Dominate the Country

The cold wind was blowing, and the biting snowflakes kept hitting people's faces. The whole world seemed to have turned into a big pimple of ice, and the exposed nose and cheeks were so frozen that they were frozen. The cold air poured into the leather jacket more frequently, even though the Eight Banners soldiers had wrapped their coats tightly around their bodies.

Only an army of about a hundred people marched silently, and from time to time some people slipped and fell to the ground because the cold weather had already frozen the river surface into large ice blocks. This is the Mudanjiang River in the twelfth lunar month, and it is a world of ice and snow.

Snowflakes are flying in the howling cold wind, and the branches on the river bank are covered with frost, like beautiful silver bars. With the whistling north wind, they are whipping in the air like wildly dancing whips.

The Eight Banners soldiers headed forward, not far from here was the Ninggu Pagoda. This place where prisoners were exiled in the past has now become a good place for the Eight Banners to settle down and live. Beginning in the spring, large numbers of people migrated from the south with cartloads of supplies, and soon large numbers of Korean slaves arrived.

The people of the Eight Banners waved their whips and supervised the hard-working North Koreans to open up wasteland, cultivate land and build houses.

After half a year of hard work, before winter began in Ninggu Pagoda this year, the villages that had sprung up one after another proved the value of these Korean slaves. Even though countless abandoned corpses have accumulated in many unknown valleys.

But so what?

To the Eight Banners, the Koreans were not human beings at all, but two-legged cows and horses. Their only task was to create food, cloth and all the necessary living utensils for the Eight Banners. Just like the Han people under the rule of Boar Skin.

The food supplies they exploited from North Korea were also continuously transported to Liaodong, and then sent from Liaodong to Jilin and Heilongjiang. More and more bannermen came to Jilin and Heilongjiang, and more and more various materials were transferred and stored to Jilin and Heilongjiang. The Manchu Qing Dynasty would not stick to Shengjing. Yongxun had been making preparations to continue heading north, hadn't he?

Another year has passed. The Qing Dynasty still saw no hope, but the Fuhan army captured the entire southwest.

The vast majority of the Eight Banners people do not care about this. Most of the Banner people are staying at home at this time. Only a small number of Banner people need to go out for dozens of miles in the snow in this winter. . They are the Eight Banners militia. To use the vocabulary that the Manchus learned from the Fuhan Army, they are training.

Training is a routine training content of the Fuhan Army. It is very common in field troops. It is a way to combine with emergency gatherings and bring all the individual soldiers of the army to the field for mobile training. A kind of training to enhance the physical fitness and combat effectiveness of commanding officers and soldiers. During the training process, each soldier will hone himself under strict discipline and pressure, making the team more united and cohesive. And the simplest training is to walk dozens of miles with heavy weight! It is a very common phenomenon to climb over mountains and ridges and sleep on ice floes in the snow.

Everyone in the Eight Banners knew that it was time for the Eight Banners soldiers to cheer up, otherwise it would be as bad as the Fuhan Army came over. And they were already on the edge of the cliff, with no way to retreat.

Without the land of Longxing in Shengjing, they can still retreat to Jilin, but the central and southern parts of Jilin are also occupied, and the central and southern parts of Heilongjiang are also occupied. Do they need to retreat to the outer northeast and become savages? [During the Manchu and Qing Dynasties, the northeast-southwest direction of Jilin and Heilongjiang was classified as outer northeast. Generally speaking, Sakhalin and Vladivostok were classified in Jilin]

When the Eight Banners first emerged, Jurchens were captured to replenish the Eight Banners' troops. And the so-called giving birth to a girl really can't be born in the ice, snow and bitter cold land further north of Heilongjiang. These Eight Banners soldiers now truly shoulder the "national mission". They must do everything they can to block the Fuhan Army from the south.

At this moment, outside Shanhaiguan, between the fortresses wrapped in ice, it was covered with ice and snow. And gunshots and fighting still sounded from time to time in the silent world.

"That is a natural outpost." Meretskov said looking at the unknown mountain. "The geographical location is really advantageous. If the Tatars have enough strength and time, I suggest that they build a strong fort on it. Fortress. That would create enough trouble for the Chinese attack."

"Building a fortress is indeed a good idea, Meretskov, but not now." Russian Army Major Tolbukhin took a deep drag on his cigarette, and then said with wandering eyes: "Our most important task now is to The checkpoint on Wangyu Mountain was repaired, where the Tatars were in the Great Wall. If we don't occupy that position at the starting point of the defense line, I won't be able to sleep well at night at Shanhaiguan. Meretskov, you just came here and you don't know how barbaric the Chinese are. The thugs are brutal, bloodthirsty, and cruel, and Satan is kinder than them."

