Chapter 441 Restoration of the Northern Army
Master Li lay weakly in her husband's arms, closing her eyes in contentment. Suddenly she remembered what happened that night, and she asked, "Do you know what happened at the entrance of Yuxiang Tower earlier?"
"Well, I was at the door at that time, and I heard those officers and soldiers shouting that they were Liangshan bandits."
Wang Yan played with the big baby and couldn't help but smile when he remembered what happened before. He watched Li Kui and others break through the blocking officers and soldiers and leave. Of course, not many soldiers were directly hacked to death. They just lost their combat effectiveness and may have died due to poor treatment. The people in Liangshan still acted with discretion. Those who died directly were all killed by Li Kui.
However, no matter how sensible the people of Liangshan are, it is an unforgivable sin to cause a riot during the Lantern Festival in Bianjing City. Why didn't Song Jiang look at the Yuxiang Tower sign and didn't want to leave? It's because this time it ruined Zhao Ji's good interest in having fun with the people. If he tries to recruit people again, I don't know when. This kid will be sad.
Although he knew the whole story, he still cooperated with the beauty in his arms and continued to ask: "What are they doing in Yuxiang Tower? I heard one of those people holding an ax yelling, saying that Song Jiang was looking for flowers and willows here?"
Master Li gave a sweet smile: "No official in Song Jiang is so bold. He heard about my relationship with Jin Shang and wanted me to tell Jin Shang his sincere feelings in order to recruit him. But they made such a big fuss. I'm afraid it will be difficult to recruit Anjing. Officer, what do you think I will do when you ask me about it later?"
"Just tell the truth, nothing will happen."
"Well, officer, Shuibo Liangshan is also in Shandong. I heard it's not far from your Yanggu County. They occupy the mountain and are king. They often oppose you, right?"
"Go against me? Where do they have the guts? In the past few years, they have always kept their peace. They just robbed some wealthy households in the surrounding areas, did business in the past, and occasionally intercepted some water transportation. Before coming to Beijing, Song Jiang had The purpose of asking for an audience in Yanggu was to attract peace. With so many people staring at me, I asked the housekeeper to send me away because I was looking for trouble. I never thought that I would end up asking for trouble on your head."
"Forget it, let's not talk about those irrelevant things." Master Li raised his head, his almond-shaped eyes full of spring, and at the same time reached down and said: "Come again, officer..."
Come again, come again, Master Li's eyes were blurred with drunkenness, and he groaned with satisfaction...
In the afternoon of the next day, the high-ranking officials who had been squinting all morning went into the palace to see Zhao Ji. After all, such a big thing happened yesterday, and he, his son-in-law and loyal minister, had to go to express his condolences both emotionally and rationally.
"Seeing that the official family is fine, I feel relieved."
Zhao Ji shook his head and pointed back at the map on the wall that marked the four major domestic bandits that had been torn off and belonged to the 'Liangshan Songjiang'. He said angrily: "Look, they all ran to my Rui." Si Dian Lai is really extremely arrogant. The guards in the palace and the imperial guards in the city are all useless. They raise so much money every year, but they let thieves get in. "
Wang Yan looked at the empty piece. He knew that it was originally torn off by Shi Qian, but Shi Qian had already been buried by him. Grass had grown and bloomed on the grave. He thought it was someone else. But it doesn't matter who it is, the purpose of tearing off that piece is simple, just to scare Zhao Ji. After all, if you can enter the palace, you can get the dog head. He just lowered his head and cupped his hands, listening to Zhao Ji curse without saying a word.
After a long while, Zhao Ji vented again and waved his hand: "Get up, I'm not blaming you. Why are you acting like this? It's them who have disappointed me. Yanggu County is not far from Shuibo Liangshan. On weekdays, Is there any business that bothers you?"
Wang Yan stood up straight, shook his head and smiled: "Guan Jia, how can those people in Liangshan have the courage? They have been living in peace all these years. If they had really robbed the goods, I would have already written to the officials to suppress the bandits. In fact, before I came to Beijing, Song Jiang The others went to Yanggu County. They knew that I was a member of the Holy Family, and they wanted me to send a message of peace. However, they were attacked and killed because of the truth. They didn't see them, so they dismissed them at will. It’s so rampant.”
