Chapter 100 Fighting in the Northwest (Thirteen)

The Northwest Alliance would go north to Ling to reinforce Lingzhou early on August 10th. This would be an arduous march. Therefore, the generals of the Black Eagle Army were very restrained in drinking. After drinking two pots of old wine, all the generals said goodbye one after another, except Guo Jiong.

Hou Dayong and Guo Jiong came to the study. This was the place where Hou Dayong talked about the important matters, so Guo Jiong put away his smile. The Jiedushi left him alone, so there must be something important to talk about.

Hou Dayong took out a note and handed it to Guo Jiong. The note was provided by the Military Information Battalion, including the number of troops, organization, weapon equipment, the name of the commander above the team, historical record and combat effectiveness evaluation. The content was very detailed. Guo Jiong lowered his head and looked at the note attentively. Hou Dayong did not disturb him. He took the book "Taibai Yin Jing" and flipped it casually. Three candles in the study were flashing gently with the breeze blowing from there.

After seeing the content of the note, Guo Jiong was a little surprised. Guo Jiong's family was the same as Guo Wei, and his father Guo Xingjian and his Majesty Chai Rong had a lot of connections. After three years of war, Guo Jiong had grown from a rich family to a brave and resourceful general who had been through war formations. The influence of the family made him more intelligent than He Wulang and other generals. "It only took five days before the Jiedushi entered Jingzhou and understood the situation of the Qingzhou army so clearly. This must have a deeper meaning." Guo Jiong was quickly speculating in his heart that Hou Dayong's intentions.

Hou Dayong looked at Guo Jiong thinking hard and said straight to the point: "From tomorrow, you will be the commander of this Qingzhou cavalry." He also said: "The Qingzhou army has good combat effectiveness. More than half of this army is subordinate of General Meng Hanqing. Although General Meng was executed for committing a crime, the troops he brought out were still very combat-effective. This is recognized by everyone. Wang Tianpan, the commander of the Qingzhou army's cavalry commander, is a brave general in Meng Hanqing. If Meng Hanqing had not committed a crime, he would have been promoted to the office long ago, and this person could be reused."

Guo Jiong entered Jingzhou City on August 8th and had little contact with the Qingzhou army. He just knew that the military discipline of the Qingzhou army was not very good. He asked: "The Northwest Alliance uses the Yongxing Army as the front army, the Black Eagle Army as the central army, and the Province Army as the rear army. It seems that this Qingzhou cavalry has not been arranged in detail. I don't know which combat sequence it belongs to in the Northwest Alliance. Who will directly obey Hanlun's orders?"

"The Qingzhou cavalry is used as an independent force. I have already thought of the name, it is called the Northwest Alliance Independence Army. You are the commander of the Independence Army, and Wang Tianpan is the deputy commander of the commander of the Independence Army. The Independence Army marched with the Black Eagle Army and directly obeyed General Shi Hu's command. As for Han Lun, his orders can be conveyed by General Shi."

Guo Jiong understood Hou Dayong's intention, and the Qingzhou horse army followed the Black Eagle Army. Following Shi Hu's command, Han Lun was completely outlawed. He looked down at the note and said, "The Qingzhou cavalry has not many crossbow arrows. There are only more than 400 crossbow arrows. We will set off tomorrow. There are no time to deploy them from the iron battalion of Fengzhou. I am going to readjust the establishment of the Independent Army. The Independent Army has four battalions, so I will gather the crossbow arrows and form a crossbow battalion." After Guo Jiong joined the army, he followed Hou Dayong. He fully accepted Hou Dayong's strategy and tactics and had a special interest in long-range weapons. Seeing that the Qingzhou cavalry had not many crossbow arrows and were scattered in each battalion, he wanted to readjust the weapon configuration.

Hou Dayong waved his hand and said, "You are in charge of the Independent Army. You don't need to ask me for specific matters. Just do it as you please. There are only two requirements. One is to control the troops well and not be messed up. The other is to form combat effectiveness as soon as possible. The combat effectiveness of the Dangxiang people is really not weak and cannot be taken lightly."

"I want to transfer a team of personal guards and three people to the Independent Army, General Duan Wuwei, Tiechuanyuan and Liu Shixu, two captains."

