Volume 2 Clouds Chapter 1: The Army Sets Out
February 1, the second year of Xian De.
After more than a month of preparation, the army for the Western Expedition was assembled and officially set off.
Luo Youdu was a lonely man with only an old housekeeper who had been with him for many years. He did not feel sad about parting. He just said hello casually and ended the matter.
The master and servant were too familiar with each other to need too much politeness.
But when they parted, Lao Hu hinted that he should marry a wife, or take a concubine, and have a baby like Lao Lu.
Otherwise, if something really happens, there would be no point in him living.
Old Hu received great kindness from Grandpa Luo Youdu in his early years, and had already decided to devote his whole life to the Luo family.
Luo Youdu was moved and thought it was time to find a woman to live with.
Whether she is a concubine or a wife remains to be determined.
Zhang Jin took Zhang Qiong's hand and asked him about his well-being, repeatedly reminding him to follow Luo Youdu's arrangements.
Cao Bin had a large family and a great fortune, and it was his first time to go on an expedition. He was surrounded by gossipy women, who either gave him instructions or were reluctant to let him go.
Cao Bin himself, on the other hand, responded calmly one by one, like a piece of wood, without showing any extra emotion.
Zhang Qiong was wearing a suit of armor handed down from his ancestors. Because he had too much fat on his body, the armor was a little small, so he sewed a circle of iron sheets around his stomach, thighs, and arms, which made a clattering sound when he walked. He trotted to Luo Youdu's side with the sound of iron sheets colliding, and turned over to ride on a mule.
Luo Youdu seemed to hear a mournful cry from the mule.
"Brother! Go back. We will definitely listen to you. If you tell us to go up the mountain, we will never go down the river. If you tell us to charge , we will never retreat."
Zhang Qiong waved at Zhang Jin.
He called two older brothers.
The second eldest brother is naturally Luo Youdu.
After Luo Youdu went to Zhao Kuangyin to ask for the man, Zhang Qiong began to curse, "Finally, I have escaped from the sea of suffering of that bastard. Brother Luo, no, big brother, from now on you are my real big brother. I will follow you for the rest of my life. I don't ask for other wealth, as long as I can eat meat, that's enough."
Luo Youdu was too lazy to argue with a rough guy like Zhang Qiong, so he let him call him whatever he wanted.
This kind of man, if you treat him well, he will return you tenfold, even his own life.
I really can't understand why Zhao Kuangyi was so generous to give him to me.
Zhang Qiong took a large iron bow from the mule's back and said, "Brother, this is a good bow that Zhao Kuangyin sent me a few days ago, saying it was to make amends for his brother's crime. What do you think, should I accept it?"
Luo Youdu smiled and said, "Take it. He gave us face, so we can't be too stingy. When we meet Zhao Kuangyi in the future, just ignore him and don't bear grudges or speak ill of him."
Zhang Qiong got angry when he mentioned Zhao Kuangyi, but he admired Zhao Kuangyin's martial arts. The two brothers made him very conflicted. Hearing what Luo Youdu said, he said generously: "Okay, let's just treat Zhao Kuangyi as a fart and let him go."
Luo Youdu smiled.
When it comes to being a human being, Zhao Kuangyin is still the best.
No wonder in history, once the yellow robe was put on, 80% of the soldiers of the Great Zhou changed their colors to the king's flag.
There are many ways to get Zhang Qiong.
The most direct way is to ask Guo Rong for it. But those who go around Zhao Kuangyin to ask for it are not giving him face and making enemies.
Asking Zhao Kuangyin for people directly is a way to make good connections.
If Zhao Kuangyin refused, he would be shameless, and Luo Youdu would naturally not give him face.
Luo Youdu believed that Zhao Kuangyin could clearly distinguish the relationships between human beings and the ways of the world.
After all, it was Zhao Kuangyi who made the mistake first, not Zhang Qiong who defected without permission and sought wealth and fame elsewhere.
Therefore, Luo Youdu knew from the beginning that Zhao Kuangyin would release the people , but he did not expect that he would also help Zhao Kuangyi clean up his mess.
No one else can do what my brother has done.
Cao Bin also greeted his family and walked towards him.
"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting for so long!"
Cao Bin bowed politely.
"Let's go!" Luo Youdu said with a smile. After this initial contact, he had .
He has a rigid, serious and stern character. When dealing with such a person, don't expect him to change his attitude towards you easily.
Compared to Zhang Qiong's shabby appearance, Cao Bin is a typical tall, rich and handsome man. He is dressed in red lacquered armor with mountain patterns, has a handsome face, a serious expression, and rides a very majestic black warhorse. He looks like a real young hero.
Behind them were a hundred soldiers, all wearing black leather armor, holding spears, and with swords of different shapes on their waists, most of which were broad and thick swords.
The evolution of weapons is not based on one's own smelting technology, but on the enemy's armor level.
It is still a turbulent time, and the least valuable thing is human life.
The rate of soldiers wearing armor is not high, and ordinary soldiers mostly wear leather and cloth armor. This broadsword is the best and strongest killing weapon.
As for mounts?
That would be shabby.
The one hundred guards that Guo Rong gave him could be considered elite, but less than 50% of them had mounts, and this 50% included donkeys, mules, and horses.
If even the elite troops are in this condition, one can imagine the situation of the main army.
Luo Youdu couldn't help but smile bitterly. The army in his impression was one with flags flying, people of the same height and horses of the same color, and their march was like a mountain and a tsunami.
In fact, it was just a group of people with uneven clothing and equipment. From a distance, they looked like a group of ants.
Once they set out on the journey, just as Luo Youdu had expected, their group of more than a hundred people was clearly not welcome.
No one informed the army when to march, when to rest, or when to cook, as if they did not exist.
Luo Youdu didn't care. After all, an army of 10,000 couldn't fly into the sky, so how could he shake them off?
The mount penetration rate among their hundred people is less than half, let alone the army!
Luo Youdu was not anxious or annoyed. Instead, he happily studied military strategies and tactics with Cao Bin and started talking about war on paper.
The two of them rode fast and lightly to a high place, looking at the densely packed army.
Luo Youdu raised his whip and pointed, "Guohua, if the soldiers in front of us were enemies, how would you defeat them with only 500 men?"
Cao Bin was stunned, stared for a while, and said, "Cavalry or infantry?"
Luo Youdu said: "Cavalry!"
Cao Bin hesitated for a moment and said, "If it is the enemy, I will divide the 500 cavalry into five teams. Four teams will directly attack from left and right. After a few rounds, they will create chaos. Another team will roam outside the field. The place where the enemy stops the chaos first must be where the general is. The remaining 100 cavalry will directly attack the enemy general, and it is guaranteed to be effective."
Luo Youdu asked: "What about the infantry?"
Cao Bin thought about it again and said, "The infantry is a bit difficult. We have to launch a surprise attack at night and find an opportunity. The disparity in strength is too great. Han..." He didn't know what to say for a moment, and after a moment he said, "The enemy general is not easy to deal with."
Luo Youdu said again: "What about adding another 500? One thousand people."
Cao Bin immediately said: "One thousand people will do!"
They followed the army all the way westward, and had a lot of fun discussing various strategic targets for the cities and towns along the way.
They didn't care about the indifference of the army at all. On the contrary, the army leading the way was defeated by them on paper at least a hundred times!
