Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 45 Borrow

It’s a shame to say that Liu Daogui has been a soldier for so long but has never been to the military camp.

The four armies of the General of Conquering the Enemy's Office must obey the orders of the General of the Central Army when encountering war, and are responsible for daily training when not fighting.

The biggest advantage of this position is direct contact with soldiers.

Liu Daogui and a few others went to inspect the rear camp with Gao Xun. As soon as they entered the camp, a foul odor hit them in the face, making Liu Daogui stagger.

The price of dry firewood is too high these days, and it is difficult for ordinary people to make fire and cook. Many people can only take a bath a few times a year, especially in winter. The firewood used to boil a pot of hot water is enough to cook for two days.

Each camp was crammed with thirty or forty people, without armor or even decent clothes.

He was disheveled, skinny, and looked at Liu Daogui with a pair of blank eyes.

"Many of these soldiers followed Commander Xie in the Northern Expedition. They have had no battles in the past two years and life has been difficult." Gao Xun pinched his nose and forced an explanation.

Liu Daogui thought of Huan Hong's banquet, with singing and dancing, and those sitting at the top seats eating, drinking and having fun, with their mouths drooling.

Compared with the scene in front of me, it’s like two different worlds.

"What's wrong with your injury?" Liu Daogui walked into the crowd and held the arm of a soldier, which had a huge abscess on it.

"Half a month ago, refugees caused trouble and I shot an arrow..." The soldier was young and tall, with a northerner's skeleton and facial features, and his accent was also from Yanzhou.

"Get some fire."

Liu Heibin dismantled a piece of camp stake and split it into several thin pieces of firewood to start a fire.

Liu Daogui boiled water, tore off the cloth strips and put them in to boil, then took out a dagger and roasted it over the fire, then cut open the abscess, drained the dirty blood and thick water, and removed the rotten flesh.

From beginning to end, the soldier remained silent.

After cleaning the wound, tie it tightly with a dried cloth.

"I'll bring some medicine tomorrow. Two applications will heal you."

In the past, he hunted and fished for a living and was often injured. He learned how to heal his injuries from a wandering Taoist priest.

"I am Li Damu. If you need any instructions after joining the army, please let me know." The soldier was very grateful.

The other soldiers in the barracks also looked at Liu Daogui with much gentler eyes.

"What's wrong with you?" Liu Daogui picked up the other person's hand, which was swollen like a steamed bun.

"What else can I do? Frostbite."

Looking around, many people had frostbite on their faces and hands.

It was already winter, and they were still wearing tattered clothes and didn't even have a pair of straw sandals. It would be strange if they didn't get frostbite.

This winter has just begun, and if it snows, people will definitely die.

Last year, during a not-so-cold winter, hundreds of people froze to death in Jingkou alone.

These soldiers are all brave warriors of the Northern Expedition. They have fought bloody battles with the Hu people and are very experienced. Each of them is the soul of China. It would be a pity if they just freeze to death, starve to death or die of disease.

For every dog-slaughtering person who is righteous, there are many scholars who are unfaithful.

The aristocracy had long been corrupt, but there were still many heroes among the common people.

The Jin Dynasty was able to survive not by relying on the aristocratic families, but by the thousands of brave warriors from humble backgrounds who sacrificed their lives, repeatedly defeating the northern barbarians and preserving a trace of incense for the Chinese nation...

These old soldiers are the only remaining vitality of China.

Expecting those noble families to "conquer China" is nothing but wishful thinking.

But now Liu Daogui himself is extremely poor, "How much is left in the treasury?"

As soon as I said it, I felt it was nonsense.
The reason why Huan Hong could live so extravagantly and licentiously was because he sucked blood from these soldiers and squeezed them, so the treasury must be empty.

Gao Xun said, "The treasury is under the management of Yuan He, the military governor of the Qing army. It would be useless for you to go there. It will definitely be empty..."

Liu Daogui felt discouraged when he thought of the food, fodder and weapons that were sold from Guangling City to the northern Hu people.

This half of the Sima family's territory had long been eaten up by the aristocratic families.

In the past, there were Huan Wen and Xie An to support the country, but now only people like Sima Daozi and Wang Guobao are left, making fortunes like crazy.

The other soldiers in the barracks all looked at Liu Daogui with eager eyes, looking indescribably miserable, like a group of hungry and cold children.

