Traveling through the Ming Dynasty, as soon as you open your eyes, you will die

Chapter 57 Bauhinia Pass

In front of Zijing Pass, a layer of new corpses was laid on top of the old corpses of the bandits, and the layers upon layers exuded a stench.

On the city wall, the dried old blood was smeared with scarlet new blood.

The temporary retreat of the attackers is a sign that both sides are taking a breather and gathering strength. They are just accumulating strength for the next desperate battle. The next attack and defense will be even more brutal.

Here, since Li Zicheng came to kill in January, artillery fire continued all day long, and the sound of killing was loud. The battle was fierce.

But in the face of a sea of ​​rogue bandits and continuous fierce attacks, Zijingguan's shaky flag is still flying proudly and stands firm.

With Li Zicheng's endless attacks, the walls of Zijingguan were broken and stained dark brown with blood. The layers of blood seemed to have coated the entire wall with a thick layer of paint. Under the scorching sun, It was dry and cracked with countless cracked textures, exuding a disgusting smell.

But don't worry about it falling off, because the very next day there will be fresh blood, moistening it again and making it stronger.

Lu Jian was taken into Zijingguan by Zhang Mao and Yang Songshan with a grand ceremony.

The soldiers who were greeted along the way had tattered armor and blood stains. Although his expression was determined, he could not hide his tiredness.

But the soldiers saw carts of supplies, boxes of silver coins, and 10,000 reinforcements with high morale.

After condolences to the soldiers, he came to the garrison yamen. First, Lu Mou stood facing south and unfolded the imperial edict in his hand: "Guard Liu Mao at Zijin Pass to receive the edict."

Liu Mao knelt down and said, "My lord, Liu Mao respectfully wishes His Majesty's blessing."

Lu Mou replied: "Saint Palace is safe."

Then he saw that Liu Mao wanted to stand up and buckle his head according to the rules, so he smiled and said: "The battle is in full swing. General, there is no need to be polite. Just stand and listen to the order."

This was a treatment that no military commander had ever received before. Liu Mao was moved and stood at attention to listen.

Lu Mounian said: "General Liu Mao has served the country by guarding Zijin Pass. He has been promoted to guerrilla general (military level). His officers and men are extremely brave. All soldiers and officers will be promoted to one level. According to the current military rank, he will be rewarded with military pay for the month." "

Liu Mao was overjoyed. Now, even the soldiers among his brothers had small flags and titles. Kneel down again and thank the Lord for His grace.

Pulling Liu Mao up, the generals sat down.

Lu Mou said to Liu Mao: "When a general is promoted, according to the current military system, he should be the commander of the army. However, the war at Zijingguan is in full swing now. General Liu is familiar with the situation at Zijingguan and has full experience in defending the city, so he can only remain the commander of Zijingguan for the time being. . But all other armies are at your disposal. There are no new troops for you to lead. I feel wronged to you."

When Liu Mao heard this, he felt happy. Although he was a guerrilla general at the military level, he was actually at the group army level, and he was a big boss in the army. He quickly stood up and saluted: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your trust in King Ding. I will do my best to protect Zijin Pass and repay Your Majesty, King Ding for your kindness."

Lu Mou asked him to sit down, and then asked: "But how many soldiers are left in the early stage?"

Yang Songshan was fine, but Zhang Mao complained: "Your Majesty, the soldiers are fighting too hard. Li Zicheng's millions of troops are pressing on the city, and fighting continues every day. There are not many of my original five thousand brothers left, and the Duke of Guo has come to reinforce me." Of the three thousand soldiers, most of them have been killed or injured."

Lu Mou frowned and said: "The imperial court knows that the soldiers are suffering and the soldiers are in trouble. Therefore, I have brought a reward for the soldiers this time. I have also brought 10,000 soldiers to replace you. Let the surviving brothers withdraw. , have a good rest. Then organize them all into the soon-to-be-established Fourth Army and Fifth Army to serve as lower-level officers at all levels. Please don’t think too much about it, General Liu."

