Dingrong, Guanxi Town, Hujie Township Jundong Battalion.

Xu Wei swept into the camp gate with the guards like a gust of wind, and the soldiers were all happy when they saw the commander returning, and everyone was looking forward to it. There is no other reason, and if you win the battle, of course, you will be rewarded. Hujie is a village soldier, and the military salary is not only not comparable with the forbidden army, but even only half of the box army, mainly relying on combat to win rewards. A few days ago, Xu Wei went to Chang'an, and the army knew that as soon as he came back, the reward would arrive. But when Xu Wei and his party ran over, the soldiers didn't see the mule and horse team they were looking forward to, what happened? What about the reward?

"Brother Jiu!" Yang Yan wore a short coat, held his cuffs, and ran over with an iron gun in his hand, holding the reins of the war horse.

Xu Wei ran all over in sweat, took off the black yarn when he got off the horse, handed it to his own soldiers, and ordered: "Gather the officers above the command to discuss matters in the festival hall." After finishing speaking, he hurriedly stepped into the hall.

Yang Yan immediately conveyed the military order, and the officers at all levels were also overjoyed when they heard that Xu Wei was back. What is the plan for joining the army? To say big, to serve the country, to level the royal court, to go, naturally begging for food, to seek a future. Dingrong won such a big battle, and the iron of recruiting the prime minister must be promoted, and we can be more or less stained. Therefore, as soon as they received the order, the commanders put down their affairs and went to the festival hall in a hurry.

On the way, I met colleagues and talked happily. Not long after, a group of tiger generals rushed to the front of the festival hall, and then they were dressed up and entered. After entering, I saw Xu Zhaoqiu standing in the hall, wearing a vermilion envelope on his body, wearing a golden belt of imperial fairy flowers, obviously after returning from Chang'an, he didn't even enter the yamen, and went straight to Dongdaying. is staring at the map of Guanshan and can see the gods. The generals did not dare to disturb him, so they slowed down and stood still according to their ranks, waiting for the instructions of the commander.

Xu Wei looked at it for a while, then stretched out his hand and made a few gestures with his fingers on the map, and then turned around. When he saw the full hall of upright generals, he laughed and said: "It's all the material for the camp, why didn't you come in and make no sound?" ”

Wu Jue quipped: "If you don't speak up to the public, who dares to make noise?" It's just a fart, and it has to be clamped. ”

"Haha! Sit, sit. Xu Wei sat down on the main seat, and the generals also sat down in turn. The soldier handed over the cloth towel, he wiped his sweat, looked up, and saw that the generals below had bright eyes and full of expectation. He smiled again, "What?" Are you waiting to be promoted and rewarded? ”

Seeing that the extremely serious chief of Ping Suri also made a joke, the generals were not so restrained and laughed one after another.

"Before the award is made, something needs to be announced. A few days ago, I went to Chang'an to see the two chiefs, and I have been appointed as the pacification envoy of the Shaanxi Hua Road and the chief of soldiers and horses, and I changed my knowledge ......" As soon as Xu Wei's words were said here, the pot suddenly exploded below! Good! That's great! Zhijun has finally been corrected! In the future, this Shaanxi-China road will be the basis of our Hujie Army! No one is pressing on top of it anymore! In the past few years, the commander has led us to fight in the east and west, and there have been many big and small battles, and he should have sat in this position a long time ago! Everyone's expectation! Joyfully!

With a wave of his hand, the noise of the generals was stopped, and Xu Wei took out the promotion order issued by the Preparation and Placement Division. In an instant, everyone held their breath and waited for it to be read.

Xu Wei looked around and said loudly: "Since last year, our army has recruited Hedong and fought fiercely in Guanzhong, and the soldiers fought bravely and defeated the gold thieves in a row. The two directors of the department have been specially commended, and they are specially promoted as follows! Wang Yan, the doctor of Zhongwei, the observer of the state of Gali, and the head of the soldiers and horses of the Zhongfu of Chonghe; Zhang Qing was promoted to Doctor of the Guard, the defense envoy of Jiamei Prefecture, and was appointed as the 'supervisor of the Commander of the Commander of the Shaanxi Prefecture's Command of the Ministry of Justice'; Wu Jue, the Doctor of the Gongwei Division, and the commander of the Shaanxi Hua Shuai Division; Yang Yan was promoted to the rank of Doctor Zhongliang, and was appointed as the training envoy of the Jiashang Prefecture Regiment, and was appointed as the commander of the Shaanxi Prefecture Soldiers and Horses; Zhang Xian was promoted to the post of Doctor An, and was appointed to the jurisdiction of the Soldiers and Horses of Huazhou; Ma Tai was promoted to the Doctor of An, and was appointed as the Governor of Shaanxi; and Wu Yan was promoted to the rank of Doctor and Doctor of the Huazhou Prefecture. Yao Pingzhong was transferred to another position and removed from all his posts in Shaanzhou. From now on, the Hujie Township Army will be officially changed to the forbidden army sequence, and it should be treated according to the forbidden army. ”

As soon as the promotion commendation order was read, there was silence below. Because of this promotion, it is really a big surprise for the generals! In the past, although they were all middle and senior generals of the Hujie Township Army, and there were at least a few thousand men and horses in their hands, except for the rank officials and Hujie military positions, there was no official dispatch from the imperial court. And this promotion is tantamount to a earth-shaking change for them! With the dispatch, it means that in addition to the military salary, they can also get a job allowance! The treatment has been greatly improved! Flip it up exponentially! Treatment is important, but what they value more is power!

