To the north of Daxia Gate, at the foot of Beimang Mountain, in the Xuanwu Field.
The generals, big and small, in the various camps of the Forbidden Army and the Internal and External Army were standing at their respective positions, quietly waiting for the arrival of the commander-in-chief, General Jiang Ji, and the Central Guards Xia Houxuan.
In this dynasty's system, the third-rank leader is the head of the Forbidden Army. He is in charge of the five battalions of the Forbidden Army's 20,000 soldiers and is responsible for the security of the inner palace of the imperial city. The Zhonghujun, who is also a third-grade officer, is the deputy commander of the Forbidden Army. He is in charge of the 10,000 sergeants of the fourth battalion of the Forbidden Army and is responsible for the security of the outer city, city, and city gates of the imperial city.
Under the command of the Zhongling Army, in addition to the 4,000 people of the "Leading Army Battalion" under the direct command of the Zhongling Army himself, there are also the officers of the three inner battalions of the "Zhonglian Battalion", "Zhongjian Battalion" and "Wuwei Battalion", as well as the five major battalions of the "Five Schools" The commander is also directly responsible to the leader.
The two camps, Zhong base and Zhongjian, were the camps created by the Ming Emperor himself when he was in power, with a total of 6,000 people on foot and cavalry. The new commanders of these two battalions are Cao Xi, the fourth-rank midfield general, and Cao Ze, the sixth brother of Cao Shuang, the fourth-rank backbone general.
The Wuwei Camp is the imperial guard camp set up by Emperor Wu Cao Cao. It has a total of 5,000 elite infantry and cavalry. It is the most important camp in the imperial army. The new commander is the fourth-grade Wuwei General, who is the fourth brother of Cao Shuang and Cao Xi. , Cao Xun, who is proficient in martial arts.
The three brothers Cao Xi, Cao Xun, and Cao Ze took control of more than 10,000 imperial troops in one fell swoop, which was of great significance to General Cao Shuang's dominance of the court.
The Fifth School Camp is the camp with the most complex organization and the most diverse types of troops among the internal camps of the Forbidden Army. The reason why it is called the Five Schools is because this camp has five battalions of soldiers under the command of Tunqi, Yueqi, Infantry, Changshui, and Shesheng. Each battalion has thousands of elite soldiers. , the five schools’ camps totaled five thousand elite soldiers.
The commander of the fifth school camp, the fourth-rank commander of the fifth camp, was Xia Houxuan's brother-in-law and the second son of Gu Guang Luxun Hexia. Although He Kui holds the position of the fifth school governor and has the largest number of soldiers under his command, his authority is not as great as that of Cao Xi and Cao Xun. This is because the fifth captain is usually directly held by the emperor's close relatives and relatives. In terms of authority, the five captains under his command can be directly responsible to the central commander and the emperor. As for the fifth captain He Kui, the fifth captain is only responsible for daily drills. , contact and gathering only.
He has five battalions under his command and five captains from the fourth rank. The post of Tunqi captain is commanded by the eight-year-old Sima Jun, who oversees thousands of Sili's elite cavalry troops.
Although this Sima Jun is young, he is born with supernatural powers and his physique is similar to that of a twelve or thirteen year old boy. He can even wear two pieces of iron armor and draw a military horn bow. Not only that, he is now familiar with many classics of Confucianism and military strategists, so that he can hold the two important positions of regular attendant of scattered cavalry and captain of garrison cavalry.
The infantry captain was still held by Bian Lin, the nephew of Queen Wuxuan Bian and the younger brother of Bian Lan, the late Marquis of Kaiyang. Under his command, there are 1,000 elite infantry troops in the northwest.
Changshui Xiaowei is now the elder brother of the Empress Dowager Guo, and he often serves Guo Zhi on casual cavalry. Under his command, there are a thousand Huqi in Xuanqu, Changshui.
The Yueqi school captain and the Shesheng school captain were respectively held by Zhen Yi and Zhen Chang, two sons of maternal relatives. The two men commanded a thousand Wuyue Hu cavalry and archers and crossbowmen respectively.
The leading camp under the personal command of the leading general Jiang Ji, as well as the generals of the Zhongjian, Zhongbao, Wuwei, and the five schools who are directly responsible for it, are under the control of the three brothers Cao Xi, Cao Xun, and Cao Ze, He Kui, and Sima Jun, Under the leadership of nine officers, including Bian Lin, Guo Zhi, Zhen Yi, and Zhen Chang, the assembly was quickly completed.
