Xiaoqi

Later, Xu's father discussed some trivial matters with Li Li.After all the discussions were over, he looked at the faintly visible scenery in the courtyard, and said with some sadness: "My Xu family has lived here for nearly a hundred years. It has been passed down from four generations to my ancestors, and now it has been passed down to the old man, but I have to leave. Alas, when will the troubled times end, and when will the world be peaceful!"

Li Li could understand Xu's father's mood, and comforted him: "Uncle Xu, you don't have to be so sad. You are only in your 50s this year, and you are in the prime of life. I, Li Li, can assure you that even if I can't conquer the world in 15 years at most, , but you will definitely be able to recover Yuzhou. When the time comes, you will definitely be allowed to return to your hometown and live in this Xu family's ancestral house again!"

Chapter 407

"Clang, Clang, Clang!"

The Xu Family Courtyard, on the grounds of the former school.

This used to be the school ground where Xu Chu and Xu Ding brothers trained the young and strong of the clan, and it was also the martial arts field where they practiced martial arts since childhood.

The field is not small, enough to accommodate five hundred young and strong for training. There are eight weapon racks around the school field, and eighteen kinds of weapons are readily available.

However, there was no one training on the school field today. Nearly [-] young and strong members of the Xu family stood on the sidelines, watching the fierce fighting with wide-eyed expressions.

"Tattoo!"

After the two horses passed by each other, the two sides ran in opposite directions.

At this point, the two people who were fighting in the arena gradually revealed their true faces. It turned out that the people who fought fiercely just now were indeed Chen Dao and Xu Ding.Right now, the two have fought fiercely for 47 rounds, but there is no difference in the outcome. It is still necessary to fight again to see who is stronger.

In fact, before that, Chen Dao had already fought He Man.It's a pity that He Man's left leg injury has not healed. After fifty rounds of fierce fighting with Chen Dao, the wound ruptured, so he had to call a truce halfway, so let it go.

After a short rest, Chen Dao and Xu Ding fought again. Now the two had been fighting fiercely for nearly an hour, but the battle became more and more fierce. It can be said that the battle is in full swing.

The reason why there was such a battle today was because of Huan Fei's understatement, which prompted several generals who had recently joined Li Li's command to fight against each other.

"My generals in the Xiliang Army are not weak. Martial arts and riding skills are the most important in fighting on the battlefield. As for the art of war and strategy, it is difficult to see which one is better than the other without having experienced a battle. Therefore, if you want to lead a battalion alone as soon as possible, you must show your strength." Only one's own extraordinary martial arts will do. Otherwise, how can he convince the lieutenant generals?"

This is what Huan Fei said in public this morning when everyone was practicing in the morning, which started the fight.

When Li Li arrived after hearing the news, Chen Dao and He Man had already fought.The battle with Xu Ding has also begun.

"Feihu, what's going on here? How did I hear that you provoked the generals to compete in martial arts, but you encouraged everyone to make a fuss on the sidelines, lest there would be chaos in the mansion. Is there such a thing?" Li Li walked quickly to the school grounds On the edge, he pushed aside the crowd of spectators, and asked Huan Fei with an unkind expression.

Seeing that the lord Li Li didn't seem to be really angry, Huan Feidun smiled stupidly and said: "Master, you have wronged me! These guys are all militants, and they feel uncomfortable every day if they don't fight. As a result. They fought and that was it. Hehehe"

"Hmph, full of lies and nonsense!" Li Li snorted coldly, and then pulled Huan Fei to the sidelines.He asked softly: "Tell me, what's going on? I want to listen to the truth. If you dare to lie again, you will be punished fifty times, and I will do what I say!"

"Ah!" Huan Fei's expression changed drastically when he heard the words, and he exclaimed in surprise, and then said honestly: "The thing is like this. This morning, Chen Dao, Xu Ding, Xu Chu and He Man asked the last general about the situation in the army. At the end, the general saw that they seemed to be eager to try. He wished he could lead a battalion immediately, so he told the rules of the general. As a result, they fought against each other, trying to decide who was superior."

"Military rules? What rules? Why don't I know?" Li Li frowned slightly and asked in a deep voice.

"Ah!" Huan Fei was shocked when he heard the words, looked at Li Li in disbelief, and said in surprise: "My lord, this is a rule you made yourself, how could you not know?"

