Nanming Engineer

Chapter 417 Waiting
In Shanxi, where summer has just entered, the weather at night is not yet hot. On the contrary, there is a mountain breeze blowing between the mountains, bringing a hint of coolness, and it is quite comfortable to be surrounded by the shadows of the trees and the rippling bamboo shadows.

The wind blew through the forest, and with the smell of leaves, it blew onto the large flat ground among the mountains. The thick bloody smell immediately pungent, and with the help of the wind, the heavy breath of death on the ground was brought to all directions.

The night is deep, the moon is in the sky, the galaxy is brilliant, and the moonlight and stars are shining all over the world.

Countless people in plain sackcloth were lighting torches and working in small groups on the battlefield outside Shiling Pass.Their heads were wrapped in white cloths, which were all put down at the moment, covering their mouths and noses to resist the disgusting smell in the air, holding tools like sticks in their hands, and pushing a cart. ,

On the ground after the war, corpses were everywhere, and huge craters were dotted. The piles of floating soil thrown up around the craters showed the horror and cruelty of the explosion here. The forked steel knives and broken spears, Leather and iron helmets, and shields with big holes were all over the place.Yellow and white human tissue, red blood, and gray human hands and feet are scattered around the lifeless corpses, like embellishments on a large dish.Some broken wood still emitted wisps of green smoke, and the flames danced on it, as if stubbornly announcing that these wood had also existed as a very majestic shield car.

The soldiers and civilians of the Kuizhou Army covered their mouths and noses with white cloths, picked and picked among them, picked out some usable weapons and armor, and put them on carts. If these things are in good condition, they can be used again. However, the local militias are very indispensable. After all, the two major military bureaus of the Kuizhou Army do their best to ensure the supply of weapons for the regular army, and the local demand is not so effective.

As for those corpses, they were thrown into another cart, which belonged to the Qing army, and they were cremated in an unoccupied place, and then discarded casually to prevent the corpse from decomposing and causing an epidemic.As for those belonging to the Kuizhou Army, they must be carefully identified. A small bamboo plaque should be hung on the toes, on which the name and origin of the deceased should be recorded. Go to his home in order to build a clothes tomb and comfort his family.

This work is very laborious. Thousands of soldiers and civilians have been busy from dark to late night, and they have not finished it. After all, tens of thousands of people died here, and the body cleaning alone is enough.

Inside Shiling Pass, in a relatively spacious tent, a dense crowd of people gathered.

Although there are many people, no one is making noise. To be precise, even the sound of breathing is very suppressed. On weekdays, the young men who are very active in shouting and drinking, are sitting on the ground in a well-behaved manner, listening to a person calmly. say.

The man was dressed in an ordinary cloth shirt, his hair was casually tied with a black ribbon and scattered behind his head, although his skin was a bit dark but elegant, his whole body exuded a scholarly air, without the ferocious arrogance of the day.

"... Therefore, water is impermanent and soldiers are impermanent. All formations should be changed according to the situation. The number of firearms, the quality of soldiers, and even the weather and geography are all important factors that affect the formation. Today we The formation is completely different from before, and it is a clear manifestation of this idea. Everyone, go down and think about it carefully. Today’s battle is hard, so I won’t say much, let’s go.”

Wang Huan waved his hand, picked up the tea on the table, and took a sip.

The people in the tent stood up, saluted him together, and then filed out, discussing excitedly in whispers while walking, the expressions on their faces were full of the appearance of being immersed in Wang Huan's words just now. .

Outside the tent, large and small tents enclose this large tent, and then spread to the distance in a certain order, layer upon layer, and the military camp under the moonlight can't be seen at a glance.

Of course there are some barracks in the Guancheng, but because of the war, the Ming army ran away and Li Zicheng came, Li Zicheng ran away and the Qing army came again, and the Qing army stationed now ran away. The city was demolished into ruins, and even the beams and pillars as thick as masts were carried away, and they were used for unknown purposes.

So when the Kuizhou army came here, they simply set up tents instead of houses with broken bricks and tiles. Anyway, they were used to living in tents when they were away on an expedition.

The bonfires were lit far or near, and bursts of aroma wafted from far away. It was someone in the personal guards who had hunted wild animals such as rabbits on the mountain, and they were gathering together for a barbecue with a happy face.

Of course, Wang Huan also shared one. After all the people in the tent had left, he just sat down, clapped his hands, wiped off the ink marks in his hands, then wiped them casually on his clothes, and made another cup of tea. Take the rabbit out of the wooden box, ready to enjoy.

In front of him, there were still two people sitting, but they were Li Dingguo and Li Tingyu who had not left after class.

The two watched eagerly as the lotus leaf opened, and the rabbit appeared in front of them. The steaming rabbit meat was roasted golden brown, juicy, and the aroma could draw out the gluttons in people's stomachs. Wang Huan looked at the two of them. , and looked at the not-so-big rabbit, showing a embarrassed look.

