Chapter 42 Conscription
According to the order directly issued by Mr. Bao of the Dusi Prefecture, Yanchuan County summoned all forces to extend the aid within the specified date. Halfway through the march, the soldiers first encountered fleeing civilians. Then, in panic, they were raided by the cavalry led by Gu Baisong. More than a hundred of them, including the leading magistrate and county magistrate, were killed. Most of the rest were captured by the cavalry. The helmet abandoned the armor and ran south towards Yanchang. Gong Derun's Zhenyong Battalion joined Gu Baisong and easily occupied the fully guarded Yanchuan County.
Before the army set off, Guan Shengyun and Luo Yonghao told General Gu Gong to restrain their men appropriately and not to go too far like they did in Yan'an Prefecture. Therefore, although the people of the two counties were inevitably subjected to some robbery and rape, generally speaking, their situation was much better than they imagined. At least, the total number of people killed in the two counties was only in single digits. At that time, China's unique concept of "chastity" that "starved to death is a small matter but a small breach of integrity is a big deal" had not yet taken shape. This thing was mainly created during the Manchu and Qing dynasties by a bunch of Han people who wanted to be slaves but could not get it. Before that, people were not so perverted that they would throw themselves into a well when they were humiliated. When their wives and daughters were humiliated, they did not dare to use kitchen knives and follow them. The abuser tried his best, but said nothing to stop her from dying cleanly? What kind of bastard would it take to do this? !
Insert a short story.
Northern Song Dynasty, Lantern Festival. The Holy Emperor and the people enjoy the lanterns together. Hearing a commotion outside the tent, someone reported that a thief had been caught and had stolen the royal gold cup.
The thief who stole the gold cup was a woman. The complaint said: Today is a festive day, and the king and the people are happy together. On the street, the Holy Master gave me wine, and I drank a glass of it. But she was too drunk and felt red in the face. She was afraid that her husband might misunderstand him for drinking with someone else when he got home, so he wanted to steal the gold cup he was given to drink and go home as a certificate. I don’t dare to do it anymore, please forgive me...
Historical records: "The people in the tent laughed and said: 'With it'"!
What a good one to go with!
The person who laughed and said "give it to her" - was Song Huizong.
Dear readers, do you have some different feelings at this moment about this "famous faint king" who was kidnapped for playing tricks?
It is better to have no books than to believe in books. Historical figures are by no means as black and white as kindergarten children are either "good guys" or "bad guys" - I believe that masterpieces such as Mr. Gu Cheng's "History of the Peasant War in the Late Ming Dynasty" and Mr. Luo Ergang's "The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom" have historical data value of It is indeed commendable, but there is no need to use the so-called peasant proletariat, reactionary feudal rulers, landlords and other specific viewpoints to rigidly describe history - to make things that Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong and others who have become emperors successively have never heard of it become a halo. On their head, why bother? Zhu Yuanzhang was a righteous "rebellion" when he was not successful, and became emperor when he became successful. He completed his "transformation" overnight and immediately became a reactionary feudal ruler... Are you tired from sleeping this time?
Back to business.
Neither Gu Baihua nor Gong Derun are man-eating monsters, nor are they Guanyin who rescues those in distress. Although he did not launch an army to massacre the city, he was not too polite to the people of the two counties. He was leaving anyway, and he would not let go of the money he could take with him. In the large and small shops in Gaomen Courtyard and Yamen Warehouse, everything that looked like they could be robbed was not spared. But they really didn't grab much food - Military Advisor Guan Shengyunluo had already negotiated with the Shaanxi authorities about the supply of food and grass along the way, so there was no need to bother with the additional burden of plundering the three or five buckets of food from people's homes.
However, Ding Zhuang must be caught. The journey in the future will be more than a thousand miles away. Without the support of a huge number of auxiliary soldiers, no matter how many soldiers you have and how capable you are of fighting, the army will be useless. After losing auxiliary soldiers for one to three days, the army will be paralyzed. If it loses mobility for more than three days, its combat effectiveness will plummet: you must separate most of the soldiers to collect water, chop wood, cook, dig trenches, and build and repair forts. Waiting for the logistics work, the prerequisite is that you have enough food reserves and cannot leave the camp. Don’t even think about tactics such as retreat, pursuit, outflanking, etc.! Without auxiliary soldiers on their backs, the soldiers marched wearing a suit of iron? You don't have to go far, just ten miles - you don't have to wait for someone to fight, and you will be exhausted.
Gong Derun burned down the county government office in Yanchuan, captured thousands of strong men, and asked them to push and pull the stolen property back to Yanchang to join Gu Baihua.
Gu Baihua has more work.
Whether it was the defenders originally recruited by Yu Shengliang or the defeated troops driven from the direction of Yanchuan by the cavalry, they were all roaming the fields around Yanchang, posing many more direct threats than Gong Derun's. Especially in terms of public security: these defeated soldiers also need to eat, and they don't dare to enter the city, so they have to rob the fleeing people. Later, the people gradually understood that although the thieves had occupied the city, they were safer at home than in the wilderness - at least, as long as they did not fight desperately, their lives could be saved.
