A crescent moon slowly climbed up, the stars gradually dimmed, and the night was already deep.
Several people in Niugao who liked to drink got drunk, shouting loudly and gesticulating. He was saying words that he didn't know what he meant and that others couldn't understand. As long as there is someone around, he will be pulled over.
Wang Xiaolie and Li Yanxian moved aside, sat on the chairs, and looked at the beautiful crescent moon in the sky.
After a while, Li Yanxian said: "When we were rescuing Shaanzhou at the beginning of the year, I only felt that Dengzhou's army was very capable of fighting. They forced the Jin army back in one battle. Only when I came to Xiangyang today did I realize that there are so many reasons behind it. .”
Wang Xiaolie said: "Most things in the world are not difficult. If you really pay attention to it, study it carefully, and do it seriously, you will never do too badly. This is the case with my army. Starting from me, all the way to the bottom Soldiers, they have been studying war for the past few years. Officers study how to command operations, and soldiers study how to cooperate and fight on the battlefield. In a few years, they have become what they are today."
Li Yanxian sighed: "If I hadn't heard from Zhen Fu, I wouldn't have known that I could lead the troops like this. Most of the soldiers in Shaanzhou were so excited that they gathered around me and lived and died with me. There was a sense of high spirits on the battlefield. His spirit is just rough compared to Zhenfu’s men.”
Wang Xiaolie looked at the sky. After a while, he said: "Everything has pros and cons, how difficult it is to get the best of both worlds! Now my soldiers and horses should have a better understanding of war than other armies. They all have their own opinions on how to command and how to fight. But there are One shortcoming is that the morale of the army is not high. When the battle goes well, morale is naturally high. But when the battle does not go well, it is very troublesome. I have always been cautious and rarely participate in battles that are uncertain, and I have never encountered this situation. But in But I can feel it during normal drills.”
Speaking of this, Wang Xiaolie remembered that he failed to save Luoyang two or three years ago. He took the lead and charged in, and the morale of his men was like a rainbow. Everything that happened at the time seems like a dream when I think about it now. Now that he has grown in size, this army is no longer what it used to be.
Li Yanxian said: "People are always greedy for life and afraid of death. If they are not motivated by loyalty, how many people can be calm and composed on the battlefield? As a general, you must be as brave as a dragon on the battlefield and cannot flinch. If not, how can the soldiers do it? Risk your life and forget your own death!”
Wang Xiaolie shook his head: "This is not what we have observed in our army. When it comes to war, no one will retreat unless ordered to retreat. Why? Because all the generals and soldiers who participated in the war know that it is easier to retreat than to fight. If you lose, you are more likely to die. After practicing a lot, this view has long been deeply rooted in people's hearts and has become instinctive."
Li Yanxian was stunned. Said: "This is the first time I have heard of this method. Most of the soldiers who join the army are illiterate and don't understand many principles. It is not easy to make them understand such principles!"
Wang Xiaolie said: "That's why we always have teachers in our army, who are like instructors. Whenever they have free time, they teach the soldiers how to read. Over time, most of them can know some common words. Once they are literate, many things will be good for them. said."
Reading and literacy can not only acquire knowledge, but also broaden your horizons and broaden your thinking. A society in which most people are literate is fundamentally different from a society in which most people are illiterate.
Li Yanxian thought for a while, then shook his head and said: "After listening for a long time, I still don't know what Zhen Fu meant when he said that the military morale is not high. From what you said, the soldiers are considered brave and resolute in fighting, so how can they have military morale? What about morale?”
Wang Xiaolie raised his head and looked at the moon in the sky. Slowly said: "Because in this world, people are very strange. You think that if you explain it thoroughly, everyone will understand the truth, and everything will go smoothly. But you don't know that if the truth is explained thoroughly, people will have to think for themselves. Persuasion. You have to tell them why they joined the army and who they are fighting for. This theory does not make sense, and there is a problem with the morale of the military."
When the Song Dynasty was founded, Song Taizu once said that he wanted all military men in the world to study. But not many years later, during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty, the same Song Zhenzong who wrote the "Poetry to Encourage Learning" made it clear that generals did not need to study, and even specially promoted illiterate generals. Why is this happening? Because in the eyes of some people, illiterate people are rude, but loyal. Loyalty is the most important quality in their eyes. Of course, in fact, loyalty or disloyalty has nothing to do with whether the general is literate or not.
Not only in this era, but also in the past and later, many people believed that military commanders and soldiers did not need to think, they only needed to execute orders. There are even many people who believe that once generals and soldiers know the characters, they will have too much to think about and it will be difficult to manage them.
