weaving

Chapter 1360: Tiger Camp Shows Off

Although there are archers on the high platform to help in the battle, the archers' range is limited after all. At most, it can reach within ten steps inside the long trench. Although they can shoot farther, the lethality is very limited.

Therefore, after Liu Zhanyuan organized the bandits to cross the wooden bridge, they only dared to form a battle line relying on the long trench. They quickly extended to both sides, forming a rectangular formation about forty steps to the east from the inner edge of the long trench and about six hundred steps from north to south.

…………

It has been more than two months since Hu Zichen suffered a defeat at Dashuipo Ji.

He and his soldiers have been resting... All the food, drinks and daily necessities were supplied by Earl Yongning. Even the broken weapons in their hands and the uniforms and armor on their bodies, although they were not able to replace all of them, they replaced those that were unusable.

The days over the past two months were comfortable, but the soldiers in the Tiger Camp felt extremely uncomfortable... Just think about what kind of life they had lived before!
Although they were stationed in the North Camp, what they ate was exactly the same as that of the soldiers in other camps of the Yongyi Army. Some soldiers in the Tiger Camp could not help but shed tears into their soup bowls while they were chewing steamed buns and drinking meat soup.

As their life became more comfortable, they no longer had to worry about bandits invading their camp day and night, and their spirits soon recovered. Moreover, since they had been stationed in Gengtang Village, they had full meals every day, meat soup every few days, and especially delicious dried fish that went well with rice or steamed buns. The soldiers in the Tiger Camp also became strong again.

But no matter how sweet their sleep was at night, or how delicious their meals were every day, the scar in the hearts of the Tiger Camp soldiers could never heal. In fact, it was even more torn because of the peace at night and the delicious food during the day...

The soldiers of the Tiger Camp, who have recovered their spirits and strength, are now eager to go to the battlefield and fight the bandits again to avenge the shame of being chased and beaten by the bandits for more than a year.

Of course, their greater wish is to be able to stay in the ranks of the Yongyi Army forever. Since they were stationed in Gengtang Village, they have truly witnessed the strength and prosperity of the Yongyi Army.

Even though armor, swords, axes, muskets, cannons, chariots, mules and horses are ultimately public property, and they are at best users, everyone who has been on the battlefield knows the importance of excellent armor, weapons, and cannons.

What made them even more excited was that the Yongyi Army paid their salaries on time every month and never on credit!

Everyone puts their heads on their belts, risks their lives to follow you all over the country, and travels hundreds or thousands of miles away from home. What is the purpose?
No matter what, soldiers travel thousands of miles to serve in the army just for money. For a soldier, nothing is more important than getting paid on time!

Although it was only a short period of more than two months, all the soldiers in the Tiger Camp felt a happiness different from before. This is what it feels like to be a soldier.

Think about it, I was never a soldier before, and I am not much better than those hungry people who fled their homes and lived by begging.
Not to mention that every meal was served with steamed buns and dried sea fish, there was also meat soup every now and then, and if you were really lucky you might even get a small piece of tender meat.

But before that, they were hungry one day and full the next, and sometimes they couldn't even have wild vegetable porridge to eat. How could that be a life for human beings?

Just not long ago at Shuipoji, if they had not been hungry for several days and the remaining strength in their bodies had not been completely lost, how could they have allowed the Chuang army to defeat them so easily!

What warmed their hearts the most was that on the day they arrived at Gengtangzhuang, Earl Yongning came to the Tiger Camp in person and gave each of them one or two taels of silver. He also declared that as long as they stayed under the banner of the Yongyi Army for one day, Earl Yongning would guarantee them one day's salary and would not owe them any debts!

All of the above made the soldiers of Tiger Camp feel a little warmth, like a warm stove in the cold winter, or like ice porridge in the hot summer, which made them feel fascinated...

In fact, Hu Dawei treated them very well!
But "a good cook cannot cook without rice", and as the commander-in-chief of an army, didn't Hu Dawei want to feed them well?

Without their own base, foundation, military industry, or commercial logistics system, the money, food, and weapons of the thousands of soldiers in the camp all depend on the taxes from the court. The Ming Dynasty is now on the verge of complete collapse. The fiscal deficit of the court is so serious, and there are droughts, locust disasters, bandits, and wars everywhere. Where can they get so much money and food to support them?

Not to mention Hu Dawei, what about civilian governors like Yang Wenyue and Ding Qirui?
It’s still hard to escape the fate of “food shortage”!

However, things are different now. The remaining 2,500 veterans of the Tiger Camp saw hope in Gengtang Village... The Yongyi Army has no shortage of food and is paid monthly.

The fierceness they had been holding back was finally released at this moment...

For the future, for having enough to eat every day, for receiving monthly salary in the future... and also for the hope that they don’t quite understand - to build a prosperous and strong new Ming Dynasty.

Although it seems very slim, since it was said by Earl Yongning, it must be right!

Let all the poor people in the world have enough food to eat - if someone else said this, even if it was said by their former commander-in-chief Hu Dawei himself, they would not believe it.

However, since these words came from the mouth of "Emperor Yongning", they would firmly believe them!
They had only one belief, to fight for the Earl of Yongning, stay in the Yongyi Army, eat food and get military pay as soldiers, so that they could return home in glory in the future, get thirty acres of thin land, raise two or three fat pigs, and live a wonderful life with their wives and children in their arms.

…………

Precisely because they are full of hope for the future, the soldiers of the Tiger Camp are all fighting bravely, just like tigers that have just rushed out of the deep mountains and old forests, staring at the enemy's army formation at the edge of the long trench.

Hu Zichen rode his horse on the earthen platform and had already seen all of this. He waved the whip in his hand, urged the warhorse under his crotch to return to the army formation, and shouted loudly: "Liu Cai, He Wang, you two each lead 500 shieldmen to press forward from the left and right sides, and force the bandits to move towards the center."

"Here!"

The two lieutenants shouted the order.

Hu Zichen didn't even look at the two of them and continued to shout, "Kong Sanqing, you lead 500 cavalrymen, look at the color of my flag, when the red flag is raised, immediately charge towards the enemy's army in front of you, and fight to the death. No matter whether it is a horse or a person, anyone who falls into the trench will be considered a meritorious service."

Kong Sanqing was startled when he heard this, but he still answered the order loudly without hesitation: "Yes!"

Hu Zichen pointed to a long trench not far away and said to him, "Sanqing, you must lead the cavalry quickly. Before the enemy can retreat, rush across the trench and seize the wooden bridge for me."

"it is good."

Hu Zichen looked at Kong Sanqing seriously and reminded him again: "Sanqing, today's battle is our first battle after joining Yongning Earl. We must not be vague. We must show our Tiger Camp well, let the bandits see how powerful our Tiger Camp is, and let Yongning Earl see that our Tiger Camp is not just for show."

"Don't worry, young general. Even if Old Kong dies here, we must take back Banqiao!"