Dragon and Tiger Volunteer Battalion, this is the number compiled by Li Huayu to Luo Hu Wang Long, a team of 6,000 people. Theoretically, it can be regarded as a volunteer recruited by Li Huayu in Shandong, that is, a mercenary. found a legal banner for the two of them to carry out their activities in Shandong.

From the Yellow River loop near Kaifeng to Jinan, the men and horses of this volunteer battalion arrived in a few days and were inspected by Li Huayu. At this speed, Li Huayu couldn't help but be a little impressed by this volunteer battalion, and it was really able to run, endure hardship, and endure cold!

Their arrival made Li Huayu suddenly have a lot of available troops in his hands. In addition to the Liao Dongzhi Brigade and the three garrison brigades, which have been expanded into mixed brigades, and the Shenji Battalion and the 3,000 Battalion, which have taken off the habits of many gentlemen, there is now another volunteer battalion that can fight, run, and endure hardships and stand hard work.

In order to show his importance and trust in this volunteer battalion, Li Huayu made full use of the power given to him by Shouhan. The four twelve-pounder cannons, 1,000 barrels of gunpowder, and 500 guns stored at the Dengzhou wharf were ordered to be secretly transported to the vicinity of Kaifeng by Chen Guoxi as an advance deposit, and the way of the monk Guò Yongxin was quietly handed over to Li Zicheng and Luo Rucai.

If it is said that Luo Hu and Wang Long were able to go to Shandong so smoothly to help the Nanyue army deal with Abatai, it was completely out of national righteousness, which was a bit artificially elevated Li Zicheng and Luo Rucai.

It must be known that these two people, who said that they were the leaders of the peasant uprising at the end of the Ming Dynasty, to put it mildly, were the leaders of the rogues.

But they didn't mention it at all, Li Zicheng's peasant army fought with the Qing army on the mainland from the Jiashen period until the Kangxi period. From the Chixin Camp of the Southern Ming Dynasty, to the Thirteen Families of Kuidong led by Li Guo, to Li Laiheng's Maolu Mountain ancestors and grandchildren resisted the Qing army for several generations. Just ask, these saint disciples who only read the subtle words of Confucius and Mencius in their mouths. How many imperial examinations have you participated in at this time?

They are only responsible for playing with their mouths and playing with their pens. Keep accusing others of their shortcomings and mistakes, keep smearing others, and elevate themselves. It seems that as long as they have the power, they will immediately clear the world and the people will be happy, if they can't do it. I'm sorry, it's just a process, and you need to wait for civilians to endure the pain, but whether the pain is a moment or the cost of a generation or several generations, they don't say. Anyway, the Buddha said, a moment is the same as 10,000 years.

The reason why Li Zicheng and Luo Rucai were able to order people to come to Guò Chen Guoxi's door to help the official army exterminate Abatai was entirely because of the huge reward issued by Shouhan.

Gold and silver wealth. Now there is no shortage of Chuangying and Cao Ying, and there are a lot of these things when Li Zicheng is the most unlucky. What they lacked was strong armor and siege artillery. It was the temptation of Shouhan promulgating that they could exchange for a twelve-pound cannon and 10,000 armor weapons, so that the two were willing to take a risk.

With heavy artillery and gunpowder, Kaifeng Mansion is a piece of fat beef cooked just right. With sophisticated armor and equipment, the two of them can upgrade those troops that have been trained in actual combat to small cavalry and old battalions. Further expansion of capabilities. Afterwards. It is even more possible to follow what the literati said in the late Ming Dynasty, go to other places, loot prefectures and counties, and slaughter the people.

However, when it comes to the good hands of robbing the prefectures and counties and slaughtering the people, Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong and others are also very aggrieved behind Zuo Liangyu. It is really as stated in fantasy works such as the history of the Ming Dynasty and the manuscripts of the Qing Dynasty. Wherever he went, there was no grass growing, or he drank horses with human blood, for fear that he would kill all the people on the earth at that time, and there would be not enough to drink. The reason why the two of them carried the black pot for hundreds of years and blamed Duoduo, Haoge, Kong Youde, Zuo Liangyu and others for the sharp decline in population during the Ming and Qing dynasties, is because. After the two broke through the city, the ordinary people did not kill much, but there were many large gentry and grain households.

Zuo Liangyu is the opposite. Zuo Zhenbing likes to enter the people's homes to extort money, and whenever they meet a fat person, they will use a wooden board to clamp people and burn them on a small fire. After the battle of Zhuxian Town, the elite soldiers and horses of Zuozhen were lost, so they recruited the people of Hejun as soldiers in Wuchang. This way of coercing and catching strong men is unprecedented. However, there is one good thing about Zuo Xiaoshou, that is, he knows how to respect readers. often sent people to the Marquis Mansion, which was regarded as a little affection for the old chief. I don't know if there was the blood of the common people between the Jianghuai River and the Han Dynasty in those expenses when Hou Fangyu soaked Li Xiangjun.

