After Zhang Cheng, Chen Jiugao and Fu Yingchong bid farewell to Xiangcheng Bo Li Guozhen, they returned to the Chinese army's tent together. Seeing that it was already getting late, Zhang Cheng suggested that they eat and chat while he ordered a banquet to be held in the tent to entertain them. Both of them.
Although Zhang Cheng was only a deputy commander-in-chief, unlike Fu Yingchong, in addition to the reason that Jian was in the emperor's heart, Zhang Cheng was awarded the title of "Chief Soldier-in-Chief of Henan Assistance and Suppression" when he was assisting in the suppression of Henan, even though it was a temporary title for the purpose of assisting in the suppression. Yes, but it also gave him the status of chief military officer.
Now he alone leads an army of nearly 10,000 people. This is the paper figure he reported to the Ministry of War in order not to overly demonstrate his strength, that is, the three battalions of Zhang Guodong, Chen Zheng, and Zhang Guangda have soldiers and horses, and the remaining battalions are supplemented by supplies. Soldiers report, not fight.
Therefore, although Zhang Cheng was still the deputy commander-in-chief of Xuanzang at this time, he was actually among the ranks of the chief military officers. However, the weight of the chief military officer in aid and suppression was not as high as that of the chief military officer in Xuanzang.
The three of them just started chatting while eating and drinking. Fu Yingchong, like Chen Jiugao, was also very talkative. It seemed that the noble and high-ranking officials from the capital were all the same. They chatted all over the place for three days and three nights without changing their expressions.
Moreover, he was also quite good at drinking. Fu Yingchong seemed to be even better than Chen Jiugao. With Zhang Cheng's huge drinking capacity, he felt a little tired even after half a meal.
Chen Jiugao laughed loudly and said, "Brother Zhang, you have to be careful. My brother is on a par with that 'Huang Chuangzi'. They are both famous drinkers!"
Fu Yingchong was also happy with his drink. He raised his wine bowl and said to Zhang Cheng: "These days, Brother Jiugao has been telling me about his deeds in Henan and Zhang Shuai's fight against the intruders.
Brother Jiugao and I are brothers who play with each other naked. Needless to say, our friendship goes without saying. Brother Jiugao’s good brother must be my good brother, Zhang Shuai. For Brother Jiugao, I, Fu Daya, respect you. "
Zhang Cheng knew that the generals in the capital camp were quite arrogant. Although the battle might not be good, face was the most important thing. Although he was also well-known in the world, Fu Daya was able to put down his posture like this because of one side. It is also quite rare.
During this expedition to Liaodong to fight against the Tartars, he himself had not brought any heavy artillery. Firstly, it was not easy to transport, and secondly, he only had a few heavy artillery pieces for destroying barbarians, but he could not get them.
Therefore, he still wanted something from this Shenji Battalion, which had a large number of Hongyi heavy artillery and other firearms. He immediately picked up the wine bowl and drank it all in one gulp with Chen Jiugao and Fu Yingchong.
Fu Yingchong couldn't help but feel overjoyed when he saw Zhang Cheng drinking happily, and gave him a thumbs up: "Thank you Zhang Shuai for giving me this face. You are a good friend, and Fu Daya will be my friend for the rest of my life."
At this time, he saw that there was still a small half of Chen Jiugao's bowl that he had not yet finished. He put it down with a blush on his face, and said loudly: "Brother Jiugao, why do you still keep the bird? Drink it quickly. Come on, don’t let Zhang Shuai laugh at me, Jingying Wuliang!"
Chen Jiugao looked troubled. He was also a good drinker, but his drinking capacity was really not as much as that of Zhang Cheng and Fu Yingchong. If he drank any more, he would lose his composure on the spot.
This was not the first time that Zhang Cheng and Chen Jiugao had a drink together, so they immediately tried to persuade him: "Oh. Brother Chen must be ill today, not to mention that the army will set off tomorrow and there will be many things. How about this, I will drink with Brother Fu, Brother Chen only takes half a bowl with you every time."
After all, Chen Jiugao was the commander-in-chief of the former camp, and he was in Zhang Cheng's camp. As the deputy general, Fu Yingchong naturally couldn't say anything more, so he decided like this.
Fu Yingchong and Chen Jiugao began to brag to each other while they were drunk. It was nothing more than how extensive their connections in the capital were, and how many people from all walks of life had to give them some slack.
Especially how Li Guozhen, the governor of Beijing and the uncle of Xiangcheng, appreciated them. No, this time he personally sent Fu Yingchong to visit Zhang Cheng.
