Liang Shanbo: The Poor Scholar-Emperor

Chapter 145 Winners and Losers

On the parade ground, two teams of supervising officers were writing and recording, moving among the scattered wooden weapons and the still panting soldiers, checking the number of survivors on both sides, examining the extent of injuries, and recording those who disobeyed orders during the simulated battle.

After the statistics were completed, the two leading supervising officers led Liang Shanbo, Xiao Hu, Liu Laozhi, and Sun Wuzhong through the drill ground and onto the reviewing stand.

The supervising officer stood before Xie Xuan, unfolded his ledger, and loudly reported the summary of the battle situation. He Qian, Gao Heng, Zhuge Kan, He Meng, and other officials stood on either side, all listening intently.

Liu Laozhi's camp had a total of 206 soldiers participating in the battle, of whom as many as 138 were "killed in action," leaving only 68 survivors. The commander-in-chief Liu Laozhi and his deputy Sun Wuzhong were both "killed in action."

Liang Shanbo's camp had a total of 216 soldiers participating in the battle. 97 were "killed in action", and 119 survived. The commander-in-chief Liang Shanbo and the deputy commander Xiao Hu were both unharmed.

Even though the weapons used in these simulated battles are all made of wood and the arrows have no iron arrowheads, they are still fierce clashes and injuries are inevitable.

Interestingly, although Liang Shanbo's camp suffered far fewer "deaths" than the enemy, it had more wounded than Liu Laozhi's camp, and some of them were seriously injured, but fortunately, none of them were in mortal danger.

The root cause was that some of the more ruthless soldiers in Liu Laozhi's camp were quite violent, and some even intentionally injured others. In contrast, the soldiers in Liangshanbo's camp advanced and retreated in an orderly manner, and both their offense and defense followed established rules.

Correspondingly, several fierce soldiers in Liu Laozhi's camp were recorded for disobeying orders during simulated combat, including Yao Rong, who became enraged after being "killed" by Tian Ping's spear. On the other hand, no one in Liang Shanbo's camp disobeyed orders, and no one needed to be investigated afterward.

The difference between the two recruit camps is already clear from the comparison of these statistics alone.

One side is a disciplined army, the other is a rebellious mob.

After listening to the report from the supervising officer, Xie Xuanjing nodded slightly.

He turned to look at Liu Laozhi, his gaze scrutinizing him, and asked, "Daojian, I ask you, do you admit defeat?"

Liu Laozhi's face was still throbbing with pain, and a lump had swelled up between his nose and forehead, making his already purplish-red face appear even more bluish-purple, giving him a rather disheveled look.

He glanced at Liang Shanbo, who stood calmly to his side, took a deep breath, clasped his hands in a fist and said to Xie Xuan in a deep voice, "Reporting to the general, I, Liu Daojian, have indeed lost this time, and I admit to that defeat. I also acknowledge that Military Advisor Liang was a capable commander, his troop deployment was methodical and disciplined, and he possessed the courage of a fierce general."

He changed the subject, his tone revealing a hint of resentment and grievance, and continued: "However, a mere half-month of training is far too rushed."

Those fierce soldiers under my command are all unruly and ruthless beasts. In just half a month, let alone turning them into disciplined soldiers, it took me a lot of effort to even teach them to stand in a neat formation. I really couldn't train them well in such a short time.

Furthermore, the weapons used in this simulated battle are merely wooden ones and arrows without arrowheads, and the general has explicitly ordered that no one should be killed. In my opinion, this is more advantageous to Military Advisor Liang.

The tigers and wolves under my command usually pride themselves on their fearless and daring fighting spirit. But with this military order, they all became hesitant and dared not fight seriously, and their fighting spirit was greatly diminished.

"If I had enough time to train these fierce warriors, and to put them to the test on a real battlefield, I dare say that the fighting strength of my troops would not be inferior to that of Military Advisor Liang's unit."

Xie Xuan was amused by Liu Laozhi's roundabout and unconvincing words.

He wanted to reprimand him sternly, but then he thought that he had just publicly punished and reprimanded Liu Laozhi yesterday. Although Liu was arrogant and stubborn, he was still a fierce general and would be indispensable in the future. Now that he needed people, he should not make things too awkward with him.

So he suppressed the anger rising in his throat and said in a seemingly calm tone, "Daojian, half a month of training is indeed rushed. But it's not just you, Liu Daojian, who are rushed. Liang Shanbo also only trained his soldiers for half a month."

You just said that if you had enough time, you would do this and that. But have you ever considered that if you really had enough time to train, given Liang Shanbo's ability to lead troops, the fighting strength of his soldiers would certainly not be weaker than yours, and might even be stronger? You can't be that confused, can you?

