A big hand fell down and gently placed the half-full wine glass into the flowing water. The wine glass shook slightly a few times and slowly flowed down the winding stream. After turning three twists and turns, a
A slender hand stretched out and picked up the wine glass from the stream. Water dripped from the bottom of the glass, causing several small ripples in the clear water.
"The clear current is turbulent, and the reflection is left and right, making it look like a flowing cup of water. How lucky am I to be able to face the Liuyi layman in ancient and modern times. I will definitely get drunk today before I rest, and I will invite General Pang with me."
When Pang Yu heard the voice coming from upstream, he quickly raised his glass politely and said to the strong man who set aside the wine glass, "Thank you, General Lei, for allowing me to taste the elegance of the ancients."
Lei Shisheng laughed loudly, "General Pang will be here soon, and I will also have a taste of the downstream."
Using the gesture of drinking, Pang Yu turned around and asked the tour guide beside him in a low voice, "I think what he read seems to be the preface to Orchid Pavilion, not the Drunken Old Man's Pavilion."
The tour guide's face was slightly disdainful, "Of course he remembered it wrong, or maybe his scribe deliberately made him look embarrassed."
Pang Yu shook his head and smiled. It had been three days since he returned to Chuzhou to carry out the task of stabilizing Chuzhou arranged by Lu Xiangsheng. Other military battalions also left some more troops to snatch food and manpower. The only one left in the battalion was the deputy general.
The sound of soldiers and thunder.
Liu Dagong, the prefect of Chuzhou, was not very enthusiastic about the two of them. The city gates were still under martial law. Only the east gate was opened to allow people in the city to enter and exit. He also sent some subordinate staff to help. Today, he was accompanied by two clerks from the reception room. Their attitude
He was also a little cold, waiting far outside the pavilion, neither introducing the scenic spots nor talking to the two of them.
Pang Yu felt that what Zu Keyong said to these subordinates at this time was very appropriate, but he was too lazy to get angry. After all, the garrison camp had received a lot of looks in the eyes in Anqing before.
Due to the same situation, they also found a common hobby of playing horse card, Pang Yu and Lei Shisheng have been playing passionately for a few days. Although Lei Shisheng is a warrior with little culture, he prefers to be arty, and the area around Chuzhou has initially settled down.
After that, I made an appointment with Pang Yu to go out and visit the Drunkard Pavilion in Langya Mountain.
Sitting in the pavilion at this time, Pang Yu did not see the mountains of Langya Mountain, but there was indeed a lush bamboo forest around the pavilion. If it were summer, the scenery would be beautiful, but it would be a bit desolate in winter.
The tour guide next to him whispered, "The water in the Drunkard Pavilion is called Liuyi Spring. In the sixth year of Hongxi, water from the Niang Spring was introduced into the square pool inside the pavilion, and then passed through the ditch to make a three-fold shape to form a meandering water cup.
It returns to the stream and flows through Baijia Bridge at the foot of the mountain into the Qingliu River."
Hearing the words Qingliu River, Pang Yu's nerves jumped again. The battle four days ago still left him with lingering fears, especially the tension that made the air almost freeze when he forcibly crossed the Qingliu River. It is rare to have such a day of effort.
Relax, Pang Yu didn't want to be disturbed again, and buried herself in eating the side dishes on her square table.
There was a splash of water in the Crescent Pool downstream. Pang Yu turned around and saw that several soldiers had already picked up buckets, lined up upstream outside the pavilion, and then poured the water into the sink one by one. The flow of Liuyi Spring is very small in winter.
For Mr. Lei's literary interests, I can only carry water from the Crescent Pond downstream and slowly pour it down from the upstream to satisfy Mr. Lei's feeling of flowing water. The water cannot be too fast or too slow, it must be just right.
The water could float the cup but not knock it over on the stone wall. The soldiers were sweating profusely and carefully controlled the angle of the barrel.
