The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 338 The troops are approaching the city
The sky is shining, and the east is getting brighter.

Accompanied by the high-pitched crow of the rooster, the distant morning sun slowly rises from the horizon, and the sky and the earth gradually become clearer.

But this time, in addition to the crowing of chickens one after another, there was also a strange sound that sounded at the same time.

That strange sound was exactly the roar caused by the galloping horses.

Just above the plains west of Kaifeng City, tens of thousands of cavalry rolled over the ground like mercury.

Among the thousands of horses galloping, the rumble of horse hooves intertwined together, converging into a strong sound like a sea tide, rising and falling, rising and falling.

The low sound of horns sounded one after another in the cavalry formation, continuously, constantly impacting the hearts of the soldiers defending the city in Kaifeng.

However, facing this extremely shocking scene, the defenders on the Kaifeng city wall did not panic much, but were quite calm.

They had seen the scene of thousands of horses galloping just the day before yesterday.

In terms of momentum alone, the cavalry formation of thousands of thieves in front of them is not as terrifying as the armored cavalry of the Hanzhong Army.

In contrast, the fear of the thousands of thieves in the hearts of the city defenders has dissipated a lot.

Many soldiers standing on duty at the crenel subconsciously turned their heads to look to their sides or behind them.

In the important places and pavilions of the city wall, heavily armed Hanzhong Army soldiers were standing with their swords drawn.

Their presence made the defenders of Kaifeng City feel even more confident.

When the prisoners were presented at the Meridian Gate, the emperor made eloquent remarks, praising the Hanzhong army as truly the most powerful soldier in the world.

Naturally, this kind of thing has already spread to various cities and places through Di Bao.

And with the storytelling and scripts, it became more and more popular.

Many times in people's discussions, the people being compared with the Hanzhong Army are either the Qi Jiajun or the Yue Jiajun.

Those who have good intentions also call the Hanzhong Army Chen Jiajun, comparing it with Qi Jiajun and Yue Jiajun.

Because of this, the soldiers guarding the city in Kaifeng did not feel much fear in their hearts when faced with the large number of cavalrymen from the Ten Thousand People's Army who were sweeping in.

With the ever-victorious Hanzhong Army here and the world-famous general Chen Wang, Kaifeng City has a Dinghai Shenzhen.

No matter how big the waves are, no matter how turbulent the tide is, it is impossible to shake the strong city of Kaifeng!
In the west of Kaifeng City, in addition to the cavalry of the People's Army that rolled in, there were also a large number of rangers wearing red armor scattered around.

These rangers are naturally the elite cavalry of the Hanzhong Army.
Facing the oppressive cavalry of the Ten Thousand People's Army, the Hanzhong Army gathered their defense lines in an orderly manner and ran in other directions.

They always maintained a certain distance from the cavalry formation of the Ten Thousand People's Army, and were constantly chasing and fighting with the vanguard cavalry of the Ten Thousand People's Army.

A large group of cavalry from the Ten Thousand People's Army charged, and they quickly rode away.

If they encounter a small group of cavalry, they will quickly gather together and take the opportunity to devour the enemy cavalry who dare to come forward.

Although the cavalry of the Ten Thousand People's Army was numerous, they were always at a disadvantage in such small-scale confrontations.

Among the people and horses, most of the people who fell to the ground were the cavalry of the Wanmin Army wearing black armor. The cavalry of the Hanzhong Army wearing red armor rarely saw anyone fall off their horse.

Therefore, in every round of fighting, when the cavalry of the Hanzhong Army was victorious, a group of Kaifeng soldiers on the city wall would cheer for it in unison.

The morale of the soldiers in the city also continued to skyrocket.

Chen Wang wore a civil and military robe on the outside, crimson fish scale armor on the inside, and a bright iron helmet with three sun and moon flags on his head, leaning on the railing and standing on the west city tower.

All the military generals in Hanzhong Town and Kaifeng City were wearing robes and belts, wearing helmets and armor, and were respectfully separated on the left and right according to their titles.

"All the livestock, grain and grass remaining outside the city were moved into the city when the city gate was closed yesterday, and the residents also moved into the city as planned."

Zhao Huailiang stood beside Chen Wang and reported to Chen Wang the situation inside and outside the city.

Hu Zhiyi led the troops to attack Luoyang Mansion, so he naturally took on the role of deputy.

"There are a large number of hungry people wandering outside the city. A lot of outsiders have joined in the past few days. They have been driven away by soldiers and given porridge to all of them in the direction outside the east city."

"All the social soldiers were recruited at dusk yesterday, and they are now preparing for training."

