Chapter 98: Chaos at the Border
To fight a war, you need a bow, arrows, rosin for the strings, and feathers.
The soldiers' winter leather armor was also damaged and needed to be replaced.
The military department has been in arrears with these things for two years and has not delivered them yet, saying that the handover with the Ministry of Revenue was not smooth.
But ordinary soldiers didn't understand these things. When they heard that his quartermaster was embezzling money, he got so angry that he jumped up and down.
So, he didn't want to fight and didn't want to be scolded.
Time passed slowly, snowflakes rustled on the ground, and with the sound of hurried horse hooves outside the barracks, the news that Captain Luo had been waiting for finally came.
The messenger rushed into the room, his gaze icy, and saluted Captain Luo. He announced in a clear voice, "Captain Lei has issued an order: all guards are not allowed to leave the camp without permission."
"well!"
Captain Luo slapped the military table, causing his armor to rattle. He then sat back on the edge of the couch in a dejected manner.
Wang Zhong breathed a sigh of relief, and leisurely warmed himself by the charcoal fire, saying, "Sir, in my humble opinion, this Dilu invasion will not involve Suijin Town, and even the Marquis will not be involved."
"Don't be so weird, what do you mean?"
Captain Luo suddenly perked up.
Wang Zhong was nominally his quartermaster, but in fact, when they were both new recruits, they were comrades who stirred the food in the military kitchen.
After ten years of fighting, Wang Zhong's arm was disabled, and now she has retreated to the second line to become the housekeeper, and also his military advisor.
Wang Zhong put his injured arm close to the brazier. His arm was frozen and amputated, and the stump would hurt when it was cold.
Seeing him rubbing his arm, Luo Lun quickly handed him the scalding hot tea and said, "Old friend, you should have rested long ago. I dug you out of the cold."
Wang Zhong took the tea but didn't drink it. He just whispered, "You know, ever since the Third Young Master entered the grassland, the Di tribe has never been at peace.
Two tribes that should have been moving to their winter pastures turned west instead..."
Luo Lun suddenly realized, his eyes widened, and he slapped his thigh and said, "So that's it!"
At the beginning of winter, while he was collecting military pay, he also received a secret order: strictly guard Suijin Town.
There was no reason, no hint.
However, Wang Zhong soon heard from his colleagues who were delivering supplies that the third young master had returned to the grassland.
The identity of the third son of the Hou family is a secret known to almost all veterans of the Zhenbei Army who have been with the army for more than ten years.
After all, for more than ten years, most of the Zhenbei Army's horses came from the same tribe.
These veterans have spent half their lives with the Marquis in the northwest, and have been dealing with the Di tribe for even more than half their lives.
I really have complicated feelings towards the Di Lu people.
The hands of every Wu Dynasty soldier were stained with the blood of the Di people, and their comrades also died at the hands of the Di people.
However, everyone ate beef and mutton sent from the Dilu grassland and wore cowhide armor and cowhide boots from the grassland.
When it comes to love, hate, and emotions, every veteran has a story. Who hasn't met a hot and unrestrained girl from another race?
Especially the life story of the Third Young Master, it all started when a grassland beauty rode alone across the snow for a hundred miles to throw herself into his arms.
Everyone said that the Marquis rushed into the Dilu grassland out of anger for the beauty he loved.
In fact, these veterans all knew that Lord Hou was taking this opportunity to send troops to garrison a hundred miles of grassland and massacre several tribes of the Di people.
The Di tribes on the border of the Wu Dynasty were almost eradicated, and the border enjoyed peace for more than ten years.
Wang Zhong lost his arm in a heavy snowstorm when he was stationed on the grassland.
There is also the Wuda tribe, which moved out of Xishi Pass five years ago and lived on the grassland.
Although it seems that he has no connection with the Zhenbei Army, he is actually still on the Zhenbei Army's daily journey, and they often come and go privately, just like visiting relatives.
