The fateful enemy just met. As soon as Emperor Tongzhi's chariot left Tongzhou City, Zai Chun discovered something was wrong on both sides of the road!
Those who maintain order in the city are soldiers wearing Eight Banners and armor. From their weapons and flags, you can tell which battalion they belong to.
The Cavalry Battalion, the Infantry Battalion, the Forward Battalion, the Guards Battalion, the Guards' Army, the Three Banners of the Inner Palace, the Firearms Battalion, the Jianrui Battalion, the Tiger Spear Battalion... each one has a well-known name, and when combined together, it is what the common people call the Royal Forest Army. .
As for the new army that Zai Chun trained in Fujian, its real official name should be Yulin New Army, and it is a new combat force within this system!
The nine-door admiral is also called the infantry commander's office. He is not responsible for the imperial city, but for the outer city gates, such as Desheng Gate, Anding Gate, Fucheng Gate, etc.!
Although Zai Chun was young when he left the Forbidden City, wouldn't he be a fool if he couldn't recognize the flags and uniforms of the troops guarding the Forbidden City?
In Tongzhou City, the old imperial army camp leaders were guarding both sides of the road, but as soon as he left Tongzhou City, he discovered those soldiers in khaki uniforms!
"Xishan Camp? Are these soldiers from Xishan Camp?" Zai Chun was stunned at that time, muttering in a low voice.
Fifth Master Yi Pei's back was covered in cold sweat, and his palms were cold from nervousness. He quickly walked a few steps and ran to Zai Chun's chariot and whispered, "Your Majesty, these are the new troops of the capital, the Xishan soldiers stationed in the Xishan Camp!"
"Oh! Haha, they are indeed elite!"
Zai Chun is no longer a young man. At this moment, he feels as sick as if he had eaten a fly, but he still has to act calm and calm!
"Send two of them over so I can take a look?"
"Hey..." Yi Pei quickly stepped back to look for someone.
Zai Chun wanted to call two soldiers from the Xishan Camp. This was not something that could be done by just one person. The imperial chariot moved forward for another two miles before someone trotted over with two soldiers. The left side of the royal chariot.
"Your Majesty... Aixinjueluo Zaifeng, I would like to pay homage to Your Majesty!"
"Ouch! Isn't this my brother? Get up!" Zai Chun looked at his uncle and brother who were two years younger with a smile.
"I haven't seen you in five years. You've grown a lot!"
Zaicheng had specially packed up today. Instead of wearing Baylor's court uniform, he changed into an officer's uniform from the Xishan Camp!
Epaulets, big-brimmed hats, breast badges, ribbons... long tassels are decorated on them, and the command knife at the waist is studded with gems!
"Haha... Zaicheng, you are a group of five and six people. It seems that your official position is not small! Do you have any positions in Xishan Camp?"
"Your Majesty, deputy commander of the First Army!"
Zai Cheng sneered in his heart and said that you are only qualified to be a deputy. Your father probably looks down on you, knowing that you don’t have a few bezoar and dog treasures in your belly, so you can raise it as a deputy.
"Zaicheng! Let me ask you, how many soldiers are there in this Xishan camp? How many guns? How many cannons? How much gunpowder?"
"Reporting to your Majesty, the Xishan Camp has a total of 30,000 soldiers, 100,000 guns, 84 British-made field cannons, gunpowder... this ****..."
Zaicheng is a scoundrel. He can memorize the data on the surface, but if you ask more closely, he doesn't know. He hesitates and doesn't know how much gunpowder there is.
Yi Xin scolded from behind his son, "You are an ignorant and incompetent person, why don't you give up! Shame on you..."
"Long live Qi, the Xishan Camp has a total of 4,200 kilograms of gunpowder, two million rounds of bullets, and more than 13,000 rounds of various types of artillery shells..."
Zai Chun had taken the staff course, and a little calculation based on these figures showed that Xishan Camp had already stocked up the supplies needed for a medium-intensity war.
