From Huai'an to Runing, there are two easier ways to go. One is to go south along the canal, then go up the Yangtze River, and after arriving in Wuchang, then abandon the boat and land, and go north along the land route to Runing. The other is to take the Yellow River upstream, and then take the land route south to Runing after Kaifeng. It is said that these two roads are easy because you can walk a long section by boat, saving you the pain of walking.

However, the Kanyuying did not choose these two roads, but after starting from Huai'an, it went straight west along the land path, through Yongcheng and Zhecheng to the south of Kaifeng, and then turned south and went to Runing along the post road.

The reason for choosing to go this way is that there are now as many as 2,000 people in the survey camp, and it is difficult to find so many big ships to ride; Another reason is that for the sake of military training, there is no better way to train the physical strength of the soldiers, as well as to cultivate the will and collectivism of the troops, than the long-distance march.

Many of the armies of the Ming Dynasty had very poor combat effectiveness, and when they were fighting, the soldiers were greedy for life and afraid of death, and they were wise enough to protect themselves, and they disobeyed the orders of their officers. The reason for this lies in the tension between officers and soldiers, and the officers deduct their salaries and regard the soldiers as a tool for earning their own money, and the soldiers are of course able to mix and mix, and there is no need to work hard for the officers.

This situation did not exist in the Kanyu Battalion, and Su Hao regarded leading troops as a sacred obligation from the earliest time he accepted the military appointment, which was decided by him in his early days. In the past two years, he has tried his best to earn money in other aspects, but in terms of raising and training soldiers, regardless of the cost, he has used his own money to subsidize the army, just to train a jīng soldier and serve the country.

The soldiers are not without heart, and what the Lord will do to him, their hearts are like mirrors. Su Hao treated the soldiers as if they were in and fed well, and the soldiers naturally had loyalty to Su Hao, and they were willing to die for Su Hao.

Xu Guangzu, Deng Kui, Zhang Yunlong and other officers are all professional soldiers, and they feel very lucky to be able to meet a general like Su Hao. With Su Hao's strong support behind them, they naturally tried their best to train the soldiers, and they did not complain every time.

Su Hao's most incredible thing is that he put forward the idea of equality between officers and soldiers. Compared with the equality in the army in later generations, Su Hao's idea has been greatly reduced, and he only requires that junior officers must eat and live with soldiers, and at the same time strictly limit corporal punishment in training. But just being able to do so was enough to move the soldiers to tears.

As for Su Hao's leisure time and going to the camp to talk to ordinary soldiers, greeting the male and female relatives and friends in the soldiers' families, etc., they were even more remembered by the soldiers.

"Change it, when you are a garrison, you have to look like a garrison, you went to the camp yesterday and wrestled with the soldier, right? What kind of system? "The veteran Xu Guangzu will come over to find fault with Su Hao if he is fine.

Su Hao smiled: "Uncle Xu, don't you also brag and fart with those soldiers?" By the way, you told the soldier how you hooked up with the landlord's daughter when you were a soldier in the past, and you can't talk about this kind of thing in the future, messing with my military discipline, you know? ”

"Phew!" Xu Guangzu smiled and spat out, "I'm always a temporary person, and I may be dismissed by you at some point." After I am exempted, am I just a soldier, why not talk to the soldiers about it? ”

Su Hao said: "Uncle Xu, even if you are exempted from President Qian, you are still the honorary advisor of the camp, and you can enjoy the treatment." However, mingling with the soldiers is a tradition that our Kanyu battalion must adhere to, and only by being the same from top to bottom can we win all battles. ”

Xu Guangzu sighed: "Alas, who doesn't know this truth? But how many officers of my Ming Dynasty can be in the same way as you Su Gaizhi treat soldiers? They will also be able to treat their small group of pro-soldiers well, and when they fight, they will rely on those pro-soldiers to rush and kill. To say which general's subordinates can fight, in fact, it means that his own soldiers can fight. ”

Su Hao said: "Since this is the case, then why didn't he dismiss all the other soldiers, just raise a group of pro-soldiers." ”

Xu Guangzu said: "You are stupid, the military department allocates military salaries, which is calculated according to the entry of the soldiers, and if the other soldiers are dismissed, how much money can the military department give?" Let me tell you this, some generals raise 10,000 soldiers under their command, and then deduct 5 taels of silver from each soldier's head to make up 50,000 taels and raise 500 personal soldiers.

The more places there are for soldiers, the more money they can withhold, and the more pro-soldiers they can raise, the more they can fight, do you understand? ”

Xu Guangzu's words were a bit tongue-twisting, but Su Hao still understood. In the final analysis, the role of most soldiers in the Ming army was to earn salaries for officers, and they could not be counted on when they were fighting. Since they were not expected to fight, the officers naturally wanted these soldiers to have only one name and no physical existence. In fact, many officers have done this, and this is the so-called empty pay situation.

The officers of the military department were aware of this situation in the army, but they had no incentive to change it. Because eating empty wages is a very bad fraud, the military headquarters often has to send them in to check to see if there are really so many people in the army. In order to cope with the inspection, the officers temporarily found a few people to fill their heads, and afterwards they paid a few pennies as hardship expenses.

