As they entered the third month, the weather became increasingly hot.
The army led by Du Qi was already heading south, approaching the southernmost region of the Jiangnan Circuit. Even in the third month, the weather was still hot in these places. Even when the sun shone on one's body, one would feel a burning sensation. However, in the south, the temperature difference between day and night was quite large, so it was very cool in the morning and evening. During the day, when the army hurried along, it was quite tiring to be under the sun.
Du Qi hurried along on horseback. The army under his command was vast and mighty, a sight to behold. However, the roads in Jiangnan were not as vast as those in the north. There were small country roads everywhere. The army of more than a hundred thousand people was already long and winding, stretching the army very long.
After all, Jiangnan had many water villages. Even if it was close to Lingnan, there was not much difference.
This journey was not as easy as those in the north.
"Report!"
At this moment, a soldier rushed over.
The soldier came to Du Qi's side and reported, "Your Majesty, the bridge in front has collapsed. Our army cannot continue on for the time being. We have to wait for the road to be repaired before continuing. "
Du Qi said, "Understood."
He waved his hand, and the soldier turned and left. Du Qi ordered the army to rest and reorganize. Now, the soldiers were resting and reorganizing. Because of the sun, they still felt a burning sensation on their bodies.
Du Qi found a tree and hid under the shade of the tree to avoid the sun.
This wait lasted for nearly an hour. On the river ahead, a pontoon bridge had been built, allowing the army to continue on their way. However, such a pontoon bridge could not be as smooth as a bridge. When Du Qi rode his horse forward and arrived at the location of the temporary pontoon bridge, he frowned as he surveyed the surrounding situation.
Du Qi reined in his horse and retreated to the side, allowing the soldiers to continue on their way. He said, "The bridge here should be made of wood. Even if it is made of wood, it is the beginning of the third month. Although it is the beginning of spring, the river is not turbulent, the river is not rushed, and the river has not risen. Under such circumstances, it is impossible for the river to rise and destroy the bridge. The most likely possibility is that it was damaged by someone. "
Shangguan Yi said, "Your Majesty's insight is like a torch. This subject also agrees with Your Majesty's analysis. I reckon that it should be Li Shimin's side, in order to stop us from going south, specially arranged for people to destroy the bridge, intending to delay time. "
Ma Zhou chimed in, "Most likely so," he said, "After all, Li Shimin's military strength is insufficient. What Li Shimin could do now was to stall for time. The longer we delay, the longer we struggle at death's door. "
Du Qi's eyes darted around as he pondered.
After a while, Du Qi said, "If our deduction is correct, then the destruction of this bridge is not the end, but the beginning. Later on, when we head south and approach the Lingnan Dao's Shaozhou, the bridges and roads along the way will definitely be obstructed. We must deal with this matter in advance. "
Ma Zhou said, "It's actually not difficult to deal with this matter. In our army, there are specialized auxiliary soldiers. The existence of these auxiliary soldiers could repair bridges and pave roads, and they could quickly open up roads. They headed south first and solved all the problems they encountered along the way. In this way, we won't be hindered on the way. "
Shangguan Yi chimed in, "Your Majesty, this subject agrees with Ma Zhou's suggestion. This is the most suitable arrangement."
Du Qi said, "Alright!"
Immediately, Du Qi called Xue Rengui and asked him to dispatch a team of auxiliary soldiers to hurry ahead. However, in addition to the auxiliary soldiers, Xue Rengui also specially arranged 3,000 soldiers to be the vanguard to protect the auxiliary soldiers. After all, the auxiliary soldiers in the army were not combat soldiers. In terms of combat strength, they could not compare to the standing soldiers. Every field had its own specialization, and the auxiliary soldiers' direction was different.
Xue Rengui made the arrangements, and the team continued on their way.
They continued to head south.
The team went south in a mighty manner, and it was close to evening. At this time, they were getting closer and closer to the Lingnan Dao. The sky was getting dark, and the team found a spacious and open area to stop and rest.
At the same time, they began to cook.
Du Qi, Shangguan Yi, Ma Zhou, Guan Zhilan, and the others also sat together, enjoying the cool breeze. Du Qi sat down beside the fire, but when he sat down, he heard a buzzing sound in his ears. There were mosquitoes around.
Du Qi said, "The further south we go, the more mosquitoes there are. With so many mosquitoes, it will be a great test for the soldiers. In the army, we can find some fresh wormwood and light it to produce smoke. In this way, we can drive away some mosquitoes. "
This was the simplest method.
Of course, according to the situation in the future, it was even more direct to directly spray mosquito repellent, or even light mosquito repellent incense, or spray toilet water on the body. However, it was impossible now. Without these conditions, they could only use the simplest and most primitive method.
Shangguan Yi nodded and said, "Your Majesty, please rest assured. This subject has already made the appropriate arrangements. After all, when we go south, we will definitely consider mosquitoes and the like, so the soldiers will light some wormwood to produce smoke to drive away mosquitoes. "
Du Qi said, "That's good."
Du Qi, Shangguan Yi, Ma Zhou, and Guan Zhilan chatted. At this time, a soldier came to Shangguan Yi's side and whispered something to Shangguan Yi. Shanghai Yi stood up and said, "Your Majesty, this subject has something to take care of."
Du Qi asked, "What is it?"
Shangguan Yi said, "There is a small quarrel between the soldiers and the auxiliary soldiers in the army. Xue Rengui arranged for someone to send a message, asking me to go and take care of it. After all, Xue Rengui deals with these matters very simply and crudely, unable to deal with them carefully. He thinks that this matter must be handled properly, so he asked me to go. "
Du Qi said, "Just what kind of conflict is it?"
Normally, Xue Rengui was a general, and Xue Rengui had been in charge of the army for many years. He had his own abilities, so Shangguan Yi did not need to be involved in ordinary matters.
However, this time, Shangguan Yi was needed. Du Qi was rather curious.
Shangguan Yi said, "Your Majesty, it's because the soldiers under Xue Rengui's command said that the auxiliary soldiers' abilities were insufficient. They did not go to the battlefield to kill the enemy, did not risk their lives to fight, and yet received generous pay."
"This was the beginning of the dispute."
"Then, as they spoke, the two sides began to quarrel, which further evolved into a brawl. In the end, the auxiliary soldiers actually beat the soldiers, and the soldiers in charge of fighting lost to the auxiliary soldiers. "
"As a result, the conflict became even worse."
Shangguan Yi said, "Xue Rengui has suppressed this matter, but Xue Rengui believes that this matter is not a small matter. If it is not handled properly, it will happen again in the future. Thus, he arranged for this subject to go over and deal with this matter properly."
Du Qi frowned after hearing this.
Auxiliary soldiers were actually engineers.
They were responsible for repairing bridges, paving roads, burying pots, cooking meals, and other miscellaneous tasks. The rest of the standing soldiers were meant to charge and break through enemy lines when fighting on the battlefield. Standing soldiers and auxiliary soldiers complemented each other, and neither could be missing. Although the division of labor was different, they were both indispensable.
Du Qi said, "Let's go and take a look."
"Yes!"
Shangguan Yi immediately agreed.
Du Qi led Shangguan Yi, Ma Zhou, and Guan Zhilan straight to Xue Rengui's location.
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