The more Li Li listened, the more confused he became, and he said puzzledly: "What's going on, tell me exactly what's going on!"

"Okay." Seeing that the lord Li Li really didn't seem to remember, Huan Fei shook his head helplessly, and then said truthfully: "Do you still remember the time when you personally led the Longxiang camp to recover Guzang City three years ago?" Scenario? On the way, you stayed overnight in Taohua Village, and then met Teng Xiao, Teng Yu, Meng Chong and others. At that time, you said to them: The strong are respected in the army, and it is clear at a glance whether it is a mule or a horse. I will give you as many official positions as you have! As a result, brothers Teng Xiao and Teng Yu stood out and became deputy commanders, directly leading 1000 troops.

This has been the rule in our army ever since.Any general who has just arrived, after receiving the appointment of the lord, must have the ability to subdue the generals under his account, otherwise it will be difficult to gain a foothold in the army.It was the same even when the last general was in charge of the Tiger Roaring Battalion for the first time. He defeated the two deputy commanders successively before he was able to take charge of the whole battalion smoothly.However, this rule seems to be limited to the main battalion, and there is no such rule among the county soldiers, because the county soldiers are diverse and often transferred, so there is no such rule. "

"It seems that there is such a thing." Li Li nodded thoughtfully, but remembered the scene of recruiting the Teng brothers, which is still vivid in his mind, and it is indeed what Huan Fei said.

Thinking of these, Li Li's heart warmed up inexplicably, and a long-lost sense of familiarity welled up in his heart.There are rules in the army, veterans bully recruits, veteran generals despise newcomers, this phenomenon is not uncommon in the army of later generations.Back then, "Li Zhengfeng", a high-achieving student who graduated from a military academy, was a lieutenant officer when he first entered the army, but he was dismissed by the soldiers and extremely rejected.It wasn't until he made third-class meritorious service in the first month of entering the army that the soldiers looked at him with admiration and truly regarded him as a member of the army.

This is the rule of the army. Those who are capable will be respected and supported by soldiers; this rule has been the same since ancient times and has not changed for thousands of years.

There are rules in the army, and the strong are respected. This is an unbreakable and iron-like fact.The reason why the Xiliang Army is famous all over the world for its bravery and skill in battle is its own perseverance and will to fight.This precious fine tradition, no matter it is now or in the future, must not be lost!

As the commander-in-chief of the army, Li Li is very aware of the situation in the Xiliang army, and he is also well aware of the cooperation and competition between the generals in the army.The current army of Xiliang is no longer as it was when the army was first established, with few major generals and a single force. Instead, there are many masters and generals gathered, and it has grown into a relatively mature army system.The mid-level and senior generals in charge of each battalion are full of carrots and pits, and there are no vacant positions at all; many times, as soon as a vacancy occurs, a dozen or even dozens or hundreds of generals will fight for their heads and blood.

Because of this, it is indeed difficult for a new general who has just joined the army to gain a foothold in the army if he does not have extraordinary abilities and cannot convince the generals and soldiers in the army.Even coach Li Li valued him very much.Entrusted with a heavy responsibility, but he also needs to rely on his own ability to subdue the generals under his account before he can take charge of the army.

Just like the current five people including Chen Dao, Xu Chu, Xu Ding, He Man, and He Yi, when they first joined Li Li's command, they would definitely not get high military positions, let alone lead a battalion in a short period of time. Opportunity.Unless Li Li deliberately expanded a battalion of troops for them, otherwise, they could only grind their qualifications slowly and get promoted step by step.However, adding a battalion of troops alone is not something you can do if you want to.Weapons, armor, war horses, food supply, job structure and resident, etc., all aspects need to be properly arranged, involving a lot.At this time when Xiliang is stable and there is no large-scale war, Li Li will never expand his army easily, thereby increasing the burden of money and food supply on the already very tight treasury of Xiliang.

Li Li was thinking about something in his mind.While walking to the sidelines, he watched the fight between Chen Dao and Xu Ding.

