Chapter 16-Sneaking into the Barracks to Check the Reality
（16）
After Lu Shang finished carving the last word, he put down the carving knife and touched the newly carved word with his hand. He admired it and a satisfied smile appeared on his face. He looked sideways at the passel bones on the table. There were five pieces in total. Five yuan. This morning's work results were the most in the past few days. He rubbed his eyelids and stroked his beard to smooth it out, in order to get rid of the fatigue from carving for an hour and a half in the morning. Looking at the sky outside the window, it was already bright. He blew out the oil lamp and stood up from his seat. As he rubbed his hands together, he twisted his waist twice, raised his arms, and stretched his back. After doing these actions, he turned around and walked towards the door.
Older people would wake up at dawn and could not fall asleep again. Lu Shang often used this period of time to think about some big problems. He recalled his life's ups and downs. In the past, he had painstakingly studied, trained, and improved his intelligence. It had been thirty years since he assisted King Wen. These decades of hard work had tested the theories he had mastered before and enriched his intelligence. Following King Wen's conquests, he gradually formed a complete set of theoretical insights. He had helped King Wen build the Zhou Kingdom into a powerful vassal state in the Western Regions and made great contributions. This cause had already set an example for the future generations of Zhou Country. He also wanted to contribute his intelligence and wisdom to future generations, so that his heroic name would be passed down for hundreds of generations. In the past few years, he had started to organize his valuable experience and some moral experience from hundreds of battles and began to write books. Every morning, he would carve a few words, or at most a few pieces of passers-by. When the envoy returned from the border last night, he was already drunk. He and King Wu discussed the intention of the envoy's sudden arrival to the west and formulated a new set of measures to deal with the envoy. However, the implementation of the plan required extreme caution and did not dare to slack off. If they were careless and revealed a flaw, the envoys would be suspicious. If they returned to the Shang Capital and said a word to King Zhou, it would bring an unpredictable disaster to the Zhou Kingdom. It would increase the difficulty of King Wen's career and King Wu's recent efforts by a hundred times. The current Zhou Country was powerful, but it was not strong enough to defeat King Zhou of Shang. The Zhou Country still needed to develop in secret and accumulate more strength. Only then could they strive to achieve the final battle between the Shang and Zhou Dynasties as soon as possible and defeat King Zhou in one fell swoop. Lu Shang had been excited for the entire night, but he had also thought about it for the entire night. After the third watch, he had just taken a short nap when he heard the rooster crow. He knew that today would be the most cautious day to entertain the merchant envoy. It would also be a difficult day. He had to worry. After he got out of bed, he sat in front of his desk and began to write according to his old habit. This book was precisely about the conflict between the two countries and how to deal with the envoys. When he thought about the arrival of the envoy, he focused his thoughts and felt like a fountain. From the mission of the envoy and the feelings he had, how to be an envoy, how to be in the country, and carefully observe the national situation, military situation, and human feelings. With his own wisdom and rich experience, he made great use of it. He carved until dawn, and he carved so much that it became the best morning.
Lu Shang stepped out of the door and stood in the morning breeze, his beard gently fluttering. At first glance, there was an open grassland. The lush grass was covered with crystal clear dewdrops. The morning wind blew, and the green grass flickered. This was a place located in the northwest corner five miles away from the capital. Lu Shang stretched his arms again and let out a long breath. He looked at the beautiful scenery in front of him with a satisfied expression. He looked back at the rows of toilets behind him. These latrines were used for the military camp. Each of them was made of wood, and the walls were tied with grass and pasted with mud. It was both windproof and simple. The latrines were arranged in a certain distance in a formation that extended all the way to the hillside. This military camp would only be filled with troops after the busy farming season. Usually, there were only a few people watching over them. The spring plowing had just ended, and the troops were gathering in succession. Some of the soldiers and servants who had gathered earlier were already living in the barracks. Lu Shang saw people running around busily. Behind each hut was a small row of stables, which were simply built with a frame and covered with a roof. The horses could be seen swaying in the stables, and from time to time, there would be a few noticeable neighs.
