Chapter Thirty-Five: The Gentleman Takes Center Stage

  (PS: Alright then, three updates will be made, the first update is sent, the second update at 4 pm, and the third update at night, totaling about 15,000 words.)

  After all, poor General Zhang Yu couldn't resist the threats and temptations, and finally agreed to execute Tao Ying's battle plan. That is, let Tao Ying lead the 800 Junzi Army alone to march south first, trying to lure Fu Rong out of the city for a field battle. Our poor General Zhang Yu would lead 2,000 infantrymen to garrison the already abandoned Ping'an County City, waiting for the outcome of the battle between the Junzi Army and Fu Rong's main force before deciding on the next course of action, so as not to drag down the Junzi Army - these were the words of Tao Er Gongzi.

  Zhang Yue certainly didn't back down because of Tao Ying's ridiculous threat, but rather because Zhang Yue was only Tao Ying's deputy. Tao Ying was the commander-in-chief of the southern expeditionary force in Xuzhou, and refusing to carry out his orders would not only violate the military rule of "obeying orders", but also offend Tao Ying, who was considered by the old man from Danyang to be the future master of Xuzhou. After weighing his options carefully, Zhang Yue finally decided to swallow his pride and reluctantly agree to carry out Tao Ying's order. However, he did have conditions.

  "Gentlemen, I can lead the infantry to garrison in Ping'an County and wait, but I also have a condition." Zhang Yi forced himself to say to Tao Ying: "Please forgive me for speaking out of turn, after your vanguard advances south, if you encounter the rebel army of Qiao Rong and things don't go as planned, I hope you won't stubbornly cling to battle. Instead, please quickly retreat and withdraw back to Ping'an to join forces with me, and then we can have a decisive battle with Qiao's bandits."

  Tao Ying smiled, knowing that Zhang Yi was still worried about him and had already made preparations for a gentleman's defeat and escape before the battle. However, Tao Ying also knew that Zhang Yi was kind-hearted and feared that he would throw away his life on the battlefield of Guangling, so Tao Ying didn't show any dissatisfaction and smiled: "General Zhang, please be at ease, I'm still young and don't want to die yet, I will remember your advice. And please be assured, even if our gentleman's army can't defeat the bandit army, we have enough confidence to escape."

  "Second Brother is right." Tao Ji squeezed his eyebrows and burst out laughing, "In these five months, the most we've practiced in our army is how to escape with our lives on the battlefield. If our army's escaping skills are second in the world, then there's no other army that dares to claim first!"

  Tao Ying also burst out laughing, unable to contain himself. Zhang Ou's face was strange, thinking to himself that something was wrong with San Gongzi, how could he have changed so much in just over five months of following Er Gongzi? His ability to run away was the best in the world, was it really something to be proud of? Meanwhile, Lin Qing on the side quietly spat and cursed: "Shameless! The battle hasn't even started yet and you're already thinking about escaping!"

  "That's settled then." With some difficulty, Tao had finally convinced Zhang that he should immediately confirm the plan: "After the entire army crosses the Huai River, the vanguard will set out first with ten days' worth of provisions. The infantry will be entrusted to General Zhang; they will proceed to Ping'an County and await further instructions before marching south to provide support."

  "I will obey orders." Zhang Yi helplessly clasped his fists and reminded him, "Young master, please remember my words, if things don't go as planned, immediately retreat north along the official road, I will do my best to support you."

  "I remember." Tao Ying nodded, then turned his gaze to Lin Qing beside Zhang Wei, and smiled at the little girl with a face full of discontent: "Lin Gongzi, didn't you say repeatedly that you wanted to see with your own eyes the Junzi Army trained by me? Now the Junzi Army is about to go into battle for the first time, and you happen to be here, don't you want to follow me south and take a look at the extraordinary bravery of the Junzi Army?"

  "Not interested, won't go." Lin Qing said with a straight face.

