Two days later, the official road leading to Susong was crowded with people, and the red queue marched neatly. Behind the camp soldiers in the front were hundreds of people wearing common people's clothes, and behind them were more than fifty oxen, carts and horses.
Ren Dalang let out a sigh and spat in the direction of the Wanhe River. Behind him were more than fifty people left in Shuiying. They all had their clothes open and their breasts exposed, and they had short axes and knives stuck in their belts.
Things. These people used to be captains of different ships, and their relationship was not very good. They would fight when trying to grab business. Now that they have changed the dock, they have become closer. They are all walking and chatting, mostly complaining. Shuiying
People walked side by side, occupying the main road, and some people fleeing from the west gave way to the road.
Ren Dalang took off the gourd on his waist and took a sip. He felt better in his mouth. He had been on a boat before, so he had never experienced this. He originally thought that by joining Pang Yu, he could squeeze out Mr. Chen and become the boss himself. Who knew he would be treated like this?
. Just when he was about to curse a few words, there was a sudden curse from next to him.
"You fucking walk in three lines, I don't understand why!"
A garrison soldier in red clothes and a white hat carried a bamboo stick and beat the people in the water camp. Those people hurriedly ran to the roadside, and Ren Dalang didn't bother him. After all, it was not appropriate to just arrive at the new dock and know nothing.
Get ahead.
Those in the water camp did not dare to resist. Although the queue was not neat, it was at least three columns wide.
"I told you to leave half of the road for the sentry horses of Tang Ma. You think you are on the river. Tang Ma will hit you and kill you."
After the commander scolded him, he mounted his horse and rode back.
"What the fuck, I'll drown you when you get to the water."
Ren Dalang wiped his mouth and took a longing look. The water camp was walking behind the soldiers in red. Those on the road behind who were wearing civilian clothes were the reserve battalion of the army. It was true that the road was not filled up, leaving a part of the road.
The huge man recruits hundreds of soldiers, and he doesn't know how to get paid. There are more than 900 in red clothes. The reserve battalions that follow are all new recruits this time. I heard that the soldiers are assessed every month and eliminated every quarter.
Thirty people were promoted from those who passed the best test in the reserve camp. It was not easy to get military pay for such a large number of people.
But now it is difficult to get off the tiger. Although he made an appointment with Pang Yu yesterday, he was also frightened by the army camp. It was just that there were many people in the army. He was most afraid of the cavalry. He didn't expect that there were so many cavalry in the garrison camp. He didn't know where to find them.
The horse. This huge man is very different from the previous Pan Ke, and it is even harder to deal with.
Thinking of this, he glanced ahead. The Chinese Army was not far ahead. Each bureau on the official road had a flag. During the march, the Chinese Army had four flags. Ren Dalang only knew the garrison officer's identification flag. It must be in the Chinese Army.
I don't know the other three faces.
There were more than 20 cavalrymen below the banner, and Pang Yu happened to be looking back, so Ren Dalang quickly lowered his head.
Pang Yu habitually inspects the marching ranks. At present, the training has basically been completed and the ones who can form combat formations are still only the first six rounds. They were disabled in the second round. More than half of them are supplementary troops. The supplementary troops come from the reserve camp.
The three hundred reserve soldiers who followed Beixia Pass had battlefield experience, but were not yet capable of combat. After the supplement, they briefly trained together in Tongcheng and Anqing. After all, the time was still short. Pang Yu now has a large number of people, but his combat power may not exceed that of Beixia.
Before the Guan Battle, Shi Kefa didn't know if he had too much trust in Pang Yu's combat power. This time he left Pan Keda to guard Fucheng. Xu Ziqiang had already crossed the river again, and the garrison battalion was fighting alone. Although he no longer worried about his teammates grabbing the spoils, he
Without a large number of people, there is strength, so Pang Yu marched cautiously this time.
Pang Yu doesn't have much experience in arranging marches. Currently, the number of people is small. They still move together and use an official road to transport troops. There are mountains to the west and east of Anqing to protect it. The Anhui River system flows through here and merges into the Yangtze River. At present,
The official road to Susong runs parallel to the Wanhe River. The threat of ambushes on both sides of the queue is very small. The rear is in the direction of Anqing. The possibility of rogue bandits chasing is even smaller. However, Pang Yu still left the fourth round in the reserve camp and
After the baggage was loaded, everything was finished with great care.
