A small soldier of the frontier army in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 359
In the next few days, Xue Guoguan and others visited the East Road. Although there was a suspicion of taking a quick look at the flowers, Wang Dou's strength, which was only seen on the surface, made everyone secretly chill.

Everyone had a feeling that the power Wang Dou displayed was novel and vigorous, with a destructive aura that seemed unstoppable.This feeling can only be felt, not expressed in words.

Especially for the generals, they expressed frustration that the soldiers under their command were not at the same level as the Shunxiang Army.A simple analogy, if the Shun Township Army is a strong and vigorous young man, the soldiers and horses under their command, not to mention their age, are also over sixty years old.

With such a mental outlook, how could they be opponents at the same level?No wonder Wang Dou didn't mind letting them visit everywhere.Many people also understood why the Shun Township Army didn't want to use oil for their soldiers. Compared with tens of thousands of people fighting in an upright formation, what are some "warrior men" in the district?
Zhang Guowei in Xuanfu Town was also dejected after visiting for a few days, especially yesterday when the Shunxiang Army was paraded in the wilderness northwest of the city for inspection, his face was ashen-colored.

Not to mention the elite cavalry of nearly a thousand, but the rest of the infantry, all of them have horses and armor. Such equipment is quite surprising.Moreover, these people are all veterans who have survived hundreds of battles, and if anyone is pulled out, they are comparable to the servants of the barracks.

Just relying on the formation of thousands of troops, there is no doubt that there will be no opponents for each commander in each field.According to everyone's secret guesses, this is not the full strength of Wang Dou. I heard that the Shun Township Army also has elite artillery, which does not receive at night, and has thousands of troops, all of which are sturdy warriors.

In addition, Wang Dou started to train [-] new troops, and he will have more than [-] soldiers alone, which is more than the direct force of any general army.The crowd also found out that Wang Dou will train the young and strong in each fortress, there are tens of thousands of people, and a huge and chilling monster has appeared on the east road...

Zhang Guowei found to his dismay that there were less than 1000 soldiers in his battalion, and most of them were old, weak and remnant soldiers. If he pulled out [-] soldiers, he would be completely invincible against any commander of the Shangshun Township Army.And in the Shun Township Army, how many generals are there?
No wonder, Wang Dou acted unscrupulously and openly suppressed the demonstrations of merchants and literati on the road, but the court wanted to turn a blind eye and close one eye...

Seeing Zhang Guowei's expression, Wang Dou also secretly sneered, as long as he showed his strength, it would save a lot of unnecessary troubles.

In the past few days, Wang Dou could also feel that Xue Guoguan and Yang Sichang were more affectionate towards him, calling for inquiries every day, especially Xue Guoguan, anyone could see that kind of eagerness.

To Xue Guoguan, Wang Dou could only say sorry, he dared to attack the rich and powerful, Wang Dou still admired him.However, as a civil servant and at the end of the Ming Dynasty, Xue Guoguan's move was only a dead end, and there was no need for him to set foot on his broken ship.

Wang Dou had no intention of participating in the courtiers' struggle for power. For him, he didn't need tricks or plots. If he had the spare time to participate in courtiers' struggles, it would be better to train two more soldiers by himself.Convincing people with strength, strength is everything.All conspiracies and tricks are just floating clouds in front of his thousands of troops.

In terms of official affairs, the most taboo thing is not standing in line, or stepping on a few boats, but for Wang Dou, he has a transcendent strength.For those civil servants and high-ranking officials, Wang Dou is now qualified to pick and choose them, not them to pick and choose himself.

If they have any weird thoughts, the military officers in the border town at this time have already had a series of experience in dealing with the civilian officials, and they copied it themselves.The final result must be that the civil official was beheaded and abandoned the market, and the imperial court wooed him even more, and sprinkled silver and official positions to appease him.

Of course, such strength and sharpness will always make people jealous, no matter the civil servants and generals around or elsewhere.

But like a pearl in the gravel, the dazzling light can never be hidden.Wang Dou would not deliberately smear a layer of feces on it because he is a pearl in order not to attract people's attention. This is not Wang Dou's style.

