Let’s not talk about the respective arrangements of the Mongolian coalition forces and the three sides of Shaanxi and Gansu.
However, it was said that after the new soldiers left Huamachi Camp, they quickly divided into two groups and rushed to Ningxia Middle Road and Yulin South Road.
Compared with Zhang Cheng and Li Pi's division of troops, He Zhang's command concentrated the firearms battalion, the cavalry battalion, and the first infantry battalion, all of which were the most elite troops in the new army.
Such a force would naturally have no trouble dealing with a few border military attachés who were self-respecting and disobedient to military orders.
But He Zhang still didn't dare to slack off. He knew Zhao Junchen's true intentions very well, and he also knew how heavy the burden was on his shoulders!
Those few self-respecting border military attachés are just little shrimps, and they are by no means a match for the new soldiers. The real purpose of the new soldiers is to establish prestige, so they must show overwhelming strength and be clean and tidy.
If there is a slight delay or setback in completing the mission, the operation will be considered a failure, and it will even affect the war situation between the Shaanxi-Gansu border army and the Mongolian coalition forces.
At the same time, this operation is also to further strengthen the running-in and tacit understanding of the new soldiers and soldiers, and is even an assessment of Zhao Junchen's new soldiers. What role the new soldiers will play on the battlefield in the future will, to a large extent,
Let’s look at the effect of this action.
In addition, the new army of soldiers also has a hidden mission, which is to "discuss" and "communicate" with Qi Bin's new army on the march, and to use their strength to subdue Qi Bin's new army and make Qi Bin's new army completely obey Zhao Junchen!
For these goals, He Zhang could be said to have had his heart broken along the way.
If they want to complete their mission in the shortest time, the new soldiers must march at a faster speed; if they want to show their strength to the border guards along the way, the new soldiers must show strong military might while marching hastily.
Momentum; such requirements are indeed a bit harsh for the army of this era.
However, after all, the new army of soldiers has just been formed, and there are still many problems. When encountering such harsh requirements, the soldiers will inevitably feel resentful, so He Zhang needs to find ways to appease them; at the same time, because of the urgent march,
Because of this, soldiers would get separated from time to time. These troubles also required He Zhang to deal with them attentively.
It can be said that after leaving the Huamachi camp, He Zhang was even more miserable than when he was training. If it weren't for Mao Jiadong, Liu Manniu and others who could share the burden for him, even if He Zhang was strong and strong, he might not have been able to persist.
how long.
Fortunately, the new soldiers were well treated and their morale was high after Zhao Junchen's ideological mobilization, so they were able to barely meet the requirements. If it were an ordinary border army, even if there was no mutiny at this time, there would definitely be a large number of soldiers stealing.
escape.
*
Under such circumstances, He Zhang led his troops towards Yulin South Road.
On the march, things happened frequently. The new soldiers would stop to rest every ten miles. In addition to reorganizing the team, they also waited for those soldiers who had fallen behind.
When they set up camp to rest at night, the new army of soldiers had only advanced less than seventy miles.
The famous general Bai Qi of the Qin Dynasty led his troops to march 800 miles in eight days during the Battle of Huayang; Huo Qubing of the Han Dynasty marched more than a thousand miles in six days and killed tens of thousands of enemies; Li Daozong of the Tang Dynasty
The troops under his command were even more astonishing. They marched more than 2,000 miles in ten days, during which they fought several fierce battles with the Tuyuhun army. Even in the previous dynasty, Qin Liangyu led nearly 10,000 infantrymen from Chongqing to Beijing, and it only took two
Half a month, and less than 200 people were reduced...
In other words, the marching speed of the elite troops in ancient times should have reached at least sixty miles a day, and if it was a rapid march, it should have reached a hundred miles a day.
However, on the first day of the urgent march, the new soldiers only advanced less than seventy miles. He Zhang was naturally not satisfied with this result.
But He Zhang also knew that the new army was still in the running-in period, and nothing could be rushed. After the soldiers had adapted for a period of time, their marching speed would gradually speed up, so He Zhang was not too eager.
However, not long after the army set up camp to rest, a messenger suddenly caught up with the new soldiers and handed He Zhang a secret letter from the Governor's Palace.
In the commander's tent, He Zhang opened the secret letter and looked at it, and his expression suddenly changed.
In this confidential letter, Zhao Junchen explained the movements and intentions of the Mongolian coalition forces to He Zhang in detail.
Knowing that the Mongolian army was about to attack Longnan and that a big battle was imminent, He Zhang could no longer calm down and quickly asked the messenger: "What arrangements does the imperial envoy have for the Mongols' changes? Do you need me to lead the troops to Longnan?"
support?"
