Night patrol of the third battalion

Lin Wanrong and the high chiefs, together with Zhao Liangyu and several banner generals, rode their horses and whipped their whips, and rushed to the foot of Langya Mountain. From a distance, they saw several tents with lights burning and people silhouetted, and it was very lively.

 "Master Baihu, it's very hot in your barracks. It seems that the brothers' spare time life is very rich!" Lin Wanrong said with a smile.

 Zhao Baihu laughed awkwardly and didn't answer. Before I even got close to the barracks, I heard endless noises, accompanied by the sound of throwing pots of color. Several soldiers shouted loudly: "Open, open, one, two, three or six o'clock, all dealers will kill!"

 It was common for the high chief to gamble with his guards in the palace for a long time, but now that he was in the army, he openly started gambling. These generals were a little too courageous.

 Lin Wanrong squinted his eyes and said, "Zhao Baihu, what is this sound?"

 Zhao Liangyu's face turned red and white, and he pretended to say: "Tell the general, my subordinates don't know, maybe the soldiers are bored and playing around while marching."

 Lin Wanrong chuckled. The officials went out to prostitute, while the soldiers gambled in the house. This Shenji Camp was really crooked. They had all the food, drink, prostitution and gambling.

 Several people dismounted and saw two magical cannons placed in the middle of the camp. A soldier was lazily dozing off on the carriage, not even knowing anyone was approaching.

 Lin Wanrong looked at the two cannons carefully. They were made of pig iron and had thick and long barrels. There were no traces of firing. They seemed to be the improved cannons that Xu Wei had said. Stroking the cold barrel, Lin Wanrong became very interested. He didn't know how powerful this artillery was. If I have time, I would try it by firing two cannons.

 Zhao Liangyu saw that the new staff general was staring closely at the two artillery pieces he was escorting, and seemed to be very interested. He immediately said proudly: "These two artillery pieces are the latest development by the skilled craftsmen of our Shenji Battalion. There are no other artillery pieces yet." People have used it. It is said that this cannon is extremely powerful and shoots accurately. This time we are on the front line, we will ensure that those White Lotus demons will die without a burial place."

 Accurate shooting? No matter how accurate the artillery is, it becomes a decoration in the hands of you tofu soldiers. Lin Wanrong smiled disdainfully: "Oh, really? In this case, I will see the power of this artillery tomorrow. To be honest, Zhao Baihu said, I have never seen anyone having sex."

 Lin Wanrong led the high chief into a tent in the middle, and saw about twenty soldiers surrounding a small table in the middle, gambling happily.

 Lin Wanrong winked at the high chief, who stepped forward in three steps, grabbed the dice cup, and said loudly: "Who dares to bet with me?"

 When everyone saw that he was tall, burly, and frightening, but he was not wearing any armor, and they didn't know where he came from, several soldiers shouted loudly: "You little boy, you are so brave. This is the center of the Shenji camp, how can you allow it?" You are trespassing."

 Zhao Liangyu said hurriedly: "Don't be rude. These two are the newly arrived commander-in-chief and staff general, Mr. Lin, and his entourage. Why don't you pay your respects quickly?"

 The sergeants were so frightened that they hurriedly bowed and greeted the two adults. Lin Wanrong said with a smile: "It doesn't matter. Since you brothers like to play dice, I will let this big brother have a good time with you. But if you want to have fun, it won't work without adding some bonuses."

 When everyone saw the newly arrived staff general speaking, they were all silent and listened attentively. They only heard the general continue: "Let's do it this way. Everyone has a share in the gambling brothers in this account today. Everyone comes up to be alone with Brother Gao." Bet. If you win the bet, today's gambling in the army has nothing to do with you. But if you lose the bet -" General Lin chuckled: "Then you will have to bear the military laws and regulations, fifty big boards. It's inevitable. Oh, let's ask Master Baihu to punish him personally."

