After repelling the Qing army that besieged Zhending, Sun Chuanting did not order to pursue the victory and continue northward.
Human physical strength has its limits. After ten days of rushing all the way from Shanxi, the mountain road is already rugged and difficult to navigate. However, after another battle under Zhending City, the troops and horses were already exhausted.
And now that they have just left the Taihang Mountains, they don't know what the current situation is.
Which places have been captured by the Qing army and which places are still holding on.
I basically don’t know where there are soldiers and where there are no soldiers.
Ten days ago, Lu Xiangsheng led the Xuanfu, Datong, and Shanxi troops, with a total of more than 20,000 troops stationed in Baoding Prefecture, fighting fiercely with the Qing army.
Sun Chuanting had always been cautious, and naturally he would not continue heading north under such circumstances.
Sun Chuanting sent people heading north to try to get in touch with Lu Xiangsheng.
On the other hand, they ordered the troops stationed in Zhending to rest temporarily, and sent Cao Bianjiao to lead the cavalry to reconnoiter the surrounding situation and find out the strength of the Qing army.
Sun Chuanting did not order to enter Zhending City, but expanded the camp set up by Jiannu in the eastern suburbs and directly used it as a temporary camp.
There are many troubles in entering a city like Zhending. This time King Qin is going to Beijing. Zhending is just a city on the way, so it would be better to just stay on the outskirts of the city.
The camp was set up in the same direction as before, with Sun Chuanting leading the Biao camp in the middle, He Renlong and Cao Bianjiao guarding the west and south camps respectively, Cao Wenzhao guarding the north camp, and Chen Wang's Hanzhong army in the east camp.
At the same time, the four outer camps were under the command of Cao Wenzhao. Once the camp was attacked, all four camps would act under the banner of Cao Wenzhao.
In Dongying, Sun Chuanting wore a pointed iron helmet decorated with fluff, a light silver-white fish scale armor on the outside, and a crimson narrow-sleeved round-neck shirt underneath. The robe was belted like When you are in battle, you usually walk slowly between the aisles of the tent.
Next to Sun Chuanting, Chen Wang was also wearing a hood and a high-top helmet. He was fully armed and followed behind Chen Wang with a group of armored soldiers.
The snow has fallen more and more heavily in the past few days, and the snow on the ground has reached the thickness of two fingers, which has already affected normal walking.
The patrolling soldiers encountered along the way all saluted from a distance, and then waited on the side of the road, waiting for Chen Wang to pass by before patrolling again.
Three poles above the sun, although the sun in the sky is bright, it doesn't feel much warmth.
Even if you are wearing a winter coat, you will still feel cold.
The north wind howls and blows on people's faces, like a sharp knife picking off bones, causing people endless pain.
However, Chen Wang didn't feel that uncomfortable. Liaodong was much colder than Zhending, and his body had long been accustomed to the severe cold.
The cold actually calmed down Chen Wang's originally chaotic mood, because this feeling was the same as the feeling deep in his memory.
It's like... it's like I've returned to my hometown again, to Guangning, Liaodong...
It was lunchtime, and the aroma of rice porridge and stew filled the camp.
The Qing army retreated in a hurry, and they did not have time to take away many of the gold and silver treasures seized in the camp, as well as food, grass, wine and meat, as well as the people plundered from various places.
These gold and silver treasures were confiscated by Sun Chuanting, and the food, grass, wine and meat were directly distributed to the armies as rewards.
Moreover, the battle on the outskirts of Zhending City was very successful, killing and wounding many Qing army horses.
When the Qing army retreated, they took away the corpses of many soldiers, but the corpses of the war horses were too heavy to take away. It was impossible to sell them, and it was impossible to throw them away. Naturally, they were also distributed among the armies.
So these days, everyone can see meat and fish in their daily meals.
In the camp, the soldiers sat around the fire, drinking hot broth and eating large pieces of horse meat.
Most of the people had smiles on their faces, and they were talking together from time to time. Chinese and Shaanxi dialects were mixed together, and bursts of laughter could be heard from time to time.
