With the order of the deputy Gu Laosi of the regiment,

The queue that walked on the uneven plains with sweaty hair like rain suddenly scattered to the left and right.

A small number of people raised the gun charge and made a defensive gesture, while the rest checked each other's weights one by one, as well as the tightness of the various objects and the integrity of the equipment.

Since it was a return journey, the armed march became a kind of run-in high-intensity training.

The main battle battalion teams were drawn out in a targeted manner to carry out a coordinated search march with a certain quota of auxiliary troops and stragglers.

Therefore, this formation is like an octopus with its feet open with all its strength, with a posture and efficiency of the battlefield to seek the enemy, and it is moving closer to the rear at a rapid pace

According to the rules of the army, there are three major categories of standards for marching loads:

One is the so-called combat weight that is convenient for light assault, and there is nothing else except armor and equipment, about 20-30 catties, that is, when the enemy is camped or defended in the city, within the attack distance;

One is the standard weight bearing between the marches, which is convenient for long-distance marching in the case of carrying equipment and personal belongings, which is about 40-50 catties, but in fact it is also necessary to have a certain pack horse, or a towed carriage and horse, as a relay and rotation, otherwise it is easy to consume most of the physical strength of the soldiers, and cause the consequences of insufficient reaction to the enemy;

Like the current Seventh Battalion of the Main Battle, the capture of the battlefield and the local looting can almost ensure the basic equipment of the head of the horse, although these horses are centrally organized and managed by the regiment when they are stationed, and they are only distributed to individuals when they are on specific duty.

The old and new nine auxiliary army brigades can also ensure the basic equipment of three people and one mule or big donkey, which is used to load their basic supplies and equipment.

Although this required carrying more forage and beans to meet the large daily consumption needs, their mobility and adaptability, as well as their durability in the field, were greatly improved

The last one is to let the soldiers carry the maximum self-sustaining standard of mouth requirements under the terrain conditions that are inconvenient for carriages and horses, and the weight of short-distance rapid travel is about 60 catties; Under certain special conditions that require a forced march at any cost, it can reach up to 7 or 80 catties.

Each category is divided into several sub-categories according to the specific battlefield and equipment needs, so as to adapt to various unexpected situations and needs.

For example, the commonly used wrapping rain gear in the south becomes a bundle of felt blanket in the north; The sulfur stones used to prevent snakes, insects and ants will be turned into anti-frostbite anointing oil and chili seeds, and the ropes and tents needed in the mountains and forests will be prepared more than in the plains and hills, and so on.

One of the more special ones is the Ninth Brigade composed of Japanese people, although he is as obedient and tolerant as an animal, but he can only carry the weight of the second-class standard.

When the stragglers who accompanied the team used the shovels and pickaxes they carried to build a resting camp,

Began to cook on the fire, with semi-dry mud blocks to form a small notched ring pile, add some oil-soaked charcoal to start the fire, pile on dry branches and broken firewood, is a standard five-person marching stove.

The bucket pot on the back is filled with live water from nearby, which slowly turns black and becomes hot under the licking and burning of the flames, and the first boiling hot water is divided into their own water bladders or back pots according to the operating rules, and then the second dish is used for cooking.

Cut into large pieces of radish and peeled taro, plus some stinky shrimp paste from the south, all that is left is the heat and charcoal, stew until both are rotten, the shrimp paste is melted into the soup, and it is done.

The radish taro cubes are boiled salty and fresh, crispy and delicious, which can not only satisfy the stomach and quench greasy thirst, but also have calories and nutrients in the words of later generations. Even the soup can be dipped in scones or eaten with dry foods such as fried noodles, which is a simple and real battlefield delicacy.

This is also one of the sources of ingredients that are relatively easy for them to obtain when they arrive in the Northland, and for a while, they are all eating in batches with the sound and movement of eating.

Suddenly, several cavalrymen with small flags on their backs galloped from the avenue, stopped within ten paces, exchanged orders with this man and horse, and handed over their identity cards.

"Honjin...... Is this for my people to cross the river to scout?."

Gu Laosi was a little dumbfounded, and said to him.

"Strictly speaking, not all of you......"

The messenger explained

"It's just for you to pick out some of the best players who are good at what they do...... Just crossing the river together......"

Gu Laosi suddenly felt a little unbelievable, and a little surprised.

To tell the truth, before he met the Northern Expedition of Daliang, he had never even set foot on the north bank of the Yangtze River in his life, and he never thought that he would have the opportunity to cross the Huai River and come to the Central Plains to fight.