 As soon as these words came out, the people in the tent immediately started talking. According to the regulations of the Great China Army, gambling in the army is a serious crime, and even beheading would not be an exaggeration. However, these soldiers of the Shenji Battalion are usually arrogant and have no longer respected these military disciplines. Seriously, the staff general was going to take serious action as soon as he came, which made them a little scared.

 Lin Wanrong had already guessed their thoughts and said with a generous smile: "Brothers, don't worry, my method is very fair. Since everyone likes to gamble, I will open this game specifically. If you win the bet, it will naturally be yours." I have nothing to say about my ability, but if you lose, you must be willing to admit defeat. For us soldiers, a slap in the face means nothing."

 When everyone thought about it, isn't this the reason why they are willing to admit defeat? Besides, the general has given everyone a chance, so let's go and try their luck. At that moment, a few bold ones rushed forward to compete with the high chief.

 The high chief was a master of gambling, and he also had strong martial arts. It was easy for him to do tricks in secret. If he wanted to go big, he would go big, and if he wanted to go small, he would go small. These sergeants were no match for him. They were defeated in one round. There were more than twenty people in the big tent, and all of them were defeated in the blink of an eye.

 Seeing that all the soldiers were dejected, Lin Wanrong glanced at him and said loudly: "Who else wants to come here to gamble?" These soldiers saw the power of the high chief, how could they dare to be so bold? Everyone was silent at the moment and did not dare to speak.

 Lin Wanrong smiled and said: "I have given everyone the opportunity. This general's regulations will always be valid. As long as whoever can win the bet against this big brother, you can gamble anytime and anywhere, even if it is on the battlefield, I will not No opinion at all. But if you lose, this board is indispensable."

 He smiled and said to Zhao Liangyu: "Master Baihu, please execute the execution of these dozens of brothers. Twenty people, breaking five boards will be considered qualified."

 Everyone took a breath when they heard this. The staff general spoke with a smile, but his actions were extremely vicious. No one among these fifty people would have to lie in bed for three to five days. But the official rank is scary to death, not to mention it is military regulations. If they fall into the hands of this general today, it can only be considered bad luck for them.

 General Lin gave Zhao Baihu a death order to break the five planks. Zhao Liangyu still had the leverage in General Lin's hands, so he didn't dare to neglect it. He immediately used all his strength to execute the execution himself. These soldiers who dared to gather in public for gambling in the military camp were all close associates of Zhao Liangyu, but today they had to be severely beaten by Zhao Baihu, and naturally they were extremely upset.

 Listening to the wailing sounds outside, the high chief worriedly asked: "Brother Lin, if we punish so many people at once, will it cause any trouble or mutiny?"

 "Mutiny?" Lin Wanrong smiled bitterly and shook his head, then sighed: "Brother Gao, I am not afraid that they will mutiny. If it is really a mutiny, it means that they still have the blood of soldiers. I am afraid that they don't even have the courage to mutiny."

 The high chief thought carefully about what he said, and it made sense. These sergeants of the Shenji Battalion were usually overbearing and looked like they were fierce. In fact, they were bullies and fearful of the strong. In terms of bloodiness, they really lacked a few points. . Brother Lin really has a unique vision, and he can immediately see the idea when looking at a problem. No wonder Mr. Xu thinks so highly of him.

 After a while, Zhao Liangyu came in sweating profusely and reported: "General, more than 20 people have all been executed. Break five big boards and ask the general to check." At that moment, the flag general Wu Tiao followed him. The broken board was brought up, still stained with blood.

 Lin Wanrong waved his hand and said with a sinister smile: "Okay, Zhao Baihu is indeed a good man. Pass on the order, and anyone who gambles in the army will follow this example. Also pass on this general's order, tomorrow morning, the magic machine will be The battalion held a drill and fired real artillery, and I want to test it myself."

