There was a mess of people in the camp, but most of them looked excited and novel. There were rows of bullock carts parked outside the low brick wall, with piles of clothes, boots, belts, helmets and other supplies placed on them.
, many people gathered around to get things. People didn’t seem to understand that there was a queue, so they huddled together. What was even more unbearable was that there were a group of naked people washing their bodies with wooden buckets over there, in broad daylight.
There is no taboo against bathing in public in the open air.
In the crowd, a boy was heard saying in dialect: "I have never worn such bright clothes in my whole life. If I pass this outfit back home, I can be the groom's official!" There was a burst of booing from the surrounding fellow villagers.
There is really no cutting corners in the Suzaku Army uniforms. The indigo lining is soft and comfortable cotton; the top is strong and smooth, but the gray color is not the natural mottled texture of homespun cloth. It is evenly dyed and it can be seen that it is made of honest materials. The design is
There are four iron buttons. Because they are new clothes, the buttons are brand new and shiny. The collar is a traditional cross-collar pattern, but in Zhang Ning's opinion, it looks a bit like a Western-style small suit collar. The trousers are wider and the same color as the top, and the trousers are made of
Wrap your socks (socks in the Ming Dynasty were mostly wrapped with cloth) and put on your soap boots. You will still look very energetic in your outfit.
At least it's a thousand times better than the tattered beggar clothes that the newbies change into.
The aroma of stewed meat still lingered in the air, and all this inevitably made a group of young people who had just arrived from various places excited, as if they were in heaven. With a population of several million in Huguang and more than a dozen newly occupied prefectures in Jiangxi, a total of
With tens of thousands of soldiers, of course the materials are richer than those of the civilian population.
At this moment, Captain Li Zhen’s joke made President Wu Qian take it seriously. Perhaps President Wu Qian wanted to show off in front of Zhang Ning, so he immediately went to get a whip to whip him. Zhang Ning shouted: "Stop!"
People around them gradually discovered the signs. When people saw this group of fully armed and well-trained men and a man surrounded by military generals, someone suddenly shouted: "The official is coming!"
The area gradually stopped, and people stood on the ground and looked this way. Many people did not dare to speak.
Zhang Ning, followed by his generals, walked for a while through the crowd. President Wu Qian shouted loudly: "This is King Xiang, the third prince of Emperor Jianwen of the Ming Dynasty. Everyone is listening to the prince's lecture!"
The soldiers finally became quiet and looked over one after another. Suddenly several people fell to their knees on the ground, and people around them also knelt on the ground. This scene made the generals look at each other, but it was no wonder that the newcomers, in urban and rural counties, the common people also had to kneel when the prince came.
.
At this moment, Zhang Ning also thought in his mind that no matter what he preached or did, it was actually useless. Organizational training and rules require military commanders at all levels to take time to be effective, and it cannot be done just by talking. Then the superior will come to visit
What's the purpose? Zhang Ning felt that apart from using his eyes to see the actual situation, it was just a show.
He was nearby and personally helped up a young man who looked to be only a teenager, and said loudly: "Get up, the Suzaku Army doesn't want to kneel down." President Wu Qian and others also helped and shouted: "Get up, stop kneeling!"
Zhang Ning asked the young man in front of him gently: "Are your parents alive? How many brothers and sisters are there at home?"
The young man buried his head for a long time and couldn't come up with a fart. Li Zhen shouted: "Ask you a question!" The young man was startled and knelt on the ground again.
Zhang Ning had no choice but to turn around and choose another one who looked older and asked the question again. This soldier's skin was yellow and black, and he looked to be in his thirties, but he didn't know how old he was. He had to be bolder, although
He had a heavy accent, but his words were relatively clear: "Both parents are here, four brothers and one sister, and Goose is the eldest."
"Why join the army? Does the government enforce Latin?" Zhang Ning asked again. He spoke standard Ming Dynasty Mandarin, which was common at this time.
The soldier man said: "The government did not force the army to recruit soldiers, and Goose came here voluntarily. People from the county said that being a soldier does not require food and money, but pay, and Goose just wants to eat for a living and save food for the family. It would be better if there is salary."
"
Zhang Ning asked again: "Have any of your brothers gotten married?"
The man said: "None of them. My younger sister exchanged wives with a family from a neighboring village. My second brother is married. Goose and other brothers can't do anything."
Zhang Ning said coldly: "A teacher of justice, when you join the army and fight, you will always bleed for others... When you die in battle, you will receive a pension. The money sent to your home will allow several brothers to marry wives and buy a piece of land."
After hearing this, everyone fell silent immediately, and the whip in Mr. Wu Qian's hand lowered even lower.
The expressions on the faces of Li Zhen and others became more respectful. These veterans had heard Zhang Ning speak great truths on big occasions, but now, unexpectedly, he had convinced these new recruits who didn't know the word "Dou" in just a few words.
At this moment, a voice in the silence said: "Common people are brave and dare to ask the prince, the law says that soldiers who can read after serving in the service can be employed as government officials, and civil servants can also be examined as officials. Is this true?"
Zhang Ning followed the voice and saw a young man with good facial features and a tall and upright figure. He could tell at a glance that this man was not a working commoner. Someone who had suffered for a long time did not have the complexion and complexion like him. Zhang Ning said: "The law is used
Passing the emperor's seal and the cabinet's seal is certainly not a child's play... Do you want to be an official?"
