Great Tang princess

The black army lined up in a long line, walking on the dusty concrete road.

Thanks to the existence of the cement road, the carriages walking in the middle of the team were not too bumpy.

The road itself is smooth enough, and this carriage has cowhide tires and shock absorbers, so it is almost impossible to feel bumps.

In the carriages behind, the foreign envoys in the carriages kept twisting their buttocks, and then communicated with each other.

Although they are all from different countries, they can speak Chinese anyway, so it is not difficult to communicate.

I used to ride in this kind of carriage when I was in Dongdu, but riding under the protection of the army is another matter.

Masato Awata poked his head out, looked at the dusty concrete road below, and couldn't help but be filled with emotion.

Today, the main roads of the Great Zhou Empire are basically replaced by this kind of road. With this kind of carriage, the efficiency has been increased several times, and the improvement of national strength can be seen with the naked eye.

On the other hand, in our own country, the royal family and the superiors only think about fighting for power and profit, and don't think about these things that benefit the country and the people.

At this moment, Masato Awata inevitably had an idea in his heart.

It would be great if I was a big Zhou person.

The other envoys were discussing why the carriage was so comfortable to ride, maybe they should ask their own country to study it carefully when they go back.

"Look, what is that?" The Silla envoy suddenly pointed out the window and asked.

The others turned their heads and saw many carriages appearing on the dirt road on both sides of the cement road.

But what these horses are pulling behind is not a carriage, but a thick black iron pipe.

This black and thick iron pipe seems to have a hole the size of a fist in the middle. I don't know if there is anything else in it.

The racks under these iron pipes are not connected to tires, but crawlers, which are constantly accelerating and moving forward on the dirt roads on both sides of the cement road.

This thing was naturally designed by Li Yuechen. After all, when it comes to off-road performance, the tracks can throw the tires eighteen blocks.

"This is a military secret, please don't look out the window for the time being!" A soldier riding a horse came over to remind.

Upon hearing this, the envoys quickly agreed, and obediently sat back in the carriage and lowered the curtains, not daring to look outside.

These envoys have been in the Eastern Capital for many years, and they also have some understanding of the new army of the Great Zhou.

They knew that these soldiers could completely obey orders and prohibitions. They only had orders in their eyes and no identity.

Don't say that you are a foreign envoy, even if you are a high-ranking official of the court, you will dare to chop if you say so.

So in order to prevent misunderstandings, the group of foreign envoys did not dare to confront the soldier, and obediently shrank their heads back.

……

After a day of driving, towards dusk, the team finally stopped slowly.

The convoy had just stopped, and the people in the carriage also got off.

After Li Xian got out of the car, he saw Li Yuechen on the horseback and asked, "I didn't stop until dusk. Is there still time to set up camp?"

However, before Li Yuechen could speak, another horse came by.

Li Chongrun, who jumped off his horse, explained: "Grandpa doesn't know something. Now there are engineers in the army. It's their business to set up camp. I'm not responsible for it."

While talking, he pointed to the small hill ahead: "Grandpa, look quickly, His Majesty, Grandpa and others will live there tonight."

Looking in the direction of his son's finger, Li Xian was taken aback for a moment: "A building has been built again? You're living extravagantly!"

What appeared in Li Xian's eyes was a large two-story building with at least a dozen rooms.

"Haha, uncle doesn't know, this is a temporary barracks!"

Following the sound, everyone turned their heads to look, only to find that it was Li Shouyi walking over.

"Temporary barracks?" Li Xian raised his eyebrows.

Li Shouyi nodded: "Yes, this is General Liu's suggestion. After years of experiments by the Engineering Institute, it has been put into use. These barracks are built with pre-made samples. Whether it is erected or dismantled, it can It can be completed within half an hour, which is very convenient."

As early as a few years ago, Liu Huang came up with such a method, making various equipment such as iron plates, wooden plates, and high and low beds that can be assembled and disassembled at any time to improve the efficiency of marching.

After years of experiments, it has already been used in the army.

In the past, the army could only march for half a day every day, and would stop at noon and start camping.

But now it is different, the camping is left to the engineers, and they will set off in advance and camp at the predetermined location.

