Five days later, Yang Fan's army arrived at the legendary Tumu Fort.
Eighty thousand capital troops, plus one hundred thousand civilians, filled the plain between Tumubao and Qingshui River. The equipment of the Beijing camp was considered top-notch in the Ming Dynasty at this time. Because the emperor spent a lot of money to buy cotton tents, briquettes and cast iron stoves from Yang Fan.
Yang Fan didn't make a penny and even sold and gave away the money, which made the emperor very satisfied.
After all, these people were fighting for the benefit of the Ming Dynasty with the enemy who was the main force in Mongolia. They were fighting for the country, and Yang Fan couldn't bear to make money.
When setting up camp, rolls of barbed wire were carried out of the car. The soldiers began to set up camp.
Yang Fan's transportation group disguised itself as a transportation team and used caravans to transport armor, baggage and food to the army.
"The camp will be set up in a while. Let the civilians come in and designate a place for them." Yang Fan ordered. Thousands of households in the capital camp all agreed loudly.
These officers all entered the officer training team individually and were trained by Yang Fan himself. Anyone who could not endure the training was sent back to Chongzhen by Yang Fan. Let the emperor make other arrangements. Yang Fan made it very clear that he would not settle for nothing here.
If there are not enough officers, they will be transferred from their own servants to serve as temporary officers. After the war, the troops will return to Beijing and all will withdraw. The emperor also agreed. He knows that one general's incompetence will exhaust all three armies.
After passing Tumu Fort, you have to formalize. Folks must protect themselves, as the situation on the grasslands is changeable. Whether it is harassment from enemies or wild animals, it is very dangerous. If left unchecked, some people would be picked off by wolves every night.
Yang Fan, senior military officers, and civil servants stayed in the houses in the Tumu Fort.
A hundred households were stationed here for a long time. Knowing that the army was going to pass through here, Baihu Yanghu was also smart and tidied up the house in advance. So that these important people can move in.
Because this is an important transportation thoroughfare, otherwise such a strong fortress would not be built here.
Yang Fan and Zhang Shize, accompanied by hundreds of households in Yanghu, took a tour around.
"Is there still no well in the fort now? You need to go to Qingshui River to get water." Yang Fan asked.
"Back to my uncle, there is still no water. The younger one sent people to dig ten feet but no water came out. So he gave up."
Yang Fan frowned and said: "There is a cave between two mountains, and the middle can't be drained. This earthen fort is on a small highland, but it is surrounded by plains surrounded by mountains. Normally, there should be no water. Hou Shengwu, please show me what to do. thing."
Hou Shengwu has been waiting here with his engineering corps for several days, and he came to greet the master today.
"Master, there is only one possibility. There was an earthquake here, which blocked the aquifer and prevented it from passing under the fort. However, the aquifer generally does not have only one layer. As long as it is dug deep, water will definitely come out."
What Hou Shengwu said makes sense. The mountains around here are very high. This is the valley plain between the mountains. The underground should be the place where water flows gather.
"Then I'll leave it to you. You guys dig a well and get water for me within three days." Yang Fan said.
"Here, sir, don't worry, we will definitely get water."
Yang Fan, Zhang Shize and the civil servants all went to their respective courtyards to rest. Yang Fan was lying on the bed, unable to sleep. He remembered that there were bones everywhere near Tumubao, especially in the Qingshui River. My heart felt a little heavy.
No matter what, these soldiers sacrificed their lives for the country. Time has passed 172 years. Daming did not collect their bodies either. Just exposed to the wind and rain in the wilderness.
Early the next morning, Yang Fan summoned Zhang Shize and all accompanying officials. It was discussed to rest for another three days, and at the same time let the army and civilians search for the bones of the fallen soldiers in the Battle of Tumu Fort and bury them in the ground.
Everyone agreed that complimenting Uncle Dingyuan's benevolent heart would bring blessings.
In the Ming Dynasty, it was important to rest in peace in the grave, which was a good thing to do good deeds and accumulate virtue. Everyone is willing to lend a hand.
