Brocade clothing as the country

Chapter 504

The last time Ding Zhuang followed the army to the grassland, there were a thousand people, and there were more than a dozen of them killed or injured on the grassland. After returning to Tianjin Wei, they all had good places to go.

People who have seen bloodshed and fighting, naturally have different attitudes, not to mention that several car and horse shops and warehouses in the north of Tianjin Wei are willing to ask for it, Huwei Camp has also selected a group of people to do maintenance in various facilities, It is somewhat similar to the Xiang soldiers who undertook miscellaneous labor in the Song Dynasty.

Among them, the outstanding ones were directly recruited into the inspection department of the Haihe River and the Canal. Although they can't do tax collection duties, they can be regarded as official status, and the treatment status is quite good. Those who don't want to work, It is to give them the opportunity to visit the security team and the security army at the bow of the ship.

Thousands of people, everywhere you want, I want, and the points are gone. This time, there are 500 people who followed the people on the grassland. Except for dozens of bosses who came last time, the rest are newcomers.

These peasants were worried when they came to the prairie, and the Huwei Battalion was beside them. They felt that apart from obeying the rules and being taciturn, there was nothing unusual about these soldiers. I don't know how many legends I have heard.

When the fire broke out in the daytime, these peasants panicked, some wanted to run away, and some collapsed directly. Fortunately, their leaders had seen the scene, beating them facelessly with whips and sticks. Shouting ferociously, whoever messes up will cut off his head directly, so that the situation can be maintained and there will be no big trouble.

In fact, there was no place to run if you wanted to run at that time, there were fires everywhere, and you would be burned to death if you ran in. There were no flames in front of you, but there was a fighting field over there, wouldn't it be death if you ran there.

I don't know how long I lay there, the surroundings became quiet, and I heard the yelling of the leaders again, it turned out that I had won the battle, so I got up tremblingly.

It is said that a hundred and ten Tartars had their heads chopped off, but no matter how you look at it, it doesn't look like it. Why do the soldiers of the Huwei Camp have flat faces, and they don't see any joy, and they don't look like they have won a big victory.

But the corpses of people and horses outside were all placed there, tidying up with trembling hands, and then asked the boss in charge quickly, saying why he didn't look happy after winning the battle, and was scolded by the boss again return:
"You think the army is as small-eyed as you, so what is a hundred or ten heads! At the beginning of the year, I followed the army out of the fortress, and that time I chopped off thousands of heads, that would be a big victory!"

People's tongues stick out, it's really unbelievable. Occasionally at the gate of the yamen, I heard some official newspapers read by the book office over there, and Dasheng cut off a few hundred, but here actually cut down thousands.

At night, they all cheered up. First, they surrounded the camp with carts, and set up a cauldron inside. Regardless of the fact that it was burned in the daytime, the hay was inexhaustible even farther away, and it was smashed on the other side of the frozen Chao River. Put the ice cubes in the pot, cut the skinned horse meat into large pieces and throw it in the pot to stew. After a while, the aroma will overflow.

It was cold on the grassland, and I felt uncomfortable after walking all the way, but I was very happy to smell the aroma of the broth. The pancakes baked with bran and miscellaneous grains, the hot broth, and the large pieces of meat inside made these Minzhuang eats very well. Although life in Tianjin Wei and the surrounding areas has improved in the past few years, eating meat is also a big deal. I never thought that coming here can actually be enjoyable.

The folks ate happily, the soldiers ate in an orderly manner, and the Huwei Camp had a lot of money, and all the supplies and equipment were sufficient. Although it was cold, they could sit around the fire and eat hot meals without worry. It's uncomfortable, and at night, covering the fire and sleeping on the hot ground is still warm.

The peasants and soldiers ate horse meat, but Wang Tong and several generals ate gazelle. After the fire broke out, they sent soldiers to clean up the battlefield, but saw the gazelle burned to death. There were so many sheep, the fire burned, and there was no time to run, so they were burned to death there.

But at most, the skin is just mushy, and the meat is okay. When I got it back, I cleaned it up and stewed it in the pot. When I smashed the ice in the river to get water, I also brought up a few fish, packed the fish and put them in the pot together. Delicious and whets the appetite.

"Leave two cooks on duty overnight, let them sleep in the carriage tomorrow, cook the rest of the gazelle tonight, and send them to the soldiers on duty to keep warm!"

On weekdays General Tan was Wang Tong's housekeeper, but in wartime he was the commander of the personal guards. Hearing this, he quickly nodded in agreement. Tan Gong drank the soup and said:
"Before it got dark, I went around and looked around. The Tartars lit the fire about [-] paces away from our camp. They also cleared a place there to prevent the fire from burning back. This time they came at most Four hundred riders are here to harass."

Wang Tong nodded, staring at the flames in front of him, and said in a deep voice:

"It seems that the news has indeed reached the grassland. They want to slow down our actions as much as possible, increase the consumption of food and grass, and then launch the final blow when people are panicking."