The messenger's name was Li Han, and he was also an aide brought by Zhao Junchen from the capital.
After hearing He Zhang's inquiry, Li Han shook his head and said: "The Imperial Envoy has his own arrangements. General He's mission has not changed. It is still to attack those border military attaches who respect their troops. According to the Imperial Envoy's plan, the new soldiers will
The army will join the battlefield in the middle of the war and be responsible for encirclement and interception, so General He does not need to rush to Longnan to support... The imperial envoy informed the general of the Mongols' movements, just because, general, you are the Shaanxi-Gansu border army
I hope that the general will be aware of the urgency of the situation and that the current task must not be delayed for too long!"
He Zhang's expression became more serious and he nodded: "I understand. I hope you will go back and tell the Imperial Envoy that I, He Zhang, will definitely complete the task within the time limit and will never delay the war!"
Li Han nodded, then stood up and said: "Now that General He has understood what the Imperial Envoy meant, I will not stay here anymore. Because of the Mongols' changes, Huamachi Camp is now very busy. I
I have to rush back to the Governor's Mansion as soon as possible to share the worries of the Imperial Envoy, so I'll say goodbye now!"
Li Han was a close aide of Zhao Junchen. It stands to reason that when he left, even if He Zhang did not see him off in person, he should have given him a few polite compliments.
But He Zhang was only thinking about the future war arrangements at this time. He just raised his hand to signal and let Li Han leave.
After Li Han left, He Zhang turned his attention to the other two people in the tent.
These two people are one of He Zhang's most valued military attaches among the new soldiers. They are Mao Jiadong, the commander of the cavalry battalion, and Liu Manniu, the commander of the first infantry battalion.
What makes He Zhang more satisfied is that both of them performed well. Mao Jiadong still looked cold and solemn, but his eyes were flashing with thought, while Liu Manniu was faintly excited and seemed a little impatient.
He Zhang said slowly: "The Mongolian army has finally made a move. They want to concentrate their forces to attack Shaanxi, Gansu and Longnan. This is a great opportunity for us to make contributions! But before that, we must first attack those border areas that disobey the military orders."
Military Attaché, so please don’t reveal this news to anyone for the time being, so as not to disturb the morale of the army...Also, I originally wanted to slowly run in the soldiers on the road and let them gradually speed up their journey, but now it seems that this approach has been
It is inappropriate. In order to avoid delaying the fighter plane, the march speed must be further accelerated tomorrow... The military attachés must also step up their supervision and not let too many soldiers fall behind. Too much time was wasted today because of this kind of thing...
If there are more soldiers who fall behind, there is no need to wait for them. With the morale and treatment of the new soldiers, the soldiers will not run away even if they fall behind. They can be allowed to go to Yulin South Road to return to the army..."
While speaking, He Zhang stared at Liu Manniu and asked: "Manniu, is it okay?"
Liu Manniu stood up suddenly and replied loudly: "General He, don't worry, starting from tomorrow, our First Infantry Battalion will never hold us back!"
He Zhang's command consisted of the cavalry battalion, the firearms battalion, and the first infantry battalion. Among them, the cavalry battalion all traveled on horseback, which was the most relaxed when they were on the road. Most of the soldiers in the firearms battalion only walked with their firearms on their backs, and there were no soldiers on the march. It's too much of a burden, but Liu Manniu's First Infantry Battalion is lagging behind. Because of their well-equipped equipment, most of the soldiers of the First Infantry Battalion have to carry heavy armor and weapons on their way. Not only is their speed slower, but their physical strength is also consumed. What’s more, most of the soldiers left behind in today’s new army are from the First Infantry Battalion.
This was an objective situation, so He Zhang did not blame Liu Manniu. He just saw that Liu Manniu was a little excited, which was very different from his usual calm behavior. He couldn't help but frowned and asked: "What? I'm about to meet him." The Mongols are fighting decisively, and Man Niu is a little excited?"
Liu Manniu was stunned for a moment before he realized what was wrong with him. Then his expression became calm again, and his voice contained a hint of coldness and chill. He nodded and said: "I just feel that I can finally kill the enemy and avenge my family." !”
This time, He Zhang looked reproachful and said: "You are now the commander of the first infantry battalion. You are responsible for the lives of nearly 4,000 soldiers under your command. When we come to the battlefield in the future, our new soldiers will definitely You are the main force, and any decision you make may affect the outcome of the battle! Although I understand your mood, general, you must not let your emotions affect your judgment, otherwise I will not dare to use you again in the future!"
Liu Manniu was silent for a moment, then lowered his head and replied: "I understand, I understand!"
In fact, although He Zhang warned Liu Manniu, he was still feeling slightly excited at this time!
The Mongolian army finally made a big move and will soon have a decisive battle with the Mongols!
