Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 57 Giving the Transmigrator a Shocking Lesson

Fengcheng fell within three days, and the Guotai army, under the command of Zhao Cheng, won a victory, reversing the overall situation in the north.

First, in Yan County, four of the fifteen armies are facing a grim reality: they are strategically separated from the main army in the east. Once Guotai controls the Yinshan Mountains region, he can more flexibly traverse the terrain through the flow of earth veins, and the northern border region of Dayao will be under constant attack.

Of course, at this moment, there is another issue that cannot be discussed among the various armies on the northern route.

There was still discord among the four armies of Yan County. The reason for this discord was that there was a so-called "direct descendant" of the emperor among these four armies: the Zhanlu Legion.

The Zhanlu Legion was formed by expanding an existing imperial guard unit within the capital. Decades ago, the Zhanlu Legion was a formidable force, personally crafted by the Emperor, and had participated in three major campaigns against the sea tribes in the eastern border.

But now, this army is corrupt, and its staff are unqualified members of aristocratic families. This battle is merely to prove that the Emperor's skills are still sharp. Therefore, everyone understands that even if the Zhanlu army performs poorly, it cannot be exposed.

In the imperial court, from the newly appointed Grand Marshal to the mid-level officials, everyone was aware of the situation of the Zhanlu Legion, so they asked the other armies to "be more accommodating".

Therefore, a very unreasonable situation arose in this eastern army: the Zhanlu army possessed the best weapons and guarded the armory, yet they were not on the front line.

In the Zhanlu army, there was a war machine called the "General's Platform," a floating war machine supported by clouds at a height of twenty zhang (approximately 13 meters). Its rock structure, carved like colorful clouds, held war drums and cannons, and could accommodate fifty armored soldiers. On the battlefield, it could float directly above the enemy's heads and fire arrows and shells.

However, in this northern campaign, not a single shot has been fired so far. The soldiers who ascended the platform to be appointed generals were all fat, bloated men.

It's worth noting that the main resentment of these three armies within the Great Yao is not directed at the Zhanlu Legion. Or rather, if their resentment were truly directed at the Zhanlu Legion, the gap between the various armies wouldn't be so large. They are simply joining forces to avoid these meritorious sons of the Divine Capital.

The senior generals of these three armies knew that the high-ranking officials behind the Zhanlu army were people they couldn't afford to offend. Therefore, when supplies were scarce, they often fought over provisions from the other two allied armies. As a result, the three armies frequently quarreled over food and supplies, to the point that now, when two groups pass each other, they will look down on each other's accents. Even when the military leaders bump into each other in the city's markets or restaurants, they will treat each other with disdain.

The court was aware of this gap, but the high-ranking officials who had never experienced the ranks of "military officers" or "state officials" turned a blind eye to such "worldly disputes" and instead believed that this was the key to the court's control over the front lines.

Even the emperor was misled by this line of thinking, believing that if the generals on the front lines were still harmonious as their strength increased during the great battle to quell the evil dragon, wouldn't the court be in danger?
Therefore, it was subconsciously determined in the imperial court that there must be "discord" among the soldiers at the front.

One could even say that the Great Emperor applied this experience to certain situations involving the Wu family army. There's always bound to be some discord when a large army is stationed in a localized area.

The Emperor looked down upon everything from his high vantage point, his perspective far broader than that of some others (such as Wu Xiaoque). The situation of the Wu family army was also under the Emperor's watchful eye.

Emperor Shu was aware that Wu Hanluan had secretly aligned himself with the King of Zhou, and that Wu Fei had privately gathered troops and left the pass during his time in the Southern Frontier. Furthermore, the Wu family army was currently supporting the Southern Shang, and the governor of Jizhou was Emperor Shu's cousin, making the conflict between the two clear.

He even knew about the internal conflicts within the Wu family army, and how Wu Hanluan's son and Wu Fei were irreconcilable enemies. (What exactly was the relationship between Wu Fei and Wu Hengyu? Outsiders didn't know, but the secret guards sent in could see that Wu Hengyu's men were all gossiping about Wu Fei.)
Yes, the emperor was quite satisfied with this. Even the current mistakes in the southern border region, such as "smuggling salt and iron" and "abducting border people into slavery," became somewhat tolerable under this premise.

