On October 24th, during the light snow solar term, the Central Route Army officially set off from Xinye and marched northward. Most of the supplies traveled by water, upstream along the Baihe River, to Nanyang County. From Nanyang County, part of the route goes north through Lushanguan, and then transfers from Lushan County to Ruzhou. Most of them go to Fangcheng and Ye County and along the highway to Ruzhou. For the past few days, the sails on the Baihe River have been connected together like clouds.
The sun had just risen and the soldiers of the Northern Expedition officially left the city. The cars and horses rustled, bringing a sense of solemnity in the winter morning.
After drinking Zhuangxing wine for the soldiers, Wang Xiaolie stood on the roadside and quietly looked at the soldiers on the expedition.
Wang Ruohai said: "After returning from Junzhou, the results in the past six months have been really good. The soldiers who left the city today are more disciplined, their formations are particularly neat, and they seem to have a murderous spirit. An army that can fight is indeed indispensable for training."
Wang Xiaolie said: "Of course it is indispensable. Whether the army can fight depends on its Qi. This Qi cannot be explained clearly, but it is actually there. To practice this Qi, training is indispensable, and actual combat is indispensable. Let's It is indispensable for officers to be able to read and understand, as well as to have ordnance. But these indispensable things are not necessary at some point. When ordinary people look at the army, they only see strict discipline, bright firearms, and a disregard for death. But if the general sets his sights on When these things are mentioned, the most important things are often missed.”
Wang Ruohai said: "The speeches of commander-in-chief are often mysterious and mysterious."
Wang Xiaolie said: "Things in this world are inherently mysterious. How is it possible to explain them in simple terms? It's just that most people don't understand the mysterious content and have to explain complicated things. It's simple. Counselor, when we have fought more battles, you will see that the army is different from now. This Northern Expedition is different from the past. Our army has grown, and it is time to regain the lost land."
Wang Ruohai looked up at the army in front and saw nothing different. He said: "According to what Marshal Jie said, does our army have the spirit now? It has been several years since we established the army, we have been practicing continuously, and it has taken a lot of effort."
Wang Xiaolie said: "A little bit, but it is still far from enough. They need to fight and develop their own energy in actual combat. These soldiers need to see the enemy's ferocity in actual combat and be able to defeat them. ! They need to see the expectations of the people, how the people who suffered in the war look south day and night, hoping to see the Han army. They need to tell the people in the occupied areas that no matter how ferocious the enemy is, this army will be invincible! Their victory will inspire the people not to succumb to the enemy's power. This invincible army will also get the support of the people. Wherever they go, the people will believe that peace is coming, and the enemy will surely fail. That’s when I really felt inspired.”
Wang Ruohai smiled bitterly: "What Commander Ji said is really desirable. But, does such an army exist in this world?"
"It all depends on human effort -" Wang Xiaolie raised his head and saw a sun peeking out from the east.
Not far from the city gate and out of the guarded area, both sides of the road were crowded with people seeing him off. Most of these people came from Hebei and Hedong. They fled south due to the war and settled down near Xinye. After many hardships, I miss my hometown all the time. Today, when we saw the army officially starting its Northern Expedition, everyone was excited and crowded on the roadside to see the army off. Some people could not control their emotions and cried involuntarily.
Behind them is a team of migrant workers transporting supplies. Line up according to county and district, and follow the troops assigned to you when they arrive. This team is so huge that it can be seen as far as the eye can see.
After watching for a while, Wang Xiaolie asked Wang Ruohai: "Have you made arrangements for how to march along the way?"
Wang Ruohai said: "It has been arranged. This Northern Expedition is no better than other battles. If the army goes northward and does not drive away the enemy captives and restore the Central Plains, it may not be possible to come back. The amount of supplies to be transported is not a small amount. The civilian men collected, Recruitment was based on one soldier and three people. The civilians from Xiangyang and Dengzhou in the south transported the supplies to Nanyang County and rushed back. From other places, some used carts to go to Fangcheng, and some used pack animals or even manpower to cross with the troops. Lushanguan. These people gathered in Baofeng and returned to their hometowns in batches. Their work was taken over by Ruzhou civilian husbands."
