Unconsciously, Zhang Zhidong has been in the Sheephorn camp for nearly a month, seeing more than 2,000 scattered brave men being trained into a capable soldier, although those brave men are more ragged than before because of crawling and rolling, but morale is far more important than whether they are dressed brightly, not to mention that they have not prepared a number of uniforms, but they are all stored in the library and not issued.

Five firearms regiments knocked out thousands of pounds of gunpowder and lead, and more than 300 spearmen not only fired more and more accurately, but also loaded more and more skillfully. If five firearms regiments fought the enemy together, lined up and fired guns in a row, and defeated two or three thousand bandits.

However, in Zhang Zhidong's view, whether it is training shotgunners or knife players and spearmen, in the final analysis, "practice makes perfect". As long as the food and salary can be paid, and the rewards and punishments are clear, no matter who is replaced, they can train an elite soldier. In contrast, it was much more interesting for Master Han, who was not a few years older than him, to teach those civil and military supervisors to lead the troops.

On the day when the camp was completed, Master Han not only specially organized a regimental head battalion, but also personally served as the supervisor, asking those civil and military supervisors to elect the chief and the sentry officer, and then let the sentry officers take turns to serve as the head of the regiment.

Lined up in the school field at two o'clock every day, and Master Han personally led them to run and drill, running from the school field to the opposite hill and then running back. The Sanshi Wenwu Supervisors who ran back to the school first had buns to eat, and the Wenwu Supervisors who did not compete for the top three could only drink gruel like ordinary Tuanmin, and in the end, the Sanshi Wenwu Supervisors didn't even have to drink gruel.

In the words of Master Han, if you want to lead the troops, you must first learn to run, if you can't run, you can't even save your life when the army is defeated.

After running and washing, eating, he was so hungry when he had no food, and then he sent a Shiwen and Wu supervisor to the bayonet and then interrogated and searched the passers-by, and then arranged for a Shi Wen and Wu supervisor to go to the camp office to help with official documents, and a Shi Wen and Wu Jian went to help with the big camp food, and the remaining one person had a small stool and a simple case nailed with a wooden plank, and sat on the small school field in front of Yongling Temple like a "palace test".

In the first two days, I learned the rules of the camp, learned Zeng Guofan's "Asking for Cantonese Bandits", and later either learned military books such as "Soldier's Technique Finger Diagram", or listened to Fei Erye, who came over half a month ago, read the imperial court's newspaper. After lunch, let the civil and military supervisors return to each regiment and train with Chen Hu, Chen Buyi, Yang Dacheng and other military attachés.

In the evening, let everyone talk about the Three Kingdoms to their respective subordinates, and those who can't speak have to learn to speak, and those who speak well will be rewarded with a day off, and they can go to the hotel in Tongzi or a little farther away to have a good meal, and make a group of scholars look like storytellers.

When the Three Kingdoms are usually spoken, after the lecture is finished, the supervisors or regiments on duty of each regiment cannot rest, and either take the scouts of each regiment to ambush nearby, or patrol the night inside and outside the camp under the leadership of the regimental leaders who are on duty in turn in the "head battalion" of the regiment, so as to prevent the brave men on duty on both sides of the Yongling Temple and the camp gate, the arrow tower or the sentry tower from dozing.

Chen Zhankui, the head of the Ba County Cultural and Economic Troupe, and Chen Tianru, the head of the Shilong Regiment, had a grudge against him, and one night he led the five scouts of the Wenjing Regiment to walk more than ten miles at night and touched Hongguan, and quietly tied back the brave men of the Shilong Regiment who were stationed in Hongguan in turn, and Pan Changsheng, who was so angry that he sat in Hongguan, punished the Shilong Regiment for four days of hard work, and insisted that more than 60 brave men of the Shilong Regiment repaired a wall that had fallen into disrepair.

After Master Han learned about this, not only did he not punish Chen Zhankui, but also rewarded him with a day off. Chen Tianru was so angry that his teeth itched, but he couldn't find a chance to retaliate, so he could only endure it first.

Thousands of troops are easy to get, and just when he was lamenting that Master Han had trained so many regimental leaders who could take charge of themselves in just one month, Wu Junxiang, who had not seen him for more than half a month, came back and brought back six big buffaloes.

Chen Hu was so happy to see the ox that he immediately called a hundred and ten brave men to carry the remaining logs from the camp to the field opposite the official road, and then instructed those brave men to nail up the fence.

Zhang Zhidong was confused, and couldn't help but run to the boundary monument and ask, "Master Han, what is this for?" ”

Han Xiufeng glanced back at him and said with a smile: "Don't worry, I have already sent someone to tell the landlord that I will compensate him for as much grain as he destroys." ”

"Master Han, I'm not talking about this, I'm talking about what you want the cow to do."

