Chapter 061 – Tears

A horse-drawn carriage leisurely sailed to the scattered warehouse, the horseman was Song Ke Li the good-looking scholar, sitting in the car Yuan Benxi always hangs the curtain up, looking into the sky that group of southbound geese in a herringbone formation, staring blankly in a daze. The head of the bird, carry the wind. But a family or a household, a clan or a country, there is bound to be someone to step forward.

Song Ke Li left Weize County, there is no imperial residence newspaper can be read, but Mr. Yuan will find him every once in a while to speak freely, intentionally or unintentionally “leaking the sky”, Song Ke Li is convinced. Scattered warehouse battle, is today’s son of heaven after ascending the throne, in the Tai’an city south of the map ate the first big defeat, Yong Hui years two expeditions to the southern Zhao, although no success and back, but the least dozens of large and small battles, each other winners and losers, and xiangfu first year of the scattering of the warehouse riding battle, general Yan Zhenchun died, 30,000 elite cavalry all wiped out, is destined to not be able to cover up the cloth of shame, away from the sun dynasty and the field of creeps, if Yang Shenxing’s trapped can be understood as a result of the lightness of the enemy, then Yan Zhenchun, the general of the army of the world. If Yang Shenxing was trapped can be understood as a result of the enemy, then the Yan family cavalry and the Western Chu rebels do not contain fraudulent hard, the result is still a defeat, had to let the court important ministers and eminent ministers to reweigh the strength of the Western Chu. Song Ke Li, who is determined to serve the country, is even more worried, until Mr. Yuan opened the window of heaven with him and said an open talk, only then did this Song family young phoenix really see the treacherous clouds of the temple.

“Have you seen one thing? Yang Shenxing’s 40,000 old pawns from Jinan, as well as the newly created 5,000 or 6,000 cavalry, and Yan Zhenchun’s 30,000 elite cavalry that originally guarded the capital, are all someone’s ‘family army’?”

Song Ke Li marveled, “But isn’t the cost a bit too great?”

Yuan Benxi smiled and said blandly, “On the court side, mainly the Gu Lu Ministry of War, as well as the ‘study place’ where the Qi Ju Lang is located, these places do not think that Yang Shen Xing Yan Zhen Chun, two meritorious veteran generals, will be defeated, and that they should have lost after Cao Chang Qing, the main backbone of the Western Chu Dynasty, showed up. But in that case, since the capital city’s military strength ‘appears’ to have been hit hard, what reason does King Zhao Yi of Guangling have to hunker down and not move?”

Song Ke Li lamented, “Suppressing the military first, cutting the clan is even more of a watertight move, this is a yang plot.”

Yuan Benxi did not comment, hesitated for a moment, mocked: “I also read some military books, but has not dared to say that he is familiar with military affairs, so for the layout of the war, always be able to stay out of the way to stay out of the way. People noble self-knowledge, to avoid shortcomings, many times as long as you do not make mistakes, the opportunity will come. Yang Shenxeng is lost in the temple, otherwise to Polaris clamor a line of troops, the two sides are even, if you let Yang Shenxeng steady, can also take advantage of. But Yang Shenxeng fought half a lifetime of war, older, do not think of themselves as a feudal official, and thought he was a ‘minister of the hall’, in the end, lost in the sand outside, it is reasonable. Song Ke Li, you can not not learn from this.”

Song Ke Li nodded vigorously.

Yuan Benxi continued: “Yan Zhenchun for Yang Shenxing drag, had to hastily south scattered warehouse, was the Western Chu cavalry to wait for the enemy, more unexpected three thousand heavy cavalry in the key moment to stir the situation, was a person with the intention of counting the heart, Yan Zhenchun the more the rule of the army has the law, the more the soldiers under his command do not hesitate to fight to the end, the more fall into the Western Chu’s trap. To Yan Zhenchun’s experience, surely guessed the Western Chu 20,000 light cavalry behind the ambush, just did not think of 20,000 riders let them 30,000 riders hit the end of the crossbow. The court made one wrong step and one wrong step, and Xi Chu made one first step and one first step. West Chu seems to be the successor ah, the Ministry of War has a record of more than a dozen young people in the file, which in turn to the four optimal, four people appeared in two, Pei valve son of Pei Sui in the presidency of the Polaris clamor political affairs, this person is young and old, family learning, but lost the aura. Scattered warehouse battle, led 20,000 light cavalry and Yan Zhenchun dead battle riding general Xu Yunxia, sharp, but absolutely not sure of the timing of the heavy cavalry attack. So it seems that the matter of the northern front should be the handiwork of Kou Jianghuai or Xie Xijian among the four.”