Yanggu County has almost become a branch of the Imperial City Department, which has caused a lot of trouble for him. The fact that Song Jiang and others went there this time could not be hidden, and it was not a big deal anyway. It was not a big deal if he took the initiative to mention it.
Sure enough, there was no surprise on Zhao Ji's face: "I have sent someone to Yuxiang Tower to ask. Song Jiang heard about me and Master Li somewhere, and he also wanted her to convey the message of recruitment. This morning, There was also a quarrel in the court. Some people said that they would mobilize troops to suppress the bandits, while others said that they would mobilize troops to deal with the other three thieves. What do you think? "
"If we deploy troops to attack, a lot of food and supplies will be wasted along the way. If we recruit people for peace, it will be difficult to get rid of the banditry of the people in Liangshan, and I'm afraid it won't go well. The official's sacred heart is dictatorial, and I think I have a conspiracy, so I won't say anything. ”
"You are always so naughty." Zhao Ji shook his head and smiled, then said: "The matter of cavalry soldiers has been sent to all places. Those who are good at bows and horses will be transferred to the imperial army and Xiang army. In addition, local soldiers from various places can also apply. , will be gathering in Beijing before the end of March. You can contact the Ministry of Works on the matter of the military barracks. I will leave the site selection, construction and other matters to you as soon as possible. "
No longer disturbing Zhao Ji, who was in a unhappy mood, Wang Yan took the order and left.
The cost of maintaining a 50,000-man cavalry unit is huge. Just a simple calculation shows that the salary of the lower-level cavalry is one full guan per month, and the salary of the officers is increased accordingly. The annual salary alone is 700,000 guan. In addition to the maintenance of horses, training and food, and most importantly, the armaments of 50,000 troops, these are not cheap, and the total cost is at least 2 million guan. Not to mention, he is also planning to get 5,000 heavy cavalry. For the light cavalry mainly guerrillas in the north, heavy cavalry is definitely a battlefield harvester, and the money spent is astronomical.
Because of the spoils of the war with Xixia, at present, the Song Dynasty can still afford it with an annual income of more than 100 million guan, but it is hard to say if the emperor and ministers of the Song Dynasty toss for another two years. After all, the finances of the Song Dynasty have been very unhealthy in recent years, with deficits every year. If they toss so much, the good days will not last long.
From a normal development perspective, the rebellion and uprising of Song Jiang, Fang La and others are just the beginning, which only shows that the current government has forced some people to fail. Those who didn't make a sound were countless people who gritted their teeth and tried to survive. They were the main force.
Even if they were wiped out, even if there was no Jingkang, after a few years, the honest people would not be able to stay, and there would be war everywhere. After all, Zhao Ji lived a long life and could still toss for decades. The contradictions had reached an irreconcilable point, which was basically not much different from the situation at the end of the Ming Dynasty. Zhao Ji, a coward who lived in shame, would not have a good end. He would be cut into pieces by lingchi.
Of course, those things were impossible to happen, after all, he was there. It's just that the power is still far behind now, and it can't overthrow the regime in one day. It has to hide for a few more years to accumulate strength.
The main reason is that he doesn't want to destroy the current situation of the Song Dynasty. After all, although the emperor and ministers of the Song Dynasty are not very good, and the people have suffered a lot, there are still many alive. If he directly rebels, the damage to the current situation will be extremely huge.
Because even if he can protect the lives of the people in his own territory, he can't protect other places. In addition, he raised an army to fight against the Song Dynasty, which gave other ambitious people an opportunity to gather people to cause chaos in various places. Too many people would die, which was definitely not what he wanted. That's why he became a loyal minister to Zhao Ji.
The construction of military barracks was funded by the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Works provided people and plans, and finally the Jingjixiang soldiers did the work. Of course, there was no problem with money. First, the court had made it clear that the proposal to establish a cavalry unit had been passed, and it was Zhao Ji who was in charge of it, for him to expand the territory and become the emperor of the ages. Second, he was not a free gift. In some previous cooperation, anyone who blocked his money and wanted to make money from him was removed.
