Chapter 34: Nails

Two days ago.

On the day that Guo Qinglin found out that there were auxiliary soldiers who had not returned, Zhao Ergou was scolding and training recruits on the Yellow River beach on the outskirts of Yanchang County, when he saw a carriage coming from the direction of Yanchuan in the north, and several people riding horses next to him followed.

There were several officials in Yanchang County, who were close associates of Liao Xingxiang of the county, and were sent over to "learn" combat skills. Due to the situation, it is impossible for Zhao Ergou to put them in the team. With an open excuse, or "borrowing" or robbing, several people have found mounts for themselves, and they ride horses to watch the excitement all day long, and occasionally carry a whip to smoke cheap people for fun. After a few days, you are also a little tired of seeing the recruits being whipped and idling in the shade of the trees, and at this moment when you see a carriage coming, they all come to the spirit, and they all get up together, raise their whips and beat the horses over, and shout all the way:

"Stop!"

"Who? Dare to peep at the military! ”

In ancient times, government service was a lowly profession, and three generations of descendants could not take the imperial examination. However, among ordinary people, there is a lot of oil and water to be fished in this industry. When worn for a long time, it is easy to develop a sense of pride and authority. At this moment, the psychological activities of several people are the same: first buckle a big hat of "spying on the military situation", there is a high probability that some benefits will be squeezed out, and then it will be bad, and a few words of scolding, and the feeling of lifting the curtain to see the female dependents turning over the cage is also excellent - at that time, people's travel habits, often sat in the carriage with female dependents.

This line of work is certainly not an official. Because there was no gong to open the way, and there was no guard of honor such as a horse (carrying a flag to lead the way), an official rank plate and so on—if there were, these guys would have escaped into the woods!

In ancient times, officials had to talk about "avoiding the road" when traveling. When officials and officials meet, the low-ranking ones must not only get out of the way, but also show respect in various ways. Depending on the grade, the posture of giving way is also different. One is to go the other way, that is, the same level, the real power is a little smaller to change the road, for example, the Ministry of Labor Lang meets the Ministry of Servants, don't talk nonsense, turn around and go another way, one is to give way to the side of the road, that is, to get out of the way of the main road to take the auxiliary road, Le Ma Road side stand, Le Ma side stand, get off the horse and so on. If there is a huge difference in grades, the official and the younger one should "avoid", that is, find a small alley nearby or something, and plunge into the cat, and wait for the adult Shi Shiran to pass before getting out. The so-called "majesty" and "dignity", that's right! Yes, you have to be enthusiastic and smiling at all times - even though you know that you are pretending, that's the rule of the land. These are officials who can't be cheaper, and if they encounter officials here and now, they have to stay away from the forest. Otherwise, you will be beaten!

However, since he is not an official, in front of ordinary people, how can he let go of such a great opportunity to shake his prestige? Not to get along with people who are lower than me, not to do everything possible to embarrass the weak within the scope of one's own temporary and small power, is not my fine tradition of the Ming Dynasty!

Zhao Ergou's heart moved, let others take over the training, and paced to the side and watched coldly from afar.

I saw the servants galloping over, and the people at once took out something to show them, and a few of them came back listlessly. Immediately the carriage came to a slight halt and turned westward, disappearing into the trees.

When a few people came back, Zhao Ergou asked intentionally or unintentionally: "I was still thinking about disturbing a glass of water and wine just now, and I thought it was a waste of saliva." What is the origin of the master that you local poor masters can't provoke? ”

A servant spat unwillingly: "Bad luck! Who doesn't know, they are the road guide opened by the Xi'an Metropolitan Mansion, and they must not be provoked. Running in vain at noon is sweating, huh! ”

Hearing this, Zhao Ergou looked up at the sky, wiped his forehead, and smiled: "It's really hot." I borrowed some water and wine to quench everyone's thirst. ”

rode a horse and galloped in the direction of the county seat.

