choke element

Chapter 35 Precursor

After Yang An'er was forced to retreat that day, Guo Ning asked Wang Shixian to go to Xinqiao Camp in Anzhou to ask the head of the Yu clan, who was familiar with him, if he could choose a place in the five prefectures of Xiong, An, Bao, Sui, and Ansu. The place where Baowu was slack and the strong men fled was from the grain and fodder of Guo Ning's department.

The day after Guo Ning met with Jing Anmin, Wang Shixian rode an old horse and returned to the Feijunhe camp in a busy way.

Within a few days of going back and forth, the size of the entire camp had expanded to several times its original size.Originally, the entire highland on the west bank of the Feijun River, close to Bianwu Lake, had been incorporated into the scope of the camp.

The long moat outside the camp has already been excavated.The long trench is about one foot wide and more than two feet deep. One end is close to the Feijun River and the other end is close to Bianwudian, forming an irregular arc.

Han Xuan was patrolling along the long trench. Along the way, his subordinates placed thin and sharp reed sticks densely on the bottom of the long trench.It can be seen that he is a little impatient, because the two ends of the connecting water area have not yet been opened, but the groundwater continues to seep up, and it has already covered the calves of the soldiers. After a while, it will not be easy to arrange.

The excavated silt and sand had been piled up on the inside of the long trench. Many soldiers were divided into groups of three or five, pulling large rocks with ropes, and beating the sand and compacting it into an earth barrier.The fence to be set on the top of the earth mound has not yet started, and for the time being, only a lot of wooden piles are piled behind.A few craftsman-like men were slowly sharpening one end of the wooden stake.

After Wang Shixian entered the camp, he saw that the camps in each capital were basically completed.Every gate of the camp is flying its own recognition flag, capital flag, and small flags used to pass orders.In each camp, the area where soldiers live and the area where ordnance, food and supplies are stored are clearly divided.The sentry posts on the outskirts of the camp were all in place, and fully equipped patrol teams patrolled around in turn.

In a corner of the entire camp, there is also a separate area, which seems to be a special place for defecation. Zhang Xin's subordinates are divided into several groups, and they are working hard to dig a hole there.Digging and digging, and complaining to each other a few words, it seems that they were sent to do this because they suffered a loss in some competition.

The seven camps are roughly arranged in a triangle, surrounding Guo Ning's base camp on the central high ground.

Wang Shixian went to his own camp first, asked about the situation, dealt with some military affairs, and then came to the main camp.

The camp did not set up a banner, but a full set of drum horns were lined up on both sides of the gate, which must have been preserved by a broken army.On the outer side of the gate, there are several vertical wooden poles.There are two shirtless men tied to two wooden poles, who probably violated military law and were punished.

Wang Shixian knew that when the army was first gathered, fame alone would not be enough to convince others, and they had to be rewarded with kindness and power.Fortunately, the spirits of these two people were not bad, they were not severely beaten, obviously they did not make a big mistake, they were just showing off to the public, and they got away naturally after two hours.Wang Shixian looked at the top of the wooden pole again to make sure that there was no unlucky head on it.

Walked into the army, but did not see Guo Ning.

After asking Zhao Jue, he found out that Guo Ning was at the artisan camp on the edge of the highland.

Wang Shixian hurried to the direction of the craftsman's camp, and he bumped into Guo Ning.He was half squatting on the ground, carefully examining the row of armor plates spread out in front of him.

Not far from him is the hastily built iron-smelting furnace.The current conditions are limited, and the stove is unavoidably rough. We just dug a rectangular hole in the ground, and then made a stove top with ash and grass mixed with mud, leaving the furnace door and chimney.

The stove was still burning, the charcoal inside was red, and from time to time sparks crackled out of the stove door.There are pliers, sledgehammers, and small hammers on the side of the big table.

This kind of stove can be set up in two or three days by skilled hands, which is economical and convenient.However, it can only make iron, not steel, and is usually used in villages and towns to make farm tools.However, Guo Ning didn't have any high demands in front of him. He only hoped to melt the used armor pieces and weapons into molten iron as soon as possible, and then repair the armor.

Just then the leader of the craftsman reported that he had succeeded, so Guo Ning came in a hurry.

These armor pieces in front of you can see the traces of re-beating after being filled with iron materials. The workmanship is not delicate, but it is enough to make do.He weighed the nail pieces one by one, estimated the weight, and roughly compared the specifications.

