The road was muddy and difficult to move. The Zhou army soldiers were exhausted and could not form strong offensive pressure. The two sides fought with bows and arrows dozens of steps away, and the large area of ​​Zhou army soldiers on the hillside gradually retreated.

Xiang Gong looked at the thick smoke after the fortifications and the chaotic soldiers around him, and could not scold the soldiers. Everyone was not a god, and he could not blame people for their poor combat conditions.

The battle gradually eased and tended to calm down. There were only a few people left on the hillside to support them, carrying the injured soldiers and walking backwards. He turned to Gong and said to Zhe Deyan, the governor of Jingnan Army, and said: "Today's test, it cannot be achieved overnight. Who is the general of the Shu army here? It's very capable."

Zhe Dejian said: "Where is a famous general in Shu?"

Xiang Gong said: "There are no famous generals, but there are still talents. This person is careful in digging trenches and setting up rails. He is not greedy for merit. His tactics are rigid, but he is very pragmatic. His subordinates cannot see anything extraordinary, but his military discipline is strict and well-organized. If we meet someone who is fair today, we will not know that we have the opportunity to seize Qingniling in one go. But we have no good idea for the Shu army to defend like this."

Zhe Dezhen bowed and said, "It is reasonable to speak to the public."

...Xiang Gong had no choice but to take the lead in going down the mountain, set up a camp in the north of Qingniling, and wait for the remaining troops to come from the two routes one after another. Soon, in the central army, he met Li Gu, the former camp supervisor who had just arrived in Qingniling, who supervised the transport of the first batch of food and supplies in various prefectures and counties.

So Xiang Gong and his generals received Li Gu, and the crowd talked in the Central Army's tent.

Xiang Gong looked at a gray-haired military general. The man was named Wang Tingyi, Wang Jing's eldest son... he was older than Xiang Gong and looked at least fifty years old, but when it came to Xiang Gong, he knew Wang Jing first and fought side by side with his brothers. If he was polite to talk about relationships, Wang Tingyi should be called Uncle Xiang Gong.

I feel a little embarrassed to say this. Xiang Gong is only forty-five years old and looks young, so he called him: "General Wang, is Wang Shizhong (Wang Jing) in good health?"

"My father is 68 years old and is still strong, but he can't stand the long journey, so he sent the last general to lead the Qinzhou army to serve him." Wang Tingyi said.

Xiang Gong nodded and said, "Wang Lao Jieshuai was getting stronger and stronger when he was old. Now I have just realized that Lao Jieshuai is in his old age." He pondered for a moment and said, "The Wang family had been in Fengxiang for many years and guarded Qinfeng prefectures for three years. There are many people here. I have to ask General Wang to find some people familiar with Shu Road and reorganize the principles of going to Hanzhong."

Wang Tingyi stood up and said, "The last general will receive the order."

After hearing this, Li Gu asked, "General Xiang will not attack Qingniling?"

Xiang Gong said: "It is the best way to walk through Qingniling on Chencang Road, and of course you have to try it; I just want to prepare other ways in advance."

"How long does General Xiang expect to conquer Qingniling?" Li Gu asked again.

"This..." Xiang Gong frowned, "My current plan is to send people to transport stones and charcoal slag to the ridge to pave a road; to build fortifications and camps near the enemy's fortifications. Then you can attack one after another.

Otherwise, if the soldiers were as eager as they had before yesterday, they would be exhausted to reach the battle formation and could not break through the Shu army's front."

Li Gu was not very happy and said, "Although the road in Qingniling is difficult to move, the Shu army has no big city to rely on. If we attack a mountain so slowly, when will we go to Hanzhong? General Xiang should know that he should transport grain and goods from Shu Road and the mountains are high and the road is far away. If the 20,000 troops are in this wilderness for too long, it will cost a lot, and I cannot explain it to the court."

Li Gu is the prime minister and the military supervisor; Xiang Gong looked unpredictable, but he did not make any noise. He said in a deep voice: "Qingniling has a large amount of supplies for the Shu army, and the nearest place can only rely on Xingzhou; the Shu army is not less expensive than us. If the Shu army defends layer by layer with the climate momentum, no one can do it, so they can only fight for national strength."

"If this is the case, it is best to write to the general in person to the court to describe the situation here." Li Gu reminded.

...At this time, a black and short man was standing behind the barrier with his sword, pointing to the front and saying, "Send someone to the front to pick up all the arrows on the slope, wash and dry them. Rebuild the hut of the people behind and stay away from fortifications."

The general took the order and left.

The general of the Shu army who issued the orders was called Hou Mao, but people usually call him "monkey" behind his back. Because of his short figure, he was easily teased and unfortunately his surname was Hou. Monkey originally planned to study for the imperial examination, but his articles were criticized for being bullied, so he had to inherit his father's legacy and become a military general and rely on his qualifications to become a defense envoy in Xingzhou. It was completely unfair to become a monk at the halfway point, but he was not a famous general... Of course, he was not a famous general.

Hou Mao trekked and inspected the camps on the mountain, and saw more people transporting materials to build simple houses and tents. On the back of the mountain, countless civilians bent down and slowly pulled the cart, and some people pushed the cart behind them. A four-wheeled cart was filled with wood, but unfortunately it fell into a mud pit. A mud-covered man in front was pulled and crawled with force. The hemp rope was deeply tied into the clothes on his shoulders, and several people behind came forward to help push it.

