The army marched eastward in mighty force. Since it was marching on the inner line, Zhang Cheng's cavalry led the way, the infantry of the Shenji Battalion followed, and finally there were artillery vehicles, rocket vehicles, etc., in addition to the rear of the army , and there were countless teams of civilians who helped transport food, grass and baggage.
For the Battle of Jinzhou, the Ming court had stockpiled enough grain for half a year in Ningyuan Acropolis and nearby Juehua Island. But how huge was the grain consumption for an army of 150,000 to 60,000 people?
In order to ensure the supply of food and grass for the army on the Liaodong front line, the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Industry of the Ming Dynasty not only sent food and grass to Juehua Island by sea, but also mobilized tens of thousands of horses and civilians around the capital, from the capital to Shanhaiguan, day and night, It was full of people and vehicles transporting grain.
Zhang Cheng's department has high hopes. From Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, to Chen Xinjia, the Minister of War, and even the current emperor Chongzhen, it seems that where Zhang Cheng is there, there will be no failure.
The troops and horses he leads are the most powerful army that all parties have high hopes for, and the supply of food and grass is naturally the highest priority. No one dares to be short or short, lest Zhang Cheng throws a big iron pot on his back in the future.
Even so, Zhang Cheng still left himself a backup plan to ensure that he had complete control over the military rations, which could be enough for the army for a month. This was Zhang Cheng's firm and unshakable principle.
Therefore, in addition to carrying military rations in his own baggage trucks, he also fully cooperated with the North Road Business Group, who helped purchase, process and transport large quantities of military rations into Liaodong.
However, the chariot camp, led by the camp general Wei Zhice and the governor He Biao, had already escorted grain, baggage, weapons and ammunition to Liaodong, and the North Road Merchant Group also followed the chariot camp to transport supplies.
Now, Zhang Cheng entrusted the Ministry of War to recruit a group of civilians to transport the medicinal materials and grains received from the capital. Most of them were pushing wheelbarrows, and there were also some large carts mixed in, following the rear of the army.
Zhang Guangda leads the cavalry battalion in front, and the Tiger Guard battalion, under the command of Lin Fangping, guards Zhang Cheng's Chinese army. This has almost become the headquarters of the expedition army. Chen Jiugao, the former battalion commander of the Shenji battalion, has always been here. Even deputy general Fu Yingchong squeezed in to talk to Zhang Cheng from time to time.
Among the army, Zhang Cheng's Shuai Qi attracted the most attention. The tall and sturdy general's cart was now being used as a Shuai Qi chariot, making it even more powerful and domineering. Chen Jiugao and Fu Yingchong were really envious.
They either rode their horses slowly or entered Zhang Cheng's carriage to rest and drink tea. Originally, he was very satisfied with his two-passenger carriage, but now that the three of them were drinking tea and chatting inside, they felt a little cramped. .
Zhang Cheng secretly thought: Should he also build a larger car? It would be enough for at least ten people to enjoy tea and chat inside. Then when he goes on an expedition, he can take a few beautiful people with him. beautiful woman……
Thinking of this, he shook his head and thought to himself: "The army is outside, but what are you thinking about?"
I turned to look out of the car window and saw the green grass. I couldn't help but think: How could the emperor Chongzhen be so generous? Not only did he give me beautiful women, he even gave me a house in the capital.
Suddenly another thought occurred to me: You don't want me to move my family members into the capital and use them as hostages, do you?
As he thought about this, he couldn't help but feel a chill on his back.
"Brother, you are so lucky!"
Fu Yingchong, the former battalion deputy general, was sitting in the car and praised him repeatedly. Zhang Cheng was also brought back to reality by these words.
The two-passenger car he brought on this expedition was just like the general's cart. It was made of fine wood and was carefully made. Moreover, for safety reasons, the car was covered with iron on the outside to enhance protection.
Each two-seater car has its own purpose, and the one they are riding in now is used to receive guests and directors. There is only one compartment inside, with desks and a tea seat. The three of them only occupy half of the space in the compartment.
The other car is used for resting. It has two compartments. The outer compartment is mainly used by the guards. There is a soft couch in the inner compartment, which is specially used by Zhang Cheng when he rests.
Zhang Cheng only heard Chen Jiugao say: "I didn't expect you, brother, to enjoy it more than those people in the capital. This car is covered with leather cushions, it is indeed much more comfortable!"
"Ha ha!"
Zhang Cheng laughed and said: "Let the two brothers laugh. Xuanzhen is a remote and remote place, especially the North Road. It is a bitter and cold place. How can it be compared with the prosperity of the capital. The two brothers are well-informed, so they don't have to spend time in it." It's me!"
In this battle, the front camp of the Shenji Camp had more than 7,000 men and horses. Originally, there were many vacancies in the camp. However, the expedition to Liaodong was huge, and our own troops were even stronger. In order to have enough appearance, the Beijing Camp recruited from other camps. Many veterans were transferred to the front camp to fill the vacancies.
The soldiers in their front camp were mainly composed of gunners and artillery battalions.
The gunmen all use flint-fired Lumi guns, and the artillery battalion has three hundred rocket vehicles and a large number of light tanks, carrying large and small Folang aircraft, etc., as well as sacred fire flying crows and flying air attack vehicles. Killing weapons such as the Thief Zhentian Thunder and the Divine Power General Cannon have been transferred in advance.
Their combat strategy is to bombard the enemy with artillery for a while, then launch rocket vehicles to attack the enemy's rear, and at the same time use Lumi gunfire to shoot at the enemy at close range. From the early Ming Dynasty to the present, the Shenji Battalion's tactics have actually become very mature. .
If the officers and soldiers in his camp can fight bravely, their power cannot be underestimated!
Although the front camp of the Shenji Camp is theoretically dominated by infantry, there is no cavalry organization except for those artillery carriages. However, the general Chen Jiugao and the deputy general Fu Yingchong each have a team of servants.
Their total number is only five hundred, and many of them are hereditary hundred households, general banners, etc. of various guards in the capital. They have been at peace for a long time, and many of them go out to fight for the first time. They seem to be in high spirits, walking as fast as flying, and they are still high all the way. Sing loudly.
Even Zhang Cheng looked at it and nodded. He smiled and said: "The Shenji Battalion is really capable of military service and its morale is commendable. In this way, there will be no worries in the battle of Liaodong, and there will be no worries in the siege of Jinzhou!"
Chen Jiugao had a smile on his face, but he didn't say anything, but Fu Yingchong said very proudly: "Hehe. When Donglu sees the power of the artillery in my camp, he is afraid that he will not be defeated immediately, and it will be difficult to form a formation to fight."
Zhang Cheng just smiled and echoed him casually without saying anything more. After all, the cruelty on the battlefield had to be experienced personally. No matter how much others said, it would be useless.
…………
Although the sun was scorching in the afternoon, Zhang Cheng and others decided to march all day and leave the capital in one go, so that they could camp and rest in Tongzhou that night.
The weather in mid-May is already the middle to late June of the later Gregorian calendar. It is relatively cool only in the morning and evening. At other times, especially at noon, the sun is quite fierce, especially when mixed with the flying dust. People are very hot.
Although the official road has been in disrepair for a long time due to the war and is full of potholes, fortunately it is very wide, but the artillery carts have to adjust their direction from time to time.
As the army continued to move forward, the dust flying on the official road due to dry weather gradually increased. By this time, the soldiers in the Beijing camp could no longer sing.