Chen Wang nodded slightly, and his eyes slowly swept over the defenders under the tower.

Waves of cheers were rising among the soldiers on the city wall, and the original nervous and fearful atmosphere had been completely eliminated.

It can already be said to be a morale-boosting sentence.

"Although most of the army of ten thousand thieves is coming, the training of social soldiers is still the top priority today."

"If the army of thieves wants to attack the city, it will take at least a few days to cut down wood and make siege equipment. Tell the defenders of each city that they only need to recharge their batteries during these days and there is no need to get too excited."

Under the reward, there must be a brave man.

The King of Zhou issued a treasury of 500,000 taels as a reward for the army. At the same time, the wealthy households in Kaifeng City also donated a lot of silver and offered extremely high rewards.

Those who kill a thief at the first level will be rewarded with fifty taels of silver, those who can kill a thief will be rewarded with thirty taels of silver, and those who can shoot or injure a thief will be rewarded with ten taels of silver.

When the news of the bounty spread, the whole city was excited. Many civilians even brought their own weapons such as knives and guns and asked to come to the city to guard the city.

Chen Wang originally did not plan to let ordinary people come to the city to help defend, but after careful consideration, he still selected 3,000 people.

They were taught simple tactics and issued uniform weapons as a reserve force.

Everything now is very different from that in history. Li Yan advanced the time by almost a year, and his strength was even more powerful than that of Li Zicheng at that time.

There are too many unpredictable things in this. The more strength you have, the more protection you will have.

"My subordinates understand that they will definitely shift their focus to the training of social soldiers."

Zhao Huailiang grinned, responded, and then suggested with a smile.

"The vanguard cavalry of the Thousand Thieves Army has recently arrived. Why don't you charge him for a while and kill their spirit? By the way... you can also earn some silver rewards."

Usually, the heads of rogue bandits are not worth much at all. A few heads can be exchanged for a tael of silver, which is considered good.

Therefore, at the beginning, the officers and soldiers would kill the heads of bandits in exchange for money and merit. Later, they would not bother to capture any heads. Only when the generals needed to report merit, they would gain a batch of merits and go to the top to report some great victory.

Many times, the reason for killing good people and taking merit is not the reward of silver, but the large number of heads that can be reported for great achievements.

However, the reward now offered is fifty taels of silver for one head, which is undoubtedly an astronomical figure.

This price is already the price of the head of a slave in the north, and it is still the price of a true barbarian.

Although Zhao Huailiang has now reached the rank of President Qian, he is still jealous.

There is no such thing as eating empty wages or drinking the blood of soldiers in Hanzhong Town. It is impossible for him to embezzle these things.

Not counting Lumi and other things in a month, Zhao Huailiang received more than ten taels of military pay, which was undoubtedly a lot compared to ordinary soldiers.

But compared to fifty taels, it is pitifully small.

Now you only need to cut off two or three heads to get a year's salary. How can you not be tempted?

Chen Wang glanced sideways at Zhao Huailiang, who was a little anxious, played with the telescope in his hand, and asked.

"Is it possible that the several mines under your name and Mr. Qian's salary are not enough for your family?"

Rebellion was a major event to punish the Nine Tribes. Naturally, Chen Wang would not treat his confidants like Tang Shiping and Zhao Huailiang lightly. The hustle and bustle in the world is all for benefit, and the hustle and bustle in the world is for benefit.

In addition to official power, Chen Wang will naturally not forget the distribution of wealth.

Relying on mining and selling private salt, as well as monopolizing trade and land, Chen Wang was able to obtain a large amount of gold and silver every year for the development of military towns.

Zhao Huailiang, Tang Shiping, Wang Yuankang and others, as well as a group of close confidants under his command, Chen Wang would all share some of their properties so that they could get a certain amount of money from them to subsidize their families.

Zhao Huailiang now actually controls three mines, two caravans operating in the mountains of Yunyang Prefecture, and a route for selling private salt. He can collect more than a thousand taels of silver a year.

Zhao Huailiang felt a little guilty and said awkwardly.

"Of course it's enough, but few people in this world would mind having too much money..."

Zhao Huailiang's words were rough but not rough. Naturally, no one in the world would think he had too much money.

"What you said does make sense..."

"But you need to remember one thing."

Chen Wang knows these truths very well. Most people yearn for a better life.

He is also greedy for money and desires fame and fortune.

However, no matter how greedy you are for money, you still need to pay attention to your methods.

"The soldiers under your command are your robes, partners who are willing to follow you through life and death, and brothers who will willingly follow you to the end of the world at your command."