Suddenly one of them said, "Winter clothes and food are right before our eyes. It depends on whether the soldiers have the courage to take them."

"Where?" Liu Daogui's eyes lit up.

"Front!"

"The Sima Huan Chengzhi in the front is Huan Hong's cousin..." Gao Xun reminded in a low voice.

"If you don't have the courage, you'd better go back to your room and hug your woman, and don't bother us anymore." This soldier was very brave and dared Liu Daogui to his face.
Liu Zun couldn't stand it anymore and pointed at the man who was talking, "Don't look down on me, damn it. There is nothing that my family can't do if they join the army."

"Why do you look like a spy to me?" Liu Daogui cursed. Isn't this just putting himself on the fire?

"Did I say something wrong?" He looked innocent.

"Thanks for joining the army!"

Before he could explain, the soldiers knelt on one knee.

"Let me think about this matter carefully." Liu Daogui didn't fall into the trap. He said a few perfunctory words, then lifted the door curtain and prepared to leave.

But he found that the door was crowded with people, shivering in the cold wind, like rows of crows standing on the branches in the cold winter.

"Last winter, 272 of our brothers survived the swords of the barbarians, but were frozen to death in the barracks. I wonder how many more will freeze to death this year. Fortunately, I met General Liu, who was able to save our lives!"

An officer with a long appearance bowed his hands, his face full of indignation. Although he was a big man, tears welled up in his eyes.

"We are not afraid of death, we just regret that we can't kill more barbarians, reclaim China, and avenge our previous humiliation!"

Another officer stepped forward and said generously.

"Recover China and avenge our previous humiliation!"

The soldiers roared with red faces, and years of repression and frustration burst out to the sky.

Liu Daogui felt it was a wake-up call.

I have always seen famous scholars of the gentry talking about metaphysics, but I have never heard them say anything about the North, let alone the words "overcome China".

Since the Yongjia Rebellion, whenever someone called for a northern expedition, these people would follow without hesitation and fight the Hu people fiercely.

However, most of the Northern Expeditions were not defeated by the Hu people, but by their own people.

Even though the Northern Expedition had failed so many times, they were still willing to launch another Northern Expedition...

The noble families who lived in peace in Jiangzuo were the noble families, and the noble families who were arrogant and extravagant were also the noble families. For the common people and soldiers, there was only an extremely long and painful suffering.

Their ancestral graves are all in the north, their ancestors died at the hands of the barbarians, and as overseas Chinese, they can neither integrate into the Jiangzuo area nor return to their hometown. They are even called "Northern Chuang" by the Jiangzuo natives...

The hometown of Liu Daogui of Pengcheng Liu family is also in the north, but it seems that he can't go back.

In today's world, no one in power is willing to even shout slogans.

A surge of blood rushed up from the soles of his feet. "Don't worry, everyone. No one will freeze to death or starve to death this winter!"

"Thank you for joining the army!" Everyone bowed.

Liu Daogui vaguely knew what path he should take. They were fighting for power, so why not fight for people's hearts...

The people's hearts are the general trend of the world.

People's hearts are also where righteousness and justice lie.

There are winter clothes and food in the front, so Liu Daogui can only go to the front.

There is a huge gap between the gentry and the common people, and the same is true in the army.

The front camp is located in the prosperous area of ​​the northern city of Guangling. In front of the camp, deer horns are intertwined, and large and small flags are fluttering in the wind. Six or seven soldiers in iron armor stand under the flags, holding long spears and looking grim.

A murderous aura rushed towards him.

Seeing Liu Daogui and his group from afar, he crossed his spears in his hands and said, "This is a restricted area for the military camp. No outsiders are allowed to enter."

"I am Liu Daogui, a military officer in the Central Military Commission. I have come to inspect the front camp."

Liu Daogui took out his official credentials. The soldiers then pulled back their spears and let Liu Daogui and his companions in.

The hundreds of soldiers who followed stayed outside, standing silently in the cold wind.

The camp was very clean, with weapons, timber and supplies all neatly arranged, and the barracks arranged in an orderly manner. Not a single soldier was lying on the ground, and when they walked or stood, they exuded the capable air of a warrior.

The other departments seemed like a mob in front of them.

Gao Xun sighed, "The Jingzhou West Palace Army is truly extraordinary."

