Moma Liangshan

Chapter 150 Laoshan Military Camp, Cradle of Elite Soldiers

Wang Hao shook his head helplessly and said, "I am not a general who gallops across the battlefield, and I do not need to lead thousands of troops into battle!" The princess of Shu did not believe Wang Hao's explanation and said, "I'm afraid it's because your Song emperor does not allow you to expand your military strength!" At this moment, the carriage was ready, and Wang Hao said, "Please get in, princess!" The princess of Shu got up and rode in the same carriage as Wang Hao. Inside the carriage, Wang Hao said, "Jiaozhou is just a county, easily defended by a thousand men. Why should I wage war and forcibly expand my army?" The Shu princess drew back the curtain of the carriage, looked at the guards accompanying her, and said, "Do you know that the thirteen men I brought are all elite soldiers handpicked from the thirty thousand troops of Liaodong? Yet your troops are in no way inferior to them, and their formation is even more disciplined. How can you expect me to believe that you have no interest in military power?" Wang Hao had no way to refute her, and said, "You are very clever, but you should also understand the principle that 'the tallest tree in the forest is the first to be felled by the wind'!" The Shu princess slowly said, "Some principles cannot be strictly followed just because you understand them!" Wang Hao asked, "Why?" The Shu princess replied: "The Liao Dynasty is teetering on the brink of collapse, and its front lines could crumble at any moment. I cannot adhere to the adage 'governing a large country is like cooking a small fish,' proceeding slowly and methodically!" After a moment, he continued, "But there is one thing I am curious about: why do you regard the Jurchens as such a formidable enemy?" Wang Hao replied, "At the beginning of the Song Dynasty, its military was strong. Although Emperors Taizu and Taizong launched several northern expeditions that all ended in failure, the Song army was more than capable of defending the heartland of China. In the present world, the Jurchens have risen to prominence, annihilating a million-strong Khitan army within a few years and seizing thousands of miles of land beyond the Great Wall. How can this not be breathtaking? However, the prosperity of the Song Dynasty far surpasses that of the Liao Dynasty, yet its military strength is insufficient to defend the country's borders. I do not believe that the Jurchens will let the Han people's beautiful homeland go!"

The princess of Shu sneered, saying, "I'm afraid the emperor of Song doesn't think so, does he?" Wang Hao didn't answer, but asked, "How so?" The princess replied, "After the Jurchens rose up, the Song Dynasty not only withheld the annual tribute but also closed all border markets. This is not a horn of peace, but a harbinger of war!" Wang Hao said, "The Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun are the ancient land of China, and Your Majesty is determined to possess them!" The princess of Shu was furious, saying, "The Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun are to the Liao Dynasty what Jiangnan is to the Song Dynasty—a vital tax-paying region that must not be divided!" Wang Hao didn't argue, saying, "Therefore, some things can only be resolved through war!" The princess of Shu was very disappointed in Wang Hao and questioned, "Since you..." "They also believe that a war between Song and Liao is inevitable, so why pretend to be benevolent and trade with Liao?" Wang Hao remained calm and said, "War is unavoidable, but its scale and duration vary. I only hope that fewer soldiers will die and fewer people will suffer!" The Shu princess, unsure whether Wang Hao was wise or naive, said, "If you were king, perhaps there would truly be less strife and more peace in the world, but you are merely a seventh-rank county magistrate!" Wang Hao was very frank and said, "Do your best and leave the rest to fate!" The carriage slowly stopped outside the gate, and Yang Zhi said, "Reporting to the young master, we have arrived at the Laoshan military camp!" Wang Hao replied, "Go and inform them immediately!" A moment later, Lin Chong and Lu Da arrived side by side. Wang Hao did not get out of the carriage, but simply said through the window, "The entire army, assemble at the drill ground!" After saying this, he rode the carriage into the military camp.

Lin Chong looked bewildered and asked, "When did a woman appear by your side, young master?" Yang Zhi whispered, "When Commander Lin was in Liaodong, he didn't go to Liaoyang Prefecture and didn't recognize the Shu Kingdom princess of the Khitan!" Lin Chong was surprised and said, "The Shu Kingdom princess who commands 30,000 Khitan troops?" Yang Zhi nodded and said, "That's right!" Lu Da's eyes had already widened, and he said, "Isn't our young master the son-in-law of the Song Dynasty? When did he get involved with the Liao Kingdom princess?" Lin Chong and Yang Zhi said almost simultaneously, "Commander Lu, be careful what you say!" Lu Da didn't understand and said, "Young master has brought her to the military camp so openly, what else is there to hide?" Yang Zhi said, "If outsiders ask, just say that young master has taken in a new personal maid!" Lu Da looked at Lin Chong and saw that the other's eyes were also full of disbelief, and said, "That's a princess, if she can accept being a maid, you can..." "Don't act on your own; it'll only cause trouble later," Yang Zhi said urgently. "Last night, the young master and I picked her up from the dock. The guards stayed with us in the front courtyard, while she stayed alone with the young master in the inner courtyard. This morning, the servants bought her a whole bunch of new clothes to change into." At this moment, the usually serious Lin Chong said, "What she's wearing is indeed the most expensive one from Huang's Clothing Store!" Lu Da immediately asked, "Have you seen it?" Lin Chong said, "My wife took a liking to that dress a few days ago, but the owner of Huang's asked for thirty strings of cash, almost half a month's salary for us. My wife felt it was too much and didn't buy it!" Lu Da said, "The young master earns a fortune every day; he doesn't care about such a small amount of money!" Lin Chong said, "The young master has summoned the entire army; we shouldn't delay!" Yang Zhi and Lu Da nodded, and the three of them quickly chased after the carriage into the camp.

Looking out the carriage window at the well-organized military camp, the princess of Shu said, "Serving as a soldier under your command must be quite a pleasant experience!" Wang Hao casually replied, "Good food and lodging are essential for effective training!" The princess of Shu felt Wang Hao was merely showing off and said, "Whether the soldiers are well-trained or not can only be determined through a competition." Wang Hao nodded and said, "You have thirteen men under your command. How about I select a general and twelve soldiers from the camp for a competition?" The princess of Shu didn't believe Wang Hao's men could rival her personal guards and said, "I hope you won't regret it!"

The carriage quickly stopped in the center of the training ground, and Wang Hao and the princess of Shu alighted one after the other. The training ground of the Jiaozhou military camp was not an ordinary open space, but a comprehensive training ground redesigned based on the concept of a 400-meter obstacle course for later armies, combined with the actual needs of ancient warfare. Due to the limitations of ancient smelting technology, steel wire mesh was not yet available; instead, it was replaced by chevaux-de-frise. Therefore, with Lin Chong's assistance, Wang Hao changed the "low-pole net" to a 50-step hurdle sprint. Furthermore, the obstacle course did not have a single route, but rather twelve routes were designed to accommodate different conditions in actual combat, such as slope, lighting, mud, sand, and rocks. In ancient sieges, people either used ladders and ropes to climb city walls or used siege engines to ram city gates. Therefore, Wang Hao also built a special siege wall within the training ground, equipped with all the necessary offensive and defensive weapons.