Fang Yizhi, Huang Zongxi, and seven or eight gentry took a boat and gradually approached the newly built dock of the Model Army on Chongming Island. Chongming Island is an alluvial sandbar, and the surrounding water is not deep enough, and because of the sediment deposition and river erosion, the water depth in the vicinity often changes. In order to avoid the accident of running aground, this wharf is simply a floating wharf composed of five or six large sand boats connected together with iron chains, and from the floating wharf to the land behind, it is connected by a pontoon bridge that is forty or fifty zhang long and two zhang wide. The sand boat that a few people were riding slowly approached the dock, and a few people saw Gu Jiang holding a feather fan in his hand and waiting on the dock with a few people. The sailors skillfully threw out the cables, set up the springboard, and Fang Yizhi was the first to board the pedal and walked over. Gu Jiang also hurriedly greeted him, and bowed to Fang Yizhi, Huang Zongxi and the others with a smile: "It's hard work, the prince was supposed to come to the dock to greet you, but unfortunately something happened, and the prince was anxious to discuss countermeasures with the generals, so let me greet you on his behalf." But he didn't mean to put on a stand in front of the old people. ”

Fang Yizhi listened, shook his head and smiled: "Da Mu is really careful. Which of us who is here today is not his old friend, how can we not know who Damu is, how can we guess him like this? Speaking of which, I have been studying refraction recently, but I have a lot of things to refer to him. Oh, what the hell happened? Ignorance...... If it's a military plane, I won't ask. ”

Gu Jiang listened, gently shook the feather fan in his hand and said with a smile: "It is indeed a major military incident, but everyone is loyal to the Ming Dynasty, and it doesn't hurt to listen to it with you." And in a few days at most, you should know the news. As you know, the Anping Mansion has a lot of business in various places. ”

Speaking of this, Gu Jiang looked at these scholars, and when he saw that everyone nodded, he continued: "The Anping Mansion has the same business in Wuchang. Just now, news came from Wuchang that the thieves captured Hankou within a day, and Zuo Ningnan suffered a lot of losses. ”

"What! A thief goes to Hankou in one day?! "Although when they came here, Fang Yizhi, Huang Zongxi and others knew that the situation in Huguang was not optimistic, but even when they made the worst assumptions, they would not have thought that Li Zicheng would be able to take Hankou overnight.

"Is this true?" Huang Zongxi said, "Ning people, I don't doubt what you mean, it's just that Hankou is a famous town in the world, the city is high and the pond is deep, and Zuo Ningnan has a lot of soldiers in his hands, why can't he hold it for a day?" ”

When Gu Jiang heard this, he just shook his head, sighed again, and said: "This battle, to be honest, it's not that Zuo Ningnan is incompetent, it's really Li Zicheng who is too cunning. Taichong, do you know that the thieves used gunpowder to blow up the city wall that day? ”

Huang Zongxi frowned and said, "I heard Hou Gongzi (Hou Fangyu) mention it. They didn't seem to be successful in blowing up the seal? ”

Gu Jiang nodded and said: "It was unsuccessful, but Li Zicheng did not give up this idea, thinking that they had research again, but this time, they blew up the wall of Hankou by more than ten zhang." Then the thieves swarmed in. The defenders didn't expect such a change at all, and they were in chaos. Speaking of which, Zuo Ningnan still seriously wanted to defend Hankou, and the one who guarded Hankou was also Li Guoying, the most effective general soldier in his hands. Li Guoying took his personal guards to the battlefield at that time, wanting to control the situation, but he didn't want to, the thieves blew up another section of the city wall, Li Guoying fell into the thieves on both sides, and suddenly he couldn't withstand it, and it was best to almost wipe out the whole army. It's just that I don't know what Zuo Ningnan will do with him if he loses Hankou. ”

"The thieves went down to Hankou one day, and I don't know how long Wuchang can last. And the thief's momentum is so arrogant, Zuo Ningnan doesn't know ......" Chen Zilong couldn't help but say.

"Da Mu thought that Zuo Ningnan would most likely abandon Wuchang and flee." Gu Jiang said, "I think the same way below. ”

"Wuchang is where Hu Guangzhi is located, how dare Zuo Ningnan ......" Chen Zilong said.

"It's not the first time Zuo Liangyu has given up on Wuchang." Gu Jiang sneered, "After he was defeated by Zhang Xianzhong, the elite was lost, Zhang Xianzhong continued to advance, Zuo Liangyu rushed ahead of Zhang Xianzhong, plundered Wuchang, and then fled. Later, Zhang Xianzhong entered Wuchang and abandoned the city after staying for long. It is said that Zhang Xianzhong said to people: 'If Zuo Liangyu is a thief, he is better than Lao Tzu. He grabbed a handful of places, and Lao Tzu couldn't find anything valuable anymore with all his efforts. In this situation, it would be strange if Zuo Liangyu didn't run. Besides, now that Jiangnan is empty, Zuo Liangyu is afraid that he has long wanted to find an opportunity to come to Jiangnan. ”

"The affairs of the country are in the hands of these people." Chen Zilong couldn't help but say.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let's not talk about things on this dock, there will be more warships docked here soon to unload. And Damu is also ready to catch the wind banquet, and the scenery on Chongming Island is also unique, we go all the way, just take a look, Chen seniors are the world's word sect, think about it, and there will be a new song. Gu Jiang didn't seem to be willing to continue to say more, so he said.