Meretskov looked at Tolbukhin with pity. This man seemed to be frightened since he was almost captured by the Fuhan Army in Wangyu Mountain. Now let alone the front line, we don't even dare to live in the fortress outside the city, but insist on living in Guancheng. In Meretskov's eyes, this was a complete disgrace to the Russian military.

However, Tolbukhin's position was much higher than that of Meretskov. Meretskov could only comfort Tolbukhin: "The Chinese have just ended their harassment war against the Tatars. Now it is covered with snow." Everything has been destroyed, and the snow on the ground is five inches thick. It is much more difficult to launch an attack than before. They dare not risk losing money and continue to attack!" Meretskov knew the treatment of the Chinese army. It was heaven. In the previous series of contact battles, he could also feel the caution of Chinese soldiers and that their officers loved the soldiers too much. It seems that even slightly risky moves are not allowed.

Tolbukhin blew out a milky white smoke ring, his face still solemn, and said: "The construction progress of the Wangyu Mountain checkpoint must be accelerated! We don't have too long. Warm China is not bitter cold Siberia, where there are few continuous It's been snowing for many days. I don't want to wait too long. You need to make it clear to Konev and the others." Tolbukhin didn't seem to hear Meretskov's words. Meretskov nodded silently and stopped talking.

Shangfeng had already made up his mind, and any further words would only arouse Tolbukhin's anger. He began to think about the division of manpower in his mind. The Tatars sent more than a hundred slaves and sixty or seventy soldiers. With the cooperation of Konev and others, the total number of Meretskov's men reached 2670. For the Russians in Siberia, there are only three hundred people, which is not a small number.

Even if they have been operating in Siberia for more than a hundred years, it is difficult to gather more than 200 people anywhere else except Lake Baikal. The Northeast, a place as warm and refreshing as spring in Meretskov's eyes, is already the most desolate barren land in China, and apart from the millions of Tatars who have recently migrated back, this place has zero The scattered tribes together numbered hundreds of thousands, even millions. In the eyes of all Russians, China's manpower is so rich, and they also have Korea as a slave breeding ground.

Meretskov decided to send more manpower to participate in the construction of Wangyu Mountain and reduce the number of alert troops. Those docile Korean slaves were also forced to work eighteen hours a day. After all, the earlier the construction of Wangyu Mountain is completed, the earlier they will be safe.

Thinking of this, Meretskov couldn't help but feel resentful towards the Fuhan Army. They are really hateful people, and the wars they launch from time to time make everyone here nervous, including the small number of Russians inside and outside Shanhaiguan.

And if that's all, that's it. Although these Chinese are very cautious in combat operations, they are extremely tenacious in fighting. Meretskov has led the Russian cavalry to fight against the retreating Fuhan Army sneak attack troops more than once. The Chinese armed with rifles and small cannons were not afraid of the Russian cavalry on war horses. In several encounters, Meretskov did not take advantage. Even once, with more than thirty cavalry, he wiped out a squad of Fuhan Army patrol detachments, but Meretskov still sacrificed seven men. Killed in action and six wounded. Each of those Chinese soldiers was equipped with grenades, which was an extremely abominable configuration.

And now the Wangyu Mountain checkpoint was destroyed by the Chinese the night before, which forced the noble Russians to work with a group of slaves in the ice and snow, working hard to repair the checkpoint one by one. Who told the Russians that their 'missions' were all outside that fortified Chinese city.

Not to mention, the sound of Chinese opera could be heard every day from the Chinese fortress closest to the Tatar defense line, as well as the smell of meat and strong wine drifting in the wind.

The Russians in the north are the best at drinking wine, but there is not much wine in the northeast, at least there is no extra wine for low-level officers and soldiers like Meretskov to drink happily. All food in the Northeast must be stored, and eating is Yongxun's first priority. The wine was only secondary.

There is no shortage of meat in Meretskov's food, even if it is dried salted fish, but they still have the opportunity to have a toothpaste every now and then. Only with this drink, Meretskov now is like Luti before breaking the law in Mount Wutai. Damn, I’m going crazy thinking about drinking.

Therefore, even a trace of the smell of alcohol carried by the wind to their noses can make all Russians, including Meretskov, drunk and unable to control themselves. On the cold Wangyu Mountain, they ate tasteless multigrain pancakes and drank potato broth, which further aggravated their grievances.

"Haha, brother Xiyan, come and have a drink!" In King Qin's Island, Chen Ziqing raised a wine glass with a red face, and said with a big smile to his friend Qin Youzi, whom he had not seen for a year. In the cup is sorghum wine that exudes the aroma of wine, about one liang or so. The transparent wine sloshed in the white porcelain cup, exuding a moving aroma.

