(Thank you Mengmengmengmeng Mengmeng and fumin1980 for their tips, thank you!) ）

On the last night before the expedition, Li Jing had dinner with his family. Mother Li is at the top, and below is Li Jing's family, ten wives and eighteen children, as well as two sisters-in-law who were recognized by Mother Li as righteous daughters and married, and five sisters who married early and became mothers.

My sister and brother-in-law, my sister and brother-in-law, my niece and nephew, it is really a prosperous family, there are forty or fifty people.

Although it was not the first time for Li Jing to go on an expedition, the meal was still a little heavy, and Li's mother kept saying a lot of procrastination.

It wasn't until the time of the lantern that I returned to the main room. As a result, wives of all sizes have come with children, among the ten wives, except for Zhang Huier, Xiao Yulou and Megan, Juli have not yet given birth, the others have already given birth to several, such as Wang Haojun's big belly is already the third child, and the younger sister of the Pei sisters, three children have been born, and two of them are twins, one person gave birth to five, three sons and two daughters, so that Wang Haojun is a little jealous, her first two children are all sons, this fetus will be sons according to experienced mothers-in-law. Wang Guiniang is also envious, she is the main house, but it is difficult to get pregnant, and she has only given birth to a daughter until now, and there has been no movement.

With such a large group of children, and they are all only three or four years old, Li Jing, who is rarely free at home, sometimes can't even tell their ranks. However, although the children are small, these are not small, every boy has at least a seventh-grade grade on his back, and the eldest son of Wang Haojun even has the official position of the fifth grade.

A group of ladies were reluctant to let Li Jing leave home to go on the expedition.

On the contrary, Megan and Julie were very happy that they were recalled from the barracks by Li Jing during this time. stayed at home every day to accompany Li's mother and others. They couldn't sit still. Now the naval division has been expanded into four armies. Both have become the leaders of each army. I think about training the fleet all day long, how can I say hello every day, and accompany the elderly and children to talk about the shortcomings of the parents. This time Li Jing went on the expedition, they still regretted that the Liaohai Sea and the Yellow River were frozen in winter, and they couldn't follow Li Jing to send troops.

On the last night before the expedition, a group of wives of all sizes wanted to accompany Li Jing, but there were more monks and less porridge, and Li Jing asked Gui Niang to stay. It also made Wang Haojun a little unhappy, and he didn't look at his big belly.

However, there was no much affection this night, and the husband and wife chatted with each other for a while, and Gui Niang asked Li Jing to rest early.

I didn't sleep for long, but I was woken up by the pearl chiming clock in the room, and when I saw that the time was already bright.

After a while, Wan'er had already walked to the door and knocked lightly.

This one originally came from the Silla Floating Sea because of famine. The woman who was sent to Li Jing by her parents to be a slave and maid has become the mother of a son and a daughter in the blink of an eye. But though she's second in the backyard. is the second lady, but in fact, in addition to taking care of the children, this girl is only filial to Mother Li, respects Gui Niang, and avoids the open and secret battles between the rooms in the back house, especially the battle between Wang Haojun and Xiao Yulou now, and does not mix with either side at all.

Early in the morning, she had already freshened up, and put her two children in order, and brought them over to ask Li Jing for peace.

"Greetings to my father."

A pair of sons and daughters are three years old, and the youngest daughter is only two years old, as soon as they entered the door, they looked at Li Jing with a strange feeling in their eyes, and stepped forward to say hello according to Wan'er's early instructions.

The two children are very cute, although their mother is from Silla, but they can't see the slightest shadow of the Silla people, and they are carved with pink makeup and jade. There are two children, the boy is the fourth in the family and named Li Wei, and the girl is the seventh in the family and named Li Lan. The boys took the king's side, and the women took the grass.

At this time, Wang Guiniang had also picked up her daughter from the nurse, and the little guy was still sleepy, but she was still very happy to see her brother and sister coming, and she didn't even remember Li Jing's father.

Wang Guiniang caught him back and asked him to ask Li Jing seriously to let him go. Li Jing looked at the third-ranked concubine, Li Ying, and could only shake her head and smile. However, Wang Guiniang looked at her daughter with a trace of loss in her eyes. Li Jing understood that she was like this because she failed to have a few more children, and even failed to give birth to a son-in-law for Li Jing. With Li Jing's status now, he does not have a son, and as a result, there is always an undercurrent surging in the backyard. It is precisely because Wang Haojun has no sons-in-law in the family that she gave birth to three sons to Li Jing in a row, and also gave birth to the eldest son, so she is so aggressive in the back house now.

Wan'er came in, turned around and went to the side to get clothes and armor, and brought clean water, toothbrushes, tooth powder, and soap.

