In the area of ​​Mengshan, the mountain roads are steep and narrow, making it difficult to deploy large siege equipment, and even using a small amount of equipment will not be enough to break through the solid walls built on the mountain.

As long as this point is blocked, Xuzhou will be able to defend its territory firmly and make the war a protracted state.

Yanzhou is a newly occupied area, and Wang Jing must stabilize the situation as soon as possible, so he must try his best to avoid entering into a war of attrition.

But advantages are often relative. Tao Qian has the advantage of the steep Mengshan Mountain, and Wang Jing also has the advantage of location in Taishan County, because the Mengshan Mountain Range itself is within the territory of Taishan County. It can be said that the terrain here is extremely favorable for the defender, but greatly disadvantageous for the attacker.

Therefore, Guo Jia had previously blocked the news of Que Xuan's defeat, and wanted to use the strategy of besieging a point and attacking its reinforcements to lure Chen Deng to attack. He then took advantage of the rugged road, waited for the enemy to tire themselves out, and then launched a defensive counterattack.

However, Chen Deng had made arrangements early on and had his own information sources in Taishan County, so he was not fooled at all. He remained unmoved by the bait thrown by Guo Jia and always maintained a posture of strict defense.

Before the formal confrontation, the two sides had already started a battle of wits, with each side countering each other's moves.

Guo Jia personally led a team of secret guards to the border to observe and found that all the passes in the southeast corner of Mount Meng were indeed blocked by the troops sent by Chen Deng.

Where there are walls, the walls have been reinforced.

Even if there was no place to build a wall, Chen Deng ordered people to build camps in dangerous places and be ready to block the enemy at any time.

The more Guo Jia watched, the more frightened he became. His opponent had planned everything out, leaving him no room for any loopholes to exploit. In the end, he could only sigh once more, "Chen Yuanlong is indeed a troublesome character."

After returning, Guo Jia found Cheng Yu and said, "It is too late to do anything. Leave half of the troops to defend the place, and then we should withdraw."

Cheng Yu showed a worried look on his face: "I am afraid that Tao Gongzu will not give up. If he uses the same old tricks again and stirs up war again, our army will inevitably be in a passive position."

Guo Jia smiled coldly: "In order to prevent him from causing trouble for us, I have sent people to cause trouble for him. In the next two years, I am afraid he will not have the time to come to Yanzhou to cause trouble again."

"Who did you send to cause trouble in Xuzhou?"

"Changxi."

"Hiss, this move is really cruel."

Cheng Yu took a deep breath, then shook his head and laughed: "Tao Qian has offended an evil star like you, I feel sorry for him."

At Gonglai Mountain, Chang Xi stood by the official road and waited anxiously until a large cloud of dust was raised in the distant sky. Only then did he reveal an ecstatic expression.

Hundreds of cavalrymen came galloping with the sound of thundering horses' hooves. The general in the lead, wearing red armor, had a resolute face and a stern look in his eyes: "Are you Chang Ba?"

Chang Xi instinctively wanted to draw his sword to resist just by being glanced at by this person, just like a jackal on the ground being watched by an eagle soaring in the sky, and he couldn't help but feel the fear of being treated as prey.

"Whoever is coming, please tell me your name!"

Chang Xi's face was tense and he was on full alert, his body subconsciously adopting a defensive posture.

"Donglai Taishi Ci."

Taishi Ci's voice was full of energy, but also full of murderous intent: "Five hundred war horses, one thousand steel swords, and fifty sets of iron armor, all of these are yours."

After hearing this, not only Chang Xi, but even the Taishan bandits behind him, all swallowed their saliva and revealed looks of surprise and desire.

The other things are fine and can be obtained with some effort, but these five hundred war horses are treasures that cannot be bought even with money.

The Shandong area has always been the hometown of Confucius and Mencius and a holy land of Confucianism. Although it is home to many horse thieves, it does not produce war horses.

Therefore, for many bandits, having a good horse is almost like having an extra amulet that can save their lives.

Chang Xi dominated the Taishan area in the past because he took advantage of the chaos in the world to grab a lot of war horses. Unfortunately, in the battle with Wang Jing later, the cavalry he had accumulated with great difficulty was completely lost. Otherwise, his main force would not have been almost destroyed by Chen Deng when he invaded Langya and Dongguan.

