As soon as dawn was the next day, an official of the Yangzhou Metropolitan Governor's Office found Li Qing'an; although the Yangzhou Metropolitan Governor's Mansion did not have real power to transfer troops, it was, after all, the highest military management body in the Jianghuai region, and some specific procedures for Li Qing'an and others to serve as regimental training envoys were handled by the Metropolitan Governor's Office.

The governor of Yangzhou is concurrently served by Li Linfu, and the highest official actually in charge of the Metropolitan Governor's Mansion is the Governor of the Metropolitan Governor's Mansion, and the Governor of the Metropolitan Governor's Mansion is from the third rank, which is generally held by officials with high status, and sometimes the prime minister is released, or returned to Beijing to serve as the prime minister after the expiration of his term, so to a certain extent, the Governor of the Metropolitan Governor's Mansion is the third force in Yangzhou in addition to the Taishou and the transfer envoy.

The official who currently serves as the governor of the Dadu Governor's Mansion is the crown prince and young master Wei Tao, Wei Tao is the core figure of the famous Wei family of the Tang Dynasty, and his daughter is also married to the royal family and is the concubine of Li Yan, the king of Di.

At this time, Wei Tao had already come to the official office, and today he had an important business to do, that is, Li Qing'an's specific arrangements for the regimental training envoys, and the military department's ultimatum had already arrived, and it was clearly written on it, and the specific training methods and numbers were determined by the regimental training envoys, and during the training period, the regimental training envoys had the power to transfer less than 500 troops, and what the Metropolitan Governor's Office had to do was to write down the requirements of the regimental training envoys and send them to the military offices.

Wei Tao was very depressed in his heart, although he had a high status, his actual power was not as good as that of a Zhonglang general Li Qing'an.

"Changshi, General Li has arrived." There was a sound of proclamation at the door.

"Let him in!"

Wei Tao packed up a few books on the table and sat down seriously, he was a prince and young master with a second rank, and he was far higher than Li Qing'an.

The door opened, Li Qing'an walked into the house quickly, bowed down and said, "Humble Li Qing'an, see Wei Changshi." ”

Wei Tao saw that his attitude was self-modest, his face looked a little better, and said: "General Li, we won't say hello, I first want to ask General Li, how to train the troops, I think General Li should have a draft on the way!" ”

Li Qing'an took out a booklet and handed it to Wei Tao and said with a smile: "I have really thought about it in the next place, please let Wei Changshi take a look." ”

Wei Tao took it and flipped it over, frowned and said, "You only want to train partially?" ”

"Exactly, there are five military houses in Jiangdu, more than 5,000 people, I can't train them all, and the time is only half a year, so I plan to draw 500 elites from various military governments to form a regimental training battalion, these 500 people are required to be about twenty-five years old, more than seven feet tall, can hold a bow of more than three stones, can ride horses, and preferably are new soldiers, so that I can be handy."

Wei Tao pondered for a moment, he understood Li Qing'an's purpose for doing this, so that a powerful force appeared in the Yangzhou area, and there was no restraint from the captain, from his original intention, he didn't want Li Qing'an to have an army that completely belonged to him, but he had no choice, the order of the military department was there! He has no right to interfere.

"Alright! When do you want it? ”

"Wei Changshi, I want it now, I brought five retinues, these five people are divided into five military mansions to pick people, in addition, I also hope that the Dadu Governor's Mansion can provide five hundred hard bows of more than three stones and five pots of arrows per bow, in addition to five hundred horses and a camp that can accommodate five hundred people, these are all arranged by Wei Changshi as soon as possible."

Wei Tao stretched his face and said unhappily: "General Li, I know about this matter, I will arrange it, and I will not delay your training." ”

"Thank you Wei Changshi, without further ado, I think I'll go to the military mansion to pick people."

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Although the five Zhichong military offices in Jiangdu are all Shangfu, but Tianbao Houfu military system is gradually corrupted, the desertion of the military government is serious, there is almost no full military government, Jiangdu's five Zhichong government is no exception, when Li Qingan ordered troops in the first military government, there were only more than 600 people standing in line under the high platform, and another 100 people were transferred to the Beijing garrison, and there was actually a shortage of 30 percent, which was already very good.

The government soldiers are farmers in peacetime and soldiers in wartime, and they conduct regular training, and the military government provides food and lodging during the training period.

