The eighty-third festival sacrificed the flag and went to war

At this time, it was already dawn, and the main civil and military officials and local celebrities of Qiongzhou Mansion and Hainan Province came one after another. Sedan chairs and horses kept coming. The area around the earthen platform has become a gathering place for gauze hats and square scarves. They must have felt very honored and excited to be able to attend today's grand ceremony, and while greeting with reserve, they stretched their necks and looked around, waiting for the appearance of the manager.

On the earthen platform, two tiger skin seats have been arranged. One is the seat of He Rubin, the chief military officer of Guangdong, and the other is the seat of Zhao Ruyi, the superintendent of Hainan Province.

Suddenly, a horn sounded, and He Rubin and Zhao Ruyi's entourage began to enter the school field, and the two dismounted in front of the earthen platform, and hugged each other on the earthen platform.

Under the earthen platform are He Rubin's personal generals and soldiers, there are three or four hundred people, one by one helmets and armor, swords and spears neatly waiting for the battle. He Rubin and Zhao Ruyi, surrounded by generals and staff, were already seated in the rightful position. He Rubin was leaning sideways and saying something to Zhao Ruyi. Zhao Ruyi sat quietly, raised his slender face slightly, twisted three strands of clear beard, and just nodded slightly, looking cold and conceited. On either side of them, according to the custom of the left and the right military, stood two rows of high-ranking civil and military officials and staff, all of whom as usual lowered their hands and held their breath, putting on a solemn and solemn appearance.

On the school ground, many soldiers and horses had gathered, and the local gentlemen who were invited sighed in surprise while holding their beards. They whispered and pointed to the flags fluttering on the school ground, and no one could figure out how many soldiers and horses there were.

The middle-aged and middle-aged can still vaguely remember the grand occasion when the official army crossed the sea to clear the battle during the battle of the horse and arrow in the Wanli period, and now this time it seems that it is not inferior to that year - the official army crossing the sea is known as 50,000 horses.

In addition to He Rubin's town mark and family ding, the standard making and the first part of the Fu standard, the Guangdong Ming Army had a total of four staff generals and one guerrilla station to Qiongshan: they were Chaozhou generals, Qiongya generals, Lei Lian generals, Chaozhou generals, and Guangdong training guerrilla generals.

These five generals were different from the empty lieutenant generals, staff generals, and guerrillas who were increasingly rampant in the late Ming Dynasty. Basically, the main force of the whole of Guangdong, except for the east and west mountain staff generals of Fang Yao, almost went out. Such a formation, the officials and gentry of Qiongzhou have not seen it for decades.

Gou Chengxuan watched from a distance on the hillside, his terrain was high and he could see it clearly. was watching, only to hear someone shouting in a stack,

"Wronged, wronged, villains are good people, people"

He was slightly stunned, and turned around, it turned out that there were several prisoners who had stripped off their tops and tied up, and were covered in torture scars, and they were being escorted by several soldiers and driven towards the school grounds. They staggered and shouted.

"The villain is an ordinary trader, and he just buys and sells needles and threads to Lingao, and begs the master to spare his life."

"The villain is not fine, wronged, wronged"

Gou Chengxuan thought that he had caught a spy, but the old army behind him whispered: "This is to be pulled to cut off the head and sacrifice the flag." Then he sighed again, "I heard that they are all small businessmen, and they were arrested because they had been to Lingao." ”

"Oh, it turned out that the thief should be killed" Gou Chengxuan suddenly screamed. If it weren't for the fact that so many people coveted the petty profits of the thieves, how could the thieves be so rampant and gather more than 10,000 people. I heard that when Goujiazhuang was broken at that time, many people also went to Yanchang Village to help the thieves carry weapons, and after the village was broken, they had their share in carrying Goujiazhuang's property and even demolishing houses. When he returned to Lingao this time, he must slaughter the entire village of Yanchang Village, and he didn't leave anyone to think that women wouldn't allow them to live

"It's a bit wronged, but it's also self-inflicted," a voice said not far away. Gou Chengxuan turned his head and saw that this person was Qian Taichong, Zhao Ruyi's staff. Gou Chengxuan hurriedly flattered: "What Brother Tai said is extremely true"

Qian Taichong snorted coldly, he couldn't look down on this talented person. He didn't go to the school today--his reputation was too low, and he had no official position, so he could only stand far away and wait on the school ground. Qian Taichong is a high-minded and arrogant person, how can he stand such contempt? Just watch the excitement in this Chinese military camp.