Behind Ren Dalang and his group, the water camp was moving in a chaotic manner and was a bit of an eyesore in the queue, but at least the water camp was finally ready to fight.
Jiang Fan was riding with Pang Yu. He didn't quite understand the purpose of Pang Yu asking him to ride with him. He was talking about Caobang just now. When he saw Pang Yu looking at Shuiying, he couldn't help but whisper, "Sir, do you really want to let him go with you?"
Let Hu Dao be the commander of the water camp?"
Pang Yu smiled and turned back, "As long as Shuiying drives away Mr. Chen, it will have achieved its goal. As for Ren Dalang, we just let him take charge temporarily. A ship in Shuiying is a team, but there is no way out of the river."
If you want to supervise people like Lu Ying, there are some difficulties at the moment. My requirement for Shui Ying is that you must at least dare to fight."
"This Ren Dalang can be said to be brave and fierce. In previous years, most of the money in Shuiying was accounted for by General Chen and his group. The soldiers could not earn money. They could do anything when they were poor. The idea was to
On the river, Ren Dalang was the leader and brought out some desperadoes. He himself was a Jiang disciple near Anqing. Chen ignored the general affairs and ignored them. In terms of the past, the gang in Shuiying was more fierce than in Lu.
The camp is fierce."
Pang Yu smiled and said, "No wonder the group that came with him didn't look like good people. They turned out to be Jiang disciples. The Anqing garrison camp was guarding against Jiang disciples and miners, but they turned themselves into Jiang disciples."
Jiang Fan whispered, "They robbed on the river, and the bulk goods they robbed were sold at the dock. Those robbed from the passenger ships were sold on the black market in the west of the city. Now they have to deal with Caogang and Yaxing for both. He doesn't listen to the adults."
It doesn’t work either.”
"Can the Cao Gang get involved in the black market in the west of the city now?"
"I just got some clues. The black market master also knows that the goods are hidden from people and are sold at night. I used to come to Fucheng for business, and sometimes I went to the west of the city to buy some things. They are cheaper than outside, but you have to know the goods.
It was brought here by the brother from the fast class. It is the connection between the black market and the yamen. I am also a little hesitant. I want to ask the adults to decide whether I want to take action against the black market."
Pang Yu nodded. He didn't know until he arrived in Anqing that there was a black market in larger cities in the Ming Dynasty. In the past, there was no black market in Tongcheng because Tongcheng's market is small. In a big city along the river like Anqing, the black market is essential. Most of the goods in the black market come from the same route.
No, it was mainly trading things that were stolen and robbed, usually at night, and had many connections with the third squad of the local government. Therefore, Pang Yu had not made any plans to go there, so as not to conflict with the prefectural and county government offices.
Jiang Fan looked back and continued, "Ren Dalang wanted to fight with the Cao Gang at first, but later he heard that he had a relationship with the adults, so he came to find the villain himself. He meant that he wanted to control the black market with the Cao Gang.
"
Pang Yu sighed softly, no one in the Shuiying group really looked like a soldier. Ren Dalang was more like a gangster with the status of a soldier than a gangster.
"You first draw up a charter. The direction of Caogang's expansion is right. You can't just patronize the dock. But if you go to the city, you will inevitably have trouble with the yamen. You have to grasp the balance. We are all from the yamen. We have
One thing you have to remember is that you can rob the green-skinned gangsters, but the benefits of the yamen cannot be lacking. In addition to Fucheng, there are also other favorable places in Anqing where Caogang can develop. I know too little about the situation in Anqing.
The Tongcheng side is quite good, but the information in this direction to the west is poor, and we have no confidence at all to go out to fight. Therefore, in addition to Wangjiang, in Susong County, which is not on the riverside, the Caogang must be able to gain a foothold and provide information to me."
Jiang Fan only knew the purpose of his trip after hearing this. It seemed to be somewhat different from the Caobang's original goal, but since Pang Yu had given the order, he could only think of ways to do it. However, there were no city walls in the three counties of Susong, so once the rogue bandits came, they would
It's easy to die, so arranging who to come is a problem.
