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

Chapter 472
There was a lot of chatter in various accents, and when it was time to eat, everyone lined up to receive their meals one by one, under the watchful eyes of the Jingbian Army officers and soldiers.
A flatbread bigger than a sea bowl was handed over, the bowl in the right hand was stretched out, and a large spoonful of boiling broth was poured in, and the big bowl was immediately filled to the brim.In the thick broth, the pieces of meat are clearly visible, and there are also seasonings such as onion and garlic floating. Everyone is very excited. This is a meal that many people only have during the Chinese New Year.
Some Jingbian Army soldiers who were restless and wanted to jump in line or rob other people's food, and maintained discipline, were mercilessly whipped and beaten with military sticks, making them cry and beg for mercy.The bystanders laughed, and they all took pleasure in others' misfortune. In front of Mr. Jing Bianjun, do you still want to be strong and bully the weak?I don't even look at the occasion, I'm really asking for trouble.
Amidst the laughter and laughter, all the men and women were in the same team, according to their fellow countrymen, each of them looked for a place to squat down, and gorged themselves.Many people admired it while eating. They never thought that they could live such a good life when they went out of their mouths with the army.
Sun Sanjie led the generals of the supply battalion to watch silently. Seeing that everyone was full, he waved his hand, and all the scribes in the camp understood, and shouted: "Start work, start work, hurry up to work when you are full, and return to work after work is over." Get paid."
"Work work."
The team leaders and deputy of each team also shouted one after another. All the men and women were full and satisfied, and they all stood up and started working with great enthusiasm.
Starting from the mountainside of Changling Mountain, white lines have been sprinkled with lime along with the construction drawings. The peasants of each team, led by the scribes and scribes of the supply camp, divide the labor and contract sections, and are responsible for their own convenience.
Most of the civilian men who served in the army had strength. They shouted chant, brandished their hoes and iron pickaxes, and kept digging trenches with great force.There are also people carrying dustpans and baskets, who are responsible for carrying the soil, and those who build the wall, use splints, throw soil into the boards, and ram them with pestles.
Since the work is all divided and contracted, they are not allowed to move around freely, and the intelligence department personnel are closely watching, even if there are slaves working here, Sun Sanjie is not worried, and he does not worry that the Changling Mountain defense line will be known by the slaves.
Due to the large number of workers, before Shen's time, the layers of low walls and trenches on the entire mountain had been dug and repaired.
At this time, the layout on the mountain will be carried out by the soldiers of the supply battalion, and there will be no need for these civilian men and soldiers.
They paid their wages, had dinner in advance, and sent them all away. This made the construction workers extremely regretful and wished they could work for a few more days.
On that day, the defense line of Changling Mountain was basically set up, and Wang Dou expressed his satisfaction after inspecting it. This is a place more terrifying than the Julu defense line. If slaves attack the mountain, this place will be turned into a meat grinder and let them shed the last drop of blood!
On the second day, Hong Chengchou, governor of Jiliao, led a large number of officers and generals to Changling Mountain. They were all shocked. Is this still Changling Mountain?After seeing each other for a day, Changling Mountain has become like this. This line of defense is too terrifying, right?
But see...
The trees and weeds on the entire mountain were all cleared away, making the sight of the mountain extremely clear.
Starting to walk up from the foot of the mountain, the mountain seems to have become gentler, and the road is easier to walk. At first, everyone didn't understand what was going on. Isn't this convenient for the enemy to attack?
According to everyone's opinion, the hillside should be made as rugged as possible, right?Hong Chengchou also asked unclearly, and Wang Dou explained that this was to let the Tartars gather as much troops as possible in this mountainous area, so that the artillery on the mountain could be more concentrated and killed.
Everyone collectively let out a collective oh, and then felt chills in their hearts. The first reaction of those who didn't understand was to think that the hillside was flat and easy for their own side to attack.Naturally, heavy troops were deployed on this slope, but they did not expect to become the target of the artillery on the mountain.
Although this kind of psychology is simple, it is very vicious. It is really a thought of heaven and a thought of hell.
Then approaching the mountainside, the slope is not easy to walk, there are deep trench traps everywhere, and there are sharp wooden thorns under the trench, which makes people feel chilled. If they fall, they will definitely become meat skewers.
Moreover, these trench traps are cleverly concealed. There is a slow low wall or mound of soil in front of them, and the sight cannot be seen clearly from behind, but the consequences of jumping over...
And what's more poisonous is that these trench traps are all chain sets, jumping over one and then another, sometimes seven or eight in a row, and you will die from exhaustion if you don't fall.
These trench traps are also irregular and zigzag between the various slopes, making it extremely difficult to walk on all slopes.If you use a shield car to cover, it's really useless. You can't go forward, you can't retreat, you can't go left, you can't go right. If you don't dig countless low walls and fill in the immeasurable trenches, you can't push to the front.
