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

Chapter 799 Tongguan
"Sorry..."

A vigorous pond horse raised a cloud of dust beside the post road, and the messenger with the command flag on his back went straight to Zhao Rongsheng and Li Zhengjing, and said loudly: "Zhao Qianzong, Li Qianzong, Sun Duna While sending a message, can you speed up the marching pace of the army?"

"Quickly, Sun Du doesn't know the marching regulations. It is most suitable for the new army to walk fifty miles a day. If it is too fast, it will cause problems... There are regulations in advance. How can they be changed? Marching is not a child's play. , as much as you want, pass on Lao Tzu's words, and walk so much today!"

Li Laojia waved his hand and dismissed the messenger, and Zhao Rongsheng beside him smiled and said: "Old Li, the regulations say so, but your tone of voice..."

Li Zhengjing didn't take it seriously: "I've always said that... besides, that Tangma is stupid, wouldn't he embellish what I said?"

Zhao Rongsheng laughed out loud. Li Zhengjing looked at Zhao Rongsheng and slapped himself on the thigh: "Damn it, the guy from the Tangma Camp just now? What's his name? He won't pass on what I said to Governor Sun, right?"

Hearing that Zhao Rongsheng laughed even louder, Li Zhengjing was heartbroken, and he complained loudly: "I said, Lao Zhao, do you still treat me as a brother, and I don't know how to remind you?"

Zhao Rongsheng refused, and shouted: "How do I know you are so stupid, you don't turn corners when you speak..."

The two started bickering. Li Zhengjing used to be the chief armor of Chen Sheng and Ju Yiwuren, while Zhao Rongsheng was the chief armor of Mou Dachang and Han Kaihui.

Although one of them is in their 30s and the other is in their 20s, their tempers suit each other quite well. This time they both became mercenary officers to assist Shaanxi.

However, both of them are hot-tempered people, and they often quarrel. At this time, the two of them are riding on a hill, and some guards who are also riding horses are scattered around the hill. Below the dry official road, there is a torrent of red soldiers. , is spreading from the west, and the Wei River is like a belt in the distance.

Not long ago when the news came that the bandits were approaching, Sun Chuanting urgently summoned Feng Shikong, the governor of Shaanxi, Jian Renrui, the prefect of Xi'an, the inspector Huang Wei, Tian Shizhen who participated in politics, some soldiers, and Wu Zhengchun, a mercenary general of the Jingbian Army. Gao Xun, Zan Hua, Wen Shiyan and others discussed the matter.

At the same time, Sun Chuanting urgently called on the generals in Shaanxi, the newly appointed Shaanxi General Gao Jie, Guyuan General Zheng Jiadong, Lintao General Niu Chenghu, Yulin General Wang Ding, Ningxia General Fuminren, etc. to come to Xi'an.

Finally, it was agreed that Feng Shikong, the governor of Shaanxi, would guard Shangzhou, followed by Wang Ding, the commander-in-chief of Yulin, and Fumin, the commander-in-chief of Ningxia.

The news came that the intruders took Liu Fangliang as their general, and under their command a hundred thousand soldiers attacked Shangnan and Shangzhou. Although it is not far from Nanyang to the west, most of them are steep mountains and cliffs, and the nearly thousand-mile mountain road to Shangzhou is extremely bad. Go, let alone attack.

Therefore, from Henan to Shaanxi, the Tongguan line is usually used, especially if there are vehicles and luggage.

However, Sun Chuanting did not dare to take it lightly. In addition to being guarded by the governor of a province and the commander-in-chief of the second town, he also asked Wu Zhengchun to send a mercenary first-class soldier and the second commander-in-chief, led by Huang Wei, to temporarily fill Feng Shikong's Fubiao battalion as a supervisor and For backup.

Huang Wei has a lot of power. Although he is a guerrilla, the generals Hao Shangren, deputy generals Sun Shoufa, Sun Zhixiu and others in the Fubiao Battalion all obey his restraint.

