My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 103 Artificial Fish and Water Conditions

Looking at the camp full of wounded soldiers, most of whom were Taishan bandits under Chang Xi, Liu Feng still felt heavy-hearted.

Continuing to increase investment in medical infrastructure is still an urgent matter.

After all, there will only be more and more wars in the future, and the value of a veteran is irreplaceable by four or five new recruits.

After setting up camp, Liu Feng did not separate the wounded soldiers of the two armies. Instead, he gathered the wounded soldiers of both sides together. Only when medical conditions were limited did he prioritize taking care of the seriously wounded soldiers of his own side, and then the seriously wounded soldiers of the Taishan Army.

These days, there are very few effective treatments available. Liu Feng mainly provides boiled bandages, herbal remedies for external wounds, a clean environment, and disinfection with lime.

In other aspects, Liu Feng had not yet invented high-proof distilled liquor, so for the time being, he could only use salt water for disinfection. Although it was extremely painful, it at least had some bactericidal effect.

The cries and screams of the wounded soldiers rose and fell, but Liu Feng did not leave. Instead, he stayed inside to help.

Liu Feng knew very well that this was the best time to boost morale. Anyone who was injured would become weak, and providing timely assistance at such a time would be twice as effective.

Liu Feng, accompanied by some auxiliary soldiers, cared for the wounded while teaching them how to operate the equipment.

At first, some wounded soldiers of the Taishan Army underestimated Liu Feng because of his youth. However, when they were told that he was the son of the governor of Xuzhou and the commander of the Xuzhou army that had defeated them, these wounded soldiers were almost scared to death.

It means "to pee one's pants in the literal sense."

These Taishan soldiers had long been broken down, both physically and mentally, by the Xuzhou army.

Now that they heard that the young man in front of them was actually the enemy commander, how could the wounded soldiers of the Taishan Army not be afraid?
Liu Feng did not blame them, but treated them all equally, which impressed the soldiers.

In fact, Liu Feng was very confident in the spear formation, which is why he took the initiative to approach Xiahou Bo and Chen Dao to ask for command.

He feared that Xiahou Bo and Chen Dao would not be able to properly command the spear formation, thus wasting his hard work.

The Han Dynasty was founded on the system of the former Qin Dynasty, including its military system.

Therefore, in the early years of the Western Han Dynasty, the weapons of the Western Han spear formation were actually longer than those of the Qin Dynasty. Moreover, unlike the West, the Eastern spear formation was a patterned formation, not a solid-color formation.

The term "colorful formation" here means that the weapons are not simply spears. In addition to the first and second rows which are long spears, the back rows are equipped with other short and long weapons. The "monochrome formation," on the other hand, is like Liu Feng's formation, where all the weapons are spears.

This formation works perfectly against infantry, without being cumbersome at all, and is even more flexible than other heavy infantry formations.

But when facing light cavalry, it's a completely different story; light cavalry can easily harass and tire you out.

After the founding of the Western Han Dynasty, the main enemy became the Xiongnu, and the war between them changed from fighting with spears to fighting with long spears against light cavalry. Naturally, the military system began to be reformed.

Subsequently, the Han army evolved into a system of cavalry + chariot formation + long-range firepower, and the simple spear formation was no longer the mainstream.

The main damage output relied on bows and crossbows, which made archery skills the most important aspect of the Western Han Dynasty's assessments.

During Emperor Wu's reign, Li Ling was able to lead 5,000 Danyang soldiers across the desert, fighting for thousands of miles, not because of spear formations, but because of chariot formations and powerful bows and crossbows. In the end, he was unfortunately defeated because he ran out of arrows, not because his spears broke.

The situation worsened further during the Eastern Han Dynasty.

In the Eastern Han Dynasty, only the central army was a standing army, and foreign wars had been transformed into pacification warfare, with the system of conquering states that existed in the Western Han Dynasty no longer in place.

As a result, the long spear formation was further weakened, to the point that only a small number of Central Army soldiers remained as the main force resisting the enemy.

By the mid-Eastern Han Dynasty, the long spear formation had completely disappeared, and no one even knew how to train it anymore.

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, when Duan Jiong was pacifying the Western Qiang, he pioneered the use of three rows of long spear formations in the battles of Luoting and Jishishan, which greatly defeated the Qiang people, killing and capturing more than 10,000. This was recorded at the time as an original long spear combat tactic.

It is evident that even in the Eastern Han Dynasty's central army, a standing army, there was no longer a long spear formation, and they had never even heard of it; otherwise, they wouldn't have said that Duan Jiong invented it.

