novelSusiti Chapter 34 The Southerners are Weak, Flower Team vs. Pure Team
Chapter 34 The Southerners are Weak, Flower Team vs. Pure Team
In June, Bianjing was already very hot, and the dry heat made people feel roasted from the inside out.
But Guo Rong's determination to make a big splash burned even brighter. With ample logistical support, the veterans of the various Imperial Guard camps had no choice but to grit their teeth and teach and lead the new recruits in drills every two days.
On the training ground of the Second Army's First Command, Li Xuan, who was extremely aware of the crisis, sensed an opportunity in Guo Rong's determination. He spent every day in the camp and had only been home once since returning to Bianjing.
Li Chang, a member of the imperial guards, said to Li Xuan, "Commander, the sun is too strong. It's unbearable for the brothers to train in full armor under the sun."
Li Xuan said coldly, "I know the brothers can't stand it. The commander of Handu knows the brothers can't stand it, and the emperor knows even more that the brothers can't stand it. We come from Jianghuai, and the summers in Jianghuai are much harder to endure than in Zhongzhou."
"It's precisely because summers in the Jianghuai region are unbearable that we are more heat-resistant than northerners. If we can't stand it, the other camps can't stand it either. Brother Chang, I ask you, why does the Emperor insist on training us like this?"
Li Chang was stumped by the question. He racked his brains and thought for a moment:
"Is the Emperor trying to intimidate us? Not at all. The soldiers assigned to the Palace Guard can't afford to be idle. I heard that the Palace Guard is also conducting full-scale drills, but they're not as dedicated as we are."
Moreover, the training was so arduous, resulting in significant wear and tear. The imperial court provided various heat-relieving medicines, food, and drink, and even issued additional rewards. How could they so easily intimidate us?
Li Xuan sighed, "I guess there's a reason for everything. The Emperor is probably in a hurry to wage war after autumn, so he's taking advantage of the new recruits entering the camp in May and June to intensify their training, restore the fighting strength of the Palace Guards that were reorganized and dismantled, and rapidly strengthen the Imperial Guards. Maybe we'll be at war as soon as autumn arrives."
Li Chang slapped his forehead: "No wonder, no wonder everyone trained so hard. My lord, I'll go back to training the personal guards."
Li Xuan stopped him: "Make it clear to the brothers that we arrived late. The Palace Guard is mostly composed of veterans, and they've trained for a month longer than us. If we don't perform well in training when the fighting starts, all the credit will go to others. Why did you all leave your hometown?"
The brothers all come from veteran families, most of them descendants of the Black Cloud Longsword, and their martial arts skills are top-notch. They don't need to practice the small formations in squads of ten or five; they've all been practicing them since childhood. If we just seize the two months to master the large formations at the level of commander and captain, we can immediately go into battle and make contributions.
Everyone must endure this hardship. My expectations for you are high, but also simple: no matter what kind of team we encounter, under the scorching sun, we must persevere for at least fifteen minutes longer than them!
Li Xuan said this not only to Li Chang, but after the training was over, Li Xuan carried his rice bowl and went to every unit, explaining the reasons to each soldier.
We are all from the south. If we want to stand out in an army surrounded by northerners, we have to be more hardworking, better at fighting, more willing to sacrifice, and most importantly, more capable of making contributions!
Unable to reverse the negative reputation of the Southerners, even the armor they received had to be re-polished, repaired, and reassembled. The unique sound of grinding iron in their military camp was once a source of pride. Did they really want to suffer this humiliation again?
Li Xuan was like this, and so was Li Ji. Now everyone in the Longxiang Army knows that two commanders were framed by Guan Cang, known as the "Iron-Sharpening Commanders."
Li Xuan said self-deprecatingly, "What's wrong with grinding iron? If iron can be ground down, what powerful soldier in the world can't be ground down?"
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Just as Li Xuan and Li Ji were fully engaged in training their troops in the camp, the military commander ordered Li Xuan to come to his tent to receive orders, as there was military intelligence to be conveyed.