But now it’s different. The Third Young Master led the entire tribe to migrate deep into the Dilu grassland and has already left the influence of the Zhenbei Army.
From then on, the two families were independent of each other.
Changes in the border situation also followed one after another. In order to prevent winter plunder, garrisons in various places increased their vigilance and strengthened patrols in their areas of jurisdiction.
But... you are not allowed to leave the camp in Suijin Town.
Captain Luo took out the map and began to search with Wang Zhong for the locations of several villages that had suffered the most serious attacks since the beginning of winter.
According to the description in the military newspaper, these villages and towns are all located north of Hecheng.
Wang Zhong and Luo Lun looked at each other, not hiding what they were thinking.
These veterans had explored Xishi Pass from north to south in the past. The terrain there was easy to defend but difficult to attack, so the Di people would never go there, and there were usually not many troops stationed there.
But now I have to go there.
During the "Broken Gold Incident" five years ago, Marquis Zhao Yanjiao was almost imprisoned. The court took this opportunity to make large-scale replacements of generals and troops in the Zhenbei Army and separate military power.
Of the 100,000 Zhenbei troops, 20,000 were transferred to the northeast, 10,000 to the southwest, and only 50,000 were actually stationed in Yunzhou in the northwest.
The military power in the hands of the Marquis was divided.
The defense line north of Hecheng was under the command of Deputy Commander Tang Ying, and the troops stationed there were not the Zhenbei Army, but the Xuanwei Army from the capital.
Deputy Commander Tang Ying...was recommended by the Minister of Revenue, and the Xuanwei Army belongs to the eldest prince.
At this time in Xishi Pass, the military camp was brightly lit, and several accompanying soldiers began to quickly tidy up the room.
A middle-aged man of medium build and slightly thin, dressed in dark casual clothes, strode into the room. Zhao Tinglei followed him half a step behind, holding a fur coat.
As the two came in, the soldiers saluted and left the door, circling around.
Zhao Tinglei respectfully invited the middle-aged man to sit down. "Father, it's dark and snowy now. Why did you rush out of the city?"
The middle-aged man had an ordinary appearance, but his face was as red as a date, he had three short strands of beard under his chin, and his eyes and eyebrows were shining with brilliance. Even before he opened his mouth, he had the domineering aura of a superior.
"Tell me, where is Xiao San now?"
The middle-aged man was none other than Zhao Yanjiao, the Marquis of Zhenbei, who sat firmly in the city.
Yesterday, Pingliang Fort was invaded by the Di tribe, and there was no news from the garrison stationed in the fort, which prompted him to come to the fort to investigate in person.
Zhao Tinglei looked embarrassed: "I don't know what my father said..."
"Your arsenal has been exposed, and you still want to hide it?" Lord Zhao stared at him with sharp eyes.
The migration of the Wuda tribe was no small matter, how could he not know it? Besides, Xiao San came back early to say goodbye to him.
But he didn't expect Xiao San to go directly to the depths of the grassland, and...
The Di people who fled to Pingliang Fort were the nomadic tribe that had been living outside Xishi Pass.
Zhao Tinglei knew his father had seen through this. He pondered for a moment, lifted his clothes and knelt down: "Father, if the Zhenbei Army wants to maintain its position in the court, it can only let the emperor watch and think about it every day."
When he said this, he suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with anger: "It is precisely because the Northwest Territory has been peaceful for too long that all the cats and dogs in the court have jumped out and made a noise.
The Suijin tragedy was not the responsibility of the Zhenbei Army alone, but those people who were hiding in the capital and doing nothing put all the blame on my father.
Now that the border war has broken out again, what should those people say?
They can only rely on their father to guard Xishi Pass, and military pay and food must be delivered immediately."
Zhao Yanjiao suddenly stood up and slapped Zhao Tinglei hard in the face, angrily saying, "So... you're using the mistress as a pawn, letting her stir up trouble on the border? Do you know that doing so will harm him and the people along the border?"
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