Xia Houxuan held the position of Central Guards. In addition to directly controlling the "Guard Camp" with 4,000 people, he was also directly responsible for the "Xiaoqi" and "Guerrilla", two Forbidden Foreign Army camps with a total of 6,000 people, as well as The city gate captain was in charge of the twelve city gates of Luoyang and commanded a thousand gatekeepers. In addition, the Central Guards Army is also responsible for the selection and election of military attachés and generals. Therefore, although it is a deputy position, its power can be said to be as important as that of the Central Guards Army.
The Hujun camp under the personal command of Xia Houxuan, as well as the large and small officers of the Xiaoqi and Guerrilla battalions, soon also supervised Xiahou Feng in the Hujun camp, as well as two new officers: the fourth-rank Xiaoqi general Yishou Tinghou Yu Huan, and the fourth-rank commander Under the dispatch of three guerrilla generals, Yingyin Hou and Chen Tai, the assembly was quickly completed.
The city gate captain needs to ensure the safety of the twelve city gates at all times, so he did not come to the school grounds today.
At this time, the two commanders of the imperial army, Jiang Ji, the leading general, and Xia Houxuan, the central protector, saw that all the generals had assembled, so they came to the center of the general stage at the Xuanwu Field.
At this moment, all the officers, big and small, have arrived. All they have to do is wait for each battalion to finish reporting their duties, and then proceed to the military attache selection assessment and performance reward reporting that happens every few months.
[Note 1: The imperial army system of Cao Wei was more complicated than that of the Han Dynasty. The organizational structure and powers of each battalion written in this article were revised after the author’s research. As for the strength of each battalion, the author made up the fiction at his discretion after researching historical facts as much as possible. 】
Although the various departments of the Forbidden Army were actually under the direct command of Jiang Xiu, Cao Xi, Cao Xun, Cao Ze, He Kui, and the five captains, as well as Xia Houfeng, Yu Huan, Chen Tai and others, the Central Leading Army and the Central Protecting Army were nominally He is responsible for the supervision and supervision of the Forbidden Army, and the Central Guard Army also holds the power to appoint and remove all military attachés, large and small. Therefore, in the Xuanwu Field at this moment, the officers of the nine internal and external battalions of the Forbidden Army are naturally the leading generals. Jiang Ji and Xia Houxuan, the Central Protector of the Army, were respected.
"Have you heard that the newly appointed Central Guard this time seems to be from a noble family? Look, he looks like a scholar. Does he know how to recognize people?"
"Hmph! I just hope he won't be like the former general of the army guard, who has to collect hundreds of pieces of silk to become a tooth guard general. Thank God!"
These forbidden troops are whispering at this moment, saying that the former guard general who is corrupt by nature is none other than Jiang Ji and Jiang Zitong, who are currently the leading generals. Due to Jiang Ji's excessive bribery, there was even a song among the people in the army: "If you want teeth, you should get a thousand horses; if you ask a hundred people to supervise, you should get five hundred horses." Therefore, it is no wonder that the officers and soldiers of the Forbidden Army complained so much.
"Quiet!" On the high platform in the distance, Qian Hong, who served as the captain of the personal guard under Xia Houxuan, saw the commotion in the camp, so he shouted loudly: "Generals of each camp, please count the number of people immediately and prepare to report on their duties!"
Although many of the generals who were exploited by Jiang Ji were unhappy at the moment, they were all well-trained imperial troops after all. After the training of Cao Xi, Cao Xun, Cao Ze, He Gui, Yu Huan, Chen Tai and others, the formation suddenly became more powerful. It became quiet.
Xia Houxuan, who was dressed in military uniform, waited until the noise in the audience was no longer so noisy, then walked down the high platform, came to the ranks, and arranged for the generals to distribute rewards according to the procedures to each of the generals who had made military achievements or were senior officers. , approve the meritorious service.
When Xia Houxuan walked to the Qiaoqi camp under his command, a veteran who had made great achievements but had not been promoted for a long time due to his upright temperament saw in front of him this young noble disciple who was only in his early thirties but was already in a high position. Time is filled with anger and anger.
Originally, based on his qualifications and meritorious service, this veteran should have been promoted a long time ago. However, because his family was poor and his character was upright and fierce, he was unable and unwilling to bribe the former guard general Jiang Ji. Therefore, now he is still an unofficial and unofficial officer. Just a veteran of the Duke.
"Hey! What on earth are you capable of, this kid!"