The carriage was parked in the forest some distance from the county seat of Yanchuan, the curtain had been lifted, and several riders dressed as ordinary people were waiting on all sides, but the swords were hung on the saddle.

Zhao Ergou galloped to the front and rolled the saddle and dismounted, looked back to see that no one was following, looked at the car, and recognized the appearance of the person in the car and knelt down on one knee: "Pingliang Mansion Guyuan Wei Zhenrong Thousand Households Zhao Ergou See Lord Shishi." ”

The man in the car said: "It's not good for people to see, let's get up." ”

Zhao Ergou got up and lowered his hand and said, "Lord Xie." ”

The man in the car continued to ask: "Does the prefect know that you are from the capital of the palace?" ”

Zhao Ergou replied respectfully: "Your Excellency." Lord Yu doesn't know. A few days ago, Li Yaobi pulled the villain to attack Yan'an Mansion, and the villain guessed that if such a big thing happened, the Dusi Mansion should ask the villain for questioning, so he deduced that he had a sha disease and stayed here to wait for the adult. ”

The person in the car praised: "You kid is very clever." Tell me about the situation at this time. ”

Zhao Ergou then started from Yu San, Li Yaobao and others putting Yu Shengliang on the ship, to Yu Shengliang's active preparation for war, training recruits, and sending Li Yaobao to attack behind enemy lines, etc., and added a sentence at the end: "Li Yaobiu listened to the villain and said that he couldn't go, and he was secretly proud that no one shared his first-class merits." ”

The man in the car laughed and scolded: "You little monkey cub don't have to change the way to ask for credit." What is the calculation of a few old and weak heads, when this matter is over, at least one deputy thousand households will always be yours, maybe, maybe a thousand households will be there! ”

Zhao Ergou was overjoyed and thanked: "Ergou Xie is coming!" ”

The person in the car snorted and said, "You can tell me about the city defense of Yanchuan." ”

Zhao Ergou seemed a little hesitant when he heard this, hesitated for a moment, and shirked: "This ...... Adult, the villain is just a personal guard in the eyes of the adult, and the villain has been training the recruits after Li Baked Cake left, and the villain doesn't know much about the fortification. ”

The person in the car was stunned, and after a while, he laughed: "Hahaha, good!" No wonder the commander makes the adults praise you kid for having a lot of ghost eyes! Rest assured, I will go to Yulin Mansion first, and then I will make a special trip south to find you. You don't need to know too many things, Ben Jiang can only tell you: first, Ben will not be a thief, you don't need to worry about leaking any military information - you can also see that the city has been lost, and there is a shortage of soldiers and no generals, with a few dog heads, can this broken county hold it? Even if he is a thief, where do I need to ask you about the military situation! Second, Ben will be able to give you a thorough explanation: after a while, you should leave the old man. ”

Zhao Ergou thought for a moment.

The man in the car replied: "There are some things that you should know, and Ben will tell you." For the rest, you have to think slowly for yourself, and you will figure it out. Now let's get down to business. ”

Zhao Ergou understood it at one point: Lord Shi is right, what kind of general can Yanchang County lead the troops? The so-called city defense plan was originally conceived by Yu Shengliang with Liao Xingxiang and a few of them who had seen the battlefield together. So he didn't dare to prevaricate anymore, and told Yu Shengliang's plan as it was......

After a long time, the person in the car said lightly: "Alas, the blame for this loss of government is indeed a little wronged on Lord Yu's head." It's hard for him to be an old man when he works so hard in such a field. However, if he is unlucky, he can only be wronged......"

After finishing speaking, he struck lightly with both palms, lowered the curtain from the person who stepped forward, and the driver shook the reins: "Drive." The carriage started slowly.