The "achievements" of the Ming Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty were not mentioned in the Ming history and Qing history manuscripts, and there were very detailed descriptions in the Ming Ji North and Ming Ji South Strategy, and the Ming history and Qing history manuscripts did not describe the "achievements" of the Ming army very much, most of them were just mentioned or brushed aside, but the Ming Ji North was really written in detail, and even the Yangzhou Massacre was written. Now I understand why these two books were banned in the early Qing Dynasty. Moreover, most of the people who slaughtered the city were not Qing demons, but former Ming officials

Probably in the eyes of these literati, their criterion for evaluating the common people was that only those who read books were considered common people. The rest can only be small people who have the obligation to feed them after paying taxes on food. This is the same as the high caste in India today, but there are only 100 million people in the whole of India's billions of people.

Looking at those fierce riders, Li Huayu couldn't help but smile so much that the corners of his mouth were about to curl. These old battalion horsemen, all of them are one person and two horses, and many old battalion soldiers still have three horses, in order to ensure the speed of the march.

Luo Hu rode on a horse from Outer Mongolia, holding his own horse lance in his hand, wearing a leather armor, an iron armor in the middle, a big coat made of coarse wool rolled into felt outside, a long knife at his waist, and a horse bow and foot bow on the horse.

The horsemen, old battalions, and horsemen led behind him were also dressed in the same general attire as him, wearing felt hats, wearing armor or leather armor, holding spears, waist swords, bows and arrows on their waists, and some people carrying three-eyed guns or bird guns. They are all elite soldiers in terms of complexion, but their outfits are much worse.

Wang Long, who was standing next to him, although he was much more beautiful than Luo Hu, but the weapons in his hands and the horses under his crotch were the same as Luo Hu.

The infantry behind him, although they marched all the way, compared to the Nanyue Army and the Jingying soldiers and horses, the spirit on their faces was not bad at all.

If there is a difference, it is the nutritional status of the armor and the soldiers.

Although the whole camp pays attention to sharing weal and woe, and Li Ziben himself is also coarse corn, but in a famine area like Henan, it is not easy to feed hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses. I have no choice but to barely eat enough.

"Big young marshal. Look at these soldiers of ours, they still have the eyes of the law, right?! Wang Lung came over with a grin, blocking Li Huayu's view of those soldiers and horses.

"Yes, it looks like you're getting old from war!"

Li Huayu sighed in his mouth, turned his head slightly, and called Chen Guoxi.

"Old Chen. This Dragon and Tiger Camp was introduced by you. You will work harder and be the quartermaster of the Dragon and Tiger Battalion. A cadre of quartermasters, salaries, statistics, rewards, and treatment of injuries and illnesses will all be handed over to you to be responsible. ”

Since the Dragon and Tiger Battalion is a mercenary, it is indispensable to explain the remuneration and treatment in advance.

Looking at the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean now, who can be stronger than the economic strength of the Nanyue Army? In Jinan, it is Li Huayu who is in charge of the house, and he is not inferior to the eldest sister Li Huamei in spending.

When he ordered someone to take out thousands of sets of cotton clothes from the warehouse, handed them to Wang Long and Luo Hu, and ordered him to distribute them. "Don't let the brothers fight in their shirts and pants in the bitter cold!"

Although these people are already at a very generous level of equipment in the camp, everyone is wearing armor. But in Li Huayu's eyes, it is still a little cold.

This is followed by a unified equipping of armor, swords, and guns.

When Wang Lung saw those knives and guns that had been carefully rubbed with oil and even wrapped with straw, he couldn't help but smile so little that he could hardly see it. But Luo Hu was a little reluctant.

"Young marshal, the knives and guns in our hands are also good, we have received our minds, we still use our own swords more easily!"

Luo Hu is a few years younger, a little simple. It's not as slippery as Wang Lung's side.

"Luo Hu! The young marshal is also very kind, what did the gentlemen say. If you want to do a good job, you must first sharpen your tools! Wang Lung was afraid that these thousands of sets of armor knives and guns would be missed because of Luo Hu's arrogance, so he hurriedly stepped forward and whispered to persuade this somewhat innocent little brother.

"Brother Luo Hu, don't worry. These guys were lent to the Dragon and Tiger Battalion by the Grand Young Marshal. You've been asked to help right now. If the weapons are too large and complex, and the color of the armor and clothing is chaotic, it is easy to arouse the suspicion of others, and secondly, it will inevitably fall into the prestige of Ning Yuanbo and the Nanyue army. Chen Guoxi built a very suitable step for Luo Hu and Li Huayu. This barely made Luo Hu smile on his face.

