Chapter 771 A small soldier in the border army in the late Ming Dynasty
“The Great Wall is thousands of miles long, and at the foot of the Great Wall is my hometown.
The Xuanfu Great Wall is a thousand miles long, and every pier and platform is full of sincerity."
Xuanfu, Yongning.
Beikou Dun, a five-foot-high smoke pier stands on Badaling. Because Badaling is to the north of Juyongguan, it is also called Beikou Dun. It is not far from the Great Wall. The pier is square, seven meters square, and more than one or three feet wide on the east and west sides.
Lower town horse trail.
The sky was slightly bright, and the pier soldier Zhao Yongsheng blew a whistle to wake up the black dog lying on the corner of the pier.
There are seven pier soldiers and three animals in the north entrance pier, a black dog, a white cat and a rooster. Regardless of these three small animals, they are organized and have fixed rations.
Zhao Yongsheng's original name was Zhao Shuanzi. He was a native of Dushibao, Xuanfu. He had been herding sheep in Yanshan since he was a child. He belonged to Yuding, a military household in the guard station. When he was in his twenties, he was selected to join the army. He served as a soldier for several years, but he could not even eat.
After he was full, he ran away and joined the horse thieves outside his mouth, who often looted and looted in the Xuanfu area.
Later, they were surrounded and suppressed by the Ming army, and their leader was killed. They scattered and hid, and later surrendered to the Chu army. Not long after the Qing army entered the pass, they surrendered to the Qing with their tribe, and were reorganized into the Green Camp. They went to Shanxi to fight, but the Tatar Green Camp
He didn't receive his salary for long and began to owe it, so he simply became a deserter and became a bandit, operating in the Yongning area of Yanqing with a group of people.
The Qing army repeatedly encircled and suppressed him, and finally he surrendered to the Ming army in the Taihang Mountains. He has been going around like this for many years, and now he has become a guard soldier under the patrol garrison camp of Xuanhua Province.
The seven pier soldiers in Beikou Dun were all from similar backgrounds to him.
After touching the black dog's head, Zhao Yongsheng brought the willow basket. The black dog tacitly jumped into the basket and sat down. Zhao Yongsheng took the rope and lowered the basket to the pier. After waiting for a while, he stood up and looked down.
The black dog jumped out of the basket, looked left and right, then trotted, circled around the pier, and then barked three times at Zhao Yongsheng on the pier.
Zhao Yongsheng carefully looked around again to confirm that there was no ambush under the pier, then he got off the pier, took the bucket and pole, and then opened the pier door to fetch water.
Smoke piers are not big, but they are very important. They are an important part of the Great Wall's defense system. Smoke piers are also called beacon towers. There are generally four types. Those close to both sides of the Great Wall are edge beacon towers, and those extending beyond the Great Wall are called beacon towers.
The fire beacons are connected to the outside of the abdomen, the fire beacons are connected to the inner part of the abdomen and are connected to the inner city capitals, and the Jiadao beacons are arranged along the traffic lines.
Beikou Pier is the Yandun Pier located in the north of Juyongguan Pass, which is close to the Badaling Great Wall. It is also the most common type of the four types of piers. It is square, seven meters square, one foot away from the Great Wall, surrounded by bricks, and five feet high.
Its most important task is to be vigilant and responsible for beacon communications.
The northern part of the Ming Dynasty was the most important. Nine major towns were established along the Great Wall, including Liaodong Town, Jizhou Town, Xuanfu Town, Datong Town, Taiyuan Town, Yulin Town, Ningxia Town, Guyuan Town, and Gansu Town. Heavy troops were stationed to guard the Great Wall in sections.
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The Xuanfu Great Wall starts from Sihaiye Yujingbeitai on Yongning Road in the east, connects to the boundary of Huanghua Road in Gubeikou, ends at the entrance platform of Xiexiyanghe Town in Zhangjiakou in the west, and ends at the boundary of Pingyuanbao on Xinping Road in Datong, Shanxi. It is 1,015 years in length.
inside.
Along the side wall of the Great Wall, a large number of smoke piers were built. If there was an enemy attack, they would burn smoke during the day and raise fire at night to rescue each other.
Juyongguan is the most important pass in the west of Beijing, located between Yanshan Mountain and Taihang Mountain, guarding an important passage.
