Thirty miles northeast of Shangqiu City, in the main camp of the Mo family, bonfires are connected to resist the cold night of late autumn.

Just like usual, I read a book at this time of the day.

It's not that he likes to read books, it's his identity.

As a revisionist who corrected Mozi's doctrine in an unconventional way, this type of person has a common characteristic, that is, he has a more thorough understanding of the original texts than the person who wrote them.

Only in this way can we find chapters and extract sentences, take meanings out of context, and revise and condense our own systems and doctrines from just a few words.

It has only been more than 20 years since Mozi's death, and if Mozi were to be resurrected at this time, looking at this set of completely changed Mohist theories, he would definitely exclaim: I am not a Mozi.

However, Mozi has passed away, and people cannot be resurrected after death, so he did what he wanted to do with Mozi's bones.

The bright whale oil lamp was flickering, and Shi Shi was reading a letter and considering replying to it.

The letter was sent by Suo Lushen from Pengcheng, this heroic man who once traveled thousands of miles to the west, but now he can't resist the invasion of time, and his body is collapsing day by day.

The thoughts that were in front of the Tower of Babel many years ago have finally converged into a question today.

Solu said in the letter that life and death are fateful, and he felt that his life was short, and it was difficult for him to see the world return to one, and he could not go to the soup for the benefit of the world again.

Before his death, Soluzan asked why a person's wealth could be hereditary if the power of the nobility was not hereditary. What is the difference between the hereditary inheritance of wealth and the hereditary inheritance of power, when land, workshop utensils, raw materials, and hired laborers can be purchased with money?

At the end of the letter, Solushen asked, what is the origin of the inequality between people in the world, which is tens of millions?

In the case that land, utensils, raw materials, and hired laborers can be purchased with money, is the power of the princes and nobles lost to money or to heaven and justice?

The letter was private, and Solushen also said that the letter would not be made public.

He also knew that Shi was busy preparing for the final battle, but he knew that his life was short, and he didn't know if he would be able to see Shi return victoriously, so he wanted to ask this question in his personal capacity rather than as the head of the Xuan Xuan Liberal Arts.

I picked up the pen for a long time, and I didn't know what to write.

After a long time, the secretary walked into the tent and said softly: "Giant, regular meeting." ”

With two simple words, as if saving Shi's life, Shi felt that he had a formal and convincing reason, so he sealed the letter and left his tent.

In a large tent made of wool felt, half of the high-ranking officials of the Mo family and officers at or above the level of full division gathered, and they swept away the questions in their minds, and walked into the big tent with a smile.

A colonel and staff officer gave a general account of the current situation, and now that the main force of the Mo family was 11,000 men and approaching Ningling, the scout reported that the princes' coalition army did not choose to retreat by the same route, but chose to go south, intending to meet the 30,000 Korean troops in Yangxia.

On the map, a huge pocket has been basically tied, and the alliance of the princes has come to this point, basically depending on whether the partial division that is a suspicious soldier near Yangxia and Zhecheng can block the Korean army in the direction of Yangxia.

This time, the Mo family concentrated almost all of their family funds and mobilized almost all the veterans and retired officers at the sergeant level within five years of retirement, just to complete the battle.

The four main infantry divisions were all elite with flint guns, and a reorganized arquebus division with a mixture of hot and cold weapons mainly retired veterans was recruited and reorganized to make up for the resistance of the main infantry division that was inserted into Cheng Kuang.

Fifteen thousand cavalry in the main direction, including a heavy cavalry division of elite martial knights and a light cavalry division. Plus two brigades of combat engineers, one brigade of mounted mounted infantry knights, and six companies of grenadiers who first ascended the battalion.

A total of about 120 bronze cannons with iron shells were assembled, not counting the four small cannons attached to each brigade.

Such a luxurious lineup is the foundation of the Mo family for thirty years, although the army stationed in Chu is also elite, but it is difficult to match so many copper cannons and cavalry when fighting on the outside line.

The importance of this battle no longer needs to be talked about in the military tent, and everyone present understands that once they win, the northern princes will no longer be able to stop the expansion of the Mo family.

Looking at the latest map of the situation between the enemy and us, the colonel's staff officer pointed in the direction between Ningling and Shangqiu and said, "The Qi people have left about 6,000 people here to block the advance of our forwards. ”

"As for us, between Yangxia and Zhecheng, there are nearly 6,000 people to block the Korean army in the direction of Yangxia from going north to make peace."

"The scout returns, between Ningling and Shangqiu, there will be a war early tomorrow morning. Looking at the weather, tomorrow will be a sunny day, the moon will be bright and the stars will be sparse, just right for field battles. ”

"The right flank in the direction of Cheng Kuang is also advancing towards this side, and according to the speed of the enemy's march and the direction of retreat, if nothing else, it is possible to catch up with the final decisive battle."

