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

Chapter 363 The Army Arrives in Zhongzhou
On the fourth day of October in the 13th year of Chongzhen, in the territory of Zhending Prefecture.

"Today, today, today, today, today, the sound of fighting in the yellow sand, one, two, three, four..."

Amidst the passionate melody and the sound of marching drums, a mighty armored army is marching southward in high spirits.Half of them were cavalry or mounted infantry, and all the sergeants were fully armed and armored, singing military songs all the way, and their morale was high.

"My lords, work harder. Before sunset, we arrive at Emperor Zan, and we can set up camp and rest."

A comfort officer of the Central Military Department encouraged loudly.

"Protect!"

The sound of shouting first came from around him, and then the sound of promises followed the iron-clad dragon rising and falling, full of energy.

"The soldiers are in good shape!"

Looking back at the team behind him, Wang Dou showed a satisfied expression on his face. He led the army to set off from Yongning City, and basically maintained a march of sixty to seventy miles every day.In just ten days, they traveled thousands of miles, and no one was left behind.

This kind of marching efficiency, Wang Dou said that he was second, and no one dared to say that he was first.

The army that accompanied him this time, including Wang Dou's bodyguard, also included Wen Fangliang, Gao Shiyin, Li Guangheng, Wen Daxing, Zhao Xuan and other first-class soldiers.There are also Sun Sanjie's luggage general, Wu Zhengchun, Shen Shiqi, and Gao Xun's second-class soldiers, totaling 7000 people.

Among these thousands of troops, except for Sun Sanjie's luggage, all the soldiers of the first-class army have horses, but the soldiers of the second-class army have no horses. They also wear cotton armor or iron armor, plus the rest For weapons and equipment, the burden may weigh dozens of catties.

One can imagine the hard work of walking thousands of miles.

Fortunately, the armor bears the force on the whole body, which offsets the weight of the armor to a large extent, and the recruits into the new army are all young and strong with excellent physical fitness.After several months of hard training in the army, the nutritional supplements were also very good, and everyone's physique had a qualitative leap. The long-distance march did not have a great impact on them.

These new troops are deeply honored to be able to fight with the army. They marched, sang and beat drums all the way, and their morale was always maintained.

"Zanhuang's guard is Miss Xu. We have known each other for a long time. When we get there, my army should be able to replenish food and grass for several days."

Wen Fangliang, who was beside Wang Dou, joked, causing everyone to laugh, and Wang Dou also smiled slightly.

The army was deployed in a marching array, but Wen Fangliang, Gao Shiyin, Sun Sanjie and others gathered around him, and in each department, the central officer led the army forward.This time Wang Dou led the army, with 5000 soldiers and more than [-] horses including mules and horses.

Calculated by Daming's food intake, a man's solar eclipse is one liter, and a horse's solar eclipse is three liters.In this way, 74 sergeants need 165 shi of food a day, and about 240 shi for horses and mules. Together, they need 7200 shi of food and grass for a day, and [-] shi of food and grass for a month.

Sun Sanjie's luggage consisted of [-] horse-drawn carts, and he could only transport [-] shi of grain and grass at a time to feed the army for a few days.So this time Wang Dou dispatched [-] horse-drawn carriages, in addition to the luggage of [-] troops, he was also escorted by two second-class sergeants. The food and grass with the army totaled [-] shi, which was like three luggage of [-] horses.

Even so, the army would not be able to eat the food and grass accompanying the army for a month, not to mention that the food consumption rate of the horses was only estimated at the minimum, and the number of days that the food and grass accompanying the army could support was even less due to various hidden consumption.Therefore, Wang Dou's principle is to first come up with a document from the Ministry of War to ask the states and counties along the way to supply food and grass for at least a few days.

It's okay in Baoding Mansion and Zhending Mansion. The Han Dynasty is in Laishui, and Hu Dawei is now transferred to Baoding as the general soldier.Needless to say that Han Chao is Wang Dou's subordinate, Hu Dawei and Wang Dou know each other, and the food and grass consumed on the way can be quickly replenished.

It was in Dingzhou and other places in Zhending Prefecture that Wang Dou once saved the lives of the local gentry and common people. When the Shun Township Army passed by, they were warmly welcomed.I dare not say that the supply of food and grass for three to five days is no problem.Right now, he has to enter Zanhuang, whether it is to replenish food and grass, what worries Wang Dou is that after entering Zhongzhou...

"The intelligence department is in Zhongzhou, can the grain accumulation in Huguang be perfected?"

Wang Douche spoke slowly on his horse.

