Wang Wenzuo looked to the left and right, and saw angry expressions on the faces of all those who were traveling with him. It turned out that although military laws were strict during the reigns of Taizong Zhenguan and Gaozong Yonghui, the court treated meritorious officers very generously. Not only were they given gold and silk, but also The emperor would also issue edicts and send envoys to their hometowns to express condolences and pay homage to fallen soldiers. Their descendants could also inherit the official titles of their ancestors and receive preferential treatment such as exemption from labor taxes. Therefore, every time we go to war, many people prepare their own weapons and food and volunteer to join the army.
However, since the Xianqing period, soldiers who went on expeditions rarely received rewards from the court, and those who died in battle rarely received pensions; the Tang army conquered Baekje, broke through the enemy's capital, and made great achievements in destroying the country, and did not receive official titles after returning home. , their families were often required to do hard labor (having an honorary title in the family could reduce the labor tax, which was also the main motivation for those who volunteered to join the army at that time), and there were even cases where they were convicted and deprived of the honorary title they had received for some minor offenses by the military officials. Yes, some of the trophies gained from fighting hard in a foreign country were also taken away. Naturally, these Tang army soldiers who stayed to garrison Baiji would feel chilled and become more and more resentful.
"Brother Liu, according to me, being here in Baekje is not completely without benefits!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile. Everyone looked aggrieved, but he was the only one with a smile on his face.
"What good is this remote place in the east of the sea, a place that doesn't even want dogs?" He Bayong responded angrily: "If the military order comes down in the morning, I will get on the boat in the afternoon. If I stay one more night, there will be wild dogs on the roadside. !”
"Haha!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "What you said is a bit exaggerated. It is said that Luwei Ze is the royal garden of the King of Baekje. In the past, if anyone from the royal family didn't touch it, they would be beheaded. If I hadn't come here, Without Baekje, how can we have such an opportunity to hunt here?"
"What kind of King of Baekje is just a barbarian chieftain who is crowned by a monkey?"
"You can't say that!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "Although Baekje cannot be compared with the Tang Dynasty, there are 50,000 households in Sixian City alone. Counting one person per family, there is an army of 50,000 people. And Sixian City is only one of the five capitals of Baekje. Counting other states and counties, the household registration is at least 300,000, and the number of people who win the battle is no less than 300,000. In the Tang Dynasty, this is at least the governor of a large state, right? How much blood do we have to shed and how much merit do we have to achieve before we can become the governor of a state?"
After hearing Wang Wenzuo's analysis, everyone laughed and the atmosphere became lively. Liu An smiled and said: "Listen to what Saburo said, if you were allowed to stay and be the King of Baekje, would you be very happy?"
"Why not?" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "As the saying goes, it is better to be the head of a chicken than the queen of an ox. Although this place is more remote, the land is fertile and the city is strong. If you become king here, wouldn't it be far better than returning to your hometown to suffer the consequences? Human jurisdiction?”
"That's true!" A white-faced man next to him said with a smile: "Let's talk about King Yici. He was beaten by General Su to the point where he threw away his helmet and armor and surrendered with his face tied up. But the court still moved him back to Chang'an and gave him a high official. Show your nobility, get rid of your sins, have good food and drink, how can we work hard here to achieve great achievements, and then have to be made trouble by those petty officials when we go back? This comparison is really depressing!"
"Yes, the imperial court is really kind to the barbarians and unfavorable to the Xia! It's so mean!"
"Yes, look at the barbarian chief's palace. Although it cannot compare with Chang'an Taiji Palace, it is definitely much better than the First Governor's Palace!"
"Shut up!" Liu An stopped his colleagues' complaints and turned to Wang Wenzuo: "Sanlang, what do you think of the current situation?"
Wang Wenzuo hesitated for a moment. Although the relationship between these people was very good on weekdays, they were from the same place and could be considered township party members. But after all, too much talk leads to mistakes, and I already felt a bit arrogant just after saying those words. Liu An saw Wang Wenzuo's thoughts and said with a smile: "Sanlang, the reason why I asked them to shut up just now is not because I think what you said is wrong, but because what they just said was just angry words. They said it happily but it didn't help the matter. On the contrary, they would Causing trouble. But you are different. The people here are all members of the rural party. In Baekje, they are all in the same boat. If you say something, everyone will miss you!"
"Brother Liu is serious!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "How dare I mention something when I am a young man with little talent and little knowledge."
"It doesn't matter, you just say it and we just listen!" Liu An's face no longer smiled at all: "You are right, we all owe you a favor. If you are wrong, just pretend you didn't hear anything!"
Liu An has the highest official position and the oldest age among this group of people, so he is implicitly the leader. He asked Wang Wenzuo so solemnly that everyone's eyes suddenly gathered. Wang Wenzuo knew that he could not get away with it this time, so he forced a smile and said: "Then I will just say a few words. Please forgive me if I am wrong!"
Liu An didn't say much and made a "please!" gesture.
"My little brother thinks that the current situation in Baekje is quite bad!"
"Is it because of the sound of the flute just now?" Liu An asked.
"Yes, but not entirely!" Wang Wenzuo said: "It is true that the morale of our army is not high at the moment, but this is not a big problem. As long as the general awards heavy rewards and the court honors the originally promised titles and sends reinforcements, morale will naturally improve. It will cheer up. After all, we are now in an enemy country, surrounded by enemies, and separated from the mother country by the sea. Even if we want to run, there is no place to run. In the art of war, it is a dead place. Sun Tzu said: Put yourself in a dead place and survive! There is no need to worry Some people are unwilling to fight to the death!”
"That's right!" Liu An nodded and showed a satisfied smile. Apparently, he had also thought of what Wang Wenzuo said before: "Then what do you mean by something bad?"
"There are two places!" Wang Wenzuo stretched out two fingers: "First, there is no food; second, there is no hope."
"There is no food, is this unlikely?" Liu An frowned and said: "As far as I know, the food stored in the city is enough for the entire army for more than half a year. The army can also be recruited outside the city. Besides, I have Silla to help me. As an ally, if that doesn’t work, you can still ask Silla to transport grain?”
"Brother Liu, when the chief general and Silla led an army to attack Baekje, although they destroyed the country, collected its chiefs, and brought them back to the Tang Dynasty, the centipede worm was still alive. It had been a country for hundreds of years and had many descendants. I have been so benevolent to you. When our army broke through the city, many people were killed, but the kindness was not repaid. Moreover, there were many mountain cities in the country, with more than a thousand households in the big ones and more than a hundred households in the small ones. They were dotted all over the place, and many of their chiefs occupied the cities. As for the defense, it is just a pretense of submission at the moment. Once the situation changes, how can it be that there are not one or two heroes who will rise up and restore the country? At present, the autumn grain has been harvested and stored in the warehouse. Until next summer's harvest, the fields will be grainless. We will wait until then Where do you get food from? There seems to be a lot of food for most of the year, but this is based on the calculation of more than 10,000 people in the city. If we go out to fight, it will not be enough?"
