Eighth year of Chongzhen

Chapter 117 Arrangement
After the spring of the ninth year of Chongzhen, the official road between Beijing and Changping suddenly became lively.Farmers working in the fields often saw teams of cavalry and infantry traveling between the two places.

After entering the summer, three checkpoints have been set up on this road.All pedestrians and merchants traveling from south to north must pass strict inspections before they can pass, and they can only go as far as Changping. If they want to go north through Changping, they are forbidden to pass, because the north gate of Changping has been closed.

Hundreds of Jinyiwei came to the county town of more than 2 people, and they visited and screened door to door in groups of several people.Including the surrounding villages, the focus is on merchants, especially hong merchants.

This is a clean-up action taken by Chongzhen, who asked Luo Yangxing to dispatch Jinyiwei just in case, considering that the Manchu Qing Dynasty was good at using time in history.

The results of the clean-up proved that Chongzhen was too worried.

In the eyes of the Ming people at that time, Jiannu was a ferocious and brutal barbarian who drank blood.

During the Jisi Change in the second year of Chongzhen, the Qing army captured several cities such as Xianghe and Shunyi, but Changping did not suffer from military disasters.Although Jiannu had won a complete victory and had a more vicious reputation, most of the Ming people believed that they were just a group of uncivilized robbers just like the Tartars.

Although Huang Taiji has proclaimed himself emperor and changed the name of the country to Qing, this matter has not attracted much attention.You are a bandit leader, if you have nothing to do, just come and grab it, and you have become the emperor. When I, Da Ming, sent a million troops to Liaodong, you, the king of the mountain, would have fled long ago. mainstream status.

Ming people are still proud, and still look down on the barbarians who live in Liaodong, so it is almost impossible for Jiannu to buy Ming people for money.Coupled with the strict household registration system of Ming Dynasty, it is almost impossible to send people here.Just like wanting to be here, as long as you don't have an ID card, no one will ask you to work.Shanxi merchant Fan Yongdou and others only did business with Jiannu at first, smuggling them strategic materials prohibited by the imperial court.It's just that money is touching people's hearts, and under the greed of wanting to maximize profits, they gradually began to provide various information to Jiannu.

After receiving Jin Yiwei's report, Chongzhen immediately ordered the Ministry of War to dispatch six Hongyi cannons to Changping, and placed them on the city walls on both sides of the north gate.

Each Hongyi cannon weighing more than two thousand catties took hundreds of people and ten days to install.

This kind of cannon improved by Tang Ruowang can fire projectiles weighing five catties, with an effective range of more than one thousand steps and a maximum range of nearly two thousand steps.Of course, the lethality of projectiles under that range has been drastically weakened.

After Jiannu broke through Juyong Pass, if he wanted to continue to harass the capital area southward, Changping was the place to attack.

At that time, the Yongwei Battalion will line up to meet the enemy at a distance of [-] steps outside the north gate.

Chongzhen considered that this was the first time that the Yongwei Battalion had fought against the mighty Jiannu. To be on the safe side, it was best to have artillery fire to provide cover for them.The first battle of the Yongwei Battalion must not be lost, otherwise there will be a series of serious consequences.

The meandering Great Wall stretches westward at Sihaiye Institute, hundreds of miles northeast of the capital, to the west. This side wall, which surrounds the entire Shuntian Mansion, is nearly a thousand miles long. After passing Tianjin Sanwei, it is The Bohai Sea just finished.

Due to years of disrepair, many parts of the side wall have been dilapidated, and the guards have become increasingly lax.

Juyongguan is located in a canyon forty miles north of Changping. The terrain is dangerous and easy to defend but difficult to attack. It is guarded by a thousand households of Yanqingwei.

Due to the lack of beacons for many years and the shortage of food and salaries, a large number of Yanqingwei military households fled, and now there are less than a hundred old and weak guard soldiers left in the Qianhu Station stationed in Juyongguan.

The unique coolness of the mountains dissipated the summer heat, and even had to be covered with a thin quilt in the middle of the night.