Badaling is located high up and the terrain is steep. The danger of Juyong Pass is not in the pass but in Badaling. Therefore, the Ming Dynasty attached great importance to the entrance of Badaling, a small pass city, but sent heavy troops to guard it. There were many piers and platforms around it to ensure that it was safe.
Before the Civil Engineering Revolution, there were only more than 300 piers and abutments in Xuanfu and Datong towns. However, after the Civil Engineering Revolution, Xuanfu added a large number of piers and abutments to the Great Wall, which lasted seventy years. By the time of Jiajing, the piers and abutments along the sides had already
There are 1,072 buildings, 650 piers and abutments in the inner part, and 54 piers and abutments in the inner part of the town, for a total of 1,776 piers and abutments, which has increased several times.
Zhao Yongsheng carried a bucket to fetch water, singing as he walked. The black dog raised its tail to clear the way in front, and one person and one dog walked in the mountains in the early morning.
There is water stored in the pier, but not much. Therefore, as long as there is no enemy situation, the first thing at dawn is to fetch water. The seven pier soldiers take turns to carry water to ensure that the water storage in the pier is always full.
In winter, snow and ice are stored. Once the enemy attacks, the piers will be tightly closed and you will not be able to get out.
The morning wind carried a biting chill, like a knife blade scraping across the cheek. Zhao Yongsheng sang, "The moon is bright outside Yehu Ridge, and the west road of Wanli City is dim. I walked past the pier and heard someone say that there was a slight frost on the grass last night."
The black dog barked and responded.
"Gao Mo Gao seems to be always away from the pier. In his eyes, the Luanhe River is clear and muddy. He added earth to build the pier a hundred feet high. He can see my mother leaning against the door."
The road to fetch water is very long, and it takes a long time to carry a load of water back and forth, which is very labor-intensive. This is a hard job, but Zhao Yongsheng, who comes from a military household in the guard station, is used to it. This man, who comes from a poor military household in the guard station, has served as a soldier.
He passed through the bandits, surrendered to the Chuang army and surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, and then surrendered to the Ming army. He was like a grass root and duckweed in troubled times.
After ten years of struggling in troubled times, in the end he was just a soldier, but he was still lucky to be alive.
Living is more important than anything else, and I am luckier than most people.
He had been a soldier and a thief, and had eaten in many families, but now the pay for the Dun soldiers in this provincial camp was quite good. In the past, the Ming Dynasty border troops, Dun soldiers and Ye Buzai had the most hardships, but Ye Buzai still had the opportunity to make meritorious deeds.
If a reward is obtained, the pier soldiers will have almost no chance of success.
They are a group of people forgotten by the empire.
During the Chongzhen period, too many Dun troops fled, and later they had to be replenished through the distribution of criminals.
The pier army went through many hardships guarding the borders of the piers and abutments, and they had to always be on guard against the threat of enemy surprise attacks. Most of the piers and abutments were located in dangerous and remote places.
In addition to the piers and abutments, large piers and abutments also have a ten-foot-high wall. There is a ditch outside, a suspension bridge, and more than thirty pier soldiers. However, most piers and abutments only have one solitary pier abutment, with only seven people and three animals for company.
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By the end of the Ming Dynasty, many Dunjun soldiers also brought their military relatives to live together. Without pay, they could only open up wasteland, farm land, hunt and raise chickens, etc. to survive.
The Dun army also had to store five months of wood and grass for the beacon fire, as well as water. Therefore, during the years of turmoil, Dun troops who collected firewood and carried water were often captured.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Dunjun soldiers relied on reclaiming wasteland, hunting, and even weaving net towels to sell money to support their lives.
The current Dunjun army is much better than before. Most of today's Dunjun troops are affiliated to the provincial camp. Although their treatment is not as good as that of the imperial camp, they will not be owed pay.
Military uniforms and rations will also be distributed on time. For example, when it was so cold last winter, cotton-padded jackets, hats, clothes, shoes, gloves, and quilts were already distributed.
Dunli even built a fire pit. As long as they stored enough firewood, they didn't suffer from the cold last winter. The military rations were also sufficient and distributed on time according to standards. There was no adulteration of old rice, mold, sand, dirt, or any shortage.
