Du Hongjian led the reorganized 10,000 Shuofang troops and finally set foot on the road to Hexi.
The flags were flying, but Du Hongjian was not in a good mood.
The Shuofang Army, which was once the strongest army in the northwest, has now reached the point where even military supplies for expeditions have to be provided by Hexi.
The bitterness in Du Hongjian's heart was beyond words.
When Guo Ziyi was the military governor of Shuofang, Du Hongjian was the military governor of Shuofang and stayed behind.
He persuaded the fleeing emperor to go to Shuofang, and finally ascended the throne in Lingwu.
As the founder of Conglong, Shuofang Army has always been the main force in countering rebellion.
However, after years of fighting, Shuofang became poorer and poorer.
When they occupied Hetao to intimidate the Uighurs, the Shuofang Army, known as one of the two walls of the empire, could not even get enough food and supplies for ten thousand people.
Du Hongjian didn't know what happened to the Tang Dynasty. Why did the afterglow of the prosperous age fade so quickly?
"Commander, we are approaching the river ahead. His Royal Highness the King of Yue has prepared a camp in front. Shall we camp there today?"
Du Hongjian nodded and said, "Then let's camp here."
The personal guards immediately went down to deliver the order. Cheers of "The King of Yue is a thousand years old" came from the army, and the speed of the entire army also accelerated a lot.
Du Hongjian felt a little irritable for no reason. He rode on his horse and soon saw a neat camp.
This is a standard camp for the Tang army to fight abroad. The wooden fence surrounds the camp, which can give the army a sense of security.
There is a tall barn in the camp and a spacious stable on the other side.
Soldiers can live in simply built barracks, and the open space in the camp is thoughtfully filled with firewood for heating.
The soldiers cheered and entered the camp skillfully under the leadership of the officers.
The quartermasters who were waiting for the king of Yue to welcome the army had already prepared Hu cakes and hot soup with a smile.
The soldiers of Shuofang Army are already very familiar with all this.
Ever since they left Lingzhou City, they would encounter such a temporary camp every once in a while.
Everything in the camp is ready. The soldiers can eat hot soup and have enough firewood to keep warm.
At the beginning, these temporary camps were far apart, and it would take four or five days to reach one.
When there was no camp, the soldiers could only huddle up and sleep in the wild, eating simple dry food to satisfy their hunger.
But the closer you get to Hexi, there are more and more such camps, and you can find a comfortable temporary camp in two or three days.
The quartermasters of the King of Yue would personally pour food into the rice bowls of Shuofang soldiers and then say "The King of Yue is benevolent and virtuous".
When the soldiers received the soup, they would also say "The King of Yue is benevolent and virtuous".
In addition, the iron lunch boxes used by the soldiers to receive the soup were also prepared by the King of Yue. These lunch boxes were sturdy square boxes with a small lid that could be heated directly at the bottom. They also came with a small cloth bag that could be carried around.
After arriving at the camp prepared by the King of Yue, the soldiers could take their lunch boxes to make soup and rice. They could also use these lunch boxes to heat dry food when camping in the wild.
The lunch box also had the mark of the King of Yue printed on it. Du Hongjian led the soldiers for twenty days. Before leaving Shuofang, the soldiers were already talking about "the benevolence of the King of Yue" every day.
Du Hongjian felt uncomfortable no matter what. It was clear that the King of Yue was responsible for the supply of the army, which was a great thing. Why did he always feel uncomfortable?
After officers like Du Hongjian entered the military camp, the quartermasters also provided wooden houses that could provide shelter from wind and rain.
Although it is only a suggested wooden house, the house will be equipped with a standard small iron stove, and the tin flue will exhaust the smoke outside the house, making the inside of the house clean and warm.
There is even a temporary bathing place in the back row of the officer's cabin. The hot water is lifted to the top of the head with a water pump and sprayed down from the top of the head, which can instantly relieve the fatigue of long marches.
Seeing his officers rushing into the room to take a bath, Du Hongjian's mood became even more subtle.
He handed his mount to the groom arranged by the King of Yue in the military camp, and began to inspect the military camp.
This military camp has just been built, and you can still see the new soil turned on the ground. It's just okay to have two in one. I encountered four such temporary camps after walking for twenty days. The ability of the King of Yue to build fortifications is also limited.
Is it too strong?
Moreover, according to the quartermaster who entertained Du Hongjian, this kind of camp was the standard camp used by Longyou and Hexi troops for expeditions, and it was not specially built by Hexi to save face.
Du Hongjian still didn't believe it at first, but the four camps he encountered in succession were almost carved out of the same mold, and even the layouts were almost the same. Only now did Du Hongjian believe that these were the standard camps for the Longyou March.