Liu Mao was overjoyed. Not only were his brothers reused, but the most critical moment, when did his superiors speak in such a tone to the general. From King Ding's attitude, the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty were no longer pigs and dogs in the eyes of civil servants, and they could straighten their backs.

Stand up again and sincerely thank you.

Lu Mou made him sit down again, and then said: "Don't stand up and sit down like this, I will feel dizzy because you are tired." The generals smiled easily.

"This time I have withdrawn your troops, but I have brought the fully-equipped Third Division for you to lead."

Then he introduced the commander of the Third Division of the Third Army, He Wenzhao.

He Wenzhao is a veteran, capable and calm, with rich combat experience. He was also a strong general under the old Duke.

This time he was able to fight side by side with his old acquaintance, and Liu Mao was extremely grateful for this. "Old general, please give me some advice for the younger generation."

He Wenzhao laughed and said: "Those who are able will come first. Don't talk to me about seniors in the future. If you can, I will listen to you."

In this way, both parties will be more harmonious.

With this elite force in hand, Liu Mao quickly suggested: "I saw the combat effectiveness of the new army from Commander Yang. This time General He led the new force to join. Can we find an opportunity to take advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness and let the new army join in?" Brother, are you here to make a short attack to defeat the rogue bandits?"

Lu Mou denied it without even thinking: "This proposal is absolutely unacceptable."

Liu Mao was puzzled, thinking it was a child's cowardice, so he introduced: "Although the bandits are known as millions, and although Li Zicheng leads the main force of bandits, mostly men, the real combat effectiveness is not that terrible. In fact, the main reason is still us. The result was that the army at that time was short of food, had no pay, had no food to drink, and had no intention of fighting."

Liu Mao is right. In the late Ming Dynasty, the armies of various forces were compared to each other. They were not very bad, only worse.

The original comparison was that the Ming Dynasty's army was invincible, the Mongols were second, the slaves were third, and the rogue bandits were simply a mob and could not be put on the table.

However, with the corruption of the Ming Dynasty, emphasis was placed on literature over military affairs, and even the civil servants and governors killed military generals to establish their authority. The original ranking changed to Jurchen first, Ming second, Mongolia third, and rogue bandits fourth.

Then came the financial collapse of the Ming Dynasty. The Ming army was in arrears of pay and food for months at a time, and finally reached more than ten or more years. Then, the Manchus and Qing Dynasties came first, the Mongols converted to the Manchus, the dogs and the people were second, and the rogue bandits were mutinous. The official army joined the lead to take third place, and the Ming Dynasty official army was at the bottom.

Therefore, in this era, if you want to have an army that can fight, you need nothing more than money and food.

Therefore, Liu Mao was full of confidence: "Now, our Ming army has enough money and food, a completely new look, and its combat effectiveness is no longer the same as before. It is still possible to go out to fight and combat the arrogance of the rogue bandits."

Lu Mou smiled and shook his head: "General Zhang misunderstood."

Zhang Mao cupped his hands and said, "Please give me your teachings."

"I don't dare to teach you. I'm just talking about the basics of the battle at Zijingguan."

Then he stood up, walked to the center of the hall with his hands behind his hands, and faced the generals and said seriously: "In the battle of Zijingguan, the Duke of Guo and I, as well as the Minister of War, Li Yan, determined that this would be a firm defensive battle. His The purpose is to block an army of millions of rogue bandits from rushing into Zhili, and buy the most time for the imperial court to reorganize its internal affairs and Zhili. At the same time, it also uses this pass to attract Li Zicheng, so that he cannot flee to other places. . Reduce the pressure on other local fronts. This must be understood and must be implemented unswervingly. The burden on your shoulders is heavy, but it is also very important."

The soldiers at Zijingguan must understand themselves what the ultimate goal of the battle is before they can achieve their ultimate goal.

To defend, we must show the enemy a weak defense, to block the millions of plagues that are full of plague germs, and not to enter Zhili, which is the ultimate goal.

Zijingguan, Lu Mou set it as an epidemic prevention and isolation area.

Fighting out and actively coming into contact with infected people, isn't that asking for death? I don’t have a financial test, and I don’t have a vaccine. I only have the stupid method of isolation.

(End of this chapter)