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

Chapter 663 The Brewing of Zhuxian Town
June, Shanxi, Lu'an Prefecture, Zezhou.

Cai Maode felt unable to fall asleep, tossed and turned, read Buddhist scriptures for a while, and lay down in his clothes for a while, when the rooster crowed and woke him up.

Looking out the window, it was almost dawn, Cai Maode got up to wash up, and had breakfast.

Occasionally, I read the comments on "Sunrise Dongfang" in this issue of Xuanzhen Times. Compared with many literati and officials in Ming Dynasty who like to read the commentary articles of "Favorite Jin Pingmei", he prefers Sunrise Dongfang, feeling full of high spirits Qi.

Satisfied, he put down the newspaper, he didn't have much free time like this a few days ago, he brought a few staff and personal guards, he hurried out, the sky was getting brighter.

Outside, the mottled stone-soil pavement and the gray walls and black tiles on both sides complement each other, mixed with various human voices, the streets of Zezhou are now full of carts and horses transporting grain, and there are many people coming and going. Pushing a wheelbarrow, heading south, some township guards in livery escorted them.

The war in Henan was about to break out. In order to ensure military supplies, the imperial court ordered grain transportation everywhere, especially in Shanxi, which is adjacent to Henan, which bears a large amount of food and wages.

Cai Maode, the governor of Shanxi, the censor of Youqian capital, even went from Taiyuan to Zezhou, Lu'an Prefecture to personally supervise him.

The city of Zezhou is quite large. Cai Maode ascended the tower to the south, and at the end of the plain in the distance, a scene of overlapping mountains unfolded.

Although Zezhou City is located in a basin, Taihang Mountain and Wangwu Mountain are not far from the southeast and southwest. They are known as the gateway to Shanxi and Henan. Going south, it injects Qinshui in Huaiqing Prefecture, Henan Province, and then flows into the Yellow River.

Cai Maode looked at it for a while. In the past few months, the southward road into the mountains, whether by water or land, has been crowded with people from morning to night.

He turned his head, and there were some soldiers lined up on the city wall, all of them wore bright helmets and long body armor, especially some bird gunners, they also wore a full set of cotton armor with armor leaves inside.

Compared with the locals, those local defenders who wore red tasseled felt hats, mandarin duck battle jackets with crotch covers, or waist armors, or nothing at all, were much more elite, but they were soldiers in the regular battalion of Shanxi General Soldier Zhou Yuji.

After Zhou Yuji took over Shanxi's general army, he took office, weeded out old and weak soldiers, and repaired weapons. With the support of Cai Maode, he trained a regular barracks.

After returning to Shanxi, Li Yunshu served as the deputy commander-in-chief, the backbone of which was the original soldiers of the main barracks. They had experienced the bloody battle in Jinzhou, and their combat effectiveness could stand the test. Moreover, after participating in Wangdou's operation, they received a lot of money and food. And the equipment can be guaranteed, and it is now a famous strong army in Shanxi Town.

Because the Henan Mansion on the opposite side is a stronghold for trespassers, so his strange army camp is stationed in Pingyang Mansion.

As for Zhou Yuji, there are now more than 3000 soldiers in the main barracks, and about a thousand cavalry. The backbone is the hundreds of servants he brought.

With the sound of footsteps, a general came up from under the city with several personal guards. He was wearing a cloud-winged copper helmet, with a waist-length bright armor and a skirt underneath, and a bow and arrow and a saber hung on his belt. When walking around, Jiaye clang clanging, but it was Zhou Yuji.

Zezhou is an important place for transportation of grain and grass from Shanxi to Henan. Cai Maode came to supervise in person, and Zhou Yuji was also ordered to come from Ningwuguan.

After all, there is nothing to be lost in this place. The opposite is Henan. There are many thieves and bandits running rampant in Huaiqing Mansion and Weihui Mansion in the territory.

Zhou Yuji looked respectful, bowed and cupped his hands, and said to Cai Maode: "I have seen you, sir."

"General Zhou doesn't need to be too polite."

Cai Maode smiled and went to help him with his own hands, but Zhou Yuji still insisted on saluting.

To Cai Maode, the governor of Shanxi, Zhou Yuji respected him from the bottom of his heart. Cai Maode was fond of Buddhism, frugal and self-disciplined, modest and gentle, and treated others kindly. Zhou Yuji didn't read much, so he respected scholars most on weekdays, especially those with true character like Cai Maode. Considered a good teacher and helpful friend.

The two looked at the city and talked.

"In the third year of Chongzhen, the Shanxi bandits invaded Shanxi. There were 36 battalions with a public number of 20. The court tried its best to drive them out of Jin. Now the bandits are in Daxing, Henan. Shanxi and Henan are only separated by a river. Especially in winter when the Yellow River is frozen, thieves can cross the ice anytime, anywhere, and defending the Yellow River is not easy."

Cai Maode sighed and said: "Fanghe means defending the whole Jin Dynasty, and defending Jin Dynasty means defending Shenjing. The relationship is the most important. It is a pity that the thieves are erratic. It is easy to defeat them, but it is difficult to wipe them out. Take Jing Nanbo and Ning Nanbo If you are brave, you still can't completely encircle and wipe them out. What's more, Fang Liang Liu is a confidant of the thief. You can rely on it, and there is a tendency for the earth to collapse."

Zhou Yuji also looked dignified. The Henan Mansion on the opposite side of the southwest was the place where the intruders practiced the new army, and they also divided the fields and land. not lost.

If the officers and soldiers retreat and return to the old outlook, it will put serious pressure on Shanxi's defense.