The Western Palace Army was also the main force in the Battle of Feishui. It first fought a bloody battle with the Di Qin in Xiangyang, tying up half of the Di Qin's military forces. Afterwards, it marched straight north to the Central Plains, recovered Heluo, and made outstanding military achievements.

Twenty or thirty years earlier, he followed Huan Wen in his campaigns across the northern kingdom.

"Where is Sima Huan?"

"Reporting to the general, Sima got drunk last night and hasn't returned yet." One of the entourage bowed and showed dissatisfaction when he mentioned the word "Sima".

It seems that Huan Chengzhi is not very good at commanding the army.

The strong one is the Western Palace Army, not Huan Chengzhi.

"Kill, kill, kill..."

On the training ground, more than a hundred soldiers were training in battle formations. Their long spears gleamed coldly, and their formations were neat. The soldiers had firm eyes and stern faces. Every time they fired a spear, they used all their strength, as if there was a real enemy standing in front of them.

Liu Daogui observed for a long time and became more and more certain that this was an elite force.

This has always been the case in China. As long as there is enough food and money, and as long as the commander is not too bad, he can be invincible in the world.

However, most of the time, they were hungry while fighting bloody battles with powerful enemies from all directions...

The Northern Army, under the command of Xie Xuan, had little training. As soon as the food and grass arrived from Jiankang, they killed the Hu people in a panic.

Huan Wen fought Murong Chui to a stalemate at the Battle of Fangtou, but was ultimately defeated due to a lack of food and supplies...

The Huan family was also a small aristocratic family in the past. They established their clan through military force and continuously expanded their power through the Northern Expedition, eventually becoming a top-tier family.

"How much food and winter clothes are left in the army? Are they enough for the soldiers?" Liu Daogui turned around and asked the captain.

Qu Chang's expression was gentle as he bowed and said, "One thousand seven hundred and fifty dan of grain, five thousand three hundred catties of grass, three thousand seventy sets of winter clothes, and seven thousand six hundred catties of dry firewood. This is enough to get through the winter."

Food and grass, food and grass, food is for eating, and grass is for sleeping.

Marching and fighting are inseparable from these two things.

"May I ask your name?" Liu Daogui became interested in the composer in front of him.

Huan Chengzhi is a playboy and not a cause for concern, but the troops under his command are an elite force.

"My subordinate is Zhou Zheng." Qu Chang bowed.

"May I ask whether you are from the Wuxing Zhou family or the Runan Zhou family?" Gao Xun came from a noble family and was particularly sensitive about surnames.

Nowadays, a person's surname basically determines his future.

The Zhou family of Wuxing has produced famous generals from generation to generation. There was Zhou Cang in Eastern Wu and Zhou Chu in Zhongchao, both of whom were killed by the Sima family.

After the Sima family moved south, Zhou Chu's son Zhou Qi conquered the south of the Yangtze River three times and stabilized half of the Sima family's territory.

However, the Sima family was still the same. They kicked the general away after they had used him, which made this famous general so angry that he died. Before his death, he instructed his son Zhou Xie to take revenge: Those who killed me are scoundrels. Those who can avenge me will be my son.

Zhou Xie rebelled, but was suppressed. However, the Sima family did not dare to do anything to the Zhou family and appeased them.

Another branch of the Runan Zhou family moved to Lujiang. During the Three Kingdoms period, they produced the famous general Zhou Yu. During the Jin Dynasty, they produced three generations of famous generals, Zhou Fu, Zhou Chu, and Zhou Hui, who resisted the Di Qin in Liangzhou.

The two states of Yi in the Later Liang Dynasty were conquered by the Di Qin, and Zhou Hu was captured. He refused to take up an official position in the Di Qin, so Fu Jian treated him well.

Zhou Hu then acted as an insider, tipping off Huan Chong and repeatedly speaking rudely to Fu Jian and contradicting him in person, which made Fu Jian respect him even more.

On the eve of the Battle of Feishui, Zhou Hu wrote to Huan Chong several times, revealing the key information of the Di Qin army.

In the seventh year of Taiyuan (382), he conspired to attack Fu Jian. The plot was leaked, but Fu Jian still did not kill him and exiled him to Taiyuan County. He died of illness that year. His son Zhou Xing brought the coffin back to the Eastern Jin Dynasty for funeral. With the support of Xie Xuan, he was awarded the title of General Longxiang and Governor of Yizhou.

