Emperor Huizong exclaimed excitedly, "Then I'll go with you! We can enjoy each other's company, with soft jade and fragrant scents, and discuss art while we're being intimate. Wouldn't that be wonderful!"
I said with a stern face, "Your Majesty, please have some self-respect. The girls there sell their bodies, not their talents!"
Chapter 172 Post-Military Summary Regarding the Multinational Forces' Encirclement of Jin Wuzhu
After the party ended, Qin Qiong was the first to approach me and said, "Xiao Qiang, if there's nothing else, I'll have our people withdraw according to the plan. They can come back whenever they need us, which will save Jin Shaoyan some money."
I thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "That's right. Let's go then, please thank the soldiers for me."
Thus, the first batch of 200,000 Tang soldiers began to evacuate from the Northern Song Dynasty.
Through two weeks of close cooperation, the allied forces had forged an extremely deep friendship. Of the four ironclad bonds—having frequented brothels together, studied together, fought together, and shared spoils—they had experienced the latter two. Parting among comrades was bittersweet. The loyal and righteous Mongols, leading their horses, silently watched the departing Tang army. The Liangshan heroes brought out jars of their finest brew, carefully filling each mineral water bottle for their departing brothers. The Qin, Song, and Ming armies came to bid them a reluctant farewell. Although they knew this parting was likely permanent, many still left their home addresses. Because place names differed across dynasties, they explained in detail on the map of the new China I had brought. It was then that they discovered many of them actually lived in the same place, even the same village and the same house number…
Once Tang Jun led the way and left, the others followed suit. Liu Dongyang approached me and said, "Lord Anguo, we must also take our leave. These past few days have been the most relaxed and enjoyable time I've had since joining the army. This humble general is about to depart." I pulled him aside and said, "Make sure the brothers have enough rations for the journey, and take plenty of novelties. Especially those with families, please convey my regards to their loved ones." Liu Dongyang quickly expressed his gratitude, then hesitated before adding, "Lord Anguo, His Majesty has entrusted me with one more matter before I leave..."
"Speak."
Liu Dongyang said with difficulty, "It's a good thing. The Emperor invites you to have a drink with him."
Seeing his contorted expression, I was puzzled. After a moment, I suddenly realized and laughed, "Don't worry, go back and tell the Emperor that as soon as things here are over, I'll go back and drink that cup of wine with him." Old Zhao still remembered that I held military power and didn't forget to drink that historically famous dismissal wine with me.
Overnight, a significant portion of the Allied forces withdrew. Muqali and Hu Yier came to say goodbye. I asked, puzzled, "Why did you two come together?"
Hu Yier laughed and said, "We can keep up for quite a distance."
Mu Huali pressed my shoulder and said, "Xiao Qiang, as I said before, you're always welcome to the grasslands. I've been resentful ever since Boerhu took those 200 slaves; he's no match for me when it comes to drinking." I only just realized who got the better deal last time.
I pouted and said, "You want me to go there just to get me drunk and then ask for those 200 slaves?"
Mu Huali laughed heartily, "Brother Xiao Qiang is too kind. Alright, next time you go, I'll protect you from anyone who tries to force you to drink!"
I laughed and said, "That's a true brother." I turned to Hasier and asked, "Hasier, how much loot did you get this time?"
Hasser smiled and said, "No more, no less, I haven't counted. I'm here to help you fight, not to get rich here."
I said gratefully, "When things calm down in time, come to my bar and we'll have a good chat. I'd be happy to get you drunk."
The four of us suddenly fell silent, and then we hugged each other without saying a word.
In the allied camp, such scenes were countless, with soldiers from different countries embracing each other and weeping uncontrollably. Some had met in actual battles against the Jin army, while others had worked together in exercises. A Qin soldier might be embracing a Ming soldier, while Xiang Yu's subordinate might be weeping in the arms of a Mongol.