Two or even three rations for dogs, cats, and chickens were distributed according to the number, and there was no shortage at all.
The military pay for the provincial camp soldiers is divided into three grades: one to two and five per month, one to two and one to two, plus three measures of rice per month.
Compared with the imperial soldiers, there is a huge difference, but they are still paid nine out of six, fifteen months' salary.
There is no need to deduct wages for daily meals.
Zhao Yongsheng has been eating food for each of his troops for ten years, and this is the one with the best treatment. Even if he just joins the Tatars and gets paid, the deductions are still the same. It would be nice to get half of what he gets in the end.
What's more, the cotton-padded jacket I'm wearing is really new, and they also have a wool felt blanket.
Zhao Yongsheng was the deputy among the seven pier soldiers, so he received a monthly salary of one to two taels. He usually received half the salary for six monies, and then received three months of repayment during the New Year. Finally, he saved three to make up for the three-month retirement pension or
Pension money.
He is quite looking forward to the future. He has been a guard soldier for half a year and is gradually getting used to the life here. Although he is a little lonely, he is close to Yilu Avenue and can often see passing cars and horses. Even on a clear day,
Climbing the nearby peaks, you can also see the city of Beijing to the east.
Zhao Youyi, who came to patrol the border two days ago, rewarded them with some bacon sausages, and also told him the good news that he had been registered, and the superiors would start arranging for him to find a wife, which would be as soon as January later.
Then in March, this matter will come to an end, and then a wife will be sent to him.
Zhao Shen will ask him to work hard, and when the time comes, he will be promoted to a non-commissioned officer, or even be promoted to Dadun to serve. Then he will be able to receive salary subsidies, and even be able to allocate and grant land.
There are not many people in Zhao Yongsheng's family. The salary for the past six months has been paid monthly. He saves half a salary and six silver dollars every month, and has already saved more than three yuan.
It took him an hour to get the water back and forth, and he was very lucky today. The black dog kept barking along the way, and he actually found a deer trapped in the trap they set.
Although the deer was a little thin at this time, no matter how thin it was, it would still weigh several dozen kilograms. He happily tied the deer on his back and carried the water back to the pier.
"Come and see, I've caught a deer and come back. Quickly boil water and make a fire. Now I'm going to eat the deer and eat meat."
In the pier, Zhang Huaizhong, who succeeded him in guarding the pier, whose real name is Zhang Mazi, is a young man in his twenties. He has been seen carrying a deer on his back for a long time.
The gate of the pier was opened, and the pier leader Wang Yongxiang came out with several other pier soldiers. His wife also came out to watch the fun.
"Just as we were about to go out to dig the ground, Zhang Mazi said you came back with a deer on your back. We didn't believe it because we didn't expect it to be true."
Beikou Dun is a small pier, with only seven pier soldiers, and only the pier leader Wang Yongxiang has a wife.
Since the Jiajing period, the pressure on border defenses has been severe. In order to prevent soldiers from escaping and to share the pressure on military pay, the Ming Dynasty gradually adopted the policy of giving the Dun army support fields to cultivate by themselves, and allowing the Dun army to guard with their wives and children.
However, in the late Ming Dynasty, the sufferings of the Dunjun army became more and more serious, and they continued to flee.
Nowadays, the Shao Dynasty has restored the Great Wall, and the guards at Fengdun are mainly garrisoned by provincial battalions. On the one hand, they have enough pay and food, and on the other hand, they also implement some systems of the imperial camp, such as half pay on weekdays and repayment on New Year's Day.
For three months of salary, three months of salary will be retained, and the court will make up for three months. The system of salary for fifteen months of the year will be implemented, and nine will be deposited for six.
At the same time, the imperial court was also responsible for helping the non-compulsory non-compulsory officers and officers in the provincial camp to marry them. At the same time, the land around the Dunbao was set aside as farmland and given to them for farming, and the Dunjun army was allowed to take their wives.
We went to Dunli to live and guard the land and cultivate the fields together.
On the other hand, the battalions that guard the Dunjun, the forts, the Great Wall, and the city also rotate every year. The conscripts who have not been promoted to non-commissioned officers for three years will be discharged directly from the army. Those who can stay will naturally be promoted to non-commissioned officers and improve their service.
Military pay, etc.