"Clang!" In the sound of violent criticism.Chen Dao's leaping horse raised his gun and attacked continuously like lightning.But he saw that his hands were out of the rein, holding a five-meter-long spear, stabbing with the point of the spear, swinging the spear horizontally, the attack was fierce and fierce, and his spear skills were superb.Every time the spear is picked.It is to hit the vital point directly, prompting Xu Ding to swing his sword to parry and fall into a passive situation.It can be seen from this that Chen Dao is quick to grasp the essence of spear skills.With swift, swift and fierce attacks, Xu Ding was forced to defend passively, and then replaced defense with offense, firmly occupying the main offensive advantage in the battle.

Compared to Chen Dao who attacked ferociously, Xu Ding was extremely calm in battle, skilled in swordsmanship, well-organized in every move, and capable of both offense and defense.In the face of Chen Dao's strong attack, Xu Ding defended calmly and counterattacked from time to time, as if he was deliberately consuming Chen Dao's strength and waiting for the opportunity.As long as Chen Dao's strength shows a slight weakness, Xu Ding will quickly counterattack, thereby reversing the passive defense situation, and even defeating Chen Dao in one fell swoop, winning the final victory of the battle.

After carefully observing the martial arts and riding skills of the two in the arena, Li Li knew in his heart, and he could already see which of the two was better.

Chen Dao, who was at the age of the crown, was undoubtedly a young man. During the battle, he hardly defended.These combat skills are actually the correct strategy among generals and the way to win the battle.What's more, Chen Dao has been fighting fiercely with Xu Ding for an hour, and it is undoubtedly wise to pursue and fight fiercely at this time; because he has roughly figured out Xu Ding's martial arts characteristics and strength.On the other hand, Xu Ding, with his pure swordsmanship, calm personality, and both offensive and defensive skills, seems to have more than enough defense but not enough aggressiveness.Under such a passive defense, he was passively beaten everywhere, and he was already in an extremely disadvantageous situation. He must know that if he defends for a long time, he will lose, and he is obviously at a disadvantage.

The facts are exactly as Li Li predicted.

"Clang!" When the fierce battle reached 73 rounds, following Chen Dao's swaying shot, it looked like a long spear thrust, but suddenly changed his move when he was close to him, and the gun barrel flicked, deflecting Xu Ding's knife across his chest With a flash of cold light, the tip of the spear hit Xu Ding's chest.At this point, the two had fought fiercely for nearly two hours, and the winner was already divided; Chen Dao was superior in the end, but Xu Ding was one move behind, and was lost to Chen Dao's men.

"Uncle Zhi, take a break for half an hour. After the break, Xu Chu will fight with you!" Seeing his brother's defeat, Xu Chu, who was standing on the sidelines already feeling itchy, immediately raised his voice to fight.

"Forget it, they are all brothers of our own family. There will be plenty of opportunities to compete with each other in the future. That's it for today, no more fights!" Hearing Xu Chu's challenge, Li Li strode into the arena immediately, waved his hand to stop Chen Dao who was about to fight, and then looked easy-going Said loudly.

That's right, the expression on Li Li's face was indeed very easy-going, but his tone of voice was unquestionable and decisive.The reason why he did this was not to object to the martial arts competition among the generals under his command, but because Chen Dao, Xu Chu and others spent too little time together, and they didn't have a deep friendship with each other, so it was easy to fight real fire. .After they get to know each other well in the future, no matter how they fight, Li Li will not interfere, because that is the real martial arts sparring, but at this time it does feel like a battle of spirits.Therefore, Li Li directly spoke out to stop it, causing the school field battle to die down and hastily ended.

Chapter 408 Returning to Sili

Three days passed in a blink of an eye.

In the early morning of the next day, a group of nearly a thousand people from Xujiazhuang quietly packed up and set off, joining up with the nearly [-] Gepi Yellow Turban Army who had already been waiting at the west gate outside the village, and immediately the brigade marched northward in mighty strength.

This time, the Xu family from Xujiazhuang moved to Chang'an with a total of 980 people, which is equivalent to the total population of a large village in Xiliang.However, this relocation team of nearly 1000 people is a drop in the bucket for Xujiazhuang, which has a population of nearly [-], less than one-tenth of the population of the village.

Within three days, Li Li had already ordered Xu Chu and his brothers to send young men from the clan to spread the news of the Xu family's move to Xiliang to all the households in the village, and told the people that anyone who wanted to go to Xiliang to settle down could do so together. And set off, and promised to treat him favorably.

