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In northern Guangdong, the mountains are high and the forests are dense, and the arable land and water sources are much less than those in the Pearl River Delta region, and it is the only way for the Hakka people in Jiangxi, Fujian and other places to go south in history. For many years, this is where the so-called conflict between the Turks and the Turks is acute, and people often fight for decades or even generations in order to compete for land, mountains and forests, and water. In order to survive in the chaotic world, dealing with bandits, wild beasts, harsh natural environment, and clan wars that may occur at any time, people have formed villages to protect themselves.

All the way to the march, any village and Zhuangzi encountered along the way, all around are rammed into an earth wall with glutinous rice pulp accompanied by Sanhe soil, and there are deep trenches dug around Zhuangzi, and suspension bridges are used to enter and exit, and arrow towers are also built at the four corners, and the young and strong people in the village are on duty according to the shift.

Some Zhuangzi walls are also made of bricks and stones, and the outside is plastered with burnt ash purchased with heavy money, some big surnames, big clans, and dozens of villages are continuous into a piece, and the deep walls are like military forts, and they communicate with each other with horns and flags, as if they are small independent kingdoms.

Since the chaos in Guangdong, fences have been built in various villages.

Along the official road, stretching for hundreds of miles, dotted with large and small enclosures and stockades, in the military newspaper of the South Chinese Army, it is called the walled area. In the area, the distribution of donations and taxes, for the past business and travel people, or collect taxes and fees, or block the road to rob, it is the official army of Guangdong, and there are rumors that they are disarmed when passing through the walled area. Whether it is these big villages or big villages, all of them are surrounded by Shenhao. Cloth dense baskets, build a high wall of sheep and horses. Some of the walls are so deep that they are not inferior to the local county towns and cities, and some of the richer villages also have forts at the head of the city, and there are artillery such as big Buddha machines and six-pounder guns.

In November of the tenth year of Chongzhen, Lingnan is already the early winter season, and occasionally there are people walking on the road, all wearing cotton clothes.

Walk along the official road, between the flat ground on the slopes on both sides. Occasionally, farmers can be seen collecting straw bales in the fields. After the late rice is harvested, the bales of straw are thrown into the fields that have been drained of water. From a distance, it looks like a line of soldiers.

In Guangdong, Fujian, these fields. Most of them are clan fields. That is, the so-called "dead landlord" - the ancestral hall. According to the investigation of Chen Hansheng and others in the 23rd year of the Republic of China. The proportion of ethnic fields in Panyu and other counties in the Pearl River Delta is 50% in Panyu, 60% in Shunde, and 50% in Zhongshan. Xinhui 60, Nanhai 40, Dongguan 20, Heshan 40, Baoan 30, Huiyang 50, Boluo 40, Gaoyao 40, Kaiping 40, Enping 40, Taishan 50, Sihui 30%. [38]。 In Sha Tin District, the number of ethnic fields is as high as 80% [39]. Zheng Zhenman also said that the number of ethnic fields in Guangdong is particularly large, and its proportion of total land production is quite large, with an average of about 30-40 percent in some areas, and a large number of 50-89 percent [40]. Qin Hui wrote: "At the beginning of the 20th century, clan public land accounted for 50-80% of all real estate in the counties under the Guangzhou Prefecture, and non-ethnic public land (Xuetian, Miaotian, Huitian) accounted for 1-5%.

The peasants, who were packing up the last harvest of the year in the fields, were alarmed by a noise and looked up, and on the official road, a marching procession with no end in sight was marching along the official road leading from Fengshun to Wuhua. The smoke and dust brought up by the wheels soared into the sky, the earth shook in neat steps, and the sky-high momentum brought by the march of the large group of men and horses, as if the mountains and rivers in front of them could not stop their march. The whistles of the officers and sentinels to adjust the queue sounded from time to time, as well as the neighing of mules and horses occasionally pulling heavy wagons.

In the procession, the soldiers in armor and armor wore cuirasses, with eight-petal hats and iron-pointed helmets on their heads, thick cotton clothes under their armor, and fire guns on their shoulders and thorns hanging from their waists.

In the cold wind, the big flag in the flag bearer's hand was unfurled.

This is the marching team of the District Dapeng Brigade of the Nanzhong Army to Wuhua County to conquer and suppress the "Taoyuan Taisha" Lianzhuang Association entrenched in that area. "Sing a song!"

