Chapter 279: The Six Slayings of Liangzhou Legion

Ju Su said: "Lord, do you know if you don't know if you should say anything or not?"

Ma Yue said: "But it's okay to say it."

Ju Shu said: "The lord doesn't want Cao Cao to be strong, and it is good to take the opportunity to weaken Cao Cao. But the question is how many troops should be dispatched to attack? If the troops are fewer, it is probably not enough to threaten Cao Cao's nest. If the troops are too many, it will affect the rest and recuperation of the territory under his rule."

"Yes." Ma Yue nodded, "You are responsible for the internal affairs under the rule of the general. In your opinion, how many troops can our army dispatch at most without affecting rest and recuperation?"

Ju Su said: "The Major General's 20,000 elite cavalry are training in Hetao according to the lord's wishes. The newly replaced equipment is not yet complete. General Gao Shun is training troops in Baling. There are 30,000 soldiers (Liangzhou County soldiers) in the camp, but they have not been trained. I am afraid they will not be of great use. Apart from these two armies, only 5,000 cavalry in Chang'an City (who once followed the Ma Butcher to fight in Yangzhou, the eight thousand Xiliang Iron Cavalry in Jiangdong, and in the end only 5,000 returned to Guanzhong)."

"Five thousand cavalry?" Ma Yue pondered, "There is a little less, but it's almost enough."

Ju Shu said, "Lord, I haven't finished talking yet."

Ma Yue said: "Summary."

Ju Shu said: "These five thousand cavalry can be dispatched at any time, but the food and supplies are limited. With the reserves of Chang'an granaries, they can only ensure dry food for each person for half a month, twenty wolf-toothed arrows, five guns, two hand axes, and each person only has two Huns' hordes, and there is no salary or money."

"No salary?" Ma Yue frowned, "Has the Hetao coin minting farm been built and started to cast copper coins? How come there is no money?"

Ju Shu said: "The lord doesn't know that after two major battles between Hangu Pass and Hetao last year, there were nearly 100,000 soldiers killed in the battle. This is not counting the 30,000 Hu cavalry in the Western Regions. So far, the pensions for these soldiers killed in the battle have been paid less than half. In addition, the Han people on the grassland in the north of the Mobei Province have to pay more than 100,000 soldiers, and the cavalry team has to buy military horses, spears for infantry teams, bows and arrows for bows and arrows, and also to prepare Hetao camps and Baling camps. This all requires money, a lot of money! The income from the Hetao coin farm alone is far from enough."

"So poor?" Ma Yue breathed a sigh of relief and said coldly, "But this is not difficult for me to be the general."

Jia Xu was shocked when he heard this and said in a lost voice: "This time, the lord doesn't have to fight in person."

"Wenhe." Ma Yue's eyes fell on Jia Xu and asked helplessly, "If this general doesn't go there in person, who else can be competent?"

Jia Xu sighed softly and said nothing.

If we only talk about commanding troops, Ma Chao, Gao Shun, Fang Yue, and Xu Huang are all good generals, but if the opponents are Cao Cao and Guo Jia, it would be a different matter. Compared with Cao Cao, Ma Chao and others still lack some courage and experience. Looking at the entire Liangzhou Legion, only Ma Butcher has the ability to compete with Cao Cao.

By the same token, only Cao Cao has the ability to compete with the Ma Butcher in the Cao army. The rest, whether it is Xiahou Dun, Yu Jin, Cao Ren, and Cao Hong, are not opponents of the Ma Butcher! As for Guo Jia, Xun You, Cheng Yu and others, they are just pure planners, not the leading commander, just like Jia Xu.

Ma Chao took a step forward, clasped his fists and said, "Brother, I'm willing to go."

"Meng Qi, your future achievements will be far better than those of Brother Wei, but now you are not Cao Aman's opponent!" Ma Yue took a step forward, patted Ma Chao on the shoulder heavily, and said, "After Brother Wei led the army to the war, the burden of the entire Liangzhou Legion fell on your shoulder. Remember what Brother Wei said to you, don't let Brother Wei down."

"Don't worry, brother." Ma Chao choked, "I will never let you down."

Shouchun, the palace.

Yuan Shuku sat on the imperial case, looked around Jin Shang, Ge Xiang and other ministers and said, "The thief army is now at the city. Do you have any good plans to retreat to the enemy?"

Jin Shang said: "Your Majesty, I have a plan."

Yuan Shu said: "Come on."

Jin Shang said: "Huainan was rainy and rainy, making the roads muddy and difficult to move. The food and supplies of the three bandits' troops would inevitably be interrupted. Your Majesty only needs to order the three troops to defend the city and not to leave, and the opportunity for the bandits' troops to take advantage of it. In this case, within a few months, the bandits' troops would inevitably lose their food and retreat, and the siege of Shouchun could be resolved without fighting."