When Li Jing was dressed neatly, Wan'er took a comb to comb Li Jing's hair, combed it neatly, knotted a bun, tied it with a head rope, and then brought a net cover, put on the golden helmet after the last one, and then put on a piece of Qinglong-style full-body armor for Li Jing to wear.

Wang Haojun and several other ladies have also come to greet them with their children, and Megan and Julie have also put on their own Vermilion Bird style fiery red full-body armor, standing aside with helmets and waiting for Li Jing. Wang Haojun looked at these two Hu ladies who were incompatible with the ladies of the back house, and always felt a little contempt in his heart, as a woman, since she was lucky to marry a good man like her husband, she should be at home with her husband and children, serve her mother-in-law, continue the incense for her husband's family, and spread the branches. But like them, they don't stay at home, but they have to go out to lead troops to fight, and they show up all day long, and they have been married into the Li family for so long, but their stomachs don't even move at all.

A Hu woman is a Hu woman, Wang Wanjun said secretly in her heart. However, his eyes couldn't help but look at the heroic armor of the two of them a few times, and a trace of admiration flashed in his heart from time to time, which was really sassy and heroic.

In the blink of an eye, I saw Wan'er's hands flying like sparrows, and she had already helped the king of the county to wear such a neat armor by herself. This skill is really beautiful, and then looking at Wan'er's gaze seriously, Wang Wanjun has already had a few precautions in her heart for this second lady who usually lowers her eyebrows and is never involved in the chaos of the back house. It turns out that this Silla maid is not so simple.

Li Jing said goodbye to a group of children one by one, and explained some things to his wives and concubines, and then said goodbye and left home.

Before going out. When he turned around and waved goodbye to everyone. I inadvertently looked upstairs in the west courtyard. Behind a window, a shadow leaned and watched.

The two eyes collided, and Li Jing saw that Yu Youniang was also dressed neatly, and her eyes stared at him silently. For a moment, he felt a little guilty in his heart, and bowed his head and left.

Hebei, Yichang Army, Cangzhou.

The Yichang Army was the Heng Navy in the early stage, Cangjing Town in the future, and the Yichang Army was also called the Yichang Army in the later stage.

In the thirteenth year of Kaiyuan, Cangzhou placed a horizontal naval envoy. It is one of the nine armies under the jurisdiction of An Lushan, with 6,000 soldiers, and is subordinate to Cang, De and Di prefectures. The territory of the jurisdiction has changed frequently, but for a long time it has been divided into four prefectures: Cang, Jing, De and Di, about the south of the Hebei Machang River, the east of the canal, the east of the Pujin route in Shandong, the north of the Yellow River and the northern part of Boxing County.

After the Anshi Rebellion, because it was located between the three towns of Hebei, it was the target of competition among the three towns. At the same time, due to the constant scuffle between the three towns. The cang, de, and di states are uncertain. It has successively belonged to the towns of Chengde, Weibo and Ziqing.

Before Li Jing rose to control Ziqing Town, Youzhou Lu Long Army, Cangjing Yichang Army, and Ziqing Ping Lu Army all had naval armies. Among them, the water army of Ziqing Town is the strongest. Li Jing also relied on the water army to start his business.

Up to now, Li Jing's navy has a powerful four armies with 20,000 horses and hundreds of large and small warships. The water army in Youzhou Town was completely defeated and captured by Li Jing, although the Yichang army still had a water battalion system, but Liaohai was completely controlled by Li Jing, and its water division also existed in name only because of insufficient military spending.

As one of the feudal towns in Hebei, compared with the three towns of Heshuo, Yichang Town is too weak, for more than 100 years, it has been plundered and occupied by the towns in turn, although it can still maintain a feudal town system until now, but its strength belongs to one of the weakest feudal towns in the world, with a total strength of only 6,000 people, including the naval army that only has 1,000 people left, 5,000 soldiers and horses on land, a huge feudal town, and not even a cavalry unit.

Speaking of which, the Yichang Army owns the three prefectures of Cang, De and Di, faces the sea in the east, is surrounded by the North China Plain of Pingchuan, and is close to the Yellow River and the North Canal.

But in fact, the Yichang army was not only weak, but also poor. Cangzhou is the most vulnerable to disaster victims.

Because its territory is close to the sea in the east and the Yellow River in the south, the four towns bordering it are the four feudal towns of the Tang Dynasty, Lulong, Chengde, Weibo and Ziqing. Surrounded by strong enemies, the Yichang army will never be able to succeed.

Hebei Sanqiang Town, plus today's Yicheng Army, four rebel towns, Lulong Town originally based on Yanshan in the north, Taihang in the west, relying on Shanhaiguan, Lulongsai, Jundu Pass, these passes, extremely stable. It occupies the highest situation in Hebei.