  "Second brother, where are you taking him? To add more burden?" Tao Ji also hummed, having never gotten along with Lin Qing.

  "Hold on!" Poor Zhang Yu suddenly spoke up, first pulling Lin Qing to one side and whispering a few words in his ear, then returning to bow to Tao Ying and say: "Young master, I've already persuaded my young nephew. Let him follow you south to fight against the bandits. Firstly, he's been familiar with archery and horseback riding since childhood, so he won't hold you back. Secondly, he's young and ignorant, it's a good opportunity for him to witness the cruelty of the battlefield and temper his character."

  "That's settled then." Tao Ying laughed even more slyly, turning to Lin Qing behind Zhang and saying: "Lin Xian-di, who would have thought that after half a year, we'd be eating from the same pot and sleeping in the same tent... Heh heh, what fate!" Lin Qing's face turned bright red as she glared at Tao Ying with wide eyes, then huffily turned her small face away.

  After crossing the Huai River, the Junzi Army, consisting of over 820 cavalrymen, set out with ten days' worth of rations under Tao Ying's personal command. They advanced swiftly towards Guangling to seek a decisive battle with the rebel forces led by Qie Yun. Meanwhile, Qie Yun, Tao Ying's deputy, led 2,000 infantrymen and followed after, escorting the supplies and secret weapons in carts to be stationed at Ping'an County, preparing to provide support for the Junzi Army, which was advancing alone and uncertain of its prospects.

  Apart from this, Tao Ying also made a precautionary arrangement, that is, to arrange two gentlemen soldiers who were disabled due to injuries during training to accompany Zhang's troops southward, teaching the infantry of Zhang's troops how to operate the Huihui cannon, so as to use the Huihui cannon in the upcoming siege.

  Accompanying the Junzi Army to the south, apart from Lin Qing's external personnel, there was another special role that did not belong to the Junzi Army. That is Xu Sheng Xu Wenxiang, who was deceived by Tao Ying from Zang Ba's command. After leading Xu Sheng back to Xuzhou, through several martial arts competitions, it can be judged from Xu Sheng's bravery and high martial arts skills that this Xu Sheng must be the historical figure Xu Sheng, not just a namesake. However, after being overjoyed at having found a treasure, Tao Ying did not let Xu Sheng join the Junzi Army but instead had him serve as his personal deputy commander before making other arrangements.

  In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, there were no Gaoyou Lake and Baima Lake in Huainan, let alone Hongze Lake and the Grand Canal. The population was not as dense as it is now, and the few small cities that existed were mostly abandoned. Everywhere were deserted farmland, hills and forests ravaged by war, with a vast and low-lying terrain, which was exactly the ideal battlefield for Junzi Army and Tao Ying. After arriving on this land, they got rid of Zhang Ren's troops, which had been holding them back, and everyone in the Junzi Army was extremely excited, marching over 120 miles in just one day, killing all the way to present-day Baoying area - even so, it was still Tao Ying who, despite Tao Ji's opposition, ordered the army to stop and rest to preserve their strength.

  One day, only marching 120 miles and ordering the army to rest, Tao Ying must have heard a lot of complaints from Tao Ji. However, Xu Sheng and Lin Qing, external personnel of the Junzi Army, were not having it. Xu Sheng was relatively okay, as he had just become Tao Ying's lackey and still didn't dare complain in front of him, but Lin Qing, who was almost exhausted to death, didn't have so many concerns. As soon as he got the chance, he scolded Tao Ying loudly, "Bookworm, are you crazy?! Marching 120 miles a day, do you want to exhaust all the soldiers and warhorses to death?!"

  "Are you tired?" Tao Yingdong looked around and smiled: "Lin Xian, take a closer look, are my Junzi Army soldiers tired?"

  "Not tired?!" Lin Qing looked around discontentedly, wanting to find a few exhausted officers and soldiers to teach Tao Ying a lesson. However, after taking a closer look, Lin Qing was left bewildered. After marching 120 miles, more than 800 officers and soldiers were all acting normally, chatting and laughing while cooking dinner, and many of them even had the energy to play around, creating a rather relaxed atmosphere.