Naturally, Pang Yu would not let his soldiers do such a thing. They were all infantry from the Lei Shisheng camp. They all had no military uniforms and looked no different from ordinary people. Pang Yu had seen a lot of other battalions in the past few days.
The composition of the battalion is even a bit like that of a rogue bandit. The camp is filled with a large number of servants who follow the army to do various logistical tasks. Each battalion's servants have their own servants. The servant is the official head of the family. I don't know whether he is a soldier who studies military science or a soldier who studies military science.
soldiers.
Therefore, these soldiers are actually coolies in the army, so Lei Shisheng will not be polite to them. He has been carrying water and pouring water for a quarter of an hour, and Master Lei's elegant fun is not over yet.
Pang Yu turned to the tour guide and asked, "Have you changed your opinion of Qiu Ba this time as you are with the army?"
The tour guide pointed to the coolies, "Qiu Ba and Qiu Ba are also different. The soldiers and horses of the garrison camp at Puzikou are common for villains. The adults' camp is different from other camps, but villains can't tell."
Pang Yu thought for a moment and asked, "Then are you willing to serve in our army?"
The tour guide was a little stunned. Pang Yu didn't know if he was pretending. Generally, he would not directly ask the person concerned about such personnel issues. He should let someone like Mr. Hou come forward to avoid being rejected in person and damaging his career as an official.
dignity.
However, his experiences in Chuzhou in the past few days showed that military attaches did not have much dignity in the first place, so Pang Yu decided to treat this tour guide a little more specially.
"I don't know how much monthly salary you have given me. I used to do business in Henan, and my family has a lot of expenses..."
"There are rules in the army. The higher the official you become, the more money you can earn. The Qiu Ba in my battalion are different from the other Qiu Ba. They will not set a separate rank for you, but I can also
Let me tell you, in the future, the monthly salary in my camp will definitely be the highest among all Qiu Ba, and there are some things that cannot be calculated with money. Business in Henan is not safe now, so you can tell me the answer after you think about it."
The tour guide's eyes moved. Pang Yu wanted this man because he was different from other officers in the army.
At this moment, a big hand slapped Pang Yu on the shoulder. Pang Yu was not surprised. He knew it was thunder without even looking.
"This meandering wine glass would be boring without too many people." Lei Shisheng said, squeezing the tour guide out of the way, and sat down carelessly next to Pang Yu. He picked up a wine glass that had just floated down from the water and raised it.
Drink all the head.
"It's better to change the bowl for me. The Drunkard Pavilion is here. How can I explain it if I don't go back drunk?"
Pang Yu liked Lei Shisheng. He was already the deputy commander in chief and didn't have much domineering attitude, so it was easier to get along with him.
"General Lei is interested, so I will naturally accompany you. It's just that this place is twenty miles away from Chuzhou. If I delay returning for a long time, I'm afraid that Li Juesi will go to Prime Minister Lu to complain again. You know that my brother originally had a dispute with the Liao army, and he went to Prime Minister Lu."
There was a dispute."
Lei Shisheng waved his hand and said, "Brother Pang, don't worry. Who is not entangled with the Liao army at this time? No matter where the Liao army goes, they will rely on their large number of cavalry to bully our small camp heads and seize military achievements, food and fodder."
There is nothing we can do if the Liao army is in need. Those of us who lead a small army do not need to compete with them."
"If you want to say that the Liao army is domineering, whoever made the Liao Zhen family great is the one behind it, Zu Dashou, who can be relied on. Moreover, they can fight. Li Jiucheng and Kong Youde of Shandong rebelled, and the troops in the mainland could not be defeated. The Liao army came and brought peace. Before,
We have succeeded in fighting off the rogues, but now that there are more and more rogues, we have to count on Liao Town to fight them. If they are not domineering, who will be domineering?" After saying this, he handed over a wine bowl, and Pang Yu reached out to take it. After Liao Town entered the customs,
There are also many people who have been offended. They look down on the mainland soldiers and horses, and people like Lei Shisheng will naturally not have a good relationship with them.
