The weather is cool in the early morning, dew hangs on the grass on the roadside, and well-fed birds sing in the trees.

Du Zhongxiao, Zhao Yu and others rode horses and returned to the mountains along the way they came. Yesterday the army was deployed, and in the next few days, large-scale military exercises will be conducted, part of which will use live ammunition. In such a drill, the ammunition used and the grain and grass eaten were not decimals. The battalion field affairs box army has the support of the battalion field affairs, as well as the physical objects allocated by the Changping Division and the iron supervisor, so that it can be supported.

When I entered the drill area, I saw that there were large and small camp tents on the high ground in the mountains, and the specifications were neat and even strict.

Zhao Yu said: "To see how the army looks, first look at the camp tent." The battalion field and the box army under his command are arranged in accordance with the law and disciplined, which is not comparable to the box army in other places. By the way, look at the neat and uniform tents here, which are different from common military tents, I don't know what is special? ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "The Xiang army is not as good as the forbidden army, the days are tight, from the tent to the sleeping tent of ordinary soldiers, they are all made of oilcloth. In the past few years, a lot of cotton has been planted in the field, and after a long time, it has finally grown a suitable variety, and a lot has been planted in the past two years. In addition to making clothing, some coarse cloth was oiled and used to make military accounts. All used in the army, there are several specifications, all of which are unified. The method of camping is something that everyone can learn, and there are steps for everything in different specifications. The positions are demarcated according to the battalions, and each battalion arranges for its subordinates to be stationed and arranges camp tents. The tents at the battalion level are the same, and the capitals, teams, and so on below are the same, but the number of compositions is different. The sleeping tent of the soldiers is subject to ten people, and the system is the same, and they are arranged separately. ”

Zhao Yu nodded: "It seems that the main point is that everything has regulations, neatly and neatly." ”

At this time, the military tent was naturally a leather tent, followed by a felt tent, which was very expensive. Tarpaulin is cheap, but effective in performance, and is generally not used by the regular army. Because of the cotton cloth, the camp is made very heavy, and after being oiled, it can also be protected from wind and rain. The lining inside is also cotton, and the comfort is passable. Compared with leather and felt, tarpaulin is relatively easy to maintain and is widely used in the military.

Zhao Yu came with a mission, and after meeting Du Zhongxiao, he came to watch the drill and watch the military appearance first. This is the face of an army, and it can also show the temperament of an army. The biggest feature of the battalion is that it is neat. The barracks are made of the same materials and have the same system, but the scale of each level is different. The battalion level and above, because there is a headquarters, is a single system, the same system, different numbers of camp tents combined. Below the battalion level, there are only three forms: office tents, rest tents and house tents, which are almost identical except for the scale

is particularly neat, particularly well-behaved, and the military appearance is strictly neat, which is Zhao Yu's first impression of the camp and the army. This kind of army was something he had never seen before. After joining the army for many years, Zhao Yu has seen a lot of troops with strict military discipline, and some camps have a sense of solemnity when they see it. When people come to the front, they naturally don't even dare to speak out loud. The camp is different, under the neat discipline, there is a relaxed atmosphere, which makes people not feel so depressed.

Crossing the logistics baggage and rearguard troops, to the Chinese army, it would not be long before they arrived at Du Zhongxiao's tent.

The system of the tent is the same as that of the general command tent, but it is composed of multiple groups, which seems to have no rules, but in fact, the distribution has its own reason. It is convenient for concentration, and it is also convenient for dispersion, and it is also convenient for military intelligence to be transmitted and distributed. Several groups of tents look the same, they are not from here, and they can't tell where the main tent is. When Zhao Yu saw it, he couldn't help but guess in his heart that the group of people who were particularly busy coming in and out should be Du Zhongxiao's main account.

Unexpectedly, Du Zhongxiao did not take Zhao Yu there, but brought another group of tents, and said: "Not far away, there is a special tent for hospitality." When he came to watch the army, he did not go there. I have instructed that a sleeping tent be arranged for you, but you can send an attendant to clean it up first, and you will stay here for a few days during the drill. Let's go to the tent first and see how it goes. ”

After speaking, Du Zhongxiao instructed Li Fugui, the quartermaster on the side, to arrange a place for Zhao Yu to live. After joining the Xiang Army, Li Fugui concurrently served as the chief official of the Changping Division, and everything was done by the officials below, and he was mainly responsible for the materials and logistics of the Xiang Army.

After entering the handsome tent, Zhao Yu found that it was very open. Different from the general handsome tent, at the end is Du Zhongxiao's handsome case, which is particularly large, full of military orders and various documents, and a kind of map is spread out in the middle. On the side of the handsome case, there is also a small case, no need to ask, it is the closest person who helps Du Zhongxiao deal with official affairs. In the middle, instead of an empty tent, there is a huge table, with a map at one end and a sand table at the other. Most of the seats on both sides are documented, rather than just set up seats, and it seems that there is generally no increase in accounts here.

The biggest use of the handsome tent in ordinary times is that the officers get together to drink and discuss the military situation at the same time, and the system is that the generals have regular dinners. Another role is to raise the account, either to arrange military orders, or to punish subordinates. In the front-line military tent, if you have not cut off a few heads and have not beaten a military stick, it will make people feel very weird. It seems that this handsome tent can only discuss the military situation, and it is not appropriate to have a meal or punishment.

Liu Ji and Yang Ji each went to the side of the case and looked at the documents placed on it. The army has been deployed, and the military situation has changed a lot in the course of the day, and many things have to be dealt with by them. Du Zhongxiao took a look at the handsome case, and then ordered the soldiers on the side to make tea.