"Since it is the kindness of the young marshal, then I Luo Hu will understand it! It is indispensable to kill a few more Tartars to repay the kindness of the young marshal! ”

Luo Hu turned his head back, "Change your armor all!" ”

Bursting into cheers erupted from the barricades, the infantry stripped off their tattered clothes. In the cold wind, he put on thick cotton clothes and trousers, took off the Ming army mandarin duck jacket with big holes and small holes, and carefully put on the Jiao skin armor or iron-inlaid cotton armor that was at least a horseman in the past.

The riders were even more excited, and all kinds of tattered armor were replaced by Nanzhong cuirass and Jiaolong leather armor.

Whether it was an infantry or a horseman, the original tattered household goods were replaced by sophisticated mourning guns and knives. Except for the absence of bows and arrows, the rest are all sharp weapons.

However, without bows and arrows, the Nanyue army had more ruthless weapons.

All the riders, whether they were old battalions or horsemen, were given a horse gun and twenty rounds of medicine. On this basis, officers at all levels and the elite of the old battalion were also issued with a double-barreled short firearm as a long-range strike firepower.

"Let's calculate according to the reward of the imperial court, a Tartar's head, whether it is a real slave or a rebel bandit, as long as it is a person who shaves his hair and keeps braids, twenty silver dollars. If any of the officers and men of the Dragon and Tiger Battalion were injured, they were all treated according to the standards of the Southern Yue Army. Those who died in battle were given a pension of 100 silver dollars each. ”

After sending Li Huayu away, Chen Guoxi began to tell the two commanders of the Dragon and Tiger Battalion about the conditions that had been negotiated. Such conditions are basically nothing to compete for for the Dragon and Tiger Battalion. After all, everyone comes here with their heads pinned to their belts. In the past, if you were injured or died, you had to accept your fate, but now there is treatment and pension, where to find it?

However, after Luo Hu and Wang Lung summoned a few henchmen to discuss in a whisper, they made a difference: "Shopkeeper Chen, we have some requirements. Whether it is a bounty or a pension, it is all the benefit of the young marshal and Ning Yuanbo to us. We don't dare to argue more. However, can you exchange the silver for gunpowder, weapons, armor, food, and medicinal materials? ”

Chen Guoxi never expected that the other party would make such a request, asking for various materials to pay the bounty! But thinking about it carefully, Chen Guoxi was also suddenly relieved. Based on his experience of walking all over the Central Plains, there is now a famine everywhere and displaced people are flocking. I'm afraid that twenty taels of silver may not be able to exchange much food. However, if the silver dollars were exchanged for grain and rice from the Nanyue Army, it would be much more cost-effective. Now that Chuang Ying and Cao Ying are near Kaifeng, they have the convenience of water transportation on the Yellow River, and the transportation of bulk goods is naturally not a problem!

It was immediately agreed on a first-class ten barrels of gunpowder, on the basis that Li Huayu had already given Li Zicheng and Luo Rucai a thousand barrels of gunpowder. Another thousand barrels. Subsequent gains will be counted separately. Ordinary Liao thieves and bandits, as long as they shave their hair and keep braids, they will have ten barrels of gunpowder, and there are even more officers at all levels above the strength level, basically starting with fifteen barrels of gunpowder. And the commanders of the Qing army's entry troops, Rao Yu Bel Abatai and Turge, as well as the bandit leader Wang Ke's rewards, made Wang Lung salivate. It turned out to be ten large furlong machines equipped with ten sub-guns and related ammunition.

The price of twenty silver dollars for the head of a person can be exchanged for something of equal value. Such a reward was soon conveyed by Wang Lung and Luo Hu, and the whole army knew about it. However, the sequelae also appeared immediately. The soldiers of the peasant army were fighting against the Liao thieves. Just shout "Kill ten barrels!" Ten barrels for it! slogan.

This slogan was shouted from the land of Qilu and kept shouting for a long distance.

In addition to the reward of beheading, all the gains of the Dragon and Tiger Battalion on the battlefield, armor, swords, guns, horses, gold and silver, except for the armor banner of important people Li Huayu to take to repay the merits, the rest are owned by the Dragon and Tiger Battalion.

The daily supply of supplies is also carried out with reference to the treatment of the Nanyue Army.

But this sentence is simple, but it greatly increased Luo Hu and Wang Lung's knowledge.

Chen Guoxi leads his quartermasters. It is very laborious to count the number of horses, mules and donkeys in the Dragon and Tiger Camp and register them by category. After that, feed was distributed according to the standards of war horses, pack horses, horses, mules and donkeys.

As it is said. Although Luo Hu and Wang Long are not nomads who grew up on horseback, they have lived on war horses under their crotch for many years. He is also very careful about raising war horses and mules and donkeys, at the very least, he will not sell the concentrated feed and salt that war horses should have, like the officials and soldiers.

