Zhangjiakou Fort is located at the gap of the Great Wall, and there are many people entering and leaving the Great Wall pass. But now is the coldest time in winter, and no one wants to leave the country at this time.
If you go to the grasslands now, you are not making money, you are seeking death. Horses would freeze to death, let alone people.
However, some people will still go to Zhangjiakou. Because this is the distribution center for grassland and inland trade. There are many stocks of furs and prairie products in the city. Although traffic is cut off in winter, the connection between Zhangjiakou City and the mainland is not completely interrupted.
Li Jike is a squadron leader with one hundred cavalry under his command. This time they touched down the Mopan Village Fort in the middle of the night. And stationed here, pretending to be the original guard soldiers.
This is a small village with a garrison guard stationed under a general banner. The standard number of people in the general banner is fifty, but the guards had already fled and not even half of them were left.
There are actually only twenty-six people here. They are all old soldiers over forty years old.
This is the south entrance of the valley behind Zhangjiakou. Location is very important. Li Jike's purpose is to block this place and block the traffic between Zhangjiakou and Xuanfu Town.
The small villages are built along the hillside with courtyard walls made of stones. There is a beacon and a watchtower. Now, the more than twenty captured guardsmen were chained up and kept in the dungeon of the watchtower.
】
In the early morning, a group of carriages came here.
It was foggy in the morning, but you could still see that a new wooden fence and wooden gate had been added to the valley entrance, a dozen meters long, blocking the official road.
Ten soldiers stood at the gate. Wearing a mandarin duck war coat with black hair and rancid hair.
"Commander, these clothes are rotten. The smell of sweat makes me dizzy." Wu Commander Chai Shanping complained.
"You kid, just bear with it. The one I'm wearing is no better than the one you're wearing. It's just as rancid and smelly. Damn it, I guess I haven't washed it since my hair." Wang Da'an, the team leader, said with disgust. .
"Just wear it, if you don't wear this outfit, your secret will be revealed soon," said Wu Commander Luo Dayong.
"Let's wash these clothes before wearing them. It's unhygienic and will get lice and fleas on us," Han Jin said.
"Wash it, these clothes haven't been washed for decades. The cloth is ruined. If you rub it with water, it won't be a rag anymore. Just bear with it," Wang Da'an, the team leader, scolded.
Yang Fan's soldiers are already used to being clean. Take a shower once a week, and if it’s summer, take a shower every night before resting. After all, the intensity of exercise is high and you sweat a lot. If you don’t clean it, it will go rancid quickly.
Now they have raided this post and put on the clothes of these guard soldiers, making them feel uncomfortable all over.
The reason why we let this group come to the front is because this group is composed of Han people.
"Who are you, stop, don't go and fire arrows again." Hu Yaozu shouted loudly.
In the mist in the distance, a motorcade came.
"Don't shoot the arrows, don't shoot the arrows. We are a caravan from the Xuanfu. We are transporting food to Zhangjiakou and in exchange for some furs."
"Go back, the road here is closed, and the valley inside has landslided. We can't walk." Hu Yaozu shouted loudly.
"Ah, fellow military lords, when will the official line be repaired?" the shopkeeper asked in surprise.
This is the only access to Zhangjiakou, and a landslide occurred in this valley. That would be equivalent to losing contact with Zhangjiakou.
"I don't know. Let's go back first. There is an inn ten miles behind. You go there and wait. I will notify you when the official road is cleared. There is free accommodation and cheap food."
Seeing the impatient look of these soldiers, the caravan group did not dare to say anything more and had no choice but to walk back.
"Old Zhao, don't you think the guardsmen we encountered today are a little strange."
"When you say that, I feel a little strange. Why are they so polite? They don't extort money."
"And I think these people have a special spirit. Their whole spirit is different. I can't tell what is different."
"Yes, their spirits are different. I feel that they have become cleaner, which gives people a refreshing feeling. Those guardsmen in the past were all old men, and they did not wash their faces all winter. . It smells bad when you get closer."
"Yes, these soldiers are all young men. They all look less than twenty years old. How can there be such young soldiers in the guardhouse? It's really strange."
Lao Zhao waved his hands and said: "Forget it, these things are not something that ordinary people like us can guess. Who knows what those generals and gentlemen are doing. Don't get into trouble. Let's just go to that inn and stay there. .”
"That inn is also very strange. It didn't exist before, and it didn't exist when I came last month. It suddenly appeared. It was made of wood, and the wood was not even painted. But the service was pretty good, and the waiter was attentive. The charges are also very cheap. The accommodation also provides hot water. The horse feed is also good, and they are all good bean cakes. The house is also warm. "
"Let's go, let's go live first. We'll talk about it in two days."
At this time, Yang Fan had been staying at Jiming Fort for ten days with his 80,000 capital troops and 100,000 civilians. The whole army had a good time letting go to eat, drink and have fun. It has also greatly benefited local businesses and people in a short period of time.
For a time, everyone praised him and hoped that the army could stay longer.
Originally, when the army arrived, it was like facing a powerful enemy. The so-called bandits pass like a comb, and soldiers pass like a grate.
The soldiers not only bullied the market and refused to pay for purchases, but also harassed women. They even kill good people and take credit for their merits. Once the Ming Dynasty was in turmoil, the refugees and beggars would almost be killed by the rebels.
Because these people had their heads chopped off to take credit, and no one came forward to avenge them. Since there are no victims, it is safest to chop off their heads.
After these Beijing troops entered the city, merchants and people were panicked.
However, everyone soon discovered it. These soldiers never harass the place, speak kindly, and trade fairly. Most importantly, they discovered that these soldiers had money. Not comparable to those poor guys in the guardhouse. All of them are generous.
Especially in brothels and secret houses, business is booming. For a time, there was a huge crowd, and it was hard to make money. These soldiers also have many good things, and the local ladies prefer them to use these things to pay their bills.
Towels, toothbrushes and toothpaste, canned luncheon meat (made in Toronto), soap, candy, cigarettes, etc. These things are very hot commodities in Beizhili, and you can't buy them without any channels. As a result, businessmen in the capital came to buy these things after hearing the news.
Especially canned luncheon meat, which is made from the offal offal of cattle, sheep and pigs slaughtered in Duolun, crushed and mixed with starch and spices.
The cost is low, but the calories are super high. And the tinplate plates produced by the tinplate workshop of Xincheng Iron and Steel Plant are used as the outer metal box. The shelf life is three years and can be stored for a long time.
This stuff is high in calories, low cost, and tastes good. It is a popular junk food.
Yang Fan sold it to His Majesty at a reasonable price and used it to distribute it to the officers and soldiers to supplement their calories. After all, if we march to Guihua City in the middle of winter and everyone is skinny by then, there will be no need to fight.
Meat is too scarce and too expensive in this day and age. Even vegetable oils are very expensive. Most people simply can't afford it. This kind of meat that can be preserved for a long time immediately conquered the people of Ming Dynasty.
