Anqing has ushered in a cooling down in November. Pedestrians on the road are wearing heavy cotton-padded clothes. The sky is densely covered with lead clouds, and it looks like it will snow at any time.
The river has reached the dry season, and the water level on the pier has dropped. There are many ships moored on the shore without loading or unloading cargo. The porters' business has become slower and slower. Although navigation is open year-round in the south, when the weather is cold, there are fewer ships on the river.
Passenger ships from Huguang still come from time to time. This year's passenger ship business is better than in previous years. As the news of rogue bandits entering Henan spreads around, some wealthy people along the river are going to Nanjing one after another. Even some ordinary people, as long as they have relatives to join them, also plan to go there.
Jiang went to hide for a while.
Most people still can't leave. As Anqing's trade peak this year has passed, people who have made some money have begun to plan to buy houses in the city. It's not that they can live comfortably in the city, but because it is surrounded by the city wall of Huaining. Once the rogue bandits come,
In order to save their entire family, they often don’t have enough cash and need to sell their houses outside the city to cash out. So Anqing experienced a fall outside the city and a surge in the city, and there was a world of ice and fire separated by a city wall.
Ng Tak-choi, who also wanted to buy a house in the city, was getting further and further away from his house in the city because his monthly salary had been deducted for several months. So whenever he thought of this, Ng Tak-choi would curse Jiao Guozhao in his heart,
By the way, he scolded Jiang Guoyong and Yao Dongshan again for blocking his promotion. As for that crooked face...
"Scolding him is dirty for me." Wu Tachai touched his cheek and muttered bitterly. There was still a little black bruise on his face, which was caused by Yao Dongshan. It has not been completely eliminated after more than ten days.
However, it is a good deal to be transferred to the second division as captain.
After touching the whip on his waist and turning around, Wu Tat Choi raised his flag gun. On the triangular flag was embroidered "Second Division, Fourth Bureau, First Flag Team, Next Small Team".
"Team up! Stand astride!"
Ten soldiers lined up in front of him, wearing smooth iron helmets on their heads. They all wore scale armor, but they were all main armor without auxiliary armor. After hearing the command, they quickly executed it and looked at Wu Dacai's
There was no contempt in his eyes, which was entirely due to Wu Tachai's diligent use of the whip on his waist.
Wu Tachai said with satisfaction, "Today's afternoon is a team confrontation every five days. We have an internal confrontation in the fourth round. This time we won't push the boundaries. We will compete on the school field where the line is drawn. Flag team versus flag team, attacking formation, and defeating the opponent.
If you push them all back to the starting line, you win."
After saying that, he glanced at the school grounds. Several generals were not there, and they went to the Central Military Commission to discuss matters. Recently, the meetings of military officers have become more and more frequent. Wu Dacai knew it was not a good thing. According to the news conveyed by General Manager Bai, the main force of the rogue bandits seemed to be moving south.
Part of it has appeared in Xinyang and is close to South Zhili again.
Xinyang is already at the southern end of the Chief Secretary of Henan Province, reaching Huguang in the west and Nanzhili in the east. The distance is about the same. If the rogues go east, it will be Gushi County of the Chief Secretary of Henan, the starting point of the rogues' invasion of Southern Zhili last year.
, as long as rogue bandits appear in Gushi, the garrison camp will go to Tongcheng to set up defenses.
The garrison camp was already on high alert, and the training intensity became more and more intense. Wu Tachai used his whip more and more frequently during the assessments. Fortunately, the additional recruits had been trained in the reserve camp. The result of the small team ranked third in the fourth game. Wu Tac Choi
Still satisfied.
After the team was organized, Wu Tachai was about to take him to the headquarters to rendezvous. Before he could give the order, he saw a familiar figure walking next to him.
"Ng Tak Choi, do you dare to compete with my team?"
Wu Dacai grinned. The murders in Leigang with Crooked Face were not verified. The killing of civilians at Beixia Pass was believed by the Zhenfu Division to be on the battlefield. The bandits were a mixed bag of fish and dragons and were not recognized as common people. Crooked Face
According to the promotion list, he was temporarily acting as the captain. On the contrary, Yao Dongshan suffered a defeat in the Chinese army because he beat his subordinates for no reason. He was deducted two months of pay. It is said that he even admitted his mistake to Pang Pang. This was not Wu Tac Choi's purpose. He did not want to offend.
What Yao Dongshan hates most is his crooked face.
"No one dares to be a grandson."
He leaned forward with his crooked face, and his nose touched Wu Tachai's face, "You false accuser, the loser kowtows to the winner."
