Without waiting for the sun to come out of the mountain, Xu Ping and Cao Yun had already rushed to the Dongsen camp. Xu Ping swaggered into the Dongsen camp, Cao Yunhu had a tiger face, his hand pressed the hilt of the knife, and followed behind Xu Ping with a heavy heart. The soldiers of the new army on both sides of the camp gate immediately saluted when they saw Xu Ping, and while inviting Xu Ping in, they ran quickly to report to the commander of the battalion.

The Ming army officers in the camp hurriedly ran out to greet them, and as soon as Xu Ping stretched out his hand, he handed them Jin Qiude's warrant and the military talisman of the new army headquarters: "This is Lord Jin's warrant, as well as the military talisman." I am the guerrilla general Xu Ping, and I have been ordered to take over the officers and soldiers of the battalion. ”

"Yes, General. Humble Li Wuyan. ”

"I've seen the general, the lowly Liao Kezong."

The two supreme commanders in the camp were just the chief and deputy commanders, and they looked at Xu Ping's young face in some surprise, but then realized that this was a very rude behavior, and quickly lowered their heads to open Jin Qiude's paperwork. Li Wuyan looked at it and asked hesitantly: "General Xu, General Jin is here to order General Zhao Jingzhi to command the officers and soldiers of this battalion, and there is no mention of General Xu." ”

"Yes, General Zhao Jingzhi is my father-in-law." Xu Ping took out two waist cards, one of which belonged to Xu Ping himself, and the other belonged to Zhao Jingzhi: "Yesterday we encountered an ambush on the way here, and my father-in-law was seriously injured, so I stayed behind." General Zhao handed me the waist card and ordered me to take command of the army on my behalf. ”

"Oh, no." Li Wuyan and Liao Kezong were both surprised: "I haven't seen a brigade of thieves here, and I haven't heard of a large group of thieves in the north." ”

"It shouldn't be a big group of thieves." Xu Ping briefly recounted the situation last night, and honestly and unceremoniously took Zhao Jingzhi's judgment as his own: "The general expected that it was only a dozen rangers at most, so he and Cao General raised the fire to enter, and sure enough, there was no more resistance, and the thieves did not have the courage to raise fire to chase after them." ”

Li and Liao both smiled after hearing this: "What the general said is extremely true, which shows that General Xu has been in battle for a long time and is well-informed. After saying that, the two began to check the two waist cards, and the two waist cards were verified. Li Wuyan carefully looked at Jin Qiude's orders and talismans again, and finally nodded: "Humble and ask General Xu for an order." ”

"Tell the whole army to cook and eat at once, and we will set off immediately after dawn and march to Texas, ready to meet the thieves there."

Li Wuyan was shocked again when he heard this order, and hurriedly waved his hand and said, "General Xu, these two thousand soldiers are all supplementary soldiers. Whenever there was a need to replenish soldiers at the front, we sent people to replenish them according to the numbers required in the paperwork, but it was impossible for this battalion of soldiers to be used in independent field operations. ”

"If it doesn't work, it has to be done," Xu Ping didn't hesitate at all: "There is only this army near Texas, and they must set off immediately." ”

"There is not even a single officer or non-commissioned officer among the two thousand soldiers," Li Wuyan is still persuading: "General Xu Mingjian, in this battalion, except for me and Deputy Liao Qian, there are only a few documents, and some baggage, and there is not even a single infantry commander or even a fruit chief among the two thousand people, how can I fight with the enemy?" ”

"Then select it right away." Xu Ping did not have the time or ability to look for a group of volunteer officers now, so he ordered Li Wuyan to say: "Immediately nominate the oldest and most authoritative people among the soldiers as fruit chiefs, and as for the general ......."

Before Xu Ping's order was finished, Li Wuyan argued with a wry smile: "General Xu Mingjian, these two thousand soldiers are all recruits who are constantly sent in batches from the rear, how can they be qualified?" They hadn't known each other for a few days, so how could they have prestige? ”

Liao Kezong also echoed: "General Xu, the qualifications of this battalion of soldiers are all the same, and their prestige is the same, even if you want to pull out the general, you will definitely not be able to do it." ”

Xu Ping let out a long sigh: "Since that's the case, let them make a meal immediately, and then they will have a military parade on the school grounds, they will always line up, right?" ”

"It will." The two thousand generals hurried to prepare.

