Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 67: Sharing the same robe with my son
Riverside.

Five or six hundred soldiers, carrying the heads captured tonight, lined up in several rows under the organization of grassroots officers and military officials, waiting to hand in the heads for commendation.

The military officials in charge of performance appraisals routinely inspected the heads.

Includes recording, marking and sealing.

The wooden box that sealed the head had the time and place and the ten-five-member division of the beheaded person written on it.
Witnesses and those who handled the work must also sign and seal inside the box to minimize the occurrence of false credit.

The procedure seems complicated, and it is complicated, but it is necessary.

It is impossible for the court to give out rewards according to the documents based on how many heads are reported from the front line.

According to the military law established by the Prime Minister, all captured heads must be sent to the rear for multiple verifications.

Only when there is no evidence of false reporting of merit, killing innocent people to claim merit, or repeated claiming of merit can the relevant military merits be confirmed and the relevant rewards be distributed.

There is no other way. Every head is money, a step to advancement, and is related to the country's finances, military and politics. No matter how important or complicated it is, it cannot be excessive.

For example, in order to prevent one person from killing the enemy and causing other soldiers to abandon their formations and fight for the head, resulting in chaos in the formation or even vicious incidents of drawing swords and stabbing comrades, the prime minister also implemented the "ten-five beheading merit system."

That is, each ten or five takes a head, and military merit is distributed among the ten or five according to their tactical contributions.

During wartime, squad leaders and platoon leaders record the key contributions of the soldiers in the platoon. After the war, they collectively discuss the weight of the contributions within the platoon and finally report to the military officials for approval.

This system has both advantages and disadvantages. The brave have complaints about it, while the timid are secretly happy about it.

But it did allow the ten-five to form a relatively solid small group, whose cohesion was much stronger than the old system, and the formation could be better maintained during battle.

Back to the present, let's not talk about how to distribute the merits by beheading. The process of presenting the heads to verify the merits was cancelled in the Guanzhong war zone because Emperor Liu Chan led the army in person and sent people to inspect and verify the results.

Although the soldiers' military achievements could not be realized on the spot, they could be quickly confirmed in writing. This was one of the reasons for the surge in morale among the soldiers in the Guanzhong war zone.

At this moment, since he had already passed by the place where heads were reviewed, although Liu Chan wanted to visit the dead and wounded soldiers, he had to come here to take a look first.

The wounded and injured must be comforted, and those who have made contributions must be encouraged. Since we have decided to come here to reward the troops, neither side can ignore it.

But the so-called majesty of the emperor must still be maintained.

The Emperor, the Emperor, can stay closer to the ground, but if he does so, the soldiers with their legs buried in the mud will inevitably feel less awe.

The times were such, people's hearts were such, and he, the emperor, had no choice but to be dignified and calm.

But in fact, Liu Chan had no idea to what extent he should maintain the so-called majesty of the emperor, and no one could teach him this.

Even Dong Yun advised him to come again tomorrow to comfort and console the troops, which shows that different people have different standards for measuring this degree.

Liu Chan didn't want to say that Dong Yun was wrong, but he felt that he could and should come.

When several captains, Sima officers and military officers present saw the emperor's dragon banner, they hurried forward in surprise and saluted. The soldiers who were waiting to inspect the heads were suddenly in an uproar.

"Your Majesty is coming?!"

"His Majesty is here to see us!"

"The battle tonight was so easy, why did His Majesty come down to see us in person?!"

"General Yangwu and the Right General are also here!"

"Look, isn't it General Xiao Zhao who is guarding His Majesty?"

Today's victory is completely different from the victory over Cao Zhen in Xiegu.

At that time, the soldiers had fought for a whole day and then fled for a whole night. They were exhausted and tired.

The most crucial blow was delivered by a flood and four thousand Tiger Guards.

Not only did victory seem to have nothing to do with most of the soldiers, but many were even swept away by the indiscriminate mountain torrents.

Therefore, that great victory was a lucky escape for many soldiers, and it was finally a respite.

Today's small victory only brought encouragement to the soldiers who had made meritorious contributions by beheading people here.

And now that the Emperor is here in person, we are even more excited.