The Yiwu Army was separated from the Chengde Army and controlled the Flying Fox and Boyin, the main roads connecting the Datong Basin, and its position was still very dangerous.

Although the territory of the Chengde army became smaller and smaller after several rebellions, the town, Zhao, Shen and Yi in its control were the most important places in the whole of Hebei, communicating the north and south, and according to Jingcheng, it could go directly to Taiyuan, Hedong, and even pass through Puhan in Hedong to enter Guanzhong.

Weibo Town guards the gateway of Hebei, the front is based on the Yellow River, the back blocks the Zhangshui, and the southern gateway of Hebei is guarded, and there is the Taihang Road to communicate with the place of Shangdang Zelu.

It can be said that the three towns of Hebei can be divided for more than 100 years, and each town occupies an extremely dangerous terrain, unites with each other, and completely blocks the soldiers and horses of the imperial court in Hedong and Henan. And now that Huangchao has entered Henan, the three towns of Hebei immediately began to attack from all sides.

And the Yichang Army, which was in Hebei and had the weakest strength, immediately became the target of the Chengde Army.

Li Jing wants to go south from Hebei, if he only goes south through Hebei, instead of attacking Hebei, then taking advantage of Cang, Di, and De is naturally the best route. However, now that the Chengde army has entered the Yichang army, Li Jing is facing the primary problem of competing with the Chengde army for Yichang first.

It is precisely for this reason that Li Jing transferred 80,000 soldiers and horses to the south this time, and it was the cavalry unit that was most conducive to fighting on the Great Plain of North China.

There were 16 armies of 80,000 soldiers and horses, of which 12 were cavalry troops.

Among the four veteran elite cavalry units of the Jinjia Shengjie Army, the Silver Spear Suburban Sectional Army, the Black Flag Army, and the Crane Control Army, the Silver Spear Suburban Jie Army is stationed in Dengzhou, and the Crane Control Army is stationed outside Liaoyang, and the remaining two ace cavalry units of the Jinjia Shengjie Army and the Black Flag Army are all in the southward sequence this time.

In addition, Li Jing also mobilized all the newly formed eight cavalry units to the south this time.

Wu Cavalry Army, Tun Cavalry Army, Xiao Cavalry Army, Ranger Cavalry Army, Flying Cavalry Army, Brigade Cavalry Army, Cloud Cavalry Captain, Feather Cavalry Army, and 40,000 cavalry of the Eighth Army, all went south.

Sixteenth Army marched south. The cavalry accounted for the tenth army.

Since Li Jing invaded Liaodong. Li Jing owns a large number of horses and pastures. With sufficient war horses and sufficient cavalry candidates, Li Jing's envoy began to form cavalry troops on a large scale. From the original 75,000 soldiers, the current 180,000 soldiers, of which the naval army has quadrupled, an increase of three corps, and the cavalry has tripled, an increase of eight corps. Although the infantry was expanded by 10 armies and 50,000 horses, it was actually only doubled.

The Central Plains battlefield, especially the Hebei and Henan battlefields. Huge plains, best suited for large-scale cavalry combat. Therefore, in terms of all the rationing of armor and the training of officers, Li Jing went all out to favor the cavalry troops. Even the recruitment of new troops, those who seem to be able to fight, ride and shoot, are selected by the cavalry first. Others, such as going to the lecture hall for training and further study, and the graduation and distribution of cadets from various military academies, are also to meet the cavalry units first.

Arguably. The cavalry unit is a complete treasure, not only the military rank of the officers is generally one or two orders higher than that of other troops. Even the newly recruited recruits are at least awarded the rank of senior soldier.

From less than 80,000 soldiers to 180,000 soldiers, and even as many as 60,000 cavalry troops, even if Li Jing's territory continues to expand now, and the industry and commerce and sea trade are rising, raising this cavalry force is also making Li Jing grit his teeth and insist.

The cavalry of the 12th Army, each cavalry must be equipped with two war horses, in addition, a baggage battalion composed of 10,000 camels, mules, donkeys, and horses.

Among the cavalry of the Twelfth Army, the main ones were light cavalry, and the newly built Eighth Army was all light cavalry. But the rest of the four armies are not all light cavalry, such as the Black Flag Soldiers, although only a few battles, but in recent years the structure has been expanding, up to now, the Black Flag Army has 5,000 cavalry, of which the heavy cavalry is 2,000 cavalry. This is a real armored cavalry, each soldier is equipped with the latest full-body plate armor, even the war horse is equipped with the latest full-body armor, and the men and horses are all covered by plate armor and armed to the teeth. The equipment is also equipped with two long weapons, a lance and a spear, and four auxiliary weapons: a short spear, a sabre, a round shield, and a crossbow.

