Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 511 Small Iron Box
Since the end of the Battle of Huai'an, the Ming army has formed a long snake formation along the Huai River.

If it were a year or two ago, such a defense line with defenses everywhere but loopholes would inevitably attract the Tartars to attack, and all the troops would be walking on thin ice.

But now Dorgon only dared to gather his army in Kaifeng. Even though there were hundreds of miles of wide and narrow plains in the south, he did not dare to disperse his soldiers.

The reason for this situation is simple, it's nothing more than momentum.

In the past, the Qing Dynasty was invincible in every battle, and all the surrendered armies fought bravely to be the first. Now the situation has been completely reversed, and even some people within the Qing court are feeling unsettled.

If it weren't for the fact that these people in the north had some unacceptable reasons for Chongzhen's suicide, Dorgon might not have been able to put together such an army.

After understanding the matter to this point, everyone with a discerning eye has made his own judgment on this war, but when everyone was waiting for the final result, the Ming army seemed to be hibernating.

"Old Zhou! Come out and get your stuff!"

Following a loud shout, Zhou Xiancai immediately came out of the military tent.

They had been stationed in Huai'an for several months, during which time they were either training or learning to read, and there was nothing else for them to do.

Before he joined the army, he would not have dared to dream of such a life without worries about food and clothing. But he was a family man after all. He saw that one more battle would completely defeat the Tartars, but there was no movement from above. Under such circumstances, he could not help but become impatient with his usual rules.

But then again, what can you do if you are impatient?

The rules in the army are already strict, and the court provides him with good food and drink. If one is still picky in such a life, his spine will be broken before he is even subject to military punishment.

"Why are you releasing food again? Are you going to march?"

It is said that everyone should mind his own business.

As soon as Zhou Xiancai saw the quartermaster in the centurion team, he thought of his own worries and asked this question in a hurry.

But the army had spent so much time in various places, it was impossible for them to set out without any warning. As soon as he said this, the quartermaster gave him a look of contempt.

"I say you just don't have a brain. How come you can't even see such a simple thing?"

When Zhou Xian heard the words, he was stunned at first, and when he came to his senses, he cast a puzzled look at the other party.

He understood that the other party was mocking him for being so eager to go out, but wasn't the soldier supposed to think about fighting? He didn't know why the other party would say such a thing.

Fortunately, Zhou Xiancai had a good relationship with people, so the quartermaster did not keep him in suspense. Just when Zhou Xiancai was full of doubts, his counter-question followed.

"You are also a person who has obtained a hereditary position. Have you ever thought about who will benefit from continuing to waste time?"

Who benefits?

Since the higher-ups have no intention of seeking a war, it must be beneficial to our side.

But where will the benefit come from?

As his mind turned, Zhou Xiancai's face became more and more confused.

Seeing this, the quartermaster seemed to have no intention of giving any advice and pointed at the cart behind him.

"Take three from each cart, a total of twelve," the quartermaster said, and then stepped aside. When Zhou Xiancai's attention was focused on the cart, he said, "Open it from the top seal, and don't damage the iron box."

"This is."

"I heard that the food was made by the Bingziyuan and Dingziyuan."

Looking at the neatly stacked small iron boxes on the car, Zhou Xiancai couldn't associate them with food. Seeing his expression, the quartermaster urged him a few more times, and then the soldiers took the iron boxes according to the number, and he took the account book and asked Zhou Xiancai to sign it.

According to common sense, the process has been basically completed at this point, and Zhou Xiancai had to suppress any confusion in his heart. But who would have thought that when he was about to put his fingerprint on the account book, a sound of footsteps came from behind, and when he turned around, he saw his own thousand households walking towards him.

"Oh? Distributing canned food?"

"I greet Qian Hu!"

"Get up."

Facing the greeting of his subordinates, Xu Wenjue simply waved his hand nonchalantly. Then he took the small iron can from a soldier, looked him up and down, and asked with a smile.

"How many did you receive in total?"

"Reply to Qian Hu, three of each, twelve in total."

Hearing this, Xu Wenjue nodded slightly, and the quartermaster secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

According to military rules, officers at the higher level must regularly inspect the distribution of military supplies in the lower level organization to avoid corruption and the like.

With such rules, he naturally didn't have the courage to do anything here, but he ran into his superior's inspection, so it was inevitable that he felt a little nervous. It was reasonable for him to breathe a sigh of relief after he was safe and sound.

"Okay, go ahead and send it."

"Yes."

After hearing these words, the quartermaster led his men to the next military tent, while Xu Wenjue took out a small knife from his waist.

"This thing is very valuable, it is said that one is worth more than twenty coins," Xu Wenjue said as he scratched along the marks on the iron box. After he broke a hole, he continued, "Your Majesty said that it is not enough to just have enough food, we must pay attention to the right and balanced nutrition."

By the end of the conversation, the top cover of the small iron box had been completely cut open, and then an extremely rich aroma diffused into everyone's nostrils. Even though Zhou Xiancai and others had never been hungry again, they couldn't help but salivate.

"It smells good. After all, it's a recipe prepared by the royal chef."

"Qian Hu, why don't you have dinner with us tonight?"

"Forget it. The rules in the army are strict. If the commander-in-chief sees this, he will probably accuse me of exploiting his subordinates."

After a brief complaint, Xu Wenjue returned the small iron box to the soldier. He then planned to go somewhere else, but Zhou Xiancai suddenly said something at this time.

"Qian Hu, when are we going to set out?"

Faced with the inquiries from his subordinates, Xu Wenjue just sucked his teeth and did not give a direct answer.

It's not just one or two people who have asked this question these days.

At first he was able to patiently explain His Majesty's plan to use logistics to defeat the Qing army, but after explaining too much he couldn't help but get annoyed.

If it were according to his previous temper, he would naturally not explain in detail to the doubtful soldiers as he did in the past. However, the people sent to the army by the Advisory Council always said that "the soldiers must understand the intentions of their superiors", so he had no choice but to suppress his temper.

"The Tartars are probably short of food. Spending more time will also reduce casualties."

After saying this, Xu Wenjue turned and left, while Zhou Xiancai, who stayed there, was still a little confused and didn't seem to understand the connection.

(End of this chapter)