Now that he has these war horses, Chang Xi can completely form a pure cavalry unit. Then he can run rampant in Xuzhou. With his powerful mobility, he can come and go like the wind. Who can do anything to him?

This was exactly what Guo Jia had planned. Five hundred war horses might be precious to other princes, but Wang Jing's army, which had defeated the Southern Xiongnu and regained the Hetao area, was no longer short of war horses.

A mere 500 war horses would be quite a bargain if it could buy two years of stable development.

Chang Xi, who had received the benefits, did not disappoint the trust. He immediately led his men back and attacked Xuzhou. He first made a commotion in Langya for a while, and then went south and attacked into the territory of Donghai County, killing officials and robbing people everywhere, disrupting the situation and making everyone in Xuzhou frightened and unable to live in peace.

Although Tao Qian was old, he was still an old soldier and a ruffian. In a rage, he ordered his men to attack and encircle the rebellion.

However, Chang Xi had learned his lesson this time. He did not occupy cities or counties. He fought when he could and ran away when he could not. He and Tao Qian adopted guerrilla tactics of retreating when the enemy advanced and harassing when the enemy was tired.

He relied on the fact that his side was composed entirely of elite cavalry, and moved as fast as the wind. His mobile warfare made Tao Qian's men scalp numb, and they had no way to deal with him.

Of course, Guo Jia also contributed to this.

Long before Chang Xi invaded Xuzhou again, Guo Jia had secretly given him some advice and carefully analyzed the situation in Xuzhou for Chang Xi, so that he could only cause trouble in Tao Qian's territory.

In this way, the interests of local nobles such as Chen Deng and Xiao Jian were not harmed, so they were happy to sit back and watch Tao Qian suffer, without contributing anything to the encirclement and suppression.

For a time, Chang Xi successfully ran rampant in the East China Sea area, wandering between Qing and Xu, making a great reputation and attracting the attention of heroes all over the world.

On the other hand, in the war in Taishan County, Tao Qian of Xuzhou was harassed by Chang Xi and had no time to cause trouble for Yanzhou. After Guo Jia left half of the army to garrison the border, he led the remaining half back to Rencheng camp.

As soon as he returned, Guo Jia met with Wang Jing and reported the detailed battle situation one by one.

After Wang Jing heard this, he first praised Dian Wei's bravery and said, "Jun Ming, you deserve the most merit in this battle. If you want any reward, just ask."

Dian Wei's bravery and courage played a vital role in suppressing the Que Xuan Rebellion so smoothly and minimizing the casualties among local people.

If he had not stepped forward at the critical moment and defeated the rebel army, the people around Pingyi City would have suffered heavy casualties, and the local post-war reconstruction would have greatly hindered Wang Jing's pace of building Yanzhou.

Pingyi is a big city and is located at the mouth of a pass. Once it is lost, the territory of Lu State is indefensible. It is unimaginable how much damage Que Xuan and his group of rebels will cause.

Dian Wei was a loyal and brave man who valued loyalty and loyalty over life and death. Therefore, he bowed to Wang Jing and said, "This battle was a complete victory thanks to the dedication of our soldiers. If you really want to reward them, you should reward them."

Dian Wei, who came from a knight-errant family, obviously did not understand what it meant to be an official.

But he had been in the underworld before, and knew that if he wanted to secure his position as a big boss, he couldn't just be good at fighting, he also had to share the spoils with his subordinates. Otherwise, no matter how strong he was, he would just be a reckless man or a tyrant.

Wang Jing admired Dian Wei, a subordinate who was brave enough to take on responsibilities and did not fight for credit, but Dian Wei's refusal to fight for credit did not mean that he would not give credit.

As the commander-in-chief of the three armies, Wang Jing knew that he had to be fair in rewarding and punishing, and never let the honest people suffer. Otherwise, those who could be promoted in the future would all be flatterers, while those who worked diligently would all be at the grassroots level.

Over time, who will be willing to work hard?
What cohesion and combat effectiveness does the army still have?

Wang Jing patted Dian Wei's broad and strong shoulders and said with a smile: "Jun Ming, there is no need to refuse. You want rewards, and the soldiers should also be rewarded. Under my command, those who have made contributions will be rewarded."

Then, in front of everyone, Wang Jing announced loudly: "Jun Ming, you led the troops in this battle, fought against tens of thousands of bandits, and protected the peace of this area. After I report this to the court, I will appoint you as Wu Meng Zhong Lang Jiang."