After the general situation, someone said: "Now I am a little worried, will the enemy's march to the south Hongshui itself be a deception?" ”

"If the enemy pretends to meet in Hongshui, then retreat to Gucheng through Yangxia, and then retreat to Xu...... In fact, taking advantage of the opportunity of Chengkuang's army to begin to assemble on the battlefield, the Yangxia Han army and the Shangqiu Qi army suddenly went to the northwest, broke through the partial division of our army in the direction of Chengkuang, and withdrew from the direction of Chengkuang? ”

It's not that there is no such possibility, Cheng Kuang is very close to Yongqiu, if the main force of the coalition army retreats south is fake, but it gathers forces to break the partial division in the direction of Cheng Kuang and retreats from Cheng Kuang to Yongqiu, then the situation will not be very good.

At that time, although the Mo family still has the initiative in the strategic offensive, when the time comes, the Qi and Han coalition forces will rely on Yongqiu to resist and gradually retreat.

Someone shook his head and said: "Our army in the direction of Chengkuang is not a newcomer who has never fought a war. Chen Yu of the infantry and Shu Qi of the cavalry are both officers who have fought many battles, and they will send scouts to see the situation on the battlefield. ”

"If the Korean army suddenly goes north to Chengkuang, it won't work sooner or later."

"Chengkuang is one hundred and forty miles away from Shangqiu and one hundred miles away from Yangxia. If the alliance of princes wants to retreat from the direction of Chengkuang, it is impossible to give up Ningling. ”

"Now that our army has relieved the siege of Daicheng, once we find that the enemy army is retreating in the direction of Yongqiu, we can immediately go west."

"As long as our army in the direction of Cheng Kuang is not routed in half a day, then we may encircle the enemy near Cheng Kuang. The enemy did not dare to take this risk. ”

"If the alliance of princes did not rush forward at the beginning, but first captured Daicheng and then Shangqiu, this danger exists."

"But Qi Hou has to be in a hurry, if he is not in a hurry, Linzi will be in danger, so from the very beginning when he chose to attack Sishang to force us to rescue, he was destined to be easy to enter. Time is not on their side. ”

As Juzi said, it seems that this is a decisive victory on the battlefield, but in fact, the victory or defeat has already been decided by the cadres and teachers of our village community. Our system dictates that after we occupy Jianghan, Huaixi and Nanyang, it will only take three or two years to pull out more troops, and the princes have to be impatient. ”

Shi Ze pointed to the direction of Ningling and Shangqiu and said: "Actually, the key to this problem lies in the rearguard troops of the Qi army in the direction of Ningling. ”

"If they can delay for more than two days, then the princes can have many choices. But if they can't delay too long, and the princes don't withdraw on their own initiative, but are being chased and fled by us, then the situation is very different. ”

"Whether it is to retreat to Yongqiu, or to choose Hongshui to meet and retreat to Yangxia and Xu, as long as our forward quickly breaks through the Qi army in the direction of Ningling, then the initiative of the entire battle is always in our hands."

Tens of thousands of troops are moving, and there must be forward flanks.

The task of the Mo family's forward troops is to open the passage, and once the enemy's main force is found, they will stick closer.

The Qi army left about 6,000 people to block, and no matter what retreat route the princes chose, it was up to how long these 6,000 people could resist.

If it is not resolved for a long time, these 10,000 forwards will not be able to quickly withdraw from the battle, and even if it is found that the purpose of the main force of the princes is to attack the Cheng Kuang Division, the Mo family will not be able to deploy quickly.

After discussion, Shi finally gave a death order, asking the herald to send the news to the forward army overnight.

In any case, before noon the day after tomorrow, the blocking forces of the Qi army were crushed, and at any cost, the passage was opened for the main force.

…………

Twenty miles southeast of Ningling, there is an intersection of an important passage road that runs through Ningling, Shangqiu and Chuqiu.

There is a small village community next to a small river.

The Qi army, which had withdrawn from near Ningling, had been stationed here for half a day and had dug a simple fortification.

About seven miles away from them was the vanguard of the Mo family's 11,000 people.

The soldiers knew that there might be a battle tomorrow, and they did not know the balance of forces between us and the enemy in this battle, nor did they know that the main forces of the coalition forces were ready to slip away.

Qi's army had no grassroots organization, so it was unable to convey the purpose and meaning of the battle to the lowest level.

Because the more soldiers know, the more afraid they are of battle, and they are likely to choose to flee.

Only by keeping them in a state where they know nothing but what they know about fighting at the orders of their officers will it be possible to accomplish the task of blocking the attack.

In several tents in the village, several mid-level officers with Xuanyuan in their names were enjoying their dinner.

These tents were all bought from Sishang, and the Mo family sold almost everything over the years, as long as they had money, grain and copper, they could buy expired arquebuses, felt tents, cotton lacquered cloth, and so on.

It's a little cold outside, and it's warmer inside the tent.

An officer is complaining.

"This year's harvest is over. Last year, the Mo family attacked Yue and Chu, who would have thought that there would be a war this year? I planted 1,400 acres of cotton, but now I am afraid that it has been transported away by the Mo family. ”

A person next to him comforted: "Don't be so depressed, even if the Mo family doesn't send troops to Jiaodong, and the war is going on, can these cotton still be sold at a regular price?" ”

"Unscrupulous merchants will inevitably take advantage of the opportunity to lower prices, and it is not a pity for these merchants to die. It is not for nothing that businessmen are the most humble business. ”