Take Yang Yan as an example, in addition to the string of false titles, he was only the commander of the first battalion of Hujie and the commander of the former army, and what he could manage was the thousands of soldiers and horses under his command. But now, not only has his salary been improved, but he will also be in charge of the military affairs of Shaanzhou! What does this mean for a man with troops? That means standing alone! This is not counting, the word "township" of the Hujie Township Army was officially removed, and the treatment was compared with the forbidden army, which is a major event that benefits the officers and soldiers of the whole army!

The generals were excited, but there was no shortage of sober people. Wu Jue used to be a minor officer in Jingyuan and knew some rules in the army. Although the battle of Dingrong is a great achievement, we are not worthy of such a grand reward and promotion! I'm afraid there is only one reason, and that is to owe the favor to his subordinates! Otherwise, with his credit for recruiting Hedong and aiding Guanzhong, not to mention Jianjie, at least he has to add a sanitation officer of the general of Zhuwei!

Xu Wei looked at his subordinates with the promotion order and asked, "Why don't you say anything?" Think the reward is too thin? ”

Shozo laughed and raised his eyebrows! Wu Jue stood up, bowed to Xu Wei, and said earnestly: "The two directors are promoted, and the inferior rank should be remembered." But what I dare not forget is the grace of the army! ”

When the generals saw it, they all seconded the proposal, and they all stood up and looked at Xu Wei and worshipped. Wu Jue's expectations were not bad, when Xu Wei reported his military merits, he did attribute all the credit to his subordinates. It's not to pretend to be high-spirited, but he knows very well in his heart that he has today, not only relying on his own hard work, but also relying on the help of this group of subordinates. You are in the position of a general of the army, and you have won a battle, and you have not reported your merits and still promoted and rewarded. Some generals like to make a name for themselves, and they blame their subordinates for making mistakes, such as the marshal Yan Yan. If you do this, how can your subordinates be willing to die for you?

"You fought and fought back, this glory and reward is what you deserve, you don't need to thank me. You just need to remember that the Hujie Army has been built from Jingsui Township at the beginning, step by step to today, in addition to the support from above, it relies on the sincere unity of the comrades and brothers, and they do not care about death! This style of work, no matter how high your official promotion is and how much your power is expanded, you must never forget it! Xu Wei said solemnly.

"Remember to know the military instructions!" The generals shouted in unison.

Yang Yan lowered his head and whispered to a group of colleagues: "Still called Zhijun?" ”

"Remember the instructions of the Great Marshal!" There was another unanimous roar.

Xu Wei smiled, got up after sitting on the handsome case, walked to the map shelf, and said loudly: "After the official promotion, we should do the right thing, I have something important, who dare to go?" ”

Yang Yan shouted almost at the same time as he spoke: "I! ”

Xu Wei glanced back at him and asked, "Do you know what's going on?" ”

"No matter what, the sword mountain and the sea of fire are duty-bound!" Yang Chuzhi slapped his chest loudly, and he was worthy of Xu Wei Xiajin's team.

Xu Wei turned around, pointed to the location of Tongguan on the map, and said: "Although Lou Su led the army to retreat to Luoyang, Guanzhong still should not be taken lightly. At present, the Pujin pontoon bridge has been garrisoned by Zhang Xian and Wu Lan, but Tongguan and Shaanzhou are still in the hands of the Jin army. He Shaobao ordered our company to recover Shaanzhou as soon as possible and block the entrance of Lou Su into the customs, who wants to go? ”

Yang Yan was the first to call, and other generals also asked for battle, Wu Yu thought, this time to recruit Hedong and Guanzhong for a fierce battle, he didn't contribute much, if he didn't go to take Tongguan and recover Shaanzhou, his comrades in the army were afraid of having ideas, and they were ashamed to support the Jingluo Xianggong. After making up his mind, he asked: "Marshal, when I built the army, I knew how to practice field warfare. When the lowly position was in Jingyuan, he participated in more than a dozen large and small battles, Tongguan and Shaanzhou, and he still led the army to go. ”

"Hey, Brother Jin Qing is in charge of the commander, and he is responsible for managing the whole army, how can he move lightly? It's better to be humble. Yang Yan scrambled. In this battle, he led the elite heavy infantry army of the department to march together, strangled the Jin people to the point of crying wolf, and after the enemy retreated, he pursued closely, so that the Jin army squeezed into the Wei River and drowned countless people, and the battle was outstanding. But after the battle, he still screamed that he was not happy, so as soon as he heard that he was going to fight Tongguan, he rushed to go on the expedition.