Looking at the ingeniously disguised but deep and frightening trench, and the sharp wooden thorns below, apart from Yang Guozhu, Bai Guangen, the chief soldier of Ji Town, who was as arrogant as Ji Town, subconsciously stayed away from Wang Dou. This guy is too vicious. Also who?I also came up with this kind of ghost idea, it's not human.
Of course, if the slopes are full of traps and ditches, it is difficult for the enemy to enter and it is difficult for one’s own side to exit. This is against the principle of fighting in the Jingbian army. Therefore, five flat slopes are left in the southeast and northeast of Changling Mountain. channel in and out.
Ten passages, each about twenty paces wide, led from the foot of the mountain to the side of the mountain without any obstacle, which facilitated the enemy's attack and made them swarm into a mass, making them good targets for the archers.It can be defended with the least amount of troops, but it can achieve the greatest results. If the soldiers of the Jingbian Army attack, they can also attack from ten channels.
This is the arrangement in front of the first wave of low walls and trenches. When we reach the first low wall, we can see that the front is suddenly steep.It can be seen that the hillside of this section has been obviously transformed, and all along the mountain from north to east and from south to west, it has been cut into a slope shape.
On the slope, a low wall of low height stood up, reaching only to the chest of each person, but it was very thickly built. Soldiers behind the low wall could rely on the low wall to shoot at the targets ahead.
Even with the slope and the low wall, the wall is actually about two feet high. There is a deep and large moat in front of the low wall, surrounded by two small moats in front of it.The big trench is one foot deep and one foot wide, and the small trench is half a foot deep and half a foot wide. There are sharp wooden thorns under the trench.
There are three trenches, two steps apart, and on the flat ground in between, there are layers of Jumaluzhai that look like wolf-toothed rocks, with sharp barbs on them, and if they want to choose people, they will eat them.
The day before yesterday, Wang Dou said that every three low walls and trenches constituted a defensive line, and every time the captives attacked a low wall, they had to face three fierce attacks from upper and lower firepower. Everyone still didn't understand how to attack.At this moment, I was startled when I saw it, what I heard was not what I heard, what I saw is believing, only after I saw the real scene did I understand what Wang Dou was talking about.
Empty talk is far less shocking than what you see with your own eyes. You can see that there is a slope not far from the low wall, and there is a wall on the slope (of course, there is no trench in front of the wall), and then there is a slope and a low wall.Three low walls, along the mountain, one higher than the other, towering in front of everyone in waves.
Looking at the three sloping low walls, everyone figured out what the three up and down three-dimensional fire strikes are.
At this time, the Jingbian army's heavy battalion had settled in Changling Mountain. Seeing that they were dignified and well-organized, they looked very capable. Such soldiers would definitely not be afraid and would not retreat in bloody battles.Among them, the fire gun held a thick and finely crafted bird gun, imagining that they were shooting from three low walls at the same time... Everyone couldn't help but gasped.
Everyone guessed that even if they lead the attack, the first reaction is to watch and push towards the first low wall to deal with the attack of the soldiers behind the low wall.
Unexpectedly, the soldiers with two low walls above their heads were looking at themselves coldly, aiming at themselves with their sharp blunderbusses. An enemy of ten thousand or a gray bottle bounced off, it's creepy to think about it.
Everyone was amazed, the arrangement in front of them alone seemed simple, but when you think about it carefully, there is something extraordinary about it.Among the officers and generals, there are some who think that the defense of the stronghold is outstanding, but the defense strategy in their hearts is far worse than the defense system in front of them.
It seems that Uncle Zhongyong was conservative in what he said the day before yesterday. Just attacking these three low walls, even if 2 captives die, they will not be able to attack.
Wang Pu, the commander-in-chief of Datong, and Fu Yingchong, the deputy general of the Shenji Battalion, breathed in with their mouths open. The layout of Changling Mountain is also copied.
Hong Chengchou looked at the two sides of the passage in front of him and pondered. There was a big dark mouth in the passage, surrounded by two protruding walls not far from the left and right.It can be imagined that if a slave attacks this passage, he will face side attacks from both ends of the firepower, coupled with artillery, this passage is a place that devours flesh and blood.
Moreover, the front end of the convex wall is sharp, and there is not even a dead corner like a horse's face.Looking at the several low walls in front of you, they are all concave and convex, like a complex gear pattern, which is quite different from the traditional four-sided defense line of Daming City.
All the officers and generals admired this kind of defense. Everyone entered the interior through the passage, walked a few steps to the right, entered the second low wall, and walked a dozen steps to the left, and after entering the third low wall, this It is a relatively gentle slope, about dozens of steps wide.
Here, some busy sergeants are building many neat small houses with stones as soldiers' camps and resting places.
But what everyone didn't understand was that in front of each house, on the roof, there were densely packed soil bags, and there were also many dustpans and baskets, also filled with soil, stacked in rows on the open space.
Everyone didn't understand what this meant. Wang Dou explained that it was to prevent the Hongyi cannon from ricocheting.
