Ming Zuo

Chapter 89 Bi Maokang's Experience (2)

Bi Maokang had been to the barracks and had seen what the Ming army was like.

Then the camp gave him a completely different feeling.

The most obvious point is that there is a lively atmosphere everywhere in the back camp.

"Your back camp, how many days do you train every day?"

Zuo Menggeng knew what he was asking.

"Training every day, don't slack off."

Bi Maokang was shocked.

"Every day is taught, how can the soldiers bear it? Aren't you afraid of trouble?"

Zuo Menggeng pointed to the heroic soldiers and asked back: "Dongjiao Gong, look at these soldiers. They are well fed, warmly dressed, their military pay is issued on time, their families are well-fed, and they know why they are fighting. You Say, will they still be reluctant to train?"

Why can't the Ming army train every day?

First, the generals are lazy and greedy for enjoyment.

The generals are not willing to endure hardships in the wind and snow, so how can they force the soldiers to do so?
Second, the food and clothing expenses of the soldiers of the Ming army were severely deducted, and even the soldiers of the early Ming Dynasty were seriously deficient in nutrition.

In the case of poor physical fitness, if you practice every day, the soldiers will definitely not be able to bear it.

Even if the capital is insufficient, Zuo Menggeng has never been stingy in military affairs.The soldiers in the rear battalion eat three meals a day, and the meals are sufficient, and their bodies are well maintained.

Third, the soldiers of the Ming army did not possess their minds.

They become soldiers because they are military households and can't do anything else.Even if they recruited soldiers, they were only to be paid to serve as soldiers and to fill their stomachs.

Since it is for yourself, why are you willing to bear hardships and stand hard work and sharpen your skills?

Zuo Menggeng knew too well how great an army with ideas was, so at the beginning of the establishment of the army, everything else could be left behind, but the indoctrination of ideas took the lead.

This is also the reason why the back camp can practice every day, and the strength grows by leaps and bounds.

Maybe other people don't know the meaning of this, but Zuo Menggeng is very clear, just give him a year, and after the rear battalion is fully equipped, it is not a problem to force tens of thousands of troops with the number of [-].

Going forward again, there is another open space, and there are also more than a hundred soldiers.

However, these people did not walk in line, nor did they practice holding guns, nor did they practice assassination.Instead, he was surrounded by a big car, talking about something in full swing.

Bi Maokang looked curious and walked over.

Zuo Menggeng introduced him.

"This is the logistics squadron of the rear battalion's general rear brigade, and now there are only these people. They are studying the problems of grain transportation and engineering erection."

Engineering men are like this. Once they hear something they don't understand, they will definitely ask.

"Engineering erection?"

Zuo Menggeng used the vocabulary of this era to explain.

"We open a road when we meet mountains, and we build bridges when we meet water. During the march of the army, the road conditions are very important, which greatly affects the speed of the march and the transportation of food and grass. Therefore, the juniors set up such a military branch in the rear camp to perform their duties."

Hearing that the transportation of grain and grass has to be an army of its own, rather than the use of civilians, Bi Maokang asked, "What's the benefit of this?"

Zuo Menggeng explained very carefully.

"Because it is a military branch dedicated to its duties, what they have to do on a daily basis is to continuously study how to speed up transportation, how to reduce road consumption, and how to supply the entire army in the fastest and best way. Soldiers on the top can just concentrate on fighting without going hungry or worrying about other things. When the supply of the army is guaranteed, it will be easier to win battles.”

He also added.

"This move will not hurt the people and money."

When the dynasties went to war, it was also the most miserable time for the people.

Not only did they have to abandon the work in the fields and the crops were wasted, but the court did not compensate them.Even to transport food and grass for the army, they have to prepare their own dry food.

If you are injured, you will not get pensions. Seeing a doctor for treatment is also a burden.

In every battle, these civilians suffered no less damage than the front-line troops.

Of course, Bi Maokang knew what it meant not to levy civil husbands.

But with so many civilians and military generals in the imperial court, who would have thought of setting up a professional military branch for this purpose?
The two approached and were discovered by the soldiers, but no one was alarmed.

Bi Maokang noticed that when the soldiers greeted Zuo Menggeng, the smiles on their faces were all sincere and cordial.

This is a general who loves soldiers like a son and is deeply loved by the soldiers.

There is no doubt about the high prestige of such a general.On the battlefield, with an order, all the soldiers will be willing to die generously for him.

