"Well, you handled it quite appropriately this time. When you go back, submit the merit report documents and I will ask for merit for you!"
"Thank you for your support, Governor!" Liu An bowed again and walked back to the door before turning around and leaving the house. He hurriedly walked out of the Governor's Mansion. Only then did he exhale a long breath, and his heart hanging in the air fell to the ground.
"Colonel Captain!"
"Tuantou!"
"Goro!"
When the people waiting outside the door saw Liu An coming out, they quickly gathered around and asked silently. Liu An waved his hand and said with a wry smile: "Don't even ask, I'm so nervous inside, who can give me a drink of water!"
"I have it here!" Cui Hongdu quickly took off the water bag from his waist and handed it over. Liu An took it and took a few sips. He smiled and said: "Okay, this water is really good. Just now when I was waiting for the announcement in the Duhu Mansion, I just thought to myself that I don’t know if I can drink any more water!”
"The head of the group was joking again. You came out just moments after you entered. How could you be so thirsty?" Cui Hongdu said with a smile.
"What do you know!" Liu An sneered: "I'm not thirsty, I'm obviously scared. If the guards punish me for being cowardly in front of the enemy, causing the city to fall, and just push him out and behead him, I still have water to drink. Really? Thanks to Wen Zuo, who thought up a reply for me, I passed this level!"
Everyone's eyes suddenly focused on Wang Wenzuo again, and he smiled: "Colonel, I have already inquired. The momentum of Baekje's rebellion this time is extremely fierce. Except for Sixian, the Tang Dynasty's cities in Baekje Almost all of the city has fallen, and all the reinforcements sent out except ours have been defeated. If the Protector punishes you again, wouldn’t it mean that everything is defeated. We are alone, and if our morale collapses, the consequences will be disastrous!"
"That's it! No wonder you were so sure, Saburo!" Liu An suddenly realized: "Then why didn't you tell me and let me worry in vain?"
"Captain Lieutenant, let me tell you first. If the Protector finds out, what will he think? It would be better if you scare him. It will look like you are sincere and frightened in his eyes!"
"That's true!" Liu An thought about it and smiled: "Just now the Protector said he wanted to ask for credit for us!"
"really?"
"Then Wulang, aren't you going to be Colonel Guo Yi (deputy chief of Zhe Chong Mansion)?"
Seeing everyone smiling, Wang Wenzuo just stood aside with a smile and said nothing. Liu Renyuan's approach is completely in line with the principle of "happy funerals". The more unfavorable the situation is, the more heroes and role models must be established. The current situation of the Tang army in Baekje can be said to be extremely bad. As long as Liu Renyuan is not a fool, he will not cling to these trivial matters. Not to mention Liu An and the others won the battle, even if they lost the battle, they must be well praised. Ichiban, let the rest of the people have a look. But this is also a good thing. After all, no one wants to fight under the command of a fool.
"Sanlang, why don't you look very happy?" Liu An, who had recovered from the excitement, saw Wang Wenzuo standing aside and smiled: "Is it because of merit? Don't worry, who deserves the credit for this matter?" Everyone knows that you must be the first on the merit list!"
"Brother Liu, that's not what I'm worried about!"
"What is that? We are all back alive, what is there to worry about?"
"Brother Liu, Jinhyeon City has now fallen into the hands of Baekje thieves, and the land passage between Sihyeon and Silla has been cut off! We are now surrounded by enemies on all sides and are isolated and helpless! It is precisely because of this that I am worried! "
Everyone fell into silence. Although these few were only mid-level and low-level officers, they all knew that the Tang army came at the invitation of Silla when they came to attack Baekje. Without the support of Silla, they would be nothing more than a distant army. As a lone army in a foreign country, failure is just a matter of time.
"Then simply give up Sisi City and go to Silla to get food!"
"No, after the fall of Jinhyeon City, the land route to Silla has been cut off. If we go to Silla and cannot capture Jinhyeon City, and if we retreat and there is no walled city to defend, wouldn't we be committing suicide?"
"How about getting on the boat and crossing the sea back to Denglai?"
"It's winter right now, and the sea is very windy. Crossing the sea by boat is just courting death!"
"Yes, and this is considered an escape. Even if I go back, I will not be able to escape the punishment of military law, and my family will be implicated. I would rather die here, at least I will not implicate my family!"
Everyone was talking and arguing, but no one could convince the rest. Finally, everyone turned their attention to Wang Wenzuo, like a sailor in a stormy sea looking at the captain.
"It's not up to us to decide what to do next. After all, this is the matter of the Protector and Chang Shi!" Wang Wenzuo said solemnly: "But there is one thing we can do!"
"What's up?"
"Raise money!"
"Money?" Everyone was stunned when they heard this. After a while, Liu An asked: "Wen Zuo, the situation is so critical, why do you need money? In my opinion, it is better to find a way to get more food first. The food is enough for the military." It’s safe!”
"Of course food is important, but we don't need to worry about this!" Wang Wenzuo replied: "The Duhu and Chang Shi are not fools. They will definitely gather all the food in the city and distribute it according to the ration. We will raise the funds." You have to hand over some food after all, so why waste your time?"
"Then why raise money?"
"Pay military pay! Give soldiers monthly pay!"
Pay? Everyone present had a look of confusion on their faces. It turned out that the imperial military system in the early Tang Dynasty was originally founded by Yu Wentai, a powerful minister in the Western Wei Dynasty. It was originally modeled on the early tribal military system of Xianbei in the Northern Wei Dynasty. Yuwentai gave the ninety-nine surnames from the founding of the Northern Wei Dynasty to his generals, and the soldiers followed the surnames of their respective generals, forming a relationship similar to that of a family army. Afterwards, the system changed. Generally speaking, the soldiers in the government army came from the middle and upper classes of society. Their families were exempted from labor taxes and they prepared their own war horses and weapons. In times of war, they were called out to fight, and the government did not need to provide military pay. At most, they provided military pay. Rations and corresponding rewards according to military merit. In the hundreds of years from the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, most armies were like this. When soldiers did not receive military pay, everyone naturally did not understand what Wang Wenzuo was talking about.
"It's the reward!" Wang Wenzuo explained: "Brother Liu, your family is about to harvest wheat. If you don't have enough manpower, please ask someone to come to your house to help. Why don't you give them one or two bushels of new wheat?"
"Of course I have to pay it!" Liu An replied: "But the soldiers are all servants, do they have acres of land at home, and they are exempt from labor tax, so why should they be paid again?"
