"Brother, how many times did the drums sound?" Zhao Yongtang asked anxiously.
"It's okay, don't worry, this is the first tong drum. We've just started to beat it." The gatekeeper, the general flag, comforted.
"That's good, I'm afraid I'll be late." Zhao Yongtang let out a sigh of relief.
Beat the first drum for a quarter of an hour, then stop for two quarters of an hour, and continue to beat the second drum. Then stop for three quarters of an hour, and beat the third drum. If the three drums are stopped, those who cannot beat them will be beheaded. The total of these three drums is one hour.
This is Yang Fan's rule. Yang Fan's army is all firearms troops and has a lot of heavy equipment, so it takes a long time.
It only takes an hour for each unit to sort out everything and be ready to leave at any time.
According to the cold weapon troops of this era, the three-way drum would not have lasted this long.
Yitong is a quantifier. In ancient times, three hundred and thirty-six hammers of a drum were used as Yitong.
Calculated based on one hammer per second, one tom is about five and a half minutes. Considering the interval between the two toms, it is about six minutes. A normal drumming session should take no more than twenty minutes.
There were too many hot weapons in Yang Fan's army, especially the cannons which were very heavy.
The transition from the warehouse to the marching state is definitely impossible in twenty minutes. You still have to hitch the pack horse. You also have to bring the artillery shells and baggage. So Yang Fan's three-way drum takes an hour.
Of course, if it is a pure cold weapon unit, the three-way drum will still ring a thousand times.
Hearing that the drums had begun to be beaten on the Drum Tower in Nanyuan, the returning soldiers on the road outside were like rabbits with an arrow in their butts, and they immediately sped up and ran for fear of losing time.
[To be honest, I have been using the Huanyuan app recently to read and catch up on updates. It allows me to switch between sources and read aloud with many sounds. .huanyuanapp is available for Android and Apple.]
At this time, Yang Fan was sitting on a light four-wheeled carriage, with Xiao Niangpi on the left and Lin Yueru on the right. They insisted on coming to see Yang Fan off, which made Yang Fan feel very uncomfortable.
"Okay, okay, the drums have been beaten. You two can go back now. Don't worry, I will take care of myself. Women are taboo in the military camp. You go back first, be good and obedient."
"Master, I can't bear to leave you." Xiao Niangpi hugged Yang Fan's arm with tears in her eyes.
"Master, I feel so uncomfortable." Lin Yueru held Yang Fan's arm on the other side.
"I can't bear to leave you, but it is my responsibility to protect my family and my country. Now is not the time for children to grow up. Unfortunately, I can't be by your side to watch the children being born. When I come back, they will probably be almost one year old.
." Yang Fan said with some emotion.
"Master, you haven't named your child yet." Xiao Niangpi looked at Yang Fan with tears in her eyes.
"Well, I will tell you the name of the child through the radio as soon as possible after the child is born." Yang Fan hugged their small waists and comforted them softly.
"Be good, take care of yourselves and your children, and wait for my triumphant return." Yang Fan kissed them both on the cheeks.
After tidying up his clothes, he opened the door and got out of the car. With a wave of his hand, the motorcade set off immediately to take the two ladies back to the new city.
Seeing Yang Fan getting further and further away, the two of them wiped their tears and kept waving.
"Uncle Dingyuan, we have found you." A thin voice behind him said.
Yang Fan turned around and found that it was Wang Chengen. He hurriedly raised his hands and said, "I didn't know that my father-in-law is coming. I am sorry for the delay in greeting you."
"Hey, why are you so polite to me?" Wang Chengen waved his hand indifferently. "His Majesty asked me to see off the three armies. Even after the drums were played, I didn't see you. I was so anxious that I was sweating.
"
As he spoke, Wang Chengen kept wiping his sweat. If he missed the army's expedition ceremony, he would not be able to go back and recover.
"Eunuch, let's take a seat on the general stage, please." Yang Fan quickly invited Wang Chengen to sit on the general stage.
"Okay, our legs are a little sore here." He and Yang Fan walked side by side on the general stage.
A row of seats has been arranged here in advance. The Beijing camp's expedition is a big event. The Ministry of War and the Fifth Army Governor's Office will send senior officials to participate.
The three-tone drumming is over, and the 80,000-strong Beijing battalion has been assembled on the campus.
For a time, the flags were fluttering, the queues were tight, and it looked like a new atmosphere.
Li Banghua, the Secretary of the Ministry of War, put his hands behind his back and said with emotion: "I rarely give in to others. It has only been a few months since I handed over this capital camp to Uncle Dingyuan. It's like it has been completely transformed. I don't even recognize this momentum and energy anymore."
generally."
Qian Longxi, the second assistant to the cabinet, also said: "Uncle Dingyuan does have a good way of training troops, but it is a pity that he is not the same as our Donglin. Otherwise, there is no need to worry about returning to Liao in five years."
Li Banghua said: "Uncle Dingyuan is a direct descendant of His Majesty and has nothing to do with any faction in the court. He has made it clear that he will be a lonely minister. Don't think about it."
The three armies have gathered together, the time has come.
Wang Chengen, on behalf of the emperor's labor force, first announced that all officers and soldiers would be rewarded five taels of silver each. Suddenly there was a burst of joy. Soldiers are just for food. Without money, they will not get the support of officers and soldiers.
Then the imperial edict was read out, formally canonizing Yang Fan as General of the Conquest of the West, and taking charge of all matters concerning the army.
Shang Fang is given a sword, which can be cut first and played later.
Military attachés of the fifth rank and below can award rewards on their own. Just fill in the blank provided by the Ministry of War and report. Military attachés of the fifth rank and above need to report to the Ministry of War for approval.
After Wang Chengen finished reading, Qin Tianjian came on stage, used the Book of Changes to divine, and then announced that it was auspicious, and the battle would definitely be won.
Then, a few strong men brought a bull, slaughtered it on the spot, and smeared the flag and drum with its blood.
Li Banghua, Minister of the Ministry of War, personally read the "Essay on the Oath", which is full of articles in the form of Han Fu with four or six rhymes. It is written with flowers and brocades and quotations from classics.
Yang Fan was filled with admiration after hearing this. He would never be able to write such a beautiful article.
After they all finished their performances, Yang Fan came out and said a few words to everyone.
"I don't have anything to say. Just one sentence. If I can take you out, I can take you back. This battle is a tough battle, and the casualties will not be small. But no matter how serious the situation is, I will not abandon you.
I will never give up on you. I will never let you make unnecessary sacrifices. In my eyes, soldiers are not numbers, but flesh and blood brothers. Let’s drink this bowl of wine and go into battle together to kill the Tatars.
Keep."
Yang Fan drank the strong wine in one gulp and threw the bowl down from the ordering platform, smashing it into pieces.
"Victory with open flags, the Ming Dynasty is mighty." The 80,000 soldiers from the capital camp in the audience roared in unison.
Then, he also drained a bowl of wine and smashed the bowl into pieces.
The sound pierced through the clouds and split the sun, making the ears of everyone on the stage buzz.
"Set off!"
Yang Fan didn't waste any time and directly ordered the departure.
Then three cannons were fired, and the army marched out of the west gate of Nanyuan one by one. Marching towards the Xishan Mountain, the army would pass through Changping, Yanqing, along the valley passage of the Xishan Mountain, go to Huailai, and exit Zhangjiakou via Xuanfu.
Yang Fan turned around and met Wang Chengen, and all the officials said goodbye. Then he got off the general platform, got on the carriage, and followed the army to set off under the escort of the cavalry of the Jing Ding Regiment.