As for local prefectures and kingdoms, there were even fewer long spear formations, since most inland prefectures and kingdoms didn't even have the most basic county soldiers.

If the skin is gone, the hair will not be attached.

Therefore, after the warlords rose up at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, most of them were just weaklings fighting each other, and this is the reason.

Everyone was learning military strategy and training from scratch, and those with experience were extremely rare. Chang Xi, a mere bandit from Mount Tai, had no idea how powerful the spear formation was.

Unlike in modern times, there are no complete books to pass down from ancient times, and many ancient skills were lost due to war.

Once a generation has passed away, it's very likely that no one will practice a formation like the long spear formation anymore.

The loss of the Tang Dynasty's Mo Dao (陌刀) is a typical example of this situation. It was because the people who knew how to forge it had all died out, and also because the environment had changed, and the Mo Dao was no longer suitable for the battlefield, or its cost-effectiveness was extremely low.

For these things to return to the historical stage, they must be "invented" again by clever people, or discovered by chance in old documents, and the circumstances at the time must be just right for them to be circulated again.

As it turned out, the pike phalanx did indeed find a new purpose, its effectiveness in crushing weaker opponents was simply top-notch, and against lightly armored soldiers, it was like cutting melons and vegetables.

This made Liu Feng, who was already very confident in the spear formation, even more confident. He felt that he could continue to optimize the spear formation and keep trying new tactical ideas.

Of course, no matter how confident Liu Feng was, he would still worry about whether he would lose this battle.

But he was still determined to fight this battle. If he could win, it would mean that he was on the right track. There would be more major and fierce battles in the future. Why not try to learn from the mistakes of a low-level war now, or try to learn from the mistakes of a high-intensity war?
Moreover, with Liu Bei's personal guards as backup, this was an excellent opportunity. As for the fallen soldiers, Liu Feng would grieve for them, remember their sacrifice, and treat their families well, but he would never regret his actions.

Because saying you regret it would be too hypocritical; after all, a merciful general cannot command an army.

Now that the effectiveness of the long spear formation has been proven and this approach is correct, many supporting tactics can follow.

For example, many useful supporting tactics, such as heavy pike formations, oblique lines, wedge formation assaults, and patterned pike formations, have not yet been trained.

After returning this time, I will have enough time to train, so I can choose one to practice first.

That night, Liu Feng not only did not leave to rest, but stayed up all night to take care of the wounded soldiers until dawn before leaving the camp.

Since Liu Feng wouldn't sleep, Xu Sheng and Pan Zhang naturally couldn't go to rest on their own either. They insisted on staying by his side, no matter how much he tried to shoo them away.

Bored in the evening, the three of them reviewed the day's battle.

Pan Zhang was somewhat puzzled. He couldn't understand why, when the two armies first clashed, Liu Feng refused to take the initiative and instead chose to watch the enemy rest and don their armor before engaging in a major battle.

Liu Feng chuckled and explained to Pan Zhang, "Wen Gui, you may not know this, but on the battlefield, the most important thing is the opportunity to strike, but there are real opportunities and fake opportunities."

"Real or fake fighter jets?"

Now not only Pan Zhang was confused, but Xu Sheng was also dumbfounded, waiting curiously for Liu Feng to continue explaining.

Liu Feng directly used the example that Pan Zhang had just mentioned: "Take the example you just gave, the other side came from afar and was not wearing armor, which did look like the perfect opportunity for a fighter jet. But this is a typical fake fighter jet."

"why?"

Pan Zhang wasn't dissatisfied, but he genuinely didn't understand, as did Xu Sheng.

Liu Feng began to enlighten them: "Think about it, at that time our army was already fully armored, while the enemy was lightly armed. There was a distance of two li between the two armies. If we wanted to maintain our formation and launch a surprise attack on Chang Xi, it would take at least a quarter of an hour to cover those two li. Moreover, the soldiers were wearing armor, carrying five-meter-long spears, and had to maintain the battle line, which would inevitably consume a lot of their energy."

"Equipping them with leather armor, especially non-full armor, takes less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. A quarter of an hour is enough time for Changxi's troops to put on their armor and rest for a while."

"In this way, when it comes time to engage the enemy, it will not be our army that is rested and ready, but Chang Xi's army. We will become the exhausted army that has come from afar."

"Moreover, Changxi's army has more than one way to deal with this. They can also turn around and run away. They are lightly armed and only have two thousand men. They are much faster and more flexible than us and can advance and retreat at will."

