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

Chapter 192

There was light snow in the sky, from Baoanzhou City to Shunxiang Fort, there were festive firecrackers from time to time, and the streets were busy with soldiers and civilians dealing with New Year's goods.All the merchants are smiling. This year, the business in the city is much better. Looking at the prosperity of Baoan Prefecture, I should expand my business scale in the coming year.

The various bathhouses in the city are also full of people washing their bodies. No one does not like to be clean. It’s just that water was difficult in the past. Where can I find a place to take a bath?Fortunately, the guards are benevolent and built these bathhouses for everyone. For a couple of pennies, you can enjoy them to your heart's content and wash away the fatigue of a year.

While taking a bath, everyone discussed loudly. This year, everyone's fields are exempted from taxation. After the Chinese New Year, they finally have some accumulated grain and rice, which can be used to make some flour and steamed buns.How many years have passed without such a good day, thinking about it is really emotional.

Each military household has also reclaimed [-] acres of wasteland this year. With cattle and well-irrigated water trucks, next year's autumn harvest will be able to collect dozens of shi of grain, and next year will be tax-free... Think about the next year, there will be dozens of shi After the grain and rice were taken home, everyone said that they were looking forward to the future life.

Although taxes will be levied from the next year, the tax amount of one to two buckets per mu, without any additional surcharges, can still guarantee everyone's food and clothing. In this world, after a year of hard work, there is enough food and clothing. It's heaven.Bad news kept coming from all over the country. It was either a catastrophe or a severe drought. The government imposed severe punishments, forcing the soldiers and civilians from all over the place to be unable to survive. Every day, a large number of refugees fled to Baoan Prefecture.Looking at these refugees, the soldiers and civilians in Baoan Prefecture cherish their present life very much.

Of course, everyone came to the same conclusion, that everything is brought by the garrison right now, and everyone's life can be guaranteed only if the garrison is in Baoanzhou for a day.Everyone was just worried that if one day the garrison was transferred from Baoan Prefecture, the consequences would be unpredictable.

In addition to men's bathhouses, there are three women's bathhouses in the city, and they are also full at the moment. The people who come in and out are all women from military and civilian households in Zhoucheng, Yingyingyanyan, full of big girls and daughter-in-laws, and the men passing by in Zhoucheng can't bear it. Can't help but look over there.

After the completion of this women's bathhouse, there were few people at first, and all the women were embarrassed to go to the bathhouse to take a bath due to the gossip in the city.

How did this work?The cleanliness of the military and civilians in the state city is related to the major issue of epidemic prevention. Wang Dou quickly figured out a way. In addition to letting the theater troupe do more publicity, he also asked his wife Xie Xiuniang to lead a group of military officers' wives to take a bath first, playing a pioneering and exemplary role.With the example of Xie Xiuniang and others in front, women from all military households are scrambling to go to the women's bathhouse to take a bath.

Who dares to talk too much, they just said that the guarding wife has gone to take a bath, why can't they go?Immediately tell these people to shut up, who dares to talk about Xie Xiuniang and others after eating the bear heart and leopard courage?In the end, I went to the bathhouse to take a dip when I had nothing to do, and it became a fashionable life for soldiers and civilians.

Before the Chinese New Year, all the sons and daughters of the families also came back. While the parents of the families were heartbroken that their sons were thicker and darker, they were also happy to see that they had grown stronger. It's a far cry from the sluggishness before.And everyone is wearing brand-new mandarin duck battle jackets, all of which are finely crafted, thick and warm, and brightly colored.Everyone is also wearing fur coats, fur hats, leather boots, etc., and they all look heroic and energetic.

Walking the streets in twos and threes, these sergeants add a special masculine vibe and catch the eye.

These three thousand new recruits were from Zhoucheng, Wubao, and Zhangjiabao. When they returned home, their wives, brothers, sisters, and parents were happy, but they also wondered that their children practiced three thousand soldiers. Moon, why did it grow stronger?In their impression, being a soldier has always been a hard job, poor food, and scolding by the superiors from time to time, which can be said to be a hellish life.