The Song Dynasty shared the world with the literati and officials, and it was not wrong to punish the officials. But demotion was not considered a punishment. He had just worked in Hebei for half a year, and was sent to Qiongzhou. If it didn't work, he would be transferred to Gansu. If it still didn't work, he would be transferred south to Guangxi. Considering the medical and health conditions, land transportation conditions, and the physical fitness of Confucian scholars in this era, this is killing people. Especially the high-ranking officials in the court are mostly in their forties or fifties. Basically, they are transferred two or three times to the east, west, south, and north, and they are almost dead.
So although he, Mr. Wang, did not follow the court officials, he relied on Zhao Ji's confidants and also got some people to travel across the country, appreciate different customs, and appreciate the endless mountains and rivers.
After riding for two days, the garrison address was finally chosen in an open area fifty miles west of Bianjing. This distance is not far or near, and the order can be sent back and forth several times a day, and the cavalry training does not disturb the people, which is not bad.
He made a rough plan, and together with the people from the Ministry of Works who came to draw the map, it took three days to design the barracks, and then began to prepare materials, and wait for the thaw next month to start construction.
The speed of building the barracks is actually very fast. The building materials are red bricks and cement. He can directly mobilize his own brick-making farm near the capital to supply them. At this time, the trees for the beams are also easy to find. Just go into the nearby mountains and cut them. Although there are five or six thousand houses for people and horses to live in, as well as other functional places. But the labor force that the Song Dynasty can mobilize is there. As long as the materials are sufficient, it will be completed in less than two months, which is very fast.
After explaining these things, he said hello to Zhao Ji and left Beijing directly to Yanggu. This time he was away for a long time, and his family was worried about him.
When he returned home, of course he couldn't help but comfort Jinlian and Sanniang. After all, he was about to become a son-in-law. He gave these two women who were used to being free a head of the family, and a princess. They had to serve her carefully, how could they be happy.
He repeatedly assured them, and only then could he barely coax these two women. Of course, it was useless. They had to wait until Zhao Yupan entered the house, and the three of them could get along slowly. No matter how much he said, it was useless.
When he returned home, he was not idle. Now he had to marry a princess, and the house was a little insufficient. The main thing was that it was not good for a princess to be put in the wing room. Another thing is that since the princesses don't live in the side rooms anymore, and he has always been a good match, Jinlian and Sanniang will naturally have to move to another place.
So after some research, he decided to expand the garden in the backyard, free up space to build a row of houses facing south, and make a yard to give each of the three women a room. He still lives in the original house, and whoever comes at night will come over.
After the research is clear, the rest is not his business. Naturally, someone will prepare the wood and organize the manpower. As long as the thaw is done, they will start the work directly, and it will be finished in a short time. It is almost the same progress as the cavalry barracks. After all, he still wants to be more luxurious and exquisite here. Although the quantity is small, the work is delicate.
In a blink of an eye, it was April. The cavalry candidates had already gathered in Beijing and the roll call was completed. Zhao Ji granted the military title of Fubei, entrusting him with the beautiful vision of recovering the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, destroying Liao, destroying Jin, and annexing Lu Zhishen, and becoming an emperor of the ages through this achievement.
At this time, the military camp was still a large construction site. Although it had been built for the most part, it was not completed after all. Such a construction site could not carry out training, so the 50,000 people assembled were all working as laborers.
Of course, not all of the 50,000 people who came this time would stay. Instead, they had to go through strict screening and continuous elimination, which not only ensured internal competition, but also opened an upward channel for soldiers from other armies. Those who were eliminated but met a certain standard would be retained in the reserve.
The enemy was in the north, not in the south. In this era, the strongest force was undoubtedly the highly mobile cavalry.
Therefore, this unit must not rot in the hands of those traitors, and must maintain its peak combat effectiveness in the hands of anti-thieves like Wang Daguanren. Therefore, a good mechanism must be established at the beginning.
"General, the files of these 50,000 people are in this room. Do you really want to look through them one by one?"
Outside a large house that had already been built, a clerk pointed at the pile of documents inside and looked at the general beside him in disbelief.
Wang Yan put his hands behind his back, just glanced at the situation inside casually, and then went in and sat down at a table: "Go, get it for me."