"Clear river, green rice fields, this is my home, my pastoral ......"

"The flag is fluttering, the horse is Xiao Xiao, a good man, a good man,......"

"The morale of the brothers is good!"

Ou Dapeng, the brigade commander of the Sixth Garrison Brigade, was the guy who shouted at the meeting that he was unwilling to be a garrison brigade, and when Shouhan saw that he could fight and charge, in view of the fact that his troops were insufficient for a while, and there were too few troops in his hands that could be used for field maneuvers, he transferred him from Nanzhong to Guangdong.

"Sue the brothers, after beating the Taoyuan Taisha who disobeyed the general's military orders, we can throw away the hat of the garrison brigade and replace it with a mixed brigade!"

Taoyuan Taisha is an armed force of the Lianzhuang Association entrenched in seven or eight counties including Wuhua. Although it is a Lianzhuang, it also has a strong clan color, and it should be said that it is an armed group based on the clan. The several clans headed by the Song Dynasty are claimed to be the Hakka people who moved to Guangdong in order to escape the war in the Central Plains, the Liu family, the Guan family and the Zhang family. It has been living in this area for hundreds of years, and Dingkou has become more and more prosperous.

With the popularity of one of Luo Guanzhong's novels, these families used Taoyuan's righteousness as a call to communicate with each other, intermarry with each other, help each other, and compete with other clans, gradually forming a force that can hold the local government hostage. After the rebellion in Guangdong, he used his own financial resources to gather the strong people in the clan, organize and train the battalion, build equipment, and set the flag, as if it were an army.

Internally, they sent food and donations to supply military salaries, and sent strong men to serve as soldiers, while externally, they attacked and killed each other, which has become the root cause of the disaster.

After the Shouhan issued an order that the armed forces in various parts of the two regions must stop their activities, stand by in place, and prepare to wait for the inspection and dispatch, the forces in various places either accepted the dispatch or hesitated to wait and see. Only this Taoyuan Shrine, relying on its own high mountains and long roads, has a large number of soldiers and horses, and in the past, the official army dispatched to suppress it, but it was only a temporary action, and it was nothing to do if it survived this period.

Not only did they turn a deaf ear to the order to appease the army, but they also dispatched more than 2,000 people to annihilate and kill more than 100 members of the South Central Army and their escort forces that were publicizing the military orders of the Governor's Mansion near Wuhua County. Decapitation, disembowelment. He even tied the wounded horns of the captives with four buffaloes, and tore them apart with the strength of the ox.

As a result, Ou Dapeng, who has always been known for his ability to fight and kill, was transferred to the vicinity of Wuhua, preparing to use the armed forces of Taoyuan Taisha to show the miscellaneous armed forces in various parts of Guangdong.

"Send scouts! Go at least fifteen miles along the official road to conduct reconnaissance and prevent anyone from attacking our ideas! "Put away a monocular. Ou Dapeng ordered Wang Hai, the captain of the brigade headquarters scout team. Strengthen reconnaissance and vigilance on the way forward.

"On the hills on both sides, send a team of soldiers to go up, release a guard post after the top soldiers and before the forward, and then march after the brigade is clear!"

Although Ou Dapeng is famous for daring to fight and fighting the whole army. But it's not the kind of brave man who only knows how to swing his sword. If only that. He also couldn't do it to the position of brigade commander.

As the trumpet's horn sounded, groups of soldiers separated from the marching ranks like streams of a great river. Quickly occupy the hills on both sides of the avenue and cover the marching brigade.

Scouts, spearheads, forwards, Chinese troops, baggage teams, containment teams, and rear guards, according to this marching sequence, the District Dapeng Brigade is like a huge iron roller, although the speed is not fast, but it is unstoppable in the direction of Wuhua County.

"Thirty miles further on, we will arrive at today's campsite, where we can make the baggage team go one step ahead and go to the house, boil water and cook. Let the brothers go to bed after eating early. Tomorrow, you will enter the scope of activities of Taoyuan Taisha and be ready for a big battle at any time! ”

Ou Dapeng ordered the troops in front to give way to the side of the road, and ordered the large and small vehicles of the baggage team to go first, and the soldiers of the whole brigade camped in Beidou Town, which had been planned in advance.

The sound of whips and shouts rang out, and the wheels of the large and small vehicles of the baggage team sparkled, rolling up a puff of smoke and dust on the official road and rushing towards Beidou Town.

