,000 soldiers came out of the camp one after another and lined up in the wilderness. To be fair, the individual qualities of these soldiers were actually quite good.

As for the survivors who made this journey all the way from Guanzhong - some even from Qinzhou and Liangzhou - God knows what they did along the way.

The weak ones have been eliminated on the way.

All those who could reach the counties north of Mianyang were able-bodied men and women.

The Hu, Han, and Zhuang men lined up at this moment were the essence of all the counties in northern Mianyang. They were fierce, ruthless, and wild, and they looked like they were brave enough to fight.

Of course, they also have weaknesses.

The equipment is too bad!
Liang Fen at least occupied the Wancheng arsenal, and there was also a large-scale iron smelting workshop nearby, which made military equipment day and night, but the people under him still looked shabby, and no one knew where his equipment had gone.

In addition to the poor equipment, it can also be seen that this unit has not been training for a long time.

In fact, it is understandable. After all, they are busy with farm work, so how can they have so much time for training? Lao Liang also had to provide food and fodder to Wancheng, Xiangyang, Xiangzhou and even Wang Dun's troops who were suppressing Du Tao's rebellion. There were also refugees pouring into Guanxi every year, which required a lot of money and food to settle.

The most crucial thing was that he did not have the support of the Nanyang gentry and had difficulty raising money and grain.

After all, he did not establish a full-time volunteer army.

Shao Xun was also watching from a distance, and when he saw the end, he sneered.

Thousands of people were in chaos for a long time before they were roughly organized into a team. This is not an army that is good at fighting.

To put it nicely, these people are still rough diamonds that need further polishing.

He quickly dismounted and walked forward.

Liang Fen paused for a moment and then walked towards him.

The followers of both sides stayed behind and watched quietly.

"Mr. Chen."

"Mr. Liang."

After the ceremony, Shao Xun glanced at Liang Fen and said with a smile, "After so many years, Mr. Liang is still as charming as ever."

"Much inferior to Mr. Chen." Liang Fen said, "An army of 20,000 tigers and wolves is arrayed in the wild. With such a powerful force, it's a pity that they came to the wrong place."

"Lord Liang, do you mean that these troops should be deployed under the city of Pingyang?" Shao Xun asked.

"If we can't kill the enemy and protect the people, what's the point of having these troops?"

"If there were no such troops surrounding the three cities of Heyang and Fangtou in the north and south, it would probably take ten years to build them. I don't know how many times Luoyang has been breached."

Liang Fen sighed.

He knew that he would not be able to win the battle with words. It was not because he was not good at speaking, but because the other party was telling the truth, and he was not willing to argue or make excuses.

He strolled to the bank of the Yu River, looked at the river flowing southward, and asked: "Jun Yao's troops have come here, what is the purpose? To capture me and interrogate me? Or to force me to resign?"

"Is Lord Liang willing to resign?"

Liang Fen looked at the newly built houses on the other side of the Yu River for a long time before saying, "I really don't want to."

"The emperor has issued an edict." Shao Xun reminded.

Liang Fen turned her head and looked at him, too lazy to talk nonsense.

"What does Lord Liang think of the general situation in the world?" Shao Xun asked, after revealing the question.

"There is no upright person in the court, the princes are showing off their power, causing chaos in the world and wasting the vitality. Now the country is in danger."

"Mr. Liang was stationed in Wancheng, a huge town with steep mountains and rivers and a strategic location for boats and vehicles. Has he ever helped the court to relieve its worries?"

"Gathering refugees, distributing land to them, providing them with food, and training them into an army, does that count as sharing my worries?"

Shao Xun shook his head and said, "I heard that when a minister serves a king, he should follow his example and be loyal to the king. Lord Liang is training his troops in seclusion, resisting the angels, and bullying the elders. This doesn't seem like he is sharing the king's worries."

"I am old. If I were born twenty years later, I might have personally taken up the axe and marched north to seize the Huns' land and place it in China." Liang Fen sighed and said.

After saying that, he looked at Shao Xun again and said, "Mr. Chen, there is no need to ridicule me. Some things can deceive people, but not their hearts. Your attack on the Xiongnu is of great benefit to the country and the people. You can be praised as a 'true hero', and I admire you very much. But you have your own army, you kill Fang Bo without authorization, you bully the king, and you have evil intentions, right?"

Shao Xun stood with his hands behind his back. When he heard the words "plotting something bad", he was not at all moved. Instead, he started laughing.

But Liang Fen did not cooperate with him and did not ask him why he was laughing.

"Lord Liang, the world is in turmoil now, and even the rich and powerful are not immune. Don't you realize that we took the wrong path before, and shouldn't we make some changes?" Shao Xun asked.

Liang Fen remained silent.

"Let's talk about Guanzhong." Shao Xun said, "Since the 10,000-year rebellion in Qi, how many days of peace have there been? Tens of thousands of refugees have flooded into Nanyang. Whose fault is this?"

Liang Fen sighed endlessly.

"It's time for this world to change!" Shao Xun said.

"By whom?" Liang Fen asked.

"With me!" Shao Xun looked at him and said without hesitation, "When I fled south, I dared to lead my troops north and fought in Zhamadi and Fangtou, killing the Xiongnu. Next, I will take Qingzhou, attack Hebei, conquer Bingzhou, and enter Guanzhong. How about borrowing the words of Lord Liang just now, 'Take the Xiongnu's land and place it in China'?"

Liang Fen's expression was a little dazed at first, and then a little gloomy.

There are very few people in the world today who are still fighting against the Huns.

The one with the most significant results and greatest achievements is the person in front of us.

He said that he wanted to "take the land from the Huns and place it in China", and Liang Fen had no way to refute it.

"Come with me to the other side." Liang Fen sighed and said suddenly.

(End of this chapter)