High Morale of the Zhou Army's Eastward Expedition
（24）
After passing through Jiao Mountain, the troops marched for two days and only covered a hundred and forty li. They encountered a few outposts and put up some resistance, but they were quickly resolved. Thus, they delayed some time and slowed down the speed of the army. Soon, the troops abandoned the main road to the east and turned into a small road on a hill, heading straight for Zhaoge, the capital of Shang.
The road was narrow, and most of the road was only big enough for a chariot to pass through. It was bumpy and full of weeds. Now that the weeds had withered after winter, only the roots were left, which brought a lot of trouble to the army. After walking for a day, he couldn't walk much. The Martial King rushed to the front line and asked Song Li about the situation.
Song Li said to King Wu,"This road will take about three days. However, the infantrymen were slower and could take five to six days. It was more than half the distance compared to the main road, but it was a little harder to walk. We've been there three times and are familiar with each other. We all drove by. This time, apart from chariots, there were also many soldiers. Unexpectedly, the speed was much slower.”
"At this speed, will we be able to reach Shangdu in sixty years?”King Wu asked with concern.
"Sixty-year Day." Song Li repeated and counted with his fingers before saying,"There are still four days left. With this speed, it seems that it will be quite urgent to finish this section of the road. The troops still have to speed up." He looked up at the sky. The clouds were being blown by the wind and were piling up on the horizon. He said worriedly,"If we encounter bad weather, it might be a little difficult to get to Shang Du.”
"At that time, the temple had a plan. This was how the time was arranged. Although he felt that it was urgent, he could only do this. He could not delay a thousand miles. We delayed the march for a few days. Sigh, if he couldn't make it on the 60th day, he would have broken his promise.”King Wu pondered and said,"More importantly…"”
"I believe that if we hurry, we can make it. However, they could not allow any unexpected obstructions to occur on the way.”Song Li hurriedly said.
King Wu and Song Li's war chariots were parked by the roadside. The two of them stood on top of a small hill, looking at the undulating hills ahead.
Song Li said to the Martial King beside him,""The road ahead is filled with small hills and many slopes. You see, if it rains, it will be very difficult to walk. The bad thing is that the road ahead is all smooth slopes. This would greatly affect the speed of the army. The weather is worrying."
King Wu raised his hand in front of his forehead, blocking the light as he looked forward. He then turned back to look at the troops marching down the slope behind him, wriggling slowly like a long dragon. He sighed and said,"When Father Shang catches up, I'll discuss with him if we can think of a way to speed up the journey." Song Li, you are in charge of leading the way for the front team. You must control your speed. He would definitely reach Liang Village before dark.”The Martial King looked up at the sky. The sun had just been covered by a large patch of dark clouds. Judging from its position, it was almost noon. He shouted,"Guards, pass the order to all the troops. The army should rest for a moment and hurry up for lunch." They had to speed up in the afternoon. Song Li, go to the front line and take a look.”The Martial King gestured for Song Li to leave first while he paced on the mountaintop, waiting for Lu Shang.
At this moment, in the rear, Lu Shang and Zhou Gongdan's chariots were parked side by side on a small hill.
Zhou Gongdan leaned against the shaft and watched the troops passing by. He said to Lu Shang, who was sitting cross-legged on a slope,""Father Shang, the journey these two days has been very difficult. The chariot was shaking violently, and the horses were panting from exhaustion. He didn't expect Song Li's path to be so difficult. Mountain roads are not like mountain roads, and flat roads are not like flat roads. Even humans would find it difficult to move up and down these small hills. The road from here to Shangdu wouldn't always be like this, right?”He looked at Lu Shang and saw him sitting quietly with his eyes closed." Father Shang, have some water?”
Lu Shang opened his eyes and saw the water tank. He took a sip and placed the water tank on the ground in front of him. He said to Zhou Gongdan,"According to what I know, this route has always been the way from here to Shangdu. Although this shortcut is difficult to take, it will buy us some time. We can also achieve unexpected results and reach Shangdu as soon as possible.”
Another group of troops came over. They were arranged in a neat formation and looked majestic. This was the army under Duke of Zhou's jurisdiction. Zhou Gongdan said,"This journey to the east has taken more than ten days. On average, we have traveled a hundred miles a day. It was really a great leap forward. They rushed forward without stopping. In addition, the road was uneven and the slopes were continuous. They were very tired and even the horses could not support them. It would take a few days to reach Shangdu from here.”