Song Ke Li slowly said: “I have heard of Kou Jianghuai, his ancestors are all generals of Western Chu, he himself studied the art of war and tactics, in his early years, he was once a stunning figure in the Shangyin Palace, not yet crowned as Mr. Jixiang, but also has the courage to fight in the battlefield, it is a rare military and civilian talent. As for who Xie Xijian is, I’ve never heard of him. Mr. Yuan, is it true that Western Chu’s northern front planning is not the established strategy of that Confucian sage Cao Changqing?”

Yuan Benxi shook his head and said, “Without these outstanding young men, how would Cao Changqing dare to restore the country?”

Yuan Benxi suddenly laughed, and it was the kind of laughter that never stopped. Song Ke Li froze for a moment, in his impression Mr. Yuan is not surprised by everything, great wisdom near the demon, but the city is deep, there are few moments of true feelings. After Yuan Benxi laughed heartily, lifted the wine pot and drank a mouthful of wine, said: “I have been nestled in the Hanlin Academy all my life, listening to more than a few famous scholarly talk, although more than a pedantic gas, but in the end, the world is the most well-read a handful of poetry and books, there is no lack of desirable features. Either with a group of unseen behind-the-scenes characters, these characters are not bad, each with their own outstanding talent, or small details without error, or visionary super group, one step counts ten steps. As a result of this trip out of the capital, living in those town inns, listening to the poor scholar and the countryside village people boast, only to know that there is a different flavor.”

Song Ke Li cried and laughed, did not dare to comment. This trip to the south, did listen to a lot of frogs in the bottom of the well of funny speech, Song Ke Li often left ear into the right ear out, but Mr. Yuan time and time again, drinking and eating more and more enjoyable. For example, there is a city of rough people said that the nickname of what official son of the Western Chu Cao Changqing brain too stupid, how not to hide in the capital to assassinate the current son of God, anyway, have been assassinated three times, a few more times and what is the harm? It’s better than doing nothing on Guangling Road. There are people’s opinion is more “pragmatic”, said that if he is Cao Changqing, with Jianghu masters sit in the northern line, each time to kill a few thousand people, a few days to kill once, all the way to the foot of the city of Tai’an, do not have to lose a soldier of Western Chu. Not without some insights, objections, in that case, our court how not to hire heavy among the martial arts evaluation of the masters, a brain pile to kill to the North Mang, but also Gu Jiantang generals of the border army to do what to do, to the North Rang Iron Riders to do what? It is clear that between heaven and earth hides the rules that we common people do not understand. But these people are people get to the bottom of the matter, and can not say a two or three so. The marketplace, with the West Chu unveiled, erected the ginger flag, but did not appear away from the Yang Wang division of a battle into a good situation, the war is stalemate, lively, there are a lot of red-faced each express their own views of the boisterous clamor.

Yuan Benxi laughed softly and asked, “Is it think those people who are far away from the center of the people, coarse and short-sighted?”

Song Ke Li did not deliberately hide his thoughts and nodded his head, “I do think so.”

Yuan Benxi shook his head and said, “It’s not that I haven’t thought about rectifying the power of the jianghu, but back then, the late emperor ordered Xu Snapu to set foot on the jianghu, which was a bad start, and after that, although the court left a lot of official positions for the jianghu and grassroots amongst the Imperial Golden Sword Guards, and the Ministry of Criminal Affairs and the two Zhao Hook offices also distributed amulets and sent out a considerable number of copper and yellow embroidered carp bags, but compared to the Northern Mang female emperor’s boldness, it still seems to be Dwarf. Although it is delusional to let the high-minded top martial artists, regardless of life and death to join forces to assassinate someone, but in a battle to reduce the death of armor, is not difficult. It is only two things that have completely dissuaded me. One is that literary orthodoxy in His Majesty the Emperor’s heart, coupled with the obstruction of the eunuch Han Shengxuan, as well as Artemisia Liu’s mentality that the city of Tai’an is the only place where I am the only one who can be respected. The second thing is Xu Snapdragon’s collection of the world’s secret books into the treasury, as well as set the rules of passing the head of the river and lake, from then on, laid down the tone of the temple and the river and lake well water does not offend the river water, and could not create the meteorological situation of the North Mang streams integrating into the great river.”