Usually, there would be two training sessions every year. Once, during late spring and early summer, after planting the crops, the troops began to gather and practice. This time, the time was short. The first time was at the end of autumn after the harvest. The training continued throughout the winter, and there were also several large-scale hunting operations. Ever since King Wen, this kind of training had become a regular national event. Later, it turned into a purely military training activity. The army was organized according to the organization and had strict discipline requirements. Later on, under Lu Shang's suggestion, they changed the old custom and sent people to renovate the thatched cottage barracks before the busy farming season ended. Once the farming stopped, they immediately gathered all the armorers in the country for training. Attack and defense, team formation, many events. The goal was to train a regular battle team. Not only would it strengthen the management of the army, but it would also strengthen the discipline of the army's usual organization. It could also train the flexibility of the enemy's formation so that it could display greater combat power. Relying on the fact that they were usually well-trained, the Zhou Country's army's combat strength was especially strong. When King Wen was still alive, he went east and west, winning consecutive battles. Although some battles suffered setbacks at the beginning, he relied on his strong discipline and timely cooperation between the troops to win in the end. Lu Shang had also thoroughly summarized the daily training of the army and gradually developed it into various formations. In the past two years, this kind of training event had attracted the attention of the Martial King. With the development of the country's military strength, the time for the decisive battle between Shang and Zhou was approaching. King Wu was even more active in training his troops and arranging formations. A few days ago, the military camp had begun to be renovated, and King Wu had sent messengers to various places to convey orders. Lu Shang also went to patrol the border to understand the military situation. When he came back last night, he found out that the merchant envoy had already arrived at the country.
Lu Shang continued to look at the grassland. The grassland had unknowingly been covered in a light red glow, and the dewdrops became dazzling. Once the sun rose, these dewdrops would quickly disappear. A new day was about to begin. Lu Shang's arrangement today was to receive the merchant envoy. Last night, the merchant had asked why the Imperial Advisor had not come to the banquet and where he had gone. King Wu answered for him. Lu Shang didn't know much about the merchant envoy, so he didn't have a deep impression of him. Now that the Shang envoy had come to Zhou Country, he could personally understand the situation of Zhou Country. At this crucial moment, he had to receive the merchant envoy with caution and assist the Martial King. When he saw the people sent by the Eastern Shang Dynasty, Lu Shang had an indescribable feeling in his heart. He had once sought to reach Shangdu, but he had been ridiculed and laughed at in every possible way. Later on, he came to the Wei River and was put in an important position by King Wen to help Zhou develop its power and prepare to destroy the Shang Dynasty. If he had been able to gain an important position in the Shang Dynasty back then, his fate would have been different. He might have been able to use the original powerful forces of the Shang Dynasty to further expand the power of the country. He might have been able to bring all the races in the sea under the Celestial Dynasty and jointly develop the fertile land on both sides of the Yellow River basin. He would have continued to promote the great integration of the descendants of the Yellow Emperor, making the country strong, the people prosperous, and the people happy. Who knew that he could not attract the attention of King Zhou of Shang, let alone give him an important task. He could only come to the west to make a name for himself. Fate drove him into a new field, assisting King Wen in developing the weak Zhou Country. Thinking about it, it made people sigh. In the past 30 years, the change had only happened in a day. The Zhou Country became stronger day by day, while the Shang Dynasty was under the brutal rule of King Zhou of Shang. They squandered their national strength in their licentious lives and became corrupt and empty day by day. The people of the world could not bear the hardships and were looking forward to a stable situation, looking forward to a court that could implement benevolent etiquette. Zhou Country was approaching the goal of taking on this great responsibility. Zhou Guo would win. Lu Shang thought with confidence that the fate of the world was all in the hands of the heavens. However, the will of the heavens depended on humans to execute it. Humans were the most precious things in the world. They were the head of all things in nature and were the favored ones of the heavens. As he thought about it, Lu Shangxiang was entranced. It was as if he was commanding the army to enter the battlefield of the final battle, commanding the army formation to charge at the merchant formation. Victory was already in his hands, and a proud smile appeared on his face.
