As the only "big road" that must pass through to Lingqiu, the road is only three or two feet wide, and the crossing is even narrower and difficult to navigate. It is not easy to push a cart here, let alone arrange troops?
When Chongzhen inspected the surrounding terrain, he saw at a glance the characteristics of the natural pass here. It was absolutely easy to defend and difficult to attack. If the pass was set up properly, one man could hold the pass and ten thousand people could not open it.
So he planned to build a simple earthen fortress in a semicircle to cover the exit. The wall did not need to be too high, seven feet was enough, and the top was capped, and a long horizontal opening was cut out in the middle to facilitate the penetration of one's own spears to kill the enemy.
, vaguely similar in shape to the "bunkers" of later generations.
To realize this idea, you need enough bricks, clay, and skilled masonry craftsmen. If you want to complete it in a short time, you will also need a lot of manpower.
"I hope there will be good news tomorrow." Chongzhen said as he sat in the hastily built tent. It seemed that he had great expectations for Duanjiazhuang.
Regarding Lingqiu, the news previously sent back by Wang Jinchao has made it clear. This place is a hundred miles wide, and all the villages along the way are deserted. Even the county town is the same. The city is dilapidated and there are very few living people.
Similar situations occurred all over Shanxi, with civilians fleeing disasters and famines, and the officials and gentry being tortured and plundered.
As time passed, the first batch of convoys transporting grain and grass finally arrived, and were gradually transported into the camp by newly recruited civilians, some of whom were also surrendered prisoners.
"Cough..." Deng San quickly put down the handle of the car, covered his mouth and coughed. His throat had been itching from time to time since yesterday, and even coughing could not relieve his addiction.
"Hurry up!"
Deng San raised his head and took a look. It was a Manchu soldier wearing a black hat urging him, and replied: "Why are you so anxious? Isn't this just moving?" After saying that, he spit into his palms, rubbed them, and shouted.
He picked up the grain bags in the car with a loud voice.
While unloading the goods, he did not forget to mutter: "What a dog Tatar."
Previously, since the Ming army began to counterattack and the city wall collapsed, Deng San had been hiding among the corpses and pretending to be dead. Later, he was discovered by the Ming soldiers who were counting the battlefield, and he became one of the prisoners surrendered by the Qing army. The Ming army won.
, Deng San, who was lucky enough to survive, had the idea of joining the army, but he was not chosen. At that time, Deng San said yes, but he cursed for a while, what kind of bullshit regiment training camp, the third master didn't even bother to go there.
.
The military household didn't make it, but he was recruited by people sent by the prefect and became a commoner transporting grain. Although it was a bit hard, he was able to have enough to eat in the end.
After placing the last bag of grain firmly, Deng San looked at the big white tent in the center of the camp. Outside the tent, soldiers were erected and lined up with braziers.
"The Emperor is still at ease."
As Deng San said this, he remembered that the emperor also showed up when Mengchai surrendered. Unfortunately, he was too far away to see clearly at that time. If he could get a closer look one day, he would be able to brag with others in the future!
"Hey, my surname is Deng." Deng San heard the voice and turned around to see that it was Wu Tianqi who was also a cart puller. The two met on the way and became friends after taking care of each other.
"Lao Wu, why are you here? Third Master has already finished his work." Deng San was in a good mood after finishing his work and joked.
"Don't mention it. The wheel of the carriage is broken halfway. If it weren't for the help of the military commander from the regiment training camp, we don't know what to do."
"I just said that after a while, I won't be able to see you when I look back."
When Wu Tianqi heard this, he cursed and said: "You guys, how dare you say that? I call you Deng San all the time. Don't think that I don't know that you are pretending to be deaf." Deng San picked his nose and rubbed it out.
A small mud ball bounced towards Wu Tianqi.
"That's right. How can Third Master be an ungrateful person? Okay, fine, Third Master can help you unload the goods."
"Hey, that's pretty much it."
When unloading, Wu Tianqi saw that Deng San was coughing, so he stepped forward and asked, "Brother, are you okay?" Deng San coughed and waved his hand: "Cough...it's okay."
...
Duanjiazhuang, ancestral temple.
According to the clan elder, all the men with handles in the village were present and gathered in the courtyard of the ancestral hall. A yellow dog got in through the crack of the door, as if it was watching the excitement. There was something dangling between its two hind legs when walking.
It can be seen that it is a male dog with a handle.
"Xiao Jun'er, tell everyone what you saw and heard."
Duan Xiaojun hummed at the elder on the stage, turned around and said, "Well, I met this group of thieves when I went out to cut firewood today. I felt scared and hid in the woods, but in the end I was caught by them."
Duan Xiaojun danced and imitated Mengchai's movements to catch him.
"Of the two people who came to our village, one of them was tall and strong, and it was he who grabbed his forehead."
"Well, I heard the official call him by his name. What is his name Mengcai? If it hadn't been for the guidance from our ancestors, I still wouldn't have figured it out clearly. Come to think of it, do we in Shanxi have the surname Mengdi?"
"Well, I was wondering at that time why this person looked so strange."
Speaking of this, a man in the audience asked: "Aren't you talking nonsense? There is no one with the surname Meng in Shanxi, what if there is one in Shandong? Where in the world are there people who are not soldiers? What's so strange about it?"
"Duan Xiaogang, you are such a stupid ass, don't you understand what we mean is that he is not Han?" Duan Xiaojun pointed at Duan Xiaogang in the audience.
Duan Xiaogang hugged his chest and looked at each other on the stage. The two of them seemed not to get along with each other normally.
"Oh, it's not Han. Then tell us what it is."
"It's the Mongols! It's the Manchus!" Duan Xiaojun suddenly raised his hands and shouted.
Duan Xiaogang was about to continue to refute when the clan elder, who was sitting quietly on the Taishi chair, knocked on Wang Zhan and said, "Xiao Jun'er is right. One of the people who came to our village today is from outside the Great Wall."
The villagers in Zhuangzi usually have little information, and most of them know nothing about what is happening outside, so when they heard the clan elder say this, there was not much reaction on their faces.
"The Ming Dynasty has died, and no one is guarding the Great Wall. Now, the Mongolian Tatars from outside the customs have come to our Datong. The group Xiaojun met is probably them."
"Ancestor, what did you talk to them at the entrance of the village?"
The clan elders recounted what Chongzhen said, and some villagers inevitably asked: "Who is the truth and who is the lie?" It was confusing to see that he was the commander-in-chief of the army and the Mongolian Tatar.
Duan Xiaogang also followed: "Yes, ancestors, I feel that people are from the army, don't listen to Duan Xiaojun's random fabrications."
The crowd began to chatter again, and even the little kids who were ignorant started shouting: "The Tatars are coming! The officers and soldiers are coming!"
Duan Xiaojun, who heard many people singing the opposite tune and insisted that he was right, shouted: "What's wrong with the officers and soldiers! The officers and soldiers don't kill people? The officers and soldiers don't steal food? Why can't the officers and soldiers be the lackeys of the Mongols?"
"Dong, dong, dong." Everyone seemed to be very sensitive to the sound of Wang Zhan knocking on the ground, and they fell silent instantly.
"Yes or no, seeing is believing. Xiaojun said that there are not many of them. Everyone bring this guy tonight. The old man is going to see for himself. He can hide from the first day but not from the fifteenth. If they are really Mongolian Tatars, then