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

Chapter 514 Opening the Magic Box

When the Ming army and the Qing army fought brutally on the front line of Songjin, on August 14rd, [-]th year of Chongzhen, the new Yongning City garrisoned the official hall.

The hall was crowded with people, and the spacious hall was filled with merchants from various cities on the East Road at this time, even from various roads in Xuanfu Town, Zhencheng, Datong, Taiyuan, etc., there were guarantors on the East Road, who had shown their strength over the years. A large number of friendly foreign businessmen also came to New Yongning City.

In the past, merchants from all over the world who only carried abacus, were proficient in calculation, and made money in harmony, showed a rare sense of toughness today.Many people are dressed in strong clothes, wearing Futou, and swords on their waists, and the guards standing beside them are all capable guards.

Among these guards, many of them are swordsmen who have been assessed in the newly established "Grandmaster Hall" on the East Road. The characters, as well as the number imprint of the Swordsman Hall, etc., clearly show their own identity.

Although there is a one-year inspection period, most of these swordsmen are reserve identities, but with such a waist card, they are respected wherever they go. They are also very popular with merchants from all over the world. Many escort agencies, caravans, and pioneers outside the Great Wall They are all willing to hire them, and their worth is second only to those retired Shunxiang Army or Jingbian Army soldiers.

Of course, their remuneration is also very high, and idlers can't afford to hire them, and being able to bring a few swordsmen by their side is also a symbol of status, just like the legendary Kunlun slaves in history.

Most of these swordsmen were originally "folk heroes" from all over the Ming Dynasty, and they were all equipped with extraordinary military power. After passing the examination, they also received armor similar to that of the East Road Second-Class Army. Of course, most of them chose chain mail.

There are also all kinds of weapons that everyone is good at using. These weapons are all produced by the department of the East Road Military Factory that specializes in making weapons for the Jingbian Army Ye Bushou.

Of course, although they are called swordsmen, they actually use different weapons, including swords, guns, swords and halberds, as well as strong bows and crossbows. At this time, the weapons held by the swordsmen in the hall are like an exhibition of eighteen kinds of weapons. .

In addition to the swordsmen, there are also some rare gunslingers employed by merchants in the hall. They carry bird guns or hand guns.

The Ming Dynasty was now in an era of alternating hot and cold weapons. Although the rate of civilian use of firearms was higher than that of the army, the "folk heroes" of various origins were still accustomed to using cold weapons. Much less than a swordsman.

As merchants gathered more and more, the hall became more and more crowded. When acquaintances met each other, they couldn’t help saying hello and asking each other what the purpose of the trip was. Many people expected big things to happen, and everyone was excited , It's apprehensive again.

In the hall, Lai Mancheng, the vice president of Zhendong Commercial Bank, was the focus of everyone's attention.

In the 12th year of Chongzhen, after Wang Dou bloody suppressed the powerful merchants on the East Road, the local powers were almost wiped out. Lai Mancheng and others took the opportunity to stand out. Now on the East Road, he and Zheng Jinglun, the chairman, are numerous big merchants, many industries are involved.

Moreover, Lai Mancheng's connections are also very strong. His uncle is Xu Zucheng, the guard of the security guard at this time.Especially when Wang Dou was in Shunxiang Castle, he hugged Wang Dou's thigh. As Wang Dou's status improved, the friendship between the two sides became more and more profound.

At many critical times, Lai Mancheng also stood in the right position. As the industrial power grows bigger, needless to say, his status is prominent. Many foreign businessmen who arrive on the East Road, one of the first targets to visit, is Lai Mancheng. Inside.

So when Lai Mancheng led a large group of guards into the hall, almost all the merchants stood up to greet him, and at the same time expressed their surprise at the change in his image. Body, can you bear it?
It can be seen that after Lai Mancheng was seated, he was also greatly relieved. At this time, he and Tian Changguo, the head of the shogunate's commercial department, were laughing at Yan Yan, not knowing what wonderful things they were talking about.But obviously, Lai Mancheng didn't know what the purpose of this trip was. Although he also had a good relationship with Tian Changguo, it was impossible for Tian Changguo to take the risk of leaking the confidentiality regulations and tell him the matter.

At the end of the day, three generals, Wen Fangliang, Gao Shiyin, and Shen Shiqi, as well as some Jingbian soldiers, strode into the garrison hall with their heads held high.

All the merchants stood up and saluted. Wen Fangliang smiled and nodded to everyone from time to time. Gao Shiyin and Shen Shiqi swaggered in with their heads held high, dismissing these merchants.

The still scrawny Tian Changguo greeted him, and smiled and invited all the generals to take their seats. This time, he, the head of the business department, was in charge of the liaison between the Jingbian army and the merchants on the East Road.

Wen Fangliang sat in the first seat. Although he and Gao Shiyin were both generals, he was the ambassador of the staff department, and his official position was higher than Gao Shiyin's. He led the operation outside the Great Wall.

Looking at the merchants gathered in the hall, Wen Fangliang's expression gradually became serious, and he said: "Everyone knows that at the end of June, the general led the army to fight against the emperor of the Tartars in the Songjin area. During the war, the merchants on my East Road are still loyal. Chairman Zheng of the Zhendong Commercial Bank led many bosses and shopkeepers to support them and transport food and salaries frequently. This is very good. It proves that my East Road, scholars, farmers, businesses, and businesses are all for the country. Knowing the relationship between the interests of the family and the country, and working together with one heart, the same is true for everyone today!"