According to the quartermasters in Longyou, this was a military system decided by the King of Yue himself. Before the army was dispatched, special engineering battalions were set up to build temporary camps. Such camps could maintain the marching speed and allow the soldiers to get adequate rest.
Along the camp, wooden fences are wrapped with thin barbed wire. It is these sharp wires that make the camp surrounded by wooden fences strong and reliable.
Du Hongjian once tried it, ordering the cavalry to attack these wire fences.
The war horses were screamed by the spikes on the wire, but the barbed wire was still strong and could not break through the camp.
This is why the camp in Longyou was built so quickly. They only needed to drive the processed wood into the ground and then surround it with barbed wire, and a temporary camp was completed.
The soldiers' barracks were also built with wooden planks and some wind-blocking curtains.
Although the entire camp looks large, all parts can be disassembled and reused, and even the wooden boards are made of a uniform size.
Du Hongjian was secretly frightened. People said that the Longyou soldiers were now elite and had such logistical support. What could ordinary soldiers do to fight the Longyou soldiers?
People live in safe and warm camps and can have a good rest every day, while the enemy can only eat and sleep in the open air and keep vigil all night. If these two armies meet, it is really clear who will win and who will lose.
Du Hongjian walked to the granary, where the dry rations that Shuofang's army would need to carry with them in the next few days were prepared. These rations were packed into small bags that could be carried on the back, and each ration was distributed to each person. When the soldiers left the camp
The Quartermaster will distribute them one by one.
These dry foods are fried flour and some strange cakes, especially the box of strange cakes, which can soak up a lot of food when exposed to water. Eating one piece of it will satisfy your hunger very much.
Many soldiers were reluctant to eat them themselves, and even within the Shuofang Army, these biscuits became a currency that could be circulated.
In addition to fried dry flour and compressed biscuits, there are also some sun-dried fruits in the dry food.
These are raisins and dried apricots produced in Longyou. They taste sweet and sour and are very popular among soldiers.
According to the quartermasters, these dry rations were also Longyou's standard marching rations, and there was no preferential treatment for Shuofang's army.
The more this happens, the more unhappy Du Hongjian feels. Does Hexi still need his own support?
Are you going to support Hexi, or are you being helped out by Hexi?
Du Hongjian walked to the square, where several large sheds were erected as places for soldiers to eat.
Several large pots emitted hot steam, and the fragrant soup gave off an alluring aroma.
The soldiers first received a biscuit, and then took an iron lunch box to pour a bowl of hot broth.
There will be vegetables and minced meat in the soup. This is also the busiest time in the entire military camp. You must know that these soldiers cannot have meat every day.
You can take the cakes after you have finished eating them, and you can make them again after you finish drinking the broth. However, the Longyou quartermaster also has discipline. Everything must be eaten, and cannot be kept secretly. It must not be left to eat on the road.
Du Hongjian also asked the quartermaster why the soldiers were not allowed to keep the soup for eating on the road. The quartermaster at Longyou said that broth is easy to spoil and eating expired broth on the road can lead to diarrhea. This is the regulation of the Longyou army and must be followed.
The iron law of the military camp.
Hearing this, Du Hongjian was even more impressed by the strictness of the King of Yue in running the army, even noticing such details.
At first, there were some soldiers who tried to muddle through, but soon these sharp-eyed quartermasters were caught.
Today's Shuofang army will no longer do this, because they know that as long as they reach the next camp, they can eat hot soup.
Du Hongjian felt even more irritated. Obviously, he didn't worry about any marching matters along the way.
Shuofang's army also moved quickly and smoothly, and the soldiers were very motivated and did not delay at all.
But Du Hongjian just felt uneasy, and he didn't know where this uneasiness came from.
The soldiers were happily cooking. Du Hongjian walked past the shed without disturbing the soldiers.
When he returned to his cabin, the quartermaster had already prepared the officer's small stove.
The soup and biscuits that officers eat are the same, but there is an extra portion of soy sauce meat than ordinary soldiers. It is said that this is also the standard configuration for Longyou officers.
Eating soup cakes and soy sauce meat, Du Hongjian listened to the singing that gradually sounded in the military camp.
This is an activity after every meal in the military camp. It is said that it is also a tradition of the Longyou Army. They sing together after meals every day to boost morale.
The melody of this song is catchy, and basically after staying in a temporary camp once, the soldiers can sing along.
The name of the song is a bit awkward, it's called "Keep the Words of the King of Yue in Mind", and the content of the lyrics is that the King of Yue encouraged the soldiers to fight bravely and defend their home and country.
Because the melody is simple but the song is catchy and the lyrics are written in vernacular, the soldiers can quickly sing it in unison.
There were even times when Du Hongjian heard the soldiers around him humming softly.
Du Hongjian closed the door of the wooden house, feeling even more agitated.
The fat bird asked for monthly votes with a coveted look on his face