With so many people applying, Gao Heng immediately said: "Okay! Those who have signed up, please line up. There are not many people, so they need to be screened." Everyone immediately gathered around the general stage. During the junior high school in the Ming Dynasty, , the requirements for selecting soldiers are very strict. For example, the Qi family army in the middle and late period was required to be able to lift four hundred kilograms. Only those who can shoot a stone bow or have excellent martial arts skills can become soldiers. Another example is Zheng Chenggong's Iron Man Army, which is also required to be able to lift five hundred kilograms. A pound of stone lion.
But these are the standards for elite selection. The military system in the late Ming Dynasty was corrupted, and many soldiers were just make-up. How could there be such elites? Sure enough, after such a screening, basically only one out of ten people agreed with the standard, and more than a hundred people were left in an instant from more than a thousand people.
Among these more than a hundred people, Gao Heng personally performed a few moves. Gao Heng's fighting methods were all those of special forces. They were complete actual combat killing skills. Even Zuo Bin and Huang Kun had never seen them before. Gao Heng could only lie and claim that they were After studying at home, after a lot of fighting, most of them were eliminated. Very few people could take on his three moves. After sifting through this process, there were only thirty or forty people left.
Gao Heng was also very tired, but he still had to take the last step. He needed to talk to these soldiers one by one. If he was not determined, he could not use it.
Although this battle was a special operation, these top soldiers did not know what special operations were, and Gao Heng did not have time to teach them. He just wanted these people to act according to his orders in the shortest possible time. In fact, , the vast majority of these twenty people are used to distract the enemy. Five people are enough to actually fight with Gao Heng.
What Gao Heng needed was these five backbones. He talked to ten people in a row but was not satisfied until one person came into his sight.
"what's your name?"
"My name is Wang Qi."
"Seeing that you are quite strong and your martial arts skills are acceptable, why did you sign up?"
"For my family, I am a border citizen. The Annan people raided the border and killed my brother and parents. I am the only one left in the family. I want revenge. I don't need money, as long as you let me follow you. I think you are like Someone who does great things."
"Okay, I'll count you as the next one. I'll be on standby."
The crowd lined up and came in one after another. Gao Heng learned about their motives for joining in detail, and finally selected twenty people, including five key members.
The reason why they can be called the backbone is because the motivation of these five people to fight is not for money. Wang Qi will not talk about it. Not to mention national hatred, it is family hatred. He wants to avenge his family, even without the bounty.
The second person was called Lu Tao. He was a prisoner who was exiled from the army. He came from Guangdong and Guangxi. He was small and thin. Although he was unwilling to tell him what he had committed, Gao Heng, as a soldier, could smell the military aura in Lu Tao. This guy must have been a soldier before, but I don't know what kind of soldier he was. This man's eyes were full of a fierce look. He was obviously a man with a story, but Gao Heng didn't know it yet.
The third person is called Song Zhi, a homeless civilian husband with a similar background to Gao Heng. This guy is not just for this mere fifty taels of silver, but wants to do something bigger. With these fifty taels of silver, , even if he has capital, to put it bluntly, this guy has an adventurous spirit and is a bit of a gambler.
There is another person named Wu Rong. He is different from the previous ones. He is a small flag official in Pingxiangzhou. He only wants to make achievements and protect his country. He is an idealist and is not particularly interested in bounties. .
In addition, Fan Yu was added, and the two had a life-long friendship. Although Gao Heng of the Republic had replaced Gao Heng of the Ming Dynasty, the remaining memories in Gao Heng's mind were still awakened intermittently. At least Gao Heng understood that Fan Yu and He supports each other and is a close friend.
With these five people as the backbone, the remaining people are pure brave men. They can do anything for money. Of course, the physical fitness of these people is very good, otherwise Gao Heng would not be able to lead them.
Among the five backbones, Fan Yu basically has no martial arts. Lu Tao and Wu Rong are the strongest in martial arts, on par with Gao Heng. Song Zhi is a little clever, and it should be a martial arts trick. If the enemy is against him, he will have to endure hardships. head. Although Wang Qi's martial arts skills were mediocre, his hatred prompted him to attack with an attitude of dying together. Even Gao Heng must pay attention to such an opponent.
After confirming the candidates, Gao Heng immediately took them to a circled tent to conduct simple training. At the same time, he collected the materials he originally asked for from Zuo Qian into the tent.