Zhang Laosan, a guard soldier who is nearly fifty years old, has a problem of getting up at night, and has to get up several times every night to relieve his hands.Several people in the same team laughed at him, saying that it was because he had been single all his life, and Zhang Laosan also thought they were right.

The military households in the guard are too poor, which young lady is willing to marry a soldier in the guard?The payment of food and salaries has been in arrears for a long time, and it cannot be paid several times a year.I didn't eat the next meal, and I didn't see any meat in a year.Zhang Laosan sometimes thought to himself that even if a blind lady wanted to marry him, he would never agree to it, and she couldn't harm her.His parents died for many years, and his only sister married a small business peddler in Changping, so he managed to get by.Sometimes I will ask someone to send a few catties of rice noodles and salt, and bring a message. My two nephews are both in their teens. My sister and brother-in-law have discussed it. After a few years before he gets married, he will give him one. The old Zhang's family can't let the old man die, can't he?

Thinking that he would have a son in the future, Zhang Laosan felt very happy, and finally had the face to go underground to meet his parents.Otherwise, after he went down, his parents would ask him: How are my grandchildren doing in the world?How did Zhang Laosan reply?

Some time ago, for some reason, a group of cavalry in bright armor suddenly came to the pier where several of them were stationed.A young heroic sentry officer led a few people to inspect several piers, and then explained to Zhang Laosan and the others: Be careful in the near future, and beware of Jiannu jumping over the wall to snatch the pass at night, and you must take turns to be on duty at night.Before leaving, he left them a bag of flour, a piece of pork and a small bag of salt.

The guards couldn't remember how long it had been since they had seen anyone come, but this time it was the majestic-looking officers and soldiers who came.Although they didn't say what kind of army they were, they were all tall horses and their armor looked like iron, and they all walked facing the sky, so they didn't take them seriously at all.Only the general spoke very kindly, and the officers and soldiers left after explaining what they left behind.To Zhang Laosan's surprise, the watchman's eyes were complex and incomprehensible before he left. There were not only pity and respect, but also tragic and high-spirited fighting spirit. Zhang Laosan will never forget that look in his life.

Just after the ugly day of the day, Zhang Laosan woke up again, and when he woke up when he slept the most soundly, Zhang Laosan himself hated himself, and sometimes wished he could chop off that thing.Anyway, there are offspring, so keep it for birds?

He got up sleepily, stretched his feet under the kang to search for the straw sandals, and finally found them after a few attempts.He picked up the short robe at the top of the kang and put it on, and walked out of the pier where he slept with his straw sandals on. He looked for the usual crenel, pulled off the short-nosed trousers, and started venting towards the outside of the wall.

The moon suddenly jumped out of a dark cloud, illuminating the darkness before dawn extremely transparently.

Zhang Laosan suddenly seemed to have sensed something, and opened his slightly squinted eyes suddenly. On the rugged mountain road outside the side wall, a long procession was approaching the side wall.

Zhang Laosan suddenly had no desire to urinate, the hairs all over his body stood on end, and cold sweat ran down his back.Enemy attack!It's Jian slave!The whistle's words seemed to ring in my ears!

He hurriedly looked under the side wall, and under the side wall dozens of steps away to his left, dozens of figures were struggling to climb up, and the few people in front were still a few steps away from reaching the top of the wall!

what to do? !It's not difficult for him to slip away, Jianu didn't find himself, as long as he ran along the city wall to the top, then found a broken gap and turned under the wall, hid among the dense trees, and waited until Jianu was gone. If you come out again, there is no problem in escaping your life.

But there are still three people on the pier, Zhao Gouzi, Da Huzi and Sun Sancai.

Zhao Gouzicai, his parents have just arranged a marriage for him, he is the daughter of the Xu family of this guard.On the day of the engagement, Zhang Laosan went to have a wedding wine with five copper coins.It has been a long time since no one got married in Yanqingwei, and the young people basically fled to other places. Only a few people still love this place where their ancestors lived for generations, and they barely survive by managing the fields inside the side wall.

The bearded man and Sun Sancai are old bachelors just like me, and they are younger than me, and they also live on the occasional food and salary. The three of them grew up together with bare buttocks, decades of love Yes, it would not be an exaggeration to say that they are as close as brothers.