Wen Daxing hurriedly said: "Return to General, since last year, our intelligence department has cooperated with a large number of merchants on the East Road, according to the towns pointed out by the general, spied on the situation of the thieves and the enemy, and purchased food and grass for military supplies. According to the statistics in the hands of the officials, Zhengzhou, In Kaifeng, Luoyang, Suizhou, Xiangyang and other places, our intelligence department's secret agents have hoarded food and grass that can feed the army for a few days to a month."

"but……"

Wen Daxing said: "Right now, there is a severe drought in all parts of Ming Dynasty, especially in Zhongzhou. A bucket of rice costs thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars. The rich families often close their shops. It is becoming more and more difficult to buy grain and grass. In the past few months, Huguang, Su, Song The house is full of floods, a bucket of rice is seven or eight hundred yuan, the neighborhood is on strike, and the village is closed. Although it takes a lot of effort, you can still buy food and grass, but the cost is several times more."

Wang Dou said indifferently: "Silver is not a problem, as long as you can buy food and grass with silver, it doesn't matter how much money you spend."

He sighed inwardly. In the middle of the Ming Dynasty, one tael of silver could buy rice and two stones, but now ten or twenty taels of silver can not buy one stone of grain. How can the people live.

After hearing Wen Daxing's words, everyone around him whispered excitedly.According to Wang Dou's plan, the chief of staff made a strategy, which is to move around Henan and Huguang to see how the rogues fight.According to this strategy, as early as last year, Wang Dou had already deployed Henan and Huguang areas.

Most of the merchants on the East Road are now leeches on the same rope as Wang Dou. Many of them have been selected to serve as Shun Township Army secret agents.

What Wang Dou asked of them was to continuously collect intelligence from all over the place and bring it to the intelligence department agents in each city, and to stockpile food for the current military supplies of the army.As guards and surveillance, one team after another, the Shun Township Army followed them, disguised themselves, and dispersed to these two provinces.

Gao Shiyin said loudly: "With food and grass, the soldiers are full. Who is the opponent of our Shunxiang army in this world?"

Wen Fangliang smiled and said: "As the general expected, the bandits are making trouble in Zhongzhou again. When our Shun Township army goes forward, they will kill them so much that they don't even recognize their mothers."

There was another burst of wild laughter around.

Now in the Shunxiang army, it is widely rumored that Wang Dou, the general of Dingguo, has the ability to foretell the future, and can communicate with the gods to predict the future. The battle in the 11th year of Chongzhen is proof.Sure enough, the rogues are now starting to toss in Henan again, and the Shunxiang Army will fight here for several months in the future. Wang Dou's prior layout in Zhongzhou has become an important guarantee for the Shunxiang Army's victory.

"All right!"

Yebushou had already found a place for the army to camp in front, Wang Dou looked at the sky, and gave an order: "Mr. Quicken your pace, within half an hour, you will arrive at Zanhuang City, and the whole army will eat and rest."

Shun Township's military law, every time when the camp is approaching, the cavalry and the cooking carts of the various ministries and generals will be sent to the front, so that the horses can rest early, and when the infantry arrives, there will be ready-made meals waiting, so that the soldiers will not endure hardships The pain of waiting for food.

"Quicken your pace."

"Sing!"

After Wang Dou gave the order, the army obviously quickened its pace, and amidst the passionate singing, the army rolled forward.

……

At the moment of Shen Shi, the Shun Township Army arrived at Zanhuang. Xu Yue'e had received the news early, and brought all the officials and generals in the city to meet him a few miles away from the city.

In the 11th year of Chongzhen, Xu Yue'e was entrusted with Zanhuang's garrison. According to the information in Wang Dou's hands, she actually controlled Zanhuang, Lincheng, Yuanshi, and Gaoyi.She now has more than 1000 cavalry, everyone has armor, and three to 4000 infantry, some of whom have armor. Compared with the strength of the nearby officers and soldiers, they are considered strong and strong, and all parties are vying to win them over.

She had beheaded more than 200 Qing soldiers in Zanhuang and other places, and she became famous far and wide.After the Battle of Julu, her subordinates became more powerful, especially since she was the adopted daughter of Yang Guozhu, the chief soldier of Xuanfu Town, and Hu Dawei, the chief soldier of Zhenbao Town, also knew her.

She collects protection fees in Zanhuang and other places, apportions the cost of raising soldiers, and how much each city and town, passing merchants pay each year, is quite cruel to those who disobey.