This can avoid the situation in the late Ming Dynasty when the Dunjun army was not allowed to rotate for a long time, was even rarely promoted, was bullied by superiors, and even was used.
Many Dun soldiers died of old age, illness and hunger due to long-term arrears of food and salary, being unable to be promoted, being oppressed and exploited by superior officials, and were even forced to flee or even rebel.
The wife of the captain also got her job in the army. Wang Yongxiang, an old bachelor in his forties, is also a veteran bachelor. Now, as things turn out, he is the junior leader of seven ward troops. He has the rank of corporal. Not only does he have an extra job and a salary allowance
, and even queued up to get a wife.
His wife, Mrs. Liu, was originally from Zhili and was in her thirties. It is said that she married into a good family before, but her family was destroyed during the military disaster and she was kidnapped by thieves. After being rescued by the imperial court, she introduced her to Lao Wang. She saw that Lao Wang was older even though he was older.
A little bit, but he is still loyal and strong and he accepts it. Now living with the army in this dung is quite good.
There are all kinds of living things in the pier. There is a large house, divided into two and a half rooms, the outer half is for the Dunjun, the inner half is for the pier chief and his wife, and the other half is used as a place for passers-by to spend the night occasionally.
Those who were housed had fire kangs.
In addition, there are kitchens, pots and stoves, water tanks, dishes, cattle and horse dung for fire, salt vegetables, etc.
As for the equipment, there are seven bird blunderbuss, one big nine-headed bird blunderbuss, a small iron cannon, and some lead shells and gunpowder.
Seven waist knives and seven bayonets each, and seven pairs of cotton armor and helmets.
Three white flags, three lanterns, two big wooden clappers, three flagpoles, three sets of good ropes, and sixty firecrackers...
Materials and equipment are quite sufficient, and they are replenished regularly, and the land they cultivate themselves is an additional subsidy.
Apart from being a little remote and lonely, there's nothing bad about it, and there's no need to deduct torch money, free money, gift money, confinement money, etc.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Of course, since they stationed at Beikou Dun, they have not encountered any warning enemy situation, and have not seen half a Mongolian Tatar or a Jianzhou Tatar.
There were no bandits or rebels. Apart from the occasional inspection by a superior officer or someone passing by at night, they were just business travelers passing by on the road down the mountain in the distance during the day.
Because of a deer that fell into a trap, Beikou Dun became lively in the early morning. Everyone was not in a hurry to go outside to prepare the land and collect stones to clear up wasteland. Except for Mazi, who was on duty on the top of the pier, he did not dare to take even half a step away. The other seven people even
The dog, chicken and cat were all huddled together below and were very happy.
The deer was killed, bled, skinned and bones removed.
The best venison is taken out, smoked and air-dried, and will be eaten later. Today, the internal organs are washed out, and the head, feet, bones, etc. are added to the pot to stew it for a good tooth ceremony.
Dunjun usually had enough to eat, but it was rare for him to eat meat, and he didn't have much fat in his stomach. Especially in early spring, he was always greedy.
Everyone praised the deputy pier leader for his good luck.
Zhao Yongsheng praised the black dog for bringing good luck. After peeling off the deer skin, he gave it a piece of deer liver to eat first as a reward.
Mrs. Liu quickly lit the fire and asked her to dig some green onions and coriander outside the pier for later use.
On the pier, Liu Mazi suddenly shouted down, "Someone is coming. The imperial cavalry from Badaling Pass are carrying red flags. Get ready to greet them."
Juyongguan and Badaling Pass are both garrisoned by the Imperial Camp, and they are provincial patrol garrison battalions affiliated with Xuanhua Province. They are not a system, but they are adjacent garrisons and often interact with each other. What's more, the Imperial Camp is naturally one level higher than them, let alone
The imperial camps at Juyong Pass and Badaling Pass were still the Imperial Guards of Nanya, Gyeonggi Province.
Wang Yongxiang quickly intervened, "Bring this deer to the kitchen first and let my mother-in-law deal with it. Everyone should quickly put on their armor and get their shotguns. Don't let the imperial guards see our joke."
"Wang Tou, what are they doing here this early in the morning? Could it be that they used telescopes on Guancheng to see us carrying a deer back and came here to eat the deer meat?" Dunjun Yang Wanshan joked.