Seeing the silence below, Wen Fangliang continued: "According to the strategy that the General made with the Chief of Staff before the expedition, our Jingbian army will be divided into two groups. Attack outside the Great Wall, outflank the Jinzhou Tartars!"

There was a bang, like a loud bang of spring thunder, and the whole hall was in a commotion. Although everyone guessed that there would be a big move, they didn't expect the scene to be so big. For a while, the hall was buzzing with excitement, and everyone was discussing excitedly.

Wen Fangliang clapped his hands and signaled everyone in the hall to calm down. With a smile on his face, he continued: "Everyone, since the Tumu Fortress incident, it has been difficult for my Ming's army to get out of the fortress. Whatever it becomes, even the Qi Shuai back then is not far from the side wall."

"For this expedition, we have a total of two battalions of the Jingbian Army and one battalion of the Loyalty Army. Including the troops of the shopkeepers, there will be more than [-] soldiers and horses. This is the first time that Emperor Rui has come. , the scale is huge, attracting the attention of the world!"

Seeing the discussion in the hall erupting again, Wen Fangliang smiled, and said again: "Since the Han Dynasty, Huo Huoqi has sealed the wolf and lived in Xuxu, so many sons of the Han family yearn to be like Huo Qubing and Wei Qing again. , with lofty sentiments and lofty ambitions, and history books. And after today, all of you here will be like me, Old Wen, leaving your name in history, leaving your name in history, everyone."

The crowd was even more excited, and many cheered strangely. Lai Mancheng suddenly stood up holding his Qinglong Yanyue knife, and shouted loudly: "The severe wind blows the frost, the seaweed withers, and the muscles are dry and strong. Hu Majiao. The Han family has 30 soldiers, the general Also lead Huo whoring Yao. Meteor and white feathers are inserted in the waist, sword flowers and autumn lotuses shine out of the box. Heavenly soldiers shine on the snowy jade pass, captive arrows shoot like sand and gold armor. Clouds, dragons, wind and tigers are all returned, and Taibai enters the moon. The enemy can be destroyed. The enemy It can be destroyed, the head is destroyed, and the blood is involved in the intestines of the scorpion. The scorpion hangs in the sky, and the scorpion is buried next to it. There is no one, and the Han Daochang..."

Everyone in the hall applauded loudly, saying that no one wrote Li Bai's song Hu well, and President Lai also sang it well, and many people even drew out their weapons and waved in response.

Seeing the excitement of the crowd, Wen Zanhua nodded slightly, and Gao Shiyin whispered in Shen Shiqi's ear: "Old Wen is very good at talking, the emotions of those merchants were mobilized at once."

Shen Shiqi agreed with Gao Shiyin's opinion: "He can indeed speak."

Of course, after cheering and cheering, some merchants cautiously asked: "May I ask General Wen, are we going to fight all the way to Jinzhou? I don't know if there are many Tartars along the way. Can we fight?"

Wen Fangliang smiled and said: "Don't worry about this. During the Jinzhou War, the Tartar Emperor took out all the young and strong tribes outside the Great Wall. Most of the tribes, big and small, left only the old and weak, women and children. Even if there were some young and strong guards Army, isn’t there my Jingbian Army?”

Everyone's eyes lit up. In this way, wouldn't this expedition be the same as a young and strong man bullying Mengsheng's little baby?There is no risk, let alone the harvest along the way, I am afraid...

Immediately, someone shouted with righteous indignation: "For so many years, before the Manchurian Tartars made their fortunes, those Mongolian Tartars have continued to invade and plunder. I don't know how many people in the border towns have been ruined. Now it's our turn to kill them. Yes, they stole it."

The hall erupted in response to the voice: "That's right, tooth for tooth, blood for blood, blood for blood."

"As much blood as they made my Daming bleed, I will give it back to them a hundred times."

"Kill all, burn all, rob all!"

"The chickens and dogs don't stay..."

Wen Fangliang, Tian Changguo and others looked at each other and smiled. Before the battle, the general and the chief of staff made a plan, which was a thunderbolt method, and we will not talk about whether the Bodhisattva will show his heart in the future.However, the Tartars outside the Great Wall took refuge in Dongnu and worked as minions for tigers, so it was impossible not to pay some price.

Besides, for thousands of years, the Tartars outside the Great Wall have been fearful of prestige rather than morality, awe of power, and ignorant of etiquette.With blood and tears, let them cry and wail, pain to the bone marrow, fear to the heart and lungs, to see if they dare to seek refuge with Dongnu in the future.

Therefore, this trip to the fortress is destined to flow into rivers of blood, and countless barbarians cry.Presumably after this battle, the Mongolian tribes outside the Great Wall will also awaken their memories of the Ming military power in the past, and adjust the policies of the Qing Dynasty.

Of course, Wang Dou did not forbid the Jingbian army to kill people, but he definitely forbade them to rape.Moreover, it is also very easy to suffer from sexually transmitted diseases, especially those who do not take a bath all year round. In history, non-combat attrition has reached several percent after such incidents, and Wang Dou will not allow it.

So he asked all the soldiers who entered the Jingbian Army to marry wives for this reason. First, they had a family and became adults psychologically. Not to mention mature people, it was easier to fight for their careers.The second is that with the comfort of a woman, you can also meet your physical needs, and you won't get angry and do things you shouldn't do.

The third is more cryptic, a bit like making their family hostage. Of course, [-]% of people can't see this.All the sergeants will only be grateful. As soon as they join the army, young ladies will come to their door. How difficult is it to marry a wife in the past?
(End of this chapter)