Fuzhou City is the earliest city in Fujian, dating back about 1,460 years.
After continuous expansion and construction, it has reached a considerable scale, with a total of eleven water and land gates. The east and west gates are six miles apart, and the north and south gates are about five miles apart.
However, people in the Song Dynasty paid more attention to practicality when building cities, and the shape of large cities may not be regular. The shape of Fuzhou City is rather strange, roughly like a fat pigeon with short wings raised.
It was also because we had tried our best to incorporate flat land into the city. Later, except for the inclusion of Pingshan Mountain slightly to the north in the early Ming Dynasty, it basically remained unchanged.
As Zhao Mengqi's fleet arrived in Fuzhou first, the other four fleets also arrived one after another within a day.
After the fleet was unloaded, they took a short rest for two days. Except for the Shenzhou and the four Dinghai warships, the entire fleet hurriedly set out to sea and headed north to transport the follow-up troops.
And whether they were Dongwei or Ma Si Youjun, although they often took river boats, they were still shaken when they got to the sea, and most of the soldiers suffered from serious seasickness.
Therefore, after landing, it would take a few days to regain combat effectiveness. However, the army did not enter Fuzhou City directly. Instead, they set up field camps outside the west of the city. Zhao Mengqi only brought more than 500 people into the city and set up a Jiedu Mansion.
This style of not disturbing the people made the officials and people of Fuzhou City marvel and praise him constantly, and their impression of King Yan skyrocketed.
In addition to the need for the army to restore its combat effectiveness, there was also a lot of preparation work to be done to prepare for the expedition, so the date for dispatching the troops was set for August 23rd.
The Dongwei Army and the Right Army are both combat organizations and have logistics units, but long-distance operations still require the deployment of transportation forces.
According to the practice at this time, Xiangjun or civilians were generally used to transport baggage.
However, through historical evolution, some of the Xiang Army in Fuzhou were converted into the Forbidden Army or merged into the Left Army, and the rest were difficult to deploy.
A strong city commanded more than 300 people. The original intention of the establishment was to assist the city's defense, but in fact it had to bear the errands of the city and the duties of various yamen.
A prison commanded less than 200 people, composed of petty criminals awaiting assignment, responsible for city construction and other miscellaneous tasks.
The quota for the command of a metropolitan academy is three hundred. To put it bluntly, they are craftsmen, responsible for repairing and making tools. In wartime, they are equivalent to future generations of engineers.
There is also a Ningjie command outside Shahemen, with less than 400 people. It is used to house the wounded, old, sick and weak in the army. It is regarded as a military nursing home.
As for the civilian husbands, in Zhao Mengqi's view, it is better not to conscript them unless it is absolutely necessary. Even if they are needed, they would rather pay to hire them.
As a result, the logistics and transportation tasks fell on the head of the stationed imperial army and naval forces.
The departmental generals and forbidden troops in Fujian Road belong to the tenth general in the southeast. There are four commanders in Fuzhou. The quota is 2,040 people. The actual shortage is half of the number, only 998 people.
There is also a commander named Arima Xionglue who is not a general. He has a quota of 400 and a real strength of 213. He has more than 120 horses, but they are all short steeds and can barely be ridden, but they are the best. Its use is to carry things and pull carts.
It would be enough to mobilize all these, assign an Dongwei battalion for protection, and then undertake land transportation.
The navy also belongs to the non-general imperial army. It is divided into Dilu Village and Yanxiang Village. Thirteen years ago, they merged into the Wuji Navy. The quota is 1,500 people. Because it was established not long ago, the shortage is not very serious. In fact, There are more than 1,200 people.
It is equipped with two maritime warships named White Harrier, more than ten small speedboats, and more than fifty river boats. They are not large in size and are not armed. They are only used for transportation. They are no different from civilian ships, and they are also used on weekdays. It was used for "business", and the ship's condition is still in good condition.
In addition, more than 200 civilian and commercial ships were recruited and hired from the private sector, which was enough for water transportation.
In short, except for the contributions of the gentry, which were free of charge, Zhao Mengqi also gave corresponding rent and wages as compensation for other private human and material resources, using exchange certificates issued by the Royal Bank.
Chen Wei didn't know how to evaluate King Yan's prodigal behavior. He couldn't laugh or cry. He could only think that King Yan was rich and willful.
On August 22nd, all preparations were basically completed. Zhao Mengqi and Chen Wei went to the military camp together to see how the soldiers were doing.
state.
The west gate of Fuzhou City is called Yingxian Gate. There is also a West Lake after going out. It is much smaller than the one in Lin'an, but the scenery is also beautiful. Unfortunately, Zhao Mengqi had no time to stop and enjoy it.
The camp is located at the northern foot of Jinniu Mountain, facing the Minjiang River, five miles away from Yingxian Gate, and can be reached quickly if there are carriages and horses.
Still some distance away, Chen Wei began to watch carefully with a scrutinizing gaze.
I saw that this large camp with a radius of two miles was very tight and had clear barriers. Although the temporary wall was simple and thin, it had complete watchtowers and archery towers. There were also ditches to resist horses in key areas. There were teams of soldiers both inside and outside. Patrol duty.
Different from the quietness of the ordinary military camp, there were constant shouts of loud slogans inside, which were neat and rhythmic, making it appear to be in full swing.
Seeing doubts in Chen Wei's eyes, Zhao Mengqi explained, "It should be the men who are doing low-intensity exercises to recover and maintain their condition."
"Before the battle, shouldn't the soldiers be mentally recharged? How can they waste their energy?" Chen Wei asked in confusion.