"The danger in the northwest is indeed greater than that of Tongcheng. There are no cities in the three counties of Susong and Song. After the disaster, the place is barren and it is difficult to garrison troops. The gate to the west is open, allowing bandits to come and have a clear path. This is a major loophole in Anqing's land defense." Pang Yu rode on his horse,
Looking at the water flow of the Anhui River next to him, he said in a daze, "But I am a garrison officer. If it is difficult to prevent, I will find a way to prevent it. I can't just wait for the bandits to come, otherwise I will be ashamed of the people of Anqing."
Having said this, Jiang Fan could only lower his head and say, "Don't worry, sir, I will definitely do it."
Pang Yu withdrew his eyes, looked at Jiang Fan and said with a smile, "I asked the Caobang to do things, and I will naturally support you. We cannot garrison troops in the three counties of Susong and Song, but there is a more important place where we can. I have already asked Shi Dao first.
Taiwan petition, just waiting for Zhang Duye's nod, stationing an army there, the situation in the west of Anqing will be greatly improved, you can guess where it is."
Jiang Fan immediately raced in his mind, hoping to think of what Pang Yu was talking about. Based on his understanding of Pang Yu, this young superior was somewhat different from ordinary officials. He especially hoped that his subordinates would be capable and understand his intentions and plans.
Sometimes when his subordinates' opinions were correct, Pang Yu would give up his original plan, so Jiang Fan tried his best to guess the place and gain further respect from Pang Yu.
But he was not familiar with the west side. When he was anxious, several sentry horses came running quickly in front. Pang Yu's attention was turned away. Jiang Fan took a peek and saw that the leader was Yang Xueshi.
Yang Xueshi reined in his horse and stopped, then shouted to Pang Yu, "Let me know, sir, that there are no traces of rogues for twenty miles ahead. Today we have completed the survey of the station and marked the water and grass. We will also send out outposts to five roads through the pre-camped camp. Each team will
Five people, we can report on the enemy fifty miles away before noon tomorrow."
Pang Yu nodded. The cavalry has improved compared to last time, not only in terms of familiarity with the operation, but also in confidence. Since the battle of Beixiaguan was won by accident, the sentry cavalry now dares to go fifty miles forward for reconnaissance. Pang Yu's battlefield vision
It has been greatly enhanced, but it is far from enough to match Pang Yu's expectations.
The news of the rogue invasion came from the Susong County Government, but there was no further news after that. The people who fled on the official road couldn't agree on what they were, and there were various versions of the rumors. Pang Yu could only rely on battlefield reconnaissance, and the Sentinel Cavalry has not found anything yet.
The exact whereabouts of the rogue bandits, let alone their scale, have not yet been ascertained.
Pang Yu rode his horse and continued walking, gesturing for Yang Xueshi to go with him. After Yang Xueshi followed him, he said, "From now on, you will concentrate on managing the cavalry. Your primary goal is not to fight against rogue cavalry, but to strengthen battlefield reconnaissance capabilities. I don't want to be like Beixiaguan again."
Likewise, they don’t know anything about the situation of rogue bandits three miles away.”
"My subordinate understands." Yang Xueshi lowered his head and responded. He also saw that Pang Yu was dissatisfied with the Chinese cavalry. In the past, he could shirk the blame for the bad horses. After Beixia Pass, 170 horses were seized.
Part of it was allocated to the Chinese Army Cavalry. If there was no big effect, it would be difficult to explain.
Pang Yu seemed to know what he was thinking, and said calmly, "Things are taking place step by step. I am not unreasonable, but every time the army fights, people will die. If your cavalry reconnaissance is clearer, fewer people will die in the team."
, you must hurry up when you need to, how is the training of the new sentinel knight?"
"My lord, the horses are all equipped, but the riders are still a little lacking. At the beginning of the year, we recruited a lot of servants from nearby. Now we don't have as many people who are familiar with riding horses."
Pang Yu frowned. The military tradition of Nanzhili has been abandoned for a long time. As long as it involves the army, it is basically lacking. It is really not easy to establish a professional army in the short term.
"Those who make a living in the head-to-mouth business also have to ride horses on weekdays. Can we recruit them?"
