Xiao He suppressed his smile and said seriously to the officials,
“It’s good for boys to be ambitious.
But the use of troops in the desert is definitely not like that in the Han Dynasty. Even if you send your father into battle, he may not be able to defeat the Huns. "
Lu Ze on the side nodded deeply in agreement and lectured sternly,
"People on the grassland shoot rabbits at the age of five and ride horses at the age of seven. Now you can't even get on the horse, how can you compare?
Just shouting slogans is not a skill. If you want to win the battle, you can only practice hard.
When one day your horses ride better than theirs and your arrows shoot more accurately than theirs, then it will be time to make achievements.
With your current bearish appearance, you are not even worthy of holding a horse for the Huns. "
Most of these second-generation meritorious servicemen stayed in their hometowns with their families when their fathers followed Liu Ji in the southern and northern wars. Now, even though they have entered the city, they still have the character of rural youths. Lu Ze hit him head-on and made them feel a little bit cold. Dejected, withered head and drooping brain.
Grilled under the scorching sun, they look more like rows of wilted eggplants.
It seems that the eldest brother's hot temper will never change in his life. Seeing this, Lu Fei curled his lips, took Liu Ying's hand and said to him,
"The children have been in the sun for most of the day. The prince said a good word for them, so let's leave today."
Liu Ying understood, raised her head and said to Lu Ze seriously,
"My mother just said that among these officials, there will be some who will be my pillars in the future.
Then, I will ask my uncle for a favor on behalf of the future pillar of the country. "
After that, he actually followed Shusun Tong's daily teachings and bowed to Lu Ze with proper etiquette when meeting his elders. Lu Ze was so panicked that he quickly turned sideways, not daring to accept the prince's bow.
Lu Zhi glanced at Xiao He with a smile and said,
"Brother, this hasn't changed at all. The military is still so strict and intimidating.
I have heard His Majesty say that when leading troops, there are actually two things to focus on, one is strictness and the other is love.
These children are still young and have a long time ahead. "
"Okay, that's it for today,"
Lu Ze waved his hands helplessly, and then urgently warned,
"When you return to your residence, you are not allowed to mess around. Review what I said about the Battle of Gaixia the day before yesterday. Each of you should write down five flaws in Xiang Yu's improper troop formation. I will check them one by one tomorrow.
Also, it will be the fourth watch tomorrow. Li Ji will take charge of the team and lead everyone to carry fifty arrows and run ten miles.
Anyone who complains will run five more miles. "
Seeing the young men and officials scattering in a hurry, Xiao He raised his eyebrows and said curiously,
"Are you using Gaixia to fight and teach them the art of war?
Can they understand it? "
"The Gaixia War is a living example close at hand. Most of them have heard it from their father at home on weekdays.
I borrowed it to talk about arranging troops, and it just happened to be convenient. "
Lu Ze smiled humbly,
"As for whether they understand or not, I can't control that much. It all depends on their cultivation and understanding."
He looked at the young men's backs as they dispersed in twos and threes with a smile, turned his head and looked at Lu Zhi quickly, and then added leisurely,
"Actually, when it comes to the art of war and the battle of Gaixia, there is someone in Luoyang City who can speak ten thousand times better than me.
Xiangguo is also the most familiar with this person. "
Xiao He was startled for a moment and realized that what Lu Ze was alluding to was the unparalleled national warrior who had exhausted all his efforts to recover him. He was also the King of Chu, Han Xin, who was now trapped in the city.
His eyes flashed blankly, hesitating and thinking nervously about his objections.
***
More than three years ago, Xiang Yu, the overlord of Western Chu, conquered Xianyang and divided the heroes among the heroes as the common master of the world.
At that time, after Zhang Liang's unremitting efforts in secret, Xiang Yu finally agreed to grant the three counties of Hanzhong, Ba, and Shu to Liu Ji, and named him King of Han.
