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On February 25th, the brothers of the three soldiers who had left last time returned. This time, the three soldiers showed great concern for Vézé and were much closer to him. Accompanying him was a guard of the Southern Prince, who brought the Southern Prince's decree. In the decree, King Nan Feng Yunshan praised Vézé's contribution and promoted Vézé to the position of Brigade Marshal. He ordered Vézé to lead his men and the three soldiers to transport the remaining supplies back to Yongan City.
Both Zhang Yingchen and Wei Changrong were surprised by the order. They thought that the three soldiers who came to help would be under Vézé's command. However, Vézé accepted the order as if nothing had happened. In the past two days, although Vézé did not urge his men to do their best, he did not slack off. At this time, they were only one day away from Yongan City. After the adjustment, the troops recovered a lot of their physical strength. After everyone had a big meal, the 13,000 jin of supplies were distributed to each person and the troops continued to move forward.
Taking a chance, Zhang Yingchen ran to Vézé and asked in confusion, "Brigade Marshal! Why did King Nan make such an arrangement? "
Vézé smiled and said, "Yingchen, do you think these brothers are elites?"
"They are indeed elites!" Zhang Yingchen replied. To be able to travel such a long distance in three days, they could indeed be regarded as elites.
"King Nan is concerned about this batch of seized goods, but he is afraid of accidents on the way, so he naturally sent elites to welcome them. These brothers must be the backbone of the other troops, why would he give them to us? "Vézé actually understood the key point when he received the decree.
Zhang Yingchen was stunned for a moment and also understood Vézé's meaning, but he still could not let it go. "Brigade Marshal, what kind of people will be given to us when we return to Yongan City?"
Vézé patted Zhang Yingchen's shoulder and said, "Yingchen, that's King Nan's business, let's not worry about it. Let's properly transport the goods now. I haven't even returned to Yong 'an yet! "
After sending Zhang Yingchen away, Vézé wasn't dissatisfied. His goal was to be promoted to Brigade Marshal. Vézé was also very worried when he sent his brothers to escort the crucial salt, gunpowder, and lead back to Yongan last time. Now that the matter had been completed, his goal of leveling up had been achieved. Vézé was satisfied for the time being. It was a pity that he couldn't bring his elites under his command, but Vézé only felt that it was a pity. However, sharing some of the credit with those brothers was tantamount to expanding a lot of connections. Being promoted to Brigade Marshal meant that Vézé would be able to participate in high-level meetings. At that time, one more friend would mean one more path. No matter what Zhang Yingchen and Wei Changrong thought, Vézé felt that it was a good thing.
On the morning of the 26th, just as the troops were about to set off, it started raining. Zhang Yingchen and the others immediately suggested that the troops stop and find a place to shelter from the rain.
Vézé didn't agree at all. "What if it doesn't stop and continues to rain for several days?"
This question stumped everyone. Vézé continued, "Besides, the rain isn't necessarily a bad thing for us. If it doesn't rain, the Qing Army will definitely set up a formation outside the city. Once it rains, the Qing Army won't leave their camp. Do you think we can still fight well with so many things on our backs? "
No one was able to refute his words. Vézé didn't want to discuss it either. No one wanted to travel in the rain. However, fighting against the heavens was far less deadly than fighting in a war. He ordered, "Follow me!" Vézé put on his bamboo hat and led the way into the rain.
The mountain roads were more difficult to walk on rainy days. They had to be careful of their steps. Putting on the bamboo hat didn't improve much. The things on their backs became heavier after absorbing the water. There was no place to take shelter from the rain in the barren mountains. Although Guangxi was warmer than the north, the February rain was still cold. Their body heat was constantly being sucked away. Vézé and his subordinates gulped down a few mouthfuls of wine every time they walked. They forced themselves to march.
Their clothes were soon mostly soaked. They knew they didn't need to find shelter anymore. Since this was the case, they could only walk until they reached Yongan City. From time to time, someone would slip and fall. Then they would stand up and continue walking. Occasionally, someone would fall and get hurt. Then they would be carried by their brothers. If they really couldn't walk, then the stronger brothers would put down the supplies on their backs and carry the injured who couldn't continue walking.
In the rain, everything in the distance seemed hazy. Even from afar, the Qing Army's camp seemed to soften. But the troops didn't have the mood to enjoy the scenery. No one was focused on marching.
Originally, they only needed to walk for half a day. This time, they walked for almost an entire day. At first, there were some complaints in the team, but by noon, they were completely silent. It wasn't because they didn't have any more grievances. It was because the numbness brought about by exhaustion left them with no energy to complain. It wasn't until evening that the brothers arrived at the Red Temple.
As soon as they got close to the Red Temple, a group of brothers from the Taiping army suddenly appeared and went straight for Vézé's left and right. Vézé took off the bamboo hat on his head, revealing a head full of black hair. Soaked by the rain and sweat, Vézé's black hair was really black and shiny.
"It's our brothers! It's our brothers! "The brothers who came out to meet the attack immediately shouted. After fighting with the Qing Army for so long, one look at their head and you could tell if they were on the same side. The difference between a rat's tail and a head full of long black hair was obvious.
