The next day, Jiang Chun woke up with a headache. He squinted and saw Mou Zhu sitting by the bed.
"The officer is awake, let's have a bowl of hangover soup first."
"What time is it?"
"It's two o'clock."
"So late?!" Jiang Chun sat up suddenly and murmured, "What happened?"
"What happened?" Mou Zhu said calmly: "It was a reception banquet, and I ate a month's salary. The official said that he was annoying Li County Lieutenant, but he was really generous."
"so much?!"
Jiang Chun felt a little distressed, but he didn't care too much. In addition to the more than 20 yuan a month, he also had various gifts of clothing, grain, employment land, and a living in his hometown.
Mou Zhu didn't comply. He snorted and said, "You spend a lot of money, but you don't do even the slightest thing that the officials are told to do."
Jiang Chun stroked his beard and said nothing, dazed.
Mou Zhu said again: "Last night, while the reckless man named Liu was drunk, I sent Po Yan to inquire about my identity. The marriage of Li County Lieutenant was arranged in private. Nacai, Naji has not done it yet, and the officials can arrest him.
It’s tight.”
"Just ask the official to open his mouth. Why is it so difficult?!"
"You woman are bringing this up again."
"Stop making any noise..."
"Is an official still mean? He spent more than twenty years as he pleased. I served you all night, and when I woke up, he cursed me."
"Okay, okay, don't bother me." Jiang Chun frowned and asked, "Where is Li Feiyu?"
"I took people to the east bank of Fujiang River early in the morning." Mou Zhu said: "Normally, officials get others drunk, but today, his drinking capacity, energy, and prestige are all outclassed by him."
"Oh, Li Feiyu drank less than three small glasses in total, and said that Shunan's wine is not strong. I..." Jiang Chun said: "Anyway, don't deal with him in the future. This person is difficult to deal with."
"How can we avoid having to deal with each other if we live in the same courtyard?"
"Still living at home?" Jiang Chun was stunned and said blankly: "Didn't I ask him to move out?"
"Haha." Mou Zhu sneered, "Think about it for yourself."
Jiang Chun rubbed his head and tried to remember everything last night.
Including Bao San and Lu Hu, Li Xia has transferred fifty people to the government.
However, these people actually stood on his side during the drinking competition and dared to trick the magistrate.
Looking at the outcome of the whole banquet, we couldn't do anything to him at all.
The best place to tell things is at the wine table. I'm afraid Li Xia has opened up a situation in Qingfu County...
"Li Feiyu, it's not simple."
"Hmph, knowing that he is not a simple man, the officials are quick to recruit him as their son-in-law..."
Li Xia led people out of the county town early in the morning and arrived at an abandoned tea horse farm on the east bank of Fujiang River.
"In the early years, we purchased all the military horses of the Song Dynasty from Dali. There were eight tea horse farms in the Song Dynasty, and there were two in Xuzhou. One of them is here." Han Qi'an said, "But now it has been abandoned and has become a refugee.
The gathering shack.”
Li Xia looked around and saw that many of the doors and windows in the tea and horse farm had been torn down by the refugees and used as firewood, making it quite dilapidated.
Han Qi'an led him around, raised his hand and pointed, and said: "The river here is slow, and the east and west banks can be used to park boats. The mountain to the east is called 'Huokou Rock', and a platform can be built on the top.
Set up the artillery and carts. If the Mongols come, you can hit them with artillery and rocks."
Li Xia nodded and said, "Mr. Ning's intention is to use this tea horse farm as a station for river patrollers?"
"Yes." Han Qi'an said: "Alang, please see, that area can be used as a school ground. It only needs to build another circle of defense around the perimeter, and the barracks only need to be slightly repaired."
"I'm afraid it will cost a lot of money, right?"
"At least it's cheaper than building a new barracks."
Li Xia asked Bao San: "What do you think?"
Bao San squinted his one eye, looked up, and then talked about another topic.
"The county captain wants to recruit 300 river patrolmen?"
"good."
Bao Sandao: "With such a generous move, does the county lieutenant want to manage the army and make a great contribution while the Mongolian army is attacking Shu?"