To this, Feng Shikong had no objection. First, he did not dare to disobey the order of the mighty Governor Sun Chuanting, and second, he now knew that Sun Chuanting's troops in charge of the standard battalion were hired soldiers from the Jingbian Army.

The strength of the Jingbian army is well-known throughout the world. Feng Shikong naturally knew the choice between the gains and losses of Shaanxi.

Afterwards, Sun Chuanting sent all the generals back to the town to prepare. In addition to giving them a certain time limit to arrive, he took the lead in the supervision battalion and [-] new troops to Tongguan to make defense preparations in advance. Only the general soldiers stationed not far from Xi'an Gao Jie, led the barracks and set off one step behind.

Sun Chuanting's deepest impression on the Jingbian Army was the regulation of various parties, so he also made such attempts in the new army.It's just marching and fighting, how can it be so simple to regulate?If there are few literate people, the understanding of the regulations and military regulations will be superficial. If there are few literate people, some basic experiences can only be passed on orally.

Word of mouth, the defeat of a slightly older soldier, once the seed of the old soldier is gone, the new soldier will be at a loss, and the original experience is likely to be lost, even if these experiences were exchanged by the original army with their blood and lives.

So at this time, the famous general plays a very important role, because he knows some basic experience and knowledge, and even uses this knowledge as a family secret.

The approach of the Jingbian Army is to use combat training as a code of practice, and compile the lessons and regulations from the past into teaching materials, so that no matter how much soldiers are consumed, they can be continuously reborn.

Of course, it is difficult to say simply. After all, the education of the Jingbian Army and the education of the entire Xuanfu Town are incomparable elsewhere in Ming Dynasty, and the military background is also very deep now.For example, Sun Chuanting lacked the praise paintings that are now commonplace in the Jingbian Army.

The literati don't know how to fight, and the warriors don't know how to read calligraphy. How to read the sand table, how to read the map, how to read the account book?How to know planning, how to know planning?There is no other way but to fight and swarm.

There is also the sand table map, basic surveying and mapping personnel, Sun Chuanting suffers from a shortage.The staff he had painstakingly recruited over the years were scattered all over Shaanxi, like drops of ink in a big lake, which disappeared without a trace in a blink of an eye, deeply feeling that they were not enough.

Therefore, many of the planning for this war relied on the hired personnel of the Jingbian Army.

There are also marching, camping, food and grass supply, etc., which are mostly planned by the Zanhua officials of the Jingbian Army. However, the Jingbian army had to be arranged to deal with it.

The new army's marching and camping and other miscellaneous tasks were also planned by these hired generals of the Jingbian Army. In particular, Wu Zhengchun appointed Zhao Rongsheng and Li Zhengjing to lead the two troops to supervise and take charge.

The Ming Dynasty did not have many requirements for marching at this time, and the biggest requirement was to arrive within a certain time limit. At this time, the generals were receiving a call to deploy troops. In order not to miss the deadline, or unable to coordinate the entire army, anyway, the generals led their families and ran wildly. .

Send thousands of troops, run for one day, lose one-third of the troops, run for two days, lose two-thirds, run for three days, don't know how many people are left.

In the end, they arrived on schedule. Except for two or three hundred horses, the rest of the team was sparse, and it might take ten days and a half months to arrive one after another. In the worst case, it is very likely that one-third of the people are missing, and they don't know where they came from. Look for.

This kind of marching situation is of course intolerable to the Jingbian army, and they also demanded that they arrive at a certain time, but this kind of short-term arrival basically means that all members arrive.Even if there are laggards, sickness, or unaccustomed soldiers, they will not exceed [-]% of the entire army, not the kind of soldiers that send out [-] troops, and finally arrive at only [-].

Therefore, in addition to daily training, food supply, and medical preparations, the marching plan along the way is very important. There are special arrangements for how many miles in the whole journey, how many miles should be walked every day, where to camp, where to have water, and when to start. Strict enforcement.

It’s not that if you are in a good state today, you should walk more, and if you are not in a good state, you should walk slowly.