Similarly, the limitations of simulated combat don't just restrict you, Liu Daojian; they also restrict Liang Shanbo. If your soldiers are constrained, aren't his soldiers equally constrained?

If today were truly a real battle, Daojian, you would already be dead from Liang Shanbo's divine arrow.

"He's a dead man lying on the training ground. Does he still have the chance to stand here and say these 'howevers' and 'ifs' to me?"

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Liu Laozhi's head, leaving him speechless and unsure how to refute. He lowered his head sullenly, still somewhat unconvinced.

Seeing that Liu Laozhi was speechless, Xie Xuan turned to Liang Shanbo, a genuine smile of satisfaction on his face, and announced loudly: "Today's battle has been witnessed by everyone. Liang Shanbo's troops have a well-organized formation, a good balance between offense and defense, a commander who is both wise and brave, and soldiers who obey orders without question. They have won a fair and square victory."

From this day forward, Liang Shanbo will lead the elite troops as the vanguard, and has the right to prioritize the selection of new recruits from the newly enlisted soldiers to form a vanguard battalion of two thousand men. No one may obstruct or question this; violators will be punished according to military law!

Liang Shanbo straightened his armor and bowed to Xie Xuan: "Shanbo is deeply grateful for General's trust and will certainly do his utmost to live up to your expectations!"

Xie Xuan then glanced around at the group of officials on the stage: Liang Shanbo, Xiao Hu, Liu Laozhi, Sun Wuzhong, He Qian, Gao Heng, Zhuge Kan, He Meng, and so on.

He continued, his tone now carrying a hint of earnest expectation: "As I have already said, today's battle is a test, but also a training exercise. Regardless of victory or defeat, it will be the prelude to your future achievements on the battlefield."

The victor need not be arrogant, and the loser need not be discouraged. You are all in this Guangling camp, sharing the same grain and water. In the future, you will be comrades-in-arms who will live and die together and fight side by side with the enemy, not enemies, much less mortal foes.

Today's battle is to let you see each other's strengths and weaknesses. You should encourage each other to improve your strengths and make up for each other's weaknesses.

After everyone dispersed, Liang Shanbo and Xiao Hu walked out of the training ground side by side.

Xiao Hu removed his helmet and tucked it under his arm. His rugged and honest face was filled with undisguised excitement, and his tiger eyes shone brightly, as if he was still immersed in the fierce battle that had just taken place.

As he walked, he excitedly said to Liang Shanbo, "Commander, to be honest, before we lined up for the battle today, I was really nervous. I was thinking that we were mostly honest farmers on our side, while the other side was a group of fierce tigers. If we really fought, we might lose."

Even if we manage to win by sheer luck, it will be a fierce battle, with casualties likely exceeding half our strength, a Pyrrhic victory that feels like a defeat.

And guess what? To my utter surprise! Not only did we win, but we won quite easily! From the encirclement to the capture of the flag, every step was perfectly executed, as if we had rehearsed it a thousand times beforehand!

Liang Shanbo nodded and smiled slightly: "To be honest, I also thought that we would have a hard time winning today. After all, the individual combat strength of those fierce soldiers on the other side is indeed far superior to ours. If it were a one-on-one fight, most of our men would not be a match for them."

Fortunately, today our soldiers are well-organized, with good offense and defense, and they have brought out all the skills they have learned in the past half month.

In particular, under your leadership, the hundred-plus forwards withstood the opponent's fiercest attack and achieved a resounding victory.

They remained calm and focused, brave and tenacious, undaunted by powerful enemies. The period they endured with gritted teeth was the most difficult and crucial time.

Only after holding firm could the reserve forces later launch a flanking maneuver and encircle the enemy from three sides. Once that three-sided encirclement was complete, the outcome of the battle was no longer in doubt.

Finally, it was you who personally led a small cavalry charge to seize the flag, firmly grasping victory in your hands.

"Today, in terms of merit, Xiao Xiaogu, you deserve immense credit. Do not underestimate yourself."

Today's battle was indeed easier than Liang Shanbo had anticipated.

His original plan relied more on his extraordinary martial arts skills, intending to personally charge into battle after the battle became stalemate, break through the enemy lines, kill the commander, seize the flag, and create a miracle of defeating the strong with the weak.

As it turned out, his personal martial arts skills did indeed play a crucial role, especially his divine arrow that eliminated Liu Laozhi, a key move that turned the tide of the battle. However, the discipline, bravery, and tenacity of the soldiers also played a vital role. The two complemented each other, creating a miracle.

