The army went out to war.
Fifty thousand people and horses lined up in a row, stretching for several miles. The march was very quiet, except for the occasional snort of the horses and the "tat-tat-tat" of the horses' hooves, there was nothing else.
Li Qing turned his head and looked at the army behind him. The soldiers were not full of fighting spirit and determination to win as he had imagined. Everyone's faces were extremely serious.
This is not a drill, let alone an act.
Once a war breaks out, no one can guarantee that they will survive.
Looking back, Li Qing sighed softly, picked up the chicken drumstick in his sleeve and started to chew on it.
Before leaving, Xiaopang secretly stuffed this into him, along with two fist-sized oranges.
Although the army was all cavalry, unlike Li Qing's pre-expected scene of thousands of horses galloping, the marching speed was not very fast. The horses walked at a leisurely pace, about the same speed as an Olympic walking race. They could only cover about forty miles in an hour.
In addition to burying pots to cook rice, the soldiers could not walk very far in a day while sleeping.
Five days later, we officially entered the vast grassland.
The grass is lush and green, and the field of vision is very broad. When the wind blows, the grass waves become one, which is really beautiful and even makes me feel better.
The grass bends when the horses' hooves step on it, and soon it raises its head again, and then is trampled down again, but it won't be long before they will hold their head high again.
This is the tenacious vitality given to them by nature.
Marching in autumn, the weather was the most pleasant, but Li Qing still felt seriously unwell.
During the day, the autumn tiger was vicious, and at night it was extremely cold. Riding on the horse all day long, my bones felt like they were about to fall apart.
As dusk fell, Zhu Di issued an order for the entire army to rest and reorganize.
The soldiers buried pots to make rice, set up camp, and fed the horses wherever it was convenient.
Li Qing also just learned that there are strict regulations on excretion during marches and battles. You can't just pee or poop when you want. It must be at a fixed time and place, and it must be buried in a unified way afterwards.
Not for environmental protection, but to hide traces.
Along the way, before the battle started, Li Qing felt tired and scratched all over.
Inside the tent.
Song Guogong Feng Sheng sat on the commander's seat, and Zhu Di sat on his left hand. The two planned the march route. Li Qing listened, watched, and ate quietly without saying a word.
"There are still about 1,200 miles to go, and we are close to the target." Zhu Di pointed to the sand table with a piercing look, "My lord, do you want to divide your troops and march in an encirclement manner?"
Feng Sheng took a sip of tea, stared at the sand table and frowned slightly, "This is indeed the best place to divide the troops, but... Your Highness, it's good to be able to recruit people, but we can't fight a war just for the purpose of recruiting people!"
"It is the best policy not to waste a single soldier, but if something goes wrong..." Feng Sheng said seriously, "We have all the advantages. If there is another mistake, how can we explain it to the emperor?"
The old guy knew that Zhu Di wanted to make great achievements, but he was different. At this point, he had no progress and only wanted "stability" in everything.
In a battle that must be won, it would be great fun if the enemy troops break through and run away.
Zhu Di is a prince. At most, he will be reprimanded and receive some mild punishment. He will be different. Maybe even the prince will not be able to survive.
After being cautious all his life, he didn't want to capsize when he got old.
He is the commander-in-chief of this army. If something goes wrong, he will be the first to take the blame. He really doesn't want to take risks.
Feng Sheng was afraid that Zhu Di was eager to make contributions, so he quickly advised: "Your Highness, the emperor has high hopes for you, you must not let him down!"
The meaning of his words is very obvious. The emperor has made it clear that he wants to train you. If you finish this battle honestly, the benefits will be yours, but don't make any mistakes.
Zhu Di naturally understood, but with such a great opportunity, he didn't want to just hand in a passing answer.
However, Feng Sheng is the coach of the army after all. Although he is the protagonist, it is not easy to openly disobey the coach.
Zhu Di was a little reluctant and looked at Li Qing, "Li Jianjun, what do you have in mind?"
Li Qing swallowed the food in his mouth, ignored Zhu Laosi's winks, and said, "I think the official's words are reasonable."
Lao Zhu's intention was very clear, that is, he was asked to gild, and if the battle was won, the fourth child would eat meat and he would drink soup.
Even if he really didn't waste a single soldier, he would still drink the soup. Of course he didn't want to take the risk.
This time, he is the leader of Lao Feng.
The coach and supervisor were unanimous in their opinions, and Zhu Di was helpless.
"Okay, then let's do what the Duke wants!"
Seeing that Zhu Di listened to the advice, Feng Sheng relaxed a little, chatted for a few words, and then went back to the camp to rest.
