night.
Breaking into the military tent, the flames of the candles stolen from the temple flickered.
Liu Chengzong and Gao Yingxiang sat across from each other on a small kang table with a rotten corner on one side. There were a few books on the table and a pot of tea was warmed on a small earthen stove next to them.
The teapot is extremely beautiful, blue with sea patterns. It is a Hokke-glazed pottery produced by a kiln in southern Shanxi.
Gao Yingxiang pulled off his white hair scarf, with his hair disheveled, leaning against the candlelight and reading a book carefully.
Liu Chengzong drank tea slowly from a porcelain cup.
After a while, Gao Yingxiang asked: "Lion, can this Lion Bay really be reclaimed? I have never been a farmer, but I know that reclaiming land is not easy."
"Yes, it's difficult."
Liu Chengzong put down his tea bowl and nodded: "Especially in Lion Bay, which has not been cared for for many years. The ground is covered with sour grass and thorns, and the land is rugged and uneven. The number of people who broke into the camp, with only five thousand capable of working, could cover the two hills north of our camp in winter." It’s good to drive out.”
Gao Yingxiang frowned: "How much land is there in the mountains? Two thousand acres?"
"How can there be so much? West Shanmao has 900 acres, of which 570 acres can be used; Dongshanmao has 1,200 acres, of which 990 acres can be used."
After Liu Chengzong finished speaking, he raised his hand and drew a line on the kang table: "It would be good if we can carve out 1,500 acres."
Gao Yingxiang glared and said, "With so many people, why can't I do this?"
"That hilltop is connected to the big mountain to the north. If you set fire, the mountain will be burned. There is no irrigation on the mountain, and the land is as hard as stone. All the weeds must be pulled out and burned into ashes. Every inch of land must be burned. Break it into pieces.”
"The trees on the hill also need to be dug out by their roots. After doing this, we have to carry soil shoulder by shoulder and level the land."
As Liu Chengzong spoke, he spread his hands and said, "Why is no one willing to open up wasteland? This is a huge and long task. The most important thing is to have food on hand."
"Because of this, don't expect the hungry people in northern Shaanxi to clear the wasteland now. It's impossible. Only people like Master Gao, who have both food and people, can clear the land in a few more years."
But pull it down, Gao Yingxiang didn't want to open up wasteland after hearing what he said.
He reached out and said: "So, next year there will be 1,500 acres of land in this place, and the year after that there will be 3,000 acres of land. In the next year, 1,000 acres of land will be opened, and in ten years, 10,000 acres of land will be harvested, and the harvest will be 6,000 shi." Food to feed two thousand people?"
This is obviously a disproportionate return on investment!
"No, no, no, that's not how it was calculated."
Liu Chengzong waved his hand and said: "Master Gao, there are two problems with your calculation. First, the reclamation speed will be much faster after the canal is built. Second, not all the land here can be grown for food. Some places have severe saline and alkaline conditions and can be used to grow cotton."
As he spoke, he raised his hand to look for a book on the table, flipped through the pages, then pointed to Gao Yingxiang and said, "Master Gao, look, these are the products my brother has brought to the mountains many times and found. They are very rich. "
"There are all kinds of wild vegetables and fruits in the mountains, especially pine, birch, wild apricot, and sour thorn. There are also many medicinal materials. There are pheasants and wild boars in the mountains, and there are also fish in the river."
"It is roughly estimated that the land that can be cultivated in the river valley is 170,000 to 80,000 acres. As long as the water conservancy is good and the land there is soft, it will be much easier to cultivate it from next year."
"Although not all fields can grow food, they can grow cotton, fruit trees, vegetables, pasture, cotton and linen, and it is convenient to raise cattle, pigs, sheep, and chickens. This is a place where you can settle down."
As he spoke, Liu Chengzong flipped through the book again and pointed: "Paper mills, oil mills, pastures, military uniforms, and weapons can all be made given time."
"What's more!"
Liu Chengzong raised his hand and tapped on the table: "Didn't Master Gao harvest the corn fields in Huojiabao, Yonghe County? How much did he harvest?"
Mentioning the corn field, Gao Yingxiang became interested and said: "I heard from my subordinates that this thing is really harvestable, and one acre of land can weigh more than 160 kilograms."
"Yes, and it is drought-resistant. If there are 10,000 acres of land cultivated here and 5,000 acres are used to grow grain, then 500 acres can be selected to grow corn."
"There are also sweet potatoes and potatoes. I don't know where to find them. Anyway, if you meet them, just ask someone who knows how to grow them to see what kind of land is needed, and choose 10% of each from the grain land to plant them."
Speaking of this, Liu Chengzong warned again: "Never, never use these things as staple food just because the yield per mu is higher."
"If you plant all these, there will be nothing if you get sick."
Gao Yingxiang nodded, indicating that he understood, and smiled: "When you put it like that, I really think this place is much better than it looks!"
Liu Chengzong shook his head and said: "Actually, it's not that good. It's just that it's not easy to live outside for a long time. It's the best place we can stay."
