As for explaining the basic principles of some snipers, Xu Xingxia is in charge. Although he is not a sniper, and he does not have a ** to make a musket for the time being, he still knows some basic common sense of snipers. How to effectively break through the enemy's defense line, how to hide, and how to retreat after winning the battle are all very novel content, and they are also of interest to the rangers.

The non-commissioned officers of the Eagle Cavalry Army also put forward a lot of improvements in the regular training. For example, the waterproof surname of the projectile, the cold-proof sheath of the barrel, the use of firearms in the ice and snow, etc., all have some unique suggestions. For the firecrackers at that time, it was indeed dangerous to use in the harsh winter, and the probability of exploding the chamber was significantly increased. Fortunately, the amount of propellant charged by the Mini bullet is greatly reduced compared with that of the ordinary firecracker. As long as it is not a mistake, the probability of exploding is still very low.

The muskets of that time, all breech guns, were used on horseback, with some difficulty. There is no possibility of solving this problem for the time being. Therefore, the infantry on horseback became a general trend of development. Move quickly on horseback to the combat area, and then dismount to fight. As an army that can move freely, the Eagle Cavalry has very high requirements for mobile surnames. Ordinary officers must be familiar with the terrain of the surrounding 500 miles so that they can fight at any time.

Since the establishment of the Eagle Cavalry Army, there have been white-clothed sergeants around Zhenshuo Fort, around the Black Mountain Battalion, and even in places such as Da Bangkou and Suweikou. The number of the Eagle Cavalry was uncertain, with a group of twelve people, two officers and ten non-commissioned officers. They can choose their own training area, how they train. Some of the soldiers were good at riding and shooting on the plains, while others were good at mountain warfare. It can be said that the Eagle Cavalry Army is a very free army, and what it will become in the end, Xu Xingxia himself is looking forward to it.

…… In the winter of the forty-fourth year of Wanli, the military households of Weizhenbao and Zhenshuo Fort did not dare to take it lightly. On the contrary, they are all extra vigilant this winter. Both the foreign and local populations expressed deep concern about whether the Tartars would move south again. Weizhenbao, Zhenshuo Fort, Black Mountain Camp, and even the herdsmen at the foot of Helan Mountain, the expressions on their faces were relatively dignified.

The main reason, of course, is that the emergence of Xu Xingxia completely broke the previous law. It is impossible to extrapolate the future development of events from old experience. It has always been unknown whether the Tatars will make a big move south this winter. Under the inducement of some people, intentionally or unintentionally, all kinds of rumors spread in places such as Zhenshuo Fort and Weizhen Fort. The core content of all kinds of rumors is that not only will the Tartars go south, but they will go south in a big way.

Because Xu Xingxia needed to buy a large amount of supplies, caravans continued to come to Zhenshuo Fort from Ningxia City, bringing all kinds of materials. At the same time, they also brought all kinds of news that were difficult to distinguish between true and false. Among them, a considerable part is a rumor with sinister intentions. Even though the hundreds of households in the board of directors continued to hold public meetings to refute rumors on the spot, some military households still seemed quite worried.

What makes everyone feel a little nervous is that if the Tartars go south this time, the number will definitely not be less. Last time, Sobud and Paro Ge led a thousand-strong team of Tartars south, but they were defeated by Xu Xingxia and went back in disgrace. Later, Gugrad led two more Tartar thousand-man teams south, but they were also defeated, and even Gugrad was captured. There were two lessons from the past, and if the Tartars were to go south, they would definitely gather more troops.

No one knows how many troops will be dispatched if the Tartars really go south. One or two Tartar thousand-man teams, the white-clothed army can deal with. But if it's three, four, five...... Maybe even seven, eight, nine? I'm afraid it's a bit of a hassle. The guns of the white-clothed army are not omnipotent. In the face of the Tatars' crowd tactics, it is really difficult to say how long it can be supported. The enemy is outnumbered, and the contrast is huge!

As for the other troops in Ningxia Town, there is basically no need to place hopes. With Xu Xingxia and their bad relationship, they will definitely watch from the wall and sit on the mountain to watch the tiger fight. Even, it is not ruled out that some people will fall into the well when they are at a critical juncture, so that Xu Xingxia will perish quickly. In fact, even if they came to reinforce it, it would have no effect. The Tartars only needed a thousand-man force to keep them all out of the battlefield.

Considering all the circumstances, even the most optimistic people do not dare to speak of victory for the future. In the future, there is still a long way to go! At this level, if the white-clothed army survives, the future situation will be quite broad. The road ahead will also be relatively smooth. If this pass is not passed, the fate of the white-clothed army may be bumpy, or even the entire army will be wiped out, which is possible.