"Your Excellency, it is clear to me that most of the people who do business are pack horses, and the horse riding is at a slow pace at most, which is very different from the way postmen and husbands use horses."
At this time, Guo Fengyou came over to ask for instructions. He had already traveled ten miles and should stop to collect dry food. After Pang Yu agreed, the Chinese army fired an order cannon and the flags of each bureau responded and the entire army rested on the spot.
Pang Yu immediately jumped off the horse and waved to Yang Xueshi, "Come here and talk to me about horses."
Yang Xueshi quickly dismounted and stood in front of Pang Yu's horse, "Sir, please look at your mount. Looking from the head and face, it is tall and thin, with a short body and long hooves, while the pack horse is broad and has a long body and short hooves."
"
After Pang Yu had seen it, Yang Xueshi turned to the side and said, "My lord, please look at the side. The war horse is seen from the side. The horse's belly is strong near the front hooves, and the hind belly is restrained. My lord, look at the horses towing the cannon in front.
If you have a fat belly and a thick and stocky body, you won’t be able to run fast.”
Pang Yu looked at both sides, and it was indeed as Yang Xueshi said. It was quite different from the inferior horses he had seen before. Generally speaking, the war horse was tall and thin, with a higher center of gravity. In theory, it would indeed run faster, and it looked like it would run faster.
It's more graceful. The four horses dragging Bo Yu's bronze cannon have a lower center of gravity and are obviously farther back. Their appearance alone doesn't look like they can run fast.
"Is it possible to run with this body type?"
"You also need to look at the horse's teeth to determine its age. The villain once knew at the inn that the number of years a horse can run fast in its life is two or three years. If the adults say that the best horse is a war horse, then three or four years will be
Change the horse. In addition, it depends on the distance between the front and rear hoofprints when the horse is running. If the rear hoofprints can fall in front of the front hoofs, then it is time to mount the horse. Sir, if your mount can fall two or three inches behind the front hoofs when running, it is already
A rare good horse in the south."
Pang Yu hummed and looked back at his horse. It was picked from the Beixiaguan captives. It should basically be the best of that batch. After this batch of horses came back, Yang Xueshi picked them one by one, and not all of them were the same.
The horses are good, but they are all taken care of very well. Yang Xueshi said that they are more attentive than the county government and the inn. Pang Yu is also a little surprised by this. The bandits can still spend so much energy taking care of the horses when they are on the move. The grooms in the county government should really learn from this.
Professionalism.
"Then you talk about how to use horses. For example, how can your postmen move, and how can our cavalry march?"
Yang Xueshi used to be a postman, so he knew this very well, and he immediately replied, "Most of the post offices are three hundred miles away, and villains usually run fifty miles, go to the front station to deliver the stamp, get the Hijri calendar, and then go back.
It's a hundred miles round trip. Normally, we can spare no effort on horse power for fifty miles, but the postmen used to pay for the horse's feed themselves, so we have to save our horse power. We usually walk thirty to thirty-five miles per hour, depending on the weather.
Generally, the pace is 70% to 80% at slow pace, and 20% to 30% at fast pace. Our cavalry team... is different from the post station. The post station only runs for one stop. The cavalry team does not know how long it will take, so it definitely cannot run like the post soldiers.
At the moment, everyone is still going their own way, roughly more than twenty miles every hour."
Pang Yu memorized it silently. The postman was running alone. Speed was important, and the distance was determined. Naturally, it was faster than the cavalry. If it was a large group of cavalry, the speed might be even slower, but Pang Yu himself had ridden for such a long time.
Regarding the horses of time, one thing he was certain of was that the mobility of cavalry was far superior to that of infantry, no matter whether it was long or short distances.
Therefore, no matter how difficult it is, the cavalry must be expanded. At this time, the time for dry food is over, and the entire army continues to move forward. Today's camp is ten miles ahead. Yang Xueshi needs to arrive first. Pang Yu sent several cavalry from the Chinese army to accompany them to arrange the camp.
Several people quickly disappeared on the official road.
Jiang Fan rode up again, following Pang Yu.
Pang Yu looked back and said with a smile, "Can you imagine where the garrison will be in the west in the future?"
Jiang Fan nodded and whispered, "My subordinate has thought of it."