Sun Meiyao looked outside and thought for a while, "There shouldn't be anything, right?" In this weather, even if it is a green forest, it is not much business. On such a cold day, if people stay outside for a long time, they are prone to frostbite, and if they don't do well, they will be crippled. No matter how dangerous it is, it is possible to freeze to death directly, so everyone will avoid this weather. The boxers are not better than the green forest to freeze, a group of old farmers, as soon as it is cold, they will disperse. Besides, there are hundreds of soldiers in Madame's car, which is a hard-nosed job on the road, and no one likes to do it, so it is unlikely that they will be moved. ”

"That being said, it's not necessarily that simple." Zhao Guanhou came back from the telegraph house, his expression still nervous. Cao Zhongying drank some hot tea, and his complexion was better, and he and Sun Meiyao knew each other, but they didn't see each other. "Brother and sister, don't you know, those boxers gathered 10,000 people, what a big team this is, this time it's a broken boat, slow to say that it's snowing, even if you get a knife, you can't stop them. More than a hundred guards, which is too few. ”

Zhao Guanhou slapped the table, "I'm sorry, we have to go on our own, we can't just count on Duan Xiangyan, we can't, we have to go to Liujiatai by ourselves and get rid of these boxers." ”

Sun Meiyao felt a little pantothenic acid in her heart, and secretly wondered if she and the Su family would be so attentive to herself if she and the Su family were in another place today. But after all, he still carried a pistol and followed behind, "I'll go and assemble the cavalry post, if anything really happens, my men have horses, and they should hurry up." ”

Cao Zhongying said: "If you go to a sentry is the same as if you didn't go, you have to bring people, my eldest brother has a battalion, he will definitely send people, Guanhou, you see how many soldiers you send." ”

Zhao Guanhou nodded and said, "Gather the pipe belts of each battalion, tell your subordinates, and prepare to pull out." Meiyao, lend me a sum of money and give my sons a month's salary, and I want to pay you back in the future. ”

"If you don't pay anything back, my people are all yours, not to mention the money." Sun Meiyao swept the green forest, her net worth was extremely thick, and she would not be embarrassed to pay for two pieces of silver, but she was worried about another problem

"At the moment, we have not been ordered by the commander and moved to Texas without authorization, isn't it good? How is it good to blame a handsome person? Besides, when we get to Texas, where do we stay? The houses are all occupied by Duan Biao, and we are afraid that there is nowhere to go, so we can't let our subordinates sleep in the open air. What if the fourth brother's news is not accurate? If those boxers are just bragging and don't wait for the train, this oolong will make a fuss, but they will have to suffer a lawsuit. ”

"I'd rather believe in it or not, gather the team, go first, and then talk about ......"

Among the management bands of each battalion, the vast majority of them were trainees trained by Zhao Guanhou when he was in the artillery battalion, and a few others, such as Huo Qiu, were real power and concurrently served as sentry officers, and they also had a great influence in the army. When Zhao Guanhou finished talking about the telegram, the deputy general merchant groaned slightly

"My lord, Xiangyan is a person, I know a little, there is no military situation in this kind of weather, he is mostly fighting with a few acquaintances. He may not have read the telegram you stood, so it is not surprising that he has no news there. I think what this Fourth Master Cao said was only the news he heard from the lower-level boxers, and it may not be credible. Besides, Xiangyan has a mark in his hand, as long as he sends someone to take a look, he should be able to report the news. We were so reckless to bring the soldiers over, I was afraid that the Taibao would not look good. Besides, seeing that the sky is about to change, once the troops get lost, or freeze to death frostbitten personnel and horses, it is always difficult to explain. ”

Duan Xiangyan was born in a family of soaps, and later joined the army, and was particularly capable in his errands, and actually recognized Yuan Weiting as his godfather with a dead face. Most people in the army call it Taibao, and they also know that they have Yuan Weiting's support behind them. If there is any trouble with him, the handsome may not support him. It is also difficult to account for the loss of manpower and material resources caused by unauthorized actions.