"Stop! The baggage team is temporarily stopped! ”

A scout rode his horse and rushed in the direction of the march.

"Stop moving! There is a case ahead! ”

Hearing the situation ahead, the officers of the regiments and battalions immediately ordered the troops to stop, and the soldiers in the vanguard took their bayonets from their belts and put them on the muzzles of the firearms.

"My lord! There is a large group of people in the town and at the intersection in the town in front! Captain A ordered me to come back first and say goodbye to my lords! He led someone up to check on the other party's situation! ”

After listening to the scout's report, Ou Dapeng was very satisfied, this kind of handling was very safe, not only to prevent being raided, but also to avoid possible misunderstandings. This time, the main target of the battle was the Taoyuan Taisha, not the jade burning. Turning his head, he ordered the trumpet, "Blow the trumpet, let the brothers rest in place first!" ”

A military horn sounded loudly, and when this voice was heard, the whistles and passwords sounded one after another in the ranks, from each regiment to each battalion, from each battalion officer to the sentry officer, and from the sentry officer to the team officer, and the team officer to the first commander, and soon it was passed to everyone in the team.

Some people took out the kettle and began to drink water and eat dry food, and some people chose a relatively dry ground and sat down to rest. After asking the commander and the team officer for leave, several soldiers went to the side of the official road to untie their pants and began to release water.

The baggage soldiers of the baggage team did not care about resting, and hurried to check the vehicles to see if the axles needed some oil, and whether the ropes that bound the supplies and ammunition were loose.

After about a bag of cigarettes, another puff of smoke and dust rose on the official road, and the hooves of dozens of war horses galloped like thunder.

"Trere, old mother! Who is such a big panache! ”

Ou Dapeng knew that the scouts in front of him did not have so many horses, and this must have been after the scouts came into contact with the troops assembled in the attached town.

It is very strange that this horse team holds high the red and black military flags of the Southern Central Army. Behind the military flag, a flag bearer held a triangular flag with red and yellow flames in his hand, and a black "Wu" character in the white moonlight.

Under the banner, a big man came on horseback, wearing iron armor, a battle robe inside, a fiery red cloak behind his back was lifted by the wind, and a thick iron rod was inserted in the press sleeve of the horse. The faces of the visitors were full of joy.

It was Wu Liuqi, who had recently accepted the appeasement of the South China Army!

"My lord! When Lord Wu heard that we were going to conquer the Taoyuan Shrine, he volunteered to the general to fight with our army. The scout officer Wang Hai and Wu Liuqi's younger brother Wu Biao introduced the two sides to the meeting.

Wu Liuqi led more than 3,000 troops. Assembled in Chabei Town, marched all the way through Liuhuang Town and Pantian Town, and finally waited in the attached town before the arrival of the District Dapeng Brigade.

After greeting and politely exchanging words with Wu Liuqi, Ou Dapeng urged the horse into the attached town, and saw those soldiers and horses on the streets of the town and the open space outside the town, although it was obvious that they were elite soldiers who had been selected, but Ou Dapeng couldn't help but pout in his heart.

From head to toe, Wu Liuqi's more than 3,000 people can be described by the word mess. On their heads there were those with scarves, eight-petal hats, iron-tipped helmets, and red tasseled hats. Wearing a bamboo hat. There are waist-length armor or hood armor on the body, which belong to the placket cotton armor, and only reach the shoulders, revealing the red jackets of the arms. Like a cuirasse. There are also just a cyan number. The weapons in his hands are quite neat. At least there are no kitchen knives or sticks or anything like that.

There are only four or five hundred people, probably belonging to Wu Liuqi's personal soldiers, and the attire of the soldiers of the Nanzhong Army is basically the same. It's just that there is not such a neat and thick cotton coat inside the cuirass. The weapons in the hands are also mainly cold weapons knives and guns, unlike most people in the South China Army who use firearms, knives and guns are just a subordinate position.

In front of Wu Liuqi's team is just the opposite, most of the troops use cold weapons such as knives and guns, and it is the commander Wu Liuqi himself, who is also an iron rod on his horse.

Looking at the large and small artillery pieces in the ranks of the Southern Chinese Army, he couldn't help but swallow his saliva vigorously for Wang Jin, who commanded Wu Liuqi's elite personal soldiers. "No wonder people can control the provincial city in one fell swoop, at most we will enter the capital city."