Zhao Mengqi smiled and said, "My method of training is slightly different from the past. Daily drills are basically uninterrupted. However, these days at sea cannot be carried out. I guess the soldiers are not used to it. There is nothing to do if they hold back their strength. Practice more and more. It can cheer you up, and you don’t have to worry about your physical strength. It’s just about eating well, not to mention that the intensity of the training at this time is just a warm-up.”
Chen Wei laughed and seemed to understand, but he was still a little unbelievable. However, he also understood that if there was really a problem, then generals like Cao Lie and Xue Jin would definitely not let King Yan mess around.
So I couldn't help but joke, "It is said that the food expenses of a soldier in your highness's army is three to four times that of an ordinary imperial army. According to your highness, they only eat better."
"Money is money when you spend it." Zhao Mengqi responded casually.
Chen Wei smiled dryly and shook his head, not wanting to discuss spending money with the prodigal son.
Not only can he lead troops to fight, he has also made achievements financially.
Eleven years ago, Chen Wei served as a member of the Privy Council and Counselor of Political Affairs, becoming the Deputy Prime Minister of the Song Dynasty.
Under the advice of the supervisory censor Jiang Wanli, Zhao Guan's family made him responsible for the "financial management" of the entire country, which shows that he still has two brushes.
But Zhao Mengqi spends money lavishly, but seems to be able to earn more, which really makes him confused.
While talking, the convoy entered the camp after inspection. A group of patrol soldiers passed by, and the equipment on their bodies caught Chen Wei's attention.
So Zhao Mengqi summoned a soldier back and showed Chen Wei carefully.
The soldiers wore light leather armor, held long spears, and hung a Thousand Ox Sword on their waist. This was nothing special.
But the upper body is also covered with a thick cloth product that looks like a crotch armor, with vertical pockets of different sizes sewn on it to hold various objects.
Zhao Mengqi explained, "This is a tactical vest. The big pocket in the front and middle holds a bamboo water bottle... These two are grenades... Here are emergency dry rations... This is a dagger... There are also pieces of fire, powder, ropes and other bits and pieces." This thing is more convenient and will not affect combat. It can be worn when marching and can also be used as a layer of armor as a side effect."
Chen Wei was stunned for a moment when he heard this, and what looked like coins drifted across his eyes.
"By the way, there's this." Zhao Mengqi asked the soldier to turn around and pull out the items from the back of his vest. "This is a foldable shovel. Although it's not big, it's very convenient for digging small fortifications. It can also be used as a saw. , it’s not impossible to use it as a weapon in times of emergency.”
This is Zhao Mengqi's copycat portable engineer shovel. The materials and quality are definitely far worse than those of later generations, but the basic functions are still there.
Chen Wei took it over and weighed it. It seemed to weigh almost two kilograms. He tried it according to the method Zhao Mengqi said. Although it was not as easy to use as a serious shovel, it was indeed convenient.
"This is also made of good iron, and it needs to be forged. I'm afraid it will cost a lot."
"It's not expensive, less than the usual cost, and it's stamped with a water-powered forging hammer and then quenched, so it doesn't take much work. It's just the folding part that's more troublesome..."
An ordinary sergeant's waist knife only costs a few hundred coins. Do you think a shovel that costs a lot of money is expensive?
Chen Wei really has no
He said, and returned the folding shovel to the soldier, but he couldn't put it back on himself, so Zhao Mengqi helped him put it back.
Fortunately, he didn't ask how much the Thousand Ox Sword the soldier wore cost, otherwise he would have doubted his life even more.
Next, the group of people inspected the camp, and everything they saw was in good order. No matter whether it was Ma Si Youjun or Dongwei, there was nothing dissatisfactory about it.
Chen Wei sighed, "It's hard to believe that this Dongwei is a new army that has only been established for more than a year. In many details, it is even better than the veterans of the right army. It only needs a few more bloody battles to become a great army." Powerful team!"
Seeing that Chen Wei was a little tired from walking, Zhao Mengqi invited him to rest in the handsome tent.
But as soon as he sat down, Cao Lie came with a tired scout, "Your Highness, the situation in Gutian has changed..."
The troops and horses have not moved, and the investigation is carried out first.
Three days ago, the scouts had dispersed to investigate banditry on both sides of the Min River and Gutian County.
Seeing that the scout's lips were white and very dry, Zhao Mengqi quickly poured a bowl of tea and handed it over with his own hand, "No hurry, let's drink some water first."
The scout's eyes were filled with emotion. He raised his head and drank the tea in one gulp. After taking a long breath, he hurriedly said, "The bandit army has surrounded Gutian County, making it impossible to enter or exit. Then they are digging tunnels and approaching the two southwest city walls. They should We are preparing to dig down the city wall, and we expect to be able to reach the bottom of the city wall at noon tomorrow at the latest."
After listening, Zhao Mengqi couldn't help but be surprised.
Damn it, these miners are really talented. Because they are afraid of the huge casualties caused by a hard attack, they actually know how to use their professional skills to attack the city, awesome!
To be honest, the tunnel tactic is not new. It has been used in siege tactics for a long time, and the effect is very good. Therefore, in order to prevent this tactic, many cities will have natural or simply artificially dug moats.
However, Gutian is a small city and is not on the border, so it has no moat. Unexpectedly, bandits found a loophole.
The problem now is that even if troops are sent out immediately, it is impossible to reach Gutian, a hundred and fifty miles away, before noon tomorrow.
And when Zhao Mengqi was already in Fuzhou, he allowed a county town "not far away" to be breached. Isn't this a slap in the face?