Meeting an old friend in a foreign land.

Since the two of them separated, especially since one entered the logistics department and the other entered the administrative system, it is really difficult for them to sit together and get together. I never thought that this wish would come true today.

"Do it, do it!" Qin Youzi raised his head and drank the wine in the glass in one gulp. The spicy wine poured down his throat and straight into his stomach, making his whole body feel warm. "The sorghum wine is still delicious. Compared with The rice wine is much stronger." Qin Youzi was transferred to Qinwang Island a few years ago. As a Jiangnan native, he was not used to the severe cold in Qinwang Island. Taking a sip of wine, my whole body warmed up.

The weather outside was getting colder and colder, and Qin Youzi didn't want to go out. Whether at home or in the office, the fireplace had to be burning brightly. As a result, Chen Ziying escorted a fleet to Qinwang Island at this time.

Qinwang Island is the Qinhuangdao of later generations. Before, it was still a desolate place, and the few people who had either fled or were looted by the Qing army. After the Fu Han Army occupied this place, it turned it into a place for the army outside Shanhaiguan to make up for it, because although the winter here is very cold, it does not freeze.

From the perspective of later generations, Qinhuangdao is a protruding part of the coastline, with no rivers flowing in the surrounding area, and the waters have a high salt content. The higher the salt content of the seawater, the less likely it is to freeze. When the temperature drops below zero degrees. Tianjin has Haihe River flowing in, and the waters of Tianjin contain a lot of silt, so it is naturally easy to freeze. In addition, the warm current of the Yellow Sea flows through the Bohai Strait and can directly reach Qinhuangdao Port. It brings a lot of heat, causing the seawater to warm up and not easy to freeze. But in this era, it is very mythical.

Qinwang Island is 25 miles southwest of the city, surrounded by sea water. It is said that Qin Shihuang stayed here to seek immortality. Now it is a county!

In this newly established county, Shen Yuan, wrapped in a thick sheepskin coat, looked at the gloomy sky above his head and regretted his decision again.

I shouldn't have come here from Sichuan for cheap. Although my rank has been upgraded, the weather here is too bad.

"Eat, eat..." The master on the construction site shouted loudly.

Shen Yuan went to the cafeteria. It was his turn to inspect the court this ten days, which was to go around various construction sites. The food on this construction site is very good and cheap. A portion of the cheapest stewed sea fish, a portion of vinegar-fried cabbage, and a full jar of rice with grains only cost two copper coins. And the food with these two copper coins is enough for him to eat at noon and at night.

If he was in the court, he would have a dormitory to go back to. There was a small pot in the dormitory. He could just boil some water and heat it up at night. If he really wanted to save trouble, he could just pour the leftovers into the pot. He would still be full. But now he couldn't do that. He had to save face when he was out.

"Master, half a portion of braised pork, half a portion of shredded potatoes, half a portion of rice..." There was also vegetable soup on the side. Whoever wanted to drink it could go and have it. In Sichuan, Shen Yuan used vegetable soup to soak rice for three months to save money.

Now, it's not that bad. He has a wife!

Liaoyang, Yanlangzhai.

Song Jun, who had just returned from the training, was covered in white snowflakes and grabbed a bag of food and went home happily.

There were thirty or forty kilograms of food. Although most of it was potatoes and sweet potatoes, a piece of potato could save people when they were really in danger. No one knew that little Song Jun had seen the emperor, and Yongcheng seemed to have forgotten this scribe who was kicked hard by him. Walking eastward from Chengde, Marat Songjun found his relatives and became an ordinary soldier of the Eight Banners in obscurity.

Marat's stomach seemed to be burning with fire, and the strong hunger made her unable to stand up straight. This was the feeling of being pressed against each other. Songjun's mother asked her to cook some rice and porridge, but Marat was unwilling. "Mother, there are so many people in our family that we have to save food. There is not much left. We still have to live!" Marat was most worried about Songjun. Training in this winter can kill people. If Songjun can't come back, their family will have hard days ahead.

However, happiness came unexpectedly. "I'm back..."

Her husband's voice came from outside the house, and Marat's tears flowed down instantly.

Marat finally cooked a pot of porridge. She was very happy when she saw her husband pouring rice into the jar, but when she came to the rice jar to scoop rice, her hands softened and she scooped half a bowl. Finally, Song Jun cut a sweet potato and cooked a pot of porridge.

The life in Beijing in the past is very far away from them...

It's like a wonderful dream, and it's gone when you wake up.

All the bannermen grew up in a beautiful dream, but now they have to face the cruel reality.