Zhao Ergou knelt down on one knee: "Humble and respectful." Can the adults ask the villain to arrange an inn to rest? ”

"Ben won't be in the city. Hello do it yourself. ”

The carriage left the place where a stone's throw away, and Zhao Ergou, who was standing in place, suddenly understood what was coming, rode his horse to chase after him, and fell to the side of the road: "My lord, stay here." The villain almost guessed something, and the villain begged the adults to give some more instructions! ”

The man in the car sighed: "You guessed well. When the thieves come, try to get to the capital to get back to your life. ”

The carriage did not stop any longer, and went to the northwest against the east wall of Yanchang County.

Yanshui has a corner in the southwest of Yanchang County, turning southeast against the city wall, and finally joins the Yellow River. Guan Shengyun's plan was to dispatch 1,000 soldiers and 500 auxiliary soldiers, and take the extension by water to solve his worries: let Gu Baihua's Gangfeng battalion carry boats and boats as the vanguard, rush over, and then land in the southeast of the county and attack from behind. After the attack was successfully lifted, the 500-strong auxiliary battalion of Guoqinglin used rafts to carry supplies and set up an advance base about five or six miles northeast of the landing site of the Gangfeng battalion. Behind is Gong Derun's Zhenyong Battalion as the rear team, and the rafts are mixed, taking over from Gu Baihua to clear the remnants of the enemy. After taking Yanchang, the two battalions combined to advance north and storm Yanchuan County. The two rivers Qingjian River and Tuyan River blocked the east and north directions of Yanchuan, and the two counties had no regular troops, so if they were taken in one go, there would be no suspense about the outcome of the war.

The only problem was that the attacking force would suffer a certain number of casualties: when they descended to the corner of the extended wall, the entire vanguard fleet would be completely exposed to the fire of the defenders at the head of the city, and would have no choice but to be beaten and completely unable to fight back. The Gangfeng battalion on the boat had to carry this section of the river more than 100 zhang to the death before they could land and assemble to launch an attack from east to west. By the time they took Yanchang and attacked Yanchuan, the Gangfeng battalion had already shed a lot of blood, and it was time for the Zhenyong battalion to be the main force. No matter how broken the county town is, as long as there is a wall, even if it is only zhang laigao, it will bring great advantages to the defenders, and the Zhenyong battalion will also bear a certain loss. Guan Shengyun estimated that even the dead and disabled, it would cost more than two or three hundred people to take these two county seats.

Gu Baihua thought for a while, and then said angrily: "It's okay, it's the only way." Give me all the big ships. Thick planks were nailed to the outside, covered with straw mats and splashed with water, and the boats were covered with double armor, and each person was protected by two shield soldiers. Life and death are fate, let each person be manified. ”

Gong Derun hugged his fists and said: "Lao Gu has worked hard. I'll get up and give you a hand as soon as possible. ”

In this military discussion, Luo Yonghao couldn't say anything: he understood Yu Shengliang's personality, and persuasion would not have any effect, and it was likely that Old Man Yu would cut off the head of the envoy and hang it up to express his determination to resist to the death. The old man also knew that he was definitely blindly defending, and he had no "tricks" such as luring the enemy to go deep into the siege of Wei to save Zhao, so he could only attack. The difference is only in which battalion is the most powerful and can withstand huge casualties and launch an attack - everyone knows this well, except for Guan Shengyun's pro-soldier battalion, that is, Gu Baihua's Gangfeng battalion.

Takato Douyu Fukuda Zhang Ding and other generals had no other way: if they launched a frontal attack from land, the difficulty and losses would only be greater. I had to say that Lao Gu's losses were spread by the brothers, and after the war, people were drawn from each battalion to replenish the Gangfeng battalion and fill it up. Of course, what can be supplemented can only be the head and equipment, and the combat experience of the veteran is matched with the battlefield, and the newcomer is incomparable.