  "People don't get tired, war horses do." Lin Qing came up with another reason to blame Tao Ying, but when she looked at the Xiongnu horses of the Junzi Army, which were not much bigger than donkeys, Lin Qing became even more confused. She was riding a tall and majestic Dawan horse, which was already exhausted and foaming at the mouth, while the Junzi Army's horses, which were carrying heavy loads, seemed to be doing just fine, eating grass with their heads down. However, hard work pays off for those who are determined, and Lin Qing finally found something new to accuse Tao Ying of, pointing at the war horses that were pulling carts and shouting, "Look! Those horses pulling carts are foaming at the mouth!"

  "There's no choice, those are all Western Region horses." Tao Ying spread his hands and smiled again: "However, it doesn't matter. When the little bandit, Liao Rong, escaped from Xia Pi, he stole my father's three thousand warhorses, and also seized many good horses in Guangling. Once I've dealt with that little bandit, I can exchange them all for Xiongnu horses to pull our chariots, and the Junzi Army will have rotating warhorses too."

  "You mean to say that you dare to march 120 miles a day, all because of the donkey horse you ride?" Lin Qing was not too stupid and quickly caught the implicit meaning in Tao Ying's words.

  "Need I ask? Haven't you seen the endurance of this donkey yourself?" Tao Ying replied with a smile, intentionally or unintentionally moving closer to Lin Qing. "Lin Xiongdi, after walking for a day, aren't you tired?"

  "Get away from me!" Lin Qing cautiously dodged Tao Ying's outstretched demonic claws and retreated five steps back, warning: "Don't forget, in Huaiyin, you promised my uncle to take good care of me. Now I'm tired and want a small tent to rest alone. Without my permission, no one is allowed to enter the tent!"

  "It's no fun living alone, why don't you move into my tent..." Tao Ying's words were cut off halfway as Lin Qing had already drawn his sword with a red face. So Tao Ying was also helpless and could only turn to the nearby captain of the guard Li Ming and instruct: "Send someone to fetch a small tent for General Zhang's nephew to rest in. Also, pass on the order to the entire army that today's weather is good and it's unlikely to rain, so we won't be setting up camp tonight, everyone will just sleep wrapped in felt blankets, and we'll set off at dawn!"

  The next day, the Junzi army created another record that left Lin Qing stunned - marching 130 miles in one day! Poor Lin Qing had to change her stance and accept Tao Ying's kindness, changing horses once along the way to avoid her beloved horse being exhausted. Then, Tao Ying also equipped her horse with two small wooden shoes on the saddle. However, after riding with these strange little shoes for a while, Lin Qing flew into a rage again, "You lecherous bookworm! Why didn't you tell me earlier that putting these things on the saddle would make horseback riding so much easier?! Are you trying to exhaust me to death on purpose?!"

  ……………

  With only over 800 cavalrymen, the Junzi Army marched at such a frantic pace that when news was sent back to the infantry troops behind, Zhang Yu was anxious like an ant on a hot pot. He repeatedly dispatched messengers, asking Tao Ying to slow down the march and not to advance too deeply alone. When the news reached Guangling City, Mo Rong and his trusted deputy, He Zhi, burst out laughing, wildly mocking Tao Er Gongzi's ignorance of military affairs. With limited troops, he still divided them, leading a small number of cavalrymen southward alone, daring to march so rapidly and deeply into enemy-occupied territory - it was simply like asking for death!

  After the big laugh, Mo Rong quickly issued an order that all the rebels in Guangling agreed with, which was to leave only about one-third of the troops to defend Guangling, Jiangdu and Hailing, while the remaining 10,000-strong army would be led by Mo Rong himself to march north out of the city and actively go to battle against the Junzi Army marching south - lest Tao Er Gongzi suddenly woke up and ran away with his valuable gold.