"I am willing to die in the service of my lord!"

"In addition, for those who performed outstandingly in this battle, please compile a list and give it to me after you return. I will personally award them medals. At the same time, I will also build a hero monument in Pingyi City to commemorate our soldiers who sacrificed their lives to defend Pingyi. Their heroic deeds must be passed down through the ages!"

As soon as Wang Jing said this, everyone was shocked.

This era belongs to heroes and celebrities. The names of ordinary people are not worthy of being mentioned at all, let alone writing books and biographies about them to pass on to future generations.

And Wang Jing actually wanted to build a monument and compose a biography for a group of soldiers who died in the battle?

This kind of thing is simply outrageous!
However, Dian Wei was deeply moved. Those Qingzhou soldiers who died in the battle were all his brothers. In order to train them in martial arts, Dian Wei lived and ate in the barracks with them. The relationship between them was more like family than that of generals and subordinates. To Dian Wei, each of those soldiers who died in the battle was a living person with flesh and blood.

But just because of his order, they fought bravely and died on the battlefield.

Originally, Dian Wei had made plans to distribute the reward money to the families of those who died in battle. Otherwise, he would not be able to find peace of mind.

But what Wang Jing did was more than he imagined.

Even the most benevolent monarch would never treat his ordinary soldiers as well as Wang Jing did.

At this moment, Dian Wei felt that he was truly fortunate to be able to follow such a humane monarch.

At Wang Jing's command, craftsmen outside Pingyi City soon arrived with hammers and chisels and began to build a stone tablet. On it were not only the names of every soldier who died in the battle, but also their achievements in the defense of Pingyi.

They wiped out more than three times the number of enemies and resisted the fierce attacks of tens of thousands of enemy troops for several days until reinforcements arrived and completely annihilated Que Xuan's group of rebels.

If Dian Wei had not led this group of brave warriors in a fearless fight, Pingyi City would have been breached long ago, and none of the tens of thousands of civilians in the city would have been spared.

The establishment of the Heroes Monument greatly inspired the soldiers under Wang Jing's command, and the morale of the troops was unprecedentedly strong.

These soldiers now have the feeling to hold their heads up high and live with dignity.

Only then did they realize that they were not just a string of cold numbers in the merit books of military generals and strategists, but that they were also human beings. As long as they were loyal to the country, they would also be remembered for generations and win fame before and after their death!

Wang Jing's move undoubtedly set an example for everyone in the army.

Let them know that everything they do is not worthless.

A few days later, with the efforts of hundreds of skilled craftsmen, a huge stone tablet three meters high was erected outside Pingyi City, like a sword, pointing straight to the sky.

Local people even came spontaneously and built a shrine around the stone tablet to commemorate these brave and fearless martyrs.

There were already many people around who were grateful for the sacrifices of these soldiers and came to burn incense and pay their respects.

Someone in the crowd shouted, "Marquis Qi is here, everyone, make way!"

"It's actually Marquis Qi himself!"

With the help of Hua Tuo, Wang Jing's reputation for benevolence and righteousness also spread widely in the Taishan area. After all, the Medical Battalion was funded and established by Wang Jing, and now he plans to train a large number of doctors to provide the people with affordable medical services. Naturally, they are full of gratitude to Wang Jing.

Therefore, when they heard that Wang Jing was coming, there was no need for anyone to drive him away; the people spontaneously stood on both sides of the road.

Then a large group of cavalry led the way, and Wang Jing, accompanied by the magistrate of Pingyi County, walked to the Heroes Monument.

Wang Jing was accompanied by Guo Jia, Cheng Yu, Dian Wei and others.

Today, they will come together to pay tribute to the martyrs who died in the Battle of Pingyi.

Although it was a political show, this move also showed that Wang Jing's attitude towards his soldiers was completely different from that of other princes.

In front of the monument, everyone looked solemn.

Wang Jing personally presided over the prayer, read the eulogy, and then announced the rewards for the martyrs' families.

The people in this era are suffering so much, and the common people are even more humble as dust. If it were in the past, they would have died in battle, and who among the kings, princes, generals and ministers would have even looked at them?
But Wang Jing is different. He comes from the future and knows the importance of ideological construction in the army. Therefore, to win over the hearts of the army, one should not only focus on the generals, but also on the soldiers.

