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

Chapter 878 Forward
(Gentlemen, the pronunciation of Wang Dou is the fighting of fighting, not the fighting of a bucket of rice. Brother Traveler back to the south, Wang Dou’s activities are mostly in the north, and there is not much intersection with Baiganbing and Qin Liangyu, so there is no relevant plot in the book .)
On the afternoon of April [-], the entire Jingbian army arrived at Juyongguan.

In fact, the cavalry of all armies arrived in Guancheng half a day ago, and the Ye Bu Shou from the Jianshao Battalion even arrived yesterday.And as early as the time of mobilization, they had all sent out to Xuanfu Town to spy, and at this time, most of them came out together, with full firepower.

The rest of the infantry and supplies, because most of the artillery and supplies were transported to Juyongguan in advance, they marched all the way, eating, drinking and sleeping all the way were taken care of, they just need to concentrate on their journey.Therefore, on the afternoon of the 23th, all [-] soldiers, regardless of whether they were riding artillery or arrows, arrived at Juyongguan.

Like Shanhaiguan, Juyongguan is actually a systematic defense project. The whole pass is built on the Guangou, with a total of four passes.The northernmost is Badaling Pass, also known as Beikou.Then go south and go to Shangguan.Then came Juyongguan Pass, and finally Nankou Pass.

From north to south, the four passes are arranged in a large canyon, with a distance of ten or twenty miles from each other.

The city of Juyongguan was built in the middle of this nearly forty-mile-long valley, guarding the entrance to the capital from the north, with the momentum of "one man guards the gate, and ten thousand men cannot open it".In particular, the mountains on both sides are majestic, with overlapping emerald peaks, accompanied by clear flowers and trees. It has always been one of the eight scenic spots in Yanjing, known as "juyong emerald green".

Juyongguan City has two gates in the north and south, both of which are built with urns. The entire city is in an oval closed shape, with a circumference of about eight miles.Half of the city is lying on the Jingui Mountain in the west, and the other part is winding on the Cuiping Mountain in the east. Then, the north and south gates are located on the flat platform in the valley, and the distance between the two gates is about two miles.

In addition, Guancheng also has nearly [-] subsidiary enemy towers, east and west mountain turrets, water gate towers, shop houses, forts, beacon towers and other buildings. In the Yong'an River Valley on the east side of the city, there are two water gates in the north and south.

Wang Dou's descendants once passed by by plane. At that time, all they saw were vast and continuous mountains, and then they saw a canyon cutting the continuous mountains, which was like a miracle.This canyon is a hundred miles away from the capital, so it was named Juyongsai or Junduxing, and it was the Juyongguan Great Wall at this time.

Also because of the guarding of the throat and the dangerous situation of Juyongguan, it has been a battleground for military strategists since ancient times.

Of course, even a dangerous place in the world must be defended by capable people. In history, Li Zicheng approached Juyongguan, the guard Tang Tong, the eunuch Du Zhizhi and others surrendered, and the governor He Qian fled privately.Such a great pass fell into the hands of Li Zicheng without any effort.

After the Jingbian army arrived at Juyongguan, they went to Badaling in the north and Nankouguan in the south, stationed densely along the Guangou River Valley, and the army and horses stretched for dozens of miles.

Wang Dou and others went straight into Guancheng. Juyongguan City was similar to a military town, with granary, armory, government office, Confucianism, martial arts field and other buildings in it, and the scale was not small.There are also palaces, dense archways, numerous temples, etc. Inner City God's Temple, Guanwang Temple, and Guandi Temple are even more indispensable.

When Wang Dou and others entered from the north gate of the urn, they saw the Zhenwu Temple in the urn, and there was a rebuilt stele, "Juyongguan Reconstructed Zhenwu Temple Stele".

"As far as my great ancestor, Emperor Gao, the dragon flew to Huaidian, fought hard to save the Central Plains, expelled the hundred-year-old, and restored the principles of ten thousand generations. He ordered the great general Wei Guogong Xu Da to march to the north, and there were many times with the help of real martial arts...to set up a temple. , So the god is in the important place of the North Urn City, and the spirit responds to the incense, protecting and protecting, the north town desert passes through the Xuanda, to control the three sides, and the south arches the mausoleum of the emperor Yi, and lays a foundation for the state."

