Looking at the thick fog rolling up in the sky 10,000 meters away, Fan Ye knew that the large army was coming. He pointed at the black cloud and said: "Zhang Dutong, Mr. Li is here. The formation is huge, at least the establishment of a battalion." .{Free Novels}”
Commander-in-Chief Zhang Xuefei held a single-eyed telescope in his hand, looked at it for a while, and said slyly: "Well, it's cavalry. It's a battalion, and the infantry is also a battalion. Mr. Li regards the escort as a training exercise. The Qing Dynasty has such courage. There is only one Tanhualang, which is really amazing."
"Yes, Mr. Li is amazing." Other officers nearby agreed, praising Li Guolou's courage and pulling out an army to march and practice.
"Yes, it's money, but it's a waste." Wang Qing, the camp officer, likes to show his rebelliousness and his outstanding knowledge.
The commander-in-chief Zhang Xuefei didn't have much to do with this kind of Manchu aristocratic son. Seeing that Wang Qing didn't know how to praise him, he said: "Wang Yingguan, don't say that I didn't warn you. If something goes wrong, I won't put in a good word for you. .”
Seeing that the people around him were looking at him angrily, they moved away and did not want to be with him. This would make Xishan Jianrui Camp embarrassed and harm the interests of a large number of people. Wang Qing knew that he had offended the public and said with a playful smile: "Hey! Don't worry, Lord Supervisor, I will only say good things to you later, and will never let my brothers be implicated. I am not a member of the Black Dragon Society, and I have no enmity with Mr. Li. I will kneel down as an official and I will be fine. "
Zhang Xuefei didn't listen to Wang Qing's words. This kind of Manchu aristocratic son was a hero in his training. He had practiced martial arts, riding and archery since he was a child, so he had a certain background, and he didn't take anyone seriously. But. Just looking at that loose look, there is no sign of the spirit of an indomitable soldier. If someone like Wang Qing is allowed to carry out military orders, then there are ten thousand reasons to ask. If he doesn’t do his ideological work well, he won’t listen to his mother and I. He is a top-notch talker. , coupled with a rebellious temper. As for the tiger gall, how long can it last? Anyway, the Qing Dynasty did not use the elite soldiers of the Eight Banners to fight the war, and the tiger gall would not be broken.
To say that the people of the Qing Dynasty were smart, some things did not need to be popularized. Li Guolou used Western bugles in the Xinwu Hall to replace the bangles and gongs that had been passed down for thousands of years. Military can be used for work and rest, marching, raising flags, marching, and resting. The trumpet blows a simple and easy-to-understand rhythm. Now the Xishan Jianrui Battalion directly uses doctrine, using bugles and drums to welcome Li Guolou and his party.
Seeing the queues of teams in front of him, a hundred meters away from the Li Guo Tower, he had jumped off the Snow and Thunder Horse, with a smile on his face, and strode forward. He was very tired these days, not because he was a transport escort. He is so busy, but there are too many people who come to him to express their determination. Now he has a high position and can do one thing in one sentence without having to do everything personally. His staff include Fan Dahui, Cao Kexing, Na Bazi, school officer Battelle, Cheng Kun and other subordinates. He was also promoted, and Liu Jie, a famous and capable officer, was snatched back by him. He asked a few confidants to handle it, and he could solve any problems he encountered.
But he encountered a new problem. Many people saw that he had the privilege of mobilizing the army as an escort this time. They knew that as long as he took a favorable boat and went to the governor's camp in Lanzhou, he would be rewarded for his meritorious service, his chances of promotion would soar, and he could also give Li Guo Lou left a good impression and became his loyal minister. So when he entered his house and established friendship, he had to work hard. He was not afraid of hardship or death, let alone the attack on the convoy by the rebels.
Li Guolou looked at the burly man who was holding the horse for him. Fu Guozhong, who was dressed in Goshhar, had a weathered face and a beard. Fu Guozhong, a shotgun guard who had once had a sword-and-gun encounter with him, almost ended up with blood splattered in the court hall of the Ministry of Household Affairs. As a soldier, he participated in official battles and drew a gun in the court. Fu Guozhong was dismissed from his post by the Ministry of War and did not even get a public position. He later wandered around the capital, but Fu Guozhong was so famous that anyone who had pointed a gun at Li Guolou's head would dare to use him. ?The worse I got in the capital, the poorer I was, my family resources were exhausted, and there was no chance of a comeback in the officialdom. I even thought of begging him in turn, and I don’t know who taught him? He was not Han Xin, and he could accept the humiliation of his crotch.