"One, two, get up! One, two, get up..." The people with a Hanzhong accent shouted. People who survived in the mountains and ridges were still very hard-working.

As soon as Hou Mao walked to the top of the mountain, the crowd bent down and bowed and said, "General Hou..."

"Congratulations to General Xihou's victory in the first battle, and will return to "Rongcheng" in the future, just wait for Fengchi to praise him." A civil servant said politely. Today, everyone looked at the "monkey" with a little different eyes.

Hou Mao was not enthusiastic when he snorted and left. When he arrived at the Central Army, he said to a relative who was his aide: "Write me a letter to Hanzhong to get emergency and ask people and things to reinforce Qingniling!"

The relative was a head taller than the "monkey" and wondered: "We won the battle, but we were in a hurry without asking for the merits?"

Hou Mao said: "The Shu army can block the first battle of the Zhou army because it relies on the right place; the road here is difficult to walk, but there is more than one road and the front line is too long. Once the Zhou army advances in all directions, we can't stand it soon."

Hou Mao's Chengdu accent was softer in Xichuan; Dongchuan (the area in Chongqing) accent was harder. He was a native of western Sichuan, not the group of migrants who followed the Meng family to Sichuan in the Later Tang Dynasty.

"Why don't the general guard Xingzhou City?" a junior relative reminded.

Hou Mao snorted: "You have to be as scolded by others, the Shu people are surrounded by mountains and mountains. The city in Hanzhong is stronger than Hebei and Hedong? What is the city of Shouzhou in the Southern Tang Dynasty? It depends on the generals of Zhou army to "release a military order to go to Xingzhou in one month"?"

He turned to his aide and said, "Write our situation clearly. The combat effectiveness of the Shu army is completely inferior to that of the Zhou army, and we will definitely lose the decisive battle!"

The staff said: "I am afraid that the Shannan West Road Military Office will be unhappy."

"Will you be happy when the Zhou army seized Hanzhong?" Hou Mao's black face looked ugly. "The terrain in Qingniling area is difficult to walk on, with few people, and it is very inconvenient to fight supply; but the Zhou army is not better than us. If we guard the dangerous city or not, we will fight to consume it, and see who can consume it. The rich Shu country is no worse than the Zhou Dynasty.

But if the decisive battle in Yicheng is based on the combat power of the soldiers, the Shu army faced the Zhou army, which had been fighting in the south and north for many years, would use its own shortcomings to attack the enemy's strengths."

The few people had to say together: "But General Hou is the decision." Hou Mao had no prestige in the army. This time he won a game, which made the soldiers recognize him for a while.

There was still mud on Qingni Ridge, and everyone was like rolling in the mud and struggling to survive.

...

But Chengdu is a different situation, and the flower capital Rongcheng is not a false reputation.

The fertile and wet plains, the harvested paddy fields are white, and even in the winter fields, there are many vegetables planted green. Decades of peace, the vast western plains and hilly and mountainous areas are transported to Chengdu, making the capital of Shu very prosperous and prosperous. The sound of silk and bamboo orchestras is endless, and the ancient streets and alleys are densely populated. Vendors and pawns are making various snacks in it, and the fragrance keeps floating on the streets in winter, making people salivate.

The palace is even more carved and jade-made, and the painted buildings are bright and clean. In the south, there are many flowers, plants and trees that will not wither in winter. At this time, there are also green embellishments, which are very lively. It is a completely different scene than Tokyo in the north.

But the atmosphere was not very good these days.

The two northwest Zhou army went south, and the noise was too great. Meng Chang had already learned about this. The Zhou Dynasty had threatened him once or twice, but this time it seemed to be serious and the army was mobilized. Meng Chang was frightened and wanted to deal with it actively... But as soon as he went to court, he was arguing, and he didn't know what to do. He had to adopt the most conventional method and send a large number of troops to the north to reinforce. However, the generals from all over the place were very quarrel, and many people recommended it, and some recommended it themselves.

Meng Chang finally came out of the pile of women for a while, and Mrs. Huarui seized the opportunity and advised him again: "Your Majesty should choose the virtuous and give great rewards to the soldiers, so that you can make a long-term solution."

Meng Chang was worried and still heard Mrs. Huarui's words. For a moment, he became more modest and asked: "How to choose a virtuous person and a capable person? How do I know who is loyal and who is traitor?"

Fei's soft Chengdu Shu sound was not crisp, but it had a somewhat mid-tone charm: "Your Majesty spent less time with those women and alchemists, and often met with civil and military ministers. After a long time, you can see who is what kind of person."

"It's reasonable." Meng Chang nodded seriously, "How to reward the soldiers with great rewards?"

Fei said: "The countries in the world are fighting endlessly. All kings put military affairs first and constantly increase taxes to support the army. Your Majesty does not need to pay heavy taxes. As long as you shift the received financial and taxes from civil officials to military soldiers, the soldiers will observe Your Majesty's heart and will naturally use your life. I dare to make a bold statement. The important ministers of the royal family have been in Shu for decades. Your Majesty is kind and the people of Shu yearn for it. Your Majesty no longer has to be biased. You can delegate some power to the local capable ministers and wise men in Shu."

Meng Chang accepted it all and nodded. But Mrs. Huarui knew that she was a singer girl, and it was strange that an emperor could really take the singer girl’s arguments about military and national affairs seriously, so she sighed quietly.

Meng Chang was very enthusiastic at this time and said with confidence: "Tomorrow I will go to court to govern the country with all my heart and work hard to govern!"

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Chapter completed!