And this is based on the fact that Guiziliu didn't lie!
"Uncle Emperor... isn't the reserve of 100,000 guns for 30,000 soldiers a bit too much? Give one share to other people in the Ministry of War..."
When Yi Xin heard this, he quickly shouted, "Long live your journey to Europe, what don't you know? This Western war is actually a war of attrition, and firearms are different from cold weapons!"
"Broad swords and spears have been used for a long time, and they need to be sharpened to become sharper. But guns are not easy to repair if they are broken, and the rifling has a life span. If it is sharpened, it will lose its accuracy!"
"For the sake of the safety of the Qing Dynasty, it is better to reserve more..."
"Actually, if a war breaks out, one hundred thousand guns will probably not be enough! But since Long live the Lord has spoken... Then the Xishan Battalion must also help the friendly forces. I will ask them to mobilize three thousand..."
"Uncle Huang is so righteous! He is truly selfless!"
It was impossible for Zai Chun to delve into these issues here. He turned his attention to the two big-headed soldiers brought by Zai Cheng. He waved to the two soldiers and quickly knelt down three times and kowtowed nine times.
"Get on your feet! Why don't you bring a gun?"
"Bye...don't dare to bring a gun to meet the emperor..." The soldier lowered his head and did not dare to look at the emperor.
"What are you afraid of? Is there still someone in the Qing Dynasty who would assassinate me? Is it possible that the land in the capital is no longer safe?"
As soon as Yixin heard that there was something in his words, he quickly waved his hand and asked someone to bring the rifle up.
Zai Chun took the rifle and started playing with it on the chariot. "Snyder Enfield rifle? An improved breech-loading model... Not bad, not bad, it's a good gun..."
"Does the entire army have this model?"
"No, Your Majesty...there is this kind..." Another soldier boldly handed over another one.
"Henry rifle? Martini Henry? Hexagonal rifling... Haha, my uncle, you are really willing to spend money. This kind of rifling is very complicated to produce, and the cost of this gun is not low!"
Yi Xin was shocked. He didn't expect Emperor Tongzhi to be so skillful with guns. He could tell the model at a glance and handle them in a precise manner!
Emperor Tongzhi even put his gun on the shoulder blade of his right shoulder and aimed toward the sky. His movements were absolutely standard.
After playing with the rifle for a while, Zai Chun turned his attention to the two soldiers again and asked kindly questions one by one.
"How is your training? Have you ever run a long-distance cross-country? What is your emergency march score? How many rounds of live ammunition can you fire each month?"
"How is the food you eat every day? Do you know the words? Can you do simple arithmetic?"
Zai Chun took the trouble to ask some small questions, and the two honest soldiers did not dare to lie. They said one thing and the other.
Yi Xin was moved. He knew the truth. The questions Zai Chun asked may seem small and scattered, but they can reveal the true strength of an army. If he continues like this, all the secrets of Xishan Camp will be exposed. .
"Awesome! This kid really learned a lot from Xiao Letian!"
After Emperor Tongzhi had begun to ask how many civilians and auxiliary soldiers there were in Xishan Camp who were in charge of logistics, Guiziliu couldn't bear it anymore and stepped forward with a smile.
"Your Majesty, you see that we have left Tongzhou City now, and there are fewer people on the road. If the wind is so strong, you might as well change into a warm sedan. How about I have someone put a shelter on the chariot to protect it from the wind?"
"Oh, look, I'm asking endless questions. I'm young and strong, so I'm not afraid of the cold, but many of you, dear ones, can't stand it anymore!"
"Then get in the warm sedan chair!"
Yimin, Yixuan and others hurried forward to wait on them. A group of people hurriedly asked Long live the Lord to find another means of transportation. In the rush, Yixuan lowered his head and said to Sixth Brother.
"Brother... take some time to go and take a look at the back! Our imperial nephew is really not that simple!"