But this time, it was for him to cross the Yellow River, which is not a small ditch that a light boat can dive.

But in the end, he was ordered, selected more than a dozen people, and then handed over the command of the team, and followed the horse to drive away.

In the downstream of Yanjin Gudu, a small group of people and horses have already set off by boat.

In the sound of the splashing waves of the oars, several medium-sized Bantou river boats that rowed across the water and swayed slightly soon became a little bumpy and rippling under the impact and fear of the current.

And Niu Gao, who was dressed as a Northern Army in the middle of the boat and looked extremely calm, was already full of sweat in his palms, but he was a little envious of those soldiers who were struggling to operate the ship and sail cables, wringing with the cold wind and surges, and the soldiers who were full of sweat and heat, at least they had no time to worry about other things......

In more than a month, the flood in the upper reaches of the northwest will come down, and the river will begin to freeze, so even the slight moisture that slaps the side of the boat and splashes on the face is extremely frozen.

If the boat capsizes here, no matter how good his water nature is, he will quickly lose temperature, and there is not much body at all, and he will be able to return to the shore.

Therefore, most of the soldiers in the cabin, wearing only robes and no armor, silently sat on the deck with their wrapped armor on their knees, and although their faces were different, they were nervous, frightened, or anxious, but they were still within the normal range.

Fortunately, this extraordinarily long torment and waiting, after half an hour of drifting, finally came to an end.

With an order, the cabin resounded one after another, the sound of armor preparation and inspection of weapons, and then in the three-section cabin, row after row of heads reported and passwords,

They began to pass large jugs of spirits, took a few sips one by one, and then took spicy things such as dried peppers, dogwood, and galangal in their mouths.

This is in order to prepare for the need to wade into the water to rush to the ferry in case something goes wrong, but fortunately, this plan failed to come in handy after all.

With the strong tremor and swaying of the hull touching the bottom, the long-lost land appeared in front of them again.

The first to walk out of the cabin and board the beachhead on the north bank of the Yellow River were the Yunzhou soldiers from the Sixth Brigade of the Auxiliary Army, who were also responsible for negotiating and covering.

Their current identity and banner are from a small unit that was annihilated, under the Criminal Zhou Army, that is, one of the old departments of Liu Jiye, the general of the Criminal Prefecture.

Not long after, Niu Gao, who temporarily led the team, also stood on the beachhead of the temporary mooring boat, but he only saw the dense gray and white Wei bushes and the slightly startled flock of water birds, and suddenly had some impulse and pride to roar.

With some war horses with the imprint of the Northern Army also forcibly pulled off the boat, he, a small unit in disguise and submersible, was basically ready to deal with various situations.

And as the riverboats on the return trip went offshore one after another, the soldiers of the whole team standing on the shore inevitably showed all kinds of complicated expressions.

This also means that for a longer or shorter period of time in the future, the future and fate of this armed reconnaissance unit will only depend on unpredictable providence and luck.

Fortunately, it seems that God has some favor, they opened the banner of the "Xingzhou Army", and after walking a few miles from the shore, they still did not encounter many people and tracks, and naturally did not reveal their identities and the unexpected risk of encountering accidents.

Everywhere there was a scene of desolation and depression, a great drought in the north that had left an indelible mark on both sides of the Yellow River, and the ruins of the first village they encountered were full of torn and tore white bones.

With a larger scale of references, the professionals, hidden in the ranks, began to measure the bearing and the waterlines along the way in order to draw the simplest terrain and road maps,

Then, according to impressions and descriptions from many years ago, they continued inland along the well-defined road, passing through several villages in succession, still covered with rubble and inhabited.

The once densely populated north bank of the Yellow River seems to have become some kind of ghost domain shrouded in dead silence.

Then, at last, they were discovered, and it was a large earthen fence with a wooden fence and a fence.

Before they could get closer, in the distance, more than a dozen yellow-skinned, tattered-clad villagers suddenly burst out of the dry river alley and fled into the earthen enclosure like frightened beasts.

However, unlike the expected panic and the imminent enemy, Tuweizi only closed the door, and for this small "Xingzhou Army" marching on the road, he used a familiar and insensitive attitude, and kept indifferently watching them go straight until they disappeared out of sight again. There was no inquiry, questioning, or negotiation.

This result also made Niu Gao, who had tightened his weapon and was ready to fight, breathe a sigh of relief. They only came to investigate in the early stage, to find out the situation and reality along the surveying and mapping, and to map and map out the appropriate action route first.

If we can avoid conflicts and casualties, we should naturally try to avoid them.