Liu Chan, surrounded by the Dragon Guards, walked through the crowd of excited soldiers and finally reached the platform where the heads were reviewed. After looking around at the soldiers, he spoke in a loud voice:

“Hard work, soldiers!
"I have ordered the meat soup to be prepared, and we will celebrate with the soldiers of Central Continent later!"

The officers and soldiers here and the accompanying ministers thought that His Majesty would say something inspiring, but they never expected that he would just say to give them a meal of meat soup.

However, it seemed that no inspiring words were as practical as this meat soup, and cheers suddenly broke out in the training ground.

"Long live!"

"Long live!"

The tradition of shouting "Long live the emperor" to express celebration and gratitude has a long history.

Previously, Lai Yi surrendered to Cao in front of the enemy's camp, so Cao Zhen ordered Lai Yi's soldiers to shout "Long live the Han army" after surrendering in order to disrupt the morale of the Han army.

Liu Chan nodded to the excited soldiers, and then led a group of Longxiang Langwei away as the soldiers saw him off.

However, not long after walking, Liu Chan suddenly stopped, thought for a few breaths, and took off the crimson robe he had casually put on when he went down the mountain.

He then drew a ring-handled knife from Zhao Guang's waist, cut the robe into two pieces with one stroke, and handed it to Zhao Guang.

"Although tonight's battle was small, it can be considered my first major victory since I personally led the expedition. Let this robe be divided among the soldiers here."

Behind Liu Chan, Deng Zhi and Zong Yu had already been extremely surprised by the emperor's act of drawing his sword and cutting his robe. When they heard this, they looked at each other in surprise.

Zhao Guang was also stunned. After hearing the emperor's words, he took the crimson robe.

After thinking for a moment, he strode back to the platform where the heads were inspected, held his robe to his chest, and spoke loudly:

"Tonight, the soldiers are charging and fighting on the plateau, bathing in blood and killing the enemy. Your Majesty, although you are on the plateau, you have seen it all!

"The crimson robe in my hand is what Your Majesty wore on the plateau, and it carries the order of the Fire Virtue of the Yanhan Dynasty!

"I now grant to all the meritorious soldiers a horn each, and command them to take it, and to commemorate the lords with you!"

Zhao Guangyan was here, and wanted to throw the emperor's robe into the sky and let the soldiers grab it.

But on the one hand, he was worried that the soldiers might not dare to grab the items, which would cause a dull atmosphere; on the other hand, he was worried that if all the soldiers came to grab the items, it would cause chaos.

Finally, to be on the safe side, the emperor handed the robe that had been cut off to the military officer who was responsible for commending the merits, and ordered everyone who came to commend the merits to share a corner of it.

"Long live!"

"Long live!"

"Your Majesty, God's majesty!"

Liu Chan was watching from a distance, and in a trance he felt that the shouts of "Long live the emperor" from the soldiers seemed even louder than before when they were closer.

For a moment, he didn't know whether the soldiers were so excited because they were given the meat soup or simply for the corner of his robe.

While Liu Chan was in a trance, several attendants following him had already taken out their hairpins and pens from under their hats and recorded this scene on bamboo slips.

Without staying here for too long, Liu Chan walked through the numerous campfires and tents and came to the wounded camp by the river with everyone.

According to Deng Zhi and Zong Yu, the wounded and the dead were sent back to the rear via pontoon bridges as soon as the war ended.

As soon as Zhao Tong opened the curtain of a wounded soldier's tent, the fishy smell of blood and river mud rushed towards Liu Chan.

As I stepped into the tent, a more complex mixture of smells, including herbs, charcoal, sweat and even body odor, came into the air.

Liu Chan instinctively had some difficulty breathing, but he still tried to keep his composure and act as usual.

Since he was not wearing the emperor's official uniform and the Longxiong Guard had no special clothing for the time being, the injured soldiers in the tent and the military doctors who were applying medicine seemed to guess that the young man in the deep crimson robe might be the emperor, but they did not dare to shout it out easily and could only look at him in surprise.

When Deng Zhi and Zong Yu, the two generals in charge of the military affairs of Central China, finally stood behind this young man, everyone finally confirmed that this young man must be the emperor.

"His Majesty!"

"I have met His Majesty!"

Everybody stood up or tried to greet him.