Pang Yu said with a smile, "People get millions of Liao's pay every year, but they always have to raise a few thousand to be able to make a living. If the Liao's pay is given to General Lei, it will probably be better than that of Liao Town."
Lei Shisheng chuckled, "I won't take that money. I can beat anyone in Liao Town, but I can't beat Jiannu. Whoever takes this Liao salary will have to fight against Jiannu. Old Lei, I still want to live longer."
several years."
This was the second time Pang Yu had heard about Jiannu's fighting strength during this rescue trip. It seemed that Liao Zhen's fighting strength was not weak, but it sounded like there was no chance of winning.
"What kind of soldiers and horses are Jiannu? Has Mr. Lei ever fought with them?"
Lei Shisheng shook his head, "Let me tell you this, since that old slave raised an army, there were no less than ten soldiers who died in Liaodong, and there were dozens of lieutenants like me. Those soldiers and horses of the border troops fought against the bandits and cut melons.
They are chopping vegetables, but when they meet the Jiannu slaves, they are defeated before they even have a fight, which is worse than a rogue bandit."
"So weird." Pang Yu touched his chin. The Tatar soldiers were like orcs in the words of the officers and soldiers. He couldn't imagine it for a moment. He heard it so many times that he felt a little scared for no reason.
Lei Shisheng filled up the two wine bowls, "We brothers are drinking today. We can be just like drunkards. Don't let slaves and bandits ruin our fun."
Pang Yu quickly raised the bowl and said, "Since General Lei dislikes the thieves so much, my brothers will take care of all those captured alive this time."
"That's a good relationship. If you ask me, Lao Lei, I will kill all the thieves, and the civil servants are not allowed to kill them. I will get annoyed when I see them, so there are brothers Laopang."
…
Three miles west of Chuzhou City, by the Xijian River, stands a huge building. This is the Taipu Temple in Nanzhili.
Taipu Temple is the place where horses are inspected. It is the flattest and openest place in Chuzhou. Surrounding this central institution, an industrial chain has also emerged on the periphery. There are many houses along the official road, and the bandits did not have time to burn them down.
The Taipu Temple has vast buildings and a square for horse inspections, so it is naturally suitable for garrisoning. The bandits set up a large number of tents nearby at that time. After the Battle of Wuliqiao, it became the most suitable place to detain prisoners of war.
Pang Yu walked slowly on the street outside Taipu Temple, followed by Mr. Hou and Wang Zenglu, as well as Guo Fengyou and others who were inseparable.
The street was crowded with people and noisy everywhere. There were soldiers from all departments selling different things.
Pang Yu stayed in Chuzhou for three days and got used to it. There were also many comrades among the officers and soldiers. There were more than 2,000 Liao troops. Only about 1,000 actually fought for the decisive victory. There were also 2,000 comrades. Yang Shien and other troops had even more comrades.
Many, providing logistics for combat officers and soldiers.
After Lu Xiangsheng urged, after the main force of officers and soldiers went to chase Gao Yingxiang, many slaves remained in Chuzhou to grab the spoils of war, and it was mostly these people who were responsible for the disposal of prisoners of war. The things everyone grabbed may not be suitable, so a flea market was formed here.
, not only exchanged materials, but also exchanged prisoners.
There are a lot of people tied up behind many stalls, both men and women. The women are various family members in the bandit camp. Pang Yu sometimes passes by and takes a look. Those women are basically skinny, and they must be the thinnest in the bandit camp.
The bottom floor was mostly occupied by family members living together, which was not the same as the mother-in-law camp he had seen in Tongcheng.
"Should we report the victory of Zhulong Bridge to Mr. Zhang Du?" Mr. Hou walked beside Pang Yu, paused and then said, "Li Juesi and Liu Dagong are local magistrates of Chuzhou, they must be
Listening to Premier Lu, without their support, it will not be considered a merit if reported, so why go against Premier Lu’s wishes again.”