  One side was the rapid southward rush that even nine-headed cows couldn't pull back, while the other side was eagerly advancing northward out of the city. Under this simultaneous advance from both sides, the highly anticipated first battle of the Junzi Army finally arrived ahead of schedule. On August 25th, at dawn, Tao Yingxu, who had led the Junzi Army across Gaoyou, received a report from a light cavalry scout that said Ruan Yu had led an army of 10,000 infantry and cavalry out of the city to the north on the previous day at noon.

  "Going out of the city on their own? And they've already marched forty miles within half a day?" Upon hearing this news, Tao was overjoyed and hastily ordered: "Pass down the order to the entire army, switch to high-bridge saddles, fully equip with stirrups, distribute arrowheads to their positions, feed the warhorses full rations of fine grain, inspect the horseshoes, lead the horses in formation, and march on foot to the Battle of Hezhou!"

  The gentlemen soldiers followed the order and acted, also at this time, two external members of the gentlemen's army, Lin Qing and Xu Sheng, discovered a new abnormality in the strange behavior of the gentlemen's soldiers. That is, under each hoof of the gentlemen's army horses, there was actually a semicircular iron ring! Including Tao Ying's war horse hooves were no exception, Tao Ying himself also checked the iron nails on the iron ring with the help of his guards to see if they had fallen off.

  "Bookworm, what are these iron shoes on your warhorse's hooves? Where did they come from?" Lin Qing asked in shock.

  "Ma Chao's brothers and Chen Deng gave them to me." Tao Ying carefully examined the horseshoe nails, without raising his head, replied: "They sent me a total of 1,000 catties of high-quality wrought iron, which I used entirely for making horseshoes and horseshoe nails."

  "I didn't ask you that!" Lin Qing said in a rage: "I'm asking you, what are you doing nailing these iron hoops on the horse's hooves? Doesn't it hurt the horse?"

  "If the horseshoes are not nailed on, the horse will suffer." Tao Ying said casually: "You can also ride a horse, and you must have seen with your own eyes that those war horses with worn-out hooves cannot be ridden or pulled by carts, and can only be slaughtered as meat horses. If this iron ring is nailed on the horse's hoof, the horse's hoof will not wear out easily, and the war horse will not be easily scrapped."

  Lin Qing widened her beautiful eyes and observed carefully, soon discovering that the situation was indeed as she had thought. After the horseshoes were fitted with strange iron rings, the friction between the hooves and the ground was greatly reduced, and the horses' hooves barely touched the ground, relying mainly on the flat, strange iron rings for support. Lin Qing still didn't quite understand, and couldn't help asking again: "Then, doesn't it hurt the horse?"

  "When you cut your fingernails, does it hurt? A horse's hooves are actually its nails, and horseshoes are nailed onto the horse's nails, which doesn't affect the horse itself." Tao Ying explained, then suggested to Lin Qing: "Lin brother, since we have time now, it's best if you also nail horseshoes on your warhorse. Our long journey has just begun, and if your warhorse's hooves suddenly crack or get injured, you'll be in big trouble."

  "No way!" Lin Qing shook his head firmly. "This horse of mine is a Dawan horse, if it's ruined by nails, I'll be in big trouble."

  "Suit yourself." Tao Yingxiao said with a smile: "But don't blame me for not reminding you, if your horse suddenly hurts its hoof on the battlefield, don't expect me to lend my horse to you - at most I'll let you ride together with me on one horse."

  "Pfft!" Lin Qing's small face turned red again, and she hummed: "Who wants your broken horse? It's almost as big as a donkey, I wouldn't even want it if you gave it to me."

  Tao Ying smiled and turned to Xu Sheng beside him, saying: "Xu Sheng, today we will have a decisive battle with the little rascal Rong Yu. Before the war begins, I have a few words that must be told to you, and you must remember them. After the battle is over, you can tell me what you think and what you plan to do."