A servant came to Lu Shang's side and nervously reported that the merchant envoy had arrived at the military camp.
"Oh!" Lu Shang was stunned. He didn't expect the merchant envoy to arrive at the military camp so early. He quickly asked,""Who is accompanying you?"
"No, only the merchant envoy and two attendants came on a bicycle.”the attendant replied softly.
"Quickly inform Uncle Cai to prepare to welcome them. I'll make a move first." Lu Shang reminded himself as he spoke. The merchant envoys were sneaky and secretive. He had to be on high alert and be careful not to expose himself. He couldn't make any more mistakes today.
Lu Shang rushed to the gate of the barracks. The merchant envoy was already impatient and was about to throw a tantrum at the guards and barge in. The moment he saw Lu Shang, his face was full of vigor. He walked up to him with a morning breeze.
Lu Shang said with a smile,"I didn't expect the envoy doctor to come to the camp so early."”Procrastination is a sign of a long heart.
"I heard that you've also set up a military camp, so I came here specially to sightsee."”
"Welcome, welcome." Lu Shang bowed." The Shang envoy has gone through great pains to come all the way to the small Zhou Kingdom at the western border to see the military camp. It can be said that he has lost a great profit and gained a small profit. How can my small military camp compare to your Great Shang's military camp? The scale was huge and the army was mighty. The king has three divisions, while our Western Zhou barely managed to put together one.”
"The state preceptor is indeed straightforward. You're laughing at me." Jiao Li also returned the greeting, looking around and saying,"I have the king's orders, so I don't dare to disobey them. This old man's bones are almost buried in the ground, but I can still withstand the bumps on the road from the west.”He said to Lu Shang solemnly,"I came so early because I wanted to see your camp." It's better to be late than early. King Zhou of Shang specially instructed me. I don't dare to delay.”He smiled and squinted at Lu Shang.
"Alright, this way then." Lu Shang guided the plastic tripod, turned around, and walked straight to the row of latrines.
The two of them accompanied each other, followed by a group of attendants. When they were about to reach the first row of latrines, Uncle Cai hurried over and bowed to the plastic tripod.
Jiao Li examined Uncle Cai and said,"Brother Wu is really handsome. Your Zhou Country really has a lot of talents." He remembered that there were a few people who accompanied him at the banquet last night and praised with emotion.
"The envoy is exaggerating. We are just mere mortals.”Uncle Cai replied,"Your Great Shang is filled with talents that we can't compare to."”
"Indeed. I couldn't even get a seat in the Shang Dynasty, which shows that there are many sages and capable people in the Shang Dynasty. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come to the western border. "Haha," Lu Shang echoed.
"It used to be like this. The present is no longer the same as the past." Jiao Li didn't notice the meaning of their words and also sighed."In recent years, King Zhou of Shang has ignored the government affairs and neglected them. Many ministers were demoted. Some of them were even killed. Sigh." They walked to the latrines and patrolled them one by one. When the soldiers who were busy in front of the houses saw them, they bowed to welcome them. After looking at the first row and turning to the second row, Jiao Li asked,""This camp is quite large, isn't it? It can hold quite a lot of people, can't it?”He turned around to ask Lu Shang for his opinion.
"There are 120 latrines and over 40 stables. There were as many as 8,000 people living in the village.”Lu Shang replied, pointing to a horse chewing grass in a stable."The Western Regions only have a large number of horses and they are strong. This is all because of the good geographical conditions and the lush grass. As for this military camp, it was also built after your Great Shang. Compared to Shangdu's military camp, we are much weaker. We're just doing it perfunctorily. The hunt twice a year is a pleasure for the Wang Clan. We have to put on a show and make use of the military camp to gather people and make it grand.”