In the face of such a complex situation, Xu Xingxia certainly did not dare to take it lightly. On the one hand, he asked Wang Qinian to activate Jinyiwei's intelligence network and keep a close eye on the movements of the Helkin tribe. Any wind and grass will wake up the spirit of twelve. On the other hand, all units of the white-clothed army were on combat duty near Zhenyuan Pass. As soon as you find traces of the Tartar cavalry, you will be able to enter the battle mode immediately. The units were well stocked with ammunition.

After defeating Gugrad, the morale of the White Army has risen to its peak. For the re-arrival of the Tatar cavalry, there is generally no attention. Now they have almost no doubts about defeating the Tartars. However, the strength of the white-clothed army did not increase much. At the end of October, the strength was five or six hundred. By the beginning of November, it was still five or six hundred. This is a terrible weakness.

The main reason is that the production of the moon gun is not enough. Due to various reasons, the output of five sticks per day is basically the limit. If we want to expand production, there are many aspects involved, and many conditions are not perfect. Before the establishment and operation of large-scale steel mills, the output of 100 steels was indeed a fatal bottleneck. The current craftsmen's workshops have occupied a large number of labor, delaying the progress of other aspects of work.

In the era when there was no mechanical production, relying solely on manual labor, or partial animal production, was indeed too inefficient. Even if the assembly line production method is adopted, it still needs to occupy a lot of labor. However, at present, Zhenshuo Fort and Weizhen Fort have a large shortage of labor. Within three years, Xu Xingxia had to repair the three passes and hand over 500,000 stone of grain, all of which had to be prepared for a rainy day, and he could not rush to hold on to his feet after three years.

During the entire month of November, the artisan workshop can only produce a maximum of 150 moonshots. For the White Army, it feels like a drop in the bucket. One hundred and fifty moon guns, all equipped with troops, can only add one hundred and fifty musketeers. In addition, the muskets deployed and used by the Eagle Cavalry were basically occupied by the Eagle Cavalry.

The service life of the moon gun is limited to a certain extent, and after firing about 2,500 rounds of mini rounds, the rifling of the barrel is basically smoothed. Without rifling, it can only be used as a smoothbore gun. In the face of the swarming Tatar cavalry, the smoothbore gun was obviously useless, and it could only be abandoned to animal power. Of course, as far as the current situation is concerned, the launch volume of 2,500 rounds is sufficient.

Fortunately, the strength of the trebuchet and chariot battalions was relatively easy to increase. Trebuchets and vans were built mainly of wood. A small amount of steel is sufficient for critical areas. And Helan Mountain, some are wood. Trees that have grown for hundreds of years, after being cut down and treated with some simple treatment, are the best materials for the construction of trebuchets and vans. After a period of hard work, the number of partial vans equipped with the tank battalion has increased to fifty. The number of trebuchets in the artillery battalion was similarly increased to fifty.

Compared with the preparations for war of the white-clothed army, the production situation in the rear is very gratifying. In the rear, a large number of foreign military households greatly enriched the population of Zhenshuo Fort. Zhenshuo Fort, which was almost ransacked, can now see people coming and going. If you talk to them, you will find that they have accents everywhere. Most of them moved from all parts of Ningxia Town, or other military towns.

According to incomplete statistics, in just 10 days in early November, Zhenshuo Fort received more than 600 foreign military families, with a total population of more than 3,000. Among them, there are about 800 strong men. They were different from other scattered military households, they were all "invited" by the original Zhenshuobao military households, and collectively "fled".

These military households are mainly from other health posts in Ningxia Town. Among them, the number of guards is the largest. If it is said that in the Ming army, the status of the Weisuo army is the lowest, then in the Weisuo army, the status of the army of the tunwei is the lowest. The five guards in Ningxia Town have very low status. No way, Tunwei Tunwei, as the name suggests, is specialized in Tuntian. Farmers who are pure farmers will of course be looked down upon by many people.

In fact, these military households do not even have the opportunity to farm. Except for the Ningxia avant-garde, which was located in the northernmost part, it was difficult to cultivate because it was often harassed by the Tatars, and there were not many people in the fields under its jurisdiction, and the land of ordinary military households in the other guards was all encroached upon by high-ranking officers. The high-ranking officers have all become large landowners, have a lot of wealth, and live a prosperous life. The military households below are miserable.

Military households that have no way to survive are either tenants for high-ranking officers and rely on selling their strength to survive. Or, they choose to flee, escape from their so-called guards, and seek a chance to survive in other places. The wave of fleeing military households in Ningxia Town has continued since the Zhengde period. Every time there is a war, or there is a famine, it is even more repeated, and I can't stop.

(To be continued)