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

Chapter 229 How can there be such a heroic spirit as in the old days

"What the hell is this powerful army?! What the hell is going on today?!"

The scout who received the order brought Kai Zhao and others directly to the front of the big tent. When they came to a curtain surrounded by cloth, a burst of shouting and cursing came from the curtain.

The scout seemed a little afraid and did not dare to listen to the sound coming from behind the curtain. After handing a few people over to the guards at the door, he left in a hurry.

Kai Zhao felt a little embarrassed immediately.

The voice behind the curtain said angrily, "I've always told you not to be arrogant. Yet, you all keep saying that our three thousand men are the cream of the Tianping Army, as if we can conquer the world with just three thousand soldiers. And now what? Two thousand regular troops of the Jin bandits have nearly taken us all!"

Silence fell again within the curtains. A moment later, the same voice from before spoke again, but in a calmer tone. "I lost my composure. Today's military meeting isn't meant for you to shirk responsibility, but rather for everyone to identify their shortcomings and correct them. Since I'm the commander, it's only natural that I, Xin Wu, will begin."

"First of all, I'm a bit arrogant. I promised Liu Dalang before that if the Jin bandits had 2,000 soldiers, I would defeat them. But that was because I hadn't seen the fighting power of the Wuxing Army. To make such a promise, isn't that arrogant and a lie?"

"Secondly, we haven't held enough military meetings like this. None of you captains are familiar with each other, which has led to a disconnect and inability to coordinate. This is also my oversight."

"Secondly, during the march, I only focused on speed and didn't pay much attention to formations. As a result, I didn't train much, and the infantry formations weren't very neat. This was my mistake when training the troops."

"at last……"

There was a moment of silence behind the curtain before he spoke: "Finally, it was my own impulsive bravado that forced me to personally charge into battle whenever necessary, and I actually abandoned my command responsibilities. As a result, when Yelu Xingge's right wing was suddenly attacked, I, the commander of the entire army, was still leading the cavalry in a small-scale battle with the enemy's vanguard. If it weren't for Li Tieqiang's timely support, we might have suffered a devastating defeat today. From now on, all officers above the rank of deputy general must learn from my example. It's not that you are not allowed to fight in person, but you must choose the right opportunity."

Starting with his, several other voices were heard.

Some said they were hesitant when the former army joined the war;
Some said that although they knew they should lead their own centurions forward to engage in battle, they still waited for the military order to arrive before moving;

Another senior officer refuted the request, saying that it was right not to act without military orders, and that his mistake was that he did not see the situation clearly and give timely orders.

Others began to accuse others, and were scolded by generals and the like.

After a chaotic military meeting, the leader summarized a few points and asked each captain to take them back to the capital and explain everything to his subordinates.

In the end, the commander once again strictly enforced military discipline and law, and reprimanded several people in public, giving them a demerit to offset their merits.

A moment later, about thirty or forty people filed out from behind the curtain and returned to their camps without any further ado.

By this time, about an hour had passed since Zhao arrived at the Tianping Army camp. However, he didn't notice the passage of time at all. Instead, he was listening intently behind the curtain.

Kai Zhao also fought many battles.

From his days as a powerful tyrant, fighting for water sources and land, he led his fellow farmers in battles across the countryside. When he joined his brother in the rebellion against the Jin dynasty, he witnessed even greater battles and strife. Later, when the uprising failed, Kai Zhao fled in disgrace, establishing a stronghold in the mountains and practically becoming a bandit.

However, despite having experienced so many battles, Kai Zhao had never seen such an army.

Perhaps this is the height that these peasant armies cannot reach.

"General Zhao, I've been waiting for you."

Just as Kai Zhao was standing outside the curtain, he saw Xin Qiji personally lifting the curtain to greet him.

Kai Zhao listened outside for a long time and naturally knew that this was the leader of the Tianping Army, so he immediately bowed in response.

Xin Qiji quickly ushered Kai Zhao and the others into the curtained room. Li Tieqiang and Yelu Xingge were also there, and they all greeted each other again.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, He Manzhi, who was still He Wenzheng's cousin, could no longer hold back and asked directly: "General Xin, how many casualties did the Tianping army suffer in today's battle?"

Xin Qiji did not hide the fact: "The casualties were nearly 300, which was indeed a heavy loss."

The heaviest casualties today were in the massive charge launched by Wendun Hunyu. Although Yelu Xingge fought back hard, he was inferior in both number and quality of armored cavalry, and was defeated in a short time.

If Li Tieqiang hadn't come to support, something big might have happened today.

Even so, when counting the casualties, there were about a hundred casualties, which made Yelu Xingge heartbroken.

Kai Zhao was shocked when he heard this number, but when he saw that the three main generals of the Tianping Army did not show any panic expressions on their faces, but were all angry, he couldn't help but feel certain.

It is indeed the strongest army in the world.

In this era, the greatest casualties often occurred when troops were chased and killed during the rout.

On the contrary, there were relatively few casualties in the actual fighting.

Often, when the vanguard is killed or injured, the entire army will be defeated.

Of course, every dynasty has its own armies, fighting to the death. For example, during the fall of the Jin Dynasty, the Jin army in Caizhou, defeated by the Song-Mongol coalition, committed suicide by drowning. Guo Hama even gathered up the treasury, lit a fire with cloth and silk, and led his troops into battle with their backs to the flames, with the wounded simply throwing themselves into the blaze.

But this is a minority among the minorities. The vast majority of ordinary armies will collapse when the casualties reach a certain level.

How much is this certain extent?
One percent of the entire army.

An army that suddenly suffers 10% casualties but still dares to fight and is able to fight can be called the strongest army in the world.

"General, if the Jin thieves come to attack the city, will the Tianping Army come to help me?" He Manzhi continued to ask anxiously.

Kai Zhao coughed and tugged at He Manzhi's arm fiercely: "Back off, you're being too reckless!"

After saying this, Kai Zhaofu bowed again and said respectfully, "General Xin, Xiao He is young, please don't be offended."

Xin Qiji laughed and said, "I'm not young anymore. I'm only twenty-one this year. But I can answer the questions he asked. My Tianping Army will not help him when the time comes."

Before Kai Zhao's expression changed, Xin Qiji said proudly: "My Tianping Army will not wait until the Jin thieves attack the city before sending troops. Instead, we have already agreed to send out the entire army tomorrow to attack the Jin thieves' camp!
If they win, the siege of Ju County can be lifted, not to mention how the Tianping Army will perform during the siege.

If we lose, I, Xin Wu, will be dead, and you won't be able to find me if you want to blame me."

After saying this, Xin Qiji ignored Kai Zhao's stunned expression and continued, "Don't worry about us not trying our best. We, the Tianping Army, are here to serve Liu Huai, the commander of the Loyal Army, following the official military order of Commander Geng. And attacking and killing this group of Jin thieves is also an official order from Commander Liu. If we don't fight to the death, we won't be able to gain a foothold anywhere!"

Kai Zhao looked at Xin Qiji's high-spirited appearance, and was speechless, and a sudden sense of bitterness rose in his heart.

He used to be like this, growing up under the wings of his brother, fearless and young and frivolous.

After experiencing a great change, his temperament became introverted and steady. Coupled with the wind and frost on his face and the many hardships he faced, he had wrinkles all over his face and premature gray hair at a young age. Who could imagine that he, Kai Zhao, was only a young man less than thirty years old this year?
The past days seem like a lifetime ago, but now when I think about it, it seems like only seven or eight years ago.

(End of this chapter)