"That's true, that's reasonable. Looking at the barracks, they were all very simple and crude. However, it all depended on the situation of the army.”Jiao Li smiled slyly and changed the topic."On my way to the west, I saw that the crops on both sides of the road were growing well and lush. The people lived and worked in peace and contentment. Thinking about how your country is located at the western border, where the Barbarian Di appear, the country is prosperous and the people are safe. There are no signs of interference. I felt a sense of admiration.”
"Is a place with barbarians a desolate and barren land?”Lu Shang interrupted with a laugh.
"If the barbarians invade and interfere, the lives of the people will be unstable. Wouldn't that destroy farming? The crops would not grow well. This was the usual pattern.”Jiao Li argued and continued," To drive away the barbarians and eliminate their scourge, we need a fairly powerful army to guard the border and pacify the people. The army was the pillar of the country's governance. Looking at the scene that Xilai saw, I guessed that your Zhou Country must have a rather powerful army. I had long wanted to take a good look at your barracks and troops. King Zhou of Shang was also concerned about this. Before I left, I specially reminded me not to forget this matter.”As he spoke, he glanced at Lu Shang. Lu Shang was still smiling as he led the way leisurely. He continued,"But I didn't expect to see only old and weak soldiers in your camp. Did you transfer the strong soldiers elsewhere?"”Jiao Li thought, Your state preceptor is very resourceful, but you played such a small trick to deceive me. Fortunately, I have been knowledgeable these few years and can more or less see through this trick. Seeing that Lu Shang did not have any abnormal reaction, he asked indirectly,"I heard that Imperial Preceptor went to patrol the border. He probably just rushed back last night. Even the state preceptor had been mobilized, so the border would not be peaceful. They had sent out all the strong soldiers to guard the border.”
"The ambassador is wrong. I went to patrol the border not because it was not peaceful, but because the busy farming season was about to end. King Wu wanted to use this time to train his hounds and horses, and arrange for the transfer of manpower to gather and make trouble. We are a small country with few people. We can't be like your Great Shang Dynasty, which has a large number of professional troops. Our soldiers are gathered by the people from all over the world and formed into an army temporarily. Usually, there were only a few soldiers guarding the palace. There were even fewer people who could be called armorers. "Hi," Lu Shang said as he strolled."This military camp is usually empty. After spring plowing, people were sent to renovate the barracks and stables in order to make preparations in advance so that they could be used when the troops were gathered. However, many people had come over these two days.”
"Even now, you are still using soldiers to farm. It is the glorious tradition of our ancestors that all the people are soldiers. It was really powerful against the invading barbarians. This kind of power of the nation couldn't be judged by military strength. It could only be measured from the perspective of the entire nation.”Jiao Li praised.
"This tradition has long been outdated. Mankind was developing and advancing. Ever since Xia Qi, every country had a specialized army. Our Zhou Country is still in the era before Xia Qi's era. One can imagine our national strength. Take this military camp for example. Even if it was fully occupied, there would only be a small army. Compared to your Great Shang, it paled in comparison.”Lu Shang sighed and changed the topic." As for the prosperity of the country, it is mainly because of the blessing of King Zhou of the Shang Dynasty. The power of the Shang Dynasty moistens the barren land of the Western Regions, and the barbarians dare not invade the territory. King Wu of the Shang Dynasty strictly abided by the will of King Zhou of the Shang Dynasty, returned the government to the people, implemented the politics of benevolence, and indulged in the entertainment of life. The three factors were the right time and place. Only when the sun shone and the rain was abundant could the grain industry be abundant and the livestock flourish. Don't you think so?"
"State Preceptor is right. I originally wanted to see the barracks and the battle formations. It was a pity that he couldn't do it now.”Jiao Li said as if he had been relieved of a heavy burden. He felt satisfied in his heart, but he pretended to be unhappy on his face.
