When the team of 7,000 people set out, it was equipped with about 10,000 standard medium-sized horses, and to a large extent, it was an "all-mule-horse" team. Not only that, but also carried 2,000 improved four-wheeled carriages as the core of the baggage vehicle. In addition to protective equipment and basic carrying provisions, the per capita firepower is more than 100 kilograms.

In addition to being equipped with about 2,000 recoilless steel rifled guns, the entire new guard unit is also equipped with 100 medium-sized field guns with a steel body, plus the independent artillery battalion directly under it, and the 7,000-man artillery is equipped with 200 medium-sized field guns weighing about 1,000 catties and even more than 40,000 rounds of ammunition of various kinds, not including special blasting equipment and blasting ammunition.

The high-cost recoilless rifled guns occupy deshelling shells and even arrow shotguns, which are equipped with about 60,000 pieces; On average, the main infantry had at least 30 rounds of ammunition per person, which fully guaranteed the exertion of combat effectiveness to the greatest extent. In addition, there are many high-cost melee self-defense equipment and even night combat lighting and fortification equipment that outsiders do not know about.

This gave Xiao Xuan reason to believe that the armed forces that the 7,000-strong and subordinate forces of the pro-guards could fight against should not only be hundreds of thousands, but also very backward, like the forces of the Donghu Dynasty or the Mughal Dynasty. Even if it encounters hundreds of thousands of very powerful ones, comparable to the strength of the infantry corps of the general revolutionary army during the previous Western Expedition, it can resist to a large extent.

At the same time, although the level of mule and horse utilization of the troops is relatively high, because the number is not large, it still maintains a relatively normal speed during the march, especially in the case of the consumption of marching supplies within the control area, and many weapons and ammunition and other baggage can be carried completely. When the spring of the eighteenth year of Chongzhen had not passed, the whole team was fully assembled in Lanzhou, and many people who followed it to the west embarked on a long journey again.

What is different from the past is that although there is not much war demand in the estimate of this trip, and the horsepower is also sufficient to a large extent, in order to avoid many accidents, Xiao Xuan still let Tian Xiuying and even Zhou Yufeng and even some other women who stayed by his side travel together. Including Wen'er, Xin'er and others are the same.

At the beginning, the women other than Tian Xiuying, who followed Xiao Xuan's side, were still very excited, but because not everyone had that kind of preparation, after a months-long march, many people who were not very good seemed to have difficulty persevering.

"I thought my physical strength was good among women, but I didn't think that the army would be so hard... Even Yun Xiaoxuan, who was beside Xiao Xuan, complained bitterly when the army was not yet close to the old frontier and was still walking in the Hexi Corridor.

Xiao Xuan and even the vast majority of the officers and soldiers of the new guard battalion were not so delicate because they often went on patrol.

At this time, many of the young guards who marched with the army also advised: "Let the women who went with the army get on the car!" Under such circumstances, many people were finally freed from the fatigue of the march.

"It is said that there is no combat mission on this expedition, and it is not a bit to carry so much armor and firepower resources..." Seeing that the men and horses were carrying a lot of artillery and even equipment, Tian Xiuying also decided that the burden seemed to be a little too heavy.

Xiao Xuan said: "After experiencing a lot of things in the past, it is better for the army to prepare for the worst when it is on an expedition. Moreover, if there is a provocation, there may be a big war, at least in the Tianfang area, there are some foreign regimes that we have not really cleaned up and repaired. At this time, Xiao Xuan thought of the Ottomans and even Safi Persia, in the past, he did not expedition to these places because the cost was not low, and the oil and water were not as large as the European continent, and they were relatively far. However, at this time, Xiao Xuan felt that perhaps these two "civilized" regimes were not so expensive to conquer, especially when the core military strength at this time had already become different.

Of course, today's team is not as good as before, in the process of marching the army, even ordinary lower-level soldiers can be appeased by the "camp prostitutes" who are not bad in the quality and standard of the army, and the morale does not appear in some of the situations that Xiao Xuan was worried about at the beginning. In this case, Xiao Xuan and Tian Xiuying and the others, who followed him on the expedition, no longer had some worries when they followed the expedition with the army in the past.

During the army's march around the Hexi Corridor, Xiao Xuan also learned a lot from the people who planned to leave the sea and go to the Western Regions. Some of them were previously understood, but there were also some things that were not previously well understood.

"Although the road to the northwest is not as plagued as in the south, it is thousands of miles away from my family. Didn't the local people use any coercion when they mobilized you to come? When approaching the old frontier, Xiao Xuan asked some people.

Because they know the identity of Xiao Xuan's son of heaven, and even some legendary comments, many of these people who have left their hometowns do not have too much to hide: "Actually, we don't want to leave, but in the past, the family property and land were divided equally among the sons, and there was always a guarantee within the clan." But now that the new law is promoted, I am afraid that after the death of my father, the eldest brother of the family will have the final say. I am at odds with my eldest brother because of the inheritance on weekdays.,In order to avoid some troubles that may be encountered in the future.,That's why I had to bring my newly married wife to come and go around.。。。 A person from a not too bad family said.

"I don't want to leave my hometown, but the above has set a target for the whole village to nominate those who must be relocated, and in desperation, my family is not allowed to let us leave... Some people from less wealthy families say so.

In this regard, Xiao Xuan did not have much to do. With the unprecedented improvement of the health situation and even the gradual stabilization of the society after the turmoil, the population growth rate of the whole country after the turmoil was actually slightly faster than that of the Qianlong era, which was one of the fastest population growth in ancient history, and almost caught up with the population growth in the first 30 years of New China, and it is estimated that the annual net increase in the population is as much as two or three million. At a time when transportation capacity had not yet reached the level of Europe in the early nineteenth century, only a two-pronged approach of population transfer and material importation could alleviate some of the problems of development to the greatest extent.

(End of chapter)