Wu Tac-choi stared hard at the slender eyes of the crooked face, and the look in those eyes was even more fierce. Wu Tac-choi was usually a little scared, but since he fell in love with the crooked face, he seemed not to be so scared anymore.
"You big talker." Wu Tac Choi clenched his fists, his eyes still did not give in at all, and his anger at the crooked face became more and more intense. Although he was nervous, he also evaluated himself. His size and strength are in the army.
He's a middle-aged man and has fought a lot in rural areas. As long as he doesn't use any equipment, he's not afraid of making a bad face.
The subordinates next to them watched blankly. They had heard about the two men. Private fights were prohibited in the army. Soldiers had personal conflicts with each other. They could fight with the consent of the officers above the Ming Banner. They were also allowed to watch. The atmosphere in the camp became more and more popular.
It was more and more barbaric, but officers above the captain did not allow any private fights. But judging from the looks of the two of them, it was clear that they were trying to resolve personal grudges through team competition.
Just when I didn't know what to do, someone shouted loudly from behind, "Ng Tak-choi! How long will it take to lead a team to assemble!"
Wu Dacai quickly turned around. What came over was a strong black man, his flag captain. He was originally a blacksmith from Tongcheng. He joined the social soldiers when the bandits besieged the city and threw millstones on the south city wall. After that, he participated in the Zhuangban and the battle of Beixiaguan.
He stood in front of the horses and did not retreat, so he raised the flag this time.
"Report to the flag general, the first division team here wants to challenge."
"Challenge?" Mr. Qi turned his head and glanced at the crooked face behind him, and immediately shouted loudly, "Then you're going to accept the challenge, and you're talking nonsense."
Crooked Face snorted and turned around to leave, ready to call his team over.
"stop!"
Wai Lian turned around in confusion, and Boss Qi strode over and slapped Wai Lian on the face, making him dizzy and making him feel shocked and angry.
"You must salute when you see an officer." Mr. Blacksmith Qi ignored the crooked face and turned to walk towards Wu Dacai, "I'm telling you, Wu Dacai, I won't beat you to death when you come back after losing."
…
The line-drawing competition venue was crowded with people. There were competitions every day in the camp, and there were many onlookers every time. When Pang Yu originally designed the army's style, he wanted the army to be combative. Public competitions would greatly promote it, and also
It allows soldiers to get used to the tension on the spot, and many training methods are also directed in the direction of aggression. For the soldiers who are watching, watching the excitement can also relieve their emotions. After all, beatings are common in the army, and almost no one is immune.
But with so many onlookers, this time is different, because Yao Dongshan has defeated the general manager, the whole army is spreading gossip, and everyone knows the grudge between Wu Tac Choi and Crooked Face, so there is a great sense of expectation to watch the rivalry.
The blacksmith waved his big hands, roared like a goose, and led the flag team to shout slogans to encourage Wu Tat Choi. The flag team from the first division over there also came again, making it very lively.
The two teams stood twenty steps apart, both wearing main armor. In the past, when pushing into the tunnel, one's side reached the opponent's starting line. What is even more barbaric now is that the opponent needs to be pushed back to the starting point, but no hitting is allowed.
Being able to push and drag, the winner often has to be exhausted by one party.
Ng Tak Choi stood opposite Crooked Face, both sides were eager to avenge their captain.
A chief commander of the Third Division stood in the middle. This was not an assessment competition. He didn't talk nonsense and shouted "Start".
The two sides roared and rushed over, accelerating desperately in a short distance, and the twenty-two people collided with each other.
When Ng Tak-choi collided with Crooked Face, he had an advantage due to his weight, but was brought to the ground by Crooked Face. The two struggled on the ground, and there were people on the ground around them. Dust was flying in the field, and the audience outside the field cheered loudly.
"You big talker!" Wu Tachai yelled.
Wai Lian was not as heavy as Ng Tak Choi, so he was at a disadvantage during the scuffle and was pinned down. Ng Tak Choi could not hit him, but he kept covering Wai Lian's mouth and nose with his hands. This was a commonly used method in the camp, forcing the opponent to struggle so that he could
The opponent consumes his energy as quickly as possible.
In anger, Crooked Face grabbed Wu Tac-Cai's collarbone and pushed in with all his strength. Wu Tak-Cai screamed, his shoulder blades were in pain, and he was pinned down by Crooked Face, who continued to cover his mouth and nose.
No one in the camp had ever used this damaging move. Wu Tat Choi was so angry that he ignored the rules and slapped Crooked Face's face. Crooked Face slapped him back, and then both sides switched to fists.
People on the sidelines were watching the two people, and they started making noises. The more than 20 people fighting in the field changed their methods, from wrestling to free fighting.