The two generals are at a standstill, but Xu Wei has already decided on a candidate. Yang Yan is brave, he is the first soldier in every battle, he is not afraid of death, he does not retreat, and his subordinates are also strong and rock-solid. In the field, he is the strong shield and heavy axe of the Tiger Jie army. But Tongguan Xiong is the first pass in the world, although Yang Yan is brave, he is afraid that it will be difficult to overcome for a while, after all, he lacks experience in tackling tough battles, and it is better to use Wu Jue. Therefore, he said: "That's it, you two don't have to fight, Wu Jue led the army to take Tongguan Shaanzhou, Yang Yan returned to Dingrong with Ben Shuai, and there was another urgent errand." ”

At the beginning of April, Wu Jue led the Hujie division to the east to take Tongguan and Shaanzhou. Although Xu Wei was promoted to the pacification envoy of Jingluo and changed to Huazhou, he still set up the commander in Dingrong. In fact, there is no difference, the Dingrong army was originally separated from Huazhou and Hezhongfu. In addition to defending the entrance to Guanzhong, his main focus is now on expanding the army. Soon after the establishment of Shaanhua Road, it was invaded by the Jin army, so both the system and personnel were not complete. This gives Xu Wei a lot of room to play.

After a series of battles in Hedong and Dingrong, the Hujie discount is still relatively heavy. At the beginning, the scale of more than 20,000 people is now only more than 14,000 people left, and Xu Sheng's Tongzhou army has been maintained at a scale of four or five thousand. In addition, when Qu Duan assembled troops in Yaozhou, he transferred the troops that should have belonged to the Shaanxi Hua Jinglu Pacification Division, such as Zhang Zhongfu and Zhang Zhongyan's Hezhongfu garrison, and Kang Sui's Huazhou garrison. In other words, now the entire Shaanhua Road is supported by an army of less than 20,000 people under the command of Xu Si and Xu Jiu. Although Xu Yuan led the army to be stationed in Huazhou, it was Jingyuan's army after all, and sooner or later he would have to go back. Therefore, the current strength of Shaanxi Hua obviously does not meet the scale of a strategic pacification division. It is imminent to replenish the source of troops.

Fortunately, Xu Wei originally selected the brave and strong from the Hedong refugees and the Zhao'an thieves and robbers to train the township army as a reserve force. In the past, I was worried about attracting the attention of the superiors, and it was inconvenient to expand the compilation on a large scale, but now that everything is ready, there is no need to worry about anything. Then the Dingrong Township Soldiers were incorporated into the regular army according to the original structure. The strength of the Shaanxi Hua Shuai Division suddenly increased to the scale of 46,000 people!

Because Shaanxi and China were still facing the threat of war, Xu Wei did not rush to reorganize the troops and reorganize the organization. Instead, he begged Jingzhao for military pay and equipment, and on the other hand, stepped up the test of gunpowder.

Previously, he had already worked with craftsmen to set the formula of gunpowder as three raw materials: flame nitrate, charcoal, and sulfur, and achieved the purpose of enhancing the power by continuously increasing the proportion of flame nitrate. Although it is still far from the explosives of later generations, it is already a great progress for this era.

At the beginning of April, the craftsmen of the Shaanxi Huadu Institute finally determined the detailed proportion of the gunpowder formula after many comparisons and test ignition. In the absence of new equipment, Xu Wei ordered the original firearms of the Song army to be borrowed to test the power of the new medicine. The craftsmen are also ingenious, after seeing the power of the new gunpowder, they don't need Xu Wei to remind the enlightenment, so they switched to using an iron can to hold the powder, as big as a basin, with a cannon car test firing, throw a hundred and ten steps away, the cannon fire, its sound is like thunder, smell a hundred miles away, its explosion range is more than half an acre, showing a strong power!

But Xu Wei was not satisfied, if he wanted to compete with the Jurchens, he could not rely on the defense of the city alone, and he must have the concept of field warfare. And if you want to fight in the field, you have to face the elite iron cavalry of the Jin army. In the past, the tactics were to rely on spears to block attacks, heavy steps to cover, and bows and crossbows to shoot from a distance. Now that gunpowder is available, we have to think about how to use firearms in field warfare.

It is obviously not possible to use artillery trucks, and two-story artillery trucks are transported to the field for combat? Obviously, it won't work, there must be firearms that are smaller and more flexible in use! That's guns! But to make guns under the current conditions is tantamount to ascending to the sky. First, there is no technical support, and second, there is a lack of necessary theory. I have used the pistol myself, and I know how to make it, but even if you draw all the drawings, the craftsmen can't do it.

Therefore, we can only retreat to the next best thing and develop it on the basis of the current tubular firearms of the Song army. Now there is only one tubular firearm in the army, and that is the assault rifle. Speaking of this thing, Xu Wei called it a depressed, that thing was made of bamboo tubes, which were filled with gunpowder, and the soldiers held them, using the flames from the gunpowder burning to burn the enemy soldiers and equipment.