"Those things you asked about are all from the old almanac!"
The gray-haired old soldier smacked his lips: "You child soldiers in the martial arts hall will become captains, generals, and people with great future in the future. Don't always ask about old things. If you talk too much, the boss will I want to blame the old man and scold me for being out of tune all the time and talking nonsense with you."
A young man with an upright appearance and a strong physique reached out to take off the water bag from his waist, handed it to the old army with both hands, and smiled innocently: "Old man, it's nothing serious, just tell us, right? Gossip. You must know that when we came out of the Martial Arts Hall, we didn’t choose any legion, we only chose the Zhenjiang Protector’s Mansion, just because of these old things."
"What? You can still choose on your own?" Laojun looked surprised: "Aren't the martial arts students taught by the Yanwu Hall all graded according to their grades? For those with first grade, go to Xuanjia and Qilin, and for second grade, Go to Long Dao, Fierce Blade, and the B-levels will be drawn by lot to be sent to the state capitals, including our Western Xinjiang. As for the special-level ones, they will naturally be selected by the palace. You guys..."
The young man pointed to himself, and then pointed to the side: "To tell you the truth, I, this guy, and the guy holding the corpse next to me, the three of us are all special class. As for the other brothers, they are all C class. Bar."
The old army's eyes lit up: "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It turns out that you are really a highly qualified officer. After all these years, our Xinjiang Army has never been assigned to special martial arts. Could it be that the three of you are guilty? What kind of military law and discipline have you been punished here?"
"Look at what you said," the young man said slightly dissatisfied: "You don't want us to be loyal and defend the country and guard the border?"
The old army smiled and said: "Yes, yes, the old man made a mistake just now. I made a mistake. Little brother, don't blame me. But it stands to reason that the special martial arts subjects of the Yanwu Hall will be ranked among the tiger and leopard cavalry as soon as they enter the palace. The military uniforms are all It's embroidered with gold, and it's no big deal that you will be successful in the future. The three of you are willing to come to Zhenjiang...tsk tsk, it's really rare, rare!"
A handsome young man next to him smiled and said, "Old man, it's normal for everyone to have his or her own ambitions. Besides, we are only here to experience for a period of time. There is no telling where we will stay in the end."
"Oh, that's it, it's clear, it's clear." Lao Jun responded, his heart already brightening. The two people in front of them had extraordinary backgrounds at first glance. They were probably the sons of nobles in the imperial court. They came to this miserable Western Xinjiang Army purely to gain a good reputation so that they could be promoted in the future.
Thinking of this, he rolled his eyes and said with a smile: "It's okay for you to ask about the past of the Zhenjiang Protectorate. The old man will tell you more about it."
As soon as they heard that the old man was going to tell a story, seven or eight martial arts soldiers from the martial arts hall gathered around and paid close attention to the bonfire. Only one person was still lying not far away and did not move. However, his ears were also perked. got up.
Old Army: "If you want to say that we are the governor of Xinjiang, you have to start from the time when the late emperor put down the rebellion. Twenty years ago, when the Western Xinjiang rebelled, all the troops from the imperial court gathered in Liangzhou. It can be said that the military was at its peak and the mountains and rivers were swallowed up. . In just a few months, the rebels were defeated and disintegrated, and they quickly hid in the ghost desert, unable to make waves again. In order to permanently control the western frontier, the late emperor issued a special edict, ordering long swords and sharp blades to be taken. We sent out the main force, and supplemented it with soldiers from the government, to form our Zhenjiang Protectorate, and only then did we maintain the safety of this side."
A martial arts soldier asked curiously: "Old man, were you there at that time?"
"Yes, how can I not be there?" The old army said proudly, "After all, we have shed blood and made meritorious service in countering the rebellion."
"Which one did you originally belong to? The long sword or the sharp blade?"
"You ask me? I...I'm from Nancang Mansion."
"Nancangfu? Is that the famous Xiong Bingfu? The Nancangfu soldiers who are proficient in business, but have diarrhea in battle?"
Hahaha, there was a burst of laughter, which made the old army blush with embarrassment: "I said, you kids, where did you hear this nonsense? When our Nancang soldiers attacked Shule Kingdom, they were also very brave. .Okay, okay, do you want to listen to me?"