Li Xia didn't hide anything from him and said: "Not bad."
"Then it shouldn't be like the people in the army, archers and other government officials. They patrol when they go to the government and return home when they go down. Their combat effectiveness is far inferior to that of the Xiang army. If you want to run the army, you must first strictly enforce military discipline and drill every day to be different from the people.
strong……"
After Bao San finished speaking, he turned around and saw Li Xia and Han Qi'an with indifferent expressions.
He thought about it all night last night and saw that Li Xia had dispatched fifty people but also raised their wages, so he guessed what Li Xia was thinking.
At this time, Bao San also knew that his words were not impressive enough, so he continued to speak.
"The county captain might as well build a large camp and expand it directly from the tea horse farm to the foot of Maokou Rock. In this way, the camp will reach Fujiang in the west and Maokou Rock in the east. With the landscape and the influence of the mountains and rivers, the camp will be wide and convenient for training. I know a little bit about it.
The commander's method of training troops can be to train three hundred strong soldiers for the county captain to guard the celebration talisman."
Li Xia nodded, his expression still very calm, and asked: "How many people can be accommodated in such a camp?"
"Not to mention three hundred people, five or six hundred people can be accommodated."
"Can it be expanded in the future?"
Bao San was stunned for a moment and opened his mouth, not knowing how to answer.
He felt that he had followed Yu Jie before. Although he was just a small soldier, he was still well-informed. He originally thought that he would shock Li Xia and others when he opened his mouth, but he did not expect such a dull reaction.
Han Qi'an said: "We can encircle Yukou Rock. There is a Qingqing River in the north, which flows from east to west and merges into Fujiang River. It can be relied upon."
"Have you drawn the rough drawings?"
"I drew a simple one." Han Qian said, "The craftsman's drawings haven't been completed yet."
Li Xia took it, looked at it, and said, "Go to the top of the mountain and have a look."
A group of people went to the top of the mountain. Li Xia looked at the drawings a lot and made a decision.
"The camp was built here. As you said, it was expanded to the foot of Luokou Rock Mountain, and then a harbor was dug in Fujiang River to berth ships. As for defense, it was not only necessary to build towers on Luokou Rock, launch cannons, and
It is also built on Qingganling and Tuanshanzi over there..."
"I understand." Han Qi'an was not in good health and was out of breath after climbing the mountain.
Li Xia personally patted him on the back and said, "That's it. Let's rest for a while before going down the mountain."
"Yes, how to build a wall?"
"Not built."
"Then if the Mongolian army comes, how will the barracks and ships be defended?"
Li Xia said: "We have ships, but the Mongolian army does not. We are far more flexible than them. We only need to dig trenches between Xiaoqing River and Yuokou Rock in the north to restrict their cavalry from charging into formation."
"But what if the Mongolian army comes from the south?"
"The ship can go down the Fujiang River and have enough time to enter the county. In addition, we will store supplies on Yuokou Rock and garrison the mountain when the time comes. It will also be at odds with the county..."
After hearing this, Bao San was stunned as he looked at the tea horse farm at the foot of the mountain.
After going down the mountain, Li Xia patted Bao San on the shoulder and said, "You are right. I have also followed your method and relied on Haokou Rock to expand the camp. What worries do I have?"
Bao Sandao: "The villain expected that walls should be built all around as Yi Ningxian said. However, the county captain's arrangement seems to be because he has no money... But if you think about it carefully, it is far better than what the villain imagined.
More flexible, the villain is impressed."
"It's just because I have no money." Li Xia said.
Bao San was stunned.
Li Xia added: "On the other hand, it would be too troublesome to demolish and expand the wall after building it. Besides, the best defense is actually offense."
"Expansion?"
Bao San was still puzzled. He just felt that a county town with three to five hundred troops couldn't have more troops. Why would it need to be expanded?
Li Xia did not explain further.
But in short, on the east bank of Fujiang River, under the Yankou Rock, the abandoned tea horse farm began to be repaired and expanded, and served as a camp for Qingfu County's river patrolmen.
