Zhang Shixun leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples. "The problem is, the Song Dynasty is enjoying peace and prosperity. No one in the court is aware of the Jin's evil ambitions. Even if there are sober people who warn them, no one listens."
He Ji said, "My father also predicted that the Jin would attack the Song sooner or later, but he didn't expect it to happen this sooner."
Zhang Shixun sighed and said, "I have warned the emperor and the ministers more than once, even showing them the heavenly book, but not a single one of them believed it, or rather, was unwilling to believe it."
Gao Yanei said, "You've also told Lao He and me that, to be honest, I didn't believe it, and I still don't believe it to this day... Brother, even if the Jin army attacked Song, it wouldn't be so fast, right?"
He Ji also said: "I don't think it will be so fast either. We have to prepare in advance."
Han Shizhong said, "I think what the commander said is very likely true, because the people of Jin are different from the people of Song. They live in a barbarian land and are so poor that they have nothing except livestock. When they encounter natural disasters, they go to harvest straw."
The threshing that Han Shizhong mentioned did not mean cutting straw in the millet fields, but robbing by nomadic peoples.
Yue Fei said in a deep voice: "The most important affairs of the country are sacrifice and war. Whether the Jin people come or not, we, the Song Dynasty, must be prepared."
Zhang Shixun nodded, "Yue Fei is right. We must always be prepared."
He Ji was silent for a while, then said, "Tell me, what do you want us to do?"
Zhang Shixun said with a heavy heart, "We are insignificant and our words carry little weight. No one will believe what we say. If we talk too much, we might even be accused of spreading rumors and misleading the people. If we do too much, we will only make people wary... Oh! Just like me, I wanted to train an elite army for the Song Dynasty, but you saw how it turned out."
Everyone was silent. They knew very well what had happened to Zhang Shixun.
"So, don't worry about anything else. Just focus on training and strive to build the First Army into a strong force."
Gao Yanei smiled bitterly and said, "Brother, the First Army only has about 2,000 people, and only about 1,000 of them can fight. If the two countries go to war, what can these few people do?"
"Yanei, you're wrong." Zhang Shixun looked at him and said word by word, "Do you know how many people Aguda had when he started his rebellion?"
"Well...I don't know."
"Twenty-five hundred people, haha! You wouldn't have thought that."
"Ah! Only 2,500 people?"
"Yanei, there's a saying that goes, 'A single spark can start a prairie fire.' Don't underestimate the First Army's small force. As long as we give it the courage to defeat all enemies, it will continue to grow stronger."
When Zhang Shixun said this, he was looking at Han Shizhong and Yue Fei.
The two seemed to understand Zhang Shixun's words and nodded slightly after listening.
Zhang Shixun turned his gaze to He Ji and instructed him, "Old He, the training of the First Army must be constantly strengthened. The military affairs can be handed over to Han Shizhong and Yue Fei. All you need to do is eliminate all interference, fully support them, and provide them with protection."
He Ji nodded cautiously.
Zhang Shixun then said to Yue Fei and Han Shizhong, "You two are still training according to my previous method... Uncle, please don't interrupt me. I know you have different opinions on this, but you still have to train according to this method."
Han Shizhong was a straightforward man. He shook his head and said, "The war is coming. We should practice our skills in killing the enemy. Drilling in formations and doing morning exercises every day is useless."
"You're wrong." Zhang Shixun's expression grew serious. "The purpose of training is to strengthen the soldiers' cohesion and cultivate a habit of following orders in all actions. Only then can such a team, on the battlefield, be able to use their arms and fingers as if they were their bodies. Of course, skill training, such as archery and combat, must also be carried out at the same time."
When Zhang Shixun said this, Yue Fei had been listening attentively. When he finished, Yue Fei said, "I have been in the First Army for more than a year. What impressed me most is that the troops of the First Army are very easy to lead. They can carry out orders in peacetime and wartime."
He Ji nodded. "I have to say, the commander's training method is effective. To be honest, I was quite critical of his training methods at first, thinking that lining up and doing morning exercises every day was useless. It wasn't until I led the team to set an ambush that I realized the benefits of training. The team obeys the command. When ordered to lie down, they lie down. When ordered to charge, they charge."
Han Shizhong scratched his head and laughed, "Now that you mention it, Commander He, it's true. I'm also a military commander. I've fought against the Xixia, the Liao army, and Fang La. None of the troops I led were as easy to lead as the First Army."
Seeing that everyone had reached a consensus, Zhang Shixun nodded slightly and said, "I have a suggestion. I wonder if you would like to hear it."
"you say."
"Yue Fei is an upright person and works meticulously. What do you think about leaving the training to him?"
He Ji and Han Shizhong said in unison: "Agree."
Although Zhang Shixun left the First Army, everyone still regarded him as the commander of the First Army.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Zhang Shixun took them to the third floor and played them a film called "Fenglangjuxu", which tells the story of Huo Qubing's expedition deep into the northern desert and Fenglangjuxu.
Zhang Shixun is very sure that this movie is not a work of the 21st century, because the computer synthesis technology is too advanced, the scenes are fiery and bloody, and the war scenes are grand and extremely realistic.
He was too lazy to ask Wang Dong now.
This stuff must be from a century after the 21st century.
As long as he has no ill will towards me, who cares where he comes from?
What Zhang Shixun wants to know most now is why Wang Dong is so good to him?
There is no love or hate without reason in the world. There must be some connection between Wang Dong and him. As for what kind of connection it is, only God knows it except Wang Dong.
It was Yue Fei's first time watching a movie. The shock in his heart was indescribable. Then he was attracted by the scenes in the movie. When he saw the General of Cavalry defeat the Huns and pile up earth to build an altar on the Wolf Mountain, his blood boiled.
After the movie was over, Zhang Shixun glanced at everyone and paused for a moment at Yue Fei's face. Seeing that he clenched his fists and was still immersed in the plot of the movie, he couldn't help but nod slightly.
"I hope that among you there will emerge a hero who can conquer the Wolf and the Lair."
Han Shizhong patted his chest and said, "If there is one, it must be me."
Yue Fei said nothing, but looked at Zhang Shixun with a firm gaze.
Zhang Shixun nodded at them. "If you have the ambition to conquer the Wolf's Lair, then I swear to heaven that I will fully support you."
When Zhang Shixun sent them off, he gave each of them a heavy cloth bag and told them, "Go home and read this."
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