Daikin officialdom is now acting in a way where more things are better than less, and everyone doesn't want to find trouble for themselves, even if something really goes wrong, it is Duan Xiangyan's responsibility. However, if you send troops without authorization, you have no merit and mistakes, and if you have losses, you have to take off your own top.

Zhao Guanhou said: "Brother Shang, what you said makes sense, but the problem is that the current situation is that the boxers were driven to Zhili by us, in case they are really unfavorable to the eldest wife, which of us can take this responsibility." What's more, there are also so many colleagues in the car, and my sister-in-law is also in the car. This is too much responsibility, but it must not be sloppy. Today, it was as if our artillery had come to a cross-country march, and if something went wrong, I was responsible. How many mules, horses, personnel, and equipment were lost, and I was asked, and no one was implicated. However, this soldier must be drawn. I'm going to find a way to raise money, give the brothers a handout, and tell them that when they get to Texas, as long as they are safe, let them have fun. ”

Shang Quan saw that his eyes were red, and he knew that he would definitely not be able to persuade him, and his wife was also in the car, and he was a little hairy when he was said like this. I had no choice but to say: "Since this is the case, then follow the order, as for the opening fee, the battalion I am in charge of is not necessary." The left artillery battalion is a model battalion, and it can march without pulling silver. Marching in bad weather is indeed a skill that troops should master. ”

Zhang Huaizhi on the other side heard this and sneered, "Lord Shang, you are a model battalion, and our artillery right battalion can't compare." But before I came, all the brothers in the battalion were in the room and did not move, and I dare to guarantee this, as long as the adults say to pull out, the right battalion of artillery will not be left behind. As for the opening fee, adults should remember it first, and wait until they arrive in Texas. ”

Zhao Guanhou nodded, "Then in that case, let's do it, whoever goes to Texas first, and has a complete system of double salaries, and the last one to go to Texas, or those who have a lot of people left behind, don't take any of them." ”

Sun Meiyao coughed, "Since that's the case, then I'll say thank you on behalf of the people in the riding camp, and we will take this double salary." ”

When the battalions went to assemble their troops, Shang Quan called out to Zhang Huaizhi, "Did you hear the words of this bandit?" He dared to say that he took the money? He didn't take us seriously. It's only been a few days in total, and I thought I was amazing, if I let a mountain occupant climb on our head, I don't know what your temper is, anyway, I won't have the face to go out to meet people in the future. ”

"Lord Shang, what you said is shameless to me. In her cavalry battalion, the actual cavalry is only one outpost, and the rest are infantry. Our artillery battalion, but the mounted artillery battalion, the name given by the adults is Flying Cavalry Artillery. If four legs can't outrun her two-legged soldiers, nothing else, from me down, all find a rope to strangle themselves to death. ”

At this time, the right army of Wuwei did not have the twilight of Xianghuai, and was provoked by Sun Meiyao's agitation, and several pipe bands were angry. Even the infantry battalion commander Tanaka Yu instructed his subordinate sentinels: "I don't ask you to run for me first, I just ask you to compete for the top three." The ugly words are in front, if we take the last place in the infantry camp, I'm sorry, don't anyone this year, let me practice running. ”

Zhao Guanhou's discipline has always been good, although there is no combat mission, the troops did not herd sheep, and all of them were on standby in the barracks. In addition, the food is abundant and the obedience is good, and after hearing the ******, they quickly lined up and waited for departure.

The heavy equipment that was originally stored in the small station has been transported one after another, but it is just to sweep up the boxers, and the heavy artillery will not only slow down the journey, but also does not make much sense. Most of the heavy artillery was stored in Jinan, and the artillery battalion carried six two-pounder guns and two twelve-pounder field howitzers. This kind of cannon is relatively light in weight and fierce in firepower, it is the most powerful artillery in the world at present, and it is also the favorite of artillery in various countries.