The purpose of the supplementary battalion is to replenish the standard combat battalion with standard combat soldiers, so although the supplementary battalion has a large number of engineering equipment, there are no engineer reinforcements among them, only two standard infantry of the new army - pikemen and musketeers, in addition to thirty artillerymen.

In the formation of the combat battalions, the ratio of pikemen to musketeers was generally six to four, but this was not the case in this supplementary battalion. Because the ratio of pikemen to musketeers on the battlefield was about seven to three, there were only six hundred musketeers out of the more than 2,000 soldiers in the supplementary battalion.

In the dawn, more than 2,000 soldiers lined up on the school field, Xu Ping strode onto the platform, and the phalanx in front of him was lined up very neatly. The cold wind was coming, Xu Ping, who was standing on the platform for the first time, looked at the two thousand troops under the stage, countless eyes were condensed on him, and his gaze slowly swept over these soldiers: no one made a sound in the entire school field, and the more than two thousand soldiers all clenched their weapons, and their bodies did not shake in the slightest, obviously the soldiers had undergone strict training, but as the two thousand generals said, none of the soldiers below were dressed in officer uniforms, nor did they have the non-commissioned officer logo of the fruit chief.

Xu Ping looked back and gave an order to a few soldiers behind him: "Take all the fruit length symbols reserved in the battalion, as well as the general helmet and battle armor." This will appoint officers and non-commissioned officers at all levels. ”

Several soldiers were stunned when they heard this, their faces were full of hesitation, and they all moved their eyes to Li Wuyan next to them.

Hearing this, Li Wuyan hurriedly persuaded again: "General Xu, this battalion is really full of recruits, and within a moment and a half, no suitable candidate can be picked out no matter what." ”

Xu Ping ignored Li Wuyan, stared at the soldiers and said, "Take it." ”

The soldiers suddenly realized that their delay was disrespectful to the general in front of them, and they hurriedly responded: "Yes, general, obey!" ”

Seeing this group of soldiers go to the treasury to get their armor, Xu Ping turned his head to look at Liao Kezong beside Li Wuyan, while holding the hilt of the sword on his waist hard, slowing down his speech speed and not letting his voice show nervousness: "Mr. Liao Qian, can the soldiers here report the number?" ”

"I've learned this, but there are two thousand and eighty-three of them in total, and the lowly position has already been figured out." Liao Kezong shook his head and reported.

"There's Mr. Lao Liaoqian." Xu Ping turned to face the two thousand soldiers on the school ground, feeling that the gaze behind him seemed to burn his body, and his heart was pounding in his chest. Xu Ping took a deep breath and tried to make his voice appear calm and powerful: "All the officers and soldiers listen to the order, from one to thirty-one, report the number!" ”

"One"

"Two"

"Three"

……

After the soldiers finished reporting the number, Xu Ping shouted angrily: "The soldiers who reported the number of one, eleven, and twenty-one should take one step forward, and those who reported the number of thirty-one took two steps forward." ”

After the more than 200 soldiers came out of the ranks, Xu Ping immediately announced: "All the soldiers who reported the number of one, eleven, and twenty-one will now be promoted to the rank of fruit chief, and all those who report the number of thirty-one will now be promoted to the general." ”

Li Wuyan, who was taken aback, said for the third time: "General Xu, how can this be done?" None of them had been trained as non-commissioned officers or officers. ”

"Is there a better way for Mr. Li Qian?" Xu Ping asked rhetorically: "Since it is impossible to choose anyone better, that means that no matter who you choose, it is impossible to be worse." ”

Li Wuyan and Liao Kezong were powerless to resist the authority of a general, so they just bowed their heads and clenched their fists: "General Xu, think twice." ”

"Lord Jin ordered to hold Texas, and he would have gone to Texas no matter what, and he had to hold Texas." After Xu Ping finished speaking, he ignored Li and Liao. After watching the hundreds of newly promoted non-commissioned officers and officers change into their uniforms, he once again resolutely ordered: "Each person carries three days' rations, and immediately sets out of the camp, in the direction of Texas." ”

As for the more than 30 artillery reinforcements in the battalion, Xu Ping also organized them into two teams, and then pulled the two three-pounder guns that defended the camp gate and set off together. As for the documents in the battalion, Xu Ping instructed them to immediately form a temporary battalion staff team, but these logistics documents did not understand what the staff officers should do, and of course Xu Ping did not know anything about this, so he gave them an order: if they feel that something is wrong, they should immediately give advice, and they should walk around the team more often to help see what is not pleasing to the eye.