At noon that day, Han Qi'an had already paid a thousand guan from the county government, purchased stone and wood, hired refugees, and started construction.
Xu Kui carried a section of tree trunk down from Yuokou Rock, sweating profusely from exhaustion.
He is from Lizhou. After Lizhou was occupied by the Mongolian army, he was worried about the massacre of the city and fled south with his mother, wife and son.
After being on the move for several years, I saw that Western Sichuan was not stopping, so I fled to the south of the Yangtze River before I felt at ease, and stopped outside Qingfu County.
It is also difficult to find a livelihood. Qingfu was originally just a lower county, and now the trade is not prosperous. Occasionally, there are day laborers who pull fibers and dig wild fruits to satisfy their hunger.
Fortunately, there is a tea horse farm where I can live, and I can barely live in peace.
Yesterday, Xu Kui saw a young official leading a group of people looking around the tea horse farm, and he was very worried that he would be kicked out.
Winter is about to begin in two to three months. If we lose our shelter from the cold, it will be difficult to survive this winter.
No matter what he was afraid of, the county magistrate had indeed spotted the tea horse farm and wanted to occupy it for use.
But the good thing is that the county government considered that the autumn harvest was approaching and did not requisition labor. Instead, it spent money to hire refugees living in the tea horse farm.
Xu Kui was naturally willing to do this work. One hundred dollars a day was quite generous.
At this time, he carried the wood and placed it outside the racecourse. After wiping his sweat, he was ready to start sawing.
Not far away, a lame man came over, knocked on the wood, and told the foreman: "After sawing, nail the old houses first. These houses must be cleaned out today, and the river patrolmen will be stationed tomorrow."
,Understand?"
"I understand, brother, don't worry, there won't be any delay."
"Build another row of dormitories over there. The foundations will be dug out tonight."
"So urgent?"
"Urgent. If you are willing to do it, I will process the money at night..."
When Xu Kui heard this, he hurriedly responded: "The villain is willing to do it, can I let the villain do it?"
"My brother is talking, but if you interrupt, I will tell you when I hire someone!"
Xu Kui hurriedly wanted to retreat.
"Wait a minute." The lame man said, "Come here."
Xu Kui was stunned.
"Come here, I have trouble with my legs and feet."
"Yes." Xu Kui stepped forward.
The lame man pinched his arm and asked, "How big is it?"
"twenty four."
"Can you swim?"
Xu Kui was stunned again and nodded stupidly.
"Are you afraid? My name is Kong Muxi, and I am from Xunjiangshui in Qingfu County."
"Yes, brother, the villain's name is Xu Kui."
"Yeah." Kong Muxi said, "I saw you yesterday, and you work hard."
"Hehe, it's okay."
"follow me."
Kong Muxi said, turned around and walked in the direction of Fu Jiang.
Xu Kui turned around and looked at the half-sawn wood, scratched his head, and followed.
"Brother, where are you going?"
"I can't tell you clearly. I'll know when we get there."
Xu Kui asked again: "If this work is finished, we people..."
"Have you seen the dock being built over there?" Kong Muxi asked: "At that time, we will have to build defenses on Yuokou Rock, and we won't be able to finish all this work in one winter?"
"No need for labor?"
"Hey, you're being very lenient. I'm looking forward to using labor, so I don't need to hire you, right?"
"no no."
"Have you seen the tiles over there?" Kong Muxi said, "The county captain specifically asked us to buy an extra batch, and then you will build row houses on the barren hills over there to house the refugees."
Xu Kui was overjoyed and said: "That's good. Thank you county magistrate for your kindness."
"I told you, help me light it, I can't see it."
"Yes Yes."
The two walked for a while and saw many people gathered by the river. Some people were doing vaulting on the ground, and some were swimming in the river. They also saw a few tables propped up there, and a few gentlemen were writing something with pens.
"Brother, what are you doing?"
Kong Muxi said: "You don't know how to recruit river patrolmen."
"I think I heard someone say it this morning, but I didn't pay attention."
"Why didn't you pay attention?"
"Busy with work."
Kong Muxi glanced at him and said: "Three rations a month, two stones of monthly food, clothing in spring and winter, accommodation, food..."