When Vézé and the others entered the Red Temple, the guards couldn't believe their eyes. "Brothers, you carried so many things and walked all the way back in the rain?"
"Yes!" Vézé answered proudly. Having read a lot of information about the Long March, Wei Ze had personally walked for an entire day. He could be considered to have experienced the feeling of the Long March in detail. As the brigade marshal and the leader of the troops, Vézé didn't have any desire to win during the journey. The only thing that could support Vézé was "hold on!"
It was as if God was playing a joke on Vézé. Not long after they entered the Red Temple, the rain stopped. Vézé didn't care how dissatisfied his brothers were. After all, it was Vézé who asked what they would do if it rained for a few days.
"Let's hurry back to Yongan before the rain stops," Vézé shouted.
This time, even the brigade marshal guarding the Red Temple couldn't stand it anymore. "Wayne Brothers, let your men warm themselves by the fire. Since the rain has stopped, we don't mind waiting for a while. "
Vézé cupped his hands at the brigade marshal. "Thank you for your kindness, brother. However, there isn't much firewood in the Red Temple. If we want to warm ourselves, we should do it in one go. There are hundreds of us. I'm afraid we won't have enough firewood even if we use up all the firewood in the Red Temple. Instead of that, we might as well hurry back while the rain stops. "
The brigade marshal guarding the Red Temple heard that Vézé's words made sense and saw that Vézé was very determined, so he didn't stop him.
Fortunately, Vézé's subordinates admired Vézé very much. The other three soldiers' brothers also received a lot of credit from Vézé, so everyone set off with Vézé.
After rushing back to Yongan, Vézé didn't hand over the supplies. Instead, he went straight to his encampment. A fire was immediately lit in the barracks. Everyone took off their wet clothes and huddled together. They quickly warmed up. Not only did Vézé let them live, but he also ordered Lin Asheng and the others to quickly boil water and cook. Hot water, hot rice, hot wine, rice, and cured meat. After eating so much, the brothers quickly warmed up.
After the three soldiers finished eating and drinking, their clothes were also much drier. They stood up and left.
Vézé didn't ask them to stay. They were really exhausted. After sending off their brothers from the other troops, they lay down and slept.
The next day, the weather was unexpectedly sunny. Vézé personally reported to the Southern Prince, Feng Yunshan. Feng Yunshan only praised Vézé a few words and ordered him to quickly transport the seized supplies to the Sacred Treasury. Before he finished handing over the supplies to the person in charge of the Sacred Treasury, he heard the rumbling of cannons outside the city. The officer in charge of the Sacred Treasury didn't react to this. However, Vézé's subordinates were quite surprised.
Now everybody believed Wei Ze's words. If they did not take advantage of the rainy weather to hurry on their journey, but waited outside, based on the momentum of the Qing army outside, it would not be easy to find an opportunity to enter Yongan City.
Vézé also didn't want to brag about his foresight. There were too many things to do. Compared to these urgent matters, bragging was not on his agenda. After handing over the supplies, Vézé went to see Feng Yunshan again. Feng Yunshan told Vézé that he could now give Vézé another subordinate. He also urged Vézé to make early preparations and continue to attack the Qing Army's supply lines.
Vézé received the order and left. After receiving the new subordinate, Vézé began to adjust the troops. This attack not only captured a large number of supplies, but also a large number of guns. Wei Ze was currently preparing to reorganize and train the troops in the city. It was very difficult to train a large number of excellent Musketeers, but it would be much easier to train a group of Musketeers using military formations. Based on the current situation, sooner or later Vézé would have to fight the Qing Army head-on. If he could use firearms effectively, it would indeed greatly improve the efficiency of the battle.
However, man proposes, God disposes. From February 27th to 29th, the Qing Army outside the city launched a fierce attack on Yongan City. Vézé and the others could only carry out various preparations.
On the afternoon of February 29th, the military officer, Zhang Yingchen, spoke at the daily meeting. "Every year at this time, it will rain for a long time. Looking at the clouds outside today, it will rain heavily this year."
Zhang Yingchen's prophecy was very accurate. On March 1st, the Qing Army mobilized. Heavy troops gathered in the north of Yongan City. It seemed that the fierce siege was about to begin. However, it rained.
It was not a misty spring rain, but a torrential downpour. Vézé was not from Guangxi, so it was difficult for him to understand why there would be a rainstorm in Guangxi in March. The sky seemed to leak. Thick black clouds covered the horizon, and the heavy downpour came one after another. This was Guangxi's spring, which began with a rainstorm.
This rain was not a good thing for either side. The Qing Army's camp was located in the wilderness. When the rain fell, it was naturally unbearable. The Taiping army was better off inside the city. However, the Taiping army's original plan was to deal a heavy blow to the Qing Army through field battles. This time, the plan was ruined.
Vézé felt that this heavy rain was a gift from God. With this opportunity, he finally had time to complete the troops' training. Since he could only stay indoors and not go out, he would study hard!
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