 Several people responded in succession, and several banner managers made arrangements overnight. Lin Wanrong pulled Zhao Liangyu and said: "Zhao Baihu, where are the troops and horses from Zhejiang and Shandong stationed? You can lead me to inspect them."

 Zhao Liangyu already had a new understanding of this smiling general. He was resolute in his work and vicious in his methods. He was by no means someone to be trifled with.

 The tents of Shenji Camp are on the far left. One mile away is the camp of about 200 soldiers and horses from Zhejiang. Another mile further is the camp of Shandong soldiers and horses. Three groups of people and three hundred households did not interfere with each other, forming three small groups.

 When Zhao Liangyu arrived with Lin Wanrong and the high chief, the Zhejiang camp was not as noisy as the Shenji camp. The camp was brightly lit, and several large carts pulling some grain and grass were parked in the camp. Soldiers came and went from time to time.

 Lin Wanrong looked at the soldiers carefully. Sure enough, they were old, young, and physically weak. Zhao Liangyu did not lie. These were all leftovers selected by the guards.

 The two hundred or so people in Zhejiang were also led by a hundred households, named Du Xiuyuan. When Du Xiuyuan learned that the commander of the army, General Lin, had arrived, he hurriedly came out of the camp to greet him. This Du Baihu had a fair face and no beard, but his eyes were full of energy. When he saw Lin Wanrong, he cupped his fists and said, "The last general, Du Xiuyuan, has met General Lin."

 "Sir Baihu, it's okay for me to say this. This is the first time for this general to come to your headquarters today. Why is it so quiet in your headquarters and there are no protective guards? Are all the soldiers in the camp sleeping peacefully?" Lin Wanrong asked with a smile.

 "General, you have misunderstood." Du Xiuyuan said hurriedly: "It's not that my subordinates have not arranged for defense. It's just that the two hundred households under my command are veterans who have been defeated and some newly recruited soldiers. The old ones are in their forties. The youngest ones are only fourteen or fifteen years old. They are so uneven and have not been uniformly trained. It would be unwise to open the formation openly and let the enemy see it and find out our true and false positions at once."

 "Oh?" Lin Wanrong glanced at Du Xiuyuan with interest. This man without a beard seemed to have some ideas: "Then what do you think?"

 Du Xiuyuan said: "It is better to hide secretly than to be exposed. Although I am a weak soldier, I can still defeat the general even though I am a dwarf. Please see..." He clapped his hands three times, and sergeants No. 60 and 70 rushed out of the camp. They are young and old, but their physiques have become much stronger. They were divided into two layers, inside and outside, with spears on the outside and knives on the inside, forming a guard formation.

 Du Xiuyuan said: "These are the elites I selected from more than 200 people. They are secretly guarded in the camp. They are much stronger than the public strength."

 It turned out that it was tight inside and loose outside. This Du Xiuyuan had some ideas. Just looking at the soldiers he led, the formation was good, but his personal ability was very lacking. Lin Wanrong sighed and said: "Du Baihu, you have an idea, this is very important." Okay. But the training of your soldiers and horses is still a bit poor." He walked up to a soldier holding a gun and pulled it with both hands. The soldier was unsteady and fell sideways.

 Although Zhao Liangyu's men were from the Shenji Battalion, the quality of the soldiers was much better than that of the Zhejiang soldiers. Seeing that the Zhejiang soldiers were sparsely leading the troops, he couldn't help laughing.

 Lin Wanrong glared at him, "What's so funny about you? I'll make you laugh when the Shenji Camp inspects the cannon tomorrow morning." Du Xiuyuan's face turned red and white, and he didn't know what to do. The soldiers from the south of the Yangtze River were not as strong as the soldiers from the north, not to mention that these were the remnants of soldiers who had been selected.

 Judging from Du Xiuyuan's appearance, this Baihu man seemed to have a strategy, but was not good at training soldiers. Lin Wanrong nodded, patted Du Xiuyuan on the shoulder and said, "Brother Du, don't be anxious. Training soldiers is not a temporary success. Strategy is your strength. Just use a good strategy. I see you look like you have read a book, what do you do at home?"