The delicate young man suppressed his laughter and said: "Old man, don't be angry, don't be angry, you keep talking, we are all listening."
Laojun shook his head helplessly and sighed softly: "Oh, but you do have a reason to laugh at me. No matter how powerful Nancang is, it can't be one ten thousandth as good as the swords and sharp blades of others. Especially the sharp blade army, They were the first to enter Western Xinjiang and defeated the rebels by themselves. It is no exaggeration to say that they are invincible. With them here, whether it is our Nancang or other soldiers, they can only follow behind and clean up the battlefield. share."
"What happened next?" The sturdy young man asked, "What happened after the Zhenjiang Protectorate was established?"
"Then? That's what happened after that." The old army smiled bitterly: "In the second year after the establishment of Zhenjiang Mansion, the late emperor suddenly passed away, and the court became a mess surrounding the crown prince's succession. Several major military factions in the Shengtang Dynasty Almost all of them got involved, and in the end, even the Red Blood Legion, which was as famous as Xuanjia, was abolished and disappeared. No one even cared about the new army like our Zhenjiang Protectorate."
He used tree branches to pull at the bonfire: "In the past twenty years, the Zhenjiang Protectorate has never carried out a large-scale recruitment of soldiers. Veterans like me have either retired from the army and returned home, or they have been left to eat and wait to die. Our combat power is down to one in ten. The imperial court issued an order the year before last, asking us to set up farming and provide military supplies on our own. Therefore, we usually mainly serve the crops. When we can't see anything, we will patrol around, practice formations, and live a good life. It has to be okay.”
As soon as these words came out, everyone looked disappointed. A few people who were not well-educated complained and cursed on the spot, lamenting that they were unlucky. They finally left the world-famous martial arts hall, but unexpectedly they were assigned An inferior troop.
The handsome young man whispered to his muscular companion: "Hey, Xu Youchang, it seems that what your grandfather told us before was the truth and he did not deceive us."
Xu Youchang glanced at him: "What do you know? I am more willing to trust Li Jiangyao than that old cunning guy in our family."
As he said that, he turned to look at the young man who was still lying there with his eyes closed, and murmured: "I think his words are absolutely correct. Murong Xue, didn't you agree with Li Jiangyao's conjecture at the beginning? ?"
Murong Xue: "I agree, but who would have thought that Zhenjiang Mansion would be in such a situation now. The soldiers are not like soldiers, the people are not like people, and they are a half-baked army."
Murong Xue called the Zhenjiang Protectorate a half-baked motley crew. Although it was a bit disrespectful, the actual situation was indeed not far off.
The soldiers and horses of Zhenjiang were originally a new army established by the late emperor Li Chengwen after he ascended the throne. The team was composed of elite forces with long swords and sharp blades, coupled with the soldiers from all walks of life who had just been baptized by the fire of war. The army of 100,000, the battle Efforts to remain at the forefront of Shengtang.
Naturally, the imperial court had high hopes for this force.
On the surface, they were the garrison guarding the Ghost Desert of Western Xinjiang and suppressing the remnants of the rebellion of the Thirty-Six Kingdoms. In fact, they were the solid Great Wall that prevented the Turkic Empire from invading eastward and safeguarded the tranquility of the Holy Tang.
However, things are unpredictable and fate plays tricks on people.
Following Li Chengwen's sudden death from illness, the eight-year-long "Fans' Rebellion" completely overturned the dynasty's political and military system. Important ministers and nobles were in danger, and the major armies were at war with each other.
The Xinjiang Army, which was isolated outside the territory, has been ignored since then.
Not to mention that they haven't recruited new soldiers in twenty years, even the weapons and equipment were left over from the last time they fought against the rebellion.
However, thanks to Shengtang's national luck, it was so good that there was nothing to say. Just when the dynasty was caught in internal disputes and had no time to take into account the security of Western Xinjiang, the Turkic Empire, which had been eyeing this place with covetous eyes, suddenly and inexplicably broke out in civil strife.
Although the Turks are called an empire in name, they are completely different from the Shengtang. They play a tribal alliance system.
