A small soldier of the frontier army in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 43 Situation
In March of the eighth year of Chongzhen, Xie Xiuniang came to Jingbian Castle again.

She was wearing the emerald green silk slanted jacket that Wang Dou gave her, and she looked a little timid, obviously afraid that Wang Dou would blame her again.

Wang Dou sighed, just let her stay in the castle, but asked her not to work too hard this time, and not to do the work in the castle secretly.

Seeing that Wang Dou asked her to live in the castle, Xie Xiuniang happily agreed.

From then on, she stayed by Wang Dou's side, doing laundry and cooking for him, and sometimes accompanied Tao Shi and the others to deliver meals to the military households who were building the wall.

All the military households in the castle knew about Xie Xiuniang's relationship with Wang Dou, and when everyone saw her, they respectfully called her little lady.

When Wang Dou asked about the affairs in Xin Zhuang, Xie Xiuniang said that the house in Zhuang Nei was peaceful, but she mentioned Xu Yue'e.

It turned out that Xu Yue'e was indeed insulted by the Houjin army last year, and she had a body, and she couldn't hide her belly by the end of the year. On New Year's Eve, she was kicked out of the house and lived alone in a hut outside. Know what to do for a living.

The people in the village are all gossips and ignore her life and death. Only Mrs. Zhong takes pity on her and asks Xie Xiuniang to send her some rice noodles and money to live with her from time to time.This time when she came to Jingbian Fort, Xie Xiuniang once visited Xu Yue'e and advised her to move to live in Jingbian Fort.

Jingbian Fort housed a group of women who had suffered tragic catastrophe, which also caused a lot of criticism and gossip outside the fort, of course Wang Dou didn't care about it.

As for the actions of Jingbian Fort, the Zhong family admired them very much.The mother-in-law's words and deeds inevitably affected Xie Xiuniang, and Xie Xiuniang also felt that Wang Dou's actions were very good, providing shelter for those poor women.

But for Xie Xiuniang's persuasion, Xu Yue'e just shook her head stubbornly, living silently in the hut.

"Mother is a kind person."

Talking about these things, Xie Xiuniang said reverently.

Wang Dou nodded silently. This Xu Yue'e was just one of the many victims of Jin Bingxuan. The many captive women he and Han Chao and others rescued that day, as well as those women who were rescued from the Siqianliang bandit village, after they returned Most of the days were difficult, and many people committed suicide one after another. Most of these women came to seek refuge in Jingbian Fort afterwards.

After hearing Xie Xiuniang's words, Wang Dou sighed and said, "They are all neighbors, so please help if you can. Mother is doing the right thing, and you are doing well too."

After hearing Wang Dou's praise, Xie Xiuniang smiled happily.

……

In April of the eighth year of Chongzhen, the construction of the Jingbian Fort's fort wall was still in full swing.

It seemed that Zhong Rong's son was ill, so he asked for leave and went home to take care of him for a few days. A few days later, he returned to Jingbian Fort, but his expression was ugly.

Wang Dou asked his son's condition with concern, Zhong Rong just said that his son was fine, and he would be fine in a few days after seeing a doctor, but his expression was still depressed.

That night, Zhong Rong brought a jug of wine to Wang Dou for a drink, and said that he must get drunk today.

Wang Dou was a little strange, this Zhong Rong was usually strict and polite, and he was not very good at drinking, what happened today?
At this time, Xie Xiuniang and Wang Dou both lived in the courtyard behind the official hall, so Wang Dou ordered Xie Xiuniang to cook some side dishes with wine, and he and Zhong Rong sat casually in the hall, drinking and talking.

Zhong Rong picked up the wine glass and took a sip, wiped his mouth and said: "Good wine, good food, so comfortable, it seems that I have never been so comfortable since I was a child."

As he spoke, he picked up another piece of meat, put it in his mouth and chewed it.

Wang Dou saw that he seemed to have lost his composure today, as if he had been hit by something.

He smiled and said, "When I was a child? Judging by Mr. Zhong's age, it should be when Emperor Xian was in office?"

Zhong Rong said: "That's right, it was the time when Emperor Xian was in power."

He seems to be recalling in his eyes: "It was really a peaceful time at that time. It was peaceful, rich, leisurely, and cheap to eat. It is unimaginable now. I remember that my father liked to find a few friends at dusk since he was a child, and talked with him every day. It was all laughter. Of course, we children picked up some food, which was also a joy.”

He laughed and talked about his childhood memories and anecdotes one by one. In his voice, it seemed that he was infinitely reminiscing about that era.