The young man cupped his fists and said, "For many years, the common people have failed in the imperial examination, and the scholar has also failed to pass. I am really unwilling to do it at home and have no other options, so I have no choice but to join the army."
Zhang Ning smiled and said: "If you are still alive in three years and have not broken the law, come to me if you haven't replaced the officials."
…
At this time, in the Nanjing Nancheng camp, the British Duke Zhang Fu was also patrolling the army. He was sitting on a chair, surrounded by soldiers standing solemnly, and the sound of whips and screams echoed in the air.
On a wooden stake not far away, several strong men were tied up and naked, and the whips were whipped hard on the flesh, leaving a bloody mark everywhere. The strong men screamed for mercy without caring about their backbone.
Zhang Fu looked back at the troops, and the voice of a man in his fifties was still loud and full of energy: "There is no military law, let the troops rob, and each person will have fifty lashes, until the actual number is reached!"
A man shouted loudly: "My Lord, please forgive me. If it weren't for my family's debt, I would not dare to disobey orders and plunder even in my humble position..."
At this time, a group of generals came to plead for mercy, and some complained that the income was too little and they were poor. Zhang Fu could not respond to everyone's comments, because he did not have the final say on matters such as military expenditures, but he still
He was selfless and selfless in running the army with strict discipline, and did not give orders to stop whipping.
There was an armored general kneeling on the ground below. He took advantage of the situation and kowtowed: "The general realizes his mistake. Please give me a chance to make amends for my past mistakes!"
When Zhang Fu heard this, he was immediately furious. He slapped the armrest of the chair and shouted: "It is understandable that the soldiers looted. I did not punish him with death. Now I covet property and indulge my subordinates and extract money from them. I am an unforgivable crime and I will die without guilt! Come here,
Behead it!"
"British Lord, spare your life! For the sake of following you through life and death... spare your life!"
Zhang Fu stood up, waved his hand and turned around to leave.
In addition to the generals above the rank of chief military officer, there was also Lu Qianshi from Jinyiweinan Town Fusi. Lu Qianshi came forward to greet him and said: "The emperor once said that the British prince is a weapon of the country and an important minister of the country. Today I am watching.
It truly lives up to its reputation.”
Zhang Fu said calmly: "Few of the soldiers coming from Xuanda are from Nanzhili. They don't know that foreign soldiers are like bandits. If we are not strict with people and run the army, chaos will inevitably occur."
Lu Qianshi stopped smiling and said: "I sent people to investigate as much as possible and understood some things, but the most important thing is that I couldn't get the rebels' artillery. In all the battles, no rebels were captured.
Heavy artillery, so there was no way to capture it... Hey, in the first month of this year, the Shenji Battalion won a battle after crossing the river. The opponent was the main force of the rebels, carrying heavy artillery, but they did not capture the heavy artillery. They asked someone to inquire and said that it was betrayed.
It’s such a pity that the army was bombed.”
Lu Qianshi continued: "But we have figured out something." He squatted down and picked up two stones on the muddy ground, "This is how our general artillery and Hu Zuxin artillery were fired, and their heads fell.
A pit; and the rebel heavy artillery is like this...swish, flying sideways and jumping all the way on the ground, so it is much more powerful."
Zhang Fu asked: "Can Jinyiwei supervise the production of cannons like those of the rebels?"
"This is not possible. We won't be able to get it for at least a year and a half." Lu Qian said, "Xiaguan has stayed in Nanzhen Fusi for many years. He got the magic gun from Jiaozhi, the fire blunderbuss used by the Shenji camp, and the ones used on the ship.
I have seen all kinds of firearms. The cannon has to be fired high before it can hit the target far. Just like archery, projecting is always farther than shooting flat. The cannon needs to be fired high and it will be a pit when it falls. There is nothing you can do."
Zhang Fu frowned and said, "How did the bandit army do it?"
"The shells that come out of the barrel are very powerful and fast, and can be fired flatly and far. It is found that the barrel of the rebel heavy artillery is longer than ours. How it is made, I have to get it first to find out."
After speaking, Lu Qianshi pondered for a moment, "But it shouldn't be easy to get. The spy army has a tight control on heavy artillery, and it often weighs hundreds or even thousands of kilograms. It's not good luck if you try to craft it carefully. But there is another way.
Bring back some of the cannon-makers."
Zhang Fu said: "Then please Lu Qian to get things done as soon as possible."
"There will never be a day when the emperor does not pay attention to the chaos in Huguang. Your subordinates should do their best," Lu Qian said hurriedly.
Zhang Fu looked back at the generals on his left and right and said, "The war in the interior is nothing more than attacking and defending the city. It is the same as fighting in the battle formation. If we are defeated in the battle formation, we will be restrained everywhere. We should be familiar with the tactics of the rebel army and never stick to the rules."
All the generals said in unison: "I will obey the Duke's teachings."
Zhang Fu nodded with satisfaction and threw a stack of files on the desk: "This is the record of the various battles that I sent people to interrogate and inquire about. The battle process, what the soldiers saw and heard, the types of weapons, etc. are all written down. I copied several copies.
You go and have a look, and then we can discuss it. Are there any of you who are illiterate?"
Everyone burst into laughter, and the atmosphere finally became more relaxed. These high-ranking generals are either heroes, nobles or generals. Needless to say, their family background is not to mention. They not only practice martial arts, bow and horse, but also military arts. If they don't know the characters, it will really make people laugh. It would be a shame not to take the civil service examination.