After hearing what the family said, the recruits didn't take it seriously. They laughed and said, "It's true that the training is hard, but it's not true that the superiors scolded them and they didn't eat well."

They explained that they practiced in the Shunxiang Fort Army, had enough food every day, and even had meat to eat every day, and watched operas and listened to books in their spare time, so after a few months, their bodies could be so much stronger, which made their family members yearn for it .It's amazing that there are still such good days in the army.

When they got home, the recruits found out how poor their family was. Their wives and parents happily made white flour steamed buns for them to eat, and even planned to buy some meat back. Look at the low and dilapidated houses in the house.

The recruits recalled what they saw in Shunxiang Fort. The veterans and soldiers over there, after many battles against bandits and Qing soldiers, everyone gave a lot of rewards.At least during this new year, their families can afford to buy meat for the new year, buy new clothes for the young and old in the family, and then look at their own home...

In the past, when the recruits were practicing in Shunxiang Fort, they heard the veterans brag about how many rewards they would get in the army after going out to battle. They didn't have any idea, but now they understand what going out to fight means to them.After this year, I don't know how many recruits secretly vowed in their hearts that for the good life of their families, they must fight, capture, and reward if they have the opportunity.

……

Wang Dou now has more than [-] soldiers in his hands, but he has newly trained [-] soldiers and has not carefully reorganized them. This is after the New Year.

After the recruits were trained, apart from Hanchao in Zhoucheng, Han Zhong's Sergeants A and B, and Sergeant Sun Sanjie Ding in Shunxiangbao, who were still on guard outside the city, Wang Dou sent them home for the New Year.Perhaps it will not be regrouped until after the spring plowing.This is the trouble of the non-commissioned sergeants. Most of the soldiers under Wang Dou are strong laborers from various military households. Every spring when they do farm work, they have to be given a vacation and let them go home to work.

This problem still needs to be solved, but in the 11th year of Chongzhen, except for the three sergeants who remained, the rest of the sergeants were dispersed.

Although the sergeants who stayed in the barracks could not go home to reunite with their families, they were not lonely when they stayed in the army. Many activities were organized in the barracks. Officers such as Wang Dou and others went to the barracks to express their condolences. In each barracks, a few pigs were killed. Sheep, so that all the sergeants ate their mouths full of oil, and there were also steamed buns full of white flour for them to enjoy. From the beginning of the new year, there were also theater troupes who came to their barracks to perform for them.

Compared with the family, the army has always eaten well, and the food and treatment are good, which makes all the sergeants who stay behind satisfied.

Throughout the first lunar month until Lantern Festival, Wang Dou was busy with New Year greetings, giving New Year greetings to his superiors and accepting New Year greetings from his subordinates. On the Lantern Festival day, Wang Dou summoned all the military officers in the prefectural city to discuss the reorganization of the new army and security guards for the coming year. Various matters in the state city.

Looking at the officers gathered together, Wang Dou said with a smile: "I am determined to appoint Han Chao, Han Zhong, and Wen Fangliang as the Qianzong of the prefecture city. Each of the three leads a sergeant."

Wang Dou is currently on guard, and his troops can be changed appropriately. Hearing Wang Dou's appointment, Han Chao is fine, but Han Zhong and Wen Fangliang are happy, they have been promoted again, and they accept orders loudly.It's good to follow the garrison master, the promotions and fortunes continue, and the eyes of the rest are also bright, looking at Wang Dou with expectant eyes.

Wang Dou pondered and said: "In my Baoan Prefecture, there were originally 320 soldiers and horses, and the three generals in the prefecture city were divided into one, which was 970 people. I decided to add a team of 11 people to each department, including the governor and entourage. Five people, four doctors, ten military entourages and 12 standard-bearers and drummers. In addition, there are one gunpowder maker, one iron maker, and one doctor and animal doctor. An additional baggage team and artillery team..."