"Hit him like a bastard!" A soldier from the First Division next to him rushed into the field and kicked Wu Tachai. Then the blacksmith flag general rushed into the field and threw the soldier to the ground.
There were more and more people taking action on the school grounds, and the remaining people nearby were in chaos. There happened to be no officers at the general level to preside over the situation. People from their respective flag corps rushed in first, followed by the bureau, and then the first division and the second division.
People from the company entered the scene one after another, and the training ground turned into a large-scale brawl. Several town guards rushed into the field and were knocked down by those soldiers.
Smoke and dust billowed in the venue, and countless figures twisted and rolled in the venue.
…
"The drought in Henan this year has been severe, so many bandits have joined the Central Plains. According to Mr. Lu's estimate, the total number of bandits is about 200,000 to 300,000. In late October, their main force was in Luoyang and Ruzhou. At present,
Moving south, there are about ten rogue camps in Xinyang. The only ones that can be confirmed are Chuang Wang, Chuang Jiang and Shake Tiandong. Due to the need for preparedness, the November training plan has been slightly adjusted, and water transport maneuver training has been incomplete.
Each division will select a bureau at a time, with cavalry or artillery, no more than 400 people. The route is from Anqing to Songyang. After landing, they will march back through Tongcheng. The focus is to practice the process of getting on and off the ship.
As well as the guarantee during shipping, let soldiers get used to water transportation."
Pang Yu put down the manuscript in his hand and looked at the officers at the table, "Our garrison is the mainstay in the north of the Yangtze River and the mainstay in the south of the Yangtze River. We must not only protect the Qing Dynasty, but also the south of the Yangtze River. At present, the movements of the rogue bandits are unknown, but we should have a plan in case of rogue bandits.
Going to Huguang, we will start garrisoning troops in Shipai and strengthen the sentry in the direction of Huangmei. If the bandits enter the mountains, we will strengthen the guard in Yingshan and Huoshan. If the bandits go to Fengyang and Yangzhou, we will be prepared.
Water transportation rescues Jiangnan."
Wang Zenglu, who was next to him, raised his head and said, "What if we go to Yangzhou and the bandits come west again? How should we deal with it? Will water transportation be available in time?"
Pang Yu nodded and said, "So we can't go ashore in Yangzhou. The road to the west of the bandits must be blocked when we go ashore. The riverside is densely covered with water nets, ponds and lakes, so the bandits' numerical advantage may not be able to be used. As for the speed of water transportation, although it is currently a dry season,
According to my own tests on the river, the water speed on the Anqing River is about four feet per second. It may slow down downstream, but the wind direction is uncertain. Generally speaking, it should be possible to reach the Nanjing River within four days."
"Sir, what are you doing right now?"
Pang Yu shook his head. He really didn't know how to describe it. The county government had a special Yin and Yang official to keep time, and the bell tower rang the bell according to the time they calculated. There were also two career cadres with professional titles in the garrison yamen. Pang Yu replaced the former garrison camp personnel.
Most people have been fired, but these two professionals can only be retained.
Hourglasses and quivers were used before on the school grounds, but they were all in containers, and the soldiers could not always walk over to see them. Pang Yu thought it was difficult to create an intuitive sense of urgency for the soldiers. Nowadays, incense is used to keep time in the army.
, leaving different lengths according to different requirements, but there is an extra fee every month.
But these are rough time calculations, which can only meet the needs of daily life and are not helpful for military operations. Pang Yu hopes to use clocks. Bo Yu once saw Western clocks in Suzhou, but he did not know how to make them.
"This matter will be explained later. All you need to know is..."
As soon as he said this, Pang Ding opened the door with a bang and said, "Sir, there is a fight in the school field, the first division versus the second division."
…
When Pang Yu arrived at the school grounds, the fighting was not over yet. The place was noisy, with crowds chasing and beating everywhere. The ground was filled with exhausted soldiers, still fighting hard, with many people bleeding from their mouths and noses.
Everyone wore the same clothes, and no one knew which division won. Pang Yu even saw a few people from the Guards Corps participating, but the main groups were definitely the First Division and the Second Division.
Many people from the two departments did not participate, hiding on the sidelines and watching.
Wang Zenglu and Yao Dongshan's faces were ashen, especially Yao Dongshan. After being manipulated by Pang Yu, the first commander immediately started fighting with others. He didn't know what Pang Yu would think of him.
Jiang Guoyong was also very embarrassed. The suppressing soldiers who stayed at the school grounds had no effect at all, and seemed to be knocked to the ground by the soldiers.
When he peeked at Pang Yu, the young boss looked very relaxed and seemed to be quite interested.
Jiang Guo covered his mouth with his hand, and then said to Pang Yu, "Sir, how to deal with this..."