The man was staggered by Xiao Wu, but when he saw her, she turned out to be a little girl. She couldn't help but say, "It's the old manager who has returned from patrolling the border. We all have to go outside the city to greet him."
Seeing that Xiao Wu had not let go, the man said again: "Let me go quickly, why are you holding me, a big girl!"
Xiao Wu let go of her hand, and the man walked away.
Wang Lun thought to himself that it turned out that Mr. Zhong had returned to the city, and he was just thinking about meeting this old hero. He happened to catch up with him this time. He must go and see it, and he might also meet his fourth uncle Wang Jin. Even so, Xiang Xiaowu and others said, "Let's go take a look too."
Everyone had no objections, so they all followed Wang Lun on horseback and ran towards the north of the city. When they arrived at the north city gate, they saw a dozen mounted scouts flying like arrows from a distance. A group of scouts had flags on their backs. He shouted: "Old Mr. Zhong is patrolling the border and returning to the city, and the idle people are avoiding him."
People in the city and outside the city consciously knelt on both sides of the road to greet Mr. Wang Lun. Wang Lun thought to himself that this old Mr. Zhong was protecting the country and protecting the people. He was a great hero and worthy of worship. He knelt down on one knee and waited on the road. Next to him, Shi Jin, Zhu Wu and others also knelt on one side with Wang Lun.
It was too late, but it was too late. In less than a moment, the Zhong family's army had arrived outside the city. Not far from the city gate, the army began to slowly slow down. When the smoke gradually dispersed, the Zhong family's army had already flashed in front of everyone's eyes. .
I saw that the vanguard was a team of thousands of men and horses, with strong robes and leather armor, fast horses and light fur, they were vanguard scouts.
Followed by the front army, there were two thousand horse archers with curved bows and green feathers, and powerful crossbows with divine arms. Then came the four thousand middle army group, with brocade robes and belts, and bright mirror armor. They were divided into two teams, the front team of two The thousand cavalry all held long swords, and the two thousand cavalry in the rear all held long swords. There were hundreds of generals in the middle of the two teams.
At the head of the central army was a big black horse, and sitting on it was an old general, wearing black robes and black armor, without a helmet, with a full head of silver hair and a snow-white beard floating on his chest. He was holding up half of the sky in the northwest of the Song Dynasty. The old seed manager Lue Xianggong, who was frightened by the news of Xixia, told the story of the breeder.
At the end of the team were three thousand heavily armored cavalry, both men and horses wearing heavy armor. The cavalry on horseback held long-handled maces and wore iron masks on their faces. Only a pair of eyes were exposed. The mask was carved into the shape of a glutton, which looked ferocious and terrifying.
The troops of the Zhong Family Army passed by in front of everyone in batches. Apart from the sound of horse hooves on the ground and the clang of armor, no one spoke. This shows how strict the military discipline of the Zhong Family Army is.
Shi Jin raised his head and looked at the rear of the army, but did not see any food, baggage, or logistical guards. It seemed that the people patrolling the border with Mr. Laozhong this time were all cavalry. Shi Jin saw this strangely, and asked Zhu Wu next to him: " This kind of family army must have a long time patrolling the border, don't they bring food and grass?"
Zhu Wu had been in the Zhong Family Army for a long time, so how could he not know the reason? He immediately said: "This is the rule of the Zhong Family Army. Every time the Zhong Family Army goes to war, no matter how long it lasts, they only bring seven days of dry food and three days of water." "Look carefully, each cavalryman has a leather bag on his horse. Inside the bag, there are three bags of water on the left side and seven bags of grain on the right side."
Shi Jin and others looked up and saw that each cavalryman had a leather jacket on his horse. Xiao Wu also came over and asked: "Ah Wu, I see that in addition to this leather jacket, many cavalrymen have leather jackets on their horses." There is also a leather bag, some big and some small, bulging, what is that?"
"I told you, don't be afraid." Zhu Wu said with a smile: "Those leather bags are called head bags, and they contain human heads."
"Human head?" Xiao Wu was really startled and asked, "What do you want a human head for?"
