On the grassland.
It has been snowing heavily for several days, and it is so white that it is difficult to tell the way forward.
The Ming army has always been stationed in place, not because they don’t want to brave the wind and snow, but because it is really difficult to walk ahead, and they cannot fight under such conditions. They can only Wait for the wind and snow to pass first before thinking of a way out.
Xu Jing appeared beside Tang Yin carrying an iron basin.
At this time, a large pot of broth was still being cooked in front of the bonfire next to the snowdrift, and Xu Jing was waiting to come over and start the meal.
During the emergency march, the food was basically slaughtered cattle, sheep, horses, etc. that were brought back, and then roasted and eaten directly.
However, with the increasing shortage of firewood for marching in the snowfield, roasting has also become boiled. Fortunately, snow water can be boiled as purified water on snowy days, and the broth is useful for soldiers who can withstand the cold winter. It's more real than barbecue.
"Bohu."
Xu Jing squeezed next to Tang Yin and sat down.
Tang Yin just responded with a soft "hmm". In this terrible weather, he didn't even bother to say anything.
There is a tent next to it, which is to say, when the snow stops for a while, they come out to cook broth. Usually, some soldiers will start the stove directly in the tent, and lighting the fire will also bring some warmth.
"Let's march." Xu Jing said, "Go south, and look at this according to the direction of the South Needle..."
As he said that, Xu Jing turned his compass Take it out, this is a must-have item for an expedition to the grassland, but only the generals at the middle level or above have this item in the army.
Tang Yin said: "I can't go back."
One sentence made Xu Jing's heart freeze.
"Then we shouldn't wait here. On such a day, even if the Tatars don't come to kill us, we may die here." Xu Jing said.
Tang Yin asked: "Isn't it good here? At least in the past two days, there have been no reports of soldiers dying of cold and starvation."
Xu Jing was wrapped heavily.
The winter clothes worn by the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty were also very thick. If you felt that your clothes were not thick enough, you could stuff the wool directly into the clothes. After all, in the battle on the grassland, many Tatars were killed. The soldiers also received a large number of Tatar cattle and sheep.
More than half of the places in the Ming Dynasty army camp were occupied by cattle and sheep.
And there is no need to feed these things. Anyway, they will be used as food rations after death. There is no need to worry about the meat rotting this day, and the fur is used directly to keep out the cold.
With the support of Zhang Zhou's textile industry, the soldiers on this expedition at least did a good job in keeping out the cold. Each man had two horses, and the other two horses were equipped with necessary weapons and equipment. In addition to rations, there are also a large number of daily necessities, including coal and spare clothing.
“But our soldiers have little experience after all.” Xu Jingdao, “Those Tatars live on the grasslands, and they are uniquely equipped to withstand this kind of weather. We still find ways to get active. ,Even if it's for fighting, it's still good. "
Tang Yin said: "Our location is already very far north, and the desert is nearby. Can you tell clearly which is the desert and which is the grassland today? "
"This..."
Xu Jing felt speechless.
Tang Yin sighed: "Get a heater and warm yourself inside. I know you don't want to come out. I will discuss the march with Marquis Pinglu later. If you don't want to participate, don't come. "
"No. Xu Jing said, "I want to hear it. Even if you come here, you have to go back alive, right?" After these hard days... I always feel like I have no hope for tomorrow. ”
……
……
It’s almost nightfall.
Another heavy snowfall is coming.
The soldiers were shoveling snow outside in batches, and daily patrols and defenses were carried out in the camp.
When Zhang Rui and Ma Yi arrived at Tang Yin's camp, it was almost completely dark. A brazier was lit inside, and Tang Yinze was guarding the brazier. In addition to Tang Yin, even the personal guards around Tang Yin were also guarding the brazier.
In this environment of 20 to 30 degrees below zero, Warmth is very important to the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty.
“The temperature may continue to drop. "Ma Yi and the others had just come in through the door, and the guards were still carefully closing the tent curtains, so Tang Yin said something.
Ma Yi took a breath and said, "In Master Tang's tent is Bi Others are warmer.
Tang Yin said: "Call a few more soldiers over in the evening and gather together more. From now on, we will merge the big tents. If it doesn't work, we will use the Tatar tents. We have captured a lot of them before." ”
This time when the Ming Dynasty soldiers went on an expedition, the most poorly prepared thing was probably the large tent.
Originally there were horses specially designed to carry this, but all they wanted was to have a tent to cover their heads. , Large tents don’t carry many, they are usually five-person tents, and a five-person team can transport one tent.