He has always had a very high opinion of himself, and he knew that Zhao Ruyi's willingness to invite him as a staff member was not to admire his moral articles, but to accept himself because of the introduction of his fellow villagers. When he first arrived in Qiongzhou, the land of the Southern Barbarians, he was not allowed to come up with any impressive measures to show his skills and feet, so he sent Zhao to Guangzhou, which obviously did not take him seriously.

In several strategic meetings to suppress thieves, Qian Taichong has always been eager to try, wanting to offer a few strategies to win everyone's attention. However, he had no military experience at all, and he had never read a military book, so even if he talked about the army on paper, he could not catch it, so he had to talk about the people's hearts and people's hearts, which made everyone hate him very much.

He was originally too lazy to deal with people like Gou Chengxuan, but he had the intention to make a name for himself in the aftermath of the Lingao War, and he had to make a pretense about this rare Lingao native.

"They are just greedy for some small profits, so they go to Lingao to do business. To insist that they are spies of thieves is indeed excessive. Qian Taichong said, "However, the so-called small people in the countryside are afraid of punishment, so they must be afraid of severe punishment, if they are allowed to follow the trend and do not punish them, other foolish people will regard the government as soft and benevolent, and they will follow suit." In less than a year and a half, people's hearts will definitely change greatly, and I will not wait for thieves to make trouble, and Qiongzhou is not mine."

He said so arrogantly, Gou Chengxuan could only listen respectfully. He very much agreed with Xiaomin's fear of punishment and profit, and was about to think about what to say to satisfy him, when suddenly the sound of the horn and cannon sounded again.

A few prisoners just now were pushed and shoved under the flagpole of the school field, and these people, including small traders who came and went to Lingao, and also people who accidentally said a few good words about thieves in Qiongshan. They were all caught as thieves.

They were ordered to kneel. A few swordsmen came over, and with the sound of the cannon, several bloody human heads fell to the ground one by one and placed under the flagpole.

Immediately afterwards, twenty-four snare drums were beaten, the drums were low, and the rhythm was concise and unadorned; On the contrary, it has a convincing power. When the pounding reached the excitement, even the heavens and the earth seemed to shake. With the heart-stirring sound of drums and the sudden sound of horns, a red flag was raised on the platform.

The armies gathered in the distance like dark clouds slowly began to move, like the faint thunder before a rainstorm, and the footsteps of the soldiers became grandiose, such as the swordsman with the broadsword, the archer with the bow and arrow on his back, the spearman with the spear pointed diagonally at the sky, and the firearm man with the three-eyed gun and the bird's gun...... Squad after team walked in a certain formation with neat steps, and countless flags fluttered in the smoke and dust raised by the soldiers.

Trumpets whimpered, drums rumbled, and the men and horses participating in the parade were the most elite part of the Ming army that crossed the sea, totaling seven thousand people. The armor is neat and well-equipped, and it is quite overwhelming.

It was the first time in his life that Qian Taichong participated in such a large-scale military parade, and he couldn't help but get excited, and his heart trembled slightly because of nervousness. He clenched the fan in his hand and stared intently at the people and horses moving in the smoke and dust.

This army of soldiers and horses is still worth thinking about the money of the first war, and there are still elite soldiers and good generals in the imperial court. On the way to the curtain, the officers and soldiers I saw were either tired and lazy or arrogant. Now seeing such an elite team, he can't help but feel relieved about this slaughter, and feels that it is only a matter of time before he wins.

"Everyone said that the thieves were disciplined and neat, and I don't think it was enough, and they might not be able to beat the elite under He Zhentai."

"Yes, apart from guns and firearms, the thieves are not skilled in stabbing pace, but they rely on the strong guns of the ship." Gou Chengxuan was also shocked by this amazing reading. He said this half to welcome Qian Taichong, and half to tell the truth. Gou Chengxuan saw the momentum of the army and felt that it was not a problem to completely destroy the thieves and ugliness.