"Therefore, this kind of fighter jet is a fake fighter jet. Unless you have a magic spell that can shrink the distance to an inch and fly to the enemy's front in an instant, you simply cannot control it."

Pan Zhang and Xu Sheng seemed to understand Liu Feng's meaning.

Liu Feng concluded: "Therefore, when you discover an opportunity on the battlefield in the future, you must assess whether you can seize it. If you cannot, then it is a false opportunity."

After daybreak, Liu Feng led his troops back to base.

Meanwhile, he had already sent messengers to Xiangben County and Tancheng to report the victory.

Lu Su had temporarily left his post and was serving as a military advisor for Guan Yu's army, heading north to Kaiyang.

Because there were no officials such as the registrar or the chief clerk, the affairs of the county were entrusted to Jin Rui, the chief clerk who had previously performed well.

Soon, the messenger brought Jin Rui news of Liu Feng's great victory over the Taishan army, capturing Chang Xi alive and taking thousands of prisoners.

Along with it came a letter from Liu Feng.

On the third day, when Liu Feng led the Xuzhou army back to Xiangben County, they saw hundreds of elderly people, women, and children standing outside the city gate to welcome them. These women, children, and the elderly carried various baskets containing convenient foods from the Han Dynasty, such as eggs, steamed cakes, rice cakes, and glutinous rice cakes. Several elderly people with white hair and beards were holding fermented rice wine, while a group of children held wooden bowls beside them.

Liu Feng and his men saw the people outside the city from afar. The Xuzhou army was somewhat surprised, wondering what these people were doing outside the city.

In ancient times, there were instances of common people welcoming the triumphant return of the royal army, but the vast majority of these events occurred in capital cities like Chang'an and Luoyang, where the central army was being welcomed back from expeditions against enemy states.

Local armed forces like the Danyang soldiers were hardly welcome to the imperial army; ordinary people were already grateful if they didn't avoid them.

Liu Feng reined in his horse, turned around, and shouted loudly at the Xuzhou army in front of him: "Soldiers of Xuzhou! Do you see those people? They have come to welcome you!"

"The clothes you wear, the food you eat, and the medicine you take when you are sick all come from the farming of the people. Without their hard work, you would not have food and provisions!"

"Similarly, it is precisely because of your bloody battles and valiant fight that they are able to cultivate the land in peace and enjoy tranquility."

"Many of you may not understand the reasoning behind this, but that doesn't matter. Now, you are fully entitled to enjoy the people's love, support, and praise."

"This is what you have won through your heroic struggle, and you deserve it all!"

Indeed, as Liu Feng said, although this group of Xuzhou soldiers had spent more than a month with him, they had also been subtly brainwashed by him for more than a month.

But the most obvious effect was that military discipline became stricter and soldiers were more obedient to officers' orders.

Many soldiers still didn't understand why they should do this; they just instinctively felt that Liu Feng had been good to them, and they wanted to repay him.

Since Liu Feng wanted them to abide by military discipline, then they would abide by military discipline.

Liu Feng ordered them to obey orders, and they obeyed.

But today, seeing these elderly, women, and children braving the cold weather to come out of the city to welcome us is truly heartwarming.

Many people felt a tightness in their chest, but this tightness wasn't uncomfortable; it made them feel quite refreshed.

"Now, everyone, stand up straight!"

"You have just won a great victory, dealt a heavy blow to the stubborn enemy, and protected the people of Xuzhou."

"Now, let them see the results of your bloody battle! Let them see how you have defeated the surrendered bandits!"

"set off!"

At Liu Feng's command, the Xuzhou army continued its advance.

Compared to before, the Xuzhou army seemed to have undergone a small evolution, with a wonderful transformation in the morale, fighting spirit, and energy of the entire army.

The effects of this transformation are not yet obvious, but it is indeed different from before.

This mysterious and ineffable change was something that even Liu Feng himself failed to notice.

When the Xuzhou army approached, the women, children, and the elderly were still somewhat afraid to get close, but compared to their previous fear and flight, it was undoubtedly a huge improvement.

Only a few elderly people offered the fermented rice wine they held to Liu Feng's horse.

Liu Feng dismounted and helped the elderly men to their feet.

"Old man, please get up quickly."

"Aren't you going to make me feel terrible by doing this?"

Several old men seized the opportunity and showered him with flattery, offering it without hesitation.

"Young master, you are a brave and valiant young man, skilled in both literature and martial arts. You are already able to command troops to protect the borders and keep the people safe. You are truly a blessing to us common people."

