Chapter 9 Just what I want
I don’t know whether it was invented by Zhuge Wuhou or promoted by Cao Mao, but now the defenders on the city walls eat leavened steamed buns.

It can also be called "mantou".

In addition to steamed buns, there was also mutton soup to drink. The food was pretty good. Although there was not much oil in the soup, fortunately there was enough salt.

Li Yuanhui, Du Bing, Pei Xingfang, Pei Xinggong, the squad leader of Du Bing's team, Liu Yu, Zheng Anshi and others sat together to eat.

In addition to steamed buns and mutton soup, they also had two fat geese that Pei Xinggong got from somewhere.

"Have you heard that the reinforcements from Guanzhong have arrived? I guess this traitor Yang Xun won't be able to stay alive for many more days."

"Can Guanzhong send reinforcements? That's true. There are more people left in Chang'an than in Luoyang. If we gather some soldiers from the prefectures and counties, we can still gather 20,000 to 30,000 people."

"Twenty or thirty thousand people? How can we help? Yang Xun now has nearly a hundred thousand people. Damn it, the rebels are getting more and more numerous."

Li Yuanhui listened to the conversation without saying a word. He concentrated on eating. After he had filled his stomach, he spoke: "The reinforcements from Guanzhong are coming. I'm afraid we have to leave the city to fight."

Du Bing said: "I have been feeling depressed defending the city these days. If I go out to fight, I can kill to my heart's content."

The other people also had different expressions, some were eager to try, some were worried. But overall, the noble children of this era were all strictly trained, practicing riding and shooting since childhood. There were even some skills that only the noble children had the opportunity to learn and master.

When going to the battlefield, what they think about more is making achievements.

These people are actually a very good corps of officers. They all know something about military tactics, and are literate. They also know the military rules and some regulations.

As for those servants, although they were slaves, they were all guards and followers of each family. They had good food and drink on weekdays. Each of them was stronger than the soldiers in the central army. They had all practiced martial arts and weapons. Some of them even knew how to ride and shoot. Some of them had been to the battlefield with their masters and had rich combat experience.

When these people put on armor, they become first-class strong soldiers.

With qualified officers and excellent soldiers, with a little training, it will become an army with excellent combat effectiveness.

At least in this era, it is definitely enough.

After dinner, Li Yuanhui checked his armor again. It was a Ming Guang armor that was a little big to wear, but was considered well-made. He then strung the bow and tried it out.

Li Yuanhui has seen a video on the website, which said that in the era of cold weapons, the weapons that killed the most enemies were often not swords, spears, or lances, but bows and crossbows.

His archery skills are not as good as those of his second and third brothers, but they are still pretty good. He can hit six or seven out of ten live targets.

He had already made up his mind. Once on the battlefield, he would hide behind and act as an ADC, shooting arrows from behind. Han Quan and the guards at home would protect him without any instructions. It was like thirty assistants protecting one shooter.
Let the Pei brothers lead the charge. They are both good at using horse lances.

Pei Xingfang, a young man of the same age as Li Yuanhui, was also determined to make achievements, because his father, Pei Hongce, the Zanzhi of Henan, was the commander-in-chief in the previous expedition against Yang Xun, but he was defeated and almost punished by Gao Shizhe who stayed behind. Pei Xingfang was in the mentality of avenging his humiliation.

His wish, if nothing unexpected happens, should come true in a few days.
"Li Si, Gao Pushe and General Zhao are coming over."

Hearing Du Bing's reminder, Li Yuanhui immediately stood up and asked everyone to stand in line and tidy up their appearance. There was actually nothing much to do, just ask everyone to put on their helmets properly, and then stand around the battlements along the city wall.

At this moment, Li Yuanhui suddenly had the same mentality as when he was in college and a leader came to inspect the school.
The noble scholar wore a purple robe and a fu hat. He was very tall and looked very majestic.

Zhao Yi, who was one body length behind him, was very strong, one could even describe him as fat, with his chest puffed out and his belly bulging out, making his huge Ming Guang armor bulge out. He was actually somewhat different from the generals that Li Yuanhui had seen in film and television dramas.

In fact, almost all the brave generals of this period had this kind of body shape. As the saying goes, a big body means strong power, and fat is actually very useful in ancient warfare, whether it is marching or fighting.

Most military generals are fat and strong, so they can survive a few days longer than others even if they run out of food, and they can also protect their bodies during fierce fights.

The two men were followed by several generals, including Li Yuanhui's uncle. After an inspection, they went straight to the next section of the city wall. They did not show any special favor to Li Yuanhui's soldiers because they wore helmets correctly, nor did they give them any promotion because of their extraordinary talents. They just casually asked the captain Li Huaizhen a few questions.