"No problem, even if you need it."

"That's enough. The Black Eagle Army suffered a lot in Yizhou. Shan Zongyuan, Wang Jiang, and Chen Renyi wanted to stay in Fengzhou again, and the Black Eagle Army soldiers were very tight."

While the two were talking, the personal guards came to report: "Bai Shuangwu, the commander of the Infantry Army in the Palace, asked for a visit."

Bai Shuangwu was still wearing the military uniform of the front office of the Palace, covered with green gauze and white flowers. After Bai Shuangwu entered the study, he came straight to Hou Dayong, bowed slowly with his knees on the ground, his palms on the ground, and his forehead was pressed on his palms. After three times of praying, he stood up and put his hands down, and then put down his hands. This was a very formal kneeling ceremony. Hou Dayong's military position was far higher than Bai Shuangwu, and he accepted Bai Shuangwu's gift calmly.

After Bai Shuangwu stood up, he said respectfully: "My father has to take revenge, and he has to rely on the Hei Diao Army to take action. His subordinates are crushed to pieces, and it is difficult to repay the great kindness of the governor."

Hou Dayong sighed: "Bai Jiedushi is a famous general of the Great Zhou Dynasty. He was in Gaoping and was fortunate to follow Bai Jiedushi to kill the enemy. Ru Ling often recalled the heroic posture of Bai Jiedushi on the battlefield. Unfortunately, Bai Jiedushi was actually killed by the Dangxiang people in Heixiong Mountain."

The ancestors of the Bai family were from Shatuo people. The Shatuo people were born soldiers, hard-working and full of sacrifice. During the turbulent years of the middle and late Tang Dynasty, the Shatuo army was once powerful in the world. Bai Chongzan had the legacy of his ancestors, advocated martial arts, and ruled the family with military law. The Bai family's children had been hanging in the military camp since they were young, and the formation and formation in the military camp were all understood. Therefore, since the two brothers Bai Shuang Yong and Bai Shuang Wu joined the army, they soon made their mark in the Great Zhou army. Bai Shuang Yong was already a unique figure, and Bai Shuang Wu also became a famous brave general in the Palace Front Office.

When Hou Dayong was speaking, Bai Shuangwu's feet were slightly apart, standing still like a wooden stake. Seeing Bai Shuangwu's military posture was upright and extremely military temperament, Hou Dayong secretly praised: "I am worthy of being your personal soldier, and his military posture is really outstanding." Hou Dayong pointed at Guo Jiong and introduced: "This is Guo Jiong, the commander of the Black Eagle Army's Cavalry Army." Bai Shuangwu and Guo Jiong looked at each other, and Bai Shuangwu bowed and said: "See General Guo." Guo Jiong quickly stood up and bowed and replied: "Good luck to meet."

Hou Dayong knew that Bai Shuangwu was here to visit so late, and nodded, "Commander Bai doesn't have to be polite, just sit and talk."

Bai Shuangwu did not sit down, his expression darkened, and he said, "I am here to join the Jiedushi."

"Commander Bai is the general of the palace, and he has a long future. Why should he submit it to my account?"

“黑雕军威名远扬,下官心仪已久,巴公原大战之时.下官亲眼见到黑雕军箭射北汉第一勇将张元徽,重振了大周军士气,所以想追随节度使,北上迎击党项人.”白霜武说到这,顿了顿,“还有一个原因,我今天动手狠揍了韩伦,他地儿子韩令坤将军是殿前司都指挥使.正是我的直接上司,俗语说:不怕官,就怕管,虽说韩将军为人很是不错,但是,我毕竟打了韩将军的父亲,只怕回到殿前司以后,我的日子不会好过.”

"When you hit Hanlun, did you know that his son was General Han?"

Bai Shuangwu smiled slightly and said, "When I entered the city, Captain Guo Cang told me about Han Lun's identity, but no matter who it is, he should not have occupied the house when his father just died in battle. If he was afraid of the powerful and did not dare to take action, his ancestors would laugh at me."