General Zhao Xu cleared his throat and said loudly: "Listen, everyone, the military department sent a regimental training envoy to Jianghuai to train troops, and the one who came to our Jiangdu Five Military Mansions was General Li, the lieutenant general of the Anxi Army, known as the first arrow in Anxi, General Li will draw 100 people from each of the five military mansions in Jiangdu to form a regimental training camp for half a year of training. ”

The soldiers were slightly moved, each person can have a monthly subsidy of 2,000 yuan, which is the price of four stone rice, which is undoubtedly a huge temptation for soldiers who have no pay to be soldiers, training for half a year can get 12 yuan, and there is meat to eat every day, which is more than farming.

Although the spring ploughing was very busy, many soldiers still showed a yearning look in their eyes, Zhao Xu nodded, and smiled at Li Qing'an: "General Li, you can order troops." ”

Li Qing'an looked at the soldiers below, and he asked suspiciously, "Captain Zhao, is there only so many people?" ”

Captain Zhao Xu wiped the sweat on his forehead and said: "There are indeed so many people, this is not bad, in Suzhou and Huzhou, there are only three percent of soldiers left in some military governments, and they are all gone." ”

"But in my military book, your military government should be full."

Li Qingan raised the military book in his hand and glanced at Captain Zhao coldly.

Zhao Xu's back was soaked, he thought that after drinking a meal yesterday, Li Qingan would be able to open his eyes and close his eyes, but he didn't expect him to refuse to let go at all.

The soldiers of the Tang Dynasty have no military pay and only take care of food, but the three hundred grains, rice, vegetables and vegetables that are missing every day, as well as other expenses, will also cost nearly 1,000 yuan in additional income a year.

This is a secret rule that the military governments are well aware of, but the degree of fishing is different.

"This ..... General Lee, can you take a step to speak. ”

"No need, I don't want to know anything, I just order a hundred people to go, and don't forget to give me enough food and meat."

"Although General Li orders troops, as long as he likes someone, I will definitely let him go." Zhao Xu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, he understood what Li Qingan meant.

He hurriedly stepped forward and waved his hand: "Brothers, come and line up, fire after fire." ”

The soldiers quickly lined up in a long line, waiting to be selected, and Li Qing'an sat on a square boulder, with a Captain Guo Yi next to him taking a roll call.

"Liu Zhiyun, twenty years old."

This is a young man who looks five big and three thick, full of energy, Li Qingan nodded, "Take it!" ”

"Wu Ming, thirty years old, the commander of the second battalion."

This person is also of good height, but there is a hint of cunning in his eyes, and he knows that he is a veteran soldier at a glance, Li Qingan waved his hand, and he didn't like this person.

At this time, another soldier came, seven feet tall, with a tiger's back and a bear's waist, and his eyes were blazing, although his military uniform was shabby, he could not hide the heroic spirit between his eyebrows.

"Nan Jiyun, thirty years old, the captain of the second battalion."

"Wait!" Li Qingan suddenly stopped the roll call of Captain Guo Yi.

He stepped forward and took a closer look at this young and heroic general, Nan Jiyun, who is known as the famous general Zhao Zilong of the Tang Dynasty.

Nan Jiyun only went to Zhang Xun after the Anshi Rebellion and shined, before this time, he was poor and made a living everywhere, but he didn't expect that he actually became a fire chief in the Jiangdu Military Mansion.

"General Li, do you know this person?" Duwei Zhao Xu was a little strange, this Nan Jiyun was just an ordinary little fire chief, it seemed that the bow horse was good, but it would not surprise Li Qing'an so much.

"Nothing!" Li Qingan smiled and said: "I see that this person is very powerful, but he is only a fire chief, and I think it is a little strange." ”

He asked Nan Jiyun again, "Where are you from?" ”

"Back to the general's words, he is a native of Dunqiu County, Weizhou."

"Weizhou people?" Li Qingan smiled a little strangely and asked, "Then why did you come to Jiangdu to be a soldier?" ”

"I rented ten acres of land in Jiangdu, and because the owner was not in good health, I came to join the army for him."

Although Nan Jiyun has a humble position, his answer is neither humble nor arrogant, which makes people feel good.

Li Qingan waved his hand, "Okay!" You count as one. ”

"Next!"

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In the afternoon, 500 people were selected from various military offices to be stationed in the barracks, which were located outside the north gate of Jiangdu, close to the canal and the Caoyun warehouse, and from a distance, hundreds of large warehouses could not be seen at a glance, and their barracks were the garrisons of the soldiers guarding the warehouses; at the end of last year, the soldiers of one of the barracks were transferred to Jiangyang County to be stationed, and the barracks were vacant, just for Li Qing'an's regimental training camp to garrison.

The barracks were sprawling, with three long rows of brick bungalows for lodging, then stables, and then a large school yard large enough for thousands of people to train, surrounded by two people-high earthen walls.