However, the Nanyue army raised horses like this. But it made the two suddenly feel that they didn't know how to raise horses at all.

Each horse is given a tael of salt and a tael of bone meal per day. After a simple estimate of the weight of the horses, dry feed is distributed at the standard of three percent of their body weight. At the same time, sorghum, corn, oats, fried beans and other concentrate feed were distributed.

"It's good to raise horses like this, but what about in the future?"

Luo Hu was stunned, but the first thing that rushed into his mind was such a thought. After all, in Shandong, at most, it can be regarded as a Maike in Guanzhong. If you work for a short time, it won't be long before you return to King Chuang. At that time, these war horses will not be treated so well, at most there are some fried beans, and what will happen to these horses that are used to eating at that time?

However, looking at his beloved mount that didn't raise his head and just buried his head in hard work, Luo Hu had to grit his teeth and care about it! Let's talk about it first!

"Donkey balls! We're not as good as the cattle on other people's side! One of Luo Hu's pro-soldiers complained in his mouth, which was regarded as venting his dissatisfaction. He is considered an elite of the old battalion, but if you ask yourself, I am afraid that I can't guarantee a few catties of grain and a tael of salt every day. In the years when Henan in Shaanxi Province almost ate up the bark of grass roots and trees, not to mention a few catties of grain a day, the victims could only use Guanyin soil and human flesh to feed their stomachs.

However, Wang Lung was overjoyed by the supplies sent by the quartermasters.

In addition to oil, salt, grain and rice, the most unstoppable thing is the meat porcelain jars and those frozen chicken and duck bacon in sacks. With Luo Rucai switching from north to south, Wang Lung naturally knew what these meats meant to the army. The morale and morale of the soldiers will be different because of these things.

Every time he galloped for dozens of miles in the mountains, forests and valleys and stopped for a little rest and sharpening, Luo Ru would order someone to take out a few meat porcelain jars from his bag, cut them and share them with everyone, or there was hunted game, and stew them together with these meat porcelain jars, which was even more delicious.

After arriving in Henan and partnering with Chuangying, although the supply of food and grass was not so scarce. The generals can enjoy the wine and the women, but they can't satisfy the whole battalion of soldiers to have meat every day. At most, a small number of elite and pro-soldiers can fight every few days or in the event of a big war. On weekdays, there are not many meats.

"These are for us?"

Wang Lung looked at the seven or eight carts full of meat with some surprise, and asked the quartermaster who was escorting them with some trepidation.

"Of course not!" The quartermaster glanced at Wang Lung and slipped a list into his hand. These words immediately disappointed Wang Lung, but then he became calm again. Originally! With so much meat, it must have been distributed by several families. Li Huayu can let us be treated the same as his own soldiers and descendants, and it is already very benevolent.

"This is your meat this month! Hurry up and sign for it. Next month's supplies depend on where you are in the war, and the nearest supply is the one! ”

The quartermaster's words immediately made the soldiers and officers of the Dragon and Tiger Battalion who were gathered around the cart thunderous with joy.

"So we can have so much meat to eat every month!"

The soldiers rushed to tell each other.

According to the regulations of the Nanyue Army, during the war, in addition to the guarantee of one or two meat to eat every day, the combat units also had wartime food subsidies. After all, each soldier can eat about three or four taels of meat a day. Of course, this also depends on the conditions of transportation and material support.

Like the Dragon and Tiger Battalion, in the future, it is necessary to display their ability to fight on mobile and long-distance marches, and the officers of the Nanyue Army have added three more feet to this material support.

Facing the piles of meat, grain, and rice that were similar to the hills, as well as the horse feed used for the livestock, the six thousand people in the Dragon and Tiger Camp couldn't help but let out thunderous cheers. The old battalion and Xiao cavalry are better, after all, they are the best treatment in the peasant army, as the main composition of the dragon and tiger battalion, those horsemen and infantry, usually under Li Zicheng and Luo Rucai, the infantry can only eat two meals a day, the standard of one dry and one thin, the cavalry is slightly better, you can eat three meals a day, but it is impossible to eat dry rice, full meals, and meat for three meals!

It's worth it! Almost all horsemen and foot soldiers thought the same way. Touching the thick cotton clothes on his body and waving the newly arrived knives, guns and horses, people couldn't help but let out bursts of ecstatic laughter.

Looking at the thousands of smiling troops, the soldiers of the several baggage battalions who came to escort supplies quietly pursed their lips, expressing their disdain for this group of dirt buns.

"The eldest young marshal gave them all these meat porcelain jars and marinated meat that we all ate disgusting, you see how happy they are!"

"That's it! I really didn't know it! ”

The two baggage soldiers exchanged unscrupulously in the dialect of their hometown in Fujian. (To be continued......)