Song Dynasty

Chapter 81 Fast as an Arrow ([-])

In the snow curtain, the long dragon of torches circled in the fields.Sometimes it disperses into several strands, and sometimes it merges into one.It is moving forward little by little, and it seems to be very slow.

But when you get closer, you can hear the sonorous and powerful steps of the army marching, and feel the blood of the men rushing towards your face.

Troops trotted down the road, troop after troop, all in armor whose leaves gleamed in the firelight.

In addition, on the shoulders, each of them carried a bundled quilt.

In the cold weather, after the forced march all the way, everyone was sweating and their heads were steaming hot.Some even took off their helmets, gasping for breath.

That's right, this is the Sizhou camp that is galloping towards Majiadu.

Now, after running all night, they have traveled twenty miles, which is already the distance traveled by an elite army in this era in a day.

Jinling is located near the river, with convenient transportation. It connects Jingxiang to the west, and Sanwu to the east.The rivers and lakes in the territory are vertical and horizontal, and it is actually a place of beauty.There are no high mountains in the southeastern region, and the interior is mostly plains with rivers and rivers.However, there are enough mountains around Jinling to shield it, and because of this advantage, Nanjing has always been the capital of the southern dynasty.

But also because of this terrain, it caused a lot of trouble for the Sizhou camp's rapid march.

Fortunately, the reason why Jinling has become the political, economic and cultural center of the south is not only the Yangtze River water transport.Since the great development of the south of the Yangtze River in the Tang Dynasty, Stone City has built a transportation network of official roads extending in all directions, connecting the major cities on the south bank of the river.

The road that Sizhouying is taking now is the only road from Jinling to Taiping. The country was prosperous in the Northern Song Dynasty, so the road was also leveled, allowing two cars to drive side by side.

Unfortunately, with so many heavily armed soldiers marching in the dark, it was still extremely difficult.It was too crowded, and some people jumped directly into the paddy fields next to them, looking for the ridges that could be discerned in the night light.

Like the Song Army of the second-line non-combat troops of this era, the Sizhou Battalion is all infantry, and it can't be turned into a mule.The army had only six war horses, seven draft horses and six donkeys.But now, draft horses and donkeys are required to transport armaments and fodder.As for the war horses, they were used to pull the weizhou civil servants who had already been paralyzed.

Although he is the commander in chief of an army, Wang Shen, like the soldiers under him, holds a spear in one hand and strides forward vigorously.

The road is narrow, surrounded by sweaty soldiers.They rub shoulders against each other, and the leaves of their armor rustle.In the firelight, those simple soldiers saw that their commander was covered in mud just like them, and cheered up. Even if they complained a little, they had nothing to say.

In fact, Wang Shen secretly complained in his heart.For this long-distance rapid march, he put on the outdoor shoes and socks that he had cherished for a long time as a commemoration of modern society. He walked on the muddy road much more stably than others. /In addition, he used to go hiking and camping when he had nothing to do, so his body is already strong.However, as the leader of an army, he still had to run back and forth in the ranks and loudly encouraged the soldiers who could no longer walk.Help up, or take over the weapons and armor in the hands of soldiers, and help carry them for a while.

In this way, the consumption of physical energy is much greater than that of others.

To save energy on long hikes, you need to maintain a steady pace.He walked so fast and slowly, and after a night, the backs of his toes were blistered with blood, and every time he moved, he felt excruciatingly painful.

At this time, he really wanted to stop immediately, take a sip of hot coffee, get into the tent and have a good sleep.

But he couldn't, not only couldn't stop, but he had to put on a radiant look.The team only traveled [-] miles all night, and it was [-] miles from Jinling to Majiadu. Will there be enough time?

Wang Shen couldn't help but turned his head and glanced towards the east. The snow was still falling, but there was a slight morning light on the horizon in the distance.

Thoughtful, he couldn't help but stagger.

The two guards following behind him hastily stretched out their hands to help him. Wang Shen leaned hard on the gun barrel, opened their hands with a wave, and said with a smile: "Zhi Niang, I stepped on the mud. I'm still in good spirits. Wait a minute." Don't be dumped by me."

After laughing, he opened his mouth wide and spewed out mouthfuls of white air.

Du Shu, who was standing next to him, was not feeling well either. He had been freezing all night, his face had turned pale, and he said tremblingly, "Dao Si, you have fallen so many times this night that your body is covered in mud. Otherwise, I'll come down." , you get on the horse and ride for a while."

Wang Shen smiled and said, "Yozhi, forget it. Before you walked out of the barracks for less than two miles, you fell so far that you didn't even recognize your mother, and now your mouth is still full of mud. Get off your horse and go, wait a minute." I can't even eat lunch."

The exhausted soldiers all around laughed softly. They joined the Sizhou camp for different purposes.Some of them are the refugees he collected and escaped across the river together, while others are purely for a living in this troubled world.These peasant children used to treat General Wang purely because of the concept of hierarchy, and they subconsciously obeyed their superiors.

After entering the barracks, I found that during daily training, General Wang would fight on the playground with the soldiers, and he did better than everyone else in both tactical training and formation training.This time they marched in a hurry, they didn't even ride a horse, they said they wanted to share weal and woe with Brother Pao Ze.With such a chief, everyone feels kindness, but also admiration and love.

