City Secretary Bi led a group of bodyguards out of the city as fast as lightning. Yang Ling understood that City Secretary Bi had sent people to the outpost office to steal rations. Ignoring the pain in his legs, he hurriedly mounted his horse and galloped to the outpost office.
The low-ranking official who had pulled his sleeve earlier urged his horse to follow him and said anxiously, "Daren, you shouldn't have agreed to give him rations. What should we do now?"
Yang Ling was jolted like a puppet, but he still couldn't resist shouting, "Why not? Do you want the soldiers to fight on an empty stomach? Embezzling military rations is a crime worthy of beheading in any dynasty or generation! "
The low-ranking official smiled bitterly. "Daren, how can low-ranking officials like us dare to embezzle rations? It's them who didn't bring enough rations. Who can they blame? "
Yang Ling said angrily, "Nonsense. There are two warehouses of rations, enough for ten days. You dare to bully me?"
The low-ranking official said, "I wouldn't dare. Although there are surplus rations in the warehouses, they belong to the main army. The reserve troops only brought those rations. What does it have to do with us? Daren, even thirty percent of City Secretary Sun's rations came from the main army's rations. "
Yang Ling asked, "Slow down, slow down. Tell me slowly. What's going on?"
The low-ranking official hurried to the side of the road and explained everything to Yang Ling. It turned out that General He had five battalions of troops stationed in the east, west, and south were his trusted subordinates. They were the main army of the Huailai area and were permanently stationed there.
Among the two battalions of soldiers and horses that charged out of the city, Sun Dazhong's troops were known as the guest troops, that is, soldiers from other provinces. Although due to the need for garrison duty, they had been permanently transferred to this place, but their provisions, manpower, and even the supply of horses, swords and spears were still the responsibility of their original province, Henan.
Bi Chun's troops were called reserve troops. They were temporarily transferred from the Zhejiang Garrison. They were only there for the few months every year when the Mongols were most likely to invade the border. After that, they had to return.
This time the Tatars simultaneously attacked more than a dozen relay stations in the neighboring counties. The signal fire spread to the Capital. The Xuan Fu Zongbing dispatched three generals to rush to Zhuolu, Huailai and Chixian to reinforce them, while two more generals of guerrilla warfare were sent to fight on the battlefield. The army left in a hurry. The supply camp was directly under General Yong Ning's command, so it was natural for his own troops to transport the rations first. Thus, Sun Dazhong and Bi Chun's troops did not even have enough rations.
Although Sun Dazhong's troops were guest troops, because they were permanently stationed here, temporarily taking some provisions from the main army was not a big deal. Later he would report to the prefectural treasurer and ask the money and provisions shipped from Zhejiang to be deducted. However, the reserve troops were randomly selected troops, and they had to return to their original encampment at the beginning of spring. At that time, transportation was inconvenient, and the efficiency of the local officials was low. It was common for them to shirk responsibility and delay in paying the troops. If they were transferred back to the local area before paying off their debts, who would be responsible for the deficit?
After listening to the low-ranking official's explanation, Yang Ling felt that it was a little strange. The army was such an important department, yet they could not coordinate the distribution of rations and salaries. He really did not know which idiot came up with such a rigid and impractical military supply system. It was no wonder that when he walked around the whole city, he saw that the uniforms of the soldiers in the various battalions, and the quality of their weapons varied.
At this time he also knew that he had promised too much, but if the soldiers did not even have enough to eat, how could the morale of the troops be guaranteed? Besides, Bi Chun's supply only did not arrive in time. As long as he sent a letter to the prefectural treasurer in time to adjust the accounts of the various armies, it should not be a big problem. Thinking of this, Yang Ling gradually calmed down.
The sun was already setting in the west. The relay station was covered in pure white snow, bathing in the clear and cold sunlight. Below the eastern mountain wall, there was a lantern hung every twenty steps on the road, the color of which could not be seen clearly, gently swaying in the wind.
Five horse carriages stopped on the gentle slope of the road. In front of them, there was a lot of noise. They were all Southerners, holding knives and spears. They looked murderous. It looked like there were more than forty people. In front of the relay station, there were more than ten couriers holding whistles. Under the leadership of a low-ranking official, they were blocking the entrance of the relay station and arguing with them like fighting cocks.
Seeing this, Yang Ling's image tightened. He hurriedly rushed over and shouted, "All of you stop, tell me what you have to say!"
Bi Chun's personal guard, Zheng Dapeng, was standing next to a general with his sleeves rolled up and a machete on his shoulder. That person's face was full of murderous intent, like a butcher. Zheng Dapeng whispered a few words to him. He glanced at Yang Ling from the corner of his eyes and waved his hand. The soldiers immediately quietened down.