According to the situation of the thieves learned by Tanma, and the road conditions ahead, the Zanhuas have already planned, from Xi'an to Tongguan, [-] miles away, [-] miles a day is just right, so Sun Chuanting asked the army to speed up the pace, to supervise the two The Ministry of Jingbian Army urged, but was rejected by Li Zhengjing.

He and Zhao Rongsheng rode horses on the soil bag, with two flags flying behind them, watching the torrent of soldiers passing by from west to east. Those soldiers were all young and strong. Felt hats, thongs on the feet, and cloth shoes.

However, gunmen wear red cotton armor, spearmen wear red waist armor, and some spearmen also wear arms and iron-inlaid cotton armor.However, as elite soldiers in the gun battalion, they stood in the front row during the battle, and only selected those who showed courage and skill during training, they were regarded as strong soldiers in the army, and their monthly salary was only one to two to five dollars.

It was already past Lixia, the weather was getting warmer, and sometimes it would rain, but the weather was generally dry, and a large group of people stepped on the official road, stirring up dust all over the sky.

Seeing the soldiers carrying their spears and arquebuses to concentrate on their journey, many of them were covered with dust and sweat, and didn't bother to wipe it off, because beside the official road, there were horses running to and fro, supervising and guiding the march of these people.

"Attention, the rear team is following up..."

"Attention, the front team avoids the luggage..."

"Be careful, don't let the sound of the drum beat fall."

The two Qian headquarters are each in charge of a part to guide these recruits on their way, even the officers and generals of each battalion must obey the arrangements of the second-rank troops of the Jingbian Army.As the beginning of a new army, they are also newcomers and need to learn from scratch.

As the first large-scale continuous march, there are too many problems for the [-] new troops. The two generals saw that their subordinates, Luo Liangzuo, Lai Dexiang, Chen Sheng, Han Kaihui, etc., were extremely tired. light.

Zhao Rongsheng saw his good friend Luo Liangzuo passing by, he rode on the horse, his fat body wriggled on the horse, and said loudly with his Pavarotti-like voice: "The soldiers are doing well, let's play a song!" Military song, cheer up your spirits."

With the accompaniment of military drums and military music, military songs with Qin opera sounded, which began to be chaotic and gradually became orderly: "The desert is dusty and the sun is dark, and the red flag is half-rolled out of the gate. The former army has captured Tuyuhun alive in the night battle on Taohe River..."

Luo Liangzuo's voice came from afar: "Very good, one more song."

"Why don't you bring the Wu hook and collect the fifty states in Guanshan? Please go to Lingyan Pavilion for a while, if you are a scholar with thousands of households."

Amidst the bang of the military song, the mighty army passed by the mountain bag continuously, and the fiery red river seemed to be pouring continuously. When those Shaanxi new troops passed by the field bag, when they saw Zhao Rongsheng and Li Zhengjing, they all cast awe look.

Most of the recruits for the new army are simple and simple people from the countryside, who are naturally afraid of officials. In the words of later generations, they are afraid of the government.

They are afraid of the Jingbian soldiers in the Supervising Biao Battalion, regardless of their rank. These Jingbian soldiers who acted as instructors during the training were very strict with them, and beat them with sticks at every turn. That kind of fear, after several months, is In the bones.

At the same time, the new army respected them. Although the training was strict, they were kind and amiable to them when they were resting on weekdays, and they talked about new topics from time to time, so that these peasant children who were digging in the soil could learn about the vast world outside.

Let everyone have an eye-opening feeling. It turns out that the world is so big and there are so many interesting things.

The instructors would sometimes invite them to a restaurant for a meal, and they would generously help them if they had any difficulties at home, so they were quite popular among the new army.

At the same time, the treatment of the mercenaries also made them very envious. The ordinary soldiers of the second-class army also received five yuan a month for each soldier. Very well made.

That blunderbuss is still a flint blunderbuss, it doesn't need a matchlock, but with a blunderbuss sword, it can stab and shoot, and every soldier has a horse, isn't it enviable?
It's really nothing to be a man for this sake, so the Jingbian army hired by this battalion has unintentionally become a target role model for many people in the Shaanxi New Army. Be the big brother.