Emperor Xu was very capable, but in this era of great strife, there was no room for indecisiveness.

…the dividing line between the top and bottom…

In Tianchi City, Nanzhao County, the main territory of the Wu family, which is located behind the family compound, Wu Fei was invited to the inner courtyard as soon as he returned to the family. A cousin named Wu Zhantie personally guarded the door. To his surprise, Wu Fei saw Wu Hengyu wearing a bamboo hat and a veil in the inner courtyard.

Wu Fei's eyes widened, and he retorted, "What difference does it make whether you're masked or not? In this territory, who else is nine feet tall!"

Wu Hengyu: "I came back last night, no one saw me." He then took out a secret letter and said to Wu Fei: "There are too many people around you now, so my father asked me to personally deliver this message to you from home."

Wu Fei read the contents of the letter word for word. First of all, the imperial court once again demanded that the Wu family army relocate.

Of course, the main camp adjacent to Donghua County will not be completely abolished; it will be retained as a recruitment point for the Wu Family Army's northern route. The imperial court is now ordering the Wu Family Army to mobilize its elite troops westward towards Longyou County. This is because further north, the behavior of the Prince of Lelang in Zhenzhou is becoming increasingly treacherous.

Based on this, Wu Hanluan asked Wu Fei to provide his views on the current war situation in the north of Da Yao, as well as the current state of affairs in the world.

While Wu Fei was pondering, Wu Hengyu was trying out Wu Fei's newly made "Night Rations Sticks," a type of nougat made from egg whites, almonds, and cane sugar. After chewing one piece, he tried a second and a third.

Unlike modern office workers who walk a thousand steps a day, the soldiers in the camp were certainly pushing themselves to their limits. As a military general, Wu Hengyu had to draw that twelve-stone bow a hundred times every day. Therefore, this small amount of sugar wouldn't have a chance to turn into fat for him.

Wu Fei asked, "What's the situation inside the court? My inside information is that scholars are discussing how long it will take for Da Yao to adjust his formation and regain control of the war. Is that true?"

Wu Hengyu: "Yes, there are. But these Confucian scholars like to meddle in matters of military strategy and warfare that they don't understand."

Wu Fei: "So, these Confucian scholars all think that our dynasty was just careless in the Battle of Fengcheng? That we can win as long as we prepare our army?"

Wu Hengyu put down the candy, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "What, you think you can't win?"

Wu Fei drew a map on the sand table and reviewed the Battle of Lu County: "Half a year ago, Guotai's general (Zhao Cheng) came from the north. When he entered Lu County, there should not have been more than three thousand men! There were probably only a thousand or so elite soldiers. If there were more than that, the necessary supplies could not have been leaked from the large net set up by the court."

Wu Hengyu nodded. He also found that leading a thousand elite cavalry was the most effective strategy. In addition, he would also bring tens of thousands of infantry. Any more than that would make it difficult to unleash his sharp offensive power.

Wu Fei tentatively added his own assessment: "General Guotai's use of troops is extremely 'skillful'."

Wu Hengyu shook his head dismissively and said, "The court is just temporarily thrown into disarray."

Wu Fei sensed that no one was paying attention to this point, so his tone became more serious: "Judging from the situation in Yan County, the imperial court is becoming increasingly disorganized, and also..."

Wu Fei stared at Wu Hengyu, "Have you noticed a problem: taking Fengcheng requires soldiers to defend it. With limited troops, the defending side can't attack simultaneously. And here, and here—"

Before Wu Hengyu could continue chewing the candy, Wu Fei pulled him and pointed to the entire Yan County on the map: "These places are currently maintaining an offensive!"

Wu Fei's voice trembled slightly: "His troops are growing larger with each battle!"

Wu Hengyu put down the candy and listened attentively.

Wu Fei explained in a very fast voice: "Right now, the battle here in Fengcheng involves both attacking the city and blocking the other armies of the imperial court from coming to its aid. According to his current strategic plan, if everything is true, he will need at least 30,000 to 40,000 soldiers. And from last summer to this spring, from several thousand to tens of thousands, it has only been a few short months!"