"Look, why don't you learn from Ma Xintian? People are still out patrolling the camp at this time, which is what a general should do." Wang Huan said.

Li Tingyu stared at the rabbit with one eye and didn't look away, swallowing his saliva and said: "Master Hou, don't do this, the two of us have already visited the camp, and we have done everything we need to do. We are not here to listen to Master Hou's lecture." Is it?... Uh, the rabbit is going to be cold."

The army has been out for a long time, and what they eat every day is steamed buns produced in Shaanxi and Shanxi. This is a bit unfamiliar to the Sichuan soldiers in the army. Of course, the army also has rice transported from afar from Sichuan, but due to the long distance The reason is that the quantity is very small and it takes a long time to eat.As for meat, it is difficult to guarantee it. Because Shaanxi is barren and Shanxi is because of the war, it is simply unable to meet the needs of the Kuizhou army; Sichuan is rich in meat, and lean meat from pig farms is not needed. Large quantities are supplied to the army and also to the market. , but also because of the distance, the transportation cost is high, and it is impossible to preserve such a long distance without deterioration, so for Er Li, he has not known the taste of meat for a long time.

Seeing Li Tingyu and Li Dingguo's determination as if they had settled for free food, Wang Huan sighed and divided the little rabbit into three.

Amidst the sound of chewing, the rabbit soon only had bones left, and some of the big bones even left clear teeth marks.

"A lot of luggage was seized today, and you have divided a lot between the two armies. You have enough meat to eat, so why do you want to fight the autumn wind here?" Wang Huan gritted his teeth, dissatisfied, the rabbit is not big, Divide it into three portions, and each person only has two taels of meat at most, and he can eat it up in two bites. The three big men must not have had enough.

"I didn't learn it from Lord Marquis." Li Dingguo said with a smile: "All the meat is allocated to the soldiers. They are the main force in the war. Without strength, how can we defend the enemy? As generals, we should endure hardship first and enjoy ourselves. Later, didn’t the Marquis also rely on the rabbits brought by his personal guards to carry out the tooth ceremony? It’s a shame that my useless personal guards wandered around the mountain all night and couldn’t even find a mouse.”

Li Tingyu also threw a bare bone in his hand onto the table, and licked the corner of his mouth unsatisfied. He didn't know what kind of storms would be caused by the people below looking at him like this. General Li can actually lick his lips.

"My lord, when Taiyuan is conquered and the siege of Datong is relieved, we have to rest for a few days and get some wine and meat to satisfy our cravings. Here we eat noodles and steamed buns every day. How are we used to it? Look at me, I've lost weight."

Wang Huan looked at Li Tingyu's bear-like body, laughed with the two of them, and then ordered the guards to come in to collect the messy bones, sit up straight, and start talking about business.

A low table, two oil lamps, three people sitting around, quiet all around, no one else in the big tent, talking at night with candles under the moonlight.

"Today's battle was easier than expected. The Tartars were defeated simply. Even Boluo died here. It is a heavy blow to both Azig and Dorgon."

"Azige is still in Datong, but Dorgon has already arrived in Yuzhou area. Hearing this news, I am afraid that he will rush to Datong in the starry night and join forces with Azige."

"After all, a prince died. Will Azig withdraw the soldiers of Datong directly and rush over to confront us?"

"Probably not, Jiang Yu in Datong City is a tiger, and we, although defeated by Nikan, are just wolves in the eyes of the Tatars. The impression of Da Ming that has been formed for a long time is not so easy to get rid of. It is estimated that the siege of Datong will continue, and we will make further calculations when Dorgon and Azig meet."

Li Dingguo thought for a while, and his face was full of worry: "In this way, the pressure on Jiang Yu will not be relieved. Now the Tartars are basically coming all over the country. There are already 3 braided soldiers all over Shanxi. It is worth [-] people, and there are quite a few left, and most of them are elite soldiers. If Jiang Guan can't stand it, it will affect our plans."

"However, it will be lighter. A defeat is a defeat. No matter how fierce the Tartars are, the Han army and Mongols following them will be discouraged when they hear the news of Shiling Pass. This is an objective law, and it cannot be stopped by shouting a few slogans Stay." Wang Huan picked the wick of the oil lamp with the blade of a sharp knife, let it jump slightly, and emitted a brighter light: "More importantly, this battle will disrupt the deployment of the Tartars. The plan to besiege Datong to solve the chaos in Shanxi has completely failed. Dorgon will look at us and weigh the pros and cons between destroying us first and capturing Datong first. Decide."

Li Dingguo and Li Tingyu looked at him, and the lights shone on Wang Huan's face, reflecting a hazy halo. The sun-tanned but still youthful face was frowning and pointing at Wang Huan. Knocking on the table: "Dorgon will come to Shiling Pass, he will not tolerate a Ming Dynasty Pingliang Hou who beheaded his clan's head to stay here happily, and he will not let Azig come over, because it is not good for him. In other words, the significance of the personal conquest is to establish his prestige, to establish his prestige as the emperor."

(End of this chapter)