The veteran's chest could not be relieved from the tightness, and at this moment he couldn't help shouting at Xia Houxuan in a rough voice. Originally, the veteran knew that military laws were strict and would not have insulted his superiors so easily. However, just a few days ago, the veteran's mother was seriously ill. However, he never had any spare money, so he only grabbed a few pairs of cheap herbs. As a result, his mother became seriously ill. The situation worsened and he died, so he was disheartened and no longer afraid of military law.
Xia Houxuan suddenly heard this rude roar and was shocked, but he was not angry. He looked up and found that the person making the noise was a man in his forties, with a big beard and a fierce face. A veteran of the spirit.
"Who are you and why are you making such a loud noise?"
The veteran was doing nothing but getting more courageous. He continued to yell:
"Hmph! I can't stand you people who are so official! Why should I listen to you!"
At this moment, Xia Houxuan felt a little angry when he saw the veteran repeatedly making unprovoked attacks, but he did not lose his mind because of this. Originally, today's review of meritorious service was an emotional day for the generals. I didn't want to punish my subordinates at will, but it was the first day I took office, and there were many subordinates such as Chang Shi, Sima, Gong Cao, and Chief Secretary watching beside me. If he didn't show a little dignity, he was afraid that the military power would not be stable in the future. Therefore, after thinking about it for a while, he said to the veteran without being humble or arrogant, without losing his dignity:
"As a member of the imperial army, don't you understand that obeying military orders is the principle of a soldier? Sir Roar, according to military regulations, you should be punished with forty sticks, but this is your first offense, so today you will be given ten sticks. Come on! "
When Xia Houxuan's subordinates, Shi Qianjia and Sima Qianhong, saw the veteran insulting their commander Xia Houxuan, they were already furious. After hearing the order, they immediately shouted loudly and grabbed the veteran one on the left and the other on the right. He was holding his arm, intending to take him to the school grounds to be beaten with a cane and executed.
[Note 2: Under the leader and guard, the subordinate officials include Chang Shi, Sima, Chief Secretary, Gong Cao, Wu Guan and other subordinate officials. 】
Unexpectedly, the old soldier did not go down the steps given to him by Xia Houxuan. Instead, they started fighting. The old soldier struggled hard, and Qian Jia and Qian Hong lost their hands at the same time. The old soldier continued to roar:
"I don't accept it!"
The brothers Qianjia and Qianhong were the sons of the famous general Qianzhao. They inherited the legacy of the generals. The two brothers were already skilled in martial arts. When they were under the command of Xuanyu Linying, Xiahou, they, together with Yu Huan and He Kuan, were called "" "Yu He Erqian, the Four Elites of the Yulin Forest", but just now the veteran easily broke away from the two men's grasp, which shocked both Erqian and Xia Houxuan.
"Then, how can you be willing to admit your mistakes and commit suicide?"
Xia Houxuan looked at the stubborn veteran in front of him and suddenly became curious about him. He thought to himself, this veteran is already quite old, and his martial arts skills are even more amazing. Judging from his abilities, he can even be in charge of a battalion. Why is he only wearing the uniform of a corps commander to this day?
"As long as you can beat me and prove that you are not a coward, I will accept that you are my commander, and I, Wang Cheng, will never frown if you do whatever you want!"
As the veteran named Wang Cheng spoke, he pulled out a weighted ring-head knife hanging from his waist. When Qian Jia and Qian Hong saw this, they immediately became alert, and their hands were immediately pressed on the handle of the knife.
At this time, all the Forbidden Army officers focused their attention on this place. Of course, many of them, especially many of Jiang Ji's former cronies, were waiting to see the new chief's jokes.
As for Jiang Ji, who was standing on the high platform at the moment, he didn't say a word, he just looked on coldly. As for Cao Xi, Cao Xun, Yu Huan, He Kui and others, the formations were far apart and they were not aware of what was happening at this moment.
Although Xia Houxuan had previously made military exploits in Liaodong, because he contradicted Sima Yi, all his meritorious deeds were wiped off the roster. Therefore, in the Forbidden Army, except for the Xiaoqi battalion who had conquered Xianbei with Xia Houxuan , the rest of the camp did not know Xia Houxuan's abilities.
After all, who would believe that a descendant of Guijie can defeat a warrior who has experienced hundreds of battles?
"General, you don't have to be like this rude man, just give him a slap with a military stick and let him learn a lesson!" Qian Jia, who was beside him, was afraid that something might happen to the general, so he hurriedly tried to dissuade him.
"It doesn't matter, I don't take this person lightly!"
Xia Houxuan touched the "Quality" sword on his waist. Since his father Xia Houchang gave it to him in the second year of Huangchu, he has not allowed it to gather dust in the past twenty years:
"I want to see what this person is capable of!"