 Du Xiuyuan said: "General, my ancestral home is Hangzhou, and my family has been doing business for generations. However, my family's fortunes declined and I became interested in the army, so I joined the army."

 "Business person?" Lin Wanrong was very interested when he heard this. No wonder this Du Xiuyuan was a bit of a strategist and a businessman. Bringing him to the army may not be a bad thing: "We are colleagues. I am also a businessman in Jinling. This time Mr. Xu brought me here to work as a temporary errand."

 After walking around the Zhejiang camp, I found that although Du Xiuyuan's soldiers were not strong in personal abilities, they had some attainments in formations. It was obvious that Du Xiuyuan had worked hard.

 Without stopping to do anything, Lin Wanrong simply took two hundred households and went straight to Shandong Camp. Far away before reaching the Shandong camp, he heard a shocking sound of fighting, including the faint neighing of some war horses. Lin Wanrong was startled and said: "What is this? Could it be a fight?"

Du Xiuyuan said from the side: "General Lin, you don't know something. Hu Bugui Baihu, who leads the army in Shandong, has to train like this every day. He trains in the morning and at night. He just relies on a burst of brute force. It won't help him on the battlefield. ." There was a bit of disdain in Du Xiuyuan's words, which didn't seem to go the right way with this Hu Bugui.

 Before Lin Wanrong and a few people approached the Shandong camp, a few soldiers stepped out from the roadside and said, "Who broke into our camp at night?"

 The high chief said loudly: "Go and report to your family, the general of staff, Mr. Lin, is coming on night patrol." One of the soldiers immediately went to report the news, while the remaining few stared at Lin Wanrong and the others with lingering eyes. It seemed that they were the enemy troops attacking the camp.

 Lin Wanrong saw that these soldiers were all fourteen or fifteen years old, but they already looked capable. In terms of individual soldier quality, they were much better than the sergeants in the Zhejiang camp. He nodded slightly and said, "These little brothers, how long have you been in the army?"

 One of the young sergeants who looked like a leader said loudly: "Don't bother to explore my military situation."

 Lin Wanrong laughed loudly, this young man was very interesting. He raised his eyes and looked into the camp. He saw billowing dust and bright lights in the camp. There were actually two groups of men and horses fighting on horses, and several groups of soldiers were slashing and slashing at some grass-made wooden figures. Although they are the same remnant soldiers, they are already somewhat ferocious. It can be seen from these sentries that Hu Bugui is good at training soldiers.

 While I was thinking, a bearded military attache walked from a distance. He was about forty years old, with a dark face. He walked fast and hurriedly. Before he arrived, a rough voice came: "Who is General Lin?" ?"

 Lin Wanrong smiled and stood up and said: "Brother Lin San, could this majestic and heroic man be General Hu Bugui?"

 Hu Bugui saw the general in front of him, who was in his twenties, with a playful smile and no sign of seriousness. Instead, he started to flatter him when he opened his mouth. He suddenly looked down on him. He also saw that Zhao Liangyu and Du Xiuyuan were following him. Thinking that there would be no mistake, he immediately cupped his fists and said seriously: "Hu Bugui has met General Lin."

 "Brother Hu, don't be polite. I just arrived in Chuzhou today, so I just wanted to take a look. I'm sorry to bother you, but please don't take offense," Lin Wanrong said with a smile.

 You are a superior. It is only natural for you to come to my camp to check. You still pretend to bother me. This person is very false. Hu Bugui despised General Lin and said loudly: "General Lin, you are polite. Please follow me." Come."

 When the two of them walked past the young sergeants, Lin Wanrong looked at the young man who had stopped him before and said, "Little brother, what's your name?"