Hou Dayong praised: "You are a good man, come to the Black Diao Army army. You don't have to worry about the Palace Front Office, let me deal with it. I will appoint you as the deputy commander of the Black Diao Army infantry, and will be the deputy commander of the Black Diao Army infantry commander Hu Li. I will follow the troops north tomorrow, and someone will help you with the relevant procedures." The Black Diao Army deputy commander was Duan Wuwei, who was transferred by Guo Jiong to the Northwest Independence Army, which is the original Qingzhou Horse Army. Baishuangwu could just take over Duan Wuwei's position.

Bai Shuangwu did not expect that Hou Dayong agreed to his request so readily, and he was promoted to an official position. According to the Great Zhou army system, the basic unit of the army was battalion, with about 500 people in each battalion, and the fourth or fifth battalion was a military army, with the name of the region. The commander of the army was called the commander. The commander of the camp was called the commander. In a word, Hou Dayong, Bai Shuangwu was promoted from the commander of the infantry to the deputy commander of the infantry.

Hou Dayong encouraged Bai Shuangwu a few words. Bai Shuangwu said goodbye and left the backyard of the yamen. Guo Jiong looked at Bai Shuangwu with a straight background and said, "The Black Eagle Army has taken over another brave general." Hou Dayong glanced at Bai Shuangwu, then looked at Guo Jiong, and suddenly said, "Guo Lang is twenty-seven years old this year." Guo Jiong didn't understand why Hou Dayong suddenly asked about his age and said, "When he joined the army in Cangzhou, he was over 23 years old, and now he is twenty-seven years old."

"When you joined the army in Cangzhou, my uncle was not willing. It was because you insisted repeatedly that my uncle finally agreed. Uncle Guo later told me the reason. At that time, your wife unfortunately passed away due to illness. You couldn't help but miss people at home, so you thought of joining the army." Hou Dayong had known about Guo Jiong's sadness for a long time, and it was the first time I said it.

Guo Jiong nodded silently. Guo Jiong got married at the age of eighteen. He had a very good relationship with his wife. His wife was weak and sick and had no children after marriage. After his wife passed away, Guo Jiong was unintentionally re-entered. When the Black Eagle Army recruited soldiers and horses, he wanted to go out and explore, and on the other hand, he also wanted to take the opportunity to free himself from the shadows.

Hou Dayong said in a sincere tone: "For three years, Guo Lang has made great contributions to the Black Eagle Army. The Guo family has been a civil minister for generations. Now he has an outstanding general. Guo Lang has also added glory to the ancestors of the Guo family. However, there is always something in my mind. Uncle Guo only has you, one son. There is an old Chinese saying that there are three unfilial piety, and no descendants are the greatest. Anything on the battlefield may happen. As your brother, I want to advise you, let him go over the past. Only by forgetting the past can we usher in a new life."

Guo Jiong looked at Hou Dayong with some gratitude and said, "After so many years, I can let it go. I am just in the army and have the intention to think about these things. My father brought letters several times and said he wanted to get engaged to me, but I was shirking it."

Hou Dayong did not continue to discuss this topic in depth. He changed the subject and said, "The Bai family has been generals for generations, and each of them is amazing. There is another person in the Jingzhou Army named Bai Shuanghua, who is the deputy commander of the Jingzhou Army's infantry army. He participated in the battle to attack Guyuan. I transferred him to the Northwest Independence Army to be your deputy."

Bai Shuanghua manages internal affairs in the Jingzhou army and rarely shows up. Guo Jiong said: "I have met Ji Qingyang, deputy governor of Jingzhou Army, and Liu Beishan, deputy commander of the infantry army. Bai Shuanghua only heard of his name and has never met him. He is a disciple of the Bai family."

Hou Dayong smiled mysteriously and said, "My order has been sent out. Tomorrow he will report to the Northwest Independence Army. You will naturally know at that time." Hou Dayong's mysterious smile made Guo Jiong quite puzzled. He did not ask too much and bowed, "I'll say goodbye, the governor will also rest early, and the long-distance marching will start tomorrow." Hou Dayong stood up, did a few chest expansion exercises, and said, "Everyone is working hard. Two days before Jingzhou City, when there was no soldiers in his hands, it was really uncomfortable to do nothing. Marine is not difficult for the Black Eagle Army."

