Zhao Wangcheng opened the city gate and warmly welcomed the arrival of reinforcements. The combat effectiveness of the Western Expedition army has three levels.
The first is the servants, the second is the Beijing camp, and the third is these group training. Now, it was actually the team trainers who repelled the Tumut people's final counterattack and relieved Zhao Wangcheng.
This result surprised Captain Liu Sheng who was stationed in Zhao Wangcheng. If the Tumut people's final counterattack fails, they will disappear in the long river of history and will never be able to make any waves again.
They had less than 10,000 soldiers and lost most of their tribesmen. They cannot survive in the cruel grassland and will soon be annexed by the desert Mongolia.
The team trainers paid a huge price. Of the 36,000 people who came, there are still about 20,000 people left. This victory was a tragic victory.
However, the soldiers who survived changed completely after this battle. At least these people are already capable soldiers.
The casualty ratio between them and the Mongols was 1.6 to one. It was simply a miracle that these rookie infantrymen had such a casualty ratio compared to the cavalry.
Liu Sheng held Yan Yingyuan's hand and shed tears of excitement. Without this supporting army, they certainly wouldn't be able to survive for long.
A ratio of ten to one is enough to capture this city. It's just a matter of time. Liu Sheng led the regiment into the city.
Yan Yingyuan looked at the black marks on the rammed earth wall and the missing arrows densely inserted on the wall, and could feel the intensity of the Mongolian siege during this period.
"How many people can be supported by the water source in the city?" Yan Yingyuan asked.
"There are only three wells in the city, which can supply up to ten thousand people. If there are more, there won't be enough to drink." Liu Sheng replied.
This is all used for drinking, cooking, and horse-breeding. There is no water to wash your face or clothes. At this time, he no longer dared to underestimate these group trainings.
He understood that Yan Yingyuan was considering how many people to keep. This place is so important, it is a fulcrum of Jiuyuan's mutual horns.
Yang Fan will not give up. There may be more brutal battles to follow. Yan Yingyuan nodded and said nothing more.
He also wants to bring the large army back to Jiuyuan. There will be a greater siege there. After all, the Mongolian army in the desert has not arrived yet.
"While the enemy retreats, hurry up and transport food. The real war is still to come. I will leave you five thousand people. Take advantage of this precious time to repair the city wall first. After I take the army to rest for a day, we will Retreat to Jiuyuan. This place can't accommodate so many people," Yan Yingyuan said.
This place is not like Jiuyuan, which is next to the Yellow River. This place is really a barren land. Due to the cooling of the climate in the late Ming Dynasty, the original pastures here have withered away.
Under the attack of wind and sand, this place almost turned into a desert. Liu Sheng led Yan Yingyuan up to the collapsed tower of the north gate, pointed at the city with his riding whip and said: "In recent years, the climate has become colder and colder. Not only has the wind and sand increased, but it has also not rained for years. A hundred years ago, this place was still here. There are more than a dozen small lakes that soldiers can still cultivate, but now they can’t do anything.”
"We are stationed here and rely entirely on Jiuyuan for supplies. It is really not suitable to put too many people." Yan Yingyuan nodded and said: "The city wall here is so bad that there is not even a horse surface. It would be great if it could be covered with bricks. The city is strong. We can deploy less troops, so the pressure on logistics will not be so great." Liu Sheng smiled bitterly: "There is coal in the open here, and there is clay in deep digging, so bricks can be made. But there is no such condition now. Maybe One day, the Mongolians from the desert will come to kill them." Yan Yingyuan turned around and looked into the city.
There are some exotic buildings in the city. Most of them are stone buildings with pointed roofs and many towering crosses.
There are also stone tablets engraved with patterns of unfamiliar cultural elements. Statues full of Greek style.
"I know a Jesuit monk named Matteo Ricci in the capital, and many things here are very similar to theirs," Yan Yingyuan said.
"This place was built by Nestorians, which is similar to the religion practiced by the foreign monks in the capital. They are all melons on a vine. There are also some mixed-race people here. But they are not the same group. In the letter given to me by the Marshal I have explained it in detail. The Nestorians here were introduced during the Tang Dynasty. Nestorianism is the Syrian branch of the Orthodox Church, which was introduced to the Tang Dynasty from Persia. And the Jesuits you mentioned are Catholics. A bit like Taoism. The difference between Li Zhengyi and Quanzhen is the same." Liu Sheng explained.
While the regiment training army was resting in Zhaowang City, the auction under Dongsheng City had ended. Businessmen from all over the country were all smiling.
They bought up all the cattle, sheep and horses. There are also a large number of precious skins, all captured trophies.
Now that the weather is getting colder year by year, these precious furs are soft gold and are the favorites of dignitaries.
Zhang Shize has been so happy lately that he can't close his mouth. This is really a fortune. Not only did they pay all the arrears of military pay to the soldiers in the four towns this time.
I also made up for the money for starting the battle and the money for going into battle. For those who were beheaded in the early stage, according to the reward standards of the Ming Dynasty, a true Tartar head was worth fifty taels of silver.
Pay per person immediately. One-hand money, one-hand goods, never default. The officers and soldiers in the four towns burst into tears.
They were full now. The least arrears among these are more than 20 taels, and those with many officers have over a hundred taels.
There was no deduction at all from the reward, and the silver was found directly. No tricking people with a lake of banknotes. For a time, Yang Fan's prestige reached its peak.
As expected, Uncle Dingyuan did not lie to these miserable soldiers. If he was told to reissue, he would reissue it, and there would be no difference. If you say you will be rewarded, you will be rewarded, and you will be rewarded immediately so that there is no delay.
For such a general, the soldier is not willing to sacrifice his life for him. In fact, the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty were not afraid of death, but they were afraid that death was not worth it.
After the merchants spent all their money, they drove their cattle, sheep and horses, and drove away with carts of furs. The morale of the soldiers was high and they took the initiative to fight.
The Marshal has made so much money, if he doesn't work hard, he will be worse than a pig or a dog. Where else in the Ming Dynasty could anyone be so kind to these Qiu Ba and give them money so happily?
Early the next morning, the army left camp. The Beijing Camp serves as the general reserve force to supervise the battle. The soldiers from the four towns formed formations in the north city, preparing to attack the city.
Looking at the vigorous soldiers of the four towns, Yang Fan said with emotion: "My soldiers of the Ming Dynasty are the best soldiers. It's not that they can't fight, but the court treats them badly. My soldiers of the Ming Dynasty are not usually paid. The salary is invincible. As long as you don't deceive them and give them enough money, they will immediately change from sheep to lions." Zhang Shize was also surprised to see that these Qiu Ba people, who were all wretched and timid before, were now gearing up one by one. Holding the weapon with enthusiasm, he was ready to fight.
Because they know that the commander-in-chief keeps his word. A true Tatar head can be exchanged for fifty taels of silver, paying with one hand and delivering the goods with the other.