Zhang Cheng smiled and listened to them complimenting each other, and was thinking secretly in his heart. There are not many people in the capital camp who can fight, and Chen Jiugao is almost a showman.
If he had his own army in front and only asked his soldiers and horses to fire cannons from behind, he might still be able to fight. If he held the camp tightly, he should be able to withstand it for a while. Now it seems that Fu Yingchong is generally like this.
It is said that the three major battalions of the Ming Dynasty's capital, including the Fifth Army Battalion, the Three Thousand Battalion and the Shenji Battalion, are equivalent to the Central Forbidden Army of other dynasties. They were originally the elite of the Ming Dynasty's official army.
When the three major battalions of the Beijing Army were first established, they had strong combat effectiveness. They followed Zhu Di several times in his Northern Expedition to the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty. Depleted.
After that, successive emperors of the Ming Dynasty rebuilt the Beijing Camp to varying degrees, from the "Ten Regiment Camp" to the "Twelve Regiment Camp". It was not until the 29th year of Jiajing that the old system of the three major camps in the Yongle period was restored.
The difference is that the Three Thousand Battalion was renamed the Shenshu Battalion. It is still composed of three thousand cavalry and is divided into five divisions. They are responsible for the emperor's flag, uniforms, military equipment, golden drums, royal treasures, etc. They generally do not go out to fight, but only serve as the emperor. Hu Congjun came to use it.
At this time, the Fifth Army Camp was also almost depleted. It had seriously declined from the strongest combat strength, and was left with nothing but empty airs. Although it also had Zhicha Knife Shou, Weizi Shou Camp, Youguan Sheren Yin Zhong Camp, Xiaoyi Camp under its name Battalion and other battalion numbers, but there is also a serious shortage due to empty pay. Most of the generals at all levels are filled by hereditary nobles. At this moment, there is no combat effectiveness at all.
Zhang Cheng estimated that the only one who could fight was the Shenji Battalion. This battalion mastered firearms such as muskets and cannons. Any new firearms in the Ming Dynasty were first handed over to this battalion for use and training, such as the Folangji, Hongji, etc. Yi artillery, Rumi gun, etc.
But what he relies on is not the battle formation and the morale of the army. Only the firearm can barely be used. However, if he is allowed to fight against the cavalry alone, he is afraid that he will be broken through and defeated in just a while.
Even the best firearms, artillery, rockets and other advanced firearms must be used by strong warriors. This is like the atomic bomb in later generations. In the hands of the weak, it is just a decoration, but in the hands of the strong, it becomes a deterrent. .
Today's troops in the Beijing camp are not only seriously short of vacancies, but also the operations of the camp have been basically abandoned. That is to say, the Shenji camp cannot even make a sound because of the lack of firearms training, unlike the Fifth Army Camp and the Shenshu Camp. It can also be used as a flower stand, so it is barely useful.
Moreover, the generals in the Beijing camp, as well as the nobles, eunuchs and courtiers, have the habit of using the soldiers of each battalion to serve as handymen. Usually, there are very few people who come to the school grounds to deal with drills, and most of them just show off to deal with the officials. It's nothing more, this fighting power...
Of course, the lack of combat effectiveness does not mean that everything is not good. There are still several troops in the Beijing camp who are well-organized. They are all tall and mighty, with bright armor, and their image goes without saying.
Every time Emperor Chongzhen held military parades and performed martial arts, he would always see flags standing tall, helmets bright, and mighty officers and soldiers shouting long live in unison, which was always a joy in his heart.
Historically, in the 17th year of Chongzhen's reign, Emperor Chongzhen inspected the city defenses of the capital. At that time, he came to the inner teaching field outside Xuanwu Gate for a military parade. He saw all the soldiers and disciples in the capital camp watching and felt relieved. Quite a few.
Unexpectedly, when the intruder Li Zicheng led his army to the capital city, all the troops in the capital camp went out to fight. When they heard the sound of cannons, they were defeated and returned, and the capital immediately fell to the thieves.
Zhang Cheng estimated that there were only a few people like Sun Yingyuan, Huang Degong, Zhou Yuji, etc. who could fight in the capital camp at the moment. This Fu Yingchong...
But regardless of his combat power, Fu Yingchong still has some abilities. Not to mention the officers and soldiers in the three major battalions, there are more and more officers at all levels.
Counting the generals at all levels in the three major battalions, including company deputy, counselor, tour, assistant, camp leader, bugler, middle army, and Qianbao general officers, there are nearly a thousand people at this time, and Fu Yingchong can be ranked among the gods. The former deputy general of the machine camp, his ability to drill the camp is probably not inferior to that of Chen Jiugao, and he is also at the top level.