Wang Dou also expressed emotion that the Wanli Year was regarded as the prosperous year of the Ming Dynasty. Although there were three major signs, the world was generally peaceful, especially the people and the commodity economy were highly developed. For the common people, it was indeed a golden age.As for the Emperor Wanli at that time, the citizen novel "Jing Shi Tong Yan" honored him as the king of sages.

After the fall of the Ming Dynasty, the "History of Woodcutters" written by the survivors still misses the grand occasion at that time:

"...From Wanli, don't talk about other benefits, just talk about daily necessities, rice, oil, salt, chicken, geese, fish, etc. Which one is not cheap? If a family of several people spends only two or three dollars on big fish and meat every day, This is extremely rich. There is also a small family with shoulders and shoulders, earning twenty or thirty yuan a day, and it is enough to live a day. At night, they still have to eat some wine, get drunk and tell jokes, Singing Wu songs, listening to books, warming the fire in winter and enjoying the cool in summer, and playing in various ways. How happy are the small households at that time, in the north and south, Beijing and thirteen provinces. So far, the elders have sighed and longed for that time."

The two sighed with emotion for a while, Zhong Rong's face turned ugly, he sighed: "It's over, it's all over, since the emperor, the days are getting worse and worse, now Daming is even more in danger!"

He took out a copy of the residence newspaper heavily, pointed to it and said: "Xingyang has fallen, Fanshui has fallen, Gushi has fallen, Fengyang has fallen, and the bandits are so powerful. Our country has been in power for 300 years. Could it be that this is how it fell?" No?"

Although Wang Dou has a good understanding of the history of the late Ming Dynasty and the events that happened in Chongzhen's eight-year history, the black and white words written in the mansion newspaper are still shocking to see with his own eyes.At this time, Wang Dou knew why Zhong Rong looked so ugly. For these literati, the fall of Fengyang, the central capital, was a great blow to them.

And Wang Dou also suddenly realized that although he has a better understanding of the history of the late Ming Dynasty, he should also collect information at that time at any time. .

Wang Dou stared blankly, and Zhong Rong pointed to the mansion newspaper in Wang Dou's hand and said, "The bandits are getting more and more numerous, and the officers and soldiers are losing streak, but the local people are suffering!"

Zhong Rong raised his voice and said, "Murder, plunder, massacre the city, what can't these bandits do?"

The more he talked, the more excited he became: "When the thieves attacked Shucheng, the officials and soldiers stood firm, and the thieves looted thousands of naked women under the city. If you don't get frustrated, you will kill them."

He sternly shouted: "What's wrong with a woman? She's naked? A thief is so vicious, how can anyone have a good conscience?"

He burst into tears: "The situation is like this, if Emperor Gao knows it, he must cry bitterly."

Wang Dou silently looked at the mansion newspaper in his hand, and his heart was heavy when he heard Zhong Rong talk about his sadness.

In the past few years, although the various places in Bao'an have been relatively peaceful, the outside world has turned upside down at this time.At the beginning of the first month of the first lunar month, there were thirteen peasant families including Gao Yingxiang, Zhang Xianzhong, Laohuihui, Luo Rucai, Ge Liyan, Zuojinwang, Gaishiwang, Shetatian, Hengtianwang, Hunshiwan, Guotianxing, Jiutiaolong, and Shuntianwang 72 The battalion meeting was held in Xingyang, and the momentum was huge.

After the meeting in Xingyang, everyone adopted Li Zicheng's strategy of "dividing the troops to determine the direction", and used Ge Liyan and Zuojin King to attack Sichuan and Lake soldiers.Heng Tian Wang, Hun hundreds of thousands of soldiers fighting Shaanxi.Luo Rucai, crossing the stars and strangling the river.Gao Yingxiang, Zhang Xianzhong, Li Zicheng, etc. are a little bit east.The old Huihui and the Nine Dragons come and go.Daming dispatched [-] troops from the northwest and south to fight in Henan, and ordered Hong Chengchou, the governor of the five provinces, to go out to lead the battle, and Zhu Dadian, the governor of Shandong, to assist in the attack.

However, in this year, the combat power of the peasant army has undergone a qualitative change. Hong Chengchou once said in his memorial of this year: "In the past, the bandits avoided the soldiers and fled, but now they welcome the soldiers to face the enemy, and ambushes from left to right. Repeated inheritance, it is difficult to suppress and kill. The thieves all have fine riders, or straddle two horses, and the officers and soldiers horses walk three steps and seven, so it is difficult to chase."

While their combat effectiveness has improved, these peasant armies have not changed their ferocity.

