(This chapter is yesterday's, let's see if we can have another chapter in the evening)

In the hot wind of the scorching sun in early summer, the crazy grass and trees in the Huainan Plain swept through the air, so that the air was filled with a dry smell of being sunburned.

No matter how hard he practiced and worked hard, Wang Qiu, the deputy of the team who still looked slightly fat, also tried hard to listen to the belly under the armor, and was not very skilled in riding on a big mule with flower skin; The saddle was also hung with a row of knives, short spears, and crossbows, which made a rattling sound with the marching kicks and the strong wind.

Since the Battle of Dantu, he has not only received a corresponding battle medal, but also been awarded the third-class Courage (other titles, such as Dare to Fight, First Climb, Attack, etc.) medal and the third-class Rock (also known as Iron Wall, Golden City, etc.); As a qualification for increasing the granting of land and the transfer of military personnel in the future.

Therefore, he simply gave up the opportunity to change from the deputy to the captain, and since then, taking advantage of the further expansion of the Taiping army after the war, he has received assault training on riding, and has changed from a horseless foot soldier to a mounted foot soldier with a mount. It can be regarded as a step closer to the majestic and better treatment of the Ma Army.

Because in a series of battles in Runzhou, tens of thousands of mules and horses were successively captured from the official and military sequences of the imperial court Zhenhai Jiedu, coupled with the number of large livestock levied by the local government one after another, the animal power in the army suddenly became abundant. Therefore, after giving priority to replenishing several cavalry battalions and cavalry battalions in the front, the rest of the Taiping army began to implement mule and horse formation.

One of the biggest changes is that the number of men and horses in each formation of several military orders has been increased to the corresponding two or three cavalry battalions. After all, compared to a war horse that needs to charge into battle and emphasize explosiveness and speed, it also requires cavalry training to come in handy; The requirements and thresholds for riding a foot soldier are much simpler.

As long as you have the corresponding stamina and physical fitness, it is good to be able to provide the mobility of the soldiers to turn fast forward and travel to and from the battlefield; Therefore, if there is no suitable military horse, even a simple trained donkey and mule can be competent for a while.

Coupled with the baggage carts drawn by pack horses, the maneuver within a radius of one hundred and eighty miles above the plain of this water town was only a matter of moment. If the range of maneuvering is extended to a range of two or three hundred miles, it will only be a night and a half day.

Despite this, as an authentic southerner who was not good at riding in Canton; When Wang Qiu faced this flower-skinned mule named "Da Luoluo", he also fell several times, biting the back of his back and buttocks and back to bruise, so that he was able to roughly grasp the basic control strategy.

However, since he became a cavalry pawn, his service allowance and food allowance have naturally increased considerably; There is even an extra quota of soybean meal, hash browns, and fried wheat for the mounts to maintain their basic daily body weight and attendance.

If it is an urgent task that requires intense exercise, it will be made of fish bone meal, small pieces of rice flour, and potato flour, even if you eat it directly, there is no problem for you. For example, this time the secret escort mission from Yangzi County to Tianchang County.

It's just that after he survived from the burning Dantu City, it took him more than ten days to recover; When he felt that he was physically fit and ready to go out to find a woman, he received an order to pull out the camp, and he had to leave the prosperous and wealthy town of Dantu, so his wish to find a woman was disappointed again.

After arriving in Huainan, he found that this place had been beaten to the ground, and the place had been repeatedly scraped by the official army and the righteous army several times, so his hope was delayed step by step. However, when he was training and reorganizing in Yangzhou, he had a new idea after staying for a while.

is the so-called fireworks holy land and prosperous place in the world - the truth of Yang Yi Yi Two, the local woman born and raised in Yangzhou is also Zhong Lingyuxiu, famous all over the world, or find a way to bring it back to the rear to live a good life.

After all, he is now a small leader, and he can afford to support several people on his salary alone. In terms of qualifications, it has long been enough to meet the criteria for applying for a family. As soon as it can be approved, there will be ready-made houses and basic utensils allocated to them, just waiting to live in.

Wang Qiu was thinking about it on the mule, when he saw the probe horse opening the way in front of him suddenly whistle and turn back; He couldn't help shouting at the flagheads who were following the flags on the left and right:

"The front team of the summons dismounted and formed a formation on the spot, and the rear team was on the spot on the horse. Left and right drag the horses to disperse. ”

Then he loosened the buckle from the hanger, took the crossbow, and securely loaded a heavy bolt of steel from the holster, and hung the short spear diagonally on the side hook, and fastened the small group card to the elbow; Only then did Wang Qiu drive the mule under his crotch to the side of the carriage, which was tightly covered by the inside and outside.

And the flag heads on the left and right also pinched a cylindrical medicine arrow in their hands, making a gesture that could be excited at any time. At this time, in the faint smoke and dust ahead, a group of people appeared.

They were under the banner of ochre yellow, and everyone was dressed in ochre-colored buns and yellow shirts, and they were shouting one after another.

"Don't be alarmed, brothers of the Taiping Army, we are here to answer on the orders of the military government."