 The young man thought that his previous words and deeds had offended him, and there was some fear on his face. He soon lost his fear and said proudly: "My name is -"

 Hu Bugui didn't understand what General Lin meant, but seeing the look on the young man's face, he intuitively thought something was wrong, and hurriedly said: "General Lin, my men are all acting under my orders. They have no fault at all. If If you want to investigate the crime, general please come to me, Hu."

 Although this Hu Bugui was reckless, he treated his soldiers with justice. Lin Wanrong smiled and said: "Brother Hu said something, who is going to punish you? This little brother is smart and brave, and he is loyal to his duty. He should be commended." There's no point in talking about punishment."

 Hu Bugui couldn't figure out the details of the smiling general, and didn't care if he was true or false, so he hurriedly pulled him to the camp. Along the way, the troops were neatly arranged, their swords and guns were bright, and they were heavily guarded. They were completely different from the Shenji Camp and the Zhejiang Camp. Although these two hundred people from Shandong are of varying ages, they are obviously stronger and stronger than the soldiers from Jiangnan. Hu Bugui is very good at training soldiers. In a short period of time, he can train these remnant soldiers and child soldiers to look like this. It's not easy to look tough.

 The two teams of people who were practicing fighting at night were Hu Bugui's trump card. Both parties were skilled in equestrian skills and had sharp swordsmanship. They looked quite large. Lin Wanrong wondered: "General Hu, how long have you been training these troops?"

 Hu Bugui said: "About a month."

 He can train men and horses to this level in about a month. Hu Bugui's ability is really beyond compare. It's just that he is in his forties and has such ability. How could he only become a small centurion? Woolen cloth.

 "Brother Hu, in your opinion, is there really such a big gap between the soldiers from Jiangnan and the children of Qilu?" Lin Wanrong asked meaningfully.

 Hu Bugui said: "The soldiers from the south of the Yangtze River are more delicate and physically weaker than the soldiers from the north. This is related to the temperament of the region. But this is not the decisive factor. If the soldiers from the south of the Yangtze River are handed over to me for training, I can also turn them into Qilu soldiers like me. He is as good a man as a wolf and a tiger. My many years of marching experience prove that there are no disabled soldiers, only disabled generals."

 He was referring to Sang Shuhuai's attack on Du Xiuyuan. Du Xiuyuan blushed and said, "What you say is nice. If you only practice individual soldiers without focusing on combined attack techniques or formation drills, you will suffer big losses on the battlefield."

 "Soldiers like yours can't even crush an ant to death, but they can win the battle just by showing off their tricks?" Hu Bugui retorted.

 These two people, one from Zhejiang and the other from Shandong, were originally unrelated to each other. I don't know how they came to argue like this. However, this kind of technical argument makes Lin Wanrong happy. He is good at flattering others, so he despises those who flatter him. This battle between Du Xiuyuan and Hu Bugui is exactly what he needs.

 Seeing the two hundred households arguing endlessly, Lin Wanrong said with a smile: "You two don't have to argue. Tomorrow morning, I will go to the Shenji Camp to test the artillery. Why don't we just have a real-life military exercise. Then the two of you will lead Get on the troops, catch them, fight them, and have a showdown."

 This was a good idea. Neither of the two hundred households had any objections, so they made an appointment to practice together tomorrow morning.

 Lin Wanrong saw that Hu Bugui's sergeant had a superior individual soldier quality. He became particularly curious about this bearded man. He pulled him and said, "Brother Hu, I see that you have a good way of training and leading troops. How come you are here now?" Or a small hundred households? At least it should be a thousand households, Commander Wei?"

 Hu Bugui looked at him cautiously, not knowing whether he should answer or not. Lin Wanrong laughed and said: "This is because I have made acquaintance with each other. Brother Hu may not be familiar with me yet. I have always been upright and honest, humble and studious. Mr. Xu took a fancy to me and let me come here." Commander of the army in Chuzhou. Although Brother Hu and I have just met each other for the first time, I have a shortcoming, that is, I don't like to see people being wronged. That's why I took the liberty to ask, hoping to express my grievances for my brother."

