After forcing Yang An'er to retreat that day, Guo Ning asked Wang Shixian to go to Xinqiao Camp in Anzhou and ask the Yu clan chief, who was familiar with him, if he could choose among the five prefectures of Xiong, An, Bao, Sui and Ansu. The place where the troops were abandoned and the strong men fled was where Guo Ning's grain and fodder came out.
The day after Guo Ning met with Jing'anmin, Wang Shixian rode an old horse back to the Xijunhe camp, covered with travel.
Within a few days of going back and forth, the entire camp had expanded to several times its original size. The entire highland originally on the west bank of the Xijun River and close to Bianwudian has been included in the scope of the camp.
The long moat outside the camp has been excavated. The long moat is about one foot wide and more than two feet deep. One end is close to the Xiangjun River and the other end is close to Bianwudian, forming an irregular arc.
Han Xuan was patrolling along the long chasm. Along the way, he ordered his subordinates to place thin and sharp reed sticks densely at the bottom of the long chasm. It can be seen that he is a little impatient, because the two ends of the connecting water area have not yet been opened, but the groundwater continues to seep up and has already covered the soldiers' calves. After a while, it will not be easy to arrange.
The excavated silt and sand have been piled up on the inside of the long trench. Many soldiers divided into groups of three to five people, used ropes to pull the large rocks, and pounded the sand and compacted it into a mound. The fence to be set up at the top of the earthen rampart has not yet started, and for the time being only a lot of wooden piles are piled behind it. There were several men who looked like craftsmen, slowly sharpening one end of the wooden pile.
After Wang Shixian entered the camp, he saw that the camps in each capital were basically completed. Each camp gate flutters its own recognition flag, capital flag and small flag used to convey orders. In each camp, there are clearly divided areas where soldiers live and areas where ordnance, grain, and supplies are stored. The sentries outside the camp were all in place, and well-equipped patrols patrolled everywhere in turn.
There is a separate area in the corner of the entire camp, which seems to be a specially designed defecation area. Zhang Xin's men are divided into several groups and are working hard to dig holes there. They dug around and complained to each other a few times. It seemed that they were assigned to do this because they suffered a loss in some competition.
Seven camps, roughly arranged in a triangle, clustered around Guo Ning's base camp on the central high ground.
Wang Shixian went to his own camp first, asked about the situation, and handled a few military affairs, and then returned to the main camp.
The camp did not set up any flags, but there were a full set of drums and horns lined up on both sides of the camp gate, as if they were treasured by some of the defeated troops. Further outside the gate, there are several vertical wooden poles. There were two shirtless men tied to two wooden poles. They must have violated military law and were punished.
Wang Shixian knew that when the army first gathered, fame alone would not be able to convince others, and they would have to gain grace and prestige to do so. Fortunately, these two people were in good spirits and were not beaten severely. They obviously did not make any big mistakes. They were just showing off to the public and escaped naturally after two hours. Wang Shixian looked at the top of the wooden pole again to make sure that there was no unlucky guy's head stuck on top.
When I walked into the Zhongjun, I didn't see Guo Ning.
After asking Zhao Jue, he found out that Guo Ning was at the craftsman camp on the edge of the highland.
Wang Shixian hurriedly headed towards the craftsman camp, and sure enough he bumped into Guo Ning. He was squatting on the ground, carefully examining the row of armor plates spread out in front of him.
Not far from him was a hastily built iron-making furnace. The current conditions are limited, and the stove is inevitably rough. It is just a rectangular pit dug in the ground, and then the stove top is made of mud mixed with ashes and grass, leaving the stove door and chimney.
The stove was still burning, the charcoal inside was red, and sparks crackled from the stove door from time to time. There are pliers, sledge hammers, and small hammers on the edge of the stage.
This kind of stove can be built by an experienced person in two or three days, which is economical and simple. However, it can only be used to make iron, not steel, and is usually used in villages and towns to make farm tools. However, Guo Ning didn't have any high demands at the moment. He just wanted to melt the scrap armor pieces and weapons into molten iron as soon as possible, and then repair the armor.
Just then the leader of the craftsmen reported that it was successful, and then Guo Ning hurried over.
On these armor pieces in front of you, you can see the traces of being filled with iron and beaten again. The craftsmanship is not exquisite, but it is enough for the purpose. He weighed the armor pieces one by one, estimated the weight, and roughly compared the specifications.
