The 20,000-strong army is not as simple as just 20,000 forbidden troops marching forward with weapons. Marching has never been an easy and simple matter.
If you think that marching and fighting means that people just move forward and go to the local area where regular troops set up camp, then it is no different from Wang Zhen.
Wang Zhenke had the feat of "wiping out" two hundred thousand Ming troops in one fell swoop, plus more than fifty ministers of one emperor.
The 20,000 troops refer to 20,000 regular troops, including 5,000 cavalry, 15,000 infantry, and 10,000 auxiliary troops.
Auxiliary soldiers do not participate in wars unless absolutely necessary. In normal times, they are mainly responsible for transporting goods, setting up camps, setting up defensive horses and other equipment, building equipment during siege, and cleaning up the battlefield after the war.
To put it bluntly, they assist the regular army in fighting.
Now they are following in the middle of the team, driving carts and pulling goods, with infantry on both sides to protect them, and the cavalry in front taking the lead in protection. At the same time, there are scouts who are constantly wandering dozens of miles away to observe the enemy's situation and routes. If there is an enemy coming to attack,
Being able to react immediately is called marching and fighting.
Of course, this is usually a configuration that is only used when fighting abroad. Generally, when marching domestically, there are not so many rules.
After all, they were still far from the border, and there was no news of any border city being breached. It was impossible for the enemy to attack them deep into the hinterland.
This is also the reason why the twenty commanders were slack.
But Zhao Long didn't think so. He believed that the enemy might appear at any time, so he sent scouts out to patrol the area every day.
This is the case every day these days.
The Forbidden Army is stationed in the capital all year round, and even the scouts have never experienced these hardships, so the soldiers complained one after another, and the scouts suffered unspeakably.
Moreover, Zhao Long also ordered the troops to march eighty miles every day. This was what caused the soldiers to complain the most.
The imperial army was not bad at all. They marched more than sixty miles a day, which was a little more than the prescribed sixty miles a day.
At this speed, the three thousand miles from Luodu to Yumen Pass can be covered in exactly one and a half months.
But Zhao Long asked them to march eighty miles a day, which was a bit unbearable. First of all, there were too many deserts here. They stepped on the sand and walked forward. It was not easy to walk. They also had to pay attention to the quicksand. In addition, the weather was really bad.
It was too hot and drinking water was difficult, so the speed should have been slowed down.
Many commanders went to Zhao Long to express their opinions, saying that it was impossible to do eighty miles a day, but Zhao Long did not relent at all.
So now I still walk more than sixty miles a day.
Doesn't he know that he can't do eighty miles a day? He knows better than anyone else, but he must ask for it, otherwise he won't even be able to do more than sixty miles a day. Once a person is tired, it will be difficult to get up quickly.
The troops marched more than sixty miles every day, and Zhao Long was not punished. After all, eighty miles was really impossible.
But when the scouts are out, this is not loose at all and must be inspected.
Half a month has passed.
On this day, the army broke out of the camp and set off. Everyone's face was filled with smiles because they knew they were almost at their destination.
Zhao Long was riding a horse and walking in the front. Behind him was the cavalry army. Behind him, there were infantry on both sides. In the middle were the baggage trains and the big shots, protected in the middle.
However, the big shots this time do not seem to need their protection. Master Chai and Princess Nian'an are both strong men. The sixth prince is also a fifth-level martial artist. The eldest prince's strength is unknown and he should not be too strong.
Therefore, these four people were not protected in the middle. Instead, they took the lead and walked at the front with Zhao Long. Only Eunuch Huang was in the middle of the army.
This was not unusual at all. There were no commanders or big shots in the vanguard, but they didn't mind.
Zhao Long held the map and compared it with the terrain and distance as he walked.
At this time, a commander came over on horseback.
This person was the first person to disobey his commander. After getting along for a period of time, they became familiar with each other. Zhao Long knew that the other person's name was Qin Fang.
Qin Fang rode over, looked at the sun in the sky, and said,
"The weather is too hot. Commander Zhao, please withdraw all the scouts. We can reach Yumen Pass tonight. We are so close to Yumen Pass and there will be no enemies. Let them rest."
Zhao Long immediately shook his head and said,
"No, the inspection cannot stop for a moment. It cannot stop as long as we have not entered the customs."
Looking at the stubborn Zhao Long, Qin Fang gritted his teeth angrily. He couldn't figure out what on earth Zhao Long was afraid of in his own country.
With such a shrinking head and tail, how can there be any trace of the spirit of a handsome man?
But Zhao Long is the commander-in-chief, and Qin Fang can't do anything even if he feels aggrieved in every way.
He secretly thought that when he came to Yumen Pass and saw the Zhenbei Marquis, he would report him severely and let the Zhenbei Marquis know that this commander was a coward.
Qin Fang sighed helplessly, pointed forward and said,
"There are two mountains in front, and there is a corridor in the middle. If you walk from here, you can get some shade and the road is easier. After passing those two mountains, walk another fifty miles and you will reach the Yumen Pass."
After hearing what he said, Wang Fugui and the eldest prince nodded. Qin Fang was indeed right. He was almost killing people along the way.
However, Zhao Long retorted,
"No, the middle of the canyon is easy to attack and difficult to defend. Once the enemy invades, it will be difficult for us to deploy. We will only be dispersed by a wave of monsters.
On the contrary, on the mountain, we can defend from a high position. If there is danger to defend, we go up the mountain."
Hearing this, Qin Fang's anger boiled up. He didn't care that there were important people like princes and princesses beside him. He pointed at Zhao Long and rebuked angrily,
"Zhao Long, the soldiers have tolerated you for a long time. It's okay if you don't let the scouts rest. Now you have a smooth road in front of you. If you don't go, you have to go over the mountains and ridges and torment the soldiers. It will be uncomfortable if you don't torment them to death."
?
Open your mouth and shut up the enemy army, where did the enemy army come from?! Where did the enemy army come from in Dachuan?!"
Zhao Long remained silent and had no intention of changing his mind.
This scene made Wang Fugui frown and wonder whether Zhao Long was right.
However, at this moment, a horse riding Juechen came from the north, shouting as it galloped,
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
Hearing the shouts, the army immediately became commotion. It was their first time encountering a war and they didn't know what to do for a while.
Qin Fang, Wang Fugui, the eldest prince and others looked at Zhao Long in stunned silence, now they were convinced.
There is really an enemy attack!
The scout galloped to Zhao Long, reined in his horse, and said loudly,
"Commander, the demon clan army from the north is attacking. It is less than twenty miles away from us. The enemy army is mainly composed of desert wolves and monkey clan. It is so vast that you can't see the edge at a glance. I am afraid there are tens of thousands. Please make a decision, commander-in-chief.
!”
The scout's words made the army's hearts rise to their throats.