"The day after tomorrow, each regiment will have to change guards with the Songkan battalion, and four firearms regiments will have to go to the expedition, two of which will not only escort the caravan to Guiyang together, but also have to go to Lord Lingzun and Ding Baozhen to serve in Guiyang. I, Han Xiufeng, are the most credible in my work, and I have to make them feel that this money is worth it! ”

"But what does this have to do with cows?"

"It's a big deal, don't look at the two musketeers who have been releasing guns this month, and don't look at how quickly they load gunpowder lead, but it's all on the school field, and it's not the same thing as killing thieves. In short, I don't know very well whether they can go into battle or not, so I have to find a way to train their courage. ”

Zhang Zhidong asked in surprise: "Master Han, are you going to let them shoot the ploughing cow!" ”

"It's not good to shoot a ploughing cow, and if it spreads, you may be impeached, but it's better to kill a cow and practice courage than to kill someone to practice courage," Han Xiufeng smiled, and leaned into his ear and said: "Beef is better than pork, I haven't eaten beef for a long time." If you can't get a baby today, you will bring the baby over tomorrow, just so that they can also be satisfied. ”

Zhang Zhidong was made ridiculous, and just as he didn't know what to say, Chen Hu ran over panting, wiping his sweat and grinning: "Fourth master, don't say that you have no bottom in your heart, I have no bottom in my heart, I must stop digging a ditch to ensure that nothing goes wrong." ”

"This is someone's land, you can dig it if you want? Besides, you have to fill it up if you dig it, how troublesome! ”

"But what if those boys get scared silly?"

"You don't want to think about how expensive the cow is, is it easy to get six cows?" Han Xiufeng glared at him, and said lightly: "Some spearmen and sword players from each regiment have been transferred over, and it is not easy to engage in six bull heads, and you can't just practice the courage of the firearms regiment." ”

"Understood," Chen Hu responded, thought about it and asked, "Fourth Master, will we use foreigners' gunpowder and lead later?" ”

"Isn't this nonsense, of course we use our own."

"Yes!"

……

Hundreds of brave and strong people started together, two wooden fences of more than 200 steps long were quickly erected in the field, the two fences were seven or eight feet apart, looking a bit like the racecourse of the Shanghai Concession, but the runway was wider than the racetrack, and at the same time it was not as long as the runway of the racecourse.

Seeing that there was still a lot of wood left, Chen Hu simply asked the brave men to set up a platform at the end of the runway next to the boundary monument.

After the platform was set up, Han Xiufeng invited Zhang Zhidong, Fei Erye, Wu Junxiang and Jiang Zonghai, who had worked hard and worked hard, to come up to "watch the battle", Chen Zhankui, Chen Tianru and other civil and military supervisors were not qualified to come to the stage, and they couldn't see clearly when they stood under the stage.

"Ba County Baojia Bureau, first row! Qijiang Anwen Regiment, second row! ”

"What are the Yongning regiments doing here, it's not your turn yet, go over there first, there are people around, take care of your own guns, if you go out and hurt people, the military law will serve!"

Chen Hu shouted as he walked, and Zhang Biao, the head of the Ba County Baojia Bureau, and Li Tianbao, the supervisor, hurriedly asked his subordinates to line up. The two leaders of the Qijiang Stability Regiment reacted, and hurriedly let their subordinates line up behind the armor protection bureau.

Chen Hu scolded while walking in front of the queue to check: "Remember how you are usually taught, no matter what happens, don't be in a hurry, don't panic, do everything according to orders, understand?" ”

"Understand ......"

"I didn't hear clearly, why are you the same as the girl, didn't you eat?"

"Understood!"

"It's pretty much the same, hurry up and check their guns, look at their own gunpowder pots, feel the lead in the bag, and say again, everything is done according to orders, and whoever dares to release a gun without permission will be served by military law. If anyone dares to retreat from the battle, cut it! ”

At the same time, Second Master Fei was using Han Xiufeng's "clairvoyance" to look at Chen Bupanic and the others, who were also preparing on the other side, and couldn't help but ask: "Zhixing, why do you still tie a knife and hurt people?" ”

"If you don't tie a knife, you can't practice your guts."

"Tying knives?" Zhang Zhidong asked subconsciously.

