After a few rounds of wine, tofu stewed with fish bones was served in a large pot.
Wang Yan picked up a piece of tofu and ate it, and praised: "It's really a good thing! Although it's not meat, it's better than meat!"
Wang Xiaolie smiled. Many vegetarian dishes in later generations used tofu instead of meat. And the fish stewed with tofu does have a special umami taste.
I ate several pieces in a row. Wang Yan put down his chopsticks and said, "I've only heard of tofu, but I don't know how to make it. I didn't know how delicious it was until I ate it today. Xiaosheren, everything in Kaifeng is so expensive now. It's a good thing to know how to make tofu. I wonder if I can teach you how to make it." I?"
Wang Xiao hunted the fork hand: "The lieutenant said it too politely. This is not a rare thing. Tomorrow you send a few people to our army, and I will just ask them to teach you. This thing needs a stone mill, and our army The mason has just beaten it, so he will make another one in the same way."
Wang Yan thanked him. He has a better impression of Wang Xiaolie. Like Wang Xiaolie, Wang Yan's army was also short of money. Moreover, among the more than 10,000 of them, it was impossible to buy food from other places. They could only wait for it to be shipped from the imperial court. It’s hard to have no money. Although Wang Yan was not as embarrassed as Wang Xiaolie, life in the army was not good.
Chatted for a while. Wang Yandao: "It's summer now. The Jin soldiers fled north. We should have crossed the river and regained the lost ground. Unfortunately, Zong Liushou is in poor health and lacks the talents to cross the river, so we have to wait like this. This is not the way to go."
Wang Xiaoxing said: "What do you want the Taiwei to do? The Taiwei's army is tens of thousands, the Bianhe River is blocked, and it is difficult to stay in Kaifeng for a long time."
Wang Yan nodded: "Yes. I'm waiting now. I'll stay behind, gather troops and horses, and cross the river to go north. If we can't, it will be difficult."
The Eight-Character Army has more than 10,000 people. They are truly elite soldiers and strong generals, far beyond the comparison of other armies. The Bianhe River has been silted up for several months, and Kaifeng Prefecture lacks manpower. Zongze is also unable to direct the entire states along the Bianhe River, and there has been no dredging. Without the grain and rice shipped from the Jianghuai region, what would the people of Kaifeng eat? Especially when the surrounding area is destroyed by the Jin Army. Wang Xiaolie, who has hundreds of people, can think of his own solution, but Wang Yan can't.
After chatting about the situation for a while, both Wang Xiaolie and Wang Yan felt pessimistic. But what the next step will be depends on Zongze.
Zongze is getting old, and Wang Xiaolie knows that his remaining days are numbered. I am in Kaifeng Mansion, to put it mildly, just waiting for the day when Zongze leaves. Zongze's death will directly change the situation in northern China.
Wang Yan was confused. He could see that it was difficult for Zongze to persist. He didn't know what to do next. Unlike Wang Xiaolie, Wang Yan was a regular soldier of the Song Dynasty. The Eight-Character Army was a rebel army recruited by Wang Yan in the Taihang Mountains, but Wang Yan himself had always been an official.
After drinking for a while, Wang Yan said: "I heard that the Holy One has plans to station in Yangzhou. Yangzhou is a prosperous place, and there is a lot of food and grass in the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers. I think I can stay there. If something unexpected happens, I want to lead the troops south. From now on, it depends on the court. It’s decreed.”
Wang Xiaolie didn't speak, just listened quietly. People of this era are different from myself. The education from his previous life clearly explained Zhao Gou's whereabouts and clearly pointed out that he was passively avoiding war. Everyone knows that if you want to resist the Jin Dynasty, you cannot rely on Zhao Gou. People today are different. What they know is the legend of the mud horse crossing the river and Zhao Gou's extraordinary destiny. In their eyes, if they want to resist the Jin Dynasty, they must rely on Zhao Gou.
That's what Wang Yan is. A large part of his plans for the future rested on Zhao Gou.
Wang Xiaolie didn't want to talk about this matter in depth. Talking too much would be troublesome.
After drinking a bowl of wine, Wang Xiaoxue said: "We can't hold on if we stay behind. There are so many troops in Kaifeng Prefecture. I don't know what to do."