The Zhou State Imperial Guard's organizational structure, from highest to lowest, was: Titled Army > Section Commander > Army Commander > Commander > Tenth Rank > Unit. The Army Commander was considered a high-ranking officer in the Imperial Guard, second only to the Section Commander and the Titled Army Commander.
The commander of the Second Army of the Left Wing was named Tuoba Lian. He was short in stature but long-armed, skilled in horsemanship and archery, and a very brave general. His surname was Tuoba, and his given name clearly indicated he was not Han Chinese. The predecessor of the Bianliang Imperial Guard was the Hebei Army, so it wasn't unusual for a number of generals and commanders to have non-Han ancestry.
The Tuoba Lian family was recruited into the Great Yu Dynasty in its early days and served as the border guards for many years. After three hundred years, apart from their names still bearing the mark of the grasslands, they were no longer distinguishable from the people of the Central Plains. The only difference was their fiery temper.
Logically, an army should have five commanders, totaling 2,500 men. Unfortunately, the establishment of the Imperial Guard has faced considerable covert resistance, and currently Tuoba Lian only has three commanders under his command.
What made Tuoba Lian even more devastated was that, apart from the third commander who had more veterans, the other two commanders were either complete new recruits or complete new recruits plus southerners, each one more incompetent than the other.
So these days, the hot-tempered military commander has been fuming in his tent, occasionally keeping an eye on the third commander, who has more veteran soldiers. In Tuoba Lian's view, whether his army can win or not depends entirely on the third commander's abilities.
When Li Xuan entered the tent, he saw Hebalian standing inside, harshly criticizing the second commander. The second commander was a military officer from Shaanxi, and his troops were the "elite" sent by the military governor.
Speaking of which, this guy was the most pitiful. His soldiers seemed to meet the physical standards of the Imperial Guard, but the military governor didn't even give him a single junior officer position.
Tuoba Lian originally wanted to transfer a group of veterans from the third command to build the framework for the second command, but who knew that these soldiers and veterans could not communicate with each other and formed their own groups, leaving Tuoba Lian helpless and with no choice but to restore the original state.
Compared to them, Li Xuan was making a fortune in silence. His men looked like new recruits, but they were all veterans' sons who had already completed full basic training at home. There was also a group of "intellectuals" from the Guangling Li clan who had a basic understanding of literature mixed in. The brothers learned new things and trained in new content much faster than the third commander, who had more veterans but was completely illiterate.
When Tuoba Lian saw Li Xuan enter, his expression darkened further: "Commander Li is here? Then let's begin the meeting. Gentlemen, we have received a report from our superiors that the Shu Kingdom has dispatched over 100,000 troops from Hanzhong to invade Guanzhong. Our dynasty is already mobilizing troops to meet the enemy. The Privy Council has ordered all armies of the Imperial Guard to intensify their training and quickly form armies in preparation for the great battle to come."
"If it weren't for your poor training, our army wouldn't have been able to form a cohesive force for so long, and we wouldn't be watching others achieve merit. Damn it, if I were still in the Palace Guard, with those incompetent fools in Shu, damn it, my merits would have just vanished! I'm always so late, when will I ever be granted a title!"
It's surprising that Tuoba Lian is so obsessed with titles. The Zhou Kingdom currently only occupies a small corner of Zhongzhou, so obtaining a title doesn't offer much real benefit. Most of the generals don't really care about it. After all, in an era where even the imperial court can't last more than a few years, who would treasure a title? Even Guo Rong didn't dare to use titles to fool everyone about their achievements.
The commander's irritability is not a good influence, and if the boss is angry, are the subordinates just going to stand by and watch?
Li Xuan spoke up to advise, "Commander, I believe the order issued by the Privy Council is not empty talk; a great battle is certain to come. If you wish to achieve merit, you only need to wait patiently for about two months."
The Shu army wasn't particularly strong, but they had the terrain to protect them. Those men from the Palace Guard went to great lengths to get there; I think it was a thankless task. When it comes to merit at the end of the year, the commander will probably benefit the most.”