The simple faces fluttered in front of the eyes of Zhao Rongsheng and Li Zhengjing. The respectful and fearful eyes they cast became a pair of frozen pictures, which seemed to remain forever.

Li Zhengjing sighed in a rare way: "They haven't practiced yet, and they are about to face a big battle...I hope that fewer people will die, I...I always feel that these people are like our sons, and I really don't want to..."

It is rare for Zhao Rongsheng to be silent. When he was a small soldier, he only wanted to fight the enemy bravely. When he became a captain, he knew the responsibility on his shoulders.

I am no longer alone, but I have to think about the brothers in Jiazhong. The higher the military position, the heavier the burden on the shoulders. How can I have no feelings for training the new Shaanxi army for several months?He also sighed: "This battle is just the beginning. These Guanzhong disciples will have to fight many battles in the future... I am afraid that many people will die."

Li Zhengjing said: "Yes, many people will die."

Then he slapped himself on the head, causing the helmet to rattle. He scolded, "Why do I say this? When I joined the army, I prepared for the day when I was shrouded in horse leather. There is no one who survives a battle. It's just a matter of frustration." talk."

Zhao Rongsheng also laughed, and said boldly: "Yes, it is rare for Lao Li to be honest. We are soldiers, and fighting is our duty! Death is nothing. Our Jingbian army is fighting for the peace of the world. Following the general , where the flag points, the ugliness will surely be wiped out."

Li Zhengjing scolded: "I am telling the truth, okay? You are full of running wind..."

"You are..."

The two continued to quarrel, and the guards under the soil bag heard the two scolding each other, looked at each other, and shook their heads.

……

Perhaps the Shaanxi New Army, or other armies in Ming Dynasty, are still in the stage of serving as soldiers, eating food, fighting with pay, and commanding orders from officials. However, many people in the Jingbian Army have entered the stage of actively seeking war, with their own ideals and goals, a mission sense of responsibility.

Many people already have an idea to follow the general and fight for the peace of the world and the better survival of the people of this land.

A steady stream of soldiers headed east and then east. Their mighty torrent could not see the west from the east, and the east could not be seen from the west. The flags with Sun characters were constantly rolling in the wind...

On a plain at the east end, at this time, hundreds of warriors on horseback were watching the fiery red river pass by solemnly. These knights were all wearing long armor with thick copper nails on the armor, which gave people great oppressive power. , and their iron pointed helmets with eight-petal hats, shining with metallic light in the sun.

Not far from them, a large flag with Sun characters stands high on the plain. Sun Chuanting is riding on a white horse. He is fully armored, with a bow and arrow, a sword, and a cloak. He is listening intently to the message sent by the horse. information.

Beside him, there are some staff members, and some local officials pretending to praise the painting, Wu Zhengchun and the second general Gao Xun, as well as the secretary of the camp, the painting officer, the town governor, the medical officer, the appeasing officer, etc. beside.

The battalion of mercenaries who aided Shaanxi was larger, Zanhua expanded from the first army to the first team, the doctors expanded from the second to the first team, the Zhenfu soldiers also had the third, and Tangma had the second. Just after returning from Henan, he went to Wen Shiyan in Shaanxi.

At this time, he was wearing a fur head, a tight-fitting green shirt, a sharp sword on his waist, and a short-sleeved cloak. He looked elegant and heroic, and he was listening to the report of the horse with a smile.

"Quickly, Sun Du doesn't know the marching regulations. It is most suitable for the new army to walk fifty miles a day. If it is too fast, it will cause problems... There are regulations in advance. How can they be changed? Marching is not a child's play. , as much as you want, pass on Lao Tzu's words, and walk so much today!"

That Tang Ma conveyed Li Zhengjing's words in a straight line without changing them.