"Exactly." Fang Yizhi also said.

"Alas!" Chen Zilong sighed, but didn't say anything more.

There were no sedan chairs on the docks, only two light two-wheeled mule carts. Gu Jiang brought a few people to the car and beckoned them to get into the carriage, but he didn't get up, but turned over a horse.

"The Ning people have been running in the army these days, and they have even learned to ride horses!" Huang Zongxi exclaimed.

When Gu Jiang heard this, he just smiled proudly, but he didn't say much.

The two vehicles, escorted by a group of soldiers, left the dock and proceeded along the newly opened road.

Huang Zongxi stared at the soldiers guarding these guards along the way, at first he only cared about talking to Gu Jiang, and then his attention was attracted by the news from Huguang, so he didn't pay much attention to these soldiers at that time, but now when he got to the car, after a little leisure, he immediately noticed that the soldiers who were guarding them seemed to be very strange.

First of all, the clothes worn by these soldiers are very abnormal. This is not all to say that the uniforms of the soldiers of the Model Army are different from those of other armies in terms of standard, in fact, in this era, there is no standardized military uniform in the army at all. Basically, except for the generals' personal soldiers' uniforms, the rest is all kinds of chaos. Moreover, this kind of chaos has become more serious with the collapse of the central finances of the Ming Dynasty. The uniforms of the Model Army soldiers are too neat in comparison.

In addition to being neat, what is more important is that these soldiers are too neat. Their clothes are all clean and straight, not to mention the general Ming army, even the personal guards of those generals, there is no such neat and clean.

Immediately afterwards, Huang Zongxi noticed that the walking posture of these soldiers was also very special. Huang Zongxi has seen a lot of soldiers of the Ming army, most of them are malnourished, their faces are yellow and thin, and they are also depressed and listless when they walk. But the soldiers of the Model Army were not like this, they were all sturdy, and they walked with their heads held high, without squinting. Even those who are personal soldiers for the general do not have such a spirit. Moreover, Huang Zongxi even found that when these soldiers walked, their movements were exceptionally neat, and even no matter which foot came out or any arm was swinged, it was neat. Huang Zongxi is not proficient in military affairs, but this does not prevent him from finding problems from these details and having the feeling that these armies must be very capable of fighting.

"This must be the prince's own soldier, right?" Huang Zongxi guessed in a low voice.

"No, it's not." A voice suddenly replied. Huang Zongxi turned his face and saw Xia Wanchun's face, which had turned red from excitement.

"I corresponded a lot with Shizi," Xia Wanchun explained, "and Shizi once talked about the difference between the military system in ancient times and the military system today. He said: 'In the three generations, the army was a gentleman and a scholar, so he was able to dance and wear a seedling; As for the two Han Dynasty, especially with the son of a good family as the army, they can seal the wolf Juxu; Extended to the Sui and Tang dynasties, its style still existed, but as for the two Song dynasties, they were all armed by slaves and prodigal sons, and then there was the disaster of Shenzhou land sinking. Today's words are the first king, and this is also the one who should be the law. ’”

As he spoke, the carriage passed by the gate of a barracks, and a gust of wind blew, but the sound of reading was clearly sent to everyone's ears.

"Do you say you have no clothes? with the Son. Wang Yuxingshi, repair my spear. Enmity with the Son! How can you say that you have no clothes? With the Son. Wang Yuxingshi, repair my spear halberd. Work with the son! How can you say that you have no clothes? with the Son. Wang Yuxingshi, repair my armor soldiers. Walk with the son! ”

Huang Zongxi nodded and said, "The son of the world is ambitious. Sure enough, it is reviving the army of gentlemen and scholars! Speaking of this, he couldn't help laughing, but said again: "Use a knife to cut chickens?" ”

Xia Wanchun also laughed when he heard it: "The words of the Holy Master, 'A gentleman who learns the Tao will love others, and a villain who learns the Tao will be easy to do', the ancients did not deceive!" ”

As the carriage continued on, it passed a training ground where a group of recruits were training for a change of queues. The soldiers lined up in a neat line, under the command of whistles and drums, constantly changing formations, what columns became horizontal formations, what horizontal formations became hollow phalanxes, and so on. According to the standards of the Model Army, the level of these recruits is not completely satisfactory to the Model Army, but for those who have never seen such a fancy and strict formation change, the effect of this scene is indeed shocking.

"It's no wonder that the son of the world can always win battles." Xia Wanchun thought silently, "Just look at these soldiers, compared to those guards in Songjiang Mansion, one is really in the sky and the other is underground." ”