Wu Hengyu glanced at the spot Wu Fei was pointing to, then looked away from where Wu Fei was pointing and slowly said, "They're just farmers."

Wu Fei shook his head: "Yes, it's the farmers in the north and the defeated soldiers of the imperial court, but now he has integrated them into his fighting force!"

At this point, Wu Fei turned to Wu Hengyu and said, "This is the power of a dragon entering the sea and creating huge waves. If the court ever summons you, Uncle, to go north, they must pay attention to this."

…Confused as a time traveler…

Xuan Chong is no longer concerned with how Zhao Cheng systematically eliminated Da Yao's incompetent teammates. Instead, he's baffled by the opposing (Zhao Cheng's) troop recruitment problem. In this era, Xuan Chong has just figured out a template for dealing with "military command" issues: war requires blood rewards; there's no way to motivate soldiers to go to battle with empty speeches. —In a game, building troops costs money; it's impossible for other players to simply create armies out of thin air. If that happens, they're cheating.

In southern Xinjiang, Xuan Chong racked his brains, trying to figure out how to get his men to fight willingly. He meticulously calculated how to provide the most precise rewards to best motivate them. He established strict rules that prohibited anyone, including himself, from "eating an extra bite" and required everyone to participate in the "bloody labor."

Wu Fei did not keep any of the many beautiful maids sent by the Southern Merchants for himself. Instead, he sent them all to the Women's Academy to learn female virtues and then assigned them to his brave soldiers. He also arranged for the children of these meritorious soldiers to attend school in the future.

As Xuan Chong worked on his own problems, he looked at the less than two thousand soldiers he had raised with a lot of resources, and naturally felt incredulous that the person in the north could integrate the army's combat power in such a short period of time.

Xuan Chong's heart skipped a beat: Could it be the same old story of equal land distribution and fighting the landlord?

Xuan Chong quickly denied this idea, stating that Guotai had absolutely not crossed the path of modernization. Their ruling core, based on the descendants of the dragon, still followed the path of divine right of kings. Unless there was a stage where "the ruler's power was granted by the people," the people, legally speaking, were kneeling and accepting the rule of the chosen ones, and the distribution system revolved around the hierarchy created by these chosen ones. They would never tolerate a model where the lower classes could take what they wanted.

Because if we tolerate the people choosing their own path, it would be tantamount to denying the divinely ordained authority of the monarch.

Before the historical process has established a strong and authoritative "people-granted monarchy" system, any attempt to bypass the "divine right of kings" and directly mobilize power from the common people faces the problem of insufficient authority.

Xuan Chong: That's the truth. When the ruler lacks seriousness and sanctity, how can you expect me to contribute? Who do you think you are? The "people's right to rule" of the previous Red Dynasty didn't appear out of thin air. It only gained sanctity and seriousness after fighting against heaven and earth, realizing great ambitions, and driving away half the world.

Before this sacredness was established, the authority of the democratically elected rulers in the decades following the abdication of the last emperor was entirely dealt with from the bottom up by warlords and local tyrants through a mocking and deceptive manner.

The political seriousness of that time was one of the most farcical moments in the East's history of thousands of years.

If he were truly confronted with an epoch-making system, Xuan Chong would simply surrender! A wise man submits to circumstances.

"But what exactly is going on now?" Xuan Chong clutched his Blood Price Formula, repeatedly calculating the current situation of military expansion and recruitment in the north, but he couldn't figure it out, so his head ached.

At this moment, Xuan Chong, as a modern person facing this "ancient moment," has an arrogant sense of "understanding everything" as a person from later generations, and does not feel that any social phenomenon of this era can exceed his own theories.

Just as in the early 20th century, when some international instructors came to the East to provide guidance, they did not think that the situation in this backward place could be beyond their own theories.

Of course, even if it were true, it would take Xuan Chong, who is stubborn, some time before he would admit it.

System: "So you need to be educated."

…Dimensional dividing line…

The history class gave a report to the academic affairs office of "Dimension School":
Most students go through several stages in developing their historical perspective. The initial stage is when they begin to understand historical trends and let go of their worship of historical figures and various characters in biographical novels.