Lu Shang guided them through the military camp. They stood by the latrine and Lu Shang asked,""I've seen the barracks. Let's go watch the horse fight. How is it?"
"Horse battle?" Jiao Li repeated in confusion.
"Yes, a horse fight." Lu Shang smiled and explained," There are many horses in the Western Regions. Of course, we have a BMW. If you want to see the army formation but can't, it's quite interesting to see our horse battle. However, there are already quite a number of troops in the camp. You should take a look at these troops first.”Lu Shang said to Uncle Cai behind him,"Go and gather the troops."”He called for the soldiers to prepare the carriage, and he drove through the grassland with the rubber tripod to the opposite side of the grassland. There was a small earth platform on the hillside. The group of people climbed onto the platform.
Jiao Li saw a long wooden pole standing behind the earthen platform used as a commander. On it hung a flag embroidered with the name of King Wen. He said with emotion,"The reason why the Zhou Country can prosper today is all because of King Wen's hard work. Speaking of King Wen, one could not help but pity him.”Jiao Li also felt indignant for King Wen's suffering." I also went to visit the prisoners in Yili once. King Zhou of Shang sent me to understand King Wen's attitude. Come to think of it, really…King Wen had suffered, killed his father and cooked his son, and was in so much pain that he wished he was dead. However, he could put Great Shang first and listen to King Zhou's orders. He was truly a man.”Jiao Li tried his best to recall the memories of the past and repeatedly kowtowed with emotion. Lu Shang watched him silently and listened to him continue,""In the blink of an eye, decades have passed. I'm also old. People in the twilight were the most nostalgic and emotional. Life was fleeting, like water flowing eastward. The past could not be recalled.”Jiao Li sighed and looked up at the flag fluttering in the wind. He looked around the lawn. The lawn was quite open and flat. It was a natural square. He thought that Wu King really knew how to choose a place.
At this moment, Lu Shang said to the attendants,"Beat the drums and form up."”
"Tong…" The drums began to rumble. The gate of the camp was wide open, and the soldiers swarmed into the grass and onto the earthen platform. The centurions and captains quickly called out to their subordinates to form a formation.
Uncle Cai came to Lu Shang's side and said," The team has been arranged. Please give us your instructions, Imperial Advisor."”
"Alright." Lu Shang agreed. He turned around and said to the plastic tripod,"These are the current troops in the military camp. Please inspect it carefully."
Jiao Li was excited. Looking at all these activities, the old and weak soldiers quickly gathered and lined up. He praised Lu Shang,"The Imperial Preceptor is indeed a genius. He has trained his soldiers so well that they are well-disciplined and orderly.”
"It's all based on the usual training. For the sake of King Wu's entertainment, he did not hesitate to pay attention to extravagance. If they were to really fight the enemy, they would not be able to withstand a single blow. This kind of style was not good enough to fight. In terms of military strength, Great Shang was much stronger. For example, when they attacked the Huai Yi, they could send out tens of thousands of troops at once. Furthermore, they had been fighting for many years and had endless soldiers. Only then can we talk about majesty." Lu Shang boasted about the Shang army and said," We're all entertainment. Yo, wait a minute. Let's watch the horse fight. That's a unique skill of the Western Regions." Training a horse takes a lot of time and effort. This was also a trick that he had only thought of recently.”
"Last night, I enjoyed the singing and dancing of the Western Regions in the palace. This morning, I watched the horse fight in the barracks. Compared to Lutai Entertainment, the variety was new and unique. It was not in vain to come to the west, it was not in vain to come to the west.”Jiao Li was already talking happily.
After the soldiers disbanded, Lu Shang ordered them to bring the fighting horses. The two of them watched the soldiers running back and forth on the stage. The two horses were already neighing and clashing with each other.
Jiao Li praised the Western Region for producing BMW as he watched.
