After inspecting all eighty camps, it was already dusk. Wang Hao returned to the tent and took a breather. I scooped a bowl of water, put a handful of fried millet in the water, watched quietly as they soaked and swelled, and then drank it. At this time, a military envoy came in and conveyed Bai Qi's instructions: all five officials would go to the tent to discuss matters every day. Wang Lu responded.
With the sound of drums, a new day begins. After a routine military call, each army began to organize camp affairs and prepare breakfast. Zhao Jun's camp was still filled with smoke.
Wang Hao took four of the five doctors and their entourage to the hill in front to see Bai Qi. This is the first meeting of senior generals since Bai Qi was appointed as general.
The five great officers of the Qin State are both titles and official positions. They are equivalent to the ten thousand generals of the Zhao army, that is, the military chiefs who lead ten thousand troops. Generally speaking, titles and official positions correspond to each other. Those who serve as the fifth doctor must have the title of the fifth doctor. However, in the Qin army's merit-based title system, there are actually very few people who can be promoted to the rank of fifth-ranking officer based on their military merits. It would be good if a large army can be equipped with an officer of the fifth-ranking rank. But after all, the army still needs officers to lead it. Therefore, it is not uncommon for public officials to serve as the fifth official. Like Li Bing, he even served as a county lieutenant with a duke, commanding 20,000 troops. The five officials and public officials under him were also duke, and the duke and official officials were generally filled by senior officials. When Bai Qi convened a meeting of the five great officers, he naturally did not convene the people who had the five great officers, but the people who held the official position of the five great officers, that is, the generals who commanded more than 10,000 troops.
The Nanjun army that Bai Qi brought out from Gaodu was originally 20,000 people, and there should be two fifth-level officers. However, in the battle with the Zhao army, the Nanjun army suffered heavy losses, with a total of 3,000 casualties. Among the remaining troops, Bai Qi led 5,000 elite troops to garrison around Xiaoshanbao. Nanjun Lieutenant led 7,000 troops to station in Dongling. The remaining 5,000 troops, nearly half of whom were lightly wounded, were stationed around Jushan. According to the order, Accommodate all parties.
Wang Lu's Bashu army of 40,000 people should be commanded by Bajun Wei and Shujun Wei. However, neither Bajun nor Shujun sent a county captain to lead the team. They only sent an escort force of 500 people each to escort the 20,000 people. In order to rectify these 40,000 people and organize them into an army, Wang Hao also spent a lot of effort. It took him half a year from October of the first year to April of the following year to succeed. The by-product is that there are only four fifth doctors among the 40,000 people, who take orders directly from the king, and there are no county captains; and the titles of the five doctors are all very low.
On the other side of Shicheng are the troops from Guanzhong, Beidi and Shangjun, the hometown of Qin State. The Qin people in Guanzhong have a strong fighting ability, needless to say. Beidi and Shangjun are both dry and cold places, with herding as the main occupation and farming as a sideline. The population is small and the terrain is dangerous. Many surrounding tribes still uphold the law of the jungle and regard robbery as a legitimate livelihood, so everyone is practiced in fighting and is brave and brave. They joined the Qin State first and later, but due to lifestyle issues, they did not have neat battle formations and skillful orders like the Guanzhong Army.
The Guanzhong Army sent out strictly trained prisoners, and the officers at all levels were knights who had been tested in battle. Even so, they could not all match the required titles one by one. Guanzhong is not a county and does not have a unified administrative organization. Wang Ling serves in the central department of the Qin State and is sent to command the Guanzhong Army. He is one of the few people in the Qin army who actually has the title of fifth doctor.
Shangjun was originally from the land of Wei and entered the Qin Dynasty very early. It was located in the north and was invaded by the Huns from time to time. It belonged to the Yanjun on the border. The Shangjun Lieutenant was appointed after Wu'an Jun Bai Qi was appointed as the Shangjun Sheriff. He was from the Qin clan and had some relatives with the original Shangjun Sheriff. Because he was a clan member, he was promoted quickly because of his meritorious service. He was transferred to Bai Qi as his deputy, which somewhat meant taking care of the interests of the former governor. Although they belong to a clan, they are also officials and nobles earned through war. They are also well-behaved under Bai Qi and never make mistakes in doing things. After Bai Qi was transferred to the governor of Hedong, Shangjun did not appoint a new governor, so the county lieutenant took over the affairs of the county. After the Changping War broke out, the county captain personally led the prisoners from Shangjun to the battlefield.
The Shangjun army nominally numbered 20,000 people, but in fact half of them were not prisoners, but herdsmen. They led their own cattle and horses to join the army and took on transportation tasks in Changping. There are only 10,000 people who are actually responsible for combat tasks, and they are led by the commander-in-chief. There are no five officials. Below are the two public officials who serve as public servants.
Beidi is the hometown of Yiqu. Due to the romantic relationship between King Yiqu and Queen Mother Xuan, Beidi and Guanzhong lived in harmony for decades; Zhang Lu opened the road from Guanzhong to Yiqu, which not only facilitated the mobilization of the Qin army, but also facilitated personnel exchanges. Under the personal operation of Ranghou Wei Ran, the six counties originally belonging to Yiqu were merged into one county. Beidi County occupies a very large area, starting from the Beishan Mountains in Guanzhong in the south to the edge of the vast desert in the north. It is nearly a thousand miles apart from the north to the south, but it is sparsely populated. There are only six counties with more than 10,000 people. The total population is only a few hundred thousand, and more than half of the population is concentrated in Yiqu County, near Xianyang. This time, the Northland Army also brought a lot of livestock to replenish their supplies. In addition to prisoners, there were more hungry people in the army. When they came out to fight, the government could provide food and drinks. The land of Yiqu had not long been under the Qin law. Although the people had only practiced battle formations, they were brave and good at fighting and were not afraid of death. They were a capable army. Beidi Lieutenant Li Bing once served as Shangjun Lieutenant, then as Hedong Lieutenant, and then as Beidi Lieutenant. Although his performance evaluations were all excellent, he had no military exploits and was all average. The capital of Beidi County is in Yiqu County, which is not far from Xianyang, so many officials from Guanzhong work in Beidi.