"There are seals and official documents here, please inspect them in person."

When they stopped in front of them, a pale-faced general rode his horse and slowly stepped forward and said in a loud voice.

"A certain is Lin Yan, the official of the military government, and your Zhou Lingjun is an old acquaintance and colleague of Guangfu."

So after a moment's delay, the two teams merged together again and set out on the road to Tianchang County again.

Despite this, a group of veterans, including Wang Qiu, were still arranged by Zhao Gongfan, the infantry captain who led the team, to the side of the carriage, and the converging military soldiers were faintly guarded and isolated in the periphery.

It was only after walking for more than two hours, and the military non-commissioned officer in charge of leading the way in front suddenly turned back and reported:

"The bridge in front of it was in disrepair, and after only a few dozen people, the pillars collapsed."

"You need to get the nearest materials to repair it before you can pass it. Whether to camp on the spot for a while. ”

"That's not going to work, we can't afford to be here."

As the captain of the team, Zhao Gongfan, looked at the nameless river with clear waves but categorically denied it, and then he bent down to Wang Qiu on the side of the carriage and ordered.

"Old Wang, you can take a few more people who are still good at the water to explore the river, and find out if you can find a place where the carriage can also wade across the river."

"No."

Wang Qiu nodded in response. Then he quickly took off his cumbersome armor and tied it to the mule's back with his weapon, leaving only a sackcloth vest and a short crotch, and led his mount with a bladeless thorn in his mouth, and slowly walked along the uneven pebbles into the river stall.

Except for Wang Qiu, who was exploring the path with his bare hands, the other soldiers who followed him closely behind him were each holding short soldiers or crossbows in one hand. I saw that the clear water slowly flooded half of their bodies, and then, in some kind of shaky momentum, re-exposed their thighs and knees that were farther and farther away.

After crossing the river safely, Wang Qiu did not join the soldiers who crossed the river first; Instead, he took two short spears and joined them into a flag spear, and shook them vigorously at the other side several times in response and confirmation;

Then, ignoring the wetness on their bodies, they put on their armor again on the spot, and unloaded all the ordnance in their hands and put themselves on guard. Seeing that the first batch of people on the other side had begun to cross the river, Wang Qiu took the half-fire man with a crossbow and a license, and explored and searched along the river bank under the scorching sun.

With the movement of the grass and shrubs that were vigorously dialed, the grasshoppers and flying insects that were frightened and jumped up from time to time rushed to scatter in front of them; Even if the sweat coming out of the body is mixed with the river water that soaks inside, it makes people damp and uncomfortable; But Wang Qiu still meticulously maintained the basic formation.

Not far away, the soldiers of the military government who crossed the river first were already leaning and squatting in the shade and shade of various trees, and looked at these Taiping soldiers meticulously patrolling under the sun with great interest.

When Wang Qiu's team turned back, a new team set off; By this time the banks of the river had already crossed over with a number of wet soldiers and equipment; And the heavily protected carriage was also pulled forward and pushed backwards, and it had just rolled more than halfway into the river.

At this time, it was a sudden change, and those military soldiers who were hiding in the shade of the trees to enjoy the cool screamed miserably. Their bodies were pierced and knocked to the ground by arrows flying in the distance; Then the arrows fell on the Taiping soldiers on the river.

By this time, they were already raising their cards or kneeling down to find cover. In the roar and roar, at the turn of the upper reaches of the river in the distance, a man with bright armor but an extremely strange banner was killed.

"There is an enemy half-crossing attack. Hurry up and release the arrow. ”

Wang Qiu also shouted loudly.

Then, the arrows thrown from the opposite side had turned into smoke-strewn rockets, but they passed over the Taiping soldiers who had already formed a formation, and shot into the river far away; Most of them were concentrated around the cart.

In the dense fall into the extinguishing of the zizi, suddenly there were soldiers accompanying the left and right who were hit by arrows one after another and fell into the water; On top of the cart, more than a dozen fire arrows were hit, and black smoke and flames came up.

At the same time, the vanguard led by Wang Qiu had already finished arraying, and fired the first round of crossbow arrows at the oncoming enemy; And when the oncoming people were on their backs, they staggered, trotted, raised their cards, swung their knives, and slammed into them, slashing and slashing.

Another soldier picked up the arrow in the hand of the banner leader who had fallen to the ground, and forcefully dropped the wire that ignited the fire in the direction of the back sun, and after a few breaths of delay, a flame with obvious smoke trails was shot out by the sound of a collision.

At this time, there was a faint shout again on the opposite bank, but a force of men and horses came from the distant horizon; But he ran around and shouted loudly:

"Brother Huang, don't be afraid, I'm here to save you...

With these cries one after another, there was another fire rising in the air, and then a third stream farther away... And in a town more than ten miles to the south, Lin Ming, who had just arrived in it, also looked at the fireworks rising in the distance and said to the left and right.

"The snake is out of the hole and ready to be served."

At the same time, a bloodstained figure also fled from the gate of Tianchang County.