Chapter 1093 Night Patrol of Hundred Camps

On the eve of the war, the atmosphere in the Wei army camp was quite tense and solemn. After receiving the order to prepare for battle, the soldiers of all camps were busy packing and maintaining their armor and weapons.

Although the Western Wei side has been in a relatively advantageous position since the war began, the soldiers are optimistic about the outcome of the next war and believe that the chances of winning are quite high.

However, for each person, whether they can survive after a war and kill many enemies and make meritorious contributions is full of uncertainty, which inevitably makes people worried about gains and losses and nervous.

In such a situation, the difference between veterans and recruits is reflected. The recruits may have a kind of strong ambition of a newborn calf who is not afraid of a tiger, but when it comes to adjusting their own mentality when the war is about to come, they are still less experienced than veterans.

After nightfall, some recruits still gathered in front of the campfire outside the tent, constantly sharpening the swords and weapons in their hands with whetstones.

Some weapons that are obviously sharp and do not need to be polished and maintained are still held in people's hands and rubbed with whetstones, which makes sparks fly. It can be seen that the people who polish them are not thinking about it, but just use it as a way to relieve stress and relieve emotions.

Others can't hide their anxiety, constantly wandering around the camp, and even fighting with their comrades. However, such situations are usually stopped by the captains and supervisors. Although it is not forbidden for soldiers to learn military skills from each other in the barracks, they must ensure enough rest before the war to maintain sufficient physical strength. Some activities that consume too much physical strength will be prohibited.

Some captains and supervisors turn a blind eye to the tension of the soldiers before the war, and some enforce the ban on military orders more than usual, but some captains will give some guidance and enlightenment. Relatively speaking, officers who are willing to give more care to the soldiers are undoubtedly more supported by their subordinates.

In a fortress in the main camp, hundreds of soldiers in the camp sat around the campfire, listening to their commander, a middle-aged man in his forties, telling stories about past wars.

"There is really no need to be nervous in this battle with the enemy. Hundreds of thousands of divisions and brigades have gathered here. This is the most troops the Lord has ever used in the battle with the bandits! You must know that in the past, with only a few thousand troops, we were able to frequently defeat tens of thousands of enemies, and the enemies we captured were several times more than our troops."

The camp leader was surrounded by the crowd. Looking at the soldiers who were still a little nervous, he smiled and said, "You soldiers are now in a good time. You have strong soldiers and horses, enough armor and sticks, and thousands of comrades can advance and retreat together. What strong enemy is worth fearing? We, the old people of the Lord's mansion, followed the Lord to fight in various places in the past. That was the real fight for our lives. But no matter how difficult the situation was, the Lord could always predict the enemy and win, which is why he is so glorious today!"

"When did Commander Liu follow the Lord to make achievements?"

When the soldiers heard that he was an old man of Lord Tang, a soldier couldn't help but ask.

The camp leader seemed to have been waiting for this question. After hearing this, he immediately showed a proud look on his face. After looking around at everyone present, he said with a smile: "I followed the master so early that you may not be able to imagine. After the battle of Mangshan, I followed the master into the pass. At that time, we followed the master with only dozens of soldiers and settled in Wuxiang Shangyuan. Even the master had to farm and collect wood to make a living. At that time, the master praised me for my good pickle cooking and appointed me as the pickle ambassador..."

"How can there be such an official title? The governor must be joking!"

After hearing this, the surrounding soldiers immediately laughed, because their camp leader had a gentle temper and was sympathetic to his subordinates, so they were seldom afraid of him in their hearts, and they were very close to him. They would occasionally joke with each other, and the atmosphere in the camp was always very harmonious.

"What do you know, you stupid boys! My family lives in Shangyuan, is that true? I got married thanks to the Lord's gift of marriage and gifts! If we talk about how early I entered the palace, the majestic generals today will call themselves juniors when they see me!"

The camp owner couldn't help but glare and shout when he heard the soldiers' laughter. It was fine to joke and insult each other on weekdays, but what he said today was the most precious and cherished memory in his heart, but he was naturally a little unhappy when a few boys laughed and called it a joke.

The soldiers around saw that the camp owner seemed to be a little serious, and they didn't dare to continue to make trouble for a while, but they still had doubts in their hearts. Although their camp owner was also the commander-in-chief of a camp of 500 soldiers, he was still far away from Lord Tang. As for saying that the generals were the camp owner's juniors, it was more like nonsense.

The camp leader also noticed that the soldiers still seemed to be somewhat suspicious, and he was naturally angry, so he stopped talking and just stared at the campfire, feeling sullen. Unconsciously, he was lost in thought and recalled the past. Occasionally, he smiled knowingly, but there was also a sense of loss in his eyes.

At this moment, a series of cheers from soldiers suddenly rang out in other camps. After hearing this, the soldiers looked in the direction of the cheers. It should be known that the camp has always been forbidden to make noise without reason, especially at this moment when the war is about to come and the atmosphere in the camp is already tense. If you really make noise and cause chaos in the camp for no reason and cause serious consequences, it is not impossible to be beheaded directly.

Just as the soldiers were in a state of panic, a patrol knight rode into the camp fence and shouted loudly: "The Lord is patrolling the camp in person. Soldiers in the camp should stay in the camp and do not leave the camp!"

"The Lord is patrolling the camp?"

The soldiers were very surprised to hear this, and the camp owner sitting by the campfire smiled and a glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes. Then a soldier came forward and said with a smile: "The Lord is going to patrol the camp. The governor does not need to be angry at his stupidity. When the time comes, come in and reminisce about the past, and ask the Lord for thirty long axes to be allocated to his sons..."