In fact, the officials above are not fools, and they also know what the countermeasures below are, but since the lower ones have done things on a large scale, why should the officials who go down to inspect them be too serious? Wouldn't it be nice to open one eye, close one eye, and take a red envelope back to Beijing?

To put it mildly, this is a system problem, fortunately, the family has a big business and can withstand the toss. Although the Ming army has no combat effectiveness, it has millions of people, and when it is about to fight, it can scare the enemy into the head, which is enough. As for saying that a peasant rebel army and a Eight Banners Army in the far north will be able to overthrow the Ming Dynasty a few decades later, except for a traverser like Su Hao, who could have foreseen it?

"Alas, Uncle Xu, this Ming system problem, meat eaters should seek it. I, Su Hao, am a small thing, and what I can do is to bring my camp well, which can be regarded as worthy of the Holy Grace. Su Hao said with a sloppy look.

"You've got to figure out how to be worthy of me." Xu Guangzu said, "Old man, I was deceived by you to Huai'an before, and I just liked that place a little, what are you going to Runing?" In a place like Runing, there is nothing to eat, there is nothing to play, what do you let the old man go to? ”

Su Hao smiled and said: "Uncle Xu, I heard that the woman in Runing is very enthusiastic, so Uncle Xu doesn't want to welcome the second chūn in Runing?" ”

"you kid!" Xu Guangzu made Su Hao laugh angrily, "Just kidding the old man!" Look at this sè It's going to be late, there's a town ahead, let's camp in the town today. After walking so many bad roads, a bird has faded out of my mouth, let's say okay, when you get to town, you want to invite me to drink. ”

"Dare to disobey!" Su Hao replied respectfully.

The procession marched to the town in front, and the scouts ran back to report that the town was called Liudian Town, and that it was located on the official road from Kaifeng to Runing. There are more than 200 households in the town, which is very prosperous, with wine shops, inns, and green buildings.

"Inform the troops, set up camp outside the town. Each bureau sent 2 into the town to purchase vegetables and vegetables, and it was forbidden to buy wine, force to buy and sell, not to disturb the people, and to prohibit any officers and soldiers from setting foot in the Qinglou. Deng Kui coldly gave an order to the heralds, which was also the military regulation of the survey camp, and he did not dare to violate it.

The more than 2,000 troops who have joined the town will definitely make a lot of noise if they all enter the town to rest, so they can only be stationed outside the town. However, the ban on not entering the town is only for grassroots officers and soldiers, and the entry of people at the level of Su Hao and Xu Guangzu is not within this limit, which is why the equality of officers and soldiers in the survey camp is discounted.

Su Hao's explanation to himself was: Since this kind of discounted equality has been able to move the soldiers, why should he be too wronged and have to suffer with the soldiers?

With a thousand soldiers, Su Hao and Xu Guangzu walked into Liudian Town. The town has already poured into dozens of leaders of the survey camp, who have come to procure all kinds of vegetables and vegetables. The standard of food in the camp has always been very high, and every time they go to a big town, the troops have to purchase pork for the soldiers to serve. When Su Hao entered the town, he heard at least four terrible pig cries in the town, which was the butcher's shop urgently killing pigs to supply the needs of the survey camp.

"Su Shoubei, you're here!" The soldiers who procured the supplies saluted Su Hao one after another.

Su Hao returned the salute to the crowd, walked straight to the boss who sold the goods, and asked, "This shopkeeper is polite." ”

"The general is polite." The shopkeeper hurriedly returned the salute, he couldn't recognize Su Hao's clothes, but from the attitude of the soldiers, he could guess that this should be a big official.

Su Hao said: "Let me inquire, do we soldiers buy things in your store, can we forcibly lower the price?" ”

"No, no, the brothers are very fair, and there is no such thing as forcing down the price." Shopkeeper said.

"So, is there any act of asking for filial piety?"

"No, no, I said to give the brothers some money for tea, but they refused to accept it. Alas, whose guy doesn't want to pay for errands when he buys so many things? ”

Su Hao smiled slightly and said, "If they want to pay for errands, Ming Yao will break their legs, so that they will no longer be able to collect any errand money." ”

"The general is strict in governing the army, which is really a blessing for the people like us." The shopkeeper complimented repeatedly.

Su Hao quit the store and then visited some more stores. Everywhere he went, he heard the shopkeepers complimenting the soldiers, and he was quite satisfied. The style of an army is embodied in every detail, and if the soldiers are indulged in the common people, the soldiers' sense of responsibility and honor will gradually be lost, and there will be no way to talk about combat effectiveness. This principle was first put forward by Su Hao, and then it was unanimously recognized by Xu Guangzu, Deng Kui and others, and now it has become the concept of military governance of the Kanyu Battalion.

After walking a long circle, it was completely dark. The soldiers who had procured the supplies returned to their camps outside the town. Smoke rose from the camp, and the smell of rice and meat permeated, even attracting many onlookers.

Su Hao and Xu Guangzu happened to walk under a restaurant called Liuxian Pavilion at this time, Xu Guangzu couldn't take a step, and said to Su Hao with a smile: "Change, I think we're here, you have to treat me to a big meal." ”