Because of the rendezvous with Wu Liuqi's troops, the original plan to camp in Beidou Town had to be stopped, and the two armies had to reorganize and redetermine the marching sequence.

That night, the two troops camped in the annexed town.

The officers met in the temple of Emperor Guan in the town to discuss the military situation. The soldiers arranged camping in the open space outside the town and in the ancestral halls and temples in the town.

The soldiers and grassroots officers of Wu Liuqi's newly formed brigade looked at the baggage vehicles and artillery of the Sixth Garrison Brigade with envy.

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven......" someone counted the number of eight-pounder and twelve-pounder guns in the artillery team with great interest, "good boy! There were twelve of these guns the size of a fist, and as many as eight of them were the size of a sea bowl! ”

A leader counted the large and small guns of the artillery team with envy on his face.

Not only these eight-pounder and twelve-pounder guns, but also a group of soldiers of the newly formed brigade gathered in front of a large Buddha machine, looking at the cannon with joy and curiosity.

"Good boy! I'm afraid there are dozens of cannons?! ”

"Rest assured, brother! According to our general's practice, it is all a bowl of water. Only you fight him well, and the silver dollars, artillery, knives, guns and instruments are all the same! ”

Huang Lei was proud of his family's son, Huang Damu, the battalion officer of the Sixth Brigade Artillery Brigade, patted the shoulder of the leader of Wu Liuqi's subordinates and told him proudly.

"What kind of cannon is that?"

The leader pointed at the strange cannon on a baggage truck not far away, the huge muzzle and the short and thick cannon body looked like a field chicken about to jump up and catch insects.

"That? It was a mortar, the big one for a forty-eight-pound shell, and the small one for a twenty-four-pound shell! ”

Listening to Huang Damu talk about the knowledge of shells, the leader was a little skeptical, how could such a short and thick cannon body fire those shells that were two or four times heavier than twelve-pound shells? With such a short cannon body, how far can the shell be fired?

In the midst of the doubts of the leader, as the sun sank in the west, accompanied by a touch of sunset, there were trumpets inside and outside the attached towns one after another. It's time for dinner.

Originally, Wu Liuqi's younger brother Wu Biao and Wang Jin and others collected in the town (it sounds like a collection, but it is actually a robbery.) A batch of pigs, sheep, chickens, ducks and other things, bought a lot of wine, prepared a large amount of firewood, prepared hundreds of cauldrons, and planned to have a good meal with the new comrades of the Sixth Garrison Brigade in the evening, so as to make a good impression of their service.

Unexpectedly, as soon as the Sixth Garrison Brigade entered the attached town, it first set up artillery forts at the four corners of the town with eight large Buddha Lang machines, and then placed cannons at the three entrances and exits of the town. Scouts and sentry patrols were arranged outside the town, and after the makeshift camp was guarded, dozens of cooking carts were lined up in front of the stage in the center of the town and dinner was prepared for the brothers of the two brigades.

The men took baskets of vegetable oil out of the cooking cart, stuffed the briquettes into the hearth and ignited them, and soon the tongues of fire licked the bottom of the pot merrily, and the town immediately began to fill the town with the peculiar aroma of rapeseed oil.

This four-wheeled cooker has two oven eyes, equipped with a water tank, an oil drum, a rice noodle tank, and a large cabinet for storing vegetables and meat. These containers are topped with a cutting board that serves as a worktop, allowing the preparation of the dish to be carried out at the same time as the main food is processed. According to the design requirements, the diet of about 300 people can be completed in half an hour, and the requirements are hot dishes and hot rice with soup. After many years of use, the officers and men have also found some experience, and the more these cooking vehicles are used, the more efficient they are.

"General Wu, your position has not yet been officially promulgated by the lord, but we have long heard that your department is going to be organized into two brigades, so if you are called the brigade commander, it is a little aggrieved and reckless, since our two families are family, then you don't have to be polite, the brothers of your department are not fully equipped for a while, so they will be wronged, and together with us, everyone will be on the same page, and when the battle is over, the lord will naturally equip your department with all kinds of equipment and equipment."

Ou Dapeng smiled in front of the statue of Master Guan and pointed to the dinner prepared by the soldiers for Wu Liuqi, Wu Biao, Wang Jin and others.

"Let's just take a look and taste the food of our Nanzhong Army?" (To be continued......)