  "Please enlighten me, young master." Xu Sheng replied respectfully.

  "Do you know why I won't let you join the Junzi Army?" Tao Ying smiled and said: "In terms of martial arts, you are absolutely not inferior to my third brother Tao Ji, nor are you inferior to any of the Junzi Army's generals. Tao Ji very much wants you to join the Junzi Army, and the Junzi Army's generals are also willing to accept you, but I won't let you join the Junzi Army. Do you know why?"

  "Ignorant of small people." Xu Sheng replied even more respectfully, but in his heart he muttered, "Could it be that you still don't trust me, young master?"

  "You might think that I don't trust you, so I won't let you join my elite army." Tao Ying seemed to see through Xu Sheng's mind and said with a smile: "If you think so, then you are greatly mistaken. I didn't let you join the elite army, nor did I tell you our battle tactics, for two reasons. Firstly, I hope you can observe the strengths and weaknesses of our tactics as an outsider, and then tell me all about them. As they say, 'those who are in a situation are confused, while those who observe from outside are clear.' You don't know our tactics, but you have been a general under General Zang Ba's command and have some military experience, so your perspective will definitely be of great help to me in improving our tactics."

  "I dare not presume." Xu Sheng was both humble and excited, and hastily asked: "Young Master, what is your second goal?"

  "My second purpose is to ask about your future plans." Tao Ying smiled and said: "The Gentleman's Army will inevitably expand, and it won't be limited to just cavalry. Sooner or later, there will be infantry units. Therefore, I hope that after witnessing the Gentleman's Army's tactics, you can think carefully about how you would lead an infantry unit to coordinate with the Gentleman's iron cavalry in battle, what tactics to use, and how to avoid hindering the Gentleman's Army while making up for its shortcomings."

  "Gongzi, how can a petty person like me have such an extravagant idea?" Xu Sheng asked in great surprise.

  "You don't have to be humble." Tao Ying smiled and waved his hand, "The official position is small, but you can rely on your achievements to slowly climb up. Your martial arts skills are exceptional, making you a great candidate to lead infantry in battle. I have high hopes for you. Currently, I only have two people under my command, you and my third brother Tao Ji. If I were to let Tao Ji leave the Junzi Army to lead an infantry unit, he would definitely fight me to the death. Therefore, after my infantry unit is formed, you will be my first choice as the main general."

  Xu Sheng was overjoyed and hastily knelt down on one knee, clasped his fists and said: "Young Master's graciousness is a great kindness, even if I were to be torn limb from limb, it would be hard to repay a small part of it."

  "Come on, don't be polite." Tao Ying smiled and helped Xu Sheng up, saying: "And don't rush to thank me, I just had this intention. Whether you can become the leader of the Junzi Army infantry or not, whether you can make the Junzi Army infantry obey you willingly, depends on your own efforts."

  Xu Sheng nodded vigorously, carefully remembering Tao Ying's words. Lin Qing, on the other hand, eagerly approached Tao Ying and asked, "Bookworm, what about me? I'm also exceptionally brave and strong, what can I do in the future?"

  Tao Ying didn't respond, just sneering at Lin Qing's little head. Lin Qing was initially bewildered, then suddenly her face turned red, and she kicked Tao Ying lightly before storming off in a huff - because Lin Qing knew very well that their Deputy Director Tao must have been thinking something bad!

  To conserve the warhorses' energy, the entire Junzi army, including Tao Ying, dismounted and marched southward on foot at a steady pace - except for Lin Qing, who insisted on riding his horse. In contrast, the rebel army of Qiong Rong, marching northward, hastened their departure before dawn to prevent Tao Ying from escaping. They urged their horses forward with whips, accelerating their march. By mid-morning, near present-day Shaoxing Lake, the Junzi army and the Qiong Rong rebels finally caught sight of each other's flags and troops.