Although Hanzhong belongs to Shaanxi, it is a southwest dialect, but ordinary communication problems are still not big.
The sergeant was in poverty, and it was extremely difficult to have such food.
Even though Chen Wang has raised the treatment of his soldiers as high as possible, there is no way to guarantee that his soldiers will have meat to eat every day.
Moreover, during this march, military rations were basically supplied from various places, so naturally it was impossible to meet the meals in Hanzhong Mansion.
Sun Chuanting pressed the sword on his waist and looked at the soldiers not far away who were leaning around the fire and talking and laughing.
Sun Chuanting turned to look at Chen Wang who was following him, and couldn't help but frown slightly.
For some reason, Sun Chuanting felt that he could not see through Chen Wang more and more.
The feeling given by the Hanzhong Army led by Chen Wang is completely different from the feeling given by other military and town soldiers.
Along the way, the soldiers I saw were all obeying orders and prohibitions, being respectful and orderly.
Sun Chuanting had never seen such an army before. The army under Cao Wenzhao was like this, and the governor's camp under his command was also like this.
However, neither the Du Biao Battalion under his command nor the Datong soldiers under Cao Wenzhao had the same atmosphere as the Hanzhong Army under Chen Wang.
The generals and soldiers of the Hanzhong Army commanded by Chen Wang seem to have a harmonious relationship.
"There must be laws in the military camp. Without military laws, the army cannot be controlled."
"There is a distinction between superiors and inferiors. There is an order of superiority and inferiority. The generals lead the troops. If they are not powerful, they will not be able to control their subordinates."
Sun Chuanting turned to look at Chen Wang, and after pondering for a moment, he spoke.
"If the general has no power, the soldiers will be lightly punished. If the soldiers are lightly punished, the army will be out of line."
"If an army loses its ranks, the soldiers will flee and the enemy will take advantage. If the enemy takes advantage, the army will be lost."
Sun Chuanting narrowed his eyes slightly and glanced at the peaceful soldiers not far away.
The military is a place where respect is most important. When a subordinate sergeant sees a superior officer, he must salute, and this cannot be dispensed with. The biggest reason is to maintain the dignity of a general.
In the Hanzhong army led by Chen Wang, the boundaries between the upper and lower ranks seemed to be somewhat blurred, which was not a good thing in the army.
Chen Wang was slightly startled. Sun Chuanting suddenly came to inspect the camp. As a camp officer, he naturally had to accompany him.
He thought that Sun Chuanting might ask him many questions and make many arrangements, but he did not expect that what Sun Chuanting was talking about was about military discipline and the relationship between generals.
Chen Wang followed Sun Chuanting's gaze to a group of soldiers eating not far away, and soon understood the implication of Sun Chuanting's message.
Sun Chuanting believed in running the army strictly, and everyone in the Superintendent's Camp was afraid of the law. Therefore, no one dared to disobey the military orders and prohibitions.
"What the military gate said..."
Chen Wang cupped his hands and was about to cater to him, but when he finished speaking, he finally changed his mind.
Before in Heishui Valley, he had established some relationship with Sun Chuanting, relying on Sun Chuanting's determination to rectify various health centers in Shaanxi Province.
Because of this, he was able to become the commander-in-chief of Hanzhong Guard and control the guard post of Hanzhong Prefecture.
At that time, the impression he left in Sun Chuanting's mind was that he was brave and good at fighting, well trained and ambitious.
Later, the reform of Hanzhong Wei was done quite well, and Sun Chuanting's impression on him improved a lot.
Sun Chuanting also opened a lot of convenience doors, transported a lot of farm tools, and even supported a group of craftsmen and livestock.
Originally, Chen Wang was planning to add a few words, so he revealed this matter.
But Chen Wang thought of something, an extremely important thing.
In history, Sun Chuanting was left in Baoding to serve as the governor of Baoding after King Qin went north. He was then convicted and imprisoned for more than two years.
However, when he was released from prison, which was the first month of the fifteenth year of Chongzhen, Sun Chuanting was released from prison and appointed him as the Right Minister of the Ministry of War. Then one month later, Sun Chuanting was appointed governor of the three sides of Shaanxi.