Wang Dou said: "How many people should be in this artillery team and luggage, and how many vehicles and artillery are in it, everyone discusses."

Everyone present was pondering. According to the thinking of Wen Fangliang and others, of course, the more soldiers and horses under his command, the better, but the actual bearing capacity of Baoanzhou must also be considered.

Han Chaodao: "The humble staff thinks that every thousand commanders will have one artillery team, including five Buddha wolf machine guns, ten small bronze cannons, and fifteen tiger crouching cannons."

Han Dynasty counted for Wangdou. Now Baoanzhou and Shunxiang Fort have more than 50 sets of copper and iron Frang machine, about [-] small copper cannons and small iron cannons of Frang machine, and hundreds of tiger crouching cannons.Even if part of it is used for field battles, there is still no problem with the firepower of the city defense.

As for the gunners, there are five mighty and invincible general iron cannons in the city of Baoan Prefecture. They are Hongyi cannons, weighing several thousand catties, and it is impossible to take them for use.The rest of the Franco cannons are all medium artillery weighing more than 300 catties, firing projectiles less than two catties, which can be taken for field use.

Each of these guns requires about three gunners.There are also those Franco cannons and tiger squatting cannons, each weighing more than 100 catties and dozens of catties, and each requires two gunners.Together with the team officers and guards, in this way, a total artillery team of one thousand can only have 70 people.

Of course, these cannons must be pulled by mules and horses. Now the cannons in various parts of Baoan Prefecture have changed to double-wheeled gun mounts, which are the Fran cannons weighing more than 300 kilograms. Thirty mules and horses are needed for the artillery.These horses can be taken care of by the gunner himself, and the artillery team can be accompanied by a stableman to take care of them.

Wang Dou nodded. In this way, each Qianzong now has more than 89 and [-] people.

Han Chao said again: "As for the general supply team of Qianzong, the humble staff thinks that there are fifty unicycles and forty carriages in it, and each wheelbarrow is counted as one person, and the carriage is counted as two people, plus officers and guards, one There are 130 and [-] people in the total supply team of the thousand generals."

If the sergeants go out to fight, if they bring their own dry food, they can only sustain the battle for a few days. If it is more than ten days, or even a month or a few months, and they are far away from the supply area, they must use the supply team.

Assuming that there are one thousand and several hundred people in a thousand troops, each sergeant consumes about one kilogram of food every day, and there are nearly a hundred mules and horses. A horse consumes about ten kilograms of rice and wheat feed every day. 23 shi for rice, nearly [-] shi for grain, rice, and fodder a month.There are also various munitions, tents, weapons and armor to be carried, and various losses are estimated, so fifty one-wheeled vans and forty horse-drawn carts are essential for the supply team.

The reason why Han and North Korea suggested that Wang Dou use a wheelbarrow and a horse-drawn cart is because the road is rough at this time, and it is best to use a wheelbarrow. The wheelbarrow can generally carry 150 kg to 200 kg.The carriage can carry 500 kg to 600 kg. At this time, Daming's four to six shi grains of rice.

The load capacity of the other handcarts and other things is stronger than that of a wheelbarrow and inferior to that of a horse-drawn cart. It is not easy to travel on rough and uneven roads, such as on Pingyuan Avenue, and it is not as good as using a horse-drawn cart, so Han and North Korea do not recommend using it.As for donkey and horse transportation, the general load is only 150 kg to 200 kg. Compared with the wheelbarrow, it has no advantage. Donkey and horse eat a lot. Unless there are areas where even a wheelbarrow cannot pass, some donkeys and horses can be allocated for transportation. Generally, it is not recommended to use it.

There was a lot of discussion among the people, and they all agreed with Han and North Korea's proposal. The number of soldiers in such a prefecture city has been set down, including the transportation team and the artillery team, totaling 220 five people.The three troops led by Han Chao, Han Zhong, and Wen Fangliang totaled 670 people.