The Jingbian Army's first requirement in selecting Tangma is rigidity, and the discourse of all parties cannot be freely modified.Otherwise, it is difficult to say what the meaning of the order will be conveyed. On the battlefield, this may lead to disastrous consequences.

For this Tang Ma, his responsibility is to spread the word, and other things are not his considerations. The Jingbian Army also requires that he first perform his duties before considering other things, so he kept Li Zhengjing's words unchanged. passed it on.

After hearing his words, everyone in the venue looked at each other in blank dismay. Many of the staff beside Sun Chuanting, as well as those local officials who pretended to praise the painting, showed displeasure.After the mercenaries arrived in Shaanxi, they intentionally or unintentionally spread their tentacles in all directions, which has caused dissatisfaction among many people.

Who is Du Sun in particular?He is the governor of the three sides, you are mere Chief Qian, even the Chief Qian of the Jingbian Army, how can you talk to Shangfeng in this tone?These Jingbian troops are really becoming more and more domineering.

Gao Xun raised his eyebrows. At this time, he was wearing an officer's short body armor and a battle skirt underneath. The shiny scale armor made him even more heroic. However, his expression remained unchanged and he did not intend to blame Li Zhengjing. Wu Zhengchun frowned.

He is an orthodox Jingbian soldier, Li Zhengjing's words are reasonable, but this kind of tone of voice seems to be disrespectful, and it will also affect the relationship between the Jingbian army and Sun Chuanting. This matter can be big or small, he shouted. : "What did Li Zhengjing say? Sun Du, the last general will call Li Qianzong to reprimand him for this."

Sun Chuanting laughed: "It's okay, Li Qian is always a good-natured person, and the governor appreciates it very much, and it's the governor Meng Lang. The military law is set, and it should be strictly enforced. This matter is the fault of the governor, and Li Qian has credit for it." No fault."

Wen Shiyan stroked his beard with a smile, and flattered Sun Chuanting: "Sun Du is as modest as he is, a role model for our generation, and I admire him."

These words made Sun Chuanting laugh out loud, and he was in a happy mood. His grievances towards Li Zhengjing disappeared, and all the staff around him also laughed, and the atmosphere returned to harmony.

Seeing the soldiers and horses passing by below, Sun Chuanting raised his whip and cheered up: "According to the itinerary, our division will reach Tongguan after another three days. And basically all the troops will arrive, except for a few fallen and sick soldiers. They are all due to the planning of General Wu, General Gao, Wen Zanhua and others."

Wu Zhengchun and the others said a few words politely. They were surprised by Sun Chuanting's magnanimity and boldness. It has to be said that this crazy man still has a very charming personality. He is very arrogant, but it is more hidden in his bones.

Sun Chuanting looked at the troops marching below with emotion. In his eyes, the army was marching in an orderly manner, and this kind of marching efficiency... I still have a lot to learn.

Seeing the sun slowly slanting to the west, and the people and horses below were like a tide, the pride in his heart was full of chest and stomach, and he couldn't help but come to the original side.Seeing his men and horses and banners, the Shaanxi new army below couldn't help casting their eyes, and a deep voice sounded: "Attention, all soldiers, pay tribute to Duchen Sun!"

"Wan Sheng!"

Passing by a group of spearmen below, all the spearmen raised their spears and cheered to Sun Chuanting on the plain.

"Wan Sheng!"

Another group of musketeers approached, also raising their guns and cheering.

"Wan Sheng!"

Another group of soldiers came over, and bursts of cheers echoed over the road on the south bank of the Weihe River, like the sound of the tide overwhelming the waves.

All the new soldiers from Shaanxi who passed by the original place greeted Sun Chuanting with admiration and gratitude in their eyes when they saw Sun Chuanting.Sun Du is their food and clothing parents, allocating fields and land to them so that the family can live a good life, and also giving military pay and Anjiayin, they are willing to fight for Sun Du.

Seeing the general Shi Mimi swinging his weapon below, when the crowd rushed past, the overwhelming sound of "Wan Sheng" continued one after another.That kind of passion filled Sun Chuanting's heart with fire. Only the new army has this kind of passion, and only the new army has this kind of strength. It is not comparable to the stagnant and insensitive old army.