Everyone looked at the items on the ground, and they were a little confused. The military crossbow and the enemy's armor were easy to understand. Since it was a sneak attack, naturally the military crossbow was a long-distance silent killing weapon that was easy to use. It had good accuracy and saved physical strength. The enemy's The armor is naturally for camouflage so that you can blend in with the enemy. Wang Qi is a border resident and can speak Annan dialect. With him around, unless he is being questioned carefully, he should be able to handle the situation in general. As for the rest, everyone doesn't understand.
"Everyone, let me briefly explain these things." Gao Heng pointed to the things on the ground and said: "My ancestors worked in the Ordnance Bureau, and all soldiers are familiar with gunpowder. It's just that you don't know the power of gunpowder when you add a certain amount of sugar. It will be greatly increased. We wrap 10% of the gunpowder with oil paper, add 30% of sugar, and make an explosive package. Its explosive power will be doubled. At the same time, we put these lead pieces into it, wrap it with linen cloth, and tie it with hemp rope. Tighten it to increase the power of the explosion, and the fragments formed by the lead are enough to kill large numbers of enemies."
"Porcelain bottles, flour, yellow wax, and irritating powders such as chili powder and lime can be combined to make smoke bombs. Pour these powders into the porcelain bottle, mix a small amount of gunpowder, ignite it and throw it out. It can create a smoke barrier in a short period of time, blocking people's sight, irritating the eyes and nose, and creating chaos. This is our weapon."
After Gao Heng finished speaking, Fan Yu looked at him in disbelief. He knew this guy's family and had never heard of any of his ancestors working in the Ordnance Bureau. At this time, Gao Heng was a little unfamiliar, although his appearance and body shape had not changed. , but the tone of his words and the way he looked at people were different. If he had revealed confusion about the future when he was a refugee, now Gao Heng's eyes were full of determination, and he had become a very A person with strong opinions. And how did he know how to make these weapons? Fan Yu felt that she didn't recognize Gao Heng in front of her.
"We have never heard of these things you are talking about. Is this okay?" someone questioned.
Gao Heng didn't say much. Hearing is false and seeing is believing. He came to the open space outside the camp and said: "I won't try the explosive pack. It is too powerful and easy to be exposed. Let me show you the smoke bomb. power."
After saying that, he placed the filled porcelain jar in his hand on the ground, lit the fuse pulled out from the mouth of the jar, and ordered everyone to stay away. When actually fighting, the mouth of the jar needs to be sealed with yellow mud so that it can be easily thrown. The few people who shouted the loudest just now came closer to watch out of curiosity. Gao Heng smiled and did not stop them. They would feel better waiting.
With a bang, the porcelain jar shattered under the power of gunpowder. Because the amount of gunpowder added was very small, it only acted as a combustion accelerant, so the sound was not very loud. However, the next moment, the people around him were wide-eyed. With their eyes, they clearly saw that like magic, a large plume of yellow smoke rose from the ground. It was very thick and completely different from the smoke that usually occurs when burning firewood. This smoke continued to expand as the powder burned. The two people facing each other through the smoke could not see each other's figure for an instant, and the pungent smell quickly spread to their nostrils.
"Cough cough cough, cough cough cough."
"My throat is so spicy."
"Eyes, my eyes, hurt!"
The few people who were close to him screamed and dispersed to the outside. They never expected that this seemingly inconspicuous thing could be so powerful. It could not only obscure the line of sight, but also make people incapacitated in combat.
"Gray bottle." Lu Tao, who was standing next to Gao Heng, said lightly. Gao Heng was stunned. Obviously this guy is knowledgeable. Gray bottles may not be commonly used in the southwest, but on the battlefield in the Central Plains, especially against On the battlefield of bandits, the gray bottle is a weapon for the officers and soldiers to defend the city. The quicklime chili powder can't kill anyone, but it can cripple one.
Lu Tao raised his voice and said: "Go back. If your eyes are injured, don't wash them with water, use vegetable oil, otherwise you will be blind for the rest of your life."
Gao Heng was a little surprised. It seemed that Lu Tao was really capable. Gao Heng also saw the gray bottle in Water Margin, but in fact, Water Margin was a story written by people in the Ming Dynasty in the Song Dynasty. In fact, the Song Dynasty was about gray bottles. There are very few records of bottles, but gray bottles were popularized in the Ming Dynasty.
Whether it is Qi Jiguang's "New Book of Jixiao", "Ming Dynasty Northern Strategy", "Japanese Incident Story" and other historical materials, the production and use methods of gray bottles are recorded in detail. If it were not for the Ming army in the Central Plains and coastal areas, it would not be possible. Will be so familiar with the gray bottle.