"Soon, we will arrive in four days at most. Martial King and Jiao Li agreed to arrive on the 60th day, which is exactly four days.”Lu Shang looked at the team that was driving past with a happy expression on his face. He observed them closely. "Your men seem to be quite spirited. They are well-trained and well-organized.”
"Father Shang, you've rushed over from the front. What orders does Big Brother have?" Zhou Gongdan suddenly asked.”
"I want you to maintain this speed and persevere until you reach your destination.”Lu Shang looked at Zhou Gongdan and pointed at the troops that had just driven past." Is there a problem?"”
"I can't guarantee it. This kind of road was really taxing on one's energy and stamina. Song Li led the way." Duke of Zhou Dan blamed Song Li." It's hard to speed up. Look at them now, they are exhausted.”He pointed at another team walking over and said,"On the surface, the formation is neat, but if you look closely, your footsteps no longer have any strength. You can only walk in an orderly manner, but it doesn't sound as loud as it did at the beginning. Their faces were covered in dust and fatigue.”
"As a general, you should cheer them up.”Lu Shang said seriously," There is a very important factor that affects the speed of the march. It is to pay attention to maintaining high morale.”
"However, when one's physical strength is exhausted, it will affect the soldiers.”Zhou Gongdan retorted," I am thinking from the perspective of caring for the soldiers.”
"The two complement each other. However, one had to pay attention to the opposite. This long distance raid was large in scale, fast in speed, and short in time. The army was very tired. This is the first time our army is going east. Morale was high. At this final stage, they were facing a life and death battle. They needed high morale to avoid slowing down.”Lu Shang smiled." Young people can handle this kind of tiredness easily. Even an old man like me is marching forward, isn't he? However, we should still pay attention to the physical strength of our soldiers. When they arrived at the base camp, they had to do a thorough check.”
"Father Shang, isn't this speed considered fast?”Duke Dan of Zhou asked again.
"It's considered fast. It can be said that the current marching speed is much faster than before. The main reason is that the carriage played a big role. The battle between armies was about speed, and whoever was faster would win. The carriage was used as a transportation tool to carry provisions, reducing the burden on the soldiers and increasing their speed. It would be even faster if the entire army used carriages. However, it was still difficult for the country to reach this level.”Lu Shang looked at Zhou Gongdan as he spoke." This will depend on you young people of the next generation to work hard to enrich the country and strengthen the army. He wanted to promote chariots and horses and assemble a powerful army that could gallop across the world.”
"It is already very good for our army to have such a level of armament. His father had worked hard for his entire life, and his father had assisted him for thirty years, which was why he had the military power he had now. It would still take a long time for all the carriages to arrive.”Zhou Gongdan stood up as he spoke.
A thousand-man commander drove the carriage out of the formation and stopped by the roadside. He ran towards Zhou Gongdan." Reporting to Your Highness, our team is passing through."”
"Alright, pay attention to the morale. Retract the camp at the next station and patrol carefully.”
"Yes, I will do as you say." The chiliarch ran back.
Zhou Gongdan watched as the Captain returned to the team before saying to Lu Shang,"Father Shang, horse carriages are used for battles. In recent years, due to the improvement of equipment, there are many different types of carriages. There was a lot of new content in his strategic thinking. Can you tell me about this?"
"Well, I can't say much. The use of chariots was a recent thing. With so many categories, he should have studied war chariots long ago. However," Lu Shang thought for a moment," this new factor has changed the traditional military strategy, but so far, it has not formed a complete military theory. The topic of war research was broad, rich, and complicated. It was difficult for the theory of guiding ideology to keep up with the development of the situation. No one had come up with a set of theories yet. Combat preparations could only be based on one's experience, understanding, and flexible application. "Therefore, I'm determined to write a complete military treatise and teach it to the world. I'll nurture a group of generals for the prosperity of the Zhou Country and the strengthening of its military.”"That young man just now must be a chiliarch," Lu Shang said with a smile. He shouldered such a heavy burden at such a young age. It was really not simple.”
"Oh, yes, his father is the captain of Team Dare, and he has made great contributions in the war. He had traveled with his father since he was young. At a young age, he had already experienced hundreds of battles and had a wealth of practical experience. He was very famous in the headquarters. All the troops he led believed in him. He was in high spirits for this expedition and believed that he could make great contributions again.”Zhou Gongdan praised the chiliarch," He is called Chuyi.”
Lu Shang suddenly remembered,"His father is Bohao." It was said that he had a son by his side and was fighting with the army. Famous for being brave."