For Wang Dou, it is a challenge and an enjoyment to take a stroll in the courtyard on the cusp of the storm and guide the trend.

……

On the 12th day of September in the [-]th year of Chongzhen, there was laughter and joy in Yongning City's sub-guardian's mansion. Here, Wang Dou and Bingbei Dao Ma Guoxi were holding a farewell banquet for the officials and generals.

Xue Guoguan, Yang Sichang, Hong Chengchou, Chen Xinjia, Ji Shiwei, Ma Guoxi and other civil officials sat together.In the cabinet, although Xue Guoguan and Yang Sichang were fighting to the death, on the surface they were harmonious.

Wang Dou sat with Yang Guozhu, Hu Dawei, Wang Pu, Wang Tingchen, Wu Sangui, Jin Guofeng and other generals.This is the request of Yang Guozhu and others, and it is also the result of Wang Tingchen's forced pull.Perhaps in everyone's mind, Wang Dou, the general, has long been qualified to be on an equal footing with them.

During the exchange of toasts and chips, Wang Dou also watched everyone whispering to each other at the table, and whispered, they all talked about how to imitate the Shunxiang army and train the new army when they go back.The banquet was not as lively as the warriors in the past. Many people were quietly thinking about their own affairs, even Wang Pu, the sociable commander-in-chief of Datong Town in the past, was the same.

During the banquet, Wu Sangui was a little distracted, holding a glass of wine and didn't know what he was thinking. Seeing Wang Dou's thousands of first-class sergeants, he was also shocked on the spot.

Not to mention ordinary battalion soldiers and military households, Wu Sangui actually has a thousand families under his command, all of which are cavalry built with a lot of money. In the past, this was the capital he was proud of, but after seeing Wang Dou's Shunxiang Army, this sense of superiority The smoke cleared.

His Wu family is a local tyrant in Liaodong, and he has achieved his current achievements through years of management. However, this achievement is nothing compared to Wang Dou, who is just an ordinary pier army... This gave Wu Sangui a sense of urgency and danger. After returning to Liaodong, what should I do?
As he was thinking about it, he heard the voices of Wang Dou and Jin Guofeng, the commander-in-chief of the Ningyuan regiment beside him: "...Jin Junmen, the last general has something to say, I don't know if it should be said or not."

Wang Dou's expression was solemn, even a little serious.

What he saw and heard in the past few days made Jin Guofeng, a veteran, feel a lot of emotion. He pulled Wang Dou to sit beside him, but he was not ashamed to ask his subordinates, asking many questions again and again.His two sons are self-acquainted, young and enthusiastic, and they also get along well with Wang Dou's generals.

Seeing Wang Dou's expression at this time, Jin Guofeng felt a little strange, he smiled heartily, and said: "General Wang, please tell me something, I will listen to you."

Wang Doudao: "Golden army guards Songshan in front of the gate. There are less than [-] soldiers, but they are able to resist strong enemies and protect the isolated city. What do the Jinjunmen think they rely on?"

Jin Guofeng pondered for a long time, and said: "The soldiers have a heart of loyalty and bravery, and are willing to serve the country, and they will kill the thieves to the death."

Wang Dou said: "Jin Junmen has a good opinion, the general thinks it is the same, but..."

Wang Dou said: "The last general also thinks that there is also the reason why the Jinjunmen have the power to do things, the orders are consistent, and the hearts of the people are purged."

He pondered for a while, but still said: "However, because of Jin Junmen's meritorious service, he was promoted to the general of Ningyuan, and the number of troops under his command has increased by tens of thousands, but the last general may be a disaster rather than a blessing."

Jin Guofeng was moved: "Why did General Wang say that?"

While the two were talking, Yang Guozhu, Hu Dawei, Wu Sangui and others who were slowly approaching were listening carefully.

When they were quiet, Wang Pu and Wang Tingchen who were joking also looked over.

Wang Dou said: "The nearly ten thousand people must belong to the various camps. Ning Yuan is near the slave land. If the slave soldiers approach in large numbers, how many generals does Jin Junmen think he can command?"