At this time, King Wu's carriage drove straight to the stage. King Wu ran up to the stage and said apologetically to the plastic Li,""I was drunk last night and came late this morning. Please forgive me.”
Jiao Li returned the bow and said," There are so many new things in the Western Regions. Even the horses are trained to be so eccentric. They add to the fun. I'm impressed."”He pointed at the two horses that were kicking each other with their front hooves and smiled happily.
King Wu smiled and gave Lu Shang a satisfied look. Then, he said to the plastic tripod,""It's entertainment. As long as you use your brain, you can always find new tricks. There were so many scenes in nature, and it was so fun. Although these are entertainment methods that have only been created recently.”King Wu deliberately stopped and dragged out his voice,""But we've been building an artificial lake recently as a swimming pool. We can sail on it and sing and dance. Compared to this battle horse, it was a new scene and a new meaning.”
"Oh, there's also a swimming pool." Jiao Li widened her eyes and pricked up her ears.
"Didn't Shang shi just say that these soldiers are too old and weak? Our country's strong people are transferred to build swimming pools. The construction had been going on for more than a year. The dam was closed at the end of winter last year, and now it was being raised and expanded. They were trying to fill the swimming pool with rainwater during the summer and autumn seasons. Then it will become a big lake." Lu Shang added.
"I see." Jiao Li nodded as if he had realized something.
"The Shang envoy came to inspect the barracks early in the morning and is very interested in the barracks. Now that he had seen it, what did he think?”Lu Shang asked.
"Isn't this military camp too small and simple? We will try our best to improve those areas.”King Wu of Zhou asked Jiao Li if there was something in his words.
Jiao Li only smiled and paused for a moment before saying excitedly,"The military camp is a bit lacking. However, I've only been in Zhou Country for two days, and what I've seen and heard is refreshing. This is all thanks to the Martial King." He turned around and asked King Wu," Where is the swimming pool you mentioned just now? Can you let me have a good look at it again?"”
"As long as the Shang envoy does not work hard, we should accompany him. The swimming pool was at the back of the mountain. Although it was quite a distance, it would only take two hours by car to get there. It was just that the swimming pool had not been completely built yet. There wasn't much rain this spring, so it wasn't full yet. The laborers were reinforcing it. The construction site was a mess. If the doctor is willing to go and take a look, we will go now. How about it?”King Wu replied and turned to look at Lu Shang. He really wanted to know the specific situation of the glue tripod coming to the military camp this early in the morning.
Lu Shang continued to encourage the plastic Li." After you see the swimming pool, when you go back, put in a good word for King Wu in front of King Zhou of Shang. He said that thanks to his blessings, the people of the western border lived in peace and the Wang family was happy.”
"Indeed, you live up to your reputation.”Jiao Li nodded repeatedly.
King Wu smiled and asked,"Last night, Shuhua served you to sleep. How was it? Are you satisfied?"”
"Satisfied, satisfied." Jiao Li immediately replied," She's a good girl. I won't mistreat her." When he thought about how Shuhua had become his goddaughter and wanted to bring her back quickly, his face unconsciously glowed red. He smiled happily and said,"Thank you for your kindness, Martial King, for bestowing this woman to me. I won't stand on ceremony, I'll bring her back to Shang City.”
Lu Shang didn't know what Jiao Li was thinking and interrupted,""You and I are old and weak. It was rare to see each other, so the Shang envoy used this opportunity to enjoy himself for a few days. I'll see more of the things in my western Zhou Country.”
"Enough, enough." At the thought of Shuhua, Jiao Li smiled even more happily.
King Wu asked,"What is King Zhou's opinion on the rare treasures that the Zhou State pays tribute to us every year?”
"King Zhou always remembers it. He is very grateful for the tributes you sent. This time, I was sent here to understand more about the specific situation in the Western Regions.”Jiao Li thought of completing King Zhou's secret order and agreed with a smile.
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