  Seeing the enemy troops swarming in, Tao Ying, who had been tense and sweating for a long time, suddenly calmed down and ordered Tao Ji and Nian Bin, the five gentlemen generals waiting for orders: "Form an array, fight according to the predetermined tactics."

  "Yes!" The five generals responded and rushed down to organize their troops.

  The gentleman's army soon formed five lines, with two lines of heavy cavalry wearing leather or iron lamellar armor, helmets and white surcoats over their armor, holding shields, swords and axes in the front two rows, each equipped with two quivers. The lines were very neat, but the intervals between them were quite large - that is, the horizontal distance between two horsemen was very large, enough for five or six people to ride side by side.

  The three teams left by Junzi Army were all light cavalry, wearing ordinary military uniforms, wearing light helmets, and wearing white gauze clothes outside to minimize the burden on war horses. However, each light cavalryman carried three extremely exaggerated quivers of arrows. These three teams of light cavalry also formed a horizontal team, located behind the heavy cavalry, and together with the two teams of heavy cavalry, they formed a loose but neat square array. Tao Yingben himself came to the front row of the troops, commanding the battle under the Junzi Great Flag.

  Xu Sheng had served in Zang Ba's army, and Lin Qing was also a general afterwards. In terms of military affairs, they both had some insight and experience. When they saw the neat square formation of the Junzi Army, their faces turned white together, because the square formation of the Junzi Army was too loose. The distance between soldiers was too far, making it difficult for them to support and rescue each other! At the same time, due to the looseness of the troops, the two front rows of heavy cavalry of the Junzi Army could not play any role in blocking the enemy's charge!

  This is to say that if the enemy's troops launch a charge, it will almost be effortless for them to rush into the interior of the Junzi army's phalanx formation, thoroughly dispersing the Junzi army and rendering their organization useless. With their strength at an absolute disadvantage, what outcome can the scattered Junzi army have other than being slaughtered by the enemy at will?

  Furthermore, this formation is extremely unfavorable for cavalry charges. The overly dispersed formation means that once the gentleman's army cavalry launches a charge, they will also have to fight alone in front of the enemy's cheval de frise and become live targets for the enemy's dense long spears and lances. They cannot coordinate with each other, nor can they cover each other!

  "Bookworm, do you understand...?"

  Lin Qing rode over on his horse, just about to open his mouth to object to Tao's deployment, when something even more astonishing happened - Tao raised the command flag in his hand, and more than 800 gentlemen soldiers suddenly began reciting in unison, and what they were reciting was...

  "The Master said: 'Is it not a pleasure, having learned something to try it out at once? Is it not a joy to have friends come from afar? Is it not gentlemanly not to take offense when others do not appreciate your abilities?' The Master said: 'It is rare for a man with a sense of filial and fraternal respect to be fond of offending his superiors. It is unheard of for one who is not fond of offending his superiors to be fond of creating disorder. A gentleman focuses on the fundamentals, once the fundamentals are established, the Way will arise. Filial and fraternal respect - are they not the roots of benevolence? The Master said: 'Fine words and an insinuating appearance are seldom associated with true benevolence.'"

  "Zengzi said: I reflect on myself three times a day. In planning for others, have I been loyal? In interacting with friends, have I been trustworthy? Have I practiced what has been passed down to me?

  The Master said: To govern a state of a thousand chariots, be respectful in your duties and faithful to your word, frugal in your expenditures and loving towards the people, causing them to work at the right times.

  The Master said: When his young followers enter (the house), they are filial; when they go out, they are fraternal; they are careful and trustworthy; they love the multitude and are intimate with the virtuous; if there is energy left over, then they use it to study literature..."

  PS: The city of Ping'an County, Guangling Prefecture at the end of the Han Dynasty is now located in the northern part of Gaoyou Lake, west of Jieshoutown. The site of the city has been completely submerged by Gaoyou Lake and lies at the bottom of the lake. Friends just need to know the approximate location.