"Anyway, once we open up the good fields, we will cultivate them intensively, and when we go to the fields, we will plant extensively and harvest less. We may not be able to be self-sufficient in two or three years, but there is a little, even a little."
Gao Yingxiang took a long breath, slapped the table and said: "Okay, then I will listen to you, stay here and cultivate the land!"
After saying that, he leaned forward again and asked, "But lion, I really need to have a good chat with you about what's going to happen next."
"My people need to rest. There are too many people from Shanxi in the team. I just plan to train them here. I can't join forces with you to go to Guyuan. You have to help me come up with an idea."
Liu Chengzong was very happy when he saw that he agreed to reclaim Lion Bay. He simply nodded and said: "Master Gao, tell me."
As long as Gao Yingxiang is willing to cultivate land here, there will be a way out.
Even if the Western Expedition fails in the future, the land will not be a blank slate when we return.
"First, I want you to help me organize the camp according to the method of the Lion Camp; second, what to do in the future. If Liu Ying goes to Guyuan and Wang Ying, I will probably find a way to escape and then enter Shanxi. I will stay in Shaanxi?"
Gao Yingxiang came up with the idea of reorganizing Chuangying according to the method of Lion Camp in Shanxi.
But what to say to Gao Yingxiang about this later matter? It was very complicated and he couldn't talk to his subordinates.
Gao Yingxiang and his subordinates gathered together to discuss matters, and they never discussed matters. They always had ideas in their minds, and they just used the discussion to observe their thoughts.
Gao Yingxiang knew the level of education of his group.
No big deal happened, and everyone took care of the little things.
Once he encounters a big problem, his brain trust may not be able to solve the problem when he comes together, but he will definitely be able to accurately avoid the correct choice.
"Reorganized as Lion Camp?"
Liu Chengzong leaned back and asked, "Why does Master Gao have such an idea?"
Gao Yingxiang's face remained as usual, and he raised his hand and said, "I feel that we, the rebels in the world, are all one family, but now we belong to different families. Even if we join forces, we all have different organizations."
"For example, Wang Jiayin's army is led by various generals. The number of troops under his command is variable, ranging from thousands to hundreds. He said he would send three teams to support you, but you don't know how many reinforcements there are. Still three to five hundred.”
After Gao Yingxiang finished speaking, he raised his hand and said: "But I think the Lion Camp is well organized, similar to the Ming Army, but different from the Ming Army. It has baggage, craftsmen, and soldiers. It is easy to move around and is good at cooperating with others." The officers and soldiers are fighting."
Finally, he concluded: "All of us should use the same organization, and even establish a stronger reporting relationship among the leaders. If someone in the court dispatches soldiers and horses in the middle, we should also form a rope from top to bottom. !”
Seeing Liu Chengzong's strange expression, Gao Yingxiang quickly waved his hand and said, "Don't think too much. This is just my wishful thinking. I have no intention of annexing you. I'm afraid no one will be able to annex you now."
Liu Chengzong smiled and said: "No, I didn't think about it that way."
He just felt that it was not easy to come up with such an idea at this time.
Gao Yingxiang said: "I also know that this is difficult, but in the long run, we will suffer too much."
This compliment made Liu Chengzong feel quite embarrassed.
He said: "To be honest, Master Gao, since these Ningxia soldiers surrendered to me, I have been considering further reorganization of the Lion Battalion. One battalion is already too bloated with so many people."
"With more than five thousand people, wherever they go, there is always enough to eat. Even if there are three people and four mules to take care of one cart, they can't carry one month's rations."
Gao Yingxiang felt this very well. He had just brought people back from the east to collect grain.
The transportation capacity was seriously insufficient. If there were too many grain trucks, it would be a fool's errand. If there were too few grain trucks, there would not be enough food for people. The grain he looted from Shanxi alone had to be divided into countless batches before being transported from the east bank of the Yellow River.
He was confused and couldn't help but nodded and said: "That's right! The eight thousand people like me were walking outside in fear, dividing our troops into several groups, fearing that they would be defeated by the officers and soldiers individually. If we didn't divide our troops, we would be blocked on the road again, which would be difficult. "
Liu Chengzong said: "So I think a battalion of 2,500 to 3,500 is the most appropriate situation, especially for a big leader."
Gao Yingxiang asked: "Big leader, what is a big leader?"
"There are 3,000 or even 6,000 soldiers. I'm not talking about combat effectiveness as soldiers. People are strong or weak. I'm talking about people who turn their affairs around and fight."
Liu Chengzong said: "Master Gao also discovered that our cannon is small, and the closed iron bullets are not powerful enough to shoot far. Even if they are used intensively, the effect is actually average."
"In the past, my Lion Battalion had eight sentries, namely five combat sentries, an artillery sentry, craftsman sentry and baggage sentry."
"Each sentry has five hundred men. Because when I established the Lion Battalion, I had 500 soldiers. In fact, there were only one sentry, so the team, sentry, and camp all had soldiers and baggage."
"Now that the situation is different and there are more troops, this shelf is no longer appropriate."