This army stumbled along for a whole day, and was still more than twenty miles from Texas before dark.

"Let the soldiers raise their fires and move forward." As long as Xu Ping didn't see Texas, he couldn't let go: "We must rush there, the new army guards may rush there at any time to support us." ”

"But what about this night march?" Li Wuyan spread his hands: "These generals promoted by General Xu are certainly obedient to orders, but they will not maintain formation and discipline at night. The nights were still very long in this winter, and after a cold night, most of us 2,000 people had to be separated. ”

"That's right." Xu Ping thought about how to simplify the rules of the night march, and then quickly instilled them in the fruit leaders who were promoted by the firing line.

A clerk next to him who had just been promoted to a staff officer suddenly proposed a solution: "General Xu, we might as well let each of them tie a rope, one end to their trouser belt, and the other end to the back waist of the person in front, so that they will not get separated." ”

"Of course not." Li Wuyan flatly refused: "In case of encountering enemy troops at night, this will cause our army to fall into great confusion, and it will be completely unable to change formation, and the losses will be huge, which is absolutely not allowed in the regulations." ”

The person who proposed the method was only used as a clerk in the camp because he could write, he didn't know any rules and regulations at all, and when he heard Li Wuyan say it harshly, he shrank his neck: "It's reckless to be reckless." ”

Another staff officer standing next to this person was deeply aggrieved and said in a loud voice: "General Xu, Master Li Mingjian, just our battalion...... If you really ran into the enemy army at night, wouldn't you have fallen into great confusion without stringing them together? Can you follow the order and change the formation, so that you don't suffer huge losses? ”

The first soldier hurriedly pulled the latter and asked him not to talk nonsense in front of a general, but Xu Ping laughed when he heard it: "Yes, yes, that's right, it's good enough for our army not to be separated now, we can only hope not to run into the enemy at night, otherwise it will be a dead end, whether it is tied or not." ”

So the order was sent down, and everyone in the army was asked to wear a strap in front of and behind him to ensure contact, and to be ready, and rush to Texas overnight. After Xu Ping issued the order, he asked the two staff officers who gave their opinions: "What is your name and what position do you hold now?" ”

"The villain's name is Jiang Yizhou, this is the villain's brother-in-law Yu Shenhe," the person who was uneven stood up and replied to Xu Ping: "The villain is a small soldier and joined the army two months ago." Because of our literacy and ability to write, the Dongsen battalion did not let us go to the front, but was assigned to the supplementary battalion as a clerk. ”

It sounded a little strange about the identities of these two people, but Xu Ping nodded and didn't say anything more. The two thousand soldiers were noisily preparing the ropes, and the chief checked each rope on the soldiers' bodies in turn, and when he made sure that the torch in their hands had been lit, he reported to the upper reaches that the preparations were complete. When Xu Ping learned that everything was in order, he rode his horse first and led the whole army to continue south.

As the footsteps of the army continued to approach Texas, Xu Ping's heart gradually rose. It was the darkest hour before the early hours of the morning, Xu Ping fixed his mount, and looked back at the torch dragon that stretched for miles behind him: "Mr. Cao." ”

"Humble duty."

"Take twenty people to the city of Texas at once, and find me the most detailed map of Texas."

"Yes, my lord." Cao Yun didn't say a word, and took away most of Xu Ping's men on horseback.

Xu Ping stood silently on the side of the road, watching the army roll silently past his eyes. Along the way, the army was not harassed in any way, even in the most sporadic firefights. "Maybe there aren't any rebel rangers?" Xu Ping was a little uneasy in his heart, and he felt that the road was too calm: "It seems that it is a little too smooth." Our army is already very close to the front line, and if the rebels want to pass through Texas, it is impossible for this area to be without scouts and horses. And if there were, then it is impossible for them not to discover our army, so many torches are too conspicuous. ”

Li Wuyan walked in the middle of the team and saw Xu Ping standing on the side of the road, so he rode his horse to his side: "General Xu, is there anything abnormal?" ”

Xu Ping hesitated, slowly expressed his doubts, and finally asked Li Wuyan questions: "...... If there really are no rebel scouts, does that mean that the general staff has misjudged and the rebels do not intend to pass through Texas? If there are rebel scouts, then what does it mean that they did not interfere with our army in the slightest and shake the hearts of our army along the way? ”