The soldiers and horses of each subordinate, in addition to the one they originally led, there are two remaining generals. One is Gao Shiyin, Sun Sanjie, and Yang Tong, each leading Shun Township Castle. Yang Tong is also newly promoted to the general. Overwhelmed.One is to form a general army from newly trained recruits.For the supply team and the artillery team, the lack of candidates is also selected from the trained recruits.

The newly formed supply team, one supply soldier has to supply ten soldiers, obviously has a heavy responsibility, but they are no more than ordinary civilians, they are all specialized, and the treatment of these people is obviously the same as that of ordinary soldiers, just a division of labor different.

Three divisions form one battalion, and everyone discussed the quota of soldiers and horses in the battalion.

Wang Dou decided that for the nighters in Baoan Prefecture and Shunxiang Fort, they would select sergeants from various ministries to form two teams of 100 people. With Wen Daxing as the general manager, they would all be transferred to the city of Zhou and directly under his command.Then there were 50 guards in the battalion, 20 standard-bearers and drummers, various doctors and doctors under Wang Tianxue, and ten military companions from Chi Dacheng, the governor of the town.

Then directly lead a baggage team and artillery team. There are about 300 or so single-wheeled vans and [-] carriages in the battalion baggage team, plus officers, guards, horsemen, etc., and there are about [-] people.Wang Dou decided to transfer Zhong Tiaoyang to be the head of the transportation team. It was a waste for him to lead soldiers and horses to guard the miners in the silver mine. The operation of the silver mine was already on track. There was no need to keep hundreds of people there to watch over the miners. Dozens of soldiers can be there.If there is any shortage of manpower, let Zhong Tiaoyang replenish it from recruits.

After hearing Wang Dou's appointment, Zhong Tiaoyang stood up and cupped his hands calmly. He had always been convinced of his cousin's ability to handle affairs.

Managing the baggage of the battalion is also a good job. Everyone present looked at Zhong Tiaoyang with envy.

As for the battalion artillery, there are 25 Buddha wolf machine guns, 150 small copper guns, and 160 tiger squat guns. There are [-] gunners and [-] guards.Wang Dou handed over this battalion artillery team to Zhao Xuan, and Zhao Xuan was so happy that he was able to lead the artillery team he had dreamed of.

Calculating the current number of soldiers, there are more than [-] people. Wang Dou was discussing plans with everyone, and at the same time, he was a little lost. Lu Xiangsheng must have a strong army in his hands, and he promised himself a guerrilla general. Title, the battle in September this year is almost inseparable, and I will join Lu Xiangsheng in the battle.

In history, Lu Xiangsheng died in battle and was made things difficult by all parties. In the end, he only had a few thousand weak soldiers in his hands.If you want to avoid all this, you have to make a big fuss about food and grass.

Not to mention the friendly army, the thousands of soldiers and horses under his command eating and drinking for several months is not a small number.In history, Lu Xiangsheng could not buy food and grass even if he had money. If the history remained unchanged and the war was still fought in Julu and other places, it would be thousands of miles away from Baoanzhou to Julu. After fighting for several months, tens of thousands of people would fight For grain and grass, it is unrealistic to only transport grain from Baoan Prefecture.

Even if I set up some supply points in Yizhou, which is the closest to Baoanzhou, Yizhou is three hundred miles away from Baoanzhou and six to seven hundred miles away from Julu.Empty vehicles can travel [-] miles a day, and heavy vehicles can travel [-] miles a day. It will take more than ten days to transport grain from Yizhou to Julu, and the Qing soldiers will intercept it... Maybe I should consider setting up several supply offices in various places in Baoding Prefecture .

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Old White Bull:
I've been coughing a lot these past two days.The serialization on the Internet is too tiring. If there is a next book, it must be published on the Internet after finishing the book.

(End of this chapter)