Zhao Gouzi, who just came to the pier last year, also succeeded his father.Although the payment is in arrears, after all, it can be paid several times a year, which can be regarded as an income. How can the military households have any other way out?
I can't just escape like this!

The faces and figures of several people appeared in Zhang Laosan's mind instantly.

Changping, where the sister and brother-in-law are still behind!Jiannu broke through and entered, if Changping was unprepared, he would definitely suffer!

Of my two nephews, one of them will be my son!

It doesn't matter if I die!I can't give up!
I can't save Zhao Gouzi and the others!When we meet in the underground, I will kneel and kowtow to them!
Zhang Laosan turned around sharply and ran towards the beacon pier on the top of the mountain. There were a lot of firewood, oil, fire, sickle and velvet piled up in the pier. Since the sentry officer ordered him, Zhang Laosan had to check it every day.As long as it is lit, it can be seen clearly from dozens of miles away in the dark night sky.

The Qing soldiers who had already boarded the crenel found Zhang Laosan who was running towards the top of the mountain, and two Qing soldiers chased after him.

Zhang Laosan ran unhappily with his straw sandals, and the two Qing soldiers were quickly closing the distance to him.

Zhang Laosan threw the straw sandals aside while running, and shouted loudly while running: "Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

The voice of Zhang Laosan resounded in the silent night sky, and Zhao Gouzi and others who were sleeping in the pier woke up from their dreams.

Less than a hundred steps away from Fenghuo Pier, Zhang Laosan mustered all his strength and ran as hard as he could, gradually pulling away the Qing soldiers who had already approached thirty or forty steps away.

A Qing soldier stopped, gasped for a few breaths and then breathed evenly, raised his bow and set up an arrow and shot at Zhang Laosan.

Zhang Laosan gulped and dressed roughly, seeing Fenghuodun close in front of him, suddenly his vest was cold, and a sharp arrow shot into his back and pierced into his internal organs. Jiannu's heavy arrow sank heavily, killing Power is amazing.

The huge impact brought him several steps forward, and Zhang Laosan almost fell to the ground.

Did you die like that?

When he was a child, the scene of his father holding him on his shoulders and going to Changping County to watch lanterns appeared in front of his eyes.

When he was suffering from cold and fever, and when he was drowsy from the fever, his mother's sad eyes appeared in front of his eyes.

When the girl sent a letter to say that she had given him the heir of her eldest nephew, the scene of him happily acting like a child appeared in front of his eyes.

No!I can't die!The beacon fire hasn't been lit yet!The girl's family is counting on Fenghuo to survive!

Zhang Laosan was spitting out blood, the sharp arrow had pierced his lungs, and he was almost out of breath.

He opened his mouth and tried his best to inhale air into his chest, making a whoo-ho sound.

The faces of relatives appeared in front of his eyes one by one, Zhang Laosan suddenly rushed forward, and ran into the beacon tower more than ten steps away in an instant.

His thinking has gradually begun to blur, but he still retains a trace of clarity.He tried his best to close the pier gate, not forgetting to insert the bolt.

He is very familiar with the place where the scythe and velvet are placed. He has been stationed for decades, and he is familiar with every plant and tree on this section of the side wall.

His mind was almost blank, Zhang Laosan touched the scythe and flint, and sat on the ground, subconsciously, sparked a few sparks, which ignited the fluffy velvet in the pile of firewood.

He fell sideways to the ground, his eyes gradually lost, and the strength in his whole body was rapidly dissipating.

The chasing Qing soldiers were kicking the door vigorously, and the old door bolt was about to fall off after a few clicks.

The subconsciousness formed in his mind for decades made Zhang Laosan exhaust the last bit of energy to blow the weak flame, and the dry pyre drenched in kerosene burst into flames, and the bright fire quickly illuminated the night sky. Zhang Laosan I saw my parents hugging me in my arms.

　This chapter feels well written.It is the countless loyal people who have not left their names, who died generously at the critical moment of the nation, and made the backbone of our China.

　　Kai Keti's suggestion is correct, but there is a little foreshadowing.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)