Everyone collectively groaned, and many people rolled their eyes. The soil bags and baskets filled with soil can prevent ricochets?Uncle Zhongyong has taught everyone a lesson.
Everyone continued to move forward, and behind the slope was another ditch wall, which was the same as the previous line of defense.
After three consecutive waves, when approaching the top of the mountain, I saw a fort under construction. The fort was built on the protruding part of the rock, with a wide view. From here, you can look at the whole mountain. It is expected that firing here will be effective against the foot of the mountain or the plains. The enemy suppressed the bombardment.
Then everyone reached the top of the mountain. The top of Changling Mountain is quite wide and long, with some undulations. It is composed of several small mountains, so it is called Changling Mountain.Here, around Huoludun, many soldiers from the supply camp of the Jingbian Army are busy building the city wall.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and finally saw the fortifications of the walled city they were familiar with... However, it seemed to be different.
The villages, walls, gates, and residences of the Jingbian army are mostly built with large solid rocks. The walls seem to be uneven, and towers are still being built at intervals. It is expected that they will form intersections. Multiple hits of firepower.
However, this project is huge, and it will not be completed in a short time. Fortunately, the defense line in the front is completed, and the walled city in the rear can be taken care of.
In the main village, many granaries will also be built as places for the Jingbian army to store grain.
Looking at the huge plan of those granaries, it seems that a lot of grain and grass can be hoarded.For a while, Hong Chengchou, governor of Jiliao, Qiu Minyang, governor of Liaodong, and Zhang Ruoqi, the supervisor of the army, all thought about it. The defense line of Changling Mountain is so strong, it is very good to store some grain and fodder here.
Finally, everyone went to the northeast of the mountain, where there were also many low-walled moats, winding along the river to the northwest of the mountain.On the northwest side, according to the terrain, several stone walls were built. If the enemy climbed up from this place and was hit by the soldiers staying behind, he would either be killed or fall to his death.
Looking at the defense line of the entire Changling Mountain one by one, looking at the unrecognizable mountain, everyone didn't know what it was like.
In a short period of time, this mountain has become a terrifying and sinister place. What is certain is that if the slaves attack this place by force, they will definitely want to cry without tears and shed all their blood.
Everyone has a feeling that with the rise of Uncle Zhongyong, Daming's future strategies and tactics will become more and more different.
……
The defense line of Changling Mountain was unanimously appreciated by all patrolling personnel, regardless of the officers and military generals, everyone believed that this place was solid and would become an important guarantee for guarding the back road.The places in Wudaoling can effectively defend this place and set up a walled defense line.
On the 26th, Cao Bianjiao, the commander-in-chief of the ASEAN Association, and the new army under the command of Wang Tingchen, the former commander-in-chief of the Tunwei, stayed at Wudaoling.
The two commanders, together with Liu Zhaoji, the commander-in-chief of Liaodong, cooperated with the general patrol officer Dou Chenglie, deputy general Zheng Yilin of Xingshan Road, and more than [-] defenders of Liaodong, stationed inside and outside Xingshan Fort, Daxing Fort, and Dongqing Fort. The Jingbian army in Changling Mountain guarded the rear for the reinforcements.
Cao Bianjiao and Wang Tingchen also recruited a large number of civilian men and soldiers to dig trenches and build walls in Wudaoling. According to the terrain, they followed the example of Changling Mountain.For this reason, the supply battalion of the Jingbian Army supported the two chief soldiers with many talents, surveying the terrain and drawing drawings for them.
Subsequently, a large number of civilians and soldiers came and went, breaking ground in various parts of Wudaoling.The Qing army seemed to be aware of the actions of the Ming army, and the reconnaissance cavalry kept coming to harass them, and the two sides launched a reconnaissance and anti-reconnaissance battle.
The sentinels of the Ming army reported that the slaves seemed to be building a large-scale construction project on the north bank of the Daughter River, a dozen miles away from Wudaoling, and there seemed to be a major conspiracy.
Since the slave cavalry flooded both sides of the river, it was difficult for the sentry cavalry of the Ming army to approach, and no specific information could be obtained.
On July 14, 29th year of Chongzhen, the future is determined.
On that day, Hong Chengchou, governor of Jiliao, Zhang Ruoqi, and Wang Chengen, the army supervisor, accompanied the generals who conquered the captives, Zhongyong Bo Wangdou, Yang Guozhu, the general of the Xuanfu, Wang Pu, the general of Datong, Zuo Guangxian, the general of the aid and suppression, and Ma Ke, the general of Shanhaiguan. , Bai Guangen, the general of Jizhen, Tang Tong, the general of Miyun, Fu Yingchong, the deputy general of the former battalion of Shenji Battalion, joined forces with infantry, cavalry and artillery troops.
The Ming army was extremely powerful. Even Li Fuming, the commander in chief of Shanxi, and Wu Sangui, the commander in chief of Ningyuan, who were in Songshan at this time, had a total of 15 soldiers. The vast number of troops seemed to reach the horizon.

(End of this chapter)