Moma Liangshan

Chapter 152 Mercenaries, Food is Paramount

The siege ladder was long, neither light nor heavy; six to eight men could easily carry it while running. Moreover, carrying siege ladders was a regular training exercise for the Jiaozhou soldiers. After the initial chaos, the twelve Jiaozhou soldiers gradually regained their composure, dividing themselves into six rows and two columns, carrying the ladders in pursuit. They paid no attention to the "Ren" (a type of enemy soldier) on the ladder. At this moment, the Jiaozhou soldiers' training began to show its effectiveness; even with the twelve men carrying the ladder and the "Ren" climbing it, they were still able to quickly close the distance with the Liaodong soldiers. Seeing this, the two soldiers, "Zi" and "Chou," exchanged a glance and quickened their pace, preparing to attack the Jiaozhou soldiers at the front. However, at that moment, the two Jiaozhou soldiers in the middle reacted immediately, preemptively engaging "Zi" and "Chou." The "Ren" on the ladder was now exposed, and one of the Jiaozhou soldiers suddenly shouted, "Brothers on the left, let go!" Everyone present instantly understood the meaning of this sentence. As the soldiers on the left released their grip, the "Ren" climbing the ladder immediately tumbled down. The same soldier looked at his comrade beside him and said, "You go ahead and hold them off, we'll take care of this!" The soldier nodded and immediately ran forward. As for the soldier temporarily in command, he immediately engaged the "Ren" that had just fallen.

Seeing his forces gradually catching up with the Liaodong soldiers, Lu Da was no longer in a hurry, focusing instead on entangled with Li Cangbai. Li Cangbai, observing the Jiaozhou formation, thought, "Even if I send 'Kui' to catch up and hold that Jiaozhou soldier, under the same conditions, he probably still won't survive. Therefore, the only solution now is to defeat this man as quickly as possible!" He said, "I'll attack from above, you attack from below, take him down immediately!" Lu Da suddenly stopped, shouting, "Let me show you the power of my iron fists!" He then assumed a horse stance, holding his breath. Without hesitation, Li Cangbai launched a flying kick to Lu Da's face. At the same time, "Kui" swept his leg towards Lu Da's ankle. Lu Da roared, grabbing Li Cangbai's shin with both hands and throwing him to the side. Simultaneously, he performed a somersault, pinning "Kui" beneath him. Lu Da, with his imposing physique, weighing over 180 jin (approximately 90 kg), smashed "Kui" down like a boulder, causing "Kui" to scream in pain.

Looking at everything unfolding before him, Wang Hao said, "Your general is very resourceful, but unfortunately, the individual soldiers of the Liaodong army lack skill!" The outcome of this match was of no consequence to the Shu princess, who said, "You should be aware of the situation in Liaodong. We don't have the opportunity to train soldiers like you do!" Wang Hao suddenly said, "Remember the Jurchen cavalry last winter?" The reason the Shu princess abandoned Liaoyang was because she lacked confidence in dealing with Wanyan Zhamu's three thousand elite Jurchen soldiers. She said, "I sent people to inquire; the general leading the army is named Wanyan Zhamu, and his three thousand Jurchen soldiers are elite troops selected from the fifty thousand Eastern Route Army. Such an army, in a fair fight, is virtually invincible!" Wang Hao said, "I have a suggestion; would Your Highness be interested in hearing it?" The Shu princess said, "I have nothing better to do than listen to your explanation!" Wang Hao said, "After successful trade, you will allow me to..." "The Liao Dynasty is recruiting three thousand cavalry. You are not allowed to interfere with their provisions, training, or personnel, but I will fight for you!" The Shu princess, quite curious, asked, "If you have no ulterior motives, why would such a good thing exist?" Wang Hao replied, "I call such an army 'mercenaries'!" The Shu princess understood most of it and said, "So, I can pay to hire your army to fight for me?" Wang Hao nodded and said, "I will charge a fee based on the difficulty of each battle." The Shu princess suddenly took a step closer to Wang Hao and said, "May I ask your opinion?" Wang Hao said, "A gentleman should be upright and honest, treating everyone fairly!" The Shu princess chuckled and said, "You sound more like a merchant than a gentleman!" The Shu princess said, "I can agree, but this must be a private agreement between us, and my father must never know!" Wang Hao nodded and said, "Deal!"

The competition was a foregone conclusion; the Jiaozhou army emerged victorious. While this match left a deep impression on Li Cangbai, to the Jiaozhou soldiers it was nothing more than an ordinary contest, with such competitions occurring two or three times almost every month. After the match, Wang Hao ordered the entire army to disperse and announced an extra meal that evening. The Jiaozhou army camp's mess hall had thirty cooks working at nine stoves, each cook responsible for feeding approximately thirty to forty soldiers. Eight of the nine stoves were for soldiers, and one for officers, but the food standards were the same for both.

The Shu princess had already noticed the excellent nutrition of the Jiaozhou soldiers and wanted to investigate further, so she said, "Since the entire army is having extra meals, may I also eat in the camp?" Wang Hao nodded and said, "Since the princess has such an interest, I will certainly grant it!" Although each Jiaozhou soldier had their own special mess box, during non-combat periods, each person left their mess box in their dormitory and did not carry it with them. Upon arriving at the mess hall, the cook captain immediately reported and prepared tableware for everyone. The so-called tableware was a large wooden bowl, and next to it was a bamboo cup. The Shu princess picked up the wooden bowl and asked, "The Song Dynasty has many ceramics, why use a wooden bowl?" Wang Hao replied, "Ceramics are too heavy and fragile, not suitable for carrying. Wooden bowls are lighter and more durable." The Shu princess suddenly realized that everything in the Jiaozhou army was specifically designed for military campaigns, while for ordinary soldiers, the type of bowl they used to eat was not important, as long as they could eat their fill.

Because the Shu princess concealed her identity, Li Cangbai could only get his food from the ordinary soldiers' window. However, when their bowls were filled with a sumptuous dinner, the Liaodong soldiers still showed deep envy. Snow-white rice, large chunks of pork, and winter-stored cabbage and radishes—this seemingly haphazard stew strongly stimulated the soldiers' appetites. The cook gave generous portions and didn't deliberately make things difficult for Li Cangbai and his companions because they were strangers. Looking at the pot full of pork stew, the Shu princess asked, "What do the soldiers eat if there's no extra meal?" The cook immediately replied, "No extra meal, two ounces of meat per person; extra meal, four ounces of meat per person." The Shu princess was deeply moved, thinking, "With such abundant food, perhaps no one would dare complain even during the most arduous training!" However, what the Shu princess didn't realize was that the Jiaozhou army not only had abundant food, but also ate three meals a day.