"Look at it," Second Master Fei handed the "clairvoyance" to Zhang Zhidong, Zhang Zhidong took it and looked at it carefully for a while, and found that Chen Buyi and the others were really tying knives to the horns of the ox, and they first tied a wooden stick horizontally, and then tied a row of knives to the wooden stick. Thinking of the three cows rushing over, if the shotgunners in the audience couldn't kill the cows, and the two shotgunners in the audience were all in the fence and couldn't escape, Zhang Zhidong suddenly gasped.

At this time, Chen Hu shouted below again: "Chen Zhankui, you are on duty today, and you are responsible for commanding the sword players and spearmen!" ”

"Yes!" Chen Zhankui hurriedly said.

"Chen Tianru, you are responsible for supervising the battle, and if you dare to retreat from the battle, you will be killed!"

Chen Tianru and Chen Zhankui were mortal enemies, how could they miss this opportunity, and pulled out their waist knives without thinking: "Obey!" ”

"Chen Dacheng, play the flag, let Chen Bu panic and bring the cow over to let the big guy take a look first." Chen Hu was pacing around in front of the formation, and shouted at the top of his voice: "I'll say it again, listen to me carefully, remember it clearly!" When the ox rushed to a hundred paces, the guns were released, and the armor protection bureau quickly returned to reload the gunpowder and lead after firing the guns, and the second row of guns was placed at the A post of the security regiment, and the third row of guns was placed at the C post of the security regiment, and then the armor protection bureau after loading the gunpowder and lead.

If the four rounds of guns are shot out and the cattle do not fall, your food for this month will be in vain, and the gunpowder and lead that you have shot will be wasted. Chen Zhankui, when the time comes, it will be up to you, first use a spear to resist, and the rest of the brothers will stab with a knife. In short, this is your life and death, no, it is you who die or you live, or the cow lives and you live......"

Han Xiufeng couldn't help but laugh as he listened.

Wu Junxiang not only smiled when he looked at this posture, but also felt that even if this cow died here, he would die well, after all, if he didn't practice with real swords and guns, no one knew whether these brave men in front of him could go into battle to kill thieves.

Zhang Zhidong lamented more that southern Sichuan was rich, and that the merchants of Ba County and Qijiang were rich, and in order to train an elite soldier who could go into battle to kill thieves, he not only let those shotgunners shoot thousands of catties of gunpowder and lead, but now he even bought a few ploughing cattle at a high price for them to practice their courage.

With a lot of emotion, Chen Bupanic and others brought the three cows tied with sharp knives, and Zhang Biao, who was standing in the first row, looked at the bright sharp knives and was secretly frightened, and the brave men around him were also extremely nervous.

Chen Zhankui didn't want to be cut off by Chen Tianru's head, so he stood on tiptoe and stared at the cow that was being taken away and shouted: "Brothers, there's nothing to be afraid of, isn't it just three cows, and the guy in our hands is not a vegetarian, and the shotgun can't kill us!" ”

Xu Jianye, the supervisor of the Anwen Regiment, was in the "head battalion of the regiment" and Chen Tianru was like being in the left sentry Jiashi, and he had a good relationship with Chen Tianru. Chen Zhankui, this is not the place for you to show your prestige, and I don't need to drive you later. ”

"Don't talk too much, I can't tell who will save whom later!"

"Stop talking nonsense, hurry up and prepare!" Chen Hu glared at them fiercely, then walked to the side, pulled out his waist knife, and looked towards the platform.

Han Xiufeng took the "clairvoyance" from Zhang Zhidong's hand, adjusted the focus, stared at the end of the runway, and saw Chen Bu raise the flag in a hurry, and immediately turned around and said, "Drum." ”

"Yes!"

As he gave the order, the rapid sound of drums came from behind the stage.

Chen Bupanic heard the sound of the drum, and motioned to the brave men to use torches to light the firecrackers tied to the tails of the oxes. Although it was far away, Chen Bupanic still didn't dare to take it lightly, and hurriedly signaled everyone to hide under the slope behind.

The three oxen rushed over with three rows of bright sharp knives, running faster and faster, getting closer and closer!

Chen Huyi was bold, holding a knife and sitting on the fence as if nothing had happened.

Zhang Biao, the head of the Ba County Baojia Bureau, did not dare to take it lightly, stared at the cattle that were getting closer and closer, and shouted with a gun: "One hundred and seventy steps, one hundred and fifty steps, one hundred and forty steps......

Supervisor Li Tianbao stood in the center of the queue, holding a gun and reminded: "Jiashi aims at the left end, B Shi aims at the middle end, and Bingshi aims at the right end, don't panic, don't worry, stabilize me!" ”

"One hundred and twenty steps, one hundred and ten steps, one hundred steps...... Put! ”

"Bang!"

A row of guns was released, and the sound of gunfire was deafening, and a white smoke of gunpowder filled the front of the battle.