Five hundred sturdy soldiers lined up in ten rows, their waists straight, listening to the lectures of their young regimental training envoys.

Li Qing'an was wearing black Mingguang armor and an iron helmet, riding on a mighty and majestic horse, carrying a horizontal sword at his waist, and hanging a huge black longbow diagonally.

"I am Anxi Li Qing'an, known as Anxi's first arrow."

Speaking of this, he drew his longbow, stretched his bow and set up an arrow, and suddenly turned around and shot an arrow to the gate guard tower eighty steps away, only to see two birds at the top of the tower fluttering their wings to fly, but the arrow shot like lightning, an arrow shot through the bird, and the other bird just flew up, Li Qingan turned around suddenly, and then changed his left hand to pull the bow, and another arrow shot the bird that had just soared, and the left and right bows in one go, and the two birds fell down the high guard tower one after another.

Everyone exclaimed, and for a moment there was silence, everyone's eyes showed a look of amazement, this kind of magic arrow that opened the bow left and right had never been seen in the Jianghuai military camp, and even the conceited archery Nan Jiyun was also impressed, he was far inferior to Li Qing'an's detachment.

A soldier Pegasus rushed to pick up the arrow, Li Qingan shot through the bird's long arrow in one fell swoop, and said proudly: "This is the purpose of my coming, after half a year, each of you must be able to pierce the bird with an arrow at a hundred paces away." ”

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Although the prospect was wonderful, the process was dull and arduous, the soldiers were shooting arrows from morning to night, their fingers were swollen and painful, and their arms were sore and weak, but the five Anxi instructors were all fierce and vicious, and if they slacked off, they were hit in the face with wooden sticks.

There was only one thing that pleased the soldiers, and that was the archery competition every evening, in which each person had ten arrows, and fifty paces away, and the top twenty and the last ten were rewarded, with the top twenty rewarded with 100 to 500 dollars each, and the last 10 rewarded with 10 sticks each.

The list of rewards and punishments was hung high on a wooden board at the entrance of the barracks, and the results were listed one by one, and finally these achievements became the basis for promotion, and these achievements were clear to each soldier and convinced.

Five days passed, and before dawn, the 500 cavalrymen of the regimental training camp went out, and from today they were to conduct cavalry and archery training, and they were no longer confined to the barracks.

The scope of riding training is mainly in the Jianghuai area, stopping at the mountains, camping in the water, and riding horses and archery has become all their life.

At noon on this day, the regimental training camp arrived in the territory of Xuyi County, the north of Xuyi County is Huaishui, it is the main transit place of Caohe River transportation, the geographical location is very important, there is a big mountain in the southwest of the county, called Duliang Mountain, the mountain is majestic and precipitous, stretches for dozens of miles, the mountain is covered with a large forest, at the end of the Sui Dynasty, there were several rebels stationed here.

Xuyi County is also the northernmost part of their riding training, and it just so happens that Cui Ping, who was recommended by Li Qing'an, is here as a county commander, and it is also a great pleasure to meet his old people in a foreign land, so he decided to train in Xuyi for two days, and then led the army back to Yangzhou.

Five hundred cavalry marched in line on the official road, the ranks were neat and orderly, not a single person spoke, and marched forward without hurrying or slowing, after more than half a month of hard training, all of them made great progress in both equestrianism and archery, although each of them became black and thin, but all of them were full of energy, vigorous posture, and strict military discipline, so that they already had the demeanor of a strong army.

At this time, the swarthy Duliang Mountain in the distance has been faintly visible, and ten miles further forward is the county seat of Xuyi.

Suddenly, there was a rapid sound of horses' hooves on the official road in the distance, and I saw the yellow dust rolling, and there were three horsemen galloping like lightning, and gradually, people came closer, in front of a small official, and behind were two officials in soap suits.

Their faces were full of panic, and they were desperately whipping their horses, as if there was something urgent, and they suddenly saw the army on the official road, and at first they were startled, and they restrained their horses, and then their eyes shot a look of surprise.

The official rushed forward and saluted: "In Xiaxuyi County, Wei Fang Lin, may I ask, which one is the general of the unified army?" ”

Li Qingan came out and said, "I am, what's the matter with you?" ”

The county lieutenant turned over and dismounted, bowed again and again, and said: "I beg the general to save our 30,000 fathers and villagers in Xuyi County, the situation is extremely critical." ”

"Tell me clearly, what's going on?"

"General, King Jinwei of Duliang Mountain wants to wash our Xuyi County in blood, I'm afraid it will be tomorrow!"