Li Guolou was dressed strangely. It was not the fourth-grade official uniform of the Qing Dynasty civil servants, nor the uniform of the imperial guards. It was a gray woolen suit with epaulettes on it, buttons with copper nails, and a gold watch chain visible on the outside of the coat pocket. At one stage, there was a binoculars hanging around his neck, a wide cowhide belt tied around his waist, two revolvers on the left and right sides of the holster, and a holster for holding magazines. The trousers were breeches and long leather pedals. boots, and a windbreaker on the outside. The plush windbreaker is scarlet on the inside and black on the outside, with a shiny oily sheen. You can’t tell what kind of animal fur it is made of. It is windproof and rainproof and warm, and it looks elegant and luxurious. A windbreaker worth a thousand taels was gifted to him by the Empress Dowager Ci'an. It is said that Emperor Tongzhi only had two of them.
Li Guolou took off the sable hood on his head, untied his cloak, and handed it to Ma Dequan beside him. He stepped forward to greet Zhang Xuefei, the commander-in-chief of the capital. The two were old acquaintances and greeted each other with courtesy.
Li Guolou pretended to be unhappy and said: "Why did the supervisor come to pick up the official? Why is it so grand? It makes the official feel ashamed. The official is a guilty person."
"Hey, old friend, people always have their ups and downs, and true love is revealed in times of crisis. Mr. Li, please keep an open mind on everything. Take a step back and the world will be brighter for you." Zhang Xuefei looked up and down at Li Guolou, his eyes glowing green with jealousy. How could this look like a gentleman? The demoted official who lives a low-key life is clearly a nouveau riche. Well! This is the new general uniform, customized by Yadong Textile Factory. It is clearly arrogance. Li Guolou is not a general. The third-class imperial guards are not qualified to wear such military uniforms. .The Qing army has not yet changed its uniform. Li Guolou went out alone. Who allowed it?
"Yes, we have retreated from the Qing Dynasty now, and it's time to move forward." Li Guolou pointed to a military flag with one hand and expressed his feelings with great courage.
A luxurious carriage stopped in front of the official road. A large flag was placed on the left side of the carriage. It was about ten feet high and made of fine wood and steel. The flag was seven feet wide and made of red satin. It was bordered by gold damask and had a tassel on its head. It is extremely gorgeous with pearls. In the center of the flag is embroidered a snow-capped mountain and a golden lion with teeth and claws. It is the military flag of the Qing Dynasty, the Snow Mountain Lion Flag. Other carriages have a smaller, wider flag. The four-foot red flag is embroidered with golden plum characters, and the decorative pattern around it is a willow leaf intertwined with each other, which reminds people of the coming of spring.
When the wind and waves blow, the flags flutter and spread their wings in the wind, giving people a feeling of passion and blood boiling. There is a passion to open up territory for the Qing Dynasty, Zhang Xuefei can't help but be aroused with the pride of a soldier, and his eyes seem to flash out Under the crystal clear cold light, he nodded slightly and said: "Master Li has such an ambition. The Qing Dynasty is very lucky. I hope that the Eight Banners disciples will regain their energy and plant this glorious military flag in every corner of the motherland."
"It won't be long. The supervisor will definitely be able to see it." Li Guolou made an invitation and invited a group of officers to visit the group he had brought.
"How many people have Mr. Li brought?" Zhang Xuefei looked far into the distance, but he couldn't see the end. The official road was crowded with people and he couldn't see the team behind him.
"Three hundred infantry, two hundred engineers, two hundred cavalry, plus coachmen and Goshiha, a total of 814 people." Li Guolou was proud and proud. With this team escorting him, who would dare to fight? He decided to risk his life in exchange.
"Well, not bad, not bad. They are all young people, but their bodies are a bit thin." Zhang Xuefei assumed the posture of a second-grade military attaché, with his hands behind his back and looking at the rows of soldiers with puffed-up chests and bellies on the official road.
Those student soldiers were wearing new military uniforms, which really made people's eyes brighten. Zhang Xuefei stroked his thick beard and looked at the hundreds of soldiers on the official road with admiration. But he saw that they were wearing grass-gray cotton military uniforms. Wearing a military coat of the same color, a helmet on his head, fingerless gloves on his hands, a Mauser gun on one hand, a copper kettle and a copper lunch box on his back, a bayonet and a magazine on his belt , their feet were tied with bandages and they were wearing suede military boots. Some of the school officers also had revolvers on their waists and binoculars. The infantry were divided into two columns and stood on both sides of the road. Hundreds of cavalry had dismounted and stood in the middle of the official road. , holding the horse's reins with one hand, and looking straight ahead, there were spears, thrust spears, blankets, and many odds and ends on the war horse, and there were two horses for one person, one pack horse, and one war horse.
"You bastard, I'm still using a flintlock rifle." Wang Qing, the camp officer, couldn't hold it in anymore. Seeing so many good equipment, he wished he could be a robber. He had reason to feel angry and complained on behalf of his brothers. Although the Xishan Jianrui Battalion is not the royal guard on duty at the palace, it is also the national defense force that guards the capital. It belongs to the direct line of the emperor. When he saw those thin recruits carrying Mauser guns, he was not the only one who was dissatisfied, but the entire Xishan Jianrui Battalion was dissatisfied. The battalion felt ashamed and was complaining about the whole army.
