To the north is the Laoshan Mountains, to the south are Taixi Mountain and Taibai Mountain. All the way over the mountain slopes and out of the mountain pass, you will see the boundary of Lingqiu County. The plain here is located among the peaks, covering an area of more than 200 miles.
.There is still a hundred miles of mountain road to go before Chongzhen's initial goal. During this period, we need to go along the Juma River, a tributary of the Qihe River, passing through Yinchu Ridge and Yima Ridge before reaching the border of Guangchang County.
Thanks to the shrinkage of Li Zicheng's troops in Shanxi, the vanguard of the Datong Ming Army, led by Wang Jinchao and Jiang Xuan, easily captured Hunyuan Prefecture City without consuming a single soldier. Then, according to the plan, they continued to attack eastward without stopping until they entered Guangchang County.
Then they stopped and stationed themselves near the local Maquan Village, collecting food and supplies while waiting for follow-up instructions.
There are gains and losses. Although Chongzhen's plan to move southward and eastward has not encountered any resistance from enemy soldiers for the time being, the tens of thousands of ordinary people following behind him can travel up to twenty or thirty miles a day. And because there are many chariots, horses and luggage, it is difficult to encounter mountain roads.
The narrow area is full of dangers. Sometimes someone is hit by a car and the back road is blocked. Sometimes someone slips and falls off a cliff and dies. Such accidents are not uncommon.
So when Chongzhen appeared in Lingqiu, Tang Tong, who was in charge of the rear of the palace, had just passed the entrance of the porcelain kiln. There was a hundred miles between them. The hundreds of miles of mountain road were filled with the twists and turns of the people of Datong. After all, Chongzhen was not a god, so he could not do it.
Omniscient and omnipotent, faced with such a situation, there was no way to act at the moment. He could only lead the regiment training camp and the newly surrendered Mengchai tribe at the forefront, looking for opportunities to make adjustments.
The regiment training camp has been replenished to a thousand people, of which 900 were selected and surrendered. The original number of veterans only accounted for 10%. Ordinary soldiers care about the elite, not the number, and Meng guessed that not all the bannermen of the tribe were recruited into the camp.
, all those who had the slightest reluctance were released, and now the remaining 1,500 people can be said to be Mengchai's loyal confidants, willing to follow him to the death.
Chongzhen was very satisfied with this recruitment of soldiers.
Why? Look at these new soldiers who have joined the regiment training camp. Most of them are men from Liaodong who were captured by the Qing army. Although they all look sallow and thin, they can actually endure hardships. As long as they can have food to eat, even if they march long distances day and night, they will not be able to survive.
No one is left behind.
Then there is Mengchai and his many soldiers. As the saying goes, the soil and water support the people. The innate hunting instinct of these nomadic grassland people is definitely not comparable to that of the Han people living in the pass.
Mengchai walked out of the forest on the left, carrying a short man hanging in mid-air, and brought it to Chongzhen effortlessly.
After careful questioning, I found out that this person’s name was Duan Xiaojun, a local villager who lived in Duanjiazhuang not far from here. I thought about going out to cut some firewood and go back, but I didn’t expect that after eight lifetimes of bad luck, I met a soldier.
He was in a hurry and hid in the woods without taking a breath, but he was still caught by the sharp-eyed Mengchai.
Duan Xiaojun was so frightened that he could barely speak. His eyes glanced at Mengchai who was standing aside from time to time. He had a figure that looked like an iron tower and an indescribable face. How could he have seen ghosts for a hundred days!? Fortunately, all of them, including Mengcai, had surrendered to Chongzhen.
All the soldiers wore black round hats on their heads to hide their true identities. If they had known that these people were Jianzhou Jurchens, Duan Xiaojun would have fainted from fear.
"This general... Grandpa General, can you... no... let the little civilians go, Ma..."
Chongzhen leaned down and said: "Don't be afraid. If someone comes, give him money." Yang Boxian obeyed and took out two strings of copper coins from his arms, totaling about a thousand coins, and handed them to Duan Xiaojun.
"Grandpa General, this, this, this...is..." Duan Xiaojun held the warm Chongzhen Tongbao in his hand and didn't know how to count.