But when you go to the grassland and encounter bad weather, the importance of the large tent is revealed. .
The tent is big, and although it is drafty, at least it can accommodate a lot of people. They can also make bonfires inside, or even two piles of them. The soldiers will have some warmth when there are more people. Covering the outside with ice, snow or white cloth will provide better insulation.
Zhang Rui said: "The soldiers in Dongying are already building new tents, but unfortunately there is too little wood available now. It is very close to the river beach, and it is difficult to find trees on the grassland.
Xu Jing said with a smile: "Otherwise, how can we call it grassland?" It must be all grass. ”
“There are also thorns. Ma Yi said.
Xu Jing said happily: "Brambles are good things. They burn sizzlingly and give people a sense of stability. If we burn hay, no amount of grass will be enough." "
Tang Yin asked: "Is there enough coal for the soldiers? ”
Zhang Rui shook his head helplessly and said: “It’s not enough. I brought too little, and I didn’t expect it.”Encountering such bad weather, the coal at some camp heads had broken off and had to be transferred from other places. If the snow doesn't stop and the weather continues to be so bad, I'm afraid..."
Zhang Rui was embarrassed to say those bad words.
Because of what happened to the soldiers The environment is really bad.
Xu Jing said with a smile: "It's better than at the beginning of the year. It's like this every winter, but we met a different general from the Tang Army before. This year we met. You guys. Is this called bad luck? "
Tang Yin said with a straight face: "Is this what you should say? "
Xu Jing smiled helplessly, said nothing, and continued to warm his hands.
In the past two years, Xu Jing and Tang Yin have suffered a lot.< /p>
It was in Duobi City again, and it was again last year when he led the Korean soldiers and horses to suffer in the bitter cold of Liaodong.
Zhang Rui sat down and asked: "How was the situation last year? "
"It's much worse than this. "Xu Jing said helplessly, "Last year, North Koreans didn't even have basic winter clothing. The weather wasn't as cold as this, but too many people died, and many of them froze to death. Fortunately this year, the equipment of our Ming soldiers is much better than theirs. "
Ma Yi said: "If we expected this, we should probably bring more resources. Otherwise..."
Tang Yin asked: "I know what you are thinking, and I know what the soldiers are thinking. Do you think it is easy to withdraw from Ming Dynasty now? "
No one said a word when asked.
As generals, the few people present are very aware of the difficult situation they are in now.
Not to mention withdrawing to the Ming Dynasty, Even if they were allowed to walk dozens of miles in this kind of weather, it would be almost impossible.
Xu Jing asked: "What if the Tatars come here to kill..."
Xu Jing asked. p>
“No. "This time it was Ma Yi who made the conclusion directly, "Tatars are not gods. No matter what kind of livestock they are, they will not be able to leave today. And... what our army is most lacking now... is probably fodder. It's okay if people have food to eat, but fodder for animals... Mr. Tang, we must make plans. ”
Tang Yin was also helpless.
Horses are the driving force for this group of people to advance or retreat. After all, soldiers do not walk on only two legs. With so many supplies, if there is no They can't get out of the grassland with horses.
But horses need different food from people.
Horses need fodder, and they can't find it in this kind of weather. If you get fodder, you can't give beef and mutton directly to the horses...
People can live, but the animals are starving to death.
Zhang Rui said: "The Tatars. The prisoners told us that if we went a hundred or two hundred miles further east, or had a larger Tatar camp, they should have accumulated a lot of winter fodder, but even if we go there... we can't do it. ”
“Fuck you. "Xu Jing said, "It's just a good life. I'm suffering like this here. ”
It was originally a depressing statement.It hurts the morale of the soldiers.
Ma Yi seemed to know the depression in Xu Jing's heart, and followed the words as if he were enjoying the pain: "It would be so happy if I could go back and sleep on the hot kang with a mother-in-law to warm the bed. ?”
This sentence not only shocked Xu Jing’s spirit, but also boosted the morale of the guards next to him.
Zhang Rui smiled and said: "There are many female prisoners from the Tatars this time. Do you want to send them to the soldiers of each battalion?"
"Forget it, I can't bear it." Ma Yi waved her hand and said, "The girls on the grassland are just different from other places. Maybe it's because they eat meat. We are better from the Ming Dynasty. They look delicate."
Xu Jingxiao Said: "Old Ma, where did you get that pretty girl? You didn't steal it too, right?"
Zhang Rui grinned, his lips were bleeding, mainly because they were dry and cracked. After all, how many people were there? Among people, he is the most pampered one.
