Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 164 A Dry Rut Can't Keep Fish Alive

While Lu You was tossing and turning in bed, another great poet, Xin Qiji, who was as famous as him in later generations, also stayed awake all night.

When he arrived in Fei County, the Tianping Army had already left Mengshan and stationed along the banks of the Jun River.

Even though the Tianping Army was defeated and many of them fled, there were still 50,000 to 60,000 of them. Compared with a mere Fei County, the number of people was still too large, and the military discipline was not very strict. If they were allowed to enter the county town all at once, the order in Fei County would immediately collapse.

The Xin army and Khitan cavalry, who had been chasing the Jin army as the vanguard, were stationed on the south bank of the Jun River, waiting for Geng Jing's arrival.

The remaining troops of the Xin army arrived when it was getting dark, and the baggage and logistics, including the Xin family members, had just been settled.

Xin Qiji only asked Li Yizhenjin to return to the army to report to Yelu Xingge, while he did not even wash his face, and went around inspecting Xin's army with dust all over his body.

This was also learned from Liu Huaidong's hammer and stick.

The military book says: Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles.

But how to know oneself?

It’s not mentioned in the military books.

The solution Liu Huai gave was very simple, that is, as a commander, you must be diligent and never be lazy.

When you arrive at camp, you simply want to find a couple of eggs and boil some noodles, then sleep. You have no idea how many hills are around you, or how many roads are open. You don't know if your troops have arrived, if your scouts and rangers are deployed, or what the morale of your troops is like. How can you possibly know the state of your own army? If the enemy attacks at night, your only option is to retreat.

If everyone in the army is acting independently and relying on luck to do things, how can we win the battle?
Therefore, no matter how big or small the commander is, he must be diligent and not afraid of walking, not afraid of fatigue, use his brain more, and be attentive with his heart, mouth, feet, and hands. He cannot be lazy before the work is done. Laziness is the root of making mistakes. He must have a clear understanding of everything.

After being bombarded with military theories from that military strategist of later generations, Xin Qiji was immediately convinced.

As a Song Dynasty man, how could he have seen this? After visiting the Loyalty Army, he immediately started to learn from it.

It's true that although Xin Qiji had inspected the camp before, he had mostly just taken a cursory look and thought it was okay. But after personally inspecting the camp with the Loyalty Army, he immediately felt that there seemed to be problems in many places.

It is said that if you always feel that everything is about the same on a normal day, then when you fight, it will always be a little bit worse.

"Ajiu, the camp is still a bit messy." Xin Qiji dusted himself off and said to his deputy leader, Xin Jingwei, "From now on, we must scout the terrain at noon and set up camp by the afternoon at the latest. We need watchtowers, wooden fences, deer horns, and trenches. This is how we should set up camp every time we march."

Xin Jingwei nodded heavily.

"Liu Lang." Xin Qiji looked at Xin Yuanying on the other side. "We need to establish a promotion system within the Xin Army and establish a hierarchy within the army. Those meritorious officers and soldiers shouldn't just be left at the bottom. They should have a chance to show their abilities."

After saying this, Xin Qiji's two confidants fell silent at the same time.

As can be seen from the name of the Xin Army, this army was originally established based on the manpower and material resources of the Xin family, so the senior leaders basically all have the surname Xin.

Why? Because they got the original shares.

However, this system can be implemented when the number of troops is relatively small, but it will definitely not work when the number of people is large.

Even though Li Jing had made many outstanding achievements in this army, just because his surname was not Xin, he was promoted to team leader, and that was his limit. In the long run, how could this talent be retained?

But then again, why would those Xin clan members sell their land, beat their hoes into swords, and fight with you, Xin Qiji, with their heads in their belts?
Isn't it just to be in a high position?
Now you say that a peasant who chopped off two heads can sit on my head. Are you doing me justice?

"This is a difficult task. Unless the Xin Army can expand its forces by tens of thousands, there will be enormous resistance." Xin Yuanying thought about it and shook his head.

Xin Qiji nodded: "I am just reminding you. Alas, this trip to the Loyalty Army really opened my eyes. I now know what a real army should be like..."