At the beginning of the first month of the eighth year of Chongzhen, the peasant army captured Fanshui and slaughtered the city for several days!
On the 2th of the first lunar month, the peasant army captured Fengyang, killed tens of thousands of people in the city, burned more than [-] houses, cut open pregnant women, took out babies and carried them on spears for fun.

On the 24th of the first lunar month, the peasant army attacked Shucheng, looting thousands of women from Huoshan and Hefei, forcing them to be naked under the city, and dismembering them if they resisted.

In the first month of this year, the peasant army attacked Chuzhou for dozens of miles. Because the attack was unfavorable, hundreds of women from the village were looted, and after they were all insulted, their heads were cut off and their bodies were lined up Buried upside down on the ground, exposing their lower bodies to the soldiers and civilians in the city, thinking that this would restrain the fierce artillery fire on the city.

The military discipline of the officers and soldiers in the late Ming Dynasty was corrupt, and it was common to kill the good and pretend to be meritorious, but like these peasant soldiers in the late Ming Dynasty, they would kill people and slaughter the city at every turn, insulting women, and dismembering them in the city at the slightest resistance. This is really appalling.Looking around, only the Tartars outside the gate can be compared with them.

In the 300 years of the Ming Dynasty, the country has arrived at the present time, and there are barbarians raging outside and bandits inside, which makes Wang Douping a lot of worries about the situation.He couldn't imagine what would happen to his family when this happened to him in the future.Thinking about the invasion of Qing soldiers next year, Baoan Prefecture will be at the brunt of it again, and my heart adds a lot of urgency.

……

In the end, Zhong Rong staggered away, singing dirges all the way, as if he was drunk.

And Wang Dou just sat there for a long time!

……

"My lord, I have made 35 blunderbusses, 74 sabers, and [-] spears in the past few months. Please have a look."

Although the construction of the fort outside was in full swing, Wang Dou still asked Li Maosen to lead the blacksmiths to forge weapons in the weapon workshop.

The weapons in front of them are the fruits of their labor over the past few months.

Wang Dou's idea of ​​making weapons is simple, grand, no fancy, practical is good.Looking at them one by one, it turns out that whether it is a bird gun or a long spear, they are solid, thick, fine and sharp.Wang Dou nodded in satisfaction. Under his reward and punishment system, these craftsmen still worked hard, and the weapons they made were all top-grade.

Wang Dou ordered these weapons to be taken back to the arsenal, and immediately rewarded these craftsmen, everyone was happy.

This time, Wang Dou came to ask Li Maosen to make a batch of armor. The first batch made ten pairs, five pairs of leather armor and five pairs of iron armor.

Naturally, Li Maosen has no problem. When he was in the Acropolis, he had made firecrackers, knives, guns, and armors, and his level was first-class.

However, Li Maosen became embarrassing afterwards. Both leather armor and iron armor needed a lot of leather and iron materials. Obviously, there were very few stocks of these two items in Jingbian Fort, and they needed to be purchased from outside, and the quantity was quite large.

Wang Douda understood how Li Maosen and the others made armor. When they made leather armor, they first cut cowhide or other animal skin into strips, then stacked three or four strips of leather and coated them with resin. Finally, it is connected with a leather rope, so that it is strong and durable.

When making iron armor, the iron material is first made into thin sheets, one finger wide and one palm long.Drill several small holes in each iron sheet, then stack each two iron sheets together, and then connect these iron sheets to three belts. In this way, iron armor can be made. Using the same method, you can also make A horse's armor, or a man's breastplate.

This method of making armor is somewhat similar to the Mongols in the border areas. It is simple, practical, and not fancy, and can save a lot.

However, according to Li Maosen's estimate, even so, a pair of iron armor needs a lot of iron materials.At present, the price of ordinary wool iron in Ming Dynasty is about three cents of silver per catty, but good iron that has been forged repeatedly costs at least one cent and six cents of silver per catty.

A pair of iron armor requires at least tens of catties of such good iron, five pairs of iron armor, five pairs of leather armor, and the cost of raw materials alone is not a small sum.

But Wang Douji was determined to forge ten sets of armor.In the past few months, he has purchased several batches of iron materials from Dongjiazhuang and Shunxiangbao.The many leather and iron materials this time are obviously not available in Dongjiazhuang, so it seems that I have to go to Shunxiang Fort.

Before leaving, Wang Dou suddenly heard the news that Xu Zhongjun, the defense officer of Shunxiang Fort, seemed to be seriously ill.

※※※

Old White Bull: There is another chapter tonight, and it will be released before twelve o'clock.

(End of this chapter)