Juyongguan has built pass defenses in all dynasties, but the current Guancheng was planned and established by general Xu Da and deputy general Chang Yuchun in the first year of Hongwu.Later generations continued to repair it, but this inscription was rebuilt during the Wanli period.

Wang Dou and others burned incense, reminiscing about the sages, and then patrolled the city, and followed the city wall to Jincai Mountain and Cuiping Mountain.The walls of the city platform and city walls are all covered with granite stones and thick city bricks. Some stone strips even weigh more than one ton.

Wang Dou stands on the enemy platform of Jingui Mountain and looks out. The willow smoke weaves greenery, the blue waves surge, and Guangou is vivid.At this time, flags and banners spread all over the river valley, and the densely packed tents meandered southward, disappearing beyond the mountain, and spread to Nankou Pass, which was more than ten miles away.

People called horses neighing, the sound of gold and spears rang, and looking at the mottled cornerstone of the city platform in front of them, the sense of time and history suddenly increased sharply.This war is related to the rise and fall of history. I wonder how future generations will evaluate this war?Will the place where Jieshi himself is standing be erected a commemorative stele and become a famous tourist attraction?

The prince and the civil servants who followed were arranged to rest in the palace, government office, and Confucianism. Wang Dou set the south gate tower of Juyongguan City as the Xingyuan, where all the officials were called to discuss matters.

In fact, apart from the Yamen Office, there is a household named Cao Administrative Office not far from the city tower. It is a spacious courtyard house with red pillars and blue tiles and wide eaves corridor. It is not small, but Wang Dou prefers to stay on the city tower. I like the feeling of climbing high and looking far away.

On the second floor of the city tower, a huge battle map was hung up, and a detailed sand table of the capital's local area was launched. The officers and generals of Shaanxi and Gansu, and the leaders of various Mongolian tribes who came to participate in the battle were densely surrounded in a large circle.There were Wang Zheng, Wang Ying, Wang Xiong, Wang Hao, Zhong Yiyuan, Han Hou, Han Si, Wen Wentao, Gao Dexiang and other children standing aside to watch.

In this battle, the students of the Military Academy went out to experience the military story on the spot. Of course, they did not have the right to speak, but just stood aside and watched and felt it carefully.

"Our army has reached Juyongguan. The next step is to capture Changping, control Chaozong Bridge, Gonghua City, Anji Bridge, and Danerling..."

Chief of Staff Wen Fangliang pointed to the sand table and said, "The Sha River originates from the Guangou River, [-] miles away from Changping City. During the Zhengtong period, the Chaozong Bridge was built across the Beisha River. There is Gonghua City next to it. On Tuesday, there are four gates. It has always been the place where the emperor visited the Northern Expedition and visited the mausoleum. Then five miles to the south is the Nansha River, on which there is the Anji Bridge, which is also a stone arch bridge built during the Zhengtong period."

He said: "The Anji Bridge goes south for about ten miles, and it is Dan'er Ridge, on which there is a shop in Tangjialing. All the armies going north have been stationed in Tangjialing. For example, Cheng Zu personally conquered Alutai and camped in Tangjialing. Yingzong conquered Wala himself, and he also stationed in Tangjialing. .This is also the main location of our army’s battle formation.”

Wen Fangliang said: "about ten miles south of Tangjialing Pudi is Qinghedian, and there is also a shop above it. Not far to the south of Qinghedian, there is also a stone arch bridge, named Guangji Bridge, about [-] steps long, and it is also the link between the capital and the northwest. The bridge that the mausoleum must pass through. This is the main place where the bandits set up their battle formations."

Wen Fangliang said: "Compared with Dan'erling, it is more important to control Chaozong Bridge and Anji Bridge in advance, because it is related to the travel of our army and drinking water. According to the collection of information from all parties, it is from Changping to the south. At Lingzhi, there are 23 large towns in the east, west, north, south, and 97 large-scale pools and wells. They are Liu Pond and Kunhua Pond in Shikezhuang. Daye Pond, Erye Pond, and Sanye Pond in Wujiazhuang. Zhuang's..."

