dognovel Chapter 690 The Iron Camp Remains, But the Soldiers Come and Go
Chapter 690 The Iron Camp Remains, But the Soldiers Come and Go
Guan Xing wasn't worried about whether this group could successfully enter Cao Wei, but he was worried that if they were captured, they wouldn't be able to withstand torture and interrogation, thus implicating his comrades.
After decades of chaos in the Central Plains, Cao Wei's economic and social systems had long since collapsed, and its household registration system was in complete disarray. Under such circumstances, it was easy to infiltrate Cao Wei territory, but what happened afterward?
It should be understood that Cao Wei was no pushover; rather, it was the biggest stumbling block on the road to unification of the Han Dynasty, a mortal enemy that required the full efforts of the court to possibly defeat.
Especially in terms of intelligence, the intelligence capabilities of the Cao Wei Imperial Academy far surpassed those of the Han Dynasty. Guan Xing had reason to believe that Cao Wei might have already received news that these three thousand people were about to go to Wei, and might even have laid a trap for them. In other words, it would be fine if these three thousand people remained silent after going to Cao Wei, but once they took action, they might fall into the sights of the Imperial Academy and be arrested and tortured for confession.
These soldiers are shouting slogans loudly now, but when it comes to the critical moment, how many of them can withstand torture and forced confessions?
If only one or two people are captured, it won't be a big deal, but don't forget that the secret front is a whole line. If one person is exposed and confesses, the entire line will be doomed. At that time, those unlucky guys who were exposed because their comrades defected to the enemy probably won't even know how they died.
Guan Xing believed in the loyalty of these soldiers, but he was even more aware of the cruelty of the secret front. Therefore, he had to give them advance instructions, hoping that if they were exposed, they would find a way to commit suicide, or if they were captured, they could hold out longer to buy time for their comrades to evacuate.
Guan Xing had already taught them these things and the precautions for the covert front during the bandit suppression campaign; this was just a final reminder.
Therefore, the soldiers knew Guan Xing's concerns and shouted in unison, "General, rest assured, we would rather die than be traitors."
They genuinely didn't want to be traitors. Firstly, their ancestors were all subjects of the Han Dynasty, and they had followed Liu Shan and Guan Xing for so long, so they had a strong sense of belonging to the Han Dynasty.
Secondly, they also had to consider their children and grandchildren and their posthumous reputation. Even if they died, they didn't want to be branded as traitors, because that would truly condemn them to the pillory of shame.
Finally, and most importantly, they believed that Liu Bei would succeed in his northern expedition. Therefore, if they died in battle, they would surely be given the posthumous honors they deserved after Liu Bei's successful northern expedition. However, if they became traitors, who knows how Liu Bei would deal with them after his northern expedition succeeded? So no one wanted to be a traitor.
Guan Xing nodded in satisfaction upon hearing this, and then gestured to Liu Shan with his chin to indicate that he had finished speaking.
Liu Shan pushed him aside and said, "Why talk about these unhappy things when we're about to part ways? Soldiers, brothers, I have nothing to say. See you in Luoyang. When we get there, I'll treat you to three days of drinking."
The soldiers erupted in thunderous cheers, shouting in unison, "Your Highness is wise!"
Hearing their cheers, Liu Shan waved with a smile and said, "Dismissed, let's eat!"
Today is a farewell meal. After this meal, it may be years before we meet again, and many of us may never see each other again. So today's meal is exceptionally lavish. We have prepared three heads of beef alone, not to mention chicken, duck, fish, and lamb. There's plenty to go around.
The banquet lasted until evening, and Liu Shan, Guan Xing, and everyone else got completely drunk. They then slept on the spot until noon the next day.
After waking up and having a simple bowl of porridge, the soldiers began packing their belongings and, with Liu Shan and Guan Xing watching them go, left the military camp in all directions, preparing to use their own methods to develop their influence within Cao Wei territory.
This time there is no unified leadership; everyone is their own leader and needs to act in their own way. Whether you achieve great things or meet your end after entering Cao Wei depends on fate.