When the low-ranking official guarding the door saw Yang Ling, he hurriedly jumped up and shouted, "Sir, the relay station official has arrived. Sir, these soldiers want to steal the military rations! Heh heh, father just crawled out from a pile of corpses, why would he be afraid of you big headed soldiers? "
When the soldiers heard this, they immediately became noisy again. Yang Ling hurriedly raised his hands and shouted, "Quiet down, this brother Qiu must have passed on Bi Chun's military orders. Soldiers, do not make a ruckus. Who here has the highest military rank? Please come forward and calculate the rations with me, the relay station official. You can receive the rations after signing. "
The officer standing next to Zheng Dapeng walked out. He puffed out his chest and said, "At least you know what's good for you. We're risking our lives at the front, but you're letting us starve when the rations are stored here. Do you think we're easy to bully?"
The low-ranking official stuttered, "Sir, we can't give them the rations without permission, they are …"
Yang Ling interrupted him and said, "I know, they're reserve troops, they're guest troops. Their supply wagons and fodder haven't arrived yet!" He swept his eyes over the crowd and said in a clear voice, "At the same time, I also know that they are brave and fierce troops, the saviors of this district. When Chicken Crying Post was in danger, it was they who rushed to the front and chased away the Tartars, saving the lives of all the people in the city."
He asked the soldiers, "If I'm not wrong, that team of firearms are soldiers from your camp, right?"
"Correct!" The officer's face was full of pride. He proudly looked around and loudly said, "There are too few gunners in the northern army. Only we, the southern army, are equipped with specialized gunners!"
Yang Ling nodded and said, "Yes, now that the enemy has retreated, everyone in this district, including the parents, wives, and children of our brothers, can eat a full meal and sleep well. What right do they have? Just because these brave soldiers are guarding the city walls for us, the Tartars won't dare to invade again! "
He loudly said, "Tell me, why don't we pay when there's rations in the warehouse? Are we going to let these vanguard soldiers guard outside the city with empty stomachs? The heroes are bleeding for us, we can't let the heroes bleed and cry! "
These words were too provocative. In that era, who cared about what these soldiers thought? Who really cared about their usefulness? It was an era where the achievements of a hundred battles couldn't even be compared to a beautiful article.
The swords and spears that the soldiers had raised high were quietly lowered, and the hostility on their faces was swept away. They were both proud and moved, and their eyes were moist. The butcher-like officer's fierce face was trembling.
Yang Ling changed the topic and said, "Besides … what do we have to worry about? They come from Jiangzhe, and Jiangzhe is a land of fish and rice. Seventy to eighty percent of the world's taxes come from Jiangzhe. In such a rich place, would we be afraid of not returning the rations we borrowed? "
"That's right, I, Guan Shouying, guarantee with my head that when our army's rations arrive, we will return them to the treasurer first without owing a grain!" After being praised and praised by Yang Ling, the officer also felt like he was a national hero. He patted his chest loudly and loudly promised.
Yang Ling let out a sigh of relief and gave a look to the storehouse official. He shouted, "Aren't you going to open the warehouse to release the rations?" He then smiled at Guan Shouying and said, "General Guan, I'm really sorry for delaying our brothers' meals. However, the storehouse is an important place, so I hope general will take care of our brothers. Wait for my people to weigh the rations before moving them out. Don't mess up the order."
Guan Shouying beamed from being called general by him and quickly replied, "No problem, no problem. There's no need for the post official to instruct us." He glared at the soldiers and shouted, "Brothers, behave yourselves. Don't lose face for us Zhejiang soldiers."
The soldiers all responded in a hubbub. Guan Shouying patted Yang Ling's shoulder heavily and said with a smile, "I am the captain of Sir Bi's bodyguards. Yang Yicheng, I'll make friends with you."
The bodyguards were only responsible for the general's personal safety. When they were standing, they also served as supervisors. Although this captain was not a high-ranking official, he was indeed Bi Chun's confidant. Yang Ling naturally tried to flatter him. He casually brought out the words of a few people's soldiers and made Guan Shouying feel as if he had met someone who knew him and felt even more amiable.
After finally answering the questions correctly, Yang Ling returned to his own home. Only then did he feel his entire body ache and his bones seemed to have fallen apart. He entered his home and directly fell onto the kang bed, letting out a long sigh.
Seeing his tired face, Han Youniang hurriedly helped him take off his boots and lifted his legs onto the kang bed. She sat next to him and gently massaged his legs. She said softly, "Husband, you must be tired. Let's take a rest before we eat. "
The head of the kang bed was warm and Han Youniang's hands were so gentle. Yang Ling felt so comfortable that a wave of tiredness came over him. He didn't even bother to open his eyes. He comfortably leaned against the quilt and murmured, "Young-niang, I'm so tired. My entire body aches."
Han Youniang changed from massaging to massaging. She began to gently massage his sore muscles from his calves. She gently pursed her lips and said with a smile, "Young-niang, massage for husband. It would be good if there was some medicinal wine. I'm sure you won't feel sore tomorrow."
A comfortable and itchy feeling came from his calves. Yang Ling made a comfortable sound and relaxed his body to enjoy her gentleness. After a while, he suddenly remembered something. He hurriedly opened his eyes and said, "My body is too weak. I need to exercise more in the future. By the way, I saw the stick technique you used on the top of the city wall today. It was amazing! What kind of stick technique is that? "
Han Youniang blushed. She coyly massaged his legs and stammered, "It's just some countryside skills. Why do you ask?"
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