"It's him. Chuyi also followed Lei Zhen to patrol the border many times and made contributions. He was promoted to the rank of Captain before the expedition." Zhou Gongdan added. Then, he changed the topic and returned to the original question of speed." Judging from this trend, Father Shang, do you think our army will have the energy and stamina to fight when we reach Shangdu?"”
"It's hard to estimate, there's no fixed number. Although our army is marching for a long time and our morale is high, we will try our best to end the battle as soon as we reach Shangdu. Otherwise, it is easy for the army to grow old. As long as King Zhou of Shang accepts the battle in a hurry, victory will definitely be on our side.”Lu Shang said,"Look," and picked up the earthen pot to drink water.
Uncle Guan's chariot rushed over from the front and said,""Father Shang, you're here. Big Brother didn't know which team you were in and told us to split up to look for you, so I came all the way to the back.”
"What's the matter?" Lu Shang stood up and asked.
"Big brother looks a little anxious and worried. He didn't say anything, he just asked where you were and told us to let you know if we saw you, so that we could go back to the main tent when we retreat.”Uncle Guan was stunned. He grabbed the water jar and drank a big mouthful of water. He turned around and said to Duke Dan of Zhou,"Fourth brother, how is the mood of your troops? Look at this army, it's more orderly and majestic than mine. Some people in my division are complaining that they are tired. They say that they haven't had a good sleep in the past two days. They also say that they don't know when the war will start. They are tired before they reach the battlefield. What strength do they have to fight King Zhou of Shang?”
"Third brother, you have to restrain your subordinates and encourage them. I think anyone would be excited at the mention of the Eastern Expedition. They were about to reach Shangdu. They had to persevere on this last journey.”
"The Duke of Zhou is right. We're about to reach our destination. We can't be tired, and we can't allow any rumors to affect the morale of the army.”Lu Shang said, gesturing to Zhou Gongdan," I should go to the front line. There wasn't much time left before the sky turned dark. Uncle Guan, you have to use your brain. Pay attention to the morale. Come, let's go together."
Lu Shang then got into Uncle Guan's chariot and let his own chariot follow behind. He turned around and said to Zhou Gongdan,""Come back to the main tent after shrinking the camp." He followed Uncle Guan's chariot forward.
Along the way, they surpassed the troops. Several chiliarchs and centurions all bowed to Lu Shang and Uncle Guan. As they were moving forward, they suddenly heard a loud shout."Father Shang, stop for a moment."
Lu Shang asked the coachman to stop the carriage. As soon as the carriage stopped, a war chariot rushed out of a convoy and arrived beside the carriage in the blink of an eye. Chen Zhuhou bowed to Lu Shang and said,"" Father Shang." He was very familiar with the Zhou royal family and sometimes called Lu Shang " Father Shang ""Father Shang rushed forward. Seeing that it's still early, it's better to stop and rest for a while before eating together. Last time in Chong Guo, I almost starved you to death. This time, eat at my place. After eating, go patrol the camp. I can accompany you to take a look and see the heroes. How is it?" As he said that, he jumped over the car without caring whether Lu Shang agreed or not.
Uncle Guan said to Chen Zhuhou,"You are really young and ignorant." In the military camp, there was no general who took the lead to rest, and the soldiers took the lead to eat. In normal times, one must love the army first. Father Shang always taught us this, right?”He turned around and asked Lu Shang.
Lu Shang then added," Chen Zhuhou is also a man of the Way. He should know how to march and fight. The general should treat hardship as sweetness and encourage his soldiers.”
" Today, I'm willing to listen to Father Shang's teachings." Chen Zhu Hou stood beside Lu Shang and said,""I have a few questions that I can't figure out. Please enlighten me, Father Shang.”
"Father Shang, Big Brother is waiting for you. It's more important to hurry." Uncle Guan reminded him from the side, his face full of displeasure.
"I think your big brother is fine now. He just wanted to understand the military situation, so he could tell him later. Let's talk as we walk, killing two birds with one stone, and satisfy Chen Zhuhou's request.”Lu Shang was also happy to share some of his experiences with the younger generation, so he instructed them to walk slowly.
"Father Shang is right." "Father Shang really understands our feelings," said Chen Zhuhou happily. I know that there is a main road to Shangdu and it is easy to walk. Why not take the main road and take this difficult path. The car was so bumpy that it was unbearable. Those soldiers are already very tired from walking, and many of my men have blisters on their feet in the past two days. He had not suffered like this for many days. It had only been two days, and he was already complaining. Tell me, isn't this path difficult to walk?”As he spoke, he looked at Uncle Guan with a questioning gaze.
Uncle Guan nodded in agreement and said,""The difficulties these two days have been too great.”