Lu Tao nodded, as if talking to Gao Heng, or to himself: "Although it is a gray bottle, it is more practical than a gray bottle and is a good thing. If nothing else, you have good kung fu and a good mind. It’s not easy to be able to make this thing. I admire you and am willing to follow you.” Gao Heng turned back and cupped his fists and said, “Thank you very much.”
Seeing Gao Henglu's move, everyone finally stopped talking. Lu Tao wiped the eyes of several people who fell to the ground with rapeseed oil, and each of them said convinced: "I'm convinced, I'm really convinced." Gao Heng knew that he He is just a small flag officer who has not been included in the establishment, and he has no prestige among this group of people. He understands better that if he leads his troops to attack, it is not sure whether these people can completely listen to his greetings, so as long as he grasps the basics Five backbones are enough, Gao Heng doesn't think much about the others.
Five days passed by in a flash. During this period, the Annan Army did not stop. Probing attacks by hundreds of people basically occurred every day. However, after the experience of being attacked by a sneak attack last time, the Zhennanguan garrison strengthened their vigilance and stepped up their guard. The weather was fine last night, and it was not easy to ambush troops in advance. Therefore, after leaving more than a hundred corpses, Annan's army basically had no choice but to retreat in despair. On the other hand, the defenders in the city basically understood the situation of Annan's army through the confessions from the prisoners and the information provided by some mountain people who escaped outside the city.
The commander of the Annan Army is called Zheng Guang. He is the nephew of the current Zheng Dynasty. He is only in his twenties. However, he has several years of experience in leading troops in foreign affairs. He has always been in contact with the Ruan Dynasty. This time he serves as the commander-in-chief. During the Northern Expedition, Lord Zheng also had high hopes for him, otherwise he would not have sent out elite Qingyi soldiers to accompany him.
The young man is impatient. Zheng Guang feels that Zhennanguan is just a small city. Two hundred years ago, the Ming army was powerful and the Annan army was weak, which is why Zhennanguan is today. But now that the Ming Dynasty has internal and external troubles, how can it have the energy to deal with Annan? The opportunity has come to make a difference on your own. He arrived here first with three thousand Qingyi soldiers and couldn't wait to launch an attack. However, he didn't expect that the Ming army's will to resist was so determined that they actually blocked his sneak attack. But it doesn't matter, a little setback cannot dampen his spirit.
You know, Lord Zheng also gave him 14,000 town soldiers, that is, foreign soldiers, in addition to the 3,000 capital soldiers. These 10,000 people are gathering everywhere and heading towards Lang Son Palace. In a few days, When the army expires, Zheng Guang will no longer need any sneak attacks. He can simply raise a large army and attack the city directly.
The Annan Army has been planning to attack Zhennanguan for a long time, so Zheng Guang also roughly knows the troop allocation of Zhennanguan. Not to mention Zhennanguan, there are only two thousand defenders in Pingxiang Prefecture, and many of them are old and weak. Sick and disabled, more than 10,000 Zheng Chao troops attacked them. Not only did Zheng Guang's team have some artillery, but when the artillery was in place, they could blast the city wall. But how could Zheng Guang have imagined that the Ming army defending the city was already gearing up and planning a counterattack against his headquarters.
The nights in early autumn in Southwest China are still unbearably hot and humid. Gao Heng knows that Annan has a subtropical rainforest climate, so the temperature is basically relatively high all year round. Even in the cold winter of China, the Annan area is still above 20 degrees Celsius. Not to mention September.
"Damn it, this Annan Army armor looks really awkward to wear." Outside Zhennanguan City Gate, in the night, a team of twenty-one people gathered at the south gate. They all changed into Annan Army armor. A symmetrical vest-like leather armor, wearing a wooden helmet unique to the Annan army, without lining, wearing trousers, and a front guard lined with iron leaves. The soldiers were equipped with the Annan Army's unique ancient Zhan knives and iconic counter knives, and were fully armed and lined up in two rows.
At that time, the Annan army, not to mention the local army, the equipment of the Beijing soldiers was actually relatively complete. Because of the long-term influence of the Ming Dynasty, the Annan army was actually an armored unit. The Beijing soldiers were generally equipped with egg-shaped helmets, which covered the There is a hood on the upper part of the head, ears and back of the neck. It is not like the butt curtain of childhood during World War II, but a whole piece of cloth. Its main function is to prevent mosquito bites.
