Five days later, Yang Fan's army arrived at the legendary Tumu Fort.
The 80,000 Beijing camp, plus 100,000 civilians, covered the plain between Tumubao and Qingshui River. The equipment of the Beijing camp was considered top-notch in the Ming Dynasty at this time. Because the emperor spent a lot of money to get it from Yang Fan.
I bought a cotton tent, briquettes and a cast iron stove.
Yang Fan didn't make a penny and even sold and gave away the money, which made the emperor very satisfied.
After all, these people were fighting for the benefit of the Ming Dynasty against the enemy whose main force was Mongolia. They were fighting for the country, and Yang Fan couldn't bear to make money.
When setting up camp, rolls of barbed wire were carried out of the car. The soldiers began to set up camp.
Yang Fan's transportation group disguised itself as a transportation team and used caravans to transport armor, baggage and food to the army.
"The camp will be set up in a while. Let the civilians come in and designate a place for them." Yang Fan ordered. Thousands of households in the Beijing camp all agreed loudly.
These officers all entered the officer training team separately and were trained by Yang Fan himself. Those who could not withstand the training were sent back to Chongzhen by Yang Fan and asked the emperor to make other arrangements. Yang Fan made it very clear that he would not be a waste here.
If there were not enough officers, they would be transferred from among their own servants to serve as temporary officers. After the battle, the entire army would return to Beijing and then all withdraw. The emperor also agreed. He knew that the incompetence of one general would exhaust the three armies.
After passing the earthen fort, it is necessary to formalize. The civilians must protect themselves, as the situation on the grassland is changeable. Whether it is harassment by enemies or wild animals, it is very dangerous. If left unchecked, some people will be snatched away by wolves every night.
Yang Fan, senior military officers, and civilian officials stayed in the houses in the Tumu Fort.
A Baihu House has been stationed here for a long time. Knowing that the army was going to pass through here, Baihu Yanghu was also smart and tidied up the house in advance so that these officials could move in.
Because this is an important transportation thoroughfare, otherwise such a strong fortress would not be built here.
Yang Fan and Zhang Shize, accompanied by hundreds of households in Yanghu, took a tour around.
"Is there still no well in the fort now? You need to go to Qingshui River to get water." Yang Fan asked.
"Back to my uncle, there is still no water. The younger one once sent people to dig ten feet but no water came out. So he gave up."
Yang Fan frowned and said: "There is a cave sandwiched between two mountains, and the middle cannot be drained. This earthen fortress is on a small highland, but it is surrounded by plains surrounded by mountains. Normally, there should be no water. Hou Shengwu, please see what happens.
thing."
Hou Shengwu and his engineering corps have been waiting here for several days, and today they are here to greet the master.
"Sir, there is only one possibility. There was an earthquake here, which blocked the aquifer and prevented it from passing under the fort. However, the aquifer generally does not have only one layer. As long as it is dug deep, water will definitely come out."
What Hou Shengwu said makes sense. The mountains around here are very high. This is the valley plain between the mountains, and the underground should be the place where water flows.
"Then I'll leave it to you. You guys dig a well and get water for me within three days." Yang Fan said.
"Here, sir, don't worry, we will definitely get some water."
Yang Fan, Zhang Shize and the civil servants all went to their respective courtyards to rest. Yang Fan was lying on the bed, unable to sleep. He thought of the bones everywhere near Tumubao, especially the Qingshui River, and his heart felt heavy.
No matter what, these soldiers sacrificed their lives for the country. Years have passed. The Ming Dynasty did not collect their bodies. They were just exposed in the wilderness, exposed to wind and rain.
Early the next morning, Yang Fan summoned Zhang Shize and all the accompanying officials to discuss another three-day rest. At the same time, the army and civilians were asked to search for the bones of the fallen soldiers in the Battle of Tumubao and bury them in the soil.
Everyone agreed that complimenting Uncle Dingyuan's benevolent heart would bring blessings.
During the Ming Dynasty, it was important to rest in peace. This was a good thing to do good deeds and accumulate virtue. Everyone was willing to lend a helping hand.
