"In severe heat and heavy rain, there will be frost for a hundred days. In severe heat and slight heat, mice will drown."
On June 23, the 14th year of Chongzhen, during the summer season, the sky was dark, dark clouds covered the sun, and it rained heavily.
It was midsummer, but the sudden heavy rain made people feel slightly chilly. In a mountain forest twenty miles north of Xingshan Station in Liaodong, there were more than ten humanoid figures lurking.
The rain fell like hemp, and the surrounding fields were silent. Only the sound of raindrops hitting the branches, leaves and grass could be heard.
The sky and the earth are desolate, and the earth is like a wash. It is surrounded by rolling mountains. Two miles further to the north is the Nerv River. The mountains here are twelve miles away from Jinzhou and sixteen miles away from Songshan Fort.
In a depression not far from where a dozen people were hiding, there were more than ten strong horses resting in the forest. Two rough-looking men in fine clothes were guarding here. They were both wearing cloaks and hats.
.
The raindrops fell on the bamboo hat and flowed down the edge. One of the men cursed and said: "It's such a prodigal weather. This rain makes me upset."
Another rough voice said: "Okay, Lord Ma and the others have been lying down for almost an hour. It's better for us two to just stand here."
It had been raining heavily for almost an hour, and I was finally getting tired. The raindrops were no longer as rapid as they had been at first, and it looked like they would stop soon.
There are also traces of bright light in the sky, looming out from behind the thick clouds, seeming to give people hope.
The leader, a man in his thirties, with a weathered face and sharp eyes, wore a white felt hat with leather straps hanging down, and wore leather armor on his burly body. Although it looked a little old and mottled, it looked pretty good.
It was scraped and some copper nails were hammered into it.
He tightly wrapped his bamboo hat and his penis, and placed a cooked copper mace beside him. Raindrops fell on him from the branches and leaves of the big tree, but he lay firmly on the muddy ground.
Seen in the grass, motionless.
Beside him was a slightly skinny man, about the same age as him, but not tall, and his face was also full of wrinkles.
He also wore a felt hat and cloak, with leather armor underneath, and an oilcloth bag beside him, which looked like it had a double penis inside. There was also a hammer on his right hand side.
The heavy rain gradually stopped, and the cold wind started again. The cold wind came like a knife, blowing the branches and making a "squeaking" sound. It blew on everyone's face like a knife, and it felt like a knife when it blew on the body that was wet by the rain.
Frosty cold.
The lean man raised his head and looked at the sky and said: "Master Ma, our brothers' clothes and armor have been soaked by the rain. We have been squatting for a long time, but there is no Tatar figure. Should we ask the brothers to go to the temple on the east side of the mountain?"
Come warm up by the fire and rest your feet."
Master Qiu turned his head and looked left and right, and saw that all the people around him looked exhausted. Many people were huddled together, shivering in the cold wind.
He twisted his body and took out a water bag from his cloak, and said: "This place is too close to the Tatars, and you may encounter Tatars at any time. It is not good to be careless, but it is better to be careful. One person can drink a whole sip of strong wine, and take a sip first."
.”
Everyone silently took the water bag and took a big sip. The strong soju made their throats sore and burning. When it reached their stomachs, they immediately felt a surge of heat.
, five body comfort.
The lean man next to Mr. Ma finally took back the water bag. He raised his head and poured a large sip of wine into his mouth, and let out a big gulp of air with a "hissing, hissing" sound.
He handed the wine bag back to Mr. Ma and said, "Our shochu must be strong enough. I can't get used to the Guanli stuff."
This group of people was none other than Ma Zhenyuan, Zheng Zhitai, Sun Dongri, Su Shigao, Qian Yusheng and others who were under the command of Ningyuan's commander-in-chief Wu Sangui.
They were ordered by the commander-in-chief Wu Sangui to investigate the deployment of the slave army in Songjin area. The two leaders were the rugged man Ma Zhenyuan and the lean man Zheng Zhitai.
Both of them are veteran soldiers with many years of experience. Not only are they Wu Sangui's servants, but they are also Lao Yebuhu, who has many years of experience as a sentry agent. They are both very successful on weekdays.
In his early years, he was the servant of his ancestral family and stayed in Liaodong for a long time. In the eighth year of Chongzhen, the two of them followed Zu Kuan into the Pass to suppress the bandits. Later, Zu Kuan was dismissed from his post because of the Tartar invasion in the 11th year and his inability to aid Shandong. As a result, Jinan fell.
He was arrested and executed for "the crime of losing the vassal status".
The two of them returned to Liaodong, and then returned to Wu Sangui's command. They were still used as servants, but they started as pawns again, and now they are the leader of the team at night.
Ma Zhenyuan, Zheng Zhitai and their party were just one of the more than ten outposts sent by Wu Sangui, and they had been away from the camp for four days.
They were familiar with the terrain and mountains between the pines and brocades, and had rich experience as sentry scouts. They had many contacts with the Tatars. The two of them had been in the same camp for more than ten years.
There was nothing to say while riding.
Seeing that the heavy rain had stopped, leaving two sharp eyes to continue monitoring the footpath down the mountain and the direction of the Nuer River in the distance, Ma Zhenyuan led the rest of the group to where the war horses were stored.
They took a break in the mountains and forests to dry their cloaks and organize their equipment. As a horse team, they stayed up all night. Each of them was equipped with side cards and double inserts. There were Kaiyuan bows in the bow pots and heavy arrows in the quivers.
Pressure quiver.
In this way, the arrows are stuffed into the quiver, and no matter how bumpy the horse is when galloping, the arrows will not fall out.
However, among them, only Ma Zhenyuan and Zheng Zhitai used the one-stone bow. The others, such as Sun Dongri, Su Shigao and others, all used the seven-kage bow or the eight-kage bow.
It was vaguely visible that Sun Dongri and several others had three-pronged muskets stuck in their waists. From this, we could see that this team still had a certain proportion of firearms in their possessions.
The leader of the team, Ma Zhenyuan, always felt that the seven-eight-power Kaiyuan bow they used was not powerful enough. The eight-power bow could only penetrate the iron-coated armor at a distance of fifteen steps, slightly injuring the flesh.
However, the vests worn by the Tatars when sent out are at least two layers of heavy armor. There may be thirty or forty kilograms of iron-inlaid cotton armor on the outside, and ten or twenty kilograms of short iron hoods on the inside. Even at fifteen steps
The shot penetrated one layer of the body, but it was still unable to hurt anyone.
If you encounter the strong ones among them, such as Bashiku and Fende Bashiku, there will even be a layer of chain armor or triple armor at the innermost part, and the damage caused by bows and arrows on it will be even more insignificant.
Already.
However, training in the use of weapons takes many years. Once you are used to using them, you should not replace them rashly, otherwise your combat effectiveness will suddenly drop. You can only do this by ear.
"You are rolling a donkey ball. What kind of crazy weather is this? The horses are exhausted, let alone the people. They are carrying dozens of kilograms of armor. Damn it..."
Sun Dongri on the side was drinking heavily while cursing and adjusting the saddle. He and Su Shigao on the side were both servants of the younger generation and both were stout men. They all wore iron-lined armor and rain-proof jackets.
cloak.
He took off his felt hat, revealing a square scarf covering his black hair.