This meeting was the first time that the generals of the various armies gathered together since Bai Qi took office as the general on the Changping battlefield, and it was of great significance.
Bai Qi's appointment as general had not been announced in the army before. He appeared in various military camps, and everyone thought he was Hedong Shou. But out of respect for Bai Qi, everyone voluntarily obeyed his command. In everyone's mind, the official commander-in-chief of the Changping battlefield was Wang Lu, Zuo Shuchang. This time, Bai Qi personally ordered five or more officials from each army to gather in his big tent. Everyone suddenly realized that the actual commander might be Bai Qi, not Wang Lu. On such a small battlefield, so many troops were concentrated for a decisive battle, and the Qin army surrounded the Zhao army with inferior forces that was two or three times larger than its own. These things that everyone thought were unbelievable suddenly became understandable: Then It’s because of Bai Qi! With Bai Qi here, miracles will happen!
The Nanjun Army's five thousand men and ten large camps were set up around the hill, and Bai Qi's personal camps were stationed above and below the hill. Bai Qi was the king of Wu'an, and his own army numbered 4,000. But the Nanjun soldiers were very difficult to lead. Bai Qi spent a lot of effort to rectify the Nanjun soldiers. Most of his soldiers from the pro-camp were placed in each battalion to serve as commanders. The pro-camp currently only has two battalions of 1,000 people, camping on the left and right sides of the mountain. Bai Qi's tent was located between the two camps. One or two hundred of his followers and retainers formed an independent camp and were stationed on the highest peak. Danshui flows from the east side of the mountain, providing a good water source for the camp. After two full days of construction, this place has become a solid fortress. Each camp is independent of each other and echoes each other. It really affects the whole body.
Bai Qi ordered five or more officers from each army to gather for a meeting last night. Early this morning, he ordered all battalions to strengthen their vigilance and beware of surprise attacks by Zhao Jun. The sentinel went forward until one mile outside Zhao's base before returning.
After the troops were ordered, the officials from each fortress came out, either on horseback or on foot, and their entourage, large and small, shouted in front of them and crowded in behind them. With extraordinary momentum, they all entered the camp on the hill.
Bai Qi's big tent is just a curtain, covering all sides, and the gap in the middle is the tent door. A hundred followers were stationed all around, and no other people were allowed to approach. There were no cushions in the tent. Several retainers carried water brought from the mountains and placed it on the left and right sides of the tent door. It was covered with a few small lamps, allowing those attending the meeting to freely use it.
The first to arrive was Wang Lu and his entourage, accompanied by four or five doctors. Then there is Sima Jin.
Sima Jin holds the title of Fifth Doctor, and his official position is Guowei. He is in charge of the national military. He is currently entrusted by the King of Qin to manage 20,000 swordsmen. Twenty thousand swordsmen should have two five-level officials, but there are only 50,000 swordsmen in total. They are always commanded by the King of Qin. There are no five-level officials. The highest position is ten public officials, but public officials generally have the title of five-level officials. He is a warrior who has experienced many battles. After the 20,000 swordsmen arrived in Changping, they were divided into two places: Taniguchi and Shicheng. The two foreign masters were very cautious in using them, for fear of damaging them. Sima Jin was stationed at the mouth of the valley. Now Bai Qi convened a meeting. Sima Jin did not bring two swordsmen with him.
The last one to arrive was the Wang Ling Headquarters in Shicheng. The main tent of Wang Ling is in Danzhu Ridge, which is the farthest away from Bai Qi's main tent. Yesterday, I received the notice of Bai Qi's meeting and temporarily moved the tent to Li Bing's place overnight. After the countdown was completed this morning, the two fifth officers of the Guanzhong Army and the Shangjun Lieutenant arrived at Li Bing's army during the time to report the results of the countdown. Wang Ling only gave the necessary instructions, and the military envoys returned to report, and then set off together with all the participants.
In addition to the two fifth-level officers of the Northern Army, there was also Meng Ao who joined the army. Meng Ao was a newly defected Qi man. He had no title and was a guest of the King of Qin. Both the King of Qin and Pi Wan valued him very much. This time he went to the front line to participate in the war. In fact, he was to gain credit and prepare for great use in the future. His current position is Beidi Lieutenant joining the army, which can barely be regarded as an official above five doctors. Although Wang Ling arrived at Li Bing's camp first, not far from Bai Qi's tent, he arrived later than Wang Lu and Sima Jin because he had to wait for the two fifth officers of the Guanzhong Army.
All arriving officials and entourages stayed at the foot of the mountain, and only attendees were allowed to go up the mountain. Bai Qi stood in front of the tent. When an officer arrived, he greeted Bai Qi on both sides and led him into the tent.
There was a mottled wooden table in the middle of the tent, probably used by Bai Qi on a daily basis. There was nothing on the table. Bai Qi said: "There are no seats in the tent, but we should choose a suitable place to sit down." The four fifth officials sat down, and Wang Hao was called by Bai Qi outside the tent. They stood with him to greet the generals in the meeting and discuss some matters casually.
Sima Jin came alone, Bai Qi didn't even let him enter the tent, and directly asked him to stand outside the tent with him.
Wang Ling brought the most people, a total of four five officials, two county lieutenants and one soldier, who arrived last. Bai Qi, Wang Lu and Sima Jin welcomed them into the tent together.