"This is my reward for being a guide. Can I provide you with a thousand yuan a day and a full meal?"
Because Chongzhen's entire army did not display a banner, Duan Xiaojun could not figure out the origins of the military masters in front of him. Although the guy in the black hat looked panicked, the general who spoke to him was kind-hearted, and Chongzhen's tone was easy-going.
, and he gradually calmed down.
"How dare the common people dare to obey the general's orders? If they don't obey, the money will be returned to the general. If the common people don't, they can't take it."
"If you are asked to accept it, you can accept it. You will lead the way. We are going to Duanjiazhuang." Chongzhen didn't have time to argue with him. He said "drive" and started to drive the horse. Duan Xiaojun took a few steps back, turned his back and faced forward.
Leading the way, he just kept holding the copper coin in his hand, not daring to put it in his arms.
"Follow Mengchai, the rest will camp on the spot." Chongzhen shouted, and the tired soldiers went to rest under the leadership of Yang Boxian. Mengchai ordered him to follow quickly and guard beside Chongzhen's horse.
On the way, Duan Xiaojun has been deliberately taking detours, trying to find opportunities to escape. How can he really take these passing military lords to the village to pay them back? I wonder where the people don't know that bandits are like combs, and soldiers are like combs.
"How far is it?" Chongzhen seemed to have noticed something, so he asked.
"If you go back to the general, we'll be there soon." Duan Xiaojun said without looking back, glancing around.
"Let me remind you, since I am going alone, I am determined not to embarrass you in the village, but if someone dares to play tricks, it will be difficult." As soon as Chongzhen finished speaking, Mengcai pressed Duan Xiaojun with his big hand.
on the shoulders.
Duan Xiaojun, who was already short, seemed to be half a point shorter.
These days, fists are effective. Under Chongzhen's coercion, Duan Xiaojun finally chose to save his life in the dilemma. After walking for less than a quarter of an hour, a mountain village gradually appeared.
When they arrived at the village entrance, Chongzhen on horseback was thinking about what to say next. Duan Xiaojun, who was slippery and slippery, took advantage of Mengchai's inattention and shook his neck to break free. He ran towards the village with his hands and feet, shouting continuously: "
The soldiers and thieves are coming, the soldiers and thieves are coming."
Mengchai was furious and was about to chase him, but Chongzhen stopped him with words.
"No need to chase, just wait and see what happens."
Duan Xiaojun's call instantly attracted the attention of all the tribesmen in the village. Not long after, a series of "killing" sounds were heard. The tribesmen in Duanjiazhuang Village gathered at the entrance of the village from all directions. The men all held knives and sticks in their hands, and their faces were filled with resentment.
Looking at Chongzhen and Mengchai, they saw that their formation was not inferior to that of a thousand people.
There was an old man in the crowd slowly walking out with a dove stick in his hand. The tribesmen all moved out of the way for him. Duan Xiaojun pointed at Chongzhen and explained the situation to the old man with his head down, spittle flying from his mouth.
After Duan Xiaojun finished speaking, the old man asked in a deep voice: "May I ask where the military master is from?"
Shanxi has experienced natural disasters, epidemics, and was tortured by bandits for several months. It is unexpected that there are villages with such a thriving population. This may be related to the fact that they live in the mountains and are remote and hard to find.
Youdao means that the imperial power does not extend to counties, but only to clans, and clans are autonomous. In the Ming Dynasty, the villages under the jurisdiction of each county were governed by their own virtuous and respected people, and the old man in front of me was one of them.
When Chongzhen saw the dove-headed king's staff in his hand, he knew that the old man was already over 60 years old. The land of China has had a tradition of respecting the elderly and respecting the virtuous since ancient times. It is still rare in this dynasty. So Chongzhen got off his horse and bowed from a distance.
He said: "If I go back to Fu Lao, I am Jiang Yan, the general of Datong in the Ming Dynasty. I only hope that Fu Lao will forgive me for coming here rashly."
Chongzhen did not intend to disclose his identity, but Bailong Yufu could be bullied, and Duanjiazhuang hated soldiers as much as thieves. This trip might be dangerous.