Yang Fan then issued an order and announced that from now on, civilians could go out to search for the bones of fallen soldiers.
For every pair collected, a reward of twenty-five cents was given. Every one hundred people formed a team, and the army sent a group of soldiers to protect them. Other officers and soldiers rested in the camp and were mobilized in rotation according to the arrangement.
The main force of the army must be well prepared and must not relax. Even though it is within the Great Wall.
As soon as the news came out, the civilian husbands immediately cheered. The civilian husbands recruited by the Ming Dynasty were to serve as corvees for the government. Not only were they not given any money, they were also required to prepare cold-proof clothing and bring their own dry food.
Like this time, if the trip takes a long time, you should bring some money with you in case of emergencies.
This time, the civilian husband had to follow and transport the baggage to Guihua City before returning. From now on, every transportation will be temporarily recruited in three-month periods, and then rotated continuously.
They are most afraid of being drafted and go out with the army.
Not to mention the danger, you will also suffer.
It was windy, rainy, and snowy, and the road was muddy and difficult to walk on. The shoes were all made of cloth and would be damaged quickly. The clothes were also easily torn. It was winter at this time, and you couldn’t find grass even if you tried to play with straw sandals. If the shoes were broken, the soles of the feet would be damaged quickly.
It will be bruised to pieces.
In such a cold weather, we couldn't eat or drink. We slept in the wild, it was cold and damp, and we were all sick for several months. It was considered good if only seven out of ten people could go back. It was common for half of them to die.
The army's tents are not enough, so who can manage these civilians?
The government officials who brought them here were also like wolves and tigers, whipping and insulting them. Some of them often couldn't stand it anymore and drowned in rivers and wells. Every morning, the trees were filled with civilians who secretly hanged themselves in the middle of the night.
Yang Fan knew all this. Before departure, he collected twice as many cotton tents and stoves from the Xincheng warehouse, as well as briquettes for 200,000 people.
When we arrived outside the earthen fort and rested, each civilian was given a pair of old-fashioned military high-waisted rubber shoes. These shoes are very sturdy and will not wear out for ten years.
Yang Fan really couldn't afford to give out boots.
This kind of rubber shoes is at least more reliable than their cloth shoes and will not wear out. If you hurt your feet, you will suffer a big disaster after you get out of the fortress.
However, these rubber shoes are single shoes, not cotton shoes. They will freeze the feet. Yang Fan prepared the ones one size larger, and also distributed some wool for the peasants to fill them in.
These civilians never expected that the army would give them the same treatment as sergeants.
When setting up camp, they were stationed in a barbed wire fence and were protected by the army. There were also cotton tents for sleeping, and there were iron stoves and briquettes inside for heating and hot water.
Eating is also under the unified management of the army. When the army has finished eating, the fire-headed soldiers will provide food for the 100,000 civilians. The food is the same as the army, which is steamed cakes and vegetable soup.
Each person is given a ration, three meals a day, a total of two kilograms of cakes.
People in this era have no non-staple food and eat a lot of grain. But two kilograms of fat cake is enough to fill up the stomach. Some people can still have some left over, hide it in their arms, and eat it as a midnight snack.
The vegetable soup is brought in an iron bucket. Yang Fan's soup is boiled dehydrated vegetables in water to ensure nutrition and avoid night blindness.
There is soup and lard in it. It tastes good.
The soups produced in modern times are so powerful in seasoning that the common people who drank them almost swallowed their tongues.
The only difference in food between soldiers and civilians is that each soldier is provided with a tablespoon of chili oil every morning to keep out the cold.
Because we left Zhangjiakou, the morning on the grassland was very cold.
Zhang Shize rubbed his teeth at the sight. He couldn't help but say: "You are too good to them. If you do this, you will have to pay tens of thousands of taels of silver yourself for this trip."
He knew that Yang Fan was not short of money, but he asked himself that he couldn't do this method of spending money.
"Money and money are all external things. As long as you don't play tricks and win this battle, I will accept it if you pay some money."