Li Guolou just pretended not to hear. Of course, new equipment will be provided to the troops fighting at the front first. The troops staying in the suburbs of Gyeonggi Province will need to replace their equipment. If it is the turn of the Eight Banners soldiers, they will have to wait until Li Hongzhang no longer serves as the governor-general of Zhili.
Ma Dequan handed Li Guolou a wooden box. Li Guolou handed it to Zhang Xuefei and said with a sweet smile: "Master Supervisor, this is a gift from my subordinate. Please open it and take a look. You must like it."
"Oh! Really?" Zhang Xuefei knew that this was a courtesy exchange in the officialdom, it would not be very valuable, it was just a show of friendship. You must understand that Li Guolou has too many resources, and if you don't ask for a bribe from him, it means that he is an upright official. And he wants to Li Guolou helped, but he could only play the emotional card. Power-for-money transactions would not work here. Li Guolou had more money than him, and his power extended to the palace.
Most of the Manchu officers in the Gyeonggi area worshiped the Minister of Military Aircraft Wen Xiang. You must know that the Minister of Military Aircraft Wen Xiang is older, in poor health, and will be buried in a coffin in a short period of time. Mesozoic officers like him should join another Ming emperor. .Now there are only a few people, Zuo Zongtang and Li Hongzhang, the two military ministers, who are the stepmothers, let’s not mention their names. There are also Prince Gong Yixin, Jing Lian, Li Hongzao, Weng Tonghe, and Prince Gong Yi. In order to avoid suspicion, Xin did not accept any disciples in the army. The commander-in-chief of Xinjiang, Jing Lian, was a popular candidate for military minister. He was still stationed in Xinjiang. Even if he returned to Beijing, he would only be a defender, and most of Xinjiang would be lost. This commander's commanding ability can make Many soldiers admire him, but he doesn't want to take refuge with Jing Lian.
There are also Li Hongzao and Weng Tonghe who are new to the military aircraft department. These two nerds who have never commanded a battle will be able to lead the army. If they become the principal of a military academy, they can command battles. If they train troops and horses in the Gyeonggi area, they will know how to march. Fighting? No Mesozoic officer was convinced. Li Hongzhang, a Jinshi who was capable of both literary and martial arts, was admired by the soldiers of the Eight Banners due to his achievements.
Now Xinke Tanhua Li Guolou has the spirit of a general. Although he directed several small-scale bandit suppression battles, he always made the final decision. The raids were fought brilliantly and not a single rebel bandit or rebel group escaped. Why did Li Guolou Bringing so many troops to Western Xinjiang is just to fight a battle. If they don't win a battle, "Li Ziying" will not return to Beijing. With Li Guolou's excellent strategizing ability and ability to adapt to the situation, he believed that Li Guolou Guo Lou will definitely enter the Military Aircraft Department. Last time Emperor Tongzhi asked Li Guolou to inspect the military camps in the Gyeonggi area in the name of the Imperial Envoy, and let him interact with the military officers, in order to plan for the future control of the military, and also to lay the groundwork for entering the Military Aircraft Department.
Zhang Xuefei has a strong analytical ability. He has a high official position and has several staff to advise him. This can still be seen. When he opened the wooden box, there was a revolver with a silver handle inside, shining in the sun. The silver light looked like a high-end product customized by foreigners. Zhang Xuefei took it in his hand and weighed it. It felt great in his hand.
"Hehehehe! Thank you Mr. Li. I think of you, brother, what do the curves above mean?" Zhang Xuefei touched every small carving on the handle of the gun, then raised his arm and aimed at the sparrows on the big tree.
"My Lord Protector, that is German, which means Browning revolver. I only have this one, so I will give it to the Lord Protector with both hands as a souvenir." Li Guolou thought about it after he got this pistol. The Prussian Minister Knippin gave him a latest revolver. He couldn't hide it. After playing with it for a few days, he got used to it. It was better to give it away early so as not to worry about it.
"Silver gun is not a good fortune. Mr. Li should give it to me. I won't thank you very much." Zhang Xuefei couldn't hold it back and thought of the allusion "The wax head of a silver gun is good but not useful!" He smiled casually. As he walked, he unfastened his belt and hung the holster of the Browning revolver on the belt. Good thing, he didn't leave it overnight and directly inserted the Browning revolver in his waist.
Li Guolou touched his nose, lowered his head and showed an imperceptible smile. He heard someone snorting and suppressing laughter around him. Why didn't he think of going up here? What did the officialdom say about him? Prince Gong and Ronglu had learned from the past. There is no airtight wall underneath. Ouch!