Du Hongjian followed Fang Jianguo to the military camp in the north of Wuwei City. Two identical temporary camps had been completed.
The two symmetrical camps near the river made Du Hongjian once again feel the power of Longyou's engineering capabilities.
However, Du Hongjian was still holding his breath for this joint military exercise.
The Shuofang Army is an elite force that has fought in hundreds of battles, and is the most powerful border army in the Tang Dynasty.
Although Hexi is also an elite army, everyone knows that all the elite soldiers in Hexi were buried in Tongguan along with Ge Shuhan.
Although the logistical supplies along the way gave Du Hongjian a deep understanding of Longyou's financial resources, raising them does not just require spending money!
If you can raise strong soldiers by spending money, then the soldiers of Jiangnan Road will not be so weak!
Although Du Hongjian was a civil servant and a Jinshi, he did everything himself. He also learned 80% to 90% of Guo Ziyi's skills in leading troops and training troops.
When the emperor fled from Chang'an to Lingwu, the King of Yue indeed fought bravely to protect the emperor. Du Hongjian who accompanied him also knew that the King of Yue was a tiger general.
But being brave in battle and being good at training and leading troops are two different things.
Boxing is afraid of young people, and there are many young generals who are famous at a young age on the battlefield.
But managing and training troops relies on experience and accumulation.
Now that Longyou has no famous generals, even if the soldiers under the King of Yue are willing to spend money, they are no match for Shuofang's army!
Du Hongjian didn't know what happened, but he suddenly wanted to compete with Hexi.
As they were approaching the Xinzhuang camp, Du Hongjian suddenly ordered the troops to stop.
Shuofang's army was indeed elite. Du Hongjian managed the army very strictly, but he never deducted money and food from the soldiers, so he also won the support of Shuofang's army.
Following Du Hongjian's order, the herald immediately rode on his horse and shouted: "Stop! Get in formation!"
Du Hongjian also asked the front army to move forward slowly, in order to prevent the soldiers in the rear army who had not received the order in time from advancing further.
In the time it took half a stick of incense, ten thousand Shuofang troops stopped in their tracks.
Du Hongjian was proud to see Fang Jianguo being able to order and stop an army of ten thousand people within a stick of incense. This was already quite an elite feat in ancient times when there was a lack of communication and command tools and people basically relied on shouting to convey messages.
However, Fang Jianguo's expression disappointed Du Hongjian. The other party just watched with interest as Du Hongjian's army gradually returned to order, without any expression of surprise on his face.
Du Hongjian was even more dissatisfied. Is there really no generals in Hexi? He actually sent such a idiot with no knowledge of military affairs to greet him.
At this time, dust was rising in the distance. Du Hongjian looked across the river and heard the sound of marching troops.
It seemed that the army from Hexi was coming, and Du Hongjian became interested. It was just a good time to check the strength of the army from Hexi by marching.
He said to Fang Jianguo: "Commander Fang, let's find a nearby mound and take a look at the appearance of Hexi's elite troops."
Fang Jianguo still looked puzzled and said, "Why do you need to find a closer mound? Can't you see clearly from here?"
Du Hongjian even felt that Fang Jianguo was a piece of shit. This place was across a river from the main camp opposite, so it was impossible to see clearly the military appearance on the opposite side.
Fang Jianguo suddenly slapped his head. He took off a leather box from his belt, then took out a pair of binoculars and handed them to Du Hongjian and said:
"I actually forgot that Du Shuai came from Shuofang. This is my telescope. You can use it first."
Du Hongjian took the telescope in confusion. The two cylinders of this thing were made of brass, and there were transparent "crystal" gems on the front and back. Was Fang Jianguo giving him a gift in public?
Fang Jianguo and Du Hongjian explained: "Du Shuai, this thing is called a telescope. You only need this to see the distant scenery clearly."
Du Hongjian followed Fang Jianguo's method and brought the telescope closer to his eyes. He immediately saw the Hexi Army on the other side of the river!
What magic weapon is this?
Du Hongjian was so frightened that he almost threw away his telescope. This object could actually shorten the distance instantly. What else could it be if it wasn't a magic weapon?
Fortunately, the telescope had a leather strap so it didn't fall to the ground.
Fang Jianguo was not surprised by Du Hongjian's reaction. When telescopes were promoted in Hexi, many indigenous officers in Longyou had similar reactions to Du Hongjian.
Some superstitious old officers even knelt and kowtowed directly in front of the telescope. Du Hongjian's reaction was already relatively calm.
Fang Jianguo said: "Du Shuai, this telescope is not a magic weapon. It is just a tool made by Longyou craftsmen based on the principle of optical imaging. There are also knobs here to adjust the distance. Can you try it?"
But Du Hongjian couldn't help but pick it up and look at it. He followed Fang Jianguo's method and adjusted the position of the lens by adjusting the knob.
The faces of the soldiers in the front row appeared in the lenses, and Du Hongjian was so shocked that he almost took the binoculars away.