In exchange, Liu Ji agreed to hand over all the 100,000 Qin troops he had received when he conquered Xianyang to Xiang Yu. He only took 30,000 core backbone troops from his hometown with him and went all the way to Hanzhong.
Most of the old troops with a total of 30,000 people came from Sishui County and Dang County. Most of these heroes and elders after entering the Han Dynasty also came from this team.
However, in addition to the fellow villagers, there were also many "vassals" from all over Guandong. Because they were not reconciled to the status quo of enfeoffment and tried to fight again, they privately followed the King of Han into Guanzhong and lurked into the abyss, hoping for an opportunity.
Among these princes, there was an inconspicuous but ambitious young man named Han Xin.
Han Xin was originally an attendant military attache in front of Xiang Yu's tent. In terms of military positions, he was considered a doctor.
Although this official position was not big, considering the embarrassing situation that King Liu Ji of Han was in when Xiang Yu drove him into Guanzhong, he was naturally happy to have Xiang Yu's attendants to defect to him in the difficult situation.
In the Han army, the first person with a keen eye to recognize heroes was Teng Gong Xia Houying.
He discovered Han Xin's great talent and recommended him to Liu Ji. The King of Han also gave Han Xin a lot of respect for his fellow countryman, so he appointed Han Xin as the Commander-in-Chief of Su Su, in charge of the logistics work of the army.
It was precisely because of this position that the then Prime Minister Xiao He had the opportunity to contact Han Xin.
After several contacts, Xiao He was completely shocked——
This young man with a delicate face and a somewhat frail temperament was the man sent by God to solve the current predicament of the Han army, help Liu Ji get out of Hanzhong, and return to the Central Plains again.
Because, even though Liu Ji had never lacked brave generals like Fan Kuai, Zhou Bo, and Guan Ying, the Han Xin in front of him was a uniquely talented man who had not been seen in a century.
Xiao He was so surprised that he repeatedly recommended Han Xin to the King of Han Dynasty, hoping that he would take the time to personally meet this potential Captain of Zhisu and listen carefully to his counterattack plan of "showing up in Ziwu openly and hiding in Chencang".
Liu Ji, who was in trouble, was depressed and always ignored Xiao He's problems casually, not taking it seriously at all.
***
During the long wait day after day, the arrogant Han Xin discovered that Liu Ji had no intention of reusing him. Annoyed, he sealed the seal of Captain Zhisu and left a letter to Xiao He with the seal. And go.
When Xiao He found out that Han Xin was gone, he was so anxious that he didn't bother to report to Liu Ji, so he grabbed a fast horse and chased Han Xin in the southwest direction where he left.
At this time, the hearts of the Han army were unstable. Since everyone came to the rich and closed kingdom of Tianfu, they had already understood Xiang Yu's ruthless intention to trap the King of Han in Bashu for life.
As a result, the passage from Bashu to Han was filled with fleeing soldiers every day.
After chasing him day and night for who knows how long, Xiao He finally recognized the dejected Han Xin among the countless disgraced deserters, so he grabbed hold of him and never let go.
After dragging Han Xin back to the capital Nanzheng, Xiao He immediately paid an audience with the King of Han.
Liu Ji originally thought that Xiao He had also left him, and was furious for the past few days. Suddenly he saw Xiao He return again. He was overjoyed and pointed at him, trembling and cursing,
"You just left, why did you come back?"
Xiao He said calmly,
"I didn't run away, I chased someone for you."
"There are several people in the army who escape every day. Which one are you chasing?"
"Chasing Han Xin."
"It's just Han Xin, is there anything worth recovering for you?"
Liu Ji was so angry that he spat fiercely.
"Because he is the king's only chance to get out of Hanzhong."
Xiao He still remembered how he answered Liu Ji's question.
"Since the Prime Minister trusted Han Xin once, why not trust him again now?"
He was in a trance. The hot Nanzheng that year suddenly turned into the scorching sun in Luoyang, and the person standing in front of him also changed into the smiling Lu Pheasant.
