open sea

Chapter 429 Rice
The Nizi Ten Banners refer to the ten branch cities built by the Nizi family to guard against the Maori clan on various main roads near Futian Yueshan Castle when they ruled the Izumo Kingdom. They are also called the defense net of Futian Yueshan Castle.

However, this line of defense failed to resist the Maori family's offensive in the end, and fell apart with the death of the Nizi family.

Today, this defensive net has become the biggest obstacle for Nizi Katsuhisa to regain Futian Yueshan Castle.

On the same day that the Bailu City was caged, the artillery of the Ming army opened the city gate and scattered the defenders who surrounded the roadblocks. In the past, the owner of the Nizi Family Bailu City Matsuda Makoto led the Ashgaru into the city, recaptured the city, and recruited the local Ashgaru on the spot. Many civilians who had taken refuge were drawn back into the army.

Immediately afterwards, in almost the same way, they recaptured Shenxi Castle, Kumano Castle, Magi Castle, and Misawa Castle in just three days, and executed the rebel general Misawa who had defected in the past and helped the Mori family capture Tomita Gassan Castle. Back under the control of Nizi's house.

When Nizi Shengjiu and Shanzhong Lujie sent troops to besiege Futian Yueshan City, Chen Bazhi and Li Rubai marched by land and water, claiming Nizi's reinforcements, and marched from Shenxi City to Shanbuki City in Ishijian Kingdom.

The scale of the Crocodile City blocked by the road is pitifully small, it is not even considered a fortress, it is only a barracks at best, and the defenders are only two or three hundred feet light. Later, the Japanese pirates were driven into the conflict, and when they passed through the city, even the traces of their existence were completely wiped out.

Take away everything that can be taken away, and tear down everything that can be demolished. Liaodong cavalry don't want to work as loggers in Shanbuki City. They would rather direct Japanese pirates to carry logs and march slowly.

From Shenxi City to Shanchui City, it was a short distance of forty miles. When Chen Bazhi saw Li Rubai again from the coast, the more than a thousand Japanese pirates under his command who followed Li Rubai were no longer able to form a combat force.

Li Rubai curled his lips and said: "These Japanese are too much to be forbidden."

Chen Bazhi looked at the Japanese pirates who were lying down and the officers couldn't even whip them with horsewhips, and he was also puzzled. He waved his hand to the banner officers from Liaodong to stop urging them to get up, and said, "What did you ask them to do?"

"I just brought some wood, walked forty miles for three days, set off in the morning, walked three miles and rested for a while, so why is this still fighting?" Li Rubai pouted his mouth and was dissatisfied, "Everyone is like a monkey, not as good as the heavy soldiers in Liaodong! "

Chen Bazhi waved his hand, the enemy didn't care about this at the moment, and ordered the Japanese pirates to rest on the spot, and two scouts from hundreds of households led troops to explore the nearby Shanchui City. Take turns guarding and eating, preparing to attack the city.

There is a gang cooking here, and the Japanese pirates are also cooking gangs there. Chen Bazhi knew where the problem was.

The military rations of the Banner Army are bought and shipped to Tianjin Wei by merchants in Shuntian, and transported to Wudao by sea, and then loaded onto the grain ship from Wudao, and replenished at any time with the army; It is necessary for the Ming army to prepare rations, as long as they are given some rice rations after the battle, Chen Bazhi also praised Long Xin very much.

What's more, those were not his own soldiers, Chen Bazhi didn't care that much, and he would find out what the so-called military rations were after a while - rice balls made with hands, one for a meal, two for a day.

It’s not that these people are short of food. Li Rubai, who captured the crocodiles and left the city, rewarded them with a “huge amount” of rice and grain in the eyes of the Japanese pirates, but they didn’t eat or cook too much. They would rather carry a cloth bag with them. Jinmi doesn’t make onigiri either, just eat one at a time.

Even if it's a little more particular, it's nothing more than pinching a small piece of salted radish into the rice ball, which is military food.

"They only eat this. In addition to their weapons and equipment, they have to carry seven or eight catties of rice, and they have to carry dozens of catties of wood. Usually, the march in battle is within ten miles. Now that they are allowed to march like this, and no one is killed, they are already in good health."

Chen Bazhi took a rice ball and broke it open for Li Rubo to show him. This well-fed young man from Liaodong was already full and was feeding his horse with oats and black beans mixed into the hay. Two soju.

Looking at the little rice balls in Chen Bazhi's hand, and then at the huge rice bucket, he said: "The rations of Japanese soldiers need to be changed."

The contempt on Li Rubai's face can be seen at a glance, and no one feels more deeply than President Qi who is by Chen Bazhi's side. He was instinctively afraid of Li Rubai, and stubbornly murmured to Chen Bazhi, both unwilling and envious, and said: "General, Fantuan It is the best ration for soldiers, and they are already seventy percent full with rice on their backs."

Chen Bazhi's astonishment made President Qi even more anxious. He argued incoherently and wondered: "Isn't this the case in the Ming Dynasty? Farmers can't eat the rice they grow, and they will die if they eat it. Sell ​​the rice you planted and exchange it for food. If you don’t fight wars, you won’t be able to eat rice for the rest of your life. You can only eat rice balls if you fight wars.”

"Six people and four people, I remember."

Chen Bazhi nodded seriously, patted President Qi, and led his relatives away from the Liaodong Banner Army's position. He did not have Li Rubai's contempt or sense of superiority.

In his eyes, regardless of Ming Dynasty or Japan, starvation and cold are man-made disasters. He has not forgotten the days when he was struggling between killing dogs to feed his hunger and holding dogs for warmth. It is just that the Japanese are small and easy to manage, and the war is chaotic. Four times, those county magistrates can directly set the tax as three taxes, one or even three taxes, two.

Daming is not much better. Even though Daming pays [-]% of tax per thirtieth tax, even with various apportionments, the simple tax payment does not exceed [-] per cent of tax. However, when the government collects taxes, the common people will sell grain to make the price of grain the lowest, selling two stones of rice Only in exchange for one stone of tax money, plus a fifty-fifty share between tenants and landlords, the rice grains that farmers end up in their hands is actually no different from the three taxes.

The excessive taxation caused by Ming Dynasty is not a political problem, but an economic problem.

"If I lay down land in Japan, I will charge [-]% of grain tax and [-]% of tax for business in the future, what do you think the people..." Chen Bazhi shook his head halfway through speaking. Bacon and rice, he ordered: "Two thousand households, march towards Shanchui City, let Li Qianhu's cavalry walk around, the people outside the city are almost running away, if the city lord does not surrender, he will smash it down!"

The two banner troops of the Qianhu Division did not clean up the camp. Under the order of Qianhu, each of them formed an formation and marched towards the direction of Shanbuki City at a walking pace. Travel on the flanks.

Their horses have had enough rest. They have always been led by cavalry with heavy horses and light clothes when marching, in order to preserve the horse's physical strength and be useful in battle. At this time, the cavalry marched in scattered groups in the field with whistles. inside.

Even the Japanese pirates who were resting followed closely behind with their small swords in their hands. They knew very well that if they captured this fortress, they would get more rice.

The minds of the various ministries are extremely relaxed. The battle to sweep the northern part of Kyushu has already convinced this Ming army that the city lord here often dare not go out to fight when they are besieging the city, and will only hide in the walled city and wait for the artillery to break through the city.

Obviously, there will be no exception this time... The advancing flag army phalanx is meeting the galloping scouts, and the scouts report to Chen Bazhi: "There are enemy ambushes on the other side of the mountain, and there are reinforcements in the north of the city. There are thousands of them!"

(End of this chapter)