But soon, Du Hongjian mastered the adjustment method. He used a telescope to observe the Hexi Army on the other side of the river, and he couldn't put it down.
What a divine weapon!
Something that can observe the battlefield from a distance, what is this if not an artifact?
In order to command the battles in ancient times, generals in ancient times often built a command platform at a high place. Sometimes, if there was no place to be at a high place, they would also need to build a high platform with wood to watch the battle.
But even so, the specific situation of the battlefield cannot be seen, so many times the strategic and tactical arrangements are carried out, and the general can only sit on the stage and watch the changes in the battle situation.
Nowadays, with telescopes, you can see the details of the battlefield and even observe the fighting situation in a certain fighting area. This is much more convenient and faster than soldiers conveying information verbally.
I didn’t expect Longyou to have such a magical weapon!
Du Hongjian fell in love with the telescope in his hand even more. He asked Fang Jianguo:
"I'm afraid there aren't many such artifacts in Longyou, right?"
Du Hongjian saw Fang Jianguo holding the telescope on his waist in a leather box. He was also the military envoy of the Wuwei Army and the number two figure in the Wuwei Army. They all cherished the telescope so much. This kind of artifact was probably very rare in Longyou.
Unexpectedly, Fang Jianguo said: "That's not true. In Longyou, all officers of brigade commander and above will be issued a telescope."
"It's just that the staff has very strict control over this object. Every officer's telescope has a number. If it is lost, it will be punished by military law, so everyone carries it close to their body."
What?
Are there any officers above the brigade commander level?
Du Hongjian only felt that Fang Jianguo was bragging! How could such flawless crystal be mass-produced?
Fang Jianguo saw that Du Hongjian didn't believe it, so he called a bodyguard beside him. The bodyguard took off the telescope from his waist and handed it to Fang Jianguo.
The barrel of the telescope in the soldier's hand is made of iron, but the front and rear glass lenses are still flawless.
Fang Jianguo handed the telescope to Du Hongjian. Du Hongjian looked at the number "0358" on the telescope tube and finally believed Fang Jianguo's words.
When he thought that this kind of artifact was worn by almost every military officer in Longyou, Du Hongjian felt something else in his heart.
I only heard Fang Jianguo say again: "If Du Shuai also likes this thing, I will apply to the staff department to see if I can get one for you. Anyway, we will be a family in the future."
Du Hongjian also felt harsh when he heard about the family, but he still held the binoculars and observed the Hexi Army on the opposite side.
Xu Jun was riding a horse. He had heard Fang Jianguo's report and said to Xue Hu beside him:
"It seems that Marshal Du is so aggressive that he can't help but compete with our Hexi Army."
Xue Hu said with a smile: "As a general, there is no one who is not competitive. Since we are competing against each other, let's compete."
The gathering of the Hexi Army was planned. The new troops from Zhechong Prefecture in the Three Prefectures and the garrison from Wuwei and Zhangye all arrived at the Xinzhuang Camp almost at the same time.
Xue Hu rode on his horse and took over the command of all the troops. He shouted: "Form up!"
The players who served as officers at all levels in the Hexi Army immediately conveyed the order, and the troops who were a little messy just stopped instantly!
Du Hongjian, who was watching with a telescope, narrowed his pupils. He saw the general of the Wuwei Army riding a tall horse and holding the commander's flag behind him. He rushed to the front of the Hexi Army and gave the order. The 10,000-man army stopped instantly.
How can it be!
This is an army of ten thousand people!
A single order can make an army of ten thousand people stop at the same time. What kind of elite are they?
Even the military sage Sun Wu couldn't possibly lead such an army?
impossible!
It must have been rehearsed by Hexi, and they agreed to stop the march somewhere, that must be it!
Du Hongjian found many reasons, but in the end this reason was the most reasonable.
But at this moment, Xue Hu shouted: "Change the formation!"
Player officers at all levels immediately issued orders, and the entire Hexi Army immediately dispersed and arranged into a neat square formation as they practiced on weekdays.
At this time, Du Hongjian was completely stunned. From the moment the Hexi Army stopped to the moment it dispersed into a square formation, it only took a short moment.
Such a rapid change of formation, even if it was planned in advance, the Shuofang army led by him would not be able to achieve such an effect.
This Hexi Army is so elite? How terrifying!
Du Hongjian held the binoculars and adjusted the binoculars to see the young soldiers near the river bank, all trying to perform the most standard movements, with serious expressions on their faces.
Not just one soldier, Du Hongjian swept through probably a dozen soldiers, each one with the same concentration and the same standard of movement.
Du Hongjian was completely desperate now. Hexi's army management skills were indeed superior to those of Shuofang's army!
"Gather! Enter the camp!"
Following Xue Hu's final order, all the soldiers began to assemble with the soldiers in the front row as the benchmark. After the assembly of 10,000 people, the soldiers in the front row led them to a trot, singing "Keep the words of the King of Yue in mind" in unison, like a long dragon returning.
He ran into the camp like a nest.
Military songs floated on the river, and even the soldiers in Shuofang's army couldn't help but sing along.