The Nameless of the Common Clans

"In less than ten days, two Gebei thieves were defeated in a row. If you add in the previous achievements in rescuing Nanton and defeating the thieves, Chen Mo, who returned to the court victoriously, will be rewarded based on his merits. I'm afraid even the army commanders will be rewarded, right?" Just now? When he returned to the camp, he saw several colleagues coming forward and looking at Chen Mo eagerly.

Every time Chen Mo visited a city, he would send someone back to report, firstly to record his merits, and secondly, through Bao Hong, he would notify the Runan prefect to send someone to take over the city. However, with just one song, he would defeat more with less and more. Even with this record, The official war hasn't started yet, but it's still dazzling enough, and at the same time it's enough to make others envious.

"It's just luck. This is the general's strategizing. I'm just following orders, not my ability." After what happened to Bao Hong, Chen Mo has kept a low profile now. In any case, the first success must be Bao Hong's, so that he won't be blamed by Bao Hong. Even if Hong is ostracized, he will not be shunned by his colleagues.

Don't look at the fact that so many people are coming to support you now, only God knows what they really think in their hearts.

"That's pretty cool too."

Chen Mo talked and joked with everyone, and it became clear that even if these people were lucky to get the position in Gao Shun's opinion, at least they were not all idiots. If he had to do something this time, even if all of his two hundred people were iron men, it would be impossible for him to send tens of thousands of Ge. The thieves were all wiped out, but everyone still had to work together to help each other to have a chance. After Chen Mo deliberately avoided the issue of credit, the atmosphere became much more harmonious, and Chen Mo ran to find Bao Hong.

"You have accomplished a lot this time." Bao Hong looked at Chen Mo and sighed.

In ten days, he traveled hundreds of miles, and with the two hundred men and horses in his hands, he first broke through the sleeping hill and then Gepo. In this battle, Chen Mo's ability could not be suppressed even if he wanted to. Runan's side has already begun. It was said that this young general was very capable, but Chen Mo obviously knew how to behave and did not take all the credit. Instead, he reported the credit to him first, and then he reported the credit to the court.

In this way, as the commander-in-chief, Bao Hong naturally had a share of the credit, and everyone was happy.

"It's not as complicated as the general thought. The Qiuqiu defenders only numbered a few hundred. I tricked them out of the city and easily ambushed them. As for Gepo, we disguised ourselves as Gebe thieves and sneaked into the camp. After beheading the thieves, the soldiers were left without a fight. He just won so easily." Chen Mo shook his head. He didn't want to say more about what had happened. He looked at Bao Hong seriously and said, "General, on this trip south, we will eventually find that the main force of the Gebei thieves is not here. Gepo has a lot of food, grass and baggage, but there are only a thousand troops stationed there. I think the surrounding areas are about the same."

"You mean, we find the main force to annihilate them?" Bao Hong looked at Chen Mo and asked.

"We can't defeat them. According to the current intelligence, the main force of the Gebei thieves is at least ten thousand people. The soldiers and horses from various counties have not yet been mobilized. It would be unwise for us to directly attack their main force!" Chen Mo shook his head, pointed at the map and said: "According to The prisoners said that the main force of the Gebei thieves is going out to seize grain from Qiao County. We can take advantage of the absence of the main force to capture as many empty cities behind them as possible and seize the food and grass they stationed in each city. "

"Without food and grass, it's useless no matter how many troops they have!" Bao Hong's eyes lit up when he heard this. This was a good idea.

"According to what those Gebei thieves surrendered, the Gebei thieves now occupy quite a few cities. There are dozens of cities east of Ru River, and each city is garrisoned with soldiers and horses. If our army divides its troops to garrison, even if the Gebei thieves occupy the city, we will wait for the Gebei thieves to seize the city. The Pi thieves were alarmed and returned to attack. Each city was weak and might not be able to defend it. The general thought that he could join forces with the Runan prefect. Our army would be responsible for attacking the city, and the prefect would be responsible for guarding the cities. At the same time, he would maintain food routes and provide food and grass for our army. ”

"Even so, it will not be easy for our troops to attack the city." Bao Hong said with a headache. His battalion was composed of three troops with 1,200 people. Now there are not enough 1,200 people. We can attack with this small force. city?

"We don't have to capture every city, general, just wait and see!" Chen Mo pointed out several locations on the map and said: "We only need to capture the cities of Song County, Chengfu, and Shansang to cut off the Gebei thieves' retreat. We only need to defend these three cities, cut off the opponent's food routes, and at the same time contact the Qiaojun prefect to send troops to harass and hold the opponent back. The main force of the Gebei thieves will be dispersed. Once the main force is lost, there is no need to attack these cities with effort. We only need to send some Most of those who argue can be said to surrender, but those who resist will not be difficult to deal with at that time.”

"Brilliant plan!" After Bao Hong listened carefully, he couldn't help but look at Chen Mo and said with a smile: "Sometimes I really don't understand. You are only fourteen, why do you have so many strategies?"

"It's not a clever plan, but the Gebei thieves don't have a strong foundation in Runan. If they have been operating here for decades, the people will be used to their governance, and there will be a set of laws internally, and they will act according to the rules. Even if they are still like this With such a scale, even with the help of soldiers from various counties, it is extremely difficult to defeat these cases." Chen Mo shook his head. The imperial court had too many advantages over the Gebei bandits. In terms of talent, the leaders of the Gebei bandits. Count each one, not many are literate. Even if the generals selected by Xiyuan are not the best, in this regard, they can crush the Gebei thieves.