"King Jinwei? Is there a ringing horse on Duliang Mountain? ”

"General Huiyu, there is a 3,000-strong ringing horse on Duliang Mountain, because our county order accidentally killed the son of King Jinwei, the leader of the ringing horse, when he arrested the thieves five days ago, this morning the ringing horse shot a war book, and the blood will be washed in Xuyi City early tomorrow morning."

Li Qingan was a little surprised, there was still a Xiangma in the hinterland of the Central Plains, and it was still in Sizhou, a major transportation area, what did the military government do nearby?

Li Qingan felt that there was still something strange in the middle, so he raised his horsewhip and said: "Go to the county seat first, and then slowly tell me the reason." ”

The county lieutenant was overjoyed, and hurriedly said to a servant: "Hurry up and report to Cui County's order, just say that the savior has arrived, let him come out to greet him quickly." ”

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"General Li, I didn't expect us to meet here!"

At the gate of the county seat, Cui Ping, who was dressed in official uniform, greeted him excitedly, and the county minister, the chief bookkeeper and a cadre of officials behind him all stepped forward to salute.

Li Qingan looked at him and saw that he was much thinner than when he was in the capital, but he was in good spirits, and he could see that he was doing a good job here.

"Where don't we meet in life, Cui County Order, it seems that your recent situation is good! Are both the lady and the child okay? ”

"They're all very good, Madame talked about you yesterday! Let me go to Yangzhou to visit you, I also want to go, but, hey! ”

Cui Ping bowed to the ground again, "General Li, I have only been in office for more than a month, and I met Xiangma, you must save me!" ”

"Cui Xianling rest assured, don't say that we are old friends, even if I don't know anything, I will help, rest assured! Now that I'm here, the good days of the ringing horse are over. ”

He said in a low voice: "Maybe Cui County's order will be meritorious in pacifying Xiangma, and he will be promoted to Sizhou Taishou next year!" ”

Cui Ping was overjoyed, he knew that Li Qingan was a fierce general in Anxi, and with him, his black gauze hat could not only be kept, but maybe he could really get a special evaluation and be promoted to Taishou.

Thinking of this, he was overjoyed, and hurriedly bowed to Li Qingan and said, "General Li, please go to the county government to rest, and I will tell you about the situation." ”

Li Qing'an entered the county government and sat down, and Cui Ping personally served him a cup of fragrant tea and said, "General Li, why did you come to Xuyi County?" ”

"We came out to train troops, passing by here, I wanted to come to see you, I happened to meet the county lieutenant for help, but I was a little strange, the county lieutenant said that there were three thousand horses on Duliang Mountain, this is not a small number, and it is still in the Caoyun land, has the imperial court never sent troops to exterminate it?"

"Hey!"

Cui Ping let out a long sigh, "General Li doesn't know, I heard that this ringing horse only appeared two months ago, and there were only 1,000 people when they first entered the mountain, including their families, but because of the drought in Henan, there were many farmers who escaped Huaishui to make a living, and King Jinwei recruited from it, and I heard that there were 3,000 people and horses within a month." ”

"Who is this King of Jinwei? It can respond to every call. ”

"General, this King Jinwei's surname is Du, and his name is Du Yun."

"Wait a minute!"

Li Qingan suddenly thought of the salt lord Du Bosheng, one is called Du Boyun and the other is called Du Bosheng, what will be the relationship between them?

"Is he the brother of the salt lord Du Bosheng?"

Cui Ping smiled bitterly and said: "Everyone in Xuyi County knows that the mountain owner of Duliang Mountain is called Jin Wei, and he is the second master of the Jin family in Sizhou, but I happened to check some documents left by the previous county order, and I learned that the owner of Duliang Mountain is not surnamed Jin at all, but is called Du Boyun, I heard that he and the salt lord Du Bosheng are brothers, Du Bosheng is a brother, Du Boyun is a brother, and there is a third Du Boyuan, I checked the information of this Du Boyun again, only to know that he was originally the big proprietor of several Cao transport fleets, and there are two docks, and his subordinates feed tens of thousands of people, But a few months ago, Yangzhou Lu Taishou and Liu Zhuanzhi had a dispute, Liu Zhuan's envoy began to seize the Du family's business, arrest the backbone of the Du family, this Du Boyun saw that he was desperate, so he gathered more than 1,000 people, hid in Duliang Mountain, did not rob the house, nor provoked the government, so my predecessor county order did not report to the imperial court. ”

"If he doesn't rob houses, how can he make a living? Even growing food for a living takes months. ”

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(To be continued)