Hou Dayong arranged Bai Shuanghua to the Northwest Independence Army, which was actually another profound meaning. Guo Jiong did not marry again after losing his wife, and he had no children. This became the heart of his father Guo Xingjian. When the Black Diao Army left Cangzhou, Guo Xingjian also expressed deep concerns about this. The Black Diao Army left Cangzhou for three years. After three years of fierce battles, Guo Jiong's marriage was delayed. On that day, Hou Dayong saw Bai Shuanghua dressed as a man. He couldn't help but think of Guo Jiong who was a bachelor. The military camp quickly understood the situation of Bai Shuanghua. Hou Dayong felt from the heart that these two were of equal status, and their talented men were really a good marriage. So Hou Dayong used his power to create opportunities for the two. As for whether they could achieve a marriage, it was their own business.

Hou Dayong looked at Guo Jiong's back and said self-deprecatingly: "There are quite a few bachelors in the Black Eagle Army. If this continues, I will become a pimp." Before he finished speaking, he saw Guo Jiong turn around and come back, with someone following behind him, but Liang Shouheng, who has become the governor.

Hou Dayong was overjoyed and said, "Liang Mingfu has finally arrived." When Liang Shouheng was in Zhengzhou, he was a military officer in Zhengzhou Prefecture. After being transferred to Fengzhou by Hou Dayong, he was appointed as the governor of Fengzhou. The governor was respected as Mingfu. Therefore, Hou Dayong called Liang Shouheng Liang Mingfu.

Liang Shouheng was covered in dust and covered in sweat. He bowed and said, "Come from Fengzhou and walked for seven days. It was the first time that Xiaguan marched urgently. But I was exhausted. Fortunately, I arrived in Jingzhou in time. Finally, there was nothing wrong."

Hou Dayong walked to the door and said to a guard on duty about three or four meters outside the study door: "Call Huang Laoliu here." After a while, Huang Laoliu ran over with sleepy eyes. Hou Dayong said: "Come on a bowl of stewed beef soup, and make a few refreshing side dishes. Is there any ready-made porridge? Is there a bowl of porridge? Is it necessary to be hungry for Liang Mingfu?"

Huang Laoliu kept nodding and said, "There are beef soup and porridge, and the fresh side dishes are prepared. Liang Mingfu waits for a while and it will be done soon."

Guo Jiong laughed and scolded: "Huang Laoliu, you just said that there was no beef soup, why did you have it again now?"

Huang Laoliu touched his head and laughed: "Only a small can is left, and I dare not disobey the orders of Mrs. Fu."

Hou Dayong said to Guo Jiong: "Before the three armies move, the food and grass will go first. From Jingzhou to Lingzhou, the distance is far away and the logistics cannot keep up. There is no way to fight this battle. Liang Mingfu is now the grain supervisor of the Northwest Alliance, and he is in charge of Jingzhou to coordinate the supplies and food and grass for the Northwest Alliance."

Liang Shouheng drank a few sips of tea, and the fragrance of tea was in his mouth, and he felt refreshed. He said: "Jingdu used boiling water to make tea, which tasted much better than the tea soup with salt and various spices. Only by drinking this tea can you taste the spiritual energy of the mountains and rivers."

In the Tang Dynasty, there were many kinds of tea drinking, including "Qingping Tea", "Guifei Tea", "literati Tea", "Zen Tea" and "folk tea". Qingping Tea has a wide variety of procedures, divided into sixteen steps: appreciating tea cakes, roasting tea, grinding tea, sifting tea, waiting for soup, pouring salt, scooping soup, putting tea with soup, dividing tea, treating tea, smelling tea, watching the color, tasting tea, and thanking tea. It is said that Li Bai drank Qingping Tea and became a poetic and wrote the famous work "Three Poems of Qingping Dice" throughout the ages; and Buddhist Zen Tea is a kind of tea ceremony in Buddhism, which is the art of Zen masters in tea tasting. It is divided into worshiping Buddha, purifying hands, burning incense, preparing utensils, putting salt, and putting tea.

, , make tea, divide tea, tribute tea, smell tea, eat tea, and thank tea. From Qingping tea and Buddhist Zen tea, it can be seen that the tea soup should be added to salt at this time. In addition, there is also the so-called "eating tea", which is to make tea with green onion, ginger, jujube, orange peel, dogwood, mint, etc. into porridge. These methods of eating tea were very popular in the Tang Dynasty. After Hou Dayong came to ancient times, he drank Qingping tea once, and the salty tea water almost spit it out. He insisted on using boiled well water to make green tea. Although the taste was light, it could withstand fine taste. When Liang Shouheng was in Zhengzhou, he learned the method of making tea with Hou Dayong. After learning it, he could not leave this cup of Qing tea for a day.