Before that, although He Zhang had a reputation for bravery and outstanding military exploits, in the end it was just a small fight. After all, he had only two to three hundred private soldiers under his command, and he could only deal with a small group of Mongolian cavalry. The so-called His military achievements were only killing more than ten enemies and repelling hundreds of enemies. He could not hurt the foundation of the Mongols at all, nor could he affect the situation of the battle.
But now, He Zhang has become the commander-in-chief of the new war army. He has nearly 20,000 elite soldiers under his command. He also has the full support of the imperial envoy Zhao Junchen. He has the power to confront the main force of Mongolia and finally has the opportunity to fight. A game that will leave its name forever!
The long-cherished wish of many years is finally about to come true. How can He Zhang remain calm? He is even more excited than Liu Manniu!
However, He Zhang is a veteran on the battlefield after all. He knows that he must stay calm at this time. His warning to Liu Manniu is actually a warning to himself!
Seeing that Liu Manniu had listened to his warning, He Zhang nodded with satisfaction and said: "Although the war between Shaanxi and Gansu and the Mongolian coalition is about to break out, we cannot ignore the task at hand. We must do it in the shortest possible time." Complete the Imperial Envoy's instructions within the time limit... By the way, where is Qi Bin's new army now?"
Speaking of the latter, He Zhang suddenly remembered the hidden mission that Zhao Junchen had given to the new soldiers.
Mao Jiadong stood up and replied: "According to the intelligence, Qi Bin's new army is now eighty miles southeast of us. Although this army is marching towards Huamachi Camp, it is moving very slowly. It only travels thirty or forty miles a day.
...If we speed up our march, we should meet Qi Bin’s new army after noon tomorrow!”
He Zhang's face showed a cold look and said: "Go ahead and let the army break out of camp and set off on time at Mao's quarter tomorrow! ... Go ahead and give the order again. After Tan Ma discovered Qi Bin's new army, he did not need to contact them. Instead, he had to hide his whereabouts and report to us as soon as possible.
Will report...Qi Bin has violated the military orders of the Imperial Envoy many times, but the Imperial Envoy has tolerated it many times, thinking that this person's ability is rare...Huh, I want to test this person's strength this time!"
By now, He Zhang has probably figured out that there are two generals that Zhao Junchen values most among the three sides of Shaanxi and Gansu. One is himself and the other is Qi Bin. Even Zhao Junchen's importance to Qi Bin is even fainter.
Higher than He Zhang.
As the saying goes, civil servants are not the first and military commanders are second. Not only are the scholars disapproving of each other, but the generals are also unconvinced by each other. Although Qi Bin has made great military achievements in the past two years, he is only a junior after all, so what qualifications do he have with him?
How can a battlefield veteran like Zhang be compared?
Therefore, He Zhang's decision, in addition to Zhao Junchen's instructions, also had some unconvincing factors in his heart!
After hearing He Zhang's instructions, Liu Manniu and Mao Jiadong obeyed again.
They are all close confidants of Zhao Junchen, and they have also disliked Qi Bin for a long time!
However, they had no idea that the performance of Qi Bin's new army was far beyond their imagination!
Then, they finally understood why Zhao Junchen valued Qi Bin!
*
Unlike He Zhang who led the army in a hurry, Qi Bin has been dawdling and extremely perfunctory since he received Zhao Junchen's military recruitment order. Not only did he delay for several days before leading the army to set off, but his marching speed along the way was even faster.
Crazy slow.
Of course, Qi Bin was not just procrastinating. He also took advantage of the opportunity to further train the new army while he was on his way.
On the march, Qi Bin had extremely high requirements for the new army under his command. The officers and soldiers of the new army not only had to wear armor and hold weapons, but they also had to maintain an orderly formation and a consistent pace!
Such requirements are far more stringent than He Zhang's requirements for the new soldiers!
The new soldiers of the war army need to reorganize every ten miles they travel. He Zhang is already very dissatisfied with this result, but the situation of Qi Bin's new army is even more exaggerated - every time the formation of the new army soldiers is slightly different,
After being scattered, Qi Bin would order the troops to stop and reorganize. In this way, Qi Bin's new army would need to reorganize almost every half mile of march, so it is not difficult to understand their rapid advance.
At about the end of the second day, seeing that the sun was already three high and the soldiers were all hungry, Qi Bin ordered the army to stop and let the soldiers rest and eat.
However, just as the soldiers of Qi Bin's new army were resting and eating, the scouts of the new army of soldiers discovered their traces.
Then, in accordance with He Zhang's request, the scouts did not alert the new soldiers, but quietly returned the same way and reported to He Zhang what happened to Qi Bin's new army.