After the sergeants in Shanhai Town finished their dinner, bursts of noise could be heard faintly. From infantry to cavalry, everyone was in different shapes.
They may look numb and withered, like old farmers whose backs have been bent by life.
Or he may look carefree and carefree, crossing his legs and chatting away, like a rogue in the market.
There were also many smokers puffing leisurely. At this time, the phenomenon of smoking tobacco was extremely common among the Ming army in the north. In the cruel war, tobacco also helped to relieve stress, so even if Emperor Chongzhen ordered it to be banned, it was still possible.
To no avail.
However, these soldiers all have one similarity, that is, in appearance and temperament, they rarely have the heroism and heroism of soldiers. This is also a common problem among the sergeants in all the towns and battalions of the Ming Dynasty.
When the camp system was just emerging, it played a very positive role in fighting the Japanese pirates in the south and the Mongols in the north.
However, as the country's financial resources became increasingly empty, and exploitation and deduction of military pay became common, the servant system emerged. Most of the soldiers in the camp became military ruffians, or even soldiers. This was also a major drawback of the recruitment system.
Nowadays, almost all the soldiers in the Ming Dynasty's armies are not from good families. It's not that they can't recruit good people. First, they are reluctant to pay them, and second, the reputation of the soldiers is too bad and bad, so good people don't want to join the army.
Most of the people they recruited were local gangsters and gangsters. These people had bad character and were full of bad habits. They were proficient in eating, drinking, prostitution, gambling and smoking.
In addition, after joining the army, they were often in arrears of pay, and often went for several months without being paid a penny or a grain of rice. In order to survive, they gathered together to harass places, eat and drink, rob and kill, and it could be said that there was no end to it.
They are exactly the kind of military ruffians who are incapable of fighting but are most capable of causing harm to the people!
Just imagine, what kind of military discipline would there be in such an army?
If military regulations were strictly followed and no noise was allowed in the camp, however, these military regulations had long been thrown out of the window. After dinner, all the camps in Shanhai Town were generally lively.
It feels like a wet market. There are even some veteran soldiers who may have colluded with servants or officers behind the scenes to become smugglers in the camp. They sell Yunzhou cigarettes, dried fish from Xiaolinghekou and other items, and some unknown items.
Where did you get the canned Xuanbei pickles?
This canned pickles is a porcelain jar about the same size as a large bowl. There are pickled pickle dumplings inside, then some pickle water is put in, and then the mouth of the porcelain jar is sealed. It is as simple as that.
However, its preparation and transportation are more troublesome. It is not that other military towns cannot make it, but they are reluctant to spend money.
The main camp of Shanhaiguan General Ma Ke is located on the mountainside of Rufeng Mountain. He has stationed his troops here since he acquired Rufeng Mountain in vain.
Ma Kegui is the chief military officer of a town, so his camp naturally occupies the best area.
At this time, the foundations of the original Qing military camp on the hillside of Rufeng Mountain were still preserved, and cool mountain springs were gushing out. Although the amount of water was not much, it was enough for the officers to drink.
And from the mountainside down, scattered around are the military camps of other battalions in Shanhai Town.
Logically speaking, according to the essentials of the art of war, when a large army sets up camp, it should naturally be headed by the chief military officer of a town, and the remaining soldiers of each battalion should surround the commander's camp in the middle with their own camps.
However, it is obvious that Ma Ke does not have such prestige and knowledge, so all the officials and generals in his town choose convenient places and choose good campsites on their own.
As a result, leaving aside the fact that it is difficult to distinguish the camps, but setting up camps in such a haphazard manner, how can we start talking about command and mobilization?
In addition, such lax military discipline and rules may increase the selfishness of the generals in each battalion. When faced with emergencies, they will often see friendly troops in danger but not save them, and endanger their own lives without caring about them.
However, this has become a common problem in the army in the late Ming Dynasty. Every battalion is accustomed to it, and it is not unique to Shanhai Town.
At this time, the soldiers in the main barracks had just finished their dinner, and they were all stroking their stomachs happily. They were Marco's sweethearts in the main barracks, and their status was second only to the servants. Naturally, their food was better than that of other camps.
.
However, eating well does not mean good discipline. Compared with the generals of Shanhai Town, military regulations and discipline are actually not much better. It is also noisy and evil, and many people even laugh loudly. I don’t know.
What wonderful things are they talking about?
Now they are discussing the food they just had, and many of them are very satisfied.