Liang Shouheng said with some concern: "I am still quite worried about food, grass and supplies. The Northwest Alliance is composed of several troops and its logistics is quite complicated. There are grain, grass, armor and grain from each town. After forming the Northwest Alliance, each town will inevitably be unwilling to provide food, grass and supplies for the coalition forces. They can only rely on the court. The court has a large grain warehouse in Hezhong Prefecture and Jingzhao Prefecture. However, Hezhong Prefecture and Jingzhao Prefecture are six or seven to ten days away from Jingzhou, let alone Lingzhou. You can only set up grain warehouses one by one, from Jingzhou to Qingzhou and Tongyuan Army, you must have a grain warehouse to ensure the supply of the army."

Huang Laoliu quickly prepared a few dinners, and his guards were holding porridge and side dishes, while he was holding them with soup - the beef stewed soup left for Hou Dayong.

Liang Shouheng originally wanted to eat politely, but firstly, he was too hungry to marching long distances, and secondly, several dishes were very delicious. After a few bites, he didn't care about pretending to be polite and started eating giggles.

Hou Dayong looked at Liang Shouheng for dinner with interest and sighed: "The ancients said it well, people are iron, and rice is steel (in the literature, the word "Hundred-making steel" was first seen in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, and it was already called steel at this time). After eating two bowls, he was hard-tied, and he was hungry even if he didn't eat two bowls." Hearing Hou Dayong said this, Liang Shouheng realized that his eating style was really indecent. At this time, he had something at the bottom of his stomach, and he was not as hungry as before. So he sat up straight and began to chew carefully and swallow slowly.

"War is actually a logistics battle. The Northwest Allied Forces head north and there is no continuous supply of food and grass. It is difficult to last. Why is the Hu people difficult to deal with? One very important reason is their special logistics supply method. The Hu people make a living by nomadism, and horses, sheep and cattle can supply meat and milk. Therefore, their logistics is much simpler than the Central Plains people, which is also one of the reasons why their troops can go deep into the heart of the Central Plains. The troops in the Central Plains need a large amount of food and grass, which greatly restricts the scope of the troops' operations." Hou Dayong explained to Liang Shouheng tirelessly that it was to attract his high attention to food. "The main general who stayed in Jingzhou was Wang Jing, the governor of Fengxiang. He has been through a long battle formation and is well aware of the importance of food and grass to the army and the local areas. The left-behind troops must use at least half of the power to maintain the safety of the food and grass. I have talked to Wang Dujian many times about the food and grass supply. He will strongly support you."

When Liang Shouheng and Guo Jiong left the backyard of Jingzhou Yamen, the sky was almost the second update, and when Hou Dayong dripped from his head to his feet with a full bucket of water, the day's work was over. Hou Dayong sat clean on the bed, took off his "09" pistol from his waist for a day, and had not left his "09" pistol for a day. Hou Dayong cherished this pistol very much and often wiped it with specially refined fat. Therefore, the pistol was still like three years ago. Hou Dayong took the pistol apart and wiped it finely with cloth strips, just like treating his lover.

"I wonder how Xiaolin and her sister are living, are they thinking of me in another world too?" Rubbing the pistol, Hou Dayong couldn't help but think of his wife and daughter in another world. He suddenly realized with shame that since he had his wife Fu Ying and Chunlan Qiuju in this era, his son Zonglin's daughter Xiaolu, and Ajige who was far away in Baitou Mountain and his son Hou Hu who had never met, he rarely thought about his wife Xiaolin and daughter in another world. When Hou Dayong thought of Xiaolin and her sister's figure, his heart was shattered for a moment. Could it be that as time goes by, will I really forget them?