The second is righteousness. Although the Gebei thieves used the banner of the Yellow Turban thieves, it has been four years since the Yellow Turbans were destroyed. The people's good impression of the Taiping Religion has long been gone. What is left is only the memory of the wounds caused by the war. They Using the banner of Yellow Turban does not give them any decent reason.

The most critical point is that Chen Mo asked which Gebei thieves surrendered. Although it was caused by the people's dissatisfaction with the imperial court's continuous tax increases in the past two years, the Gebei thieves not only failed to formulate rules in time after occupying so many cities, He fed back the people to win their hearts, but after his status changed, he began to squeeze the people. His methods were brutal and direct, even worse than the tax increases the court had done in recent years. He even risked his life, not to mention his family wealth.

They started from the people, but in the end they turned away from the large number of people they could easily win over, and instead pushed them to the opposite side. This last point is also the biggest failure of the Gebei thieves. Runan is not like the mountains and obstacles in Bingzhou. The terrain is complex, this place is flat, and most cities are easy to attack and difficult to defend. The bigger the trouble, the worse the defeat will be.

"Okay, don't do this with me. After defeating the Gebei bandits this time, you have made a lot of contributions. Maybe you will be promoted to a school captain or a cavalry captain. Hey, after the new year, you can also You're only fifteen, right? It's not common to see a fifteen-year-old Cavalry Commander, so prepare your money." Bao Hong waved his hand and said with a smile.

"Money?" Chen Mo looked at Bao Hong in shock, what do you mean? Want to have a celebration party?

"When you are promoted to Cavalry Captain or School Lieutenant, you are a real general. At least it is worth two thousand dan. According to the rules, you are considered a meritorious officer and can be reduced by half, about six million." Bao Hong said with a smile.

"How much!?" Chen Mo's voice suddenly rose several times.

"Six million dollars, more or less. The school captain's salary is equivalent to two thousand dan, which is 1,200 dan. According to the previous rules, you have to pay 12 million. However, you are from a poor family. If you try hard, you can get a reduction. Half, but six million is indispensable." Bao Hong groped his chin and looked at Chen Mo with some envy. He, a junior military lieutenant, had donated a total of twelve million to get it.

Although Chen Mo knew about the imperial court's selling of officials and titles, when it was his turn, Chen Mo was really panicked. Six million dollars? If he could get it, he wouldn't have to go to the Xun family to carve bamboo slips for someone else.

Even if he makes bamboo slips for the Xun family, the remuneration given by the Xun family is generous. If he works hard, he can earn 20,000 yuan a day. If he does this for a year, he will almost have enough, but it is not said whether he will have so much work. Even if he does, he has been carving bamboo slips all year round. How is that possible?

"No money?" Bao Hong looked at Chen Mo and said in surprise.

"My family has been poor since I was young. How can I get so much money to buy an official position?" Chen Mo felt that he suddenly lost his motivation.

Bao Hong looked around, then looked at Chen Mo and whispered: "Actually, six million dollars is not difficult. When we captured the city, there was also a lot of money in the loot captured. You can deduct part of it each time, as long as you do it well." Yes, we have won the battle, and the imperial court will not care about it. In addition, we can also ask for some help from others. After all, this time we helped Runan defeat the bandits, and they also need more or less..."

Chen Mo frowned when he heard this. It was obvious that Bao Hong's statement was inconsistent with his own ideas.

But if you don't do this...

In the end, Chen Mo shook his head: "The general is interested, I will give it another thought."

Not only does this go against his own ideals, but more importantly, if he really does it, it will be equivalent to being held by Bao Hong. You can say that the court will turn a blind eye most of the time, but if he does it in the future, If this is pursued, there will be endless troubles, not to mention that if someone wants to deal with him, Bao Hong has these discords in his hands, which can be fatal at a critical moment.

"Chen Mo, although you are more resourceful and decisive than me, this is how things are sometimes in this world. Most people in the court do this. If you don't do this, you will be an alien in their eyes. What will happen in the future? It will be difficult to leave." Bao Hong patted Chen Mo's shoulder and said seriously.

"But there are always a few, right?" Chen Mo shook his head.

"Yes, Mr. Lu and Mr. Yuan. Nowadays, many virtuous people in the court disdain this, but they have countless wealth, how can we compare?" Bao Hong shook his head and said: "Don't think about this, listen to my brother's advice. , In this officialdom, you are qualified to be noble only if you are in a high position. When you are nothing, it is best not to think about this, otherwise, it will be difficult to climb to a high position in your life. "

"Thank you for your teaching, general. However, this matter still needs to be considered. It will be difficult for the general to accept it at the moment." Chen Mo saluted Bao Hong.

"It's up to you. I'll leave a copy here for you. If you need it, just ask me." Bao Hong nodded and didn't force him. This kid is so smart, he believes that Chen Mo will make the right choice.

Looking at Chen Mo's back, Bao Hong shook his head. Who was not like this when he was young? It's just that sometimes if you insist on doing this, your future will be gone. He believes that Chen Mo will figure it out.