At the end of the military parade, the yellow flag on the stage was raised, the drums rumbled again, and all the soldiers suddenly let go of their throats and let out an earth-shattering shout. A gong sounded, and the school field suddenly became silent again.

"It's time to drill the formation," Qian Taichong said excitedly.

After a while, I saw a general hurriedly come to the handsome platform and present a formation book to Zhao Ruyi with both hands.

The drums beat rapidly again, and the team that had originally formed a phalanx began to run rapidly, and the square formation turned into a long serpentine column in the blink of an eye. Qian Taichong saw that the change in formation was not only rapid, but also neat and orderly, and there was no chaos at all. Unconsciously secretly shouted: "Okay" General He is worthy of being a general, and his men and horses are really elite

Then, with the change of gongs and drums, these thousands of people and horses continue to change formations, drill formations, drums rise and fall, and the formations also change again and again...... More than a dozen styles have changed in a row. Thousands of soldiers in armor ran back and forth in the dust for almost an hour, carrying their weapons.

Qian Taichong's eyes were opened, and his interest became higher and higher. He had a heroic feeling in his heart, and couldn't help shouting: "Please go to Lingyan Pavilion temporarily, if you are a scholar and a marquis."

Gou Chengxuan was taken aback by him, thinking that he had lost his mind. Quickly moved a few steps away.

The drill continued.

……

Just when they were fascinated by the ground, on the mountain not far away, a large high-powered telescope was also watching the lively scene of the school field.

Telegrams were constantly being transmitted by radio to the field army headquarters in Mayuan.

"The total size of the enemy army is twenty-two thousand. The main force is about eight thousand. ”

"The enemy army includes about 2,000 villagers."

"Twenty Hongyi cannons."

……

A camera equipped with a high-power focal length lens filmed the entire training process of the officers and soldiers. That night, He Ming and all the officers above the battalion level saw the video USB flash drive sent by the special reconnaissance team members in Ma Yuan's headquarters. The two team members rushed to Chengmai on foot from Qiongshan at a rapid marching speed, and then Yu Zhiqian personally drove a motorcycle to Ma Yuan.

As a spectacular military drill appeared on the screen, everyone gradually became fascinated and discussed:

"It's spectacular! What kind of costume blockbuster, it's almost 108,000 miles," Dongmen Fuyu said in surprise.

"Yes, the scene of cutting off people's heads alone is spectacular, and the heads of five people fall off at once, which is like killing chickens."

"He Rubin's main force is still very elite, the queue is not bad, but it is not neat enough."

"This large group exercise is far worse than North Korea."

……

After some gossip, everyone believed that the quality of the Ming army's individual soldiers was acceptable, and the overall morale of the army was not bad, but the content of the drill was obviously outdated and outdated.

"They are still playing the same formation as group exercises, in fact, things like a long snake formation, even in the current time and space, are not very useful, purely formal. As for stacking arhats, somersaults and the like, it's basically the same as acrobatics. ”

"No matter what they practice, according to the gang in the Great Library, after the big flag parade, the army will be just around the corner. It's time for us to do the same. He Ming said, "Tomorrow according to the Class A standard, breakfast will be served at 6 o'clock on time." Now we look at the watch," he said, raising his hand.

"Let's go and rest quickly, and we will have a few hours to sleep well until dawn. Tomorrow we have a lot of things to do in Chengmai, disband"

At 5:30 in the morning, He Ming got up from the grass bunk and got dressed. The orderly brought him some water to wash his face. As soon as he finished washing his face and washing, he quickly ate the porridge brought by the orderly. As soon as he finished breakfast, he immediately ordered: "Beat the drum and blow the trumpet"

Immediately afterward, the drummer on duty outside his tent beat the drum to give the order. In an instant, the sound of military trumpets and war drums resounded in the sky. The whole horse camp boiled

After five minutes, the drumbeat of "loading" sounded. In an instant, the tents of the officers and soldiers were all pulled up and rolled up. After another ten minutes, the vanguard beat the battle marching drum - the 1st Infantry Battalion had already set off.