People at that time compared Zhou Hu to Su Wu.

"I am Zhou from Wuxing." Zhou Zheng told the truth.

Guangling is located to the north of the Three Wus, closer to the Zhou family of Wuxing. The Jiangdong Wuzong family has the most surnames Zhou, Shen and Zhu.

Most of the Zhou family in Runan live in the Hanzhong area of ​​Liangzhou.

"You are indeed a descendant of a military family." Liu Daogui flattered.

Zhou Zheng's face was full of gratitude, "You are so kind, General."

Seeing that he was easy to talk to, Liu Daogui got straight to the point. "The front of the central army has more than enough food and fodder, but the left, right, and rear divisions are desperately short of it. Now that winter is approaching, I'd like to divide some of it up to distribute evenly to my comrades in the other three divisions. What do you think?"

Zhou Zheng's expression changed. "The food and grass are all under the control of Sima Huan. I have no say in this matter."

"I don't want you to make the decision, nor do I want you to be responsible. I'll take some of the things first. If Sima Huan blames you, just say that I transferred them away."

"This……"

Zhou Zheng looked embarrassed. With less food and grass in the camp, Huan Chengzhi would certainly cause trouble for him.

However, in name, Liu Daogui, a senior military officer, could also intervene in logistical affairs, and Huan Chengzhi was still his subordinate, so he had no objection to transferring some food and grass.

These food supplies and winter clothes were originally occupied by the three parts of the left, right and rear.

They were all soldiers from the General of the Conquest, some of them more than adequate, while others were starving and freezing...

"Look at them. They also fought bravely with you in the Battle of Feishui." Liu Daogui pointed at the three groups of soldiers who followed him outside the camp. They were all pale and muscular, with tattered clothes, and looked miserable in the cold wind.

Doing business requires you to treat people differently.

Zhou Zheng had an honest face, and his background was clear. He was a member of the Wuxing Zhou clan, not a close confidant of the Huan clan. Huan Hong had taken over a thousand close confidants on a hunting expedition without him, so it was clear that he was not well-received...

If not for this, Liu Daogui would not have said this.

A higher-ranking official can crush a lower-ranking official. There are two levels between Qu Chang and a military officer.

Zhou Zheng was still hesitating.

Liu Daogui continued, "I'm a military officer. Since both Envoy Huan and Sima Yuan are away, I'm in charge of the military affairs in the palace. If the higher-ups investigate, just say I was seconded and I'll be back in the vacant position soon."

"Well, I will lend you one hundred dan of grain, three hundred winter clothes, and five hundred jin of firewood and grass. However, you must leave a written document so that I can report back!"

The document is equivalent to an IOU, so this person is not stupid.

"Are you sending away beggars? It's too little. Make it an even number: three hundred dan of grain, five hundred sets of winter clothes, and one thousand jin of firewood and grass each!"

If you want to borrow, borrow more. When Huan Hong and Yuan He come back, you won’t be able to borrow even if you want to.

Gao Xun was stunned, probably because he didn't expect Liu Daogui to do this...

"Envoy Huan, Sima Yuan, and Chief Clerk Xun are all away. All military affairs, big or small, are under my charge. This is a military order and there must be no mistakes!" Liu Daogui showed the power of a military officer.

Liu Zhong quickly waved to the soldiers on the left and right outside the deer horns.

"We just want to survive!" Li Damu and Zhao Lunzhi shouted the loudest.

Six or seven hundred people, their eyes red, roared in anger: "Give us clothes and food!"

The anger and resentment of the soldiers from the left, right and rear divisions had been pent up for several years, and when people were pushed into a corner, they would do anything.

Huan Hong and Yuan He took the front soldiers to go hunting, and there were only about two hundred soldiers in the camp.

Zhou Zheng gritted his teeth and said, "As long as you have the documents and the seal of joining the army, you can borrow the things!"

Liu Daogui signed the six words "join the army to fight against the enemy" but did not sign his own name.

We must always keep a hand in everything. The one who owes the money is the position of Zhongbing Canjun, not Liu Daogui himself.

If Yuan He finds me, at least there is room for negotiation.

In any case, the things were obtained, and the soldiers happily dragged their winter clothes and food back.

Zhou Zheng had a long face, but he was helpless.

(End of this chapter)