Behind Guo Ning, more than a dozen craftsmen were sitting on stools awkwardly, waiting for Guo Ning to make a decision.

These armor pieces are the harvest of Ji Junli's troops who ambush Tiewa. After melting some of the severely damaged armor pieces and weapons, it is estimated that there are more than 40 sets of iron armor that can be repaired.What Guo Ning was inspecting at this moment was some nail leaves that had been repaired the first time.

Guo Ning intends to use half to arm his own team, and the other half to award soldiers who have outstanding training performance as a reward.

Since the Song Dynasty, Hebei has been the center of mining and metallurgy, textiles, ceramics and other industries.As far as Dajin is concerned, the ironware of Zhending, the fabrics of Xiangzhou and Zhuozhou, and the pottery of Dingzhou are all famous.Many craftsmen in these places were displaced by the war. Guo Ning also paid attention to recruiting a group of them while gathering the defeated soldiers.

If the craftsmen cooperated tacitly and repaired the armor quickly enough, then they could provide services to many soldiers.

According to Dajin's system, the soldiers and soldiers under Zhumeng'an Mouke prepared their own weapons and equipment.Therefore, many soldiers' armors were handed down from their ancestors, and some were even Song Army armors captured during the Tianfu and Tianhui years, which had gone through many battles.Even if it is too damaged to be used, the soldiers are not willing to discard it, and pack it into a package and carry it with them.

If these armors can also be repaired, the confidence of the soldiers in each department will be strengthened.

"Very well, that's it, everyone, please take care!" Guo Ning stood up with satisfaction.

According to Guo Ning's request, the craftsmen who were resting on the stools quickly stood up and saluted.Some people came up to get close without opening, and some people moved too much, knocking down several stools, and it was a mess for a while.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Wang Shixian rushed forward: "Liu Lang!"

Guo Ning chatted with several master craftsmen, and then walked out of the crowd.It was very hot in the shed, he took off only his short shirt and his head was sweaty, and he had to put on his military robe again as he walked outside.

"Yu's side, how did you reply?" he asked.

Wang Shixian's face was a little heavy, and he shook his head slightly: "I sent two more carts of food and fodder, but the others..."

Guo Ning laughed: "They don't agree? Yu Jingchun, looking at the fat in front of him, can he hold back his mouth?"

Yu Jingchun is Wang Shixian's best friend.Hearing what Guo Ning said, Wang Shixian's face turned red.

He lowered his voice slightly: "Liulang, they are also helpless..."

"how to say?"

"Liulang's suggestion is that the Yu family and other Anzhou surnames come forward to recruit people and reset Baowu to restore the local agriculture and mulberry. We are responsible for the safety of these Baowu, including patrols and thieves. This is for us, for us. The Yu family and other common surnames are a good thing that benefits both sides. But the Yu family has always been hesitant, because the identities of us people are vague, and the limelight is too strong, which will definitely attract the fear of the court."

Someone at the side spat and sneered: "Thousands of soldiers are living in various states, without food and clothing, and when they are like walking corpses, these people should just be invisible; now we have assembled into an army and have to find our own way. They Are you worried that we will offend the imperial court? If you offend me, rob his house first!"

It turned out that Li Ting was here.

Li Ting's strange and harsh words have always been a lot, Wang Shixian ignored it, and just continued: "Although the Yu family and other big families are at odds with Tu Danhang, they have not openly fell out. These people are all family and business. , a lot of scruples. Without the permission of the court, they dare not get too entangled with us. Unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Unless... ahem, Liulang and Yu Jingchun brothers have a suggestion. They said that if Liulang can't get along with Tudan governor of Anzhou, then maybe he can ask officials in Xiongzhou, Xiangbaozhou and other places for a name. As long as With a name in hand, then..."

Guo Ning shook his head with a smile.

He raised his hand and scratched his chin, and his short and hard stubble made a rustling sound: "The reason why Mrs. Yu dare not cooperate with us openly is because he is afraid of the court, and he is worried that if he gets close to us, it will cause the court to be angry. However, Just today or tomorrow, they should understand that the imperial court has nothing to care about. There is no need for their worries."

"Today? Tomorrow?" Wang Shixian cheered up suddenly: "Liulang, what do you know?"