Watching their departing figures, Liu Shan suddenly felt a pang of melancholy and said slowly, "When we recapture Luoyang, I wonder how many of these brothers I'll still be able to see."
Guan Xing was also somewhat saddened, but said helplessly, "There's nothing we can do about it. If we want to win, someone has to make sacrifices. And the only way to eliminate sacrifices is to unify the country. So we should work hard too."
Liu Shan touched his nose and chuckled awkwardly, "I really don't know how to work hard, so you guys just need to work hard, and I'll stand behind you and cheer you on."
Guan Xing rolled his eyes at these words, thinking, "You really have no modesty at all."
Liu Shan, however, asked with a self-satisfied air, "What's next? How about we go home and see your son?"
Guan Xing shook his head and said, "It won't work today. More than two hundred students sent by Gongsun Yuan from Liaodong have been in Jiangling for several days. The Prime Minister ordered me to be in charge of teaching them. They will enter the camp at Shenshi this afternoon, and I have to wait."
The camp remains, but the soldiers come and go. This military camp was built by Guan Xinghua at great expense, and its training facilities are complete. It is impossible for it to be abandoned just because Zhou Shan, Ma Zhong and others left. Therefore, as soon as Zhou Shan, Ma Zhong and others left, new personnel were brought in.
This time, the number of people was small, only two thousand. Apart from the two hundred Liaodong students sent by Gongsun Yuan, the rest were all elites selected by Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang from other armies.
In other words, Guan Xing has completely become a military academy instructor, focusing all his efforts on training students before the Northern Expedition. After graduation, these students will not go to Cao Wei to infiltrate, but will be dispersed into the army to serve as low-ranking officers such as Shitunqu Battalion. No one dares to imagine how much their combat power will be enhanced at that time.
Upon hearing this, Liu Shan exclaimed excitedly, "Then I won't go back either. If I go back to the palace, my father and the prime minister will force me to study, and Xingcai will force me to have children. It's all troublesome. It's more comfortable to stay in the military camp."
The birth of Guan Xing's son spurred Crown Princess Zhang Xingcai into having a child whenever she had the chance.
This kind of thing is indeed very enjoyable if it's just for entertainment, but it doesn't feel so good when it comes to procreation. In addition, Liu Shan was not a lecherous man like Cao Cao and his son, so over time he became less interested in this kind of thing and now he would choose to avoid his wife.
Guan Xing said speechlessly, "You'd better pay more attention to this matter, otherwise, if the Crown Princess comes to the military camp with her eighteen-foot spear one day, I won't stop her."
Amidst the laughter and conversation, the new students arrived. The students from the Han Dynasty and Liaodong lined up in two distinct rows and came to the front of the stage to pay their respects to Liu Shan and Guan Xing. The leader of the Liaodong group clasped his hands and bowed, saying, "Yang Zuo, under the command of General Gongsun Yuan, Prefect of Liaodong, pays his respects to His Highness the Crown Prince and Marquis Shence!"
Yang Zuo?
Guan Xing was taken aback upon hearing this. After a moment's thought, information about Yang Zuo came to mind. If he remembered correctly, this person was a general under Gongsun Yuan. Historically, he led his army to resist when Sima Yi conquered Liaodong, but was eventually defeated and surrendered.
The fact that Gongsun Yuan sent this person shows how much importance he attaches to this training.
Guan Xing nodded and said, "Get up. First of all, welcome to Jiangling. Secondly, let's talk about the rules. We are all soldiers who respect strength, so today we'll have a one-on-one duel. Let me see your strength first."
After saying that, he pointed at Zhang Bao, Jiang Wei, and Xia Tong and said, "You can challenge any of the three of them. If you win, you can act like a tyrant in the camp and do whatever you want. But if you lose, you must obey orders and not disobey. Understand?"
New recruits need to be given a tough start so they know who's in charge; that's how they'll be managed in the future.
Otherwise, some troublemakers will think they are the best in the world and will not obey your orders, causing you a lot of trouble.
All the soldiers bowed in unison and said, "Understood!"
Guan Xing snapped his fingers and laughed, "Let's begin then. Anyone who wants to take on the challenge is welcome to try."