The dozen or so wounded soldiers in the tent had already known from their recent experiences that not only could their Majesty lead them to victory, but he was also not at all as arrogant as the rumors had said in the past, and did not treat them, a group of soldiers, as human beings.

Just now, when they heard the cheers of "Long live the emperor" outside, everyone in the tent was guessing that perhaps it was the emperor who came to visit the troops.

A few clever ones were still joking that the number of injured people today was far less than that in Xiegu, and wondered if His Majesty would come to see them as well.

Unexpectedly, the doctor who was pinching their noses to apply medicine to them laughed at them and said that the smell here was worse than a toilet, so how could His Majesty come?
As a result, less than ten breaths after the doctor finished speaking, His Majesty appeared in the tent, which really shocked everyone.

"Let's all go back to our seats and rest."

Liu Chan stopped the people who were coming forward to greet him, looked around and said solemnly:

"Everyone fought bloody battles, I saw it all on the plateau, please take good care of your injuries.

"After recovering, continue to build achievements.

"If you can't take care of it, go home and wait for me.

"When I regain our kingdom from the Wei invaders, I will give you the most fertile fields and the best crops!

"As long as I hold the throne, I will ensure you have no worries!"

Hearing this, the soldiers' expressions, which had seemed a little depressed due to their injuries, perked up.

In fact, everyone knew that the emperor's earlier promise of generous compensation only applied to the battle of Xieshui, a special case. After that point, any further casualties would be dealt with according to the original provisions of military law.

"Your Majesty, this is true..."

Suddenly, a weak voice came to Liu Chan's ears. He didn't hear it clearly and looked around following the sound.

But on a low couch in the corner of the tent, there lay a seriously injured soldier with his clothes completely undressed and his upper body naked.

There were four or five large holes on the man's chest, waist and abdomen, which showed that he had been stabbed by a spear. There were also several small holes around the large holes, which were undoubtedly arrow wounds.

Dark red blood oozed from the unknown herbs, a mixture of red and green colors, forming a sharp contrast with the person's pale and somewhat creepy skin.

"Of course I take it seriously." Liu Chan answered in surprise.

As he walked towards the man, he looked at the military doctor in the tent and frowned slightly.

The seriously injured camp was closer to the battlefield and farther from Wuzhangyuan. He passed by the lightly injured camp first, so he thought of stopping by to take a look before going on, but he didn't expect to see seriously injured soldiers in the lightly injured camp.

According to the rules, such a serious injury should not be kept in the same tent with the wounded with less serious injuries.

First, the person should receive more herbal remedies and more urgent medical treatment.

Secondly, if the person dies from serious injuries, it will somewhat affect the mood and morale of the lightly injured soldiers.

"Your Majesty, this Liu Tao was the first one to cross the river on a boat of death-defying men. He...he insisted on not going to the seriously injured camp, saying that it was unlucky there." The old military doctor hurriedly explained, fearing that the emperor would punish him.

Liu Chan suddenly realized.

It turns out he was a daredevil, no wonder he was so seriously injured.

"Your Majesty, I know my body is strong enough to handle it. There's no need to go to that... to the seriously injured camp."

The man named Liu Tao gritted his teeth and struggled to speak.

Liu Chan looked at the horrific wounds on the man's body and didn't know whether to nod or what to do.

After all, according to common sense, if he could survive with such serious penetrating wounds, it can only be said that his ancestors' graves are smoking.

It seems... just like Miwei.

"Are you Liu Tao?" Liu Chan suddenly asked.

"I remember there are 208 people on the death list, and you are second on the list."

This name is a bit special and is ranked second on the death list, so Liu Chan naturally has some impression of it.

"Well, ahem... Ji Shu got there first. I don't know if he's dead or not."

The man named Liu Tao's pale and terrifying face now smiled, which was quite creepy.

Liu Chan was a little dazed and still didn't know what to say.

As a result, Liu Tao's Adam's apple rolled again and he spoke:
"Your Majesty, I didn't finish what I was saying...

"I'm not asking whether Your Majesty is serious about this...

"I just want to say that your Majesty's words are sincere...truly inspiring!"

When the man named Liu Tao said this, the twenty or thirty people in the tent, including Deng Zhi, Zong Yu, and Zhao Guang, were all stunned for a moment.