"Yang An'er is going to make a move, not today, but tomorrow!" Guo Ning nodded.

Wang Shixian thought for a while, clapped his palms together, laughed and said, "Then, I'll set off now, and go to Xinqiao camp again!"

Li Ting asked in confusion, "What are you talking about? Why can't I understand? Why is Yang An'er involved?"

Guo Ning said: "Earlier Jing'an Min came to the army to investigate alone, but we found out later that he had hundreds of subordinates stationed in Suizhou, ready to respond at all times. Master Huifeng brought people to monitor this department, just in case After Jing'an Min left, those hundreds of people also retreated with him, but they did not return to Dafang Mountain in Zhuozhou, but went to the north and settled in Langshan Village in Yizhou."

"That's right, but what does Jing Anmin's movements have to do with Yang An'er?"

Yesterday, Guo Ning and Jing Anmin reached a tacit understanding, there is no need to talk about some things, each of them understands.Guo Ning glanced at Wang Shixian, Wang Shixian reacted very quickly, and immediately explained:

"When Jing'an Min was in Dexing Mansion, he had an old friendship with Yang An'er, who was stationed at Jiming Mountain. Jing'an Min must know what Yang An'er's plans are. He took his subordinates to Yizhou Lang Village, but he didn't want to be involved in Zhuozhou. There will be chaos afterwards, so Yang An'er will undoubtedly rebel, and he will cause great turmoil in Zhuozhou!"

"Then Yang An'er rebelled, what you said to Liu Lang..." At this point, Li Ting also wanted to understand.

Who is Yang An'er?He is the most famous traitor in the Dajin territory since Taihe.When it comes to rebellion, no one is better or more experienced than him!Guo Ning said long ago that this person should be the best tool to clean up the imperial power!
Yang An'er raised his troops suddenly, the momentum must be earth-shattering.The states in the south of Zhongdu Road will surely fall into chaos.The Tiewa Ganzhan Army will definitely beat up the surrounding officials and troops, loot the treasuries of various places to their heart's content, and then set off southward in a big way.

As a result, the power of the imperial court will be swept away again.If the military states could barely maintain their dignity and put on a majestic posture before, then after Yang An'er raised troops, the military states had completely become empty military states.What the imperial court can still control in this area is probably only within the walls of the city where the Jiedu envoys and governors are located.

When the states are in chaos, anyone who wants to protect himself must first expand his own power.The already powerful families will also join forces and be busy endlessly.At that time, who would care about the court's thoughts?Isn't that extremely pedantic?
"Okay! Okay!" Li Ting waved his fist, and grinned with joy, "What shall we do after Yang An'er makes a move? We can't miss such a good opportunity. If you want me to say, why not..."

When Guo Ning saw the direction of the gate, Liu Cheng was hurrying over, and he shook his head at Li Ting.

When the leaders of the defeated army were discussing, Tang Kuo, who was in Dingxing County, was patrolling the city defense.

The Laishui outside the city flows quietly, and greenery has grown on both sides of the river.Scattered farmers walked around the fields, preparing for spring plowing.Although Hebei has suffered consecutive severe droughts, the fields around Laishui are still very good.Last year, Tang Kuo tried his best to acquire hundreds of acres, and then used them to cultivate and set up tenants, using the original owners of the fields to cultivate them for his family.

Among the Jurchens, Tang Kuo is good at management.So he often went to the top of the city to look at his family's farm, thinking about how much profit he could get from this land.

But when he went to the city today, he didn't have that kind of thought. Instead, in the name of the capital of the Tiewa Ganzhan Army, he conscientiously summoned the grain shooting army in Dingxing County, and carefully inspected their weapons and equipment. Then take them to the city and send them to guard the city in groups.

This is an experience that Tang Kuo has not experienced for a long time.He was too fat and his body was weak. Now that he was wearing a light armor, he was getting heavier.When he came up the boarding path, he felt sore in his knees; after walking half a circle along the city wall, he was sweating profusely.

He had to find a pier to rest.

After sitting for a while, he asked the attendant beside him: "Why hasn't Yang An'er arrived yet? Send someone to remind me, just say, I have something important to ask, please hurry up!"

Xie never bothered to agree, and a gust of wind came from nowhere, and suddenly blew on Tang Kuo Heda, making him shiver uncontrollably.

(End of this chapter)