In the early morning at Zilai Bridge in Tongcheng County, the weather in April gradually warmed up. With the retreat of the bandits in the ninth year of Chongzhen, except at Beixia Pass and other border crossings, the martial law on roads in Tongcheng was lifted, land traffic resumed, and the market was slightly
There was a lot of activity, and more and more people came and went on the Zilai Bridge.
Years ago, Pang Yu dug a trench outside the Zilai Bridge. To enter Tongcheng, residents outside the city had to pass through the wooden bridge over the trench. An earthen fortress was built in the trench to cut off the official road and serve as a buffer outside the city.
In order to prevent another raid like the one in the eighth year of Chongzhen's reign, it is still preserved. There are still many simple buildings in the earthen fortress, which were built with materials from the ruins of Zilai Street and used for soldiers to garrison in winter.
Pang Yu stood waiting outside a slightly larger house. Pang Ding stood beside him. After a while, the door curtain opened and Shi Kefa, dressed in military uniform, came out of the room.
"I have met Mr. Daotai."
Shi Kefa's face was gray, and he couldn't hide his haggard look. He was stunned for a moment when he saw Pang Yu. He helped Pang Yu up with a little surprise and asked, "When did General Pang arrive in Tongcheng?"
"Xiaguan arrived last night. The watch drum had been beaten at that time. When the defenders checked their identities and entered the city through Nanxunmen, I wanted to say hello to you all night, but I didn't know that it was already the second watch and I heard that you were in Zilai Fort, so I
Wait until daybreak before coming to see your lord."
"General Pang came here overnight, but there are rumors of bandits in Qianshan and Taihu Lake?"
"My lord, my subordinates have sentry troops stationed on the mountain passes of Qianshan and Taihu, and a second division stationed at Shipai. Anqing is as stable as Mount Tai."
Shi Kefa obviously breathed a sigh of relief. At this time, he looked Pang Yu up and down. Because he was not tall and his posture was a bit upward, Pang Yu quickly arched his back a little.
"Why is General Pang running around all night? You need to know that although the traitors have retreated, the atmosphere is spreading and the road is not peaceful. Don't hurt my general because of trivial matters."
Pang Yu said respectfully, "Thank you for your concern, sir. It's because I didn't calculate the itinerary accurately and arrived a little late. However, my lord is stationed in Tongcheng and has a courtyard in the city, but he is leading the soldiers to station in the simple barracks here, and his clothes are not clear."
A person who is on the verge of war should naturally follow the example of a subordinate."
"Eating the emperor's salary is a matter of personal responsibility and is not worth mentioning." Shi Kefa waved his hands repeatedly and took the lead to walk to Zilai Bridge. "Then what is the important matter for General Pang to come to Tongcheng in such a hurry?"
Pang Yu waited for him to reach the front, then followed behind and said, "After the rescue of Jiangnan, Zhang Duye ordered the garrison camp to be stationed in Wangjiang, Shipai, and Songyang. Wangjiang is the old water camp garrison station. It can be repaired a little.
Currently, there are 300 soldiers stationed in the water camp, but there are only three small sentinels and two cannons. The Shipai camp is still under construction. It is planned to station 500 cavalry and the second division of infantry. Currently, they have temporarily camped in Shipai.
, the other is Songyang, the camp is still very simple."
He paused at this point, and Shi Kefa walked slowly in front. He was wearing a chainmail armor and made a little clattering sound when he walked.
"But there is some discord between the camp soldiers and the local people."
"There are no big conflicts, just some common disputes between locals and guests. However, the general believes that more and more troops will be stationed in Anqing and Huaichu, and the newly stationed troops will inevitably have some entanglements and delays in dealing with the local area.
In terms of military affairs, I boldly want to ask Master Daotai to inspect the new camps in various places so that the place can be stabilized."