After all, Gu Baihua grew up in Lijiang, a city with simple folk customs, and is a relatively emotional person. Seeing the common people coming back one after another, I was a little moved, and simply ordered: Except for shops and wealthy households, ordinary people are not allowed to be harassed. As for the former, as long as you have a good attitude and take the initiative to hand over some property, you will be fine. Seeing this, the gentry in the city gradually became bolder and took the initiative to take on the work of coordination and communication. Of course, they also do it for themselves.
With the help of the gentry, Gu Baihua's work was completed smoothly.
The first is personnel screening. After Gu Baihua solemnly promised to take everyone away without leaving any trouble, the gentry led the search team to go door to door and picked out all the stragglers in the city who threatened the people to hide themselves. Then the gentry organized their servants and residents and led small teams to the fields to look for people. Wherever one can hide people, the locals are naturally much more familiar with it than outsiders like Gu Baihua. Jin Shen and his neighbors yelled, "Well, where does so-and-so live? Folks and neighbors, please come out. It's okay. The army won't kill the people!" The effect was very good. In less than two days, 99% of the people living in the wilderness returned home, and at the same time they also captured hundreds of soldiers scattered outside. Those who tried to escape and resist were either shot on the spot or intercepted by the cavalry in the outer circle - nothing happened in Yanchuan, and Gu Baisong came back three days earlier than Gong Derun.
A little more troublesome is catching Ding. The Jin gentry also knew that this was something they couldn't escape, but they still preferred the local people in their hearts, so it was a bit difficult to deal with it. Take Sanding's draw as an example, one of the three strong laborers will be drawn and taken away. It sounds okay, but it's completely different when it comes to execution. For example, a male between fifteen and fifty-five (the regulations vary slightly in each dynasty) is called "Ding", and there are five members of the family: grandfather is fifty-one, father is thirty-three, son is sixteen, and there are grandmother and mother. Regardless of whether it is the grandfather who is taken away (most likely not, because Gu Baihua definitely doesn’t want to be a burden) or the grandson, there is a high probability that he will die outside; but if the father is taken away, the family’s sky will collapse, and there is no way It's better than the whole family will die soon. For this reason, the communication between the gentry and Gu Baihua almost reached a deadlock.
Luo Shifan, who came with him later, had an idea and gave Gu Baihua a good idea: buy someone.
Anyway, there are plenty of supplies. The hundreds of thousands of kilograms of miscellaneous grains in Yu Shengliangtun were nothing to the army. Gu Baihua had already expressed that he did not want them and would give them all to the Jin gentry before leaving to distribute to everyone. But for the common people, with a few hundred kilograms, the whole family would not have to worry about eating for a year or two - of course with some wild vegetables. In those days, it was impossible for the landlords' families to eat dry food all the time.
As soon as they said they were going to do it, the gentry wrote notices and beat gongs and went around the streets to promote: Those who signed up voluntarily would be given 200 catties of grain each, and those who came in the first three days would be given an additional settlement fee of 2,25,00 yuan. On the fourth and fifth days, only food was given, but no money was given. If the number of people is not enough, people will be arrested on the sixth day, and they will just follow them, and nothing will happen! They themselves lead by example. Since it is unavoidable, I might as well call my servant Chang Gong directly: You guys will follow the army. I have already made an agreement with General Gu and will take good care of you and so on. As for the family, don’t worry, leave it all to me...
The common people made a secret calculation: Instead of gambling with a high probability of losing nothing in the end, it would be better to receive both money and food! A labor force can be exchanged for a family's food rations for one or two years. This is a great thing. Based on past experience, if you are forced to do hard labor by the government, you not only have to bring your own dry food, but if the people are gone for a few months, it is not in vain. Already? You dare to ask the government for help! I have already signed up people on my own initiative. Even if the kings don't get enough numbers in the end, it's hard to keep holding on to the same sheep and try to extract the wool, right?
In less than three days, more than 3,000 people came, which was 50% more than the 2,000 requested by Military Advisor Luo. It wasn't until the fourth day that someone came over, saying that Lu Yuan had heard the news too late, and that the little bosses who were pestering the recruiters were begging for money...
In addition, Gu Baihua also recruited more than a dozen craftsmen such as blacksmiths, cobblers, carpenters (who build houses), square carpenters (who make furniture), and round carpenters (who make pots and barrels). He also arrested a veterinarian. A doctor. Although most of the craftsmen were only semi-slaves in the Ming Dynasty government: they were assigned to work by the government, and they would work at sunrise and go home at dusk. As for wages, don't even think about it, just provide them with enough food and clothing to barely make ends meet. But after all, even if they are considered career workers, their lives are relatively stable, so these craftsmen with stable incomes were not as willing as the guys who took the initiative to join the army at first. After entering the camp, the whole family cried together as if the doomsday was coming.
But here in Gu Baihua, they are all considered talents with special skills, and special talents must enjoy special treatment! It was still Luo Shifan's idea: a big bowl of oily fat meat and a thick stack of flatbread mixed with a lot of white flour were placed in front of his eyes. After the old man and the young boy were in the air, there was no need for Gu Baihua and others to do any ideological work. ! Everyone has discovered that outside the system turns out to be a paradise for talents!