Especially in winter, the Yellow River is frozen. In the past, there were small groups of thieves who sneaked across the Yellow River and entered the territory of Shanxi. , There is a basis for thieves.

He said with a sigh of relief: "I have never read poetry since I was a child, but I know the truth of being loyal to the country. As long as I am there, I will definitely protect the environment and the people, and keep the elders in my hometown from being harassed by bandits."

Cai Maode was very pleased with Zhou Yuji's attitude, he said: "The most important thing is to get rid of the thieves in Jin, the only way is to caress the poor in Jin first, but it's difficult..."

He pondered and said: "Sanjin Commercial Bank is now aggressively recruiting refugees from the three towns. Perhaps it can reduce the hidden dangers of bandits in Jin..."

Zhou Yuji said in admiration, "Young Master Yongning, you are amazing."

He went south with the army from the capital, and went north from Huguang, and witnessed all kinds of tragic situations for the victims. If they could all have enough food and clothing, who would be willing to rebel against the bandits?Of course, those who were coerced were not counted, but the basis for rogues would be greatly reduced.

Cai Maode said: "Indeed, if Daming had a few more Marquises of Yongning, the state affairs would not be like this."

Regarding Wang Dou's views, Cai Maode maintained a fair attitude, and also believed that many officials, generals and gentry accused Wang Dou of being unfair.

He changed the subject and said, "I heard that General Zhou intends to buy blunderbuss and sub-medicine from Xuanzhen?"

Zhou Yuji said: "Yes, their blunderbuss and seed medicine are really good, and I can't make them."

He said: "A few months ago, the Marquis of Yongning presented a certain thousand-shot gun and [-] rounds of ammunition, but the lieutenant soldiers wanted more, so they had to buy it."

Cai Maode had to think about it. The food and salaries of the Ming Dynasty are usually provided after the military salaries are paid. Under normal circumstances, most of the weapons and equipment, horse training, etc., are determined by the generals themselves. Of course, there are still few made by themselves. .

After Cai Maode became the governor, because Wang Dou copied and confiscated the goods of various profiteers, after fighting for them, many of them stayed in Shanxi. Moreover, after Wang Dou cleaned up, the political obstacles were reduced a lot, so he gathered craftsmen and wanted to build some sharp ones Bird blunderbuss, and powerful medicine.

It's just that the products can't be compared with Xuanfu Town.

Of course, Cai Maode does not have the awareness of institutionalization and standardization. In fact, few officials in the Ming Dynasty now have such awareness. Moreover, Wang Dou used the weights and measures standards stipulated by Ming Taizu in the early Ming Dynasty. It is also a secret. It was not disclosed to the outside world.

For the officials of Ming Dynasty, for hundreds of years, they have been accustomed to all kinds of bad habits of big fights and small fights, big and small rulers, and different standards.

It is already very good not to skimp on the cost. For them, the weapons are almost as good as they are made, but they don't know the slightest difference, which is thousands of miles away.

Therefore, even though there are many craftsmen in Shanxi, the blunderbuss produced by them are of different specifications, and the quality is good or bad. If you look at such products, and then look at the blunderbuss of the Jingbian Army, it has become the mainstream to buy the blunderbuss. , the newly established military factory in Shanxi Town was struggling in the blink of an eye.

Besides, the Marquis of Yongning has a friendly attitude towards Datong Town and Shanxi Town right now. The price of a bird gun is only seven to ten taels, and it is also equipped with ten rounds of powerful medicine, silver, grain, minerals, and local products. account.

Sometimes things that I think are worthless can be worth a fortune in Xuanfu Town, and only fools make them themselves.

Cai Maode vaguely felt that something was wrong, but he didn't know what was wrong, so he responded to the call of the officers and generals and bought weapons from Xuanfu Town to equip the sergeants in the town.

The speed is even faster. After all, Xuanfu Town is famous for its weapons, and many people want to buy them. The supply of the products exceeds the demand, and they are afraid that they will be gone if it is too late.

The two discussed the issue of purchasing weapons.

Zhou Yuji heard that Wang Dou's army is now equipped with self-generating firecrackers, and he also wants to buy some, but unfortunately, they don't sell them for the time being. There are also artillery from the Jingbian army, but unfortunately, they don't sell it to the outside world either.

……

Since the beginning of June, more and more reinforcements have arrived in Kaifeng. Banners and banners are spread all over, and densely packed tents have filled the ground around the Yellow River.

Of course, most of the troops who came to aid wore red-tasseled felt hats, mandarin duck battle jackets, crotch or waist armor, walking shackles, and hemp shoes.

There are very few people with bright or dark armor, which also proves that there are not many cavalry. After all, in Daming, generally only cavalry have armor, that is, copper and iron helmets and long body armor. The more elite soldiers also have armour. hand.

And more and more armies are also asking serious questions about the supply of food and grass. After all, if there are more than 10 people, how much food will the army consume in a day?How much fodder?How much is the allotment of civilian husbands?How many animals and vehicles should be distributed?
So much manpower and material resources are now unbearable in Henan. Therefore, grain adjustments from Shaanxi, grain adjustments from Shanxi, and grain grains are continuously transported in. On the Yellow River, grain teams gather all day long, and the laborers who move grain are endless. .

On this day, Baoding governor Yang Wenyue, led by General Hu Dawei, the well-known Baoding Cheying, and Tongzhou Deputy General Jiang Mingwu under his control, had reached the north bank of the Yellow River and were about to cross the river.

However, Ding Qirui, the supervisor, led the troops of Zuo Liangyu, Yang Dezheng, Fang Guoan and other towns from the north to the south, and they were far from the outside of Kaifeng.

(End of this chapter)