In the open space not far from the door, Du Zhongxiao sat down with Zhao Yu and said: "Under the jurisdiction of the battalion, all the battalions and troops are dispatched, the scale is not trivial, everything is messy, take care more." Liu and Yang handled affairs, and we sat and drank tea and gossip. ”

Zhao Yu was busy and defenseless, and said: "Lift, I heard that there are more than 20,000 people in the camp Tianxiang army, dare to ask if all of them have arrived in the mountains?" ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "That's not true, there are other things in this drill, and people need to go." About 10,000 people entered the mountain for the exercise, and all the principal officers arrived. The drill was mainly for generals and commanders, with non-commissioned officers secondary. ”

The number of battalions and field troops is now sensitive. After Dou Shunqing arrived last time, after several selections, there were more than 23,000 people left in the end. The whole structure is there, but the battalion level is mostly a shelf, with only officers and backbones, and very few ordinary soldiers. Basically, each brigade has a battalion fully manned, and the rest only exists. Except for the successor favored by the superiors, the rest of the junior officers are rotated. The specialized arms of artillery and cavalry have not changed except for the baggage logistics that have undergone a certain reduction in personnel. The upper four armies directly under the Sanya, each army is only thirty or forty commands, and the battalion Tianxiang army is too many with more than 20,000 people. The two commanders of the army, Zhu Ri Kaiwu and Long Shenwei, have no more than 350,000 soldiers and horses, and there are so many people in the camp and Tianxiang army, Du Zhongxiao's promotion is too eye-catching. Unless the frontier marshal, his subordinates command hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses.

After serving the tea, Zhao Yu praised after drinking it: "Lift up the good tea here." Since the Xinyang Army changed from steamed green to fried green, the tea made is particularly good, and it has become a tribute tea, and many rich and noble families in the capital have also drunk it like this. Last time, my majesty said goodbye to the saint, and what I appreciated was the high-grade Xinyang military tea. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "Everything is simple in the army, who is patient to study the group tea carefully and drink it?" By the way, a few days ago, the Xinyang Army made a kind of fermented black tea, which is also loose tea, which has a unique flavor. In a moment, I will tell the soldiers to pack some and bring them back. ”

Zhao Yu hurriedly thanked him. If this new thing wants to be popularized, it depends on where it is made and who is using it. Jingxi Road's Yingtian Affairs and Changping Division have been financially abundant in recent years, and have produced many new goods, which have passed through the world and won people's praise. The tea they made was drunk daily by the two yamen, and it was naturally recognized by others. From the beginning of the green tea could not be sold at a price, to now began to be classified in detail, the price of green tea before the Ming Dynasty rose as soon as possible, and it was far more expensive than the group tea on the market.

Over there, Liu Ji and Yang Ji took care of their official business, and came over to sit and drink tea and gossip together.

Zhao Yu said: "Before I came, the important ministers and generals in Beijing discussed that there were more and more people in the south who were in turmoil, affecting several states, and wanted Yang Xuan to return to Jinghu Road to lead the troops and prepare to go south to quell the chaos. The saint is not allowed, and the Tianzhang Pavilion is to be controlled by Zhitan Prefecture, which was originally to be under the jurisdiction of the Emperor. ”

Yang Ji arched his hand: "Lead the army in the lower position, but send by the imperial court." In the past, when I was in Jinghu, I was lucky enough to kill the thief, but now it is not the same as in the past. What kind of person is the system of appointment? He went to Zhitan Prefecture, far better than me. ”

Tanzhou is the capital of Jinghu South Road, and it is also the base camp for the suppression of Nong Zhigao. A few days ago, Tianzhangge was appointed to take office, and took a train all the way to Jiangling, from there to Tanzhou via Dingzhou. There was no stop on the road, and Du Zhongxiao and others did not meet him.

Yang Jin was originally a barbarian meritorious service on Jinghu Road, but now that Guangnan is in turmoil, of course some people in the DPRK and China think of him. However, in the current situation, Du Zhongxiao has written many times, willing to lead the Xiang army south to suppress the thieves, and the emperor let Yang Ji stay.

Du Zhongxiao could feel that the emperor's arrangements for Guangnan affairs had been roughly finalized. The coach must be Di Qing, I don't know how many people he will bring from Shaanxi Road. As a supplement, his own battalion Tianxiang army may cooperate with Di Qing to go south if necessary. Nong Zhigao could not attack Guangzhou, and he would inevitably return to Guangxi Road before the fall, otherwise he would face the danger of being surrounded by soldiers and horses arriving from all over the place. When the time comes, the inside and outside will attack, and the gods will not be able to save him.

The brigade of soldiers and horses went south, and the main direction of attack was inevitably Guangxi Road. Now the train goes to Gangneung Province, and then all the way to the waterway, and the traffic is very convenient. If he is a subordinate of Di Qing, it is very likely that he will divide his troops with him in Tanzhou, cross the Wuling Mountains and enter Guangdong along Duanzhou, and cut off Nong Zhigao's back road.

If it weren't for such a plan, Yang Zhen would probably have been transferred to the local area to prepare for the war. With such an arrangement, Du Zhongxiao Jueti was a little disappointed. He is only an assistant, and it is Nong Zhigao's back road that is cut off instead of his way back, and if he is unlucky, he can't fight, and it is difficult to give full play to the combat power of the Yingtianxiang army. But just participating in the war is a good start.

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