Regardless of everyone's expressions, Liu Tao, who was lying on the low couch, could not see them. He just continued to look at Liu Chan and said:
"Hmph... Since I signed up to be a daredevil, how could I not know Your Majesty's determination?

"Your Majesty, with your divine power, will surely conquer the Han Dynasty from the Wei dogs!"

After these two words of flattery, the man's face, originally pale from excessive blood loss, somehow turned slightly rosy. "Your Majesty... I just made a bet with myself. Do you know what it is?"

"What?" Liu Chan was stunned.

Liu Tao took a few quick breaths, and after recovering, he said:
"Your Majesty... I bet that if Your Majesty comes down the mountain to see me today, I will definitely not die.

"As expected... I was right, His Majesty has indeed arrived.

"If I win the bet, I won't die!
"I must kill a few more Wei dogs for your majesty. In the future, I will serve your majesty as a Sima!"

Liu Chan listened to the man's bet, which he didn't know whether it was true or false, and once again looked down at the several terrifying red and green holes on his chest and waist. For a moment, he thought that this man might be experiencing a last burst of energy, so he comforted him:

"Alright, stop talking so loudly and take good care of your wounds. With such courage and bravery, as long as you live well, you will be worthy of being more than just a Sima, even a lieutenant!"

Hearing the emperor's words, the somewhat rough-looking man took a few deep breaths again, and finally smiled sheepishly:
"Your Majesty... I... I can't even read a single word.

"How can you become a lieutenant if you can only write Liu? Even becoming a military officer... I'm afraid it would be difficult."

Liu Chan hurriedly said:
"Being illiterate is not a big deal. You just need to live well. With your military achievements today, you can at least become a duke or a military marquis.

"I will assign you another clerk to look after your documents. If he dares to deceive you, I will punish him. How can he not become a lieutenant in the future? Not to mention a military officer?"

"Are...really?" Liu Tao's expression suddenly lit up with joy, and he even wanted to sit up from the couch. But then, as if his wound had torn open, he grimaced and screamed in pain.

After more than ten breaths, when the man's expression finally relaxed, Liu Chan thought of something and said:
"Do you know Wang Ping and Prince Jun, who defeated the Wei invaders in Longyou a few days ago with General Wei Wenchang and captured 3,000 of their leaders?"

The man thought about it and then shook his head to indicate that he didn't know.

Liu Chan comforted and explained:

"He was originally from the Dangqu Qiang tribe, and now he is a captain.

"He's just like you, illiterate and relies on military officers to read him documents and handle military affairs.

"Based on his recent performance and achievements, I think he will be promoted to General of the Central Army in the near future.

"So, as long as you live and kill a few more Wei rebels for me, why worry about not being able to become a Sima Xiaowei because you can't read?"

All the wounded soldiers in the tent were stunned when they heard this.

"Your Majesty... We are illiterate, but do we still have the opportunity to become Sima or Xiaowei in the future?" A wounded soldier with a rather clever look asked boldly.

Liu Chan looked at the wounded soldier with a serious expression. After a moment, he stood up from Liu Tao's couch and looked around at the wounded soldiers in the tent again. He said:
"Has the army ever required the military officer Sima to be literate?
"Everyone in the tent today is a meritorious man, a man who dares to die. All you have to do is to make merit and kill the bandits. How can you not have the opportunity to become a Sima captain?

"When the time comes to need paperwork, just tell your superiors and I will assign a clerk."

This is the information gap. Most soldiers don’t know how to become officers, and they have never even thought about what kind of officer they want to be.

After all, the military service was only one or two years, and I thought I would go home and continue farming after the service.

But today is different!

They have made contributions to Your Majesty, suffered injuries for Your Majesty, and even had the honor of meeting Your Majesty!
At this time, they even heard that His Majesty promised a man who was as illiterate as them that he could become a Sima captain as long as he killed the enemy and made meritorious service!

Who can resist thinking about it?!

Liu Chan looked at the expressions of the crowd and suddenly thought:

"In the future, I will arrange for some clerks to teach meritorious soldiers in the army to read and write.

"As long as you are brave enough to fight and willing to learn, you will eventually succeed."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!" The wounded soldier with the sharp-witted look immediately took the lead in expressing gratitude, and the other dozen or so people also shouted their thanks.

