Chapter 265: Storm at the Border
In the camp at the border, the generals of the Lin family army sat together, all of them with gloomy faces and filled with indignation.
"This dog emperor is really too much! Our general fought for him and won so many battles, but he treats us like this!"
Lieutenant General Li Meng, who had a hot temper, slammed his fist on the table, causing the teacup to jump.
Captain Wang Shun standing by also gnashed his teeth, "What kind of excuses are these, unclean face, disrespect for His Majesty? They are obviously trying to pick a fight on purpose to mess with our general!"
Everyone echoed, and the tent was filled with angry shouts and curses.
"I think the old emperor is afraid of the reputation of our Lin family army. He is afraid that the general's achievements will become a threat to the emperor, so he can't wait to get rid of the general!" Lieutenant General Zhao Gang said angrily.
At this time, General Liu Yong, who had been silent all this time, sighed, "All of us have been demoted or transferred, and are constantly being suppressed. If this continues, I'm afraid our Lin Family Army will be disbanded!"
When everyone heard this, they were filled with grief and anger.
In the corner, military advisor Gu Huaijin sat quietly with a serious expression, tapping the table with his fingers, lost in thought.
Li Meng walked up to Gu Huaijin and said anxiously, "Military Advisor, please say something! We can't just let others bully us like this, please think of a solution!"
Gu Huaijin raised his head, looked at the anxious people in front of him, and said slowly: "Everyone, please be patient, this matter still needs to be considered in the long run."
"Let's discuss it in the long run? If we continue to discuss it, we will all die without a burial place!" Wang Shun couldn't help but shout.
Gu Huaijin stood up and walked to the center of the tent. "I understand everyone's feelings, but acting impulsively will only make the situation worse. Since the emperor dared to attack the general so blatantly, he must have made full preparations. What we need to do now is to stabilize the situation and preserve our strength."
"How to keep it stable? How to preserve it?" Liu Yong asked.
Gu Huaijin pondered for a moment and said, "First, we must restrain our subordinates and not let them be caught by others. Secondly, we should strengthen the connection with several other friendly border troops. I believe they understand the principle of "lips and teeth are cold".
Also, send someone to the capital to gather information and learn about the general’s situation.”
"Hmph, what's the point of inquiring for information? The general's entire family has been confiscated and exiled. How can there be any good news?" Li Meng snorted coldly.
Gu Huaijin shook his head. "Deputy General Li, don't be so pessimistic. As long as the general is alive, there is hope. Moreover, we have to figure out the emperor's next move before we can respond."
After listening to this, everyone felt that what Gu Huaijin said made some sense, and their emotions calmed down a little.
"Then are we just going to keep swallowing our anger?" Wang Shun still felt unwilling.
Gu Huaijin's eyes were firm. "Of course not. But at present, we are not strong enough to confront the imperial court head-on. We can only wait for the opportunity."
At this moment, a soldier hurried into the tent and said, "Military Advisor, this is bad. The new general has ordered a reduction in our military pay and food supplies!"
"What!" Everyone became angry again.
Li Meng cursed: "This new general is clearly trying to force us to death!"
Gu Huaijin's face darkened. "It seems that they want to fundamentally weaken our Lin family army. Don't panic, I will go and negotiate with the general."
Gu Huaijin came to the general's tent and saw the general sitting leisurely in a chair drinking tea.
"General, why are you cutting our army's pay and food supplies?" Gu Huaijin asked, suppressing his anger.
The general glanced at Gu Huaijin and said, "Your Lin family army is not as strong as before, so these benefits will naturally be reduced accordingly."
Gu Huaijin sneered, "General, our Lin family army has defended the border for the court and made great military achievements. But now we are being treated so unfairly. Aren't you afraid that it will chill the hearts of the soldiers?"
The general put down his teacup and said, "This is the court's decision. It has nothing to do with me. If you are dissatisfied, you can go to the capital to seek justice from His Majesty."
Gu Huaijin knew in his heart that it was pointless to talk any more with the general, so he turned and left.
After returning to the tent, Gu Huaijin informed everyone of the situation.
"What should we do? With the reduction of military pay and food supplies, our lives will become even more difficult!" Liu Yong said worriedly.
Gu Huaijin frowned, "It seems we have to find a way to solve the food problem ourselves."
"How to solve it? Should we rob?" Wang Shun asked.
Gu Huaijin shook his head. "No. We can secretly cooperate with the local people to reclaim wasteland and grow food. At the same time, we can also organize soldiers to hunt and fish to supplement food."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
In the following days, the soldiers of the Lin family army endured the suppression of the imperial court while trying to be self-sufficient.
However, things did not go so smoothly. One day, Gu Huaijin received news that the imperial court had sent military supervisors to monitor the actions of the Lin family army.
"It's obvious that they are here to monitor us!" Li Meng said angrily.
Gu Huaijin took a deep breath and said, "Everyone, be careful and don't let them catch us."
After the military supervisor arrived, he was very picky about the Lin family army and deliberately found fault with them.
Gu Huaijin handled the matter carefully, trying his best to avoid conflict with the military supervisor.
But the military supervisor became more and more arrogant, and even falsely accused a soldier of stealing military rations and wanted to execute him.
Gu Huaijin could no longer bear it, "Sir, the matter has not been investigated yet, how can you easily convict him?"
The military supervisor sneered, "If I say he is guilty, then he is guilty! How dare you disobey my order?"
Just as the two sides were at a stalemate, the soldier who was falsely accused broke free and shouted, "I didn't steal military rations! This is a false accusation!"
The military supervisor was furious and said, "Come here, take him down!"
The soldiers gathered around and the atmosphere suddenly became extremely tense.
Gu Huaijin shouted, "Everyone calm down! Don't be impulsive!"
At this moment, Li Meng suddenly drew out his sword, "I'm going to fight them!"
Gu Huaijin quickly stopped Li Meng, "Deputy General Li, don't be reckless!"
Li Meng's eyes were red. "Military Advisor, we can no longer tolerate this! If they continue like this, we will all be killed by them!"
Gu Huaijin looked at the excited crowd and was filled with grief and indignation. But he knew that being impulsive at this moment would only bring more serious consequences. The emperor and the new general were waiting for us to make a mistake so that they could catch us all in one fell swoop!
"Everyone, believe me, there will be a way. We have to consider the future of the general and the Lin family army." Gu Huaijin said.
Everyone gradually calmed down, and Li Meng put down his sword.
Finally, thanks to Gu Huaijin's efforts, the soldier was temporarily detained, awaiting further investigation.
After this incident, the soldiers of the Lin family army became even more resentful of the imperial court.
Gu Huaijin also stayed awake all night, thinking about countermeasures. The next morning, his eyes were bloodshot, but he still forced himself to gather all the generals.
"Everyone, the current situation is becoming increasingly serious. The arrival of the military supervisor makes us tread on thin ice. But the more so, the more we must remain calm." Gu Huaijin's voice was a little tired.
Li Meng gritted his teeth and said, "Military Advisor, if this continues, the brothers will really rebel!"