General Tan added a few bundles of grass to the fire, shook his head and said:
"If we were unprepared, even if we blocked the fire, but were rushed in and killed by the Tartars, hundreds of cavalry versus thousands of infantry, then we would be killed and scattered this afternoon."

Howling wolves could be heard in the distance, and everyone was quiet for a while. Zheng Huan, who was gnawing on a leg of lamb on Ma Sanbiao's side, dropped the bone, and said in a low voice:

"They have hundreds of riders, and we also have hundreds of riders. I knew I would have chased them out and killed his mother."

Wang Tong laughed out loud, and said leisurely:
"It's not what we want to engage in cavalry warfare with the Tartars on the prairie. It's what we want when they crash into our chariots and their heads are bloodied. After this afternoon, even if there are more Tartars The small group of harassment will also be waiting further north, you should rest early tonight and set off tomorrow according to the arrangement!"

Ma Sanbiao gulped down the mutton soup in the wooden bowl, wiped his mouth, and said harshly:
"My lord, these hundreds of cavalrymen are also a force, so if we leave like this, will there be any hindrance?"

Wang Tong said in a deep voice:
"It is the greatest benefit to our Huwei camp if you do what you want to do well. It is enough to leave fifty cavalry for the brigade to serve as ranger scouts. Three bids, I will ask you again. Maybe after this incident There is a risk of guilt, you have to think clearly!"

Ma Sanbiao patted his chest and said with certainty:
"My mother often said that my family was just a small family that made cattle and horses for others. When I saw a yamen servant, I wanted to be a family of the same day. Now I am also called a master and live a rich life. This is not your lord. Your kindness, this life has long been yours, so there is nothing else you can't do."

Wang Tong nodded, but did not speak. He raised the soup bowl in his hand, and Ma Sanbiao stood up holding the soup bowl with both hands, and drank it with his head up, as if drinking Zhuang Xingjiu.

At night, the guards were strict, and each battalion was on duty in rotation. The two firecracker battalions and half of the artillery team were on standby at any time. However, at night, neither the Ming army nor the Tartar army could see it, and the daytime There was a big fire, and the grass around the car formation was burned clean. Under the light of the stars and the moon, there was no shelter, and it was difficult to sneak attack.

One night passed, but nothing happened.

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When the next day just dawned, the area where the cavalry rested began to make noise. When everyone got up, they found that there were a lot fewer cavalry than yesterday, and there were only a few dozen cavalry left. Everyone was confused, but looking at the cavalry The generals looked as usual, so there was nothing to worry about.

However, this march was different from yesterday. The carts were divided into two rows and marched side by side. The soldiers walked on the outside of the carts, and the peasants walked on the inside.

There are dozens of steps between the two trains of carts. At the front end, there are three carts running side by side, and at the rear end there are also three carts side by side. The shape just forms a rectangle. It can be understood with a little military knowledge. The array of carts In fact, it forms a moving wooden city. When encountering an enemy, it stops on the spot, and can form a defensive array at the fastest speed.

At dawn, we set up a fire to make food, packed our tents and set off on the road. The sun rose a bit, but the surrounding area was much flatter than yesterday. Maybe yesterday’s way of setting fire was not cheap and suffered a great loss. People far away, but they didn't see any smoke from the fire.

When the sun was a little high, although there was wind, the sun was shining and it was a little warmer. The peasants and soldiers were hard to bear, but yesterday they ate mutton and horse meat, and there were goods in their stomachs, so they could withstand it.

The north side is upwind. When the fire was lit yesterday, the fire was heading south. The dry grass in the north was not obstructed, but some white could be seen in the distance, presumably it had snowed.

While walking, suddenly a soldier on the right side of the team shouted:

"Tartar!!!"

The coachmen immediately yelled and stopped, and saw dozens of riders emerge from the grass at a distance of more than a hundred paces to the right, turned on their horses, screamed loudly, beat the horses and ran away.

It can also be seen from the side of the chariot formation. These people did not run a few steps, but they all got off their horses and could no longer be seen. The Tartar cavalry wore khaki cloth clothes. The Mongolian horses were not tall and the wind was not strong. They hid in the In the dense withered grass, it is really difficult to find traces.

There was no contact at all, but the brigade stopped. Seeing that no one could be seen, they gave the order to move forward again, and the brigade started again.

He didn't go too far, but another person appeared at the front right, and the sentinel on the car shouted warnings again. This time, he was close to dozens of steps away, and he opened his bow and arrow when he got on the horse.

More than a dozen arrows shot over, and the generals ordered them to disperse, but two of them were shot in the shoulder and arm, screaming loudly, but when the archers and musketeers from Huwei Camp came over, The dozen or so riders ran away again without a trace.

This kind of harassment did not cause heavy casualties, but it seriously affected the speed of the brigade. If the harassment continued, the morale would also be greatly affected. Wang Tong looked at it with a dark face, and ordered in a cold voice:

"Stand up on the watchtower in the car!!"
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(End of this chapter)