GBP Chapter 246: Battle of Quantou Mountain
Chapter 246: Battle of Quantou Mountain
This winter is exceptionally cold, but fortunately there is the Jingxian coal mine in Dingzhou County, which guarantees basic heating for the people. After the prince issued the decree on the food issue, no merchant dared to raise prices sharply.
Of course, poverty has always been a chronic disease that is difficult to get rid of in this era, especially for those families that are poor and have lost some of their labor force.
"We will first issue a decree within Luancheng. County Magistrate Li, how are you progressing on this work?"
The decree that Zhao Sheng mentioned was issued before Prince Li Xin, and it targeted households in villages and towns, including checks on food and charcoal reserves, household income, population, and other conditions.
The reason for implementing these policies is, on the one hand, to be responsible to the people under the rule, and on the other hand, to examine the ability level of officials.
Li Weiguang learned many work skills from Zhao Sheng. He would never do things himself if he could be assigned to others, and would never let people with insufficient abilities take on management positions.
"Your Majesty, Lord Zhou Tong has provided great assistance to this official in this regard. The yamen runners and the palace soldiers have cooperated with each other, and groups of ten have gone to various villages to complete the statistics. By the way, these team leaders have also learned a lot of cultural knowledge while doing this."
Watching the county magistrate proudly praising Zhou Tong and others, Zhao Sheng could feel that these people were indeed working hard.
"Okay, these yamen runners have all worked hard. Those who work outside, especially those who perform outstandingly, will be divided into three categories and rewarded. Don't let their efforts go to waste." Zhao Sheng finished speaking, thought for a moment, and then asked, "Will the elderly and weak in each village be cared for together?"
"We have already arranged for it to be processed. All the able-bodied people in the village have been conscripted according to the population ratio."
Conscription was a form of corvee labor, but it was different in that it was paid, primarily in the form of food. Furthermore, the so-called labor did not necessarily refer only to men; women could also be employed.
Men can work outside as laborers, and also actively participate in the town-level militia training to maintain local public order and prevent banditry.
Most women patrol the village to check and repair things to prevent some families from getting sick or having accidents during the winter.
In comparison, there is a difference in remuneration between those in and outside the village. However, at least there is food to eat, and the more you work, the more you earn.
Zhao Sheng was quite satisfied with the arrangements for each village, especially for the Chu Village outside, where there were many widowed and orphaned families. He was always worried that Shi Ge's people would come and rob them.
Sure enough, this worry was not unnecessary. After discussing with his subordinates, Shi Ge asked Hou Lin from Pingyang County to come with 5,000 people.
The reason for sending Hou Lin back was originally because he was worried that his temper might cause trouble in Luancheng. After Yuan Shan's rebellion, Shi Ge finally became desperate.
"Chief, Marshal Hou is already heading in the designated direction."
Hou Shuai is a respectful title for Hou Lin. The direction he was heading to was Lu County, where Cheng Ziyun was stationed.
Hou Lin's purpose was very obvious. He first made the guards in Pingshan Mining Area very nervous, but then he found that this group of people bypassed them and headed straight for Lu County.
The Third Division Commander, Wei Wu, learned of the situation but didn't dare leave Pingshan without permission. Deputy Division Commander Qi Tai said, "General Wei, how about I take a thousand men to Lu County and notify General Cheng?"
Now each regiment was only equipped with half of its firearms, and there were only 500 guns for a thousand men. Wei Wu said worriedly: "Take 3,000 men with you. Bring the troops you once led so they can be used more easily."
"Okay..." Qi Tai didn't say anything more and gathered his troops and headed towards Lu County.
Hou Lin never expected that an army equipped with hot weapons would come behind him, and Cheng Ziyun's army had more than 10,000 people. Even though he was known as a "human butcher", he might not be able to win in the face of the absolute gap in strength.
The defense focus of Lu County is mainly in the north, and it is also the backing of the Pingshan mining area. Yian Town became the place where Cheng Ziyun secretly laid out his plans, so there was not much defense in the direction of Jing County.
Qi Tai went straight from Jing County to Lu County. Although Hou Lin took a detour, they both took the same road as Qi Tai - Quantou Mountain.
"Report, General Qi, we've spotted a group of approximately 5,000 soldiers ahead. They're casually dressed, but armed."
When Qi Tai heard this, his heart skipped a beat and he thought to himself, "This is not good." He knew that although the road he had chosen was relatively safe, the four-mile detour and the delay in the troop count would likely put him in a disadvantageous situation.
But he quickly forced himself to calm down and quickly thought of a response plan. His eyes revealed decisiveness and determination. He thought to himself: "No matter what, we must break through as soon as possible and complete the mission."
"Send out the cavalry first, attack them from behind once and then withdraw. Don't fight to the end." Qi Tai ordered loudly. He hoped that this round of surprise attack could disrupt the enemy's formation.
This cavalry was exactly the unit led by Qi Tai back then. Later, all of them were equipped with five-shot imitation Colt revolver rifles, which were extremely powerful when used in cavalry combat.
A thousand cavalrymen galloped to catch up. Just as they were about to get close to Hou Lin's troops, there was a burst of crackling gunfire, and countless Hou Lin's men fell down in an instant.
Hou Lin was shocked when he saw his soldiers falling one after another, and panic instantly took over his mind.
"What kind of weapon is this? How can it be so powerful? Am I going to die here today?" Cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and his hands and feet were somewhat out of control. His previous fearlessness was gone.
Hou Lin made a rough estimate and found that more than 500 people were killed or injured.
As soon as they were attacked, they lost one-tenth of their troops. Hou Lin felt his heart in his throat and fear began to spread in his heart.
"No, I can't just sit there and wait to die." He suppressed his inner panic and tried to calm himself down.
The weapons not only had a deterrent effect, but also brought tremendous pressure, but these people did not pursue them.
Qi Tai was surprised that the enemy didn't pursue him, and he couldn't help but feel annoyed. "What's going on? Did they see through my intentions?"
But he quickly adjusted his mindset and gave the order again: "Form a formation, advance forward, cavalry, reload and attack again!..."
His expression was serious and tense, his eyes fixed on the enemy in front of him, hoping that this round of attack would be effective.
The order was given and the troops advanced towards the enemy in an orderly manner.
"What do they mean?" Hou Lin felt even more frightened when he saw the cavalry attacking again.
"Shield protection." In the past, Hou Lin had always disdained to use a shield in battles, emphasizing the importance of fearlessness and bravery.
But at this moment his heart was filled with fear, and he no longer cared about face and prestige, and only thought about how to save his life.
Hou Lin's troops, protected by their shields, appeared somewhat disorganized, their eyes filled with fear and confusion; they had never encountered such powerful firepower and such an orderly attack.
Qi Tai's troops pressed forward step by step, the sound of gunfire and shouts of killing intertwined. Qi Tai's heartbeat accelerated rapidly, he knew that this battle was of great importance and he had to go all out.
Hou Lin gritted his teeth and shouted, "Hold on! Hold on!"
But his voice seemed so weak in the chaos.