Later, Sun Chuanting rose up the ranks and oversaw the military affairs of Henan and Sichuan successively. He was given the title of Shangshu of the Ministry of War. He also supervised the military affairs of Jiangxi, Huguang, Guizhou, and the south and north of the Yangtze River. He commanded all the troops to suppress troops and had great authority.
Although it is now the end of the eleventh year of Chongzhen, and there are still more than three years to go before this time, there is nothing wrong with preparing for a rainy day.
The deeper the impression left on Sun Chuanting at this time, the greater the power he will be able to obtain when Sun Chuanting rises...
"When a general leads an army, he is indeed not powerful enough to control his subordinates."
Chen Wang looked solemn, clasped his hands into fists, and said solemnly as he had already made a plan in his mind.
"But when a general leads an army, his authority alone is not enough to control his subordinates."
Sun Chuanting thought that Chen Wang would agree with him and act as before.
He did not expect that Chen Wang would change the subject and express another opinion.
Sun Chuanting's eyes changed slightly when he looked at Chen Wang.
"Only using power to control someone, if the pressure is too much, you may even encounter backlash."
Sun Chuanting's expression was slightly stern, he thought of the past events.
In the tenth year of Chongzhen's reign, his top soldiers Xu Zhong and Liu Yingjie rebelled and joined forces with the rogue bandits Li Ying Wai. As a result, he was almost defeated and died.
After defeating the rebels later, I learned from the prisoners the reasons for their surrender, and it was just because the military laws he established were too harsh and too repressive.
Therefore, Sun Chuanting later relaxed some of the regulations in the army accordingly, and they were no longer as strict as before.
And now, part of the reason why I mentioned to Chen Wang about using force to control the army was actually because I was curious about Chen Wang's method of running an army.
The Hanzhong Army is not a weak army. In a real battle, the Hanzhong Army's armored soldiers did not take even half a step back during the battle with the Qing Army's armored soldiers.
The number of captures and enemy kills is the highest among the soldiers in each battalion, so naturally they are not weaklings.
Sun Chuanting could see that the soldiers of the Hanzhong Army showed more respect for their general than fear.
The Datong soldiers under Cao Wenzhao and the Dubiao camp under his command had more fear than respect in their eyes, and the relationship between the generals and soldiers was clear.
"The general believes that the strategy of running an army can be summarized in eight characters."
"Reward good and punish evil, kindness and power go hand in hand."
Chen Wang lowered his head slightly and said in a deep voice.
"Moreover, only using force to control the army can produce elite soldiers, but it cannot build a strong army."
The military discipline of most of the Ming army's battalions can be said to be very strict. Of course, by the end of the Ming Dynasty, due to the inaction and indulgence of the generals, the military discipline of many battalions had been corrupted.
Orthodox military discipline covers almost all aspects, from marching to fighting, from camping to entering the city.
In many cases, soldiers who violated military regulations were beheaded and tortured corporally.
Chen Wang made many modifications based on the actual situation. Most of the corporal punishments were replaced by whipping and stick punishments. The corporal punishments such as cutting off the nose and marching with arrows were basically abolished.
In fact, these corporal punishments often not only failed to act as a deterrent, but also had a counterproductive effect, making the soldiers in the camp even more alienated.
However, most of the death penalty and beheading have been retained.
The combat methods in the cold weapon era and the combat methods in the hot weapon era are completely different.
The death penalty and beheading are necessary in the era of cold weapons, and we must not be merciful.
Chen Wang naturally did not govern the army by force. When he was in Dingjun Mountain, he set up a supervision office in the army and appointed military judges in each ministry, department and bureau to be in charge of the promotion of military law.
The duty of military judges is not only to restrain military law, but more importantly, to preach it.
In many armies of this era, ordinary soldiers were often treated as slaves by their generals, insulted, whipped, and driven at will.
These situations are completely prohibited in the Hanzhong Army. Once discovered, they will be severely punished and severely punished.
From the very beginning when he founded the army, Chen Wang selected troops according to Qi Jiguang's military training methods, and military discipline was also in line with Qi's army, so naturally he would not miss the relationship between the army and the army.