The clerk didn't say anything, just wanted to take a look. He turned around and put a pile of information about senior military generals on the table, and also told the general the order and not to mess it up.
Of course, the files of so many people can't be piled together in a mess. Although they are not easily used, if they are used, how to find them in so many files? So they are arranged according to the level of official titles, and the big soldiers are arranged according to the wing they belong to, which is convenient for inquiry.
Ignoring the clerk who tried his best to hide his eyes and looked at him as a fool, the official silently flipped through the files in front of him. It records basic information about his place of origin, as well as the wars he has experienced since joining the army, the military merits he has obtained, and the experience of promotion, which is quite detailed.
This cavalry unit is composed of skilled archers and horsemen drawn from all the armies of the Song Dynasty. There must be many capable people among them. Among these people, there must be some familiar names. He just had nothing to do, and he thought of it on a whim, so he just took a look. After all, he could read ten lines at a glance, and it only took him a few days to read these 50,000 copies.
There were not many senior generals. After all, there were only 50,000 people in total. According to the standard of 2,500 soldiers in the Song Dynasty, there were only 20 people in one army. Among these 20 people, there were familiar faces to him, Dong Ping and Lu Junyi.
They both made contributions in the war against Xixia, and with his support, Tong Guan did not dare to neglect their contributions, so he got what he deserved. It was also in view of their previous performance, and the fact that these two people had sufficient combat effectiveness and were always brave in combat, so this time the cavalry was selected and transferred over as a matter of course, without him saying anything. Compared with the infantry, the cavalry was obviously promoted...
In the following few days, he read all the files, and as he expected, there were still capable people. Han Shizhong, a famous general who fought against the Jin Dynasty, was under his command. He had previously participated in the war against Xixia, and was also a brave and daring person, and was a captain of a hundred men. In addition, there are Liu Qi and Wu Jie, who are also famous generals who fought against the Jin Dynasty to protect the Southern Song Dynasty. At this time, they have not yet made their mark, that is, Liu Qi has a father who is a governor, and relying on this qualification, he is a captain like Han Shizhong who has already joined the army.
As for Yue Fei, he should be fifteen years old this year, and he is still learning skills from others. He has not come out yet. Maybe he will come in three to five years. After all, if you have a good martial arts, where can you not show your skills? As the Fubei Army, which is currently highly expected, it is undoubtedly a good place to show your skills. Like Yue Fei, he must have come directly to apply.
The training plan was set long ago, and training began as soon as the camp was built.
Cavalry just keeps charging and can't stop. Otherwise, if the cavalry in formation charges, the one in front will fight with others, what will the people behind do? It's the same as the front-line soldiers of the infantry, they all advance and never retreat.
So there are only four items to practice, the first is military posture and housework, which is discipline. The second is riding and shooting, in order to fight guerrilla warfare. The third is to charge with a long spear of 10 feet to practice accuracy and horsepower, in order to fight head-on with cavalry. The last and fourth item is indispensable, physical training. After all, the body is the foundation. In the cavalry charge, as long as the strength is strong, the spear can be used as an arm and the speed is fast. If you can avoid the attack first and adjust the position of the spear, with the help of the powerful impact of the warhorse, it will be a matter of life and death.
Martial arts, in large-scale cavalry charges, have no chance to display, because they will not stop, and life and death will be determined immediately. Even if he, Wang Daguanren, is such an invincible player in the world, when he is in the cavalry formation, all he can do is to adjust the position of the spear, stab the enemy to death, and continue to charge with the body, without even the opportunity to draw the gun. After all, a spear is more than four meters long, how could it be possible to reach it in time? When the spear could no longer be held, he drew out the saber from his waist and plunged directly into the enemy's army formation, slashing and killing all the way until there were no more enemies in front. Then he turned around, the front army became the rear army, the rear army became the front army, and rushed back again.
So as long as these four items are well-trained and refined, they can not only carry out guerrilla harassment, but also can face off head-on, and have strict military discipline and excellent style, they can be regarded as a strong army reserve. The reason why they are a reserve is that they have not experienced the battle of cavalry confrontation, and they do not have a fearless and brave heart of a strong man, which is the real key to a strong army...
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