 Hu Bugui felt funny when he saw him bragging, but he was sincere in his cheerfulness, so he said: "To tell the truth, General Lin, I am from Jining."

 "Jining?" Lin Wanrong frowned. Isn't that the birthplace of the White Lotus Sect? He then asked: "Brother Hu was implicated because of the White Lotus Sect?"

 Hu Bugui nodded: "The White Lotus Sect has tricks to fool the people and does many evil things. I also despise them. I used to fight against the Hu people in the north and received a reward from thousands of households. However, when the White Lotus Sect incident happened, the imperial court treated all Qinglu generals with disdain. Trust me, I was sent back and demoted to a hundred households."

 No wonder Hu Bugui had a good way of leading troops. It turned out that he had fought against the Hu people and had been a member of a thousand households. Lin Wanrong shook his head and said: "This court is so damn nonsense. How can loyal ministers and traitorous ministers be distinguished based on region? These guys think about things with their butts."

 Although his words were rough, they suited Hu Bugui's taste. His idea of General Lin instantly changed, and he said with a smile: "It turns out that General Lin is also the person of my temperament. Although the White Lotus Sect is evil, but They are all a mob, easy to deal with. The real enemies of our Great China Dynasty are the nomadic Hu people in the north. Although I am from Jining, my ancestors all lived in the north, and my father died tragically under the hooves of the Hu people. , and have a blood feud with the Hu people. My original name was Hu Shouxin, but later in order to fight against the Hu people, I changed my name to Hu Bugui, which means that when the Hu people come, I will tell him not to go back."

 It turned out that the nickname Hu Bugui was changed by himself. Lin Wanrong smiled and gave a thumbs up and said: "Brother Hu has such ambitions. I really admire him. Don't worry, brother, I have a good relationship with Lao Xu. I will definitely help you if I have the opportunity." He said, "Seeing talents being wronged makes me feel so damn uncomfortable."

 When Hu Bugui saw him calling Marshal Xu directly as Lao Xu, he was secretly shocked. He didn't know the background of this staff general, Mr. Lin, and he spoke in such a loud tone. Could it be that he really had a close friendship with Marshal Xu?

 When Lin Wanrong first arrived in Chuzhou, he patrolled three battalions in a row and was really exhausted. Among the three battalions of soldiers, except for the Shenji Battalion from Gyeonggi Province, which was undisciplined, the other two battalions were still careless, which finally made him feel better.

 It was the first time he spent the night in the army. Listening to the footsteps of soldiers patrolling outside, he found it difficult to fall asleep for a long time. Life is really wonderful. From the moment he entered the Xiao family, his life changed inexplicably. He did a lot of messy things, met a lot of people, and now he is leading thousands of soldiers on the front line as a little servant. If word of the war spread, who would believe it?

 He sighed, and many faces flashed before his eyes. Where is Qingxuan? Does she know that I was inexplicably recruited to serve as a soldier? Qiaoqiao, is this girl asleep? She must be thinking about me. The second young lady is probably chanting sutras and praying for me again. Is that girl Luo Ning waiting for my return every day? And the eldest lady, I won't be able to see her for a while, and I'm not used to not having trouble with her every day.

 Thinking about it, they were all women, or women who were hooking up with him and couldn't tell the truth. He couldn't help but laugh. He had so many wives and would-be wives in one breath. I was so talented. That's it.

 He was half asleep when he suddenly heard a gentle voice whispering in his ear: "Master, Master—"

 He turned over in a daze, and was about to continue falling asleep when he suddenly realized that I was in the army, and where did this woman come from to talk to me.

 Under this fright, all his sleepiness disappeared. Yigulu sat up from the bed, only to see a woman sitting beside the camp bed, looking at him with a charming smile.

 "Xian'er?!" Lin Wanrong was shocked and called out softly.