After several days of continuous marching, the soldiers of the Shenji Battalion began to curse and move lazily. Finally, they took off all their armor and handed it to the accompanying army's baggage team along with their weapons for transportation.
On the other hand, the generals under Zhang Cheng's command were still in high spirits even though they were marching inside and on the same journey. They still kept half of their cavalry in armor to prepare for almost impossible surprises.
Since setting off from the Peking University campus in the capital, Zhang Cheng's cavalry has maintained half of its armor. They take turns to rest every day, and the sentry cavalry are still running to and fro.
The officers and soldiers under Zhang Cheng saw this and couldn't help but despise them. Zhang Chengfang took advantage of no one around and cursed softly: "What a embroidered pillow soldier!"
But Zhang Cheng happened to overhear it. He glared at Zhang Chengfang and feigned anger: "Young man, do your own thing well and stop gossiping here."
He waved his hand again to call Zhang Chengfang to him, raised his hand and knocked him on the head, and said: "If Mr. Chen heard what you just said, wouldn't it hurt the relationship between the two armies? Please pay attention to it in the future."
Here you go."
Although Zhang Chengfang felt a little aggrieved in her heart, she also knew that what Zhang Cheng said was right, so she lowered her head and replied softly: "Well, I'll take note of it."
Zhang Cheng waved his hand again and said to him: "Are you feeling bored after marching for days? Here, I will send you an errand to tell Zhang Guangda to the front army to speed up the march and set up camp through Yuguan tonight. Enter Shanhaiguan tomorrow."
Here Zhang Chengfang rode his horse and rushed forward. Fu Yingchong, the deputy general of the front camp, came to Zhang Cheng and said: "Brother, from Funing to Yuguan, there is still almost twenty miles away?"
Zhang Cheng smiled and said: "It's less than twenty miles away. If you work hard, you'll be there in less than two hours."
After hearing this, Fu Yingchong looked back and saw that the generals in his battalion were exhausted after marching for days. He said to Zhang Cheng: "We will camp at Yuguan today, and we will not be able to leave Shanhaiguan tomorrow.
Why don't we camp by the Yang River outside Funing Guard City today, so that the soldiers can take a good wash and rest early, so that the army can pass through Guancheng in two days, and the military period will not be missed."
In fact, Zhang Cheng did not have to rush to Yuguan tonight. He only saw a slightly embarrassed look on his face. When he was hesitating, the former battalion commander Chen Jiugao came over and said: "Yes, brother.
The soldiers and horses of Xuanzang under your command are all brave men, but our infantry cannot compare with them, not to mention that this artillery carriage is not easy to haul."
Zhang Cheng saw that Chen Jiugao was here to talk, so he took the opportunity to offer a favor and said: "Okay. According to the wishes of the two brothers, we will camp on both sides of the Yanghe River tonight so that the soldiers can rest early."
After he finished speaking, he called Zhang Jintai and said: "Jin Tai, go and catch up with your brother Cheng Fang, and order Zhang Guangda's cavalry camp to speed up and go to the bank of the Yang River to survey the location of the camp."
After Zhang Jintai accepted the promise, he rode off and chased Zhang Chengfang eastward.
…………
A slightly embarrassed look appeared on Fu Yingchong's face, but it was fleeting. He was still chatting happily with Zhang Cheng and Chen Jiugao.
Zhang Cheng walked alongside them, chatting as they walked, but secretly sighed in his heart that at the end of every dynasty, the descendants of those nobles and military exploits would end up like the Eight Banners disciples in the late Qing Dynasty.
Look at the current Jiannu in Liaodong, how brave and capable they were when they were rising, but how virtuous and useless they were at the end of the Qing Dynasty?
Is this problem really unsolvable?
Gu Min
Zhang Cheng couldn't help but fell into deep thoughts!
After Shenshi time passed, the army rushed to the Yanghe River and set up camp. It was convenient to get water. After Zhang Cheng and Chen Jiugao discussed it, they ordered all the troops to boil water and wash themselves thoroughly to relieve the fatigue of marching for days.
…………
On May 27, the 14th year of Chongzhen, Zhang Cheng and Chen Jiugao led the army to the outside of Shanhaiguan. After passing Shanhaiguan, they entered the bitter cold land of Liaodong outside the Shanhaiguan.
"The key to the two capitals is unparalleled, the first pass of the Great Wall."
Shanhaiguan was known as Yuguan, Yuguan and Linlu Pass in ancient times. In the 14th year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty, Zhongshan King Xu Da was ordered to build Yongping, Jieling and other passes, and led his troops to this place. With the ancient Yuguan not being the key to control, he was in the east of the ancient Yuguan.
Shanhaiguan was built at Sixty Miles. It is named Shanhaiguan because it is adjacent to Yanshan Mountain in the north and the Bohai Sea in the south.
This is the starting point of the eastern end of the Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty. Together with Zhenbeitai and Jiayuguan, it is known as the "Three Famous Passes of the Great Wall". It is also known as "the first pass in the world", "the throat of border counties and the protection of the capital".
Jiayuguan is famous all over the world.
Shanhaiguan City has a circumference of more than nine miles and is directly connected to the Great Wall. It uses the city as a gateway. The city is nearly five feet high and more than two feet thick. It has four gates.
To the east is the "Zhendong Gate", to the west is the "Ying'en Gate", to the south is the "Wangyang Gate", and to the north is the "Weiyuan Gate". The four gates all have towers and urns. In addition, there are also southeast corner platforms and northeast gates.
There are corner towers and turrets, as well as Linlu Tower, Muying Tower and Xin Tower on the north and south sides of the Zhendong Gate Tower.
There is a water gate in the southeast, northwest and southwest corners of Guancheng. There is also a moat five feet wide and three feet deep dug outside the city wall to protect it. It is indeed easy to defend but difficult to attack.
Maybe everyone thinks that Shanhaiguan is just a pass, but in fact it is not just a pass, but consists of Shanhaiguan City, Dongluo City, Xilao City, South Wing City, North Wing City, Weiyuan City, Ninghai City,
Some castle groups such as Weihai City form a defense system.
When the armies of Zhang Cheng and Chen Jiugao arrived at the foot of Shanhaiguan City, it was almost dusk, and the setting sun shone through, casting a golden glow on the ancient city of Xiongguan.
Zhang Cheng and Chen Jiugao were guided by the generals guarding the pass and climbed the ancient city wall stairs to the tower of Ying'en Gate on the west side of Shanhaiguan Pass.
They looked at the well-armed soldiers under the city, constantly passing through this majestic pass and stepping into the land outside the pass at a neat pace.
Flags are like a sea, a mighty torrent of steel, with no end in front and no end behind, and it keeps moving forward...
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When the Liaodong war in the Ming Dynasty was urgent and Hong Chengchou, Zhang Cheng and others hurriedly left the country with the fate of their country on their shoulders, the situation in the Central Plains was also brewing new major changes.
Although there was not much snowfall last winter within hundreds of miles around the Funiu Mountains, resulting in a slight lack of rain this spring and severe drought in the crop fields, this has been worse than other places in Henan, such as the Nanyang Basin between Funiu Mountains and Tongbai Mountains.
It's much better.
There are still lush vegetation and blooming mountain flowers on many mountaintops, but the farther you go, the further away from the Desheng Village where the invading army Li Zicheng is stationed, the more lush the vegetation becomes.
Standing on Desheng Village and looking into the distance, there are black and green hills everywhere, as if the mountains covered by vegetation are not afraid of drought and dare to compete with the gods.