After Li Qing finished making the last piece of iced watermelon in the fruit plate, he burped and said, "It's getting late. Your Highness should take a rest early. I will take my leave."
"Don't worry!" Zhu Di took out the wine bag from his waist, "It's a long night, just drink two glasses and sleep soundly."
Li Qing: "..."
Are you using this to test the supervisor?
"Your Highness, it seems that drinking is not allowed in the army, right?"
"Who told you that no one in the army can drink alcohol?" Zhu Di asked in surprise, "When my father came to the throne, he completely lifted the prohibition on alcohol. You didn't know this?"
Li Qing scratched his head, "Can I still drink during a war?"
"What's wrong with that?" Zhu Di said with a smile, "Wine can relieve the depression in the military camp, and wine can inspire soldiers' pride. Wine is a good thing!"
"Wouldn't drinking cause trouble?" Li Qing asked curiously.
Zhu Di laughed and said, "Drinking will not cause trouble, only drunkenness will cause trouble.
Before going on an expedition, soldiers would prepare a large wine bag to relieve the pain of marching, but no one would drink it all in one go. Drinking does not violate military orders, but being drunk will be severely punished. "
"That's it." Li Qing nodded.
Thinking about it, the military camp is already depressing, and they have to fight on the battlefield. The psychological pressure on the soldiers can be imagined. If Yin doesn't let him relieve his stress with a few sips of wine, trouble is likely to occur.
The alcohol of this era was not as strong as the liquor of later generations, and it was not as easy to get drunk.
"So... want two drinks?"
"Then it's better to be respectful than to obey." Li Qing chuckled, "Can't you just drink it dry?"
"Wait, I'll get someone to get a leg of lamb."
When Zhu Di saw the young man stepping forward, he immediately smiled with satisfaction.
The power of the Supervisory Army is not small. Once Li Qing is taken care of, there will be more room for strategic maneuvering.
He still wanted to submit a perfect answer sheet.
…
The roasted lamb leg is golden in color, sizzling with oil, and when you pull it with a knife, the aroma comes out.
Zhu Di put it on Li Qingman and touched it gently, "Come on, do it."
"Dry."
Li Qing drank it all in one gulp, grinned, and ate happily.
"Don't just eat, drink instead."
"Drink."
Half an hour later, Zhu Di was a little drunk, but Li Qing was still rosy and very sober.
"Your Highness, we've finished drinking. Can we stop here today?"
"No, this is just the beginning, I haven't had enough fun yet."
Mother, I don't believe I can't conquer you... Zhu Di said boldly, "Come here, bring another jar of wine."
"Your Highness, isn't this bad!?"
"It's okay, feel free to drink."
An hour later, Zhu Di's cheeks were red and he was already seventy percent drunk.
Li Qing is still in the same condition, he can eat, drink, and brag.
"Your Highness, it's getting late, I have to go back to sleep." Li Qing said with a smile, "Another day, another day~"
Zhu Di was speechless. He drank two jars of good wine in vain, but the matter was not accomplished. Not to mention how uncomfortable he felt.
"Wait a moment."
"Is there anything else, Your Highness?"
"Yes." Zhu Di simply stopped pretending and directly showed his cards, "I still think recruiting security is the best option."
Li Qing slowly shook his head, "I think it's inappropriate."
"..."
Zhu Di was shocked. Didn't he say that he was short-handed and soft-spoken?
Even if you don't agree, you don't have to be so direct, right?
Damn, two jars of good wine were wasted. I barely touched the leg of lamb. You bitch... Zhu Di suppressed his anger and said, "What's wrong?"
Li Qing sighed and said with sincerity: "Your Highness, the Emperor has high hopes for you, you must not let him down!"
Why do these words sound so familiar?
Zhu Di scratched his head, and when he came to his senses again, Li Qing had already walked out of the tent.
…
In the next few days, Zhu Di had a dark face and never said a word of nonsense to Li Qing.
There is nothing to say to such a person who eats people and is soft-spoken.
Li Qing was also happy and enjoying the scenery of the prairie all day long.
The sky is blue, the grassland is endless, the wind blows, and the grass is low.
Beautiful, so beautiful.
Li Qing secretly sighed: If in future generations, it would be great to drive an off-road vehicle here for a self-driving trip.
Oh, by the way, I will not be able to afford an off-road vehicle in future generations.
As we got closer and closer to the goal, the march changed from day to night, and the soldiers looked more and more serious.
Li Qing's heart was racing, he was both nervous and excited.