Beside a patched military tent, a group of soldiers were sitting on the ground. They chatted loudly and burst into laughter from time to time.
A sergeant wrapped in a folded scarf, red.
His naked upper body exposed a tuft of black hair on his chest. This guy with a fleshy face picked his teeth and said vaguely: "Damn it. If Mr. Hu hadn't come to such a ghost place, I would still be guilty of that fishy dried fish."
It’s a treasure. If it had been in the past, I wouldn’t have even raised my eyes to take a look at it!”
At this time, a guy next to him with a few black hairs on his mouth sneered: "Okay, we all know that Mr. Hu, you are majestic and you once saved Hu Dusi's life during the rebellion.
However, the food these days is better than in the past. It seems to us that we are going to fight, so this is the commander-in-chief giving us a good meal. There is a reason for this, it is called a 'life-stimulating meal'!"
"It's only been quiet for a few days, why is there going to be another war? Heimao, are you sure what you said?" When the people nearby heard this, they all expressed concern.
The soldier with the black hair around his mouth looked sideways at everyone, and a sense of intellectual superiority arose spontaneously.
He first let out a "chi" laugh, and then said: "This is not obvious. We originally camped in the west of Songshan Fort, but now we have moved here. Not far to the north is Shimen Mountain. These are not the Tatars who want to attack Shimen Mountain.
Well."
As soon as he said this, everyone around him was silent for a while. No one wanted to continue this topic. After all, they were all afraid of fighting the Tatars.
Someone stood up immediately. He changed the topic furtively and whispered: "You know? Not far south from Xiaoling River, there is a Empress Palace.
Nowadays, it has become a market that specializes in selling dried fish. Good guy, there are as many as there are. Why don't a few of us look for an opportunity and target a small merchant..."
After he finished speaking, he quietly raised his hand as a palm and made a downward slashing motion.
Unexpectedly, before he finished speaking, everyone around him began to curse him, saying that it was okay for him to seek death himself, but not to drag others down.
The soldier with the black hair around his mouth also sneered and said: "Do you know? Do you know that these little dried fish are controlled by those masters and generals behind it?
Today I will tell you that the background of the people behind this dried fish is unfathomable!
I heard that Commander-in-Chief Zhang had a hand in it, not to mention the commander-in-chief of each town. But we heard that the idea of the dried fish market was all suggested by Commander-in-Chief Zhang, who had just been promoted to commander-in-chief of Xuanfu.
of.
Even our Marshal Ma may have taken a stake in it. You guys still want to rob?
Don’t be afraid, Marshal Ma will be the first to chop off your dog’s head!”
The soldier who just proposed to rob the merchants felt that some of his words were inappropriate.
He stuck out his tongue, smiled coquettishly, and then said: "Anyway, what does Benguan say? As the main barracks of Shanhai Town, we should be able to eat this fish regularly in the future."
After everyone heard this, they also thought secretly: It should be possible.
The soldier with the black hair around his mouth sneered again and said, "I just ate some dried fish and saw how beautiful you are. Do you know what the Xuanfu army ate?"
Flatbread, white rice, a big bowl of broth, and large pieces of pork and mutton can be eaten as much as you like.
As for this dried fish, what other people eat is different from what we eat. It is a delicious and juicy porcelain canned fish, the most delicious kind, and you can’t taste the fishy smell."
"Really? Yesterday our boss, Mr. Yang, bought a few porcelain fish jars and gave them to me to taste. I insisted on having them. There is no fishy smell. It's really delicious.
If our brothers were in the Xuanfu camp, it would be really beautiful!"
When these things were mentioned, everyone in the audience was filled with envy, jealousy and hatred towards the Xuanfu Army. The treatment of that army made them extremely envious.
However, everyone only dared to talk nonsense behind their backs. They would not dare to be disrespectful in front of the Xuanfu generals.
When the Xuanfu army first arrived in Liaodong, it was not very impressive. In fact, all this quietly changed after Zhang Cheng, the deputy commander-in-chief of the Xuanfu army, led his army into Liaodong.
Unlike other towns, the soldiers under Zhang Cheng's command are mostly old and weak. All of his soldiers are young and strong men. They are all well-dressed and well-armed. They walk, sit and lie down with great momentum.
There were also some military ruffians from other towns who, whenever they saw the Xuanbei military camp conducting exercises or patrolling, they would point and make sarcastic remarks.