Wang Xiaolie nodded: "Yes, if we don't win the final victory, it's hard for the army to come back. One soldier and three people should be enough to travel, but I'm afraid it won't be enough for a war. We can't imitate the Jin people and forcefully recruit them when a war begins. To sign an army, it is necessary to make arrangements early. The basic principle is that civilian laborers transporting materials can be used to pay for the corvée, and one day of civilian labor is equivalent to one and a half days of corvee service. If the number of people serving is insufficient, money and hiring will be provided. In the frontline areas, civilian laborers participating in the war There must be a special policy. They are worse than the soldiers, but better than the ones in the rear. If they die in the war, they should be treated like the soldiers who died in the battle. The people of Ruzhou should not be able to support so many troops, so they must start from Tangzhou in advance. , Caizhou and other places to recruit people."
Wang Ruohai said: "Commander, don't worry, I will make arrangements myself."
Wang Xiaolie said: "Wars will be worse than usual. Life will be more difficult, and people will die. This is unavoidable. Policies must be issued in a timely manner, inform the people, and let the soldiers know. The people can understand, actively participate in the war, and support the army. , is normal. Our military is deeply rooted in the people, breathing and sharing the same destiny with the people. This is not a slogan, just shout it. Instead, there must be corresponding policies to clearly show this. We must let the people understand that this army is the people's army and it participates in wars for the people."
Wang Ruohai said: "Jie Shuai has said this many times, and I understand it."
Wang Xiaolie turned to look at Wang Ruohai. Said: "Do you really understand?"
Wang Ruohai felt a little panicked when Wang Xiaolie saw him. After thinking for a while, he said, "I really understand."
Wang Xiaolie looked at the marching army and said: "I think you still don't understand. In fact, it's not just you. There are not many people in this world who can truly understand this. Mencius said, Those who gain the Tao will be helped a lot, but those who lose will be helped. The Taoist has few helpers. People often use this sentence to talk about the importance of people's support. But few people can explain why sharing the same fate with the people is the Tao. Consultant, if you want to understand this sentence, you must start from Think about the Tao. The army and the people stand together not just to gain the support of the people, but because this is the Tao itself."
Wang Ruohai nodded. I just don’t understand what Wang Xiaolie’s words mean.
Wang Xiaolie said: "I said that the army has its own Qi. If this Qi exists, the army will be invincible. When this Qi is released, all kinds of problems will appear. To explain this Qi, start with the selection of soldiers, Firearms, training, etc., all make sense. But this spirit cannot be explained by simple selection of soldiers, firearms, training, etc. Many people feel that they understand the selection of soldiers, firearms, etc. You are familiar with the army. In fact, this is not enough. Counselor, let’s see more and think more along the way. You must really understand why the army should be with the people and how to be with the people. This determines The fate of our army determines the fate of the country."
Wang Ruohai raised his hands and said yes.
When we say that the army is the people's army, many people think they know it, and it would be nonsense to say more. How could it actually be that simple? Why should the army be the people's army? What is a people's army? There are very few people in the world who can explain this clearly.
Many people feel that they are familiar with the founding of New China and the People's Army. In fact, it's not that easy. When it comes to building an army, learn to have political commissars. To share the same fate with the people, we need land reform. How is this possible? impossible.
People from later generations have a point of view that is significantly different from that of the ancients. Later generations clearly know that human civilization is developing forward, and people's lives are getting richer and richer. Many ancient people believed that the world was unchanged and that future generations would just repeat their predecessors. This different view of the world will bring about many differences.
If you know that the world is developing, you will understand that many practices of later generations will not work in this era. For example, in land reform, land should be given to tillers and landowners should be overthrown. In this era, the population is only one-tenth of that of later generations, and land is not scarce. What would you change? What needs to be done now is to provide sufficient means of production to the homesteaders to make them richer, thereby promoting the development of other industries.
The military must be based among the people. This era certainly has a different look. Compared with other places, the Song Dynasty was relatively wealthy. The army does not need to eat chaffy vegetables, nor does it need to be harsh on itself. They want to win the battle, always win the battle, and use victory to win the support of the people.