Xin Qiji just complained for a while, but immediately realized that nothing in the world can be accomplished overnight, and talking about it with his subordinates at this time would only make them panic.

After inspecting the camp for the wounded, Xin Qiji came alone to the camp where the laborers who were transporting supplies were located. The elderly and weak members of the Xin family were also placed there.

After Xin Qiji finished his inspection, he was about to drag his exhausted body back to the tent when he saw an old woman shrinking forward, as if wanting to say something but not daring to. "Fourth Aunt," Xin Qiji said with a smile, "what's the problem? Oh, right, is it that third girl who's causing you trouble?"

In the past few days, Xin Qiji was leading the army in battle and rectifying military discipline. During this period, he ran dozens of miles to observe the military formation of the Loyal Army. He was so busy that he forgot about the little girl he rescued together with Liu Huai.

The old woman shook her head, hesitated for a moment, and then sighed heavily: "This is what I want to tell you, my dear. I am incompetent, and that girl is dead."

Even though Xin Qiji was accustomed to seeing life and death, especially having witnessed the massive rout and countless casualties of the 100,000-strong Tianping Army in recent days, he still felt dizzy upon hearing this news. Perhaps it was due to fatigue, but Xin Qiji's straight, pine-like body actually swayed slightly.

"She...how did she die?"

As soon as he murmured these words, Xin Qiji immediately came to his senses.

How else could he die?

The wound on my leg got infected.

On the night when the Taiping Army was attacked, the wound on Sanya's leg had become festered and the girl also developed a high fever. After that, she experienced fear and running around. Sanya had no way to recuperate. Wasn't it natural that she died young?

Xin Qiji asked himself, what he did was not wrong. He was a general in charge of the army, and he should be busy working for the survival of the entire army. He had no time to care about a wounded little girl.

There are too many such incidents. Shandong is in such a state of chaos that it is not uncommon for entire families to be wiped out. Didn't you see that even with Liu Dalang's ability, he can only take care of the present?
But even though Xin Qiji had given himself many reasonable reasons at this moment, his heart was still blocked. There was a feeling of depression in it. He wanted to vomit it out, but he couldn't no matter what.

Seeing Xin Qiji's grim expression, the old woman asked worriedly, "My dear, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Xin Qiji shook his head. "When did she die? Where did you bury her?"

The old woman pointed north. "The day we left Mengshan Pass, I buried her at the foot of the mountain. I just dug a small hole, wrapped her in a straw mat, and buried her there. I couldn't read much, so I could only erect a wooden tombstone for her, inscribed with the characters 'San Ya'. Alas... poor girl, not to mention a full name, she didn't even have a surname... My dear, are you ill? I'll call a doctor."

After the old woman finished her rambling, she saw that Xin Qiji was getting worse and worse, so she hurried forward to ask.

"No need... Fourth Aunt, you go back and rest. I'll just sit here for a while." Xin Qiji sat on the side of a baggage cart, leaning on his heavy sword and saying with a forced smile.

The old woman seemed a little worried and wanted to say something, but in the end she did not dare to disobey the order of the head of the family. She could only sigh and turn away.

"Oh, right, Mr. Wu." After taking a few steps, the old woman turned back again: "Before San Ya died, she asked me to bring a message to you and Mr. Liu."

Xin Qiji took a deep breath, somewhat afraid to listen any further, but could only say: "What did she say?"

"She said," the old woman thought for a moment and said, "Tell the two uncles that her legs don't hurt anymore."

The old woman said this and turned away again, muttering to herself, "Poor child, your legs are so rotten, how can it not hurt?"

Xin Qiji sat on the grain cart, looked up at the sky, and was completely stunned.

Unlike the old woman, Xin Qiji had fought on the battlefield and had actually seen how the wounded died from their wounds festering.

He knew that the pain would only stop when the wound became irreparable.

In other words, this little girl, whose entire family was murdered and who was struggling to survive, died with joy for life at the last moment of her life.

She shouldn't have died.

He shouldn't have died.

Xin Qiji stared blankly at the sky, maintaining this posture all night without sleeping.

(End of this chapter)