The men in the tent were all mid-level officers with little formal education. Tuoba Lian had risen through the ranks based on his fighting skills, receiving a promotion when he was transferred from the Palace Guard. Before that, he was just a commander in the Palace Guard. So Li Xuan's confident demeanor really impressed them.
Tuoba Lian, like a master of disguise, immediately put on a smiling face and asked, "I heard you're related to the scholars in the city. Is there some news you're keeping to yourself? Tell me quickly, I've been so anxious these past few days."
The other two commanders were more polite: "Commander Li is the top commander personally appointed by the Emperor, so it's not surprising that he could get information from the Emperor. Commander Li, please don't be stingy."
When Tuoba Lian heard the Emperor's personal approval, he felt a pang of unease, sensing that this newcomer from the south was closer to the Emperor than he was. However, his expression remained unchanged, and he continued to act like a curious child.
Li Xuan cursed inwardly at these martial artists for their ability to make things difficult for others, wondering where they learned their skill in digging traps on the spot.
Having already spoken, Li Xuan had no choice but to bite the bullet and begin his analysis: "June and July are not typically suitable months for war. This is because the weather is too hot, making it impossible to wear armor or engage in combat. However, there are two oddities this year. First, the court, knowing the heat, is still spending vast sums of money to force all armies to rigorously train new recruits. Second, the Shu army, which is weak and has historically only defended and never attacked, now dares to launch a preemptive invasion."
I thought that neither the emperor nor the generals in the court were unaware of how bizarre it was to train in June or July, yet the court still conducted the training. The rulers and ministers of Shu surely knew that summer was unsuitable for warfare, and that the Shu army was weak and no match for our dynasty outside the passes. Yet they still sent troops.
These two strange occurrences suggest that a major battle is imminent that urgently requires the court's full attention. Therefore, the Emperor is disregarding many other matters; as the saying goes, even last-minute preparations can be effective, and an extra month of training is always beneficial.
Despite his lack of formal education, Tuoba Lian was still quite intelligent, which allowed him to survive in a chaotic world. After hearing Li Xuan's analysis, he was convinced.
This year's training requirements are indeed unusual. Everyone in the court is a seasoned veteran; who wouldn't know that training is not allowed in the summer? But the court is willing to give the brothers rewards to train the troops. With such a strong determination, it seems there's a really big event in store.
Then he got annoyed. With a major battle looming, his army was not only understaffed, but also full of insignificant soldiers.
With a cold snort, Tuoba Lian, his expression returning to normal, sat in the main seat and said, "Please sit down. Even if there is a major battle, given our current incomplete organization and the fact that our soldiers are not good at fighting, even another month of training probably won't make much difference. The first commander is entirely composed of new recruits and southerners; it would be good enough if they could even keep the ranks steady."
The second commander can't even stand still in formation. The third commander's veterans are alright, but they're not effective at training new recruits. In a month, even the third commander might not understand the formation. What hope do I have?
In the military, standing out too much is unacceptable, as is backing down; even one's superiors engage in regional attacks. Li Xuan naturally had to refute them, but he couldn't directly embarrass them.
Li Xuan said, "The commander is overthinking it. I think the plan is appropriate. A month from now, our Second Army may still be able to fight. At least our First Commander will definitely be extremely capable of fighting at that time."
Tuoba Lian sneered, "Southerners can fight? Then Shu people can fight too."
Li Xuan suppressed his anger and calmly said, "Southerners have always been good at fighting, especially the elite soldiers of the Jianghuai region, who have been the strongest source of infantry for all the Xia people since ancient times. Not to mention the distant past, during the Dayu Dynasty alone, the Jianghuai army fought all the way from Liaodong to Shuofang. They fought all the way from Goguryeo and the Turks to Tibet."
During the rebellion in the three towns of You, Ji, and Liao, the rebel army first marched towards Qingzhou, but the Jianghuai army quickly moved north and repelled them, forcing them to attack Luoyang and Chang'an to the west. In the later period of the Great Yu Dynasty, the Jianghuai army was mostly responsible for the heavy task of defending Shuofang and Longyou against the autumn harvest.