The blacksmith's hammer was so good that it took only a few days to produce many swords and guns that might not have been produced in several months. The tanner made a good saddle for General Gu in less than three days, and carpenter Fang made a good saddle for Gu. The general packed a suitcase, and the carpenter made a washbasin and footbath for General Gu. He also made holes for the ropes to be tied to the new saddle. The long carpenter chased General Gu and asked when he wanted to build a house. Just wait for you. Then the veterinarian rushed into the stable, opened the horse's mouth one by one and stuck its head inside. The doctor carried a medicine box and grabbed people's arms to check the pulse. He poured a few large tonics into Gu Baihua until his nose started to bleed, so that the next day General Gu, who was not afraid of anything, was afraid of him from the bottom of his heart. When the doctor saw General Gu from a distance, he grinned with joy and ran forward. Gu Baihua was so frightened that he shook his hands: Don't come here, I'm really not sick today... ...turned around and ran away, as if the men and horses from the three major battalions of the capital were chasing him!
At this time, Gong Derun also arrived.
Seeing how harmonious everything is here in Gu Baihua, Old Gong is so angry! After all, he had attended a private school for several years, and he had made Yanchuan County miserable. Even though he finally distributed the grain to the people, he still received a lot of scolding behind his back; this guy who could not read or write , he was still a barbarian, he only spent a few thousand taels of silver, he did all kinds of bad things, and yet he was praised by the people as a living Bodhisattva! Where the hell are you trying to reason... Well, the current Landlord Gong is so wealthy that he spends thousands of taels using the word "talent"!
However, this sharp contrast made everyone in Guan Shengyun understand two profound truths:
1. The cooperation of the gentry class plays a much greater role in maintaining local order than a steel knife.
2. The efficiency of systematic and planned expropriation is much higher than that of military robbery.
Understanding these two principles will bring a lot of benefits to Guan Shengyun in the future, which is a story later.
Before returning to Yan'an Prefecture, there was routine training and formation work.
General Gu Gong first greatly expanded his personal guard. Select some elites who have been tested in actual combat from the veterans of the camp and organize them into their own guards, bringing the total number of people in each guard to almost fifty or sixty. In this era, no one, whether it is Guan Shengyun or the imperial court, cares about the number of personal soldiers of the various generals under their command: anyway, they are your "private soldiers", and you have to pay for them yourself. You have to be responsible for keeping them well-fed, providing them with the best equipment, and allowing them to receive systematic training. All in all, it is your "private property". You can give it to others as a favor, but you can also count on them to save lives at critical moments. In a word, as much money as you can afford, you can support as many people as you can.
Then replenish your own combat barracks. The most ideal candidates are the defeated troops at the imperial court. In this era, the so-called loyalty to the emperor and the country was a concept only held by literate scholars, who had been instilled in it since they were young. For the vast majority of other people at the lowest level, being a soldier is just a way to make a living and has nothing to do with ideals and beliefs. These people have no ideal at all. If they insist on having one, then the so-called ideal is to have food to eat. In order to realize this ideal, as long as they can eat a bowl of rice, they will obey orders to kill anyone without any scruples. If they are defeated and captured, they can throw themselves to the other camp and kill them back without any guilt. To put it bluntly, whoever gives them food to eat will obey whoever tells them to kill the other party. The so-called "loyalty" is often limited to small circles such as personal soldiers and direct generals: "Sellers seeking glory" are despicable, and even the enemy will generally not encourage this behavior.
Both Gangfeng Battalion and Zhenyong Battalion were more than fully replenished. Traditionally speaking, each military camp will be composed of four teams: A, B, C and D. Each team has more than a hundred people, plus the personal soldiers and Tangqi scouts, there are about 500 people in total. The larger battalion has five teams, so The number of people went to six hundred. Gu and Gong both expanded their battalions to six teams. If they were not afraid that other generals would become angry with them, they would not stop.
The rest will be temporarily organized into the auxiliary barracks. Of course, except for those guys who know in their hearts that their conditions are really not good enough to be soldiers, most people still want to be soldiers - not only are the food and treatment much better than that of auxiliary soldiers, but as long as they win the war, they will always have the opportunity to rob. Make some windfall.
So there were complaints.
Second General Gu Gong could only reassure everyone: when we arrive at Yan'an Prefecture, there are still several battalions with vacancies, and they will definitely be picked by other generals by then.
The ones who suffered the most were the government officials in Yanchuan County. These six-door guys are more knowledgeable than other honest ordinary residents. They are full of bad water ghost ideas, and they have been using the court's name to steal the people's food. If you are incorporated into the war barracks, you might cause some trouble. Not to mention defecting in battle, trying to escape at any time will have extremely bad consequences. Therefore, it can only be used as a consumable: working as a cow or a horse in the auxiliary barracks, and it will be over when it is exhausted. Luckily for those who stopped Liao Xingxiang's warehouse in Yanchang County, Gu Baihua was not too embarrassed. As for those in Yanchuan, they were all captured by Gong Derun.
