Cutting over the end of the Ming Dynasty: a dog-leg knife at the beginning

Chapter 362 Local Tyrant
Taoyuan Town, a small town surrounded by mountains and rivers.It belongs to Laiyang and is rich in jujubes, pears, apples and other fruits as well as mulberry paper.But the rebellion that lasted for nearly a year has already razed this beautiful town to the ground. Three months ago when the rebels attacked Laiyang, this lovely town was the first to bear the brunt of the massacre. Hundreds of people, and then the Ming army who reinforced Laizhou searched and looted it again and again, turning it into a piece of scorched earth, not even a live chicken was left.

When the Zhe Army arrived at Taoyuan Town panting, the Heluo New Army had already set up a large camp outside the town. Hundreds of carriages formed a "B"-shaped line of defense, separating people from livestock, " The vertical line of the letter B is the Grand Canal with surging water. There is no bridge, and it would be very sad to attack them from behind.Now twenty cooking carts have been lined up, and the cooking soldiers are carefully adding pieces of strange-looking briquettes to the stove, and they are steaming hot.Someone even dug a stove on the ground, set up a big pot, and put the best briquettes in it without asking for money, and boiled pots of hot water for people and livestock to drink. No one went to drink the muddy water in the canal. .Seeing the Zhe army coming, Yang Menglong came out to say hello: "You guys can build camp next to us. I'll let them cook vegetables and make a few more pots of noodles by the way. Dinner will be ready soon. Please be patient."

Zhe Jun didn't respond, just staring at the kitchen truck and drooling.

Yang Menglong shrugged, it seemed that it was a bit difficult to get them to camp before they were full.Fortunately, the rain has stopped now, if you like to stand, just stand here.

To manage the meals of 6000 more people at once, local tyrants such as the Heluo New Army are also under great pressure, and the firepower of twenty cooking vehicles is not enough. They set up a large pot, brought well water to boil, and shoveled two shovels of oil Put salt in it, cut some bacon and salted eggs to make soup, and then took bundles of vermicelli from the car and threw them in. Wu Sheng was so lavish, it made Wu Sheng feel a little distressed... These prodigal sons, Even if there is a golden mountain, they have to be eaten up, right?

Four four-wheeled carriages arrived late, and amid the cheers of the Heluo New Army, they unloaded baskets of juicy green onions, garlic, and cabbage, as well as several baskets of bright red apples. The last carriage even unloaded Five fat sheep.Several soldiers pulled out a short knife shaped like a dog's leg, stabbed the sheep to death with one knife, then skinned, gutted, deboned and cut the meat, the cooking soldiers quickly washed and cut vegetables, and some people peeled a lot of potatoes , stewed in a pot with mutton... Seeing them cooking this and that, Zhe Jun's Adam's apple kept moving, and he kept swallowing...Hungry, really hungry!
Finally, a trumpeter blew the rice horn.More than 4000 soldiers of the Heluo New Army quickly assembled and lined up.The cooking soldiers wrapped their hands in wet towels, and pulled out the drawers made of iron sheets from the cooking cart. Steamed buns and steamed buns as white as fat, and fragrant and soft rice, came out in bursts of white mist.The soldiers of the Heluo New Army took their lunch boxes and came forward one by one to get their meals. Those who love steamed buns get steamed buns, those who love steamed buns get steamed buns, and those who love rice get rice.They spread large sheets of mulberry oil paper on the ground, and ten people sat together in a group, with green vegetables, mutton and stewed potatoes in the middle, and when everyone arrived, they began to gobble it up.After his soldiers finished receiving their meals, Yang Menglong commanded the cooking vehicle to drive to the edge of the camp, and said to Wu Sheng, "Let your men bring their lunch boxes and come over to receive their meals!"

Wu Sheng was a little embarrassed: "We don't have a lunch box..."

The soldiers of the Zhejiang Army shouted impatiently: "What kind of lunch box do you want? We can just hold it with our hands!"

Yang Menglong almost kicked someone: "Can you still eat noodles with your hands?"

The soldiers of the Zhejiang Army squinted their eyes, indicating that there is a problem?
In line with the realization that he owed these guys 300 million in his previous life, Yang Menglong had people take out [-] empty cans from the car and distribute them to the Zhejiang soldiers to use as lunch boxes. As for the chopsticks... you can figure it out yourself. I'm not one of you. Nanny, I don't have time to teach you how to eat and pee!The soldiers who received the cans went to get rice and noodles, and the soldiers who didn't get the cans went to get steamed buns and steamed buns. The Zhejiang army was very cooperative, and it was all for the sake of eating.However, their discipline was not very good and they were huddled together. The cook was so angry that he picked up a spatula and slapped the hands that were dangling in front of him, finally getting them to calm down.The soldiers of the Zhejiang Army who received the food didn't even care about how hot it was. They squatted down in a place and started eating. They were so hot that they grinned and said that this was the best meal in their lives.After they wiped out all the food in their hands, they ran back to get it. Unfortunately, the steamed buns, steamed buns, and noodles were all distributed, leaving only a little rice, and there was still some noodle soup and vegetable soup in the pot. , these guys gave full play to the wisdom of the working people, poured the soup and water into one piece, added a lot of hot water, boiled it for a while, and then drank it in a can, and as for the leftovers , there will be no grain left, and it will be cleaner than a dog licked!

Yang Menglong couldn't help but ask Wu Sheng: "How long has it been since you had a meal?"

Wu Sheng said: "Two days! In fact, since we entered Jiaodong, we have been hungry and full. At the beginning, we could raise a little food and grass, but when we approached Laizhou, let alone food and grass, we even got straw sticks." It's less than one!" When he was speaking, his mouth never left the leg of lamb in his hand, and his words were quite vague.