Sun Chuanting waved his hands involuntarily to salute the soldiers below, which caused constant noise.

The staff members behind him were also infected with tears in their eyes, and one staff member murmured: "Even if you sell everything, you must train the new army."

Wu Zhengchun, Gao Xun and the others also watched, Yingzhongzhen Fuguan said: "The scene is still a bit small, and the momentum is a bit lacking."

He comforted the officer beside him and said, "It's already hard to come by."

The army rolled past, the long marching column couldn't be seen far away at a glance, and the red flags were flying over the road.The west-slanting sun had already turned into the setting sun, and the warm sunlight cast a golden radiance on the marching team and Sun Chuanting on the original.

This scene will be engraved in history forever.

……

In the evening of the same day, the army camped by the Weihe River. The Shaanxi New Army followed the example of the Jingbian Army. The 2 people were divided into six battalions, including a special supply battalion.The ministries also have cooking vehicles, which rush to the campsite in advance to boil water for cooking, so that as soon as the soldiers arrive, they will have hot water to wash their feet and serve hot meals.

For the Jingbian army, when conditions permit, it is a necessary military law to provide soldiers with hot water to wash their feet as much as possible.In this way, the blood vessels in both feet are active and smooth, and you can walk farther the next day, at least maintain your condition, and at the same time reduce the number of patients.

It is even more necessary to have hot meals and hot dishes when camping. Of course, it is quite new to the new army in Shaanxi and to Sun Chuanting and his staff.But after just a few days, they also feel that this approach is much better. At least a few days of marching, there are very few people who are left behind, and even fewer people are sick.

With the sound of people neighing, the stream of people came. Under the guidance of the mercenaries of the Jingbian Army, under the guidance of their respective azimuth flags, they went to the camp in an orderly manner, assembled, harnessed horses, trailered, set up tents, ate, rested, in Apple pie order.

"Look, this is well-trained, everyone, without the guidance of the Jingbian Army, the new army is just a mob..."

Sun Chuanting quietly watched the army set up camp. The generals and officials of the Jingbian Army beside him had already gone to work, and there were only a few confidantes and staff around him.

He looked at the red sky over there in a daze, and said in a deep voice: "Just now you said that Mr. Li Qian was disrespectful to the governor, and that the Jingjing frontier army joined the new army, and the deeper the interference in Shaanxi, then don't let them intervene. Are we doing well?"

He looked a little sad: "We started too late, our talents are too few, and we are extremely insufficient in all aspects. If you don't rely on Yongninghou's subordinates, who will you rely on? If you want to prevent others from pointing fingers, you must rely on yourself Hard, but..."

An aide behind him said sadly: "Don't worry, Grandpa Sun, every bit of them, the students will remember it in their hearts and record it in the case, and there will always be a day to catch up."

Sun Chuanting nodded: "The future of Shaanxi and the future of Ming Dynasty depend on the princes. However, the training of soldiers and wars, or the farming of civil affairs are different from those in the past. The governor suffers from a shortage of talents. I heard that the Marquis of Yongning now allows overseas students..."

He paused for a moment, the word "international student" felt strange.

However, Wang Dou always came up with some weird things, so he didn't take it seriously after thinking about it. He said: "The governor will negotiate with the Marquis of Yongning to try to send a group of people to Xuanfu Town Military Academy and Civil Affairs Academy, as well as teachers Qualifications for university study."

All the staff nodded vigorously. Although they were full of enthusiasm and were willing to follow Mr. Sun to do a great cause, when the matter came to an end, they realized that a mere group of staff was not enough to lead all aspects, and a large number of hard-working grassroots personnel were needed. Talented people.

And these personnel are what they lack. After the Jingbian army mercenaries arrived, the more they came into contact with each other, the more they got to know, the more they felt the gap between them.So no matter how reluctant, it is just wishful thinking not to let them intervene, unless one's level in all aspects is raised to the same level as Xuanfu Town.