Hearing Liu Chengzong begin to analyze the establishment of the Lion Camp, Gao Yingxiang rubbed his hands together excitedly, which meant that they could talk about the establishment together.
"I have thought a lot about these things recently. Outside of the standard camp, direct artillery posts are of little significance. There is no need to occupy troops in each camp. The baggage and Tangqi of each post are also of little significance. It is not as good as Five hundred soldiers come comfortably."
"The baggage can be managed by the auxiliary troops. The main function is the baggage sentry of the battalion. The work sentry does not need to be provided by every sentry."
When Liu Chengzong said he was excited, he simply went out of the tent to find a charcoal pen and paper to sketch Gao Yingxiang.
"The five battle posts remain unchanged. Now the most powerful ones under each leader are the frontier troops. The frontier troops are most familiar with the strategy of dividing the troops into five posts, plus one baggage post..."
"Wait a minute."
Gao Yingxiang raised his hand and said: "Lion, what are the five sentries you are talking about?"
Liu Chengzong blinked and asked, "Master Gao, you have border troops, don't they use them?"
Gao Yingxiang took a deep breath and let out a long hum.
In fact, his frontier troops are rarely dispatched. As the most elite troops, they are always used to suppress the hungry people and thieves under his command, and are not used under normal circumstances.
They are few and distressed, and they usually have enough food to support them. They only give it a try when they need to send out cavalry to make a final decision.
Looking at his appearance, Liu Chengzong could probably guess it, and said: "The so-called troops are divided into five posts, which means five units, front, rear, left, center and right. It is the same whether it is five teams or five posts. You can choose any of these tactics and fight. All the soldiers in the war know it.”
"It is effective when attacking with more troops than with fewer troops. It is also useful against enemies with equal or weaker strength."
"When encountering the enemy, first engage the enemy with the outposts, then surround them with the left and right outposts to block the enemy's view. The horsemen at the rear outposts will take easy passage from the left and right outposts, go around to the enemy's front and back, and leave the center post in preparation."
"If there are many enemy troops, they will collide with each other at once after encirclement, and if the formation is moving, they will drive straight in; if there are few enemy troops, they will expand the width to cope with the strength of the three sentries. If the front and back of a large horizontal formation are hit by the cavalry army, it will be fatal."
After Liu Chengzong finished speaking, he waved his hand forward and said with a smile: "It's very simple. This idea is generally used in battles. However, since my opponents are always frontier troops, it has never been used. It was only used once when fighting the Guards in Shanxi."
Although simple, it gave Gao Yingxiang a feeling as if he had opened the door to a new world.
"Oh, it means that the rear guard must use horse soldiers."
Liu Chengzong hurriedly smiled and waved his hands and said: "Don't stick to this. Our troops are rare, like Yang Yao, Master Gao also knows him, and he is the original cavalry commander."
"He is my outpost commander. He leads the cavalry and can serve as a rear outpost on the battlefield without conflict."
Gao Yingxiang understood for the time being, nodded and said, "I'll use it later."
"But this is still useful for fighting thieves. You can use this to prevent them when fighting the border troops."
After Liu Chengzong finished speaking, he picked up his pen and continued: "Let me continue, one battalion has six sentries, and the whole battalion has 2,500 to 3,500 people. These are the left and right battalions, and the central military standard battalion will add work posts and artillery posts. , reaching 4,000 people, three battalions combined, 10,000 troops."
"Isn't there five whistles?"
"It doesn't matter." Liu Chengzong said with a smile: "These three battalions are not stationed in one place, but one battalion is stationed in two or three counties. In this way, at least they are as good as the soldiers I can raise."
"Of course, if Lion Bay is reclaimed, this river valley may be able to support soldiers."
Gao Yingxiang nodded: "I understand, in your unit, the leader controls the craftsmen and cannons, but the two battalions have no cannons, then they will suffer a lot when fighting with the army!"
"No, it's just that the left and right battalions don't have artillery posts. They can organize light artillery under each post or even each team, use scatterers, wait for the enemy to break through the range of the bows and muskets, and then use artillery to suppress them."
"When we get to each post...what happens next?"
"What's next?"
"What are your plans in the future?" After Gao Yingxiang asked, he thought to himself: "I still plan to go to Shanxi. I think Shanxi is a place that can raise troops and hide people. Moreover, if we advance, we can force the capital, and if we retreat, we can go to Henan."
Gao Yingxiang asked: "This is what I think. You are in the west, I am in the east, and Wang Jiayin is in the north. We are trying to contain each other's officers and soldiers. If you go to Guyuan and finish the robbery, can you stop the Western army?"
Liu Chengzong clapped his hands and said with a smile: "Let's think about it. I originally planned to go to the west, but I really don't know if I can stop it..."
Liu Chengzong thought to himself: Guyuan, Ningxia, Lintao, Gansu, and Shaanxi five towns, let me deal with the soldiers and horses of the four towns alone. Am I so capable?
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Note:
According to statistics from the National Government in 1938, the corn yield per mu in Shanxi Province was 87 kilograms.