Yuan Benxi sighed, shook the wine pot, looked at the young Song Ke Li, said in a deep voice: “Smart people do great things, the means may not be how complicated, and even often very simple, but there is only one thing that can not go wrong, that is, the distance seen in the eyes and the road taken by the feet, have to be right. What is really difficult, is to know easy to do this difficult word. Your grandparents and fathers of the two men jointly dominate the literary world, suppressing others, may not be unaware of this move impede the morale of the scholarly world, why? Still can not let go of the honor and disgrace of a family just. Today’s emperor does not adopt Li Dangxin’s new calendar, may not be no pity for the people of the world, why? Why? It is because he cannot let go of the rise and fall of a family name. Cao Changqing’s style, that is, I Yuan Benxi also convinced, this big official son three times twice into the palace, as long as he kill heart is not heavy, I and the deceased not only do not block, which twice have turned a blind eye, why? Cao Changqing can’t let go of one person only, I and that old man can’t let go of my generation of Confucians flow, was early wind and rain scattered only.”

Yuan Benxi heartfelt emotion: “people have obsession, then obsessed, then true. Which is good or bad, is not a couple of words can say all the meaning.”

Song Ke Li was about to continue to ask for advice, Yuan Benxi has no idea of speaking, just muttered to himself: “How the jianghu, by and large, has been finalized. How the temple, in this dynasty will also have a conclusion, the future of my Yuan Benxi and Li Yishan Nalan right Ci this kind of strategist, also become extinct. As for the emperor, it becomes even more extravagant.”

Subsequently all the way south, the clouds are light, general Yan Zhenchun and his 30,000 Yan family cavalry has become a thing of the past, the court is still in the deployment of troops, no war in a short period of time, and those horse thieves have disappeared overnight, the carriage walked without fear, and even unhindered to the battlefield of the scattered warehouse.

Yuan Benxi out of the carriage, did not immediately towards the two sides into the 50,000 cavalry sand field, but came to that West Chu heavy cavalry men and horses stayed. The only place in Liyang that has big horses is Beiliang, Jizhou, and the two Liao, and the Western Chu horses are inherently inferior to these three places. Moreover, the heavy cavalry’s rush to the battlefield is not likely to be the kind of momentum like a rainbow galloping all the way to the battlefield that people imagine, but it requires a large number of loaded mules, horses, and a lot of auxiliaries, and the heavy cavalry is put into the battlefield before the cavalry is put into the battlefield, the cavalrymen don’t put on their armor and don’t get on the horses and only choose to hide themselves in the place which isn’t far away from the battlefield and wait for the right time quietly. Once the demanding heavy cavalry is allowed to complete the buildup charge, the tremendous rushing force that comes together is unparalleled! It can be said that the heavy cavalry is just like every cavalry commander tries to hide the woman in the golden house, but it is also the dreadful “love enemy” that the enemy commander does not want to run into.

Yuan Benxi followed the marching route of the heavy cavalry in the battle, walking slowly until he reached the final battlefield, Yuan Benxi squatted down and closed his eyes.

It seemed that he could see a singable and tragic picture from that great battle of the cavalry army.

The light cavalry fought to the end, and the heavy cavalry of Western Chu killed them.

Yan Zhenchun, who had already changed several horses, was covered in blood and looked on death as a homecoming, leading the few remaining personal cavalry that had been escorting the cavalry, taking the lead in meeting the heavy cavalry.

Those who had horses continued to ride, making one last charge against the collision.

The Yan Family cavalrymen who no longer had horses to ride on then formed a battle formation to face the unstoppable iron armor torrent together.

After the situation was settled, the Western Chu cavalry that was also extremely tired continued to bite the bullet and chase.

Yan Zhenchun was the first to die in battle, not even leaving a whole body behind.

The generals and officers then died.

Many of the Yan family cavalrymen who were unable to fight any longer looked on in disbelief at the spears and spears stabbing from the enemy’s horsebacks, or watched in amazement as the great swords of the Western Chu “foot soldiers” slashed down.

Many blood-soaked banners fell on the battlefield.

Some of the cavalrymen tried their best to hold a corner of the flag before they died.

After the battle, the young commander of Western Chu, who did not personally enter the battlefield, methodically ordered the auxiliary generals to dispose of their affairs, and the young man did not have the joy of becoming famous in the world. Just sitting on the ground alone, looking around, silently lowering his head, raising his arm, wiping tears.

Both for the sons and daughters of Western Chu, but also for those Yan family cavalry in the hostile camp.