As Xia Houxuan spoke, he tapped his toes and flew towards the old warrior like a white bird of prey.
When the veteran saw that Xia Houxuan agreed to challenge him to a duel, he was stunned for a moment, then raised his sword and roared, and rushed towards Xia Houxuan.
The cold blade collided with the steel knife, making a harsh clang. Along with the clang of the iron armor on the two men's bodies, the soldiers around them suddenly became excited.
Originally, Xia Houxuan's "quality" was the sword. He only needed to apply 40% of his internal strength to his wrist. Wang Cheng had to break the steel sword in his hand. However, Xiahou Xuan was not in a hurry to win and only used 20% of his internal strength. After the two swords clashed, although Wang Cheng's steel sword had a gap, it was not cut off.
Xia Houxuan stepped on the "Cloud Walk and Rain Step" at the same time, and used the "Cao Xia Sword Technique" in his hand. The offensive became more and more fierce. Wang Cheng obviously had not learned any advanced martial arts, but he relied on his proud divine power. With many years of experience in the battlefield, he still showed good combat effectiveness.
At this moment, the sergeants in the Xuanwu Field who originally looked down on Xia Houxuan and had provocative and contemptuous smiles on their faces gradually solidified their smiles, and unknowingly became serious and nervous.
Xia Houxuan and Wang Cheng, one holding a sharp blade, saw a cold light and colorful sword moves; the other's moves were fierce and steady, making a steel sword dance like the wind, and the two of them were fighting for a while. Inseparable!
After Xia Houxuan fought with the veteran for dozens of times, he couldn't help but become more and more puzzled. This man was indeed very capable, but with such skill, why was he just an ordinary corps commander?
And Wang Cheng seemed to have not fought so hard for a long time. At this moment, he danced a heavy weighted steel knife into the wind, so fiercely that the depression in his chest for many days was immediately vented in this hearty battle. A lot came out.
Assassin Xiahou Xuan was determined to subjugate this person, so he used his most proud trick, which was to "The beasts dance, the phoenix comes to the ceremony. The hibiscus is fragrant, and the lotus is hanging down. There are cliffs in the mountains, and branches in the forest." "When the sharp sword moves came out, Wang Cheng, who was originally aggressive, suddenly became confused and panicked.
After the two fought fiercely for more than forty moves, Wang Cheng finally lost his strength. At this moment, he opened his heart and convinced Xia Houxuan. He suddenly dropped the knife on the ground, half-knelt in front of Xia Houxuan, and said with tears in his face:
"I am able to pick up the sword again today, fight with the general, and die without regrets. I just offended you, so go ahead!"
To Wang Cheng's surprise, Xia Houxuan did not intend to kill him. Instead, he sheathed the sword and patted himself on the shoulder:
"Get up!"
"General..."
Wang Cheng was once again a little confused at this moment. The person in front of him was indeed very different from the playboys he had thought of in the past. No wonder this person was so famous in Luoyang. It seemed that he was not in vain.
"Which battalion are you from?"
Xia Houxuan raised his hand and helped Wang Cheng up.
"General Qi."
Wang Cheng's tone softened a lot, and he was no longer as angry and angry as at the beginning. He continued:
"The young Wang Cheng is currently serving as the captain of the squadron in the Forbidden Army's Valiant Cavalry Camp."
After hearing Wang Cheng's name, Xia Houxuan asked Qianjia and his subordinates to get the military roster and merit book. After reading for a while, he nodded and continued to ask:
"I heard that there are many former members of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry in the Xiaoqi camp, right?"
"General Qi, I was a member of the Tiger Cavalry Battalion under Commander Cao Chun back then!" Veteran Wang Cheng saw that some people still remembered the reputation of Tiger and Leopard, and he suddenly puffed up his chest with pride.
"From today on, you will be the Yamen General of the Forbidden Army's Valiant Cavalry Battalion."
"Thank you, General, for your kindness!" Wang Cheng, who had been a veteran for half his life, could no longer control his tears at this moment.
Xia Houxuan nodded and then said:
"However, you just roared at the military camp for no reason. You must not show favoritism. You must still accept the ten military sticks to maintain military discipline."
"The general is willing to take responsibility!"
Looking at the convinced Wang Cheng in front of him, Xia Houxuan nodded, patted Wang Cheng on the shoulder, and continued to patrol the camp.
When he walked to the camp under the infantry battalion of Infantry Colonel Bian Lin, a familiar voice suddenly sounded in his ears:
"General, do you still remember me?"