However, people's minds are fixed, and it is hard to leave their homeland.

Ever since the Gepi Yellow Turban Army was subdued by Li Li, the people of Xujiazhuang all praised and told each other, grateful to the Xu brothers and Li Li and his party.However, if they really want to move to Xiliang with the Xu clan, there are very few followers, only a dozen or so tenants of the Xu family are willing to go with the Xu family.In addition, nearly [-]% of the people in Zhuangzhong are unwilling to leave their hometowns and go to Xiliang.

So, in the early morning of the fourth day, Li Li led nearly a thousand members of the Xu clan to join the Gepi Yellow Turban Army, and then quietly left Xujiazhuang.

"These people are really ungrateful! I want to take them to Chang'an to live a good life, but they don't appreciate it. I'm really angry!" When leaving Xujiazhuang, Huan Fei couldn't help but turned his head to look at the wall behind him, with a very serious expression on his face. Said unhappily.

After Xu's father, Xu Chu, Xu Ding and others heard the words, their expressions suddenly changed, and they all lowered their heads, not knowing what to say.At this time, Li Li said calmly: "Feihu can't talk nonsense! People's minds are at peace. People's minds are settled, and the people are hard to leave their homeland. This is human nature, and it is the same for us. Now Xujiazhuang has just settled down. The people already have hope. As long as they work hard, they will be able to live a stable and peaceful life in half a year. Since staying here can also lead a stable life, why should the people follow us and move to Xiliang? The heart, the heart is the same, these are all understandable."

Hearing Li Li's words.Everyone in the Xu family suddenly relaxed.

Xu's father was originally named Xu Xin, styled Zihe.After Li Li finished speaking, Xu Xin followed up and said: "My lord's words are very true. The people in the village have finally settled down, so naturally they don't want to go to Chang'an with us. After all, this is where their ancestors have settled here for generations. However, the current stable life in the village may not be long-lasting. It may last for a year or a few months. There will definitely be grass bandits or bandits occupying Gebei again. This will cause disaster to the neighbors. In a chaotic world, if there is no strong It is undoubtedly an unattainable luxury to live a stable life without the protection of the army, and it is difficult to realize it.”

Li Li nodded deeply when he heard the words and said: "Uncle Xu has a good opinion. It is right. There are no powerful princes in Yuzhou, but there are as many as ten yellow scarf thieves running around and wantonly plundering. Gebei Mountains span Ru Many counties, such as Liang, Chen and Peiguo, have steep mountains. It is easy to defend and difficult to attack. It has nothing to do with us, even if we want to help, but we can't reach it, our heart is more than enough, but our strength is not enough.

After all, Yuzhou is too far away from our Xiliang. Once we extend our sphere of influence to Yuzhou, I am afraid that the princes of the towns in the Central Plains will have trouble sleeping and eating in no time. Unite and fight against me, eager to get rid of them and then quickly.Therefore, although we currently have the strength to quickly pacify Yuzhou, due to the surrounding situation, we have no choice but to stand still and live in a corner of Xiliang, preparing our troops to prepare for changes in time. "

Li Li's words really revealed the reality that the Xiliang army is currently facing. Although there are hundreds of thousands of soldiers, they are forced by the complicated situation in the states and counties of the Central Plains, so they dare not send troops easily.

Because, as long as the Xiliang Army intends to enter the Central Plains, the existing structure of the states and counties in the Central Plains will immediately change accordingly, and the Xiliang Army will also become the target of public criticism, resisting the joint siege of the towns and princes of the Central Plains with its own strength.If so, even though the Xiliang army is strong and superior in combat power, it cannot defeat the alliance army of the princes from all walks of life in the Central Plains. After all, tigers cannot hold back wolves.Even if the Xiliang army wins by chance, it will definitely kill one thousand enemies and lose eight hundred, and their own strength will be greatly damaged, which is really not worth the loss.

On this issue, Li Li has been thinking about it almost all the time in the past two years. He has discussed with Jia Xu, Li Ru, Li Xuan and Hua Xin many times, and finally decided on the strategy of self-cultivation and calm observation of time changes.This is not only a helpless method of compromise, but also a superior strategy to keep a low profile, to respond to all changes with the same, and if you don't move, you will be thunderous.