Seeing his worthless appearance, Xue Siming felt a little sympathetic: "How long have you guys not eaten meat?"

A servant asked: "Are you asking about this month or this year?"

Xue Siming: "..."

Another famous family member was a little puzzled: "Where did you get so much grain, grass and vegetables? We tried our best to feed, not to mention grain, we didn't even get a straw stick!"

Yang Menglong said: "We bought the grain and grass by ourselves on the road. We have a carriage, which can bring a lot of grain and grass. Vegetables are a bit troublesome, and we have to send a special carriage to buy them from a faraway place."

Wu Sheng sighed: "You are really rich and powerful. Our Zhejiang army is not as rich as you, otherwise we wouldn't have to gnaw bark."

Qi Hu let out a sigh: "Unexpectedly, the Zhejiang Army has fallen to this point... I think back when Qi Shaobao was still there, the Zhejiang Army was well-equipped and well-fed. Looking at the whole country, no one dared to recognize the second! "He was born in the Zhejiang Army, and he has deep feelings for the Zhejiang Army. Seeing that the Zhejiang Army is in such a difficult situation, he feels very uncomfortable.

Wu Sheng looked bitter, shook his head, and continued to eat mutton with big mouthfuls.His ancestors served in the Qi family army. From childhood to adulthood, what he heard most was the glory of the Zhejiang army, the bravery and invincibility of the Qi family army, and strict discipline. Find a boss like Qi Shaobao and take him to make contributions.But the reality is very cruel, the Qi family army no longer exists, and a hero like Qi Shaobao may not appear again. What is left for him is only endless thoughts and the reality that the Zhejiang army is declining day by day.

The servant muttered: "If Qi Shaobao was still around, we would definitely not be in such a mess!"

Qi Hu said: "If Qi Shaobao is still there, you will not be able to be family members at all!"

The servant said: "As long as I can follow a commander like Qi Shaobao who loves his soldiers as much as his son, I am willing to be a soldier!"

Yang Menglong issued an invitation: "General Wu, this place is not far from Laizhou, let's go together."

Wu Sheng was startled: "Together?"

Yang Menglong said: "Well, otherwise you should worry about tomorrow's meal again."

Wu Sheng put down the mutton leg, gave a deep bow to Yang Menglong, and said gratefully: "General Yang, your kindness, Mr. Wu, has been kept in mind. In the future, just say something useful to Mr. Wu!"

Yang Menglong waved his hand and said, "Don't be like this. We are all soldiers, and our friendly forces are short of supplies. It's only natural to give alms. It's not a kindness. If you say this again, I will abandon you and go to the front line by myself."

Wu Sheng laughed: "It's Wu who is petty."

Wu Sheng obviously didn't know the origin of the Heluo New Army. When he learned that the predecessor of the Heluo New Army was the Wuyang Guard who defeated Jiannu in the Battle of Daling River and beheaded more than a thousand people, the baby-faced general in front of him was After the desperado who stabbed Huang Taiji's horse to death with a single shot and almost killed him, he was so surprised that he couldn't speak.After a long time, he finally came to his senses, and pulled Yang Menglong to tell him the story of the Battle of Dalinghe... This general was only 26 years old, still very young, and he had made up his mind since he was a child to fight with his hands. He used his knife to cut out a bright future, and he never changed his original intention after encountering obstacles many times. Now he meets a general who is also young but has outstanding military exploits. His admiration almost pulls Yang Menglong to sign.

The Heluo New Army and the Zhejiang Army got along quite happily. The Heluo New Army didn’t talk much, but they were easy to get along with, while the Zhejiang Army were all talkative. They kept telling them about the beautiful scenery of Jiangnan, Jiangnan The delicious food, the fine wine and beauties in the south of the Yangtze River, these soldiers from the Loess Plateau and Nanyang Mountains are very excited. Everyone is talking and laughing, and they are very harmonious.

However, a silent young man who had been watching the Zhejiang army in the dark frowned and muttered to himself: "These are loyal and brave soldiers who fought for the country. They should be like the Heluo new army." It’s right to have plenty of food and clothing, and excellent armor, why are they all dressed in rags, with yellow and emaciated faces, looking like beggars?”

Yang Menglong's voice drifted over: "If I don't give you a penny for more than ten months, you will definitely be worse off than them!"

The man was very surprised: "No money for ten months in a row!?"

Yang Menglong said: "Thirteen months and 21 days, this army has not received a penny of food and salary for thirteen months and 21 days, so there is no mutiny, and they can be pulled out to fight. The skills of your old Zhu family, I really admire the skills of your old Zhu family's officials!"

The man was stupefied: "Yang Menglong, don't be too presumptuous!"

Yang Menglong shrugged and said: "The truth is always harsh, I understand. But the facts are the facts. The imperial court's action of letting the horses run and not let the horses eat grass is purely death. Do you believe it?" Pointing to the soldiers of the Zhejiang Army who were holding the lunch box and licking it fiercely, his tone became cold: "If the Tartars break through the customs and come to the south of the Yangtze River, as long as they don't hurt their relatives, they will surrender without hesitation. , will never have the slightest nostalgia for Daming, believe it or not? Because Daming has drained their patriotic enthusiasm, so that they can no longer love this country!"

The man's expression became horrified, and he wanted to refute, but thinking about the soldiers he met along the way, and the refugees lying dead on the side of the road, who were so hungry that they didn't know what to do. How to refute.Yes, Daming is about to lose the hearts of the people. A country can't even feed the army and the common people. How can it be supported by all the people?Isn't it a joke to rely on a group of beggar-like soldiers to defend the country?
Why is this happening?

(End of this chapter)