The military tent of the Tang Army.
"This is the meaning of the letter from the Governor!" Wang Wenzuo put the letter away and said with a smile: "What do you think I should do? Should I go or stay?"
The officers exchanged glances with each other, but no one spoke. After a while, Cui Hongdu said: "Joining the army, since the governor has let you make your own decision, what else can we say?"
"You Hongdu, you actually used the Governor to suppress me!" Wang Wenzuo laughed and cursed.
"How can I use the Governor to suppress you!" Cui Hongdu complained incessantly: "If you want me to use spurs, spears, and bows to draw strength, I won't hesitate. But even the Governor allows you to decide to join the army. This is my point. How dare you say more about your knowledge!"
"yes!"
"What Lao Cui said is right, I really don't dare to say anything like this!"
"You decide whether to go or stay in the army. No matter what, I, Master Shen, will obey your orders!"
Seeing that everyone trusts him so much, Wang Wenzuo is a little relieved, but also a little worried. He is happy that his hard work over the years has not been in vain and has won the hearts of everyone; but he is worried that if he loses his backbone, what will happen here? Is there anyone who can step up to the plate?
Just when Wang Wenzuo was hesitating, singing suddenly came from outside the tent. Wang Wenzuo frowned: "It's the fifth watch, who is making any noise in the camp?"
"I'll go out and have a look!" Gu Cihang walked out of the tent and came back a moment later. He smiled and said, "It's the people who went out to log wood and came back. On the way, a Baekje farmer started singing, and the others also joined in. For a while, I can’t stop!”
"Oh, that's okay!" Wang Wenzuo said with a gentle expression, "Hey, how could a Baekje citizen sing "Wu Guo"?"
"I guess I learned it while watching a play!" He Baoyong said with a smile: "Every time I go to a play, those Baekje people are the most crowded and learn the fastest. If they sing on the stage, there will be people who follow them when they go out. I can still learn a lot."
Zhang Junyan said: "Yes, yes, they also like to sing when they are working. Listening to them sing will not make you tired!"
"It's true!" Shen Faseng said with a smile: "My uncle's house is by the canal. I heard from him that the slender man likes to sing some minor tunes when he is working, which can increase his strength. And no matter what he sings, the official People don’t care, just pretend they didn’t hear anything!”
"That's true. It's easy to get angry when people are angry! You can't lose a piece of meat if you let them sing a few tunes!" Yuan Aolie said.
Seeing everyone talking and laughing, even He Bayong and Yuan Aoli, who usually looked down on the Baekje people the most, had forgotten the ridicule and insults. Wang Wenzuo also breathed a sigh of relief. At this time, he was most worried about these soldiers. There is no doubt that they are all true warriors, but they also have the common problems of all ancient warriors - arrogance, discrimination against the weak, rough treatment of the conquered, and habitual insults and ridicules. Although they also know that if they want to completely defeat the Nationalist Army, they cannot do without winning the hearts and minds of Baekje, but those things that seep into their bones will always be revealed unknowingly. It would be fine in normal times, but now there are 4,000 Baekje civilians in the camp, and the number of enemies outside is several times that number.
It is true that the Baekje civilians did not directly participate in the battle, but they undertook most of the heavy and dangerous labor. Without their support, the Tang army would not have been able to build such a strong fortress so quickly in the heart of the fertile valley at the foot of Rencun Mountain. The fortress cannot repel the enemy's siege many times. So after he leaves, will his successor be able to maintain internal balance and hold on to this stronghold?
"Everyone!" Wang Wenzuo's voice rang in the big tent, and everyone immediately stopped talking and laughing. He took a deep breath: "I have decided to rush back to Sixian City in response to your summons."
Wang Wenzuo's choice did not surprise most people. Almost every warrior had an extremely strong ambition for fame. Although Rencun Mountain City was a dazzling trophy, it was nothing compared to Zhouli City. After all, it was only there. It was the "capital" of the rebels, and the puppet king Fuyu Fengzhang was also in Zhouliu City. Besides, hasn’t Wang Wenzuo already completed a large part of the work of besieging Rencun Mountain City? Even if another latecomer captures the mountain city, it is impossible to ignore his original contribution when rewards are given in the future. Everyone asked themselves, if they were to change places, they would make the same choice as Wang Wenzuo. The most important thing now is who can take over Wang Wenzuo's position and become the leader of the camp. Thinking of this, everyone subconsciously raised their chests, eager to hear their names.
"Cui Hongdu, Yuan Aolie, and Yuan Fei. You three will follow me back to Sixian City. Shen Faseng will temporarily take over my duties, and He Bayong will be his deputy general!"
Hearing Wang Wenzuo's appointment, there were sighs of disappointment among the crowd. Master Shen tried his best to suppress his joy, stood up and bowed and said: "General, I will obey the order. Please don't worry if you join the army. General, I will stick to the fortress and never make any mistakes!" "
"Very good!" Wang Wenzuo nodded: "Of course I can rest assured that you are cautious in handling things. Although there are many traitors, neither the Japanese nor the Baekje are good at siege equipment. Our camp has been completed, and we have enough food and supplies. There are enough tools, and as long as you don’t fight in the wild, there is nothing the thieves can do. But there is still one thing I am worried about, and that is the Baekje civilians in the camp!"
Master Shen was stunned, his eyes widened with an expression of hesitation, which was what he would do when he was not sure.
"Are you saying that there are spies of thieves among those civilians? But that's not the case, right? They work very hard, how can they be spies of thieves?"
"No!" Wang Wenzuo waved his hand: "These Baekje people are very loyal, but what if some of you bully or treat them unfairly? Even the most honest farm cattle will go to the horns if they are provoked. It’s human, let alone human! No matter how strong the fortress is, it can still be breached from the inside!”
"How could we bully--" Shen Faseng just finished speaking in general, and then he was speechless. Of course, he knew that Wang Wenzuo was not unfounded. He nodded solemnly: "Don't worry, I will treat those Baekje people fairly, and I will never No one will be allowed to bully them!"
"That's good!" Wang Wenzuo raised his voice: "You have to remember that fairness is not exactly the same. The soldiers of the Tang Dynasty are our robes, and the people of Baekje are the latecomers. Naturally, the status of the former is higher than that of the latter, but this It does not mean that the former can treat the latter arbitrarily without being punished. Let me use an analogy. The soldiers of the Tang Dynasty are war horses, and the Baekje civilians are cattle. The war horses need more soybeans in their fodder than the cattle. But if the war horses kick If you beat the cattle and rob them of their fodder, even the best horse will have to eat the whip! Do you understand now?"