Yuan Shu said: "If the thief army has sufficient military and food, what if it does?"

Ge Xiang said: "Your Majesty, if the thief army has sufficient food and supplies, you will know if it is time to explore the bandits' camp."

Yuan Shu said: "How to get there?"

Ge Xiang said: "I am old acquaintance with Cao Aman's counselor Liu Ye. Why don't Your Majesty write a letter to speak up with Cao Cao? I will go to Cao's camp with a letter, so I will not be suspicious."

"Good." Yuan Shu said happily, "Just as you say."

Outside Shouchun City, Cao Cao's central army tent.

Cao Cao thought about the plan to break the city for several days. When he was anxious, a small school suddenly came to report: "Lord, there is a messenger from Yuan Shu who asked for a meeting outside the gate, claiming to be an old acquaintance of Mr. Liu Ye."

Cao Cao frowned and said, "Ziyang's old acquaintance?"

Liu Ye was afraid that Cao Cao would misunderstand, so he asked the little school urgently: "Have this person ever reported his name?"

Xiaoxiaodao: "The surname is the court and the name is the elephant."

"Gexiang?" Liu Ye said in surprise, "It's because he's an old acquaintance, but he hasn't seen him for more than ten years."

A bright color suddenly flashed through Guo Jia's black eyes and said to Cao Cao: "Lord, I have it!"

Cao Cao said in confusion: "What does filial piety mean?"

Guo Jia smiled and said, "Jia already has a plan to defeat the enemy!"

"Oh?" Cao Cao said happily, "The plan will come out?"

Guo Jia said: "If you want to go to Shouchun, it's up to this Mr. Gexiang."

Cao Cao's expression moved slightly, and then he suddenly realized.

Chang'an, the east military camp of the city.

The Liangzhou cavalry who once followed the horse butcher swept through Jing, Yang was stationed here. However, the eight thousand army that went on the expedition now had only five thousand troops left. These five thousand troops were divided into left and right armies by the horse butcher, respectively, controlled by the Western Liang general Li Meng and Wang Fang.

Five thousand soldiers were already arranged in a neat square formation under the target platform. Horses appeared on the target platform surrounded by Li Meng, Wang Fang, Dian Wei, Xu Chu, and Xu Huang. All the soldiers' eyes focused on the target platform. The school ground was quiet, and the needles could be heard.

With the expansion of territory under Ma Yue's rule and the changes in the situation, the wild beast style that Ma Butcher has always admired is no longer suitable for the Liangzhou Legion, because the purpose of the Liangzhou Legion's combat is no longer plundering and destruction, but protection and construction. In order to adapt to this change, the Liangzhou Legion is undergoing an unprecedented change.

After the transformation, the Liangzhou Legion will become as strict as the Qin army, but as long as you bravely kill the enemy, you can get promotion and corresponding rewards based on your military achievements. This strict reward system will stimulate the war enthusiasm of Liangzhou soldiers and thus gather into a strong fighting will.

The most powerful thing about this military change is here!

From then on, the butcher Ma no longer had to make any effort to make some inflammatory remarks for pre-war mobilization, and no longer had to use women, massacres and crazy plunder to stimulate the soldiers' desires. Once there was another war, the general had to give the command, and the soldiers of Liangzhou would quickly complete the assembly and then rush forward with a scream.

Li Meng held the bamboo slips and walked quickly to the front of the soldiers' platform, then slowly unfolded the bamboo slips. Suddenly, Li Meng's ups and downs sounded throughout the schoolyard.

"Those who retreated in the face of battle - kill!"

"Those who do not obey military orders - kill!"

"Embedd the captured one - kill!"

"Those who rape women - behead!"

"Tramming the crops - chop!"

"Those who kill the heads of the people without mercy are taking advantage of the military merits - kill them!"

After Li Meng finished speaking the last word "kill", the audience suddenly felt an uproar.

Compared with the previous Liangzhou military regulations, the six major military regulations announced this time are much stricter, especially the three principles of embezzlement, capture, rape of women, and trampling on crops are unacceptable. In the past, the butcher horses were allowed to let it go, but now they are suddenly not allowed to do it, so these veterans and gangsters naturally have their opinions.

"What are the reasons for fighting with your heads? It's not for promotion and wealth. Now it's not allowed to be embezzled and seized. So you still want to have a ball? Just go home and hug the girls."

"Even women are not allowed to ride, are they still allowed to live?"

"That's right, what if anyone takes care of the place under his feet and breaks some crops and fields when they start a war? Is it okay?"

The five thousand Xiliang veterans on the school ground were like a blowout, and they started to yell. Li Meng kept shouting but couldn't stop the noise of these veterans. He had to turn around and shake his head to Ma Yue. The butcher Ma's face darkened, and he strode forward to the pointing platform and stood sternly, shouting: "Shut up the fuck!"