Zhang Rui said with a smile: "Pinglu Hou took two concubines, and before they were warm in the palm of his hand, he had already entered the grassland. He has been fighting for the past two years."
When Zhang Rui poked at the central issue, Ma Yi sighed: "I've gotten used to it in the past two years."
Tang Yin said: "Just keep enduring it. We can't stand it, and neither can the Tatars." , this winter is extremely cold, and there is a lot of wind and snow. Because of this, the Tatars will not be more prepared. When the wind and snow stop, we will rush out."
"Okay. ”
“Definitely!”
Everyone is still encouraging each other.
But it obviously has no effect.
Under such horrible weather, the only thing these people thought about was survival. Only by staying alive could they have a chance to get out of the grassland.
As for the subsequent war, it seems that it has little to do with them, because they do not feel that achieving more results will bring them greater glory.
Life is the most important thing.
......
......
Under the same harsh weather of winter, there is another group of people who are about to embark on the "point of no return".
It was at this time that the crews of the fleet went to sea and prepared to go to America.
For most crew members, this is an opportunity they actively strive for...
For one trip to sea, the salary is at least two hundred taels of silver, which does not include what can be obtained through war. As for the reward, if some other rewards are added, such as promotion in military rank and the increase in annual salary... this trip to sea will definitely be worthwhile.
But for some people, going to sea this time is like being exiled and going to die.
For example, Liu Jin.
Liu Jin was directly transferred to Binhai City when he was in charge of the pirate supervisory army in the south, and then went to sea by boat.
This time Liu Jin only served as a guarding officer in the army, and the commander-in-chief was the British Duke Zhang Mao... Even Zhang Mao himself did not expect that he would become the leader of the sea-going fleet. Fortunately, he did not He was seasick, but he was also dumbfounded after being at sea.
What choice did I make?
After six or seven days at sea, Zhang Mao fell ill. In fact, his health was not serious. It can only be said that he was too seriously ill. Thinking that he might not be able to return alive, Zhang Mao felt that he might He was going to die at sea or in a foreign country, without even a chance to be buried.
Liu Jin went to visit a doctor that day.
Logically speaking, Liu Jin should not be in the same boat as Zhang Mao. This is the rule of sailing. It is necessary to ensure that some boats capsize and other boats also have corresponding command and response functions.
But Liu Jin herself felt very miserable. Taking advantage of the calm sea, she took the prepared lifeboat through the cable between the ships and ran to Zhang Mao's ship.
"Eunuch Liu? You..."
When Zhang Mao saw Liu Jin, he didn't feel that he was in the same boat, but that Liu Jin was here to laugh at him.
He now sees everyone as an enemy.
Liu Jin said: "No, sir, you have brought a doctor here."
Zhang Mao coughed twice and said: "Which ship does not have a doctor? There are more than twenty ships "Nothing happened later, right?"
"It's okay." Zhong Decai said next to him, "Nowadays, ships not only use sails, but they also use things called steam engines, especially the giant steel ships. , even if it encounters a reef, it will not sink."
Zhang Mao frowned and said, "Have you tried it?"
"I..." Zhong Decai immediately knew that Zhang Mao was doing this. She was angry and deliberately choking him.
Liu Jin said: "I heard that in the subsequent ships, there were also former Baoguo Gong and some craftsmen..."
Zhang Mao was originally a little sick. He even wanted to die. When he heard this, he immediately sat up and said, "Is his wife also on the boat?"
"No." Liu Jin said, "But there are women in the army."< /p>
Zhang Mao curled his lips and said, "Don't I know?"
This time when he went to sea, the emperor also specially allowed Zhang Mao to bring his female family members with him, and he was still responsible for taking care of Zhang on the ship. Mao's daily life.
But even so, Zhang Mao's inner opinion was still strong.
Liu Jin said: "Master, we are in the same boat now. It will take at least two or three months to reach a new land after going to sea like this. If things go worse, even if we get to land, we will have to find the place where we camped previously. In another month or two."
"The weather is getting warmer..." Zhang Mao answered the question differently.
Zhong Decai said: "According to the nautical chart, we are walking in the direction of the equator, that is, we are walking south. This is no better than in the north, and the temperature is still OK. Don't worry, sir, we will keep walking for a few more days. Maybe it will be warmer."
"That's good, that's good." Zhang Mao said, "If it gets colder, I'm afraid..."
"I can't die." Zhong Decai rolled his eyes, meaning, do you think you are the only one who has an opinion? I don’t have it anymore? Transcoding has been serious recently, which makes us more motivated and updates faster. Please use your little hands to cancel.Exit reading mode. Thank you