The significance of this allied encirclement of Jin Wuzhu went far beyond simply forging sworn brothers between soldiers from different dynasties. The Qin army benefited most significantly. The chariots, which in the late Warring States period almost represented a nation's military strength, were rendered useless by this battle. In terms of smaller items, stirrups were a major acquisition. Don't underestimate this small item; it was a milestone in military history. With these, the cavalry force matured. Another major benefit was the main weapon. Previously, Qin soldiers wielded swords made of iron sheets, which, while representing the highest level of smelting technology at the time, couldn't compare to the craftsmanship of later periods, especially the Tang and Song dynasties. Iron swords clashing against iron swords would leave both sides with large nicks. But if steel clashed against iron, the steel would at most develop serrations. Weapons are meant to be used by soldiers over many years. Having a weapon that can be easily sharpened and reused in battle is a tremendous asset for an entire army—the soldiers of Fatty, through captures and exchanges, now almost every one of them possesses several finely crafted steel sabers.
As for Terracotta Warriors 1 through 6, needless to say, all the Qin crossbows that the allied forces built but didn't use were given to Qin Shi Huang. The Qin army's crossbow reserves were enough for 100,000 men to continuously bombard a city for 10 days.
Of course, this doesn't mean that those who were less advanced in this operation had an advantage. The Qin and Chu armies focused more on upgrading their hardware, while the Tang, Song, Yuan, and Ming armies benefited greatly from tactical advancements. In this respect, their leaps were in no way inferior to those of the Qin army.
First, multi-service joint operations were something they had never encountered before. Back then, each country had its own specialties, and they could only rely on strengthening their own specialized branches to dominate the battlefield. Now, they have all deeply realized that only the improvement of comprehensive strength is the key, and the resulting experience in multinational joint operations is a welcome surprise.
In theory, very powerful nations have experienced the deterrent effect of military parades as a display of military might. For example, the Tang Dynasty also held military parades, but that was simply a way to assess its own strength. Derived from military parades were military exercises. Later, nations like the Song and Ming Dynasties, which had long neglected warfare, used this method to maintain their combat capabilities at a balanced level.
The propaganda offensive of air-to-ground coverage strikes—this is the lesson learned from the Qin army. The Qin dynasty's crossbows could certainly be replicated by later dynasties. However, they previously focused solely on the lethality of arrows and neglected another crucial tactic: propaganda. Public opinion is vital; sending surrender warrants to the enemy on arrows became a winning strategy for the allied forces in future wars.
The training of military talent. In the diverse warfare, one leader is worth more than 100 experienced veterans—a lesson they learned from the Tang army's long snake formation. Even the mighty Li Yuanba could only be responsible for one key point in the formation; even the seemingly weak Xiao Qiang could bring countless insidious ideas to achieve surprise victories—that's advanced thinking, that's the crucial role of a time-traveling talent! Uh… speaking of which, it seems I did indeed impart a lot of theoretical knowledge to them. Therefore, these countries later developed military education, forming the earliest military academies. My name is frequently mentioned in the textbooks of these military academies, just like Kurosawa Akira and Hitchcock are frequently mentioned in modern film history. I've excerpted a few points below:
The renowned military theorist Xiao Qiang once said, "When we have nothing to lose, we're not afraid of those who wear shoes. But when we have shoes, we'll make them go barefoot." What is war about? When we have money, we fight with money; when we have morale, we fight with morale; when we have nothing but the enemy has both money and morale, we compete with them on speed… This last point is considered by many to be no less significant than the famous saying, "Warfare is based on deception." But I honestly forget when I said such a thing.
Finally, there was the technological gap. The effectiveness of the Ming army's cannons was evident to all the allied forces, giving them a profound understanding of the power of advanced technology. Zhang Han then furtively sought out Wang Basan and whispered for a long time. Later, when I asked Wang Basan, I learned that he wanted to buy two Hongwu cannons from the Ming army…
A day later, the allied camp was much emptier. The main Qin army had already returned home, leaving only Wang Ben with a few thousand men waiting for Qin Shi Huang. The armies of the Tang, Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties had also entered the military camp. Xu Delong came with his men to say goodbye, and I asked in bewilderment, "Why are you going back? Wouldn't it be better to stay and join Liangshan?"
Xu Delong smiled and said, "We have our mission. Strictly speaking, we have been deserters for some time now."