Hou Dayong thought about Xiaolin and her sister's voice and smile, and his heart began to be heavy again. He wiped his pistol and hummed an old song casually: "How are you okay in a foreign country? But tears wet your eyes. How are you okay in a foreign country? Have you ever thought about leaning against my shoulders, your no longer familiar smile, to me, holding your photo in your hand, I really feel that you are far away, are you okay in a foreign country? Will you still remember the past, are you okay in a foreign country? Have you changed too much?" Most of the lyrics can't remember most of them, only these few sentences are very complete.

After wiping the gun, Hou Dayong practiced aiming for a while with the jumping candlelight. At this time, an idea suddenly broke into his brain. In history, Zhao Kuangyin became emperor after the Sixth De period. If he found an opportunity now, with a light move of his finger, a bullet would end Zhao Kuangyin's life. Then Zhao Kuangyin would never put on his yellow robe again. Of course, there are many types of assassination, and it is not necessary to use a pistol. However, Zhao Kuangyin, as the commander of the front office of the Palace, had many personal guards around him, and assassination was not an easy task. Hou Dayong himself had been assassinated countless times.

Hou Dayong carefully analyzed the consequences of the assassination of Zhao Kuangyin. If Zhao Kuangyin was successfully assassinated, there were three choices for the political situation of the Great Zhou. First, Chai Zongxun succeeded to the throne by only seven years old. Shunshun grew up locally and took over the imperial power of the Great Zhou. However, will Chai Zongxun succeed to the throne at the age of seven years old be better than Zhao Kuangyin? Can I still pacify the south smoothly? These are all unknowns. Second, another powerful minister replaced Zhao Kuangyin to seize the throne of Chai Zongxun. Li Chongjin and Zhang Yongde all have this strength. Can they do better than Zhao Kuangyin? Third, they seize the throne by themselves, but can I do better than Zhao Kuangyin?"

Assassinate Zhao Kuangyin." After this idea came out, it was like a weed that broke into his heart, which was always difficult to remove, and like a mess that could not be cut and messed up, entangled in Hou Dayong's heart, making it difficult for him to fall asleep.

The sun, regardless of whether Hou Dayong was sleeping well or not, emerged from the woods as promised. Generals such as Hou Dayong, Hanlun Guo Jiong, Duan Wuwei, Tie Chuanyuan and Liu Shixu came to the Qingzhou horse army camp where they were left in Jingzhou. There were a total of two thousand horse army in Qingzhou, of which 1,000 people returned to Qingzhou. There were only one thousand people left in Jingzhou City. As Hanlun’s personal soldiers, Hanlun no longer needed these thousand soldiers.

At dawn, Hanlun, with a yellow face, appeared in the backyard of Jingzhou Yamen. Hou Dayong was doing tiger burping in the backyard. When Hanlun, whose eyes turned yellow, was shocked. His first judgment was that Hanlun had acute icteric hepatitis. When Hanlun asked him for sick leave, Hou Dayong agreed without hesitation. While agreeing, he was happy. Hanlun left the Qingzhou Army due to illness, which was a great thing.

After Han Lun hurriedly explained to the Qingzhou horse army, he hurriedly took his concubine and a team of personal guards to leave the barracks. The Qingzhou horse army soldiers transformed into soldiers of the Northwest Alliance Independence Army in a state of uneasiness. Guo Jiong was appointed as the commander of the Independence Army, Wang Tianpan and Duan Wuwei were appointed as the commander of the deputy commander, Tiechuanyuan and Liu Shixu were respectively the commander of the two battalions, and fifty Black Eagle cavalry were the personal guards of Guo Jiong.

While Guo Jiong was giving an inauguration speech to the Northwest Army, an officer wearing a Jingzhou army uniform rode a rare tall white horse and passed through the barracks at a very fast speed. Several Qingzhou soldiers guarding the gate did not react, and opened their mouths and watched the white horse rushing past. The white horse rider ran straight to the playground and rushed to the front of the team. The horse rider immediately tied the reins, and the horse "neared", raised his forelimbs high, and stopped steadily in front of the Qingzhou horse army. The soldiers were all cavalry. Seeing that the person who came was riding very well, they shouted at the color together.

Guo Jiong saw this person's eyes lit up. Guo Jiong's subtle expression changed and did not escape Hou Dayong's eyes. He whispered to Guo Jiong: "This person's name is Bai Shuanghua, and Bai Chongzan Jiedushi is his father."
Chapter completed!