This vast area in the north of Hebei, south of Yanshan, and east of Taihang has never been a stable place.
For hundreds of years, the river here has no fixed channel, the embankments are shapeless, the ravines are crisscrossed, and the terrain is low-lying.
When the Song Dynasty occupied this area, it used the dotted large depressions and lakes to build the Tangluo defense line. As the Song and Liao countries saw each other along the border, many water resources that relied on lakes and ponds to survive appeared on the border between the two countries. thief.
Later, when Dai Jin entered the Central Plains, most of the military villages and military forts in this area were abandoned. However, repeated inspections and platoons, land expansion, and increasing miscellaneous taxes forced the local people to live in difficulty and continue to flee. , and finally turned every swamp into a swamp where the people abandoned by the imperial court gathered.
At this time, the imperial court lost successive battles with the Mongols, and various parts of Hebei suffered from natural disasters. The people of the military prefectures were in decline, and the fields were abandoned. The control of local military commanders, military governors, and governors became increasingly loose.
As a result, private salt dealers, gangsters, green forest heroes, merchants selling stolen goods, and gambling tycoons all appeared in the continuous lakes and swamps. As a result, this alien land has formed a unique style.
Three years after arriving in Da'an, a huge number of defeated troops from Northern Xinjiang came one after another and fell into this secret but actually existing network.
On the upper reaches of the Xiangjun River and on the western edge of Wuguandian Lake, there is a small beach hidden deep in the water. There is an unnamed wild shop built of logs and with a rough structure, which is a node on the large network.
Due to two consecutive years of drought, the water in several small rivers and ditches in this reed pond is close to drying up, but the hydrological environment is still complicated, with deep and shallow depressions and swamps dotted around, and the road is very difficult to walk, and the imperial court inspections and soldiers are constantly No one would come here unless absolutely necessary.
That morning, the owner of the shop, Xu Wei, opened the door early, set up a table in the open space in front of the door, took out a few sheep heads that had been stewed all night, and carefully peeled the meat with a knife, following his movements. , the crystal clear sheep head meat is cut into translucent thin slices, and the aroma is fragrant.
Xu Jin was a native of Yingshang County, Shouzhou Prefecture. He came from a low-level official family. He had read some books, practiced some guns and sticks, and was able to shoot a two- or three-stone bow. When he was a boy, he got into trouble in his hometown and fled. He made a living from this wild shop for a long time. After more than ten years, I didn’t save much money, but I made a lot of good friends.
The officers who suffered from the epidemic, the military academy who suffered financial losses, the scholars who lost their money, the thieves who broke their legs, the officials who were framed, the merchants who suffered from the plague, the people who escaped from missing relatives, the wealthy people who wandered the rivers and lakes, as long as they come. In this wild shop, Xu Jin either took him in to recuperate from his injuries, or helped cover up his traces, or subsidized Sichuan money, and I don't know how much he helped.
Last autumn, he also responded to a group of defeated troops from northern Xinjiang and helped them find an abandoned camp downstream of the Xiangjun River to settle down. For him, it was just a trivial matter, and he would forget about it after it was done.
Xu Jin had no idea that the young leader of the defeated army was Guo Liulang, who had repeatedly blocked the enemy's rear and resisted the enemy during the army's retreat.
He didn't expect that Guo Ning would suddenly turn over after being silent for a long time. Not only did he force back the Tiewagang warriors entrenched in Zhuozhou, but he also became the common leader of 31 rout camps in the five states. !
The thirty-one broken camps were fully mobilized, which could provide Guo Ning with 2,400 experienced soldiers. Once these forces are gathered together, they will also be the best among the local forces in the military prefectures of Hebei. !
What kind of appeal and what kind of prestige is this!
Xu Jin had heard of the name Guo Liulang of Wusha Castle. But didn't Guo Ning only have one regular soldier in Wusha Castle back then? Could it be that the leaders of the defeated troops disliked the old days when they were too happy?
So you have to find a regular soldier to be your boss?
Xu Jin has never been in the army, nor has he participated in the fighting of thousands of troops, so it is really difficult for him to understand, and he cannot imagine how much hardship Guo Ning went through in the great retreat the year before last, to win this kind of response.
reputation.
Xu Jin frowned and thought for a long time. Suddenly he felt a figure flashing in front of him, and he realized that his hand movements had stopped for a while. He quickly concentrated on speeding up. A group of pot-bellied men would arrive at any time, so there was no need to delay.
The man in front of him suddenly ascended to a high position, and it was the time to win people's hearts. He was willing to let his subordinates eat better, so he gave Xu Jin a chance to make a small fortune... he had to be flattered!
The person who appeared not far in front of Xu Yan was Guo Ning.
Guo Ning was originally under a big tree, talking to the young sergeants sitting around him.
These young sergeants were sent to Guo Ning's tent by the leaders of the defeated troops from various places in response to Guo Ning's recruitment. Generally speaking, they were the sons and nephews of the leaders of the defeated troops. The elders were sixteen and the youngest were only ten.
Three years old.
There is no mediocre young man who can survive in troubled times.
Among these young men, some are brave enough to fight, and even have experience in killing enemies; some are agile in mind, can read and write, and are very familiar with flags and drums; and a few of them have lived a hard life since coming to Hebei, and their daily lives are long.
After working in the fields, my hands and feet are calloused, which makes me a little confused at first impression, but at least I am diligent and reliable.
The young men were not very familiar with each other. One of them, Ni Yi, was older and had more outstanding martial arts skills. Guo Ning asked him to temporarily serve as the assistant to Pu Liyan, the leader of the fifty men.
As for Pu Liyan among the personal guards, it was Zhao Jue.