In the end, Master Xiao Luo made two suggestions: 1. The soldiers can hide in the cabin and cover them with wooden planks, and the boats are all ordinary boatmen who have been captured, and they are directly exposed, and they are likely to take the opportunity to jump into the water and run away when they meet the enemy. As long as a few boats get out of control and crowd the river, it is a catastrophe. Therefore, the boat should be tied to the boat with ropes. 2. The soldiers do not need to wear armor, the armor is piled up in the cabin, and each person carries a collar to the shore when landing and then wears it, in case of falling into the water, there is still hope of escape.

These two suggestions won a full house for the little master. Luo Yonghao was proud, but a trace of regret faintly crossed his heart: what Daming lacks is not talents, but the channel for talents to advance!

Guo Qinglin received a new task, and some of them had big heads. The boats on the water are not large, and most of them can only accommodate five or six heavily armed soldiers, and a battalion needs more than 100 boats. Now a total of 150 or 60 small boats were built, and there were not enough rafts, so it was necessary to make enough planks to cover these many boats, and to organize people to tie straw mats...... The captain simply stayed in the auxiliary barracks, and his cursing and whipping could be heard from morning till night.

On this day, Guan Shengyun suddenly received an urgent report from Ansai County: It is said that it is an official envoy from the provincial capital Xi'an, and seven or eight people are coming over to "write a war letter" again. The party has arrived in Ansai County, and tomorrow they will leave for Yan'an Mansion.

This knowledge point:

1. Official sedan chair. The history of the official sedan chair is much shorter than we think: until the middle of the Tang Dynasty, when Wuzong was in the middle of the Tang Dynasty, except for the prime minister of the third rank or above, the three dukes, Shang Shuling, and the Zhishi (retired) and the sick, the rest of the people were "not limited to high and low, and they were not allowed to ride". Even if the official of the imperial court is out on business and cannot ride a horse due to illness on the way, he must report to the province of Zhongshu and the imperial history platform for approval before he can sit in a sedan chair, and the expenses are at his own expense. At that time, the so-called sedan chair was also very simple, the earliest was two poles to build a wooden plank, and the person sitting cross-legged on the wooden board was carried by two people (the brain made up for the person sitting cross-legged on the stretcher, just like that). If you are interested, search for Yan Liben's "Walking Diagram" - look at Tang Taizong on a stretcher.

Later it was improved, and the wooden board was replaced with a bamboo chair. Until the Northern Song Dynasty, scholars and doctors agreed that sitting in a sedan chair was "replacing animals with people, which is immoral" - Zhezong gave him permission to ride a sedan chair in order to show his respect for Sima Guang, the patriarch of the Four Dynasties, and the old man "did not dare to resign". Wang Anshi also said, "Since ancient times, although the princes have not been Taoist, they have not dared to replace animals with people."

In the Southern Song Dynasty, Gaozong Zhao Gou because "Yangzhou Street was slippery, and the courtiers were allowed to take a sedan chair".

In the Ming Dynasty, at the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, "the three grades of the Beijing official above the sedan chair are allowed", after the middle of the century, the regulations were gradually abolished, and an official (including Jinshi) could sit.

And then to the Manchu Qing Dynasty, not to mention, you can sit, and the displacement (standard) should not exceed the standard.

2. Honor guard. When officials travel, the props include umbrellas, fans, flags, guns, knives, swords, halberds, sticks, lances, quiet cards, evasion cards, and drummers...... In short, the higher the level, the greater the movement.

The opening gong is also exquisite. Taking the Qing Dynasty as an example, except for the emperor (fortunately, he rarely came out), the most powerful was the governor Dutong, who needed thirteen gongs to travel. Thirteen words on behalf of the people: "big and small, civil and military officials, military and civilians, etc., all dodge"!

The admiral and governor knocked eleven times, which means "civil and military officials, military and civilians, etc.

Nine knocks at the provincial and government levels: "Officials (note, I dare not say officials), soldiers and civilians, etc., all dodge."

The county official is seven times: "The military and civilians are waiting for Qi to dodge" - well, if you are an official, you are higher than the seventh grade, and when you meet it, you will be "avoided", can't you show it to you?