As long as the large troops arrive before sunset, there is no need to invest too much energy in this kind of thing.

Li Xian was surprised after hearing this: "It's so convenient?"

"Actually, it's not very convenient." Li Yuechen smiled, "This house can't be connected to the water pipe, so you have to go downstairs to wash up. In fact, it's still a bit troublesome."

But after all, in this era, it is already a very remarkable thing to be able to do this.

It can be said that just such an invention has increased the efficiency of the army several times.

Wu Zetian was listening beside him, and couldn't help but look up a few more times, feeling that the army is really getting more and more incomprehensible now.

……

The crowd followed Li Shouyi up the hill, only to find that there were already more of these two-story buildings in front of them.

All of them are gray and look the same, no different from the one in front of them.

The only difference is that the one in front of me seems to be in the middle and is firmly protected.

And on the hillside behind, you can see a large number of soldiers in auspicious uniforms patrolling.

It can be said that this is the safest building among all the buildings.

Under Li Shouyi's leadership, everyone entered the gate and found that they were much warmer immediately after entering.

Before Li Xian could ask questions, Li Shouyi had already started to explain: "Uncle, the outer wall has two layers, which are stacked one on top of the other. As long as the wind isn't too strong, the heat retention is quite good."

"Well, it's really amazing!" Li Xian nodded slightly and praised.

Then Li Shouyi turned around and said, "Tonight, I will trouble all the envoys to live on the first floor. Saint and Your Highness, how about living on the second floor?"

Wu Zetian nodded slightly: "I thought the conditions in the army were poor, but it was really unexpected."

Li Yuechen on the side smiled: "If the conditions are simple, how dare you let A Niang come over?"

Everyone chatted and walked to the second floor, while the foreign envoys chose rooms on the first floor under the guidance of other soldiers.

In fact, there is nothing to choose. In the temporary barracks of the army, the layout of all the rooms is the same, even the emperor's room.

Perhaps the only difference is that other rooms have bunk beds, while the emperor and prince have double beds.

The emperor's room is in the middle of the second floor, with the guards' rooms on both sides, and there are guards standing guard in the hall at any time to protect her safety around the clock.

And on the first floor, after these foreign envoys had chosen the room, they came in to have a look, and the already surprised mood became even more surprised.

There is a bunk bed in each room, which can accommodate two people to rest.

There are thermos pots and teacups on the table, as well as various other living facilities.

The most important thing is that this room actually has windows!And it's glass windows!
The soldier in charge of guiding them introduced: "This window is a push-pull type, and it can be opened halfway, but it is recommended to close it for sleeping at night. After all, the weather is still a bit cold...Push it up, and the window will be locked."

With the blessing of steam engines, the barracks of this army can be said to have integrated the most advanced industrial technology, far beyond the cognition of this era.

Not to mention them, even Li Xian and Wu Zetian on the second floor were stupefied after seeing the sliding window.

"This window...how can it be like this?" Wu Zetian couldn't help but walked to the window and observed carefully, "But it's cold here, isn't there any air leakage?"

"Don't worry, Auntie, this window is made of triple-layer glass, so the heat retention is good." Li Yuechen explained with a smile.

Although the three layers of glass cannot be completely vacuumed, they can be close to vacuum.

The specific method is also very simple. Before sealing the three-layer glass, light a piece of paper and throw it in, and then seal it.

The flame will burn off part of the oxygen inside, so it can be close to a vacuum.

This is why there are unburned shreds of paper between the three layers of glass.

And this kind of sliding window can be dismantled at any time. After the war, an engineering company can completely dismantle the entire second-floor building within half an hour.

Of course, there are also disadvantages, that is, this kind of house is not stable.

Not to mention earthquakes, even a few grenades exploding near the wall may cause collapse.

However, in this era, there is no need to worry about this problem. This is a temporary barracks. As long as there are temporary people, it is enough to meet the needs of the mission.

Listening to her daughter's explanation, Wu Zetian nodded slightly, and then looked at the double bed in the room: "This bed...is a little smaller."

This is no nonsense, this kind of double bed in the army has already been made temporarily, how can it compare with your dragon bed... Li Yuechen secretly complained in his heart.

……

After introducing the room, the sun was about to set, so Li Shouyi hurriedly arranged for everyone to have dinner.