"Yes, yes, young master, your martial arts are destined to be great, and you will surely be ennobled and appointed prime minister in the future, and go straight to the capital."

"When we were farming, we were taken care of by the young master. If it weren't for the young master and his son, we would all be starving corpses by the roadside."

Although these elderly people's praises may sound like flattery, the emotions behind them are heartfelt.

After all, it was indeed Liu Bei and his son who established military farms in Xuzhou, which not only gave them a chance to survive, but also gave them hope for the future.

Now Liu Feng has personally led troops to repel the Taishan bandits who wanted to invade Xiangben, Lanling, and Chengxian, plunder money and grain, and enslave the people. How is this any different from being given a second life?
That's right. Before taking any action, Liu Feng had already instructed Jin Rui to spread rumors, exaggerating that the bandits of Mount Tai were coming to rob them.

The current fighting further proves that the previous reports were reliable and true.

How could these people not be moved to tears of gratitude?

Liu Feng grasped the rough hand of the eldest among them, turned around and pointed at the soldiers of Xuzhou, saying, "Elder, you are mistaken. The ones who truly saved you are not my father and I, but the soldiers of Xuzhou!"

When Liu Feng said this, not only were women, children, and the elderly stunned, but even the soldiers of Xuzhou were dumbfounded.

Why don't I understand what you're saying?
Liu Feng continued, "If it weren't for these brave warriors joining the army and fighting alongside me, enduring arrows like rain and swords like a forest, how could my father and I, even with three heads and six arms, have defeated the bandits of Mount Tai? How could we have protected the borders and the people? How could we have ensured everyone's safety?"

"Therefore, the greatest heroes of this battle are the soldiers of our Xuzhou army!"

"Fellow villagers, why do you not thank the real heroes, but only me?"

Liu Feng's voice still echoed in the wilderness after he finished speaking, and it took a long time for it to subside.

The women, children, and the elderly looked at each other in disbelief. This was the first time they had ever heard such words, that a general would actually attribute credit to his soldiers.

But what Liu Feng said makes a lot of sense.

Finally, one by one, the women, children and the elderly present bent down and slowly bowed to the soldiers of Xuzhou!
As the people before them bowed and paid homage to them, a wave of panic swept through the Xuzhou army camp.

Not to mention the Xuzhou army, even the Taishan army in the ranks were dumbfounded.

A sour and astringent feeling, yet with a slight tingling sensation, surged in the hearts of these soldiers.

The soldiers of the Taishan Army felt a sense of envy.

Faced with the gratitude of the people of Xuzhou, the Taishan soldiers blushed with shame and envied the arrogant Xuzhou soldiers beside them, wishing they could take their place.

Even Xu Sheng and Pan Zhang were quite moved.

One of them was a powerful and influential family, and the other was a wandering knight-errant from the countryside. They would never normally pay attention to ordinary people.

To them, the common people were nothing more than cattle and sheep, used to cultivate the land and produce grain.

Even if the people are afraid of them and even curse them behind their backs, they will only laugh triumphantly if they find out.

Doesn't the people's fear and curses just prove their power?
But now, this idea has changed somewhat. It turns out that the feeling of being loved by the people is so comfortable, and that fighting for the people is so exhilarating.

Xu Sheng had read some books and felt it more deeply. He thought of King Wu's conquest of King Zhou and Emperor Guangwu's restoration of the Han Dynasty, both of which were carried out under the banner of punishing the wicked and relieving the people. Could it be for the sake of the scene before him?

"Fellow villagers, please rise!"

Liu Feng also noticed the complex emotions of the Xuzhou soldiers and seized the opportunity to loudly issue the order: "All of you! Salute and thank the people!"

Although the Xuzhou army is not yet as responsive as an extension of its own arm, it has already achieved a high level of discipline and obedience.

Upon hearing Liu Feng's order, starting with Xu Sheng and Pan Zhang, all the soldiers struck their left chests with their right hands.

In those days, local armies had no concept of military salutes; this gesture was specially designed by Liu Feng for the Xuzhou army.

It was simple, clean, and easy to learn, and quite convenient, so it was quickly popularized by Liu Feng's troops.

Then, some bold people came forward to offer food, which Liu Feng did not refuse. Instead, he expressed his gratitude and then sent someone to receive it and distribute it to everyone.

May Lord Liu enjoy long and prosperous life! May the young master's descendants be noble and ennobled for generations to come!

Suddenly, a village woman shouted.

Thank you, dear readers. I appreciate your support and encouragement. Without further ado, I'll keep writing and keep writing 10,000 words a day. I will persevere!

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(End of this chapter)