"so much?!"
"You just think of it as joining the army, but our river patrolmen in Qingfu County are much better than ordinary Xiang soldiers."
Xu Kui hesitated for a moment and nodded heavily.
"Don't you discuss it with me?"
"No need. I'm almost starving to death. I just wanted to go over and join the army."
Kong Muxi raised his hand and said: "Go to the middle line and line up. Remember, it's the middle line. Don't line up wrong."
"Okay, thank you brother for the tip!"
Xu Kui thanked Kong Muxi again, strode towards the riverside, ran into the crowd, looked around, and lined up behind the middle row.
There were only about twenty people in front of him. After waiting for a long time, he gradually became anxious, thinking that if he couldn't be selected and delayed today's work, he wouldn't know how much money he would make less.
Suddenly, someone tapped him on the shoulder.
Xu Kui turned around and saw a tall man.
"This brother..."
"Kong Muxi asked you to be in the middle? I saw it. He brought you here specially."
As the tall man spoke, he squeezed Xu Kui's arm and seemed to be thinking.
"yes."
"I see you are thin and small, but are you strong?"
"The little man is pretty strong."
"Come on, try to dance like him. How many times can you jump?"
Xu Kui turned around and took a look and saw a man standing on the ground, jumping up again, and then quickly fell down and jumped up again.
He glanced vaguely at the man in front of him, nodded, and followed the other man's example.
After dancing for fifty-six times, Xu Kui was so exhausted that he was sweating profusely and was unable to dance any more. He just waved his hands and shouted: "I can't do it anymore."
"Can you swim?"
"meeting."
The tall man once again showed a thoughtful expression, and finally nodded and said: "Well, you come with me. By the way, my name is Liu Jinsuo, and you will call me Liu Bantou from now on."
"Yes, Team Leader Liu."
Xu Kui walked a few steps, became a little confused again, and murmured: "But, Brother Kong said, let me line up here in the middle..."
Liu Jinsuo didn't say anything, he just said lightly: "The same thing."
Xu Kui then followed Liu Jinsuo to the desk in a daze, reported his name, place of origin, family and other information, and received a small sign.
"Tomorrow before midnight, we will go to the tea horse field to attend school. Do you understand?"
"clear."
Leader Liu nodded and said, "Don't be late."
"Yes." Xu Kui asked: "Can I still go to work today?"
"I don't care about you, go ahead, don't be late tomorrow."
…
Xu Kui was still a little confused.
He worked another whole day and received one hundred dollars.
But that night, he did not go to work anymore, but had a talk with his family principal, went to bed early, and rushed to the school field in front of the tea horse farm before dawn.
In the dim sky, there were two to three hundred people like him, gradually gathering...
Someone clicked on Xuzhou on the map and moved their finger westward along the Jinsha River.
"Mahu County, I want to fight Wu Liang Hetai here." Zhang Shi said in a low voice.
"But, Marshal Pu still has orders."
Zhang Shi shook his head and murmured: "We can't wait any longer. The Wulianghetai army will arrive within a month and a half at the latest. This battle is already very clear. He will attack Xuzhou along the Jinsha River, and then go down to Chongqing Prefecture along the Yangtze River.
Together with Wang Dechen and other troops, we surrounded Hezhou. Hezhou is so important that we cannot afford to lose it."
"yes."
"Then I must intercept Wulianghetai at the Jinsha River."
"Should we discuss it with Pu Shuai again?"
Zhang Shi shook his head again, his eyes became determined, and said: "He has just taken office and is completely unfamiliar with Sichuan-Sichuan defense. What can we do after discussing it? It will only waste the opportunity to fight. I have made up my mind."
"But, Commander-in-Chief, you..."
"Pass my order to recruit 30,000 naval troops to fight against Wu Liang Hetai."
"yes……"
At the same time, Wu Lianghetai was also looking at the map.
He knew that he had only one way to go, which was to go down the Xisha River, drive straight along the Yangtze River, and surround Hezhou.
The first battle was on the Jinsha River in the upper reaches of Xuzhou...