On weekdays, the training of artillery is high, especially Zhao Guanhou has always admired the idea of fleeing after fighting, this artillery target has a high proportion of mules and horses, and the troops have good physical fitness, at least they do not suffer in running.

At this time, the advantages of the training were manifested, and the troops of the brigade marched in formation, and in the cold winter day, the commander and the soldiers traveled long distances together, exhaling a cloud of white air. Although they had guns and ammunition on their bodies and some had carts to push, the formation was still good, and the soldiers had no complaints.

In this army, there are many Shandong people. After arriving in Shandong, there was a small-scale escape incident at the beginning, and Zhao Guanhou personally killed more than a dozen of them, hung his head on a high pole, and paid another salary to settle the troops. Some of them are people in this area, who can act as guides at this time, guide the path for everyone, don't worry about getting lost, and can even contact the villagers in some villages to provide supplies.

The artillery was marked with dry food, but in this kind of long-distance walking, there was hot water to drink, and the commander had hot food to eat, which was a great relief for fatigue. Sun Meiyao didn't need to be instructed, so she ordered the quartermaster to take the silver out and pay for it.

Most of these people are poor, and when they see this white money at the end of the year, many of them will be able to pay off their debts and repay their deficits. Moreover, among these people, some of them also had contacts with boxers, one had silver and the other had a hometown, and soon, several messages were fed back to the ears of the officers.

"Zhao Laozhu gathered troops in Liujiatai, saying that he was going to do a big thing, and said that if this matter is done, we in Shandong will be able to practice boxing and spread the law, fight foreign devils and teach the people. We don't know exactly what to do. The family is too poor to be able to do without labor, and the government has no choice but to go home, so we don't know what they want to do, but this thing is indeed there. ”

After several similar pieces of information came back, the news from Cao Zhongying confirmed that even those who were originally resistant to sending troops had nothing to say this time. Shang Quandao:

"Duan Taibao's mahjong is about to make a big disaster. Liu Jiatai gathered troops, the biggest possibility is to hit the railway, and what will be fought is the eldest wife's car! This...... It's going to be a big deal. It's a pity that there is no way to send a report in this rural place, otherwise Duan Xiangyan must be asked to contact Zhili immediately, and the safety of the train must be guaranteed. ”

Although Huo Qiu's level was low, because he was Zhao Guanhou's confidant, he was also able to attend the meeting, and he rubbed his hands at this time and said, "My lord, now is the time to make a decision." In the opinion of the humble position, it is better for you to go first with all the cavalry and rush over as soon as possible. Regardless of whether the train can be saved or not, as long as our artillery is marked with troops participating in the rescue of Madame, this is a great achievement. ”

Zhao Guanhou's face was gloomy: "What I want is not work, but what I want, and my family members are fine." My woman was in the car, and I had to go and get her back. Lord Shang, this team of men and horses will be under your command from now on, I will let Mei Yao leave a part of the money for you, and I will take the cavalry away, no matter what the cost is, I must save people. ”

Shang Quan nodded, "Biao Tong, rest assured, Shang will definitely lead the troops to arrive in time." But listen to me, don't be impatient. Liujiatai is located in Zhili, and our soldiers can't rush to Zhili to kill people, in that case, it is a taboo in officialdom, and maybe even the commander will be implicated. You can go to Texas first, and send the official matter to Hejian, and they don't dare to be lazy. I don't want the money, we have funds in the bid, enough to meet the expenses along the way. Bring more ammunition and guns. ”

Yuan Baoshan also said: "I heard that Zhao Laozhu is the chief leader of the boxers and bandits, and he is known to be popular, and he can gather thousands of subordinates with an order. Our cavalry is too small, even if we add the cavalry infantry, the number is extremely limited, and we must not be reckless. It's better to be on the safe side. ”

Zhao Guanhou nodded, didn't speak again, but took Sun Meiyao outside, "Meiyao, I'm going to pick up Hanzhi now." It is my duty as a husband to do this kind of thing, but you have no such obligation. So I won't force you to do anything, if you don't want to go, you can stay here and help me control the troops, between the two, there is no difference between the difficulties, and there is no one more important than the other. ”