He came one by one, and the wells and pools in every village and fort were like a treasure.

You Shiwei and others stood aside, and everyone admired them. This is the only way to go to war.

Wang Dou also nodded. The staff department was really trained to consider all the details of the battle layout.In particular, they also took into account the meticulous water use of the army, which is very rare, after all, this is not a trivial matter.

According to Wang Dou's knowledge, during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the climate in the capital was hot and dry, with little rain, and draught was always a big problem.

According to historical estimates, the urban population of Beijing in the late Ming Dynasty was about 80 to 100 million, and there were more than 200 wells. It means that there is a well every mile in the city. However, due to the large population, each well must supply dozens of households, or even It is not an easy task to use water for hundreds of households.

At that time, because there were many rich officials in the capital, a large number of water bearers were born, most of whom were from Shanxi. At this time, most of the wells in the capital were public wells, and the residents were more free to draw water.In the Qing Dynasty, the wells were controlled by Shandong firemen who accompanied the Eight Banners. They sold money according to the wells and counted them with bamboo signs.

Generally, a load of water costs 160 Wen. This refers to sweet water, and bitter water is halved. During drought, a load of water costs [-] Wen. The bucket is still very small.

Therefore, it was very difficult for the capital to use water at that time, especially the water was divided into sweet and bitter, and the bitter water could not be drunk, but could only be washed.

On the outskirts of the capital, people say that "there is no river for twenty miles in the suburbs", and the water in the moat is filthy and cannot be used at all. All edible water is provided by Tujing.

However, in North China, there are few rivers after all. Even if wells are drilled, there are often problems with the bitterness of the well water.Not only in Gyeonggi, but also in Shandong and Henan, most of them are well springs that are bitter and salty, and if you drink them for a long time, you will suffer from ruffian.That is to say, people become stupid and sick.

Moreover, it is not bad to get well water. The soil in the north is thick and the water is deep, the soil is thin and the rocks are thick, so it is very difficult to dig a well. To the south of the Yangtze River, you can find spring water by digging five feet of soil. To the north of the Huaihe River, it takes two to three feet to dig a well.In those loess platform areas, such as the southwestern part of Shanxi and the Guanzhong area of ​​Shaanxi, the groundwater is buried deeper.

People at that time said that "there is a plain in the north of Chang'an City, and the well is fifty feet deep", "Biyuan, the well is fifty feet deep", "Chengcheng, Shaanxi, the well is thirty feet deep", "Wanquan County, Shanxi, the wells in the county are eighty or ninety feet deep. The shallow ones can reach fifty or sixty feet.”

Why are there so many beauties in Jiangnan?It is only because of the water that Pu Songling told the story of Yetao Town in Henan in the early Qing Dynasty.The woman in the store was in her 20s, but her face was as dirty as a ghost drawing, and the mud on the back of her hands was thick by an inch.

However, there is no water in the area, and the residents rely on rainwater for their daily lives. The water used is very expensive, and her husband is not willing to spend the money.It was the customer who bought a basin of water for two cents. After washing her hands and face, the woman in the store had a face like a lotus root, and her arms were like lotus roots.

Without water to wash your face and body, no matter how beautiful a person is, they will become ugly.

Therefore, it is placed in the North China Plain, near Gyeonggi, where the well water is bitter and salty, or in villages where there is no river spring and no wells can be drilled, most of them save rainwater for food.Generally, each village has one or two pools for daily water use for humans and animals.

In fact, even if there is a river near the village, the pool is an essential water source for each village and fort. After all, it is too complicated to carry water from the river.No matter how expensive and time-consuming it is, every village has to dig ponds and build canals to accumulate rainwater in summer and autumn, and sweep snow in winter and autumn to store rainwater and spring water.

Some literati also like to store plum rainwater, prepare hundreds of large urns, burn them with coal after receiving the water, seal the mouth of the urns tightly, and use the water to make tea and wine, so you can eat and drink for a year without worrying about it.Residents in Jinan like to store snow water in cellars, which are also sterilized with charcoal fire for use in the coming year.