Within the empire, there are the "Shangbabu", that is, eight powerful tribes: Blood Wolf, Yelun, Gold, Divine Eagle, Ghost Dou, Tianmu, Changsheng, and Yunhe, known in history as the Eight Pillars of the Turks. In addition, there are nearly a hundred small and medium-sized tribes, each relying on the eight major tribes to thrive.
Among them, the strongest blood wolf tribe has always occupied the dominant position of the Turks. In terms of population and combat power, it has steadily surpassed other tribes.
Just twenty years ago, Shandu Yimo, the leader of the Blood Wolf Clan and the Great Khan of the Turks, known as the "Mad King", suddenly went crazy.
Because he favored a beautiful Persian concubine, he actually deposed Queen Danina, and killed sixteen nobles from the descendants, staining the Turkic royal court with blood.
The Yelun tribe that Danina belongs to is the second largest Turkic tribe after the Blood Wolf. The Mad King's father tried his best to arrange the marriage between Shandu Yimo and Danina, which was a way to appease the Yelun tribe. political means.
And it is true that because of the existence of Queen Danina, the Yelun Clan has always been loyal to the Blood Wolf Khan. Not only does it not cause trouble, but it also helps the Blood Wolf Clan conquer and expand its territory.
Due to the loyalty of the second largest tribe, the other six tribes and their younger brothers are also honest, and no one dares to easily challenge the authority of the blood wolf.
The reason is very simple. If the boss and the second kid join forces, they will really destroy the clan.
However, no one could have expected that Shandu Yimo would turn out to be a lunatic who did not play his cards according to the routine, and destroyed the good cards left by his father to pieces.
First of all, this guy is similar to the emperors of the Shengtang Dynasty. He is the kind of master who likes to fight and grab other people's territory everywhere. Five years after taking the throne, and more than a hundred battles, Shandu Yimo attended almost every battle in person and was never absent. He did not look like the great khan of the empire, but rather like the leading soldier of the Wolf Camp.
As the leader of a country, it is definitely not a blessing for the Turks to spend many years fighting abroad and neglecting government affairs. There was no choice but to take on the responsibility of running the empire for her husband, the only daughter of the Yelun clan leader and the Turkic Queen Danina, leading a group of senior ministers to devote themselves to state affairs all day long.
In the 799th year of the Holy Tang Calendar, the Turks extended their black hands into the Ghost Desert. After some coercion and inducement, overnight, they succeeded in inciting Western Xinjiang and raised their flag of rebellion against the Holy Tang.
However, what the Turkic Empire did not expect was that Li Chengwen's reaction was too fast, the Shengtang army's actions were too fierce, and the fighting power of the turtles in Western Xinjiang was too weak.
In less than a month, the rebels, who claimed to have hundreds of thousands of troops, were beaten to a pulp by long knives and sharp blades. Shandu Yimo, who originally planned to lead troops to rescue and take advantage of the situation, did not even see the shadow of Gui Mo. By the time we arrive, it will be over in Xijiang.
Waiting for him at this time were 470,000 Shengtang elites who were waiting in full formation.
Danina received the news and knew that something was wrong, so she quickly sent someone to catch up with Shandu Yimo halfway and persuade him to give up the idea of continuing to move eastward - at this time, there was an all-out war with Shengtang, and the Turks could not take any advantage at all. .
Although the Great Khan was crazy, he was not stupid. He knew very well that Shengtang was not Dashi, Tianzhu, or Persia. There are more than 400,000 armored lions, not to mention defending the Ghost Desert in Western Xinjiang, even if they go on an expedition against the Turks, it is enough for him to drink a pot.
The best fighter plane has been destroyed by Emperor Li Chengwen like a thunderbolt.
However, as the saying goes: the thief never escapes.
You're here anyway, it would be too shameful to go back without catching some prey. Shandu Yimo thought about it for a while, and immediately decided to turn his army around and go straight towards the Kingdom of Persia, which was not far away from him. He cut off more than a dozen of the opponent's cities in three strokes.
However, it was this unprovoked invasion that ultimately sowed the seeds of doom for him and Danina.