"Heads are military merit." Ping'er replied from the side: "Since ancient times, the army has a rule of declaring merit based on beheading the enemy's head. It seems that the Zhong family army also gained a lot during this border patrol."
"Sister-in-law is right." Zhu Wu praised Ping'er, and then said: "Old Mr. Zhong, the manager, is very good at running the army. Rewards and punishments are the most strict. The Zhong family army also rewards soldiers who have made meritorious service for killing the enemy. And for To further encourage the soldiers to fight bravely against the enemy, Mr. Lao Zhong specifically followed the ancient law. As long as he captured an enemy's head, he would be rewarded with ten taels of silver, and he could also accumulate merit and be promoted. "
"Oh, that's it." Xiao Wu nodded and asked: "And just now you said that the Zhong Family Army only brings seven days of dry food and three days of water every time they go on an expedition, but the military situation changes during this march. , who knows how long it will take, and if it takes too long, where can I get enough water for the next few days?"
Zhu Wu smiled and said: "Of course it is not enough to carry it by yourself, but the Zhong family army has always provided food to the enemy and used the enemy to support the war. The Zhong family army has been fighting against Xixia all year round, and every time before going to war, Lao Zhong's manager My husband will send scouts in advance to find out where the villages, towns and tribes in Xixia are. Once they are found, they will launch troops to loot and loot them for military supplies and food."
"That's just robbing!" Xiao Wu shook her head and said, "It's fine if the Song Dynasty is fighting a war with Xixia, but robbing the people of Xixia to use as food for the army is a bit too cruel."
"How cruel." Shi Jin snorted and said: "When the Xixia people invaded our border with the Song Dynasty, didn't they also burn, kill and loot, and committed all kinds of evil? The cruelty was probably ten times more than that. Mr. Xiang Gong, an old manager, was not like this. If we do this, how can we achieve the great reputation of the Western Army of the Song Dynasty, and thus make Xixia surrender to the Song Dynasty and not dare to covet the country of the Song Dynasty."
Wang Lun'er listened to the discussion of Zhu Wu and others, but thought in his heart that although this old gentleman was good at running the army and flaunted his military exploits, his methods were too ruthless. The head bag on the horseback of this kind of family soldier only contained I am afraid that it is not only the heads of Xixia soldiers, but also the innocent people of Xixia.
Although the Zhong family army has defeated Xixia, plundering the people of Xixia will inevitably worsen the relationship between the two countries. In the future, if there is a war in the north, Xixia will definitely take advantage of it, and the people of the Song Dynasty will still suffer!
At this time, the front army of the Zhong family army had entered the city, and the central army had also reached the edge of the city. As they got closer, they could see the faces of the generals clearly. The old Mr. Zhong, who was surrounded by many generals, was in good spirits. Although he had already He was over seventy years old, but he was not aged at all. His back was straight, and he rode his horse slowly into the city.
Wang Lun couldn't help but admire the military appearance of this kind of family army. They said that the Western Army of the Song Dynasty had four major military sects, but among them, the Zhong family was the leader. When he saw it today, it was indeed well-deserved.
It turns out that the Western Army of the Song Dynasty has always had four major military sects, that is, the four major families in the Western Army. In addition to the Zhong family, the other three families are the Yao family of Shanxi, the Zhe family of Hanzhong, and the Yang family of Tianbo.
The Yao family is originally a prominent family in Datong, Shanxi. It has been a military family for generations. The family has served Shanxi for generations in the Song Dynasty. The current patriarch of the Yao family, Yao Gu, is one of the three giants of the Western Army of the Song Dynasty. He was appointed as the Jiedushi of Shanxi. His son Yao Pingzhong also has A famous general of the Song Dynasty, father and son jointly guarded the land of the Three Jin Dynasties and resisted the Liao Dynasty in the north.
Among the four military branches of the Western Army of the Song Dynasty, the Hanzhong Zhejia family has the longest history of military service. The ancestors of the Zhejia family were officers in the early years of the Tang Dynasty. Today, after more than 500 years and dozens of generations, they are still standing. .