"What nonsense! The war is imminent, and the Lord is busy with military affairs. He may not patrol here. Even if he patrols, he cannot disturb the Lord with such trivial camp affairs!"

After hearing this, the camp owner glared and scolded, and the soldiers could not help but feel guilty when hearing this. However, they have always loved the camp owner, and boasting is also a trend in the army. In order to avoid embarrassing the camp owner, they all tacitly stopped mentioning this matter.

The cheers of the soldiers outside the camp were still ringing rhythmically. It was obvious that Lord Tang was still patrolling the camp. Every time he entered a camp, the soldiers cheered and greeted him. Therefore, when the soldiers in other camps that had not yet been patrolled heard the cheers, they were all full of expectations.

The cheers outside the camp were getting closer and closer, and even Lord Tang's laughter could be vaguely heard. The soldiers in the camps here also approached the camp gate one after another, looking forward to the upcoming Lord Tang. On the contrary, the camp owner who was still boasting about his deep experience before was now hiding behind the crowd, with his head drooping and not very noticeable.

Soon, the three guards who had been following Lord Tang in and out arrived outside the camp first. Soon, the sound of horse hooves sounded outside the camp. Everyone looked out of the camp. After a few breaths, Lord Tang, dressed in military uniform, rode into everyone's sight. The soldiers who had been waiting for a long time cheered.

Amid the cheers of the soldiers, Li Tai turned over and dismounted in front of the camp, looked at the excited soldiers and asked with a smile: "Which prefecture are you from?"

"Report to the Lord, we are the honorable men of Renxing Prefecture!"

Hearing Lord Tang's question, the soldiers standing in front of the crowd hurriedly answered.

"Renxing Prefecture? Then your commander should be Liu Sanzhu. Where is he now? Why didn't he come to greet him?"

After hearing this answer, Li Tai hesitated for a moment and then spoke again.

The camp leader who had been hiding in the team and was a little afraid to step forward trembled when he heard Tang Gong calling out his name. He immediately pushed aside the crowd in front of him, rushed to Li Tai, knelt on the ground with a plop, and then said in a trembling voice: "Master, Master, do you still remember Sanzhu, this useless slave?"

Li Tai bent down and picked up Liu Sanzhu, then frowned and said: "Why should I forget you? After you left the mansion to take up an official position, you are busy and don’t see each other often. Do you want to forget the old friendship of helping each other in the past?"

"No, no... How dare I, I was lucky to follow you back then, and I will never forget it! It’s just that after I left the mansion, I have rarely made great contributions to serve you, and I am only a commander of the camp..."

After hearing this, Liu Sanzhu hurriedly shook his head, and then said with a face full of shame.

After hearing this, Li Tai frowned, grabbed Liu Sanzhu's arm and walked towards the camp, scolding him as he walked: "What do you mean by extraordinary merit? If you are the one who pacifies the bandits, what is the point of me being in office? Hundreds of warriors in this camp bid farewell to their parents and fellow villagers, put on armor and entered the camp, and went out with swords. You trained and managed them properly for me, which is a merit! Now that the war is imminent, if you, the camp leaders, are not there to lead your troops and serve as my minions, can I defeat the enemy alone?"

At this point, he looked at the camp soldiers who followed him and said with a smile: "It is really a great achievement for you camp soldiers to be under the control of Governor Liu. Fortunately! He was known for his kindness in my school last year, and he was good at getting along with the masses. Many military governors submitted petitions, hoping to transfer him to the government, but the governor of Renxing simply refused.

This praise is not to show off my good family education, but also because Governor Liu is kind-hearted. In the future battle, you soldiers can kill the enemy and make meritorious deeds without worrying about missing out on merit. For such a caring leader, all meritorious deeds will be praised and rewarded! "

Hearing these words, all the soldiers, including Liu Sanzhu, responded loudly, and the tension in their hearts because of the upcoming war disappeared.

This time, Li Tai not only praised and comforted the soldiers, but also patiently asked them if they had any needs before the war. When he heard that the soldiers wanted thirty long axes, he immediately sent them over.

Because there were more than a hundred camps here, in order not to delay the normal rest of the soldiers, he had no time to stay in a camp for a long time. He inspected and encouraged them, and tried his best to meet the soldiers' demands before the war, and then moved to the next camp.

While Tang Gong was visiting the camps to comfort the soldiers, the three guards who followed him all the way also saw a major feature of Tang Gong's military management. In addition to enforcing orders, he was also approachable and caring for the soldiers.

There were hundreds of camps in the whole camp. Whenever Tang Gong entered a camp and asked where they came from, he would immediately call out the names of the camp leaders. There was no mistake in the hundreds of camp leaders and commanders. After being named and encouraged by Tang Gong, the camp leaders also had a generous and heroic spirit of dying for their confidants!

"The Lord knows the army well. The followers are grateful and the soldiers obey his orders. Although the enemy army is large, what is there to fear!"

After following Tang Gong to patrol the camp for several hours, Yang Jian and other three guards were able to return to the tent to rest for a while. Recalling the excitement of the soldiers in the camps during the previous patrol, these three guards were also deeply moved. The original tension in their hearts because of the first time to see such a grand battle gradually disappeared, and they were full of confidence in the battle in the future. After returning to the camp, they did not have time to take off their clothes, but just waited for the battle with full expectation.