In the afternoon, in the north of Zuocheng, near Zuoshan, many soldiers took the firewood out of the woods and loaded them on a carriage parked by the woods. They filled them up and registered them. They drove slowly along the carriages and wanted to transport the firewood back to the camp next to Zuocheng.

Only when each team has enough firewood to cut can they return to the camp, otherwise they will be punished if they go back.

Zuocheng is the capital of Caozhou Prefecture. It is named after it is located south of Zuoshan. The imperial army that fought against the rebels was stationed next to Zuocheng. It consumes a lot of firewood every day when boiling water and cooking. As autumn and winter are about to come, the firewood needs more and more, and the time interval between soldiers chopping firewood is getting closer and closer.

Previously, it was cut once every five or six days, but now it was cut once every two or three days. Zuoshan area was densely covered with woods, and many trees outside had been cut. Now the soldiers had to go north to chop wood.

From the military camp to the Zuoshan area, you have to walk five or six miles one way. After cutting firewood and putting it on the carriage, the carriage took the firewood back to the camp, and the soldiers had to walk back by themselves.

It took more than ten miles back and forth, and also had to chop wood. I left the camp early in the morning and could only return to the camp when the sun was about to set. I could only eat dry food in the middle to fill my hunger. The soldiers were often exhausted when they came back.

Therefore, chopping wood is a chore. Each unit sent people to take turns to chop wood, but even if it did not chop wood, it was not allowed to rest in the military camp.

For ordinary soldiers, they followed the army to fight, which was similar to those who were young and strong in the army. They were just doing chores. Not to mention chopping wood, there were still many things to do. Anyway, they were not allowed to rest. What was not done?

Although fighting is a life-long task, when there is no war in a certain place, it does not mean that you can rest. Except for combat soldiers, soldiers usually work on chores instead of training.

The so-called chores, in addition to chopping wood, carrying water, walking horses, and drinking horses, they also have to do things for people, helping the Shangguans fish and wild game. They not only work for the generals in the army, but also work for local wealthy families under the command of the generals.

The soldiers became escorts and went to the "employer" to do farm work. If any soldier knew some craftsmanship, he would be arranged by Shangguan to help people repair things, do carpenters, and do craftsmanship. The pack horses could not be idle, and they had to "do short-term work" and pull things for the local "employer".

Shangguan took the big head for the money he earned, and the little left was left to Xiaobing.

The brave and slightly capable soldier chose to "work alone" himself, gathered more than a dozen comrades, changed their clothes, covered their faces, and formed gangs to rob, rob surrounding villages, or rob them of passing business trips.

Or they collect money from a local big family, change clothes and act as thugs for the other party, deal with enemies, or make a strong sense of power, anyway, they just collect money to do things.

The soldiers who came out of the sea of ​​corpses and blood were of course more cruel than ordinary people's guards. Even if they fought with bare hands, they could make the other party run away in a hurry, so they were highly praised by employers from all over the country.

The ordinary people who were summoned to serve in the military were unable to make extra money, so they could only let their superiors go to their posts. Anyway, they were very busy every day, but they didn’t have time to practice.

In contrast, it is better to chop firewood out. As long as you chop enough firewood, you can go back. If you are lucky, you can catch wild animals such as hares and eat them. You can still eat meat and roast them in the wild. You don’t have to pay "filial piety" when you go back.

Every time they chop wood, many soldiers who do not belong to each other set out with their own teams. Each team drove in a storm. They chop wood when they arrived at the place, put the sufficient firewood on the carriage, and then walked back huh.

Some teams cut quickly and come back quickly, while others move slowly, so they naturally fall behind. But in general, most of the soldiers who went out to the camp together can come back together in the afternoon, with the head and tail being more than one mile apart, so the large team must be sparse.

Because it is not a war or a marching force, the soldiers walk at a fast and slow speed, and some people have to pee or behave as they walk, so they will naturally be pulled down by their team and mingle with other teams coming from behind.

The same was true this time. The teams completed the task of chopping wood one after another, and walked towards the military camps several miles away on the south side. Before they could get out of the two miles, the team gradually lengthened, and the soldiers of each team were mixed together.