As soon as the gunfire fell, Xu Jianye, the supervisor of the Anwen regiment, shouted: "Sentry A stepped forward, aim ...... Put! ”

"Sentry B step forward, aim, release!"

The first row of guns hit, but the ox was not dead after being shot, but as if it had hit something, he paused and continued to rush this way, but he didn't run as fast as before. The second row of guns knocked down the cow in the middle, and the third row knocked out the one on the left.

One of the three oxen was rushing along the fence on the right.

"Eighty steps, seventy steps!"

"Sixty steps!"

"What is the Baojia Bureau doing, hurry up!"

The brave men on the right side of the fence didn't want to be affected by the pond fish, so they all went to the side to avoid it.

At this time, most of the shotgunners of the Baojia Bureau were loaded, and the gunsmoke in front of the battle was not as thick as before, Zhang Biao held the gun and shouted hoarsely: "Brothers, there is only one head left, all for Lao Tzu to aim at, release!" ”

Bang!

Bang bang bang!

Bang!

The fourth round of guns was not as uniform as before, but because it was close and clear, it was more accurate than the previous three rounds, and only a muffled sound was heard, and the ox was thrown to the ground, and after falling, it rolled forward nearly a foot, less than twenty paces away from the brave and strong An Wen's regiment, which had just been loaded with gunpowder and lead, and stepped forward to aim.

Seeing that the three frightened oxen were knocked down by the four rounds of guns before they could rush to the front of the battle, the brave men on both sides of the fence immediately cheered.

Chen Hu was not very satisfied, jumped off the fence and walked in front of everyone, and asked coldly: "How do you usually tell you, don't panic, don't panic, but after putting the gun down, you still panic, the loading is so slow, why don't you slow down anymore?" ”

"Master Chen, we ...... This is the first time ......"

"What's wrong with the first time, don't quibble, hurry up and see if the three cows are dead, make up for a few knives if they are not dead, and then quickly drag them aside." Chen Hu touched the corners of his mouth, turned around and said, "Sheep Horn Group, Dizang Group is ready, Chen Zhankui, don't move in your place." Chen Tianru, you continue to supervise the battle! ”

"Yes!"

The Ba County Armor Protection Bureau and the Anwen Regiment made a start, and the shotgunners of the two regiments of Sheephorn and Jizo had a bottom in their hearts, and they were not afraid but eager to try. After the brave men cleared the runway, Chen Bupanic also sent someone to lead the remaining three cows to the opposite side of the runway, and began to tie wooden sticks, and then tied sharp knives to the wooden sticks.

Han Xiufeng felt that it was boring to draw a scoop again with a gourd, so he simply shouted: "Chen Hu, let the Sheephorn Regiment and the Dizang Regiment each send fifteen people, exchange the gunpowder and lead of foreigners, line up in three lines, three in a row!" ”

"Yes." Chen Hu responded, and immediately shouted: "I heard it, I don't need to be full, there are thirty people and thirty guns are enough, the Sheephorn Regiment is in the middle of the group, the prison is upright, hurry up and prepare!" ”

Thinking that they could shoot far away with the gunpowder and lead of foreigners, and that they could shoot in 180 steps, the supervisors and regiments of the two regiments were not worried because there were fewer people, and hurriedly selected the brothers to line up.

Zhang Zhidong has only seen the brave men beat the straw man once with the gunpowder and lead of foreigners, and he does not know how sharp it is to use the gunpowder and lead of foreigners. The result shocked him, the same three frightened mad cows, in the face of thirty foreign guns, were all knocked down when they were more than sixty paces away from the first row of gunners.

"Eye-opening, eye-opening!"

Wu Junxiang relieved himself, and also clapped his hands and smiled: "With such a sharp firearm, why can't the Sichuan-Guizhou business road get through!" ”

When Second Master Fei was in Gu'an, he saw Chen Hu and them practicing, and he didn't make such a fuss as them, so he shook his head and sighed: "The fight is lively, and it does practice the courage of the brave and strong, but it's a pity that there are six cows, it's really a sin!" ”

"Second master, I know that you are reluctant to give up those ploughing cows, but no matter how expensive the cattle are, no one will have a life." Han Xiufeng helped him to walk off the stage and said with a smile: "Besides, before setting up this fire bull array, I had already asked Chen Bu to bow in a hurry. If your lord is ...... If you don't think it's enough, don't eat beef that night. ”

Second Master Fei couldn't help but smile: "Who said I don't eat it, remember to let the cook stew it badly, when you are old, your teeth are not good, and you can't chew it if you don't stew it." ”