Yang Fan then ordered and announced that from now on, civilians can go out to search for the bones of fallen soldiers.
For every pair that is collected, a reward of twenty-five cents will be given. Every hundred people formed a team, and the army sent a group of soldiers to protect them. Other officers and soldiers rested in the camp and were mobilized in rotation according to the arrangement.
The main force of the army must be prepared and must not relax. Even though this is within the Great Wall.
As soon as the news came out, the people suddenly burst into joy. The civilian husbands recruited by the Ming Dynasty served as corvees for the government. Not only are they not given any money, they are also required to prepare cold-proof clothing and bring their own dry food.
Like this time, if the trip takes a long time, you should bring some money with you in case of emergencies.
This time, the civilian husband had to follow and transport the baggage to Guihua City before returning. From now on, every transportation will be temporarily recruited according to three-month periods, and then rotated continuously.
They were most afraid of being drafted and would go out with the army.
Not to mention the danger, he also suffered.
It was windy, frosty, rainy and snowy, and the road was muddy and difficult to travel. The shoes are all made of cloth and will get damaged quickly. Clothes also tend to get torn. It was winter at this time, and I couldn't find any grass even if I wanted to use straw sandals. If the shoes are broken, the soles of the feet will be worn to pieces very quickly.
It's so cold that we can't eat or drink. Sleeping in the wild, cold and damp. I have been ill for several months. It would be considered good if seven out of ten people could return. It is common for half of them to die.
The army's tents are not enough, so how can these civilians be managed?
The government servants who brought them here were also like wolves and tigers, whipping and insulting them. There are often people who can't bear it anymore and drown in rivers and wells. Every morning, the trees are hung with people who secretly hang themselves in the middle of the night.
Yang Fan knew all this. Before departure, we collected twice as many cotton tents and stoves from the Xincheng warehouse, as well as briquettes for 200,000 people.
When we arrived outside the Tumu Fort, we were resting. Each civilian husband was given a pair of old-fashioned military high-waisted rubber shoes. These shoes are very sturdy and will last ten years.
Yang Fan really couldn't afford to give out boots.
This kind of rubber shoes is at least more reliable than their cloth shoes and will not wear out. If you hurt your foot, you will suffer a big consequences after you get out of the fortress.
However, these rubber shoes are single shoes, not cotton shoes. Will freeze your feet. Yang Fan prepared a larger size, and at the same time distributed some wool for the peasants to stuff inside.
These civilians never expected this. The army actually gave them the same treatment as sergeants.
When encamped, they were stationed within a barbed wire fence and protected by the army. There are also cotton tents for sleeping, and there are iron stoves and briquettes inside for heating and hot water.
Eating is also managed by the army. When the army has finished eating, the fire-headed soldiers will provide food for the 100,000 civilians. They ate the same food as Dajun, which was steamed cakes and vegetable soup.
Each person is given a ration, three meals a day, totaling two kilograms of cakes.
People in this era have no non-staple food and eat a lot of grain. But two pounds of fat cake is enough to fill you up. Some people still have some left over, hiding it in their arms for a midnight snack.
Vegetable soup is brought in iron buckets. Yang Fan's soup is made of dehydrated vegetables boiled in water to ensure nutrition. Avoid night blindness.
There is soup stock and lard in it. The taste is still good.
Modern soups are so powerful in seasoning that these common people almost swallowed their tongues when they drank them.
The only difference in food between soldiers and civilians is that each soldier is provided with a tablespoon of chili oil every morning to keep out the cold.
Because we left Zhangjiakou, the morning on the grassland was very cold.
Zhang Shize rubbed his teeth as he looked at it. He couldn't help but said: "You are too good to them. If you do this, you will have to pay tens of thousands of taels of silver yourself for this trip."
He knew that Yang Fan was not short of money, but he asked himself that he couldn't do this method of spending money.
"Money and wealth are all external things. As long as you don't play tricks and win this battle, I will accept some money."