Naturally, the canteen was built temporarily, without walls, just a large folding umbrella supporting tables, chairs and benches.

The emperor, the prince, and the princess were arranged in the middle and were heavily protected by all the soldiers.

The foreign envoys were arranged on the other side, not too far from the emperor.

It's just that all the dishes are the same, including the emperor, everyone eats four dishes and one soup, without any exception.

Several foreign envoys couldn't help asking the soldiers nearby: "How is the food in the army so good?"

The soldier next to him replied: "No, this is wartime. On weekdays, dinner is relatively light, and only breakfast and lunch are of this standard. But during wartime, you may fight at any time, so you must eat well..."

Listening to the other party's answer, the foreign envoy has already begun to feel numb.

How rich is this Great Zhou to be able to support an army of this size?
Let's not talk about the training methods, just look at the unified military uniforms, shoes, board houses, and food, they can't learn from their country at all.

Nothing else, too much money!

If their country wants to raise such a thousand-man army, it is enough to directly drag down the royal family's finances.

And how many people participated in the war this time?Look at the scale of nearly [-]!
It is said that only a few people came from other military regions, not all of them came.

Through chatting with the soldiers nearby, the messenger learned that only 10 of the 4 people were responsible for frontal combat, and the rest were responsible for logistics and other things.

But no matter what the envoy asked about the specific matter, the other party refused to say anything.

It was useless for the envoy to use stereotypes, but later he found out that the other party was literate, so of course he would not be casually fooled by him.

Seeing that he was literate, he thought that the other party was at least an officer.

As a result, after careful questioning, it turned out that it was not, but a big soldier.

The envoy was dumbfounded. Since he can read and write, how could he be an ordinary soldier?

Could it be that……

The messenger thought of an unacceptable possibility.

After eating and returning to the temporary residence, the emissary lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling and fell into doubts about his life.

These soldiers can actually read and write. I dare not say how high the level of education is, but at least they are all people who can write and count!

It's really hard to imagine that a random soldier here can be taken to his own country, and he can be an official.

What happened in these big weeks?The army has reached this standard?

It's a pity that he is destined not to get the answer.

……

On the other side, in the frontline headquarters, Li Shouli was having a meeting with officers at all levels and staff officers.

Emperor Wu Zetian and Prince Li Xian both came to listen.

There are more than a dozen kerosene lamps hanging in the room, which make the room extremely bright at night without affecting the sight.

"At this time, the enemy army is still twenty miles away from us. There may be a surprise attack tonight. Our army must prepare in advance." A female staff officer said.

Li Shouli nodded slightly: "The scouts patrolling at night are all equipped with fireworks. If the enemy raids, they can be found ten miles away. When the time comes, fireworks will be lit for warning. The scouts along the way will light them one by one after seeing them, and quickly notify me. military."

"Then their own safety..."

"Don't worry, everyone is equipped with three good horses, and they are Tubo horses, which can adapt to the environment here, so they won't be caught," Li Shouyi replied.

Li Shouli nodded slightly after hearing this: "Let the soldiers rest well tonight. If the enemy doesn't have a surprise attack plan, launch a general attack tomorrow morning."

The staff officer on the opposite side couldn't help asking: "Why don't I take advantage of the night and let the airship take off, and then throw grenades at the enemy camp from the air?"

"There are a total of 40 enemy troops, of which more than half are slaves. No matter how many slaves are killed, it will be useless. If the enemy troops flee in all directions, it will be difficult to pursue them at night, which will allow the enemy troops to continue to form resistance in subsequent battles."

Speaking of which, Li Shouli picked up his teacup, blew on it lightly, and then continued: "The primary purpose of this battle should be to reduce the number of enemy troops as much as possible, so that the opponent cannot form effective resistance in the follow-up advance of our army..."

The staff officer on the opposite side nodded to show that he understood, and did not continue to say more.

Li Shouli took a sip of the tea in his hand and said, "If there are no other questions, then the meeting will end! Good news tonight, and launch a general attack tomorrow morning!"

"Yes!" All the officers saluted and agreed.

Thank you [Mercury's Masked Superman] for rewarding 500 starting coins!