Xiao Hu grinned and said sincerely, "Commander, please don't say that. Although I, Xiao Hu, have made some contributions today, what are they? For the past half month, from the first light of dawn to the setting sun, you have been in charge of all the training, personally handling every matter and overseeing every single thing. We were just following orders."

The troop deployment was all your doing, Military Advisor; and today's divine arrow that eliminated Liu Laozhi was also your doing, deciding the outcome with a single shot. I, Xiao Hu, merely ran errands with you and worked up a sweat; it's nothing special.

A great achievement.

Liang Shanbo said with a smile, "Xiaogu, there's no need for such formalities between us. Today's victory was won by our united efforts and camaraderie."

Today, we enjoy wine and meat, celebrating our victory with our soldiers. I'll toast you, you'll toast me, and it's all in this wine; there's no need for further words.

Xiao Hu nodded heavily, his smile growing even wider, and said in a deep voice, "Good! Just as Brother Liang said!"

'

On the other side, Liu Laozhi and Sun Wuzhong were walking out of the drill ground side by side.

Sun Wuzhong's expression was solemn as he whispered to Liu Laozhi, "Military Advisor, today several of our soldiers disobeyed orders during a battle formation and have been taken away for questioning by General Xie's personal order. Among them is Yao Rong."

The soldier also heard it with his own ears: after Yao Rong was eliminated, he not only refused to back down but continued to attack, even publicly cursing and threatening to kill the enemy soldier. Only after the supervising officer gave him another order did he reluctantly stop.

This is no small offense. In my humble opinion, he will not only be punished with military flogging, but may also be sent to the supply battalion for hard labor.

"Should we think of a way to save Yao Rong and the others?"

Liu Laozhi paused, turned his head to look at Sun Wuzhong, and gave a cold laugh, somewhat annoyed: "Save? How can you save him?"

Yesterday we were publicly punished by Xie Youdu, fined a month's salary and reprimanded in public. Today we lost to Liang Shanbo and lost face. Even I was "killed" by an arrow from more than eighty paces away, and you were killed by two spears.

"Those idiots, Yao Rong and his ilk, did indeed disobey military orders today. It was all witnessed by everyone, with witnesses and clear evidence in the supervising officer's register. And Xie Youdu personally ordered the interrogation. Under these circumstances, what right do you or I have to rescue them? What face do we have to plead for them? Going would only bring us shame."

Sun Wu nodded: "The military advisor's words make sense; that's what I've been thinking too."

Liu Laozhi paused, his expression softened slightly, and his tone became gentler as he continued, "Although we couldn't save those idiots like Yao Rong, the rest of our soldiers have followed us for half a month, running with heavy loads every day and training to exhaustion. They have suffered quite a bit. Although we lost today, we can't blame it all on them."

If we don't even offer them some food and drink, they'll inevitably feel resentful and harbor grudges against us. From now on, they'll be our soldiers, fighting alongside us on the real battlefield. If this spirit is lost, it will never be regained.

"Then, you will make arrangements later. Today, reward the brothers with some wine and meat, let them have a good meal, and let them understand that victory and defeat are common in war. Today's defeat is understandable. As long as they follow me, Liu Daojian, and train hard, they will have their own merits and riches when they go to the real battlefield in the future."

Sun Wuji nodded and replied, "Your subordinate obeys."

Yao Rong and several other fierce soldiers under Liu Laozhi were interrogated by Xie Xuan on his own orders for disobeying military orders during a simulated battle.

The interrogation lasted less than half an hour, and the evidence was conclusive. On the same day, several people were each given varying amounts of military flogging according to military law. Some were beaten until they screamed in agony, while others were beaten until their skin was torn and bleeding.

Among them, Yao Rong was the most guilty, as he openly defied orders and intentionally injured someone.

He was severely punished with thirty strokes of the military rod, his back bleeding profusely and unable to get up. That same day, he was sent to the supply battalion to perform hard labor, working alongside three deserters, Fan Meng, Wu Lang, and Yu Yang, to carry grain sacks, move supplies, and dig trenches.

Several soldiers placed Yao Rong, who was covered in blood, on a broken wooden plank and carried him toward the supply camp.

Yao Rong lay on the broken wooden board, the wound on his back throbbing with excruciating pain.

He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, his heart filled with resentment and humiliation. He thought that he had hoped to make a name for himself in the army and become a powerful general, but he had only been in the army for a short time and had ended up in such a state. He was also full of regret. If he had known this would happen, he should not have joined the army.

However, regret was useless; he couldn't leave even if he wanted to.

No matter how unwilling or humiliated he felt, he could only spit bitterly, close his eyes, and let himself be carried to the supply depot.

The.