Tutai was on the main road east of Junzhou and was once very prosperous. In the past two years, trade routes have been blocked and there has been much depression. Wang Xiaolie set up his headquarters in this small town, which suddenly became lively.
It was getting dark, so Zhang Chi left the barracks and waited for a while in a teahouse on the roadside. Not long after, Chi Yuping arrived, and the two of them walked along the avenue to a tavern not far away. The tavern was full of people and very lively.
Zhang Chi said: "Drinking is not allowed in the army, but the tavern in the town is a good business."
Chi Yuping said: "Yes. Drinking is not allowed in the army, so everyone would have run out. Fortunately, at noon, I sent my soldiers to book a seat here, otherwise I don't know how long it will take."
The two of them were talking and were led by soldiers to a small pavilion nearby.
When walking through the hall, many officers were frightened and looked nervous when they saw the commander coming. Some deliberately turned their faces away, pretending that Zhang Chi and Chi Yuping couldn't see them. Some looked at the two people and didn't know what to do.
Zhang Chi and Chi Yuping turned a blind eye to this. No matter how familiar the person was, he just pretended that he didn't know him and walked into the cabinet.
This pavilion was recently built, and the mud on the wall has not even dried. Open the window to the south and let in a cool breeze.
Sitting down at the table, Zhang Chi said: "Many people outside are very nervous when they see us, which is really embarrassing. If you ask me, it is better to allow the army to drink. How can soldiers stop drinking?"
Chi Yuping said: "There must be a reason for the commander-in-chief's arrangement. As time goes by, no matter how good the wine is, he will gradually stop drinking."
Zhang Chi shook his head, obviously not believing Chi Yuping's words.
The military is a big consumer of alcohol, and many even have their own liquor stores. There is a celebration banquet when a battle is won, and there is a drinking banquet when a battle is lost. There are almost no officers who are not good at drinking. It was at this time that Yue Fei drank in the army and beat one of his generals half to death. From then on, Yue Fei never drank and gave up drinking. How many people in the world can be like Yue Fei? There are still many people who like wine.
Chi Yuping said: "Lin Wei led the cavalry to clean up the outskirts of Junzhou these days, and there was no big battle. If not, where would we have the opportunity to come out and drink? According to reports from my subordinates, the outskirts of Junzhou will be cleared in two or three days." .The war is coming."
Zhang Chi said: "This Li Zhong is really a talent. Although there are not many cavalry, the people who are holding him hostage are endless. There are his people everywhere for dozens of miles around. It will take five or six days just to clean up the outside." "
Chi Yuping said: "This is what bandits like Li Zhong are like. If they are not sent out to search for food, wouldn't they starve to death if they were crowded in the city? However, the entrance and exit of the city cannot be checked too strictly. Xu Xu sent people into the city to ask his The details are clear.”
Zhang Chi asked hurriedly: "How many people does his army have? They claim to be 200,000, but we estimate that it is less than 10,000. The difference is really huge."
Chi Yuping said: "There are only six thousand combatable soldiers in the city. It is difficult to find out how many people are being held hostage. Anyway, the more food you grab, the more people will follow. Once the army is short of food, many people will Just left."
Zhang Chi said: "With only 6,000 soldiers, we are really overkill!"
Chi Yuping said: "Before coming to Junzhou, Commander Jie's judgment was absolutely correct! If it weren't for the request not to hurt the people as much as possible, the city would have been broken! Now we are just gathering the people who were held hostage by Li Zhong, and rescuing the local people who were devastated by the rebel army. People, so wait two or three days.”
Zhang Chi said: "I've visited Junzhou City. If he can guard it for a day, Li Zhong is considered capable!"
Chi Yuping smiled and said: "Although Junzhou City is not big, its defenses are still strong. Can you break it in one day?"
Zhang Chi said: "Now that we have artillery, it will not take half a day for a city wall like Junzhou to collapse a city wall. Once the city wall collapses, can Li Zhong still hold on? If he has that kind of ability, there is no need to be like this." Who is Li Dutong? When we were defending Shaanzhou, if we hadn't rescued it in time, we wouldn't have been able to defend it. Not to mention Li Zhong!"