"That's right, you're not taking the main road but taking the small road. Suffering a little hardship was nothing. He was afraid that the soldiers would be exhausted and would not have the strength to fight, let alone fight for victory.”Chen Zhuhou asked Lu Shang excitedly.
" Well..." Lu Shang stroked his beard, his hands shaking due to the shaking of the chariot. When he heard Chen Zhuhou's question, he smiled and said,""You're young, so how would you understand this?”Her tone was really like she was keeping him in suspense.
Chen Zhuhou was anxious to hear Lu Shang's explanation and asked,""Father Shang, just say it quickly. Where's the logic?”
"This kind of problem can't be explained clearly in a few words. Just listen patiently so that I can speak properly.”Lu Shang turned to face Chen Zhuhou and said,"In the military, it is often said,'To be direct with roundabout methods, to avoid the strong and attack the weak.'The first step was to act quickly and catch people off guard. They fought for time in the march, taking detours as straight paths, intending to avoid the main road and avoid the enemy's obstruction. Attack the enemy's fortress from an unexpected route, and defeat the enemy in a panic. If we attack from the right path, the enemy will know our intentions and take careful precautions against what we want to advance. On the other hand, they will send troops to block us, causing our army to move slowly and consume our strength on the way. When our army reaches the battlefield, we will be exhausted due to excessive consumption. Therefore, before the battle, our army would walk in circles and attack from unexpected and undefended roads, so that we could reach our destination as soon as possible. This is the principle of taking a roundabout path for a straight path."
"There are still these reasons for using pedantic as a straight path.”Chen Zhuhou said to Uncle Guan with surprise and suspicion.
"That's not all." Lu Shang added," They took a roundabout approach. If they successfully reached their destination, the significance of this is that they are unexpected. On the one hand, our army suddenly entered the battlefield. This battlefield was an important strategic location where the enemy's forces were empty. It caused the enemy to panic and panic. They were forced to fight passively and were restrained by our army. On the other hand, we chose routes that the enemy could not think of, reducing many obstacles along the way. Our military strength appeared to be sufficient because it was not consumed. This laid the foundation for the victory of the enemy. To be able to use the roundabout way to go straight, to avoid the real thing and attack the weak, one could create the conditions to defeat the enemy.”
"Ah, there's a deeper reason.”Chen Zhuhou shouted," Father Shang, if it wasn't for you, I really wouldn't have known about this. In the future, if you have any battles, you must inform me and let me learn from you.”
"In the future, when we fight." Lu Shang laughed." We're still waiting for the war in the future. This long journey is enough for you to learn. I'll let you fight right away. Young man, we'll be arriving at Shangdu soon.”Lu Shang patted Chen Zhuhou's shoulder, causing the war chariot to tremble. Lu Shang took the opportunity to support Chen Zhuhou.
Chen Zhuhou said,"Although it is good to take the roundabout path and avoid the real thing, this path is very difficult to walk.”
"The road is difficult to walk, but as long as we spend some strength, our army will not suffer any losses. These were just natural difficulties that were easy to overcome.”Lu Shang became serious." If you don't want to sweat more, you'll have to bleed more. How do you choose between the two?"
"Of course I have to sweat. To avoid bleeding less. Human lives are precious. You have to cherish them." Chen Zhuhou said,"However, for the grand goal, for the future of mankind, I am still willing to shed some blood."”
"Good job, you have the backbone of your father.”"We're going to look for King Wu," Lu Shang said approvingly.”He asked Chen Zhuhou.
Chen Zhuhou said,"I'll go back after I've retreated." I'll go back to the headquarters now and encourage them. Everyone is already feeling a little tired, so I'll get out of the car.”As he spoke, he jumped out before the car stopped. He stood by the roadside and waved to Lu Shang and Uncle Guan. Then, he looked at the advancing troops and searched for his own chariots and his own troops.
Lu Shang's chariot continued to move forward. "Do you know what your elder brother is worried about?" Lu Shang asked Uncle Guan.”
"I don't know. He has been urging us to hurry. It seemed that he was concerned about the time to reach Shangdu.”
"At this speed, we can reach Shangdu on the 60th year. The soldiers were already very tired and could not be rushed.”Lu Shang knew that the final part of the long journey was the most difficult and dangerous. He was about to face a battlefield that would decide his life and death. As a commander, he was concerned about the outcome of the entire war, so he paid special attention to this final sprint. However, he was worried that if he did not arrive at the battlefield in time and seize the opportunity, it might lead to all his previous efforts being wasted.
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