Under her management, there is a small kingdom in Zanhuang, but the local officials dare not say anything, let alone Xu Yuee's relationship. If the persecution is too much, she will run to become a bandit in a rage, and the officials and the court will investigate However, it is only these local officials who are unlucky.

However, apart from the quota, Xu Yue'e did not collect other fees.Moreover, under her control, horse thieves and bandits in the territory disappeared, and those whores did not dare to show off too much.She also often helps victims of disasters and encourages farming and mulberry. Compared with places outside the country, the lives of the people there are considered to be stable.

The local gentry praised her as Qin Liangyu, Mrs. Xian second, Yang Wenyue, governor of Baoding, praised her as a hero among women, and tried to win her over, promising to recommend her as a guerrilla general in the near future.

From Yang Wenyue's point of view, Xu Yue'e's soldiers and horses are likely to surpass her own supervising battalion in terms of combat power, even surpassing the ordinary battalion soldiers in the town. It's even more daring to fight against Dongnu.
Wang Dou also paid attention to Xu Yue'e's development, but after the staff department and intelligence department studied the combat power under her command, Wang Dou didn't care.The combat strength of Xu Yuee's subordinates is good compared to the local officers and soldiers and the nearby rogues, but of course they are not at the same level as the Shun Township Army.

According to the Chief of Staff, Xu Yuee's 200 cavalry is more suitable to be described as cavalry. The Shunxiang Army only needs to send a total of [-] cavalry to defeat her [-] "cavalry".Send out hundreds of Shunxiang troops, and you can beat her thousands of people to wolves.

Back then, due to the mistakes of Shun Township's military law, people like Xu Yue'e appeared. Wang Dou only paid attention to her development silently. She was operating in Zanhuang and other places. think.

"There are still more than 1000 miles from Zanhuang to Zhengzhou, Kaifeng and other places, and it is estimated that they will arrive in October. After arriving there, how to explain to the Ministry of War and Yang Sichang, and find excuses to stay in Henan, Huguang and other places?"

The call to arms to Wang Dou from the Ministry of War needs to be rushed to Sichuan within three months, and Yang Sichang will be dispatched with restraint.

Of course Wang Dou would not rush to Sichuan in a foolish way, but how to find a way to stay in Henan is a problem that Wang Dou needs to consider.The Chief of Staff has nothing to do about this problem, but Wang Dou knows the historical process, but he has a lot of excuses to find.

While Wang Dou was thinking, Xu Yuee was busy in the house, making a bed for Wang Dou.

When Wang Dou's army arrived at Empress Zan, Xu Yue'e hosted a banquet for the generals of the Shunxiang Army in the garrison hall, and prepared comfortable rooms for the generals in the city, while Wang Dou rested in the garrison mansion.Seeing Xu Yuee busy, Wang Dou just watched her silently.

This scene is very familiar, it was the same for Xu Yue'e in Zanhuang Village back then.

When she was busy, Xu Yue'e was still so silent, and she hadn't seen her for almost two years. Her complexion became more resolute, she was wearing a tight-fitting battle jacket and a silk handkerchief around her head, but her heroic appearance remained the same.

After making the bed, she went out, and soon brought a basin of hot wash water to see her stealing her work, Xie Yike outside the courtyard and all the guards looked at each other, looking from afar.Xu Yuee twisted the face towel and handed it to Wang Dou.

Wang Dou wiped his face, exhaled comfortably, handed the face towel to Xu Yuee, and said, "Miss Xu, after so many years, why don't you become a family?"

Wang Dou remembered that Xu Yue'e was a few years younger than him, about 24 or [-] years old. She was considered an old girl in Daming, but she had never heard of her marriage.For the sake of his fellow countrymen, Wang Dou thought he should show some concern.

Xu Yuee's complexion changed, and she said: "The body of the remnant flowers and willows, how dare you expect so much?"

She seemed a little angry, and went out with the washing water, leaving a sentence at the door: "I just want to kill the Tartars in the future, and I don't want anything else."

With a "wow", it was Xu Yue'e who poured out the washing water heavily, which scared Xie Yike and the others in the courtyard to jump and scattered in a hurry.

Wang Dou sat in a chair and pondered for a while, then took out Qi Shuai's "Records of Military Training" to watch.

Footsteps sounded, but it was Xu Yuee who came back, and she walked up to Wang Dou with a plate of hot water.Then she pulled a small bench and sat down, and gently took off her shoes and socks for Wang Dou. Wang Dou glanced at her in surprise and continued to read her book.