"They are not your domestic slaves, not your hawks and dogs, and they are not tools used to make money for you."

Chen Wang turned his head and looked at Zhao Huailiang with a solemn tone.

"War is dangerous. As a general, whether to attack or not, you should first consider success or failure, rather than taking risks for gold and silver rewards."

The reward of fifty taels of silver is high, but no matter how high the reward is, it is not a reason to take risks.

Zhao Huailiang will definitely lead the army alone in the future. Some things should be explained to him in advance, whether it is good or bad.

"Did you forget when you were in Chunhua?"

As the commander-in-chief of an army and a battalion, you must have a calm heart and a clear mind.

In Liaodong, the Ming army could have won many battles, but the fight for the head often caused chaos in the army and was defeated by the enemy.

Following Chen Wang's words, the expression on Zhao Huailiang's face gradually became serious, and his eyes were full of shame.

When he was in Chunhua, Chen Wang came to take over and wanted to punish him for his lax military management.

Those brothers who killed generals in Sanshui City with him were still willing to stand up and defend themselves in the face of the shining blade and the threat of death.

Even later, they were willing to take their own lives as a scapegoat, and some were even willing to die in their stead.

Zhao Huailiang lowered his head, bent his body, and bowed solemnly to Chen Wang.

"My subordinate realizes his mistake."

The conversation between Chen Wang and Zhao Huailiang was not hidden from others. Chen De stood nearby and heard the entire conversation clearly.

Chen De looked at Chen Wang's back, looking at this man who was about the same age as himself, but far superior to him in terms of official position and ability, and couldn't help but feel surrendered.

No wonder the soldiers in Hanzhong Town looked completely different in strength than the soldiers in other military towns.

Perhaps the deepest reason for this is precisely this.

The king regards the people as a piece of grass, and the people regard the king as an enemy and a bandit.

This sentence, if transformed, is the same in a military town.

The guardsmen were treated like domestic slaves by the generals, so they were always useless in battles.

The camp soldiers in the military town are slightly better, but in the eyes of most generals, they are just tools to help them rise to power.

Therefore, the combat effectiveness of the camp soldiers is slightly better than that of the guard soldiers, and their morale is also much higher.

The general treats his servants as if they were his nephews, relatives and friends. This is why the servants will fight to the death for the general.

Chen De had a clear understanding in his heart, but he also had a lot of doubts.

The disadvantages of raising servants were actually known to the generals and commanders of the Ming Dynasty, but they all had to do it.

Not to mention that after promotion and transfer, if there are no servants to follow, it will be difficult to control ordinary sergeants.

It is difficult to solve the problem of military pay alone.

For military towns in the mainland, it has long been common practice for them to be in arrears with pay for many years.

The reason why he did not have enough soldiers under his command was because the court did not pay enough food and wages, which was only enough to replenish so many troops.

And how could Chen Wang afford to support so many soldiers.

Chen De was puzzled and wanted to ask.

But as soon as the words came to his mouth, he was suppressed again by the distant scene.

Just on the distant horizon, a constantly beating black line is spreading rapidly, from south to north, vast and boundless.

"coming……"

Someone on the top of the city tower whispered something, and everyone's eyes were cast towards the distant horizon.

The cheers of the soldiers on the city wall also stopped abruptly.

A dull and depressing atmosphere gradually spread over the city wall, and everyone held their breath.

The road is filled with a sea of ​​black turbans and spears, rolling like a black tide.

"Ming Jin, withdraw your troops."

Chen Wang slowly raised his right hand and calmly gave the order to withdraw his troops.

The rangers outside the city were originally sent out for initial reconnaissance and early warning. Most of the Ten Thousand People's Army had arrived, so there was no need to wander outside the city anymore.

Chen Wang raised the telescope in his hand.

In the telescope, the densely packed soldiers of the Ten Thousand People's Army were like soaring locusts.

There is a forest of swords and guns, and under the camera is a black wave composed of countless soldiers of the civilian army, which is boundless at a glance.

The black mass first covered the Pingchuan land in the west of Luoyang City, and then the wave moved slowly, surging towards the north and south of the city.

A large black banner with a height of one foot and five feet, surrounded by a group of flags of different colors, slowly rose from the horizon.

The flag is of the same color as the banner, made of two pieces of silk, four feet long and three feet wide.

A pearl tassel is attached to the top, and a pheasant tail is connected to the bottom. The eight-foot-five-inch black horn belt is constantly beating in the howling wind.

The flag tassel is red, the flag gun is silver, and the flag stretches in the wind, revealing a big white character - "Letter"!
(End of this chapter)