Is that so? See what kind of army it is. For some armies, this cannot be said to be unreasonable. But Wang Xiaolie didn't want that kind of army, he wanted the people's army.
Who are you fighting for? Why fight? These two simple questions are related to the fate of an army.
Li Yanxian shook his head. The nature of his own army and his style of leading troops meant that he had no worries in this regard. Li Yanxian now couldn't understand what Wang Xiaolie was worried about.
Chen Qiudao, Chen Yuyi and Wang Ruohai were impatient with the noise of several generals, so they came to Wang Xiaolie and sat down.
Chen Qiudao said: "The two governors are chatting happily here. I wonder what they are talking about?"
Li Yanxian said: "At the beginning of the year, Wang Zhenfu rescued Shaanxi Province. Due to the emergency of the war, we did not have the opportunity to sit down and talk together. Today we have free time, so we just chatted. The two of us and Zhai are observing. Right in front of the Central Plains, we need to support each other. yes."
Chen Qiudao nodded: "I heard that Wu Shu will lead his troops west to Luoyang, and there will inevitably be a war."
Wang Xiaolie said: "Wu Shu is going to Shaanxi, at least he will not go south to Xiangdeng. In a decisive battle with hundreds of thousands of troops, we small characters are not qualified to participate. As long as we stick to the place, don't be underestimated. That’s good.”
Wang Ruohai said: "If Wu Shu leads troops into Shaanxi, we can lead a large army into Luoyang and cut off his retreat!"
Wang Xiaolie shook his head with a smile: "Where did the Jin army find its retreat? After occupying Luoyang, Wu Shu just changed his route. The Central Plains has been destroyed, and more than half of Luoyang's strategic value has been lost. In a short period of time, Unless the Jin army moves its capital to Kaifeng Prefecture, it will be of no use."
Several people chatted about the current situation for a while, but there was nothing new. The Central Plains became a scorched earth, Luoyang's strategic value was greatly reduced, and there was no reason for a war. The focus of the war between the north and the south was Jiangnan and Sichuan and Shaanxi, but the middle ones were the calmest.
Li Yanxian said: "I just heard Wang Zhenfu say that what he is most worried about now is the morale of the army. I think we have won two games in a row this year, so why should we worry about the morale of the army? Speaking of which, I realized that Dengzhou Army is different from me."
Chen Yuyi said: "Actually, the army is calm, and the morale of the army has not changed much."
Wang Xiaolie sighed: "There has been no change, which is what makes people worry. In less than two years, we have recruited 50,000 troops, but there are more than 3,000 deserters! Don't think this is a small matter, this is a big deal! The deserters left They joined the army, and they arrogantly formed a gang and became a force. It can be seen that deserting is a normal thing in their eyes. If this continues, what will happen!"
At this point, Wang Xiaolie felt helpless: "Sometimes, when I say it too many times, some people find me verbose. Some people even think that what I say makes no sense. Now that we have enough money and food, what is there to worry about? I tell you If you cannot solve the problem of why soldiers join the army and who they fight for, big trouble will happen in the future!"
During China's Anti-Japanese War, Sichuan was the largest source of troops. During the eight years of the War of Resistance, more than three million Sichuanese came out of Sichuan to replenish the army's supply of troops. When Wang Xiaolie first read this, the propagandists were all very impassioned. It is said that there is no Sichuan and no troops. How many people died and how many people went back. The Chinese people can never forget Sichuan and so on. When Wang Xiaolie read it for the first time, his blood boiled with excitement.
What is the actual situation? Most Sichuan people came out of Sichuan to be drafted into adulthood. La Zhuangding was dark and cruel, like prisoners on the road, being strung up one by one with straw ropes. Most of the people died on the road and had no chance to go to the battlefield. New China had just been founded, and there were many literary and artistic works in Sichuan dialect that accused La Zhuang Ding. All kinds of tragic scenes make people cry.
On one side, a large number of Sichuan people participated in the war, and on the other side, most of the able-bodied men died on the road. What do people think about such efficiency? Is the Republic of China regime responsible for La Zhuangding? The Anti-Japanese War was a just war, but it was such a reality. How should future generations view it?
Now Wang Xiaolie's army, as well as the military system and mobilization system, only have a preliminary structure. If we don't pay attention, when the moment of decisive battle comes, who can guarantee that the army and the government will not act like they are trying to make a fool of themselves?
Wang Xiaolie considered the political issues of the army precisely because of such worries. An army must solve the problem of who to fight for and why. Once it is solved, other problems will be solved.