Although Du Shu had a good temper, he had served as a recorder in Weizhou and joined the army. Although his rank was not high, he was not even considered an official in the Song Dynasty when officials were separated.It's really comparable, and it's equivalent to a deputy director-level official in later generations. There is a difference in dignity. After being laughed at by the soldiers, he was still a little annoyed, so he pouted and didn't speak.

"Hehe, Yuezhi is angry, come here, I'll lead the horse for you." Wang Shen liked seeing Du Yuezhi angry, so he wanted to pull the horse.

Du Shu jumped off the ground in a hurry: "I can't stand it myself. I sat on the horse all night and I froze to death. I have to exercise my muscles and bones. Captain Gao, sit down." He changed another face who was tired from walking. Colleagues in Weizhou who are all distorted.

He was surprised that the order from the left-behind department was to arrive at Majiadu within a day, which was obviously an impossible task, that is to say, nothing more.But this Wang Daoshen was going to leave overnight, and he was in such a hurry, what was he afraid of?If the left-behind department finds out about it in the future, I'll take it at worst.I'm also Du Xiang's nephew, and others will give me some face, so I dare to march against us?
Also, our group of civil servants are already weak, and walking around in a mess, isn't it a waste of time?
Besides, the [-] or so of us are just a display in the Sizhou camp. Up to now, we haven’t led a single soldier, and no one in the army knows us. Wang Daosi, you just go to Majiadu and bring What use are we?
Although he was puzzled in his heart, he was still angry about what happened just now, so Du Shu kept his mouth shut without saying a word, and just hurried on his way.

Wang Shen chuckled, and said to the two guards beside him: "Both of you support Deputy Military Envoy Du well, no matter whether you carry it on your back or carry it, you won't let him fall behind. Otherwise, military law will follow."

"Yes, General." A guard nodded, stepped forward and ran forward with Du Shu on his back.

Du Shu blushed with anger, and shouted: "Let go of me, let me go, I'm not a three-year-old child." Ordinarily, he is also a master, so it's okay to be carried behind.But for some reason, he always felt a little ashamed.

Everyone laughed again, but this laugh was full of energy, and the wind was blowing under their feet.

At dawn, the road is easy to walk.

The troops spent the day in rapid movement, and they didn't know how far they had traveled, and there were still rolling hills in front of them.

When the team stopped again for a short rest, Du Shu felt that his whole body was about to fall apart, and his waist was so stiff that it took half a day to slowly straighten.

At the same time, the inner roots of the two thighs were burning hot. When I touched them with my hands, I shivered from the pain.

If I'm not mistaken, it should be because the horse has been worn out for a long time.

During this day, he sometimes rode a horse, sometimes got off the ground and walked a few steps, and sometimes walked a few miles on the back of the guards, and sometimes fell down because of a foot.

Up to this moment, his head, face and body were all wet with mud, and he had no strength left.

Like him, the civil servants from Weizhou who joined the Sizhou Army were equally embarrassed.Most of these officials are in their early forties, and the youngest one is 33 years old.In the past, I was used to living in Yi Qi, raising Yi body, and enjoying it. When did I suffer such hardships?At this moment, the army listened to rest, and everyone didn't care about their face, and sat down in the mud like other soldiers.Some people even lay flat on the ground, sleeping soundly, letting the snowflakes hit their faces, and then melted into water and flowed into the neck.

Unlike the Weizhou officials and the military officers who are currently in the Sizhou camp, the soldiers are still in good spirits.Some people refused to chew the dry food with big mouthfuls, and some were joking and laughing in low voices.Some people really couldn't bear the thick mud sticking to the soles of their feet, so they picked up a wooden stick and scraped vigorously.

There were also two people who clashed for some unknown reason. They grabbed each other with red eyes, and were angrily beaten by the officer twice with army sticks before they separated panting.

"These sergeants, why are they so energetic?" a man said beside Du Shu.

Du Yuezhi knew this person as a county lieutenant in Xinxiang County, Weizhou. Now the Sizhou Army has been appointed as the Marquis of Duyu, and he doesn't have to do any work. He has three hundred catties of rice, one foot of linen, and one pair of shoes every month.He had led the village army before, and he was considered a strong man. After walking all day and night, he couldn't bear it anymore, and his face was full of greenness.

Du Shu: "It's not like you haven't seen how Wang Daosi trains soldiers. Every day, whether it's windy or rainy, the soldiers have to run for ten miles in full armor, but you and I can't compare. I know you are free now. It’s uncomfortable, if you want to lead troops, you might as well train with the Sizhou Battalion.”

The man remembered the horrible scene during the Sizhou camp training, and suddenly changed his face: "I'd better forget it, our Du Yuhou is also Wang Daosi's care, just for food. When there are other connections in the future, naturally I'm going to resign and leave. I don't care if I don't take this soldier with me."

Seeing that he was as afraid of training as a tiger, Du Shu was about to laugh.At the other end, a messenger came running, shouting as he ran: "Everyone, every team, pay attention, hurry up and rest, and set off after a stick of incense."

(End of this chapter)