Li Wuyan stood stunned for a long time, stretched out his hand and scratched the back of his neck: "General Xu has been in battle for a long time, he must be confident, and only General Xu is the head of the horse!" ”

After hearing Xu Ping's doubts, several staff officers began to discuss it. Li Wuyan scolded angrily: "What do you know? Hugh was going to talk nonsense, disturbing the general's train of thought. ”

"Not really." The calmer everything became, the more Xu Ping felt as if someone was secretly spying on his army, and he said to Li Wuyan and the others around him: "Mr. Li Qian, Zhujun, I was born in the first year of Chongzhen, and I am only twenty years old this year, and I rely on the strength of my father-in-law, General Zhao, to steal this position. If you have any high opinions, you must tell me Xu. ”

The people around him immediately said:

"General Xu is serious."

"General Xu is too modest."

Xu Ping knew that they must not be sincere. However, he estimated that Li Wuyan and the others would secretly wonder, how could such a young person become a general? Now I have given them a reason, and I hope they will be bold in their opinions. Xu Ping sighed secretly in his heart: "If General Zhao is still here, he will definitely be able to see these questions clearly, and I can also ask them clearly." ”

When the army arrived at the city of Texas, they saw a fire on the city gate tower, and a circle of torches shining in the suburbs.

"Texas Invincible!"

Cheers suddenly resounded in the army, and the morale of the officers and men was greatly boosted, and everyone was smiling. Li Wuyan congratulated Xu Ping and said, "Congratulations to General Xu, we finally arrived in time." ”

As soon as the sky was bright, Xu Ping and Cao Yun went to explore the terrain together. After the Texas defenders confirmed that it was the Ming army outside the city, they hurried out to make contact.

"Villain Lin Guangyi." The leader of the Texas garrison looked about twenty-seven or eight, in good spirits, and quite brave. After he paid a big salute in front of Xu Ping's horse, he couldn't wait to introduce himself, saying that he was a native of Ganshan in the northwest, and he had also served as a small leader in the Qin army: "General Xu led his troops here, he is really the reborn parent of the Texas father, please General Xu enter the city immediately." ”

"You were a sergeant of the Qin Army?" Xu Ping asked with some confusion: "Then why did you come to Texas?" ”

Lin Guangyi was also frank: "General Xu Mingjian." Two years ago, the imperial court recruited elite soldiers from the nine sides to aid Liao, and the villain went to Liaoxi with the Qin army. In the first battle of Jinzhou, the 100,000 army was wiped out, and the villain escaped from the pile of dead people. At that time, the imperial court was furious and punished the villain very strictly, and the villain did not dare to return to his hometown to die, so he fled to Shandong to beg for a living. This time the traitor invaded Zhili, and the prefect recruited a good man to serve the country, and after hearing about the villain's resume, he allowed the villain to make meritorious service and appointed the villain as the commander of the four walls of Texas. ”

It turned out to be a deserted officer, but after all, he was an officer! Xu Ping asked again: "How is Texas' preparedness now?" ”

"All the officials have been organized into an army, and the prefect has also ordered the strong men of all armor to go to the city to participate in the battle, which has organized thousands of village warriors. Each of them has been given a spear, and the three days of non-stop hard training are enough to support the general. After Lin Guangyi finished speaking, he hurriedly added: "Please enter the city quickly, the traitors may arrive at any time." ”

Xu Ping ignored him and continued to ask: "Is there a firearm in Texas?" ”

"There are twenty three-eyed firearms, ten crossbows, and fifty bows and arrows." Lin Guangyi didn't forget to add: "The fifty archers have all been trained by themselves." ”

The Ming Dynasty has always focused on the border army, and there were no fighting troops in places like Shandong. Last year, in the Great Battle of Shandong, the Lu army, which had a little combat effectiveness in Shandong, also lost, so deserters like Lin Guangyi are rare treasures. The officials usually maintain law and order during the day, work at night, clean the streets, collect garbage, although they don't know how to fight, but they know each other well, and they are led by the small leaders of the officials, so they are finally a little organized. Xu Ping knew that these servants must be the main force of the Texas defenders, and as for those cobbled together villagers, they were completely negligible.

At this time, Lin Guangyi said for the third time: "Dare to ask the general to enter the city quickly." ”

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