Seeing the frustration of the staff, Sun Chuanting laughed again: "If you gain something, you lose something. It's no big deal. In other words, without this Jingbian army, we wouldn't even have the current situation."

Yang Sichang, Ding Qirui, Hou Xun and others have all supervised the division, but they often fail to dispatch because they do not have elite soldiers directly under them.

The present supervisor Hou Xun lives in the Kaifeng mansion, and I heard that apart from dozens of retinues drawn from Chen Yongfu, there is not a single soldier. Now the city is like a wooden sculpture and clay sculpture. thing.

If I hadn't hired these three thousand elite soldiers, who knows what will happen when I return to Shaanxi?
Will there be a situation where one promises one word and one promises everything?There will be [-] new recruits for training, and the prospects are bright?Sun Chuanting believes that as long as he gives himself time, the new Shaanxi army may not be unable to compete with the Jingbian army in the future.

Looking at the sunset in the sky, he said earnestly, "Everything will be fine."

He led his staff to inspect the camp, and the soldiers of each battalion had already settled down quickly. Because they were marching on the inside line, there was no need to set up a camp, only some trenches were dug, some critical places were sprinkled with barbed wire, and there were night watchmen patrolling.

However, at this time, the supply battalion was still continuously transporting. From Xi'an to Tongguan, the Jingbian Army Zanhua had set up multiple food storage locations, not just to supply the marching team.

Most of these supply units also use wheelbarrows, which are light carts, made of hardwood, with shafts and holes, which can be used to fight cards and reject guns when facing the enemy. However, Sun Chuanting tried every means to add some Some carriages to increase transport capacity.

The food and grass statistics and budget in the battalion are also in charge of the mercenary supply team. They are proficient in calculation and can make overall plans for the army. When necessary, the prefect of Xi'an and others must listen to their commands.

Sun Chuanting gathered all the generals of the province, and built an artillery battalion with fifty generals, twenty mortars, and one hundred medium and small Frangs. The gunners were training, and at this time they were also drawn by oxen and horses.

Sun Chuanting believed that he could fight against the barracks of the thieves, if their artillery came.

From the information shared with him by the Jingbian army, Sun Chuanting was also surprised to know that the intruders actually had a huge gun battalion, with various new troops that had surrendered as the backbone, and most of the equipment was captured East Road. Firearms attracted Sun Chuanting's attention.

He bought a lot of equipment from Wang Dou. In addition to firearms, armor and military uniforms, there are also many thousands of enemies, poisonous bombs, gray bombs, etc. At this time, they are all brought in from the logistics operation. Hu Qiben and so on, also collected them all at once.

Sun Chuanting believed that he would be able to defend Tongguan.

……

On April 16th of the [-]th year of Chongzhen, Sun Chuanting brought his staff to praise the painting, as well as the generals of the mercenary army and the first-class troops of the two generals. They arrived at Tongguan half a day earlier than the brigade. This is called the first pass of Yongzhou.

They entered Guancheng from the west gate. Tongguan has nine city gates and nine gate towers, and each gate has urns, city gates, and archery towers. The west gate is connected to the official road in Xi'an, and the front of the city wall is relatively flat, but there are also gate towers and archery towers. Inner and outer doors.

When entering the gate, the front of the city gate was already bustling with people, and a large number of grain transport teams kept entering the city. The heavy carriages and wheelbarrows full of grain and grass were dragged by the heavy soldiers and filed forward.

The three armies did not move, and the food and grass went first. The importance of the food and grass did not need to be questioned. It was impossible for Sun Chuanting and others to drive away the food trucks and let him go first. They waited for a long time before they could move on.

As a guerrilla soldier, the mercenary officer Yang Hu and the local Tongguan guard greeted Governor Sun and his party.Under the orders of the battalion headquarters, a group of sergeants led by Mr. Hu, including the first chasseurs and the third hussars, rushed to defend in advance, and they were also in charge of sentry.