Shi Kefa said softly, but he did not answer immediately. He slowed down a little, as if he was thinking about how to reply to Pang Yu. He walked until he was outside the Dongzuo Gate, and Shi Kefa stopped.
"What General Pang said is not unreasonable, but the treachery in Shucheng, Luzhou and other places is still raging. As the general said, Anqing is the throat of Huaichu, and Tongcheng is the key point of Anqing. I have a heavy responsibility to seal the territory, so it is not appropriate to leave without authorization at this time.
, we will discuss it after inspecting the new camp.”
Pang Yu did not argue, "My lord is still thoughtful."
Shi Kefa seemed to feel that he had refuted Pang Yu's feelings, and said with a smile, "This time the bandits invaded, General Pang defended Tongcheng to aid Jiangnan. Many great victories have been witnessed by all. I am very pleased to have General Pang stationed in Anqing."
"That's an honor from the adults. Without the care of the adults, the Anqing garrison would be a tree without roots."
Shi Kefa lowered his voice and said, "General Pang, please don't belittle yourself. I might as well inform the general in advance. According to the information I received, the general actually taught guerrilla, but because of the scandal, he will not go to Beijing to collect his petition. At that time, the Ministry of War will
Send someone to Anqing."
Pang Yu looked stunned, and when he was about to bow and thank him, Shi Kefa quickly waved his hand, "I found out about this matter in the same year in Jingzhong. You must not tell anyone about it. Young people must keep their temper, otherwise they will be in vain."
Mind."
"The official will understand."
Shi Kefa was quiet for a while and then said, "I will go back to the branch office to take charge of the affairs at this time. At noon, I will meet with Jinxian Supervisor on the enemy's platform in the north of the city. General Pang should be able to go with him at that time. I hope he knows the location well."
Pang Yu immediately agreed, and then respectfully sent Shi Kefa into the Dongzuo Gate. He and Pang Ding were still outside the city, with Guo Fengyou and several soldiers beside him.
Dongzuo Gate is the place he is most familiar with, because when he first resisted the bandits, the east wall was the main direction of attack by the bandits. Pang Yu set up his headquarters on the city tower, which left a deeper impression on him than the Yimin Gate where he lived.
This time, the Dongzuo Gate was sealed two years ago and was reopened in March. There were piles of stones and wooden horses everywhere outside the gate. Even though there was no war, it was still a scene after a disaster.
Some of the people on duty at the city gate recognized Pang Yu, and after a moment of hesitation, they all came over to salute and say hello. Pang Yu once again enjoyed the treatment of a traffic star.
After the fans dispersed, Pang Ding came over and said, "Master Daotai is unwilling to inspect the new garrison camp, which still refuted the face of our garrison camp."
Pang Yu turned around and walked south, checking the situation on Zilai Street along the way. "Young master, what I don't care about most is face, but if he doesn't go to the new camp, our new troops and horses will not be so convenient. At the moment, Shucheng and Luzhou only have
There are some scattered thieves, and there is no such thing as Kong Chi. Why do you think Master Daotai didn’t go?"
Although he asked, Pang Yu always knew that Shi Kefa was dissatisfied with Pang Yu for leading troops to rescue Jiangnan without authorization. Even though Zhang Guowei had given the order in advance, although it was later shown that Pang Yu had accurately judged the movements of the thieves, the news was confusing at the time.
Shi Kefa could think that Pang Yu had put Anqing in danger and led his troops to please Zhang Guowei.
Now Pang Yu has some difficulties in garrisoning troops in various places. Shipai and Wangjiang can still do it because they face a greater threat from bandits. The slowest progress is Songyang. There are many aristocratic families in Xia Songyang, but there are not many plots of land that can be used for garrisoning. Almost
We have never encountered the threat of thieves, so there is great resistance. Some stores purchased by Pang Yu in advance are not suitable for garrisoning. So far, they can only temporarily garrison in the warehouse of Hongshazhou Cang, with less than 200 people. At the same time, Dajiang Shipping Company and Bank
Zhuangdu has arrived here, and there are also Caogang businesses, and there are more and more conflicts with the local government. Facing those aristocratic families, Yang Erming has little role. Pang Yu urgently needs Shi Kefa to help him stand up. Inspecting the military camp is just a rhetoric, mainly to reflect the local situation.