Xu Yue'e tested the temperature of the water with her hands, gently soaked Wang Dou's feet in the footbath, and carefully washed his feet.

Xu Yue'e's hands were very rough, and there were even some calluses on the palms. Her face was also a little dark, and there seemed to be a few freckles. Not to mention Ji Junjiao's skin quality, it couldn't be compared with Xie Xiuniang's.Maybe it's the result of exposure to the sun and rain, dancing with knives and guns, but the skin on the neck is as white and greasy as jade.

Wang Dou was silent, and Xu Yuee was also silent. When she washed Wang Dou's feet, her hands seemed to tremble a little.

After washing Wang Dou's feet, Xu Yue'e showed a happy and satisfied expression on her face. She said to Wang Dou, "General, you have marched hard, so you should rest earlier."

She went out with the footwashing water and closed the door for Wang Dou.

After a long time, Wang Dou shook his head and read the book again.

……

On the second day, when the Shunxiang army set off, Xu Yuee sent it ten miles away. She also provided the army with food and grass for five days, just to supplement the consumption of the Shunxiang army who came down from Dingzhou.

When the army entered Neiqiu County in Shunde Prefecture, Wang Dou looked to the east. More than 100 miles to the east of Neiqiu County was Julu, where Wang Dou once fought bloody battles in the 11th year of Chongzhen.Many people died in the battle there. Those Shunxiang soldiers who died in the battle retreated in a hurry at that time, so they had to bring back some relics and clothes as a tomb.

After Wang Dou returned to Baoanzhou in the 12th year of Chongzhen, he sent people to Julu one after another to bring the remains of the soldiers back to Shunxiang Fort for burial.

I heard that many temples have been built along the Haoshui River, where the battlefield was in those days. Every year, the incense burns vigorously. The local people in Julu pray to Duchen Lu and the Shun Township Army to bless their homes in peace.The worship ceremony of the local government is also carried out every year.

Seeing Wang Dou stationed on his horse, Wen Fangliang said softly, "General, can you go to Julu?"

Wang Dou sighed softly: "Let's go after the class teacher comes back."

On the eighth day of October, Wang Dou led the army into Zhangde Mansion, which was already the territory of Henan Chief Secretary.

Wang Dou rode on his maroon horse, looking around, his heart twitched.

The scenery in front of me is like hell.It was yellow and white all around, and there were no leaves, no bark, no blades of grass, because they had all been eaten up.Without bark, the bare and convex trees trembled in the yellow ground, and when a gust of wind blew up, it was the dust that hit the face.

There is no river to be seen on the ground, because it is all dry.Fields and rivers are all seeping cracks, and "dark clouds" pass by in the sky one after another, which is the effect of locusts flying over the sky.

Most of the cities and towns I passed were empty, with hungry people everywhere, skeletons everywhere, and all kinds of dead people everywhere.The rest of the people also had a pair of strange eyes open, which was a sign of being hungry and dizzy.Wang Dou couldn't bear it, and crowds of people went to cut up the flesh of those who died, and the dead babies who were abandoned were everywhere.

At the beginning, Wang Dou was very angry, and ordered the cannibals to be driven away, the corpses were taken in, and some military rations were distributed for relief.

But there are too many scenes along the way. If the army food is gone, what will the Shunxiang army eat?Wang Dou knew that there had been a severe drought in the entire north of Ming Dynasty in the past two years. Although the scene along the way out of the East Road was unbearable, Baoding Mansion and Zhending Mansion were better. After entering Shunde Mansion, what he saw and heard...

Wang Dou let out a long sigh. As a shogunate clerk, Qin Yi also joined the army this time. With tears streaming down his face, he suddenly looked up to the sky and shouted: "God, open your eyes!"

Everyone around was in a daze, and the military songs of the soldiers could no longer be sung, and there was an eerie silence all around.

At this time, the army had already crossed the Shahe River, and there was a town in front of it, although it was noon, there was no trace of cooking smoke, fearing that the people inside might have died or fled.Suddenly there was a mournful howl from the other side of the road, it seemed to be a woman's voice, Wang Dou's face sank, Wen Daxing shouted: "Go and see."

Immediately after a few nights, more and more people came out, and ran over there quickly.

Before they arrived, they saw several women crying and appearing in front of everyone. They were staggering, and they were chasing several men behind them, each holding a wooden stick.Seeing the cavalrymen who are not accepted at night, some women screamed and ran to the side, their voices were desperate and miserable.

Only one woman rushed over, crying loudly with a local accent: "Master Jun, Lord Jun, they are going to eat me..."

(End of this chapter)