"Reward good and punish evil, kindness and power go hand in hand..."
Sun Chuanting's eyes moved slightly. He remembered that this sentence came from Wu Zhi's Biography of Zhou Li in "Three Kingdoms".
However, he did not dwell too much on this sentence, but turned his attention to Chen Wang's last sentence.
"What's the difference between a good soldier and a strong army?"
Chen Wang's mind was spinning, and after pondering for a moment, he replied.
"Elite soldiers, as the name suggests, refers to elite soldiers who are well-trained, well-equipped, and have outstanding combat capabilities."
"White pole soldiers, nine-sided elite cavalry, and Guangdong and Guangxi wolf soldiers are all included in this list."
Sun Chuanting nodded slightly. The soldiers Chen Wang mentioned could indeed be called elite soldiers.
The white-pole soldiers are recognized as elite soldiers.
The Baigan soldiers have always made great achievements in battle, and have participated in Pingbo, Pingshe, aiding Liao, resisting the Qing Dynasty, serving the king, and suppressing bandits.
Jiubian Jingqi made it clearer that they were the private soldiers under each general's command.
The Guangzhou Wolf Soldiers are the soldiers from Guangdong and Guangxi.
The word "Wolf Soldier" actually belongs to Yin Zhuan, which was originally called "Liao Bing".
The wolf soldiers in Guangdong and Guangxi are also chieftain soldiers like the white pole soldiers. They have good fighting ability. Every year when there is local police, they will be dispatched to fight.
However, compared to the white-armed soldiers, the wolf soldiers in Guangdong and Guangxi were much more difficult to restrain, and they often committed acts of burning, killing and looting.
"Aren't Zhejiang soldiers considered elite soldiers?"
Sun Chuanting raised his eyebrows slightly and said doubtfully.
"Calculate."
Chen Wang nodded.
"The Zhejiang soldiers in the Battle of Hunhe were elite soldiers."
"But the Zhejiang soldiers under Qi Wuyi's command are an example of a strong army, so the last general did not mention the Zhejiang soldiers when he recommended elite troops."
Qi Wuyi was Qi Jiguang, and his posthumous title was Wu Yi after his death, so he was known as Qi Wuyi.
Sun Chuanting was not surprised. Qi Jiguang's method used by Chen Wang in selecting and training troops was not a secret, and he would naturally list it as an example of a strong army.
"What is the difference between a strong army and an elite soldier?"
Chen Wang slowly raised his head. He had laid the groundwork and was waiting for Sun Chuanting's last question.
"There's only one difference."
Seeing this, Chen Wang knew that his last words were extremely important.
He wanted to leave an impression on Sun Chuanting, an impression of loyalty to the country.
As long as he can impress Sun Chuanting, then after Sun Chuanting recovers, he will be able to take advantage of the situation and ascend to a high position, and truly begin to have the power to change the world...
"It's in the heart."
"The white pole soldiers and the wolf soldiers in Guangdong and Guangxi listen to the orders of the chieftains, the fine cavalry in Jiubian, and the battalions in various places listen to the orders of the generals."
"The chieftain generals win over the generals with kindness and power, and use their power to drive the soldiers to fight."
"Whether they are white pole soldiers, nine-sided elite cavalry, or Guangdong and Guangxi wolf soldiers, soldiers from all over the country are fighting for selfish reasons."
"But Qi Jun is different. When the army was first founded, Qi Wuyi set his heart for Qi Jun, and his heart was public."
Chen Wang looked solemn, raised his hands to the north, and said in a solemn voice.
"Being public-spirited, protecting the family and the country, saving the people from fire and water, relieving the people from hanging upside down, just like the song of triumph."
…
With all the people united, the mountains can be shaken.
Only loyalty and righteousness come, and the bullfight is full of anger.
The Lord will kiss me better than a parent.
If you violate military law, you will not be free.
The orders are clear and the rewards and punishments are given.
If you go through fire and water, don't dare to stay later!
Report to the emperor, and save the head of Guizhou.
Kill all the Japanese slaves and find a marquis.