In short, all kinds of things in the Northland at this time are extremely inconvenient and inconceivable to those who are used to tap water in later generations, but the army must use water.Therefore, in addition to controlling the Shahe River, the pools and wells in nearby villages are also considered by the staff.

It is not easy for the villagers to store water, so how much compensation should be paid at that time must also be taken into account.

In fact, it would be best to control Fuhai and Kunming Lake. The two lakes are wide enough to provide water for the army, but that is the battle line reserved for the thieves.

The staff department arranged meticulous logistical issues, taking all aspects into account, enough to make the army invincible.There is also the detailed personnel arrangement of the generals, such as who is fighting the bandits and which army.Who and what armies are you fighting against?

Who will lead the flank attack, deploy troops, arrange equipment, etc. The plan is very complex, and finally reported to Wang Dou for approval.

You Shiwei and others stood aside and were very happy to see that their own people were also arranged in, but in advance, Changping, Chaozong Bridge, Gonghuacheng, Danerling and other places...

You Shi stepped forward fiercely, and said to Wang Dou, "Marshal, the last general is willing to be the vanguard and lead the army to capture Changping City, so as to strengthen the momentum of our army!"

When he made a sound, it was like piercing a hornet's nest. The generals from Shaanxi and Gansu, as well as the Mongols, shouted loudly, hoping to fight and make meritorious service.

They said one after another: "Marshal, the last general is also willing to go."

"Marshal, the last general is willing to go with General You."

"Marshal, give the last general this chance."

"Marshal, the last general is going to capture Shunyi City."

"Marshal, the last general and his subordinate Erlang will definitely be able to capture Gonghua City."

Among them, Chen Yongfu and Gao Jie shouted the loudest, obviously very eager to make meritorious service.

Everyone yelled, and many of them blushed and almost scuffled.

Wang Dou looked at the crowd and nodded with a smile. The morale is good, which is a good thing.

He pondered for a while, and it would be good to let them fight in advance. Compared with the Jingbian army, their military strength will not be too strong, but they will not be too weak either.They are all elite cavalry, and they are also considered elite in the Ming army, so that after the bandits face them, they can feel their strength without feeling powerless.

In particular, whoever captures Changping City will not harm the overall situation, and it is indeed feasible to let them play.

Of course, those who belong to the Mongolian tribes are excluded first, and Wang Dou mainly lets them fight the Manchurians and the Eight Banners Mongols.

He looked at You Shiwei and said, "Forget it, General You, General Chen, and General Gao, all of you are going to fight, and General You will control you."

He took out a command arrow to You Shiwei, and confessed: "Although Changping City has arranged for my teacher to respond, it is best not to attack the city and lead the bandits out of the city to fight. After the bandits Liu Zeqing, Qiu Lei and others are defeated, they will They can drive all the way to the capital. After the restoration of Changping City, soldiers and horses can be arranged at the Baifu Spring in Donglong Mountain in the east of the city to prevent possible reinforcements from the bandits from Shunyi and other places. If they come to help, they will also be defeated. They drove in the direction of the capital, but they did not seize the two cities of Shunyi and Huairou."

He pondered for a while, and said: "As for the captured bandit officers and soldiers, they are all at the discretion of the local people."

You Shiwei took the order loudly, and received the arrow impassionedly, Chen Yongfu, Gao Jie and others all showed joy on their faces.

Wang Dou also arranged for the middle battalion, left battalion, and right battalion of the Xuanwu army to respond, with the middle battalion and the middle battalion general Lei Xianbin in control. After the army took control of Changping City, various arrangements were made immediately.

In the end, Wang Dou said to You Shiwei: "All your soldiers and horses will gather at Nankou Pass today, and when the sky is bright tomorrow, attack immediately and seize Changping City!"

You Shi powerfully bowed down to Wang Dou, he knelt down on one knee, clasped his fists with both hands, and shouted loudly: "Marshal, don't worry, the final general will supervise the soldiers and horses, and take Changping City smoothly."

Wang Dou helped You Shiwei up, and said with a smile, "This commander firmly believes in this."

(End of this chapter)