Even the various armies of Xuanwu, who had previously fought back and forth with the armies of Hedong and Hebei, had launched several southern offensives against the Jianghuai region, only to be repelled head-on by the Huai Army. None of the formidable enemies encountered since the founding of the Great Yu Dynasty, nor any of the previous dynasties that occupied Bianliang, had ever fared well against the Huai Army.
"This time I returned to my hometown to recruit soldiers, and all the men I recruited are sons of veterans from the Jianghuai region who have served for decades. Their fathers and grandfathers have repeatedly defeated the northern armies that attacked from the south, and they themselves have practiced martial arts since childhood, carrying three staffs and wielding powerful bows—elite warriors. If Your Excellency encounters any difficult battles, just entrust them to us."
Tuoba Lian was quite pragmatic; Li Xuan's words implied a criticism of his oversight, but he was more pleased that his subordinates weren't entirely useless. He stood up and said, "That's absolutely true!"
Li Xuan said firmly, "If this is a joke, I am willing to accept military law. Of course, Commander, don't think we are invincible and will fight any tough opponent we encounter. Even the bravest soldiers are only mortals."
Tuoba Lian waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, although I'm straightforward, I'm not a fool who would betray my own brothers. I know which battles I can fight and which I can't. If we calculate it this way, in a month, your troops will be usable, the third commander will be usable, but the second commander is still unlikely."
The second commander's face paled; he was now the one who failed! He quickly assured him, "Don't worry, Commander, I will train them relentlessly when we get back!"
Tuoba Lian said irritably, "What do you mean by 'death'? Don't you dare cause a mutiny."
Li Xuan cupped his hands and suggested, "Commander, the brothers in the second command are overthinking things. It's very difficult to train them into elite troops, but there are ways to develop some combat strength so that they can be used to some extent on the battlefield."
Tuoba Lian hurriedly asked, "What method is it? Don't try to fool us; there's no room for tricks on the battlefield."
Li Xuan said, "This humble servant has seen the Imperial Guard's drill manual. It is inherited from the recruitment system of the Great Yu Dynasty. At that time, the recruitment required all new recruits to be skilled in archery and weaponry. Before even entering the army, they were already proficient in spears, clubs, swords, and shields. Then, after entering the military camp, they trained in the troop tactics according to the drill manual. Everyone was capable of fulfilling all positions in the troop."
However, most of the new recruits under the second command were not skilled in martial arts and had never received military formation training. If they were to be trained using the methods of the elite troops, it would probably take at least one or two years to achieve any results.
"In my humble opinion, it would be better to divide the troops into three teams: short-range weapons, long-range weapons, and crossbowmen. The existing 'flower troops' should be converted into specialized teams, with focused training and formations. We should also request a batch of crossbows from above to equip the crossbowmen teams. After two months of this, the second command's specialized teams will be well-trained, and while they may not be as combat-ready as the existing 'flower troops,' they will be usable. The training of the existing 'flower troops' can wait until we have more free time."
Tuoba Lian suddenly realized, "So that's how it is." Indeed, for two months they focused on training with swords and shields, spear thrusts, and crossbow techniques. Then they practiced formations together. While they couldn't be called elite troops, they could certainly fight under his supervision.
He immediately said to the second commander, "Does everyone understand? Go back and divide into three teams immediately. I'll go to the commander-in-chief now to ask for crossbows. I estimate I can get about a hundred or so. Most of you commanders are still training in both long and short weapons, so there won't be many crossbowmen, understand?"
What else could the second-in-command say? If the soldiers are incompetent, they have no say. He immediately accepted the order and left.
The third commander stepped forward and said, "Commander, what Commander Li said earlier is correct. Those new recruits are very stupid. I think the third commander should do the same. With veterans as the backbone, we can train them using the pure team's methods. Regardless of the future, let's train them to make a living first so we can report back."
Tuoba sighed and agreed: "Fine, at worst I'll go to the commander-in-chief and make a scene until I get you some crossbows. I really owe you something. Commander Li, I'll go with you. Let's go see your first commander first. I want to see for myself what you call the Jianghuai army you've been boasting about."
Li Xuan said confidently, "Commander, just follow me."