The victory or defeat of a war naturally depends on the role of famous generals.

But whether the soldiers are willing to fight bravely and sacrifice their lives for the country is the most crucial factor for victory.

Qi Jiguang, who was victorious in every battle, once said: "In war, if ten out of a hundred people dare to fight, they are the regular army. If twenty people dare to fight, they are the elite. If fifty people dare to fight, they are invincible."

Even though the martial arts in this world are extremely powerful, masters can often defeat a hundred at a time, or even defeat a thousand at a time, and their combat power crushes ordinary soldiers.

However, military magic still requires the unity of military spirit and morale to be launched, and the power of the masses is still far greater than the bravery of an individual.

Wang Jing went to such great lengths just to relieve the soldiers' worries and let them know that even if they died on the battlefield, their families would be taken care of.

Therefore, when Wang Jing announced the rewards for the martyrs' families, many people were stunned and showed expressions of disbelief.

One of the family members, Ms. Yang, even knelt in front of Wang Jing with her son and said, "I would like to thank you for your grace, sir."

Her husband's name was Liu Zhu. The couple were originally poor farmers in Qingzhou. They joined the Yellow Turban Army because they could not make a living. As a result, they were forced to invade Yanzhou and then became prisoners of Wang Jing.

Liu Zhu was tall and a typical Shandong macho man, strong and powerful, so he was selected by Dian Wei and joined the Wumeng Camp.

In the defense of Pingyi, Liu Zhu fought extremely bravely and killed seven enemies on the top of the city wall. In the end, he was besieged and killed. Before he died, he jumped off the city wall holding an enemy.

Originally, Yang thought that her life would be difficult after her husband's death, so she cried so sadly in front of the monument with her husband's name on it.

Right now is a time of turmoil. For a family, losing a man is like losing the pillar of the family. It feels like the sky is falling.

Just when Yang was in despair, Wang Jing appeared, and with just a few words, he illuminated her life, which was about to fall into darkness, with warm light.

Yang even pulled a teenage boy in front of Wang Jing and scolded him, "Achi, why don't you kneel down and thank the general for his kindness to our Liu family?"

Wang Jing helped Yang up from the ground and said, "You don't have to do that. You are a family member of a martyr. According to the rules just set, you can see that the official does not bow. Moreover, these rewards were earned by Liu Zhu with his life, so you don't have to thank me."

These words deeply moved Yang.

Many people around also showed envious eyes.

He did not have to bow when meeting an official, and all the expenses of his children were covered by the military government. Even Liu Zhu's son Liu Chi could be sent to school to learn to read and write. To be honest, such treatment is something that many ordinary people would not dare to dream of in their entire lives.

You know, just not bowing when meeting an official is very impressive.

In this era, official laws are like a furnace, and this is no joke. When facing officials, the common people have no right to stand and speak. They can only kneel on the ground, just to seek a little mercy from the other party.

As for reading, that is something that many ordinary people can hardly imagine.

After all, printing technology had not yet been rolled out in Yanzhou. For the common people, only those from wealthy families could read. Even Guo Jia's so-called humble family had nothing to do with poverty.

The poor are just people of humble status, not so poor that they cannot afford to eat.

Many ordinary people are so poor that they can't even afford to eat. They can only dig wild vegetables to fill their stomachs and eat coarse grains on weekdays. Many people have almost all their teeth worn out before they reach the age of 30.

Therefore, the conditions offered by Wang Jing were enough to make many common people envious, and even made the soldiers in the army have the heart to fight to the death. If they fought hard and made meritorious service, they would be rewarded, and even if they died in battle, their families would have no worries about food and clothing.

What are you worried about?
Just give it your all!
Even Liu Chi, who was only ten years old, hugged his mother and said passionately: "Mom, don't cry. When I grow up, I want to be a great man like my father. I will kill all the rebels in the world and avenge my father!"

Although Liu Chi was young, he had a strong character and was perseverant.

In his eyes, the traitor Que Xuan who killed Liu Zhu was already dead, but there were so many traitors and villains in the world, and the heroes treated the people like grass in order to pursue their own ambitions.

At this moment, he has already vented his anger on these ambitious people: "I want to be a general in the future, sweep the world for Marquis Qi, and establish a peaceful and prosperous era where everyone can live and work in peace!" (End of this chapter)