Bi Maokang could already imagine the scene where Zuo Menggeng waved his flag, and thousands of troops went through fire and water, destroying the dead.

Zhang Yan was also there.

"Qianzuo, we are following your instructions and are studying how to improve the cart."

He gave Zuo Menggeng and Bi Maokang to the cart and pointed them out.

"I went to the old carpenter to make a latch for the axle. Once the latch is removed, the two wheels can be removed."

A soldier gave a demonstration, and it was very convenient to remove the wheel.

Bi Maokang was puzzled.

"The cart is used to transport food and grass. Wouldn't it be useless to remove the wheels?"

Zhang Yan didn't know Bi Maokang, but seeing Zuo Menggeng's respectful attitude, he didn't dare to neglect him.

"This old man doesn't know something. If it is transported on the road, of course you need wheels. But if you want to cross a river, you must have a bridge. But bridges don't exist all the time, so we have to find a way to build bridges ourselves. This big cart Improvements have been made, the deck is bigger and flatter. After the wheels are removed, it can be used as a raft by throwing it into the water.”

Bi Maokang is a southerner, of course he has seen a raft.Seeing the length and width of the cart, you know that it can carry people and goods in the water.

"It's really a whimsical idea, so when the river blocks the way, there is no need to stand still."

Zhang Yan is very proud.

"It's more than that. Qianzu said that light energy is not enough to be used as a raft. After all, when the army is marching, only the raft is used to transport back and forth. Not to mention the slow speed, it is still very chaotic. Such hooks are installed on the side of the cart. At that time, several or dozens of carts are pushed into the water together, and these hooks are connected together to form a pontoon bridge. Personnel and materials can pass directly as much as possible, just like marching on the road. "

It seems that they have remembered everything Zuo Menggeng taught them, and they have exerted their own initiative and created new things.

Zuo Menggeng said this when he first gave a lecture to the general rear team.

"When you saw the canal, what was the first thing you thought of as engineers?"

"Of course there are several pontoon bridges, so that the army can pass quickly."

Soldiers keep in mind and have come up with good ideas.

Zuo Menggeng was very concerned and asked, "Have you tried it?"

Of course there is still a problem.

Zhang Yandao: "We went to the river to try it, and found that it is possible to walk on the pontoon bridge, but it is not possible to transport materials, and the pontoon bridge will sink."

Of course, Zuo Menggeng knew why.

No matter how big the cart is, where can it go?
With the area of ​​​​the car board of the cart, ordinary people can still stand on it.But as long as it exceeds a certain weight, the sinking is certain.

Zuo Menggeng couldn't think of a solution to this problem for a while, so he could only give some ideas.

"Let's see if you can use screws to make the yoke movable. When you want to build a pontoon, the yoke can also be removed and used as a pillar in the water?"

Today's carts are all nailed, and if they are changed to detachable, they can naturally increase their use.

A soldier said, "Shallow water is fine, but deep water is of little use."

"This is just an expedient measure, and it is not realistic to build a pontoon bridge on a large river."

Even in later generations, building pontoon bridges on rivers hundreds of meters wide is a problem.

He has another idea.

"Look back and think about it, can you make some leather bags? I usually put them on top of each other. When you want to make a pontoon bridge, blow air into it and tie it to both sides of the pontoon bridge."

The people in Shaanxi can make sheepskin rafts, which can even be used on the torrent of the Yellow River, and ordinary rivers are naturally unobstructed.

Although people of this era did not understand the principle of air buoyancy, they also knew what Zuo Menggeng was talking about.

Everyone hurriedly kept it in mind and continued the discussion.

Bi Maokang left with Zuo Menggeng and was deeply touched by seeing the scene of officers and soldiers in full swing.

"The commander does not oppress his subordinates, his subordinates speak freely, and the appearance of your army is unique in the world!"

Zuo Menggeng walked aside and chuckled when he heard the words.

"Whether it is a general or a soldier, they are a whole on the battlefield. Only by uniting as one and exerting the greatest strength can victory be achieved. If the general treats the soldier as a slave, the soldier regards the general as an enemy. I am afraid that the enemy has not yet fought. , I am in a mess. Our army is based on equality of officers and soldiers. Except for different positions, everyone's status is the same."

True equality is impossible, but making soldiers feel respected and actively participating in the construction of the army is definitely the only way to strengthen the army.

If Zuo Menggeng said this before, Bi Maokang must have thought it was a fantasy.But now he has seen it on the spot, felt it, and felt the deepest feeling.

(End of this chapter)