Although the generals repeatedly said that the whole team had to return to the camp if they left the camp, the execution was not strict, and everyone was used to it and no one cared about it.

Anyway, when you arrive outside the military camp, the commander of Geshish and his team will be placing people at the gate so that the enemy will not be able to fish in troubled waters and sneak into the military camp to spy on the news.

But in fact, this regulation is not strictly enforced because there are many soldiers entering and leaving the barracks every day. It is useless to be strict with the soldiers who go out to chop wood. After a long time, the soldiers guarding the gate are too lazy to care.

Only when the troops that deliver food into the camp approach the military camp will the soldiers be vigilant and checked, and if they care too much about familiar faces coming in and out every day, they will be annoying.

Today, the soldiers guarding the gate first saw carriages pulling firewood back to the camp, and knew that the soldiers who chopped firewood were coming back. They waited for the sparse team to appear in their sight, and no one thought anything was wrong.

But Hou Mo Chenqiong, who was temporarily in charge of patrolling the camp, did not think so. Although he had been in the army for many years and knew the bad habits in the army, he shouldered heavy responsibilities and did not dare to take it lightly. Now that Shu King is new, people in the camp are in a state of mind. If you are not careful, you will let the enemy take advantage of the situation and make trouble.

The King of Shu died not long ago in the battle of Ningping Ancient City, and his body was quietly transported back to the camp by his generals. Hou Mo Chenqiong, who was in charge of the camp, and after discussing with several other generals, he secretly transported the King of Shu back to Yecheng. As the Sima of the Prime Minister's Office, he temporarily exercised his duties as the commander.

The day before yesterday, news came from Yecheng that the King of Shu was "hardly injured and died in Yecheng". The prince succeeded to the throne and the imperial envoy who arrived in Zuocheng brought the emperor's edict.

Hou Mo Chenqiong was appointed as the marshal of the Southeast Road marshal, and was legitimate to lead the army to attack the rebels entrenched in Bozhou.

For Hou Mo and Chen Qiong, it is useless to think too much about Yecheng. The most urgent task is to solve the enemy in front of him. However, when King Shu was Xinwu, the people on his side were unstable, so he could only use calmness to control his movements and see what the enemy was going on before he could deal with it.

Hou Mo and Chen Qiong have been high-ranking officials, led large troops, and seen countless storms, so they are very confident in stabilizing the situation in Caozhou. The problem is that people's hearts are fluctuating, and he is afraid that someone will stab him in the back when he concentrates on dealing with powerful enemies.

As soon as Yuchi Dun died, some of the civil and military officials who were originally interested in the Yecheng court might have thoughts, and in this camp, there might also be generals who have different ideas. If someone wants to collude with the enemy in Bozhou to cooperate with the inside and outside, there will inevitably be enemy troops going to and from the military camp to secretly spread news.

Looking at the camp defense with loopholes, Hou Mo and Chen Qiong was a little annoyed, but he knew that this was the case with the military camp. It was basically difficult for a large camp that lasted for several miles to be fully vigilant.

Afar, there was a famous Liu Song general Tan Daoji who "sang and measured sand" to deceive the Wei army into making detailed works. This is a proof that the military camp's guard cannot be kept in a leak. Otherwise, where could the Wei army see that the Song army has a lot of rations (more sand) in detail?

Some of the more recent ones were at the Battle of the East and West Wei Shayuan. The Western Wei general Da Xiwu brought three subordinates to change his clothes and sneaked into the Eastern Wei military camp at night. Not only did he find the order to patrol the camp, but he also pretended to be the general to patrol the camp everywhere, whipping the Eastern Wei soldiers who did not uphold military discipline.

Therefore, it is difficult to prevent the enemy from sneaking into the camp in detail, so loose on the outside and tight on the inside is the right way, but loose on the outside cannot be too loose. Now looking at the sparse soldiers returning to the camp outside the camp, Hou Mo and Chenqiong feel that it is necessary to rectify it.
Chapter completed!