Pang Yu pondered for a moment and said, "Our report was originally made by the garrison camp and the standard camp. Whether it is useless or not is a matter for the court. The report must always be reported. Besides, we only impeached Liao Town. That day Zhou Yuanru came over
When I spoke, there was something in the words, and from what I thought, it did not go against Premier Lu’s wishes.”
Speaking of this, Pang Yu was still not happy. All the military achievements at Zhulong Bridge went to Zu Keyong. The conflict with Liao Town was unplanned. However, Pang Yu did have the intention not to pursue the pursuit with Lu Xiangsheng because the garrison camp had always been on the ground.
For the defense of Anqing and rescue along the river, his mobility basically relied on towns and shipping along the way, and he despised logistics. His army did not have the ability to conduct expeditions on land. If it was really recruited by Lu Xiangsheng, it would collapse within a few days.
But the result of the conflict was that the military merits of Zhulong Bridge were lost. When Zhou Yuanru came to inform him, he made it clear about the military merits of Wuli Bridge and hinted that Lu Xiangsheng would help him speak for him regarding the number of soldiers in Anqing. He probably understood a little of what Lu Xiangsheng meant.
At present, we must rely on Liao Zhen, but we don’t want to rely on Liao Zhen all the time, so we will also promote mainland military leaders like Pang Yu.
Gains and losses are not easy to calculate, but from a practical point of view, military merit is ultimately reflected in official positions and troop quotas. If Lu Xiangsheng can really play a role in the distribution of military quotas in Anqing, I feel that it is still cost-effective to exchange for Zhulong Bridge.
.
The most important issues related to the number of soldiers are pay and quality. In particular, we must strive to retain the pay from the tax revenue of Nanzhili. This will eliminate the link of allocation by the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of War, and only give it to the governor's Yamen, Daotai Yamen, and the Nanjing Household Department.
Rebates are always more available, which can alleviate Pang Yu's financial pressure.
While cleaning up the aftermath in Chuzhou, Pang Yu was also counting his seizures. King Zenglu of Wuliqiao did not gain much because there were too many officers and soldiers looted. The total strength of Lu Xiangsheng's command was about 10,000, and there were also a lot of servants.
, the garrison camp was short of manpower, and finally grabbed thirteen thousand taels in the camp and on the road.
The horsemen and soldiers at Zhulong Bridge were obviously richer than their counterparts. Their horses also carried a large amount of money, which was used to bribe the officers and soldiers. Those horses carried more than 50,000 taels of silver. This was just Pang Yu's estimate. In the end
The figures have not yet been calculated.
There were about 500 horses near the Zhulong Bridge, and some of them ran away at night. Pang Yu only grabbed 160 horses near the bridge at night. Before dawn, he let the Ninth Bureau take them eastward because of his travels.
The soldiers were wary, and what happened later proved this. None of the horses they grabbed after dawn could be taken away. Fortunately, Zhou Yuanru stepped in to take them over, which saved Pang Yu from embarrassment on the spot. Of course, he must have flown to Liao Town in the end.
There is still a large amount of money near Zhulong Bridge that has not yet been collected. It must have been collected by Liao Town.
Mr. Hou probably also thought about this, and said with some heartache, "It's just a pity for those horses and money..."
Pang Yu waved his hand, "That transaction has passed. I only care about the present. Once the transaction is completed, it will be more valuable than those horses and silver."
Mr. Hou looked around in surprise, "You are stupid, what do you mean by transaction?"
Pang Yu stopped and pointed around, "People."
"Well, what's the use of these people? Magistrate Liu said that we would only provide them with food until the day after tomorrow. General Lei wants to kill them all."
Pang Yu shook his head and said with a smile, "How can it be useless? In the past three days, we have basically cleared out all the old thieves. General Lei will leave the remaining servants to us. There are tens of thousands of people, and they are from all over the world. Let's follow the best
Pick out what is lacking and what is useful, including blacksmiths, coppersmiths, carpenters, papermakers, shipbuilders, bank servants..."