The soldiers marched for five hours straight, and the stragglers were sheltered by the rearguards. At noon they took a short break on the side of the road for lunch, and everyone ate dry food. Twenty minutes later, the troops continued their advance. At five o'clock in the afternoon, the sea breeze brings a mouth-watering aroma of food.

The navy's ships had already delivered field cooking vehicles to the Chengmai camp a few hours in advance. On the now leveled land, smoke billows from field cooking trucks, and the smell of rice and "simmering" -- the latter is a mixture of vegetables and meat stewed together -- from the tightly covered insulated pot.

The exhausted soldiers smelled the aroma of the meal and their spirits perked. Hurry up to the preset camp.

After You Laohu set the Jihua of the Battle of Chengmai in the General Staff, the other companies he left in Mayuan all drove to the city of Chengmai to form an encirclement of Chengmai. The engineering team began a large-scale battlefield construction campaign, and the camp with a capacity of 10,000 people was ready.

Tian Liang led the company into the camp, he was suddenly promoted to second lieutenant in this army expansion, although it has been less than three years since he joined the army to become a second lieutenant, according to the crossing group, it seems that he has taken a rocket, but in his opinion, his promotion has been slow to the root.

At the same time that year, the fastest Ruan Xiaoer was already a second lieutenant in the navy, and even among the same batch of people who were promoted to corporal in the army, many people had already been promoted to second lieutenants, but they were never promoted to officers.

Officers, of course, are better than sergeants, not only are they treated one level worse, but they also have a very different status when they go out. Just the rattling officer's command knife hung on his waist, and everyone had to take a few more looks when they walked out into the street. Tian Liang always wanted to hang up the command knife and go to Bairen General Hospital to see Guo Fu. In his heart, he has long regarded Guo Fu as his wife.

But for more than two years, except for a few occasional road encounters, he has never been to this partner who wandered and begged with him back then, and he has not even spoken to her once. Tian Liang felt that every time she met Guo Fu, she was more beautiful than before. Especially the slim blue dress, which outlined her delicate figure, made Tian Liang lose sleep for several nights.

He began to feel ashamed of himself, feeling that he was just a small non-commissioned officer who could not match Guo Fu, and he was more eager than before to become an officer.

Although Tian Liang's heart for promotion is very big, he also knows that his learning ability is too poor, and he can't even memorize a copy of the "Infantry Drill Manual", and he has always been at the bottom of every military skill assessment. If it weren't for this expansion, God knows what day he would have become this 10,000-year-old sergeant.

Fighting with the officers and soldiers, he was not afraid at all. Tian Liang has been in the Fubo Army for more than two years, and he clearly knows that the advantages of the Fubo Army are far from being comparable to the official army. After a long period of training, the soldiers under his command were familiar with their own weapons, and they were full of confidence in this powerful weapon, and they were repeatedly brainwashed by Wei Aiwen and others, instilling a strong sense of "draught and not forgetting to dig wells", and deeply realized that defending the Lingao regime is to defend their own interests. Moreover, the widely publicized deeds of the officers and soldiers in Liaodong and the interior of the country, as well as the deeds of robbery and killing, made the soldiers hate and despise the officers and soldiers.

After being promoted to an officer, he hung up the command knife for the first time, changed into an officer's epaulettes, and went to the Bairen General Hospital to find Guo Fu, but got the news that Guo Fu had been transferred to Sanya.

The news made him depressed for a long time. He knew that Sanya was the southernmost part of Hainan Island, hundreds of miles away from here, and even if he took a boat, he would have to walk for seven days. I am a soldier, and it is impossible to go to such a far place without a holiday.

At the moment, I had to give up the idea of meeting Guo Fu.

This time he was going to fight with the officers and soldiers, and he decided to make a meritorious service no matter what, and get a medal, preferably a third-class meritorious service or above, so that his salary could be increased by a part, plus the bonus of the third-class meritorious service and his own savings, he would be able to roughly pay a down payment......

He was thinking wildly, but he forgot all about the work in his hands. It wasn't until the herald of the company commander came over to inquire about the unloading of the camp tent and Weishenme didn't start that he panicked and hurriedly took someone to make arrangements.