Chapter 88 If he dies, you all have to die (1)
“Zhao Zhong.”
Chen Jin looked at the person who quietly smiled at him when she said her name. He nodded and passed her with the group of people. Countless of shadows were printed by the bonfire. There were of theirs and there were of hers.
They celebrated, talked and laughed loudly. Everyone’s face, voice and eyes revealed the joy of victory and the joy of coming back alive.
That was right. They were lucky. Without the hard work and sacrifice of their companions, there wouldn’t be them who were alive and still carrying hope.
However, Chen Jin knew exactly how much they had paid in this battle, how great the casualties were and the countless of citizens who had lost their lives innocently in the war, and there were still a lot of uncountable losses.
Because a war wouldn’t only consume a country’s population, it would also consume manpower, physical and financial resources. The soldiers who won the battle wouldn’t count these invisible losses. The court presumably also wouldn’t count it. However, Chen Jin was clear that this war-torn land would never return to life without a thirty to fifty years.
Houses, roads, bridges and crops were destroyed and wiped out in the war. How many people would still do farming and business after experiencing a great war? Also, how many families’ children lost their parents, parents losing their children and wives becoming widows? What should these orphans, widows, the old and the weak, who had lost their most important people, do? How should they survive?
Chen Jin couldn’t tell his worry to anyone. Submit a memorial to the court? However, his memorial would have to pass many levels of the local magistrate until the Ministry of War. After several turns, it would be placed on the emperor’s desk.
In name, he is general Pingxi of the imperial court, but in fact, he was a vulgar martial artist in the eyes of the civil officials. How would the civil officials take the memorial he submitted to the court seriously?
Perhaps, he may even be framed by others for having ulterior motives. Also, Chen Jin had gotten old. After fighting so many years for Great Liang, Chen Jin’s spine had long been bent and he deeply felt that his life was passing by with age. Perhaps, one day he would suddenly fall.
However, he didn’t want to die yet. If he dies, who has the ability to lead the soldiers of Great Liang to continue to protect the torn land in the northwest of Great Liang? Who would protect the suffering people on this land?
His son?
That was absolutely impossible.
Although, Chen Jing was called young general by the soldiers, but he knew the abilities of his son. Although, Chen Jing stayed by his side when he was young, but in the battle to regain Li City a month ago, he gave him and fifth prince a total of fifty thousand people, but they still suffered a loss.
Fifty thousand against five thousand. The Xiongnu almost lost nothing, but they had lost thousands of people!
So, Chen Jing wouldn’t do. At most, he would be able to become a field commander and there is hope for him to become a commander-in-chief of an army. However, he couldn’t wait anymore. He didn’t have more time.
As for Situ Yuanxiao who wants to kill the enemy and protect the territory of Great Liang on the battlefield and who is also interested in leading the army, it was even more impossible for Chen Jin to count on him. It was not because of anything other than the reason that he would eventually become a feudal king!
Sooner or later, a feudal king commanding an army would cause chaos in the world!
The imperial household wouldn’t allow it and it was impossible for Chen Jin to train a prince as his heir. He definitely wouldn’t allow anyone to destroy his heart’s blood that he had guarded for so many years.
Hence, Chen Jin set his sights on his subordinates. However, what made him helpless was that under the imperial court’s conservative ways and cowering-to-outsiders policy, the fierceness of the military officers and soldiers had already faded away.
The Xiongnu were too brave and fierce. The soldiers of Great Liang always lost more than won when fighting them. The information of the defeat had been sent to the court repeatedly. Sometimes, urgent emergency of the military situation that was sent on a horse at full speed, was like a talisman from the king of hell and sped across the territory of Great Liang spreading panic and harboring evil designs, scaring the officials of the court and also scaring the emperor of Great Liang.
Therefore, the imperial court’s policy to deal with the harassment of the Xiongnu would always be only one command, that is, guard. Guard at all costs!
Because only guarding would make them feel at ease and have a piece of mind. Also, only guarding would let them forever not suffer the threat of death. Guard their glory and splendor, let their power rose to the sky, be surrounded by as many beauties as the clouds, sleep in comfortable beds and enjoy music every night.
How would they bother with the northwest being overflowing with flood?!
Going to war needed braveness. A word “guard” stifled all the brave nature of the northwest frontier army against the Xiongnu, making them weak and soft. When facing the enemy’s sword, they could only fight in fear, allowing the enemy to chop off their head more easily.
How could soldiers who only knew how to defend but not attack win the battle?
Therefore, the frontier army of the northwest was getting weaker by the year. They even needed ten times more people to defeat one enemy. Also, the young generals of the army were getting weaker with each generation, leaving only a few people fitted to do the job.
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