With the support of the supreme leader, we must first stabilize the situation.
Under such circumstances, Shi Kefa would naturally not support it so easily. Even someone as close as Congyang was not willing to help Pang Yu.
"When you went to rescue Jiangnan, young master, you ignored Master Daotai and took the soldiers away directly. I heard that Master Daotai almost stopped being gentle afterward."
Pang Yu chuckled and said, "It's not just a few curses, but you've learned to talk in such roundabout ways."
"Master Daotai is a gentle man after all. He just said that young people should keep their temper and not let his good intentions go to waste, but he just scolded you."
Pang Yuben was habitually reaching out to pat Pang Ding on the head. Suddenly he looked up and saw soldiers from the garrison on the wall. He quickly waved his hand towards the soldiers and put it down again.
Pang Ding was unconscious and lowered his voice and said, "I heard from my colleagues in the army that Master Daotai lives in the camp every night. In Tongcheng, he lives in Zilai Fort, in Beixiaguan, he lives in the north gate tower, and in Qianshan, he lives in the sky.
Ningzhai, and they wore armor every night. When the enemy was in a hurry, they even slept sitting down. If there were no chairs, two soldiers would hold their backs in the back. "
"The spirit is commendable, but it is of no use." Pang Yu laughed and said, "It should be Pan Keda, Xu Ziqiang and me to lead the troops to fight and be prepared for the danger. Shi Daotai is responsible for organizing the troops and preparing the roads, inspecting the garrisons, and managing the prefectural and county offices.
, supplying military supplies is where he should spend his energy. Can he think of some ways in his government office and find someone to play the role?"
"The joints are clear, but this Daotai master may not listen to his friends. This Daotai master... I heard that he only takes the regular money given by the government office, and even pays for the greetings and farewells, and spends it at home in the capital.
It’s not enough, he can only bring a few dozen taels at a time, and I don’t know if he really has no money or is just pretending.”
They walked through Xiangyang Gate and arrived at the southeast corner of the city wall. There were troops running and practicing outside Nanxun Gate. The chants were so loud that they could be heard from a distance.
Pang Yu rubbed his forehead, "That's indeed a model of virtue. He's a little taller than the young master, but it's of no use to my garrison. It's like Master Pi who can get things done. Let's settle down in Songyang and spend some time."
Money is a trivial matter."
At this time, we turned around the southeast corner of the city wall. Outside the south gate was the military flag of the Guards Division, which we had arrived with Pang Yu yesterday. All 400 soldiers in the division were running and shouting slogans. There were five weapons placed all around.
Many people came to watch from a distance.
Some soldiers from Nanxun Gate also came out of the city. They carried iron armor and placed them near the military flag of the Guards Division.
"Master, do you really want to give all the armor to the personal soldiers?"
Pang Yu nodded affirmatively and said confidently, "Young master, I am also a veteran on the battlefield after several battles in the south of the Yangtze River. It is not difficult to defeat the bandits, but it is difficult to catch up. Therefore, the army must be reorganized. In the future, it will be heavy."
The infantry is only organized into personal soldiers. The ordinary infantry division is only equipped with light armor, cotton armor, cloth armor, leather armor and the like. The army camp and the Marine Corps are both light infantry. They must move fast, with a small amount of light cavalry and artillery. Each division
All must be able to defeat small groups of thieves individually, and be able to defend and hold back large groups of thieves. In the event of a big battle, they must quickly gather their forces and use artillery and heavy infantry to decide the victory. Then the light cavalry will pursue them. Two hundred thousand thieves have been seen before, but nothing more.