Speaking of the past, Chi Yuping didn't know what to say for a while, so he drank a glass of wine with Zhang Chi.
In Shaanzhou back then, it was Zhang Chi and Chi Yuping who advanced into the city and helped block the Jin army from attacking the city. The two of them have made military exploits in succession, and now they have been promoted to the level of control. Zhang Chi is the deputy commander of the first regiment of the Chinese Army, and Chi Yuping is the commander of the cavalry. There was no fighting in the past two days, so the two of them met for a drink to relieve their boredom. I have been assigned to not be on duty tonight, so there are no restrictions.
In Wang Xiao's hunting army, the division-level headquarters has a complex source of personnel, while the regiment-level control is relatively simple. Zhang Chi and Chi Yuping have both risen from the lowest level in the past few years. They stand out as the ones who truly lead the troops.
After all, Wang Xiaolie is still a warlord. No matter how much he trusts others, military power must be firmly in his own hands. The commanding officer at the first level is the key to Wang Xiaolie's control of the military, and he basically uses his own people. These people joined the army as civilians and grew up under Wang Xiaolie. There is no need to doubt their loyalty. They are the ones who actually command and kill the enemy on the battlefield. The addition of others will not have much impact on the combat effectiveness.
After drinking a few glasses of wine, Chi Yuping said: "It's only been three years, but I didn't expect our army to be like this. Who wouldn't be frightened when they heard the news about the Jin Army? Now, how can we still take them seriously? Three years Over time, we have fought several battles with the Jin Army and have not lost a single battle. To be honest, now I just want to fight a few battles with the Jin Army and see which hero it is!"
Zhang Chi nodded: "Yes, who would have thought of it? When I joined the army, the number of people was small and the order was chaotic. It was all dependent on the generals to lead the expeditions. It is different now. Everything has rules and everything has its own rules. The law is no longer what it used to be.”
After chatting for a while, Zhang Chi said: "The attack on the city in a few days will mainly rely on my troops. I heard from the deputy capital commander that the artillery regiment has transferred thirty cannons and they will arrive in the next two days. According to previous tests, as long as With a few cannons, you can control a city wall. With thirty cannons, according to my estimation, you can knock down the city wall in one round. This battle will not take too much time, as the commander said, it will be a quick victory. !”
Chi Yuping said: "If Commander Jie said a quick victory, it must be a quick victory! In so many years, how often have you seen Commander Ji say empty words?"
Zhang Chi nodded in agreement. Yes, in the past few years since joining the army, when have I ever seen Wang Xiaolie talk empty words? Before this war, Wang Xiaolie said that he wanted a quick victory, so it must be a quick victory. If you can't do it, you have to review yourself.
Have two glasses of wine. Zhang Chi asked Chi Yuping: "What about you? Apart from the cavalry assigned to Lin Wei, I didn't see any other cavalry going out."
Chi Yuping said: "Li Zhong's army doesn't have many horses at all, which makes me useless. After the city is broken, if Li Zhong escapes, I will lead people to chase him. However, with Wang Yan guarding the west, where can Li Zhong escape? go?"
Zhang Chi said: "Wang Yan is also a fierce general. The Eight Character Army under his command is a powerful force in the world. If there are not many people, how can Li Zhong be his opponent? Commander Jie said that Junzhou is a place of death and Li Zhong has no way to escape. I see this battle "What the commander-in-chief wants to see is how well our troops are practicing, not just winning a battle."
Chi Yuping nodded: "That's right. This Li Zhong is really unlucky, and now he runs into our hands."
Zhang Chi said with a smile: "It's his fate. What can be done? The Jin army is attacking Sichuan and Shu. How can Liangzhou and Yangzhou accommodate him? The only way out is to go to Jinzhou and find another way out. In fact, if we didn't , I'm afraid they can't even defeat Wang Yan. It's just that our army is nearby, and Wang Yan doesn't want to use his own strength. With three thousand soldiers and horses, Wang Yan's losses will not be small if he defeats Li Zhong."