Behind Guo Ning, a dozen craftsmen were sitting uneasily on stools, waiting for Guo Ning to make a decision.
These armor pieces were harvested from the previous ambush of Ji Junli's headquarters of Tiewa Gan warriors. After melting some of the severely damaged armor pieces and weapons, it is expected that more than forty sets of armor can be repaired. What Guo Ning was looking at at this moment were some of the first repaired nail leaves.
Guo Ning planned to use half to arm his own troops, and the other half to award soldiers who performed outstandingly in training as rewards.
Since the Song Dynasty, Hebei has been the center of mining, metallurgy, textiles, ceramics and other industries. As for Dajin, the ironware of Zhending, the fabrics of Xiangzhou and Zhuozhou, and the pottery of Dingzhou are all famous. Many craftsmen in these places were displaced due to the war. While Guo Ning gathered the defeated troops, he also paid attention to recruiting a group.
If the craftsmen cooperate tacitly and repair the armor quickly enough, they can then provide services to many soldiers.
According to the system of Daijin, Zhu Meng An Mo Ke prepared his own weapons and weapons for his subordinate soldiers. Therefore, many soldiers' armors were handed down from their ancestors. Some of the Song army's armors were even captured during the Tianfu and Tianhui years. After many battles, even if they were damaged to the point of being unusable, they were not willing to throw them away and bundled them into packages to carry with them.
If these armors can also be repaired, the confidence of the soldiers in each department will be even greater.
"Very good, that's it, please don't bother!" Guo Ning stood up with satisfaction.
According to Guo Ning's request, the craftsmen who were sitting on stools to rest quickly stood up and saluted. Someone came up and got close without any gaps, and someone moved too much, knocking over several stools, and it became a mess for a while.
Wang Shixian took this opportunity and rushed forward: "Liu Lang!"
Guo Ning had a brief chat with a few master craftsmen and then walked out of the crowd. It was very hot in the shed. He took off only his short shirt and was still covered in sweat. As he walked out, he had to put on his military robe again.
"How did the Yu family respond?" he asked.
Wang Shixian's face looked a little heavy and he shook his head slightly: "I sent two more trucks of grain and supplies, but the others..."
Guo Ning laughed: "They don't agree? Can Yu Jingchun, looking at the fat in front of him, hold back his mouth?"
Yu Jingchun is Wang Shixian's close friend. Hearing Guo Ning say this, Wang Shixian's face turned a little red.
He lowered his voice slightly: "Rokuro, they are helpless..."
"how to say?"
"Liu Lang's suggestion is that the Yu family and other Anzhou surnames will come forward to recruit people and reset the security forces to restore local agriculture and mulberry trees, and we will be responsible for the security of these security forces, including patrols and thieves. This is important to us and to The Yu family and other big surnames are a good thing that can benefit both sides. But the Yu family has always been hesitant because the identities of us are ambiguous, and the limelight is too strong, which will definitely arouse the jealousy of the court. "
Someone on the side spat and sneered: "Thousands of soldiers were wandering in various states without food and clothing. When they were like walking zombies, these people just pretended to be invisible. Now that we have gathered into an army, we have to find our own way. They Are you worried that we will offend the imperial court?"
It turned out that Li Ting was here.
The two met, and Wang Shixian continued: "Although the Yu family and other wealthy families were at odds with Tu Shanhang, they did not openly fall out. They all have families and businesses and have many worries. Without the permission of the court, they would not Dare to entangle us too deeply. Unless..."
"Unless what?"
"Unless... ahem, Liulang and brothers Yu Jingchun have a suggestion. They said that if Liulang can't get along with Anzhou's tudan governor, then maybe he can seek a name from officials in Xiongzhou, Xiangbaozhou and other places. As long as If you have a name in hand, then..."
Guo Ning smiled and shook his head.
He raised his hand and scratched his chin, and the short and hard stubble made a rustling sound: "The reason why Yu didn't dare to openly cooperate with us is simply because he was afraid of the court and worried that getting close to us would cause the court to be angry. However, Today or tomorrow, they should understand that the court has nothing to care about. Their worries are unnecessary."
"Today? Tomorrow?" Wang Shixian suddenly cheered up: "Liu Lang, are you sure?"