These heavy riders not only retain the ability to charge heavily, but also have the ability to fight in close combat. Moreover, they were also equipped with sharper weapons, each soldier was equipped with ten earth-shattering thunderbolts.

The earth-shattering thunder is a melon-type grenade, one catty, which explodes with a delay of five seconds after ignition, and the lethality is one and a half zhang range, and the fragmentation attack.

The infantry were armed with a different kind of thunderbolt, a two-pound thunderbolt. The Thunderbolt is a grenade with a wooden handle, which also explodes with a five-second delay, and can be thrown ten zhang away by the handle, and the killing and damage can be three zhang away.

Although the effect of the Heaven-shattering Thunder and Thunderbolt was far inferior to the grenades of later generations in Li Jing's opinion, in this era, it was already the result of several years of research by the Ordnance Division. A grenade thrown at your feet can also blow people up half to death.

The cavalry of the newly created eight corps, which can be considered archers, were all armed with bows and crossbows. The combat requirements of the archers were mounted archery, flank breaks, outflanking, pursuit, etc., and did not require them to engage in direct combat melee combat.

The archers were mainly horse-mounted shots, but they were also able to shoot on horseback, although the accuracy of mounted archery was much worse. However, if there are enough of them, this is still a very sharp force.

Li Jing is very satisfied with this, a cavalry unit must not only have good war horses, but also good cavalry. Most of these cavalry are Han Chinese from Liaodong, Hebei and other places, and there are also a large number of Hu Fan soldiers, if it were not for this, several cavalry units would definitely not be able to pull out and go south now.

Although there were a large number of soldiers in the cavalry, Li Jing was not very satisfied, but at this stage, it would not work without these soldiers. Li Jing can only take one step at a time, and after his Han cavalry is cultivated, he will replace these soldiers at that time.

Generally speaking, Li Jing was very satisfied with his newly built Eighth Army cavalry.

For the military master of the eight armies, Li Jing finally sent all his disciples up, he had eleven disciples, Li Rang became the head of the household, and there were ten left, this time Li Jing promoted them all to the army masters, and each unified the cavalry of the army.

Among them, Liu Xun served as the military master of the Jinjia Shengjie Army, and Li Cunxiao served as the military leader of the Black Flag Army.

Wang Yanzhang served as the soldier and horse envoy of the Yu Cavalry Army, Gao Si succeeded as the commander of the Yun Cavalry Army, Fu Cun served as the commander of the Brigade Cavalry, Yang Shihou served as the commander of the Flying Cavalry, Wang Tan served as the commander of the Ranger Cavalry, Li Si'an served as the commander of the Xiao Cavalry, Gao Jichang served as the commander of the Tun Cavalry, and Dong Zhang served as the commander of the Wu Cavalry.

The cavalry of the Tenth Army to the south was all served by Li Jing's disciples.

The remaining infantry of the six armies, Tiger Ben, Long Xiang, Ying Yang, Leopard Cavalry, Flying Bear, and Sky Wolf, after the latest transfer, Zhang Chengzong was also appointed as the Tiger Ben army leader, Liu Shouqian was appointed as the Long Xiang army leader, Li Wei was appointed as the Eagle Yang army leader, Qiu Shengong was appointed as the leopard cavalry leader, Xuan Cheng was appointed as the flying bear army leader, and Zhou Dewei was appointed as the sky wolf army leader.

The sixteen main forces that went south, after being appointed by Li Jing's generals, were all Li Jing's henchmen, and through these old departments, Li Jing completely controlled the soldiers and horses of the various armies on this expedition. Most of the military masters in the original army were promoted by Li Jing and became higher positions such as the General Staff Yuan, the Governor's Office of the Five Armies, the Military Department, and the Governor's Office of the Five Provinces.

Putting the right to command the troops of the various armies in the hands of the most trusted Shaozhuang faction, Li Jing set up a crusade camp, and transferred many generals and ministers such as Jing Xiang, Gai Yu, Guo Chengan, Li Zhen, Zhao Li, Zeng Yuanyu, Zhou Shunli, Wang Pu and many other generals and ministers to the camp, served as important positions in the camp, and went south with the army.

On 6 February, Li Jing issued a military talisman to the generals, and after worshipping the sky, the 80,000-strong army officially sent troops south.

An army of 80,000 people, one cavalry and two horses, the infantry are all equipped with a horse to ride, the whole army each carries seven days of dry food, does not carry a baggage battalion and a logistics battalion, Li Jing and the generals' plan is very simple, within seven days through the Yichang army to the south of the Yellow River to Qizhou, Shandong Province! (To be continued......)