According to Lord Tiger's introduction, there are scattered thieves sentinel cavalry on the plain opposite Wangyuangou.

However, it is estimated that their main force will take at least five to ten days before they can reach the vicinity of Tongguan.After all, according to the route, from Xiangyang to Tongguan for more than 1000 miles, their infantry walked thirty to fifty miles a day, and it took at least twenty to thirty days to reach their destination.

However, there are many thieves and cavalry, and some sentinel cavalry troops have appeared one after another. Lord Tiger led his troops these days and killed at least dozens of them.

Master Hu Yebu was born, and all the hunting cavalry under his command have riding guns, and they can fire guns on horseback. The range is farther than horse bows, and they all have good horses. , haunted and elusive, there is nothing the thief sentinel can do about it.

However, there are more and more thieves and horsemen, Master Hu has restrained himself in the past two days, and he does not want to lose the power of his subordinates in vain.

The thieves actually paid more attention to intelligence than the officers and soldiers, and the post stations from Huguang to Henan had been basically abolished. When Shaanxi got the news, most of the thieves had already traveled a long way on the road to Henan.

But after all, it is the main land, and our side still has advantages in defense and other aspects. Their sentry cavalry team may not have the ability to attack the city, so there is no need to worry about it, but starting from today, it is urgent to step up the defense of Tongguan.

Sun Chuanting listened quietly, and when Yang Hu had finished speaking, he held Master Hu's hand kindly, and praised: "Thanks to Mr. Yang Qian, my teacher is able to know all about the thieves."

Master Hu withdrew his hand calmly, clasped his fists and said: "Sun Du is too famous, this is the last thing to do."

Then Sun Chuanting, regardless of his fatigue, waved his hands to stop his staff to take a break to persuade them, and led them to the west gate. The situation of Tongguan is long from east to west and narrow from north to south. The whole city looks like a saddle and a gold ingot. From east to south, inspect the whole city.

When they went to the west gate, the local defenders were already on guard, and there were patrolling people everywhere on the city wall.

Everyone followed the city wall to the north, and soon saw the Weihe River. This section of the city wall was built on the side of the Weihe River all the way to the north gate. The city wall was not far from the river bank, and the widest part was less than one mile. It is used as a river embankment.

Then arrive at Beiguan, where the Weihe River and the Yellow River meet, and the river is even wider. Standing on the high city wall, seeing the mighty Yellow River flowing eastward, the sight is very wide, and everyone feels relieved.

A bureaucrat sighed: "How can a great river and mountain fall into the hands of thieves?"

Everyone nodded.

Here, the distance from the city wall to the river bank is also narrower, generally less than one mile, and many of them are still muddy river stalls. If the bandits attack, it is impossible to gather large-scale gatherings in these narrow areas in front of the gate.

The artillery on the city wall can even shoot into the river, breaking the enemies who came to attack the city into sections.

The defenders in the city attacked again, and the enemies who attacked the walls and gates had no other way out except to run into the Yellow River.

Moreover, the city walls in these sections are generally more than five feet high. If the enemy soldiers want to climb the city walls, they must first be exhausted and half dead.

The city gates in these places are all oriented inward, like the side of a horse's face. When the attacking horse team rushed here, they slowed down unknowingly.After abducting here, the defenders on the city can still effectively kill the waist of their team.

The small north gate is the Shuiguan, and the Tonghe River passes through the city, echoing the Nanshuiguan where the river flows into the city. Ershuiguan has built watchtowers and archery towers on the culverts, which can effectively defend against the enemy's attack from the water.

At Xiaobei Pass, you can already see Shanxi Province on the opposite side, Fenglingdu, Fenglingdui and Zhongtiao Mountain on the other side.At this time, some ferries on the Yellow River were traveling between the two banks, but they were the defenders of Tongguan, echoing and communicating with the defenders of Shanxi at Fenglingdu.

Wu Zhengchun took out his binoculars to look at, followed by people with binoculars, and Sun Chuanting also pulled out binoculars one after another, and looked across the Yellow River.

(End of this chapter)