The next level of existence is about letting go of the arrogance of "after-the-fact evaluation".

This is why our side hasn't completely driven out the nomadic groups we've encountered. I believe that the obsessions they bring can be used as "teaching aids" to assist in teaching.

Dimension School, in a tiny hourglass at midnight, has completed the approval process.

…Throughout history, some experiences have been repeatedly lost…

Meanwhile, in the camp set up by Zhao Cheng in the north, a group of farmers who were originally rebels but are now Guotai peasant soldiers entered the camp. They looked at each other, some with unease, and others looking around.

After two hours, the ranks of over a thousand people were finally formed, and once the ranks appeared, the general used bamboo tallies to count the number of soldiers.

These queues were then divided into hundreds of smaller groups, each consisting of six people, and then the food was distributed.

Today's meal is six cakes per group. However! Three of them come with oil and salt, while the other three do not. The rule is that each person gets one, and once you have one, you are not allowed to take anyone else's.

After a round of debate, the peasant-soldier groups decided on the allocation.

The next day, we had morning exercises again.

There were still six pancakes, but only two of them had oil and salt on them. And so another argument ensued.

On the third day, only one of the six cakes remained.

There is no shortage of competition among them. Even in modern prisons, where management is extremely strict, the most resourceful and able to eat the best are the ones who win.

……

A few days later, the various units in the camp were reassigned. The soldiers who had been eating fried dough cakes for the past few days were placed in a separate battalion. After warning them of the twenty-fold penalty, they were given "ten rewards," which included merits such as charging into battle, capturing flags, and leaping across obstacles.

The remaining soldiers who entered the camp were also divided into several classes based on the number of fried cakes they ate.

Among them, the peasant soldiers who failed to secure any oil-filled flatbread each day were strictly bound by the thirty-kill order and numerous prohibitions against collective punishment, their duties firmly defined. As for rewards, only those who achieved the merit of "capturing enemy heads" after encountering the enemy were given the opportunity to receive meat, receiving the same treatment as those who charged into battle. —Honest and law-abiding soldiers were disciplined according to the rules, their discipline accumulating over time until they formed an unbreakable army.

Zhao Cheng used a method that modern people would not dare to imagine to quickly gather the farmers who had been summoned to the camp.

Zhao Cheng's classification criteria state: If those who dare to take the top slice of bread are mixed among those who take the bottom slice, when the battle turns unfavorable, those who took the top slice will first weigh the overall situation against their own life and death, and then retreat when the opportunity arises. Those who take the bottom slice will blindly follow. If those who take the bottom slice are mixed among those who take the top slice, in the midst of fierce fighting, those who take the bottom slice will be reluctant to fight (slack off), causing those who take the top slice to slack off. Therefore, they should be managed in separate camps.

…The above-mentioned strategy is called “selecting the striker”…

Xuan Chong's modern society has been brainwashed with the idea of ​​"equality for all," so he didn't think to differentiate based on personality. The blood reward system in Southern Xinjiang is applied universally to everyone. This is equivalent to a "flood irrigation" paddy field model, while Zhao Cheng's system is more like "drip irrigation."

However, the ancient elites understood that different people had different desires to "change the class gap." At the same time, their desire to defend "their own established class" also differed. The former were adept at offense, while the latter were adept at defense.

Many princes of the Warring States period kept retainers, with Lord Mengchang being the most prominent. How did they most effectively cultivate loyal followers? The princes possessed a system of "people-judging techniques" (similar to Bo Le's horse-judging skills). Relying on this system, they selected the most suitable individuals from a diverse group of people.

A retainer once misunderstood Lord Mengchang's slight. Lord Mengchang showed him his own food, and the retainer, realizing his mistake, immediately committed suicide. This was exactly the kind of person the princes of various states desired.

However, the method of selecting officials was lost after the Confucianism was revered and dismissed by the Han Dynasty. It reappeared intermittently during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. For example, when Erzhu Rong selected his generals, he gathered a group of demons and monsters under his command, but then disappeared from history.

(End of this chapter)