"Yang An'er is going to take action, not today, but tomorrow!" Guo Ning nodded.
Wang Shixian thought for a moment, clapped his palms, and laughed loudly: "Then, I'll set off right away and go to Xinqiao Camp again!"
Li Ting asked in confusion: "What are you talking about? Why can't I understand? Why is Yang An'er involved again?"
Guo Ning said: "Previously, Jing'an Min pretended to be here alone, but later we found out that he had hundreds of subordinates stationed in Suizhou, ready to respond. Master Huifeng led people to monitor this department all the way, just in case. 1. After the people of Jing'an left, the hundreds of people also retreated with him, but instead of returning to Dafang Mountain in Zhuozhou, they went due north and stationed themselves at Langshan Village in Yizhou."
"Yes, but what does Jing Anmin's movements have to do with Yang An'er?"
Yesterday, Guo Ning and Jing Anmin had reached a tacit understanding. There was no need to say anything, they both understood it. Guo Ning glanced at Wang Shixian. Wang Shixian reacted very quickly and immediately came forward to explain:
"When Jing'an Min was in Dexing Mansion, he had an old friendship with Yang An'er who was stationed in Jiming Mountain. Jing An'er must know what Yang An'er's plans are. He took his subordinates to Langshan Village in Yizhou because he didn't want to get involved in Zhuozhou There will be great chaos after that, so Yang An'er will undoubtedly rebel, and he will cause great turmoil in Zhuozhou!"
"Then Yang An'er rebelled, as Liulang said..." At this point, Li Ting also figured it out.
Who is Yang An'er? He is the most famous rebel in the Dajin territory since Taihe. When it comes to rebellion, no one is better or more experienced than him! Guo Ning has long said that this person should be the best tool to clean up the influence of the imperial court!
Yang An'er suddenly raised his troops, and the momentum was bound to be earth-shattering. The states south of Zhongdu Road will definitely fall into war and chaos. The Tiewagang warriors will definitely attack the surrounding officers and soldiers, loot the treasuries of various places to their heart's content, and then set off southward in a swaggering way.
As a result, the power of the imperial court will be swept away again. If before, the military states could barely maintain their dignity and put on a majestic posture, then after Yang An'er started his army, the military states have completely become empty military states. What the imperial court can still control in this area is probably within the walls of the city where the military governors and governors are located.
When states fall into chaos, anyone who wants to protect themselves must first expand their own power. The various families that already have strength will definitely join forces and work endlessly. At that time, who will care about what the court thinks? Isn't that extremely pedantic?
"Okay! Okay!" Li Ting waved his fist and laughed ferociously with joy: "What will we do after Yang An'er takes action? Such a good opportunity cannot be missed. If you ask me, I might as well..."
Guo Ning saw Liu Chengzheng hurriedly approaching from the direction of the camp gate and quickly shook his head at Li Ting.
While the leaders of the defeated army were discussing, Tang Kuo, who was in Dingxing County, was inspecting the city defense.
The Laishui River outside the city flows quietly, and greenery has grown on both sides of the river. There are sporadic farmers walking around the fields to inspect and prepare for spring plowing. Although Hebei has been hit by severe droughts, the fields around Laishui are still very good. Tang Kuohe found a way to seize hundreds of acres last year, and then used it to cultivate and set up tenants, using the original owner of the land to farm for his family.
Tang Kuo was considered good at business among the Jurchens. So he often climbed to the top of the city to look at his farm and figure out how much profit he could make from this land.
But when he went to the city today, he had no such intention. Instead, in the name of the commander of Tiewa Ganzhan Army, he seriously summoned the grain shooting army in Dingxing County and carefully inspected their weapons and equipment. Then he took them to the city and sent them to guard the city in teams.
This is an experience that Tang Kuo has not had in a long time. He was too fat and weak, and now he was wearing light armor, which made him even heavier. When he came up from the horse trail to the city, he felt his knees were sore. After walking more than half a circle along the city wall, he was sweating profusely.
He had to find a pier to rest.
After sitting for a while, he asked the attendant next to him: "Why hasn't Yang An'er arrived yet? When he sent someone to remind him, he said, I have something important to ask, please ask him as soon as possible!"
Before Tang Cong could think of agreeing, a gust of wind came from nowhere and suddenly hit Tang Kuo Heda, making him shiver.