Liu Chan nodded slightly, turned around and walked back to Liu Tao, but found that he seemed to have stopped moving, so he quickly reached out to feel his breath.

Fortunately, I just fell asleep.

Liu Chan stared at the red and green holes on the man's body and thought for a long time. Finally, he walked to Zhao Tong and drew out the ring-handled knife that had just cut his robe.

He walked back to the man named Liu Tao, lifted up the blood-stained cloth under him, cut off a corner of it, and finally put it into his sleeve.

Seeing this, the eyes of several attendants lit up. They took out hairpins and pens from under their hats again and wrote down what was written.
-
Excerpt from "The Emperor's Daily Notes, Volume 2":
On the 23rd day of the third month of the sixth year of Jianxing, the emperor stayed at Wuzhangyuan.

The pseudo-Wei generals Guanqiu Jian, Linghu Yu, Luan Tibao and Lu Zhao sent tens of thousands of soldiers from Taiyuan, Hedong and Hongnong to escort food supplies and advance at night, hoping to rescue the defeated enemy army in Longyou at Chencang.

At first, General Yangwu Deng Zhi and General You Zhonglang Zong Yu received the emperor's order and led 4,000 troops to station on the island of Wei River. They followed the strategy of General Zhendong Zhao Yun and carried stones to sink boats to block the Wei River, preventing the pirate ships from advancing westward.

On that day, the emperor expected the enemy to come west in large numbers, so he ordered Deng Zhi and Zong to recruit 200 brave soldiers in advance.

At night, the pirate ship stopped as expected, and the emperor was greatly horrified. The brave soldiers recruited by the emperor attacked the enemy at night and defeated the enemy, beheading thousands of them and seizing tens of thousands of grains. The pirates fled to Meiwu.

The emperor and his attendant Dong Yun were playing Go on a plateau. They hadn't laid out their pieces when news of victory arrived. Dong Yun abruptly stood up, startled, and exclaimed, "The Wei people crossed the Wei River at night, their banners and armor blazing across the fields. Some thought they must be fierce warriors, but unexpectedly they were defeated in a moment. Could they be a mob?"

The emperor said nothing, his expression and behavior were normal. He ordered Zhao Guang, the Dragon Sovereign Attendant, to prepare a march down to the plateau to reward the troops.

The Minister of the Interior held up his hut and advised, "It is already late, the second drum has already sounded. Moreover, the bloody battlefield has not yet ended, and the soldiers are still preparing their armor and weapons. I hope Your Majesty will rest for a while and wait until tomorrow to reorganize the camp and then reward them."

The emperor stroked his sword and pondered, his eyes fixed on the bank of the Wei River. He said slowly:
"Mr. Dong, although this victory was quick, I believe it was not solely due to the Wei invaders' unruly behavior, but also because the soldiers risked their lives for their country."

After he had said this, he took twenty of his men, the Dragon Guards, and left with torches in hand.

When he arrived at the camp gate, he saw a wounded soldier lying by the road. The emperor personally applied medicine to him and gave him some soup.

Seeing the soldiers' robes torn and armor broken, their bodies covered in dust and blood, the emperor sighed deeply, untied his crimson robe, cut it in two, handed it to Guang, and said:

"This robe is crimson, carrying the fire virtue of the Han Dynasty. I shall divide it among the officers and soldiers, and order each to take a corner and share the robe with you."

The three armies were greatly encouraged.

He also took the blood-stained clothes of the seriously wounded and fallen soldiers and said:
"We should gather the remains of the blood-stained clothes of the heroes, patch them together to make a robe, wear it during the day and use it as a pillow at night. When the Han Dynasty is revived and the whole world is within sight, we should bring it to the high temple and offer sacrifices with the grand feast.

"If the souls of the heroic warriors who died in Sui are aware, they should know that I have never forgotten the blood of my meritorious officials, nor have I ever stopped thinking of the warmth of my comrades."

ps: This diary was added after the main text was uploaded. It is free of charge. I tried it. 5500 words should be charged 27 points, but the actual charge is based on the number of words when it was first uploaded, which is only 23 points. So no one’s money is wasted!

(End of this chapter)