A bitter look appeared on Jin Guofeng's face: "I'm afraid there are only about a hundred family members brought by the old man from Songshan, and two sons."

Wang Dou secretly sighed, Ningyuan City has guards, army supervisors, governors, military equipment and other officials, and their powers are limited. Jin Guofeng is called the general soldier, so it may be difficult to mobilize a team.In order to avoid his future tragedies, Wang Douyou's words just now are also due to his admiration for loyal and righteous generals.

He said: "It is true that the camp is divided, orders are difficult to implement, and people's hearts are divided. This is a taboo in the army, and the Jinjunmen need to plan ahead."

Jin Guofeng nodded silently, although it was strange that Wang Dou knew so much about Ningyuan's affairs, but what he said was indeed sincere, and he must speak to Governor Hong Chengchou of Jiliao on this issue.

Wu Sangui, who was at the side, listened carefully, feeling even more unfathomable towards Wang Dou, this Wang Dou...

……

On the second day, the generals and officers of the various towns who watched and observed left one after another.

After they go back, they will imitate the Shun Township Army to train the new army in all likelihood, which is expected by Wang Dou.However, the formation of the Shunxiang Army has its own unique conditions. Let's see what kind of soldiers they will train in the future.How their counterfeit soldiers compare to their own genuine soldiers, Wang Dou will wait and see.

Yang Guozhu, Hu Dawei, Wang Pu, and Wu Sangui all bid farewell to Wang Dou with a smile.Watching them leave, Wang Dou was also a little sad.

Before leaving, Jin Guofeng bowed his hands to Wang Dou and said with a hearty smile: "General Wang, if you come to Ningyuan in the future, I will welcome you."

Wang Dou gave a salute: "Jinjunmen, the journey is long, take care."

Jin Guofeng laughed, and rode off on his horse. His two sons followed behind their father, turning their heads and waving to Wang Dou.

Watching their figures disappear on the loess road, Wang Dou said silently, "Take care."

A group of civil servants also left, Ji Shiwei was satisfied, Xue Guoguan and Yang Sichang got what they wanted during this trip, and they were also in a happy mood.

When Hong Chengchou left, he said meaningfully to Wang Dou: "General Wang, I deeply agree with what you said to General Jin. After returning to Liao Dynasty, I will report to the imperial court. The military affairs of a city are always handled by the general."

……

After watching the officials and generals leave, according to Wang Dou's information, after Yang Sichang returned to the capital, he immediately received a special decree from Emperor Chongzhen, ordering him to be the supervisor of the suppression of bandits, and also gave Shang Fang a sword to reward him at a low price.He also rewarded 4 taels of merit silver and [-] sets of silver medals. Yang Sichang made seven suggestions, all of which were approved by Emperor Chongzhen.

At the end of October, when Yang Sichang arrived in Xiangyang, he immediately rectified military discipline, whipped the deputy general, beheaded the military supervisor, and impeached and arrested Huguang governor Fang Kongxuan. The army was in awe.

A few days later, Yang Sichang swore an oath to the three armies in Xiangyang to suppress the bandits.

As early as in Yongning, Wang Dou promised Yang Sichang that at the right time, he would lead troops to fight against the rogues, with no less than 5000 troops, so that Yang Sichang would leave with satisfaction.

This battle was not for Yang Sichang. For Wang Dou, the interest group composed of landlords, homeowners, and intellectuals he represented had an irreconcilable conflict with Li Zicheng's bandit group.The two will collide sooner or later, as incompatible as fire and water.

Sooner or later there will be a battle, and the late battle is not as good as the early one, and it is better to find out its actual and false tactics.

Afterwards, in the discussion of the shogunate members recruited by Wang Dou, the necessity of fighting the rogues was made clear.

During the day's discussion, Wang Dou also made a strategy: explore its truth and its tactics.

Through this battle, Wang Dou also wants to understand a question, what is the root cause of Li Zicheng and others sweeping the world, and why they were able to destroy Ming Dynasty in history.

(End of this chapter)