This loud shout was like a sharp steel knife, stopping the noise of five thousand Liangzhou veterans.

"What are you yelling at?? What's there to yell at?" Ma Yue's eyes swept across the entire schoolyard like a knife, and said sternly, "I don't want to join the army anymore, right? Well, who doesn't want to join the army anymore, can get out now! This general will never leave, and each person will give a thousand yuan of condemnation fee! Who wants to leave?"

Five thousand Liangzhou veterans were silent, and no one dared to fart any more!

Not to mention whether anyone really wants to leave the army, even if he has this idea, he dare not really leave. You think the reputation of Ma Butcher is just a joke. This guy is not only cruel to the enemy, but also cruel to his subordinates or friendly forces who betrayed his subordinates or friends. The tragic fate of Gongsun Zan and his son is enough to tell everything.

Ma Yue paused and continued, "The seized money and food will not be returned to the public. Where can I get the money and food to pay for the fallen soldiers' families? If one day you die on the battlefield, what will your wife and children do? Let them be helpless and starve to death, and die of poverty? Or do you plan to dispose of the general's 100-pound meat to fill their stomachs?"

“…”

"Even the women don't let them ride, and if they can't let them live, who said this just now?" The butcher Ma coldly searched the five thousand Liangzhou soldiers on the school ground and said murderously, "If you have the guts, stand up for me! Don't hide in the crowd as a turtle."

There was no sound on the school ground, so of course no one would stand up at this time.

Ma Yue said coldly: "Want women? It's easy. After the war is over and I have saved enough military achievements, I will immediately send you to the Mobei grassland. There are thousands of Xianbei women waiting for you, each of whom is at least ten or eight! But now, you have all taken care of the four taels of meat and two eggs under my crotch. Whoever dares to violate military discipline? Don't blame me for turning against others!"

"As for the last two, I hope you can understand that now is not using troops to the Hu people, but using troops to Guandong! Our Liangzhou army is the official army of the court. What are the official army used for? It is used to protect the Han people, not to massacre the people! War is the life-and-death killing between warlords and warlords, and soldiers. Don't use the heads of the people as a result. That's not what men should do!"

"But~~" Ma Yue turned around and continued, "Don't be discouraged. The military rules of the Liangzhou Legion are certainly stricter than before, but the rewards for meritorious soldiers are also more generous and more formal! In the past, there was no reward for killing the enemy, but now every time you kill an enemy soldier, you can get a hundred rewards!"

"If you kill an officer above the sergeant in front of the formation, you will receive corresponding treatment as above the sergeant. If you kill an officer above the sergeant, you will receive treatment as above the sergeant. And so on. If anyone of you can knock down the general of the Cao army, I will call you the general of Liangzhou without saying a word."

"What if that villain killed Cao Cao?"

"If you can kill Cao Cao, then the general will immediately give up the position of General Pingxi and let you sit down!"

“Hahaha~~”

Five thousand Liangzhou soldiers were finally amused by the words "Ma Butcher".

Shouchun, Cao's army camp.

With Liu Ye's company, the Pavilion Elephant slowly walked into the camp. While walking, the Pavilion Elephant carefully observed the details of the Cao army. He asked Liu Ye casually: "Zi Yang, isn't Prime Minister Cao in the camp?"

Liu Ye said: "The Prime Minister just went to the Wu army camp in the south of the city."

"Oh?" Ge Xiang asked as if nothing had happened, "Prime Minister Cao went to the Wu army camp in the south of the city?"

"Hey, it's not for military rations." Liu Ye said, "Wu County is a small person and the people are weak. The Wu army is about to run out of food, but our army is sufficient. So, the Prime Minister took the initiative to escort 50,000 stones of grain and transport it to the Wu army camp. Since it is an allied army, if there are difficulties, we should naturally help each other. What do you think?"

Ge Xiang hurriedly said, "Ahem, that's it, that's it."

After Liu Ye said that, he pointed to the left side of the camp and said to the Pavilion Xiang: "Boru (Gexiang Preface) Look, our army's food and grass are piled up there, which is enough for a year or two. Besides, it's raining for a while, and it's moldy and rotten when it's stored. It's better to give it to the Wu army a favor, haha."

Ge Xiang was shocked and looked in the direction of Liu Ye's finger. Sure enough, she saw several high and raised hill bags on the left side of the Cao army camp. There were half a person-high wooden frames underneath, covered with thick oil cloth. Several oil cloths were opened by the strong wind, revealing the neatly stacked cloth bags below.

There was also a group of men carrying cloth bags from inside to outside. A group of men accidentally dispersed the bag mouth, and the corn inside suddenly scattered all over the floor. Only then did the Ge Xiang believe it.
To be continued...