The Zhe family originally came from Shanxi and had lived in Fuzhou for generations. In order to alleviate the worries of traveling to the west, the Song Dynasty court authorized the Zhe family title to be hereditary passed down by the Zhe family father and son brothers. Later, the Tubo tribes invaded the western border of the Song Dynasty, and the Song court wanted to strengthen In order to defend the west, the Zhe family obeyed the Xuan Dynasty and moved to Hanzhong. The current patriarch Zhe Keqiu was appointed as an envoy to Sichuan and Han Dynasties. He conducted military campaigns in Sichuan, Shu and Hanzhong, and fought against the Tubo tribes in the west.
Among the four military sects, the most famous and legendary one is undoubtedly the Tianbo Yang family, and the story of the Yang family generals that will be known to the world in later generations also comes from this.
In storytelling novels and even later film and television dramas, there are many stories of Yang family generals that have been circulated, and the world is familiar with them. In real history, the stories of the Yang family can be said to be more exciting than in novels.
The Yang family was originally an important minister of the Northern Han Dynasty. Later, the Northern Han Dynasty was destroyed by the Song Dynasty, and the Yang family surrendered to the Song Dynasty. After the Yang family returned to the Song Dynasty, their families also served in the army for generations. Starting from Yang Ye, the fifth prince, at least the general Yang Wenguang, the Yang family can be regarded as the founding father of the Song Dynasty. He has made countless military exploits, and countless people from the Yang family died in battle and were wrapped in horse leather.
However, although the Yang family has the best reputation and the highest military exploits among the four major military sects, it is also the one that has declined the fastest. Now there is only one Yang Zhi left in the Yang family.
This Yang Zhi originally wanted to work hard and revive the glory of the Yang family. Although he was the best choice in military and martial arts, his official career was difficult. He finally became the envoy in front of the palace, but he capsized while escorting Hua Shi Gang. As a result, he was dismissed from office.
It is also said that Yang Zhi later fled the country because he was afraid of the crime and did not dare to return to Beijing. However, this also affected the Yang family. The Yang family's property was confiscated and their title was stripped. Yang Zhi's father Yang Li died of depression in anger, and his younger brother Yang Zaixing also left home. Run away, not knowing where to live.
Nowadays, the remaining three military sects are in the same spirit. The defense lines set up by the three sects are intertwined and connected throughout the entire western region of the Song Dynasty, and they jointly guard the western borders of the Song Dynasty.
Wang Lun thought of the stories of the four major military sects of the Western Army of the Song Dynasty, and lamented the decline of the Yang family.
At this time, Xianggong Lao Zhong's pro-military cavalry had passed by Wang Lun. Wang Lun looked into the cavalry and saw a middle-aged officer holding a spear beside Xianggong Lao Zhong, following closely behind Xianggong Lao Zhong.
This officer wore a helmet and armor and had a majestic appearance. Wang Lun recognized it at a glance. This man was his fourth uncle Wang Jin. Wang Lun saw that although his fourth uncle Wang Jin was already middle-aged and his appearance was getting older, But it still looks like what he saw when he was young.
Wang Lun was excited, but he also knew that this was not the time to recognize each other, so he could only look at Wang Jin with his eyes.
Wang Jin was riding a horse and was slowly entering the city. Suddenly he seemed to feel something, so he looked sideways at Wang Lun. He was a little surprised at first, but then his eyes lit up, and he obviously recognized Wang Lun.
When Wang Jin left home to join the army, Wang Lun was still a teenager. Now, more than ten years later, Wang Lun is already a thirty-year-old adult. But in Wang Jin's eyes, Wang Lun is still a child at this time. Moreover, Wang Lun's appearance is very similar to that of his father, Wang Kuoda. Wang Kuoda is Wang Jin's eldest brother. How could Wang Jin not recognize him?
Wang Jin looked at Wang Lun and nodded to Wang Lun. Seeing that his fourth uncle had recognized him, Wang Lun felt excited and immediately knelt down on his knees and kowtowed to Wang Jin. However, Wang Jin had already protected Mr. Zhong as he entered the city slowly. went.