Unexpectedly, Xuan Beijun was not a good man or woman.
If they disagreed, they would break into a fight, and all of them were young and strong, well-trained, and well-trained. Almost every group fight resulted in the victory of the Northern Army. It could be said that they were victorious in every fight.
What is even more hateful is that the officers at all levels of the Xuanbei Army, from top to bottom, all protect their weaknesses.
Especially the Deputy Commander-in-Chief Zhang Cheng, relying on the favor of His Majesty the Emperor and the care of Chen Xinjia, a soldier of the Ministry of War, he always made things worse and brought them to the Governor-General and the Commander-in-Chief. In the end, he had to calm things down on his own.
Finished.
After several quarrels, no sergeant from other towns dared to disrespect the officers of the Xuanfu Army in person. From then on, when they saw the officers of the Xuanbei Army, they either hid in advance or greeted them with smiles, hoping to make one or two friends and gain some
The advantage is that it also reserves a way out for yourself.
Of course, many of them couldn't understand why the Xuanfu army received such excellent treatment, and where did their food, grass and meat come from?
At this time, the old Hu also said angrily: "How come the Xuanfu army can eat and drink enough every day, but we and the Shanhai navy have to suffer from hunger? Could it be that the governor and the supervisory army all gave them food and grass?
In our Shanhai Town, is it possible that our mother is the one raised by our stepmother?"
The soldier with the black hair around his mouth continued in a leisurely tone: "It's not necessarily true that the superiors gave them all the food and grass."
He continued: "I heard that the food and grass allocated to them is a little more, after all, they are the main force of a strong army, but it is not much more than our Shanhai Town.
As far as I know, because the Xuanfu army and horses killed two Tatars in Gushan Ezhen in the previous battle, so if the commander-in-chief’s army has something to say, the grain and grass allocation can indeed be distributed to the Xuanfu army first.
.
However, as you all know, it is not easy to transport food and grass nowadays. His Xuanfu army received more, but like us and other Shanhai navy, there is also some shortage of food and grass.
It's just that Zhang Shuaiye, the commander-in-chief of the Xuanfu, was so generous that he was willing to use real money to bribe corrupt officials in the Ministry of Household Affairs, and he was also willing to spend money to buy grain, pigs and sheep from merchants in the capital and Liaodong.
Although this young handsome man is a little young, he is really heroic. He cares so much about his subordinates and is willing to spend a lot of money. Who is not willing to risk his life for him? "
When he said this, he suddenly lowered his voice, glanced around more subconsciously, and then whispered: "Oh, our Marshal Ma doesn't need to compete. It's too late to deduct military pay."
But Lao Hu continued to curse bitterly: "You motherfuckers are all serving as soldiers to get food. It's really boring for me to wait for this soldier. Why don't we join the Xuanfu army together?"
As soon as he said this, everyone in the venue was a little moved.
The soldier with the black hair around his mouth said with a sneer: "You have a beautiful idea, but will they want you?
Do you know how the Xuanfu army selects troops?
Besides, people only have good family members now. Do you know what a good family member is?
It requires a clean family, not only the elderly and the young in the family, but also a neighbor who must be a joint guarantor. Furthermore, only a person who is strong and as strong as an ox can be selected.
As far as I know, there are many good people in Xuanfu Town who want to join the army, and Mr. Zhang from Xuanfu never owes him any salary!"
He said: "It seems that these soldiers like me are just like rogues if they are placed in the city. We should just make a living with Marshal Ma. As for Xuanfu Town, I'm afraid people won't look down on us if we go there."
.”
The guy who had previously instigated everyone to rob the vendors suddenly said: "Not necessarily. I heard that the Xuanfu Army is now recruiting soldiers, and almost all young men with a young family can be selected.
Damn, if you don’t use your family to control us, you don’t necessarily mean you are a gentleman.”
The always careless old Hu couldn't help but feel annoyed when he heard this: "It's difficult. My family has been dead for a long time. Do we still have to go grab a girl and recognize my father?"
The people in the surrounding circle laughed wildly after hearing what he said.
"Snapped……"
Suddenly, a whip hit the old Hu Chi hard.
On the naked back, a deep blood mark immediately appeared after a crisp sound.
The fierce soldier with a sinister face was immediately furious. He jumped up and shouted angrily: "Which one? Who dares to hit me? I..."
However, just when he turned his head, he suddenly swallowed back all the more unpleasant words left in his mouth.