I sighed and said, "Then let's go. Remember, if you really can't handle it, contact me, and we'll go back to the Southern Song Dynasty to teach that brat Jin Wuzhu a lesson."
Xu Delong knew that this matter was simple to say but not very realistic. He just smiled, and together with Li Jingshui and Wei Tiezhu, they saluted me and went back to the Southern Song Dynasty to fight against the Jin.
Among the crowd, those who were supposed to return to Yucai did so, and the bandits also packed their supplies, said goodbye to me, and slowly headed towards Liangshan.
Seeing that only Fatty Ying, Ersha, Li Shishi, and Jin Shaoyan were left around me, I pulled Baozi aside and asked them, "What are your plans?"
Fatty Ying said, "Go back to your room, everyone. What are you going to do?"
It seems Jin Shaoyan and Li Shishi have had enough of the outside world and finally realized they need a powerful backer. Li Shishi can't return to the modern world, so she's decided to have a honeymoon trip to the Qin Dynasty. Ersha, having someone to accompany her, will go too. I said, "Baozi and I will go back too. I'll visit you after she gives birth."
Suddenly, someone jumped over and said, "Take me back with you!"
We turned around and were all shocked. It was Qin Wuyang. Ersha instinctively stepped in front of Qin Shi Huang. Qin Wuyang laughed and said, "I'm not going to kill Ying Zheng anymore. I just want to go back. That godforsaken place, Yucai, is brighter at night than during the day. I can't sleep."
I chuckled and said, "You can't go back now, but a year from now you won't be able to avoid going back even if you want to."
Qin Wuyang picked at his lips and said, "If I go back a year later, will I still have to assassinate Ying Zheng?"
When he asked that question, I was completely dumbfounded...
What a difficult question. Fatty and Ersha stayed with me for a year, but returned due to a sudden change in the Heavenly Dao. I went through countless hardships to help them regain their memories and even filmed a play to deceive the Heavenly Dao. If Qin Wuyang stays with me for a year and then goes back, will the Fatty and Ersha in that space still be the same Fatty and Ersha I'm facing now?
Chapter 173 Total Mobilization
Thinking about what Qin Wuyang said, and considering that Xu Delong and the others might have to go to the Southern Song Dynasty to face another Jin Wuzhu, my head was spinning. If that were the case, just taking Ying Pangzi as an example, it wouldn't be enough for just Ying Pangzi Number One and Ying Pangzi Number Two. If Qin Wuyang went back once, and Wang Ben went back again after coming to Yucai, plus his father and son, there would be four Ying Pangzi in different dimensions alone…
My head aches, I'm so frustrated, I'm pulling out strands of hair. But there's one advantage to that: if I really wanted to borrow 8 million troops then, it would be so easy. I basically wouldn't need to bother anyone else; just finding Ying Buwei (numbers one through five) plus a few Xiang Yus would be enough.
Luckily, I have one redeeming quality: I don't dwell on problems I can't figure out. Those who get stuck on trivial details are either scientists or lunatics. I'm clearly not up to that standard, otherwise I wouldn't be looked down upon by Accountant Xiang. That old guy still often tries to stump me with two-digit multiplication problems.
After rescuing Baozi and Li Shishi, the young couple settled down with Fatty. Jin Shaoyan and Li Shishi finished their honeymoon and began a life of traveling between the two places. Because Bingdao was closed, I had to drive to pick him up every time. The guy was always incredibly grateful and said he was going to give me a gift. I didn't know what else he could give me besides money. I've seen more novelties from different dynasties than he has. If he wanted me to send a big smuggler to make a documentary about me, I probably wouldn't be up to the task. A little over a month later, he gave me two tickets to the premiere of "All Soldiers Mobilized" and round-trip tickets to Hong Kong. Fang Zhenjiang, Tong Yuan, and Xiuxiu also received tickets. But Baozi was heavily pregnant and it was inconvenient for her, and everyone at Yucai had missed classes recently and didn't have time, so we simply agreed to watch the live broadcast at Yucai's on-campus cinema.