Liu Daogui's voice increased slightly as he spoke faster, and his gestures became more and more determined: "We are facing adversity now. We don't know the outcome of the battle ahead. Jingzhou is alone behind the enemy and is surrounded by enemies on all sides. At this time, we need the concerted efforts of all the troops in Jingzhou, rather than being suspicious and defensive of each other. Xiao Shitou, I hope that starting from you, we can build true trust inside and outside Jiangling, and throughout Jingzhou."
Zhu Chaoshi's eyes were shining brightly. He stood up and gave a formal military salute: "Brother Dao Gui trusts me so much, how dare you disobey me?! It's just that I am currently in a state of sin, and have not yet been pardoned by the court. I have no military position. To command this army of ten thousand people, it would be unjust and unjust. I would also like to ask Brother Dao Gui to give me a false position such as joining the army, or appoint a general as the nominal commander, and I will assist him and exercise the power of commanding the army on his behalf. .”
Liu Daogui pondered for a moment and said: "What you said makes sense. Everything needs a title. Although I am the governor of Jingzhou and the general of Zhengxi, I have the power to do things conveniently in Jingzhou, but you were the general of Zhengnan and the governor of Jiangzhou. He Wuji is in charge and is not one of my subordinates. Although he has returned now, I cannot privately give you a position above general before the appointment from the imperial court. Where is Zang Tao?"
Zang Tao stepped forward, stood in front of Liu Daogui, and said loudly: "Brother Daogui, Zang Tao is here."
Liu Daogui nodded: "Ah Tao, you are now the commander of the army. In this battle, you successfully ambush and captured alive the chief and deputy leaders of the enemy's pursuit fleet. You have made a great contribution. Based on this merit, I will name you the school's gangster." General, when the official appointment from the imperial court is issued, the word "inspection and correction" can be removed."
A trace of joy flashed across Zang Tao's face, and he shook his head in disbelief: "Really, have I really become a general? Brother Daogui, are you kidding me?"
Liu Daogui smiled slightly, stepped forward and pinched Zang Tao's face hard, just like they did when they were children playing: "San Tao, does it hurt?"
Zang Tao laughed and said, "It hurts me so much. Brother Dao Gui, you are still as heavy-handed as when you were a child. However, now I understand, this is not a dream, this really makes me a general."
Liu Daogui's eyes flashed with approval. Seeing that his little brother, who had been in the army for many years, was finally promoted to the position of general due to his meritorious service, he was also happy from the bottom of his heart, but he still said calmly: "Ah Tao, you Remember, war is the fastest time for soldiers to get promoted, and it is also the fastest time for soldiers to lose their lives. Think about Brother Wuji, who was a military officer, a general who conquered the south, and a governor of a large state, but he still survived the battle and sacrificed his life for the country. , don’t be too happy too early, only by eliminating the demon thieves can the country be at peace, and only then can you retain your position as general, and even be promoted further, and benefit your descendants!"
Zang Tao nodded seriously and said: "Brother Daogui, I have memorized your teachings. You promoted me to general in order to be the nominal Jiangling garrison, right? Brother Shitou is the actual commander, right?" ?”
Liu Daogui nodded, took out a token from his arms, handed it to Zhu Chaoshi, and said in a deep voice: "Zhu Chaoshi obeys the order!"
When Zhu Chaoshi saw the token, he quickly knelt down, because this token was not the military token of General Zhengxi, but Liu Yu's token of General Zhenbei, or even a special royal gold medal, representing the imperial power of the Sima family. , in the hands of Liu Daogui, even with this gold medal, even a general of Lu Zongzhi's level can kill first and then show off.
Everyone's expressions also changed. Everyone knew the authority of the Zhenbei Order. Zhu Chaoshi gritted his teeth and knelt on the ground, not daring to reach out to take it.
Liu Daogui said seriously: "Zhu Chaoshi, in the name of General Zhengxi, I now grant you the position of one of the five soldiers under General Zang Tao to join the army and act on behalf of General Dangguan. This gold medal is to make it easier for you. , if someone publicly refuses to carry out your orders, or even humiliates and contradicts you with words, you can use this token to kill them. In Jiangling City, you have the right to kill everyone from General Zang below!"
Zhu Chaoshi gritted his teeth: "This token is too heavy. I, a defeated general who is about to be punished, may not be able to bear it. I still ask General Zhengxi to take back his life."
Liu Daogui shook his head: "It is because you are a defeated general who is waiting for punishment that you need this more. I am in Jingzhou and can speak like a mountain without this token, but you can't. Those who are not convinced by you, even You are a spy of Tianshi Dao. They will use your lack of power as a general to defy you and even openly confront you. I want you to guard Jiangling as a member of the army. I want you to have a mountain of military orders. You must have this token. If you don't accept it anymore , then I can only use the authority of this gold medal to force you to take orders."
Zhu Chaoshi's eyes were sparkling with tears. He raised his hands above his head and received the gold medal respectfully. He said loudly: "Thank you, Brother Daogui, for your trust. I, Zhu Chaoshi, swear here that I will do my best to defend Jiangling City."
Liu Daogui said sternly: "What I want you to do is not just to guard Jiangling City. Many of your old colleagues, such as Wang Hong and others who escaped from Jiangzhou, are also in Jiangling now. You must work together to defend the city." Jiangling, and even the entire Jingzhou, recruit troops, adjust grain, rectify ordnance, and build ships. Starting tomorrow, the army of the generals and I will set off and be distributed to various places. The rear area of Jingzhou will be left to you, and all the military supplies for the front line will be handed over to you. , the reinforcements all depend on you, as well as the civil warriors and civilians in Jiangling City to supply them, there must be no shortage of supplies on the front line, if this happens, I will definitely take it upon you!"
Zhu Chaoshi said loudly: "Brother Daogui, don't worry. As long as I have something to eat and something to wear in Jiangling, I will never let the soldiers on the front line starve or freeze. I will definitely work overtime to complete the armament and recruitment tasks, and supplement front."
Liu Daogui nodded with satisfaction: "You have a gold medal in your hand, so you can do things cheaply. If the time is right, you can also take Baidi City to the west, attack the Qiaoshu army, march south to Changsha and Baling County, and cut off the return path of the demon thieves. However, , these are all extra. Your most important task is still to defend Jiangling, guard the rear, and ensure the supply of the front. Don't lose the fundamentals because you are eager to make meritorious deeds. If Jiangling makes a mistake, even if it is Brother Jinu, It’s impossible to save your life anymore!”
Zhu Chaoshi said loudly: "As long as Chaoshi is alive, he will live and die with Jiangling. Within a month, I will definitely make full use of my Zhu family's old connections in Jingzhou to ask them to send troops and food from the old memories of each township and village. I am confident that the 10,000 troops you give me now will become an army of 30,000 in a month!"
Liu Daogui laughed and said: "Very good, I can feel at ease with you guarding the rear. Generals, let's go back to our respective military camps and make preparations. Early tomorrow morning, we will go out to defeat the demon thieves!"
Everyone drew their swords and shouted in unison: "Destroy the demon thief!"