Sun Meiyao snorted, "What do you say so much, that's my eldest sister, and now when she is in danger, she naturally wants to get people out." How to fight in her own family is her own family's business, but outsiders, no one wants to touch her. Don't worry, I'm holding the calf, although I can't play any wall charge, but they are all good at night fighting, and they are all good at traveling overnight. I'm going to line up, and we're going to go right away. ”

Huo Qiu took a few horses to set off first, rushed to Texas to report the news, and communicated with several churches along the way, asking the church to pick up Ma Gan on his behalf and help lead the way.

The cavalry assembled by Sun Meiyao was not only the old team of holding the calf, but also the strongmen of Zhao'an, who were known for their ability to fight at night, about two hundred and fifty people, plus the basic cavalry troops of Zhao Guanhou when he was in the artillery camp, close to two hundred and fifty people, leaving the village where he was temporarily resting, and marching towards Texas.

At this time, the snow had fallen in the sky, and the snow flakes were drilling through the gaps in their clothes to their necks, and the frozen people shivered. It's just that this cavalry is sweating even when the men and horses are about to run, and they can't feel the cold at all.

Soon after, a church man waited on the side of the road with a lantern to help. The churches in Shandong are at odds with the parishioners and the common people, and there are many illegal acts of abusing the people.

Until after the great revival of the Divine Fist, he was retaliated again, and the casualties were also serious. Since Yuan Weiting ruled Lu, he has vigorously killed boxers, which can be regarded as avenging them and ensuring safety. When I heard that they were going to deal with Zhao Laozhu, the entire church was boiling, and almost all of their strength was used to assist.

This person is very familiar with Zhao Laozhu, knowing that he is the chief leader of the boxers, with high prestige and martial arts, and some people say that this person is proficient in thousands of spells and thousands of magical powers, as long as he recites a mantra, he can turn the church into powder. Hearing that it was to deal with him, several priests themselves came out and led the way on horseback. The local parishioners, who are also geographically proficient, show them the way and carry lanterns.

The map in their hands is more accurate than the official map of the Jin Kingdom, and the road they lead is also more correct. Some of the guns and ammunition stored in the church were also taken out and presented to the officials and soldiers, just to kill Zhao Laozhu as soon as possible.

By the time they arrived in Texas, it was already dark, and the gates of Texas had been closed early. When they arrived at the door, they saw Huo Qiu, who was urging the horse to wander back and forth at the door. His horse was running in a hurry, and he was tired on the road. I had to ride a subordinate's horse, and only two of the four subordinates remained, one of whom was out of horse, waiting in the church, while the other was left behind and disappeared.

On Zhao Guanhou's side, fortunately, there were churches along the way to help guide the direction of the containment troops, and Sun Meiyao restrained the men and horses, and when they arrived, there were still more than 200 cavalry, and less than 50 people were left behind. Both men and horses were gasping for breath, and some of them were already foaming at the mouth. The goose feather snow had fallen at this time, turning the whole world into white, Huo Qiu pointed and scolded under the city, but the city did not respond.

"Huo Qiu, what's going on?"

"Don't mention it, Texas is closed, and you can't get in. showed them official business, and they said that they would ask Duan Xiangyan for instructions, but they never looked back. At first, they said that they were under order, and after the city was closed, it could only be opened during the day, and then they simply ignored me. ”

The missionary who came with Zhao Guanhou lifted the reins: "Lord Zhao, I am a foreigner, in this matter, maybe my accent is more effective than your official language." Then he shouted to the city: "Listen, I am the Prussian missionary Scheufort, and if there is an emergency, report to Bishop John of Texas, and if you do not open the gates, you will bear full responsibility for all the consequences." I promise you will see the wrath of God! ”

After the missionary shouted three times in stiff Chinese, there was a rolling sound at the city gate, and the closed gate was opened. (To be continued.) )