After the two big leaders walked away, everyone here started to sit or lie down again, doing whatever was comfortable for them. After all, they were wearing armor, and even standing there would consume a lot of energy, let alone fighting.

It's not possible not to wear it. Although the rebels' offensive has been temporarily halted, who knows when the siege will begin? Without armor, a single arrow can take your life.

"General Zhao is truly mighty. He became the General of the Left Army when he is not even 30 years old. I heard that he is quite popular in the army. Many generals in the central army are close friends with him. It is said that they are sworn brothers. There are ten of them in total, and they are called the 'Ten Brothers of the Righteous Society'." Du Bing looked at the fat general who was leaving with a bright look in his eyes.

Pei Xingfang said: "General Zhao is able to gain the trust of the saint, which is also a talent. He was the only general who retreated with his entire army during the last expedition to Liaodong."

Cousin Pei Xinggong was a little disapproving and said, "Ability? I think it's more of luck. If he went to Pyongyang with the two generals, could he have retreated with his entire division?"

Li Yuanhui did not join their discussion, but he became interested in the "Ten Brothers of the Righteous Society" that Du Bing had just mentioned.

Because he seemed to have heard it somewhere.

The Ten Brothers of Yishe? Why do I feel so familiar? Who is here?
"Nineteen, what are you thinking about? Lang Jiang wants you to come over."

Li Yuanhui was stunned for a moment, then he saw that it was his cousin Li Huaizhen. He then looked in the direction of the city gate tower and saw that it was his uncle Dou Guang.

"Tenth brother."

After greeting his cousin, Li Yuanhui hurried over to pay his respects to his uncle Dou Guang.

"Meet the general."

Dou Guang glared at him and said, "We are the two of us. What are we called?"

Li Yuanhui said with a smile: "Hey, nice to meet you, uncle. We are in the army, so we have to follow the rules, right?"

Dou Guang smiled and said, "Don't talk to me about this. How are you these days?"

Li Yuanhui said: "With my uncle's care, everything will be fine. It would be even better if I didn't have to stand guard at night."

"What are you thinking about, kid? According to military rules, I have to be on night duty, you brat." Dou Guang scolded with a smile, and then gave a serious warning.

"The troops will be dispatched in the next few days. Be careful and don't act too aggressively. Although the rebels' siege has stalled, it's not that they don't dare to fight. Previously, Pei Hongce led an army of more than 10,000 people, but they were all annihilated. When they returned to Luoyang, they only had a dozen people with them. The reason they didn't attack the city was that they lacked siege equipment. It would have been fine if they just held on to Luoyang, and when the army returned, wouldn't it be easy to put down the rebellion? But old man Gao and the man surnamed Zhao insisted on going to war, isn't it just to seek credit in front of the saint? I know Yang Xun very well, and each of the brothers of the Yang family is extremely brave."

Dou Guang came from the Fufeng Dou family, a prominent family in Guanzhong. He did not associate with the Bohai Gao family who followed the Long faction, nor with the Zhao family who came from a military background in Zhuo county, so he spoke to them with contempt.

After expressing his dissatisfaction a few times, he also gave Li Yuanhui some advice, asking him to be careful in everything he did and not to act too aggressively, and what to do if he went into battle.

Li Yuanhui agreed without hesitation, and felt that what his uncle said made sense.

Originally, Dou Guang knew the character of his nephew, who liked to compete with his second brother. He was afraid that he would be greedy for merit and act rashly on the battlefield. If anything went wrong, how would he explain to his deceased sister and brother-in-law Huaiyuan?

But Li Yuanhui’s current identity is more complicated, and he is definitely not the same person he used to be.

If you don't even want to go to the battlefield, how can you be greedy for merit and advance recklessly? You must hide if you can, and muddle through if you can.

When walking from the city gate tower, Dou Guang patted him on the shoulder and handed him a paper bag, his love and care were beyond words.

Only after returning to his section of the city wall did Li Yuanhui open the paper package and smile knowingly when he saw the maltose inside.

I remembered some "past events" again.

The relationship between the nephews of the Li family and their uncle has always been good. When they were young, Dou Guang always took them and the other children of the Dou family out to play, or went hunting outside the city, or went to visit the North and South Markets in Luoyang.
Every time he went to Nanshi, he would buy them some food and toys. When they were young, the brothers even fought over these little things. Among them, Li Yuanhui's favorite was the maltose made from rice, millet or barley.

Even though he has already joined the battlefield, in his uncle's eyes, he is still a child who likes sweets.

Pick up one, put it in your mouth, and slightly raise the corners of your mouth.

Why do I still miss home?

(End of this chapter)