Zhao Jue is young, but a bit reserved and doesn't talk much. In the past few days, Guo Ning has been chatting more with the teenagers. Now everyone is in a relaxed mood and laughs from time to time.
While he was smiling, Guo Ning heard a dull sound coming from the depths of the swamp. He stood up and stood outside the wild store, looking south.
Zhao Jue followed closely behind him.
The teenagers quickly lined up behind them. There were more than thirty people, all of them upright and with serious expressions. They pressed the hilt of the knife at their waists with one hand and looked around without talking to each other.
Ni Yixiang took an extra step forward and looked at Guo Ning.
Seeing Guo Ning nod, he took out two small flags, stood them on the ground on the left and right, and drew a knife to draw a long horizontal line between the two small flags.
The rumbling sound got closer and closer, gradually turning into the roar of hundreds of people stepping heavily on the mud.
The eyes of the young people couldn't help but reveal a look of expectation, and some raised their heads high in advance to show that they were sure of victory.
The next moment, the two centurions were almost side by side, rushing out of the reed swamps with eyes wide open. After just a moment's glance, they ran towards the flag gate. It was obvious that they had traveled hard to get here.
I didn’t know how many times I rolled in the mud along the way, and many people were covered in mud from head to toe.
One of the centurions was unable to continue. After running wildly for a while, the queue became longer and longer. In the end, only a dozen people arrived at the same time as the previous centurion. In contrast, all members of the previous centurion were present, and their spirits were obviously higher.
, and even reorganized the queue while rushing to the flag gate.
Guo Ning noticed that in addition to straw sandals, this group of soldiers also wrapped reed leaves around their feet and tied them tightly, making them look like boots from the ankles to the calves. In this way, the soldiers' soles and ankles could be protected from injuries.
, and also protects the calf from being cut by broken withered grass and reed leaves.
This is a common trick, which is very beneficial for long-distance marches. However, if you do this in a twenty-mile march, the soldiers have to stop every step of the way, risking being overtaken by competitors or being overtaken by competitors.
Throw away the risk and go for it with these reed boots.
A general who is not deeply trusted by his soldiers would never be able to do this.
The leader of this hundred-man team will be Han Xuan. He was one of the first leaders to come to Xiangjunhe camp and participate in the decision to go to Shandong. He has been very effective these days, and Guo Ning has noticed it.
Seeing Guo Ning walking towards him, Han Xuan bowed and saluted, and proudly puffed out his chest.
He opened his mouth to say a few words, but found that his voice was completely hoarse as he shouted and encouraged him along the way.
Within the scope of the Thirty-One Camp in Five States, some leaders were only willing to obey Guo Ning, but wanted to continue to maintain their independent attitude. Others came with their subordinates to defect, allowing the number of troops that Guo Ning could directly command to increase again.
So Guo Ning decided to organize it into seven capitals and appointed seven generals to command them respectively. The first, second and third capitals were naturally Luo Monk, Li Ting and Wang Shixian. For the other four capitals, Guo Ning appointed temporary generals.
However, it was also announced that the order of each capital and even the position of the generals would be finally determined through competition with each other.
After this scene, Han Xuan has truly deserved his title.
Guo Ning punched his chest hard, took a military flag from Ni Yi's hand, and handed it to him solemnly: "General Han, I'm begging you."
Generally speaking, Anmouke, the fierce warriors of the Jin Army, used five-color flags with yellow circles, while the local defense armies mainly used khaki and red flags. After arriving in Hebei, the defeated troops were generally embarrassed and had no intention of making new ones.
Military flags, but many flags used in the early years still survive.
Guo Ning used the remaining red flags and transformed them into military flags for each of his subordinates' capitals. The flags were small, triangular, and had simple words on them: "Fourth Capital".
Han Xuan held the military flag and couldn't help laughing. Although the soldiers behind him were tired, they also cheered.
Seeing this, the other guy next to him would sigh and beat the ground repeatedly.
This general's name was Qiu Huiluo, and he and Guo Ning were both from the Changzhou Army. However, Guo Ning was from the Yongtun Army, while he was from the A Army in the sub-division of the Garrison Army. He was signed from Shandong two years ago.
This man was tall and had extraordinary martial arts skills. Guo Ning once asked him for advice on how to use Iron Bone Flower.
Qiu Huiluo was very excited. It was not easy to compete all the way to this point after traveling twenty miles. It was a pity that he fell short in the end. Guo Ning comforted him with kind words, awarded him the military flag of "Fifth Capital", and raised his voice to encourage him.
Let the soldiers of the two capitals make some repairs and prepare for a feast.
Later, Xu Chen hurriedly shouted to the waiter and brought out the prepared fat lamb, scones, dry fried noodles, millet porridge and other items at a low price. His country shop looked rundown, but in fact his family had a very rich family, and there were many good things hidden there.
few.
In this world, the vast majority of ordinary soldiers may one day fill in the ravines and prepare the blades of their swords. Their ideas are much simpler than those of the leaders, so no matter how you talk about a way to survive with them, your future will not be realistic. Yes.
For them, having a full meal is the best thing; and the only thing more attractive than a full meal is a full meal with meaty taste.
The soldiers from both capitals set out in the early morning and were already hungry. After seeing the delicious food, everyone smiled happily and devoured it. Han Xuan's subordinates each got an extra lamb bone and a bowl of lamb soup, and they were even more proud.
There were several elders who were the elders of the young man around Guo Ning. They came over happily and let the young man eat the sheep bones.
The young men holding the sheep bones all felt their faces light up.
Just when I was filled with joy, the rumble of footsteps came from the reed marsh again.
Many soldiers put down their bowls and chopsticks. They looked at each other, whispering, and there was a vague commotion.