Wang Yan shook his head slightly and said nothing. Except for a few armies, it is hard to say that Kaifeng Prefecture has a large army. There is a saying that goes like this. Zongze is here, these people are rebels. If Zongze is not around, they will become a group of thieves.
Except for a very small number of people, not many people are born rebels. Properly handled and able to win people's hearts, Kaifeng Prefecture's army can become an official army. But apart from Zongze, how can there be such a talent in the court now? Historically, they scattered into groups of thieves. The big reason was that their successors were not good enough. After spending so many days in Kaifeng City, Wang Xiaolie and Wang Yan could tell.
With so many armies, they must fight. If they don't fight, something will happen if they get together. It's a pity that Zongze is not in good health this year. As summer enters, the army is still slow to move. Now in the city of Kaifeng, people's hearts are floating, and people are making trouble every day.
Speaking of this, Wang Xiaolie and Wang Yan were in a bad mood, and they avoided talking after a few words.
After a while, Wang Yan said: "Today I have brought a few people with me. They have been with me since I was in Shaanxi and are familiar with the affairs of the army. I will stay with you first to teach you the affairs of the army. If you want to lead troops, It’s not easy.”
Wang Xiaolie nodded: "That's what the captain said. I had hundreds of people under my command for a month and found everything difficult. Before I came to Kaifeng, I had been fighting with the Jin army. I didn't feel it at that time. It was just a fight anyway. After entering the city of Kaifeng, I realized how difficult it was when I had nothing to do every day. I didn’t know what time I had to get up every day, what training I was doing, and what the army was doing. I was afraid that they would go out to cause trouble, and the soldiers were not allowed to leave the city without an officer. . What's the big deal if this keeps going on? No matter how strong the army is, it will become useless."
Wang Yan said: "I don't know the rules of the army. A strong army can only emerge from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. Those who don't know how to lead an army will die, and the rest will be elite soldiers and strong generals. Only those who know how to lead an army can develop a strong army." Come."
Wang Xiaolie deeply believed in this statement. It’s not that you can’t build a strong army without military experience, it’s that you can’t train a strong army. Some people are born with talents and talents. They don't know how to fight, but they can still fight their way out in the mountains of corpses and seas of blood. If you fight more battles, you will naturally lead troops. But without fighting, just relying on military training will not work without military experience. Wang Xiaolie knew that he was not a natural military genius and could not rely on fighting to train his troops. There may be people like that in this world, but they are not me. If you want to bring out strong soldiers, you have to think of ways to train them.
With an extra lifetime of experience, countless more knowledge, and basic military knowledge, Wang Xiaolie believed that he could lead a strong army. With the army, we have the right to speak in this world. Political power comes from the barrel of a gun, and other things follow.
After drinking until he was slightly tipsy and seeing that it was getting late, Wang Yan said goodbye and left. It can be seen that Wang Xiao's hunting army is short of money. The dishes served today are actually not expensive, but Wang Xiaolie watched them being cooked and was already paying attention to them.
After seeing off Wang Yan, Wang Xiaolie called Wang Zhong, pointed to the five people left behind and said: "These five are lieutenant generals of Wang Taiwei's army. They are staying here to teach us how to train our troops. They are distinguished guests in our army and cannot be ignored. Yes. You arrange a place for them, and it must be comfortable. Also, they must have food and wine every day. If they are short of food one day, I will take it upon you!"
Wang Zhong hurriedly sang the promise. But he was muttering in his heart, Xiao Sheren himself couldn't do it every day, but he was so kind to these people.
Seeing Wang Zhong leading people to make arrangements, Wang Xiaolie sat down and rubbed his forehead. In this era, soldiers are the generals. If the relationship is good, it is not unusual for Wang Xiaolie to ask Wang Yan to send a few veterans. Wang Xiaolie didn't want this.
Those who come from Wang Yanjun are treated as distinguished guests. Not only to satisfy them, but also to teach yourself carefully. He also wanted to prevent troubles in his army, and not to see them having good food and housing and causing trouble. It's actually not easy to figure out the right balance here.
Treat the people who come as distinguished guests, clearly tell your subordinates that they are different, and do not compare treatment with them. In this way, you can entertain these people well and let them teach with their heart. If life is not good, who has the heart to teach others?
